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Disclaimer - Skies of Arcadia is copyright Sega and Overworks. I don't own these characters, places etc. Please don't sue me, if you do you'll be disappointed because I have no money anyway.

Any comments, suggestions etc are appreciated, send 'em to adamcannon@ic24.net.

Wrath of a god
by A. Cannon (no pun intended ;)

Chapter 8 - Ascent into Chaos

Gilder lounged around on the deck of Claudia watching the wispy clouds fly past. Overhead a crescent blue moon added very little light to the night sky. A feint milky white band stretched across the sky to the horizon amid a multitude of twinkling stars. Up ahead small pin pricks of light glowed in the distance.

They were very close to Yafutoma, close enough that the cascading waterfalls could be heard faintly in the distance. They'd already passed under the stone wall, but he couldn't see any land yet, just the feint torch light in the distance.

He couldn't wait to get of the ship. It had taken a day and a half of solid travel to arrive in Yafutoma airspace, and he was bored out of his mind. The first thing he was going to do after seeing Daigo was to head down to one of the local taverns, or whatever the hell they called them, and get himself completely pissed.

He caught site of one of the strange dragon ships flying high above them. He'd see to getting his engine converted while he was here to fly in the high and low altitudes. It would take a good twenty four hours to fit it in but it would save him a lot of hassle on the way back. Rather than having to travel East, he could instead head directly West, over the dark rift that snaked around the world. There weren't that many ships in the west that could do that, an engine conversion was somewhat pointless for the majority of people, and it didn't come cheap. However now with this strange cult who had ships that could go above or below the clouds, perhaps it would be a good idea to have it done. The enemy had a major advantage.

The sound of the roaring waterfalls of Yafutoma were much loader now. He could finally see the islands in distance. We should be landing soon.

Indeed, almost as soon as he finished the thought off, the Claudia angled downwards slightly and began to lose altitude. He could make out the docks now, sitting on the lake, and the large Island to the right that held the homes.

He'd been amazed the first time he came to Yafutoma. How almost the whole of the city was built on stilts, resting just above the water. How the people, rather than walk down to the next island, or take a lift, would instead ride down the waterfall in one of those strange floating tub ships. The food as well, was somewhat strange for him. He had been repulsed at first at their diet of raw fish and squid, but had found it to be quiet tasty upon trying it. In fact he was looking forward to some traditional Yafutoman dishes.

The Claudia hovered just meters above the water and slowly made its way to the dock. Several crew members began pulling on ropes behind him, bringing in the two large dorsal sails that hung to either side of the ship. The sails were furled and the ship slowly dropped into the lake to float on the crystal waters.

"Finally," he whispered to himself.

He loved nights like these. The time when most of Yafutoma was asleep, and the hustle and bustle of the day was replaced by the soft chirping of night insects. It was nights like this when he cast of the duty of being ruler of Yafutoma, at least for a while.

Daigo lay down on the bench, resting his head on his wife's lap. His beautiful Rei-Lin. It was funny, when he was younger he was never the one to get swept away by a woman. Now however, he couldn't imagine his life without Rei-Lin by his side.

It had been a year and a half since they had meet. It was when his sister had come to visit with her husband Enrique. There was a celebration that night, his sister had revealed that she was pregnant. During the festivities he had laid on eyes on her, and his sister, noticing him staring had quickly gotten the two together.

His wife looked down and gave him one her wonderful smiles, maybe she too was lost in the old memory. He stared into eyes, into the dark pools. He could well imagine himself drowning in her eyes. He raised his hand, pushed a lock of dark hair away from her, lightly caressing her check.

Beside her, sitting in box decorated to look like blue wings, rested a small flute decorated in the same style as the box. She lifted it out of its container and raised it to her lips, placing her slim fingers across the holes. Daigo let his hand fall away to his side and contented himself to simply watch and listen and she softly began to play the instrument. Her fingers danced across the holes of the flute to create the tune known as Soaring in the Breeze, the faint sound of the waterfall in the distance her only accompaniment as it seemed the night insects too, had stopped to listen.

He could lay like this for hours on nights like this just listening to her. Letting all his worries and troubles at running Yafutoma be washed away by the soft notes of her musical instruments, or her voice.

Rei-Lin was extremely talented when it came to music. She could play almost any instrument after only a short time to get acquainted with it as she always said. All of these instruments were nothing when compared to the sound of voice. If music truly did have the power to tame the savage beast, then her voice could of tamed Bluehiem itself.

The soft sound of her flute died out after a small crescendo and she moved the instrument away from her lips.

"That was beautiful," he said quietly to her.

She looked down to him, his head still resting on her lap, a look of pure contentment across his face. "You always say that," she replied softly.

"And I mean every word."

A smile lit up her features, "I know." She was about to place the flute back in the small box but decided against it. The night was still young. "What would like me to play?" she asked instead.

"Whatever is in heart," he replied.

"Ah, such a romantic."

"I try my best."

Rei-Lin raised to flute back to her lips and started her next piece. She was stopped however after just two notes as one of the guard approached them.

His green scaled armour glinted slightly in the small amount of light offered by the crescent blue moon. Pike in hand he gave the customary bow to one of royalty and then waited for Daigo to give him permission to speak. A small nod of his head indicated the guard continue.

