Gambling and War

The new group boarded the monorail and a few seconds later, the doors closed and took off towards their destination.

The accommodations were pretty much the same and Storm didn't particularly like being pampered, not to mention that Carlos had grabbed the Microphone to the Karaoke Machine and immediately began to sing before he could stop him.

The guy wasn't half bad, but Storm really didn't feel like listening to him sing for hours and so went to another car, which was the storage compartment for their monorail.

There wasn't much here except for some random items that must have gotten loose during the trip, which he didn't mind securing them on his person.

As he searched around, he thought he saw a large shadow move in the back.

Carefully, he pulled out his sword and approached slowly.

So far he could only see boxes, but he could have sworn that he saw movement, too big to be an animal, unless you count Demis. But Shri-Lanka and Wedge were in front when he left.

He had reached the very back of the car, but couldn't see anything other than boxes.

So he dismissed it and went back into the front car.

When the door closed, a shimmer appeared which faded to reveal someone crouched among the boxes.

They wore a brown hooded cloak, covering their face and the rest of their body. Possibly some sort of cloaking technology.

Storm walked back to hear the loud singing of Wedge, who sounded like somebody was stepping on his foot.

His Sister was covering her ears, but Carlos was enjoying the fact that the kid had the guts to do it and cheered him on.

The music stopped and they looked to see Storm with the plug in his hand.

"No more screaming or I'll give you something to scream about." Storm warned, his blade out and ready for blood.

Wedge gulped and quickly went to the opposite side of the car to stay as far as possible.

The new group was now headed for the Port Town of Sein. Because it is the only town with a port on the Eastern Ocean, it also has become quite a tourist trap.

Since those with money wish to venture off to Chocobo Haven, they must pass through here to get a ship to take them thus they will pay anything for one as well as temporary living areas like hotels and beach houses.

The beach itself is quite beautiful with imported white sand from foreign continents that few will ever go to.

Wedge didn't particularly like the salt air as it dried out his nose and his fur would frazzle from the humidity.

"This sucks." He whined as they passed by dozens of stores trying to sell them meaningless trinkets and overpriced items.

"Quit being a baby Wedge. We're just passing through to the port." Said Shri-Lanka. "We already have a ship waiting for us so there is no need to stay her very long."

The walk was long and winding like a maze, but Shri-Lanka seemed to know where she was going.

Finally, they reach the port and walked down to the farthest ship where a man who appeared to be the captain was standing next to a large yacht with the name Quicksilver down its body.

"So are you the guys?" He asked in a non-chalant manner as he took a long drag of his cigar and pulled it out to exhale a long stream of smoke.

Shri-Lanka handed him an envelope and looked inside before closing it and placing it in his vest..

"Come aboard. We'll be heading out in a few minutes." He said as he hopped onto the boat.

The four stepped on and went inside away from the harsh winds.

Wedge almost instantly began to get seasick as he groaned and clung to floor to keep from falling over.

"No hurling on my ship or else that'll cost you extra." The man said from the PA system before cutting off.

Shri-Lanka gave her brother an evil glare and he thought it best to hold it than die.

As they began to get settled in, Storm thought he saw a faint shimmer right in front of him.

At first he thought it might have been the wind, but they were inside and no windows were open.

Then his nose caught a new scent which was very faint, but defiantly wasn't from any of them. At first he though it was perfume and assumed that it was Shri-Lanka, but she preferred the scent of sweet fruit.

This scent was closer to what you would get at a garden. Several different smells from many different plants. Maybe clover and eucalyptus, something that doesn't grow near the ocean.

Now he realized that they were being followed. By who or what he wasn't sure, but they didn't seem to be after them specifically otherwise they would have made their move a lot sooner.

He decided to wait until they were off the ship. If his guess was wrong, then a battle might very well sink the Yacht and then they'd be screwed.

"All right! The next stop is Chocobo Haven. Please feel free to move about the cabin and anywhere else while your on my vessel. We should reach the Island in about 6 hours." The captain spoke

The engine revved up and they began to move away from dry land.

"6 hours? Just how far is Chocobo Haven anyway?" Storm asked.

"Well it was placed right between the Eastern and Western Continents so I'd say it's about 1000 miles."

"1000 miles!" The monorail barely makes that distance in 5."

"She ain't called the Quicksilver for nothing. She's one of the fastest ships on water and also one of the smoothest so don't worry about a thing."

The engines quickly went from a rumble to a great roar and they took off like a rocket, spraying water high into the air.

The group was surprised as they barely felt anything despite the ship was already blasting across the water's surface at over 150 knots.

"Now that we've entered international waters. You can relax and leave the driving to me."

The group took his advice and relaxed, leisurely enjoying the ride.

Wedge laid his head on his sister's lap and soundly fell asleep as she stroked his head with her hand gently.

Carlos yawned loudly and stretched as he collapsed on the comfortable sofa.

