Are We Dead Yet?

Thmph. Unghh. 'Could've been a smoother landing.'

"Stay right there, intruder! Who are you, and how did you get here?"

"I fell..." Mage groaned out sardonically, lifting himself off the gravel and sand ground, surrounded by six uniformly dressed guards with guns pointed at him. "from the sky."

Standing erect, Mage scanned the area. A dozen or so sentries atop the twenty meter concrete and brick walls. Dozens more foot soldiers littered the wide expanse of open ground within spitting distance from the large palace like mansion just up the road, each person keeping a wary eye on the intruder though none seemed the least bit threatened.

'The middle of their barracks? Really?' Mage lamented to himself even as thick plumes of sky blue tinted smoke billowed out from where he stood, engulfing the nearby area and disorienting the men inside it while simultaneously blocking the sight of those outside. Mage withdrew his two special daggers and sliced at the six guards desperately fighting off an illusory horde of savage outlaws, slitting each of their throats in turn against no resistance.

As their bodies fell lifelessly to the ground, Mage threw his arms outward, sending the clouds of smoke and his conjured armies rushing to the tops of the walls. Chaos erupted across the grounds and threatened to spread as panic struck the oblivious soldiers being cut down in rapid succession. While the sentries fought off the unceasing mob in the ultimate act of futility, Mage made his way up as well, unseen by the preoccupied and unaware soldiers. With extreme proficiency and dexterity, each of the sentries around the perimeter fell to Mage's blades just as swiftly as the six guards below. As the body count rapidly increased with virtually no resistance, the remaining guards on the ground fired blindly into the voluminous mass blanketing portions of the area.

Mage jumped down from the walls, descending in a bluish billow onto those who had gathered near the massive metal gate that marked the last step between him and an underground path to the mansion's own grounds. He skillfully wove his way through these latest victims, securing his prize. But, before he could open the gates, they swung outward without bidding and with such force that a portion of Mage's gathered covering was blown away, exposing his form just as a large bisento was swung at him. While he had the frame of mind to block the surprise attack with his twin daggers, the power behind the strike threw him out the other side of the thick cloud and sent him bouncing roughly along the rough, pointed rocks in the gravel.

Mage raised himself off the ground with no shortage of cuts and bruises - all minor - as he bared his daggers like fangs, facing off against the new opponent. This latest foe was many times Mage's size - having to duck down to step out of the large doorway - with a bisento polearm that matched his tremendous frame. The pristine armor he wore glistened simply in the light and left only his joints and face exposed.

"They send up the alert flag and it's only one man. Pathetic," the towering figure growled through hard features, no emotion evident in his stony face, though the scars running over his left eye and the right side of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly as if in annoyance.

Mage glanced over his shoulder and, surely enough, spotted a red flag - a familiar crest emblazoned on its center - flapping lazily in the breeze. 'That shouldn't have gotten past me,' Mage scolded himself, refastening his eyes on the huge obstacle standing in his path even as more armored soldiers poured from the pathway behind heavy shields and blocked the open passage.

Even with only a cursory examination, Mage could tell he had no way to break through the plated armor - reinforced in the chest and legs - of his opponent; he'd have to be precise with his strikes. Lucky for him, that was his specialty. Summoning the blue clouds around him, Mage sent them forward onto his foe, engulfing the large man along with the guards who remained around him.

The armored commander was wary as the smoke limited his vision, and was quick to react when Mage appeared to his right ready to strike. Swinging out with his powerful bisento, the commander ripped through the black clad stranger, feeling the resistance of toned muscle and solid bone before feeling the familiar warmth of fresh blood splattered on his gloved hands. He was momentarily surprised when an uninjured Mage appeared on his left, but quickly caught the intruder with a slash across the chest. Once again, he saw and felt the blood of his victim spurt from the gaping wound as well as the low thud of a body dropping.

