Section 1: Forget the Books and Set a Course for Adventure!

Heh... Now that I think of it, this is my third Rayshift.

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I'd certainly hope so at this point.

So don't worry about me. If anyone could use help, it's our technical advisor, seeing how she's over there holding her head.

Whoa...

Phew, that was dizzying! Ahahaha, I never knew Rayshifting was so much fun!

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Totally! Couldn't be better!

...Hm?

Master, we've been cut off from Novum Chaldea.

I think that either our comms equipment is acting up, or something's preventing us from maintaining a connection.

I guess that means we'll be acting on our own then...

Nothing we haven't done plenty of times before. More importantly...

Just look at that beautiful view!

The blue sea! White sands! And pirates!

...Pirates?

Hehehehe! Kids or not, we ain't gonna show ye no mercy!

Yeah! No mercy!

Just 'cause Bartholomew Roberts is gone don't mean the age of pirates is over!

We're the Small-Time Pirates, and we're gonna reclaim the Golden Age of Piracy ourselves!

With a name like that, I don't see you getting all that far.

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How dare you!? The truth hurts, y'know!

Ooh! This is my cue, isn't it? I can take care of this, right?

I don't think you should go out too far ahead, Da Vinci!

It's okay! I feel great! Besides, this is the perfect chance to try out my new weapons.

Ready when you are, Fujimaru!

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...Just try not to hurt them TOO badly, all right?

Nooo! Our dream was out of reeeach!

That went great! Thanks for helping me out, guys!

Yer welcome! Damn it all!

Ye might've beaten us, but ye ain't seen the last of pirates like us!

This here's the hottest spot in the Caribbean right now!

It is? Why is that?

Hah! Ye think I'd ever tell you!? Well, yer right! I'm always kind to nice, quiet girls!

Hehe... See, Chan-mas? You made the right call bringing me along!

Shut up, you. Everythin' 'bout ye just screams "loud."

Wahahaha! Bring it on, punkass pirate!

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So, um, why IS this place the hottest spot in the Caribbean right now?

Ye'll never believe it! They say somewhere in these seas, a great, handsome pirate buried the ultimate treasure.

A bauble that can grant any wish ye like!

...!

A bauble that can grant any wish... That sounds like

If ye wanna know more than that, ye'll have ta go to the town.

All right, I'd best be off then.

I dunno if yer gonna look for the treasure yerselves, but if ya do, best of luck! I'll be watchin' out for ya!

So... Should I go after him? I can cut him off pretty easily.

Damn straight! No one can escape the great demon king Achilles!

No need for that. Let's just take his advice and visit this town he mentioned.

Don't bother. He really did seem like a small-timer, so I doubt there's anything more we can learn from him.

We'll be better off trying our luck elsewhere.

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Got it.

What should we do now, Master?

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Good idea.

Edward Teach, you know this land well, so you should be the best choice for gathering information about it.

Well, all right. Wait. You mean, by myself? All alone?

Don't you know rabbits die if you leave them all alone!?

Oh, that's actually not true. It's just an urban legend.

I looked it up!

O-oh. I see. But...why?

Well, uh... I thought it could make for a killer catchphrase in certain circumstances...

...You're more predator than rabbit, aren't you?

(You'd better watch out, Mash!)

Hm? Well, yes, rabbits are very cute, and should be taken care of.

(She doesn't get it!)

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No problemo!

Hehe. Once those pirates get a load of this bewitching summer beauty...

...they'll be begging to tell us everything they know! Right, Beardie?

Oh, uh, sure.

That's all you've got to say?

Mash, our technical advisor, and I...

...will set up our base camp.

I don't think we'll be finding this hidden treasure before the day is out.

Setting up camp, huh? Sounds like a plan!

Then I'll take a couple laps around the island and see if there's anything suspicious anywhere.

Seems like a perfect job for you.

Ooh, ooh! (Raising her hand)

If possible, I'd like to explore this island, too.

Guess you're coming with me, then.

I'll come with you, Wielder.

Why don't Charlotte and I look for food then?

Works for me.

Besides, there are a bunch of other things we should take care of sooner rather than later, too.

Um...

Oh, yeah, that's right. I'm technically an adventurer myself...or at least, I used to be.

So if you need someone else to gather food, I ought to be able to help out.

Oh, come to think of it, aren't you an adventurer, Mandricardo?

Uh, yeah, that's right. Well, technically, anyway...

So I ought to at least be able to help out with gathering food.

