After a massive brawl, twenty-two survivors picked themselves from the hostile shore where they were marooned.
Edgar Shin slumped onto a rock, victorious but plagued by a debilitating migraine. As he watched the waves, memories surfaced: his stolen ship, lost crew, nine dead men, and fresh sting of Erika and Kirby's betrayal.
Their fight with the Exos had subsided, and Leviathan Nest’s predators were at bay. Yet he remained cornered, unsure of his next move in this uneasy peace.
In his doubt, a familiar, disembodied voice answered his silent plea: Go to the south.
Eleanor, sensing Edgar's melancholy, moved to comfort her crush. However, an unexpected rival reached him first.
Keeper Thessa Landia approached the Pioneer with a shy smile. “Hello,” she greeted. “You're Edgar, right? Sorry for an earlier misunderstanding.” She hesitated. “Why don't you come to my ship to discuss things?”
Edgar’s adopted-sister-cum-childhood-crush stared in disbelief at the fidgeting bachelorette, her composure unraveling. She wasn't alone in her shock.
“But Keeper!” protested one of Thessa’s men, favoring his bitten ankle. “We just fought these people. Are we really trusting High Terraria's humans and a bunch of mutts?”
Surprisingly, First Mate Varashad voiced the strongest support for Edgar, despite getting knocked out with a swift three-hit combo during their fierce battle. He rested his hand on the outraged Fae’s shoulder.
“You're not wrong,” he stated, “but if these men are really with the Administration, we wouldn't be facing such a small underequipped group of subhumans and incompetents.” His gaze shifted to Bravo. “There must be a reason some elite members are peppered among these lards. We should be grateful they appear to be more reasonable than the rest of High Terraria.”
The black wolfman, being crushed by expectations, inflated like the galaxy's most reluctant puffer fish. His three fans' cheers grated against his quivering spine like a cheese grater.
Varashad nodded, misinterpreting Bravo's trembling as fighting spirit. He then whispered to his crewmate, “Besides, I think it's too late to stop us from getting compromised.”
The crewmate followed his officer’s gaze to their leader, who offered to help the dizzy blonde man walk. One look at her smitten grin silenced any further objections.
Like the First Mate, Eleanor also caught her opponent’s lovestruck expression. She bristled, her fury rivaling that of a territorial bear. Each thunderous step she took toward the infuriating scene had one purpose: to tear that homewrecker from her childhood friend and hurl her into the murky depths.
Abruptly, a commotion distracted the adopted sister, and everyone else, from her wrathful mission.
"My brothers are dead!" screamed the final surviving Skinhead, bolting past them towards a hostile woods teeming with reptilian man-eaters. "I will not surrender to this cruel world! Fight me!"
"You can't be serious!" A pudgy Dwarf chased after the man. "Hey, don't just charge into that darn forest to die! We need every--"
Despite Machin's noble effort, no one could stop the last Skinhead from crashing through those hungry brambles, bellowing war cries. Soon, shouts for blood morphed into shrieks of terror, followed by contented rumblings of a filled stomach.
Twenty-one pairs of eyes watched the grim spectacle unfold, then turned to look at each other for direction.
The Keeper, with a light-headed human on her shoulder, made the decision. "Okay," she said, tiredly. "Let's talk about this on the ship.”
With no better choice, survivors trudged from the sand to their coasting longboat. Eleanor, struggling to pry Edgar from Thessa's grasp, settled for taking his other arm. Meanwhile, bruised and battered, Bravo and the others scoured the area for salvageable weapons.
Machin reached the vessel first, activating its retractable ladder with a whack to the jade-textured planks. On deck, he found a portable crane and his friend Baldwin, tied up. After freeing the old Fae, they hoisted their battered crewmates aboard the brine-scented deck.
Beneath dual sails of Fairy-Silks, the Fae and humans finally sat down to talk.
"So Wonderweiss sent you to this damn planet," Varashad concluded the Pioneer’s story. "He claims someone's waiting for you here, and High Terraria will likely fall to Millennium Entropy in five years unless you act."
"Yes!" exclaimed an excitable Light Clan Fae. "Take that, you stupid humans and your galactic empire!"
The First Mate glared at their clueless interloper. "As much as I despise that genocidal history, High Terraria guards the Buffer of Materia. If that falls, Fae Garden is next."
The enthusiastic Exos sank onto his makeshift chair.
Eleanor seethed. "You're complaining about Exos genocide? Everyone knows that happened because aliens threatened to kill us if Vichaya the Conqueror didn't strike first."
"Oh," the First Mate wasn't impressed. "So that's what they taught you in school."
"Varashad." the love-struck noble peeked nervously at her new love-interest. "I don't think we should pick a fight with our guests."