"Wake me when we get there." And he fell asleep.

All that was left was Storm and Shri-Lanka.

He silently watched her pet her little brother's head as he softly breathed on her thigh.

"So how long have you been brother and sister" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"The two of you get along like siblings, but from a physical point. You don't look related."

The Demi just laughed lightly at his words.

"Well then from that point you are correct. We aren't real brother and sister. I found him about 7 years ago. I was about 15 at the time and living on my own. My parents died when the Terrans attacked and destroyed my village. But with some luck I managed to survive."

She looked up at him for a brief moment before returning to look at Wedge.

"Having no place to go I wandered from place to place trying to survive. I quickly learned how to fend for myself and eventually ended up in Dias. The lower level wasn't any better than other places, but there was plenty of ways to earn a living. For some strange reason, The Order took an interest in me and took me in. I learned that they had done this to many others than just myself. They would provide me with whatever I needed and I would be their servant. Of course I'm closer to a bodyguard than a servant. Soon afterwards I found Wedge in an alley, sleeping on a wet cardboard box. I'm assuming he had a similar experience and decided to take care of him. At first The Order was against it, but I swore to raise him myself so that wouldn't have to so they allowed me to keep him."

"So both of you work for The Order?"

"Wedge doesn't, but he is allowed to come with me wherever I go as long as I keep him in line. You've seen how much trouble he is."

"Yeah, a real pain in the ass."

"You said it." She agreed as she let her eyes close and her head slumped to the side.

Storm soon followed suit as he too decided to rest.

XXXXX

A small boy was wandering through a burning house.

It had been set ablaze by an explosion as the village was caught in the crossfire of the Terrans and Gaians.

Fire surrounded him. He was scared, alone. Where was everybody?

"Brother! Sister!" He called through the smoke.

He coughed as the smoke filled his lungs as he tried to find a way out.

A large beam crashed, almost crushing him.

He found his path blocked and he was losing the strength to keep going.

"Help." He weakly pleaded as his vision clouded and he was losing consciousness.

Explosions filled the air and everyone jolted awake.

"Dammit! We've got company people!" The captain shouted over the PA.

More explosions shook the ship and everyone braced themselves.

"What the hell is going on?" Carlos demanded.

"Pirates. They must have been watching the route leading to the casino and staked it out to ambush rich customers." The captain replied.

"Pirates? I thought that this ship was the fastest there is." Stated Storm.

"Correction. I said one of the fastest. There are still a few that can match the Quicksilver. Unfortunately since they're pirates then that leaves only one ship. The infamous Gold Saucer."

"Gold Saucer? That's not a cool name." Wedge stated.

"Trust me, that's the only thing about the ship that is harmless. Just take a look and you'll understand."

Wedge looked out their port side and saw a golden destroyer easily twice their size and not very far away.

"Take a look at its bow." The captain said.

"The what?"

"The front of the ship."

Wedge looked and saw three large cannons aimed right at them, firing off a steady stream of shells that narrowly missed directly hitting them.

He looked more closely and saw the three cannons swivel and three more cannons the continue the fire. The cannons were on a large gold disk that spun once the cannons had finished off their barrage, allowing an endless assault on anything it set its sights on.

A shell hit water in front of the yacht, shaking the entire vessel from the explosion.

"But don't worry. The Quicksilver isn't just a luxury cruiser. "

From underneath the deck, six 30 mm machine guns rose and turreted to aim right at the Gold Saucer before sending a thundering barrage of bullets.

"Come on! You can do better than that!" The captain shouted.

"I think he's enjoying this too much." Carlos stated.

"Yeah, but those guns can't take out a ship that big. We've got to figure out a way to stop those cannons from firing." Said Storm.

"Yeah, but how? We can't hit them unless we get closer." Shri-Lanka said.

"Hey Captain! Can you get us closer!" Storm shouted.

"Sure, no problem!" And they began to veer towards the destroyer.

"Are you crazy! Those shells will blast us out of the water!" Shri-Lanka looked like she was about to kill him.

"Calm down, the closer we are, the less chance they have of hitting us with their cannons. They're built to arc so they can't hit us with a direct shot." Storm explained.

"This had better work or I'll skin you alive before they kill us."

"Fair enough."

Just as Storm said that, they could hear a high pitched whistle and saw three shells coming right at them.

"Or maybe this was a bad idea after all."

Just before the shells hit, they exploded in mid-air.

The group was confused at what just happened.

They could see a light blue field encompassing the entire ship like a bubble.

"Hey Captain! Do you have any barrier spells for your ship?" Storm asked.

"Barrier? Hell no! Where would I get materia strong enough to protect the Quicksilver?"

"Lets not worry about it right now and take care of those cannon!" Wedge shouted as pointed at the ever growing destroyer.

"Alright! Anybody got long range weapons to attack them?" Carlos asked.

