Chapter 3: Clandestine Operation.
"And so, on this note, we open the rift channel to benefit all people of Arcadia! To trade! To a new world!" Daigo finished his speech, as Don, who had already spoken, activated the light buoeys that guided ships through the dark rift. It was a beutifull sight. For now, there was an anchored raft on each side of the channel throughout its length to guide ships and collect a minor maintnence fee, as the weather shielding that protected the channel was expensive. Vyse barely had time to make note of these facts before the roar of the crowd drowned out all thought.
After that, the hours flew by. The party that the city of esperantza threw was one of the best in recent memory, and was definitely on par with the party going on at the same time in Yofutoma. Vyse found himself awept away by several women (Akia and Fina included) for the dancing. By nightfall, Vyse was exhausted. Someone had been tugging on his arm for quit some time now. But he was just so tired…
"Vyse! Come on! Its an emergency!" Aika's voice final broke through to his fogged brain. The word "emergency" resonotaed in his skull. But he just couldn't make himself move. Then the water hit.
The shocking cold of having a bucket of ice water dumped on your head wakes you up pretty well, Vyse reflected as the Delphinus sailed towards the dark rift. According to Don and Fina, there was an unknown ship at the rift entrance. So as not to start a panic, Don hadn't announced anything. It was the Delphinus' mission to sneak away to investigate. An impersonator named Vize and his other actors would play Vyse, Aika, and Fina until they returned. No one else of importance could come. The few crew-members who, tired of the party, had returned to the Delphinus would have to do double duty to make up for those still dancing. Vyse was lucky that Ley, Peco, and Izoold, his Nasrean raider, were amoung those that had returned, although he really wished he had a helmsman, but both Akira and Simon were still partying.
"Capn'" Ley's voice rang out from the speaking tube. He had the attention of nmthe entire ship. "Mystery ship 30 leagues and closing. Oh my god! It looks like a…" Ley could not finish his sentence.
Vyse and his commanding officers exchanged worried glances. Ley had seen an awfull lot in his life. What could have scared the lookout so badly? They would soon find out.
As they neared the unknown ship, it became terribly obvious exactly what had scared Ley so much; Even little Peco was struggling against his gunner's belt inside the main canon. Before them yawed the larest ship they had ever seen, or atleast it would have been if the two lowest decks hadn't been ripped off. Tattered sail hung from fished masts. Corroded metal plates revealed rotting wood and half eaten husks of meat. It was a ghost ship.
"What should we do?" Fina wondered aloud. "I don't want to be cursed."
"We go exploring," Vyse replied, "I'll make sure you don't get cursed."
Fina smiled. "I believe you Vyse." Fina said with a smile. At this point, Aika's elbow wedged itself in Vyse's stomach.
Vyse rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure you don't get cursed either Aika."
Vyse shivered. He had been on ships all his life. Yet, on this ship, he was hopessly lost. It was a labrynth, and a creepy one at that. Small bones lay everwhere. The stench of rotting wood permeated his nostrils. And, worst of all, Shadows danced in the corners of his eyes. Smething was following him. He was sure of it. But whenever he turned, nothing was there.
Vyse sighed, "Lets go back to the Delphinus," he said resignedly.
"Vyse!" Aika exclaimed, "That's all well and good, but how do we get back?"
Vyse groaned. "I have no idea."
"I guess we have to head onward," Fina sighed. She looked like a ghost herself. (She had been very vigerous at the party.) Aika looked just as bad, and it was common knowledge that she was terrified of ghosts. Vyse led them off again. They couldn't afford much of a break, after all.
They continused on for what seemed like hours. Finally, they arrived at an ornate door inlayed with strange black gems and covered in strange patterns. Vyse opened it. Suddenly, the shadows in the corner of his eye leapt at him and everything went black.
Fina awoke with a pounding headache. She was leaning against something soft, wait, no, make that two soft somethings. She then noticed that she couldn't see. A black substance surrounded her eyes. Was it a hankerchief? She could hear though… There were voices. Two of them, a male and a female. Wait, the male was saying something.
