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Vexx
Look, the only reason I saved Black Knight, was so that people stopped being suspicious of me.
I mean, I acted without hesitation when seeing him fall. But it's all part of the disguise. Right?
I stood in front of the Drownei and Aziel while holding my - disappointingly light - beer bottle. My hybrid self almost frozen in the room of white beds. Thinking way too hard in the silence.
They'd even started to. . . sympathize with my backstory? Either that or I really was going as crazy as a drunkard. Surely I was overthinking instead at this rate. I refused to admit this was all completely foreign to me, convinced I had already mastered the deceptive art of socializing.
Then the entire ship rocked with a jolt.
The floorboards creaked as an audible slam pierced my hearing. A blind projectile within the darkness outside, as our quester knight rushed over to the curtains, pulling them open.
I immediately placed the iron helmet over my face, like always. Hiding my true being.
Seawater was slowly filling the sides of the lower deck, where we were beside. I spread the white-feathered wings behind me, smaller than a pure Flivian's, and launched myself forwards to bust agape the door leading out. Hand firmly placed on the flintlock within its holster.
Without forgetting my drink on the other, of course.
Harsh waves blasted the railings as Aziel and Black Knight rushed outside after I did. A row of cannons were being manned, by the usual Chronicle Order troops covered in yellow-lined armour. And overseeing them, especially loud, was Captain Aurel with her tentacle hair and formal attire.
Then, the captain noticed us three, along with a familiar-looking crewman with a blue staff standing by.
"Oh, how excellent, the reptilian lad's alive." She gave a side-eye as an acknowledgement, mostly to the knight, while keeping her sight locked ahead."Headmaster Chronisius would have replanned the quest entirely, otherwise. . ."
Captain Aurel suddenly directed her gaze sharply, at the ones controlling the cannons.
". . . oi, what are you all waiting for?! Fire straight ahead now!"
Honestly, it was completely easy to forget the pirates were questers now too.
The thought left my mind as I watched where the cannonballs were shot at, from organization troops delivering barrels of ammo. A wooden pirate ship set sail in the distance, half the size of ours at first glance, and trailed beside where we stood riding along the seas. Slowly nearing closer in hostily for some reason. Unluckily for both sides, it was pretty hard to see things within the night's fog.
We all braced as another formation of metallic spheres was blasted towards us. Each one had a different aura shining around it, colored like the magic they were infused with. Mostly with either a flaming red-orange or a pearly white.
I flew up into the air to possibly intercept them somehow.
And I swear, in the corner of my eye I saw two winged Chronicle Order Flivians staring judgement at me, in a familiar fashion.
But behind the captain in the same area, stepping forwards, was Erl. The once exhausted mage from the dining room, raising his rusted but glistening aqua staff.
"Remember what I taught ya', kid. . ."
And behind him to the captain's other side, was Jade. With a newfound and similiar determined look. The short Dwellven readjusted her wizard hat, and pointed her bronze scepter to the area of attack.
"Wanna' know what I've been learning, Miss Korr?"
She winked to Aziel, as a huge wave began to quickly rise from the ocean below, while the girl controlling it moved her hand holding the spellcaster upwards.
It was surprisingly quick and precise, and Captain Aurel did the same with her smaller staff as well. Erl eventually followed suit.
Their powers combined allowed the wave to grow larger, which was about a ship's distance away from us, as it covered our view of the opponent like a shield.
I watched from above to see the cannonballs hit the liquid barrier. Then falter and redirect themselves downwards, after splashing through it. The ones covered in flame looked like an arm's length away from crashing the deck. And the ones surrounded by a cloudy mist floated with a curve upwards, still being intercepted.
The mass of water also blocked our view of the opposing ship.
Well, for most of us anyway. As I floated from above the rest, I saw figures in the shadows with wide wings soaring towards us.
Flivians.
I held my flintlock at them instinctively. Inserting the bottle in my hand into the belt pouch for now. Forgetting to even inform the others, as if I cared. Then in the corner of my eye, a whole group of them with their white masks landed onto the deck.
