Chapter Four- Amongst The Ruins
Aika smiled and said, "Hiya, early riser."
Vyse blushed furiously, remembering his 'problem' last night. Noticing this, the pirate girl tilted her head, and said, "Hey, you ok? You look a little bit flushed."
"Yeah, I'm fine," He lied. "Let's go." He turned to his mother, father, and Fina. Everyone was assembled in the living room of his house. Dyne step up first. "Son, I'm proud of your swashbuckling plans. Good luck, and come home soon." He shook hands with his son, and Vyse turned to his mom. She simply embraced him in a hug and smiled, keeping her angst at him going off to danger again deep down inside. Fina bowed to them both and also wished them luck.
"Don't start interrogating her again while we're out, Dad," Cautioned Vyse deadpan, a slight grin cracked his façade. Dyne chuckled and assured him he would never conceive of such a thing.
Setting out across the village, they quickly said 'goodbye' to anyone they passed. Reaching the second small outlet-island that was little more than a chunk of rock floating alongside, they spotted the small boat. It was the Diligent, one of two small backup boats Dyne maintained incase, Moons forbid, something befell the Albatross. It was a miniature version of it's mothership, without weapons, and constructed mostly of wood with some metal bracing and engine coverings.
"Don't let Vyse take the helm," Landis the Navigator called up to them in a voice of mock casual advice, and waved as they embarked onto the small Diligent. Ears burning red, Vyse decided not to hear that comment and assumed the steering wheel of the craft.
Aika sat down at a desk in the narrow bridge of the ship, taking out standard navigational tools and a detailed map of the area obtained from the portly navigator. "Charter our course, Vyse. North northwest, 17 lunits up."
He nodded, taking the throttle and pushing it forward gently. With a steady rumble, the deckplates shivered for moment. The moonstones fed into the engines were tapped, providing the energy to operate the ship. He steered the wheel to the left and pushed forward. Breaking away from the severed anchors tying it to Pirate Isle, the little ship set off.
Into the sky they moved, with no rush, and at a reasonable cruising speed. Clouds rushed overhead and the wind gently ran across the deck. It would prove to be a short journey, as their destination came into sight within moments of leaving the island. The distinctive tower-profile of Shrine Island made it easy to spot, stabbing defiantly into the sky.
Aika walked out onto the deck, perching on the rail and relaxing. Vyse tried to busy himself with steering the Diligent, but he had altogether too soon ran out of things to do, and thought he'd better go out to talk with her. Emerging from the pilothouse, he leapt up and sat next to his lifelong friend.
"Hey," She said, looking over at him. Vyse smiled in reply. "This is our first mission without the crew to back us up, you know."
"Yeah," He said. "I haven't really thought about it, but now we're out here alone, with only each other…" He looked down.
"Vyse?"
"Hm?"
"Do you like Fina?" That question had caught him as off guard as if the entire Valuan Armada were to materialize off the bow and begin firing on them. Looking back up at Aika, the teenager felt his cheeks start to burn, too embarrassed to notice the traces of anxiety that tugged at her graceful features.
"I'm not really sure," He said uncertainly. "We've only just met, I mean… but she is very beautiful."
"Really?"
Vyse then noticed something was awry, and commented to that effect. "Aika, is something wrong?"
"I don't know," She admitted. Feeling a whirlwind of emotions, she sighed and tried to clear her head. She and Vyse had known each other forever, she loved him as a brother. Maybe more. The feeling seemed to be mutual, but with the introduction of this girl in strange clothes, she felt… jealousy?
When he had called Fina pretty, had she been bothered by that?
No way. That would imply… that you liked him, a part of her told the great truth, you do like him. Right now she didn't want to admit it.
Shaking her head, she smiled again. "So I guess we both have no clue." Vyse nodded, and for a while, that would do. For both of them. Maybe later, if they were sure… but that was only later. Now they had a moonstone to retrieve. Shrine Island was growing closer.
It was like all of the other islands in the skies of Arcadia- a hunk of rock that inexplicably floated in that narrow band of breathable atmosphere whose gravity was just right to accommodate humans.
The temple for which that particular island was named was an ancient yet surprisingly in-tact stone complex, with a newly blasted gaping hole in the side and a large lake surrounding it as a mote. Water from this looked like it was flowing into the hole, but from the distance Vyse couldn't be sure. A single narrow masonry bridge led across the water to the ancient front double-doors.
