Drim sat up, pulling his body out of the wet sand that had imprinted with his form. Quite a bit of the particulates had coated his backside, and he did his best to brush it off, struggling since some had gotten into his clothes and coated his hair. It was quite itchy and irritating, more than a Fiend should be bothered by such minor inconveniences, but it was compounded by the anguish of his hangover. Or that’s what he had to assume it was, having never actually been drunk or hungover at any other point in his life.
His vision was still a bit blurry, making it hard to see clearly more than a few feet away. The king had to hope that the beach he was lazing on was the one located at Ledmer, or else the night would have gotten even crazier beyond the faint memories he was trying to process. They were all quite hazy, and nothing was connecting—just unrelated and bizarre still images of events that he had to assume for now had actually happened.
The man then suddenly heard a strange noise that he couldn’t quite place, and turned to the source. A fuzzy figure was headed his way. Since it had the general shape of a person, he didn’t immediately put up his guard, but still tensed his body, ready to move—more likely stumble—if needed.
But as the person got closer, Drim was less and less convinced that it was a person at all. To him, it sounded like they were constantly sniffing for something, like a dog on the hunt. It was Valen of all people who came into view, and yes, she was actually sniffing the open air. The woman came up to him and got uncomfortably close, her sniffing only jumping in intensity.
“Erm, what are you doing, Valen?” Drim had to ask when the woman’s nose was right under his chin, even as he tried to lean away. But the crazed woman didn’t answer. She instead turned away, led by her nose, following some other trail. The woman didn’t walk very far. Only a few feet, where she crouched next to a body that was splayed out in the sand.
Drim hadn’t noticed them yet, thinking the blurred lump had been driftwood or something else obscure. But now that he let his vision focus, he realized that it was Jaid. Though that still hadn’t been obvious since much of her body was covered in sand. He only recognized her green hair since her face was buried into the ground. Not only that, but her head was mere inches away from the rocking water. If the tide came in any closer, there was a good chance she’d drown in her current state.
But Valen made no effort to help the poor woman. Instead, Jaid was also the victim of an unrestrained barrage of whiffs and sniffs. It seemed though that Valen hadn’t found what she was looking for, quickly abandoning the knight who was partially buried alive.
Drim assumed the woman was going to wander off, to continue her hunt, whatever it may be. But the next thing he knew, Valen was back in his face once more. She gave him one final decisive sniff, the biggest so far, to the point that it felt like she’d suck up the whole beach. But once her airways were full, she groaned, tisked her lips, and then squinted her eyes, sending the man a very judgemental stare.
“No seriously, what are you doing?” The king’s tone shifted to be more irritated and demanding, gone from confused to annoyed by the many invasions of his personal space while also still confused.
“Someone hooked up,” The Boyslove Bloodletter stated it as if it was a matter of fact. “I can feel it in the air. Don’t know who, or where, or how many times. But I’m going to find out!” With that brief explanation, and before Drim could provide a sufficient retort, the woman was off, sniffing in a new direction.
“Right, Jaid!” the man refocused now that the odd diversion was gone. He went over and pulled the knight out of the sand and sat her upright. She grumbled a bit as Drim tried to jostle her to consciousness.
“Hmm, Drim?” The Paladin shot him a giddy smile upon recognition. “Guess I’m still dreaming.” Her head drooped again, as if she was headed back to her slumber, but then it jolted upright once more when she was able to recognize reality. “Ah! Drim! Erm! Hell-oww my head!” The knight then repeated the same performance that the king had gone through when he’d first woken up. Even asking the same question. “What, erm, what happened last night?”
“I have no idea,” the man wanted to offer more, but was just as lost as she was. “My gut tells me this is Niloy’s doing. She must have altered all the drinks to the point that they’d get even a Fiend wasted. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Kada or Chorus had a hand, if only egging her on.”
“But I guess that’s not what’s important right now. SInce we were both left in compromising and unprotected states, that tells me that this affected at least the vast majority of leadership since no one has come to check up on us. And we should assume that most of, if not all of, our members experienced it as well.”
