Hey guys, so, in this chapter and the context in the original game, I decided to make a few, harmless changes, so it's not that big of a deal! Alright, let's get started!

Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!

The next morning, the group was not only fully refreshed and rested, but also ready to start their next step of their journey...right after they meet up with Ivan's foster mother, Layana, who's supposedly in charge of Kayla while her husband and Ivan's foster father, Hammet, was away.

Upon reaching the steps of Hammet Palace, the group was stopped by two guards who were blocking their path. "This is Lord Hammet's palace. The lord is away. Please, begone," one of the guards ordered.

The other guard nodded. "We will happily welcome visitors once Lord Hammet has returned."

Ivan stepped forward, looking at his friends. "Leave this to me." He glanced at the guards and announced, "It is I...Please permit me to see Lady Layana." Upon seeing the confused looks on the guards' expressions, Ivan further corrected himself. "Don't you recognize me? I am Ivan, servant to Lord Hammet!"

"Ivan...?" One of the guards murmured before realizing that the boy in front of him was indeed Ivan. "I didn't recognize you! You're so tan! But it really is you, Ivan!"

Shortly after the first guard recognized Ivan, the second guard followed suit. "Oh, it's Ivan! You've grown so much in such a short time, Ivan!"

Baffled, Ivan turned to his friends for confirmation about something. "Have I really changed that much?"

Issac shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Ivan shrugged. "You probably wouldn't know. You only met me after I got left in Vault."

One of the guards shook his head. "That doesn't matter. What's important is that the thieves freed you!"

The other guard asked Ivan, "Please, tell us, will Lord Hammet be freed soon, too?"

"Freed? Lord Lammet is a prisoner?" wondered Ivan, confused.

Seeing that Ivan was truly confused and not knowing the situation that was going on, one of the guards said, "...You haven't heard? I can see that we'll need to fill you in on everything! This is a private matter, though. Would your friends please leave?"

Ivan quickly objected before anyone could speak their mind. "My companions and I have overcome many hardships together!"

"Very well, then," said one of the guards. "Why were you not with Lord Hammet?"

"I remained in Vault to look for his stolen rod," answered Ivan.

"Stolen? Someone stole his rod?"

Ivan nodded. "Yes, the Shaman's Rod. But I was able to recover it."

"Then, Lord Hammet must still be imprisoned in Lunpa!"

"We must report this to Lady Layana! Ivan, come see Lady Layana with us. You can explain it all to her."

"I seriously have no idea what's going on," commented Ignis, as she and Mia were the only ones who didn't know the situation nor how Ivan met both Garet and Issac near the beginning of their journey.

"Issac, you saw Lord Hammet heading north, didn't you?" Ivan asked, receiving as nod from him. "That must have been when Lord Hammet went towards Lunpa! Lady Layana will surely be glad to hear your tale. Please, come with me, and tell her the full story!"

"Are we going to learn about the story as well? Because I'm clueless as to what's going on," admitted Mia.

"Yeah, same here," said Ignis.

Ivan's eyes widen. "Oh, right. You two weren't in Vault when Lord Hammet's rod was stolen and when I first met Garet and Issac."

"Don't worry," assured Issac. "You'll learn everything once we see Lady Layana and explain everything to her."

Upon reaching inside, the group entered the throne room, where a beautiful, red-haired woman, Lady Layana, was sitting upon one of the thrones. Once the group arrived, they introduced themselves before Issac, Garet, and Ivan began explaining their side of the story of what happened.

Apparently, Ivan had gone on a trip with Hammet and some other merchants to Vault because Hammer thought he found a clue as to where to locate the Shaman's Rod, which was presumably in Vault. While Hammet's assumption was correct, some thieves had already gotten ahold of the rod first, prompting Ivan to volunteer and stay in Vault to search for the Shaman's Rod, allowing Hammet and his other merchants to try and head back to Kalay. However, after Mt. Aleph's eruption, there were still danger to the environment, such as falling glaciers, which Issac and Garet were witnesses to this as the glaciers also took out the bridge between Vault and Kalay, thus making the returning of Ivan impossible at the time. They also witnessed Hammet saying that he and the other caravans should head to Lunpa before they packed up their things and headed straight to there. It was at Vault when Issac and Garet first met Ivan and helped him get his Shaman's Rod back, and in return, Ivan wished to travel with them to help others and because he had no way back to Kalay.

When their tale ended, Layana told Ivan, "When I heard that you were back, Ivan, I had dared to hope that Lord Hammet had returned with you."

One of the guards that escorted Ivan and his friends to the throne room spoke up. "We thought Lord Hammet had been released from Lunpa, too."

The other guard said, "We sent the ransom money they demanded, so he should return soon, right?"

"What's been happening in Lunpa these days?" wondered Ivan.

One of the guards began explaining. "The leadership in Lunpa passed from its founder, the noble thief, to his son Donpa, and then to Lunpa's grandson, Dodonpa. And, Dodonpa is a very evil man. His father, Donpa, is heartbroken at the state of Lunpa right now."

"...Uh...what?" asked Ignis.

"What's the matter, Miss?"

"Lunpa? Donpa? Dodonpa? I swear, you're making up these ridiculous names," Ignis said.

The guard pounded the end of his spear against the ground. "How dare you! I am taking this situation very seriously!"

"But, you do have to admit, the names are kinda ridiculous," agreed Garet.

"Okay, the names are ridiculous enough, but...lemme see if I have the situation correct," Ignis started, tapping the side of her forehead. "Sooo...the first leader was Donpa, who passed it onto Dodonpa, and then passed it onto Dododonpa, who's the evil bad guy in all this?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, the village of Lunpa was originally created by its first founder, a thief named Lunpa. Lunpa then had a son-"

"Wait, so there's a village named Lunpa, and its founder is named Lunpa?"

"Yes."

"Wow, how narcissistic is this Lunpa guy? I mean, he named a village after himself!"

Ivan said, "Not really the issue here. Anyways, after Lunpa's first reign, he handed the leadership of the village Lunpa to his son, Donpa. After Donpa, who's still alive, by the way, he gave leadership to his own son, Dodonpa, who is Lunpa's grandson."

"...Is Dodonpa the evil guy?" asked Ignis.

Ivan nodded. "Yes. Do you have any further questions before we continue?"

"Yeah. Why do they have stupid names?"

"Ignis! Is that really important?!"

"Yes, because it's confusing! I could get past the Lunpa name and the fact that the guy named a village after himself. But Donpa and Dodonpa? That's just weird!"

Ivan coughed. "Yes, well...as long as you now understand the situation, we can get back on track. Lady Layana, when did you send the ransom money?"

Layana took a moment to think. "Let's see...first, the volcano erupted...and then, the ransom note came right after the eruption."

"We rushed the money to them right away. I remember it well," said one of the guards.

"It's been quite a while since the eruption," said Ivan. "Is it possible that they have no intention of letting Lord Hammet go?"

"Yup, I'd say so," Ignis commented as Issac nodded.

