Author's Note: For the record, the rapiers in the last chapter were supposed to have blades like the old civil war rapiers which traditionally had sharpened edges even though they weren't used for slashing. I'm fairly certain all rapiers were like that that are actual weapons, even though fencing foils and the like are not. Thanks for the help anyway Phabrizoe, and with the technical terms, but I actually was aware of them, being a fencer myself. But I decided to avoid using them so it read as a description of the action. Thanks for the help though!

Also a big thank you to TheFrogKiller who e-mailed me a large and useful piece of help on writing romances. With any luck, with his help, when the romantic aspects return, they'll be significantly better. So thank you! I might have to pull an Akkiko and dedicate a chapter or two to you in a minute for all the help you've given me! Not to mention the kind stuff you've done, I mean you composed me a theme tune! That's just plain awesome! Ahem. Anyway, on with the chapter!

PART XX

"Olose Sampson." Voldos said, almost managing a smile.

"Hi." Olose grinned. "I thought the reverse name thing was pretty clever."

"Wait a minute." Bootus seemed suspicious. "If you're Olose, why don't you look like him?"

"I was kind of curious about that." Vivli said softly.

"I'm a werewolf, yes?" Olose began. The others nodded. "The only way I can die is to have my head sliced off, my brain destroyed, or to be given a fatal injury with silver. The monsters I found in the Battle of San d'Oria, the last time you saw me, did none of that."

"What happened then?" Vivli asked, looking concerned and almost reaching for him.
"I was ripped limb for limb." He said, wincing at the memory of the pain. "My face was ripped right off." Vivli turned noticeably paler at the thought. "But I wasn't killed. My body slowly regenerated. But with my face destroyed, it couldn't regenerate to be what it once was. Instead, it regenerated into a new face. This face." He gestured to his own face with his thumb.

"Interesting. Thought I recognised the jacket." Voldos commented.

"We had better get to Mhaura." Olose told them. "We don't have long." The others nodded, and the four departed quickly across the grassy plains.

Vivli arrived at Mhaura last, panting from exhaustion, and with a nasty feeling several goblins were following her. It had turned out it was rather difficult to run at a fast pace in a long flowing dress and high heels, but she had forgotten to change before they left Windurst. It hadn't exactly been a priority on her mind. Just before she made the gate, she tripped over her own dress, falling. She landed painfully on the dusty ground, and turned around to confirm her suspicions. Goblins. And quite a few of them. They closed in on her, before slowing. She got up, startled. They began to back away. She looked at them curiously, and smiled, deciding she must be scarier than she thought. That was until she noticed she was in the shade now, cooled from the baking sun by a huge shadow. She spun around, and saw Bootus looming over her.

"Yeah you better run!" He cried after the goblins. The Light Warriors had become so feared even the beastmen could sense their power and avoided them. Except for Vivli. She was still preyed on by everything. "I thought mithra were supposed to be graceful." Bootus smirked.

"Dress! Long!" Vivli snapped, dusting it off and panting.

"Olose as readied the ship in the time you took. Sent me out to make sure you were okay." Bootus explained.

"Thanks." Vivli said awkwardly. Saying thank you to Bootus wasn't something she was used to.

"Come on," Bootus gestured with his head, "The ship is waiting."

The two walked down to the docks, and Vivli saw the merchant ship, with golden snakes adorning the handrail and the bow of the ship, contrasting the dark brown hull of the rest of the ship.
"Snakes." She sighed. "Why'd it have to be snakes?"

"Don't tell me you're scared of snakes too?" Bootus asked.

"Well, they're all slimy and have sharp teeth." Vivli whimpered. Bootus rolled his eyes.

"Come on." He snapped. Vivli walked unsteadily up the loading ramp, and found Voldos hoisting a sail as Olose reeled in the anchor.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Below decks." Olose smiled. "Don't worry, I don't sail this thing alone!" Vivli sighed in relief. "Here, take this." He snapped, thrusting a wooden bucket in Vivli's hands.

"What do I do with this?" She asked, quite clearly confused.

"I remember what you're like." Olose smirked. "It's so you don't get sick all over my deck."
"Thanks." Vivli muttered, a little offended and a little happy he thought of her.

"Right, let's get out of here!" Olose cried, running to the wheel. "Norg! Here we come!"

The Sea Serpent splashed through the water, its sail proudly billowing. Olose was stood at the wheel, but was mostly focused on Vivli, who was sat down on the main deck, clutching the bucket close and looking unwell. She was clearly crying, and he was certain that wasn't because she was seasick. Voldos and Bootus walked up to Olose, with nothing else to do on the ship.

"Guys, we need to sort some stuff out." Olose said, clearly concerned about something.

"What's up?" Voldos asked, still not quite used to his role of being the serious one in Zinkata's absence.