"Sire," he began. By the tone of his voice he sounded quiet nervous. He looked young and Daigo couldn't remember seeing him before. Probably a new guard. "Captain Gilder of the Blue Rogues is here to see you. We bid him to wait until morning but he said it urgent and it couldn't wait."

Captain Gilder? Yes he remembered him. He had spoken to Captain Gilder during his sisters wedding. He seemed to be a somewhat brash fellow, but he seemed an honourable man.

"We will see him immediately." He turned to his wife, "do you wish to join me?"

She nodded her assent and he stood up and took her hand, helping her up of the bench. The guard led the way back towards the royal hall, the king and queen following behind hand in hand.

Gilder was waiting alone in the Royal Hall. His second in command, Micile, had wanted to accompany him but Gilder had told him instead to head down to the tavern and order the first round drinks. He had yet to sample the local loqua.

He hadn't been waiting long until Daigo strode into the hall, his wife at his side. Gilder prided himself on having an eye for beauty, Daigo had gotten himself quiet a looker. In her right hand she held a small box decorated in a blue wing design, her left hand was wrapped tightly around Daigo's right arm. Gilder couldn't help letting a small smile escape him. The two were very much in love.

He hastily removed his glasses and gave the two as graceful a bow as he could manage, which wasn't very. He noticed one of the guards give him a disapproving look which he shrugged off in an instant.

"Captain Gilder," spoke Daigo, "my guard said you had urgent news."

"Indeed I do your majesty." said Gilder. He glanced around, noticing for the first time that the room was rather crowded with the guards. "Perhaps somewhere a little more... private, would be better."

"Of course Captain, please, this way." Daigo led the way into a small room to the side of the hall. They entered, and the guard slid shut the screen door.

It was a small circular room with a simple gilded table at its centre surrounded by four chairs on either side. The walls were decorated with images of famous battles that had taken place long ago, in the centre of them was the image of a large blue bird which Gilder assumed was supposed to be Bluehiem.

Daigo and his wife took the two seats at one side of the table and indicated Gilder to take one of the other two on the opposite end.

"So Captain, what is this urgent news."

Gilder launched into the story of the battle on Crescent Isle, the subsequent kidnapping of him and Fina, and the events that led up to Fina's possession by Zelos. He told about what he had seen as he was led through the tunnels of the Maw of Tartas, and the inevitability of an armed conflict. Finally Gilder finished his story and the room was quiet for several moments as Daigo tried to grasp all that had just been said to him.

This was dire news indeed. The last great battle almost ended with the total destruction of the entire planet. If what Gilder was saying was correct, then another war, large enough to rival the last great war, had already been set into motion. If Gilder's estimation of the size of the force was accurate, then it would take no less then the entire naval force of every country in Arcadia to stand a chance at victory.

And what of the young women, Fina? She was one of the kindest people he had known, she didn't deserve her fate, to be a prisoner in her body. He could think of no worse fate for the young women.

"You are certain of all this Captain?" He had to ask, even though he already knew the answer to his question.

"I was there your Highness, I've seen with my own eyes."

"And this Zelos?"

"That I don't know. Regardless of what he may say and what the people of that cult may say, he's no god. But I do believe that if he gets his hands on the Moon Crystals..." he let his silence answer for him.

Daigo had promised the Blue Rogues long ago that Yafutoma would aid them whenever they asked for help. If it hadn't been for them, Yafutoma would be nothing now. He could do no less than give whatever aid he could.

"We will mobilise the Yafutoman navy. Tell Captain Vyse to expect us in three days time."

"There is something else I wish to ask you Sire." Daigo nodded his head to tell Gilder to continue. "It will take me another two days to sail back to Crescent Isle by heading West."

"You wish us to modify you ship with one of our engines," said Daigo, knowing already what Gilder would ask him. "You're ship will be fitted with our newest design tomorrow morning. It may also be prudent to begin outfitting as many of your ships as possible with our engines. When you leave, four of our ships will go with you with you. They should be able to outfit at least thirty, maybe forty ships. Will this be enough?"

Gilder stood and gave Daigo and his wife another bow. "Thank you Your Majesty." he replied.

"Guards," he called. The same guard who had led Daigo and his wife into the royal hall appeared in the room. "Escort Captain Gilder to the guest room."

"With all due respect Sire, but I sleep on my ship. And there's an... errand I need to run first."

"As you wish Captain. Then escort him outside." Gilder gave the two another quick bow, then left the room following after the guard.

This was more than what Gilder was hoping for. Not only were they prepared to give them aid, but they were also going to upgrade the engines on more of their ships. This should make them even when the shooting starts. He hoped Clara was having as much luck as he was.

He left the palace and headed down to the tavern, where his crew, and a bottle of loqua would be waiting for him.

Aika was worried, very worried. She wasn't worried for herself however, she was worried for her friend. She glanced up again at Zelos walking ahead of them. The large black cloak, decorated with the red star, billowed out behind him. In front of him, and around him, the glow of the moon crystals lit their path. Fina was in there somewhere, doing whatever she could to fight the thing inside her. She wasn't sure how she knew, she just felt it.

She couldn't begin to imagine what her friend was going through. Was she even aware of what was happening around her? How were they going to free her of it? Could it even be done? These questions, at the moment, were pointless. In order to help Fina, they must first help themselves.

