CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: TWO OF A KIND

Vessel entered the chamber through the side entrance as she had done numerous times before. It was the designated meeting place for her and her employers. She had received a message to return to that place through a communication pearl given at the start of their contract. It was the first time she had been called back since being given the information regarding Kazham and the chance to ambush the targets out in the jungle.

The side entrance was used so attention was not drawn. This opened up into a thin corridor with a number of pods lining each side. Most were empty as they had been the last time she had been there, but some were now occupied. A flickering light from inside one of the pods caught her attention as she walked confidently down the corridor.

Gazing into the pod she saw a figure strung up by wires and pipes submerged in murky yellow liquid. The body inside convulsed involuntarily every few seconds in time with the flashes of light as energy seemed to flow down the wires connected to its veins. Where its face, or mask at least, should have been was a mass of cut muscle that beat like a heart.

"So these are the new models, huh?" Vessel whispered to herself.

With one last passing glance she had satisfied her curiosity and continued down the passage ignoring the other pods. As she neared the door at the opposite side she noticed that where light usually shined down from some unknown source over the door there was now only a dull haze, as if its power source had been weakened. She stood silently in front of the white shutter and expected it to rise automatically as it had done on her last visit, but it did not.

Her hand reached out to touch to the door, to push it slightly to see if that would trigger it to drag the shutter up allowing her to pass, but stopped as she felt something pass around the bottom of her boot. Looking down, she squinted in the poorly lit area and saw a liquid seeping out from under the door. She bent over and flicked her finger across it and then brought it closer to her face, she then recognised it instantly.

"…Blood?"

Had the Six Champions somehow found the lair of her employers? Had they someone found their way to it from the jungle before her and killed them? She traced a blue circle in front of the door and after the sphere of energy was formed tiny specs of blue light were drawn in from all around. When enough had been drawn into the sphere, Vessel slammed her hand forward and wave of energy rammed into the door, blowing it inwards and sending it flying across the room.

Across from the door was the corpse of a figure in black, a real person and not a Mammet. It had been one her employers, she recognised what was left of their face. They had died trying to reach the door, running like a coward. Three people usually met with her and the other twos bodies were also inside the main chamber. It had been white before hand, but now was stained with blood from the three corpses. She gazed up at the roof as the artificial light flickered and grew as dim as the one in the passage before, plunging the corners of the chamber into darkness.

She drew her scimitar as she felt two people approaching. From the upper corner of the room another door opened, this one automatically despite the other being broken. Two figures walked out and were instantly aware of her presence. One, the taller of the two, walked directly towards her.

"And who do we have here?" he asked in an amused tone.

"I'm just an Empty Vessel," she replied. "These weaklings were my employers. It seems you two have ruined my business opportunity by killing them."

A subdued laugh came from the shorter shadowy figure in the background.

Vessel sneered, "So now I won't get my money, but I can still have some fun. Those Six Champions are weaklings anyway; maybe you can prove a better challenge. Which of you is the strongest?"

"Quite full of yourself, aren't you? It is a trait more commonplace in Elvaan."

Vessel raised her sword and as she did the lights hanging over head flickered and once more shined with full brightness. Surrounding her were five creatures clad in pure black plate armour and wielding strange weapons. Whatever they were, they were not normal, and the combined presence of their power dwarfed even hers. From over her shoulder appeared the tip of a black scythe as the pale skinned Tarutaru hovered next to her.

The person in front of her wearing red fabrics had strange tattoos on his face and now stood between the Hume and Mithra. The two equally pale things seemed very eager to attack. In the background by the door was a short child dressed in blue and wearing an eye patch.

"Dispose of this worm," the taller one said.

"Wait."

He turned to face the child by the door. The child walked across the room slowly and then stood in front of her, looking up with his one eye. He smiled, as if satisfied by something.

"This one can serve a purpose," he told the taller one. "Leave the mortals to her and we can use the puppets elsewhere. At the very least she can slow them down long enough to make anything they are attempting pointless."

"Brother, they will attempt to contact Yve'noile…"

"To do that they would need to go on the pilgrimage, which creates ample opportunities to stop them. Many of those locations have been cursed and infested since the ancient times. The creatures that are drawn to the prayers will protect them with their lives."

