Smile of the Strawcrow

by Grimack

While the four nations of the World of Twelve try to assert themselves, a mysterious figure only known as the Strawcrow hatches his own little plans with possible disasterous outcome.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sue-Ann Il Sulorac sighed softly as she ticked another box on her checklist. Sometimes she wondered what the point was of her daily routine. It was not that she minded the repetitive job of checking all progress daily, but lately it seemed that none of their experiments produced any results at all. Even her own horticultural experiments had not born any fruit and as a Sadida, that felt as a personal failure. She never did thrive very well between all the steel walls of their city, but true to her heritage, she did manage to create a small garden in the back of the laboratory where she grew several rare kinds of plants. Here, she could perform small plant-related experiments of her own, train her Sadida skills and retreat to recharge when the pressure became too much. Lately, she had been spending more time here as the atmosphere in the lab had become much grimmer.

It had been like this ever since the king's council had instructed them to focus all their attention on energy consumption and recuperation. They had not been able to produce a single result since then. The art of inventing all seemed so simple back when they were designing new technology like the Steamflex or the powerful energy beam emitters now used in the undersea mining industry. Professor Nietzschen Knarf, their leading scientist, was a genius in all fields of Stasis-technology and came up with new ideas faster than the laboratory could produce and test them. It was largely thanks to him that Sufokia had grown as much as it had in the last ten years. Stasitech had revolutionized their way of living and had made Sufokia a prospering kingdom again. The next step in their research would have been the rise of their city above the waves, but then came the news of the Stasili shortage and the fear that the kingdom would end up dead in the water if their main power source would dry out. Under the constant pressure of the politicians they had almost worked day and night to produce a possible solution for this new problem, but where the design of Stasitech seemed to come naturally to Professor Knarf, devising new ways of energy consumption did not. This scientific failure had made him more and more frustrated and these days it was no pleasure working with the professor on any kind of task. For that reason Sue-Ann was glad that he had been called to Admiral Belvu's office. This gave her a moment of peace alone in the laboratory. She really did like her job as lead assistant to the professor, but she did hope for a breakthrough very soon. Not only for her, but for her colleague's health as well: his hair had turned from grass green to a bright white in just a few months. She had done all possible efforts to calm Nietzschen down, but as the political demand grew, so did his stress. And as his stress level rose, his tantrums grew more frequent and more hysterical by the day. According Sue-Ann, it would not be long before the Feca's nerves would snap and finally break him.

She approached the final point on her checklist: the hourglass of Wakfu, one of the professor's oldest experiments. The professor had set this up to try and prove the Stasis theory of Cedric Arnotte which claimed that if Wakfu was given enough time, it would reduce to Stasis. Back then, it was a much anticipated experiment as this would prove an important theoretical principle and deliver them with an up until now untouched source of Stasis. Sue-Ann had always wondered how professor Knarf had been able to isolate pure Wakfu as this was almost unheard of in the scientific world. He claimed it was distilled from weapons imbued with tiny portions of Wakfu, but for some yet unknown reason he had not been able to reproduce the process afterwards. Back then, this was not a big setback as the Wakfu proved too powerful and too uncontrollable for them to use in any kind of technology, in spite of archeological evidence that there used to be entire civilizations running on Wakfu. So the only thing they could do with it then was to store it in the professor's newly invented energy containers and use small portions in all kinds of experiments. It had been very useful in creating Sue-Ann's garden as well. But now, almost ten years later, it was still glowing with the same light blue splendor as it was when they started the experiment. Not a single drop of Stasis had formed at the bottom of the hourglass. Next to it stood a rack with several test tubes containing different Wakfu-Stasis mixtures that were set up in the hope that the infused Stasis would 'infect' the Wakfu and increase the process, but this had proved futile. The two energies did not mix and only hours after the infusion, the Wakfu came floating on top of the heavier Stasis and their ratio remained the same ever since.

Her musing was disturbed by the panicked squeaking of one of her veggie-dolls. Since Professor Knarf had grown so unpredictable and she herself was easily startled, she had installed her own 'security network' of veggie-dolls that would alarm her if he was approaching. She finished her checklist, straightened her lab coat and braced herself. The silence lingered for a few more seconds before Nietzschen Knarf stormed in, almost slamming the lab door to bits in his fury: "How dare they? Who do they think they are?" Sue-Ann silently stood at attention in the center of the laboratory as the professor raged around her, throwing the paperwork he was carrying against the wall: "That pompous blowfish thinks he order me around? Does he really believe that he can do a better job than me?" Sue-Ann slowly walked to the thrown papers and started to clean up the mess. She momentarily cringed when the clattering of metal filled the room but then continued her cleaning as she knew that he was taking out his rage on the pieces of experimental armor at the other side of the lab.

"Ten years! Ten years of bringing this city to a technological level unparalleled by any other nation in the World of Twelve! If they had followed my advice, we would have ruled those medieval peasants by now! But no, what does our king do? He sits on his throne, remembering the olden days when the Sufokians were still a proud people! Ha! A proud people! Scared sailors and fearful fishermen hiding in their bubble on the bottom of the sea, not even once thinking of escaping their predicament!" "Please, Professor, not so loud," Sue-Ann tried to shush him, "people don't like it when you talk like that." "What do I care?" Nietzschen screamed, "They should be grateful for the cushy lives I've provided for them! Especially that fat admiral! If it weren't for us, he would still be leading an armada of leaky diving dinghies instead of the state-of-the-art Stasitech submarines he has now!" "Yes, I know," his assistant whispered soothingly, "but remember that you must bear it only a little longer. When you raise Sufokia up into the open air, the whole world will learn what a brilliant scientist you are." "If we live to see that day," the Feca scoffed, "at the current pace, Adale's great-grandson will announce Sufokia's return to a world no longer welcoming the long-lost nation."

Nietzschen leaned on the table, physically trying to calm himself. The Sadida stood a bit helpless next to her colleague and for lack of anything better, presented him her checklist: "There's some good news. It seems that our new Stasis combustion engine is running 2.8% more efficient now than before our alterations." She knew very well that this was not the progress they were hoping for, but it was the only result on her list that wasn't exactly the same as the day before. "Wonderful," Professor Knarf sighed and he let his head hang between his arms. "It's hopeless, Miss Il Sulorac, I don't even have any ideas in my head on how to get out of this inventor's block. And if we do run out of Stasili in the next year, all of our inventions and even our laboratory will be useless. We'll be set back to the time of my predecessor, fumbling in the dark again." She put her hand on his shoulder: "Don't worry, Nietzsche, you'll come up with something spectacular again. Remember, you are the inventor of Stasitech. There's nothing you can do! You did it back then, you can do it again." For a moment, he didn't look like he was going to respond, but then he recomposed himself: "You're right: I cannot waver now. I will go down as one of the greatest minds of our time. I will dredge our scared civilization out from under the shadow of Ogrest! No matter what the cost! History will reward me for my actions." Sue-Ann found this an awkward choice of words, but she didn't get the time to respond because Nietzsche Knarf grabbed the key to his personal submarine and stormed out the door again. "I hope he's not going to do anything dumb," she said to one of her veggie-dolls coming out of hiding, "he had an eerie look in his eyes." The doll squeaked questioningly and tilted its head. "Oh, never mind," Sue-Ann said, "it's probably just my imagination. Professor Knarf has not let down once. In his heart, Sufokia is still very dear to him. He will not let the light of our city extinguish without a fight. But enough work for today," she said as she put down the ordered stack of papers, "how about some nice quiet time in our little garden?" The doll gave an excited little peep and followed his mistress into their green oasis.

The days before their departure were ones of quiet tension and subtle avoidance for Egol Rho with each of the crew members going about their own business. This business apparently alternated between hanging about, drinking and preparing their boat and fishing gear for the next trip. The times he did interact with the crew were mostly with Sekito, as the healer seemed a bit more level-headed then the rest of his crewmates. He helped him with the repair jobs on the huts and during these little tasks, the Eniripsa had told him that not so long ago, he was still in boarding school in Bonta, studying to become the doctor his parents planned him to be. Seeking more thrill and adventure than his books could offer him, he had fled his boarding house and had while looking for a way of the island found Captain O'Card in the harbor unloading his cargo. The Osamodas was quick to welcome him in his crew and hours later he was already sailing the high seas to lands unknown. At first it looked like Thur and Ega weren't going to accept him, but his care-free spirit and his ability to take a punch –or at least heal it afterwards– was greatly appreciated by the two sailors. Egol was amazed at the amount the knowledge Sekito had amassed through his studies and his short life as a sailor. He even took notes several times. But yet for all his knowledge, he could not explain Ega her behavior. According to him, she had been her friendly self up until their arrival. It was the very sight of Egol that triggered this bad side of her and it hadn't waned since then. Even the captain avoided her presence if he could.

