PART XI
"And so, the ultimate question, why do we monks fight?"
"To preserve the creation of the Gods, Sensei, that's easy."
"Not quite as easy as you may think."
"Why? What do you mean?"
"We fight the Gods as well."
"I don't understand."
"The great God Uggalepih, he is still a God."
"Well, I hardly meant for his creations."
"But his creations are part of our world. Not everything is black and white."
"I hate philosophy."
Bootus was surprised. He was hesitant about waking the sleeping mithra up. Dammed party, making me all sympathetic he thought to himself.
"Should we wait?" Bootus asked.
"We can't. The ship will leave soon." Zinkata answered. "Wake her up."
"You do it." The galka replied. Neither were actually sure why they were cautious to.
"But I love you!" Bellowed Voldos and Vivli jolted awake. Alexandria rolled her eyes in frustration.
"Well that settled that." Zinkata mumbled.
"Aw. Is it morning already?" Groaned Vivli.
"Almost afternoon. Get up!" Vivli didn't. She just rolled over back to sleep. This time Zinkata jolted her. "Up! You can sleep on the boat." She blinked a few times as the two adventurers went to find and drag Voldos away from Alex.
Bootus took it upon himself physically. He grabbed and dragged the elf away, who tried to pose as coolly as possible, which, when being dragged away by the gigantic bulk of a galka is not very. Alex laughed as the galka and the elf disappeared out of the door. She was almost sad she was no longer the centre of anybody's attention. Luckily, a crash from the corner of the room instantly gave her something to do.
Vivli was lying on the floor.
"I fell over." She told Alex.
"Yes. I can see that." Alex replied, helping the mithra to her feet. "What happened?"
"I went kinda dizzy. Been happening lately." Vivli replied, shaking her head. Alex cautiously put the back of her hand on Vivli's forehead.
"Wow. You're pretty much burning up." Alex sounded fairly surprised. "You're going to have to stay here."
"She can't." Alex jumped out of her skin. She had been completely unaware Zinkata was still in the room. "We're leaving now. If she's as sick as you say, then the monastery will know what to do."
"You're headed to the monastery?" Alex cried in shock. "But, she really should stay here. I can treat her fine."
"The mages at the monastery will be able to as well." Zinkata gestured to the door. "Come on!"
"But it could be dangerous to travel!" Alex screamed after them.
"It's dangerous to stay here. You haven't seen what hunts us." Zinkata started to pull Vivli away, who seemed confused about who to obey. She helplessly waved to Alex. Alex waved back.
"Hm. This is a problem." She commented.
"Shadow Lord! Reveal yourself!" Bellowed a voice into the darkness. Two glaring purplish eyes glowed in the darkness.
"What makes you think you deserve my audience?" Boomed back another voice.
"You will show yourself." The darkness faded, revealing a desolate landscape. It accumulated in the centre, a shadowy figure.
"I am the Shadow Lord. Nobody orders me." The Shadow Lord stood arrogantly before the gigantic form of Uggalepih. "What makes you think you can stand before me?" He added in a snarl. "I am the very incarnation of pure evil!"
"I invented pure evil. I am a God. I am Uggalepih!" The demonic form paused. "What makes you think you can stand before me?" He added with amusement.
"Uggalepih? Is that what you call yourself now?" The Shadow Lord circled, but the form of Uggalepih did not move. "I know who you really are. All of time itself could not erase your past. Your false status as a God will be unmasked and you will be destroyed!"
"I am more powerful than any God." Stated Uggalepih. "And if you know who I am, you know why. You know what I can do to you."
"I know." The Shadow Lord replied. "But, then, if you succeed, how can I conquer this world?"
"If you want to fight, do it." Uggalepih let out a loud laugh. "For all the good it will do you."
"Not even I would enter a fight I know I cannot win." The Shadow Lord faded from view. Uggalepih paused. He had been victorious in this confrontation. Another problem was eliminated. Only one remained.
Vivli swayed uneasily as the ship rocked. It had just left port.
"Look. Sit down. Get some rest or something." Bootus instructed her. "Just don't stand there looking ill."
"Hey! I'm not missing this! This is going to be fun!" She wondered up towards the deck. Bootus shrugged and followed.
