Ha-ha! This is my story, and I don't have to put anything up here if I don't wanna! (smiles evilly)

…

…Aw, dammit.

- - -DEADLY SINS- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 9

Generosity

The two teens stared, mouth agape at the man who had previously been sheltering his face behind the metal mask.

His facial properties were rather handsome, once you noticed that he was probably in his late fifties. His hair color was a light white and the same shade was his whiskery chin; a small mustache sheltered beneath his thin yet long nose.

Jay and Senel locked with his deep, calm eyes that reflected the same color as the sky on a cloudless day. A deep, electric blue.

The look of the older man was much more trusting than it had been whilst covered with the mask decorated with black and red stripes that spread all around the sides and front.

It looked a lot like a masquerade mask, minus the handle and delicate feathers, of course.

Senel removed his gaze from Rath, or who they would probably now be referring to as 'Raphael'. He tried to stop the awkward silence and block it from his confused mind by staring at his bare toes, head hung low.

"Why," Jay began, his voice showing an inkling of confusion that seemed to be intended hidden. "Why are you telling us this? You're true identity?"

Raphael laughed a bit. Though his laugh was not the type forced up the two by their enemies Cashel, Solon and Vaclav.

No. This laugh was more of a reassuring one, not mocking…

"You misunderstand. I have no intention to harm you two, only help"

Blinking and raising an eyebrow, Jay shook his head slightly. "Help us? You're our enemy! You're working with Vaclav!"

"No." Raphael began. His tone was relaxed along with his face. "Not 'working' for him. I'm only slightly aiding him until the time is right."

Senel looked up from his freezing toes. "Well, then can you at least tell us why you were wearing a mask?" he asked while looking Raphael strait in the eyes. When the older man didn't respond and merely directed his gaze to the stone wall to the left of Senel's cell, Jay jumped upon the theory that flashed in his mind.

"It's obviously like all the other ones." snickered Jay, kneading his clenched fist into his knee. "You're a wanted criminal, aren't you?"

Raphael paused, then sighed with a much defeated air about him. "Yes, I am."

Jay continued. "Then what was you're crime?"

Raphael closed his eyes and rested his head upon his hand, propping his elbow onto his knee. A few seconds passed until he opened them again, obviously choosing his wording carefully.

"Let's just say, Vaclav and I have met before. He and I both have different ideals, which drove him to pursuing me."

Senel tightened his grip on the stale bread he had taken only a moment ago. Crumbs fell off and onto the floor as his fingernails dug into the substance, landing onto his black and white waist-cape and grey shorts. He shivered slightly as a cold chill ran up his spine, wishing Cashel had had the decency to at the very least give him back his shirt. Torturing him with knifes was one thing, but sending him into a cold dungeon half-naked was another.

Or was it just another form of torture..?

"So," he began, forgetting the part of his brain that refused to stop with the nagging. "You're wanted by Vaclav, but you didn't actually commit any crimes?"

When Raphael nodded Senel continued. "Are you just wanted in Cruzand, then?"

Instead of the older man, Jay took the opportunity to show his smarts and answered himself.

"Senel, he said that he and Vaclav were at different understandings. If this feud happened back when Vaclav was the obvious ruler of Cruzand…" He paused and looked upon Raphael for reference.

"Yes, it did. Back just before the battle between Gidoria and Cruzand began."

"Then Vaclav was holding all the cards at the time. All he really had to do was order his troops to be on the lookout of every country. Correct?"

Moving his hand that had before supported his head and placing it upon the stone floor, Raphael nodded. "That's exactly it. You're a rather smart boy, you know?"

Jay chuckled, the compliment being old news to him.
"But that just leaves one question unanswered. What did you do?"

The air became thick with an awkward silence again when Raphael failed to answer the question. Again, the two teens waited anxiously, only to hear the sounds of snapping flames from the torches.

Before he did speak up, the swordsman cleared his throat and shifted positions a bit. "That's…something I can't say to you at the time."

Both Jay and Senel were shocked. Senel inquired with a, "What!? Why?" as Jay sat waiting for an explanation.

"Right now, I'm in danger enough just revealing to you my true identity. If I were to tell you any more details, we could all be in trouble."

Senel's breath released rather heavily, a sheer sign of doubt. "And are you even planning to let us know this information?"

A reassuring smile spread across Raphael's face. "Yes, that I can promise you."

Jay took a nervous nibble of the bread in his hand. He had to force himself not to gag on the awful and old taste it possessed.

It was disgusting, but the only source of nutrition he would probably be getting for a while…

Senel did the same with his food, only lacked the will to hide the grimace that spread across his face as the stale piece slid down his dry throat.

