Chapter Eight- Midnight Voyage
The prince of Valua was a beautiful young man, with intelligent and caring eyes, fair blonde locks, and a lithe figure. Easily identified, he was famous for his humanity and quiet cunning amongst the people of Valua. The lower classes looked up to the future ruler for his kindness, but the nobility assumed the position mostly of his mother, the Empress- he was just an unruly coward. Gilder was the first one to speak up, and confirmed the thoughts of the others. "Enrique... you're the Prince!"
"The Prince?" Aika echoed, taking a step back. "You're the Enrique? The guy who helped Cap'n Dyne by keeping the Fortress open four months ago?"
He chuckled daintily. "Why, yes. I am." He looked up- in the dark silence he seemed to hear what the others could not perceive. "Radio messages are flying through the air. I've taken a transmitter in my beret- two battalions of troopers are bring rerouted to this area. Follow me." Turning around, he ran down the hallway.
"Why's he helping us?" Vyse asked Aika. He got a deadpan face for a reply. "Oh... right. Why are you helping us?" He demanded of the Valuan as he and his friends moved to follow him. Enrique stopped at a set of double-doors, not responding but instead inputting a key code and opening the locked down entrance to the docks.
They had little alternative but to follow him down the nearly pitch-black tunnel, which seemed to run forever before light appeared at the other end in the form of an ajar door. He passed through it, into a room painted a bright gunmetal gray and with a set of steps leading up. Climbing them with the Blue Rogues following as quickly as they could manage, he shoved open the final door and stepped inside the large room.
Vyse took a look around. A large wooden table sat in the middle, and white metal control consoles were situated to either side and up front. The walls were all pristine metal, and on a raised dais near them was a small throne behind the Valuan royal flag. The front part of the walls were mostly enormous windows, which looked out upon the open air of one of the docks. Visible was sets of powerful turrets and the finely crafted prow of an airship.
"If you haven't guessed by now, we're on the bridge of a ship," The Prince said, coming to a regal rest in front of the ubiquitous helm wheel. "Say hello to the Delphinus, the newest member of the Armada and the most advanced airship in the history of Arcadia. It has ten main cannons that are used on Heavy Battleships, and yet her engines can outrace a Merrimac. The armor is the same material as the middle layers of the Grand Fortress. It is my personal flagship."
The pirates' confusion was suspended, giving way to awe as they stepped up to the windows and examined the extraordinary ship they were on. It's bridge and rear half were block-like, with rows of powerful rudders and turbines providing power from behind. Two maneuvering fins to either side gave it most of it's small wingspan. the main body of the ship was twice as long as it was thick, it's armored prow ending in a small purple fin and a set of inactive torpedo launchers. The cannons were mounted on the top and sides, enormous barrels sticking forwards indolently. It was for the majority an unpainted gray color, with a stripe of royal purple running down it.
Aika gasped, taking it all in slowly and admiring the sleek design. She looked around again at the bridge they were in- even the control surfaces were brand-new and sparkling clean. "Woah! This thing is... awesome..."
"This ship is only the prototype," Enrique stated soberly. "Once it is complete, we will begin building a whole fleet of Delphinus-class warships. Valua intents to use these to take over... the world." His eyes met Vyse's, and they sized each other up warily, as he and his father had done seemingly so long ago.
Gilder, ever the expert, was in contemplation, pacing the bridge. "With a fleet of ships like this... Valua will be unstoppable, hands down. Especially now that the Nasr Air Guard is out of commission..." He turned around, crossing his arms and smirking at Enrique. "So, your Royalness, there's still one thing I don't understand. Why did you bring us here? I doubt you went through this much effort just to show off."
The blonde looked down, taking in a deep breath as four pairs of expectant eyes were glued to him. For a moment, he wavered in his resolve, but he succored his will with righteous anger and looked up. No going back. "I want you to take this ship." He placed one gloved hand over his heart. Eloquent gestures had become a subconscious thing for the royal teenager. "And I want you to take me with it."
"What?" The four said at the same time, surprise obviously evident on the aspect of each of them. Aika squinted. "You're serious, right?"
