Golden Sun: The Age of Light
By: Mokona-Midoki
Chapter Eleven
Author's Note: Thank you to Osprey Eamon for catching my mistake about Contigo and Atteka. It is my fault, I should have rechecked my references. It has been remedied. You bring up an excellent point about Meteor. You'll have to wait until the gods of fire make an appearance to actually see what I have in store for them, but hey, if people can worship statues and golden cows why can't they worship flaming rocks?
Disclaimer: All characters save Atalanta are mine!!! But Golden Sun is not. If it was I wouldn't be living in a box under the freeway! (Just kidding, I live in a dorm room!)
Nothing moved as the rays of early morning sunlight swept over the pirate vessel.
Everybody who was half-way conscious was staring at the green-haired figure floating above the ship. After all, it wasn't everyday that the gods stepped out of myth and into real life.
Whether they were frozen for a few seconds or half an hour, Noa would never be able to recall.
Finally the goddess spoke.
"Wayde."
The pirate flinched.
"I have seen your crimes. You have imprisoned and stolen many of our children from their homes." Her beautiful eyes narrowed. "I do not take kindly to that."
Wayde swallowed hard.
"Noa."
"Yes my lady?"
"Make your escape. Where are you headed?"
"To the village of the Kibombo."
"Then my wind shall take you there."
Noa watched as the winds slowly lifted her sword to her. She took it and slid it back into her sheath. Making her way over to the rope, she mounted it and walked slowly, and carefully across using the winds to balance her.
As she stepped lightly down to the deck of the Ulyesses she looked over at the crew. They were all staring with their mouths open, even Troy.
"Noa…" Kenda began weakly.
"Later. We've got to get out of here."
"But, but that's Atalanta! That's a god! That's…" Even Troy seemed lost for words.
"I know."
Lynna was on her knees. "She's a goddess…"
Noa sighed. Drawing her sword she turned and cut the line anchoring them to the larger ship. "Do you want the Captain to die? Cause that's what's going to happen unless he receives medical care soon!"
That got them moving.
There was little left to be done besides transport both Qing Yuan and Peregrine inside the cabin. Noa stayed on deck, watching the goddess.
She raised one pale arm, and with a swift motion, a wind was summoned propelling them forward. The four stood at the deck watching until the pirate ship was out of sight.
Finally, Noa turned away. A whisper on the wind caught her ear. "May the winds be with you, Daughter of Anemos."
--
Atalanta stared down at the pirate captain before her. She was not pleased with him. Not in the slightest. Normally she wouldn't have been able to do anything about it, but since Noa had summoned her…well…that was a different matter.
She once again raised her arm high above her head, hand open wide, palm facing upward. Light began to gather in it.
"You will be punished."
The pirate seemed to find his voice. "Please! Please great lady! Mercy! I'll do anything!!!"
"Mercy is only granted to those who deserve it. You are not one of them."
The light shot out, a thousand deadly arrows pierced the heavens.
The ship was nothing more than a smoking heap in a matter of seconds.
--
Noa knew they were watching her. She could feel their eyes on her. Troy was at the helm, favoring his uninjured leg, and Lynna had just rejoined them from below decks where Kenda was tending to Qing Yuan. Peregrine was the only one who seemed unaffected by the events. Warily leaning against the mast, he had refused to go below decks saying he had spent enough time inside a ship to last him for the rest of his life. His eyes were closed, and Noa could see the faint shadow of a smile on his face.
Noa…are you alright? It was Peregrine.
She sighed. I'm fine…it's just…
Why don't you lie down for a bit?
That sounds nice right now.
You should. Summoning a god is no small feat.
She turned from the railing and walked to the cabin door.
"Noa?"
The adept turned back, finding Lynna standing there.
"Yes?"
"Kenda told me that we should be at the river head soon."
"Alright then." She went to open the door.
"Noa!" She paused. "Thank you. For saving us."
"You're welcome."
"You were really amazing back there."
She paused, her hand on the handle to the door. "You think so?"
"Well yeah! I mean, you summoned a goddess! I knew you were strong, but I didn't know you could do that!"