"You shouldn't have done that, Marr! What if they were emissaries of peace?"
"Then why were they sneaking around our ship like a bunch of common thieves?" came the angry response.
The male voice sounded exasperated now, "MARR! We don't know who these people are! They might be here to help us! And we need all the help we can get!"
"Fine! Why don't I wake them up?"
"That's what I've been telling you to do! Listen to your superior officer!"
The person known as Marr let out an angry sigh, "Fine, Tempus! But don't say I didn't warn you!"
A shadow came over to Fina and released her blind folds. It turned out to be a girl of about 17. She made a strange gesture, and Fina became fully alert, and her headache disappeared. She looked around. Behind this strange girl, stood a strange young man of about 23. He wore flowing black robes and had a shock of blue hair. The girl wore a tight-fitting suit of black armor that glowed with eerie black light. She had a demonic mane of blood red. Fina felt the soft things behind her move.
Vyse and Aika, got up, and turned to help Fina and confront their captors.
Vyse was the first to speak, "Who are you and why are you keeping us here?" He asked, reaching for his sword, then suddenly dropping his hand, "Err, where is here?"
The strange man spoke, "You are on my ship, Spirit of the Apocalypse, My name is Tempus Augustus. And this is my sister, Nesmaria Augustus." Vyse nodded and Tempus continued, "I apologize for my sister's rash actions. Please forgive us, we need your help.
"We're blue rogues," Fina said, "we always help the needy."
"I am very glad to hear that, for very needy and all of Arcadia is in-," Tempus started to say but,
"You gotta help us!" Marr interrupted, "or the Blackens will kill us everyone! EV-ER-Y-ONE!"
"MARR!" Tempus called the girl to order.
"What are Blackens?" Vyse asked, rather concerned now.
Tempus spoke one word, "Gigas," and collapsed.
Tempus groaned, and tried to get up, but a firm hand held him down. He opened his eyes expecting to see Marr. Instead he saw a young girl of about 14, she wore a black and yellow blouse under a white knee length jacket embroidered with a green and a silver circle on the right breast. The girl in orange whom he had met on his ship was also there. This thought immediately reminded him of his responsibilities. "My ship!"
"Don't worry about that," the girl in orange reassured him, "we have your ship safely docked at crescent Isle and your crew has already fully recovered."
"Marr"
"She's fine too, we had to keep her out of here though, she was in hysterics. By the way, I'm Aika, and this is the Delphinus' doctor, Maria," Continued the girl in orange.
"You, on the other hand, are not fine," Maria pointed her finger at him, "You're all skin and bones, your body lacks over thirty important nutrients, you have a severe case of sleep deprivation and you still haven't slept it off. What did you do, live off of curia crystals?"
"Something like that," Tempus muttered.
"Well don't you DARE do it again!"
"Yes mom"
Maria bristled and left the room in a huff, muttering something about getting Marr.
Aika smiled and told Tempus not to worry, Maria was actually a very kind person, she was just worried about him. "She used to be the most shy and demure thing you'd ever see. She's grown a lot, and to be honest, she gets like this whenever she has a serious patient, but she's the best doctor in all of Arcadia."
Just then, the door burst open and Marr came in crying "Tempus! YOUR OK! YOUR OK! YOUR OK!" She then proceeded to hug him with incredible vigor.
"Yes Marr, I'm ok, just leave a little room to breath," He replied. Just then, The man and the other woman he had met on his ship came in.
The man spoke first, "I'm Vyse," he said, "and this is Fina." The clothing they wore was very different then what they had been wearing Tempus had first met them. He thought he recognized the girl, Fina, as a Silvite, although her clothes had been tailored to be more practical than traditional Silvite clothing. The man, Vyse, wore a simple blue shirt and black pants, a sailor's uniform. He also wore a glass eye patch. Now that was a rather strange fashion statement. Tempus was sure it had some practical use, for instance, it had a moonstone lens.
"You are the ones who will help us?" Tempus asked. Fina nodded, Tempus continued, "Then I better tell you what this is all about."