After everyone settled down beside the colossal, bloodied husk of the sandworm, catching their breath from the chaotic battle, Eleo stood tall—or at least, as tall as his small frame allowed.

  "Alright guys!" he announced, raising a determined fist. "Let's continue our adventure in World 2!"

  Timmy tugged at Chiyo's hair from his perch. "Wait, wait, Eleo!"

  Eleo turned, blinking. "Huh?"

  Timmy pointed a stubby finger at the sandworm's massive remains. "This thing's bones? Worth a lot. Like, a thousand coins a piece."

  Tony, who had been casually cleaning dirt from his skull, froze. "Oh? How much are we talking?"

  Timmy grinned. "Exactly what I said. A thousand. Per bone."

  Olorun's eyes widened. "REALLY?!"

  Timmy nodded with smug satisfaction. "Yep."

  Olorun instantly turned toward Kenji, voice shifting into a sweet, fairy tale tone, hands clasped under his chin like a charming prince. "Oh dear Kenji, my dear rival, would you be so kind and cut the bone for us?"

  Kenji narrowed his eyes. "Why can't you just break it?"

  Olorun shrugged, smirking. "Because I'm not the one with the giant sword~"

  Kenji groaned and unsheathed his blade. "Tch. Fine."

  With a single swing, he cleaved a massive chunk of bone clean from the worm's carcass. He grunted as he lifted it onto his shoulder. "God damn, this shit is heavy…"

  Chiyo peered at the massive bone. "Wait… how would anyone know this is from a sandworm?"

  Timmy held up a hand like a professor mid-lecture. "Ah! That's where the anitelogists come in."

  "The what now?" Tony asked, raising a bony brow.

  "Anitelogists," Timmy repeated proudly. "They're experts who study monster bones—any bones, really. They use these magic microglasses they strap to one eye—usually the left—and they can tell which world it came from just by studying it. World 1, World 2, doesn't matter. Boom, certified sandworm bone."

  Eleo gasped, eyes sparkling. "Wow! That's super cool!"

  Timmy crossed his arms smugly. "I know, right?"

  Tony cracked his knuckles. "Okay, so where are these bone nerds?"

  "They usually hang around markets," Timmy said. "So we just need to find a market. But I think we should only bring three bones with us."

  Olorun nodded. "Makes sense. But… how do we decide who gets 'em?"

  Kenji rubbed his chin. "Mmmm… oh, I know. How about the three idiots who got eaten by the sandworm after yelling for a giant skeleton to come fight them?"

  He raised his hand with no shame.

  Kawai proudly raised a stubby flipper.

  Timmy pointed at them. "agreed."

  Chiyo sighed. "...Agree."

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Eleo frowned. "I vote not to."

  Tony raised his hand. "Same."

  Olorun smirked. "Me too."

  Kenji burst into laughter. "Four against three. We win."

  Tony grumbled. "Damn it…"

  Kenji tossed one bone to Olorun, then cut two more cleanly—one for Eleo, who wobbled under the weight, and one for Tony, who examined it like a fashion accessory.

  Eleo puffed his cheeks. "O-okay… n-now l-lets… continue…"

  As they began walking, the sun casting long shadows behind them, Timmy hopped onto Chiyo's head and got comfortable, legs dangling. Kawai flopped face-first into the sand, and Kenji sighed, picking the little creature up with one hand and plopping it onto his shoulder like a ragdoll.

  The group moved forward—dusty, bruised, and bickering—but together.

  Night fell across the golden dunes of World 2, the temperature dropping as the orange hues faded into deep blue. The wind, once harsh and howling, softened to a quiet whisper, rustling grains of sand like a lullaby.

  Eleo looked up, eyes drooping. "Looks like it's nighttime…"

  He, Tony, and Olorun finally dropped the massive bones they'd been dragging for hours. A deep thud echoed across the quiet desert.

  Olorun stretched his arms behind his head. "Okay… so uh, how do we make camp in the middle of nowhere?"

  Timmy sat down, brushing sand off his stubby legs. "We can't really. Not much we can do here—no trees, no cover. We basically just sleep in the sand."

  Chiyo shrugged, already lowering herself. "Fine by me."

  With a soft whump, she flopped onto her back, arms behind her head, fangs glinting under the starlight. Eleo followed her lead, spinning once in the sand before dropping with a puff of dust.

  Tony wordlessly joined them, lying still, arms crossed over his ribs. Timmy crawled onto Chiyo's stomach and lay flat like a tired cat. Kenji tossed his bone aside, gave a dramatic sigh, and plopped down like someone surrendering to gravity. Olorun groaned, rolled onto his side, then finally sprawled out next to Kenji. Kawai did a few slow flops before face-planting into the sand with a satisfied "plop."

  The group stared silently at the clear night sky, constellations glittering like diamonds above them.

  Eleo broke the silence. "So… what's your guys' opinion on World 2?"

  Chiyo blinked slowly. "Eh… it's alright. At first, I thought it was overhyped. But I guess not. That sandworm was no joke."

  Tony nodded. "Yeah. It's got charm. But definitely not short on danger."

  Timmy muttered, "Yep… and I pray we don't run into any more sand monsters."

