Note: 2nd part of the game here! Been thinking of some Disney movies and I'm kinda pondering on how alike the six heroes are to various characters and whatnot, which gets me pondering what sort of relationships they'd have, who'd they be friends with etc. I tend to overthink things (even when I don't want to), and I'll admit that I've been doing this a lot with this fic. So much so that I'm kinda wanting to put out more art related to it, headcanons, overall stuff that you'd find on a Tumblr blog.

I'm beginning to wonder, assuming that people would even know about it.

Clocks have been changed to hourglasses via the suggestion of Falchion1984. I usually don't think too much about fantasy settings, as the Mana universe has airships and cannons, yet I could see where he was coming from. And I admit, I made the monsters Kevin and Riesz up. It's the collection of 'blood' from all those that boarded the ship before them.

Also, I've been struck with Transformers fever and I've been planning my own series/universe of my own that I've been wanting to put out stuff for. I've tried before, yet I got caught up on the plot, so I scrapped it for the time being. Yet now, I'm feeling that I've got to do it! Any fans of Transformers out there, heads up! It'll mainly be focusing on the Femmes (very underrated characters I feel) and have something of a rewrite of More than Meets the Eye episodes of G1, but is a hodgepodge of different characters and elements from various incarnations of the franchise.

Please let me know if I missed something, as I want to make this story great!

Big thanks to Falchion1984 again for pointing out my dumbassness (not a word, but I think everyone knows what it means)!

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy reading!

Ghostly Game 2

Her spear stabbed downward, the blade going right through the red, liquescent creature and hitting the rotten, wooden deck beyond. 'Damn!' she mentally cursed, slashing at yet another that came up from behind, yet the results were the same.

Kevin was faring no better, his fists and claws only meeting red fluid. He swung his leg, yet to his shock, one of the beings seized the limb and held it inside its viscous form, the beastman already feeling the burning sensation assault his skin. He kicked and struggled, trying to balance himself on one foot wwhile trying to pull the other free. His efforts became frantic as it felt like his trapped foot was slowly melting in the creature's grasp.

Riesz turned around to see Kevin's present prediciment and rushed over. She grabbed him and began pulling with all her might, Kevin kicking and flailing for all he was worth in hope of freeing his trapped limb from the monster's grasp. It was then that he felt something. The ball of his foot had made contact with something within the creature, its texture felt like flesh and he could feel veins pumping and transporting fluid throughout the object. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that he had just found the being's heart.

Heart...maybe…

The beastman got little time to ponder this as the amazon finally wrenched him from the monster's form, both of them falling to the ground, Kevin atop of his rescuer. "Sorry." he apologized. "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that fourth chicken breast…"

"Please don't talk about food," Riesz begged, having to suppress her gag reflex ever since the truth of what they had eaten was revealed.

This small reprieve was cut short however as the liquescent figures drew closer and closer to the two, soon leaping atop of them, Riesz and Kevin soon submerged in a small sea of red.

Orlop Deck

Charlotte's mouth hung agape, trying to speak, yet only shocked whimpers came out. "Awe…" she finally stammered out. "Awe they...peopwe?"

Hawkeye's eyes narrowed. "I think they 'were' people," he said, daggers ready. So many of them, he thought. So many that had come before them…

One of the walking corpses lunged at Charlotte, the girl swinging her flail down on the zombie's head, she was even more horrified when the swing was enough to dislodge its head from its shoulders, the body part rolling at her feet. Charlotte let out a scream and immediately kicked the head away, completely oblivious to the zombie creeping up from the side.

"...hurts…" a voice suddenly spoke, voice scratchy and melancholy, as if its owner had lost all hope. "Hurts…"

As if in response, more of the zombies began speaking with low, moaning voices. "Hurts...hurts so bad."

"Need...out."

"Can't get out."

"Need...help…"

Moans and groans speaking of their current pain and need to escape this horrid ship chilled the half-elf and thief, the undead drawing closer and closer. "Need...brains…"

Lower Deck

The living treasure chest leaped forward and opened its mouth wide, the sharpened teeth seeking purchase in the flesh of its latest victims. Duran and Angela jumped out of the way, the polter-box crashing into the wall, and took several chunks of wood in its mouth, chewing them until they were mere splinters. Unfortunately, it neither tasted soft flesh nor warm blood, nor did it feel the crunch of bones between its fangs.

