Xenon left for Ballerview Drive after dropping Chomby back at the house. Even though Xenon suggested Chomby practice some of the maneuvers Sarge wrote about, Chomby couldn’t get himself to feel any better. His stomach was churning too much to focus.

He’d attempted the “Power Mode” by pulling his ears forward, but the rush of adrenaline it gave him made him extremely nauseous. He cursed under his breath, but his voice was far louder than he expected, so he flicked his ears back and immediately went to the bathroom to splash water on his face.

“Ugh… this is ridiculous.” Chomby snarled. “It’s just some weird stranger… who happens to have stalked me, knows about Sarge, and is probably,” Chomby mumbled, “probably very, very, very psychotic.”

Chomby left the bathroom and immediately dropped onto his bed and turned on his music. He hadn’t snacked on anything for a while and needed something to keep himself grounded.

He decided to stick with a smooth jazz track he’d play while setting up for some of his DJ venues.

“Stress eating, great.” Chomby took a deep breath. “Tastes soulful, at least.” He closed his eyes and tried his best to relax.

An hour passed and he had finally managed to lull himself into a sense of calm. He was imagining what he could do for his next song. Maybe he could make it a three-four time signature this time. He hadn’t done that in a while. He could also work on some lyrics. All he had to do was advertise a new song and his fans would be ecstatic.

Chomby’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud knock from the front door. He looked at the time and noticed it was six in the evening. Normal time-frame for someone to knock. Possibly a salesman at the end of their shift. He wanted them to leave.

He closed his eyes again and continued listening to the currently-playing album. It was a freestyle saxophonist with a drum accompaniment. He got the album a while ago but hadn’t really listened to it until now. It was more relaxing than he intended.

Another knock echoed into the bedroom. It still sounded like it came from the front door.

“Oh for the love of…” Chomby hoisted himself out of the bed and dragged himself to the front door. He opened it up and immediately felt his heart sink.

It was Bark. They were wearing the same clothes from last time.

“Hello there, fellow believer!” Bark said heartily as he held out one of his hands.

Chomby kept his arms at his sides and felt his heartbeat increase. “I thought we were supposed to meet in a few days.” Chomby was trying to play it cool. “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, just checking in is all!” Bark said with a honeyed tone. “I know we planned to meet later, but I just realized that I hadn’t fully explained anything to you, now did I?”

“Aside from telling me some Belfitor-”

“Berithal,” Bark interrupted. “The One Shrouded in Darkness, The Bringer of Hope…” Bark narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Sarge.”

“I… I feel you’ve got the wrong guy, Bark.” Chomby gulped. “I don’t think Sarge is a-”

“Tried to find out about him at the library, right?” Bark asked. He lifted an arm and casually leaned himself against the door frame.

Chomby felt a chill run down his spine. He looked behind him, half expecting Xenon to be sitting on the couch like before, but he knew that wasn’t going to be the case.

“Your friend’s currently ‘investigating’ our meetup location.” Bark lifted his free hand and stared at it. Chomby noticed his fingernails were elongated and trimmed to be claw-like in nature. “I assure you that we don’t intend to do anything shady for our meetup. Just wanted to talk to you both, see if you’re interested. Berithal chose you, after all.”

“Really, I think you have the wrong person.” Chomby wanted to take a step back, but he knew this would give Bark a reason to step forward. “May I request you, please, leave me alone and stop stalking me?” Chomby lowered his ears. “Seriously, at the library? And to Xenon right now? Don’t you think that’s a red flag?”

“In most cases, I’d agree, but this would be different.” Bark looked down at his hand and then took it off the frame. “You do want answers, right? I told you that I can answer them.”

“Then why not answer me, here and now?” Chomby asked.

“Depends on the question!” Bark smirked and folded his arms.

“Why are you obsessed with me? Who is Berithal? Why do you think he’s the person I’m thinking of?” Chomby asked.

