The storm had finally passed.
While not a rare occurrence considering their location, tempests as ferocious as the one last night came along only rarely. The whole tribe had been forced to dismantle their homes and repair with them to underground storage rooms in order to stay safe. From there they viewed savage winds, deadly lightning and rain that pierced the ground like thorns. Thunder seemed to tear the very air with its cries. Many of the elders whispered at how there had not been a blow this terrible in generations. Even the disturbance that heralded the Monster's rise two years past could not compare.
As for Aisa, she had spent a sleepless night huddled up by the entrance to her shelter, anxiously waiting for the tumult to pass. Because afterwards, she knew this time nothing would stop her from reaching her prize.
The call of a Southbird echoed through its verdant forested home. Lone droplets of water pelted the ground in a soft background chorus, falling from the canopy roof that extended hundreds of feet overhead. Water glistened on the bark of enormous tree-trunks and collected in puddles on the ground. Everywhere was the queer calm that descended over nature only after a display of its most violent temperament.
A bare foot splashed into one of these puddles and disturbed its tranquil surface before passing on.
Aisa fled from her tribe's ancestral homeland. The six-year-old girl ran gasping through the rainforest, scaling up roots thicker than her body and sliding along muddy embankments down which water still flowed. Her fur tunic was covered in dirty splashes and her bare legs glistened with rain and mud. The cap she wore threatened to slide down over her eyes, and its shoulder-length cloth fringe whipped around whenever she turned her head. She thought about discarding the headdress, but feared leaving any evidence of her passing to lead those in pursuit.
Clutched securely beneath her arm, the leather satchel that contained her treasure remained secure. This she never considered abandoning for a moment.
After pausing to get her bearings, the girl took off in the direction of home, guided by an inborn talent she could not put a name to. This beacon acted not only to let her know which path led to safety, but also where could be found danger. The sacred land of Upper Yard was both prize and peril for those of her race. In its alien majesty there lurked astonishing beauty and deadly threats, something Aisa knew well from repeated excursions into that restricted area.
For centuries her people, the Shandian Tribe, had fought to reclaim this blessed soil from the interlopers that had wrested it from them in ages past. But as of late there were no actual military expeditions into the great forest. The threat of death had grown apace with the advent of the Monster, Enel. His evil power spelled certain doom to any warrior brave enough to risk setting foot off their adopted home of firm clouds and onto the rich brown tracts of Upper Yard. Only fools would court such a terrible end.
In Aisa's opinion, the only thing worse than a fool was a coward. She was resolved to be proven neither. And so time and again, the willful child risked death by venturing into this magnificent setting that flourished with life beyond anything that could be found in Skypiea.
Last night's storm had seemed like a perfect cover in which to undertake her covert entry. Always after such events, the security in Upper Yard was at its weakest. Even the servants of Enel wouldn't dare set out in those conditions. Like everyone else, they remained indoors where it was safe. The only one able to survive such weather was Enel himself, and he was well-known for preferring the lazy comforts of his grand palace over spending much time in the open. So she had resolved to penetrate the green ruins and return before anyone, ally or enemy, was aware of it.
In her mind, Aisa kept aware of the living creatures roaming about her. Whether they be beast or man, she remained as certain of their relative presence to her as if she could see every single one of them. This unexplained talent was what permitted her to succeed in these daring raids when anyone else would have surely failed. Unfortunately, while successfully claiming her prize, escape had not been as easy as one might have hoped. Avoiding wolf packs and one extremely big reptile was one thing. The fiends that pursued her now were undoubtedly human.
The Enforcers.
They had closed in on Aisa shortly after she succeeded in her efforts. Slipping away was proving trickier than usual, and she was beginning to get the unpleasant suspicion that they were using more than ears and eyes to track her. Could it be one of Enel's priests was with them, the ones supposedly able to hear a butterfly landing and capable of fighting off an entire army?
It wouldn't be good to find out. Flight was the only thing that mattered. She had a Burn Dial for self-defense, but Aisa preferred not to be in a situation where she had to resort to using it. There had to be a way to make her escape.
Another Southbird crooned, and this time she could have sworn a faint bleating came with it. The call of her hunters. They hadn't given up the chase. Would they risk following her all the way to the Shandians' village? Probably, if they had a priest with them. Suddenly Aisa was desperate to prevent anything like that from happening. She couldn't stand the thought of anyone dying as a result of her escapades. Wasn't there any way to lose these villains?