“The first thing we should do is scour the island and ensure that everyone’s alright. We don’t want anyone close to drowning like you were.”
“I was?” the knight looked over the ocean, still struggling with processing everything. Right, right, umm, okay. I’ll make a few clones so we can split up and check the place out faster.”
A gaggle of Jaids appeared around them, but a moment later they were all keeled over on the ground. After a few seconds of trying to push through the torment, the knight surrendered and unsummoned the group, lurching and trying not to puke. “Lesson learned, hurp. Clones while hungover is a terrible idea.”
Drim helped her to her feet once more, allowing the woman to stabilize on him until she was more solid. “Alright, well we’ll comb the beach first. I guess we’ll start with this way and then double back.”
“Shouldn’t we just head in opposite directions?” Jaid questioned, wondering why he wasn’t acting as his usual rational self.
“I’m still worried about your condition,” the king admitted. “And, well, I’m still not great on my own feet either, so I’d feel better having you with me.”
“I suppose I can’t go against your wishes,” was the best retort the woman could come up with, clear regret on her face from saying it. But she didn’t follow it up with anything else, so the pair began their slow march that was closer to a shuffling waddle as their regular senses slowly dripped back to them.
It didn’t take them long to reach the first end of the beach, since it was apparently pretty close to where they’d started. Drim had definitely picked the right way, or else they’d be retreading far too much ground later on. They came across no one, so they turned around, passing their starting point in minutes. Then as they passed a bend, they had their first sighting.
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“Ten’s out in the water,” Jaid spotted, using her hand to cover the blinding morning sun. It actually wasn’t brighter than any other day. In fact, the morning was a bit gray and cloudy, but everything was too bright with what was going on in their heads.
“I think Laurim’s out there with her,” Drim squinted, getting a glimpse of a second Squordfish with a mauve tint to their skin.
“Aww, they’re cuddling,” the knight gushed a bit when they had a better perspective as they continued their walk. “Or… I hope that’s what they’re doing.” The pair let the conversation die there, not wanting to speculate further. Since the two appeared alright at the very least, they moved on.
“Drim, are you alright?” Jaid jumped to attention when the man suddenly tripped along their otherwise pleasant stroll.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” the man shook the sand away from himself once Jaid had helped him up and then turned around to see what had caught him off guard. It was a small bucket, one that children would use to build sandcastles. But now that bucket was groaning, upset that it had been kicked. Drim bent down and hoisted the light container, chucking it aside once he’d freed what was trapped beneath. Olive green hair sprouted in every direction like a burgeoning bush.
“Wow, thanks guys!” Whill didn’t forget his manners after gasping for air and wincing at the blinding sunlight. “Funniest thing. I thought I was abducted this whole time and that they’d put a bag over my head. To think it was just a little bucket that I could have blasted away at any time. But I didn’t want to upset my captors—not my first time being kidnapped, after all.”
“And I thought they had me in a full body bag with Fiend draining cuffs, but uhh…” the man looked down, as far as his head would tilt. Which was practically infinitesimal since his head was all that was above ground. “I see that I’m just buried in sand that I could have escaped at any moment. Weirdest bed I’ve ever been in. But not the most uncomfortable.”
“Now if you don’t mind taking a step back, friends, I will free myself. No need to help, I can manage such a measly trap after all. Hnngh…” The Deterrent wriggled himself loose slightly and then used his Curse to send himself shooting a few feet into the air. Whill then landed back down gracefully with a pleasant thump as he planted both feet onto the sand.
“Such a beautiful morning on the beach,” the man tried to play off the unpleasant state in which he’d been found. “Not too cloudy and not too bright. And it’s cool with a nice breeze. What’s the matter, chums? Not a fan of the sand? Can’t say I am either.”
He was confused by the reaction of the other two Fiends, but Drim and Jaid had suddenly recoiled for one very poignant reason. Whill glanced around, trying to understand the shift in mood, and eventually he found that the cause was none other than himself, or rather his current state of undress.
