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Part II

Murderous Reprisal

Chapter 11

Behemoth Bay

The day following the crimson moon, it had been assessed that the demon, now known by Tek and the populace simply as 'Silence' had killed forty-two guards, while waiting for Tek to leave Lita's side. Had he not been there, Silence surely would have murdered Lita and moved on to the other princesses. For this Tek was given a token from Lita with a heart at its center. So long as Tek had this on his person, any order given from him to anyone else in the kingdom may as well be coming from her. More importantly, this meant anywhere on the continent the skunk kingdoms had a port or airway, he could fully access it. Along with this he was given the biggest kiss from Lita he had ever received in his life, and Cloe had to pull her sister off of him for fear the kiss would never actually end.

"I will be seeing you in Acria. That is if you don't get yourself killed before then." Lolli said. "Cloe will take you to the airships."

Tek gave his goodbye to each of the princesses and Penny, who wrapped her arms around him and nearly pulled him into the fountain by accident. Lita was weeping, mascara smearing down her fur. "Lita, you're going to be fine. We didn't even know each other that well." Tek assured her.

"That's not true!" Lita sniffled.

"How old am I?" Tek asked.

Lita hesitated for a moment before answering. "Can I have a hint?" Tek rolled his eyes, then gave the princess of hearts a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd rather fight Silence than deal with that one the way you've had to." Cloe said, walking Tek towards her domain of the kingdom.

"She's really not that bad." Tek said. "A little clingy, but she has a good heart. Dare I say I might actually miss her."

"I suppose." Cloe said, losing interest in the topic now that they weren't teasing her sister. "And how did you enjoy your stay in the skunk kingdom kobold?"

"It's great here. I can't wait to visit again." Gimmick said, following next to Tek. Her clawed feet clacking against the ground.

"It's alright I guess, but if you ask me the ground is too hard. Makes for bad digging and the worms here are so tiny. It's no wonder you have to cook your own food. Honestly I don't know how you can stand it." Myra said, following behind them.

"I'm still mad at you for sneaking out without me to see Tek during the blood moon!" Gimmick snapped at Myra.

"Gimmick, being with me would have been the worst possible place for you." Tek assured her.

"What if you needed me? I can fight too, you know. When that demon wrapped your leg in her whip back at the burrow, who was it that bit through it to free you?" Gimmick asked.

"I believe the only reason I was in that predicament was because I was trying to save you." Tek said. Cloe laughed to herself, enjoying the exchange between the two traveling companions.

"See?" Gimmick said, "We work well together."

Upon entering the princess of clubs' kingdom, Tek found himself genuinely impressed. While Serena had her booming markets, Lita had her hospitality, and Lolli had incredible archives, Cloe had soldiers, armories, and airships as far as Tek could see. The airships in particular were astounding, as he had never seen anything that hadn't been born with wings fly before.

"Yeah I know. Incredible isn't it?" Cloe said, reading the stunned expression on Tek's face. Cloe found general Millie barking orders at soldiers that Tek assumed were being punished for something as they were doing what Tek would consider to be an unreasonable amount of pushups. Behind her stood a pink rabbit who Millie looked to be tolerating the presence of, but none too pleased by it.

"Chou Chou?" Tek asked. The rabbit waved, before hopping over to see them.

"I heard a lot of rumors about you rat boy," Chou Chou said, "Mostly that you had died in a variety of horrible ways, but I'm glad to see that either they were wrong or I've finally taken the plunge into madness."

"I guess they were wrong." Tek said.

"He's still gone mad." Millie said, not looking up from the soldiers she was inspecting.

"He seems rather cheerful to me." Gimmick added, Millie's comment completely going over her head. Chou Chou hooked his head back to give Millie a rather large grin, but she ignored him.

"I still don't know why she allows you to tease her like this." Cloe said, shaking her head.

"Because I saved her life back at the start of the Ophiotaurus war. Didn't I Millie Billie?" Chou Chou shouted. Millie winced so intensely that you'd think Chou Chou had just smacked her over the back of the head.

"These two will be needing an airship to deliver them to Behemoth Bay. Make it first class and spare them no expense." Cloe ordered. Tek was going to miss the luxuries this kingdom brought him. Maybe he would come back once his journey was over.

"I can take care of these two Millie Billie." Chou Chou said, gesturing to Tek and Gimmickto follow him towards one of the smaller airships.

"Two?" Tek asked, looking at Myra.

Myra shrugged. "Someone has to go back to The Burrow and let them know you were rejected by Spindle. We don't want them to think you're a coward who just ran off with one of their prisoners. Besides, I don't think I'd like flying."

"Yeah I guess that would be for the best." Tek said, "Thanks for everything Myra."

"Don't get all sentimental on me, rat boy." Myra said, crossing her arms. Tek turned to walk away, but felt something heavy wrap around him so tightly that he struggled to breath. Myra had embraced him in what had to be the biggest hug he'd ever received. When she released him, Tek gave her a surprised look. Myra simply pointed at Gimmick, as if such a large embrace could be passed on so easily.

"Come along rat boy and kobold!" Chou Chou called after them. With one last wave he turned to follow the rabbit.

One of the side panels of the airship was open and Chou Chou approached whomever had been laying inside of it. Two boots were sticking out and Tek could hear a loud banging coming from inside. "Hey Avia, I've got a job for you." Chou Chou said, Banging his fist against the side of the airship. Another rabbit slid out, her whilte fur stained with oil and grease. She tried talking, but Tek couldn't understand a word she said, as she had also been holding several screws in her mouth and hadn't bothered to take them out.

"Try spitting out the screws Avia." Chou Chou said, shaking his head. Avia took his advice, spitting several saliva-covered screws at Tek's feet.

Avia started, "Only two? My baby is expensive to maintain. I need more than two passengers to-"

"The princess of clubs will be paying you for the whole ship. Spare no expense, I believe was her exact wording." Chou Chou interrupted.

"Well in that case," Avia said, closing the panel she had crawled out of and stepping up the platform leading into the airship and making a welcoming gesture with her arms, "All that's coming aboard are welcome aboard."

Tek quietly hoped that Avia had finished whatever it was she had been tinkering with in that panel she closed, but Gimmick ran aboard the ship excitedly. "I don't recall Cloe saying she would rent out the entire airship." Tek said under his breath so only Chou Chou could hear.

"Eh, it'll be fine." Chou Chou said.

"I still can't believe you're a chef." Tek said, shaking his head.

"And you're just a rat from the burrow who spends his days watching a door. A little far away from your own kitchen aren't you rat boy?" Chou Chou said playfully. "We're more than our occupation. If we choose to be." Tek chuckled to himself, then thanked Chou Chou again before stepping inside the airship.

The interior was nicer than he had expected. It was complete with several rooms, a functioning bar, and windows surrounding the ship so no matter where you stood you were guaranteed a great view. After Avia secured the door, she moved to the front of the ship and pulled a lever. The ship began moving straight upward, and, having lived most of his life underground, every instinct in Tek's body told him to panic. Rats weren't meant to fly. Gimmick on the other hand found great amusement in every aspect of their ride, jumping up and down in place, which made Tek even more uneasy.

"Gimmick stop it! You shouldn't be jumping like that!" Tek said, Gripping one of the railings so tightly that his knuckles began to pale.

"Relax rat boy. I assure you airships are perfectly safe to travel and jump around in. I only saw one burst into flames once. Your little scalie friend there can't breath fire can she? A spark in the wrong place can set off all the gasses in the balloon above us. We should be fine though." Avia assured him.

Gimmick raised both her hands up and tried to loom over Tek attempting to look menacing and let out a pathetic sounding roar trying to sound and look like a dragon. "Gimmick stop. I don't like flying."

"What brings you two to behemoth bay anyways?" Avia asked.

"The short of it is I need to get into Acria." Tek said.

Avia paused for a moment, clearly in thought. "Huh." Was all she managed to come up with as a response.

"What?" Tek said, sensing something was wrong.

"I'm just surprised you're going to Acria given your fear of flying, is all." Avia said.

"Are there a lot of tall towers?" Tek asked.

"Well no, but the entire academy is well... look for yourself." Avia said, as the airship pierced the clouds. Tek looked out the window, following Avia's gaze and couldn't believe what he saw.

In the distance was a massive collection of buildings floating thousands of feet above the ground. Enormous chains embedded in the bottom of the buildings looked to be keeping them attached to the ground so as to not let them float away from the other structures. All in all, the massive collection of buildings looked to be almost as big as the skunk kingdoms.

"It's in the sky?!" Tek said in awe. He remembered Lolli mentioning that Acria was 'several miles feet up,' but hadn't considered what that actually meant.

"Yeah, and it's kind of a big detail." Gimmick added.

"So how long will it take for you to reach Behemoth Bay with this thing?" Tek asked, his eyes still locked on the floating academy in the distance.

"Well that depends how long it takes us to cross over the shifting sands." Avia said.

"How long does it usually take?" Tek asked.

Avia scratched at her chin. "Well I never really get consistent travel time. The shifting sands aren't natural. The size of that desert is always... well... shifting is probably the best way to put it. It's like the land itself stretches and recedes. Like the world is breathing and that desert is its lungs. If we're lucky we can be there in a day or two. Pray for Prieda's blessing and maybe the desert will cooperate. Until then, relax and enjoy my priceless company."

Ironically, soon after making a remark about her so called priceless company, Avia had flopped her ears over her face and began to nap. Tek quietly panicked about the pilot falling asleep, but then realized that the airship was probably designed to keep a steady altitude and direction. Otherwise there was no way Avia could deliver Tek and Gimmick to their destination by herself. Tek left Gimmick to marvel at the landscape from the window, while he retreated to one of the bedrooms. Following Avia's lead, he flopped onto one of the beds and fell asleep.

*****

Tek awoke in the middle of the night to a dim red light shining in from under his door. Leaping to his feet, he grabbed his spear and swung the door open. Fearing he may have to defend the airship from winged demons he ran to the front of the ship only to find Avia giving him a quizzical look.

"You alright there rat boy?" Avia asked.

Tek looked around, noticing the silver moon out the window. Confused, he turned back to see small lamps lit with a red flame. Lowering his spear, Tek allowed himself to relax, falling into the nearest chair.

"Ah, the night lamps. I should've warned you about those. The red light helps passengers sleep." Avia explained.

"Do they come in other colors?" Tek asked.

"They don't really work in other colors." Avia said.

Wonderful, Tek thought, looking out the window from his seat. Thousands of stars filled the sky and for a moment Tek was able to forget his fear of demons and crimson moons.

"Spectacular isn't it? I get to see them every night I fly above the clouds." Avia said.

"I don't see a lot of them where I come from." Tek explained.

"Because you're underground all the time?" Avia asked.

"That and when we are above ground smoke from dragonfire clouds the sky. Mix that with the smoke from the volcanic mountains to the east and you'll be lucky to see a handful of stars unless you travel a good way south." Tek sighed, thinking of Gritta and Gretta. He hoped they'd remained safe during the crimson moons.

"Why doesn't your kind just move? Avia asked.

"Just move millions of rats? Where would you suggest we go? The world doesn't exactly trust our kind. If I had approached your ship without Chou Chou, what do you think would've happened?" Tek said.

Avia's ears flopped behind her. "I suppose I hadn't thought about that."

"Besides, if we leave, there will be no one to guard the iron doors. The world wants us to save them from the threat of the iron doors opening, yet they don't want to interact or trade with us."

"I don't know rat boy, I heard the princess of hearts really had a thing for you." Avia said, pulling up a chair next to Tek's.

Tek scoffed. "She liked that I was a prince."

"You never said you were a prince." Avia said flirtatiously, raising an eyebrow. Tek gave her a nervous look and Avia began to laugh, "I'm just messing with you rat boy." She got to her feet, walked to the bar, and poured them both a drink.

"It's a meaningless title anyways." Tek explained as Avia handed him a cup that looked to be filled entirely with froth. He took a drink and was surprised by the strange sensation the drink gave him. "What is this?"

"I call it the bunny bite, that's a powerful drink rat boy. I'd be careful not to-" Avia froze as Tek through his head back, guzzling down the rest. "Oh boy."

"I feel funny." Tek said, his head spinning.

"That would be the alcohol." Avia said.

"Huh," Tek said, staring at his now empty mug, "I've heard about that stuff. Never actually had it before."

"By the guardians, that wasn't your first alcoholic drink was it?" Avia asked, suddenly in a panic.

"Yeah, why?"

"That wasn't exactly a good drink for um... newcomers." Avia explained. Tek tried to get to his feet, but fell backwards in his seat, too drunk to stand. "Bloody guardians, you're a lightweight too aren't ya?"

"I'll have another." Tek slurred his words, and moved to hand Avia his cup, but held it in the entirely wrong direction.

"Screw it, you're not going anywhere anyway." Avia said, walking to the bar and refilling his drink. "Just be sure to drink this one a little slower."

Tek gave her a grin, raising his mug. "So you really think the princess of hearts only liked you because you were a prince?" Avia asked.

Tek shrugged. "She didn't even know how old I was."

"And how did she react when you left?" Avia asked.

"Well... she cried a lot, then gave me this." Tek pulled the token with Lita's crest on it from his pocket.

"Oh Tek," Avia said, "She likes you. The Court of Cards doesn't just hand those out."

"I saved her life. She was just being generous." Tek said.

"And what about that kobold girl?" Avia asked, causing Tek to spit his drink so far it hit the window.

"Not always the charmer, are you, rat boy?" Avia asked.

Tek flushed, but could only watch Avia clean the window as he was still struggling to stand. "Gimmick is just a friend." Tek explained.

"Uh huh," Avia said, judging by her tone she was hardly convinced, "So what is your type then?"

"I've never considered that before. With the world in chaos I think I've just been too busy trying to keep my head on my shoulders... literally." Tek said.

"You're no fun rat boy." Avia said, holding the now spit and alcohol covered cloth away from her with two fingers and dropping it into a trash can. "Well if pretty and sweet aren't your types, perhaps you're looking for a girl a bit more dangerous to keep you on your toes? Maybe someone who can tame the powerful rune tapper from the burrow?"

"You're out of your mind bunny girl." Tek hiccuped.

"I don't think I am, and you're well and drunk." Avia said.

The sun pierced the horizon, hitting Tek in the face with all the force of a demon's hoof to the snout. Letting out a groan of pain, he threw his arms up to try to block the light. "Well how about that? You're in luck, rat boy. The shifting sands are being cooperative. I can see behemoth bay from here. Looks like we've managed to cut a few days off our flight. Praise Prieda!"

"Prieda? The guardian?" Tek asked.

"Yeah, she slumbers in her temple amidst the shifting sands, or so the stories go." Avia said.

"I'm supposed to meet her." Tek said. Avia laughed, then realized Tek was being serious.

"Oh rat boy," Avia said, shaking her head, "That sphinx is going to eat you."

Gimmick stepped out of her room behind them. Stretching and letting out a small yipping sound that Tek sometimes heard her make in her sleep, she groggily walked over to one of the chairs and slumped down into it.

"Morning Tek!" Gimmicked said, cheerfully next to Tek's ear. The sound of her voice was like being hit in the back of the head with a hammer and he visibly winced. "What's wrong with you?"

"I think I had too much to drink." Tek said, his vision now spinning.

"But you said it's good to stay hydrated. I've been drinking more because of you." Gimmick said. Tek threw his hands up over his face and groaned.

"Try to take it easy, rat boy," Avia said, "I'll try to take us in gently."

Upon landing, Tek struggled to get to his feet. Gimmick pulled one of his arms over her shoulder and helped him walk off the airship. "Thanks again for your help Avia." Gimmick said cheerfully, walking down the ramp.

