29- Trustworthy Comrades

Hunter was anxious to depart as soon as possible, though the others were taking their time, he noticed.

"Igneous, how much do you have to pack?" he asked, seeing his comrade lugging a large and very heavy looking bag toward the ship.

"One should always be prepared," said Igneous.

"I wonder if I bought enough pots and pans," Corona thought out loud.

"What might you need those for?" Hunter asked nervously.

"For cooking, of course," said Corona. "Three meals a day, and maybe some snacks too. We're going to need to eat when we're out at sea."

"Well, yeah," he said. True, Hunter wasn't going the whole boat ride without food, but if Corona was the one doing the cooking, everyone would be too sick to fight by the time they made it.

"Hey, by the way, have any of you guys seen Magma?" Igneous asked.

"He said he wasn't coming," Corona replied.

"Really?" Igneous asked, surprised.

"I heard him say that too," Hunter added. "But didn't he say he wanted to fight with us once before? He's been living with us all this time, so he's just as much a part of the team as the rest of us."

"I guess that's just the way of a wanderer," Lumen commented, having been listening in a bit. "I'd like it if he joined us, but we can't force him."

"I guess so," Hunter said. "But I'm going to miss him."

Soon, they all started to board the ship.

"Are you sure it's okay to take Princess Sparkle?" Lily asked.

"It is," Lumen said. "You don't need to worry when I'm in charge."

Hunter groaned. Lumen could only sound responsible when it came to cute girls. Even if said cute girl was his sister, rather, especially if it were her. You could at least credit Lumen for being a protective older sibling.

Lily still looked worried, but she accepted it, and bid everyone farewell.

At last, the boat had taken off.

"Hey Lumen," said Hunter, as the two stood up on the deck. "You said this ship was your father's?"

"I did," he replied.

"Where is your father anyway? I was surprised to see that the ruler of Arachna was only a kid."

"He's dead," Lumen said bluntly. "But, I was very young then, and Sparkle was just a baby. I don't have too many memories of them."

"Still, I'm sorry to hear that," said Hunter.

"Dad and Mom were really cool!" Sparkle chimed in. "They were Spider Riders. Lumen told me that they sacrificed their lives to protect Arachna from an Insector attack."

"They did," Lumen said. "They were real warriors. Actually, Ebony belonged to my father. That may be why he's such a powerful spider. He has more experience in battle than I do."

"Most people probably do," Hunter mumbled under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Lumen asked.

"No, never mind," said Hunter. He looked over to Sparkle.

"Where did you get Hotarla from?" He did find Hotarla pretty unusual for a battle spider.

"Hotarla is Ebony's daughter," Sparkle said.

"Kyu kyu!" Hotarla replied.

"Huh? Really?" Hunter wondered.

"She's still young, but she'll probably grow up to be really strong," Sparkle assured.

"But now she's just little and cute, just like you," said Lumen. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go take a nap. Reflecting on the past is exhausting."

Soon after Lumen went inside, Corona and Igneous came out.

"Hunter, did you hear something?" Corona asked.

"Hear something?" Hunter wondered. "No. I was out here talking to Lumen and Sparkle."

"We did," said Igneous. "It may have been coming from the other deck."

"Well, no one should be on board but us," Sparkle said.

"What if it's an Insector!" Hunter realized.

"Maybe we should go investigate," Shadow stated. "I don't know if it's an Insector, but it's true that no one else should be here but us."

Cautiously, the team headed towards the opposite deck.

There, they didn't see any Insectors, but a disturbing sight awaited them. It was Magma, leaning over the side of the ship barfing.

"Magma?!" they all yelled in shock.

He turned around.

"Oh, hi guys. I've never been on a boat before. I didn't realize how nauseating it-"

He paused, having to turn around and throw up again.

"Umm… Magma, maybe you should go in and lie down," Igneous said. "Then we can discuss what you're doing here."

"I suppose," Magma mumbled.

Magma managed to make it into one of the empty rooms without throwing up again. Though, the others bought an empty bucket into his room just in case it were necessary.

"I thought you didn't want to come," Hunter said, though it was obvious from his tone he was happy Magma had a change of heart.

"I didn't," Magma replied. "But Brutus and I saw something. Portia is going to Nuuma!"

Hunter gasped.

"How do you know that?"

"Because Buguese's transport seemed to be headed toward the water. I doubt he was taking a trip to the beach."

"Oh man, then that also means they got a head start," Hunter realized. "But, we'll still beat them. After all, now we have Magma and Brutus on our side. That's even more power!"

"Hey, are you two really members of the Spider Riders?" Corona asked. "Or are you just wanderers."

"I'm a Spider Rider," Magma declared. "Of course, our goal is to find Portia. But, I feel good about coming with you. Well… maybe not good. I feel really sick. But we're going to help the people of Nuuma too. Isn't that right, Brutus?"

"Right," Brutus replied.

"I'm glad," said Hunter. "Welcome officially to the team."

"Hey," said Corona. "Why don't I go cook something for you all now?"

"Umm… actually, I was hoping I could cook," said Hunter.

"Ugh… don't talk about food," Magma groaned.

"Sorry," Hunter said. He took Corona's hand, and dragged her out of the room.

"What's this about?" Corona asked.

"At least let me help you cook," Hunter asked.

"Well, alright," Corona said.

'Wait,' Corona thought to herself. 'Hunter and I are alone together. He may only be here because he doesn't like my cooking, but… we're alone. Together. What should I say? What should I do?'

"Corona, are you okay?" Hunter asked.

"Oh… uh, sorry."

Corona was stirring together a sauce that they started making, and had completely spaced out.

"I need to add spices!" she realized. She grabbed some jars that she's bought with her, and proceeded to dump in nearly an entire jar of hot pepper.

"W-wait, what are you doing?!" Hunter yelled.

"Adding flavor," she said, and was about to do the same with her jar of salt.

"That's too much," Hunter said, grabbing the salt away. The damage had already been done, but he wouldn't let this sauce turn out any worse.

Eventually, they finished making a simple pasta and sauce dinner. Hunter hoped that it would be mostly edible. Well, if anything they could just eat the pasta and skip the sauce.

The two carried out their meal to the dining area, where Sparkle, Igneous and Lumen were waiting. Lumen had been filled in about Magma's arrival. And as for Magma himself, they figured it would be best not to give him the food unless he asked for any.

"So, what do you think?" Corona asked, as the others began to eat.

Igneous was nervous, but slowly tested it.

"It's… not bad, actually," he said.

"The sauce is too hot," Sparkle said, and quickly went for a glass of water.

Corona laughed nervously.

Hunter took a deep breath and started to shovel some down.

"It's hot," he said. "But that makes it kind of interesting. Alright! Let's eat as much as we can so we're in top condition!"