[Reading dictionary] "Cliffhanger: noun; a suspenseful movie, story, situation, etc."
OH! So that's why everyone keeps getting mad at me—because my stuff is suspenseful! I tell you, I'd be lost without my Webster's. ^_^
*The Newcomer*
The six Adepts gathered at the bow of the ship heard a sudden splash not far away, and they instinctively turned in the direction of the noise. "What was that?" Felix asked as the whole group moved towards the sound. Then they saw the foam in the water.
"Isaac!" Jenna cried, running to the rail. "What in the name of Mars…?"
"I think that's your answer," said Ivan, pointing to the Crystal Rod floating nearby.
"Then Mia must've been swept overboard by the wave," Sheba said in worry.
"What should we do?" Garet asked.
Isaac was immersed in a dense blue darkness, willing himself not to panic and to find his missing fiancee. The water was incredibly murky and it seemed to swallow everything in a suffocating clout of salt and cold. He made the occasional bob for air but persisted in his quest, blocking out the cries of protest he kept hearing from above. It was impossible to tell how much time passed between his initial plunge into the water and when the cold began to paralyze him. Even his strong will couldn't fight the elements forever.
Somehow he ended up back aboard the ship, soaked and shivering. Jenna placed a blanket over his shoulders and hugged him. "We'll find her, Isaac," she whispered in his ear. He didn't react to her voice at all.
"I can see land ahead of us," Felix said. "I think the best course of action is to make landfall and then continue our search."
"Who died and left you in charge?" Garet demanded.
Felix frowned. "Well someone has to take control of the situation."
"But why does that someone have to be you?"
"Garet, please," said Ivan. "That won't get us anywhere. I think Felix is right—we should get to land first."
"Right," Sheba agreed. "Let's take this one step at a time."
"Man the orb, Picard," Felix said. "I'll check our position."
"What a way to begin the day," said Garet as he shook his head and crossed his arms. He tried to sound more optimistic as he looked down at his best friend. "Don't worry, Isaac. Mia is a Mercury Adept after all. She's hardly a stranger to water."
"We'll do whatever it takes to find her," Sheba added.
Isaac didn't say anything but he rose and headed down below deck to dry off. As he passed, Ivan and Sheba felt the ripple of worry and heartache that was radiating from him. Truly, the worst part about love was that sometimes it could hurt more than the deepest of battle wounds.
They dropped anchor in a hidden cove and made the ship invisible with the Cloak Ball. They searched for Mia for the remainder of the day and into the night, though once darkness settled, it was hard to see much of anything. Eventually, they were forced to stop, resolving to keep looking as soon as the sun rose. They made camp on the beach and cooked rations over an open fire despite the fact that no one really felt like eating. Isaac was too despondent to do much of anything except continue pacing up and down the beach.
I hate seeing him like that, Sheba mentally said to Ivan.
Don't we all, he replied. I tell you, he may be the happiest guy alive whenever he's with Mia, but take her away and he's hardly a shadow.
Sheba hunched over a little. Do you think that's wrong?
What do you mean?
Do you think it's wrong to love someone that much? To care so much about someone that you feel incomplete when that someone's gone?
No, Ivan said. But I think a bond that powerful has to be quite rare.
Is it anything you'd ever like to experience?
Ivan blushed. There was that weird feeling from her again. Sheba, I think it's better if we focus on finding Mia. Talking about love isn't going to bring her back to us.
Oh. Sheba shut off her mental connection to him at that point, sighing to herself. She'd only asked a simple question; why had it made him edgy and quick to change the subject? Ivan, some days I really wonder about you, she thought.
And at the same time, Ivan was thinking the exact same thing about her.
"Let's try to get some sleep," Picard suggested. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Hey Isaac," Garet called. "Come on."
Isaac sighed and stayed put where he stood not far from the fire, knowing he'd certainly never be able to sleep. Not when Mia was missing or…no he couldn't allow himself to think that. Not yet.
"I'll just stand watch," he said quietly.
Garet started to protest but Jenna nudged him before he said anything. As the others drifted off into what were likely uneasy rests, Isaac kept a silent vigil nearby. He stood gazing at the stars and listening to the cold and cruel ocean that had stolen his greatest treasure from him.
