Chapter 1 - Four

Beta'd by A.O. Talmidge

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

"But blue cheese is supposed to look all moldy and stuff. At least, I think, right? C'mon, back me up on this Celica; you have to know more about fancy foods than Boey, right?"

"Well…" Celica hesitated. "I suppose from how you described it did somewhat sound like ones I've seen before. However, I think Boey was right, Mae. Eating that just because it resembled descriptions of blue cheese was not your best moment."

Especially since there was no telling where it had been. The pirate lord Barth's and his band hadn't been the most cleanly lot, though to be fair, she had yet to meet pirates that were. Their hideout – a seized fortress on one of the isles in the Novis strait – had been no exception.

"Great, so now you're siding with Boey?" Mae protested. "But it tasted fine, and it really went well with th- urgh."A queasy expression wormed its way onto Mae's face, followed by an involuntary burp.

Celica quickly backed up. The force of Mae's bowel expulsion into the nearby bucket sent little splatters across the wooden floor of the schooner's cabin interior, the splatter now just out of reach of Ceilca's boots.

"Goodness!" Celica exclaimed.

Had Genny not already been rubbing Mae's back in smooth even motions, Celica would have moved to do so. As it stood, Genny was muttering words Celica could not hear in a comforting manner.

The distasteful smell of the vomit wafted up to Celica's nose, making it twitch involuntarily. It pained her to see Mae like this. She was one of Celica's closest friends and even though it was self-inflicted, she didn't want to Mae to suffer like this. "That was certainly…intense."

Mae raised her head, a very clearly forced and pained smile on her face. "No, no it's fine!" She waved her hands animatedly in protest, sending her short pink twintails waving with the motion. "I'm fine; just a little seasickness. Don't worry about me, or hold back on anything just because I-"

Mae cut off mid-sentence with a retch and another round of hurling, thankfully all the way in the bucket this time.

"You know that moving like that only makes it worse for you, Mae." Genny chided before she looked up to Celica. "Don't worry, Celica, I can handle things here."

"Nooo…don't leave me…"

Genny sighed. "Even though it probably is just some food poisoning mixed with her usual seasickness, we really can't afford for you to get ill, Celica, just in case more of those nasty pirates show up."

An echoing groan erupted from the requisitioned metal bucket, currently housing Mae's head and her sick instead of whatever it would normally. The groan sounded suspiciously similar to 'this is your fault, Boey.'

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Genny?" Celica asked.

The young cleric nodded, sending her poufy ends of her bobbing. "I can keep her company. There's no need for both of us to be cooped up in here the rest of the day."

"I…suppose. But, don't worry, Mae. I will come back later when you're stomach has settled more." A pitiful groan of assent came from the bucket. Satisfied, Celica stepped out and gently closed the boat cabin's door behind her.

"By the sound of it, it's more than seasickness, milady?"

"Hm?" Celica turned to see Boey leaning against the wood of the ship's interior, dark-skinned arms crossed. "Oh, yes, but she seems to be taking it in stride. Or as much she can, given the circumstances."

Boey let out a weary sigh, running a hand through white hair irritably. "I did warn her that eating that cheese was a bad idea. Sadly, Mae never was one to listen to the voice of reason when it suits her. Especially when I'm that voice."

The sound of another round of heaving seeped under the door.

"I'm sure she'll be fine soon enough."

Boey rolled his eyes. "Oh no doubt she'll be up and about before night's end complaining about her seasickness to anyone who will listen. Regardless, is there anything that that I could help fetch? I'd rather help this pass as soon as possible."

"No need. Genny has things under control. For now I think I'm going to go up on deck and get some fresh air."

Boey snorted. "No doubt you need it after dealing with that stench."

"Do you want come with me?

He waved a dismissive hand. "No, thanks. If I'm not needed, I would rather try and continue reading the book I picked up on our way out of Novis Greatport. No point chancing it dropping into the sea with how much it cost."

"Oh, you're talking about the book on the divine accords that you picked up?"

His lips quirked up a moment. "That's the one." He raised his voice back towards the cabin Mae occupied. "And I intend to read it away from the sounds of an impulsive sick woman with no self-control!"