'Don't let your guard down!' Faerie said. 'The chest itself isn't what you need to try attacking!'

"What?" Duran was confused. "What does that mean?"

"What's she saying?" Angela asked. "Y'know, if you got something to say, then come out so everyone can hear it."

"All right, fine!" Faerie emerged. "This chest is possessed and transformed by powerful forces."

As if to respond, the polter-box opened its mouth and hopped forward, chomping and gnashing its teeth, inching closer and closer. The two youths (Faerie was quite grateful for her wings at this moment) jumped on the bed to put some height and distance in between them and the box, yet this attempt to gain elevation failed as the chest took the bed, bed frame, and mattress, into its mouth. Duran and Angela were forced to flee as the bewitched chest practically bit the bed in half, feathers flying everywhere, as well as broken down boards and jagged pieces of wood.

"Ok, I think that's been established." Angela huffed. "And?"

"And," Faerie continued. "It won't be that simple to destroy."

Duran was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that swinging your sword or wand isn't going to do the trick." the winged woman explained, glancing at both her host and the princess. "The source of what's possessing it is coming from elsewhere. Destroy that, you essentially destroy the chest."

"And...we do that how?" Angela questioned.

"That...I don't exactly know." Faerie admitted, yet she was forced to pause for a moment, the box staring at all of them hungrily. "But we need to figure it out fast."

Berth Deck

The sensation of floating overtook both of them, as well as the desire to immediately get out of the red 'lake' that now filled the room. Kevin and Riesz were submerged underneath the the small lake of fire the living, liquid beings had become. Crimson surrounded them on all sides, and worse, so too did the ever-worsening burning sensation that made the pair feel as though they'd been drenched in acid. The amazon and beastman held their breath the best they could as they attempted to find the floor, yet found their forms rendered immobile as if the body of blood was keeping them in place, patiently waiting as the acidic liquid would eat through and dissolve them. And even now, their skin felt as if it were on fire, the ever-present sensation of flesh being burned threatened to nearly cause Kevin and Riesz to yelp or shout in pain, yet both knew that wasn't an option, lest the fluid enters their mouths and erode their esophagus, windpipe, and essentially everything else once it managed to get inside.

Still, they couldn't simply do nothing! Otherwise, they'd both drown for sure, and after that, the acidic 'blood' would leave no trace of them! Riesz tried to swing out her spear to perhaps gain some sort of contact with the floor so that she could perhaps hoist herself up, all the while Kevin tried to move his limbs, essentially attempting to 'swim' through this thickened, red lake. It was then that, again, he felt something. Instead of with his foot, his palm made contact with something fleshy again, his golden eyes looking and seeing some sort of organ floating amidst the liquid. Parts of the organ seemed to branch out, Kevin then realizing that there were even more of them littered throughout the viscous fluid, a strange grapevine of beating, fleshy growths.

It was completely out of the blue, and frankly, he had no idea if it would do anything. But at the moment, he saw no other option. Reaching as far as he could, Kevin grabbed the organ and began to squeeze with all the strength he had in him. Suddenly, the body of liquid began to shift and move, and the more pressure he put on, the more and more the fluid began to flow as if instead of a stationary lake, he and Riesz had become trapped in a river. He continued to clench and squeeze until-

POP!

The organ split apart in his hand, Kevin wincing as bits and pieces floated around, yet his disgust was soon replaced with alarm as he and Riesz were suddenly released from the body of blood, the vicious creatures splitting apart and wailing in gurgled voices that sounded like the screams let out by a drowning man just before he went under. Covered from head to toe in red, both Riesz and Kevin would take it if it meant being free from that acidic trap. As the creatures wailed, both amazon and beastman looked at each other.

"Did you see it too?" Kevin asked.

"Yes," Riesz answered. "The only question is how do we reach them without having to do 'that' again?"

The red, melting beings then seemed to collect themselves, the sunken in 'eyes' looking upon them, a new emotion seen despite their ever-changing features.

Rage.

Orlop Deck

"Brains...brains…" the crowd of the living dead chanting in unison, inching ever closer towards the thief and girl. "BRAINS!" one particularly impatient zombie lunged out, Charlotte extending her hand and pushing with all her might against the rotting corpse's chest.

"HOWY BOWT!" she hollered, the hot, white beam tearing through the decaying flesh of the undead and leaving a sizable hole as if a cannonball had blown through it. The beam burned through more zombies behind it, yet even then, they continued to keep walking towards the two.