“Ah, when did that happen?” the man took his bare revelation in stride, politely cupping the front of his lap with his hands as any gentleman should in such a situation. Rather than addressing the situation further or trying to apologize or explain, he turned around.
“I wonder if they got stuck down here.” Whill bent over, practically plunging his head straight into the sand as he inspected the hole where he’d just been imprisoned.
““Guahh”” The two Fiends—victims, really, at this point—shuddered in unison as they whipped their heads away once more. Such shocking visions in rapid succession weren’t good for their already delirious constitutions. And they’d just been treated to the rare sight of a full moon in broad daylight, dark spots and all.
Drim and Jaid hoofed it away from the indecency exhibition before their eyes could be assaulted again in some new and terrifying way. Fortunately, they didn’t come across any new mind-burning interactions on the beach, though their next one was a touch confusing.
The pair stumbled across a monolith of sand. It was a perfect block with rigid corners, standing freely with no support and no sort of moisture to glue the sand together. The confusion was only amplified when Jaid prodded at it and found it to be quite solid, her finger jamming instantly after passing through the thin veil. But then the sand fell away and they found Fetter standing there completely still. After a quick inspection, they realized he was asleep.
In true spirit of a mime, they’d deduced that he’d made an invisible box around himself as some sort of shelter. Then over the night, sand had stuck to it, turning the transparent barrier opaque. With the quick mystery solved, and after helping Fetter’s still unconscious body to a more comfortable and stable position, they continued on.
Dirm and Jaid passed a few other sleepy Fiends on the beach, taking care not to disturb them if they were resting peacefully, or helping them get their bearings if they were in the same sorry, groggy state upon regaining consciousness. But the last interaction they came across was a rather touching one.
Bray, in her actual real adult form for once, was sitting with her back against a sand bank, staring out at the ocean. Mazie was slumped next to her, the girl’s head resting in the woman's lap. And the mother was gently stroking her hair, with such soft and tender affection that spurred the envy of any who would come to witness it.
After the repeated exchange of words that the pair of Fiends had said to all the others, Bray brought up something unique thus far. “Mazie and I will not be joining you on this mission,” the mother stated definitively. “I’m sure we wouldn’t have been invited in the first place, but I just wanted to tell you with certainty. It took me all night to finally convince her that it was too dangerous, but I think she understands now.”
“Thank you, though, for making a place where we can not only belong, but live peaceful, normal, happy lives. When Mazie first changed, I never thought that would be possible again. But you’ve made the best community we can ask for. Just know that it would break her heart if you or any of the others don’t come back to it.”
They were hard words to hear, but it still felt nice knowing how much they were beloved by the citizenry of their nation. And while it ultimately wouldn’t change what they had to do, it added a heavier weight to their course—something Drim especially would dwell on endlessly until it was over.
With heavier hearts, the pair of Fiends left the beach and headed towards their next destination, but before they could make it, they were stopped once more. “There you are, dearies!” It was Hazzle running up holding a basket with Vank trailing slowly behind, carrying even more. “After things got a bit crazy last night, I just knew you all would wake up with hungry stomachs. Especially you, Jaid,” the woman sent the knight a sly wink.
“Eat your fill. It’s the best way to make your body feel normal again,” Hazzle handed off the basket, then grabbed two more from her husband to pass over specifically to Jaid.
“Well, you’d know, wouldn’t you, Hazzle?” Vank delivered a jesting jab. “You should have seen her back in the day. Would drink any man twice her weight under the table. That’s when I knew she was the one for me. Now have a good day, kids. We’ve got more mouths to feed.” The old couple scampered away as quick as their legs would take them, but with enough vim and vigor to rival anyone else on the island.
Not to be rude, Drim and Jaid took a brief break to gorge themselves on the nourishment they’d been given, to help ease their nausea and still aching heads. Since it was an overabundance, The Paladin suffered the existence of two more clones so she could scarf down her portions faster.
When they were finished, they continued their journey, heading into the monster sanctuary. They had to make sure no one had possibly damaged the various artificial habitats in their drunken stupors, and also pray that none of their fellows had been eaten alive.