Chapter Text
The day began with an incredible digital atmosphere; the members were gathered together once again to observe the interesting characteristics of our jester.
They started with something simple: holding their breath, noting the change in Pomni's face color, shifting from a blue tone to a green one.
Regaining her breath, she responded in a hoarse tone. -"Why do I have to do this?You do it."
The rabbit, with his radiant smile, replied. -"Because something different happens with each one of us. For example, Kinger glows, the doll's hair stands on end, Gangle's mask starts to spin, and Zooble turns normal."
-"I'm already nor- son of a b#%ch." - flipping the bird and being censored.
-"And what about your Jax?" - asked Pomni.
Zooble replied - "He doesn't want to show us because he's a coward."
-"What can I say, I like mysteries. And you, viewer, what do you think?"
-"Can you stop with that?"
...
In an instant, Caine appeared, floating slowly, interrupting the members' socialization.
-"Why are you all standing rigid? There are adventures to complete!"
And today's adventure is...
✦ The Mystery of the Mildenhall Mansion ✦
He looked carefully from his perspective and noticed that Zooble wasn't there. - "It can't be! This adventure was totally for her! Well, it doesn't matter hahahahaha."
-"A question: the NPCs won't regain consciousness, right?"
-"How should I know hahahahaha?! Adventure time!"
Now we delve into the adventure totally intended for Zooble. From the outside, the atmosphere was very unsettling, coupled with the lively and tormenting night, the mansion had a rather elegant appearance despite the sheets of rain falling.
Inside it was almost the same, quite fine decoration, but the lighting left much to be desired.
Our dear members walked through the spacious hallway.
-"I wonder what kind of horror Caine prepared for us." - mentioned the doll, starting a conversation.
-"I just hope this adventure doesn't give me nightmares; I'm not a big fan of horror and jump scares give me the heebie-jeebies."
-"Boo."
-"Ay!" - expressed the jester at the sharp sound.
-"HAAAA!! It didn't even scare you. What? Don't tell me the vacuum cleaner also scares you?" - replied the rabbit with great joy after scaring the smallest one.
-"Hey, be nicer to her, she's not having a good time at all."
-"Well, she's not the only one, right, Gangle?"
-"Did anyone hear that?" - commented the mask with some nervousness.
A laugh began to manifest along with a voice that dragged through the air; it was a "childish" laugh but it still chilled the blood and seemed to echo throughout the room.
• "Eh heheheheheh eh eh eh eh!" •
Shadows began to appear from the ceiling of the room until a strange figure with two large eyes along with intimidating sharp teeth surrounded by a green aura approached furtively.
-"AAAAAH!!!" - screamed the jester at the terrifying entity. Consequently, her eyes popped out wildly.
Taking on a more tender appearance, the greenish little ghost introduced himself. - "Hello, I'm Ghostly, and I will be your guide." - he said excitedly to our adventurers.
-"What? Why aren't they going back?" - inquired Pomni while holding her eyes in her hands.
-"Haha, it reminds me of my first googly eyes, but mine did come back... it didn't happen to me." - the chess piece joined the conversation.
The ghost continued with the instructions. - "To continue with your adventure, you must choose which door to cross. The door on the left is the normal door.
✦ "Wow" rating for all ages ✦
The door on the right is the scarier door.
✦ "AAAAH" Rating For Zoobles Only ✦
You must decid-...
Jax, ignoring the instructions provided by Ghostly, used the vacuum cleaner, completely absorbing the little guide ghost.
-"Sorry, they told me I had to catch ghosts."
-"Oh, Jax!"
-"Which door do we choose?" - asked Gangle.
-"I don't know..." - he looked at the vacuum cleaner he had in his arms, an idea forming in his mind.
Without thinking, he launched the machine, destroying the door on the right, opening a kind of infernal portal.
-"This is the scary door."
He looked at his other companions searching for "something"... Until he saw the eyes Pomni was holding in her hands.
-"Well, girls, I think I'll enjoy this adventure alone, so don't follow me. But I need a rope to climb down, so Shorty, you'll have to lend me one of your eyes."