Her mind tried to figure out what had happened earlier. They had faced Zelos, prepared to defend themselves, and then there was just intense pain. She had been prepared to die then, when the pain vanished and she had blacked out she assumed she was. When she had awaken she had found her hands tied behind her back, the same had been done to Vyse and Vigoro who were lying next to her. They had then been herded back through the maze that was Soltis.

That had led to now. They were once more in the large shipyard. The strange silver structures that were Silvite ships hung suspended, wrapped in the large tentacles that were an extension of the walls.

She looked to Vyse on her left who gave her a smile of encouragement, a smile that seemed to tell her that everything would be okay. She could practically hear Vyse quoting that same phrase he would say when everything seemed dire, There's a way out of any storm.

Vigoro was on her right but she couldn't bear to look at him right now. He had tried to kill Fina earlier. Sure if he had succeeded he would have killed Zelos as well but that was hardly any comfort. She would not admit to herself that Fina was lost to them. There was a chance, there had to be a chance, that Fina would be okay. Only when there wasn't any option left to them would she except the fact that Fina could not be saved. That they would have to...

No she couldn't bring herself to think of it. Fina would be fine, everything would be fine.

They were brought to a halt and Aika realised that they had arrived at a ship. A black vessel that towered high above them. It looked sleek in design, designed both for speed and aggression. At either side of the prow of the vessel were four torpedo launches facing forward rather than upwards. On the fore deck of the ship was four large cannons in a similar arrangement to the Delphinus. At the aft of the ship were two smaller cannons facing port and starboard. The bridge towered up next to these two cannons but was curved and leant backwards slightly to provide less drag. Two large tentacles were extended from the wall to wrap around the vessel.

She wondered if the crew in the Delphinus knew of this ship, or if the Delphinus was still docked where they had left her. There was no sign on the ship that any battle had taken place so the Delphinus and its crew should still be okay.

"Magnificent isn't she," said Zelos breaking the silence and regarding the three. "The Antinous. She was designed with one specific goal in mind. To be the most powerful ship in existance. She has yet to be proven in battle, but I'm sure she'll be more than a match for your ship. I'm looking forward to the fight, it's just a pity you won't be onboard."

"It's a nice ship," said Vyse, "but a ship is only as good as its crew, and the person who commands them. I think that puts us at definite advantage."

Aika was surprised at how calm Vyse sounded. Even with his hands tied up behind his back he still looked every bit the captain he was now. Hearing Vyse gave her the hope she needed to keep going.

She looked around, realising for the first time that someone was missing. Where was Cupil? She hadn't seen him since that wave of pain hit her.

Zelos raised his hand above him and floor underneath them suddenly began to ripple. Aika stumbled and fell as the floor began to rise up, taking them up and over to the deck of the black ship. The were deposited down on the ship, and with another gesture from Zelos, the strange, whatever it was, fell back into the floor.

Ray stood on the lower deck of the Delphinus, perched atop the prow of the vessel, telescope to his eye. He could barely see the front of the black ship from here but it was better than not at all.

He'd had the black ship under watch from here since it had arrived. When the landing party had landed he had been tempted to send a group of his own, Vyse however, had given him implicit instructions that no one was to leave the ship under any circumstances. Ray agreed with him, it would do no good for anyone else to wonder around Soltis. Besides, what they do? Confront the people from the black ship? If the being that now inhabited Fina's body could do half the things Vyse said it could then it would be suicide.

They'd contented themselves to observe. At one point he'd almost fallen asleep. He didn't know how long he'd been awake - he'd lost all track of time - but he assumed it was well over twenty four hours. He'd been forced to retire for the night by the crew who then stationed someone else on watch. He'd gotten four hours sleep - not much but he felt refreshed all the same - and then come right back. It was good job he did to, shortly after arriving he'd seen movement heading back towards the black ship. The landing party was returning.

He watched the group as they stopped at the bow of the ship. It was difficult to make anyone out from this distance but... Could it be? He quickly adjusted the focus, tried to clean it up. It made little improvement. But there was no doubt in his mind. Three of the figures were different from the others. He could easily see the ones who had come from the ship, they were dressed in black. One of the free was dressed in blue, the captain, he could easily make out Aika in yellow, and Vigoro stood head and shoulders above the rest. They'd been captured and taken to the ship. it was up to them to get them out.

The group descended up on a large tentacle that rose from the floor, and then disappeared from sight.

He wasted no time. He turned, slammed closed the telescope and ran back to the bridge. He burst through the door, quickly noticed with satisfaction that everyone was at their post.

"Hob start up the engines, we're leaving."

"Sir?" asked Hob, "what about the Captain and..."

"They've got 'em," he answered pointing over to the black ship that was now slowly pulling out. "We're gonna get 'em back. Garth," he turned to the man at communications, "tell every to prepare to re-enter that," he pointed over to the strange translucent green field and the blackness beyond it.

"When we leave this place I want you to stay as close to the ground as possible?"

"I don't..." Hob started to say.

"He's right Hob," interrupted the navigator. "If they're using the same system to get around then we should be able to remain relatively invisible on the surface. We should be able to navigate using their sonar pulse as well."