"You should wait for your friend to sober up first!" Avia called after them.

"He's just a little air sick! I'll take care of him." Gimmick shouted, ignorant to Tek's alcohol consumption. Tek groaned, too out of it to really protest Gimmick dragging him through the streets. He had to push Gimmick away from him as he ran into an alley and began to vomit.

"Come on Tek, the airship wasn't that bad." Gimmick said, rubbing his back. Tek let out a low grunt. He had finally made it to behemoth bay, only to be too drunk to ask for directions.

"Gimmick, I need you to take control of the situation for a bit." Tek said, hoping his decision wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. Gimmick stood up straight and saluted him, probably mimicking one of the soldiers she had seen Millie shouting at back in the skunk kingdoms. "Take some of our coins and find us an inn where we can rest for a few nights."

Gimmick ran off and Tek noticed someone in the alleyway across from where he had stumbled was puking against one of the buildings. Wonderful, Tek thought to himself, I suppose until Gimmick returns I can always fit in as a drunk.

*****

It didn't take Gimmick as long as Tek had expected to return and help him to his feet. He was feeling much better by this point, and could manage to walk on his own, however his head still hurt. "You found us a place to stay?"

"I sure did! They said we could stay as long as we wanted and that our coin would buy us all the food and drink we'd need." Gimmick said, swinging her arms as she skipped along beside Tek.

"That's great, Gimmick." Tek said, relieved she hadn't messed this up.

"Mhm, they even said they could help us sail to Prieda's temple if we helped them with some problems they've been having. They seemed awfully interested that you're a prince from out of town." Gimmick continued skipping, but Tek froze.

"Gimmick... how much did you tell these people?" Tek asked, dreading what possible answers she may give.

"Well, just about all of it. I didn't realize we were keeping secrets."

"I'm not sure it's best we tell folks around here that we're from out of town. You didn't tell them how much coin we had, did you?" Tek asked.

Gimmick paused, pressing her pointer fingers together nervously. "Well..." She trailed off.

"Gimmick, how much coin did you give them?" Tek said through gritted teeth.

"All of it?" Gimmick shrugged, forcing a nervous smile on her face. "When they said they would take care of all of our problems, I didn't think we'd really need it after that."

"And where is the inn?" Tek was gripping his spear so tightly in his hand that he was surprised it didn't break in half.

"That's the great part! It's not an inn, it's a boat! A huge boat! That's like an inn that's mobile. Come on, I'll show you!" Gimmick grabbed Tek by the arm and began to tow him towards the other end of town. Tek only allowed her to do so because he wanted to see where his money had been taken, although he was fairly certain he knew how this little trip would end.

On their way to the docks, Tek was shocked to see the size of the keep by the shore. It dwarfed the size of all the skunk palaces put together. So distracted was he by the structure that he hadn't noticed Gimmick had stopped running, and slammed into the back of her.

"There it is!" Gimmick said, pointing at a galleon. "See I told you it was real." She crossed her arms proudly.

"It's real alright," Tek groaned, watching the galleon leave the dock, "And that's exactly what I was afraid of."

Chapter 12

Shanghaied

Gimmick splashed her feet in the water while Tek watched the black gallion raise its red sails as it disappeared over the horizon. "Well done Gimmick," Tek said, wiping sweat from his brow. He hadn't been prepared for how hot Behemoth Bay would be. "You've successfully given away all of our money to pirates."

"And they didn't even sing me a shanty." Gimmick said.

Tek looked around, trying to assess what he could possibly do to salvage the situation. The docks stretched for as far as Tek could see. Fishermen, traders, and boats of all sizes, military and civilian, were docked along the coast. Even more ships dotted the horizon. Never had Tek imagined this many ships existed in the world, let alone inhabited a single port. On the next dock over a gull was pulling up a net full of fish. Tek was getting ready to leave, when the rope of the net slipped through the gull's hands. Without thinking, Tek chucked his spear, pinning the net of fish to the side of the dock.

Tek walked around to meet the gull, and retrieve his spear. Assisted the bird to pull up the net of fish while he was at it. One of the fish flopped free of the net, and Gimmick quickly snatched it up and swallowed it whole. "Don't be rude." Tek muttered to her under his breath.

"That one's on the house, for that spear throw," The gull said, slinging the net of fish over his shoulder. "Well thanks for that, friend."

"Wait!" Tek shouted, startling the gull. "Do you happen to know a place we can spend the night?"

"Sure. How much coin do you have? The gull asked.

"We had plenty," Tek said, scowling at Gimmick. She turned her head away, following Tek's gaze as if he was looking at something behind her. "Now it's all on that ship." Tek gestured towards the black gallion with the red sails in the distance.

"Oh dear. Come with me, you two. I'll fix you up for the night." The gull said, leading them back into the city.

"What will this cost?" Tek asked.

"Depends how long you're wanting to stay in the town, and how generous the captain is feeling. I'm Marloes by the way. What do you two call yourselves?" Marloes inquired.

"I'm Tek, and this is Gimmick. We come from the north." Tek said.

"Ah yes, the north. Never been there myself, but I hear it's lovely." Marloes said.

"Really, from who?" Tek asked.

"No one really. I was just trying to be polite." Marloes said. Tek followed the gull to an alleyway. A faint cheering could be heard from behind one of the side entrances to a rather impressive building. A gallion that looked as if it had been thrown into the city during a rather horrendous typhoon, was built into the very side of the building, as if it was easier to make it part of the structure than put in the effort to move it. Marloes knocked against a door on the side of the building, or gallion rather, and the door burst open and a gecko thrusted three strange looking weapons Tek had never seen before in his face. Two held in either hand, the third in her tail. He raised his arms, as it seemed like the correct response.

"Oh, hey Marloes." The gecko girl said, lowering her weapons. "Who's the new blood?"

"Tek and Gimmick. Scarlett swindled them out of their money, and they need a place to stay." Marloes explained. The gecko shrugged, then stepped inside. Tek hesitantly followed.

"What are those things?" Tek asked, still eyeing the gecko's strange weaponry.

"You've never seen a pistol before?" The gecko asked. "They do this." She pointed the pistols at the ceiling, then pulled their triggers in unison. A puff of smoke burst from their barrels, followed by a loud bang. "Only instead of small bits of ceiling falling on my head, imagine blood and a lot of screaming."

"Vivian, you're going to scare them." Marloes said.

"What? I didn't shoot them." Vivian slipped each of her pistols into a different holster with impressive grace that reminded Tek of Digit.

"Where's Tahnee?" Marloes asked. Another roar of cheering erupted from somewhere in the building. Vivian pointed to a door with her tail.

"In her quarters. You're in luck, she's in a good mood. Fights are going in her favor." Vivian said. Then she wrapped her tail around a wooden beam above them and pulled herself into the air, disappearing in a hole in the ceiling leading to the next floor up.

Marloes gestured for Tek and Gimmick to follow him, and he soon brought them to a door with a kobold twice the size of Gimmick. Tek almost mistook her for a small dragon, only she didn't have any wings. Her scales were cracked and she looked as if she had seen her own fair share of combat, as her body had numerous scars that looked to be from wounds that should have been fatal.

"We need to speak to the captain, Greyscale." Marloes said. The kobolds' eyes moved from Marloes, to Tek and Gimmick. Then she grunted, and stepped aside. As she turned, Tek noticed a massive axe on her back that looked to be too heavy for Tek to even lift. Tek couldn't help but wonder, if Greyscale was this intimidating a bodyguard, what must the captain be like?

Knocking twice on the door, Marloes took a step back. The sound of a bottle shattering on the other side must have been some sort of sign that permission had been given for entry, and Marloes moved to open the door. "What is that, some sort of code?" Tek asked.

"No," Marloes said, opening the door. The scent of whiskey and rum poured into the hall, "But if you open the door first, you're likely to get hit in the head with the bottle. I learned that lesson the hard way."

The floor of the room was littered with bottles. Inside was a sea lion swinging in a hammock that also happened to be full of coins. Tek was surprised the hammock held both the weight of the sea lion as well as the pile of coins. "Welcome!" Tahnee said, drunkenly stumbling from her hammock, spilling coins onto the floor. "Come in! Have a drink! Have two drinks!"

Tek started, "Perhaps now isn't the best time for-"

"There's never a bad time for anything." Tahnee said, somehow managing to make her way across the room and wrapping an arm around Tek and Gimmick as if they were long lost friends.

"Definitely not true, but it's good to hear you're a glass half full kind of captain." Tek said.

Tahnee threw her head back and let out a hardy laugh, "Rat boy, when you're with me I expect your glass to be completely full!"

"I hear your bets have all been falling in your favor." Marloes added.

"Are you kidding? That new girl is unstoppable. Every win has been a knockout. I'm thinking about putting Greyscale against her. That would be a real crowd pleaser. She doesn't want to step into the ring though, because she's a party pooper!" Tahnee shouted out the door so Greyscale could hear. "So what did you bring me these two for? Are they here to wrestle? Gamble? Some kind of important VIP meeting I've forgotten about? Strippers? Are they strippers Marlos? Because they already aren't wearing much."

"What's a stripper?" Gimmick asked, looking at Tek. His face flushed, and he pushed Tahnee's arm off his shoulder.

"We are not strippers." Tek snapped.

"Not with that attitude." Tahnee said, sounding disappointed.

"Scarlett swindled the kobold out of their money." Marloes explained.

"Why should I care?" Tahnee asked.

"Well, I'm a prince," Tek said, for once hoping his title could help carry some weight, "So if you help me now, maybe there is something I could reward you with in the future?"

Tahnee made a dismissive gesture with her hand before speaking. "A rat prince? Please, in a matriarchy full of as many females as you have in that kingdom your title is moot."

"How did you-"

_ _ "When you travel the seas, you meet a lot of people and learn about a lot of cultures." Tahnee interrupted.

The one time I actually try to use my title for leverage and it's with a drunken sea lion that knows about rat culture! Tek thought to himself. "Well if the title isn't enough, perhaps you've heard of the iron doors?"

"I'm a pirate rat boy, I hear all kinds of myths, legends, and stories. It's all part of the gig."

"Well the runes on the door have begun to go out. Meaning if I don't find a way into Acria, then the doors could open, resulting in the end of the world." Tek said.

Tahnee merely shrugged at the news. "The world has ended before rat boy. Yet here we are. If it ends again, I'd be willing to guess someone will be having a conversation just like this one in another thousand years or so. Besides, there's never been a storm I couldn't sail through."

"Well perhaps you'd be interested in some treasure?" Tek asked.

Tehnee's ears perked up. "I'm listening."

"We need someone who can take us to Prieda, the guardian of the shifting sands. I've read her temple is supposed to be full of a hoard of treasure so massive it could make a dragon blush." Tek said.

Tehnee pondered his offer for a long moment before responding. "I don't particularly like investing in long journeys where the payout is only based on a rumor."

"Facts don't equate to rumors." Tek said.

"Besides, Tahnee," Marloes added, "You always base your adventures on perilous journeys with rumored payouts."

"Close your beak Marloes," Tahnee said, "And if I take you on this little trip, you have to help me with a few things first. I want you to convince Greyscale out there to fight the new girl. Then you're going to help me on a little voyage of my own, the details of which can be discussed later." Tahnee extended her hand to Tek, "Do we have a deal rat boy?"

Tek eyed the sea lion's hand. He didn't like taking deals with hidden arrangements. Last time this happened he had to go shopping with Lita, but it wasn't like he had any other choice. He took Tahnees hand and shook it. "My name's Tek, and I'll do what I have to do to get to Prieda's temple."

Tahnee grinned. "Welcome to the crew, Tek."

*****

"Just fight the new girl," Tek pleaded to Greyscale, "Look at the size of you, you'll probably crush her to bits in the first round!"

"I don't fight unless I have to anymore. Tahnee couldn't convince me, you won't either, Tek." Greyscale said.

"You know my name?" Tek asked, surprised as lately he had gotten used to just being called 'rat boy'.

"I overheard you talking to the captain. I hear everything that goes on around here. If I didn't, then I wouldn't be a very good bodyguard, now would I?" Greyscale said, she let out a long sigh before continuing, "Your journey is a selfless one. You've come a long way for a lot of people, but I have my principles. I will not fight, unless I have to."

"If the iron doors open, and countless demons flood into the world because I couldn't get to Prieda's temple, think back to this moment and tell me you didn't have to fight." Tek said, walking towards the cheering.

"Tek, where are you going?" Gimmick asked nervously. Tek could hear the clacking of her claws against the wood floor as she chased after him.

Stepping out of the galleon, Tek found himself in a crowd cheering on two fighters in an arena. One some kind of crustacean, the other a wolf. "This hardly seems fair," Tek said, watching the wolf snarl at what appeared to be a shrimp, "Wolves are natural predators what could he possibly-" Before Tek could finish, the shrimp girl let loose a blur of punches, sending the wolf flat onto his back, knocked out.

"She's a mantis shrimp," someone in the crowd said over Tek's shoulder, "You won't find anyone with a faster punch."

Tek sighed to himself. "Fuck." He groaned, making his way through the crowd towards the arena. If Tahnee wanted a fight, she would get a fight.

"Tek, you can't help the world if you're dead." Gimmick said, chasing him through the cheering crowd.

"If I can't get to Prieda's temple, then we're all dead." Tek said, stepping onto the ledge leading into the arena. He readied himself to jump, when a scaly arm grabbed him by the shoulder. "Gimmick, you can't talk me out of-" Tek stopped, realizing it wasn't Gimmick who had grabbed a hold of him. Towering over him, Greyscale stood onto the ledge of the arena, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Apparently recognizing the grey kobold, the crowd chanted her name.

Greyscale jumped into the arena, and sand burst into the air from the impact of her landing. The mantis shrimp turned to face her new challenger. Tek watched with bated breath as Greyscale started to walk towards the mantis shrimp. The walk turned to a run, which turned to a sprint. The mantis shrimp let out a blur of punches and Greyscale threw up her left arm, taking all of the blows. Tek winced and could see the expression of pain plainly on the kobold's face. Another flurry of attacks rained down on Greyscale, and the crowd went silent as a loud crack rang out from the arena. Greyscale's left arm went limp, completely broken from the mantis shrimp's attacks. The mantis shrimp hesitated, seemingly surprised that the kobold was still standing, which was all the time Greyscale needed. A heavy uppercut from Greyscale's right arm knocked the wind out of the mantis shrimp, and with a defiant scream, Greyscale hurled the mantis shrimp over her body and onto the arena floor, driving her fist into her gut yet again.

Silence hung in the air, and Tek thought he had imagined what he had just seen. Then deafening cheers filled the building. Holding her broken arm, Greyscale simply turned and made her way out of the arena, and back towards Tahnee's quarters.

*****

"Well done, Tek, I didn't think you'd actually get her into the arena." Tahnee said, watching Vivian tend to Greyscale's wounds. On the opposite side of the room the mantis shrimp girl leaned against the wall, looking dazed.

"You could've just surrendered once your arm broke. If I kept punching your skull would've been next. Although I doubt I would have been able to crack it, you are so hard headed." The mantis shrimp said.

Greyscale scoffed. "You hesitate, you get hurt, Qixin."

"I'm not the one with the shattered arm." Qixin said.

"Well rat boy, the good news is you came through with the fight and made me more coin. I do love coins." Tahnee said, spinning a coin on her desk.

"The bad news?" Tek said, almost afraid to ask.

"The bad news is that I didn't expect Greyscale to shatter her arm to win. I needed her to make a little delivery for me, but I think you'd be the perfect replacement for her. There's a crime lord in town that I trade with. I need you to deliver a keg of blasting powder to them, and bring back the coin they owe me for it." Tahnee said.

