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-----She saw the fires engulf the surroundings, and spread to cut across the garden that she had cared for all her life; a blaze whose fierce crackles and booms were overshadowed by the joyous cries of the demonic brethren that had started it. She darted back and forth uncontrollably, barely holding her own consciousness against the thick smoke. She reached out a hand for her loved ones, but only fire and ash reached out in response. ----- A creature landed before her, a Deminite Soldier, monstrous in appearance to her small frame. It scowled down upon her and released a ball of fire into a nearby house, as if it’s only duty was to insure that nothing escaped the fury of their flames. It then turned to her, it’s black, cold exterior slowly warming as more fires were conjured around it. It’s horns flashed, and it’s jagged teeth grinned while claws sparked against one another. ----- She fell back against the terror, cried out for her mother and father, but they were already too far away…the flames had forged a wall between them now- she was alone. Her legs seemed to lose all function, and with hands struggling to carry her entire weight, she crawled across the ground, screaming out as the ash burned against her skin. ----- The Deminite smiled as it recognized her struggle…her pain. It took it’s time to creep up on her, forcing it’s footsteps hard into the ground so that the young girl would know with each sound how close he was getting. ----- Unable to carry herself any further, she curled into a ball and closed her eyes, seeking comfort in not seeing. She prayed that if this were to be her end, that it should be painless, and that her family would live on. ----- But a familiar sound came to her fragile ears. The sounds of those speaking the common Khazanian tongue, and particle weapons flying across the sky. ----- The Deminite soldier staggered to prepare itself for the assault, but was only one against many. It fell quickly, holed through many times by various weapons, but let out a gurgling cry to let others know what had happened. ----- Other screams were suddenly heard; more creatures dared to emerge from the hell that they had created. Soldiers rushed in, some taking position across the ruined land that had once been a great city, while others rushed to the girl’s aid, lifting her to her feet and lending her multiple shoulders to lean on. ----- “C’mon, we’re going to take you to your parents!” one of the soldiers said. “Just hold on, we’ll get you out of here!” ----- They carried her up and hurried across the battlefield. She looked wildly in all directions as soldiers marched up and were taken down by bolts of laser and fire. The soldiers that carried her occasionally cursed as blasts rained down upon them, nearly missing and tearing apart the ground beneath them. ----- At last they brought her to a safe zone, a wall of Khazanian vehicles stood strong, poised to take down anything that it came across. They made their way through the line and found a commanding officer. ----- “Sir, where are the girl’s parents Sir?” a soldier asked. ----- “Over there!” ----- She barely had time to see where the commander had pointed, but the soldiers followed his direction and carried her off once more. ----- They made a good distance without any interference, and for a moment she began to think that maybe everything would work out alright…that maybe she would be reunited with her family, that no one would have to die! ----- But there were new cries of horror, and the people’s voices somehow became enamored with the repetitive call of “Incoming!” ----- Enemies poured down from the skies, Ptera-Deminites and Bio-Fighters, specifically targeting the defensive perimeter of vehicles. As the Khazan tanks were forced to break position, Devonox beasts broke though, roaring as they brandished their massive bodies across the chaotic wasteland, taking in bullets and blaster fire without a second notice. Their claws ripped through thick armor, and with bizarre strength they lifted tanks above their head and threw them at the nearby soldiers. ----- She screamed out loud as she saw all of this, but the soldiers carrying her urged her to not look back at burning city of Rogue, for there was nothing to encourage hope or faith when all that could be seen was burning corpses and buildings falling to the ground. ----- Then, she caught sight of her parents, of her brother and younger sister, all waving emphatically to her. The soldiers were bringing her closer and closer to them, and her family had their own escorts, ready to board them on the nearest transports! ----- A shadow passed over them, and overhead they all laid eyes upon three Bio-Fighters that transformed into mechs right before their eyes, and they descended to the ground, abruptly cutting off the path between her and her loved ones. ----- The creatures fired blasts from their hands, destroying the transports in thunderous explosions that forced everyone nearby to the ground. She called out to her family, but her words could not be heard over the carnage. The Bio-Fighters lifted off and became airborne once again, but from beyond the horizon she saw a new threat. An entire group of Deminite Soldiers sneaking in from another angle! They moved quickly across the ground and left trails of flame in their wake. In all of her time on Khazan, she could barely remember anything that came so close to resembling the behaviors of the Devil himself. ----- They came across the soldiers just as they were recuperating from the shockwaves, and cut through them before their weapons could be raised. With each one that fell, a Deminite soldier came closer and closer to her family. ----- She wrestled free of her escorts and found power in her legs- the power to carry herself over to them. She extended a hand out to them, calling each of their names one by one. But the Deminites knew no mercy, and surrounded their victims in a circle of tall flames. ----- “No!!!” She screamed, as her hope faded, yet still she ran, determined to pierce her body through the wall of fire if she had to. ----- As the fires crackled and waved, she could barely see the shadows of her family desperately picking up the weapons of dead soldiers and firing back, but they were overwhelmed, too many coming from too many directions. Her father and mother were knocked to the ground, and her young sister was pounced upon by a rapid Deminite. ----- “No, Mother, Father…Sister…Brother!!” she cried, but only screams were the response. Screams and howls of cruel victory. She continued to run forward, but a soldier grabbed her across the waste for behind and pulled her back. ----- “You can’t go in,” he said. “I’m sorry, it’s too late, you’ll get killed if you go in there!” ----- But she didn’t hear his reason. She tried to push forward, but he lifted her off her feet and carried her back. More soldiers joined him, picking her up and carrying her away. ----- She could only see the sky now, blackened by smoke and polluted with trails of Bio-Fighters that continued to soar overhead. She saw the sky, and all at once everything that she had lost came crashing down upon her fragile mind. Her parents, her family, the friends that she had grown up with in this city…the city itself, all gone in an instant. Rogue had been her home, her favorite city in all of Araelis, and in all of the Khazan main continent. Despite all of the news that she had been forced to hear from Xaelon and Cretalia, she never imagined that it would come to this, that she would partake in the losses. ----- Her tears fell upon the ash and were quickly evaporated, and before long she lost track of time, becoming almost uncaring of what happened in the world from that point on. Her body became limp, and the soldiers