I pulled the trigger. The one figure charging at me spiralled away mid-air to dodge, as the bullet went stray.
They swept to my side. I narrowly had more of a second to react. Their cutlass tried slashing my back while I spun around with another shot. And before I knew it, the Flivian's neck bled and their body fell to the waters below.
Strangely enough, I felt I lost a little bit of weight on one of my sides. My right wing began to flutter more rapidly. And also began to sting the more I forced it to work. What's more, I was beginning to lose my balance in flight.
So I turned my head back to inspect the fluttering wing.
Damn it.
The center of it was cut open, missing rows of tiny feathers. At least it wasn't a hole that ran all the way through. That'd be hard to naturally heal over time, I knew from plenty experience. But it was a sizable enough damage for me to lose stability.
Especially since the organs were smaller than normal, and I wasn't a pure-blooded Flivian.
Speaking of Flivians, another faceless one charged with a heavy spear aiming for my torso, as I let myself flap down, spiralling back to the surface of the vessel.
Now's not a time for thinking about that, idiot! I scolded my brain. Unless you want to be killed by the actual pure bloods.
I stumbled, landing on my knees with my surroundings becoming a blur, while I focused on keeping balanced. I clutched the railings to push myself up from the floor, still keeping close to the surface. Familiar faces fought all around me.
The first thing I noticed was the bulked-up bartender, Ryff, swinging two battle-axes at an intruder to cut off their wings and finish them. Thorne leapt at the winged attacker with the long, flaming axe of his own. Tattered cape flowing from his back. Impaling the guy in one swoop.
"May I test out your dual weapons, if you wish to temporarily exchange?"
The Dwellven prince asked the bigger man casually, right after they killed someone.
"Aye? You have a literal blade of fire, boy. . ." Ryff narrowed the stormy eye below his grimed bandana. Then lit up with a silver-toothy grin."Hah, you know what, deal."
I forced myself to stop spectating their exchange, and stand up from the wooden floorboards. After all, chaos remained to be happening around me. The unharmed opposing ship pushed closer. I spent my entire life surviving, so it'd be pretty unluckly to let my guard down and die now.
Captain Aurel shouted orders to her members right as I stood. A few more of her fancily-attired crewmates of mostly Marines followed the commands. With different appearances despite the uniform, and eager faces.
But I mainly heard the names I recognized.
". . .Erl, remain on lead with the cannons! And Ryff, defend the main deck accompanying the troops. Verify that everyone is accounted for. All savvy, Goldwave Pirates?!"
The team of a dozen responded. "Aye, captain!"
Ryff, the grey-haired veteran pirate, muttered with a tiny genuine smile for once.
"Looks like the lass finally learned inclusion. I could definitely live with this. . ."
I just wondered where Lare was.
Or where Black Knight and Aziel was. To keep them around for bounties, of course, and nothing else entirely. I obviously shouldn't care about a bunch of strangers.
Just because I comfortably revealed my past for the first time, doesn't mean I'd forget why I was here in the first place. Money. Rewards. So I can finally live peacefully with myself.
"Vexx is your name, is it not?"
The direct voice snapped me out of my time-consuming thoughts.
Captain Aurel met my gaze sharply, her tricorn hat shading her face, purple-skinned and leathered like the rest of her, I assumed.
But I decided to look past the intense demeanor.
"Well, it just so happens to be." I said, forgetting to address her. "Capt'n."
"I reckon you've met our driver Meon." After facing me, she peered far towards the other ship. Hands at ease behind her back. Studying the vessel to our side, coming closer in the distance, as I turned my sights towards it as well.
Trapdoors were opening up around the very bottom of the craft. Cannons were revealed out of them, almost submerged in the waters.
"Inform him that he'll steer hard to the right, will ya'?" The captain continued with my flight possibly in mind. "Lad's smart enough to understand."
I nodded and flew all the way up, with an instinct, to the direction of the rudder.
