Suddenly Sir Gonagle fired off a shot from his pistol. The loud ringing sound reverted enough to wake up a certain kurori who was sleeping on Serna's shoulder.

**BAMMM!**

In less than the blink of an eye, Serna's shield activated and the bullet from Sir Gonable's pistol bounced off of her shield, ricocheted off of the ceiling, bounced off of the floor and drilled itself inside of the hull of the ship.

"EEEK!! WHAT THE--!" Caliaphy squeeled and fell off the girl's shoulder hitting the deck with a thud.

"CALIAPHY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Serna looked down at the fallen fairy.

"Now I got you right where I want you, you blasted pest!" Sir Gonagle advanced towards them.

"No you don't!" The Shield Maiden turned her attention to the Tinker Gnome, "Nothing and no one can get past my shield when I have it up. Not even you!"

Spencer stepped in between them, "Alright old man, you've made your point! Serna's with me and you sir are getting dangerously close to pissing me off!"

"Get out of my way!" Sir Gonagle snarled pointing his gun at the kurori.

"No."

The Alchemist moved around Spencer and stepped in front of Serna poking the magic shield with his gun, "That little PEST RUINED fifty years of research! FIFTY YEARS! All because she thought the airship was polluting the environment! The airship runs on electricity or lightning and alchemy. It is very safe to use and reliable! Not that you wouldn't know you, you blasted pest! Just because you're fae doesn't give you the right to poke your nose into other peoples business. Besides, my ruined research, half the crew were seriously injured including Alyson! Dragon Rage is nothing to laugh at period!"

Serna kept her shield up but looked down at Caliaphy to see her reaction.

Caliaphy hung her head low and tears flowed down on both sides of her face.

Spencer just shook his head and listened.

Sir Gonagle lowered his gun slightly, "And that's when the Elder came into the city to retrieve your sorry excuse for a fae. Of course, we were all stunned to see the ancient arch druid make an appearance but we also knew that if he was there it was serious."

The Shield Maiden looked down at her friend, "Caliaphy, did you really do all of this?"

Maxim came over and stopped next to Spencer, "That's right young miss be careful about your fairy next to you or I won't stop Sir Gonagle next time."

"Then maybe it is good that Caliaphy and I are here," Serna replied to both Maxim and Sir Gonagle, "Maybe its time for Caliaphy to make amends and apologize and maybe its time for you to accept her apology after she finished making amends."

Caliaphy just balled out loud in the dramatic department but none of the crew were impressed by it. Spencer on the other hand could emphathise in a way but it wasn't his call to make.

"I...I..ah," Caliaphy started say quietly.

"You're what...sorry?!" Sir Gonagle huffed loudly.

"We can't hear you, kurori." Maxim crossed his arms, "Speak up nice and loud for everyone here, will ya."

"I'm sorry." Caliaphy said still sniffling. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY ALL THOSE PEOPLE GOT HURT! I'M REALLY, REALLY SORRY ALYSON GOT HURT, OKAY!"

"Hmph! Bout time!" The alchemist grumbled at the kurori, "Next time you do that little stunt of yours, fae. I will put an IRON bullet right between your eyes, mark my words! There will be NO coming back from that!"

With that said, Sir Gonagle turned around and walked away from them. Everyone could hear him grumbling like Yosemite Sam.

Serna breathed a sigh of relief before she asked Maxim and Spencer, "Aside from apologizing, is there any way Caliaphy can make up for what she did?"

"Well she apologized to us but she still needs to apologize to the captain, the bronze man, and Alyson." Maxim added, "Guess, you'll have to wait until they come back."

"I don't think that will be a problem." Serna replied, "Will it, Caliaphy?"

+++++++

The party walked along a black and white dusty path. The sound of crunching bones cracked beneath their feet as they neared the large iron gate. It was massive. The gate itself was two doors banded together by four iron bands spanning the width of it. Each band had a key hole on them, while the center lock appeared to be a large dial with symbols on it. Each had a stick figure striking a pose.

"Charades anyone?" Quake asked quietly.

"Your jokes need work, Rocks For Brains!" War Scribe quipped, "Like your whole meaningless life."

"Okay you two knock it off!" Irzen cut into their conversation, "Get your game faces on. We could be attacked by anyone or anything at anytime."

War Scribe merely turned towards Quake and stuck her tongue out at the Elemental.

"I wasn't joking, Scribe," Quake grumbled.

"Charades is only a part of this puzzle I'm afraid." Captain Lion walked up to the massive iron door, "If we place our keys in each of these holes, I believe it will be up to us as a group to unlock the door."

"Does anyone other than me really think this is a bad idea?" The Swordsman asked no one in particular.

"Aside from the charades and the keys, Captain Lion, what must we do?" The Prince asked in earnest.

"Pray we get do the correct poses in the right order for the doors to open." Madeous studied the stick figures on the dial. "Looks more like step aerobics or something you'd see on a workout commercial back home with Gene Simmons."

"Well, count me in!" War Scribe smiled from ear to ear, "What's the first pose? Dead Man Walking or Play Dead or, my favorite, Dead Men Tell No Tales? Muwha! Ha! Ha!"

Captain Lion began to mimic the poses on the dial starting with the one at high noon and proceeded to the next one at the nine o'clock position.

