"How much longer until we reach the Mars Lighthouse, Ivan?" Triad asked, peeking his head out of from under the weathered tarp covering his flying machine.

"I'm not sure, Triad." The Jupiter Adept replied.

"Land ho!" Dargon's voice sounded from the crow's nest above. "I think I can see the lighthouse from here!"

"Affirmative, Dargon! Do you spot a port?" Isaac called to him.

"Yeah, bear twenty degrees port and head straight forward. We're about ten kilometers out, I think."

"All hands, prepare to dock in a few moments. We're going ashore." Isaac's voice sounded from the bridge of the ship. Jenna, Felix, and Sheba arose from below decks, while Garet poked his head from the cargo hold, and Mia was up on the bridge with Isaac.

"How long until we dock?" Garet asked, a piece of wheat bread in his mouth.

"We're you in the food stocks again?!" Jenna exclaimed.

"I missed breakfast with my shift in the crow's nest! I was eating my ration!" Garet replied.

"Enough, you two. Garet, we'll probably moor in the port in twenty minutes, so be ready. All hands, welcome to the Mars Lighthouse."

***************************

"Good day, sir. How long will you be moored with us?" A woman behind the main desk in the dock office asked.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully not for too long." Isaac replied.

"So, payment will be on your leave then, correct?"

"Yes."

"Very good, sir. Will you and your crew be needing a place to stay? I recommend the Blue Anchor Inn down the street a little ways. They have a fine set of rooms, and their food is superb. Their prices are quite reasonable too."

"Thank you, ma'am. We'll certain give the place the once over." Isaac smiled, as he handed the ship's manifest to the woman behind the counter.

"Good, you don't have any illegal cargo, so there is no problem with keeping your boat here. Enjoy your stay here in the town of Titanus."

"Thanks, we will." Isaac replied. "By the way, what's the weather like this time of year?"

"Well, you've come right at our winter time. It's usually quite cold most of the winter, but we rarely see any snow. In fact, we haven't had a decent snowstorm in about ten years now."

"That's good and bad, depending how you view snow."

"How do you like it, sir?"

"I love the snow." Isaac stated. It was his time in Imil that caused Isaac to learn to love the snow. Mia had taught him; that was definitely one thing he would never forget. "Thanks again." Isaac replied, turning back to the group. The dusk was already falling, and the group would need a place to stay for night. It would be the easiest thing to do for him to listen to the recommendation of the keeper. "Well, let's go find an inn for the night. We'll seek out the Anubis Orb first thing in the morning."

"Sounds good to me, Isaac. What do you think, Felix?" Dargon asked.

"It's fine."

"Jeez, talk about unexcited speeches. . ." Triad sighed. "I'm up for rest after working on that stupid flying machine all day." The group left the mooring office and began to walk down the dirt trodden streets of Titanus. The town was a port one; it reeked of fish, but yet had the rejuvenating scent of salt water in the air. The buildings were all made of wood and they looked somewhat ramshackle, but given the size of the large town, the buildings were much better constructed than they looked. The roads were bustling with people, going to and fro about their business, though no one was busy enough not to give a warm greeting. The town seemed very peaceful, and on its outskirts lie the famed Mars Lighthouse.

"Wow, this town makes you doubt the existence of Devil's Cave right nearby, doesn't it?" Mia asked, enjoying the town's homey appearance; it kind of reminded her of Imil's appearance in the summer, but with the added sea breeze. She half expected to turn a corner and run into her two young disciples, but she knew her hopes were folly, as she remembered they still lay in a pair of marked graves in Imil.

"Well, the surface of something doesn't mean a damned thing." Dargon replied to Mia. "This place could very well be a hideout for thieves and bandits."

"That may be true, but I wouldn't look on the bad side of everything, Dargon. This town is quite nice." Sheba said, quietly.

"Yeah, whatever." Dargon sighed, realizing he was beaten. "So this is the place?" He asked, when he noticed the Blue Anchor sign. He was answered when Isaac pulled open the door and walked inside.

************************************

The night was quiet as the Adepts sat down for dinner in the dining room of the inn; the place was virtually empty. Isaac was informed by the tavern- keeper that they had arrived during the slow season, so rooms were easy to get. Besides the group of eight, there were only about five other people who were visiting, and they all looked like regulars to the dining establishment of the Blue Anchor Inn.

