As Luck Would Have It
A/N: Many apologies for this taking so long—several things, not all of them good, happened in succession and delayed this chapter. One of those things is the OSP—yes, that was a shameless plug. Another of those things is an all-out computer revolt (it doesn't like me, I swear), and that's part of the delay. The third thing…well, that one's a surprise ;). I realize some of you have been waiting fo this for a long time and I'm really sorry it took so long but DT came first. So, belated responses to the reviewers…
Midnight: Aaaaahhh! You're the first review for the chapter! (And I won't even bug you about OSP, because you sent it.) Everyone seemed to love the Corona exchange, actually. I'd hoped they would anyway. Hehehe.
Griffinkhan: How is it you always figure out these…things that I've been missing? Alright, suppose Ivan reads Zoe's mind, but someone's definitely trying to keep them both out, so a similar thing happens to him (sound familiar?)? And Ivan or one of the others would have to think of it first. It is a good idea, yes, but I do have my reasons. You'll see…it'll all come together in the end.
DimelessPoet: *blush* Thanks for the compliment…since I know you love Isaac to pieces, I'll try and write this fast for ya ;).
General Failure: No, somehow I think Ivan will still blurt out the occasional accidental prophecy. But he can make a valiant attempt, right? …Ok, maybe not…
Jupiter Sprite: Well…I can probably tell you, actually. "Yes," was Mia, "Of course!" was Garet, "Yeah," was Zoe, and, it being a cave, "Like we have a choice," was Ivan. He doesn't like caves.
Now, on to the chapter!!! (Almost filled a whole page with the dang review responses…not that I mind, I like reviews…Akiko! Elena! Where were ya???)
Chapter Twenty-Five: Prophecy by Mistake
"Ivan," said Garet, squinting into the half-dark of Altin Mine.
"Yes?" Ivan answered, peering into the gloom as well. Neither of them was exactly sure what they'd just seen, but neither also wanted to be the first to admit they might have seen it. It would sound as though they were crazy.
"You didn't see it use Psynergy or climb the ladder? Because I didn't," Garet added hastily.
"Neither did I," Ivan agreed with a nod.
After a few moments' silence, Isaac stepped between them, heading for the ladder. "Well, since it's so obvious neither of you saw it, then by all means let's follow it," he said with a smile.
"What's with him?" Ivan questioned.
"It's a cave," said Mia, sighing and following Isaac. "He's a Venus Adept. Poof, like magic, only a bit more believable." Ivan, Zoe and Garet shared a shrug, then followed Isaac and Mia up the ladder.
One by one they jumped across a frozen pillar, the only way to cross the gap between two sheer-sided rock 'platforms'. Isaac went first and nearly slid off the edge of the ice, jumping at the last possible moment and doing what passed for a forward roll upon reaching the other side.
Garet followed behind, slipping forward and overbalancing, just barely grabbing the edge of the frost pillar as he tumbled over. His fingers quickly found out how painful it was to be hanging by their tips from slick ice.
Muttering to himself about Mercury and all its bad points, he tried several times to pull himself back onto the pillar. On about his fourth try, he succeeded, and wasted no time in standing—and falling over, backwards this time, to land hard on the ground between the high rock where Mia, Zoe and Ivan stood and the pillar.
"Garet? You alright down there?" Zoe called, having just vaulted onto the column herself and thus having a better view than Mia or Ivan.
"Never better," he grunted, standing and determinedly climbing the ladder again, albeit more slowly. "No Mercury-created rock is going to stand in my way," he grumbled, glaring at the frost pillar and taking a flying leap at it, springing off the top of the ice with unusual agility and landing, sliding along until he came to a stop near Isaac.
Ivan slid on the ice as well, but, using his staff as a sort of lever, was able to launch himself to the opposite side. Mia came last, landing on the column without moving an inch. She stood there looking smug for a few moments before joining the rest of them on the opposite ledge.
"Not even funny," muttered Garet almost inaudibly.
"No, not really," Isaac agreed, frowning.
"Don't bother asking, the answer is no."
"Well then, shall—"
"The answer to that is also no," Garet growled. Isaac's eyebrows rose and he took a step back.