Noa looked at Lynna. "You mean you're not scared?"
"Scared of what?"
"Of me."
Lynna's eyes widened for a moment. "Oh. Well, no not really. I mean, I already know you, so I was surprised, but I wasn't scared. Not of you anyway. I know that you'd never do anything to hurt us." She smiled. "And don't worry about Troy. He trusts you."
Noa felt a great knot untie itself in her chest, and returned Lynna's smile with a small one of her own. "I'm going to lie down for a bit."
"Alright."
--
As Noa passed by the door to Qing Yuan's cabin she noticed it was open.
Kenda's voice suddenly drifted out of it. "…Such a fool."
Stopping, she peered in. Kenda had laid Qing Yuan dressed in nothing but his pants on his stomach on the bed. She had removed the tattered remains of his shirt and was gently cleaning his torn back with a bottle of reddish-clear liquid and a wad of folded cloth which was liberally stained with blood. Her eyes were red and unshed tears glistened in them.
She continued to speak to the unconscious captain. "You know that? You really are an idiot! You always get into the most awful situations and I have to patch and sew you back up after it. Why I set foot on this ship I'll never know! You…" She trailed off. Her hands never stopped working.
Noa got the feeling that she was viewing something very private. Not wanting to listen in any longer, she was about to turn away when Kenda's spoke up.
"Is someone out there?"
Noa sheepishly poked her head in. "Hey Kenda." She groped for a possible excuse. "Do you need any help?"
Kenda thought for a moment then sighed. "Yes. If you don't mind that is."
Noa opened the door wider and stepped in, looking around as she did so. It was the first time she had been in the captain's quarters. Maps and charts blanketed the wall directly to her left, a large map of the world surrounded by smaller maps of the individual continents and islands. A table stood in the middle, with a dresser against the opposite wall, two chairs, and the bed all of which were bolted to the floor. On the wall to her right next to the dresser hung a large tapestry of a giant green serpentine beast. On the opposite side of the dresser hung a tapestry depicting a small city. A huge mountain loomed in the background. She refocused her attention back on Kenda. "Of course I don't mind. What do you need me to do?"
"I need to bandage his back. Could you hold him up for me?"
"Sure."
She walked over to the bed. Together she and Kenda gently rolled Qing Yuan onto his side, and then pulled him into a sitting position.
"Just hold his shoulders, and make sure he doesn't fall back."
Noa took Qing Yuan's shoulders his forehead resting on her own shoulder.
Taking a roll of clean white bandages Kenda leaned forward and began to quickly and efficiently wrap the unconscious man's torso.
After a few minutes she was done. Laying him back on his stomach, Kenda set about cleaning the cuts on his wrists and ankles.
"How bad is it?" Noa asked.
Kenda laughed quietly. "He'll live. He's had worse."
"Worse?" Noa couldn't imagine anything worse than this.
"Not by much, but yeah. He should wake up soon, though I'll be keeping him in bed until he's healed. If he moves an inch, I'll kill him."
Trying to distract Kenda from thinking about Qing Yuan, Noa cast about for a topic and her eyes landed on the tapestries. "What are those tapestries of?" She asked.
Kenda spared a glance. "Oh. The one on the left is Qing Yuan's home, Izumo. The one on the right is the guardian of Izumo, the serpent of Mount Mikage. It's said to protect Izumo from all danger."
"They're beautiful."
"I believe his mother made them."
"It must be nice to have something to remind him of home."
"Yeah…home…" She became quiet.
Noa looked at her quizzically. "Aren't you happy? I mean we're going to your home right?"
Kenda sighed deeply. "It's complicated. Let's just say I'm not exactly the favorite." She took a roll of bandages and gave it to the blonde adept. "Here. Take this to Troy. If he doesn't wrap that ankle it'll get worse."
Noa could tell she had been dismissed, so she left. No point in prying any further.
--
"Troy! Here! Kenda says to go ahead and get off your feet." Noa tossed the roll of bandages up to the pale boy who still stood at the helm. He caught it easily. "I'll be fine." He told them.
