Soon, he was able to make out the silhouettes of seven people walking across the chain. They were led by a delicate beauty in a light polished armor, her pale blond hair dancing in the wind. Cassie walked with her eyes covered by the silver half-mask, her hand resting on the hilt of the Quiet Dancer. If Sunny didn't know that she was blind, he would have not suspected it.
…The Fire Keepers had returned from their lengthy expedition to the Desecrated Grove.
In the end, it took them almost two months to find the… whatever they had been searching for on that remote and ghastly island. And now, it was time for Sunny to join them in the assault on the ancient shipwreck.
He grimaced.
After two months spent without returning to the real world, members of Cassie's cohort looked weathered and exhausted. They were covered in dirt and dust, and their armor bore marks of countless battles. However, these young men and women seemed to be healthy and in good mood. There was a spring to their steps, and as they got closer, Sunny could see smiles on their lips.
Two of them were carefully carrying a large box fashioned out of crude wooden boards. He assumed that it contained the thing Cassie had spent two months looking for.
Sunny tilted his head, curious.
'What might it be, I wonder?'
Eventually, they noticed him, too.
Cassie slowed down a little, and in the next moment, the Fire Keeper walking behind her gently touched her on the shoulder and said something. Then, he gestured toward Sunny and waved a hand.
Sunny sighed and dismissed the Memory of Fire.
'Ugh… people…'
In the six months spent on the Chained Isles, he had gotten accustomed to only dealing with other Awakened in small doses. Knowing that he was going to have to be in the company of relative strangers for a while and fight with them side by side did not make Sunny happy.
In that regard, Mordret had been a perfect companion. He only appeared once every few days for a short while, helped Sunny with advice, and then disappeared without a trace, not asking for anything in return.
If only all relationships could be so simple…
Sadly, the mysterious prince was still nowhere to be found. Sunny had not heard from him ever since returning from the Ivory Tower, almost making him think that he had simply imagined the whole thing.
The mirror shard he kept in the Covetous Coffer reminded him that he had not, though.
Sunny forced a smile to appear on his face, and waved at the Fire Keepers in return.
"Welcome back, guys! It's good to see you... sort of..."
***
After the Fire Keepers had time to clean themself up and fill their stomachs, they gathered in a spacious room provided to them by the White Feather clan. Sunny looked around the room and signed inwardly.
…Why were his own quarters so tiny? Even if his True Name remained a secret, Sunny was still an SS class Awakened. Where was his preferential treatment, huh?
The large wooden box was placed in a corner, and the seven Awakened gathered around a table. He hesitated a little, then joined them.
"Hey, Sunny! How have you been?"
Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then said in a neutral tone:
"...Busy. Really busy."
The young man who had asked him the question smiled.
"Really? What's keeping you busy?"
Sunny summoned his runes, and glanced at a particular string.
It read:
Shadow Fragments: [1936/2000].
He sighed.
"...All kinds of things. Haven't you heard? I am the most indispensable shopkeeper on the Chained Isles. By the way, if any of you want to purchase something, just let me know. Toothpaste, spices, underpants… we have it all!"
The Fire Keepers gave him strange looks, then laughed.
'What's so funny? That's a legitimate business, you fools!'
Shaking his head, he glanced at the table, where a map of the Chained Isles was placed, with possible routes to the Shipwreck Island marked on it. From the look of it, they were well-thought-out and as safe as could be.
A somber expression appeared on his face.
"So you were really serious. We are actually planning to attack a Corrupted Monster in its lair."
Cassie gave him a nod.
"Indeed."
He sighed.
"Let me ask you this. Are you cr…"
However, then, Sunny fell silent without finishing the question and suddenly cleared his throat in embarrassment.
The blind girl frowned.
"Are you alright?"
Sunny waved a hand.
"Yes, yes! Don't mind me. I, uh… oh right, you haven't been back to the real world in a couple of months."
One of the Fire Keepers raised an eyebrow, and asked with confusion:
"Sure? Why is that important?"
Sunny looked at him with an unreadable expression.
"It's not. Don't worry about it. No, really... anyway, let's get back to the Corrupted Monster. How much do you guys know about that thing?"
Cassie lingered for a few moments, then said:
"We know its Rank and Class, the general characteristics, and a few details that the White Feather clan had shared with us. Master Roan had thought the thing in the past, but only briefly."
Sunny looked at her, then shook his head.
"Well, I don't know what he told you, but I've seen that monstrosity in action with my own two eyes. So let me paint you the picture…"
He pointed to the Shipwreck Island on the map, and said in a dark tone:
"The wreck is situated in the center of the island, and the creature itself made a nest in its main cargo hold. Don't think that you'll be safe before we reach the ship, though. Actually, its vines stretch beneath the ground throughout the whole island."
He paused, and then added:
"Since it's a Corrupted Monster, most of you won't even be able to cut the vines, let alone sever them. You don't have the Dawn Shard augmenting your Memories anymore, after all. However, if you do manage to cut the vines, each cut will produce a cloud of poisonous mist. There will be poison in the air whether you cut them or not, though, especially inside the wreck. There, breathing is almost impossible."
With each word he said, the Fire Keepers grew more and more serious.
…However, they were still in too good of a mood!
'What is wrong with these idiots?!'
Sunny cleared his throat.
"Oh, and by the way, there are other Nightmare Creatures on the island, too. Big nasty Fallen Beasts called Sailor Dolls."
He hesitated, and then said:
"Well, if there is one good about the whole situation, it's that the creature in the wreck usually slumbers until one of its vines is disturbed. Cassie told me that it is weak to fire. So my suggestion would be to just burn the whole ship down, and the scary bastard with it."
The Fire Keepers glanced at each other with strange expressions.
Cassie remained silent for a bit, and then said awkwardly:
"...No, we can't burn the ship."
Sunny blinked a couple of times.
"And why, pray tell, is that?"
She turned her head to the large wooden box in the corner, lingered for a moment, and then answered:
"Because we are going to repair it."