Vyse spun the wheel, bringing the ship in slower and slower and turning to the side. "Akia, ground us to the island." Complying, the girl grabbed a coil of rope with a heavy harpoon-hook on the end, and when it was within throwing distance, she hurled it with all her strength. "Dead hit," He whooped. "Two more." Once three steady anchors had been established, they used a winch to carefully reel themselves in, until the side of their ship bumped against the edge of Shrine Island. "
Hopping over the side, Aika pulled out her boomerang. This time the translucent throwing-arc had been imbued with red moon stones, imparting the properties of flame on it. Vyse drew his pirate cutlasses- one had been enchanted with green magic, the other purple.
"I'm getting an eerie vibe," The flame-haired female said, taking point as they both cautiously advanced across the bridge. "This place hasn't been touched in a hundred thousand years, Vyse!"
"Going to chicken out now, with that treasure right in the temple? Besides, if it's abandoned, that should mean it's perfectly safe." He knew that when he invoked the treasure he would get her cooperation. "Speaking of which…" He pointed to a small stone chest to one side of the door. Going up to it, she tried to open it.
"It's sealed shut," She said. "Let's force it."
Vyse nodded, and moved to bash the chest with his cutlass. The edge of the blade caught in the crack between the lid and box, and he paused. Then he wedged it up and down, eventually forcing it's aged top to swing open. Aika gasped as a dozen crystals glittered brightly. "What are these?" He collected them all up into a bag. "Oh well. We can ask dad when we get back."
They proceeded to the front doors. The imposing stone structures looked to be ten times as resilient as the chest had been. Confused, they searched for any special markings, or triggers. Vyse, exasperated, took a seat on the simple stone tablet three meters from the door.
When he touched it, it began to glow brightly and rotate. Leaping off it in alarm, he watched as the stone shattered, revealing a much more elegantly carved crystal that radiated light. As it turned, so did the entire complex, moving down one layer, as the Shrine appeared like a cake. The door on this level was already half open, and at the approach of either of them, slid fully apart.
Walking through the ancient passage, they emerged in a huge cylindrical room, with spiral wide stone stairs that led down five levels, deep into water, towards the ground level. At the ground level a silver boulder gleamed with light rays, resting in a crater it had made upon entry like the hole in the wall. "There's the moonstone," Vyse said unnecessarily.
"That thing is huge! We'll never be able to swim up with it," Aika said, crossing her arms as she stared at it. It's also probably worth a prince's fortune. She also saw the irony- the stone's breaking through of the wall made the thing impossible to retrieve from it's fresh, watery grave.
Unless he could open the doors on lower levels. "Aika, this place appears to be compartmentalized."
"So?"
"So if we open enough doors we can drain the water out, get the moonstone, and get out of here."
Her eyes lit up and she grinned. "Hey, that's a great idea, Vyse! Way to use your head." She pretended not to see the light blush that tinged his cheeks, instead making her way across the steps and down to the next level, which was only inches higher than the waters. He followed rapidly.
"The air's pretty foul," He observed. Obviously after such a long period of being completely sealed, he was surprised it was still breathable. It seemed as though the further they went, the thicker a hazy fog descended, reducing visibility.
The stairs further down were blocked by water, but a door to the left slid open at their approach. After a short hallway, they opened the second door, which revealed open sky. Foul air rushed out and clean oxygen moved to replace it with haste.
By traversing a narrow walkway, they skirted the outside edge of the temple, trying to ignore the fact that a major misstep to their right would send them plunging into Deep Sky, with no hope of rescue before they were crushed. A pathway led them to another walkway, this time wider, holding position five meters from the wall. They began on this path, and up ahead appeared a monster.
It could only be described as a gigantic floating fish, with bright-orange scales and obviously malicious intentions. It began to beat it's fin-wings, hovering over to them. Both of the Blue Rogues got ready, weapons at an attack stance.
"I guess this place isn't abandoned." The fish lunged for them just as Vyse finished that sentence. The attack was rather slow, therefore both of them easily dodged. They both moved in behind it, slicing into it's scales and tail. Crying out in agony, it flailed it's body, slapping Aika.
The girl fell backwards, toppling to the ground. She rolled to absorb the fall and stood, still ready for more. Vyse glanced to her, then growled. "Time to make sushi." His weapons began to glow a powerful blue and he charged for the fish creature. "Cutlass Fury!" Bellowed the Pirate, delivering a half dozen strikes that caused explosions throughout the enemy's body. The final attack stabbed through it's center mass, and it's insides caught the last explosion. It died instantly, falling to the ground with a wet and slightly sickening slap.
"That wasn't so hard," Aika said, brushing herself off. She looked at her side where she had fallen, pulling up her yellow tight dress slightly. "Nothing but a bruise." He replaced her clothing and grabbed her throwing-arc again.
