A Fox Surrounded in Darkness (Twisted Wonderland x Encanto nb!reader)

Chapter 42

"Boy, I sure am busy," Idia says loudly as he sits near the campfire. "Yup, tending a campfire is srs bzns. Hey, is anybody here? ...Okay, the coast is clear. UGH, talk about a royal pain. I'm just not cut out for camping. Now that the campfire's built, my motivation's hit rock bottom. Good thing I scored myself this nice, cushy lookout job. Time to kick back and relax. It would've been bad if I got caught, but giving the coach my extra smartphone was the right play. I gotta say, Premo is LEGIT. I watched their canoeing stream live, but... Trying out their fire-starting tips really drove home how practical their advice was on that show. I've got Camp Vargas in the bag, so long as I have my trusty phone. I'll just check out some more of their vids while no one's around... Huh? Who's there?! Prolly just the wind rustling some bushes. Sheesh, WTG me, freaking out over a stiff breeze. They've got a seriously demanding director. I think I'll leave some timestamps in the comments and... Is it just me, or is that sound getting closer...?" Idia screamed and vanished from the campsite.

"Hey, I'm here to take over guarding the fire."

"Okay, thanks," Ortho thanks his fellow club member as he leaves the campfire his club had made. "Hmm, what to do...? I think I'd like to try fishing. Maybe I should swing by the lake. Wait, I know. My brother's guarding the Board Game Club's campfire. I should pay him a visit before I head off. Hi, Idia! How's it going? ...Huh, he's not here. Hey, there's something on the ground... His phone? What's it doing in the bushes? And there's a Premo video open on it. Why would Idia go off and leave his phone like this? It doesn't make sense, unless... something bad happened to him! Camping's gonna have to wait. I'd better boot up my deactivated systems and find him! Visibility's pretty bad up here in the mountains. There are all these visual obstructions. I'll do a wide-ranging search in the air. Anti-grav online. Switching to flight mode. He's not showing up anywhere nearby. I'll just have to search all over for any readings that resemble his. Heat detector online. Mapping complete. Filtering out all quadrupedal heat signatures. Commencing search. Target: Idia Shroud. Just sit tight, Idia. I'm gonna find you."

⦕Small time skip...⦖

⦓Dwarfs' Mine- Campsite⦔

"The sun has officially set," Vargas announces as the campers gather around him. "Time's up! Let's see how you did. When I call your club, tell me how many Vargas badges you earned. Film Research Club!"

"We've acquired all three badges," Vil reports.

"Board Game Club," Vargas calls the next group.

"Three here as well," Azul smirks.

"Pop Music Club and Mountain Lovers Club," Vargas calls out to the combined group.

"We have the three badges," Jade grins.

"And last up: Science Club and Gargoyle Studies Club," Vargas calls the last group.

"We also got all three," Trey reports.

"All right," Vargas was happy with the results. "Looks like you made it through the day and achieved your objectives. But considering you were all working to the last minute, it was hardly a slam dunk. I'll be announcing the next challenges tomorrow morning. Be warned—you ain't seen nothing yet. Normally I'd say to get plenty of rest so you can be fresh for the long day ahead, but... The forest fairies will be trying to put out your campfires all night. So make sure you keep watch 'til morning. Dismissed! Come with me, record keepers." The campers go to their campfire to discuss shifts.

"Looks like I actually get to be in the tent with you this time," the fox smiles at Grim.

"Actually," Malleus approaches Vargas. "I would like Kit to stay with me. They seem to not like camping that much."