The Flag of the Old World

Panic was spreading.

The elves' overwhelming force, their companions' gruesome deaths, and the threat of death hanging over them all.

In such desperate straits, they needed a leader to make the right choice for them.

Everyone looked toward the captain's cabin.

In the warm, brightly lit cabin, the captain, dressed in formal attire and wearing a gentle expression, wiped the pipe in his hand. "Your Highness, Commander Cleveland," he said calmly.

"The Wings of Wayne has already locked onto us. A powerful magister drawing on an elven capital ship's amplification platform can unleash enough power to destroy a small fleet, and we have lost nearly all our spellcasters. We have no way to fight back."

"Likewise, escape is impossible. We cannot shake off Eagle Eye and Atmospheric Perspective, and they have the means to sink us from dozens of nautical miles away."

He looked at the two people across from him, straightened his hat, and said solemnly, "The Penguin has reached the end of the line, and our long voyage is over. My crew and I will honor the oath we swore to His Grace the Grand Duke and prepare to return to the Sea God's embrace."

"Your Highness, shall we turn and fight to show the courage of the Duchy of Goethe, or set sail and flee for the faintest chance of survival? Or shall we remain where we are, look back on the beautiful moments of our lives, and wait for the magister across from us to gather his power and cast another spell... I leave the choice to you."

He bowed deeply.

The princess he addressed had long since changed into hunting clothes that allowed her to move freely. Her shirt, trousers, and riding boots traced the graceful curves of her figure, but her face was so beautiful that it seemed delicate, at odds with her spirited attire. Her hair, more brilliant than gold, was piled high, and her sapphire eyes were clearer than the clearest sky. She was the most beautiful pearl of the Duchy of Goethe.

At the captain's words, the princess instinctively looked at her guardian knight.

Commander Cleveland was a steady, capable young man and a knight of the most traditional sort. Born to a distinguished family, he had undergone the strictest training from childhood. He valued honor as his life and placed duty above all else. Through his own efforts and his family's advancement, he had become the guardian knight of Grand Duke Pershing's beloved youngest daughter.

The knight and princess were the envy of the Duchy of Goethe's young people. Knights envied Commander Cleveland for defending Her Highness with sword and shield, while young ladies and noblewomen envied the princess for receiving his oath of protection. A handsome, powerful knight and a beautiful, wise princess had always been the classic protagonists celebrated in poetry and drama.

The young knight looked back at the princess he had sworn to protect.

Leaning on his sword, he knelt on one knee. "Your Highness," he said calmly, "I will uphold my oath and fulfill my duty. I will follow you to the ends of the world and clear every danger and obstacle from your path until death parts us. From the moment we set out on this journey, I was prepared to sacrifice myself for you. But as your guardian knight, my duty is to protect your life, so..."

He bowed his head deeply, his voice growing low. "Surrendering to the enemy is an unbearable humiliation, but for your safety, a knight's dignity is not something I cannot forsake. Please allow me to raise the white flag and wash away this shame with my own blood. As for you, Your Highness... though the elves are at war with Goth, they will surely treat a descendant of the Seven Heroes with courtesy. As long as you live, there is hope."

Silence fell over the captain's cabin.

The captain clenched his pipe between his teeth, watching the kneeling knight and the graceful, delicate princess.

"Please raise your head, Guardian Knight Cleveland."

The princess's gentle voice rang out, but her larklike tones held the strength of steel. "I would like to ask you a question."

"Please, Your Highness."

"Since the Empire and the Dusk Moon Dynasty went to war, the Duchy of Goethe has borne the brunt of it. The elven Dragonfang Army has ravaged Gelan's beautiful red earth. City after city has fallen, army after army has been routed, and devoted soldiers and brave citizens have fought bloody battles, just as our ancestors did..."

"So tell me, Knight Cleveland, since the war began, have you heard of even one Goth surrendering to the elves?"

Knight Cleveland shuddered.

Blood rushed to his face, turning his handsome cheeks crimson with shame.

He bowed his head deeply and said loudly, "Please forgive my error and disrespect, Your Highness!"

The princess shook her head gently. "I do not mean to reproach you. I am simply stating an ironclad rule. For centuries, we have ruled the Duchy of Goethe, drawing endless wealth and loyalty from its red earth. Now war has engulfed our country, and its warriors have risen to fight. The Taidariel Family must fight to its final breath."

The knight commander gripped his sword hilt tightly and answered in a ringing voice, "As you wish, Your Highness. It is the honor of my life. In life and unto death, I will always stand before you as your shield!"

