Chapter Two- Trials
Sometimes David got frustrated with the mixed messages that fate would often send him. Yes, he did just fall down a misty precipice, but it was only an eight-meter drop to an intact walkway below. In that way, fate had smiled upon him. Especially when he considered that his hand was in the painfully strong grip of Piastol, keeping him from a fall that would have doubtless hurt. A lot. His legs kicked in an instinctive fashion against the frigid air of Glacia.
The former bounty hunter had demonstrated her almost inhuman reflexes, catching a handhold on the jagged edge of the marble walkway and at the same time clasping David's outstretched hand. "Hold on," She ordered. David was not the strongest of people, but every once of his power was now focused on keeping himself in her grip.
"Piastol! David!" The others also reacted quickly, rushing to the now-visible edge in alarm. Naomi and Doc quickly saw they were both alright, at least for the moment.
"Mind the drop," The Vice Captain grunted, squeezing his eyes shut. "Sailing might keep one fit but obviously not enough... I'm having trouble holding on. I vote for you pulling us up now, please."
They did so, grabbing her arm and pulling together with all of their might. They managed, with some difficulty, to get Piastol over the edge, and she pulled David up with her. He gasped, laying against the blessedly firm stone ground and trying to regain his wits while Piastol brushed herself off and stood up. David eventually got to his own feet, and looked over at her. "Thanks, Piastol. Without you I'd have fallen."
"Don't worry about it," She replied quietly. "Come, let us find an alternate path downwards." Oddly, all of the other walkways appeared to be in excellent condition. The mists made it hard to see ahead, so progress was slow and steady, to avoid any more pitfalls. Looming in one of the tower-intersections was a huge blockade of ice, slowly taking its form out of the distance. "The way ahead looks blocked."
"Hold on, there's something in the ice," Naomi said, squinting. "It's... a giant worm?"
"Yeah, cause this day isn't weird enough as is," Doc scoffed. As he got closer he paused. "Yup. Giant worm. The... head? is wriggling around outside of it, though, but its body is firmly trapped." The insect they were watching was buried deep within the old ice, and was probably magical.
Apparently the creature was not in a friendly mood. The familiar purple runes of magic appeared around the perimeter of the jagged ice. The runes glowed with power as a low charging noise filled the dry air. Physically it looked incapable of attacking, but there was no telling how strong it was magically. The Blue Rogues stepped back in alarm.
Piastol narrowly avoided being skewered when a number of stalagmites ripped free of the ceiling and stabbed downwards. The uneven ice spikes broke apart when they hit the impervious ancient marble path, falling in little shards over the edge into oblivion. "Anyone know fire magic?" Piastol asked, as she charged straight at the monster and drew her scythe. Testing the ice, she found that even her Silver moonstone blade couldn't cut through it. She didn't even make a dent with her best swing. The creature began to charge up another unknown spell.
"No, but my fancy revolver just might," David said, drawing his pistol. No longer relegated to a flintlock like most people, he had used a small fortune to purchase one of the new military-grade sidearms. The revolver was capable of firing six reliable shots and was easily reloaded, a huge improvement in all ways. Gripping it firmly, he drew a bead on the monster's bottom part that stuck out of the ice. "Get back, Piastol." She obeyed quickly. "Firing!"
Accounting for recoil, he emptied all six shots, enchanted with a red moonstone, right into the enemy. The worm writhed within its melting ice cocoon as its bottom was burned and scorched. The explosions also shoved it backwards, nearly off one side of the precipice. Disrupted in its casting, stray purple magic shot off in harmless orbs that vanished into the mist.
As David reloaded, Naomi drew her katana and stepped forward with Piastol. The women took the opportunity and began to slice at the nearly helpless monster. With its shell partially gone, it was easy pickings. They buried their blades into the soft creature and shoved forward, combining their strengths and bringing it the rest of the way off the edge. Pulling back as it teetered, a good kick was all it took to doom the creature.
They watched it fall until the heavy mists below claimed it, and let out a sigh of relief. "Everyone ok?" Doc asked, just to make sure.
"Glacia is seeming less welcoming to me with each passing minute," David replied drily. "Let's go." Piastol, like always, felt it was her duty to lead the group down the ramp leading to a building nearby. The pirates walked onto the thick balcony, and approached what was obviously a door of some kind.
"It's sealed," Naomi observed as it didn't open at their approach. She tried to pull one of the sides back, but the thick slab resisted her efforts. "Should we try to blast our way in?"
"Nah, let's not disturb anything until we get back with the others and know more about this place," Doc shook his head. They kept moving, to the other side which had a small platform that appeared to lead nowhere. "Complete dead-end?" Looking out at the vista ahead, he saw no walkways between them and another distant structure.
"Floating platform," David said, stepping easily onto the discolored stone construct. He had heard Vyse's tales about Rixis, and had a hypothesis. "... Either that or this piece of structure has been weakened, and that's what the crack in the ground is." His pessimism was unfounded, however, as the platform raised a few inches and set off slowly into the air. It was headed directly for the building across the chasm. The Vice Captain looked back and grinned at the others, yelling, "I'll send it back over for you all when I get to the other side!"
