Chapter XI- Baskar Colony
The submarine was finished the next morning, just as the man had promised. After giving them a basic tutorial on its use, he (with the help of Clive, Gallows, Todd and Jet) rolled it across logs into the water near the cabin.
"Sir," Clive said. "We never got your name."
"Eh?" The man asked. "The name is Dennis Sanmite. Inventor extraordinaire. Come back and visit me sometime."
"Thank you very much for all your help, Dennis," Virginia beamed.
"Alright then, we're off," Maya said. "We'll meet you at Fila Del Fia. Don't keep us waiting too long, okay?"
"We'll just grab our guardians and the Teardrop and see where things go from there," Gallows said.
"You be careful, miss," Clive said.
"Hah!" Todd laughed. "Milady is more than capable of defending herself, as you know. We'll keep her safe too, don't worry."
The Schroedingers boarded the submarine and Lombardia huffed impatiently behind them. The group turned to see the mighty dragon rolling its eyes.
"We have no time to waste on pleasantries. It's been six days since the terraformation began. I have only ever prayed to see Wasteland when flying high above the endless dunes to the east," Lombardia grunted. "Come on! We haven't much time."
---
The Baskar Colony had apparently not seen terraformation yet, but then it was very hard to tell as it was an oasis with green fields and fresh water even before. As soon as the familiar Drifters walked into town, it burst to life. People gathered around, babbling incoherently about being "glad to see them" and "how good it is to see you alive."
Before the party could begin to comprehend the meaning of this unusually warm welcome, a familiar grating voice was heard shrieking above the crowd.
"Gallows Carradine!" shrieked the voice of Halle.
"Hey granny!" Gallows shouted waving his hand.
"Don't you granny me!" Halle said, walking up to him and whacking him across the leg with her walking stick. "Six days since our world began to change and you haven't come to see me!"
"We're here now!" Gallows pleaded.
"And about time!" Halle cursed.
But then she saw the bedraggled look of the others and her mood changed instantly to sympathetic. Apparently she expected her grandson to look horrible, but with the other professionals amongst her this was most unusual behavior.
"Are you alright, children?" Halle asked.
"There's a lot to explain," Virginia said.
It felt weird repeating her story for the fifth time, but as she did she recalled new bits and pieces. It seemed to be the same way with Gallows, Clive and Jet, because they shared new mites that she had yet heard.
"Hmm. This is quite bad," Halle sighed. "Without the Guardians power there is little we can do."
"Yeah. As a matter of fact we were going there to reclaim them… you know to the Fallen Sanctuary," Gallows said.
"My grandson, I've lost the will to scold for your stupidity," Halle moaned. "One cannot directly communicate with the Guardians. You need the Ark Sceptres, and you returned those sceptres to me," Halle explained.
"So, can we not get them back?" Clive asked.
Halle sat down. "You have all regaled with tales of your adventures, now it is my turn to speak. Since time is of the essence I will make this brief."
The group dared not vocalize their gratitude, but did breath a collective sigh of relief.
"While you were away on your little vacation, the Baskar Colony has been attacked three times by roving bandits! The first attack they merely stole some food and water. It bothered us not. We freely give food and water to passerbys and if these men wished to take it by force then it was only an unnecessary exertion of effort on their part.
The second time happened about four days ago. They came back into town and demanded the Ark Sceptres. We refused, of course, and so they knocked over some pots, stole some more food and water and left.
The third time happened just last night. They snuck in the middle of the night and stole the four Ark Sceptres from right under our very nose. And what's worse is… they left a note saying that they were heading to the Fallen Sanctuary to steal the Guardians as well. Shane, of course, headed there with a group of priests, but they have not returned."
"Wait a minute!" Gallows shouted. "You telling me my little brother is at the Sanctuary now. That he could be dead?"
"Shane is a far more competent priest than you. Unlike you he actually completed his training and now is fully qualified. He is a pillar no more," Halle said. "You have no idea how nice it would be for your grandmother to see you fulfill your sacred duties once in a while."
"Sorry granny, but we've got more important things to do right now than try and live up to ancient rituals," Gallows responded. "Clive, Jet, Virginia. We're heading to the Fallen Sanctuary."
The group bowed to Halle, who grudgingly returned. They left the colony and began their journey south to the Fallen Sanctuary.
---
The submarine was unlike anything Maya and the others had ever seen before. The interior was not far removed from what the Sandcraft had looked like, but the iron and steel had been fortified, and the helm window was now 3 inches thick. It was still raised above the rest of the deck by about three feet, but now it had a sleeker look. And, of course, there were no holes for guns or harpoons. There was one mounted offensive option, two large rockets that were kept in airlocks on the port and starboard side. They could be fired at any time, but once they were spent, they were spent.
The only other option was something that Alfred referred to as an electromagnet shielding. In an emergency the hull of the submarine would emit an electric burst for a split second. However this was more of a defensive option and Maya was not too keen on shocking themselves.
Of course Maya didn't want to submerge either.
"What's the point of having a submarine if we don't take it underwater for a look," Alfred protested.
"We have no need," Maya retorted. "We know where we are going and I'll need surface clues to make sure we're going in the right direction."
