Ghostship
For a brief moment, the woman's eyes flickered to the gold of a cat's, but when Angela blinked, the image was gone.
"Bigieu…" snarled the sorceress. She raised her staff again to spellcast, only half-conscious of the nimble Hawkeye flying up the stairs before her. Just when she was about to release the spell on her lips, and Hawkeye poised with a wicked-looking throwing knife, Bigieu spoke again.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
She lifted an amulet from between her ample breasts and brandished it before them. Hawkeye's knife clattered to the floor, dropped from deadened fingers.
"Jessica…" he spoke softly. Bigieu nodded and replaced the pendant in her bosom.
"I have no use for this castle now. You may have it."
With no further pomp, she disappeared.
"Dammit!"
Duran slammed the hard wooden table with a large fist, shaking the floor around it slightly. Riesz reached out to put a calming hand on his shoulder, but he brushed it away irritably. "I don't like it, I don't like it at all. We shouldn't have let her leave. She'll come back to haunt us, mark it. And the Goddess only knows what she'll do when she does."
"And what were we supposed to do, you big clod?" Angela hefted her staff and brought it down on his thick skull with a loud clang. His helmet protected him, but the motion left him with a unique ringing sound in his ears. "Hawk's girlfriend was tied to that…seductress somehow."
:Seductress, eh, Angela? As though you can talk.:
The faerie's humor was lost on the depressed quad of warriors. Angela did not even raise her voice, and that worried the little winged woman. The faerie floated over to Angela, trailing blue sparks in her wake, and stared the girl hard in the face.
:It is not the end, much as you believe it to be so. In fact, this is a beginning. You have the Wind Kingdom back from that woman's grasp! We are one step closer to the Holyland, whether you believe it or not. The Goddess smiles upon you all, can you not feel it?:
Riesz was the first to respond.
"How can we possibly save Mana if we can't even save one girl?"
Duran nodded, and Angela made a soft sound of agreement. Hawkeye just sat at the table, gazing off into space. Presumably, he was back with his Jessica.
:You, the chosen of Mana, are complaining?: The faerie scowled. :I'm disgusted. You have the all the blessings of the Goddess. She will certainly grant Jessica her freedom. It is Her will that drives Fa'Diel, and you, Her chosen warriors, would flout it? What is the world coming to? I remember when we had real heroes.:
Hawkeye roused himself from his funk long enough to say, "We didn't ask for this. None of us did."
Riesz scoffed. "Did the Goddess think it fit to slay my father? To kidnap my brother?"
The faerie nearly fell out of the air. Riesz was questioning the Goddess?
"Did the Goddess keep my mother from loving me?" Angela asked in a small voice. The faerie shook her tiny head.
:She lays the path, it is up to humans to follow it. Your choices will lead you down the path, or off it. I had hoped that I might lead you back to it, since you have all strayed, but it seems that I was wasting my time. Perhaps I should seek out the child, Charlotte. Her heart is pure, her will to serve the Goddess unalloyed by doubt.:
This time, Duran snorted. "That little bit of sugar? What could she do, bounce on the enemy?"
:Better than what you are doing now. At least she would try.:
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. When it appeared that none of them would begin speaking any time soon, the faerie sighed.
:I do not understand. I truly do not. It seems to me that at every turn, you stop and gape, wondering and worrying. I did not come all the way from the spirit world to sit a lot of babies! I never said this would be easy. I told you, from the beginning, that the Goddess demands much of her heroes.:"We knew that, Faerie." Replied Angela. "You did tell us."
"But I don't think we understood…" started Riesz.
"…until we started to lose the people we love." Finished Hawkeye. The ninja's thoughts remained on Jessica, and the cat-thief he'd left in Palo. Riesz thought of her brother and her poor blind, dead father. Duran still mourned the deaths of the soldiers in Forcena, on the walls of the castle and in the night, by trickery and magic they did not understand. Angela thought of her mother, the ice queen of Reason. The sorceress still remembered warmth, a warmth she had not felt since childhood. When she was around Duran, that part of her tingled, but he could not evoke the same sense of security that Angela recalled. Once, once she had been warm. That had been when Altena was at the height of its peacetime power, with her mother's strength fueling the spells of warmth that protected the city.
The faerie fumed silently for a few moments then tossed a spark of blue fire into Angela's hair. The girl yelped and scrabbled to put it out, and the other three snapped out of their reveries to help her.
Several buckets of water and a very wet sorceress later, they were settled at the table, Angela glaring daggers at the faerie and looking slightly singed, the others with faint grins on their faces. A very satisfied sylph stared back at them, and took in breath for more words. Hawkeye interrupted her.
