Pierce the Heavens! To the Top of Neverland, Let’s Go!

[Fox]

The climb to the Second Ring took a while, but Lily was familiar with the path. Cliffs jutted out like the fangs of some massive creature and shaded the First Ring below. The cliffs were sheer, but there was plenty of vegetation growing on the plateaus. The fangs circled the cloud wall of the island and looked like a titan’s spiral staircase, leading up into a tube. The tube of cloud was the Third Ring, but that was a long way yet.

“The First Ring had another name that my people used,” Lily explained as she struggled to lift herself up the cliffside while Charon waited for her on the ledge above, “God’s Altar. Mostly because of the Sky Kings coming down to eat the unwary. Hrgh…”

Lily pulled herself up over the lip of the cliff and scrambled onto the soft grass, breathing hard. She took a moment to recover before reaching for her leaf blanket. It was still green. She’d made it recently. Along with Charon’s. Not that she’d been expecting to attempt the Second Ring, but because the old ones had fallen apart. She wrapped it around herself and kneeled down.

“Okay, we’re about to pass the point of no return,” Lily commented, nodding, “We won’t escape the Sky Kings if they find us after we climb up there.”

She pointed to the next cliff in the staircase. “The Second Ring is called Heaven’s Fangs, ha…” She shuddered grimly at the joke “But the only real fangs belong to the Sky Kings, and we won’t survive if they spot us.”

Crawling out to the outermost edge of the cliff and making sure her blanket was wrapped tightly around her, she pointed up. What once previously might have looked like clouds cast in shadow became much clearer now. Those were not clouds. They flew through the air. Some were serpentine, some were quadrupedal. But they were without doubt monsters one and all. Huge creatures with even bigger maws, very similar to Sea Kings in the Blue Sea far below. Lily scooted back to where the Sky Kings were out of sight.

“The longer we stay here, the worse our chances are. The Third Ring is above us. That’s the Maw. From what I’ve heard, it’s basically just open air all the way up and Sky Kings patrol that space too. But! There’s a cave system in the walls of the Maw. We need to find an entrance and climb that way.”

Lily cleared her throat and put her hands in her lap to keep them from fidgeting. Her body felt like a live wire right now. Adrenaline started pumping. She’d been chased here before. The memory made her start to panic a little. But… but. It was now or never. Do or die.

"Questions?"

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Lily | #e0ffff | Post Count: 1
Tags: @xanderill

[Deleted]

Charon rested with a small sack of water, taking small sips to keep himself hydrated as he sat on the cliffside. The view from here was incredible, but poor Lily struggled with this path. Seven years with little meat does that to the body, he thought. He had listened intently to her story and the way her people named these layers. They were similar to the way his people named things, though with very different themes. With the matriarchs of the Betta fishmen, everything was named after famous leaders or women in general.

“Your people have a peculiar and somewhat disturbing way of naming things. It feels so familiar. My people are… similar in many ways. In my culture, you’d be treated like a goddess, fed everything you could ever want, and made not to have to lift a finger unless you wanted to… all for just being a woman.”

There was no hatred in his voice towards his culture. It was normal for him. It was more… pity towards the men he had witnessed crushed under it… but he couldn’t afford to be distracted. Clearing his head, Charon nodded at Lily in acknowledgement. The Sky Kings really were just like the Sea Kings of the Blue Sea. When Lily stated that they shouldn’t linger, Charon nodded once more and spoke up.

“Then we had better get moving. Do you know what the entrance might look like? The moment we see it and are close enough to outrun those monsters, we must run. We can’t afford to be eaten here. Not if we want to be free.”

Charon smiled with a determined look in his eye. He had every intention of keeping his promises. He would not sacrifice himself and leave her behind, but he also had no intention of letting her die. They would survive and continue up the layers to the very end!

“I’m ready when you are. Lead the way.”

Charon draped the leaf blanket over himself. He was surprised it was big enough to cover his entirety, but it was a pleasant feeling being somewhat camouflaged from horrible monsters for a change. The first time he encountered a Sea King, it had swallowed three men whole and severely injured ten others. He wasn’t about to get caught up with them unless absolutely necessary. Even with a weapon as sharp as his, he wasn’t sure whether it would be enough to cut through the scales of such a huge monster. Ever if it was, would he be able to get away before it hurt him back? Charon might have been tough, but he wasn’t tough enough to survive getting eaten just yet!

