The next day, the ship heading to Danevana is en route to its destination. Shokei and her party can only pass the time while on board and they are trying to find the meaning of life while being stuck out in the ocean. Shokei stands on one side of the ship as she looks out at the waves being touch by the ship's current and stares out into the ocean. Shokei's focused was interrupted when she sees Rei coming in to join her.
"What's up?" Rei asked.
"Not much." Shokei replied. "I'm just looking out into the ocean."
"Really?" Rei asked. "You could get seasick if you stare out at the ocean for that long."
"Oh no! I'm good." Shokei said. "I'm used to riding the sails by now."
"Gotcha." Rei said. "Hell, it's just so boring here. The only thing that we would do is to make sure nothing suspicious comes at us to wreck this ship."
"Hopefully...not." Shokei said, looking away.
"Eh? What's wrong?" Rei asked in concern. "Looks like something is bothering you tely."
"I..." Shokei wanted to hide it, but instead, she said. "It's nothing. I had another strange dream st night."
"A dream." Rei said. "What was the dream like?"
"I visioned the princess...Princess Antoinette." Shokei mentioned.
"Are you kidding me?" Rei asked. "You're joking right? I know we have not forgotten about her, but...what was the dream that you had?"
Shokei opened her mouth but paused as soon as the words were about to come out. She closed it and sighed.
"If you don't want to talk about it, its ok." Rei said to her. "I understand that its private."
"No, it's ok." Shokei said. "Just for you, its ok by me."
"Aha." Rei nodded.
"Last night, I had a dream." Shokei tells her. "I hear Antoinette calling out to me by her name. She called out to me through my head, telling me to save her. Then, she disappeared right in front of me and then I felt myself being stabbed in the back and died in the darkness."
"Woah...that's a sick dream." Rei said with her eyes slightly widened.
"I know." Shokei said, closing her eyes. "I know that you and I did not forget about Antoinette. I am curious what the Necromutants are pnning to do with her."
"I was thinking about that too." Rei said. "I hope that one day we will save her. She's still out there."
While Shokei and Rei are having a conversation, Lei can hear them talking and hearing the name of the princess.
What was that? What did I hear? Lei thought. You two did not forgot about the princess? Heh, I know that the princess is doing JUST fine. That brat is locked away in the irs of our domain. Although I have no clue to what Fozoworu has in mind for her, but I need to be extra careful of any upcoming moments that are happening with that Emissary...Just as long as I don't blow my cover.
Lei goes discreet and walks away silently from the girl's conversation.
The rest of the day was a normal trip as Shokei and her party did not do much but staring out at the ocean. The good thing is that there was no sign of any monsters that would prevent the ship from reaching their destination. During the time, some of Shokei's party members did activities for themselves to be occupied and they only did py cards.
Nighttime falls on the sea ride to Danevana. Shokei and her party are chilling out more outside the ship after a nice meal of dinner. The ship steers its way onward to their destination as the current of the ship sails by. The only hope that they can think of is to reach their destination safely.
"Hi-ya!" Shokei hears a voice calling out to her. She sees Naoko coming up to her.
"Hey." Shokei greeted her with a smile.
"How are things?" Naoko asked.
"I'm all right...but feeling bored..." Shokei said with a sigh look.
"I know right? It's no fun just staying put here while we are waiting for the arrival of a whole new world." Naoko said.
"True..." Shokei said. "I have never traveled far in my life."
"Anyways, what are you thinking about?" Naoko asked.
"Hmm..." Shokei thinks for a minute. Then said, "Since you brought that up, I just want to ask you something."
"Like what?" Naoko asked.
"That cn...Woundcw...How did you bide your time with those bandits?" Shokei asked.
"Ehhhhh?" Naoko paused with a bnk face.
"No worries! You're not a part of them anymore." Shokei said, trying to make her rex. "I'm just curious how you spent your time with those bandits?"
"Oh, ok." Naoko said and began. "Back then, I was a member of Woundcw. I thought I would fit in when I was alone and was in need to meet friends. When it came to being part of that thievery group, thinking that I would be able to make it in this world, I was so wrong. I was being used as their puppet, their sve, their vassal."
"Being used as their toy, right?" Shokei asked.