  Olorun exhaled. "Or get eaten by them again."

  Kenji chuckled. "We won't. Not if we stick together. As long as we've got each other's backs, we'll be fine."

  Eleo yawned loudly, ears twitching. "Y-Yeah… Olorun's right… we gotta work together…"

  Olorun gave a small smirk. "Heh. Alright, alright… fine. I'll play nice."

  Kawai sleepily added, "Meep… meep…"

  And then, silence. The stars shimmered quietly as the group fell into a peaceful rhythm of breathing. One by one, their eyes closed—first Chiyo, then Tony, then Kenji, Olorun, Timmy, Kawai…

  And last, Eleo, who whispered softly into the quiet, "Adventure… tomorrow…"

  The next day, the scorching sun loomed overhead as the group resumed their trek across the endless dunes. Their footprints stretched behind them like a fading trail of exhaustion.

  “Man… this is heavy…” Eleo groaned, wobbling slightly under the weight of the sand worm bone slung over his tiny shoulder.

  “Tell me about it,” Olorun grunted, dragging his own chunk across the sand. “And it’s hot. I need water before I turn into dried crab jerky…”

  Chiyo wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. “Hey, Timmy, think there’s any water around here?”

  Timmy bobbed up and down from her head. “Yeah, there is, but it’s not easy to find. Desert springs are tricky… they hide under the dunes, or in shade, or even in ruins—”

  Before he could finish, Eleo suddenly dropped his bone and scampered ahead.

  “Hey! Look!” he shouted.

  Olorun narrowed his eyes. “Eleo—wait, don’t just run off like—”

  But Eleo was already kneeling next to something in the sand. The others quickly caught up and found him sniffling next to a sun-bleached skeleton, half-reclined against a rock. A dusty wooden cup rested in its bony fingers.

  Eleo wiped his nose and whimpered. “I-It’s… it’s Tony’s b-brother… or sister…”

  WHACK!

  Tony dropped his bone and bonked Eleo on the head with it. “You jerk. That’s a dead person skeleton, not one of us. And we’re not siblings.”

  “Ow…” Eleo rubbed his head. “Could’ve been though…”

  Chiyo leaned forward and pointed to the cup. “Hey, is there anything in that?”

  Kenji picked it up and gave it a gentle shake. Slosh.

  “Yeah… it’s full. Not sure what it is, but it smells like water.”

  Kenji looked around. “Alright. Everyone take a few sips to stay hydrated.”

  Eleo immediately raised both arms. “Me first! I’m the leader!”

  Kenji rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright… here.”

  Eleo grabbed the cup and began slurping greedily.

  Slurp. Slurp. Slllluuurp.

  Kenji’s eyebrow twitched. “Okay, Eleo, that’s enough—”

  Eleo kept going. SLLLUUUURRRRP.

  WHACK!

  Kenji slammed his palm over Eleo’s head. “I SAID THAT’S ENOUGH!”

  “Swory…” Eleo whimpered.

  Kenji took a few sips, then passed it to Olorun. “Here.”

  Olorun took a swig and sighed. “Man… I needed that.”

  The cup made its way to Chiyo, who took a polite sip, then handed it to Tony.

  Tony waved it off. “Eh. I don’t need it.”

  Olorun nodded. “Right. You’re a walking skeleton.”

  “Correct. I literally have no digestive system.”

  Timmy piped up. “Our turn!”

  “Meep Meep!” Kawai echoed.

  Chiyo lowered the cup to them, and Timmy hopped onto the rim, took a dainty sip, then patted his belly. “Man, I’m full.”

  Kawai took a tiny slurp and squeaked a cheerful “Meep!”

  Kenji looked around. “Alright… now who should hold onto the cup?”

  Timmy and Kawai both raised their hands eagerly.

  “Me! Me! Me!” Eleo shouted, bouncing up and down. “Pick me!”

  Kenji smirked. “Not you. You nearly drank the entire thing just now.”

  Olorun crossed his arms. “Yeah, greedy bunny.”

  Eleo puffed up. “As the leader, I swear on everything—even carrots—I won’t drink it all again!”

  The group looked at each other with a sigh.

  “…Fine,” Kenji said at last. “I’ll hold on to the bones.”

  Eleo grinned wide. “YESSS!” He carefully cradled the cup like it was a sacred treasure.

  Olorun smirked. “Now you know how it feels, swordsman.”

  “Shut up, assassin,” Kenji muttered.

  Tony groaned. “Guess it’s round two of me hauling bones.” He picked up the heavy bundle with a rattling heave. “Yay me.”

  Then Tony paused. “Wait. Do we even know where the market is?”

  Chiyo picked up Kawai while Timmy climbed back onto her head.

  Timmy tapped his chin. “Mmmm… nope. But if we look around, we might find clues. Or maybe a map showing where all the major places are.”

  Eleo suddenly pointed ahead. “Hey! Let’s follow these footsteps!”

  Chiyo blinked. “Huh? How did we not see those?”

  Tony smirked and whispered, “Magic~”

  Chiyo let out a small laugh. “Alright then… let’s follow the footsteps.”

  And with that, the group turned toward the trail imprinted in the sand, walking in unison beneath the blazing sky