The thunderstorm raged on over Harventona Park and the ocean. Since many of them began to return to their homes, the town was becoming increasingly depopulated. Ralphie led Ayuka's group to a buddy he had known for years and had high hopes for him to be able to help. Kou, on the other hand, appeared to be alone and returned to the ship to seek cover from the storm. He stepped inside the ship's cabin after climbing the ladder and landing on the wooden deck.
"I'm fortunate that no one is nearby; at the very least, I won't have to worry about someone breaking my neck. When he was continually in front of me, how could I lose track of him so quickly? Because of his irresponsible disposition, he could be anywhere and cause trouble."
"The storm is making things worse, and it looks that I'm now in charge of defending our ship. I hope no one decides to attack it, or at the very least, that no one notices it. For the time being, I should be alright."
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Yumiko's feet were pressing into the puddles of rain, and she was in a hurry to get out of the forest as quickly as possible. "I can't let Ghast realize that I'm supporting an enemy since it'll make things worse for me and Tem's allies. Hopefully he hadn't noticed me yet and opted to keep it quiet."
"If he did, we're lucky Garuda is still blind about it, but I can't support the way the 'Sun Soldiers' and Muro treat this country. They're all jerks who blindly follow Muro's orders, but if I don't work for Muro, *they* will perish, and I can't let my closest people die."
"I need to locate Tem's ship or allies as soon as possible. Where would I dock if I were a pirate who needed to hide their ship? It should be located far enough away from town and in a location where few people visit."
"Perhaps that is the location. I believe the easiest guess is behind the mountain, not far from the town's port."
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Following orders and warnings from the "Sea Noble" Empress Oriyana, a group of three persons clothed in black and yellow were scouring the region in search of Tim, who had escaped in the nick of time. They wore a large yellow sun on their attire and carried swords hidden within their belts.
"We were simply deployed at the worst possible time. The weather is bad for tracking down someone, and some people are still blocking our path."
"The woman's body was nowhere to be seen beneath the Empress Oriyana's sauna window., Either she ran away successfully or someone assisted her."
"It's inconceivable for that woman to have escaped on her own. When someone is injected with the 'Hormone Substance,' their body becomes weak and they pass out. The injection radically changes and reshapes their body, leaving them pallid and exhausted. It is evident that someone rescued that woman and transported her away from the castle, but they did not leave the island. We've been dispatched by Garuda and the Empress, therefore we'll carry out their instructions."
The three 'Sun Soldiers' strolled past Ayuka's squad, who were suspicious of their actions. They kept a close eye on them, but kept them hidden from view.
"Did you hear what they said? A chase appears to be underway. Something about a woman who fell from the sauna window of the castle. Should we concentrate on that as well? It's a little odd that this is happening right now, when we've just arrived on this island."
"We are unable to concentrate on their work. We must remain silent about our true identity before we start a conflict. We're getting close to my friend's office. We'll first inquire about the artifact, and if he is unable to assist us, we'll look for Tim. He'd been gone for some time, and Kou was nowhere to be seen."
"Do you believe the person they're referring to is Tim?"
"Karisa, don't go insane! We're alright, it's not Tim, since they were talking about a woman. Let's stay on track and visit Ralphie's friend."
Karisa's method of thinking wasn't working, so Codey exclaimed, calming her down. In terms of suspicion, Ayuka appeared to be troubled by the occurrence that occurred the day they arrived in Castlemania. They went back to following Ralphie and got closer to his friend's location.
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Tem was leaning against the cave's wall, her stomach growling with hunger. She remained silent for the majority of her stay in the cave, but the discomfort in her stomach persisted.
"I'd like to eat something. All of this empty space pains my stomach. I absolutely need to get some food, but I promised I'd stay at the cavern."
Someone stood outside the cave, staring at it in silence, as she complained. They were holding some sort of plate with great food on it. Between the cave's keyhole and Tem's nose, the scent wafted through the air. It twitched when it detected the scent, and she leapt to her feet.
"Did Yumiko come back with some delicious food? Finally, I'm starving!"
Yumiko's figure stood in the distance, holding a dish in her hand, as Tem raced through the door. She talked with Yumiko and waited for her to say something.
