Chapter Five
Insecurities
Shortly After..
Saryna glared out at the open ocean from the rope barrier by the docks, still fuming over Erika's words. How dare she! She really thinks I can't keep Nick satisfied by myself in the long run? Fucking little.. Doesn't even know me to think that, Nick either. I wish everyone outside of our friends would stop interfering with us like this. It's hard enough trying to be a good girlfriend when every other woman around acts like Nick is some damn- She was brought out of her thoughts when both shoulders were nudged, and her glare undeservingly fell on Jasmine, who frowned. "What's gotten you out here alone? Shouldn't Nick be with you?"
Saryna scoffed, trying to keep up the tough act until her best friend's face made her sigh. "I don't even know anymore. I'd like to think so, but it seems now that we're together we have even less time together, unless it's out on Hunts because I'd get worried about him, otherwise you know? Then there's the bullshit that comes with being a princess.. Well, the princess of Astera is actually starting to stagger me. I'm.. I think I'm starting to fall apart."
"Oh no, it's finally time for her true existential crisis." Smiled Tristan, nudging her again on the side he stood. "Alright, Ryna, out with it. You seemed fine yesterday, and the day before that, so what happened today?"
"Fuck off, Tristan!" Saryna shook her head, giving him a small smile. Jasmine and Tristan, the only other teens from their school that could get her to open up, Nick being the more prominent example of this instance. "You two are worse than a couple of fruit flies at a picnic, you know that?" The two nodded, laughing as Saryna smiled just a bit wider. "Jerks. Nick loves me, right?"
The other two looked at each other, confused by their friend's sudden question. One that was, really, uncalled for to either of them. "Where's this coming from so suddenly? Saryna, Nick adores you, more than anything else we've ever seen from that boy, and his list of things he likes is an ever-growing subject. No, there's nothing, not even the whole fact we're living in one of his biggest fantasy worlds, that could stop Nick loving you." Tristan explained.
Jasmine nodded with a giggle. "He's so hopeless for you, Saryna. He wants nothing more than to make sure you're happy, especially knowing you're a real princess, one who never wanted that kind of title in the first place. You're not doubting being with him, right?"
Saryna's face turned red. "N-no, of course not! I've never been so sure about that, actually. No, it's more because of my title as princess. Like, for one thing, I thought such a title would deter any other parties, but that's just a load a shit. Nick has a damn fan club now that he looks like eighties Schwarzenegger and I feel like I need to put a fucking chastity brace on him because those other women are starting to piss me the fuck off."
"Wait, you said women, as in plural? Oh no, now who has eyes on him? I'll knock them all down a peg or two." Jasmine said, punching one open palm with her other, closed fist.
Saryna giggled. "No, Jas, that won't be necessary. But thank you." There was a sigh as the trio turned around, Saryna now sitting on the post between lengths of rope, arms crossed. "It was bad enough when I knew it was just Lizzie still after him."
Tristan nodded. "It's always easier before the situation begins escalating. Who else is on this now-growing list of girls that want into Nick's bed? Ow, fuck, woman." He asked, rubbing his arm where Saryna had just punched him.
"Well, other than Lizzie there's that Rider girl, Erika."
"She seems nice though." Tristan said. "Although, I guess she would be nicer to someone who isn't otherwise in her way for something. Her village was destroyed, right?"
"Yeah, and we have no idea what happened other than the fact that Rathalos are involved. And there may be another prophecy waiting to be deciphered, if the egg we picked up on our Hunt is any indication."
"Hmm. Seems like just another day here. So, Lizzie and Erika. Who else?"
"Well, for now I only know of one other, and only because she was making it semi-obvious. And that's that fucking homewrecker."
"Mandy?! Mandy Sukihara?" Jasmine asked, Saryna nodding in response. "Ugh, great. Of course she joined the bandwagon."
"Well, Nick went from a scrawny guy in one world to the peak of physical condition in another in only weeks. I can see where the other women are coming from, seeing Nick in a new light." Saryna glared at her best friend suspiciously, Jasmine waving her arms. "No, I'm not including myself in that, Ryna. Nick's always been yours as far as I'm concerned. No matter how yummy he may be these days. Have you two even-"
"No! Jeez, I feel like I've been asked that question all day and yet no one has actually said such a thing. Why is that even important?!"
