For a moment, Zoey just stared at the spot where Markus had disappeared over the edge. Then she looked at Viridi with a look of disbelief on her face. Viridi of course had her head turned the other way, pretending that she had nothing to do with what just happened.

Zoey had seen her tail push Markus off the cliff! No matter how innocent she tried to look, Zoey knew it had been her. Zoey knew of course why Viridi had done this. The big feline didn't like Markus at all, and had decided to give him a scare. Nothing like being pushed off a cliff to get right proper scared apparently.

However, they still had a use for the noble, so after a little nudge from Zoey, Viridi jumped into the sinkhole after Markus with a disdainful sniff. Zoey could not help but smile at her friend's antics. Despite the revelation that they had an armada headed their way led by a psychotic control freak, they were both in good spirits.

While Viridi was recovering Markus, who she had so rudely sent over the edge, Zoey used her Gravity Rune array to lessen her weight and launched herself towards the Stella Tenebris hiding in the mist below. She flew into the clouds and landed gently on the cruiser's hull, followed not long after by Viridi, carrying a comatose Markus with her teeth. Being pushed to his probable death seemed to have been a little too much for him to handle.

Viridi was unrepentant about the situation, he wasn't dead after all, only passed out. She seemed to have a bit of a grudge against Markus, likely from that night by the crater. It had not been a pleasant experience for her and Zoey after all.

Viridi returned to her smaller, less draconic form and followed along while Zoey used her Gravity Rune to haul Markus inside the bridge. Once inside, they were met by the others who had been waiting for them.

"Who might this be? And why did Viridi push him off the cliff?" Baiken asked sternly as she quickly came over to inspect the unconscious person Zoey had returned with. Regardless of who it was, she was still a healer at heart.

"This is Markus Rellen, a noble, and one we have had run-ins with in the past. Viridi was only getting some payback," Zoey replied as she glanced at the smug feline sitting behind her.

When Baiken heard that the man was a noble, and from the Rellen family at that, she paused for a moment, then continued checking Markus. Her distaste for nobles was obvious, but she would still do her part as a healer.

The others were also surprised, and Ssaul showed a bit of hostility by snapping his tail sharply. Zoey knew from conversations with him that he had a long history with nobles, and there was no lost love in that history.

"Why bring him here? He is dangerous! A threat!" Ssaul exclaimed as he glared at the unconscious man.

Zoey waved a hand and replied, "Its fine, he can't use his magic at all. Besides, he may have information that we need. Baiken, once you’re done, bring him down to Deck 2, starboard wing. I'll set up a room for him."

The room she set up was more of a cell than a room, but it had the necessities and was furnished, so it would do. Eve would notify her when he woke so they could get him some food. In the meantime, Zoey had some planning to do.

If the Stella Tenebris was to face an armada, she would need more than just some thick skin. She would need some teeth as well. So she called together Taigen and the others to tell them the situation.

They were alarmed to hear that an armada was coming, but Zoey calmed them down. She had a plan, and she needed volunteers. So while Taigen and Saigo went to see if they could find some able-bodied people for her, she got to work with her Aether Engineer talent to design what she needed.

----------------------

When Markus woke up, he was in a strange place that he did not recognize. He was on a soft bed, and above was a strange, metal ceiling. He sat up and looked around to find himself in a room that looked nothing like anything he'd seen before.

The walls and ceiling were grey metal, but the chair and table were made of wood, with little else of note besides that. He noted that the designs were different than any he had seen before, and the craftsmanship was very well done. The room was lit by a strange crystal in the ceiling that gave off a warm light, making it seem oddly cozy. The bed he was sitting on was built into the wall itself, and the bedding was also well-made from high quality materials.

He stood up carefully as he was still weak from lack of food, and took a look around. The room he was in didn't have much aside from the bed, table, and a chair, but there were two metal doors on opposite walls. When he tried to open the first door on his left, a red light next to the door handle blinked at him, but the door didn't budge. He tried for a while but it was locked tight.

On the other side of the room, the other door open right away, showing a green light next to the handle this time. The room he found beyond was strange, but he guessed that it was a bathroom, although he did not know the function of the strange glass box in the corner. Perhaps it was to bathe in? He was a little filthy at the moment.

He returned to the first room and sat by the table, his mind drifting off for a while. He was sure that he was going to die when he was pushed off the cliff, but now he was here and a little confused about what had happened. He didn't feel dead, that was for sure. But then again, what did dead even feel like?

Suddenly, the red light on the door to the left blinked green, then the door slid open. Markus inhaled a sharp breath when he saw who had walked in. It was her again. She was not wearing those strange glasses now so he could see her vibrant emerald eyes again. Those beautiful eyes seemed to pierce right through him every time she glanced his way...

She was not wearing her long coat this time, and the casualness of her attire only seemed to add to her charm even more. In fact, Markus was so stricken with her appearance that he didn't notice her place a plate of food on the table before him.

"Eat," she said, her voice ringing in his mind like soft silver bells.

The single word shook him out of his stupor, and he looked down to see a large amount of food set on the table. There was also water, utensils, and napkins, not any different from the luxury he had once enjoyed back in the Rellen manor.

He looked up again in confusion, but she had already walked out of the room, the door sliding shut with a hiss behind her. Markus sighed with regret, then turned his attention to the food. If she intended for him to live, then live he would.

How long that would last, only the mysterious woman who now held him prisoner knew for sure.