"We'll go, Faerie, all right? We'll go. I've got a girlfriend to save, and my amazonian friend here, " he indicated Riesz with an expansive gesture, "needs to find her dear brother. So we'll go."
The others nodded their agreement, and Angela shook some droplets free from her hair in the process. Riesz growled.
"Not on the rabite-fur rug, you idiot! Do you have any idea how many we had to track down to make that thing? It was in perfect condition!"
Angela stared at the little puddle that had collected on the floor worriedly.
"Uh-oh…"
Both girls leaped up from the table simultaneously. Angela dashed out through the door with an enraged Riesz on her tail. Duran looked to the more experienced Hawkeye for support, but the ninja just shook his head and laughed again.
"Women run the country, Duran. They've got to be used to it by now."
The knight sighed and hoped that they would make it out of the wind kingdom sooner rather than later.
"Riesz, are you sure it's okay to leave the place? You are the Queen now, right?"
Angela had a few bruises from wrestling with the bigger girl, but she was otherwise intact, and even those were a pale yellow and already beginning to fade. A few days of rest, and the long ours of soul-searching that accompanied them, had done all four of them a lot of good, and they were glad to have it.
"They'll be fine." Replied the valkyrie. "Elder Matthew is wise, and the amazons are strong. They are wary now, so I don't think the castle will fall to Navarre's tricks again."
"Bigieu isn't after Laurant anymore. I'm not sure why she attacked in the first place."
Duran fingered his beardless chin thoughtfully.
"That's been bothering me, too. She obviously wants to release the energy of the Mana Stones, but with her ninjas…"
"Ninja." Corrected Hawkeye. Duran glared at the ninja, but his target just grinned and winked.
"Right, ninja. Anyway, with her ninja, Bigieu could easily have taken the Stone without ever taking the castle. There's no tactical advantage in keeping Laurant's keep, since she can't attack any other countries from it. So why take it in the first place?"
:Er, Duran? I didn't think that I needed to point this out, but apparently I do. She did it because she's evil, of course!: The faerie gave him a little mental "slap", and he rubbed his head sheepishly. :Does she really need another reason?:
"I guess not…"
:Then I suggest that we stop arguing about it and get moving.:A tiny girl bounced along down the road, her golden curls bouncing as she did. She carried with her a vast store of energy, and it escaped in little bursts that made her giggle. For all the world, she appeared to be oblivious. But Carlie was thinking, uh-huh!
Nice dancing lady told Carlie, "Follow the yellow-brick road!", she did. So Carlie's followin' the yellow-brick road, she is. Too bad dancing lady went to play with fat man…The girl's thoughts continued in that pattern for much of the short trek. Once or twice, it was interrupted when the cute, yellow bunny-things tried to bite her, but she spanked 'em good with her hurly-wurly sprinkler and moved on. Before long, she made it to the gate of Maia, and she stood there for a few moments, still bouncing energetically.
"Uwaaa!"
The minute cleric whipped around when she heard the strange cry. Out came her morning star, and she stood stolidly to wait for whatever was coming her way. Down the path hammered many loud men and the boy that had let out the cry. Carlie blinked, the large group of men was fleeing the lone boy! She cocked her cute head to the side, confused.
Seeing easier prey ahead of them, the men shouted and waved their pointy, rusted swords around. Carlie danced back a few steps, a bit fearful. Then, the screaming boy crashed into the motley crew like a mallet. Curses rang out in several tongues, and Carlie reddened.
"Bad men! Carlie wash out those stinky potty-mouths!"
With the boy laying about with huge, meaty fists, and an angry midget waving a flail, the bandits were soon out cold on the yellow brick. Carlie hung her morning star on the loop inside her robes and confronted the boy.
"Why loud boy chase bad men?" she asked. Before answering, the boy knelt over the body of one of the bandits and fished something out of the man's clothing. It was a pouch, filled with jingling coins. Seemingly satisfied, he stood up and loomed over Carlie. He stood more than twice her height, so it was easy. He also had biceps like corded metal and a wolfish look about him. And he wore a funny hat.
"Why little girl run around on yellow road?" he retorted. He chortled, thinking himself witty to procure such a sophisticated rebuttal. Carlie fumed.
"Carlie asked you first!" she sputtered.
"So?" replied the wolf-boy. He grinned ferally, exposing overly large canines that were painfully white against his dark skin.
"Because…because…why you so mean to poor Carlie?!"
The little girl promptly burst into tears and ran off through the gates of Maia, leaving behind several bodies and one bewildered beast boy.
"Throw 'im outta town, the goddess-damned thief!"
Hawkeye's sensitive ears picked up the sound long before any of the others. The Path to the Heavens was at its end, and they had been contemplating a nice supper at Palo's inn, good fish and all, when the ninja heard the raucous voice emanating up the path.
