Chapter 7: Money Can't Buy Me Love
"So, I take it things went well?" Elder Khel inquired, raising an eyebrow. The four travelers had returned to Bleak. Karn snorted.
"Depending on your definition of well. But it didn't blow up in our faces, so I suppose things are fine." He raised an eyebrow. "One thing, though. You told me you conquered Krypt when you were a little older than me."
"That's right... so yes, I knew there was no book." Elder Khel admitted. "But you had to find that out for yourself."
"Yeah yeah, learn by experience." Karn rolled his eyes. "At least I got a bunch of other loot from there. And I'll probably need the funds from it soon." Bo raised an eyebrow.
"Does that mean you want to stay on even after we get Auria figured out?"
"Definately." The young thief nodded. "Bleak is nice, but I've got to see the rest of the world too. And I'm no fan of the Dark Dragons either... been looking for a way to put one over on them for a while now." He grinned. "Plus, you guys are a riot. This is going to be the most fun I've had in a long time."
"Glad to hear it." Ryu nodded. "After seeing what you did to that Shadow who jumped us on the way back, I've got no problems."
"Taking lessons from every knife fighter in the land pays off." Karn shrugged. "No magic, but oh well, nobody's perfect." Elder Khel slowly nodded.
"If you're sure about this, Karn, I won't try to change your mind." He sighed. "I'd always hoped you'd have nothing to do with the Dark Dragons, but... you're determined to do this, aren't you?"
"Yeah, dad." Karn confirmed. "They'd come down here soon anyways... after they finish with Auria. Imagine the looks on their faces when they find out we're long gone with the Dark Key. That'll be great."
"Yes, I suppose..." The Elder of Bleak agreed. "But... well, Karn, if you're sure of this... there's something I need to tell you. You... might have noticed that you weren't born in Bleak."
"I know." Karn nodded. "I have vague memories... nothing definite, though. Wait." He blinked. "Do you... know where I came from?"
"I... do." Elder Khel admitted. "I haven't told you before, because... well... it's not a story suitable for children, Karn. But if you're old enough to leave... then it's time you knew. You're... you're Fusion Clan, Karn." Karn's face paled, and Ryu's eyes widened. Even in Drogen, they had heard the story of the Fusion Clan. It was the wakeup call to the world about Emperor Zog's mad ambitions. The cause for it was still not totally known; rumors ranged from a simple refusal to join the Dark Dragons' Empire, to personally offending one of the Tiamat Unit or even Zog himself. Whatever it had been, the Dark Dragons had descended upon the Fusion Clan, just north of their own capital, Scande, and utterly annihilated them. A rumor of a survivor would occasionally surface here or there, but to most people, the Clan was considered extinct... completely wiped out.
"I'm... one of them?" Karn whispered, all traces of humor gone. "Then... how did I get here?"
"We have no clue." Elder Khel shook his head. "I found you wandering outside this town... I can only assume another of your kind fled with you, but I know nothing of their fate."
"...Heh." Karn chuckled a bit. "Well... yeah, that sucks. But... you know, I don't remember anybody. Or anything. So... I guess I'm not as broken up about this as I probably should be." His eyes hardened, just for a moment. "But I'll be damned if I let the Dark Dragons do that to another home of mine... to Bleak. Not happening. Not even close." He shook his head, apparently to clear off the gloom. "All right, then! Let's get going! Dark Tower, ho!"
"Good luck, Karn." Elder Khel waved as they left. "Just... try to stay alive."
"Don't worry, old man." Karn waved back, grinning cheekily. "I haven't gotten killed so far, have I?" Leaving Bleak, they rounded the lake and soon found the Dark Tower. Karn stepped up to the door and quickly undid the lock.
"Dark Key, here we come." Ryu grinned, walking in. The entire tower, as they expected, was completely devoid of light. In what little shone in from the moon outside, they saw a desk with a small, silver dome on it. The dome had a button on top and a sign saying "Ring for service" nearby. The travelers all exchanged a confused glance, and Karn pressed the button, causing the dome to ring like a bell.
"All right, all right!" An old man's voice grumbled from above. "I'm comin'! Hold yer horses!" He clumped down a set of stairs in the corner. Ryu, Nina and Bo's jaws dropped. It was the old transient from the Cave of Cleansing Water who had called himself "Uncle Specs."
"...You? What are you doing here?" Ryu stammered. Uncle Specs glared indignantly at a coatrack.
"Me? I live here! The nerve of you, son! Get out! Out!" Grabbing the coatrack, he hurled it through the door, then turned to the travelers. "Glad you folks don't ask stupid questions. Hey, I know you..." He scratched his chin. "You're... Binky the Clown, aren't you!" Bo slapped his face.
"Ugh... no, we're the guys who you met in the Cave of Cleansing Water."