As he approached the building, he saw another network of walkways and an entire new district forming through the fog. This city is enormous, David thought. It'll take a long while to explore all of it, especially if we run into any more 'surprises'. With a gentle, well-oiled click, the platform attached to the veranda of the large building. Even after ages of disuse, the machine functioned perfectly.
David stepped off, easily thinking of a way to send the platform back. He put one foot backwards and then pulled it up. The machine, feeling the pressure for enough time, took off on a journey to the other side. He waved to the others, who were extremely distant by now. Doc waved back.
"Things might actually be going our way," Naomi noticed. "Let's all go now." The platform was slow yet steady, and their patience had begun to wear thin when a shape appeared behind David. "What's that behind him?" She pointed for extra emphasis.
"Let me see, my eyes are very good," Piastol said. The snow-haired girl squinted, concentrating fully. "It appears to be... a Zivilyn Bane. We have to warn him, he'll be taken completely by surprise!" Needless to say, this announcement stunned both of them, and they urgently motioned to him before their platform had even arrived.
Curiosity prompted him to wonder why his crewmates were all waving their arms around like they had mental conditions. David blinked rapidly, and then turned to look behind him, and straight down the barrel of a long military-grade carbine. Wielding the carbine was a man in thick layers of brown, most of his face covered with large orange goggles. "Woah," He reacted, stepping backwards reflexively and nearly off the edge. "Zivilyn Bane," He growled angrily, recovering himself as the thief-assassin took a step to follow him. "How in the Moons' Grace did you get into this city?! We had to use the most advanced ship in the world."
"It isn't hard to access ancient sites, if you've got the sort of wisdom we do," The man said, his harsh, gravely voice cold like the air around him. "Glacia's bound to be bursting with valuable artifacts and tech."
The order of murderous 'collectors' was known both collectively and as individuals as Zivilyn Bane. Most people of the world feared them, and rightfully so. They had absconded with hundreds of priceless items throughout many years of operation. A Bane's only care was for the coin brought by their goods, and not the trail of bodies and tears they might have to leave to get those goods. To have one facing you on the precipice of a misty drop with a powerful firearm was, David decided, worse than simply hanging by a hand in the air.
This Bane was more talkative than previous ones he had met, most of whom had tried to kill him to keep their latest heist more secret. Being a witness was a cardinal sin in their eyes, and he couldn't help feel that discovering one in Glacia wouldn't be good for his health. David suddenly cursed the platform's sluggish pace, as it only now reached the opposite building.
"You all show up at the worst possible times," David said. "So, what did you take?"
"Even if you're a dead man, I don't think I'm going to tell you," He replied, steadily holding the carbine right on where he guessed David's heart to be. "I could bribe you to shut you up about this, but information about our ability to move is very delicate. I think I'll just put a slug in you. Don't worry, you'll die within moments, or I'll just push you off the side."
Unlike in books and plays, David knew that he was in a very real risk of being killed in the next few moments. His eyes widened slightly as he pondered the situation. His revolver was holstered on the inside of one of his jacket layers, and would take several moments to draw even for his practiced hand. His enemy was no doubt a hardened combat veteran and a marksman, not that skill was needed to aim at this point-blank distance.
"Well, shit," He concluded, giving a long sigh that made his warm breath form a cloud in the air between them. Looking back, he saw the platform wasn't even half-way to him. Help was not an option at the moment. "Go ahead, then, you bastard."
The single shot echoed defiantly in the huge confines of the ancient city. Doc, Naomi and Piastol watched as David's form crumpled like folding paper. Naomi let out an inadvertent scream and Doc looked away. Piastol gave no reaction for several seconds, just watching the man lie there. The Bane knelt down, forgetting about the other Blue Rogues and checking for signs of life.
Doc's adopted daughter suddenly said, "Naomi, I want a boost. I'm going to get there."
It took a moment for her to process what she was saying. Naomi took a deep breath and nodded nervously. "Okay." Oh, David... No... The Tenkou leader steeled herself enough, and began casting. The runic blue circle flickered several times, but a strong gust of arctic winds appeared magically. Piastol leaped forward, springing with all the great power of her well-trained muscles. She felt the sensation of floating as the wind carried her almost twenty meters to the edge of the veranda.
The Zivilyn Bane reached for his carbine and pivoted, firing twice from the hip. Both bullets missed Piastol, and she landed with a heavy thud on the stone. A single look into her dark eyes told of impossible wrath. "You killed him. Now I'm going to kill you."
He laughed. "Maybe. He's still alive I think, hard to tell. Won't be for long, unless you know Riselem, Angel of Death." Piastol had learned a great deal about Silver Magic, but it was all in the Eterni spell line, of death and not life. She now lamented her malicious choice of spells.
First things first. She sliced off his head, kicking the body which spewed blood like a fountain down off the edge quickly. Having disposed of the Bane in such a graphic and efficient manner, she went to David's side and leaned over. A large, bloody and gaping hole had been torn in his jacket right over his chest. The purplish marble floor was now strewn with so much blood from the two men. "David!" She yelled at him, and got no reply, or any indications of life. "Moons..."
The platform finally made it over. Doc and Naomi joined her. Naomi found her usual calm completely melting away at the sight of David, beginning to sob. Doc, used to such horrors, took control. "Grab his radio," He ordered. "Get Fina over here, now. We're going to need Silver Magics." In the meantime, he checked and found the faintest of pulses. "Weak, but it's there!" The news relieved the pirates, but Piastol keenly remembered the Bane's last words. "Piastol! Sacrulen with me, now!" She snapped out of it, clapping her hands together and breathing deeply.
