Blood, Bones, and Baby Faces

Chiyo stared wide-eyed at the others, then down at her own hands, then back at Olorun lying on the cave floor.




"…What's going on here? And—wait—why does Olorun have a full-on afro now?"




Timmy, standing on a rock like he was giving a TED Talk, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"It seems we've… wait a second…"




He paused, then gasped.

"My voice sounds way cuter than before!"




Chiyo blinked. "Timmy?"




Timmy nodded firmly. "Yep. That confirms it. We've been de-aged. I've turned back four years at least. This is the same voice I had when I was five. So I must be… small again."




Kawai looked at his own flippers, puffed his tiny chest, and let out the most adorably squeaky

"Meep!"




Timmy continued. "It happened to Kawai too. And definitely Olorun… and you as well, Chiyo. Your hair's super long now."




Chiyo's eyes shot open. "WHAT?!"




She yanked a lock of hair from behind her shoulder and gasped.




"No… no no no. I had this when I was twelve. That means I've gone back five years!"

She turned to Timmy, voice rising. "Timmy, what the hell is going on?!"




Timmy crossed his arms. "Well, someone or something clearly turned us into kids. I don't know if it's a spell, a trap, or a weird time distortion… but it's real. I was already small, but now you guys are too."




Kawai made a squeaky salute. "Meep-meep!"




Chiyo spun around, scanning the cave entrance, then the dunes outside.




"Who the hell did this?!"




She squinted. "I don't see anyone."




"They might be hiding," Timmy said seriously. "Or watching us."




Chiyo gently moved Kawai and Timmy to the side, then marched over to Olorun and shouted,




"OLORUN! WAKE UP!!"




Olorun blinked awake and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. His afro was so huge it wobbled with every breath.




"…Huh? Where are we?" he asked groggily.




Chiyo knelt beside him. "Okay, so we found shade—and—we turned into—"




"KARATE CHOP!!"




Olorun chopped her right in the face.




Kawai burst out laughing.

"MEEP MEEP MEEP!"




Timmy jumped. "Olorun!! You just hit Chiyo!! Are you crazy?!"




Olorun froze, eyes widening.

"OH CRAP—I SWEAR I THOUGHT YOU WERE A NIGHTMARE MONSTER!!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "I was having this dream and there was a sand demon and—and—"




Chiyo slowly stood up, her head down, shadow falling over her eyes.




She clenched her fists. Her voice was calm.




"...I forgive you."




Timmy and Kawai exchanged a look.




"…For now," she added. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Because now, it's time to finish our deal."




Olorun sighed dramatically. "Ugh… fine. Wait a sec…"




He squinted at her. "Why do you look so young? And what's with the long hair? Weren't you rockin' that tomboy haircut earlier?"




Chiyo blinked. "…TOMBOY?!"




The cave trembled from her rising aura.

Timmy stepped between them like a referee. "Look, the short version is: you and Chiyo turned into kids. I stayed the same just age a few. Kawai might've shrunk. Basically: time baby magic."








Olorun jumped up, wobbling on his smaller legs. "WHO did this?! Where are they?! I'm gonna kick their little-kid ass!"








Chiyo waved him off. "Forget them. I need blood."








"Again with this?!"








Olorun slumped. "Fine, fine… just… let me see your teeth first."








Chiyo smiled sweetly. Then bared her fangs.








Olorun's pupils shrank.


"OH MY GOD. You've got, like, bear-shark teeth! What even ARE YOU?!"








Chiyo flicked her hair and grinned. "Quit crying and give me your hand."








Olorun gulped and slowly extended his hand toward her.








"…Do it quick," he muttered. "Before I chicken out."








Chiyo leaned in close, her eyes softening.


"Thanks, Olorun."








She sank her fangs gently into his skin.








"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"


Olorun screamed so loud it echoed through the cave like a banshee.


"I SOUND LIKE A GIRL! WHY DO I SOUND LIKE A GIRL?!"








Timmy winced. "Olorun… buddy… you are a kid now."








Chiyo kept sipping, eyes closed like she was enjoying a cup of tea.








Olorun clutched his bitten arm, his face twisted in pain and mild betrayal.








"Okay, okay, that's enough! Stop it!"








Chiyo pulled back with a satisfied sigh, licking her lips. "Mmm… thanks, Olorun. I feel full now."








Olorun groaned and rubbed his arm. "Great. Now it's all numb. It feels like a wet stick."








"Meep," Kawai commented, unimpressed.