"Thought that WAS Binky the Clown..." Uncle Specs muttered. "Oh well, nice to see you. You like my house? Nice place, isn't it? Only problem is the ghost on the top floor."
"Ghost?" Nina asked sceptically. Uncle Specs nodded, trying to look wise and coming off more like a drunken owl.
"Oh, yes. Real cranky fella. Calls himself Clod or Cludd or something. Big red gassy type, always going on about some Key..."
"Key?" Ryu frowned. "Damn... might be a guardian like Wisp..."
"That guy from Agua?" Karn shrugged. "If so, we can take 'im. You flattened Wisp, right?"
"Yeah, guess so." Ryu agreed. "Well, uh... Uncle Specs... we'll go take care of your... ghost problem right now."
"Really?" The old bum's face was lit up by a huge smile. "Why, that's nice of you! Top floor, bricks, matchboxes and ladies' hats! I'll be waitin' down here when you're done!" Leaning against a wall, he began snoring. The travelers shrugged and walked past him, up the stairs. Unfortunately, the rest of the tower did not even have stray moonlight. They had to find their way by feeling around walls. After what seemed like an eternity, they came onto a new floor to see a crystal sphere shining with red light in front of them.
"Looks like the King Key, all right." Ryu grunted. Walking up to the sphere, he rapped on it with one knuckle. "Anybody home? Hello?"
"Ah, a Light Dragon..." A mist the same color as the orb hissed into the air, forming into one mass with bright green eyes. "And... others? Hmph... before the War, only Dragons could enter here..."
"The War?" Nina blinked. "You... were around during the War of... the Dragons?"
"Exactly." The spirit nodded, or at least it seemed to. It was hard to tell. "But things have changed now. I am the Cloud, guardian of the Dark Key! Let us fight, Ryu!"
"How do you... whoa!" Ryu dived aside, transforming, as a bolt of lightning smashed the ground where he had been only a moment before.
"Go for the eyes!" Bo yelled, hurling a puff of ice. Cloud intercepted it with an arm of red mist, only slightly hurt.
"You'll have to do better than that!"
"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Karn dashed forward, underneath the arm, and plunged a knife from each hand into the Cloud's right eye. Howling, it opened its mouth and set the young thief on fire. "Ow! Owowow!" Karn rolled away, trying to put out the flames, and Cloud advanced on him only to meet Ryu, the Ice Whelp. Duplicating Bo's attack on a large scale, he blasted the Cloud with a long, lingering wave of frigid gas. Again, it intercepted with an extension of red mist.
"Nice try, but... eh?" It stared with its one good eye. The icy breath had not dissipated; it was continuing slowly forward, eating through the red mist. Grinning, Ryu attacked again, increasing the ice. The Cloud only had time for one last attack; even as the icy breath smashed into its eye, the entire room began shaking violently. Everybody hit the ground as large chunks of building stone smashed into the ground. After several seconds, it ceased.
"Everybody still on one piece?" Ryu asked. Three annoyed but affirmative noises answered him. Slowly getting to his feet, he watched the Cloud fade away, smiling.
"Good job... Wisp was right, you are strong. Now, find the Light Key to complete the pair..." And then he was gone, and the crystal orb floated to Ryu. It shattered, and a small object dropped into his hand, that everybody crowded around to see. Before they could get a good look, there was a flash, and suddenly the darkness was gone. Through a window in the roof, bright sunlight poured in. And in Ryu's claw was a lump of dark grey rock. Unlike the other Keys, the Dark Key had no beauty whatsoever; its carving was crude, almost primitive, save for the top of it, which looked like a cluster of screaming faces. Nina shuddered.
"Ugly thing..."
"Probably intentionally." Ryu growled. "The other two, and probably the rest of the set, look so beautiful you're tempted to forget what they're truly for. This one is a reminder." He slipped it into his pocket with the others and reverted. "Oof. All right, let's go." As they walked down, somebody came up to meet them. Uncle Specs.
"Ah! Ol' Clump's gone! You're the best exterminators I've ever hired!" He cackled. Nobody really felt up to trying to talk logic to him. "Here! Take this as payment! It's a little heavy for a tip, but you've earned it!" He pressed a small mirror, marvelously polished with a silver and black frame, into Ryu's hands.
"Well... it is very pretty." Ryu said doubtfully. Uncle Specs smiled conspiratorily.
"It's more than that." He whispered at maximum volume. "You can see ghosts in it! And real ones, not just spirit guardians like Cloud!" Ryu blinked; for a moment, the old man was talking normally. But only for a moment. "Now, get on! I don't have any more plumbing for you to fix!" Ranting to himself, the old man tromped down the hall.
"O... kay." Karn rubbed his eyes. "Well, that was... interesting. Where to now, chief?"
"Back to Bleak, for a night's rest." Ryu decided. "Then, we return to Auria. What we'll do there, I don't know, but we'll figure SOMETHING out."
