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New places were always fun to explore. While being guided by someone that actually knew what they were doing certainly added to the experience at times, nothing could beat just being out on your own and letting your feet take you to wherever it was that it could take you. Using your own spatial awareness to map out your location, using signs and asking for directions from the locals kind of had their own fun flair to it that really made it feel like you were out on an adventure.

Of course, that only applied to places that actually had roadsides and a properly working civilization.

"We\'re here."

Walking down the [Rig], all of us were all standing in what looked to be an old stone port. It was obviously abandoned, what with the abundance of vegetation growing through its cracks, but it still served its purpose of letting the [Empire\'s Wrath] dock. It was a rocky affair even lining up the damn thing, but I somehow made it work.

"Indeed," Shade intoned, his head looking up at the massive trees that seemed to bar us from even leaving the port. "This screams of wildlife, by the way."

"Indeed!" Maruki shouted out, already taking point as he positioned himself in front of all of us. "There might be powerful beasts lurking within these trees!"

"I... don\'t actually doubt that," Guidance intoned, standing beside Shizu and me as she whispered. "I\'ve scattered these islands around with the intent of making a few hub islands for the player to go to, but I just didn\'t manage to get to them before all of this."

"So this was supposed to be a village of some kind?" Shizu asked.

"Yeah," the dev nodded. "Maybe it could\'ve been a small port, but I guess it just got pushed to the wayside in favor of focusing on other things. Not that it stopped the engine from somehow filling in the blanks, it would seem."

I couldn\'t agree more to her assessment. Apart from the port, there also seemed to be a few abandoned houses just below the massive tree line. They were clearly overrun by nature, their dilapidated states telling that it had probably been decades since they were last inhabited.

"This certainly looks like an old Imperial colony," Shade hummed in thought, walking forward as to explore the surroundings. "I\'ve seen similar architecture even further out into the Deep, before Vestyge decided that they wanted to colonize some islands of their own as well."

"W-Wha- You mean this used to be Imperial Territory?!"

Oh boy... "Shizu, it\'s probably already been decades since," I assuaged the fuming princess. "If anything, any citizens of the Empire that might\'ve lived here are probably back at Port Khong."

Shizu took in a deep breath before she dropped her anger. But despite all that, a hint of her fury still lingered in her eyes as she stared at the empty houses. "Those holes in them... They\'re large enough to be made by Vestygian cannons."

"So it would seem..." I trailed off.

Sure enough, looking into the abandoned structures further would yield a few more observations that would probably make any nationalistic Imperial furious. Signs of fighting were scattered all across the port. Bullet holes, cannonball holes, broken spears, and burnt metallic scraps told a story of a village that fought for its independence against a vastly superior foe. There was more to it, I\'m sure, but that was the gist of what happened here for now.

"Another site of Vestygian atrocity?! Unforgivable!"

And there went Maruki, grinding his teeth as he stared out at the re-contextualized sight in front of us. Guidance and I could only stand by as Shizu began fuming again, her smile warping into something more sinister as she stared at the broken homes and destroyed buildings.

[Island Sanctuary]

Taking the first step deeper into the island, the place\'s prompt flashed by as I raised an eyebrow at the naming of it. And Island Sanctuary?

"Say, does Island Sanctuary ring any bells to any of you?"

The group all collectively paid attention to my question, Shizu and Guidance, in particular, looking like the term was passingly familiar to them.

"I\'ve heard of stories about a paradise out in the Shallow Deep that bore that name," Shizu frowned in thought. "The Imperial records didn\'t exactly say much beyond that it was a vital island of strategic importance though."

"I remember putting that island in..." Guidance pondered in deep thought. "It was right near Kattleyna... wait..."

I guess Guidance actually remembered something. "The answer to the question you have is yes, by the way."

"So we\'re in the Island Sanctuary then," the dev confirmed, a haunting look flashing on her face as she weakly looked around. "T-This is... What happened to it?"

Shizu and Maruki both stiffened, assuredly their own Imperial pride stung at the prospect of such a jewel being reduced to a pitiful ghost town. I could only assume that Shade and Shen had no comments on the matter, but Guidance\'s reaction to it kind of didn\'t make sense.

Why would she look afraid?

"Ooh... That\'s a pretty big tree..."

At Shen\'s words, I stopped in front of what looked to be a tree the size of a small condominium. I didn\'t notice when we managed to walk all the way up to the tree line, but I suppose that we were too busy gawking at the sights to even notice what was happening.

"Why is it white though?" Shen asked, running up and touching the massive tree. "I haven\'t seen any wood that\'s like this..."

"That looks to be Wanderwood..." Shade observed. "But... that\'s impossible?"

I have a feeling that context was needed for this. "Guidance?"

"Wanderwood is the strongest tree in this world," she promptly explained, her voice still shaky as her eyes darted from side to side. "Look, I can explain about them more later, but we really should be getting back on the [Rig]."

My eyes widened. That sounded awfully ominous...

"So you do know why these things are growing here. On land," Shade accusingly pointed out at Guidance. "I could only assume that your current anxiety is connected to why these trees are here in the first place?"

"Yes. Now can we please go?" Guidance insisted, her feet already raring to go back to the port. "The longer we stare here, the more-"

[*BLEFAUSGDFASGFIASFUAGSD!!!!!*]

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