"What's that? A thief?" he murmured. "Who are they talking about?"
Angela looked over to him with some concern.
"What's wrong, Hawk?"
"Quiet, something's wrong at the gate."
He cupped a hand around his ear to hear better, but Angela pulled it down. When he frowned at her, she grinned widely and tapped his head around the ear three times, a triangle.
"There's a better way to do that."
She searched through the golden pathways Mana left in the winds, and drew one out from the gate of Palo. Immediately, Hawkeye felt a soft sea breeze blow past his ear, and it brought voices with it.
"A cat? What the hell is he? Some kind of cat-person? I've heard of 'em, but I've never met one…""A cat person…?"
Angela's features suddenly grew grave. Hawkeye leaped down the hillside and shouted,
"Nikita!"
"Damned thieves! Palo never did anythin' ta ya!"
The inebriated fisherman was knocked to the ground by a figure in green and purple. He tried to get back to his feet, but swooned when he found a knife in his face and a hand around his throat.
"I forbid you to touch him." Said the smooth tenor.
"A…awright…just don' kill me!"
The man in green and purple was strong, too strong for his slender figure. It was unnatural. The poor fisherman choked a little bit, and he noticed a woman in green leather standing behind the ninja. His eyes bulged; it was an amazon. The tiny part of the man that was still coherent babbled that a ninja and an amazon shouldn't be traveling together, but that part was rather overwhelmed by the parts that were concentrated on the fact that he was choking. He saw the woman-girl place a hard hand on the ninja's shoulder, and gasped with relief when the boy released him.
There were no words, none. The ninja was silent and cold, and the fisherman was too preoccupied with drawing breath to speak. Hawkeye took his friend by the hand and led him to the Inn to rest.
When Nikita had filled them in on what he knew of Bigieu's magic assault on the Navarran ninja, Duran slammed his mug down on the table. It was empty, but the barkeep winced anyway. Spirits had been scarce for a while, and he had still not grown used to the fact that there was now a normal supply. With the ninja freed from Bigieu's spell, Palo was free again.
"Slimy bitch, that one. She's slipped away and left behind a bloodbath. We can't let her get away with this."
Riesz shook her head.
"No, we can't. But there's something bigger, something much bigger than what we've seen so far. We still don't know exactly why she attacked the castle, regardless of what the faerie says. Bigieu must be part of some larger picture. Even if she was randomly attacking, there must still be someone behind her, or she'd have stayed at the castle to cause more havoc."
"And she didn't hunt down all of the amazons, which is out of character for her." Remarked Hawkeye. The demi-human thief added his nod to Hawkeye's solemnly.
"I'm sorry about that, bro. I couldn't protect her."
Hawkeye's orbs remained cold and tearless as he thought of Jessica.
"It's fine, Nik. There wasn't anything you could do. I'm just glad you're alive."
"Anyway," continued Riesz, "it's that someone else we have to worry about, not Bigieu."
Duran was a bit shocked at Riesz's cool evaluation of the situation.
"But…Riesz, your friends died at her hand. How can you…"
The valkyrie shook her head, disturbing her long, green locks that she had let down from their normal confinement in mourning for her father. She cupped her cool hand around his and smiled.
"I know that, Duran. And I will never stop hating her for that. I will have my revenge, someday. But until that day comes, I have to concentrate on the larger picture Bigieu is a part of. She's only the first bird in the flock, I'm sure there are others."
"Like the Red Wizard." Muttered the knight. Angela chortled. Duran glared at her, demanding an answer to a silent question.
"Oh, Duran. Koren isn't nearly the enemy you think he is. He's just a neophyte when it comes to magic, really." Though she laughed, her eyes were clouded. "I think he sold a piece of his soul for power."
Duran's words died on his tongue. Riesz was so horrified that she did not speak. But the faerie, as always, had plenty to say.
:That's…abominable. Angela, if you're right, then he has sinned…unforgivably. That is a perversion of Mana.:The sorceress nodded.
"I know that. I'd hoped that it wasn't true, and I never believed it before I had magic. Koren and I were friends, a long time ago. We were a lot alike, both without any magic. Then he started going all bigshot with his fireballs and red cape, and left me and Iris behind. I still denied it, but I've been talking with Wisp, and he agrees with me. There's no way that Koren had that much latent magic ability. It has to be blood magic. That's why he gets more powerful every time he kills."
Stunned silence met the end of her words, but she did not let it linger.
"So we have two problems on our hands. It's all a part of the Quest, right? So we should get moving on it. Faerie, where's the next spirit?"
Quickly recovering, the faerie switched gears, trying to remember. She gave a tiny sigh, and shook her head. :I still can't remember, Angela. We'll have to talk to Prince Richard.:
"King Richard." Corrected Duran. He frowned.