Suddenly a new presence came to the forefront of her thoughts, and with it came a plan. With that, the determined treasure-hunter took off to the left, following the sense of what she hoped would prove to be her salvation.
The Enforcers were closing in on her. This time, however, that was exactly what Aisa wanted. Let them come bounding in, certain of their victory against a lone fugitive. If she was right, those freaks would have a lot worse than her to deal with. Upper Yard wasn't only dangerous to children, after all.
At last her furious pace began to slow. Creeping slowly beneath the enormous boughs, Aisa focused on what her sixth-sense was telling her. Up ahead was a big animal of some kind. It was on the ground, so it probably wasn't a Southbird. And something of that size was bound to be dangerous. Whatever it was, it hadn't moved in a while, so she guessed it was probably asleep. If she could lure her trackers here and then rouse the great beast, maybe get it to attack them, then there was a good chance she could slip away in the confusion.
Heart hammering rapidly in her chest, the girl stole softly upon what turned out to be a small glade in the midst of the forest. Sun streamed down from a big hole in the canopy. This allowed her to finally see what had brought her this far.
Looking at it, Aisa was hard-pressed to thing of anything more peculiar.
The thing looked to be a big hairy… mound of some kind. It was as large as she had first thought, rising at least thrice as tall as her, and didn't appear to be moving. There seemed to be a great deal of yellow fur, and some weird striped skin. But other than that all bets were off about its provenance.
Curious now, forgetting momentarily the peril that led her here, Aisa crept a little closer to this unusual creature. Now she could hear a low liquid growl. Gura-gura-gura, it went. And again, Gura-gura-gura. With utmost wariness the child approached to within three feet and stopped, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
The mound-thing didn't move. It smelled funny, like wet fox mixed with something burning and almost sweet. That strange noise had stopped. What sort of animal was this?
A crashing off in the distance alerted her once again to the approaching danger. Aisa glanced behind, fearfully scanning the darkened woods for some sign of pursuit.
An instant later she caught a sense of movement, but not from far off.
It was right here.
Immediately the girl leapt backwards. Quick as she was, it wasn't quick enough. Something grabbed hold of her shirt front, and she let out a terrified wail.
"GAH!" a deep voice exclaimed.
Taken aback, Aisa opened her eyes, and found herself face to face with a man.
They peered at one another, both seemingly surprised to meet like this. Holding her securely, the fellow blinked, then his eyes widened in amazement.
"A gopher?" he gasped.
Surprised, Aisa stared right back. "What?"
"Talking gopher!"
And he dropped her abruptly. Scrambling away, the little adventurer put some space between them. Finding her feet and feeling somewhat frustrated by this treatment, she drew herself straight and loudly declared, "I'm a girl, not a go-fer!
"A girl?" he repeated. And then he rose up.
And up.
And up some more.
Aisa stared. 'Big' didn't describe it. She had never in her life seen a person this huge. The hand that had held her was enormous, capable of covering her whole body if splayed out. Even still sitting down, his head was well above the height she was used to having to crane her neck up at in order to see a regular adult's face. He must be as tall as a tent-pole when fully standing, and broader than three men lined up side by side. It reminded her of a fairy tale she heard from some of the more garrulous tribesmen about cannibal giants, enormous beanstalks, and a golden treasure that lurked at the top of that plant. Funny how they suddenly had all three right here in Upper Yard, that is if you counted the fabled City of Gold at the base of Giant Jack.
And that wasn't the weirdest part. She could now clearly discern this giant's appearance. What she had mistaken for skin was actually a large yellow and orange striped robe draped over his brawny shoulders, down which fell a mass of spiky yellow hair so long and thick he could have wrapped himself in it like a blanket. As if to make up for this, the top of his head was bald, and there looked to be… well, it could be horns, or a crest of some type. They didn't appear to be bone, though; more like wood. Was a tree growing out of his skull? It didn't look like he was in any discomfort as a result. His hands were tucked into the long black sleeves of his under-robe, and his legs remained folded beneath him in a pair of baggy orange trousers tied with a green sash, the same kind of dress Enforcers usually wore save for the color scheme.
This distinction made no negative impression on her. There was hardly a resemblance between those murderous savages and this person. The man's face was old, with bags under the eyes and deep wrinkles on his brow and around a cavernous mouth. He had a bushy clump of beard on his chin that grew into a thin dark moustache, and his skin was blotched around the temple with liver spots. Fierce black eyebrows formed lightning bolts over eyes that had now narrowed to little more than slits. His teeth were bared as he chewed slowly on what looked to be another stick tucked between his thick jaws.