"I can still hear just fine, Boey!" Mae's voice, muffled through the door, called back.

Celica let out an involuntary giggle at their antics, which she tried unsuccessfully to shield behind her hand.

"Great, and now you're laughing at us." Boey sighed, and then made a shooing motion. "Go on milady, before I embarrass myself anymore."

Celica raised a hand in farewell. "Alright then, see you later," and started down the ship's cramped corridor towards the ladder to the deck.

The ship rocked on a wave, and on instinct, Celica's right hand went to grasp the railing in front of her as a light spray of salty water hit her face. Behind her, she heard the squawking and wailing of seagulls mixed in with the din of the sailors calling for the topman to adjust the sails.

The sea coupled with the setting sun spread out in front of her. An incredible sight no matter how many times she witnessed it. She clutched the turnwheel – hung on a sturdy leather cord around her neck – and sent a quick prayer to the Earth Mother in thanks.

She hoped that Mila could still hear her.

"There you are, lass."

"Hm?" She turned to her left at the sound of a voice, and saw a man with red hair trimmed on the sides, a neatly kept beard and eye patch fixed over his right eye. Saber leaned with one arm settled on the railing. "Oh, Saber. Did you need something?"

He casually threw a thumb behind him, pointing to the ladder. "What passes for meals on these boats is ready below deck if you want it."

Celica nodded, absently. "Alright. I'll come down in a bit, but I'd like to enjoy the rest of the sunset for now."

She heard a grunt of acknowledgement from Saber. "Well, make sure you don't forget. 'Specially if you keep up with the crazy stunts you've been pulling; you'll need the energy."

Was that a bit of resentment in his voice? "If you don't wish to continue on with us after we dock at Zofia harbor, I cannot force you to come all the way."

Saber held up his hand in a warding gesture. "Whoa now, don't mistake me. I may not think what you're doing is the safest or sanest option, but I can respect the good of what you're trying to accomplish. Even if it makes this escort job a quite a sight harder than it needs to be."

"I would still pay for the services you've offered so far. Your help has been invaluable."

"What, you'd split that fancy dagger you offered as payment in half?" He shook his head. "Not gonna happen, lass. 'Sides, if word got around that I bailed on an escort job halfway through, my reputation would plummet."

She smiled. "Well, alright then."

His hand went to the back of his neck, scratching. "Still, helping take down a pirate lord is the last thing I thought I'd be doing when I took this job. Don't suppose I could talk you out of any more unnecessary detours?"

She hesitated a moment. "I can give you no guarantees, Saber. While I do wish to go with all haste to the Temple of Mila, I cannot ignore the plight of Zofia's people."

Saber sighed. "Figured it'd be something like that. Just don't go falling for every sob story that comes your way, else we'll never get to where you wanted to go in the first place, yeah?"

"I know, but whenever possible I will help those who need it along the way."

Saber stared at her a moment before barking out a laugh. "Ha! You're stubborn as they come. Well, as long as it's not too ridiculous, I'll come along."

Celica nodded her assent and turned back to the sunset. It was probably the best she could hope for from the seasoned mercenary.

A call sounded out from above in the crow's nest and it spread around the ship's crew, eventually filtering down to where she and Saber were. "Boat flying no standard off the starboard bow!"

That was the side of the ship they were on. She squinted off into the horizon, but couldn't spot anything. "More pirates?" Celica wondered aloud.

"Seems likely," Saber grunted, pushing off from where he was leaning against the ship's railing.

"Will they never let these waters have peace?"

He cricked his neck. "Well, you did just off their head honcho yesterday, so it isn't too surprising some of them aren't aware of it. Either that or they followed us here with some half-baked plans of revenge. Better go below deck and get something to eat before they arrive."

After strapping on her light armor and sword, Celica made her way back up to the deck. The moon, not quite full, shone its light on the sea, casting light on the unknown boat. No longer just a nearly indistinguishable dot on the horizon, the ship – much larger than their own – continued sailing an intercept course towards them.

