Chapter 12: Words of power

13:04 – 14 A.E.

Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Asakusa" – Interrogation Room

'Then, I would like to introduce you to someone.'

No sooner was that said before the girl had made her exit and left a morose Baird sit alone in the overly white room, able to do nothing but twiddle his thumbs and wait painstakingly for whoever she wanted to give a call to.

Hopefully it'll be some adults, some actual adults in positions of power. Why are there so many kids with ranks above my pay grade here? Soldiers, politicians, the only adults I've seen so far have been workers. Fucking weird. Did they enslave their grownups or something?

Baird sat and watched the door through furrowed brows expectantly, the first minutes of wait were tolerable, but time dragged and he felt like he was about to drop into limbo somehow as boredom gradually set in. There was nothing in there except the two chairs and one table, so there was nothing left to leave him entertained than his private hopes and the room's resounding silence. And the few minutes turned into nearly an hour.

"Fucking hell!" he grunted and stood, facing the door. "How the fuck long are you shits gonna make me wait?!"

The door did not answer, but after a moment it did finally start to open. "My, my. I guess we've found a strong bark to complement your strong bite."

To the Gear's surprise, in walked a slightly bent but regal-looking old man with a pipe in his mouth, who by the way looked positively amused as he regarded Baird with interest, though the one he spoke to was another person behind him, a tall woman with a dress code similar to all the teenage women he had seen before, but decidedly older with what looked like a giant sword sheathed on her back. At the old man's words she only smirked while examining the prisoner with interest:

"I guess we'll see if that really is the case."

"About damned time someone came." Baird exhaled slightly more harshly than intended, "So who the hell are you guys?"

"So you are Damon S. Baird, huh?" the old man regarded him rather evenly, as if ready to laugh the harsh greeting off. "I am Sakai Tadatsugu, Principal of Musashi Ariadust Academy. And this is the teacher of our Class 3-Plum; Oriotorai Makiko."

"And now that we are introduced, let's sit down and hammer out the details, shall we?" said teacher reasoned diplomatically with a clap of her hands that immediately were lowered onto her hips. "Don't you agree?"

"Alright. Principal and teacher huh." Baird sat back down while that old Sakai fellow motioned to Nate's chair and sat. Oriotorai simply remained standing next to him, looking down aat them both, "But speaking of that... I have a question. A really important question."

"Hoh." Sakai smiled curiously, "And what would that question be?"

"Did you adults get enslaved at some point?" Baird voiced the suspicion of his loudly, "Some bizarre teen uprising since your kids are in all the most important positions?"

They blinked and stared at him, then burst into laughter – in which Oriotorai's was by far the most uncouth, but was also the first to break out of it, "I can probably imagine why you'd think that, but that is not at all the case."

"So enlighten me, why do you have kids for politicians? I am all for the witty irony of it, but..."

"Let us just say," she raised her shoulders, which just so happened raised her rather loose undershirt by a fraction, "it is a complicated matter."

"It has worked out for us just fine." Sakai said, eyes still mirthful. "Leave it at that."

"So it's nothing new, or what?"

"Jud. Back when I was their age, I was the President."

Baird raised both eyebrows at that in faint surprise. In line with his disproved line of thinking, he had thought it was more recent a change. Who in the world had ever seen a country ruled by teenagers after all?

Oriotorai stepped up, "Anyway, we did not come all this way for a discussion about our political system."

"Just right." Sakai nodded sagely, "To put it plainly, your punishment for infiltration is still up in the air. Long term imprisonment seems the most likely at the moment; but there is an alternate option; community service. To that end I came."

"And I tagged along," the woman smirked, "since if you do get the approval – my class is going to bear the brunt of it."

"So what I'm going to do for community service..." Baird said, it occurred to him that it was the logical progression of what he told that girl earlier.

"... is to work as a teacher at Musashi Ariadust Academy." Oriotorai confirmed, that wide smirk continued to stay on her lips. "That's right."

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, now." Sakai relaxingly puffed that pipe of his, "Ultimately whether to employ you is up to me, so I need to ask you a few questions first."

Baird gave a slow and curt nod. Ever since late in his talks with Nate, he came to the realization that he and Delta by extension could trade knowledge these folks don't have and whatever else in return for improved treatment. At the very least being less treated to that piece of crap excuse for food they were given nowadays. To become a teacher was more than he thought would happen. Very unexpected, but there was nothing for it. "Go ahead."

"What we have here..." Sakai opened up a sign frame and obliquely read it over, "... is a transcript of your earlier conversation."

High in complexity, those lines of iconography might as well be Lauczi to Baird as he understood none of it.

"Little can truly be confirmed right now, but it is of little doubt that you have considerable experience in soldiery. You certainly got the build for it."

Oriotoria's grin grew a little wider, "I'd say."

"On that part you have little to prove. Hints here and there, however, refer to a certain interest in machinery, care to elaborate?."

The Gear crossed his arms, "I've worked on machines since I was a kid. But though I never managed to get into engineering school, there is no technology I cannot handle." he boasted, and quickly added; "Name it and I can fix it, maintain it, and even improve and improvise on it. Except your tech that is. Fricking magic all of it. So why ask?"

"Just getting the measure of your worth." Sakai shrugged, "Simply being more advanced does not equal knowledge on how to operate a piece of machinery. And the engineering club might be thrilled."

"Huh, you don't say."

"Sakai," Oriotorai addressed, "I think we should get to the real meat of the issue."

"Ah yes," he gestured at Baird, "your purported expertise on your... enemies. The ones you call the Locust."

"Outside isolated enclaves like the one at Vectes, there is not a soul without some knowledge on them. But me and my team have been neck-deep in that shit since the war started. We've been in the heart of it all."

"For that we only have your word." the woman argued mildly with a small repeated wave of her hand, "Not that we can disprove your expertise, so we might as well ask a couple of questions and judge by your response."