Standing before that weird figure, Aisa found herself entranced by its alien qualities enough to ask without reservation, "What are you?"
At this he paused. Then the weirdo took the stick from his mouth and burst out laughing.
"JI-HA-HA-HAH!"
Returning the branch to its place, he flashed an enormous grin filled with teeth.
"What do you suppose I am, little girl?"
She scowled at him, for it was clear he was now mocking her. "Don't laugh at me, Tree-Head! What are you doing up here? Are you one of Enel's Enforcers?"
"Tree-Head?" The giant rubbed his jaw contemplatively. "N-Eru? You're not making any sense, imouto-chan. Haven't you ever seen a pirate before?"
The word didn't mean anything to Aisa. She found herself reaching for the Burn Dial tucked into her tunic. Her new companion didn't seem to notice. Instead he was busily scanning their surroundings, twisting his great head from side to side.
"Where are we, then?" He scratched his scalp and yawned. "This doesn't look like Merveille."
As he said this, the man simply rose upright. Warily Aisa jumped back a step. She hadn't even detected him about to make a movement with her intuition. How did he do that? It was like he just floated… up…
This thought died as she finally noticed something. The crowning touch of bizarre sights to be seen on this 'pirate'.
He stood as tall as she had expected, if not taller. It would take three men standing on each others' shoulders to reach eye level with him. But this was not simply the result of any manner of growth spurt. When she looked down, the girl could clearly see that this man's legs were missing from halfway down his calves. Where there should have been feet, instead he was sporting a pair of long swords that stuck point-first into the ground. As Aisa watched, he pivoted about swiftly, moving with ease on his bladed prosthetics like they were a natural part of his body. It was stomach-churning, and at the same time somewhat fascinating. Was he born without feet? Were those weapons growing from there, or was he strapped in somehow? Could he kill a man with those things?
The pirate turned in a complete circle and came about to study her once again.
"What's your name, then, imouto-chan?"
This last surprise had left her too shocked to even be further suspicious. "Aisa," she whispered.
He gave a grunt, lifting his chin up proudly. "I'm Shiki. Shiki the Golden Lion! But you may address me as Shiki-sama."
At this point Shiki seemed to notice something that bothered him. Glowering down at the stick in his lips, he abruptly spat it out and then took to rummaging around in his coat. Coming up with a fresh one, he also withdrew a thin golden tube with an odd beast's head on top. After placing the stick between his teeth, he then brought the tube up, and with a small snap, a tiny burst of flame came from its metal jaws. While Aisa watched entranced, Shiki held this fire to the end of the stick. In no time it had caught ablaze. Now smoldering a bright cherry-red, he inhaled and blew out a wealth of smoke from his nostrils.
I get it, she suddenly realized. That thing's a pipe of some kind. Finally it made sense.
"So tell me this, Little Aisa," the looming pirate continued, "Just where are we now?"
The mystery of the stick being solved seemed to break the spell that had fallen upon her. Feeling much more clear-headed than a few moments past, she replied, "This is Upper Yard. It's the place where 'God' and his Enforcers live."
"Ah." Shiki blew out another stream of smoke, apparently ruminating on this.
"You're not from Skypiea," Aisa finally felt comfortable in stating, though she was still by no means at ease around this figure. "Just how did you come to be here?"
"I got blown about in the storm, I suppose." He gave a lazy wave of his hand. "It came on me out of nowhere while I was exploring. I couldn't control my altitude or even stay in one spot. The winds just whipped me around like I was no more than a leaf. So this is a sky island, you say? Doesn't really look like it." The tip of his short pipe glowed, and his brow furrowed dangerously. "Dolts! That last weather report I got wasn't worth shit. Got to keep an eye out for a crew with a truly competent navigator one of these days."
This explanation hardly served to settle things. "How…?"
"BLEAT!"
And it was only then she realized they were surrounded.
Spinning about, Aisa was horrified to see nearly a dozen white-robed Enforcers arrayed around them, hanging onto tree limbs or shuffling forward along the ground. Their gleaming horned heads were twisted with evil sneers, pendulous earlobes flapping at their throats. They clutched Dials which no doubt held the power to send forth vicious cuts at a command.