"Why am I not reassured by that?" Karn muttered to Bo.
A hundred miles out from the town of Auria, there was nothing in sight but the waves. At midnight, the waters were almost as dark as the sky, making visibility nearly impossible. Nearly. Two ships, going opposite directions, were almost on top of each other. Each flew the Dark Dragon flag.
"OY! Suish, you jackass!" The Captain of the Charybdis, a Dark Dragon officer in ornate purple armor with a large, vikinglike beard yelled. "Are your eyes in your bilges? You almost hit us!"
"Go ram your mast sideways up your ass, Calim!" Captain Suish of the Scylla returned, wind blowing through his trimmer goatee. "You didn't see us either! Now are you going to jabber all night, or are you coming aboard?"
"Yeah, yeah..." Captain Calim grumbled. Signalling his men to bring the ships close, he jumped across and clasped the other Captain in a bear hug. "How you doing, little brother?"
"Fine, if you'll stop trying to kill me." Suish laughed. "Come on, let's go below. I've got some Priman dark wine in my cabin."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Calim released him instantly. "I'd wrestle a Builder Clanner for Priman wine!"
"Yeah, I know." Suish rolled his eyes. "'It don't come primer 'n Priman!' Right, bro?"
"Hey, tell me honestly one time that saying's been false." Calim defended himself as the two Captains entered Suish's cabin. The younger brother thought for a moment.
"Well, there was the time a dead Maniro washed up in front of our parents' house. That bloke was Priman, sure enough, but whew!"
"You're about as funny as a Dogfish in the underpants." Cean remarked sourly, flopping on a couch. Suish laughed and poured the wine.
"Drink this. It'll cheer you up."
"That it will, probably." Calim admitted. "Where did you get this, anyways?"
"A gift from Admiral Cean, to be shared between us when we met, for a job well done." Suish explained. Calim snorted with surprise.
"A gift? That was unusually generous of the Admiral..."
"He was in a good mood." Suish explained. "I think he got through a meeting with the White Assassin without her going all psycho on him even once, and that doesn't happen often with those freaks."
"Tiamat Unit." Calim spat on the floorboards. "I wish they'd all just kill each other already. We don't need any of 'em."
"Not a chance, bro." Suish shook his head. "Those maniacs might not give a damn about anybody else, but they're more loyal to each other than to their own lives. Like a freakin' pack of wolves. And I hear they're even training some new guy now."
"After ten years with no change in the lineup? Doubt it." Calim sipped his wine. "'Course, now that I've said that, Ladon'll probably make it come true just to spite us."
"Our God has a very twisted sense of humor." Suish agreed. "Have you heard about the Light Dragons? Or more specifically... one Light Dragon?"
"You mean Ryu the terrorist?" Calim grew serious. "Yes. Yes, I have, as a matter of fact. That's something I need to tell you about. Did the White Assassin or the Admiral tell you about what's going on over in the east?" Suish shook his head.
"Nope... they just said you'd brief me when we switched over."
"Figures." Calim thought for a moment. "All right. Here's how it goes. You know about what happened to Folage and Graham, of course..."
"Of course." Suish sniffed. "That's all over the empire. Personally, I don't mind too much. Never did like those two."
"Yeah, well, that was a little while ago, and he's been busy, bro." Calim said wearily. "You know about the plans with Ross, right? Well, turns out his daughter caught wind of it and locked herself inside that big safe that's the only way to the Key."
"You think Ross might have figured out we're going to blast the city anyways?" Suish demanded. Calim shrugged.
"Maybe, but the White Assassin doesn't think so... says if he knew, she'd be able to tell. Anyways, Ryu and his friends don't know Ross is with us, so get this." He grinned viciously. "Guess who's down in Bleak, finding somebody to open the safe and save Ross' daughter."
"No way." Suish cackled. "Ryu the terrorist is working for US?"
"He doesn't know it, but yeah!" Calim snickered, the sobered. "But that guy's tricky... if he figures it out, all kinds of shit may fly. So keep on guard."
"Right." Suish nodded. "Orders the same after we get the Light Key, though?"
"You got it." Calim agreed. "Get the Key safely away, then take the ships you command south, catch Auria with its pants down and blow it to hell!"
"All right." Suish set aside his empty wineglass. "As for your orders... return to the main fleet and meet with Admiral Cean. If everything goes according to plan, he'll give you a few more ships that you'll bring back east to aid in finishing up Auria. We'll switch command positions again, I'll head back to Cean to report success, and you'll unload all our men onto land, finish totalling Auria and march towards Bleak. Objective, the Dark Key!"
"And that'll be our third... fifth, if Ryu the terrorist gets wiped out with Auria and we get his keys!" Calim laughed. "We'll be made Admirals alongside Cean, little bro!"
"Now THAT's something to drink to." Suish grinned, then sighed regretfully. "But we probably shouldn't... we need to get going, I guess. Our men'll get annoyed if we stay here at anchor for too long."