"Alright, but first I gotta tell you that our intel doesn't come cheap." there, he dropped the hammer. "There's a hefty price tag attached to it."

"I imagine it is about your present living conditions." the principal wryly smiled as he guessed, "Better food for example, some more freedom of movement."

Baird clapped his hands together once, "Good deduction there. That's exactly it."

"Splendid. Neither is a problem – within limits. You will remain under surveillance though."

"Naturally." he sighed. "So long as we get away from that shitty food, we're good."

Both Sakai and his teacher escort exchanged amused looks. "Do we have an accord then?"

"Yes. Better not go against your word now."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Now," Oriotorai retook the lead, "are you ready to answer my questions?"

"Come on then, lay it into me." Baird in relief of having reached an agreement reclined and challenged.

Her near-permanent grin grew, "Alright, first question..." and promptly she brought up a sign frame of her own and rotated it to face him. "Can you tell what this is?"

It displayed the object of a mixed response, a massive desiccated corpse with full but dilapidated harness – footage clearly taken from the air. "A Brumak." he snorted the information, "The Locust use these as beasts of war, and deployed them instead of tanks after the hammer of dawn counterattack. Hard as shit to kill. Try fighting them on foot like we often did, not fun." the man looked withered just by thinking back on those times, "Not fun at all."

"Personally," her gaze fixed on the wall with an equally confident and ambitious look of it, "I would positively relish the chance. But I'm no student anymore. A pity."

He did not quite get that, but had the feeling she wasn't kidding. "Uh-huh."

"Anyway, next..." the image changed to that of several streets – filled with neat holes. "Can you tell what these are?" notes appeared to indicate said holes.

"Emergence holes, we just call them E-holes." Baird explained, "The Locust attack from underground through those. Most of them fortunately small enough to collapse with a grenade. Thank God for that."

"Most of them?" she echoed curiously.

"Yeah, let's just say they can get awfully huge when those grubs have the right stuff on hand." he commented evenly. "Want me to go in further detail, or can I save this for a more appropriate time in class?"

A hum on her lips, Oriotorai crossed her arms and looked to her superior, "Good question. What do you think?"

"I believe we've found you an interesting new colleague." Sakai slowly rose, and held out a hand. "Damon S. Baird, I hereby bid you welcome to Musashi Ariadust Academy. You and your comrades will be moved to the Inner Tama once the paperwork come through and we've notified Class 3-Plum. Until then you will have to stick with the cell, much as you probably hate the place – please bear with it."

Baird maintained a serious mannerism, but felt relief well up with such strength and speed that he had to painfully suppress it before he could stand and exchange a handshake with the principal, and thereby seal the deal while the woman, Oriotorai, wandered to the door and had it open so she could flash a thumbs up signal at Nate who immediately came into view – and obviously pleased that it had worked out satisfactory.

One step in the right direction...

14:13 – 14 A.E.

Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Asakusa" Brig

"He has been there for more than an hour. You think he's doing okay?" Dom asked as he looked over the still comatose Cole, who still smelled like he had just rolled through a minefield.

Marcus frowned as he gazed at the hall beyond the bars from his chosen bunk. "Don't know."

Either of them had grown somewhat worried about what their comrade might be going through, but were unable to do anything but wait and hope he does not return in the form of a smoking crater like Cole did.

The aroma akin to ash that hung in the air was strong enough as it is.

Fortunately their worries were for naught as a three-man procession finally entered the brig, a strangely jubilant Baird spearheading it what with that tiny quirk of a self-satisfied smile, and did not deviate from it an inch as the teen guards ushered him into the cell, locked it again and left without a word.

"Okay," Dom raised his hands wide, something was in the air and it was most certainly not ash. "spill it. What happened?"

"What happened?" Baird parroted and sat in his bunk, that stupid grin still on his face. "Guys. I've got some good news."

Marcus scrunched up, "No shit."

"I just negotiated for better terms. Soon we'll be out of this cell, and get food..." he plucked up one of the foul bread and held it as though it was a live grenade, "... that can actually be called edible. Only downside is that we'll have to do community service to get all that."

"And what exactly is it they want us to do?" Marcus asked slowly. And by Dom's expression, their thoughts were relatively the same. That whatever agreement Baird came to with these folks gotta be something harsh; Hard-ass menial labor and shit.

Baird guessed they thought that way and only became more smug as he went on; "To say it straight out: We'll be teaching at the local academy."

And rightly, neither expected that. Marcus recovered from his surprise the fastest and stared, "And what the hell are we supposed to teach these kids?"

"A little of this, a little of that." the blonde shrugged, "But mostly we're gonna be teaching them all we know about the Locust. Thing is, Musashi knows nothing about them... and they want that to change. Which is why they are willing to ease off our punishment. But it's either that or we can sit here to kingdom come, with nothing but the devil's bread for breakfast, dinner and supper." he clapped his hands, "So who's in?"

Marcus shot the bread a look, "Stupid question."

"Yeah." Dom agreed. "We'll do it."

"Great. How about you, Cole?" Baird looked to the still comatose form of his friend, and sighed. "Hey Cole," he said and marched over to the floored man and shook him by the shoulder, "rise and shine!"

Dom looked like he had a mind to stop him, but then Cole stirred... "Aw, momma..." he blurted out in his waking moment and shielded his eyes from the light, "... is it time to lay waste to the world?"

"No," Baird growled, "you can't destroy the universe yet."

The former thrashball star nodded dumbly, "Right. Party mode on."

"Better." He clapped his friend's shoulder jovially, "Just wait till you hear this!"

14:30; 20th June; 1648; Testament Era

Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Shinagawa"

[Poor Retainer]: So we're having some new teachers huh.

[Vice President]: Yeah, only the contract needs to be made and signed.

[Clever Sister]: And where will our gorilla tutors live, in the dorms?

[Vice President]: That's the place, but not without proper precautions. Noriki's on it now.

[Laborer]: ...

[Miser]: Safety is good, but keep it cheap.

