The Masked Warrior of Sarabanto, Part 2

=== Chapter Seven: Town under Siege === Cathcart: They came more than a month ago. The mayor of the town had a scrap of paper stuffed under his door, demanding a vast quantity of gold, more than this town has. They gave us a week before they threatened to attack.

Byrn: So you called in Clancy?

Cathcart: He was passing by, and offered to use his government grant to provide defenders. We don’t have a marine base in town, so we accepted. The pirates eventually attacked under the cover of darkness. Clancy tried to repel them. He didn’t quite succeed. Buildings were damaged, Clancy’s men had casualties, and the pirates simply withdrew and promised to attack again the next night. That’s when he appeared.

Marley: He?

Cathcart: The island’s protector. The masked warrior. Rokku the invincible. There had been rumours about him before, about aggressive vessels turned away by him. Up until that night, they were just rumours, and little more. But we heard and saw him leaping between the rooftops that night, before we all locked up. He kept the town safe while Clancy’s men regrouped, and now they’re both trying to defend us. It allowed us to carry on almost normally, so long as we clear the streets and barricade our doors at night.

Byrn: He works with Clancy?

Cathcart: No. He answers to nobody. We don’t even know who he is, save that he is one of the island’s residents. And we only know that because of how well he seems to know the streets and the rooftops. There are some who actually claim he’s part of the problem, and that it was him who kidnapped mayor Griffin. But I doubt-

Jessica: Your mayor was kidnapped?!

Cathcart: A week ago he just disappeared. The pirates haven’t taken responsibility, and nor has anyone else, but he wouldn’t just abandon this place. It really upset our morale. Most of us are only still here out of faith in Rokku or Clancy. Anyhow, enough gloom. Can I interest you in a meal?

''A quarter of an hour later, after Cathcart has prepared them some soup, and after Livingstone has inevitably burned his tongue on only his second hot meal in years, the crew start to relax slightly, despite their concerns. ''

Marley: You know, this whole business sounds fishy

Byrn: the pirates, the vigilante, and the defenders?

Jessica: Now that you mention it, I fail to understand how they could keep up that kind of attrition for months. Surely both sides must be exhausted?

Marley: More to the point, what’s in it for the pirates? What is there on this island that they couldn’t get elsewhere more easily?

Byrn: Well whatever it is, there’s easier ways to get it than this. They should at least have a ransom for the mayor by now.

Jessica: Unless… they don’t know he’s gone. Which would mean somebody else took him. And that’s a whole new set of questions.

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Dimitri would probably have a field day looking at this.

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: heheh yeah… In fact he’d probably stage a rescue.

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Sounds about right. Getting involved when it isn’t really our problem. And probably getting away with it, knowing him.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Oh no! We forgot!

<p class="MsoNormal">Livingstone: Whaaaa-what?!

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Dimitri. He’s an armour plated cyborg pirate with enough artillery to arm a small legion, right?

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: You’re not suggesting he actually tries to fight off the pirates are you? When he’s recovering from that wound?

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Gotta admit, that’d really fix our bar tab..

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: No, I mean, we never told-

<p class="MsoNormal">''There is a loud thud from upstairs and a faint yell. All four pirates and the landlady look up at the same instant. Then, after a short delay, there is the sound of fast moving footsteps on the floor above, and a door slamming. A few seconds later there is a cry and a loud clatter as somebody falls down the stairs. And then the back door slams open and Caspian rushes in, shocked yet again ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: What the heck is up with that guy’s body?! It’s full of metal bits?!

<p class="MsoNormal">''Jessica sighs and lowers her gaze ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: There we go…..

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: How the heck did he do that? He’s a devil fruit user isn’t he? His power’s something like “create and turn into machinery”-

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Ah yes…. and um… no. Half right. Mostly wrong.

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: He uses half a devil fruit?

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: no, he simply has a lot of other options. You didn’t leave the wound open did you?

<p class="MsoNormal">''Caspian pulls up a chair, sits down, and grins at them as he replies. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: hey. Don’t underestimate me. Why’d I make a mistake like that?