"Because, Saryna, you're kind of going through mood swings, and we all know what that kind of symptom tends to lead to."
Saryna shook her head fast enough where it blurred to the others. "No, no. I'm definitely not pregnant. That would mean it.. No, surely I'm not. I haven't been putting on baby weight. Well, no weight really at all. I haven't bulked up nearly as much as any of the guys have."
"You don't need to. Your body was already pretty honed, Saryna. Being one of the better members of the lacrosse team will do that. Now what else is wrong with you?"
"Nothing! I swear!" She denied, Tristan smirking back at her knowingly. "Oh, fine. I feel.. off. About things. I'm more than happy that Nick is in his element here, I am. But, I feel he's going to get himself into trouble that even he won't be able to get out of without someone there, and I feel like I'm not going to be that person all the time."
"Yes you will, Saryna. Remember, you've specifically undergone the training to be Nick's Handler, not for some random other Hunter. Nick is lucky to have his girlfriend so determined to keep him safe. He's lucky to have your love, Saryna, and that's all that should matter to you right now. We should be taking this world by storm and if what you're saying is true, then that destroyed village Erika belonged to? It won't be the only thing destroyed in such a way for long."
As if her friends knew what was going to happen (maybe they did), an alarm began blaring through Astera, a call for Hunters to gather at the Guild, whatever the emergency may be. "Well, looks like something exciting may just be upon us."
"I hate how perfectly timed that alarm was," Saryna said, pushing herself back onto her feet and sighing. "Well, let's go before Nick's fangirls begin screwing with him again." With chuckles and nods, the trio made their way towards the Guild building.
Once inside, Saryna had to force her way through most of the crowd that had already gathered, her parents waiting for her. She grabbed Nick on her way up to the front and huffed as she stood at attention for whatever this meeting was about, Nick following suit. Glancing towards the other side of the room where they stood with her parents, Saryna sneered at the sight of Lizzie, Erika and Mandy standing just as ready to head out on a Hunt as Nick and herself, Lizzie being surprisingly outfitted in armor herself. She's been here less than a week. The fuck does she think she can do? She thought as her father put his hand up to silence the room.
"Attention, please. Scholars, Hunters and Handlers of the Guild, this meeting has been called to further figure out what may be occurring in our world. As many of you know, the Rider village of Kohoni has been destroyed, as only a Crater into the earth is now present where the village once stood. What exactly did this, we cannot truly be sure. The only clues we have as of right now are hordes of Rathalos migrating towards such destruction and the reappearance of another legend of our world. Nick, if you would please?"
Nick, who had only been paying half attention, jumped slightly where he stood before nodding, going to one side of the room and picking up the Razewing egg they had rescued by what was once Kohoni Village. He took up position between Saryna and her parents now as the Sapphire Star continued speaking. "This is the egg of the legendary Razewing Rathalos, a species not known to Hunters for eons, according to old scriptures. As of now, we do not know whether this egg shall hatch or not, but we do expect its appearance in current times to be an ill omen."
"Why does the newbie get to hold the egg?" Came the voice of Aylia as she crossed her arms, Cotton next to her sweat dropping at the sudden question.
"Nick is holding the Razewing Rathalos egg because, as he keeps proving his exceptional abilities, he is the only one the egg does not burn. Feel free to see what I mean, Aylia."
Aylia, ever the confident one, walked up and plucked the egg out of Nick's hands and almost immediately yelped as the egg began glowing red, the heat emanating from it spreading through the room as she tossed it up in the air, Cotton reflexively jumping and catching it as the egg began a room-wide game of hot potato, quite literally until Nick finally grabbed it once again, the red and black egg settling back into its normal look as it recognized his arms. The King chuckled as he began speaking again, his wife giggling behind her hand next to him. "Well, that was a show. Now, as you all see, only Nick is able to hold the egg, and that has led some of our elder scholars to believe the creature inside that egg recognizes Nick as something along the lines of its master, even before birth. As us native to this world know, the only Monsters that allow humans such a connection are the Riders, and with Kohoni Village gone, the number of said Riders is far fewer than there ever has been since the inception of the Riders ages ago."
"Is this a call to recruitment, your Majesty?" Cotton asked as Saryna's father nodded.
