Chapter 2 is finally done (despite the incredible number of reviews I got...)!

(Dew): And it took way too long.

Oh, come on. It only took a couple of days!

(Dew): Still too long.

-.-* Is there any way I can win...?

(Dew): No.

I thought as much...



Disclaimer: I'm sorry to disappoint all of you, but I don't own Golden Sun! (sob)



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Chapter Two

Mask of Deceit



"Stay alive."

That was the last thing Garet had said to him as he silently made his way out of Vale and onward to Kalay. The crisp midnight air filled his lungs as he passed through the fields that separated Vale and Kalay. Eventually, worn by fatigue, he set up camp and slept for a few hours until the break of Sol.

Isaac was still tired, but he knew that time was definitely of the essence. So, still tired, he broke camp and forced himself onward. He passed great fields and rivers, but the greatest sight that he came across was an old friend that appeared in a flash of gold.

"Flint!" said Isaac in surprise. To meet his old travelling companion again was a real joy. Flint danced around in the air, showing off a little for his ground-bound friend. To meet djinn on the road was a real gift, as djinn held untold power. When a djinni joined with a person, that person would experience a surge of power. That power resulted in additional strength, speed and defensive ability, not to mention a wealth of new psynergies.

"Hey, Isaac! How's the old warrior?" he asked cheerfully. The smile faded from Isaac's face. Apparently the Venus Djinn had no inkling as to future events. But then, he expected only the Jupiter Djinn would, with their prediction abilities.

"Times are rough, Flint, and I don't know what to do about it," replied Isaac. The events of the coming days were definitely not the most pleasurable to discuss, but Isaac felt compelled to mention them to everyone he passed, human or not. So, Isaac, still walking toward Kalay with Flint following, told him of the events of the preceding day, and the ramifications on the lives of him and the nearby towns. When Isaac had finished, Sol was at midday, and Isaac again quickened his pace. Flint was uncharacteristically quiet. After a pause to understand everything he had been told, he decided to help Isaac again.

"Well, I'll tell you what I'll do, Isaac. I'll get all the djinn I can find again; our old allies. I'll tell them all to converge on Kalay and Set themselves to you and the others when they arrive. We may not help that much, but, hey, every little bit, huh?" Flint smiled.

"Yeah, sure. Thank you, Flint," Isaac said. And with that, Flint was gone, leaving Isaac alone to his thoughts again.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Isaac rested by his campfire that night, and by the following morning, he could already see the faint outline of Kalay on the horizon. It wasn't long before he had entered the gates, and found, much to his dismay, a certain quiet panic among the populace. Isaac quickly headed for the palace, where he was sure he would find Master Hammet.

Master Hammet's palace was revered among people as one of the greatest landmarks on Angara. The palace was made of stone, but decorated by plating of silver and gold. Few ever entered the building, but those that did were thrown back by the beauty of the interior. Crimson silks and fine chinas adorned the inside, creating a look comparable only to the outside of the building itself. Isaac found the palace and climbed the hill on which it stood without incident. The soldier atop the hill guarding the doors was a little sceptical about letting him in, however.

"Halt! State your business," declared the guard. Apparently, the threat of war had caused Master Hammet to increase his security. It made Isaac wonder why guards weren't present at the front gate.

"My name is Isaac of Vale. I have come to see Master Hammet about some rather...pressing issues," Isaac stated carefully. He didn't want to risk upsetting the guard, especially not now.

"The issues you speak of are of no concern to the general public," the guard stated. "Master Hammet can take care of this by himself. There is no need to a child such as yourself to get involved."

Child? Isaac thought. A twinge of anger ran through Isaac, but he simply suppressed it. "I'm sorry, sir, but I cannot leave here without seeing Master Hammet."

"And I can't let you see Master Hammet. Now get out of here or I'll have you thrown in jail."

"On what charge?" Isaac asked.