"I know nothing about Penniless Port's crime ring, nor anything about the volatility of blasting powder. What makes you think I am the least bit qualified for the job?" Tek said, also making a mental note that he wasn't nearly as intimidating as Greyscale in size or appearance.

"Because, this gang is entirely made up of rats." Tahnee said. Tek's surprise must have been planely written on his face, because Tahnee smiled at his reaction. "I want Marloes and your little kobold friend to handle the blast powder keg. You and Vivian are to guard them, and overlook the exchange."

"I'll do it." Tek said, eager to meet rats from the other side of the continent.

"Do this and I'll take you to the guardian's temple," Tahnee said, as Tek turned to follow Vivian out the door, "Be careful Tek, there's a reason people don't trust rats."

Chapter 13

A Rat's Trust

Tek walked besides Gimmick, spear in hand, his eyes darting to every individual who looked like they might be wandering too close to the crate of blasting powder. "Are you sure we will be safe, Tek?" Gimmick asked, "I feel like we're getting a lot of weird looks."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Besides, I've never met another rat this far away from The Burrow other than-" Tek stopped himself, almost forgetting he had kept the knowledge of Digit's existence a secret to the kobold.

"Other than who?" Gimmick asked.

"It's not important. Let's just focus on getting this crate across town safely." Tek insisted.

"Can you teach me how to read when we get back?" Gimmick asked.

"I'm not sure rune tapping is the best idea, Gimmick. Something weird happened last time we had you try that, remember?" Tek said.

"No, I don't." Gimmick said.

"Right, that was the entire problem. Besides, rune tapping is dangerous." Tek continued.

"I wasn't talking about rune tapping, Tek. I always see you looking at books, and reading books, and with the princesses I heard you talking about books. I want to learn to read books." Gimmick said. The kobold gave Tek a pleading expression that made his heart sink.

"You really want to learn to read?" Tek asked. Gimmick nodded eagerly. "Alright, I guess I could teach you. In fact, once we get to Acria, I'm sure someone there would be able to teach you better than I ever could."

"I don't want someone I don't know to teach me. I want my best friend to teach me." Gimmick said, stomping a foot in protest. She had stopped walking and Marloes nearly tripped over the back of the crate, caught off guard by the kobold's tantrum.

"Fine, I'll teach you." Tek said, his heart jumping in a panic that she might accidently set off the blasting powder, "Just keep moving that crate, and don't drop it. That stuff is too dangerous to be toying with."

Tek almost hadn't noticed that Gimmick had called him her 'best friend'. He thought about bringing it up, surprised that she didn't have anyone back in the mountains above The Burrow, but then remembered that the kobold's home had been destroyed and her memories had been altered, leaving her with no one she could remember before meeting Tek. He wasn't just her best friend, as far as he knew, he was all she had.

"So tell me about where you two come from." Marloes said. "I'm guessing it's a bit more than just the hole in the ground I'm picturing."

Tek shrugged. "I mean, I guess it's like a glorified hole in the ground?"

"It's a glory hole!" Gimmick interrupted.

"Gimmick, don't call it that ever again." Tek said, pinching the brim of his snout, "It goes down for miles. Unless you're a rat, you are going to have a hard time traversing it. Gimmick lived in the mountains, we think a dragon may have destroyed her home. What about you Marloes? What's your story"

"Oh, I was born here. Tahnee let's me tag along on her boat and catch fish for a cut of my sales. That, and sometimes I steal things." Marloes said casually, as if he hadn't just admitted to committing crimes.

"Oh... well it's good to stay busy I guess." Tek said.

Vivian, who had been running across the rooftops, leapt down to Tek's side. "Heads up rat boy. We'll be arriving at the Rat's Den soon. Keep your head on your shoulders. I'm going up on the rooftops to make sure no one blocks our escape, you keep an eye on the exchange and these two." Vivian said, gesturing to Marloes and Gimmick.

They approached what looked like a surprisingly small building to be called the Rat's Den. If Tek hadn't been a rat, he may have thought that this crime lord was rather undefended in such a humble looking building. The true fortification, like The Burrow, would be beneath them. Standing in front of the building was another rat, with grey-blue fur, leaning against the front door of the building. What caught Tek completely off guard was that the rat mutilated himself to remove the part of the ear that would show what clan he had been a part of.

Upon seeing Tek, the rat looking him over then gave him a surprisingly welcoming smile. "I was expecting the kobold," The rat said, his eyes went past Tek to Gimmick, "The tall kobold, that is. You seem new to town, and judging by those ears, you're a little far away from home aren't you princeling?"

"You could say that..." Tek said, his words trailing off, as he tried to make out what clan this rat may have been from, but the scarring and missing pieces of his ears made it impossible.

"The name's Dreg, what brings royalty this far south?" The rat asked.

"Let's just leave it at business." Tek said, trying to withhold as much information as he could.

"Of course, I'm all about business." Dreg said, hitting the door behind him with his fist. The door opened and four more rats came out to inspect the crate. After looking over what was inside, they paid Marloes the coin that was owed, then began moving the crate of blasting powder into the building behind them.

"Come on Tek," Marloes insisted, "Let's head back to Tahnee."

"I wouldn't want to keep you from whatever obligations our prince has to the pirate captain. Of course, if he wanted to look around our own personal burrow, I'm sure he'd be very interested in some of the innovations we've made. Comparing our living arrangements could be mutually beneficial to progressing rats as a whole." Dreg said, giving a welcoming gesture towards the door.

"Tek, let's go back." Gimmick said.

"You two find Vivian and start heading back. Dreg is right, there is a lot we could learn from each other to benefit our kind as a whole." Tek said. He knew Dreg was up to something, but at the same time, he felt it would be selfish to turn down an offer of such potential progression.

Reluctantly, Gimmick followed Marloes outside and one of the rats closed the door behind them. "Come with me, princeling. Let me open your eyes to life this far from The Burrow." Dreg said with a grin, leading Tek to the center of the room, then stomping his foot on one of the floorboards. A hatch opened up, allowing Tek to see into the tunnel system built underground as he suspected. Carts rolled by on a railing system sending the crate of blasting powder deeper underground.

"Fascinating," Tek said, "Building something like this in the burrow could make travel through the burrows even faster, but all those lanterns you have installed. Aren't you worried that outsiders will be able to navigate your tunnels?"

Dreg laughed. "This is why I left the burrow, princeling. Engineering like this is beyond Rodentia. She's so worried about outsiders navigating your tunnels that she makes it difficult for her own people to. It's hindering you. Making rats struggle."

"Our struggle is what has made us so strong and resilient over these trying years. Your ways seem efficient, I will not deny you that, but I would never call our guardian foolish. She has given up everything it means to be a guardian to watch over her kind." Tek said.

Dreg closed the hatch, shaking his head as if Tek couldn't comprehend what he had just shown him. "I suppose you're just too old fashioned, princeling. Not too old fashioned to play a game of Reckon, I hope." Dreg walked over to a table and began shuffling a deck of cards. "Let me guess, you've never heard of Reckon before, have you, princeling?"

"Can't say I have." Tek said, sitting across the table from Dreg.

"It's a game of strategy and deceit. Think you can handle it?" Dreg tossed a handful of cards to Tek facedown. Tek picked them up to see strange symbols in different colors displayed on them. Not the normal four suits he had been accustomed to in most decks.

"I've dabbled in those concepts." Tek said. Dreg pushed a sheet of paper over to Tek that seemed to have a picture of every card in the deck.

"The goal is to guess exactly every card in the other player's hand. You get one guess. If you're wrong, you lose." Dreg explained. "You can play cards to help figure out what cards your opponent has, but every card you play makes your own hand smaller."

"Making it easier for the opponent to figure out what you have. I understand the concept." Tek said. They began the game, and immediately Tek realized Dreg was quickly playing cards trying to get information about Tek's own hand as quickly as possible, where Tek attempted to keep a larger hand.

"Why don't you stay with us, princeling? Cover up those ears and start a new life. A more profitable life. Working for me would give you more power than Rodentia could ever promise." Dreg said, now only holding a single card in his hand.

"Sorry Dreg, but I have my own path I have to follow, but if you don't mind me asking, why do you keep the blasting powder underneath your base. Isn't that dangerous?"

"Oh princeling. This is just an outpost. I wouldn't bring a stranger to where my boss conducts business. Besides, that blasting powder is going so far underground that if it were to explode, it would only collapse a few tunnels."

"And how many rats would die in that explosion?" Tek asked.

Dreg smiled carelessly, "Couldn't say I could tell you, but there are so many of us. Only the exceptional are meant to survive here Tek. That is what keeps us strong."

Tek subtly pulled one of the cards he had drawn runes on and stuck it under the table between two pieces of wood. He had a feeling he might be needing it later. "I think it's time I took my leave." Tek said, standing up from the table and turning towards the exit.

"You have two red axes, a blue shield, and a green spear in your hand." Dreg said, before reaching for Tek's cards and flipping them over to reveal his prediction was correct.

"And you had a yellow sword." Tek said. Dreg chuckled to himself, then dropped his card to reveal Tek had been correct as well.

"Well done for your first game. I hope we can play again sometime."

"I think our business together ends here, Dreg." Tek said, before stepping outside. He heard Dreg call after him.

"I think we will be seeing each other sooner than you think, princeling. Our little game has only just begun."

That rat gave Tek chills. How he could mutilate his ears to forsake his tribe was difficult to comprehend. The way he cared so little about the life of other rats, well that gave Tek chills. 'Our little game has only just begun.' Dreg had said. Tek wasn't sure what he had meant by it, but if Dreg wanted to challenge him, Tek would make sure he would crush Dreg.

*****

The sun had begun to set, yet the streets of Penniless Port didn't clear out. The crowd merely changed from traders and fishermen, to pirates and thieves. Tek would have been concerned if the majority of them weren't too drunk to notice him jumping from rooftop to rooftop, staying out of sight like he learned from Digit.

Tahnee's flag, a mug of ale with a cutlass through it, flew high above her hideout. Atop the galleon Tek found Vivian. Her green skin and pink hair fit in nicely with the splash of color the sunset offered. The gecko hung from the mast by her tail, and she frowned upon seeing Tek.

"Where are the others?" She asked.

Tek's heart nearly skipped a beat in a panic. "I sent them back to meet up with you." Tek said.

"And you let them leave Dreg's outpost alone? Are you out of your mind?!" Vivian said, waving a pistol in Tek's face as she dropped to her feet. "I knew sending you on this mission was a mistake. Never trust a bilgerat to do a pirate's job. Go find them, and don't do anything stupid!" Vivian leapt down from the galleon with a grace matching that of Digit's.

Immediately, Tek made for Dreg's outpost. If his suspicions were correct, then Gimmick and Marloes wouldn't have gotten far. Idiot! You blind idiot! Tahnee warned you about Dreg, and still you were stupid enough to fall right into his trap. Tek chastised himself as he searched every alleyway for any sign of his friends. Then he saw a white feather, stained with blood gently being towed by the breeze from a shadowed corridor. Fearing the worst, Tek approached the corridor to find Marloes, bloodied, but alive.

"What happened?" Tek asked, as if he didn't know.

"Not all rats are like you, Tek," Marloes said, struggling to get to his feet. "I don't blame you for being naive. We shouldn't have sent you out here in the first place."

"Where is she?" Tek asked, grabbing Marloes by the shoulders. The bird winced in pain, then turned to look further into the alleyway.

"Tek?" Gimmick called to him, her voice weak.

Behind a stack of crates, Tek found Gimmick with two black eyes. Her body was covered in bruises. Blood leaked from beneath her scales as she struggled to look up at him. Tek fell to his knees and began to sob at what he had caused. Gimmick rested one of her hands against the side of his face, but he pulled away. He didn't deserve her kindness, nor her forgiveness for what he had done.

Climbing to the roof, Tek waved down Vivian. "They'll be alright, rat boy, quit your crying," Vivian said, helping Gimmick to her feet. "This one might need some help walking though."

Tek helped support Gimmick's weight as they began to make their way back to Tahnee's hideout. Vivian kept all three of her guns in clear view, and the crowded streets quickly parted to make room for them. The walk back was quiet. Every step Gimmick took resulted in her letting out a small whimper of pain. The noise was torture for Tek and with every small cry of pain Gimmick let out, Tek's heart fell as if it was being stabbed.

Worst of all, Tek had proven to himself a truth he had been denying for so long. Deep down he knew it to be true, and still he trusted Dreg. But it wasn't Dreg who had proven this point, it had been Tek. He had promised Gimmick he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and she paid dearly for trusting him. The world had been right, rats couldn't be trusted, and Tek was no better than the rest of them.

*****

"Ah fuck, you let those rats get the best of you didn't you?" Tahnee said, rushing to help Tek carry Gimmick when she saw them enter the hideout.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Greyscale growled to Tahnee.

"And I said not to trust the rats." Tahnee said, defensively.

"Well what did you expect Tahnee?" Vivian shouted, "You set him up for failure."

"It's not her fault," Tek muttered, helping Gimmick sit against the wall, "I knew Dreg was up to something, and still I let Gimmick and Marloes leave without me. I accept all the blame."

Tahnee groaned, rubbing the brim of her snout. "We'll cut our losses and take the ship up the coast to bring you to Prieda's temple first thing in the morning. You don't belong here, rat boy. Penniless Port's a ruthless-"

"No," Tek interrupted, "I'm going back to Dreg's outpost. He's not getting away with this."

Greyscale stood in front of the door, blocking Tek's exit. "You're not going anywhere. If you attack Dreg, then you risk exposing us to retaliation while you run off."

"Step aside Greyscale." Tek said. Qixin stood beside Greyscale, and Tek pulled two cards out that had been tied to his spear. Tapping into their runes, Tek split into three copies of himself, the left hand of each covered in runic fire.

"Enough!" Tahnee shouted, firing her pistol into the roof. Tek deactivated his runes, but kept an eye on Qixin and Greyscale. "Dreg attacked Gimmick and Marloes. His rats stole the coin that was supposed to be delivered to us. This was an attack not just on Tek, but on our crew as well. If we didn't react, then we'd be seen as weak. Let Tek go."

"I'm going with him. It will be best for the port to see a crew member they recognize so they know betraying our crew has its consequences." Vivian said, spinning her pistols in each hand and on the tip of her tail.

"Just come back alive and with the message well delivered." Tahnee said. "And when you return. I will take you to the guardian of the endless sands, as promised."

Chapter 14

When the Ash Settles

As darkness fell upon Penniless Port. From below Tek and Vivian would be nothing more than a brief moment of shadow against the starlit sky. Settling on a rooftop just down the street from Dreg's outpost, Tek raised his hand, halting Vivian behind him. A dozen rats were stationed outside. It seemed Dreg had anticipated his return.

"Should I start shooting?" Vivian asked.

"What are the chances they have guns to shoot back with?" Tek asked.

"Hard to tell from here, but seeing as how they just got a rather generous barrel of the stuff, and they are clearly anticipating our return, I'd say the chances are pretty damn high." Vivian said, giving Tek an unamused look that seemed to be meant to remind him this was all his fault.

"If that's the case, then going through the front door probably isn't an option. Do you have a knife on you?" Tek asked.

Vivian held up several knives that she had hidden on her person. "I've got all sorts of knives on me. Which would you prefer? Serrated, unserrated, some other third option?"

Tek grabbed the sharpest looking of the knives, and began etching a rune into the side of his spear. Vivian watched with increased curiosity, and when Tek finished he handed her back the knife. "Thanks."

"What's that do?" Vivian asked.

