Chapter 12: Across Storm-Tossed Seas
"You alright, lass?"
Claire blinked and looked up as a fellow passenger was looking at her with mild concern. She had been so lost in thought that she didn't realize when this middle-aged man with a blond beard, dressed all in red, starting speaking. He observed her as if she were sickening for something and added, "You were moaning something there in your sleep. You feeling alright?"
Claire, who until that moment had almost dozed off, hadn't realized just how she must look to him and merely smiled as she nodded.
"I'm fine," she reassured him as she yawned and rubbed her eyes, "Just tired."
"Aye, that's everyone here," he chuckled as he leaned back in his seat as they listened to the pounding of rain that hit the window of the ship. He looked to the dark sky outside the glass and rubbed his beard at the sight. "The weather changed with no warning. That's the sea for ya. But I wouldn't worry so much. We should be reaching shore by morning if we're lucky."
"The storm wouldn't affect us?" she asked politely.
"Well, depends on the storm," he shrugged back, "If it remains like this then not at all. But if we're talking maelstrom weather, we might be for a rough ride. Best you stay below deck for now, lass."
The two of them were sitting in a cabin on board a ship that was bound for Norvrandt. It was a bit cramped with so many people squeezing in—many of them sitting on the floor as they talked or sang sea shanties with each other. And aside from some occasional looks outside, no one seemed particularly bothered by the storm.
Claire certainly felt out of place here with so many other people about them. But more so that she had taken extra care to keep herself covered. Dressed in a woolen robe that perfectly covered her neck and made sure that her arms were both heavily bandaged so that by some chance the sleeves were rolled up or fell back then her scars would still be hidden. She was more than a little hot and uncomfortable in this situation, but she just smiled at anyone who looked at her to hide it.
The merchant was the only one who had bothered to strike up a conversation with her, and he was more than happy to talk about himself and his brothers, who travelled the realm selling all manner of goods, and that he was planning on meeting up with them once they landed.
It was a nice way to spend the evening. But as the hours went on and the sky grew darker and darker, she started to become concerned. She merely passed it off to her new friend that she wasn't used to travelling by sea and was worried. Not a complete lie, at least.
"Aye, can be a little frightening if ye never travelled during a storm," he reassured her kindly. "But don't ye worry lass. Them crew know their way around even the fiercest of weather and have experience guiding a ship safely to harbor."
Claire nodded back at that and thanked him for his words of confidence.
"But I have to ask, a young lass like you travelling on ye own?" he asked suddenly as he pulled out a bottle. He offered a sip to her, which she politely refused and he went to opening the cork.
"For now," she said, "I'm meeting with some individuals in Norvrandt. What do you know of it? I'll be my first time visiting."
"Oh, I've been here and there," he reassured her. "Norvradnt has been faced with some hard times in the last few years. It's recovering though, so it's much safer now than it used to be. Them bloodsuckers were especially bad there."
"Vampires?" she asked lightly and he chuckled as he took a swig of his drink.
"Aye, the place used to be infested with them. At least it used to be. Them bloodsuckers seem to be disappearing in a large amount in a short amount of time," he said. "I can't say that I'm upset of the roads being safer for folk to walk at night, but it's strange. More than a little worrying. Could be that them hunters or slayers getting to them, but not so many so quickly."
Claire frowned at that. It seemed that things were getting worse since they were hiding at Camp Dragonhead. From what she had learned and seen, it was looking more and more to her as if Garlemald was the one responsible. By why? Why would they be the ones to hunt down vampires when they considered them no more than monsters?
Something was wrong here and she knew that they would have to be careful. Speaking of which…?
She stood up and he raised an eyebrow at her. "And where you heading to, lass?" he asked as she started to make her way to the door.
She just thanked him before she got up and muttered something about getting some fresh air.
"Just try to get back soon," the merchant called after her, "If we're lucky, we should be in Norvrandt before sunrise. Best that we head to bed as soon as we can and wait out the worst of it."
"I appreciate your concern," she called with a wave. "I promise to be back soon. It's just a little stuffy here."
She slipped out the door without anyone looking twice her way. She kept her guard up until she reached the doors that would take her to the beds down below, but after taking a look around—making sure no one was here, she slipped upstairs and to the deck.
She felt bad that they had to do this, but it was literally the only choice they had. They were able to sneak on board easily enough; with Claire using the classic of dropping fireworks outside just to get people's attention—merely coming up with excuses to why she dropped a bag of fireworks from her bag while no one noticed the pair sneaking on board.
