"So, if you don't mind my asking, just who are you, Sheba?" Triad asked,
curious about the newcomer.
"I don't mind. As you already know, I'm a Jupiter Adept, and I come from the town of Lalivero. There's really not much else you need to know."
"Jeez, a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I thought Felix was bad."
"Felix is here?" She asked, keeping her face objective.
"Yes, he's helped us along."
"I expected as such." Sheba's eyes turned to the bushes behind her. "We've company. Draw your weapons." She said, whipping out her staff. Ivan quickly drew his Ankh and Triad had his crystal sword in hand before Sheba had even finished her sentence. "Show yourself." Sheba stated. A bolt of lightning was the answer to her demand, but she was able to dodge it. "Suit yourself." She said, casting Plasma on the bushes, forcing the creature into view.
The creature was a skeleton, wrapped in a black robe. The robe itself had markings in an archaic language, scripted in gold around the edges of the sleeves, the bottom, and around the hood. The hood was open, and in place of eyes, there glowed two glowing purple spheres inside the skull of the skeleton. It's boned hands glowed with the same shining color, as another blast of lightning shot forward.
"What the hell is that?!" Triad shouted, dodging the lightning bolt.
"That's a lich, Triad; an undead spellcaster. Somehow that creature can use Psynergy even after death." Ivan answered. "Let's see if it can take what it dishes out." Ivan raised his arm to the sky, and several bolts of lightning struck down upon the lich, knocking him back a couple of feet, but no real damage seemed to befall him. The lich's expression, though unchanged, seemed to reflect a great deal more anger now. The lich raised its own arm, and a blast of Shine Plasma tore through the hero ranks. Ivan was hit the hardest, because he was at the epicenter of the attack. All three of the heroes were sent flying several feet back.
"Ouch! That really freaking hurt!" Triad exclaimed leaping to his feet. "Ivan, that was one of your moves, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Watch out, he's at it again!" Ivan responded. Triad leapt away as the lich let loose with a Whirlwind near him. The winds cut through Triad's cape, but did little else to the agile warrior. Sheba casted Storm Ray on the undead lich, but the creature simply shrugged off the blast. As the creature lifted his arm to cast his next spell, but his arm was promptly sheared off by a crystal blade. The lich looked at his missing limb, and gazed angrily at Triad. The creature raised his other arm into Triad's face and proceeded to cast Delude on him. As Triad gazed into the dark light that enveloped him, he began seeing countless spirits surrounding his mind, deluding his eyes and spirit.
"What the hell?! Show yourself, coward!" Triad exclaimed, swinging his sword wildly at nothing. "I got you now, lich!" He shouted, shoving his crystal blade into the trunk of a nearby tree. Ivan and Sheba stared at Triad, whom was ranting and raving wildly, not actually doing anything useful or intelligent. Ivan leapt forward with his Ankh and smashed the lich in the side of the head. The creature's head flew right off his spine and into the brush nearby. Thinking he had been victorious, Ivan stepped back and loosened his grip on his Ankh. Suddenly, the lich began glowing an intense purple, and the arm and the head that had been separated were drawn back and reattached to its body. It lunged forward, knocking Ivan off his feet and sending his staff flying from his hands. The staff, flying through the air, hit Sheba squarely in the face, knocking her to the ground in a daze. The lich prepared to make a final and decisive blow on the male Jupiter Adept, but was halted by a random and completely fluked swing of a crystal sword.
"I think I got you that time, lich!" Triad shouted into space, apparently still confused by the spirits haunting him. The skeletal mage turned to Triad, whose back was now turned while slicing at the air in front of him. "Take that, you abomination!" The lich snorted at him, realizing Triad was just a chicken whose head had been cut off. His distraction to the confused inventor allowed Ivan sufficient time to strike with his recovered Blessed Ankh, shattering the lich's rib cage. Surprised, but not defeated, the lich's eyes burned furiously purple, and he let loose a Tornado attack, sending Ivan flying into a tree trunk, and knocking him senseless. Sheba, who had also been caught in the zephyr of wind, was flung into a large patch of bramble bushes. Her anguished cry of pain echoed throughout the wooded area.
"Sheba?!" Triad shouted, in confusion. "Ivan, where the hell are you guys?!" The muddled warrior called, still winging his sword about like an idiot. He stepped closer to where he thought was where Sheba had called out from, but he ran into an obstacle along the way. Moving quickly, he jabbed forward with his weapon, sending the lich flying ahead of him. Keeping his nonsensical attack pressed, he charged the skeleton at full tilt, swiping it constantly until he could feel the bones of the creature shatter into a hundred little pieces. Finally, his vision returned to normal, and no further spirits haunted him. He shook his head violently, only to notice the defeated lich lying at his feet, the colored light vanished from its eyes. "Wow! I did that?! Cool. Hey, Ivan! Check it out!" He said, calling to his friend. He waited a moment, and without a response, he turned back and saw his friend sitting limp beneath a tree.