"Valua has been taking over lands by force, killing innocents and brutally crushing whole races, such as the Ixa'takans and the Nasrians," He explained, a note of desperation slipping into his regal voice. "As the Prince of the Valuan Empire, the blood spilled all rests on my hands... I've done all I can to convince Galcian, Mother, the Admirals that what they're doing is wrong... I've tried so hard, for so long. They won't listen to me. Everything I have done has failed, I am powerless!" Vyse listened in surprise to the taciturn youth pour emotion into his plea. Enrique bowed respectfully, staring at the metal floor, and sighed. "Please... I beg of you... allow me to follow you. I will even go as a hostage, if you wish."
The other three naturally deferred to the brown-haired son of Dyne, looking over to him in apprehension. Vyse didn't need long to decide what he had to do. "Of course you can join us," He said, giving him the thumbs-up and his charismatic smile. "But... there is one problem that we need to resolve..." He amusedly noted Enrique's tension rise. "... Blue Rogues don't take hostages. You sail with us, you sail as an equal, and as a man."
The prince looked up and blinked. He smiled in relief. "Thank you! I will do my part as a member of your crew, and aid you to the best of my ability."
"I'm feeling formal," He announced, holding out his bare hand to Enrique. "And we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Vyse Dyne, of the Blue Rogues."
Enrique tentatively took it, shaking his hand with his own firmly. "I am Enrique Capulet, patriotic Valuan and rebel prince." He looked around. "By now, the refits should have this ship ready to fly. I've sent word to my men to detach-" The ship rumbled slightly as the dozen docking hatches scattered across the ship's hull pulled away, and the cranes supporting the ship slid back into their positions in the enormous walls of Enrique's personal dry dock.
Aika chuckled. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be at ease onboard a Valuan ship, with a Valuan in the same room... let alone, be saved by the prince of Valua." She looked down. "But... the Moon Crystals are still in the hands of the Valuans..."
"Well... technically speaking, they are in Valuan hands," Enrique said, and the girls looked up at him. "I made sure to steal the Crystals earlier this day. I was going to have them destroyed, but I rightly should return them to you." He reached into his pockets, and produced one of the luminescent crystals in each hand. The Red and Green crystals' glow flowed outwards and mingled harmoniously, the warm light of their flawless surfaces a welcome sight for all.
Gilder laughed. "Wow. You are quite a clever one... you act more like an air pirate than a nobleman." Enrique accepted the compliment graciously, smiling gently. "Well... David's probably had a few brain hemorrhages by now worrying about us... we should be getting out of here." He remembered Clara, the image of her suddenly floating to the front of his mind. "That is, if we don't have any more business here. At all. You know, any reason to stick around a while longer..."
Vyse rolled his eyes. "Quit your bitchin', Gilder. You have to escape the jaws of death sometime. Alright, everyone, let's go!"Aika and Fina went to the side-control boards, watching as they lit up. Electrical beeps and noise filled the bridge as the computers and systems all started for the first time. Vyse steeped up to the wheel, his hands expertly gripping the handles, while Enrique and Gilder stood to either side of him.
The seemingly solid wall before them began to transform. A crack appeared in it's middle, and the two separate halves slid outwards, revealing a long launch tunnel that led out into the Grand Fortress's main canal. Their way was now clear for them, and their elevated spirits buoyed them from the prospect of freedom.
He looked over at Enrique. "Throttle to one fourth, if you know how." As the Prince pulled down the engineering sliders, power from the main reactor shunted down into the turbines below them. The deckplates rumbled as controlled energy brought the engines to life. The many large rotors in the back of the ship began to push the air out, and the Valuan ship began to gain speed. "One half, now." Bells rang as the engines roared and the ship shot forward. "Impressive speed," He breathed. "This is better than the Albatross was at full sail... Aika! How's it looking?"
"Shiny," Came the truthful reply. "I can't figure out what half of these gages do, but all the color-coded ones are in the green. I can only assume that's good, ne?" The overhead fluorescent lights flickered on, casting powerful illumination over them all as they began the flight through the narrow tunnel. The lights on both walls flickered past rapidly.
