It was sunset when the four adventurers reached Horketa village; Lawrence called off Grendel, and when the Gigas had returned to its dormant state the mercenary entrusted the Green Crystal to Ilchymis.
Festivities commenced into the night as the Ixa'takan people celebrated the fall of the "Men from the East" and the triumph of Quetya, their god, whom they believed had summoned the Green Gigas to drive off their enemies and restore peace to the land. Still grieving over the destruction wrecked upon his family, Centime returned home to his wife Karen and did not appear throughout the evening; regarded as heroes, Lawrence, Ilchymis, and Domingo were clothed in robes of Quetya and attended the celebration as guests of honor. The melody and harmony of two wooden flutes continued on for hours; the meat of roasted que'lak and mounds of exotic fruit were served at a bonfire in the middle of the clearing, and the jubilant natives danced and sang in homage to their god.
Domingo enjoyed himself. He had secretly visited a shop owner about the golden mask he had recovered from Rixis; the artifact was indeed a relic of the Old World, with ties to one of the first kings of the Rixis dynasty. The treasure hunter happily turned it in, glad to return a piece of history to its people, and refused all of the gold the bewildered shopkeeper tried to give him. He feasted and sang at the bonfire with a laugh in his voice, enjoying the simpler time with Ilchymis, and when a brooding Lawrence snuck away from the party after only an hour he finished his meal and moved to follow.
Along a dirt trail lined with wild flora and fauna he found a ladder leading up the moss-and-vine covered wall, and at the top the wall leveled out into a grassy plateau. Here the trees parted and the view opened out into the wide world of Ixa'taka; sitting at the edge, staring out at the star-strewn sky, the distant islands, and a first-quarter Green Moon, was Lawrence. Domingo moved to join him.
"As crazy as you are about treasure hunting, I never would have thought that you'd hand over something so valuable for no profit at all." Lawrence smirked knowingly as Domingo sat down beside him. "But I guess even you're not completely predictable."
"You caught me. I guess I just thought that on some level, collecting thousands of gold pieces for something so obviously important would make me no better than any Zivilyn Bane." Domingo reached up a hand to gently knead the lump at the base of his neck, still tender and sore from being knocked unconscious. There was silence while the two merely watched wisps of cloud glide across the Green Moon, then Domingo asked quietly, "Why'd you come back, Lawrence?"
Lawrence heaved a sigh; he looked very tired, and in truth he was still physically fatigued from battling his way through the Chameleon. At last he said uncertainly, "The truth is, I've been nothing but a burden to you and Ilchymis since you decided to save the world. I guess I felt guilty and wanted to make up for making things difficult for you. And hey, just so you know, I'm a mercenary because I don't get along well with people - I work best alone. This is all pretty new to me."
Though it was a very shaky, roundabout apology, Domingo accepted it, recognizing it for what it was. "I have to admit - if you hadn't shown up, I'm not sure we would have lived much longer. But I have to ask you - we combed Rixis over. How did you find the Green Moon Crystal?"
Lawrence inwardly contemplated just what to tell Domingo. The relationship he retained with First Admiral Alfonso was too outrageous to be shared lightly, and even a single tie to the Armada could cause Domingo to lose trust in him. After a time the mercenary said, "We just missed it. I went back to the temple and found it hidden inside the dias."
There was no fooling the observant treasure hunter; Domingo knew at once that Lawrence's words were a lie, but he resolved to let it slip by unquestioned. Perhaps there would be another time to discover the truth.
"Well, it's a good thing you looked a little harder," was all Domingo said, and he faked a good-natured laugh.
For one of the first times in his life Lawrence felt guilty, and that shame pushed him to his feet and compelled him to walk away. He was about to climb down the ladder when he looked back and said, "I came back because I had to. You risked your life for me, and I felt like I needed to do the same for once. You're a strange one, Domingo, and I don't know why yet, but for some reason I feel like I have to follow you. There's just something about you..." Lawrence chuckled and shook his head. "So as long as you want to chase after the Crystals and stand up to the Armada, I'll be here. Just keep some of the gold next time - I'm not a charity worker, you know."
Domingo laughed heartily as the mercenary disappeared down the ladder.
"I don't mean to be the source of negativity," said Ilchymis delicately, "but how do we mean to leave Ixa'taka? We came here smuggled aboard a Valuan cargo ship, and those have all retreated back to the north now."
It was the next morning; the brilliant sun from the day previous had been smothered by angry gray storm clouds that threatened rain, and the village of Horteka was bustling with activity as its hardy citizens repaired the damage caused by Valua. Lawrence was gazing out at the sky, certain it would rain, and Domingo and Ilchymis were discussing a method of escape while watching the touchy mercenary for any sign of irritability. The most optimistic man in most cases, Domingo just could no see how the three of them could ever hope to return east to the lands they knew. They were sailors without a ship - they were stranded.
"I was wondering when someone was going to ask that." Lawrence turned back from the crest of the hill and Ilchymis and Domingo glanced over their shoulders; standing there in the clearing was Centime, his wife Karen a pace or two behind him. None of them missed the significance of the full travelers' pack he carried, or the revolver belted on his hip as he smiled sheepishly at each of them in turn. "It just so happens that, as a pirate captain, I have my own ship."
"You're going with us, Centime?" exclaimed Domingo, surprised.
"If you'll have me, of course." The engineer smiled warmly, then became suddenly serious. "We have lost two of our children, my wife and I, and we have Valua to blame for the abduction of our eldest, Hans. Regrettably there is nothing I can do for the first two, but Hans..." Centime broke off, face filled with the unfathomable sorrow of a father who has lost a child, and though Karen's eyes glistened with tears she closed one of her hands around his with loving strength. "Our son lives yet, and I would be a poor father if I were not prepared to give my life to free him. So I beg you - take my ship, but please, allow me to go with you."
Ilchymis looked to Domingo, who nodded instantly in agreement.
And so it was that the ragtag Blue Rogue vessel Ironclad departed the wild lands of Ixa'taka later that same day, bound for the north, and for Valua.
Author's Note: Strap yourselves in, fight fans, I'm back! Hold on... we're drawing to a close!
Derek Barona: Thanks much! Sorry for the extra-long hiatus this time; have been off finishing "Footsteps Across Lylat: Skewed" (all of which is not yet posted on unfortunately). It's true - Lawrence has the unhappy job of being the group "meat shield". I should get him some armor. The gun worked! Everyone was so surprised... and the Grendel thing seemed a bit unrealistic to me... but I did think about it. XD
Meowzy-chan: Yeah, I hate that "good guys never get touched" routine. It's reality fanfiction, kids: heroes take one hell of a beating, so I might as well buckle down and right it, eh? Good to hear from you.
Desert Lynx: Glad to hear you're finally all caught up! And you're right - it WOULD have made a cool game.
Syek: LMAO, maybe in a future chapter Centime's gun will actually hit a party member instead of the bad guys. Thanks for the inspiration.