Chiyo stood and stretched, flipping her hair. "Anyway, now that I'm recharged, we should figure out where that age-reversing user is hiding."








Olorun walked to the mouth of the cave, squinting out into the night.








All he saw were rocks, dunes, a few scattered cacti… and then—








"...Wait," he blinked.


"Why is that cactus… moving?"








He looked closer.








Beside the cactus stood figures—humanoid, skeletal, draped in ancient desert armor. Their eyes glowed bright red like dying embers, and they stood perfectly still, facing the cave like silent watchers.








Olorun slowly backed up.








"Uh… Timmy?" he said quietly. "What the heck is that?"








Timmy walked over, then froze mid-step.








"Oh no…" he whispered. "Those are Noya Monsters. They only come out at night. They're part of the Skeleton subspecies."








Olorun's eye twitched. "Wait, hold up. The first night we all slept under the stars, none of these guys showed up. How come now they're crawling out of the sand?"








Timmy frowned. "We must've gotten extremely lucky that night. This? This is what usually happens in Noya after dark."








Chiyo peeked out from behind them, her red hair catching the moonlight. She narrowed her eyes at the monsters.








"Tch. I think we can handle them."








Olorun puffed up beside her. "Yeah… yeah, you're right! We've fought worse. You two stay here," he said, turning to Timmy and Kawai. "Me and Chiyo are gonna go beat up Tony's cousins."








Timmy shook his head. "Actually, they're a completely different subrace from Tony's kind. These ones don't talk, don't think… they just attack. No soul, no personality. Just violence."








Olorun blinked. "…Do they attack their own people too?"








Timmy nodded solemnly. "If by 'their own' you mean the original Skeletons, then yes. These guys will shred anyone."








Olorun winced. "Man, that's brutal. But hey… doesn't matter, right Chiyo? We got this! …Chiyo?"








He turned—only to see a red blur charging across the sand, hair whipping behind her like a flame in the wind.








"HEY!!" Olorun screamed. "WE WERE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT TOGETHER!!"








Chiyo shouted over her shoulder, already halfway there.


"Sorry, Olorun! I just really needed to punch one of them first!!"








The moonlight beamed overhead, casting silver light across the shifting desert sands.








Chiyo sprinted forward at breakneck speed, her long red hair trailing like a flame. She leapt high into the air, eyes glowing with focus as the wind howled around her.








"BLOOD NAILS!!" she shouted.








Her fingers glowed a dark crimson as shimmering claws of blood extended from her hands, slashing downward toward the nearest skeleton.








The undead warrior raised its shield just in time—CLANG!—blocking the blow, but the pressure cracked its armor slightly. Sparks flew as the strike forced it back.








Chiyo landed hard, immediately twisting and slamming her boot into the skull of another skeleton beneath her. It crashed into the sand, kicking up a burst of dust.








She smirked, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow.








She flicked a strand of hair from her face. "Six more to go."








Suddenly, all the other skeletons snapped their bony fingers in eerie unison. With a ghostly shimmer, they each summoned a rusted black sword and a cracked shield, glowing faint red.








One of them teleported behind her in a burst of red static.








"—Tch!"








She ducked just in time as the sword sliced through the air where her neck had been a second ago.








She rolled, spinning up into a defensive crouch—








Only to feel a sudden heat behind her. She turned—








A cactus monster, its mouth splitting open like a cannon, aimed straight at her.








"Crap—"








Before it could fire, a lightning orb blasted it in the chest, exploding in a flash of blue energy.








The cactus went flying backward, smoke rising from its body.








Olorun landed beside her, panting slightly, a cocky grin on his face.








"Watch where you're going, Chiyo. You're not the only one trying to be flashy tonight."








A skeleton swung its sword at her—CLANG!—but she leaned back, barely avoiding it.








"I should say the same to you," she growled, eyes cutting sideways.








She spotted a group of skeletons swarming toward Olorun's left flank.








"Look out!"








Olorun turned. "Oh hell no—"








He cracked his knuckles, spun low into the sand, and shouted:








"SPIN TORNADO!!"








His entire body began to twist violently, spinning so fast that the air around him screamed. His arms blurred into spinning blades, each swing knocking skeletons through the air like ragdolls.








Five skeletons were hit at once, shields shattered, swords flying. He ended the move with a wild backflip, landing beside Chiyo with a smirk.








"Man… they're strong."








Chiyo cracked her knuckles again, grinning with fangs barely exposed. "Yeah… but we're stronger."