"Hey, Yumiko! You finally came! Did you get my clothes?"
Yumiko spun around and leapt over a shrub onto a new path. Tem became perplexed by her activities and began following her.
"Yumiko! It's no time to play catch! We can do that after I get some food, and when I go back to full strength, I'll be a lot more enthusiastic!"
Yumiko made success in putting distance between herself and Tem, and she rapidly attracted Tem's attention, who began chasing Yumiko down. "Wait a second, Yumiko!"
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Ayuka and the others approached a craftsman's house, stopping in front of the door where Ralphie had knocked. Ralphie took a step behind the house and peered through the window because no one had entered. There was no one at home, and the door was unlocked. They went inside to see if Ralphie's friend was there, but they couldn't see him, which frightened Ralphie.
"He doesn't appear to be in his home. I expected him to show up at this particular moment. It's itchy because he doesn't have access to the castle and doesn't normally visit other people's houses to work and complete their demands. His daughter is also missing, but she is a member of the 'Sun Soldiers,' so it's possible she's been keeping watch in the castle."
"Do you think he might've gone out to sea, or maybe move to a different location?"
"That is unlikely. There were no other craftsman's residences in town, so this is the only one open to the people of Harventona, and he wouldn't give up his job so easily? Furthermore, this country is noted for having a traditional ceremony involving the creation of objects for spirits. I don't believe he abandoned his work, but I have a suspicion he is in some sort of danger, yet the Harventona Park appears to be very calm."
"Yeah, people seem to be watched over these 'Sun Soldiers', so I suppose it does make sense for them to be peaceful and feel safe. You might be onto something when you mention the fact that he might be in danger."
Explained Ayuka who accepted Ralphie's information. They were all looking at her and tried to come up with some sort of a clue, which they were ready to hunt down if required.
"So now we're on the lookout for an artifact that can assist Tomomi. Last but not least, we're looking for Tim and Kou, who are nowhere to be seen. If I may say so, we have a lot on our plates..."
"Guys, I think we're putting our identities at jeopardy if we keep walking about this town like this. I'll return Tomomi to the ship, while you search for the relic and, if you come across someone, inquire about the craftsman."
"So, how about Tim and Kou? Shouldn't we also put them first?"
"For the time being, Tim and Kou should be alright on their own, but since we're already concerned about our identities being disclosed, I suppose at least one of you should go seek for them."
Elliott raised his arm as he prepared to hunt down for Tim.
"I'll go look for them! I should find them the quickest."
Everyone fixed their eyes on Elliott with unimpressed looks and quickly tried to figure out a better member, suitable for this job.
"Forget about Elliott. It's better for him to fight. I'll go look for Tim and Kou because I'm the most knowledgeable about navigation. I won't be as quick as Elliott, but I can guarantee that I'll find them. In contrast to Elliott, who will be lost in a matter of seconds."
"Do I look like I can't find them?! Who needs navigation when you can sprint across the entire island in seconds?"
"Didn't we agree not to make a scene? You dashing around this island producing trails of electricity will undoubtedly attract the attention of others. To keep it simple, even if you went looking for Tim or Kou and there was nothing to worry about, you'd still get lost and likely miss their location."
Their decision was made, and they prepared to disperse to their assigned tasks.
"Okay, Codey is off to find Kou and Tim. I'll return Tomomi to the ship before others get suspicious of her, the rest of you will search for the item, and we'll search for the artisan last. We have a lot of work to do, so hurry up and get going."
"Yes, that is the plan, although running in this rainstorm is a little difficult. It will be tough to accomplish anything within it. Let's wait till tomorrow, and then resume our quest once the rain has stopped."
"Of sure, I'll return to the ship and drop Tomomi off. I'll spend the night aboard the ship so I won't be spotted rushing around all suspiciously in the middle of the night."
"Got it. We'll have to spend the night at my friend's place."
Ayuka returned to the ship, but the rest of the group chose to spend the night at Ralphie's friend's house.
"I'll head back! We'll talk tomorrow!"
They split, and were ready to spend the night.
To be continued...