Lynna swung down. "I'll take the tiller. You rest."
He opened his mouth to protest.
"Move or I'll tie you to the mast." She threatened.
Troy stubbornly stayed where he was.
"Upside down."
He moved.
He sat down, leaning against the outer railing of the ship. He winced painfully as he pulled his boot off.
"Do you need help?" Noa asked coming up.
Troy considered this for a moment then nodded. "Could you wrap it for me? I'm not too good at this sort of thing." He asked as he rolled up the leg of his pants.
"Sure." She gently pulled off his sock. They both winced as they saw his ankle. It had swollen to at least twice its normal size and was a nasty bluish-purple.
"Ouch." Troy said.
Noa began to quickly and tightly wrap the injured foot. As soon as she was finished, Troy twisted so he was laying on his back with his foot resting on the railing.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
They were silent for a moment, nobody speaking. Finally Noa broke the silence.
"So, did something happen between Kenda and her hometown?"
The twins looked at her. "What gave you that idea?" Lynna asked.
"Well, she mentioned something about not being the favorite…"
Troy and Lynna now looked at each other. Lynna nodded and Troy sighed.
"Well, we don't know the all the fine details or anything," Lynna began. "But basically, Kenda and her father haven't spoken since she left Kibombo almost three years ago."
"Why not?"
Troy shrugged as best as he could with his back against the deck. "Kenda's father, from what she's told us, is the witchdoctor of the Kibombo. He's the leader of the village, and completely devoted to his god and his duty."
Lynna now took up the story. "When Qing Yuan came to Kibombo, he was impressed by their strength, and invited a few of them to join him."
"He had a smaller ship back then." Troy interjected.
"Anyway Kenda, who had always wanted to see the world, was the only one who even considered his offer. The Kibombo stick to their village. It's almost unheard of one to leave."
"Her father forbade her from going, saying it was her duty to stay and protect the village. Kenda would have become the head warrior had she stayed."
"Kenda ignored her father and left anyway. She's only been back three times, and all three of those times he's acted as if she never existed. And that's it." They finished.
"I see."
"From what I've heard, the Kibombo tend to be quite hostile towards people they view as enemies." Peregrine suddenly spoke up.
"That's true. Kenda's had a hard time even getting back in." Troy agreed.
"Her mother's really nice though. And she's a great cook." Lynna told her.
"So you've met her family?"
"Just once. It was a few months after we joined Qing-Yuan and Kenda. We haven't met her father though. He dislikes all outsiders."
At that moment, the door to the ship's cabins and Kenda came out.
All four instantly fell silent.
"Hey Kenda! How's the captain?" Lynna called, her voice a little to cheerful.
Kenda obviously thought so too, because she raised her eyebrow before answering. "He's out of any immediate danger, though he'll be sleeping for a while longer."
"Oh okay." She fell silent.
Kenda looked between the three of them and Peregrine who still had his eyes closed as if were sleeping. She sighed. "Okay. I know you all were talking about me."
"We weren't talking exactly…" Troy trailed off.
"It's okay. It's not exactly a secret or anything." She told them. "Just let me do the talking when we get there." She paused thinking. "Just keep your mouths shut unless you are asked something directly. It'll be easier that way. Peregrine it might be best if you go back inside."
"It will be fine. I do not mind if they see me as a demon. I have been called such before." The emaciated boy replied.
"Well, if you're sure…"
"Do not worry. They are your family, no?"
Kenda sighed. "I don't think my father sees me as such anymore."
There was a short uncomfortable silence.
Lynna suddenly spoke up. "Kenda. I see the river head."
They all looked to where she pointed. Framed between two tall cliffs was a wide passage that led into the continent they had been skirting the past few days.
Kenda took a deep breath and sighed. "No point in avoiding it. We need to restock and Qing Yuan needs to rest in a safe enviorment."
To Noa it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was them.
"Let's go."
Lynna spun the tiller and headed the Ulysses towards the cliffs.
--
"Nika hurry up!" The boy called to the younger girl who trailed behind him.