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Charon | Lovely Purple#8132e7 | Post Count:1

[Fox]

Lily frowned at Charon’s description of his culture. Was that what it was like on the Blue Sea? That… didn’t seem all that much better than Fairy Ring. Surely, there had to be a place where people could just… be equals. She sighed softly, pulling the leaf blanket around herself a little more tightly. She managed to lift her eyes back up to Charon when he started asking her questions. She nodded, a bit more confidently. There’d be no seeing if there was a place like that until they got out of Neverland.

“R-Right. I’m afraid I don’t… I’ve never been that far up. B-But, yes! To be free… and! Find a place where everyone is equal!”

Lily smiled softly at Charon, which was reciprocated with a much bolder smile by Charon. Taking a deep breath to still her nerves, she nodded and began the climb up the next cliff. She made sure to tie off the blanket around her neck so that the wind wouldn’t blow it away. She also made sure to stick very close to the cloud wall. She did not want to be out very far. She gulped, her mouth dry as she reached the top.

She peered over the edge meekly and glanced up as well. No Sky Kings nearby. She nodded to herself and pulled herself up over the edge, laying flat on the grass as she did. She turned herself around to look down at Charon and craned her head around to keep watch. All of a sudden a Sky King appeared just over the next ridge, making Lily’s heart freeze in terror. She held out a hand to stop Charon and laid as still as possible while it passed overhead.

After a long moment that felt like an eternity and a sudden gust of wind kicked up by the Sky King, it passed, turning and spiraling upward. Lily gasped softly after the danger had passed, smiling weakly and gesturing at Charon to come up.

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Lily | #ffffff | Post Count: 2

[Deleted]

Charon was happy to see Lily so optimistic for a change. The decision to go up the layers was certainly the correct one, even if it was fraught with danger. The thing with danger that Charon was most familiar with is its ability to bring about excitement like never before! He kept a close eye on Lily as they climbed the mountainside, neglecting to see the Sky king that had made their way over in their direction. He had a bad habit of getting tunnel vision in times like this, and he knew one day it would come to bite him in his behind.

What he didn’t know was how soon that day might come! Lily reached out a hand in pure panic, and looking around, Charon noticed the sky king close by. The sweat that dripped down his forehead at that moment gave him the clarity he needed to cling to the wall as tightly as possible and remain immobile for a time. The seconds that passed felt like hours, but Charon’s body was made for harsh environments like this, and this trial would be no different! When Lily finally gave the ‘all clear,’ Charon quickly scrambled his way up the cliff and gave out a sigh of relief.

“Well… that was exciting. I can predict that there will only be more of this as we go along. These blankets work wonders, I must say. You did a great job, Lily.”

Charon gave a prideful smile to Lily before they continued forward, making their way through a series of small foot hills covered in various foliage. He kept the two of them in the shadows of the trees as much as possible to avoid the eyes of the Sky Kings, but what he didn’t expect to come across were larger prey animals, like what he could only assume were some kind of sky deer by their general deer-like appearance. Large prey meant large predators… Was this what the Sky Kings ate on a regular basis? Were there other predators down here?

Charon stopped at the bottom of another cliff before turning to Lily.

“Lily… Do you know of any other animals that live on this layer…? I’m especially curious about any potential predators.”

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Charon | Lovely Purple#8132e7 | Post Count: 2

[Fox]

Lily smiled at Charon at his compliment but held up a finger to correct him.

“They’re good, but they’re not foolproof,” she whispered, “Let’s keep being careful!”

With a nod, Lily trailed along after him, sticking close enough to be considered his shadow. Between the two of them, Charon was probably in more danger of being spotted just due to his size. What did surprise Lily was the actual abundance of other fauna on this layer. They had some natural camouflage suited to this layer, so she supposed that was why. But… she didn’t trust anything that could safely coexist with the Sky Kings.

“Um… I don’t really. I know of animals that lived on Fairy Ring. Cloud wolves were particularly notorious for their ferocity, but… I wouldn’t trust anything that can survive here with the Sky Kings. They’re probably dangerous themselves.”

Lily frowned as she considered the next cliff before looking back to Charon.

