Ch.124: We Fight for our Crew! The Desert Beasts' Stand Up!

"What are you doing?"

Ambrosine retracted her hand from the keys hanging in front of her and glared at Edwin. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Edwin bared his teeth. "Something you're going to regret if you lay a hand on those things. The Shadow King will have this entire place on lockdown if he finds out someone stole them."

Ambrosine scoffed. "I've made it clear I don't want to stay here for any longer. I'm leaving, and with these keys."

"What do you plan on doing with them?"

"Simple. I'm going to barter."

Edwin's eyes widened. "H-Huh?"

Ambrosine turned around and held her hips. "Team Ravenfield has the other three keys. Sooner or later, they'll find the remaining four. I'm going to barter with them to use the Idol of Origin."

"W-What?"

Ambrosine glared. "The Idol of Origin is a mystical artifact said to bring reality to its knees. It's a simple trade. In exchange for the remaining keys, I get to use the Idol of Origin and make a wish."

Edwin narrowed his eyes. "What could you possibly wish for? Bring back your brother?"

"No." She gritted her teeth. "I'm going to erase Death."

"…" Edwin pressed his palms together, took a deep breath, and let out a calm, collected, "Excuse me?"

Ambrosine gripped her chest. "You didn't see what I saw. I never want to see the darkness again. I never felt more alone and scared in my life. I had to sit through that for an eternity. I never again want to go back there, and I refuse to let anyone else see it."

"Ambrosine, really think about what you just said," Edwin said slowly. "You want to erase the concept of death. That's insane."

Ambrosine shook her head. "No one wants to die, and no one should have to see what I saw." She turned back to the hanging keys. "If I had the choice, I would sacrifice anyone and anything to preserve my own life. I refuse to see the darkness again."

"Ambrosine, you're a smart girl, so I think even you would know why that's a stupid idea. Erasing death means no one can die. You're not asking for everyone to have eternal youth, you're removing a natural part of life. The entire world would be overcrowded in several hundred years or more, probably by walking corpses. Sure, doesn't matter now, but I imagine immortality has a funny way of messing with your perception of time."

Ambrosine waved it off. "I don't care. I just don't want to die again. I refuse to. Besides, if the Shadow King can't kill anyone, that means Team Ravenfield can easily defeat him in time."

"The opposite is also true," Edwin reminded. "I don't know if shadows even go to the afterlife or if they're even living creatures, but they would likely be exempt from the same rule. Also, fun fact, eternal life doesn't mean immunity to suffering!"

Ambrosine growled. "Why are you even lecturing me? Aren't you on their side? Shouldn't you be stopping me?"

"What do you think I'm doing?! I'm trying to stop you from doing something stupid!"

"Stupid?!" Ambrosine turned and stamped her foot down. "What's so stupid about not wanting to die?! Do you know what it's like waking up in a cold sweat every night after having a dream of your own tombstone?! Or vividly remembering having a spike impaled through your chest?! I've seen Death up close and I never, ever want to meet it again! Death is a merciless spirit who wishes for absolute, indiscriminate suffering!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Edwin grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the secret compartment. "We're leaving now before you get us in trouble."

"Let go of me!" Ambrosine dug her heels in and fought against his grip.

"Stop being stubborn!" Edwin growled. He slammed his leg into hers, flipping her onto her back. He grabbed her arms and dragged her out the door.

"I won't die again! I refuse to die again!" Ambrosine bit down on his hand, which forced Edwin to let go. She scrambled to her feet and raced toward the keys. "Death is a curse by the gods! I'm curing the world of that disease!"

"Don't do something stupid just because you're still grieving over your brother!"

Her hand stopped centimeters from the keys. Tears peeked from the corner of her eyes, staring at the three glowing relics. Edwin stood up, waving off his aching hand, and approached her.

"I get it. You were given a second chance most would wish for, and your brother gave up everything for you." Edwin glared. "Does this hyperbolic obsession with preserving your life have anything to do with you holding his life force?"

Ambrosine's hand trembled, inching away from the keys as she turned her gaze to the floor. "I…"

Edwin sighed and pinched between his eyes. "Look, I get why you're upset. You felt like you weren't worth anything. Your brother got all the glory, your mother doted on him, and you were stuck in their shadows. You're upset. You're still grieving because someone with a good future threw it all away for something you deem…worthless."

Ambrosine curled her fist and clenched her teeth. "Helping others…is a burden on yourself. Being a medical magician means putting the lives of others over my own. They aren't worth my sympathy, my patients. I'm better off just living a life where I'm not a burden on others or myself. Why can't I have that?"

Edwin frowned. "I can't speak for you, but even you know this is ridiculous. You got over a heart attack a little while ago. You're not thinking straight."

Ambrosine frowned sadly. "Maybe…"

He touched her shoulder and pulled her away from the keys. "Leave them be. If you still want to escape, maybe I can do something."

Ambrosine looked up at him. "Why…are you being so nice to me?"

Edwin sighed and scratched behind his head. "Didn't I tell you? You can't afford to be nice in a gang like Count Aeternus'. Doesn't mean I can't try. I only took the job for the money. Now look at me. Practically have that inky darkness swimming in me."

Ambrosine closed her eyes. "I should lay down."

"Yeah, you should." Edwin walked ahead. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone notices."

Ambrosine nodded meekly. "Y-Yeah, right. Let's-" She stepped forward, then felt a surge of pain go through her right leg, from where Edwin kicked her. "Agh!" She recoiled and bounced on one leg, colliding into the shelf behind her.

Edwin flinched and glared at her. "Clumsy idiot."

Ambrosine rubbed her head, then glared back. "You're the one who kicked me too hard, you big…jerk…" She saw something sparkling in her lap. She glanced down, then paled at the three keys sitting right in front of her. "Uh…"

Edwin's complexion turned snow white. "Oh…shit."

Ambrosine clambered to her feet and scooped the keys up. "M-Maybe we can put them back before someone notices!" Her eyes widened as a dark tempest sprouted out behind her. She turned and peered into two blood red eyes forming from inside the cloud. "AH!" She staggered and fell onto her rear, keys pressed between her arms and chest.

"What do we have here?" A hand stretched out and stamped the ground. The tempest took shape into a phantom, with Nightmare taking form. "As I suspected. It was only a matter of time before you pathetic pirates started a mutiny."

Ambrosine scrambled from the shelf. "W-Wait, this is a big misunderstanding! I just bumped into the shelf! T-Tell him, Ed-!" She turned her head and gasped as the bare space at the door. Not a Simisage in sight. Oh, you son of a bitch, Edwin! Ambrosine froze as Nightmare snaked around her, claws to her throat.