Naomi shakily gripped the radio. "Vyse! Vyse! This is Naomi, David's been shot bad! Get Fina over here, now! Hurry!" He doesn't have long. Doc saw the exposed wound begin to discolor already from the cold. He took off one of his coat layers, draping it over the bloody hole as a makeshift dressing and to protect from frostbite.
"Moons, Give Me Strength," Doc implored, feeling true conviction through that common chant. Green light surrounded them warmly. Powerful healing magic had begun to work, healing internal and external damage and dissolving the very bullet lodged inside of his heart. The tide was already against them, however, and through his senses he could feel the very life of David slipping away. The Vice Captain's entire body remained inert under their hasty care. Sounds like the heart is still in-tact and circulating, but it's been heavily damaged.
"... What?!" Vyse replied. "We're moving now. Where are you guys, anyway?"
"You'll see the Green Magic from kilometers away," Naomi gasped. "But it's... not going to be enough. We need... Fina's powers to save him..." No matter how many times she scolded herself to try and calm down, it never worked. The only thing she could do now was help from a distance and wait for the Silvite to come.
0-0
Deciding that the foot-paths would be too slow, they had the Delphinus send one of the steel lifeboats with Lawrence himself flying. Vyse, Fina, and Aika climbed aboard. The others agreed to stay behind, although they made their way back to the airport in the meantime.
The powerful healing spells were indeed like flares, and it took no time at all for them to home in on the platform in question. As they approached, the figures of the pirates took shape around mists of green light. A heavy heap laid motionless amidst them, and Vyse magnified it in his view. Forcing down his horror, he said, "That's David alright. He's... not moving."
Aika still had trouble with it. "What? And he was shot? Oh, Moons..."
Lawrence tightly gripped the wheel, putting the boat perfectly alongside the platform veranda. The side of the boat met with the polished marble surface, that was now coated with familiar red fluid. "Fina," Naomi said as they all got out of the boat as quickly as possible, "Hurry! They're trying to repair the physical damage, but it he passes away it won't mean anything!"
Fina had been preparing herself for the sight mentally, but when she looked at David's open, vacant eyes, she nearly lost composure. The only thought against that was that she was needed, and only she could do it. Already, the Silvite had made ready to cast her most powerful magic. Wordlessly, she stepped up, kneeling side him as Doc scooted out of the way. David... he looks like he's already dead, but I can sense an aura remaining. I hope it's enough to pull him through.
Unlike Piastol, she had thoroughly studied all branches of Silver Magic, and was the best user of it in the human race. Combined with her innate Silvite powers, she was their best hope. Placing her hands together in prayer, she forced herself to focus. Searching, she quickly found the dwindling silver strand that represented the life of the man before him. It was so faint, and looked ready to sever completely at the gentlest of touches.
She wouldn't allow that. Placing her arms around the cord, she infused her energies to it and slowly began to built it up again. The operation was delicate, and required tremendous stamina. Before any noticeable progress had been made she felt almost ready to faint. "I'm... not strong enough," She gasped out, and everyone reacted.
"Fina! You gotta hang in there!" Vyse yelled at her. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, but began to shiver. Silver Magic is so powerful, but it looks so easy when she does it. I guess now it's serious. After a moment, an idea struck him. "Aika! Think you can mange to cast Incremus?" The spell had the power to make lions out of cowards, and fill them with the vigor of the Red Moon itself. It was also the most complicated branch of Red Magics, and few could even safely attempt it.
"Yes," She said, gathering a deep breath of biting air into her lungs. Enough magical energy was swirling around them to visibly affect the fog, making the condensation swirl around them lightly. She ignored the weak tornado and focused on her own efforts, quickly forming a large red circle of glowing runes below her boots. "Moons, Give Her Strength," She implored, firing off the spell.
It looked like she burst aflame, but she felt no heat. From the inside, though, a new force pumped through her veins and cleared her head. It stayed her shaking and filled her with new heights of energy. The empowering spell kept her Riselem up and even strengthened it. The Silvite kept expanding the cord, eventually noticing that it was indeed stronger. Comforted by the effects, she was still relieved when Doc declared, "I've got a stronger pulse! Heart rate's going back up, the physical damage should be reparable." He's lost so much blood, though...
"Fina? Is he going to survive?" Piastol asked, probably the most composed out of the group. Even Lawrence was visibly shaken.
Without warning, the astral line snapped. Even with her efforts, David's very spirit was trying to escape their world. She gripped both ends of the fractured rope, forcing them back together, fueled purely by her will. They made contact, refusing with another shot of her Sliver power. "I am trying," She replied, again feeling herself begin to fade even with Incremus pumping through her body.
When she had given enough strength to the new fibers in the middle, she again began to focus on the entire strand. Progress was slow, but she did detect it. Everyone watched as silver runes covered her and David's bodies, in awe. Eventually she opened her eyes and said, "He's alive," A millisecond before falling forward. She landed on top of him, asleep instantly. The Incremus spell left, plunging her deep into mental darkness as she simply shut down.
