God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Three days later...

Gwendolyn cruising upon the waves was a glorious, yet solemn sight. The ship was still in a state of disrepair, it's sails ragged, and the hill worn.

They had chased after the ship for the past three days, and had finally caught up.

"Get ready to board." Hunter said, his voice a bit forlorn.

Boarding the ship was not a very pleasant experience. Gliding to the side of the ship with the {Wavedrifters}, they reached out to ropes that had already been tied to the the railings on the decks.

Although these ropes had been secured fastly, this didn't stop one's intrusive thoughts.

The height of this ship was equivalent to a building with multiple floors. Having to think about the rope snapping during the climbing process was mental torture.

Eventually, they got on board safely.

Hunter turned around, "Good job all of you."

They all fell to the wooden deck, exhausted beyond relief.

"Finally!" Li exhaled.

Hunter wrinkled his nose, "I'll go meet with Cain. You all are free to do what you want until I get back... Make sure to shower."

With that, Hunter turned around and left.

"Well, he seems oddly thoughtful today." Li said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Jenny chuckled, shaking her head. Over the month, she had changed little. Her previously shorter hair had grown to shoulder length, but that was where most of the changes ended.

Storing her rifle into her inventory, she she stood up,

"I'm going to meet Cain as well."

Li glanced at her, "Are you sure you don't want to rest first?"

She smiled. Without saying anything more, she waved then turned around to leave. Meanwhile, Susan left quietly without anyone noticing.

The moment she left, Li turned to Stan,

"See? I told you. She's definitely into him!"

Sue, who had been busy massaging her feet snapped her head at Li,

"Can you shut it?"

Li glared at her, "Where'd all your manners go?"

Stan laughed, "Don't you think meddling in other's business is too much?"

Li snorted, "I just think that Guy is too greedy. How many of them does he want for himself? Can't even leave any for us..."

"Hmph. Pervert." Sue said, every last ounce of respect she had for her blood brother evaporating into nothingness.

Seeing Li's face turn pale, Stan patted him on the shoulder. Turning around to address those behind him, he beamed with a bright smile,

"Enough of all that. Let's get some grub!"

"Ha... You youngsters are so full of energy these days." Old Man Ling said, his face weary.

"Can't we just rest a bit more?" Someone from the small crowd said.

Stan shook his head, "Of course not! Eating definitely fills you with energy. Get up! No time to waste!"

They all took off to the mess hall, their conversations filled with friendly banter.

***

Meanwhile, Jenny walked across the corridors of this mighty sailing vessel, her thoughts far away.

'Its been a while.'

Due to the various events that had led u to this point, her perception of time had become a bit warped. How long had it been since the beginning of all this chaos? She wasn't sure...

However, she knew a lot had happened. Although now it all seemed like a muddy dream.

She let out a sigh...

'And there's that.'

Hearing footsteps approaching from behind her, she turned back slightly.

There, walking just slightly behind her, was Susan. A true beauty that could send one's mind through a spiral.

Jenny felt a strange feeling welling up inside her. The competition wasn't friendly at all...

She tried keeping a straight face. However, Susan seemed to have no intention of doing the same.

"You did well in that last fight."

'Is she making small talk?' Jenny thought to herself.

While they both weren't strangers, having gone through many things together, they weren't particularly close. Their relationship was mostly cordial, but nothing more...

The binding force between them... was a single person. Even though said person was oblivious to this fact.

Seeing as staying silent for too long could be interpreted as being rude by the other party, Jenny quickly replied,

"Ah... It was nothing, really. You are the real backbone of our team."

While this was true, both Jenny and Susan play huge parts in the team's survival. Jenny, with her high perception, could spot danger coming from miles away.

Not only that, but her bullets were powerful enough to inflict serious damage, sometimes ending powerful enemies with a single shot if she was lucky.

Susan on the other hand was the glue that kept them together. Her timely support and healing spells made sure that everyone would come out of each dangerous encounter with their lives intact at the very least.

Silence reigned between them for a while, before Susan hesitantly spoke again,

"Things aren't going to be the same anymore once we get back to the city. I plan on leaving for a while to try finding my family. If they aren't all dead."

