After waking up nestled in Yul's arms, Hajime was instantly shocked by the intimacy of the scene. He must have had a nightmare last night, he realized, the lingering fragments of terror still clinging to him. He slowly, carefully, moved Yul's arm away, wanting desperately to get up before anyone else witnessed such a compromising sight. As Hajime finally sat up, he saw U-ri already bustling by the bonfire, steam rising from a cooking pot.
Hajime walked towards U-ri, a forced casualness in his voice. "Why do you get up so early?" he asked, trying to divert attention.
U-ri chuckled, a dry, morning sound. "When you're sixty-five years old like me, and your bones are half thin, you'll understand."
"Did you... did you see anything?" Hajime pressed, his gaze flicking nervously towards Yul, who was still asleep.
U-ri raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "What am I not supposed to see?"
Hajime sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Never mind."
U-ri's chuckle softened. "You're talking about you and Yul, aren't you? Since you're a couple, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I've seen a lot of things in my life that are far more awkward than a hug between spouses. You and Yul's actions are as tiny as a needle in the ocean, so don't worry about it." He looked up, stirring the pot. "Breakfast is almost ready. Go wake up the others."
Hajime didn't need to wake the other three. They rose slowly on their own, grumbling. The sun, which had just begun to creep over the horizon, was already hot enough to stir them from sleep.
U-ri continued to prepare breakfast while Yul and Abrafo went to scout for water. Two hours later, the two returned, their faces grim, their hands empty. They sat around the campfire, defeat etched on their features and began to eat in silence.
"Nothing," Yul finally reported, shaking his head. "Just rocks and sand. We didn't even see any animals."
U-ri frowned, a worried crease forming between his brows. "We have a destination, but no map. What do we do?" He handed Yul a steaming bowl of rice soup.
Michio looked at the men, his brow furrowed. "Then shall we go back?" he asked, his voice hesitant.
Yul drank his soup, and after swallowing the last mouthful, he spoke, his voice resolute. "Going back home without the white dragon tail is not an option. Even without a map, we will continue to move forward."
Abrafo wiped the sweat from his brow, his face streaked with dust. "It will be difficult for us to walk through this unknown desert, because we don't know which direction to go," he complained, his tone heavy with dread.
"After everyone finishes eating, we set off," Yul declared, cutting off any further debate.
Abrafo groaned, a deep sigh escaping him, despair etched on his face. "My feet will bleed through this desert."
After the men finished their meager meal, they hurriedly packed their bags, their movements stiff, preparing to face the endless sand.
Michio, ever the optimist, wanted to encourage the rest of the men, to instill some hope. He forced a cheerful smile. "Let's get ready for some walking!" he announced, a bit too brightly.
Hajime looked at the men, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "So, do each of you agree to walk?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.
U-ri sighed. "Yes, we can't do anything but walk, since there are no horses."
Hajime's smirk widened into a full grin. "Okay… it's up to you. After all, it's your feet, not mine."
Hajime watched the men trudge ahead of him; their shoulders slumped in resignation. With a sly smile, he reached into his cross bag and took out a wooden fox carving, no bigger than his thumb. He tossed the wooden wolve onto the ground. With a shimmer, the wolve began to grow, transforming into a magnificent, huge gray wolf. The wolf's deep, guttural roar made the four men ahead of him quickly spin around, their eyes wide with shock and fear. They stared, slack-jawed, at the enormous wolf standing calmly beside Hajime.
Michio's lips trembled, his voice a terrified whisper. "Wol…wolf…wolf…"
Frightened by the powerful, howling wolf, the four men instinctively began to back away from Hajime and the creature.
Hajime smiled sweetly at their fear and patted the wolf's side lightly, his hand stroking its thick fur. "Long time no see, my friend," he murmured, continuing to rub the wolf's fur. He looked at the four men, who were now a safe distance away. "The four of you agreed to walk, but not me." He grabbed his backpack and then his cross bag, swinging them onto the wolf's back. With surprising agility, he climbed onto the wolf himself. He looked at Yul, a playful challenge in his silver eyes, and reached out a hand. "Dear, would you like to walk with them or relax on my wolf's back?"
Yul smiled, shaking his head at Hajime's delightful silliness. He grabbed Hajime's outstretched hand and, with a confident leap, climbed onto the wolf's back behind him.