"Yes, Cotton, in a way. I know many of you are more wary of performing such actions, and this is not a city-wide recruitment. I only ask those who find themselves lacking in their Hunting ability as it is and think it would be beneficial to learn a new way of fighting monsters to join this little crusade of mine. As the ruling body here in the New World, it is now up to us to rebuild that which we have lost.
"Now, are there any volunteers who would join Nick in this new undertaking?" The room was mostly silent, hushed conversations rising here and there as the many Hunters present thought about the prospect. One of the lost students from the group Nick and Saryna had been part of coming to the New World stepped out of the crowd. It turned out to be Tristan, who gave his friends a shit-eating grin. "I'm in. Chance to not only fight with but ride something as dangerous as the monsters here are? Sounds like something Nick would of thought up for himself, to be honest."
The King chuckled. "I could see that. Nick is an excitable one." He looked at Nick, who chuckled sheepishly. "We have one, is there anyone else? If not a native, our new friends from another world are more than welcome to test their mettle as well. Maybe such an incursion of new blood warrants them to gravitate towards being Riders. Maybe the world itself saw all this coming. Who can say?"
One by one, displaced teenagers stepped on the stage to stand by Nick, Saryna and Tristan, joining them in whatever was in store. Kenji, Lizzie, Jasmine and Mandy all joined them as well as several others from the group of teenagers who had come there with Lizzie. Once the group totaling twelve had gathered, the king spoke again. "Tomorrow, you all shall embark on what may be your most personal journey to date, for you will travel to the Starstone Quarry and the caves therein where you will come into contact with the Kinship stones Riders utilize. Erika, tonight you shall lead a team of scholars and builders to create a suitable nursery and ranch system. I daresay we have ample room to continue building this city." Erika nodded.
"As for the rest of you lot, we must stay vigilant for further Rampages and instances of the dreaded Blighted Rampages. We have all seen the carnage a Blighted monster can unleash, and we must ensure Astera survives while our young Hunters are entrusted with their task. Am I understood?"
"Yes, your Majesty! Long live the Sapphire Star!" Came the chorus of voices from all around the room, the sound deafening to the teenagers even as they joined in. The King dismissed the meeting, but called on Saryna to talk.
"I'll be alright. I'll be along in a minute, love." She said to Nick, kissing him as she walked off behind her mother and father.
Nick hummed as he walked out of the room, meeting up with Kenji, Tristan and Jasmine. "So, having played the game that has to do with these Monster Riders, what are we looking at in terms of adventure and danger, respectively?"
"Adventure? Enough to keep even the most bored high schooler entertained. As for danger.. Well, probably about the same if not greater than you'd expect. Even with us already hunting Monsters. But, if this is going to be anything like that game, then we're in for a lot of traveling in the future."
"Oh, come on! We all just got used to living here in Astera." Complained one of the others as Lizzie scowled, walking up to them.
"Speak for yourself. My group just got here, we barely even know what half of you are all even talking about." She batted her eyes at Nick. "Although you could always help me with that, Nicky. Being a gamer actually helped you this time." Nick groaned in response.
"Lizzie, for the last time, that ship sailed when you called me nothing but a booty call. Can we-"
"I'm sorry for it, you know. I've been trying to talk to you about it all since I got here, but the royal bitch won't leave you well enough alone."
"That royal bitch as you put it is also my girlfriend, Lizzie, which is more than you ever considered yourself, despite my actions."
Lizzie groaned as Nick walked away with the others. "Pack for a long trip, and make sure there's no space for an extra potion, we'll need all the support we can get. Meet up at the gate in twenty minutes, everyone who's coming on this expedition of ours."
Tristan looked back at the distressed Lizzie, frowning. "Nick, are you sure you should be.. well, such a dick to Lizzie? You never deny someone who wronged you the chance to apologize. Shit, you and Kenji are cool now, for God's sake."
Nick sighed. "Kenji and I came to an understanding. Lizzie and I, we.. I fell for an illusion where she felt what we had was nothing and I took total offense to that. I'm not giving her the opportunity to worm her way back into my good graces for no reason. I have Saryna now, Lizzie isn't important anymore."
"But you still care about her, don't you? You would just rather leave Astera without her, hoping to have enough of a headstart that she gives up and comes back to town." Jasmine pointed out, making Nick's eye twitch.
Am I really so transparent to my friends..? He thought to himself as he frowned. "Yeah, that's exactly right. Saryna would kill me, you know? Not to mention she's not one to share."