"Use whatever you can, I want us hidden. We're missing somecrew Garth, get Comar and Treak up here."

Garth spoke into a small instrument on the console ordering Comar and Treak to the bridge.

Ray looked outside the bridge watching as the black ship entered the translucent green field and left Soltis.

"Take us out now Hob," he said.

"Aye," came the answer.

The door to the bridge opened and Comar, dressed in his usual bright colours, and another man stepped into the room. The man was in his thirties, wearing a simple blue vest and black shorts. His face was covered in stubble.

"Comar, I need you there," he pointed to the engineering console. "And Treak, we're short of gunner."

The two took their positions without a word, Comar had a grin stuck on his face. The translucent green barrier loomed up in front of them bathing the bridge in its green glow.

"Comar, activate the pressure shutters."

"Aye sir," he replied in his strange accent.

The metal shutters closed down, blocking the view in front of them. Before the room was covered in complete blackness the bridge was bathed in red light. The sound of metal groaning slowly crept throughout the ship, they had passed the barrier. Instantly the ship sloped downward slightly and headed down to the surface. The navigator watched the screen on the console as the sonar pulse spread from the black ship. It was going to be extremely difficult to navigate like this. He relayed instructions to Hob and the ship slowly began to level off again. Before it completely righted itself the ship shuck violently as it scraped its underside on a large rock protruding from the sludge. Ray glanced at him.

"Sorry," he said, "keep us straight and steady Hob, slow to one third."

Ray paced around the bridge nervously, they'd been following the ship now for two hours. They hadn't hit anything else - thankfully - but they had come close. He was half tempted to order them to use the sonar but that would give their position away to the enemy. No, stealth would be their greatest weapon. So they made their way slowly behind, practically blind. Several times Hob had taken the ship too far down and scrapped the keel up against the sludge. Vyse was going to have fits when he saw the saw the mess, the hull would be filthy.

"Ray," called the navigator.

"You got something Garth?" he asked walking over.

"The ship, it's heading up. It looks like we're at the vortex."

"Finally," he breathed a sigh of relief.

"They've stopped sending Sonar pulses, they're to far up. It should be safe to use ours."

"Okay, direct Hob to the entrance. Garth," he said, "tell everyone to prepare for battle."

The sound of the klaxons echoed throughout the ship along with Garth's message: All hands to your stations and prepare for battle, this is not a drill.

The Delphinus rose up to the churning mass of clouds known as The Vortex. Its once blue hull now covered with a brown/black sludge that ran along the keel and up the prow. The ship levelled off at the entrance, fired up the submergence engine, and rose slowly, completely level. Lightning cracked all around the ship, some actually striking the hull, but none doing any damage.

"Comar, open the pressure shutters."

The metal shutters slid open showing a pre-dawn sky. To the East, oranges and reds covered the tips of clouds in recognition of the sun's arrival. Directly in front of them, the black ship flew away from The Vortex, completely unaware of them.

"Hob, full speed ahead. Treak, fire at will."

The Delphinus flew out of the Vortex towards the black vessel, her cannons blazing, as her torpedoes flew ahead, catching the ship completely by surprise.

Vyse, Aika, and Vigoro were crowded together in small cell. Vyse sat on floor, by the barred door peering outside at the single acolyte they had watching them. Aika sat on the single cot staring around dejectedly at nothing. Vigoro was propped against one of the walls, looking for a way out, a small porthole into oblivion seemed there only exit from the cell other than the door. He'd seen the pressure shutter lift up and the first sign of clouds. They were back on the surface.

Vyse replayed the events in his mind, looking to see if there was someway he could have prevented the outcome. He didn't think there was, they'd been caught totally by surprise. The result of that was that Zelos was now in possession of all of the moon crystals. He'd promised Fina that he wouldn't let Zelos get to them. What would become of the world now that he'd failed? What would Zelos do? What would become of Fina?

Regardless of the outcome he wouldn't give up on Fina. They'd fight the thing that had possession of her and get her back, somehow. But what if they couldn’t get her back? The other promise he had made to her was that if there was no other choice, he would kill Zelos, kill her. It was looking increasingly likely that they would have no other choice.

He banished the thoughts from his mind, he didn't want to deal with that decision yet. Instead he concentrated on what he was doing, looking for the right time to act. Zelos hadn't taken everyone by surprise when he walked in on them.

Cupil had quickly morphed into the silver structures and worked his way, completely hidden, towards Vyse. At which point he had slithered up to his wrist and hidden there, similar to what he did with Fina. He hadn't told Aika and Vigoro about Cupil yet, the acolyte would have overheard him speaking out aloud. Instead he conversed quietly with Cupil in the corner of the cell so as not to be overheard by anyone. When the right moment arrived, that's when he'd tell Cupil to act.

He didn't actually know what he was waiting for. The acolyte could be killed quickly and easily without it having time to act, the door could be opened and they could get out, but what then? How would they get away?

"How long are you planning on staring out there Vyse?" asked Aika.

Vyse just shrugged. Vigoro walked over to the small porthole and looked outside, staring at the clouds at they flew past. A loud sound caught his attention, almost like an explosion.

"Hey," he said, "that's..." he didn't get time to finish the sentence. A loud explosion came from the rear of the ship, one of the engines had exploded. The ship lurched downward causing him to tumble to the floor.

