Chapter Text
In other circumstances, Ragatha might have been admiring the landscape of this candy world Caine had made. The ground around them had already been nice shades of purples, pinks, reds, and largely combinations of them, and the sunset only made them feel warmer. There were also large mesas in the distance to admire, along with an assortment of other candy items. Macaroons-looking pillars; large... jaw-breakers?; swirling towers that she thought were candy canes of different flavors, but she was hardly an expert. (Not that she did not have time to read later to find out. All they had was time...)
Overall, the ringmaster had done a spectacular job this time around! He had been struggling with assets for a while, but it seemed he was back to making something... semi-cohesive. At least, in terms of the environment itself. Cowboys and royal kingdoms was an odd combination, but it was not bad. One could see it as enhancing the whimsicalness! Besides, this place would be gone once they left, so it was not like the AI needed to worry about the long-termness of these systems.
So the Ragdoll was happy (of a sort)! On another day, she would have loved to ride through these deserts in the tanker the princess had given them. Maybe they would some other time, too, if Caine ever reused the map and assets! It would be a little rearranged, but still generally the same! She really could not complain!
...Though, if she were to be a bit honest with herself... there were perhaps three things worrying her about the current situation.
Or... no, just one thing! The other two things were... unfair of her. Those just had to do with how the adventure was ending, which, in the grand scheme of things, was nothing to worry about! She had had her own ideas of how she would have liked this all to go, but the others (or... okay, just Jax) had wanted something... different. As long as at least one person was happy with this (the exact number), who cared how she felt about this? Not her! She could let it slide... again.
But perhaps... she could admit those two things were distracting her from the landscape as much as the real problem. The first of those being, that... they were not driving back to the Candy Canyon Kingdom. Not because they had left their tanker or the bandits one behind - all of them were on top of those. They were not running, though. Instead... they were riding on top of a fudge monster with an obsession with eating candy people.
Which they were taking back to the kingdom... Right through the gates. So that it could cause chaos and destruction. And perhaps leave the whole place in ruins.
...Er, but that was fine, Ragatha told herself. As she acknowledged before, this place would be deleted once they left, so the people would not suffer too long! And... they were NPCs. They acted like people, just like in any video game, but they were hardly sentient. The pain would not even be real, or their panic - just pre-programmed responses. Or... adaptive code? Was that a thing? (Sometimes she wonders if she should also read up on computer programming stuff.)
Riding atop the monster that would cause those people harm until said deletion, however, was still a little unnerving, she admitted. But at least it was not focused on them... for now. It had said it did not care about non-candy people, after all. Though who knew if Jax would decide to convince it one of them was a sweet treat after all.
Speaking of the purple rabbit... he was the second reason admiring the landscape was a bust. Not even because he had arranged this scenario, though... she acknowledged it had rubbed her the wrong way. (Could they not ever have a vote?) Or from stealing her key - which she was still curious as to how he pulled off. But that was his typical behavior and shenanigans, so again, who cared? (She ignored the numb feeling in her digital heart.)
All of that was not a problem to her... Yet the fact he was apparently still not satisfied irked her ever so slightly, as made clear by his next words. “Gotta say, this is a lot more anti-climatic than I was hoping it’d be.”
The ragdoll carefully held back a sigh, looking out the corner of her eye at him. She, Kinger, and the tied-up bandits were on top of the stolen tanker with the maple syrup - shorter, with a strawberry-iced treat as the tank held by chocolate drizzle that looked surprisingly sturdy and waffle cone links. Jax and Gangle, meanwhile, were on top of theirs - longer, with the swirled log treat and a chocolate coat on top. (Were they... hard cakes? She had not looked closely.)
The ribbon-girl, who was looking out at the forward horizon with a pair of binoculars that looked strangely wooden, turned to him. Her voice was timid and uncertain thanks to her comedy mask having been broken ages ago. (The redhead felt a small pang at that, wishing the other woman got to see more of this place before that happened.) “What... were you hoping for?”
Jax, lounging behind her, gestured with his hands. “You know, like, one big, final battle. Bloodshed. Death. Chaos!” He threw his hands up for that last one, making Gangle flinch. He relaxed a moment later, though, going back to looking out at their surroundings while grumbling. “Whatever.”
For the briefest of moments, Ragatha wanted to snap over at him about that. What did he think was going to happen once they arrived in the city? Maybe it would not be a “grand” battle, but he would get his chaos and death - as much as that meant in the digital world - without any issues. But what? He was annoyed it was not happening right now? It was bad enough they were doing it in the first place! He-!
Catching herself, she took a quick breath, shaking off her momentary... lapse. Because she was not mad. Not overly, anyway. He was... just doing what he did to cope with being trapped in this game. They all were. Sure, he was constantly forcing the rest of them to do adventures his way most of the time, bullying them until they conformed. It might have been this attitude that caused the real problem she was facing, too. He may be sadistic and rude, pushing all of their buttons - especially hers and Gangle's - for his own laughter even in the tent. But...
...She does not know where she was going with that, actually. But she did know it was not as bad as it seemed! She... she knew that!... Yeah!
Regardless, she could parse over her feelings there later. Right then, though... there was only one problem that mattered. One that was not simply part of the adventure itself. Because as they drew ever closer to their destination... they were missing something. More accurately, someone. Not an NPC, but one of their own, who had gone through a hell of a time earlier that day.
And worse, for the second day in a row, after only having arrived just yesterday…
Focusing on this, the ragdoll turned to the two tied-up bandits - the candy ropes luckily seeming thick enough to not be chewed through. The taller gummy alligator was orange, fading into yellow, with a white belly, cowboy hat with a blue-purple stripe, and similar bandana on his neck. The shorter plump one was purple, fading into red, with a bowler hat with a red band and brown waistcoat. The former’s arms were quite long, while the latter’s was very short.
They... did not seem that bad, if she was honest. Not that she had talked with them extensively, but these NPCs were not all that violent, despite the earlier truck chase. They had even pleaded with them briefly to let them take their stolen tanker to their village to help someone. She did not know if Caine made them this way as a moral dilemma for them - he did not seem to understand nuance a lot of the time. But if so, their current course had definitely ruined that.