The girl found herself backing up fearfully towards where Shiki stood. Stupid stupid stupid! Why had she let herself get delayed so long in talking to this messy foreigner? The whole point had been to use him to get away! Even after she realized he was a man, it might have been enough to throw off her pursuers if they mixed him up with her. And now it was too late. They were trapped, completely boxed in and hopelessly outnumbered.
Only maybe there was still a chance. Perhaps he could distract them long enough for her to make an escape. Regardless of where he came from, nobody was permitted to enter Upper Yard without Enel's permission, so they would naturally want to capture the pirate too. Shiki looked pretty tough in spite of his age. If all that size wasn't just for show…
"BILLY-GOATS?"
Aisa glanced over her shoulder to find the hairy giant gaping with wide eyes and slack jaw at their captors. She felt her hopes die. Well, so much for that plan. This guy is just too dumb.
"Ho, ho-hoooo!"
A hooting laugh was all the warning they got. Looking up, there came a glimpse of something large racing along one of the cloud-roads that snaked beneath the tree-tops. This solitary figure gave a leap as it approached, its Jet-ski Waver boots propelling it off to hang in midair for a time, and then came crashing down. The ground shook as the bulbous form landed.
"Tremble in fear, ignorant interlopers!" a high-pitched voice squealed. "Fatori, one of God's Chosen, has appeared to punish you!"
"A SNOWMAN?"
Aisa ignored her companion's further senseless comments. Overweight. That was the first thing that came to mind when looking at this new offender. In a white uniform much like all the others, he had a body that was round like the moon, with skinny arms and legs thrust out in a ridiculous pose. Other than this he looked much like the other Enforcers, save for the goggles covering his eyes and proportionately larger wings on his back. For all the sheer ridiculousness of his appearance, however, Aisa knew better than to discount this person as anything but dangerous. He was one of three lieutenants among the Enforcers, part of the quadruplet brothers of which one was actually a member of the inner circle of warrior-priests that served Enel directly. While this one didn't appear to be that priest, Fatori was clearly the leader of this hunting party, and undoubtedly the one that had been keeping track of her all this time. Aisa felt her dwindling hopes plummet.
And then she was lifted off the ground.
"Wings?"
Too surprised to cry out, the girl looked back in astonishment to see Shiki hoisting her up into the air, holding her by the small white wings that grew from her back until she hung right before him.
"Huh," Shiki murmured, tilting his head from side to side in intense examination. "These feathers aren't fake, are they? They're actually growing from your back." He then cast his gaze around at the mob of Skypieans, seemingly unaware of how much trouble they were in. "Even the billy-goats. You're all sporting wings. What an odd evolution."
Fear. Despair. Remorse. All of that took a backseat to simple, honest outrage.
"HEY!" she screamed, swinging her arms and legs futilely. "You stupid bush-brain! What are you doing picking me up like that? Can't you see that we're in trouble here?"
"Indeed you are, miserable creature!" Fatori pronounced shrilly, springing almost gracefully into another absurd stance. "For trespassing on God's own territory, you are to be…!"
"Eh?" Shiki mumbled, turning his head. Of a sudden his eyes popped out once more. "B-BILLY-GOATS?"
"THEY'RE MEN, YOU MORON!" And Aisa swung a bare leg to crack him firmly in the jaw.
His head spun about, and Shiki gave a snort. He came slowly back to regard her, and at the look on his face, Aisa quailed, for now he seemed to have become truly angry.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, KICKING ME LIKE THAT, YOU LITTLE BRAT?"
"I DID IT BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING STUPID!" she shot back, not caring now who wound up killing her. "CAN'T YOU SEE THESE GUYS ARE HERE TO KILL US?"
Fatori was looking about uncertainly at his henchmen, none of whom seemed to know how to respond to this. He cleared his throat and began again. "Ah, as I was saying… You have stolen the treasure that belongs to God only, and therefore in His name we shall punish…!"
"THAT'S NO EXCUSE FOR POOR BEHAVIOR! CHILDREN SHOULD RESPECT THEIR ELDERS, ESPECIALLY PIRATES! WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING YOU PUNKS THESE DAYS?"
"HOW TO TELL WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET SLAUGHTERED, THAT'S WHAT! OR DIDN'T YOU NOTICE THEY HAVE US SURROUNDED?"