“I’ll let you know if I recognize anything though! So… up we go! Do you want to go first this time or shall I?”

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Lily | #ffffff | Post Count: 3

[Deleted]

“I’ll take the lead this time. I need to work on my focus, and looking after another’s life will certainly help with that.”

Charon looked around the cliff one last time, doing his best to note the plant-life and animals that roamed. Before the sun set, he knew they would have to hunt and camp somewhere safe from view. A cave or similar area would be ideal for a campfire, as open air would mean their smoke would be visible. After taking a deep breath, Charon leapt vertically several feet before grabbing onto the cliffside and starting his climb. Fishmen were strong, and as a warrior himself, his strength was unmatched by average citizens. He did, however, wish to become stronger, as the female warriors of his tribe far surpassed his own strengths.

The climb was shorter than the first cliff, but substantially easier to climb because of the excess handholds and outstretched rocks. Charon occasionally stopped whenever a stray shadow passed over him, regardless of whether it was a beast or a cloud. One could never be too careful. Upon arriving at the top of the cliff, he remembered the vines they had collected at Lily’s base and fashioned them into a cradle of sorts. Should Lily ever get too tired to climb, he could use this to pull her up! In the meantime, he watched the surrounding area, looking to Lily to ensure a safe climb.

“You’re almost up! Careful now. We’ll take our time getting to the next cliff.”

When Lily finally finished her climb, Charon took a cursory look around and noticed tracks in the mud. He didn’t recognize the animal, but realized it had to be some kind of herbivore based on the hoof-like shape of the tracks.

“Lily, does this look familiar to you? Do you think it would be a decent meal?”

Charon would be lying if he said he wasn’t already hungry. Climbing takes energy and he wasn’t exactly a small person! His hunger had grown substantially since their fruit-filled breakfast, and after experiencing starvation for several days, he wasn’t risking that feeling again with their lives being on the line.

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Charon | Lovely Purple#8132e7 | Post Count: 3

[Fox]

Lily nodded, shuffling aside to allow Charon up. He leaped several feet into the air before clamping on to the side of the cliff, leaving Lily’s jaw on the floor. Um. How strong was Charon to be able to do something like that? She shook her head, trying to get over the shock. She had to keep a lookout. She swiveled her head around, keeping an eye out for any Sky Kings. It wasn’t long before he reached the top, and Lily started her climb up. She was much slower than he was and had to stop on occasion to take a break when her hands got tired. Charon’s shouts of encouragement were appreciated.

Eventually, she managed to pull herself over the lip of the cliff and dragged herself over, breathing hard. It took her a moment to recover and huddle over to Charon’s side to look at the tracks that he’d pointed out. Lily rubbed her chin.

“Mm… It looks like a sky boar? Maybe? They’re pretty small,” she said softly, “We have to be careful about hunting stuff though or making a lot of noise. I can look out while you hunt though if you like?”

Lily froze as a shadow passed over them, grabbing Charon’s arm tightly. After another moment, it went away with the rush of wind and a low rumbling growl like thunder. Lily let out a shaky breath and let go of him, smiling apologetically up at him.

“Ah, sorry.”

Lily looked away bashfully and wrapped her cloak a little more lightly around herself. It did look like the sheerness of the cliffs started to ease up. It was getting a little less vertical. At least, the closer to the island cloud you got. She wondered if it had been easier for her ancestors to go down than it was for her to ascend. This was taking a long while too. They might have to spend the night out here, which was definitely something Lily did not want.

“Maybe we should keep going? If we’re caught out here at night… I’d rather be somewhere safe.”

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Lily | #ffffff | Post Count: 4

[Deleted]

Charon blushed a little when Lily grabbed his arm, coughing into his hand and looking away as she apologized.

"N-no it's alright, you were just startled... as for being quiet about hunting..." Charon took a few steps forward to avoid Lily being in the way before he twirled his scythe around in a circle and launched it toward the sky boar. The blunt end of the scythe hit it in the back of the head, knocking it out instantly and without a sound. "Sometimes putting it down later is the only thing we can do. Do we have vines or rope handy? I can tie it up so we can eat it later."