Still, they were not real, and she doubted this village was even part of the map. Even if it was, it would all be gone after this. She did not bring it up to be polite, though, and since she doubted they would understand. Instead, she looked at them to confirm their story one more time, since... well, she did not understand. “Are you sure they disappeared? It wasn’t that they fell off, or something?”
The orange one responded after a brief struggle with his bonds. He looked at her, stammering his first words. “I-I can’t say for sure, but, uh - Yes, definitely.” He smiled and nodded with confidence as he finished.
That was... self-contradictory. She could not point that out, though, before the purple one spoke up. “It’s not like the boss to vanish with a clown. Very unusual.” He squinted while looking into the distance, as if contemplating this.
Ragatha sighed, hiding any frustration from her tone at how unhelpful that was to her. But since both of them more or less agreed on that story, she had no choice but to believe it for now. “Well, that’s... concerning.”
Even she could not deny she was understating things. (Not that she ever did.) This was just... a terrible way to get Pomni - their newest arrival - into adapting to the circus. And after such a disastrous first day, too! She thought back to the usual confusion and paranoia she saw on the poor woman when she first arrived, common among most people who “join.” That was expected, and... everyone had a small breakdown when they realized they were stuck. She could grant that to others, despite trying to stay so positive herself.
But then, they had made the mistake of checking on Kaufmo, who had Abstracted and went on a rampage. The ragdoll had been out of commission and in unbearable, glitchy pain then, so she had not witnessed most of what the others went through. However, she recalled the fear in the jester’s pinwheel eyes at seeing the former member’s black, many-eyed form. That was not something anyone should have to go through when first arriving!
(She ignored her... complicated feelings on being abandoned. It really was understandable, but... having been so long without making any new friends... Being left in that agonizing state while the new member made a break for “freedom”...)
Today should have been far more tame to help Pomni with adjusting, and perhaps they technically were. But, as always, Jax took one of his antics too far and the pale woman ended up stretched between the trucks, then clinging on to one for dear life. The man had not let up, either, despite the older woman’s protests, and had Gangle ram the car. After that, they had been dragged down into the fudge monster’s domain, and then... no sign of the new member since.
The ragdoll did not know what to think about that, or the apparent vanishing of the bandit’s leader. Just where had the two ended up? Were they buried under a mound of pixie stick sugar that seemed to make up most of the soil? Collapsed in a mesa under a rock with no way out? Did whatever that had happened have to do with why the stolen tanker had suddenly seemed to shoot into the fudge?
She... she did not know. That made her nearly sigh, feeling the shift of the truck as they rode on the monster’s back. There were any number of things that could have happened. It did not appear like she would get any more info from these NPCs, either. It ate her up inside, just imagining the jester all alone, with none of them for company. Wandering the wastes, maybe with no idea of how to get back to the kingdom-
“Well, if worst comes to worst, we could always ask Caine to find her,” Kinger suddenly offered, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked at him as he spoke, voice muffled by the... bucket on his head. She had no clue why he had put it on after she removed it - he likely did not either by now - but had let him be. If it helped him feel safe...
Regardless, the comedic sight brought some measure of humor to her, even if she did not show it. She... missed the man he used to be, when she first arrived - a little absent-minded, but very mature and a comforting presence. But while his mind had degraded over the years, she liked to believe a part of him was still trying to help them even at his most senile. He may not be much use in adventures anymore, but she could never begrudge him for it after all he had gone through there.
And he made a good point, she had to admit, which calmed her nerves slightly. Of course Caine can find Pomni! He’ll probably go fetch her the moment we go through the portal back and notices she isn’t here! And that’s assuming she doesn’t catch up to us before then. It was a long trek back, but the fudge monster was not moving too fast. If the short woman could move, she could make a sprint roughly along their path, right? They were leaving patches of gooey crumbs as they went to follow.
...It did not get rid of her worries entirely, though. She sighed, rubbing her hands together as she looked at the chess piece. “I’m more worried she’s having another horrible experience. She still seems upset about what happened yesterday.” Not that she could blame her, but... that was why she had wanted today to go better. Why she tried to be so encouraging despite some... unneeded feelings on her part. Because the last thing they needed was two Abstractions in as many days.
Ragatha once more wanted to scream from the frustration of her failure there (completely missing the brief struggle of the prisoners in her lamenting). But... she could not deny a different kind of sting in her chest, also considering her rebuffed efforts. She grimaced, and before she realized it, she had given those feelings voice as she looked away from her friend. “I... don’t think she really likes me that much.”
Once she finished speaking, she tensed imperceptibly, barely stopping her eyes from widening. Did... she really just say that? Pomni was out there somewhere, her safety unknown to all of them, and she was lamenting her own poor attempts at friendship with her?! That was not appropriate at all!
...But she could not deny the truth of it, her expression falling slightly. Deep down, she had wanted to be like Kinger, or some of the lost older members of the Circus when new people used to come. To be a comforting hand of which to guide them in their first few weeks. Plus, as she acknowledged before, it was just nice to have a new face. Was she wrong to want to make a good impression despite yesterday’s horrors?
She had failed at both being a guide and friend, however. The jester had certainly not seemed enthusiastic about her attempts to hype her up. And it was not just her. With Gangle not having her comedy mask, she had not been able to help Pomni, either. Kinger was too distracted as usual, and Jax... That went without explaining. It made her wish Zooble had been there now to help instead of setting up Kaufmo’s funeral, but then again, their uncaring attitude probably would not have helped, either.
It all made her feel rather worthless, unable to deny it this time... Until Kinger spoke again, his bucket clanking as he moved but now sounding more... focused. “It’s a lot for anyone to go through. Don’t take it too personally.” A slight bit of good-natured humor entered his tone. “I remember how long it took you to adjust.”
Ragatha blinked, looking at him with slight shock. She also felt slightly embarrassed, recalling that time. Hard as it was to admit, her entry there had hit her hard. Trying to get used to the way her doll body felt when accidentally pierced or just having to look at so many garish colors had taken a lot out of her. It took forever before... she started to cope. In some ways she did not think the chess piece knew or would approve of.