"So, any idea what will await us in that cave, Felix?" Triad asked.

"Not a clue. Saturos spoke of the place rarely, so he probably knew something important. I'm afraid I have no idea what he was hiding."

"So we have no leads to go on?" Jenna asked.

"Not a single one."

"Damn." Garet said, simply. "What do you think, Isaac?"

"I say we go in ready for anything; whether it be for a standard spelunking tour or if we have to fight the devil himself." Isaac replied, in-between bites of his roasted Cornish hen. "Mia, I hope you brought all of our healing supplies."

"I wouldn't forget, Isaac." Mia replied.

"But why do we have to go into the Devil's Cave anyway? Why can't we just guard it or something?" Triad asked. "I mean, it's not like Saturos and Menardi are actually here right now, is it?"

"Oh, they're here all right." Ivan replied. "They're watching and waiting, Triad. I know they are. They're going to wait until we least expect it to show their heads. That's how those two work."

"Speaking of least expecting something. . ." Garet started. "Here Isaac, I never did give you back the Mars Star. Take it." He tossed the mythril bag to Isaac, whom caught it in one hand and stuck it within his bottomless belt bag.

"Thanks, Garet."

"Don't mention it." He said, returning to scarfing down his food. Garet was eating at a frenzied pace, while Isaac, Ivan, Felix, and Dargon stuffed their faces at moderate rates. Triad, whom never ate much anyway, was finished quickly.

"Are you sure that's all you're going to eat, Triad?" Jenna asked.

"Yes. I'm full. I think I'm going to go take a walk." Triad said, getting up from his place.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" Ivan asked, setting his place aside. "I need the exercise right now."

"I don't mind." Triad replied, waiting for Ivan to get up. After he did, they left their inn and began walking down the streets.

"Pardon me if I seem blunt, Triad, but you've been awfully quiet and withdrawn since we left Tolbi. May I ask why?" Ivan asked, quietly.

"If you were anyone else, Ivan, no. Considering I trust you, I'll tell you. What's been bothering me was my own inventions."

"What do you mean? Are you talking about your flyer?"

"No, not that. My other inventions. The ones I made while I was under Babi's payroll. You see, I invented a substance that when ignited properly, would explode into beautiful colors and lights. Ignited incorrectly, and the results would be explosive to say the least. I called it 'flashpowder', but Babi's other members changed the name to 'gunpowder'. Why they changed it, I can't say."

"Maybe they liked it better that way." Ivan replied.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Well, I also invented a casing to properly ignite the flashpowder, and I called it a 'Rocket'. It tested beautifully, and I called the pair together 'fireworks'. Later, I invented the improved launching tubes for the rockets, where they could fly higher and explode more beautifully. After Sheba had mentioned Lalivero's capture by Tolbi, I realized Babi couldn't have succeeded without powerful siege weaponry. Babi's scientists had rumored to have militarized my rockets, but I had no true idea until I heard Sheba. She made no mention of the assault itself, but Lalivero's walls could only be breached by explosives, and they'd have to be launched far away."

"Hence the mortar, correct?"

"Yes, but they got that from an accident I did; one of my rockets misfired and blasted into a small grove of trees outside of Tolbi, where I got the idea for the mortar. The mortar I used against the centaur was my own adaptation of my fireworks launching tube, meant to be used for entertainment purposes only. It worked all too well as a weapon, and I put two and two together from there. Babi had undoubtedly had the same idea, and my fears were confirmed. Each of my peace-minded inventions was twisted into a murder tool. Do you know how many people died because of my meddling with science?"

"How many?" Ivan asked, after hesitating for a moment.

"Seven thousand nine hundred and twenty six, Ivan. Almost eight thousand people were killed by my inventions. Tolbi had engaged in numerous wars, but I had no idea my inventions were being used in such a grim and terrible way. I have a lot to live down, Ivan. I'll burn in Hell for my meddling with science."

"Triad, you invented things for good, and they were used for evil. It happens all the time. Don't blame yourself, my friend."

"Ivan, I have done mankind a horrible disservice with what I have done. Luckily, if anything good came from my talk with Babi, it was that he promised to decommission every weapon I inadvertently made."

"That's fine news, though something else seems to be bothering you. What is it?"

