The sunlight poured down on the group, Eleo stood confidently at the bow of the boat, surveying the leak with determination. "Guys, don't worry!" he declared with a flourish. "Ink Fixer!" With a smooth, precise motion, he spread a wave of ink over the damaged portion of the boat. The ink slithered across the surface like living tendrils, patching the leak with ease.
Olorun raised his arms dramatically and clapped, his voice dripping with admiration. "Nice, nice! Very, very nice, Eleo! I don't know how you do it, but you saved us again."
Eleo puffed out his chest proudly. "By the power of ink, I have saved you guys! You're welcome, peasants."
Tony sighed with visible relief. "Man, I did not want to end up in that water. I can't even swim!"
Kenji, standing beside Tony, raised an eyebrow and stared at him with a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Wait...really? You've been alive for over a thousand years, and you still don't know how to swim?"
Tony shrugged casually, like it was no big deal. "Yeah. You know, I just never got around to it. Water and I...we've never really been friends. I don't really go near it."
Kenji snickered, shaking his head. "A thousand-plus years...and you still avoid water. That's insane, man. You'd think somewhere along the line, someone would've thrown you in."
Before Tony could respond, Kenji glanced over and saw Olorun and Eleo once again breaking out into song, their voices clashing but somehow harmonizing in a ridiculous fashion. They sang an offbeat tune, completely out of sync with each other, but with full passion.
Tony groaned. "Oh great, now there's fog on top of it. Just what we needed…"
Kenji squinted through the growing mist. "Hey, Tony. Why does it fog up like this?"
Tony adjusted his skeletal jaw, his expression taking on a scholarly tone. "Well, that's because cold air, dry at the surface, while rain is falling through it evaporates and causes the dew point to rise. This saturation forms fog."
Kenji nodded, intrigued. "Ahh, I see. So that's how it works."
Meanwhile, Eleo and Olorun continued belting out tunes, completely oblivious to their surroundings, singing like their lives depended on it.
Tony sighed again, clearly done with the noise. "Kenji, what's your story, man? Where are you from?"
Kenji paused, scratching the back of his head. "Honestly, I don't know. All I remember is waking up one day, and I've been stuck in World 1 ever since. Spent most of my years there, but who knows what happened before that."
Tony tilted his head, a thoughtful look crossing his skeletal face. "Man, that's rough. Well, hopefully, you'll remember one day. And maybe along the way, we'll add more people to the team. You know, keep this crazy crew growing."
Kenji chuckled. "Yeah, maybe. Speaking of which...Yo, Olorun! Toss me some berries, man!"
Eleo perked up at the sound of food. "Oh, me too! I'm starving!"
Olorun dug into a pouch, pulling out some bright red berries and tossing them to Kenji and Eleo. Without hesitation, Eleo devoured his berries in record time, swallowing them whole in a single bite.
"Man, I'm still hungry," Eleo complained, rubbing his stomach.
Olorun raised an eyebrow. "Dude, you just ate. I literally just gave you berries. How are you still hungry?"
Eleo shrugged. "What can I say? It's not enough to fully satisfy a man of my stature."
Olorun shook his head in amusement. "Yo, Tony. Any idea how long it'll take us to reach that whirlpool thing?"
Tony, still scanning the horizon, replied calmly, "Well, we left about fifty minutes ago, so...it should take us about two days."
Olorun's eyes widened. "Two days?! Man, we've got to kill time somehow!"
Another hour passed as they sailed through the mist. The fog began to clear, and Tony pointed ahead. "Well, fellas...welcome to Animal Kingdom."
The group stared in awe at the giant island looming in the distance. The trees were colossal, with strange creatures darting between them. The island was a vibrant blend of colors, as if every animal and plant on it had evolved to be larger and more dangerous than usual.
"Wow," Olorun said, his mouth agape.
Kenji whistled. "So this is Animal Kingdom, huh? Looks pretty...wild."