After taking a few moments to tie up the boar, Charon wiped his brow and ducked behind cover as another shadow passed by, pulling Lily in quickly so as not to attract the attention of the creature. By the time it passed and Charon realized how close she was, he quickly stood back up and dusted Lily off, apologizing profusely. "S-sorry I... I mean it was... Shadows..." The now bright-red fishman was clearly flustered, but grabbed the tied-up boar and started heading toward the next part of the cliffs.

"We should keep moving and find a safe spot to camp before the sun goes down."

Charon kept his hood up whenever the sky was in-view, taking every opportunity to duck behind trees and avoid the gaze of creatures while keeping the boar subdued and unconscious. When it did wake up, it's small squeals were enough to break a lesser man's heart, but Charon knew that if they were to survive, they needed meat. He kept it unconscious for its own sake, rather than his. As they rounded hills and kept marching, they eventually came to a mountain pass above where they first entered this ring. There wasn't much further left before they would be at the top of the second ring. They had managed to avoid the Sky Kings thus far and even bagged an animal to eat for later. Charon couldn't help but to think to himself, 'What could go wrong?'

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Charon | Lovely Purple#8132e7 | Post Count: 4

[Fox]

Lily had a momentary panic attack when Charon took a few steps forward and threw his scythe at the sky boar. She gasped, and then quickly covered her mouth with both hands. She watched in slow motion as the scythe hit the sky boar and knocked it out soundlessly. She let out a soft sigh of relief and quickly glanced up at the sky to see if any Sky Kings had noticed. It didn’t seem like they had… Putting a hand to her heart, she sighed again.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Lily whispered softly to Charon, walking over to him as he tied up the boar, “We should-”

Another shadow passed overhead. Acting swiftly, Charon had pulled her into him as he hid in the shadow of one of the trees. He was very warm. And… smelled. Nice? Her face flushed bright red. And he was awfully close. So close that all of her other thoughts were swiftly crowded out of her head. She blinked and stared at his chest blankly until he stood back up and dusted her off. The gears of her brain slowly creaked back into functioning.

“I… right. Yes.”

Lily shook her head to clear it and slapped her cheeks a few times to clear her head. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but she had to stay focused. She followed along in Charon’s wake. Every time the sky boar awoke, it was enough to give Lily a panic attack, but Charon always quickly subdued it again. Her mind was plagued with thoughts about the feelings that being so close to Charon had triggered. She was fairly sure that she’d never been that close with anyone before… except maybe her mother. And… him. Lily gulped dryly, trying to shake those memories out of her head.

They eventually came upon a pass high above where they’d entered the Second Ring. Lily lifted her eyes to it and examined it critically. It was a stark change in the geography that they’d encountered thus far, which didn’t usually bode well. It looked like they were closing in on the Third Ring too. Still… she didn’t like this. There wasn’t much in the way of foliage to hide them in the pass. The pass itself protected them from view, but for some reason, it gave her a really bad feeling.

“Hmm…”

Her eyes scanned the sides of the pass. They could climb it. There looked to be something in the way of shrubs and bushes up there too. Grass at least. It was dark in the pass, so it didn’t look like anything but small plants grew there.

“I think we should… go around this…”

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Lily | #ffffff | Post Count: 5

[Deleted]

"Around? This path looks safer than the open sky, and the trip around would likely add more time and possibility of discovery by those... Skykings. Aside from that, the pass will provide amble cover from the Skykings, and whatever might be lurking in there can't be worse than them, no?"

Charon wasn't sure why Lily was so opposed to entering the chasm, as it seemed the fastest and easier way to the next layer. Was it perhaps because of her inexperience with combat and the rings beyond the first? It wasn't like he didn't want to believe her, but she had this certain naivete that made him want to be strong for her, to hopefully let it rub off on her.

If there was one thing Charon was certain about, it's that those huge monsters flying above them would not likely be able to follow them through here, and the pig squeals wouldn't be a hindrance even if they were heard by smaller predators.

"I think we should go through. Don't worry, I'll ensure no harm comes to you, Lily. You have my solemn promise."

Charon sported a somewhat forcibly bigger but genuine smile, holding his hand out to her in faith that she will take it and join him in going through the darkness.

