Chapter 16 Treachery OnboardThe crash of the ocean waves boomed loudly against the wooden hull of Itzâ??s boat, and the ferry swayed from side to side agitatedly on our way to Kenji Beach. We stayed on course near the shoreline, and with Luna shining brightly overhead, the tide was high and choppy. I couldnâ??t sleep through it.
Holding on tightly to a rope that was tied around one of the shipâ??s masts, I sat awake on deck during the first part of the night looking at the planets and stars in the sky. Eldeon was not out this night, but I could see a distant Skaaj, blazing pink amidst the immense black. Hebarn was out there too, this season; but without a telescope, not viewable by naked eyes. I shivered at the thought of knowing something that I could not seeâ?¦ was out there. Oh! Get a grip, girl! The seaâ??s chilly night air was getting to me.
â??Another nice night for sky-gazingâ?, Pabelâ??s voice warmed me. I had felt him coming up on deck, but I was surprised (and pleased!) that he had stayed to talk to me.
â??Luna is beautiful tonightâ?, I told him, as he settled himself next to me, holding on to his own part of the mastâ??s rope.
â??If we talk about my home planetâ?, Pabel said, â??we will pick up where we left offâ?¦ And if I remember correctly, we were-â?
â??Pabel, the Hawker!â?, I exclaimed, â??Whatâ??s your hurry? You certainly are a fast one! Straight to the point! Is that the only reason youâ??re up here?!â?
Even though I was half toying with him, Pabel responded with a tone of shame, â??Iâ??m sorry, Vea. Actually, I came looking for you becauseâ?¦ Iâ??m a little frightenedâ?¦â?
â??Frightened?â?, I asked, â??What scares you?â?
â??Well, this whole thing with Arua, really, and the Devil Pest!â?, he replied, also shivering slightly, â??It all seems a bit dodgy. Why would the Arumics imprison the blonde woman? Wouldnâ??t Karitte and the others have found a better way? It just seems unbelievable to me.â?
â??Iâ??m frightened tooâ?, I confessed, â??Scared out of my wits, really! I mean, I am the daughter of fourâ?¦ But who am I to take on such a huge responsibility!? How can I protect a Goddess? And I know I have all of you to help me, and thank you! Butâ?¦ itâ??s all a little too daunting... So dark..."
"Please don't cry...", said Pabel.
"Oh, Pabel! I'm so sorry!", I started to cry, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before, but there's something that I must say to you!"
"It's okay, Vea", Pabel held my hand, "You can tell me."
"Before you came back into my life...", I spoke between tears, "I was living a life that I didn't really want! I wanted it to be over with! I was dissatisfied. Alone and confused. There was so much death around me, in the Arumic hospital... I failed to see a purpose. I failed to see my purpose. I was lost. I secretly yearned for the end of my life. No one else knows this, Pabel! You must not tell a soul!"
"I won't", Pabel said, his voice breaking, "But you are alive, Vea. And that is a very good thing. Trust me."
"I am alive because of a pair of dual-colored eyes...", I sniffed.
"Your green and brown eyes?!", Pabel asked.
"The person who saved my life...", I explained, "...shared my condition of dual-colored eyes. But they were different; orange and yellow. And that day... Pabel, that very day! When my life was saved, I was sent to Anima Lake to start saving lives for the first time! The Fairy came to me in my dreams and gave me a purpose sent from Arua herself! And you! You came back to me... All these things have saved my life, yet... I still don't know how to live it... I mean, where are we going?? Whatâ??s ahead of us? Why am I doing what I'm doing?! Why was I chosen?â?
â??I have none of those answers for youâ?, Pabel said, â??but I can be by your side when you find them. I feel safe with you, Vea, in this unsafe world. Even with Est, I didnâ??t feel as safe. There always have been questions, and now even more! But I enjoy this little piece of certainty I feel for you; the only answer to a question I do know.â?