The captain removed his hat in salute. "Your Highness, your courage and fortitude are no less than your brother's and sister's. You are truly worthy of the Seven Heroes' blood. In that case, please allow me to order the ship to sail toward the elven navy and charge. Let the great Sea God and those hateful elves see our courage."

The princess shook her head. "No, we cannot throw our lives away."

The two men in the cabin were taken aback.

"It is not time to give up yet... Goth's warriors are shedding their blood, and Father, my brothers, and my sisters are fighting for this country. I cannot be of much help in battle, but I have a task of my own." She looked at the captain and the knight and said firmly, "We must reach the imperial capital and persuade the imperial family and the great nobles to send Goth more reinforcements and aid... That is my mission!"

The captain frowned. "Then, Your Highness, you mean to..."

"Flee," the princess said.

The captain smiled bitterly. "Flee where? The enemy is an elven capital ship with a formidable magister aboard. Its fighting power and magical strikes both far surpass the Penguin's. In these waters, we have no chance at all... not even a chance to escape."

"We do."

Her Highness was succinct. She strode over to the sea chart on the cabin wall and pointed north. "I have been observing the stars and using an astrolabe to determine our position. We are already close to these forbidden waters. Our only chance of survival now is to head southwest at full speed!"

The captain saw where her slender finger pointed. He had no attention to spare for its white-jade beauty; a flicker of shock crossed his eyes. "This..."

"The Holy Seal Archipelago."

The princess's voice seemed to come from the edge of the sky. "We will go there and evade the elves' pursuit."

"That place is the most forbidden of all, Your Highness. I have spent forty years at sea, and I would not even dare entertain the thought of sailing there."

Even the captain, hardhearted and prepared to meet death, hesitated. "This..."

"The elves think the same way... Among human sailors, the legends of the Holy Seal Archipelago are like myths, a taboo so ancient that no one can verify it. But to the long-lived elves, they mean a real, closely guarded secret. Those pointy-ears fear this place even more than we do. If we sail into the Holy Seal Sea, they certainly will not pursue us. It is a chasm their entire race dares not cross."

"And it is our only chance," the princess said.

The captain still hesitated.

Unlike the princess, he had spent his life making a living at sea and had a deeper understanding of its mysteries and dangers. The vast, boundless ocean concealed far too many unknowns: terrifying, capricious monsters; long-forgotten prehistoric ruins; projections of powerful creatures from the distant stars; tokens marking coordinates for creatures from other planes... Such "encounters" were generally anything but good.

They were fates worse than death.

In other words, rather than plunge into the unknown dangers of the Holy Seal Sea, from which no one had returned alive in centuries, the captain would sooner stay where he was and be killed by a blast from the elven warship.

The princess stared intently at him. "Captain, things have come to this. We have no other choice. Even if the gates of hell lie ahead, I will charge through them for Goth."

Knight Cleveland immediately rose, reversed his grip on his slashing sword, and stepped forward. "Captain, for Goth's sake, please give the order at once. You too are a citizen of Goth."

The confrontation was both brief and long. It seemed an age had passed, yet also only an instant. The captain closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they held a sharpness that could only be honed at sea.

When sailing the boundless ocean, knowing how to rein in curiosity and greed was the most important quality.

But so was courage.

He nodded emphatically. "Understood. The Penguin will follow your will."

The princess breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly. "We still have time. The enemy magister needs a while to rebuild his elemental affinity. Go and rescue the Bane's survivors now..."

"You are mistaken, Your Highness," the captain said quietly.

Ignoring their astonished expressions, he strode out of the cabin.

Under the first mate's direction, the Penguin was approaching the stricken friendly warship. The sailors were preparing to throw lines, the ship's doctor stood ready, and the first mate was calling out to the survivors.

The captain laid a hand on the first mate's shoulder and took his speaking trumpet.

"Calling the Bane! This is Oswald, captain of the Penguin!"

Several blood-soaked figures appeared aboard the other ship. When the magical strike came down, they had used their considerable skill to escape it.

A giant of a man in a captain's uniform answered him. "This is the captain of the Bane! My ship has suffered a long-range magical strike. Casualties are heavy and the hull is badly damaged. Requesting assistance!"

Captain Oswald took a deep breath.

His voice tore through the wind and waves.

"The Penguin will sail for the Holy Seal Archipelago to evade the elven capital ship. Before the Wings of Wayne launches its second over-the-horizon strike, they will deploy tracking marks. Therefore, in the name of Goth, I ask the surviving crew of the Bane-"

The captain paused. His voice grew calm, even gentle.

