Author's Note: TheFrogKiller thought we'd almost have a chapter without an author's note last time? Well, I'll show him! I won't put one this time! Ha! That'll make up for it!

…

Wait a minute.

…

Oh, darn!

Seriously though, I made a note this time 'coz I wanted to say this is the last chapter of this plot arc, and I'm going start a new one next chapter, either tomorrow or the day after. I managed to get this one done in a day because I'm looking forward to a few scenes from the next arc, so I wanted to get to it. The problem I have at the moment is coming up with a satisfactory end for the whole story, as these short individual adventures really have no continuity so there's no climax, but I'll see what I can come up with.

Oh, and I'm forced to turn down Trath's marriage proposal. Sorry! Touched by the offer though!

CHAPTER 32

ESCAPE

"How do we get into situations like this?" Nadia screamed, exasperated. The gigantic bipedal beast stomped behind the retreating adventurers, and shortly behind it, huge amounts of lava flowed from the erupted volcano. It let out a deafening roar, bending down, attempting to sweep up the fleeing group in its mouth., and they felt its foul breath, stinking of the thousands of beasts it had consumed, wash over them.

"I don't mean to worry anyone, old chaps, but I think we may be for the chopper." Roxton announced.

"Come again?" Olose asked blankly.

"I think he means we're going to die." Nadia input.

"Defeatists!" Sotobu cried. The four burst out into a clearing which bore the remnants of an old camp site.

"What's this?" Olose inquired.

"Our old camp site, my good man." Roxton replied. "From before we were forced to retreat to the caves."

"Grab that rope!" Olose ordered. Nadia obeyed quickly, sweeping down, pulling a length of rope from what was left of the old tent.

"What are you planning?" Sotobu asked, confused.

"Give that here." Olose ordered, the beast behind them getting ever closer. "And an arrow." Nadia obeyed, and Olose began to tie the rope to the arrow. "Shoot the arrow across the ravine and use the rope to climb across. It's quick and the only thing we have time for."

"Why are you telling me?" Nadia asked. "Do it yourself! I only have one arm!" She waved it at him as if to remind him. "Firing a bow is difficult!"

"Then get Sotobu to take the shot." Olose shrugged. "I'm going to distract big mean and green over there." He gestured back to the stomping monster.

"That hardly seems wise at this moment in time." Roxton yelled over the roaring of the beast.

"Yeah, while I'm all for your heroic sacrifice for us, it'll just eat you and carry on." Sotobu explained. "And I'd rather have a fourth meat shield when we get cut off."

"You're not going to, and you'll be surprised how long I can last." Olose grinned. "Just keep running. And don't look back."

"Sir?" Nadia questioned. Olose looked at her. She passed him her sword, all while they were running. "Good luck."

"Get out of here. Now!" Olose turned and leapt at the mighty beast, jumping far higher than it should be possible, using the powerful muscles in his legs to propel himself. The creature snatched him out of the air in its claw, which, despite its small size could move incredibly quickly. Olose dug his sword into the claw before the monster could stick Olose into its mouth.

It dropped him and he crashed down. He dove for his dropped sword, but pulled away as he noticed the lava getting ever closer. The beast stomped out of the way, swinging its tail as it did so, hitting Olose and sending him flying. Luckily this actually helped Olose clear the lava, and he did in fact crash down in front of Sotobu.

"Good job." Came a sarcastic grumble from the galka.

"Be quiet." Olose grumbled, getting up. He could see the beast still stomping after them. "I'm not finished with it yet!" Nadia sighed.

"Sometimes I think you risk your life intentionally." She grumbled.

Olose charged back, skidding to a stop in front of the monstrous beast. It let out a bellowing roar at him.

"Okay. Round two, pal." Olose spat. The monster let out yet another mighty roar. "Would you stop doing that?" This time it swept down and picked Olose up in its mouth. Olose managed to jump out just in time, avoiding the deadly teeth and swinging up onto its head. "Alright, maybe just stick to roaring." He sighed. The creature tried to reach Olose with its tiny arms, but failed. It paused, as if contemplating some immense mathematical sum, but in fact just putting all of its limited intelligence into finding a solution to its immediate problem. It almost managed a grin as it came up with an answer. It swung its mighty tail at Olose, who jumped out the way, meaning all it managed was for it to hit itself in the head. It looked startled for a moment as Olose landed and turned around to face it. Its eyes went wide as it attempted to calculate the fact that it had just delivered a mighty blow to itself. It stumbled back in a daze, seemingly gasping as it stepping into the lava and toppled over, it burning, becoming consumed by flames. Olose paused with a victorious grin, before realising that the lava was approaching him rapidly, and he made the decision to turn and run.