"You guys think so, too?"

"Are you saying Dodonpa won't release Hammet?!" exclaimed Layana.

"Yeah, I agree," agreed Garet, nodding his head. "If they were gonna release him, they'd have done it by now."

"I am sorry, Lady Layana, but I think the others may be right," spoke Mia, shaking her head in disbelief.

Layana bit her lip and paced back and forth, trying to remain calm while thinking of some way to rescue her husband, all while everyone else glanced at one another, also trying to figure out a way to rescue Hammet.

"...What should we do? How can we rescue Hammet?" wondered Layana to herself. "What...what if something has happened to him?!"

"Let us handle this!" declared one of the guards. "My lady, this is exactly what the soldiers of Kalay are here for!"

The other guard nodded. "Yes, Lady Layana! Please, let us handle this! Command us to attack, and we shall!"

However, Layana shook her head. "I cannot do that...Not without thinking it over carefully. How can we guarantee Hammet's safety if we send soldiers to attack? I cannot do it. I cannot put Hammet's life at risk."

Garet stomped his foot in frustration. "Can't we do something to help?!"

Ignis snapped her fingers. "Why don't we just sneak into Lunpa and go rescue Lord Hammet ourselves? I mean, nobody knows us in Lunpa, so we'll just sneak in, grab him, and take off before anybody realizes he's gone!"

Layana frowned. "No, it is too dangerous. If you fail, you lives would be in danger, too. Besides, don't you all have your own quests to pursue?"

Issac nodded. "We do, but at this moment, it seems Lord Hammet's safety is our top priority."

"I do appreciate you all offering to help, but I cannot allow it."

"Then, what will happen to Lord Hammet?" wondered Mia.

"Hammet is a good hostage for them. They will not kill him," replied Layana confidently. "We shall wait another message from Lunpa."

Even Layana's decision didn't reassure Ivan's worries. "Lady Layana, I cannot leave like this!" the young Jupiter Adept protested.

"It will be fine, Ivan. Hammet would not want to distract you from-" Layana paused midsentence and looked away. "I apologize...I have said more than I should..."

"It sounds like Hammet knows about our mission...doesn't it?" spoke Garet out loud.

"Yeah, and Lady Layana sounds suspicious, too," agreed Ignis.

Layana sighed. "I suppose I can keep it a secret no longer...Very well, I shall tell you. A long time ago, Hammet swore an oath to a Jupiter Adept."

"A Jupiter Adept?!" gasped Ivan.

"Yes. Have you heard a village called Vale?"

Startled, Issac nodded. "Y-Yes...That's where me and Garet grew up in."

Surprised, Layana couldn't hide her gasp. "You are from Vale? Really? Then, the prophecy was true!"

'What prophecy?" asked Mia.

"Yeah, what's going on right now?" Ignis asked.

Layana explained, "Three years after the terrible storm that struck only Mt. Aleph, Ivan must depart on a journey with warriors from Vale, so it was foretold."

Ivan shook his head. "I've heard nothing of any such prophecy."

"It happened several years before Hammet founded Kalay," replied Layana. "He was off traveling. Hammet felt he had reached an impasse as a merchant then. He risked his life on a journey to find a new source of business. He was in mortal danger at the southwestern edge of the world, when some Adepts appeared and saved his life. He had lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself in their village."

"Just a moment," interrupted Ivan. "Am I from that village?"

"Yes. The Adept gave him the Shaman's Rod and you...along with some doubloons."

"What the heck are doubloons?" asked Ignis, raising her hand.

Layana answered, "Basically gold. It was quite a lot of gold, but he also received some business advice."

"Business advice? Hammet? The greatest merchant in the world?" wondered Garet, surprised.

Because she wasn't from this world, Ignis didn't even know that Lord Hammet was pronounced the "greatest merchant in the world." She turned to him and asked, "Wait, really? He's the greatest merchant in the world?"

Ivan looked surprised. "Really? You haven't heard-Oh, right. Of course you wouldn't. I'll fill you in on that fact later, Ignis."

"Hammet has the Adepts to thank for his success," said Layana. "He was advised to buy silk in Xian and sell it in Tolbi. To see anything sell so well, it was a dream come true. There's no denying that was when Hammet picked up his knack for business."

"Did he have to promise them anything in return?" asked Ivan.

"Ah, yes, Ivan. It is something you'll need on your journey. The Adept asked Hammet to use the Shaman's Rod to obtain a particular object. He looked for this object wherever he went, but he could never find it. Then, three years ago, a storm struck, one that hit only Mt. Aleph. Hammet was worried that time was running out. But he managed to unearth a clue just in time. That, Ivan, is why he took you with the caravan on his last journey north."

"I had no idea..." said Ivan. "So that must be why he left the rod in my care. But then-"

Realizing that Ivan was going to start blaming himself, Mia stopped him. "No, Ivan. You mustn't blame yourself."

"It was my carelessness that caused the rod to be stolen! And ultimately, that's why Lord Hammet is being held in Lunpa!"

"From what I've been hearing, the thieves were the ones who got to the rod first," pointed out Ignis. "And it was Lord Hammet's decision to go to Lunpa. Not yours, Ivan. You can't blame yourself for actions others took."

"Even if that's the case, I-!"

Layana shook her head. "You must continue your journey and complete your quest. You cannot blame yourself."

"But what will happen to Hammet?" asked Mia.

"I will handle this."

"And don't forget the soldiers of Kalay!" spoke one of the guards confidently. "Continue on your quest, and do not worry about Lord Hammet!"

"I am sorry that I cannot tell you more about the Shaman's Rod," apologized Layana.

"No, don't apologize," said Ivan.

"The Shaman's Rod will help us find that thing we need for our quest, right?" said Garet.

"Just what exactly is that 'thing' everyone's been talking about that we need the Shaman's Rod for?" wondered Ignis.

Layana answered, "I believe it was called...the Hover Jade."

"The Hover J-Oh, yeah. It's definitely a Psynergy item."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Issac, turning to Ignis.

"Think about it! It's got a specific and weird name! You've got Psynergy items, like the Catch Beads and that Lifting Gem! There's the Frost Jewel, the Douse Drop, and the Orb of Force! Look at me and say that the Hover Jade isn't another Psynergy item!"

"She does have a point, and it does make sense," agreed Mia. "If it is a Psynergy utility item, we could use it."

"It seems that you're set on obtaining this object," said Layana. "Very well, continue on your journey and leave Hammet to us. Return to your posts, everyone!"

After the guards escorted the group back outside and wished them luck on their quest, Issac and the others started heading down the stairs away from Hammet Palace when Ignis stopped.

"Alright, guys. You know what we need to do," declared Ignis, causing everyone to stop and look at her. "We need to go to Lunpa and rescue Hammet!"

"Wha-Did you not hear what Lady Layana said?" asked Mia, stunned at Ignis' proposal.

"I know, but we can do it! I mean, if we work together, we can save Hammet!"