The others looked at him strangely.

In fact, no one among them were long range attackers. Even if they got closer, they couldn't hit the cannons with their weapons.

"That's great." He groaned.

"We still have our materia. That should do the trick." Shri-Lanka suggested.

"Ok." Everyone divided the material among them and they ran out to the deck.

"We've got to damage them enough to where they won't fire." Storm commanded.

"I'll help you out from here. Just give me the word and I'll let loose." The captain said as the machine guns aimed at the cannons as well.

Shri-Lanka channeled electrical energy through her hand and focused on the cannons, sending a lightning bolt down on the cannons.

Storm struck a cannon with a fireball, Carlos with an icicle, and Wedge threw a incendiary bomb.

"Alright, your turn captain!" Storm shouted and everyone ducked.

"Eat this!" He shouted as a hail of bullets struck the cannons, damaging them severely.

The three cannons we replaced by another round that sent a volley for them, striking the barrier.

The barrier could only lessen the damage, but not prevent it and they took a few hits.

"That's three down!" The captain shouted.

Once again, they used the same attack, wiping out the second set of cannons.

'What! Aw come on!" The captain shouted.

"What's going on?" Carlos said.

"My guns are jammed. You'll have to finish the rest of them without me."

"Oh great, could this get any worse." Wedge groaned.

Another volley hit the barrier, the explosion knocking the boy across the deck.

"Wedge!" Shri-Lanka shouted as she ran over to her brother, who was bleeding badly.

"Ow." He whined as he cradled a broken arm.

"Don't worry, Sis will take care of it." She placed her hand on his arm and it was set and healed.

"Good, now come on." She said and they both reentered the fight.

The barrier was still holding, but it wouldn't last forever and a direct hit would sink them.

"We've got to take out those cannons. But without the machine guns, we won't take them out in time." Said Storm.

"Hey Storm. Remember the Basilisk." Carlos said.

Storm realized his idea.

"Shri-Lanka, Carlos needs to borrow your Bolt Materia!"

Shri-Lanka wasn't sure why, but she pulled it from her Naginata and tossed it to him.

"Ok, just give me some time and I can take them out in one shot." The Martial Artist jumped behind them and began to concentrate.

"What is he doing?"
"He's putting all his Ki into one attack so we need to just buy him a few minutes." Storm explained.

"Ok, but it had better work." She said as they continued to fight.

Just then, the barrier expired.

"That's not good." Wedge pointed out.

Another volley was launched and They looked up to see the shells arching down on them.

"Shri-Lanka! Throw me!"

"What!"

"At the shells! I'll do what I can to keep them from hitting us!"

The woman wasn't sure, but placed the flat of her Naginata at his feet.

"Ok! Just don't get killed!"

"That sounded almost like you cared."

"Just shut up and stand on it."

Storm placed both feet on it and she roared as she swung upwards, launching him skyward.

Storm could see the shells and prepared his blades as his body became encased in Black fire.

Shri-Lanka's senses picked up that sinister aura for sure this time. Something horrendous and powerful that made all of her hairs stand on end.

Storm gripped his blades tighter, feeling his strength growing.

"Demon Rush!"

He split into ten images and struck all three shells in mid-air, engulfed in the explosion.

After the fire faded, he was badly injured, plummeting to the ground like a bird shot out of the sky.

"Storm!" Shri-Lanka cried.

The captain growled as he jerked the wheel and swerved hard, barely catching Storm who rolled into the cabin with a thud.

She and Wedge ran to him, but he was unconscious and bleeding heavily.

"Sis, is he going to be alright?" Wedge asked.

"I don't know. I don't have any Downs to revive him."

"But if he keeps bleeding, he'll die."

Carlo had finally finished and his eyes focused on the cannons.

With incredible strength, he jumped high into the air, almost hovering above his target.

He brought his hands together and bolts crackled from between them as if he was holding an enormous storm between them.

"THUNDER CRASH!"

He thrust his hands forward, sending a massive bolt of lightning that struck the cannons and obliterated the entire bow in a gigantic explosion.

"Gotcha!" He pumped his fist in the air as he fell to the ship, now noticing that Storm was severely wounded.

Having its main weapon destroyed, the Gold Saucer decided to stop pursuing such a dangerous prey. Leaving a long trail of smoke behind it.

"Phew, that was close." The Captain said as he placed the Quicksilver to auto-cruise and went down to check the damage.

"Anybody hurt?" He asked, checking out his passengers.

"Well one of us was crazy enough to attack the shells when the barrier dropped." Wedge pointed out at Storm's body.

"Damn. Well nobody has ever damaged the Gold Saucer enough for it to retreat so I'm guessing that we're in the clear to reach our destination."

He took a long drag on his cigar and crouched next to the man. Pulling something out of his pocket.

