Chapter 13: The Venus Lighthouse
The Venus Lighthouse was an imposing structure. Mia had only seen the Mercury Lighthouse up close before given that her home town of Imil was situated right at the base of it, but she stopped outside the entrance to look up at this one, overwhelmed by the size and scale of the wondrous creation.
The perspective gained from witnessing another Elemental Lighthouse in person made Mia realize they truly were monuments of the ancient past. She couldn't even begin to imagine how it was constructed, which made it all the more awe inspiring.
The other three adepts were similarly engrossed in their own thoughts on the impressive structure, though everyone was happy to have made it there before the beacon could be lit.
"Should we take a quick look inside?" Isaac asked, looking to the others in the group for a consensus before proceeding.
Wanting to know what would await them inside should they need to chase Saturos or Menardi through the lighthouse itself, the group agreed and took their first steps into the Venus Lighthouse.
The inside was reminiscent of the Mercury Lighthouse, well worn stone floors with doorways leading to other rooms and sections of the lighthouse visible as the adepts began to look around the entryway. The floor was marked with a relief design of a tree laid into it, likely to correspond with the idea of the earthen element.
There was one main door leading on from the center path as well as a ledge off to the side with another door, separated from the entrance by a large gap in the floor. Carefully peering down the side, Isaac determined that the drop was way too far to be safe and made sure to back away from the edge to prevent any accidents.
With only one way forward, the group moved through the first few rooms of the Lighthouse, carefully looking for anything potentially important or any monsters that might call the structure home. There didn't seem to be any inhabitants however, and other than the adepts moving through the halls there was nothing but some old statues lining the walls to keep them company.
As the group wandered around exploring the first few rooms of the Lighthouse, they finally found something interesting when they came upon a dead end. It wasn't any old dead end, but it was clearly a trap or barrier of some kind. Lightning was shooting out from the walls horizontally, blocking access to the pathway beyond. Ivan raised an eyebrow at the scene, but kept his distance as he tried to determine how the lightning was being generated.
The other three looked beyond the lightning barrier to try to make out what was on the other side.
"Over there," Mia pointed out, directing the attention of Garet and Isaac towards a pillar standing near the far wall. "Is that a switch?" she asked, referencing what looked to be a pressure plate on the ground next to the pillar.
Isaac and Garet took a close look where Mia was indicating and Ivan joined the others in shifting his attention past the lightning, having determined there was no way to stop the flow of power from the near side.
"It sure looks like one…" Isaac trailed off, thinking about how they could potentially trigger it and presumably shut off the trap.
The juxtaposition of crude trap and trigger switches with the engineering marvel of the lighthouse was strange, but something the adepts had seen before back in Imil.
It didn't faze Garet at all though who asked Isaac, "Do you think we could move that pillar from here?"
Isaac estimated the distance from them and shook his head. "Maybe if it was lighter...but something that heavy from here? I don't think we'll be able to move it," he expressed.
Garet shrugged, but agreed with Isaac's analysis. "You're probably right, but here goes nothing!" the redhead exclaimed, calling on his psynergy to attempt to move the pillar anyway. Garet strained himself focusing on making the pillar move, but the only result was the slightest hint of movement as it barely budged a centimeter.
Isaac gave it a go after, but both boys ended up dismissing the idea as impractical, recognizing they would not be able to influence the pillar enough from where they were behind the lightning barrier.
"I suppose that's that then," Garet said as they gave up on the attempts.
It was Isaac's turn to shrug. "We were just here to explore a bit anyway," he reminded the group, keeping things positive despite their inability to look around any further.
"At least it looks like Saturos and Menardi aren't in the lighthouse yet," Ivan pointed out, eliciting a round of nods from the other adepts who were thankful that wasn't the case.
With no way to continue exploring, the only other option was to head out of the Lighthouse and keep walking into town.
