Joining Forces

"Welcome, everyone."

I turned on the stream at around one o'clock — quite an early hour for my viewers, all things considered. Even at such an awkward time of day, the viewer count climbed at a remarkable pace.

"If you follow the body's own rhythm, then yes, morning it is."

"Forgive me — yesterday I was so absorbed in our conversation that I couldn't look after you all properly."

Not that the conversation itself had been anything but an endless parade of things that nagged at my mind.

Hmm. My, my. They really do say everything, don't they... Amid all that chatter flooding past, however, one message in particular caught my eye.

"Wh-what in the world is this..."

The greetings were plentiful enough, so I'd best get started before anything stranger could appear.

"Let us pick up where we left off in the Abyss."

Together with a sensation that had by now grown familiar, I checked on myself lying on the ground and the campfire burning beside me. So we were still back in that moment. Clara must have been the one on watch.

"She's asleep, I see..."

Well, she'd worn herself out running back and forth on my account, so perhaps I should keep watch in her place. I laid Clara — dozing before the campfire, head drooping in a gentle bob — down into her bedroll, and took a seat beside her.

As I gazed at the campfire, I could see the chat messages calling the Amsia story boring.

"It did come up rather abruptly, didn't it."

Well, had it been anyone but the Queen telling it, I'd have found it just as ordinary a tale myself. Hmm. So, what to do now.

"We can't simply sit around waiting for an enemy that may never come."

But that didn't mean I could sleep either. Not that I intended to sleep inside this thing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the first place — and more to the point, wasn't I keeping watch in this little one's stead? How could I possibly nod off under those circumstances?

A skip function... Now that I thought of it, I'd heard skipping could be used for travel as well. What manner of thing would skipping prove to be, I wondered. Would it leap ahead like a scene change, leaving only the result behind?

"I will skip."

When I selected 'Yes' from the hologram that bloomed into view—

"So this is how skipping works."

The campfire, which had been burning in a calm, steady hush, began to sway this way and that, dancing in a dizzying whirl. Sparks leapt, ash scattered, and through the red haze of the burning logs I could feel the flow of time streaming past. The wood blackened and collapsed, and moments stacked one atop another.

"Inside a cave, the passage of time is hard to grasp, I see."

I had crossed between worlds before, but this was my first experience of time itself accelerating. A game it may be — and yet what a genuinely wondrous sensation.

"Mmm..."

At some point the time that had been rushing past found its original pace again, and the first to rise, rubbing her eyes, was Clara.

Would you look at that. The one I'd assumed would wake last was the first one up. I'd been certain Kahn would rise before anyone.

"Good morning to you."

"Haaam... Yes, good mor-, ning? Yes? Uh, la?"

Stretching through her yawn, Clara stared blankly at my greeting face before something seemed to dawn on her — and her mind snapped clean in two.

"Hmm. Her string of reason has slipped its knot."

Beside the half-dying campfire, Clara bowed her head deep into her knees and mumbled something in a creeping little voice — and bit by bit, the flames came back to life.

"How wondrous."

"It's nothing, really... A priestess can do anything."

Unlike the bright, lively voice of yesterday, her words came slow and soft in that muffled tone of someone roused from sleep — and I found it rather pleasant, actually.

Ah, not that I disliked yesterday's voice. Only that it had perhaps been a touch... excessive.

"You're up early."

"Yes. I have to pray at dawn. But... did I happen to doze off?"

"Doze off, you say?"

"Du-, during my night watch... My memory just... cuts out at some point. And, um, I don't remember going to Jake either..."

Ah. So she was asking whether I, sitting right here, knew anything about it.

"At some point you were face-down against the campfire."

She'd been so deeply asleep that anyone could have carried her off without her noticing a thing.

"I see..."

"And so I put you to bed."

"I'm sorry — what?"

"Worry not about the night watch. I was awake."

"That can't be... Cheon-Seo, Jju... Seo. Jun, you stayed awake in my place?!"

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew perfectly well that Eastern names were difficult for Westerners to pronounce, but still—

She couldn't have paid just a little, a tiny bit more attention to the pronunciation. No — no, what am I saying about the poor girl.

