Eternal Arcadia

by Pegasus Knight

Thought you knew the story of Skies of Arcadia? Think again. Enhanced storylines in "Eternal Arcadia" explore a depth to the world and characters that the game did not, making it realistic while remaining loyal to the plot.

26. Blue Winds

The Blue Moon Crystal was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever seen. Teardrop shaped and perfectly smooth, it shone with every color of blue possibly imaginable, the azure glow enough to transfix one for hours on end. Even Lord Mikado could not help but to stare deep into it as he cradled it carefully in his hands, his eyes wide with amazement.

"The Maga Sphere...Never did I expect to see it in my lifetime. Many have braved Mount Kazai to recover it, but none have returned from its depths. Travelers, I am eternally in your debt. How can I ever repay you?"

"Well, like we said, we need to take it with us to keep it from the Valuans," Vyse replied. "Tell him we need nothing in payment, just that we would like to borrow it for a while."

Fina translated his words.

"Mmm..." Lord Mikado frowned lightly, his mustache drooping and making him appear more upset than he sounded. "It will be difficult to let go of the symbol of royal succession, but we have an agreement. I would like to hold on to it for a time, at least while you remain in Yafutoma."

Vyse felt put-out, but he wasn't about to argue with a king, especially not one who had been so hospitable towards them. "Uhm...sure..."

"Royal succession, huh?" Aika asked, curiously. "I guess that makes Moegi their next queen."

Moegi blinked as she heard her name and looked at Fina quizzically. The Silvite translated Aika's words, but for some reason the princess seemed terribly upset. She quietly murmured a reply.

"What did you say to her?" Enrique frowned.

"I-I just translated what Aika said. I don't know why she's unhappy..." Fina replied, meekly.

"Well! I believe you four have certainly earned your rest," Lord Mikado said, hastily changing the subject. "Roam about the city; relax. I have ordered a feast and a festival be prepared in celebration of this day."

Aika cheered excitedly, her outburst earning more than one aghast look. "Now that's what I'm talking about! I can't wait to see how the Yafutomans party!"

Vyse grinned. "Yafutoman food is already amazing. Their special dishes must be incredible! Tell him we'll be honored to join him."

That night was beyond any of their expectations. The festival grounds were alight with bonfires and literally hundreds of red paper lanterns, strung between poles and a ring of cherry trees in full bloom. Long, low tables were piled with steaming food that nobody knew the names for, and it took little time at all for them to eat their fill. Enormous drums pounded out lively beats to dance to, and both the sky and ground alike burned with brilliant bursts of sound and color – fireworks and firecrackers, Fina called them. There were actors and acrobats and men who performed insane feats, from juggling swords to walking across hot coals. It truly was one wonder after another.

Enrique and Moegi spent much of the night together. Vyse and Aika often tossed jokes back and forth as they watched the two dance, amused at how awkward he was as he obviously tried to impress her.

"I bet he can do formal balls and stuff just fine." Aika grinned wickedly. "But for this? He's just too...Valuan."

Vyse was more interested in the fireworks than any dancing. Suddenly feeling ten years younger, he watched with boyish glee as people blew things up on purpose, sending bursts of color into the nighttime sky. It sounded like a ship battle was raging on above them, and he grinned at the familiar rumble of exploding gunpowder deep in his chest. After some confusing pantomime he managed to convince the engineers to let him fire off a few, and laughed delightedly as he lit up the heavens with falling stars.

Aika, in the meantime, had gotten her hands on one of the enormous drums, and was pounding away at it so vigorously that some of the real drummers looked tired by simply watching her. She had a sense of rhythm, though, and easily fell into the same beat the other drummers were playing. The crewmembers who had decided to join the party cheered and hollered at her wildly, sticking out rather sorely compared to the rest of the crowd.

Fina, as usual, sat quietly off to one side and simply watched. She spent much of the night glued to the plays, the only one who could really understand them, until Aika dragged her off and made her play a few of the festival games. By the end of the night, the two had won a few gold coins, a goldfish, and several pounds of candy.

It was well into the night before they decided they were too tired to continue on. Moegi escorted them back to the guest house they had been staying in, herself looking fatigued but happy. She smiled warmly and opened the door for them, giving a slight bow.

"I am so happy you all enjoyed yourselves tonight. I've never had anyone my age to spend a festival with."

"Heh. It was fun!" Vyse replied, giving her a trademark grin. "Even princesses have to enjoy themselves, you know?"

"I don't know what I was expecting for a Yafutoman party, but that was way better than I thought it would be." Aika beamed. "I think I'm getting the hang of those eating sticks, too!"

Moegi giggled as that last bit was translated for her. "One day I would like to see what you eat with. Enrikku and Vaisu tried to describe them to me, but I just can't imagine them."

Vyse had to hold back a chuckle as she mispronounced his name for what was likely the one-hundredth time, but he found he was not alone in his amusement. A higher-pitched laughter came from behind him, and the five of them turned to find Muraji standing there.

"The Westerners enjoyed themselves, hm? Well, at least they have some taste," he said. "I came to thank you personally for retrieving the Maga Sphere."

"What does he care?" Vyse asked Fina.

"It is very important to me," he continued, ignoring Vyse. "I'll be sure to take good care of it when Moegi and I are married."

Vyse felt Enrique stiffen beside him. To his surprise, however, Moegi shook her head and retorted with something that momentarily seemed to surprise Muraji. Fina hastened to translate as the two of them fell into a heated argument.

"I will never marry you!"

"You don't have too much of a choice..."

Moegi huffed. "You think you have a chance at the throne! You'll never be king as long as Daigo is alive!"

"Have you forgotten that Daigo has been exiled for treason?" Muraji grinned wickedly. "I highly doubt that they'd let a traitor be king."

Moegi opened her mouth to reply to that, but no words would come. Tears welled up in her dark eyes as she stared at Muraji incredulously. "You...how dare you..." she whispered.

"Enough!" Enrique suddenly cried, pushing past Vyse. Though the prince was barely over six feet tall, he loomed over Muraji in comparison, and that's exactly what he did as he approached the older man. "I don't know what your motives are, but this is NOT how a nobleman treats a lady. If you insist on continuing like this, then you'll have to deal with me first."

A stunned silence fell over the group. Vyse nudged Fina and she hesitantly translated.

Whatever smugness Muraji previously had had suddenly deflated right out of him. He looked up at Enrique but was only met with a glowering pair of blue eyes, and slowly he recoiled away.

"You-you think you can speak to me like that j-just because you returned the Maga Sphere? You're not as strong as you think you are! My father will be hearing about this!" And with that he whirled around and ran off.

Silence fell over the five of them again. Enrique continued to glare at the retreating form of Muraji even long after he was gone from sight. Eventually Moegi stepped forward until she was just behind him, bowing her head ashamedly.

"Prince Enrique...I'm sorry," she said, halfway in Valuan. "I didn't mean to put you in a position where you felt you had to defend me."

Enrique's expression finally softened into a smile as he turned to face her. "No, think nothing of it. Where I come from we have rules on how a gentleman should treat a lady, such as yourself." He paused, then grinned sheepishly. "Well, honestly, not many people follow those rules anymore."

Moegi looked stunned. "Prince Enrique..."

"But what Muraji was talking about concerns me..." Enrique frowned then, almost looking stern. "Who is this Daigo you mentioned? Why would he take the throne before you?"

To that Moegi only averted her gaze, staring down at her feet. "It's...nothing. Please forget what happened tonight."

"But--"

"I'll be returning to my chambers now. Pleasant dreams." With that Moegi bowed and then swept off in a quiet rustling of long robes. Enrique took a few steps as if to follow her and then seemed to decide against it, simply staring after her instead.

Aika sidled up to Vyse and elbowed him slyly. "Toldja so," she whispered.

Vyse only gave a guilty grin in response. "I didn't disbelieve you. We've been here about two weeks and he's spent almost all that time with her."

"I-I don't understand. What's going on?" Fina whispered, peering over his shoulder.

"Oh, nothing." Aika's face cracked into an impish grin. "Enrique's just in love."

---

Another month flew by in a productive blur, and during that time they neither saw nor heard from Kangan or Muraji. Kirala approached them about joining the crew of the Delphinus and when they agreed, she not only dragged her younger sister Urala along to help Polly cook, but also put them into contact with a Yafutoman shipwright who began to outfit the Delphinus with Yafutoman technology. He said it would take him time to build, but he would be able to create an engine for the Delphinus that would allow it to reach the intense heights and depths a Yafutoman vessel could. The shipwright also offered cannons that was startlingly more potent than Valuan firepower; Fina explained that the Yafutomans had re-discovered gunpowder long before the Valuans did and that, because they had been working with it for so long, they were masters of explosive weaponry.

In the meantime, Aika kept herself busy by working alongside Urala in her teahouse and learning how to cook Yafutoman food. Fina spent much of her time playing a diplomat and, when she wasn't educating Yafutoman scholars on the West, she was either teaching Enrique how to speak Yafutoman or teaching Moegi how to speak Valuan. She humored the two of them gently, and as it was they were nearly inseparable. Vyse realized that the language barrier probably only added an element of excitement to the two royals' awkward relationship; each must have seemed tremendously mysterious to the other.