"You were always untrustworthy. I could see it in your eyes. You were plotting to escape with the keys for yourself."

Ambrosine grinned nervously. "Uh…I don't suppose you would accept a bribe, right?"

Nightmare responded by slapping across the room and into the hallway. Ambrosine bounced off the wall and fell on her face, groaning in pain. Nightmare loomed over her, shaping his arm into a blade. "All traitors to the Shadow King must be exterminated."

Ambrosine pushed herself up. "P-Please, I didn't do anything! I'm not stealing!"

"Then explain why you were in the king's quarters."

"I…took a wrong turn?" Her eyes shrank at the dark beam building in his fingertip. Her heart pounded wildly, contorting in discomfort. She gripped her chest and hyperventilated frantically. No, no, no! No, I can't die here! I don't want to go back! Anything but there!

Just as her cries seemed meaningless, a loud squawk sounded down the hall. "Away, vile shadow!" Nightmare gasped as Jeffery slammed into him and viciously slashed his face with his talons. "Have some of this, you flagitious, felonious phantom!"

"What in the name of-?!" Nightmare shouted, grabbing the Chatot's throat and slamming him to the floor. "So, there was a mutiny."

"You are lousy bosses!" Nightmare spotted Leigh, who dashed past and bisected him down the middle. Her battle claws, wrapped in a thick red aura, tore his body to pieces and sent them scattering across the air.

Ambrosine quickly healed her heart while gawking at her saviors. "What are you all-?"

"Hurry!" Indigo suddenly picked Ambrosine up and carried her on her back. "We're busting out of here, now!"

"Ah!" Ambrosine wrapped her arms around Indigo with Leigh and Jeffery tagging behind. "I-I don't understand. I thought you were all mad at me. And why is Jeffery helping?"

Jeffery scowled. "Don't accused me as some merciless jackass!"

"You kind of are," Leigh stated bluntly.

"Shut it!" Jeffery shouted before continuing with Ambrosine. "They explained everything to me, and I knew exactly what you would try. You went after the blasted keys!"

Ambrosine flinched. "Am I that transparent?"

"Idiot!" Jeffery scolded. "We'll deal with this later! That shadow freak won't stay lacerated forever!" He pointed at Leigh. "Contact the captain immediately!"

"I've tried, but he's not responding."

"I don't give a damn! Our lives are in danger!"

Leigh rolled her eyes. "Good grief." She pulled out her crystal orb. "Contact Captain Arid."

The orb hummed at her request and, for a moment, looked like the call would be denied again until an image came through. Leigh was surprise and thankful, though didn't see her captain's face come up. It didn't matter.

"Captain Arid, do you read me?" Leigh asked, looking over her shoulder quickly. "You have to get back here! Ambrosine stole the keys! Things are getting out of hand! The shadows are going to slaughter us at any minute! You hear me? They're going to kill us!"

"Is he picking up?" Jeffery asked.

"Someone did, but he's not respond-" The image immediately fizzled out. "Huh? What happened?"

Indigo huffed. "We'll worry about it later! The others are meeting by the Wasteland! Let's move!" She turned a corner and raced toward the docking station.

Ambrosine adjusted her hold on Indigo, still confused. "I-I still don't understand. How did you all know I was in danger?"

"That Edwin guy called us from his crystal orb! He told us you stole the keys!"

"I-I wasn't trying to-!" Ambrosine tried to argue, but sighed in defeat. There wasn't a point to defending herself now. "J-Just get me out of here, please!"

"No one will leave here alive!" The pirates looked over their shoulders and gasped as Nightmare came barreling down the hall, shaped into a snarling beast that cracked the ground with every stomp. "Night's Horror!" He formed a ball of black electricity and fired, setting the entire corridor ablaze in lightning.

The pirates scattered like panicked children, dodging bolts with only hairs singed off. Leigh battered a bolt away and sent it flying into Nightmare, but the apex shadow brushed off his own attack like a sprinkling of dust.

"Terror Chord!" He wailed an earsplitting shriek.

Indigo and Leigh fought through it, but the wail stunned Jeffery, rattling his eardrums, and knocked him out of the air. Leigh snatched and carried the Chatot under her arm, still resisting the deathly shriek.

"He's relentless!" Leigh shouted.

"What?!" Indigo yelled back. Blood flowed from her ears.

Ambrosine pressed her hands down on her ear canals as hard as she could, glaring back at the stomping shadow. "Leigh! Cut a hole in the floor!"

"What?!" Leigh shouted.

"I said- oh screw it, I'm not playing this game!" Ambrosine reached out and, with a simple touch, amplified Leigh's magic. "Cut. Floor. Now!" Ambrosine enunciated, pointing vigorously at the floor.

Thankfully, the message got through to the Togetic assassin. She coated her battle claws, dashed ahead, and slashed the floor open. The rectangular tile collapsed as Indigo stepped on it, with Leigh following behind.

Nightmare ended his attack and dove after them. "Fools! I am a shadow! You can never outrun me!"

Ambrosine quickly healed her friends' damaged eardrums just as they landed on the next floor. Indigo, taking off again, shouted, "Why did we go down? We're farther from the ship now!"

"You said the others were at the ship, right?" Ambrosine reminded. "We need to buy them time to get it started up so we can escape! We can't have Nightmare on our tail, or we're screwed!"

"The second the Shadow King hears of this, we will be screwed," Leigh grumbled.

Nightmare kept pace with them from above. He clicked his fingers and summoned multiple Spears of Darkness. He clicked them again and sent the spears raining down on the small group.

"Catch!" Leigh shouted, throwing Jeffery to Ambrosine.

"Wah!" Ambrosine fumbled with the Chatot's limp body before securely catching him.

Leigh turned on her heel and lunged at the spears. Her eyes glowed with dark red magic. "Hunter Frenzy!" She swung her arms wildly, casting a barrier made purely of red slashes and shredding through the shadow spears.

Nightmare inhaled and fired off Terror Chord. Leigh quickly covered her ears as the spell slammed her into the floor. Nightmare dove and pinned Leigh by the throat. He raised his sword arm to behead her, but Indigo stopped and fired an explosive arrow into Nightmare's face, pushing him away.

Leigh flipped, striking Nightmare in the chin, and fluttered her wings to catch up with the others. Nightmare's face reformed, then he brought his hands together.