"Nothing yet." Tek said, pulling out a card with the rune for fire writing on it. Tapping into the rune, a flame appeared mere inches above his right palm. Aiming the fire at the center of the street, he released the runic magic and a blast of dragon fire shattered the street, leaving a gaping hole leading to Dreg's tunnel system.

Leaping from the rooftop, Tek and Vivian dove into the hole. Shouts rang out behind them as the rats pursued. Tek tapped into the same runic card he used to create the explosion, only this time leaving the card on the ground as they ran down one of the tunnels. Several rats that had pursued them dropped into the hole they created in the ceiling, only to be incinerated moments later as the unstable energies of the rune lashed out in a chaotic explosion.

"Clever rat." Vivian said, rounding a corner down one of the tunnels. A volley of gunfire rang out from the other end of the tunnel, and Vivian pulled on the back of Tek's hood just in time for several bullets to go whizzing past them, missing Tek by mere inches.

"Quick gecko." Tek said. Vivian aimed all three of her pistols down the dark tunnel and began firing until all three of her pistols were empty. Vivian reloaded and a moment passed without any sign of returning fire, so they continued down through the tunnels, passing by the unfortunate rats to be caught in Vivian's barrage.

"How are we supposed to know where the blasting powder is?" Vivian asked.

"Dreg would want to keep it as far away from him as possible. It will be in the deepest part of the tunnels." Tek said, throwing his spear into the chest of a rat the moment he rounded a corner to stop them, before grabbing the spear from the dead rat and continuing.

"How are we supposed to get out once we set it off?" Vivian asked.

"I'm still getting around to that." Tek said. The sound of something heaving travelling down the rails rang out down one of the tunnels towards them. A metal cart rolled into view and Tek readied his spear, unsure of what to expect. Peering inside to find what looked like a bundle of sticks with a fuse attached to them. Vivian kicked over the metal cart, then threw herself towards Tek, grabbing him by the wrist and charging down one of the tunnels.

An enormous explosion rang out from beneath the cart, collapsing tunnels in all directions. Tek could hear rock crumbling behind them, catching up at alarming speed. The stone both above and below them shattered all at once, sending them deeper into the dark of the tunnels.

As Tek dragged himself free from the rubble, his entire body ached in pain. Vivian had made out much better than he had, apparently landing and rolling to avoid the falling rocks with far more success than he had. "Looks like they have spare blasting powder to roll sticks of dynamite down to us." Vivian said, pulling a lantern from the wall. "It's surprisingly well lit down here."

"If they do that again, we're as good as dead." Tek said, prodding at his body to check for broken bones. Thankfully, nothing important seemed broken.

"I don't think they'd attempt that a second time." Vivian said, pulling Tek to his feet, "We aren't worth collapsing all of their tunnels. If I had to guess, that tunnel they sent that cart down from probably led to Dreg's outpost."

"Looks like we'll have to go through the front door after all." Tek said, taking Vivian's lanter so she could properly hold all three of her pistols. "First we're going to blow this place to bits." Tek frowned, considering the consequences of his actions.

"What's wrong rat boy?" Vivian asked.

"If we blow out their tunneling system, it could damage all the surrounding streets. Won't that make your crew even more enemies?" Tek asked, trying to walk down the tunnel without limping. His nostrils were full of smoke and dust, making it difficult to breathe.

Vivian shrugged. "The rats started this fight. Any collateral damage caused by us ending it will be on them. Besides, we aren't the ones who tunneled beneath the streets and filled the underground with blasting powder."

Tek paused as they reached a point where the tunnels diverged in several directions. Each path lit with lantern light, and one left suspiciously in the dark. "The blasting powder will be down there." Tek pointed.

"How do you figure?" Vivian asked, following Tek into the dark.

"Dreg may risk the lives of his rats, but he isn't going to risk the flame of the lanterns setting off an explosion." Two rats guarding a wooden door were waiting for them, wielding knives. "It's also why he wouldn't trust the guards with anything that would put the powder at risk."

The rats charged and before Tek could warn Vivian not to fire, she shot each of the rats in the forehead. They fell limp to the ground, dead in an instant. Tek winced, half expecting her to miss and hit the door the blasting powder was hidden behind. "If you missed either of those shots you could have blown us both up!" Tek shouted.

"I never miss, rat boy." Vivian said, spinning one of her pistols carelessly around the tip of her finger.

Carefully, Tek opened the door to see barrels and crates stacked up in a room four times his height. So tightly packed was the blasting powder that Tek couldn't tell how far back the room actually went. At first it seemed foolish to keep it all packed in one place, but then again someone would have to be foolish to break into a tunneling system full of explosives.

Opening one of the barrels, Vivian began creating a trail of blasting powder leading down the tunnel. "Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me with this, rat boy?" Tek grabbed the other end of the barrel and helped pull it down the tunnel until they reached the point where the paths diverged. "You lived in The Burrow, how do we get out of here?"

Etching a rune for soul splitting into the dirt, Tek pressed his palm against it and sent a copy of himself searching down each of the tunnels. He had lost track of time when his soul converged, and only one of his copies managed to find a path that brought them closer to the surface. "Well, that way will lead us upwards."

"Promising." Vivian said sarcastically. Tek carried the barrel, while Vivian ran ahead and doused each of the lanterns, both to give them the cover of darkness in case any rats decided to flood into the tunnel and to eliminate the risk of a stray flame setting off the blasting powder. Tek's ears flicked, detecting noise above them.

"The street is above us. Wait here, I'm going to blow us a way out." Tek said, running ahead.

"Sounds safe. Just try not to kill any civilians!" Vivian called after him. Tek waited for the sound of movement above him to settle down, then pressed a card with the fire rune against it, blasting a small hole in the tunnel leading to the surface. Anyone who had been nearby quickly scattered as Tek emerged from the burning cavern. When Vivian caught up, he helped her out of the tunnel and back onto the streets.

"Rat boy, I'm sure your home is lovely, but I'm never visiting The Burrow if it is anything like that." Vivian said.

"If I'm being honest, Dreg's tunnel was rather... unimpressive comparatively." Tek said, holding up the card with the fire rune on it. Tapping into the rune, he set off the trail of blasting powder they had made. Second later the ground shook and smoke burst from the streets as Dreg's blast powder storage exploded and the tunnels caved in beneath them. "You know the best part of this?" Tek asked, watching the remaining rats retreat into Dreg's outpost in the distance. "With the tunnels collapsed, Dreg has nowhere left to run."

*****

Tek and Vivian approached Dreg's, now fairly unguarded, outpost. "I can take care of this next part." Vivian said, casually pushing the front door open. The sound of gunshots rang out, followed by a silence that was only broken by the thumping of bodies hitting the floor. Moments later, Vivian emerged from the front door, guns smoking. She held the door open for Tek with her tail, while bowing in a grandiose gesture.

"Impressive." Tek said, stepping inside to find the floor littered with dead rats. Only Dreg, sitting at the same spot Tek had left him, remained alive. Cards neatly stacked before him, he gestured for Tek to take a seat.

"Are you sure about this?" Vivian asked.

"Leave us." Tek said, sitting across from Dreg. Vivian did as Tek asked, closing the door behind her.

"Shall we pick up where we left off? After all," Dreg said, dealing a hand of cards to each of them. "I have a feeling, this will be the last time we play this game together. I should have known better than to cross another rat. You may be from The Burrow, but you're more cunning than I remember the others being. It's a real shame you didn't join me when you had the chance."

"The only shame is how little you care about the rats that followed you." Tek said, picking up the cards Dreg had dealt him.

"Sometimes lives have to be sacrificed for what you believe in." Dreg said.

Tek scoffed in disgust. "And what is it you believe in? What are you protecting here that you hold so dearly?"

"Strength. Freedom. I see the potential to grow far beyond what being a rat in The Burrow has allowed us to become. Foraging for scraps while guarding a door to protect a world that hates us. Here you are, thinking yourself a hero, while defending a cycle that sees us at the bottom of a system that is broken." Dreg snarled.

"And so you stand upon the bodies of your kin and call yourself a liberator. How noble of you. The Iron Doors are breaking, Dreg. We need rats willing to work with the world, not against it."

"And I suspect you think yourself the hero here? You're going to save the world and as a gesture of thanks, things are going to magically fix themselves? You saving the world is going to be nothing more than another handout for the privileged to enjoy." Dreg made a movement for something, and Tek noticed the gun at his hip he was reaching for.

Dreg was watching Tek carefully. Tek knew if he were to reach for his spear, Dreg would get the first shot. So he kept one hand on the table, making it seem like the spear was Tek's only means of defence, while he plucked the runic card he had placed under the table free with his other hand. "Do the lives of others mean so little to you?" Tek asked, placing a finger on the rune and feeling the heat of the fire against his hand.

"It's all about doing what you have to do to get ahead in this world, princeling. If you're only figuring it out now, then you've figured it out too late." Dreg cocked his pistol. "Rats like me will be all that's left when the dust settles."

Tek smiled, as the orange light of the rune began to shine between the wooden boards of the table. "When your ashes settle, I'll be the only rat left." The table exploded between them, sending Dreg screaming to the floor. The wall next to them ignited in fire. The pistol Dreg had pointed at Tek, now flung to the floor just out of Dreg's reach. Tek grabbed his spear and pointed it at Dreg. His legs had been blown off by the explosion and he looked up at Tek with fear in his eyes.

"Please," Dreg whimpered, "I'm sorry. Tell Tahnee, I'm sorry."

"This was never about Tahnee." Tek sneered. Disgusted that the rat couldn't wrap his mind around anything but crime rings and business.

"Whatever it is, I'm sorry. Please don't let me die here. We're still kin. You wouldn't leave another rat to die."

"I've killed plenty of rats today Dreg, what's one more?" Tek said, pressing the point of his spear against Dreg's throat.

"If you kill me, then you're no better than I am." Dreg cried.

Tek lowered his spear for a moment, and Dreg immediately reached for his pistol. Tapping into the rune he had etched into his spear, Tek hurled his spear into Dreg's shoulder. The spear ripped through Dreg's flesh and pierced the wall behind him, pinning him in place. The wood began to crack and splinter, before glowing orange from the rune's heat. Dreg's scream only lasted a moment before the spear exploded, incinerating the rat in an instant.

*****

Ash rained down from the sky in large glowing flakes. Behind Tek, the pyre that had been Dreg's outpost was now nothing more than a smoking heep. For the first time since his arrival, Behemoth Bay was quiet. The surrounding streets were all either cracked, shattered, or completely missing from the collapsing tunnels below. Several buildings had crumbled or shifted in an odd direction, as if an earthquake had just torn through this particular section of the port.

"You alright, rat boy?" Vivian asked, taking a seat next to Tek on the cold ground.

"I'm not sure. I thought I'd feel better after killing Dreg, but now I'm thinking all that anger I had towards him was maybe all built up about something or someone else." Tek said, staring up at the ash falling from the sky. "I hear in some places in the world ash made of water falls like this regularly. They call it snow. It's supposed to be quite beautiful."

"And cold. I'm not a fan of cold," Vivian said, "So what are you going to do with all that anger you've got built up rat boy? I've never seen anyone do anything like what you just did, and if I'm being honest, it was quite horrifying."

Tek shrugged. "Do better. I think I went a little overboard. Dreg deserved his fate, but I knew nothing about the rats that followed him."

"Don't worry about them ratboy, I killed most of 'em. Besides, they were going to do you in. It was us or them. One good rat is worth more than dozens of bad ones, and you're a good rat, Tek." Vivian said, "Let's head back. The captain will get us a good meal and some drinks. Then in the morning we can take you to see that guardian. Besides, I'm sure your little kobold friend is worried sick about you." Vivian rose to her feet and extended a hand to Tek. He smiled, then let her help him up. Dreg had put a stain on the reputation of rats everywhere, but Vivian had been right. If Tek could be better, then maybe he could fix the way the world saw his people.

Chapter 15

The Salty Strumpet

"Are you sure you want to leave today?" Tek asked. Gimmick was still badly bruised from the day before and he had noticed she still limped when trying to walk.

"I want to ride on the boat, Tek." Gimmick said.

Tek sighed, "No one is stopping you from riding in the galleon, Gimmick."

"The boat!" Gimmick corrected.

"Right, the boat, but there's no reason you can't ride it in another day or two to heal. You're still pretty banged up." Tek moved to fix one of her bandages that seemed to be sliding down her arm, but Gimmick slapped his hand away and fixed it herself.

"I want to go on the boat today." Gimmick argued.

"You're still limping."

"It won't matter when I'm on the boat. I'll have sea legs!" Gimmick said proudly.

Tek picked up a crate he was told by Tahnee contained 'precious cargo', but at the sounds of bottles clinking together inside, he was fairly certain it was just alcohol. "I don't think you know what that means. I'm going to help Marloes load up the galleon-"

"The boat!" Gimmick corrected again.

"The boat then. I'm going to help load up the boat." Tek said, carrying the crate out the door to Tahnee's hideout and heading down to the docks. The Queen's Greed, Tahnee's galleon, was an impressive ship, sporting seafoam green sails and a flag showing a mug with a cutlass cutting through it. Once aboard, Tek set the crate outside of Tahnee's quarters and turned to head back for more supplies. Distracted by the sight of the open ocean, a sight he still had yet to get used to, he bumped into a lantern hanging from the mast. His heart jumped in alarm when the front of the lantern opened up, and the small purple flame inside spilled out onto the floor. Lifting his foot to stomp out the flame before it spread to the rest of the ship, something in Tek's mind had him hesitate. The fire wasn't spreading. In fact, it almost looked like a tiny person.

Crouching down, Tek further examined the purple flame to find it was in fact alive. The small flame stretched its arms and let out a long yawn as if it had been awakened from a nap. "I see you've met Wick." Marloes said, making his way down the ladder from the crow's nest.

"What is she?" Tek asked, tilting his head curiously at the small flame. She mimicked his expression in kind.

"She's a fae. A wisp to be specific. She keeps our lanterns lit and protects The Queen's Greed." Maloes stepped down from the ladder, and Tek noticed his arm was in a sling from when he was attacked by Dreg's rats. "Still beating yourself up over that little mishap are we?" Marloes said, taking notice.

"I wouldn't call it a little mishap." Tek said, noticing the wisp was still mimicking his movements and trying to move her mouth in the same manner as he spoke.

Marloes shrugged. "It's the nature of the business. A business you've never been exposed to before. That's why I prefer fishing."

"Because it's less dangerous?" Tek asked.

This made Marloes laugh. "Hardly. Fishing is the most dangerous profession in all the broken lands. There's a reason they call that massive fortification Kraken Keep and these waters Behemoth Bay. Still, you don't have to worry about other crews turning on you during a hunt, or at least that's how it used to be." The bird's voice trailed off as if disturbed by some dark thought.

"What exactly is it that you're hunting?"

Marloes walked past Tek and looked out at another galleon that had recently docked. Wick, seemingly able to walk on the breeze itself, gilded upwards and laid across one of the secured ropes. Her magical flame continued to only burn around her body. Tek took another look at the galleon and noticed massive holes stretching the length of the ship. One of the masts was missing and the sails were covered in patches. Several crew members were prying what looked like a massive stone from the side of the ship. It wasn't until the strange stone was pried free and fell onto the dock, splintering the wood under its weight, that Tek realized it was a tooth.

"They'll get a pretty penny for that." Marloes said.

"So many of these galleons are left unguarded. Don't the crews worry someone might steal their ship?" Tek asked. Wick appeared to laugh at this, but no sound emanated from the small fae.