"My preference has always been See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil but I doubt that's one of the charades we must perform," Irzen added with a shrug.

Quake followed suit by watching what how Captain Lion did his and went over to the ten o'clock one. It lit up and she decided on the six o'clock position and did that one. "Like this, Scribe. Not Thriller."

War Scribe followed suit, moved into position and did a five o' clock and eleven o' clock pose.

Madeous handed Quake the lantern so he could 'dance to the beat' in his own way. He chose three o'clock and seven o'clock. "So far so good. Irzen, you're up."

The Swordsman scratched his head and then took a two o'clock and eight o'clock position.

Meanwhile, Prince Birch performed a one o'clock and four o'clock pose.

Amazingly all the numbers on the dial lit up and with a series of clicks, whirls, and grinding sounds of the massive doors. The locks released and opened the way forward into a gothic courtyard with an altar surrounded by candles that burned in an eerie grey light. At the center stood a lone figure in black noble attire. The hair long and black draped over the shoulders and down the back. Deathly pale skin laced with black veins running down either cheek and along the neck line. The eyes solid black with a singular red pupil eyed the party. This was no man but one of the Unseelie Court banished from the Fey Wild.

In a deep eloquent voice he smiled, "Ah. Welcome. Mortals to my humble abode. Have you come to offer yourselves freely? Some doors must be left alone while others such as mine have been opened. I must thank you for setting me free."

"No, pal, you got it all wrong!" Irzen replied with a dismissive wave, "We're not here to free you--quite the opposite in fact--we're merely passing through."

"And should you get in our way!" Prince Birch concluded with pure venom and determination in his voice, "Know this: We will end you!"

++++

Alyson closed her eyes for a moment, "They're walking down a path of bones towards a massive iron gate. Iron would indicate that something of Fae origin lies behind it. Something not meant to be seen or spoken to unless they have no option left."

"Hmm," Lazheros rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps the Unseelie Court placed something there. Your highness, would any of your sages here in East Port have any knowledge of the area before the city came to be?"

"There is one who specializes in the history of East Port before our kind came to these lands," The princess replied quickly, "His name is Deceridan. I can send for him if you like?"

"Yes, I believe he would be of great help." He replied.

The servant returned with a platter full of fruit and offered it to the princess.

Cauladra said, "Please go and give some to Lady Alyson. It is she who hungers, not I."

The servant presented the tray to Alyson so she could eat off of it at her leisure.

In a matter of ten minutes the elementalist had literally eaten everything off the platter. "Thanks. I needed that."

The servant said nothing. She merely stood stock still in complete amazement.

"My primary element is Fire, therefore I consume lots of food when I'm low on energy." Alyson grinned.

"I'll take your word for it, my lady." The servant replied with a bow.

"I can tell!" Princess Cauladra blinked her eyes in pure surprise before she turned to the servant, "Please go and find the Chamberlain. Have him request the company of Sage Sudestren on our behalf and without delay. His presence here is both required and urgent!"

"Yes, your Majesty!" The servant turned and ran out of the room.

"She will not be long, Grand Cleric," Princess Cauladra reassured them both, "Master Deceridan is both learned and wise beyond his years. He will have the answers to all that you seek." The Princess suddenly snapped her fingers, "But I just remembered something. Mayhaps Lady War Scribe would have the knowledge you seek? She is a Chronicler of Validor and as legend has it, she is geased to not only tell the truth but to help anyone find the knowledge they seek. All you need to do is but call her name and she will appear. What do you think, Grand Cleric?"

"I suggest we wait on that option, your highness," Alyson stood up slowly and stretched, "They're in the middle of a puzzle at the moment."

"A puzzle?" Princess Cauladra raised her right eyebrow.

"I am in agreement with the elementalist. I would like to hear what the sage knows before I confer with the chronicler." Lazheros replied.

"Fair enough!" The princess added, "Is there anything more that we can get for either of you while we wait?"

Alyson closed her eyes again to see through Quake's eyes. The individual she saw sent shivers through her. "The Shadow Man. He's here. I mean this is where they imprisoned him."

Lazheros's expression dimmed, "What? Are you positive, Alyson?"

"I mean they've crossed over into the Shadow Fell and ran into him. Who's powerful enough to stop him?" The elementalist looked scared.

"Caliaphy is powerful enough. She can stop him. It's her light that can dis-spell the shadow. Stay here with the princess while I go and tell the kurori that it is time for her to grow up." The bronze man disappeared in a flash of light.

"The Shadow Man?" Princess Cauladra asked Alyson, "Who or what is that?"

******

A flash of light appeared behind Maxim and Spencer as the Bronze Man stepped through. "Caliaphy."

"Laz?" Serna looked up at the Bronze Man, "What is going on?"

The kurori jumped in surprise, "Bronze Man. What is it? You have a funny look on your face."

"Ta naa coiasira ten' lle alaa de ar' quanta quanta lle maranwe. Lle must anta i' dae edan ar' tyela ta." Lazheros spoke in Sylvan.

Translation:: "It is time for you grow up and fulfill your destiny. You must face the Shadow Man and end it."

"What? What are you saying?" Serna shook her head, "I can't understand you."