A few adventurers were fishing. Vivli was staring down at the water crashing by below, although whether she was overly excited or scared out her wits Bootus couldn't tell. Voldos was rubbing his cheek as a young blonde elf stormed off angrily. Presumably his latest attempt to chat up a girl. Zinkata was staring curiously through the bridge at the captain of the ship, who, although at the wheel, seemed to be lost in a daydream. This didn't fill Bootus with confidence.
"What's that?" Somebody commented in surprise. Vivli leant over the edge of the boat, seeing something racing towards them, leaving a gigantic wake behind it.
"It's heading straight for us!" The mithra exclaimed.
"What is?" Zinkata asked quickly.
"ME!" A voice bellowed as it slammed through the back of the ship, crashed through the glass, and rolled onto the deck.
Signot ripped the deck apart with a burst of shadowy energy. Wood flew everywhere, as did adventurers. Several fell from the decks and splashed into the water.
"Signot!" Snapped Zinkata.
"Hello, old friend." Signot snarled while the adventurers assimilated his new look. "As you can see, Fiorel left quite a scar on me before I killed him."
"NO!" Vivli cried, dropping down to her knees.
"Ah, I expected as much." Signot began to walk towards the mithra, but the three surviving party members barred his path. "You know, I was hoping that you might attack me in your rage, that maybe, just for once, we'd do battle. But I always knew in my heart you were too much of a coward. I knew in my heart you didn't have the guts to face me. I knew you'd just cry."
"That's enough, Signot!" Zinkata snapped. Vivli opened her eyes and stopped crying. Something inexplicable was burning inside of her. It was anger. But not the usual kind. It made her stand up.
"You want a fight Signot?" She found herself shouting, although she could barely believe it. "Then why don't you come and get it!" She was, of course, still without a weapon, but this didn't deter her. She marched straight for the evil figure, only to be pulled back by Bootus (yes, by the tail).
"While I admire your sudden courage, I don't admire your combat abilities. Let us handle this." The galka advised.
"You want to handle this?" Signot asked. He opened his arms and looked at the entire ship worth of adventurers, all prepared to attack. "You all want to handle this?" Signot laughed. "You have no idea what you face, do you?" He thrust his arms into the air and an orb of shadowy energy spread across the deck, flinging would-be heroes into the ocean or draining the life force from them. Only four stood untouched.
"Impossible!" Barked Signot. Voldos, Zinkata, Bootus and Vivli stood, completely unaffected. "My magic was granted to me by the dark God Uggalepih himself. It makes no sense. It can't be resisted." He paused, before waving a finger at Vivli, who was now shrinking away again. "That brat I can understand. But all four of you? It doesn't seem possible."
"Problems, Signot?" Bootus taunted, smirking.
"No problem that will concern your short lives. Even without my powerful Shadow Magic, I can destroy you." Signot spat.
"Shadow Magic? Shadow's no element I've ever heard of." Voldos quickly said in thought.
"Of course its not. Only Uggalepih himself can grant that power. And nobody can resist it!" Signot screamed.
"You appear to be wrong about that. Just thought I'd point it out." Voldos said with a smile.
"Bah! I will destroy all of you!" Signot drew his blade and ran at them.
In this time Vivli had backed against the small wall at the edge of the ship, and slumped down, curled up.
"Uggalepih." She whimpered. "Uggalepih." The clash of swords rang across the ship as she repeated this name in terror. Her previous moment of courage had disappeared as if it had never existed. She could only watch as the other three adventurers fought. Suddenly, she felt that same burning within her. She rose. It was as if she no longer controlled her actions.
Signot kicked Bootus in the chest and he flew back to the ground. He then span around to face both Voldos and Zinkata. The two warriors had their swords drawn, but couldn't penetrate the defence of Signot's double blade.
"You're not so tough without your Shadow Magic." Bootus taunted.
"My Shadow Magic is reserved for higher foes. It helped me murder that bastard, Fiorel, but matters not in combat against you." He attacked, and Voldos swept down low with his blade. Signot jumped it, back fisting the elvaan warrior. Voldos was knocked unconscious. Bootus got up and jumped. A blast of electricity sent him flying over the edge of the ship, splashing down below.