"Yeah, I guess." Calim sighed. "How long do you figure it'll be before I get sent back?"
"Only a few days... week at most." Suish guessed. "Ryu the terrorist should be arriving back in Auria with our safecracker any day now. Once that's taken care of and Ross gives us the Light Key, there'll be no reason to hold back on taking Auria any longer."
"Right, then." Calim nodded. "I should get going, or else we might not make it back to Auria in time. And we can't have that, can we? No sense in letting you hog all the fun."
"Plus the White Assassin will bite your head off if you're late. Maybe literally." Suish grinned. "And the Admiral'll do worse. Get back to the Charybdis, bro. I'll see you when Auria's being reduced to a hole in the ground."
"All right, here's the plan as far as I can figure it." Ryu sighed. The four travelers were seated around a table in the bar above Gobi & Nuzi's. Karn was nearest the stairs, keeping an eye out for enemies-or possibly Zenny Gata. "We go in during one of the sleep periods here, break into the safe and convince Ross' daughter we're on her side. Then we wait in there until it's one of the awake periods-day, in the rest of the world. We swipe the Light Key then and vamoose, and by the time anybody notices it's getting dark now, we'll be gone."
"And then what?" Nina demanded. "What do you think the Dark Dragons will do to this city when they find out the Light Key's gone?"
"We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess." Ryu shrugged unhappily. "It's not the world's greatest plan, I know, but the first priority has to be getting the Light Key out of here. Not only because of what it is, but because as long as Ross has it, he won't budge on turning it over to the Dark Dragons. Maybe once it's gone he'll listen to reason... and reveal everything he knows about the Dark Dragon troop movements."
"Let's hope so, boss." Bo shook his head. "Because if he doesn't, this place is slag. Even if he hands them the Key, they'll blast Auria into complete and total submission anyways just to make sure it doesn't turn on them when they're moving down into Bleak or back up into our home turfs again."
"And we can't have that." Ryu agreed. "We'll figure something out." Several hours later, after Gobi and Nuzi had closed up, the group snuck through the streets towards Ross' house.
"This is unnatural." Karn complained. "In broad daylight, we're doing this. And what's worse is we're getting away with it."
"Would you realy prefer that we didn't?" Bo asked. The young thief considered it for a moment.
"Artistically or situationally?" Ryu rolled his eyes.
"Enough, you two. Keep it quiet, we're here." Ross' house with the Light Tower loomed over them. Karn rubbed his hands together.
"Right, I'm up. Watch and learn." Scrambling onto a large statue, he jumped from there onto a nearby walltop. Taking a quick look for guards, he edged around behind Ross' house and disappeared from view. A few tense minutes passed, and then the front door swung open. Karn beckoned them in, doing his best impression of a snooty butler. "Enter, and be welcome... but don't track mud."
"Why didn't you just use a window?" Nina asked. Karn made a rude noise.
"Windows are for amateurs. Besides, that's where security is tightest... they expect you to go for those. Now, servants' doors to the trash piles out back... those are rarely locked, if they have locks at all. Friend Ross' house was no exception. Come on, before anybody sees us and wonders 'Hm, when did Ross hire a new butler, and why is he having guests at this hour?'"
"Yeah, yeah." Ryu nodded impatiently. "Now, how do we find the safe?" Karn smirked.
"Already done. This way." Leading them through several deserted hallways, he stopped at a set of stairs leading down. "It's in the basement, right?"
"Yup." Nina confirmed. "Good job, Karn. Let's take a look." The stairs led staight to the safe; a massive iron construction twenty feet square. Karn stepped up to it and did some examinations. "Whew... you guys weren't kidding when you said this thing was tough stuff."
"Can you crack it?" The Princess asked anxiously. Karn snorted, pressing an ear against it.
"Of course. Might take me a bit, though, but I'll do it." As it turned out, it took two hours. Finally, though, he made one last adjustment to a dial, and the entire slab of iron swung open. Behind it, a young girl of about Karn's age jumped in surprise.
"Who-?" Her eyes grew wide with fear. "Are you Dark Dragons? Are you here for... the Light Key?"
"We're not Dark Dragons." Ryu assured her. "Quite the opposite, actually. We ARE here for the Light Key, but only to keep it away from the Dark Dragons. Look, she's from the Wing Clan, and he's from the Forest Clan... would either of those help Dark Dragons?"
"I guess not..." Ross' daughter admitted. "Then... you know about father's plans?"
"It seems they do, indeed, Eliza." A voice from behind them agreed sadly. Everybody spun, hands on their weapons. It was Ross, wearing a bathrobe. Karn stared.
"How did..."
"A feature of the safe that's impossible to detect." Ross informed him. "Whenever it opens, it sets off an alarm in my bedroom." The young thief slapped his own face as Ryu stepped forward angrily.