She gasped for air, her bare feet slapping the dirt and the bracelets on her wrist jangling. "I'm trying Iuei!"
They passed through the two pillars that marked the entrance to their village and between the two stern looking guards. On all sides were round wooden homes with thick thatched roofs. Several of the homes had fires outside which were being tended by various people. The two children ran through the village as fast as they could. They finally skidded to a halt in front of the tallest building which had two floors instead of just one.
The boy threw back the thick cloth that served as the door and barreled inside.
"Ama! Ama!" They both called. "Ama! Where are you?!"
A tall dark-skinned woman came out of a back room. "Keb? Teranika? What's going on?"
They ran up to her, bent over and breathing hard.
"Ama! We were…at the cliffs…" Keb, who was usually very level-headed, had a look of excitement on his face.
Their mother's eyes narrowed, and she placed her hands on her hips. "Keb! Teranika! What have I told you about going there? It's not safe for you two!" She scolded her two youngest.
The girl looked up, her dark eyes wide. "But Ama! We saw it!"
"Saw it? Saw what?"
"We saw Iuai's ship!"
Her hands fell away from her hips, as she stared down in shock. "Are, are you sure?" She asked them, her voice shaking slightly.
They nodded.
"Stay here." She quickly left her home and then the village, heading towards the river.
--
"We're being watched." Noa told them.
They were sailing between the steep cliffs that heralded the entrance into the continent.
Kenda had her arms crossed, and she was frowning. "Naturally. The Kibombo are paranoid after all."
"Can you tell how many there are?" Troy asked.
Noa closed her eyes. "Reveal." She opened them again and scanned the cliff tops. "I can't tell the exact number, but there seems to be at least two adepts."
"There are a total of seven people on the cliffs, two of which are adepts." Peregrine told them.
"That's amazing that you can tell that!" Lynna exclaimed.
"It's easier for an adept to sense other adepts than regular people." He told her. "Adepts give off very unique auras that are stronger than the normal person."
"What are we going to do?" Troy asked Kenda.
"Ignore them. They are just watching us right now."
They continued sailing not looking to either of the cliff faces. After a few more minutes, Kenda pointed to where the river suddenly passed by a mountain.
"There, the Kibombo Mountains. That's where we want to go."
"I don't see the village." Noa commented.
"That's because the river doesn't run by the village. We have to take a pass through the mountains to get to it."
"But what about Qing Yuan, Troy, and Peregrine? They can't walk."
"None of them are in enough danger that being carried will kill them. Although it would be better if we had a stretcher for Qing Yuan." She took a deep breath. "I'm tired of all this. Let's just get there and get this over with."
Noa looked back over the railing of the ship, watching as the shore of the river drew closer and closer.
Quite suddenly, the ship ground to a halt as it ran up on the sandy beach.
Kenda wasted no time. "Lynna, tie the boat down." Lynna nodded and swung down the side of the boat. "Noa, could you help me with the anchor?"
"Of course." Noa crossed the boat to where she stood, and taking the other side of the anchor, dropped it over board. It hit the water with a small splash and sunk to the bottom.
Kenda turned towards Noa. "I'm going to get Qing Yuan. Would you-" She was suddenly cut off by Peregrine's voice.
"Lynna's in trouble."
At that moment they heard a yell from the beach. "Uh, Kenda? Help!"
Lynna stood on the sandy beach, the rope lying forgotten on the ground as she held her hands in the air and stared down the end of no less than five very sharp spears being wielded by five dark-skinned men. She laughed a bit nervously. "Hello! Nice to see you again!...Kenda!"
Kenda closed her eyes in exasperation and sighed. "Really. Must we go through this every time?" Then she ran over to the side of the deck and swung off the boat. She calmly walked up towards where Lynna stood, and grabbing the back of her shirt, pulled her back and planted herself in front of the warriors.
She smiled politely. "Hello. Is there a problem here?"
The warriors seemed to relax slightly at the sight of her, or at least they lowered their spears. The one in the front stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Kenda. We did not know it was you."
"I can tell. Listen, me and my friends need to get to Kibombo. Could you open the pass for us?"