"Fina!" Vyse made sure that she was merely sleeping, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone else let out their collective breaths, as well, and almost everyone had a seat on the gelid stone. The lifeboat continued to float nearby, propeller engine whirring loudly to keep it aloft. "That was close," He said. "What happened here, anyway?"
"David figured out these floating platforms, and had gone ahead alone," Piastol reported. "The Zivilyn Bane took him by surprise, and shot him in the heart. We got there and eliminated him quickly."I should have stopped him and gone first. I could have taken that Bane out easily.
"A Bane? Here? Damnit!" Aika growled. "They've been a thorn in our side every time we go somewhere. And now... David..." Even if he was alive for now, a look at David's still unmoving eyes told anyone the vitality was probably limited.
"Lawrence, I want you to take Fina and David back to the Delphinus. Doc and Piastol, go with em. The boat can handle five if you're careful about it." Nobody said anything, but the three pirates hefted Fina and gently set her in the back of the waiting boat. Next, they moved David, as Doc continually checked his pulse through the thick coat.
"What now?" Naomi asked quietly. "I recommend we call off the recon for now, and RTS."
"Agreed." Aika watched the metal lifeboat slowly ascend into the welcoming mists. Since the magical flow had been stopped, the fog had slowly stopped again. Now, as usual, it was a curtain across the vast confines of Glacia's cavern. "We should wait until Fina's recovered before moving on, just in case something else happens. And I'm ready to get back where it's warm." The Incremus and the stress had also worn her out, of course.
"... Yeah." Vyse got to his feet slowly. "I left a radio with Luke." He had taken David's radio for himself, and flicked it on. "Hey, guys, we're ready to leave. Get the Askar and move out. We'll send up another flare." It would be quicker than trudging back across the city to the port themselves. Aika summoned a small flame in her hand and held it up, burning magical energy without confining it to a specific spell. The flare stuck out in the cold mists, and soon the Askar was plowing towards them, Luke at the helm.
Their childhood friend pulled up alongside the veranda smoothly, and leaned out of the pilothouse. "How is he?" He asked even as his comrades climbed aboard. Rodgers was leaning against the railing of the main deck in concern. Enrique was near the nose of the longboat, staring out into the distance. He must be recalling something, Vyse figured. Because of David. Best leave him alone for now.
"They say he'll probably live," Naomi replied. "But it's bad. Fina passed out to keep him alive, expending every ounce of her strength to the job."
"But he'll be fine," Rodgers told everyone. "Especially if Fina and Doc think so." She did have a point- they were the experts about life and death on the crew. However, that didn't stop any of the horrible emotions welling up in everyone. She stared down at the plain, unpolished wooden floor of the skiff as it climbed higher towards the cavern ceiling.
The cold was beginning to seep through even their heavy coats, adding to the numb feeling of the Blue Rogues. Vyse shivered slightly, pulling his outer layers as close as possible to his body. "Even with so much gear, this place is so cold..." He would probably have frozen to death if it wasn't for the coats. David had helped everyone pick out their coats, as only he along with the Yafutomans and Enrique knew a thing about cold-weather survival.
His train of thought only paused when they passed through the gaping hole in the ice sheet and into the open air again. The Delphinus was hovering loyally directly above the hole, its large metal hull a welcome sight. Luke, with a skill that Vyse never knew he had, piloted the boat directly into the lifeboat hangar. The bulkhead slid shut behind them, cutting off the blasts of refrigerant air.
The sweetest warmth they had ever known washed over them in increasing waves, the room heaters churning out almost scalding air. Soon, everyone was enjoying the comfort, and was ready to shed the outer layers of their thick protection. Don was waiting for them, coming alongside the docked boat. "Guys," He spoke up. "Both of em are still out cold. Everyone's shook up about David."
"I imagine so," Naomi replied. "After all, he was only shot."
"Never meant it so," Don countered. "Just wondering Vyse was planning on doing about it." Vyse looked at him, blinking vacantly. "Gah! As captain, you're responsible for morale! David's gonna make it, but everyone's acting like they're prepared for a funeral."
"Yeah, I guess it just reminded us all how dangerous this stuff is. We'll be fine in a while," Vyse insisted, distracted. "After David's awake it'll be good again." Odds are good that he'll survive, so why am I still so nervous? "Anyway, the crew's got the day off. We'll try again tomorrow if Fina's awake." We gotta find that Moon Crystal, even now.
"I'll be in my room," He declared, walking off even as he took off the inner layers of his jacket. "Tell me the moment something happens."
0-0
Dinner was, as expected, subdued. The furious blood-red sunset had already come and gone, the Lands of Ice getting only a scant twelve hours of sunlight each day. Darkness now enveloped the sky, hiding the lone vessel and its hardy crew. Inside, every light and heater was still pumping, endeavoring to keep everyone comfortable while they ate in the massive Mess Hall.
Everyone tried to cheer each other up, Belle and the kids especially so. Nobody was really sad, but more pensive than anything, and many people took a long time with only themselves as company. Vyse himself had quickly showered and was already asleep, hoping to get a lot of rest for tomorrow.
When he finally woke up, he glanced over at the clock and discovered it was long past eleven o'clock. With dismay that he was never able to break his habit of sleeping so late, he moved to kick off his blankets. He didn't manage to, discovering the source of warmth against him was another person. It was easy to recognize who, exactly, with the cascade of fiery red hair distinguished through the dark room. Aika had obviously come in after he'd passed out and slept like this.