After a good telling off by the captain, she was allowed on and for the last two days, things had been fairly quiet. But she had yet to see either Alphinaud or Alisaie in all that time and she had to just check on them before she turned in for the night. She made sure that no one was looking before she took the stairs down on the other end of the ship that led to the cargo hold. The rain was coming down harder than she had thought and she felt as if she was getting punched as she raced across deck and by the time she made it to cover, she was already soaked.
When she found the stairs and began to descend deeper into the ship, she could not help but think back to when last she rode a ship when she first came to Eorzea.
*Flashback*
Claire was rubbing Alphinaud's back in a soothing way as he curled up against her, sniffling slightly, as she hushed him gently and wrapped the woolen blanket tighter around him. His body was growing colder by the day. At this rate…?
She sighed, knowing that she shouldn't be surprised. She knew what this all meant no matter how much she hated it. She supposed that a part of her was hoping that maybe it was some other disease other than the Black Rose but her luck rarely held out that high.
Suddenly a jolt of the ship almost made her fall over. The ship's been jumping around crazy for the past bell or so, and she couldn't help but wonder what was going on above. All she knew was that they were in a little nest of blankets in the darkest part of the cargo, with only a faint blue crystal to light their way. Whenever she heard something creak, she would throw a blanket over the crystal to kill the light and prevent them from being noticed.
But though the blood she had started to give the twins had helped them to settle down, both of them were shivering and cuddled up closer and closer to her as if desperate to leech the warmth off her.
She just pulled them both up so that they were in her lap and hummed soothing songs to help them to sleep and not have to face the reality of their situation for longer than they had to.
She wished that she could get a look to what was going on up top and if they were nearing Eorzea after all this time. She had lost track of the days that they had been down here, but she was longing for some fresh air after being trapped inside this moldy cabin.
But no sooner did she think that than did she hear the door creak open and she instinctively threw the blanket over them all and killed the light. She just held her breath as she pulled the two up against her and wrapped her arms around them and prayed that they stay silent.
They seemed calm for the moment though, and snuggled against her, their heads resting against her chest as she wrapped her arms around them and remained still as they slept on.
"I swear, some of these crates look like they've been messed," she heard someone—a deckhand by the sounds of things—grumble, "We need to check for rats when we get back to shore! I swear that food is going missing.
She flinched at that, knowing that she should have been more careful when she began looking through the supplies for something to eat, but she guessed that's he had been more noticeable than she first thought. Claire gulped down nervously as another voice, an sarcastic laugh, "Says the man who slips a keg or two when the captain ain't watching! Stop complaining. We'll be back to land soon. Thank gods too, I have my mind on a pretty tavern wench when we get there."
The two laughed and she rolled her eyes and stayed still as she heard them going through some crates.
"I doubt that we'll run into any trouble, but the captain wanted the gunpowder just in case," the first one said. "That little run in with pirates sure took a lot of time. But you can just make out land, no bilge rat would be stupid enough to attack in sight of the city."
Ah, excellent. They were almost there. If she could keep them quiet just for a little longer, she could smuggle them off the ship and… she would have to figure that next part. She hadn't given any thought to where they would go after leaving Sharlayan, only that she had to get away from the Island to avoid being found by Garleans. She was tense the rest of the time the two talked and she heard them roll a barrel or something heavy out of the storage and closed the doors behind them, leaving them in the darkness again.
She waited a few more minutes to make sure that no one else was coming before she pulled the blanket off them and her mind began to race on her escape plan. She tucked the twins in the nest of blankets around them before she cautiously got up, her legs so numb that she had to hold onto a nearby crate until she was able to regain feeling in her limbs.
After making sure that they were both sleeping, she set about to pack their bag with as much food and water as she could reasonably sneak away. This was a lot to handle since she knew she would have to carry the two off the ship in their state.
She also knew that she would need some form of transportation. Perhaps she could bribe some kind of merchant or something in taking them away from here? The two of them didn't take on their ghastly pale hue nor did their teeth change… true their eyes were not normal any longer, but she wondered if she could play with the idea that she was caring for some sick patients or something and just have them slip away from the settlement and hope that they stayed asleep for long enough?
She pulled out the map that Louisoix managed to slip into her bag before he was taken and looked over Eorzea carefully. She used the light of the crystal to illuminate it and began to come up with different plans.
But even if she were to get them out, what then? It wasn't like they had too many places they knew to go from here?
She knew that Sharlayan used to have a small settlement to the northern reaches but was abandoned years ago. She didn't think that she could get them up to the Hinterlands with them in this state though—she would have to cross over mountains to get that far so you could forget that. That was when her eyes fell upon the mountains of Coerthas and she wondered if it would be possible….? She knew that those lands were mostly deserted. At least most parts of it were so it could prove to be a good region to at least recover without need of being discovered.
