Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum! . . . What? Oh, yes, It's me, SirGecko again with the lucky 7th chapter. Oh, yes . . . I know that all of you are going to like this one. Yes I do.
I want to thank the reviewers who sent me reviews for chapter 6, and the ones before. Your motivation is what made me update. It was enough, but I need more. So, please review . . .
Yes, yes, I know, dammit. I gotta do that stupid disclaimer. Okay, here goes. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, Saturos, Menardi, Karst, Agatio, and Alex would not have died. I think they're cool.
Okay, I think that's pretty much everything of importance. Onto chapter 7!
Chapter 7: Confessions
Everyone emerged on deck a few moments later, blankets in their arms (Garet had his over his head). Isaac took the Black Orb and guided the ship as safely as he could onto the beach in front of them.
The ship was literally listing to one side from the force of the wind. The sails could be head snapping through the air as the wind smashed against them, with a force so great that it could . . . well, list a Lemurian ship.
Mia lowered the rope ladder, and everyone descended onto the frozen, snow-covered earth of Tundaria. The snow had to be at least a foot deep. Everyone who had not had blankets over their heads on board the ship now threw them on. The blankets warmed them up well, but nobody got their hopes up. They knew that their trek to the Luna Lighthouse was just beginning.
As soon as the blankets were over their heads, the weather seemed to get angrier. The wind, which had already been rather strong, started to howl, nipping at the exposed bits of flesh of Isaac's group. To make matters worse, the snow started to blow everywhere, reducing visibility and making everything that much colder.
"From here, we continue southeast!" shouted Lunora. "We'll come up on some mountains in awhile. We'll stop for a minute once we come up to the base of them!"
She waved at the direction of the mountains through the armhole of her blanket, which was gray. And with that, they all set off, Lunora in the lead.
It was slow work. The wind and snow blowing in their face hampered their progress. After just a few minutes, their noses were freezing, their lips were chapped, and their eyes were dry.
"Dammit! I hate this!" shouted Garet. No one heard him; the wind was howling too loudly.
Even though it was only midday, the sky was nearly black as though night had already laid its black blanket over the world. As they all trudged slowly further south, the snow fell harder and faster, relentless sheets of freezing air and snow blowing in their face.
Isaac glanced over at Mia to see how she was doing without a blanket. Red streaks ran down from her lips, and Isaac began to feel blood dribbling down his chin as well. Her face also looked numb from the cold. Isaac decided to go without for awhile.
"Mia!" he roared over the wind. She nodded her head to show that she was listening. "Take the blanket!" he yelled, ripping it off his head after he freed his arms and tossing it to Mia. She grabbed it gratefully and threw it over her head.
"Monsters ahead!" Solaris's faint voice shouted.
Isaac squinted as best he could with his dry eyes, and indeed there were monsters. Five fierce polar-bear looking beasts, galloping towards them, snarling. The only way Isaac spotted them was through their evil red eyes glinting in the little light available.
"I'll handle this!" shouted Garet, charging forward. He met the monsters head-on, swinging his Giant Axe. He managed to slice two of the polar bears' heads off. They rolled away across the snow, leaving a streak of blood behind them.
One of the polar bears then attacked. Garet dodged. The second used a Poison Fang. Garet got a nasty bite on his left arm, but not enough poison was but into his bloodstream to have any effect on him. The third bear just defended itself.
Garet had a sudden Idea. "Pyroclasm!" he roared. Four flows of volcanic lava erupted underneath the polar bears. Not only did this destroy the remaining bears, but the heat from the lava warmed up the air around them. The ground in the area melted, the group was warmed up, and all snow within the area turned to rain.
"Good idea, Garet," said Solaris, coming up to him and thumping him on the back.
Mia came up to him next and healed his bite.
"Well, now that's taken care of, we must proceed! We'll be coming up on the base of the mountains here shortly!" shouted Lunora, her silvery hair like a shaking horizontal fan in the wind.
Now that Garet's Pyroclasm was over, it was snowing again, and the wide holes in the ground where the origin of the fire was had started to become white already. The air around them was once again colder than ever. But they pressed on. Isaac was starting to feel the effects of not having a blanket. But, he didn't feel like he needed it yet. The snow was so bad now that they could barely see 10 feet in front of themselves.
"Good news! We've finally reached the base of the mountains!" shouted Lunora, sounding happier than she had been for hours.
Everyone cheered. They knew that they were at the base of the mountains too, not because they could see them coming, but because the wind died down significantly and the snow didn't blow as much.
"Well, we know that the storm is originating from the south," said Solaris.
"Luna is angry," muttered Lunora so that no one but herself could hear. "Maybe someone in Tundris knows why . . . If I were still there, I probably would know by now . . ."
Now that the weather was a good deal calmer, everyone took this opportunity to sit down on the snowy ground to rest.