"Share you, at least." Chuckled Kenji as he appeared next to the others. "Trust me, any girl she saw near you had her more prickly than a cactus. Not gonna lie, I had to actively distract her just to get her not to go over and do something about it. She's.. hardcore when she has to be. You're really something, Nick, you know that? Lizzie is another of the top tier of our school, and you.. did what, exactly, together?"
Nick's smile was from ear to ear as he chuckled. "Oh, I'll just let your imagination run wild with that. Just know that if she really wasn't faking it back then? Possible teen mom from the shit she told me during our.. study sessions."
"Bruh.." Tristan gasped out.
"Don't let Saryna hear that shit. She'll probably go kill Lizzie anyway for the shits and giggles from how much she hates Lizzie, actually. From breaking your heart, you know? She was always threatening Lizzie under her breath about it." Jasmine said, rolling her eyes.
"Saryna knows about it, really. Why do you think she almost got suspended for a week when school started back up?"
"Wait, that was due to Lizzie? Oh, God. No wonder Saryna has seemed so.. insecure lately." Nick said, looking up at the sky.
"Oh, it isn't just the fact that Lizzie is here. Being your only officially considered ex, her presence alone threatens Saryna. Then there's fucking Mandy, who has brought Saryna close to blows over you multiple times. Now that you two are together, you would think she'd feel secure about such things but that.. just isn't the case because now you have a new admirer in that girl Erika. One of them, or dare I say another girl who winds up having a thing for you, will one day set Saryna off in an explosive way, unless there's something else going on because honestly? She seemed pretty torn about something when we spoke to her before that meeting. You think it'll hatch?" Jasmine asked, pointing to the Razewing egg that now sat in a backpack-like incubator, a useful gift from Erika once she realized why the egg kept burning everyone but Nick.
Nick nodded. "I'm betting on it. And with the scientists working on new innovations with the help of some of the more scientifically-inclined from back home, we might just be able to rig something up where obtaining other Monster eggs should be much easier than having to sneak one away from a sleeping mama, even if the egg isn't of that Monster."
"What do you mean, Nick?" Tristan asked, thankful that Nick knew what he was talking about it this world. Usually, at least.
"Well, in this particular game," Nick motioned to the egg. "Most Monsters you could ride you had to find a nest, make it to the very center where the actual nest was, and basically grab an egg and waddle your way back out. Most times, the Monster guarding the nest is usually what you'll get from the egg, but there are some Monsters that apparently just.. nest-sit. I found the egg of an Aquatic Monster while the one who was guarding the nest was an Avian Wyvern, I think it may have been Paolumu. Either way, we have to go get ready. Well, I'm all packed up already, actually. I keep my traveling supplies topped up and packed away for any occasion."
"You're like a doomsday prepper and it's fucking hilarious sometimes, dude. It makes sense that the King confers command to you for this excursion and not Saryna."
"Not with her attitude towards Lizzie. Or Mandy and Erika. Granted she's definitely more friendly with Erika, but maybe that's because Saryna is from here and it's like finding a new friend who can help her adjust."
"Maybe, that would make enough sense, and she'd have a better eye on her intentions towards you." Jasmine laughed. "Alright, we'll see you back at the gate, Nick. Seriously, though, don't worry about Ryna. She needs to stop overthinking everything. Once she does, it'll get better." Jasmine said before her and Tristan walked off to pack, making Nick veer towards his own little abode.
Later..
Nick walked up to the gate where the others who were going with him on this journey were waiting. Kenji nodded to him as Saryna, Tristan, Jasmine and surprisingly Erika all spoke to each other off to one side as the senior Hunters, Cotton and Ayla, were recounting another absolutely wild tale to the children standing around them, enraptured by the way Ayla told the story with Cotton swinging an invisible weapon and making silly quips. Nick truly wondered if those two had wound up here like him and the rest of his class, but knew that was impossible. The YouTubers themselves had released a new video literally the day before the teens were brought to the New World, so the implications of these incarnations being those two real-life people were staggeringly headache-inducing. He'd throw the question out there during their travels. It was then Lizzie approached him. "Hey.."
"Hey. Look, Lizzie.."
