[Closed to JDD] The Weight on his Shoulders.

He worked well into the morning hours those nights.

So when the strangers arrived that night, Saba was almost in a trance working on one of the many orders in the shop. The engineer shops in Serenti was one of the more potent chains of trained engineers.

The doors opened to the back room and Saba was concentrating on his current job so intently that he didn't even hear the door, nor the boot falls of several individuals that would have immediately raised red flags. There were four robed figures that quietly entered the room and surrounded the engineer. After the fifth minute, the leader of the individuals spoke.

"Sabatykos Maelstrom." The deep voice seemed to resonate from a powerful lungs.

Sabatykos blinked from his trance-like state and did not bother turning around. "Normal business hours are over. You can come back in a few hours if you want to place an order." Sabatykos assumed they would leave. When they didn't, he stopped the last few tinkerings of the device he was working on. "You must have a death wish if you..." Sabatykos turned around on his chair and nearly froze in place when he saw the robed figures in the room. Four. Probably armed, he knew the marks on those robes very, very well. Sabatykos felt genuinely afraid at seeing his old enemies once more...and so soon after their previous meeting. He knew this was not a social visit...they wanted something. One of the hooded figures lowered their hood and Sabatykos saw the same individual that he saw last time. Almost immediately there were flashes in his head from the rather unpleasant memories that were transferred between the two of them.

"What...do you want." Sabatykos was afraid. The last time he involved himself to stop The self-styled Prophets of Apocalypse, Sabatykos lost a great deal to their power.

"That is much better." The leader said calmly. "You remember what happened last time, do you not?" The leader said calmly. "I gave you a gift, and you to me...such gifts can't ever be forgotten can they?" The man walked closer towards Sabatykos.

Sabatykos tensed at that but did not react just yet. He waited to see what they wanted with him at that point.

"I have dreamed of this moment, Sabatykos. Dreamed of one day meeting you again on a more social call. Last time was business...this is something new. The Masters have ordered this next meeting but I am here because I volunteered." The man continued, memories flooding through Sabatykos's mind once more. Dangerous memories...memories that Sabatykos did not want in his head. "I am going to give you a choice. Last time we met you made an irrevocable change. You did something that altered the thread of prophecy." The man said calmly. "Now I am going to have to acquire your services to make a device for The Masters. A device only you can make."

Sabatykos's eyes went wide. "A...a device? What kind of device do you want...what if I say no?"

"My friends here think that that we are wasting our time and should just force you to do it. I believe that you will do what needs doing. Because if you don't...you know what we are capable of." He said.

Sabatykos became very very serious at that moment, but the fear was still present in his eyes. "You hurt people last time. I know you guys are strong...but why should I help you?"

The man nodded carefully and was already standing very close to Sabatykos. "I will show you why."

Sabatykos did not have enough time to react before the man reached out with his hand and touched the side of Sabatykos's head. Memories flooded in a brilliant flash of pain. Sabatykos saw things that the man and his cohorts had completed before they arrived at the shop. He also saw the thing that mattered most...Jillian Cruz's life and her family was in danger. Her life was in his hands. He saw that two of the robed figures were placed outside of the Cruz house. And as he saw that he came to the sudden realization that he had no choice. Once the memories subsided again in that dread touch of the robed figures, Sabatykos breathed heavily and was openly crying.

"You have my attention." Sabatykos managed. "If I build whatever you guys want me to build...you will leave her alone will you not?"

"You have my word." The leader said calmly.

Strangely enough, Sabatykos believed the man.

"You have forty eight hours to build the device The Masters need to exact specifications." The man said calmly. He continued. "If you try anything funny, your friends will be forfeit, do you understand?"

***

Once Sabatykos was done building the device for The Prophets of Apocalypse, he summoned their leader towards his work chamber.

"I don't know why your leaders want something like this, but be careful with it's use. The properties are very very volatile." Sabatykos had worked non-stop for forty eights hours to build the device The Prophets needed.

