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--
  Piglin Brute places his foot on the gas pedal of the bus.
"You go, bro! I'll continue to search for anything of interest!" Piglin exclaims as she leans her body out of one of the windows.
The bus continues to zoom down the campus roads, going recklessly over the 35 mph speed limit.
Displeased with Piglin Brute's reckless driving, Iron Golem approaches the front of the vehicle. "I know we are in a contest, but you still need to follow traffic laws. We've passed Alleviation, and we don't need to worry about them beating this. We already have the advantage, so there's no need for you to speed or run red lights."
Piglin lunges back inside.
"Aw, that's no fun!"
"Yeah, I agree!" Pillager says as he fires three arrows from his crossbow at once. "Taking risks is fun!"
"Well, maybe you think that, but we must drive carefully to protect other people on the road. We're not the only people out tonight, so it's important to drive carefully to make sure everyone else stays safe. You may think it's fun to zoom down the roads, but other drivers might not be able to see us coming," Iron Golem explains with a strict tone.
"Yeah, whatever. Safety, rules? That's boring!" Piglin Brute replies. "Besides, I'm the driver. I could kick you out if I wanted to."
He continues driving quickly and somewhat carelessly until he eventually parks by a science museum.
"Let's search around here, shall we?" Piglin Brute suggests.
"Sounds good. I'll find the high ground. I can use that to my advantage and be the artillery," Pillager says, loading his crossbow.
"Right. The rest of us will stay down here. We can take down those zombies hand-to-hand!" Vindicator exclaims.
"Ahh... I like that! I can look for one of those fancy thingies Golden told us to find!" Piglin adds.
The streetlights shine steadily onto the party. Although they are idle in the open, the undead keeps their distance.
"You guys strategize as much as you'd like. In the meantime, I'll keep any monsters who dare to approach us at bay," Iron Golem declares.
Piglin Brute turns around. "Yo, NOW you want to help us?"
"Come on. You DO know that there are speed cameras and red light cameras all over this campus? Imagine how many tickets you're going to have to pay. I was telling you that you need to obey traffic laws. I WAS trying to help there. Also, even if there weren't those cameras, we're still probably being recorded. We're on a game show. You don't think that this is being recorded?"
"Whatever. I'll just go ask Golden about a subject that she really doesn't want to talk about... let's say the Elimination Dorm... She'll give me money to make me not want to talk to her about it, then I'll use that money to pay for the speeding tickets!"
Iron Golem turns away from Piglin Brute. "I'm done talking about this. I suppose there aren't any traffic laws in the Nether..."
Piglin looks up. "Ya. We don't even have cars there. It's the terrain and lack of resources. Something stupid like that!"

  Traveling closely together, the members of Alleviation make their way downtown.
"I'm not a fan of dark places, and normally, that would include being outside at night, but the streetlights and all the lights coming from inside the shops make everything feel far more inviting and comfortable. It's bright enough that there shouldn't be any monsters here, yet there are zombies everywhere," Glare explains.
"Yeah.. that's definitely a bit odd," Allay replies, flying closer to Vex. "How did they even get here?"
"I don't know, but it all seems somewhat... staged... if you know what I mean," Vex responds.
"Yeah, but why would Golden set something like this up?"
"I never said that she staged this, just that it felt scripted in general. Besides, you don't even know the other aspects of her personality... the way she treated us eliminated contestants - what reason did she have to make us live in such lousy conditions?!"
Allay is silent for a quick moment.
"I really don't know," she replies. "She isn't too fond of talking about it either, from what I've found. Not even with those she trusts... She seems to trust me quite a bit, but when I tried to bring it up with her a bit ago, she seemed pretty uncomfortable and said she'd give away the trophy before she openly discussed it. Golden told me that it wasn't something she wanted to discuss at the moment and asked if there was anything else I wanted to talk about. She gave me some money and changed the topic... Oddly, she asked me if I'd play Tetris against her. I can try to ask her later, though."