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: We did hear your yelling down here.

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Yeah well, it was unexpected… but all that was after I was done tending to the wound.

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Wait…. you put off being surprised?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: of course! For a minute there I thought he was in trouble. Deal with the surprise once the thing’s taken care of, right?

<p class="MsoNormal">''Jessica considers questioning this warped logic, but then realises her companions include a barehanded swordsman and a chef who is also a small forest, so she bites back her comment. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: And it’s taken care of now?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: I made sure of it! Turns out he was fine all along but still…

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Fine?!

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Yeah, the wound wasn’t as bad as I thought. It looked like it should be life-threatening at first, but there was this steel armour plate in between it and anything vital, and that was barely scratched. Blood loss would have got to be a real bugger if it kept opening up, but that would that would have taken days. Based on the symptoms the real problem was one of those three-hour island fevers.

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: What?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Well, the islands are often cut off from each other, you know? And sometimes things evolve similar but different in different places. Anyway, a lot of isolated islands have a disease like this one. It’s impossible to guard against in advance, but the symptoms are quite distinctive, and it’s really easy to cure. It’s called three-hour fever because if you have a reasonable doctor on hand it’ll be more or less cured by then. Anyway, I gave him stuff for that as well. He’ll be fine when he wakes up.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Marley blinks in suprise, and then immediately interjects ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Hang on.. he got caught in an explosion you know!

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: That explains a lot… No lasting injuries from it though.

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: aside from the dizziness and the dazed act?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Yeah, you get that sometimes right after explosions. Ears ringing and stuff.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Marley’s expression slowly slides into incredulous as they speak ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: You mean to tell us.. that the only reason he fainted… was because of a really simple disease that wasn’t even that big a threat?

<p class="MsoNormal">''Caspian shrugs ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Pretty much. And it wasn’t even that serious a fainting problem. To be honest, I think he’s just a bit of a heavy sleeper.

<p class="MsoNormal">''There is a loud thud as Marley slams his head face first into the table they are sitting at, followed a second later by another as Byrn copies the gesture, and then a third as Livingstone, sensing a trend, also follows suit with a rustle of dislodged leaves. Caspian takes in the three with a confused expression ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Umm..

<p class="MsoNormal">''Jessica smiles somewhat awkwardly ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Well, thanks anyway.

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: No problem… Ah, I mean…

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: So what do we owe you?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Eh? Oh… well… Forget it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Forget it?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: I can’t really ask for a price for something like this. I’m just glad I managed to help somebody at least. Next time I’ll think of something!

<p class="MsoNormal">''And silence falls. After a few minutes, Caspian gets himself a bowl of the soup as well, and starts eating. Eventually the silence starts to get on Jessica’s nerves, so she speaks up. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: So.. where did you come from, Caspian? Or do you travel?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: well….. There’s an island not far up the Grand line, Piper Flats… actually, I guess it’s more a sandbank than an island, but there’s a pretty busy town there. That’s where I’ve been living lately. Or, I was. Everything’s gone horribly wrong.

<p class="MsoNormal">Livingstone: How so?

<p class="MsoNormal">''Caspian slumps slightly and stares into his soup, stirring it absently as he speaks ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: I was sent here with a message of vital importance. But my boat was wrecked by the pirates on the first night. I’m stuck here at least another week while it gets fixed, and in the meantime I don’t even have the slightest chance of delivering this Griff guy’s stupid mail!

<p class="MsoNormal">Livingstone: Who?

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: The mayor. Theydon Griffin. My important letter is supposed to be for him. Figures he’d be the one person on this island to vanish entirely right before I arrive, I guess. Kinda annoying though…

<p class="MsoNormal">''Byrn stares into space for a short while. Then he glances at Marley. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: If we find him for you, does that make us even for helping our captain?

<p class="MsoNormal">''Caspian’s head snaps up in surprise. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: What? Well, sure, that’d make us even, but I’d never expect you to-

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Sounds like us. Never quite what you expect.