Tony nodded, but his tone carried a warning. "Yep, but the inhabitants here don't take kindly to humans. Or to skeletons, for that matter."
Kenji smirked. "Well, that's comforting."
As they finally docked and stepped off the boat, something strange happened. Olorun, with a dead-serious expression on his face, began dancing—his movements slow and deliberate, yet comically exaggerated. His feet shuffled awkwardly while his arms waved in dramatic, almost theatrical motions. It was as if he was performing a dance of life and death.
For a few moments, the others watched in stunned silence.
Then, without warning, Eleo joined in, mimicking Olorun's movements with a wild grin on his face. His steps were light, almost ridiculous, and his arms flailed around wildly, adding to the absurdity.
Tony watched the pair for a moment before he shrugged and decided to join them. Despite being a skeleton, Tony moved with surprising grace, his bones clattering rhythmically as he danced alongside them, adding his own goofy flair to the routine.
Kenji shook his head. "No way…"
But before he could stop himself, the infectious beat took over. With a sigh, he began to sway and shuffle awkwardly, joining the impromptu dance party.
What followed was a ridiculous, hilarious, and yet somehow epic dance sequence. They all moved in rhythm, combining goofy steps, exaggerated poses, and over-the-top expressions. The more they danced, the more intense it became, until their movements seemed to defy logic and reason, becoming a perfect blend of dumb, serious, and undeniably cool dance
At one point, Eleo spun dramatically, pointing at Olorun with a deadly serious face, despite the absurdity of their actions. Olorun responded with an equally serious nod, before breaking into a wild spin.
Tony moved with mechanical precision, his skeletal limbs creating a rhythmic clacking sound as he danced like a marionette controlled by some mad puppeteer. Kenji, still unsure of how he'd been roped into this, nevertheless embraced the madness, throwing in his own unique spins and poses.
For what seemed like an eternity, they danced on the shore, their performance both a display of unity and utter silliness.
Finally, after they had worn themselves out, they collapsed onto the ground, laughing breathlessly.
"Well," Kenji said, wiping sweat from his brow, "that was...something."
"Something great," Eleo corrected, still grinning. "We should do that more often."
Tony glanced at the dense jungle before them, his eyes narrowing. "Alright, fun's over. Time to focus. This island's no joke. The animals here...they're not like anything we've seen before. Be ready for anything."
Olorun, still catching his breath, nodded. "Yeah. I've heard the stories about this place. We'll need to stay sharp."
Eleo's grin faded slightly as he stood up and adjusted his gear. "I don't mind a little danger. Let's see what this kingdom has in store for us."
Kenji stretched and glanced toward the jungle, a sense of excitement building inside him. "I just hope we don't run into anything that wants to make us its next meal."
Tony smirked. "Oh, you will. Just wait."
And with that, the group prepared to venture deeper into the Animal Kingdom, not knowing what awaited them but ready for anything, their goofy dance still fresh in their minds, a reminder that no matter how serious things got, there was always room for a little fun.
Eleo, Kenji, Olorun, and Tony stepped cautiously into the thick forest of the Animal Kingdom. The jungle was dense, with trees that stretched endlessly toward the sky, their thick canopies almost blocking out the sunlight. Every sound was amplified—the rustle of leaves, the distant calls of strange creatures, and the faint buzz of insects around them. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and something wild, untamed.
Kenji took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "This place is intense. It feels like even the plants could swallow us whole."
"Stay sharp," Tony said, his voice low. "The creatures here aren't like anything you're used to. They're... different."
As they pushed deeper into the forest, the sounds of the jungle were abruptly interrupted by something unusual. A loud splash echoed from nearby, followed by rapid, sharp bursts of sound—like water striking with the force of bullets. The group froze.
"Did you hear that?" Eleo whispered.
"Yeah, and it doesn't sound good," Olorun added, his voice serious.
Tony held up a bony hand to signal for silence. "Let's check it out. But be careful."
