Master Of Astral Summoner
Chapter 48: Camp fire

Chapter 48: Camp fire

Shaan was breathing heavily as he walked towards the cave Nalira had pointed out earlier. It wasn’t far from the train, but to reach it, he had to walk along a narrow and slippery path. Not just that, he had to keep walking while carrying Chelsie on his shoulders, making his energy drain very quickly.

"Ah, finally," Shaan leaned Chelsie’s body against a large rock in the cave. "At least now we won’t get soaked in the rain."

"I’ll go out for a bit to find some wood to burn," Nalira said, walking away from Shaan in the cave. "Stay here. I’ll be back soon."

"Alright, I understand."

Just a few minutes after Nalira left, Chelsie finally woke up. Shaan noticed right away and quickly moved closer to her to make sure she was okay.

"Shaan? Wh– where are we?" Confusion filled Chelsie’s face. "What happened?"

"Chelsie, calm down. We’re in a cave right now because it’s going to rain soon." Shaan explained. "Nalira went to look for some wood to burn, and she should be back soon."

"Uhm... okay."

After only a few minutes, Nalira arrived with several piles of wood in her hands. She then placed the tree branches inside the cave, arranging them quite neatly.

"Nalira, where do you get all these tree branches from?"

"Not far from this cave, I see a forest. I picked up all the tree branches lying on the ground there."

"Oh... Okay."

"Alright then, time to start a campfire."

"Uhm... Nalira, are you sure you want to start a fire in here?" Chelsie asked with a hesitant tone. "Wouldn’t the fire attract the dark creatures? Doesn’t it help them locate us?"

Shaan, hearing it, just nodded his head. True, what Chelsie said was true. He was right. According to the thick book that nearly made his head explode, fire could indeed attract certain types of dark creatures. But that didn’t apply to every kind.

"You’re right, Chelsie," Nalira said. "But since we’re in an enclosed space like a cave, I think it’s unlikely those creatures will find our location."

"I agree," Shaan said while glancing around outside the cave. "Besides, it’s already raining, and I think the dark creatures will have a hard time finding us. So, I believe we’ll be safe here."

After hearing Shaan and Nalira’s explanation, Chelsie nodded. "Uhm... alright, then."

Nalira snapped her fingers, and a small flame appeared at the tip of her index finger. She slowly brought her hand close to the pile of sticks she had arranged. Within seconds, the fire spread through the wood, forming a small campfire for the three of them.

"I agree." Shaan looked around the outside of the cave. "Besides, it’s already raining, and it seems that the creatures of Darkness will have a hard time finding us, so I think everything will be safe and sound."

Hearing Shaan and Nalira’s explanation, Chelsie nodded her head. "Uhmm... Okay then."

Nalira then snapped her fingers, and instantly, a small flame appeared on her fingertips. She slowly brought her fingertips towards the pile of branches she was carrying, and within seconds, the flames spread towards the pile of branches and created a small campfire for the three of them.

’Good thing Nalira can control fire,’ Shaan said. ’It feels like fire-making is a much easier way now.’

"You two, eat this." Nalira took out another protein bar from her pocket. "This is the only protein bar left," She handed one to Shaan and the other to Chelsie. "But... we don’t have any water to drink."

"Thank you, Lira." Chelsie smiled as she accepted it. "Oh, yes, about the water. Can you guys help me collect that rainwater? Uhmm... we can cook that water for drinking, right?"

"Elsie... are you sure you want to use rainwater for drinking?" Nalira frowned. "Even if we boil it, it’ll still look murky and smell weird."

’Yes, what Nalira says is true. We have no idea what’s in the rainwater, and it might be harmful for the human body.’

Chelsie smiles. "Relax, I have something which can neutralize whatever is in the water. Just trust me."

"...Okay."

The three of them searched for any kind of container they could use to collect rainwater, then placed it just outside the cave. Within seconds, the rain filled the container. They quickly brought it back in and placed it over the fire.

"Okay, now I want to show you something," Chelsie said as she pulled out a small glass bottle from her pocket. "Watch how this potion works."

She opened the bottle and dropped three drops of the clear liquid into the cooked water. In just seconds, the murky color faded away, and strangely, the water lost its smell completely.

"Alright, the water is now safe for consumption." Chelsie gulped down the water excitedly. "Ah, that’s better. You should try it."

"W-wait, but how come?" Shaan rounded his eyes. "How can you neutralize this rainwater?

"Aqua purga- A special herb which has the effect of purifying water and neutralizing the effects of low-level poisons," Chelsie said in explanation. "It’s very handy when you’re in the dark realm."

’Wow... it turns out that Chelsie has a potion like that. Interesting.

’ "...How do you get it, Elsie?

"Uhm... that’s because my mom happens to be a pharmacist—but you could also call her an alchemist."

"Wait, I don’t understand what you’re saying at all, Chelsie."

"My mother owns a small herbal medicine shop in Riverglace town. She usually makes remedies using medicinal plants. But, she also learns about the plants in the dark realm and usually makes potions like this for Daemonists to carry out their duties for long periods."

"Alright, I see." Shaan nodded his head.

"Shaan, I want to bring up the promise you made earlier." Chelsie slowly turned her gaze toward him. "What happened back there? Why didn’t you tell us there was a Doppleshade in the train car?"

’Oh no... so she still remembers that.’

Hearing Chelsie’s words, Nalira frowned slightly. ".... Doppleshade in the carriage?"

"Yeah. There was one in the very last car. But Shaan managed to deal with it," Chelsie answered.

Nalira slowly turned her gaze toward Shaan. "Why didn’t you tell us about this?"

"About that..." Shaan scratched his head. "I just didn’t want to make things even more tense on the train, so I decided to kill the Doppleshade by trapping it and using all the explosives stored in the last carriage."

Chelsie’s eyes widened. "Oh my god. No wonder I don’t see the carriage at the back at all. It turns out that you destroyed that carriage.

"That’s right," Shaan nodded. "I managed to kill the Doppleshade, but the explosion destroyed the entire tunnel and...just made things even more chaotic. I’m so sorry."

"Never mind, it’s already happened anyway." Hearing Shaan’s reasoning, Nalira simply nodded her head. "Now, I have something important to tell you both, and it’s... it may have some connection with the Doppleshade’s presence."