"What was that?!" shouted Aika. Several more explosions racked the ship.

"It's the Delphinus," said Vigoro, "they're attacking."

This was the chance Vyse had been waiting for. "Now," he said.

"Now? Now what?" asked Aika.

A small silver dart flew from Vyse's raised arm. It landed a killing blow on the acolyte before it had time to register what was happening. It died in a rain of ash. The arrow floated in the air above the ash and empty robes that had once been the acolyte, before morphing into Cupil's usual shape.

He emitted a squeak, greeting Vyse by the door before inserting his curled tail into the lock. He fumbled around for several moments as he got the right shape for the lock. A small click sounded and the door slid slowly open.

"Good work," he said. Cupil wore a large grin almost stretching across his entire surface.

"That's where he disappeared to," said Aika.

"Now's out chance to escape while they're distracted. We might be able to steal a boat and get back to the Delphinus."

"What about the crystals?" asked Vigoro.

"We can't get to them, Zelos has won for now."

Cupil had already morphed into a large cutlass waiting for Vyse. He grabbed the hilt, and led the other two through the door at the other side of the brig.

The ship shuck violently as it was hit with a barrage of cannon and torpedo fire from the Delphinus. The sound of its own cannons firing, muffled by the warning klaxons, rang out about the ship.

A figure dressed in black guarded the entrance to the brig. He saluted, thinking that the acolyte had come to see what was happening, and then gasped as Vigoro grabbed him and hauled him up against the wall.

"Where'd you keep the boats?" he demanded of him.

The guard attempted to raise the sword at his side, Vigoro seeing what he was trying to do, quickly disarmed him with his free hand and gave the sword to Aika.

"Where!?" he asked once more, "I won't ask again."

"Downstairs," he swallowed, "lower deck... aft section."

"Thanks." A blow to he head rendered the guard unconscious.

"You really do have a way with words," Aika remarked.

They ran up the corridor to the steps at the end. Three more black clothed people appeared through a door. Seeing Vyse, Aika, and Vigoro, they quickly raised they swords and charged.

Vyse blocked the swing of the first one and countered before he had time to react, Vyse's thrust took care of him. A second of the black clothed people came on him instantly, a quick slice to the throat quickly killed him.

Aika, not being as skilled with the sword as Vyse, was having a little more difficulty. She blocked, parried, attacked, but nothing she did got through the persons defences. She cried out as one his swings caught her shoulder slightly drawing blood. It gave her the opening she was looking for though as she thrust her sword through his chest. He collapsed on the floor in heap. This was why she preferred to fight long range, she didn't have to see into the eyes of the person she killed as they tried to cling futilely to life. She knew the face would haunt her dreams for several nights.

"Come on red!" yelled Vigoro dragging her down the steep stairwell.

Zelos was annoyed. He was damn pissed off. How could they of been taken by surprise so easily. The sonar should of detected anything solid, why hadn't it worked? This was a battle he wasn't prepared for, not yet. His ship hadn't yet been completed. Only two of the cannons and one of the torpedo launchers were operational, and they were rapidly running out of ammunition. The ship was still a match for the Delphinus however. It's cannons, the two that worked anyway, were of a new model, three times as strong as anything available. The hull had been re-enforced using a compound of the minerals inside the Maw of Tartas, the results of this compound was metal stronger than any other. The only thing that pose a problem to this ship was the famous moon stone cannon, for some reason they had yet to use it. Still, they had been taken completely by surprise, they'd lost an engine before they'd even started. As such the battle wasn't going well.

He watched it all, shouting out orders every now and then. His headache came on in full force. At first the headache had been but a small pain at the back of his head, barely noticeable. Now however the pain was ten times worse, a constant pain that tried to drill itself deeper into his head.

He had to give Fina some credit, she was nothing if not persistent. True to her word she had been fighting him ever since he first possessed her. He could feel her, constantly banging the bars of her cage against his skull, looking for some crack, some weakness that she could exploit. She would ultimately fail he believed. Eventually his consciousness would win over her, and she would be nothing more than distant memory.

Once he would of been saddened to have her die. They had been friends once long ago, that had changed when she was called down to the surface. Now she was like them, weak, flawed. He hated her with a passion, she had been one of the main people responsible for his lords death. Her fate and the death of Vyse would be suitable revenge his lord. He would take great pleasure in killing him. He would cause him great pain before allowing him to die. Taking him to the brink of death but never crossing the line. Letting him recover so that he could do it all over again. He would have the rogue grovelling on the floor, begging for his forgiveness, begging him to end his life. He would do eventually, but not until he had some fun first.

"My Lord," came the voice of one his followers. A black clothed figure bowed to the floor.

"What is it!?" he demanded. It was strange at first, hearing Fina's voice when he spoke, now it seemed like the most natural thing.

"The air pirates My Lord. They've escaped the brig."

"They will not escape me again. I will deal with them myself. Continue firing on the Delphinus."

"Yes My Lord," replied the black clothed gunner.

He rose out of his chair on the dais, behind him lay the red star stretched across the back of the bridge. He left the bridge, his black clock billowing out behind.