Gathering herbs and medicine is the first step every adventurer must take. That's just as true IRL as it is in webcomics.

Y-yeah, right. (Webcomics?)

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It looks like everyone has a job then.

Director Goredolf, Da Vinci, and I will set up our base camp.

Achilles, Okita Alter, and Rengoku will explore the island.

Blackbeard and Nagiko will gather information.

And Anastasia, Charlotte, and Mandricardo will look for food.

That just leaves you, Master. What will you do?

Well, since there are four tasks in total, the most sensible thing to do would be for you to help with two of them.

You can stay here and help with the base camp and food procurement, or you can go exploring and gather information.

Which will it be, Fujimaru?

That puts you with our group, then. Thank you for helping us, Master!

Guess you're coming with us, then. This is gonna be a blast, Chan-mas!

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Hmm... This seems like a good spot to pitch the tents.

Right! I'll give it everything I've got!

Er, no need for that, all right? I mean, you ARE a Demi-Servant, so if you gave it everything you've got, well...

I'm concerned you might end up breaking the tents...

Oh, right... Then I'll just give it half of what I've got...

Gordy?

Dammit, now I feel guilty!

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Stop that! The last thing I need is a new job title!

All right, this tent's entrance should face...this way.

And since we're going to put up another tent not too far away...

...we can put our bags down here to make a border of sorts.

This way, we can avoid accidentally putting the tents too close together and being forced to re-pitch them.

Oh, wait, not here. The ground is too loose. It'll get flooded if it rains.

We'll have to move this tent somewhere else.

Wow, you really know your stuff, Gordy. I'm glad you're here.

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Isn't it a little early for that!? ...But, all right. It certainly won't hurt to make one now.

A campfire? I was just gonna make one with magecraft.

Yes, well, that would certainly be easy, of course. Even I could do that if I were so inclined.

But I don't believe using magecraft on a simple campfire would be an efficient use of our resources.

No, I think our magical energy would be better spent on things like Bounded Fields with built-in insect repellant, or a shade spell to better keep out the light.

Do you now?

Hehe. Because it sounds to me like you just really want to make a campfire by hand because it's fun.

Well, I never said it wasn't! Was blurting it out like that really necessary!?

Whoops. My bad♥

Okay, Master, let's get to work on the campfire!

Hehe. Usually, Robin or Geronimo takes care of it in no time, so it'll be fun making one ourselves!

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You know what? I think I'll join you guys!

All right, I'll let you three take care of it then. Just let me know if anything comes up.

Okay, um, the first thing we need is some proper tinder.

So we can't just set a bunch of wood on fire and call it a day, huh?

That's right. If you just do that, the fire wont last long at all. We have to find some good, um...

Kindling?

That's it!

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Yes, I did. Robin and Geronimo were both great teachers!

Okay then Mash, you just tell us what to do and we'll get it done!

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...Oh no, it went out again!

I'm not giving up yet! Let's try it one more time!

You'd better hurry uuup, or you'll end up falling back on magecraaaft.

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We'll get it this time!

I'll go get some twigs for kindling!

... ...

It's going! We did it!

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All right!

Ah, you finally got the fire going, did you?

Yes, sir! Our campfire is officially lit!

Very good. Then our next order of business is to finish pitching the tents.

Remember, there's still plenty of work left to do!

Yes, sir!

...Phew. All right, that should do it.

Whoa... This all looks amazing!

It's exactly what I think of when I hear the word "camp"!

What a huge tent! I think we'll be right at home!

I'm impressed, Gordy. I would've thought you'd demand all the Servants use their spirit forms instead of tents.

I'd like to, believe me, but I'm also well aware they're not the type to listen even if I did!

Besides, given that there's no telling what can happen in a Singularity, it's probably better if they stay in their physical forms.

All that aside, it sounds like "Gordy" has stuck, hasn't it?

I'll start unpacking.

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Good idea, Master. Don't worry, we have everything under control here.

See you later! Just be careful out there, 'kay?

And make sure you head back before it gets too late.

'Sup, Master.

Looks like we won't have a problem getting the food we need.

Oh yes.

We've already found chickens (though they're very big) and boars (also very big).

And fruit! Lots and lots of fruit!

All right then... Shall we get to it?

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Right on!

So you'll be exploring and gathering information? Got it!

Very well then, we'll use that time to work on our own preparations.

We may not be able to reach Chaldea at the moment, but our comms still work fine within the Singularity.

So if anything noteworthy comes up, make sure to let us know immediately!

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Great! Okay then, see you later!