Right, so I just have to find that angler-fish person from the bar and-
Hold on. I was working with both sides. I didn't have to follow orders, so there's no reason to do it so adamantly like some kind of unpaid servant.
But you know what, whatever. It was either this or I die and lose everything I've worked towards.
Before I knew it, I had already landed on the top deck of the ship. Beside the towering mast, where the massive pearly sail was hoisted, Meon stood with a couple Chronicle Order guards. Palms clutched onto the handles of a large polished wheel, steering it right steadily. But not enough to avoid what was quickly coming from the attackers. Which was hard to notice in the first place.
As the antenna dangling fom combed hair lit his dark surroundings, glowing a bright yellow, I called out.
"Meon! Steer all the way to starboard! Captain's orders!"
He turned his locked gaze only slightly from what's ahead, and while I walked to him he blankly stared in response.
"I remember Captain Aurel's plan as leaning nearer to the enemy, for a counterattack."
"Yet she told me to tell you there's no use for that now."
"Why's that?"
"Water cannons."
Meon's neutral expression suddenly lit up in realization. He averted his eyes to one of the troops looking over the railings, who was studying the intruder ship with a spyglass.
They exchanged looks as the human soldier nodded.
The driver immediately leaned closer to the wheel, pushing it to the right-hand side without another word. I felt the ship rock and sway harshly, not to the point of everyone tipping over, but just enough to possibly catch the chasers off guard.
I floated in the air above our vessel again to witness for myself.
Sure enough, the waves indicating the cannonballs being shot out missed us completely, as I peered below.
Typical. The metal projectiles were infused with water gemstone magic, or whatever they called the thing. Siphre of Sea? I could tell because of how rapid their movement in the ocean was.
Another thing I noticed was that the fog was slowly starting to clear. All around our ship and the Chronicle Order's navy I remembered was following us. As the mist began to fade, I saw smaller but sizable enough vessels, now positioned in a guarding diamond shape to protect us.
I was interrupted by cheers from the people defending, on the lower decks. The vessel attacking ours began to sink into the depths, set on fire, with even a few pure Flivians and Marines returning while carrying barrels, crates, and other lightweight supplies.
Common pirate practice never sleeps, even if they called themselves 'dignified'.
The tiny victory was almost enough to convice me, that all of this was over.
Then, as I looked forwards, there came another fleet of around ten ships, sailing and growing larger in the horizon.
And they were heading straight towards our position.
At different points in the distance, sets of different islands came into view with their silhouettes. Sizes ranging from miniscule to huge. But you could see all of them due to their village and city lights, and the fact that so many Marines in one place can create a clearing of ocean fog. I never understood magic myself sometimes.
One of the archipelagos, the largest that was clamped together to almost seem like a single island, stood out in particular. A heavily-guarded territory with two sets of brick walls on land, from what I've heard. Made sense if they'd be dealing with pirates all the time. And it would also explain how the villages inside were apparently 'glistening' and well kept.
From what else I've heard, the islands they own around it are the exact opposite. But I guess it's hard to maintain. Battles between the Marines and Hybrids are supposedly still happening all the time. Even after the empire of Kyronia technically owned the territories and guarded them, they couldn't keep one of the only constant divides controlled.
I fought the urge to fly over to one of the isles, and ask whether or not I'm from there.
Anyway, there were lights glowing through the translucent sea, under the main isle. I knew those water people built a whole capital down there. Even though they still need their dose of surface air now and then.
Sort of like the need for the common person to eat food. Or drink, well, water. Except in this case the Marines obviously don't need to.
As the fleet approaching us reached closer, armies dived confidently into the ocean to swim quickly towards ours.
Fish people again. I assumed.
I was beginning to lose my balance mid-air as well, as my right feathered wing stung again.
Shoot. Get it together, already. My head shook itself. You've been taking breaks for way too long. Be a good quester for the guise.
So as the armies of Marines dove out of the waters, landing in front of the knight and veteran hero lady he was always with, my own body decided to start flying over and join the fight. Before I could remind myself I wasn't obligated to help them. But hey, it was all for the guise, of course.