"Eh?" Shiki quieted down, finally noticing the hostile army crowding around them. Encased in fine wrinkles, his pale jade eyes glistened faintly. "Surrounded? You mean by this puny lot?"
"That is right!" the roly-poly lieutenant declared. "Surrender yourselves, or prepare to face the wrath of the Almighty Go-!"
Then Aisa was falling to the ground, and there was a flash of amber light, immediately followed by an explosion. Instinctively she covered her head with her hands and shut her eyes. For all the good that did. In her mind's-eye, several of the goat-men went soaring through the air, and others fell shrieking from their perch in the trees. All landed in broken twitching heaps on the forest floor, staining the soil with their blood.
Was that a thunderbolt? Had Enel decided to participate in this massacre after all? If so, his aim could use some work.
She then heard a derisive snort from overhead.
"There's the way out. As if trash like this could ever pose a threat to me."
Aisa glanced up to see Shiki puffing calmly on his funny pipe. His eyes flicked down to meet hers.
"Now, then, imouto-chan. What's this about a treasure I hear?"
Knocked flat on his bloated behind by the force of the explosion, Fatori sat gawking and trembling along with the rest of his goons. Then, as if becoming aware of their situation, he rolled himself upright and landed on his feet. "Slay the interlopers!" he keened, whipping out an Axe Dial. The others followed suit.
"LOOK OUT!" Aisa cried, and rolled to one side, attempting to make herself a moving target. She didn't see if Shiki took her advice before the destructive Dials sent savage cuts slicing through the air. Instead she was up and running through the hole in the cage of men that he must have somehow blown open. No one stood to thwart her path, and no attacks came from this direction.
Glancing back, the desperate cloud-dweller hoped fervently to find her rescuer following her, or at least unharmed.
I must be seeing things, Aisa thought.
To her gaze, it looked as though where the giant golden pirate had stood there was now a winding profusion of brown snakes sprouting from the ground, moving and twisting about to encircle his form. Inside that protective pillar of earthen vines could be seen a blur of motion, as long saber-legs lashed out to send forth yellow flashes of light streaking in all directions, laying waste to everything around them. The entire forest shook from the resulting explosions. Trees of immense girth began to slide sideways, seemingly cut in half as a result of those beams. The shrieks of their attackers could only barely be heard over this cacophony.
It wasn't anything she could see or hear that caused the Shandian to race headlong from that battle. It was the intangible feeling inside her head. About her, birds took flight in startled panic, and other earthbound animals were scampering away from the site of that devastation just as she was. But unlike them the girl knew, on an instinctive level, that somewhere back there men were dying, torn apart by a force that defied anything they had thought themselves prepared to face this day. Their last terrified howls echoed in her skull no matter how much distance she put between them.
He was killing them. And over it all, she had no trouble picking out the pirate's roaring laughter.
The sense of their horrific suffering proved too much. Of a sudden Aisa's running feet gave out, and she collapsed into the foliage. Curling up, sobbing and frightened, she waited for the slaughter to finally come to an end, clutching hands to her head while tears streaked her face.
"Make it stop," she whimpered to anyone who could hear or care. "Please make it stop!"
At last all was quiet. The fading echoes of carnage disappeared, leaving only the regular tranquil heartbeat of the forest to wrap around her.
Yet still she did not move.
Time passed.
Aisa opened her eyes and stood up. She looked all around. The sun was shining through gaps in the arbor, twinkling off droplets of water and making the area all around her glisten. It was so very peaceful here now. Of a sudden she felt utterly tired, and wanted nothing more than to go home.
Perhaps it was this exhaustion that prevented her from picking up on the large body moving upon her from behind.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder, and Aisa gasped. She tore free, but was restrained by the strap of the leather bag she wore, which was now clutched in the grip of her attacker.
Let go of the bag, and you'll be free. But no! She had gone through too much to get it! Instead Aisa spun about and grabbed the full sack with both hands, striving to pull it free. "Let GO!" the wild child screamed, half-mad with fear and desperation.
Before her, the blood-spattered Fatori snarled. He was ragged, pristine white robes now stained with sweat, muck and blood. The goggles had been knocked askew, allowing one piggy eye to peer forth, and it was wide and crazed beyond reason.
"Filthy… heretic!" he sobbed, and raised a fist to strike her.
The ground shook, and both combatants froze.
Without warning, the very soil of Upper Yard burst up around them. Aisa was flung back with a cry. She landed on a wet patch of grass. Immediately it was obvious she had lost her treasured sack, and with a howl the girl sprang up to continue their struggle.
