Standing at the coastline, Aaron's eyes widened as he stared at the massive structure that stood before him.
Connecting one end of the island to the other, a bridge surpassing any other constructed in history spanned the bay.
Heavy wooden pillars reinforced with concrete plunged downward into the warm desert waters, green moss clinging to the sides.
Aaron himself stood before a tall gatehouse, one of the main anchors of the protective barrier that prevented terrors from scaling the bridge and infiltrating the island.
Such an event had never happened in the history of the bridge, as when constructed, multiple mid-level terror charms had been inlaid into the foundations, as well as the gates on each side of the bridge.
On a scale far less than a Ghostship's own deterrent, it warded away any creatures lurking in the depths of the cove.
"It's…"
He paused, wiping his eyes and looking again.
"Worn down?"
That strong wood that had once held the bridge firm had nearly rotted inside and out, the gatehouse a ghost town, devoid of any guardians.
Spine-chilling groans from the base itself deterred Aaron from taking another step forward; however, the words of the townsfolk resounded in his head.
"The bridge? Heh… Without it, the travel is nearly a week!"
As the coasts were elevated and too dangerous for landing, he had no other choice but to pick between the shady-looking bridge and a long detour by land.
He regretted his hand in go-fish and let out a heavy sigh, wishing he could've picked the hunting mission at a time like this.
Akari said the Church is across the island and nestled between two mountains…
Continuing his steady pace, the blond boy felt his feet meet stone as he ascended the worn staircase.
Shattered wood and broken rock lay in piles near the destroyed entrance-way, the harsh storms that bombarded the land ripping open the once impenetrable gates.
Dust fell from the ceiling, coating his hair in the sandy substance that reeked of soil and mold.
Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he attempted to shake it out of his scalp only to have some fall into his eyes.
"Agh! Dammit!"
Digging at his eyes until he could only open them slightly, he lampooned loudly, making sure the whole world knew of his irritation.
"Damn maintenance… I bet those architects could've kept this building working!"
Kicking a pile of rocks and continuing forward, ever-so-slightly more dusty than before, he felt the stone foundation change to wood.
Terrifying creaking echoed out after each step as the numerous holes scattered across the bridge forced the boy to jump around like a goat.
Looking up at the sky, he noticed the midday sun flicker slightly as a cloud passed in front of it, the odd shape of the moon next to it glowing radiantly.
Ever since he had awoken from his self-induced coma, not for one moment had the lunar object vanished from the heavens.
Not only that, but on the eve of his arrival at the Bay of Thorn, the moon had appeared at the very apex of the night sky.
As if reacting to the object, the Ghostship lit up in a flash of turquoise runes, the warning system shooting pangs of alert throughout his body.
He had never seen an event quite like it in his months as captain; however, deep inside his chest, he knew what was coming.
Aaron did not speak about what he had seen in his dreams, nor did he mention his conversation with the unfathomable creature to anyone, yet, each night, even without the nightmare, he felt something.
Power flowed through the world itself into a primordial source, one stretched out far into the cosmos that sought to devour all.
Chains clattered against the stars, an illusory figure slowly being freed from his seal, one who the blond-boy could tell wasn't the same as the Old Man.
And so, as he looked up at the moon that resided in the midday sky, he swallowed his fear of the bridge, instead turning his mind elsewhere.
I wonder if they have started their quests yet… Maybe I could convince Akari to give me the cores of the terrors she kills…
Smiling to himself at the thought, he continued walking, his half-day journey only just beginning as the waves speckled with orange dust crashed against the bridge.
…
"What a studious young man you are!"
Raphael could only blink as he was overwhelmed by the voice of a young woman, perhaps a few years his elder, running towards him.
Bracing himself for her to crash into him, he stepped back only to realize she had stopped a few feet ahead of him.
In her hands, a large, complicated map faced him, poorly traced lines streaking off in various directions.
"What the…?"
Squinting to get a better view, he observed the markings, realizing that this woman was precisely who he was looking for.
"You're—"
He was cut off instantly as the woman punched her chest, saluting the boy strangely.
