"If you don't back up I'm gonna knock you out, I'm serious," Simon menaced. He stood blocking the doorway to the bridge of the ship where the cockpit was, confronted by a elven man from Ad Limosa.

"Come on man, just let us in," the man begged. "There's no room back here, and I can see-" the man poked his head up past Simon's shoulders- "that you've got plenty of room up there."

"Plenty of room," Simon nodded, "and also plenty of equipment up here that we can't let you all touch."

"We won't! Better idea: just let me up there, and I promise I won't touch anything. Please man, it's so crowded back here, there's nowhere for anyone to go."

Simon looked past the man, at the crowd of nearly two hundred people that were amassing within the main room of the Zailiens. They were packed together like sardines, constantly bumping shoulder-to-shoulder with each other, and more continued to pile in from outside. Simon quickly glanced behind himself, where the cube of black water was now visible from where the Zailiens was parked in the center of town.

"Listen, how many more people are outside?" Simon quickly asked the man.

"I don't know, there's no room for me to get out there and find out."

"Can you find someone who was out there recently?"

"If you let me up there."

Simon stared the man down, and he didn't budge. "Nevermind, I'll do it myself. Cetus! Don't let anyone in the cockpit."

"Understood," Cetus replied.

Simon pushed the man backwards, ensured the door closed behind him, and proceeded to approach the crowd of people.

"Let me through," Simon shouted over the general clamor.

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" a voice shouted back. "There's nowhere to go!"

"Nevermind..." Simon sighed.

Simon casts Shadow Form

Simon walked straight through the crowd of people, not a little upset by his waste of a spell, and out the door. To his surprise, a long line of people stretched out into the town center, and as Simon continued down the stairs, he was surprised to see his three friends- and one unexpected visitor, a large Yeumux man- standing at the base of the stairs.

"Simon!" Mina shouted. "What are you doing out here?"

"I came to see how many we still have left to go," Simon answered, "because that wall of water is getting really damn close."

"We only have around five minutes before it reaches us," Dianna replied grimly, "and there's at lest thirty more people outside."

"I don't think we're gonna have enough room," Simon pondered, "the inside is already pretty packed."

"W-what do we do, then?" Mina asked fearfully.

"Maybe we cut our losses?" Dianna mumbled, quietly enough that no-one besides Lawrence, who stood next to her, could hear.

"Have we filled every nook and cranny of the ship?" Mina asked.

"Yep," Simon replied. "Main deck, storage, even the bedrooms. Now people are asking to come into the helm, and I'm worried about letting them up there but we might have no choice."

"Definitely not," Dianna said sharply.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Why the hell not?" the guard captain asked indignantly. "We need to use all the space we've got!"

"You haven't been up there," Dianna replied, "but it's a machine nightmare up there. Can't have just anyone up there. They might fiddle with the sensitive machinery up there."

"Yeah?" the guard captain crossed both his sets of arms. "You've got no proof they will. Kids, sure, but the adults will probably know better."

A powerful rumble shook the surroundings as the Zailiens began to lift into the air, before setting back down. A panic set in among those still outside, while a look of pure fury crossed Simon's face.

"There's your proof," Dianna said with a smug smile.

"SON OF A BITCH!!!" Simon sprinted back into the Zailiens, his Shadow Form maintained through the conversation.

Simon nearly kicked down the door to the helm, were it not for Cetus opening it right as he wound up his leg. Simon charged into the helm to see the elf he'd been arguing with earlier, sitting in the cockpit and very much not keeping his hands to himself.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Simon shouted as he grabbed the man by the collar and hoisted him out of the cockpit.

Strength Check: 18

Simon passes.

Simon lifted the man up over his head, and threw him down onto the ground.

"Explain yourself, now."

"Well, I asked Cetus to let me in, and she did," the man answered, apparently completely unconvinced what he'd done was a bad thing.

Simon put his head in his hands.

"Cetus..." he shook his head.

"Yes?" Cetus responded.

"From now on, you only listen to me, Mina, Lawrence and Dianna. Got it?"

"Understood."

Simon turned his attention back to the man.

"And you decided to take off?" Simon put his hands on his hips like a disappointed parent.

"No, I was just seeing what all the buttons did."

"Like you said you wouldn't do?!"

"Well, that was only if you let me up here. Since I let myself up, I figured that gave me the right to do whatever I wanted."

Simon felt his blood boil, and the large hole in the prow of the ship caught his eye. He turned to look at it, then back at the elf, then back at the hole, then turned to look at the crowd of people staring through the open door. Simon grinned as an idea came to him. He walked over, and grabbed the elf by the collar again.

"You watching, everyone?" Simon shouted into the crowd, which nodded in response. "We'll be letting you all up into the helm of the ship, but on one condition: DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. If you do-" Simon turned to the elf. "What's your name?" he whispered

"Karen," the elf responded.

"If you do," Simon continued, "you'll be treated like Karen here."

Simon threw Karen out the hole.

"Back of the line, bucko!" Simon shouted at Karen down on the floor, who quickly righted himself and sprinted for the line outside. "All clear?" Simon asked as he turned back to the crowd, which nodded slowly in response.

Mina breathed a sigh of relief as the last of the line made its way into the Zailiens, her relief cut short by the encroaching sounds of rushing water and of breaking timbers and shattering stones. She quickly leapt up the stairs and into the Zailiens- having waited to be the last one in the ship- and filed herself in among the crowd.

Mina casts Shape of Mist

An advanced spell that causes the body to become gaseous, allowing the user to slip through small cracks and between creatures. The gas is visible, but inconspicuous, meaning the user will often pass by guards undetected. Unfortunately, the user also cannot speak and moves much slower during this time, and a strong gust of wind can potentially be lethal.

Mina wove through the crowd of people, and joined the other four- her friends and the guard captain- at the helm of the ship.

"Everyone's in," Mina said as she ended the spell.

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the fucking stars," Simon said as he initiated takeoff.

"Thank you, Deruthmoryx," Dianna added. "Only a couple of minutes to spare, too."

The Zailiens ascended into the sky, sputtering a little as it adjusted to the significant weight increase, but altogether stable as it took to the skies. Simon, Mina, Lawrence, Dianna, the guard captain, as well as every citizen on board watched forlornly at their city, the place they had called home and where many of them had spent their entire lives, was swept away by a black cube of water, a force far beyond any of their understanding. Homes, businesses, and those that could not or chose not to make it on board, as well as all manner of wealth, heirlooms, children's toys, books, and life's works were all swept away by an uncaring and unfeeling tide. In many ways, a fate not unusual for this land. The people prayed, wept, and lamented, and some dreaded their future as they were left with nothing and had no prospects. The gulf that was once Ad Limosa formed before their very eyes, as the cube of water fully crossed through the city before its color faded back to regular water, the eyes closed, and the cube lost its shape and became a large lake of water, filling in the crater it had carved for itself. No debris floated to the surface, for reasons unknown to those on board, leaving only the tranquil surface of a still sea, the peace undeserved of a force that had ended the lives and livelihoods of so many. The future was bleak, and a long road awaited those that sought to return to normalcy.

Everyone gained 200 Experience.