Only to stop and stare in utter incomprehension. What kind of magic was this?
Fatori hadn't moved. Movement was impossible, considering that he was cocooned up to his chin in a smooth pillar of earth that hid his rotund form. Only his head and hands remained free, wiggling aimlessly. In one fist he still clutched Aisa's pack. The expression on his face was horrible to behold. He looked absolutely terrified, tears flowing down those red pudgy cheeks, snot gushing from his nose and wet gurgles emerging from between clenched teeth. Like a big fat baby, unable to so much as squeal. It made her shiver to see another human being reduced to this. Even an Enforcer didn't deserve to be so utterly unmanned.
There was the sound of someone taking a deep breath, and at first she thought it was Fatori. Then came the exhalation, and with it the sweet scent of burning tobacco.
Turning, she found the monstrous pirate Shiki standing calmly behind her, not a single scratch on him, still smirking hugely like this was all a game.
"Well?" he rumbled, breathing out a cloud of smoke, "Aren't you going to at least say 'Thank you', imouto-chan?"
She couldn't say it. Aisa actually found it hard to breathe, much less speak. Shiki didn't seem to mind.
"Don't worry about it, then. But regardless, I think I should be given a little treat for the trouble you've put me through today."
There was something nasty and disturbing in the way he looked at her then. One eye scrunched tight, while the other opened wide, like he was devouring her with it. That big ugly grin became positively feral as he took a step towards the helpless girl, and the only thing she could think was, 'He's going to eat me, like the giant in the fairy tale!'
Her fears proved false. Instead Shiki moved past her, sharp metal feet sinking ever so slightly into the soil with every successive step until the warlord stood before his vainly struggling catch. Fatori was now enveloped in the giant's shadow, unable to take his eyes off him. "God…" the butterball gasped tearfully, "God will… punish you! He will send lightning… from on high, to strike you dead… you monster!"
This brought only a laugh from the unearthly magician holding him hostage. "Ah, I've got that covered." Reaching up, he rapped a huge knuckle against the wooden cockscomb sprouting from his bald pate. "As it turns out, this steering wheel happens to be made of mulberry wood. Don't you know the old legends? I can perform all the sacrilege I want, and God can't do a thing about it, since lightning never strikes that tree." Lifting his grinning face to heaven, Shiki chanted, "Kuwabara kuwabara! JI-HA-HA-HAH!"
Fatori seemed as lost as Aisa as to this statement. Not that it mattered if he understood anyway. There was no way for the half-buried man to resist when Shiki plucked the satchel from his trembling grip. However this action finally spurred the kid to remember her mission, and she rushed forward to plant herself before him, glowering up into that freaky face. "Give that BACK! It doesn't belong to you!"
Shiki only laughed. "This must be some treasure for you to risk speaking to me that way! Makes me anxious to see it. I just can't wait another second!"
With that, he yanked open the drawstrings and looked inside.
The surprise on his face was almost absurd. In no time at all, however, it swiftly melted into something much more dangerous.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Shiki roared. Thrusting one big fist into the sack, he rummaged around as if searching for something. At last he brought it back out.
Falling between his fingers was the precious substance known as Vearth.
"Dirt?" he gasped, eyes gone wide and facial muscles twitching madly. "You're telling me we've been fighting over a bag of worthless DIRT?"
He flung the sack away, and Aisa rushed over to snatch it up.
"Not WORTHLESS!" she snapped back, too angered by his sacrilege to care about offending him. "What are you talking about? This is Vearth! It's the rarest, most precious stuff in all Skypiea, found only in Upper Yard! We've been fighting all our lives to try and reclaim it!"
Shiki was staring at her, features twisting and jaws clenched so tight he looked ready to bite his pipe in two. For a moment she thought he was about to attack her. Then the huge man rounded on his helpless prisoner. "You were going to kill me, and that girl, over a bag of MUD?"
Fatori's teeth were chattering too hard for him to reply. Of a sudden the Golden Lion seemed to undergo an abrupt mood swing. Grinning down at him menacingly, he hefted the wad of dirt still held in his fist.
"You know, with that fat body and white suit, I almost mistook you for a snowman at first sight."