She checked with the crew on deck, but there was still no response to the signal flags they sent out, so they were still unsure of the larger ship's intentions. All of her band – even Mae, who insisted she was feeling better enough to at least 'zap a few fools' – readied for battle.

Her newest 'recruits' were in the midst of preparing on deck. Leon, already armed with his bow and quiver of arrows, was nearly finished helping Valbar into his heavy armor. Off a bit to the side, Kamui leaned against one of the masts, lightly armored with a sword buckled to his belt. A bottle and wooden small wooden cup sat on the mast's support to his side.

Valbar grinned and raised an arm in greeting when he spotted her. "Ho, Priestess! Any word on who's approaching?"

She shook her head. "None yet, Valbar. They aren't flying any standard we can see and haven't responded to the crew's signals. But they are still approaching."

"Ah, got it." Valbar turned to the side, allowing Leon easier access to fasten on one of his pauldrons. "So we're on standby in case things get ugly and skulls need to be cracked."

"Hopefully it won't come to that, but yes, it would be best to ere on the side of caution." She paused, uncertain of what else to say. She hadn't known these men for very long. "How are all of you faring? You settled in all right?"

She saw Kamui shrug. "Eh, a ship's a ship, but at least we're traveling again."

Leon huffed, handing Valbar his helmet, which Valbar hooked under one arm loosely at his side. "Speak for yourself. This salty air does horrible things to my hair."

"Then why not just go back below deck?" Kamui asked.

"Down into that cramped foul-smelling interior? That's a poor alternative, especially with the peppy one of yours getting sick like that." Leon let out a dramatic sigh. "No matter how you put it, it's a never ending parade of discomfort and misery on any of these infernal boats."

Valbar bopped Leon lightly on the head with one of his gauntleted hands. "Ignore him, priestess. This is far better than the poor excuse for a ship we went to Barth's fortress in originally."

"Oh? What was it like?" she asked, curious.

Leon flipped some of his light purple hair to the side in a dismissive manner. "We crashed it, actually."

Celica paused, thinking, before her eyes widened. "You mean that horrible double shipwreck Boey saw off the shore of Barth's fortress…?"

Valbar let out an easy, hearty laugh. "Yup, that was ours. None of us are what you'd exactly call expert sailors, but we managed. Unfortunately, we were caught by a ship of Barth's thugs patrolling around the island, and they sunk us handily."

Kamui grinned. "Not before I rammed our ship into theirs."

"Don't sound so proud of yourself." Valbar chided, elbowing Kamui in the ribs, before turning back to her. "We barely made it in time to the lifeboat, but it all turned out alright. Probably provided a nice distraction for you and yours to slip in help us take out Barth. So I don't want to hear any more complaints from either of you."

Leon sighed in a grandiose manor. "I'll suffer it if I must for you, old friend."

Kamui poured out some of the drink from the bottle, and raised the little cup towards her. "We're alive instead of dead on the end of a pirate's axe. That's good enough for me."

Celica pursed her lips. "Maybe it's not my place to say, but is that really wise, drinking before we could go to battle?"

"Well, I never know which battle is going to be my last, so when I know one is coming, I have a little toast to the life I've led so far. Don't worry, priestess, It's not like I'm drinking myself into a stupor. I know my limits."

"Hmm. I suppose everyone has their own traditions." She sent a small prayer for safety to the Earth Mother Mila before and after every encounter, after all. "Just be ready."

Kamui made a little mock two-finger salute and down the contents of the cup. She turned and stepped away from the group, moving to the starboard side railing.

Out in the distance, the unknown ship moved steadily closer.

It was nearing midnight when the approaching ship stopped beside theirs. Everyone was on deck, facing the gargantuan vessel.

Its shadow loomed over them. Both hers and the large ship had weighed anchor, and the difference in size intimidated her slightly. It's design reminded her of the a trading ship from Archanea that had once stopped in Novis, supposedly built larger and designed in a certain way to last out in the open ocean.

However, one thing in particular about this ship stood out.

"It's…empty?" Boey asked.

Genny folded an arm behind her, and nervously bit a nail. "Maybe they were attacked?"