  Evoker rushes to the front of the group with her arms folded.
"So, once we get downtown, what's our plan? Do we just wander around until we find something? I'm game with that, but I doubt it will be the most effective approach we can give this."
"I agree. What we're going to do is to divide and conquer. I'd say that we group up based on our combat capabilities. You should go with Allay and Vex. They are both capable, or should I say that Allay is more capable in combat than her friends combined. I'll go with them," Warden replies.
"Alright. I think we'll go by the fountain. We'll let you know if we find anything!"

  Although it is late, some shops still remain open. The neon signs and lamps give the district the aesthetic of a historic shopping district... one that really lights up the night.
Cars drive down the street, and small groups of people enter and exit the shops, some of them stopping to check out the contestants to see what they are doing

  Moobloom limps off the elevator with arrows in her back legs, and some of her flowers appear to have been eaten off. She still carries Axolotl's bucket in her mouth, although it's empty now. She's the last surviving member of her team, and unfortunately, the others have been zombified.
"I've abandoned everyone... what am I to do now?"

It hasn't even been 15 minutes since the game started, and all but one member of an entire team has been eaten alive by zombies. How pathetic. You know, I should've just... you know... wrote down 'dålig' as soon as Evoker suggested it. It's quite a shame that Allay has been studying Swedish as well. At least I can rest easy knowing that there IS an alternative timeline where that team ended up with the name dålig, and what makes things even better is that I have a magical crystal that allows me to view that timeline at will.
Moobloom approaches me to ask something.
"Can... you revive my teammates?" She's clearly desperate, but it's a no can do. As long as they are still in this world as zombies, I'm not reviving them.
She looks around and lies on the turf patch. "Why not? I- I saw them get eaten by zombies! How can you not revive them?"
... Well, there's no harm in explaining why I can't revive someone who has been zombified but not killed in that form. I mean, if I can use my powers to enter the literal multiverse, remotely killing and then respawning a few zombie farm animals would be a breeze. In this scenario, it's less of a matter of not being able to do it, but more of a matter of me not wanting to do it.


  Vex and Allay fly above a patio umbrella, looking outwards at the street.

"Aliea, you need to know how to fight back against these monsters. You're pretty good with evading, but dodging alone isn't going to be enough," Vex explains.
"Yeah... " Allay replies as she pulls out a medium-sized kitchen knife. "I can fly around and attack with this, but I'm not very controlled."
She holds the knife with two hands as she quickly flies toward a zombie. She moves towards the side of the monster with as much caution as she can, managing to slice through its torso.
The sudden impact doesn't severely harm the zombie, but it is stunned - giving Allay time to strike again. This time, she flies in a spiral-like motion around the zombie and strikes it in the back.
The zombie is still standing, and once again, Allay attacks it with her knife.
"Come on! Why won't this thing die?"

Sick of sitting back and watching, Vex lunges backward before performing a charged attack on the zombie, which unsurprisingly, is still in a fighting condition.
"You aren't using the right strategies. For starters, you are using a COOKING KNIFE. When was the last time you had that thing sharpened, and don't you use that for you know, cooking? At least use a butcher's knife," Vex announces.
"I don't own any weapons, nor do I have a butcher's knife. Also, I don't use this knife in the kitchen. This one is purely for self-defense!"
She flies in a wide loop before charging at the zombie once more, landing a hit on the zombie's chest.
The zombie collapses, and at long last, is defeated.

Evoker, who is fighting a smaller hoard on the sidewalk, looks up.
"Hey! Wonderful performance there!"

"Oh, thanks!" Allay exclaims as she rushes back to her cousin. "So, Austin, how do you suggest I fix my technique?"

Vex approaches Allay and places his hands on her knife. "I like what you did with that last strike. Charged attacks are key in getting the most amount of damage on your target. What you want to do is give yourself space to back up. The more distance between you and your target, the better," he explains.
"Got it. I can do that!"