"Are you really going to let them walk?" Yul whispered, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Hajime replied nonchalantly, "I asked. They want to walk." He reached into his cross bag and threw two more carved wooden wolves onto the ground. With a flash of magic, two more large gray wolves materialized beside them. "Climb up, or do you three still want to walk?" Hajime called out, a triumphant smirk on his face.
U-ri and Michio, without hesitation, quickly climbed onto one of the new wolves. Abrafo, grumbling but relieved, strapped his belongings to the other wolf, which he then mounted. The four men, now mounted on powerful steeds, rode into the unknown desert, their spirits lifted.
Michio, already working, turned to U-ri. "U-ri, what are you doing?"
U-ri held up a small parchment. "Because we don't have a map. I'm making one for us as we go."
Yul turned to look at U-ri, a genuine smile on his face. "Good idea. We won't get lost on the way back."
"If we successfully complete this task and can lift the curse of the Endless River of Sorrow," U-ri added, his eyes focused on his drawing, "this map will be a good guide for future travelers."
Abrafo, curious, looked at U-ri. "U-ri, why would a bookkeeper like you volunteer for such a dangerous mission?"
U-ri shrugged indifferently. "It's not like I had a choice. I was chosen, not voluntarily like the rest of you. Also, I've read every book in Tanzang more than once. I want to read more of the world."
Abrafo shook his head, then turned to Michio. "And you?"
Michio seemed to ponder the question. "I don't know. I think it's the right thing to do as a monk."
Abrafo turned to Hajime, a sly grin on his face. "What about you, Hajime?"
Hajime smiled, a wistful quality to his eyes. "To search for my true love."
Abrafo burst into laughter. "You are married to Yul! Adultery, in Tanzang, is punished by being forced to walk around the city with signs of shame!"
Hajime merely scoffed. "Then I won't cross that river back to Tanzang. Once you get your item, you can go back by yourself, since U-ri is already making a map."
U-ri looked at Hajime, a puzzled expression on his face. "How do you know that Yul is not your true love? Come to think of it, Yul stepped forward and agreed to marry you. If it's not fate, what is it?" He smiled warmly at Hajime.
Michio nodded in earnest agreement. "That's right! The two of you bowed to heaven, and the marriage was also arranged by His Highness!"
Abrafo chimed in, enjoying the debate. "And you're the one asking to marry Yul, Hajime!" He teased. "You have to get consent to divorce. Without Yul's consent, you have to be his wife until..."
The three men said at the same time, their voices echoing in a playful chorus, "Death do you part!" They dissolved into laughter once more.
"Quiet!" Yul suddenly commanded, his voice sharp, cutting through their mirth.
The three immediately clamped their hands over their mouths. The five watched in stunned silence as the sand around them began to ripple, then slide down into a massive sinkhole that had appeared from nowhere. A deep, guttural roar erupted from within the sinkhole, and a deafening cracking sound made the very ground around them tremble. Slowly, horrifyingly, a colossal black crab emerged from the depths of the earth. It stood thirty feet high, its segmented tail a terrifying twenty feet long. Its red, unblinking eyes scoured the area, and its monstrous mouth was wide open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
The sand beneath the wolves' feet began to slide precariously towards the sinkhole. The three large gray wolves instinctively retreated slowly, pulling away from the gaping maw.
"If we move again, we will be in the open," Michio whispered, his voice tight with fear.
Hajime, ever pragmatic, responded in a low, even tone. "You would rather fall into that unknown sinkhole?"
"The hole is getting closer!" Abrafo hissed, his eyes wide.
"Hajime… Run!" Yul shouted, his voice ringing with urgency.
As soon as the three wolves bolted, the colossal crab spotted them. With a horrifying screech, the giant creature began to chase them, its massive legs churning through the sand.
"Hajime," Michio screamed over the wind, "is this wolf running any faster?!"
"Since you are a monk," Hajime shouted back, a flash of his mischievous glint even in the terror, "you should sacrifice yourself so we could get away!"
"I don't want to be the first to die!" Michio yelled, his voice cracking.
Suddenly, another gigantic crab erupted from under the sand. It lunged, using one of its massive claws to stab right into Abrafo's wolf. The sharp, chitinous claws pierced deep into the wolf's abdomen, yanking Abrafo off its back. Abrafo was thrown violently into the sand, landing hard. At the same instant, Hajime screamed in pain, clutching his right abdomen, a direct reflection of the wolf's injury.
"Hajime, what's wrong?!" Yul demanded, his voice alarmed.
