SN-ST-6: Lower Hall

SN-ST-6 Lower Hall	Stultifera Navis: Lost Flagship Previous SN-6 Next SN-ST-7
His eyes widened with anger, his hand not letting go of the helm for decades.

Characters

Gladiia Inquisitor Irene Jordi Skadi Specter Ulpianus Captain Alfonso High Inquisitor Dario ??? (Chief Mate) Amaia Sea Terror

Backgrounds

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“

In the middle of the battle with the mysterious Seaborn, the true master of the ship appears. The decades have not robbed him of his human mind, but he refuses to acknowledge reality, and views the past with anger.

”

<Background 1>
[As Irene heads through the corridors, she encounters more Sea Terrors.]
Inquisitor Irene	Tch... the further in we go, the more Sea Terrors there are. It's getting dangerous... ...... Maestro... how do I become like them...?
[The humanoid Seaborn from before drops itself in front of Irene.]
???	Gkh...
Inquisitor Irene	Seaborn?! (It's the same one we saw on the deck. The Hunter's attacks didn't do any damage?!)
???	......
Inquisitor Irene	(How will it come at me? With its limbs? Its fangs?) (My handcannon... I need to create distance–)
???	......
Inquisitor Irene	Wait. Wait a second! What's that on your belt?! Why would you... could you be...?!
???	Graaaahhhh!!
[Suddenly the Seaborn charges at Irene, who barely managed to guard its attack.]
Inquisitor Irene	Argh! *Cough* (What strength! I barely managed to block it!)
???	...I... ......
Inquisitor Irene	Do you have something to say, monster? I can't go down here... I won't! I'm an Inquisitor of Iberia!
<Background 2>
High Inquisitor Dario	*Cough*... It has taken too long to burn away the nethersea brand. The situation's not looking good.
[A large number of Sea Terrors close in on Dario.]
Sea Terror	(Numerous slithering sounds)
<Background 3>
Jordi	(I can see what's going on down there from here.) How many hours have passed? How much longer can he hang on? I... if I... no, don't think about it, Jordi. Focus! The Inquisition... Hurry...
<Background 4>
[Specter fights the Seaborn, and both are evenly matched.]
Specter	Is that all?
Seaborn	Grr...
Specter	Listen to your friends wail. The flower of Sal Viento at least had its beauty, but what about you? As my first dance lesson after waking up, I must say you're underwhelming.
Seaborn	Gkh!
Skadi	It's getting away!
Specter	I'll go after it. You go find the little Iberian bird.
Skadi	How are you feeling?
Specter	Better than ever. My memories are tumbling down like a waterfall from the heavens. It'll take a while for the full picture to emerge, though. And some of my more recent memories are rather embarrassing.
Skadi	I'll go. Your mind is still unstable.
Specter	Oh? Trying to steal my prey?
Skadi	It'll try to escape to the sea.
Specter	Of course it will. But it wasn't running just because it couldn't win. What did it find?
Skadi	We don't have time–
[The sound of Irene firing her handcannon at the Seaborn interrupts the talk between Specter and Skadi...]
???	......
[...as the Inquisitor runs toward the two.]
Inquisitor Irene	*cough* I'll never get used to handcannons. Hey, where are you– Huh? The Abyssal Hunters?
Specter	Hello, Irene. I see you've brought us more prey.
Inquisitor Irene	Did you just call me Irene? Have you... have you regained your memories?
Specter	Not entirely, but I know I'm in a great mood right now.
Skadi	This is not the time. That's the one from the deck. It's fast enough to dodge the captain's lunge.
Specter	I really must tip my hat to you, Irene. For chasing it all the way here without taking a scratch.
Inquisitor Irene	I can't take credit for it. It hardly even attacked. Look, it's still not, even now.
Specter	I see... I thought it wouldn't be able to resist if we chatted like this and showed it an opening.
???	......
Specter	Your friend just left, you know. It's not too late to go after them. Or are you a pacifist too?
<Background 1>
[Gladiia walks through the corridors.]
Gladiia	......
Gladiia	(Kazimierz, a landlocked country where Skadi stayed for a time. A place of sprawling grasslands and forests, the Land of Knights.) (Knights...)
[Gladiia remembers The Last Knight from back during the battle for the Eye of Iberia.]