  Meanwhile, Warden defends Copper Golem and Glare while they search. The two come up with somewhat of a plan to evade the monsters, before leading their protector to a grocery store.
Upon releasing where he is, Warden speaks up. "Now really isn't the time to go grocery shopping,"

Glare is quick to respond. "It's part of a little plan. We go in and out real quick, and get on our way."

"Yep! We'll be fast! We promise!" Copper Golem jumps up and waves at the store's front security camera. "Wait, do we even have money?"

"You bring up a point. We don't have money. Evelyn has some, but I don't know where she's at. How are we going to carry out the plan now?" Glare replies.
"Look. Just go in and steal whatever it is you want. This is a somewhat close city. Go in, take what you want, and pay them later. If you really aren't game for stealing from this Whole Foods, ask someone for money. You guys don't always need to be so... morally right all the time," Warden suggests.
Copper Golem and Glare exchange a quick glance at Warden, and enter the store.

  In the market, the two strategically head towards the produce section with a large shopping cart. Collectively pushing the cart with little control, they stop in front of the potatoes.
"The plan is to get a bunch of things that are small, but heavy, and easy to throw. We use them to distract the zombies... and uh... now that I think of it..." Glare explains.
"Uh, then what?" Copper Golem replies.
"This really isn't the most effective strategy here. Warden uses vibrations and sounds to navigate and get an idea of his surroundings. Thinking about it now, throwing produce at monsters might throw him off, but... he does seem pretty good at making out different sounds, so would it really intervene with him that much?"
'I don't know, but we're here. If we get surrounded or separated from him, we'd still have something to use to hold those zombies back!"

"Fair point. We're here, so why not just follow through on this stupid little plan of ours?" Glare responds as they move some potatoes and onions into the cart.

  Piglin gazes into the front door of the science museum with a look of awe.
"Oooh... I bet there's a lot of valuable stuff in there!"
Piglin Brute approaches her. "Sister! We need to stay on task here! You're not wrong, but still. Let's get to it!"
"Yes!" she turns around and brandishes her golden sword. She nods as she runs around to the back of the museum with her older brother.
Iron Golem remains between the bus and the building, keeping careful guard over the vehicle. Noticing the sibling pair rushing down the concrete path, he calls out. "Be careful. Do not hesitate to request help if you need it. I will be here on standby."
Pillager and Vindicator decide to head down the street to the campus art museum.

Piglin and her brother aren't having very much luck.
"Well... we could always break into the museum and steal something from the minerals hall. Don't they have an emerald necklace in there or something?" Piglin places her sword on her hip as she speaks with a slight hint of sarcasm.
Piglin Brute tosses his axe in the air, catching it before it lands. "They do. I think. The last, and only, time I was in that place was for a stupid elimination dorm field trip. Otherwise, I never would've stepped foot in that boring place. Museums are for NERDS. Like, who willingly goes into a museum for fun? I don't know a single normal person who would decide one day 'Hey, I'm going to a science museum!', and just do it. Who even does that?"
"Not me. Like you said - only nerds actually enjoy museums. Bet Evelyn loves them. She's a huge nerd. Only a nerd would willingly go into the Nether, approach two piglins who don't even know about the existence of the Overworld, and tell them that she can 'edit their DNA so that they can go into the Overworld'. Can't say that I'm in any way familiar with that hypothetical scenario. Back to the original topic - should we break into the museum or not?"
"Not saying that it's not a fun idea, but do you seriously think that Golden is going to fall for this? She owns this campus. She owns this museum. She's the queen of nerds, and on top of that, she has... you know... A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION?" Piglin Brute exclaims.
Piglin paces around a bush and attacks a skeleton. "Well, it's less about stealing artifacts from a science museum to try and win this contest, and more about stealing artifacts from a science museum just for the sake of doing it. We could do it, but there's security everywhere..."
Her brother nods. "That's a point. How about we drop this museum heist and look for what Golden wants us to find? Besides, there are so many better places to rob. If we're going to stage a heist, let's make a better plan. A heist without a plan is a no-go." He too attacks the skeleton and instantly defeats it.

