Luma's Monks - the Order of the Cold Well, I gather, are all here. Not their fighting monks, who apparently are attempting to find the remaining Seals. Ardem's forces do seem to be enough to protect the Seals. The monks seem to trust him. They claim he is capable of defendin the Seal - two of them are here now. The one we brought from Laika, and Ardem's own.
The Seals bind the Children of the Flame, as we suspected. There were seven total; the one we destroyed in Beshm's household before we knew their use is the only currently destroyed. The worms were released then. How is Gharkin tied to this? He is clearly one of the Children; how did he escape?
Beatrix still does not discuss what it was she saw in the Worm's mind on board the submersible. It does not seem to be pleasant. She has recovered somewhat.
The monks have a map, which I have studied in detail. It shows where they believe the Seals to be; they can apparently track them to some extent.
Jim appears to have disappeared in the night. As has the map. Ardem summons us to him. We shall see what he has to say.
I should have known Ardem would be a traitor. That the monks would be unable to recognize his deceit... I should have known. They are too trusting. Interesting that he was willing to request our assistance - before Five Claw showed his face, showing Ardem's true nature. Even I was nearly fooled by his charm; not that I would serve him of course.
Five Claw. How could he have escaped the firey inferno of Malcolm's shop?
Alas, I needed to protect the others - and we were outnumbered. Varn's ship loomed overhead, a vast city within an airship. Five Claw. He claims the Captaincy, but he is no Captain. No honor. Beatrix, Jim... even Diego has more Honor that the ninja-pirates now. I will restore their honor.
We ran - Five Claw taunted me with what he perceived as cowardice. But he forgets the Way. I will not abandon the others to death. Beatrix surprised us by helping with the locked doors -- apparently Ardem thought we might choose not to ally with him. Ardem's forces though, in front of us -- swarming the hall. The monks, captured within their room; far too many forces for us to take them out.
We turned and fled down a hall -- eventually I led Beatrix and Diego to an outside window; they escaped. And now I turn my attention to the monks.
They cannot escape. The airship across the courtyard. It is small but may be enough to bring the monks aboard. Once in the air, no one would think twice about another of Ardem's ships.
The guard was no trouble; those inside also. Unaware. I sent the outside guard off on the pretense of someone escaping. Luma - idiot - ran toward me; at this point I have no choice but to take off into the air. The other monks have been taken to Varn's airship. Luma seems distressed at the state inside the ship. I will take him as prisoner; my grey uniform from the encampment adorned with the higher rank sigil from those dead here. Thus we will enter Varn's ship in disguise.
Luma and I search the ship. Finding the others will not be easy; the city-ship is vast. We move carefully, my "prisoner" before me, myself nonchalant. Luma is able to detect the Seals - toward the front. He leads the way, though we travel through the lower decks in search of his master.
We enter an area which appears to be barracks. Pass the ninja-pirates. In greys, it is not yet time to enter. We must find the Seals first. A silent tap on my shoulder. Spire - he has gotten better to be able to sneak up on me. I am impressed.
"Mantis."
"Spire."
A pause.
"What... happened?"
"Five Claw betrayed me. Betrayed the Captain."
He nods. "Many of us did not believe his story."
Relief, that my second has not turned. "Gather those you can. We retake the ninja-pirates. I must go." He turns and leaves, as silently as he had come. "Come Luma, it is time to run." The monk jogs as best he cat behind me; I slow my pace just ahead of his.
Yet. I turn a corner, enter a door. And memory floods back.
"Alaric?" Luma's voice comes drifting, concerned, across my consciousness. "Wait. Stay here."
I walk forward across the guilded room. This is a place for receiving people. The Lotus pond floats in the center of the room. The Lotus Garden. Here... it was here that the betrayal happened.
I clench my fist, gazing into the water, then up at the throne. Varn sat there. The Captain before me. Five Claw, myself, emissaries of each side. We argued. Five Claw for, myself against joining Varn's service. Not the true way of a ninja-pirate, to serve another.
"Enough! I have decided." The Captain's sure voice ringing out. She turns to Varn. "We will not join you."
It was my fault. I allowed my emotions too great a sway. I did not see it coming. The shot from one of Varn's people. My reaction - a shuriken to the throat. Too late. The Captain falls; I am hit from behind. The room goes dark.
Five Claw. The only one close enough to have hit me so effectively, so quickly. It must have been him; traitor to the Captain, to her wishes, to proper succession. It would have been simpler had the Captain designated one of us over the other. Yet - his actions speak for themselves. He. Will. Die.
He claims I the traitor; yet now I know the truth of what happened.
"Come. It is time."
[Beatrix and Diego were captured by Raskin during the above part. Jim was captured at some point as well. Jim freed Beatrix and the elder monk from the cell, they did some snazzy stuff and headed toward the front of the ship, where Beatrix could tell the Seals were - she had learned the detection spell from the monks. Diego had been held in a special place; it turns out he was one of the living Seals, as was Isobel (Beatrix's sister). They were taken in chains to the front of the ship.]
Luma lopes after me as we move forward further in the ship, with what directions he can give from his spell. I find myself overlooking a lowered platform - Luma appears to have disappeared. Five Claw is there; Raskin. Varn. Gharkin. Gharkin runs the show, I believe, though you could not tell from the array about Varn. Five Claw's arrogance flows from him. Diego is brought out - others are chained in the inner circle - the living Seals. Diego?? One of them? Clearly there is Isobel, and what I presume also to be Jim's fiancee. A few others. One sickly looking fellow and another man. About them arrayed the seven bejeweled Seals. Varn's throne. The Seven A strange contraption fills the space left by Beshm's broken seal. Odd.
Beatrix and Jim arrive across from me. Diego begins fighting as he is about the be chained. We approach the volcano, presumably to summon the Flame itself. I dive down and begin fighting; Five Claw sneers at my greys - has he still forgotten the art of Infiltration? Stealth?
Our blade whirl. It is Time. The others must reclaim their honor.
"You want FAME??? This will bring you down into obscurity!
You want FORTUNE??? Taking table scraps from this pathetic pawn won't get you that!
How long before STEALTH is lost?
What STYLE is there in working for another?!
Reclaim your HONOR and fight with me!!!"
Silence meets my speech; Five Claw and I fight.
And then:
"FAME. FORTUNE. STEALTH, and STYLE!" from the ranks above us.
Five Claw grits his teeth. I whirl and block his blades, spin and impale him behind me. The Captaincy is mine. Around me, Raskin is stone; pushed over the edge. Varn also. Gharkin seeks to destroy all the Seals. Jim's fiancee, Jim, Beatrix, and Diego fight against him.
Above us, Luma shouts to throw the Seals into the large strange one. I join in the fight. The remaining Seals are thrown in; a shrieking noise builds to a great high pitch -- the released Children coming toward us. Together, we drive Gharkin into the last Seal. Luma jumps; I catch him and he performs the rite to close the Great Seal.
As it does, the shrieking stops.
Now, I join in the fight above.
In the end, Varn's ship crashed. We absconded with a number of their airships. Small, yet useful. We will rebuild the fleet. I found the others upon the deck, scrambling to save the Great Seal. It weighed heavily in the airship, and we made room for the others: Beatrix, and Isobel, Diego (it appears that Isobel is smitten with him, the seven hundred gods know why), Jim and his fiancee, Luma and his master.
Nevertheless, Gharkin is safe and Sealed. Varn, Raskin...Five Claw destroyed. We will rebuild from here.