The warrior coughed slightly. "Well, actually, the pass was just closed. No one is to enter."
Kenda frowned. "I see. I suppose this order was given by my father?"
He looked extremely uncomfortable. "Uh, well, yes."
Kenda stood for a moment, considering something, then looked back up. "No matter, we will pass through anyway."
"But you can't do that-"
Kenda cut him off, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Oh? Are you going to stop me, Rio?"
Rio gulped, but stood firm. "The pass has been closed. No one will enter it."
"Fine. Summon the witchdoctor."
All the warriors were taken aback by this statement. "What?"
"You heard me. Summon the witchdoctor. I will discuss it with him."
"There is no need for that. I am here."
All eyes suddenly focused on the voice which this statement had come from. A tall, broad-shouldered man strode out of the thick jungle which surrounded the river bank. He had the same shade of dark skin as the other Kibombo present, and Noa saw, the same eyes as Kenda. He wore a white robe and a headdress with a single blue feather. Even at the distance she stood, Noa could tell that he was an adept.
Kenda and the newcomer watched each other for a moment, not speaking. Then finally, Kenda bowed her head slightly.
"Hello, Amon."
Footnotes: Yay! We finally reach Kibombo!!!! That took long enough…And Wayde is gone!!!! First character death of the story right there! That's a bit exciting actually…
Lynna's Reaction: I know that most people would take a bit longer to get over the whole shock of finding out that your friend can summon gods, but Lynna's pretty easy going. No scratch that, she's WAY to easy going. But anyway, it takes a whole lot more than a goddess to get Lynna to stop liking people.
The Serpent and Mt. Mikage-Both the Serpent and Mt. Mikage are taken directly from the game. The serpent is said to be the guardian of Izumo. It is weak against dragonsbane and light. In the game for some reason the serpent starts attacking the villagers and a girl, Kushinada, is chosen by lottery to become a sacrifice. In the end Felix and co. slay the beast with some help from Kushinada's friend Susa and nobody dies! Hoorah. It's basically a retelling of the story of Sosanoo and the Orochi from Japanese mythology.
Language spoken throughout Age of Light: Everybody seems to speak the same language in the game but I figured that at one time there were different languages so I took the liberty and gave different places different languages.. (All terms are created by me unless stated otherwise.) Most cities or regions have their own language, but they all speak a common language which is simply known as Common. The Kibombo language is mostly used for ceremonies but they still address each other in their own language.
Iuei-This means big brother. (It is pronounced as E-u-eh)
Iuai-This means big sister. (It is pronounced as E-u-ai)
Ama-This means mama or mom. The full term is Aman. (Kenda is the only one of her siblings to address her mother as Aman.)
Amon-This means father. Kenda and all of her siblings address their father as this. (The shortened version is Amo.)
Character Profiles
Kenda
Full name-Kenda of the Kibombo
Age-19
Adept-NA
Element-Earth
Hair-Black, braided into a lot of tiny braids and pulled back into a ponytail
Eyes-Black
Height-5'11
Hometown-Kibombo on the continent of Gondowan
Family-Father (Adem), Mother (Kesia), Younger brothers (Nitesh and Keb), Younger sisters (Mikaia, Teranika)
Hobby-Experimenting with herbal remedies, training
Outfit-Kenda wears the 'uniform' of the ship: black corset shirt, black pants that tuck into black boots, and black headscarf. Her other outfit which she wears in this chapter is one from Kibombo. It's a green top with no sleeves that goes down a little past her waist (would that be called a tube top?), a woven belt of browns and greens and a brown skirt with a slit up to mid thigh on the right side. She goes barefoot in this outfit. Outside of this, Kenda enjoys wearing gold jewelry. She usually doesn't wear it on the ship but at home she wears thick gold anklets on each ankle, a bunch of bangles on her right wrist, and a gold armband on her upper left arm.
Inspiration/Origin of Character-Kenda came out of the thought that I wanted the Kibombo in the story, and the fact that I wanted Qing Yuan to have a girl as a first mate. As far as her name goes, I mentioned earlier that it means child of cool, clear water. If not for the fact that she makes her living on a ship, her name would have been different and had something to do with earth which is her assigned element.