-"Wait... what am I supposed to lend you?" - replied the smallest one, confused.
Without asking, the rabbit snatched one of the jester's eyes, tied it around his waist, and launched himself excitedly into what Caine had prepared.
But his plans would change.
Pomni would be mercilessly dragged across the floor, trying to hold on with her small hands, finally ending up being devoured by the infernal door, which abruptly closed, leaving everyone stunned.
-"Hey, and Zooble?" - asked Kinger.
[•••]
We submerged into the catacombs of the Mildenhall Mansion; a kind of demonic portal spat out our adventure's protagonists.
The rabbit and the jester, after the slight impact, got to their feet, and Pomni's eyes returned to her face.
-"Where are we?" - asked the smallest one.
-"A moment... Pomni? What are you doing here? I said I would enjoy this adventure alone." - he grunted with some disgust at her presence.
-"It's not my fault!"
The sound of thunder lightly illuminated the area where they were. Pomni fixed her gaze ahead,seeing the eerie decoration of the great hall... there were heads of their companions and herself in a macabre form as if they were some kind of trophies, but the worst was above the fireplace...
-"Brilliant... This kind of adventure is worth it; Caine should do this more often." - he expressed to the air while praising the decoration and atmosphere of the place. - "Let's see what we have here." - He raised his hand and pressed the tape recorder.
The audio began to play: -"My name is Baron Theodore Mildenhall.Hunting has been my hobby for as long as I can remember; one could say it became an obsession. The creature you see before you, I have pursued for years. It is not a man, but nor is it an animal; it is impious and Malignant. I have dedicated every moment of my life to protecting my family from the creature. I have prayed that when I kill it, I will be free from this horrible, inescapable feeling of fear."
-"Umm, that's it? Disappointing, honestly. Well, Pomni, it seems we have to get out of this Dungeon." - He fixed his gaze on the jester, seeking her response.
-"Yes, I agree" - she replied passively.
Both left the main hall, heading towards a wooden door. The one with mismatched eyes opened it, but their expectations were shattered upon seeing a concrete wall.
-"Ok, brilliant, perfect, I love adventures" - she said irritated, forcing a false smile.
-"Wow, I think Caine really wanted to stress out Zobble..." - mentioned the rabbit.
Jax moved away from the jester, noticing an elevator with a padlock... - "Hey, newbie, I think we should use this to get out, but it will be 'uncomfortable'."
She approached the rabbit, seeing the strange elevator. - "Seriously? Locked! Again, locked!"
-"Wow, girl, don't despair, just. Let's look for the key and be done with this, besides your voice irritates me more than Gangle's whining."
Without asking permission, he took Pomni's hand, dragging her to a room. Upon entering, both began opening drawers looking for the key. Jax, after a short while, saw a tape recorder and didn't hesitate to activate it. In response, Pomni would have a slight start, looking furiously at Jax and grunting.
-"Calm down, Rabiosa... it's not that big a deal, keep looking."
The audio continued: -"Having shot the creature multiple times and decapitated it to have it as a trophy,my problems did not end. I looked away from the corpse for perhaps less than a minute, and when I looked back, it had disappeared. The creature did not die, and it would return for what I took from it. If anyone is listening to this, I beg you not to stop looking at the head. You have been warned."
-"This adventure is poorly made; it doesn't make sense to give us this information just after we left the hall, meh, whatever."
Pomni, with a euphoria that took over, shouted happily for finding the key. - "I have it!"
And at the same time, the little light provided by the candles went out.
-"Well done, shorty, you turned off the lights."
-"What? I didn't do anything!"
-"Exactly, like in every adventure."
In the darkness, they tried to move but always ended up bumping into each other.
-"What was that? Was that you?" - she spoke nervously about the situation.
-"Will you stop hitting me, Pomni!?"
-"Wait and- hey, that's my eye, stop touching my eye, Jax!"
-"Shhhh, do you hear that, newbie?"
-"I just want to leave..."
