Sparrow held up his sword, its glowing scarlet edge lighting the way. His fuchsia-colored eyes glanced around the dungeon. Cracks covered the walls and floors, with the ceiling having gaps. He took careful steps with his blocky digitigrade feet, which wore millennium blue boots with pointy hoof-like toes sticking out.

Pawsteps echoed from ahead, making Sparrow crouch low to the ground. His long tail, with timberwolf-colored fur-like scales, slid against the floor. The tail ended with a puff of dark silver fur, holding off-white plating on the bottom. He wiggled his long triangular ears, trying to detect more sounds, brushing against his thick and short off-white horns set between them a couple of times. He adjusted his grip and thumb position, which extinguished the red glow. Once done, he hid behind a large stone debris and poked his head out, hidden by the darkness.

Ahead, a glowing red-orange light came from another part of the hallway. It flickered like flames on a torch. The someone holding that flame walked slowed from how the fire bobbled up and down; perhaps that person heard Sparrow rushing to the ground. The figure came into view, an anthropomorphic red fox holding a fireball above his black hand-paw.

Sparrow stared at him almost in disappointment from his gear, unfit for dungeon exploring. He looked like he came for a vacation from the bright clothes, with some red with white flowers button-up shirt hanging over unbuttoned on a green shirt, and bright blue jeans. Even the belt strapped around his waist, with a golden A on the buckle, held no gear. Sparrow saw only one advantage this fox had: magical capabilities.

This anthro fox stepped forward, and his shadow stretched long behind him as though someone grabbed it. He paused and spun around; his black ears flattened back. Despite the light source before him, his shadow still lay as before. His expression paled as he gulped and took a step back. At once, the shadows rose from the ground with a transparent look. Glowing celeste-colored eyes formed on where the chest should be, each narrowed into a glare. The ‘heads’ stretched into giant mouths that snarled out. They popped out one by one, with the fox’s shadow shrinking to normal and flickering behind him. They flung their ‘arms’ out, some becoming flexible like whips and others forming into hooks. The fox sighed in relief before hardening his expression.

Sparrow kept hidden, torn between helping this fox or letting him be. If he did, this red fox would likely cling to him until they left the dungeon; If he did not, the red fox would probably die even with the help of his magic. Though repelled by light and weak alone, shadowy creatures often swarmed adventures with such amount that they blotted out the light. As a result, many loner types fell, underestimating those monsters. Sparrow shifted his eyes, even rubbing the dark silver circling his muzzle before he decided.

Sparrow sprung up, lighting his sword back to glowing red and charging forward. The red fox turned to him, confused as though wondering how Sparrow appeared out of nowhere. Sparrow ignored the confused expression and slashed through one of the shadowy creatures. It split in half, dissolving into nothing. He set himself between the red fox and the monsters, holding his sword toward them.

The red fox leaned over to the side, holding an annoyed expression. Just as he opened his mouth, more shadowy creatures leaped out from the dungeon’s shadows. Sparrow and the red fox glanced around at the dozens of monsters surrounding them. Sparrow grunted, flipping his sword around while searching for an opening.

The red fox’s fireball stretched long above him. Sparrow glanced back, wondering what the red fox planned to do. The flames solidified into a sword with a red hand, cross-guard, and pommel. Despite the lack of fire, the longsword emitted a slight white glow in its blade. The red fox pulled the sword beside his head, setting himself in a defensive stance.

Sparrow raised his eyebrow, wondering how the red fox did that trick. At that point, the shadowy creatures lunged toward them. Sparrow and the red fox nodded at each other before swinging their swords. Their blades slashed through the monsters, dissolving them back to nothing. With each one gone, two more took their place to attack. They swung again, destroying more, but more appeared from walls, floors, and ceilings.

Sparrow grunted while dicing through several at once. He knew that if this battle continued as such, they would get overwhelmed by sheer numbers. He reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a pill-sized capsule. He squeezed it between his thumb and finger until the circle at the center glowed yellow. He flipped it over his shoulders and covered his eyes. The red fox glanced at it but covered his eyes when he saw Sparrow doing it.