He coughed a bit before muttering something under his breath that Jay was sure would have gotten looks from if they were in public.

"Also," Raphael began, causing Senel and Jay to look away from their doings and back upon him. "I'm said I would tell you what was going on. But, do you want to know?"

Senel almost dropped his bread upon hearing this spoken. He nearly yelped out an, "Uh, duh!" but stopped himself.
"Yes! What we need to know now is what Vaclav and the others are planning!"
"And why exactly do they need up for this plan of their's?" Jay plugged in.

Raphael continued. "I'm not one hundred percent sure of this, but I have a vague idea what their planning…" he paused for a second, looking down upon the floor. "But first, I think it would be best to tell you where exactly you are."

Jay nodded, slightly annoyed how the man neglected to answer the question. "That would be nice. It seems wherever we are, we're well hidden from the city."

Senel spoke up then. "Are we even still on the Legacy!? We can't be on the mainland already!"

"The Legacy…" Raphael tilted his head to look upon the ceiling and shy away from the two's eager looks. "Well, I guess you could say we're on the Legacy…"
He sighed again. "No…no. Not on the Legacy. But we are within range."

Senel and Jay blinked with confusion. Not on the Legacy? But there was no way Solon and Cashel could have taken them to the mainland so quickly…

Unless…

"Are…" Senel swallowed slightly, not of fear, but of nervousness from the following answer. "Are we on another ship?"

Jay looked shocked at the question. That had to be it, he thought to himself. He looked back at Raphael (previously snapping his head to the left where Senel was.)

"That's right." Senel grinned slightly, feeling ever-so smart at coming to the correct conclusion before Jay. Raphael didn't hesitate to explain the situation, much to the two's relief. "Right now, we are residing in a large battle ship. The same kind used when the war between Gidoria and Cruzand raged."

"A war ship, huh?" Jay picked nervously at his bread. "And is it moving?"

"No. At least, not yet it isn't." replied Raphael. "I'm pretty sure why their waiting, and it shouldn’t be much longer until they dock.

Senel clenched one hand on the iron bars in front of him, while Jay ripped off a piece of his bread and nibbled upon in.

When the swordsman saw that neither teen would ask the question he was sure was upon their minds, he continued. "Are either of you aware why exactly Vaclav chose to use a ship?"

"It's durably built. If there were to be an attack, it wouldn't sink as easily as any other ship. But why would anyone--" Jay instantly dropped his stale bread mid-sentence; his brain had already responded before Raphael could. "Y-you don't mean…!?"

The older man nodded. "Yes, it's true. It happened just the other day."

Jay sat back, a look of horror spread across his pale face. Senel, on the other hand, was unaware of why Jay had gone so quiet. Jay, what's happened?"

Jay shook his head before responding. A few loose strands of ebony hair fell over his face. "A war's begun…But," he looked back up. His eyes locked with Raphael's. "But with which countries?"

"Vaclav ordered Cruzand to attack Rexalia. They were small towns, but Rexalia was the one to order the war to begin."

Senel gasped. "Rexalia!?" His hand tightened so hard on the bars in front of him, his knuckles began to turn a sickening white. "But why? Isn't there any other way? Why a war?"

"Cruzand wound up killing a large amount of people after those attacks. It would be disgusting if Rexalia didn't do something to stop it…"

Senel loosened his grip a bit. "Yeah…yeah, you're right." He hung his head low feeling the pain of uselessness rush into him. It had happened before, a war, but not on the mainland. On the Legacy.

"Why would Vaclav attack a country for no reason?" Senel found himself asking aloud.
"There was a reason." informed Raphael. He looked concerdly upon the white-haired boy, a warm light flickering in his eyes. "Vaclav want's to build up his forces. I'm sure that if Cruzand is to win this war, Vaclav will want the army of Rexalia, therefore making it that much easier to take control of the next country."

"So it's just another plan to rule the world. How cliché." Jay exhaled a slight laugh, stiffened by his visible terror. "How would Cruzand win, though? Isn't Rexalia the most powerful kingdom in the world?"

Raphael shook his head, his white hair flowing with the movements. "I'm not so sure. I haven't actually seen this army of Vaclav's, but there's a chance. We're all aware that Vaclav, Cashel, Melanie and Solon were supposedly dead. We don't know what other tricks they have up their sleeves."

Anther question flew into Jay's thoughts; he jumped at it. "Ah, Melanie! We heard about her. Vaclav said he would contact her; what exactly did you mean!?"