"Suit yourself," he said, in an 'as-you-wish' manner.
"Look, there's a sliding thing," said Ivan.
"And our spitting friend down below," added Zoe. "No sense putting it off, I suppose," she added, skidding down the gentle slope and landing behind the giant spitting statue. Ivan and Mia were quick to follow, Isaac behind them and Garet last.
Quite boldly, Ivan walked up behind the statue monster and, using the Blessed Ankh, tapped it on one shoulder. As the beast turned its head, Ivan whispered, "Unleash Zephyr," and all the monster caught sight of were a few lingering particles of violet light.
As it turned to regard the four faces illuminated behind the light, there were simultaneous calls of, "Unleash Granite!" "Unleash Forge!" and, "Unleash Mist!" Flashes of green, red and blue light momentarily blinded the Living Statue, giving Isaac and Zoe the chance to rush in, Arctic Blade and Elven Rapier at the ready, and score two hits. The creature lashed out with its claws, striking at Isaac but scraping uselessly against Granite's barrier. Its tail came around at Zoe, but also slammed only the barrier.
"Plasma!" cried Ivan, a rain of lightning bolts sprouting from his outstretched hand and falling around the Living Statue, striking it several times before dissipating.
"Heat Wave!" Garet quickly followed, sending an onslaught of scorching flames at the beast. It roared in protest, apparently weakest to the fire element. Garet grinned—now this was a fight he could enjoy.
"Ok, so Garet's happy now," Ivan grumbled, ducking as the Living Statue's tail came around for another swipe.
"Better than him angry," Mia put in, not at all oblivious of the fact that Mercury Psynergy would be virtually useless against the creature. Instead, she swung the Witch's Wand around, connecting with the beast at the exact instant she shouted, "Stun Voltage!"
Electricity coursed through the Living Statue, and it roared, lunging forward with its teeth to close its mouth around Mia; the Mercury Adept was looking quite petrified by this time.
"No way," said Zoe angrily, pointing two fingers at the beast. "Charge!" A large fireball whooshed past Garet's head, barely missing his hair, and slammed the Living Statue hard enough to make it let go of Mia. Isaac, once again atop the ledge, frowned.
"Cure Well," he said in Mia's direction, and greenish light flooded the half-dark cavern. Satisfied, Isaac leapt from the ledge and threw out a hand. "Ragnarok!" The Psynergetic sword and Isaac's Arctic Blade hit at the same time, and Isaac landed with a thud on solid stone as the Living Statue faded to grey and then to nothing.
"Well that was interesting," Ivan said after a moment's pause. Crouching, he lifted something from the ground. It was a light blue stone, with an ice-blue light barely twinkling in its depths. "What in the world?"
"A Frost Jewel," said Mist, who was hopping from foot to foot on Mia's head. "It's the only way we can get out of here."
"Is it now? But Mia already knows Frost," Garet pointed out.
"Keep it anyway," said Zap's disembodied voice. "Who knows when it may be useful?"
"How wonderfully refreshing for you to be your old cryptic self," Zoe said tartly. There was a short, crisp laugh from the general direction of her head, and Zoe scowled.
"Ivan, Isaac, do your Djinn act this way?" she asked as they watched the water that had been in the cavern drain away. Mia climbed down a ladder and used Frost on one of the few remaining puddles to create a pillar, and the Adepts crossed it one by one.
"Mine aren't that bad, actually," Isaac said as they waited for Garet, who was last to cross. "They don't complain much or pester about how I do things."
"How can they be annoying?" Ivan asked cheerfully. "Gust loves puzzles, Breeze loves heights, and Zephyr loves adventure."
"Mia?" Zoe asked hopefully.
"Nope, sorry. Only Fizz ever argues, but he's rather old and stuffy and has been since I've known him."
"Old and stuffy!" Fizz's voice protested, and Mia giggled.
"Garet?" Zoe questioned, as he had finally joined the rest of the Adepts. Garet paused in thought as they walked back out of the cavern.
"Can't say so, no. Well, Corona's annoying with the constant questions…that battle was something I never want to have to face again."
"It's starting to look like just your Djinn are troublesome, Zo'," said Ivan. "Or perhaps just Zap. After all, they say age makes a person lose his mind—why shouldn't it be the same for Djinn?"
