~*~Interlude Four: Power~*~

The Falcon was not built for battle, and its sole cannon was not enough to fend off the pirates' ship. By the time Ruby made it to the deck, some of the pirates were already aboard the Falcon. He decided that, even though it was his most powerful element, Fire would probably end up being a suicidal move. Deciding that Bio would be the most effective spell in his current situation, he started chanting, aiming at a large clump of pirates.

The effect was immediate. The afflicted pirates fell to their knees, feeling rather ill and weak. That was all the excuse the crew of the Falcon needed to attack and slay the pirates. The other pirates were seemingly unaware of the spell having been cast, Ruby noticed. They don't realize that the crew of the Falcon has a mage helping them. This could be useful if I play it right...

Ruby quietly cast Sleep on a few pirates that had some of the Falcon's crew members backed into a corner. They hesitated, giving the sailors an opening. He continued his subtle rampage, knocking enemies off-balance discreetly enough so that none of the non-affected pirates noticed their allies' predicament. He silently regretted not being able to give them a fair chance, but the crew was very much outnumbered by the pirates. It evened out, all things considered.

Suddenly, Ruby became aware of a slight... tingling sensation on his magical senses. He wondered what could be causing it, as he was the only mage around that he'd noticed. At that time, the pirates retreated onto their own boat. Ruby slowly reached out, trying to sense the nature of the spell.

Water. It's water. This could be a problem... "Everyone hang on!" Ruby called.

That was about the point when a tidal wave hit the ship, sending those who had not heeded Ruby's warning-- or those who had not been fast enough-- over the side of the ship.

No spell could manipulate water in that fashion! But... what could channel that sort of power? An orb like mine?

The pirates re-boarded the Falcon with the confidence that they would win. Ruby carefully went over to the pirates' ship, planning to seek out the holder of the other orb.

I'm sure that, as a Light Warrior, he's perfectly good and such. He just must be...misguided. I'll be able to make him see the light.

And a pirate jumped out in front of him, rapier drawn. Ruby, in reply, pulled his own short sword from its sheath. He blocked several quick and inaccurate blows before deciding that the pirate in question was rather drunk. He can't fight in this condition. Well, might as well... Ruby chanted Sleep, all the while fending off the wobbly blows. The spell took easily, and the pirate slumped to the ground in a sound slumber. Ruby moved on, following the slight tingle against his senses that signaled the orb's power. It led him to the main deck of the ship, where only the captain stood.

Wait. A pirate captain. He can't be the one. He's supposed to be--

"You took your time getting here, little mage." The voice was full of malice. "So... is it my power you desire? Well, you're not taking it!"

Ruby blinked. "No... I just wanted to know if you, too, were a Light Warrior."

"Li- Light Warrior!" The pirate was surprised. "Would you seriously think that I could be a Light Warrior? Truly... I've found a great source of raw power, but I'm no fool of the Light. I deal in darkness and Death, I."

"Then... you do have an orb?"

"An orb! Is that what you call it? Well, I don't know. Let me see yours for comparison."

Ruby held his orb out cautiously. The pirate looked at it for several moments.

"It's one of those, all right. Now..." He drew his sword, "give it to me, or die."

Ruby returned the orb to its pocket. "Why do you want it?"

"The power. I already hold power over the element of Water. With that Orb of Fire, all that rides on the ocean will be subject to my mercy."

"Oh."

"So give it to me... or die."

"Didn't you just say that?"

"I really meant it this time!"

"How melodramatic of you," Ruby replied. Who does this guy think he's kidding? You'd think he was quoting straight out of a 25 Gil novel. 100% Stereotypical Bad GuyÔ at work, the mage thought with amusement. But, if that's true, then how does this guy have an Orb? Did he steal it from its true owner?

The captain lunged suddenly, his rapier drawn. Ruby barely managed to keep his head from being separated from the rest of him, and quickly pulled out his own short sword. He held it in a defensive position, wishing he had thought to get his shield and armor out of his cabin aboard the Falcon. The pirate captain swung his sword at Ruby again, catching his chest through the thin cloth tunic he wore. Ruby quickly chanted a curative spell, then the White spell of Protection. The magical barrier that appeared around him was somewhat comforting, but Ruby knew that its power wouldn't hold up for very long. Ruby realized that his best bet would be to try to dodge the pirate's attacks until he tired, then go on the offensive. Sure, he could just cast Sleep, but the captain didn't have magic. It just wouldn't be fair in this sort of duel.

The pirate captain's sword struck the magical barrier over the mage's left shoulder and bounced off, causing Ruby to flinch as the force hit him through the barrier. Ruby fended of the next few blows, parrying them with his sword, and barely dodged a blow that slashed a hole in his cape. He struck quickly, but his short sword just bounced off the other man's heavy armor.

Useless. I'll have to find a weak point when I attack, or else I'll just exhaust myself without making a dent. Ruby continued to dodge the blows, feeling the Protection spell erode with every hit the pirate got in. Ruby realized he couldn't hold up for much longer. Whether the pirate captain had magic or not, Ruby had to do something.

"Power of Thunder, deliver Your jolt--
I call on the force of the lightning Bolt!" he chanted, and lightning rained down from the clear sky, shocking the pirate. He was knocked down, and Ruby waited patiently for him to pull himself back up.

The pirate captain gave Ruby an odd glance. "Why didn't you attack me?"

"You couldn't defend yourself," the mage replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You do realize that you are an idiot," the pirate replied, charging again. Ruby parried, still hoping that his opponent would tire, allowing him a chance to go for a chink in the armor. However, it was quickly becoming obvious to him that this enemy wasn't going to tire easily.

What am I supposed to do now?