As Luck Would Have It
A/N: Finally, finally, it's here! I had to get my game people back to the temple to do it, but it's here! Enjoy yourselves! Oh—some facts you might not have known: Ivan and Picard are left-handed!! Watch them the next time they do the critical hit thing—it's easier to see then.
Zrike: A guess! A guess! Sadly, I can only say that while all of you are close, there are but three people who have the correct answer, and they know whom they are. But you are all close. As far as I know, her class won't change for a while.
Presley: Like I said, I won't answer your guesses. *blushes* thanks for the compliment though. You too, zrike. Geez, I'm going to be blushing for ages…
General Failure: You know, it would help if I could remember what your prediction was.
0==|=R=a=g=n=a=r=o=k=: I can't tell you what her element is! That's half of the story, almost!
Jupiter Girl: You think I'm going to just TELL you who the mysterious figure was? No way. You'll meet that figure eventually.
Triad Orion: If I get one more pizza, I will come with my racket and spend a day yelling 'SIT BOY' at you. Promise.
Chapter Twenty-One: Bitten by Mutant Luggage
It had rained the previous night, and the sun rose on a thick fog that only gradually was burned away by the sun's warmth. A light breeze blew that misty morning, twining itself around the lone figure sitting near the edge of a cliff.
Ivan sighed, shivering, and with a wave of his hand sent the breezes away. It was a cold morning—winter would be coming full force to the north. Technically, he was still in the north, but not as far north as he had been in Vault. He yawned, then shook his head rapidly. He had been up late into the night, speaking to the monks of the temple about the forest they had to pass through in order to reach the next city, Xian. He and Zoe had heard several tales of Mogall Forest, including that one could only go through if they mastered the powers of the unseen force.
This was what he had been contemplating, and had been here for about an hour, waking when the fog was so thick it could not be seen through. He estimated that he was running on about three hours of sleep, but it seemed natural to him to wake up early. He had noticed Zoe's bed empty, but could find no sign of her. Thinking of that, he reminded himself to thank the master of Fuchin Temple for generously offering them residence as long as they needed it.
He heard sounds down below, and noticed Garet, Mia and Isaac walking from the building into the increasingly sunny day. Isaac waved up to him, and Ivan waved back, standing and leaping from the cliff in what was a wild rush of adrenaline for a sleepy Jupiter Adept. Mia gasped, and Isaac and Garet shared alarmed looks, but Ivan caught himself in midair about a foot off the ground, setting his feet down lightly and grinning.
"Show-off," Garet muttered. "I oughta fry your head."
"But you won't," Mia said with a little smirk.
"How can you know? I mean, no, I won't, but…oh, you Mercury Adepts. Think you know everything. Sheesh."
"You'll learn, Garet," Mia said, obviously riding high from the previous night's rain—even though she hadn't been awake to enjoy it. "Tell me Isaac, did you enjoy the ride here?"
"Can I remember the ride here?" he asked with a laugh. "I know we stopped once, for something, but that's about it. Ivan, where's Zoe?"
"She woke before me, and I didn't see her out here or on my way through the building. But she's somewhere, I don't doubt. Off exploring one thing or another, as usual."
His words were directly followed by the appearance of a Jupiter Djinni. Ivan frowned and searched his mind, and the answer from both of his Djinn was a sleepy Good morning, Ivan. Hm, Ivan thought. I must be more tired than I realized. That left, of course, only one possibility. "Zap?"
"Ivan. Hello. Mia, Garet, Isaac. Please, come with me," Zap said in his usual 'I-know-more-than-you-could-ever-guess' manner.
"Where?" Isaac asked.
"To the edge of that forest south of here."
"Mogall Forest?" Ivan asked, suddenly suspicious. "Why?"
"It is of utmost importance that you hurry. Go any slower and they will meet you halfway."
"Who will meet us halfway?"
"Come, please," Zap said, zipping off in a display of Jupiter speed, leaving a fast-fading trail of violet light behind him.
"I don't like the way this is going," Mia said, a puzzled frown on her face. "Zap is, as far as I can tell, cryptic to the infinite power…but I've never understood what he's said before."