Qing Yuan
Full name-Zhang Qing Yuan
Age-21
Adept-NA
Element-Water
Hair-Black usually kept down or pulled back into a ponytail
Eyes-Black
Height-6'0
Hometown-Izumo on the island of Izumo
Family-Father (Ren Yao), Mother (Xin Zhu), Younger sister (Mei Yi)
Hobby-Exploring
Outfit-Qing Yuan wears the ship's 'uniform' most of the time. It consists of black shirt, black pants, black boots and black headscarf (If you haven't figured it out yet.). When he's not wearing that he is usally wearing some sort of Chinese robe which is usually blue, green, black, or a mixture of said colors.
Inspiration/Orgin of Character-Qing Yuan is actually a remake of an older character of mine. He's a solid-headed leader who's just a bit of an idiot. I wanted him to be from Izumo just to give the crew a varied cast. (I don't know what I'm trying to say…) Anyway, even though he is from Izumo, Qing Yuan's element is water because of how he lives his life. The reason that his name is Chinese but he's from Izumo is this: Qing Yuan's family moved to Izumo from Xian for reasons you will shortly find out. (Or maybe not so shortly, but it will be discussed.)
Zephyr
Full name-Zephyr de Anila
Age-21
Adept-Jupiter Adept
Element-Wind
Hair-Gold, cut short
Eyes-Purple
Height-5'11
Hometown-Anemos on the continent of Atteka
Family-Mother (Gail)
Hobby-Helping others
Outfit-He usually wears a pale blue robe with a darker blue over robe. His shoes are brown leather, and he wears some sort of belt with it. (I usually end up putting less thought into the guy's outfits than the girls.)
Inspiration/Origin of Character-Zephyr was created to be the 'guide' character for Noa. Basically he was there to set Noa on the right path, and then provide inspiration and such throughout the story. He will show up again later, just not in person anytime soon. His personality was partly based off my older cousin. His body type, and coloring is all based off Sheba, Ivan and Hama from the game.
--
First Anniversary Celebration!!!!
Noa: Hello everybody! Officially as of the fifth of December 2008, Golden Sun: The Age of Light is one year old!!!!
Lynna-Hooray!!!!
*Other characters cheer with varying degrees of excitement.*
Troy-*Snorts* Took her long enough to get this chapter up.
Lynna-Troy! Don't be like that!
Troy-What? She's like over a month late!!! OW! Don't hit me!
Noa: *Pointedly ignoring the twins* We'd all like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Zephyr-For all of your continued support and kind encouragement Mokona-Midoki cannot express her gratitude!
Troy-Hey, who are you anyway?
Zephyr-Ahahaha…I haven't been in the story much lately…
Ivira-Yeah! What's up with that?! I was in like ONE SCENE! At least you got a chapter!
Troy-Who are you?!
Ellora-Those of us in Anemos are very grateful to you all for your kind words.
Troy-WHERE ARE YOU ALL COMING FROM?!?!?!
Qing Yuan-Come now Troy, don't be so uptight! You just have to go with the flow!
Troy-You go with the flow too much.
Kenda-Well, ignoring the pessimist, we on the boat would like to express our thanks as well! Without you, we might have been stuck on that pirate ship forever!
Peregrine-Yes, thank you.
*There's a flash of light and Megaera appears*
Megaera-Please continue to read our story and support us in the next year. *Grabs the hilt of one of her swords.* Or I will not be pleased.
Eris-Oh, but you're so cute when you're angry!
Megaera-YOU!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!
Eris-*Giggles* Oh dear, I think I've outstayed my welcome! Farewell!
Noa-Anyway, from all of us and Mokona-Midoki,
Everybody-THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!
Troy-So wait….does this mean that we're all one year old too?
*Everybody looks at him.*
Kenda-That's to confusing. Don't think about it Troy.
Thank you so much for the continued support you have shown!!! I will try my hardest this year too!!! I'm aiming for at least one chapter a month!!!!