The lights flickered down and then back up and the five strange creatures of pure power were gone. She no longer felt the scythe near her neck or the pure animosity pouring from them all towards her. The two who she now knew to be the brothers that controlled her previous employers turned to leave.

"I still better get paid!" she called after them, which caused them to stop.

The smaller one replied, "Take whatever you wish, money is of no concern to us, just make sure you kill those annoying champions. Use the books here to learn of the pilgrimage yourself and pick your moment to strike. They must not get to the Chamber of Oracles. I won't spare your life a second time."

With that they were gone instantly, as if moved by teleportation magic but with absolutely no casting. The door at the far end of the room pulled open and closed despite that they had already gone and then the lights dimmed again. On the right one light stayed bright, shining over a book case filled with tomes and stained with the blood of her previous employers.

Slowly she walked over to the bookcase, cautious with every step in case it was some kind of trap. She felt her chest and hated herself for how she was acting. Somehow those two brothers and the minions that appeared out of no where to serve them had instilled in her something she had never felt before; fear.

The trip to the teleportation crystal in the middle of the Altepa Desert went smoothly, despite there being a number of Antican Beastmen wandering around in close proximity. Rost and Lion moved off and dispatched a few as they went and disappeared up from the pit the ancient crystal was held in. They would reach the oasis of Rabao and then split up to their separate destinations there.

Before they had parted ways, Catherine had given each of them two vials with yellow liquid samples held inside to use against any Mammets that might come after them. She had also spoke to Alain before moving off again to make sure he and Zeid collected some from the numerous samples left on board the Highwind.

Now she proceeded to cast the spell that would take her, Gerdinus, and Shadow to the crag of Mea. Once they arrived they would move quickly to avoid drawing any attention from nearby troops. The distance she and Shadow would have to cover was not far, but for Gerdinus to reach Jeuno in good time he would have to rent a Chocobo from the nearest outpost. This meant signing a lease, which could be used to trace his movements, but there was no other choice.

Just as Catherine finished casting the spell Shadow spoke, "Remember; you do not know each other."

He was referring to the agreed precautionary action they had decided on for arrival at the crag. Gerdinus would head in the opposite direction from them (towards the nearby peninsula to rent a Chocobo from the outpost) and act as if a separate teleport had brought him there while they would move off north without a word.

If the crag was still under watch from either any member of the Jeuno military or the Zilart, appearing to be two separate travellers would at the very least buy them some time.

The process of being engulfed in the white energy created by her chanting was closely followed by darkness and the sensation of flying. A few seconds later a heavy dust laden wind struck her face as they arrived in Tahrongi Canyon on the raised ancient platform connected to the crag and its crystal.

Without a word or glance, Gerdinus turned from her and leapt off the side of the small platform and headed south. She knew she should not watch him go, but could not help it. Catherine then walked slowly down the steps (as apposed to jumping off in a garish manner) and became aware that Shadow was no where to be seen.

"Keep walking."

She held her chest and jumped slightly at the voice very close to her ear. Her other hand reached back. She felt thin fabric and knew it to be a Ninja's garb. Shadow was invisible, and following close behind.

"Head north as planned and do not speak to me," the Ninja whispered. "We are being watched. Three or four people on the mound over looking the crystal – don't look at them. I executed my ninjutsu quick enough that they should not have seen me from behind the Paladin."

The natural reaction to someone saying not to look somewhere is to do just that, but she fought the urge as she knew how many things were at risk. They could not afford Jeuno even suspecting their presence if they were to travel unhindered to collect the prayers.

"…They appear to be Ducal Guard," he reported, still uncomfortably close to her ear. "Ordered to catalogue the comings and goings from the crag perhaps… Or is there some other reason? No matter, they do not seem to be watching you any longer. Keep walking towards the pass into Meriphataud Mountains, White Mage. I shall scout ahead."

Though she could not see his figure at all, even with the dust billowing about in the heavy wings of the canyon, she knew that Shadow had moved off at great speed down the road ahead. Subtle footprints had appeared in the ground with the slightest indentation and were soon hidden and wiped away by the winds.

"Commeee onnnnn"

"Nooo!"

"Commmmeeee onnnnnnnn!"

"Noooooooooooo!"

