Long chapter btw but it's all filler so no need to actually read :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taking a deep breath, Sunny walked in.
'What, no time like the present?'
He had imagined that moment a lot of times in the past.
Inside the room, a wide window opened onto an eerily breathtaking view of the Dark City. On the wall beside it, a map of the ruins was littered with various markings that contained valuable information. They seemed to be much denser than before.
There was a large wooden table beside the window, around which stood seven makeshift chairs. Currently, only two were occupied.
Effie was sitting on one, her feet unceremoniously resting on the table. As always, she looked extremely comfortable and relaxed. Sunny couldn't see what Juno saw in her, but everyone makes mistakes. On the chair next to her, a beautiful blind girl was cradling a cup in her delicate hands. It was Cassie.
Nephis and Caster stood near the map, discussing something with each other.
These four were the core of the Immortal Flame hunting party, regarded as being on par with at least the pathfinders.
Once Sunny and Kai had fully entered, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to them. Even Cassie.
Sunny put on the most obnoxious grin he could.
"Ah, how dearly I have missed you all. No need to say how much you've missed me, since I already know it was a lot. Anyway, this is Kai. Kai, say hello to everyone — these are Cassie, Caster, and Effie. You already met Nephis."
The archer smiled beautifully and spoke in a tantalizing voice, even better than he had before.
"Well… hello, Lady Changing Star, Cassia, Caster, and Huntress Athena. It is a… great pleasure to meet all of you."
All the people in the room reacted differently to his arrival.
Nephis played it off as indifferently as she usually did, but Sunny knew her well enough to be able to glean the strange tension she carried.
Caster pretended to be amicable, but it was clear he wasn't happy with the new development. Had Nephis even told them he was coming, or was that a spur-of-the-moment type of thing?
Effie looked at him, totally surprised.
"Doofus? How are you still alive?"
Sunny blinked at her for a few moments before speaking in a bitter tone.
"Quite easily, actually. Sorry to disappoint.
She shook her head.
"No, no… just, how the hell did you survive for three months in the Dark City?"
He grinned.
"What can I say, I am great at surviving when I want to."
"Surviving, maybe, but definitely not keeping care of yourself. You look absolutely feral."
'I look feral? Damn, Juno could've mentioned that part.'
Shaking his head a little, or a lot, Sunny chased away the complicated feelings and sat down at one of the chairs and put his feet up on the table. Looking confident was half the battle in negotiations.
"So… what did you need me for, Nephis?"
After exchanging a look between themselves, Nephis sat down, and Caster summoned a Memory. It was a bone flute, and when he set it down on the table, something in the air immediately changed.
Sunny raised an eyebrow at it.
"What's that?"
The handsome young man sat on a chair next to Changing Star and said:
"This Memory has an enchantment that creates a cone of silence. No one outside said cone will be able to hear us."
Sunny tried not to facepalm. That fact alone meant that what they would be discussing was going to be incredibly important. Sadly, Nephis's saying that this was a matter of life and death was an accurate statement.
"I see that the Bright Lord is about to eliminate all of you. So, is he going to do it with just Harus or an all-out attack?"
Effie giggled.
Nephis shot her a look, causing the huntress's words to die on her lips. She then glanced at Sunny.
"You are right, Gunlaug is indeed planning a major move against us. He had done this before, but the scale of those battles was a lot like skirmishes. But now, he is planning to act on a full offensive, and thus I need you and… your brother's help."
Sunny raised another eyebrow at this.
"I can see what the mighty Sun Chaser can offer you, but what can a tiny and weak cockroach like me do for you?"
Effie gave him and Nephis a strange look, then cleared her throat.
"Truth be told, I fully agree with doofus. What can he do that Juno or we can't? He might be a decent scout, but…"
'Great point! Now, agree with her and let me out, Nephis!'
Changing Star only smiled before looking at Sunny again.
"Well, Effie, it seems like you had fallen for his act. Sunny might always behave like a coward and a weakling, but in reality, he is almost as dangerous as Juno or the lieutenants. Perhaps his brother and I are the only ones who really know how dangerous he is. Isn't that right, Sunny?"
The grin froze on his face. A few moments passed in silence before Sunny sighed dramatically.
"You wound me, Neph. How can you say I am as strong as Juno? I am obviously stronger than him! But, besides that fact," Sunny turned to face Effie, "the dog is out of the bag! I am way stronger than you thought! Big surprise, isn't it?"
Then, he shot a scathing look at Effie.
"Oh my, it seems like it isn't a surprise. Everyone seemed to have figured it out, except you. If only that muscle went to your brain instead of your… muscles…"
Sunny finished off a little weak, but he believed the rest of his announcement was strong. Carried enough flair at least.
Effie stared at him before slowly raising a thumb.
"Congratulations," she said. "You played yourself. Maybe if you…"
Nephis ended up interrupting her.
"And ultimately, that is how he managed to survive in the ruins," she said calmly. "Just like he survived two in the Labyrinth. Sunny is an extremely formidable fighter. He is simply also a devious asshole."