Leon made a tsk, frowning. "So we got all worked up over a drifting derelict?"

"Doesn't look like it." Saber pointed with one hand at the large ship's hull. "Look a little closer. There are no signs of damage to the ship, least not that I can see."

Celica paused, thinking. "The ship had its sails working, and according to the captain, the currents aren't heading in the direction it was going. It was a clear intercept course for our vessel. With a ship that size, there must be at least some people to help it sail."

"Great, so there are some people out of sight goading us into a trap," Valbar stated.

Celica nodded. "That seems like the most likely possibility."

"Is that wise to spring a trap so obviously, milady?" Boey asked.

"Perhaps not, but if this is a pirate vessel, we shouldn't leave it to others who don't have our capabilities to take it on." Boey didn't look convinced. "Reverse the situation. If you were a fisherman or a trader and this boat came across you, you would be entirely defenseless. We are not, so it is our duty to do something."

"I still think this is ill advised." Yet even though he said it, he looked away, ashamed. The crew of her ship extended the gangplank, going up at a fairly steep angle towards the deck of the other ship.

"Right." She drew her short sword and turned to the others. "Be on your guard everyone."

The deck of the ship was completely empty. As the ship was enormous, the group had decided to split in two to cover more ground quickly. Saber, Boey, Mae and herself in one, and Valbar, Leon, Kamui and Genny in the other.

Celica's conjured fireball spun in lazy orbit above her head, creating a revolving bubble of light that spun the shadows in one of the barren ship's hallway. She carefully opened another identical door, pausing to check the interior.

A couple of bunks and more empty trunks. A layout copied in every room she had ventured into in this particular hall. She sighed and exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Well?"

Celica shook her head. "Empty like the last ones."

Boey crossed his arms. "If there's anyone here, you'd think they would have heard us by this point, or you'd think we would have heard some noise or indication of life. Something. But this empty silence," he shuddered, "is seriously freaking me out."

Mae came out from the door across the hall, and Saber – hand on the pommel of his sword – silently followed behind. "Oh come on, Boey, don't tell me you're wussing out now."

"No, of course not!" Boey protested.

"Nothing to be afraid of, scaredy pants." Mae gestured animatedly to the empty hallway. If Celica knew Mae, she was likely hiding any lingering discomfort from her sickness behind her perky attitude. "It's just been a big empty ship so far. A big ol' bore fest. There's not even anything worth looting."

"You don't know that."

Mae rolled her eyes. "Duh-doy. That's why we're looking around."

"And we won't get to the bottom of this if we keep standing around." Saber interjected. "Assuming this isn't some sort of elaborate trap, at this point I'm sure the worst thing we'll find are a couple of Terrors. It's not like it's a ship that ferries souls lost at sea to the afterlife."

"What?!" Boey shrieked.

Saber cocked an eyebrow. "Sheesh, lighten up kid, those kind of things only exist in tavern tales. It was just a joke.

"You don't just joke about something like that!"

"Joke or not," Celica interrupted, "Saber is right. We shouldn't dally longer than necessary. Everything about this is unsettling."

The wood of the ship creaked as it rocked slightly, echoing slightly in the vast room. The cargo hold was a spacious, impressive space, likely capable of holding enough supplies to last the whole island of Novis, or at least the priory, for months, with room to spare.

But, like the rest of the ship, it was completely empty. No cargo, no people, no traps, no shambling, undead forms of any Terrors.

Nothing.

While Genny was off to the side with Mae, who looked a little pale, the other five of Celica's band now stood in a loose circle.

"So you found nothing as well?" Celica asked, even though the looks on their faces said it all.

Valbar shrugged helplessly. "Not a thing, priestess. We found what looked like it could have been a kitchen and dining area, maybe some storage spaces. All of it empty."

"How do you mean? Was it stripped clean by looters?" Boey asked.

"No," Leon answered, one arm folded across his chest and the other with his hand poised thoughtfully under his chin. "Looters would have left some sort of obvious sign behind: broken windows, upended furniture and the like. We saw nothing like that. Just empty cupboards, barren tables. But the most unsettling thing is that it doesn't look exactly abandoned either. No dust built up that I could tell."