"The thing that bugs me now is, how will I apologize to Sheba? My inventions were directly responsible for her abduction and detention; my inventions sealed the fate of Lalivero. I've had a hard time looking into her eyes when I talk to her because of this."

"Triad, Sheba already knows what happened, and she knew before you did that you were being used. Sheba already knows you feel bad and she'd want you to cheer up and work with what you have." Ivan replied. "I know these things, Triad."

"I guess it comes with falling in love, doesn't it, Ivan?" Triad replied. Upon Triad's comment, Ivan's face went red as a beet and he was stunned speechless. "Yeah, I knew about you two from nearly moment one, Ivan." Triad smiled. His grin was rebuked a moment later when he heard someone down the next alley draw a weapon. "Stay sharp, Ivan." Triad ordered, drawing his crystal weapon. Triad spun around the corner, his sword out in front of him. He saw two men, armed with broadswords, trying to mug a person shrouded completely in brown robes. The person in the robes was cornered, and whomever it was wasn't able to fight back.

"Give me all your money and any valuables you have, or you'll be having this blade for dinner!" One of the hooligans ordered.

"I don't want trouble." The cloaked figure stated, not out of fear, but in plain statement.

"Then give us all your valuables!"

"I refuse." The person stated bluntly.

"Hold it!" Triad shouted, leaping into an attack. The thieves were caught unprepared from Triad's sudden assault and leapt into defense. The first thief jumped backward away from Triad, while the second parried Triad's swing. The inventor was quick on the return though, and kept his attack pressed. Meanwhile, the other miscreant was attempting to get behind Triad, but he was swiftly punished by a quick blow to the head with an Angelic Ankh. Ivan lowered his weapon after knocking the man unconscious, and watched Triad fence with the other thief. Triad, whom had practiced his sword-fighting against viscous and agile Hellhounds, was at the obvious advantage, and he forced the opponent to react to each of his swings. With one powerful blow, Triad knocked the broadsword from the mugger's hand and pushed his crystal blade to the man's throat.

"Now then, I believe you owe this guy an apology." Triad stated, smugly.

"Triad, knock it off. Don't be so arrogant." Ivan sighed.

"All right, fine." Triad replied. "But you, I'm not letting you off that easily."

"Let him go." The robed figure stated.

"What?! He tried to attack you!"

"Let him go." The figure stated again. Triad glanced back and forth, but released the man.

"Get out of my sight, you snake." Triad hissed. "If I catch you at this again, you won't be so lucky." He withdrew his crystal sword, and the would-be criminal fled without a word. "Coward." Triad grunted out of spite for his adversary.

"Thank you, sir." The figure stated. "Your kindness shall be rewarded in the future. I must be going now. Excuse me." The cloaked wanderer passed by Ivan without interference. After the figure was out of sight, Ivan walked over to Triad, whom had just sheathed his weapon.

"Jeez, Triad. I've never seen you that aggressive before. Is something wrong?"

"No, Ivan, but there are four kinds of people in this world I hate."

"And whom are they?"

"Thieves, rapists, spouses who beat their spouses and/or children, and people who kill other people because they can."

"Honorable, Triad. . . but no good can come from hatred."

"It's yet to do me bad."

"Your hatred will be the death of you someday, Triad. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Well, if it does destroy me, I won't be looking for sympathy then, Ivan." Triad sighed. "Forget it. Let's just go back to the inn. The others don't need to know about this little escapade, right?"

"No, they don't."

"Good. Let's go get some rest."

***********************************

"Well, the innkeeper said the Devil's Cave was down this road. It's only a matter of time before we find it." Isaac stated as the group left the town of Titanus and walked into the wilderness beyond. "We've never been out here before, so keep your eyes peeled for hostiles."

"Do we even know if Saturos and Menardi are here?! I mean, Ivan may have thought so, but could it be possible that he's wrong?" Dargon asked.

"There's always that possibility, Dargon. Though Ivan has yet to be incorrect when it came to prediction." Sheba stated.

"If you say so, Sheba." Dargon sighed. "Either way, I'm interested in finding out what everyone is so worried about." Triad wrapped himself in his cape to keep out the wind, while Ivan did the same. Triad was mumbling it was the same damned wind from Imil that blew through this town. Eventually, even his whining was silenced by the sight of the mouth of Devil's Cave. The nine heroes stood before the threshold of the caves, and before fear gave second thoughts, entered the cave.