Once Platine had recorded a conversation between Ega and Cin, but Egol couldn't make any sense out of it. It was almost as if they were speaking in code, but it did confirm him that they were heading for Amakna and Bonta before heading to Sufokia. This had puzzled Egol because the ship's hold was empty, so they had nothing to sell. So that would mean that they were going to have to catch all their fish on their way there. But Sekito assured him that this was normal because they could not store fresh fish for long, so the closer to port they fished, the fresher it was and the more kamas they got for it. "But why don't you guys just stay near Bonta or Amakna and fish there? That seems much more lucrative than coming over here or Sufokia all the time." "But if we want to fish the territorial waters," Sekito explained, "we would have to join the fishermen's guild and they charge you an arm and a leg for fishing in their waters. Now we're just traders, bringing in fish from the high sea." This seemed to make sense to Egol, but it still contradicted the story captain O'Card had told him on their arrival. The Xelor decided to let it be for the time being and enjoyed the rest his quiet time on the deserted beach.

Mei de Prac, a female Pandawa bounty hunter, slowly advanced down the dark mining tunnel. She slowly let her eyes adapt to the darkness as she could not risk igniting a torch and being spotted. She knew that following that shopkeeper had been a good idea. Otherwise she would never have discovered the hidden entrance in his cellar. She never had heard of the existence of a mining operation beneath the city of Bonta itself, but it seemed like a perfect hide-out for criminals on the run. At the back of the tunnel she heard the muffled sound of picks and voices, with a few of them apparently moving in her direction. In the approaching light, she searched for an acceptable hiding place and in a few heartbeats decided that the nearby stalagmite formation was the most suitable candidate. She crouched down behind the largest of the stalagmites and kept absolutely still as the approaching conversation became audible: "…go any deeper and we'll end up in the ocean." "Don't be daft. If the vein runs dry, they'll just move us to another mine." "Yeah, but that don't seem the case right now. There's still more than enough ore in there to keep us busy for a month." As the party passed Mei, she noticed it consisted of three men pushing a primitive mining cart filled with purple-colored ore which she didn't recognize. "Still, this is our last one for today. The transport will be here tonight and we still have to prepare the goods for shipping." Mei waited until the trio's idle banter was but a whisper in the narrow hallways before moving again. She got the feeling that she got herself into more then she bargained for, but she kept her eye on the price and continued further into the mine. After a while, the narrow hallway opened up into a large mining gallery, lit by several lanterns whose light was reflected by the many purple shards lodged in the rock walls. Scattered over the room were several teams of miners hard at work to excavate every bit of purple ore they could reach, with even a few of them on scaffolding to reach the ores higher up. Mei stuck to the side of the wall and scanned the room for familiar faces, but to her disappointment, none of the miners fit the description of any of the wanted posters.

She took a swig of the bottle of bamboo milk strapped at her hip and prepared for her return to the surface, when suddenly the gallery was filled with the thundering sound of an explosion, launching several of the miners into the air. The rest panicked as their brethren hit the ground and rushed to their aid. Mei de Prac hid behind one of the mining carts and observed how several armed thugs burst through the smoke and dust of the explosion and surrounded the astounded mining crew. The miners begged and screamed for mercy as they were driven into a corner when suddenly one of the gun-wielding rogues yelled: "Quiet, you worthless maggots! Your lives mean nothing to us so if you don't shut up now, we'll start blasting you one by one!" Mei recognized his voice: it was Nos Mirc, the oldest of a criminal trio consisting of three Mirc siblings. On his head was one of the biggest bounties, even bigger if he could be brought in with his brother and sister, which would not be hard to do as the three always worked together. Mei tried to identify the other rogues in the commotion when suddenly a vile laughter echoed through the hall: "Now that's what I call an entrance in style! You sure have a flair for the dramatic, my friend." In the opening caused by the explosion appeared a Masqueraider wearing a long black cape topped with a very peculiar mask which can only be described as a stylized version of a Bwork face with one menacing third eye in the middle of its forehead that moved on its own. The masked man was accompanied by a blonde female rogue: "We rogues do everything in style, Sarojam. You Shushus could still learn a thing or two from us." The eye on the mask stared at her: "When you're as powerful as us, human, there is no need for style or tactics." "That's enough you two," the mask's wearer spoke, "Lani, prepare our message for the true owners of this mine. The rest of you, rally up the prisoners and take them back to the base." "You heard the boss," Nos scowled at the miners, "time for a little walk. Get up and get moving!" As the miners were guided out of the mine, Mei observed the female rogue closely. "So that's Lani Mirc," Mei thought to herself, "That's two out of three. Now only to find her twin brother and the sets complete." Suddenly, she heard a soft click behind her: "Well, well, well. Eavesdropping, my dear. That's not very nice. Now raise those pretty hands were I can see them and slowly get up." Mei swore under her breath as she slowly got up with her hands in the air.

"Lenny, what's going on?" the Masqueraider called from the other side of the room. "We have ourselves a pretty little spy, Boss!" the voice behind Mei called back. Mei saw this opportunity and gave her assailant a back kick, slamming him against the wall. She turned around to face him, grabbed the bamboo barrel from her back in one fluent motion and used it to disarm the rogue. She didn't give him the chance to recuperate and blasted him with a squirt of bamboo milk, smacking him for a second time into the wall. "Brother!" Lani screamed for the center of the gallery and started to run towards Mei, firing her pistols alternately at the Pandawa warrior. Mei hid herself again behind the mining cart as Lani's bullets ricocheted on the cart and the walls of the mine. She had to find a way out of there and quick, before she was completely pinned down. She was suddenly startled as one of the shots caused a small explosion in the wall of the mine. "What kind of bullets is she using?" she thought to herself when she noticed the purple dust mixed in the pulverized rock. "An explosive mineral? That gives me an idea." She grabbed some of the small shards lying under the cart, took a swig out of her bamboo barrel and prepared herself. She waited patiently and after a few moments the gunshots died down and her assailant shouted: "If you've hurt my brother in any way, teddy bear, I'll personally tear out your filling!" She used this moment of cease-fire to leap over the cart and throw the purple shards at Lani Mirc. She started to fire again, but Mei countered with a flaming burp, igniting both the shards as the approaching bullets. The bounty hunter was prepared for the result of her daring action and braced herself for impact. The rogue on the other hand was not so lucky: the force of the blast threw her of her feet and catapulted her away. Mei didn't wait for her to get up and sprinted towards the exit.

With none of her attackers near enough to stop her, her escape seemed assured. But right before she reached the exit, a powerful force hit her from the side and smacked her against the wall. She tried to remain conscious as she hit the floor, but her sight slowly blurred and the voices around her became distant. She blinked a few times to regain focus and noticed the caped Masqueraider looming over her: "…fools. You almost let her escape." Lani and Lenny joined him, obviously still licking their wound: "I thought you wanted to get the message out into the world? Wouldn't she be a perfect candidate for that?" "Stick to your specialties and leave the thinking to us, kiddies," the mask spoke. "Maybe you should stick to your specialty and play the silent mask again!" Lani countered. "Quiet," the Masqueraider intervened, "This is not the right channel. We do not want Bonta to know of this little mining operation. Only the true proprietor of this excavation must learn our demands." "And who might that be?" Lenny asked. "One step at a time, my friend." Mei saw the discussion above her head continuing, but could not find the strength to remain focused and blacked out, thinking with her last thought that she really was in over her head now.

Once they left for Bonta, he almost missed the uncomfortable silences of the beach, because in contrast to the village there was never a dull moment on their boat, the Creaky Kraken. Cin had his hands full the navigation and steering of the ship, Ega and Thur were almost constantly throwing out or reeling in the nets and Sekito was responsible for keeping the meals coming and the ship tidy. The captain had assigned Egol to assist Sekito where possible. During their short stay in the settlement, Cin had noticed that the little monk was quite handy with tools, so besides the normal cleaning jobs, he also assigned Egol to make small repairs on the ship. It took Egol less than a day to realize why they had named it the Creaky Kraken and that it was a small miracle this vessel was still afloat. He did his best to complete as much of his chores as he could with the tools at hand and this kept him busy for most of the days. He even forgot about the ever-present ticks and tocks of the Great Clock and took on the pace of the other crewmates. For example, while on the beach he ate most of his meals in private, but on the little boat he joined the crew in the daily fish meals Sekito prepared. The work obviously did wonders for the spirits of the Kraken's crew as well as even Ega was in a better mood after a hard day's work on deck. Egol laughed and joked with them as if he had been part of the crew for months.