When the silent Mage appeared a third time, the towering man held back some, slamming the rounded hilt of his bisento into the figure's torso, sending him flying from the cloud even as Mage appeared to him once again, still unscathed. This time, though, the large soldier ignored his instinct, spinning the humongous weapon over his head, reaching consistently greater speeds, before striking down with the sharp blade as Mage's form charged him from a different direction entirely.

The spinning and powerful strike of the tremendous polearm created a chasm in the ground, stretching out from his blade in a jagged pattern, and blew away the mysterious blue mass, uncovering his allies - including the two struck down by his own hand - as well as a suddenly visible Mage being deterred from his charge by the explosion of gravel peppering his side.

Mage spun out from the surprise and charged for the massive man's trunk like legs, looking to chop him down with a well-placed cut to the ankle. Mage was quickly upon his target, but his blade did little damage as the vital tendon was protected by a durable leather beneath the armor. Quick thinking, kept him from running headfirst into the line of armored and shielded warriors waiting behind the giant, but left him with a new problem: standing completely in the open against an opponent who easily held the reach advantage.

Light blue smoke flowed from Mage's fingertips and footing in fresh waves until billows of the strange substance blanketed the area around him. With a wave of his hand, the cloud rushed past him in a torrent, ripping through the air in a straight path towards the towering foe. The commander would not be goaded so easily a second time, though, splitting the cloud with a single one handed swing of his large weapon.

Mage jumped over the massive bisento, twin daggers held tightly, only to be caught in the grasp of one of the man's gigantic palms. The blow pushed the air from Mage's lungs and loosed his grip on his daggers as he was slammed into the ground and made to cough up blood. He could barely move with the massive weight bearing down on his chest, but managed to wriggle a blade from his sleeve nonetheless, stabbing the Needle Point into his opponent's wrist.

But, releasing an exclamation of pain, the large man pulled his hand back (blade still inside) before Mage could completely slit his wrist. Using the opportunity, Mage sprung up and raced to recover the twin daggers, barely succeeding before being rocked by a thunderous stomp.

Mage dove away from the giant fist that came down next, and threw three knives at the man's face, but was still susceptible to the kick that nearly shattered his ribcage. Reaching under his padded vest, he felt at least three broken ribs, grimacing through the pain as he prepared to continue fighting.

"It's time to stop playing with you now."

Mage slipped the twin daggers back into their sheaths and drew the short sword from the back of his waist as the imposing soldier clenched his hands tightly enough to draw blood. Throwing his arms back, the blood flew to the ground. But, instead of dotting the surface, it drilled into the earth. The soldier clenched his hands again, focusing, tightening his muscles until veins bulged in his neck and sweat beaded from his brow. He swung his arms up, hands open, with a fierce yell, simultaneously wrenching huge chunks of earth from the ground, sending the boulders hurtling at the irksome smaller fellow. "Take this; Meteor Shower!"

Mage was injured, and surprised by the large man's unexpected power, but still had a mission to finish. He was ready to end the fight as he weaved his way through the dozens of stones, using one as a launch pad as he turned and twisted in the air, triumphantly exiting the other side in midair and upside down. He was ready to drive his short sword into the larger man's neck, but that thought barely crossed his mind as he spotted a fist the size of his torso streaking towards him as soon as he made it through the rock shower. "Oh. Shit."

Thunk. Mage felt the light impact on his forehead.

"Time to wake up, sleepy head."

Unghh. 'Ugh, why'd I remember that at a time like this,' Mage inwardly groaned as he picked himself up off the cabin floor. He looked to his side to see a smiling Shaad with a grumpy Kaleb close behind and a cowering Rose held tightly in one arm. "Are we dead yet?" he deadpanned.

"No; not yet," Shaad replied without missing a beat. "Now get up; the living have work to do."

Mage scoffed at Shaad's use of the word work before asking, "Where are we?"

