A huge thanks to the 54 people who have read this story! An even huger thanks to the 10 people of those 54 that read the second chapter! And an absolutely massive thanks to the 3 of those 10 people that left a review! Yay! The story traffic thingy wasn't around back when I was last active on this site. Can you tell? Well, I worked all day on this chapter and now have a headache to shake the ages, so let's just go straight to the chapter. (Obligatory explanatory chapter. Please forgive the dullness. I promise something interesting will happen soon.)
Chapter 3: Revelations
A number of tents of varying sizes stood near Vale's gate, and several fires burned to illuminate the dusk. The craftsmen that had gathered to repair the town were seated in small groups, discussing the work of the coming days, sharing tales from their youth, or discussing their families and their friends from their hometowns. Four Adepts, friends from their childhood, sat in a loose circle around one of the campfires, recounting their past journey.
"You know what I find kind of strange?" Jenna started as she pulled a morsel off of the chicken thigh that was her dinner. "Nobody from Alhafra came to help. People from Madra came, and Madra's even farther than Alhafra is. You'd think they would have sent at least a couple of people after all the help we gave them with Briggs and their boat."
"We were in Alhafra for a little while. Just a little while, though. We couldn't stand the mayor," Garet recalled, sticking out his tongue in disgust at the memory. Felix groaned in response to the comments.
"Alhafra's mayor is…" The two Mars Adepts leaned forward a bit, curious to discover what word the older boy would use. "…unpleasant." He grinned inwardly at the disappointed frowns on his companions' faces.
"Speaking of Alhafra and Madra, didn't Briggs say he was going to repay the towns that he stole from? Do you think he carried through with it?"
"Come on, Jenna, you're thinking about someone like Briggs? Didn't you say he was married and had a kid?" The fire burned with a sudden intensity that singed the boy's fingers.
A conversation in the company of Garet and Jenna was never dull, but Isaac simply could not focus on their words. Alex's sudden appearance was perturbing at the very least, and the things he had said did little to alleviate the hero's growing concern.
Ask Kraden about my dream, huh… But what about it?
"Of course back then, Isaac was the best among us at psynergy."
"Oh, yeah! Remember the first time Kraden asked us to try and use psynergy? Isaac was the only one who could do it."
"Yeah, but I think his dad had been teaching him up to then. Is that right, Isaac?"
The addressed didn't respond until he had been asked a second time, and he required that the question be repeated a third time before he completely understood what was being asked. He fumbled with his words to find an appropriate reply, "Yeah, Dad taught me a little bit… It was a secret because the Great Healer insisted that we were too young to learn psynergy."
Jenna tilted her head, an eyebrow raised inquisitively, "Were you listening at all, Isaac? We just said that a little while ago…" Isaac stared blankly for a moment, disconcerted.
"Oh, yeah… Sorry," he muttered at length. Felix studied the other Venus Adept with an expression between worry and confusion.
"Are you all right, Isaac?" he asked. "You've been completely out of it since you got back from Vault with Garet."
"About that!" Jenna interrupted, her demeanor suddenly irritated. "Just what were you two doing in Vault? You didn't exactly give me a straight answer earlier."
Garet cast a sideways glance at Isaac before opting to reply for the both of them, "Oh, well, you know…" He cleared his throat to buy more time for his thoughts. "Isaac's dad hasn't been in the best health lately, so we went to see how he was doing…"
"If that's true, then why don't you look me in the eye when you say it?"
"That's… Come on, Isaac, give me a hand here!"
Garet's calls, however, fell on deaf ears. Isaac was yet again distanced by his thoughts, and the words of his friends did not reach him. His eyes focused as a hand fell upon his shoulder; fortunately, it was the shoulder that had not been injured in Vault.
Felix withdrew his hand before speaking, "Seriously, are you okay?"
"Felix is right, Isaac. You really are out of it," Jenna concluded from the blonde boy's the startled look on his face. Garet jumped on the opportunity to defend himself.
"Because he's worried about his dad! Just like I said!" The auburn-haired girl glared at him.
"Shut your loud mouth for a minute and let Isaac speak for himself!" she demanded. Garet immediately quieted.