Ivan stirred and squinted at the early morning sunlight. It cast bright sparkles on the sea. Sheba, Garet, Jenna, Felix and Picard were still sleeping around the extinguished fire pit, Garet snoring up a storm as usual. Ivan rolled his eyes at this and stood up and stretched. He looked around and realized that there was no sign of Isaac anywhere.
That's not like him, he thought. Isaac would never wander off without telling someone. He paced a few steps down the beach but there was nothing; not even a single footprint.
"Ivan?" Sheba said from behind him. "What's the matter?"
"Isn't something missing in this picture?" he questioned.
Sheba tipped her head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, where's Isaac? If he was keeping guard like he said he would, he wouldn't be out of sight."
The others were getting up too and they immediately noticed the same thing. "Where did he get to?" Jenna wondered.
"Perhaps he took a walk to clear his head," Picard suggested.
"And he didn't tell us?" Garet implored. "That's not something he'd do."
"I don't like this," Sheba muttered.
"Nor do I," said Ivan.
They fanned out a bit and called out to their missing leader. Picard pushed aside some ferns and spotted something shiny amid all the leaves. Closer inspection revealed it to be the hilt of the Gaia Blade, still in its scabbard. He seized it and went back to show his discovery to the others.
"He left his sword?!" Jenna exclaimed. "But he'd never, ever do that!"
"Something is definitely rotten in Wayard," Felix concurred. "As despondent as he was last night, Isaac would never go anywhere without his weapon, especially since we're in unknown territory right now."
"Great," said Garet. "It's not bad enough that Mia got lost at sea, but now something's happened to Isaac too!"
Picard frowned at the scabbard in his hands. "People do not just disappear without a trace. There is something decidedly sinister at work here."
"Are you two sensing anything?" Jenna asked the two Jupiter Adepts.
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Sheba replied. "All of the weird feelings I was predicting disappeared after the battle with the sea serpent yesterday."
"Same here," said Ivan. He pursed his lips together in thought. "However, the evidence is clear enough. Isaac didn't wander off; he was either attacked or taken—perhaps both."
"So where does that leave us?" Garet asked. "Mia's still missing too. How are we going to search for both of them at the same time?"
"I think Mia is a lost cause," Felix said. How did he mange to keep his voice so neutral in times like this?
"We're not giving up on her yet, Felix," said Picard. "It is entirely possible that Lady Mia was swept to shore and is alive. We were not that far from land when that monster attacked us."
"Do you think it's possible that they're together?" Jenna questioned.
"Wherever you find Isaac, you usually find his little woman," Garet replied. "Those two are practically joined at the hip."
"It is a possibility," said Ivan. "At any rate, neither one of them could be very far, I think. If we broaden our search, perhaps we will at least find some clues as to their whereabouts."
They had barely begun their search when something rustled from above. A huge flock of monstrous birds was flying over them. Each one had two heads and a wingspan longer than Garet was tall. Their feathers were the same odd shade of blue-black as the sea serpent they'd battled yesterday, and these birds looked just as nasty. One of them opened both of its beaks and exhaled a stream of blue fire right at the Adepts.
"Look out!" Picard shouted at the same time he sent out water to cancel the flames.
"More company," Garet griped as he pulled out his sword. "What'd we do to deserve this warm reception anyway?"
"Just shut up and fight," said Felix. He cast Ragnarok at one of the birds, but the Psynergenic sword seemed to have no effect. Jenna called up a firestorm, which sent two of the birds crashing to the ground. Garet finished them off with his blade, while the rest of the flock swooped lower.
"Spark Plasma!" Sheba cried. A half dozen birds shrieked and crumbled to ashes from the white-hot stream of lightening.
Ivan sighed to himself at the sight of her attack and cast Tornado to try and sweep all of the birds away. Two of them actually did get sucked into the funnels, but the rest dive-bombed right for him. He tried Shine Plasma to keep them at bay, only to see the birds open their beaks and send out a blue inferno.
"Ivan!" the others cried. Picard called up all the water he could manage. A thick cloud of steam engulfed the entire beach area, blinding all of the Adepts as well as their freakish enemies.
