I woke up in a sewer.
The water is darkened from pollution.
Strangely enough, there was no smell.
That was the first thing that felt wrong.
The air should have been suffocating, thick with rot and waste, yet all I got was… nothing.
Cockroaches crawled along the walls in slow, jittery patterns. Rats skittered across the shallow water, their bodies glitching slightly, like they were frames out of sync.
Nevertheless, I walked forward.
Pipes lined the walls, some bent at impossible angles, some phasing halfway into the stone like they couldn't decide where they belonged.
Every now and then, droplets fell from above...
Except they never hit the ground.
They froze midair, flickered, then vanished.
The rats didn't run away.
One even stopped in front of me, its head twitching as it stared directly up at me.
"…Yeah, what the fuck is going on?"
My attention shifted.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal rang out in the distance.
I turned and followed the sound.
Two blurry, distorted figures.
One burned in green. The other in a pale blue haze.
Their weapons clashed again, sparks breaking apart like shattered pixels.
The green silhouette moved with weight, each swing carving through the air with a heavy arc.
The pale blue one was different. He moves in short and precise bursts of onslaught.
Their arms blurred in a flurry of sharp, rapid strikes. I felt like a mere NPC, caught in the crossfire of a battle between two main characters.
Every strike came in pairs. Sometimes triples.
Clang!
The green one pushed forward, forcing space.
The blue one slipped in.
Then a wet, distorted sound.
The pale blue figure had driven something forward straight into the other's face.
The green silhouette staggered back.
Fragments of blood fell apart midair, breaking into jagged, glitching shards before hitting the ground.
A glitched scream tore through the sewer.
The green figure clutched its face, dropping to one knee.
The pale blue one didn't follow up.
Instead… it stopped.
It said something, but I couldn't make sense of it.
He was talking like a broken radio.
Crackling noise, like a broken transmission trying to force itself through.
It even reached out a hand.
An offer?
A question?
The green silhouette trembled.
Slowly…
He stood back up.
One hand still clutching its face.
The other raised its weapon again, pointing forward.
He had answered.
They both shifted and were ready to move again.
!!!???
This feeling.....
That same, strange pull.
Wait…
Again?
What again?
When did I—
Before I could finish the thought, my body moved.
I was already between them, hands outstretched.
I caught both of them.
Cold.
Warm.
My blood spilled across both of them.
The moment it touched-
They convulsed.
Both of them.
Their bodies spasmed violently, voices tearing out into distorted screams.
I froze.
Control snapped back to me.
"What the hell....?"
My hand reached out instinctively toward the green silhouette—
And.....
I opened my eyes.
My arm was still extended.
But instead of shadows, it was a tree.
"…Oh."
"Matt? You're awake!"
I blinked.
The hammock sways as I sit up.
Reality settled back in, piece by piece.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up, the remnants of the dream foggy in the back of my mind, before soon enough, I could not even remember what it was.
"Do you have any fever medicine with you?" Nagi asked.
I yawned, still half-asleep.
"…Yeah. Why?"
Nagi shifted slightly, glancing back toward the makeshift shelter.
"Waffel's sick."
"So it finally came…"
I muttered it more to myself than to her.
I slipped out of the hammock, feet sinking slightly into the sand as I slid on my slippers. The afternoon air still carried a bit of chill, though the sun was already up. Maybe because it was near shore, but it's still a bit cold.
On the way to the shack, I took a quick look around.
The setup had improved.
A massive slab of ice sat inside an earthen container, insulated and covered, slowly dripping into a collection basin below. Beside it was a crude water purifier, layers of charcoal, sand, and cloth stacked neatly inside a hollowed frame.
Coconuts were piled near the wall, some already cracked open.
Firewood was stacked nearby… though noticeably thinner than before.
"…We're going to run out in a few days at this rate."
"Oh yeah, speaking of," Nagi chimed in, already grabbing my wrist.
"It's your first time going inside since you've been on portal watch duty. Come!"
"Hey—"
Too late, she was already dragging me in.
I pushed aside the palm-leaf door and stepped inside.
"…Huh."
Underwhelming.
The interior looked more like a storage shed than a shelter. Supplies I had handed out were stacked neatly in one corner, organized with surprising discipline.
And then—
A… machine?
No.
Not really.
It was more like a medieval contraption. Wooden frames, rotating rods, tension lines—
And Maku.
Or rather—
Multiple Makus.
His body doubles were working in sync, twisting fibers into strands, then weaving those strands into rope. Beside them lay piles of cleanly cut fibers, sorted and ready.
I stared for a second.
"…Did you all sleep in here?"
Nagi didn't answer.
Instead, she crouched down and lifted part of the wooden floor.
There was a soft click as she twisted something hidden underneath.
Then—
The floor opened downward.
"…What?"
"A bunker base~" she said, way too proudly.
I stared at the opening.
"…On a beach?"
Loose sand.
Unstable foundation.
No proper support.
This should have collapsed instantly.
"I know you're shocked," she grinned. "You can admire it more later."
"Why are you bragging? You didn't even make it."