carrying her met no resistance. The sky disappeared, replaced with the metal ceiling of a transport. She could hear voices all around her, speaking to her even as the doors closed and light faded. They said to hold on, that it would only be a while longer, that they would make it out of here soon. ----- But all she heard was screams. And then the voice that called out: “Amanda!” ----- She opened her eyes suddenly, and her surroundings were serene and beautiful. She lifted her head off of the table groggily and was shocked when numerous gulls proceeded to fly off of her table when they realized that she was awake. ----- Amanda looked down at her plate, embarrassed to see that she had only eaten half of her meal while most of the other half had been gladly picked apart by the gulls. To think that she had fallen asleep in a place like this, a Warf that was about as noisy as any downtown city district. She had no idea that she had been that tired, and often wondered how she could ever go to sleep so discreetly knowing that such nightmares often followed her into the land of dreams. ----- It had been four years since, but she could never forget exactly what her eyes saw, and what her ears heard that day. It had been in her mind at least once every day since, and yet she tried to carry on with her life, if only because she knew that her parent’s would have wanted her to. ----- The call came again, and this time Amanda leaped from the table and strolled across the wooden platforms until she reached the rails. She had forgotten how high up she was, for the Warf extended from the beach to over the oceans of Khazan, and at it’s highest, the massive shopping platform could be sixty feet above the surface of the ocean. ----- She followed the voice down to the lower docks near the beach, where her foster brother was but a tiny speck waving in the distance. His voice carried through nonetheless, a booming, authoritative sound that demanded her immediate presence. ----- “I’m coming!” She shouted as loud as she could, though she could hardly compete with his distance. He heard it just the same, however, and with his hands on his hips he began to stroll back and forth while awaiting her arrival. ----- She picked up her backpack and took off, running and pushing herself through the endless traffic of people moving here and there through the Raisa Warfs. The fresh sea air crept around her face as she ran against it, taking in the unique sounds and tastes of the ocean. Young men whistled as she passed by, asking her to slow down and come sit for a while, but she gleefully declined and hurried off. For a moment these things almost made her feel free, like a bird soaring over the ocean. Such was a feeling she hadn’t had since she was a child. But Raisa was a city where one couldn’t help but have their heart lifted up by the natural wonders of the ocean. ----- Before the war, Raisa was a popular place on Khazan; it was the northern city of Cretalia, overlooking the vast seas. The Warf was perhaps its greatest attraction, a collection of platforms extending out over the ocean that was home to many shops and gaming centers. ----- But the War of Drekis had given rise to much tragic change in all of the Western and Central State-Kingdoms. The entire city of Raisa was nearly laid to waste in the early years of the War, but the enemy had since then concentrated all of it’s efforts on the East coast, and while it was unfortunate that Khazan City itself was occupied, the heroes of Khazan had managed to reclaim more that a few territories across the main continent. ----- Four years the people of Khazan had been fighting, and in that time she had never been as close to the combat as she had been that fateful day. Ever since Raisa had been reclaimed, the four years had been spent rebuilding the city, and the people had lived in relative peace, praying every day for the heroes who were fighting for their world. ----- The Warf’s had been repaired, the cities were flourishing in defiance of the war, and only a few ruins across the landscape still stood as reminders of the ongoing conflict. She had seen all of this happen herself, for she had lived here with her caretakers ever since losing her family. They were her guardians, people with no blood relationship to her, but had been close friends of her family for decades. Unfortunately, she cared little for them, simply because from the beginning they cared little for her. ----- Her new ‘brother,’ Zared, was at least tolerable. He could be aggressive and verbally abusive as many older brothers often were, and perhaps even to a greater extent, but he also at least exerted some of the protective instincts a brother often held for a younger sibling. Her foster parents, however, were nothing like him. They were often cold to her, but thankfully never abusive. Often times she felt more like a burden to them than anything else, and they made it clear through their actions that they intended to give her the necessities of food and shelter in her time of need, but never love or compassion. There had been sorrow among them, and mourning for the loss of the family, so certainly they understood her pain…but they did not intend to share it with her. After four years, they were prepared to have her move past the tragedy, and accept a new life with them. ----- And maybe that was the adult thing to do, or maybe it wasn’t. She was a girl who had always followed her heart more than anything else, and that didn’t sit well with a foster mother who had grown up following specific regulations and accepting preconceived notions about everything. ----- She quickly moved down the wooden stairs, descending to ground level, and briskly skipped across the lower docks to meet with Zared. He shook his head and smiled as she finally appeared before him. ----- “Well, don’t you look happy today,” he said. ----- She had never really been too happy, but she smiled as often as she could, at least to give the appearance that she had left all unhappiness behind. ----- “You really shouldn’t go out so far,” he continued, becoming serious. “When you said you were going to get some lunch, I expected you to go to one of the closer restaurants, yet there you were, all the way out there in the higher sections of the Warf.” ----- “I’m Seventeen years old!” Amanda argued, “I think I’m old enough to walk around a Warf by myself now, thank you very much.” ----- He raised an eyebrow at her tone of voice. ----- “Anyway,” she continued, “I felt like Seafood, and the best Seafood restaurants are at the top of Warf.” She crossed her arms and gave a firm, self-gratifying nod. ----- “Alright, alright, whatever,” Zared replied. He apparently didn’t feel like an argument today. “Now get that ass of yours in gear, because of you taking your sweet time we might be late. You know Mom isn’t going to be happy.” ----- ----- “My ‘mom’ said that I could take my time,” she responded. ----- “Well you know very well that the ship leaves port at three o’clock, sharp!” he retorted. “They’re already on board waiting for us; did you realize there were only fifteen minutes until we were leaving?” ----- Amanda looked at her watch. Of course, she wouldn’t know what time it was, she had fallen asleep on the table, though she was surprised that her nap had lasted nearly an hour. “Well, when you’re not exactly thrilled about leaving, I guess you don’t really pay attention to such things,” she said. ----- Zared sighed and motioned to the sky as if to say ‘why me?’ “I know you don’t want to leave the Main Continent Amanda, but you know we have no choice. This if for your own good…it’s for everyone good, so let’s get going.” ----- He took off without saying another word, and didn’t even bother to look back to see if she was following. But follow she did, for she had no other place to go. The same could be said for her surrogate brother, who was also sour about leaving his homeland. He was obviously angry about it, and wanted to take it out on her since she was the only one he could vent to, but he was older than her, and apparently that meant he had the responsibility to compose himself. ----- She hated the idea that they had to leave the Khazan main continent, but it was a decision that even her new foster family regretted. In fact, no one among the tens of thousands of families leaving did so of their own accord. All were leaving in fear, because the War of Drekis was reaching it’s climax. ----- The War had seen four years of fighting, and now the heroes of Khazan were banding together in the West, preparing themselves for a final attack to take Khazan City back from the enemy. It would be a fight that would engulf the continent…and it would be a fight to bring down the one called Drekis, and many feared what a battle among the Avatars would bring about. ----- The victor of the war was at this point uncertain, but there was one thing that the citizens of Khazan knew. The War was not going to last more than one more year. Either the heroes would succeed and destroy the threat of Drekis in this final engagement, or they would be crushed trying. Victory or defeat were the two options they had laid out for themselves, and many feared that the War’s climax would be too devastating to be anywhere near. ----- Some boarded space ships and left the nexus of all realities entirely, while others, like her own family, prepared to board sea ships and leave for other continents. Her surrogate parents were set on reaching Andrasia, the continent populated mostly by the Elves, where they believed they would be most safe until the War finally ended. ----- As they approached the entrance to the grand and extravagant cruise ship the crowds became more dense, and Amanda found herself having to forcefully push strangers aside to keep up with her brother. ----- Zared turned around and grabbed her arm, “C’mon, you’ve got to be aggressive to get through stuff like this!” ----- With that he pulled her through the crowds and onto the railway leading up into the cruise ship. She took one last look back at the Warf and the city of Raisa, and cried at the thought of losing another home. ----- Glancing outside of his room window, he could see the clear oceans of Khazan, and there was no movements save for the timeless crashing of the waves. The cruise ship had not yet taken off. The horn, then, was a signal to all potential passengers that the ship was about to leave port for the Continent of Andrasia. ----- “Why the hell did I board this stupid boat so early anyways,” he yawned. He was still rather tired from his exploits the night before. Knowing that this would be his last day on the main continent for a year, or possibly forever, he had taken it upon himself to sew as many wild oats as a thirty seven year old man can in any given night. ----- He scratched his chin and felt the rough hairs brush against his fingers. God I need to shave, he thought to himself. Without further hesitation he zipped open a bag and pulled out his shaver. A few quick swipes across his chin in front of the mirror and his face was clean once again. He turned on the faucet and splashed his face with cold water to relieve himself of the soft burning across his chin and reached for a towel. He shuddered as his face felt frozen for a moment; did the people running the cruise ship use ocean water for their faucets? ----- Mark dried his face and scratched his head as numerous itches crept over his cranium. Dandruff fell down from his hair like snow- a good sign that he needed a shower. Indeed, as he recalled his last few days in Cretalia he realized that he had not showered in near a week. How careless he had become. ----- Despite his need for bathing, he was determined to spend the afternoon outside of his room, and leave his shower for the night. He took a brush to his hair and placed the strands in order with a few strikes, then rubbed some deodorant under his arms and was off. ----- It was colder now than it had been this morning, something that was common in Raisa. An announcement came over the comm. System, announcing that the ship was about to leave port. ----- “Ah, it’s about time we started going,” he said to himself. ----- He followed the signs pointing down the various hallways, searching for one of the on board restaurants. He didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast this morning, and he was hungry enough that he was tempted to order three full meals. ----- Hallway after hallway he walked down, following the signs, and was suddenly aware of just how large these luxury cruisers were. At first he was certain that he had wasted his money on such a thing when he could have just as easily boarded a speed boat, but the more he looked around, the more he realized how nice the trip could be. ----- Two young women came around the corner, both freshly tanned and wearing only bikinis. Obviously they were on their way to the on board pool at the back of the ship. A nice trip indeed. He thought of stopping to ask for directions, just for the pleasure of their company for a few more seconds, since he already knew where he was going. He stopped himself, however, and settled for scouting the lines of their curves out of the corner of his eye as he passed by. ----- He whistled softly and struck himself in the head. “Mark old boy, what the hell are you thinking?” Those girls were young, way out of his league. How he wished that things had turned out differently in the early years of his life. ----- At last he found the restaurant that he was looking for, a burger and fries joint that most of the passengers came to in the afternoon. It was one of two of the cruise ships eateries, but this was the one meant for the Khazan citizen with the standard sized wallet. ----- Not long after he entered a man walked up to him, holding a drink and standing in a laid back manner. Mark didn’t recognize the man at first, but then he spoke with a familiar tone. ----- “Mark Talensky,” the man said with a small laugh. “Well, well, I would have never expected to see you here.” ----- The man’s name came back to him, “Aw, Jean, you old hound, good to see you…good to see you.” ----- “Hey, you too pal. Long time no see.” ----- “Yeah, and why exactly are you surprised to see my around here?” ----- “Oh, you know Mark, you had a reputation for being a little, how shall we say…frugal.” ----- Mark laughed, “And I still am too, but look at what’s happening around this planet. End of the damn world as we know it! Might as well enjoy life while it’s still here.” ----- “Oh, is that the reason, and here I thought you were here to check out the babes,” Jean laughed. ----- Mark shook his head, “No…nope, I’ve given up on that. Too old man, all the chicks on this boat aren’t going to be into an old bag like me, certainly not the way I am now.” ----- “So are the rumors true then?” Jean asked, “I mean, I had heard that after you left the SLJ you became a nine to five schmuck, but I couldn’t believe that could happen to you…Sergeant.” ----- “Hey, don’t go addressing me by rank now…Sergeant, the army was a long time ago, even before the SLJ.” ----- “It’s Lieutenant to you now,” Jean informed him. “But c’mon, a few of the guys are enjoying a little R&R here, thought we could check out Andrasia for a week before heading back out to duty.” ----- “You got a week off?” Mark asked as they walked over to the table. A group of five soldiers greeted them with a loud mix of “heys” and “yo’s.” Some of them he recognized, but others were new to the unit. ----- They pulled out a seat for him and ordered some extra drinks right away. ----- “Yeah, we’ve got a week,” Jean