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Aspax, Basin: Desolate Ash, Time: 11:00 AM
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Desolate Ashes, formerly known as Basin, is a bleak and ashen wasteland. Once a thriving steampunk laboratory hub, it now lies in ruins following a mysterious and catastrophic incident just a year ago.
The air is thick with harmful chemicals, and the sky is eternally overcast.
The landscape is strewn with the decaying remnants of the once-bustling laboratory. Ruined machines, rusted gears, and shattered glass serve as eerie reminders of the region's scientific past.
Life has been obliterated, and the ground is cracked and barren, making it nearly impossible for anything new to grow.
The details of the disaster are shrouded in mystery, leaving only chilling rumors. Whether it was a failed experiment or the release of a destructive energy source, the consequences are evident.
Desolate Ashes stands as a solemn reminder of the perils of unchecked technological ambition and the fragility of nature. It remains a desolate and foreboding place, forever marked by the incident that transformed it.
"UUUUGH!"
A voice yelled out into the sky, Cauli and Don found themselves wandering in a desolate and unfamiliar land.
Don, wearing his characteristic metallic smiling mask, scratched his head and asked, "So, Cauli... how did we even get here?"
Cauli, visibly irritated, turned to face him with a pout. "Oh, I don't know! Maybe, 'the man who told me he would take us to a special place' would know where we ended?!"
Don playfully pinched Cauli's cheeks, making him blush. "Hehe, squishy..."
Cauli grumbled in response, and they continued walking, with Don occasionally poking at his cheeks. They eventually came across a large, gray, sludgy lake filled with old gears and rusted exoskeletons. "Hey, how about I give you a ride on this lake?" Don suggested with a smile behind his mask.
Cauli, unsure about the idea, said, "Ugh..." He dipped his hand into the sludge-like water, quickly pulling it out and shaking off the liquid. Cauli was puzzled about how they would cross the lake without a boat.
However, Don pointed at a rusty, metallic rowboat in even worse condition, which seemed somewhat usable. "Come on, help me push this." Don gestured.
Cauli, despite his reluctance, decided to assist Don in pushing the boat down the lake.
It created a small splash as they climbed into the rowboat. "Alright, now you can do the paddling, Cauli. I'm gonna enjoy the sight of this land." Don stretched his back and then lay down in the rowboat.
Cauli, frustrated, yelled at him, "Wait, but you said...!" He was met with the loud sound of Don snoring. "Ugh! Don!" Cauli reluctantly grabbed the paddle and started rowing, despite the boat's occasional wobbling. They set off across the lake in this desolate land.
As he paddled, Cauli couldn't help but look around at the bizarre and desolate landscape that surrounded them. "This lake is giving me the creeps," he muttered to himself.
The lake was filled with old gears and rusted exoskeletons, giving the place an otherworldly and abandoned feeling. The sky above them was gray and foreboding, and the land seemed to stretch on endlessly in every direction.
Cauli continued to paddle, guiding the rowboat through the strange landscape, with Don still snoring away behind him.
However, he soon noticed something unsettling in the lake's reflection. At first, it was just his reflection, but after a few seconds, it began to change into an inverted version of himself, clad in all-black attire.
"What do you want, Mirror?" Cauli asked irritation in his voice, not wanting to deal with this problem.
Mirror turned to face him with a smirk. "I want to play a game, Cauli. A fun, simple game."
Cauli shook his head and glared at Mirror. "I don't want any of your games!"
Mirror chuckled with a smile, clearly finding this entertaining. "Aww, come on. A little killing spree won't hurt anyone."
Cauli vehemently shook his head. "Get out of my head!"
Mirror continued to chuckle, relishing the interaction. "Oh, the more you resist, the more you deny that you will become like your fathe--"
Before Mirror could finish the sentence, Cauli grabbed a nearby rock and threw it into the lake, causing the reflection to disappear. Cauli took a deep breath, attempting to calm his racing thoughts, and regained his composure.
Opening his eyes again, he resumed rowing the boat, determined to leave this strange place behind.
"Huh? You okay, Cauli?" Don woke up from the sudden noise, his sleepy body expression turning into concern as he looked at Cauli.
"No, I'm fine," Cauli responded with a strained smile, trying to hide the earlier unsettling encounter. Don remained skeptical but chose to let it slide for now.
As they continued rowing, they finally reached the end of the lake. Don's enthusiasm got the best of him as he leaped out of the rusted metallic boat, inadvertently causing it to start sinking slowly.
"Hey, don't leave me here!" Cauli panicked and shouted as his feet sank into the sludge-like water. "Uh oh!"
Don quickly extended his hand over, and Cauli grabbed it instantly. "One... two... three!" Don counted and pulled Cauli out of the sinking boat. The two of them watched as the metallic boat disappeared beneath the surface of the lake.
"Are you alright, princess?" Don teased with a smirk as Cauli blushed, feeling a bit flustered by their close encounter. He pushed Don away gently.
"I'm fine, and I am the prince," Cauli replied, trying to maintain his dignity despite the embarrassing situation.
But Don's attention was drawn to something in front of them. "Hey, Cauli, look!" Both of them turned to see a wooden house.
Its condition seemed almost decayed and withered, but the front yard appeared to be freshly maintained, with a thriving radish farm.
"I am not living in there," Cauli insisted firmly, a pout on his face.
Don sighed, finding the situation a bit comical. "Aw, come on. If anything, we're kind of stuck here," he said, trying to reason with Cauli.
But this only seemed to make Cauli even more frustrated. He turned to Don, his face flushed with anger, and a comically exaggerated red vein appeared above his head.
"You did this! You trapped us, and now you have to get us out!" Cauli argued fiercely, stepping closer to Don.
Don, trying to keep his cool, responded, "Well, what do you want me to do? Climb the mountain?" This retort only added fuel to the fire, and Cauli began to lightly hit Don's chest.
Don endured the blows, watching with an amused grin as Cauli muttered every curse word he could think of.
Their bickering was suddenly interrupted when the door to the rundown house swung open, and a voice from inside shouted, "SHUT UP!!!"
The light magenta-haired woman stepped out of the rundown home, her frustration evident. "Honestly, I thought it was two wastelanders trying to retake my crops, but it was just two idiots arguing with each other in my front yard!"
She placed her hands on her hips, revealing her tan skin and standing at a height of 5′9", nearly the same as Cauli.
She was dressed in sleeveless working clothes that added to her already dwarf-esque appearance, along with baggy pants.
Her magenta hair, with dark highlights, was tucked neatly under a comically large purple bonnet. She wore a yellow fanny bag and an ancient golden armband as accessories, and her footwear consisted of Hawaiian sandals.
"Hah! See, she thinks I'm a cool wastelander!" Cauli remarked, a bit defensively, as Don snickered at his friend's cluelessness.
Don decided to introduce himself, "Well, I am Don and this is Cauli-" Before Don could finish his sentence,
Layla interjected, "Layla. Call me Layla."
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