But still... while it again did not remove her worries entirely, she could not help but smile. Just hearing that kind of reassurance from him reminded her of the better part of those old days. It made her chuckle nervously, gazing at him “O-oh, yeah. I’m... surprised you remember that.” (It was rare for him to recall much of that time at all.)
Kinger paused for a moment... then flicked the bucket off of his head briefly, looking at her with clueless eyes. “Remember what?”
The ragdoll’s smile fell, even though she had half-expected that. The chess piece could rarely remain that coherent like that for long anymore. But the moments were something she cherished, and now was no different. It gave me the perspective I needed, too. There’s still a chance for me to be friendly with Pomni. I haven’t messed things up yet. Not entirely. I’ll just... have to do better in the next adventure.
That did not solve the jester being missing, but... maybe she was overreacting again? ( That was what she tried to tell herself, anyway, to lessen her worry. ) It was not like the new member could be harmed in any permanent way. Even if she was shaken up by whatever situation she was in, she would live. There was nothing she could do to change that at this point, so all she could do was promise to do better next time to prevent it. Or to just be there as a comforting presence.
So... what did she do until then? Looking out at the horizon ahead, she saw no signs of the city yet, so they had time before... the fudge monster began his “feast.” She supposed her role right now was to watch the prisoners, but she somehow doubted they could get away. Not to mention it would not help distract her from what remained of her troubled feelings.
Maybe she could hop over and talk with Gangle? The woman had been a punching bag for Jax this whole time, with how focused she was on Pomni. (Not that her intervention, when she tried, stopped the purple rabbit.) The ribbon-girl would probably appreciate a new person to talk to. Or maybe she could focus back on Kinger - see if he could recall anything else? It would be nice to see if she could get him to remember Queenie for a time so they could talk about those games they used to-
An explosion, muffled by the distance, startled her out of her thoughts. Everyone else jumped, too, all eyes turning off to the right of their path. Her gaze snapping around, it only took Ragatha a second to see the source. A plume of dust and smoke rose from the ground, a small crater being left behind as it settled. Her surprise was quickly taken over by confusion, wondering what had caused that. Was it some sort of trap that had been set off? A counter-attack from some force to kill the monster they rode?
She was utterly baffled, until in the top corner of her eye she saw something shooting in the air.
Eyes widening, she put a hand over her eyes, trying to get a better look. There was definitely a fairly large object rising higher into the sky, only just starting to slow in its arc. She could not make out anything about it from so far, though, so she looked to Gangle to ask for the binoculars. Unfortunately, though, they had been snatched up by Jax, who had stood up while she was distracted, and was now looking at the projectile.
He studied it for a few seconds, one rabbit ear twitching curiously. Then, he turned to the bandits, looking skeptically at them. “Do you guys have a second truck that flies?”
...What? the ragdoll thought, too bemused to go further than that. A second truck? Rocketing through the air? It sounded absurd, even taking into account the wildness of the digital world. But... Jax looked too perplexed for her to think he was lying. Yet if that was true, then... how? Was this another part of the adventure?
The orange bandit answered his question happily. “Yeah!” Then he paused, before shaking his head, tone more confused. “Oh, wait - No, we don’t. No, not at all.” The purple gummy also shook his head a little, confirming the second part.
Ragatha held back an eye roll at this. Still, given her interactions with the NPC so far, she was fairly certain the latter statement was the correct one. But if it was not theirs, then whose? She peered up at the truck again, which was starting its descent down. She wondered if maybe it would land near them so that they could get a good look at it and its potential occupants. If they were more enemies, then that would complicate things, but the mystery would be solved nonetheless. Perhaps even delay the coming massacre some.
Plus... was there maybe a small chance that Pomni was...? It was perhaps a false hope, but with no other leads...
...But of course, the truck did not come their way. Instead, its arc downward put it far behind them a few landmasses away to the right. They all watched as it even seemed to clip the top of a macaroon mound, making the treats shift some, and altering its course. The result was that the vehicle went into a twirl visible even from this distance, before skidding and crashing along the ground for several seconds until coming to a stop.
The ragdoll winced, and she heard Gangle whimper as well. Even Jax cringed slightly at the landing, despite not otherwise looking bothered by it. Only Kinger did not react, still sitting there with the bucket on his head.
She stepped further toward the back, trying to keep her eye on the truck. With how far they were, though, and moving farther still, the large dust cloud it had kicked up was more visible than it was. She grimaced a little in sympathy, wondering what kind of state the thing was left in. It would have been better for it to land in something soft, like this fudge monster. But I guess the odds of that were pretty low, huh? It’s probably a miracle we were even close enough to see it launch up.
That would not be so bad if it was just NPCs in there... but it also might not be. Her thought from a few seconds ago returning, she looked toward Jax, who had walked down the length of his truck to be beside her. She swallowed, stepping closer to the side edge of hers. “Hey, can you make out anything over there? Who is in the truck?”
Surprisingly, the purple rabbit actually looked through the binoculars to check. She doubted it was entirely because she asked - more likely he was checking to see if there was a chance this would stop his coming plans with the monster. But she was grateful nonetheless that their interests aligned for once. She tapped her foot, awaiting his response as even Gangle stepped up behind him, curiosity evident even without eyes.
After a few long seconds, he hummed and began his description of what he saw. “Dust is still obscuring a bit, but... Yeah, I wasn’t wrong. It’s another truck - nearly identical to the one you’re on, Dollface. It might have even been exactly the same if not for how banged up it looks. Pretty intact, though, despite the landing. I-”
He paused, seeming to adjust the lenses of his binoculars. “Wait... some people are stumbling out. Pretty unfocused at this point, but... I think I can make out a yellow and green blob stumbling to the ground.” He looked away and over to the redhead. “And a red and blue one who is much shorter.”
That was all the answer Ragatha needed, her eye lighting up as she looked toward the crash site. A wide smile spread on her lips. “Pomni!”