"Just be glad that I came prepared for such a thing." He placed what looked like to be a small charm on his chest which caused Storm's entire body to glow faintly before his eyes slowly opened.

"What happened?" Storm asked.

"You almost got yourself killed, that's what happened." The Captain said as he stood back up and took another drag.

"You have got to be the stupidest man I have even seen. What did you think would happen when you attacked shells powerful enough to blast through solid steel?" Asked the Captain.

Storm just shrugged his shoulders, which really irritated the Captain as he flicked his cigar overboard.

"Now you made my favorite cigars taste bad. Luckily, the damage to the ship is minor so we'll make it with no problems. I can have it repaired by tomorrow so no rush if you get the need to blow your money." The Captain walked back inside, leaving the group to themselves.

Storm looked down at his weapons. "I guess these new blades have allowed my Demon Rush to hit multiple targets now."

XXXXX

A short time later, the Quicksilver reached Chocobo Haven and docked.

The group stepped off and they looked around to see the place was massive. It was like a small city filled with lights and sounds and all kinds of entertainment.

"Well I suggest that we head to the hotel and make sure that our reservations are in." Shri-Lanka said as they passed through the large tunnel that was the gateway into the casino leading to a well dressed man who greeted them with an exaggerated bow.

"Welcome to Chocobo Haven. Where all of your dreams come true. We have all there is to offer that cannot be found anywhere else in all of Gaia." He spread is arms wide to display the majesty of the casino before them.

"Now would you be so kind as to show me your passes or buy them from the gentlemen at the booth to my left." He gestured with his hands.

Carlos just scratched his head.

"Passes? What's he talking about?"

The man's expression changed as if he had become another person.

"Well if you think that you would enter without passes. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

Upon that second, several giant mechanized machine guns came from the ground and the ceiling, aiming right at them.

Carlos and Wedge were greatly surprised at the hostility and froze as lasers locked onto their bodies.

"Calm down you two. Here." Shri-Lanka handed the man four passes in which he carefully looked them over.

His expression once again changed to a friendly smile as he handed them back to her.

"Forgive my rudeness, Madam. Please enter and enjoy your stay he graciously bowed and backed away from them and the guns returned to their holes, allowing them to relax and enter.

Once passed the checkpoint, they entered an open room with a dozen or so capsules leading to different areas of the casino.

"Whoa, this is awesome!" Wedge shouted as he looked at all the different places he could go.

"Not now, Wedge. We're getting checked in at the Hotel first."
"But Sis." He whined, but she gave him a menacing glare that made his ears lay back in fear.

Storm glanced back to where they came from.

"You go on ahead. There's something I've got to do."

"Ok, we'll catch ya later." Carlos waved as Shri-Lanka pushed her little brother to the capsule with Hotel written above it.

The door closed over the three and they were gone with a soft whoosh before another capsule replaced it.

Storm then proceeded to another capsule.

XXXXX

Seeing the group had split, the person dropped their invisibility and stepped out into the open and stopped, as if deciding on which way to go.

From above, something landed behind them and they turned to see Storm had stayed behind, hanging from the edge of the tunnel.

"Who are you and why are you following us?" He demanded.

Without a word, the person took off towards a capsule marked 'Races'.

"Damn!" Storm hadn't expected the stowaway to run and gave chase, getting in the capsule after them.

The capsule shot through the long clear chutes that almost seemed like a ride in themselves from the loops and spirals and speeds at which they moved like a giant spaghetti soup.

The capsule quickly reached its destination and the person burst from the door, cloaking themselves as they did.

Storm followed to see people getting shoved aside and followed the commotion.

He had a better time making his way as the person he was pursuing was doing most of the work for him.

"Got you!" He lunged, but missed his chance to grab them.

"Dammit!" He growled and tried not to lose his target, which was very hard considering they were wearing very good cloaking technology.

The stowaway made their way through the crowd that was watching the Chocobo Races and went to another capsule marked 'Theatre'.

Storm just missed them again and had to take the next one.

Once again the two zoomed through the tubes at incredible speeds.

The person quickly took off and Storm continued the pursuit, but lost sight of them.

He stopped and looked, then noticed a shimmer running across the stage in the middle of a play.

"There you are." He sprinted to the stage and right across the platform, shocking the actors who looked at him like he was crazy.

XXXXX

The person reached the capsules again that led to the entrance.

Once there, they ran to a far corner and crouched, trying hard not to move.

Storm reached the entrance and looked around, but it appeared that he had lost the stowaway.

He scanned the area thoroughly, but he couldn't see even the faintest shimmer.

He then decided to see if they went back to the ship and walked down the tunnel.

The cloaked figure breathed a faint sigh of relief and stood back up.

Suddenly two powerful arms slammed on either side of them, trapping them between the limbs.

They were so shocked that the cloaking stopped, they were frozen and just stared.

"Found you. Now tell me why you are" 'THUD'

Storm got his cheek hammered by what looked to be a white staff of some sort.