"Final Nightfall!" The mass of dark energy crackled between his hands before firing out into a destructive beam.

Jeffery, recovering from his injuries, heard the ripping sound of the beam and yelled, "Hard left, now!"

Leigh slashed open a wall and shoved the group through, narrowly avoiding the beam. The corridor rumbled from the pressure, leaving a smoldering trail in the beam's wake.

Leigh panted hard and wiped her brow. "Too close."

"Yeah, but now we're trapped," Indigo pointed out, nothing they were in a food storage room. "We're in the basement. We're nowhere near the stairs to get out of here."

Leigh covered her mouth. "Let's be rational. Keep your auras low." She pulled out her crystal orb.

Things weren't going better for the Desert Beasts. Once Ambrosine's accidental scheme was made public, every shadow and Anguis goon occupying the base flooded the halls in search of the rogue pirates. Powered by frustration, the Desert Beasts mowed their way through as many of them as they could until reaching the Wasteland.

Unfortunately, the shadows anticipated their plan and wrapped the ship down in shadow chains, binding it to the floor. Now the pirates were working tirelessly to break the chains off, all while fending off the angry mob of goons and shadows.

Jones kicked a coupe Anguis thugs off the side of the ship while trading clashes with a shadow. "Get your grubby mitts off my ship!" he yelled, pushing the shadow off and slashing its head off.

Rico and Ray defended Jones on the quarterdeck with flintlocks loaded with light pellets. They ripped the shadows to shreds, but weren't as effective against the Anguis thugs, who were heavily armored. "There's too many of them!" Rico shouted.

"Better them than their bosses!" Ray replied, firing behind the railing and nailing a Scizor in the shoulder. He pulled out his sound orb and fired off a shrieking pulse that blew back both forces.

A few shadows rose over the deck and fired down shadow beams, but Drake jumped down from the mast and slashed them to pieces in a few strokes. He landed, gazed up at the enemy, and stated, "You will all suffering from my blade."

The thugs pulled out guns and fired. Drake slashed and deflected their shots away from the quarterdeck. Meanwhile, Banama, Lyra, Malcom, and Pain Train were trying to undo the chains.

Banama slammed his foot vigorously against the constructs, trying in vain to break them. "Grr, I can't even fry them off without setting the ship on fire." Lyra pulled on hers, feet pressed to the side of the ship.

Malcolm drove a knife into the chains, gaining little success, then noticed Pain Train wasn't helping. He just floated in front of the ship. "Get your lazy ass to work, PT!"

Pain Train shushed his remarks, trying to focus his magic. "They are foolish if they think mere chains can stop me. There's no binding I can't unlock. I'll need some time, though."

Malcolm pulled himself back onto the ship. "The others better get here by then. Hmm?" Malcolm turned, then took a hard punch across the face from a Hitmonchan.

"I've been waiting to kill you shitty pirates since Day 1," he taunted, swinging another punch into the Golduck's face.

It connected, but didn't deliver the same force as before. Malcolm resisted his blow and now locked eyes with the boxer, who nearly fainted at the death glare being delivered. Malcolm grabbed his wrist and calmly pulled his arm away. "On second thought, let them take their time."

A few punches later, the Hitmonchan sail across the deck and slammed into a few thugs and shadows. Malcolm rammed his shoulder into another thug and slammed his knee into his pelvis, then bashed his head into the floor with a hard punch. An Aggron tried to grab Malcolm from behind, but suddenly took a cannon blast to the face.

"Arr! No one's takin' down us pirates!" Julius exclaimed, firing wildly into shadows and Anguis thugs.

Zerif sliced and diced shadows, hopping around the ship. "Where's the captain? We can't leave without him!"

Tyrone kept his distance from the fighting, using a flintlock to score some takedowns. "I don't think he's even in the base!"

"Then where the hell is he?!" Smith screamed, running for his life.

"Worry about yourselves, you pansies," Graham scolded. He jumped onto the main deck and battered thugs away with his battel axes. "Unless you want to die today, shut up and fight."

"We don't need the commentary, Graham!" Julius argued, knocking a number group off the shup.

Graham swiped his leg and knocked a couple thugs on their backs, then tossed his axe into a shadow. The shadow threw the awe away, leaving it wide open for a surprise assault by Cheshire. "Got you!" Cheshire laughed, gripping for dear life as the shadow tried to shake him off.

They bounced around the ship with the shadow trying in vain to remove the Banette. Cheshire pulled out his knife, cut his finger, and drew a blood rune on the blade. He drove the blade into the shadow's neck.

"I am Cheshire, a Curse Weaver! Feel the sting of my curse!"

The shadow finally grabbed Cheshire's throat and prepared to rip his vocal cords out, but felt the curse suddenly take effect. The shadow twisted and squirmed in agony as its body deteriorated into mush.

Cheshire fell onto the ship with a hard landing, but laughed regardless at the shadow's misfortune. "Curse of Decay! Have fun removing that, if you live!"

Jones kicked another set of goons off the ship, then shouted at Pain Train, "Hurry up! We need to get this ship moving!"

"Don't rush me!" Pain Train yelled back. "This is a delicate process!"

Jones groaned, then grabbed hold of the wheel. "Forget it, I'm getting this ship airborne, chains or no chains."

"But the wings are pinned down!" Tyrone reminded, firing off a few rounds into the crowd.

"True, but we have a backup flight system." Jones opened a panel in the wheel and pulled a cord.

Eight panels opened up on the bottom of the ship, surprising the thugs on ground level. A Ferrothorn went under to investigate, but was blown back by a sudden torrent of wind ejecting from the panels. He got the briefest glimpse of a green rune etched inside the compartment.

"Aero Rune Thrusters, engage!"

Winds shot out of the ship and blew away everyone beside the ship. Thugs and shadows smacked into the walls while dust clouded the air. The ship slowly rose off the floor, fighting against the pull of the chains.

Everyone on the ship staggered from the shaky lift. Malcolm bashed a Golem's head into the ship, then looked over the edge. "Shit, when did you install these, Jones?!"

"A while ago!" he shouted over the roar of the jets. "Handy backup unit in case the wings ever got damaged!"

The ship groaned against the chains. With the steady rise, they became stagnate in the air, with the chains pressing hard into the exterior and gradually ripping into the wood.

"The ship's going to get torn apart if we keep rising!" Banama shouted. "Jones, turn off the jets!"

"I'm not letting anymore of those bastards on my ship!" Jones yelled.

Lyra waved frantically at Pain Train, who shouted, "I know, I know! I'm going as fast as I can!"

