Maybe they would have been better off hiding in a very not easy to get into cave.

"I! HATE! MY! LIFE!"

Same sun. Same. Well not really. That was a lie.

"I HATE YOU TOO!"

Rude.

"Do something!"

This feels like it happened before...? Somewhat familiar?

"YES! KINDA! BUT!! NOT!!!! WITH!!!! 30!!!!!!!"

No need to be so happy.

"I'M NOT HAPPY!"

Maybe if you yell at them instead, they will go away?

"DIE! GO AWAY! SHOO! LOOK! A GIANT PILE OF FREE MEA-NOT ME! NOT THE FACE!"

Yes, it was natural to protect the face. That was where the head was. Also, it was thinking that maybe, just maybe, the things didn't understand them?

"YA THINK!?"

Or just really wanted to kill them. Either or worked.

"NO! I WANT TO LIIIIIIIIIVE!"

Just give up. It's less effort. Make them suffer with you! Share your fear!

"SHUT UP! IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHI-oh wow, I'm running out of air..."

True. How unfortunate though. For the sun. Not it. It didn't have to breathe.

"Jerk."

That sounds like a new word! Thank you.

"I can't even."

CrackI

A nearby rock became...many rocks after a thing hit it while running. It was bigger than the other things too. There was also a mana thing on its head before. It ate that. Since it was outside it was fair. And easy. Not very tasty though. Tasted like bugs, if the sun's words were to be used. Yes, that would be the new standard. One bug was bug. Two bugs was better than bugs. Three bugs was...better than two bugs. Or something. Some more thinking was required. Still, seemed like a solid plan to it.

"I can talk mentally now! No wasting air! Hah, take that sir 'I don't need to breathe!' Also...is this really the time for bugs!?"

It was always bug time.

"You're useless ok. Not me."

What!? That was an insult! An insult! To it! A good one too! Not his usual stupid ones!

"Hey!"

Well it couldn't help though.

"What happened to the motivation!?"

It disappeared. Obviously.

"I SWEAR IT AGAIN, IF I SURVIVE THIS, THERE WILL BE A RECKONING!"

Sure. As if that was happening. Both points. No things were going to suddenly appear to save them from stupid sun. He was the one who ran instead of walking. And got tired. Then fell and hit a rock with his face. Which fell far. And made a loud noise. That the things somehow heard.

"Now you're just making me sound bad."

He was though? Oh, also if he made it further there was another thing near. A very big one.

"I'm risking it al-GEH, what in Karxide!?"

A big thing in black rock-like thing cover hit the ground and the other things went boom and splurch, like splat and crunch at the same time! It was already liking this thing! So new with sounds! And looking like!

"Language brat."

What was a brat? Was the sun a brat? Wasn't it an imp? But, the evolution did make it not imp like. It was bigger and different color. It wasn't that different though? Well, other things probably knowed better than it for this kind of thing. So the sun was a brat. It would have to remember this!

"I'll deal with you later."

Jerk.

"No you!"

"Hm? That's rude too? Vocabulary and that too?"

"No no! I wasn't talking to you!"

Don't believe it! The sun was a rude and jerk brat!

"Traitor!"

"Ah, so it's a spirit. Still, talking to it? Doesn't it seem a bit...weak for that intelligence?"

"...!? U-uh, it broke. It got bit by some bug and just kind of...broke."

"Ah. That explains some of it. Why is a spirit in the Voidlands though...?"

WHO WHEN WHAT WHERE HOW? That thing just...appeared! Appeared! No mana! But not dead! More importantly, could many things do that? That would be bad. What if a big bug did that? It would die. It would need not-not-see-things things. WHY COULD IT SEE - well that one wasn't too new. Whatever the new thing was, it had some thing all over it. It was black and looked not rock.

"Uh. I dunno?"

"So. What are we doing with the brat? Kill 'im?"

"I don't see why though? As you say it's just a brat. Not planted either from what I can see. Wouldn't have a spirit from this place with him if he was."

"So then what?"

"Well...the spirit he has is interesting."

It didn't really know what was happening but the sun was showing very much not like and fear. Mostly not like though.

"As if I would be scared of some regular looking guys after surviving those things."

Makes sense. Oh, the weird no mana thing was moving towards the sun.

"Alright. We'll take you back with us. If nothing else, you might know what was going on further in. Plus, that spirit is more likely to cooperate this way."

"Whatever."

"Thank you...?"

"Got a name, brat?"

"Uh, no. Never got one. They died before..."

"Huh. Well. Just don't fall too far behind brat. The spirit should be able to follow us well enough."

"Sure jerk."

If he wanted to insult it, why not just...talk to it?

"That would be not sma-I mean stupid. Now you're making me do it. Ugh. And they did still help us so it's...tolerable."

Ok. Whatever.

"Done talking to your spirit?"

"!"

"Yes it is pretty obvious. Hurry up. Argin doesn't like waiting."

"Oh, uh."

"By the way, I'm Ralvath."

"No name. Nice to meet you."

"Haha. Very funny. Move it along now. Before I get bored."

"This one's crazy toooooooo!"