"Ivan!" He called out. He remembered Sheba's cry at that moment, and he ran over there to investigate. She was now pulling herself from the sticker bush, her arms and legs covered with scratches and her clothes torn and tattered in places. "Are you okay, Sheba? You're not too badly hurt?"
"No, I'm fine, Triad. Where's Ivan?" She replied, objective tone still in her voice.
"He's over here. Come on." He said, helping her the rest of the way out of the thorns. Sheba rushed over to Ivan, and pried open one of his eyelids.
"He's going to be out cold for awhile. Looks like he got hit pretty bad."
"We'd best carry him back to Vale then; Mia can help him whenever she gets back." Triad replied, picking up his small friend's frame and lifting him to chest level. "Jeez, for someone so small, he sure weighs a ton!" Sheba smiled.
"Ivan could eat quite a bit when he wanted to. Normally he showed restraint, but there were a couple of times in Lemuria when he ate enough to feed an army."
"That's something I'd expect from Garet."
"Me too. Though Garet still eats his weight every day, am I correct?"
"To a fashion; do you mean in or out of Dargon's full plate armor?"
"Dargon?"
"Never mind. I forgot you haven't met him yet. He wears a full suit of plate armor that's really heavy; I was just thinking about adding that weight to Garet's already huge girth."
"The knight from Imil, correct?" Sheba replied. Triad's face turned pale. The color returned a moment later.
"Hey! Stop reading my mind! Besides, we need to get Ivan back to Vale."
"Yes, you're right." Sheba replied. They moved quickly back through the town, not finding hide or hair of Mia or Isaac. "That's odd. I'd imagine they'd be back by now." Sheba said. "I hope Ivan's going to be okay." A look of deep-rooted concern flashed over her somehow still objective face. She quickly changed the subject. "Triad, may I inquire about your sword?"
"Surely. It's a crystal sword handed down through my family and it has found its way to me. My father once claimed it could never be broken."
"That explains why it didn't shatter when you rammed it into a tree."
"That's right. . . wait. I rammed it into a TREE?!"
"When the thing had you confused, yes."
"Damn! Will I ever cease to make a fool out of myself?!"
"No." She smiled. Her smile quickly faded when she looked down at the injured Ivan. The look of extreme concern returned to her face. Triad caught sight of this, and paused before quietly saying something.
"Forgive me for being blunt and outright, but. . ."
"I know what you're getting at, Triad Orion, and yes." She replied softly.
"It was just the look in your eye when you saw him hurt. . ."
"Yes. . . I do love him, Triad. He was willing to sacrifice something he held dear to him to save my life and he ended up later saving me from an Adept named Alex. He was most kind to me after that; perhaps the kindest person I know." Sheba whispered.
"Have you told him? Or anyone else for that matter?"
"Ivan knows; we've felt the same way since we left the Jupiter Lighthouse months ago. . . I wanted to stay with him, but I had to go to my home and he to his. Aside from that, you're the first to figure it out."
"I saw the same look in your eyes as Mia's whenever she looks at Isaac. That's how I knew for hard fact."
"Well, you're quick on the draw, at least; no one else has said a word."
"But I'm still an idiot, right?" Triad smiled.
"Yes, you are." She replied to his joke.
***************************************
Dargon turned sharply and suddenly as he heard the caw of a bird; taken off guard, he drew his faithful sword and faced his opponent: a raven. Dargon instantly sheathed his sword, and the raven landed on his left shoulder and began preening its dull black feathers. Felix stared at the sight in surprise.
"Just what in the name of Venus is that?" "This bird is my pet raven, Dante. He's a really smart bird, you know. He must have just arrived from Imil."
"Why a raven of all birds? Why not a falcon or a hawk? They can actually hunt and scare away enemies."
"Because ravens are smarter. Dante here's smarter than any hawk or falcon I've ever seen; he's pretty loyal, too."
"What's so special about him?"
"Felix!" cawed the raven, nothing more. The caw was distinctly birdlike, yet the word 'Felix' was said nearly plain as day. It was if the raven knew its abilities were being questioned, and he stood up for himself.
"He can speak, to an extent." Dargon replied. Felix looked surprised; something unusual for the well-traveled warrior. He'd only seen tropical birds talk, and that was only once. This was nothing more than a common raven, and he could speak names in his caws. Dargon's bird was indeed more than your normal bird. "He's a great set of eyes; he's a great scout."
"Can he help us find Isaac and Mia?"
"Actually, yes. Dante knows Mia quite well, so he should know what to look for." Dargon replied. He turned to his raven. "Dante, find Mia and come back." The raven cocked his head at the order, and then leapt into flight after preening its final flight feather. The tiny black bird bolted off into the west, searching for any sign of the blue-haired Mercury Adept. "That bird is so great."
"Enough about the raven, Dargon. We need to get back to searching."