"I am not old," Zap's voice protested. "I am simply more aged than my naïve counterparts." The villagers were beginning to stare, but they quickly redirected their attention to the moderately lower water levels.
"What do you suppose we do now?" asked Garet, looking over the edge at the half-abovewater roofs and cliff faces.
"There's a mine cart track down there," Isaac said, pointing. "It leads into another part of the mine, I bet. I think we go in there."
"Oh great," Ivan grumbled as they made their way to the next ground level. "More caves."
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"We've been following this track forever," Zoe pointed out, hopping from one wooden crosspiece to the next. "Maybe we should've taken that door back there."
"I had the feeling that I was being told to ignore that door," Ivan mumbled. "Then again, I'd like to ignore any semidark doors in a cave. Heck, ignoring caves altogether would be—"
"Stop complaining," Isaac said cheerfully. Garet grunted. Isaac frowned, but said nothing more.
"Maybe this wasn't even the right entrance to go through," Mia observed, frowning and looking around the room they'd just entered. "Wait, never mind. There's one of those statue things. But…how are we going to reach it?"
"I know how," said Isaac, moving at a fast walk around the perimeter of the room and coming to a stop at one of the sections of cart track. The others quickly caught up to him and stared.
"No. I refuse. Absolutely not." Garet made emphatic gestures to support his refusal, then gasped as quietly as he possibly could.
"Stubborn," Isaac muttered.
"It's old, rusty and probably more dangerous than Saturos," Mia pointed out; another no.
"Well…uh…look, these sorts of things make me edgy, alright?" Ivan said defensively. "I don't even want to be here. Much less ride around in some broken down mine cart!"
"I think it might be fun," Zoe ventured, smiling. Always one for a thrill ride, said a voice from…somewhere. She shrugged off the odd chill she got when she heard that voice speak.
"Hold on for a second," said Mia, and she began to walk along the track until she reached a split, squinting at the two diverting tracks and trying to figure out which one would be the one taken by the cart. Smiling in a very satisfied way, she glanced around for a few seconds and then walked to a switch and pulled on the lever. The rusty tracks squealed and screeched as they changed over. Brushing her hands off, Mia rejoined the others. "There."
"I thought you were against this," Isaac said as he climbed into the mine cart.
"Someone has to be sane around here, might as well be me," Mia said with a shrug, climbing in after Zoe. "Come on Ivan. You too Garet," she added, her voice pleasant but with a touch of iciness that seemed to chill the very air.
"Was she like this in Imil?" Garet asked no one in particular, squeezing into the last available space in the mine cart and sort of squashing Isaac and Ivan in the process.
"Might've been," Ivan offered in a breathless voice, but the rest of his words were cut off as the cart started down the short incline, sped around several turns and, in a moment when every Adept let out a shout, launched into the air above the water created by the Living Statue and landed shakily but safely on the track on the other side.
"Uf," said Ivan, bringing his elbow down onto Garet's back. The Mars Adept yelped again, and Ivan huffed. "Served you right, sitting on me like that," he mumbled, and Garet climbed from the mine cart and glared daggers at Ivan all at once.
"So…another statue fight, huh?" Zoe asked almost casually. She could feel something beginning, like a chain reaction going off, and she wanted to finish whatever it was.
"Hey ugly!" Ivan shouted, and the Living Statue turned around, spied the Adepts, and launched into an attack.
"He's really brave for being so small," Isaac mumbled, drawing the Arctic Blade.
"Lightning zaps water," Zoe said, as though the reason for his bravery were obvious. Isaac paused for a moment, shrugged, and charged headlong to meet his newest challenge.
The Living Statue fired a blast of water at the Adepts, who managed to scatter before anything particularly dangerous happened. Ivan wrung out his wet sleeve and pointed in what he hoped was a gallant way at the giant monster. "Storm Ray!" Bright flashes of lightning shot from Ivan's fingertip and slammed into the thing, knocking it backwards. Cockily, Ivan blew on his finger, then realized he was acting stupid when the tail of the statue knocked him senseless.