"You admit it, then. You were going to sell out to the Dark Dragons."
"I had no choice." Ross sighed. "North of here, in an inlet that was once connected to the Cape Tunnel, is a fleet of ships. Auria is a town of money, not war... if they attacked, we would die. Auria would fall quickly. This was the only way."
"I can't believe you, father!" Eliza yelled. "You give in this easily? And you're the High Merchant of Auria?"
"The Dark Dragons are too much." Ross argued. "You don't understand, Eliza... you can't understand."
"Then I'm glad I don't." Ross' daughter shook her head with disgust. "You were never like this when mother was alive... what happened?"
"Your mother..." Ross deflated. "She was headstrong like you, Eliza... she believed that with enough will, anything could be overcome. But then that sickness... that, even she could not conquer..."
"So you figure it's better to give up?" Eliza said fiercely. "If mother was still alive, father... what do you think SHE would tell you to do?"
"If she was here..." Ryu muttered, struck by a sudden thought. Removing the Mirror from Uncle Specs, he looked into it and gasped with surprise. Nina, Bo and Karn looked in as well and stepped back, wide-eyed. Ross' daughter glared at them. "What is it?" Wordlessly, Ryu handed her the Mirror. She stared, as if entranced, then turned to her father. "Dad, I... there's somebody who wants to see you."
"What is..." Ross started, then froze as he looked into the mirror. His wife looked back at him. "Alena? What kind of trick is..." He broke off. Ross' wife was talking now, words that were inaudible to the others. Ross sat down hard on the stone floor, staring into the mirror as he carried on a conversation only he could understand. "You... what? But... what can I do? ...You're right. If... they get the Key... it will only get worse. Yes... yes... no!" He stared at the mirror. "No, please... Alena... I..." The High Merchant of Auria dropped the mirror, on the floor and buried his head in his arms. Nobody spoke or moved. After a few moments, he looked up and handed the mirror gravely to Ryu. "This... is yours. Thank you."
"Father...?" Eliza wondered. Ross slowly nodded.
"Yes. I've come to my senses. I was wrong, Eliza... forgive me." His eyes grew dark. "The Dark Dragons would destroy us anyways. They will come for the Key soon." He turned to Nina and Ryu. "Princess... hero." Ryu jumped a bit at that. "I have no right to ask you this, but..."
"We will help you." Nina answered for all of them. Ross nodded gratefully.
"Then... as my first request... take the Light Key. There is no better place on this world to hide it than with you." Ryu nodded and led his group up the stairs behind Eliza, leaving Ross and his daughter alone. They walked through several rooms, hidden inside Ross' house and then up through the tower itself, with no difficulty. Finally, they emerged in the top room, all of them keeping their eyes carefully shut to avoid blindness from the intense light.
"If there's a guardian spirit up here too, we are SO all going to die." Karn commented as they felt their way to the center and the crystal orb. As Ryu grasped it, the orb shattered, and a small metal object fell into his palm. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The blinding light was gone; through a window in the roof, he saw that the sky was the dark red of sunset.
"Hey guys, open your eyes. It's fine." He looked down at the Light Key in his hands. Like the others, it was a thing of beauty, carved entirely of gold and still faintly glowing. The top was a circular disk with three needle-sharp spines protruding evenly around, and the bottom, like the others, was uniquely fitted. "That's number four. Three to go." He grinned. "Man, Emperor Zog is going to go volcanic when he hears about this."
"That's probably not the best thing to be talking about right now considering where we are, boss." Bo cautioned. "Come on, let's go down and see what Auria can do to fight back." Returning to the basement, they joined Ross and Eliza silently. However, when they walked back up to the mansion proper, they found somebody far less welcoming. Captain Zenny Gata, and a full company of guards. And none of them looked in any mood to be bribed.
"Aha! I should have known you'd be behind this, Karn!" Zenny Gata yelled triumphantly. "Stealing the Light Key... are their no limits to your greed? And you three! I didn't like you as soon as I saw you coming in here, but not even I thought you'd stoop this low!"
"Captain Gata, stand down." Ross ordered. The Captain looked at him as if he had just been ordered to do his patrol in his underwear.
"High Merchant, these-"
"I said, STAND DOWN." Ross' eyes flashed. "These people did not steal the Light Key, I gave it to them. They are now charged with protecting it. You may have had your differences with them in the past, but from this point on, you are allies against a much greater problem. The Dark Dragons are coming, Captain, and we must do everything we can to repel them. Am I understood?" Gata hesitated. "I said, AM I UNDERSTOOD?"
"Y... yes, sir." Zenny Gata saluted him, then much more slowly, Ryu. "Sir."
"I know this is hard, Captain, but understand we want the exact same thing you do." Ryu told him. "To protect this city. So let's get down to business and figure out how to bust some Dark Dragon skulls, huh?" Gata slowly nodded.