But as Vyse waited for the renovations on his ship to finish, he searched Yakaido for someone who was either willing to teach him to fight as the samurai fought or to teach him to fight without weapons as Jao and Mao did. He realized that without Fina to translate for him that was easier said than done, but he tried it anyway, not willing to take no for an answer. One day at last he came to a humble looking weapons shop on the far end of town, and found only a small, half-blind old man tending to it. For a long time Vyse simply watched as the old man worked, crafting a sword with extreme care, and it wasn't until a good two hours later that the blacksmith finally deigned to notice him.

"Mm. Westerner." He nodded curtly to him.

"You speak Meridian?" Vyse blinked.

The old man chuckled hoarsely. "I've learned many things from the Tenkou."

"Are you Tenkou?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Me?" The old man laughed at that. "No. But one day while I was out sailing they tried to steal my weapons from me. I beat them senseless, but I told them that if they could show me something I had never seen in my long lifetime, I would be willing to craft weapons for them for free. So they taught me how to speak the Western tongue."

"But how?" Vyse asked. "How do they know it?"

"I wish I knew," the old man replied. "All I know is they learned it from their leader, and were willing to pass it on to me."

"Most people here don't know it..."

"Most people here do not interact with the Tenkou." The old man grunted to that. "They are ronin, outcasts. And for good reason. I take it you survived your encounter with them, if you know their name."

"Heh...yeah. They tried to take my swords..."

The old man beckoned him over. "Let me see them. What does a Western man call a blade?"

Vyse knelt before the old man and unsheathed his cutlasses, carefully laying them on the floor where he sat. The ancient blacksmith squinted and leaned forward, peering at them scrutinizingly. He picked one up and balanced it in his hand, then gave a few experimental swings. Vyse was shocked at how agile he was; it was like he was only half as old as he looked.

"Hm...A bit clumsy compared to a katana...but overall this is excellent craftsmanship," he mused. "Do you know your blades well, boy?"

"Not really." Vyse chuckled a little. "My dad gave me these as a present for my tenth birthday. I've been using them all my life."

"It shows." The old man was amused. "What is your name?"

"Me? I'm Vyse."

"Vaisu..." The old man suddenly quirked a crooked grin. "I have heard much about you, Vaisu. I am called Ryu-kan."

"Uh...is this where I bow?" Vyse rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm...really bad at Yafutoman customs. Sorry..."

Ryu-kan laughed at that. "At least you are honest. I take no offense."

"I'm trying. Really!" Vyse grinned. "It's just...everything's so different and complex here: your food, your greetings, even your fighting."

"Is that so?" Ryu-kan arched a bushy white eyebrow at that. "How did you fight the Tenkou, then?"

"I had help," he replied. "Two of my friends are very talented magicians, and the third is also good with a blade."

"Show me."

"What?"

Ryu-kan stood, carefully taking a sword from where it hung on the nearby wall. "You said your friend was 'also' good with a blade. Which means you claim to be good with a blade as well. So show me. I have a small ring out back where I used to teach the youth in this city how to fight. It's been a long time since I've had a student. Perhaps you may be worthy."

---

The Delphinus was finished in the next few days, and Vyse had another person to count among his crew: impressed by Vyse's improvised fighting style, Ryu-kan volunteered to travel along with him and not only keep everyone armed and armored, but also to teach them how to defend themselves. The rogue was excited to have a formal teacher at last and spent much of his time studying with the wizened blacksmith.

Towards the end of the week they received a summon from Lord Mikado, who was pleased with how relations between his crew and the Yafutoman people had been going. The emperor stated that he was debating sending a diplomat back with them to further strengthen their bonds and perhaps establish trade, but wanted to know just how war-torn the West was and if it would be safe for them to go. The four of them were in the middle of describing Valua's attack on Nasr to him when suddenly the doors to the throneroom burst open and a breathless guard stumbled through, hastily bowing to them.

"My lord! It's an emergency!" he cried.

Mikado rose to his feet. "What? What's wrong?"

"Dozens of black ships have surrounded the harbor. They're forming a blockade!" the guard replied. "What appears to be their flagship is trying to dock as we speak!"

"What?!" the emperor cried.

"Black ships?" Vyse grit his teeth. "You've got to be kidding me! How did they get over here so fast?"

"I don't know, but we'd better hurry to the port!" Enrique sprang to his feet. "Let's go!"

Together, the four hastily excused themselves and rushed from the palace, racing down Yakaido's narrow streets as fast as they could. Far below them, through the mists formed by the waterfalls on the upper islands, Vyse could see a swarm of Valuan ships hovering just above the port, blotting out the sun in the harbor. Hundreds of people had emerged to gaze at the foreboding sight, and a flotilla of tiny lifeboats was making its way unhindered towards the docks. It made Vyse run just that much faster.

They arrived at the same time as the lifeboats. The flotilla pulled up to one of the lower docks and Valuan soldiers began to pour out, forcing the onlookers back as they arranged themselves into two neat rows. Two figures followed up behind them, and the soldiers raised their swords in respectful salutes as they passed by. As they neared, Vyse could not believe what he was seeing.

"Belleza...and Vigoro!?"

The fourth admiral smiled pleasantly, almost coyly, pausing as their two paths crossed. "It's certainly been a while, Handsome. I had a feeling I'd find you here."

"Whoa! Red!" Vigoro grinned wolfishly. "It seems fate has brought us together again!"

"AGH!" Aika pulled on her braids, as if to rip out all her hair at once. "What's he doing here!?"

"It's destiny, baby." Vigoro winked. "Come aboard my ship. Maybe the two of us can rock the boat..."

"Vigoro, please!" Belleza elbowed her burly companion, and he grunted and glared at her irritably. "We are in the presence of Prince Enrique." So said she placed a hand over her heart and bowed slightly, canting her head towards the prince. "I hope my Prince finds himself in good health. We've been terribly worried about you."

Vyse drew his cutlasses, causing the guards to whirl around, but Belleza lifted a hand and they froze, falling back into position. "Belleza...do you plan to burn Yakaido as well?" he demanded.

To that, Belleza only laughed. "Vyse, I thought you knew me better than that. Unlike other certain admirals, I am against unnecessary violence. Vigoro and I are simply here to speak to the king of these lands. Our mission is the same as yours: we seek the Blue Crystal."

"You're wasting your time. Lord Mikado is an honorable man. He'll never let you have it!" Vyse replied. "Besides, these people don't speak Valuan. You can't even communicate with them."

"Wrong. On both counts." Belleza took a few more steps forward until she brushed past him, then turned and met his gaze. "Everyone has their morals, their codes, their values. But everyone also has a weakness. If you find that weakness, and exploit it, then those morals and values suddenly seem to vanish. And the language? Well, just as you have a Silvite with extensive knowledge of the world, so do we. Ramirez has been teaching me Yafutoman for several years now. Covert operations work best when you can blend in, you know. Any other questions?"

Vyse was at a loss for words. All he could do was stare at her.

"You're cute when you're frustrated." Belleza leaned over and kissed his cheek. "See you around, Handsome."

"Catch you later, Red." Vigoro winked at Aika, then followed Belleza as she strode purposefully into the city.

"Vyse! We've got to stop them!" Aika cried, staring incredulously at the two admirals as they left.

"We can't...not now." Vyse clenched his fists around the hilts of his cutlasses. "They're here acting as Imperial diplomats. If we attack them during their meeting with the king, we'll be criminals."

Enrique nodded. "The best thing we can do for now is lay low and wait this out. Belleza may favor trickery but we can trust her on one thing: she will not cause any undue harm to this city or its people. She's a true diplomat; my mother likely only sent Vigoro and his fleet as a show of force."

"Alright." Vyse sighed dejectedly. "Let's just...go back to the guest house then. Nothing else to do..."

---

The hours passed by excruciatingly slow, and Vyse felt ready to go mad with all the waiting. The four of them bid their time in Enrique's room, but the rogue had paced its length so many times that Aika murmured he was going to wear a hole in the floor. She was nearly just as restless, though, as were Enrique and Fina. The later two attempted to play a board game but fidgeted with the pieces more than they did any actual playing, and eventually dropped it altogether.

"This sucks. We can't even get to the Delphinus." Vyse growled. "Nearly the entire crew was on there helping finish things up. I hope they're okay..."

"This waiting is killing me!" Aika cried, flopping back onto Enrique's floor mattress exasperatedly. "What the heck is taking them so long?"

Vyse sighed, running a hand back through his hair. "You know how those diplomatic meetings are. It takes forever just for them to figure out who gets to sit down first."

"I just wish we knew something about what's going on." Aika took her turn to sigh. "Can't they send a messenger or a servant or something? It's been unusually quiet around here. I'm really getting worried."

"That says a lot." Enrique quirked a wry smile. "It's pretty quiet here to begin with."

The four of them paused as they heard a strange noise somewhere outside. Vyse recognized it as the sound of the thin, flat sandals the Yafutomans wore slapping against the ground -- someone was running, and they were getting closer. Suddenly the door to the room slid open and Moegi stumbled through, panting and gasping for breath. She was flushed and disheveled, but looked no worse for wear; Enrique crouched by her worriedly and helped her to her feet.

"Princess! What's wrong?"

Fina hastened to translate.

"It's terrible! I can't believe what's happening!" Moegi shook her head. "Kangan and Muraji...they've betrayed us!"

"What?!" Vyse cried.

"It all happened so fast..." Moegi blinked tears from her eyes. "The woman in red spent a long time talking to father, trying to convince him to surrender to the Valuan Empire..."

---

"NEVER!"