The capsule exploded into light as bright as a small-sized yellow star. Though it flashed for half a second, any shadowy creatures within the hallway dissolved into nothing. Sparrow, in his mind, lamented using it since making another would be difficult; who would have thought that something so ordinary in his galaxy ten thousand megaparsecs away would be so valuable to use? Still, he knew avoiding using it would cost his and the red fox’s life, so he did not lament its loss too much.

Once the flash faded, Sparrow and the red fox uncovered their eyes. The entire hallway lay barren outside of the two. Sparrow knew that it only destroyed a fraction of the shadowy creatures in the dungeon, but at least it caused them to leave him and the red fox alone for the time being. He spun to the red fox, who flattened his left ear toward him.

Sparrow remained doubtful of this red fox’s abilities, though less so a minute before. Despite facing just as many shadowy creatures and his vacation garb, this newcomer held no damage on him. Perhaps this red fox could be a decent ally rather than a helpless mage.

The red fox opened his mouth to speak, but Sparrow pointed his free hand-paw toward himself.

“Sparrow,” he said. He pointed at the red fox. “You?”

The red fox tilted his head, half confused and half annoyed. “Daren. Um, what—”

Sparrow shook his head. “Not my native language. Still learning.”

“Um, OK.” Daren shrugged. “But—”

Sparrow swung his arm around the dungeon. “Treasure. Hidden. Seeking. You?”

“I-I guess the same thing, but as—”

Sparrow extended his hand-paw toward Daren. “Teamwork. Yes?”

Daren sighed and nodded. He grabbed Sparrow’s hand-paw and shook. “Teamwork.”

“Good.”

The two released the other’s hand-paw and continued down the hallway. Sparrow took point forward, raising his glowing sword above his head. Daren, behind him, held a fireball on his left hand-paw while gripping his sword with his right. The two glanced around, searching for any sign of monsters or traps. More of the dungeon’s walls and ceiling crumbled onto the floor the deeper they traveled.

Sparrow twitched his ears, and he raised an open palm toward Daren. A doorway stood at his right with clicking sounds coming from within. Daren stopped, somewhat confused, before nodding. At that point, Daren observed Sparrow’s body and noted odd proportions, especially the narrow yet long torso. Sparrow ignored the rude stare and instead inched toward the door. He poked an eye out, observing.

Within, he saw a group of creatures with spikes on their joints. They prowled on all fours, with their fork-like tail, ending with spikes, scraping against the floor. Scales covered much of their bodies, pale from the lack of sunlight. Sparrow counted five of them and, sensing a battle, gripped his sword tight.

One of them sniffed the air, followed by the rest of them. They turned toward the door and hissed. They opened their long mouths, exposing long, sharp teeth, and charged toward him. Sparrow jumped back, pushing Daren out of the way. Daren grunted, stumbling around a few steps. The lizard monsters jumped out of the room, with one crashing against the hallway’s wall.

Daren glanced around before pausing at the ceiling. Sparrow took a step forward, but Daren tugged on his shoulder. Sparrow glanced back, confused. Daren tossed the fireball at the top. It exploded upon impact, though not a significant one by appearance alone. The lizard monsters hissed, with a couple lunging forward.

At that point, part of the ceiling collapsed, unable to hold on thanks to Daren’s fireball. A large chunk landed on top of those two charging lizards. Sparrow flinched from the falling ceiling, that chunk landing two feet away from him. The three remaining lizard monsters climbed over the ceiling chunk, charging toward them. They hissed, and a weaker hissing noise came from underneath the piece. Daren blinked at the hissing piece, but changed his gaze toward the remaining three.