"Exactly!" Naoko replied and continued. "I had to do menial tasks that was just...tormenting. I was the only one that had to tidy up their good-for-nothing hideout, washed their clothes, gave them proper baths as requested. Yes, I was a sve to them."
"That's terrible." Shokei said, shaking her head.
"Even worse...," Naoko continued. "Now, you already know that Woundcw is known for robbing people's personal items and such. For me to be a part of their group, they used me as distractions just for them to get close to whatever they wanted to steal. Some cases it works and in some cases it doesn't."
"Hmm, what was the worst experience that you had with the cn?" Shokei asked.
"Ummm..." Naoko paused for a second. Then, she breathed and replied. "If I didn't do what they tell me to do...I would get punished."
"How...did they punished you?" Shokei asked.
"I wouldn't say the word 'punished.' I would say...abused..." Naoko replied.
"Abused?" Shokei said and looks directly at her.
Naoko nodded sadly.
"Physical or intent to harm?" Shokei asked.
"Both." Naoko replied. "You recall the moment where you and your allies were held in there, right?"
"Yes." Shokei replied.
"That's where they abused me." Naoko replied. "To be honest, Cyril...was the one that did the abuse towards me. I get punished by her both physically and... and when I failed to do her evil deeds for her, Cyril would punish me for hours...I...I would cry and..."
Shokei can see that Naoko feels her emotions getting into her.
"...cry and s-scream most of the t-time...ohhhh, it, it was a painful experience..."
Naoko then cried silently. Shokei can see her crying and feels really bad for her.
"That's...very sad to hear..." Shokei said sadly.
"It was...it really was..." Naoko said sadly, tears going through her eyes.
"What did you do to break free from Woundcw?" Shokei asked.
"I had a reflection on all the bad deeds and sufferings that I have went through Woundcw...until I called it quits." Naoko expined. "I reflected back on the people that I have hurt and see those that are lost without hope. I thought to myself how lonely I would feel all due to the crimes and deviant stunts that I have done to the people. I changed ways by confronting Cyril through a "talk" about her ruthless actions. She beled me as the worst member of the group and thought I was just a sack of shit. I left all of Woundcw behind by walking away and I was warned not to return back to the cn."
"...that must be rough on you." Shokei said.
"Rough is the word of what I have went through." Naoko said. Then, she felt concerned. "Of all the trouble that we went through to fetch some valuable item, what do you think they're going to do with that thing?"
"The Diamond Light Idol?" Shokei asked.
"Yes, that thing." Naoko replied. "What in the world are they going to do with it?"
"Obviously to sell it off for profit." Shokei said with a guess.
"I doubt it." Naoko pondered. "The look on their faces seemed...different. There must be a mystery to the Diamond's brightness inside. I wonder what power lies in there?"
"That's a mystery we would never know..." Shokei said with a shrug.
"Anyways..." Naoko pced her hand on Shokei's shoulder. "I am gd that I was able to tell you about my troubled past with Woundcw. I hope that your party will accept me as a member of your group."
"Not a problem." Shokei said. "I don't think many of my allies would know about your past. I guaranteed that you're a friendly person to our group. That is all."
"Thanks." Naoko said with a smile.
Shokei smiled back, seeing Naoko feeling relief from talking about her troubles.
"Anyhow," Naoko yawned. "I feel tired from the food that we ate tonight. I'm off to bed now."
"All right." Shokei said.
"You're...not tired yet?" Naoko asked her.
"Not yet." Shokei shakes her head. "I think I need to ask the captain of the ship first. I need to make sure how far is to Danevana."
"Ok." Naoko said turning away. "Good night!"
"You two." Shokei said out to her.
After Naoko left, Shokei decided to find the captain of the ship and walks back inside. Luckily, she sees the captain, not doing much as he is walking around the ship.
"Captain!" Shokei calls out to him.
"Hey! What can I do for you madam?" The captain sees Shokei and asked.
"I need some help into getting around Danevana." Shokei said to him.
"Certainly! I'll be gd to help you." The captain said. "Come over here to this table."
Shokei heads to the table to meet up with the captain.
"Ok," The Captain reveals the map. "From this point, we will reach the port that connects to the town of Zeeletum. The road to the town is straightforward. You and your party will be able to walk foot from there."
"All right. What should I expect when I arrive to Danevana?" Shokei asked him.