"Good morning," She said, surprising him. "Been waiting for you to wake up." Aika looked up from his chest, their eyes meeting. Before Vyse could reply, she leaned further in, pressing against him and kissing her lover.
Vyse silently enjoyed the long kiss, putting an arm around her under the blanket. Even when they broke apart, their faces were still only inches away. "Hey," He said, feeling his arousal growing. "Thought you were out."
"Nope, just didn't want to wake you up the wrong way," She replied cheerfully, continuing to snuggle him.
Someone chose that very moment to knock loudly on the door, starting both of the pirates and making Aika detach. Without waiting for an answer, Belle opened the door and leaned in, spotting both of them in only their underwear together. The girl blushed deeply and squeaked out, "Sorry! I should have knocked more!" Before slamming the door again.
"W-wha?" Vyse blinked. "Hey, wait, Belle! What the hell was that about?!"
Her voice drifted in through the bulkhead, which she refused to open again. "Fina woke up, and Doc sent me to tell you! I didn't know that you were...uh... you know! Sorry!" Aika and Vyse both grinned sheepishly at each other.
"It's fine," Aika assured her. "Just knock more next time." Belle left without another sound, and she looked over at Vyse. "... Wow, that just killed the mood."
"Big time," Vyse agreed. "Let's just get up for the day. We'll have plenty of time for this later."
"Good idea." She rolled back into a sitting position on the edge of the comfortable bed. Trying to reach, she discovered the dresser with spare clothes for her was too far away. The redhead grumbled, standing unsteadily. "Ship's leaning a little bit," She noticed, her keen pirate instincts allowing her to judge the floor. "Don must be at the helm."
"Yeah, he's like a leaf on the wind," He remarked, satirizing the drunk's favorite reply whenever anyone questioned his sobriety/ability to fly/think. Vyse kept the closest dresser full of his own clothing, of course, and they were within reach of his groggy arm. He pulled out a light-blue tunic and some darker denim trousers for the day, along with his red scarf. Even with years of wearing sailors' vests, he still fumbled with the buttons for a minute. Aika went over to help him, already fully dressed in her usual one-piece yellow leather. "Is it a bad thing that you know my buttons better than I do? And how do you get dressed so quickly?"
"It's an acquired skill, and no, I consider it a very good thing. The hair, that'll take a while more." Even as she said that, she headed towards the offset bathroom and flicked on the lights. Carefully straightening the semi-tangled flows of orange hair, she used a few custom brushes and began to braid it up.
"Why do you bother with that? You look much better with it down," He said, slipping on his trusted pair of boots that he had worn for over a year. They still showed only basic signs of wear, holding up throughout his wild adventures in Arcadia.
Aika rolled her eyes. Vyse often asked that question, but she always left it a mystery. "Yeah, but I don't want people to get the wrong impression of me."
"But people think you're weird when you look like a scarecrow from Pirate Isle," He retorted, turning on the lights to the main room. Even with the time he had been awake, it took him a few blinks to adjust.
"That's the point." She stepped out, now looking fully ready to face the day. Her hair was in it's usual pattern of intricate and unique braids. She had even put back in the blue crystal earrings that completed her outfit. Vyse looked ready, as well, and he mock-bowed to her, motioning for her to go through first.
The redhead did so, pushing open the unlocked bulkhead. The metal slid aside soundlessly, revealing the top-level hallway of the dormitory section. To other side, other VIP doors were all shut, although some had signs saying 'do'nt disterb'. Apparently, Marco was again trying to be helpful by transcribing signs for the crew. Ignoring the other rooms, they went to the staircase at the other side of the hallway and began to descend.
Having memorized the labyrinth of a ship that he commanded, Vyse headed straight for the medical wing, and the teenagers were soon at the glass double-doors. They could see Piastol checking Fina's pulse for a moment before she looked up and noticed them. She looked stoic and dutiful, as always. She opened the doors for them, and nodded to him. "Vyse. Aika."
"Good morning, Piastol," Aika said happily. "Hey, didn't Fina wake up? Why's she still asleep?"
"Huh?" The white-haired girl blinked. "Yes, Fina did awaken, but Doc grew concerned and put her under for a little longer with a sedative."
"What? Belle never mentioned that," Vyse said, frowning. Although she was a pretty skilled gunner and had the most positive attitude ever invented, the bouncy girl could be very forgetful. "Doc needs to get better messengers."
"You volunteering for the job?" The older man stepped out of his office with a short wave to the two visitors. "Nobody else wants to run across the ship, I need Piastol here to assist me, and Brabham told me that we'll need to stop at Crescent Isle before he can connect me to the intercom." He pointed to the lonely talking-tube on the other side of the medical beds.
"No, thanks, Doc," Aika stuck her tongue out at him. "So," She said, suddenly becoming more sober, "How's our Vice Captain doing?" It was a safe bet to assume he was not dead, as not even Belle would have forgotten such a traumatizing message.
"As well as can be expected," Doc sighed. "I've got him in ICU, over there." An ajar hatch led to four Intensive Care Wards, fully equipped with the most modern Valuan technology that the Empress could afford. "His heart's still beating, and he's still breathing. Logically, he should be showing other signs of life soon, but right now he's inert." He paused. "It's possible that the bullet he was shot with had Silver Magic in it."
