In keeping with his promise, Arfaas sent down the ship planned. The battleship was his last-ditch effort to reclaim Dirbine!



Even though he found he couldn't redden the sky as planned, he sought to cause as much damage as possible. More importantly, he wished to make his newscast very clear: Emeraldon was going to die...TODAY!!!



Arfaas: "Why did you not rob the bank yesterday like you were told? You were supposed to transport the systems off this ship, not fry Donte ON the ship! No matter!"

Musaran: "I will KILL him! AND the centipede!!! They will DIIIEEEEE!!!"

Arfaas: "I will fix that AI unit yet! Next time you need it charged! And I swear, you will never have a mind of your own again!"



Arfaas: "What? Noooo!!!!"

Before he even knew it, Arfaas was pushed back into his own vortex!

Musaran: "I learn from Jeraime! You DIIEEEE!!! I kill Centipede and Emerald! I...never under your control...AGAIN!!!"



As the prideful Musaran continued to storm about his new intelligence, Donte awoke, desperately wishing to take advantage of the distraction! There, standing before him, was a tube. If only he could break it open and drink the green fluid, his powers and youth would be restored!



Donte: "Oh! The pain! This...cancer! So...close..."



Musaran: "Get to your feet!!!"

He quickly kicked Donte in the face, and the aged man complied in agony!

Donte: "My nose!!!"

Musaran: "It will DIIIEEE!"



Musaran: "Get in!!! NOW!!!! DIIIEEEE!!!!"

Donte wished so badly that he could defy, but his rapid aging forbade it! He was about ready to resign himself to his fate. After all, how could Candi possibly save him now?



Donte: (breathing heavily) "Hurry...Candi!!!"



Ciem was now just a few short feet away from the room where Donte's doom was about to happen! How could she distract Musaran enough to zero in for the rescue?



Arfaas: "City of Dirbine!!! Observe your screens carefully! Here, we have footage of one victim of many! And now! You will witness - LIVE - the death of Emeraldon!!! Let this be warning to ALL who cross us!"

Musaran: "Get on with it!!!"



Candi suddenly remembered Erin reading something to her once, when they were hiding her secret from Miriam: Meethlites often put security devices in place in their death machines, so that if there's a leak or malfunction, they won't kill themselves in the process of killing their victim!

What if this incineration chamber were the exact same thing? With both Musaran and Donte distracted, now was the time to act!



Before Musaran could react, Ciem lashed two centilegs around his throat, sending him flying into the glass as quickly as possible! Overreacting, he lashed out at the glass, smashing it just as she'd hoped!



Very quickly, the foe recovered from his blow. He immediately returning the favor!

SMASH!

Ciem bounced off the wall, and awaited the next blow!



Missed! Ciem launched her counter-strike: a bounce off the wall and kick in his face!



Ciem: "Hurry Donte!!! Hury!!!"

She knew she had to keep Musaran's focus on fighting her!



He knew he'd get injured, and that it would take nearly all his might, but he HAD to break open those valves!

Donte: "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!"



Success!!! One of the valves was opened, and now he could slowly regain his strength!



Over the announcements system, Arfaas quickly shouted out orders!

Arfaas: "Attention! Attention! Personnel! We have lost control of
Musaran! He is helping Emeraldon escape! We must kill him on sight! All units report to the Town Slayer! Don't let them get out alive!"

Musaran: "DIIEEEE!!!!"

It was what the new Musaran most feared: Arfaas had misinterpreted events, and now was wishing the Meethlites to kill him too!

He knew only how badly he wanted Candi dead, but he would let the ship's security kill the two of them while he formed his own plans!



Musaran was not about to be betrayed by his own masters so completely! But if they would, then he would not abandon his own dreams for revenge and conquest! He'd show them all!

Musaran: "Backstabbers!!! DIIIIEEEEE!!!!!"

To let his fury be known, he nabbed the nearest escape pod he could find on the roof of the ship, and make his way to the ground below.