"You do now?" Garet asked.
"I can hazard a guess. And if my guess is correct, it means we run," Mia said, and did so immediately, trying to force the guess from her mind. It wasn't working.
"Ivan!" Garet called. Ivan started; he realized he had begun to doze off on his feet. With insane speed he caught up to the others and passed them. Had he had any breath to do so, Garet would have yet again called out that Ivan was showing off his superior agility.
Ivan, despite having to run at extreme speeds, was continually shaking himself out of his drowsy state. Gust!
Yes, Ivan? Gust answered, adding something that could only be described as a mental yawn at the end.
Go on ahead and then go back to the others and tell them what's going on, please, he thought-spoke, and Gust instantly complied, appearing in the air and rocketing forward. Ivan, however, was forced to slow down. He didn't think he'd ever been this tired.
"Ivan? How did we catch up to you?" Isaac asked.
"Lack of sleep," Ivan said tiredly. Isaac raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Mia sighed, shaking her head with the barest hint of a smile. "How much sleep did you get?"
"About three hours, I think."
"Are you trying to give us a battle weakness or something?"
"I already do give you a battle weakness," Ivan said with a grin.
"I will refrain from comment," Isaac said, his eyes focused on something he appeared to have spotted up ahead. "Ivan, I just had the most interesting image enter my mind. A present of yours?"
"Gust's, actually. I sent her on ahead. What did she say?"
"Not good," Mia said, her pace picking up considerably, with Isaac following suit. Ivan slowed down a bit more, until he was running at an even stride with Garet.
"How goes it?" Ivan asked. Garet's only response was a series of pants and gasps that would have roughly translated to, "How can you ask me that? Can't you see I'm dying here?"
"Very well then," Ivan said, holding back a grin. For a while, they were silent, Garet to save breath, Ivan to save energy. Of course, when they reached the edge of the forest, both of them stopped dead in their tracks. Isaac was keeping himself busy, knocking down many of the new horde of enemies with bursts of green light. Mia stood in front of Zoe, who was seated on a rock, looking at the ground dazedly.
"Heads up, Isaac!" Garet yelled, followed shortly by, "Flare Wall!" which Isaac expertly ducked.
"Heads down, if you want to be logical," Ivan said, funny without a touch of humor in his voice. "Would someone care to expl…oh, why bother? Plasma!" Purplish bolts of lightning rained down on the enemies, causing several of them to fade and disappear.
"Flint!" Isaac called, and the Venus Djinni appeared instantly.
"What's up, Isaac? Hey, it's a party!" Flint cried happily, diving on the nearest enemy and destroying it.
"Fever!" A bright red flash, followed by the sound of another monster greying out, put a grin on Garet's face. "She may be crazy, but I can't deny she knows how to have fun."
"I can think of something more fun," said Zoe, standing and grinning evilly. "I want revenge," she said evenly, completely ignoring Mia's outright order to sit back down. "No monster, let alone a horde of them, can lure my friends here by using me, and then try to kill them."
"That's what they were doing?" Isaac asked, shocked.
"There was a man with them. I didn't recognize him, though his voice was familiar. He told me this. He said it didn't matter how much things had changed, it was still inevitable that we lose."
"Zoe?"
"Isaac?"
"I'm up for some revenge," Isaac said, matching Zoe's grin and evil tone of voice. Zoe grinned, a real one this time, as did Garet. "Shall we?"
"Let's do it! I summon Mercury!"
"I summon Venus!"
"I summon Mars!" At Garet's yell, the spirits of the three summons descended on the remaining monsters, making short work of them.
"Battles just aren't a challenge anymore," Garet said disappointedly. "I want some real action."
"That you will have, children," said a voice behind them. All of the Adepts turned to face two monks from the temple. "Our master wishes to speak with all of you."
"Hey! He talks in the right direction!"
"Strong, you are. Go now to the temple must you. Important it is," said the other monk. Garet groaned.