"Every crew had a wisp to watch over their boat and keep the lanterns lit. If a galleon were to be stolen and sailed off without the captain's consent, the wisp would light the ship on fire, killing everyone on board and sinking the ship. Not the best outcome, as no one likes losing a ship, but no one would dare risk their lives knowing a wisp was onboard. So the ships are left alone. Not even the crime lords come to the ports, and any quarrel between crews is to be settled on the seas. The pirate's code dictates no blood is to be shed docked in the port or on land." Marloes explained.

"And what about when we leave the port? Does Tahnee have any enemies on the sea?" Tek immediately noticed the question must have been a sensitive one, as Wick immediately flew back into her lantern and slammed the door shut.

A voice called out from behind Tek. "Every captain at sea has a target on their back." Tek spun around to see Tahnee staring off into the horizon at the same black galleon with the red sails that had swindled Gimmick out of their money. "My target just happens to be a little bigger than most. Don't worry though, I'll get you to your guardian. That's a pirate's promise." Tahnee walked into her quarters, then closed the door behind her. Ever vigilant, Grayscale stood outside the door, watching her surroundings closely.

"She does realize a pirate's promise doesn't sound very promising, doesn't she?" Tek asked. Marloes simply shrugged, then went back to work.

*****

Tek slammed his fist on Tahnee's desk. "You said we would leave today." He shouted, loud enough for Greyscale to step into the room, but Tahnee dismissed the muscular kobold with a gesture.

"I can't control the weather, rat boy. If we were to set sail now, we'd be caught up in a storm. Do you want to risk your little kobold friend's life because you couldn't wait another night?" Tahnee asked. Tek must have visibly shrank from the question, as Tahnee stood up and gently punched his arm. "How about we go out tonight? The whole crew. I own a place nearby where you can find all sorts of entertainment. Food, music, women, and best of all your mug will never empty. Come on, your little friend could use a night out."

"I'm not sure she should be drinking." Tek said.

Tahnee gave him a dismissive gesture. "Greyscale! Tell the crew we're going to the Salty Strumpet! My treat!" Tahnee shouted out the door. Somewhere in the ceiling above them, Tek heard Vivian let out an excitable cheer. "Show me how you party in The Burrow, rat boy."

The Salty Strumpet was nicer than the name suggested. Live bands and dancers entertained guests, while hot food was always being dropped off at your table, and, as Tahnee had promised, no one ever saw the bottom of their mugs. Unfortunately for Tek, this applied to Gimmick as well.

"This place is amazing!" Gimmick shouted wildly, "Can we live here?"

Tek pulled Gimmick's mug from her hands, "We set sail tomorrow to find Prieda. You'll get a hangover if you keep drinking like this."

"I'll be fine, Tek." Gimmick said, snatching her mug back, "Besides those two kobolds are drinking way more than me!" Tek turned to see a male kobold with a large brimmed hat and a female kobold around Gimmick's size that looked to have just escaped a jail cell, as she had broken shackles around her ankles.

"I'm pretty sure she's drinking milk." Tek said, scratching his head curiously.

"They look like they're having fun." Gimmick said. One of the waitresses threw a drink in the male kobold's face, as an apparent reaction to something he had said.

"Stay away from those two, Gimmick." Tek said. The crowd began to cheer, as a horse stepped out on stage. The equine woman was beautiful, and Tek's staring must have been obvious, as Tahnee elbowed him playfully in the side.

"See sometime you like, do ya rat boy?" Tahnee teased. Tek grunted, burying his snout in his mug and taking a long deep drink. "Aw, you're shy around cute girls aren't ya? Should I be offended, you don't blush that much around me?" Tahnee made a gesture that caught the equine's attention and she danced her way over towards their table.

"Tahnee stop! What are you doing?" Tek asked in a sudden panic.

"Don't worry, I've known Ritz for years. You two will get along swimmingly. She's famous around here, you know." Tahnee pointed Tek out to the equine, and Ritz laid across their table, facing Tek, still singing, but now to him directly. The crowd cheered and whistled, which only made Tek flush more intensely.

"Famous?" Tek whispered, unable to take his eyes off Ritz. She winked at him playfully and Tek felt as if he was going to pass out in his seat. "Why would you introduce me to someone famous?"

"Oh come now. You're a prince aren't ya?" Tahnee said, before tossing a gold coin to Ritz. She caught it, then pocketed it down the front of her shirt. It became clear Ritz was fully aware that she was making Tek uncomfortable.

"You said the title was meaningless." Tek said, trying to keep a polite smile on his face.

"Just relax and take another drink." Tahnee said. Tek threw his head back, and guzzled what remained in his mug, only to find Tahnee pouring the remnants of her drink back into his mug the moment he pulled it away from his lips. Ritz finished her song, her face now inches away from Tek's, she smiled at him behind lidded eyes. So distracted by the equine beauty, Tek hadn't felt Tahnee pickpocketing him. Jumping onto the table and stealing Ritz's spotlight, Tahnee addressed the crowd. "This is Tek!" She shouted, gesturing to him. "He's come all the way from The Burrow because The Iron Doors have weakened. He's slain demons, saved princesses, and is going to seduce the guardian of the sands to bring him to Acria to save the world!" Tahnee raised her hand up high, showing off the token Lita had given him with the crystal heart at its center. The crowd roared in applause, and drinks and food came pouring onto Tek's table. Praise and pats on the back were aplenty, and Ritz smiled at him, raising an eyebrow with intrigue.

"What are you doing?!" Tek said, just loud enough for Tahnee to hear.

"I'm going to make you famous, rat boy. If you are going to save the world, then I want to share in that fame. It'll be good for my reputation. Now shut up and drink. Tonight we celebrate!" Tahnee shoved a second mug in his hand.

Unable to argue with so much noise and Ritz taking a seat beside him, Tek did as Tahnee asked. It wasn't long before Tek found himself far too drunk to even orient where he was, let alone anyone he had arrived with. He had spent most of the night talking to Ritz, retelling his tail of slaying demons and tricking the guardian of the endless web. He must have impressed the equine, because he found himself being towed away from his table to a room upstairs. The last thing Tek remembered was being thrown onto a bed and followed by darkness as the covers were pulled over him, and whomever had joined him.

*****

Tek awoke, head pounding, with little memory of the night prior. Trying to stand proved to be a poor decision, as he found himself stumbling backwards onto the bed. A moaning sound came from behind him, and he turned to see a curvy lump under his sheets. His heart jumped in his chest, as Tek tried to quickly piece together the events that led him to where he was now, but the last thing he remembered was Tahnee pushing another drink in his hand. Then some scattered memories of talking to Ritz. Panic began to set in, at the thought of what he may have done while in bed with Ritz. Had he... and with...

Pulling back the sheets, Tek visibly recoiled in shock, falling backwards off the bed and crashing to the floor. "Keep it down rat boy," Tahnee said, sitting up from the bed and stretching her arms, "I like to sleep in after a night of good romping."

"What does that mean?!" Tek asked, throwing his hands to his face. "What did we do? Did... did we...?"

"Fuck?" Tahnee asked casually.

"Ah! Don't say it like that!" Tek shouted. "What did you do to me last night?"

"Relax rat boy," Tahnee laughed, "We didn't fuck, if that makes you feel better. And I hardly did anything to you, you were quite generous with that little snout of yours though."

"Ah!" Tek shouted, burying his face in his knees in a fetal position.

"And that tongue-"

"Enough! I don't need to hear anymore! I don't want to hear anymore!" Tek said, searching the room for his clothes and making his way outside. Taking a seat at one of the tables, he noticed several patrons smirking at him and giving him a thumbs up. He tried to pretend these gestures were due to the story Tahnee had told of his heroics, and not the fact that he had just spent the night with the Salty Strumpet's owner. So that's where the name comes from. Tek thought to himself.

Eventually Tahnee made her way to the table Tek had been sitting at, and took a seat across from him. "Oh come now rat boy," Tahnee said, starting to seem offended by his reaction to the news they'd spent the night together, "It wasn't that bad."

"I thought I was talking to Ritz all night. When did you even get me upstairs?" Tek asked in a hushed tone so only Tahnee could hear him.

"You were separated from Ritz shortly after I handed you that second mug. She had to go back on stage and sing. That was me you were talking to all night." Tahnee frowned, letting Tek know he was making his reaction to the news too obvious as his ears drooped. "Come on rat boy, it's not that bad. I'm starting to get offended."

Tek groaned, dropping his head to the table. "It wasn't bad. That's the problem." Tek said, his voice muffled into the table.

"Hah! I knew it. I still got it." Tahnee said, proudly.

"So what do we do now?" Tek asked.

"Huh? Nothing. It was a one night stand. They're called one night stands, not many night stands. I'm a sailor rat boy, I don't have time for long distance relationships." Tahee said, getting to her feet and gesturing to herself, "Besides, you can't expect me to lock all this down"

"Oh, thank the guardians." Tek exhaled in relief.

"Speaking of guardians, it's time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain. Let's head down to the Queen's Greed," Tahnee said, nudging Tek's side with her elbow, "And if you get bored on the ship you can always stop by my quarters." Tek looked up and Tahnee gave him a sly wink, before heading to the exit.

"Morning," Gimmick said, yawning and taking Tahnee's seat. "Sleep well?"

"I, uh... yeah." Tek said awkwardly.

"I feel bad for Tahnee. She was so loud last night I think she was having a bad dream or something, because she was moaning for hours." Gimmick said.

"Hours?" Tek blushed.

"Yeah," Gimmick said, "You're a good friend Tek. Spending the night with her to comfort her like that. It's good to know if I ever have a bad night I can rely on you to-" Tek stood up and began walking to the exit before Gimmick could finish her sentence. "Hey!" She called after him, crossing her arms in frustration.

"You wanted to ride on the galleon, right?" Tek called back to her.

"The boat!" Gimmick said, chasing after him. "And it's about time!"

Chapter 16

Cleaved

"I don't see why we can't start our lessons now." Gimmick complained, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. On the bunk below, Tek lay on his back, trying his best to concentrate.

"Because if I don't have anything for you to read, I can't teach you anything." Tek said, continuing to scribble works down on some parchment as best he could as the galleon rocked him back and forth.

"You promised you'd teach me to read." Gimmick complained, kicking her feet at Tek's head.

"That's why I'm writing a story. When it's finished I will teach you how to read it, but only if you stop kicking me in the head." Tek grumbled.

"Hey bilgerat, the captain wants you on deck." Vivain said. It took a moment for Tek to spot her hanging from the ceiling by her tail, before she slipped away to the upper deck.

"Do you think she'll teach me how to do that?" Gimmick asked.

"Gimmick, I love your enthusiasm to learn, but let's stick to teaching you how to read for now. I think it's a little safer than crawling around on the ceiling." Tek said before getting to his feet and making his way to the deck to find Tahnee.

"There you are, rat boy." Tahnee said, "I was starting to think you had gotten sea sick and were hiding away from us."

"I was working on something for Gimmick," Tek said, squinting. The sun was blinding compared to the darkness of the lower decks.

"That's cute, but we need to talk about that guardian. Gimmick told me about how Spindle tried to kill you. What exactly is your plan to impress Prieda?" Tahnee said.

"I thought I'd seduce her like you said I would back at the Salty Strumpet." Tek joked.

"This is serious Tek. I think you should take some of my crew with you." Tahnee said, gesturing at Marloes.

"I'm not getting involved in this." Marloes said, pulling a net of fish onto the deck.

"Nor do I expect you to," Tek said, "I'm never going to find a guardian to sponsor my entry into Acria if I can't face them alone." He hesitated before continuing, his ears drooped and his voice lowered so only Tahnee could hear. "Just keep an eye on Gimmick if I don't come back."

"Captain." Greyscale interrupted. She walked over and whispered something in Tahnee's ear. Tahnee immediately turned away from Tek and made her way to the back of The Queen's Greed.

"Load the cannons!" Vivian ordered.

Marloes handed Tek a harpoon, then grabbed one for himself. "You might be needing that." Marloes said.

"Black Feather on the horizon!" Tahnee called out.

"What's she talking about?" Tek asked.

"You remember that pirate that stole all your coins when you first arrived at the port?" Marloes asked, moving to the crow's nest. "Tahnee doesn't have the best relationship with her."

Tek looked over the edge of the galleon to see a black galleon with red sails approaching them in the distance. "Tek, get your little kobold friend and lock her in my quarters." Tahnee ordered. He nodded, then ran below deck, to find Gimmick looking confused at all the commotion. Taking her by the hand, she let him lead her to Tahnee's quarters.

"What's wrong Tek?" Gimmick asked.

"We're being chased by the pirates that stole our money from you." Tek said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Darn pirates!" Gimmick said, slamming her fist in the palm of her opposite hand.

"Gimmick, everyone on The Queen's Greed is a pirate."

"Yeah, but I like them. They give me stuff." Gimmick said.

Tek pulled Gimmick above deck, and as per Tahnee's request, locked her in her quarters. "You're coming back right?!" Gimmick shouted from the otherside of the door.

"I always come back. I promise." Tek said, then ran to Tahnee's side. "Where do you need me?"

"I have a history with the captain of that ship and my guess is she's been sent to take you and me back to Behemoth Bay. We can only hope she's been ordered to take us alive. Follow me, you're going to want to know how to get your kobold friend out of here if things start to go South." Tahnee said, leading Tek to a lifeboat that looked to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice. She frowned as she looked it over.

"What's wrong?" Tek asked.

"Greyscale was supposed to be here to-" There was a loud thump and before Tahnee could finish, she fell to the ground, knocked out cold. Tek turned in a panic to see Greyscale. Before he could react she hit him over the head, knocking him unconscious.

*****

Tek awoke to the sounds of distant shouting and the smell of salt water. His head throbbed with pain and as he opened his eyes the light of the sun was like a second punch to the face. He was on the lifeboat, sailing further and further away from The Queen's Greed and closer to the Black Feather. He tried to move, but found his wrists and ankles were bound.

"Try not to move Tek." Tahnee said. Tek looked up to see Tahnee rowing the boat, with Greyscale pointing a pistol at her.

"Traitor!" Tek shouted.

"I can't afford our crew to fight Captain Scarlett's. Both crews would suffer too many casualties. They have too much hatred for one another. This is the best way to minimize casualties." Greyscale said.

"What do you care if their crew takes casualties?" Tek asked.

"Because we all used to be a part of the same crew. We sailed together under the same captain. A long time ago." Tahnee said, "Our captain was Tea Tongue Tess and under her sail we were unstoppable. I was her first mate, although admittedly, no one adored Tess more than Scarlett. Before our pirate life, Scarlett and I met at a young age. We were both orphaned youths, trying to survive in Behemoth Bay. We had nothing but each other before Tess took us in as part of her crew. We sailed under her flag for over a decade. Then one day out at sea we were attacked by a sea serpent that caught us by surprise. We were low on supplies and our ship was damaged when it attacked.Tess ordered me to abandon ship and escape with the crew while she held off the serpent. Scarlett refused to leave the captain's side, and I had to knock her out to get her off the ship. The crew split up after that. Those who agreed with my decision came with me, the rest left with Scarlett to form their own crew. We've been rivals ever since."

"That's terrible." Tek said.

Tahnee simply shrugged. "That's life." She said somberly.

A shadow loomed over them as the Black Feather approached. The massive galleon dropped anchor and they were pulled aboard. Before them stood an onyx colored Cockatoo with scarlett colored feathers under her eyes.

"Scarlett." Tahnee said.

"Tahnee," Scarlett said, stepping forward, "You look like shit."

Tahnee spat at Scarlett, earning herself a kick in the stomach as a response. Tahnee's knees buckled and she was pulled away by a shark nearly as big as Greyscale.