"I do want to rescue Master Hammet…" admitted Ivan. "But Lady Layana specifically told us not to and that we should trust her to deal with this!"

"Dude, screw that!" Ignis shouted. "We. Are. Adepts! ...Well, one of us isn't, but I'm still more than capable! Look, we can easily sneak in there! We have magic and Psynergy!"

"There's going to be guards, though," pointed out Garet.

"What do they have that we don't? Nothing! We have a power advantage over them!"

"Uh...We probably won't just be facing guards at the entrance. There could be more of them inside Lunpa, so it's possible they have the number advantage," said Ivan.

"Yeah, it's not like any of us have any experience sneaking inside a fortress," said Mia.

"I...actually do," admitted Ignis.

"Wait, are you serious?" asked Issac, turning to her.

"Yeah. I actually snuck inside a fortress before to save some civilians from a very evil lion king."

"...A what?"

Recalling the memories he's seen from mind reading Ignis' mind, Ivan nodded. "Yes, she's telling the truth, as strange as it can be. But, Ignis, I don't know if that same plan you did with your friends, Little John and Robin Hood, will actually work this time. We barely even know the layout of Lunpa! And I heard security is even tighter during the nighttime in Lunpa!"

"Then, we'll just have to sneak in during the daytime!" said Ignis.

"Wouldn't it be better to take advantage of the darkness in the nighttime to blend ourselves with the darkness?" wondered Mia. "Even if security is tighter at night..."

"And that's exactly why they'll never expect it during the day."

"Hold on," said Issac. "We never fully agreed to rescue Lord Hammet. Now, I understand that we all want to rescue him, but our quest is also important as well. I know it's good to rescue him, but if we spend time rescuing Lord Hammet, the farther it is for Felix and the others to get away from us and onto the next lighthouse."

Because of their excitement and enthusiasm to rescue Lord Hammet, the others hadn't taken into account about their whole lighthouse mission. They were more concerned about Lord Hammet's safety, so once the reminder of their quest kicked in, they fell silent.

"...I still say we should rescue Lord Hammet," decided Ignis.

"Wait, really?" wondered Garet.

"You know, we can finish our quest and, if they're still keeping Lord Hammet hostage, then we can go and rescue him then," said Mia.

Ignis shook her head. "No, I don't think so. This whole situation reminds me of a tragic story Master Eraqus told me once."

"A story?"

"Yeah. It was based on the lesson of your actions have consequences and that when you make a decision, you need to think of it long and carefully before executing it. Basically, it's a situation similar to the one Kalay's having. So, the daughter of a king was kidnapped by the enemy kingdom, and so, the enemy kingdom demanded ransom money and other things like territory in exchange for the daughter. The father, the king, I mean, quickly agreed and started obeying the enemy kingdom, even going so far as to sell his own people as slaves just to get his daughter back."

"Jeez," gasped Garet.

Ignis nodded. "That's not all. Even after the king had given the enemy kingdom everything they wanted, they refused to give back his daughter. Well, it was more like they couldn't."

"They couldn't? Why?"

"Because, they had no more use for the daughter. And, as such, they killed her. With no more resources to take back his kingdom, his daughter dead, and the rest of his family gone, the king killed himself since he had no will to live. And the enemy kingdom prospered thanks to their actions."

"But at a terrible and cruel cost..." muttered Mia.

"...I get it," said Issac. "You're saying that Lunpa could possibly exploit more of Kalay over and over until they have no more use for Hammet and will kill him before they take over the remains of Kalay."

"But Lady Layana wouldn't do that!" cried out Ivan. "I mean, besides the ransom money, she wouldn't sell her people like slaves! It's not something even Master Hammet would do!"

"Right, but Lunpa, or more specifically, Dodonpa, could still demand more ransom money, which could affect Kalay financially until it's depleted down to its very last gold coin," said Mia. "Is that what you're trying to say, Ignis?"

Ignis nodded. "More or less. I say, we deal with the issue now before it gets worse."

"After hearing that possibility, I have to agree with you. We should rescue Lord Hammet!" agreed Mia.

"Yeah, like I said before, if Lunpa was going to release Hammet, they should have done so a long time ago," said Garet. "I'm in."

"Our journey is important, but so is Master Hammet!" said Ivan. "I know there'll be risks, but I know we can do it, too!"

Everyone else turned to Issac, waiting for his own decision. "...Alright, if everyone is bent on doing this, then we need to lay down some rules," said Issac. "First, no detours within Lunpa. We sneak in, we get Hammet out, no questions asked. Second, if we encounter any enemies, we have to knock them out or immobilize them. We can't risk raising the alarm. And third, no treasure hunting. I'm looking at you two, Garet and Ignis."

"Fine!"

"Awww...alright, then!"

"Good. Then, it seems we're all in agreement. To Lunpa!"

Later...

"Access denied!"

"No one is allowed access! Please leave immediately!"

"Well, that was a letdown," commented Garet as he and the others turned away from the wooden fortress gates of Lunpa. "What now?"

"I have an idea, but we need to be farther away from Lunpa to make it work," said Ignis. Following her suggestion, the group walked farther away from Lunpa until they themselves were out of the guards' eyesight.

"So, what's your plan, Ignis?" asked Mia.

"This." Ignis reached her hand out and formed a fireball, ready to throw it.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Everyone cried out and formed a circle around her, stopping her.

"What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?" asked Ignis, ceasing her fireball. "I'm obviously going to cause a commotion, like throwing a fireball at one of their wooden gates, thus starting a fire. Then, while everyone's trying to put it out, we can sneak in!"

"No, but that's not going to work! You have to have a better plan than starting a fire!" protested Ivan.

"Can I be the one that starts the fire?" suggested Garet, raising his hand.

"Garet! You're not helping!"

"Well, excusssse me for wanting to contribute! Man, if there was some way we could sneak in, like turn invisible, this wouldn't be a problem!"

The key word, "invisible" clicked something in Ignis' head as she recalled a spell that could make her invisible; Concealment. "Oh my god...I do have a spell that makes you invisible."

"What?! Why didn't you start with that?" wondered Mia.

"Well, it's been a while since I used it, and I usually normally use it in combat," said Ignis. "That, and I kinda got into big trouble with my Master when I kept misusing it, like trying to sneak into the kitchen for cookies and stuff."

"Well, can you use it now?" asked Issac.

Ignis nodded and summoned her Keyblade, waving it once as though it was a wand and focusing her spell onto herself. In a split second, she suddenly vanished, yet she allowed herself to be heard by saying, "How is it, guys?"

"Wow! I really can't see you!" said Garet, waving around his arms and trying to touch the spot she was in, but constantly missing because she kept moving around.

"Wait, can you do the same to us?" wondered Issac.

"I never tried it on other people before, so I'll give it a go." After a moment passed, nothing happened. "Huh. I guess it only applies to me."

"Well, that sucks!" complained Garet.