**********************************
Isaac's eyes opened slowly into the overcast morning sky. The dawn had arrived moments before, but the cloud cover made the sunrise more obscure than normal. He picked his head up slightly, to see Mia sleeping softly on his shoulder while wrapping him in a warm embrace at the same time. Despite his lack of his normal clothing, he was warm; partially because of the now dying fire and Mia's body heat. He smiled at Mia's peaceful expression and laid his head back against the ground. Even after everything he had lost, he felt as though he hadn't lost everything, thanks to her. She always knew exactly how to make him feel better; how to get by his losses. The loss of his mother, though she didn't know it, had been softened by her kindness and care. The loss of Megan and Justin was healed somewhat in the fact that she needed him as much as he needed her; a strange way to cope, but it had worked. The loss of Vale, the town closest to his heart, was comforted by her calm and loving reassurance. While he would never get over the loss of his mother or his hometown, Mia's presence had certainly saved his sanity. . . who knows where he'd be now if it wasn't for her. All of this, and Mia still lauded Isaac as the hero, and the one who was always there for everyone; if there was one thing Isaac couldn't stand about Mia, it was that. Isaac wanted Mia to know how much she had done for everyone, yet she always managed some way to push the congratulations back on to him. He always ended up with the celebrations in his honor and everything else too, for that matter; albeit he was always reluctant to make his appearances at whatever the occasion. Even with Mia's one flaw, which to most wouldn't have been one, she was perfect.
Suddenly, the caw of a bird got his attention. He'd slept the whole night, and he now fully understood the fact that he was in a new day. He gazed at a nearby bush, where upon the top branch, perched a lone, black bird. The magpie studied Isaac carefully, scrutinizing every detail about his character. Isaac stared back at the strange creature; no raven had ever acted like this before. Before he could move, the creature opened its beak and let out a loud caw. Startled, Isaac waited before shifting his weight; he'd thought he had heard words from the beak of the creature.
"Felix!" The bird cawed loudly. "Dargon!" It cawed again, the word sewn into the calls of a bird. Isaac gawked at the strange magpie, knowing in an instant that the words were intentional and not coincidental. This creature must have had some purpose in seeking him out. He remembered Dargon commenting about a pet raven shortly after the siege of Imil, but he wasn't sure if this was it or not. Whatever the case was, the bird made no other sounds, save for the ruffling of its dark feathers. It continued staring at him for the longest of time. Was this an omen? Or was it a message from the others? Isaac couldn't tell; he couldn't get up and look at the raven any closer without stirring Mia. It turned out, it didn't matter much anyway.
Mia began moving slowly, and she yawned lightly and quietly. Her cerulean eyes opening slowly, catching the direct gaze of Isaac's. "I can't imagine a better way to wake up than this." Mia said, sleepily. Isaac made no reply, but rather hugged her closely. "Maybe we should get lost in the woods more often, Isaac."
"Maybe we should." He replied, forgetting about the black bird scrutinizing him from behind. "We should best be moving. No telling how worried the others are." Isaac suggested. The Mercury Adept on his shoulder slowly rose, as he did too. Isaac turned to get his over-clothes, which by now had mostly dried out, and pulled them back on. Mia slipped on her sets of robes, and she looked at Isaac.
"How are we going to explain this to the others? You'll never hear the end of it from Garet. . ."
"We'll tell them the truth; besides, while he's giving me a hard time, he'll get his one day. That's enough payback for me." He smiled.
"Dargon!" The raven cawed again.
"What was that?" Mia asked, searching for the source.
"It was that raven, right over there." Isaac replied, pointing at the black magpie.
"Ah, that must be Dante, Dargon's pet raven. Looks like he found us out here. I think he'll guide us back to Vale when we're ready to go."
"Can we really trust a bird?"
"The thing is smart enough to talk and to find two people in an area that was unlikely to have any at all. I'd say the bird is pretty intelligent, Isaac." Mia replied. "Let's go." Mia smiled, moving close to the raven, which immediately took flight into the sky. Isaac and Mia followed intently, keeping the raven's relatively slow pace with ease. They followed it for about twenty minutes, before finally emerging back into what once was the town of Vale. In the town square, they found the rest of the Adepts, sleeping soundly. The raven quickly flew over to the motionless Dargon and let out a loud caw into his ear.
"AAAH!" Dargon shouted, coming out of a deep sleep. He looked on his shoulder. "Damn it, Dante, I've told you not to do that! I thought you were smart enough to know better!"
"I told you he was just a stupid bird." Felix muttered, half asleep nearby.
"If he's so stupid, how did he find us, Felix?" Isaac asked. The raven- haired warrior shot up from his reclined position to see Isaac and Mia standing nearby. The Venus Adept had his arms folded, and wore an expression of neutrality.
"Isaac?" Felix asked, unsure if what he was seeing was a phantom or not. "Looks like you're okay."
"Just fine. Let's wake the others." Isaac said, walking over to Garet. He quickly, but lightly, kicked him in the side, sending the Mars Adept flying forward in surprise. "Wake up, Garet!"