"What?" That would do nothing but worsen David's condition. Vyse said, "But, Fina's magic should have stopped that, right?"
"Right. Which is why he's still alive," Doc nodded. "But it might have adversely affected him, all the same. I'm observing him now. You can go in, but Maria's in there right now with her Hamachou."
".. Nah." Vyse shook his head. "Let's give her some time. How about Fina? When can you let her out of bed?"
"I'm just taking a while to make sure she's alright. All she did was run out of energy, but Silvites are a very magical race. I'm not exactly sure if it's healthy to go around slinging such power. Next time she wakes up, I'll discharge her if she's still healthy."
"Ok." Vyse looked over at Aika. "C'mon, Aika. Let's get to the Mess Hall and grab something for breakfast, and then talk with Naomi about planning our next visit to Glacia." What happened to David made it abundantly clear that they needed their healer to continue safely, so they would be stalled until Fina was up and about again. "We have to get that damn Purple Crystal, before anyone else gets hurt."
The chefs, like yesterday, had prepared an insane quantity of different breakfast foods. Yafutoman and Nasrian dishes sat side-by-side with Valuan delicacies, perishables purchased at Sailors Island and specials from the ship's storage. Aika ate a bit, and Vyse ate a ton of every sort of food that was offered to him. He didn't even refuse the more odd Ixa'takan meals.
Enrique badly hid his disgust, while Naomi seemed more amused than anything. The Vice Captain had laid out a roll of Yafutoman paper on an empty space in the table between dishes. On it was a variety of oil-pencil lines and shading, signifying a rough draft of the area of the city they had surveyed. Nearly half of Glacia remained completely blank, as they had only trod through the western districts yesterday. The Tenkou leader had also marked points of interest with small red pins.
"Wow," Aika said. "That's some really great work, Naomi." The Yafutoman said nothing, not a woman to be swayed by flattery at the best of times.
"This building that your group passed is the largest we've seen so far," Naomi said. "We can deduce that it was something important, then. I propose we break into the sealed doors and carefully search the insides of this building, and a few others highlighted in green." She tapped her pencil against a few more large squares. "If nothing pans out we can continue on the foot-paths, but there could be more monsters out there."
"Let's go for it," Vyse confirmed. "After Fina wakes up and gets ready, we'll assemble again. This time we'll keep to a single group with everyone, and if you can't fight you aren't going with us." He pointed towards a small orange pin on one of the edges of the sketch. "What's that?"
"Oh, I think it was a bird at one time," Aika piped up, poking the last surviving Ixa'takan dish cautiously and with her gloved hand.
"I think he means this," Enrique said, sighing. "That's where David got shot." After a moment, he continued, "And it's where we'll need to go if we continue further through the city walkways." The Valuan Prince looked ready to add something more, but instead he looked up in surprise. "Fina! You're already up?" The others looked over, to see the Silvite walking through the door on the upper level.
"Doc said I was free to go," She said quietly. "I checked on David, and then decided I was very, very hungry." Cupil, freed to his balloon form, twirled in a slow orbit around his owner. The crew looked over and offered their greetings to her en masse, making her blush and look away. She had gotten more outgoing, but the seemingly large crowd brought out her timid side. "H-hello everyone."
"Grab a plate and have a seat, Angel," Vyse offered, sitting one space over from Aika to let her get in between. The Silvite gathered mostly normal foods and took the spot offered, looking at both of her lovers. Aika, unable to resist, glomped her and almost made her fall backwards, laughing. Suddenly, she was no longer so shy, as only these three seemed to matter for a while.
Naomi had gotten used to it, standing up with her clean plates and taking them to the sink line. She bowed to Enrique, and said, "I'll prepare our gear for the expedition." With that, the taciturn officer was gone.
"We're going back?" Fina asked, after she had finished eating. Even as hungry as she was, she still ate in a very orderly and lady-like fashion. Aika found it very cute, but Vyse just thought it was a very inefficient way to eat.
"Of course," Aika replied. "We still need to search for the Purple Moon Crystal, remember? Anyway, take some time to relax, it'll probably be after noon when we shove off." She nodded subtly to Vyse, who smirked.
"In the mean time, we can give you your reward for doing what you did back there," He purred, leaning in very close as the redhead did the same on the other side. Fina only managed a small meep before she realized the two teenagers were now dragging her up the royal-carpeted staircase and right for the dormitory section.
Vyse had been right- there was plenty of time for it, too. However, to the disappointment of the more gossipy crew, it was later learned that they 'only' had a few furious sessions of making out punctuated by snuggling. Khazim was green with envy, but didn't get what Belle meant by it being 'cute'.
0-0
A single Secondary Cannon shell from the Delphinus' ammo batteries didn't seem like much against the colossal Gigas, or even a Valuan Gunboat. It was, however, impressive on a personal scale, and the man-sized shell took three people to safely carry. It resembled a scaled up bullet, with a thick cylindrical steel body tapering to a blunt head, which was where the actual explosives were clustered. They had taken it along as a makeshift breaching charge, knowing that the thick Old World marble alloy would need some serious firepower to burn through.