She nodded at that, deciding that she knew those lands anyway and she was sure that it would do them some good, especially if half of the stories she heard of how blood thirsty that newborn vampires could be.
She had a plan in mind and began to pull everything together. She tucked everything important into the bag and strapped it to her bag, knowing that this was going to be a struggle to walk under so much weight, but she would have to make due until they could get to town. She knew that there were a few storehouses, at least judging from the map, and once she got there, they would be a good place to have the twins hide until she…?
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when the footsteps reappeared and she froze.
She was on the other side of the room and couldn't get back to the twins without being spotted. So she shoved the crystal down her front and she ducked down behind some crates. She crouched down low and waited to see what was going on.
"I didn't mean to forget it!" the same two voices from before yelled out. "I just couldn't carry it and bring the barrel up!"
"Whatever," growled the second voice, and she could see a faint glowing upon the floor and realized that they brought a lantern or some kind of candle down to light their way this time.
She didn't dare move as she listened and watched the light continue to glow brighter and brighter and she knew that they were just on the other side of her hiding place. She held her breath as they opened the crate and began to look through it. She felt her heart beating loudly as she could hear distant voices up top yell out "Vesper Bay's in sights boys!"
She gulped, trying to control her shaking as she could almost feel the heat of the flame just past the wood. She barely paid attention to what was being said as they grumbled to each other, but in a teasing way, and they sounded very relieved to disembarking. One of them went on and on about what he would do to the bar wench when he got in and she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at the vulgar things he mentioned. Hopefully this wench could give him a good slap in the face when he got in.
If they could just keep low for a few more minutes…? While she wasn't fond of the idea, she figured that she may have to just knock them both out and hope that no one would notice they were missing until after they were off?
It was tense as the two men continued to argue and finally, the man slammed the lid down and told his buddy to shut up about it already and that he found the right bottle this time. She let out a slow breath as she heard them beginning to walk away and she watched the light slowly beginning to die down as they moved away. Her muscles were all cramping at this point and she was just relaxing when she heard it:
"IT BURNS!"
Her head jerked up to see that Alisaie had awoken and she was growling as she prowled through the many crates, just out of sight of the light and her eyes seemed to glow through the darkness. The dark and red flashed as she spotted the two crewmen and Claire reacted without thinking. She ran ahead and tackled Alisaie, who was still slow and clumsy and she shrieked out in fury as she fought to free herself and claw at the men.
The two crewmen screamed at the sight of her and dropped the lantern they had and fled. Claire cursed out when she saw the lantern hit the wooden deck and soon the wood was burning as oil splashed.
Well, this was not the distraction that she had been looking for but she took it.
"ALISAIE!" she cried before slamming Alisaie to the ground and she heard a cracking noise as Alisaie passed out the moment she knocked her into the floor and broke several boards. She was out cold but already Claire could barely see any trace of injury and knew that their skin was becoming harder with every second.
Claire dragged Alisaie back to their hiding place as the fire quickly began to spread. She hauled Alisaie over her back and grabbed Alphinaud, who was now stirring and bolted from below deck as the fire cast golden shadows upon the walls.
There were already screams and panicky voices when the smoke was seen and Claire didn't stop to think as she ran as fast as she could and dove straight over the side and into the sea. She wasn't the only one though, for many others were dropping into the ocean at the thought of vampires being on board. Claire kicked out and hauled both set with her as she made for land.
…
Alphinaud stirred almost as soon as he felt the cold chill of the water. He gasped and his eyes opened, only to wince at the sight of the outside world and the fading light.
"Be still," Claire's voice whispered and he calmed down at once as he hung on.
"W-Where are we?" he croaked as he wheezed, his entire body burning and sore as if he were covered in blisters.
"We're off the shores of Vesper Bay," Claire panted as she continued to kick out. "Just stay quiet, I'll explain later when I find a safe place for us."
Alphinaud nodded, his body relaxing as he hold on tightly, trusting her to take care of them. He felt his heart still beat in his chest as his feverish mind continued to work out what was happening to him. He didn't want to face it though. The thought was too painful. He just focused on Claire's breaths and how warm she felt despite the cold of the water.
He even began to enjoy the slight weightlessness that came with being pulled through the water. It was soothing and a lot of his pain seemed to become numb. He enjoyed it immensely.