"No, Nick, it's alright. I deserved you breaking up with me, alright? I wasn't the best girlfriend I could have been, I knew that then and much more so now. I didn't deserve you. Not with how I acted. And yes, seeing you with her makes me insanely jealous, but.. I'm also happy to see you smile so brightly around her. And I've asked around Astera, you were so well-prepared upon arriving here that you've helped bring the Wyverians into an entirely unheard of technological age here. Saryna should be proud, having you."
Nick chuckled. "Nah, I wouldn't be able to cope if she wasn't here, you know? We were friends for so long before the falling out, I really didn't know what to do with myself back home after that argument. Then we sort of repaired that friendship after she saw how badly you affected me and now it's like me and Saryna were never fighting with each other. Everyone always wanted to call her the princess of our school while I was the wayward prince from another kingdom. Now, I'm her prince but she's actually a princess. I'm just lucky my knowledge of things in this world, coupled with how my body grew into this so quickly, has kept me so far in her parents' good graces."
Lizzie laughed. "Nick, you put a bit too little into your opinion of yourself, you know? You were brilliant back home, but here? You're a Messiah for the Researchers. You've taught them things, from a video game, that they never knew about these Monsters for decades! You're a hero, Nick, you just don't know how big of one." She giggled, turning around. "Not to mention, your new bulk really makes it hard not to look at you. Saryna's right to be annoyed when us girls try to stare."
"What are you telling my boyfriend now, Lizzie?" Came Saryna's voice as she approached the two, Erika in tow.
"Nothing, Ryna. I was just telling Nick he has a lot more worth than he wants to think. I mean, between dating you, a princess, looking like he never belonged in our world at all and the fact he's even as skilled as someone who would have had to play this style of game on a VR headset all work in his favor. He's a lot more special than I thought he was when him and I were together." Lizzie sent a soft smile towards Nick before huffing out a sigh. "Don't you hurt him, Saryna. Princess or not, I will take you down a peg if need be." Without waiting for a reply, Lizzie walked over to Tristan and Jasmine.
Nick saw the thoughtful look on Saryna's face. "Zeni for your thoughts, princess?"
Saryna shook her head. "It's nothing, Nick. I just wasn't expecting that from her. Is the egg still safe?"
Nick nodded, patting the lid of the incubation basket the Guild had built. "Perfectly safe. This thing is practically just a giant heated cushion. I was told that when the egg is close to hatching, we'll hear popping sounds as the cushion deflates from the movement within the shell."
"Good. Nick.. We're okay, right?"
Nick laughed. "You gotta stop letting the others get to you, Ryna. You know best that I chose you, no ex-girlfriend or admittedly cute other local girl is going to steal me away from my princess."
Saryna smiled wide as she hugged him. "Thanks, Nicky. That's exactly what I needed to hear." She pressed her lips to his cheek before wandering off again, Nick seeing her parents waving to her from beside the gate. Nick smiled before going to the others to ensure everyone was ready for their journey to begin.
Later That Afternoon, Coral Highlands..
Nick took a deep breath, smelling the salt in the air of the odd biome. The bubbles of water that floated upwards all over contorted in the breeze, distorting the landscape through their shimmery surfaces. "This place is a hundred times more beautiful than the game made it seem, and this was the prettiest of the locales. I can practically smell the Mizutsune."
"Of the Fated Four?" Asked Erika, her eyes narrowing at the closest floating bubble. "Now that you mention it, this does seem an ideal habitat for Mizutsune. Come on, there's a camp stationed somewhere close by, right? We've been walking for hours."
Nick nodded as he took his Hunter's Journal out, looking over the map of the Coral Highlands. "Yeah, a little ways northeast of here. Huh, come to think of it.. that zone is new to me."
"Well, love, the source of your knowledge is close to what, seven or eight years old?"
"Eh, semantics. Just means there's more to see in this version of the New World." Nick looked at a tree-like spire of coral, his gaze caught by a fluffy tuft of fur billowing in the breeze. "Paolumu?"
"The fluffy bat thing? Those aren't so tough." Kenji said, chuckling.
"Yeah, but that's nowhere near the Apex predator of the locale, either. Just keep your eyes peeled, guys. The Highlands can be somewhat tricky, Monsters can sneak up on us from several directions if we aren't careful."
Just then, a roar was heard in the distance, followed by what sounded like a sonic boom, a plume of smoke rising into the air, colored a mix of dark gray and something between purple and pink. "Alright, double time for the camp. I have no idea what that could be." Nick said, walking a bit faster as Saryna and the rest of their group followed after him.