Not taking offense, Edgar straightened, energized by more opportunities to besmirch High Terraria's founders. "No, he's right. Vichaya's the worst. I bet he sacrificed babies and kicked puppies too. Tell me more about this genocide. I can't wait to spread this dirty laundry across the galaxy."
"Et tu, Edgar?" the childhood friend squeaked.
Thessa, overjoyed, exclaimed, "Wait! You hate Vichaya too?"
"Who wouldn't?" Edgar declared, as if stating an obvious truth. "Even his name sounds like an asshole."
Amused, Varashad humored his new friend. "Well, when humanity discovered Rift Lines, using 600 planets as landmarks for trans-dimensional travel, they encountered several native civilizations—"
"Civilizations that wanted to eat us!" Eleanor argued.
"To be fair, some did," he conceded. "But others just wanted to be left alone. However, your founder didn't give them a chance. He issued an unfair mandate, and when none complied... Well, I think you know what happened next."
"He genocided all of them, including the peaceful ones," Edgar turned to his resident valedictorian, "Did Wonderweiss Academia teach you any of this?"
"Some," she admitted. "But to be fair, we asked nicely, even offering to terraform nearly uninhabitable planets to suit everyone. Yet, they went ballistic at that notion, and after the first shot was fired—" she shrugged "—well, the rest got easier." Her face twisted into a scowl. "Until the Luna War."
The patriotic Keeper’s chest swelled with pride. "Yes, Luna kicked your ass in that one."
"You only won because Vichaya was dead and we were battered from the 1st Millennium Entropy War," Eleanor decried, "and your precious Luna is a traitor!"
"Keep my childhood idol's name out of your mouth," Thessa snapped. "She's the savior of all Exos!"
The Pioneer raised his hand. "Okay, now you've lost me. From what I know, wasn't the Luna War a civil war within High Terraria?"
Varashad frowned. "No, I think it's a war for the foundation of Fae Garden; we call it the War of Liberation."
Grimy from repair work, Machin plopped onto a nearby box as historical inaccuracy reigned. Frustrated, he put down the gavel of history. "Every one of you is right."
All eyes turned to the pudgy genius as he revealed those long-held Dwarven records.
"According to Earth Clan texts, Luna was indeed human and a member of Vichaya's inner circle," he confirmed.
Eleanor triumphantly shook her fist at a dismayed rival.
"However," the Earth Clansman emphasized, breathing life into his blue-blood captain’s hope, "she was disgusted with Vichaya's methods, especially the genocide. She and her followers quit the empire and found refuge for surviving Exos, which eventually grew into resistance against Vichaya's iron fist."
He frowned. "The details after this are muddy. Vichaya died, demons attacked, and High Terraria turned on Luna and her protectorate. To escape complete pruning, the Exos passed their genetics to Luna's followers, forming the Five Clans.”
He took a deep breath. "The rest is as chronicled: we beat High Terraria back, and the fallout of that battle warped the Rift Lines, creating a special area of space called the Fae Garden."
With the truth retold, a solemn suspense descended and soon broken by the Magister’s skepticism. "Okay, can we trust his version?" she asked, doubt evident in her voice.
The First Mate confirmed, "He's an Earth Clansman. They treat historical records so seriously they carve monuments that will last a thousand years for it."
"Yeah," Thessa nodded grudgingly. "And there are rumors they're building a back-up for that monument." She suddenly shook, remembering she'd sent Machin on a task. "Machin, did you finish fixing the Cosmic Engine?"
The Dwarf relayed the bad news. "Don't get your hopes up, Thessa. Those idiots wrecked it pretty bad. I handled it the best I could, but we really need a huge amount of energy to get it back into working order. Right now, we're running at 34% of our usual capacity."
Upon hearing this, every Fae resounded in a chorus of groans and scowls. Meanwhile, the humans and subhumans glanced around, confused.
Again, Edgar raised his hand to politely pose an obvious question. "I'm new here. Can anyone explain what this Cosmic Engine is?"
Thessa crunched her numbers. "Our model was old to begin with, and with the power cut, our speed is likely halved, and multiple protection enchantments will suffer. Other auxiliary functions like camouflage or hostile repellent will also become unreliable." She buried her head in her palms. "At least we can run food-production, electricity, and life-support out of emergency power, but if that runs out we are boned."
The Pioneer pointed to the forest and beach. "Why don't we just stay here?" Seeing every Fae scowling at that idea, it dawned upon him that he'd missed a critical detail. "Okay, what don't I know?"
"Holy Luna," one Fae spoke. "Wonderweiss really told you nothing."
"Edgar," the Keeper said. "That place is called Leviathan Nest. It's the only continent on Omicron and home to this planet's many predators. Stay here and all of us are going to die eventually."
Hearing that, Bravo made his opinion crystal clear. "Boss!" he exclaimed with an intense gaze. "I believe we should set out tonight to save time."
Varashad, misreading subhuman's twitching tail as excitement, clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit, man!"