“Only those three questions?”

“I have more, but I want those answered, now.”

“Obsessed?” Bark chuckled. “I think you misunderstand. Based on what you and your friend have been doing, it is you who’s obsessing over me.”

“Wouldn’t you want to know about a random stranger who appeared at your house in the middle of the night, talking about some weird deity?”

“And I answer with a question. Wouldn’t you be interested in an individual who’s showing they’ve been greeted by your deity and has been chosen to be the one?”

Chomby wished he could show confusion and disdain on his face, but he knew he couldn’t quite make the expression.

Bark seemed to pick up on whatever expression Chomby was managing to pull, as he backed up a bit to give Chomby some space. “I know it’s a bit frightening, but I just wanted to talk. We can even go somewhere public if that’d help.” Bark quickly flipped through his phone. “Why not the Creaking Bar nearby?”

Chomby still couldn’t figure out what to say, so he only stared.

Bark seemed to become visibly frustrated but closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his expression became lighter. Chomby noticed this and immediately felt his unease increase.

“Uh… I know about the case file,” Bark said. “The one about a cult in the woods.”

Chomby narrowed his eyes. “Or a yenaldooshi. Again, the fact you’re bringing that up only proves how stalkerish you are. Please, leave!”

“No, no!” Bark lifted his hands and shook them emphatically. “I really didn’t want to have to say it, but… that cult in the woods is just me and the others.” Bark put a finger to his chin and smirked. “Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d think of that urban legend. Makes sense, given the visions you’ve been having about a werewolf.”

Despite how unnerved Chomby already felt, his fear somehow continued to elevate. Bark wasn’t going to leave. If Chomby wanted to ensure his safety right now, the best option was to take Bark’s offer and go somewhere public with many other people. He’d check in on Xenon as soon as he could.

Chomby put his hand on the doorknob and clenched his fist. “Creaking Bar? Music there tastes terrible… the drinks, too.”

Bark’s toothy grin returned. Chomby could still see his prominent fangs. This made him shudder.

“I’ll have to ask for a recommendation, then, if there’s any good drinks!” Bark stepped down from the porch and gestured for Chomby to follow.

Hesitantly, Chomby locked up the house and followed Bark toward the Creaking Bar.

Chomby held his phone tightly in his hand and darted his eyes back and forth. He needed to make sure there were plenty of people nearby. Thankfully, there were. He was even more relieved to see a decently long line of people waiting outside the door to get in.

“The more public, the better,” Chomby muttered under his breath.

“If that helps ease your nerves, Chomby,” Bark whispered from behind. This made Chomby jump. “Awfully jumpy, big guy.”

“Don’t call me that.” Chomby glared. “I’m only willing to hear you out because I’m curious. Don’t try and get chummy with me.”

Bark lifted his hands defensively. “Alright, Chomby. Sorry. I really don’t know what else I could do to help you relax. Maybe you could call your friend, Xenon, and say we’re chatting? That’ll at least let you know he’s okay.”

“I’m not worried about him.”

“A bit harsh. Isn’t he your closest friend?” Bark folded his arms and gave a snide grin.

Chomby pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not worried about him because I know he can handle himself. But no, he’s not my closest friend. Sarge is… at least I think he is.”

“I’m friends with Berithal, too!” Bark nodded. “Glad we’re on the same page-”

“We are not on the same page!” Chomby turned back around and stepped forward. Now that he was at the door to the bar, he pulled out his ID and handed it to the bouncer. He recognized them as Rex.

Rex gently pushed Chomby’s hand back and shook his head. “Just head on in. Didn’t know you had a set here tonight.”

“No just… talking to someone, Rex.” Chomby gestured behind himself. “business stuff. Uh, what band’s playing tonight?”

“Aberdine Welsh.” Rex chuckled.