Without warning, the column of mud that encased the Enforcer abruptly changed shape, becoming a perfect sphere. Aisa's jaw dropped at further sight of this witchcraft. Was Shiki really responsible for this? As she regarded him warily, the old sorcerer gave a flick of his wrist, and before her astonished eyes the ground split open and disgorged a big chunk of soil which hung in the air.
Shiki looked at it as though nothing could be more natural, like floating Vearth happened every day. The handful he held suddenly flowed out to join that orb. Reaching forward, he flipped the goggles off Fatori's head and held them up to dangle loosely.
"I suppose you don't understand what I'm talking about, being a sky island native." And with that his voice took on a very nasty tone. "Let me show you what I mean."
The way he spoke, and the way Fatori's eyes filled with tears, left no doubt that something awful was about to happen. As if to confirm this, the hovering Vearth split in half like a coconut. It then floated over to dangle before the Enforcer's sweating face.
They both saw what was about to happen. 'NO!' Aisa wanted to cry out in protest. But before she could…
Shiki made a gesture. Fatori managed to emit a single hoarse scream, right before the two halves snapped together, encasing his head in a round tomb of dirt.
Aisa turned and ran.
She could sense it as the Skypiean thrashed and squirmed ineffectually in his enchanted prison. He was being suffocated, choked on the very same substance she had fought so hard to gain. Their precious Vearth had been converted into a means of murder. It was unspeakably horrible, a perversion of the sacred promise contained in that cherished loam.
It was evil.
With a wail, Aisa flung away her bag, letting it go flying into the underbrush.
It didn't matter now. The only thing that made any sense was to get as far away from that monster as she possibly could.
Behind her, Shiki didn't seem to notice her absence. While the pudgy fingers that were the only visible sign of his prisoner were still twitching, he took the goggles and purposefully shoved them into the front of his newly-made dirtman's head.
The hands were starting to subside in their spasms. Removing his cigar, Shiki planted it right below the goggles to make a nose.
By the time he drew a happy smiling mouth in the dirt with his finger, all movement had ceased.
As he stepped back to admire his handiwork, the mini-Den-den Mushi in his robe began to vibrate again. Gura-gura-gura. Removing it, Shiki pressed the switch. "Hello?"
"Shiki-sama!" Dr. Indigo's scratchy voice came on, and the snail took on his beady-eyed features somewhat. "Thank goodness you're all right! What happened to you?"
"I got a little turned around by a cyclone," he responded, rummaging in his pockets for another cigar and coming up empty. Ah, what a waste. "Is the Island Ship near where I left it?"
"Yes, we managed to weather the storm. Would you like us to come to your location?"
"No." His gaze traveled down, focusing on an object lying off to one side. "I'll find you. There's something I have to take care of first."
"Roger, Captain."
Silence greeted this statement.
"Er… sorry, I meant… as you wish, Captain."
He flicked off the Snail-o-Phone and rose slowly up into the air along with a certain item, turning in the direction Aisa had fled.
At first Laki was furious when Aisa came stumbling back into the village. But when she saw the condition the little girl was in, her outrage swiftly changed to concern. It wasn't long before she had her cleaned up and resting comfortably on a pile of skins.
Aisa lay in the darkened tent for a time. The last few hours seemed like a nightmare now. Had she really met a giant, been chased by Enforcers? There wasn't even the bag of Vearth to lend credence to her story, and thus she decided not to tell anyone about it. With that, she finally slept.
Her dreams were dark and terrifying, and it was a relief when she came awake to what could only be the sound of laughter and merriment. What was this? Were they having a celebration? Nobody had mentioned anything about it to her.
Groggily Aisa rose and stumbled to the door of her tent. Upon raising the flap, she looked out to find it was nighttime, and that a party was indeed going on. Around the bonfire the shadows of warriors drew long as they leapt and danced. Woman shouted approving comments and played flutes or beat on drums. Food and drink flowed freely throughout this joyous scene.
The prospect of joining in held no appeal for her today. Just as she was turning back to her cot, the crowd parted slightly, and Aisa gave a gasp.
In the midst of all this revelry, not twenty feet away, there sat Shiki.
He was talking to the village chief at their place by the fire, laughing and drinking corn liquor from a large dish someone had placed before him. As the child stared in horror from her hiding place, she saw the Golden Lion drain his plate and hold it out to be refilled by one of the young maidens of the village, smirking in appreciation as he did so. Didn't he ever close his mouth?