"You will never escape!" A shadow blindsided Pain Train and smacked out of the air.

"PT!" the crew cried.

Pain Train got caught in the jet winds and flew into the wall. He tried to get out, but a shadow caught him by the arm and dragged him into the brunt of the winds. The force of the winds and the dust flying into him was almost too much to bear. The winds were especially cold, too, like sitting in a blizzard unprotected.

Banama growled, then yelled, "Jones, turn off the jets! PT can't disable the chains! We're going to get ripped to pieces!"

Jones clenched his teeth. "I've got no choice, do I?" He reached to deactivate the jets, but Tyrone blocked his hand suddenly. "Huh? Tyrone?"

The Tyrogue nervously looked at the rushing winds of the jets, then took a deep breath. "Don't turn off the jets. I got this."

"Wait, what are you-?" Tyrone suddenly booked it over the edge and dove into the wind torrent. "Tyrone?!"

Tyrone clenched his fist and activated the blue gem on his gauntlet. "This is going to suck!" he shouted before the magic rippled from his gauntlet and suspended time.

He fell through the thick cloud of air, softening his fall, and raced towards Pain Train. The gauntlet's curse acted up again, gradually hurting his arm. He bit back the pain and pushed his legs harder. He had a limited time before his pain threshold was reached.

He got to the wall and used the frozen thugs as stepping stones. It was difficult, but he adapted fast, fueled by pain and panic. Once he was in range of the shadow, he jumped, snatched Pain Train free, and finally dispelled the time stop.

Pain Train had seconds to react before getting caught up in the winds again. He hooked his arms under Tyrone and mustered the strength to rise over the winds. "Stupid move, Ty!" Pain Train scolded.

Tyrone panted heavily, but smiled in relief. "You're…welcome."

Pain Train quickly dropped Tyrone back onto the ship and focused back on the chains. The process moved faster now that he had a better understanding of the chains. "Okay, let's see if this works." He closed his eyes and visualized the chains surrounding the ship. He took a deep breath and channeled his magic.

"Disrumpo Sera!"

The chains flashed blue, then shattered to dust. With the chains, the ship jolted and took off flying at great speeds. Jones quickly shut the jets off and pulled out the wings. Just before they crashed into the ceiling, the wings gave strong flaps upward and stabilized their rising speed. The mast of the ship struck the ceiling, but nothing debilitating.

Jones took a deep breath, then laughed. "Alright, now we're getting somewhere."

Banama hopped onto the quarterdeck. "The captain, Indigo, Ambrosine, Leigh, and Jeffery still aren't back yet."

"We can hold off the shadows from up here. We can hold off until they-" All of a sudden, the ship jostled viciously, throwing the crew to the floor. "What in the world!"

Banama pulled himself onto the railing and shouted, "Status report! What hit us?!"

Malcolm, gawking in horror, pointed at them. "Ask the bird."

"Bird?" Jones and Banama turned, then paled at the giant black bird digging its talons into the back of the Wasteland. It was a demonic raven, glaring down on them.

"Th-That raven! It's…!" Banama stuttered.

"Oh no, don't tell me…!" Jones ran to the edge and looked down. It was just as he feared. They couldn't escape in time.

The three heralds stood surrounded in their fallen troops. Aeternus tilted his head and smirked at the captured ship. "Oh? Leaving without saying goodbye?"

Leigh slapped her crystal orb, trying to get a call through. "Ugh, why isn't anyone picking up?"

Indigo peeked around the corner. Still no sign of Nightmare, but that may be the worst scenario for them. "They might be in trouble. We have to get to the docks."

Jeffery grunted. "How? We're fighting an enemy who has the four of us outclassed."

"Pft, speak for yourself," Leigh grumbled.

Jeffery snarled. "If you're so damn confident, why are we still hiding with our tails between our legs?"

Ambrosine tuned out their arguing, still at a loss over their impromptu rescue. Not to say she wasn't grateful to still be breathing, but it was weird. After everything she said, they still came back for her. What was with these pirates and getting themselves into danger? It was reckless and irrational. All because of her mistake, they might all die on this day.

What do they see in that captain of theirs?

"Ambrosine, get up." Ambrosine looked up to Indigo, who had her claws extended to her. "We're making a run for the stairs."

Ambrosine's eyes widened. "What? But Nightmare will-"

"We don't have a choice. Just stick by us and we'll get you out safely."

Ambrosine narrowed her eyes. "Indigo…" She stared hesitantly at the Sneasel's claws, thinking of every way this could go wrong, but saw no other way out. She clutched them and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

Jeffery peeked out one more time. "Still no sign of Nightmare." He pointed down the hall. "I've studied the interior of the building. If we can reach the stairs over there and make a beeline to the right, we should be able to reach the docking station."

"Sh-Should?" Ambrosine whimpered.

Leigh groaned, then stretched her arms. "Don't chicken out yet."

"Okay," Indigo mumbled, putting one foot forward. "On my mark. Three, two, one…RUN!"

They bolted out the hole and toward the stairs. Leigh kept to the back, readying her claws and staying vigilant. Jeffery stayed at the front, guiding the way. Ambrosine, trying her hardest, kept pace with the much faster Indigo. Nightmare hadn't shown his face yet.

"Do you think he's gone?" Ambrosine asked.

Jeffery sneered. "No, he's here. I'm not letting him get the drop on us again." His eyes flickered to something in the darkness, then sharpened in alert. "Leigh, on our right!"

Leigh reacted and slashed into the air, countering a dark tendril that shot out of the shadows. Chills ran up their spines as Nightmare demasked his aura, revealing that the dark hallway wasn't just because of a lack of light. He was the very shadows themselves.

"He has us surrounded!" Jeffery yelled. "Move faster!"

Dark tendrils sprang from the darkness. The pirates flipped, jumped, and slid under them, mere inches from impaling them. Ambrosine felt blood fly off a tiny graze on her cheek. The tendrils were whipping and swinging faster than she can keep track, yet the others were getting through them without difficulty.

"Ambrosine, hold on!" Indigo picked the Steenee off the ground and threw her ahead of them.

"Wah!" Ambrosine cried, landing right in front of the stairs.

Indigo configured her claws into a crossbow and fired light arrows into the darkness. Nightmare cried out and retreated into the dark corners. She fired off three more to keep him in place while Leigh and Jeffery headed upstairs.

Indigo grabbed Ambrosine's hand and dragged her along. "On your feet, Am!" Ambrosine gasped and quickly got on her feet, following briskly up the stairs.