"We're in the ship. Where the ship is, I'm hoping to find out once you finally get up." Mage stood up and dusted himself off just as Shaad released Rose and fell clumsily to the ground. "But, you're gonna have to carry me. Consider it repayment." Shaad was good at keeping up a strong front, but protecting, not only himself, but Kaleb and Rose as well, completely drained his already depleted energy levels, and he'd need significant rest before he could even move again.

The ship was leaning heavily as Mage made his way out, dragging Shaad on his shoulder with the two youngest crewmembers trailing behind them. Just as they began to ascend the stairs onto deck, the door opened and a slightly bruised Ray stumbled through with a serious expression and passed them by without so much as a word. Mage ignored it and crossed through the door, stepping aside and laying Shaad out on deck before disappearing into the shadows to investigate while Rose and Kaleb moved on to the dirty beach where most of the crew was recovering from the crash.

The ship lay, completely beached and heavily damaged, on the barren coast, along with an array of debris and wreckage from before their arrival, with much of the crew sitting out recovering and trying to figure out where they were. While some had suffered a broken bone or two, most had gotten away with only minor injuries. In the center of them all, stood Bo, though drenched in seawater and looking utterly drained, calm and composed as usual as he spoke with Johannes.

Upon sighting Rose, Bo called her over, and saw that she had gathered up her bag of medical supplies before exiting the ship. "What happened to Shaad?" Bo questioned her once she got over to him.

"He used up all his energy and fell unconscious," the young doctor explained.

"Okay, have the White Knights gather up the injured by severity, and you take care of the worst of them; just leave Shaad be for now, the captain instructed, resuming his original conversation when she set off to do as directed. "Any idea where we are, or how long we've been here?" Bo asked lowly.

"From what we can gather," Alexander's strained voice chimed in as he hobbled closer, leaning heavily on Mino's shoulder and holding his midsection, "we fell down here when we were sucked into the maelstrom. While it was still daytime when we. . . when everything turned to shit, it's impossible to tell where exactly this all is or how long we were out because this sky doesn't seem to be natural; no stars, no moon, barely any light." he finished, directing everyone's vision to the empty expanse above them.

"Tonight was supposed to be a full moon," Mino informed the small collective that had gathered around the captain and navigator.

While Mino, Alexander, and Johannes further pondered the implications of the revelation, Bo withdrew an arrow and knelt down to light the arrowhead on fire after stringing his bow. Nocking the arrow, Bo primed the shot and set his sights on the air above them. He pulled the string back as far as it could go and held it, letting the tension in the bow build before releasing it, letting it loose like a shooting star in the night.

All eyes were drawn to the arrow as the spark flew higher and higher into the darkness. Bo waited for it to reach the zenith before curving back to the earth, but at some point, the blaze of the arrowhead was extinguished and not even Bo, with his impressive eyes, could track it after that.

"Want to tell us what that was about?" Alexander spoke up first.

"This island seems to be surrounded by some type of permeable, highly elastic dome like a very sturdy bubble or something," Bo explained. "I'd guess we're actually so deep underwater that natural light is scarce here."

"Well, since there's an island here, there must be some source of power."

"I agree, and that's why we need to send people out to scout." Bo responded to Johannes. "Prepare two teams; use the men who most recently ate. One to scout ahead for threats or inhabitants and another to search for repair materials. (You'll have to talk with Kayden concerning that.)" Johannes nodded in understanding as Bo provided further instruction. "Focus the investigation on the direct interior, and gather materials from the flanks. We'll move inward after the area has been searched."

Johannes then went over to where the crew, including those who had been brought from the ship by Ray, had been gathered, leaving Bo with Alexander and Mino. Bo left Alexander to his own reconnaissance for the time being, but informed Mino that she was to go with Mage and gather all information deemed pertinent, ignoring the former Prince's vehement protests as he moved towards the ship to inform Mage of his objective and handle another task that he'd been neglecting recently.

Bo moved with sharp, precise steps through the steep, slippery walkways inside the ship. It took only a short time before he stepped through the steel door leading to the now empty cells of the prison - save for the injured lapahn he'd taken from Alexander's kingdom - and arrived at the lone, nondescript door situated at the far end of the cell block.