“And the boss!” the purple bandit exclaimed behind her. Looking at them, the two had gotten to their feet and were hopping over as if for a look... However, their height difference meant that they soon slipped and fell back onto their rears. Still, their white eyes looked quite excited.
Guess they mean the first guy, the ragdoll considered. It seemed that those two had stuck together after everyone crashed after all. Now, they had gotten out of whatever spot of trouble they had been in and had partially caught up! This revelation was such a relief to her... even knowing the jester had to have been shaken up by her crash there. Stuff like that were things you had to get used to in this world, though, as much as she wished the new member had more time to adjust before then.
Though, speaking of that... just what exactly had Pomni done? Where had this new truck come from, if the bandits did not have an extra? And further, why had it launched into the air like that? If it was just a normal one like these, give or take a few defensive measures, then...
She shook off those questions for now, though. She could ask the jester about it in a little while. Right now, they had to go get her. “Jax, get this fudge thing to turn around! We need to go pick Pomni up!” So far, the monster had only been willing to listen to him so far, given how he had promised him candy people to eat. If they could alter the deal slightly, then maybe he would turn around and-
“Not a chance,” the purple rabbit replied casually.
Ragatha tensed, turning to him with disbelief. “I... Excuse me?”
Jax shrugged, giving one of his trademark smirks. “I’m not going to pick up the newbie just because she got a little lost for a while. If she wanted to join us, then she should have had better aim. This isn’t a taxi service.”
“She was flying through the air out of control!” the ragdoll exclaimed, gesturing widely as she glared at him.
“Should have learned more about rockets,” the rabbit dismissed, his smile only growing. He tossed the binoculars behind him, making Gangle yelp as she barely caught it in her ribbon hands. “Besides, the vehicle looks fine. If she wants to catch up, then she can just drive.”
Once she was sure the binoculars were in her grip, the ribbon-girl looked at him questioningly. “Does... she know how to drive? Can she even reach the pedals at her height?”
Jax shrugged. “If not, then I hope she’s a fast learner, and has some stilts.” His tone did not match his words, making it clear he did not care either way.
“Jax...” Ragatha nearly growled, her hands clenching. She put up with a lot of his bullshit, even when expressing her anger and annoyance openly. As much as she tried to stay positive, the man had a way of getting under everyone’s skin. Yet even so, she tried to let it all slide at the end of the day.
But this... It was a new low, even for him. Pomni had been having one of the worst introductions to this world that the older woman thinks she had ever seen or heard about the last few days. That was on top of his involvement in those events, abandoning her to the Abstracted Kaufmo and throwing her out of their truck. And now he could not even spare just a few minutes to pick her up? To give her just a little time to breathe easier?! So she did not lose her mind?!
Her tone did not deter him, though. On the contrary, he only looked at her with mild annoyance, his smile dropping. “You’d best watch what you say, ‘licorice hair.’ This delay in watching this thing go wild in the kingdom is bad enough. Maybe I should have a sneak preview of what he can do...”
At other times, she might have either backed up in fear or gotten flustered with frustration. However, this time, she maintained her glare despite how her body quivered. She was worried he would follow through on the threat - it was along the lines of something he would do. But with Kinger’s mind so far gone, there was no one left in the circus to rein in people like him and help new members. She felt she was obligated to at least try to put her foot down here.
...It was hard to, though, feeling the shifting of the fudge monster’s body below her, making her wonder what counted as a stomach for it.
They stared one another down for a time, it being obvious which of them would break first. But before she could suffer that humiliation, a cough came from the side, making them turn. The purple bandit looked between them, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Um... the boss knows how to drive, if it helps. He’ll take off after us once he realizes we’re captured, I bet.”
The orange bandit nodded. “He’ll probably take your friend along, too. He’s not one to leave a person alone in the wastes like this - even a stranger.”
The circus members stared at them for a bit. Then, having apparently grown bored of this situation, Jax sighed and walked off. “Whatever. More witnesses for the coming show, I guess.”
The ragdoll almost called after him to insist again about turning back... but what was left of her nerve fled her then. She sighed heavily, looking out toward the crash site. She could not make it out anymore, though, with the large cloud having dissipated. Even moving as fast as this monster could, she had to admit it would take quite a while to get back to Pomni. And if they delayed too long... everyone might be too tired for the funeral.
Still... her heart twisted in a way she could not justify to herself this time. (Again - not that she ever.) It was one thing to have moved on not knowing where the jester was. But just leaving her there when they knew where to go... Yet what could she do, when their “conductor” would not change course?
As she thought about this, she saw Gangle turn to the bandits, giving a hesitant nod to them. “Um... thank you for saying that. I didn’t want to become this thing’s food.” She looked out again, using the binoculars as if she could still make out the far-off truck. “I hope Pomni and your boss are okay, though.”
The orange bandit shrugged. “Gummi is tough. If anything’s wrong with your friend, he’ll be able to get her here - I’m sure of it! They have plenty of maple syrup to help with any injuries, too. They’ll be sweet as gumdrops in no time with a bit of that stuff!”
The two circus members exchange looks at this, though the ribbon-girl could only shrug at the redhead. Said woman looked over to Kinger, wondering if he had any insight... Only to see he was now tapping the side of his bucket. Then, after a few seconds, one of the taps made him flinch and scream, as if it had startled him.
Sighing again, Ragatha just turned away to look at what was out ahead. Whatever her feelings might have been ( on the surface and hidden ), the fact of the matter was that she had no control here. All she could do was accept that Pomni was relatively safe, and... pray she caught up with them. If not, then as said before, Caine should be able to retrieve her. It... did not really matter what they did, considering that.
That awful feeling in her chest would not go away, though, as she sat down, staring down at nothing in particular.
(Gangle, meanwhile, pursed her lips at seeing the ragdoll’s state. However, she knew she was not of much use in cheering people up without her comedy mask, so she kept quiet. So instead, she reluctantly started to walk back to the front of her truck before Jax shouted for her. She knew he wanted her to call out the moment the kingdom was in sight so he could get ready to find a good spot for his “show.”
