Chapter 5: Know When to Walk Away, Know When to Swim ---------------------------------------------------- "Ungggh! These rocks are heavy," thought Butz as he continued with the arduous process of clearing an entrance to the castle. Cyan had told him of some treasures in the castle which might prove useful. "Hope it's worth all this effort, eh Boco?" he commented to the chocobo. The chocobo apparently did not hear him as it pushed away the rocks with its beak. "This ought to be large enough... at least for me," Butz said as he finally cleared what looked to be a sufficient entrance. With a little effort and a world of cuts and nicks, Butz squeezed himself through the hole. "Hand me the torch, Boco!" Butz called back, only to recieve it face-first through the hole. "Damned bird knows me too well." Butz slowly searched his tunic for his tinder box. In a scant few moments the torch was lit and Butz made his way down the hall. He was surprised, more than relieved, at the relative lack of damage to the castle. Still he had little time to assess the level of damage. In his flight down the corridor he passed the corpses of a few guardsmen wishing that he could do something, but presently he owed his allegiance to the living. Eventually he reached the throne room. Cyan had told him to search behind the throne for a secret lever. Upon searching he saw that the level was as secreted as freshly peeled onions. Still it would save him time, so he pulled on the oh so conspicuous lever. He failed to remember Cyan saying, "And whatever you do, don't pull the obvious one!" The click that followed unnerved him to no end, but he managed to duck anyway. Nothing occured after a few minutes, so he assumed that the trap mechanism must have been damaged by the assault. Butz continued looking, but found nothing. He tried to remember what Cyan's words were, but they slipped his mind. He kicked the throne over in frustration, but instead of falling it bent over, revealing a small cache beneath it. Butz, deliriously happy with this development, went down without hesitation. Within the confines of Doma's treasure troves were swords. Big ones, little ones, imported ones, and others Butz had never concieved of. He gazed at them longingly, but one stood out in his eyes. "Ragnarok," he quietly intoned, not even wondering how it got here. He unsheathed the blade, and allowed its crimson radiance to flood the room. The light allowed him to see another room nearby which housed other weapons as well as a horde of gemstones. Butz began the long daunting task of gathering with the zeal of a boy alone in a candy store. "So, have you comepleted the assessment, Osric?" Cyan asked. "Yes, my liege. 87 men, 112 women, and 61 children, for a total of 260 people. Unfortunately, many are not travel-worthy," Osric answered. "Hmm, what about a ship? Have any of the runners found a seaworthy vessel?" Cyan asked again with knowledge that the answer would likely be no. Osric looked down. "I am afraid that all of our vessels were destroyed by the Light, sire." Cyan thought for a moment. "What of the Nautilus? Was that counted amongst the damaged?" Osric looked surprised. "The Nautilus, sir? That was decomissioned years ago. It is certainly in no state to travel the ocean, much less carry the people of Doma to safety." "But was it damaged? My last recollection places it in the castle's underground waterway. Since the castle suffered the least damage, I can only hope that the Nautilus is intact." Osric replied, "I'll have my people look, sire." "See that you do," Cyan answered. But even if the Nautilus was in one piece, Cyan had no idea about what to do with it. Doma had no skilled engineers. Cyan could only hope that somehow it still functioned. The runners returned soon and gave their report. "The Nautilus is intact, though we dare not approach it for fear of worsening its condition" they answered. "Alright, dismissed," Osric ordered. "What shall we do now, sire?" Cyan thought for a moment - then, "Ahhh! Monster!" screamed a group gathering food. "It came from the castle entrance!" Osric called out. "Hurry, lads, pick up a weapon and follow me," Cyan ordered as he ran and drew his sword. It stood before him. It was as tall as a man, but clearly alien in nature. Sharp metal blades jutted from every point of its body. It wielded wicked spears in each hand. Cyan approached it slowly and then said, "Butz... is that you?" "You've got a nice collection down there. I couldn't bear leaving anything behind," Butz responded. He was decked out with what seemed to be everything in the treasure room. Bandoliers of throwing knives and shuriken circled his calves, thighs, waist, wrists, biceps, and torso. Tied to his waist were Ragnarok, Strato, a matching wakizashi, and a chain whip. In his backpack were the other swords, axes, hammers, and maces. He held a pair of flying dragon spears in his hands. "Be careful not to impale yourself," Cyan said with a slight smirk. "Boco's getting the rest," said Butz as he pointed to the chocobo. Boco huffed, puffed, and panted as he dragged a huge sack the size of three chocobos. Each time he stopped to rest a few jewels fell from the bag. "You didn't have to take all of it," Cyan said to Butz. Butz replied, "I didn't. This is barely a quarter. Most of the stuff is still in the other room." "What other room? Oh, forget it. We have other pressing matters." Cyan, Butz, and Osric headed for the Nautilus. Its steel hull was unmarred by rust, but time had done damage to other components. "Where'd this come from?" Butz asked as he went down the length of the ship. Osric answered, "This vessel was found shortly after the great war. We, not being a nation of engineers, have only learned how to use the most basic functions. Mainly its engine which runs on steam power. Unfortunately, the engine broke eventually, and we have since been unable to use it." Butz contemplated for a while. "I'm no engineer, nor will the wind carry this vessel very far considering its metallic hull -" "So what is the point of being here?" Osric interrupted. Cyan raised his hand. "Let the boy finish, Osric." Clearing his throat, Butz continued, "But those are not the only ways to move a ship across the waves. Let's have the thing moved outdoors. I wish to try something." It took some time, but the great vessel was eventually brought to the harbor. Butz sat down and hoped that this would work. "Syldra, great dragon of the ocean, I bid thee come and aid me as you would your dead mistress." Nothing happened... wait, was that a fin? Great Syldra raised its head from the waters, flooding the docks. The silver serpent's size rivaled even that of mighty Leviathan's. The people of Doma ran from the creature knowing surely that the end had come. Cyan and Osric drew their weapons to fight the titan. "Wait!" Butz cried out. The king and his vassal looked at Butz with befuddlement. "This is how the Nautilus will once again rule the seas!" Butz stated proudly.