"Perhaps someone in Lalivero will know more about accessing the lighthouse if we need it," Mia contributed as the group backtracked to the entrance and out of the Lighthouse. "After all the city is so close by that someone must have some idea much like back in Imil," she explained.
Stepping back into the early afternoon sun, the group of adepts continued on the short path leading from the Lighthouse into town.
It was a quick walk into the city, but not an uneventful one. A Tolbi guard lay at the side of the road, injured with his spear resting against a nearby tree. Upon seeing the injured man, Mia rushed forward and called forth some healing psynergy instinctively.
Frowning, Isaac and the others joined her as they walked over to the guard.
"Just relax a minute," Mia said, doing her best to calm and reassure the man as she tended to his wounds.
"What happened here?" Isaac asked as he knelt down next to the injured man, having an inkling of what might be going on.
The guard looked between Isaac and Mia before noticing his wounds healing up. "Your powers…" he said slowly, clearly still in pain. "There were others with strange powers too…" the man explained. "They...wanted to go to the Babi Lighthouse," he added as the pain lessened and his wound was closed.
"Others with powers like hers?" Isaac attempted to clarify while pointing at Mia since she was the only one that had displayed any psynergy.
"Similar I guess, but not exactly," The man said. "They were the ones causing injuries, not healing them though," he said with a nod of thanks toward Mia for helping him out.
"Does that mean there were others that were injured as well?" Ivan asked as the adepts all shared a glance at hearing other people with psynergy had passed through.
The guard nodded. "Yeah. The other guards also had trouble with that group of people. Two of them were like monsters...we weren't a match at all," he answered. "I think the rest of the guards out here retreated towards the city to defend the construction of Babi's lighthouse," the guard added.
"What is this Babi lighthouse you're talking about?" Mia asked as she helped the man to his feet.
Stepping gingerly and testing the leg that had previously been injured, the guard didn't answer for a moment. After walking a few paces and noting that his wound had been almost completely healed, he replied. "Babi is having the people of Lalivero construct him a lighthouse over by the old ruins to make it easier to see out across the ocean," the guard said. "Apparently he's looking for something out there, though I don't know what."
Almost as if realizing he was supposed to be on guard duty despite everything that happened, the guard suddenly stopped and turned back towards the adepts. "By the way, who are you four? We don't actually get many visitors these days, especially by the land routes thanks to how bad the desert has been recently. We got a message from Tolbi to be on the lookout for an 'Isaac' and his companions but…" he trailed off, implying he didn't expect anyone to come from the direction of the desert.
"Ah...that's me," Isaac said, stepping forward. "I'm Isaac."
The guard looked him up and down really quickly then glanced over and the other three by his side again. "You're Isaac?" he said, shaking his head as if the coincidence was too much to believe. "I suppose it has to be true though," he stated before Isaac could raise any objections. "It would take a Colosso winner to get through that desert," the guard added. "There's also the matter of those healing powers you displayed…" he said, focusing on Mia again. "I take it you have some sort of powers as well?" the guard asked Isaac, thinking over the briefing that stood out as unusual to him back in town.
"Yes..." Isaac answered cautiously, not sure if Babi sending word about them was a good thing or not.
The guard seemed to make up his mind though. "Well that settles that then," he stated, picking up his spear and casually resting the butt of it against the ground as if he was on guard duty again. "I need to take you to meet the captain," the guard said. "He received a message from Tolbi via the messenger birds and apparently it concerns you too, so we were instructed to keep an eye out since you were supposed to be heading this way," the guard explained.
Isaac just shrugged at the other three adepts, not knowing what reason Babi had for contacting them like this."Well...if you're good enough to walk then I guess take us to him," Isaac said, walking forward to catch up to the guard. "That other group you ran into is most likely the people we were chasing as well, so we need to go that way anyway," Isaac explained to the guard.
"Understood," the guard answered, surprised to hear they were chasing the same band of people causing trouble, but managed to maintain his professionalism. "Follow me," he motioned to the entire party of adepts, leading them towards the city.