But before he knew it, he could feel themselves rising out of the water and that pain was back. He gritted his teeth as he screwed up his eyes and grinded his teeth. He tried to walk when she pulled him up, but his legs weren't working correctly and he was being half dragged up onto shore. He didn't know where they were going, so he just hung on as she felt himself being pulled across sand. Eventually, he felt himself laying down on hard stone and Claire running her hand through his hair. He turned his head in at her touch and he muttered, asking where they were now?
"A small warehouse," Claire said as she looked around when he cracked an eye open at her. The entire room looked like it was part of storage, not unlike the ship's hull that they had been hiding in for who knows how long?
"Stay here," she said and she got up. He didn't like it. He didn't want to be left here and he held onto her hand tightly, as if he could somehow prevent her from leaving.
He tried not to whimper as he held onto her wrist, still not trusting himself to speak again for he knew that he would lose whatever control he had and start sobbing like a child.
Claire just gently removed is hands from hers and he felt her lips upon his forehead once she brushed back his bangs.
"I'll be back soon," she promised him gently. "Just stay here once I have a plan."
He just nodded as she laid him back and he felt a slightly damp tarp cover him once more before she stood and he heard her footsteps—which were unusually loud to his ears now—and he curled up, hoping that he could stay awake long enough for her to return.
He just focused on himself right now, knowing that he couldn't help anyone if he allowed himself to give in to whatever was burning his throat. It hurt so badly that he wanted to scratch at his neck but he knew that what he was craving for was nothing like water could quench.
He wanted something stronger…. Something that he had already had a taste for. He could still remember feeling the wonderful relief that came when he was finally able to stomach something that his body didn't reject since they left home. He didn't realize what it was for a moment… only that it was the most wondrous thing he ever tasted. Despite how warm it was, it cooled his thirst and he wanted more. As his eyes had opened and he saw where it came from, he tried to push her away from him… to protect her from what he knew he was becoming. But she didn't recoil from him… she held him there and allowed him that most vile act and drank her blood.
He gulped down as he vowed that he would never take from her more than she was willing to give. For that went above and beyond what most protectors would do.
He just waited. He curled up and waited… and waited… and waited.
He was starting to drift in and out of sleep the longer that she was away but he still wanted to hold on until his exhaustion carried him off to sleep.
He had a dark dream… of a figure bathed in crimson blood… a shadowy figure who sat upon a throne made of bones… and he was suddenly struggling to breathe as he drowned in cold water that was stained red with the ruby liquid. It was frightening and he tried to fight it but his body betrayed him as he fell into the darkness and knew that he would never see the light of day again.
He fell into the very pits of despair in that dream… but it was what caused him to sit upright with a muffled scream.
"You alright, lad?" said an unfamiliar voice.
"W-What?" he gasped, staring around him in confusion and he blinked to stare up at the roof of a carriage. What was he…?
"Your healer friend brought ye here," said the voice and Alphinaud turned around to see that it came from the driver of the carriage, who was hitching his chocobos to the front carriage.
"M-My…?" Alphinaud asked in confusion as he tried to remember what happened. The last thing he could recall was drifting off on the floor made of hard sandstone and the next…?
"The pretty girl who dumped you here," he said gruffly, still not looking over at him, and Alphinaud quickly looked down to hide his eyes. "She paid me a few coins to bring you lot to the Twelveswood. She then went back for something. Well, I was already paid. If she doesn't show up by the time I'm heading out she's getting left behind."
Alphinaud tried to get up, but his limbs didn't want to work and he collapsed as he fought to hold onto breath. He was so dizzy at this point and was trying hard not to be sick as everything seemed to spin around him. He kept everything locked up inside and he could swear that he heard the calls from the harbor behind him and how there had been vampires who set a ship on fire.
What in the world were they talking about? Why would vampires set a ship on fire? If his mind was clearer he probably would have been able to put the pieces together. And how could his ears pick up on all that when they were coming from so far away. He just continued to lay there and breathed hard through his mouth to stop himself from throwing up as the merchant finished hitching up his birds and came to the driver's seat.
"Well, I got a schedule to keep so we're gonna hit the road," he said and before Alphinaud really registered what was been said, he felt the carriage start to creak forward.
Alphinaud's eyes snapped open and tried to get up, but he was shaking so badly that he could not move.
"No, p-p-please…" he croaked to the driver, not really sure what he was planning on doing, but he was thankfully saved from that when a familiar voice called, "Sorry for the wait!"
He sighed in relief as he turned his head around in time to find that Claire had returned, suddenly dressed in the white robes of an alchemist, with Alisaie wrapped in a blanket in her arms—still fast asleep. She came on board and set Alisaie down on the seat across from him as Claire took the seat just behind the driver, sitting directly behind him so that if the driver bothered to turn back and look at them, he would only see her and nothing beyond.