"Now, Zinkata, let's settle this. One on one. As it should have been." Signot ran at Zinkata, and Zinkata dived to the side.
"We were friends. You through that down the drain and sold yourself out! I wouldn't trade this battle for the world." Zinkata turned about to face his opponent.
"Oh, please, you were only my ally because I needed you to steal the crown of Uggalepih, it was all planned. He came to me in a dream, you see, when I was a young boy. The rest was careful planning. I had known for decades that only you could pull it off. It was your destiny." He laughed. "Your destiny. Now Uggalepih is resurrected and the world is his!"
"Like hell!" Zinkata attacked Signot, who parried him away quite easily with his double bladed weapon. He pulled Zinkata's blade to the ground, and then slashed for his head before the warrior could recover. Zinkata arched backwards, and the blade flew over his head. He pulled his sword up, and sliced Signot's blade in two.
Signot attacked using the two blades, giving Zinkata a very hard time blocking. He turned, and ran up towards the bridge of the ship. Signot leapt into the air, soaring, and landed before him. Zinkata stumbled back. Signot lowered his blades.
"You cannot defeat me. Surrender. Maybe I wont kill you." Zinkata sighed, and hurled his sword at Signot. The dark lord dodged to the side, and it lodged in the wooden cabin of the ship. "Last shot. Looks like you missed." He approached Zinkata, both blades in his hands. He slashed at his head and feet at the same time, from opposite directions. One perfectly timed tuck jump later, and Zinkata had landed on his feet, unharmed. Signot brought the two blades down overhead, and Zinkata grabbed both of his hands, arching back to hold him away.
"Signot!" A voice screamed from atop the cabin. "Take your shot at somebody your own size!" As highly comical as it was to hear Vivli shout this, this is what she said.
"You?" Signot was having difficulty believing it. "I'll deal with you in a moment. For now, get down from there." He hurled a gigantic fireball at her. She jumped over it, and landed skilfully. "What?" Signot cried.
"What?" Zinkata cried. What did I just do? Vivli's mind screamed. It was almost as if something was possessing her.
"You call that magic, Signot?" Vivli yelled down.
"Oh, I see what's happened. Your-" Signot was cut off.
"I'd love to let you explain, but I don't have time. Let's see how you handle this." A single bolt of energy shot down, slamming into the deck, and causing it to explode in a massive eruption. Signot was blown away. When the smoke settled, he was no longer there. Zinkata had been untouched. Voldos awoke. Vivli had completely collapsed.
It was therefore a strange sight to greet Bootus as he clambered back on deck, soaked.
"What happened?" He screamed, gazing at the gaping hole.
"That little fool realised her potential, it seems." Alexandria told him, walking out from below decks. "I didn't think Signot could deal with it."
"Alex?" Zinkata cried in surprise.
"What? Is it that surprising?" She asked. "I had hoped to confront you in my Seblina when I was fully prepared, but you forced my hand. Signot insisted I gave him first attack. Of course, the illness I had infected Vivli with took care of her even if she was able to awake the spirit inside her and defeat that fool."
"Spirit inside her?" Zinkata repeated curiously.
"Why, yes." She paused. "You don't know, do you? I guessed as much. Suffice to say, that wasn't her fighting. Wasn't her casting. She doesn't even know any Black Magic, let alone a spell like that." Zinkata was curious, but also blinded with rage. He had been betrayed again.
"Leave now, or I'll destroy you!" Zinkata grabbed his weapon from the edge of the cabin. Voldos was beginning to awake.
"I think you should relax. Slow down." Zinkata suddenly felt a spell cast on him. He was moving in slow motion. "Or perhaps you should just stop altogether." He froze. He couldn't move.
"Voldos. Bootus. Take her!" He growled through his frozen jaw.
"I'd like to point out that had you slept with me, I wouldn't have to do this." Voldos said calmly, picking his sword off the ground.
Alexandria pulled out a long staff, waiting for the two to attack. They stood in front of her. She smirked.
