Over through the night, there was a major earthquake in the area where Ernaut was sleeping. It was at midnight, or the time where most people would be off to bed at the time. The earthquake eventually knocked Ernaut's tent down a hill, but Karin's powers were enough to break the fall and keep Ernaut safe from any injuries from the fall, but there were plenty of rocks and branches falling as well. After some time, Ernaut was eventually caved in and pushed out of route.
Ernaut woke up, only to realize that he had been caved in on. He was still trying to hide from anyone trying to kill him to get that salary. Was Beck still after him, or even Shion if he had already got from Aurora to Evergrove? He didn't even know where he was right now and whether or not he's any closer or farther to Hobbs's Summit.
"Karin? Where are we? What just happened? Ernaut said, trying to ask what happened while the tent fell, as the protection of Karin was enough to prevent Ernaut from suffering injuries during the earthquake.
"Apparently, there was an earthquake overnight, and what happened is that you were sleeping, and eventually the earthquakes started. It was enough to cause the tent to fall down a cliff, and then I used up some of my energy to keep you safe, and then there were falling rocks and branches right now. Where are we right now? We're at the bottom of a cliff cavern, not too far from where you were sleeping right now. We just need to climb back up and get back to where we were." Karin replied.
"Alright. I think that might be easy enough. We're caved in right now, so I can clear some of this up using your powers."
"No, I don't want to right now. Apparently my powers are nearly depleted right now. You were using me a lot yesterday and these powers are not unlimited. I'll only let you use the Spirit Fists and the Needles a few times, but I'm not gonna let you use the Spirit Spear right now, because it costs a lot more energy. You have to fight more Chromas for me to recharge, because that's how we, the Tears gain energy. Furthering your bond was how I eventually got around to giving you more abilities and tools of the trade, eventually from what you saw in that dream. If there's anything you need to do, it's to hunt the Chromas here and then recharge me while climbing back up and getting back on track." Karin said.
"Looks like I'm on my own right now." Ernaut said, trying to navigate through the debris and ruins from the earthquake. He apparently is behind a blockade of debris, which meant that the other side of the rock bottom area was the only area to explore for right now. Because Karin was depleted, Ernaut will only use her to fight off Chromas to recharge her, which meant Ernaut had a plan; he'll find some Chromas to hunt in the area and then recharge her to break open the blockade.
First off, Ernaut would look around the area for possibly where to go and what to find from the area. Across the area, there were rocks around the area and there was barely anything Ernaut could even climb on, and he wasn't in the mood for using Karin to climb himself back up right now, because this was a situation where hunting down a Chroma was his only option, but he needed to think of where to go and where to even find one. Speaking of where to go, he'd also need to look deeper as well, such as small areas where Ernaut would be able to crawl under and eventually find more areas to go, so he decided to look into the cavern areas as well and whatever he could find that possibly could lead him deeper.
Upon looking around in the area, Ernaut eventually saw where he needed to go, one small cavern that Ernaut could easily crawl through, so he crawled through the small cavern and eventually after getting through on the other side, he saw several Chromas to fight. Ernaut knew that this was his chance to be able to get out of there and be able to recharge Karin, so upon seeing the group of Chromas, Ernaut unleashed the Spirit Fists to defeat the Chromas with ease, because he knew that it was getting quite easy for him due to the fact that he was able to fight them off several times. After defeating all of the Chromas, Karin eventually recharged and was able to be used again.
"Ernaut! I am recharged right now. You can go ahead and clear the blockade right now, and that blockade looks to be your only way out!" Karin said, upon Ernaut defeating all of the Chromas in the area.
"Alright. Glad to hear that, so I'm going to be back to the blockade so I can break through it with my Spirit Spear, because that's my only tool that can pierce through the blockade." Ernaut replied, getting ready to head back to the area where Ernaut fell.
Upon heading back to the area where the blockade was, Ernaut got ready to charge up the Spirit Spear, and then shortly afterward, Ernaut broke through the blockade using the Spirit Spear's piercing abilities, and all of the rocks and debris started to come loose and fly around all over the area. From the other side of the area, the area looked to be going up and up, Ernaut knew that this was going to be his only way to escape, but it looked like it was going to be easy until eventually more Chromas appeared. Ernaut knew what to do from here, he would use the Spirit Spear to try and take down the Chromas by piercing through them, which would then recharge Karin more and more.