"Then, we'll need alterations for our new plan," said Ivan. "How about this? We'll follow Ignis, but we'll hide from plain sight from the guards at the front. And then, Ignis, while you're still invisible, you go up and set fire to the wooden gates-"

"I thought we weren't going to do that, though!" reminded Mia.

"Well, I don't really see an alternate way, and besides, the distraction will buy us time to sneak past the guards, anyways."

"See? There you go! We go with my original idea!" Ignis pointed out.

"Original idea with additional steps," reminded Issac.

"Yes," agreed Ivan. "While Ignis is causing a havoc, the rest of us sneaks in and blend in with the villagers, pretending to be them. Once you're certain that everyone's trying to put out the fire, Ignis, then you sneak in and join us!"

"Sounds like a plan! Let's go!"

Ignis originally thought, like in every cliché movie or story, that a single, fatal flaw would make their plan go everything wrong, but luckily, and rather surprisingly, that didn't happen. Everything actually went according to plan; Ignis became invisible and took advantage of that to cast a fireball onto one of the wooden gates, thus causing a huge commotion as the guards attempt to put out the fire. While Ignis kept the guards distracted, Issac and the others snuck inside Lunpa and pretended to be the villagers. After some time has passed, as the guards were putting out the last of the flames, Ignis snuck in herself through the open front gate and quickly found her group.

Upon reuniting, the group split up once more to gather information on Hammet's whereabouts and more about Dodonpa. According to their investigation, it appeared that Dodonpa, along with his bed-ridden father, Donpa, were inside Lunpa Fortress, which was located at the north-end of Lunpa. However, just like the entrance of Lunpa, it was also guarded by two more guards.

"You'd think the fortress would have more guards to place in the entrance," muttered Ignis.

"Maybe there's a ton more inside?" wondered Garet.

"How are we going to get in? I doubt that the same fire trick will work twice," said Mia.

"Oh! I got it! I can cast Sleep!" said Ivan, snapping his fingers.

"...Then why didn't you do that with the guards in front?" questioned Issac.

"I...may have forgotten because it slipped...my...mind?"

"...You're an idiot, Ivan," said Garet bluntly.

"I know..."

After sneaking in upon putting the two guards to sleep, Ignis decided to slip through the entrance first since she had the advantage of being invisible. Luckily, nobody was wandering around the slightly darkened fortress that was lit up by several torches on the walls. "Psst! Clear!" she hissed, stepping forward a few steps to let her friends inside. She found it useless to motion them silently to head inside since they couldn't really see her anyways.

"Alright, we're in!" said Garet excitedly. "What next?!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down, Garet!" hissed Mia. "We're trying to be stealthy here, remember?"

"Oops!"

"I don't think anyone's heard us, so we should be good," said Ivan, glancing around the hallways. "The problem is, we don't know where Master Hammet is, and we don't know how big this fortress is."

"If that's the case, we should split up!" suggested Garet.

"Right away, wrong!" said Ignis, immediately denying his suggestion. "Idiot, in every horror and mystery movie/story, the one ideal rule is that you NEVER split up from the party! That's like asking for trouble!"

"Plus, we could easily get lost and get caught here," pointed out Issac. "I say, we all hold hands with each other and let Ignis lead. If we see a guard, let's let Ignis handle it."

"How should I handle it? I think it would be really suspicious if other guards come across sleeping guards and guards on fire," said Ignis.

"And you can't kill them, either. It'll really raise the alarm," reminded Mia.

"Just one or two guards sleeping on the job should be okay," said Issac. "Do you have any other methods to immobilize them?"

"I do have my Bind spell, and because of all you guys helping me train, my magic's much more fortified!" said Ignis proudly. "Like, I can freeze and trap enemies in ice or earth much more easily!"

"Yeah, but that's still going to cause a lot of suspicion if other guards come and see their frozen allies," said Ivan. "Let's just hope we don't run into a lot of guards."

"Do we have any rope with us?" asked Garet.

"I don't believe so. Even if we did, it wouldn't be enough for all of the guards here," said Issac. "We'll just have to hope that we find Lord Hammet as quickly as possible."

At that moment, Ignis' invisibility spell wore off. "What happened?" wondered Mia.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention something," said Ignis. "There are limits to my Concealment spell."

"Concealment? Is that what you call your invisibility spell?" wondered Ivan.

"Yeah. So, there's like a time limit with this spell. Luckily, it doesn't require too much magic power to cast it, but still. Also, because this spell requires a lot of concentration, I can't be disturbed or attacked, so let's try and keep as little talk as possible, okay?"

"Hopefully, we won't have to fight any guards, either," said Issac before locking hands with Ivan and Garet. "Alright, everyone good? Let's lock hands and let Ignis take the lead."

Unfortunately, unlike the last two plans, this particular plan nearly went downhill almost instantly. For one thing, because this was her first time in Lunpa Fortress, Ignis did, understandably get them lost in numerous occasions, resulting in them encountering several guards. Sometimes, they succeeded in bypassing those guards silently, but in other times, they were forced to fight the brigands and knock them out, or immobilize them with earth, vines, or ice. Additionally, they managed to find a new Mercury Djinn named Tonic, as well as obtain a cell key capable of opening any cell door within the fortress, but they ended up waking up the guard and knocking him out afterwards.

While the fortress itself was quite large and had many rooms, the deeper they went, the more horrors they discovered. The lower floors of the fortress didn't have any guards, because they ended up encountering several monsters along the way, which, thanks to their combined efforts, weren't that much of a challenge. What was really horrifying was that with each cell door they opened, it was either empty or had a skeleton in it, thus increasing their worries for Lord Hammet and wondering if he truly was alright.

Their efforts finally paid off when they reached the cell at the deepest, cavernous basement floor within Lunpa Fortress. Entering after unlocking the cell door, the group were ecstatic to see a round man with a moustache dressed as a merchant; Lord Hammet.

"Is it time to eat?" Hammet wondered, staring at the wall and thinking that from the sounds of the cell door unlocking, it was one of the guardsmen delivering him food. He turned around and was surprised to see five young teens entering his cell. "Who are you?"

"Master Hammet!" cried out Ivan, happy to see him.

"Ivan? Is that you?" asked Hammet, receiving a happy nod from his adopted son. "And these people...are they your friends?"

"Yes, Master Hammet! They've helped me so much in my journey, and I'm even more grateful to them for helping rescue you!"

Hammet smiled softly. "Then, it appears your journey has begun, Ivan."

"Yes. It is a little late, but we've come to save you," said Ivan.

Hammet frowned slightly and shook his head. "You shouldn't have risked yourself, Ivan."

"Uh, not to be a killjoy or anything," interrupted Ignis. "But maybe we can talk more after we get out of he-"

"Not so fast!"

A strange, new voice alerted them as everyone turned to see the new intruder blocking the cell door pathway. This new intruder was a young man with a moustache and a red cape, and he appeared to have a sinister sneer on his face as he entered the cell door.

"Oh, goddamnit!" cursed Ignis, slapping herself on the forehead.

"Dodonpa!" cried out Hammet.