Sunny froze, then threw her an offended look.
"Hey! You can't just—"
"…and that is exactly what makes him dangerous," Nephis finished, the corner of her mouth almost, almost twitching.
Looking offended at that statement, he turned to Kai.
"Night, tell them the truth!"
Kai coughed into his fist, eyes shining with amusement.
"Uh… yes," he said carefully. "I can confirm at least part of that description."
Sunny glared at him.
"That's not what you're supposed to say!"
Kai looked a bit taken aback, but composed himself and smiled at the group.
"Right, indeed," he said. "Sunny is an upstanding gentleman who is not an asshole at all. In fact, he is kinder than anyone else I have met!"
Effie squinted, but before she could say anything, Sunny clapped his hands loudly and forced a change in the conversation.
"Anyway," he said. "Flattering as this all is, maybe we get to the part where you explain why you need me."
Changing Star hesitated, then said:
"I want you to take Effie to your hideout in the ruins and keep her safe there for about a week, and in that time to get Juno to speak with me."
Sunny blinked.
'... Ah, fuck.'
…
Sunny blinked, once, twice, then a couple more times.
"...Excuse me?" He said slowly. "You want me to keep Effie… safe?"
Nephis gave him a nod, then hesitated for a few moments and sighed.
What followed was a very long but not so detailed explanation of what had transpired recently. Caster had seemed to focus on an event that Effie was a part of, and how the other participants in said event had gone missing. Sunny didn't want to draw attention to how it was actually him who killed the hunters, but Kai had a different idea. Luckily, he didn't reveal too much, or else there would have been many problems.
Caster also revealed that they had two informants from the castle. From his memory, Sunny could guess that one of those informants was Kido, since Nephis had decided to follow Juno's advice and tried really hard to befriend her. The other informant, however, remained a mystery to him.
By the end of the explanations, Sunny had only one question.
"And what happens in a week?" he asked. "You think he'll just forget?"
A heavy silence descended on the room. No one seemed to want to speak first.
After a few moments had passed, Nephis finally broke the silence. Looking in the window, she leaned back and said in her usual even, indifferent tone:
"In a week, we will be ready to leave the city."
That was not what Sunny had expected to hear, but he calmed himself down quickly enough.
Soon, another map was spread on the table. This one was drawn on a piece of crude parchment made out of monster hide, and it was much less detailed than the one hanging on the wall.
Well, that was understandable. Because the second map did not depict the Dark City, but the Forgotten Shore itself. Sunny stared at it in stunned silence.
Frowning, Sunny glanced at the map and said:
"So let me get this straight. You want to leave the Dark City, cross the Labyrinth, reach the edges of the Forgotten Shore… and then return?"
Nephis smiled.
"Exactly, yes."
He sighed.
"Of course you are," he said. "But, how did you find any of this out?"
Nephis shrugged.
"There isn't, but there are stories. Some written evidence. However, most of this we have learned from Cassie's visions."
She gave the blind girl a warm look.
"Cassie has helped us a lot."
If Changing Star had come up with this plan, it meant she had good reasons to believe it was actually doable. There would be danger — there always was on the Forgotten Shore — but there was also a rare opportunity buried in it.
Leaving the ruins for a few months in the company of an extremely formidable cohort was… tempting. Outside the Dark City, most Nightmare Creatures were weaker than the ones inside. His hunting efficiency would skyrocket, which meant more shadow fragments, more Memories, more food for the Stone Saint.
Especially with Nephis, Effie, and Caster doing most of the heavy hitting, and Cassie there to warn them away from the things they had no business fighting. He hadn't forgotten how many times her strange affinity for mysteries had kept them alive — like that awful night when they'd called a mimic from the depths of the dark sea. With a true seer around, even the cursed waters of the Labyrinth had been a little less unknowable.
So he wasn't immediately against the idea. Particularly not when there was extra compensation on the table.
But there was something else he had to weigh.
He looked up at the people in the room, then cleared his throat.
"Uh… I'd like to talk to Nephis alone. Please."
For a moment, no one moved. Caster especially looked like he'd bitten into something sour.
What is it with him and Neph? Sunny thought. Why is he so possessive?
Then Nephis gave them a single, quiet look.
Reluctantly, one by one, they stood and left the room, until it was just the two of them and the map between them.
"Neph… why do you do this? Why are you trying to pull me back into your business? Don't you know how this will end?"
She watched him silently for a couple of moments, a steel mask on her face.
"Because, out of all the people in the world, you are one of the only ones I trust. You, Cassie, and maybe Juno. But out of all of them, I only trust you to have my back."
He couldn't help but grin bitterly. Even in this situation, he still found that phrase a little funny.
"Maybe Juno? Wow, Neph, you sound like you think that he might kill you in your sleep."
Nephis didn't smile at this.
"He might," she said simply. "Juno might kill me in my sleep. So might Caster. I've told you about myself before, and these two are people who might kill me from my past. But you won't, I know that for sure. You wouldn't ever."