Leigh slashed through the basement door and kicked it open. Jeffery flew out behind her and yelled, "This way! To the right!" The trio followed after him, barely catching Nightmare's roars from down below.

Leigh tossed her crystal orb to Ambrosine, who fumbled with it for a moment. "Ambrosine, try and contact the crew again! We need to make sure everything is secure!"

"R-Right, um…" Ambrosine relieved her hand from Indigo and rubbed the orb. "Uh, contact…Julius?"

The orb hummed twice and, to their relief, connected. "Hello?"

"Julius, it's me, Ambrosine!" she stated frantically. "We're being chased by Nightmare! Do you have the Wasteland ready for takeoff?"

"Yeah, everything's good on our end. We're safe for takeoff, and the captain's with us, too. You guys better get over here quick before the heralds arrive."

Ambrosine grinned. "That's wonderful! We can get out of here!" She hung up and tossed the orb back to Leigh. "They said everything's in order. We're free to leave."

Indigo laughed. "Hallelujah! Freedom!"

Leigh smirked. "Those shadows aren't so tough after all."

Jeffery, however, wasn't as confident as them. "Something's not right."

"Have a little confidence in your own crew," Leigh berated. "What? You think we can't handle a few measly shadows?"

"That's not what has me concerned."

"What, then?" Indigo asked.

As he opened his beak, the floor split open under them. A shadow arm reached out and swiped at the pirates, nearly grazing them. Nightmare bellowed out of the floor like a plume of smoke, sneering down on them with his blood red eyes.

"Fools! I am the apex of the shadow army! A few mere light arrows can't stop me!" He dove and swiped with his claws.

Leigh spun around and countered with her battle claws. However, because of Nightmare's hulking size, he easily overpowered her and sent her ahead.

"Leigh!" Indigo cried.

"Terror Chord!" Nightmare engulfed the hallway in his earsplitting wail.

Indigo and Jeffery preemptively covered their ears, but Ambrosine jumped in front of them and raised her hands. "Healing Dome!" A teal, hexagonal dome wrapped over them and Leigh, blocking out the earsplitting sound.

Jeffery blinked in awe, then looked down at his feathers as little teal particles flew off them. "What the…?"

"A…p-protective barrier that blocks out outside nuisances to focus on…h-healing," Ambrosine grunted, struggling to stay on her feet. "Not exactly…useful as a long term defensive option, unfortunately."

Nightmare ended his attack and flew right into the barrier. He smirked down on the struggling Steenee. "Having issues, Steenee? You simply mustn't strain yourself!" He morphed his arms into blades and slashed wildly into the dome.

"Gah!" Ambrosine cried, dropping to one knee and panting against the onslaught. She could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest, but she tried her best to resist. "I…refuse to die…to the likes of you!"

"Don't worry, you'll sooner kill yourself before I get the chance." Nightmare reeled his arms back and delivered a powerful cross slash that shattered the dome to pieces.

Ambrosine screamed and went flying onto her back. She wretched in agony as her heart pulsated strenuously.

"Ambrosine!" Indigo cried. She ran to her friend, but Nightmare scooped up both her and Jeffery and slammed them against the wall.

"You shouldn't have interfered when you did. The second you came to save your little friend, your entire crew was marked for treason." Nightmare grinned evilly. "Is she worth all this hassle? Was saving her worth your lives?"

Indigo bared her teeth. "Sh-Shut up."

"How decidedly expected of a Pokémon," he taunted.

"And how decidedly expected of a shadow." Suddenly, a red slash cut down the middle of the boss shadow and bisected him in two. Nightmare gasped and, in stunned surprised, turned to the annoyed Togetic giving him the death glare. "Are you creatures even creatures? Guess it's too hard for your insignificant minds to comprehend emotions."

"You…little…" Nightmare growled.

"Save it for your king," was Leigh's final word to him before whipping her arms and shredding his ethereal body to pieces.

Freed from Nightmare's grasp, Indigo and Jeffery landed on the ground safely. "Phew. Thanks, Leigh."

Leigh shook her head and pointed over at Ambrosine. "Worry about her, first."

They ran over to the stunned Steenee and, to their relief, saw she had already applied her healing magic to herself before passing out. Indigo sighed. "Poor thing's been too many heart attacks today." She picked Ambrosine up bridal-style and nodded towards the docking station. "Hurry, before that creep pulls himself together."

They raced down the hall and reached the doors to the docking station. Leigh and Jeffery rammed their shoulders into the door and forced it open, letting Indigo in first.

"Guys, we're here! Get us on and let's get…out of here?"

Indigo slowed her pace, then came to a dead stop. Leigh and Jeffery joined her side, then expressed the same horror written over her face.

Their crew, who were supposed to be on the ship preparing to leave, were now trapped in one large, pale yellow bubble suspended off the ground. They banged their fists against the inside, screaming to be released. And standing in front of said bubble were the three faces they dreaded to see.

The Heralds of Darkness.

Aeternus tilted his head and grinned at them. "Ah, you four finally arrived. We were getting ssssooooo worried. Did you get lost on the way here?"

Indigo stumbled back, quivering in confusion. "B-But…J-Julius said-" Leigh shushed her as her crystal orb went off. Leigh pulled it out and answered.

"Oh, my mistake. It appears I forgot to mention one tiny detail." The pirates looked ahead and gasped as Aeternus spoke into a crystal orb. "The heralds sort of stole our crystal orbs, so now that charming and brilliant Count Aeternus might be on the other end. Got to admit, he does a better impression of my voice than I do myself, and I'm Julius. The alcoholic pirate who's also an idiot."

"Say that to me face, ye bastard!" Julius roared, pounding furiously against the bubble.

Jeffery sneered. "I was right. It sounded almost like Julius, but not exactly."

Aeternus chuckled and reduced the crystal orb to dust. "Do you honestly think I would taint my lovely voice with that disrespectful excuse of an accent?"

Ambrosine tried to turn and run out of the docking station, but a pillar of darkness blocked her way. She staggered onto her rear and cowered to Nightmare's imposing shape and piercing glare. "You inferiors beings are more trouble than I thought, but now it's the end of the line for you."

Ambrosine scrambled to Indigo and Leigh for safety while the two pirates surrounded her protectively. "What do we do?" Indigo whispered through her teeth.

"How should I know?" Leigh whispered back. "I'm not the one who stole the keys."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Ambrosine insisted.

"Enough!" Nightmare interrupted, his loud, imposing voice booming through the room. "You have defiled our alliance. For that, you must be punished."