Jax took the jester's hand and said - "Stay behind me and stop making noise; let's go back to the trophy room slowly."
-"Yes, you're right." - she replied in favor of his request.
They began to walk in the darkness; the one with mismatched eyes tightly squeezed the rabbit's hand while following his lead. Everything seemed to be going normally until Jax stopped short.
Pomni would notice it, but before she could even ask, a gigantic monstrous head would scream, showing its sharp teeth and emanating a source of white light.
Upon seeing the creature, the jester didn't hesitate to let go of Jax, heading swiftly to the elevator, trying to open it with desperation.
For his part, Jax couldn't react, remaining fixed, hypnotized by the strange creature, his pupils dilating while he stammered - "Ribbit? Is that you?"
About to be devoured, Pomni would snap him out of his trance - "Let's go! Jax, move!!" Snapping back to reality,he would enter the small elevator with the jester.
The monster was getting closer and closer, increasing Pomni's desperation. But for the "luck" of the two...
They would end up descending further into the Mildenhall dungeon.
Both ended up in a kind of attic in a rather deplorable state.
-"What? Oh God, where are we?" - asked Pomni.
Jax didn't respond; he moved his gaze forward, showing a corpse next to a shotgun. He stood up with a strange determination.
-"Jax?"
The smallest one didn't understand the strange change in her companion's attitude...
The rabbit seemed quite serious and somewhat afflicted. He checked the weapon and noted it had two opportunities.
-"Hey, Pomni, stay behind me, ok?" - he said seriously.
-"Yes, I'd better stay behind..."
A strange headless white body appeared in front of them while contorting in a grotesque manner; it noticed the presence of the members.
Meanwhile, the creature would make its presence known, surprising the jester.
-"Hey, Jax, there are problems over here too, no?"
Before the monstrous creatures could get closer, the rabbit would kill them without mercy, firing two shotgun blasts with skill and apparent experience.
After finishing that nightmare, he addressed his companion. - "Are you okay, Pomni?"
-"Eh, yes... yes, I'm fine, thanks." - She replied disheartened for not being of much help.
-"Ok, I'll get you out of here" - he replied, taking her hand.
They continued their path through the dark hallways with an indescribable silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it didn't feel normal either.
Pomni looked at Jax from time to time, searching for some sign of his change in behavior, but only found an empty gaze without emotion.
All the acquired calm vanished when strange hands would grab them both as they were sucked into the floor. She would scream in desperation, while Jax seemed apathetic to the situation, firmly holding the Weapon.
-"I HATE THIS STUPID ADVENTURE!"
[•••]
-"Good tea, I'm sorry for all the drama you had with your husband."
-"That's how men are, always with absurd priorities. If your friends are with him, I hope he doesn't bore them with his boring monologues; that man turns anything into something terrifying, but even so, I still love him."
-"We'll ask them when we see them, and again, thank you very much for the tea." - replied the doll.
-"Don't worry, visit whenever you want, sweetheart."
The three members would end up leaving, being surprised by one of Caine's announcements.
✦ Congratulations, my Honey Rock Mariachis ✦ ✦You completed the pacifist route. Be proud of being such good people. But you must wait for your other companions to be able to leave. ✦
-"I wonder where they are..." - expressed the one with red ribbons.
[•••]
-"What a strange place..." - Jax blurted out, looking around.
-"This mansion is literally hell! Help! Of course it's hell. This is what this damn circus is."
-"Pomni, relax, we'll be fine. Caine must have put an exit around here."
They walked together until they stopped in a strange and calm hallway.
-"Wait... I'm going to try something" - he said, starting to search for something in his pockets.
Regrettably, the Jester would ignore her companion's warning.
-"I... I'm just going to try to run."
Before he could stop her, Pomni would start running without looking back.
-"Noo! Pomni, stop!" - Jax shouted, trying to halt his companion's steps.
She would stop, but would begin to be invaded by hundreds of souls seeking to escape...
-"FREEDOM! HAHAHAHA"
Pomni's friendly face would change until it became a demon. Who, without a doubt, would launch herself at Jax to kill him.
