PART XX

"So why do I have to learn history?"

"It's simple. If you do not know the past, how can you avoid it in the future?"

"I'm a warrior. I don't need to avoid anything."

"Our nation would rather avoid conflict where it is possible."

"The past you mention was unavoidable. Monsters and beastmen beyond our control attacking."

"Perhaps we were too fast to anger."

"It was our only choice really."

"You think that, but if you study the past, did we ever try?"

Voldos wondered into the library out of the dark streets. It had become evening, and he had wasted the day helping out inexperienced adventurers get to grips with adventuring. Inexperienced female adventures. Sadly, most of the time this resulted in him being slapped. He had now wondered to find Vivli, and see what she had figured out. He walked through the library silently, feeling very out of place. Mages were commonplace, but warriors visited libraries less often. Especially in armour with a sword on their back.

He found Vivli slouched on a table, asleep. She was surrounded by books. Various pieces of paper had notes scribbled on them. Her face was resting on an open book in front of her. Seems like she had fallen asleep working. Voldos sniggered a little. He tried to figure out what would tire her out. He sniggered more when he realised. He noticed the books were fairly large, and fairly thick, and therefore fairly heavy. Considering Vivli's tiny frame, it would have been extremely difficult to carry them about all day. Combine that with the mental strain of the work she had been doing, and Voldos found himself with an explanation as to why she was asleep.

"Ha, and they think I'm stupid." He said aloud, getting some strange looks from the others. He gulped, and looked back down at the sleeping mithra. "Well, wake up." He said. She didn't. He shook her a bit and she looked up at him wearingly.

"What happened?" She groaned, half asleep. "Oh no, I didn't fall asleep did I?"

"I'm no expert, but I think so." Voldos replied mockingly.

"Oops." She muttered.

"What've you found out, then?" Voldos asked, changing the subject. Vivli yawned, and looked at her notes.

"Nothing. The last shard is lost." She miserably uttered. "Completely. There's no hints. There's no suggestions. We're at a dead end." She sighed heavily.

"There must be something!" Voldos cried in surprise.

"We're searching for a tiny million year old rock. It's not there. It's gone." She sounded completely hopeless.

"So that's your expert opinion?" Voldos asked. "From all this work?"

"Well, yes." She mumbled. Voldos paused. He knew they needed a direction. He suddenly had an idea of how to make Vivli find one.

"Well, I can't wait until Bootus hears about how you failed." He said, crossing his arms. "He'll be so happy to hear you failed.

"Ur, I did have one idea!" Vivli quickly cried. Voldos smiled in victory. "But it's a long shot."

"Save it. Explain to the others." Voldos told her. "We'll have to take it. It's our only choice."

The tavern had been the place chosen to gather. Vivli yawned at the table as the others gathered around much like they had before. She still felt intimidated. Also tired.

"Did you know I caught her sleeping on the job?" Voldos laughed. "Completely asleep at the table, with her face in a book."

"Like a kid doing her homework." Bootus sniggered.

"Shut up and listen to me!" Vivli snapped. "I can't find the fourth crystal shard. There are no references left. However, I did find one thing." She paused for another yawn, and wearingly rubbed her eyes. "You guys heard of Bahamut?"

"Bahamut? The legendary summon?" Bootus asked.

"Sort of. Back in the times of the Light Warriors, he was the King of Dragons." She paused, allowing the others to remember this from the legend. "He bestowed them with legendary powers, or so the story says."

"Useful." Bootus murmured. "What's that got to do with us?"

"Well, I figure, if Bahamut could award the Light Warriors like that, the least he could do is tell us where the crystal shard is." Vivli explained.

"And how do we find Bahamut?" Zinkata asked.

"Well, in Gaia, he lived below several islands that were all joined by a network of caves. The caves happened to be the Kingdom of the Dragons." She pulled out her trusty map. "Some of these islands still exist. We should be able to dip down into the cave network. The dragons were supposed to be immortal. We must be able to find a hint even if we don't find Bahamut himself."

