PART X

"But I hate water."

"Just get in there!"

"No! I can't even swim!"

"It's waist deep!"

"For you!"

"Oh yeah. Well, that's still not that deep."

"I'm not going swimming."

"You'll have to learn sometime."

"Apparently not."

"Fine, but you'll regret it."

Vivli still wasn't sure if she did regret it or not. She figured the reason the others hadn't shown up washed up in one form or another was because they had stayed, splashing around, swimming, where as she had sunk and nearly drowned. So, in many ways, she owed her life to refusing to take swimming lessons off Fiorel all those years ago.

Of course, any thoughts involving Fiorel made her remember he was most probably dead, and in turn remember that the rest of the party was most probably dead as well. She was slightly surprised to find herself handle this a little better now, instead of crying about it, she found herself pondering what to do next. This almost worked, had this not triggered a feeling of grief because she suddenly didn't seem to care, prompting her to cry again. Of course, these problems were minor compared to the current affairs of Bootus, Voldos and Zinkata.

"Yar, scrub harder ye dogs!" Barked the pirate captain as the three adventurers-turned-pirates scrubbed the deck. They had been given the choice: join the crew, or walk the plank. They had decided to join, should the opportunity for mutiny and freedom arise.

"Dammit! Why are we scrubbing the decks anyway?" Bootus snapped.

"Ar, what else do ye think ye be doing?" Asked the captain. "Ye can't sail, and there's nothing to be blastin', so ye scrub the decks."

"I dunno, Captain, we could just laze around on the decks and do nothing." Voldos suggested.

"Get back to scrubbing!" The captain waddled off angrily, apparently trying to find something more productive to do.

"Let's find a way out of here, quickly." Zinkata suggested.

"Sit down!" Gasped Alex as she spotted Vivli wondering out the door.

"What? Why?" Vivli turned around.

"You're still recovering. You can't leave." Alex told her.

"I have to. Besides-" Vivli suddenly paused. "Wait a second. Alex. As in Alexandria?"

"Yeah." Alex paused. "How did you-" She stopped again. "Wait a second. I've seen you before. You're from the monastery."

"Yeah. I'm Vivli. Doubt anybody mentioned me, but I saw you around. You were in the advanced classes above me." Vivli was becoming slightly excited at seeing a familiar face.

"Vivli?" Exclaimed Alex for a moment, before pausing. "Urm, I mean, no, don't think I've heard of you." If Vivli was slightly less naïve and gullible, she might have found such a reaction odd. "Well, erm, since your from the monastery, I insist you stay until your fully healed." Vivli was a bit surprised. She wasn't too sure how to get out of this.

"I have to find the others." She explained.

"Look, I'll ask the guard to send out a search party. You stay here and rest." Alex sat Vivli down forcibly. Vivli shook on the stretcher she had been sat on. She had to admit she was tired, and didn't feel like facing the outside.

"But I need to find them." She said, trying to get up.

"They'll get right on it. You sit here and rest." Alex turned and walked out. Vivli fell to sleep before she had time to ponder whether she should be staying or going.

"Weren't we supposed to be saving the world?" Voldos asked while cleaning out a cannon.

"Don't think so. I think the extend of our mission was 'protect the incompetent White Mage'." Bootus replied. "Oh yeah, and spy on San D'Oria and Windurst."

"Damn. Wonder what happened to Vivli?" Zinkata quickly asked. "It sounded kind of important we kept her alive."

"Can't be much worse off than us." Voldos muttered. "I mean, what kind of ship has the policy 'no women'? What the hell am I meant to do now?" Bootus went to make a suggestion. "NO! HELL NO! Don't even say it!" The gigantic galka giggled (which was a hilarious sight in itself).

"On deck!" Announced somebody and the three rushed up there to see what was happening. The captain (who happened to be named Bikke, after an old pirate legend), stepped out onto the deck.

"Yar, listen up, me might crew." Zinkata looked around. The 'crew' were made mostly up of undead skeletons, and some ridiculously stereotypical looking pirates. The ex-thief half expected them to burst into song and dance. "The ferry to Windurst will be passing through these very waters, and we be attacking. This be the opportunity to prove yeselves, for some newcomers." Bikke gave a glance to the three adventurers. "We be attacking within the hour. Ready yeselves." Zinkata glanced to Voldos.

"This is the perfect opportunity to escape." He said.

"Is the captain really this stupid or does he know we're gonna attempt to get away?" The elf replied with a question.

"I don't think we need to worry about Bikke's intellect." Zinkata stated as he watched Bikke desperately try to hold his pirate hat on his head in the blowing wind.

Vivli woke up again and instantly cursed having fallen asleep. Of course, she usually got away with cursing because no other White Mage's were around to tell her it was immoral.

"Oi! You shouldn't be saying things like that!" Alex yelled. This was not one of those usual times.