Celica nodded. "That sounds similar to what we saw. I assume you didn't see any signs of people?"

"Nope." Kamui rubbed his nose, frowning. "It's almost like it left port right after it was built without anyone in it. It's like a true ghost ship."

"Please don't talk about it like that." Boey turned to her, hand clenched tightly about his robe. "If there's nothing here, might I suggest we go, milady? My nerves can't take much more of this."

"Kid's got a point, lass. There definitely something more to this, but I don't see much point risking our necks if there's nothing or nobody here to gain from it. I say we go and get on with your mission to the Temple of Mila."

"I suppose." Celica would have liked to get to the bottom of what was happening, but there wasn't much point if there was no one to help. "But we should at least let the dock master about it know once we get to Zofia."

Thump.

Celica froze.

"Hah!" Valbar barked out a laugh. "What do you think the chances are that they'll actually believe us?"

Thump.

"Quiet," Celica ordered, holding up a hand for silence. "Does anyone else hear that?"

The sound of eight people trying to breathe quietly seemed to echo throughout the spacious hold. The sound of shuffling cloth and hands moving to weapons and casting positions was nearly deafening as nearly half a minute passed.

Thump.

The cargo room shuddered slightly. What was that crunching sound?

"Was that…coming from below? Is there's someone down in another room under us?"

"This is the deepest accessible part of the ship. It's just solid wood below us."

"Think it was a fish?"

"A fish."

"Well, I've read about some big ones out in the Zofia seaway; they occasionally bump into the bottom of boats."

Thump.

The ship rocked underneath their feet, enough to make Celica and some of the others stumble.

Celica gestured to the exit leading back above. "I have a bad feeling about this. Let's move everyone."

Mae scrambled to her feet. "Don't need to tell me twi-"

She cut off into a scream as with the horrifying sound of crunching wood, something burst through the floor. Celica had only time to see jaws of some horrifying creature shining with water glittering off blue scales. A flash of lightning from Mae followed by a roar and Mae's scream cut off.

Then the creature and Mae were gone, the only sign of their presence was there a gigantic hole in the wooden floor. Seawater started encroaching in.

Celica took a slow unsteady step forward. She probably called Mae's name. Boey was already there, screaming. Saber was holding him back from diving after her, shouting something she wasn't listening to in the slightest.

She was…gone, just like that?

Her world returned to focus as the ship rocked again. "C'mon priestess, we can mourn later!" Someone, no, Valbar was urging her to move. Celica nodded numbly and started following the rest back up through the boat at a run.

They didn't make it long through the ship's passageways before a guttural groan echoes through the empty hallways. The sound of Terrors.

A numbing sensation had spread through Celica's sword arm. An earlier strike from one of the revenant's claws, that she had brushed off. Now she realized its claws had some sort of numbing property, a toxin of sorts, making right her arm hang uselessly at her side.

Saber growled slashing through one of the horde of the undead. "They just don't know when to quit. We can't keep this up, lass!"

"I know!" Celica dodged out of the way of another swipe of claws from the revenant, and retaliated by casting a fireball with her left hand through its face. The numbing sensation started making its way further.

But the Terrors kept swarming, blocking their way to the deck of the ship.

The floor rocked violently again and the floor tilted, no doubt a result of the creature from before making more holes in the ship. The whole rig must be sinking on one end. Water hadn't made its ways up to this level, but at this rate, it wouldn't matter.

"Priestess," Kamui called, "Valbar's going to try and ram through to clear us a path! Everyone make a run for it then!"

It was a desperate move. But they had little else they could do. "Do it!"

Valbar roared, lowered his shield and charged through the mob, knocking them out of the way. A brief window. She, Boey, Leon and Genny passed through while Saber and Kamui fended them off from the sides.

Saber barely made through, but she could only watch in horror as Kamui was swallowed by the mob. Celica swallowed her pain, gritted her teeth and moved on.

Seawater now lapped at their heels. Though they hadn't yet made it to the outside to see, the whole ship was likely sinking. Celica couldn't feel one of her legs now, and the toxin kept seeping, spreading, numbing. She leaned hard on Boey as they scrambled up the last flight of stairs to the deck of the ship.