All right.

Master, Okita Alter, and Ren... Ren... Sorry, what was your name again?

Rengoku. Ren-go-coo.

Rengie for short.

Don't do that.

But it's such a cute nickname, Rengie.

I just told you not to do that.

Please don't pull on my cheek, Rengie. It hurts...

Got it. Okita Alter and Rengie.

I'll carry Master, so all you guys gotta do is keep up with me.

Understood. We'll stay close.

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Don't worry, I know better than that. I'll hold back as much as I can!

All right, let's get going, Master!

How's this? You okay?

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Great. Looks like Okita Alter and Rengie are keeping up just fine, too. Okay, hold on tight! I'm gonna jump!

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C'mon, Master, you should be used to heights by now. Make sure you make note of anything that grabs your eye!

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Ooh, that tree looks like a good landing spot. I'll take us down there.

Damn, check out that view. Now, let's see what we've got here...

I jumped as high as I could!

The clouds look so much bigger up close...

Look down when you jump. Not up. It's just clouds and sky up there.

Oh, right, good point. The sky IS very pretty, but I'll do my best to look down then.

...Hmm. I can see what looks like towns here and there.

There're other islands nearby, too. Not so near we could jump to 'em, though.

Hopefully, we'll be able to take care of this Singularity without leaving this island, but it looks like we'll have to be ready to visit others just in case.

Does that mean we'll need a ship?

Yup, that's definitely something we'll have to think about.

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Really?

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Great. Then let's head back to that town for now!

Hmm. There sure are a lot of people here.

Something must've happened. Hey, you there. The pirate.

Huh? Whadda ya want?

You again? Go on, get outta here! This is MY island, ye hear!?

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(He recognized me!)

...Sorry about that. What can I do for ye?

(He looks weirdly happy for some reason...) We're just wondering what's going on here.

Oh, yeah. Ain't those two part of yer gang?

...You talking about Blackbeard and Nagiko?

Somethin' big's goin' down at the tavern. I'd hurry if I were ye.

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Got it!

Hey! You two okay!?

So then I said, "Oh my, where's my head at!?"

Ahhh hahaha!

You've got a real self-deprecating streak, don't you! But damn if it's not hilarious!

Oh, I laughed! That means I lose! Well, everyone, next round's on me!

I'm not big on booze, so I'll just have cold barley tea!

Aw c'mon! Aren't ye gonna strip!?

Strip!? I'm still a blushing young maiden, you know!

If you wanna see some skin that badly, how 'bout I strip YOU of everything you've got!?

Come on, Nagiko, let's just quit while we're ahead. I'll strip, so you don't have to, okay?

Wooo, yeah! Strip, big guy, strip!

Wait, someone's actually into that!? I'm not really gonna strip! I'm much too pure and innocent!

Here, how 'bout I buy you a drink to make up for it!?

Don't look, Wielder. You shouldn't be seeing this...

So...drinking alcohol helps you have more fun?

It'd be okay if that was all it did, but it's not. Whatever you do, Wielder, don't drink any yourself. You're not ready.

I see. I was kind of interested to try it since it looked like fun, but if you insist, Rengoku, I won't.

Geez, don't scare us like that. They're just drinking and having a good time.

Well, I guess Nagiko isn't even drinking. She's just...like that...

Thing is, they also said they were flat broke.

Hahahaha. ...Say what?

Hey, Wallet! ...I mean...

Wallster!

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Now, now, don't be like that.

We haven't been drinking with these people for nothing, you know? We learned all kinds of useful things.

Neeheehee, it's been a total blast! But, uh, what did we talk about again?

Seriously? ...Uh-oh. I don't remember, either!

Waaahaha!

Another round!

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All right! Hey, you guys! Whadda ya say we have ourselves a REAL party!?

Whoever loses has to treat everyone else!

Yer on!

I don't need alcohol, but I could use something to drink. I'm thirsty...

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Good thinking. Here, Wielder, I'll go get you some juice.

Oh no, you won't. I'm the older one, so I'll get the drinks. What would you like, Rengoku?

The older one? Is that really important?

Fine, just get whatever you want then. I don't need anything.

Okay then... First round!

Cheeers!

All riiight! It's battle time!

Go on! Bring all the giant ghosts you got!

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Woohoo! Let's do this thiiing! And by "this thing," I mean a good old-fashioned pirate punch-out!

'Kay, we're all done. Now we just gotta dress the meat.

Oh, I can do that.

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You and I can go pick fruit.