"Expert cartographer Ashly Rinn at your service! Now that you're here to help, we can get started immediately! I'm so excited to finally have some help around here… These textbook makers always want my art, yet they don't send anyone to help me! Can you believe it? It's absurd that in this economy, a woman can't get any…"
Stopping herself at the sight of Raphael's pale face, she looked down at the map she was so passionately waving around, then back up, flushing red in embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry! I just get so worked up when talking about maps that my entire brain works overdrive! Who knows when I might just break out talking about these wonderful parchments! Gah! I just love them! If I could map the entire world, I could die happy!"
As she lost herself to her own words once again, the white-haired boy could only blink and sigh, realizing that he had picked the short end of the stick when compared to Akari.
This woman is insane… Would I get in trouble if I ripped her maps to shreds?
Pondering the thought, he took a better look at the woman, his first impression beginning to wear off.
Her hair was of an orange hue, lime green tips hanging down past her shoulders and ending at her lower back.
She wore a thick brown-leather coat adorned with a variety of belts that held maps at her side at all times.
Looking at her face, her multi-colored emerald eyes gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting her bright smile into Raphael's gaze.
Blushing slightly and clearing his throat, he interrupted the woman's rant, speaking formally to her.
"Ahem… Are you the person I'll be working with to map the caverns?"
Ashly paused, turning her gaze back to Raphael, smiling as she moved her hand to her lips.
"Yep!"
Reaching out in a flash, she grabbed the boy's hand, shaking it rapidly while sliding him the map in one smooth motion.
Taking a small step backwards, Raphael shifted nervously as the woman began to speak loudly.
"Alright! The cave's entrance is a little north of the town, underneath one of those old wheat fields that they don't use anymore!"
Spinning around quickly, Ashly began to strut along the path, not a care in the world passing through her head.
The white-haired boy was left there, speechless, as he understood solemnly that he would have to crawl through hell and back with this woman.
Uttering a silent prayer to the lord high above, he began his march behind her, the dust left in his wake blowing into the windy sky.
…
As she sat in the reception chair, awaiting her name to be called, Akari admired the architecture of the laboratory.
Clean white marble slabs coated almost every surface, only diluted with occasional golden plating that wrapped around the furniture.
After checking into the building, she was told to sit and wait until a representative of the Thorn Research Center could tell her about the job.
No other instructions were given, leaving the girl partially confused yet hopeful about the quest she had chosen.
If I just quickly kill these terrors, I might be able to claim first place on this exam…
Tightening her grip around her tunic, she felt her hand brush against her loaded pistol holstered at her waist.
Each devastating shot was strong enough to explode a human head in a single blow or severely wound a terror.
"Akari Ayaka?"
A masculine voice boomed down the hallway, beckoning the pink-haired girl towards it.
"Coming!"
Shouting gently and jumping up, she reached the man in less than three seconds, her speed unmatched when compared to the two boys taking the same exam.
"Come in, we have much to discuss."
The brown-haired man pointed inside a small conference room, where various papers sprawled across the tables held down with paperweights.
Thanking the man quietly and taking a seat, she glanced down at the parchments as he began to speak.
"As you know, we have issued a request to the Guild for assistance in core research. You will be the integral step in this process since private hunters usually cost a fortune, and our own head scientist is away at the moment."
His words were focused, leaving Akari without much to say; the name of the laboratory as a whole resounded in her head.
Lord Thorn must be busy…
Nodding to the man's words, she listened as he spoke again.
"We only need three low-level cores or one mid-level core. If you bring something exceeding these requirements, we are prepared to pay you for your services outside of the original offer. Do you have any questions?"
Furrowing his brow and handing the girl a contract, she opened her own mouth to respond.
"What's my deadline?"
Taking a pen from a jar and signing her name without hearing the answer, she returned the paper to the stumped man.
"I-It's two days…"
A slow smile crept across Akari's face, one word coursing through her mind as she stood slowly, stretching her firing hand lightly.
Perfect.