Two of the lizards swung their tails at Sparrow. He leaped out of the way, letting their tails pierce through the floor. He pointed his sword at one of them, changing his grip and thumb position so it glowed navy blue. He swung, with a razor-thin energy blast coming out from the blade. It slashed through both, cutting them in half. Instead of spilling out blood, they poofed into purple smoke.

The remaining one lunged toward Daren, its claws splayed out, and its mouth opened wide. Daren thrust his longsword forward, piercing through its chest. It flailed around, helpless, until he tossed it toward a wall; it poof into purple smoke upon impact. Daren grinned while turning to Sparrow.

Sparrow, in the meantime, went to the fallen ceiling chunk. He swung his sword, slashing it into pieces. Daren stared at him with a confused expression, his right ear folded to the side of his head. Though not small, the chunk should not be too big to climb over. Sparrow tossed the smaller pieces out of the way, off the floor.

“Um, what—”

Sparrow pointed at the floor. Daren turned to it and widened his eyes. Underneath lay the two lizard monsters, flat as paper and their red eyes spiraling. Sparrow stabbed them, and they poofed into purple smoke.

“Jeez, I didn’t—”

“No worries.” Sparrow shrugged. “Come.”

Daren nodded while folding his ears back in annoyance. Sparrow ignored that, instead climbing over what remained of the ceiling chunk. Daren summoned a new fireball while Sparrow adjusted his grip and thumb position so his sword glowed red. The two held their light source above their heads, lighting the hallway better. Daren rubbed one part of the wall with the number 172 carved on it.

“This keeps happening,” Daren whispered to himself. “Why—”

Sparrow lifted an arm. Daren stopped; his train of thoughts derailed. He leaned his head over Sparrow’s shoulder, confused. Sparrow pointed his sword ahead, where two glowing ruby lights appeared further on. Six monsters stood underneath the lights, two holding glowing gemstone torches. Their eyes glowed amber in the light, piercing through the ruby. They stood next to a door as though guarding it.

One of them turned toward Sparrow and Daren, and it squealed out. The other five turned as well, drawing their short swords. They dropped their torches and readied themselves for battle. Sparrow grunted and lowered his sword to point it toward the monsters with determination. He charged forward, avoiding Daren’s attempt at grabbing his shoulder.

The six monsters, with their large round noses and long, blackened teeth, also charged. Despite going at six to one, Sparrow felt confident in his success. Those pig-like monsters held less muscle mass than others and stood shorter than him. One reached him and swung its sword at him, but he ducked to the side. His sword edge turned blue before he slashed, lopping its head off.

His confidence rose until he glanced at his sides, where he realized his mistake. The rest of the pig-like monsters split up into groups of twos and threes, leaving the one as a distraction. They flanked his sides, almost in a circle with no way to escape. If he faced one, two would attack from behind. Still, he suffered through worse binds than this. He held his sword close and—

Behind, a pig-like monster’s head got sliced off from its shoulders. The other four turned, startled, as the fallen one landed on its knees and poofed into purple smoke. Daren, however, used their sudden confusion to flank another one. He stabbed through its side before slicing upward through its head, poofing it. Sparrow blinked, wondering how Daren snuck up and defeated not one but two before anyone reacted. No fireball hovered beside Daren.

“OK,” Daren said through gritted teeth. “No more flattening. More slashing.”

Sparrow nodded while turning to the remaining pig-like monsters. They recovered from Daren’s initial attack and charged. One swung its sword at Sparrow’s side, but he blocked it in time. Both swords rang, though Sparrow’s less so. He pushed the pig-like monster back before swinging his sword toward its armpit. It squealed, with the blade cutting through like a knife through warm butter and a chunk of its body flung into the air. A second later, it poofed into a purple fog.

Daren charged at the other, gripping both hand-paws on his longsword. The pig-like monster swung its sword toward his head. Daren, pressing his thumb against the longsword’s fuller, twisted his grip while swinging his sword to block the attack. He shifted his stance, stretching his arms upward until the cross-guard pressed against the short sword’s blade. He stepped his right foot-paw forward, swinging his sword toward the monster’s head. It sliced in half where the brain would be, and the beast poofed into purple smoke.