"And just how do we get to the island?" Bootus asked again, enjoying asking Vivli difficult questions.

"Ah, I planned that out!" She cried. "You see, I figure we can charter a ship from Norg. Provided we pay enough, they'll go wherever we want." The others stared at her.

"You. You want to go to Norg?" Zinkata muttered.

"Yes." Vivli said, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"You wouldn't last two seconds. It's a pirate town. It's fairly rough." The ex-thief explained. "Believe me, I know."

"Hey! Stop treating me like a kid!" Vivli protested. "I can take care of myself."

"I repec-" Voldos began.

"Shut up!" Cried the little mithra. "Besides, it's not like we have a choice."

"If you're sure about this." Zinkata sighed. "Sounds like a long shot, but it's our only option." He paused. "We ride out tomorrow. Let's get some rest."

The journey to Norg was long and hard, but without incident. It took them a long time, but they soon arrived, weary from travelling. Vivli leant against Bootus, desperate to just fall asleep.

"Let's find an inn." She suggested.

"An inn?" Laughed Zinkata. "Here?" Vivli looked confused. "No, we'll just have to find somewhere safe to sleep. They'll probably let us sleep in the basement of the tavern. As long as you don't mind the rats." Vivli shivered.

"Urm. No. I don't mind rats." She lied. Nobody was convinced.

"Well, the tavern seems like a good place to start." Voldos suggested.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can find a captain there." Zinkata agreed.

"I meant to get a drink. I'm thirsty." Voldos laughed.

Vivli was beginning to see why Zinkata had warned her about coming to Norg. Even as they sat around in the tavern talking among themselves she could feel the eyes of others staring at her, like they could sense she was out of place. She had brought a new tunic, and pulled the hood up to make her feel safer.

"Found anybody?" She asked.

"No. None of them are interested in running missions for people like us. They call us tourists." Zinkata sighed. "Besides, the islands we need to get to is off the main course for ships, so there's no plunder for them."

"Damn." Vivli muttered, wagging her tail about faster than normal, showing her frustration subconsciously. "This place is packed. There must be a captain who'll take us somewhere." She surveyed the room. It was very busy, packed with humans and elves. The odd galka stood out like a sore thumb. Tarutarus were about, but hidden under the crowd. There was a distinct lack of mithra that made Vivli feel uneasy.

"I don't see any. Most of them are pirates here on shore leave." Zinkata explained, gesturing around. "There's another tavern down the street. We could check there."

"I'll go!" Vivli volunteered, wanting to get away from the tavern and the uneasy feeling it was causing.

"I'll stay and ask here." Zinkata told her. "Bootus, go with her. I don't trust her on her own."

"Oh, thanks." Bootus said sarcastically.

"Oh, thanks." Vivli said sarcastically. The two stared at each other, realising they had just said the same thing. "Let's just go." The mithra sighed.

The two walked down the street outside, which was now becoming dark.

"I'm so tired." Vivli moaned.

"I'm sure you'll live." Bootus grumbled. Vivli looked around, getting that feeling she was being stared at again. She shivered.

"This place is horrible." She muttered.

"I'm sure it doesn't like you either." Bootus told her with a smirk.

"Dammit! I'm serious!" She cried. "Everybody keeps looking at me."

"Whoa, that is weird!" Bootus gasped. "Nobody would ever look at you normally!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vivli snapped.

Voldos was slouched by the bar. He had just, predictably, been slapped.

"Voldos!" Zinkata cried. "That girl was a ship captain! We could have gotten a ride!"

"I thought girls weren't meant to be pirates." Voldos commented.

"I don't think anybody's meant to be pirates." Zinkata pointed out. "Besides, she's got quite a good reputation. Apparently she leads a ship full of females to counter the gender bias."

"You mean I just blew my chance to spend a boat trip on a ship full of girls?" Voldos asked. Zinkata nodded. "CURSES!" He bellowed. Zinkata sighed, and walked away.

There was a brawl inside the tavern Vivli and Bootus wondered into. Vivli quickly found herself knocked to the floor and clambered back up.