One day Egol was hanging off the ship's starboard bow, trying to fix the ship's anchor when suddenly the Creaky Kraken was overshadow by something large. Egol looked up and was overwhelmed by the sight of a Bontarian Navy vessel guarding the nation's maritime borders. The three-master loomed over the little fishing boat as a Crackler over a Piwi and the sailors on board looked just as threatening as their ship. "Who goes there," a voice sounded of the ship while Egol climbed back on board. "This is Cin O'Card, captain of the Creaky Kraken," Cin called back, "we're fish traders on route for Bonta City." "Prepare to be boarded," the voice replied as simultaneously two ropes were thrown on deck coming from the military vessel. Thur and Ega tied the ropes to the railing of the Kraken and after their signal, a boarding ramp was lowered on deck. The ramp was hardly stabilized as a squad of Bontarian soldiers descended onto the fishing boat forming a single line on the starboard side of the ship, left and right of the ramp. When they stood to attention, a Bontarian officer slowly walked down the ramp, followed by what seemed to be some sort of military clerk, carrying several scrolls and a foldable writing table. "What's going on?" Egol whispered to Sekito. "Standard procedure. All ships going in or out of Bonta's waters are to be thoroughly checked to prevent smuggling." Egol tried to add something, but was startled when he found the stern eye of the Bontarian captain fixated on them. "Ahem!" the officer cleared his throat, "You know the drill, captain. Produce the necessary paperwork and give my men full access to your ship for inspection." Cin mockingly gave him a little bow: "Of course, dear colleague. Mi barco es su barco." He donated a few sheets of paper to clerk who had just set up his little table and smirked confidently. "Right," the captain grunted and snapped his fingers, causing the soldiers to disperse and search the Creaky Kraken.

"The Bontarian hospitality is still legendary, I see," Cin said while the clerk went through his paperwork. "Don't play coy with me, Sufokian," the Bontarian captain replied, "This is not the first time we go through this. And you knew the conditions when you decided to trade with Bonta. There is no room for criminals and smugglers in our nation!" "Really now?" Cin smiled, "So then I assume that the rumors of the Mask of Shushu are all greatly exaggerated?" Egol involuntary cringed as the Bontarian captain spun around, a controlled anger burning in his eyes: "You have some nerve, Sufokian. Your archipelago is swarming with the greatest scum the seas have ever known and you dare to lecture us on our crime management? Bonta is the safest country in the World of Twelve and no wannabe crime lord will soil that name!" "Wannabe crime lord?" the Osamodas repeated, "My, my. So you you're telling me that it was a wannabe who broke into the Bontarian Bank of Twelve? Or a wannabe who organized the large-scale jailbreak from the most secure prison in the World of Twelve?" Egol thought the Bontarian could not become any redder, but this last taunt pushed his complexion into the purple range. If it were not for his soldiers resurfacing from below decks, Egol was certain he was going to explode: "All clear, captain. The cargo hold is filled with fish and nothing else, sir." The captain recomposed himself, but was obviously still simmering as he turned to his clerk: "Well? Does it add up?" The clerk was so enveloped in his work that the captain's crude question dropped him smack into reality and off his stool. "Y-y-yes, sir," he stammered as he got up again, "all seems to be in order." Clearly disappointed, the captain spun around and marched back to his ship: "Right! We're off! There's no point in wasting any more time on piece of driftwood!" The soldiers followed single-file with the clerk bringing up the rear, still shook up by the captain's demeanor. Thur and Ega untied the ship again while the Bontarian sailors retracted the ramp.

"Was that true, captain?" Egol asked Cin as the two ships sailed away from each other, "About the Mask of Shushu?" "Well," Captain O'Card admitted, "they still don't know who is behind those crimes, but rumor has it that they're all the work of this new Masqueraider crime lord known as the Mask of Shushu. He supposedly rallied all small time crooks still at large in Bonta under his flag and then used them to break the rest of the Bontarian crooks out of jail. The authorities are still looking for a lot of the escaped prisoners and have recently put out bounties on each of their heads, bringing every adventurer and bounty hunter to the city of Bonta." Cin chuckled. "Safest nation in the world indeed." Egol stared a little longer at the navy vessel slowly disappearing towards the horizon as Cin snapped him out of it: "Hey, sailor! That anchor is not going to fix itself now, you hear!" "Right, yes sir, captain!" Egol saluted and enthusiastically went back to work.

Captain Jonk Lees readjusted his belt for the sixth time as he peered over the masses filling the Bontarian streets. Being Lees' size could be quite bothersome indoors or on a battlefield, as a giant is a prime target for all kinds of projectiles, but in the busy streets it was really an asset. He stood in the middle of the crowd as a rock breaking the stream with the citizens harmlessly flowing past him. From time to time he saluted to the passing guards, making sure that he didn't knock anyone out doing so, or humored some fans by signing their cloak or hat. Jonk was a celebrity in Bonta, famous for his kindness to new citizens and infamous for his prowess on the battlefield. Jonk Lees had earned his captain's hat by being an exemplary Bontarian, going above and beyond to serve his king and country. But if he had one fault, it was his lack of subtlety. He was a welcomed guest in the king's court, but even the king knew to keep him out when the politicians and councilors gathered. Jonk could not bear the slithering politician's tongue and his 'argument' had already broken many tables and fingers of unfortunate men who did not know Lees' debate skills and thus hadn't retracted their hands fast enough.

It was therefore that Captain Lees did not look forward to his next meeting: Sulpa Venneir was one of their best agents, but the mere use of spies and assassins disgusted Jonk. It was not the way to run a country. "Alms. Alms. Alms for the poor." Jonk looked down and saw a beggar almost completely cloaked in rags extending a metal cup. Alms for an unfortunate citizen, good sir?" Jonk sighed. Part of being a celebrity and close friend to the king was that people automatically assumed you were packing kamas, but the truth was that Captain Lees had always remained a simple man, going out into the fields to gather herbs for the barracks' apothecary and performing manual labor whenever he could, not asking for a single kama. The army provided for him and he felt he did not need any more. But inside his chest of steel beat a heart of gold, so Jonk never missed a chance to help the less fortunate than him. "Here you go," he said to the beggar and dropped three coins in his cup. "Thank you, kind sir," the beggar replied while checking his cup, "Ecaflip will reward you."He rattled his cup as he continued down the main street: "Alms. Alms. Alms for the needy." Jonk Lees resumed searching for Agent Venneir when he realized that he still had some of his lunch left in his bag. He should have given that to the beggar as well. But when he reached down to search his pouch, he suddenly realized that his Jonk's bag was missing. He was robbed! The beggar!

With the fury of a Gobbette missing her Gobblies, he spun around and drove through the masses in the direction the beggar left. The people who saw Jonk approaching spontaneously jumped aside while the other less fortunate were mowed down by the power of Captain Lees' rush. When he did not detect the beggar, he asked some startled citizens where he went and they all pointed to an alley to the side of the road. Jonk stormed into the narrow street only to find a dead end filled with a stack of crates. He was about to dig through the stack when a confident voice sounded from behind: "Looking for this, Captain? Very sloppy for the captain of the guards." Over his shoulder Jonk saw the beggar from before balancing on a clothesline a few feet above his head, holding out the stolen bag. Before the rope-dancer could continue his monologue, Jonk grabbed his billhook from the hook on his belt and hurled it at the side of the clothesline. The beggar tried to jump away, but before he could push himself off, the rope was cut from the wall, causing him and the laundry to plummet down onto the street. To Captain Lees' surprise, the beggar landed neatly on his feet and recomposed himself in seconds: "Impressive, Captain," the ragged man said as he removed his cloak, "The Giant of Bonta does not disappoint."