-"Hey! Get out of Pomni, you damn son of a b#%ch!"
Jax continued hitting the possessed body of his companion with frenzy.
-"HAHAHA, and your friend, Jax!?"
-"Cough...Cough!"
The souls would leave the little one's body.
-"Are you okay?" - asked Jax with a more sentimental tone of voice.
-"No..."
-"It seems the souls take the first available host... Damn NPCs."
-"Why? Everything I experience is pure nightmares and it always ends like this; he wants me to suffer... This really is hell."
-"Calm down, this isn't a big deal; we'll get out of here, I promise you..."
Pomni, unable to hold back any longer, would let out her sobs; her tears would fall to the floor in sheets. Covering her face with her small hands, the bad experiences returned to her mind.
-"I... I'm sorry it's my fault we're in this."
The crying would stop, and the jester asked - "Why are you acting so strange, Jax?"
-"Haha, you noticed? It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" - he replied, avoiding looking at her. - "I don't know, this darkness makes me feel vulnerable and weak. It reminded me of an event from the past. When my friend abstracted, I don't remember why, but we were locked in her room. I was scared, but she seemed calm and docile. She was conscious; I looked at her for the last time before they sent her to the basement. That memory always comes back to me when I feel weak."
-"You... had a friend? Here in the Digital Circus."
-"Yes... she was fun, creative, she liked crafts, and I hated her puns, but she managed to make me like them. I know it's not a good memory... but I will never forget it."
"I understand what you might feel in this Circus, Pomni... it seems useless. But for me, as long as I have people who hate me, good memories are worthless."
"You, on the other hand, are new... Appreciate the others who are still around you. You don't know when they will leave; the worst thing you can do is not arrive in time when they need you."
-"I'm glad you're here..." - said Pomni while reaching for her companion's hand.
Before they could intertwine their hands, the rabbit would move away. - "Don't confuse this, Newbie, everything I told you is only because I'm weak... I want to make a deal. After we get out of here, you won't say anything. In exchange, I'll try to make my jokes less recurrent with you."
-"It's fine, it's a deal..." - said Pomni with a smile as a sign of approval.
Now recovered, he would return to his usual attitude. - "Well, shorty, I was thinking that maybe we should practice holding our breath."
-"I... I don't know if I can do it." - she replied disanimated.
-"What if you trust me one more time?"
-"If we go back up, in the circus, will you keep acting like an idiot?... under that false attitude, right."
-"Don't worry about me... as long as no one else knows about this, everything will be fine." "I recognize you are brave,Pomni; I'm sure we will make it. Take my hand; we'll do this together for once. Ready?"
For some strange reason, she felt calm. She took his hand, and they inhaled for the last time; they began with slow steps. Pomni's face began to change color... while Jax's fur stood on end, generating an aura of heat around him.
They finally reached the stairs, where they would let go of each other's hands, climbing each step in a comfortable silence. They opened the door,meeting the others again...
-"Pomni, Jax, are you both okay? No trauma."
-"Yes, well, really..." replied the jester.
-"The Newbie is braver than she looks." - he expressed with his usual smile.
She moved away from the rabbit, starting a conversation with the doll. - "Hey, Ragatha, I just wanted to say, thank you for worrying about me. I'm sorry that despite everything, I wasn't very grateful to you."
-"Ah, thank you, Pomni. I just want you to be okay; we all care about you a lot."
Just at that moment, the portal opened. At the same time, everyone withdrew, being received by Caine's voice.
✦ Welcome, my Milk Furries! ✦
-"Don't call us that again" - Jax replied sharply to the "affectionate nickname".
-"Hey, Pomni, how was it being alone with Jax..." - asked Gangle, happy to have her comedy mask.
The jester watched as Jax walked away from the rest towards his room.
-"Eh, nothing bad, honestly." - said Pomni with a genuine smile.
The one with red ribbons just watched the two... forming a slight smile, as if she knew what was happening. - "Take care, Pomni."