"We're ready. Go," Claire's voice said and Alphinaud sighed in relief as Claire tossed a few extra coins to the driver.
"What's with them two?" he asked suddenly as he shook out the reins and they were moving forward properly now and Alphinaud relaxed when Claire gently draped the blanket over him once more. "You didn't say what they were stricken with."
"I told you, it's nothing contagious. They drank something they shouldn't," she said as she looked out to see the crowd gather around the pier as the fire on board the ship had been put out but she could see the blackened mast from here. Even as they made it to the safety of the tunnel, she could still hear the muttering about claims to having seen vampires on board. Thankfully, the captain of the ship seemed to believe that the crewmates responsible were just drinking on the job and were seeing things before accidently dropping the lantern.
Claire only sighed as they took off from there and continued on north. It was alright now… the guy honestly didn't look like he cared who they were so long as he got paid… she would have him take them as far as to the Shroud… after that she would figure out what to do from there.
So began a long travel from the shores Vesper Bay and they would continue up north to the frozen lands of Coerthas… Where they would be given the peace that they needed as they adjusted to their new lives.
*End of Flashback*
Claire was gladdened to see that it was so much easier this time around getting on board a ship, but she still felt bad that they had to hide like this. She reached the bottom step and looked around the cargo—which brought back a lot of memories as she stepped into the room, hearing the creaking of the ship and smelled something like salt and brine about them. There were no indications that there was anyone else here and she smiled proudly.
"It's me," she said in a whisper before holding out her arms. Almost immediately, she felt them both flock to her and cuddled up to her side and she gave them each a one-armed hug.
"You both alright?" she asked them as they pulled away to greet her.
"We're doing well," Alphinaud reassured her. "So far, no one is suspicious and we've kept out of sights."
"Good," she said and added apologetically, "Sorry about making you hide."
"Don't be, we know it can't be helped," Alisaie reassured her. "But tell me, just how far are we?"
"This storm may be going on the rest of tonight which will slow us down, but we should still reach Norvrandt by tomorrow morning," Claire said, trying not to think too much about the sun. Yes, they did have their cloaks, but it was still going to be hard to get the sluggish pair to move about in the middle of the day. "We're supposed to touch down in a place called Eulmore. The place has been hit by several other bad storms lately, or so I've heard, but if what the sailors said is true, Gatetown is all but shacks right now. Most have moved on to other nearby settlements or the city proper. That will be a good place to lay low until nightfall."
"And we will still have nearly five days before we are supposed to meet up with grandfather," Alphinaud nodded. "If I remember correctly, the Crystarium is located in Lakeland. We should be able to find passage there without too much trouble, I imagine."
She nodded and patted them both fondly on the head. "I just wanted to check up on you," she said, "Do you need anything to drink?"
"No," Alphinaud reassured her.
"We both are good for now," Alisaie promised but Claire could see that their eyes were darkened… a sign that they were both thirsty. "Don't worry about us. We can't have you getting sick now."
"Once we reach Gatetown, I'll give you both some blood," she promised and they frowned at the reminder. "But stay patient a little longer."
They both nodded, promising that they would be well and that she should go off to get some sleep. She smiled warmly at them both before starting back up the steps. But as she did something knocked right into the ship and she had to grab hold of the stairs to stop herself from falling straight over.
"What in the world…?" Alphinaud asked, staring about, who had been knocked down.
"Is it part of the storm?" Alisaie asked but Claire was frowning up the steps. That was far too big to count as just a wave. Something slammed into the side of the ship… something big.
"You both stay here!" she called before she bolted up the stairs and into the open air again. She was suddenly surrounded on all sides by crew men who were running about in a panic, and she quickly saw why. Fire was going off on the sails and they were doing what they could to put the flames out—though the rain was doing a good job of making sure that it didn't stop.
Claire was baffled, to what was going on and looked about for the source of the source of the chaos and what was happening. But the rain was so heavy and thick that it stung her eyes to try and make anything out. She even wondered if that had somehow been the cause of a bolt of lightning or something…? That was when she saw something dark made for around the cabin side of the ship and she overheard the roaring sound of laughter from it. Frowning, she ran out to see what was going on, and she found herself standing to the very back of the ship with the black-robed figure continuing to laugh and slap his knee as if he had just seen the funniest thing in the world and his gut was threatening to burst.
"What's so funny?" she demanded, wanting to know why he did what he did, her hand already going for her knife hidden up her sleeve and the man looked up.
