𝕎𝕆ℕ𝔻𝔼ℝ𝕃𝔸ℕ𝔻.𝔼𝕏𝔼

A New Life

        The moment they returned back up to the surface, the explosion of colors momentarily blinding them after their time in the dimly-lit underground cavern, they were quick to make their way back over towards the stage area that mainly served as their usual meeting spot. It was then that they spotted a certain ringleader hovering besides Pomni, who was now standing in a rigid posture at the center of the room, with Ragatha nowhere to be seen for some reason...

        "Caine!" Kinger was the first to holler out the AI's name as he promptly dashed over towards their direction with Zooble's head still in his grasp, the others jogging by his side and stopping just a few feet away from the ringmaster and jester woman. "Kaufmo went through a sort of Kaufmosis and abstracted!"

        Caine's eyeballs comically bugged out of the dentures serving as his head at the chess piece's report, alarm evident in his gaze. "Kaufmo abstracted?!" He exclaimed, his tone melodramatic as he placed a hand on his head(?) with exaggerated, almost pseudo-horror. "Why didn't anybody tell me ~ ?!" His tongue stuck out of his head, a cartoonish sound escaping him to emphasize his ridiculous expression, as if he was making it purely for comedic purposes. 

        Pomni wordlessly stared up at him in disbelief, her eye twitching for a split second. Judging from the...fragile look on her face, she appeared to be teetering on the edge of sheer madness, yet no words seemed to escape her lips. 

        "Yeaaaaah, he's kind of in the middle of something with the Gloink Queen..." Barbie drawled, casually resting a hand on her hip as she jabbed a thumb behind her with her other hand. "So pretty sure now's a good time to put him in with the others, don't you agree ~ ?"

        "Righty-o, Barbie-o ~ !" Caine cheerfully chirped in response before he promptly snapped his fingers. Upon his gesture, the group found themselves looking up to see Kaufmo's corrupted figure levitating above their heads, rendered defenseless underneath the ringleader's power as he was unable to move properly in the air. As soon as he was summoned forth, a large, pitch-black hole reminiscent to the pit that led down to the Gloinks' nest earlier opened up on the checkered floor before them. "And into the Cellar you gooooo ~ !"

        With that, the abstracted Kaufmo was promptly dropped into the gaping hollow as the others watched. As soon as he fell inside, his entire movements were instantly slowed as if time itself was being altered around him, only complete and utter darkness surrounding him. It was a stark contrast to the rainbow-like surface above, not a single sign of life anywhere to be seen. Even the Void wasn't as bleak and ominous as this eerie space. All that could be seen in the void he was now trapped in were hundreds of psychedelic-looking eyes that surrounding their newest arrival, their bodies completely blending in with the inky-black shadows. The light that shone through the open hole serving as the entrance to this bleak void illuminated the spot where Kaufmo was currently falling, a visible body of water rippling underneath. 

        A few moments later, the hole promptly closed and reverted itself back into an ordinary spot on the circus tent's checkered floor, the group wordlessly watching the whole process. For a split second, contempt flashed across Barbie's gaze before it left as quickly as it came, leaving behind an unreadable expression. Zooble's head gazed down at the spot where the gaping pit was just now, visible sympathy evident in their eyes as their now-reassembled body made its way over to them, apparently having fixed itself in the excitement earlier. 

        "Man, I can't believe Kaufmo just...gave up like that." They remarked, their body taking their head off Kinger's hands to reattach it to their neck. For as long as they knew the clown, it was clear that he wasn't exactly the most...comedic of jokesters as he much as he struggled to be, with nobody finding a single one of his jokes amusing in the slightest. Still, they couldn't help but feel sympathetic at his fate, knowing full well having your mind being driven to the breaking point was no laughing matter, especially in their situation. "I mean, no offense, Kinger, but I always thought you would be next. Or at least, Barbie would have a pretty good chance at coming second."