"Oooowwwww." He groaned as he looked down at the weapon.

"That hurt you know. Now tell me who you are!" He grabbed the hood and yanked it hard.

When he did, he stared into the brightest blue eyes that he had ever seen. Like staring at twin skies.

As the hood fell away, a large amount of platinum blond hair tumbled down, stopping at the person's waist.

The woman before him was of very fair skin, not a single blemish or mark to signify that she was flawed.

As he got over his moment of entrapment, he recognized who she was.

"Karin?" Pronouncing a long 'A' sound when he said her name.

"So you know of me. Then if you do then release me." She demanded.

Storm thought it over and did so, but not giving her enough room to break for it.

"Well now that I know who it is that has been following us. Now I must know why." He stated.

"How did you find me?" She asked, bluntly.

Storm was surprised, but seeing that she had no chance to escape, he obliged.

"Simple, I could smell you. I noticed when you got on the ship with us. You gave off a distinct smell of different plants, more than likely herbs. You make medicines from the plants you grow so that was something that you can't cover up so easily."

The woman seemed surprised that he discovered all that by just her smell.

"Now since I answered your question, you must answer mine. Why would the daughter of our late ruler stowaway on a ship?" Storm imposed.

The woman was a bit stubborn to his query, but he wanted answers.

"Answer me!" His question becoming a demand.

The woman was quite proud and didn't back down from his rising voice.

"I need to get to Terra." She calmly stated.

Even Storm was surprised by her words.

"Terra? Why do you want to go there?" He asked.

"That's none of your concern and I know that you made an agreement with The Order for a ship to reach it." She stated bluntly.

Storm couldn't believe that someone as high as her wanted to go to a place that could likely kill her.

"So why didn't you just take one yourself. That stealth cloak of yours would make it easy for you to hijack one."

"Because I don't know how to fly!" She shouted.

"Oh, good point."

Karin sighed a little before casting off her cloak.

"Well since we both have the same goal in mind. We might as well work together. Besides, this thing was really chaffing my skin."

The woman untied the cloak from her neck and allowed it to collapse at her feet.

For a moment, Storm was even more surprised by what she was wearing.

It looked like a cross between a military uniform and a nurse's skirt that hugged her figure nicely. It was almost made completely of white fabric with a few gold linings along her waist and trim lines.

"That's better." She rubbed her stiff shoulders, giving Storm enough time to regain his composure.

"Interesting look. I'm assuming that you're a white mage."

"Yes I am. Since I'm not really capable in combat. I usually keep myself healed and protected."

"Or an entire ship."

"Exactly."

"Then I think we have come to an agreement. None of us are really good with healing materia so if you were to come along. We would be able to focus more on fighting than trying to keep each other alive."

Karin seemed to consider it for a moment.

"Deal." She stuck out her hand which he accepted, shaking briefly.

"Well you're not as dumb as you look." She said as she headed for the Hotel capsule.

Storm was a little stung by her words and gave her an annoyed look as she disappeared.

"And you're not so high-and-mighty as you think you are." He said as he looked down at the cloak she left behind.

"Well anyways, I think somebody might want this." He picked up the garment and followed her.

XXXXX

The hotel was very high-class, a place where only the richest in the world could afford. It also was the focal point of the entire island, being the tallest piece that could be seen from anywhere.

Storm and Karin walked in and saw dozens of people in fancy suits and dresses of many foreign countries.

Upon their entrance, everyone seemed to recognize her.

"Your Highness!" Came cries from seemingly everywhere as people swarmed all around the two.

Karin smiled warmly and greeted everyone as they asked her questions and complimented her outfit.

"We had no idea that you were coming. Oh such a time to meet Lady Karin in person." Said a young woman with an elegant gown and long flowing raven-black hair.

"I'm very sorry, but I had urgent business to take care of and had to make an unexpected stop here while our vessel made repairs." She explained.

"Repairs? What happened?" Asked another.

"Unfortunately we were attacked by Pirates when we left the Port of Sein. Luckily we managed to escape and reach the island without trouble."

The crowd were in sympathy with her.

"Yes, they have been attacking cruisers more frequently. If only there were a way to stop them." Other agreed to the statement.

"And who is this? He doesn't look the type to be around someone of your stature." Said a man with an overly raised nose as if he were royalty.

Storm's hands went right for his blades, but Karin motioned a hand for him to stop.

"Please forgive me for not introducing my Escort. He may be a little rough around the edges, but if it weren't for him, I might not be here now."

Storm leaned next to her ear.

"What kind of Escort are we talking about?" He whispered.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. You're either my Bodyguard or my Servant., so pick one." She said low and urgently before regaining her smile.

"I'm sorry, but I am exhausted from today's events so would you excuse me." She bowed her head slightly as they allowed her to pass and returned the gesture.