[Me]: Thinking of buying a present for them... how about a banana?

[Almost Everyone]: That is too improper!

[Clever Sister]: Silly brother, but nice thinking.

[Miser]: Hm, properly inexpensive...

[Almost Everyone]: Don't encourage him!

[Hora-Ko]: I apologize, but Toori will be out of it for a while.

[10-ZO]: For the umpteenth time, I guess. Someone get a painkiller for him?

[Clever Sister]: He won't need it for the fist of love.

[Vice President]: The fist of an android... If his skull isn't cracked some time soon, I will be amazed.

[Tonbokiri]: Hardier than most. As expected from the Chancellor.

[Clever Sister]: Oh you have no idea, clueless woman. Silly brother was backhanded sky-high once by our resident little beast, got out of it just fine.

[Argente Loup]: Stop calling me that, and he rather had it coming that one time.

[10-ZO]: Speaking of sky-high. Sir Neshinbara, the ship is ready. Have you made the call yet?

[Novice]: Still awaiting response. Give me a minute.

Neshinbara sighed and glared frustratedly at the various sign frames he had up, of which the chat was one. All the rest except one consisted of messaging boards where Shakespeare usually stalk him to the extent he sometimes wondered whether she ever bothered to sleep.

Finally, he settled his attention fully on the lone divine communication among them. It was addressed to Shakespeare and had yet to be responded to. But as of yet the screen remained dark, only illuminated by their academy emblem spinning idly.

Either she actually were taking a nap, or this was going to get awkward. Neshinbara sweated profusely as he begged for the former to be true.

Finally the screen flickered and the bespectacled elf girl appeared, her expression rather flat. And to his relief there was clear sign of tiredness in her eyes.

"Hey." he finally greeted, a hand raised to complement it.

Shakespeare blinked as though she did not see it was him and imperceptibly craned her neck as if to look at him from a greater height, eying him as though she sized him up for a platter, like some would a turkey. It made his heart beat itself senseless. "Greetings Neshinbara. I was starting to wonder whether you'd finally give me a call."

He smiled wryly, "Good to see you too, Thomas Shakespeare. Actually I'm calling you with important business in mind."

"And here I hoped it would be something good." she crossed her arms. "So what may be the problem?"

"Um, you remember the night when we all arrived to this world?"

She eyed him somewhat incredulously, "How could I forget?"

"Fair point." he conceded, "Well, there may had been a native boat in the area at that time... and was likely sunk because of what happened."

"We never noticed anything." Shakespeare blinked, her eyes lost focus for an instant as she was caught up in thought, "On what grounds do you believe there was a boat here?"

"You see, we're trying to help our new neighbors... and an old crone wanted help to find a boat lost at sea – yet to return. We were shown the places in which its crew preferred to fish in... and one of them perfectly corresponds with England's location on the map." Neshinbara informed her, "So with England's permission, I would like to take a ship to probe the seafloor below for any sign of the wreckage."

At length, she watched him before her reply came; "I will inform the Queen about this and see what can be done."

"Please," he bowed, "it's important."

Her lips curled into a vague smile, "Permission will most likely be given, on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"On the condition that I board your vessel as an observer." Shakespeare looked distinctly satisfied with herself. "Is that acceptable?"

Neshinbara blushed, and her smile grew wider. "Yes, perfectly."

"Excellent. Now if you'll excuse me~" she said and tilted her head as to indicate something off-screen before connection was cut.

Confused by the gesture, Neshinbara looked over his shoulders absently and found to his surprise the president staring at the space between him and where the frame used to be, eyes wide in wonder.

Slowly, much to the bespectacled boy's horror, Toori grinned, and did so widely. "Um... no... wait a minute." he tried to stop the inevitable... but it could not be done as his classmate and superior whipped around in glee and opened the chat:

[Me]: Neshinbara's going on a date with Shakespeare!

[Almost every other male]: Whoooooa!

Unable to do anything but see the number of threads in the messaging boards explode both figuratively and literally, Neshinbara resignedly returned his attention to the chat frame on his end:

[Novice]: I'll be at the boat soon.

[10-ZO]: J-jud.

16:38 – 14 A.E.

Tyrus – Hanover – Camp Sty

It was far from a powerful clan by Stranded standards, but it was rather populous considering the situation. Just one of several that dotted the coastal city of Hanover, its territory little more than a few warehouses by the harbor, a few streets beyond it, and a grocery center right smack in the middle where they chiefly raise pigs – their main export in use for trade with other clans being bacon, now luxury foods. Hundreds of people walked about lazily within its patchwork walls – the most active being kids that knew nothing of the world that was, and those on some duty or another. The rest simply rested to avoid the waste of energy when there was no need to.

Today however there was a cause of commotion as a car puffed its approach to the main gate and was let through. It was a rickety wreck one would expect to fall apart at the seams at any moment, but still ran like the best of 'em – in great part thanks to its owner.

Out of the car stepped Wander, a tall man whose features were dominated by a torn hat and an equally worn-down brown long-coat. His name was not the real one though, but a nickname that kinda stuck due to his wanderlust... which in large part benefited the clan as he was in large part their most far-reaching trader – made to do so by the chief in as the spirit of business, so each time he went out, he brought along a batch of bacon and would then come back home with a bunch of traded goods.

And naturally, no sooner had he arrived before a crowd started to form around him and his vehicle – the cries of welcome imminent:

"Hey Wander, welcome back!"

"Gotten some nice haul lately, Wander?"

He only half-listened, and plainly nodded with a broad smile and a pat of a few's shoulders... which was all he could do before a was swamped up to his neck by a group of children. Anything that seemed cool was a kid magnet, and with a cool coat and hat it was the natural progression... if a rather bothersome one. "Hey! Oi, mercy!" he cried out in feigned surprise as he fended off his pint-sized attackers.

"Still got your touch I see." a woman stood out in the crowd – the chief's daughter Ilda with her wear of bleached sweater and jeans.