"I was just thinking," Isaac began, "that we haven't heard from Kraden in a while, have we?" His statement was met with puzzled silence, so he continued, "He went to Tolbi to raid Babi's library for copies of books that he lost when his house was destroyed, right? I thought it seemed kind of strange that he hasn't sent word back to us…"
"It's not that weird, is it? You know how Kraden can get when it comes to research," Jenna justified.
"Oh… I guess so…"
A period of time passed in which the siblings pressed Isaac for more information, convinced that there was some better reason for his detached contemplation. Eventually they were forced to give up on the issue, for he would not yield anything that they considered a satisfactory explanation. They carried on with other topics for a time, but it was growing late, and Jenna decided to retire to bed in preparation for the coming day. Felix took a similar course of action not much later, leaving Isaac and Garet alone.
When he was certain that Felix and Jenna would not hear his words, Garet asked, "So, what was all that really about?" He grew frustrated when his friend looked away, unwilling to present an answer. "Come on, you're not gonna keep it secret even from me, are you?"
A few moments of silence preceded Isaac's response, "Garet, can you cover for me tomorrow?" The unrelated request caught the Mars Adept off guard. "From Jenna, I mean," the boy clarified. Garet's countenance darkened.
"Oh no no no. You can ask me anything, Isaac, but don't ask me to do the impossible."
"Please, Garet…"
The redheaded boy sighed, grumbling, "Well… I guess… I mean, I'll do my best. But only if you tell me what you're doing that needs covering."
Isaac fidgeted slightly, trying to pinpoint the best way to explain himself without revealing too much information. He did not wish to involve his friends in the matter until it became absolutely necessary; they had all worked hard to save Weyard on their previous adventure, and he did not want to rob them of their freedom from responsibility.
"I'm going to head to Tolbi to see Kraden."
"About the monster, right?"
The Venus Adept avoiding eye contact as he assented his friend's conjecture. It was not completely untrue, after all.
"I thought so," Garet said with a nod, "and I'd be lying if I said I weren't curious myself. Just tell me what you find out, okay? And take it easy. You might be putting up a front good enough to fool everyone else, but I can tell you're really pushing yourself to act normally with your shoulder as it is."
Isaac quickly made to dispel the other warrior's concerns, "No, it really isn't that bad! I've got a weak flow of healing psynergy directed to it most of the time, so the pain is pretty dull. It's more stiff than anything else…"
Garet hummed critically, narrowing his eyes in mild skepticism. "Well, if you say so," he conceded. "Anyway, if you're trying to head out before Jenna has the chance to catch wind of it, you should probably get to sleep pretty soon."
Isaac stood and half turned towards the tent he had set up as shelter for himself. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"And Isaac?"
The boy stopped mid-step to face his friend.
"Sorry about using your dad as an excuse earlier…"
He smiled. "Don't worry about it."
A bright flash followed by a sudden weight on his stomach roused Isaac from his slumber. He sat up slightly, rubbing absently at his tired eyes, to find that Flint had manifested himself.
"Wake up, Isaac!" the creature demanded. "You were going to leave early today, right?"
"How do you know about that? You weren't around last night," the warrior inquired with a yawn. Flint hopped up and down in irritation.
"Djinni and master are connected!" he explained. "I can tell what's going on around you even when I'm not in a physical form. And lucky for you that I can! You would have overslept if I hadn't woken you up just now!"
Isaac glanced outside through the sliver separating the two flaps of his tent. It was still dark; he had not planned to rise for at least another hour. He thanked his Djinni for his service nonetheless and quietly exited his temporary home, making sure to grab his equipment and the provisions he had packed the night before. He sifted through the bag to ensure that he had everything he would require for the trip and, finding his supplies adequate, garbed himself in his armor and shouldered his scabbard. He searched his surroundings warily to make sure he had not been spotted before making his way to the town's gate and starting on to Tolbi. Since the Golden Sun's rise, Weyard had become a much safer world, and great strides had been made in the direction of better connecting the continents. Most notable was the series of bridges and mountain passes that had been constructed to better promote trade between the humble villages of Angara and the flourishing cities of Gondowan. Not only did the paths aid to usher in a new era of prosperity for both lands, but they also provided Isaac with a convenient route to reach his destination.
"Tolbi's past the Karagol Sea, right?" Flint said, testing his own memory. Isaac nodded.
"It was before, but with all the new roads and bridges that have been opened, not many people still travel to Tolbi by boat," he explained.