There is suddenly a cold breeze, which makes a double-helix-shaped wind chime jingle.
Piglin shivers and moves closer to Piglin Brute. "We've been here in the Overworld for... three years now, and I still can't get used to how damn COLD it gets here!"
"Hey, to be fair, we always went back to the Nether for the winter. I guess this is our first winter here."

  Evoker is still separated from the rest of Alleviation. Upon passing a bookstore earlier, she decided to stop and make out a plan. She sits at a cafe table, crafting a few totems while trying to figure out the best way to find her team.
"Hmmm... I have an idea as to where they are. I wonder if they are faring well as they are, as I don't think anyone is actively trying to find me. I will take this time to come up with a better plan..."
It doesn't take long for her to get distracted.
"I have two choices here. I can make an active effort to find my teammates, or I could stay here and do my own thing. I could honestly use a bit more time to work on that history project for class..."
The rest of her team is still searching for the accessories downtown.

  Piglin Brute drives away from the bustling campus and heads towards an empty area.
"Uh, I don't think that we should be going here," Piglin says with concern.
The road, while still paved, is in a far worse condition than the city roads, and directional signs and streetlights only become rarer and rarer the further they go.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine!" Piglin Brute reassures

"But... there are signs saying that we might get in trouble if we go here,"

"Since when did rules concern you, sister?"

The bus proceeds toward a lab-like building that appears to be gated within two metal fences. All around the area are signs that make it clear that any and all unauthorized entry into the facility is strictly prohibited. The lamps around the facility flicker in a pale yellow light.
"Are you sure that we should be going any further? I really don't like this place..."

Pillager, who had leaned back into his seat, quickly sits up and leans out of the window again. "Guys! I can see a strange cyan light by that weird lab! It's familiar, yet I can't quite wrap my mind around what they are exactly..."

Vindicator rushes over and stands beside his friend. "You're right. I know those lights too. Almost seems a bit sculky... Is this one of Golden's labs, or is it the grounds of those backrooms that she mentioned a bit ago?"
Piglin turns around. "The... WHAT? I don't wanna go to the backrooms!" she exclaims.
The bus only draws closer to the off-limits facility, and so do the cyan lights. Slowly but steadily, the source of the pale lights becomes clear.
Pillager mutters. "Just as I thought. It's them again. I thought she kept them locked up in her 'super secure' lab..."

Piglin Brute stops the bus.

"Wait wait wait... We must proceed. They might have what we are looking for, so we must go on!"

The bus starts up again and continues driving towards the looming hollows, who upon noticing the bus, begin to draw closer as well.
"We already fought these guys, but your brother has never interacted with them before," Pillager announces to Piglin.
'Right. I didn't pull my weight in that contest, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to help now." Piglin draws her sword and leans half her body out of the window. Much like he had done earlier, Iron Golem pulls her back inside.
"It isn't safe for you to be doing this," he declares.
"But... it's perfectly fine for us to be approaching this HIGHLY OFF-LIMITS LABORATORY? That's fine, but me sticking my body out of a bus window isn't?" Piglin snarkily replies.
"You wait until this bus is stopped before you fight. You could fall out of the window and hurt yourself,"

Piglin is dissatisfied. "Why does safety have to be SO BORING???! I mean, there's something weird going on that makes it so we can just be revived when we die, so what's the big deal?"
"Just because we can respawn doesn't mean that we should exploit that. It's not always going to be there,"
The bus stops once again, and the team looks out at the sculky phantoms pursuing them.
Piglin pulls out her sword, and hastily rushes out to fight.

"IT'S TIME! Come face me, you stupid experiments!" she exclaims as she attacks her own hollow.