"Norg isn't the place it was when you were last there." Olose warned. "It's become a hundred times worse. The war left the world wide open for crime, and it's been exploited. Norg is thriving with criminals and scum."

"I think we can handle it." Bootus said with a cocky grin.
"That's not the point." Olose stated. "This is vitally important. Do not take your eyes off Vivli for a second while we're there."
"What? It's that bad?" Voldos asked.

"Worse than you can imagine." Olose sighed. "A pretty mithra in a long dress like that will be a target for every scum in the town."
"She could get changed." Voldos suggested.

"Into what?" Olose asked. "I only have heavy armour on the boat, and rags. She wouldn't wear either. Not to mention, she's pretty upset. Do you really want to tell her she has to change clothes?" Voldos sighed. He didn't.

"What's so bad in Norg?" Bootus questioned.

"The slave trade." Olose stated. "It's sky rocketed since the war. Towns are now depleted in guard numbers, leaving plenty of young girls open for kidnap."

"Vivli's aware of that." Voldos pointed out. "Somebody tried to kidnap her outside Bastok a while back."

"Norg is the centre of slavery." Olose warned. "And believe me, Vivli will be an instant target. I've made more than a few enemies there disrupting these slave trades." He looked over at her, she looked like she was pondering standing up, but then deciding she was better sat down. "Young girls, smaller ones who can't defend themselves, mithra especially, are all becoming targets."

"Why are mithra targets?" Voldos asked. Olose let out a slight laugh.

"Well, you know how a cat is extremely flexible?" He asked. Voldos nodded. "Mithra are feline." He said with a smirk. Voldos's eyes went wide.

"Vivli can do that?" He asked, shocked.

"All mithra can." Olose paused with a grin, remembering a certain girl he had met in a bar. "Believe me. Makes them ideal victims for people who want slaves for more…pleasurable reasons."

"She never mentioned that!" Voldos exclaimed.

"I don't think you ogling her would make her happy." Olose said. "Besides, there's nothing special about it to them, so why would they care?"

"Because it's extremely sexy?" Voldos asked.

"That's opinion!" Vivli cried, before falling over with a thump on the steps. Voldos rushed over and helped her up. "Dammed ship won't stop rocking!" She cried, clutching her bucket.

"We're on water, Viv." Voldos said sarcastically. Vivli shot him a glance.

"So, can you really stretch out in…urrr.. interesting ways?" Bootus asked.

"Well, no more than any other mithra." She said, feeling unusually objectified. "How close are we to Norg?" Vivli quickly asked to change the subject.

"A few hours at least." Olose told her. Vivli looked uneasy.

"I don't think I'm going to make a few hours." She said weakly.

"Just try to take your mind off it." Olose suggested. He heard her sobbing. He sighed. "Well, don't think of that!" He cried sarcastically.

"We're going to kill him!" She whimpered. "I love him!"

"I know." Olose said, with a slight grin. He wondered if she remembered the last time he had said those words. "We'll do everything we can to save him. There must be a way." He walked over to her. "Come on, just try to think of something else." He hugged her, and she smiled, before pulling away slightly.

"What's wrong with your chest?" She asked. "It feels weird." Her bare shoulder had been resting against Olose's body, and she had felt something odd. It felt bumpy, soft, and disgusting. It ran a shiver down her spine, but she did her best to hide it. Olose sighed.

"The injuries I took at the hands of Lich's monsters were severe." He sighed. "Very severe. My face was ripped off, like I said, but my body was only battered. Mangled. But, unlike my face, could be repaired, and so was." He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the top of his body. It was a horrific mangle of scars. It looked like somebody had used chunks of skin to be stuck together to form the shape of the body. It was formed into chunks and lumps of flesh, stuck together awkwardly, appearing lumpy and repulsive. It almost looked like each lump was pulsating with each breath. Vivli was visibly disgusted, and looked away. She threw up, unable to hold it in anymore, vomiting into her bucket. Olose sighed heavily, doing up his beaten shirt again. Vivli looked up.

"Sorry." She said. "Urm, the sea, made me sick." She tried as an excuse. Olose looked to the floor, obviously upset. "I'm sorry! I just didn't expect it!" She cried.

"It's okay, Vivli." He sighed. "You have a weak stomach."

"Understatement of the century." Bootus smirked. Vivli took a step closer to Olose.

"I really am sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to-"

"-to be repulsed?" Olose asked. "Everybody is. But at least I'm alive. And in time it'll fade."

"It'll heal itself?" Vivli checked.

"No." He laughed. "But look." He opened his shirt again, and pointed to a few smooth areas. "Where I get stabbed again, it heals better." He laughed. "Ironic, I guess." Vivli had already looked away again. She turned red, very ashamed.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed. "It must be horrible. I can't even look at you! I'm so shallow!" She broke down crying.