She couldn't see anything above his mouth for it was hidden by the hood he was wearing, but as soon as he saw her, she saw his mouth fall open. But it was only for a moment before he closed it and a rather sickening grin appeared in its place.
"Well, well, well," he said, his voice loud over the roar of the waves and rolls of thunder. "Of all the people to appear before me! My lord has been so desperate to know where you've disappeared to!"
Claire blinked at that as the figure suddenly bowed to her, as if he had just realized that he was being impolite.
"Ah, mine apologies, I have yet to introduce myself," he said with a great flourish of the hand and twirl about, as if they were in the middle of a sunny afternoon instead of a night at sea on a burning ship and rain thundering about their heads. "Such a lack of manners, indeed. My name is Fandaniel. At your service!"
She frowned at him before demanding, "Why did you set fire to those sails?"
"Hmmm cutting straight to the point, aren't we?" he asked. "Well, rest assured, it was not I who did that, but someone else. I just happened to witness the whole thing and I could not help but enjoy the sight!"
"Enjoy the thought that we might drown out here if the ship goes down?" she asked, trying to figure him out. He wasn't a vampire, she could tell just by looking at him. But then… what else was he? She didn't know what it was, but she had an eerie chill going up her spine at the sight of him. He made her skin crawl but she couldn't understand why that was.
He then grinned off in the direction of the sails and the people yelling orders to help put the fires out before any more of the ship got damaged. "Such fun little creatures, don't you think? I mean, you may be one of them but you stand above your kind. After all, one cannot care for two bloodsuckers on her own for all that time and still really be counted as mortal, can they? What is your secret?"
Claire went cold as she stared at him. Who as this man? How could he know…?
He noticed how stunned she was at this and he grinned back.
"Oh, yes!" he called to her unasked question. "I know all about you. You sure have made it hard to discover anything, but we know all about you, Claire."
She snapped out of it as she heard her name and her eyes flashed.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded.
"Why, nothing at all," he teased, "Just wanted to make a friendly introduction. I must say, I saw everything that you did to Asahi… stupid fool got what was coming to him, if you ask me. Not the way that I was planning on you ending him for us, but one hells of a way to go down! I have to admit that when I saw that you caused the ship to blow up with him and everyone in it, why… it all brought a tear of joy to mine eyes! I must have laughed at that for at least a solid week!"
"How could you know about that?!" she demanded, her mind racing. "The ship went down and there were no other survivors!"
"Oh, I have my ways. Don't you worry about me," he told her, now prancing up and down the railing, all the while he stuck out his chest like a preening rooster.
"I must say though, my master also saw your performance and it was one of the only few times I actually saw him smile," Fandaniel smirked. "It was something to see! He is now so anxious to meet you! To think, I had come here on this ship in search of someone else but I found someone so unexpected. We didn't think that we would be finding you again for a while after you disappeared! My master will be overjoyed to hear this!"
"Stop talking in riddles and tell me what this is all about!" she retorted, now growing angry.
"Such a temper! That will make him all the happier!" he laughed. "Very well, I shall speak plan. You see, we came here in search of something else that had stolen something from my lord… this someone, I had thought may have hidden away on board this vessel. However, I sadly couldn't find him. At least, that was what I thought… but it seemed that he caught hold of my scent or something and he caused the fire in an effort to hide from me. Sadly, I hate to admit to it, but it seemed that it may have worked. Oh, well. I'm sure that I'll pick up the trail again soon. In the meantime though, I must say how delighted I am that I found something just as special on board."
He finally stopped prancing and grinned down at her with a sudden eagerness, as if remembering something, and asked, "Ah, yes… if you're here, then that means that the two cutie vampires must be here as well! Tell me, just what are you to those two?"
Claire blinked at the question.
"You know? What are you to them?" he asked, truly sounding interested in her now, "Or… what are they to you? Why go through all that trouble for them?"
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and pulled out the dagger, having heard enough of this guy. She didn't know who the hell he was or what he wanted but she wasn't interested. She just wanted to deal with him so that if he did prove to be a threat, then she could protect the others from him.
"Awwww, that's so sweet," he said with a grin when he saw her defensive stance and knife. "So, it seems that my lord was right after all. Perhaps they are the key to getting what we need. Well, that will make things so much simpler."
"I don't understand you," she said darkly and he let out a craze laugh once more.
"Well, duty can only push you so far," he answered with a grin. "Even the most stoic individuals would break by now. Living in the dark? Being a living, breathing buffet to monsters? Why, it would be enough to drive anyone mad. There is only so far that duty will be willing to push you. But…. Love…. That will make anyone do anything."
"Claire!"