"It's good to see you've come to your senses Greyscale. The crew should have never split up as it did," Scarlett's gaze shifted from Greyscale to Tek, who was still bound on the floor. "And this must be the rune tapper? He doesn't look so dangerous."

"He's extremely dangerous." Greyscale assured her.

Scarlett raised an eye curiously. "Then perhaps he's worth more than his bounty. I may have to make some adjustments to my contract."

"Just make sure you keep him bound, unless you want this entire ship in flames." Greyscale said, putting her foot on Tek's back, pinning him to the ground.

"Really? What a nifty little thing you are, bilgerat. Throw him in the cell next to our dear captain. I'll be down to deal with Tahnee personally in a bit."

Greyscale grabbed Tek and dragged him below deck. There he was thrown into the brig next to Tahnee. He quickly scanned the inside of his prison, but there was nothing he could use to cut his bonds.

"How are you holding up, bilgerat?" Tahnee asked.

"Shouldn't you have seen this coming?" Tek asked.

Tahnee shrugged. "I can only see so many moves ahead in the game, Tek. Sometimes you get outplayed, but you don't give up until the game's over."

"So what now?"

"We hope the game isn't over." Tahnee said.

Tek heard the sound of heavy boots approaching and he looked up to see Scarlett stepping down the stairs. "I've been looking for a chance to find you at sea for a long time," Scarlette said, staring into Tahnee's cell, "We have a lot of catching up to do."

*****

"Why? Why did you flee?" Scarlett asked, a tempest of rage so expertly veiled behind her calm demeanor.

"I was following orders." Tahnee said.

Scarlett scoffed. "An even more despicable answer than I expected."

Greyscale stood just outside of Tek's prison cell. The lantern lit lower deck revealed a glint of something metal concealed in her hand. A small razor by the looks of it, smuggled in the cast of her broken arm. Tek leaned against the bars of his cell, curious as to what her intent was. To his surprise, Greyscale poked the razor through the bars, and Tek carefully grabbed it with his teeth.

"I was saving the crew. I was saving you. I'm still trying to save you! You've become obsessed with that day. Do you think you're the only one to care about Tess? If so, then you're even more lost than I thought." Tahnee shouted.

"I know I'm not the only one who cared. That's why half the crew took my side. The loyal half." Scarlett said.

Tek dropped the razor on the ground, then carefully cut the bindings on his wrist and began to carve the fire rune into the wood. He would only get one shot at this, but he couldn't help but wonder. Why? Why had Greyscale captured them, brought them here, and then given Tek the tools to break them out.

"The half that would have disobeyed orders. Do you remember Tess ever misjudging a situation? Did she ever give us such dire orders over trifling matters? No! If we had stayed we would have died. And in your grief you've torn the crew apart and put a stain on her name. We're her legacy, and you're destroying it!"

"We couldn't save her because you were weak! Tess only ever made two mistakes, ordering us to flee, and making you first mate!" Scarlett unsheathed her cutlass. Sensing that Tek was out of time, he tapped into the rune and blasted a hole in the side of the ship.

Water sprayed Tek as waves crashed just below the opening he'd created in the galleon. Greyscale grabbed a harpoon off the wall and threw it to Tek with her good arm through the prison bars that still kept them separated. The walls of both Tahnee's and Tek's prison were now gone, giving them an opening to leap into the sea if they wished.

Scarlett screamed in anger. Tek expected Tahnee to make a run for it, but she held her ground. "Tahnee, Greyscale, let's go!" Tek shouted. Then he noticed why Tahnee hadn't left. Tek had placed the rune to blow away the wall for Tahnee and himself to escape, but it was Greyscale on the other side of the prison bars who would be left behind.

"What will it be Tahnee? Will you leave another one of our beloved crew behind while you flee to save your own life?" Scarlett asked, holding her cutlass to Greyscale's throat.

"That day I left to save our crew and follow orders. Greyscale and I hoped to talk some sense into you, Scarlett, but I can see you're too grief stricken to be reasoned with. Tek, I'm sorry we had to involve you in this. Go find the guardian. You don't owe me anything else." Tahnee said.

"Are you insane? I'm not leaving you here!" Tek shouted.

"I thought you'd say that." Tahnee said, frowning. Then, with a hard shove, Tahnee pushed Tek out of Galleon.

Chapter 17

The Shifting Sands

Tek dragged his body onto the sand of the desert. Coughing up mouthfuls of water, he used the harpoon Greyscale had given him to steady himself onto his feet. The sunlight was blinding. In the distance across the sea, Tek could see the Black Feather sailing away. Somewhere onboard, Greyscale and Tahnee were still prisoners. Cursing to himself quietly, he began his journey into the seemingly endless desert.

Eventually the shore disappeared over the horizon, followed by all sense of direction. Tek had once burned alive in dragonfire, so he knew what it felt like to be engulfed in an unbearable heat. Being stuck in the open at the center of an endless desert seemed as if he was reliving the experience all over again, but in slow motion. He'd intended on making his water last for several days if possible, but as the sun began to set over the dunes, the last few drops of water Tek had left dripped into the back of his throat. He was lucky Greyscale knew not to take it from him when feigning his capture.

Night in the desert was almost as unbearable as the daytime. The temperature plummeted, and Tek found himself scribbling runes in the sand, desperately trying to make a flame. To his frustration, every time Tek placed his hand on the rune he had drawn out in the sand, the rune was destroyed instantly. Apparently sand was too malleable to hold a runic symbol and be properly tapped into. Instead he carved the symbol for dragonfire into his waterskin, then tapped into the rune. His waterskin was destroyed instantly, leaving a massive burn hole in the bottom of it. Still, he was able to conjure a small runic flame in his hand, clinging to it for every ounce of warmth it could offer.

For all the discomfort the shifting sands forced upon Tek, the blanket of stars cast across the sky was unlike any Tek had ever seen before. He allowed himself to forget his troubles and the cold for a moment and simply lose himself in the cosmic beauty that few lived to speak of. Unlike the darkwood and the endless web, the shifting sand didn't have nearly as many predators, although word of giant sand wyrms and other unconfirmed creatures were rumored to be seen from those traveling by the coast, no one could confirm that any of the legends were actually true. However, the shifting sands were considered far more dangerous. It was an unnatural place, expanding and shrinking as if the gods themselves were crumbling and stretching the very map of the world to reshape the desert on a whim.

Forcing himself to continue moving, Tek tried to look for some hint in the sky for where the temple may be hidden. He'd spent hours gazing at its beauty, but nowhere in the sky could he find the answers he sought. A glow of light radiated in the distance. The sun would be rising soon. I'll die out here if I don't find the temple today, Tek thought to himself. With no food and water, his strength was already beginning to sap away.

Tek began to panic as the sun's rays began to burn his skin. He'd read stories about explorers who'd tried to find Prieda's temple. It was said by those who sought it, that the only way to find it was by charting the stars. Yet none of those who did ever found the temple, Tek thought, So they must have been wrong.

In the distance Tek saw a pool of water. His mind weakened from his dehydrated state, he made for the pool. Yet as he grew closer, it turned out to be nothing more than a mirage. He'd seen dozens, but hadn't fallen for the illusions until now. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Tek shouted into the sky, venting his rage. He was going to lose his mind out here, like so many had before him. Lashing out in a fit of anger, he struck one of the dunes with his hand, spraying sand in the air, and watched it drift through the air in a long golden ribbon before settling onto the ground once more. A cool breeze blew against Tek's face, the one mercy given to him in this cruel heat. Then, Tek realized something. Something that was wrong with the desert.

Reaching down, Tek picked up a handful of sand, and let it stream out between his fingers. The sand drifted the same direction as before, away from the breeze that had blown against his face. Which meant something was pulling the sand towards it. Hundreds of explorers before him had looked up to the sky for answers on how to find Prieda's temple, when the answer was below them in the sands the entire time.

*****

Filling the burnt out bottom of his waterskin with sand and attaching it to the tip of his harpoon, Tek followed the ribbon of sand that streamed free from the nozzle of the waterskin. As he suspected the sand guided him in a direction that defied logic. No matter what direction the breeze blew, the sand would always blow the same way.

The heat of the sun attempted to burn away Tek's morale, but he kept his mind clear. He had to find Prieda's temple. The world depended on it. The more he followed the sand, the more vivid the mirages around him became. Pools of water became lakes and rivers. He could hear Tahnee and Gimmick calling to him from somewhere in the desert. Focusing on the sand, he continued his journey. Still the mirages grew more realistic. At one moment he found himself in Lita's courtyard, seeing Penny splashing around in her fountain. Both Lolli and Lita called for him. Pleading for him to rest. How inviting the water looked. Yet, knowing to rest now meant nothing but death, Tek continued.

Another mirage presented itself as the entrance to the burrow. From somewhere deep within the illusion Tek could hear Gritta and Gretta giggling. Calling him to come find them. Telling him the iron doors were fixed, and that it was safe to turn back now. Lies, Tek thought to himself, All lies. Yet the cool shade of the burrow was so very tempting.

Tek's legs felt as if they were going to give out at any moment, and right as he was about to collapse, the shifting sands presented one final mirage. The dragon that had burned him alive. It roared and reared its head back, threatening to engulf him in flames, leaving him to suffer that horrible fate once more. Putting his weight on his harpoon, Tek stared down the dragon. The beast reared its head and vomited forth a stream of white hot flame, but this time it broke against Tek's body, and in an instant all the mirages vanished. Smiling to himself weakly, Tek did what no other mortal had ever done, and stood at the entrance of Prieda's temple.

*****

After making his way to the temple's center, Tek allowed his body to collapse in one of Prieda's many fountains. Taking in gulps of the crystal clear water, Tek eventually pulled himself out, shaking beads of water from his fur. Foliage as luscious as that found in the forbidden valley lined the inside of the temple, and Tek plucked another strange fruit from one of the branches and took a bite. Juices exploded into his mouth, filling it with flavors he'd never tasted before. For a moment he thought he might have died in the shifting sands, and this was some sort of afterlife. Judging by how sore his feet were, he assured himself he was still in the mortal plain.

Stepping out of the fountain, Tek noticed the sand beneath his feet not only felt different than that of the sand outside the temple, but it seemed to shimmer differently in the light. Crouching down, Tek was shocked to find he wasn't walking on sand at all, but what appeared to be powdered gold. If Tahnee was here she would have had a heart attack from sheer excitement at the sight of such riches. His jaw almost hit the floor when he finally stepped into the center chamber.

Jewels, gold, and treasures of all kinds glittered in the sunlight that poured in from what appeared to be strange vents in the walls. Tek's curiosity peaked, and he climbed up and peered into one of the strange vents, nearly blinding himself as he peered inside. It was like staring into the sun itself. From what he could tell, there was a system of mirrors built into the vents to reflect the sunlight directly into the room. At the room's center was a massive jewel as clear as glass reflecting the light downwards onto what looked to be the largest pile of treasure. Atop the treasure laid a sphinx, big enough to swallow Tek whole. A chill ran up his spine as every instinct he had screamed to run and hide from the enormous winged feline. Gripping his harpoon, Tek approached with caution.

"Guardian!" Tek called out. His voice echoed throughout the temple for a moment, before dissipating, leaving the only sound to be the flow of water outside the center chamber. Bits of treasure chimed as it poured over itself below the sphinx as she lazily began to stur. In an almost uncaring manner, Prieda turned and looked at Tek, then stretched her body in the sunlight. She raised an eyebrow curiously at him, but didn't speak.

"I've come to ask for sponsorship into Acria. I was told to come here by both Spindle and Rodentia. I've learned two runes on my own and have bested both the endless web and the shifting sands. I am worthy to-"

"Don't care." Prieda interrupted, lying back down onto her treasure pile.

"But you're a guardian. You have to at least hear me out about-"

"I," Prieda started lazily, "Don't have to do anything. You've stolen from me, and therefore you're no longer eligible for my sponsorship. I'd kill you on the spot, but I simply cannot be bothered at the moment. I have far more important matters to attend to." Prieda rested her head on her treasure pile, closing her eyes.

"I don't care about your trinkets, and I've stolen nothing!" Tek shouted.

"There's a seed in your whiskers from my fruit, and your fur is damp so I know you've stolen a drink from my precious fountains. Mortals are not worthy to indulge in the delights I have within my temple. Now leave, or I will change my mind about sparing you."

"One of the runes on the iron door has gone out. Possibly more have broken since I left the burrow. If you don't grant me access to Acria to study rune tapping then-" Tek let his words trail off as Prieda shifted on her treasure trove, turning away from him. Gripping his harpoon in frustration, Tek hucked the weapon at the guardian. He'd suffered too much and come too far to let some lazy guardian turn him down because she couldn't be bothered. The harpoon struck Prieda's rear and her fur stood on end as she let out a hiss. Whipping her tail around, it struck Tek with such force that he was knocked off his feet and crashed into a treasure pile.

Dazed and sore, Tek recovered his barings and clung to the shadows of the walls where the sunlight wasn't focused. "Arrogant little rat! How dare you think you are worthy to lay a finger on me!" Prieda spat.

"I never touched you. My harpoon did all the work." Tek shouted, before quickly rushing behind another pile of gold to keep his location obscure.

"This mortal toy," Prieda said, holding the harpoon between her claws, "Is nothing compared to me." Pressing her claws together, the harpoon burst to pieces.

Tek's mind raced. He couldn't make any runes in the golden sand, it was too malleable. He couldn't leave, he'd come too far and the iron doors would be open by the time he'd find another guardian. He could only hope to talk his way out of this.

"Fly me to Acria and you can go back to sleeping on your treasure hoard for another century." Tek shouted. Prieda's attention quickly turned to where he'd been hiding, and a massive paw slammed into the treasure pile. Coins, gems, and other valuable trinket's were flung into the air. Tek dove out of the way just in time, only to be buried under the falling treasure. It was a blessing in disguise as the sphinx didn't notice him and seemed to continue searching elsewhere.

"You'll get nothing from me, little rat. You're an intruder, a thief, and you'll never leave this temple alive."

Heart racing in his chest, Tek began to realize that Prieda was beyond the point of calming down. He wouldn't be able to talk to her like this. Perhaps if he could leave and come back later he could try again. Crawling out of his treasure pile he hid behind a stone pillar, then began to climb it to get above the sphinx. She was far too busy searching below her to look up. She continued to lash out, turning over treasure piles and clawing at the shadows. So sharp were the sphinx's claws that with one swing of her paw, she cleaved into the stone like a hot knife through butter.

From where Tek stood, he was able to get a better view of his surroundings. Among the treasure was what appeared to be rolls of fine silk. Carefully making his way down the pillar he ran across the room and grabbed the silk. He had a plan, although admittedly the chances of pulling it off were slim, and the chances of him dying were great. Still, if he didn't try he'd eventually be killed by demons anyway. If the iron doors open, all hope for the burrow and the skunk kingdoms, if not the entire world, would be lost forever.

Tek hurled a sapphire the size of his fist across the chamber into another pile of treasure, then ran to the center of the chamber while Prieda investigated the noise. Grabbing the blade of the harpoon, he retreated to one of the strange vents in the walls that reflected light into the temple. Tek began tearing into the silk, cutting quickly, but precisely. He'd only have one shot at this. Using his tail, he pinned the silk against the vent, positioning his body in front of the vent to hide what he was up to.

"Prieda!" Tek called out. The sphinx was upon him in an instant, "This is your last chance. Bring me to Acria, or I will kill you!"