explained, “Not like a week is really a long time, not in this war.” ----- “We’re the only ones in our unit going to Andrasia,” another soldier said, “The other guys in our unit went to go visit their families. But we…we don’t have families to go to anymore.” ----- There was a moment of silence, then the waitress brought over their extra drinks and Mark gulped half of it down. “Well, that’s another thing we have in common, huh?” ----- The others solemnly nodded. ----- “Is it harsh, being out there I mean?” Mark asked. ----- “It’s pure hell,” a soldier responded. ----- “But we don’t need to tell you,” Jean said, “We know you went through similar conflicts during your time in the army, but yeah, even if you survive the battles, day in, day out, you feel like you’re slowly dying inside, just from being in the middle of it.” ----- “By the time we get back, the SLJ and their little alliance are planning to a huge attack, right into the heart of Khazan City,” a soldier exclaimed. ----- “And we get to be a part of it,” another said, “Hopefully the end of the war as we know it!” ----- “You know despite all that’s happened to us,” Jean said, “It’s still a pity that you left. I mean, I understand that the SLJ thought you were gifted, and that’s great, really, we all thought you were going to do great things over there, but then when we heard you quit, well…none of us really knew what to say.” ----- “Don’t worry, it’s not your problem,” Mark replied. “I dug myself into this hole. I mean, I thought I could do great things in the SLJ too, but hell, now I’m just a washed up loser; not half the man I was at twenty.” ----- “Hey, we’ll have none of that around here!” A soldier yelled out confidently. “You think you’re an old bag, hell, we’re all approaching that hill together!” ----- “Yeah, misery loves company,” Mark responded. ----- “Damn right it does,” Jean laughed. “So how about it then? Spend the evening with us, we’ll go around the ship, check out the sights, the sounds, the attractions. What do you say, it will be like old times!” ----- Mark smiled and picked up his drink. “I’ve got nothing else to do I guess…why not?” The two made a toast, smacking their drinks together and taking another large gulp. ----- She threw her backpack on top of her other bags on the floor and plopped herself onto the master bed. Her body leaped into the air with the first bounce, a testament to how expensive this room must have been. Even the bed’s were soft and fluffy, nothing like the bed she had at home. ----- Her surrogate mother stormed in from the bathroom, dressed formally in a dark red dress and a fur scarf elaborately wrapped over her shoulder. “Amanda, what are you doing jumping around on the bed? Get up now, get up!” ----- “I’m not jumping,” Amanda whispered and reluctantly got up. ----- “She’s a tired one, this one,” Zared said as he walked towards his own room. “I think she took a nap on the Warf, that’s why she’s late if you ask me.” ----- She stuck her tongue out at him furiously. ----- “Amanda, behave yourself,” her guardian mother said, “Honestly, you’ve already worried us enough by not being here on time.” ----- “I got here before the boat took off, that’s all that matters,” Amanda replied, crossing her arms. ----- “What did you say young lady?” ----- “Nothing.” ----- “Honestly now, look at the way you’re dressed. You’re seventeen now, take some responsibility for the way you look!” ----- Amanda looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a red shirt, nearly shoulder-less save for the straps, which came to an end just above her navel, and jean shorts with sandals. “It’s the beach, Sandy, people dress like this on the beach!” ----- “You’re not on the beach anymore, and stop calling me by my first name! I can live with you not calling me mother, but you could at least address me as Mrs. Reikins.” ----- Amanda rolled her eyes, “Fine, Mrs. Reikins.” ----- “Better,” Mrs. Reikins said, “Now go get that dress we bought you earlier. Mr. Reikins is getting us reservations at that fine dining establishment at the top floor of the cruiser, and it’s a pretty expensive place, so I expect you to look your best!” ----- “Right, right,” Amanda replied. ----- “That’s a good girl, now I’m going to take my afternoon walk around this ship, and I expect you to be ready to go by the time I get back.” She left the suite and disappeared around the corner too quickly for Amanda to even get an extra word in. ----- We probably won’t even be going to dinner until five! Amanda thought. She opened the suite closet and located her dress, a thin, light red with silk strands outlining the neck. She gave it a close inspection and found that there was a small slit made on the right side, made to come to the knee, and the dress practically had no back! And she had the gall to complain about what she wore! ----- Of course, Mrs. Reikins complaint never had anything to do with how much skin she showed; it was how expensive she looked. She hated that the most about her surrogate family. Everything they did had to look rich, when in reality they weren’t. Sure, they were far better off than the average family on Khazan, but by no means were they rich, and not a single drop of royal or aristocratic blood existed in any of them. But such could never be determined by their demeanor. They were high class citizens in their own mind, and she hated having to go along with the act. It wasn’t like she got much out of their high life. ----- Remembering Mrs. Reikins demand that she had to be dressed for the dinner by the time her walk was over, Amanda strolled into the bathroom with dress in hand. “This dinner better be worth the trouble,” she said. ----- He seated himself and took up one of the menus that had been set up around the tables, oblivious to their polite but firm demands. ----- “Sir, excuse me, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave, we’re not serving dinner until five, so…” ----- The man turned and gave him a dirty look that nearly threw the pigment off of the waiter’s face. His eyes were so black, the iris, the pupil, and even the veins in the side of the eye. ----- “I just came here for a drink,” the man said. “Surely you have no problem with that.” ----- “Well, I, I…” the waiter turned and waved his hand, indicating for the others to call security, “I’m sorry, but this restaurant doesn’t open until the beginning of the evening, but if you want a drink, there’s one a few floors down, they’d be happy…” ----- “They don’t have the kind of drinks I’m searching for,” the man scowled, “you do, so that’s why I’m here!” ----- “Sir, please, I don’t want any trouble,” the waiter said. ----- The man stood up, his long dark hair falling from his shoulders down to his waste, and moved his face as close to the waiter’s as possible. His dark eyes pierced through the waiters own, and his voice became coarse, “Maybe I want trouble.” ----- A middle-aged, balding man walked in hurriedly and grabbed the mysterious dark haired man by the shoulder. Nervously he whispered something to him, and the man backed down and turned to leave the restaurant, but did so with a malicious smile. ----- “What the hell are you thinking!?” The balding man yelled as they left the diner and walked into the crowded walkways. ----- “Keep your voice down Ronald!” the man returned. ----- “How did I know you were going to do this,” Ronald said, “You think that for just one moment you could sit still somewhere without causing a ruckus.” ----- “What I do is none of your concern, you’re not the boss of me, in fact…” ----- “That’s not what I mean,” Ronald whispered as people walked by. “And you know what I mean Zerius, if you caused a scene back there Security would have been all over you, and you would have led them to us.” ----- “Don’t be ridiculous, as if I could be threatened