Hajime groaned, doubling over in pain, and the two remaining wolves skidded to a halt. Michio, seeing Abrafo in peril, quickly grabbed his spear and charged at the second giant crab. As he got close to Abrafo, he thrust a glowing talisman at the second giant crab, causing it to momentarily flinch.
"U-ri, look after Hajime!" Yul shouted, drawing his sword. With a battle cry, he ran towards Michio and Abrafo, ready to engage the monstrous creatures.
Hajime snorted in pain, watching the impossible odds. "How could they fight against those two giant crabs?"
U-ri, despite the chaos, offered a small, determined smile. "We may not be powerful mages, but we can manipulate spells." He turned to Hajime, his expression concerned. "What happened?"
Hajime gritted his teeth, the pain momentarily easing. "When my crafting art is destroyed, I share their pain."
Michio, with surprising agility, stabbed his spear into the left claw between the crab's fingers. The huge crab shrieked in pain, its left claw raised high, only to bring it down with a thunderous smash into the sand, narrowly missing Michio. Michio then executed a swift backflip, landing precariously on the crab's left paw. The giant crab tried to stab Michio twice with its right claw, but Michio dodged each blow.
Abrafo, recovering quickly, grabbed the rope from his waist and threw it with practiced skill at the crab. The rope wrapped tightly around the crab's right claw. Abrafo pulled with all his might, yanking the crab's right claw away from Michio.
Yul, his sword flashing, went straight for the crab's eight legs. He zigged and zagged through the forest of limbs, expertly chopping off the crab's first right leg, then its third left leg. He then rolled under the colossal creature, emerged, and swiftly severed another, the giant crab's second left leg. Screeching in agonizing pain, the crab emitted a piercing call, summoning unseen mates for help. Yul, relentless, then quickly chopped off the first left leg.
With only two mid-legs remaining, the immense weight of the crab's body was too great to stand. The two remaining legs buckled, unable to support the monstrous bulk, and the giant crab crashed onto its stomach, a sickening thud. The fallen creature continued to thrash, wildly hitting the sand with its left claw.
Abrafo grunted, struggling to keep hold of the rope, his muscles straining. "Yul! Kill that bastard crab! Ah…!" he roared, desperately pulling the rope to prevent the crab's remaining claws from stabbing Michio.
Yul, seizing the opportunity, leaped onto the crab's overturned shell. With a powerful jump, he soared high above the creature, bringing his sword down with all his might, plunging it into the middle of the crab's head. He twisted his sword, piercing deeper into the crab's brain. After a few agonizing minutes, the giant crab stopped struggling, its limbs going still. It lay dead on the sand, a monstrous monument to their victory.
The first crab, seeing its partner's demise, hesitated. Then, fear overpowering its aggression, it slowly retreated, scuttling back into the sinkhole from which it had emerged.
Michio pulled his spear free from the giant crab's claw, a satisfied grin on his face as he looked at Abrafo. "Let's eat this crab," he said, his voice practical.
"What?" Abrafo stared at him, surprised by the sudden, almost bizarre, suggestion.
"Look around you," Michio urged, gesturing at the barren landscape. "When was the last time you saw any animal? Since we killed it, let's eat it."
"I agree with Michio," Yul stated, walking over to join them, his sword still clutched in his hand.
Michio's grin widened. "Then I'll chop off the arm!"
Abrafo scoffed. "Don't cut it there. Cut it here where more meat is, at the top!" he instructed, pointing to a larger segment of the claw.
Yul walked towards Hajime and U-ri. He knelt on one knee, his expression concerned. "How are you feeling, Hajime?"
Hajime, still a little pale but recovering, replied, "Good. The pain will be gone in a few minutes."
U-ri sighed, looking at the dead crab. "I think we should camp here for the night. I know there might be another monster crab out there. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep... but we don't have much choice at the moment." U-ri startled when Michio and Abrafo dropped a truly enormous crab claw on the ground beside them with a loud thud. "What are you two doing bringing that back?" he asked, a mixture of disbelief and disgust on his face.
Michio beamed. "To eat!"
U-ri's frown deepened in disgust. He thought he had misheard Michio, and asked again, his voice strained, "Eat?!" Michio nodded enthusiastically. U-ri visibly recoiled. "I don't want to eat this!" He turned his face away from the two men, a look of profound revulsion.
Michio chuckled. "I'll give you until midnight. When your stomach is growling, I'm sure you won't just eat, but lick your fingers and ask for more!"
U-ri shook his head at Michio, his expression unwavering. "I will never do that," he said, his voice flat with certainty.