"Next time warn me before you make up a story like that." Storm low as not to attract more attention.

"Sorry, but it wasn't a complete lie if you think about it." She said back as they reached the front desk.

The man before he bowed deeply with a smile.

"Welcome, Lady Karin. Upon hearing of your arrival, we prepared the Penthouse Suite for you." He already had a key in his hand to present to her.
"Thank you." She said and they walked up the long red-carpeted stairway that led to several elevators.

The elevator this time was a very traditional looking one, possibly adding to the classiness of the hotel which went well over a hundred stories.

When the elevator opened, Carlos was standing in front of them.
"Hey Storm! I was about to go looking for you since you've been gone for a while." He then noticed Karin standing next to him.

"Hey, nice catch. You sure do work fast. I didn't expect you to be a Player." Carlos walked up to him and jabbed in a little with his elbow.

Karin's vein in her forehead looked like it was about to pop before Storm stopped her with his hand.

"As obvious as it seems, I did not pick her up. Take a better look." He motioned towards her.

Carlos took a longer look at the woman before it finally clicked and instantly became shocked and excited.

"YOU HOOKED UP WITH PRINCESS KARIN!" He shouted.

Karin's face went red briefly before rage took over and she slammed her staff over his head, knocking his face into the ground.

Storm crouched next to him as his eyes spun from the pain.

"I'll explain later so for now just don't say anything else til she calms down, ok."

"Yeah, sure." Carlos moaned with a big knot on his head.

"Karin. Our group is already in the hotel so feel free to do as you wish until we get this settled." Storm suggested.

"I didn't know that I needed your permission." She said back before walking through the elevator and pressing for the top floor.

Storm sighed a little before he helped Carlos to his feet.

XXXXX

Storm and Carlos went to their room. which were pretty well accommodated. Even having a minibar and what they were standing in appeared to be the common area.

"There's more then enough room for all of us. We each got our own rooms too."

Wedge came out and hopped onto the couch and began to watch TV.

"This sucks. Sis won't let me leave the room." He whined.

"That's because I already told you that you're too young to be in a Casino. They'll throw you off the island if they catch you." Shri-Lanka said as she came from the same room.

"Yeah, like they could ever catch me."

"Well maybe this will cheer you up."

Wedge looked up to have something fall on his face.

"What's this?" He asked as he looked at it at arms length.

"Just put it on." Storm said and sat on a recliner.

Wedge just shrugged his shoulders and wrapped it around himself.

When he did, everything it covered vanished, showing only his head.

"Whoa, cool!" He shouted as he stood up and turned around , checking every angle.

"Where'd you get that?" Shri-Lanka asked.

"Found it." And that's all he said.

"You sure are strange. The first time you met him you wanted to kill him." She scratched her head.

"And he also tried to steal from me as well." Was his response.

"Now I can be the best thief in the entire world."

"Another time." Shri-Lanka pulled it off of him.

"Awww." The boy fell back down and returned to watching the TV.

"Hey, guess what? Storm hooked up with the Princess." Carlos stated out of the blue.

The others' ears perked up.

Storm rolled his eyes and nonchalantly shoved Carlos over the couch, causing the man to tumble right over.

"It's not like that. She actually stowed away on our ship." Storm added.

"Really?" Shri-Lanka's eyebrow raised as if to question him.

"Where do you think I got the cloak." He pointed out.

"Well if you really met the Lady Karin then why don't you introduce us to her." The female Demi said, not convinced.

Storm just shrugged and made his way to the door which they followed.

"Hey wait for me!" Carlos jumped to his feet and raced after them.

XXXXX

Within the Penthouse, the shower in the bathroom could be heard running, steam floating through the open door briefly before the shower was turned off.

Karin stepped out and grabbed a towel to wrap herself and another to wrap around her hair as she walked into the massive living room and stared at the large window that overlooked the entire island from all sides.

She grabbed a remote and pressed play and soft music began to play as she walked into the kitchen.

She looked in the fridge and even though it was stocked full of food, it was nothing she wanted so she shut it.

Just then a knock came at the door.

"Just a minute!" She shouted as she quickly walked back into the bathroom and came out in a bathrobe, discarding the towel on her head.

"I wonder who that could be?" She asked herself as she checked the monitor to see who it was.

She recognized Storm and the group he was with.

"I hadn't expected to meet them so soon." She said as she went to the door and opened it.

She also hadn't expected what happened next.

Storm and Carlos were the first she saw, who were then knocked away with tremendous force, slamming into the far wall.

She instantly expected an attack.

"Princess Karin!"

The woman saw the only female in their group run at her with wide eyes and a giant smile.

Karin was frozen in shock as the woman grabbed her hands and clasped them between hers.

"It truly is an honor to finally meet you in person! I can't believe that I am standing in front of THE Princess Karin! I am such a huge admirer of yours!" She said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Uh… thank you." Was all the she could muster.