She just hoped this adventure would be over soon. Despite the candy aesthetic, it had been a... bit of a letdown to her. Or maybe that was just because of her tragedy mask. But either way, she wanted to get back to the tent and... give her eulogy for her old friend.
As for Pomni... she wished her luck. They might not know one another well, but she truly did hope the new member was not having an awful time despite the chase before and her crash just then. If the NPC she was with was anything like the two they had - Chad and Max, she believed their names were - had described, though... she was likely in good hands. (Certainly better than Jax’s...))
-------
Pomni... really should have considered her plan more before executing it, she had quickly realized.
When she put those blocks underneath the truck, she should have considered the actual ramifications of how the collision physics would work. She had been so focused on getting herself and her new friend out from under the map, though, that she had overlooked the finer details. It seemed like their only option, and that had been enough for her. (And in her defense, she was still in disbelief over... well, being trapped in a video game, which might be affecting her ability to think clearly.)
She supposed the important thing was that it had worked. As she had hoped, the truck had been launched up out of that underground section and straight back onto the map. She had the brief worry that they would simply be crushed against the underside as they made contact, but thankfully, they had pierced right through with only mild resistance. She did not know if it was due to coming in from under or just how thin the ground actually was, but she would take it!
...The problem came when they ended up hundreds of feet above the map, however, and then plummeted back down.
And she had thought the G-force coming up was bad enough. The slight feeling of freefall had been bad enough as gravity reasserted itself for them. But then, by unfortunate luck, they clipped some sort of land formation that caused them to tumble in the air. That caused them to hit the ground while flipping around for several seconds. If not for her having quickly put on her seatbelt (really should have done that before the launch), she knows she would have been tossed everywhere.
It was awful, and she had gripped the sides of her seat tightly as she expected the vehicle to tear apart. Yet somehow... it managed to stay intact. It even ended up back on its wheels as it finally came to a halt, tipping on the edge of two on one side before falling onto the rest. After the small bounce from that, everything then just... became quiet. Only the sound of the engine could be heard, which sputtered but somehow kept running.
The jester blinked a few times, her face blank. Then, without a word, she unlocked her seatbelt and opened her door. She stepped out of the truck, her feet landing on the pink sugary ground. She stood there for a second, taking in the evening light of the place through kicked-up dust-
-then heaved, before puking a bunch of oily black liquid onto the ground.
She fell to her knees once she stopped, her hands ending up in the puddle she made. Her whole body was shaking, the entire experience seeming to hit her all at once. She felt light-headed, and her sight became bleary, unable to make out anything for a time. There was also a slight ringing in her non-existent ears.
But still... she was alive. She tried to take that as a positive, even as she struggled to hold back more bile. (Where did it even come from? She had barely eaten the other day.)
As she tried to regain her senses, someone hopped right next to her. In the corner of her eyes, she could see the green feet of her companion, who was unable to hold back some chuckles at her state. “Heh. Couldn’t keep it in, could-?”
That was as far as he got before suddenly throwing up himself. Interestingly, she noted dimly, it was the same substance as her own. She was expecting something more... candy-ish, she supposed? His vomit mixed in with hers without any signs of difference. Though while he stumbled a little and got his feet dirty, he managed to stay upright.
Pomni would have laughed if she was not feeling so nauseous. Swallowing thickly and ignoring the thick metal-like taste in her mouth, she pulled herself to her feet. Her spinning head, though, made it so she had to stumble and lean her back against the side of the truck. Her companion did likewise, apparently not doing much better in terms of balance.
A groan left her, only just stopping herself from rubbing a hand down her face while they were still covered in that substance. Instead, she tried to shake them clean as best as she could while the throb in her head slowly subsided. God - why couldn’t we have landed in something soft? At least then, we might not have gotten so dizzy from crashing. Or were we so high as to make even water like concrete like they teach in physics?... Does that even apply in this place?
Thinking about that only made her headache worse, causing her to close her eyes. The last thing she needed was to actively think about what had happened to her. How... she was trapped in this digital hell alongside a bunch of other unlucky people. All because of that stupid headset, trapping her in this body with her memories all scrambled and leaving her without her real name.
And the place itself... What could be said? It was filled with glitches and various ways to get hurt, yet never left a permanent mark on her body. Its colorful nature a poor disguise for how truly horrifying she was discovering it was. It was a half-developed game by most metrics, she believed, and yet was somehow still running.
And this was where she would be... for the rest of her life. Until her mind broke and she... Abstracted. (Flashes of being chased by that... beast that had once been a person, supposedly, went through her mind.) She would be subjected to so many digital horrors forever and ever and ever and-
She had not realized she had spaced out until she felt a small nudge on her shoulder. She flinched away, not having expected the contact, and the hand retreated. There was a pause, before her companion spoke up. “Hey, Pomni - are you... doing alright? Did that landing shake you up that badly?”
Taking a deep breath, said woman turned her head toward him. She looked up at the yellow and green alligator gummy, whose white eyes managed to convey concern. His hand was at his side now, but he still looked ready to reach out to help her if needed. For now, though, he seemed to realize she needed a little space.
It was almost remarkable how quickly he did this. She would not have expected it from an NPC... Though then again, neither would she have thought one could have an existential crisis. Yet he seemed to have genuine feelings, just like her. And here he was, trying to check after her despite his experiences down below.
Any shock over that was quickly fading, though. As far as she was concerned... he - Gummigoo - was a person. Not a human like she and the others at the circus, but still a person. One she was, despite her own issues right now, hoping she could help... and have as a friend. Someone to lean on in this dreaded place...
Shaking her head a little, the jester carefully pushed herself off of the truck. After a small sway, she managed to steady her footing, her dizziness finally fading and her eyesight returning to normal. She gave a small sigh, looking at him again and giving a shaky smile. “I... I’m good. Just needed a minute.”
Gummigoo raised an eyebrow - or the smooth bump that constituted as one for him - at her. “Are you sure? Your eyes looked like a jumble of thin licorice there.”
