They entered Gludin a few days later to find it a flurry of activity. Soldiers and Knights raced towards the harbor, and there were flat stretchers set up around the usually merchant-filled square. Sailors lay upon them, some groaning, some covered in blood-stained sheets, as Prophets and Bishops darted around, trying to heal them.
"What's going on? There a war?" Vlad asked, stepping out of the way of a Knight that raced past him. Emixia sniffed the air like an animal thoughtfully.
"Cannons. They're fighting at sea." She growled. She kicked the toe of her boot into the cobbled stone of the square, taking on the appearance of a pouting child.
"There there, I'll get a ship one day and then you can go wreaking havoc in it." Vlad said in a comforting tone, patting her on her head. Emixia's face cracked in a sadistic grin, and Komugi inwardly shuddered again.
"If you're not healing people, get out of the way, we need all of the space we can, more injured are coming in!" a soldier shouted, waving his hand to shoo Komugi, Vlad and Emixia out of the way.
"Don't worry, they're with me." A hard-faced man in heavy platinum armor said, coming to stand near them. Emixia tensed and began to growl deep in her throat at the sight of him.
"Sir Klaus, I'm sorry sir!" the soldier who had shouted said in reverence, saluting the older man
"An honest mistake, but learn from it." He nodded, and the soldier broke the salute to continue in his trek towards the harbor. "Emixia Tanford, control yourself." He said in a hard voice, the tone matching Emixia's growl. Vlad looked between Emixia and Sir Klaus in confusion.
"You know each other?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
"Of course I do, don't you know who Emixia is?" Klaus asked, folding his arms over his chest. Before Vlad could answer, he continued. "She's the daughter of the Paladin Sir Aron Tanford, heir to the Tanford name after her half-sister Lucianne." He eyeballed Vlad with an authoritive nature, and then glanced at Emixia. "She looks like a pet, you aren't treating her as a dog, are you?" he asked.
"But of course I…" Vlad began his face expressionless. Komugi stepped between him and Sir Klaus, knowing from her previous time in Gludin that Sir Klaus had a short temper.
"Sorry but, I was in a hurry to get back to Talking Island." She lied. She didn't know how Sir Klaus would react to finding out Sir Aron Tanford's daughter was indeed being treated like a pet, and she didn't want to find out. Vlad obviously didn't realize that he was speaking to one of the men that had helped unify Aden and end the war with Gracia. "Can you tell us if the boats are still running?" Sir Klaus focused on the short rose-haired girl in front of him as if seeing her for the first time.
"I didn't know you were Sir Aron's daughter." She heard Vlad murmur to Emixia behind her.
"I'm not." Emixia growled.
"Then why did he…." Emixia growled again in her throat before he could finish his question. "Ok fair enough." He surrendered, holding his hands up.
"Little girl, don't be foolish, how could you possibly want to take the ships right now, when the Grand Pirate Zaken is on the loose?" Sir Klaus asked her incredulously. Komugi froze, her eyes widening.
"Could….could you repeat that?" she asked, blinking hard as she stuck a finger in her ear to make sure it wasn't clogged with debris and obscuring her hearing. Sir Klaus sighed in annoyance and leaned over, bringing his mouth near her ear.
"The Pirate Zaken's ship is sailing the Neutral Waters again." He said loudly, as if she were deaf. Komugi jumped and backed away, glaring at him. Satisfied, Sir Klaus stood. "It's been over 20 years since I last saw that ship…it hasn't changed a bit." He spoke almost dreamily, as if he were forever caught in his glory days of war.
Komugi stared at the older man without expression for a moment before turning on heel and marching towards the exit that would lead her to the harbor. "He will die…again." She seethed, her fists clenched. "What the hell is he thinking? This is ridiculous!" she threw her hands in the air as she spoke.
"Hey wait…!" Vlad exclaimed, taking a step towards Komugi. Sir Klaus halted him by putting a beefy arm over his shoulders and pulling him back.
"Just a second here…I'm going to take you into the inn, get you a drink, and then you and I are going to talk about how you know Miss Tanford here." Sir Klaus stated, a dark grin spreading on his face.
"I assure you sir; I am armed, dangerous, and quite insane." Vlad said quickly.
"All the better." Sir Klaus said, dragging him towards the Inn. "Emixia, follow." He barked. Glaring and growling, Emixia took up a pace behind Sir Klaus like an obedient child.
"How'd you do that? I usually have to put her on a leash!" Vlad said in surprise.