Leigh raised her claws. "You're not laying a claw on her-" The ground contorted under her and wrapped around her body. "What the-?!" It wrapped around her mouth, silencing her torrent of vulgar threats.

Aeternus chuckled and took his hand off the floor. "Now, now, let's be civil about this. An execution can't be performed with the say of the king. I'm sure he would want to give his notion before we lob some heads off."

"Indeed, I do." The pirates felt an imposing, cold aura enter the room. Footsteps echoed in the silence, belonging to the dark figure wrapped in a billowing cloak of black aura. Joining his side was Callista's coven and Zaros, the latter looking quite smug towards the pirates.

Ambrosine hugged herself, panicking silently with eyes the size of a needle's width. Indigo and Leigh's knees buckled under their weight while Jeffery, try as he might, lost the will to stay airborne. Those trapped in Aeternus' bubble ceased pounding on the inside, fearing for their lives more than ever.

The Shadow King dispelled his aura and glared upon the pirates with a look of disappointment. "A promise of great power and this is the appreciation I deserve?" He tutted lightly with a shake of his head. "You dare disrespect your king?"

Jeffery chewed nervously on his wings. "W-Well, you see—heh, it's a funny story, actually. See, we were-"

"Enough prattle." The pirates flew back from a simple burst of the king's aura. Such a feat so simple for someone far beyond them. "I don't see the good captain among your merry band of miscreants. Perhaps this was a simple act of betrayal towards your captain. And they call be merciless. Is this the thanks your captain deserves?"

"I would never betray the captain!" Jeffery proclaimed. "How dare you incite such blasphemy! I could rip your throat out right now-!" Leigh bonked him into the floor.

"Don't get us killed faster," she growled.

The Shadow King stepped forward and glared down the four troublemakers. "Now, which one of you stole the keys?"

Indigo and Leigh restrained themselves from looking at Ambrosine, who already was in the midst of another panic attack. Sadly, their silence wasn't enough.

"It was her, Your Majesty," Nightmare said, pointing to Ambrosine. "She was in your private quarters, all alone, with the keys in hand."

Once again, damn you, Edwin, Ambrosine cursed. Chantal raised her brow at the Steenee, which she caught. C-Crap, she can read my mind!

"Oh?" Ambrosine went pale as the king's shadow loomed over her. She dared not meet his eyes as he grabbed her collar and gently lifted her. "I should've figured. Out of all of your crew, I sensed the most doubt in your heart." The Shadow King glared. "Hmm. You've once danced with death, haven't you?"

Ambrosine froze. "I…"

"Now all is explained." The Shadow King dropped her, then stepped back. "I can't allow this foolishness to go unpunished. It's quite clear this was a simple act of thievery on her part. Her crewmates merely acted to defend her like a true team would. I admire that very much.

"In return, for the Desert Beast's continued safety, consent to the Steenee's execution."

Ambrosine's eye's widened. "What?!"

"Huh?!" Indigo and Leigh gasped. Their trapped crewmates gawked at the possessed Scrafty in disbelief.

The Shadow King nodded. "My demand is clear. You are all not at fault for attempting to flee. For that, I will grant you a second chance, so long as you sacrifice the Steenee's life in your stead. Such in subordination must've go unpunished. Let it be clear I'm offering a simple, obvious decision. She clearly had every intention of abandoning you all. Do the right thing and dispose of her."

Indigo bared her teeth. "You sick bastard."

Rico slammed his fists against the bubble. "Why would we ever agree to something like that?!"

The Shadow King narrowed his eyes. "Is one life really worth all of yours? Come now, be reasonable. She would do the same to all of you."

Ambrosine gasped and reared her head around. "Th-That's not true! I would never-!"

"If I had the choice, I would sacrifice anyone and anything to preserve my own life. I refuse to see the darkness again." Ambrosine's eyes widened, as did her crewmates', as her own thoughts projected into the open. Stuttering, she turned her head and saw Chantal, eyes without pupils and glowing a light purple, staring right at her.

Aeternus chuckled evilly as he and his fellow heralds walked past her. "Ooh~! You're in trouble now~."

"I…I…" Ambrosine looked to Indigo, Leigh, and even Jeffery for support, but they were stunned by the unwilling admission. "That…I said that in the moment. I didn't really mean-" She looked to the others, but they turned their heads away, refusing to look at her. "Guys…"

"Life is a precious thing, isn't it?" The Shadow King stood behind her, whispering into her ear. "This is the price for betrayal. One's life is meaningless without a purpose. I admire your tenacity, but I must follow in example." He gripped her shoulder. "Would you rather to see that darkness again, or will you spend the rest of your life hated by those you called friends?"

"I…I…" Ambrosine looked to her feet with tears dripping from her eyes. "I never meant it like that…"

"Tsk. You had potential, but it seems you won't be joining the rest of your friends in the new world of darkness. Just listen to their silence. Not. An. Objection."

Ambrosine clenched her teeth, too wrapped in her own turmoil to notice the darkness snaking around her legs. The Shadow King smirked gleefully to himself. He caressed the Steenee's cheek, pulling her closer.

"Instead of death, perhaps you can find comfort from your pain with me. Embrace the darkness, and release yourself from that pain."

"Embrace…darkness…" Ambrosine mumbled, eyes glowing with a red hue.

Jeffery, in a moment of clarity, realized what was going on. "That bastard's trying to corrupt her!"

"Ambrosine, get away from him!" Indigo screamed.

"Shit!" Leigh charged at the Shadow King and lunged with her claws out, but stopped short by a laser piercing through her chest. She spat blood and flew onto her back.

"Leigh!" Indigo cried, running to tend to her.

Zaros blew smoke off his finger and chuckled. "Don't fight it."

The Shadow King continued to whisper to Ambrosine in her daze. "I feel your pain. Your anguish. Your anger. You've never been loved. You've never been appreciated. You fear you'll die alone and never be happy." He smirked. "I sense your feelings for a love you can never have. Your entire life is nothing but misery."

"Nothing…but misery," Ambrosine mumbled, stumbling weakly.

The Shadow King ignited his hand in darkness, then pulled down her jacket and shirt to reveal her shoulder. "Embrace the mark of the Tribe of Shadows. You'll never feel fear again. You can get the gratitude you seek. You can have anything in the world as your heart desires."

"Anything…I desire…"

"Ambrosine!" Indigo screamed.

The Desert Beasts were screaming and banging against the bubble, screaming for Ambrosine to wake up. Their voices were lost in the fog wrapped around Ambrosine's mind.