It was easy to forget that the past still existed with all the things that had happened so far. Jenny herself was a bit taken aback, remembering how life was like before the apocalypse.

Simple, and uneventful...

However, it had also been filled with warm memories. Having it all die away was something that should have been hard to come to terms with. And yet...

Jenny smiled sadly, "I don't thing I can truly understand how you feel. My family has been with me through all this."

Li, Sue and Stan... That was all the family she had left, or she needed. She wanted to become powerful enough to protect them. That was why she had no problems putting her life in danger. All to preserve whatever solace she could find in this colder world.

Susan chuckled, "You must feel really lucky, then..."

Jenny smiled, "Not really. We are all in the same boat. If we can get to safety, I'm sure a lot of people will make the same decision."

Susan gave her strange look,

"It's only temporary."

"Hm?" Jenny was a bit confused.

Susan stopped to stare at Jenny straight in the eyes,

"If I should ever leave, it would only be temporary. There are important things, people I'm not willing to leave behind after all."

'What is happening?'

Well, thinking about it a bit, it was obvious what this was. A clear confrontation...

Jenny remained silent...

Susan smiled softly as well. However, her eyes were filled with a challenge. Still, Jenny didn't back down.

Eventually, they both relented and kept walking, remaining silent until they arrived before a certain room.

***

Cain tiredly rubbed his eyes. Sleep was not something he should have needed for a long time, but constantly working his brain and pushing his mana to the limits left him feeling mentally exhausted most of the time.

He had stepped out of the {Draconic Blast Furnace} not too long ago, having received news that Hunter and company had just landed on the ship not too long ago.

He summoned a strange staff from his inventory and stared down at it, a different emotion than usual playing within his gaze.

***

{Wilted Tears}: (Rare, Tier 1)

Magic: 200.

Spirit: 50.

Weight: 100kg.

Durability: 1000/1000.

Skills: Mystic Endorsement, Chantless Incantations.

{Mystic Endorsment}: Grants the host the ability to contact elemental spirits. Increases the magic attack power of Tier 1 and below spells by 100% and reduces mana cost by 45%.

{Chantless Incantations}: The host no longer requires chants to complete the activation processes of spells.

***

He had completely forgetten about this weapon up until a while ago.

'This is going to save me a lot of time.' Cain was a bit excited. However, he quickly calmed himself as he sensed someone approaching.

The {Draconic Blast Furnace} was situated in a rather large room, so there was still a bit of space within to serve as a small meeting area.

Once the door opened, Hunter calmly stepped through,

"Boss..."

Cain's face scrunched up, "Captain..."

Hunter looked oblivious, "Hm?"

Cain gritted his teeth, "Captain, damn it! Get it wrong again, and I'll have you thrown into the Brig!"

Hunter tried hard to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, but failed horribly.

"As the CAPTAIN of this vessel, I deserve at least to be addressed properly." Cain said smugly.

"Sure..." Hunter said nonchalantly.

Cain snorted, "That's besides the point."

He hesitated a bit, "How was the journey?"

Hunter's mood dropped, "We lost five people. Apart from that, I'd say as usual."

Cain frowned, "Did... did you encounter more Dead Spots than usual?"

Hunter sighed as he took a seat, "Yeah. Seems like they are more in this portion of the ocean."

Cain scoffed, "It's a lot more complicated than that."

Hunter shook his head, "Isn't that to be expected by now?"

Cain raised a brow, "What does that mean?"

Hunter raised a finger, "Then shit hits the fan, always expect the worst. That way, you'll never be caught off guard."

Cain stifled a laugh, "Where did you hear that from?"

Hunter smiled, "An old friend."

"Must have been a smart guy." Cain said, before falling silent.

Hunter could sense his hesitation. He spoke calmly,

"If there's anything bothering you, just out with it. Keeping it bottled in won't change a thing. Rather, let's work together to do something about it."

Cain was a bit taken aback.

'Seems like he's really changing.'

It was strange, truly...

Cain sighed. His gaze became as hard as steel,

"We are approaching the City. But the only thing standing in our way in an ocean of Dead Spots. In the next two weeks, probably less, we'll need to find a way to sail past, or through all of them."