by some cruise ship’s security,” Zerius responded. ----- “This ain’t no killing spree,” Ronald said, “We can’t have attention drawn to ourselves, this is about lying low. What if there were some SLJ on this cruiser, eh? You gonna start a fight here? Sink the fucking cruiser? We’re going to Andrasia for a reason, remember.” ----- “Yeah, I remember,” Zerius replied, “Because you stole some precious jewelry and artifacts from the Marauder’s vault, and because you don’t want to partake in their little alliance with the SLJ.” ----- “Because I don’t want Toc to freeze my ass off,” Ronald said. “Keep in mind you played a hand in this thing to, and so did Marty. We’re in this together, and I know for a fact that you don’t want to go into a big battle in Khazan City.” ----- “No, suicide runs don’t usually excite me,” Zeruis said, “Though I think we would have been better off not double crossing our Marauder brethren, now we can never come back to the main continent, even if they win the war.” ----- “Who cares,” Ronald said proudly. “We’re as rich as the damn powers that be now, and soon we’ll be living the high life away from the whole war, and there will be all those beautiful elf bitches who won’t even know we’re bad people.” ----- “The good life for us, huh?” Zerius said. “Hmmph, I think you guys think too small.” ----- “A guy needs only two things in life pal, women and money,” Ronald replied. “Being with the Marauders gave me Money, but the former was missing, so it’s about time I took my fair share and ran, if you have a problem with it, why’d you help us?” ----- “I admit I was a little tired of the Marauders. Although most of what I did was probably because I hated them helping the SLJ in the war, so I’m not really sure. Even with Toc behind the leadership, they still felt too small for me, and the Fallen and the Drekis Empire are too destructive for my tastes.” ----- “LOTMU and FUBAR too weird for you then?” ----- “Far too weird,” Zerius responded. “But don’t worry, I won’t blow our cover. You’ll get your stupid elf women and money, all I want from you in return is to get out of my way!” ----- Amanda grasped her dress and moved it around slightly, “This thing is so tight,” she complained. “How can they think this makes me look rich, I look like a girl walking down the lowtown district at night!” ----- “No you don’t, you look fine,” Zared commented. ----- “Oh, well thank you, but I don’t need to hear that from someone who now claims to be my brother,” Amanda replied. ----- Zared laughed. “Yeah, I thought you’d hate that. Although honestly, I don’t know what Mom’s thinking, it would have matched your eyes better to get a green one. You know her though; it’s all about the royal colors.” ----- Amanda sighed as she made her way to the table and sat down. She picked up her menu quickly without saying a word, but found that she could barely read the names of half the items on the list. ----- “They say this place has lovely Istilgonese cuisine,” Mr. Adam Reikins said as the family was now all seated. “Oh, and a few delicacies based on the food those Anthorians brought when they landed on Khazan.” ----- “Do they have anything…native?” Amanda asked. ----- “Amanda you know very well that just about every food on this planet originated from someplace else,” Mrs. Reikins exclaimed. “Branch out a bit; you don’t want your life to be dull. Steak Zweiglanigan, now there’s a delicacy I know is great, you could try that if you’re not sure.” ----- “The sentence describing it makes no sense to me,” Amanda explained. “I don’t even know what these ingredients are!” ----- “Well find something Amanda,” Mr. Reikins demanded. “We’ll give you some time to decide, but don’t think we’re going to wait all night for you.” ----- A waiter came over and politely poured water to each of their individual glasses. Fancy glasses, of course, fit for wine consumption more than water consumption. Still unsure of what she wanted to order; Amanda took up the wine glass and began to drink. Her surrogate father gave a deep ‘ahem’ at the way in which she held the glass, but Amanda shrugged to let him know that she didn’t really care. ----- “That dress does look stunning on you,” Mrs. Reikins said. “Our little Amanda is growing up so fast, your Mother and Father would have been so proud.” ----- “Yes,” Mr. Reikins jumped in, “I’m sure the beautiful young lady will be marrying a nice rich man in no time.” ----- Amanda rolled her eyes. ----- “I’m joking of course,” Mr. Reikins explained. ----- “Of course you were,” Amanda whispered in response. ----- “Yes, that dress is lovely,” Mrs. Reikins continued, “But I do wish you’d do something with that hair of yours. It is such a lovely shade of brown, very similar to my own I might add, but you just let it hang down to your shoulders like that.” ----- Amanda looked at the smeared image of Mrs. Reikins through her glass as her surrogate mother shook her head. As always, Mrs. Reikins had curled her hair up into some sort of elaborate style, one that continued to change every month. Sometimes she wondered how her true parents ever got along with these people; they had been nothing like the Reikins family. ----- “Dear, I’m sure she’ll do just fine to leave her hair as it is,” Mr. Reikins added. “Besides, I think their more fond of straight hair over at Miridon University.” ----- Amanda nearly spit out her drink. “Miridon? Miridon University? Are you saying that I’m attending Miridon University in Andrasia?” ----- “Well yes,” Mr. Reikins said. “We signed you up over there a few days before we were scheduled to leave. We can’t have you leaving your education behind just because of this little set back.” ----- “But that’s an elven school, and it’s a college, I’m not done with High School yet.” ----- “Oh Elven education is a bit different, but definitely valuable,” he said. “They were willing to take you in for however long we’ll be there.” ----- “But I’m a human…they…the young elves don’t like humans, they look down upon us.” ----- “Well, the ones who live in the SunElf Forest aren’t so bad,” Zared jumped in, “I met a few of them outside Unicorn Creek when I was your age.” ----- “But High Elves live on Andrasia, and they run Miridon,” Amanda cried, “I’d be the only human there.” ----- “That doesn’t mean you won’t make friends there dear,” Mrs. Reikins said. “Now leave this discussion behind, it’s no big deal and you’re making a fuss that’s ruining our dinner.” ----- “What do you expect me to do?” Amanda said. “Do you expect me to be happy about this!? They’ll treat me like a total fool because they think they’re so much better than humans!” ----- “Now I really think that’s a misconception Amanda,” Zared said. ----- “No, I’ve heard of people trying to get into Elven facilities,” Amanda explained. “They won’t accept me as one of their own, and I probably won’t even be in their league! I mean, they learn elemental magic at that school, I can’t learn elemental magic!!!” ----- “Now Amanda…” Mrs. Reikins began. ----- “You did this for yourselves didn’t you,” Amanda realized. “This was mostly about you getting acquainted with the High Elves on the continent, wasn’t it?” ----- “Amanda, pleae,” Mr. Reikins said, “People are staring.” ----- “I don’t want to go to Miridon! There are human schools on Andrasia, I want to go to one of them!” ----- “It’s already been arranged,” Mr. Reikins informed her. “You will go to that school, and yes, maybe it will reap some benefits in the long run, but it will be a benefit for our entire family.” ----- “Why not send Zared then?” she asked. ----- “Because they’re more tolerable of human women than they are of men!” he quickly responded. “Now one of our contacts on Andrasia has already made these arrangements with the headmaster at Miridon, it’s a done deal.” ----- Amanda held back a scream