The removed rags revealed a strapping black grey Ecaflip with a confident smirk on his face. "Agent Venneir?" Jonk boomed, "What's the big idea?" Sulpa signaled the captain to lower his voice: "Please Captain, keep it down. We don't want the entire city to know of my return. That was also the reason of this ruse: It did not seem wise to meet you in the middle of the main street." Jonk pulled his billhook out of the wall and grunted: "You could have at least given me a little warning.""No time for that, Captain. By the way, our little play is not over yet, I'm afraid. Soon our startled masses will start to wonder what's keeping you. Let's meet up outside the prison and continue this conversation." "The prison? Why there?" "Because last I heard, it's pretty deserted since the Mask of Shushu's little stunt." Jonk snorted: "Don't remind me. We even had to resort to bounty hunters to reel in all the escapees." The Ecaflip handed Jonk back his bag: "Yes, I've noticed the posters. Could you give me a little hand, Captain?" Jonk groaned quietly as he grabbed Sulpa by the back of his cloak and hurled him towards the rooftops. Almost noiseless the cat-man grabbed the ledge of the roof and disappeared out of sight. As the first curious bystander started to peek in the alley, Jonk headed back out, claiming there was nothing to see, thinking to himself that this was another reason why he did not like spies.

Master Joris repeatedly readjusted himself in his seat and tried to hold on tight as the carriage rattled over the bumpy forest road. The Drago-Express was not known for its comfort, but it was the fastest connection between Crusty Road and Emelka, certainly since the Zaap at the remote village was still being constructed. He was personally surprised that Drago-Express had decided to connect the village with the rest of the nation because it consisted of no more than an inn and a few farms. But apparently their newly chosen mayor had made a great effort in attracting the travel agency's interest. "It must have been some offer," Joris thought to himself, because the road to Emelka led straight through their current location, the Holey Forest, one of the most dangerous places in all of Amakna. Ever since the Magic Riktus, an ancient clan of robbers, had made their headquarters in the mines underneath the trees, the forest became known as the quickest way to lose your kamas and your head, if the first wouldn't suffice. That was also the reason he was the only passenger left except for the two Cras who had joined him and the coachman as body guards right before entering the forest. One of them sat next to the driver while the other was positioned on the roof of the coach, constantly watching the rear. "It's suspiciously quiet today," the Cra on the roof said almost whispering. "They must have found a bigger Snapper to fry," her partner responded, "but spur your mounts just to be safe, Daniel." The coachman gladly obeyed and whipped the bridle of his Dragoturkeys, rattling the carriage even harder. Then suddenly the two animals stopped and stared into the dark woods, together with everyone on the coach except the driver. "Betsy, Misty, what's going on?" he said to his pets, but the Cra next to him, who was already standing up with his bow drawn, signaled him to be quiet. The entire company stood still as a statue in the middle of the forest for what seemed like an eternity. "There!" the Cra on top shouted and started to fire at the darkness, immediately followed by her partner. Master Joris peered in the direction the arrows were flying and saw something approaching at high speed.

He heard the male Cra shout: "Daniel, get us out of here!", but realizing that a collision was unavoidable, somersaulted out the other side of the coach. Before the Bontarian even hit the ground his ride exploded in a firework of splinters and steel, catapulting the remaining passengers into all directions. As the remains of the coach were scattered over the forest floor, Joris could hear the cart driver's voice fading in the distance: "Betsy! Misty! Hoo! Stop! Please…" "That man is really attached to his animals," Joris thought as apparently Daniel had refused to let go of the reins. "Sadjih, are you ok?" sounded one the Cras' voice. "I'm over here, Darius," a female voice sounded from above Joris. He looked up to see the Cra sitting on one of the lower branches, her bow already aimed at the remains of the couch. That's when Joris first heard a soft moan from within the debris that was their ride. Backed up by the two Cra guards, he slowly removed some of the pieces. To their surprise, the projectile that hit them was still alive: it was a Badgoat, a member of the Magic Riktus clan. Joris slapped him in the face to wake him: "Who are you? What happened to you? What force launched you at our coach?" "Probably a distraction," Darius said as he joined him, "Prepare for an ambush." The three of them stared once again into the dark forest and could now here the faint sound of voices, of clattering weapons and even of explosions. Sadjih jumped down: "We better get moving. There's no use in waiting here like sitting Piwis. We have to get to high ground." Then the Badgoat tried to speak: "N…n…No, Boss… P…lease d…on't… hurt me." Joris stared at the Cras puzzled when they suddenly heard a deep rumbling laugh drown out the other voices in the forest, followed by an approaching scream. "Duck!" the Cras shouted and over their head another Magic Riktus hit one of the larger trees at high speed. "Who is doing that?" Sadjih wondered, "Who can launch bandits at that speed?" "We won't learn that by staying here," Master Joris answered, "let's find out!" and the trio set off into the woods.

Still not pleased with the choice of their next rendezvous point, Jonk Lees crossed the courtyard of Bonta castle. He approached one of the larger towers embedded in the castle walls and grunted uneasily upon seeing the burn marks left by the daring attack of the Mask of Shushu. The fact that their dungeon lay within the most fortified keep of their nation had made the jailbreak all the more painful for the proud Bontarian guard. Scanning the walls for Agent Venneir, he was saluted by the guards flanking the entrance. He saluted back and entered the tower where he was greeted by the jailer: "Who goes there? Ah, Captain Lees, it's you. Still looking for clues?" Jonk scanned the room before answering: "Not really, no. I think there was little mystery in their attack involved. More guts than tactics, I believe." "Hmph," the jailer responded, "the next time they try this kind of stunt, I'll show them the color of their guts. Nobody sets my prisoners loose. Isn't that right, you sewer rats?" he yelled down the cell blocks as he hit the floor with his oversized hammer. Continuing his scan, Jonk ignored the shouted response of the prisoners: "How much of the escapees have been brought back in?" The jailer started counting on his fingers, but gave up rather quickly: "Well, since the bounty hunters hit our shores, numbers have been rising steadily. I think we now have a quarter of the original inmates back where they belong." Jonk looked him in the eyes for the first time: "Only a quarter? There were over a hundred prisoners before the escape!" The jailer shrugged: "Hey, I just keep 'm, I don't catch 'm. That's your job." Jonk gave him a disgruntled rumble: "Yeah, just make sure you keep them put this time," and exited the prison again. The jailer always rubbed him the wrong way. The man was dedicated to his job, that much was sure, but he also was as thick as the walls surrounding him, making any kind of conversation rather pointless.

Jonk Lees sniffed in the cool evening air and overlooked the courtyard. It was the changing of the guards, causing some quiet and orderly commotion on the square. Behind him, the one of the two soldiers flanking the door to the dungeon left his post and was replaced by a fresh guard. Jonk still saw no sign of the Ecaflip when suddenly the remaining guard behind him spoke: "Captain, permission to speak?" Jonk turned around and saw a familiar sparkle underneath the guard's helmet. "Right," Captain Lees sighed, "Walk this way, Private." Jonk and the guard slowly walked to the center of the square. "What are you playing at, you blasted Bow Meow?" Jonk said with a controlled anger in his voice, "Where is the guard who was supposed to fill that post?" "Don't worry, Captain," Sulpa Venneir answered, "he's just taking an extra long toilet break. I've assured him that I would fill in for him until he was… ready." Jonk stared at the first stars appearing at the evening sky, still trying to retain his calm: "Right, let's get this over with, because I just about had enough of your little games, Agent Venneir. Did Master Joris give you the mission specifics?" Sulpa saluted as a true guard: "Indeed I have, Captain. I've read something about a large scale smuggling operation, but since we've yet found any proof, we cannot intervene. I just have one question, Captain: how did we learn of this smuggling ring without proof?" Jonk looked around just to make sure none of the guards got suspicious of their little conversation: "The word on the street is loud and clear: someone is smuggling large quantities of valuables out from under our noses. But every time we've tried to bust their operation, there was no contraband and there were no smugglers. All the tips we received were useless or our informants work both sides of the fence. Whatever the case, up until today we have not caught one smuggler red-handed. Even the navy is now searching every ship entering or leaving our nation's waters and still nothing." Sulpa repositioned the guard's spear: "So what you want from me is tangible proof. A valuable lead to the smugglers' den." "I want you to find out everything there is to know about these smugglers, Agent Venneir. Who they are, what they are smuggling and where they're smuggling it to. We've included a list of possible suspects and contacts, but approach them with caution. If these rats smell a trap, they'll crawl back into their hole and won't show whiskers for weeks to come." "Don't worry, Captain," Sulpa Venneir grinned mischievously, "catching rats is my specialty." At that moment, the delayed guard approached them with an uneasy air and saluted them both: "Captain, I apologize for my delay. I…" Jonk Lees raised his hand: "Say no more, Private. Just assume your post and all is forgotten." He glared sideways at Sulpa Venneir as the soldier saluted him and marched to rejoin his colleague next to the prison door. "You're dismissed as well, Private Venneir. And never let me see you in this outfit again, do you understand?" "Sir, yes sir!" The Ecaflip in disguise clicked his heels, saluted and set course for the barracks. Jonk did not take his eyes of the master spy until he had entered the building. After Sulpa was gone, he was about to leave when he noticed a small thistle on one of the perches, so he flicked out his billhook and cut the herb at the root with one swift motion. He put his harvest into his Jonk's bag and feeling invigorated by his passion, decided that the evening was too young to retire and headed out the castle gates.

