The snow-covered battlefield lay silent, steam rising from patches where the fight had melted through the frost. Eleo dusted his ears off, his small body practically glowing from adrenaline.
He threw his arms behind his head, smug as ever.
"Pfft… That was easy."
Tony adjusted his tie, brushing a bit of soot from his skeletal shoulder.
"Indeed. Almost disappointingly easy. Let's leave this dump before something actually challenging shows up."
The two made their way to the beach, the wind biting but refreshing after the heat of battle.
They stopped.
Eyes scanned the sand, the shore… and then—
There it was.
PAW, already aboard his ship, casually leaning on the rail, He waved lazily at them.
Eleo's ear twitched.
"Wait a sec…"
They turned their gaze toward where the BOOM-GO should've been docked.
It was gone.
Eleo and Tony looked at PAW.
Then at the empty spot.
Then back at PAW.
Then the spot again.
Both at once:
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! WHERE'S OUR SHIP~!?"
PAW yawned, resting his chin in his palm. "Oh. Yeah. Agharna took it."
Eleo's eyes bulged. "WHO!?"
Tony's bones rattled as he stiffened. "Eleo… this is kinda bad."
Eleo growled. "How?"
Tony looked serious now. "Agharna is the strongest animal in World 1. He didn't just take our ship—he's basically signed our death warrant."
But Eleo clenched his tiny fists, fury in his eyes.
"I don't care if he's the strongest! I'm gonna become the strongest! I'll kick his ass AND take our ship back!"
PAW chuckled. "Wow. You're really not afraid of him, huh?"
"Of course not." Eleo's voice burned with conviction. "He also took someone important to me. So he's getting a bonus ass whooping for that."
PAW raised a brow, clearly impressed. "Heh. I like your attitude. Really, I do."
He stepped forward on his deck, resting both hands on the rail. "Tell you what, Eleo. If you do manage to beat him… I'd like to see you in World 2. I've got some plans brewing, and I could use a team like yours."
Eleo tilted his head. "Why me?"
PAW smirked. "Because you've got heart, and you're the ones who raided Hunk Tower. That's not something I forget easily."
He pointed toward the distant horizon.
"Agharna's in the Animal Kingdom. Ruined the place. Half the animals left 'cause of how he's treating everyone. It's a mess, but you? You might be able to turn it around."
Eleo nodded, serious now. "Thank you, uh—"
"It's PAW." He tipped an imaginary hat. "Oh, and… you can take the Ascendants' ship. It's just over there."
Eleo and Tony turned.
"…How the hell did we miss that?" Tony asked.
"Tunnel vision," Eleo muttered.
As they stared, PAW's ship suddenly unfolded two massive wings, and with a rumble and flare of boosters, it began rising into the air.
PAW gave them one last two-finger salute.
"See ya, little bunny. Don't die too fast!"
BOOM! His ship shot into the sky, leaving a streak of blue light.
Eleo waved. "Bye, Paw!"
Tony gave a little tip of his top hat. "Charming fellow."
The breeze blew past them. Eleo turned to Tony.
"Okay. We need to get everyone to that ship. And maybe recruit that girl."
Tony raised a bony brow. "Chiyo?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know her name," Eleo said quickly. "Just slipped my mind. Whatever. Let's move."
They took off back toward the snowy Frost, wind trailing behind them.
Meanwhile, Chiyo and Timmy were still sprinting through the snowy forest, the cold wind nipping at their faces. Chiyo glanced down at Timmy riding in her arms.
"Okay, little guy," she said, her breath puffing in the air, "I need you to be my eyes. If you see anything move—anything at all—you shout, alright?"
Timmy nodded quickly, his tiny hands clutching her sleeve. "I hope my friends are okay..." he said, voice small.
Chiyo gave him a confident grin. "Don't sweat it. They look strong. I'm pretty sure they're giving whoever's out there a beatdown."
But just as she finished speaking, she slammed straight into something solid. Both she and Timmy went flying backward into a pile of snow with a muffled PLOOF.
"Ow—!" Chiyo grunted, popping her head out of the snow, her hair dusted in white powder. Timmy stuck out beside her like a little ornament.