Arcadia had sat down again, waiting, looking over at the plateau, now almost entirely covered in smoke and ash. She could see the orange glow spreading from the lava and hear the roars of creatures being consumed by it. She shivered and looked away, only to come face to face with Suse's frog, that was sat on the rock next to her. It flicked its tongue out and glanced around innocently for a moment. Arcadia sighed. For a moment, she wished she was a frog, with no concerns. It then leapt onto her lap, and she recoiled, quickly deciding that if she was going to be any creature with no concerns, it would be a far less slimy one. She turned back to the scene on the plateau.

"Come on Olose, where are you?" She whispered to herself.

Elsewhere, Nadia, Roxton and Sotobu were running at full pace, dodging stampeding animals and monsters that were also retreating from the lava. They skidded to a stop by the edge of the plateau, seeing the large gap leading across to their only way down. Instantly the others waiting sprang to their feet and ran over.

"Get back!" Nadia cried. They backed away as Sotobu fired the arrow, lodging it in a distant tree. He rapidly tied the rope to another tree on the other side.

"Quickly now!" Snapped Roxton. "Climb!" They began to climb out onto the ropes as quickly as possible.

Arcadia ran to the edge, her bright smile that displayed her perfectly white teeth quickly fading.
"Olose." She whispered. "Where iss Olose?" She started to scream hysterically. She almost went to climb out on the rope, but Trevia held her back. Nadia got across first (despite struggling a bit with only one arm). As soon as she dropped down, Arcadia rushed her. "Where is he?" She sobbed.

"He's coming, don't worry." Nadia panted. "Was held up by a gigantic monster." Roxton swung down from the rope second, and Saria ran to him, leaping into his arms.
"Father! You're alright!" She screamed, beaming a smile. Roxton smiled back, holding her tightly.

"Of course I am. Nothing can stop me." He grinned. Sotobu fell off of the rope last, just making it across.

"Stupid rope." He grumbled, getting up, realising nobody cared about his presence anyway. "Stupid people." He mumbled. The frog leapt onto his big foot. "Stupid frog." He muttered, kicking it away. It flew through the air, and in a surprisingly agile leap, Suse caught it. "Stupid mithra." He mumbled.
"Meanie!" Suse cried, sticking her tongue out at Sotobu. He rose a mighty eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, slightly surprised.

"You're a big fat meanie!" She cried, marching up to him and sticking her tongue out again, this time in his face (or as close to it as she could get).

"Well, diddums." Sotobu shrugged. Suse looked confused.

"What's that mean?" She asked. "What? What? What?" Her voice got more and more irritating with each question.

"Stupid mithra." Sotobu repeated in a grumble.

The jungle was in uproar, not helped any less by a loud scream eminating from Olose as he ran through it as fast as his legs would carry him. The lava was flowing quickly now, and he could feel it catching up with him. He spotted the same gigantic vegetable eating beast he had lost his sword in earlier running equally quickly. He pulled his sword out of its leg as he paused, causing it to falter slightly. He skidded to the edge of the plateau, and saw the rope erected across the chasm. The lava was too close, and the vegetarian monster was getting too close for comfort.

"Oh, to hell with it." Olose grumbled, slicing the rope and using to swing across the gap just as the huge beast got to him. He swung down and slammed into the rock face of the other part of the plateau. "Ow!" He yelped, before he began to climb, scrambling up painfully. The huge creature looked around, and fell off the plateau, rather than be consumed by the lava, plummeting to its death below.

Olose got to his feet and Arcadia dived into his arms, tearfully. He smiled warmly, hugging her. He was dirty and sweaty from the heat and fighting, but Arcadia didn't care. She was just glad to have him in her arms, and still alive. Olose turned to Roxton, who looked far more upset.

"There is goes." He said sadly. "The only proof Gaia ever existed." He paused. "If only we'd been a few hours quicker! I could have had my evidence!" The group turned and watched as the plateau burnt, and saw many of the flying creatures they had battled earlier soaring away, heading off into the distance.

"I have a feeling that they'll always be evidence out there somewhere." Olose panted. "But maybe it's for the best."

"Stealing my points now, Captain?" Nadia smirked.

"I have a question." Trevia told the others.

"What's up, Trevia?" Olose asked, turning with the victorious grin still splattered across his face.

"What the hell arrrrre you all talking about?" She asked, completely lost by all the talk of Gaia. The others laughed.

"It's a long way back to the Destiny." Olose gave as an odd answer. "I'll tell you on the way."