Like a young bird leaving it's nest, the most advanced ship in history emerged from the hole in the side, swimming out into the enormous open air of the main canal. A hundred closed docking ports liked the walls opposite them, over half a kilometer away. To one side, the canal emerged into the Capitol City's harbor, and the Imperial Palace was clearly visible in the gloomy night sky of the Yellow Continent. The other side was the solid wall that had rotated earlier, blocking their escape now.
The rotors stalled for a moment, then started up again, kicking the ship sideways as the rudders rotated. Spinning around to face away from the distant band of light, the Delphinus stood poised in the air for their escape. "They've already locked down the Grand Fortress," Enrique noted. "That might present something of an obstacle... luckily my ship is ready to handle it. In addition to our conventional display of firepower, she is also equipped with the standardized Moonstone Cannon, which was formerly only a test version manufactured by Lord DeLoco."
Vyse growled as he remembered that cannon, the one that had forced him to tangle with a Gigas and had nearly gotten him killed twice. "It's not surprising that the bucket head makes most of the new Valuan tech... so, how powerful is this cannon?"
"We can blow small islands out of the sky, and the beam is almost powerful enough to punch through an entire layer of this fortress." The prince smiled. "However, it is not almighty enough to achieve total penetration- that would require more power than the Yellow moonstones put out on a monthly basis, in less than a second."
"Not an issue," Gilder said. "See that flaming hole? That's where we came in, and where I made the boom-boom. That entire segment of armor should be weaker than usual... a good super-cannon shot should be enough to shatter it and allow us to escape."
Aika shook her head. "This day's too much. First I get eye-molested by a creepy muscle guy, then we escape prison again, and now we're going to muscle our way through the greatest defense ever known in the modern world."
"Maybe we'll discover a seventh moon tomorrow," Vyse posited, chuckling. "Alright. Engines ahead full! Gilder, looks like the weapons are your department. Charge and fire when I've aimed us right up at the hole. Our accuracy needs to be pretty good." The engines shoved them forward as the prince's flagship shot through open sky.
The prow of the Delphinus opened up like a budding flower, just like the Chameleon had when it had tested DeLoco's cannon on the Ixa'takan royal ship. A long, thin black barrel poked out and locked into position, and power began to gather. Rings of light pulsated across the ship and the sphere of moonstone energy reached critical mass. "Ready to fire," Gilder announced.
They were headed straight for the burning wound near the bottom of the enormous wall. Without warning, the enormous batteries of cannons that lined the side facing them began to spit fire. Explosions bigger than their ship blossomed in the air, and they struggled to remain calm under the blistering fire. Apparently Ramirez had quickly learned the reason for the fire, and put the gunners on high alert for suspiciously moving ships.
"Moonstone Cannon, Fire!" Vyse ordered.
He had only fired a gun once, his father had allowed him to shoot a target onboard the Albatross after a raid when he was about ten years old. When he had squeezed that trigger, a sudden force equal to the speed of the bullet kicked back at him, slamming the weapon into his chest and leaving a nasty mark that a Sacres spell quickly cured. Dyne had explained to him the recoil effect of what had happened, and demonstrated further by showing him how to correctly handle such a strong force.
The recoil of his father's moonstone pistol and the recoil of the 200-meter cannon embedded in the insides of the Delphinus were like comparing a hangnail to being stabbed in the shoulder. The ship rocketed back with a power unforeseen, and the four teenagers all fell backwards onto the unyielding metal floor. Gilder was a veteran, and had braced himself, remaining upright and watching the beam of energy slice through the air.
It was a clean hit- right next to the hole, pushing the damaged plating beyond it's limits. Debris flew outwards as the massive explosion blasted a hole in the weakened defensive section of the Grand Fortress. The cannons stopped firing as they passed their minimum range, and they were allowed to slip easily through the hole.
Blazing away from the Valuan continent, they gave the harbor fleet and mounted defenses no time to react, sailing on towards the lighter sky to the south. Realization soon settled in as they roared away that they had did the unthinkable. "We did it," Vyse said with a whoop, "We punched a hole in the Fortress, and escaped! We escaped from Valua again, and we got the Prince!"
