Author's Note: This chapter includes two characters that are not mine. One is Phabrizoe, that belongs to…well….Phabrizoe. I didn't really have a personality for Phabrizoe, so made one up. He's a little grumpy, I hope you don't mind Phabrizoe! It's not meant to reflect you, but more make an interesting character to have on Olose's crew.

Another is Trevia, who was made by TheFrogKiller, and is in fact supposed to be an ancestor of his character Angel. Again, I had to develop her character, based around the fact she has been seen in a previous chapter. I hope you don't mind either!

Also, as Baschiki pointed out, I know there are plenty of spelling mistakes. And I have nobody to blame but myself for not proof reading. I just never bring myself to do it, an awful habit and I deserve to get criticised for it. But, I stand by my defiance of spellings words such as 'armour' with a 'u'. British, you see, so I spell the way I was taught there.

CHAPTER 13

GATHERING

Olose was looking around curiously when Nadia marched in, sopping wet. She looked angry. Olose couldn't repress a laugh.

"What happened to you?" He giggled. She smirked.

"I was below deck on the Destiny, sir." She replied bluntly.

"What?" Olose instantly snapped, flinching. Nadia took her turn to laugh.

"It's alright sir. I think I bordered up the leak with Suse's help." She answered. "She's off drying her hair out, she's not as tall as I am." Nadia paused smirking. "You picked a real winner with that ship."

"She just needs a little love, that's all." Olose shrugged. "Besides, I'm here to meet with someone who said they were interested in joining our crew. Apparently he's an expert when it comes to ships and repairs and things. Should help a lot."

"So, where is he, sir?" Shrugged Nadia sceptically.

"I don't know. I can't see him anywhere." Olose answered, sounding slightly depressed.

"That's because I'm down here!" Snapped a voice. Olose and Nadia looked down at an angry looking tarutaru. "I swear, some people are just so disrespectful."

"Oh, sorry." Laughed Olose. "I didn't expect you to be-"

"To be a tarutaru? No! You wouldn't, would you! Nobody does!" He snapped.

"I think you upset him." Whispered Nadia.

"Sorry." Olose laughed nervously. "I'm honoured you accepted to work for us, though."

"I haven't accepted anything yet." The tarutaru reminded him. "Besides, I'm only interested because the only other employer's ship got eaten by a Sea Horror."

"Oh, how I love this 'get our own ship' idea." Sighed Nadia sarcastically.

"He didn't even notice it was gone!" The tarutaru cried.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't see you there, okay?" Olose said, slightly irritated.

"Okay, it's fine." Sighed the tarutaru. "Phabrizoe, at your service. I guess I had better see just what junk heap you have."

"Junk heap?" Nadia sounded for a moment as if she was going to defend the poor ship. "Don't be too kind to it, it's far worse than that."

"Your words inspire me with confidence." Phabrizoe told Nadia. She smirked. The little tarutaru seemed to be dressed in the blue robes of a black mage, but they were dirty from heavy work and seemed encrusted in dust. His hair appeared to be green, which was fairly odd to Nadia, who hadn't seen many tarutarus before.

"I'll show you to the Destiny then." Olose said confidently.

The three stood in front of the Destiny, that had limped to one side slightly.

"You sure can pick them, you know." Phabrizoe pointed out. Intrepid

"Oh wow!" Came a cry from the deck, and Suse rushed down. "He's so cute!" She lifted him up into a hug. "Please tell me he's joining the crew!" She set down Phabrizoe and dark electricity crackled around his hands.

"Never do that again if you want to remain alive." Phabrizoe growled.

"Ah! Help!" Suse screamed as she ducked behind Olose. Olose laughed.

"No zapping the crew. First rule if you join." Olose pointed out. Phabrizoe turned his attention to the ship.

"What a piece of junk!" He remarked. "Getting this ship seaworthy, and keeping her that way, is going to be a challenge." He decided. "I'm in. I love challenges."

"Alright!" Olose cheered. "Introductions all round then, I guess. This is Nadia and Suse. I'm Captain Sampson."

"Pleased to meet you all." Phabrizoe said, feeling as if he was blatantly lying. "I'm Phabrizoe, black mage and workman. I know enough about ships to get this thing sailing again, and maintain it. But I'll need some money and equipment."