"A leash, hmm?" Sir Klaus said, lowering his eyes in a suspicious stare. "Let's talk about this leash, shall we?"
Komugi ducked behind some cargo boxes as soldiers ran past her and back up to the town. The harbor itself was a flurry of movement and confusion. A boat, smoking and charred as if a fire had just been put out on it, sat half-sunk in shallow water just off the coast. Smaller boats had been paddled out to it, and they were pulling people from the wreckage they could reach.
"You can't possibly want to leave during all of this!" she heard the Warf Manager shout over the clatter of soldier's armor. Komugi darted behind another box and listened intently. In front of the Warf Manager stood a determined looking, middle-aged man, and next to him stood a teen, maybe a few years older than herself, with spiked brown hair that trailed down his neck. She ducked behind the crate as he turned to look over his shoulder, her cheeks pink. Zaken was handsome, but this guy was gorgeous!
"They need this medicine over in Giran, and we've been delayed long enough." The captain said stubbornly, folding his arms across his chest. The Warf Manager was a gruff, muscular man with tanned skin, but the captain of the ship made the Warf Manager look sickly and weak. The man wore a white suit befitting a ship's captain, and the seams strained to stay together as the fabric stretched over his large frame. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my ship going, we're far enough behind schedule as it is." The captain said shortly, giving the Warf Manager a curt nod before walking towards the pier. The teen with him nodded politely, and then jogged to keep up with the captain.
"Fool, he needs to learn some fear, that Grand Pirate will be sure to attack him come nightfall." The Warf Manager muttered as he turned to walk away.
"Just what I need!" Komugi grinned, sneaking out from behind the crate. She casually blended in with the people walking back and forth along the pier until she spied the cargo being loaded into the ship. Checking to make sure no one was watching her; she darted over to a crate and poked around until she found a loose board in the side. Being skinny had its advantages, and she slipped between the slats and curled up inside, between some smaller boxes. It was a tight fit, even for her small frame.
She heard the men grunt as they lifted the crate, and she put her hands on the sides of the box to keep herself from rocking around and disturbing the smaller boxes of bottles. "Was this box always this heavy?" one of them grunted as they inched up the cargo load ramp.
"I'm not that heavy." She whispered in annoyance, glaring in the direction the voice came from.
"Did you say something?" another voice questioned, strained with exertion.
"Nope." The first responded. "Let's drop it here." Komugi's eyes widened and she drew in a panicked breath, trying to brace herself.
"Not drop!" she hissed, but she went unheard, and the crate was dumped roughly on the ground. It landed on the side her back was against, the boxes of medicine tumbling from their neat stack and breaking all around her. Komugi had but a second to stare at a box with large eyes before the corner of it landed in the middle of her forehead. Stars exploded behind her eyes, and she was instantly knocked unconscious.
The sharp smell of burning timber finally roused her from darkness, and Komugi opened her eyes wearily. Her forehead throbbed, and she felt a hot bump when she lifted her fingers to touch it. Clucking her tongue in distaste, she silently spoke the words for her healing spell to get rid of it.
Once it was gone, she pushed off a few of the medicine boxes that still sat on her chest, and kicked her feet against the box side she faced, looking for the loose board. It snapped with the force of her foot, and Komugi wearily pushed herself to her feet and poked her head out of it. Her eyes widened and she coughed as smoke poured into the cargo hold. Orangey-yellow flickering light dimly lit the hold, and Komugi scrambled to be free of the crate. She stumbled across the hold towards the step ladder leading to the deck, coughing and trying to clear her watering eyes.
"What's going on?" she found herself asking aloud, even though in her heart of hearts she knew exactly what was going on. Her suspicions were confirmed as she pushed open the trap door that kept the cargo area shut, and found the large back of the captain falling towards her. She yelped and jumped back down the ladder to the floor, her eyes large as the captain's body landed near her. The large man's eyes were open in death shock, and a familiar rapier protruded out of his chest. He looked as if he'd been stabbed multiple times, with how his white suit was dyed red. "Zaken." She whispered, as the rapier withdrew itself from the captain's body and flew back up to the deck.
Komugi quickly climbed back up to the deck, but as her head emerged, one of Zaken's Pikeman appeared in her face, snarling at her. "Regah!" she said sharply. The Pikeman froze in the act of drawing back his pike to impale her upon. "Lo nachon!" she said, motioning for the Pikeman to leave her. It stood stiffly and marched away from her. Komugi sighed in relief. Zaken had taught her that his crew responded to those words, although she wasn't sure what language they originated from.