Hmm... So an unnecessary nickname is going to stick... Truly, Seo Jju, of all things.

"It was nothing of consequence, so think nothing more of it."

"Even so... Seo, Jju is... no, Seo... Jun...!"

Calling a name over and over wouldn't make it any easier. Better she call me however felt natural — kinder to us both.

"Call me as you please."

"Ah, yes! Seo Jju, sir!"

"Seo Jju, she says..."

Well, at least she remembered my name. Even if the first name out of her mouth came out like that.

"So — where are you all headed now?"

"We'll probably head back to the Sanctuary. I hear things have been getting bad there lately..."

"I see."

Though I did wonder whether it was proper to share such information with an outsider like myself. It made me ask the question more than once, silently.

"Um... Seo Jju, sir, if it's all right with you — would you perhaps like to come with us?"

"You would have me come along as well?"

"Yes! Wouldn't it be nice to go together? We'd be, um, safer traveling with someone strong like you, and... and it's lonely on your own, you know!"

"Well, it's true I have nowhere to stay."

"Then all the more reason to come! We can live together at the Sanctuary!"

She carried on like a child wheedling — come with us! come with us! — and still the plea went on.

"Are you certain it's yours alone to decide?"

"Ah — right."

'Ah, right,' she says. Honestly.

"Well, it costs me nothing, so go on and ask them properly."

If the others agreed, we could travel together.

"That was an acceptance, right? It WAS an acceptance, right?"

"Yes, yes. It was an acceptance, so go ask them."

"Yessir!"

She answered with all the fighting spirit in the world, then — a flicker of something realized too late crossing her face — darted off toward somewhere.

"Where might you be going?"

"Just a moment, I, um, just a little. I need to, um..."

"Very well, be off with you."

At my words, she flushed crimson and ran off in some awkward, crooked posture.

"Do mind your typos a little, please."

As I was gazing at the chat window, I felt a gaze upon me and turned my head — there was Kahn, helmet still covering her face, looking this way as ever.

"Good morning to you."

"Morning."

So the early riser truly was the early riser. When Clara had introduced the party, all she'd said about this one was 'diligent'... And this is who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they'd call a lost cause, was it.

"Are you always up this early?"

"Usually. Fighting makes you tired."

"Quite so. After you've been through a battle, the body grows weary, doesn't it. That makes waking difficult."

"Right."

Hmm... and there the conversation died. A blunter man than I'd expected, this one.

What was I even supposed to say next?

Just as the atmosphere had grown faintly awkward, Clara's voice came ringing in from outside.

"It's an emergency!!"

An extraordinarily urgent voice — and utterly raw.

"Hmm, what is it now..."

"Haaam... I'm so sleepy I could die."

At Clara's desperate cry, Jake and Johanna rose in rumpled disarray, and even Kahn — whose eyes had already turned toward Clara — every gaze in the camp was fixed on her. Having confirmed that, Clara blurted it out.

"A monster wave is closing in on the Sanctuary!"

"What?!"

"A monster wave?!"

The blunt Kahn went rigid from head to toe, tendons standing taut across her whole body, while the ones who'd been yawning and rubbing their eyes in rumpled heaps sprang to their feet in an instant, shouting.

What in the world was a monster wave? Naturally, this was hardly the moment to ask. I would inquire later.

"We're done for. Pack your things first! Hurry!"

"Got it."

"Yes!"

Amid all the bustling about, the only baggage I had to gather was this body of mine and a single sword.

"Um — Seo Jju, sir. I know things have turned out like this, but... could you still come with us...?"

"Did you get their approval?"

"Huh? I mean, what about you...?"

"I'm fine with it. For one thing, you're all strong ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as hell. Is there anything more to say?"

"I'm fine with it too. These are times when every extra person counts. Help all you like. Ah — not that I'm asking you to help, of course."

Doesn't saying that amount to asking for help anyway... And would it hurt to put a little more sincerity into your answer, Kahn? What am I to do with such a tiny little nod?

"Let's go together!"