Chapter 3

The rest of the Creaky Kraken's trip through Bontarian waters went by rather uneventful. Egol did notice a steady increase in ships as they approached one of the many harbors on the coast of Bonta. The relative safety of the territorial waters apparently attracted a lot of fishermen. As Egol remembered that all these vessels had to pay the guilds to fish within the boundaries of Bonta, he came to the conclusion that this guild had to be quite rich and powerful to maintain such a system. Cin set course for the docks of 5th Bond Avenue, situated right next to one of the busiest commerce centers in the city of Bonta. After having to wait two hours for one of the other ships to set sail, the Creaky Kraken's crew finally set foot on solid ground again.

As Ega and Thur started to unload the fish and Cin headed to the port authorities, Egol leaned on the rail and stared at the grand city before him. "So, what now?" Sekito asked from behind him, "You're going to look for your girl?" He joined his new-found friend at the railing. "Don't know yet," Egol said staring into the distance, "we have a congregation here, but according to my friend back at the monastery, she never passed there. I was hoping to gather some information about her in the city, but when I now see the size of it, I don't know if that's such a good idea anymore." "Yeah, and you've got to make sure you don't get lost in the winding streets and alleyways." "Oh, that doesn't worry me. Platine here is a perfect guide and will never lead me astray." On his shoulder, the Tofu clicked proudly. "That I believe," Sekito smiled and scratched the little Tofu's head, "but although Bonta is claimed to be the safest city in the World of Twelve, even she is not free of rogues and robbers hiding in her folds, hidden from the ever-watching eye of the guards. You've got to be careful out there."

"All right, you lazy larvae! Get your dirty feet of my ship and on shore! Everybody needs to shake off those sea-legs!" Cin shouted from the pier. He was accompanied by some sort of harbor official and two guards for another inspection. "They really take security serious here," Egol thought to himself. "You know what," Sekito said as they got off the ship, "I'll join you in your trip through the city. Can't let you wander around alone your first time here, now can I?" "Won't Thur mind you leaving him behind?" The Eniripsa waved his hand: "Ah, don't worry, he and Ega will be busy the next few hours with transporting and storing the fish. And afterwards they always hit the local pubs, so if we just make sure that we're back by that time, they won't mind." "Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it," Egol said as he put his robes back on, "All right, Platine, show us the way!" The Tofu clicked excitedly and flew into the streets.

Master Joris and his Cra companions heard the voices getting louder as they approached the source of the rumbling laughter. The voices sounded panicked, lost and chaotic, as a bunch of people caught in a burning building with no way out. With regular intervals they saw Riktus bandit flying by, propelled as if they were little pebbles. When they got within range of the source of flying bandits, they noticed a large band of Magic Riktus surrounding one larger bandit. A lone Badenalty, a hovering wizard variation of the Magic Riktus, was shouting instructions from the side of the rabble: "Restrain him, you runts! No, don't use your weapons! We can't harm the Boss!" "The boss?" Darius whispered as the trio crouched behind one of the fallen trees. "Yes, the big one in the middle," Joris explained, "it's Baddoboss, the leader of this Riktus faction. But something seems wrong." "I'll say," Sadjih commented, "It looks like his pummeling his subordinates. And liking it too, because it seems he's the source of the laughter." The giant bandit was indeed laughing madly while attacking the other Riktus. If he got hold of one, he used it as an improvised club on the other members before launching him into the forest at tremendous speed. "Where did he get such power?" Darius wondered, "I heard rumors about his strength, but this is ridiculous." "I also heard rumors about his prowess," Joris added, "Baddoboss is supposed to have a brain to match his brawn, but this looks more like the actions of a dumb brute than a tactical genius."

At that moment, the Badenalty was knocked back by one of his flying compatriots and hit the tree the heroes were using as hideout. "This is our chance," Joris pointed out, "Grab him!" The Cras grabbed the dazed bandit his arms and dragged him behind the log: "What the…? Who are you? What are you doing to me?" "Quiet," Sadjih ordered with her bow armed after they dropped him on the other side of the tree. "You thugs," the bandit spat, "making use of our moment of vulnerability to strike at us." "You struck at us," Darius replied, also with his weapon drawn, "one of your flying comrades wrecked our ride." Before the Riktus could reply, Master Joris intervened: "What is going on here? Why is your boss attacking his own people?" "None of your business, Bontarian!" the Badenalty replied. Joris sighed: "Right. If we help you subdue your leader, then will you answer our questions?" "You're just looking for an excuse to claim the bounty on his head!" the bandit screamed after which he was knocked out by Sadjih's bow: "He's not going to be of much help. Then we'll do it ourselves." "What about the other Riktus?" Joris asked. Darius put his hand on his shoulder as he revealed two windy beacons in his other hand: "Don't worry, we have a little tactic for that." He looked at Sadjih: "Disperse and conquer?" She smiled: "Disperse and conquer," and revealed to similar beacons. "This will blow them away. All right, on my mark… Go!"

With great synchrony, the Cra couple jumped up from behind the fallen tree and threw the beacons amidst the brawling Riktus. Before they could react, the archers followed up with a few well-aimed shots at the thrown beacons, activating the four of them almost simultaneously. This caused a small tornado blowing away the smaller bandits in all directions, leaving only the Baddoboss in the eye of the storm unharmed. Before the Riktus bandits had time to realize what had happened, Joris and the Cras moved in on the big bandit, riddling him with magic arrows. The light arrows seemed to bounce right off the bandit leader as he remained laughing through the shower of arrows, but it distracted him enough for Joris to approach him. The little hooded man jumped up, grabbed his log-like backpack with his one hand and with one smooth motion slammed it into the head bandit's face. Baddoboss staggered for a moment but soon resumed his laughter, swinging wildly at Master Joris. The dwarf barely evaded his fists and regrouped with the Cras out of his range: "He's beyond tough. Any ideas?" "New tactic," Sadjih suggested, "let's go for the Shake 'n Bake." "Right," Darius replied, "prepare yourself, Master Joris, we'll create you another opening." The mad giant was already storming in their direction when the two Cra moved in opposite direction. Darius jumped up into the air and fired an arrow at Baddoboss' feet, causing a small quake while Sadjih fired a shining arrow at his eyes that dissipated in a flash. Temporary destabilized and blinded, the giant almost tripped himself up while still moving towards Master Joris. Not waiting for him to recover, Joris went straight for his knees and with one single blow fell the towering rogue. The Cras followed up by nailing Baddoboss to the ground with a few dozen arrows.

They heard the Riktus boss' muffled laughter but for the moment, he didn't move a muscle. "So now what?" Sadjih wondered, "This won't hold him forever." "I think our next step is explaining it to them," Joris said as he pointed at the recovered Magic Riktus bandits. "I knew you just wanted to take down our leader!" the Badenalty floating above the other bandits yelled, "You'll pay for this dirty trick!" Both parties prepared to attack when Joris struck the ground with his log: "Hold it! Your leader is not dead. And we have no intention of bringing him in, as promised. The only thing we want to know is what exactly happened to him." The bandits seemed taken aback by this and looked hesitant at the floating bandit above them. He seemed to consider all options and then slowly descended before the Bontarian representative. "Prove it. Step away from our boss." Joris complied silently, not taking his gaze of the Badenalty. "All right men," the wizard screamed, "escort our glorious leader away from here!" The other Magic Riktus huddled around the pinned down Baddoboss and lifted him from the ground together. The sorcerer-bandit waited until his comrades were well on their way before speaking again: "Very good, Bontarian, have it your way. The reason our boss is acting so out of character is that rotten strawcrow character who barged into our lair. He did… something to Baddoboss that made him act this way. Before we could seize the masked man our boss went on a rampage, almost wrecking our hideout and everyone in his path. We chased him all the way here, but we were unable to subdue him." "And what about the strawcrow man?" Joris asked. "What do I know?" the bandit said annoyed, "He could still be in our lair, laughing maniacally. I hope he is, because when we get back he'll pay for this!" "Very good," Joris finally took his gaze off him, "thank you for this information and pray we do not meet again. Next time we will bring you in for the crimes you've committed." The rogue snorted as the heroes turned around and set course for the Riktus hideout: "If we get back our boss, we'll crush you, you little vigilante." "Uh, Lieutenant?" one of the Riktus tapped him on his shoulder. "What is it?" the Badenalty snapped. "We seem to have a little problem." The bandit pointed at Baddoboss towering over them, holding two struggling Riktus in each hand and laughing softly. "Oh crap…"