When it blew, everyone covered their ears from the titanic noise. Despite the fact that they had gotten to a safe distance, heat and vibrations still washed over their bodies. Vyse was the first to look up and inspect the damage, seeing a moderate dent on the sturdy doors. "Hey, at least it's progress," He said.
"Piastol, Enrique, let's grab the other shell," He said, walking over towards the Askar, that was floating on the edge of the veranda just a few feet away. The two of them helped him lift it up, but even so it was extremely heavy. Moving as quickly as the load allowed, he tossed the warhead roughly against the damaged doorway. "Okay, our money-shot. Get back again!"
The second blast almost had it- an enormous crater of molten rock and glass was where the door's width was before, and it must have been extremely thin, especially in the middle. Without a word, he walked up and kicked the door as hard as he could. The weakened, hot stone cracked into a spider-web pattern and began to collapse impressively, although he had to leap back to avoid falling chunks of debris.
As soon as the hole opened, a gust of air rushed out, so dusty it looked like mist. The murky air inside the pressurized stone structure had, apparently, not been disturbed in thousands of years. Even through the semi-mask of her upper coat, Piastol had to crinkle her nose at the dust. Fresh air rushed in to rapidly replace the dirty old oxygen, and in a few moments the dust settled on the frigid veranda.
"We're probably the first people to enter this building since the Purplites disappeared, so many years ago," Enrique said quietly, taking the first steps forward. He bent over slightly, managing to get through the destroyed bulkhead and into the dark quarters beyond. "Uh, I can't see anything, could you hand me a flashlight?"
Valuan flashlight technology made the conventional moonstone-lamps look like relics. The cylinders had a bulb in them, powered by batteries and electricity instead of the arcane power latent in lunar rock. They could shine brighter and for much longer than a lamp could. The team had brought along several of them, and passed one out to each person. With weapons ready, they all climbed into the large building. Fina was the last one in, and she looked around to see beams of light dissecting the darkness and shining on the vast walls of the first room.
The room looked like a lounge of some sort, with a similar configuration to the one at the Purple Airport they found yesterday. Receptionist counters were on the far side, near a set of closed double-doors, and many remains of chairs sat sprinkled across the dusty stone floor. Several foreign letters were painted on the light-blue walls in a deeper, oceanic blue. "Fina? Do you know how to read Purplite?" Aika asked, doubtful.
"Um... no," She admitted sheepishly. "I might be able to decipher a few characters, as all of the ancient languages were somewhat similar... but more than that is impossible." After staring at the writing on the wall for a while, she finally decided, "I think it's a welcome message." Either way, that information didn't seem particularly useful to them.
Luke had walked across the large lobby, and to the double-doors, trying to pry them open with a predictable result. "Sealed," He declared. "Or just really heavy." After a few more moments, he said, "Anyone got any ideas about how we get through this? We only had the two shells from the Delphinus..."
Rodgers walked over to the receptionist area, and hoisted herself up and over the polished counter. Landing, she looked around. "If we get power to the building's computers, the doors might open." Some more advanced countries already had computerized security systems, which made it easy to imagine the Old World with a fully-integrated network. "It's just a hunch."
"And how do we do that?" Piastol asked. "We aren't even sure what power sources the Purple Civilization wielded."
"I could make some raw electricity with an Electri spell," Enrique suggested quietly. "The charge would be weak, but I would be able to manually feed energy to the machines. There's a small chance that I might mess up and blow out a circuit or something, Vyse, especially if these computers use alternating currents or anything like that." Even as he explained the risk, he was walking towards the screens. "If we wreck these computers, we'll loose any option but to blindly blast through. It's up to you, Captain."
Vyse took a few second to think it over, and then nodded. "Alright, Enrique, go for it. Who knows, this might actually work." Most of the flashlight beams were now on the royal prince as he walked over to the counter. Rodgers helped him up and over, and searched with him for the hidden components of the computers. Enrique found a large metal box in an alcove of the desk, concealed in total darkness until his flashlight scanned over it. Red and green wires ran through it and up into small holes in the counter.
"So, Enrique, how much experience do you actually have with computers?" Rodgers figured that as the prince of the world's technological capital, he would be very adept at computer operation. However, once she considered that this unit was so far beyond what they could dream of that it was vaguely frightening, he was probably going to take a wild guess.
"Well, I know about them, obviously," He said, "But I've never manually jump-started a computer system with magic. Erm, unless we brought along a generator, though, this appears to be our only option for doing it." He put his gloved hands on what appeared to be the power outlet for the CPU tower.
"It probably just needs a spark to start it off," Fina advised. "Purplite technology is made of a living crystal matter that regenerates with electrical stimulation. Once you start the process the network should quickly restore itself to full power." The Silvite leaned over the counter, watching them curiously.
Yellow light appeared in the gloom, surrounding Enrique as the air crackled. Electri generated several tiny electrical pulses that he put directly into the wiring, one after the other, and finally reaching through the thick insulation. Magically-generated power flowed through for several moments, reviving centuries-old technology.
Suddenly, the CPU sputtered and whirred to life. He leapt back in surprise. Working as efficiently as they day they were designed, the computers all booted up, and the computer screens blasted light out into the dark void of the room.