  Allay and Vex continue to search for the accessories while fighting against the zombies in unity.
"There's just so many of them, but with the right timing and us working together, we've been able to keep the numbers down to size!" Allay exclaims as she flies in a spiral-like pattern around a zombie villager. Her loops become quicker and wider before she makes her move.
"We strike NOW!" Vex announces.
He and his cousin simultaneously charge at the undead from opposite sides.
"How many does that make it? Like... 20 or something? Hah... I've lost count!" Vex laughs.
"Not sure either, but we've definitely gotten a lot of them down... yet not a single sight of anything that Golden wants us to find..." Allay responds. "I'm surprised that I'm doing this... I'm not a skilled fighter... really. Combat's not my thing, yet here I am, fighting alongside you with grace and accuracy."
"Me too. If I was asked a few hours ago, the only 'battle' I'd say you had any chance in would be a baking competition or a Tetris match. I don't know how we're managing it... Perhaps it's like what Golden said earlier... Serendipity.... that was the word, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Is it pure luck, or are we that skilled together? Let us press forward and continue our mission!" Allay declares with determination, but she suddenly pauses. "Evelyn isn't with us... She's been gone for a bit. Should we try to find her?"

Vex looks certain of his reply. "I'm sure she's fine. She's fully capable of defending herself."

  The two fly onwards, heading towards a small park. Suddenly, Vex takes notice of a cyan glow.

"Aliea- What in the world is that?! It- It looks kinda like.. uhh... I'm getting closer so I can get a better look!" Vex exclaims as he begins to fly quickly toward the glowing figure.
'Austin! Wait up! I might have an idea, but I could be wrong! It's probably something that wants to attack us!" Allay increases her speed to catch up, and within seconds, the cousins are close enough to make out what they are seeing.
"Not only are there multiple of them... but they seem to be in a truce with the undead..."

"They are fundamentally undead creatures... how do we proceed?" Allay questions.
In the small park, a group of hollows is staged around a dry fountain. In the center, one of them is mounted on a skeleton horse. The mounted phantom's clothing resembles a mixture of a Victorian-era dress and a revolutionary war general's suit. It has long, blonde hair with scully highlights, and holds a sword at its hip.
"Never seen that one before..." Allay whispers.
"So, what do we do with them?" Vex asks once more. He notices something out of the corner of his eye and quickly turns to check it out.
"I thought I saw someone that looked familiar in that bunch. One of those hollow things looks an awful lot like Avery... don't ya think?"
Without hesitation, Allay flies over to Vex. "Looks like Avery... I thought she looked familiar..."

"Wait, do you KNOW that creature? I know Golden used those things in one of the episodes, but I never watched that one,"

"I sure do. She helped my team win the contest. Perhaps I could try to...-"
Allay is cut off and suddenly realizes that the hollows had detected her.
"They know we're here- Let's go!" she starts, but she soon finds herself face to face with the horse-mounted hollow.
Its tone is muffled, commanding the others to attack Allay and Vex, who are now frozen in their tracks.
"Hm!? Looks like our only option is to fight!" Vex exclaims.
"Not quite... My hollow is in that group, and I'm sure that she can put a stop to the hostilities!" she rushes over to the fountain, and is immediately confronted by Shadow Allay.
"You... are here... Good."
Allay nods as she speaks in a quick and panicked tone. "Yes. Me and my cousin are- We.. uh... the other hollows here want to kill us, but I know that we've had some nice interactions in the past, soo... I want to ask you to...."