"Decipher," Isaac muttered. Behind his back, he waved a hand, and there was a momentary glowing green light that faded quickly.
"Thanks, Isaac," Zoe said, grinning.
"No problem. It comes with the whole "saving the world" thing. Now, like the guy says, to the temple must we go…or something like that." At this, Garet, Zoe and Mia laughed, but Ivan was uncharacteristically silent.
"Ivan?" Mia asked, looking back over her shoulder at him. He was leaning up against a tree trunk—fast asleep on his feet! "Oh, Ivan. Come on—you missed all the fun," she said, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him upright.
"Yah! Mia, what gives? And I didn't miss all the fun; I did send in those," Ivan stopped for a moment and yawned. "Lightning bolts."
"I am never letting you stay up listening to stories again, kid," Zoe said.
"Kid?! I'm only a year younger than you are!"
"I choose not to comment."
"Why you…oh, never mind."
"Isaac, did we ever argue like that?" Garet asked. Isaac raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"
"We did, many times. Maybe you've been hit on the head one time too many," Isaac added, though his grin showed he was joking. Garet sighed, grinning as well.
When they entered the temple building itself, they found the grey-haired master, Nyunpa by name, seated upon a rug on the floor, with four torches surrounding him.
"Hey Garet," Ivan whispered, nudging him.
"Yeah?" Garet asked in an equally quiet voice.
"There are four lights!" Ivan said excitedly. Garet gave him an odd look and took a step away.
"I thought he wanted to speak to us," Mia said confusedly. "Excuse me, Nyunpa sir? Hello? You asked us here, did you not?" But she got no answer from the seated man.
"Ivan," Zoe said as an idea came to mind, "why not read his mind?"
"What for?" Ivan asked. "I don't usually like reading private thoughts."
"She may have a point," Isaac said, smiling. "Go on, Ivan." With a sigh, Ivan stood to one side of the man and extended a hand. The air shimmered multiple colors as his Psynergy let him read the thoughts of the master. Through a Psynergetic link, the other Adepts heard these thoughts as well.
"Mmmm…who is that? Who speaks to my mind?" was the incoming thought, and at once Nyunpa's eyes opened and he jumped up, looking at the Adepts and facing Isaac. "Young master…was that your voice I heard in my mind just now?"
"Not mine, no," Isaac said truthfully, "but it was Ivan, and he travels with me."
"I knew it!" Nyunpa exclaimed, causing all the Adepts to take a defensive step back. "You follow…them…do you not?"
"Them? Saturos and Menardi? Yes."
"I knew it!"
"He sure knows a lot for a guy who sits on the floor all day," Ivan muttered. Garet laughed quietly.
"But you must go through Mogall Forest, the endless woods. The forest itself—"
"The forest is a mystery, a puzzle," Zoe finished. "No ordinary man can get from one side to the other."
"But you think you can, is that it, Nyunpa?" Mia asked. Isaac prayed silently that this wouldn't be a repeat of the Bilibin incident.
"Indeed, perhaps I could," Nyunpa said. "If you can endure the trials in the waterfall grotto, I will tell you."
"Tell us what?"
"Will you take the test?" Nyunpa countered. The Adepts looked at each other, and a single nod was shared between all of them.
"Yes," Isaac answered. The room grew dark, and, by squinting, Isaac could see faint invisible waves emanating from Nyunpa. Psynergy? he wondered.
"Do not worry," said Nyunpa. "You will be permitted to enter the grotto. Go now, Isaac!"
"I never told you my name," he said calmly.
"Just remember, you are not the only ones who can read minds," Nyunpa said with a sly grin. He then returned to his seated position on the floor, closing his eyes and leaving the Adepts feeling quite confused.
"Let's be going, then," Isaac said casually, turning and walking out. The others, with a unanimous shrug, followed him, down several stairs (Ivan had complained loudly on the climb up) and jumping across the slippery stumps to reach where a monk stood before the waterfall.
"I have heard of your test from master Nyunpa," said the monk. "You may pass." He jumped out of the way, leaving a doorway semi-visible behind the waterfall.