The 'something' they crashed into groaned. Olorun, half-buried himself, blinked in confusion. He reached out and touched... something yielding. He gave it a confused squeeze and said, "Man, this is soft—"
Chiyo's whole face flushed bright red. In one explosive motion, she burst out of the snow, yanking Timmy with her, and started pummeling Olorun without mercy.
"YOU DIRTY PERVERT!! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME THERE!!" she roared, punching him repeatedly.
"GAH—! S-sorry!!" Olorun yelped, shielding his face with his arms.
Timmy hopped onto Olorun's head and said, "Olorun! You're alive!"
Chiyo crossed her arms, fuming, glaring down at Olorun. "You know this perv?!"
Timmy nodded. "Y-yeah... he's our friend."
Olorun slowly, painfully got to his feet, his face covered in snow and bruises. "Damn... that hurts..." he muttered, rubbing his face.
Chiyo cracked her knuckles, leaning in threateningly. "I'm ready for Round 2 if you are."
Olorun immediately threw his hands up in surrender. "NO THANK YOU. PASS."
Taking a breath, he shook the snow off. "Anyway... Timmy, where's Eleo and Tony?"
Timmy tapped his chin. "Well... we were exploring the island... until we came across her—" he pointed at Chiyo, who glared at him for a second, then softened, "—and an Eleo clone!"
Olorun's jaw dropped. His face lit up like a kid who just won a lifetime supply of candy. "ELEO CLONE?! HAHAHAHA! I KNEW IT! I TOLD KENJI THERE WAS ANOTHER ELEO AND HE SAID I WAS CRAZY! WHO'S CRAZY NOW, HUH? HAHAHA!"
He doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach.
Timmy blinked. "Wait... Olorun... where's Kenji?"
Olorun wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Oh yeah, uh... he's fighting some bear named, uh... Agharna."
Timmy's entire face paled. "Agharna... the strongest animal in World 1...?"
Chiyo tilted her head. "Strongest?"
Timmy nodded rapidly. "Yeah... he's really feared... like, really feared."
Olorun just shrugged with a cocky grin. "Pfft, don't worry. Kenji ain't gettin' beat by no oversized teddy bear."
"But we have to help him, Olorun!" Timmy urged, tugging on his sleeve.
Olorun sighed dramatically, ruffling Timmy's hair. "Alright, alright, we'll go... but man..." He looked down at his hand, blushing hard. "This is still the best day of my life."
Timmy tilted his head. "Why?"
Olorun looked at his hand with a dreamy expression. "That was my first time touching a woman's... you know... boobies..." He cradled his hand like it was a sacred relic. "I'm never washing this hand."
THWACK!
Chiyo punched him square on the head, her eyebrow twitching violently. "STOP IT, YOU PERVERT!!"
"OWWWW! Alright, alright, jeez!!" Olorun whined, crouching and rubbing his scalp.
He picked Timmy up and plopped him on his head like a tiny crown. "C'mon, let's find Kenji before he ends up bear chow."
All three of them took off running, snow crunching underfoot.
As they sprinted, Timmy leaned down and asked, "Olorun... do you remember where you saw them fighting?"
Olorun laughed sheepishly. "Hahaha... nope!"
Chiyo and Timmy both almost face-planted into the snow. "WHAT?!"
Olorun shrugged mid-run. "Hey, the forest's too damn big! Everything looks the same! Snow, trees, snow, trees... you expect me to memorize all this?"
Chiyo looked around, grimacing. "Well... you do have a point..."
As they rushed through the snow, 10 figure suddenly leapt out from behind a crumbled tree, landing gracefully in front of them. A vampire, pale-skinned with wild crimson eyes, sneered, baring sharp fangs.
"Well, well, well... it seems we've finally found you, Chiyo."
Timmy gasped, hiding behind Olorun's head. "Oh no..."
Olorun blinked, glancing between Chiyo and the vampire. "Wait, quick question—why are they afraid of you again? Whoops, I mean, why are they after you?"
Chiyo clicked her tongue, frustrated. "Because they want to drag me back to my father. If that happens, it's basically game over—for me and everyone else."