However, just because the mountains shielded them somewhat from the wind and snow, it did not shelter them from the cold. So, in order to help solve this problem a little, Garet lit a blaze in his hands so that everyone could warm up for a bit before they set off again. It was much appreciated, and it gave everyone more strength. But eventually, it was time to go.
"The cave is only a few minutes away from here," said Lunora, still sounding happy.
They followed the mountain range West for about 10 minutes, and then saw a small hole in the base of them about two feet wide.
"This is it," said Lunora. "It hasn't been covered entirely by the snow yet. I think we can squeeze in."
She went in first, followed by Ivan. Then, Isaac and Mia went inside, and lastly Garet and Solaris.
Isaac noticed that it was slightly warmer inside the cave, but very dark. What he liked most about it though was that it prevented any snow from blowing in his face and any wind from howling in his ears anymore.
Garet, noticing the problem of not being able to see anything, cupped his pam, and a spurt of fire arose, its light flickering about the now-visible walls of the cave.
"That's better," said Garet. "I can keep this going for a while, but it would help if we hurried. I wand to be ft for the battle at the top of the lighthouse."
"Good idea," said Solaris.
Lunora, meanwhile was looking around. "This is where we'll stay for awhile," she said. "This is as good a place as any."
"I'm starving!" said Garet loudly. "Who wants food?"
Everyone raised their hands.
"Okay!" said Garet, sounding happy at the fact that he wasn't the only one who was hungry. "Here's some chicken . . . oh, dammit. It's frozen!" he said, sounding thoroughly disappointed.
"Well, I guess you'll have to start a fire," said Solaris.
"Garet's not going to have enough energy to keep it going for the whole stay here," said Isaac. "I'll go look for some wood."
"I'll come with," said Mia, taking off their blanket. Snow scattered all over. "If there are monsters out there, you'll need someone to fight them besides yourself."
"Okay, then!" said Isaac, with a loud, cheery farewell, they set off together down a dark passage.
"Wait!" shouted Lunora. She came running up to them, holding a piece of parchment. "You'll need this. It's a map I drew a long time ago of the passages in the cave. You won't want to get lost in here. You'll never come out."
"Thanks, Lunora," said Mia, taking the map from her.
"I've marked where we are on the map," said Lunora. It's best if you mark the trail that you take, just as an extra precaution."
"Okay, will do," said Isaac. "Thanks for the advice."
"Not a problem," said Lunora, hurrying away.
Mia studied the map that Lunora had given them. "I see what she means when she says that you won't come out again if you don't have a map," she said. "Look."
Isaac glanced at the map, and saw that she was quite right. The trails wound, looped, climbed, and twisted all over the place. Thankfully, he noticed, the one they were taking was relatively straight-forward.
They walked along their selected path for 10 minutes without saying anything. Then, something odd suddenly struck him.
"Mia? Could you help me figure something out?" said Isaac, taking the map from Mia.
"Sure," said Mia, smiling at him.
"Why the Hell are we going to look for wood in a cave?"
"I heard Lunora talking to Ivan about how there were some tree monsters in here," Mia replied slowly. "Maybe we have to kill a couple of them."
"Heh, no sweat," said Isaac confidently.
Mia smiled at him and took his hand into hers. It felt so warm and soft, despite the cold they had just gone through. In her other hand, she clutched her Crystal Rod, and in Isaac's free hand held the map.
"So, are you starting to warm up?" asked Isaac.
She grinned, and withdrew her hand from Isaac's. She instead put it around his waist. "That's better," she said happily.
*******
Garet was pacing around the floor. He and Ivan had just spent the last five minutes collecting rocks, and placing them in a circular pattern, for the rim of the campfire. He was now waiting for Isaac's and Mia's return with the wood. It had been 15 minutes since they left. With each pace, he became grumpier and grumpier as he got hungrier and hungrier.
"Gaah!" he shouted in frustration.
"Calm down, man!" said Solaris, looking slightly surprised. "We made good time when we traveled. They have plenty of time to look!"
"Yeah, they do," grumbled Garet. "But I'm starving!"
"You're way too impatient," said Solaris, shaking his head.
"Yeah, well, I'm not the only one who's hungry! Who knows what Isaac and Mia are using all that extra time for? Probably-"
"Garet, they'll be back soon," said Solaris, intentionally cutting him off. "Now stop pacing, before you slip, fall, and crack your head open on your drool." Both Garet and Solaris laughed at this.
Meanwhile, Ivan and Lunora were passing the time by playing 20 questions. Ivan was Guessing what Lunora was thinking, and he wasn't doing too well.
"Is it alive?" asked Ivan after a minute.
"Yes," said Lunora. "You have two questions left.
"Uh . . .is it in the cave?" he asked.
"Yes, it is," she said.