Lord Mikado's booming shout echoed throughout the throneroom, silencing the guards and other nobles who were gathered and arguing amongst themselves fiercely. Moegi jumped at the abruptness of it, holding a hand over her heart as she felt it began to pound.

"Yafutoma will never surrender to the warlords of the Valuan Empire!"

"But Lord Mikado," Belleza purred, in strangely-accented Yafutoman, "surely you recognize the fact that your pitiful navy wouldn't last a day against the overwhelming might of the Armada. To prevent an unnecessary loss of life, I highly recommend that you do this."

"Yafutoma is protected by the Blue Moon," Mikado replied, trembling with rage. "In the past, whenever our country was threatened, the Blue Winds came to our aid and saved us. You will be blown into the Dark Rift, just like our enemies of old!"

"Can I do nothing to change your mind?" Belleza asked.

Lord Mikado glared balefully at her.

"I see. Very well..." Slowly the admiral stood, and the hulking brute next to her did the same. "Then I shall gain possession of Yafutoma...by my own means."

Turning, Belleza faced Kangan and nodded to him, saying something in Valuan that Moegi did not recognize. Kangan in turn faced the guards at the door, stroking his beard sinisterly.

"Let them in," he commanded.

The doors to the palace were suddenly kicked open, and more Valuan soldiers than she could count poured through, fully armored and with weapons drawn. They formed a ring around the room and cut off all exits, hovering over the select few guards and nobles that she knew were her father's retainers. Lord Mikado rose to his feet but suddenly found the edge of a sword at his throat, freezing in place. Muraji cackled gleefully.

"You'd better be quiet, or you're about to become a whole head shorter," he said.

"Muraji...you TRAITOR!" Mikado roared. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"My lord, as the Lady Bereza said, Yafutoma stands no chance against the Valuan Empire. It's as simple as that," Kangan said. "In order to save our people, we're usurping your power. This nation will fall to Valua."

"Wow, Belleza! I'm impressed!" she heard the large man say in Valuan. "I'm glad we're on the same side!"

"Don't relax just yet, big guy." Belleza folded her arms across her chest and bowed her head ruefully. "Not while you-know-who is still around."

---

"Belleza...I should have known!" Enrique cried. "She must have somehow met with those two before this meeting and planned the whole thing out! But how?"

"We can figure that out later! What do we do now?" Aika asked. "Lord Mikado's in danger!"

Vyse shook his head. "We can't save him now. There's no way. The city and palace are no doubt crawling with Valuan guards, and they've probably convinced the samurai that we're the enemy. We've got to hide and regroup."

"Are you sure that's okay? Moegi?" Aika looked at the princess, almost guiltily.

"Father may be tortured...and he may have to commit sepukku...but the alternative is all of us dying." Moegi swallowed thickly. "A-and I believe that if that happens, Yafutoma will stand no chance at all. Do you truly wish to flee?"

Vyse nodded. "We have no choice."

"Then please...follow me."

Aika frowned. "Wait! What's sepu—OW!"

Moegi gathered up her skirts and swept over to the back of the room, where there hung a large blue tapestry depicting Aoikaze. Deftly, she fumbled around behind it and there came a soft click, and with a firm push the wall gave way to a hidden passage on the other side. Nobody was about to ask questions, and they rushed down the darkened corridor as Moegi sealed the secret door behind them. The passage was cold and windy, and as Vyse rounded a corner he found it abruptly ended and dropped into open sky. There, tethered by a few ropes and connected to the passage by only a wooden plank, floated a small round boat waiting for them.

Moegi ushered them on board and quickly cut the ropes, vanishing then into the cabin. The ship began to hum and vibrate steadily as she brought it to life, and abruptly it shot up into the air, leaving Yakaido to swiftly fade into the clouds far below them.

"Heh. She can sail. Who knew?" Vyse tried to break the silence as he leaned over the railing of the boat, shivering as a cold wind fiercely whipped about them the higher they climbed.

"Politics look a little strained in Yafutoma right now. I mean...even before the Valuans came," Fina said, quietly. "It's likely due to the fact that they've been isolated for so long. Without another country to argue with, like Valua does Nasr, Yafutoma has largely been feuding with...itself."

"That's a terrible thought." Aika grimaced.

"I-I know...but it's likely the truth." Fina clasped her hands over her chest. "With that in mind, Moegi was probably taught how to fly this ship so that she could escape with her life should something happen."

"Why did they spare her, though?" Aika asked. "Why would they let her roam freely when they knew we were staying in Yakaido?"

"It likely was Muraji's decision." Enrique frowned, staring down through the clouds as if he could still see Yakaido. "As the new self-proclaimed heir-apparent, nothing stands in his way of making her his bride. And he doesn't seem like the type to throw the woman he's been obsessed with for years into prison. He also probably doesn't know the difference between me and Belleza -- he hears 'Valua-jin', or however they say it, and it's all the same to him."

The hours passed by in silence. Vyse watched the towering form of Mount Kazai move from one end of the horizon to the other, and they were so high that he could see the entirety of the bowl and the glittering waters within. Eventually the great volcano faded to an indistinct blue shape in the distance, and by then the sun was beginning to set and the stars were being hung in the sky like a million tiny paper lanterns. The rogue spent much of his time brooding, plotting his next move, but he could not come up with any answers and that frustrated him even more. Belleza could read him like a book, and she had covered all the bases before even setting foot inside Yakaido. Now the Delphinus was lost, and his crew most likely taken prisoner alongside Lord Mikado – and he had never in a million years seen any of it coming.

Suddenly Vyse was aware of a presence behind him, and he turned to find an apologetic Moegi there. She said something to him in Yafutoman and then apologized in Valuan, and he had to inwardly boggle at the strange hybrid of languages she used.

"She says that you look troubled, and she's sorry," Fina said.

"I just...don't know what to do now." Vyse sighed, running his fingers back through his hair. "It's great that we escaped and all, and I'm thankful for that. But where do we go from here?"

To his surprise, Moegi responded. "A day and a night north from here, there rests a small island. On it is a secluded shrine that has stood since the days of the Old World. My brother...Daigo...should be there."

"What?!" he chorused in unison with Enrique and Aika.

"You have a brother? That's who Daigo is?" Aika asked.

"Yes..." Moegi turned to look out over the railing, gazing reminiscently into the clouds below. "My brother was always a free spirit, and a bit irresponsible, which put him at odds with Kangan and Muraji. They're both very traditional, and they hate change, so Daigo must have seemed almost threatening to them. I don't know what happened...I was fairly young back then...but eventually father sent Daigo into exile. I don't know what he possibly could have done to make father disown him, but I would bet my life on the fact that Kangan had something to do with it."

"How can he help us, then?" Enrique asked.

"Daigo is not without power, nor without resources." Moegi frowned distantly. "You will see. Soon."

---

The sun had barely risen on the second day when a tiny chain of islands came into view. The five of them huddled together in the cramped cabin attempting to sleep, but Vyse found the cold, hard floor too uncomfortable and his thoughts were still too jumbled in his head to let him rest. He watched as the miniature archipelago steadily drew closer, little more than a cluster of large rocks connected by stone walkways that wound up to a central island. The island itself was fairly small, barely larger than Pirate Isle was, with only enough room on the steep, uneven surface for a single building and a crumbling wall surrounding a small courtyard. Vyse slowed the boat as they approached it, pulling it up to the closest thing to a dock he could find and tethering it to a rusted railing.

Praying that the mooring would hold, Vyse gently roused his companions and helped them onto land. The wind whipped powerfully all around them, clawing at their clothes and tousling their hair; it was all they could hear, and all they could feel. Vyse studied the island through his goggles but it looked thoroughly deserted, and what remnants of civilization it held were in serious disrepair. He hoped the walkways would hold beneath their weight, but they weren't exactly crumbling to begin with.

"Are you sure this is it?" Aika shouted over the wind.

Moegi nodded, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "I have been here many times. Daigo should be in the temple."

"Hope he doesn't mind guests," Vyse murmured. "I'm starved..."

The five began to move single-file up the winding pathways, dubiously testing each bridge before they crossed it. It was a long uphill walk, and the hairs on the back of Vyse's neck began to stand on end – not from the chill of the wind, but because he felt like he was being watched. Try as he may, though, the rogue could not find anything out of the ordinary, and they climbed unmolested from the dock to the temple gates. Pushing them open, Vyse was relieved to find that the courtyard was sheltered by the rest of the island, cutting off the nagging wind and leaving only a faint, pleasant breeze. As they approached the temple, however, there suddenly came a flash of movement, and two familiar figures leapt down from the roof. They landed before them in perfect unison, identical in everything they did.

"Westerners..."

"...we meet again."

"Oh hell, not you two!" Vyse grit his teeth, feeling a knot form in his stomach. He highly doubted Moegi could defend herself if the twins attacked. "What do you want?"

"It was very foolish...

"...for you to come here."

"Yeah, well we don't have much of a choice," he replied. "Why are you here?"

"This is the headquarters..."

"...of the Tenkou."

That caught Vyse off guard, and he blinked. Was there more than one temple island? This one fit Moegi's description, but they obviously had stepped into a hornet's nest instead!

"Your trespassing matters not..."

"...for it has delivered you to us."

"The time has come..."

"...for you to die."

In unison, the twins crouched low and assumed offensive positions. Begrudgingly, Vyse drew his cutlasses and Enrique followed suit with his rapier, the girls moving in to shield a very confused looking Moegi. Suddenly, however, the doors to the temple burst open, and a very perturbed looking man stepped out.