Upon reaching Lalivero, the guards at the gate of the city glanced over each person, but relaxed after seeing one of their own leading the way. Mia watched as the guard she had healed exchanged some quick words with the two at the city gate off to the side, but it was evidently an easy explanation and the guards allowed the group to pass into town without further incident.
Lalivero itself was a nice city, nestled on the shoreline of the Gondowan continent against the Great Eastern Sea. Though normally a quiet and peaceful place, things were understandably different than the norm as Mia and her friends walked through the streets with the guard she had healed leading them. There was tension in the air with concerned looking faces walking past at a brisk pace, giving away the fact something out of the ordinary was happening.
The group of 5 came upon a building with a heavy wooden door, which the guard opened for them. Gesturing everyone inside, the guard closed the door again and brought the group to a man sitting at a desk with a strained expression.
"Captain!" the guard said to get his superior's attention. The captain had already noticed the new visitors, but waited for an explanation before saying anything.
"I brought you the Isaac I believe we were supposed to be looking out for," the guard stated, pointing at the Venus adept.
Isaac took a helpful step forward to make it more clear who he was, and the captain nodded. "Thanks. Please get back out there and lend a hand would you?" he addressed the guard. "We need everyone on duty to help keep the situation under control," the captain added.
"Yes sir," the guard replied and then with a final nod of thanks towards Mia and her friends, turned and left.
The captain of the Tolbi guards signed a weary sounding sigh, but stood up to greet all four adepts before jumping into the reason Babi wanted the captain to meet with them.
"Babi has long been looking for individuals like you and wanted to make a request after seeing your powers in action during Colosso," the man explained. "The thing is, Babi is looking for a city but is having trouble finding it," the captain added.
"He's having trouble finding a city?" Isaac asked for clarification.
"Yes. It's an old city he once visited many years ago called Lemuria, but it is out at sea and is apparently obscured by mist," the guard captain said. He paused for a moment to let that sink in before saying anything else. "There's actually something I'd like to show you as well," the captain continued, gesturing for the group to follow him as they spoke.
"Does this have something to do with why Babi is having a lighthouse constructed by the ocean?" Ivan asked as the group followed along through a hallway and stepped back outside into the sunlight.
The guard shrugged and confirmed Ivan's suspicions, "The idea is to try to spot it out at sea from here to be able to chart a course through the mist. We've been accelerating the timeline on construction to try to get it built sooner."
"Why us though?" Garet asked,as they crossed a street to a large port facility building. "It sounds like you already have a plan in place to find the city so where do we all fit in?" he asked.
"What is in here is why," the captain said, lightly knocking on the door to indicate the port facility.
Each adept shared a puzzled look, but the guard captain didn't hold them in suspense for long. Opening the door and stepping inside, he motioned for the group to follow. The interior of the building was massive, and the first thing Mia noticed as she walked in was the ship sitting moored at the docking facilities.
There was more than one eyebrow raised in surprise at the sleek design of the vessel, and Mia noted it was quite different from many of the fishing ships used back in Imil. This ship seemed somehow older and was clearly designed for transportation rather than fishing.
"This is a Lemurian ship," the captain stated, not needing to indicate the vessel as everyone was already admiring it. "Babi has long wanted to search the mists for Lemuria, but all of our other vessels can't get through the currents in the area. With a Lemurian ship though it might be a different story…" he added, trailing off.
"It's a very nice ship," Mia spoke up. "Why didn't you try using it to find Lemuria already though?" she asked the question on everyone's mind.
"We can't crew it," the captain said, shaking his head and looking back up at the ship in question. "Lemurian vessels are very different than any of the ships we make. It runs on a power Babi called psynergy, which I am given to understand is a power you four posses," he explained.
"Ah," Isaac interjected. "Now it makes sense…"
The guard captain nodded. "Yes, Babi was hoping you would be able to crew this vessel and use it to find Lemuria for him," he said.
"We have our own responsibilities as well…" Garet spoke up, realizing that it would likely be a huge detour.