"I don't have any problem with that." The Djinni's ears flattened upon his head. "I never really liked boats that much." Isaac laughed, amused that a being as wondrous and powerful as a Djinni would be so opposed to something as insignificant as a boat. Water and earth were not exactly symbiotic, he decided, so it was not unimaginable for a Venus Djinni to dislike the sea.
The pair continued in silence for a time. What had a warrior and a being of divine Elemental power to discuss, after all? Isaac was always amazed that Flint had been so willing and eager to join him when he first left Vale. All of the other Djinn they had encountered had required that the Adepts first prove their worth in battle or solve some puzzle to reach them, if not a combination of the two. Thoughts of the other Djinn saddened Isaac; his remaining eight had yet to return to him, and he was beginning to doubt that they ever would. They had always been valuable allies in battle, and, as Flint demonstrated, they could also be irreplaceable companions.
"What's the matter, Isaac?" The addressed started at the sudden words, no matter how small the voice that uttered them.
"Flint, do you know what became of the other Djinn?" Isaac dreaded the worst answer, hoping that his partner would supply a more pleasant alternative.
"I'm not really sure, actually," the Venus Djinni confessed. "I haven't been able to sense their presence since they disappeared yesterday. They must be really far away."
The assumption did little to settle Isaac's restless mind, and he continued to imagine the most terrible. Suppose another of those horrific monsters had appeared? What if it had captured them? What if they had been harmed? The Adept could not help but feel responsible for the creatures after all they had experienced together.
"Don't worry, Isaac. We'll find them." Isaac scarcely acknowledged the guarantee.
An hour's trek brought them to the city of Tolbi; Colosso was long over and would not come again for many months, so the town was quiet. The manor situated at Tolbi's farthest reaches, however, was more guarded than ever.
They've probably been having trouble keeping thieves away, Isaac supposed. Babi was, after all, the well-known lord of Tolbi and the host of the amazingly popular Colosso tournament. After his death, countless robbers had likely descended on the town in an effort to claim the many valuables that no longer had an owner. The guards recognized Isaac by face and name, so the warrior had no difficulty entering the towering building once he had stated his purpose. He immediately sought out the library and found the large door ajar.
"Kraden?" Isaac was surprised by the volume of his own voice, amplified by the bare stone walls and high ceiling. The scholar's head appeared from behind a bookshelf, and a smile spread on his lips.
"Well, if it isn't Isaac!" he greeted as he approached, an open book cradled in his hands. "What brings you all the way to Tolbi?"
"I hate to spoil your good mood, Kraden, but it's nothing worth smiling about."
"Don't be a meanie, Isaac," Flint reprimanded, the spikes on his back bristling.
"Ah, and Flint as well. I'm sorry; I didn't see you." Kraden returned to the bookshelf he had been studying earlier with a gesture that bade his company follow. "So, what seems to be the matter?" A troubled expression crossed his face, and he raised his eyes to meet Isaac's. "Your friends and family are all right? The people of Vale?"
"It's nothing like that," the Adept assured. "Something strange happened in Vault yesterday."
"There was a monster!" Flint exclaimed. "A big, huge, ugly, scary monster!"
"Overlooking the fact that 'big' and 'huge' are all but the same word," Kraden said, clearing his throat, "exactly what manner of monster are we talking about?" Isaac described the beast's appearance in detail with emphasis on its remarkable mastery of Mercury psynergy. The Alchemist grew silent, and it was obvious that he was considering something of grave importance.
"A monster that behaves as an Adept, was it…" He set his tome back upon the shelf and paced back and forth, tugging at the end of his beard thoughtfully. "But that's not… It was only a fairy-tale, like the legend of Anemos becoming the moon…"
Isaac was becoming impatient, "What are you thinking, Kraden? What fairy-tale?"
"It's said that there was once a great beast that plagued Weyard long before anyone had even considered sealing Alchemy. It was truly an amazing creature. Not even extremely experienced Adepts had as great a command over psynergy as this monster. All of the Elements were at its command. It grew drunk on the power it wielded, even mad with it, and sought to destroy anyone who would oppose its might."
"You mean Adepts." Isaac's voice was low, and his body numbed as he recalled the voice that had spoken to him in his dream.
Kraden nodded approvingly at his student's conclusion, "Exactly. As the legend goes, eventually a few warriors seized the power of the Golden Sun and used it to overcome the beast."
