Upon leaving Kai in the alley and the two unseen rooftop spectators, Nephis began to lead Sunny in the direction of the lodge, the two engulfed in an awkward silence.
Neither had said a word since they started walking, and it seemed like neither had any intention of initiating a conversation.
The two continued their short journey, eventually making it to a building that Sunny found both familiar and jarringly different.
In the few months he had spent in the ruins, Nephis had expanded her base of operations into a large structure befitting of her status.
Sunny expanded his senses, silently counting the number of lookouts Changing Star had stationed around her base.
Walking inside, Sunny couldn't help but notice how much busier it was.
Sure, there had been quite a bit of activity within these walls a few months ago, but now, the number of handmaidens and managers darting around the place was nearly on the same level as the Bright Castle.
"We're having a meeting. Could you fetch the others?"
"As you wish."
Picking up on the chatter, Sunny turned in time to see Nephis issuing commands to some nearby handmaidens, the young women nodding reverently.
Sunny let out a low whistle.
"Huuu~ You run a pretty tight ship. I almost thought I was back at the Castle."
Nephis gave him a neutral nod.
"Come on."
She led him deeper into the lodge, into the area that used to be the central hall.
Along with the numerous other changes to the lodge, the central hall had been sectioned off to create another room, one where Sunny guessed the cohort now held their meetings.
Ushered inside by Nephis, Sunny walked through the doorway and promptly took a seat at a nearby table, his eyes wandering across the room.
Though after finding nothing of note besides, well, a couple of notes, Sunny quickly lost interest in the room's decor.
"They'll be here soon."
Nephis took a seat at the head of the table, her gaze carrying a hint of tenseness that Sunny would be remiss to ignore.
Crossing his arms, he grumbled:
"Let's just get this over with fast. I don't want to make Kai wait long."
Nephis nodded.
The two fell back into silence, neither willing to make eye contact.
Fortunately, the deadlock was quickly broken by the arrival of a familiar face.
Surprisingly, Effie was the first one to answer Nephis' call, the bronze huntress sauntering into the room with a slightly grumpy look.
"I was in the middle of a nice nap, this better be- Huh?? Who the hell are you?!"
The grumpiness dropped from her face instantly, her annoyance replaced by a wide-eyed stare that betrayed her surprise.
Sunny scoffed.
"Gee, it's only been three months and you've already forgotten your favorite student? Some teacher you are..."
Sunny watched as the huntress froze, the gears turning slowly in her brain.
"Doofus??"
"Doofus? My name's Sunny."
Effie's jaw dropped, her eyes locked on his face.
"Like what you see?"
Just being able to say those words made this trip well worth it in Sunny's eyes.
For once, the huntress was rendered speechless.
Nephis coughed into her fist.
"Ahem. Effie, did you see the others on your way here?"
Eyes still trained on Sunny's features, Effie blinked a few times.
"... uh, right- I'm pretty sure Caster's on his way, but I'm not sure about Cassie, haven't seen her since last night."
Nephis nodded, gesturing for Effie to sit down.
Upon taking her seat, the huntress seemed to finally shake off her shock.
"Did Prince Charming give you plastic surgery or something? How the hell did you change so much in three months?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Just a bit of training. Nothing too crazy."
Effie gave him a crooked grin.
"Wow~ Real humble doofus, but I was being serious."
Sunny just smirked, turning his gaze towards the doorway again.
Another familiar face walked through the doorway.
Caster bowed respectfully in Nephis' direction.
"You called Lady Nephis?"
Changing Star gave him a stiff wave.
Caster's eyes drifted to Sunny's figure, his green eyes scanning his person.
"... And, who might you be? I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting yet."
Sunny blinked, tilting his head in confusion.
"You don't recognize me?"
The comparatively average-looking legacy shook his head.
"With all due respect, I don't think I would've forgotten a face like yours."
Sunny barked out a laugh.
"Hah~ Three months and nobody except Neph recognizes me. What a surprise..."
"... Three months?"
Seemingly connecting the dots, Caster's eyes widened a significant degree.
"Sunny?!"
"In the flesh."
Sunny let out a chuckle, basking in the legacy's dismay.
Caster was able to collect his thoughts far faster than Effie, perhaps the result of his clan's training, and quickly took a seat by Nephis.
There was a quick bout of silence, all four sleepers exchanging glances.
Caster broke the quiet.
"Just Lady Cassia left?"
Nephis furrowed her brow, her index finger rhythmically tapping on the wooden table.
"...Yeah, but it's not like her to be this late. Normally, she's the first one here."
Sunny unconsciously turned his gaze back towards the doorway, sharpening his senses in an effort to detect Cassie's presence.
Thankfully, in a few short seconds, his ears caught a familiar set of frantic footsteps.
The heavy wooden door swung open, the disheveled form of his blind friend standing in the doorway, catching her breath.
"S-Sorry I'm late..."
Awkwardly walking into the room, Cassie found a seat near the end of the table.
Nephis let out a sigh.
"Alright, now that we're all here, we can start."
Sunny raised a brow.
"Finally?"
Nephis ignored him and turned her gaze to Caster, the legacy nodding respectfully as he summoned a Memory that looked like a bone flute.
As he placed it on the table, Sunny widened his eyes slightly.
"Nifty Memory you got there."
The legacy flashed him an amicable smile.