"White Magic is only part of my skills." She warned. "Ifrit! Teach these fools a lesson!" A gigantic flaming portal opened in the sky and the fire demon slammed onto the deck, sending flaming pieces of wood flying everywhere. He glanced to Alex, who gave him a firm instruction to attack. With a one track mind, the monster advanced on the warriors.
"Voldos! Get the girl! I'll deal with this monster!" Bootus cried as he charged for Ifrit.
"Ha! 'Bout time I got the girl!" Voldos joked as he ran for Alexandria. She yawned casually as white light pierced Voldos's body and he stumbled, falling. "Ow." He mumbled.
Ifrit quickly went about obeying its orders, refusing to think or even ponder what they meant. He approached towards the form of the galka, the largest target and so in its simple mind the most important target. Bootus slammed into Ifrit. His fists left firm marks as he struck the body of the gigantic demon.
"Ifrit!" Alexandria yelled. "Use Hell Fire! Burn that stupid galka back into the ages past!" Ifrit lifted a gigantic fireball above his head and slammed it down at Bootus. Bootus was hit and rocketed back across the ship, badly burnt. He got up, surveying the flames beginning to engulf the vessel.
"Oh, I am so sick of having my ass kicked!" He growled, running at the summoned beast.
Voldos flipped to his feet and slashed at Alexandria with his sword. Alexandria leapt over it with superhuman grace, hitting him on the back of the head with her staff.
"I don't know whether I hate you or am turned on more by the fact you betrayed us!" Voldos cried as he shook his head in recovery.
"Can't you stop treating me like an object for one second?" Screamed Alexandria angrily.
"Fine. I'll treat you like an enemy."
"DAMMIT!" Bootus cried as he jumped out the way of another fireball. It burst into smoke as it hit the water off the edge of the ship. "Wait a second, I have an idea!" He ran and threw himself at Ifrit. He hit the burning creature, and felt his entire body blister from the heat. Ifrit stumbled back, slamming into the edge of the ship. The demon hit Bootus to the ground. It rose up to fling another fireball at him. He sprang up, kicking it. Ifrit stumbled back. Bootus leapt up, trying desperately to throw the summoned monster into the ocean. Ifrit refused to move, and hurled Bootus across the deck. He glanced up as the demon of fire charged him. Made it easy for me, he thought as he rolled to the side and the creature charged off the deck. He got up and dusted himself off as the creature exploded into ash as it touched the water. A gigantic burst of smoke engulfed his view.
"What?" Alexandria turned to face her disappearing summon.
"I hate to break up like this, but it's just not working out." Voldos said casually as he shot an arrow at the distracted Alexandria. It struck her to the chest and she staggered back. "But we can still be friends!" He cried after her as she fell of the ship in shock and pain.
Zinkata stumbled forwards. He could move again. He surveyed the chaos. The ship was burning, but seemed to be under control. Several adventurers lay across the ship, dead. There was a gigantic hole in the deck of the vessel. And, to his surprise, casually, the captain was still at the wheel, in his daydream like state. He hadn't even noticed the battle raging.
"Urm, Captain?" The ex-thief asked, approaching the blown out glass of the bridge.
"Steve. Call me Steve." The man called Steve said.
"Okay. Steve." He said cautiously. "Notice anything odd?"
"Odd? No. I've sailed the oceans for years. I've seen odd. This is just mildly strange." He replied casually.
"I think he's crazy." Whispered Bootus.
"That's what they used to call me." Steve said. "Crazy Steve. But then, I'd say, how do they know their not crazy and I'm sane, but they can't tell because their crazy? Once I'd asked that, they'd usually go away."
"Right. We're going to go over there now." Zinkata backed away from Steve. Voldos surveyed the wreckage and bent down by Vivli. She was still alive. He picked her up, mildly surprised by how light she was, and headed to the bow of the ship.
"Looks like the shore is coming up." The elf told the others.
"We're now arriving at Mhaura docks!" Announced Steve. "Thank you for journeying with us. I hope you enjoyed a pleasant ride."
"Pleasant ride?" Zinkata yelled. "Does it look like we had a pleasant ride?"
"I don't know. I only hoped you did. I didn't say that you had." Steve replied.
"ARGH!" Zinkata yelled in anger.