Pomni blinked, then turned away with slight embarrassment. She had learned about how her eyes worked from staring in her room last night before bed. She had witnessed a range of emotions from them as she took in her situation then... including the scribbles from her eventually dissociating from it all and panicking. “T-that’s... Don’t worry about it.”
The yellow alligator did not seem convinced, but thankfully let the matter drop. Instead, he looked up and behind him at the truck, chuckling a little. “Well, I got to hand it to you - it was a bumpy ride, but your plan worked! Crikey - I don’t think even peeps fly so fast.”
The jester looked over the truck, taking it in for the first time since they landed. It was... remarkably okay, considering the beating it had taken. The candy cane spikes on the front had almost all broken off, and two of the tires on that side were missing their gumdrop hubcaps. The candy exhaust ports were also bent a little, along with general scuff marks along the rest of the vehicle, seen as off-pink markings from the soil.
Yet despite being damaged, it did not look at all like it had just fallen from the sky. It all just appeared to be more... general harm. The tank on the back did not even seem to be leaking anywhere, despite there being hard bumps around them they had definitely slid over.
Gummigoo also seemed to realize that something was wrong with this, too, interestingly enough. He took a few steps back to be next to her, removing his cowboy hat briefly and scratching his head. “Huh... I know this thing was reinforced, but this is... The windshields should have smashed out, if nothing else, shouldn’t they have?”
Pomni shrugged, looking over the ruined vehicle while rubbing her chin (or the area where one should have been if not for her round head). “I’m not even sure it should be intact at all. I guess... maybe it has a high HP bar? Maybe Caine set it up so they would look more worn the lower it got, and we went through a huge chunk with our stunt.” Or it could be the rough handling just glitched out the model, and this was how it had settled.
“...HP?” the yellow alligator asked, looking at her questioningly.
The jester tensed, glancing around as she tried to think about how to respond. “U-um... that’s just... something in games to indicate how... healthy a thing is? Or... alive until it reaches zero and is ‘defeated.’ It’s used for things like vehicles in games, or...” She trailed off, starting to decide it might have been better to not say anything.
...But Gummigoo caught on well enough, a frown forming on his elongated mouth. He looked forward, finishing her sentence for her. “Or... NPCs?”
Wincing, Pomni rubbed her arm, looking at him awkwardly as she tried to not make that seem as bad. “The... characters that players control in games also usually have health bars? I-I don’t even know if you or anyone here has one, either. It was just a theory!”
The yellow alligator glanced at her, giving a small, sad smile. “It’s alright there, matey. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” He sighed, putting back on his hat before crossing his arms. “I appreciate you not trying to draw attention to it, but... you don’t got to. I know what I am now. No... point in avoiding it, you know?”
The jester frowned, but hesitantly nodded, seeing his point. Hell, she could relate to it in a few ways. As much as her new existence was still getting to her, she... could not just pretend that she had not had a life before it. There was no hiding from any of this, and in spite of this, she had to keep pushing onward. Though... she imagined that what they had gone through down there had been worse on him.
She shook her head, looking out into the vast candy desert as she absently fiddled with one of the ends of her hat. This had... definitely not been what she expected out of her first adventure. After her experiences the day before with the Abstraction and the fake exit, she had actually considered just skipping it, in fact. The nightmare that she had the night before had not exactly inspired confidence, either.
But she had forced herself to, figuring that she had to start getting used to it. (Plus, she had not wanted to be alone with her thoughts, even if she was... unsure of the other members.) Thus, she had stood through Caine’s explanation of what they were doing and had listened to Princess Loolilalu’s instructions before sending them off. Admittedly, her heart had not been very into it, but she still got onto the truck they were given, figuring she could just observe to see how the others handled these things.
...Instead, she had been thrown out and forced to endure an onslaught of attacks against the bandits thanks to Jax. And if that had not been bad enough, she had eventually been tossed off of the out-of-control tanker while it was clipping into the ground. The result had been a long fall down into a development section of the game, where copies of the assets of everything used in the adventure were kept... right alongside Gummigoo, who had also been tossed there.
Pomni looked at her new friend again, who was walking along the length of the tanker now, inspecting for further damage. He was definitely doing better than he had been before, but... she could tell his revelations below were continuing to weigh on him. The way his stubby tail drooped slightly and his somewhat slouched posture conveyed it well enough. The fact that he was even able to do any sort of inspection amazed her, honestly, given that... well, he just learned his entire life was fake.
Shaking her head, she decided to try and make herself useful instead of standing around - to keep her mind off of things. Going to the front of the truck, she tried to see if there was a hood she could lift up to check the engine. It was still purring, but while she doubted she could fix it if there was any damage, she wanted to know how likely it was to break down on them. Especially since they had landed nowhere even close to the rest of the circus members. (Though, frankly, she does not know what she expected there given their random shot upward.)
She found no clear way to get to the engine, however. She did not know if it was her unfamiliarity with this type of vehicle or if it just was not included in the model. Regardless, after a minute of feeling around, she sighed and gave up, instead trying to judge it by sound. She listened closely to the humming, trying to see if she noticed any irregularities, or... something. She pressed up closely to the side just to hear it better.
After another minute... she concluded she had not been an engineer in the real world. Still, her untrained ear did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it was what they had to work with. What else could she do after... after being abandoned by the others and left for dead?
She paused, stepping away from the truck and looking at the ground, frowning. That... did not sound fair... did it? Like, it was Jax who had thrown her out to begin with. He had given no care to how she got stretched between the vehicles, which did not help with the dysphoria she still felt for this new body. And when she got trapped on the bandits' tanker, his response was to complain about losing his “bridge.” She knew he was to blame for most of her troubles that day - not the others.
...But they had not been very helpful, had they? Kinger she could kind of forgive since he did try to help, even if his seeming senility had made things worse and caused the clipping crash. And she had some sympathy for Gangle, who was clearly a bully victim to the rabbit’s attitude more than anyone else. However, that did not mean she was not still hurt by the ramming the ribbon-girl did that nearly knocked her off the cliff, despite this understanding.