He was tall and powerfully built, with only half a robe covering his body. At one point in time it looked to have been made of fine blue silk with golden flames leaping up the arms and hems, but half of it had been shorn away, exposing the right half of his torso and the twisted scar marring his chest and shoulder there. It seemed to be too small for him almost, and was held around his waist with a large red sash and a knot of rope, into which had been tucked a sheathed katana. He wore no shoes but rather had his feet and shins wrapped up in long strips of black cloth.

For a Yafutoman, the man was fairly well tanned. His thick black hair was tied back with a leather thong at the nape of his neck and several errant strands fell into his face. He had powerful, striking features, slightly weathered but still youthful, and Vyse realized that he couldn't have been more than thirty in age. As he studied the scene before him his dark eyes flickered between irritation and amusement, and finally he simply stared at the twins expectantly.

"Jao...Mao...what the hell is it this time? This had better be important if you're interrupting my meditation."

The twins hesitated, then bowed.

"Lord Daigo..."

"...these are the Westerners that dared to oppose us."

"They are trespassing..."

"...on our temple grounds."

"They are not trespassing. Look over there, you fools." Daigo pointed past the agape Vyse to Aika and Fina, behind whom crouched Moegi. "That's my sister. She's the only person in the world who knows where this island is."

More silence from the twins. Reluctantly they turned and bowed to Moegi instead, apologizing to her in Yafutoman.

Vyse wasn't sure what stunned him more: the fact that this rangy looking man commanding the twins was Daigo, or the fact that he not only spoke fluent Meridian, but also gave orders to the Tenkou in it. As if completely oblivious to the bewildered Westerners in front of him, Daigo sat down on the temple steps and beckoned Moegi over, leaving Fina to translate their conversation in an almost dazed-sounding whisper.

"Moegi! I haven't seen you in moons and now you show up on my doorstep with Westerners!" He laughed. "What's the occasion? Has father changed his mind?"

"Well, uhm...Daigo..." Moegi swallowed thickly, then bowed her head. Daigo's mirthful expression suddenly fell, and he arched a brow warily.

"What? What's with that look? Did something happen to father?"

So Moegi recounted her tale of the arrival of the Valuans and the subsequent betrayal of Kangan and Muraji. As Daigo listened he grew more and more tense, until he looked ready to explode in rage.

"Kangan...that bastard! I should have beheaded him when I had the chance!"

"Daigo..."

"No...it's alright, Moegi. I already know what has to be done." Daigo frowned, but his face was set with determination. "All these years I've sat here waiting to make my move...and now is the time. I'm through with running and hiding." He lifted his gaze then and affixed it to Vyse, nodding to him respectfully. "Ever since the twins came home sulking in defeat, I've kept eyes on you. Thank you for saving my sister," he said in Meridian.

"She saved us! We wouldn't be here if not for her." But Vyse frowned then, eying the twins perched on either side of Daigo. "But I would like to know how you know these two, and why you're here with them."

"Simple. They're my bodyguards." He laughed. "Who else do you know that has twin bodyguards?"

"Is this guy for real?" Aika murmured.

"I know he's a prince, like Enrique, but they act nothing alike..." Fina whispered.

Daigo suddenly turned grave. "In all seriousness, I am their leader. Jao, Mao, myself...we are all Tenkou. We are ronin, samurai with no master – and some would say no honor. In total, there are only forty-seven of us."

"Forty-seven?" Vyse put his hands on his hips. "But those two claimed you ruled the skies of Yafutoma unopposed!"

"And we do. There's a long story behind how the Tenkou and I came to be here." Daigo leaned forward at that, resting his forearms over his knees. "Several years ago, when I was still a boy, I used to go out sailing more than I took care of my responsibilities at home. Back then my teacher and mentor was a daimyo, or lord, named Asanoka, who was father's former advisor and whose duty was to tutor me and teach me how to fight. Kangan felt that my irresponsibility was due to Asanoka failing as a teacher, and openly mocked him and insulted him in public about it. Then one day, Asanoka could...simply take no more.

"Asanoka snapped and attacked Kangan with a dagger, trying to kill him. I was in the room at the time and tried to help my master, but the palace guards heard the commotion and stopped us. Kangan got away with an ugly scar, which he grew a beard to cover, but Asanoka was not so lucky. For attacking another noble and for blatant violence in the palace -- which is illegal -- he was executed. His family was stripped of its land and its honor, and his retainers, his samurai, were expected to commit sepukku. That is...ritual suicide."

Aika cringed.

"Kangan tried to convince my father that I needed to be killed for my crimes as well, but as much as I had shamed him, my father could not bring himself to order my death. Instead he sent me into exile and removed me as heir to the throne. I was not alone in my exile, however: forty-six of Asanoka's men refused to commit sepukku and fled here with me, determined to one day avenge Asanoka and restore all of our honor. Since then we've been watching, waiting for the right time to strike back at Kangan. Sometimes we disguise ourselves as workmen and merchants, lingering about Yakaido to learn what we can of Kangan and the layout of his house. Other days we sail the skies and attack ships for food and supplies, and it is then we are known as the Tenkou. We know how to outwit Yakaido's navy because we were all once ourselves soldiers, and in my case I know how my father thinks. We can predict and counter anything and everything. Not one person has ever managed to sink a Tenkou ship."

"I was so upset that my father would send my older brother away..." Moegi said. "I would visit him whenever I could, and during those times Daigo told me of his adventures. When he first was exiled he welcomed the freedom, and sailed all around Yafutoma. Then one day he hit the Great Reef, and instead of letting that stop him, he simply flew over it. He told me of this amazing land he discovered, covered in trees and basking in the light of a green moon."

"That's Ixa'Taka!" Aika cried. "What did he do there?"

"I watched." Daigo tapped the side of one temple. "I realized there was some sort of war going on. The native people were trying to fight off men in iron ships, but they were completely outclassed. I wondered who these strange warlords were, and why they would use such brutal tactics on an obviously primitive people, so I lurked in the clouds above and below them and simply...watched. I must have followed them around for years, and during that time I picked up two languages from them: their native tongue, and a different, more complex dialect they called Meridian. So I brought both languages back with me and taught them to my men, so that we could communicate without fear of our plans being intercepted."

"I was so fascinated by Daigo's tales of the West that I made him teach me some too." Moegi beamed. "That is how I know some of your language."

"That's...wow." Vyse blinked, then chuckled despite himself. "That explains a lot. I'm sorry for not trusting you, Daigo."

Daigo dismissed the notion with the wave of one hand. "Don't worry about it. If I came up here and was greeted by the twins, I wouldn't trust me either. You have no idea how much it takes to reign them in sometimes. Ahahaha!"

The twins grunted in response to that.

"But come! Come. There is so much to do, and painfully little time to do it." Daigo stood, straightening his robes. "Jao, I need you to light the signal fire and bring our ships in. Mao, try to reach the southern fire if you can and light that as well. Fly low; they'll be looking for us."

The twins bowed and then vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Showoffs..." Daigo muttered.

The temple was not as simple as it appeared from the outside. It actually gave way to several underground passages that wove their way deeper into the island, and it was here that the true Tenkou base lie. It was a strange blend of cultures, a mix of air pirate equipment and decorations left by the ancient Monks of the Blue Moon, all of which were dimly lit by natural fire torches. Vyse was amazed at everything Daigo had collected in his travels, from Ixa'Takan spears to Valuan guns to ship parts that had no doubt been flung from the Dark Rift. Ancient manuscripts and tapestries had been salvaged from the temple and hung from the wall, depicting the world as it was in ancient days. Vyse was captivated by the heavily stylized art, which showed Yafutomans dressed in silk robes more elaborate than even Lord Mikado's, interacting with Silvites and people who looked similar to the art in the Temple of Pyrynn. He couldn't identify the others in the pictures, but had a feeling they were each from the remaining Moon Kingdoms.

Despite the random hodgepodge of objects, however, the Tenkou were as clean and orderly as any formal soldiers, and religion was obviously important to them. Just as frequent as the Old World scriptures were Aoikaze figures and a pair of idols, which he guessed were gods of some sort. A small shrine had been set aside for them to worship at, and a few of them knelt in prayer as they entered. The other Tenkou were scattered about among various activities, from chores to drinking to practicing their strange form of martial arts.

"Everybody, listen up!" Daigo called, his voice quickly silencing the room. "The Westerners have turned up on our island, as you can see, and they've brought dire news with them. Yafutoma has been invaded, and our king taken prisoner."

The room erupted into a din of disturbed voices, but Daigo raised a hand to silence them.

"That's not the worst of it."

The Tenkou fell quiet.

"Yakaido's fall was due entirely to Kangan betraying us and handing our country over to the enemy."

The room positively exploded.

Vyse was taken-aback. While he expected the Tenkou to be outraged, he didn't expect them to show a downright violent anger. Fina and Moegi recoiled behind him in fear, and he exchanged glances with Daigo, who only shrugged.

"We can't say we didn't see something like this coming, but it's unpleasant nevertheless," Daigo said. "Kangan spent years trying to get rid of Asanoka in order to become my father's advisor, and with me out of the way as well he actually had a shot at the throne. This was his opportunity...but it is ours as well."

"But what do we do?" Vyse asked. "The Valuans brought well over a hundred ships with them. How many do you have?"

