Golden Sun: The Untold Story
Chapter 1: Fading Hope
By aan'allein
The hot air and the high humidity accompanied Isaac and his crew in the forest north of Madra. Between Madra and the Dehkan Plateau, the land was made up of a combination of dense forests and plains. The entire area was split by a long snakelike river that crossed the southern half of the continent. The forest varied in density, and there was one area was especially dense. It is through this area that Isaac and his group was traveling. In the beginning, they could navigate through the vines with little difficulty, but as time passed they were forced to cut their way through. Their first method was psyenergy, but using it for long lengths of time was quite difficult, so they had to turn to their weapons. Both Isaac and Garet had taken up the duty of cutting the way, and Isaac had been at the job for an hour. Sweating profusely due to the heat and physical labor, with the high humidity preventing it from evaporating, Isaac paused in his work to catch his breath. Isaac was deceptively strong for his slim build and average height. His long golden hair stood in spikes set at odd angles about his head. His tunic and trousers were both blue and his vest the same but trimmed with gold embroidery. The accessory that stood out most though, was a long golden scarf tied around his neck. "Just give me a moment" he panted.
Crossing her arms, Mia gave Isaac stern look. "Isaac, you are exhausted. Why don't you let Garet take your place?"
Isaac knew better then to argue, Mia had taken the tone that told him she wasn't going to let him argue with her. Besides, he was grateful to stop and rest. He turned and lowered his gaze to look her in the eyes, for the top of her head was barely as tall as his shoulder. He smiled. Throughout all of his travels, he had met many women, and none matched Mia's beauty. Her azure hair, held by a silver clip, fell down her back. Her eyes of a similar color were deep pools a man could drown himself in. Shaking his head slightly, Isaac wiped the sweat off his forehead. He couldn't fathom how she could wear her heavy aquamarine cloak and a dress of equal color and weight while barely showing signs of heat exhaustion. Isaac sighed. "You're right, Mia." He turned toward his large friend. "Go ahead Garet." He said as he returned the Gaia Blade to its sheath at his hip.
"Sure thing, Isaac." Garet said, unsheathing his heavy blade. Garet also barely appeared to notice the effects of the heat, for he had always dealt with heat well. He and Isaac had been friends almost since the day they were born. Garet was a good deal larger and taller than most men. His height seemed even greater because of his long, fiery hair, which stood straight up. He wore a loose-fitting orange tunic and blue trousers. Though he wasn't a fool, Garet has never been known for his brains; he was more known for his loud voice and unyielding apatite. Moving to the front of the group, he picked up where Isaac left off.
"Why can't I do it?" said the small blond boy standing amongst them.
"Because you, my very short friend, aren't built for this sort of work." Garet smiled arrogantly. "I, on the other hand, am perfect for this sort of work."
"What's the problem with me?" the boy said with a condescending smile. "I don't have a big mouth or a stupid look on my face?"
Garet's smile faded. "That's not what I meant!" he said defensively.
Isaac sighed to himself. Ivan and Garet always bickered and due Garet's lack of wit, Ivan won most of the time. Ivan was a small boy younger than anyone in the group, and even for his age he was not very tall; he only stood as high as Isaac's chest. Despite his age, Ivan was probably the smartest, wisest person Isaac knew. His pale blond hair was arranged like a mop on his head. He wore a green tunic and lavender trousers, unlike the others' clothes, bore small stains where sweat had leaked through. His eyes were violet, which used to seem odd to Isaac, for he had never seen the likes of which before. He now contributed it to the fact that the boy was a Jupiter adept. Though he carried a magical staff, Ivan wore a katana at his side. He knew how to use both weapons effectively. Setting the staff aside, he unsheathed his thin blade. "I could do it you know. It's not like I don't have a sword."
Isaac sighed under his breath. It wasn't the first time this matter had come up. "Ivan just let Garet do it; it'll be much faster this way.'' To his surprise, Ivan conceded and stood back to let Garet pick up the job; albeit with a little reluctance. Falling back beside Mia, Isaac started thinking about their pursuit. He had come to the conclusion that they were about six days behind Felix, but he wasn't very hopeful. Every time they have gotten close to Felix, something came up allowing Felix to slip away again.
"Isaac, are you all right?" Mia asked worriedly.
Startled, Isaac turned to see the concerned expression on Mia's face. He sighed. "Yeah, I'm alright. I've just been thinking about Felix. It's just... we always seem to be two steps behind him, and every time we get closer he just gets away and we lose him… again."
She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry Isaac, we'll catch him eventually." She giggled. "Besides, he can't run from us forever."
He returned her smile. She was right; they would find Felix eventually. He just hoped that by then it wasn't too late, and by the look in Mia's eyes, she was having the same thought.
Hours later they had set up camp. Mia had cooked a stew over the fire that Garet had almost burned the forest down with.
"So…" Garet said while chewing a stale roll, "I hear Madra is a pretty big city."
"Yeah Garet," Ivan said teasingly, "think of all the kinds of food that will be there!" Everyone laughed as Garet glared at him. They ate in silence for a few moments.
"With all those people," Mia mused aloud, "someone's got to have seen Felix." Garet and Ivan made sounds of agreement.
Isaac looked up at the stars through the canopy of trees. Yes, someone must have seen him… He hasn't gotten away yet.
Eve jumped as she felt someone using psyenergy deeper into the forest. She had always had an unexplainable talent for sensing the usage of psyenergy. Her Crimson hair was held in loose curls that fell down her back, but she had been thinking of cutting it all off for the past few hours in the heat and humidity. She wore a dark blue sleeveless dress with a somewhat plunging neckline, with the skirt was divided just below her waist on the left side. Under her skirt, she wore silk black leggings. She was beginning to regret her soft leather boots, which came up a little higher than her knees- they were intolerably hot. Her hands, sore from cutting through vines, were bare. She had shed her long leather gloves because of the heat, and it was this reason that kept her from donning them again.
"What's up?" Sulin asked.
Eve turned to face her armor-clad companion. Although she was dressed similarly- ignoring her white plate armor; their appearances contrasted greatly. While Eve was tall and sun darkened, Sulin was pale and short and had shoulder-length aquamarine hair. One would be a fool though, to think either was weak. They had both been trained as soldiers and were both quite skilled in combat. "I felt mars psyenergy being used up ahead, and a large amount."
As she had expected, this news brought an excited look to Sulin's face. "We must be catching up… how far ahead?"
Eve cleared her throat. "It's hard to tell with the large amount being used, but I'd say about eight or nine miles southeast of here.
"Let's make our way in that direction." Tylin said with a hint of excitement in her voice. "Eight or nine miles…" she mused, "we may be able to catch them by morning. It would be before midnight if it wasn't for this bloody forest."
As she resumed carving her way through the forest, Eve shared in her friend's excitement. Finally, we almost have them.
Sorry I haven't updated in a while, all my typing has been spent on my English class. I worked out the kinks in this chapter and have already started on the next. Keep in mind, this is my first fic. And as always, PLEASE REVIEW