"Try taking out their legs," Hawkeye told her, sighting the vulnerable places that he could slash. "It won't stop them, clearly, but it'll slow them down." he tried to add some reassurance to his voice, seeing that the smaller girl was terrified.

"O-Ok." Charlotte nodded, trying to steady her breathing and aim her magic.

Though upon looking at the light forming in her hand, Hawkeye then got a thought. "Hey," he said. "You mind if I try something?"

"Uh...suwe. What?" Charlotte then saw the thief dip his daggers in the steadily growing light she conjured, his blades then gaining a pale glow to them.

The half-elf watched with wide eyes as he then went to work, slashing and slicing at the lower limbs of the incoming horde of undead, the shining blades tearing through the putrefying flesh and muscle (and it tore quite easily through bone as well). Charlotte looked at the light in her hand, then to her flail, an idea coming into her head. Dipping her weapon down into the light, Lumina's blessed glow overtook the metal and had it glowing in the same manner as Hawkeye's daggers. A zombie came at her, she took a swing at its head and it didn't just dislodge from its body, the left half of its face that she had struck appeared to be disintegrating, the already decaying flesh turning black and crispy as if it had been burned, then it flaked off into blackened bits before fading away entirely. It then dawned on Charlotte: these zombies were overflowing with dark magic, otherwise, how would they be able to keep going when they were more than half rotten already? With this realization, the blonde girl swung her flail around and jumped forward, clobbering one of the animated corpses, its head caving in under the weapon's weight and imbued magic.

Lower Deck

The polter-box leaped forward again, and once more, Duran and Angela ran at the precise time where only inches separated them from the possessed chest, its teeth chomping through the wall and tearing through the wood and drywall underneath. So far, the rectangular menace had eaten through the bed, the dresser, the shelf, every other book on the shelf, and a few places in the floor that had it opening its mouth to where it had been human, would've either detached or certainly dislocated it. Seeing as it had failed to take a limb or two from its targets, the box had spit out the wood that had been munched to mere splinters, its large eyes growing dark, its patience reaching its limit.

"So...destroy it by destroying whatever's controlling it, right?" Duran asked.

'Yes.' Faerie answered.

"Hey, does Faerie have any ideas of how to, you know, do that?" Angela asked.

'Well…'

"I can't hear you," Angela said. "You gotta come out."

"I don't know!" Faerie confessed. "I mean...well…I have some ideas, but-"

"Then start talking!" Duran shouted, the box lunging forward again.

The polter-box leaped in the soldier's direction, his shield blocking the incoming teeth. The sudden force had sent Duran to the floor, and the jaws of the possessed chest clamped around the obstacle keeping it from the soft body underneath. It bit and gnawed, trying to either break or wrench away the shield so that it could get to the human that was using it.

It was then that Faerie looked and realized that all the books that had been on the shelf had been torn to bits. All except one. Wait...could that be the key?

"The book!" Faerie shouted. "The book! It's the source of-"

She got no further than that, for upon hearing her reveal the secret of its power, the polter-box decided she made an easier target From its 'mouth' emerged a long, sticky tongue that resembled that of a cross between that of a human and frog. It struck Faerie, the winged woman immediately paralyzed by the mucus coating the fleshy appendage.

"FAERIE!" Duran shouted, he and Angela reached for her, yet there was nothing they could do. As quickly as she had been seized, Faerie was drawn into the mimic's mouth at lightning speed, the chest closing, yet not before licking its lips as if it had just eaten a good meal.

Berth Deck

"You can't get to them like that!" Kevin shouted, Riesz still trying to strike at the bloody creatures with her weapon. "You've got to reach inside them!" as he said this, he had popped another 'heart', the creature losing what little cohesion remaining to it, and then collapsing into a red puddle.

She had tried striking the creature again, but as before, its viscous form only maneuvered out of the way, splitting apart and using these parts of itself to attack her instead. Yet in this, Riesz had spied her golden opportunity. The bloody being shot forward and used its split apart pieces to slam and pin Riesz against the wall, Kevin unable to assist her as more and more of the creatures were surrounding him. The one that held Riesz captive at the moment stretched a piece of itself forward, the melting, skeletal face mere inches away from hers.

Now was the time!