Platine happily guided Egol and Sekito through the crowded streets of 5th Bond Avenue. The Sinistro Tofu effortlessly fluttered over the stream of people, but the Xelor and the Eniripsa had a hard time keeping up, not only because of the dozens of people on their path, but also because Egol couldn't get enough of all the new sights and sounds of the big city. When he noted that none of the passers-by seemed genuinely surprised at the sight of a hooded Xelor monk, Sekito explained him that there were stranger things in this city to jump at. And with their congregation well settled-in, the monks had become a part of Bonta City just as everybody else. Platine led them through streets lined with carts and stalls trying to sell the strangest things. Sekito regularly had to ignore a pushy vendor trying to haggle, but Egol was left well alone. "They must have already learned in these parts that we don't carry around any kamas," he smiled under his mask, when suddenly a familiar voice sounded over the crowds: "You there, with the cloak of gloom, step this way!" Before he could react, Egol was pulled by his arm towards one of the bigger carts.

"Welcome to WOAH, my friend! You look like just the man who could use a fine walking staff to keep you company on your long pilgrimage." Egol lifted his cowl and found himself staring at a very familiar face: "Wally? Wally Maart?" The shop owner briefly interrupted his sales rant: "That's my name! And you are lucky enough to be standing in front of my prized little shop: WOAH. Wally's, Open All Hours, part of the Wally Maart Corporation and keeper of the lowest prices this side of Bonta! Now, about that cloak. Don't you think it would look much nicer in shade of purple? Indigo gives that much more class to a garment. And for the fast decider, I have here, only today, a fresh batch of purpurple, harvested only yesterday from the finest breed of Piwis." "Don't you recognize me?" Egol said through his sales pitch. The Enutrof dressed as a pioneer stared at him for a few seconds. "But of course I do! Wally always recognizes a good customer! That's why I'll throw in this bottle of rered if you buy the entire crate of purpurple, just to make that cloak of yours that much more vibrant!" "No," Egol continued, "it's me. We met on the beach back on Kalf-Cil-Fel. You pointed me towards the fisherman's village, remember?" Then the Enutrof understood: "Aah, you must mean my colleague at Beach Market Wally! Fine man, one of the WMC's boldest adventurers. He has set up shops where no man had set up shops before." "But…but… you look exactly alike?" Egol stammered. Sekito, who had finally caught up with his friend, laid his hand on Egol's shoulder: "Don't bother, Egol. Come, let's go and find your friends." Wally wanted to continue, but was distracted when a Cra warrior asked him about one of his bows. "But of course, my good man! The string of this bow was spun out of actual wool from the mythical Celestial Gobball!"

The sailors left the salesman to his business and waded on through the crowd. "I swear, Sekito, he looked identical to the Enutrof back on the beach," Egol said after a minute or two. "I know, buddy. Wally Maart and his chain of shops is one of the biggest mysteries in the World of Twelve," Sekito smiled, "He has carts, stalls and shops in all corners of every nation and each one of them is run by an identical Wally Maart, dressed as a pilgrim. Many have tried to figure out his secret, but to this day none has been able to figure it out. Some say he's just one man, using recall potions non-stop to jump from one shop to another. Others say they are brothers or the result some sort of cloning experiment or some kind of powerful magic spell. Truth is that nobody knows for sure." "And nobody has ever just asked him?" "Oh, don't worry," Sekito said, "his reputation even had Wally arrested by the Bontarian guards on suspicion of black magic and fraud, but even their interrogators got nothing out of him. He was released after a while by lack of evidence, or even lack of crime, for that matter. He may not look like it, but that red-bearded Enutrof is a shrewd business man. You're better off avoiding him if you can."

Platine led them into a broader boulevard and clicked excitedly. Egol stared down the street and saw why: halfway the boulevard stood a small podium with a few followers of the Hand of Xelor preaching the Word of Xelor to the masses. Granted, none of the people seemed to heed them and most of them even walked around in a big arch to avoid the little stage, but that didn't faze his friends. The front monk spoke in the typical metallic voice: "Regulate your inner clock. You are all slaves to the rush of the big city, swept away by its chaotic currents. Learn from us how you can create your own rhythm, your own time. We can show you… brother Rho!" Egol gave them a small bow as he approached the stage: "Greetings, brothers and sisters. The Hand of Xelor be with you." "And with you, my brother," the front monk replied and he bowed synchronously with the other monks. "Master Q informed us of your departure and your intention to visit us, so we have been expecting you." "So Egol", a female monk spoke, "you already have a follower?" The Xelors all looked at Sekito standing a few feet away from them. "Oh, forgive me," Egol said as he signaled his friend to approach, "This is Sekito i Bitna, part of the crew that brought me to Bonta and a new friend of mine." "Hi all," Sekito waved uncomfortably, "How's business?" The front monk sighed: "The Bontarians don't seem to realize that even in the City of Order, chaos is all around. Without the steady tick of Lord Xelor's clock people tend to give in to their erratic desires, leaving behind all structure and order. But that's why our work is never done. Please, follow us." One of the monks at the rear opened a door behind the stage.

Egol, Platine and Sekito followed the monks through a dimly lit corridor into a small antechamber filled with a large wooden table and some stools. While most of the monks continued down a second door, the leading monk pointed to two stools: "Please, have a seat." In the background, the sound of clicking gears was prominently present. When the other monks had left the room, their host joined them at the table with a pitcher of water and two cups: "I suppose you must be thirsty after your long journey." He filled the two cups and continued: "My name is Ethan Imala and I'm the senior brother here in our Bonta congregation. So, you are the legendary Egol Rho?" Sekito swore that he could see Egol blushing underneath his mask "Come now Brother, isn't that a bit exaggerated? I know I wasn't the worst in my class, but… legendary?" "Your modesty becomes you, Brother. But Master Q spoke very highly of you in his last communication. He also asked some questions about sister Quanti." "Yes, I asked him to," Egol said uneasily, "Apparently my friends here gave her a ride to Bonta, but since then we've lost every trace of her and I found it strange for her not to report in here at the congregation." "Yes, I understand," Ethan nodded, "and what is worse, she has not once offered her stored time to the Great Clock of Xelor. Nor have we been able to contact her Sinistro. It was for this reason we assumed the worst and have inquired with the city guards. But they informed us that there had been no incidents reported concerning a female Xelor." Egol slumped on his stool: "So you think she's…" "We don't know, Brother," Brother Imala sighed, "we've asked the other congregations to be on the lookout for her, but for the moment there's nothing more we can do for her. It still is a dangerous world out there, Egol." Sekito patted his friend on the back as he gave a deep sigh: "Don't worry just yet, buddy. My experience has taught me that the females are far more resilient than we give them credit for. Let's head back to the port and see if any of the sailors has seen her after she debarked." Sekito saw a small sparkle of hope in the illuminated Xelor eyes.

"Maybe you want to pray with us, Brother, before you depart? Xelor will give you the strength and wisdom you need to continue." Egol stood up: "Good idea, Brother. Please, lead the way." Sekito got up as well, but Ethan raised his hand: "I'm sorry, friend, but this for initiates only. Please be so kind to wait here." "Oh, okay. No problem." Sekito sat back down, feeling awkward. "Don't worry," Egol reassured him, "I won't be long. Platine will keep you company." The little Tofu landed on the Eniripsa's shoulder and clicked cheerfully. "Right, we'll manage," Sekito smiled lopsided as he scratched Platine under the beak. Egol bowed gratefully and followed Ethan down the second door. This led them through the dormitories and into a larger room filled with gears turning and clicking at their own pace. In the center, a bigger gear adorned with a large abstractly decorated needle seemed to power the entire contraption. The other monks had positioned themselves around the central gear and hovered in quiet meditation, slowly letting their time flow into the needle. Before they joined them, Ethan took Egol by the arm: "Brother, tell me, how well do you know your newfound friends?" Egol looked at him surprised: "What do you mean by that, Brother?" "Nothing. It's just that for the moment they are the last ones to see sister Quanti alive. I understand that they have been kind to you, but before you're absolutely sure, you cannot exclude them from the suspect list." Egol stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a sigh: "You're right, Brother. It's been bothering me every since I've met them. A few of them are rather rough around the edges, but I just don't see them capable of coldblooded murder." "That's because your vision has been tainted by the secluded years in the monastery, Egol. Not everyone has the best intentions at heart." "Master Q warned me about this as well," Egol admitted as they took their positions around the needle. "Heed your brethren's wisdom, Egol. We don't want to lose you as we did sister Quanti." Egol thought about this for a few moments, but then decided to let it go for the time being and slowly froze himself in time next to the other monks.

