Cira’s crew looked at her with troubled expressions, and Kuja had a disapproving frown etched into her face, “You shouldn’t make promises you have no intention of keeping, Child.”

Cira even explained the clever wordplay and they simply didn’t care. “Well, what was I supposed to do? I don’t think honesty would have gotten me my ingredients here.” It wasn’t like she enjoyed being dishonest to people—especially strong people. Cira just didn’t see a way to avoid it this time.

“You could have looked elsewhere,” James suggested, “Didn’t you say it could be foraged on the Dead Belt?”

“Maybe. It’s impossible to know without looking. Meanwhile, a certain chance to acquire a key ingredient will have slipped away forever.” They could spend all the time she had left searching—she didn’t want to run out the clock like that.

“Well, it goes without saying none of us can help you fight her or her friend.” Jimbo said, “Even I’ve heard of the Third Order though. People disappear from the streets of Porta Bora just for mentioning their name.”

“I thought they were made up…” Joe shivered, “What do they look like?”

“Uh. Like mages, I guess. They’re people, Joe.” There were evidently stories that they were an organization comprised of monsters and unimaginable beasts, “No one knows what they do or why… But even the Gandeux are scared of ‘em.”

“That’s what they say, at least.” James added. “But frankly, I doubt they’ll give a shit about your phrasing. That woman was stronger than any mage Wick’s got by far. None of us would even stand a chance against the guy that was crying about being a novice. If they really bring what you asked for, I don’t think you’re walking away without giving them what they want.”

To do exactly that would take a great deal of effort and planning. There was no guarantee Eliza wouldn’t return with a group, and there was no telling how she would react when Cira broke the news. It would only make sense to assume they would react poorly, so Cira had to plan for the worst.

“I heard their name once,” Kuja gazed through a window into the shadows, “A very long time ago. A regular from Old Acher’s trading post said he was paid an exorbitant sum to transport something on their behalf. He never returned.”

So, they’ve been around for potentially centuries. Surely there’s a method to get that old in that big old library aside from reforging the soul like Kuja had. And how many Orders are there? Given there are at least three, I have to assume any given one would have many people like Eliza.

“Huh.” Jimbo put a hand to his chin, “Probably ‘cause he blabbed.”

Kuja glared at him until a hero named Skipper saved the day, “Fried underworm chips comin’ in!”

“I beg your pardon?!” Cira observed the glistening snacks with delight and popped one in before settling into her chair with a smile on her face, “I thought they didn’t have underworm up here.”

“Just came in—" Skipper was pleased with himself but James quickly pushed him out of the circle to glare at Cira.

“Will you at least try to take this seriously for once?” He didn’t have his usual angry edge this time and sounded cold. “You have a lot of people putting their lives on the line to help you out.”

Cira took a long sip of her ale to wash down the chips, “A fact I have not forgotten. It will likely be Mac and myself meeting them in a week. I do not have deritium, but I do have something they want in the form of my vast knowledge. Worst case, if negotiations break down, I intend to prepare a great many artifacts to at the very least make my case.”

“Again,” Kuja stated, “Your plans are short-sighted. What happens if they bring more mages and overpower you still? Or render your artifacts moot? They are certainly preparing for the eventuality that you have fooled them.”

“What if they come here…?” Tawny asked, “A mage like that lady could just bust right in, I bet.”

“Unless there is a dragon lurking in this darkness,” Cira replied, “Breeze Haven is quite impenetrable beneath the mana well. As for if they overpower me, that’s why I’m going to follow my Dad’s example and just prepare more artifacts.”

The number of people foolishly throwing themselves into danger for her could not be discounted, and only an idiot would throw their powerless friends at a seasoned mage. She had enough danger to expose them to down below and their training had hardly begun.

James and Kuja peered at each other, then back to her as if to admonish a child, only to lose their chance.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“There’s one more problem you’re forgetting,” the paladin Oliver cleared his throat and worked up the courage to jump in. Cira cast him an inquisitive look as he spoke, “If you think a few mages is enough to shake my faith, you’ve got another thing comin’.”

“Y-yeah!” Ike nervously, but loudly agreed, “We’ll stand by you until the end!”

“Not a chance we’re letting you face them alone,” Marko clenched his fists and all four paladins stood before her with resolve.

Cira was baffled to silence for a brief moment while she mulled them over, but that only gave the brothers Eros and Lero a chance to hop on the bandwagon.

““You can count us in!”” They nodded in firm determination.

“Y-yeah, me too—” She had to cut Gil off, as the rest of Shores’ crew were practically waiting in line to declare their resolve.