The creature had only seized her by the throat, yet left her arms and legs unrestrained, a grievous error on its part, as now the amazon could make full use of this oversight. She reached forward and plunged her arm through the bloody golem's head, reaching down further and further until she felt her fingers brush up against something. She had to hurry, the acidic substance already beginning to make her arm burn. She clutched the organ and due to the jolt of pain, the creature released her throat, letting her drop to the ground. She then grabbed her spear and plunged it downward, piercing through the piece of flesh she had seized. The creature released a gurgled scream before it promptly exploded, covering Riesz in red. She choked a bit, some of the fluid having gotten into her mouth (the taste of rust and copper strong), yet her problems weren't over yet. She looked down at her arm and saw that, though thankfully not by much, the skin had reddened and it felt sore to the touch.

It was then that she remembered Kevin, ashamed she had only been thinking of herself at that moment.

Though looking at him, he seemed to have been in worse condition than she, his arms covered in reddish skin, and blisters began to develop. Neither of them could keep this up, otherwise, their arms would soon be charcoal black! Another one of the creatures dissolved, Riesz rushing over to the beastman who was clearly in pain.

She took a look at his forearms, wincing at the sight of them. "You can't continue this," she told him. "Your skin will either turn black or fall off your bones like roast chicken." Ok, not the best choice of words, her stomach then roiling at the mention of food.

"I...I think I'm realizing that now." Kevin confessed. "But...but what else can we do?" Riesz was stumped. Indeed, while it was far from desirable, it seemed that having to brave the acidic fluid was their only option. "Watch out!" the amazon turned to see another one of the monsters slithering in their direction. She grabbed Kevin and ducked out of the way, yet another creature snared her ankle, causing her to fall to the ground, dropping her spear.

Though when said spear landed, all of the bloody golems stopped and screamed, spasming as if they had all been struck with lightning. And when they momentarily collapsed into puddles on the floor, she saw the book that her weapon had pierced.

Orlop Deck

"Brains...brains…" the zombies chanted, more and more of them being either blown away or sliced into pieces by glowing blades. Yet still, the simple fact was that they were outnumbered. For every one slain, two more would take its place. "BRAINS!"

Charlotte shot forth another Holy Bolt, moving her body to cut through several undead bodies, this essentially splitting a good number of them in two. Hawkeye made sure to tear through the zombies, slicing off limbs, cutting tendons, every vulnerable spot on a living person that he could think of. If anything, at least these guys still carried that into the next life. It was then that the aura around his daggers began to fade. He quickly fell back realizing that he would need Charlotte to recharge his weapons again.

"KYAHHH!" though he was drawn from this by the girl's scream, the upper torso of a recently halved corpse atop of her, the body of rotting flesh trying to bite down on her head.

"Please…" it moaned, it deteriorated to where any discernible features of whether it was male or female long gone. "Brains. Memories...I can feel...myself rot." it moaned, Hawkeye and Charlotte (despite the latter's current predicament) surprised at the sorrow in its voice. "Eat...makes the pain...go away." it leaned down closer, rotten teeth brown and ugly, yet still able to tear through flesh. "Give me...yours. Give me your-"

STAB!

A dagger plunged into the zombie's head, the undead creature ceasing its movements and falling to the ground not long afterward, its form twitching for a few moments before it went still. "Seems that going for the brain does the trick," Hawkeye said, drawing his weapon from the corpse's head. "It's kept my half from getting back up." He then looked at the other zombies. So many trapped souls...yet neither he nor Charlotte could keep this up forever. But these things appeared to be conscious on some level or another. Perhaps he could make use of his words instead of his daggers. "Hey," he began, the zombies slowly continued to shamble towards the two. "You don't want to do this. I can tell." some of the undead figures stopped. "Look, it's sort of like our situation." he gestured to the hourglass that floated in front of his chest. "Only...you don't have a chance anymore."

Some of the zombies looked at each other, then back to the two that were their prey. "And...why do you waste your breath?" one, an elderly man (or what WAS an elderly man) asked. "You shall...be like...everyone else."

"No one escapes here." another, a young child around Charlotte's size that had seemed to just begin decomposing added. "No one…"

Hawkeye pondered what he had heard. It seemed that these trapped souls had given up all hope. Even if the possibility of getting eaten was still on his mind, the thief's heart couldn't help but ache for these people. They weren't allowed to even rest in peace, kept here as sick trophies of the accursed sea vessel, and then to be used to add more to the collection...it made him seethe. Still, he kept his composure, he had to think of a solution to where they would at least be given a chance of escape.