"I cannot say much but be careful of the sandstorms that are around in some areas in the continent. If you're walking out to the desert, just be careful not to get trapped in the current of these storms." The captain tells her.
"I see." Shokei said. "How far is Danevana from where the ship is sailing?"
"It would take about a few days to get there," The Captain replied. "But as long as the current is good, we should be able to make the trip without any problems."
"Problems?" Shokei said bringing up what she recalled before when she arrived at Egesul. "Didn't you guys have problems before?"
"Don't you know about the rumors lurking in the ocean?" The captain asked.
"What rumors?" Shokei asked.
"Rumor has it," The Captain expined. "There's a monster out in this ocean. I heard that this vicious creature has destroyed ships that are out on sail. I don't feel comfortable in traveling my ship at times, but we still have to do our jobs on being out in this ocean. All I hope is that nothing bad happens to us or we'll be goners."
"In case of anything sir, me and my companions will be on the alert in case anything goes wrong." Shokei said to him.
"Really?" The captain said. "I don't know if you and your allies that you brought with are all capable of fighting a sea monster. But if you guys are strong enough, then I believe you."
"You can count on us." Shokei said. "We fought bigger threats before. We'll be sure to be combat ready."
"Good!" The captain said. "Right now, I need to get back to the shell so my men and I can see any developments that can come in our way."
"Sure." Shokei nodded. "Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome." The captain said and leaves.
Meanwhile at the Dark Dreams Gaxy, Fozoworu and his cohorts are viewing the screen. The Necromutants know that Shokei and her party are already on the ship.
"It appears that the Emissary of Light is making her trip to the next gem in Danevana." Fozoworu said.
"We have to do something to stop her." Kukofoges said. "We must stop her while we can."
"However, we have no information on where the location of that gem is." Fozoworu said to him. "I hope that our little spy is on to that Emissary."
"You mean...Bck Death?" Echrezar asked.
"Yes." Fozoworu replied. "We have not heard from her that much. I can tell that she's with the party to keep up with them every step of the way."
"I got it." Echrezar said.
"What is it?" Fozoworu asked.
"Perhaps we should send a message against the Emissary and her small band. A message that will disrupt their boat ride." Echrezar said.
"Have you forgotten about Bck Death?" Fozoworu reminded him. "She's with that Emissary. We can not afford to lose her if you were to send your next creation."
"True, but she should know how to handle herself." Echrezar said. "We hope that she doesn't reveal her true powers."
"That's her responsibility." Fozoworu said. "She should py along with the Emissary without exposing much of herself. Then again, I need to speak to Sewero for information on the next gem."
Fozoworu leaves his group and heads back to meet Sewero in the control room. The widescreen monster can see the lead Necromutant entering the room.
"How can I be of your service Lord Fozoworu?" Sewero asked.
"I want to know more information on the gem that's hidden in the continent of Danevana." Fozoworu said in a request.
"Hmmm...one moment your grace..." Sewero said.
The widescreen goes through a thinking process and then reappears to see Fozoworu again.
"The Sand Gem..." Sewero said. "By my vision and calcutions, the location of the gem is found in a Necorpolis. I cannot recall information on the whereabouts to the gem. Should the Emissary of Light finds her way to the location, I will continue to work on gathering analysis on the continent."
"As you wish." Fozoworu nodded.
The lead Necromutant leaves and returns back to the center where his cohorts are viewing the globe. Echrezar is not present in the room as he already left to do his task. Fozoworu, Kukofoges, and Hauntmystic are watching the ship sailing out in the ocean.
The next day, Shokei and her party are still wandering around on the ship while at sea. Right now, the skies are partly cloudy and barely any sun is viewable.
"Hmm, looks like it's about to rain..." Beatrice said.
Just then, one of the crew members is looking out into the ocean as he can sense a suspicious activity. He hears noise and sense that there was something up. He hears the noise building up and feels that it is approaching the ship. That is when he can hear the sounds of crawling coming on the ship.
"What's that noise?" Rei asked.
"Whatever that noise is, it's coming." Shokei said remaining alert.
The crew member looks down to see what lies at the bottom of the ship. Suddenly, a skeleton-type monster appears in front of him, knocking him down and nds on his back.