"What?! I didn't do it!" Garet shouted, before turning to face his friend. "Damn it, Isaac, I told you I hate that!" He stood up, dwarfing his friend and leader. "Where the hell have you been?!"
"I've been out figuring out who did this, that's what!" The others were slowly stirring back to life, and they all stood from their sleeping bags, yawning and waking up. "Come on you guys, this is important!"
"What is it, Isaac?" Jenna yawned sleepily.
"Yes, inform me." Ivan said, arising from his sleeping bag, a large bandage strapped on his head. It looked like he'd got hurt pretty well.
"Five more minutes. . ." Triad whined, standing up slowly.
"Shut up, Triad." Dargon muttered to him.
"Well, what do you have to say, Isaac?" Felix asked after everyone had arisen.
"I know who did this to Vale."
"Who was it?" Sheba inquired.
"Saturos, Menardi, and Edward Giles."
"Saturos?! Menardi?! Isaac, don't play around like that!" Garet shouted in surprise. "They're dead! We killed them, remember?!"
"They're not dead, Garet. At least, not any more."
"Edward's in on it?!" Dargon shouted. "Damn him! I knew it!" "Who's Edward Giles?" Jenna asked, curiously.
"He was the mayor of Imil; he abandoned us during the siege of the centaur on Imil! I'll bet my armor it was him who burned the ammunition!" Dargon cursed.
"You'd win that one, Dargon." Isaac replied, solemnly. "He was trying to sell us out to the centaur and take the power of Mercury for himself."
"That swine!" Felix muttered.
"But are you sure it was Saturos and Menardi that did this to Vale?" Ivan asked, just to be sure.
"He speaks the truth, Ivan. I know. . . Saturos has a special rune he can put into his sword that turns people into zombies; he used it on a village before we came to returned to Vale."
"That explains the rumors we heard about an entire village disappearing about a month before the Sanctum incident then!" Jenna piped in. "But, now what do we do?"
"They still want the Mars Star, so they must still seek to light the Mars Lighthouse. They made no other threats to anyone else." Mia stated. "Other than that, we have no idea where or what they're seeking."
"I'll tell you where they're going." Felix said. "Saturos once spoke of an orb capable of draining the spirit out of a person and allowing it to be used for all sorts of purposes. I believed he called it the Anubus Orb. The orb can also be used to 'cheat the reaper' as Saturos once put it. I'm not sure exactly what it meant, but I know it can't be good. He spoke of that orb as his contingency plan if he couldn't light the lighthouses. . . sadly, the orb lies in a cave right near the Mars Lighthouse. The cave itself is said to be the gateway to Hell, so many have deemed it the Devil's Cave. If Saturos and Menardi get a hold of the orb, it could mean the end of humanity as we know it."
"How can one stupid orb do that much?" Triad asked.
"Because, the bearer of the orb can choose what to do with the spirit of the drained, whether it be to use it to boost their own power or to send it to the heavens above, or even worse. . ." Felix stated. "The orb's true power is yet to be discerned, but we have to beat them there!"
"But the Mars Lighthouse lies across the ocean! How do we get there?" Sheba asked.
"We'll go by boat. I'm sure Babi will be happy to lend us his Lemurian ship again." Mia replied.
"I'd rather not go back to Tolbi, if I can avoid it." Sheba remarked.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Triad asked. "Tolbi's my hometown! Don't go knocking the place!"
"That's where I was held hostage the first time, Triad. Babi placed me under house arrest to make sure the work on Babi Lighthouse proceeded as planned." Triad took a step back, obviously taken aghast by this newly learned fact. That must've meant the rumors of oppression by Tolbi in neighboring cities were true.
"What? Babi actually did that?! Had I've known, I wouldn't have been working for him!" Triad replied, speaking the words truthfully.
"You work for Babi?" Mia asked.
"I used to. . . he was who I was inventing for originally, and that's where my flying machine is right now; in Tolbi! Well, I have a few choice words for Lord Babi now. . ." Triad put a rather unhealthy emphasis on the word 'lord'. Obviously, he wasn't too pleased to hear news about his supposed 'kind and just' ruler of Tolbi. Though he had always been suspicious of Babi most of his life, he couldn't prove anything. He'd been loyal to Tolbi, though not to Babi; he only worked for him because Babi paid exceptionally well. Considering his new findings, he was glad he never completed his flying machine.
"Calm yourself, Triad. No good will come of anger." Sheba replied.
"Wait, Felix, you said the Anubus Orb was located near the Mars Lighthouse. If Saturos and Menardi knew about it, why didn't they go get it before?" Garet inquired.
"I'm not sure. They said it was their contingency plan; I'm not sure myself why they didn't get it when they had the chance." Felix returned. "There must be some reason."
"Whatever the case may be, we don't have time to play games. Let's head for Tolbi and get Babi's ship and get to the Devil's Cave." Isaac stated. "We don't have any time to waste. Pack up, and pack light. We must move quickly to get there first." General consensus was easily reached, and each of the heroes quickly packed what they could and were prepared to leave. "Very well then. Next stop, Tolbi."