It was then that his eyes fell on Charlotte again. "Huh?" the girl was confused. "What?"

The thief then realized. Of course! How stupid of him to not see it before! He then directed his attention back to the crowd of zombies. "I bet you'll change your tune when I told you that your salvation has come for you." he then gestured to Charlotte. "And here she is."

Lower Deck

"Give her back, damn you!" Duran swung his sword, the polter-box catching the blade in its teeth.

The two struggled while Angela stepped back, trying to gain some distance between herself and the box so she could better fire a spell. Which is when she stepped on the book with her heel. The polter-box released Duran's sword and howled as if it had been stung by hundreds of assassinants, the princess looking down and seeing what she had done.

Wasting no time, Angela began grinding her heel into its cover, the box looking over to see that she was the cause of its pain. "Let the little lady go, or this thing gets destroyed!" the magician ordered, stamping down on the book for emphasis. "Yeah, you don't like that, do you?" she sneered. "Well, it's only going to get worse for you if you don't-"

She was about to say "cough her up," but, lo and behold, Faerie was expelled from whatever place she had been held captive within the monster. But, the polter-box would not yield its prey so easily. Before Faerie could fly free, its teeth clamped down on her small form, trapping her lower half in its jaws.

"Th-The book!" Faerie cried out. "You've got to destroy the book! It-" she was stopped when the polter-box chomped down, the winged woman releasing a shrill scream as the sharpened teeth dug into her smaller body.

The possessed chest looked at Duran and Angela, then at the book under Angela's boot. The princess began digging her heel in the book once again, yet another cry from Faerie alerted her that she was doing more harm than good.

"Stop!" Duran called out, rushing over and yanking the book out from under her. "You're only making it worse!"

Angela was about to retort how she could clearly see that now, yet another pained shout from Faerie drew the two youths' attention away from each other and to the smaller being trapped in the chest's jaws. The polter-box's large eyes centered on the two, then on the book. Another small amount of pressure on Faerie made it clear what it wanted. The book for Faerie.

And if its demands weren't met...well, the winged woman didn't taste bad. Not bad at all.

Berth Deck

Sensing she had an opportunity presented to her, Riesz rushed over and looked at the bloody golems surrounding her, then to the book. She grabbed her spear and the creatures began to draw closer to her. She twisted her weapon and this stopped them in their tracks, they moaning and howling in pain as she continued to turn the bladed edge of her spear, the book beginning to actually bleed. Red liquid poured out from the book, pooling at her feet. The vicious beings continued to scream in agony, as if someone were twisting whatever insides they had into knots, Riesz taking this as confirmation to continue what she was doing.

Yet it seemed the solution to her and Kevin's current predicament wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

From the pool of blood rose several hands that clasped onto Riesz, new creatures emerging from the collection of red on the floor. They seized her arms and legs, as well as her spear, essentially leaving her immobile. Their touch burned and scorched her skin, already beginning to sizzle. This wasn't good, she was trapped! She could do nothing, and even if she did, the only thing she could do was twist her spear more, yet that would only bring forth more of the monsters.

She only had one hope now.

With what little mobility she had available to her, she kicked the book in Kevin's direction, though she got no chance to say what her strategy would be before she was swamped by the creatures. He had to do something, but what? It was then that the beastman's fingers brushed over the pages of the book. Without a second thought (and with no other ideas to try), Kevin began ripping and tearing through the blood-soaked pages, fists full of wet, aged paper that coated his hands in red. Thankfully, when he had ripped the first few from the spine, the creatures didn't kindly to it at all. They wailed and screamed in the same fashion as they had when Riesz pierced the book. And one by one, they seemed to be collapsing into red puddles, as if they were unable to keep their already unstable forms, losing any structure they had and 'melting' to the ground. The more he ripped, the more figures had fallen. He wasn't sure if he could actually call it 'dying', seeing as it was debatable whether or not these things were ever alive to begin with.

This action didn't go unnoticed however, several of the beings still 'standing' slithering over and latching onto his limbs, pinning him down and keeping him from moving, their burning touch felt immediately. Still, he kept ripping out the pages. Twenty became thirty, which then became forty. Fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one-hundred, on and on he went, the blood golems grabbing at his hands and fingers in an effort to stop him. When the last pages were reached, they had managed to render him near immobile, resting atop of him, his back sizzling with their burning touch. Bound hand and foot in their searing grip, he had no way to grasp the book, let alone tear out the last of the pages.