Hanaa Mocorho's method of interrogation needed work. It had been a while since she had last tried to get information out of somebody and it clearly was not working. Even an inebriated Tarutaru was proving too hard a nut to crack, so far. She clearly needed to change tacked if she wanted to find out about how Alain and Nokum-Akkum had met.

She turned to the bar and ordered another pitcher at the top of her lungs, which annoyed the Pirates and Ninja's that were quite contently drinking quietly alone. The bartender at the far end of the room muttered curses under his breath.

She had been careful to hold back a little as she wanted to make sure she was in control of the conversation and her short friend had more than enough alcohol to make him less secretive. That meant she was not in nearly as cheerful a mood as him and was stuck in the melancholy phase of drunkenness. The more he refused to tell her anything the more her curiosity (and annoyance) grew about a subject she had never really thought about before.

"Hey," Nokum-Akkum said lazily, "…Who do you think…has the best…aru ears? Me…you…or…someone..."

Reaching across the table, Hanaa rubbed one of his horizontal ears causing his head to tilt and his face to show sheer contentment. The expression on his face made her laugh out loud; he was such an adorable little man. The bartender dropped a small tray with a pitcher of alcohol on it between them, spoiling the moment.

"So…" Hanaa said and paused to think up something to say.

"Sooooooooo," he mimicked in a high pitched tone.

"You always wanted to be a Warrrior, right?"

"Yup! I am a mighty-wighty-righty-fighty…Warrior. I always picked fights when I was little…littler… so when Alain…"

The Tarutaru paused, narrowed his eyes and glared at her from across the table. She grinned and snapped her fingers.

"I am far too much of a genius to be tricked!" he declared, and fell backwards off his chair.

"…I guess another pitcher was a bad idea, you've had way too much," she muttered and stood up beside him. "Let's get you to your bed, short stuff."

Nokum-Akkum made no complaints as he was cradled in her arms and lifted out of the bar. He was surprisingly heavy though and she had to keep pausing to readjust her arms while he happily just grinned with bright red cheeks. The room that he and Alain had been sharing was not that far down the hall from the bar fortunately, and she was able to lift him all the way to his bed before collapsing next to it with numb limbs.

She sat in silence, with her back against the wooden wall into which Nokum-Akkum's bunk was built, in almost complete darkness for a few minutes. The room looked like it was meant for children, which brought a smile to her lips at the thought of Alain trying to squeeze into the bunk on the opposite side. He was never the sort to complain about that sort of thing.

"Can't…aru sleep!" her friend said from the bunk.

With a tired sigh, she pulled her chapeau from her head and passed it up to him. That was usually what he was after. He took it, put it over his round head, and lay back down. A few seconds later the exact same complaint was said.

Her plan to learn about her friend's past had failed but that was not what was making her sad. She hated feeling the way she did at that moment and even considered just getting up and going back to the bar to drink them away. But she knew that was not the best option, not now she had a purpose again. In the darkness of the room where no one could see her face, she frowned unhappily.

"Tell me….a story!"

"…You want to hear a storrry?" she asked from the floor.

"…Yeah!"

"…A story about what?"

"I want a story that has…a dragon in it!"

She sighed. The Tarutaru had no idea what he was saying and had slurred his voice quite a bit. She doubted he would even remember anything they spoke about come morning. He repeated the request of a story about a dragon three more times before she eventually gave in.

"You want a storrry about a dragon? Let's see… Yeah I know one, but it isn't a happy story. It's very sad, in fact. You sure you want to hear?"

Her friend lay back down with a nod an eagerly waited for her to start.

"Therrre was once a lonely little dragon. The little dragon always felt like it was alone, despite being around lots of other dragons. It never felt like it fitted in. Other dragons wanted to raise tiny baby dragons at home in the nest, but the lonely dragon wanted to see the world, to see what was out therrre. The little dragon thought it might find somewherrre that it would not feel so lonely. One day, despite still being very small, the dragon decided to run away and told nobody."

Nokum-Akkum was sat back up by this point was his mouth open and hands resting on his knees, entranced by her tale. Her hat fell over his eyes as he waited patiently for her to continue, but she stopped and thought. He pushed the hat back up and starred through the darkness intently.

"…What…aru happened next?"