'Sorry to interrupt your teary little reunion, Hammet!" sneered the mastermind behind Hammet's kidnapping; Dodonpa. He glanced at Ivan and said, "This must be your little rat, Ivan! You always did claim he'd rescue you! Look at him! He's just a child!"

"We're here too, by the way," muttered Ignis.

Dodonpa continued his monologue. "But to think these kids could get this far!"

"Hey, yeah!" shouted Garet, letting his temper get the best of him. "If we're kids, what does that make your pathetic thugs!"

"I'll admit, I was impressed that you managed to defeat them. But, how you managed to freeze and trap them like that, I have no idea, but I bet it doesn't matter right now!"

"Yeah, that was a pretty dead giveaway that there were intruders," said Ignis to herself as Issac nodded.

Ivan stepped forward with an angered expression. "What kind of scum takes ransom money and then doesn't free his hostage?!"

Surprised at this new information, Hammet glared at Dodonpa. "I see. So, you've been extorting money from Layana, haven't you?"

"But, that won't be happening anymore!" promised Ignis.

Mia nodded. "Now that we've found Hammet, we'll be taking him home!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that!" said Dodonpa, smirking. "After all, Hammet is what I like to call my little money tree."

"You scoundrel!" growled Garet.

"Asshole! Bigot! Moron!" insulted Ignis.

Annoyed, Dodonpa said, "Name-calling won't help you! I'm not giving Hammet up!"

"Everyone, it's five against one! Tackle him!" Ignis shouted.

Panicking, before anyone could so much as move, Dodonpa reacted quicker and pulled a secret, hidden lever from the wall, causing the back end wall of Hammet's cell to burst open, revealing a large, blue-skinned and red-spiked toad monster awaiting. "This little trap here marks the end of your good fortune! Prepare to become monster fodder! Meet...Toadonpa!"

"Toad-what?" was what Ignis said before the Toadonpa lunged out from its room and leapt down onto Hammet's cell, forcing them all into combat.

"What do we do, what do we do?!" exclaimed Mia, gripping her staff tightly.

"Barrier!" shouted Ignis, casting a barrier all over her and her friends after noticing Toadonpa about to spit something out. Her guess was correct as a glob of slimy water was spewed out and hit the barrier. From the acidic gas coming from the glob, she could only guess that it was a poisonous attack.

"What now?" wondered Ivan.

"Don't worry!" Ignis assured, still holding up her Barrier spell as Toadonpa continued assaulting her spell with poisonous, acidic glob attacks. "I've fought a monster similar to this one before!"

"How did you beat it?" called out Garet.

"Well, it was pretty immune to a lot of my magics," explained Ignis. "It started spewing out coins that exploded upon impact, and it had some sort of tongue lash attack! Oh, and it's tongue has some sort of Silence effect, meaning anytime it hit me with its tongue, I couldn't use my magic!"

"...I don't think Toadonpa-"

"Really not digging the stupid name, by the way."

"ANYWAYS!" said Ivan. "I don't think that monster will be shooting out exploding coins, but maybe we should be wary for any tongue attacks."

"Then, let's attack from a distance!" said Garet. "Okay, everyone! We have a shield surrounding us and there's that stupid toad monster! Let's fire with our Psynergy right now!"

"Are you kidding me?! That's not going to do anything!" shouted Ignis, sweat dripping down her forehead as she held back another assault of offensive fluid from Toadonpa. "We're inside my barrier magic, idiot! You're lucky I didn't cast Reflect!"

"What does us being in a barrier have anything to do with my plan?" wondered Garet.

"Garet," started Issac. "Our attacks aren't going to do anything to the monster because we're in a barrier. At best, our attacks will probably destroy the barrier from the inside, and not only will we be vulnerable, but we'll be defenseless for the moment!"

"...Yeah, I see the problem."

"None of us can attack so long as we're in the barrier!" shouted Ignis. "And I can't keep this up much longer!" As proof of her words, the more attacks Toadonpa spewed from its mouth, the more cracks formulated around the barrier.

"Alright, everyone, take out your support Djinns so we can boost ourselves up for the battle!" encouraged Issac. "Granite!"

"Breeze!"

"Forge!"

Issac, Garet, and Ivan's supportive Djinns helped to increase their resistance, reduce a lot of incoming damage from the enemy, and raise their physical attack power. In the meantime, Mia was the only one out of the group charging up her Mercury Djinn to create a counterattack once the barrier was let down.

"Almost...!" grunted Ignis before her Barrier spell shattered from protecting them from the last of Toadonpa's poisonous fluid attacks.

"Now! Sleet!" Mia shouted, summoning one of her offensive Mercury Djinn. Blinding cold ice sleets struck at Toadonpa, distracting it as an invigorated Ivan, Garet, and Issac charged in to strike at the toad monster.

As Ignis watched the three male members of her team trying to attack Toadonpa with their Djinn-enhanced attacks, she decided to play support roles with Mia from the sidelines and perhaps this time, she can summon her Familiar. However, just before she could, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Dodonpa whipping out a knife, stealthily sneaking up behind Hammet and raising his blade.

"Quake!" yelled Ignis, thrusting her palm and pointing at Dodonpa. Because of Issac's training with controlling her earth magic, her earth elemental magic has become more solidified and easier to control, depending on the level of the spell. Dodonpa found himself trapped in a small earth-like cage, unable to break himself free.

"Hey!"

"Mr. Lord Hammet!" Ignis called out, reaching her hand out to the now-startled merchant, who didn't even notice Dodonpa behind him until the evil man was trapped in an earthen cage. Hammet went towards Ignis and grasped her hand, being pulled towards and then behind her as she now played the role of protector for Hammet.

"Smog!" cried out Ivan, delivering yet another heavy blow to Toadonpa with another offensive Jupiter Djinn. He glanced back and noticed Ignis protecting Hammet. "Ignis! What happened?!"

He failed to see the Toadonpa leaping up, about to crash on top of him, until Issac rushed to protect Ivan with an Odysseus Psynergy move, blocking the attack and sending Toadonpa back. "Ivan, focus on the battle!" ordered Issac before charging back into the fray. "Flint!"

"We'll be fine, Ivan!" assured Ignis, summoning her Keyblade as her weapon to protect Hammet. "Just leave protecting Hammet to me! You go and deal with the weird toad creature!"

"Okay, we'll finish Toadonpa soon!"

"Still not gonna acknowledge it by its stupid name, who was probably named by a stupid evil moustache man!"

"Hey!" protested Dodonpa, tugging on the bars of the earthen cage. "Lemme out!"

"Shut up, man!" Ignis shouted.

"Tonic!" Mia, using her newest Mercury Djinn, healed Garet and Issac's poisonous states after they were hit with Toadonpa's poisonous attacks.

"Thanks, Mia!"

"Yeah, that was a quick save!"

An injured Ivan was thrown back and landed near the three of them, panting heavily. "It's...! It's already damaged enough! We can do it!"