The captain nodded again. "Of course. Babi knows this and doesn't expect you to drop your own business to search for the city for him, but he felt we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement," he paused before continuing again. "Babi felt like this ship might be helpful in your travels and would like to let you use it so long as you will also look for Lemuria for him. Of course he also mentioned that your own mission can take priority…"
Now the adepts were very surprised. Babi offered us an entire ship? Mia thought incredulously, thinking about how helpful sea travel could have been in their journey up until now. Skipping dangerous parts of the continent and avoiding mountains and deserts would have sped up their ability to chase after Saturous and Menardi quite a bit. What could he possibly need to find this city so badly for? She wondered.
"It's a very generous offer…" Isaac replied as the first one to recover from his surprise. "This isn't something we can make a snap decision to accept though," he continued, showing his level-headedness.
The other three adepts nodded in agreement. "Sure, I expected as much," the guard captain also nodded. "I wanted to show you the ship and let you know of Babi's offer so you will have time to discuss among each other and let us know as soon as you can," he said.
"Thanks, we will," Isaac answered, glad the captain understood.
"Well the offer is on the table," the guard captain stated. "It's not like that ship is moving any time soon," he joked with a hint of a smile as he turned to head back to his office across the street with the group of adepts in tow. The adepts were busy mulling over this turn of events in their head, but had not forgotten their original goals either.
"What is with the commotion in town today?" Ivan asked, changing the subject as they stepped back into the hallway of the first building.
"Ah...Well there's been a disturbance by the construction site of the Babi Lighthouse," the captain explained. "Apparently some strangers broke into the construction site and also kidnapped the daughter of the city's mayor," he added.
Mia shared a concerned look with the others. Seeing their faces, the captain spoke up again. "They've been giving us a bit of trouble, but Tobli has a lot of guards here and we're working to resolve the issue so don't worry," he said as he walked over to his deck once again.
"Those people causing the disturbance…" Isaac started to ask. "...Do you know who they are by any chance?"
The captain sat down at his desk and shook his head. "Unfortunately no. I've heard reports that the main aggressors were a strange man and woman and they were accompanied by some others that didn't engage in any combat, but we don't know much more than that," he explained.
All the adepts shared another look.
"Two aggressors…" Ivan parroted.
"...And some others that aren't fighting too," Garet added.
Mia turned to Isaac. "It's probably them right?" she asked, referencing Saturos and Menardi.
Isaac hesitated slightly but nodded. "It does seem likely…" he answered.
Confused, the captain looked back and forth at all four of them. "Do you guys know who they are?" he asked, trying to keep up with the conversation.
"Possibly," Isaac answered. "We were chasing after people who are holding some of our friends hostage, so I wouldn't be surprised if they kidnapped someone else either," he explained.
The captain frowned. "Come to think of it, I've heard reports of them having 'strange powers' too which is why they were giving some of our guards trouble," he said. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" he asked.
Garet looked excited at another mention of them having powers. "That has to be them then!" he exclaimed, looking for confirmation in the gazes of the other adepts.
Each of the others nodded in agreement. "It has to be," Ivan added simply.
"I think we do know who they are," Isaac answered the captain's question. "We need to go after them as well. If it's who we think it is, they're far more dangerous than you probably think," he added with a serious expression.
The guard captain gave a grimace. "That's not good news. I can't exactly pull back the guard or increase the numbers hunting for them given the circumstances though," he explained.
"We're going to try to find and confront them," Isaac informed the captain. "I'm sure your men are also trying, but I'd suggest keeping any civilians away from them if at all possible," he added.
The captain nodded. "We are, but given what little Babi mentioned of your powers and the fact you're a Colosso winner, I feel relieved knowing you'll be looking for these fugitives as well," he added.
"You mentioned they broke into the construction site of that new lighthouse you're building right?" Garet interjected.
Garet was already anxiously looking toward the door, wanting to get a move on with a solid lead on the location of Saturos and Menardi.