If Lily took it, he would start leading her through the dark, circular chasm, letting his eyes adjust before continuing through. It was dark and somewhat damp the further inward they went. Small piles of bones lined the rocky walls, and what little vegetation grew there was dead or dying. As they continued forward, a large, plate-like object tripped Charon, causing him to nearly fall over. Catching himself and glancing at the object, Charon realized it looked like a giant piece of... chitin? If not, it looked similar to it. It was shaped like a fish scale and had tufts of fur around the edges. Several other pieces of fur were littered around the area.

When he looked upward, he could still see the sky, though quite a bit less of it. The ceiling of the chasm was arched with a strip of sky visible above them in the center of it. Charon turned back and whispered to Lily.

"It is best if we remain quiet. By the looks of it, the sky kings use the rocks above us to help with their shedding. If this is a scale, as I think it is, then this must have fallen from above, along with these tufts of fur. I might keep some of it though, it's quite soft and could make for good crafting materials."

Using part of his rope, Charon tied the scale to his back and stuffed some of the fur into his pack. With luck, when they leave this layer, they might be able to make something with it!

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Charon | Lovely Purple#8132e7 | Post Count: 5

[Fox]

Lily frowned at Charon’s response, glancing back to the pass. It was distinctly circular in shape with overhanging cliffs to shield them from view of the open sky. His logic sounded correct, but the shape of the canyon just gave her a really terrible feeling. She wasn’t sure why exactly, but she felt like it was on the tip of her tongue. Her skin was crawling and every instinct screamed at her to not go into that canyon. She looked up at him again, eyes pleading, but she could tell that she wasn’t going to change his mind as he offered his hand out to her.

“Okay…” she said in an impossibly small voice, placing her tiny hand in his huge one.

Together, they walked through the darkness of the canyon. Lily looked around sheepishly, her eyes very slowly adjusting to the darkness. She froze up briefly when she spotted piles of small bones. That… that was bad. That was bad! Right?! She glanced up at Charon anxiously, but he kept his gaze fixed solidly ahead. At least, until he tripped on something. Lily gasped in fright and surprise, but kept ahold of his hand.

What he’d tripped over looked familiar. It was flat like a board. A.. scale? Like a sky fish scale? But massive and covered with small tufts of fur. Lily felt a bolt of pure terror shoot from her head to her feet, making her fall over from shock. A Sky King scale. Her eyes darted around the canyon wildly. Charon’s voice brought her out of her panic and dulled the roaring in her ears. She looked at him uncertainly, swallowing hard.

“O-Okay.”

She got back to her feet as Charon tied the scale around his back, watching impatiently. As soon as he was done, she grabbed his hand and tugged hard, almost breaking out into a run toward the canyon’s exit. She wanted out of here right now. She had to get out of here. Now. Now. Run! Run! Run!

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Lily | #ffffff | Post Count: 6

[Deleted]

Lily's nervousness was starting to have an effect on Charon. Though his situational awareness was seriously lacking, and his outward bravery was unquestionable, inside his mind was a hint of doubt at his call to go through this cavern. Something about it reminded him of back home, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why. He was only snapped out of it when Lily started to tug on his arm, trying her darnedest to lead him onward at a rapid pace. Though at first slowly recognizing the fear in her eyes, Charon eventually started to jog along with her, keeping pace and watching his step more carefully.

"Are you alright Lily? You seem a little... on edge."

Charon's voice was calm and gentle as he awaited her response. It was only once the shaking and rumbling started did Charon look back and start to run a little seriously. Though it was quite far in the distance still he could almost hear it coming... closer? He was certainly not one to gamble, so holding onto Lily's hands, he picked up the pace, running only as fast as Lily could handle.

"I don't suppose this place has earth- er, sky quakes... does it?"

He hoped for a favorable answer, but the pounding of his heart in his ear nearly blurred out every word she spoke. Right as the rumbling stopped, from the back of Charon came a desperate and ear-shattering squeal. The rumbling and sudden rough ride the boar had suffered through woke him from his unwilling slumber, and as he now squirmed in an attempt to break free, Charon looked back at it with a silent curse.

"Great, now it's awake! I don't have time to shut it up if this cave is about to collapse and that shaking is worrying!"

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Charon | Lovely Purple#8132e7 | Post Count: 6

[Fox]

Lily didn’t have time to answer Charon before the shaking and rumbling started. She hadn’t even been sure how to even answer him, fumbling over his question again and again in her mind. Was she alright?! No?! Yes?? Maybe?! All those thoughts scattered like the wind when the ground started quaking beneath her feet though. Her eyes widened and her whipped around to look behind them.