At least, that's what Kevin initially believed, he gritted his teeth at the sensation of the burning.

Teeth...it was worth a shot.

Slamming his head down, Kevin bit at the top of the pages and jerked his head up, the pages ripping out from their places and more of the creatures collapsing into puddles. He used this method, the bloody beings trying to stop him, some managing to get small droplets of themselves in his mouth, the viscous fluid burning his tongue. Still, Kevin went on, tearing and chewing for good measure until there were only but a few left. One by one, the golems lost their forms, Kevin's captors unable to keep their shape. Now that he had access to his hands again, he reached for the book's remaining pages until the last of the golems seized his wrists and placed its other hand on his face, steadily trying to pry open his mouth. His lips were parted, the red hand burning his entire mouth and cheeks, the creature's fingertips digging into the tan flesh. The golem slowly wrenched the beastman's mouth open, a drop of itself landing on his tongue. Kevin's eyes widened at the burning liquid touching the sensitive appendage, he immediately tried to get the creature off of him. This thing was going to essentially force-feed him acid if he didn't rip the book apart soon! Yet now both means of getting them, his hands and teeth, were taken from him! And he'd be cooked from the inside out if he didn't do something!

STAB!

The head of a spear pierced the creature's head, Kevin looking to see Riesz had stepped in, having been freed from her red captors. This allowed Kevin's mouth to be free as the being reached for the amazon, the beastman's teeth clamping on and ripping out the last pages of the Blood Book. With a shrill cry, the creature collapsed into a bloody puddle, Kevin and Riesz alone in a shallow lake of red.

Orlop Deck

The zombies looked at each other, then at the small girl that was with the older youth. "What...do you mean?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, what DO you mean?" Charlotte questioned Hawkeye, not exactly liking where this was going. Surely he wasn't going to sell her out to these things!

"I'm getting there. Hold on a minute." The thief told her. "Who stands before you is a conjurer and bearer of light, blessed by Lumina himself." the name of the Light Elemental gave the undead pause. "And even more, she is the granddaughter of the Priest of Light himself."

This news actually caused some of them to stumble back, shocked at what they had just heard. "Is...is this true?"

Charlotte looked at Hawkeye, then to the zombies. "You'ww an ass, you know that?" she growled.

"I won't let anything happen to you." he said. "Promise."

"Says the guy who put me on spot in the fiwst pwace…" the girl still wasn't too happy with the thief, yet still, she confirmed what he said to be true. "Yeah." she told the undead horde. "The Pwiest is my gwandfathew."

The corpses looked at the girl, then to each other, silence overtaking the room for a good while before one of them spoke up again. "It doesn't matter now. We are beyond help." the group began to approach them again. "It'll be as quick as we can make it." the zombie moaned. "We just need a taste. A taste of your memories...your joys, your sadness...we need something. Something that can make us feel alive again."

Charlotte puffed out her cheeks. "Nice going," she growled, glowering at Hawkeye. "Like that hewped at aww."

He was somewhat taken aback by how his plan didn't work, yet he wasn't done yet. He had yet to pull out his trump card. "Fine then." he said. "If the granddaughter of His Eminence isn't enough, then how about the wielder of the Mana Sword?"

This gained quite a reaction out of the zombies. "You...that is just cruel." one of them said. "To tell us something so impossible…"

"Believe me, it's true," Hawkeye answered. "He's on the ship right now. We're all on our way to the Mana Holyland."

"Yeah!" Charlotte added. "We'we going to get ouw wishes gwanted!"

The zombies were quiet for a while, some clearly not believing them while others were unsure and torn. Then, one of them spoke up, an elderly man that was barely keeping himself together, the rotten cane he held in his decayed hands looking as if it would fall apart into splinters any second. "The one that is trapped here with us…" he groaned, voice strained as if his throat didn't have much more to give. "The one that serves the Goddess...he spoke of how our suffering would end soon. One that was bound to another of Her Grace's servants."

"You mean Faewie?" Charlotte asked.

The zombies's eyes (at least those who still had eyes) widened upon hearing this, a Faerie here? Even if they weren't the most powerful of creatures, they still had a direct link to the Goddess Herself. And while it didn't persuade them, it was clear that the girl had strong, spiritual powers, granddaughter of the Priest of Light or not. "Tell us…" the old, undead man asked. "What is the youth's name?"