â??I think I feel what you feelâ?, I told him, â??But what are your questions, Pabel? I mean, about our destiniesâ?¦ Hasnâ??t Est given you any answers?â?
At this, Pabel turned a bit sad, and spoke with concern, â??It is of this that my confusions are created from. When Est came back from her last trip to Eldeon, we thought we had found answers; a possible path to the cure for the Devil Pest! But if Arua has truly led you to our savior, then there are things that have been happening in Eldeon â??and perhaps all the other planets as well!- that I cannot understand; that just donâ??t make sense. It's as if Arua wanted to save us, with Her plans and actions on this planet... but Her actions do not coincide with what She may be doing on other planets. So I ask myself, why? Why the discordance? This, I ponder now. And by arriving at no unsuspicious conclusions, I am frightened.â?
â??You have been arriving at suspicious conclusions then?â?, I inquired, â??You know, Cleric Rag- I mean, King Artur hinted that he might not trust everyone on this boat. Are you feeling the same way?â?
â??Perhaps. I cannot imagine that's the real danger, howeverâ?, Pabel said, "I fear the danger might be larger than mere mortals."
"Then the Gods will help", I said.
"That's the point!", Pabel replied, "When? I mean, didn't you say that even the Junon Order's prayers weren't being answered, or something? This feeling of absence from our Gods, is just too frightening..."
"Arua is with us...", I whispered, "I know it..."
After that, we became silent for a while. We looked at the night sky above us; the shipâ??s crowâ??s nest constantly bobbing in and out of the planetsâ?? view.
â??Luna is beautifulâ?, Pabel broke the silence, â??I can see the Sea of Dawnâ?¦â?
Right then, I let go of the mastâ??s rope and threw my arms at Pabel. I held his face and neck with my hands as I pressed my lips to his, and I gave him a strong, firm kiss. Pabel returned the kiss gently, but eagerly. When I parted from him, I told him, â??I trust you, Pabel. Whatever the danger, whatever the suspicions on this trek, whatever the fear! I trust you, and I feel safe with you.â?
I didnâ??t enjoy the look of surprise and happiness in his big brown eyes for long, for I quickly buried my head in his chest and hugged him tightly.
â??I love you, Veaâ?, he said to me. I love you.
And I could hear his heart beating verses of romance to me.
Night at sea was cold, but Pabel was so warm! I was not surprised at all that I fell asleep in his arms. Also not surprisingly, was the visit of another vision in my dreams. Except, this one was a more pleasant one than the last.
I dreamt that I was soaring in the sky, with fluffy clouds surrounding me. The dark blue waves of a sparkling ocean played below my floating feet. And I saw a pair of white feather wings flapping nearby me. The creature that owned the wings reminded me of Aruaâ??s Fairy. Oh, how I would love a pair of wings at my back, to fly over the worlds!
But when I checked behind me, strangely enough, I did have wings! White-feathered wings! Just like an angel!
The other winged creature flew towards me, and I could begin to make out more of its features. It seemed, it was an angel too; a boy with tussled blonde hair, wearing a white toga and nothing else.
â??Vea!â?, the winged boy called to me.
â??Hello?â?, I called back.
When the little angel stopped in front of me, his wings kept flapping, and I looked into his green eyes as he spoke to me, â??You are the one Junon seeks! Phew! Iâ??m glad I found you! Itâ??s not easy dreaminâ?? with someone that doesnâ??t know how to dream! You must be a heck of a dreamer, eh?â?
I laughed, â??Iâ??ve had my share. But, you donâ??t look like any past visitor Iâ??ve ever had in my dreams. Youâ??re not shrouded, youâ??re not as colorful as fairies are, and youâ??re not meeting me in some dark and creepy placeâ?¦â?
â??Thatâ??s â??cause youâ??re getting better at this dreaminâ?? thingâ?, the angel winked at me, â??Anyway, have you talked to Aruaâ??s Fairy lately?â?