"To... what? They pursue you... and I don't. This sculk... this form... it hurts me greatly. I never wanted to be reborn in this form..." The hollow's voice is just as cold and flat as before, but her body language says otherwise.
'Look, I'm sorry about your situation. I don't have any control over that, but that- that doesn't help with anything!" Allay responds, her voice still frantic, yet empathetic at the same time.
"They woke me up from my painless slumber... the one you put me in... remember, sister?"
"Yes. You took a quick liking to me... saying that I had to be the one to kill you. We played together and we made a deal. You helped my team under the condition that I personally killed you. I recall what you said... about my familiarity and this sisterly bond of ours. I felt something then... almost as if seeing you was trying to trigger some repressed memories from my past. I don't know how or why, but I.. . I don't even know how to properly put the way I feel into words..."
"I can understand that feeling. Something about my very nature is off, and I don't like that. I have memories of a past long forgotten. Ones where I lived in this world years ago. It was laid out that I am you, yet we don't look as alike as some other hollows and their parents."
"I noticed that too. When I first saw you in that dreary school, something inside of me was just screaming 'I've seen someone like her before. I know I have, but I don't know who or when.' Even now, I still have that feeling. Especially since my cousin mentioned something... about how you look similar to my late sister. She died when we were young, so I don't remember her very well."
"I have memories of a time before the school. They are very faded, but still there. Some seem like they are a mix of two people's memories, and others not so much. My mind is confusing... and I don't know who I really am. I feel like I am two sisters at once... Do you understand?"
"Not really. A lot of my memories from my childhood were repressed for years, and I feel like there's a lot of things that are deliberately being hidden from me."

  Behind them, the mounted hollow has begun to target Vex.
"Wait, no! This thing is faster than I am... I can't get any hits on it... Someone... help!" he exclaims
The hollow is quick to evade all his attacks, and with a single swing, manages to disarm its target.
"Agh! My sword!" Vex exclaims. In a hasty attempt to reclaim his sword, he flies right into a skeleton's crosshairs.
The skeleton quickly shoots him to the ground, striking his shoulder. Knocked down and unarmed, Vex is an open target for the horse-mounted hollow. Nevertheless, he struggles to grab his sword and get himself airborne again.

  Hearing his calls for help, Allay attempts to fly over to Vex and aid him.
"You should stay... it's not safe for you to go where they are fighting..."
"I must go. If I am capable of helping, I must help. There's no way I can just sit around and let Austin get killed by these hollows. The last time I just hid and played it safe, my younger sister was killed. I regret not rushing in and helping, but now, I need to live with that burden... knowing that my sister died, and I could've done something to save her... It was a selfish mistake that I am not going to make again," Allay responds sternly.
Holding her knife at her side, she prepares to rush to her cousin's aid but is unsurprisingly stopped by her hollow.
"It's the weight that you must carry... also... that's a fine knife you have there. You wouldn't want to accidentally hurt yourself or your cousin with that... I could hold on to it for you..."
Allay seems slightly desperate. "I appreciate the offer, but I need this to protect myself... and while I don't want you to be in pain, I just can't trust you with sharp objects."
Shadow Allay looks up with a slight nod. "But... um... never mind. You are in a rush. Part of me is telling me to keep you here with me... but... you aren't going to make that same mistake again... Go and help him... and later... please do me a favor... and ask GoldenScientist to tell you... see if she'll tell you why and how. We are familiar to one another... and she can tell you why..."

Allay quickly slips her knife into a makeshift sheath and flies directly toward Vex. Her arms rest below her body as she quickly transitions to a downward glide.
"Hang in there! I've got you!"
The mounted hollow lunges in and fires a precisely-aimed chunk of sculk at Vex, knocking him to the ground.

Within an instant, Allay swoops down and grabs him before making a speedy escape. She holds her cousin under her body, his arms draped over her shoulders.
Her breathing is heavy and quick, but she's able to calm down once she has a safe distance from the hollows. She catches her breath.
"Don't worry. We're going to get someplace safe, ok? You're in pretty bad condition, but I'll make sure you're alright,"
"... I.. . couldn't thank you more... Aliea..." Vex says with a weak tone.
"No need to thank me. It doesn't matter if we find anything for the contest, as the only thing we need to find right now is a safe place to rest,"