Claire's heart sank at the sound and she jerked her head to find that Alphinaud had come running towards her.
"No! Alphinaud, get back!" she yelled as Fandaniel's eyes suddenly spotted him and lit up. She moved so that she was positioned directly between them. Claire was breathing hard as the darkened figure looked at her through haze of water.
"Who are you?" she demanded again, losing her temper now.
He then let out a shocked gasp and stumbled about as if he was mortally wounded.
"Ah, tis a curse of mine that my greatest dream should never be realized!" he cried out theatrically. "To pass through life unrecognized and to die unknown!" he slumped forward before he turned up to look at her, though she still couldn't see his face and he was grinning.
"So it goes," he said, "Not that it matters. I know what I need to now."
And before she could react, he held up his hand and she saw the barrel end of a gun being pointed directly at them, which she saw being pointed over her shoulder and at Alphinaud. Claire didn't even think twice as she leapt up between them and held up her arm as if she had a shield and Fandaniel fired. Sadly, she didn't have a real shield, but her arm had been enough to direct the bullet when she grabbed hold of the gun. At that moment, Fandaniel's hand shout out and grabbed hold of her other arm, and suddenly her sleeve somehow caught fire.
She let out a startled scream and moved back, the pistol still in her hands and she pulled it away. Alphinaud leapt up and ripped the entire sleeve off, tearing off the bandages for good measure before the flame it could burn her arm. He then threw the burning cloth overboard as Claire rubbed her arm and the sight of her scars seemed to amuse this nut.
"Now, now… we can't have that," Fandaniel laughed as he snapped his fingers… and she braced herself for another trick… but nothing happened. She blinked, a little confused, but he was just grinning at her… waiting.
And then she heard it.
At first it sounded like a dying whale call and she turned out to the water to see something was moving in the dark waters. She squinted her eyes at that before realizing what it was.
"Brace yourself!" she yelled at Alphinaud, who had also realized what it was. They both grabbed hold of the railing as Fandaniel laughed and it came. There were screams from the crew as they all were now holding on for dear life when something enormous leapt out of the water. Claire looked up, the rain stinging her eyes, when she saw the massive body of a giant sea serpent soar over their heads. The size of the ship itself, fins as long as rowboats, and dark as the night sky as it lifted its whole body right out of the sea. She could see the shining scales laminated from the glow of the fires and wanted to scream in terror at the sight of it all.
She redoubled her grip as the beast did a graceful leap right over their heads and she was all but sure it would crash right on top of them. But it managed to clear of the ship, the underbelly just tickling the top of the highest mast, before crashing into the water on the other side. There were more screams of panicked voices and the shock of the impact was enough to nearly upturn the ship. Claire held on as Fandaniel continued to roar with laughter at the sight of it all.
Claire was so focused on trying to remain on deck that she didn't notice how Fandaniel was staring at her and another attack took form. This time appearing as a large ball of darkness being cupped in his hands.
Alisaie came charging out of nowhere and pushed Claire aside. Claire was on the ground, barely missing the blast of energy that had come flying at her. She gasped as she looked back and watched as Alisaie's eyes rolled into the back of her head, taking the full blast right in the chest, and hit the railing so hard that she went smashing right through it and over the side—to the dark waters below.
"Alisaie!" Claire yelled before firing the pistol, which passed right through Fandaniel, who disappeared in some dark smoke. She blinked before he reappeared in another spot.
"My, my… such hostility!" he laughed in amusement. "I have to admitted, I didn't see that coming! My plan was originally just knocking you out and taking you back with me. But… no, this makes for a far more interesting tale!"
He grinned and then he cavorted about before laughing and said, "Do not fear though, you shall see us again! For my master has a new interest in you! Do try not to drown on the way back!"
And as she blinked, he vanished as if he had never been there. The crew was still running about in a panic as she got back to her feet and ran to the broken railing and stared about. Alisaie had fallen into the water! She had to find her.
"Claire!" Alphinaud gasped, but she ignored him for the moment as she jumped into the sea.
She took a deep breath before she dove under and began to cast her eyes about. It was pitch dark around her. She honestly thought that there was no hope until she saw something white shining in the distance just below her.
She dove down deeper without even thinking about it. She drew closer and closer, though the water was freezing, she continued down further and further… and there she found Alisaie's shocking white hair giving a tiny shine through this black water. Claire grabbed hold of the girl, and bolted for the surface, following the bubbles until her head broke the surface and she sucked in a lungful of air.
Claire pulled Alisaie up further so that her head was above the waves, but almost immediately the ocean threatened to separate them again. Claire immediately pulled the rope belt from around her waist and tied Alisaie to her before pulling her into a kind of piggy back position, with the girl's head slumped over her shoulder so that she could keep her out of the water.