"Duran." Hawkeye answered. "A soldier from Valsena who's in the service of King Richard. Son of the Golden Knight of the Peddan War, Loki."

This made a good few of the corpses gasp and ease out of their previous nature (as well as, literally, some of their jaws as their mouths opened too wide) as if some semblance of humanity was allowed to shine through again. Then they began to break into conversations of the war, how their grandparents, parents, and some of their distant family members were either in or affected by the war. How they felt that Pedda was unstoppable until, of all things, some of the kingdom's own people turned against it. And one of those defectors came to hold the Mana Sword and bring the world back to a state of peace. Hawkeye and Charlotte looked at each other, pondering just what all this meant for them. Sure, they were no legendary heroes such as those the decomposing people were discussing, yet the Mana Sword and its legacy were known by everyone. A legacy that, in one way or another, all six youths would become a part of. Whether that part is big or small, each had a role to play in it…assuming they made it off this ship alive, of course.

The old zombie approached the two still living humans (well, human and half-elf), his remaining eye looking them up and down. Then, he spoke. "You are free to go." he said.

While this was the outcome they were hoping for, both Hawkeye and Charlotte were surprised. "Weawwy?" the half-elf asked. "Just wike that?"

"On one condition." the elderly zombie said. "That the wielder of the Sword saves us from our torment."

Hawkeye and Charlotte looked around at all those that had come before them on this ship. So many lives lost and stripped of their humanity, scrounging for flesh and blood in an effort to taste, feel, sense something again. "He will." the thief told the once old human man. "I promise."

"WE pwomise." Charlotte added. The zombies then parted, allowing the two to leave the room. "But," Charlotte grabbed Hawkeye's pant leg. "Duwan doesn't HAVE the Mana Swowd yet."

"No, he doesn't," Hawkeye admitted. "But…" he looked down. He had seen such people as that before. Not undead, yet thin and despondent, without hope, left completely alone in the world. Nevarl was full of such poor souls. These had just suffered a fate even worse than them. "We...I can't just leave things the way they are. We HAVE to help these people. Somehow."

Lower Deck

Angela bit her lip, looking at the book, then at the polter-box before she directed her attention to Duran. The demands were clear, and there was nothing to really stop the possessed chest from literally devouring Faerie alive.

What to do?

Duran kept his eyes locked onto the box, yet then, in the corner of his eye, he saw Angela begin to inch towards it, the coveted book in hand. "The hell are you doing?!" he hissed, the princess shushing him.

"Hush. You're going to break my concentration."

She went forward, closer and closer to the box. "Angela, wait-" Faerie began, yet she was shushed like Duran, the princess' green eyes saw the hungry glint in the possessed chest's eyes. She had one chance at this, just one, but she had to try something. She extended her hand to the box, book in her grasp, and slowly, the creature opened its mouth, Faerie having just enough room to wriggle around, but not escape. More and more room was given as the chest's jaws opened, Faerie eventually released, yet this wasn't a cause for celebration. "Look out!"

The polter-box leaped forward, mouth open wide and ready to take Angela in its maw. "Oh, no you don't!" a voice shouted, the magician feeling herself being shoved to the floor, the polter-box taking the swordsman in its mouth instead, it clamped its jaws shut and licked the edges of its top and bottom parts as if licking its lips.

"Duran!" Angela wasted no time in going over and attempting to pry open the chest, all the while Faerie held back, anxious about being nearly eaten again. "You bastard! Let him go!"

From inside, Duran shook his head, having hit it on the way in. Angela's voice was muffled, but he could clearly hear her cursing the box and demanding for his release. He began to survey his surroundings, something that was somewhat difficult when he was essentially folded in half.

"Ugh...what the…" he grimaced at the realization he was somewhere warm and hot. And frankly, not exactly smelling like spring.

He was inside the box all right, it just didn't look like what he had expected. Yes, the box had a tongue, yet apparently, the magic of the book also gave it a fully formed mouth inside, everything slick and wet. Duran was NOT exactly pleased to be here, yet he could barely move. His legs were folded painfully against his chest and his sword, which barely fit inside with him, was wedged against his shoulder. Well, this was lovely. Faerie was safe, yet now he was the one stuck in here! Still, one thing confused him. Yes, he was in a mouth, yet what now? Assuming this thing needed to even eat, then where would the throat or stomach be, because all he saw was a fleshy, small cavern that led nowhere.