The leader nodded carefully and examined the device, it was exactly as The Masters had described. "And you're certain it will be adequate for our needs?"

"My inventions always do their job." Sabatykos said almost coldly. "You seek the best you get the best." Sabatykos was exhausted, mentally and physically. He'd not worked that hard in a long time. "Now can I get a guarantee that you will leave my friends alone?" Sabatykos knew the type of man he was dealing with.

"Before we can discuss any of that...there is another matter." The man approached Sabatykos very very slowly.

Sabatykos tensed and prepared for the worst...

Something else happened instead....

Sabatykos saw a white light and soon passed out after that from the intensity of pain he felt.

When Sabatykos came to...he was completely alone.

He realized what he had done...what needed to be done...and most importantly...he had to check on his friends.

Cain had given his crew a few days shore leave the Peregrine needed careening which meant that at least half the ships crew would be spending their well earned money. Cain how ever was busy keeping his crew on track while the ship was tipped. Sea weed and barnacles had began growing on the Peregrines copper and she began slowing down and taking longer to turn neither of which was acceptable to Cain. But now that the ship was swimming again Cain finally had time to wander and explore the port. There were obviously a few haunts that he would first stop off he crew had invited him to half a dozen lunches, dinners and suppers which soon turned into one long feast of several courses and removes of food not to mention all the drinks. It was a half way relaxing time for Cain and he was in a spirit of mirth.


Cain for the occasion was dressed in his shore going rig which included a pair of white breeches with a dusk blue ribbon along the seams over a pair of polished black hessian boots, a charcoal grey waist coat with brass buttons over a white long sleeve shirt and his number one tricorn hat. He also wore his cavalry saber and a pair of cap lock pistols. After a few hours of recovering from such a large dinner Cain stepped out of a tavern and made his way toward a particular shop. He didn't need to make a purchase at this time but he was looking forward to showing off a few acquisitions to a friend.

Cain checked the door of the shop and stepped in. "Saba?!" He said in a voice that could carry two hundred yards across a strong blow and still be heard plainly. His voice didn't have an anger to it it was just loud and projecting. To him the disheveled look of the shop didn't signify it was normal for a tinkerers shop to be a mess. A ship was another story naturally but this wasn't a ship let alone Cains. As he listened for the answer he looked over various gadgets and gizmos or at least pieces and parts of gadgets and gizmos.

Getting himself oriented after the attack proved to take a little longer than the last time.

He was in a lot of pain, the psychic assault was beyond disorienting.

They have power over me...I am going to have to fight back if I am going to protect my friends and those I care about... That was the way it was with Prime. Prime developed strong connections with friends and allies, and the species they chose to protect. Saba heard the familiar voice of Cain Jodin in the next room of the engineer's shop. He turned his attention to that portion of the building and attempted to walk towards his friend. Saba had a very difficult time regaining his balance and walked with a visible limp. He wasn't sure...but the attack that he'd undergone that time felt much different than before. He did something different....I just know it...my head feels like shit. He decided he needed help.

"Captain! I'm over here." Sabatykos called out to his friend and only then started to realize that his shop was a mess.

They fucking robbed me too?! Saba sighed heavily and felt like a ox had slammed into him. That was the one comfort Saba had. He had friends he could rely on at all times. This time however....something else was in play. Something much, much darker. Saba limped his way over towards the good Captain's position.

"I feel like shit." Saba said once he reached Jodin's position. "It was the same guy from last time. Made me make something I'm not proud of then they robbed my shop while I couldn't defend it." Saba would look like hell to any who observed him. "He kept doing that...whatever it is on me. I need to come up with a way to protect myself from it at some point...Thaynes....my head feels like hell." Saba said. He wanted to pass out, to fall asleep and wallow in misery. But there was another matter. Jillian Cruz and the people who lived in that are of Serenti. It was the one person he could think about. Saba paused and breathed several deep breaths when he looked up at Jodin. "They threatened my friends again. I did everything I could to protect them. Now matters are worse...I need to stop them. They are too dangerous to keep around...." Saba said carefully.