"Whatever you need." Smiled Olose.

"But I do have a few questions." He began. "I want to know about the crew. I mean, I seem to be working with an armless elvaan, a tailless mithra and-" He paused, looking at the way Olose was dressed. "I'm not even going to try there."

"Oh, I'm a werewolf." Olose said casually. Phabrizoe rose a tiny eyebrow.

"Right. Sure you are." He said, utterly unconvinced.

The three led Phabrizoe inside and sat him down in the captain's cabin (as that was the least wet from leaks) and explained who they were and their stories, Olose dodging having have revisit his. Phabrizoe sighed, deciding it was his turn.

"I suppose this is wear you ask me awkward questions." He assumed.

"Oh! I have one!" Suse cried excitingly, having cowered behind Olose for most of the time. "Why do you not speak like a tarrrrutarrrrru? You know, they speak funny."

"I decided it sounded stupid and stopped." Phabrizoe bluntly entered.

"You can do that?" Suse asked, surprised.
"I'm beginning to think mithra keep their brains in their tail." Nadia grumbled beneath her breath.

"No." Phabrizoe laughed. "I was joking. Windurst has pulled out of the world, and I wanted to become a black mage, so I found myself having to learn in Bastok instead. They were keen to set up a magic school during construction so I learnt there. Picked up the speaking habits too."

"Glad of it." Nadia grumbled. "Drives me crazy when other races seem incapable of speaking normally."
"Norrrrrrrrrrrrrrmally?" Suse inquired curiously.

"Exactly." Grumbled Nadia.
"You should watch it, some people would think you're being racist." Phabrizoe warned.

"I can't help it if elvaans are naturally superior." Shrugged Nadia. Olose rolled his eyes.

"We still have a lot to do." Olose decided to change the subject. "We need to get the ship seaworthy, and we need to construct an inescapable brig for…urm…me." He paused, noticing the strange glances he got. "When it's a full moon." He added to explain. "We need more crew as well."

"What do you need exactly?" Phabrizoe asked. "We have a captain, a first mate, I can keep the ship in order, and Suse does-" He paused. "I'm sure she does something, what else do we need?"

"Muscle, for starters." Olose explained. "I mean, we need to be transporting a lot on and off of ship, not to mention dealing with pirates and mercenaries and any monsters we encounter."

"I'm plenty strong enough!" Nadia sounded offended.

"You only have one arm!" Olose pointed out. "It's going to make hauling crates around difficult. Phabrizoe is a tarutaru and Suse doesn't exactly look like the strong type." Suse wrapped her arms around herself subconsciously. Her body actually looked malnourished due to a lack of food she had found surviving on her own, and she didn't look like she had much muscle power. "And I'm only one man, I can't do it all myself."

"What about a skipper? We need somebody who can actually drive the boat." Phabrizoe suggested.

"I can handle it. I read a book all about boats. Well, it had boats in it. Well, a boat. A picture of a boat, actually." Olose paused. "I can handle it."

"We'rrrre doomed." Suse moaned.

"I'll recruit the new crew." Olose stated. "You just make sure you get the ship seaworthy before it sinks." He added in a grumble. Phabrizoe saluted.

"Anything you say, Captain!" He cried with fake enthusiasm.

"Right. I'll get to looking around town then." Olose sighed.

Olose was in the tavern once more, the best place for finding employees, or so he had discovered. He had pinned a message up on the notice board there asking for anybody who wanted to work to come and find him, and now he was hoping for success.

"You Captain Sampson?" Came a sharp female voice from behind. Olose spun around to face his addresser. He jumped in shock. He thought the scent was familiar.

"Last time I checked." He stuttered, slightly surprised by the mithra stood before him. Her dark brown eyes probed him an familiar way, her brown hair tied back tightly in a ponytail.

"You seem shocked." She remarked. "So it's not coincidence. The name."
"I'll say. Last time we met you tried to kill me. Here to finish the job?" He asked, subconsciously preparing to fight.

"No. Last time I was swung out of a window by my tail. I saw that as a defeat. My employerrrr believes Olose Sampson is dead, and would not employ me were he still alive due to my previous failurrrre, I have no desirrrrre to kill you." Explained the mithra assassin that had last attacked Olose in his home, back in his past life. "I do not know how you became another person, and I do not care." She explained. "What pay are you offering?"