The Riktus hideout was a maze of mining tunnels and caves spread out under the entire Holey Forest, allowing the bandits to move unseen or escape unharmed. Foolish adventurers trying to apprehend the criminals had learned that the Magic Riktus had more than one surprise in store in the deepest recesses of their tunnels awaiting unwanted visitors. In the center of the tunnel complex, a larger hall served as main base for the bandits and was their leader's throne room, adorned with several flags and torches. Normally this place was filled with the laughter and shouting of Baddoboss and his lieutenants, but now it was silent but for one high-pitched giggle. In the center of the room, the Strawcrow had draped himself in Baddoboss' throne and held up a smiling Riktus mask: "Well, this feels just like home! All those smiling faces on the walls eying us, all the weaponry spread on the floor, the entire room spattered with blood. Wonderful!" He put the Riktus mask over his own strawcrow mask and stood up in the throne: "What do you think, boys? Want to join the Riktus?" Heckle and Jeckle, his two masked minions, looked up from the Riktus corpses they were rummaging for loot, looked at each other and then at the Strawcrow: "You serious, Boss?" The Strawcrow jumped off the chair and pranced towards the Pumpkin mask wearing goon. "Why not?" he asked, his smiling Riktus mask inches away from Heckle's face, "Don't I look better now?" "Well…" Heckle tried, "you do, but it's just not you." Strawcrow stared at him for a few seconds and then suddenly yelled: "And you think this is me?" He pulled of the Riktus mask and pointed at his strawcrow mask, slowly advancing on the masked thug. "You think this bag o' bugs suits me better than this one-eyed hood? That I'm more at home in a field of barley than in a dark, dank thieves' hideout?" Pinned between the cave wall and his master, Heckle desperately tried to save the situation in his own intelligent fashion: "No, of course not, Boss, I mean, it's just, you know." Jeckle wanted to come to his friend's aid, but then noticed the threat leaving Strawcrow's voice: "Oh, don't worry, you pumpkin head," Strawcrow said amiably while patting him on the head, "I do know what you mean. These are all facades," he said waving the Riktus mask, "which we will be able to drop soon. Why, the Professor has given all the necessary tools to complete our mission and now it's only a matter of time before we can reap what we have sown all these years!" "But eh…" Jeckle interjected, "Shouldn't we be collecting more, Boss? At this rate, it'll take years before we have enough." "Patience, my hollow henchman," Scarecrow laughed as he headed back to the throne, "Victory should be savored like a nice wine: first let the vintage breathe and afterwards nip it down. Not in one gulp, but in small, ravishing portions, making the experience last as long as possible. I've worked years to get where I am now," he said while slumping back into the Riktus throne, "and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it!"

"I'm afraid we're going to have to cut your little party short." Strawcrow jumped up in his seat: "What the? Who dares to enter my lair?" but immediately calmed down again when he saw where the voice came from. In one of the entrances off the great hall Master Joris stood defiantly, flanked by Sadjih and Darius with their bows drawn: "So you are the one who put a spell on the Baddoboss." The Strawcrow sat himself back down: "Well if it isn't the honorable Master Joris. To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence, o untouchable one?" "I am here to stop you, villain! I have no doubt in my mind that you are the cause of this madness plaguing Amakna and I will make sure that you have infected your last victim!" "Infected?" Scarecrow laughed, "my incorruptible friend, I have done no such thing. I have cleansed them. Freed them of their vices! They have become better people since I treated them. You should be thanking me…" His voice became more menacing again: "and you will, soon enough. Heckle, Jeckle, get them!" From the side of the room, Heckle and Jeckle stormed the three-headed party, screaming and brandishing their weapons. In a split second, the Cras turned their bows towards the two henchmen and focused their fire on them while Joris darted towards the throne. Strawcrow laughed madly as he backflipped behind the throne, avoiding Joris and his log-hammer. Before Joris could prepare a second attack, the throne exploded into a smokescreen, knocking the little Bontarian on the floor. As the smoke engulfed Joris, he heard his Cra friends shout in the distance: "Master Joris!"

He tried to get up but then heard a faint click and found himself staring into a plunger/funnel-like device. As the smoke cleared, he saw that the plunger was mounted on a primitive harpoon-like gun and connected to Strawcrow's backpack with a thin tube. "Allow me to demonstrate," the Strawcrow giggled, defiantly aiming his gun at Joris, "how I intend to purify this world. How I alone will turn this chaotic cesspool into a peaceful pond." "And how could one man quell the conflicts that have been raging for ages?" Joris swore he could almost see the Strawcrow smile through his mask: "I'm glad you asked." The masked man suddenly pointed his gun away from Joris and fired the plunger-projectile at Darius who had just subdued one of the henchmen and was coming to Joris' aid. Taken off guard by this reaction, the Cra reacted to late and took the plunger straight in the face. "Now let's turn that frown upside down," the Strawcrow explained as if he was giving a demonstration in a classroom. He flipped a lever on his backpack and for a moment, the tube connecting the plunger to the backpack glowed bright purple. Before anyone could react, the plunger detached from Darius' face and was retracted onto the gun at high speed. Everyone in the room seemed to stare at Darius as he just stood there, motionless, with a blank stare and a broad smile chiseled on his face. After a few moments of absolute silence, the male Cra slowly started to laugh. Softly at first, but then louder and louder, until he was laughing as madly as the Strawcrow, who joined in.

Joris seemed to snap out of the spell of the moment and stared at the villain: "You… monster!" He jumped up and swung his weapon at the strawcrow man, who avoided it almost effortlessly, laughing all the way. "Oh come now, Bontarian Knight, can't you see the improvement?" Joris didn't respond and continued to attack while the Strawcrow kept avoiding his blows. As the Strawcrow backed up towards the previous location of the throne, he almost tripped over the elevated platform. Using this moment of distraction, Joris swung his log as hard as he could and hit the masked man straight in his stomach, catapulting him over the throne platform and hard against the back wall. Strawcrow slumped forward on his hands and knees and tried to regain his breath, letting out a strange mixture of coughing and laughing: "That's… not very… stoic of you, my hooded hero." Joris readied his weapon for the next attack: "I will give no quarter to monsters like you. What have you done to my friend?" Strawcrow slowly got up and wagged his finger: "Ah, ah, ah, it's too soon for major plot revelations. Now it's time for the villain to make a clean getaway and leave the heroes in distress." The strawcrow man pulled a large cord dangling against the wall and before Joris could reach him six life-size Magic Riktus marionettes fell from the ceiling, blocking the path between the two adversaries. "Is this a joke?" Joris asked as the puppets seemed to come alive and brandished their wooden weapons. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" Strawcrow laughed from behind his army of puppets. Joris prepared to attack them when he suddenly noticed the marionettes twitching as if they were trying to fight the grip of the strings: "Those… those are no puppets!" "Oooh," Strawcrow moaned, "you found out too soon! It would have been much more fun had you found out after you had beaten them to a bloody pulp! But don't worry, I've built in a fail-safe." He pointed at the ceiling were the strings were attached. Joris looked up and saw a rickety wooden construction serving as pulley for the cords loaded with bombs and explosive devices. "Should my puppets become untied," Strawcrow explained, "that little platform will tip over and rain fiery destruction on this hall, bringing down the forest on top of us!" "You are truly mad," Joris replied, "now that you've told me of your plan, we'll be able to foil it." "You might," the Strawcrow shrugged, "but what about your friend?"