"Come on, Maya," Shady insisted, joining in on the pleading. "Just a quick dive. We'll return right away."
"Perhaps Milady is concerned that the device might not be functioning properly?" Todd asked.
"That has nothing to do with it, Todd," Maya snapped.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" Alfred asked.
Maya often got backed into corners, but rarely by her own logic.
"Oh fine!" Maya hissed. "You take us down, but make sure that we don't hit anything or bump into something, or… well you know!"
Alfred grabbed the lever on his left and gave it a steady pull. The Schroedinger began its descent into the underwater abyss.
---
The Fallen Sanctuary was the home of the spiritual entities known as guardians. For a place of such spiritual renown, it was depressingly barren and ruined. Virginia once theorized that the state of the sanctuary reflected the state of the world, and Virginia took its continued decay as proof in her heart that this new world was not one of natural design.
"Don't dawdle," Gallows ordered. "We need to find my brother and the other priests."
They climbed the stairs in the center of the sanctuary to a large altar on the top of the building. They were surrounded by eight massive pillars of stone, each bearing the name of a guardian.
"Shane!" Gallows shouted. "Are you here?!"
"Quiet!" Jet hissed. "What if those bandits are here?!"
"What if, indeed?" Came a dark voice.
Out from behind the largest pillar stepped a man in a long black robe. He had long brown hair and carried a massive rifle with a large bayonet on the end. Virginia recognized this ARM immediately.
"That's Janus's weapon," Virginia said. "Who are you and how did that end up in your hands?!"
"Janus was never good at finishing what he started," the man said coolly. "He left this weapon behind when you defeated him at Ka Dingel. You remember, I'm sure. When the Prophets handed him the Dark Spear?"
Jet had already raised his ARM, and Gallows and Clive were now loading theirs. Virginia raised her hand up to stop them.
"Who are you?" Virginia demanded.
"My name is Lucio," The man bowed slightly. "At your service."
"Lucio?" Jet asked. "You're supposed to be dead."
"Wait a minute, who's this Lucio?" Clive asked.
Jet shook his head. "Janus kept talking about a man who used to be with him, Dario and Romero. His name was Lucio and he had been killed."
"Clearly not," Gallows noted, walking closer to Virginia. He raised his rifle and aimed it at Lucio. "Where is Shane and the other priests?"
The man took off the robe and revealed the body of a very muscular warrior. He wore a grey sleeveless shirt, and had a holster for a knife around his left bicep. He wore black pants which were covered in ammo clips.
"They're fine," Lucio said. "It's not my style to hurt men of the cloth. They were just the bait."
"Where are they?" Gallows demanded.
"Please, no need to shout. This is a sacred place," Lucio flashed a perfect set of white teeth as he sneered. "They're in the inner sanctum below. My men are keeping them in check. In the meantime, I think you all and I have a little unfinished business to attend to."
Lucio raised Janus's weapon and fired off a warning shot. Virginia now raised her twin pistols in response.
"I will succeed where Janus failed. I will bring forth a Filgaia worthy of my master and I will destroy the Guardians. And, of course, you four in the process," Lucio shouted.
"You've heard one nutjob's speech you've heard them all," Jet cursed.
Jet opened fire, his six shot burst barely missing Lucio who ducked behind a pillar. Gallows ran to the left lifting his shotgun. Clive ran to the right, attempting to pincer Lucio. It was Virginia who fired though.
"He's on top of the pillar!" Virginia shouted as she let two shots ring out from her ARMS.
Lucio leapt with amazing dexterity from the top of the pillar to another pillar on the opposite side of the sanctum. He fired three rounds, the last one hitting Jet's right shoulder.
"Damn it!" Jet shouted as he swiftly turned and sent another six-shot burst in the direction of Lucio.
Lucio was not so lucky this time, and Jet's aim was true. Two rounds hit Lucio in his leg as he dropped behind the pillar. As Lucio rounded a corner with his rifle, Clive's first shot hit its mark, knocking Lucio back, a large bullet hole in his chest.
"Well, you all are mighty fine shots," Lucio laughed. "Too bad I plan ahead."
Lucio lifted a large red shell from out of his ammo clip. He rolled behind a pillar, Gallows attempting to hit him as he did so. Lucio made it to safety and he loaded the large red shell into Janus's weapon.
"You're really gonna like this one kids! This is the secret to my success," Lucio shouted as he jumped out of cover and fired the large red bullet into the center of the sanctum.
It landed a few feet from Virginia and lay there. For a moment nothing happened. Then Jet grabbed Virginia's arm and pulled her to safety. It all happened in a split second, in what seemed like an eternity. The red bullet glowed as bright as a flare and then exploded sending Jet and Virginia rocketing towards the small wall surrounding the sanctuary. Virginia landed safely in front of it, but Jet rolled over the top and slid down twelve feet to the ground below.
Virginia saw Lucio run down the stairs, limping as he did so, and then she was overcome with darkness. She opened her eyes again what seemed to be mere seconds later to see two large priests standing over her, one opening his medicine pouch. She tried to turn her head, but she couldn't stand the pain. She heard faintly above the high-pitched ringing that was in her ears, the voice of Shane.