Phoenix Phire

Nix stretched comfortably on his bed, he had a momentary thought that said it was time to get up but he subdued it and fell back to sleep. A moment later a hand on his foot shook him.

"You said we were going to explore the last part of the Onion quest today." Mina's voice pulled him out of his slumber.

He gathered his blankets around him and tried to ignore her. "Yeah... I didn't give a specific time." Nix had gone to sleep in his houseboat bedroom and slept soundly, using the Ice Sparrow for an extended amount of time was very tiring.

He felt a weight next to him on the bed and a moment later and arm moved around him. "I shall wait then Nix."

"Good..." Nix started to drift off to sleep.

"You must be very tired." Mina had moved until she was up against his back, close enough for him to feel her breathe on the back of his neck when she spoke.

"Yes," he agreed sleepily.

"I should like to have a daughter one day if it is possible," her voice was quiet and soothing.

Nix sighed heavily and turned his head. "You are talking about an Aquarion/Human coupling?"

Mina nodded. "Before Inferno leaves Colonial forever."

"I shall compose a list of suitable candidates if you want my recommendation." He jumped slightly when she pinched his side.

"No need to pretend you aren't aware of my choice." Mina leaned over him, making eye contact.

Nix gave her a smile. "We going to do this now?"

Mina made a face and shuddered in disgust. "No... It's something I need to prepare for."

Nix laughed at the face she made. "Inferno won't be one of the guilds to leave Colonial forever."

"What do you mean Nix?"

"As long as we can find a way to access Parliament once we leave through the Escalades Bridge, then we can definitely reenter Colonial through the Embassy 70th floor entrance at Parliament."

Mina seemed to consider his words carefully. "Unlike the Escalades Bridge, the entrance on the 70th floor is two-ways."

Nix nodded, "I could enter Oasis through the Escalades and you could summon me to Parliament with your Ally Ring. We need something better, a way for all Inferno members to travel without assistance."

The door to his back deck opened up, Fajii smiled at the two of them. "Tasked with waking up Nix?"

"I can get up on my own." Nix threw off Mina's arm and sat up. "Damn it... I'm still tired."

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] I have a task for you, highly confidential.

[Whisper: Semmi: to Nix] I love shit like this, hit me with it, boss.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] Figure out how we can continue to access Parliament after we enter Oasis through the Escalades Bridge. I'm not talking about using Spirit Companions or that type of travel, something reliable and independent of outside help.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] There's no binding point in Parliament, and Cross-World Binding points won't work. Raine Xai is definitely not going to allow us to enter through Inuit.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] So it's hopeless?

[Whisper Semmi to Nix] No. I just wanted you to know the difficulty of the task so you'd be aware of how f*cking awesome I am when I complete it.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] I'm already aware Sem.

/Inferno: Nix: Pon, Wind, Chael, Banzi, Milat, Wylie, and Tess, please report to the Phoenix in 30 minutes.

"Out! I'm up and have to get ready." Nix headed into his bathroom, happy for once that houseboats came with modern amenities. He slid open the glass door to his shower and dialed up the hot water.

A few minutes later, Nix was basking in the warmth of a hot shower.

"Are you really going to be ready on time?" Faji smiled at the cloud of steam and leaned back against the door, closing it with a soft click.

Nix wiped the steamed glass of his shower to peer through. The room was hazy because of steam but the outline of Fajii undressing could be made out. "I only said report to the Phoenix in 30 minutes, not that I'd be there already." He pushed the shower door open and she slid in quickly.

***********************

"Permission to come aboard Sir." Nix stood on the dock and waited. He could see Delphi standing near the helm.

"Permission granted." Delphi walked to the gangplank and shook Nix's hand when he came on board. She enjoyed a good relationship with the Inferno Guild Leader, this wasn't always the case between Captains and the Shipowners.

"Heading to Mystery Island again. Make sure the crew is prepared, we will definitely be fighting." Nix spotted Pon leaning against the starboard rail and walked towards him.

/Inferno: Nix: Okay, there's 10 of us. We won't be using the Phoenix Assault team unless we get in trouble.

/Inferno: Pon: Just the 10 of us?

/Inferno: Nix: Yes, we'll make two groups.

[Group 1]

Tess

Pon

Fajii

Banzi

Chael

[Group 2]

Nix

Mina

Wind

Milat

Wylie

/Inferno: Tess: Gonna be okay in Group 2 without a Tank?

/Inferno: Nix: Won't be an issue unless we are separated. If that happens I'll summon Morti.

There was no fog impeding their progress this time, the Phoenix made excellent time as she hoisted full sail and headed to the nav point. A few ships showed their colors during the voyage but quickly retreated when they recognized the unique sails of the Phoenix.

Half a day later, the Phoenix anchored off of Mystery Island.

/Inferno: Nix: Mount up, we're going directly in.

[Summons: Fey]

Fey appeared in front of Nix and promptly pushing against his chest with her scaled snout.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] Two quick things boss.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] Hurry it up, we're about to get heroic.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] Your guild leader hud at the office has been buzzing non-stop since I arrived. Thankfully, I figured out how to mute it.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] We did rattle a few cages.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] A half dozen visitors have come by looking for Guild Leader Nix. Among them, Bael Strom, Tura Raine, and Del Tali.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] Interesting... None of this seems very pressing Sem. Anything else?

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] So impatient. I figured it out boss. I know how to access Parliament after entering through the Escalade Bridge.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] Really? Spill it!

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] As I mentioned, there are no binding points and no portals in Parliament. After doing some research, I found out that the rules for World Seeds are also different in Oasis. You can't anchor them to bracelets like Deep Blue, or Stones like the Doppelganger.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] How's that help us?

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] World Seeds have to be anchored to property like a plot of land or a building.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] We don't have anything in Oasis.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] Oh but we do. Our Guild Office wasn't borrowed to us, it was given to us. It's listed under our Guild Assets. We can anchor our World Seed to it.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] Does the Oasis World Seed have a binding point?

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] All Oasis World Seeds have bonding points. We anchor it to the Guild Office and then make sure to use it as a binding point.

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] Then enter through the Escalade Bridge and use the World Seed binding point to return to Parliament. It's a good theory.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] That's it? Where the rest of my praise?

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] First we have to test it out. You'll be coming with me when I use one of the smaller Escalade Tokens that Sogon dropped.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] Wait... What?

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] After this raid. Pon, Wind, Faji, Me and you. Going to take a little trip to the New World.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] Oh god... What if I'm wrong?

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] You can shack up with Pon and start a family.