"Ahhhhh!!!" The Crew Member cried out as soon as he nded. "M-M-MONSTERS!!"
"Holy crap! Skeletons?!" Marie said in surprise.
The party looks around to see more skeletons appearing on top of the ship as they climb aboard. The skeletons are holding weapons ranging from short swords to axes and some of the enemies have clubs equipped with them. Shokei and her party sees the skeletons invading the ship and they immediately take out their weapons.
"Skeletons?" Rei said. "There's like an army of them."
"We cannot let these bony bastards invade this ship! C'mon!" Shokei said to everyone.
The party gets into action as they fend off the skeletons that are trying to aboard the ship. Thus, the fighting begins.
Shokei and her party are fighting off the skeletons that are invading the ship. The skeletons are easily destroyed as more are coming aboard the ship. Taking out the bone-type creatures are easily done one by one. However, some of the monsters are undead type and have to be taken out with more hits. The whole party is doing their best to fend off the skeletons.
During the fight against the skeletons, a Necromutant watches the outcome of the battle. Hazon views the whole fight taking pce. He spectates to see Shokei and her party are battling it out against the skeletons while defending the ship. The fight against the skeletons sted long as the morale of the monsters are being wiped out. Soon, the fight against the skeletons was over as Shokei killed off the st of the skeletons instantly.
"Whew! That takes care of every st one of them." Shokei said.
"NOT quite, Emissary!" A voice calls out to her from above.
"Huh?!" Shokei looks up to see that someone is in the air.
"Don't you remember me?" Echrezar asked her. "It seems that we meet again!"
"Oh no!" Shokei said, recognizing the Necromutant. "Not you again!"
"And I assume that you, Emissary, have forgotten about me." Hazon said as he flies next to Echrezar.
Both Necromutants touch down on the back of the ship. Shokei follows them and stands at a distance away from her enemies.
"Hmm, hmm. I am amused to see that you and your band of allies have put quite a show from my skeletons."
"You..." Shokei said in a threaten voice.
"However, I cannot let you go further to finding the next gem." Echrezar said to her.
"What?! Why not?" Shokei asked him.
"I believe that I will obtain the next location of the gem for myself." Echrezar tells her.
"You creep bastard! We won't let you take the gem for granted!" Rei shouted at him.
"If you're looking for trouble, you found it." Shokei said. "We won't let you have it your way!"
"Oh, really?!" Echrezar asked. Then, he flies up, along with Hazon, in midair. "Be that way, Emissary. But it appears that I have a new toy that you and your allies can py with."
Echrezar then generates a dark source of energy. Hazon did the same and both Necromutants send the energy into the water. The party can see them doing this as the energy goes deep into the water.
"You better be prepared, Emissary." Hazon said to her. "For this will be your st boat ride."
"Spirits of the Dark Dreams Gaxy, bring forth Fanau, Hydra of Terror!"
The party and the crew members on board can feel the ship tilting in both directions. The creature that Echrezar mentioned emerged out of the waters and then appears a hydra monster. The Hydra is blue skinned and has three heads. The heads of the Hydra have sharp fangs and dark eyes as all three roared out loud for everyone to hear.
"Woah!!" Naoko said with widened eyes. "Is this for real?!"
"This is too real!" Tamiko shouted.
"Now, my pet monster, destroy them!" Echrezar ordered the Hydra.
Fanau made another loud growl as the three heads are about to do some damage. Shokei and her party gather up to face against the vicious Hydra.
"Shokei, what do we do?!" Rei asked her.
"We need to focus on the heads." Shokei replied. "We should split up in groups to take out one of the heads each."
"Good idea!" Rei said to her.
"I got the middle. Rei, you lead half of your group on one head and Tamiko, you and the others take on the head to the right." Shokei commanded.
"Got it!" Tamiko said.
The party sets out in action. As they split up in three groups, Rei, Marie, Naoko, and Beatrice went for the head on the left. Tamiko, Obsidian, and Saeko, target the head on the right. Shokei, Sadako, Kichiro, and Ferron went for the head in the center. Together as teams, they all went to face against the hydra.
Rei and her group are fighting against one of the heads of the hydra. The monster made its first attack by swooping down on them for a vicious bite attack. The party of four dodge the attack as soon as the head of the monster made its first move. The party gets back on the feet and stands by to take action again. The monster's neck is high, and Rei is thinking of what to do to strike against the monster.