Isaac's eyes lit up, and he grinned as something inside him clicked. "Quake Sphere!" he cried, enjoying the earthy light that came out of the ground and almost giggling as he watched the Living statue get tossed around by the earthquake.
"I'm not being outdone this time," Garet said, wishing he'd had the good sense not to refuse Isaac earlier, ignoring his wish and standing up straight, holding out both hands. "Flare Wall!" A raging wall of flames wrapped around the creature and moved in, searing.
"Really. Stealing all the fun," Mia mumbled, unable to do much as it was—Mercury Psynergy used on a Mercury-aligned creature would practically cancel itself out.
Zoe's eyes held a light much the same as Isaac's, and her hands glowed with a light as crimson as Garet's hair. She watched them, felt power run through her and the last of the pieces clicked into place in her mind.
"Magma!" she cried, and molten rock shot forth from her hands, giving the room a soft orange glow, and the Living Statue couldn't avoid the onslaught.
But how? Zoe's mind asked. I don't understand!
In time, you may.
"What?" Zoe asked aloud, but whatever voice had answered her, it was gone now. She watched as Mia's hand made a few intricate motions and a blue light surrounded Garet, who wasted no time in glaring as hard as he possibly could when the only one he could be rightfully mad at was himself, and Isaac and Ivan defied the fact that Venus and Jupiter weren't meant to mix and combined forces, with Ivan's lightning dancing along the Arctic Blade, supercharged by the sword's water alignment. Isaac struck the Living statue and it fell, disintegrating.
"Well that was fun," Ivan said cheerfully. The water drained away, revealing a ladder leading down into the hole where the water had previously been. Ivan took the initiative and grabbed the top of the ladder, swinging himself to the ground and landing with almost perfect balance.
"Why can't he climb like a normal person?" Garet asked no one, following Mia down the ladder. Zoe came next and then Isaac, and the Adepts trooped on into the next room, only to find themselves blocked by a large, immovable rock.
"You know what this means, right?" Isaac asked in a voice that carried the weight of doom.
"Back in the mine cart," Zoe said quietly. All the Adepts groaned.
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"Back-to-back," Isaac said calmly. The other Adepts readily complied, turning their backs to each other and aiming their weapons at their newest opponents. An Ape, two Rat Fighters, a Tarantula and two Slime Beasts surrounded them.
Another shaky, bumpy, terrifying mine cart ride had landed them very close to the next Living Statue, but they'd been ambushed by what Garet referred to as 'generic cave things' before they could reach the water-spewing beast.
"Anyone has any new tricks up their sleeves, now's a good time," Mia muttered. "To state the obvious, we're outnumbered."
"I'm starting to think I should learn how to do magic," Zoe spat, ducking a spear swing from one of the Rat Fighters.
"You already do," Ivan pointed out. Zoe looked at him, and he looked back, and they fought off laughter. Isaac looked at them both and gave an annoyed shrug. There was the sound of metal clanging, and Isaac looked up to find Garet's axe blocking the other Rat Fighter's speartip from impaling his own head.
"Uh, thanks," Isaac offered sheepishly. "Earthquake!"
"Heat Wave!"
"Tundra!"
"Plasma!"
"Storm!"
Psynergy flashed in several colors, each striking a different set of monsters and doing various things that seemed only accomplishable with several Psynergies going off at once. And Isaac grinned as he watched every last one of them fade out and disintegrate.
"A fight with no casualties," he said, satisfied.
"Not on our side, anyway," Zoe added, and the others laughed. Constant battling had made them all extremely adrenaline high. It wouldn't have been entirely true to say they weren't all enjoying it. "I think that's also the fastest fight I've ever had."
"That one with the…no, wait, that took about five minutes more," Ivan corrected himself. "Are we going to take out the next statue thing or not?"
"I'd rather like a rest," Garet commented, and right on cue Isaac began heading for the ladder. "You're no fun," Garet complained.
"Battle's fun," said Mia, lifting her Witch's Wand and smirking evilly, following behind Isaac with a determined bounce to her step.
"Probably doesn't like having monsters that defy the purity of Mercury," Garet muttered to Ivan and Zoe, who giggled. "Or, you know, just wants to beat up on something. She's really…vicious for a healer, isn't she?"