"10 of the job fee." Olose shot. "If maintenance on the ship is large and the job pays low, it may be lessened, and vice versa, if the ship is in good shape and the job pays well, it may be risen."

"Ten perrrrrcent is high for the crew of a ship." The mithra remarked.

"Destiny's got a small crew." Olose answered. "You may want to check her out first though, she's-"

"I have seen the Destiny before I came to speak with you." The mithra reassured. "I would not accept this job if I did not like the ship."

"Well then, welcome aboard. I must say, you're the first person who likes the ship." Olose smiled.

"I like a boat with character." The assassin shot back.

"I'm Olose Sampson, as you know." He extended a hand.

"Trevia Heart." Trevia shook it. "You'rrrrre Captain to me, as long as you'rrrrrre paying me. Once you stop, then you shall become Olose."

"Glad to see you live up to the surname of 'Heart'." Olose grumbled. "You'll get to meet the crew soon. There's an elvaan woman, only got one arm but her attitude more than makes up for it. Phabrizoe is a little tarutaru, but he seems to be a dammed powerful black mage and he knows plenty about ships. Suse is a little fragile, so be nice to her. She doesn't do much, but I took her in because the streets didn't seem too safe. She's a tailless mithra, but don't be crew."

"Ah, yes. I know her. I've seen her around. Some dishonourable mithra like to beat her up for her injury." Trevia explained. "It is a shame that somebody would dare to that to such an innocent girl."

"Oh, that was me." Olose laughed. "She was trying to kill me at the time."

"Coincidence follows you, Captain." Trevia stated quite cryptically. "That could be a good or a bad omen. Still, it is painful to see such a young mithra being put through pain by others of my kind."
"And you don't help when you see this?" Olose inquired.

"She is homeless, there is no money to be rrrrrewards. Besides, I like to think people should be strrrrrrong enough to fight their own battles." Trevia paused. "Do you know, you'rrrrrre the only person to have ever escaped me?"

"I'm honoured." Olose mumbled.
"That is some rrrreal strrrrrength." Trevia seemed to admire him. "Yet they call it a curse. I wonderrrrr why."

"I don't." Olose paused painfully, remembering Talia. Twice he had lost the woman he loved, for different reasons. It was even worse with Arcadia. She was still alive but he couldn't go back.

"It's a painful story." Olose sighed.

"Then there is no need to tell it." Trevia answered. "You are my employerrrrr. I have no desirrre to upset you."

"Glad to hear it." Olose nodded, trying to regain his confidence. "Guess I had better introduce you to the crew properly then."

Olose introduced Trevia to the crew quickly, and Trevia seemed to greet them all in the same way. Nadia seemed to be mildly impressed by Trevia's formal attitude, Phabrizoe seemed grumpy because it interrupted his repairs and Suse seemed as frightened as she always did. Trevia then, in a business like manner, went about moving her items on board of the ship and preparing for its departure.

Phabrizoe in the meantime had managed to patch up the ship, drain the water that had leaked within and hoist a new sail. Olose was impressed. It certainly looked like they were going to be equipped to set sail soon. Phabrizoe wasn't certain he had joined the right crew, but he had a feeling if nothing else that adventure was on the horizon and he was looking forward to some excitement.

Olose knew they would be departing soon and had returned to the bar in search of any final crew members. He sat down at the bar and ordered a drink for effect. He had a feeling nobody else was going to join his small crew, and that they were pretty much ready to set sail.

He swirled the drink around, feeling sad. The moment that ship departed, his entire life would be set behind him. He's be the new Captain Olose Sampson, not Olose Sampson the bodyguard. Not the Olose Sampson who loved Arcadia and never told her. He sighed with frustration. Would it be that bad to back one last time? Would it be that bad to tell her?

He sighed. Yes, it would. He had made a decision to stay dead. At least she knew he was alive. As long as she knew, that's all that mattered.

He wondered back to the ship, having grabbed a log book on the way to keep account of what they were going to do while at sea. He was still lacking a vital component; a job, but once he got one he knew the ship and crew would be underway, for better or worse.

And his old life would be firmly left behind.