Before she knew it Aisa was creeping towards the fire. She kept to the shadows, not daring to move quickly lest even her small form draw his attention, until at last she huddled against a collection of reed baskets behind them. From there she listened to what the two old men were saying.
Sitting next to Shiki, the chief looked no larger than a child by comparison. But he still behaved as nobly as ever. "I hope you enjoy it, Shiki-san. Though a mere pouch of tobacco hardly seems worth the gift you brought us."
"We all have things we value," the hulking menace boomed, actually sounding friendly as he did. "You've got fine weed here. It'll make some good cigars when I get back home."
"A whole ton of Vearth is more than our villagers have ever seen. It's amazing, to say the least."
Shiki nodded sagely. "Even with the trouble that walking on clouds presents to me, I was thinking about conquering this place, right up until I found out you people revere dirt. Who wants subjects like that?" He took a drag on a long wooden pipe and shook his head in disgust. "What's the world coming to these days, I ask you?"
Apparently the chief didn't know how to respond to this statement. Aisa noticed some of the younger warriors nearby frowning among themselves. Wiper in particular looked especially fierce, and Laki appeared troubled right beside him. She hoped neither of them called him out, but Shiki just settled back on his side and took another drink, resting his chin on his fist. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. One thing at a time, I say. There's a whole ocean of pirates out there waiting to be taught a lesson. But enough of such talk! For now, let us drink!"
The chief chuckled and took a puff on his own pipe. "The men of the Blue Sea are as remarkable now as ever. I remember another man much like you who visited us some twenty years past. He shared your lusty spirit."
"What was his name?" Shiki asked casually.
Their elderly leader blew out smoke and smiled at the sight of his people dancing. "He went by the name of Gol D. Roger."
He wasn't looking at their guest right then. But Aisa was. That was why she noticed when Shiki's head turned ever so slightly, allowing her to catch a glimpse of his profile.
The expression he wore was not a new one. It was the same snarling animalistic fury that had contorted his features as he held a bag of dirt in his hands.
A terrible foreboding wrapped around her heart. Of a sudden the laughter of her people was sounding like the bloodcurdling screams of the dying. The dancing light of the fire which painted everything an orange hue appeared to turn red, drenching their village the color of fresh hot blood. A cold wind blew across the clouds. She wanted to cry out a warning, get them all to see the beast they had welcomed unknowing into their midst, when just like that, the feeling passed.
Shiki turned his head away. "So," he murmured softly, staring down into the depths of his dish. "You're friends of Roger, eh?"
After a time, he slowly raised the saucer and took a long drink. Lowering it, the Flying Pirate gave a hearty sigh and stood up. "Well, I believe I must be going now."
"So soon?" The chief rose to stand beside his towering companion. "Won't you at least stay the night?"
"You've done more than enough to make an old man feel welcome," Shiki responded. Aisa noticed his sharp toes didn't really touch the soft white ground, only hovered a scant distance above. Had anyone else commented on that? "I must return to my crew and make sure they are doing well."
They spoke for a few minutes longer, exchanging compliments and promises of friendship. The whole time, Aisa didn't dare move a muscle. A few more people came to say their goodbyes. Then Shiki raised his arms to shoulder level and declared in a dramatic voice, "Now, stand back! Shiki the Flying Pirate needs room to make his exit."
The villagers obeyed, clearing a respectful distance around him. With his arms still held aloft, the golden-haired warrior looked about at their happy smiling faces. "It has been my greatest privilege to meet the noble Shandian people on this day."
"Let us meet again as friends, Shiki-san," the chief declared warmly.
"JI-HA-HA-HAH!" he laughed. "Rest assured, I shall return to you."
As he spoke, his gaze suddenly snapped around, and Aisa found herself staring into those mad green eyes. She froze, rigid in the shadows, and Shiki's grin grew even bigger.
"In about five years, once my goal is complete," he rumbled, continuing to stare at her, "I look forward to seeing you again." The pirate raised his hand in parting. "Fare thee well!"
And with that, Shiki shot straight up into the sky, his laughter fading even as his body disappeared into the all-consuming blackness.
Silence fell, the entire village down to the last child staring in absolute shock at the sight of that soaring figure dwindling into the distance.
Alone amongst them, Aisa remained quiet from dread and not wonder.
I hope he never comes back.
Something dropped down beside her, making her start. Turning, she saw the little sack of dirt that had been left behind in Upper Yard.
For all her bravery, she could not bring herself to touch it.
FIN.