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Ran inhaled deeply. The smell of rum brought a smile to his face, but it also caused his stomach to growl again. The man tried his best to hide his embarrassment by pretending to lick his chapped lips. Feeling his parched tongue run over the cracking skin only reminded him how thirsty he was. He yelled loudly as he flailed about for a moment. No matter how he threshed the barrel of rum remained firmly out of reach. [i]Stupid old hag.[/i] 

He wiggled a little and felt the rope restricting his movement. Damn, he forgot about the other two for a while there. They must think he was delirious or something. He broke into a slight smile as he imagined how silly he would have looked if there was a mirror in front of him. He shook his head blearily. Gosh the lack of sleep was killing him! He needed a cup of coffee badly or at least that sweet goopy drink they were given back in Aven. Tea would be great too! Maybe Earl Grey rather than Matcha. He could never fathom why anyone would ever like that bitter medicine like concoction. Naturally coconut water was the best. Thinking of the fruit made him hum an all too familiar tune. 

He continued humming as he had forgotten the lyrics. At the back of his mind he vaguely remembered watching a cartoon about a lion and a singing baboon. What was that show called…? He bet it was something African. Odd though because he believed it was actually created by Disney. Yet why would Elton John be singing anything for a cartoon? He frowned. Yet the answer continued to elude him. When they get out of here he will have to try to get someone to discover coffee… having little sleep and no coffee was making him feel like a demented old man. He hated forgetting things even though they were insignificant. 

He smiled as the little cloud dragon looked his way. His heart wrenched slightly when he saw how sad it looked. He wished he could cheer the baby up, because he bet being bound by those chains was far worse than being tied up with a thick rope. The dark skinned man chuckled. A little song should cheer the poor thing up. He hummed again to warm up his throat. Cobalt was sure to recognize this song. 

[i][url=http://www3.u-toyama.ac.jp/niho/song/koganemushi/koganemushi_e.html]“Koganemushi wa kanemochi da. Kanegura tateta. Kura tateta.”[/url][/i] 

The lyrics brought some comfort to him. It reminded him of the nights by the hearth back in Aven. Toby would be sleepy after a full meal and Cobalt would be staring at the lazy golden beetles flying in through the window. This strange dream world had so many wonderful unnamed creatures - the most golden beetle he had ever seen, all sorts of dragons and even bouncy rubber pigeons that never get injured after people trample all over them. So many wonderful, friendly creatures to observe and so many nooks and crannies to explore. He and Toby certainly had fun trying to map out this dreamscape though they did have one or two major mishaps - like the clock creature that chased them or the strange ghostlike things at the inn that stole his credit card. Till now he wondered where the ghosties hid it. Thankfully they won’t be able to withdraw anything since they wouldn’t know his pin, and he hasn’t seen any ATMs around yet. 

The enraged giant-clock-squirrel was certainly the scariest thing they encountered since they got off the train. The two of them had been resting near a field of thorny berry bushes when a loud ring made them jump. Before they could calm down, Toby yelled and pointed to the huge furry alarm clock that was making a beeline for them, and so they ran for their lives, screaming all the way. They were still yelling like mad men when they fell down the muddy hill and came crashing through the tall ferns. The two of them barely noticed Ise as they streaked towards the nearest lamp post tree and scrambled up it. Unfortunately they were far too heavy and the tree came crashing down. Barely 12 feet from where the young girl stood. 

Boy did she looked startled! The bucket she was carrying fell from her hands and she didn’t even notice that the golden liquid had spilled all over her dress. The look on her face was epic! To be honest he bet they were the only two alive to ever see her look so startled. Pity they couldn’t teased her afterwards because they had lost their voice due to the excessive screaming. It took them almost four days and loads of that nectar thick goop before they could speak again. The same goop that made Toby hyper and insomniac for an additional three days after they recovered. 

[i]“Ame-ya de mizuame katte kita.”[/i]

[quote=Ise]"Something is going on up there."[/quote]

[quote=Toby]"It could be a big rainstorm, or something? Does it rain a lot around here, or ever?"[/quote]

Ran stopped singing as he felt Ise move. He listened as she told them about her knife, and he gentle reached in her direction. It didn’t take too long for him to feel Toby’s hand also feeling around for the knife. The older male paused to let Toby find the dagger hilt, so that he could avoid groping the young girl. Still his fingers managed to press against the small of Ise’s back. The poor man blurted out a hasty apology. After she reassured him that everything was fine, the blushing man continued feeling around till he found Toby’s wrist. His hand wandered downwards till they wrapped around the hilt too. The humans worked together to bring the knife towards the rider’s hand. 

[quote=Toby]"Geez, no pressure. I'm getting kinda hungry."[/quote]

“I am sure we could find something later. Most of the things growing in the forest seems edible,” the other human replied. 

Both dragons were now watching the trio intently as the blade sawed against the thick ropes. Occasionally there would be the odd exclamation when someone felt the cold metal brush against their skin, or there would harried instructions as they tried to readjust the knife. Ran asked the other two to stop for a while after they dropped the knife for the third time. He noted that they managed to cut through at least a third of the rope. Another two or three minutes of sawing and they should be able to break free. 

[quote=Ise]"Toby, Ran, if we manage to get out of the cellar, I'll need you both to run away from this cabin as fast as possible. I need to see whoever is causing that commotion, it could be someone from the Guardian Sect, and if that's the case I'm going to stay behind and help."[/quote]

[quote=Toby]"Stay?! Don't stay here, this place is gross. The noises and stuff could just be the witch doing some weird experiment, y'know? Or maybe an earthquake, or maybe something fell or whatever. It would be wrong for me and Ran to leave you here, right Ran?"[/quote] 

A defiant silence lapsed following Toby’s outburst. Ran remained quiet as his tired mind tried to figure out what to address first. There was the wet substance oozing down the palm of his hand from where the knife pierced through his skin, and then there was Ise’s request. Based on what he observed he doubted they could persuade the girl to change her mind, and well, they have yet to defy her since she saved. Still running off like that was equally foolhardy. For all they know, there might be more witches out there, or there was a battle raging on outside between god-knows-what. 

“I think we should focus on freeing ourselves first,” he replied cheerfully. “I don’t know how much time we have left. The roof doesn’t look like it would…” 

There was another rumble and the lamp swung so violently that it detached from the hook above. Niran gaped as he watched their only source of light plunged downwards and smashed on top of one of the rotting barrels. The light in the room dimmed considerable though the flames did not extinguish. Ran sucked in his breathe. He prayed that was not a kerosene lamp. He tried to ignore the burning smell wafting through the room. The scent mixed with the alcoholic fumes was making him feel really heady. 

“… Ise… I think the knife is somewhere between the two of us. Erm… Let’s focus? We are almost free.” Ran said quickly.