A Washing Escape

Ch-4

A Washing Escape

At the capital, Taishae receives an incoming message through the screen. Flicking the button with his metal fingers, the monitor comes on. One of his monsters reports back.

"I see them, approaching close 90 degrees above target. Ready to deploy, five minutes till impact. Click click click."

The metal general seemed pleased.

"Your orders ... we're waiting at standby."

"Good, now destroy the supplies and stop them on their tracks," Taishae commanded.

The monster leaves to engage its target from midair. Returning somewhere by the coast of Sunset City, Alistor and party arrive at the docking bays.

Surrounded by masses of crates on the creaking wood floors, it felt as if the foundation wouldn't last much longer. The roof was filled with open holes and light flickering amid the afternoon. Looking for the ship they're supposed to board and depart, it was their first time heading at sea for most of them.

"So, where's the ship we're supposed to be getting on?" Alistor asked.

Tannen looks at a sheet of paper for the ship number and serial they're supposed to find. So many ships are lined up from side to side, ready for Mathias's army to deploy on. They look around for their assigned ship, counting from number to number.

"Hmm, 56, 58, 59, 63, 65 and, wait hmm, no 64?" Tannen questioned.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Auroa wondered.

"Our assigned ship station is 64, and it's not here yet."

"Well, that's great," Maigashi complained. "Just our luck in this dump of a place. Not a single bar or restaurant is insight. Not even a single snack machine. The floor feels like it would break any minute."

"Talk crappy renovations. Elena and Claws aren't even here yet, either. How annoying." Auroa muttered.

"So they're running late." Katty shrugged. "Can't really blame them."

"This is just like waiting at an airport but worse," Maigashi mumbled.

Not willing to wait, they split up and asked for some help while looking for Elena and her band. Alistor went with Katty and Zolhalla while the rest search for Elena's group that Sairori was supposed to be leading.

"Where the hell are they?" Maigashi wondered. They're supposed to be here at this time."

"Maybe they're running late? Knowing how it is with leading royalty, I imagine they take extra precautions." Auroa thought.

Tannen follows along while they walk through the halls. Meanwhile, Alistor and the rest asked around for help regarding ship 64's arrival, but there was no luck. Lost, they rest back on a bench.

"I'm tired of lugging around this luggage," Katty complained.

"Hopefully, the others will find them," Alistor replied.

"What about you, Zolhalla? Any ideas on finding our ship?" Katty wondered.

He takes a slight moment of pause to rest his eyes.

"Sorry, nothing from me as well." He shrugged. "Worst case scenario is if they already left us behind."

Katty was slightly depressed for the moment. Then, fearing for the worst, he checks on the wall filled with departing schedules.

"Well, this sheet said we should be on time, but what gives?"

A sound of an explosion then alerts the three of them. The flooring was shaking all around them, so Katty went to grab on to Alistor.

"What was that?" Alistor wondered.

They check out the source of the sound. On Tannen and the other's end, Maigashi couldn't stop to complain as Tannen and Auroa grabbed on to him in fear of falling as well.

"I told you this whole place was a piece of crap," Maigashi argued. "Now, can you both please get off me?"

The sound of clashing was in the midst; smoke was spreading as some crates caught flames. The cheap wooding on the floors begin to crack open holes, annoying them even more.

"Well, it would suck to fall in the water," Auroa mentioned. "I had my hair done nicely this morning."

"I just don't want to get wet." Tannen provided an excuse.

"Well, let's hurry and find them. The situation isn't looking good. Time is at hand."

The three bolts off in the hope of finding Sairori and the rest of the band. Alistor and his group, on the other hand, arrive at the source of trouble. Glamour soldiers come down, clashing with parts of Mathias' army with a new monster destroying the supplies.

"Whoa, this one's a big one," Katty noted.

The monster turns to them, peeking with its big mechanical eye to glare at them. Then, it briefly introduces itself to them.

"Click click click.., Clack clack clack. Target acquired. I am Carrius! Cannoneer of Aggerona. Click Clack."

Cannons pull out from its mechanical chest to fire at a ship—the sounds of a heavy explosion blast through the halls.

"He just sunk that ship like nothing." Katty showed in disbelief.

"We'll have to take precautions then," Alistor noted.

Looking at Zolhalla and Katty, they move in with a planned team formation. The monster knocks away any soldiers that get in its way as it went for the three of them. More holes started cracking open from the flooring, exposing pools of water from each of its aggressive steps. The three engage in battle with the monster.