Wedge was in complete surprise, never having seen his sister act so… girly.

Storm and Carlos pried themselves from the holes they made and walked in to see Shri-Lanka in a fit over Karin as she pretty much dragged the poor woman to the couch and both of them sat down.

"I can hardly believe it. It's like a dream come true to meet royalty such as yourself. I don't even know what to say. I'm speechless. I'm at a loss of words." She continued to rant in a cycle like a teenager.

"Shri-Lanka." Carlos tried to snap her out of her trance, but she didn't even react to him waving his hand in her face or snapping his fingers.

"Shri-Lanka." Karin tried.

"Yes." The woman replied, magically calming down from her words.

"My hands, would you please." She motioned with her eyes.

"Oh, I'm so sorry if I hurt you, Princess Karin. Please forgive me." Shri-Lanka bowed her head many times to apologize.

"It's alright and please, just call me Karin."

"Oh, wow. First name basis with royalty. I feel so privileged."

"Well I never considered myself royalty. My father was just the first person to unite all of Gaia so everyone began to call him King." She explained.

"Really?" Shri-Lanka exclaimed.

"Yes, of course that was way before I was born."

Karin turned to Storm who was looking outside.

"So have they accepted me into the group?"

"YES!" Shri-Lanka said before anybody could say otherwise.

Storm scratched his head a little.

"I did mention it to them, but you already have Shri-Lanka's vote. I could care less whether or not you come along so does anyone else object?" Storm asked the other two, who were about the same, no pressure from the glares of death coming from the Tiger woman.

"Then it's settled. I think I'll call it a night then. The ship should be finished by tomorrow."

"I'll stay here with Karin to make her feel more like one of the team." Shri-Lanka volunteered, and Karin didn't seem to have a choice in the matter.

"Ok, see ya in the morning." Carlos waved and took off to enjoy a night of sin.
"And I'll do the same." Wedge said and was about to walk out of the door.

"Wedge!"

He winced from his Big Sis' voice.

"I had better not find out that things are coming up missing or else you'll come up missing., understand."

"Yes, Sis." And Wedge bolted out the door.

Storm was the last to leave and stood at the open door.

"This will certainly make things interesting."

XXXXX

Even though night had fallen on the island, it was still as busy as a hive full of bees.

But elsewhere, outside of the supposedly tranquil and safe barrier, war was being waged.

Storm had woken up and could see the displays of military might high above the planet.

He opened the window and grabbed the upper ledge and with a remarkable display of dexterity and strength, swung forward and pulled himself to the next window, and then proceeded to grab the edges of the windows above him and climb the few stories above him.

His floor wasn't that far below the penthouse and quickly reached the railing to get a better view of the battle.

Storm now crouched upon the roof of the Penthouse, resembling a gargoyle in the shadowed backdrop of bright lights and his trenchcoat swaying behind him.

He knw that his world was losing the war which is why the higher-ups were desperate and willing to bargain with him so easily.

Even if they found nothing, at least he would get his ship to reach Terra.

"What are you doing up there?" Came a voice from below, which he recognized as Karin, who was dressed in a flowing white gown.

"Taking in the view." He casually replied.

Karin looked out to see the battle from space in which she was trying to stop.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were flirting with me."

"What gave you that idea?"

Karin leaned her back against the railing, looking up at Storm as her long hair flowed with the wind.

"No reason."

"Well considering Shir-Lanka staying with you, you almost seem nice."

"Well after I finally got her to calm down we really had a good time. You know, Girl Stuff."

Karin stretched and yawned in a very polite manner.

"Well it's getting late so I'm going to bed. Good night."

She said and walked inside, leaving Storm to watch the battle alone.

The night shy was filled with explosions of magic and firepower. The Gaian's Futuristic battleships against the Terran's more archaic (ancient technology) looking war vessels. Volleys of shells and spells streaked across the sky, colliding with eachother or their targets, resulting in eruptions of fire and smoke with incredible destruction occuring on both sides.

Soldiers and warriors on both sides flew in fast fighter craft as they fought in giant dog fights and began to breach the hulls of eachother's ships in close combat situations.

Swords and firearms clashed as well and casualties on both sides began to grow ever higher.

Within the Gaian Armada, stood the Osiris, Gaia's most powerful Fleet Carrier. Commanded by Admiral STryker, a very highly decorated officer who has been fighting Terran's since the war began, but at the expense of his right arm and leg which had been replaced by cybernetic mechanized versions which aside from the gray texture, resemble and function like normal limbs.

He stood as a statue carved from stone, watching the battle unfold from the Control Room.

"Lieutenant Malloy. What's the status of our forces?"

"Admiral Stryker, sir. Currently we have lost 30% of our forces and the enemy has lost 25%!"

"That many huh? I was hoping for better numbers."

The man ran his fingers through his black hair, which was in a very short Military cut, but also graying.