"Oh, you know me!" Wander shouted over the cries of children as he settled into a crouch and sparred with the lot, thus keep himself from ending up the bottom of a pile of small limbs. "Always rocking..."

She smirked, "And I expect no less. So what have you brought back this time?"

"That?" he pointed to his car, "Some ammunition and a pile of furs for the winter. Been all the way to Tuktu City this time. They're all in the trunk."

"No wonder you took so long to get back... but that's good." Ilda gestured at the grocery center. "My ma wants to see you."

Wander nodded, "Naturally."

"Hey you!" she shouted to a few guys on her left, "Unload the goods. Wander, follow me."

"Yeah." he waved at the rambunctious kids, "Later."

It was a relief for him to get away from the thickest crowd and let Ilda lead him through the street, past the myriad huts along the way and into the two-storied grocery center. Their settlement filled with more pigs than there are people, it naturally was a sty in every meaning of the word – with a stench to match.

Those who lived here however had gotten used to it to the point they did not give a damn. Wander guessed they'd all lost their sense of smell entirely – especially the crone who lived in her little 'throne' room which used to be the local director's office.

Thankfully, there was found to be a window open at least when they entered the office. Old crone Griselda sat by the desk with a wrinkly smile, "Wander, good to see you – if only I did not have to hear that junk of yours as well."

"Greetings, Griselda the crone." Wander answered in turn, "Rank as always."

She chuckled harshly, "Still got that sharp tongue I see."

"I sharpen it all the time. So..." he scratched the stubble on his chin, "what did you want to see me about?"

Griselda sighed, "Well, since you so insist. You travel much further than any of us, no wonder you're called 'Wander'." she started, "I must ask you, have you seen anything special of note out there lately?"

"There are plenty of special things out there in the world." Wander raised his shoulders, "Name one."

"We've managed to get by well so far, but I have fears for the future." she said slowly, with a light cough every once in a while. "Many enemies we have, and not just the obvious ones. The whole world has started to move again from one status quo to another. And I am reasonably sure you know what is at the center of it."

He thought of it, "Musashi, right? The city-state that came out of nowhere?"

"Just so. We aren't that big a community, any attack would cost us greatly." Griselda clenched her jaw, "So it is in our interest to forge bonds with a community stronger than ours – one more apt than any of our nearest neighbors who'd readily betray us for some of our herds if they had the chance. Musashi seem to have that kind of strength, as according to radio broadcasts they recently crushed the piracy that till recently plagued the lesser islands. We also hear that they are offering protection and technology in exchange for food – which we have plenty of."

"Let me guess..." Wander looked at her squarely, "You want in."

"Your ability to state the obvious astounds me to no end." she grumbled sarcastically.

"So why not just give Clan Tuktu or anyone else a call?"

"We cannot." Ilda joined in, her expression severe. "The transmitter broke down some time ago, and we can't even requisition for a new one from the guys in Halvo Bay because the only other clan here with a transmitter is..."

"Those accursed Clan Stadium." Griselda struck her desk and growled bitterly, "Bastards' got a huge price tag for us to use it. I am not gonna give up a third of our herd just for the sake of making one call!"

Wander winced, "Ouch. So you want me to head on out and find a way to contact Musashi?"

"Yes, that is exactly what we need you to do. Doesn't matter if it's Tuktu or some other clan with membership in that Protectorate. Can you do that?"

"I can." he confirmed, "But I would like a day off before I do it."

Crone and daughter exchanged looks. "Very well." Griselda's voice softened, "Get some rest while we prepare another batch for you to bring along. Whether you use it for trade or hand out as a gift to Musashi will be your choice. Think about it."

Seeing his cue to head back out, Wander turned; "Yeah, I'll do that. Now if you excuse me."

"Wander!" Ilda joined him through the door swiftly, "Gonna head out soon with a few friends to do some fishing at the harbor. Wanna join us?"

That was practically a promise of many hours worth of complete inaction as they wait for any fish to bite under the excuse of fetching food for the clan. "Hah. Sounds like fun." he grinned cheekily, "I'm in."

Small blessings were truly the best.

20:01; 20th June; 1648; Testament Era

Lesser Islands – England – Kraken-Class Cargo Ship "Seimei" - Upper Deck

The place had changed since last they were here. Shrouded by dense mists, the considerably airborne landmass that is England cast a mighty shadow upon the seascape below and around it. A measure to hide itself away from prying eyes as it has nothing like Musashi's stealth technology, together with a complete lack of mobility.

Neshinbara stood out on the main deck, slightly wet from all the vapor that permeated the air. And he peered into the mists that as if to spite him limited line of vision to just a few dozen feet... at most.

"Sir Neshinbara." Tenzo communicated from the bridge, and had by all indications – the big hint came from the blonde hair visible from the lower corner of the projected image – surrendered the Captain's seat to Mary out of chivalry. He was just that kind of man. "The 'Granuaile' has just hailed us. Pirate Grace O'Malley request that we make ready to accept the observer."

"Tell her she may approach at any time." he said and attempted to spot the English warship to no avail. "Commence scan of seafloor the moment she's on board."

"Jud. Take care."

He sighed, "No reason to worry." and smiled nervously as the 'Granuaile' finally came – first as a ghostly visage before it pierced the misty veil and settled in next to his ship where a cable was subsequently extended, followed then by the lithe figure that is Thomas Shakespeare, who is by and large the reason for his unease... much more so than the 'Granuaile's heavy weaponry.

Oddly enough, she carried a basket this time instead of a plastic bag.

"Welcome on board the 'Seimei', Thomas Shakespeare."

The girl treated him with a rare smile, "Welcome to England, Toussaint Neshinbara."

"Glad to be here." he continued formally and gentlemanly indicated the nearest hatch as he felt a gentle lurch that came from the ship now moving onward for the sake of their much needed objective, "Now if you'll come this way, I shall lead you to the bridge."