"The lonely dragon wandered from place-to-place meeting lots of people, but never stayed still. The dragon was afraid of getting to know people, afraid they would grow to be scared of it and run away. So it never stayed in one place long enough for that to happen."

The Tarutaru wiped his eyes, "That is so sad!"

"The saddest parrrt is yet to come… The lonely dragon found people who it grew to like and eventually decided to live with them. But one day that fear came back, the fear they would eventually just leave or grow to hate it. So rather than let that happen the lonely dragon left first, back on a journey with no end, back to the everlasting feeling of loneliness."

Strangely, a feeling of relief came over her for a few brief seconds after she had finished talking, but then she heard her friend sniffling to himself. She sat up on her knees and leant on his bed with her chest to reach where he had been sitting. Running a finger under each of his eyes she sighed.

"It was just a storrry, Nokum-Akkum," she smiled.

"So sad!" he cried.

After that he did not say much more beyond mumbling and rambling about lonely little dragons while she sat in the dark next to his bed making sure he went to sleep. She felt like his mother, but that actually made her feel happy in a strange way. She had never had to look after someone like that before.

Nokum-Akkum seemed to fall asleep in under ten minutes after that and began snoring louder than a Galka. Despite sitting up against wood on a rough floor and being next to the noisy Tarutaru, Hanaa also fell asleep.

The Highwind was in for a long journey. Despite everything that had happened and everything they now knew, the airship still had to avoid the skies that passenger carriers and stock ships traversed as well as any major cities. That meant having to go a very round about way to reach the dangerous Northlands. At best guess, Samuel had put their travelling time at around thirty hours, depending on weather.

Getting there was the lesser problem, however. The real challenge would come once they crossed the boarders into the skies above the Northlands. The lands were populated by swelling numbers of Kindred and they would prove an appetising target when landing outside Fei'Yin. Even then, there was the dangers of whatever evils lay inside the decollate ruins guarding the prayer stone located somewhere within.

Alain leant against the barrier at the edge of the upper deck looking out of the sky as he usually did, lost in thought. The journey and the dangers ahead were dwarfed by the worry about his friends spread across Vana'diel. He knew there was no other way, but that did not stop him being concerned.

He did not trust Shadow. He cringed at the fake name; it was exactly the type of thing given to an assassin, a hired killer. The Ninja being alone with Catherine was the worst part of all. How could she possibly place her life in the hands of a total stranger concerned only with being paid for their actions?

From below deck Zeid appeared and approached him. The tall Galka towered over him as he stood silently gazing out over the side of the Highwind to the sun setting malms away in the distance.

"I noticed from the weapon collection on board that you no longer use a scythe, why is that?" his former mentor questioned.

"During the battle with those things summoned by the Archduke my scythe was destroyed. They are not a common weapon to come by, so I purchased the Great Sword instead. You taught me to use it just as well as the scythe."

The Galka's expression did not change, "You are better suited to the scythe. Since you do not have the natural bulk or strength as I do to empower your swings a heavy blade is not as efficient. A scythes thin cutting blade is easier to swing in a Hume's hands and is more deadly on a successful strike."

"But a scythe offers little defence and absolutely no chance to parry or counter an opponents attack…it's an offensive weapon that disregards ones own defence."

His former mentor seemed amused that he had just repeated words that Zeid himself had spoken to him during one of their training sessions. Though he had learned to use both weapons, as well as training with a few others from before he studied under the Galka, he knew that he was best with a scythe. But all that seemed redundant as without his training complete he was stuck in a void between a Warrior and a Dark Knight, neither one nor the other.

"…How do I find the resolve to face the darkness?"

Zeid was intrigued by his sudden question.

"Those things that Kam'lanaut summoned are monsters filled with power… I know that like this I could never hope to even scratch one of them. I need to get stronger, I want to get stronger. But that is not the type of resolve you mean, is it?"

"If you were to try to conquer the darkness now you would be consumed by it just as Raogrimm was. You have the resolve to become stronger, but you do not have the resolve to face your demons."

He did not understand.

"What demons? What would I see? That is what I don't understand."

His former mentor asked him to think of the worst thing he had ever done, a thing that called into question his moral beliefs. Zeid then asked him to imagine his worst nightmare, a hellish thing that he would never do - like murdering his dearest friend. The darkness would create in his mind illusions portraying him as evil and contort any true events to confuse and subdue him. The Galka asked him to imagine even facing ten percent of the things he described and if Alain could survive seeing them.