Glancing up, everyone saw that Toadonpa was heavily injured to the point where just a few more attacks would be enough to finish it off, but it appears to be readying itself for one last, suicidal assault while licking its lips, eager to taste the delicious humans before it.

"Fire Raid!"

A keyblade embedded with swirling flames was hurled from behind the four and slashed at Toadonpa before returning back to its owner; Ignis. She frontflipped over the heads of her friends before dodging a poison attack from Toadonpa, slashing at its side as she bypassed it to get behind it before casting a strong fire spell.

"Firaga!"

The third-tier fire spell spelled doom for Toadonpa as the fireball spell exploded on impact and was strong enough to send Toadonpa flying through the air, forcing Ivan and the others to duck their heads. The sounds of a man screaming in pain and the final groan from Toadonpa reached their ears as they turned and saw Toadonpa's corpse on top of Dodonpa, who was now trapped underneath the monster's corpse with rubbles of earth surrounding them, meaning that Toadonpa's corpse had broken apart the earthen cage Ignis trapped Dodonpa in.

"Ugh! Get it off me!" grunted Dodonpa.

"Wait, how did Dodonpa get trapped under the monster?" wondered Garet.

Hammet, who was safe thanks to Ignis, stepped forward with an angry frown. "Dodonpa tried to pull another dirty trick! During your fight, he tried to hold me hostage, but the young red-haired lady over there saved me by trapping Dodonpa in a magic cage!"

"Since Dodonpa was trapped in there, he couldn't move, so the toad monster probably crashed into him then," theorized Ignis.

"You dirty snake!" hollered Ivan.

Mia shook her head in disgust at Dodonpa's actions. "Dodonpa, you are rotten to the core!"

Dodonpa shouted, "Yeah, okay! I'm sorry! Now, get this thing off me!"

"I don't know. That thing looks awfully heavy for us kids to lift," said Ivan.

"Should we try to move it, though?" wondered Mia.

"What? No!" objected Issac. "He got himself to blame for the mess he made!"

"Dude, if you're worried about him escaping once we get that thing off him, don't worry. I can just trap him in an earth cage again," replied Ignis.

Hammet nodded. "Yes, we'll have to eventually get that thing off him, so let's at least try!"

With the effort of all six of them, they successfully managed to shove Toadonpa's corpse off of the fallen Dodonpa and moved away from him so that he didn't try to escape nor pull any tricks on them.

"There. You should be able to get up now!" said Garet to Dodonpa.

"I...I can't," admitted Dodonpa, struggling to get up.

"Did you break your leg or something?" wondered Mia. Though she detested Dodonpa, as a healer, part of her healer's code is to heal anyone in need, whether they were bad or not.

"Considering he was hit with the full impact of a large monster, I wouldn't be surprised," commented Ignis.

Dodonpa said, "It's not broken...I should be able to stand after a bit."

Ivan smiled and sighed. "Thank goodness..."

Annoyed, Garet turned to Ivan. "What do you mean, 'thank goodness?!' Didn't he just try and kill us?!"

Confused, Hammet asked, "Can't we just forgive and forget?"

"Oh my god, you guys are idiots," Ignis commented, growing agitated and annoyed like Garet. "You guys cannot be serious! This evil moustache guy kidnapped Hammet, forced Kalay to give up ransom money, and even then, he refused to return Hammet! Plus, he just summoned a monster to kill us and was about to take Hammet again if it weren't for me! Please tell me you're not going to just forgive all that!"

Garet nodded. "Exactly! Get a grip, you guys!"

"But Hammet is safe now, isn't he?" pointed out Ivan.

"Yeah, but do you really think Dodonpa will reform if Hammet forgives him?!"

"But, he already said he wouldn't do anything!" said Hammet.

"What is wrong with you guys?!" wondered Ignis. "Ugh...is the battle and stress from rescuing Hammet getting to you guys?!"

Garet angrily turned to Hammet. "Of course he's going to say that! He wants us to forgive him!"

"What do you think we should do then?" asked Ivan.

"We should lock him up here, just like he did with Hammet."

"No! How can you be so cruel?!" shouted Dodonpa, frantically trying to move his injured body to get away, only for Ignis to block the exit.

"Oh? And yet you have no problem doing that to Hammet!" retaliated Mia angrily.

"You are literally the last person who should say that," added Ignis. "Though, I'm not sure how long that'll last, Garet. I mean, won't anybody notice that he's missing?"

"That is going to pose a problem," agreed Issac. "Still, I think we should lock him up."

"Serves the little punk right!"

Hearing a new, unfamiliar voice, everyone turned and saw an elderly man that resembled Dodonpa enter the cell, with Ignis moving out of the way.

"Dad!" cried out Dodonpa.

The man proclaimed as Dodonpa's father, Donpa, shook his head in disappointment and disgust at his fallen son. "Dodonpa, you pitiful wretch...I always told you that if you did evil to others, others would do evil to you. You must right all the misdeeds you've done! I...I feel bad for spoiling you. Look at the trouble it has caused..."

"See! It's all your fault that all this happened!"

"What?! You're blaming your Dad for something you did?!" exclaimed Ignis angrily. "How petty can you get?!"

Donpa shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, he's correct. Which is why this is going to hurt you more than it does me, Dodonpa!"

"...You're not serious, are you, Dad?" asked Dodonpa.

"I most certainly am! You're going to spend some time here thinking about all that you've done!" Donpa then walked up to Hammet and bowed his head. "Dodonpa has caused you all sorts of trouble, hasn't he?"

"No, not at all!" said Hammet.

"Wha-Don't lie!" called out Ignis. "He kidnapped you and held you hostage for ransom money, remember?"

"What?!" Donpa glared at his son upon hearing this new information before turning to Hammet. "I must apologize deeply for all of this."

Hammet frowned. "Thank you, Donpa, but you do not need to apologize."

"Yeah, you're not the one at fault," agreed Ignis.

Hearing that brought a smile on Donpa's face as he faced Ignis and her friends. "I am sorry about the trouble, but I have one last request. I don't know how you got in here, but please leave by the same means."

"Huh? Donpa, didn't you just say that you're going to lock up Dodonpa?" asked Garet.

"So, we shouldn't have to sneak around, should we?" wondered Ivan.

"Some of Dodonpa's henchmen are still loyal to him," explained Donpa. "I'm ashamed to say it, but they won't listen to any of my orders. This new gang of thieves will attack Hammet if they find him in the fortress. And they may come to check his cell, right?"

Hammet realized what Donpa was saying. "I see. Then, they'd have to free Dodonpa, wouldn't they?"

"And then he'd head straight to Kalay seeking his revenge!"

"I see. Yes, you're right," agreed Garet.

Mia said, "It would be terrible if Kalay were attacked."

"That's why you must go while you still can!" urged Donpa.

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem," admitted Ignis. "See, we snuck in here by causing a bit of a commotion by setting fire to the front gates. While everyone tried to put the fire out, we snuck in, which is how we got inside the fortress. Sorry about that, by the way."