â??Only the one time. Why?â?, I replied, â??Do I get more answers from you now? Or just another fairy riddle?â?
â??Hey! Iâ??m no fairy!â?, the angel was offended, â??Iâ??m a Cos-micâ?¦ Vas-salâ?¦ ok? Iâ??m the Angel of Junon, in fact! Iâ??m a lot bigger than a fairy!!â?
â??Ok, so the God Junon sent you?â?, I asked.
â??Yesâ?, the Angel of Junon said, â??Junon wishes Aruaâ??s well-being, and is willing to lend his powersâ?¦ but first, you must rid Junonâ??s planet of its enemies. The woman you freed should help you with that. Butâ?¦ your enemies are much closer than you think. Junon has reason to believe that not all who serve Arua are trustworthy. She may have traitors. Junon thinks that Aruaâ??s Fairy has a hidden agenda. If sheâ??s doing only Aruaâ??s bidding, then Arua is keeping things from Junon for the first time, ever! So, itâ??s either that Arua has lost trust in Junon, or that Fairy is working for someone else as well. Sheâ??s been disappearing from the heavens and doing things even we donâ??t know anything about. And trust me, Iâ??m nosy! I would find out, if that Fairy wasnâ??t trying to keep things so secret!â?
â??Butâ?¦â?, I was confused, â??I did what the Fairy wanted me to do! I freed the frozen lady! Is that wrong, then?â?
â??Well, you havenâ??t done everything the riddle told you to do, yet!â?, the little angel said.
â??How would you know what the riddle said?â?, I asked.
â??I told you! Iâ??m nosy!â?, he told me, â??Just tread carefully, okay? What Karitte froze, you thawed. Itâ??s your responsibility now. Make sure you do things right. Watch your back. And if Aruaâ??s Fairy finds you and contacts you againâ?¦ Be careful. Choose your paths wellâ?¦â?
THUMP!!
â??What was that?!â?, I looked at the Angel of Junon for answers.
SCRRRATCH!!!
â??I dunnoâ?¦â?, he said, â??That ainâ??t dreaminâ??!â?
And he disappeared.
I woke up with a startle, still next to Pabel; on deck, by the mast. I sat up, alarmed, and shook Pabelâ??s chest with one hand. â??Pabel, wake up! I heard something!â?, I hissed.
Pabel woke up and held my hand in his. â??What? What was it?â?, he whispered.
â??It sounded like a thump against wood, then a metallic scratchâ?, I explained, keeping my voice low.
Our eyes darted everywhere, but there was no one else on deck with us, and all was quiet on the boat once more. It was still the middle of the night, and everyone else seemed to be asleep in their quarters.
THUMP! ... SCRATCH!!
â??There it is again!!â?, I half-yelped.
â??I heard it tooâ?, Pabel said, and he stood, bringing me up with him. The boat was not rocking as much as before and we were able to stand upright without any holds.
â??Whereâ??s it coming from?â?, I whispered.
â??I donâ??t knowâ?, said Pabel, â??The wind carries it.â?
THUMP! ... SCRATCH!!
â??There!!!â?, I called out, my excited voice betraying our stealth, â??Itâ??s coming from the sea!â?
Pabel and I ran portside, to the railing, just as another wooden thump rang outâ?¦ followed by a metallic scratch. Before we could reach the edge of the ship, a hand came up from overboard and grabbed the side of the boat! Then another!
We stopped in our tracks, and I pulled out my Baobab Wand from my coat, just as we heard another thump and then a scratch. â??Wait and seeâ?¦â?, Pabel cautioned.
I could already hear the manâ??s gasping breaths before I saw his wet head come up over the railing. It was an armored Soldier! After he pulled himself up completely, he keeled over the railing and onto the deck of the ship facedown; one final thump, then his armor and sword scratched the boat as he turned over.
â??Itâ??s Hovert!!â?, I recognized him.