"I don't mind. As you already know, I'm a Jupiter Adept, and I come from the town of Lalivero. There's really not much else you need to know."
"Jeez, a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I thought Felix was bad."
"Felix is here?" She asked, keeping her face objective.
"Yes, he's helped us along."
"I expected as such." Sheba's eyes turned to the bushes behind her. "We've company. Draw your weapons." She said, whipping out her staff. Ivan quickly drew his Ankh and Triad had his crystal sword in hand before Sheba had even finished her sentence. "Show yourself." Sheba stated. A bolt of lightning was the answer to her demand, but she was able to dodge it. "Suit yourself." She said, casting Plasma on the bushes, forcing the creature into view.
The creature was a skeleton, wrapped in a black robe. The robe itself had markings in an archaic language, scripted in gold around the edges of the sleeves, the bottom, and around the hood. The hood was open, and in place of eyes, there glowed two glowing purple spheres inside the skull of the skeleton. It's boned hands glowed with the same shining color, as another blast of lightning shot forward.
"What the hell is that?!" Triad shouted, dodging the lightning bolt.
"That's a lich, Triad; an undead spellcaster. Somehow that creature can use Psynergy even after death." Ivan answered. "Let's see if it can take what it dishes out." Ivan raised his arm to the sky, and several bolts of lightning struck down upon the lich, knocking him back a couple of feet, but no real damage seemed to befall him. The lich's expression, though unchanged, seemed to reflect a great deal more anger now. The lich raised its own arm, and a blast of Shine Plasma tore through the hero ranks. Ivan was hit the hardest, because he was at the epicenter of the attack. All three of the heroes were sent flying several feet back.
"Ouch! That really freaking hurt!" Triad exclaimed leaping to his feet. "Ivan, that was one of your moves, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Watch out, he's at it again!" Ivan responded. Triad leapt away as the lich let loose with a Whirlwind near him. The winds cut through Triad's cape, but did little else to the agile warrior. Sheba casted Storm Ray on the undead lich, but the creature simply shrugged off the blast. As the creature lifted his arm to cast his next spell, but his arm was promptly sheared off by a crystal blade. The lich looked at his missing limb, and gazed angrily at Triad. The creature raised his other arm into Triad's face and proceeded to cast Delude on him. As Triad gazed into the dark light that enveloped him, he began seeing countless spirits surrounding his mind, deluding his eyes and spirit.
"What the hell?! Show yourself, coward!" Triad exclaimed, swinging his sword wildly at nothing. "I got you now, lich!" He shouted, shoving his crystal blade into the trunk of a nearby tree. Ivan and Sheba stared at Triad, whom was ranting and raving wildly, not actually doing anything useful or intelligent. Ivan leapt forward with his Ankh and smashed the lich in the side of the head. The creature's head flew right off his spine and into the brush nearby. Thinking he had been victorious, Ivan stepped back and loosened his grip on his Ankh. Suddenly, the lich began glowing an intense purple, and the arm and the head that had been separated were drawn back and reattached to its body. It lunged forward, knocking Ivan off his feet and sending his staff flying from his hands. The staff, flying through the air, hit Sheba squarely in the face, knocking her to the ground in a daze. The lich prepared to make a final and decisive blow on the male Jupiter Adept, but was halted by a random and completely fluked swing of a crystal sword.
"I think I got you that time, lich!" Triad shouted into space, apparently still confused by the spirits haunting him. The skeletal mage turned to Triad, whose back was now turned while slicing at the air in front of him. "Take that, you abomination!" The lich snorted at him, realizing Triad was just a chicken whose head had been cut off. His distraction to the confused inventor allowed Ivan sufficient time to strike with his recovered Blessed Ankh, shattering the lich's rib cage. Surprised, but not defeated, the lich's eyes burned furiously purple, and he let loose a Tornado attack, sending Ivan flying into a tree trunk, and knocking him senseless. Sheba, who had also been caught in the zephyr of wind, was flung into a large patch of bramble bushes. Her anguished cry of pain echoed throughout the wooded area.
"Sheba?!" Triad shouted, in confusion. "Ivan, where the hell are you guys?!" The muddled warrior called, still winging his sword about like an idiot. He stepped closer to where he thought was where Sheba had called out from, but he ran into an obstacle along the way. Moving quickly, he jabbed forward with his weapon, sending the lich flying ahead of him. Keeping his nonsensical attack pressed, he charged the skeleton at full tilt, swiping it constantly until he could feel the bones of the creature shatter into a hundred little pieces. Finally, his vision returned to normal, and no further spirits haunted him. He shook his head violently, only to notice the defeated lich lying at his feet, the colored light vanished from its eyes. "Wow! I did that?! Cool. Hey, Ivan! Check it out!" He said, calling to his friend. He waited a moment, and without a response, he turned back and saw his friend sitting limp beneath a tree.