"Right now Melanie is on the mainland. She's currently leading the armies that had attacked the cities, and no doubt she'll be the one to lead the armies until Vaclav can get there." answered Raphael.

Jay nodded understandingly. "That makes sense…"

Still taking in all the information, Senel shook his head slightly. It was hard to believe what was happening now. Cruzand was attacking parts of Rexalia, all the supposed Terrors were alive, they were on a war sub that would probably soon be heading to the mainland (and why?), and he was still unaware why Vaclav had attacked Werites Beacon to capture himself. And more importantly, Jay…

He voiced the question, expecting an honest answer. Unfortunately, that wasn't even close to what he got.

"I only know this: Jay," he looked at the black-haired youth who looked back at him wide-eyed. "You posses something that is to open the catacombs to a place that hides a powerful item. While Senel," He looked back at Senel. "You are the only one who can use this 'item'."

His heart beating fast and chest inflating and then deflating slightly, he stiffened. "I don't know anything about that. I…we…" Senel struggled to find the right words. "Both of us are being interrogated, and we don't have any damn idea what's going on! Are we suppose to just let all this happen and die here from torture while the other's have no idea where we are!?"

Senel rested his head upon the iron bars. He squeezed his eyes tightly together, feeling tears of rage and fear begin to form within them.

Leaning forward, Raphael took the younger boy's chin within his hand. "Don’t worry about that. I'm going to make sure you don’t die here." He rose Senel's head up to where he could look him directly in the eyes. Humiliation filled Senel when he was sure the man could see his eyes red and damp.

A strange feeling shot through him seeing the deep, reassurance in Raphael's eyes.

Blinking his eyes repeatedly, Senel could swear he had seen those eyes somewhere before…

Raphael released Senel's chin, bringing the boy out of his thought, took the dirty plate in his hand, and stood. His heavy armor made a few noises as it clinked against the other pieces.

"That's all the basic information I have. Everything else will have to wait until Vaclav makes another move." He walked over to the mask he had taken off and bent down to pick it up with his free hand. When he was upright again, he made his way to the end of the hall towards the chamber exit.

"Wait, you never told us where this submarine is going!" Jay called through the bars he gripped with both hands. His palms were so sweaty, it was rather difficult to hold the poles in one solid place.

Raphael stopped in his place a few feet away from where the end of Senel's confinement connected to the stone walls.

"That's another think I'm not sure about. But I have a good theory that it's headed to a country in far East of the world." He placed the mask he had picked up off the ground back onto his tanned face, thus shielding his eyes from Senel and Jay once again.

"And what country is that?" Senel inquired. His head was once again hung low and both hands wrapped around his prison identically to Jay.

Studying the torch that stood a few feet away from him, Raphael paused. Both of the boys had begun to grow tired of his dramatic build-ups. It seemed a tad too overused by the swordsman, especially during times when they desperately needed information…

His head turned back to it's previous direction. "Well, it's--"

BANG

The chamber door swung open so suddenly, everyone in the room jumped. Senel's head snapped up towards the area where Raphael was standing. Jay clutched the bars of his cell tighter in anticipation.

Raphael stiffened into a more orderly appearance as he noticed it was Cashel who had entered the dungeon.

"Rath. Come with me. The Commander has ordered everyone to meet in the upper room."

Cashel's eyes surveyed the much more muscular man for a few seconds. They were narrow as he made a noise that resembled deep thought in the back of his throat.

"We need to go now."

"Right." Raphael, or perhaps 'Rath', gave a small nod, then followed slowly after Cashel who had begun to leave just as soon as he had appeared.

"I wouldn't get too attached to those two, Rath." Cashel stated whilst peering over his armored shoulder at the other man. "You never know when they'll be done away with."

A sick chuckle could be heard in his voice at the end of his sentence; a chuckle that made the teens of the room grimace with disgust and anger.

"I have no intention of 'getting attached.'" Rath shot back almost instantly.

"Good." Cashel pulled open the door for the two to leave, and they were soon gone from the disastrous dwellings of Senel and Jay…

Silence crept through the area. The only noises that could be heard were the flickering flames and the voices of Rath and Cashel slowly dissolving behind the walls.

Senel slid his hands down the poles, all the way to the bottom until finally letting go and resting in a more relaxed state on his knees.

Another war…with Rexalia and Cruzand. The news was still fresh with agony, almost hard to believe.

Senel couldn’t help but think in a small part of his mind that the information Raphael handed to them was wrong. How could they have know, anyway? They were imprisoned on what they were told, some sort of battle sub.

He sighed to try and let the ideas go just as a large bolt rocked him back and forth on his knees.