And Ragatha... She did basically nothing the moment the short woman was tossed. After all that time pestering her and trying to get her to be more active in the adventure, she could not bother to lend her a hand? Even the crazy chess piece had given his best effort! Was all that talk and trying to get to know her just... hollow? That was not even mentioning Zooble, who... Well, maybe it was wrong to be angry at them for not being here. But what else could they possibly have been doing back at the tent? Maybe they could have helped stop Jax!
She ground her teeth, unable to even care about how sharp they suddenly felt. It was just another aspect of this new life of hers that she was stuck with. Just like she was stuck with all of those people... Ones who did not seem to care. Who did not seem to understand what a struggle it had been just to join them at all. Who she could not even be certain would care if she... followed Kaufmo down into that basement.
There was no choice in that, though. This was what she had to put up with - the people who she would now share her dwindling sanity with. This was what her life was. This-
A throat cleared near her, startling her a little. She turned, looking at Gummigoo who had come up next to her holding... two candy eggs with white shells and blue spots. He had his head tilted, eyes seeming particularly drawn to her mouth. “Need another minute there?”
Cheeks flushing a little, the jester closed her lips tight, waiting for the sharpness to recede. Once she calmed down enough that they were more dull, she took a deep breath, then slumped forward a little, giving him a tired look. “No, I’m… good. It’s just been a long day.”
The yellow alligator chuckled, though it sounded a little forced. “Ain’t that the truth? I don’t even know how I’m going to sleep tonight. And I’m not one shaken easily!”
Pomni managed a small giggle, smiling at him timidly. “I’m sure you aren’t.”
Gummigoo only rolled his eyes in response to that. He then stepped forward and handed her one of the eggs, seeming to be careful to not touch her directly. (A small tingle went through her chest that was not... unpleasant from this.) He then stood tall, pointing one thumb back at the tanker. “Anyway, there was another gum-cap missing on the other side, and plenty more dirt and scuffs. But the exhaust ports still look good, and there was no sign of any leaks of fuel or the syrup.”
The jester nodded, noting that the egg had a small hole in the top. She looked over at the front of the truck once more, gesturing to it. “Right. The engine sounds good, too... I think. I couldn’t figure out how to get to it, so I don’t know how well it's holding together, so...”
Shrugging, the yellow alligator stepped up next to the front and patted the truck. “Doesn’t really matter, honestly. I learned pretty quickly how to drive these types of vehicles, but like fudge if I know how to fix one! Chad will probably need to look over it if we want to use it anymore once we catch up to them.”
Pomni raised an eyebrow, stepping up to him. “Um... Chad?”
Gummigoo nodded, holding up his egg and taking a tip out of it, which was a bit interesting to see with his elongated jaw. He gave a satisfied sigh and wiped his mouth before responding. “Yeah - Chad and Max! My mates that you saw before and... their ‘models’ down there.”
The jester blinked a few times. “Their names are... Max and Chad. While yours is Gummigoo?”
“...Yeah?” the yellow alligator responded, looking confused at her questions.
Squirming a little, she looked away, trying to wave him off. “N-nothing!” She quickly took a sip from the egg she was given... and her eyes widened, amazed by the smooth, rich taste that greeted her. It was essentially liquidated milk chocolate, though was surprisingly cold as if it had not been melted into that state, and perhaps less sweet than most varieties. Hardly a complex taste, but... it was far better than any of the food she had picked at last night.
Lowering it, she wiped her mouth, too, looking over the container with new appreciation. “Wow. These are so nice!”
Her response seemed to further bemuse Gummigoo, who scrunched his eyes. “Is it? It’s just regular travel chocolate. Nothing too special.”
Pomni chuckled a little, scratching the back of her head. “Ah, well... This might be a bit hard to understand, but where I’m from, candy and other sweet treats don’t make up... everything?” She gestured out to the vast plains around them for emphasis, where mounds of macaroons and lollipops were nearby. “Even though I should have known better, I was expecting like... water.”
The yellow alligator nodded slowly, appearing to be following somewhat. He held up his own egg, swishing its contents a little. “By water, I’m guessing you mean like... filtered soda water?”
“Yes - though water where I’m from isn’t usually carbonated at its base in my world,” the jester replied. Given the nature of everything else here, she was not even going to question that soda water was apparently normal for her new friend.
“Really? Well, how about that!” Gummigoo shook his head, stepping up to her and peering out at the horizon, hand shielding his eyes. “If that’s what you drink, though, then I guess I’m going to have to get used to it.”
“We don’t just exclusively drink water or anything” Pomni explained. “But I’m sure we can convince Caine to give you a candy pallet of food once we’re back at the tent if you don’t like my food!” After a moment, she frowned. “Maybe, anyway. I have no clue if he understands much of anything to do with us.”
“Yeah, well, we won’t know just standing around here, now will we?” the yellow alligator asked rhetorically. He gave a quick stretch, turning to her more. “So then, what’s the plan here, Poms? Any clue where your crew is?”
N-nicknames already? the jester thought, slightly flustered at this. She shook it off, though, as she rubbed her chin, not... quite sure how to respond. Her plans down there had not really gone beyond simply getting back to the map, to the point she had not even considered basic safety. Now that this was done, though... the current task of getting back to everyone was a little more daunting.
The sun had been higher in the sky when they clipped under, and now it was setting. She had no clue how accurate that was in terms of a timetable to her world, but it definitely showed she had been gone a good while. And this map was big - enough to have an extended chase in trucks on it. The others could have been literally anywhere by now! They were not even close to the cliff they had been at before, so any chance of following a trail had been reduced significantly.
She hummed, tapping her foot as she pondered this conundrum. But eventually, she believed she had come up with a rather simple and obvious solution. She pointed vaguely into the plains around them. “I... guess our best bet would be to go back to the Candy Canyon Kingdom? Our whole adventure was supposed to be delivering the maple syrup back to them, so if they’ve accomplished that...” She shrugged at him. “And even if they haven’t yet, it’s still where Caine will probably open up our portal back. All we’d have to do is wait there.”
The yellow alligator frowned, seeming uneasy about this option. “You sure there’s nowhere else we can go? I’m kind of wanted back there on account of... you know, stealing a large portion of maple syrup.”