"Yes, I... Dark Dragons!" He snapped to attention. "High Merchant, I also came here to report that a Dark Dragon vessel has arrived in the harbor! There's a Knight who wishes to see you out there!" Ross frowned darkly.
"Here it is, then. Come, everybody... we should go give him his answer." Ross and his daughter, the four travelers, and Gata's guards all walked to Auria's harbor. A ship with the Dark Dragon flag was anchored halfway in. Much closer was a beautiful new ship with the Aurian flag. In front of that one, a man wearing a long blue seacoat and a tricorn hat was talking with a Dark Dragon Knight and archer.
"Ah, Captain Role." Ross smiled. "Have you been keeping our guests entertained?" Role started to reply, but the Knight rudely shoved him aside.
"Enough pleasantries." He was a younger officer with a thin, finely trimmed mustache. "High Merchant Ross, I am Sir Rabite of the Dark Dragon Empire, and we are here to recieve the Light Key."
"You don't say." Ross smiled pleasantly. "Unfortunately, the Light Key has been lost. I don't have it any more. You and the Empire have our most sincere apologies." Rabite sneered.
"Is that so? You're a fool, High Merchant, if you think you can get away with this. We'll burn Auria to the ground!"
"Really now." Ryu frowned, stepping forward. "You sure talk a lot for a Knight. Somebody might take offense if you keep that up... wouldn't you say, Captain?" He inclined his head towards Zenny Gata, who stepped forward as well, frowning.
"Indeed somebody might, Sir Ryu. Maybe we should teach these impertinent pups a lesson in good manners."
"That sounds like an excellent idea to me." Ryu unbuckled his sword and let it drop to the ground. "Won't need this, though... not for clowns like you." Rabite laughed and drew his sword as the archer fitted an arrow.
"You'll regret OOF!" He grunted as Ryu and Gata fell upon him and the unlucky archer with their fists. The others simply watched, amused, wincing slightly at a particularly gruesome cracking or squishing noise, usually accompanied by a scream.
"I didn't know arms bent THAT way." Karn remarked to Bo.
"They're not supposed to." Bo answered.
"Aah."
"Hey, kick him there again!" Nina called. "He made a great noise when... yeah, that's the spot!" After a few brutal minutes, the two unlucky Dark Dragons were tossed off the harbor in the general direction of their ship. The archer sank like a rock, but Rabite made a bold effort, floundering towards it with all his might.
"He swims pretty good for a guy with a broken arm and leg." Ryu noticed. "Think he'll make it?" Gata frowned.
"Looks like it. Think we should have broken the other arm too?"
"Probably..." Ryu bit his lip. Rabite was being hauled onto the ship now. "Damn. Bo! Waste him!" Unfortunately, before Bo could fire, Rabite had been hauled onto the deck and hustled below. Almost immediately, the Dark Dragon ship took off, but not before firing all of its cannons into Ross' new ship. With a wooden groan, the ship sank into the water and was gone. Laughing, the soldiers on the ship sailed it away to the north.
"Sigh... well, we knew it would come to this." Ross admitted. "They'll be back tomorrow... they won't sail at night, but once the sun's up again..."
"Yeah." Ryu frowned. "We may be in trouble."
"Now, hold on." Captain Role walked over to them. "High Merchant, do we know where their ships are located?"
"Well, yes." Ross admitted. "That inlet up north... the one the Cape Tunnel used to go to. Why?"
"Figures... that's where I'd do it." The naval Captain thought for a moment. "So... what would happen if were to go there tonight and attack THEM first by surprise?" Zenny Gata frowned.
"Impossible. There's no way there except that tunnel, and that fork that goes to the inlet is caved in."
"Excuse me..." A new voice piped up. Everybody turned to see a fat orange Maniro watching them. Ross frowned.
"Aren't you Gobi, the cousin of Nuzi?"
"That's me." Gobi nodded. "And I may have a solution to your problems. Gunpowder. That'll blast that cavein wide open!"
"Gunpowder..." Ryu mused. "Yes, that would do it. Ross, do you..."
"As I said before, we're a merchant city, not a war city." Ross shook his head. "We have no gunpowder, even on our ships."
"Then do I have a deal for you!" Gobi grinned widely. "I've got a barrel of it I found a little while back."
"Cut to the chase, merchant." Zenny Gata growled. "How much are you going to skin us for it?" Gobi's grin became, if possible, even wider.
"Oh, I'd say... sixty-five thousand Zenny."
"Hey, isn't that the price for one of your cousin's gold bars?" Ryu asked. Gobi nodded.
"You got it. He's really been riding my tail about stocking those recently, so I figure I'll buy one myself to shut him up."
"If there's one thing I can contribute to our cause, it's money." Ross decided. "You have a deal, merchant. Bring the gunpowder to the Cape Tunnel, and you'll recieve your money."