The first time using the Spirit Spear against the Chromas, the first three Chromas that Ernaut charged up against went very well as they were vanquished real quickly, but on the next wave that Ernaut tried it on, they learned how to dodge the Spirit Spear, as if they were learning how to adapt to his weapons and how to handle him. Ernaut stopped after his Spirit Spear missed the Chromas.
"Alright Ernaut, they started to learn how to adapt to my weaponry. This Spirit Spear isn't going to cut it for fast enemies, it's only for heavier and slower enemies because the charge-up dash isn't that great and accurate." Ernaut said to himself, trying to think on what to do for the next wave of Chromas that were blocking his path.
"Ernaut! I believe for this wave, you need to use the Spirit Needle, because this wave is apparently dodgy against your weapons. The Spirit Needle, I recommend this weapon for ranged situations and fast enemies, because the homing capabilities never disappoint." Karin said, recommending the weapon that Ernaut should use against the second wave of Chromas.
"Alright Karin, time to unleash the Spirit Needle upon the Chromas!" Ernaut said, readying the Spirit Needle to take down the Chromas. Upon charging up a wave of Spirit Needles, 4 per Chroma, they all were aimed at the Chromas and eventually after each needle hitting them, they are were disintegrated. Disintegration was the only possible way the Chromas could die from Ernaut's weapons, or simply vanquishing by Karin's choice of words.
After vanquishing the second wave of Chromas, Ernaut eventually ran up and up the area that was apparently close to the area where the earthquake happened, but before Ernaut could continue on, a third wave of Chromas appeared before him. There were three Chroma Princes, which looked like they could use both melee and ranged. Ernaut tried to use the Spirit Needle to take them down, but then the Chroma Princes later adapted to that by also using ranged capabilities, which meant that the Spirit Fists were his only option to take down the Chromas, but Ernaut still had to think about what to do. After thinking about what happened with yesterday and how he managed to charge up his abilities against Beck and the armies, he eventually decided to charge up the Spirit Fists again, performing a double lariat to take down the Chroma Princes with ease. He moved towards the Chroma Princes, hitting them with the Spirit Fists several times each until each one of them was vanquished. Ernaut felt like he was getting victorious over the battles of the Chromas, especially with the amount of energy Karin is regaining.
"Ernaut! I'm full right now, and you've fought enough Chromas right now to completely charge me up! You've been doing great against the Chromas!" Karin said, upon Ernaut clearing the third wave of Chromas on his way back up.
"No need to thank me, thank your powers for being able to fight against the Chromas, because that's so far how I'm fighting the Chromas. I fight more Chromas and further my bond with you, the more abilities I can find. Because I was able to fight a lot more Chromas today, I was not only able to charge up for a bit, but charge you up entirely from the tents and whatever protection you were providing me for a bit, but I'm getting tired from all of the action that has been going on, especially with the amount of Chromas I was fighting today.
"So, what can I at least do for you now that we've defeated enough Chromas to charge me up completely while climbing back up from the ground? Oh, I just now realized that right now you were going back up to get back on track to Hobbs's Summit. You are only somewhere a little bit farther from yesterday, so you were delayed a little bit due to the earthquake, but that's okay, there's no rush to get to whatever you need, but you'll eventually need to learn how to plan things, especially when your life revolves around others like you and learning how to adapt to new lands and tribes that are in the eastern land of Teya, because as you know, it's unlikely that you'll be able to solve the Epoch of the Comet alone." Karin said, explaining where Ernaut is right now and then suggesting a possible idea for Ernaut's journey.
"I understand that I need to learn how to plan things and that not everything that I plan is possible, I get that, but as you know, I've never been to the eastern lands of Teya, and there will be a lot more things that I will have to find out for myself when I get there." Ernaut replied. "I will need a guide or something to be able to learn how to adapt to the tribes of the eastern lands and where the Comet is, because these tribes are going to be much more different from living in the Nexus, because they are notably more underdeveloped in terms of advancements in comparison to us.