Meanwhile, with the other band...

"Where's that sound coming from?" Sairori wondered.

He arrives with Elena and her band at the entrance. Claws and the others are now in a defensive formation due to the sound of trouble.

"Ah-ha!" Tannen pointed out.

Tannen and the others finally spot them from afar, plowing through the crowd as quickly as possible. Claws waved at them.

"What's going on in there?" Elena wondered.

"Well, better late than never," Maigashi said. "There's probably an attack going down right now."

"We took a safer route as a precaution. So sorry we took long." Sairori mentioned.

"What do we do? Things aren't looking good." Claws said.

"A plan of approach? I imagine the other three must be looking into this situation already. Let's hurry back to them." Sairori ordered.

Elena suddenly fell back.

"Whoa!"

"Watch your steps. This floor piece is falling apart. If you don't want to get washed up, take precautions." Maigashi pointed.

Returning to the middle of battle, Alistor and Katty are knocked back from the force of the monster's arms. However, its cannons continue sinking one ship after the next. Zolhalla keeps the beast at bay, dealing the most damage to it with his red lightning attack. Carrius then shoots out a blast, knocking him into a pile of crates.

"Click clack click. Target destroyed. "Click clack."

The smoke from the blast clears away, revealing an exhausted Zolhalla.

"Click Click. Negative. Target still active."

"You alright?" Alistor asked.

"I'm not sure how we can hold him back for much longer. We must hurry and finish this monster as soon as possible. Our supplies are being depleted."

Katty covers Alistor from the side as Zolhalla pulls back to recover. Then, they both charge at the monster with their attacks.

"Star Breaker!"

"Dispersion!"

They perform one of their old team attacks, but it was ineffective. So instead, massive tremors continue to become exacerbated from the monster's significant steps.

The cracks from the floors slowly grow more extensive, giving Zolhalla an immediate idea.

"This isn't going as planned," Katty said.

"Well, any ideas? We're just delaying the inevitable." Alistor replied. "Huh?"

He turns around when Zolhalla steps back in.

"The both of you step back."

"Click Clack Clack. Back for round two?"

He takes his stand at the massive thing as the two stepped back. The monster readies its cannons. Zolhalla commenced the action, leaping in the air.

Elena and her band continue following the three's lead through the chains of chaos with the others. More Mathias soldiers continue to clash with the enemy grunts at the decks.

"I hope they're faring well." Claws worried.

"They'll be just fine. Keep up the pace." Tannen said.

A sudden crack split open a hole in front of Tannen and the rest by surprise.

"Whoa! Stop! Stop! Halt!" Tannen yells out as he wobbles, back trying to maintain balance.

"Whoa! Nelly!" Maigashi catches him from behind. "Some help here, please."

The others help to pull Tannen back up. Elena was feeling worked up for once.

"Whew…That was a close call." Claws felt relieved.

"Yeah…" Elena slightly panted.

Claws suddenly have the urge to jump excitedly. The sound of cracks resound as this is happening; the others look at him vexatiously.

"Whoops….sorry?"

Tannen slaps himself. Maigashi sarcastically applauds him and the others silenced before the whole flooring collapsed below them.

"Woo hoo hoo hoo."

Claws scream with everyone else as they all fall into the waters, annoyed to some extent. Then, soaked and wet, they gather their luggage back to land.

"I just got my hair done today." Elena cried.

"Good start so far…." Maigashi sarcastically remarked.

Back at the battle, the monster misses its swing, whereas Zolhalla unleashes a heavy attack to the ground. Bolts of red lighting hit at the floors, circling Carrius. The attack cages over the monster, causing its engine to short circuit.

"Click click click! Does not compute. Terminate!"

"Now I smite you."

The monster reaches out for him, but it falls over to its doom while Zolhalla pulls back in the nick of time. Carrius sinks below the surface. The battle then comes to a close, with the others arriving. Lightning and wind shots from Maigashi and Auroa take out the remaining Glamour soldiers from a distance.

"You guys finally came," Alistor said.

"What happened to you guys?" Katty giggled.

The rest of the party arrives soaking wet to the scene.

"Don't even mention it. We all fell over thanks to a certain someone." Maigashi had his eye on Claws.

"Hey, I said I was sorry." Claws modestly repeated.