Sunny blinked, thrown for a moment by how flatly she said it.
She went on, voice low but steady:
"But I do not make plans based on fear. I choose based on who I trust to stand where I need them to stand when it matters. And out of everyone, that is you."
He let out a breath, half‑bitter, half‑amused.
"Flattering," he said. "In a deeply concerning way."
Her expression didn't change.
"Do you trust Juno?" she asked.
The shift in topic was sharp enough to make him pause. He thought about Juno's hooded figure under the tree, about seventeen Memories shoved into his hands, about the fact that Juno could have killed him ten different ways and hadn't.
After a moment, he nodded once.
"Yeah," he said. "I do. More than you, or anyone else really."
Something in her shoulders tensed before reluctantly going back to how they were before.
"Then between your caution and his strength, Effie will be as safe as she can be," Nephis said. "That is all I can ask."
Sunny clicked his tongue.
"Right," he said. "So. Here's how this is going to go."
He straightened a little, drumming his fingers lightly on the table.
"I'll take Effie," he said. "I'll keep her out of Gunlaug's hands for a week. I'll poke Juno and tell him to speak with you, since I don't know how you knew this, but I do have a way to reach him."
He held up two fingers.
"But. In return, I want two things from you."
Nephis inclined her head a fraction.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"First," Sunny said, "for babysitting the huntress and playing courier, I want a really good bow Memory. You see, I sadly owe a certain guy one, so where else could I get one besides from you? I don't care how you get it, but this Memory needs to be of either an Awakened fifth tier or an Ascended level one. That's the payment for Effie and Juno."
Nephis considered it.
If she managed to get the Memory she was thinking of, and tell Juno on top of that, he would owe her. It was not a small ask, but it was not unreasonable either.
"If there is such a bow," she said, "it will be yours."
Sunny nodded, satisfied.
"Second," he said. "If I do decide to join your grand march, I want your help with something after we come back."
He jerked his chin in the vague direction of the Dark City.
"There's a Fallen Devil squatting in that cathedral I live under," he said. "Big and ugly bastard. When this expedition of yours is over, I want you to help me kill him."
Nephis didn't answer immediately.
The words "Fallen Devil" would have terrified most Sleepers. For her, they were more like… a measure of workload. A dangerous, difficult, but finite problem.
Killing a Fallen Devil was not impossible. The current lieutenants have publicly killed a Fallen Devil each, and previous exalted fighters had even killed a Fallen Tyrant. For them, this extermination would be quite easy.
"Agreed," she said at last. "If you decide to join us, when we return, I will help you kill your Fallen Devil."
Sunny watched her for a moment, then nodded.
"Good," he said. "Then here's my side of the bargain: I'll give you my answer by the end of the week. When we meet again—after Effie's little vacation—you'll know whether I'm coming along on your suicide tour or not."
He pushed away from the table, turning toward the door.
Behind him, Nephis's voice stopped him for just a heartbeat.
"Sunny," she said.
He glanced back.
"Whatever your answer is," she said quietly, "it will not change the fact that I value you."
He huffed a small, humorless laugh.
"Yeah," he said. "Sure. Just don't burn me alive if I give you a no."
…
Effie was with Kai in the dining area, hunched over a huge plate of stew. The other members of the Immortal Flame cohort were nowhere to be found.
He dropped into a chair opposite the two locals and gave them a dark look.
"What, the two of you know each other?"
Kai smiled.
"Who doesn't know huntress Athena? We've had… a few brushes in the past."
Sunny decided he didn't want to know.
"Does she know about that peculiar Flaw of yours?" he asked instead.
Kai blinked.
"I guess so? I don't make a secret of it."
Great. Of course, the people with decent Flaws had no survival instinct about them.
"Fine," Sunny said. "Was anyone in that room lying?"
Effie grinned.
"Ah, so that's why you dragged Night along. Paranoid much?"
"Exactly as paranoid as a person should be," Sunny said. "Which is extremely."
Kai hesitated, then shook his head.
"No. No one lied. Your friends are… very honest people."
'Oh, you poor lamb.'
Sunny frowned, sorted that away, then turned to Effie.
"Neph and I agreed to continue our conversation in a week," he said. "Until then, you're under my protection."
Effie snorted.
"Wow. That makes me feel really safe. Thanks, doofus."
"Don't worry," he said. "You haven't met my roommate yet."
Kai choked on his drink.
Sunny patted him on the back. "Anyway, thanks for the help."
Kai forced a smile, said something polite, and escaped.
Left alone, Effie glanced around, then back at him.
"So," she asked. "When do we leave?"
"Now," Sunny said. "This place gives me the creeps."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Sure. Let's ditch the scary fortress and go hide in the cursed ruins. At least we can feel safe there, right?"
He gave her a bright, insincere smile.
"Exactly."
As they began walking, Sunny summoned one specific Memory and the tablet he had gotten from Juno. Turning to Effie, he grinned widely before raising his dagger.
"By the way, Effie," he began brightly. "To contact Juno, I am going to need a small part of you. Specifically, your blood."