"Attempted assassination," replied the guard. Isaac couldn't believe it. Not only would they not let him in, but they thought that he was on Dodonpa's side! Isaac was about to interrupt when a voice called out from behind him.

"Allow us to see Master Hammet, please." The voice was familiar, and Isaac placed it just as he turned around. "Ivan! Sheba!" he said. They turned to look at him, and smiled as they recognized one of their greatest friends.

"Isaac! What are you doing here?" Ivan asked.

"I didn't expect you here so early," Sheba stated. Isaac realized his arrival here was not hidden, as the pair of Jupiter Adepts had predicted it perfectly, if not a little later.

"Well, I like to surprise people," said Isaac with a smile. "Do you think you can get me to see Master Hammet?"

"Of course," Ivan stated, walking forward to the guards. "Allow us entry."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that if you don't give me identification," the guard replied. Sheba suppressed a laugh.

"Can't you tell it's Ivan?" she wondered. Guards could be so slow sometimes. The guard took a look at him and immediately became a lot more cooperative.

"Oh, Lord Ivan! Forgive me, I didn't recognize you after all your adventures," the guard offered.

"That's all right," Ivan responded. "Just allow me entry."

"At once," the guard replied. He opened the door and allowed Ivan in. Just as Sheba was about to cross the threshold with Isaac behind her, however, the guards blocked them from entering.

"What are you doing?" Isaac asked. The guard frowned at him.

"I said Lord Ivan may enter. You two, however, are obviously of low status and are not allowed to enter." Sheba frowned heavily at this, and Ivan turned on the guard.

"That's enough!" he called. "These two are with me, and if you have a problem with that, I would advise you to search for a new line of work. Is that understood?" Ivan rounded on him. The guard shrunk from him.

"Y-yessir. You may enter," he said to Isaac and Sheba. Isaac felt like the guard was hiding something, but ignored it. He decided to leave the thinking to the pair of Jupiter Adepts in front of him.

"Thank you," Isaac said. Sheba said nothing, but rather fumed. Eventually she brightened up, and Isaac assumed that she and Ivan were speaking telepathically with Mind Read. After a few minutes of walking without finding Master Hammet, Ivan and Sheba both stared seriously at Isaac.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Sheba asked him curiously.

"Answer what?" he replied. Ivan furrowed his brow.

"The question I asked you," Ivan replied.

"I didn't hear any question," Isaac said. He frowned for a moment, and then realized that the Jupiter Adepts had forgotten about his inability to Mind Read. "I think you two have spent so long talking mind-to-mind you've forgotten that not all of us can do that," Isaac laughed. The pair of them blushed a little, realizing their folly.

"Sorry about that, Isaac," Ivan said meekly. "We've spent the last month at Lama Temple, speaking with pretty much only our minds." Sheba nodded.

"Yes, it's a little tricky to get both methods working at the same time. You know, mind and mouth." She blushed a little more. Neither of them could believe that they had forgotten about this. They usually never looked over such a simple thing. Isaac laughed.

"That's OK," Isaac said. "There's nothing wrong with expanding your abilities." Isaac knew what it felt like to be unable to cast something powerful and final. It had taken him until he reached the Mars Lighthouse Aerie at the end of their journey to cast Grand Gaia, his best technique.

"So," said Ivan, remembering to speak verbally now, "where do you think Master Hammet is?" The tone of the conversation changed. Isaac could sense Ivan's concern, but also that he wanted the truth and not a tale just to please him.

"I hope here. Because if he's not here," Isaac stated bitterly, "then this war is already off to the wrong start."

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It didn't take Ivan long to start panicking. Or at least, panicking as much as a Jupiter Adept would allow himself to. Sheba calmed him down a little, but Ivan was still very uneasy after they had searched the entire town to no avail. They returned to Master Hammet's palace and rested in the main hall, adorned by silk red fabric and fine tables and china.

"What if he's already been taken to Lunpa? Dodonpa could have him!" Ivan said, his nervousness sounding in his voice.