"That's correct," The guard captain answered. "We don't know why but I really hope they don't break anything…" he mused.
"It does seem strange they would go there instead of the Venus Lighthouse," Mia voiced. "Perhaps they know something we don't?"
"Venus Lighthouse?" the captain asked. "You mean that old tower on the road between here and the desert?"
"Yes," Ivan replied. "We believe their goal lies within that lighthouse, so it seems strange they would break into your construction site instead," he voiced.
The guard captain seemed lost in thought for a moment before replying. "There were some old ruins out where we were building the lighthouse…" he shrugged. "I'm not sure if it matters but they seem to be similar in age to that tower…" he added.
"Ruins...?" Isaac thought to himself for a second.
"Another pathway inside?" Mia wondered out loud.
"As far as we know there's nothing notable out there and they don't lead anywhere…" the captain said, following along.
"Either way, we don't have time to waste now that we know where the others are," Garet stated. "If we can find them, nothing else matters," he added bluntly.
"Garet's right," Isaac said with a determined expression. Addressing the guard captain, Isaac said, "Thanks for all the information and the offer from Babi regarding the ship. We'll have to pick this up another time, but we'll need to get going for now."
The captain nodded and pulled out a piece of parchment, scribbling a quick note on it. "I understand. Take this to the guards by the construction site and they will let you pass no questions asked," he said, standing up and handing the note over to Isaac. "Good luck as well," he added, sending the party off.
"Thank you," Isaac replied as the four adepts hastily left the building and started heading towards the construction site at a quick pace.
Mia could feel the tension building in the air as an inevitable confrontation between them and Saturos and Menardi approached. Each of the boys had a determined look on their faces as they all but marched towards Babi's Lighthouse.
The scenario of an all out battle played in Mia's mind as she imagined what it would be like when they finally encountered their enemies, but it brought up another thing she had almost forgotten about. Isaac still hasn't replaced his broken sword after it was shattered against that giant lizard back in the desert!
Matching her pace to Isaac's she noted the absence of the usual sword slung over the blonde boy's back. "Hey Isaac," she said to get his attention.
"Hmm?" He replied, looking over at Mia as they continued on.
"What about your sword?" Mia asked, getting right to the point. "A fight seems hard to avoid, but we haven't had a chance to replace your weapon yet," she added.
"No time," Isaac replied simply. "I thought about it, but if those ruins really do have something to do with getting into the Venus Lighthouse and they're already over there, we have no time to waste," he answered more thoroughly.
"That's going to make things a lot harder if you don't have a weapon..." Mia mused.
"I know," Isaac said with a frown. "I was just considering what my options are, but I may have to rely on psynergy a bit more. It looked like the blacksmith and more industrial district was on the other side of the city, so even if they had something I could use it would take too long to get over there and back. We don't really have much time to waste."
Mia frowned as well. "Well if it comes down to it you could use my mace," she offered.
Isaac nodded. "Thanks. If it's necessary I will, but I want you to be able to protect yourself effectively as well," he said.
Mia shook her head. "It's fine. I fought with my staff for a long time and this time we're fighting people, not monsters with giant claws or teeth or anything," she said. "Plus, you're better in melee combat and I know you'd protect me...as you've always done."
Isaac smiled at Mia's confidence in him. "Of course…" he answered, trailing off. "I'm kind of hoping we get lucky though. Usually in these old places like the lighthouse we find all sorts of treasure and artifacts. Who's to say there's not some weapon we'll find among the puzzles and traps that I can use?" he explained his thoughts.
"Isn't it a big gamble to rely on an unknown like that?" Mia asked, feeling a pit of worry building in her stomach.
"It is," Isaac admitted, knowing he couldn't hide that fact from the Mercury adept. "...But we don't have any time to waste. That's why I was considering how to fight in case I don't have a weapon, but I appreciate you offering to let me use your mace as well."