"Heh. Nine. And they're all very small." Daigo quirked a lopsided grin. "But don't worry. We aren't the world's only ronin, and there's countless shinobi – ninja, assassins, whatever you want to call them – out looking for a job as well. The signal fires should bring in our wandering allies, wherever they've gotten off to."

Aika gawked. "This is outright civil war!"

"Yep." Daigo frowned, watching his men as their burning rage simmered to a bitter stewing over Kangan's betrayal. "But no matter how far one lives from his country, he never forgets his love for it. We may be outcasts, but we're still Yafujin. And nobody else is left to take Yafutoma back from the Valuans."

"I know how that feels." Enrique took his turn to frown, slowly shaking his head. "I miss Valua. I love Valua. But I cannot go back. Even worse is the fact that my mother sent these ships, these people here to conquer yours. Please, Daigo – ask me anything. I can tell you everything about how the Armada operates, what their ships are capable of, and who is leading them. It is my duty to set this straight and force Valua back onto the right course. From one exiled prince to another...let me help you."

"Prince Enrique, I understand," Daigo replied. "You're an honorable man...far more honorable than I. If one such as yourself were to be by my sister's side, I could rest easy at night."

Enrique and Moegi stared at him, completely abashed. The Tenkou lord only burst into laughter.

"And from the looks of things, you wouldn't mind either! Ah well...enough chit chat! Shinji! Take half our men and round up all our supplies. Weapons, armor, food, whatever...bring it out and split it up. Kasuke, take the other half and prepare the ships. Load them with whatever spare ammunition and gunpowder we have, and make sure everything's in top shape. Hanuchi, you stay here with me and help me draw out some maps and some battle plans. We've got about four days to plan and stage an attack before things start to get really messy. Westerners, you stay here too. Everything you know about the Armada, we need to know too. Hopefully we'll have something devised by the time our reinforcements have arrived."

---

Vigoro yawned mightily as he slouched in his captain's chair, the constant vibrations of the ship beneath him lulling him into a half-slumber. Outside through the windows, the view was all the same: blue, blue, and more blue, and if they were lucky they might see some green grass when they passed near an island.

Overall the third admiral found Yafutoma to be a thoroughly boring country. Not only was it all the same color, but the people were more dull than one of DeLoco's science lectures. The women were all quiet and demure and he couldn't find a single man to pick a fight with. Vigoro was thoroughly disappointed.

For the past four days Belleza had kept him patrolling Yakaido and Mount Kazai, and occasionally she would join him, but for the most part she stayed within Yafutoma's capital to crush the seeds of rebellion before they could grow. Some people had taken their side but most seemed unhappy with the Valuan occupation and several had tried to leave. It was therefore his job to make sure nothing entered or left the harbor, and so far nothing had tried after he shot his first ship down. In particular Belleza was paranoid about Vyse, who had apparently escaped somehow and ran off to parts unknown with the Princess. That part in particular made the admiral stew; Vyse not only had a beautiful woman and a Silvite to dangle from each arm, but now he had the Princess of Yafutoma as well! How did he do it?

"Admiral Vigoro, sir?"

Vigoro cracked an eye open, staring at his vice captain apathetically.

"Sir, something strange has turned up on the radar. We thought you might like to see it."

"This better be interesting, Horatio," he replied, hefting himself up out of his chair and stretching. "Well? What is it?"

Horatio led him over to the navigation console, where he found the radar screen to be littered with dozens of small green and yellow dots. Though his vice captain gestured to it expectantly, Vigoro only eyed the screen and frowned.

"I see...lots of dots. Is that normal?"

"Uh...somewhat, sir. The green dots are good. Those are our ships."

"And the yellow dots?"

"Those are bad, sir."

"Oh. Alright." Vigoro folded his thick arms across his chest. "What's so bad about them?"

"Those are other ships, sir. Or, they should be." Horatio fidgeted nervously. "According to the radar they should be sailing right next to us. But as you can see, there's nothing outside. There's nothing anywhere."

Vigoro scowled lightly. "You woke me up for that? They're probably just...birds or something."

"I-I'm terribly sorry, sir. It is entirely possible that the equipment is malfunctioning," Horatio replied.

"Pff."

"Hey, big guy. You there?" came a sudden, familiar voice over the radio. Arching a brow, Vigoro strode over to the helm and picked it up.

"What's happenin', gorgeous?"

"We appear to be having trouble with our radar, and the Delphinus is reporting the same. It says there's ships on us, but I don't see a thing. Is your radar behaving?"

"Nope. There's a bunch of yellow dots...and stuff," he replied. "Who broke it?"

Belleza sighed, although there was an edge of amusement in her voice. "I don't think anyone broke it, you lummox. Something must be throwing it off. Perhaps we're too close to the Dark--"

And suddenly all hell broke loose.

It was far more than Vigoro could hope to comprehend. Swarms of small wooden ships suddenly dropped from the sky, appearing beside each of the Valuan vessels in the span of mere heartbeats. The very air shook as they fired almost completely in unison, filling the sky with multicolored clouds of moonstone dust and azure tongues of flame. His entire crew was knocked to the floor as his ship was bombarded from point-blank range, and he roared at them to return fire from all available cannons.

It took several minutes for the Armada to recover, and by then a few of their smaller vessels had already sank. He heard Belleza shouting repeatedly over the radio to return fire, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a huge blossom of flame as the Lynx took out several ships at once. Vigoro dragged himself to the helm and gazed out the window to assess the situation, quickly picking out vulnerable targets and filing them away in his mind.

"Turn thirty degrees to port! Enemy ships at eight o'clock and ten o'clock! Open fire!" he cried.

The Draco listed slightly and turned, swinging around on the unsuspecting vessels. Vigoro grinned wickedly as he trained the ship's cannons on them and fired, and they splintered into a thousand pieces as the shells hit, sending their crews tumbling into the water below. A third vessel appeared beneath them and caught a few, but the others could not be spared from their fates.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he whooped. "Finally, some action!"

The Armada was unshakable, and the enemy Yafutoman ships had to pull back from point blank range. Vigoro realized that they were little more than sailing junkers outfitted with cannons, but they were blindingly fast and packed enough firepower to cause significant damage if the Armada didn't keep them pinned down. Both sides exchanged rapid volleys, but both continuously missed due to the speed at which the Yafutomans were forced to fly.

"Stay in formation!" Belleza called over the radio. "Aim high and fire torpedoes! Root them out but do not give chase. I repeat, do not give chase!"

"I don't have to give chase." Vigoro laughed and swung the ship around again, leveling the bow with a line of Yafutoman ships in the distance. "Load the Draco Cannon! Fire at will!"

Mounted on the front of his ship was his pride and joy: an enormous cannon that fired shells as big as lifeboats. It packed enough firepower to go through several ships without stopping, and that was the plan; the Draco bellowed furiously and the bow lit up with a tremendous blossom of smoke and flame as it let loose, skittering backwards from the recoil. The shell arced through the sky like a blazing comet, splintering two ships, then a third, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth. The admiral laughed as he played "connect-the-dots" on his radar, watching as black-clad men rained from the sky and plummeted helplessly into the sea below.

The Yafutoman ships darted about like insects, stinging quickly and then running away. Two light vessels buzzed by him, pumping a few shots into the Draco's side before vanishing back into the clouds. Vigoro tried to track them but failed without any moving turrets mounted on his ship, and they were lost before he could even blink.

As the next wave fell upon the Armada, Vigoro aimed farther ahead. Still they were too fast, and his shots missed and hit a nearby destroyer, crippling it entirely. The admiral swore loudly, completely drowning out Belleza's admonishing remarks over the radio.

"Aw, to hell with this! Fire torpedoes!"

"Vigoro, watch yourself! Fireships at four o' clock!"

"What?" Vigoro pulled the Draco away just as an explosion sent the stern fishtailing out from under them. An unmanned ship had detonated from behind, and more were drifting into the heart of the Armada's closely-knit formation. Some where lit on fire, but others were packed with so many explosives that they were literally spilling out the windows and onto the deck. A few ships were circling high overhead, shooting flaming arrows at them when they got close to large clusters of Armada vessels. The resulting explosions were enough to sink several ships at once, and Vigoro watched as several battle cruisers capsized.

"Get away from the fireships! Shoot them down when they're out in the open!" Belleza ordered. "Do not break formation more than you have to! That's what they're trying to force us to do!"

"Oh, it's on now, you bastards," Vigoro cracked his knuckles. "You wanna fight dirty? Then let's fight dirty. Reload the Draco Cannon! We can make big explosions on our own!"

---

"Kasuke. What do you have to report?"

"It's not looking any better, Lord Daigo." The black-clad man bowed. "Our ships are faster and more maneuverable, but try as we may we cannot break the Armada's lines. Their commander is exceptionally clever."

"As Vyse said." Daigo frowned, rubbing the stubble on his chin musingly. "This stalemate has lasted a day already...we can't keep up like this. Do you have anything else to report?"

"We're being forced to keep our distance." Kasuke bowed his head. "There's two ships in the fleet with unimaginably large cannons. If we get too close together, they fire the cannons at us and decimate our ships."

"Wait, did you say two?" Vyse asked, staring at him. "I saw the loud one. What's the other?"

"It's the largest ship in the fleet that our scouts have found, Lord Vyse," Kasuke replied. "There is a weapon in its bow like none we have ever seen before. It literally melts us."

Vyse started. "That's the Delphinus! Oh, now it's personal. Nobody commandeers my ship!"