Mandy giggled, appearing to one side of Saryna, making her startle as she spoke. "Still the same old Nick. Is it just the heat of battle where he doesn't seem at all the little nerd from back home?"
Saryna huffed, pouting. "Again, Mandy, fuck off." She hissed. "It doesn't matter about all that. This is our life, now, and I'm just happy seeing Nick in his element, even with the drastic physical change."
"I guess that's true. You're seriously lucky us girls who were interested in him back home never really tried too hard. Some of us would have had him much sooner than you eventually decided to give him a chance."
"Oh, really? How so? Seducing him into breeding your desperate asses and trapping him with the resulting kid? For our generation, that's practically a jail sentence. And a rite of passage."
"So what? Saryna, I'm leveling here with you, okay? I see the insecurity bug biting your brain, alright? I get it. You pined for each other for so long, both dancing around the issue and now that you're together, the fear that for some reason you waited too long is rolling through your mind like a pinball. Stop worrying, princess, and go with the flow. And hey, who knows. Maybe the heir to the throne will be here sooner than any of us think."
"Ugh, don't say that. I'm nervous enough about that shit, thank you very much." And how it could have happened so long ago already..
"Well, it's not like some of us didn't think you two were screwing all this time since the party at the old Reyes place."
"Ew. We were eleven. None of us should have even been introduced to sex like that at that age." Although Nick and I were, thanks to his taste in movies.
"Didn't stop Lenora and Sebastian from doing it."
"Ugh, seriously, Mandy, fuck. Off. How Nick and I handle our relationship, what we do, is not yours, Lizzie's, Erika's and so on's business. I don't give a fuck what's said between you all, just leave it far away from me and my prince." Frowning, Saryna turned away from Mandy and decided to ignore the girl's semi-bullying.
Nick readied his weapon as several Jagras appeared, aiming to surround the group when Saryna instead came charging through ahead, slashing and whirling around the small monsters in a quick, deadly dance before the Jagras all lay dead at her feet.
"Babe, you okay?" Nick asked, approaching her after the carnage.
Saryna huffed but smiled. "I'll be fine. Let's go. Not much further to the camp, right?" She said before walking on.
Nick just tilted his head with a half-frown before following after her. Jasmine and Mandy both wore identically shocked expressions as Jasmine giggled nervously. "I think you should tone the teasing down a bit, Mandy."
"Yeah.. probably for the best." Mandy said as the group further approached the base camp.
As the camp came into view, made obvious by the Palico-styled umbrella sitting on top of the large, semi-concealed tent, a roar was heard, close enough the ground under the group of teenager's feet shook. "Nick, what was-"
"Get down!" Tristan said, pulling Jasmine down to the ground as the other teens followed, a blast of hot air passing over them as Nick saw the large purple fireball soar over them all, looking towards where the flames had come from. His eyes landed on a silhouette moving away from them, seemingly looking for something. His eyes widened as it lumbered off, recognizing the beast as he stood back up. "Magnamalo..?"
"The fuck was that?!" Kenji asked, eyes wider than Nick's.
"Something we're both not ready to fight, and one supposedly involved with this whole Rampage mess.. Come on, there are deterrents put down to conceal the camp from outside Monsters, but they can find the thing if they physically see us go in. This is only the end of the first leg of the journey, seeing how the Kinship Quarry is on the opposite side of the Everstream." Nick explained, pointing out their route in the landscape, his fingers currently pointed to a quarry-like area on the other side of a massive river that flowed through the locale, receding in a lake that funneled down, creating a channel that ran deep down into the most vile area of the New World: the Rotten Vale. Nodding their agreement to the plan, the group all rushed over and into the tent of the camp.
A/N: And goddamn, motherfucking CUT! I'm so sorry this has taken so long but I honestly got caught and stuck during the scene with Saryna and Nick talking about the egg before leaving Astera and before I knew it, I'm waist deep in about a total dozen or so new stories. I am trying to balance my writing time between this, American Wizard and Gerudo Era (newer version) as well as keep my Walking Dead/Monster Musimeish crossover up to date.
Next Time: Magnamalo attacks during an otherwise routine Hunt to reach the shores of the Everstream. However, in the heat of trying to evade the Sinister Harbinger, the teens are then attacked by another, even deadlier for..