The remaining pig-like monster looked at both Sparrow and Daren before turning around and fleeing. It dropped its short sword, with it clanging to the ground. Sparrow grunted and pointed his sword tip at the escaping monster. He fired an energy blast, with it piercing through the monster’s back. It fell and poofed into purple smoke.

Sparrow breathed in and out, happy that this battle ended. He turned to Daren, again noting in his head how unusual he dressed for this dungeon. Still, perhaps he underestimated this Daren, who showed his skills with a sword. He extended his hand-paw to Daren. Daren stared at it for a few seconds before grabbing it, and the two shook.

“Thanks,” Sparrow said.

“Anytime,” Daren said.

Sparrow turned toward the door where the pig-like monsters stood. He nodded in that direction and stepped towards it. Daren walked beside him, Sparrow not protesting this arrangement. Sparrow adjusted his grip pressure and thumb position until the sword glowed red. Daren picked up one of the torches, glancing at the gemstone’s light. The two walked inside the room.

Within held eight treasure chests, four on each side and each made from wood and steel. At the other end of the room were three displays, each surrounded by glass. The centermost one, holding a full-body armor, glowed sicky red.

Daren narrowed his eyes at the armor and gripped his sword tighter. He glanced around the room before setting the torch on the ground. He stepped between the treasure chest, his focus on the armor alone. Sparrow flattened his left ear to the side, wondering about the armor. Part of him wanted to get close, but instead, he stayed back.

Daren stood before that armor display before reaching into his strange red with white flowers shirt. He pulled out a long thin rod and pointed it at the armor. It blared in an alarm, with the light at the end blinking red.

“Nex Mutatio,” Daren said. His voice darkened in disgust.

Sparrow stared in confusion, but Daren swung his sword before he could say anything. It slashed through the glass display and armor as easily as paper. He sliced it four more times, knocking out glass and armor chunks. The sick red glow flickered before fading away. Rust covered the armor as though hundreds of years of rusting occurred in seconds.

Sparrow stepped in, picking up one of the armor pieces. It crumbled between his fingers. He stopped beside Daren but said nothing despite having questions. Daren gripped both rod and sword tight. He stared at what remained of the display as though it held a hated enemy. Sparrow rested his free hand-paw on Daren’s shoulder, who relaxed from the touch.

“That Nex Mutatio needed to be destroyed,” Daren said. “That’s what I came here for.”

Sparrow nodded, though still left confused. Part of him wanted to ask about this ‘Nex Mutato’ and why he sought its destruction. At the same time, he guessed it would involve much explaining; given his limited grasp on this language, he knew much of it would fly over his head. Besides, given Daren’s body language displaying pure disgust and hatred over it, maybe it needed destruction.

So, he turned back to the various treasure chests. He guessed that, from the amount, they held much loot, even if one of them had a trap instead. He stepped away from Daren and approached one. He adjusted his sword grip to lay flat horizontally while deactivating the red glow. He pressed the blade pressed between the chest’s opening and, with a swing, flung the trunk open while stepping back.

Nothing, not even dust, lay within.

Sparrow shook his head and did the same with the following box and the next one. A couple held a few gold coins here and there, but nothing worth having eight treasure chests. He grunted in disappointment while reaching the fourth one. He pressed the blade between the chest’s opening—

It flung itself open. Clear, thick gel vomited out from the chest. Sparrow rushed to the left, trying to avoid the trap. The gel surrounded his right arm and sword, encompassing it around its orb form. Sparrow widened his eyes in horror, trying to pull his arm out, but it remained stuck. He attempted to trigger the sword’s abilities, but his fingers froze.

“Huh?” Daren spun around. He inhaled and rushed over to Sparrow. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Sparrow said. “Trap. Stuck.”

Daren nodded. “Let’s see if I can get you out of there.”