"Garet, don't say it," Isaac said, holding up a hand before Garet could begin to protest more water. One by one, the Adepts passed through the doorway. Amazingly, when they reached the other side, each of them was completely dry. Mia stepped up to a pillar with writing engraved on it.
"The dragon's flame illuminates the path of truth in darkness," she read aloud. "A dragon? In here? Wouldn't the monks have told us?"
"Maybe that's the test we have to pass," Zoe suggested.
"Fighting a dragon? Isn't that a bit harsh?" Ivan asked warily.
"Let's just take it one step at a time. Look," Isaac continued, "over there is a treasure chest! Ivan, why don't you cross and get what's inside?"
"Cross how?"
"I think you run across on that log."
"What?"
"Surely a Jupiter Adept with such perfect balance," mocked Garet, "can do something as simple as this." Ivan frowned and stepped onto the log, and began to run forward. Amazingly, he found that it turned with him almost by itself, and he was across in no time and with no trouble. He approached the treasure chest and lifted the lid.
"Hey! There's nothing in heeeeeeeeaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Ivan's final word turned into a yelp of surprise and pain as the chest sprouted eyes, legs, and, what was concerning Ivan the most at that point, teeth. Said teeth had latched onto Ivan's right hand and showed no sign of letting go anytime soon. "That Mimic bit me!"
"Mimic?" said four voices.
"Mimic!" Ivan yelled back, not even bothering to comment on how idiotic it sounded to be repeating the word "Mimic," and therefore doing as the name suggested, over and over. "Plasma!" Giant lightning bolts struck the Mimic, but appeared to have very little effect. It did, however, release Ivan's hand, which he instantly dropped to his side. With his other hand, he reached for his weapon.
The Mimic chose that moment to attack Ivan, who responded first with a groan of, "Why is it always me?" and second with an upraised left hand and a cry of, "Whirlwind!"
"I think it's Wind resistant," Garet speculated from across the water. "How can we get over there? There's no way Ivan's going to have all the fun!"
"I can't fly us all over," Zoe said. "I'm not even that good at it myself, unless it's necessary."
"Then we can do this," Mia said, crouching by the edge of the water and extending her right hand. "Frost!" she said, and a beam of blue Psynergy shot from her fingertips, freezing an area of water just wide enough for the Adepts to walk on single file. "It'll be slippery, but I think Ivan may be having a bit too much fun."
In fact, Ivan would have been enjoying himself, if the Mimic hadn't bitten and scratched him already. He was jumping and leaping about as though only a gust of wind himself, all the while trying to come up with a plan. As he rushed around, he reached into his bag and tried to find something that could help him.
Meanwhile, Isaac and Mia had made across the ice bridge, with Zoe and Garet close behind. A loud cracking noise, followed by a splash and the sound of cursing, signified that Garet's weight had been enough to crack the fragile ice.
"We could have swum," Zoe said contemplatively. "I prefer this, but I suppose Garet doesn't." After a few moments of watching Ivan duck, jump and spring, Isaac, Mia and Zoe looked at each other, at a loss.
"If we try and use Psynergy, we run the risk of hitting Ivan with it," Isaac said, speaking for them all. "Ivan! Hold up for a second!"
"Yes?" Ivan said, coming to an instant stop behind the mutant luggage.
"Stay there."
"Aye-aye sir." As Ivan said this, the Mimic let out a sort of half-roar, half-screech, and Ivan was surrounded by a faint orange glow. Covering his ears, Ivan felt his Psynergy power being pulled from him and…and into that twisted excuse for a suitcase, Ivan realized.
"Oh good. My turn," said Isaac, a sly glint in his blue eyes as he held out a hand. "Spire!" Seemingly from the ceiling a giant, sharp stone spire crashed onto the Mimic's head (or lid). It made a sound equivalent to a growl and lashed out at Isaac, sending him flying back along the frost bridge, though he stopped before he reached the spot where Garet had fallen in.
"Volcano!" Garet, who had pulled himself up, soaking wet, onto the Mimic's previous place of residence, was quite happy to feel himself dry off in the heat of his attack. "Nothing like frying a freakish imitation of treasure."