Gladiia	Is it a coincidence? Or did something draw him there? This ship, Breogan. What did you intend to leave behind for your homeland? Where have you hidden the answer? ...Hmm.
[Gladiia noticed the remains of many Sea Terrors nearby.]
Gladiia	(Sea Terror carcasses? And not only that...) (The wounds are clean and precise. They show no signs of resistance. Scents mingle in the air. The air here is stale.) (What else is there on this ship?)
<Background 4>
???	–
Inquisitor Irene	Your belt and pocket watch are undoubtedly human in origin, and even in the Iberian style! What are you?
???	......
Specter	It's stalling for time.
Skadi	This will get complicated if the other one gets back to the ocean.
???	......
Specter	Still not attacking? What a passive dance partner. I'll take the lead, Skadi.
Skadi	Right.
[Specter and Skadi attacks the Seaborn together...]
???	–Guh!
[...that does not retaliate yet continues standing.]
???	Guh... grrrr... gah...
Specter	Come on, fight back already. I'm starting to feel like the bad guy.
Skadi	...No! It's not stalling for time!
Who defiles my Iberia? Heathens...
[A bell tolls.]
Inquisitor Irene	The sound of bells?! What?
???	(Sharp screech)
[The Seaborn heads to a throne at the ballroom, where...]
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Bells echo through the empty hall. The lights in the hall flash. The Seaborn lands in the direction of the throne while the three are distracted. Yes, the throne. There is a throne on this Iberian ship. A symbol of pride, power, arrogance, and deceit.
Specter	It's like...
Specter trails off, knowing what she was about to say was far too absurd. It wears a crown, and drapes itself in the same colors as the curtains. It kneels by the side of the throne, the two inextricably bonded with one another. It resembles the queens and ministers of old, serving the golden sun of Iberia. A silhouette emerges from behind the throne. Irene raises her lantern over her head, trying to illuminate the shadowy figure.
<Background 4>
[A half-Seaborn, half-Forte, who is likely to be the captain of the Stultifera Navis (or what's left of him) judging from his appearance, walks toward the trio.]
Seaborn?	Why do you set foot on my ship? *cough* *cough* Pah. Who would ignore a question from the great Alfonso? Why are you here?
Captain Alfonso	Why have you broken the silence, and come for MY Iberia, which had lain forgotten for decades? I will start with you. Answer me, child of Old Iberia.
Inquisitor Irene	–
Irene could not believe her eyes. She'd seen the Seaborn's face before. She had devoted much time of her time during her Inquisitor training to the study of history, immersing herself in doctrines and creeds. How dare this Seaborn claim to be Alfonso? How dare it claim to be Iberia's greatest ship captain?
Inquisitor Irene	–You, you can't possibly be the captain of this ship, monster! Alfonso was almost fifty years-old sixty years ago, but you look even younger than the great hero was back then!
Irene knows she is shaken, but she cannot show weakness. She reflexively raises her lantern, as her commanding officer would have.
Inquisitor Irene	Drop the mask, Seaborn!
Captain Alfonso	......
???	......
The light of her lantern flickers. The tiny speck in the Inquisitor's hand seems to fit the word "lost" better than the lights of this golden hall. The Golden Age. The "Seaborn" briefly lays its eyes on Irene before turning away dismissively, rubbing "Alfonso's" inhuman arm. A short silence surrounds the hero.
Captain Alfonso	"Seaborn"? I don't like that name. Tell me your name, child of Old Iberia.
Inquisitor Irene	I am Irene, Inquisitor of Iberia. And "Old Iberia"? You dare defile the name of–
Captain Alfonso	And you dare talk to me like that?!
???	(A screech interrupts the exchange)
Inquisitor Irene	Agh!
Captain Alfonso	Where were you when we burned Victoria's ships and sunk the Lion King's honor to the bottom of the lake? Where were you when I paved the streets of Sal Viento with pure gold, brought back in my ships? Where were you when the Tercios darkened Leithanien's dawn like a black cloud?
Inquisitor Irene	You–
Captain Alfonso	(Violent coughing) *cough* *cough* Pah. I am Alfonso, Duke of Old Iberia, Admiral of the Armada, Captain of the Stultifera, and King of my own kingdom. You, a mere Inquisitor, dare question me?
