Cluny strode into the throne room, Liassa moving out from the doorway to join him by the side of the throne. Rjinns was already there, a wedge of designs lodged under his arm.

Cluny sat down, turning his attention to Ed.

"Are you ready to see your reward, then?"

Ed bowed, "Of course, my lord."

His movement was stiff. After the "Come Closer" gag, he wasn't taking any more chances.

Cluny smiled, and gestured towards the window. "Look out of there. Then you'll see..."

Ed walked to the window, looking out, "I only see Figaro, sir."

Cluny smiled again. "Look towards our destination."

He gestured towards the land emerging out of the clouds. It was Balamb.

Ed blinked, "Balamb... y-you don't mean..."

"Of course. Not today, but soon... Balamb will be under Shadow Clan control. And we will need someone to control it."

Ed was silent for a fairly long time, "M-my lord...." (I could rebuild my family's reputation...)

Cluny stared out of the window, preoccupied with his thoughts.

"...What? Oh, yes. You may go - we will need to assemble an invading force. Recruit any Shadow Clan members you can find. The Black Mage's armies will be moving out soon."

Ed bowed, "Yes my lord...."
He swept from the room, (I have just such the fellows...)

~Elsewhere, in the barracks place thingy...~

A cloud of smoke appeared in the corner of the room, and a young female human stepped out from behind it, coughing and sputtering the whole time.

"Gah...I really need to get a better form of transportation."

With that said, Vanna went over to a crate of weapons and grabbed a small knightsword. Then, making sure nothing breakable was in the way, she started practicing her swing.

Liassa stepped out from behind the pile of crates, her rapier drawn.

"Excuse me, I don't think we've met. And you are...?"

Ed was on deck, mulling out his options as he danced rapier-handed around the empty area, parraying at invisible tacks and thrusting at invisible enemies. His activity ceased as a large shadow swept over him quickly. He saw a tiny airship streak by, but, more importantly, saw to people fall to the deck.

"Charlemagne." he said to one, a Bangaa who was his personal bodyguard, "Who is with you."
The purple haired human stood up, pushing his long hair back over his shoulder as he glared at Ed, "They call me Ekcol LeCruset."
PAnic crossed Ed's face, "Charlemagne, kill this man!"

Another smaller ship flew by and a black Moogle dropped in behind Ed and sneaked away into a barrel without beeing seen (except for maybe Ekcol)

Vanna stumbled and dropped her weapon as Liassa spoke. It seemed that she wasn't aware of anyone else being down here.

"Oh, um...hello. I'm one of the Shadow Clan's newest members. My name is Vanna."

Liassa was about to reply when suddenly a strange noise flooded into the room. She instantly spun round, and gestured to Vanna to follow her.

"The alarms are going off - something's not right. Follow me."

-------------------------------------------

Moomba stepped out of the shadows and smashed the barrel to pieces, revealing the small moogle. A cruel smile rippled across his face as he drew his dagger and slashed downwards.

Scratch was only a second behind him, and a grin shot over his face as well. This Smile energised Moomba, as he brought his fist down as well to smash into the small creature.

From behind Ed the door to the deck opened, and Tetran stepped out. He drew his partisan, and focused on the purple-haired man. Suddenly his arm shot out, and an Air Render flew towards the figure.

Without another word, the paladin followed behind Liassa.

Ekcol flipped over the nigh-invisible attack, using Carlemagne's out-thrust spear as a springboard to fling himself at Ed, knives in each hand, "YOU TRAITOR!"

Ekcol's suprisingly fast assault passed Ed's defenses, leaving a long, thin cut along Ed's high cheekbones, the deep red blood a stark and macabre contrast to his bleached-white visage.

"I had no choice! I swore an oath!"

Tetran instantly stepped forwards, slashing out at Eckol with enough precision to miss Ed. A figure cloaked in shadows appeared in the doorway behind him. He moved his hands in a calm yet disciplined manner, and a powerful Air spell shot towards Eckol.

Liassa sprinted out of the doorway at the other end of the deck, the feathers on her tunic beginning to stand upright and her rapier drawn.

Vanna stepped out of the doorway, watched who Tetran was attacking, and knew her target. She then drew her own knightsword, charged at Ekcol, and infused her blade with a white energy before swiping at him.