“That’s enough, I get it…” Cira raised her hands in defeat. “I appreciate all of your support, but I do not intend to throw anyone to certain death. A single week isn’t nearly enough to bring any of you to a level which could defend against either of them. You would be fodder before those mages. That Kristof fellow could crush your hearts with a passing thought—"

“So?” Oliver fired back, “Just make our training harder! Feed us weird plants we’ve never heard of! We can take it. We will protect you.”

Cira let out a long sigh and for once thought she may be on a similarly exasperated wavelength as James. That end of the crew decided to stay out of this one, though. This was a matter of reverence.

“Look.” Cira gathered the flock’s attention, “I keep trying to tell you I’m not a Saint, nor do I know a damn thing about the Final Sky. To hold faith in me enough to risk your life for the sake of it because of some prophecy I’ve also never heard of is the height of foolishness.”

“It is only natural the lost lamb should know nothing of the stars.” With that retort, Oliver looked satisfied, and the rest nodded back at him.

“Okay. First of all, I’m adding ‘lost lamb’ to the list of banned nicknames. That’s a ticket to Green Pit from here out. Secondly, I know some things about the stars, but I know that’s not what you meant, so we’ll leave that there…” I should really find out about this prophecy so I can destroy it. “And if you had let me finish before, there are very important things that need to be done here. I was hoping not to fight anyone on our home turf, but this certainly changes our schedule.”

Oliver and the other mages shrunk down, and Cira took a glance at Tawny, a member of the Stick Brigade, who made a refreshing expression of disgust. The girl shook her head vehemently, making her utter lack of desire to protect Cira known. The young mage was starting to grow on her.

“And how’s that?” James tapped on the table, “Way I see it, you brought a whole lot of trouble down on the entire Lost Cloud. Our schedule is already packed with all your soul nonsense, isn’t it?”

“Well… We may need to prepare the soul thresher within the week to take down below as soon as all the materials are together, but it may be easier to create the essence loom on site. This means the heist will need to happen in the next few days and there’s a boatload of artifacts I need to craft to prepare for the upcoming exchange.”

Cira’s father used to tell stories of his youth when he relied exclusively on artifacts. He learned the arts of artificing young and even tried to abandon sorcery for a time when he flew away on the rock she now called home. If Dad can make a whole freaking island fly itself away, surely I can fend off a group of mages with no aura. It will just take a little innovative thinking.

“Either way,” Oliver jumped back in, “We won’t accept such easy training as the other night anymore. What are we, children?”

“Good grief… We’ll see, won’t we?” She shook her head and looked back toward James, “Good news is, we should be able to melt me down sometime next week.”

“How are you this confident? It makes no sense to me. I watched a goblin kick your ass.” James still wasn’t sold, but she didn’t blame him. Nobody of her or the crew’s strength should ever dream of facing off against mages that may as well be on another plane of existence to them.

“A week may not be enough to turn everyone into proper sorcerers, but it is a great deal of time to spend in the forge in preparation of a few hostile mages. Even if they bring friends, that first guy may as well be useless before me with this much time to prepare.”

“You can’t craft shit without using someone else’s hand!” James’ argument was a strong one, to be fair, but it was far from insurmountable.

“That’s actually something I hope to remedy tonight—”

“Shh!” Kuja hushed everyone with a serious glint in her eyes and looked out the window. “Someone is here.”

Cira casually finished her ale while everyone’s eyes went wide. The mages who had joined Cira earlier all white as a sheet as they followed Kuja’s line of sight. If there was one thing in her life Cira had utmost confidence in, it was Breeze Haven. As the master of the house, she set her glass down and got up. Cira then made for the front door to take a look.

It was not dark within the barrier, but beyond was a sea of black. With her meager senses, Cira couldn’t detect a thing. It would certainly complicate things if Eliza came knocking on her door, but she had no reason to. Their terms were already set.

Kuja came out and peered suspiciously out into the darkness, and Cira was starting to get nervous when she saw an orange glow beyond the shroud. Once it flickered, she realized it was the light of a flame.

A black sail entered Breeze Haven’s light carrying a pitch-black ship with a single torch fixed to its bow. An exhausted man with light blue hair stood behind the ship’s wheel looking down at them with relief, “I made it back! I thought I’d be lost in there forever!”

“Seriously?” Jimbo stood beside James on the grass and they put their guns away with a sigh. “I thought it was gonna be that scary lady.”

Reverand Shores had returned with a huge smile on his face and Cira directed him to the gate where he moored his ship again and rejoined the crew.

“So?” Cira asked him anxiously after he climbed the steps, not bothering to go back inside before hearing the news, “How did it go?”

“I got it!” With a hefty pouch in one hand, he beamed at Cira, “I got it all! Even that weird nectar stuff you wanted.”