"Oh shut it, anyway! I need to help Fanna with water supplies. Just give Waffel the medicine, and you're good."
And just like that, she left.
I sighed and dropped down.
The moment my feet hit the ground, I paused.
"…Wait."
This wasn't sand.
I crouched and ran my fingers across the surface.
"…Concrete?"
Or something very close to it.
How the hell—
I didn't dwell on it and continued down.
The staircase formed naturally along the walls, rough but reinforced.
As I descended, it got brighter.
Soft light filled the space.
Wall lamps.
Some kind of glowing solution sealed inside plastic containers.
Soon enough, the space opened up.
"…What the hell."
A living area.
And a proper one at that.
A large makeshift table sat at the center, surrounded by chairs. The structure wasn't elegant, yet it was functional.
Behind it, a row of doors lined the wall.
Each one had a nameplate.
I scanned them.
"Matthew."
…They even made one for me.
"Good afternoon."
I turned.
Emma was crouched near the ground, her yellow highlights glowing faintly along with her eyes as her hand pressed against the floor.
The moment I walked close to her, the glow faded, her hair returning to its usual brown.
"It's about time you come down." "If you're looking for Waffel, third door to the right," she said casually.
"…How'd you know?"
She shrugged.
"Nobody comes down here unless they're either sleeping or it's concerning Waffel. Questions, suggestions… that kind of thing."
"…Fair enough."
A voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Hey—! What are you doing—no, stop!"
"For someone hot-headed, you sure are weak on the receiving end."
"Ahmnn~~ hey! ah~"
Emma and I froze.
We slowly turned to look at each other.
"…Mind telling me what's going on?" I asked.
Her face flushed instantly.
"Heck if I know! I just came down here to upkeep the structural strength of the bunker!"
We both looked toward the door again.
More rattling noises and repeated squeaks of bed springs.
And more notably.
Moanings...
"…I think we shouldn't bother them," I suggested.
"Wha—no!" Emma snapped, flustered.
"In fact, we should bother them! Who in their right mind would be doing… whatever that is in a situation like this?!"
She crossed her arms, still red.
"And it's wrong! You're only supposed to do that after marriage!"
"…Then feel free to open the door."
She froze.
Her expression twisted between determination and pure embarrassment.
More noise came from inside.
We both stood there staring at each other.
I sighed.
"…Alright. I'll do it."
Emma immediately moved behind me, peeking over my shoulder.
I stepped forward and knocked.
"Waffel. I'm coming in."
"No—don't!"
Too late.
I opened the door.
…and just stared.
Waffel was on top of Tasora.
Waffel's knees were planted on either side of Tasora's waist, pinning her down while both hands struggled to keep Tasora's wrists above her head. But her free knees were constantly rubbing Tasora's lower navel.
"Ahn~"
Tasora released another unintentional moan.
Waffel's pajamas clung tightly to her body, the thin fabric darkened from sweat, sticking to her skin and outlining her thin frame.
The wet pajamas revealed hints of red underwear that multiply the allure of her outrageous breast proportions.
Waffel's pupils were blown wide, glowing faintly orange.
Her face was pale, drenched in sweat, and her hair completely disheveled. There was a streak of dried blood under her nose.
Tasora was pinned down beneath her, clearly struggling trying to hold Waffel's wrists back.
"Matt—help me!" Tasora snapped, breath uneven.
Behind me-
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Emma took one look, screamed, and bolted up the stairs.
"PERVERTS!!"
Her voice echoed all the way up as she fled.
I slowly closed the door halfway and exhaled.
"…You sure?" I asked flatly.
Tasora glared at me.
"Do I look like I'm joking?! I don't want my first time taken unwillingly!"
I released a big sigh yet again.
I usually love yuri tag.
"You're lucky I hate ntr tag."
"What the hell does that even mean!?" Tasora protested, her patience running thin.
I opened the door fully and stepped in.
Up close, it was clearer.
This wasn't anything like what Emma thought.
Waffel's movements were erratic.
Her breathing was uneven and almost ragged like a rabid dog.
Tasora was holding her back, though barely.
"She's not listening. Something's wrong."
That's when I saw it.
The eyes.
They were glowing bright orange and unfocused.
And the strength—
Way beyond normal for an astute weaver.
"Cwal, please don't let anyone close to us and quarantine the rooms beside us."
He materialized behind me.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I'm trying to confirm it now. I'm probably gonna be infected as well, so don't go near the three of us from now on. Also, you may use force if someone forces their way in."
"…Got it." He said before disappearing again.
I moved in and grabbed Waffel's legs, trying to pin her down while Tasora held her arms.
Even then, she struggled hard.
Way harder than she should.
"Hold her steady," I said.
Tasora nodded, tightening her grip.
"Ahnnn~~~ huf huf"
"MHNNN~"
"What the fuck?" Tasora questioned.
Waffel let out a strained sound, her body twitching slightly as she tried to break free.
"YES! Harder! "
"Even More! Hit me MORE!"
Blood dripped again from her nose.
I looked straight into her eyes.
Seeing it up close, I confirmed my suspicions.
"She's under Blightcap madness."