“Joy,” Chomby rolled his eyes and stepped inside. Though this place was just called a ‘bar’, in reality, it was more like a dance club that had a bar in it. The lights were a dim, orange color right now because the ‘dance’ part of the club wasn’t happening just yet. As he tried to make a count of how many people were here, he heard a familiar noise of a scratchy guitar that matched the scratchy voice of the singer of Aberdine Welsh. Chomby talked with the singer before. They certainly had a relaxed personality, but he couldn’t get past the fact they always had a cigarette in their hands – even when they were singing.

Chomby felt his stomach churn. Ten seconds of this song was already enough to make him feel sick. Normally, if he was waiting for his set, he’d find a quieter, more isolated part of the venue to slink into and wait out the noisefest, but today he wanted to be where the people were. He knew the music wouldn’t stay settled in him for long, but he didn’t know what else he could do.

Chomby looked behind him, expecting Bark to show their face, but they never seemed to turn the corner. “Probably tried to use a fake ID.”

“Nah.” a heavy arm dropped onto Chomby’s shoulder, causing him to lose his balance. Chomby saw it was Bark, yet he was holding a drink in hand and seemed to have come from the direction of the bar. “Just trying out a drink to ‘calm the nerves’! Though, I gotta try whatever you suggest. What do you usually get?”

Chomby ducked his shoulder and twirled around. He felt his heartbeat quicken. “How… how did you get a drink so fast? I didn’t even see you come in!”

“You were staring around for a good while. Figured you were trying to find somewhere with a lot of people?” Bark scanned the area for a moment then pointed at a table near the dance floor. “There we are! Look! In view of everyone! Perfect for you, Big g- erm. Chomby!”

Bark dragged Chomby over to the table. He sat down immediately and took a big swig of his drink. “Ahh! That hits the spot! Tastes just fine to me.”

Chomby hesitantly sat down. From where they were, he counted forty-seven people. That was a good amount. Right? He was about to speak up, but he felt his stomach churn as the singer sang an off-key note. He put a hand to his mouth to stop himself from gagging.

“Nervous stomach? Ahh, cheer up! Just answering questions, remember?” Bark leaned over the table and squinted his eyes. “Now, why not ask me those questions? I feel I can answer.”

Chomby swallowed hard. “No, uh, I mean yes. Sure. It’s just… uh… I eat music, and-”

Bark looked toward the stage. He nodded. “Ahh, right, right. Right. Not your favorite. Is it like if someone who hates mushrooms had to eat them?”

Chomby slammed a fist to his chest and coughed. “Yes.” Chomby then cleared his throat. “But yes, I want to ask you questions.”

“Shoot.”

The singer shot out another bad note. Chomby grabbed one of his ears and folded it down. He stared at Bark while trying not to gag again. “W-bleah- when did you start following me?”

“A while ago.” Bark took a swig of his drink. “Just had a feeling you were the person I was looking for.”

“You said there are others. How many? Did they all have the same set of dreams?”

“Some haven’t, but they want to.” Bark tapped his head. “But the intensity of the dreams seems to be between you and me. We got it down bad.”

“What were your dreams?” Chomby lifted his ear back up.

“Visited by a werewolf. Berithal was his name. Chose me to be his follower, and I accepted!” Bark sighed and swished his drink around on the table. “I felt honored, of course, because I love werewolves. Been wanting to be one my entire life.”

“Has Berithal visited you since?”

“Very rarely, but every time he gives me instructions. ‘Go find the others,’ ‘one step closer to becoming a werewolf…’” Bark looked up from his drink. A glint appeared in his eye. “‘Find him.’”

“Me?”

Bark nodded solemnly. “I felt so blind. Trying to find ‘him’. No one fit the feeling. No one was even close to being the harbinger of Berithal-”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Chomby lifted a hand and shook his head. “Harbinger? Why am I a ‘harbinger’ for Berithal?”

“I don’t know that much, Chomby.” Bark shrugged. “Sorry.”