Then, he felt himself somewhat sink down, as if a hole had manifested from underneath. It wasn't enough to swallow him, yet he felt it, as well as a cool breeze underneath. Then, the hole began to grow, Duran soon hearing the sound of the wind. It grew and grew more violent as if he were in the middle of a tornado and could hear the calamity from within the safety of the eye. Then, he felt himself nearly fall over, instinctively clinging onto the edge of the mouth. Down below sat a distant, black hole amidst a swirling vortex of darkness. He was immediately reminded of what he had seen when he was taken inside Zenoah and, while he still didn't know where that particular vortex led, the swarm of demons that had been drawn into it was a bad sign. This rift didn't look any more inviting. At all. He gasped and pulled, attempting to get himself up, yet found that there wasn't much room to do so, the roof of the polter-box preventing him from getting higher. Then, his fingers brushed up against something, which then made everything come to a halt. It was rectangular in shape and bound in leather.

The book! It was the same book Angela had!

That stupid box must've swallowed it when it took him as well!

Suddenly, Duran felt everything jerk, his grip on the already wet, slippery surface growing weaker. He grabbed for the book, using it as a means to have something solid to hold on to. Then, he remembered when Angela had dug into it with her boot, and how the box was so desperate to get it back that it had been willing to release Faerie in exchange. The hole opened up to where he had nothing to hold onto anymore, Duran falling down towards the abyss, not even realizing that he had the book in his hand.

Yet outside, the box immediately sensed something was amiss. The book, where was the book?! The stupid wench beating and shooting spells at it with that pathetic stick of hers meant nothing compared to the tome that allowed it to possess this form! It was then that it felt a literal lump in its throat, or at least the closest thing it had to a throat.

Oh no.

Inside, Duran's journey was stopped by something long and covered in mucus catching him, or rather, the book in his hand: the polter-box's tongue. It began to yank upwards, shaking around and spinning around in an effort to both reclaim the book and dislodge the young man, throwing him into the ever-consuming black hole below. His grip steadily grew weaker as the erratic movements went on, yet still, he held on. He had an idea, yet it'd have to require some upper body strength on his part, more so than he was already exerting.

"Duran!?" he heard Angela shout from above, having managed to pry the polter-box's mouth open. "Duran, are you down there?!"

"He's still alive!" he then heard Faerie say. "But...but there's another force down there with him. A portal of some kind."

Portal to where? Well, Duran wasn't wanting to find out. The tongue wriggled and wagged, throwing Duran around like a ragdoll until, finally, he could hold on no more. But it was also then that he put his plan into motion.

SLASH!

His blade cut through the pinkish appendage, slicing off the end and letting it, himself, and the book fall down. Further and further down Duran went, releasing the book and watching it travel before him. Now he could only hope that it would reach the vortex before he did. As well as pray that this would work.

Angela was seconds from sticking herself inside to drag the soldier out herself, yet Faerie pulled her back ( or forced her to do so by seizing her hair). "Look!" she said, the princess taking the strands of hair in the winged woman's grip and scowling, her scalp still stinging.

Still, she did so, and the polter-box looked as if either it were suffering some serious nausea or something was definitely going wrong inside it. Its cheeks puffed out and it looked as if it were about to explode.

And lo and behold, it did just that.

Its mouth opened and Duran went flying out as if he had been shot from Bon Voyage's cannon, knocking into Angela and then, into the bed, Angela pinned to the mattress beneath the young man's weight. She grimaced as she felt his slime-covered body on her, yet was thankful that he was here at all. Then, her and Duran's attention was back on the box, it seemed to be trying to contain itself before it seemed to split in half, both halves of the chest breaking apart from each other and bending in impossible angles. Then, a dark vortex, the same vortex seen from within its throat, manifested beneath it, swallowing it up until it then shrank and dissipated.

There was nothing left of the polter-box save for the damage it had done, as well as Duran's spit-soaked body.

"Great to have you back." Angela moaned. "Now get off."

Note: This is getting a little long, so I'm going to cut it off here. Again, I'm caught up in Transformers fever, and frankly, I've got to do something with it or I'm going to go crazy. But don't worry, I am FINISHING this thing!

Not much else to say, but while I don't know when it'll be, keep your eyes peeled for both future chapters and some of my other stories! Thank you all!