"The code doesn't forbid it." Vivli said with a smile.

"Actually, I think it does. Somewhere at the back." Alex tried to look serious, but she just laughed. The White Mage code had a strict version they all followed, and then several meaningless rules most White Mages ignored. Like 'you shall always wear white', when journeying in the world wearing white all the time was impossible. It quickly became brown, green, or in one strange instant, purple. It's probably best not to ask about that one.

"Can I leave yet?" Vivli asked, climbing to her feet.

"You can. I wouldn't recommend it." Alex replied.

"I'm fine." Vivli lied. Her head spun and she almost fell over. She quickly gathered herself and managed to regain her balance.

"Look, I cant force you to stay here." Alex began. "But it looks like you really should. You got lucky anybody was around to find you last time. You go out now, and you could get in serious trouble." Alex decided to try reverse psychology the best she could.

"Look, I know I should stay," And it almost worked. "But I can't. I have to find the others. I can't just leave them." With that, Vivli walked to the door and swung it open. She noticed it felt unusually heavy. Of course, this wasn't the door, it was her. She was feeling incredibly weak and shaky. She tried her best not to show any concern and walked out. Alex didn't try to hide her concern. Something was clearly bothering her.

Vivli looked dizzily around town. People were wondering around quite quietly, not much was happening. She swayed uneasily, and steadied herself against the wall of the recovery building. She had no plan. She had no ideas. She didn't have a clue what she was doing. The dock of the town was still damaged from where the Sea Horror had torn through, but it was at least under repair. Suprisingly, she managed to keep a hold of herself when remembering the battle that had taken place there with the possibly dead team mates and Fiorel. She was almost impressed with herself.

Suddenly she dropped. Something odd happened. It was if her body told her it wasn't having anymore of this standing up and was just going to lie down. And so, it shut itself down. And she fell.

Luckily a passing galka grabbed her and set her on her feet. She shook her head wearingly.

"Thanks." She mumbled, before wondering off, dazed. She wondered out onto the outskirts of the dunes, and heard a battle. Vivli always felt better when helping others, and so decided to head out and help this person in combat. She hoped it would make her feel better.

You can imagine then, when she discovered the battle was between two goblins, she was slightly surprised. They circled each other and lunged. One grappled the other and flung it to the floor. It drove its own knife through the neck of the pinned goblin, ending its life, before charging off to attack another. Vivli took a few more curious steps, swayed, and collapsed.

Dammit she thought as she awoke back in the recovery building, lying on a basic stretcher.

"That's it." Stated Alexandria. "You're going nowhere. It's too dangerous. Especially right now."

"Right now?" Vivli asked, getting up slowly.

"All the confusion with the beastmen." Alex replied. "Doubt you've heard."

"No. What?" She sighed.

"Their attacking each other. Almost a civil war between them. Nobody knows quite what the causes are. Until now, they'd been organised. Even the authorities were getting worried the Shadow Lord had returned and was controlling them." The Shadow Lord had led the beastmen in combat twenty years ago during the crystal war, but had been slain by a hero. "So all of a sudden, their attacking each other. And it isn't unorganised. Groups of beastmen are fighting, and staying in those groups."

"That's odd." Vivli muttered. She shook her head to try and regain her senses. "That's very odd."

"Ha. You haven't heard the half of it. The ship just got in from Windurst, and on it there's these three adventurers being praised as heroes for repelling a pirate invasion."

"What's so odd about that?" Vivli asked.

"They were pirates. They turned on the crew the instant they touched on the ship, cut the ropes attaching the ships, and then the pirates didn't know what to do. Their over in the tavern celebrating. All different races as well, an elf, a human and a galka." Vivli suddenly shot up. "The elf kept hitting on me."

"It's them!" She screamed happily. "It's my party!" Vivli shot straight out of the building before Alexandria could stop her.

Deep in the bowels of the land, Signot met his master once more. He now wore an eye patch over his lost eye and his black cloak had been replaced with one that was crimson. He knelt down on one knee, listening to the announcements of his lord.

"Signot, your attack on San D'Oria was fool hardy." The voice warned.

"I know, my master. Forgive me." Signot kept his head down.

"The Shadow Lord has clearly become aware of our activities. The beastmen are torn over who to serve." An underlying tone of anger pounded with the voice.

"It does not matter, my master." Signot's voice was quaking. "You are almost reformed, and when you are, nobody will stand against you. You are the true ruler of Vana'diel. You are the true ruler of the world. This," Signot paused, speaking with contempt, "Shadow Lord is no match for you."

"It is true. The Shadow Lord will fall under my domain." The voice paused again. "Send word out to the Shadow Lord. He is to cease hostilities and surrender to me."

"Master, is that wise? He fights you by choice and-" Signot didn't get a chance to finish.