"It's been a while since the last time you came down here," a disembodied voice greeted Bo sardonically as he stepped through the doorframe, seemingly familiar with the young captain though sounding as if he lacked a certain level of respect for the rookie pirate. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'm here for the same reason as last time."

"Then I have the same answer."

"I've already told you, I will not free you." Bo spoke emphatically to the lean, emaciated figure restrained against the wall by thick, heavy seastone shackles. "But, I will offer each of you food for any answers you provide. You all look quite famished." There was silence in the wake of his proposal, but Bo looked quite pleased at the lack of the outright refusal he half expected. "Then let's start with something simple. Names. How bout it?"

There was still no response for a long while, but the same prisoner, the only one Bo had spoken to, started talking just as Bo was ready to move on. "Aika. . . Michihiko, Auron, Kano, Shiba, Lucy, and Taiga. That enough names for you? Or should I come up with some more?" The prisoner asked, a wry grin crossing his thin lips.

Bo clenched his fists and tensed every muscle of his body to keep from lunging at the securely bound man. In response, the man released a howling cackle at Bo's shivering arms and the thinly veiled ire in his eyes. Bo fought to maintain control, but it was difficult staring into the brash captive's eyes. Not even Leon's acerbic and scornful attitude was as completely mocking and derisive as the person he now faced off with.

Bo swallowed his frustration, though, and moved past the loss, redirecting his questioning. "Fine, what can you tell me about Cornelious Rashaad?"

That question actually received a response. Not from the question's original recipient, however; instead, Bo noticed a quirk in the expression of the prisoner to his right from the corner of his eye. The captive was quick to recover, though, but not before Bo turned to him and pressed the issue. "Hmm, you know something. Tell me."

Even sitting down, the hulking fishman was like a small mountain, compared to Bo's more average frame, with his head nearly brushing the ceiling. And, he showed no fear of the diminutive human, scoffing at the demand. "I have nothing to tell a lowly human like you."

"Not even at the cost of your freedom?"

"Your words mean nothing."

"No, and I probably can't cause you significant injury. . . But, what about Rashaad himself."

"He's here?" The fishman couldn't stop his eyes from widening in surprise, and Bo felt satisfied at the reaction before a dark chuckle of amusement bubbled forth from the giant fishman like a low growl. "And you trust him?"

It was now Bo's turn to be surprised as the prisoner sounded oddly cocky with the conversational turn, but Bo did a better job of hiding the shock he felt since he still didn't really trust Shaad even with what they'd been through. "Tell me what you know, now. Your fate is tied to my whim and if I'm to die, I will send this ship to the bottom of the ocean myself."

The towering captive held his defiant glare even with the level of seriousness in Bo's voice, enjoying to no end the mental hurdles such a haughty human was no doubt jumping through in the prolonged silence. But, the triumphant feeling quickly faded, pressed down by an intense pressure that made it hard to breath. The overbearing wave of such extreme killer intent left the confined space awash, sending shivers down Bo's spine and drawing the wary attention of the fishman to the final prisoner confined beneath the grated floor, unable to speak or move.

"Calm down, bro, he's not serious." The prisoner against the wall stated gleefully before turning to Bo with his now familiar, taunting smirk. "He doesn't take well to threats, and we can't die just yet. . . Things to do and such; you know the type."

Bo swallowed thickly, pausing a moment to compose himself and showing as little weakness as possible. "The issue still stands that Shaad's presence is as much a threat to you as any of us, if not more so." Bo focused solely on the fidgeting fishman - a strange sight to say the least -, not wanting to look at either of the brothers.

The fishman only spared a glance at the brother on the wall, catching the playful smirk aimed his way, before turning back to Bo, grumbling sourly at the position he was now caught in. "Rashaad is a traitor; a coward who double-crossed all of his allies for the Marines."