Vyse waited at a ladder, which took them a level down. They traversed around the entire shrine again, but did not encounter any more creatures. As they landed on the bottom level, Aika spotted the only door on the side of the temple at this height.
She was about to walk into it when Vyse stopped her. "Water, remember?" When she nodded embarrassedly, they both backed up to the side of the door. Taking the greatest care, he put out his hand. As soon as he heard the telltale whoosh of the door he snapped back his hand and took cover. This proved to be quite wise, for a solid wall of water flowed outwards, shaking the floor to the point where they had to sit down. All the liquid poured over the side, into Deep Sky. This massive plume eventually died down, and stopped.
Now the entire inner temple had been drained, and the moonstone was theirs for the taking. They dashed in, taking all of the ancient scenic temple in from the ground up. A pile of rubble laid scattered around. Neither of them paid any attention to that, only the glowing moonstone almost in the center of the amphitheatre. Vyse went right up to it, running his hand over it's nearly spherical surface. It still felt warm.
Aika gasped, and he spun around. The debris was moving. Gathering together as if drawn by some force, it formed a gigantic stone figure, about ten feet tall and with a humanoid shape, besides it's lack of a head area. A crystalline area at the front of it began to glow.
"What is-" Before she finished the sentence, she realized the stone machination's sinister intent, diving to the stone floor a fraction of a second before a power laser beam discharged. The red light-wave slammed into the far wall, melting a portion of it and shaking the ground. "Holy crap!"
Vyse remembered another fighting technique that his father had taught him. "Vyse, if you cut the air quick enough, you can generate a wind strike and damage a foe without engaging them in close combat. Nobody expects that with a blade." He attacked on instinct, using his blades in a horizontal cut that sent an arc of wind at their assailant. The wind-strike bounced harmlessly off it's sturdy stone arm, and he frowned. This was going to be difficult.
Now slightly annoyed, the stone guardian slowly turned to face him. This was going to be very difficult. Red power began accumulating again in it's central eye, which gave Vyse an idea.
"Moons, Give Me Strength!" Using the spell Weevil that he had learned from Akia, he concentrated a ball of super-dense water in his hands, floating inches from his fingers. Using pure willpower, he propelled it forward, just as the laser discharged. Struck enough to recoil slightly, the beam went wide, slicing into a wall above and sending rocks tumbling to the ground below.
Aika had been maneuvering, and was now behind the golem. "I've had just about enough of you! TAKE THIS!" 'This' was a powerful blow with the boomerang to the back, which again caused the enemy to stumble for a single moment. "Vyse! Center eye!"
He snap-shot a second water sphere. It hit dead center, cracking the crystalline surface into a spider web, before it shattered outwards. The guardian jerked and shivered, before falling apart. Each piece of the construct clattered to the ground, returning to it's original state and causing Vyse to sigh. "Now we know why it's abandoned."
"Where did you learn to do that thing with the water ball?" She asked, helping Vyse grab the large moonstone and slowly begin to heft it out of the crater. It was very heavy.
"I thought of it on the spot. If that sphere had lost containment, I would probably have drowned." Aika giggled slightly despite her physical exertions. That was her Vyse… wait, she thought. When did he become hers? This line of thought would lead to other things, things she had told herself not to consider for now. Have to get this stone moved…
0-0
He stared out at the perfectly clear skies with a slight disgust for the pleasant weather, and had to remind himself that it was actually good flying weather, reducing the time he was out in this annoying hinterland region. The thundering of his ship around him reinforced his own assertion of his power.
Lord Galcian, right hand of Empress Teodora and therefore the highest military commander in the Valuan Armed Forces, was a tall and intimidating man. A sinister face with burning eyes and slightly graying hair told of much experience, probably of a martial sort. His expansive black cloak with red trim only served to make him appear larger and more menacing. This man's mind was as black as his cloak, constantly thinking of ways to increase the pain and suffering of his enemies.
"My Lord." His attention shifted to his vice admiral, standing next to him suddenly. The boy had white hair that was cut sharply and came down around his beautiful face. His voice was low, and full of respect for his superior. He also wore a black uniform, although this one conformed well to his lithe figure. If it were not for his eyes he could be considered an exceptionally attractive man.
"Ramirez. Have we sighted the island?"
"Yes. Pirate Isle has just been spotted by observers on the Crow's Nest. We will be there soon."
"Excellent. We've waited far too long to discipline this rabble, and the girl will soon be ours."
Fina… Ramirez paused for an imperceptible beat before nodding. "Yes, Lord Galcian."