It shook so terribly that Senel fell backwards onto the stone floor as tormenting screeching noises enveloped the area. He pushed himself up onto his elbows as soon as the sounds had died down a little.

"What the hell is that!?" he called to Jay while struggling to keep from panicking as he noticed the floor had begun rocking back and forth.

Jay was having just as much trouble keeping his balance while on his hands and knees. "Raphael did say this was a sort of boat. We must be setting sail now…"

Senel gritted his teeth as the large ship made a moaning-like sound just before it began to stop it's rocking. He fell back into his lying position on the floor; he waited for his startled heart to slow it's beating down before turning his head to the left (the direction of Jay's cell.)

"Jay…"

"Y-yeah?" His voice sounded shaky, obviously from shock of what had just happened.

"We have to find a way out of this place."

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

Shifting his head back to look upon the ceiling, Senel closed his eyes. "I'm still working on it…"

- - -

"I see…and how many soldiers do you suspect they will be sending?"
"Mostly around a thousand. Their response to the attacks was more direct than we thought."

"Hmm…"

Vaclav put a gloved hand to stroke his chin. The screen in front of him depicted the familiar image of Melanie the Crimson. From the background where she stood, it could be confirmed that she was in a dark place; most likely large tent. A few lights were flickering behind her, making her armor shimmer.

"Commander, perhaps it would be a good idea to attack the capital instead of the smaller towns first." Cashel recommended. He stood across the room near a large control panel that blinked with multi-color lights and buttons; Solon and Rath stood at his sides. A few soldiers in red were also in the large control room as well.

"No." stated Vaclav quickly. "Our intention is to get to the root of all the underground soldiers. If we attack the capital of Rexalia, we will have taken out the main opponents." He lowered his hand from his chin and crossed his arms. "We need to take control of all the towns of the country first, that way there will be no civilians rebelling against us when we do get our hands on the capital."

He turned his attention back to Melanie on the small screen. "After dealing with all the towns of Rexalia, do what you can with the capital. We have to make sure they surrender their country and army as soon as possible."

Melanie nodded. "Yes sir, Commander!" And with that, a few beams of static rolled across the screen just before she vanished and it turned a solid black.

Vaclav turned his attention away from the blank screen and back to his soldiers.

"The ship has just docked out from it's hidden location in the mountains of the Legacy. Soon, within a matters of months, we will be at our destination."
He looked directly at Cashel after the statement. "You Cashel, " he pointed at the masked man. "you're job will continue to be interrogating the Alliance Marine. We need to get that information from him before this ship docks again."

Cashel placed his hand to his shoulder in the form of a salute. "Yes, sir."

Vaclav then pointed to Solon. "And you do the same with you're former apprentice."

An evil grin spread across Solon's twisted face. "It will be my pleasure…" With only a few seconds, many ideas had filled his psychotic head with ways of torturing the Unseen.

"And you, Rath." Instead of pointing, Vaclav gave a look of uncertain trust and suspicion to the newest soldier. "You make sure those boys stay alive before we reach the mainland."

Rath did nothing but stood in place; absolutely rooted to the ground, not moving, slightly resembling a statue.

The other soldier of lower status said nothing. Vaclav turned to them. "The rest of you know you're job. Make sure this ship doesn't slow down. Keep it moving as fast as you can!"

All the inferior soldiers gave a "Yes, sir." and then left the room to do their job, leaving the four men to their thoughts and planning in the large, control room.

"Commander, permission to ask you something?" Cashel asked, a slight ping of nervousness in his cold voice.

Vaclav's face expressed nothing as he turned to the Phantom. "Yes, what?"

Stiffening, Cashel continued. "Where exactly is this ship headed?"

An uncommon grin graced Vaclav's face at these words. Without answering at once, he turned his back to the other three. He crossed his arms while staring at the large screen that Melanie had been depicted on a moment ago.

"We're going to the country far across the ocean. To the country where nearly no one on this world is even aware of." He chuckled menacingly. "Where the most ancient and powerful weapon lies."

Cashel blinked. Solon looked tremendously interested, even more upon hearing the word 'weapon'. Though Rath did nothing, only listened with eagerness.

The smile on Vaclav's face slowly left. "To the smallest county; even smaller than the Legacy. To the country of Caisland."

- - -TO BE CONTINUED- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Duh! Duh! Duuuuuuuum!XD

Allright! Now this fan fiction is getting interesting, no?

Yeah, I didn't bother to spell check this. You can fill in the blanks of those typos, cantcha?

Reviews are appreciated, BTW!! -blows kiss-

SONG OF MOTIVATION:

Lonely Day - System of a Down (S.O.A.D)