:I said that.:"No you didn't, you said Prince."
:Ah…it must be the information the other faeries gave me. It's been a long time since any of us have been over here.: she said quickly. Little sweat drops flew off of her forehead, and she abruptly disappeared into Angela's head.
That's not fair. Said the sorceress.
:So? There are some things that he doesn't need to know. It would only hurt him, and I need him whole and sound of mind. He will find out, but I'll not be the one to tell him.:Are there things about me that you haven't told me?
:Of course.:
Angela's mouth nearly dropped open, but she caught herself before letting such an expression grace her perfect face.
WHAT?!! You live inside my head and you haven't told me everything?:It is the same with you, Angela. There are things the Goddess knows about every being of Mana that they would cower at. It is like the difference between mother and child, to give you an analogy.:
But…oh, whatever. I'll let it slide, for now.The faerie made a slight noise of assent.
:Go to the port and get on a ship back to Maia quickly. The king of Forcena is waiting.: Back in Maia…The ghost cursed darkly as the bag he carried struggled wildly. Captain had told the ghost that his job would be easy, just nab the little girl and bring her back to the boat. Captain apparently hadn't reckoned with the half-pint's morning star, and failed to warn his…emissary of her dangerous tendency to wave the damned thing around.
Still, the pay was good, a bit of human soul every night. Couldn't beat that, not even in the Cave of Darkness itself. And it wasn't so bad, she was annoying, but the ghost just made part of himself immaterial so that she bashed thin air instead of his side.
Just as the ghost was preparing to step on board the ship, a howl broke the stillness of the night. The ghost shivered, but continued up the boarding plank. He did not notice as a dark, wolfish shape slipped in behind him.
"A free ride?"
Angela was a little skeptical. The brawny sailor before them had told them boisterously that the ride to Maia was completely free of charge, but she had her suspicions. Duran nudged her in the side playfully.
"Come on, Angie. Maybe Mana's watching over us, or something. It's free."
"More importantly," put in Riesz, "it's the only ship going to Maia. If we take any of the others, we'll have to backtrack from Vizel."
Hawkeye did not say anything, it did not really matter to him which ship they took, or what route. Most of his thoughts were occupied with trying to absorb all of the new techniques he was learning from the Elementals, so he was letting the others make most of the decisions.
"I promise the food's good and the beds are better, girlie!" said the loud sailor. Angela gave him a disgusted look, but shrugged.
"If it's the only way, let's take it."
"Very good! You won't regret it!"
"Yeah, I'm sure we won't." Angela muttered. Riesz looked at her, concerned, but Angela waved the valkyrie's attentions away. Something about the ship bothered her, but it was just a feeling, and she could not act on a feeling.
Feels like…that curse…A terrible scream echoed through the compartments of the ship, Grim Rider.
"What the hell?!!"
Duran rolled out of his bed when he heard the sound, bringing bed clothes and side table down with him. When he had untangled himself, he found Hawkeye already out of bed with weapons ready, though the ninja was clothed only in his baggy pants.
"Hush." Hissed the ninja. His sharp hearing picked up no further screams; it seemed that it was over for the moment. As Duran was trying to untangle himself from his comforter, the door to their cabin flew open. Angela stood in the doorway, even more scantily clad than usual, in only a bra and silk panties. Though the night was cold, the sorceress appeared not to notice. Riesz stood behind her, wearing a conservative nightgown that fell to her knees.
"Did you two hear that?" demanded Angela. She stormed into the room, and Hawkeye relaxed momentarily.
"Uh…I…uh…" Duran was incoherent. Angela looked down at her attire and scoffed.
"Boy, if you can't take a pretty girl in a bathing suit, you've got no right to call yourself a man. Now, I asked you a question, give me an answer!"
Behind the tempestuous Angela, Riesz blushed deeply. Hawkeye thought it rather cute. Duran was still babbling.
:Wait.:The faerie bobbed out of Angela's head suddenly, cupping a tiny hand around her ear.
:I hear something.:Hawkeye was at Angela's side so quickly that the girl jumped involuntarily.
"What is it, Faerie?" he asked softly.
So weird. He used to talk all the time. I wonder what happened to him during that class change. Angela thought. :It's…a Spirit. It's weak, but there. I think it's Shade. That means this place is…:"The Ghost Ship!"
Angela shrugged on her normal outfit quickly and picked up her staff. Since she had the less bulky armor (enchanted bikinis didn't weigh quite so much as leather), she helped Riesz get into her leathers and lace up the sides. The valkyrie gave her a nod of thanks, and they left their room to find the boys.