The group journeyed for quite some time without resting, all anxious to get back to the Destiny, and civilisation. Most of the journey had been filled with Roxton telling tales of his survival on the plateau, and how he had documented it all in a journal he planned to publish. He then realised he had left the journey on the plateau, and it had now been consumed by the flames. He spent much longer complaining. He even contemplated hauling the carcass of the beast that fell from the plateau back to the ship so that he may have evidence of Gaia. Olose explained that the Destiny could carry many things, but he wouldn't allow it transport the corpse of a beast from an ancient world, not while he was captain. Roxton fell silent after this. It was Arcadia who finally spoke up again, summing up perfectly exactly where they were.

"Stupid mud." She grumbled, squirming, having sunk in the boggy ground. She couldn't pull her feet out. Olose chuckled and came up behind her, putting his arm gently around her shoulder, and one around her waist, and lifting, picking her up and holding her.

"Guess I'll just have to carry you." He grinned.

"I guess you will." Arcadia smiled, putting her arms around him and kissing him. Olose smiled warmly back, and carried her almost like she was a baby in his arms.

"Yuck." Suse commented. "Icky rrrrromance. You don't like that do you? No you don't!" She told the frog which she held up to her face. It cluelessly blinked around, and let out a ribbit. "That had betterrrrr not have been a yes." She warned. She heard Trevia laughing to his side.

"Do you know what I fancy? Frog legs!" Sotobu roared. "Some good nicely done frog legs!"

"Meanie!" Spat Suse. Sotobu laughed.

"Well, excuse me for being hungry!" He smirked.

"Why did we park so far away?" Saria mumbled, even she was getting fed up with the mass amounts of mud and grimy water the swamp was full of.

"I wonderrrr what poor Phabrrrrrizoe has been up to." Trevia contemplated, before realising that made it seem like she cared. "Urm, just out of currrriosity." She added with a nervous smile. Olose laughed. He was actually very proud of Trevia and the kind of person she had become, having found so much more to her life since she had joined the Destiny crew.

Phabrizoe was locked in a deadly game of strategy. He moved his black counter carefully, getting it into position. It was too late when he realised his mistake. He had left himself wide open! He moved his white counter in, and defeated his black counter.

"Looks like I win again!" He cheered, looking down at the game board. He paused. "I also lost." He said bitterly. "Where the hell are the others?" He asked himself, realising just how bored he had become.

"Right here!" Olose grinned, climbing up onto deck. "Mission accomplished!"

"Captain!" Phabrizoe cried happily. "I saw smoke billowing from the plateau. Your fault, I presume?"

"Just an act of Altana." Olose shrugged. The others climbed up behind them, and Phabrizoe smiled, seeing two strangers and figuring out the hume must be Roxton. He also sniggered a little at Arcadia, who looked bizarre, horribly dishevelled from her journey, yet still formally dressed anyway. Luckily she couldn't figure out what Phabrizoe was laughing at.

"This is it?" Sotobu snorted. "What a piece of junk!"

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts." Nadia reassured him.

"Hehehe, just like you on the first bit then." He sniggered. Nadia remained calm, and delivered a swift and high kick to the galka's chest, knocking him clean off of the boat. She turned back as if nothing was wrong and nothing was out of place. Trevia clapped.

"Nice kick." She said with an impressed whistle.

"Thanks. It did come off fairly well." Nadia grinned.

"Stupid elvaan!" Sotobu spat from below. Phabrizoe sighed, before suddenly jumping to find a frog in front of his face. Suse held it tightly, waving it around.

"Phabz!" She called. "Meet Fred!" She turned the frog to her face. "Say hello Fred!" The frog let out a slight ribbit. Phabrizoe just blinked, confused.

"Hey! If you're not going to take care of that thing then you can't keep it!" Olose warned.
"No! I'll look after him!" Suse cried, cuddling it. "And I'll feed it everyday!"

"And take it for walks?" Olose asked sarcastically.

"Very funny." Even Suse figured out he was joking, and so stuck out her tongue as she had a habit of doing. Olose chuckled to himself.

It was later on the ocean, as the Destiny sailed towards the shore once more that the group were all gathered around a large table, enjoying dinner together. Roxton had cheered up considerably, despite the fact that he had lost all evidence of Gaia, and they had mostly spent the time laughing, joking and being insulted by Sotobu. Olose had been grinning all the while. Even Arcadia was smiling (even though she felt horrible with the lack of a proper bath being available on the little ship).

"Another mission well done." Olose smiled. "This is what life is about! Adventure!" His grin grew wider. "And reward!"

"Typical." Arcadia sighed sarcastically.

"Can you blame me if I want a reward?" Olose shrugged.

"Here is your reward." Arcadia swooped in and kissed him. Suse sighed, glancing to her frog, which hopped away. Arcadia turned back, and went to eat, but noticed at the last moment that the frog was now sat in the middle of her food. "SUSE!" She bellowed, and the others fell about laughing. Their mission was over, and the trip back seemed set to be amusing.