Disclaimer: I don't own GS.

We entered the armory and sword shop. The armor dealer was lounging around, leaning on the wall. The sword-seller looked bored.

"Hello," I said politely, ruffling in my pack for the list the Tolbi dealer had given us. "We'd like two plate mails, six silver armlets, a vambrace, two blessed robes, and five silver helms, please."
The dealer laughed. "Kid, the town is closed. I don't know and I don't care how you got in, but we're not selling anything til the village opens up again, got it?"

I stared at him, crestfallen. "But..."
Mia cleared her throat, muttering, "Leave it to me," In a louder voice, the Mercury Adept continued, "Sir, we're on an errand for the armor dealer in Tolbi. I believe you know him, right?"

The dealer gave a start when she spoke. "He's my brother! The only way you could know that would be if he sent you...you do have the coins, right? He may be kin, but he's still gotta pay!"
Ivan nodded, holding out the bag. The dealer grinned, weighing the gold.

"Yep, he sent you all right," he agreed. "Rawdon knows my prices to the coin. All right, I'll give them to you. But don't tell anybody, or they'll all want armor!"

Garet took the items gratefully, placing them carefully in his pack. We thanked them and went on.

Ivan was shifting from foot to foot in anticipation. "We need to rescue Master Hammet!"
I shook my head. "The Psynergy won't work in broad daylight, Ivan. We need the cover of night. It'll be better, anyway. Let's stop by the herb shop-maybe it's open, at least. I'm running low, and I'm sure you three are too."
We made our way over to the cavern that served as the herb shop. A red-haired girl no older than twelve greeted us at the counter.

"Welcome! We have just the gear you need!"

She held up a few of her wares. "Some warriors like you need herbs! And how about a few sacred feathers, huh? Ward the monsters off!"
I exchanged a look with Garet and the others. Finally, I spoke up. "Ten herbs and four of those sacred feathers."
The girl looked disappointed. "Sure you don't want any of my prized artifacts?"

I shrugged. "Let's have a look."

She led us to a shelf in the back. A few empty bottles waited to be filled, a few crystals shone, a small, empty jar, a-

A small, not empty jar. It was full of Water of Life!

I swallowed. "Um, how much is that Water of Life?"

"This?" The girl held up the bottle. "Three thousand coins."
I exchanged a look with Ivan, the best bargainer. He mouthed, "We only have two thousand." I nodded.

Garet's eyes lit up, watching the exchange. "You buy all kinds of things, too, right?"
She nodded. "My father runs the weapon shop."
"Then will you take...this?" Garet lifted my...our Colosso prize off his head gently.

I could almost see coins dancing in her eyes. "What rare stuff! How does two thousand, two hundred and fifty coins sound?"
"Just perfect," Mia interjected. "Now, we'd like that Water of Life."

The girl dropped the currency in our hands and rushed off to the back. Ivan, meanwhile, counted out the coins.

"Who gets the Water of Life?" I wondered.

Mia shrugged. "I don't know, but it never hurts to have more. I've already got two, so one of you boys."

"Garet." I decided. "Is that okay?"

Garet nodded, taking the small jar, the herbs, and the feathers from the thankful girl. Ivan pushed the pile of coins over to the other side of the counter and we headed out.

Once outside again, squinting in the bright sunlight, we decided to gather as much information about Lunpa as possible from the local townfolk. To do that, we split up. I went near the gate; Mia to the east; Garet to the west; and Ivan investigated the fortress.

The woman I'd seen earlier tending her garden was now standing atop the armor shop. I approached her casually.

"Hi, ma'am." I greeted. "What do you think about Dodonpa?"

The woman sighed. "Donpa's too old to lead, so his men do whatever Dodonpa says. I think it's horrible. I miss the old days, when Lunpa was a town of righteous thieves."

I nodded, trying to keep my voice deep. "I agree completely, ma'am."

A man walked up to me, speaking in a hushed voice, after I climbed down the steps. "I know you're an outsider. You're from Kalay, right?"

I was speechless. We had been caught!

But the man simply continued, "Is it true that Dodonpa kidnapped Hammet and extorted ransom for him?"

I found my voice. "Yes, it's true. Why?"

He shrugged. "I guess Dodonpa's men were telling the truth. They were hanging around, boasting about it. Don't worry, I won't tell on you. You're here to rescue Hammet, aren't you?"
Was this man a Jupiter Adept? "Yes," I muttered.

The man nodded. "Your secret is safe with me." He scurried off.

An old woman unsteadily walked out of her house. "Hello, young man," she greeted when she spotted me. "Have a care-Dodonpa's men are everywhere, and they don't like the townsfolk to carry blades."
I looked down at my sword, surprised. "Why?"
"They want to keep us captive!" she proclaimed. "I miss the old days. Of course, I wasn't even born when Lunpa left with some man named Babi, but my father told me all about it. They were washed away in the great flood!"

I smiled. "Good day to you, ma'am." I made my way up to where Mia was waiting.

She smiled. "I think I may have found out a few important things, but we need to wait for Garet and Ivan to get here."
As if on cue, Garet walked across town to join us. He looked from side to side. "I guess Ivan's still looking."
"What if he's been caught?" I asked without thinking.

I caught alarm in their eyes. Hastily, I added, "Probably not, but if he doesn't come in five more minutes..."

Suddenly, I heard a noise. No louder than a leaf falling to the ground, but familiar. Ivan's footsteps. The young Jupiter Adept appeared in a moment, panting.

"I almost got caught," he panted, leaning against the wall.

I cleared my throat. "I'll start off. The townspeople I talked to hadn't been told about Hammet!"

Mia nodded. "I found the same sorts of results. Also, Donpa knows nothing of it."
Garet nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"It's closely guarded, but there's enough room for us to slip through," Ivan reported. "When should we go?"

I glanced up at the darkening sky. "Soon. Let's eat at the inn, first. Maybe we can find out something else."

We crossed town again to reach the inn, a cozy place with a roaring fire in the fireplace. I huddled near it, pulling a stool near. The cook was lazily turning meat on the spit. He was chatting to the maid. "You know how I delivered meals to the fortress?"

That got my interest. I leaned in closer, disguising my eavesdropping as a need to be near the fire.

"I was blindfolded and guided along a cool path," the cook told her. "I walked for a while. I heard my footsteps echoing, so it must have been an underground path."

The maid looked shocked.

I leaned back and whispered to the others, "It's underground!"

Ivan nodded imperceptibly. The cook pulled the meat off the spit. "Suppertime!"

We gathered around, eating and talking in hushed voices.

"I think we should go after we eat," Ivan suggested.

I nodded. We finished quickly, paid the innkeeper, and left. We sneaked into a clearing. Six wooden pillars bore reddish-purple flags proudly. We hid behind them, breathing hard. Sneaking into the shadows, I pulled out Babi's ball. I concentrated, and we sneaked closer.

Going past the guards was easy. In the cover of night, they couldn't see us at all. Garet pushed open the door to the fortress...

And we entered.