"That's your ship?" Daigo stared at him. "...Well then who the hell is piloting it now?"

"Heh. I don't know, but they're doing a crappy job." Vyse grinned wryly. "I know what the Delphinus can do, and they're not using its full potential. Daigo, if you can just get us close enough to board the ship, we can take it back and win this!"

"You heard the man. Turn around! Drop in on the Delphinus like Jao and Mao did." Daigo glanced at Vyse wryly as his crewmen scattered to comply, turning his ship in a complete about-face. "Heh...I hope you know what you're doing. We only get one shot."

"Hey, we're air pirates, remember? We do this kind of stuff all the time," Vyse replied.

"Heh! Fair enough." Daigo grinned. "We're counting on you, captain. Kasuke! Signal the nearest ships, tell them we'll be needing cover."

Vyse hurried below deck to where Aika, Fina and Enrique were and gave them the news. Scrambling to don their equipment, they joined him back on deck and glued themselves to the railing, watching anxiously as the familiar shape of the Delphinus drew ever closer below the clouds. When at last they were hovering above it, several ships dropped altitude ahead of them, spilling barrels that exploded in plumes of chalky smoke. The Delphinus was quickly swallowed in the clouds, strangled away from its nearby companions, and forced to come to a dead stop.

Sufficiently cloaked by the smokescreen, Daigo dropped his ship and landed beside the Delphinus haphazardly, pulling up at the last minute as he nearly settled on top of it. The Delphinus suddenly pitched and tried to power its way out of the smoke, and he struggled to correct his ship before the two collided, nearly dislodging them from the deck in the process.

"This is as close as I'm going to get, Vyse!" he called.

Vyse grit his teeth. It was a good several feet down to the Delphinus' deck, enough to injure them if they fell the wrong way. "We'll have to jump!"

"Jump?" Fina sounded frightened.

Vyse only grinned, tugging the Silvite close against his side. "Don't worry, Fina. I've got you."

Fina smiled, holding on to him tightly, and as one they leapt for the ship below. Vyse heard Enrique give a loud cry behind him, and as he and Fina neatly landed the prince wasn't far behind, tumbling unceremoniously to the deck with Aika grinning evilly over his crumpled form.

"You're terrible, you know that?"

"He's a weenie," Aika declared.

The Delphinus was a little worse for wear. Not realizing who the ship belonged to, the Tenkou had not spared it from the same barrage they assaulted the rest of the Armada with – or rather, whoever the captain was was terrible at dodging and countering it. Several explosions had blown holes in the deck, and cannonballs had embedded themselves in numerous places, including dangerously near to the living quarters. There weren't any breaches that he could see but some smoke or steam – he wasn't sure – snaked out of a few of the ship's wounds, quickly blown away on the wind.

An alarm began to sound from somewhere inside. Vyse realized they'd been spotted and the crew had likely called for reinforcements. A cruiser dropped down beside them with Valuan soldiers gathered out on deck, leveling rifles at the four of them, but suddenly a streak of blue fell from the sky and struck them down in a blur of silver sword strikes. His work done, Daigo sprang from the edge of the ship and landed on his waiting vessel below, and the cruiser detonated behind him shortly after.

"He's covering us! Let's go while we still can!" Vyse cried.

Vyse kicked the door in right as several Yafutoman soldiers arrived to lock it. As they stumbled back, the rogue wasted no time in attacking, striking each down with a few carefully aimed blows to the stomach and side. Hastily, they pulled the bodies of the crumpled soldiers out of the way and then rushed inside, closing and locking the door behind them.

The alarm was still blaring throughout the ship, and other guards were waiting for them. As they emerged on the foyer of the second deck, men wearing the uniform of Belleza's Red Guard came storming down the stairs, armed with shortswords and rapiers. Vyse headed the first of them off, disarming two as Ryu-kan had taught him to do and backing a third into a corner. Behind him, several guards fell to the ground in a loud clanking of armor as Fina forced them asleep, and Aika froze two to the wall, stealing their weapons to use against their brethren. In tandem he and Aika struck the remaining stragglers down, but as he turned he was surprised to find Enrique pushing back the apparent reinforcements, forcing them back up the stairs with a flurry of pinpoint sword strikes.

It was as if the prince was a different person, as if he had no fear. He seemed to know the weakness in each man's armor, regardless of if they were Yafutoman or Valuan. A few quick stabs was all it took to send his adversaries tumbling down the stairs, and he stepped over them and pressed on without pausing, dodging and parrying everything sent his way.

"Enrique!" Vyse called.

"I know who's piloting the ship!" he called back down. "Get up here! Come on!"

Vyse and the girls rushed up the stairs just as Enrique burst the lock on the bridge door with yellow magic and elbowed his way inside. A familiar-sounding yelp heralded his appearance, and they ran onto the bridge to find Muraji huddled into a corner with some samurai and a few Valuan guards. To no surprise, Muraji had placed the guards between himself and the Valuan prince, who began to speak to him in Yafutoman.

"Do you know whose ship this is?"

Muraji shook his head weakly.

"It's MY ship."

Muraji cringed away.

"Order your guards to stand down." Then, in Valuan to the Red Guard, "Stand down."

"Prince Enrique..." The captain of the guard bowed his head. "We surrender. Please don't kill us, Your Highness!"

"I wouldn't dream of it. But you are being taken prisoner." Frowning, Enrique strode over to the radio, which was abuzz with ship communications and Belleza's commanding voice, and began to listen in on it. "Fina, freeze these...gentlemen...somewhere out of the way. Aika, go up to the lookout tower and signal the Tenkou. Let them know we've secured the Delphinus. Vyse, take the wheel and get us out of here."

"Heh. Aye aye, Your Highness," Vyse replied, sheathing his blades.

It felt good to take the wheel of the Delphinus again after so long. Vyse could feel the change in her speed and responsiveness as he pulled her up and away from the rest of the Valuan fleet; she flowed like water beneath him, seamless and smooth. Beside him, Enrique finally picked up the radio and fiddled with it for a moment before speaking.

"Belleza. Do you copy?"

There came a long pause on the other end. "...Prince Enrique?"

The radio fell silent. All communication between the Armada ships ceased.

"Belleza, I order you to cease fire immediately."

"I...can't do that, my Prince. I am under direct orders from Galcian and your mother to take Yafutoma for Valua."

"I know you do not like to waste lives, Belleza. You realize I'm on board the Delphinus now, right? You saw what it did to Uncle Gregorio. If you do not cease fire, we will attack...and this time we'll actually use the moonstone cannon."

Belleza was quiet for a painfully long time. "Prince Enrique, I...Vigoro! What are you doing? Stop that at once!"

"Hey, Vyse!" came a new voice over the radio. "My cannon's bigger than yours! Hahaha!"

"Vyse!" Aika came clambering down noisily from the lookout tower, her eyes wide. "There's a ship with a huge cannon headed our way! And there's something about it...that disgusts me..."

Vyse stared out the window, frowning. While many of the ships had retreated from the Delphinus upon Enrique's threat to open fire, a large blue ship had decided to sail straight in their direction instead. It was a long and heavy vessel, nearly equal to the Delphinus in sheer size and mass, with more guns mounted on it than Vyse could count. It had no mounted turrets, instead using the reinforced bow and the entire deck of the ship to support an immense cannon big enough around for a lifeboat to sail into. Vyse could see several crewmembers out on deck, scrambling to load it using an elevator and a series of cranes.

"I don't believe it. He's actually going to try and shoot us with that thing." Enrique shook his head ruefully.

"Who is that?" Aika asked.

"That's the Draco," Enrique replied. "It's Vigoro's flagship."

"Agh! What the hell?" Aika facefaulted. "Talk about compensating! That guy's got a complex."

"We may have the offense of a Gigas, but I know we certainly don't have the defense." Vyse frowned. "I bet that thing could still rip us in two."

"I don't doubt it. It packs more of a punch than a harpoon cannon." Enrique placed a hand on one hip, frowning thoughtfully. "Unfortunately for him he has to stay perfectly still in order to fire it. We can just move."

"I've got a better idea." Vyse reached over for the large, ornate lever on the console, earning a chorus of gasps from his companions.

"N-now wait a minute, Vyse..." Aika said. "I hate the guy, but that's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Relax," he replied. "I'm not aiming to kill. It should be just enough show of force to convince Belleza to retreat."

"Vyse...be careful..." Fina said, quietly.

Vyse watched and waited, following the actions of Vigoro's crew through his goggle. When they had finished loading the cannon and were scrambling back below the deck, he pulled the lever down halfway and carefully nudged the bow of the Delphinus upwards, inch by inch.

"Vigoro! GET OUT OF THERE!" Belleza screamed over the radio.

The bow of the Delphinus folded away and the ship began to hum steadily as it gathered power. Vyse watched carefully as a pulsing light swelled below them, sending raw energy crackling up the ship's body as far as the deck. The glaring pink light filled his entire field of vision, shading the windows and blotting out the sky. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and squinted through it, just able to make out the shape of the Draco straight ahead of them.

"Bring it on!" Vigoro taunted. "Take this!"

"Fire!" Vyse cried.

Vyse threw the lever down as soon as he heard the Draco open fire. The energy gathered on the Delphinus' bow blossomed and spiraled outward faster than the eye could follow, completely incinerating Vigoro's shot and continuing on to clip the top of the Draco and rip it right off. The rogue watched in satisfaction as the cannon on the front melted away and the lookout tower was neatly shorn from the top of the ship, leaving the bridge exposed to open sky. When the light faded and a relative calm settled in again, the Draco was left looking like a candle that had been burning for hours.