"Here is fine." she bluntly said and brushed past him, much to the boy's confusion.

Neshinbara simply stared as she walked up to the middle of the forward deck, put the basket down, and retrieved from it a large patterned blanket she unfolded and placed onto the floor, moved the baket into the middle of it and sat down on it.

And as if that was not enough, with barely a word, a quartet of large sign frames popped up around her – placed far apart – on which the surrounding seascape was shown as clear as day, unimpeded by the growing fog and dark.

"Come." Shakespeare gestured for him, "Sit with me."

If the slight rumble that briefly coursed through the ship is of any indication, the collective jaws of its entire crew just hit the floor in utter astonishment at the sheer directness of her intention. Out of the blue, she wanted to have a picnic with him.

More awkward than he ever thought possible, and with a considerable warmth spreading through his chest, Neshinbara obeyed and sat by the basket, opposite to the girl whose glasses flashed this instant as if in victory. He sweated profusely in nervousness, and only one thought managed to permeate his mind as Shakespeare retrieved a couple of glasses from the basket together with a bottle of what is hopefully soda:

Oh boy...

20:05; 20th June; 1648; Testament Era

Lesser Islands – England – Kraken-Class Warship "Granuaile" - Bridge

The author of Musashi was not the only one to be mystified when Shakespeare prepared for departure with not the regular bag of holdings, but instead a basket. She was always the most reclusive of the TRUMPS – always in the corner with her face buried in whichever book she had open at the time.

With so little insight, even plenty helping of female intuition did not allow Grace O'Malley to discover any ulterior motive to the girl's intent to act as an observer until she saw her break out that patterned blanket onto the deck in front of the clearly flabbergasted boy. Suffice it to say, the nymph proceeded to do a double take.

Intrigued and amused to no end, she contacted Elizabeth with no hesitation whatsoever, the Queen's image prompt to appear in front of her.

"Is there a problem, Grace O'Malley?" Elizabeth frowned and asked regally, comfortably seated on her throne within Oxford Academy, her left leg over the other.

Grace could not help but grin, "All is well, my Queen. There is however something truly extraordinary ongoing here."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "After all that has happened, I doubt there is anything left that can surprise me."

"Oh? How about this then?" she asked and forwarded a picture of Shakespeare and Neshinbara in the middle of their picnic, frozen exactly when the girl brought a chocolate cake out of her basket and offered a spoonful of it to his face.

It did not take long for the reaction to hit, and the satisfaction Grace felt was illegal in its completeness as she watched the mighty Fairy Queen herself take just one look at the picture, and immediately face faulted with sufficient cataclysmic force to send her chair flying through the throne room.

"Ugh." Elizabeth groaned at the indignity of it, "A-anything else while you are at it?"

Grace bowed, "None, my Queen."

"Ah... good. Please proceed."

20:34; 20th June; 1648; Testament Era

Lesser Islands – England – Kraken-Class Cargo Ship "Seimei" - Bridge

It looked like the date upstairs was going well despite how ill-timed it was. They finished their meal a while ago, and the blanket was now littered with platters and bottles alike that testified to a feast big enough to fill four people. Undaunted by its size however, Neshinbara and Shakespeare had successfully gotten all of it down. The girl had it relatively easy though as she had made Neshinbara eat the bulk of it, who now lay sprawled out on the blanket caressing his comical bulge of a midsection as if praying that his belly was up to the task.

While he rested, Shakespeare had taken up position next to him – as in within his personal space – and conversed with him about their common passion; literature. In this case, a critique about a book he and she alike had recently read – its flaws mostly.

Their conversation soon reached the subject of a female character within the novella, "- however, is she not rather foolish for undertaking her task in such a roundabout manner, refusing help that would expedite the process?" Shakespeare inquired from her desired male.

"I'm not sure. It depends on the context," Neshinbara suppressed a belch. "excuse me, but it has been a while since I last read it. Do you have it with you?"

She nodded, "Tes. Want me to read the relevant passages to you?"

"Would be great. Thank you."

Shakespeare seemed to blush ever so slightly and reached into the basket. But while she was preoccupied with retrieving it, Neshinbara tilted his head to the side and whispered very quietly a communique: "How's it going?"

Tenzo looked to Mary whose attention has been fully on the topographic map of the seafloor that dominated the holographic interface built into the middle of the bridge. At the start, the lady had been rather uncomfortable at the prospect of sitting in the captain's seat, but now seemed to be quite fine with it. The beautiful blonde looked up to him with a slightly grim expression and shook her head.

"Nothing yet, sir Neshinbara." he reported back just as quietly.

"I see. Tell me when you find something."

Tenzo offered no reply as Shakespeare finally brought the specific book to bear and browsed along its pages, "Are you still with me?" she asked.

"Yeah," the clerk grinned a little, subtly closing the divine communication while at it, "let's hear it."

"I believe she has spoken more these last thirty minutes than in all the time I've ever known her." Mary sighed as she favored the sign frame on which the couple was displayed conversing with a smile, "It warms my heart to see her so happy."

"That so? Have not had the pleasure of meeting her," Tenzo commented, then came to rub his chin as something occurred to him. "but with that said, I realize she did seem to actively avoid most of us."

"Indeed. To my knowledge Neshinbara is the only person she has ever actively sought out. But I guess Ben Johnson would be more able to confirm if this is the truth of it or not." She looked up from the topographic map, a third of the area scanned so far seemed to be composed of cliffs that lead into steep blackness. From that, it was safe to say that England hovered partially above an abyssal trench.

Across the map, several shapes were made visible. Most of it natural. But in a moment one entered sensor range that was shaped more specifically than the rest, conforming into a easily defined if rather battered structure. "Wait, that one. How far out is it?"

"Four kilometers north-west." sensory replied tersely.

"B-bring us about!" Mary instructed, clearly unaccustomed to giving orders. "Take us closer."