Come on, Master, let's go. Thanks for taking care of the meat, you two!

Byyye♪

...Huh? Hey, Mandricardo?

Yeah?

I feel like I just got, well...outplayed...

(Yup, you sure did. That was a brutally effective and blindingly fast preemptive strike.)

(I'm honestly kind of impressed...)

Uh... Do you wanna go after them? I can handle things here on my own.

No, that's okay. I still have a job to do!

And no responsible person would bail on their job, no matter the reason!

Got it. In that case, let's take care of this quickly and go catch up to them.

Sounds good!

Now, what are some good Caribbean fruits...

Probably mangos and papayas, wouldn't you say?

Oh? Master, look!

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Hehehe, what luck. I can't believe we found an apple tree out here.

They don't look very ripe, though. They're all tiny and green.

Still, I'm sure they're edible. Come on, let's pick some!

Hehehe.

Finders keepers, right? So I'm going to have the first one.

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Down the hatch♪

... ...

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...I learned a very important lesson today, Master.

Eating wild fruit without consulting an expert is...dangerous.

Also, these aren't apples. In fact, they're very dangerous and you should get away from them. Now.

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They're poisonous!

Ooh, ow ow ow ow. Ghh, it's a good thing I'm a Servant, or that would've been really, really bad!

N-never mind these "apples." They're no good at all. Come on, let's look for other kinds of fruit!

Also, I'm never eating things unless I'm one-hundred-percent sure they're safe ever again, dammit!

Ah, I see. That sounds like a manchineel tree.

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It had tiny, green apple-looking things growing on it, right? They were almost certainly manchineels then.

What are manchineels like? Are they good?

Oh, they're not food. They're just poison. Pure poison, through and through.

In fact, I'm pretty sure manchineel trees're one of the most dangerous plants in the world.

Legends say that people who take shelter from the rain under manchineel trees get horrible blisters all over their skin.

Really!? Just from standing under it!?

Apparently, the rain water mixes with the tree's sap and turns toxic.

Yikes...

Heh, hehe. I'm seriously starting to consider turning the whole Caribbean Sea into a world of permafrost...

Be careful, Char. Whatever you do, don't eat any strange fruit you come across.

Check with an expert first to make sure it's safe.

You're right. There's really no telling with wild fruit, is there?

I'll be careful, Anastasia. I won't let your noble sacrifice be in vain!

Still very much alive, thank you.

...At least these other fruits look safe to eat.

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Oh, I'll go with you.

Please do. I need to take a little break, anyway... Oof.

G-got it. Here, maybe some water'll help.

Thanks. ...This water IS safe to drink...right?

(Hoo boy. She's really been burned bad...uh, figuratively speaking.)

Oh, Master, on a different subject...

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Does this swimsuit look good on me?

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Then would you mind showering me in compliments?

Nothing would make me happier.

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Teehee, I'm just kidding.

I would never do something so uncouth as to demand compliments that weren't freely given.

The best compliments are those given without prompting.

Anyway, let's be on our way, Master!

Interesting... I never would have thought to try that approach...

(Probably 'cause it's so far out of your wheelhouse that you'd need a team of sherpas just to begin looking for it... But I'll keep that thought to myself.)

(Hopefully, she ends up looking back on all this as just a fun summer memory...)

Hello? Earth to Mandricardo? Come on, let's go already.

Oh, right. Coming!

Ahhh!

Mmm!

That's the stuff!

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This white juice is yummy, too! Go on, Rengoku, try it!

Hey! Get that out of my face before you stain my outfit! It's okay, Wielder, you can have it all. I don't need any.

Aww, but it's so good, Rengoku. Why won't you at least try it? Are you going through a rebellious phase?

Sure, Wielder, let's just go with that. Look, I appreciate the thought, okay?

Guh! G-guess this is as far as I go...

All right, we drank 'em under the table! Now let's wake some of them up and see what we can learn from them.

Hey, you there.

Huh? ...Oh. I see. So we lost...

Glad we're all on the same page. Now, if you don't mind, we got a few questions for you.

What can you tell us about the secret pirate treasure?

I don't buy it.

...Me neither.

I mean, do you remember stashing any secret treasure anywhere?

Nope.

I mean, it's possible that I did and just don't remember...

...since that's not really the kind of thing a Servant needs to know.

True that.

I definitely don't remember everything from my lifetime.

Even so...

These secret treasures sure sound like they're the key to this Singularity, whether they actually exist or not.