Hawkeye was by the stairs to the upper level, listening for monsters. A hint of color remained in Duran's cheeks as he stood a bit away from the ninja, apparently still and deep in thought. When she passed by the knight, Angela struck a provocative pose (just for fun, of course), bringing the roses in his cheeks to full bloom. The faerie made a soft sound of disapproval in her mind, but Angela ignored it.
"So how do we get off this piece of junk?"
The sorceress clicked her nails on a wooden crate that was filled with rotten goods. The ship had seemed sound when they boarded it, but now it was dilapidated to the point that the caulking of the ship was beginning to fall apart, and all of the supplies were long gone.
:Shade was imprisoned on the Ghost Ship against his will, a short time after the last conflict.: The faerie floated about outside Angela's head, inspecting the floorboards and other parts of the ship meticulously. :It must be connected to his energy, that's why he's so weak. There's no telling how long he's been forced to move this ship around, and he must have picked up quite a few spiritual passengers. He always seems to attract unsavory characters, though he's likable enough.:
Hawkeye motioned for them to follow him up the stairs, his daggers out, and the faerie continued her mental explanation from Angela's head.
:He's probably possessed, like Jinn was. You'll have to fight one of the enemy's beasts again. Are you prepared?:Duran nodded, as did Angela. Riesz was less certain.
"Darkness…the spirit of Darkness. Are we going to meet him?"
Her tone was a bit fearful, and Angela chortled.
"What, afraid of the dark, valkyrie?"
She was joking, but Riesz paled, and Hawkeye gave her a stormy look. The lighting in the ship was terrible, and the moon that filtered in through the windows did little to help. Rare sympathy passed over Angela's face, and her face fell. She took Riesz's hand apologetically and squeezed it.
"Look inside." She murmured. The valkyrie opened her hands, and a little spark of light magic escaped. It floated up to her head, flitting about playfully. In the darkness of the ship's hold, it was a small comfort, but Riesz smiled anyway.
"Get ready." Whispered Hawkeye. Several slimes slinked around in the hallway before them, and chibi-devils were floating around everywhere. Angela growled deep in her throat and raised her staff.
"Demons never learn, do they?" she remarked. "Holy Ball!"
On the other side of the ship…"Carlie will spank you bad ghosties!"
Several partially corporeal forms already lay on the ground, mangled in various ways by the tiny terror waving around an equally tiny morning star. Nearby, the wolf-boy was fighting as well, taking out all of the ghosts that escaped Carlie's admittedly terrifying wrath. In retrospect, he might have thought that they made a good team, but he was too busy at the moment avoiding the girl's anger himself to think about it.
When they had finished, the little girl panted off the last of her temper and slumped to the ground. She peered around the room with wide, blue eyes, and caught sight of the wolf-boy. He was nursing a wound to his arm, apparently from one of the ghosts' vicious claws. Concerned, the girl wandered over to him and placed a small hand on his arm. He winced, but she made a soft cooing noise that was obscurely comforting, and he found himself calming quickly. She inspected the wound meticulously, prodding it, but somehow without causing any discomfort. For all her apparent age, she was a skilled healer, and the wolf-boy had been brought up never to resist healers.
"It's icky, wolfie. Has to be cleaned!"
His eyes widened, but she just chanted for a few moments, and a few droplets of shining water fell from her hand into the wound. It stung for a moment, but her strangely strong grip kept him from lashing out at her. Amazingly, he felt the poison literally disappear from the injury, and he gave the girl an astonished look.
"Hold still some more. Carlie will make it all better."
She chanted some more, and sparks of light erupted from her hands this time. Instantly, the wound was sealed and closed, completely healed, leaving not even a scar.
"That…amazing." He intoned. The little girl smiled energetically and released his arm. He flexed it experimentally, finding all of the rent muscles whole.
"Wisp taught Carlie to do that!"
"Wisp?"
Angela peered at the bookshelves intently, trying to puzzle out their significance. Most of the books were completely rotten, but there was one on each of the four shelves that was readable.
"Book of Blood, Book of Death, Book of Curses, Book of Death."
That was what the sign had told them. As Angela worked on the puzzle, Duran stood around, impatiently tapping his foot. Riesz was glad for her light, the room seemed even darker than the rest of the ship had been. Hawkeye was inscrutable, as usual of late.
"Ah-ha!"
Angela jumped to her feet triumphantly and ran from bookshelf to bookshelf, pulling out four books in a seemingly random order. Riesz jumped when the wall beside her disappeared. The sorceress grinned and walked confidently into the next room.
:Be careful, Angela.: warned the faerie. Angela waved away the warning casually, and began to inspect the book that lay open on the table. Riesz followed, jumping at every shadow that moved in the dim light.
"I wonder what this is." Mused Angela. She sat down at the writing desk and blew dust off of the book. "Hmm…Captain's Log…"
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIEThe mental shriek tore through all four of them, and the two boys came racing into the room. Angela fell out of her chair, and Riesz suppressed a scream.