Even Gilder seemed giddy. "I guess that makes us big damn heroes," He noted calmly, grin wider than Vyse's for once. "Let's get down to business and explore this bad boy. You should get familiarized with your new ship, Vyse, and if there's any problems with it you should find out now and get it fixed."
Vyse said, "You're right. Enrique, this is the prototype, huh? So is it not finished yet?" He had a hard time believing the impressive specifications of their newly stolen airship were anything but top of the line.
"Indeed. About half of the planned armor components haven't been smelted or fitted, we're missing a few batteries of cannon, and our engines haven't been upgraded to Spectre-class yet. The Delphinus is still a very capable charge, but until we can put in for refits, it won't be at it's full potential."
The sky began to gradually lighten as they talked, as they drew away from the dismal skies of Valua and towards upper Mid Ocean. Aika blinked, listening closely to a break in the animated conversation. "Hey, hold up a second. Anyone else hear that?" Another muffled rumble caught the edges of her perception, and then she heard nothing at all. Everyone strained to hear more. There was nothing. "I think we have another passenger," She said, pulling out her boomerang.
"Cupil, find who ever is onboard with us," Fina ordered. The small balloon-like being floated over her control panel and began to bounce against one of the storage compartments set into the back of the dashboard. A quick visual inspection revealed the hatch to the compartment, and Gilder approached it warily. The others stood poised to support him on a second's notice, and he tossed open the hatch, leaping backwards with guns drawn.
A red-haired scruffy kid was sitting in the dark compartment, his tattered dark-green clothing a stark contrast to the new and regal appearance of everything around him. He looked up at each of them and blinked suspiciously, taking in brighter light than he was used to. Vyse spoke up first. "Marco! What in the Moons are you doing here?"
"I overheard some guards making a lot of fuss about the Prince's hangar," He replied. "Thought I'd come by, swipe some food or gold, and get away, like usual. I find the soldiers getting it ready for launch- they said more than a month before schedule. I'm no idiot, so I recognized this as an adventure and stowed aboard." He paused. "Never expected you to steal it, though. Right out of Valua. You got balls, Vyse."
Enrique frowned in confusion. "You stowed away because you were curious?"
"Yup," The Lower City native replied, looking the noble teenager in the eyes. "You got a reputation for being nice, so I figured you wouldn't have me executed for hitchhiking- at least not before I got to see some interesting stuff."
"You have to go back," Vyse said flatly. "We can't have a kid sailing with us."
"You're barely teenagers," Marco retorted. "I know all about the streets, and I can help out around the ship. Besides, what are you gonna do? Take me home, to Valua? I'm sure they'll give plenty of shit about some street urchin, and will forget all about their mission to kill you." He had to admit the Valuan made a fairly good argument.
Vyse sighed. "... Alright. I guess we don't have much choice. Consider yourself the first member of my crew. You can be... urm... a sailor." On a ship, everyone's a sailor, but Dad taught me that a man called 'sailor' by other sailors is code for 'swabber of decks' and other stuff. No way am I letting him wrestle a gun or pilot or anything.
The younger kid's eyes lit up in a way they probably hadn't for a while. "A real sailor? Awesome! I'll do my part on your crew, honest! You just wait and see!" He emerged from the storage compartment, standing before the five Rogues.
Gilder nodded. "Already one surprise. Let's split up and get moving. We've got plenty of time- even with a rig like this the journey to Sailors' Island won't take less than three days from Valua." He remained on the bridge to search for any other problems or hidden storage compartments, while Aika went below the decks to check out the accommodations, Fina went to the high lookout post on the tallest point of the ship, and Vyse went to the engineering section to personally examine the reactor and turbines. Enrique had gone down to examine the ship's large array of cannons and torpedoes.
The teenager walked through a set of long, clean hallways dotted with doors that led to various rooms, before finally emerging down an open ramp into a literally cavernous structure. Thundering in the middle of the huge room was the generator, five metal wheels spinning on a stationary axle, mounted on a large metal machine under it. Lightning bolts flickered across it's glowing surface, and the noise it put out was not loud, but not quiet either. The moonstone chambers sat in a ring around it, each one filled to the brim with potent Yellow meteorites which had been distilled to the best ability of the Empire's chemists.