"Say Marie." Rei calls out to her. "This monster is too high for us to attack. We need you to make a distraction by getting its attention."
"ARE YOU CRAZY WOMAN?!" Marie yells at her. "I'll be lunch before you know it!"
"Call me crazy, but if you do this for us, we will be able to strike the enemy while it's trying to come towards the ship."
"Uhhh..." Marie gulped.
Fearing for her own life, Marie can see that the left headed monster growls and is ready to make a move once again.
"Come on! You don't want this ship to be wrecked, do you?" Rei asked her.
"NO!" Marie yelled. Then she made a quick breath. "Oh, ok! I'll go for it!"
Marie acts and goes to a ptform to get the left head of Fanau her attention.
"Hey you creep!!" Marie shouts out to the monster. "I'm over here!!"
The left head monster sees Marie calling her out.
"Come at me you...UH UO!! Ahhhh!!"
Marie cried out as the monster used its head to swipe at her. Luckily, Marie ran back to the group just as she was about to get hit. This allowed Naoko to use her tonfa bdes to strike at the monster. The monster takes damage and then Beatrice quickly used her bde to strike the monster by the mouth for additional damage. The two girls quickly move out of the way as the Hydra reacts to the damage being given. Rei awaits her move until she has her eyes set for the target.
Tamiko and her group are fighting the right head of the Hydra. Tamiko fires her shots with her crossbow and aims for the enemy's neck. The Hydra felt the sharp bolted arrows aimed at the neck. The right-headed Hydra counters by charging at Tamiko by the mouth to take a bite out of her. Tamiko quickly moves away and then prepares her crossbow. Obsidian takes his weapon to strike the side of the monster's head. Saeko makes the effort with her nce and targets the head of the monster. She gets on top of the monster and then the right-headed Hydra lifts her up to the top. Saeko was unable to make a strike and then loses her bance. She was able to grab on the monster's ear and then she jumps down to nd back on the ship. Then, the monster recovers and then breathes gas on the group. Saeko gets out of the way, but her group got caught by the enemy's attack.
"Huh?! Oh no!" Saeko said in a panic.
"Ughhh! Poisonous gas!" Tamiko said, feeling the gas and coughing.
"Errgh!!" Obsidian said, feeling the effects of the gas.
The effects of the gas made Tamiko and Obsidian poisonous, and they felt their strength effecting their bodies in battle.
"Saeko, don't come near us!" Tamiko tells her in a warning.
"Ugh Poison!" Obsidian said, feeling his body's strength wearing down. "We cannot stop now! Even with a gas attack, we need to keep fighting!"
"We'll pull through in this! We still have to fight!" Saeko tells her group.
Shokei and her group are taking care of the center head of the Hydra. The lead Hydra of Fanau stares down at his prey with a fierce attitude and is set to attack. Then, the monster charges downward with its fangs.
"Icicle Sorcery!"
Sadako casts out her ice magic against the enemy. The monster takes damage from the effects of the ice as the icicle sticks rain down on the monster's head like daggers. The Hydra lowers its head and Shokei can see the opening for an attack. Shokei sshes at the monster and Kichiro and Ferron joined in to strike against the enemy's head. The monster roars out in pain as its face got damaged and raises its neck. Then, the middle-headed Hydra counters by charging at the group with a head attack.
"What the?! Back up!" Shokei shouts out to the party.
Everyone quickly moves out the way as the monster takes a bite of the ship, ripping off the back deck. The party watch as the piece of the ship falls into the water.
"This is getting worse!" We cannot let this monster destroy the ship like this! We need to take serious action!" Shokei said to everyone.
As the fighting against Fanau still rages on, Hazon and Echrezar are spectating the fight below them.
"I hope that this monster of yours will take care of them." Hazon said to his Necromutant ally.
"Not only that this monster will kill Shokei and her party, but the ship will go down with them on board." Echrezar said.
"I assume that your Hydra is taking the advantage of killing these insects." Hazon said.
Suddenly, Rei charged up her fist and then went in the air to charge at the right-headed Hydra. With a fist made of electricity, Rei delivers a charging uppercut from underneath the chin of the monster. The monster felt the jolt and impact of the punch. The force of the punch was critical enough for the Hydra to suffer major damage and then the head of the monster stopped moving as it falls back into the water.
