The cameraman started shaking his head fast, almost panicking.
Shun only grinned and leaned in close to the lens.
"Relax."
Then he slowly backed off.
The moment he did—
Poof.
The cameraman vanished into thin air.
Shun blinked once.
"…Meh."
Shun spotted Dumdum in the corner, busy chewing on something he probably shouldn't be eating.
He walked over, grabbed the reins, and yanked them once.
"Da freak are you doin?, let's go."
He climbed onto Dumdum's back and settled in, legs hanging loose.
"Just walk straight," Shun muttered. "Just keep walking straight."
Dumdum snorted, like he got it.
And then he walked.
Straight…
No turns…
No thoughts…
Way…
Too…
Literally.
Shun sighed.
Dumdum kept running straight ahead.
Days passed.
Then more days.
Weeks, even.
Shun stopped counting at some point.
They didn't dodge anything. They didn't go around stuff. Dumdum just… went. Forward.
Trees showed up.
Big ones.
Tall ones.
Dumdum slowed down for half a second, staring at the tree in front of him.
Shun frowned. "Don't you dare."
Too late.
Whatever went through Dumdum's head—Is this food? Can I eat this?—ended with him charging straight into it.
BAM.
The tree cracked. Leaves flew everywhere. The trunk leaned… then collapsed.
Shun nearly flew off his back.
"Dumdum," Shun groaned, rubbing his face, "fuck off."
Dumdum snorted proudly and kept running.
Straight.
There's a lake up ahead?
Yeah.
Dumdum didn't care.
He went straight in.
"OII—FUCKING SWIM FASTER!" Shun yelled, clinging to Dumdum's neck for dear life.
Water splashed everywhere as Dumdum paddled like his life depended on it.
Because it freaking did.
Something huge moved under the water.
Way too big.
Way too close.
Shun looked back once.
Regretted it immediately.
"WHY IS IT STILL FOLLOWING US—"
Dumdum snorted and swam harder.
They barely made it to the other side, both soaked and wheezing.
There's a stall up ahead?
Yeah.
Dumdum still didn't care.
Mostly because he couldn't see it.
His eyes had exotropia—each one looking at a completely different place. One eye was staring at some random stuff.
The other was probably admiring the sky.
Dumdum ran straight for the whole thi—
"WAIT WAIT WAIT—HOLD IT!" Shun yelled, yanking the reins.
"I don't have the money for this shit!"
Dumdum slammed his hooves into the dirt and stopped just in time.
Shun stared at the entire town…
"We fucking made it…" he muttered, teeth gritting.
He looked left… then right…
"Wait… where the hell are we?"
The town looked small, tucked at the bottom of a mountain.
Fields stretched out here and there, green and growing… probably 'cause the weather was a bit warmer than usual.
Shun squinted at the houses—some looked old, some still standing strong…
"This place… not too bad," he muttered, rubbing his chin.
Dumdum snorted beside him, as if agreeing.
Shun's eyes scanned the streets again… empty… too quiet.
"Hmm… too quiet," he whispered, hand on his sword.
He shook his head.
"Ahh fuck it… let's just keep moving."
Shun and Dumdum walked across the main road.
From a distance, a tavern caught his eye.
"Let's check that place out," he muttered.
He tied Dumdum to a nearby post, making sure the horse didn't wander off.
"Stay put, dumbass," Shun grumbled.
The moment he stepped inside…
"Whoa…"
The town was quiet outside, but inside the tavern, it was a whole different story.
Laughter, shouting, clinking mugs—at least ten people were packed in, all having a hell of a time.
An old man sat behind the counter, polishing a mug.
Shun ignored the noise and walked straight up.
"Excuse me…" he called, trying to be heard over the chaos.
The old man looked up, eyes narrowing.
Shun smirked, ignoring the stares from the other drunkards.
"Ohh… it's my first time seeing you here… you just arrived recently?" the old man asked.
"Y-yes… yes," Shun answered, keeping it polite but wary.
The old man grabbed a glass of cold water.
"Here… you look thirsty—"
Shun didn't wait. He snatched it and chugged it down as fast as he could.
Chug. Chug. Chug.
The old man blinked, taken aback for a second.
Then he let out a chuckle, shaking his head.
"Pff… slow it down, lad. There's plenty more where that came from," he said with a grin.
"Ehh, really? Thank you kekek…" Shun smirked, feeling a little too happy. He hadn't had fresh water in weeks.
"By the… geezer…" he muttered.
"Geezer?" The old man raised an eyebrow.
"Can you tell me… what this place is? Where are we?" Shun asked, leaning forward.
"Oh?" The old man blinked, then muttered slowly,
"30 Klip…"
BLAG!
Shun slammed the glass on the table, eyes wide.
"30 Klip?!"