"Smooth one Picard!" Garet coughed.
"Did you have a better idea?" the Lemurian inquired.
Sheba cast Whirlwind to clear the air. "Ivan?" she asked.
"I'm all right," he said, brushing some soot off of his clothes.
"Thank Jupiter," Sheba sighed in relief as she went to his side. "You had me worried for a second there."
Ivan smiled slightly and then saw the birds coming up behind her. "Get down!" he cried, grabbing her and sliding into the sand. A massive rush of feathers passed mere inches above their heads.
"Take this!" Jenna exclaimed as she spread her arms and cast Eruption. More of the birds turned to ashes, but there had to be at least two dozen more.
"Are there no end to these beasts?" Picard asked.
Felix leapt into the air and hacked one of the birds in half with his sword. The other creatures didn't take to that very well and blasted him with razor-sharp feathers, not unlike the Twin Beaks attack used by Wild Gryphons. Felix landed with a grunt and cast Cure on himself, though he was obviously still sore as he staggered back to his feet.
"Tempest!" Sheba and Ivan cried together. An enormous whirlwind sucked in half of the flock, spun them around violently, and then threw them out towards the ocean. Their limp bodies tumbled into the waves. Unfortunately, the windstorm had been so powerful that it pulled much of the sand into the air and made it impossible for anyone to either see or breathe. The birds, however, handled it more easily than the Adepts and used the opportunity to exhale more of their mysterious blue fire. By the time the sand had settled enough for them to see, flames had surrounded the six of them.
"Note to self," Ivan muttered. "Never cast Tempest while on the beach."
"Get ready for another smoke screen," Picard warned as he called on the waters of Mercury once again. Since when did birds breathe fire? Sea dragons maybe, but birds?
Even with the blanket of steam shielding the group from sight, one of the birds charged and struck both Picard and Jenna with its sharp beaks. The two of them crumpled to the ground and the remaining creatures, while small in number, looked decidedly angered and charged at the four standing Adepts.
Lightening fell from the sky and suddenly incinerated all of the birds. The Adepts looked on in surprise as all of their attackers dissolve into ashes.
"Did you do that, Ivan?" Sheba asked.
"No," he replied. "I couldn't see through the steam."
Picard rose, casting Ply on himself, and Felix and Garet were already at Jenna's side. Where had that blast of lightening come from?
"It seems I arrived just in time," said a voice.
Standing a few yards away was a man dressed in long violet robes and carrying a wooden staff in his right hand. He approached the group slowly so as not to appear menacing.
"Who are you?" Felix asked.
"My name is Tristan," the man said. He had a young-looking face but something about him seemed much older than his appearance indicated. His blue-black hair was overgrown and messy and fell into his eyes, which were a piercing green. "It is dangerous to travel in these parts unprotected. The monsters have been coming out in greater and greater numbers these days."
"Thanks for the warning," said Garet. "But your timing could be better."
"Are you an Adept?" Ivan asked.
"Yes, of the Jupiter Clan," Tristan said with a nod. "I had visions of a group of Adepts coming here, though it seems I was a bit off. I thought there would be more of you."
"Well, two of our companions are unaccounted for," Jenna explained. "We were just about to go look for them when those suckers attacked us."
Tristan nodded again. "Somehow that does not surprise me. People from my village have been disappearing of late as well."
"Your village?" Picard questioned.
"It is not far from here," said Tristan. "Please come with me. I will gladly explain everything. I sense that we will have to work together if we hope to unravel this mystery and save all the missing people—including your friends." He started to slowly walk away.
"Can we trust this guy?" Garet whispered to the others.
"I don't think we have much choice," Felix whispered back.
"He seems all right to me," Sheba put in. "I'm not sensing anything out of the ordinary about him at all."
"That's good enough for me," said Jenna.
"I agree," Picard added.
So the six of them followed Tristan as he led them to parts unknown. Ivan regarded the man carefully and narrowed his eyes. There's something about him that I don't like, he thought. I'm sure that if he meant us any harm, Sheba would've sensed it too. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. But something still doesn't feel right to me here…
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Hmmm…two Jupiter Adepts with two different gut reactions. Which one of them do you suppose is right about our new friend Tristan?