â??Arua!!!â?, Hovert exclaimed after he had spat out seawater, â??Heâ??s taken her!!â?
â??What? Who?!â?, Pabel asked.
â??The Raider!â?, was Hovertâ??s angry answer, â??He came into our quarters with such Stealth! And took her! I tried to fight for her, but he teleported me away to sea!!â?
â??Where is he now?!?â?, I cried out, â??Arua! I should have never left her side! Longondo!! Kaizy!!â?
â??The Raider is gone!â?, Hovert yelled at me, â??Do not punish yourself. I was enough to protect her, young one, but the Raider is gone. He has teleported!â?
â??Thatâ??s impossible! Arua's not gone! I can't lose her!!â?, I yelled back, frustrated, â??Only a powerful Cleric could be capable of-â?
â??Geez! What is it? Whatâ??s the racket?!â?, Kaizy said, as he stepped up on deck, followed by a sleepy-eyed Longondo. They both had their Wands out.
â??Vea, whatâ??s wrong?!â?, Longondo asked.
â??The Raider! He took- Oh, no!â?, I gasped, â??Of course!! How could I have been so blind?! The Raider wasnâ??t at the Academy looking for me! In my dream, the red-robed figure asked him to get someoneâ?¦ but he was looking at a blue light! The frozen blue lady! Arua!!â?
â??That â??gogetters, gogettersâ?? guy!? He took Arua!?!â?, Longondo asked, â??I thought Madame Karitte sent him to some tower!!â?
Then we heard a crash above our heads, and large splinters of wood rained down beside us. When I looked up, I saw that most of the railings of the crowâ??s nest had shattered. We could suddenly hear grunting up there, along with the clang of metal against metal.
â??Someone wake Artur!â?, Kaizy called out to the rest of the group.
â??I thinkâ?¦ that is King Arturâ?¦â?, Longondo replied, looking up at the crowâ??s nest.
Indeed, I could see Archmage robes billowing in the wind up there! Also, the intermittent flashes of purple-colored metal. Panther Blades!
â??Heâ??s hereâ?¦â?, I was beginning to breathe heavily, â??The Raider is still hereâ?¦â?
â??Still here??â?, Longondo questioned, â??He was never in the boat to begin with!â?
â??Well, heâ??s definitely here now!â?, replied Kaizy, â??Thatâ??s definitely him up there! And thatâ??s King Artur heâ??s fighting!â?
â??But how did he get here?!?â?, Longondo insisted.
â??Teleported!â?, Hovert chimed in, angrily.
Kaizy scoffed, â??Raiders canâ??t teleport!â?
â??He was brought hereâ?, Pabel spoke, calmly.
I looked at Pabelâ??s eyes with sadness, then I followed his and everyone elseâ??s gazeâ?¦ up the mastâ?¦ to the crowâ??s nest, where the only powerful Cleric on the boat was currently dueling with our murderous enemy.
The dangerously agile Raider was very fast, swinging his twin-blades hard against King Arturâ??s righteous sword.
â??We have to get up thereâ?¦â?, my words barely left my clenched throat.
Hovert held his sword tightly, and gritted his teeth. â??These are dangerous waters and the ship is a sitting duck!â?, he said, â??Where is Itz?â? Then the soldier ran belowdecks, but not before shouting, â??Get us moving again!â?
Pabel immediately ran astern and pointed the palms of his hands at the sails. He furrowed his brow, and wind emerged from his hands. Slowly, but surely, the boat began to sail anew.
I gave him a look of utter worry, then turned my gaze upwards at King Arturâ??s fight.
â??How do we help him?â?, I heard Longondo say.
THUMPP!! SCRRATCH!!!
Oh no!
Th-Thump! Scra-scratch!
THUMP!! SCRATCH! THUMP SCRATCH!!
â??I guess thatâ??s why Hovert was so adamant about moving!â?, said Kaizy, peering over the side of the boat, â??There are sea monsters climbing aboard!!â?