Mia let out a brief laugh that didn't seem to fit with the tense mood of the situation. "You're the one that helped pick out the mace for me after all," she said, feeling she needed to explain.
Mia's laugh was infectious and Isaac couldn't help smiling as a response. "Fair enough," the blonde boy answered, conceding the point.
"Let's get lucky then," Mia added after a few moments, choosing to match the positive attitude Isaac held, understanding that Isaac would use her mace if it came down to it.
The group of adepts came up upon the construction site that was bustling with people and Tolbi guards milling about and talking about the recent events that had transpired. A guard finally stopped the group of four since it was clear they weren't construction workers.
Isaac handed over the note from the captain and the guard relaxed, letting them further into the site of the partially constructed lighthouse.
"If you're trying to chase that group, they went down into the ruins below followed by Faran and some others trying to rescue Sheba," the guard explained, leading the group over to the ancient ruins in question.
"Faran?" Isaac asked, trying to get a grasp of the situation.
"The mayor," the guard answered, pointing the adepts down a ladder leading into the ruins below. "Faran is Sheba's adoptive father and he was very concerned when she was taken. Head down there and you'll find them in the ruins below. I have to remain up here to keep things in order," the guard explained.
"Thank you," Isaac said simply before quickly looking down the ladder and descending into the ruins with his companions.
"It's surprisingly well lit," Ivan commented as everyone got their bearings in the cave-like entrance.
Rubble from carved stones that matched the look of the Venus Lighthouse lay strewn about, clearly having succumbed to the ravages of time. As the adepts moved through the ruins, sections of partially and still fully intact structures appeared, similar to what they had seen of the Venus Lighthouse so far, but clearly more worn down.
Coming up on another chamber, voices could be heard and Ivan peaked around the corner cautiously, determining that it was a group from Lalivero and not Saturos or Menardi. Ivan let the others know it was okay with a nod of his head so they continued into the room and approached the group of people standing in front of a massive door.
They were busy arguing with each other about how the door is impossible to open despite Sheba's kidnappers somehow having gone past it, preventing the group from Lalivero from noticing the initial approach of the adepts behind them.
"Faran I presume?" Isaac spoke out to get their attention before getting too close and startling them.
A middle aged man with dirty-blonde hair turned around with the others and responded. "Yes, but who are you?"
Knowing it would be hard to explain with just words, Isaac handed over the note from the captain of the guards and introduced himself and his friends.
Faran read the note that explained who the group was and how they were there to chase after the group that had captured Sheba, before looking each person over. "You're here to help save Sheba?" he asked with a hint of disbelief.
"And to stop the plot of the people that took her as well," Garet answered, stepping forward with confidence.
Faran shook his head. "But you're all so young. They overpowered a good amount of the Tolbi Guards here. What do you think you'll be able to do if you catch up with them?"
"We're strong enough to take them on," Garet insisted.
"If they overpowered your guards then what are you planning to do if you catch up to them?" Ivan interjected, directing his question to Faran. "Are you claiming you can deal with them yourselves too?" he added.
The two others next to Faran shook their heads at the question, understanding the impossibility of what was being asked.
Ivan's response flustered Faran slightly as well, causing him to also shake his head a few seconds later. "Save Sheba…" was the response he gave, even though the manner he said it in made it clear he knew he didn't actually have the power to do that.
Mia stepped forward to join the conversation. "I understand Sheba is your child so you're worried about her," Mia said with a smile, trying to be a calming presence in a stressful situation. "It's a bit hard to explain how we can contend with them, but please believe me when I say we can," she stated.
Faran looked over at the Mercury adept as he paused for a moment. "No…You're right that I need to be thinking more clearly even though I'm worried about her," he admitted, recognizing what Mia was trying to say. With another glance over the group of adepts as if re-evaluating them, he said, "You all truly believe you can deal with them I see."
"We have...somewhat similar powers to the ones they do," Isaac gave as way of an explanation. "That's what will let us follow and catch up to them," he added.