Ah, at last! I've done it!This time, Riesz did scream. A transparent figure appeared right next to her, reaching out to her insanely.
I've become a ghost! This is excellent! Here, you try it!He reached into her chest, and cold fingers closed around her heart. And then she was a ghost herself.
Is this, what it feels like to be dead? I expected it to be colder, somehow.Riesz opened her eyes, and found the faerie looking back at her. She looked down at her hands, they were transparent. Her three friends were back in the other room, pressed against the wall in a bundle.
I…:You aren't dead, Riesz.: came the faerie's voice. She frowned at the cowering trio in the other room, but they shook their heads, fearful of "catching" the curse like Riesz had. :You're only cursed. Once we free Shade, your curse should be broken. Just sit tight until that happens. The ghosts can't harm you when you're like this.:
The valkyrie fumed silently, unable to make any noise. She sat down on the floorboards with some annoyance, and the faerie shook her head.
"This entire boat is a floating freak show!"
Angela caved in the skull of a zombie with her staff, but another one rose to take its place. Beside her, Duran was cutting apart more zombies, and Hawkeye was taking care of the ones that they missed. The knight grunted his assent quietly, not skipping a beat. Losing the flow of the fight with the undead hordes would most likely prove fatal, since there were so many to their three. Even Hawkeye was beginning to sweat from mild fear.
Just as the zombies begin to overtake them, a pair of strange beings burst into the hallway from one of the cabins. One of them was a bouncing ball with golden curls, the other a boy with fur like a wolf's and a long mane of orange hair.
"More ghostie bottoms to spank!"
In a matter of moments, the little girl and her big friend had cleared a pathway to the three harried travelers. Angela's eyes widened.
Carlie? Goddess! What's she doing here? This is no place for a…She stopped in mid-thought. This child had just waded through an army of undead like it was water. Clearly, she was not an ordinary little girl. The boy with her, too, was strange. At a distance, Angela had thought that he was just a very large man, but up close, she saw his true nature.
A beastman? I wonder…She looked at Hawkeye worriedly. The vision of the terrible damage wrought by the beastfolk hung in her eyes, turning her vision red. Of the three of them, Angela, Hawkeye, and Riesz, the ninja had been the worst affected by the destruction. Perhaps it was his dislike for them that made it worse, but she could see the muscles in his slim body tense as the beastman approached. In the absence of Riesz, Angela was not sure that she would be able to hold him back.
She felt a tug on one of the bits of material that flared out from her leotard, and looked down. Carlie had somehow bounced around to her side as she observed the beastman. The red faded from her vision.
"What is Angie doing on ghostie boat?" asked the tiny girl. Angela's eyes widened. Something about the girl had changed. It was nearly imperceptible, but there was an undeniable look of…wisdom in the girl's eyes. Her eyes, which once had shone with the innocence of a child, now simply glowed. They were deeper now, pools of light in her sweet face. Angela looked down benignly, uncertain of what to say. Someone else spoke for her.
:We're here to save the spirit, young Charlotte.:The faerie had manifested before the little girl's face, and she hovered there with her best serene mask on. Fascinated, Carlie reached out to touch her, but stopped when the faerie emitted a bright flare of light. Apparently cowed, the little girl stumbled back, falling into the support of the wolf-boy's leg. He sat down so his head was somewhat near the level of hers, and gaped with her at the scion of Mana.
:Long ago, the Goddess planted seeds of Herself in the land. All beings rose from the earth, the children of the Goddess. Not all were Seeds, however, most simply rose from the unions of spirits, and then with each other. But there have always been those who carry Her power, they are Her Seeds of Mana.:The boat rocked violently, but none of them moved an inch, enthralled by the fey being's words.
:At last, all six Seeds are united. I had feared it would never happen, but at last you have all come together. The Goddess is pleased.:A ghost came up behind Angela, but Duran simply cleaved it in two absently and returned his eyes to the faerie.
:In light or darkness, you are all born from the Goddess, in the direct bloodlines of the Mana Tribe. It is you who must save the world in this time of trouble, you who must strive to save Fa'Diel. The Goddess weeps now, but She is happy, joyful to see her children. I have no doubt that you will not disappoint Her.:With a loud pop, the faerie and her divine light disappeared, and there was not a dry eye in the circle of five friends to be seen. Deep within the depths of the ship, a valkyrie felt the touch of her Goddess, the one she served, and tears of no substance rolled down her translucent cheeks.
As they made their slow way up the body of the strangely enormous ship, Hawkeye and Duran eyed Angela worriedly. Every time she looked at the little enchantress, she smiled toothily. And Angela never smiled, not unless she wanted something.
