Stargazer Navalia was not a battlefield by design, even if it was likely to become one soon.
It was a workshop.
A cathedral to unfinished things.
Half-assembled starskiffs lined the expansive docks, suspended in various states of completion by gravitic clamps and articulated frames. Hulls lay open, their interiors exposed in neat layers of conduits and crystal matrices. Some were little more than skeletal frames — ribs of metal and light — while others looked one final component away from flight.
Now, many of them were stained.
Sap-like residue clung to polished plating. Wilted blossoms had settled into crevices where weld seams met. Here and there, slash marks gouged through alloy as if it were soft wood.
Tingyun led them along elevated walkways that threaded through the construction yards, her pace unhurried despite the destruction surrounding them. March had gone quiet, gaze darting from shadow to shadow, camera forgotten at her side. Welt's expression remained neutral, but his eyes missed nothing.
Sunny, meanwhile, had decided to bring some much-needed fun to this boring event.
He straightened slightly, posture shifting almost unconsciously as he leaned into the role. His gaze sharpened, scanning the environment with exaggerated scrutiny. Every scuff mark became a clue. Every broken railing a potential narrative beat.
Ace Detective Sunny was on the case.
He crouched near a toppled maintenance cart, fingers hovering just above a smear of dark residue.
"…Interesting."
March glanced over.
"You find something?"
Sunny nodded slowly.
"Yes."
He stood, turning dramatically.
"This smear indicates hurried movement. Someone fleeing. Or perhaps… luring."
March blinked.
"…You just made that up, didn't you?"
"…No? I know what I'm talking about!"
He moved on with a scoff, eyes tracing the path of scattered blossoms that seemed almost deliberately arranged, leading deeper into the Navalia. His boots crunched softly against debris as he followed the trail.
There it was.
A small, metallic tag affixed to a support beam, tied with a thin violet ribbon.
Sunny stared at it.
"…Oh, come on."
March leaned closer.
"What is it?"
Sunny reached out, plucked the tag free, and flipped it over.
Neatly etched into the surface were a few simple words.
"Play hide-and-seek with your friendly neighborhood Kafka for the small price of… a Stellaron!"
March groaned.
"She's messing with us, and it's not even funny!"
Sunny blinked.
"I thought it was funny…"
"Nobody asked you!"
They continued.
The further in they went, the more obvious it became that Kafka wasn't hiding.
She was guiding.
Clues appeared with increasing frequency — a scorched floor panel here, a severed Mara-Struck limb there, positioned just so. Each one carried the same implication.
She was at least seven steps ahead of them.
Metaphorically, and not literally. Otherwise, Sunny could skip them all with Shadow Step.
They paused near a partially assembled starskiff, its hull suspended upside down, internal systems exposed like a dissected organism. Beneath it, a single crate had been overturned.
Sunny approached.
On the inside of the crate lid, written in elegant script, was another message.
"You're thinking too hard."
Well, that message was clearly not intended for him. In fact, Sunny didn't have a single thought going through his mind right now! They'd find her eventually…
And he'd get his goodies!
Tingyun had remained a few steps back, ears flicking subtly as she surveyed the area.
"This entire route is intentional."
Sunny glanced at her.
"No kidding."
They moved again, descending from the elevated walkways into a broader assembly bay. The ceiling rose high overhead, latticework of beams crisscrossing like a web.
Sunny slowed.
Something felt… off.
They stepped forward, examining how out of place the ground was.
Sunny followed them to the center of the bay, where a single, pristine platform stood untouched amid the chaos. No signs of battle, nor Abundance.
He ignored the swiftly crawling creature his shadow sense was detecting.
Sunny narrowed his eyes, turning around to face the others present.
Tap.
[You have recieved…]
[You have recieved…]
The sensation was light. Almost playful.
A single finger, brushing his shoulder.
Sunny forced himself to freeze, then sigh.
He turned around.
Kafka hung upside down behind him, suspended effortlessly from a web of shimmering threads anchored to the overhead framework. Her coat draped toward the floor, defying gravity with casual elegance. One hand rested against her cheek, the other still extended from where she'd tapped him.
Her smile was familiar.
March yelped.
Welt's grip tightened on his cane.
Tingyun took a step back.
Then another.
Then very deliberately put even more distance between herself and the center of the bay.
Kafka's eyes flicked over the group, amused.
Sunny's eyes flicked over his runes, resisting the urge to squeal as he checked the Memories Kafka transferred to him.
'This sword…! And this armor…!'
The note the Stellaron Hunter's had left on his bed had never been a conversation, threat, or anything remotely similar. A simple deal was all it was:
In exchange for Memories to replace the ones that were destroyed in the Nightmare, he'd assist them as Mongrel a singular time.
Of course, Sunny never verbally agreed to this deal. If he didn't want to help, he'd just say no — assuming he'd live after doing so.
But that was for later. At this very moment, he was going to take his new gear out for a spin.