Dozens of Valuan battle cruisers, along with Galcien's own flagship, dotted the sky with their grey hulls and massive rotating fan-engines. They descended towards the pastoral island-village known as Pirate Isle.
The lookout was doing his morning stretches, groaning as he flexed out. "Man, it sure is a beautiful day. Not a cloud in all Middle Sky, I'd bet…" As he arched his back, he noticed something on the horizon. "What the hell…" Sitting up, he took out an observation glass and magnified the dots. They grew into Valuan warships. "I thought they'd never find us here…" He whispered faintly, turning and cupping his hands to his mouth.
"Captain! We have an emergency! It's the Valuan Armada!"
0-0
After ten minutes of truly gruesome manual labor, the two air pirates had managed to heft the boulder out of the temple complex and onto the deck of the Diligent. Vyse collapsed onto the grass of Shrine Island's edge and gasped. "By the Moons… this wasn't worth it."
Aika frowned. "It was hardly worth it." The girl really loved treasure-hunting, but even her found the task stressful. She climbed aboard the ship and laid upon the deck. As she watched, she spotted an object in the sky. Squinting at the ship, she failed to identify it. Oh, well. Probably just a merchant ship.
Vyse took a little time to collect himself, then hopped aboard and went into the pilothouse, taking the wheel. "Let's get back home. I've had all the ancient relics I can stomach for a day." Spinning the control surface, he brought the small runabout into a 180-turn. Aika detached the anchors holding the ship to the isle, reeling in the rope in order to conserve it. In the skies, having enough ropes meant life or death.
He kicked in the engines, and they started off, away from Shrine Island. It took slightly longer on the return trip, as they had taken on some additional weight from the loot and the moonstone.
Still, in almost no time, they approached home. Vyse felt uneasy, and when he zoomed in to the island he gasped. The village had dozens of huge craters, the ground was smoldering, and many buildings including his house were wrecked. The entire place looked like it had been bombed to smithereens. Neither of them could do anything but stare helplessly at the smoking ruin of their home, and only by muscle memory did Vyse bring the Diligent in to dock at the small island connected with the larger main one.
Leaving the ship unmoored but counting on the extra weight to hold it down, they leapt out of the boat and rushed down. A closer inspection only showed the amount of the damage- the windmill for which Dyne had gotten the cover-name's idea for was completely totaled, and it was unlikely it would be repaired anytime soon. No one was in the buildings, but as they ran to the central courtyard, a man emerged from the secret entrance to the underground base.
Vyse recognized the man as the Navigator of the Albatross, Landis. "Landis, what happened here? The entire village has nearly been destroyed!"
"It was the Valuans," He replied, goggles askew on his ashen face. He seemed to be favoring one leg, because he was. The other one had nearly been shredded by a stray cannonball. "They shelled the island for a few minutes, then demanded our surrender. We didn't even have time to get the ship out for a battle."
"Dad wouldn't go out without a fight," Vyse said angrily.
"He knew they would kill the women and the children if he didn't… there wasn't any hope. The crew surrendered, but I went into hiding." He sighed. "I'm a damn coward… everyone else got taken but I saved my own skin. Got to watch as they scuttled the Albatross. So many years, up in smoke…"
"Hey, Landis, relax. Your specialty is on the ship, anyway," Aika said halfheartedly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "No one blames you."
"No one is left to blame me," He said piercingly. "Well, they left the civilians, but they're down below. I guess they were in a… merciful mood today. I stayed up on the surface, to tell you the story when you got back. Figured I ought to be of some use."
"Let's get down and see mom right away." They worked their way down into base, headed for the Captain's office. They reassured the women and children that they passed, who all looked glad for their return. Vyse opened the door and got caught in his mother's enthusiastic hug.
"Oh, I thought they had intercepted you as well," She said quietly. "I'm so glad you're here. They took all the men, and Fina."
"They took Fina?" Aika asked, surprised.
"That Alfonso clown was trying to kidnap her when we kicked his ass back to Valua," Vyse said in an obvious manner. He crossed his arms. "Well, there's only one thing for it, then. We've got to go and rescue them all from Valua."
"Rescue? From Valua? The fortress that a hundred Nasr warships couldn't dent?" Vyse was brave, but this was pushing it somewhat.
His mother sighed. "I knew you were going to say that, and it's probably the only way for Dyne and the boys to get free of being executed. We are pirates, after all. Wait, though, until the morning. You both look like you need some rest, and we can refit the Diligent for the trip with Landis's help."
Vyse tossed around the idea for a few moments. The attack had spiked his adrenaline, but he was exhausted from the raid on Shrine Island. "Alright. We'll get some sleep, something to eat. Dad always used to tell me to 'hurry up and wait'."