Then my eyesight redirected towards a familiar appearance below.
Lare was peeking out from one of the doorways, that lead into the ship's interior. Holding the same mop in her hands along with a steel bucket. Which she placed beside. The usual headscarf wrapped around her head, the ponytail and fins sticking out from her azure hair, and a peg leg that somehow still made her look good.
Shoot. I meant. . . decent.
From the other side of the open door, protruding outside, was a greyish shark-like person that looked quite tough to beat alone.
So I stumbled my downwards flight, feeling tired already, and shot him in the armor's torso for attention.
He slumped with his hands to the floors, eyeing me while growling with piercing sharp teeth.
I pressed on the trigger once again, aiming straight for the middle of his black eyes.
Click.
Well, I should've expected to not keep track of my bullets. I never prepare for situations like these. I mostly just wing everything.
For example, to dodge the shark's tail shaped like a hammerhead's head, I had to use said wings to clumsily spiral up into the air and avoid the attack. Then while remembering I didnt' have a lot of invisibility potions left in my pouch, I unsheathed my fiery red dagger instead as its blade stabbed through my target.
The Marine girl witnessed his body go limp and burn on the flooring. But with not as much shock as I expected. Actually, with the most straight face ever, as if she was experienced with the sight already.
I fluttered down in front of Lare, and slowly landed on my feet while attempting to give her a greeting smile. She just glanced away. With a little red in her cheeks. Then steadily forced herself to look me in the eye.
". . . you just left earlier." Lare said in almost a whisper, which was the usual voice she was comfortable with. "Why, Vexx?"
Because I revealed my face, to you of all people, when it could sabatoge me in the long run. My mind responded. But my mouth chose to joke as the common option.
"Was that. . ." I tilted my head in doubt, and held in a stutter. ". . .seriously how that looked-?"
The cleaner crewmate nodded more downwards. "You said bye during our big conversation. And flew away after calling it one."
"What can I say? Our backstories were beginning to get political."
I gave her a smile, and she actually laughed at the response.
So I continued confidently. "Besides-"
"Behind you."
In a split second, Lare pushed past me and sweep kicked the figure about to stab me in the back. With the longsword slipping out of their lobster claws, as they lost balanced footing, and got up at once now disarmed.
Oh, how the tables turned to the point where I was watching in surprise instead.
"So to finish off my story. . ." She said while swinging her mop at their smooth neck. Which the humanoid sea person caught with both pincers. I didn't waste any more time pulling out my dagger from the shark's dead body, and throwing it directly where Lare aimed as it impaled entirely.
". . .I was born like you within a Marine-Hybrid war. . ."
Then after the body plopped down she grabbed the weapon again, and tossed it over while I caught the hilt. Next to her feet, a single critical hit from her bucket of steel knocked them out cold.
". . .attacked by a hybrid as a child." Lare looked at her peg leg. I noticed her confusing smile, what I guessed what sad but hopeful, as she rubbed her lightly scaled neck. "Lived life with. . . nobody. Until I joined the Goldwave Pirates."
That's. . . unexpected. Too relatable somehow. And sounded like it would be tragic, before possibly that last sentence.
"S-sorry." I cleared my throat, not knowing how to respond to the sudden tone. Pushing for a lighter one. "So what is that chaos like?"
She paused, then smiled instead of giving a blush.
"It has its flaws. But it's better having people than being alone."
Then Lare set down both her bucket and mop. Turning her head away from facing mine, and pulling out a dagger I hadn't noticed sheathed within her own leather belt.
"So I'd better go help them out there." She finalized while glancing back at me. Not knowing how to end the verbal exchange. "On the other side of the deck. . ."
"Wait, Lare."
Suddenly, she froze when I said her name. And stared back wide-eyed.
I hesitated too. The back of my mind reminded me what a waste of time this was. And I told it to shut up.
"Look, I just thought the interaction earlier wouldn't work out, since we're. . ." I stepped forwards, shrugging a shoulder. "Y'know."