of fury as she threw down her menu and stormed out of the restaurant. People from every table glanced over to see the young brunette escape from the dining hall as her parents called out and demanded that she return. ----- Such a pitiful ambition! She had met some understanding elves in the past, though they were all thousands of years old. At Miridon she would be lucky to encounter any elves who were near a hundred years old, which meant that all of them would look down at her with pity, and perhaps even contempt. ----- It wasn’t as if there were no human schools in the area. In fact, she knew that a human school existed even closer to the location of their new home on Andrasia. ----- In the end it was something that she could probably live with, but it made her so angry that she couldn’t bare to face them right now. Night had come, the stars were out, and the ship had traveled far. She could barely see the shadow of the Khazan main continent. It was so very far away now, and the last that she would probably see of it. ----- Occasionally she heard the calls from one of her family members, all of them no doubt spread out across the ship looking for her, but none had though to go higher above the restaurant, so she was safe for now. She would face them again, when she was ready, but for now she needed to be alone. ----- That, however, turned out to be an impossible dream. Voices crept out of the shadows below her…voices that suddenly became angry…voices that became violent. ----- “Looks like the coast is clear,” Zerius said. “Let’s get on with this.” ----- The two walked to the railing that outlined the body of the ship and looked out over the ocean. The water looked black against the night sky, and the wind had become colder since they had left port. ----- “Ah, right on time Mr. Martin,” Zerius exclaimed as he placed a cigarette in his mouth. ----- A large, heavy man with graying hairs walked up behind the two of them and clapped his hands, “Bravo, bravo, your senses are as keen as always my friend.” ----- “Yeah?” Zerius said, lifting his fingers to the tip of his cigarette. “Maybe your not very good at stealth.” Sparks flew from his fingers and at once his cigarette was lit. ----- “Let’s get to the point!” Ronald said impatiently. “Did you bring the bags that you took?” ----- “Of course I did!” Martin responded, “What do you take me for here!” ----- “Keep your voices down, both of you,” Zerius ordered. ----- “No one’s gonna hear us out here,” Martin said, “Everyone on this ship is either asleep or stuffing their face in the restaurant over there.” ----- “Anyways, you’ve also got the tickets right, for the train?” Ronald asked. ----- “Yep,” he replied, revealing the tickets briefly in his breast pocket. “Once we get to Andrasia, it’s a one way trip to the Forbidden Lands, and a life of paradise.” ----- The two clasped hands and laughed quietly at their fortune. Zerius refused to partake in their antics, finding their rapture to be overly childish. He let out a puff of smoke and continued to glare out at the oceans of Khazan. What an incredible mistake he had made. Betraying the Marauders wasn’t much of a problem for him; he would have likely done that himself eventually, but to be stuck with two bumbling fools in the process? There were far more capable thieves among the Marauders that could have served him better, but at least once they made it to Andrasia he could pursue his own passions. ----- Then he heard the sounds of jovial voices, many of them, at least six, or maybe seven. The smell of alcohol also permeated the air, while footsteps became louder and louder. Ronald and Martin were of course oblivious to it, but Zerius knew that the strangers would soon be in sight. ----- “You two, quiet down,” Zerius demanded. “People are coming. Try to look inconspicuous.” ----- “What?” Ronald said. ----- “You don’t want to blow your cover,” Zerius mocked. “Now shut up, both of you.” ----- The pack of friends came around the corner, all laughing and patting each other on the back. Inside jokes were being thrown left and right, while memories of days long past were exchanged. One of them exclaimed how good it was to see them all again, and turned around to say that he should return to his room. But as he spun around, the man locked eyes with Zerius, and his drunken smile deteriorated into a serious glare. ----- “Zerius!” the man yelled suddenly. “Zerius, you son of a bitch! It is you!” ----- Zerius was taken aback, completely dumbfounded that anyone on the ship besides his cohorts could know his name and say it so brazenly. ----- “Oh shit, does this guy know you?” Ronald asked. He placed his hands on his head nervously as he looked upon the group. “Oh God, some of them are wearing military uniforms!” ----- Zerius recognized the man who had spoken out towards him. He had changed a lot in recent years, almost unrecognizable if it hadn’t been for the look in his eyes when he stared. It was a look that no other could hope to emulate. ----- “So, Talensky, wasn’t it,” Zerius said coldly. “Yes, that was it.” ----- “Hey Mark, you know this jerk?” Jean asked. ----- “This guy’s a Marauder!” Mark yelled. “I know, because he killed my partner in the SLJ.” ----- “You’d do well to stay out of this Mark,” Zerius warned. “This is much too big for a couple of Khazanian soldiers! Go back to your drunken stupors and leave us be. We have done nothing wrong.” ----- “You did plenty wrong already!” Mark said. “I should kill you right here and throw your bloody carcass overboard!” ----- “Oh my, someone sure has had a lot to drink tonight,” Zerius smiled. ----- “Zerius, what the hell are you doing, don’t get them all riled up?!” Ronald said. ----- One of the soldiers next to Mark pulled out a hand gun and pointed it at Ronald. “So, these guys are enemies of yours Mark? And they killed your partner? Well, any enemy of yours is an enemy of mine!” ----- “Wait, wait, you can’t do that, ok, I didn’t kill his fucking partner, he did!” Ronald said, pointing to Zerius. ----- The soldier shrugged, “fine, but if you’re all Marauders, then you have a criminal record, so I’d say you should get down on the ground and put your hands over your head!” ----- “Do it now,” another soldier said, pulling out his weapon. “You’ll be enjoying the rest of your trip in the brig!” ----- “Mark, you go get security, tell them we’ve got Marauders here for them,” Jean instructed. “Hurry, we’ll hold them until they get here!” ----- Martin and Ronald began to kneel to the ground and raised their hands up into the air, but Zerius stood and smiled, his eyes meeting the barrels of the guns with certain eagerness. ----- Mark saw this, and refused to leave the others alone with this man. He had done the same once before, when his partner and a crew of Sentinels had tracked several Marauders through the Uptown district of Khazan City. It had been nothing more than a simple robbery, a crime common among the Marauder group, but Zerius had been a wild card in their bunch that day. ----- He had left his partner and the other Sentinels who had seemingly captured all of the Marauders to inform the Mobile Police, but when they returned, all of the Sentinels had either been killed or severely injured. Zerius was the only Marauder unaccounted for after that massacre, and now history could stand to repeat itself. ----- “What are you doing Talensky?” Jean asked. “Go now!” ----- “No, I’m not taking my eyes off of this guy until he’s put away,” Mark replied, “I don’t actually know what he’s capable of, but I’ve seen the aftermath of his work, and I can tell you that he’s extremely dangerous.” ----- “Ah, that’s right,” Zerius said suddenly, “You were never there to actually see your partner’s demise. How unfortunate…allow me to rectify that…” He extended his arm out towards them and he