"CLAIRE! ALISAIE!"
She looked up to see that Alphinaud was leaning dangerously over the side. In fact, Alphinaud was leaning so far over the ledge that he was in danger of falling over himself. Claire, struggling with Alisaie on her arm, just waved at him and yelled, "We'll meet you in Gatetown!"
She couldn't risk him falling in as well. She could barely swim with the two of them when they had been smaller and in calm waters with land in sight! There was no way that she could support them both in the middle of this storm, especially since she knew that Alphinaud could barely doggy paddle and would sink like a stone.
He heard her, but looked ready to jump in anyway before she yelled, "Help out how you can! Make sure everyone gets to shore! We'll catch up! Promise me!"
He just watched on in terror, but he remained on board, thank gods. She just tried to reassure him from a distance that she would bring them together again, but he had to stand up and do what he could for now and she would do what she could.
She could only watch as she struggled to remain afloat, with Alisaie slumped up against her and Claire watched as the ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance until it was out of sight.
Claire was breathing hard as she struggled to remain up, trying to avoid the waves that came sweeping up overhead and threatening to drown them. And, as if to mock her, the rain seemed to be coming down harder than ever and it almost made no difference if her head was above the ocean or not, she was having a hard time breathing. She began to kick out as hard as she could go, Alisaie still slumped over her back as she went forward. But she was struggling, quickly losing track of which way she was to go… she got lucky in being able to grab hold of a piece of driftwood and hung on to rest her screaming muscles.
And that was when Fandaniel's pet or whatever it was reappeared. It rose up and out of the sea, roaring at the sight of them and she saw how its mouth was opened wide. Jaws filled with countless razor sharp teeth bearing down on them and Claire had only seconds to react.
She glared up at the sea monster as it moved directly at her and she used pistol she stole and pointed the gun at its head. She wasn't sure if it would work now after having been dragged underwater… but she was able to get the one shot she needed. She had tried to shoot several times, but the revolver refused to work again—having run out of bullets—but the one she had struck true right between its eyes.
It shrieked before it fell backwards and disappeared into the waters. She didn't know if she had been able to kill it or if it just ran in fear of getting hurt again, but she didn't care. She threw the revolver away from her as she redoubled her grip upon the wood and focused on moving forward.
She was breathing hard now as she kicked out, doing her best to stay afloat through the storm, but she was quickly using up a lot of strength just to keep their heads up. Right now, all she had was the driftwood but she knew that she could only keep going for so long. She rolled onto her makeshift support so that she was halfway up on the board and kicking out with one leg while the other leg provided stability that she needed.
She didn't know how she was able to keep going, but she just reached deep for the reservoir of strength that she seemed to keep on the back burner, and began to move forward. She eventually was able to figure out a way to ride the waves to let them do most of the hard work for her and timed it right to make sure that she was sent forward without getting knocked off course. Still, at this point, she knew that it could very well be days before they were able to get anywhere.
She had to think.
But until this storm died down, she knew that they were both screwed. She decided to do her best to stay alive until morning came and she could judge which way was which when the sun next rose. Hopefully, the storm would have passed on by then. It was her only option right now. But no sooner did she come to thought, she felt her leg kick against something hard beneath her. She froze at that, knowing that here was no way she could be hitting land and dread filled her.
Almost as soon as she realized that they weren't alone, she felt something moving about and brush against her legs and she tried not to cry at the thought.
Why? What did she do to deserve such bad luck?
That was when something rose out of the sea directly in front of her. A long, serpent's body had appeared and towered over her. Even in these conditions, she could see the scales of the brightest shade of green upon it's back and a snow-white underbelly with a golden trim that seemed to stretch along it's body… with razor sharp fangs the size of dinner knives.
The serpent stared down at her with those blackened eyes that seemed to pierce her as readily as its fangs surely would.
"Another one?!" she cried as she glared, ready to try and fight… at least this one looked smaller. But then, to her astonishment… the serpent opened its mouth… and spoke.
"You were born for this warrior," the serpent said as she stared up at it. The serpent then let out a hissing laugh at the stunned look on her face. "I am Seriyu of the Four Lords. And welcome to the Ruby Sea."
(Wow! That was epic and sad all at once. So yes, Claire gets separated with one of the twins and is in the middle of the sea! Will Seriyu be able to help them out of this? And if he is here, what of the other Lords? Will Alisaie be alright, and more importantly, now that she is alone with her, with Alisaie have the impulse to confess her feelings?)