Pomni frowned along with him. “Oh, right.” Rubbing her chin area again, she once again shrugged. “Maybe we can say you’re... a prisoner? And that we want to take you home for a more ‘thorough punishment’ for your crimes.” She paused briefly, then chuckled as she looked back at the truck. “I mean, we even have a copy of your tanker as proof that we stopped you. Maybe we can just end the adventure and get Caine to round up everyone.”
Gummigoo looked at the vehicle, seeming to just realize this fact, too. He chuckled along with her, adjusting his hat. “That’s a good point, actually.” He rubbed under his jaw, his eyebrow areas furrowing. “Hm... we might be able to bargain a little, too, if your friends really did manage to get the lads. I don’t want to leave them in the princess’ clutches before we go. If this thing is filled up with maple syrup, too...”
The jester hummed, looking over the large candy tank that held said substance. She felt a little bad for having not considered how they might help his friends before leaving. It was not a guarantee, of course, that they had been caught. They may have successfully gotten away with the others still trying to get them (Or, considering Jax’s attitude before... a worse fate might have befallen them, but she prayed that was not the case for the alligator’s sake.)
But if they were caught, then... would they be able to help them get away? There had to be some way to negotiate their release with the princess, right? She seemed nice enough in the... two minutes she had talked to the circus members. And with two trucks of syrup now, who knew what kind of deal they could strike?
Though, that required them to actually get to her to negotiate in the first place. Taking another breath, Pomni walked toward the driver’s door, opening it. “Let’s just workshop some ideas on the way over. Maybe we’ll even run into everyone else on our way!” She looked at her companion questioningly... and with some sheepishness. “You... said you can drive, right? Do you also know the way there?”
Smiling, the yellow alligator nodded to her and approached. “You betcha on both fronts! You just leave all of that to me. Scoot over into the passenger seat and enjoy the ride - unless you need to top off your drink with a little syrup for some healing first.”
The jester tilted her head, not recalling if it had been said that was what maple syrup was supposed to do here. She shrugged it off, though, as she clamored back into the truck, being sure to shake her shoes free of any remaining bile. “Not... sure that will work for me like you. But I feel fine regardless.” At least, I don’t have any actual marks on me. Mental scars I’ll deal with later.
Accepting her answer, Gummigoo followed her as they both got settled back into the truck. Soon, they were sitting in opposite seats than they launched up in. Looking around, she eventually found a small cup holder in the passenger door large enough to hold her egg. She set it in there after one last sip, then got on her seatbelt. (After all the excitement that day, she was not going to risk getting thrown back out for any reason.)
Her new friend was soon set up similarly in his seat. He pushed the acceleration pedal below his dashboard a few times while they were parked, the engine revving with little apparent difficulty. He gave an approving hum, then looked over at her. “Ready to head out, partner?”
Pomni smiled and gave him a thumbs up. The longer they waited, the more complicated they were likely making this whole adventure for everyone. The yellow alligator reached for the gear shift, about to get them moving...
...But before he did, he stopped. Then... he looked back at her, his white eyes softening. “Oh, and hey... Thanks for helping me out down there. And for offering to take me back to this circus of yours.”
Blinking in surprise, the jester felt her cheeks heat up, laughing nervously as she tried to wave him off. “Oh, you... don’t need to do that. Like I said before - I didn’t want to just leave you there. Think nothing of it!”
Gummigoo laughed a little, shaking his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. If not for you, I’d have stayed down there sulking until... I don’t know. Until I was... forgotten, I guess.” His expression became more subdued, looking out the windshield as his voice got quieter. “I mean it, Poms. Your offer means more than I think you know...”
Pomni frowned, looking down as she wrung her hands. Despite that, however, the kind words made her feel pretty light in her chest. Memories of her old life were still a jumbled, fuzzy mess, but... she did not think she got that kind of praise often back then. The surreal feeling that accompanied her other emotions seemed to be confirmation of that. She almost wanted to say she did not deserve the words, feeling like she had barely done anything.
Yet she could not deny that her companion was probably right - she had no clue what exactly he was going through. How crushing was it to learn that the life you thought you had was all a lie and that you were essentially a prop to entertain others? Her non-existent heart clenched recalling the horror in his voice as he realized he did not even know what his mother looked like. Seeing him sitting there in the middle of that room afterward had not been much better.
And... she realized that what she did probably was important, the more she thought about it. She could have just left him down there without a second thought. She had not needed his assistance with the collision physics trick. She could have come back up here on her own and searched for the others, even if she ended up having to do it on foot.
...But that had not felt right then, and it still did not now. Despite him being an NPC... she had not been able to stand him thinking of himself as nothing. His depressed state had struck a cord deep inside of her, causing her to try and... comfort him. She had been so uncertain speaking down there, nearly second-guessing her words and wishing she was better at them. Yet somehow, she had managed to make him feel a little better - enough to join her as they hoped that her plan worked.
Because despite having only just met him... she wanted him at the circus. Wanted him to have a place he could belong and be real from now on. Just picturing being able to see him every day and be able to talk like they had been...
Before she knew it, she was smiling softly, reaching out and tentatively grabbing his hand. She spoke gently as she squeezed it. “Well, I meant every word I said down there. The circus is a strange place, but... if I have a place there, then you deserve one, too.” She let go, gesturing outward. “So let's go make sure your friends are okay so we can get you there with a clear conscience, alright?”
Grinning at her, the yellow alligator nodded. Then, without another word, he switched the gears and hit the accelerator. With a small lurch, they were soon making their way across the pink desert, their engine only mildly sputtering a few times before sounding more normal.
The jester settled back, finally letting herself relax as she gave a long sigh. Things were hardly over yet, but despite herself and these last few days' experience... she was feeling optimistic. No matter what it took, she was sure she could get Gummigoo through the portal back so they could get him settled in with everyone. All they had to do was get back to the kingdom and hopefully talk things out to get everyone so that they all got - humans and NPCs alike - what they wanted.
After all, what was the worst that could happen at this point...?