Vyse snatched the radio away from a startled looking Enrique. "The next shot won't miss!"

The only thing that came from the other end was silence, broken only by a maniacal laughter from behind him. Frowning, Vyse turned to eye a very amused looking Muraji, whose gaze was glued on the northern horizon.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

Fina translated his question.

"My father was right about you Westerners," Muraji replied.

"How's that?" Enrique asked.

Muraji smirked. "He said you would be so caught up in your petty politics that you would forget about the Maga Sphere."

Vyse frowned. "We haven't forgotten. Why do you think we're trying to force the Armada to surrender? Belleza has it, doesn't she?"

"Hohohoho!" Muraji tittered and pointed out the window.

Vyse slowly turned and followed Muraji's finger to where it was pointing. To their north and east was Mount Kazai, and it had almost literally come alive, erupting with a solid beam of blue light that pierced through the clouds. A large form blotted part of it out, silhouetted against such brilliance, and was swiftly drawing near.

"..."

"No..." Fina whispered. "He couldn't have..."

"Father commands the Blue Winds!" Muraji crowed. "At last we'll be rid of both you Westerners AND the Tenkou!"

"Aika! Get back up there and signal the Tenkou!" Vyse cried. "Tell them to retreat into Upper Sky!"

Aika nodded and scrambled back out the door.

Vyse pulled the Delphinus up and turned her away, straining to put as much distance between himself and the Armada as he could. He watched tensely as the shape in the distance steadily grew larger and began to take on distinction, and he was disturbed that it was moving so fast. Mount Kazai was hours away! How long had it been flying towards them?

"Dammit. What are we going to do about that thing?" he asked. "Is the Delphinus powerful enough to hurt a Gigas?"

"According to DeLoco's calculations, yes," Enrique said. "But there's the issue of..."

"I know. No crew." Vyse grit his teeth. "Well, Muraji had someone manning this ship. We can't have killed all of them. I'm sure they'll be willing to comply if they know a giant, sentient weapon of mass destruction is about to send them falling to their doom."

Fina turned and asked something of Muraji. When he didn't reply, Enrique yelled at him and he flinched fearfully, murmuring.

"Vyse! He says they've been keeping our crew prisoner on board the ship!" Fina exclaimed. "All of them were on board when they captured it, and they had no other place to hold them!"

"Fina, Enrique, hurry down there and help them out. I'm going to pull the Delphinus as far away as I can from the Armada, because I'm sure they're what the Gigas is after," Vyse said. "I don't think we've got much time. That thing's moving amazingly fast."

"Oh...I hope they're all safe..." Fina hurried with Enrique towards the door, then paused and gazed at Vyse worriedly. "Vyse...Bluheim is the wind. Do not expect any control over her." And with that she vanished down the hall.

"Vyse. Is that what I think it is?" came Belleza's voice at last over the radio.

"Kangan summoned her," Vyse replied. "He double-crosses everyone, looks like. Get your fleet out of here; we're going to try to confront her."

"You really are crazy." Belleza's voice was both chiding and affectionate. "But I would be too if I didn't help you fight that thing. I've called for a temporary cease fire; this threatens all our lives."

By now he could see Bluheim in full detail. The Gigas was an enormous bird the color of the sky, perfectly identical to the pictures he had seen of it in Yakaido. She had a long, slender neck and an equally slim body, and was trailed by a fan of long, wispy tailfeathers wide enough to land several ships on. The curious thing about her was that she seemed a strange cross between a bird and a butterfly; half of her wings were feathers while the other half was formed of gossamer wingsails, a translucent material that shimmered in every color imaginable. Similar strands fanned out with her tailfeathers, trailing behind her like long, colorful ribbons, and adorned her head in a magnificent crest. Like the other Gigas, she was covered in a strange latticework of golden circuit lines, bizarre tattoos that marred an otherwise beautiful creature.

Fina and Enrique returned just as Bluheim got in range of the Armada's cannons. Vyse heard Belleza give the order to fire and the remaining ships sent multiple volleys out, filling the skies with blazing fireballs and streaks of white clouds. Numerous lucky shots hit their marks and blossomed against Bluheim in small rosettes of flame, but most missed entirely, unable to keep up with the impossibly agile creature. The Gigas cried out over her wounds, her voice so hauntingly melodic that it sounded sorrowful, and for a few seconds Vyse almost felt sorry for her.

But Bluheim was anything but sad. Her eyes began to blaze red, and somehow she picked up speed, becoming little more than a blue streak across the sky. Vyse watched in horror as she plunged through the ranks of the Armada, slicing between ships like a keen-edged blade and leaving hurricane-force winds in her wake. Vyse couldn't tell what she hit and what she didn't, but several ships exploded behind her.

Bluheim circled and dove again, knocking the ships out of the sky as if they were mere toys. Belleza landed a telling blow to her underside and she wobbled unstably for a moment, hovering in front of the broken ships critically. With a defiant cry, she began to beat her wings in slow, powerful strokes, her body crackling with energy much the same way the moonstone cannon did. The Armada was too scattered to fire upon her again.

"Fina...what's she doing?" Vyse asked.

"I-I don't know," the Silvite replied, "but it can't be good."

The sky in front of Bluheim began to change. The clouds were blown away and the sea rose and fell below in enormous crushing waves. Vyse realized that she was controlling the wind, bending it to her will; the Armada ships fought against it, trembled and staggered, but finally lost all control and were pitched back helplessly. Several ships slammed into each other and either tied into knots or outright exploded. The rogue watched, frozen, as they were swiftly catapulted out of sight, vanishing on the southern horizon in a cloud of smoke and debris.

"Vyse, shoot her."

"What?" Vyse was dumbstruck that Fina would ever utter such words.

"Look. She's tired." Fina pointed out the window to where Bluheim hovered in place, her chest rising and falling in large, breathless heaves as she stared after the Armada. "Now's our chance to hit her with the moonstone cannon. We can't afford to play around with this one like we did Recumen and Grendel."

Vyse nodded and threw the switch, watching tensely as the cannon extended from the bow of the Delphinus once again and began to charge. But Fina was right: Bluheim didn't realize she was in danger, didn't realize she was being watched by a vessel she had missed. She finally turned right as the moonstone cannon fired, and her cry pierced the air as it caught her straight in the chest. The force of the blow was barely enough to push her back, but feathers went flying off in all directions and momentarily clouded their vision as much as the burst of energy did.

When it cleared, they found an enraged Gigas in their face.

"Holy crap!" Vyse cried, sending the Delphinus into a steep dive to escape Bluheim's talons. "How does something so big move so fast?! Did that even do anything to her?"

"Pull up, Vyse! She's coming back!" Aika warned.

Vyse grit his teeth and threw the ship up and to the side, feeling it jump lightly as a wing clipped it.

"It's like I told the Empress...only a Gigas can kill another Gigas," Fina said, clasping her hands over her chest. "But this ship essentially is a Gigas. Look at where we hit her. That's far more damage than the Little Jack ever could have done. I think we stand a chance."

As Bluheim overshot them and turned on a wingtip to make another pass, Vyse gazed out at her. A smoldering black burn marred the skin of her chest, having singed away all the feathers there and "broken" the circuit lines crossing over it. He drifted the Delphinus out of the way again, sending her soaring right over them, and swallowed thickly. Nothing had survived the moonstone cannon before...but he supposed it made sense that a Gigas could take more than one hit.

"What are you staring at, guys? C'mon! Battlestations! Get Khazim's men on the turrets right away!"

"Aye aye!"

"Heh. Now this is more like it!" Aika said, and began relaying orders down into the cannon room.

Vyse turned the Delphinus and tried to match flight speed with Bluheim, occasionally sparing a glance down at the moonstone cannon's gage to check its power. She had calmed somewhat and slowed, and for a moment the two soared side-by-side. On cue every turret on the ship trained itself on to her and fired into her side, and she swatted the ship away with a wing as she cried out in pain, nearly capsizing it.

Vyse corrected the ship and drifted it away, gliding into the cover of the clouds. When they emerged he found himself slightly over Bluheim and he angled the ship down, scoring a few shots to her back and shoulders. Each hit opened up considerable wounds, but it gave their position away; the Gigas suddenly performed a backflip and landed atop the Delphinus, grasping a turret in each claw and ripping them clean off the ship in a shower of electrical sparks. Thinking fast, Aika launched torpedoes right underneath her and pried her from the ship with the resulting explosion.

"Moons!" he cried. "Which guns were those? How many do we have left?"

"Main cannon two and secondary three are gone," she replied, after a moment. "We still have six left."

With a frustrated cry, the Gigas threw both of the guns back down at them. Khazim managed to shoot one down and Vyse dodged the other, pursuing Bluheim as she rolled off into the clouds. They swallowed the forms of both eagerly, and were thicker than Vyse realized; for several long moments they soared through a tunnel of gray and white before emerging over Yakaido Island, out in the open. Bluheim was nowhere to be seen.

A bit frantic, Vyse scanned the sky in all directions, but the Gigas seemed to have simply vanished. The radar began to beep loudly and Fina cried out a warning, and he turned the Delphinus just in time to see Bluheim emerge from the clouds and dive straight at them, her entire body crackling with blue energy. She soared right over the ship and for a heartbeat Vyse thought she had missed, but suddenly the Delphinus was snared in a tumultuous electrical storm that shook it to its very core and blinded them with its intensity. A loud pop came from somewhere below, and abruptly all in the Delphinus became dark.