"A Marine and a Hybrid?" Another smile rose on her face. "And look where that got us."
Her arm then outstretched, as after the burst of sudden confidence, I saw it lightly tremble and retract a bit. Lare realized what I saw and simply blushed. But she kept it out while looking at her legs, and requested.
"Friends?"
Friends?
Sure, I was good at talking and stuff. Yet I never had a real friend before. Mostly, I'd either kill, capture, or merely distrust anyone I met. Besides my 'mentor' Eeldrin, who took me in as a bounty hunter. But nobody had ever asked me to be their aquaintance. It was completely foreign to me. Is this was Marines usually do?
I suddenly started overthinking. So if two strangers barely knew each other, but connected with each other enough, they can be friends? I didn't think it made much sense at first. Does that mean the other questers thought of me that way?
Because too bad for them, at one point or another I'd have to betray them eventually.
I decided to play it off, until I could help my smile steadily become less fake. And I shook the hand of my new 'friend'.
"Sounds like the perfect alliance between two sides."
"You're getting political again." She joked, and headed off to go around the corner of the deck, while we shared the waving of a hand.
In the near distance to my other line of sight, Black Knight and Aziel were beating up this one burly and shirtless tentacled person, with eight slimy arms decorated with suckers, running down his head like a comically large beard.
I reloaded my flintlock with more bullets and flew forwards. To not be easily identified by my cut, all I had to do was not spread out my wings all the time. Which meant, unfortunately, using them less.
For now, I charged ahead. The octopus man used a rising wave from over the railings, to deflect Aziel's shooting beams of fire, out from her finger rings. It was hard to see, but there was a scepter held within one of his tentacles.
As I pulled the trigger for the attackers head, Black Knight swung his two-edged longsword towards the bare chest.
My bullet infused with air gemstone magic was faster enough to hit, as the intruder turned to face me while Black Knight slashed open his slimy torso, and Aziel reduced him to ash with a flaming blast.
"You're welcome."
I stated to them with a smirk. The Drownei returned a respectable nod, and Aziel a grateful smile, while the three of us stood side by side.
Then I looked around in the meantime. Crewmates and soldiers of the Chronicle Order continued fighting off invaders, from the ships trying to take ours down. One of them was slowly covering the front side view of the ship. Maybe wanting a flanking position?
So the 'moment' of our trio was short-lived as the floors shook again.
Captain Aurel and the headmaster was just passing by, with the troops and crew members questioning in a panicked crosstalk.
". . . have we even fed those bounties??"
"Yea, we were supposed to tonight!"
"The pirates were about to, until these Unity attacks interrupted-"
"Enough of the panic, mates." The captain ordered clear."It certainly won't be helpful to us now. There is always an excellent use for sea beasts, with or without money involved."
I stared over the low fencing viewing the sea, to notice we were close by one of the many small islands. About a few ships distance away, even.
And a smaller ship trailed towards its docks from far away. But the wooden vessel seemed packed with people, crowding together on the open deck.
Then an idea hit me before I could stop myself.
As Headmaster Chronisius stood near, I chose to act on impulse and called out. "We should use the creatures to our advantage by docking onto the isle closest to us, then releasing said creatures into the sea without us in it, to wipe out the remaining aggressors efficiently. . ."
Everyone surrounding me stared at my face, like they weren't expecting the talking guy to talk that much about this.
". . .what? Not heroic enough, or not prophesied?"
"We will not interfere with Marine and Hybrid business, Vexx."
The headmaster stood serious with his rich robes and aged white hair, staring daggers into me. Then peered back to the island is if he was in thought. As if the subject didn't need any more speaking about.
"Business?" I stared back with suspicion, then realization. "You don't mean what I think you mean."
Captain Aurel and Headmaster Chronisius exchanged a look, which let me know that a discussion was already held.
"A reminder to address him as the Headmaster Chronisius, lad." The captain stated. "And what he has ordered has been ordered."