"The Terrans had already helped them improve their Space Technology during the time of peace so the Terrans were more experienced when it came to space warfare, so the Gaians had to fight for every bit of ground the could keep.

"Send in the next wave! We have to keep pushing because we're the last defense for Gaia!"

"Sir! The Terran forces are withdrawing!" Shouted another Lieutenant.

The Admiral did indeed see the Terrans retreating, but why since they were winning.

He nitoiced their Armada parting and seeing their Flagship, the 'Deluge of Chaos'.

As he saw this, even after 10 years of war, his blood froze with fear.

"Damn it!" He pressed a button that linked his comm. with every ship in the Armada.

"All functioning vessels! This is Admiral Stryker! Raise every barrier at once! Crew prepare the 'Eye of Odin'!

"What is going on sir?" Asked the Captain, his Second-in-Command.

"They're trying to recreate DoomsDay!"

"DoomsDay! The surprise Terran Attack that wiped out a quarter of the population of Gaia 10 years ago?"

"Exactly!"

The Deluge of Chaos seemed to be a pedestal for a lone figure standing at the bow of the ship. He attired himself with long robes that flowed by the power he was radiating. The robes seemed to flicker from the runes inscribed on the fabric and began to grow brighter as the man channeled energy around himself, his long white hair and long sharp V-Shaped beard waved wildly like he was in a typhoon of magical energy.

"How long until the Eye of Odin is ready?"

"Another minute, Sir." Replied a Lieutenant.

The Admiral watched as the man unleashed a barrrage of white bolts, striking the Armada.

Several ships were crushed and began to plummet to the planet in long plumes of smoke.

The Osiris shook violently from the explosive impacts.

"Damn you, Alucard!" Shouted Stryker.

"The Eye of Odin is ready Admiral!"

"FIRE!" Stryker shouted.

The front hull of the ship opened up like a mouth, revealing the "Eye of Odin," the most powerful weapon of the entire Gaian Military. A Mako Cannon powered by refined large materia.

Other large materia were being used to create the barriers around the large cities, the Eye of Odin was the only offensive weapon using large materia.

From deep within the huge barrel, energy began to build up with a rising hum before the atmosphere seemed to distort in front of the Osiris before a giant beam of concentrated energy shot from the cannon, the recoil knocking the carrier back several meters.

Alucard saw the beam headed in his direction and formed an enormous shield of magic right before the beam him.

The clash of power was immense, stray tendrils or energy striking enemy ships, causing them to explode as they sliced through them like a hot knife through butter.

After the beam faded away, Alacard dropped his shield and began a counter attack.

Stryker saw this and knew he was aiming at them.

"Fire again!" He shouted.

"But Sir, the Eye of Odin wasn't meant to be fired repeatedly!"

"I know, but if we don't, there won't be enough of the Osiris to do shit! I order you to fire now!"

During these few critical moments, the Eye of Odin and Alucard unleashed simultaneous blasts of powerful energy, colliding in a brilliant explosion of white light.

Far below, Storm watched the explosion fill the sky, eclipsing the moon entirely.

Memories flooded Storm's mind from his childhood as he recognized a similar event long ago

XXXXX.

"Brother! Sister! Where are you? Help!" Little Storm cried as he searched for a way out, but the fire and smoke trapped him within the house and would soon turn into his tomb.

Someone burst through a window and grabbed him, ramming his way through a burning wall just before the house collapsed in on itself.

Storm didn't know how he got out, but when he opened his eyes, he saw a man in a charred Military uniform.

"Brother!" Storm cried in joy as the man was holding him in his arms.

"Are you alright, Storm?" The soldier asked.

Storm coughed some more, but nodded.

From high above, loud maniacal laughter rang high above them.

The two saw a single man hovering over the village, firing powerful spells randomly down on the planet, obliterating anything in his way.

The soldier growled in anger as he saw the sheer neglect of life this man possessed.

"Stay here, I'll take care of this." He placed Storm down as dark energy snaked around his body before he took off.

"Wait! Big Brother!" Storm shouted, but the soldier was already long gone.

As the man ascended, the black aura engulfed him entirely.

Seconds later it exploded to reveal the man transformed into a black winged demon with a single horn on his head and wielding a vicious looking double bladed spear.

The Terran sensed a powerful force and looked down to see the demon coming straight for him.

"So this world does have a strong warrior, but lets see how he stands against me, Shire, one of the 5 Reys of Terra!"

Both alien and demon collided with immeasurable destructive force, swallowing the sky in light.

"Noooooooo...."

"OOOOOOOOOO!!" Storm's rage and pain hit their breaking point as dark power erupted within him.

"KAIN!" He roared in an inhuman voice before the power receded and he collapsed in exhaustion.

His breathing was deep and labored for a while before he got to his feet.

"Don't worry. I'll make them pay."