Machinery and control panels lined the walls, and the work stations were scatted about amongst the myriad technology. First-aid kits hung from the wall along with toolboxes of supplies and repair kids just in case of an emergency, as well as a blue moonstone for extinguishing fires. Vyse crossed his arms, walking on the walkway overseeing the entire room. "This is a very impressive airship," He said to no one in particular. His voice echoed.
"How convenient," A grave young female voice stated. Vyse looked over, expecting to see Aika or Fina, but nobody was visible in the room. The voice continued, "I was planning to merely steal the ship myself, kill the prince, and use it to blast you out of the sky... but I need not have searched, Vyse Dyne."
The voice struck a chord in his memory, and his hands snapped down to the hilts of his cutlasses on his belt. That psycho who boarded us in South Ocean! She must have been hiding in wait somewhere, and he tried to reach out with his small magical perception to find her. A strong murderous intent radiated from his left side, and that's where he faced. "Piastol," He said. "Back for seconds, huh?"
"This time will be different," Piastol pledged, her tone as rancorous as he had ever heard anyone address him before. "The Angel of Death returns, and this time your friends aren't here to support you. I've already taken care of the Silvite, and after I kill you the rest of the crew will be easy to pick off one-by-one."
Vyse drew in breath. "Fina? What did you do to her?" He felt dread and apprehension well up in his gut as the deadly bounty hunter seemingly emerged from the shadows less than ten meters from him.
The young woman would have been described as pretty, if it were not for her hardcore black leather and metal outfit, which was tight and skimpy but afforded magical protection. Her hair was a snow-white natural color and closely trimmed, shorter than his own brown mop, and two feathers poked out from her small cap. Her weapon, the gigantic scythe tipped by silver moonstone alloy, was clutched in one powerful hand, and the other one was clenching in a fist. Almost as if she herself had been forged of silver moonstones, her skin was a deathly pale, eyes dark orbs of hatred that sent chills into his mind.
Behind her was a small green animal with pointy long fur that resembled a Huskra, apparently her companion or pet. It barked occasionally and shifted nervously, and he felt strange powers from it, but paid it little notice as he worried about Fina.
Piastol laughed, but there was no trace of amusement in the room. "What, so suddenly you care about innocent life? I find that hard to believe. Valua wants her so badly I will fetch 100,000 gold for her, so know she still lives, but is bound and under spell in your cargo gold." She twirled the scythe and brought it up into a battle stance. "You, however, will find your end now! I will finally have my justice!"
"Justice?" Vyse blinked, drawing his own weapons with a slight flourish and preparing to defend himself. "Look, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but I won't let you take Fina, or hurt any of my friends." He fastened his face into a mask of determination, now ready for battle.
"You are the only man besides one to ever escape my blade the first time. You will not be so lucky again! En Guarde!" Charging forward with a speed he could never hope to copy, she leveled her scythe and went on the attack. Vyse parried while stepping back, trying to maintain distance, as although her weapon was longer it's reach was actually less than his pirate cutlasses. Magical sparks leapt forward each time their blades met, and he was keenly aware of the fatal powers of Silver moonstones.
He leapt up onto the railing with agility, diving backwards and flipping in the air. Bolts of lightning flashed to either side of him, even as Piastol leapt up to pursue him. No way! Casting magic without a stable base isn't possible! Confused for a moment, he looked up and saw the creature with rings of yellow light surrounding it. Oh... the pet is magically adept. It must provide her with her mage support. I should worry about it after I get her off my back!
Soon it became apparent that despite any maneuvers or skills he tried, getting any distance from his attacker was not possible. She went after him with such fury, excess will power tinged the air around her with a slight glow. He was able twice to score minor hits on her because of her more unwieldy scythe, but received four cuts from her in return. Each time he fought to stay awake, feeling small bits of Silver Magic flood into his veins. He felt cold and clammy already.