"Powers?" Faran asked. "Your powers will allow you to follow them through this door?" he asked, indicating the heavy door that clearly wouldn't open for the three from Lalivero.
Isaac just nodded at Ivan and the younger blonde boy grinned, understanding Isaac's intentions and walking over toward the door and inscription on the wall nearby.
"I believe so. As proof we will open the door blocking the way," Isaac stated.
On that cue, Ivan cast his psynergy to reveal the unseen and noticed a switch hidden behind the mask of psynergy. Flipping it, the heavy door opened with the sound of shifting stone.
All three of the people from Lalivero were shocked at seeing the door open and let out exclamations of surprise.
Faran recovered first and simply nodded his acknowledgement of the adept's powers. "It seems I have to believe you are indeed sincere in what you're telling me. Thanks for proving it," he told them, relieved to see the path forward unblocked.
Faran stepped towards the door, intending to go beyond it himself, however it quickly closed at his approach, much to his surprise. "Why did it close?" he asked, frustrated to see the roadblock once again in his way.
"Most likely because you're not an adept…" Mia said, thinking it through. "This is probably the lighthouse's way of protecting those who don't possess psynergy," she explained.
Nods from the other adepts confirmed they were thinking the same thing, and Faran could only frown at that statement.
"So without your powers…?" Faran started to ask.
"You can't enter. Correct," Garet answered quickly, clearly eager to keep moving and catch up to the others.
Faran relented. "It seems I have no choice then," he said. Seeing the questioning look on the faces of the adepts in front of him, he shrugged helplessly. "Go then…Please rescue Sheba for us too," Faran requested.
"We will," came Isaac's reply.
Faran nodded and retreated away from the door to allow the adepts through. Ivan once again revealed the hidden switch and opened the door, allowing the group of four adepts to pass through before the door closed behind them.
The sound of the heavy stone sealing off the path back served as a reminder that there was no retreat. Everything will be decided here, Mia found herself thinking as the adepts left behind the rubble and ruins behind them and entered well maintained halls ahead that reminded her of the Venus Lighthouse they had been in just recently.
"This has to be the true entrance doesn't it?" Ivan asked, making the connection between the ruins behind them and architecture beyond.
"Especially if we're chasing Saturos and Menardi through here," Garet added, reminding everyone of what lay ahead.
As the adepts entered a new room, they ran into a puzzle that needed to be solved. Two pillars stood in the middle of the room with ledges all around and stars leading up to one ledge that ended in a dead end.
"It seems it's time to get to work," Isaac said, mentally preparing himself for the tasks ahead.
Garet walked over to inspect the pillars and test their weight as Ivan and Mia looked around the room to see what options they had for moving on.
"There's a door over there," Ivan pointed out, directing attention to a ledge beyond the pillars with no way of reaching it.
Mia walked up the steps leading onto another ledge nearby and judged the distance between the ledge with the door and where she was standing. "If you space the pillars equally along here, we should be able to jump across," she called out to the boys below.
Isaac took a glance at where Mia was indicating and shared a look with Garet, who nodded his understanding.
It was a solution all four adepts were accustomed to and had used many times before to avoid roadblocks in their way or make their way through difficult terrain. Similar puzzles had appeared back in the Mercury Lighthouse as well, so it was no surprise to find more here.
Garet and Isaac put their psynergy to work, using it to assist them in moving the heavy pillars over toward where they belonged. As they worked, Mia found herself watching from the ledge along with Ivan where they would be able to call out any adjustments needed from a better vantage point.
It took a few minutes to get each pillar properly spaced, but when the task was complete, each adept took turns jumping from pillar to pillar to get to the ledge with a door. Fortunately the pillars were wide enough that it wasn't too difficult to land safely as they jumped across, allowing everyone to make it without much trouble.
The next room was similar, but vines entangled the same type of pillars they had just been manipulating, holding them in place and preventing them from being moved. It was Ivan's turn to shine, and he conjured up a whirlwind to clear away the vines and foliage holding down the pillar, allowing it to move.