So far so good, thought Vyse. They'd made it to the lower deck, aft section. It was small hanger of some kind. At the rear of the room, the large door remained closed. Small boats were lined up, spread out. Room enough for all three of them. All they had to do was get the doors open.

Aika was at a small console attempting to do just that. She rapidly pressed buttons, not really knowing what she was doing, just trying to find the right one. Her luck won out eventually, as the large door began to open outwards, showing the rapidly brightening morning.

"I did it," she called.

"Good work Aika," said Vyse starting up one of the boat. "Now lets get out of here."

She ran over to the boat which Vyse was in and hopped over the side. Vigoro was just about to step in.

"I'm afraid you rouges won't be going anywhere. I don't know how you escaped, nor do I care, but your little trip ends here."

Vigoro removed his foot from the small boat, snatched up the sword that Aika had placed at her side, and turned to face them. Zelos waited, arms crossed in impatience. Ten black clothed followers stood at his side along two acolytes.

"You two go," Vigoro said to the two behind him.

"Vigoro?" asked Vyse and Aika at the same time.

"It's been fun Red," he turned around and gave her a smirk. "Maybe if I had a little more time you woulda thought differently of me. Get her back safely Captain Vyse."

"O please," said Zelos raising his hand. "Nobody is going anyw..." Pain once more shot through his skull, worse than anything he had felt yet. He grasped his head with his outstretched hand and collapsed onto the floor. He managed to cry out, "Kill them all!"

"Get going!" yelled Vigoro. He gave the boat a swift kick sending it heading out of the ship before they had a chance of doing anything. He heard Aika cry out his name before they disappeared.

They black figures all rushed him at the same time. He managed to kill three before the rest were on him. He didn't feel the swords as they swept at him, only a strange sense of peace as blackness slowly took his vision. His last thought was of the fiery red head.

Zelos returned to the bridge after the pounding in his head had subsided. He'd ordered what was left of the corpse thrown overboard. He'd gotten some satisfaction from watching the corpse fall into oblivion, he could still hear Fina in the back of his head weeping over the fool. It had been that, that had allowed him to push her over to the side. The headache was completely gone, for now, he knew it would be back with a vengeance once Fina got over Vigoro's death though.

"My Lord," started the follower who was left in charge, bowing down, his nose practically touching the floor.

"What is it?"

"The Delphinus, My Lord." he said, head still staring at the floor. "It's moving away from us. What is your bidding?"

"Let them run," he replied scornfully. "We'll deal with them later. Take us back to Tartas. I wish to be left alone for the reminder of the journey."

"As you command My Lord."

Zelos left his private quarters, via a door on the opposite side of the bridge. Like any other of the crews quarters in the ship, the room had no personal belongings. He had no need of material items. A wash basin sat in the centre of the room, directly above that a mirror. On either side of the mirror was two small portholes. A large bed lay against right wall, at the edge of the bed was a simple desk. Opposite the desk a large safe. Everything had a dark look to it.

He walked over to the mirror and gazed his image, no not his image, Fina's image. Her green eyes gazed back at him, taunting him. He felt fury rising up inside him at the image, as her reflection stared at him with hard eyes. The anger boiled up inside him until he released it, sending a clenched fist into the mirror, into her reflection.

Shards of glass embedded themselves in his hand, blood trickled into the washbasin. Silently he picked out each shard of glass feeling a slight satisfaction at the pain it caused. His pain would her pain as well.

He walked over to the safe and entered the combination, turning the dial left, then right, right then left. A click sounded and he opened the safe revealing the glow of moon crystals. He reached in and took at the green moon crystal.

He could feel its energy flowing into him as he held it. The sudden rush of power was intoxicating. A thought sent its energy flowing through him, closing up the wounds on his hand in an instant. No mark was left, save the blood that had already run.

Once he'd cleaned up the blood with water at the washbasin he went back over to the moon crystals. He was eager to test their combined powers. He place them about him in the same pattern as the red star, each moon crystal was a point on the star, he was the circle at its centre.

He reached out with his mind and felt their power almost immediately. The combined powers of all six moons crystals churned within him fighting for release. He was completely oblivious to the blinding glare of the moon crystals, shining their colours brighter than the sun. The power continued to build up inside him until it became to much for him to handle, he had to release it or be consumed by them. He already knew what he wanted to do, an example of his rise god-hood. He directed its power to a continent in the East, and the power exploded out of him, towards it destination.

Outside, the ship was suddenly engulfed in white light. The light encompassed the ship briefly before collecting at its tip and speeding off towards the rising sun.

The all to familiar feeling of a hangover encompassed Gilder. He opened his eyes then closed them just as quickly as the ever bright sun caused the pounding in his head to increase ten fold. This time he knew it was a hangover, knew he wasn't going to wake up inside any strange ship.

He'd been woken up by a loud clanging coming from the ship, followed by the shouts of people. Can't the Yafutoman's wait until morning to put that engine in. He stopped realising something was very wrong. Slowly opened his eyes again, saw the sun shining through the porthole in his cabin. The sun was up, it looked to be way past mid day. Then why did it feel like four in the morning?

He was still operating on mid ocean standard time, Yafutoma was nearly half a day in front of them. Which would make it about dinner time. His stomach rumbled in agreement.

He got up, washed, changed and stepped outside, the pounding in his head numbing slightly.