Olorun's face twisted in confusion. "Wait... Are you... a vampire?"
Chiyo sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Yes, genius, I'm a vampire."
Olorun screamed and stumbled backward, throwing his hands up. "DON'T DRINK MY BLOOD, I NEED THAT TO LIVE!!"
Timmy quickly waved his tiny arms. "No, no! She's a good guy! Promise!"
Olorun immediately straightened up, dusting himself off like nothing happened. "Pshh, I knew that. I was just kidding, obviously. Heh."
Chiyo stomped her foot in the snow, a vein popping on her forehead. "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!"
Before anyone could say another word, ten vampires exploded out from the treeline, hissing and shrieking as they charged.
Chiyo's eyes sharpened, her stance lowering into a battle-ready crouch.
Timmy tugged on Olorun's dreadlocks. "Olorun! Aren't you gonna help her?!"
Olorun crossed his arms, leaning back casually. "Nah, I wanna see if she's just talk... or if she's actually got hands."
Chiyo exhaled slowly, her breath misting the cold air. Her fingers curled into claws, and her fangs bared.
With a sudden roar, she launched forward, vanishing with a burst of snow beneath her feet.
"VAMPIRE CLAWS!!"
Slash-slash-slash-slash-slash-slash!
Six massive crimson arcs, each shaped like monstrous claw marks, tore through the battlefield.
Chiyo moved with surgical precision, her body twisting and flipping in midair like a gymnast possessed.
Every vampire that tried to dodge found themselves instantly shredded apart, their bodies turning to ash before they even hit the ground.
The last vampire tried to leap onto her from behind, but without even looking, Chiyo spun mid-flip and drove a crimson claw straight through its chest, landing softly in the snow as its body disintegrated behind her.
She stood there, breathing calmly, barely even winded.
Olorun and Timmy's jaws dropped in perfect unison.
"Ya know what?" Chiyo said, brushing a speck of ash off her shoulder with a cocky smile. "I ain't weak."
Olorun started clapping slowly. "Nice. Real nice."
Timmy pulled out a little leaf he'd been carrying—on it was written a big, bold "10"—and held it up like a judge at a competition.
"That was a ten!"
Chiyo smirked and did a small, over-the-top bow.
"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here next Sunday."
Olorun, still grinning, turned his gaze toward the footprints the vampires had left behind.
"Hmm…" he muttered.
Timmy noticed and pointed. "Look! Maybe if we follow those tracks, it'll lead us to where they're coming from!"
Chiyo hesitated. "I thought we were supposed to find this Kenji guy?"
Timmy scratched the back of his tiny head. "Well, uh... like Olorun said earlier, he's probably fine."
Olorun laughed heartily. "Yeah! Kenji's a beast. Ain't no bear or vampire gonna take him out."
Chiyo cracked her knuckles. "Alright then... Let's go kill some vampire butt."
"Yeah!" Timmy cheered, raising a fist.
But Olorun hesitated, scratching his cheek. "Uh... wait. You're a vampire, though. Doesn't it bother you we're, ya know, wiping out your own kind?"
Chiyo paused, looking off into the distance. Her voice was softer when she answered.
"Well, I mean... kinda? But most vampires out there... they're rotten. Twisted. Not like me. They made their choices. I made mine."
Olorun nodded, satisfied. "Fair enough."
He then threw his arms in the air dramatically.
"Alright! TEAM OLORUN, LET'S GO—!"
Chiyo and Timmy both shouted at once:
"WE'RE NOT CALLING OUR TRIO TEAM OLORUN!"
"Fine, fine," Olorun said, laughing. "How about… Team Scorpion-Vampire-Minari Squad?"
Chiyo wrinkled her nose. "Ehhh..."
Timmy yanked on Olorun's dreadlocks again. "Let's just go!!"
"Alright, alright, sheesh!" Olorun laughed, jogging after the footprints.
With Chiyo leading the charge, Timmy perched on Olorun's head like a tiny, angry general, and Olorun himself cracking jokes as they ran, the trio set off into the misty woods, following the trail of enemies—unaware of the dark, ominous presence growing deeper within the forest...