"Do you remember the paintings you saw back at Janice's house, and that scroll called Grace of Gabriella? The painting, Fall of Gabriella, I can surely tell you that its only art and that it depicts what the artist wants. Grace of Gabriella sounds like it could be a poem that's trying to present the legacy and success of Gabriella, and her Haven Tribe. I have an idea for you when you get over to the eastern lands of Teya, find Gabriella and her Haven Tribe, and then ask her for help. You're going to need a formidable comrade if you're going to destroy the Comet and the Chromas, because as you know, when you get to the eastern lands of Teya, you're going to have to find yourself a comrade to keep yourself company and be able to be guided through living in the tribes, because as you know; I can't keep providing you tents forever because eventually you're going to have to recharge me from the Chromas that you fight, and I'm recommending finding Gabriella as your first stop because she sounds like a formidable comrade that might be willing to fight the Chromas. If she and the Haven Tribe is capable of believing in healthy omens and what is right for the people, she might be able to fight against the Chromas." Karin suggested.
"Gabriella? I'm thinking towards Aruku. Eventually I'll come across the mysterious man again, and he might think about going towards Aruku first to try and redeem her, but it's not going to be easy. I'll eventually learn how to try and get her to believe in healthy omens, and being able to resist the Chromas and learn the teachings of Gabriella. I think Aruku and Gabriella might have a rivalry with each other, given how I read from the scrolls and archives that Aruku and the Hawk Tribe started to decline in terms of history in favor of another tribe, which was none other than Gabriella and the Haven Tribe, which was represented as the most successful tribe in the eastern lands of Teya, due to its caring queen and being able to provide shelter against the Chromas that were growing in the area. I've also read that various tribes were wiped out by the Chromas due to their inability to handle them, such as obviously not having healthy omens or good dreams." Ernaut replied, trying to think of what to do upon entering the eastern lands.
"How are you going to get there? Something about a ship in Hobbs's Summit and a portal? I'm trying to think back on what you were talking about, and whether or not that's something possible." Karin asked back on Ernaut's plans.
"I'm going to find a ship at Hobbs's Summit that I can fight my way to, then I'll take that ship east to find an island with a portal which as you know, that island is going to be east of Evergrove, and then eventually I'll solve the puzzles of the portal and then find my way east, and I'll also make sure that no Nexus soldier chases after me during this situation. If there's anyone else after me, I'll make sure to fight them off." Ernaut replied.
"I understand. I can go for now in case you need to keep on going right now to Hobbs's Summit, because I feel like that I'm distracting you from progressing towards Hobbs's Summit, because you're just standing there right now." Karin said, noticing that all along in the conversation Ernaut was just standing there, not walking or continuing towards Hobbs's Summit.
"You can go now, I'll be on my way to Hobbs's Summit right now." Ernaut said, snapping Karin into stasis and then continuing the route to Hobbs's Summit. Over through the hours of walking, night fell again in Evergrove. Ernaut was getting closer and closer to Hobbs's Summit, and that he'll finish up the travel tomorrow. Because Ernaut was getting tired as indicated by the yawn, Karin provided him another tent for Ernaut to sleep in. This tent all along, it was summoned by Karin and was indicated with a purple glow for light, and that because this tent was part of Karin's magic, it would be dispelled every morning after Ernaut gets up. Before Ernaut could go to sleep, he started to think about all of the possible outcomes and what could go on at Hobbs's Summit, such as Quinn going after him because during the journey through Evergrove, he had never witnessed Quinn in action right now, but he so far only seen Beck. He hadn't seen Shion and Wally head on down to Evergrove. He's also thinking of what to do in case there was no ship at the docks, and whether or not he should end up following Karin's plans or Ernaut's plans in case of a worst case scenario.
"Night Ernaut. We'll make it to Hobbs's Summit tomorrow. Be sure to figure out what to do tomorrow!" Karin said, wishing Ernaut a good night before he closed his eyes. Over through the night during his sleep, Karin wanted to think about all of the possibilities and opportunities to seek upon the eastern lands, whether it be working with Gabriella, redeeming Aruku, or any other possibilities that she hadn't talked to Ernaut about. So far, adjusting to islands in the eastern lands of Teya wasn't going to be easy. He knew that the people over at the eastern lands would be much more underdeveloped than the Kingdom of the Nexus, but what Ernaut didn't know that Karin was willing to tell him at one point was that not everyone would support him due to his more advanced appearance and that he'd need a ship to be able to travel through the eastern lands. Karin could learn how to provide a ship for Ernaut, but she'd need to memorize a design for Ernaut to be able to build him one that summons and dispels, kind of like the tents that Karin provides.