The wolfman managed a weak smile, his paws clenching and unclenching rhythmically. But despite his commanding officer’s enthusiasm for this new comrade, Machin cleared his throat, his expression grim.
"You forgot one thing, Varashad," He reminded, his face sunken. "This planet is covered in perpetual storms. With our Cosmic Engine this compromised, we have one trip to gamble our lives on.”
Eleanor latched onto this information, her mind racing. "Wait a second, you're saying the storm is constant here?"
"Oh yes," one particular Fae snorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Every single day we're battered against the waves for hours on end. It's gotten so bad that this place is considered a political punishment." He gestured at Thessa with a smirk. "Just take our dear Keeper as a prime example. She got 'promoted' here to remove her from the Landia’s heiress position. Quite an honor, wouldn't you say?"
"Hey, stop bringing that up!" the former heiress hissed, her cheeks flushing as she cast a mortified glance at an eligible human bachelor, clearly dreading her new crush learning this embarrassing detail. "It's not as bad as you think! We do have some calm hours here sometimes, and I'm confident my family will sort things out soon!"
"Keeper," the First Mate spoke, his tone gentle but firm, "You're not tricking yourself with that one, are you?"
The blonde man remained silent, contemplating. One word floated into his mind: south. It was a direction his enigmatic provider gave; the advice and power reserved must originate there. And with that, maybe a solution to their woes.
"Thessa," he asked, breaking his silence, "what's in the southern end of Omicron?"
"According to our observations, nothing but an icy tundra," the disgraced noble replied quickly, seizing any chance to steer the conversation away from her political blemish. "All our expeditions ended inconclusively."
“But is it safe?” he pressed calmly, knowing they had one shot at this journey.
"Yes," Thessa's answer barely met the bare minimum of Edgar's question. "But we never settled there." She struggled to explain. "How should I say this?" Her brow furrowed. "The southern pole felt... haunted."
"I second that," Machin chimed in, his stubby fingers drumming against the ship's railing.
"Something in that place just didn't welcome us." Eleanor leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "So where do you think..."those traitors are going to land? They left on The First Rogue into the storm, right? What are they going to do next?"
Drawn in by his partner’s observation, Edgar added, "Kirby said he couldn't fully fix The First Rogue. They can't leave this planet."
A Fae burst into giggles at this revelation. "So you're telling me those idiots just rode off in a broken spaceship into the storm with nowhere to land but that creepy ice-field?" He wiped tears from his eyes. "Serves them right!"
Machin, unmoved by such schadenfreude, returned the discussion back to their pressing issue. "As satisfying as those idiots’ self-disposal might be; we still need somewhere to go."
"I have been invited south," Edgar explained, deciding to share his guidance with the group. "I believe Wonderweiss' contact has been helping me all this time, and she's waiting for me there."
His revelation draped a long silence over the deck as everyone digested this new information.
"That explains a lot," his childhood friend finally said, piecing together the puzzle in her mind. "Let's assume this contact is a super powerful Wizard who resides in the south. It would make sense that she put some kind of ward around her home to keep settlers away."
The rotund gadgeteer rubbed his chin in an ascent. "That would explain the creepy feeling we got there. Yes, such a powerful master could grant you those inhuman abilities and even help you glimpse the future."
The former heiress agreed with their points but, being well-versed in Wizardry herself, spotted a flaw in such theory. "But why didn't she come to you directly?" she asked, frowning. "It would be much easier and faster for a Wizard that powerful to visit us instead of the other way around."
Eleanor's brow furrowed. "True. And why stay on Omicron instead of meeting you on Genesis VIII?" She paced. "Wonderweiss talked about her like she's way above him. Said he spent decades finding 'them'." She shook her head. "It doesn't make sense. How could a human Wizard, or even a group, hide from Wonderweiss for so long? Even an Exo would've shown up during the Luna War. Did she just sit there while her kind was wiped out?"
Edgar nodded, acknowledging his new crew’s points. A nagging feeling tugged at the back of his mind – something about their theories didn't quite fit. But he couldn't put his finger on what. "Those are valid questions." he pushed the unease aside. "But I think we can ask this mysterious Wizard directly when we reach the south."
Machin stood up and stretched. "So south it is." He walked to the hatch and opening it. "Baldwin and I will set our course. Should we leave as soon as possible?"
"Yes!" Bravo yelped, casting a nervous glance at the predator-filled forest.
"Now that we've sorted that out," the Pioneer said, a hint of amusement in his voice, "can someone tell me where the rest of us are going to sleep?"
The raised point immediately caused a disaster.
Thessa's hand shot up immediately, but her love rival, knowing exactly what the Fae was volunteering for, leaped at her. As the battle for Edgar's sleeping arrangements erupted, little did they know that elsewhere on Omicron, their mutinous former crewmates were facing a far deadlier problem.