bared his teeth like a rapid animal. Shots were fired, two of which hit Zerius in the chest; the soldiers had managed to shoot the Marauder first. ----- Martin and Ronald screamed out and covered their ears as the boom of the guns slowly faded. In the distance, startled voices were soon joined with the sounds of chaos and hundreds of uncertain citizens left their tables in a hurry. Cries of “gunshots, gunshots!” were the majority as people pushed and shoved their way through the doors, all bearing for the sanctuary of their private chambers. ----- Zerius paused for a moment, and looked down at his own wounds which spilled blood on the deck. He laughed, softly at first, then maniacally at the bullet holes in his chest. The soldiers looked on in shock, not sure if the man would swiftly fall to his death or continue laughing till the world’s end. ----- “A nice try, gentlemen,” Zerius commented, “but that won’t be enough!” ----- He extended his arm out once more, and this time the Khazanian soldiers were too slow to react. Electricity flowed through Zerius’ fingertips and in the next second a bolt of lightning scurried forth and struck a soldier in his chest, knocking the man down and killing him instantly. ----- “Go, Now!!!!” Zerius shouted to his cohorts. Martin and Ronald were quick to dive into the nearest hallway and run as they never had before. Zerius pointed his hands up to the ceiling, even as shots continued to run through his body. Lightning flowed from both hands, striking the upper deck near the bridge and bringing it crashing down. ----- Mark and the others staggered back as the rubble fell and dust clouded their vision. Mark peered through the dust, desperately seeking the image of his enemy, but none could be found. Instead, he heard the fleeting cry of a girl, and caught a glimpse of a small figure land amongst the rubble. ----- Immediately Mark began to push the rubble aside and searched for the person he had seen fall. He was certain that he had seen it, there was no doubt that someone had fallen into the rubble. At last he found her, a young brunette who had had the misfortune of being on the upper level when it collapsed. He pulled her out of the wreckage and tapped her on the side of the head to wake her. ----- She stirred and groaned while she grabbed her shoulder, then opened her eyes and coughed. “Where, what?” she said weakly. ----- “You’re going to be alright,” Mark informed her. “It doesn’t look like you’ve suffered any real bad injuries, just stay here and take care of that shoulder.” ----- He looked up and saw that Jean and the others were already heading for the hallway. Jean called back as the remaining soldiers marched after the Marauders, “We’re going after them!” and without further hesitation they were gone. ----- “Damn it, they need back up!” Mark shouted. He looked left and right across the deck for something that he could use as a weapon, and then thought to look upon the dead soldier and found his hand gun. “Sorry buddy, I won’t let your sacrifice go to waste.” ----- He closed the eyes of the deceased man and turned to the girl. “Now listen, I need you to do me a favor. Find the security; they should be all over the place soon after what just happened. Tell them we have Marauders on board, and that military personnel are following them right now.” ----- The girl nodded slightly, apparently still in shock and unable to speak. But the nod was good enough for him. “Hold on Jean, don’t do anything stupid,” he said as he ran down the hallway. He cursed as he remembered how large the ship was; the hall became an intersection, with three new paths for him to take. He looked down at the floor for clues, perhaps dirty shoe prints or marks on the wall, but instead he heard gunshots, the one thing he didn’t want. He followed the sounds of the conflict, which carried his left and then right, and further down the halls. The soldiers were still moving as the conflict was going on…the sounds of their fire was getting farther and farther away even as he closed in on them. ----- “Well, It’s been a long time since I’ve used this, but it’s now or never…” Mark said to himself. His speed increased with each advancing step, and the image of his body began to shake as vibrations shook the very corridor he was in. The movement of his legs became a blur as he sped through the inner corridors of the cruise ship, but fatigue crept over his figure and threatened to bring him down. It had been two full years since he had ever used his speed, and his legs were feeling it now. Sometimes he wondered if his legs would separate from his very body to escape the torment, but somehow they held on as he ran on, determined not to stop until he had caught up with Zerius. ----- He found dead bodies as he went along, shot across the torso and neck, while others were burned apart in an obvious display of Zerius’ power. He recognized the two men that Zerius was with when they found them, both shot dead in an apparent face off with the soldiers. Neither Zerius nor Jean were among the dead, but he heard shouts further down the corridor. ----- Mark headed in the direction of the voices, but the ship suddenly rocked back and forth amongst the waves of the ocean. He was knocked off balance and hit the floor with a thud, losing all breath. ----- “What the hell was that?” For some reason, he didn’t wish to know the answer. But he pulled himself up and headed in the direction of the chaos anyway, as if his desire to see Zerius dead was enough to overshadow any reason or logic. ----- His eyes widened as he heard Jean shout, “What the hell are you thinking! You blew a hole through the side of the cruiser! If you keep this up you’ll sink the ship!” ----- “You brought this on yourself!” Zerius laughed maniacally. ----- Mark entered the chamber, a rectangular room were many hallways intersected, and drew his gun. “Zerius, you bastard, you God damn bastard!” ----- Jean was against the wall, holding his burned left side and gritting his teeth in pain. Zerius stood over him, smiling with pride at the gaping hole he had formed in the side of the hull. “So you’re finally here. Tsk Tsk…once again you’re too late. How many times in one life must your friends die because you can’t be here for them Mark?” ----- “Shut up!” Mark yelled. He pulled the trigger and unloaded the entire magazine. The chest, the arms, the head, and throat, he spared no target. ----- Blood splattered across the floor and Zerius bent over, his long black hair draping down. He laughed again, muddled slightly by the blood escaping from his mouth. “Is that the best you can do Mark? Is that all? Please! This is nothing!” ----- “I don’t know what the hell you are!” Mark said, “But I swear I will kill you!” ----- “Kill me?” Zerius laughed. “No, I have a better idea! How about we all go to Hell together?!” He raised his hands up above his head, and electricity gathered in each finger. ----- Mark pulled the trigger once more, but nothing happened. He was out of bullets. “Damn it, what I wouldn’t give for a particle rifle right now.” ----- “Don’t worry Mark, I’m sure I can provide us with plenty of fireworks,” Zerius assured him. The electricity grew brighter as more and more bolts crackled amongst his fingers. Some of the bolts came together, forming larger, bolder strands of electricity. “Now, you’ll like this one! For you see, this is the attack that killed your partner!” ----- He brought his hands closer together, and the electricity merged into a luminescent ball of lightning. Occasional bolts flew wildly from the sphere, throwing sparks across the walls while Zerius conjured even more lightning into it. ----- “You can’t!” Jean warned. “You’ll sink the ship!” ----- “Exactly!” Zerius responded. “I said we could all go to Hell together!” ----- Seeing no other option, Mark