"Ah, well to be fair," Headmaster lightly defended. "It was a mutual agreement between the Marines and the Chronicle Order to allow them their practices, as we sailed past their lands. They're just transporting hybrids to smaller isles. Where they won't threaten control."
Wasn't that. . . a morally bad thing though? I couldn't tell. I guess when talking to Lare, some hybrids can be that bad. Also, since when had speaking to rising governments been this easy for the headmaster? He was popular, sure, but seemed to become more by the second. He could become the leader of a whole nation, at this rate.
Metal boots stepped closer behind me.
"We can still follow orders and not interfere with their 'practices', Headmaster Chronisius."
A deep voice interjected, as I shifted my sights to the Black Knight speaking."It seems as though all we need to do is dock."
"And Vexx may have a point, headmaster. . ." Aziel said as well. "It might be a greater loss to risk losing our lives on this fleet, and then eventually, losing the quest."
I looked at both the Human and Drownei suddenly backing me up. A tiny smile growing on my stupid face until I mentally slapped out of it. Not daring to meet their gaze.
They just agree with my point, is all. That's just it.
"Well, I'm sure the islanders would be thrilled to help our mission." The headmaster finally concluded, suddenly with the same welcoming smile of his own. "Especially against Unity insurgents."
Then he leaned a bit to Captain Aurel. "Inform everyone on board about this redirection. Make sure they're prepared to drop off on the island ahead."
"Aye, headmaster."
She tipped her tricorn hat elegantly, proceeding to walk away in a hurry, and shout the orders to every person while the voice trailed off.
About ten seconds later, the ship steered sudden as it rocked once more. Now heading towards the island of hybrids.
And the vessel right next to ours cut us off where we stood, only a few small rowboats away from hitting our railings, as I felt our craft halt. Then me and the remaining group held on to the fences, while the two ships pushed against each other.
"Vexx." The headmaster shouted through the noise. "In the name of fate and Niytri, you have done a great deal of help. A rising hero, if you will. I have a final order for you."
Sure, old guy, just keep praising me like the gods, then. I thought.
"Explain to the hybrid isle about our plan." He continued unexpectedly. "Make sure they're safe and-"
And an instinct lit up inside of me so I couldn't hear the rest of his sentence. Because for a reason of my own, as soon as those words entered my head, I dived down to the waters and headed straight for the enemy ship blocking us. They were in our way for too long.
I wouldn't be able to breathe underwater for more than a few minutes. Or even fly as long as expected. But I didn't need to. As I eventually jumped out to spiral and clumsily soar over the Unity crewmates on the vessel. Swooping into the cockpit. Blasting their driver in the fish face with a bullet before anyone could react, and steering the enemy ship to the opposite side of where we were headed.
It was just enough to send them off course, and away from our position with leeway to escape. Even if it stung, I spread my wings again to launch out of the angry mob boat, of different armed species sent to kill us. And I didn't even need a potion for all that.
I swam quick beyond the battling fleets, and in time, flew out to be greeted with the isle's shoreline. Along with the hybrids of various races, whom I caught their full attention in their eyes.
I was a hybrid like them, I explained in the air while showing each wing and exposed fin. More came to gather from the lowly villages behind them. Then I told them they were safe, and not to panic as we finished the battle.
Our fleet landed peacefully, in short. After everybody stepped onto land, the Goldwave Pirates decided to open the comically giant hatch on the underside of their ship. All the monsters were released back to the ocean. But not before decimating and devouring the remaining opposers still on the sea.
The headmaster promised the Chronicle Order would fix all the wreckage of wood, while we were to sail off towards a great assembly, as the people cheered like always for the praised leader.
All I could was smile to myself, for reasons of my own, while the questers watched by my side.
Until I realized a missing piece, looking at Headmaster Chronisius. The two Flivians that were suddenly always by his side were now gone. I remembered all the moments they seemed to stare at us. In the dining area. Outside the infirmary. Even at the start of today's battle.
Then it hit me.
The quest was being watched.
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End of Episode IV