"Well, no, there isn't," Mia agreed, and Garet stared at her. "But there's nothing quite like freezing one either. Ice!" The Mimic, backing away from Garet's fire, headed straight into the onslaught of needle-sharp ice crystals. "We are kicking serious…um…"
"I believe the word is 'tail,'" Ivan said, "though, in light of the Mimic's lack thereof, let's kick its weakest point."
"And how would you know what that was?" Zoe asked. "Did you mind read it or something?"
"Well, no, I doubt I could understand a monster's mind. The thought that a Psynergy Stone may have warped a treasure chest isn't a comforting one, either. But really, the most valuable part of real treasure chest is what?"
"What's inside it," offered Isaac.
"Exactly."
"I get what he means," Garet said, pulling something from his bag.
"What is that, Garet?" Zoe asked, dodging the Mimic's teeth as it lashed out at her.
"A Smoke Bomb," he said with a hint of an evil tone. "Isaac, get it to open its lid!"
"Are you crazy Garet? Never mind—I'd rather not know." Isaac stepped in front of the Mimic and raised his newest weapon, a Broad Axe. I do like the fact that this temple seems to have an extensive armory, he thought. "Take your best shot, suitcase," he said menacingly.
The Mimic made that sound again, which by now the Adepts took to be some strange way of calling on Psynergy. Of course, this sound involved the Mimic's version of a mouth and the act of opening that mouth, which it did. Garet snapped his fingers, lighting the Smoke Bomb, and threw it into the open lid of the mutant luggage. For a moment, it didn't seem to realize what was happening.
Of course, eventually it did, and it opened its lid again to fire the bomb right back at the Adepts. Ivan saw this, as did Zoe, and the two of them leapt into the air, both of them landing right-foot-first atop the lid, sending it crashing down into the Mimic's body. It tried to throw them off, but inside of it there was a sudden explosion.
The explosion, however, wasn't contained within the Mimic itself. It threw Zoe and Ivan in opposite directions. The former flipped completely over in the air and landed in a sort of crouch just shy of where Garet had fallen into the water, out on the ice path. Ivan was thrown towards the wall, but spun around and kicked off of it, taking his turn at splashing loudly into the water.
"We certainly do have some kind of luck, that we do," Isaac said with a grin. He bent and lifted a rather charred bag of golden coins. "Seems it was more treasure chest than we thought."
"Ivan, get out of the water. Wet isn't a great thing to add to your list," Mia said.
"My list?" Ivan queried, pulling himself up onto dry land and shaking the water from his hair.
"Wet is something I'm not capable of getting rid of," Mia replied.
"Yes, in fact wet is something she's quite good at creating," Garet muttered. "So is frozen. And cold. Most definitely cold."
"You're babbling," Isaac pointed out.
"I'm on a battle high."
"Save your energy. This place is probably crawling with wonderful little monsters that will try to take our heads and use them as tomorrow's lunch."
"That painted such a charming picture in my mind," Zoe said dryly.
"I hope so."
Garet, about to add in his most recent opinion of cavern terrors eating an Adept sandwich at noon, was cut off by Mia's quiet, "Ply," and the blue light that followed it.
"I'm still wet," Ivan commented.
"I told you I couldn't get rid of that," Mia said with a grin. "I could freeze the water, though."
"No, thanks. I'd rather be wet than a human icicle."
"Come on," Isaac said. "We have to pass whatever test we're supposed to pass in here and find out whatever we're supposed to hear from Nyunpa." The others nodded, and they crossed the ice bridge back to the pillar with the writing on it, and in a very creative way rode the next log across to a path that led them under an overhang and into the next large cavern.
***************
Vil: Think I took long enough?
Kaede: Yes.
Avaria: That I do.
Vil: Avaria, you've been watching too much TV.
Avaria: That I have.
Vil: ARGH! Anyway…here is the magic arrow for you! The next chapter takes us deep into the Fuchin Falls Cave. Be ready—there is indeed a test in store for our Adept friends.
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