"Changing course." helm answered her call, "Ahead full."

"Should we inform sir Neshinbara?"

Tenzo nodded and moved to open a divine communication. "Sir Neshinbara." he started to state, "We may have found it. Moving closer to confirm it."

The clerk focused on the image of him and adjusted his glasses, "Jud. How deep is it?"

"Some more than a thousand feet below the surface."

"Okay. Tell when we're right above it."

"Above it? Care to share with class what you intend to do?"

Neshinbara shrugged as though it was elementary, "We are going to raise it, no ifs and buts about it."

20:51; 20th June; 1648; Testament Union

Lesser Islands – England – Kraken-Class Cargo Ship "Seimei" - Upper Deck

"So that is your plan, huh?" Shakespeare asked over Tenzo & bridge crew's outburst of disbelief, her beautiful blonde hair flowing as she shook her head at him.

Neshinbara beamed, "Pretty much. Could you lend me a hand?"

"But why do it at all?" she wondered, "You have no need to..."

"I do need to do this much, for the sake those waiting for news on those they lost! Some real closure... But ultimately, I know I cannot do this alone." he tried to entice her for aid in a theatrical manner, plenty helped by the familiarity with her closeness after nearly an hour spent with her, and finalized the gesture by taking her hands, embracing them in the warmth of his own, "Which is why I'm asking you. Please, I can't do this without you!"

Finally, it was her turn to blush profusely after all the times she had made him do it this evening. She locked eyes with him for a moment that seemed to last forever for both of them – even he in this moment of deviousness could not help but gaze back into her haunting blue eyes, such deep blue eyes he briefly wished he could fall and get lost in their depth. "Okay." the girl finally accepted with a silky-soft voice, "Since it's you asking, I will lend my aid."

Neshinbara shook her hands and spoke his gratitude, "Thank you, Shakespeare."

"D-don't thank me... we haven't even done it yet." she stuttered, and went to her basket, those hands of hers noticeably trembling before she gripped them into fists and forced some of her cool mannerism back from the edge. "Such an undertaking however would require an abundance of energy."

"I never said it would be easy." he argued mildly, watching as Shakespeare extracted England's mortal sins armament; the Aspida Philargia, from this day's choice of bag of holding. "That's the girl I know, always prepared."

Her blank mask of an expression slipped slightly as her face reddened again, but quickly picked herself back up this time. "Please, don't tease me."

"It is the truth of it." Neshinbara shrugged gladly. "... And if I interpret this correctly, we're at the target area." he had noticed that the ship has started to slow down, "Bridge?"

"J-jud." Tenzo announced, "We will be there in five seconds."

"Thank you, prepare to reroute as much energy to us as you can spare. We are going to need it."

"It will be done, sir!"

Mary continued for him, "Rerouting on the way! We wish you the best of luck in your endeavor."

In response the deck lit up with veins of ether that lead up to the two as they walked to the starboard railing and gazed into the waters that writhed invisibly below in this darkness. "We'll do our best! Shakespeare, are you ready?" Neshinbara grinned in gratification as he felt the enormous surge of ether course through him. Several of his classmate experienced a similar exhilarating sensation of empowerment when Toori had his contract activated and deployed it for the very first time to great effect, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. No, he was certain that was so much more than this. Much much more.

"Tes." she answered, and with a single prompt, her mortal sins armament lit up with great purpose. The Aspida Philargia was a weapon that empowered. A Shield of Avarice that greedily converts the pain caused by attacks against its user whether it be physical or mental into ether.

The only 'enemy' here is inanimate matter, but it could still draw power from that which is far removed from her as long as people direct some form of hurt at her. Being the name inheritor of the legendary author William Shakespeare meant that her literary works along with herself inevitably attract plenty of merciless criticism from readers – which also qualify as fuel as these too hurts the user.

It is not a direct instrument of destruction like Horizon's Lype Katathlipse, but very formidable in its own right. Each of the mortal sins armaments more than capable of threatening whole cities, either directly or indirectly – hence their fellow designation as WMD.

"We will need its exact location first." Shakespeare put it clearly as she scanned the darkened ocean that was no more than fifty feet below the 'Seimei'.

He nodded, "You're right. Mary?" and wordlessly received a simple map of its location below them in a sign frame he quickly passed to Shakespeare, "Want to start first?"

"Tes." she analyzed it briefly and nodded, "I cannot use the 'Lord Chamberlain's men' for this, so it will be an original composition. Try to follow suit."

"I will." Neshinbara stated, and summoned his authorial interface frame that surrounded him at waist-level, its predominantly golden glow a stark contrast to his surroundings. Heart committed to the literary arts, he awaited the half-elf's starting contribution with bated anticipation.

"It hast a long journey been," Shakespeare began, her incantation used to invoke power into her words that of ethereal lines of text that emerged from the long locks of her hair, "and finally they stand before the brink. Two companions, the selfless hero and the blessed priestess, gazed into the morass beyond the mortal coil - a mass of devilish limbs that barred their way from the prison of the innocent!"

"O' power!" he cast his own incantations as he wrote, "Albeit weary from trials beyond number, the hero's heart burnt as strong as ever. He stared into the cloying darkness and felt his heart harden with stark resolve, and his mind strengthened with righteous fury."

"The priestess, stoic of mind, watched as the great dark convulsed with malevolence. Shapeless demons churned within, and any who fell to their evil would see an eternity of suffering. So for the final time, as they stand before this final task of their great quest, she turned to the hero and asked of him yet again – if they hast the strength to carry on!"

"Aye, he said. Evil surged, but the hero was undaunted. Determined to save the unjustly condemned. So he called to her with strength in his word; Open the path and I shall sally forth! No evil shalt stand in our way!"

Around them, the air seemed ready to ignite as the concentration of ether increased till it could almost be tasted. It whirled around them in a torrent of pure energy as their spells gained in power, readied for the great task ahead of them.