Prieda lunged at Tek, claws out and teeth bared. "You dare threaten a-" Prieda went silent, her face changing from an expression of rage to sheer shock and fear. Tek moved aside to reveal the rune for fire shining through the torn silk, displaying itself across Prieda's torso. Leaning back, Tek kicked the rune on Prieda's fur, tapping into it upon contact. A massive explosion shook the temple. Smoke and fire exploded in all directions. Tek wouldn't be harmed by the flame, being the one who conjured it from the rune, but so great was the force of the explosion that it slammed Tek into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

Tek awoke in Prieda's temple to utter darkness. A stillness had fallen upon the chamber that hadn't existed since before Tek had disturbed the guardian's slumber. Of Prieda, there was no sign, and Tek sighed to himself, wondering if the world would have been better off had he not left the burrow in the first place. Making his way outside of the temple, his ears drooped. Just as he feared, Prieda was gone. Likely evaporated from the runic fire. So he began his journey back into the shifting sands.

The cold of the desert was quick to overtake the rat. His body was brought to the brink of exhaustion and his will broken. He had bested the seemingly endless desert before, and while the sands revealed the way to Prieda's temple, they offered no way out. Lost and cold, Tek collapsed into the sand, giving in to the shifting sands, before passing out.

Chapter 18

The Captain's Orders

"Wake up." a familiar voice commanded from somewhere close by. Tek did as was told, opening his eyes to find Gimmick staring down at him. Sitting up, Tek found he was in Tahnee's quarters, somehow back on the Queen's Greed.

"Gimmick? How did I get here?" Tek asked.

Gimmick tilted her head, displaying as much confusion as Tek felt. "Vivian said she found you passed out on the deck. We were hoping you'd tell us."

The door burst open and Vivian walked in. "Where's Tahnee?" She demanded.

"Still aboard the Black Feather with Greyscale, who's allegiance seems complicated." Tek explained.

"Not at all," Vivian said, "In fact, all of this was Tahnee's plan. She knew a conflict with Scarlett was inevitable, so she had Greyscale fake a kidnapping. She had hoped to talk Scarlett out of the conflict to save the lives of both crews."

"Why did I have to be involved?" Tek asked, rubbing the bruise from where Greyscale had knocked him out.

"Because she knew you'd be able to blast them out if anything went wrong. So much for that. What happened over there?"

"Scarlett has her mind set on revenge. I was able to create an escape route, but only for Tahnee and I. She refused to leave Greyscale, and threw me overboard. I managed to find Prieda's temple, but..." Tek let his words trail off.

"So how did you end up back on the deck of my ship?" Vivian asked.

Tek simply shrugged, not having the slightest idea as to how he managed to get out of The Shifting Sands. "Is there a plan to get Tahnee and Greyscale back?"

Vivian sighed and Tek's ears drooped knowing what was coming. "We're going to continue following the Black Feather, but the chances of their survival drops with every passing minute. We'll catch them, I'm going to make sure of it, but I fear the moment we step foot on that ship, Scarlett will execute them both rather than risk their escape. This will be either a rescue mission, or an act of revenge." Vivian reached for two pistols strapped to her side and handed them over to Tek. "Take these. I had them made special for you after I saw you burn down Dreg's outpost."

Tek took the strange looking pistols, but before he could ask about them, Vivian had left. Being captain now, she was needed elsewhere. What kind of gun doesn't have a trigger? Tek thought to himself. There didn't appear to be any gunpowder nor ammo.Then he noticed what Vivian had in place of a trigger. _Clever gecko._Tek tucked the pistols in their holsters, then stepped outside to help the crew.

"Look who's alive." A voice called out.

Looking up, Tek saw Marloes waving down to him from the crow's nest. Tek waved back, but his focus shifted back to the black ship in the distance. The smell of sea water filled his nostrils. Had it not been for the harrowing last two days, he would have loved his time at sea.

"You don't have to stick around for this." Marloes said, climbing down the ladder.

"I've got nowhere else to go. Things didn't exactly work out with the guardian. Maybe Tahnee can tell me where I can find another guardian. Besides, I can't just leave her to die." Tek said, grabbing a harpoon.

"All hands, prepare for combat. To your stations. Cannons and boarding parties at the ready!" Vivian shouted. The Black Feather had turned and Vivian quickly adjusted The Queen's Greed to sail alongside the opposing ship as a sudden burst of cannon fire peppered their ship. Tek heard the sound of wood snapping and screams erupting from the lower decks. Vivian gave the order and a return volley was given. Tek could only hope Tahnee and Greyscale weren't caught in the attack as he saw hole burst into the side of The Black Feather.

"Why does it always have to end in blood?" Tek muttered to himself. Then he grabbed a nearby rope, and prepared to board.

*****

Tek landed on the deck of The Black Feather alongside Vivian. With each of his new runic pistols in hand and Vivian sporting three pistols thanks to her tail, together they showered the deck with pistol fire. Tek pressed his fingers against the rune for fire etched into the runic pistols where the trigger would be, resulting in a loud crack as a ball of fire erupted from the barrel. Scarlett's crew ran for cover and by the time Vivian had to reload, they had cleared an opening for more reinforcements to cross safely onto the deck.

"Split up, we'll find Tahnee and Greyscale faster that way." Vivian ordered, running for the lower deck.

The deck was a flurry of hatred and heartbreak as once brothers and sisters locked blades. The emotion of it all was palpable, but Tek kept his head down until he noticed ropes hanging over the front of the galleon.. Scarlett had tied Tahnee by the wrists off the bow of the ship. A look of pain was plastered across her face, as waves crashed into her body. Tek began cutting through one of the ropes, once cut Tahnee used her free arm to pull herself to Tek.

"I was afraid this would happen." Tahnee said, watching the carnage around them. She pulled a cutlass off a dead crewman, to which crew they belonged to, Tek could only guess. Tahnee looked exhausted, but after a heavy sigh, joined the fight.

The sound of steel clashing and scraping together stole all other sounds from the air, lost only for moments under the bang_of the cannons and occasional _pop of small arms fire. Screams of the fallen and hateful cries of the betrayed were all that escaped the lips of those pulled into the conflict. Tek crossed blades with a shark nearly twice his size. His harpoon barely stopped each of her attacks. He cursed to himself as he began to realize he couldn't best the shark melee combat. He reached for one of his pistols, but stopped when the shark was suddenly thrown overboard.

Greyscale had joined the fray.

"Are you alright bilgerat?" Greyscale asked.

"I'm surviving," Tek said. Looking past Greyscale he noticed Tahnee and Scarlett were fighting at the heart of the ship. "Greyscale, if this continues, neither crew will survive."

"That's what we were afraid of. We need to stop Scarlett and Tahnee before-" Greyscale let out a grunt of pain, collapsing to the deck.

"Greyscale, what's-" Tek's words were cut off as Greyscale lunged forward, grabbing him by the throat and holding him in the air. Tek felt the air leave his lungs as the kobold threatened to crush his windpipe.

Panicking, Tek kicked Greyscale's broken arm, causing her to loosen her grip. Tek slipped away, gasping for air.

What's gotten into her? Tek thought.

"To your left." The same familiar voice that commanded him to wake up back on The Queen's Greed spoke. Tek wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, but he heeded its advice. Noticing a hooded figure with arms outstretched hand towards Greyscale. An ominous green haze expanding from the figures fingertips towards Greyscale.

"Magic." Tek muttered to himself, dodging Greyscale as she dove towards him. Whoever that was, they were controlling Greyscale.

Every attempt to reach the hooded figure failed, as Greyscale continued to put herself between Tek and the one controlling her. Cursing to himself Tek pulled out his runic pistols, then inhaled to take in as much runic energy as he could, before pointing them both at the deck below Greyscale's feet.

"Sorry about this." Tek said with sincerity, before runic fire burst from the barrels of his pistols, blowing out the floor beneath Greyscale's feet. She collapsed into the lower deck, giving Tek the opening he needed.

The figure pulled back their hood to reveal a young kobold, closer to Gimmick in stature, with strange bone-like markings painted across her body. Tek leveled a runic pistol at her face.

"You don't want to kill me, do you?" The kobold teased.

"I don't suppose I have to." Tek said, lowering his runic pistol. Knowing better than to leave the kobold alone, he quickly kicked her in the chest, knocking her overboard.

"I'll admit, that was quite amusing." The voice called out to him once more.

"Where are you?" Tek said, becoming impatient with whatever trickery this was, both runic pistols raised in caution.

"In your hood, little rat." The voice responded.

Confused, Tek checked his hood, fully expecting to find it empty as part of some strange trick. Instead he found Prieda, lounging inside.

"I don't even know how to respond to this. Didn't I kill you?" Tek asked.

Prieda laughed so hard her entire body reacted to the act. "Nearly! I haven't been so impressed by a mortal in well... ever. A shame your friends are going to all die."

Tek plucked Prieda angrily from his hood and dropped her. Prieda grew in size to nearly match his own, although she stood about a foot shorter. His confusion must have been obvious, because Prieda began to explain what had happened.

"It's called biomancy, Tek. I can alter my form as I wish. You'll learn more about it when we get to Acria."

"Acria?" Tek asked, ducking to avoid shrapnel from a volley of cannonfire. Prieda seemed completely unphased by the fight, not even flinching at the chaos around them.

"You wanted my sponsorship did you not?" Prieda asked, cleaning something from between her claws. "We can leave now if you wish."

In any other circumstance, Tek would have been thrilled. "I need you to do something for me first." Tek said.

"A favor? Little rat, my sponsorship is more than you deserve. I don't-"

"I'll owe you a favor in return. Just please, do this one thing for me." Tek interrupted.

Prieda paused, looking Tek over before responding. "Very well, but I will keep you to your word, and a favor to a guardian may come at a high price. Now what do you ask of me?"

*****

The sea split from under the Black Feather, causing the galleon to rock with enough force to cease all fighting aboard, as both crews braced themselves. Prieda emerged from water, changing her size to be so immense that the galleons must have looked something more akin to toys to her.

Panic broke out on the ship. Those who didn't abandon ship, began firing their rifles at Prieda, having little effect on the Sphinx. With a swipe of her claw, Prieda tore open the side of the boat, wrecking any cannons that may be a threat to her. Tek winced, noticing if she had just aimed a little lower, water would have begun to pour into the ship. Something he wanted to avoid if possible.

"Fall back to The Queen's Greed!" Tahnee ordered, breaking away from Scarlett. Tek watched from the helm, hoping his plan would work. "Scarlett, come on!" Tahnee extended her hand to her sister.

Prieda grabbed a hold of one of the masts of The Queen's Greed and snapped it in half with the effort of a child snapping a swig. Realizing the chances of escape were dwindling for both crews, Scarlett ordered her crew to board The Queen's Greed, but stayed behind on The Black Feather. Running to the helm, she turned her ship and rammed Prieda in the gut. Prieda let out a hiss, and clamped down on either side of The Black Feather with her paws.

"Scarlett, that's no sea monster, that's a guardian, we need to go!" Tahnee shouted.

"Get off my ship Tahnee." Scarlett demanded.

In all the chaos, no one had noticed Tek standing alone on the back of The Black Feather, watching everything play out.

"You ordered your crew to evacuate," Tek said, catching Scarlett's attention. "How long do you think it will take before they start killing each other over the decision?"

"Shut up, rat, and get off my ship and take your captain with you." Scarlett said, resting one of her hands on her pistol as a threat.

"As you wish," Tek said, stepping down to the deck towards Tahnee, "But it will be a shame that your sacrifice will be in vain."

"What do you mean?" Scarlett asked.

"You plan to stay here while the rest escape on Tahnee's ship, don't you? Like your previous captain did to save her crew's lives. It will be a shame when history repeats itself and your crew is divided. Split and destined to fight and die, rather than live as you intended. Like you and Tahnee."

"I said get off my ship!" Scarlett shouted, pulling her gun on Tek.

"Is this what Tess wanted when she sacrificed herself to save her crew? For you all to turn on each other and throw away everything she died for? Are you willing to throw your life away in the same manner? How do you think your crew will react when you're gone?" Tek continued.

"Captain!" A voice called out. Tek turned to see the shark he'd been fighting earlier climbing back aboard the ship. "Let me stay. I can still fight. We can beat the guardian!"

Tahnee looked from the shark back to Scarlett. Tek could see pity in the Sea lion's eyes as realization came crashing down on Scarlett. The Cockatoo dropped to her knees, weeping at what she had done. Her deck was covered in the blood of both crews because of her actions.

Tek looked up at Prieda, who shrunk down significantly, then flew back into Tek's hood. Tahnee moved to comfort Scarlett, and Tek crossed back over to The Queen's Greed, leaving the captains to mourn.

Chapter 19

The Silent City

Prieda brought a small portion of her treasure trove for both crews to compensate for the damages. Although it was hardly a dent in her hoard, it was enough gold for Tahnee to dive into and completely disappear.

"That's yet another favor you owe me, little rat." Prieda said, "I hope you appreciated what I did. I don't enjoy getting my fur wet."

"You saved lives." Tek said.

"Mortal lives." Prieda responded, as if that made a difference.

Something heavy hit Tek from behind, knocking him to the deck and causing Prieda to fly from his hood and change size to catch herself on the deck, hissing as she did so. Gimmick was hugging Tek so hard, he thought he may need to soul split to get away.

"What is that?" Prieda asked in disgust.

"That's Gimmick, she's my traveling companion." Tek said.

Prieda looked over the kobold as Tek pried himself free. "She can't come with us."

"She can and she is." Tek insisted. "Now make yourself comfortable while I wrap things up here."

Prieda didn't need to be told twice, finding the sunniest spot on the ship and lounging in it. The crew kept their distance, unsure of what to make of the demigod that had just nearly killed them all, now sleeping on the deck.

Scarlett's crew returned to The Black Feather, and Tek was relieved to see Tahnee return to The Queen's Greed unharmed. "Well done bilgerat," Tahnee said, "I was beginning to think Scarlett was never going to see things my way. You're one of the good rats, but if you ever feel the urge to cause some trouble, there's always a place for you in Behemoth Bay."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tek scanned the deck, frowning as he noticed something was missing, "Where's Greyscale and Vivian?"

"Below deck. Vivian is tending to her broken arm." Tahnee said, snatching a flask from Marloes to drink for herself.

"Did she hurt it again when she fell through the deck?" Tek asked.

"Again? No, she broke her other arm when she fell through the deck. You broke both her arms, you know?"

"Me!? She broke the first one because _you_wanted her to fight Qizin and she broke the second one because she was choking me to death!" Tek could feel his face going flush with frustration.

Tahnee simply shrugged, "Excuses. Marloes you son of a bitch! You better not be touching my gold unless you're counting it!" She shouted, running over as the gull quickly stepped away from the pile, gold coins spilling out of his pockets.

"Did you enjoy your time on the ship?" Tek asked Gimmick.

"It's a boat! And it was terrible. Cannons are loud and Tahnees room smells like alcohol." Gimmick complained.

"Sometimes I think there's no pleasing you." Tek said. Gimmick stuck her tongue out at him as he called Prieda over.

"What now, rat?" Prieda asked.

"We're ready to go to Acria when you are. How do we get there exactly-" Before Tek could finish, Prieda grew dramatically in size, then grabbed both Tek and Gimmick in her paws and flew off into the sky.

Tek clutched onto Prieda with all his might, trying not to look down. "This is amazing!" Gimmick said, letting out an excited cheer.

"Our little rat friend seems to think otherwise." Prieda said, giving Tek an amused look.

"I'm used to living underground, not thousands of feet in the air." Tek argued. His grip remained tight onto Prieda's fur.

"Oh? Weren't you sent from The Iron Door to come find me? Isn't The Iron Door near the top of a mountain?" Prieda teased.

"There was ground beneath my feet!" Tek shouted.

"Perhaps if I offered you a more comfortable seat and a better view, you'd appreciate what I'm doing for you by flying so high."