<p class="MsoNormal">Livingstone: Hai!

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Hang on… You were saying it wasn’t our problem a few minutes ago, Bernie.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Byrn smiles at this as he looks up. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: It isn’t. Want to mess with it anyway?

<p class="MsoNormal">''Marley responds with a rather wild smile of his own ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Yeah!

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Well…. Thanks guys. But… surely if it was that easy to find him, somebody would have already.. What are you planning to do?

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: To paraphrase a friend of mine, first we find the bits that talk. Then we figure out what they’re saying. We’ve got three days to figure it out.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Caspian tilts his head curiously. Livingstone glances questioningly at Jessica, who frowns and covers her eyes with one hand. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: what does that mean exactly?

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: …. No idea, but since that sounds like something Dimitri would say, I’m guessing…. You’re planning on…. umm….

<p class="MsoNormal">''Marley seems to struggle for a long while to come up with a clear explanation. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Ah! You intend to find all the things on this island that don’t add up! And then add them up!

<p class="MsoNormal">''Livingstone hesitates, glancing around the group, and then slams his head into the table again. Caspian nods at him drily.''

<p class="MsoNormal">Caspian: Yeah, I’m with him.

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Put it this way. If we assume everything’s connected somehow… we know the pirates probably didn’t kidnap the mayor, so who did? Who stands to gain? Finding that out would be the first step.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: That’s true. Of course, there could be a hundred people in this town that can try to exploit his absence. It’d take a while just to ask around.

<p class="MsoNormal">''A tall complex clock resting against one wall starts to chime. Byrn glances at it, noting the time it indicates, and stands. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Then we’d best get some sleep. At this rate it’ll be a busy three days.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Despite this suggestion, none of the pirates really sleep. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Marley is awake long into the night, miming the same sequences of footwork and gestures over and over again, muttering to himself as he tries to recall details. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: And then he did this. and that’s when he lunged. Loads of power behind the attack, but it was wide open if you can avoid it. There’s gotta be a weakness somewhere…

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">''Byrn keeps waking up and glancing out the window, feeling uneasy but not sure why. Eventually he waits with his gun in hand to see what happens, only to find nothing out of the ordinary does, and he eventually falls asleep again. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''

''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Livingstone, after several failed attempts to sleep in the bed, eventually covers the wooden floor with as much soil and loose plants as he can grow at such short notice, and tries, more successfully, to sleep on the result. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''

''

<p class="MsoNormal">''And Jessica wakes up at what must be one of the earliest hours of the morning, and gets up, unable to sleep, simply to find her thoughts turning to the dried purple apple core which still sits accusingly in her bag. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Enough is enough. I have to know what it’s done to me.

<p class="MsoNormal">''She is already well aware that her body hasn’t changed passively as a result of eating the fruit. So instead she tries to imagine how one would go about transforming, if that is her power. She then tries to direct her attention at various things in the room, and then, with some inspiration, closes her eyes and concentrates on her hands. This time, after a delay, something actually happens. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''There is a faint hiss and click, much like metal sliding and locking into place, and she realises her hands feel slightly different. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Did it work?

<p class="MsoNormal">'' She opens her eyes. To her alarm, while her power has indeed activated as intended, all this has resulted in is her fingers becoming slender nails of gold metal. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: What?!

<p class="MsoNormal">''She shakes her hands a few times, and after a while manages to get them to return to normal. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: It’s given me… claws. I’m a… claw-girl?

<p class="MsoNormal">''That doesn’t sound right, somehow. She transforms one of her hands again, and takes a practice swipe. For a fraction of a second there is more drag than she expected, and when this finally gives way the tips of the claws leave odd contrails in their wake as the whisper through the air. Clearly, she concludes, the power is more complex than she realises. Nevertheless, she cannot help but smile at finally making a start at using her fruit, even aside from the shear ridiculousness of it giving her a weapon she has no experience with. It is with a smile on her face at this discovery that she eventually goes back to sleep. ''