She pulled herself from below and looked around the deck in horror. Most of the ship's crew lay dead around her, and a fire was consuming the ships masts. Burning chunks of wood littered the deck, and a crewmate attempted to pull himself along among them. Her Prophet's instinct to heal rising, Komugi took a step towards him to help, noticing that the man's legs had been removed below his knees. It appeared that a blast had taken them, with how the wounds were charred and without blood. Another Pikeman jumped down from the burning mast and impaled the sailor on his pike, and Komugi looked away with a wince.
The ship lurched as an explosion hit it, and Komugi fell forward to grip a stand usually intended to hold extra rope. She stared wide eyed in the direction the explosion had come from, Zaken's ship barely visible in the heavy fog that had fallen over the ocean. Her lips parted slightly in awe; she had never seen the ship in its full glory before, as it was always hidden in darkness inside Devil's Isle. One of its cannons drew back inside for reloading, the explosion having been it firing an iron ball into the side of the ship.
A strangled cry caught her attention this time, and Komugi stumbled across the slowly tilting ship towards it. The burning mast finally broke off and fell, causing Komugi to skid to a stop and shield herself from the bits of flame that scattered about the deck. As she lowered her hands, the back of Zaken's coat came into her vision, the five swords that always materialized during battle floating in a circle behind his back. The teen boy that she'd seen at the harbor was on the ground before him, his back against the raised platform that led to the ship's steering wheel. He winced and clutched his side, blood seeping through his clothes.
Without hesitating, Komugi backed up a few steps and leapt over the burning mast. She could feel the flames licking her legs, but paid no attention to it. She landed gracefully on the other side, and then dashed over to Zaken just as he drew his sword back to stab the teen again.
"Zaken stop it!" Komugi cried, planting herself between him and the boy. She stared into his face, her entire body trembling with both fear and anger. Zaken's eyes had turned red as they always did when he fought, and he seemed to not see her. "I said stop it!" she snarled as he didn't lower his sword. He raised an arm and placed it on her shoulder. Knowing that he meant to fling her away, she latched onto it with all of her strength. Her legs were propelled into the air as he attempted to throw her, but she didn't let go. He looked down at her with expressionless anger, and raised his sword towards her. Knowing he was in full bloodlust and didn't recognize her anymore, Komugi bared her teeth and bit down on his hand as hard as she could. He wore thick cotton, fingerless glove so her teeth couldn't pierce his skin, but it pinched enough to get his attention. He attempted to jerk his hand away from her, blinking rapidly as his eyes returned to their normal blue.
"Let go!' he growled, his voice tinged in embarrassment.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?" Komugi shouted, not releasing his arm from her death grip.
"I do not have to divulge my motives with you." Zaken snarled, trying to jerk his arm from her grip again. Komugi felt a stab of rejection in her heart, but she didn't let go.
"Just like you don't have to divulge any of your personal life with me neither, huh? Why didn't you ever tell me one of your girlfriends was still alive?" Komugi spat. Zaken tensed, and then his face darkened. His eyes began to turn red, but Komugi met his hateful look without blinking.
"My past is none of your business." He said in a low voice.
"I thought it was if we were toge—" She was cut off as the teen that Zaken had attacked suddenly let out a battle cry and shoved a harpoon through Zaken's chest. Komugi let out a choked scream and released Zaken's arm. Zaken stumbled backwards, dropping one of his swords and putting a hand around the harpoon.
"Let's get out of here!" the teen said urgently, grabbing Komugi's arm.
"But I can't…" she tried to say. The teen's grip was strong, and she had no choice but to follow after him. Zaken fell to his knees, still holding the harpoon. Blood poured from around it, and Komugi felt sick to her stomach that she couldn't do anything to help him now.
"You bitch, look what you've done to him!' she heard Tillion's voice come. She and the teen skidded to a stop as Tillion came flying from the smoke. He swung a burning piece of mast like a bat, clipping the teen in the side and propelling him over the side of the ship.
"Lo nachon!" Komugi shouted as Tillion flew at her with a hateful look. He dropped the mast in an instant and clutched his head in pain.
"Damn you Zaken, you and that magic!" he snarled. He landed on the deck and grabbed Komugi by the arm and began dragging her towards the side of the ship.
"Regah! Lo nachon!" Komugi shouted desperately. Tillion winced but didn't respond to it.