The Shadow King laughed and hovered over her shoulder. "You're mine now. Welcome to the darkness, Ambro-"

Inches from placing his mark, the ground split. A giant wall of sand rose and separated the two, knocking the king's hand away. Before he could speak out, the sand twisted and shot out into a large spike right through his abdomen. His followers gasped as the Shadow King, stunned, was lifted and impaled off the ground.

Free from the king's aura, Ambrosine blinked herself awake and shook her head. "Ugh, what…what happened?"

"You're an idiot, Ambrosine."

Ambrosine's eyes widened. "C…Captain?"

All eyes fell on the door as the Darmanitan pirate marched on through, panting heavily and limping. He had a few bloodstains over his clothes, and he moved with strain, seen even through his signature gauntlet.

"You blindly let yourself become corrupted for a moment. Is the temptation to bury all your pain away really worth it?" He growled. "Pain…should be felt to experience true happiness. One can't understand life without first knowing pain."

"Captain!" his trapped crew cheered.

Arid roared and slammed his fist down. The ground split under them with sand tendrils popping out, wrapping around the bubble, and squeezing it until it popped them free. They raced over to their captain as he limped towards the four-man crew.

Tyrone grabbed Ambrosine and shook her. "Are you alright?"

"Ah! S-S-Stop doing that!" Ambrosine pushed him off and felt her forehead. "I…don't know what came over me a moment ago. Everything felt numb and…comforting."

Arid flicked her in the head, and with the gauntlet no less. "Idiot."

"Ow!" Ambrosine rubbed her head, but didn't think much of it as Arid grabbed her by the collar.

"If you gave up on yourself that easily, then why bother staying alive?! You want to live to see the sunshine, right?! Nothing's worth living for if you let yourself die inside!" He tossed her to the ground, snarling. "Quit acting so selfish and live, dammit!"

Ambrosine stared up at him, wide eyed and in awe. "Captain Arid…"

"Go heal Leigh, now!" he ordered.

Ambrosine, motivated not by fear but a burst of vigor, nodded. "R-Right." She stood up and tended to Leigh's chest wound.

"As for you—" Arid whipped around and pointed at the Shadow King. "I won't tolerate this shit any longer. You tried to corrupt one of my crew. I won't let this slide, you hear me?"

The Shadow King glared, then blew the sand spike off with a simple burst of pressure. Darkness enveloped his body, closed the wound, and mended his clothes. He sighed. "You are a stubborn man, Arid, but I can't say I disapprove of your loyalty. You're truly a kinder soul than I am. I don't tolerate traitors."

Arid scowled. "And I don't tolerate murderers." He clenched his fist. "The deal's off, Your Majesty. We're leaving, now."

The Shadow King smirked. "Oh? Just like that?"

"You're more than welcome to stop us, but I promise you I will protect my crew with my life if I must." His gauntlet glowed brightly. "I won't let you lay a hand on them."

"You're that loyal to them, huh?" The king chuckled. "Let's put that to the test." He snapped his finger. "Chantal."

The Heliolisk joined his side. Isidore and Barrett nodded and approached them, pulling out a couple items. Isidore pulled out a necklace with a rounded stone attacked. It had weird symbols etched into it. Barrett pulled out a vile of blood. He took the necklace and wrote int the symbols with the blood.

Arid glared cautiously. "What is this?"

"An experiment," the king answered.

Chantal took the necklace and put it on. The symbols mirrored the glow of her blank eyes. Arid stepped back, ushering his crew to get back as well.

"You've been with us for a long while, Arid," the Shadow King stated. "In all that time, I assume you've had a few questions in mind. One such question being 'where do shadows come from?' Am I wrong?" He chuckled. "Well, would you like to see for yourself?"

"What are you up to?"

"Haven't you noticed your recent aggression? How you've been getting angrier by the day? Ever since I returned, I've been corrupting this dimension of Aeternus'."

"Huh?" Arid gasped.

"It seems whenever others are around me, their darker sides come out." The Shadow King grinned. "Even young Ravenfield has danced with his darker side facing me. His anger, his insecurities, everything that brings him pain. Your own anger and ambition to succeed, those are qualities that you hate about yourself."

Arid bared his teeth. "Desert Beasts, run."

"However, your will is too strong for a simple corruption. You desire to remain in the light. You're too aware of my abilities to allow me to corrupt you. So instead, I used you as a test dummy. I need a defiant soul like yours to amplify our experiment. I thank Callista's coven for their assistance."

Callista and her cover bowed to him. "Always a pleasure to assist you, Your Majesty," the Witch of Darkness said.

"With your blood, Arid, I now have a proper medium. Would you like to know where shadows come from?"

"Desert Beasts, run!" Arid shouted more forcefully.

"See for yourself. Chantal, initiate the test!"

Chantal's eyes flashed, then she wailed a ghastly cry, beaming out in purple energy waves. Arid quickly swiped his hand and blew his crew away with sand just as the wail enveloped him.

"Agh!" Arid cried, covering his ears. "What is this?" He looked down at the floor, then gasped as his shadow bubbled like boiling water right at his feet. "What…?"

The Shadow King smirked. "A peek into the world I was born from, Captain Arid. This is the power I possess. I wasn't simply born from darkness. I am that darkness. The very darkness that exists even in the purest of souls. A world that's connected to our very feet. Meet your shadow, captain."

Dark tendrils sprang from Arid's shadow and grappled him. Arid swung his arms and tried to throw them off, but they overpowered him in numbers and dragged him to the ground. "What are these things?!"

"I just told you. It's your shadow." The Shadow King shook his head. "I thought you would be listening. Oh, and I suppose one piece of information should be made apparent to you." With a cold, stunning glare, he asked, "If you were to ever fight yourself, who would come out on top? Well, your battle with the darkness is that very question, so it needs to compensate for an impossibility."

The shadow tendrils stabbed into Arid and merged with his fur, coating him like a tattoo. Arid roared and flailed in their ever-growing bindings.

"Shadows don't often get the luxury of possessing their own hosts, so the outcome is fairly unknown. For that, things get rather…monstrous."

Arid felt the web of darkness wrap over his face. Concerns of escaping turned to his crew's safety, who all stared jaw dropped at the captured Darmanitan. Arid looked back at their enemy, then to his crew before huffing a deep sigh.

"Desert Beasts!" Arid yelled, lifted his gloved hand. "You have your final orders! Get lost!"