"Filled with relief at his words, the priestess raised her arms to the skies above and cried with all her affirmed belief to the gods for aid. My body thy vessel, she cried. Strike with thy might, thy will be done!" Shakespeare invested more emotion into her spell, the voice of hers so clear that it raised the spirit of those who listened, "Her call heard, the gods descended. Their power filled her, and with conviction she shaped this into a spear, its purity bright as the stars themselves. Honed to great sharpness with her prayer, she threw it into the abyss and watched as demons in fear for their own wretched lives faltered before it!"

Finally, the initial buildup was complete and the great author Thomas Shakespeare unleashed her spell onto the sea and split it open into a whirlpool several hundred feet deep. However, even with the Aspida Philargia, to displace countless tons of water required an amount of ether that made the energy reserves of the 'Seimei' take a nose-dive. Without a word to the authors, Tenzo and Mary entreated the somewhat distant 'Granuaile' for aid at the same time. It took little prompting, but it soon began its rapid approach at the behest of its Pirate Captain.

Uninterrupted by what was going on elsewhere, Neshinbara took it upon him to continue: "The hero watched as a path was cut open, and with fire in his heart and trusty blade in hand he hurled himself down the path cut through the void. In there he faced countless horrors that tore at his armor and tried to hinder and break his resolve, but inexorably he fought back. Every swipe of his blade saw another demon fall, and the path grew all the clearer! Unable to withstand their combined efforts, the last resistance was thrown aside and revealed the prison they sought all along."

In response to his chants, powerful winds were gathered and blasted down the whirlpool, widening it. Such power had this the torrent of water opened the rest of the way. A sign frame opened up between the two as the sunken ship was exposed to the sky for the first time since it was thrown down under. Gratified by its appearance, the two were motivated to put more feeling into their craft of words.

"With the last demon thrown aside, the priestess resolved to let no more hinder her companion. So with the blessing of the gods she reconstituted the spear of light and cast a barrier, one made from bricks shaped by her belief, with mortar made from her contempt toward evil!"

With this, Shakespeare focused her efforts on keeping the whirlpool, nearly cataclysmic in its size and ferocity, going.

"A path of escape assured for those in need of salvation, the fearless hero crossed the final distance and sundered the prison with a fast hand and solid grip. Seize your freedom, he cried. And be slaves of demons no more!"

The 'Granuaile' came just in time to link up with the 'Seimei', and shared its ether reserves as the whirlwind summoned by Neshinbara surrounded the shipwreck and hoist it from its watery grave. Normally such an event would have torn the object caught in its midst asunder, but it merely creaked from the strain, and drizzled water like rain as it slowly but surely ascended by the will of Musashi's author, rendered airborne by his invocation – though not for much longer. For if this took too long, the ether reserves would run too low and it would have to be aborted.

"Rise, he called out to the innocent!" Neshinbara continued, he wanted to raise his arms and make some dramatic gesture, but unlike his colleague he needed to write down every word, "Toward the light, rise! Salvation is ahead of you, take it!"

Below them, the ship continued its ascent, propelled by the author's call. So fast that it soon came almost halfway.

"The priestess watched and was glad as the innocent souls – loved ones – made haste by her companion's word, strength spent from an eternity of imprisonment but summoned more as though lent by the brave hero who led them. All the while their demonic overlords scratched against the barriers, their wrath ferocious, and threat of violence worse, and she was forced to start and collapse the path to save her strength – reserving just enough to protect her imperiled charges as they marched onward."

To conserve power at their disposal, Shakespeare let the lower half of the whirlpool collapse as the ship rose closer to the surface. It would not be for much longer now, but it might as well be a country mile as the effort clearly exhausted the two.

"O' power!" Neshinbara cried out, to invoke power anew as he hastened the ship's rise from the ocean's grasp, "Thou innocents must continue, and never stop! Your home, your loved ones awaits you, the hero shouted from the top of his lungs as he witnessed the demons' renewed assault and felt worry, though no resolve was lost. He did not fear death, only failure! Rise, he sang, climb for thy lives!"

"From the brink, the priestess made a final entreaty! Her body scalded as though burnt, as no matter how great and pure a power none could touch it for too long and emerge unscathed. She made a this bid, and collapsed her wall into an onrushing wall – as though to scoop out those before her, finally so near."

Finally the entirety of the whirlpool fell apart, but not before the ship was liberated and rose to just above deck-level. It was clearly damaged from all the strain, shown by several crumpled parts where planks and other parts steadily tore themselves off and fell into the waters.

Now that it was there, the ship's own systems took part and several gravity frames surrounded the water-ridden hulk and brought it slowly onto the deck.

"All the innocent brought to the brink, away from the evil... There was but one life left for the hero to save, as he rushed for his companion's side and caught her as she fell."

Shakespeare with her part done had felt the weakness in her legs and dropped, but was intercepted as Neshinbara empowered his walk, sank to the knees, and reached out. A whole lot of red creeping onto her face as they touched and she was cradled in his arms.

The effort done, the Aspida Philargia clattered to the deck, and she almost reflexively curled up against him instead of recoiling from the sudden intimacy. "Are they safe?" the girl played along, "Is our quest complete?"

"Jud." they continued their play, but without any spell now. "They are safe, now all that is needed of us is to lead them back home. Our quest will soon be done, and we can be together in peace."

She blushed even deeper and shyly smiled, "Tes." she slipped, more able than him from her position to see what was coming.

"Talk about losing oneself in the moment." the voice of a woman spoke up nearby in the wake of a burst of green light. It was Grace O'Malley who stood there and smirked at the romantic moment.

Neshinbara blinked, "Uh?"

Tenzo and Mary had also come, both smiling widely. "No. Don't mind us... please continue." the ninja told them.

"I think we're done." Shakespeare wriggled out of his arms and stood – though her exhaustion was fully visible, complete with plentiful beads of sweat.

He nodded, a little embarrassed at the nearby audience. "Yeah. We rather are."

