Beyond the gate, Sakari found a wide street that ran parallel to the scenic river walk. The pavement here was cloaked in fog too. Every street lamp flickered, their light never truly touching the ground. Sakari noticed — or thought he noticed — the shadows moving on their own as he waded through them.
A tiny bell rang. Sakari saw a giant lizard tumble out of the laundromat ahead of him. It was covered in slime and speckled with neon green scales. He had never seen a reptile that big or one that glowed in the dark. “What is that thing?” he whispered as he readied his sword.
The lizard shook its head as it recovered from its tumble into the street. Yet it wasn’t long before the Gibberish saw Sakari approaching. The lizard hissed and scratched the asphalt with its claws. It was ready to fight.
Sakari charged in and brought his sword down on the lizard’s head with a satisfying thunk. It snapped at his arm, but he hopped safely to the side to strike it in the shoulder. The creature attempted a tail whip, but the attack completely whiffed. All it accomplished was spinning itself around. Sakari greeted its return with a third swing that glanced off the lizard’s brow.
A loud clattering of wheels caught Sakari off-guard. Bern sped in on his skateboard, ramming into the lizard’s side with his shoulder. The Gibberish melted into black smoke before it even knew what hit it.
Bern swerved to a stop on the sidewalk. He looked back in time to see the last of the lizard dissipate. “Huh. That was easy,” he observed.
“Bern!” Sakari cheered. He dismissed his sword and ran over to hug the skater.
Bern stumbled off his board, surprised, laughing. “Thanks for softening ’em up for me,” he said.
David jogged over, panting. “Ah. There you are. We were…”
“David!” Sakari let go of Bern and ran to hug David.
It took David a couple seconds to recover from Sakari’s joyful pounce. “Nice to see you, too. Will you let me go now?”
“I thought you were a goner,” Sakari told David as he released him.
David shrugged. “The Gibberish weren’t that bad.”
“I thought he’d attack you.” Sakari gestured back to Bern.
Bern defended himself, saying, “Look, I may hate his guts, but I know better than to kill a teammate.”
David smiled. “Glad we could come to an understanding.”
Bern returned the smile. “Don’t press your luck.”
Changing the subject, Sakari said, “I think I know where another boss dungeon is. If there is one around here.”
“Oh?” David asked.
“All of the monsters are coming from that way.” Sakari pointed up the avenue.
“Sounds like a nest if I ever heard one.”
Bern grinned, fist in his palm. “Wanna clear it out?”
“Let’s get ’em!” Sakari answered. He and Bern immediately took off running up the street.
David chuckled as he slowly followed them.
©2026 Skyla Caldwell. All rights reserved.