The lights switched on, flooding the formerly dark room with soft blue light. The light scaled up, which allowed them to adjust quickly and get a better look at their surroundings. The Blue Rogues clicked off their flashlights to conserve battery life. Rodgers regarded one of the computer screens, which displayed rapidly-scrolling lines of text in the indecipherable Purplite script. "I wish I could tell what all of this read-out means." By random guessing, she pressed a part of the screen, which glowed red.
When the empty room began to talk at them in a booming voice, the pirates were understandably shocked. They looked around for the source, seeing nobody but themselves in the very large lobby room. Fina strained to understand the language, but made no headway. The room continued to speak until Vyse finally asked her, "Fina! Are you getting any of this?"
Instantly, the speaking stopped. A moment later, a few beeps sounded and the voice began speaking in an utterly different dialect. Fina squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on her considerable knowledge for any hint or clue. "This is... an archaic form of Yelite! The computer must be trying to talk with us, and heard you speaking Valuan."
"The computer is talking? To us?" Luke blinked.
"The Gigas weren't their only accomplishments," Fina remarked. "All of the Old World nations were incredibly intelligent... Purple in particular were known for their development of Artificial Intelligence."
"AI... the concept of a machine that could think and learn like a human mind," Enrique said, listening to the speech change tenor this time. "Royal scientists said that such a thing was at least a hundred years off for the Empire. The technology involved... well, just more proof that the Old World was amazing."
"They killed each other so well, but they couldn't stop some falling rocks," Aika replied, skeptical. "The computer keeps shifting voices. Why the hell is it doing that?"
"-Doing that?" The room parroted in a distorted mockery of her feminine voice. "Why the hell is it doing that? Voice samples analyzing... attempting to readjust dialect. Beginning message over- Greetings, visitors to Glacia! I am the Guardian, sentry and programmer of security forces in Glacia. If you wish to access the restricted areas of this building, you will need to answer a few questions first." It seemed blithely unaware of how old it was, or that all of its people were long dead. It didn't even seem to notice how unnerved all of the 'visitors' were.
Nobody dared to reply for several tense moments. "... Questions?" Vyse echoed in total confusion.
"To verify that you are an ally of the Purple Civilization, worthy to access the Gigas Facility," The Guardian said. "Of course... you knew this was the Gigas Facility, correct?"
"... Right," He agreed, totally off-balance. Holy shit! The room is talking, we found the Gigas... An idea suddenly struck him.Wait... if the Gigas is here, the Purple Crystal must also be around! "What will happen if I don't give the right answer?" He asked, trying not to show any fear, without realizing the computer probably didn't care how he felt.
"You and your companions will be added to security eliminate-on-sight lists," The computer replied in the same cheerful and welcoming tone it had used before. "On to the questions. First question- Deep within the Purple Moonstone lies the power to hold the world still... what is this power?"
He nearly let out a sigh of relief, even as the eyes of all his crew and friends were on him. This question seemed obvious to him. "The power of ice," He said, determination growing.
The computer gave no direct reply, but the doors to the side of the counter slid open. "You may proceed," It said. "Please watch your step- anti-freeze units in the tunnel appear to have suffered partial failure, and the path might be slippery."
"Thanks for the warning," Vyse replied dryly. "Everyone, let's go. Luke, stay up here with the ship. If something happens, beat it." Luke and Rodgers shared a gaze, before she turned to follow the others. They went through a short hallway, and suddenly found themselves looking down a tunnel of smooth ice and wound and turned out of sight. "... Well, that computer wasn't kidding! Ugh... I'll go first." He sat down and pushed off, riding down the darkened tunnel. After a few moments, his swashbuckling urges took over and he let out a long whoop as the wind pushed against his face. His landing was less pleasant, but thanks to a slide on the bottom ice it wasn't painful.
Enrique landed on him a moment later, followed by Piastol and Aika in quick succession. He struggled with them even as they tried to stand up, brushing themselves off. Rodgers came next, landing on her feet in front of everyone silently. Fina was last, and was easily found by her increasing scream as she fell.
Cupil expanded into a long, flat balloon-thing that caught her before she 'landed', further buffering the ride for the gentle healer. Vyse and Aika helped her up, and Vyse patted her on the back. "You alright?" He asked her. Fina nodded quietly.
After an empty hallway and a set of doors that opened obligingly at the touch, they found themselves in another chamber. It was very small, but five doors were there- one directly across and two to either side. Fina brought up the rear, the door slamming shut behind her abruptly.
"Visitor... the second question will determine your path." The Guardian said. "The Purple Crest hides a certain number. What is that number?"
Vyse winced. He didn't know what the computer was talking about. A look around him assured the teenager that the others were also clueless. Well... gotta do something. He decided to go with his favorite number, his lucky number. "... Two?"
The center door slid open. "You may continue," The Guardian said. "One more question, and then you'll be able to enter the Elevator system."
The group traversed down another long icy tunnel, and found themselves at the final question chamber. "What are the traits of a man most admired by the Purple Civilization?" The Guardian demanded.
"..." Vyse pondered. What would a people of ice like? Power? Life? "... Will and spirit."
After a moment to process the results... "You have passed the trial," The Guardian said. "The elevator is just ahead. It will take you directly to the Gigas Hangar... thank you for your time." With that, the wall opened up, revealing a large elevator shaft with a car waiting. Vyse grinned and stepped forward. Finally... I hope this time I won't have to fight it.
