As Luck Would Have It
Disclaimer: Read the previous fifty billion.
A/N: Like before, the only think I know going into this chapter is that in the beginning, Isaac and co. are going to fight those thieves, and at the end Isaac and co. minus Ivan leave for Goma Cave/Bilibin.
Norli: It doesn't help that I pronounce Bilibin as "Billy-bean" every chance I get. It drives Vil crazy.
Vil: yes, it does. But, now, to get on with it…
Chapter Five: Fond Farewells
"Looks like we've been found out," said a gruff voice, and the three thieves entered the small room. "Hey look," said the thief on the right, the owner of the gruff voice. "Look, boss, it's that weird kid!"
"Yeah!" said the deep voice, which belonged to the thief on the far right. Ivan struggled to hold back a laugh as he remembered something from the thieves' previous conversation.
"Shut yer yaps, both of ya!" said the high, whiny, cowardly voice, which belonged to the leader of the three bandits. Ivan could no longer control himself and began to giggle uncontrollably. "Shut you up too, kid! Yer about to feel the full power of a thief!"
"But why attack us?" Isaac said, his voice calm. "Just give back what you stole, and you can go."
"You're serious? You'd let us go if we apologized and returned the stuff we stole?" the boss thief asked incredulously.
"No way!" the gruff-voiced thief said angrily. "We stole that stuff fair and square! Let's get 'em!" Drawing their swords, the three thieves advanced on Isaac, Ivan and Garet.
Zoe, unnoticed, had ducked behind a pile of boxes. As silently as she could, she drew her short sword and raised it high, coming up behind one of the thieves. That particular thief was facing Ivan, who held up his staff and used it to deflect blows from the bandit's blade. When Ivan saw Zoe, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, and the thief turned to see what the boy was staring at.
"Now, Ivan!" Zoe cried, before the thief hit her over the head with the hilt of his sword and she dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Ivan's face set in determination and he threw a hand towards the sky. "Wind Seer's Ray!" he cried, and bolts of lightning came down and struck all three of the thieves.
"Flint, now!" Isaac yelled, and the Djinni dove on the lead bandit. Acting quickly, Isaac put his hands together in front of him. "I summon the spirit of Venus, power of the Earth!" he cried, throwing both arms high. Flint looked up at Isaac and smiled, dissolving into golden light and pelting down on the three thieves.
Garet and Ivan both dropped their weapons in awe as the thieves fell to the ground, defeated but not killed. Isaac looked about to fall as well, but Garet hurried over to him and supported him. They both looked over at Ivan and Zoe, and their faces wore nearly identical frowns when they found themselves looking at only Ivan.
"I'll go get the mayor," Ivan said hastily, running from the room. Isaac and Garet could hear him jump the hole and scurry up the ladder. Isaac bent to pick Flint up off the ground, and looked around for Zoe. Garet did the same, and when he saw her motionless on the floor he cried out and hurried over to her, picking her up easily.
"Do I want to know?" Isaac asked as he looked at her. Torrent, forgotten during the fight, pulled herself out of Zoe's pocket and climbed on Garet's shoulder.
"Ack! Water Djinni! Aieee!" Garet cried mockingly, and Torrent stuck her tongue out at him.
"You want me to spray you?" she asked wryly, proving she could by aiming a small jet of water at Isaac.
"Hey, stop that!" Isaac laughed, holding his hands up to block the water. As a result, the water bouncing off his hands landed on Garet, who glared, and Zoe, who slowly pulled herself awake.
"Put me down, Garet!" she said drowsily. "I'm alright, really. I gave Ivan an opening, I think, though it wasn't a plan. I said, put me DOWN!!!" Garet, surprised at the outburst, nearly dropped her, to the obvious amusement of Isaac and the Djinn. Zoe resisted the urge to slap them all, and instead bent down to pick up her sword and put it back in its sheath.
"Alright, Zoe, just what kind of Adept are you?" Garet asked testily. "You don't seem to have any Psynergy attacks, but you certainly can see our Psynergy, and you have a Djinni. So please, explain yourself."