He spun his longsword before slashing its blade into the orb gel. He hoped to cut the gel surrounding his arm and sword with a small chunk. That way, they would ‘shave’ the remaining gel off. The gel, however, reformed almost as soon as his blade stopped touching it. He stared at the reformed gel for a couple of seconds.

“Gah. This isn’t as easy as I hoped.”

“Hurry,” Sparrow said. He wiggled his arm against the gel.

“Oh? Will it dissolve your arm? Please don’t tell me that it’ll do something like that.” Daren widened his eyes in horror.

“No. Just stuck. Helpless.”

“OK. Good.” Daren raised his longsword, which melted back into a fireball. He hovered its flames over the gel’s side, trying to melt it. It remained a liquidly solid with no sign of dripping. “Darn.”

He dispelled the fireball before pointing the rod at it. He pressed a button on it. It buzzed like an artificial bee, with a light on it glowing green. He waved it a few times before he shook his head.

“It’s resistant to transformation. Highly resistant. It’ll take hours to transform it.” Daren turned to Sparrow. “Do you mind if—”

“No!” Sparrow shook his head. “Can’t stay. Enemy may come. Find us.”

“Ah.” Daren nodded. He rubbed his chin a couple of times. “And I don’t detect any magic or anything like it within. A shame since I got some anti-magic equipment.” He shook his head in disbelief. “To think that my bottomless equipment met its match with a gelatin orb!”

Daren rubbed his chin again, deep in thought. “You know, that may be our only option.”

Sparrow turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

Daren grabbed Sparrow around his narrow waist and shoulders.

“I’m going to pull as hard as I can. I’m sorry, but this is our only option. Alright?”

Sparrow nodded. “Yes.”

“Good!”

With a heave, Daren pulled on Sparrow. He gritted his teeth and took a step back. The orb remained where it sat, despite looking as though it would roll toward them. The stone floor cracked underneath Daren’s feet-paws, with him taking two more steps back. Sparrow grunted, feeling his chest squeezing against him. He also took steps back, attempting to help Daren free his arm and sword.

The orb, however, would not release its prey so easily. Sparrow’s arm and sword remained lodged in the gel, not moving at all. Instead, his arm stretched like a type of rubber. Daren tilted his head at the arm before pulling some more. He grunted, trying to avoid Sparrow’s horns while pulling harder. Sparrow’s arm stretched with every step they took.

By the time they made it halfway through the room, the arm lodged in the gel had also stretched. It pulled out from the orb bit by bit. Sparrow gritted his teeth, trying to wiggle his fingers. He could not help but marvel about this gel; whoever made it ensured its prey remained stuck.

The two reached three-fourths of the room when Sparrow managed to wiggle his fingers. His gritting teeth turned into a grin, adjusting his grip and thumb position. Its edge glowed blue, cutting through the gel. His arm and sword popped out, with Sparrow and Daren crashing against the wall behind them. Daren sighed, and the two slid onto their rear while avoiding the glass.

Before them, the gel bubbled before it sank. Despite the amount that should have engulfed the two’s lower halves, the liquified gel sank into the ground instead. Not even a wet spot remained where it lay. Daren widened his eyes, feeling his head click into place.

“Of course!” Daren said. He grinned. “It wasn’t canceling out the magic! It was absorbing it! That’s why it remained impervious to any of my attempts at removing it! I should have thought of that sooner before—”

Daren turned to Sparrow’s arm, and his sentence died on his lips. Despite coming loose, his arm remained stretched at least three-quarters long as this room. It lay there before Sparrow lifted his arm, warping into spirals without trying.

“—Before. We attempted. To pull you out.” Daren pushed himself up. “I should’ve thought of THAT!”

“It is alright.” Sparrow lifted his other arm. “Pull this.”

“Um, OK.”

Daren strode around Sparrow and grabbed his left arm. He pulled on it, and it stretched out. The other arm retracted, shrinking in length. Daren grinned at that, though it faded when he got both arms the same length. Both remained stretched out long.