"Let me let you in on a little secret, my tasty treat. That magic only stops us from killing you. It does nothing when we just want to throw you overboard because you're annoying us." Tillion said with a grin. Komugi's mouth clamped shut and she stared at him with wide eyes as he easily tossed her overboard. She shielded her face as she crashed into the water. She surfaced again amongst broken planks of wood, and coughed as she looked back up at the ship. She could make out Tillion's figure as he flew away with Zaken, the harpoon still protruding from Zaken's chest. Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Komugi glanced around the surface of the water until she found the teen clutching a piece of lumber, and began toting him as she swam towards the direction she hoped the shore was in.
"She's making you weak, Zaken." Tillion said as he landed gently on the Pirate ship. A strange floating spirit approached them and began breathing on the pike. It began to crystallize, its very components being frozen. "You should've killed her a long time ago." Tillion continued, casting a glare in her direction. "Freya's more loyal to you than that little bitch ever would be."
Zaken opened his eyes from the pained wince they had been shut in, and stared at the deck of his ship without expression. One of his guards grabbed the harpoon and crushed it in his hands. Another at his back pulled the spear from his body, and Zaken groaned. "I never trusted your opinion before, Tillion, nor will I now." Zaken said in a raspy voice, not looking at his Chief Mate. Tillion scowled, but said nothing.
Komugi woke on a sandy beach, and blinked groggily as she raised her head. The teen was on his stomach next to her, his face pale. Fearing him dead, she rolled him onto his back and put her head on his chest. His heartbeat was still steady, albeit faint.
The wound in his side still trickled blood, and Komugi quickly began casting her healing spell upon it. Her spell was now weaker than a Bishop's heal spell, and she had to put a lot of her energy into it. It was times like this that made choosing the path to become a Prophet, frustrating.
The boy opened his eyes as she healed, and smiled as he looked at her. He raised a hand to cup her cheek, breaking her concentration. She blinked at him with large eyes, surprised at his boldness. "A nurse….angel…" he said weakly. Komugi's cheeks tinged pink with his words, unsure if she should laugh at the thought of an angelic nurse or be flattered by his compliment. He drifted back into unconsciousness after that, his hand falling limply to his chest.
Komugi managed to pull him from the beach, and set about collecting tinder for a campfire to warm themselves by. The scenery around her looked familiar, and she wondered if she were somewhere near the Langk Lizardman Dwelling. The boy finally awoke long after the sun had gone down, and groggily propped himself up on his elbows.
"How are you feeling?" Komugi asked. "If you're thirsty I found this canteen among the wreckage that washed ashore…" she offered, pulling it out of a hard leather bag she had next to her.
"I'll be fine, but thank you." He politely declined. He rubbed his eyes with one hand as he pushed himself up to sit. He paused mid-rub and looked down to his side, and blinked in surprise. "I must thank you if you were the one who healed me." He said with a smile. Komugi returned it blandly and shrugged.
"Anyone would've done it." She said humbly. He was really very pretty to look at, and his polite attitude only seemed to add to it. Komugi found herself being drawn to him. She tilted her head in interest as he produced a waterlogged compass from a hidden pocket inside of his shirt, emptied it of water, and held it level. "I couldn't tell you had that." She stated in surprise. The boy flashed a grin before concentrating on the compass' face.
"It appears we've washed ashore somewhere south of the Beehive." He said thoughtfully as he glanced around his surroundings. "Did any useful scrolls wash ashore?" he asked as he snapped the compass shut. Komugi chewed the inside of her lip and sighed dejectedly.
"No." she answered sullenly, resting her head on her knees which were drawn close to her chest.
"That's a shame. No worries though, we should be a week's walk, if even that, from Giran Harbor." He said lightly, smiling at her again. "Until then though, you should rest. I'll go walk along the beach to find any more useful supplies for us."
"Are you sure you should be walking around like this already?" Komugi asked. He'd been nearly dead earlier that day, how in the world could he have recuperated so quickly?
"I'll be fine." He said with a grin. "I'll wake you first thing in the morning, go ahead and sleep." Still uneasy, Komugi lowered herself onto her side, and watched him suspiciously until he disappeared into the darkness. She thought she heard him return sometime later, but her eyes were too heavy to open up and look at him. She heard a choked squeal from a small animal, and then the sounds of a crack and wet slurping. Her eyes twitched slightly at the noise, but she merely rolled over and fell into deeper sleep.