0-0
Dawn broke over the devastated Pirate Isle. All the women and children had turned out to the wrecked surface, to cheer on their last and best hope. Vyse and Aika waved goodbye one last time, climbing the ramp to the outlet island-dock. Diligent waited, engines ready to go. Landis said, "Good luck, you two. I hope that when you see Dyne, you'll tell him how sorry I am. If he's still alive."
"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Vyse asked, pausing. "We could use your help navigating, and it might be a welcome change of pace."
"I don't know. What use could I possibly be?"
"Didn't we hire you as a navigator? C'mon, this is your chance to prove yourself," He encouraged quietly, trying to tune out the cheering that drifted over him.
"Well…"
Aika cupped her hands. "Pleeeease?" She stretched out that poor word until Vyse thought it should surely break, but the only result was a defeated smile from the portly man, who nodded silently and followed them onboard.
"Everyone ready?" Both of his pirate comrades nodded, so Vyse turned the ship, and said, "Full sail for Valua! Wait up, Dad, here we come!"
0-0
Dyne sighed. The Valuans were not known for their gentle treatment of prisoners, so he was not truly surprised by the horrible condition of their cells. Packed into four-person 10 meter cells, all the Blue Rogues were forced to curl up in order to obtain a small amount of breathing room. The walls and floor were damp, dark, and cold, and a gently dripping noise reminded him that one enemy guard had said that this prison was directly under the sewer systems. So it was poisoned filth that laid around with his men.
Son… The proud father harbored absolutely no delusions- Vyse and Aika, when they discovered the smoking ruins of their home, would set out as quickly as practicable to Valua in an insane rescue mission. He prayed to the Moons to give them the slimmest of chances to actually succeed. Good luck.
The door at the far side of the aisle opened, and many prisoners peered out to see. Four Valuan soldiers with glimmering golden armor wielded giant lances enchanted with the power of the Yellow Moon. They walked in perfect rank, in front of Fina, and another four prodded her forward. Dyne looked up, and his eyes locked with the foreign girl for a fraction of a second, then she looked forward again.
The honor guards took her further, through winding labyrinthine prisons, and up to a train station. She seemed reluctant to board the gigantic box-like metal monstrosity that was the main car, but the huge guards quickly convinced her to be a lot more enthusiastic about it.
She sighed, sitting down and strapping in with a safety belt. All the guards stood, holding on to handrails as the train began to accelerate. Shivering, it used electrical current to push itself along a metal track that hung suspended across the entire gigantic city of Valua.
Occasionally glancing out a window, she saw pitch-black skies that belied the city's mood, which was nestled in the huge floating continent of the same name. Bands of light denoted the electrical city, although to one side of the palace that was in the center it was much brighter, the other side dimly lit if at all.
They arrived at the huge capitol, and she was taken across many hallways, up an enormous marble staircase, and through gold-paneled double-doors into the Throne Room. Constructed of the finest materials in all of Valua, rich red carpeting and drapes bracketed the nobles and honor guards that filled the room.
Seated atop a great throne, in gaudy purple dress and beret, the Empress Of Valua glowered at the new arrival. The old woman's lines of age and stress seemed to only enhance her sinister appearance, and she wielded her royal scepter like she intended to harm somebody with it. Next to this, a considerably smaller throne played host to the handsome, blonde, light-skinned Prince Enrique, heir to the empire. His expression was one of concern.
"So," Teodora's voice rang out across the expansive royal throne room. "This is the Silvite Girl."
0-0
The Diligent plotted a course north, occasionally correcting it's heading to avoid the powerful sky rifts, which were solid walls of wind that destroyed ships that didn't have enough power.
Even moving to avoid charted storm-fronts, fate had apparently abandoned them. A thick fog began to develop, requiring much more vigilance as the navigator constantly reassigned values and had to make calculations for speed and drift in his own head with little help from sighting instruments. Luckily Landis was up to the task, performing with a skill that left no doubt why Dyne had hired him.
Until they almost hit an island. The boat shivered to it's seams and Vyse dove to port, trying to put some distance away from the landmass. When that landmass began to move, he gasped and ran out onto the deck. "Aika! That's not an island- it's moving! That's alive!"
"What is that thing?!" She asked, yelling to be heard over the suddenly rushing winds.
"I think I know," Vyse replied, putting up one arm to shield himself from the gusts. "That's an Arcwale!"
"What should we do?" Before Landis could get an answer, the Arcwale turned around, taking aim for their boat. "Oh crap!"
A purple beam hit the ship, shaking it apart, and sending Vyse into blackness.