"I don't think he's been taken yet," Isaac stated. "Dodonpa only just officially declared war tonight. There's no way he could have gotten to Master Hammet yet."

"Don't worry, Ivan," Sheba said comfortingly. "Isaac's right, I'm sure Master Hammet's fine. And even if he is captured, you rescued him once before, haven't you?" Ivan brightened up a little at this, but still seemed nervous for the rest of the night. They decided to retire here as opposed to the inn. After all, with Ivan here, it was as good as their home. Ivan stayed up late in bed, tossing and turning, worried for his adopted father. Finally, after midnight, Ivan's fatigue finally took him over, and he allowed sleep to envelop him.

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The morning arrived soon, and the trio met in the dining hall. Even though Master Hammet hadn't yet shown up, the servants were still there, and Ivan still swung some weight, so Isaac and Sheba were treated quite nicely. They were in the middle of a breakfast fit for a king when a knock sounded from the door. The guard was arguing with somebody, and a familiar voice sounded from the main hall.

"You can let us in!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but no one enters without permission from Master Hammet himself," the guard stated. He stood between the people at the door and the main entrance. Isaac came up behind the guard, flanked by Ivan and Sheba.

"You let me in without Master Hammet's consent," Isaac said. He turned to look at the guests, and saw that Garet had finally caught up to him, followed by Jenna and Felix

"Isaac!" Garet said in surprise. "How did you get here?"

"He knows people," Ivan smirked. Garet and Jenna widened their eyes in surprise at seeing the two Jupiter Adepts behind Isaac.

"Ivan, Sheba! It's good to see you two again!" Jenna exclaimed. Felix retained his neutral expression at seeing the two old allies again. Ivan turned his attention to the guard that was keeping the trio from entering.

"You may let them in, now, please," Ivan said. The guard turned to face Ivan.

"I will not let them go," the guard stated. Ivan turned stared at the guard.

"You what?" Ivan asked.

"I will not let any of you leave," the guard laughed. It was a cold laugh that none of them expected to come from a normal human guard. "You will all die here and now."

"Excuse me?" Garet mocked. "How do you expect to beat us? The only way you would stand a chance is if you weren't a lowly human soldier, which, I might add, you are. You aren't some powerful creature that can use or even copy our power." Garet's Mars temper was rising, but still the guard laughed.

"Copy, you say? Not copy, Garet, Defender of Mars," he said, and Garet stumbled at hearing his name. "Not copy, but mimic..." And in a brilliant flash of light, the guard disappeared, and the most powerful and devious Mimic any of them had ever seen was standing before them. With one fast move, the human-shaped mimic (Isaac made a mental note that not all Mimics had to be shaped like treasure chests) lunged at Garet, and knocked him off his feet before he could even raise his sword.

Felix drew his sword and began slashing at the Mimic, but for every attack Felix made, the Mimic had the perfect counter. Felix soon realized that when Mimics weren't in the form of a treasure chest, but rather a two-legged creature, they had access to the power and speed that the form could possess. No longer in a cramped, boxlike body, this Mimic was fast, powerful and deadly.

Isaac was still unarmed, having left his sword inside. Not letting his own lack of foresight hinder him, he raised his hands to the sky, and cast Ragnarok. A giant sword of light cut through the Mimic. But when the dust cleared, the Mimic was still standing and charging toward Isaac, sword extended, ready to extract revenge for the apparently painful attack. Isaac, still unarmed, could do nothing to block as the sword point was aimed at his uncovered neck and thrust forward.

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(Dew): ........

^_^

(Dew): Is that the best place you can end this?

Sure. Why not?

(Dew): *hitting Omniflyer with a fridge door handle*

OW. What is with you and the furniture/appliance stuff?

(Dew): They're hard and painful.

With a muse like you, who needs people to flame this? Why am I even going to ASK for reviews?

(Dew:) Because you can't write for beans and you need the reviews to tell you exactly where you went wrong.

....oh, right. So please review, everybody!