"Tell him the great God Uggalepih lives again, and if he does not obey my will, he shall be destroyed!" The voice boomed with rage, and Signot felt a deep terror flash through him. The most evil of the gods, Uggalepih, was no name to be mentioned lightly, and Signot trembled in fear at the thought he was conversing with that very creature right now. The Shadow Lord would not disobey Uggalepih, he could not, it was not possible. Signot smiled. He knew now they were to be victorious.

Indeed, their greatest threat, despite appearances, were currently telling tales in a small tavern in Seblina. The tavern was mostly a shop, but had been adapted to be a tavern by command.

"And then I pounded those pirates single-handed while the other guys here cowered." Voldos bragged to a girl slumped against a wall. "So, what do you think baby? Say you and me go and find a more private room?"

"VOLDOS!" Screamed the girl, turning around. "It's me!" Voldos staggered back noticing it was Vivli.

"AH!" He screamed. "I didn't realise it was you! I didn't mean to- I mean I would never- You would-" He paused. "AH!" He screamed again. "I'd never hit on you!"

"Should I be horribly offended or horribly relieved?" Vivli asked to nobody.

"Vivli!" Bootus cried. "You're alive!"

"Just about." Vivli swayed again, feeling quite dizzy. Bootus caught her and stood her back up.

"Thank god for that." The galka sighed. Vivli blinked. Had she just heard what she thought? "I mean, if you were dead, whatever Signot was trying to do might succeed."

"Hey! Vivli!" Zinkata ran over. "You missed us becoming pirates! And defeating this pirate captain! And a boat ride! And-" Zinkata's mind caught up with his mouth. "What happened to you?"

"Well," Vivli prepared to explain.

Sometime later and they were back at the recovery centre. Vivli had collapsed again and it was the only place to take her. Unfortunately, this proved disastrous.

"GO AWAY!" Screamed Alex at the irritating elf.

"But, Alex, without you, my life is nothing!" Pleaded the elf.

"On day, that'll work, then he won't know what to do." Vivli laughed, sat up on the bed.

"Oh, I think he knows what to do!" Bootus replied.

"Please!" Alex cried. "Go! Vivli needs to rest, and can't with you buzzing around!"

"But I go where you go!" The elf cried romantically. "I'll follow you to the ends of the land!"

"Vivli needs to rest!" Cried the White Mage. "And she can't with you making that much noise!"

"Aw, the little mithra needs to sleep." Bootus said sarcastically. "Want us to read you a bed time story?"

"Read her the one about the light warriors. I love that one!" Zinkata went along with the joke. Vivli chuckled to herself.

"I don't. All the time travel makes my head hurt." Bootus grumbled. "I mean, how did they slay the demon lord Chaos 2000 years in the past? And if they did, surely none of the events would have happened in the future because Chaos was already dead? Or did they still happen, because he had set the four fiends free before then? And if he had set them free, what would killing him in the past achieve? So just how did they save the world by killing somebody thousands of years in the past? And, even if they did save the world, wouldn't they just cause an endless paradox? I mean, if there was no threat in the future, they'd never have gone back in time!" The others stared at Bootus in disbelief.

"Bootus. How old are you?" Zinkata asked blankly.

"Thirty one." The galka proudly crossed his arms, knowing he was quite a bit older than the others.

"How after thirty one years are you still struggling with a fairy tale?" The warrior asked.

"It makes no sense I tell you!" Bootus cried passionately.

"Keep it down!" Alex snapped.

"Don't think it matters. Look." Zinkata pointed to Vivli, who was not only asleep, but cuddled up to her pillow.

"You talk about age. She's like a little kid." Bootus grumbled.

"Sure, Fairy Tale Boy." Voldos smirked as he spoke.

"Shut up, Sparky." Bootus countered.

"But I love you!" Voldos screamed from outside, having been thrown out.

"You need a more subtle approach. Be smooth." Zinkata suggested.

"Do what on the who now?" Voldos seemed puzzled by this suggestion. Bootus groaned and the ex-thief laughed.

"You realise its night and we have nowhere to sleep?" Bootus finally said.

"We had better find an inn." Zinkata took his turn to state the obvious. "Tomorrow we'll catch a ship to Windurst."

"Hey, we might even run into Bikke again!" The elvaan joked.

"Master, the Shadow Lord did not co-operate." Signot told Uggalepih.

"Did not co-operate?" Two red eyes beamed out of the shadows. "I'm almost amused." The voice paused. "Very well. I shall deal with him myself. If the Shadow Lord stands before me, then I shall crush him into dust."

"Does that mean-" Signot began.

"Yes. I am fully regenerated." Wings rose from the darkness, and Signot caught his first glimpse of Uggalepih's gigantic demonic form. It sent a chill through his spine despite his preparation for this moment. "The Shadow Lord will fall, and then will this pathetic land."

"And what of the girl?" Signot dared to ask.
"Find her and kill her. Like this pathetic world, her time is up."