What is going through that girl's brain right now? Thought the ninja. He was torn between trying to get a good look at his friend's face, and shunning the overly-large wolf-boy. Hawkeye understood from the faerie's words that Kevin was a good man, but he could not get past his disgust for beastmen in general. It would take a cold day in one of the nine hells before he trusted a beastman. Still, the others seemed to trust the boy, even like him. Duran treated him like a comrade in arms, and had no trouble keeping an eye on the scheming sorceress. He didn't see Astoria after those…creatures tore it to bits. Animals, the lot of them.Fortunately, the faerie was not listening in on his thoughts at that moment, she would certainly have taken offense.
There's something about him…Though he did not know it, every time he watched the big youth save Carlie from a ghoulish claw in the back, or knock a specter into the path of one of Angela's spells, Hawkeye's attitude toward the boy softened. The absurd, blue beanie that lay atop Kevin's head certainly didn't look like the headgear of a murderer. Everything about the wolfish youth made Hawkeye want to trust him, there simply was no guile there. The boy was obviously not simple in the mind, though his thick accent in the common tongue of Fa'Diel made him speak slowly and with few pronouns, but there was an innocence there, the soul of a pacifist. Hawkeye found himself wondering if that peaceful spirit would remain through the trails of blood their quest followed. Wearily, he thrust such thoughts away, and concentrated on the wooden planks that formed the slow path ahead.
"HOLY BALL!!!"
Angela's sweet voice filled the night air with light. Surrounded by a strange fog, the group of five stood on the deck of the huge ship. Above them, a great, white ghost floated, projecting a malevolent white light that only served to make the shadows around it seem darker. A column of a purer light rained down on its damned head as Angela tapped into Wisp's magic, but the thing just disappeared into the fog, making it impossible to hit. Duran growled his frustration, his sword appeared to be useless in this fight.
"Silly ghostie, you can't hide from Carlie!"
At Angela's side, the little girl began to weave arcane signs in the air. They were dark, the color of blood, but it was a sweeter darkness, one of relief and healing, rather than the pained, torturous aura of black that lay all around them. A sense of a vast, cold river filled the area, and Carlie reached across the barrier between life and death to pluck an errant soul out and draw it to her. As she finished drawing the last crimson rune, the spirit burst into being before her. Startled, Angela stumbled back, she had not felt the rush of water that Carlie had touched.
Hawkeye had.
Death? This girl can mess with death? What are we doing? We're playing with powers we don't understand in the slightest!The ninja knew the sweet touch of Mana, Gnome had often graced his shuriken with a blessing of Earth. But he feared this cold river of death that Carlie had called. Having seen Angela play with her own magic at times, sometimes coming very near to injuring herself and others, he wondered again whether or not they were ready for this.
There was no time to think. The apparition known as Gorva materialized before him, and he had to roll to the side to avoid a heavy blast of fog-turned-solid. It seemed that the very fog around them was part of the ghost's body, and there was nearly nothing they could do to protect themselves against it. The vaporous punch landed anyway, and Hawkeye was sent flying across the deck to the ship's hull, where he twisted his body just enough so that he did not break his skull. With a growl, Duran slashed crosswise along the creature's back and stood by, expecting it to dissolve as the other inhabitants had, with a howl and an inrushing of air. It did not. Instead, another punch sent the big knight soaring through the air as easily as the first had done to Hawkeye. The great beast winced, but seemed unharmed. Duran's big sword had cloven straight through its body, but it was like hitting air, more always came back to fill what had been there.
I guess it's up to the girls, then. Thought the ninja, his face grim. The best we can do is draw its attention away from them. Hope Angie hasn't gotten rusty with that light magic of hers.
Stubbornly, Kevin came in for a third pass, and his arms fared no better than Duran or Hawkeye's as wings, and Gorva melted away into the darkness. Meanwhile, Carlie was pointing fervently at the floating Gorva, trying to get some sort of message across to the dead spirit she had summoned. It stared at her unblinkingly and unknowingly.
"Just find the big ghostie!" screeched the little girl, patience gone. Evidently, the ghost finally got the picture, because it immediately floated straight up into the air, where a burst of light lashed at the heavy fog, parting it to reveal the errant Gorva.
"Aha!" shouted Angela. "Holy Ball!"
The screams of the ghostly beast were louder this time, Angela was getting better at hitting it. But the light soon disappeared, and the fog merged again, leaving a seamless hiding place for Gorva to escape to whenever it needed to. Angela's eyes darted back and forth, and she used her mage's senses to try to locate it.
No such luck. She thought. It's like the thing's everywhere at once, I can't find it.