"Ivan!" He called out. He remembered Sheba's cry at that moment, and he ran over there to investigate. She was now pulling herself from the sticker bush, her arms and legs covered with scratches and her clothes torn and tattered in places. "Are you okay, Sheba? You're not too badly hurt?"
"No, I'm fine, Triad. Where's Ivan?" She replied, objective tone still in her voice.
"He's over here. Come on." He said, helping her the rest of the way out of the thorns. Sheba rushed over to Ivan, and pried open one of his eyelids.
"He's going to be out cold for awhile. Looks like he got hit pretty bad."
"We'd best carry him back to Vale then; Mia can help him whenever she gets back." Triad replied, picking up his small friend's frame and lifting him to chest level. "Jeez, for someone so small, he sure weighs a ton!" Sheba smiled.
"Ivan could eat quite a bit when he wanted to. Normally he showed restraint, but there were a couple of times in Lemuria when he ate enough to feed an army."
"That's something I'd expect from Garet."
"Me too. Though Garet still eats his weight every day, am I correct?"
"To a fashion; do you mean in or out of Dargon's full plate armor?"
"Dargon?"
"Never mind. I forgot you haven't met him yet. He wears a full suit of plate armor that's really heavy; I was just thinking about adding that weight to Garet's already huge girth."
"The knight from Imil, correct?" Sheba replied. Triad's face turned pale. The color returned a moment later.
"Hey! Stop reading my mind! Besides, we need to get Ivan back to Vale."
"Yes, you're right." Sheba replied. They moved quickly back through the town, not finding hide or hair of Mia or Isaac. "That's odd. I'd imagine they'd be back by now." Sheba said. "I hope Ivan's going to be okay." A look of deep-rooted concern flashed over her somehow still objective face. She quickly changed the subject. "Triad, may I inquire about your sword?"
"Surely. It's a crystal sword handed down through my family and it has found its way to me. My father once claimed it could never be broken."
"That explains why it didn't shatter when you rammed it into a tree."
"That's right. . . wait. I rammed it into a TREE?!"
"When the thing had you confused, yes."
"Damn! Will I ever cease to make a fool out of myself?!"
"No." She smiled. Her smile quickly faded when she looked down at the injured Ivan. The look of extreme concern returned to her face. Triad caught sight of this, and paused before quietly saying something.
"Forgive me for being blunt and outright, but. . ."
"I know what you're getting at, Triad Orion, and yes." She replied softly.
"It was just the look in your eye when you saw him hurt. . ."
"Yes. . . I do love him, Triad. He was willing to sacrifice something he held dear to him to save my life and he ended up later saving me from an Adept named Alex. He was most kind to me after that; perhaps the kindest person I know." Sheba whispered.
"Have you told him? Or anyone else for that matter?"
"Ivan knows; we've felt the same way since we left the Jupiter Lighthouse months ago. . . I wanted to stay with him, but I had to go to my home and he to his. Aside from that, you're the first to figure it out."
"I saw the same look in your eyes as Mia's whenever she looks at Isaac. That's how I knew for hard fact."
"Well, you're quick on the draw, at least; no one else has said a word."
"But I'm still an idiot, right?" Triad smiled.
"Yes, you are." She replied to his joke.
***************************************
Dargon turned sharply and suddenly as he heard the caw of a bird; taken off guard, he drew his faithful sword and faced his opponent: a raven. Dargon instantly sheathed his sword, and the raven landed on his left shoulder and began preening its dull black feathers. Felix stared at the sight in surprise.
"Just what in the name of Venus is that?" "This bird is my pet raven, Dante. He's a really smart bird, you know. He must have just arrived from Imil."
"Why a raven of all birds? Why not a falcon or a hawk? They can actually hunt and scare away enemies."
"Because ravens are smarter. Dante here's smarter than any hawk or falcon I've ever seen; he's pretty loyal, too."
"What's so special about him?"
"Felix!" cawed the raven, nothing more. The caw was distinctly birdlike, yet the word 'Felix' was said nearly plain as day. It was if the raven knew its abilities were being questioned, and he stood up for himself.
"He can speak, to an extent." Dargon replied. Felix looked surprised; something unusual for the well-traveled warrior. He'd only seen tropical birds talk, and that was only once. This was nothing more than a common raven, and he could speak names in his caws. Dargon's bird was indeed more than your normal bird. "He's a great set of eyes; he's a great scout."
"Can he help us find Isaac and Mia?"
"Actually, yes. Dante knows Mia quite well, so he should know what to look for." Dargon replied. He turned to his raven. "Dante, find Mia and come back." The raven cocked his head at the order, and then leapt into flight after preening its final flight feather. The tiny black bird bolted off into the west, searching for any sign of the blue-haired Mercury Adept. "That bird is so great."
"Enough about the raven, Dargon. We need to get back to searching."