was prepared to run head first into this threat…prepared to give his life if he had to put an end to the madman. But he was surprised to find that Jean did this first, lunging from the floor onto the Marauder. Zerius fell back against Jean’s assault, having expected Mark to be the one to attack him. He tried to turn his hands against the Khazanian soldier, but Jean grabbed both arms and thrust them up into the air. ----- “Argh, what do you hope to accomplish?” Zerius asked. “You can’t kill me! Not a lowly insect like you!” ----- “I’m just trying to stop you from blowing the ship up!” Jean responded. ----- Mark tried to get closer, but the electricity was going out of control. Waves of the energy were pouring out, burning the walls and scorching his skin. ----- “You can’t stop me either!” Zerius boasted. “Even if I fire with my hands in the air, it’s enough power to rip off most of the upper deck! I’ll destroy the bridge!” ----- “No…you…won’t,” Jean said as he struggled to keep Zerius’ hands in the air. The Marauder pulled together his strength and slowly pushed against his foe, forcing his hands back down and attempting to point them straight into the face of his enemy. ----- “Jean!” Mark called out, but it was no use. With each passing moment the energy was becoming more and more violent. There was no way for him to get close now. Yet Jean still heard his cries, and yelled back for him to escape. ----- “Leave! Leave now! That’s an order Sergeant!” Jean yelled. “Get out of here!” ----- “Stop your bickering and just die already!” Zerius shouted. He made one final push, but instead of resisting, Jean pulled and brought the Marauder’s hands down to the floor. ----- The blast was released, an explosion that tore through the floors and streaked down the halls. Everything seemed to be in slow motion from that point on…Mark could swear that he could see every last wave of energy slowly creeping out from the center, destroying everything in its path. The image of Zerius faded away in the blinding light, while Jean’s was ripped apart. ----- Mark turned and ran, he ran like he never had, even in the days of his youth. Not once did he question his capabilities this time, for fatigue and weakness gave way to the need to survive as the shockwave followed his every step. He memorized the path he had taken to get here and sped through the hallways as such a speed that no human could comprehend his movements. Yet the explosion followed him, tearing through walls and sending its flames down every corridor. ----- At last he reached the end, the outside deck, but to go left or right? Where could he escape from this hell? He looked back at the oncoming explosion, a disaster that showed no signs of stopping. He realized then that there would be no safe place, none at least, that he could reach in time, as fast as he was. No escapes…save one. ----- He ran straight, straight ahead for the rail and the dark sea, but in his path stood the same girl that he had left there, her green eyes gleaming in the darkness, illuminating fear! ----- Had she not gone for help? Had she not at least moved away? Had her fear paralyzed her beyond speech or step? Perhaps he had expected too much of her, but there was no time anymore. The shockwave was approaching, and the ship was tumbling about as the bottom of the ship was holed through by Zerius’ blast. ----- He shouted out for her to move, but she shook her head in horror, hearing his words but unable to move. He shouted for her to jump, that it was her only way out, but she shook her head even more, unwilling to take the risk. ----- “Damn it!” Mark cursed. The explosion was catching up to him. His speed was failing, and his only option was clear. Grabbing the girl by the waste as he passed he thrust her over the railway and soon followed. Flames scorched his back while the shockwave blew him away from the ship and into the waters. He struck the unbroken surface of the ocean hard, and his thoughts went blank. ----- Emergency lights flashed and sirens sounded. Parts of the ship came apart, and the upper decks had been thrown into the air by the explosion. Fires danced around the deck, and people screamed and lashed out at one another as they made for the life boats. Water seeped into the lower decks, and slowly the mammoth cruiser descended beneath the waves. ----- Things were not as they seemed, and she opened her eyes frantically, hoping to see her room, and feel the rough nudges from her brother telling her to wake up. Light pierced her delicate eyes, and she was blind for a moment. There was a horrible taste in her mouth, and she spat to remove the unpleasant flavor but found the source to be a stringy material in her mouth. Her eyes were still adjusting to the light, but she felt around and pulled the object out; it felt slimy and was dripping wet. She soon found that the string was wrapped around parts of her hair and forehead as well, and with both hands she untangled the cords and held it out in front of her. ----- Her sight returned; a blessing that she could finally make sense of what was happening to her. She held the string in front of her: a sea weed, long and green. She frowned at the though of that being in her mouth for so long, and saw more wrapped around her legs. A cold wind passed over her and she shivered. Her body was wet, and her dress was drenched and hug tightly around her figure. ----- “Where…?” she began to question, but her memory of the incident came back to her. That reluctant image of the fire approaching, the man who shouted for her to jump, the burning ship sinking into the ocean, she remembered it all and somberly cried. Both frustration and sorrow poured from her eyes, and she held herself tightly to find warmth. She was on a beach now, washed aside the shore by the tide. Sand is what she had felt, and a large piece of wood was in fact what she had laid on. Amanda looked closely at the wood, rubbing some of the sand off with a few waves of her hand, and recognized it as the same wood used in the deck of the ship. ----- She remembered the explosion, and being thrown over board, but she didn’t remember much after that. She must have lost consciousness soon after the event, but only after grabbing hold of this rubble. How fortunate to have survived such an ordeal, to drift to a nearby island. Or was it nearby? She looked at each horizon and saw nothing but blue sky and water. No image of a continent, not even the distant picture of a mountain. Surely she could see the Champion Mountains even from here, or Mount Elsaline on Andrasia. But no, she saw nothing but the ocean. ----- She stood, still shivering from the cold, and made her way away from the approaching tide that swept over the beach. Her eyes strafed the island, finding endless trees and rocky cliffs where white suds splashed against them. ----- But everything that she saw only puzzled her, for she had done well to study the maps of Khazan and knew for certain that no island was anywhere near their path. In fact, there was no island anywhere between the Khazan main continent and Andrasia…or at least, there wasn’t supposed to be. ----- An uncharted island! But how? The technology of this age was astounding, and Amanda could not fathom the idea of any geological structure on the surface of Khazan escaping the knowledge of their scientists and explorers. Even scans from space had revealed nothing of an island in this vicinity. And yet, here she was, alone and stranded on an island none knew of, and that no one in a thousand years of interstellar development had found. It could very well be her grave. ----- “Where the hell am I?” she said to herself, and then screamed loud and clear, hoping that she would awake from one of her nightmares, “Where am I!!!” End Next: Chapter 2: The Island Away From It All |