"Would you have the resolve to actually do those horrible things? Would you act those things out in order to embrace the darkness? Would you allow yourself to become that great evil long enough to walk away with its power, but with your mind still intact? Looking into the abyss in my heart almost killed me, but I survived and became a true Dark Knight with the power to control my soul."

"…Your soul?"

"A Dark Knights greatest power comes from using your very soul and arts rooted in demonic pacts that draw life blood from enemies. Using these powers eats away at the soul, and so can only be maintained for short periods of time. I have seen Dark Knights who have been able to hold onto the true power for longer than I. They were not all Galka and so I can only assume that physical strength does not factor in, it is purely the power –the resolve- of your soul. The potential I saw in you was your soul; it is the purest I have ever been in the presence of. You seem to lack your race's taint of apathy; your compassion is unheard of. You might think that it makes you weak, but it is the complete opposite. It is what can make you the strongest Dark Knight to ever live."

"Then teach me how to tap into this power! Teach me how to embrace the darkness!"

Zeid looked down at him and shook his head, explaining that he could not teach him how to survive an encounter with the darkness. He did however offer advice that sounded more like a stern warning; that any encounter that forcibly brought out huge amounts of negative emotions like hate, lust, jealousy, despair, or anger, could bring about a forced meeting with the darkness that he could not hope to conquer.

"You're talking in riddles, Zeid!"

"Alain, while I cannot help you prepare, I am trying to tell you that if you continue to lead a life of battles then a meeting with the darkness is inevitable. You are not ready for that and I do not know if you ever will be. While the potential in your soul is limitless if you learn to tap into it, it could also prove to be the final impassable stepping stone to becoming a true Dark Knight."

He had had enough of his former mentors babble.

"Thanks for nothing, Master."

He felt too angry to stay in his former mentor's presence and walked away in silence below deck.

Zeid stared into the sun.

"Volker… You and I were once friends, just as Alain and Rostairmar were. …But then on that day… It cannot be coincidence that history is repeating itself… Are they destined to the same fate…as us?"

"Hey, Alain, you okay?" Samuel asked as he entered the control room.

He said it was nothing and silently wondered just how much someone in the control room could hear if two people above deck were talking. He did not bother to ask as Samuel was a kind enough person and was probably already aware of the animosity he felt towards Zeid.

Changing the subject, the young pilot spoke about traversing the Northlands. The Highwind was not like the normal airships that passengers commuted on and was actually built with both defensive and offensive systems. Pop had been ranting on about them when they first got on board, but Alain could barely understand all the engineering terms that were thrown about.

What he did understand was that everything about the airship was all connected to the crystal engine in the rear, even the much smaller crystal acting as a home point to a teleportation incantation taught to Catherine. The crystal engine was a near limitless supply of energy. It did drain when used, but would enter cycles of almost hibernation in which its power was restored. It would never die unless pushed too hard for too long a period of time. He remembered hearing horror stories about early crystal engine tests going horribly wrong and causing explosions before the technology to keep them under control was created.

"Bah, three hours until my old man's shift. I'm really tired tonight for some reason," Samuel complained.

"I guess I should go try and get some rest, unless you want the company?"

"I'm alright, that tough Galka hangs around in here and keeps me company, seems to like watching the control panels. Oh, do me a favour and listen out for any strange noises while you are in your room."

"…Noises?"

"Yeah, back when we were docked near Kazham and I went out to get some supplies Pop claims to have heard noises coming from the middle deck. I keep telling him he was just imagining it after listening to the engine for so long, but he insists he heard something. We might have a loose pipe or broken sub-section that's acting up, so if you hear anything let me know, okay? We don't want the Highwind falling apart from the inside out when we enter the Northlands!"

He promised Samuel he would let him know if there were any strange sounds from around the middle deck during the night and headed towards his quarters. Passing the base of the steps to the upper deck he paused to listen for a few seconds, but heard nothing out of the ordinary.

Sitting awake in his bed because he was unable to sleep, he spent time listening to the distant hum of the engine and bumps from pipes running along the Highwind's belly, but heard nothing that sounded out of place.

The old man's ears were probably just playing tricks.