**********************************
Isaac's eyes opened slowly into the overcast morning sky. The dawn had arrived moments before, but the cloud cover made the sunrise more obscure than normal. He picked his head up slightly, to see Mia sleeping softly on his shoulder while wrapping him in a warm embrace at the same time. Despite his lack of his normal clothing, he was warm; partially because of the now dying fire and Mia's body heat. He smiled at Mia's peaceful expression and laid his head back against the ground. Even after everything he had lost, he felt as though he hadn't lost everything, thanks to her. She always knew exactly how to make him feel better; how to get by his losses. The loss of his mother, though she didn't know it, had been softened by her kindness and care. The loss of Megan and Justin was healed somewhat in the fact that she needed him as much as he needed her; a strange way to cope, but it had worked. The loss of Vale, the town closest to his heart, was comforted by her calm and loving reassurance. While he would never get over the loss of his mother or his hometown, Mia's presence had certainly saved his sanity. . . who knows where he'd be now if it wasn't for her. All of this, and Mia still lauded Isaac as the hero, and the one who was always there for everyone; if there was one thing Isaac couldn't stand about Mia, it was that. Isaac wanted Mia to know how much she had done for everyone, yet she always managed some way to push the congratulations back on to him. He always ended up with the celebrations in his honor and everything else too, for that matter; albeit he was always reluctant to make his appearances at whatever the occasion. Even with Mia's one flaw, which to most wouldn't have been one, she was perfect.
Suddenly, the caw of a bird got his attention. He'd slept the whole night, and he now fully understood the fact that he was in a new day. He gazed at a nearby bush, where upon the top branch, perched a lone, black bird. The magpie studied Isaac carefully, scrutinizing every detail about his character. Isaac stared back at the strange creature; no raven had ever acted like this before. Before he could move, the creature opened its beak and let out a loud caw. Startled, Isaac waited before shifting his weight; he'd thought he had heard words from the beak of the creature.
"Felix!" The bird cawed loudly. "Dargon!" It cawed again, the word sewn into the calls of a bird. Isaac gawked at the strange magpie, knowing in an instant that the words were intentional and not coincidental. This creature must have had some purpose in seeking him out. He remembered Dargon commenting about a pet raven shortly after the siege of Imil, but he wasn't sure if this was it or not. Whatever the case was, the bird made no other sounds, save for the ruffling of its dark feathers. It continued staring at him for the longest of time. Was this an omen? Or was it a message from the others? Isaac couldn't tell; he couldn't get up and look at the raven any closer without stirring Mia. It turned out, it didn't matter much anyway.
Mia began moving slowly, and she yawned lightly and quietly. Her cerulean eyes opening slowly, catching the direct gaze of Isaac's. "I can't imagine a better way to wake up than this." Mia said, sleepily. Isaac made no reply, but rather hugged her closely. "Maybe we should get lost in the woods more often, Isaac."
"Maybe we should." He replied, forgetting about the black bird scrutinizing him from behind. "We should best be moving. No telling how worried the others are." Isaac suggested. The Mercury Adept on his shoulder slowly rose, as he did too. Isaac turned to get his over-clothes, which by now had mostly dried out, and pulled them back on. Mia slipped on her sets of robes, and she looked at Isaac.
"How are we going to explain this to the others? You'll never hear the end of it from Garet. . ."
"We'll tell them the truth; besides, while he's giving me a hard time, he'll get his one day. That's enough payback for me." He smiled.
"Dargon!" The raven cawed again.
"What was that?" Mia asked, searching for the source.
"It was that raven, right over there." Isaac replied, pointing at the black magpie.
"Ah, that must be Dante, Dargon's pet raven. Looks like he found us out here. I think he'll guide us back to Vale when we're ready to go."
"Can we really trust a bird?"
"The thing is smart enough to talk and to find two people in an area that was unlikely to have any at all. I'd say the bird is pretty intelligent, Isaac." Mia replied. "Let's go." Mia smiled, moving close to the raven, which immediately took flight into the sky. Isaac and Mia followed intently, keeping the raven's relatively slow pace with ease. They followed it for about twenty minutes, before finally emerging back into what once was the town of Vale. In the town square, they found the rest of the Adepts, sleeping soundly. The raven quickly flew over to the motionless Dargon and let out a loud caw into his ear.
"AAAH!" Dargon shouted, coming out of a deep sleep. He looked on his shoulder. "Damn it, Dante, I've told you not to do that! I thought you were smart enough to know better!"
"I told you he was just a stupid bird." Felix muttered, half asleep nearby.
"If he's so stupid, how did he find us, Felix?" Isaac asked. The raven- haired warrior shot up from his reclined position to see Isaac and Mia standing nearby. The Venus Adept had his arms folded, and wore an expression of neutrality.
"Isaac?" Felix asked, unsure if what he was seeing was a phantom or not. "Looks like you're okay."
"Just fine. Let's wake the others." Isaac said, walking over to Garet. He quickly, but lightly, kicked him in the side, sending the Mars Adept flying forward in surprise. "Wake up, Garet!"
"What?! I didn't do it!" Garet shouted, before turning to face his friend. "Damn it, Isaac, I told you I hate that!" He stood up, dwarfing his friend and leader. "Where the hell have you been?!"