???	...(Shakes head impatiently)
Captain Alfonso	So the church's fools have crossed the ocean to find me. What did you expect, a pat on the back? Go back. No matter how you got here, the Stultifera Navis does not welcome you. Garcia, my chief mate... no need be so bothered by them. They will repay the sea a thousand fold for the blood they made you spill.
Chief Mate	Ah... (Nods)
Inquisitor Irene	Mocking the Inquisition is a serious crime in Iberia.
Captain Alfonso	Did you not understand what I just said? Leave. There is not a single living soul on this ship, child of Old Iberia.
Inquisitor Irene	We've sacrificed so much to–!
Captain Alfonso	......
Inquisitor Irene	–I'm not here to ask for your permission!
Captain Alfonso	Such impertinence. This is why I never liked the church. A crime? Against a church too helpless to stand against even the feeble royal house? ...... If you're really from Old Iberia, then tell me. Who is the incumbent pope? Carmen?
Inquisitor Irene	...You know Saint Carmen's name?
Captain Alfonso	Saint? A saint? Ha... Haha... A saint... Hahaha.
Inquisitor Irene	What are you laughing at?!
Captain Alfonso	He didn't even have the mettle to become pope? Does he not feel ashamed when he sees himself in the mirror? No wonder it took you sixty years to find this place. It seems disaster has made Iberia weak. But no matter. Before the ship's doctor joined the corals, we discussed what might have become of Iberia. This is not unexpected. The floor that you stand on, this immaculate golden hall–THIS is the motherland I know. THIS is Iberia, not the backwater you speak of, half of which you refuse to see or understand. How far has the once-great empire fallen? Is it really so pathetic that it took you sixty years to find me?
Alfonso descends from the podium. Irene takes a step back. Her lantern flickers.
Captain Alfonso	Now then, why are there two Ægir with you? There is no place for the Ægir in my Iberia.
Specter	We meant no offense, Captain. We were merely chasing some ugly monsters, and mistook your chief mate for one of them.
Skadi	...How did you survive so long here?
Captain Alfonso	That's the question, ain't it, you Ægir fools? It's been so, so many years since I took up hunting, as a hobby. Either today or tomorrow should've been the day of reckoning. But you chased away my quarry. Now we must once again rely on those– –No. Wait... no!
Skadi	...?
Captain Alfonso	You... you are not Ægir! You're more than Ægir! Both of you! What's your name?
Skadi	...Skadi.
Captain Alfonso	No, no. No no no, Ægir. Don't try to deceive me. We may have been trapped on this ship for decades, but we are no fools. They call you Ishar-mla.
<Background 5>
[The bell that tolls can be heard.]
Amaia	Did you hear the bells, Ulpianus?
Ulpianus	It's a miracle that anything works on this ship at all.
Amaia	Here, the bells signal the start of the hunt.
Ulpianus	But who's the hunter, and who's the prey?
Amaia	The children of the ocean don't care. If they consider Alfonso to be their kin–albeit weakened–they're willing to offer their own flesh and blood, all to ensure the survival of the strong.
Ulpianus	......
Amaia	A Hunter approaches.
Ulpianus	Gladiia. She's too sharp. The skills I learned on land will only work for so long. She'll detect me soon.
Amaia	What will you do?
Ulpianus	What will YOU do?
Amaia	Answering a question with a question? I... I'm interested in your choice, Ulpianus. I never expected to become interested in the Abyssal Hunters again, but Laurentina fascinates me. I see so much possibility in her. And you, you've made your choice of your own accord, while retaining your sanity. Have you noticed? More and more, you're becoming like one of us.
Ulpianus	......
Amaia	Can you reach the truth? Cast aside revelation, lay open the body of god, and learn the truth of the gods of the sea? The answer you're seeking is tantalizing. Heh, look at me, showing curiosity. Perhaps there's something human in me yet.
Ulpianus	The revelation is imprinted upon the instincts of god's children. Our ways of thinking couldn't be more different.
Amaia	Oh my. You sound even more like a Seaborn than I do.