To add to his problems, each time he hit her, the creature, which he believed was called a Death Hound, simply pumped it's master with Green Magic and made the injuries disappear. It also sent Increm and Quicka spells her way, increasing her considerable power and making the fight more uneven. The only way he kept up was occasionally putting himself in the way and getting hit by the power spells, giving him some extra speed himself.
The sounds of battle echoed through the huge room, and they darted from cover and around each other, each time their strikes precise, powerful and quick, and each time a parry of equal power met them. Although neither of them had a clear advantage, Vyse was starting to feel the strain of combat and breathed heavily, forcing himself to calm down.
I need a plan, he decided. At the current rate, I'm going to die! This thought spurred his brain into motion, and he remembered the talking tube. Gilder's on the bridge! I need to get him down here- if he can get Enrique and Aika, they can give me a hand and we'll turn the tables on this freak. But how... She had been pushing him intentionally away from the large funnel connected to the pipe running up the wall, and it was a significant distance from him.
Occasionally she gave voice to the thoughts running through his own mind. "This time there is no escape for you! You are going to die right now, on the cusp of your greatest victory! I am the Angel of Death- the heavens themselves descend upon you!"
"Hey, shut up," Vyse growled, leaning behind a metal post but kicking himself off moments before a Pyri spell covered it in a sheet of magical flame. "I can't hear myself think with your crazy ramblings. You're getting annoying."
"Tired of this, are we?" Piastol asked, mercilessly leaping up and sending an air strike for him. He scampered out of the way but a part of his shoulder was ripped into, and droplets of his blood flew into the air. "Well, you soon won't have any more troubles at all. Don't worry, though... you won't be alone in Deep Sky- I will be sure to send your meddlesome followers there after you!"
He tried to move the arm that had been hit several times, and whose sleeve was covered in his own blood. He found the limb sluggish and barely responsive, and feeling almost frozen. The effects of Silver Magic on the body were well-known to most Arcadians, and he knew that unless he could get Green magic into his body soon, he would loose the afflicted areas permanently. Luckily his feet worked well enough, and he took Piastol in circles around the enormous main reactor, desperately fending her off.
Piastol, like an air shark drawn to the smell of blood, sensed his weakening power and pressed the offensive, and the Death Hound never let up it's bombardment of spells. Vyse slipped on one of his jumps, tumbling to the hard metal floor and loosing grip of both of his swords. He gasped for breath, his head wildly swimming and his body unresponsive. She walked up to him, readying her scythe. They made eye contact, and the fear in his eyes only seemed to strengthen her resolve.
"Now, Vyse... you are defeated. For your crimes, the sins that forged me, you will die." She twirled her scythe around to over her head, glaring down at him. Vyse looked away, squeezing his eyes shut and gasping.
The boom exploded through the air of the room, the sharp report of the pistol startling the bounty hunter for a half a second needed for the well-placed bullet to forcefully shove the scythe out of her hands and make it fly against the far wall with the clatter of metal-on-metal encounter. She looked up in surprise, and saw standing in the doorway the red-coated figure of Gilder, his pistols smoking from discharge. "You!" She breathed, and he smirked.
"Hello again, Piastol," Gilder replied, walking into the room calmly. "I thought you might try to pull something like this, and when Fina didn't report in I knew something was wrong. I hope for your sake she's ok."
She glared at him. "Gilder the Unfettered... the only other man to survive my assault... so, you sail with this filth now? Then you die with him today! Death Hound! Eternum!" The canine barked once in confirmation, and white light began to flood the entire room. Her vision lost definition and she felt the power emanating from her familiar through their telepathic bond.
Gilder began laughing once the powerful death spell discharged. The energy bounced off an invisible shell around him, and when the lights returned to normal she was shocked to find him unmarked and still standing. "I didn't come here alone, of course. I didn't survive your hunt by being stupid. Aika, Enrique, move now!" The redhead and the prince both emerged on the walkway, Aika having just concentrated all of her power into her Delta Shield around Gilder. Enrique clutched his yellow-enchanted royal rapier and looked ready for a fight.