They crept forward, moving between the massive trees and thick underbrush, until they reached a small clearing. And there, in the center of the clearing, they saw it: two figures locked in combat.
One was a massive, dark-skinned shark-like creature. It stood on two legs, its powerful arms rippling with muscle. Its sharp, piercing eyes locked onto its opponent with deadly focus, and with every swift motion, it shot high-pressure water bullets from its hands, each one slicing through the air like a bullet from a gun. The creature's skin glistened under the faint light, droplets of water flying off with every move.
Its opponent was a lithe, agile monkey, darting through the air with incredible speed. The monkey was almost a blur, dodging each water bullet with precision, flipping and twisting with ease. Every time the shark fired, the monkey evaded it by a hair's breadth, its movements almost impossible to track. The two opponents were locked in a deadly dance, one firing relentlessly while the other dodged effortlessly.
"Whoa..." Eleo muttered, wide-eyed. "Is that... a shark?"
Tony nodded, his voice low. "That's not just any shark. That's one of the apex predators of this island—a Water Shark. It can fire water bullets strong enough to puncture steel. And that monkey... it's fast. Too fast for a normal creature."
Kenji watched, mesmerized. "This is insane. They're fighting like they're in some kind of... arena."
"Stay low," Olorun whispered. "We don't want to get caught in this."
The shark roared, its voice a low, rumbling growl that reverberated through the trees. With a burst of speed, it charged at the monkey, closing the distance in a split second. The monkey, however, was prepared. In a flash, it launched itself upward, flipping through the air as the shark's fist smashed into the ground, sending dirt and debris flying.
The monkey landed behind the shark and immediately went on the offensive. With lightning-fast strikes, it aimed a series of powerful punches and kicks at the shark's back, each hit landing with a sharp crack. But the shark was resilient, barely flinching as it turned to face the monkey once again, ready to counter.
"That monkey is insane!" Eleo whispered excitedly. "Look how fast it is!"
Tony nodded. "Yeah, but don't count the shark out just yet. They're built like tanks. That monkey's got the speed, but the shark's got raw power."
As if to prove Tony's point, the shark growled deeply and raised its fists. With a sudden, explosive movement, it sent a massive wave of water shooting from its hands. The wave surged forward like a tsunami, aiming to sweep the monkey off its feet. But the monkey was quicker, launching itself into the air again and landing gracefully atop a nearby tree branch.
The shark followed up with a barrage of water bullets, each one blasting through the branches and leaves of the jungle, creating holes and tearing through the environment like a hailstorm. The monkey dodged each shot with incredible precision, leaping from branch to branch, never staying in one place long enough to be hit.
"They're going all out," Kenji said, barely able to contain his excitement. "This is wild!"
Suddenly, the monkey stopped mid-air, and its eyes gleamed with a fierce, primal intelligence. It seemed to study the shark for a split second, calculating its next move. Then, with a sharp cry, it descended toward the shark with a speed that defied belief. The two creatures' fists met in mid-air with a thunderous crash, sending shockwaves rippling through the jungle.
The impact was so strong that the trees around them swayed, and the ground beneath their feet shook. For a moment, it was as if time had frozen—the shark and the monkey locked in place, their fists pressed together, power versus speed.
"Unreal..." Olorun muttered, his eyes wide with awe. "They're both... monsters."
Eleo, still crouched beside him, grinned. "Monsters? More like legends. This is the kind of fight I live for!"
Tony, however, seemed more cautious. "Stay focused, guys. We're not here to get involved. Let's find another way around before they notice us."
But just as Tony finished speaking, the stalemate broke. With a final, ground-shaking burst of power, the shark and the monkey disengaged, both flying backward from the force of the impact. The monkey landed gracefully on its feet, while the shark stumbled but quickly regained its footing.
The two creatures stared each other down, both breathing heavily, but neither willing to back down.
Kenji glanced at the others. "So... should we, uh, leave them to it, or...?"
Tony sighed, rubbing his temples"uh nah let's keep watching.