"I heard that," Mia said calmly—the room's temperature didn't even fall. She just continued down the ladder, ready to face the next Living Statue.
The battle went smoothly. Mia was thrown into the water at one point, but pulled herself out in time to catch the end of the Living Statue's tail with the electrified end of her Witch's Wand, shocking it. Garet took the opportunity to unleash Fever, and the monster was surrounded by a cloud of delusion.
"It's about time you remembered us!" said Gust as she was unleashed. Ivan just shrugged. The voices that were often debating various topics in his head—the Djinn—had been awfully quiet recently anyway, and it was doubtful any of the Adepts had noticed that the Djinn were even still existing.
Garet swung his axe and Isaac slashed with the Arctic Blade and the battle was over. "That's it?" asked Garet, looking at where the Living Statue had once stood. "That's the whole battle?"
"Be happy," said Isaac, catching hold of Garet's sleeve and Mia's shoulder as he cast Retreat, taking them back to just inside the entrance to the mine. "It means our Psynergy's stronger." They walked out into the sunlight, orange and red as it had just begun to set, and looked down into bowl-shaped Altin, now empty of water.
"We did it," said Zoe calmly. "Altin isn't flooding anymore. We can keep going."
"Not at night we aren't," said Isaac.
"That's a shock," Ivan muttered sarcastically. "We'd better head for the Inn, then. Er…right? Hello? Mia, come on!" But the Mercury Adept was staring down at another mine track heading into a door, the lowest level of Altin Mine.
"Hey, Mia," Zoe said, coming up beside her. "What's up?"
"There's still something down there," Mia said in a distant voice. "It's not something good, either. It's…a presence. Threatening."
"Let's go on in then," Isaac said with conviction, flicking the end of his scarf behind him and walking—striding, really—down a ladder and back into Altin mine. Garet had, in days past, dubbed this 'the leader strut.'
Once inside, they found a few abandoned mine cart tracks and one with the cart still attached. At the end of a twisting, jumping, abrupt path there was a Mercury Djinni.
"I'm not riding in that again," said Ivan, crossing his arms and backing away. Isaac, who was studying the layout of the track and frowning, nodded.
"Good. Ivan, take the Frost Jewel and go freeze every puddle you see, down here and up there. Garet, move that big, flat-topped rock there about two feet to your left…your other left…Zoe, follow Ivan up and flip the switch so the arrow points to the Djinni. Yes, like that. Good. Mia, you and Garet get in the mine cart and go take on the Djinni," Isaac finished, looking very pleased with himself.
"He's a bit too into the leader mode," Garet muttered as he sat in the back of the mine cart and gripped the sides in pure white-knuckled terror. They reached the Djinni without any major problems, got themselves mixed up and had Isaac, Ivan and Zoe nearly stunned as Mia summoned Tiamat—a giant dragon with breath of flames—and Garet summoned Neptune, a sea serpent that attacked with a violent spray. The battle ended that fast.
"Spritz," said Mia, grinning at the idea that she now was ahead of all of them in number of Djinn, though it was hardly somewhere she wanted to be—all that meant was more voices. Annoying little Djinn voices.
There was a door as well, leading into the next room. The Adepts walked through it and through another, following a twisting path of rocks up and around and up some more to a sign with a log behind it.
"Watch for falling rocks," read Garet. "Do not strike the wall. Rocks may fall. Oh please," he went on, kicking at the sign. "Like we'd ever be afraid of a few little rocks." On cue, a giant rock that brought back horrifying memories of he boulder that had fallen from Mount Aleph three years before tumbled from above, and the Adepts ran, leaping and jumping over smaller rocks and whipping around other ones. They had almost made it when the rock clipped Zoe's shoulder, and she was sent tumbling down with it. There was a loud crash and the ground shook.
When it stopped, Isaac crawled to the edge and peered over. A giant hole had been made in the ground, with bent and twisted mine tracks leading down into it. Neither the giant rock nor Zoe were anywhere in sight.
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That's the end of this chapter. I bet it was much better than chapter 24, yes? I'd agree if you said yes. Longer too. And a cliffhanger!
You know, I never realized how much was in Altin Mine until I had to write about it.
Till next time!
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