"Navigation is down!" Fina cried.

"So are the guns. Khazim can't fire!" Aika shook her head bewilderedly. "Where'd our electricity go?"

"Damn. She blew a fuse somewhere." Enrique rolled up his sleeves and hurried for the door. "I'll get Brabham and Hans and try to get things back online. Wish us luck!"

The Delphinus was completely defenseless, and it left a bitter taste in Vyse's mouth. As Bluheim materialized from the clouds again and dropped at them, he pulled the ship away and shot off at full speed, trying to put distance between the Delphinus and the Gigas. She turned on a wingtip and was right on their stern, forcing him to stall the ship and make her overshoot. Instead she began to fly in dizzying circles around them, taking claw swipes with each pass she made. Vyse sent the ship into so tight a turn to avoid her that it nearly rolled over, and he heard several things – and people – crash below deck. Their temporary prisoners cried out in alarm.

Blasting off at full speed again, Vyse dove into the clouds, knowing full well that Bluheim was right behind him. They burst from one formation and he banked into the next, watching the bird's reflection in the polished steel deck as it flew just above them. Beating her powerful wings, she picked up a burst of speed and tried to overtake them, but he pulled up and sought cover in the next cloud formation, pulling it over the Delphinus like a protective blanket. Abruptly he turned and shot out of it, leaving the Gigas to continue climbing into Upper Sky.

At the apex of her flight, Bluheim folded her wings and plunged like an arrow straight towards them, diving so fast that she split the clouds in two. Vyse stopped the Delphinus dead in its tracks and watched wide-eyed as a blue streak shot down mere inches from the bow, leaving enough wind in its wake to send the ship spiraling out of control. As Bluheim tried to right herself again, he steadied the Delphinus, turned and shot off in the other direction, forcing her to climb again in order to keep up. Unlike the Gigas, however, the Delphinus was tireless, and lost no speed as Vyse made another hairpin turn and ducked away into the clouds.

But adrenaline was what fueled the Gigas now, and she was in no mood to give up on her prey. As the Delphinus emerged and became visible again, she caught an updraft and angled sharply upwards, once again on the flagship's tail. Vyse flinched as a ray of blue light went streaking by them, missing the Delphinus by mere inches, and began to weave the ship to make sure she couldn't attack them again.

Just then, however, the lights blinked back on, and Fina gave a surprised cry as the navigation console lit up before her once again. Vyse quickly reached for the radio and changed the frequency so that it only broadcasted to the rest of the ship, eying the deck as Bluheim's shadow fell over it.

"Everybody, strap yourself down to something!" he said. "Make sure you're nowhere near anything heavy. It's going to take some crazy flying to shake the Gigas off of us and things are going to get messy below deck. Khazim, strap yourself and your men to the guns. Be prepared to fire as soon as we level out."

"Har! No problem there, captain!" a gruff voice replied.

Vyse unbuckled his belt and looped it around a nearby pipe that protected a few electrical wires. Suddenly grateful that he had favored his normal sailing clothes over his Yafutoman kamishimo the day they had been forced to flee, he buckled it back around his waist securely and glanced at the others to make sure they were steady as well. Aika had similarly strapped herself to something and Fina was somehow levitating, and for him that was good enough.

"Hold on tight!"

Vyse could count the distance between the Delphinus and Bluheim in feet. Pulling in a deep breath, he suddenly dropped the bow and sent the ship into an almost vertical plunge, wincing inwardly as he heard several things tumble and crash below. He felt his stomach spring up into his throat, and clung to the wheel as the force of the Delphinus' nosedive threatened to pry him away. His belt quickly tethered him back, and he steadied the ship as it punched through layer after layer of clouds, finally re-emerging into open sky.

The ocean opened up below them in a glittering spread of blue, and Yakaido Island floated on it as a blurred mat of green and yellow. The land spun beneath them dizzyingly and he forced himself to ignore it, instead focusing on the ocean as the churning waters became more distinct. Soon he could see whitecaps on the waves, and knew he was drawing dangerously close, but he could see Bluheim's shadow cast over the Delphinus' on the waters and also knew that his reckless dive hadn't been enough to shake her off.

"Vyse! What are you doing?" Aika cried.

"Just a few more seconds...a little more..." he replied, gritting his teeth.

Right before the Delphinus hit the water, Vyse pulled it up and leveled it out. The pectoral wings caught the surface and it skipped a bit, and he wrestled with the wheel to keep it steady. But Bluheim's size lent to her momentum, and she could not stop so easily. Catching a wingtip in the water, she faltered and tumbled out of control, flailing to keep herself from sinking beneath the waves.

Vyse wasn't going to give her a chance to recover. Reaching out, he threw down the lever and fired the moonstone cannon again, and the waters reflected the energy blast in a blinding pink glare. The Gigas gave a tormented cry and thrashed about, and when the light had cleared he saw her slip beneath the surface.

Vyse, Aika, and Fina were glued to the window, watching the torrent of bubbles that rose in the wake of the sinking Gigas. Enrique at last clambered back to the bridge and joined them, eyes wide.

"Was that it? Did we get her?" he asked.

"I don't think so..." Fina replied, clasping her hands over her chest. "Remember...water is her element as well."

Sure enough, the waters began to stir. A whirlpool formed beneath them, and from its depths emerged Bluheim in a sparkling burst of sea spray. Vyse immediately fired on her, striking her several times in the chest and wings and shredding her gossamer wingsails. She returned by opening her beak and blasting the Delphinus with another blue ray, which hit it with enough force to rip off the steel plating in parts of the hull.

She fired again, and Vyse returned with cannon shots to keep her away. He circled wide around her but she turned with him, trying to get back behind the Delphinus instead. Vyse lifted the ship but she only rose with him, and abruptly he sent it into a climb nearly as sharp as his dive had been. He felt his feet slip out from under him and scrambled to stay braced against the helm, hanging on only by his belt and the ship's wheel.

Bluheim matched him move for move, and together the two spiraled upwards into the clouds. Vyse pushed the Delphinus as fast as it could go, feeling his heart race as they approached the lid of clouds that marked the beginnings of Upper Sky. He could feel his ears popping and the air growing thinner, and far below Yakaido had lost all detail. But still he pressed the ship onwards, watching the Gigas critically, trying to find a break in her defenses.

Bluheim's wingbeats grew heavy and fatigued. Her powdery blue feathers were drenched in blood and water, and her whole body smoldered with various wounds. Many cannonballs were still buried deep into her muscles, and the moonstone cannon had left grisly wounds that had literally burned away flesh and bone. What once had been a beautiful, graceful, awe-inspiring creature now looked like the monster she was created to be.

"Vyse, even with this new engine, we can only go so high," Fina warned. "I can feel the ship slowing. We're going to stall soon."

"If that happens, we'll be sitting koketta." Enrique clenched his jaw, staring out the window at the Gigas. "We've got to find an opening."

The ship rocked violently as an explosion shook it. Bluheim had found one instead.

"Vyse! She's attacking the hull!" Aika exclaimed. "We've got a breach! We've got several breaches!"

"Captain!" came Hans' voice over the radio, over a jumbled din of panicked voices. "We've got a fire in engine two! We're losing hover power rapidly! Please, I need Fina or Aika to help me put it out!"

"Just hold on a minute, Hans," he replied, through clenched teeth. "I've got to get the Gigas off of us, or else we'll--"

But it was too late. The ship could climb no more. Slowly, it dragged to a stop and began to plummet instead, leaving Bluheim high above them.

"Ahhh!" Aika screamed, clinging to the console as the ship began to freefall. "Vyse!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" he replied. "I can't get the engine to start again! Hans is right, we need someone down there!"

"I'll go." And without waiting for a response, Fina boldly and carefully navigated her way out of the room, Cupil buzzing out right behind her.

Below them, Yakaido Island was nearing in a dizzying blur. Rather than dive after them, however, Bluheim was hovering, slowly pumping her wings as she gathered up energy. Vyse's eyes widened with a sudden realization: she was going to use the Blue Winds to slam them straight down into the island. The Delphinus would be thoroughly obliterated.

Redoubling his efforts, the rogue threw himself against the wheel, struggling to right the Delphinus as it tumbled over and over itself. He managed to stop it from rolling, then straightened it out so that rather than freefalling it fell as if he had purposefully sent it into a dive. Suddenly, he spun the wheel around and reversed the direction the Delphinus was facing, pointing the bow up into the clouds. He then reached for the moonstone cannon, and fired.

The resulting screech that reverberated from the skies high above was enough to let Vyse know he had hit his target. Suddenly the ship lurched and came back to life, and he cut the channeling of the beam short to pull it up before it crashed through the treetops and hit the ground. Down below, he saw Fina rush out on deck, battered and covered in soot. As she turned her gaze skyward, so did he, watching as Bluheim's limp and lifeless form fell from the clouds.

The entire ship was silent as the majestic Gigas fell towards Mount Kazai, trailing feathers and smoke behind her. When she crashed into the mountain and rolled down its side, her death keen was enough to bring tears to their eyes. She finally came to rest in a large cloud of dust; her body fell still, and the crimson glow in her eyes slowly faded to black.

There were no tricks this time, no traps. Bluheim was dead.