Then something happened.

In his head he saw an image of Jillian Cruz. Then he somehow felt a profound determination and courage. Saba felt himself straighten up and look towards his friend one more time. "We have to stop them." Saba knew he had the power to change fate, the way things were meant to be. Saba was a wild card, an ace in the hole. His eyes were narrowed with determination. It was just then that several of his Engineers arrived at the shop for their morning shifts.

"Saba, what happened here!?" A man named Jake asked. He saw Captain Jodin and paid his respects to the shop's ally and one of their top costumers. "Thayne, you look like shit!"

Saba was finally able to stand up straight and his friends gathered around him and The Captain.

"Gentlemen." Saba began. "There's been a major problem and we have a new enemy to deal with." Saba began to explain the situation to his gathered friends.

Cain, almost winced when he say his friend come out of the back room. Every thing that he was saying was not making sense to Cain. He got the gist that something was wrong and the he had been made to make something but beyond that. Cain merely shook his head as the other engineers started coming in and making comments.

Cain took a seat and said "tell me as much as you can." Cain was patience through out the story even the parts that made his eyes gloss over. He considered what was happening. It was a concern to him what was going on and again magic was at its core. His opinions on giving into such people only leading to worse demands knowing that one could fold not withstanding; Cain asked "well, since this is your purview, what are you going to do about it?"

The question was simple enough either Sabatakos was going to do something, reclaim his property and ensure that such a thing wont happen again. Cain naturally would help his friend as best he could though he was no landsman.

Besides showing off it was now a good idea that Cain had taken his pistols and saber along. And as soon as Sabatakos had figured a way to recover his weapon Cain said "Well then, there's not a moment to lose."

Sabatykos looked at his friends, a great weight was lifted off his shoulders.

He nodded, knowing they would help.

"The device is very specific and is in comparison to the power level of some of the older Thayne Codex relics. I wish I had never been forced to make such a thing...but they threatened to hurt you guys if I didn't." Sabatykos sighed. "I can't allow that to happen, you guys mean everything to me." He looked at Captain Jodin, and nodded with a soft hint of a smile. "I intend to destroy the object and stop them this time. They have a power over me I cannot understand at this point. But. I am certain with you guys helping me, we can defeat them together. I have an idea of where they might be." Sabatykos saw a ruins in the mental exchange of the man that had tortured him. "A place that in the past was known as The Terrentius Estate. It's an old ruins in Concordia Forest." Sabatykos did not know what to expect once they got there. He knew many of the old world ruins were oft haunted by terrible things of the past. Secrets that were best left undisturbed.

Sabatykos looked at Cain and his friends. "I am afraid." He said truthfully. "I do not know of a way to counter effect their power over me. I do not know the extent of that ability, nor what it is fully capable of." Sabatykos said carefully. "I implore you all. If they render me once again unable to act...you guys must finish the job that I cannot finish." Sabatykos said. He knew what was on the line. The device he'd made would be capable of amplifying the powers at their disposal. It was basically a hand-held accelerator unit. Capable of greatly augmenting the native genetic powers, or learned powers, of it's wielder. "I did not give the means to reproduce the effects of the device I made for them. But I do know how to recreate it if need be. I also know how to destroy it, which is why you will need me present in the assault party." Sabatykos explained.

One of the Engineers looked at Sabatykos, a guy named Paul. Paul spoke. "Sabatykos, I will go with you and Cain to be certain they don't harm anybody else."

Another Engineer spoke suddenly. "These Prophets of Apocalypse...I wonder what they are truly after?"

Sabatykos nodded. "They attacked Serenti before and we were unable to stop them." He continued. "However, we have the capacity to stop them this time." Sabatykos looked at his friends. "We should head out to The Terrentius Estate on the hour. We may still be able to catch them if we hurry." He waited to hear what Cain and his friends had to say.