"And then we'll have a very nasty surprise for our friends up north." Ryu grinned evilly.
"All right, this thing's set." Gobi whispered. "Somebody give me a match, and then everybody back off." Bo solemnly handed him one and followed the others back down the Cape Tunnel, around a bend. A few moments passed, and then Gobi joined them. "Just a bit more and-" The rest of his words were drowned out by the massive explosion. Dust and small rocks fell from the ceiling, knocked loose by the sounds alone. Everybody waited several moments, then looked. No trace of the cavein remained; the way ahead led to the outside. They emerged on a high point, overlooking the rest of the inlet. Down below, they could see several hastily constructed guard shacks. Beyond those, anchored out in the water, were ten Dark Dragon warships.
"So, what's the plan?" Captain Gata asked. He and Captain Role, along with his men, had accompanied the four travelers.
"Well, first we need to get rid of those guards." Ryu decided. "Karn and Bo, can you do that without anybody noticing?" The thief and the archer nodded. "Good. After you take care of that, we'll go down there and check out the ships. We'll sneak aboard them, steal the best one, and smash holes in the rest!"
"My men are rather good at smashing." Captain Gata admitted. "Sounds like a plan."
"We'll get started, then." Karn disappeared almost instantly. Bo looked at the spot where he had been and shrugged, then vanished into a clump of trees.
"Are those two really that good?" Captain Role asked. Gata laughed.
"Believe me, I know Karn is. I'll never tell him it, but I'm glad he's on my side now. That kid's the best Bleak's turned out as long as I can remember."
"And Bo's the number one archer from the Forest Clan. He can have five arrows in the air at once. They'll be fine." Nina assured them. "So, who do you think'll be in charge here?"
"A Captain..." Ryu guessed. "I'm sure of it."
"Captain, eh?" Role frowned. "Well, that's not saying much... me and Gata are both Captains, but in very different ways. I don't know much about Dark Dragon millitary hierarchy, I gotta admit."
"Well..." Nina thought for a moment. "There's Knights, first... they're the lowest rank. Each Knight commands a company of a hundred. Above them are the Generals... there were ten of them, until we took out two. I think they have a legion of a thousand each. Captains are technically on the same level as Generals, except that they're officers in the fleet. And there's only five of them, so they tend to boss the Generals around a bit."
"Makes sense." Captain Gata nodded.
"Now. Above the Captains is the leader of the army, Admiral Cean." Nina continued. "He's human, not a Dark Dragon, but he's apparently a strategic genius and a pretty hard case to face in person as well. He's the man who's done all the actual planning on the invasions of the Lands of the East. The only ones above HIM are the Tiamat Unit and Emperor Zog himself."
"Er... and the Tiamat Unit are?" Captain Role asked. "I've heard rumors, but not much else."
"They were formed ten years ago... right before the Fusion Clan Massacre." Nina's eyes grew dark. "They're not millitary officers... special forces would be a better term, I guess. There are five members... their names are Cort, Mote, Cerl, Goda and Jade, but most people know them as the Blue Alchemist, the Red Dreammaster, the White Assassin, the Black Warrior and the Gold Lord. Aside from that, I'm afraid I don't know much about them, but just about everybody in the army does what they say."
"That much respect, eh?" Captain Gata frowned. Ryu shook his head.
"No. That much fear."
"Lovely way of doing things." Bo remarked dryly as he and Karn rejoined the group. "Guards are all taken care of, and nobody's noticed on the ships. They look like they're just leaning against walls."
"Good." Ryu nodded. "Captain Role, you'll be able to tell us which ship's the best one, right?"
"Easily." The Captain confirmed. As they got close, he pointed at one without doubt. "I can already see... that one. The Scylla. It'll probably be where the Captain is."
"All right, the four of us will deal with that one." Ryu decided. "Captain Gata, have your men bash the rest open-preferrably without THEIR men noticing. When you're done, come join us onboard the Scylla."
"Done." Captain Gata went back to get his guards. Ryu rubbed his hands together.
"All right then, let's steal a ship! Nina, if you don't mind?" The Princess flew up and dropped the boarding ramp. As the other three walked aboard, an enemy soldier emerged above deck.
"Ah, 'bout time my shift was up..." He grumbled, not seeing them. Silently, Nina moved above him and drove her rapier through his skull. Like wraiths, they moved below the deck, eliminating soldiers one or two at a time. Finally, they reached the Captain's cabin. Dropping any sense of stealth, Ryu kicked the door in.
"What? Who dares-?" The Captain saw them and jumped away. "Aha! You're from Auria... wait. Blue hair... Ryu! You're the Light Dragon terrorist!"
"I see my reputation is preceeding me nowadays." Ryu smiled. "And you're the Captain in charge of these ships?"
"That I am." The Captain gave a stiff half-bow. "Captain Suish of the Dark Dragon Empire."