"Oh, this looks like fun!" Bootus cried.

"Speak for yourself!" Vivli whimpered, rubbing her trampled arm.

"Fine. Wait outside. I'll handle this!" Bootus dove into the brawl. Vivli shrugged and slipped out the door.

"So where are all the mithra?" Zinkata decided to ask the barkeep.

"Haven't seen 'em around since that band has been kidnapping them." The barkeep replied.

"What?" Zinkata cried.

"You haven't heard?" The barkeep sounded surprised. "Every night more and more mithra are getting kidnapped by a band of thugs. Sometimes they show up again, but they've always had their tails cut off. It's sickening." He paused. "The rumours say the band mail the tails to their boss. It's unbelievable." He paused again in disgust. "Now the only mithra you see are extremely stupid or looking to fight them."

"Oh frack!" Zinkata cried.

Vivli waited uneasily outside the tavern, surveying the street. People lurched down it, calling things out and making various rude comments. She shuffled against the wall, feeling cold and scared. She heard a voice.

"Excuse me?" The source was a middle-aged woman (an elvaan) in ragged clothes. "Someone in that alley there has been beaten. They need help!" She pointed to the alley.

"I'm a White Mage!" Exclaimed Vivli. "I'll do what I can!" Vivli turned and ran down the alley. The woman followed. Vivli turned around too late to see a punch flying at her. It knocked her out in one. The woman unclenched her fist.

"That was easy."

Zinkata ran into the tavern.

"BOOTUS!" He bellowed. The galka turned around.

"What?" He inquired.

"Where's Vivli?" He quickly cried.

"Outside." He explained.

"No, she's not." He said in panic.

"What? Where did she get to?" Bootus asked.

"Some group around here has been kidnapping mithra. They must have got her!" Zinkata quickly filled Bootus in.

"Typical." The galka muttered.

Vivli awoke with a splitting headache. She was tied to a post. She tried to move, but the ropes held her down. She groaned. The woman from the alley was stood before her. She was cradling a knife. Various pirates were scattered around the cave she found herself in.

"Hello." She said with an evil smile. "My name is Scare. Do you know what I'm going to do to you?" Vivli shook her head. Scare held up a knife. "I'm going to cut off your tail." She stated. Vivli trembled.

"P-p-please. Don't." She stammered.

"Unless-" Scare continued regardless. "You can tell me exactly where the girl known as Vivli is hiding." Vivli froze. She didn't have a clue what to say. "We need to find her. All we know is she is a mithra. Our master can identify her by a part of the body. We decided since you mithra didn't need your tails anyway, that was the best thing." Vivli trembled.

"W-w-why?" She managed to get out. "Why are you looking for her?"

"The master wants her. That's all there is to it." Scare told the frightened mithra. Vivli took a gulp and bucked up as much courage as she could.

"You serve Chaos?" She asked, trying to sound powerful and knowledgeable. It didn't work.

"Chaos? No." Scare seemed caught off guard. "What kind of thing is that to say. Chaos is a character from a story!"

"Uggalepih then!" Vivli snapped. It was a bad idea. Scare grabbed her tail and rested the knife on it, lightly, just to remind her of what was to come. Vivli shivered.

"Yes. Uggalepih." Scare told Vivli. "How do you know? Surely you're not-"

"Urm. No." Vivli trembled.

"Then tell me where she is." Scare demanded, bringing her face down to Vivli's.

"I don't know!" Vivli screamed.

"That's what they all say." She told the cowering mithra. "So we cut off their tails to make sure they aren't lying. You're no different."

"B-b-but-" Vivli stammered, but didn't have a way of finishing the sentence. She was finished either way. They either cut her tail off, or she admitted who she was and got sent to Chaos. Either way, she was in a bad position. She doubted she was strong enough to survive losing her tail and being left for dead. She knew that she was going to die unless somebody came soon.

Conveniently, just as this thought crossed her mind ,an arrow flew in, hitting one of the pirates. He went down. Voldos, Bootus and Zinkata ran into the cave.