"It doesn't matter now. Is the battle already over?" Tannen stepped in.

"Seems like it." Katty checked. "He took care of the monster real good, but it did quite a deal of massive damage to our ships and supplies."

Zolhalla walked his way back slowly to the team. Suddenly a loud shake is felt below the surface.

"It's the monster!" Claws pointed.

Carrius emerges from the waters unexpectedly, catching them all by surprise.

"Click clunk clunk clack… Target acquired. Assimilate! Destroy!"

The monster fires off all its cannons destroying more ships in the process, turning the bay into a junkyard within seconds.

"What do we do now?" Alistor shouted.

Zolhalla jumps back in the fray of battle, but an unexpected attack from the side finishes off the monster. A skewering blast from a blade plunges through Carrius' eye.

"Mission does not compute chick clique… Clickity fack, this is whack…."

Carrius' whole system short circuits, breaking away to pieces as the monster loses balance. Finally, it falls back into the water, self-destructing. A bursting geyser splashes our heroes during the aftermath.

"What just happened?" Katty wondered.

In seconds, Alistor spots the source from the attack that finished the monster; A ship voyages to their side from a distance.

"Oh hey, it's our ship." Tannen pointed.

An anthropomorphic bird captain stands tall at the front tip of the ship. The ship stands out from the rest of the usual ships from Mathias. It has an exterior filled with old rusted plating and torn-out sails with a bronze-colored bird face at the front. Its beak stuck out with a small opening inside.

"Who are you?" Alistor wondered.

Puffs of smoke fly out from the captain's smoke pipe. He takes the smoke off his mouth as everyone's eyes were glued to him. The captain leaps out from the ship for an unnecessary flashy entrance before introducing himself. Wearing a raggedy long blue trench overcoat, a pirate's hat, an eye patch, and boots that would make creaking sounds on wood. His beak is as sharp as his single eye. He takes one glance at the soaked crowd.

"Ahoy! Yar har har! Captain Steffbird the name. At your service."

"Fancy ship? So this is our ride?" Katty questioned.

The captain nods. He turns to Elena and Claws overlooking their disclosed contract of details while the rest look around at the ship.

"Better than nothing, I suppose," Maigashi said.

"Fancy!" Tannen shouted.

After they all talk with Elena and read the final disclosures, Steffbird finally signs the contract. Then, Elena's band begins loading away from the luggage and cargo.

"Onboard! Yar har har. What waits within yonder for life ahead? On ye maiden voyage. Seeking the thrill of an adventure. For fame, for glory, for riches...maybe romance? So, onboard matey's, fill those crates, load those barrels." The captain went on.

"Well, he seems motivated." Claws joined the group to watch.

"Away from home. This will be fun." Katty stretched.

Elena goes to speak with a random commander. Then, she goes to bring the news to them.

"It seems we won't be able to have as much reinforcement as we hoped. Since most of our ships have been damaged, it will take the rest of our reinforcements some time to catch up with us. So we won't be able to bring our full army as we anticipated."

"Well, that's just great. Just more work for us." Maigashi blabbered.

"We'll be at low numbers then." Sairori estimated.

Captain Steffbird continues babbling on about his speech of voyage and adventure. Alistor was a bit uneasy at the current situation. Fearing for the worst, Taishae came to his mind. The image of the metal-faced general frights him.

"Don't worry. You won't be doing this alone." Katty assured him.

The Mathias army begins salvaging what is left, boarding the remaining ships that aren't damaged.

"At the most, the commander says we'll have roughly 20,000 units with us for now." Sairori updated.

Alistor was still feeling down and demotivated.

"Har har, rest assured, matey's. I will be at ye side. Steffbird has been hired to serve as your guide. I shall provide assistance wherever needed as stated in the contract."

Another wave of Glamour troops unsuspectingly teleports down by the bay to fight them.

"You all go on ahead." The commander waved.

The commander gives his final word to Elena and the rest. The remaining stragglers from the Mathias army clashed with the wave of enemy troops.

"Seems some of them will be staying behind. Our allies will catch up with us later. We must leave now."

Elena gives the call. Ships start departing to their voyage; Steffbird slices the ropes away that hold the boat on the dock. They all hurry away with what supplies they can salvage.

"Yar Har Har! Onwards! Haul the anchor, raise da sails. Deck da boards, hurry, time is at haste. We depart. A new voyage waits."