  There is a cyan glow as the last visible hollow is defeated. The streetlamps around the lab's parking lot still flicker and illuminate the seemingly windowless building. Guards are stationed around the facility, which based on the lights from the few tall windows by the front door, is likely open and actively being used.
Piglin Brute puts his axe away and heads back to the illegally parked bus.
"Ok. We took down those hollows, and you guys are right. Not only do we NOT need to be here, but there isn't anything of interest here either,"
He gets back into the bus and drives back into town.
This time, they head towards a recreational area, parking somewhere in between the Skyzone Loft and a movie theatre.
This part of the campus is lit up and lively. Despite the late hour, Skyzone Loft is still open and is getting a fair amount of customers.
"Ah, the joys of drinking and playing video games... Perhaps I should go get a drink myself," Piglin Brute announces.
Much to his annoyance, Iron Golem steps in once again. "No, you will not go get "a drink" from in there. How many times must I get you into check tonight?"
"Hey, they have other drinks there, don't ya know? What's the issue with me getting one of those drinks?"
"5 minutes. We need you to come to help us with this contest, ok? And NO alcohol, got it?"
Piglin Brute nods. "Well, technically... I'm not officially on this team, so I can just leave and do my own thing at any time, and just for the record, the Nether has different drinking laws than the Overworld. The Nether, as a whole, allows all piglins to drink alcoholic beverages from the age of 16."

"Well guess what? This is not the Nether. You are required to abide by local law, regardless of where you are. You may be allowed to drink in the Nether, but if the law here says you need to be 21, you must follow that law."
"But didn't you hear those allegations that Golden-" Piglin Brute starts.
Hearing him, Vindicator intervenes. "What about it? Are you talking about those rumors that she drank lingonberry cocktails when she was 19? Like when she developed this campus? Not only has that been fact-checked, but it does not apply to your situation."
Piglin looks around, and she promptly runs over to Skyzone Loft. "Hey, I'm going in there to get something! I need some of their bubble tea!"

Looking at Vindicator, Pillager nods. "We will search in the area. You guys can do your thing."
Together, the two head down to the theater, stopping to fight a few zombies on the way.

  Allay stops in front of a small pet store.

"We need to go inside. I can't carry you and fight these monsters at the same time!"

"But... how do you plan on-" Vex stutters.

"I'm not super confident in my abilities here, but I think that I can clip through the thin windows. I'm going to get you to a safe place, and I'm not going to let you die on me, ok?!" Allay responds with determination.
She charges backward, locking her sights on the shop's windows. She exhales deeply and makes her move. Surprisingly, she is able to clear the thin panes and manages to clip through, entering the store.
"We're in. You're going to be just fine, so please hang in there," she says, now with a deeper tone of consideration.
Laying her cousin down on a small cat bed, she decides to rest herself.

"You're in pretty bad condition... your wings look horrible. I'm sorry I let you get to this condition...."

"Ali, don't act like it's your fault..." he tries to raise his arm, but he doesn't have the strength.
"Austin, please take it easy... I... I think that we should stay here. I just wish that I knew where Evelyn is. I could ask her to bring us back to the market, but..." Allay looks down at Vex, her eyes now tearing up.
"There's no need to cry. I'll- I'll be fine. Even if I do die here, we can just respawn in the apartments."

"That's not the point here... just because we can respawn doesn't mean that we should go out of our way to be in that situation. Please trust me on this. Dying is not a fun experience. I've been killed three times on this game show, and I refuse to let it happen again. I am not going to let you die on me either. I witnessed Ashlie's death, and that's something that I never want to experience again..." Allay responds. She strokes her cousin's sculky wings in desperation.
There is a blue glow around her hands, and her eyes suddenly become somewhat hopeful. The sculk on her cousin's wings magically seems to be purified.
He looks up. "Aliea... my wings feel better. Did you... heal me?"
"I... don't know." Her hands continue glowing as she unconsciously heals Vex. Neither one knows why this is happening.
"It doesn't matter. Thank you, Aliea."

TO BE CONTINUED IN P20D...
The poll for this thread is: Was P20 too long?

Poll ended 03/06/2023 7:52 pm.