"Aw, hey." Olose said gently. "Now you're all upset and I'm gonna have to hug you until you feel better." She smiled slightly as he put an arm around her. "Listen, Viv." He began. "I swear on my life, I will save Zinkata. I will find a way to save him, even if it's the last thing I do." Vivli looked up to him with tear stained eyes.
"Thank you." She said softly. "Thank you so much." She rested her head against him tiredly. It wasn't the same as resting against Zinkata, something felt wrong. Felt different. It didn't matter for long because the ship rose up on a wave, and she dove for her bucket, just grabbing it in time to be sick into. She looked rather embarrassed. "I'll go below decks." She laughed nervously. "I'm not getting on to well out here." She got up, and wondered down the steps, almost loosing her balance as the ship rocketed. Olose watched her go, dreamily.

"Olose, shouldn't you be driving the boat?" Bootus asked. Olose smirked, getting back up and back to the wheel.

Olose took the wheel and disappeared into his own thoughts. He had never thought he would see Vivli again. He had disappeared during the war, almost killed. His face had reconstructed differently and he thought he could leave his attachments to the Light Warriors behind. He had turned on them, and almost killed them. Much like Zinkata had. He never returned or told them he survived because he couldn't live with the shame. The acts he had committed had been so bad it was better to him to be thought of as dead. He had been attracted to Vivli, but decided to walk away, leaving her to get on with her life without him. It was for the best. And then, by total coincidence, he had run into her again. And holding her then, on the ship, every feeling he had for her that he had fought to destroy was reawakened. She had felt so fragile and delicate in his arms as he ran his hands down her smooth skin, the hands that had been ripped from his arms on more than one occasion, that had been torn apart and regenerated multiple times, hands that were victims of such violence on completely unharmed skin. It made him realise how much danger she was in, how dangerous he was. He was taking her into the least civilised town in Vana'diel. He was a useless protector. Clearly he didn't care about her. Yet, at the same time, as he held her tiny body, felt her fragile form, smelt the scent of her gentle perfume (no doubt intended for Zinkata) and looked into her innocent eyes, he had felt that attraction that he thought he had lost so strongly he could barely hold himself back. He sighed. Zinkata was all that mattered to her now, and he had to learn that.

"Olose!" Came a voice. He snapped out of his trance.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Something I was just wondering." Voldos asked. "If you're face regenerated, why do you have a scar on your forehead?" Olose let out a slightly sleazy laugh.

"Well, I was in this bar, and there was this woman." He began.

"I can see where this is going." Voldos laughed.

"And me and her went into the back, being all romantic. And then it turned out the other girl I had met from the night before came back to pick up some stuff." He pointed to the scar. "The stuff included a sword." Voldos laughed, as did Olose. Not because the story was funny, but because it seemed such a nice reinforcement for his suspicions. There was no way somebody like him deserved Vivli.

Vivli let out a slightly frustrated cry, nestled below decks. Her own thoughts were causing her a headache. She loved Zinkata. She loved Zinkata so much she'd cry whenever she thought about him now. So why could she only think of Olose above deck? Why was she obsessed over that one little hug he had given her? Why did she want to crawl back up on deck and into his arms? She shook her head and let out another frustrated groan. She couldn't get her thoughts straight. Things had been much simpler when Olose was dead. She had been so upset for so long, but it had made things sorted. Only in recent months did her feelings for Zinkata develop, and even then she disregarded it for a crush until recently. She finally found love and Olose returned. She was afraid that somewhere, deep down, she still loved Olose. She wanted to be in his arms, she knew that. It's only comfort, she told herself, I just want to be comforted. She thought about Zinkata. About dancing at the docks by the moonlit water. About how gently he held her, and how she had gazed into his eyes. She burst into tears. She missed him so much. She didn't care about her own emotions. All she knew was that she had to save Zinkata.

The Sea Serpent approached Norg, splashing along in the waves.

"There we are." Olose sighed. "Norg ahead!" He yelled, and the crew filtered out onto deck. Vivli followed, looking as they approached the pirate town. It was getting dark, the journey had been long, and Vivli was feeling incredibly unwell. Her own confused thoughts gave her a severe headache, and her seasickness had made her feel weakened and queasy. She watched uneasily as the ship docked and they threw down the anchor.

"Remember. Keep an eye on her." Olose growled in a low tone of voice to Voldos and Bootus. "One of us has to watch her at all times. Make sure somebody is always keeping an eye on her." Voldos and Bootus nodded, before walked down the ramp to the dock. Vivli had waited for them, a little nervous about walking down into the dark on her own. There were no lanterns on the dock. She followed them down. Olose leapt off the ship and onto the wooden dock in his usual manner, never bothering to use the ramp.

"Damn." He observed. "That ship's higher than the Lightning." He said, shaking off his ankles. "Secure the ship!" He ordered to the crew before rushing off after Vivli, who was easy to spot in her white dress. He could already see two rough looking figures eyeing her up. He sighed. He hated Norg.