Author's Quick Note: I look back at this and cringe, keh, it gets better later... I made a few minor adjustments, but nothing major.
Golden Sun Shadowed
Chapter 1: Ivan
There was nothing to do. The sleepy little town of Vault contains no excitement; no surprises. Everyone went about their daily chores in a monotonous tone. I couldn't wait for my master to finish haggling with the mayor of Vault. I enjoyed peace and quiet, but this was a little too much...
After I had become bored with the two's debate, I returned to the inn. The inn was unusually large for such a small town. The ceiling was long but flat. The walls in our room had peeling paint. A window sat at the edge of the western wall, allowing some sunlight to be brought in.
The wooden floor's planks looked as if they could collapse at any minute. There were six beds in a single, wide room. One of the beds contained my master Hammet's treasured valuable: the Shaman's rod. I had been entrusted to guard the rod at all costs.
I'm a servant to the house of the King of Kalay, you see. Master Hammet is both a king and merchant. He is kind and wise; I greatly admire him. Everyone in Kalay also thinks so, too. Kalay isn't as wealthy as the great city of Tolbi, but our king rules with kindness and trust, not power and riches.
I must have been homesick, because I couldn't wait for Master Hammet to finish his business. He had been gone for quite some time with the Mayor of Vault...
A violent rumbling suddenly catapulted me out of my bed. I heard a crash and then the yells and screams of people. I gingerly picked myself up and ran down the stairs to exit the inn. As I left the inn, I couldn't help but wonder what on Weyard was going on. There were no major earthquakes at this part of the world!
When I got outside, the rumbling hadn't subsided. I looked up, and to my horror I saw a meteor hurling out of the sky at an amazing speed. It was coming right at me! I stood paralyzed, unable to process anything. I simply watched as the rock came closer... and closer... and closer...
There was another resounding crash, and the meteor smashed itself into the inn's roof instead of me. The hay on the roof spattered everywhere, along with sparks from the rock. That thing... it had nearly killed me!
A warm, orange-red glow began to grow on the grass now covered in hay. The sight of the flame made my mind jump back into gear again. A single word finally processed itself in my mind: fire. Knowing that the fire would easily spread, I lifted my foot and stomped hard upon the small flame, smothering its life giving oxygen intake.
I looked around, to see the panicked citizens of Vault running in circles. "Stay calm!" I tried to shout above the shrieks. Of course, no one listened. They continued to run around wailing. I watched as a mother with a child ran hastily into her room. One of the three travelers who had arrived today ran into the Sanctum. I saw one other traveler run into the inn, and the third into the mayor's house. Just after the one entered the mayor's house, the mayor himself and my master busted out of the doors.
I decided that I needed to protect Hammet. After all, I am his servant. I jogged over to where he was standing. "Master Hammet!" I yelled above the screams. He looked around, unsure of where my voice had come from, in disarray, similar to what I had been in a second ago. "Master Hammet!" This time he looked at me. "Please get yourself into the town's dungeon! I doubt that a few rocks will be able to smash its way through a rock roof!"
Hammet nodded his head. "Yes, you are right, Ivan. I shall go there immediately." Hammet then turned to face the mayor. "Mayor, will you come with us? It will be safe there."
"Thank you for your concern, Hammet, but the duty as Vault's mayor is to protect my people. I will join you shortly."
"I understand," Hammet said, "we will wait for you in the dungeon, then. I'm sure your people will listen to you. I would offer to help you, but I'm afraid we wouldn't be of much use."
The two nodded their heads once more, before the mayor departed into the town center to try and calm his people. Hammet looked at me, and I knew I was supposed to guide him. "Master Hammet, please follow me," I said. The dungeon wasn't far from where we were standing, so all we had to do was walk down some stone stairs and enter through the door.
The room was cool and dark. Prisons lined the wall from the left side. There was a steady drip drip sound. Outside we could still here the yells and shouts of people, and an occasional crash sound of a meteor. After five minutes passed, a man entered the dungeon. A little while later, a woman entered. As time went by, more and more citizens of Vault began to steadily stream through the dungeon. I recognized some of them: the Sanctum's healers, the woman with the baby, the mayor's wife and children, the three travelers, and last but not least the mayor himself.
The screams outside had subsided.
All of the citizens in Vault, and even the travelers, were inside this dark room. Their whipers echoed throughout the hovel. Sometimes we would hear the crash of a meteor, and then everyone would grow deathly silent, before continuing on with their whispers.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the shaking subsided. The mayor cautiously exited the dungeon. "It's ok. Everything's fine now," he said.
Cheers erupted from the people. Everyone flowed out into the now waning sunlight. There was damage outside, but all of the houses were still in a living condition.
Hammet smiled at me, and I returned the favor. We entered the inn. The roof of the inn may have had a hole, but the inside was perfectly fine. We entered our room, and I looked at my bed. My smile immediately vanished. The Shaman's rod... it was gone! Hammet's most treasured keepsake, which he trusted me to guard, was gone!
Woah, woah, calm down, Ivan. During the rumbling, the rod just probably slipped off the bed or something. I calmed myself and looked around the bedNothing. I began to grow frightened. I looked under the bed.Nothing. This... this was not good! I searched the entire room, and still, nothing!
"Is something wrong, Ivan?"
My master had been watching me the whole time. I gulped, not wanting to tell him the truth, but I knew I had to. "Ye-yes, Ma-Master Hammet, I'm afraid that the Shaman's Rod is missing."
Hammet's face darkened. "Where did you last put it?"
"On my bed," I replied, pointing to the spot. "I know I put it right on my bed. I thought maybe the earthquake knocked it off, but... it's nowhere to be found!"
"Are you sure, Ivan?"
"Yes, Master Hammet. I ... apologize. It was my fault." I was prepared to take all the blame.
"If you're sure you put it there, then there's only one logical explanation: someone must have stolen it during the time of the falling rocks."
Stolen during the time of a crisis? What kind of monster would do such a thing? I couldn't reply.
"If you don't find it by tomorrow afternoon, we're leaving with or without you to Kalay. If you are left here, just travel across the bridge until you see Kalay. You are not permitted to leave Vault without the Shaman's Rod. Do you understand, Ivan?"
"Yes, sir; Master Hammet," I replied, suddenly feeling very, very homesick.
"Good," Hammet said. "Now go get some rest. This has been tiring for all of us. You can search for the rod in the morning." He changed his voice into a softer tone. "Ivan, this ordeal will help teach you about things in life. I'm only doing this to help you. Do you understand?"
I nodded my head in reply, and laid down in the inn's bed. Despite everything I had been through, I didn't feel very sleepy. Master Hammet followed my suit, and laid upon the inn's other bed. Soon I heard his soft breathing of sleep. I couldn't help but wonder about how he wasn't worried.
He must have had a lot of faith in me to believe that I would find it before tomorrow afternoon...
Author's Note: Ok, this is my first fanfic I've done before... I am a lowly freshman who knows very little of writing. Please give me tips of how I can improve. I've written a few stories before, but they were in third person. First person is sort of new for me...
Acknowledgments: Thanks to my Internet friend Gospel for inspiring me to write this story, and to Camelot and Nintendo for making Golden Sun. I do not own Golden Sun; Camelot and Nintendo do.