The Claudia was full of activity. People of both his crew and Yafutoman carried various tools and pieces of machinery, to and from the engine room. The crew seeing Gilder had just woken greeted him with good morning Captain. The Yafutoman's greeted him with a friendly konnichiwa, which Gilder had figured out means 'good afternoon'.

He stopped at the engine room first to see what was happening. Daigo had made good his promise that the ships engine would be upgraded the next day. It looked to be about half complete. The engine lay at the far end of the room, its casing removed. Large valves, metal cylinders, and other such devices crucial to the operation of the ship could be seen running around inside. Several large blue moonstones glowed slightly in a pile at the corner of the room. Other pieces of equipment littered the engine room.

"Konnichiwa Captain Gilder," called one of the Yafutoman's working on the engine. A women glided up to him, her hands and face covered in grease and oil, "What do you think?" she asked.

She wasn't the most attractive women he had ever seen, but defiantly not the worst. He black hair was tied into a large bun held in place two... sticks was the only words Gilder could use to describe them. Her brown eyes studied him in turn, lips curved into a friendly smile. Her lithe figure stood slightly shorter than him.

"Looks good," he replied, "you're in charge of this?"

"Surprised to see a woman messing around with engines?"

He was taken by surprise by her answer. "No... that's not what I... erm, meant. How... how much longer will this take?" he asked finally.

"About five hours, she'll be ready by the evening."

Gilders stomach rumbled again, reminding him he hadn't eaten in, he didn't know how long. "Anywhere I can get something to eat around here?" he asked.

"There's a restaurant up on the Mid Island. I was just about to take a break, care to join me for dinner?"

"Err... sure, why not."

"Just give me a couple of minutes to get cleaned up."

He left the engine room and waited on the deck for the women. He had to admit, Yafutoma was a beautiful place. He studied the huge extinct volcano, Mt. Kazai. The base of the mountain was rich and fertile with shades of green and the small patchwork of crops from the various farms that existed around the base. The green gradually died out, blending in with the blue hued rock that stretched into the heavens. A small ring of cloud circled the mountain half way up, beyond that, the summit, where the crystal waters existed. The summit of Mt Kazai was one of the highest points of the known world.

"Admiring the view?" came that women’s voice from behind him.

He turned around to face the women. The grease and oil that had covered her skin was removed and her hair was left to fall down to her waist. She was attractive he admitted to himself, several years ago he would of pulled out the old Gilder charm with her.

"I don't think you've told me your name yet," he said to her.

"I haven’t?" she sounded surprised. "Forgive me, I guess I've had a lot on my mind. Let's start again from the beginning then shall we." She smiled, "My name is Kleiya, and what should I call you Captain?"

"Gilder will do just fine."

"Well then Gilder, shall we?"

The two walked through Lower Island along a pathway suspended above the water. A green wooden railing stood on either side to prevent anyone from accidentally falling into the water. The waters of the islands were well looked after and were extremely clear. Giant lily pads grew on the surface of the lake where frogs and other such animals rested. Elegant pink hued birds swam the water, occasionally ducking their heads under the surface for small fish. Fish of different shapes and sizes swam through the water, an occasional Yafutoman could be sitting with a large pole, its string dangling in the water in the hopes that one of the fishes would be stupid enough to take the bait so to speak.

It seemed to Gilder that Yafutoma looked to be designed by an artist. Everything from the simple railing, to the buildings, to large statue, was intricately crafted in shades of greens, blues, yellows and reds. They past under an archway, leaving the harbour, and entered into the shipyard area. It was here that the strange square Yafutoman ships were constructed.

There were at least ten ships under construction here, each at a different stage. One ship was in the process of having its hull fitted to its frame, another was just a partial framework. One of them seemed to be almost completed and was in the process of having the strange folded wooden sails tested. The carving of a great dragons head was being added to another. The lower island was used exclusively for the port and shipyard.

The two ascended a set of stone steps to the next level, the Mid Islands. This was the largest level and actually encompassed two islands. The one they had just entered was used for shops, restaurants and other businesses. The other Island was used for houses. The other level, Higher Island, was designated for the Royal Family only and was the smallest Island.

If possible, this level was created with even more care than the one below it. Small busts of dragons were placed with care along either side of pathway. Scenes on shop signs were created with such precision as to look almost real.

Lots of people mingled about at this level, going about their business. Small children played. People who didn't like walking sailed the waters in the small tub boats. The strange green scales that people wore were a command sight.

Kleiya brought them to a stop at one of the stands that held the wooden tub boats.

"Hope on?" she said, indicating one of the tubs.

"On that?" he asked, "can't we walk there."

"This is the only way to get there. I thought you were a sailor?" she asked with a slight chuckle.

"I sail the skies not the water." He cautiously stepped into the tub, the tub seemed to move away from him. Kleiya watched him enter the tub with amusement, her lips quirked up at the side on the verge of laughing out loud at Gilders performances. After some difficulty he managed to get in without falling into the water, grasping the wooden rudder as if his life depended on it. Kleiya jumped into the next one along the line.