"What happened to it after that?" the Djinni asked, his ears twitching curiously. Kraden removed his glasses to clear the lenses.
"Well, there are no records of that," he professed. "Like I said, it's only folklore. The legend's survived through word of mouth alone. I had a written copy of it in my study in Vale, but all of those documents were lost along with the house." He returned his spectacles to the bridge of his nose. "It's a crying shame, really…"
An increasing feeling of dread compelled Isaac to press the matter further, "But if you had a written copy, then there must be more somewhere, right? Do you know where I could find one?"
Kraden was taken aback by the mild-mannered boy's insistence. "If anyone had a copy," he said, "it would be the Lemurians. A civilization that's existed as long as Lemuria has would have an incredible wealth of records. It makes me regret having never asked King Hydros to have a look at his library…"
Lemuria, Isaac mused. Felix returned the ship to Piers's care when we were finished with it…
"Are you thinking of visiting Lemuria, Isaac?" Kraden assumed from the boy's expression.
"I don't see that I have any choice. I doubt that monster was the only one of its kind. I have to settle this before more of them show up, and this is the only lead that I've got."
"Is that so!" Kraden pulled several books from the shelf he stood before and placed them on a nearby table, then proceeded to a different shelf for a similar purpose. "In that case, I'll be returning to Vale so that I can accompany you to Lemuria. I simply did not see enough of the place on my first visit. Just allow me a few moments to collect the things I want to bring with me…"
"Kraden's a bit of an airhead just like Garet, isn't he?" Flint chirped. Kraden flared at the remark.
"How rude! I am a scientist!"
An indefinite length of time found the two nearing Vale, Isaac laden with most of the documents that Kraden had decided he required. The extra person and items made for a longer returning trip, but the journey, the Venus Adept decided, did not last nearly long enough to satisfy his tastes. He was not looking forward to explaining himself to Jenna, and he could not begin to fathom how he would make it up to Garet for leaving him in such an awkward position. Thoughts such as these distracted him from his fears; between Kraden's words, the events he witnessed in Vault, and his nightmare, it seemed almost certain that some unspeakable danger was closing in on Weyard.
"Isaac!" It was just the voice he did not want to hear. Jenna met the warrior and the scholar at the gate, her anger taking a nearly tangible form in the air around them. "And just where have you been?! Really! I would expect disappearing acts like that from Garet, sure, but you were always working hard on Vale until just recently!"
Isaac raised his hands to defend himself, and Flint spoke in his stead, "Don't blame Isaac for it! He's just trying to protect all of you!" The Adept hurriedly shushed his Djinni. Kraden cleared his throat and turned to face Isaac.
"I suppose I am to assume that you've kept this matter a secret from your friends?" The boy did not reply. "Always the stubborn one, aren't you, Isaac? Always trying to bear the burden by yourself…"
"What are you talking about, Kraden? What's going on?"
A heavy breath escaped Isaac. It isn't as though I could keep it secret forever…
"Where are Garet and Felix?" the young hero said grimly. "There's a lot that needs explaining…"
And now, a few words. Actually, a great many words, but that's not the point. I worked really hard for a long time on this chapter so that I could post it today because there's a new MMO coming out tomorrow that I want to try and I know that I won't be able to get ANY work done on anything important. Even so, I don't know how I'm cranking out chapters like this, balancing it between working on two pictures, chatting with people, and working on beating GS:TLA. (Actually the last time I played TLA was a looong time ago, so until I beat it again, please forgive any inaccuracies as they pertain to the end-game...) I don't imagine that they will come nearly as quickly from here on out since I've already exhausted all of my pre-writing plot planning stuff...
That said! Forgive me for making up things about characters, such as Jenna's strong sense of organization and progress and Isaac and Garet's secrecy (especially that of the former). I get things in my head and they just stick, regardless of the actual truth... Also, I'm not really into most typical Golden Sun pairings - I only like really weird ones that no one would imagine - but somehow I've managed to portray Jenna as constantly furious with Garet and constantly worried about Isaac, even though I was trying to keep it balanced to appeal to those who like both pairings.
Um, if I go on much longer, this is going to turn into a story in itself. Please forgive my rambling. Reviews are greatly greatly greatly appreciated. They make me squeal as if I had just heard the GSDS announcement.