Once the pillar was free, it was easy to move in a way that would allow the group to cross another series of ledges and move further into the ancient corridors.
This time the room they entered didn't have any ledges at all, but instead had a small gap with a platform to bridge it sunken down below the level of the floor they were standing on. Investigation revealed that while they could pretty easily jump down to that platform, there was no way they would be able to get back up either side.
There was a pretty clear pressure plate near the edge of the floor though and another pillar was resting nearby, so Isaac went to move it onto the pressure plate to see what would happen. The first thing he noticed was that the pillar was really light compared to the previous ones, and was much easier to move. Conserving psynergy, Isaac and Garet pushed it by hand onto the pressure plate, but nothing happened.
Confused by the lack of response from this puzzle, both boys looked around to see if there was anything they were missing, but there was nothing else in the room.
"Maybe it doesn't weigh enough?" Garet suggested, commenting on the weird light weight of the pillar compared to the others they had been moving so far.
"Hmm…" Isaac let out, thinking about it himself.
Ivan walked over to the pillar to see what Garent meant and ended up knocking on the stone with his hand to see what would happen. A slightly echoey sound could be heard and Ivan turned to the others in surprise.
"Doesn't this sound hollow?" Ivan asked, repeating it again a bit louder for everyone else to hear.
"It does…" Isaac answered wondering what the purpose of it being hollow was.
"Are we supposed to fill it up with dirt or something?" Garet asked, looking around again hopefully as if there would be a pile of dirt conveniently nearby. "You know...Venus Lighthouse and all," he added, trying to sell the others on the idea when Ivan raised an eyebrow at his suggestion..
"What about water?" Mia suggested, speaking up as an idea came to her. "Water is pretty heavy too and should weigh it down if it is indeed hollow…" she explained.
"Good idea," Isaac said with a smile, indicating his agreement with Mia's thought process. "I can't see why it wouldn't work," he added.
With that, Mia called upon her psynergy and formed a small cloud of water above the pillar, condensing it into a miniature rain that slowly filled the hollow pillar up with water. As more and more water weighed it down, the pillar began to sink into the floor until finally it sunk all the way in and there was just a pool of water where the pillar once stood.
The shifting of stone indicated the rise of the previously useless platform to the same height as the floor, making it possible to get across to the other side of the room that was inaccessible before.
"Nice!" Ivan exclaimed, seeing that it had worked, and went over to be the first to test it. Stepping onto the platform, he made sure it felt stable before making his way across and waiting on the other side for the rest to follow.
As they moved into the next room, the same design of a tree that they had seen in the Venus Lighthouse entrance greeted them, confirming what they all already pretty much knew was coming. They were now within the Venus Lighthouse itself.
This fact was not lost on any of the four adepts as they solemnly surveyed the room, understanding that this was a crucial chance at catching up and finally achieving their goal.
"Well…this is it," Isaac stated to break the tense silence in such a powerful moment. "It's pretty clear the lighthouse has not been lit yet, but our foes are here so we're bound to run into them soon," he said to get the attention of the other three.
Saturos…Menardi…Alex…Felix…Jenna…Sheba…
The names of everyone in the group they were chasing came to Mia's mind at that moment.
"This time we'll stop them before they light the beacon!" Garet exclaimed, showing his conviction.
"We have to make sure we rescue Sheba and the others as well," Ivan added, matching Garet's determination with his own.
"As a protector of the Mercury Lighthouse I will not let them light this one too," Mia spoke up, invoking her primary duty from back in Imil as part of the Mercury Clan.
Isaac smiled at seeing everyone all fired up at the prospect of completing their long journey.
"It will only get harder from here on, but we've been through so much together. I believe in each and every one of you," Isaac added. "Stay sharp, and let's do this!" he encouraged.
With a unified purpose the four adepts stepped through the next door and entered the lighthouse proper.