"Why, thank you."
His tone was oddly respectful, something that Sunny took note of.
"So, Neph, what exactly did you drag me here to talk about. Is Gunlaug gearing up to slaughter you all or something?"
Effie whistled.
"Hit the nail on the head."
Nephis nodded.
"Yes, you're right. The Bright Lord has been probing us for the past few months, and now he's getting ready to start acting against us. That's why we need your help, Sunny."
Sunny scoffed.
"Let me guess. You need me to call Audun, don't you?"
The huntress, legacy, and angel exchanged looks.
Sunny couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping his lips.
"You guys are out of luck. Audun left a week ago to train in the labyrinth, and he won't be back until-"
Nephis cut him off.
"Sunny, we don't need Audun."
Slightly taken aback, Sunny raised a brow.
"Oh? And what exactly do you need from little old me?"
A hesitant look flashed across Nephis' face.
"I need you to take Effie to your base and keep her safe for a week."
Sunny blinked.
"What?"
Nephis pursed her lips.
"It's complicated..."
Letting out a sigh, Sunny shrugged.
"Well, it's a good thing I have time to spare."
Nephis gave him a nod.
"Effie... said some rather despicable things to a bunch of guards who visited the outer settlement recently, and coincidentally, they went missing not too long ago..."
Sunny glanced at Effie.
"So... I'm guessing that Gunlaug is using those 'missing' guards as justification to launch an attack... and the target of that attack is going to be... Effie?"
Caster sighed.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. The Bright Lord is going to use Effie as a hostage to force Lady Nephis into a challenge, and we're trying to prevent that from happe-"
"Let me stop you there."
An awkward smile spread across Sunny's face.
"I was the one who killed the guards."
The room stilled.
Nephis blinked.
"What?"
Scratching his head, Sunny averted his gaze.
"They tried to rob me so.... well, I cut them down- Well, most of them. I left one alive, but I guess he died on the way back to the Castle."
Caster frowned.
"So... this is all your fault?"
Sunny nodded vigorously.
"Pretty much!"
Effie, who had been quiet up until now, burst out into laughter, though Nephis' steely gaze promptly shut her up.
Nephis' jaw tightened.
"Sunny."
"Yeah?"
"... Nevermind."
Chaning Star let out a heavy breath.
"It doesn't matter. All I need you to do is keep Effie out of Gunlaug's hands for one week. That's it."
Sunny frowned.
"I don't necessarily mind guarding her for a week since it's my fault, but why just a week? I doubt Gunlaug would just forget about what happened after a couple of days."
The room grew silent, the sleepers exchanging hesitant looks.
After a bout of silence, Nephis spoke.
"In a week, we'll be ready to leave the city."
For the first time since entering the room, Sunny truly felt shocked.
"... Normally, I wouldn't pry, but why? For what possible reason would you plunge back into the labyrinth after we spent months trying to get out?"
Nephis gazed out at a map hung on one of the walls, her gray eyes gleaming softly.
"There's an Item we need to find. If we find it... We can retake the castle from Gunlaug."
Sunny paused as Nephis continued:
"Sunny, there's something I need to ask you..."
Drawing in a deep breath, Changing Star leveled her gaze with his, but Sunny cut her off.
"The answers no."
Nephis blinked.
"But you di-"
Sunny shook his head.
"You were going to ask me to travel with you, right? Well, my answer is no."
For once, Nephis truly looked flustered.
"Sunny, can we talk about this? We're willing to negotiate compensation and-"
Sunny cut her off again with a sigh.
"Hah~ There are a couple of reasons why I'm saying no, and none of them are related to compensation or rewards."
Nephis froze as Sunny continued.
"First of all, you are telling me a WEEK before you're departing. If I agree to guard Effie, I'll have little to no time to actually prepare for the expedition."
Sunny leveled his gaze with Changing Star.
"Second of all, your reasoning doesn't make sense. You're telling me that the reason you're traveling back into the labyrinth is to find an item that'll help you fight against Gunlaug? Yeah fucking right. Unless you've forgotten, you have a swordsman who can literally evaporate people on speed dial."
Sunny tapped his temple with his index finger.
"All the evidence is pointing towards the conclusion that you're either hiding something from me, or you're feeding into your savior complex, and unless you tell me which one it is, I'm not lifting a finger to aid your cause."
Nephis' eyes narrowed, but Sunny didn't give her a chance to speak.
'May as well lay all my cards on the table.'
"But-"
He paused for dramatic effect.
"I'll be willing to solve one of your problems for you as repayment for causing a mess."
Nephis paused.
"What do you mean?"
A smile spread across Sunny's face.
"Gunlaug. I'll get rid of Gunlaug for you."
____________________________________________________________________
(A/N: I'm so so sorry, but I'm gonna have to slightly delay the release of the extra bonus chapter I owe you guys.
Something big happened to me recently, and I've suddenly lost a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of energy, but I made a choice, and I've been slapped with a commitment I've never had the privilege of having.
If you know, you know.
The bonus chapter should be released alongside a normal chapter on either Monday or Tuesday, so look out for that.
If you guys enjoyed the chapter, leave a comment, possibly drop a review, and if you want more, donate me a few power stones.
Also, if you have any thoughts or complaints about this delopement, feel free to voice them.
See you guys soon!)