As Elliott turned around and ran over to Karisa, who was holding Tim's wounded body, the Rumble Ball's explosion disintegrated and vanished from the scene.
"We need to find Ayuka as soon as possible. She should be able to help him recover from his injury. But the true issue is deciding which path to choose." However, luck was on their side as Codey came barreling down the road, his face expressionless. He came to a halt immediately next to them, unsure of what was going on.
"Thank you, God! For the first time in a long time, I'm glad you're here! Please, Codey, help us." Elliott exclaimed as he watched Tim struggle to hold on, whilst Codey couldn't be bothered to waste time, so he silently realized Tim needed treatment right away. "Hurry this way!"
However, just as they were about to lift him up, a white flame began to heal Tim's stab wound, circling about and surprising them.
"Is that a white flame? I believe I've seen something like it before, but why do I assume that?" With his memories whirling around wildly, Codey wondered.
Nina's sleeping mode was eventually triggered when she sprang up from a bed, a bandage wrapped over her head, and a woman stood calmly holding a wet cloth.
"Ah, you finally woke up." Nina was still perplexed as to how she landed up in this room, wondering where she was or who brought her here, while seeing a woman, whose voice sounded smooth and pleasant.
"You crossed a dangerous line for a nice girl like you. Fortunately, Natan was able to save you in time and bring you here. I hope my treatment aided you in your recovery."
Nina exhaled and felt a light pain in her head as she pushed her palm to her forehead.
"Um, excuse me, ma'am. Who are you, and who is Natan?" Nina recovered quickly after resting for a bit and paying attention to the woman's explanation, who smiled kindly at her.
"My name is Ariana, the doctor of this tiny village, and Natan is a man who's been trying to safeguard our island for a few months now, but even he seems to be having trouble locating the Clawford's hideout, and as I mentioned a few seconds ago, he was the one who had saved you from that pit hole."
Nina recalled seeing someone looking down on her from above the hole. "So, before I blacked out, that person I saw... it was Natan?"
Ariana smiled as she sat in the chair next to Nina to confirm her ideas.
"Yes, he was the one who saved you."
"Where is he? Please, ma'am, allow me to give my thanks to him!" She was frazzled and in a hurry to thank Natan, but she was unable to do so as the woman explained what had occurred.
"I'm not really sure. Natan is a solitary fighter; we have no idea where he is or what he does, he never tells us. That's why we're surprised to see him in town so frequently."
"Wow, another person I can't thank for their actions..."
"You shouldn't be concerned. Natan will most likely return to our town, or he may still be in it."
"Is it possible that he's still around? Then, ma'am, please. Allow me to go free; I'd like to personally thank him!"
"However, you are still not entirely recovered. You shouldn't go outdoors so carelessly; after all, he might not even be in town now. It's been a few minutes, so if he's still there, I'd be impressed."
"I'm alright, ma'am, and I appreciate everything you've done, but I need to thank him and rejoin my friends. They should still be on the island somewhere."
"Your friends? I think I saw a girl with a rather long ponytail walking around town with Dinny. Is she a companion of yours?"
"You must be referring to Ayuka. Please, yes! What path did she take?" Because Ariana was concerned that Nina had been moving too much since her injuries, she hesitated to talk, but realized that it was vital, and she informed her of her whereabouts.
Nina thanked them, but they both observed four of Nina's pals running through town: Karisa, Codey, Elliott, and Tim, who all came to a complete stop. "We've arrived!" Tim looked around and then started looking around again.
Nina rushed through the door, greeting the four of them with a smile, to which they responded with a confused expression, Tim being unharmed despite having been stabbed.
"It's Nina..." Elliott's eyes quickly formed into pink hearts, which beat out swiftly, as they were relieved to find her in good shape, while Ariana stepped out from behind her. "Nina! Oh, it's my lovely and precious Nina! We've finally reunited!"
Nina blushed in embarrassment as sweat dripped down her cheek onto the ground and scratched the back of her head, only to see Elliott become terrified. "Oh, my dear Nina! That bandage! Who was it that did that to you? Tell me, and I'll hunt them down right away!"
"Y-Yeah, good to see you too... Elliott."
"But, no, Nina... Seriously. What happened to you, and why are you alone in this town?" He was puzzled, so Tim and the others moved closer to them to hear Codey's explanation.
"She was with us when she accidentally set off a trap, causing us to be encircled by an army of skeletons, while she fell through the hole, most likely injuring herself. But I'm not sure how she got here; there was no genuine exit in the cave I followed, and she couldn't possibly have climbed up the wall with those wounds."
"Actually, she didn't do anything at all. Natan came to her aid. He's recognized for being a talented gunner and musician, as well as a powerful combatant who's been trying to help our island by battling Clawford, one of the sea pirates who arrived out of nowhere."
Tim grew serious and stiffened his body to the point of eagerness as soon as he heard Ariana's explanation. "Gunner, AND musician? I'm not letting that person out of my grasp; the second I see him, I'm recruiting him for those two roles! It's been a long time since I've heard any music!"
Sweats were constantly dripping down their faces while the others glanced at him with a dull and unamused attitude. "You're prioritizing musician over a gunner and are you actually attempting to recruit him without even knowing who he is?"
"Yup! What happened to him? If you tell me, I'll track him down in no time!"
"Tim, I'm afraid that's almost impossible. Ariana stated that he prefers to work alone rather than in a group. I don't think you'll be able to convince him to join your team."
Tim's nostrils blew steam as he grew more certain and serious. "I'm recruiting his skills." They recognized they couldn't provide him any more information on Natan and simply accepted his point of view.
"Ayuka and Dinny, have you seen them? After I tried to track you down, I knew they headed in this direction."
"No, Codey, I didn't see them, but Ariana here told me Ayuka and Dinny passed by here together, and I was just attempting to catch up with them when you came into my view before they did."
"Who needs them? We can just go hunt Natan out by ourselves..." Tim's casual smile and crossed arms enraged Karisa, prompting her to smack him on the head. "We weren't talking about her to get her to help us find Natan; we just have a habit of reuniting!"
"Oh, where have you gone, my dear, Ayuka? I just need your warm hug, it's been scary out without you!" Elliott's body moved left and right as he continued to feel romance, only to be bonked as well.
"Nor are we talking about her comforting us!"
Tim and Elliott each got a bump on the head, which made them stop talking and become normal.
Ariana then softly spoke up. "You're free to go look for her. Dinny, I believe, pulled her to Hiro's house. Hiro arrived in the center of town a few minutes ago to calm them down and explain that neither she nor you were a threat to us. She should still be at his house, which is in the further reaches of town, if she hasn't left."
"Thank you very much, Ariana. We appreciate your assistance and we'll go there immediately."
Ariana smiled at their gratitude and watched them move through the town's road, where people seemed to greet them as a result of Hiro's explanation, but their progress was abruptly halted when they saw a man seated in a chair in front of a restaurant, waiting for his food, dressed in the darkest clothes possible, holding a case of a violin and a gun attached to his belt as there was not a single word he said.
To be continued...