"Damn you," She spat. "Even with reinforcements, you can't stop me from completing my quest." She looked over at Vyse, laying prostrate and barely alive. "I will rip out your heart with my bare hands!" The teenager harbored no illusions that she would hesitate to do such a thing.
Aika gasped when she saw Vyse. "No! Vyse!" Distracted, she found herself vulnerable as her Delta Shield lapsed. Taking full advantage, the Death Hound instantly summoned Weevil, and used the jet of magical water to push her over the edge. She fell with a dull thump, landing hard on the ground, to the horror of Gilder, Enrique and Vyse. Piastol watched with satisfaction as she showed no sign of movement or consciousness.
"Kill the others," She ordered her pet. "I need only a minute for this." She knelt next to Vyse, concentrating power into her hand. Vyse couldn't even get the strength to protest, watching her fingers begin to glow.
Enrique took the initiative with a new found rage, charging forward before the Death Hound could even begin another spell. "Face my blade, beast," He yelled gallantly, acting on his years of swordsmanship training. With a lucky first strike, he cleanly beheaded the villainous pet and turned around, watching with a mix of horror and fascination as it's blood covered the pristine metal floor and it's lifeless head rolled against the railing of the walkway. He looked back towards Gilder, and the pirate nodded.
Piastol plunged her charged hand into Vyse's chest, and now he found voice, crying out as the worse pain he had ever felt in his entire life washed over him. Her power was literally stabbing down into his heart, squeezing it and wracking him with schisms. She did not relent, continuing to literally crush the life from him.
The others did their jobs- my turn. One shot, one kill... one shot, one kill. Gilder raised one of his pistols, holstering the other one to more steadily aim the firearm. Taking a moment more to draw his bead on the stationary form of Piastol, he pushed aside his fear, doubt, and anger, squeezing the trigger. Flame belched from the narrow barrel of the Nasrian design, and the bullet was pushed through the air faster than the speed of sound.
She clenched up and twisted sideways from the force of impact, her attack broken. Falling next to Vyse, she felt the fiery pain in her shoulder and knew she had been solidly hit. Even her expertise did not help her with the suffering she now felt, only dimly perceiving Gilder running over to Vyse and pouring on Sacres and Sacrum Crystals in desperation.
The older man was tensely waiting and listening to Vyse's irregular heartbeat. If his Green magic failed to take root in time, then it was almost certain that he would be killed. Seeing Piastol shifting in his peripheral vision, he drew one of his pistols and pressed it to her temple, ready to fire. "This fight is over," He said seriously. A moment later she sighed and laid back on the metal deck. "And if he's dead, so are you." He knew she wouldn't care, but he did, more than he thought he did.
Enrique had leapt down and landed expertly next to Aika, applying first-aid with his own magic and crystals and making sure there were no serious injuries. He was relieved to find that the girl's spine was in-tact, and although she might have twisted a few bones, nothing was even seriously broken besides some bruising on her side. She slowly opened her eyes and groaned. "Enrique... is Vyse ok?" She asked quietly.
Such devotion, the sheltered Valuan thought, smiling gently. "The girl's down, and Gilder's healing Vyse right now. Oh, and you're also going to be quite fine after some minor mending." He watched obvious relief play across her beautiful features. "I'm going to go get Fina and make sure that she is not harmed. Is that ok?" She nodded, and he stood up, nodding again to Gilder before running out of the room.
Green light played across his shut eyes and he winced, trying to curl up into a ball but finding most of his body unresponsive. "Ugh..." He said intelligently, briefly opening one of his eyes and looking up at Gilder, illuminated by the back light of green magic playing across his broken body. "Gilder?" He said drowsily. "Feel like shit."
"You look like shit, too," The pirate chuckled. "Don't worry, Vyse. If you've regained the ability to move your face, then the rest of your body should recover, even though you got a shitload of Silver magics in you." He nodded to Piastol, who laid next to him. "She's under control. Everyone's fine, his Royal Prettiness is going to check on Fina now." Vyse nodded weakly, the action seeming to greatly drain whatever energy remained in him. "Get some rest."