The ship rocked violently again, and her numb, dragging leg snagged on one of the steps as the ship tilted again. She fell, hard. Boey awkwardly lifted her, Genny pushing with him struggling to help carry her.

She chanced a glance back to find that Valbar blocked the stairs, fending off the horde of Terrors. Leon behind him, clutching an injury and long since out of arrows. "Leon." She saw Valbar swing his lance in a wide, defensive arc. "You get out of here with the others; I'll hold them off."

"Sorry old friend, but I'm not leaving you behind." Leon grimaced. "I don't think I could if I wanted to." He turned to face her. "Go."

She weakly protested. Another arm, Saber's, looped through the one Boey didn't have a hold on. "Don't waste this chance, lass. Move!"

They dragged her up the remaining stairs and the deck of the ship, still clear, came into sight. She glanced at Saber, then at Boey and Genny. All were breathing hard, and she could see their clothes and weapons coated with the viscera of Terrors they'd fought. She likely didn't look any better.

The gangplank was in sight, and the crew on her chartered ship was holding it steady as they could from the sinking vessel. Genny was the first one on it, Saber and Boey still helping to carry her.

The roar of the creature from before. Blue scales, wings almost like fins. It slammed dived downward and the gangplank snapped as the dragon-like beast tore through it, bringing Genny down into the ocean with it.

Why?

Saber yelled something, before shoving her and Boey away. She fell to the deck at an odd angle, but she could still see Saber as he lifted his buckler as if to parry an incoming blow. One meant for her. The buckler shattered and the magic – magic? Cast by who? – and ripped through his light armor. As he fell, and flopped to the deck near her, dead.

Why was this happening?

"No, you won't hurt Lady Celica!"

That voice was Boey. Who was he shouting at? She struggled to move, but nearly her whole body was numb at this point.

A flash tinged with the feel of magic, followed by the sound of a scuffle, a scream, then the increasingly familiar sound of a body hitting wood.

She shut her eyes and tears squeezed out of them. No, Mila, please no.

She could hear footsteps approaching, but couldn't move to see who it was. Was this the mastermind behind this tragedy? The footsteps grew louder, closer.

No more, please.

The time between the sounds of each footstep started stretching, the sound of a boot hitting the deck echoed in a way they shouldn't in the open air. Celica tried to open her eyes, but it was far more difficult and took more time than it should have. Even when she did her vision was blurry with tears, making it nearly impossible to make anything out. Near her, she could see the hazy image of a long red robe. The figure froze mid step.

No, everything stopped moving.

No sound. No movement. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move her eyes. Was the toxin affecting her, playing tricks on her mind? Her thoughts came so sluggishly, like they were swimming through a river of mud to form.

An ear-grating, horrible wrenching sound, like a glass shattering mixed with nails scratching a writing board, the sound of gears turning, followed by… was that crying? Her mind hurt as images flashed by, indiscernible, yet intimately familiar.

Tick.

"But blue cheese is supposed to look all moldy and stuff. At least, I think, right? C'mon, back me up on this Celica; you have to know more about fancy foods than Boey, right?"

Celica breathed in sharply and blinked. "…What?"

Tock.

"Huh, are you alright?" Mae asked, before her eyes widened. "Oh, wait shoot! Sorry, that was insensitive of me. Forgot you don't like to bring up that stuff. Ah, great, and now I feel like a horrible person for dredging up things you don't want to remem- urgh."A queasy expression wormed its way onto Mae's face, followed by an involuntary burp.

The force of Mae's bowel expulsion into the nearby bucket sent little splatters across the wooden floor of the schooner's cabin interior, splattering over the top of Celica's boots.

Tick.

A/N: Or, alternatively, Mila's Turnwheel isn't just a game mechanic. In game flavor text states that the Turnwheel grants the Mother Mila's foresight, which is sort of handwavey way of explaining reversing turns and doesn't really have an effect on the story.

This is a little more visceral.

Regardless of that, what did you guys think?