Hahahaha. Stupid sun. Now you would suffer for your dumbness! Esca-

"You too fartcloud."

Fartcloud!? FARTCLOUD!?

"Ha, now you-"

It had a naaaaame! From now on, it was-

"NO!"

"This better be-"

"It just almost named itself fartcloud!"

"Oh. Well. Wouldn't be the worst name I heard. But, yeah not a name I want to saddle on a kid...thing...I'm not that bad. Naming isn't my thing though, so maybe wait until it picks its own. It's already smart enough anyway. Not a bad one of course. That would be..."

Both were just not moving and looked like they were thinking a lot. Eventually, Ralvath moved and the sun followed.

They got loud talked to by Argin when they got there. After that they moved faster, and the sun was slower. Very slow. Luckily, he had it. Otherwise...a stupid sun like that might even get "lost" again.

"...Not going to grace that with a response."

It winned the insult war. Foolish sun. A spirit never forgets.

"!?"

The sun was also not talking for a lot time.

The time they were moving it saw much. Argin and Ralvath made many, many things become die. Very useful. Unlike the sun.

"That's so true its sad..."

!? The sun was saying he was bad? Not fighting? The two were very not sun-like after all.

"At least I'm a unit for measurement..."

It however.

"Hey, you feel anything else?"

It moved slightly towards the way many things were and Ralvath was disappear again. It happened very often. The there and not there. Argin also came. It was even called 'useful.' A good time.

"Traitor! Bought out by praise!"

Praise? Was that what it was? Yes, it liked praise. After all, it was useful.

"Narcissist."

Of course it was. Only the most good for it.

"Heh."

"Alright."

Ralvath!? It was still weird.

"We're going to teleport now. Since we're far enough out of the Voidlands."

"Wait, what's a tele-"

Everything became black. Then...blacker black. Then black. Then everything was - not normal! Too much color! Its eyes!!!! If it had any eyes!!!

"Ugh. Now we have to write a report. Good job Ral."

"We? I think you mean you have to write a report. I have to go report this personally to the Cap."

Argin did not look happy. There wasn't a face, but it could tell if it could see one it would be a not happy one. The sun also did not look happy. Since, Argin was looking at it. Then, it turned to it.

"Alright cya 'round."

Yes. It was "round."

"What? How are you so liked!?"

That was just how the world was. He should just accept it. Foolish sun.

"This conversation is not-"

They were there? It had just followed Ralvath. It hadn't even gotten to look at the things everywhere! The sun was - was, not letting it see!

"Ralvath."

The Cap was bigger than Ral. With a big club. It already liked it. Things that used big clubs were useful generally.

"Captain."

What was that weird moving? Ralvath was making its leg move weird and become close to the ground?

"I have come to report these two. A spirit and a greater imp that were travelling together."

"That's new. A spirit? Here?"

"Yes, and it seems to be intelligent too."

"Lost?"

"Unlikely. Probably an old newborn."

"Strange. But why the imp? Surely it wasn't needed?"

"The spirit was more likely to cooperate this way. Since it would be a waste of time to try and form a bond with it. And the imp survived on its own in the Voidlands, so it could be used."

"Perhaps. You, tell me what of recent events, you know the wave, yes?"

"After it, we decided to move the tribe, and then we had some humans just drop out of the sky. I was told to run with the helmet and...after that we just went around. It helped me find food and hunt."

"Are the humans still around...? No, why would they even come? Surely they aren't stupid enough to pop in during a wave? No. I will look into this. And, the helmet. You mean that badly made one on your head?"

"...yes."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Why were you being chased by those things?"

"Things, Ralvath?"

"Yes. Likely some necromancer's creations. But, they had some kind of corrosive mana on them. It was annoying to deal with."

"Uh, we got attacked by one while I was hunting. We killed it. Then, the rest kind of came looking for us..."

"Does the spirit have anything to say?"

The things had a mana thing it ate. Also, it tasted like one bug.

"Uh, it says one of the things had a...mana it ate? That tasted bad? It's kind of stupid."

Hey!

"Then they were a necromancer's creations. Not too bad yet, but if that corrosive mana is used elsewhere...alright, Ralvath, you and Argin will go back out with the rest of your team and investigate these occurences. Including the humans if you can. And you, imp, you and the spirit will be put to work here for now. Odo, take this imp and put it to work. The spirit...can watch."

Another big thing came into the weird cave-type thing and did the weird one leg thing too.

"Yessir. Alright, let's go."

The sun moved quickly and so the spirit followed, looking back at the cave-thing. The two looked back before starting to talk again.

"I will contact the city to report this once you have some proper results. It is vital that you return immediately should..."

Then they were too far. Now, what were these things it was supposed to watch? And were they new?

Spoiler: Status Unnamed Corrupted Spirit Level: 10/10 Species: Shattered Corrupt Wisp (E-) Affinities: Darkness, Death, Pseudo-void Age: 663 years Titles: Size: 5 lems Status Points: 19 Health Points (HP): NA Mana Points (MP): 5/5 Intelligence 14 Wisdom 12