"What a let-down." Grace sighed, "So will you guys need some refueling for when you leave?"

"For when we leave, Grace." Shakespeare clarified, "I intend to see this through to the end. Need to make sure this," she indicated the pitifully primitive wreck of a ship resting on the deck nearby, somehow radiating a terrifyingly strong scent of fish. "arrives where it should."

"Huh?" both Grace, Neshinbara and Tenzo burst out.

She cast an oblique glance at them, "Will that be a problem?"

"Uh... n-not at all!" the males said.

Grace however rubbed her temples, "That means you will leave England for the time being. Are you sure?"

"I will be quite alright." Shakespeare assured her, "Cause you will come along to keep me out of trouble."

The woman crossed her arms, "Fair enough. But I must speak with the Queen about it first. Ultimately you cannot leave if she orders you not to."

She nodded, scratching her chin a little as bouts of drowsiness overcame her, "Understood. But for the time being.."

"I have just the cabin in mind." Mary informed, and forwarded the sign frame she promptly summoned to Neshinbara – who looked similarly strained to remain on his feet.

At first humbly uncomfortable at the prospect of sharing a room with her - it was so sudden - he seemed satisfied upon noting that the beds within it was placed far apart. "That will do, thank you Mary." he reached out for Shakespeare, "If you could come this way."

"Tes. Alright." she smiled vaguely and accepted the hand, "Lead on. It is your ship after all."

With that they left to head below deck, while behind them Tenzo muttered at how Bertoni's going to keelhaul him for when the bill for refueling inevitably comes through. Grace on the other hand laughed at the prospect and hauled back to her ship.

Except for that, the rest of their trip to the cabin was quiet and uneventful. Neither had any more energy to spend. And so collapsed onto each their chosen bed upon arrival, briefly rubbed against the heavenly soft sheets, and were out like a light.

08:24; 21th June; 1648; Testament Era

Lesser Islands – approaching Vectes – Kraken-Class Warship "Granuaile" - Bridge

To get a tender manned and brought out to refuel both the 'Seimei' and her own was simple enough – courtesy of Howard, and took less than an hour. Even less time was spent to convince the Fairy Queen of the other issue, but was considerably higher in difficulty.

Being a friend of Elizabeth however made it easier than it would have been. She just needed a list of reasons more tangible than what Shakespeare put forward before she went to sleep. Reasons that may benefit England. Such as scouting this new vector for the missing phenomenon, and ascertain Musashi's relationship with these hopelessly primitive natives.

A reason she did not mention was strictly private: She wanted to see more teen drama. The burgeoning relationship between Shakespeare and Neshinbara is... fascinating for lack of a better word.

Better than any soap opera.

Speaking of theatrical plays, the composition made by the two authors had managed to reach public and was now being ripped to pieces in several messaging boards Grace happened to thumb through. The vitriol was sufficiently impressive, sixty-eight threads had blossomed into existence where readers lambasted Neshinbara for his moments of intimacy with Shakespeare, and called out for his blood in a fashion she wouldn't be surprised came from arch-devils. None of this bloodthirst was directed at the girl, but she received by far the harshest criticism.

Grace guessed they had missed the context. Stories require lots of dedicated thought as well as planning on an advanced level. In the raising of the ugly craft however, all of both had been thrown to the wayside and authored on the spot, utilizing much brute force and strength of emotion rather than finesse and verbosity.

It did its job just fine despite this, and Grace suspected the resulting script – no matter how amateurish – had its use. More material for Musashi's author to let assimilate upon need, and more fuel for the Aspida Philargia through all the venom her critics spew.

But since then, hours had passed. Once the refueling was done with, the small two-ship convoy crossed England's border and crossed the sea without stop as night descended, and inevitably gave away for the light of morning. All the way her ship was functionally the 'Seimei's escort.

All the while, no communique passed between them. Grace simply made sure her ship followed the other, and for a time it was silent. They passed the occasional island, none of which carried any population other than a few trees and animals at least.

Then finally in the end, sensors rang out with details on the largest island yet. An inhabited one, and the 'Seimei' directed itself straight toward the center of its population, a low-rise town. An apparently quite idyllic one with a population of at least three thousand according to sensor estimate.

On this final stretch, they passed over an old fishing boat – its crew gawking up at them. Perfectly harmless, and amusing in a way. Much less so however was when Grace squinted at the image of the landscape beyond the village as something came into view above the fields and trees. Two objects smaller than a Wyvern-Class ship, held in the air by coaxial rotors. Her information on the natives were rather poor, but as armored as these units seemed to be, along with stubby wings that carried what looked like munitions, they were unquestionably military in origin.

"Looks like they are preparing quite a welcoming committee." Grace half-wondered in a divine communication to the 'Seimei', and got Musashi's 1st Special Agent Tenzo on the screen.

"Odd." the ninja muttered in observation, "Pelruan does not have that sort of hardware."

She raised an eyebrow delicately, "You sure?"

Mary's image appeared in a frame of her own, "I took a closer look on those, and these showed up:" and opened additional images of the choppers' fuselage and tail, which were embellished with an old but very clear white cog.

"COG, huh?" he sighed. "Let us not leap to conclusions here. We will do what we came here for, and take a look-see around if Neshinbara agrees to. Only shoot if fired upon."

"Are they awake?" she asked in curiosity.

"No, still asleep." Mary confirmed and left her seat, "I was about to go and wake them before those things showed up."

"Please hurry." the nymph softly groaned. She watched as yet another rotorcraft showed up, and decided to have all her bases covered despite the low-tech nature of their possible enemy, and had her guns readied – just in case.

If they tried anything, she'd blow them out of the sky without a second thought.

Author notes: Broke my back writing this. Had a clear mind what I wanted to write, but execution is in most times much harder. Some parts became a whole lot more elaborate than intended, but for the better. It's a bigger chapter than any of the former though, hopefully that makes up for the wait.