Only then Joris became aware of Darius' laughter becoming louder, accompanied by Sadjih's screaming: "Darius, stop! Don't do it!" Joris spun around and saw the maddened Cra firing his bow aimlessly, causing magical arrows flying through the big hall. Heckle and Jeckle were already hightailing out of the room when he laughingly charged another arrow, chuckling: "He, he, he. Shake 'n Bake." Sadjih tried to reach her friend but couldn't stop him from firing his arrow at the ceiling of the cave. The impact caused the cave to shudder slightly but the rock formation didn't crack. Joris exhaled in relief, but learned from the commotion behind him that the gagged-up puppets did not share his relief. He looked up again and saw a few of the bombs balancing on the edge of the plank. He shouted at Sadjih: "Sadjih! Up there! We have to prevent those bombs from falling!" The female Cra turned her attention away from her ailing friend and looked just in time to see the first bomb falling: "Too late!" She fired an arrow at the falling bomb, causing it to detonate mid-air. This cleared the present threat, but the blast had severed the ropes of the puppets, causing them to fall on the floor and releasing the other bombs who were still lying on the shelf. Joris instinctively jumped at the puppets, pushing them clear of the rain of bombs. He realized that this would make little difference as the combined explosion would kill them all, but it was all he could think off at the time. His Cra companion on the other hand had one more trick up her sleeve: she hurled a windy beacon at the bomb avalanche, followed seconds later by a magic arrow aimed at the beacon. The arrow hit the beacon at the exact moment it passed underneath the bombs, causing a violent wind burst amidst the bombs, propelling them to all corners of the hall. "Run!" Sadjih shouted while she grabbed her brother by his sleeve and headed for the nearest exit. The hall was filled with the thunderous roar of dozens of bombs exploding almost simultaneously as Joris herded the freed puppets to the exit in the back of the room as quickly as he could. Only moments after they headed through the door the entire room came crashing down, filling the hallways with dust and darkness.

As the dust settled down, Joris revealed a small luminescent rock from his haven bag, lighting up the hallway: "Is everybody all right?" In the faint glow of his makeshift lantern, he saw the puppets come to life, shaking and jerking, trying to take off their cords and masks. To his horror Joris saw the same frozen smile and blank stare as with Darius when they revealed their faces. And the moment they removed their gags, they started chuckling and giggling, moving around spastically, pushing each other around. One of the smiling zombies noticed Joris and decided he looked fun to play around with, but Joris had no intention in joining his little game. He threw his glowing rock in the center of the Strawcrow's victims as a distraction and grabbed one of the discarded ropes as a weapon. Before the grinning puppets noticed what was going on, Joris encircled them with the rope and retied them in one group. Unable to move, they started laughing uneasily and tried to break free from their predicament. While they struggled wildly, Joris grabbed a small flask from his sack and lobbed it in the middle of the entangled group. Slowly the laughter died down and a few moments later, the zombies sagged almost in unity. "Thank Eniripsa," Joris whispered, "If they had decided to turn on me as Baddoboss had, I had been in trouble. Now, let's take care of them and then find us a way out of here."

The previously bristling Bontarian boulevard had grown quiet in the soothing moonlight when Egol and Sekito said their goodbyes to the little congregation. "Xelor be with you, my friends," Ethan bowed at Egol and Sekito, "and never forget that we're but a Sinistro away, my brother." Egol bowed back respectfully: "Do not worry, my brother, you will hear from me again soon when I have recovered our sister." Ethan bowed again and slowly closed the door, leaving the two friends out in the streets by themselves. "Well, it's too late now to do anything, so I suggest we head back to the ship," Sekito finally spoke. "Oh… right," Egol said distantly, "Yes, that seems like the best thing to do. Platine?" The Tofu had perched herself on one of the nearby street signs and clicked affirmatively. "Please take us back to the harbor." The two companions walked silently next to each other through the torch-lit streets of Bonta. It was after their third turn that Sekito finally broke the silence: "Are you all right, Egol? You haven't said a word since we left the congregation." "Yeah, I'm sorry, Sekito. I've got a lot on my mind right now." "Did something happen back there that got you worrying like this?" Egol seemed to consider this: "No. No, not really. We just prayed to Xelor for a little while in silence. It's just that seeing the Order again has got me thinking. I've only been gone for a few days and already I seem to have forgotten all about our beliefs, our rules,… I was perfectly content in being a part of the Creaky Kraken's crew. I even almost forgot about them…" "Them?" Sekito echoed, "Who are you referring to? Your fellow monks?" "Uh, no… yes…" Egol tried, but quickly gave up: "No. I meant my parents. They have gone missing for some time now and one of the reasons I was so eager to accept my mission was my hope to find some clues of their whereabouts." Egol sighed and tucked his hands in his sleeves. "My word, Egol" Sekito commented, "you're a one-man missing persons agency. But it's a big world out there, how you plan to find three people in this sea of souls drifting about on Ogrest's Floods?" This only seemed to depress Egol even more: "I… I don't know, Sekito. In the monastery, I had high hopes that I could find them, believing that Xelor would guide me in their direction, but out here Xelor's influence seems far weaker than it felt back home."

Suddenly, Platine fluttered a few inches from his face, clicking and ticking encouragingly. Sekito jumped back: "What's her problem?" Egol extended his arm, allowing the little bird to perch on his wrist. "You're right, Platine, I can't abandon my faith for every little bump in the road. Xelor works in mysterious ways. As long as I live by His Hand, I will succeed eventually." "You understand your Tofu?" Sekito asked with a little doubt in his friend's sanity. "Platine and I share a… special bond. And she's no ordinary Tofu either. Show him, Platine." The Tofu flew off Egol's arm, checked both ends of the street and then hovered in front of the two friends. Her eyes started to glow and with a small flash, she transformed into her Sinistro form. "Wow!" Sekito exclaimed, "What's that?" Platine hovered a little closer to the Eniripsa. "This is a Sinistro," They are special envoys of the God Xelor. They can transport themselves through time and space and allow us to communicate with each other through them. They can even manipulate the time stream a bit. Every monk leaving the monastery is assigned one so we can keep in touch." Sekito carefully tried to touch Platine's pendulum tail. "We didn't want to deceive anyone, but we've learned that the sight of one little Sinistro alarms a great many people, so the clever little creatures have found a way to conceal themselves as everyday objects and animals." "Fascinating," Sekito murmured, "I've heard about these creatures before, but never witnessed one for real." "Now I hope our secret is safe with you?" "Off course, off course," Sekito affirmed him, "You don't have to worry about that…. So, what else can she do?"

After a short demonstration of Platine's abilities, the trio continued their journey back to the Creaky Kraken in a lighter mood than the one they had departed in at the congregation. When they took another turn down one of the deserted streets, they noticed one of the carts was still illuminated by a single lantern. It was the WOAH-cart of Wally Maart. "Wow, when he says 'open all hours', he really means open all hours," Egol remarked, "And he even has customers at this hour!" Sekito squinted his eyes and said: "Aren't that… Ega and Thur? Hey, Ega! Thur!" The Eniripsa waved enthusiastically at their fellow crewmembers. The Sacrier and the Iop on the other hand didn't seem very pleased to see them as they acted as if they were caught red handed. Ega immediately approached them obviously not pleased by their presence: "What are you two doing here?" "Um, hi Ega," Sekito tried, "we were just on our way back to the ship. We've been visiting…" "I don't care," she interrupted, "you two have no business being out here this late. Even the streets of Bonta aren't safe at this hour for two whippersnappers like yourselves!" "I..I'm sorry, Ega," Sekito reacted surprised, "we didn't want to worry you guys." "Never mind, just get back before I lose my patience!" She didn't need to say that twice, so Sekito and Egol got out of there as fast as they could. When they passed Wally Maart's cart, Egol noticed that Wally's outfit was a bit messier than it was in the afternoon.

It was not until after they passed the corner that they both slowed down. "Phew, that was a close call," Sekito sighed, "Just our luck to run into Ega in a bad mood." "I wonder what got her into that mood," Egol pondered, "Wally Maart didn't seem too happy with his late-night customers." "Well, if he managed to swindle one of them, I wouldn't be very happy either, knowing what was coming," Sekito joked. "Yeah well, let's make sure we're not around when they're done with him. I wouldn't like to become Ega's punching bag." Laughing and joking, the pair reached their ship without any more trouble. Platine flew ahead to check the ship and came back with the report that there was no one on board. "The captain's probably getting wasted in his favorite tavern, the Sea Dragon. We better go and pick him up. Last time, the bar keeper was not very pleased with the mess he left." "Really, Captain O'Card? He seemed more like a… quiet drinker to me," Egol remarked. "Yeah, until he's provoked. And in these sailor bars, that happens more than often." They both sighed "I really could have used a good night's rest after this eventful day." "Yeah, I know, but with Ega and Thur still in town he has no one to take on -and deal- out the punches when push comes to shove." The two friends slumped their shoulders, turned around and headed for the Sea Dragon.