Gorva did not reappear for a long time, and the boys cautiously came back over to Carlie and Angela, looking about warily. A heavy rain began to fall from the sky, and at first they paid it no mind.
"It's…hot." Said Carlie. She squirmed uncomfortably, and shook the dark liquid away from her hands enthusiastically. The others were in some discomfort as well, but they were uncertain why. When Angela's skin began to sizzle, she gasped with the pain, and understood.
"It's acid!"
All five of them began to shake the liquid away from their skin and clothing, but it did little good. Where the rain fell, it left painful burns, or ruined fabric. It was as close to hell as any of them had gotten.
"That's enough!"
Angela's eyes flared with pale, golden fire, and a ball of light erupted from her form, expanding until it included all five of them. Where the light passed, the rain could not penetrate. Duran shivered, Angela's anger was a sight to behold.
"Come out and play with me, Gorva!" she said in a light, lilting voice that hardly hid the fire that lurked beneath the surface. Angela was angry, and when Angela was angry, you did what she said. Unfortunately for the ghost, it had no idea of this, and its response was to form a portal of dark energy before the group of fighters, trying to pull them in. Contemptuously, Angela pointed a slender finger at the evil gate, and it evaporated in a shaft of white light.
But Duran could see that her grip on the light shield was weakening then, it faded in and out alarmingly, and she was shivering. Something had to be done before the shield collapsed completely.
Apparently, Kevin was way ahead of him. The beastman, now in full werewolf form, had leaped into the air, past the shield and into the rain. At the top of his leap, he started to spin wildly, faster and faster, until a cyclone formed around him.
Jinn has to be helping him out. Thought Duran. Regardless of spiritual influence, the cyclone had a tremendous effect on Gorva. Being composed almost entirely of mist, the fiend was sucked into the maelstrom, as well as the fog around it. With the ghost's form concentrated in one spot, Angela pulled the shield's remaining power into her clenched fist, and released it. Gorva then had the rather unique experience of exploding on the spot.
:Thank you, you have released me from an eternity of slavery.:The rain had stopped, and the group lay in various states of exhaustion about the boat. Duran supported a sluggish Angela, and Carlie was tending the acid burns on Hawkeye and Kevin, requiring both men to lie down on the slimy deck so she could heal them properly. Angela had tried to walk on her own, but she had used too much magic in too short of a time, and found that she was grateful for Duran's strong arm. He held her like she was spun glass, but it was good to be pampered for once. It had been a long time since her daily massages in Altena.
Shade, Elemental Spirit of Darkness, now floated in the night sky before them. He was composed almost entirely of black, with only two pale orbs of golden fire for eyes, and long, angular shapes like bat's wings spread out behind him.
:Shade, where is the Stone of Darkness?: asked the faerie. The spirit could not shake his head, but the group got the impression that he had.
:Lost. Long ago, several countries warred for the use of the Stone I protected as a source of energy for their…'machines', something I heartily disapproved of. Devilry, and against the will of the Goddess, but I have never been one of the most powerful spirits, and they overcame me. An evil mage sealed me to this ship, where I have existed since that day.:"What happened to the Stone, then?" asked Angela, her voice soft with weariness.
:I do not know, exactly. But I do know that it broke, releasing the God-Beast that slept within it. The Beast went on a rampage, destroying everything in its path. Then, it disappeared. I know not where to, perhaps it is in another world, lying in wait to destroy again.:Kevin growled, a deep rumble in his chest that made Hawkeye want to vomit. It reminded him of Astoria, again.
"No, Stone still in Fa'Diel."
He did not elaborate, though Shade looked to him quizzically. Before the spirit could speak, Riesz came running onto the deck.
"It's good to be alive again!" she said, flexing her arms experimentally. She looked to Shade, blinked several times, then decided against letting out a scream. Amazons were made of sterner stuff than that, and she had to be strong if she was to rule Laurant someday.
:Glad to have you back.: said the faerie, and she smiled happily. But Riesz had no time to enjoy her renewed liveliness, for the ship began to shake violently beneath their feet at that moment.
"What's going on?" asked Angela, as she nearly fell from Duran's grasp. The big knight held her tighter, almost to bruising, but she did not complain.
:This ship was made from my life force.: said the spirit of darkness. :It is sinking, now that you have freed me.:
The ship lurched, and they all clung together as it went down, down into the depths of the dark ocean.
Well, this didn't take quite so long as the last chapter. If it seems a bit choppy, that's because I sort of spat it up onto paper whenever the events took me, so don't worry. Please tell me what you think!
I wanted to thank you, Staci/Nadia, for your comment about my battle scenes. I'm pretty insecure about them, so praise is a really nice self-esteem boost for me. And thanks to you, too, Solarious, I've tried to keep Carlie away from the Terror we know so well. ^_~
~Truewind