Using the rudder to paddle their way across, they sailed a short distance under a bridge, Kleiya leading. They headed for a largish building which was built out in the middle of the lake. The strange picture like symbols which were Yafutoman writing were written on a large sign above the door. Gilder had no idea what it meant, but the picture of food to either side of it told him pretty much what it was. Also the smell of food cooking, wafted in the breeze, which gave the place away.

The two tubs were left on the side of the building with a large group of them and the two entered the restaurant. The sound of sizzling food and the banging of pans reached his ears. Assorted smells assailed his senses causing his stomach to growl violently. To his left two women were cooking away, a green scaled apron hung over them. Three rows of tables, placed so low that you had to kneel down, lined the room, each with four table per row. Strange decoration of dragons and strange birds covered all the walls making them look cluttered but organised at the same time.

A young girl walked over to them dressed in a dark blue silky material that was folded around her and tied at her waist with another piece of the same material, red this time. She was young, her face still held a childish look to it. She immediately began conversing in the Yafutoman language with Kleiya. Gilder had no idea what was being said.

He heard someone whistle and call his name. He looked around and found his helmsman franticly waving at him and calling him over. The two Yafutoman women broke off their conversation and bowed to each other. Gilder did likewise saying the only other Yafutoman word he knew "arigatou," which simply meant 'thank you'.

They walked over to the table that Micile - his helmsman and second in command - was sat, and flopped down on the cushions placed around the table.

"Captain," his helmsman greeted him, "what brings you here?"

"Hunger," he answered simply. "How did you find this place?"

"Kleiya directed me to the place," Micile answered indicating the women with a nod of his head who smiled in response. "And I want to thank you to. Excellent food at this place. Have you tried the Romuhai Fish yet Captain, its delicious?"

"How could I have tried it, I've only just gotten here."

"I'm glad you enjoyed the venue Micile. I come here quiet often myself," said Kleiya. "And you'll soonn be trying the Romuhai Fish Gilder. Along with a selection of other food items."

"How goes the upgrade?" asked Micile.

"A little slower than expected," answered Kleiya. "We hit a small problem earlier on but everything's running smoothly now. Another five hours, give or take, should see it complete."

"And we'll be able sail much higher and lower than before."

"Technically yes."

"Technically?" asked Gilder a slight worried edge to his voice.

"You're ship, like most of ours is mostly wooden in construction. A metal ship will be able to withstand much higher and lower air pressures than yours. As a result, you'll be limited by how high and low you can go. You'll still be able to fly high enough to sail over sky rifts, and over or under mountain ranges, and your ship will be a little faster as well."

The young girl who had meet them as they entered the restaurant appeared again carrying two plates and three glasses of orange liquid. She placed them down on the table and spoke several more words in Yafutoman to Kleiya. Kleiya attempted to pay for the meal until Gilder stopped her and said he'd pay. At which point he handed over several gold coins to the girl. She counted what she was given and tried to give him some back.

"Tell her to keep the rest for herself," he said Kleiya.

She spoke several more words to the women who’s face lit up into a smile. She gave an enthusiastic bow to Gilder followed by several words to Gilder that he didn't understand. He looked to Kleiya with a blank face.

"She said 'you've just made her day worthwhile'," she translated for him.

Before Gilder had a chance to respond the building suddenly began to shake violently. The young girl who had served them lost her balance and fell. Gilder caught her before she crashed into the table.

"What's going on!?" he yelled over the screams and shouts of the patrons.

"Earthquake!" she responded.

The shaking became more intense. Pans and plats crashed to floor. The decorations on the wall fell. Then the sound of the wooden supports that held the building above the water could be heard snapping and giving way.

"We've got to get everybody out!" he yelled.

The two cooks, seeming to have the same idea began to usher the customers out of the building. The snapping of more of the supports sounded and the restaurant began to lurch over on its side.

Gilder, Micile and Kleiya made sure everyone was out before they followed the rest out and grabbed the last few tubs. The water lapped up violently around them making sailing the things difficult. They took the tub a short distance before they turned around and watched the last support give way. The restaurant tumbled into the water in a splash. The force created a large wave that swept them out of the tubs.

Gilder emerged from the water coughing and spluttering. The earthquake ceased and the water settled down. He looked behind him at the destruction that the earthquake wrought. The restaurant wasn't the only building to suffer its fate. The roofs of several buildings was all that remained of some. Others were slanting precariously at an angle, the buildings waiting for a slight breeze to knock it into the water. People had stopped what they were doing and staring in the distance at something.

"Oh my god," uttered Kleiya next to him.

He turned around and saw what had mesmerized the people so. A large plume of black smoke rose from the crater of Mt. Kazai, spreading rapidly across the sky. An ominous shadow descended across the Yafutoman city, as the sun was blotted out. Mt Kazai, long extinct for over two thousands years, was now very much active, and had one hell of a sore throat.

Authors comments:

Eight down, several more to go. This was actually gonna carry on a bit longer but it was too long so I'm gonna have to blend it in with the next chapter, entitled Black Snow. I think it will work better like that, than one extremely long chapter.

Sorry I had kill off Vigoro. All the other Valuan Admirals are dead, why should Vigoro be any different? Plus I never really liked his character all that much anyway.

So what do y'all think of the fic so far? Let me know, I love getting feedback, good or bad. If you wanna drop me an email my address is at the top.

Okay what happens in the next chapter? It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to guess that one.

See ya.