Well, since I lost, I don't got any right to hold onto this. Here, ye lot can have it.

Whoa, thanks!

... ...

Wh-whatever!

Just don't think this means I'm counting on yer sorry asses to find the treasures or anything! 'Cause I'm not! Jerk!

(Damn, Achilles opened up the tsundere romance option right out of the gate.)

(Guess that's just what you should expect from a legendary Greek hero like him.)

You see that, Wielder? That's just the kind of man you need to watch out for.

You're right, Achilles IS very strong, isn't he? I'll have to do my best not to fall behind!

That's really not what I meant...

...I'm getting some weird stares but eh, I'm not gonna worry about it.

So, what do you wanna do now, Master?

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Hey, yeah.

Da Vinci's got a good head on her shoulders. I bet she'll know what to do with this info!

That your way of calling Beardie here a dummy!?

What gives!? If anyone's a dummy here, it's you, you big, uh, dummy!

Uh, I didn't say anything like that, Nagiko. You think maybe your new Berserker class might be

Hey! Just 'cause I'm a Berserker now doesn't mean I'm not still good at thinking and stuff!

Okay, what's one plus one then?

Nine thousand nine hundred eighty-eight!!!

And there you have it. All right then, let's fast travel back to camp!

Here we are.

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I don't know about you, Master, but I can't stand long loading times in fast travel. It defeats the whole purpose.

Plus, they're always longest at the worst times, like when you realize you forgot to grab an important quest item and have to backtrack.

So I never wanna experience that kind of tedium IRL if I can help it.

I don't know what you're talking about, Blackbeard, but we can tell whatever it is really frustrates you. Right, Rengoku?

Nope. Not a clue.

Oh, Fujimaru. You're finally back.

All right then, let's hear what you found out. (Said while peeling an apple.)

...That's not a manchineel, is it?

Why in the world would I ever cook with something that toxic!?

Phew. That's a relief...

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That sounds good to me too, Senpai.

These apples are for pie. You can have one if you want, but I think you'll find them much too sour on their own.

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... ...

Oh come on! Are you THAT disappointed!?

Oh wow, it's true. These ARE really sour.

He JUST said that! Why did you have a slice anyway!? Ugh! Here, have some water and wipe your mouth already!

So, here's what we found out.

We drank a ton. It was crazy.

I hope that's not all you did.

Don't worry, boss man. We got the info we were looking for, too.

Let's start with what we learned about the pirate treasures. Aaand...flashback! Fwoo woo woo...

Hmm, I see.

Seven secret treasures left behind by famous pirates, huh?

That does sound intriguing, but at this point, I can't say whether they're the cause of this minute Singularity.

Be that as it may, they're still our only lead at the moment.

That's true... Okay, let's try looking for them ourselves.

Can I see that map, Blackbeard?

Sure thing.

Hmm...

I must say, this is a much more detailed map than I expected.

Yup. All the place names are labeled and it matches this island's northeast terrain exactly.

There's even a cave marked here, and it looks like exactly where we need to go.

Only thing is, the pirate who gave us the map said something weird about it.

Weird how?

She said her gang looked everywhere for this cave, but couldn't find any hint of it.

Sounds like the map is probably wrong then.

Yeah. But if it is, then we have no leads and we're back to square one.

What do you think we should do, Master?

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Understood. Then I'll go with you, Master.

Me too!

Me three.

Me four!

Yeah, let's do this!

Hell yeah! Bring it on!

Now, now, not so fast.

You can't all go and leave me to watch the camp on my own!

...Yeah, I guess that's true.

Then how about this?

We can decide who goes with Fujimaru and Mash with a good old-fashioned game of rock-paper-scissors.

That'll keep things nice, simple, and fair.

You mean we're not gonna fight for it?

I have no interest in fighting a battle whose outcome is a foregone conclusion, and I promise you Viy doesn't, either.

Yeah! That wouldn't be fair at all!

All right, whatever you say. But be warned, I'm really good at rock-paper-scissors, too!

Hmm, okay. As long as three of us stay behind here, that ought to be enough!

All right, here goes! Rock! Paper! Scissors!

Shoot!!!

Looks like I'm staying behind.

Hehe... I totally lost...

Me too. (Sniff)

Oh well, I guess helping Mr. Goredolf out isn't the worst thing in the world.

Okay then, Gordy, see you later!

Very good. Just watch your step out there, you hear?

Will do!

Bye, Director! We'll be back soon!

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Don't worry, it should be ready by the time you get back. Now get out there and investigate this Singularity!