"Huh?!" Echrezar said in shock. "What's this?!"
Rei and her group have finished off the right head of the Hydra and are helping the others out. Marie can see Tamiko and Obsidian are poisoned and cures them to remove the effect. Feeling refreshed from being poisoned, the group gangs up to take care of the left headed monster. The left-side head was nearly done for as Saeko was able to get on top and then pieced the top of its head. The left-headed Hydra dies after its st breath.
"No way!" Hazon said with anger. "That's impossible!"
"How?!" Echrezar asked in disbelief. "What kind of brute force is this?!"
"Seems that the Emissary has strength in numbers on her side." Hazon said to him.
"At this rate, Fanau is going to be defeated." Echrezar said. "I cannot accept this humility! I must retreat!"
The Necromutant vanishes, leaving the scene.
"Huh?! Hey, wait!" Hazon said, following him from behind.
Shokei and her party are now fighting the final head of the Hydra. The middle-headed Hydra is nearly in defeat as it shows signs of losing its momentum. The party works together to defeat the monster all at once.
Tamiko aims her crossbow at the monsters head. The bolt arrows aim directly through the monster's eye and the Hydra cries out in pain, taking severe damage to the retina. The Hydra lowers its head, and the party can now see that there is an advantage point in defeating the Hydra.
"Shokei! Your sword!" Marie points out to her.
"Huh?" Shokei stares at her sword.
"It's glowing again." Rei said to her.
"It's...a sign..." Shokei said, seeing her Mithrodin glowing in effect.
"Now's your chance! Finish this beastly monster!" Rei said to her.
Shokei nodded and knows what to do. Lifting her sword, the energy flows in power. Shokei can see that this effect was done before in previous battles. The sword's energy became in effect and then she was fully charged and faces the Hydra.
"Style Execution!!" Shokei shouted.
The swords energy beams through the Hydra as it was killed off in one ssh. The Hydra dies out after that st strike and then its lifeless body was destroyed into ashes. Fanau, the Hydra monster, is no longer a threat to the ship and Shokei has defeated another monstrous creation by the Necromutants.
"Finally..." Shokei said, tired out from her physical strength.
Once the fight was over, Shokei and her party turns to see that the crew members are coming out from inside of their ship to meet the saviors that saved their lives. Also from hiding, Lei comes out to see that Shokei and her party are standing there, looking back at the spot where the Hydra was defeated. The captain looks at his ship to see that the top part of his ship has been ripped off.
"Great Almighty!" The captain said with relief and disappointment. "That vile creature could have taken this ship down! There goes my income for me ship..."
"Wow! You guys fought that sea monster?!" One of the ship's crew members asked.
"We fought hard," Shokei said. "But in the end, the beast has been taken care of."
"That's amazing!" The crew member said. "You guys are brave!"
"Yaaaay! We been saved!!" said another member.
The party hears the sound of cheers and praise by the ship's crew members. Shokei looks at her party and her allies look among each other as they all have defeated the threat.
"Thank you for saving us and our ship." The captain tells Shokei. "Had it not been for you and your band of allies, our lives would have been of risk."
"You're welcome." Shokei said and shakes his hand for the big effort.
Around the evening, Shokei and her party spent the rest of their evening watching the ship flowing in its direction. At this hour, a few of her party members are looking back at the top of the deck where the Hydra has bitten off a piece of the ship. Lucky for them; the hydra did not go further into making a hole on the ship. Shokei views the ocean with the captain.
"I'm curious how much further we need to get to Danevana?" Shokei asked.
"Viewing by the distance, we should be close." The captain replied. "We could arrive at our destination tomorrow."
"Got it." Shokei said. "But as for the damage, what are you going to do about it?"
"The damage does not appear to be severe, but it does need a refurbish on the spot where that vicious monster bit off." The captain replied. "Not to worry because neither of you nor your party aren't responsible for me ship."
"That's good." Shokei said to him.
"Tomorrow, we should arrive at the pier of Zeeletum." The captain said to her.
"Ok." Shokei said.
The party continues to stare out into the ocean and then they return back to their bunk room to get some sleep.