“You can’t just go saying I’m gonna be the bringer of… some werewolf deity just because I… keep dreaming about them… and talk to them…” Chomby lowered his ears. “And no one can remember him except for me.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t forgotten him.” Bark chuckled. “It’s probably because I’m the one he chose to lead!”

No matter how much Chomby wanted to hate Bark’s line of thinking, he had to admit that Bark did seem to know more about Sarge than Chomby did… even if he kept calling Sarge “Berithal”.

Chomby cleared his throat. “How… would I bring Berithal here? If I’m the harbinger and all.”

“Just a simple ritual.” Bark took another drink. “Nothing too complex. We do the ritual, Berithal comes, and then he will grant us the power of the werewolf!”

“But, I don’t want to be a werewolf.” Chomby lowered his ears further. “I just want to be me.”

“Don’t you want Berithal – er – Sarge to come back?” Bark asked.

“Of course I want Sarge back!” Chomby felt his eyes widen. “I want him back more than anything!”

“Then we can do the ritual to summon him! I’m sure he’d embrace you in open arms if you’re so chummy with him!”

“But what about me? You’ve told me about Berithal, but you haven’t explained anything about what I’m dealing with!”

“Well, then, shoot. What did you wanna know?” Bark leaned back in his chair. “I’m happy to answer anything.”

“What am I, Bark?” Chomby asked.

“You’re a soundbyte, aren’t you? I know little about your kind, but I do know you love to eat music.” Bark scratched his chin.

“No! I mean, WHAT am I? In this whole scheme of things, from everything I’ve uncovered, I’m not even alive!”

“Again, don’t know about soundbyte biology. But, last I checked, you seem to be alive. Does that-”

“Why am I a jacket?!” Chomby yelled.

Chomby hurriedly looked around himself. He didn’t realize how loud he was, but it didn’t seem like anyone paid him and Bark any mind. He assumed the music managed to drown out his voice, if not just slightly.

“Pardon?” Bark asked. “Why are you a… what?”

“A jacket. Why am I a jacket? You know, the thing you wear in the winter to keep yourself warm? That jacket!”

Bark arched one of his brows. He seemed confused. “How do you know you’re a, uh… jacket?”

“I… I don’t.” Chomby slumped over. “I just saw some things that Sarge wrote. He wrote out that I was a jacket that he wore.”

“He wrote through you?” Bark asked. “Like a prophetic thing?”

“No! As in, he wrote this stuff himself. He said I’m a jacket. He wears me. He even drew a picture of it. He zips up and turns into me.”

Bark widened his eyes. “Fascinating. I see….” He nodded for a moment, but then he stopped, seeming to realize that Chomby was wanting a response. “I’m sorry, Chomby, but I can’t say I know that one in particular. But, if you’d like, you and I can figure it out together at the original meeting time? We can do the ritual, bring Berithal here, and then ask him personally why you’re a jacket.” Bark held his hand out. “Would that help you out?”

“You don’t know?” Chomby looked down at the hand and frowned. “I… thought you were going to answer my questions.”

Bark retreated his hand and looked down. “I’m sorry. I thought I would’ve been more prepared. I was pretty sure I could answer all your questions, but you admittedly stumped me pretty good. I don’t know why you’re a jacket, but I think knowing is a good step in the right direction. Don’t you?”

Chomby looked away. “I guess. I probably shouldn’t have said that.” He rubbed one of his arms. “I’ve just been so desperate to know who I am that I want answers, no matter where they come from.”

“I think it’s good you told me.” Bark leaned over the table and patted Chomby’s shoulder. Chomby didn’t shrug away this time. “This gets us a little bit closer to solving all these questions,” Bark smiled, “and to summoning Berithal.”

~~~~~

So, I decided to try combining a few chapters so I don't have to draw as many pictures. Hopefully this chapter was spliced well!

~~~~~

Xenon/Sarge/Chomby/Art/Story (C)  pikminpedia Me