Indeed, giant red crustaceans with humanoid shapes were climbing onto the boat! From both sides, the deck was soon filled with a lot of upright lobster-men! Krawfies!
â??Back to back!â?, I called to my friends, as I ran to them, â??Stay together!â?
The clickety-clacks of the Krawfiesâ?? pincers were already creating an unbearable jumble of noise. Soonafter, the noise was accompanied by blasts of fire and ice from our Wands. As some of them burned, others froze; but all that were harmed jumped back into the sea. The problem was, however, that even more Krawfies kept coming still!
â??There must be dozens of them!â?, I exclaimed.
â??Fend them off with Tornadoes!â?, said Kaizy.
â??One, twoâ?¦â?, Longondo prepared us, â??THREE!!â?
WHHOOOOOOSHH!!!!!!! Three tornadoes erupted from our Wands and toppled all the Krawfies. The powerful winds pushed them into piles to the sides of the boat. Some went over the railing.
â??I canâ??t hold it!â?, yelled Pabel. The tornadoes had tampered with the winds he was creating to push the boatâ??s sails alongâ?¦ and now the ship was teetering wildly across the sea. The staggering vessel made us all lose our footing, as we slid across the deck after falling to our knees.
A glimpse of movement from above caught my eye, and I looked up to see that the Raider and KingArtur had fallen off the mast!
â??Pabel! Save him!â?, I called out to the Lunaris, but the air he was trying to control was too strong. He could not hear me over the winds, and he was too preoccupied to notice.
â??Right! Together!â?, Kaizy said, pointing his Wand up at the falling pair, â??STORM!â?
â??Vea! Melt my ice!â?, Longondo instructed me, as she stepped away from where Artur would land, â??CHILL!â?
â??Yes!â?, I followed suit and pointed my Wand at the spot where Longondo was pointing, â??FLAME!â?
As Longondoâ??s ice met my fire, it melted, and a small body of water was created in the middle of the deck. With Kaizyâ??s wind slowing the pairâ??s fall, King Artur and the Raider fell gently onto the temporary pool that we had created.
After the splash, our magic stopped, and the water was washed away across the deck; leaving us ankle-deep in water. While Artur and the Raider were recovering themselves from the fall, we noticed that Pabel had settled the ship back on course, and the Krawfies were now comfortably clickety-clacking their way towards us again! Whatâ??s worse, they now had an almost flooded deck to wade across! So they were surrounding us fast!
The Raider didnâ??t seem to care. He lifted his Dual Panther Blades and began striking at King Artur again. â??Wherrrre issss sheeee???!!!!!â?, he growled.
â??I donâ??t know! I thought you had her!â?, King Artur replied, meeting his opponentâ??s Blades with one wide swing of his Righteous Sword, â??So... you lost her?! Haha! Fail!!â?
â??JOLT!! JOLT!!â?, my friends and I were stunning Krawfies as fast as we could. By forming a perimeter around King Artur, we were keeping the Krawfies at bay, leaving the two warriors to fight one on one.
â??Alright, Raider!â?, King Artur called out to his opponent, â??Who are you, and what do you want?â?
â??Gogetters!!â?, the Raider snarled back, â??Death!!â?
With sudden movement speed, Gogetters lunged himself at King Artur, unleashing a barrage of assaults from his Dual Panther Blades. Artur was taking every hit with his magical sword, but he looked to be getting very weary, and his face began to glisten with sweat.
The Raider began to smash his blades so hard against the King, that Artur ended up falling to one knee, and his sword disappeared; leaving his Shadow Wand exposed.
â??Noâ?¦â?, I ached inside, suspecting what was next.