“N-n-n!!”

The sight made her heart skip a beat in sheer terror. A Sky King was wriggling its way through the valley toward them. That was when she managed to put two and two together. This place… this valley… It was… a nest! They were walking right through a Sky King’s nest. That was why there were bones and scales and other things scattered around. Why the valley was vaguely circular. If she had to guess, it had probably bored its way into the vearth. Its claws were long and its body thin, a perfect fit.

“Sk-”

Lily flinched when the boar on Charon’s back awoke and squealed. Its cries echoed loudly through the valley. If the Sky King hadn’t noticed them before, it certainly did now. Lily felt its eyes fix on them with a cold certainty.

“SkY KiNg!”

An ear shattering roar resounded through the valley an instant after she cried out, her voice breaking in terror. An electric jolt traveled through Lily’s body, urging her to run. She flew ahead of Charon, pulling as she ran in a panic. She looked back at Charon and gestured to the sash across his chest holding the boar in place.

“Drop it!”

This was a competition between them, the boar, and the Sky King. That monster could easily snap them up with one lunge of its massive jaws, but if they dropped the boar, it might at least buy them some time. They were in a race for their lives, and unfortunately for the boar, Lily didn’t intend to lose. There was no place to hide here, and, even if they could, that thing could probably burrow through with relative ease. The vearth was very soft in this valley, no doubt churned up by the Sky King’s frequent visits.

“We have to GO!”

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Lily | #ffffff | Post Count: 7

[Deleted]

What Charon saw when turned to face the way they came was the massive maw of a monster he had yet to see up close. Never before had fear rooted itself so deeply in his body as it did now, that it would cause him to freeze. After a moment of Lily's tugging however, he snapped out of it and started sprinting with all his might next to Lily, refusing to leave her as the beast clawed ever forward toward them. The squealing of the boar was muted by the roaring of the monstrous form behind them, and after finally connecting the words Lily spoke with the reality before them, Charon used the blade of the scythe to cut the rope, releasing the boar behind them.

Nearly forgetting the rope along with the boar, Charon quickly pulled the rope and wrapped it around his chest. Lily was faster than he expected, but his size and stride made him capable of slightly greater speed. The Sky King was starting to gain on them when the boar was released. It, sensing the danger it now faced, started to run away from the beast as well, though it quickly caught up with the boar and swallowed it whole, stopping only for a moment to allow Lily and Charon to get a little further from it. The end of the Chasm was getting closer, but Charon feared the creature would make it to them before they could reach the next layer!

"Lily, do you trust me? I have a plan!"

Charon glanced back and noticed that the Sky King had started to move again. It was faster than before and was gaining on them! If they didn't reach the next layer soon, they would both be fodder for this monster!

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Charon | Lovely Purple#8132e7 | Post Count: 7

[Fox]

Lily’s legs somehow hadn’t collapsed under her yet. The terrain was rocky and a little oddly angled, so it wasn’t the easiest to find her footing. She was surprised that she hadn’t tripped over something yet in a blind panic. She cast her eyes at the ground, trying not to look back at the creature that was desperately clawing its way to eat them.

Charon somehow managed to outpace her even with her head start, probably because he was taller than her by half. She chanced a glance up at him, noticing that he’d heeded her advice and dropped the boar. Sorry little piggy. Lily issued a silent prayer for the piggy’s lost soul and thanked it for its - unwilling - sacrifice. Charon called out to her, saying that he had a plan. Well, anything that gave them a better chance as they ran for their lives was okay in her book.

“Y-Yes!” she answered.

She was prepared to do whatever it took! Even if it cost her her own life! Charon had given her a second chance, so it was only right that she try to pay him back the favor. She could kick that Sky King in the tooth! And give him a bad toothache. Yeah! That’d show him for trying to eat them.

“I-I’m ready! Use me as you see fit!”

She called out, trying to brace herself for her inevitable grisly demise. It’d be fine. Really, she’d like to live. That would really be the ideal outcome, but if it was for Charon, she supposed that she didn’t mind. Still, she really would have loved to have seen the blue sea just once.

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Lily | #ffffff | Post Count: 8