"Again I am thwarted by these pirates..." Piastol said in frustration, staring into the cold steel that pressed itself into her skin of Gilder's pistol. "Why? Why do you interfere on his behalf? My quest for Vyse has nothing to do with you."
"Oh, it has everything to do with me. He's my friend," Gilder replied. "And unlike scumbag bounty hunters, Blue Rogues never leave a man behind. Piastol, you keep this up and you'll need to find a new line of work. In fact, I bet Sailors' Island will love to have you for an extended visit." He smirked. A lot of sailors were pirates, and all pirates hated and feared Piastol. Leaving her at the hub of all air travel now that Nasrad had been wiped out seemed not only convenient but poetic.
She turned over on her side away from him, falling silent again. Enrique soon arrived with Fina in tow, who was a little roughed up but was otherwise fine. The Silvite gasped when she saw the status of Aika, Vyse, and Piastol, and rushed to help her friends. She even removed Gilder's bullet from Piastol's shoulder, although the deadly huntress showed no appreciation or movement at all as the Sacres spell healed and replaced blood. She spoke up sadly, asking her, "... Why? Why are you trying to kill us, Miss Piastol? Why did you hurt my friends?"
Something in her hurt and vulnerable tone struck a deep chord in the bounty hunter, who turned to look up at her with eyes seething in the hatred of seven years. She growled, "Vyse knows why! He will always know why I hunt him! I swear I will kill you all one day!" Spitting blood into Fina's face, she was forced back down as Gilder slapped her across the cheek with the metal of the pistol. The gentle girl quietly wiped her blood off, quietly finishing her work and moving on to Aika.
"I'm sorry," She said to the redhead while she and Cupil helped her treat her remaining, mostly minor, injuries and sat her upright against the near wall. Aika blinked in confusion and she elaborated. "I let her sneak up on me, even though I am trained in sensory perception... I was relaxed, and she took me prisoner without resistance... if I had seen her, I could have warned everyone, and Vyse and you wouldn't have been hurt..."
Aika frowned. "Fina..." Comforting words would not come, but seeing her like this was devastating to the usually loud and brash girl. Reaching up, she gently took one of her gloved hands in her own larger tanned hand and smiled. "Everyone makes mistakes. We're all just human, even Silvites are human beings, right?" Fina nodded. "See? It'll be ok. Nobody got permanently hurt, and we captured her in the end, huh?" She nodded again. "Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me... I've got to pass out again." Slumping forward again, she was caught by Fina and laid across the floor gently.
The prince had been watching from a distance, but he approached Fina now, and he smiled again, putting a hand on her shoulder. The familiar sense of comfort, the same when she had been in Valuan hands, was welcome, and she gave him a beautiful smile that made his cheeks begin to color.
"Wow..." Gilder observed, looking around. "Well, at least we won. Hey, Enrique, does the Delphinus have a brig? We've still got days to go until we reach Sailors' Island, and I'd rather have this bitch behind bars the whole time."
Enrique nodded. "Indeed. This ship has high-security prison facilities, which can be reached from the stairway through the door over there." He pointed to one of the gold-plated bulkheads which seemed to indicate that it was an entryway or exit from an important part of the battle cruiser. "They're all linked to alarm systems through the bridge, so if she escapes, we'll know about it. The alarm also automatically locks down the lifeboat bays, so she won't be able to steal a ship."
"Stand up," He ordered, and watched the killer comply with his order. "Come with me, Enrique, so if she tries anything we can kill her easy." They frog-marched her down through the ship and into the brig, placing her in one of the maximum-security cells and locking down the entire section.
Next, they gently brought Vyse and Aika into the ship's fully equipped medical bay, laying them down and letting them rest, and finally finished exploring the ship. Gilder was sitting on the lookout tower, scanning the cloudy skies for any sign of other ships. In the distance two black dots appeared, and he squinted, picking up a spyglass from his coat and zooming in.
The familiar and unique configuration of black sails on the lead vessel left no doubt. He grinned. "Finally, some good news." He zoomed in closer on the other, more traditional, sailboat. Clara was already on the deck, and he could see her. "... wonder if Piastol's offer to kill me is still open..."