"I've been out figuring out who did this, that's what!" The others were slowly stirring back to life, and they all stood from their sleeping bags, yawning and waking up. "Come on you guys, this is important!"
"What is it, Isaac?" Jenna yawned sleepily.
"Yes, inform me." Ivan said, arising from his sleeping bag, a large bandage strapped on his head. It looked like he'd got hurt pretty well.
"Five more minutes. . ." Triad whined, standing up slowly.
"Shut up, Triad." Dargon muttered to him.
"Well, what do you have to say, Isaac?" Felix asked after everyone had arisen.
"I know who did this to Vale."
"Who was it?" Sheba inquired.
"Saturos, Menardi, and Edward Giles."
"Saturos?! Menardi?! Isaac, don't play around like that!" Garet shouted in surprise. "They're dead! We killed them, remember?!"
"They're not dead, Garet. At least, not any more."
"Edward's in on it?!" Dargon shouted. "Damn him! I knew it!" "Who's Edward Giles?" Jenna asked, curiously.
"He was the mayor of Imil; he abandoned us during the siege of the centaur on Imil! I'll bet my armor it was him who burned the ammunition!" Dargon cursed.
"You'd win that one, Dargon." Isaac replied, solemnly. "He was trying to sell us out to the centaur and take the power of Mercury for himself."
"That swine!" Felix muttered.
"But are you sure it was Saturos and Menardi that did this to Vale?" Ivan asked, just to be sure.
"He speaks the truth, Ivan. I know. . . Saturos has a special rune he can put into his sword that turns people into zombies; he used it on a village before we came to returned to Vale."
"That explains the rumors we heard about an entire village disappearing about a month before the Sanctum incident then!" Jenna piped in. "But, now what do we do?"
"They still want the Mars Star, so they must still seek to light the Mars Lighthouse. They made no other threats to anyone else." Mia stated. "Other than that, we have no idea where or what they're seeking."
"I'll tell you where they're going." Felix said. "Saturos once spoke of an orb capable of draining the spirit out of a person and allowing it to be used for all sorts of purposes. I believed he called it the Anubus Orb. The orb can also be used to 'cheat the reaper' as Saturos once put it. I'm not sure exactly what it meant, but I know it can't be good. He spoke of that orb as his contingency plan if he couldn't light the lighthouses. . . sadly, the orb lies in a cave right near the Mars Lighthouse. The cave itself is said to be the gateway to Hell, so many have deemed it the Devil's Cave. If Saturos and Menardi get a hold of the orb, it could mean the end of humanity as we know it."
"How can one stupid orb do that much?" Triad asked.
"Because, the bearer of the orb can choose what to do with the spirit of the drained, whether it be to use it to boost their own power or to send it to the heavens above, or even worse. . ." Felix stated. "The orb's true power is yet to be discerned, but we have to beat them there!"
"But the Mars Lighthouse lies across the ocean! How do we get there?" Sheba asked.
"We'll go by boat. I'm sure Babi will be happy to lend us his Lemurian ship again." Mia replied.
"I'd rather not go back to Tolbi, if I can avoid it." Sheba remarked.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Triad asked. "Tolbi's my hometown! Don't go knocking the place!"
"That's where I was held hostage the first time, Triad. Babi placed me under house arrest to make sure the work on Babi Lighthouse proceeded as planned." Triad took a step back, obviously taken aghast by this newly learned fact. That must've meant the rumors of oppression by Tolbi in neighboring cities were true.
"What? Babi actually did that?! Had I've known, I wouldn't have been working for him!" Triad replied, speaking the words truthfully.
"You work for Babi?" Mia asked.
"I used to. . . he was who I was inventing for originally, and that's where my flying machine is right now; in Tolbi! Well, I have a few choice words for Lord Babi now. . ." Triad put a rather unhealthy emphasis on the word 'lord'. Obviously, he wasn't too pleased to hear news about his supposed 'kind and just' ruler of Tolbi. Though he had always been suspicious of Babi most of his life, he couldn't prove anything. He'd been loyal to Tolbi, though not to Babi; he only worked for him because Babi paid exceptionally well. Considering his new findings, he was glad he never completed his flying machine.
"Calm yourself, Triad. No good will come of anger." Sheba replied.
"Wait, Felix, you said the Anubus Orb was located near the Mars Lighthouse. If Saturos and Menardi knew about it, why didn't they go get it before?" Garet inquired.
"I'm not sure. They said it was their contingency plan; I'm not sure myself why they didn't get it when they had the chance." Felix returned. "There must be some reason."
"Whatever the case may be, we don't have time to play games. Let's head for Tolbi and get Babi's ship and get to the Devil's Cave." Isaac stated. "We don't have any time to waste. Pack up, and pack light. We must move quickly to get there first." General consensus was easily reached, and each of the heroes quickly packed what they could and were prepared to leave. "Very well then. Next stop, Tolbi."