But it remained firm.

"Prepare to make the sacrifice," he said.

The gale howled over the sea, tearing apart every sound and chilling body and soul.

The two captains looked at each other across the waves.

"The Grand Duke ordered us to deliver Her Highness to the imperial capital at all costs."

The Bane's captain raised a hand and tapped his chest. "We obey."

Then he turned and shouted, "Check the mizzenmast! Adjust the ballistae! Armorer! Prepare the decoy bolts!"

He said nothing more to the Penguin.

"My brothers, my comrades... I will see you at the Sea God's temple."

Captain Oswald gave his counterpart a long look, then turned and ordered the sails raised and the ship turned onto its course. The sailors obeyed in sorrowful silence, while the princess hurried out.

"I do not question your authority or your orders," she said. "But the ships are close together. Rescuing the survivors would take almost no time..."

"You are mistaken, Your Highness."

The captain said gravely, "The elven capital ship spotted us and struck first from beyond visual range. After sinking one ship in a surprise attack, they can deal with the other at their leisure without worrying that we will escape... According to the elven navy's usual tactics, they are about to send Nature Spirits here."

Nature Spirits were spiritual beings that grew in the Endless Forest, living alongside its trees and plants. The elves had built their civilization and kingdoms in the vast forest, and, having spent years in the spirits' company, could command and use them with ease.

These spirits had an extremely strong affinity for wood and would automatically seek out plants to inhabit. In the forest, they could make vegetation flourish, but at sea, they were the elven navy's secret to defeating its enemies.

For the vast majority of the nations' warships were made of wood.

When large numbers of Nature Spirits were sent into a target area of sea, these plant-affinity spirits would seek out places to inhabit on their own. Once they attached themselves to an enemy ship, that vessel would stand out in the magical vision of the elves' shipboard gunnery mages like a lighthouse on a pitch-black sea.

Their powerful, ultra-long-range magical attacks would then receive the greatest possible correction to their accuracy.

"And the Bane's final mission... is to intercept those tracking marks for the Penguin and take the next magical strike in our place," the captain said. "Using decoy ballistae."

The Penguin set sail amid the sailors' chorus of cries. The princess stared back at the Iron Fist Bane, letting the sea gale brush her delicate face. There were no tears at sea, for every tear vanished in the rain.

She did her best to keep watching, watching, watching the horizon flash again, watching the emerald-green breath of nature cross the sea, watching the Bane fire bolts into the air, where they spread out and wove a fine net that caught the Nature Spirits... until the light of annihilation struck again.

The captain stood at the helm. Though the men of the sea had witnessed a final parting, their brave hearts remained unbroken.

"When one ship sinks, more than a hundred people are buried at sea. When one battle is lost, thousands are killed or grievously wounded. When one city falls, perhaps tens of thousands sink into suffering."

"To speak plainly," he said, "we are all little people, risking our lives in battle for money, honor, or faith. In truth, our deaths are insignificant, like those of stray dogs. We do not know how many people will ever know our names, or whether what we have done is worthwhile..."

The captain turned to the princess. "Because the ones who decide that are you, your father, your brothers and sisters, and the noble lords of the imperial capital... It is very unfair, but that is how things are. All I can do is fulfill my duty and pray to the gods, and to you..."

Holding the helm steady, he whispered, "Please let every sacrifice have meaning."

The princess did not answer.

In the face of blood and sacrifice, words and oaths were so hollow.

So hollow that no one had any need of them.

Into the gale and driving rain, the Penguin cleaved through the waves in the darkness. Every heart drifted between grief and bewilderment, and an unknown fate lay ahead.

The princess prayed silently.

She prayed that the fallen warriors would find peace, and that every sacrifice would have meaning.

She prayed that no bottomless abyss lay ahead, and that Goth's remaining hope would not be extinguished.

What she did not know was that, in the forbidden Holy Seal Archipelago, a man was sleeping soundly.

In his dream was the story of the game he had played before bed. The traveler who sought out history and pondered fate emerged from a long journey and stood amid shattered mountains and rivers, gazing into the distance at a new world rising from destruction and contemplating the meaning of it all.

He bore a flag on his back.

A flag from the old world.

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PS1: This chapter is 4,500 characters long! Tomorrow is Monday, and it's time to climb the rankings, so there'll be another update tonight! Everyone, remember to vote today and tomorrow!

PS2: Also, with the new book underway, it's time for the betting everyone loves! Anyone want to bet on the plot? Or on Kang De's personal conduct? Anything goes, as long as cross-dressing is involved. Evil grin.