Chapter 1338 On the Importance of Needlework and Carpentry

Chapter 1338 On the Importance of Needlework and Carpentry

There was a lot of work to be done, and not enough time. The night was already approaching. Sunny and Nephis hastily cleared one of the compartments - the one that corresponded to the captain's cabin on the actual Chain Breaker - intending to use it as shelter.

Too tired to cook, they ate a cold supper and went to sleep. Sunny did not forget to summon Saint and Fiend to guard them, while Nightmare protected their dreams.

In the morning, both felt more refreshed. Their bodies had mostly recovered from the terrible strain put on them by the storm. Most Ascended would have been rendered weak and helpless by the savage cataclysm for weeks, but Sunny and Nephis each possessed astonishing vitality - he because of Blood Weave, she due to the restorative power of her Aspect.

They got to work as the seven suns slowly rose from the gleaming waters.

On the first day, they planned to clear the main deck of debris. With Sunny, Nephis, Saint, Fiend, and Nightmare all working together, the arduous task of moving terribly heavy pieces of wreckage was not too hard. It took longer to sift through them, separating the things that had to be disposed of from those that could be of use later.

Even though neither Sunny nor Nephis knew how to repair the siege engines, there was a weak hope that someone in Fallen Grace would.

The pieces of splintered wood seemed useless at first glance, but it was still the mystical wood that the Chain Breaker had been built of... simply tossing something like that into the water did not sit right with either of them, not even mentioning how precious of a resource wood was in the Tomb of Ariel.

There were bent and torn pieces of a strange, supremely durable metal as well. Those were also worth keeping.

In the end, they abandoned the upper deck and started clearing the main cargo hold instead. By the time they were done, it was night again, and both were tired.

...That night, they made a fire under the branches of the sacred tree, and Nephis cooked them food. Her cooking was as delicious as ever, and the quiet rustling of leaves made for a tranquil atmosphere.

However, this was the first time since the dark island that they shared a proper meal with just the two of them enjoying it.

It was so strange... Ananke had not been with them for long, but her absence felt like a gaping hole. Perhaps it was because Sunny and Nephis had witnessed her as a frail old woman, a vigorous matron, a charming young lady, and an innocent child that their time together felt like a lifetime.

That lifetime was now behind them, and new hardships awaited ahead. Time was relentless, washing away all things - both inconsequential and those they held dear.

Sunny was standing by her side.

He looked at Nephis and asked, his voice full of anticipation - which was hard not to feel after a whole week of hard labor to prepare for this moment.

"Are you ready?"

Placing her hand on the steering oars, she nodded.

"Let's go. We wasted enough time in the future already."

Turning away, he inhaled deeply and looked at the length of the graceful vessel.

When Noctis had owned it, there was a crew of wooden sailor dolls to work the ship. When the Fire Keepers claimed it, there were Awakened to do the same.

Now, however, there were only Sunny and Nephis... and Nephis had to remain at the stern to guide the Chain Breaker. So, it was his job to work the sails.

Since Sunny had no intention of jumping from mast to mast like a monkey... whatever a monkey was... he concentrated and called upon the shadows.

A few moments later, tenebrous arms manifested themselves into existence all over the ship, pulling on the ropes. It took some concentration to control them all at once, but after the grueling education of the Antarctic Campaign, Sunny was more than proficient in using Shadow Manifestation. The sails slowly rose, and then filled with wind.

Coming back to life, the ancient ship turned to face downstream, and then slowly started accelerating.

'It's moving...'

They were finally on their way to Fallen Grace.Updated from n0velb(i)n.c(o)/m