The combination of attacks brought Ekcol to his knees, and Charlemagne raised partisan for a final blow.

"Hold." Ed said, pointing his own rapier at Ekcol, "I'm going to enjoy this myself, Charlemagne. Take him to the brig, and put him in the cell beside his brother."

"One moment." Rjinns Wande stepped out from the shadows, his gloved hands holding what appeared at first to be some kind of relic, but which soon changed shape - magic flowed through the object, surging with energy. He walked over to Eckol and dropped it onto him, and immediately the strange object turned to a liquid that ran over his body, solidifying as it went. It enveloped his body, stopping only at his neck. Rjinns tapped the casing. It was cold to the touch.

He straightened up. "That should hold him. You may take him away now."

As the bangaa lifted and took the cocooned Ekcol away, Ed pressed a white kerchief to his wound, "This day keeps getting better and better."

Liassa listened to Rjinns and Ed's conversation, yet she couldn't help feel that something was wrong. Glancing to her right, she noticed that the two moogle Jugglers had appeared to have cornered something. She called out to them.

"Scratch! Moomba! What are you doing?"

Tetran ignored the strange behaviour of the moogles, and returned the way he had come. A moment later, Rjinns followed him.

Ed remained on deck, sipping a potion to close the seeping wound neatly, (I'd better just keep an eye on this...)

Liassa started walking slowly towards the moogles, confusion showing in her expression... then she noticed the figure that they were trying to pin against the wall.

Unfortunately for the figure, they were using knives instead of pins.

Vanna sheathed her sword and looked in the figure's general direction.

"...?"

Shadow rolled backwards and jumpped away form the other blow and jumpped over them both and landed safely away. "Catch me if you can suckers" Shadow said and fired 3 rounds blindly behind him and ran down to the lower decks.

Ed sighed, "Shadow..."

He followed at a leisurely walk, "He won't escape."

Moomba grinned as he smashed the bullets out of the air. He and Scratch both straightened up, then Smiled at each other.

In an instant they were chasing the moogle, Smiling at each other over and over and moving fast enough that they were a blur. They were right behind him when Scratch leapt onto Moomba's shoulders and fired at their prey. As he did this, Moomba brought out one of his Rings and aimed it at the same target.

Liassa's tunic shone suddenly, magic coursing through the feathers embroidered into it. Her legs left the deck, and she glided swiftly after the intruder.

Shadow saw the two comming and turned a corner just as they released their attacks. Shadow watched as the two went straight for the wall as he turned another corner and down a flight of steps.

Shadow was right - the brothers were headed straight for the wall. But they kept smiling.

Moomba leapt a second before the collision, slammed his legs into the wall and with a powerful kick launched the pair back towards Shadow. They were getting close to their prey now... Moomba suddenly reached onto his back and threw Scratch at their prey, as he pulled out two daggers. The tiny moogle was headed straight for his target.

Liassa spotted the moogles down below, and swept downwards towards the combat.

Ed followed along Shadow's true path, "I am an expert Tracker, Shadow. By no means will you escape me."

Shadow stopped for a moment at a four-way hall way and ducked Scratch and ran along the left hallway and into the cargo hold. "(o-O)hmm need a place to hide" Shadow said and found a large crate in the back of the cargo hold and got into it before his followers show up.

Ed pauzed in the doorway, sniffing, (Lost him... but he can't escape).

Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted, "CHARLEMAGNE!"
"Right here, massster."

The two moogles strolled into the cargo hold, but their casual attitude was betrayed by the daggers, clutched tight in their hands. They Smiled at each other once more, and at an amazing speed began to decimate the small pile of empty crates that lay before them. Moomba's eyes widened with pleasure as he came to the last one.

"Got you."

Shadow had sneaked out of the crate during the carnage and had hidden himself in the rafters. "Oh.... you think don't you" He thought to himself.

Charlemagne was put beside the doorway.
"Nobody comes in or out of this room without an SC badge, got it?"
"Yess sssir."
Ed smiled and walked away.

"Yes... I do think that we have you now..." snarled Moomba, his face suddenly a hideous, contorted expression of rage. He smashed the crate with one blow from his hand, then turned to scream at the figure above him.

"You can't get away that easily!"

Scratch giggled to himself as he shut the only window to the room, and casually aimed his rifle. This would be fun.

Charlemagne turned around to face inside, "Huh?"