Donpa waved off her apology like it was nothing. "It's alright. Given the circumstances, I understand and forgive you. I heard of your intrusion, so I spread some rumors through the fortress. I said that brigands had snuck in to kidnap Hammet, but failed and ran off."

"Why in the world did you do that?" asked Garet.

"Now, they won't let anyone down here at all," answered Donpa. "Plus, many of Dodonpa's men have left to find the intruders."

"Dodonpa, you are a shrewd one!" complimented Mia, grinning.

Donpa shrugged. "I just thought I'd try and help however I could."

"With Dodonpa's henchmen gone, this is our chance to escape, right?" wondered Ivan.

Issac nodded. "Yes, but we should do so immediately."

"Yeah, but there's still one problem," Ignis pointed out. "I already explained how we got in, but how are we supposed to get out? After the whole fire incident, I bet there's a ton more security at the front, right?"

Donpa sighed. "Yes, unfortunately, Luckily, I know of a secret cave that leads both in and out of Lunpa. I can take you to that, but the rest is up to you."

"Who's going to look after Dodonpa- I still can't get over that name, by the way. Ahem, anyways, who's gonna look after him while you're gone?"

"My loyalist of men will watch over him in his new cell while I'm gone, but I will return. Mark my words, though, the next time you meet Dodonpa, he will be a changed man."

"I get it already! I won't do anything wrong! Come on, let me go!" whined Dodonpa. But the others were hearing none of that as they left the injured Dodonpa in his new cell, which was now heavily guarded by Donpa's loyal men as the group snuck out of the fortress, much more successfully with Donpa's guidance.

Somewhere in the village of Lunpa, Donpa revealed a secret cavern within Lunpa before saying his farewells to the group, once again apologizing for all the trouble his son has caused before wishing them luck. It didn't take long for the group to find their way through the cave, even finding a switch to open a gate. However, before they could proceed to leave, Ignis heard a scuffling sound and held her arm out, stopping the group.

"Wait, I heard something just now," she said, narrowing her eyes as she summoned her Keyblade. She moved in front of Hammet to protect him once more, and, because she's a more experienced fighter, the others trusted her judgement and pulled out their own weapons, ready for anything.

"Come to think of it, I thought I heard something, too, but I thought it was just my imagination," admitted Ivan.

"You and Ignis aren't the only ones. I heard something, too," said Mia.

"Do you think Dodonpa's henchmen found us?" wondered Garet.

"Oh, dear, it would be terrible if they did!" cried out Hammet.

A gasp came from behind one of the walls, and a man stepped out from the shadows, alarming the fighters. "It's true! That voice was Hammet's!"

"Bunza? Is that you?" asked Hammet. "It is you!"

Seeing Hammet being familiar with the strange man, everyone lowered their weapons and relaxed, seeing that the man named Bunza seemed harmless enough. Since Bunza was one of Hammet's merchants and a rather trustworthy one, they decided to trust him as well as they explained what was going on.

"...So, Dodonpa never had any intention of releasing Hammet?"

Hammet nodded. "That's right. That's why Ivan and his friends came to the rescue!"

"Once Issac made up his mind, we all decided to come save Hammet," Ivan added.

'Hey, Ivan! Are you saying this is all Issac's idea?" said Garet, annoyed. "We helped out, too!"

"N-no! I mean, you and Mia and Ignis helped out, too!"

"It's nice to be appreciated every now and then!~" cooed Ignis, sticking her tongue out as Garet chuckled.

Hammet glanced at the rest of Ivan's friends and smiled. "Oh, goodness, I haven't thanked you all properly for saving me, have I? Thank you, Mia, Issac, Garet, and Ignis. And, of course, you too, Ivan!"

Mia turned to Bunza and said, "You sure did a food job finding this cave, Bunza."

"Yes! Impressive work you did, Bunza!" agreed Hammet.

"It was pure coincidence," assured Bunza. "I really didn't want to come to Lunpa. Because we knew the thieves had Hammet imprisoned."

"Then why did you come here?" asked Garet.

"I recalled what Hammet told me about being a successful merchant."

Confused, Mia asked, "Really? He told you that you should start trading in Lunpa?"

"No, I meant his more general words of wisdom," corrected Bunza.

Hammet knew what his friend was referring to. "'Merchants must not judge customers on their appearances.'"

Bunza nodded. "'Do not avoid a place just because something unpleasant may happen.'"

Hammet continued, "'As long as customers await your goods, you must do everything in your power to sell to them!'"

"So, you came to serve the customers, even though you despise Dodonpa?" summarized Ivan, receiving a nod as a response. "Fate put this opportunity before you."

"But why did you think a Kalay merchant would be permitted into Lunpa?" asked Garet.

"I didn't," answered Bunza. "And, in fact, they would not let me in."

"Yet, knowing that, you still came?" asked Mia.

"I was taught by Master Eraqus that you shouldn't blame the actions of others onto one person," told Ignis. "Or, in this case, you can't blame the actions of one terrible man onto so many other people that just happened to be there in an unfortunate time."

"Basically, we shouldn't blame the people of Lunpa for Dodonpa's actions just because they live in his hometown," said Issac, nodding. "I can live with that creed."

"But you know what? There was that huge commotion, right?" said Bunza.

"He must mean the activity caused by Donpa's rumors!" cried out Ivan.

"That, and the fire I started," Ignis said.

Bunza continued, "It all came together for me...that commotion was related to Hammet! I had to find out what was going on."

"And that's how you found out about this cave?" asked Garet.

"I'll bet you couldn't find any way to get that gate open from this side," said Mia, referring to earlier when they found and flipped the switch on the gate.

"But then all of a sudden, it moved, so I hid myself," said Bunza.

"We startled you, didn't we, Bunza?" said Hammet.

Bunza turned to him. "I'm just glad you were able to get Hammet out safely!"

"Why do you say it like that, Bunza?" Ivan asked.

"Dodonpa's henchmen have been combing the area. Even if they aren't after Hammet, if they find him..."

"They might capture Hammet again! Let's get out of here, quickly!" cried out Mia.

"But we have to escape without being seen by Dodonpa's henchmen," pointed out Ivan.

"My invisibility spell will only work on me, so it won't work on any of you guys," reminded Ignis. "I mean, if any of their henchmen spots us, I guess I can provide as a distraction to give you guys time to escape, and-"

"No, we won't leave anyone behind," stated Issac firmly.

"Then, should we stay and fight?" wondered garet.

Bunza said, "Taking them all on is more foolhardy than invading their fortress."

"Then, what should we do, Bunza?" asked Hammet.

"I have a wagon nearby. Let's go all the way back to Kalay with my wagon."

"Won't a wagon stand out?" questioned Ivan. "If it were to be searched by Dodonpa's henchmen..."

Bunza shook his head. "There's no need to worry. I've been here since before the commotion."

Garet nodded. "Right. They've already seen your wagon around."

"That's right, Garet. They don't suspect me being involved! So, if there's no other issues, let's hurry and get going!"