"Very well, Captain." Ryu drew his sword. "We challenge you, here and now, for mastery of your ship, the Scylla."
"As you wish." Suish nodded, but he did not draw a weapon. Instead, he began glowing. "I must admit, there's no way you and your friends could get your kind of reputation on luck alone. You ARE good... but I'm better!" His skin turned green.
"He's transforming! Like Graham!" Bo yelled unneccessarily. Suish's arms and legs were splitting, dviding into thick tentacles. His main body was shifting upwards, becoming a conelike mass with fins on the side. His eyes grew red and moved to just above the tentacles, and above them on the main body was a gaping, fang-filled maw that no true mollusk would have. The giant monster squid reared back and thrashed the air with its legs in challenge.
"Geez! I didn't know he was going to do THAT!" Karn yelled. Nina flew up and began casting spells to increase her allies' power as Ryu transformed into a Fire Whelp.
"You're not the only shape-changer, pal!" Ryu yelled, spewing blast of fire into the Squid's face. It responded by launching a glob of pink slime from its own maw, and Ryu was struck in the shoulder. The scum was acidic, and stuck like glue.
"Cheap shot!" Bo yelled, firing a couple arrows into the maw and following them with a fireblast of his own. Growling, the Squid charged forward and knocked the archer flat. As he did, however, knives and claws from Karn and Ryu raked his side. Angrily, he tried to turn, but on land, tentacles were not exactly designed for doing that very fast. By the time he was facing Ryu, both sides were covered with deep slash marks. Now even angrier, the Squid did not stop turning, but instead sped up. Once it was spinning at an impressive speed, it began firing slimeballs indiscriminately. Most missed, but a few struck each of them.
"Ow! You stupid-!" Ryu hissed, covering the Squid with more fire relentlessly. It kept on going, despite the terrible burning of its flesh. Then Karn dashed forward and severed one of the tentacles with his knife. Now the Squid stopped; knocked off balance by the loss of its appendage, and Karn struck; racing up the horribly gouged and charred mollusk, he plunged both arms into the maw, knives first. For a moment, the maw seemed to close, read to bite them off... and then it gaped open again and the Squid slumped to the floor, unmoving. One eye still had a bit of glimmer in it.
"You... win. But... beware. My brother... will seek... revenge once he... learns of this. Ha ha ha..." The glimmer faded. Ryu shrugged and reverted to his human form.
"Right... whatever. Let's go back up on deck and see if Captain Gata's there yet." As it turned out, he was, with all his men.
"We're ready whenever you are." He saluted. Ryu turned to Captain Role.
"Just tell us what to do, Captain." Role nodded and did so, taking his place at the wheel. Within five minutes, the Scylla was heading out to sea. Almost immediately, surprised and angry shouts came from the other ships. It wasn't long before the first of them began following, with the others close behind.
It took even less time before the Scylla was alone on the ocean.
Two mornings later, the four travelers left Auria's finest Inn and walked down to the docks. The Scylla was waiting, with Captain Role at the helm, and so were Ross and Eliza.
"Ryu, thank you." Eliza smiled. "Thank you all. From now on, there will be no secrets from the people of Auria like this... we will all work together to protect the city." Ross nodded.
"Zog misuses his power. We won't do the same. We're sending emissaries to the lands both south and north of us... maybe it's time we gave an alliance another try." He frowned. "Be careful, all of you. Now that you've cleared the Dark Dragons out of Auria as well, their remaining forces in the East will be concentrated in the lands of the Builder Clan and the ocean around Prima. And they'll definitely be looking for you."
"We'll make sure to watch out, High Merchant." Ryu assured him. "Ready to go, Captain?" Role nodded.
"It's only a crew of five, but I couldn't ask for better! Let's go!"
"Wait! Wait for me!" A now-familiar voice yelled from behind them. It was Gobi, and he was running as hard as he could, laden with several heavy-looking packs. When he reached them, he tried to grin, but he was breathing too hard. "Could I... huff... go with you... puff...?"
"Come with us?" Nina frowned. "Why?"
"Well..." Gobi regained his breath. "Me and my cousin have had a bit of a falling out. Could you just drop me off wherever you're going? I figure I'll set up a place of my own somewhere. I don't care where, as long as it's a town. I can do duties as a sailor, and I'll cook. What do you say?"
"I don't know..." Nina said uncertainly. Now Gobi gave his best persuasive grin.
"Come on! The more the merrier!"
"Sure, why not." Bo shrugged. "I don't care if you tag along. Boss?"
"If Captain Role doesn't mind, it's okay with me." Ryu nodded.
"Thank you." Gobi bowed. "I won't be a problem, I promise."
"All right, then! Hoist the main sail!" Captain Role shouted. Ross and Eliza waved as they left the ship. "Raise the anchor!" The Scylla took off, and Ryu grinned.
"So much for the land... ocean, ho!"