With a click of his fingers, the ground exploded under the Desert Beasts and threw them into the air. Sand wrapped around them, then drilled through the walls. The Tribe of Shadows could hear the sand drill going deeper and farther away, likely to the outside of the base.

Voss gripped his blade. "Should we pursue?"

"No, let them go," the Shadow King said before approaching the struggling Darmanitan. He pressed his foot down on Arid's head and shoved his face into the floor. "This is all part of the test." Arid snarled at the king, who smirked gleefully. "Let's see why they follow a man obsessed with power so religiously."

The Desert Beasts felt their whole world spinning around them as the sand drill carried them all the way outside the dark and spooky castle. It broke through the walls, crumbling to pieces, and sent the pirates flying onto the ground.

They lay there, collecting their bearings and waiting for the dizziness to dispel. Once recovered, the first to rise was Banama, who looked frantically back at the castle. "Captain!"

"We need to save the captain!" Jeffery screeched, flapping right back to the hole. Graham caught him by the tail feathers and threw him to the ground. "Ow."

"Are you all mad?" Graham grumbled, rising to his feet. "He saved us, and you're first instinct is to go back inside?" He scoffed and shook his head. "You're all really idiots."

Zerif bared his teeth. "We're not cowards like you!"

Graham stepped up and jabbed the Zoroark in the chest. "Best to be a coward than a dead man. Honestly, what good do you expect? They have us outmatched in power, experience, skills, and everything else. On top of that, Arid's probably losing his mind down there. We know what those shadows can do. He's lost in the darkness now."

Jeffery bared his teeth. "Listen to me, you little shit, I-!"

"He's right." Jeffery's face fell, then turned to Malcolm, who sat with his legs pulled up to his chest. "As sad as it is, we can't go back down there. Our best bet is to find the exit and flee them for as long as possible. We nearly lost Ambrosine, but the captain sacrificed himself to get us to safety. We shouldn't let his last wish die in vain."

"Malcolm," Banama mumbled, but couldn't will himself to protest.

Graham sighed and gestured to the rest of them. "Do you all see reason now? The captain wants us to get to safety. Let's honor his words and flee."

"How? We won't get far while the ship is still inside," Jones said.

"We'll figure something out."

Indigo glared. "It doesn't feel right to abandon the captain like this."

"Unfortunately, we don't have much choice," Rico said. "Graham's right. We'll die if we go back down there."

Julius closed his eyes. "This feels wrong."

Pain Train sighed. "There's no use crying about it."

"But…we can't," Banama tried to protest. "The captain's…the captain needs us."

"He needs us to escape," Graham continued. "There's no point in going back for him." He glared at Ambrosine. "You can attest to that, right?"

Ambrosine looked away. She might've agreed if she wasn't given the scolding of a lifetime. "I…well, it might not hurt to try."

Graham huffed. "Alright, then speak up now. Who among you wants to go back down there and save the captain?"

Eyes averted to the ground. Cheshire, once always smiling, had a conflicted frown as he played with his knife. Drake and Jones scratched turned away, scratching their heads. Tyrone and Ray hung their heads, knowing they might not be much help regardless. Jeffery, the most outspoken and likely most apprehensive about leaving, couldn't find it in him to volunteer. Same for the rest of the crew, all looking off to the side.

Graham crossed his arms. "Good answer. Shall we?" He marched past them and headed for the exit to the dimension.

The pirates looked among each other, then followed wordlessly after the Gallade. Ambrosine gripped her wrist guiltily as she looked back at the tunnel, then followed the others with tears brimming in her eyes.

"…I'm going after him."

Everyone came to a dead stop and looked at each other with wide eyes. Graham narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Who the hell said that?" The voice was completely unfamiliar to him.

All eyes roamed each individual until they spotted one lone figure who didn't join the rest of them.

Banama blinked in shocked. "L…Lyra?"

The Zangoose glared right at the tunnel, fists clenched tightly, then looked over her shoulder. "Have you all forgotten why we joined his crew in the first place? We wanted fresh starts, to start new lives and go down in history as something to be remembered." She touched her heart and sighed. "We were all nobodies at one point or another. Our lives were meaningless until the captain took us along. Don't we owe him our loyalty?"

Ambrosine narrowed her eyes. "But, we'll die if we go back down there."

Lyra smiled. "A captain goes down with his ship, and a crew does down with their captain. I lived a good life being a Desert Beast. I think I can die without regret, but I want to live to see another day."

Malcolm crossed his arms. "The captain's being possessed back there. How do we save him?"

"We've done stupid stuff before, what's stopping us this time?"

"Are we strong enough?" Tyrone asked timidly.

Lyra smiled warmly. "Who knows, but why should that stop us?" She looked back to the tunnel. "Wes Ravenfield taught us one thing in our countless attempts to thwart him: a strong soul never surrenders the fight, and we never leave friends and family behind." She beamed at her team. "That's why I'm always playing music for all of you, to show I'll always be there to help."

The Desert Beasts stared back in silence, jaws hanging. Banama closed his up, glared, and marched up to Lyra. "I'm going back. I won't let these guys scare me."

Jeffery's chest swelled with pride, then he followed after them. "I'm not letting you take the credit for this one. I will save the captain!"

Drake huffed and gripped his katana before following. "We're all doomed anyway. This is the safer option."

Tyrone clenched his fists. "I never wanted to be a pirate in the first place. I just wanted this stupid, cursed gauntlet removed." He looked at his gauntlet, then sighed. "But, even I can't abandon the captain like this."

Ray smiled. "Heh, spoken like a true Desert Beast." They headed after the others.

One-by-one, the Desert Beasts followed Lyra to the tunnel, filled with renewed vigor. Ambrosine watched them leave, then cowered under her arms. "I-I-I can't go down there, I'll—"

"Ambrosine." The Steenee stopped quivering as she felt two hands touch her shoulders. She looked up to Indigo and Leigh, giving her looks of confidence. Indigo said, "We're afraid to die to, but we'll protect you. We trust you to do the same for us."

Ambrosine blinked through the tears in her eyes. "You guys…" She took a deep breath, then clutched to Indigo's arm. "I…I want to repay the captain. I can't keep going as a coward."

"We got you," Leigh assured. They guided Ambrosine to the tunnel.

Graham watched them leave in disgust. "You're all insane. I'm not risking my hide for this." He turned and marched off in the opposite direction.

Everyone's choice has been decided.

Except for Smith, who stared endlessly towards the tunnel with wide eyes. He took a deep breath and uttered in the most composed tone he could manage:

"She could TALK this entire TIME?!"