Before Tek could muster any kind of response, Prieda dropped Tek. The rat's heart practically leapt from his chest, but before he could even open his mouth to scream, Prieda swooped under him, catching him on her back.

Shaken to his core, the only words Tek managed to muster were "Never again!"

"Now drop me!" Gimmick said, eagerly.

"Perhaps later." Prieda said, earning a disappointed groan from Gimmick.

"How's the view from back there, little rat?" Prieda asked, "I think you'll find the world from a guardian's eyes can only be beautiful."

"Even worse." Tek said, his ears drooping in fear. Over the horizon a crimson moon bathed the land in its bloody light. The nightmare began once more.

"It looks like Acria will have to wait." Prieda said, pulling her wings close to her body and diving towards the ground. Tek was nearly flung from her back as she picked up speed.

"What are you doing?" Tek asked, shouting against the roar of the wind.

"Some demons can fly. We'll be an easy target unless we can find shelter. We'll stay in The Silent City until the sun rises." Prieda said, swooping over a massive city that made both the Skunk Kingdoms and Behemoth Bay look tiny by comparison.

Every building was an architectural masterpiece and Tek stared in awe as towers pierced the clouds, as if daring to enter the heavens themselves. Never in any books he had read was there any mention of such a place. "What is this place?" Tek whispered, as to not attract any demons that may be lurking nearby.

"The Silent City. It was abandoned long before my rise to guardianship. Before mortals feared the crimson moon. Even before The Iron Doors opened." Prieda explained.

"You were once a mortal? What happened when The Iron Doors opened last?" Tek had so many questions, but Prieda simply shook her head.

"Just because I can last forever doesn't mean my memories do as well. It's all too hazy, and what I do remember is not for the minds of mortals. Keep asking questions little rat, and you may find out some troubling truths that should never have been uncovered. I will take you to Acria to fix The Iron Door, but looking into the history of this world will be strictly forbidden." Prieda warned.

"Forbidden? Acria is a school. What school forbids teaching history? And you're a guardian! You're to be my teacher. What teacher forbids questions?" Tek snapped.

"A teacher that wants to keep her only student alive." Prieda said, curling up in an alleyway between two buildings to rest.

"Do you do anything other than sleep?" Tek asked.

"Like I said, my memories are hazy, but I think there's a memory in there somewhere of eating my last student maybe?" Prieda warned.

Tek scoffed, but took a seat beside Gimmick.

"It's okay Tek," Gimmick said, "I don't understand what's going on either. In fact, I usually don't."

"Can you at least tell me what happened to this city? Why was it never mentioned in any of the books I've read. It's incredible yet empty." Tek asked.

"It's not in any of the books you've read, because the guardians have taken precautions to keep its history a secret. Rodentia included. Ever wonder why we've always said the world ended when The Iron Doors last opened? This city once was the home of millions. It was the heart of our world, and it was ripped away from us the moment those doors opened. There were no other kingdoms, because no other kingdoms were needed. This place was the world, and it went silent the moment those doors opened." Prieda said.

"I still don't understand." Tek said.

"Nor should you. Knowledge is dangerous, little rat. The world used to be a much different place. I do hope you can fix it. If not, it may be The Burrow that goes silent next."

*****

Tek's ear twitched as the sound of stone kicked under someone's foot echoed through the streets. Perhaps the abandoned city wasn't so abandoned after all. Grabbing his spear, he crept by a sleeping Gimmick and gently prodded Prieda awake. Under the glow of the crimson moon, they made their way through the streets of The Silent City.

"We're being watched." Prieda said, pointing to the second floor of one of the buildings. "I will smash the roof of the building in. That should put an end to-"

"No," Tek interrupted, "We'll find out what they want first. They haven't attacked us yet. They might not be demons."

"I don't take kindly to being interrupted, little rat. Nor do I tolerate any mortal telling me 'no'. You'll do well to remember I am not only a guardian, but your sponsor as well." Prieda warned.

"My apologies, my guardian." Tek said, bowing to the sphinx. She let out a low pur, basking in his praise.

"That's more like it. I suppose if you wish for their survival, I can grant you such a request. So long as they don't become a threat."

"Perhaps there's some way we can sneak inside? Maybe you could shrink down and fly up to the window to spy on them or-"

"I don't think any of that will be necessary." Prieda said, interrupting Tek to gesture towards the building. Several hooded figures had emerged from the building and were walking towards them.

Tek readied his spear and Prieda simply stood beside him with a look of intrigue on her face, not bothering to adjust her size as she already stood at nearly twice all of their heights. Each figure wore black with what appeared to be three circles arranged in a triangular pattern on their chest and brim on their hoods. The circles looked to be white, but in the light of the crimson moon were stained a deep red.

"Welcome rune tapper and false guardian Prieda." The first of the hooded figures said, speaking in a gentle feminine voice.

"False!?" Prieda roared, bearing her claws.

Tek's heart leapt in his chest. Unsure if Prieda was about to tear the hooded figures apart. The figure that had delivered the insult pulled back her hood to reveal a mare. She pressed her palms together and gave Prieda a polite bow.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to offend. Prieda, guardian of The Shifting Sands, welcome to The City of Silence. It is a shame you arrive on such an unholy night. I pray it isn't an ill omen. To what do we owe this visit?" The mare asked.

Prieda let out another low pur, but her claws were still beared. "My guardian has flown a long way to bring me to your city. Please, if you have any food or water that you are willing to spare, we-" Tek paused, hearing a low grumble from Prieda, "I would be very grateful for any offerings you may have for the guardian of The Shifting Sands." Nervously Tek looked over to see Prieda's claws had retracted. He let out a small sigh of relief and the mare bowed again, before turning back towards the building they had been watching them from.

"You're a quick learner, little rat." Prieda said, not taking her eyes away from the building.

"It's the only reason I'm still alive." Tek admitted.

"We'll see just how much longer that lasts." Prieda said, following after the hooded figures.

Once inside. Tek and Prieda were given water and food. It was nothing like the fruits found in Prieda's temple, and Tek was hardly surprised when Prieda started complaining. "This fruit is far past its prime." Prieda said, dropping an applecore onto the table.

"It's better than what we eat in The Burrow," Tek said, "Besides, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it."

"It's an offering, little rat, what kind of guardian would I be if I started rejecting offerings. It would displeade my royal subject if I didn't accept their hospitality." Prieda mused.

Tek raised an eyebrow, "Loyal subject? You were about to tear them to pieces outside."

"I meant you, Tek." Prieda drummed her claws on the table and her tail flicked back and forth in amusement.

This made Tek laugh. "You seem to be changing our relationship as you see fit."

"You aren't in a position to argue. Besides, you are my loyal subject. If I told you to get up and fetch me a piece of fruit, you would. If I told you to bring me water, you would. If I wanted you to rub my paws, file my claws, and massage my wings, you would. Because you can't afford to lose my sponsorship." Prieda said..

Tek had to prevent himself from shouting at such a bold claim. "I thought you were sponsoring me because you were impressed with my rune tapping. I'm not some toy for your amusement Prieda. What you're describing isn't loyalty, it's blackmail, and there's no quicker way to lose one's loyalty."

"So long as my subjects do what I say, they can call it whatever they wish. Besides, I'm already in your head." Prieda grinned knowingly in a way that sent a chill up Tek's spine.

"What do you mean?"

"A voice told you to wake up when your friends needed you on their galleon. That same voice told you where to look to find the kobold that was controlling your friend. You don't remember it, but it was the same voice that told you to forget me flying you back to Galleon to be found by those pirates. My voice. I know more than simple biomancy, little rat. You'll find my manipulation magic is just as strong. You have a strong mind. Unfortunately that only makes it harder to resist my hypnosis."

Tek stood up from the table, his hands shaking with anger. "How dare you. I don't give a damn if you're a guardian. I refuse to let anyone make me their slave."

Prieda cackled to herself, as if amused by Tek's anger. "You really don't have a say in the matter."

"Fuck you. I'll find another way into Acria" Tek said, before he could turn to leave, Prieda grabbed him by the throat. Tek felt his feet leave the ground as the Sphinx glared angrily into his eyes.

"I could crush your throat for speaking to me like that!" Prieda's voice boomed with authority.

"Then do it." Tek challenged.

Prieda looked as if she'd been slapped across the face and dropped Tek in an instant, as if holding him had suddenly brought her physical pain. Rubbing his throat, Tek made for the exit.

"Come back. I demand it!" Prieda shouted.

Tek felt his body freeze. His legs locked as if refusing to acknowledge any attempt he made to move them. Slowly he began to turn, but the very fact that he was trying to resist seemed to be startling to the guardian. The order seemed to have more control over his legs than his arms, as he managed to pluck one of the runic cards from his hip and tap into it, soul-splitting a separate copy that was unaffected by Prieda's order.

Grabbing a knife from the table, Tek slit his copy's throat, freeing him from her command. The shock of the soul convergence caused him to collapse to one knee, clutching his throat. He could handle the death trama better now, but it would never be easy. Tossing the knife onto the table, Tek gave Prieda one last look of defiance, then walked out the door.

*****

The crimson moon had begun to fade over the horizon, leaving a dim red glow over The Silent City. Tek had wandered so far out of frustration that he'd lost track of where he was. He was smart enough to know his anger was clouding his judgement, but too angry to actually do anything about it. Knowing this, unfortunately, only made him even more frustrated.

"Excuse me?" A voice called out behind him. Tek turned to see a short pig wearing the same outfit as the religious group that he'd run into before. He must have been wearing his emotions plainly on his face, as when he turned around she took a step back. Tek took a deep breath to try to calm himself. If he was lost, he might need her help.

"Sorry I was just..." Tek trailed off before continuing, "How can I help you?"

"Forgive me for saying this, but it looks like you are the one in need of help. You look lost." The pig said.

"Yeah, I probably am." Tek admitted. "It's been kind of a rough night."

The pig looked Tek over. She must have determined he wasn't going to hurt her, as she took another step towards him. "Why don't we get you out of the open? You can stay in my workshop until the sun rises. It shouldn't be long now, and we can figure out where you're trying to go."

Tek followed the pig into a massive building full of what appeared to be strange stone sculptures unlike anything he'd ever seen before. They looked insectoid in nature and seemed to be made of some kind of white stone held together by thick vines. The sculptures were massive, the smallest of which seemed to be nearly twice Tek's height.

"What are these?" Tek asked.

"They're sentinels. They used to protect The Silent City. I've been charged with restoring them. I've managed to rebuild most of them, but I can't seem to tap into their power source. They've been dormant for hundreds if not thousands of years. Such great technology, lost to time. It will be a shame if I can't get them working again." The pig looked over Tek again, tilting her head curiously. "I'm Braya by the way. I don't think I caught your name."

"You can call me Tek." Tek placed his hand on one of the sentinels that looked like a massive scorpion. The idea of massive beings of stone protecting The Silent City filled his head with ideas. If he had an army of these things he could protect The Burrow. The feel of the stone under his hand felt familiar. It was cold, but there was something pushing against his touch. Something unnatural. Something...

Tek closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then tapped into the sentinel. The stone-being lurched to life and a glowing blue light erupted from its face, filling the room. Stumbling for a moment and crashing into the still dormant sentinels, the newly awakened insectoid automaton struggled to gain control of its body before finally coming to a rest.

"Oh my goodness!" Braya said, startled yet excited all at once.

The blue light from the sentinel's face scanned Braya. The action unsettled Tek, but Braya watched with fascination.

"Species: Suina. Allegiance: Cult of the first guardian. Age: Twenty Five. Health: Acceptable. Threat Level: Zero. Duty appears to be sentinel recovery, repair and restoration." The sentinel said in a deep emotionless voice.

"Correct! That's correct! Tek you're amazing! Although I'm technically twenty-four." Braya said, clapping her hands in excitement. She laughed to herself and Tek thought he heard her snort a little. He couldn't help but smile, her joy was almost contagious.

"All I did was tap into it the same way I tap into my runes." Tek started to explain, but he was cut off as the sentinel turned its attention to him. Then began its scan.

Tek went cold as the blue light from the sentinel turned a deep red. "Warning! Pure Demon strain detected. Threat level: Apocalyptic. Termination Priority." The sentinel boomed.

Tek spun around sure that a demon had followed them inside, but there was nothing behind him. Before he realized what was happening, the sentinel's single eye began to glow an even brighter red. A loud whirring sound emitted from the automaton and Tek reached for his soul splitting card, but cursed to himself upon realizing he'd left it behind when storming out on Prieda.

"Sentinel, stand down!" Braya ordered, her voice filled with panic.

"Negative. Pure Demon strain detected. Threat level: Apocalyptic. Terminating: Now." A beam of red light struck Tek in the chest. Blood sprayed in the air and everything around him seemed to slow down in an instant.

Someone was screaming. It took Tek a moment to realize it was Braya. Something warm seemed to be pooling around his body. Blood? Whose blood was that? Why was he on his back? His chest hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to how cold he felt. It was a feeling he'd felt before. He remembered feeling it for the first time as a child after that guard had killed Iary. He must have been dying. His thoughts seemed to be getting slower and further apart. For a brief moment he pictured himself back in The Skunk Kingdom, having tea with Lita. That damn tea was always too sweet. He smiled to himself. Then everything went dark.

Chapter 20

The Ticking Clock

Gretta wiped the sweat from her brow. Making the journey up to the iron doors never got any easier. Taking a seat in what little shade she managed to find, she pulled out her water skin and allowed herself to take in a mouthful of water. Letting out a tired sigh, she took in the view. It almost made the trip worthwhile. Almost.

"Hey slowpoke! Keep moving, we're almost there!" Gritta shouted from further up the path.

Cursing to herself under her breath, Gretta got to her feet, and kept moving. "Tek should be here helping us!" She shouted. When Gritta didn't respond, Gretta let out a groan and sped up to catch her.

"I thought he'd be back by now." Gretta complained.

"You heard what Myra said. He's in Behemoth Bay. I'm sure he'll convince Prieda to take him to Acria and he'll be back in no time to fix the iron doors." Gritta assured her.

"What if he's not. He couldn't convince Spindle. What makes you think he'll be able to convince Prieda?" Gretta asked.

Gritta didn't respond. Instead she took out an old apple slice and took a bit out of it. Gretta furrowed her brow. "Was that mine?"

"It was, but now it wasn't." Gritta said, proudly popping the rest of the apple slice into her mouth.

"Will you please take this seriously!" Gretta shoued.

Gritta stopped in the middle of the trail, causing Gretta to nearly crash into her. "What do you want me to say Gretta?! That I know when Tek is going to be back? Do you want me to keep lying to you, saying that everything will be fine and he'll be able to fix the iron doors, when I don't know if he can? You want the truth? You're just going to keep questioning me otherwise, so here it is! I don't even know if he's still alive, and if he is, he probably can't fix the iron door!" Gritta's tirade ended, and she paused to catch her breath.

The two sisters looked at each other for a moment, seeing the pain in the other's eyes. "I miss him too." Gretta said. They rounded the path to the iron doors and sat beside each other in silence.

"I hate this stupid thing." Gritta admitted, throwing a rock at the doors. It made a pitiful pting before falling to the ground not leaving so much as a scratch.

"We all do." Gretta said, looking up at the iron doors. "It looks like another one went out. We shouldn't stay here long. Rodentia will want to know."

Gritta sighed, "How many does that make?"

Gretta looked over the remaining runes left glowing around the brim of the iron doors. "I'd say a little less than half left."

The sisters felt a chill crawl up their spines as the pounding from the otherside of the iron doors grew louder and louder.

Boom

Boom

Boom