North Ocean, the dead section of sky that inevitably connected Ixa'taka to Valua, was a drab and uneventful trip. Centime spent the majority of his time tinkering with the eccentric vessel (for it was far from perfect) and Domingo, never one to miss the opportunity to assist someone, enthusiastically aided in any way the engineer allowed him to. Lawrence was at the helm as always, chartering their course northward, and Ilchymis kept to himself, racking his brain for the location of the Yellow Moon Crystal, certain he had stumbled across its whereabouts once or twice in his studies. They took it in turns of two to fend off monsters, which were far less numerous than Mid Ocean, and on the second day of their voyage the sky opened up with rain and did not relent, even when they reached Valua.
Domingo and Centime, who had never seen the Lands Beneath the Yellow Moon, despised it at once. The clouds overhead, though still pouring forth rain, were as black as the abyss and never admitted the sun's rays, or so Lawrence told them. The land was a barren wasteland, all jagged rock and empty chasms, and they hadn't been navigating Valuan airspace for an hour before Lawrence insisted they drop anchor.
"Normally I wouldn't have any trouble getting us through here," Lawrence told them, as they huddled on the bridge together and watched the rain falling with darkened expressions, "but the visibility in Valua is always poor and the rain makes it impossible to see. I'd rather wait it out than crash us into a mountainside."
So the four of them relaxed aboard the Ironclad with every intention of continuing onward... but a day later the storm had not lessened, and after two even Lawrence was insisting that they press forward.
It was slow going. Even with Domingo at his side, whose eyes were sharper than anyone else's he had ever known, Lawrence didn't dare risk sailing at a greater pace, and for all their caution they were eventually discovered.
"Admiral, the ship in question matches the description given to us by Admiral De Loco upon his return from Ixa'taka. It is without a doubt the group of pirates that recovered the Green Moon Crystal - former High Mage Ilchymis is certainly on board."
Face filled with severe discipline, Sixth Admiral Ramirez watched the Ironclad in its tempered flight, malevolent green eyes ablaze with hatred. Through years of machinelike devotion he had ascended to his new postition, serving Lord Galcian with unwavering loyalty without fear, without feeling, without compassion; he had known for a long time that his purpose in life was to serve the Grand Admiral of the Valuan Armada, to fight for him and die for him if need be. Days ago Galcian had ordered him to patrol the area north of the capitol city, assuming that the pirates with which Ilchymis traveled would pass through North Ocean and then Valua on their way back to Mid Ocean. He had only one order to carry out in the event that he located them.
Ramirez was to kill them, all of them, and take the Crystal from the mage's body.
"Fire concussion shells and immobilize their ship," Ramirez ordered his vice captain tonelessly. "I will board the vessel alone and dispose of them myself."
"Yes, Admiral." The vice captain hurried off to relay Ramirez's commands to the helmsman, knowing that if he tarried, he would certainly fall prey to the Admiral's magnificent blade.
The blade with which Ramirez fully intended to slay Ilchymis and the foolish pirates that dared to oppose his lord.
Lawrence heard the sound of cannonfire, and in the moment of silence that followed the blast he realized with a sinking sensation deep in the pit of his stomach that it had been foolish to bring them so near Valua, when the Armada was undoubtedly on full alert for any sign of their passing. Then the first concussion shell struck the starboard side of the Ironclad, and the mercenary knew he had doomed them all.
The jolt jostled him, but he managed to keep his feet as he stumbled for the door and into the hallway; there he found Domingo, bracing himself against a wall and gazing at Lawrence in horror. "Lawrence! What - "
The mercenary snatched Domingo's wrist and tugged him back, in the direction of the bridge. "We're under attack! I need yo to get the others and get to the lifeboats!"
"But what about - "
"Domingo, now!"
With all his strength Lawrence shoved the slight treasure hunter toward the bridge, and Domingo knew better than to disobey. Lawrence dashed down the hallway and into his cabin, where his falchion and dagger lay on his bed, and strapping them onto his belt he turned and sprinted back toward the bridge and out onto the slippery deck, just as another concussion shell impacted the hull of the ship. A bolt of jagged lightning ripped through the sky, and in the instant of violent illumination Lawrence could just make out the silhouette of a Valuan warship through the pelting rain. Pushing sopping strands of black hair out of his face he half-sprinted, half-slid the rest of the length of the deck and descended to the landing where the lifeboats were kept.
An ashen-faced Ilchymis met him at the door. "What is happening?!"
"The Armada knows we're aboard this ship; my guess is that De Loco gave Galcian a description of the Ironclad and the whole Armada was placed on full alert." Lawrence pushed past the mage and crossed the room, lifting the emergency hangar into the merciless rain and whipping wind, and started tugging one of the lifeboats toward the opening.
"What... what are you doing?" asked Centime, eyes wide.
"What does it look like? A ship this size only has two lifeboats. We're splitting up."
"Are you mad?!" shrieked Ilchymis, and Lawrence turned and fixed him with a gaze so poisonous that he fell back a step in dread.
"I saw the ship that's attacking us, mage: it's Ramirez." Ilchymis gasped, horror in his eyes. "You know as well as I do that this isn't a fight we can win. We've got to get out of here now; if we stay, we'll lose more than the Crystal. We'll lose our lives."
Ilchymis clambered immediately into the lifeboat, teetering on the brink, and Lawrence turned to Domingo. "Get in the boat, Domingo."
"What?" Domingo stared at him, aghast. "What about you?"
"One boat can't hold all four of us." Lawrence shoved Domingo brutally and the treasure hunter stumbled unceremoniously over the side and into the lifeboat with Ilchymis, then he grasped Domingo's shoulders and squared up to face him. "Ilchymis has the Crystal, and you have the spyglass; I'm counting on you to help him find the rest of them. You're stronger than you think; just follow your heart and trust your instincts. Don't ever give up - I promise I'll find you."
Then he released Domingo and forced the lifeboat out of the hangar and into the storm, and the treasure hunter's piercing blue eyes followed him as they fell into the darkness.
"Centime!" shouted Lawrence over a peal of thunder, and the engineer snapped to attention at once. "The other boat! Hurry!"
They leapt in together; Lawrence activated the propellor engine, and they, too, drifted out into the angry rainstorm.
"Admiral Ramirez, they are escaping in lifeboats."
With his keen vision the Silvite Admiral watched the two tiny boats glide out of the Ironclad and into the severe rain. "They are not to escape, and they are not to live. Shoot them down; if they survive, I will present your head to Lord Galcian."
It wasn't concussion shells lancing through the rain toward them, Domingo recognized, but actual cannonfire. Reaching across he squeezed Ilchymis's hand tightly and cried, "Hang on!"
The first shot knocked them both from their feet.
The second was enough to knock them both unconscious.
For a horrible, frozen moment, Lawrence had to endure the agonizing sight of the other lifeboat, the one bearing Domingo and Ilchymis safely away, bombarded and splintered by Ramirez's flagship. He was so mortified by the sight that he never saw the third cannon whizzing directly toward him and Centime.
Then he saw nothing at all.
This is the end of DISPOSABLE HEROES.
But this is not the end.
The adventure continues in the second installment of THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO:
ALL WITHIN MY HANDS.