“Hmm. That kind of worked. I guess.” Daren scratched his hair-fur.

“Legs.” Sparrow lifted both legs. “Pull them.”

“Um, OK.”

Daren went between Sparrow’s stretched arm to grab both of his legs. He pulled, stretching them out. Meanwhile, the arms retracted some more. By the time Daren reached the arms’ length, both arms and legs remained stretched out farther than they should, at least three feet longer than usual. Sparrow stood up but flinched when his head crashed against the ceiling.

“Hmm. Unusual,” Sparrow said. “That usually works.”

“Yeah. I’m no expert in this ‘toony’ stuff. I didn’t have time to watch them, so—” Daren turned to the entranceway. “—I’m not. Genre savvy. In that—” He hummed and rubbed his chin. “Say, I have an idea. Grab the sides of that doorway, OK?”

“OK.” Sparrow crouched despite his legs wiggling like rubber. He stepped closer to the entranceway and lay his sword next to it, making sure to deactivate its effects. He grabbed the sides of the door and leaned forward. “Now what?”

“This!”

Daren grabbed Sparrow’s legs and pulled as hard as possible. Sparrow grunted, clinging onto the doorway as tenaciously as possible. Both arms and legs stretched longer inch by inch, which Daren grinned at. For a second, Sparrow wondered what Daren planned until it clicked into place. He turned to him in a brief panic.

“Wait!” Sparrow cried out.

Daren released him at that point. Sparrow yelped, flung forward and out of the room. His head smashed against the hallway’s wall, spiderweb cracks forming from the impact. For a second, he remained stuck there until his body slid down. His eyes spun into fuchsia spirals. His hand-paws and feet twitched, with both arms and legs unstretched to normal.

Daren stepped out into the hallway, widening his eyes in horror. “Er, sorry!” He scratched the back of his head. “I swear, being in a toony universe is like relearning physics.”

Sparrow shook his head and pushed himself back up. He dusted some of the small rocks off from his skin-tight clothes. He rubbed the top of his head, where no bruising formed and his horns unscathed, but it still hurt a lot. He turned to Daren and lowered his eyes halfway.

“I-I’m sorry!” Daren took a step back. “I-I swear that.”

“Gehehehe.” Sparrow leaned back and laughed. “Gehehehe! Well done!”

“Huh?” Daren blinked.

“Ah. Very funny. I like.” Sparrow grabbed Daren’s hand-paw and shook. “Worked too.”

“Uh, you’re welcome?”

“Come!” Sparrow lay his arm over Daren’s shoulders. “More treasure! More exploring!”

“Er, OK.” Daren nodded. He turned his head away and whispered to himself, “I hope Zelda doesn’t mind me being late.”

The two went back inside the treasure room. Sparrow picked up his sword and checked the remaining treasure chests. Unlike the previous four, these held gold coins and gems to the rim. He pulled out a small bag, much too small to fit them. So, he inhaled enough that his chest expanded four times its previous size. He huffed into the pouch, with it stretching larger like a balloon. It at least tripled in size, more than enough to hold the loot.

Daren flattened his left ear back. “Um, huh.”

While Sparrow gathered the treasure chests’ loot, Daren went to the other two displays. The left held swords still in pristine quality, while the right held large diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. He opened the displays and handed loot within to Sparrow, who stuffed them in his enlarged pouch.

Sparrow strapped the pouch onto his back before giving Daren a thumbs-up. The two stepped out of the hallway, continuing their journey through the dungeon. Sparrow held up his sword, which glowed crimson, while Daren held the ruby torch. Their shadows stretched long from behind, causing them to turn around. Shadowy monsters popped up, each one snarling at them. The two nodded at each other, and with Sparrow’s sword turning blue and Daren summoning his longsword, they charged at the monsters.

Thus, a space dragon from a faraway galaxy and a universe-hopping fox continued their trek through the dungeon, fighting monsters and collecting loot.