Everyone nodded and headed straight for Bunza's wagon, which, fortunately, wasn't far from the cave. They were able to bypass any obstacles without any worry of being suspected, though Issac and the others did prepare their weapons in case they were to be discovered and attacked so they could protect Hammet. They managed to travel all the way back to Kalay without any further troubles and escorted Hammet back to his palace, where Layana, although happy to see Hammet, wasn't happy to have five young kids risking their lives to save her husband.

"I told you time and time again not to go to Lunpa, but you went anyway," scolded Layana, glaring at the five of them. Ivan and Mia looked guilty, Garet was annoyed, Issac showed a sudden interest in his boots, and Ignis whistled and was pretending to look away.

Hammet turned to his wife. "Please, Layana, don't be so harsh on them."

"Naturally, I'm happy they rescued you," spoke Layana. "But this was something Kalay should have handled alone. Issac, didn't you and your friends have a more pressing matter to attend to?"

Issac nodded. "Yes, our mission is to recover the Elemental Stars. But-"

"But you still went through something so reckless!"

Startled, Hammet tried to calm his wife down. "Layana, you shouldn't..."

Ivan timidly said, "I...I had to rescue Hammet, no matter what."

Layana sighed. "It's already done. There's nothing more to be said."

"Hold on!" protested Garet. "We all wanted to save Hammet just as badly as Ivan did!"

"Yeah! Look, what we did was reckless and against your orders, but it still went well! Why are you treating us like we're the bad guys!" said Ignis.

"Garet, Ignis, enough!" shouted Ivan. "It doesn't matter, alright? I'm the one at fault! Because of my selfishness, we wasted so much time, and...and I made a mistake, alright? We will leave immediately on Felix's trail!"

Layana nodded. "Yes. That would be best. Leave immediately."

"Wow, lady. Seriously?" deadpanned Ignis, annoyed, even if she did understand her concerns about the risks of the rescue mission.

Not wanting to stir up more trouble, Ivan announced, "We should be going, guys."

Uneased with how things ended, Mia asked, "Ivan, is this what you really want?"

Seeing Ivan nod with determination, Hammet knew that his adopted son had his mind set on finishing their quest. "Take your Shaman's Rod and go to Hesperia. That is what the Jupiter Adept said."

"Hesperia...Where is that?" wondered Ivan.

"It is the continent west of Angara, on the whole other side of the sea. Go there, and be careful."

Everyone nodded and left Hammet Palace immediately, though they felt the issue wasn't completely resolved with Layana's harsh and blunt coldness towards them and Ivan's depressed state. "Ivan..." started Ignis.

"I know what you're going to say, Ignis," said Ivan, sighing as they walked down the stairs. "I appreciate you all looking after me, but even though this is all my fault, I don't regret saving Hammet. But, I do want to thank you all for helping me, regardless. I won't waste anymore of your time."

Issac nodded. "I don't regret saving him either, but we can't sidetrack now. We need to make a plan on what to do next, like where the next lighthouse is located."

"I may have an idea about where to find the next lighthouse. But, we might have to take a ship."

"A ship?" wondered Garet. "Are we certain that we'll be able to find the next lighthouse in Hesperia?"

"No," said Ivan, shaking his head. "Hesperia isn't our destination. In fact-"

"Okay! Are we all listening? Let's stop right here!"

Issac and his friends heard a loud voice and turned, seeing two tour guides escorting a group of people near one of the exits of Kalay before they stopped. "Why are we stopping at a place like this?!" A tourist chef exclaimed.

"Yeah! We have to hurry, or we'll be late for Colosso!" cried out a female tourist.

"Late for Colosso?! We can't have that!"

"That won't do at all! We paid good money to see Colosso! We can't be late!"

"Everything will be fine, folks!" called out one of the tour guides. "We're just checking to make sure no one is missing!"

A red-haired man with a beard shrugged. "Well, I guess that's okay..."

His friend, a blue-haired man, stated, "But if anyone is missing, we're the ones who'll miss out. Forget about them! Let's get a move on!"

The second tour guide appeared startled. "Oh, dear..."

"Alright, hurry up and start counting!" the first tour guide ordered his partner. However, his partner went up to him, whispered something in his ear, and whatever it was caused the first tour guide to panic as he recounted the number of tourists in their group.

"Uh-oh, we're short one person. Now, where could he be?"

The tour guides recounted the number of tourists over and over, trying to make sure that they didn't miscalculate or anything. The amount of time they spent recounting the tourists made them both curious and growing impatient.

"What's going on? Why aren't we leaving for Tolbi yet?"

"There are a lot of people waiting to see Colosso, here!"

"Hey, what's up? Why are the guides pacing back and forth?"

"Come on! Why aren't we leaving yet?"

"I hear there was a landslide on the road to Tolbi. We paid good money to take this cruise to see Colosso!"

"We have to see if we're entering Colosso once we reach Tolbi."

"Right when we're leaving, they tell us we have to ride a boat?" wondered the red-bearded man. "I can't stand boats. If I had known, I never would have come."

The blue-haired man said, "It's just a shame that a man like you can't ride on a boat, Ouranos."

Growing irritated, one of the tour guides declared, "That's it, we can't wait any longer!"

"Can't wait? What do you mean?" his partner asked.

"We all knew that anyone who was late would be left behind, right?"

"Everyone understood that, yes."

"Then, what's the problem? Everyone'll miss the boat if we wait any longer!"

Such a statement coming from one of the tour guides caused everyone's worries to skyrocket as a small commotion started amongst the tourists.

"Miss the boat? We can't let that happen!"

"We paid a lot of good money! We have to arrive before the carnival begins!"

The tour guide's partner sighed and then nodded. "There's nothing we can do...let's go!"

"Yeah, let's go! Okay, follow me and stay in line!"

The tourist group hustled to leave Kalay, and the moment they were out of sight, out of nowhere, an elderly man walked in the middle of the street, as though in search of something.

"Hmm...now, where did my tour group went off to?" Having said that, he left in his own direction in a hurry, luckily in the same direction the tour group went to.

"..." Everyone turned to Issac, waiting for his command.

"...So, Ivan."

"Yeah, Issac?"

"I'm guessing that you think that the next lighthouse might be in an area far past the sea, and so, we'll need a boat, right?"

Ivan nodded. "Yes. We may not be part of the tour group just now, but perhaps they may be willing to accept additional passengers?"

"Great, then we're going to Tolbi, wherever that is!"

Merry Christmas, guys! Wow, it's been a full year since I started this fanfic, and it's become quite a bit popular, having over 100 reviews! I love you guys so much for appreciating my work! Now, I did add a couple of changes, but if you look at the walkthrough of Golden Sun and this fanfic, I bet you'll notice the changes quite a bit! The group wasn't supposed to journey to rescue Hammet until much later in the game, when they acquire a certain Psynergy, Cloak, to turn invisible, but I changed all of that to fit in the storyline!

Anyways, read and review and Merry Christmas!