"That's just it," Zoe said, looking at the floor. "I can't. I'm not even sure I come from Imil. If I have any powers like yours, I don't know about them."
"Personally," Isaac said brightly, "I think she's a Mercury Adept. Which would be a benefit to us as well as to her."
"Why is that a benefit?" Zoe asked curiously. Torrent leapt from Garet's shoulder to hers and began to laugh.
"Mercury Adepts use the power of Water, frozen or otherwise. They are healers, or most of them are. That's why—" Isaac was cut off by the arrival of Ivan and the mayor, the latter gasping at the thieves who lay sprawled on the ground. Behind the mayor came two big, strong men, who proceeded to take the thieves out of the Inn and lock them in Vault's prison.
The mayor went through the boxes and came back with his vase, the Sanctum's golden statue, and, to Ivan's delight, Master Hammet's Shaman's Rod.
"Thank you for catching the thieves, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Zoe," he said before he left. The four of them were alone in the loft again, staring at each other. Finally all four of them collapsed in relieved laughter.
"Where will you go now?" Ivan asked Isaac. "Or are you staying here for a while?"
"We're not sure where we have to go," Isaac said cryptically, and Ivan's eyes began to take on a distant quality. The room became filled with a silvery glow.
"Isaac, he's reading our minds again!" Garet said, wishing he knew how to block Ivan's power. "Should we stop him?"
"No," Isaac said calmly. Garet pouted, but could do nothing about it. Isaac had been chosen as the leader back in Vale, and Garet had agreed to follow his decisions.
When Ivan was finished, his eyes were wide in awe. "So that's why you're here," he said softly, then whistled. "Thank you, then, for taking time out from your quest to help me. But I've got to go to Lunpa and find Master Hammet," he added, rising and picking up the Shaman's Rod. "Maybe I'll meet you guys again some day, huh? Good luck on your quest…" Ivan shook his head and ran from the loft.
About five minutes later, Isaac, Garet and Zoe climbed out of the loft. Together they climbed the stairs by the mayor's house and walked along the high cliffs a little ways, stopping near a tree and sitting down in the long, cool grass. Isaac lay back with his hands under his head and looked up at the sky. Garet assumed a similar position, only kept his hands on either side of his head instead of under it. Zoe sat with her back against the tree, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Torrent and Flint climbed into the branches of the tree and acted as lookouts, though they all knew no lookouts were needed.
"It's different without Ivan, isn't it?" Isaac asked after a while. Though he couldn't see them, Zoe and Garet nodded. "And we didn't even know him for an entire day." Almost on cue the town bell rang five times, signaling dinner.
"Let's go," Garet said, standing and stretching. Zoe, Isaac, Flint and Torrent followed him. As they descended the stairs, the mayor approached them, holding something in his hand.
"This is for you," he said, giving them each a small pouch full of coins. "Part of it is what was taken from the thieves, and part of it is what Vault owes you for catching them. Use it well!" With that he turned and hurried back into his house. The three looked at each other and shrugged, then began again to head to the Inn.
Over dinner, they heard some of the travelers passing through speaking about, 'a lighthouse near Bilibin.' "Where's Bilibin?" Zoe asked.
"On the other side of the Goma Mountains. We'll have to detour through Goma Cave to get there." Isaac sighed and looked around the room sadly. "Looks like this is our last night in Vault. We leave first thing in the morning. Get a good sleep, guys."
Isaac and Garet fell asleep almost instantly. Zoe, however, spent a few hours awake, thinking about exactly what kind of adept she might be. Her thoughts brought no conclusions, however, and she finally gave up and went to sleep.
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The sun was shining in the clear blue sky the next morning. The three sat together and ate breakfast, then said their goodbyes to the people of Vault. Zoe's heart wrenched as she, Isaac and Garet passed through the city gates, but her spirits soared when they put the town behind them and turned east, headed for Goma Cave and the town of Bilibin beyond.
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Well, did ya like it? On a late note, I don't mind constructive criticism, but outright flames for no decent reason will be deleted from the review page anyway. Or maybe Garet could borrow them. So, see you in the next chapter! ~Vil.