Gogetters crouched low, crossing his arms in front of him, blades out to the sides. He then sprang upwards, jumping high into the air! â??CIRCLE BREAK!!!â?, he shouted, and backflipped, turning upside down. The Raider stretched his duals outwards and began to spin fiercely in mid-air! The magic that left the blades was strong enough to create a circular whirlwind of pain, erupting from the Raider! King Artur got the worst of the blow; but Longondo, Kaizy, and I (and even the Krawfies!) were sent flying backwards off our feet, to land on our backs on the wooden deck of the boat.
The first thing I saw when I sat up was a few scared Krawfy crawling over the shipâ??s railings and back to sea. The others, including my friends, were still getting their bearings. Next, I saw King Artur laying motionless against the base of the shipâ??s mast. His forehead was bleeding; blue already running down his cheeks. Absentmindedly noticing that at least he still held his Wand in his hand, I immediately pointed mine at him, and I sang: RECOVERY!
The song of a Cleric can be heard in many ways. I always hear morning birds and trees swaying whenever I am healed. Itâ??s as if being in a deep, deep sleepâ?¦ that awakens you to a new burst of life. Artur, I would later come to know, heard my song to be a million children laughing, echoing against the tiles and walls of Junon Polis. While my yellow light engulfed him, I began to sing my charms to him as well. He heard refreshing waters crashing against the Junon coast and onto his skin; and he heard what Namielle Polarbear herself had once said to him: There is unconditional love in Aruaâ??s Visitors. The power of that love can carry Junonâ??s undying peace and strength. Let the love you feel for your people fill your heart with both.
And just like that, the king was back on deck with us. When King Artur opened his eyes and began to rise, I felt his heartbeat for one quick instant. All the way away from where I had been standing, I heard him say two words: I love.
As soon as Kaizy and Longondo were ready, they too pointed their Wands at Artur and helped to heal him and buff him. After all three of us were done, Artur shone brighter than a Grade 9 gem! Alight with power!
Gogetters had simply stood there, curious. He now grinned. â??Moreâ?, he said, and beckoned Artur to continue fighting him.
Artur grinned too, and pointed his Wand at the Raider.
â??Summon Phantom Sword!â?, he yelled, â??Caliburn!â?
And a giant slab of sharp black metal appeared before Artur. On one end, a small metal bar protruded towards the King to serve as a handle. On the opposite end of the blade, the black sword shone orange and red with scorching metal.
When Gogetters charged, Artur was too quick and too powerful for the unfortunate Raider. In two swings of the Dual Panther Blades, Artur managed to counterswing his Caliburn with ease, to sear each of the fucsia weapons straight in two; leaving Gogetters with nothing but the handles.
King Artur pointed the burning edge of the Caliburn centimeters from Gogettersâ?? face. â??Now, Raider, you have lost! Listen here!â?, Artur began his threatening reprimand. But just as victory seemed nearâ?¦ a figure wearing a red robe appeared beside the Raider. Although it was not wearing its red hood, its face was concealed behind a black and golden veil. It placed a hand on Gogettersâ?? left shoulderâ?¦ and just before they disappeared in a blink, Gogetters managed to throw a mystic knife at Arturâ??s chest.
When the veiled figure and Raider had gone, the rest of the Krawfies (that were still on the boat) jumped ship; apparently no longer wishing to fight against the magic displayed on the shipâ??s deck.
Suddenly, Artur was back off his feet, lying with his back to the deck and clutching his chest with his wand hand. The Caliburn was gone. The Shadow Wand rolled freely beside him. A pool of blue blood was already forming on the front of his Archmage Coat.
As Longondo, Kaizy, and I rushed to him, three more figures magically appeared on the deck of the ship. Shroon stood in between the other two newcomers (whom I recognized as teachers from our Academy; Idiosel and Selladin). All three women, wore the garbs of the Arumics; and all three, wore black and golden veils around their heads.
written by: Vea
guest-starring
Longondo
Kaizy
KingArthur
and Gogetters!
siggies and badges by: Sparx!
Edited by KingArthur, 23 July 2010 - 08:54 PM.