"Hand her over!" Cried Zinkata.

"Hm. A galka. An elvaan. A hume." Scare observed. "I don't believe it!" She exclaimed, turning to Vivli. "You're her!"

"Urm. Kinda." Vivli whimpered.

"Well then. You're all going to see Uggalepih. Willing or not." Scare told the adventurers.

"Hey lady," Voldos began, "Firstly, he's Chaos, not Uggalepih. Secondly, just try it!" Bootus took up a fighting stance.

"This is going to be more fun than I expected." Scare said with a smile. "Men! Destroy them!" The pirates rushed the heroes. Voldos and Zinkata drew their swords, ready to repel the attackers.

The pirate force was fairly small. Voldos counted five. He fought them off, beating them away with his sword, but they were attacking too fast for him to be able to launch any good attacks. He slashed out wide, attracting their attention. Zinkata took this as a sign to attack them from behind. The five found themselves sandwiched between the two warriors. Bootus sprinted towards Scare and Vivli.

The pirates took a moment to realise they outnumbered the two warriors, and fought outwards, catching Zinkata in the shoulder. He hit the sword away and cut down one of the pirates. Voldos ran backwards, and jumped off the cave wall, propelling himself through the groups of pirates, and landing in a roll by Zinkata.

"Stylish." Commented Zinkata.

"Can we save that for later?" Voldos cried, dodging a sword blade.

Bootus pushed past the evil pirate and ripped the ropes from around Vivli.

"I'm only doing this out of necessity!" He pointed out.

"My hero." Vivli sarcastically commented.

"Fine. I'll send Uggalepih your corpses!" Scare cried, drawing a sword. Bootus ran. Vivli just stood there.

"Oh, thanks a lot!" The mithra backed away from Scare, and tripped over out of fright. Scare lunged, but was tackled by Bootus who had leapt back into the fray, a sword from one of the fallen pirates in his hand.
"Again, I'm not saving you because I want to!" Bootus cried, beginning to sword duel Scare.

"Ha, save me. Yeah right! I was in complete control!" Vivli yelled back, watching the two fight.

Voldos ducked as a pirate slashed, and drove his sword upwards, into the chest of the attacker. The pirate went down.

"Three left!" Voldos cried, taking a stab to his leg. He quickly knocked the sword away and elbowed forwards, knocking the pirate back. He blocked behind him as another attacked.

This left Zinkata one on one with one of the pirates. He drove back the pirate, and cut him down easily. He ran back to Voldos, who was left in a two on one situation.

"Nearly over now!" Zinkata yelled.

Bootus was taking hits, but his galkan strength kept him going. Scare slashed him on the wrist, and he dropped the sword, bleeding. Vivli started casting a cure spell.

"No! Attack!" Bootus cried as Scare closed in to finish off the galka. "Use the sword!" Vivli swept down, grabbing it before Scare could turn, and thrust it through her chest. Scare let out a startled cry. Bootus rose up and hit Scare hard on the neck, making sure she wouldn't get back up. Voldos and Zinkata ran over.

"Pirates, dealt with." Voldos reported proudly. Vivli dropped the sword in horror. "Don't we get a thanks?" The mithra took some steps away from the body, and broke down into tears.

"What's wrong with her?" Bootus asked.

"Because she killed someone?" Voldos guessed. Vivli didn't reply.
"No." Zinkata realised. "She broke the oath." The others looked at him for an explanation. "A White Mage shall never use a bladed weapon, and never kill unless absolutely necessary." He explained.

Vivli was behaving strangely. More so than usual. That night they were sleeping roughly in the basement of the tavern. Yet Vivli remained, sat up, staring out into the darkness with her eyes open. She didn't say anything. She cried. She sobbed. But she didn't say anything. It was as if she had done something awful. Something unforgivable. The others had tried to explain to her it was nothing bad, but she had just sat there.

She knew what was wrong. She would have to tell them. The consequences of breaking the oath.

She had lost her powers.