The trip to Ib’s camp was uneventful and short. It was a good spot for a camp, close to the forest for food and wood, and there didn’t seem to be anything that would bother her except bees, and Madotsuki knew from experience they wouldn’t bother you unless you hit them first. She had thought once that their stingers might make good throwing knives or something to that effect, but it hadn’t worked out. At least the honey was good.

In any case, she discovered Ib had a hammer with which she could smash her equipment and take what was left, since it would be too large to carry otherwise. After that task was taken care of, they were ready to head back to Madotsuki’s own camp.

“So you were on your own this whole time, Ib?”

She shook her head. “I was for a while, but I did meet one person. I never got his name. He just called himself ‘The Batter’. He was… scary.”

Madotsuki frowned. “How so?”

“He didn’t seem to feel anything. He just seemed like he wanted to hurt things.”

Madotsuki was quiet for a moment as she tried to think of how to reassure her. “Well, if he was like that, then it was a very good thing you got away from him. Someone like that...” She thought back to her own past. Sometimes she hadn’t been very nice to the inhabitants of her dreams. Sometimes, she used her knife for more than just self-defense. “Someone like that will get exactly what they deserve. This place isn’t kind to those it doesn’t like.” She smiled wryly. “The trees taught us that, didn’t they?”

Ib nods slowly. She supposed it was likely he would eventually be beaten by something and no one would have to worry about him again. “But… what if he tries to find me again?”

Madotsuki put a hand on Ib’s shoulder gently, looking her in the eyes. “If he does, I will protect you. You don’t have to worry about him ever again.”

Ib nods and manages a smile. “Thank you Miss Madotsuki.”

The dreamer laughed a little. “You don’t need to be formal about it...” Still, that did make her think back a bit. She didn’t know why this Batter was bent on slaughter, but she remembered exactly why she had done it. Curiosity, at first. She had the knife, and it wasn’t as those the dream people were real… though she did feel a bit worse about it now. Poor Poniko. She would never hurt someone for real- well, she just promised Ib she would protect her from the Batter, didn’t she? How else would that be done but by killing him?

And even now, after her curiosity over death had long since been sated, she still couldn’t help but imagine how she would cut and stab this imagined foe. How he would fall. How he would scream. No, she supposed, she wasn’t curious anymore. She just enjoyed it. But she still had her morals, surely? And now she had friends to protect. Whether she enjoyed killing their enemies or not didn’t matter, in the end.

Dismissing her brooding thoughts, she looked ahead, and for a moment thought she had somehow walked back to that pen she had seen before, but no; it seemed Mary had managed to finish the walls while she was gone. Now the camp was enclosed except for a small area facing the forest. She is certainly nothing if not diligent. It seems we’re here.”

Ib could see why Miss Madotsuki had taken her here. It was practically a fortress compared to where she had been staying! Surely the monsters and The Batter could never break in. She could be safe here, at last. She smiled as they approached, not thinking much of it when Madotsuki walked ahead and in, seeming to greet someone.

So there were friends here too? Even better! She couldn’t wait to meet them. As she stepped inside she saw that the camp itself wasn’t much different from her own, except it seemed to a couple of things, like a cooking pot, but she could no doubt help them there.

“Ib, I would like you to meet my friend.” She turned to see who Madotsuki meant and- she froze. No. How? How could she be here? A gasp escaped Ib’s throat as she took a step back.

“This is-” Madotsuki frowned, noticing Ib’s reaction and pale face. “What’s wrong?”

Before Ib could respond, or even move, she felt something grab her. Looking down sharply, she saw one of those horrible dolls, looking up at her with those red soulless eyes… she tore away from it as fast as she could, running away from the camp.

The dreamer was baffled, to say the least. Granted, the doll was certainly a little creepy, and in hindsight she should have prepared Ib to see it in case she attacked it like any other monster. But why was she so scared before she saw the doll? Looking at Mary, it seemed she was shocked as well.

“I don’t know why she acted that way… we’d best find her.”

Mary shook her head. “No. You go. I’ll stay here.”

“Mary, why-”

“Just GO!” Madotsuki flinched at the scream as Mary sat down, holding her legs. The poor, terribly confused doll walked over to try and comfort her, prompting her to give it a pat. The painting girl sighed and seemed to curl up tighter. “She won’t come back. She knows… that I’m a monster.”

Madotsuki frowns, wishing she could help Mary, but Ib’s safety was more urgent. Who knows what she could run into on her own? “I will be back soon. I will fix all of this, Mary. Don’t worry.” She headed out before Mary could respond. She didn’t know exactly what had happened between these two, but Madotsuki wasn’t going to lose either of her only friends that easily.