"Man! How am I gonna guess it with only one question left?" said Ivan grumpily. Lunora giggled.
Ivan had a sudden idea. He focused his palm at Lunora, the actions of a Mind Read. This is what he read:
'Hee hee . . .nice try Ivan. You can't pull that one on me!'
Ivan stopped, disappointed, and looked over at Lunora. She was grinning in a triumphant sort of way.
"Oh, dammit. I give up. What is it?" he asked.
"You!" said Lunora, still grinning.
*******
Isaac and Mia had made very little progress in their search for wood. They did find one tree-monster, but it happened to be a coward, and it ran away as soon as it saw Isaac and Mia approach. But it wasn't as though Isaac and Mia were busy. Plenty of other monsters challenged them, only to be defeated soundly.
"Stupid monsters," Isaac grumbled. "Just when we want to meet a specific one, it doesn't come. Just our luck."
"And it's about to get worse, I think," said Mia, sounding scared.
"How could it possibly get any . . .oh, Venus!"
For there stood in front of them . . .a tree-monster. A tree-monster as tall as the tallest trees in Mogall Forest . . .and boy did it look pissed.
"We're gonna have to get clever here," said Mia. "So, since it's resistant to your Psynergy, we should switch roles. I'll attack, and you heal.
"Agreed," said Isaac. The tree-monster gave a roar, and Isaac and Mia prepared for battle.
However, they soon found out that the tree-monster wasn't as tough as it looked. It had a mean swipe though, and a ton of health.
"Man, if only Garet was here," said Isaac though clenched teeth. The stinging from the numerous cuts on his arms was becoming almost unbearable. "He'd burn the crap out of this thing, and we would have been done five min- ahhh!" he screamed, as the tree-monster's branches, sharp as knives, cut into his arm again. He cast Potent Cure on himself, and the cuts were healed completely.
"Are you doing okay?" he asked Mia, looking over to see if she needed healing. However, he paid dearly for this lapse in concentration. With one mighty swipe, the tree-monster into the cave wall. His head smacked against the wall. He slumped to the floor and knew no more.
*******
Isaac opened his eyes, his vision bleary. He soon noticed that he had a major headache, and he had a lump on the back of his head that was slowly swelling to the size of the Mars Star.
He then saw Mia kneeling over him, looking very concerned. "Oh good, you're awake!" she said, putting her arms around him.
"Where's the tree-monster?" asked Isaac, his head now throbbing.
"I finished it off just after you got knocked out," said Mia. Then she brightened a little. "Hey, at least I know you don't have amnesia!"
Isaac chuckled slightly and then frowned. "Dammit, how come I'm always the one that gets knocked out?"
Mia laughed into his ear, and then opted a change of subject. "On a lighter note, look at all the wood we've got for dinner!"
Isaac looked over at where the giant tree-monster once stood. Now, it looked like a wooden boulder that had just gotten there. It had ice shards hanging from its leaves.
"You know, I don't think we need that much wood," said Isaac.
"You're right," agreed Mia. "It'd be a pain to carry back.
"We'll just cut off its foot, then," said Isaac, starting to snicker.
Mia giggled too. Her arms were still around Isaac.
"Well, I think we'd better get going," said Isaac. Mia released her grip on his waist. "Sorry, but we'd better hurry. Garet's probably going nuts right now."
*******
Isaac was quite right. Garet was going nuts. He paced back and forth, still drooling slightly at the prospect of chicken.
'If its ever going to come,' he thought irritably. Just what the Hell was taking Isaac and Mia so long?
Just then, when Garet was starting to get extremely annoyed, he heard footsteps approaching. He looked over and saw that Isaac and Mia were coming down the passageway. They had enough wood in their arms to supply the fire for two nights.
"About bloody time!" snapped Garet as they approached. They glared at him.
"Ah, they're back!" said Ivan gratefully. He and Lunora stood up.
"It's a good thing you're back," chuckled Solaris. "Garet was mumbling nonstop for at least 10 minutes.
"Hey!" shouted Garet indignantly. "You can't prove anything!"
"Yes, I can," said Ivan, putting his palm down.
Garet looked livid. His hand had ignited. "Damn you Ivan, if you read my mind one more time-"
"Garet, settle down," scolded Mia.
"Yeah man, save your energy for the fire," said Solaris.
Isaac and Mia dropped the wood onto the floor with a loud clatter. Isaac then threw some of the wood into the circle of rocks. Garet made to light with his hand, but he was a little overenthusiastic. He burned it to nothingness in less than a second. Isaac shook his head, and threw some more wood into the circle. This time, Garet flicked his wrist slightly, and the logs erupted in flames.
Ivan pulled a pan from his pack and set it above the logs on some propped-up rocks. Garet took out the very slightly thawed chicken and threw it into the pan. It made a very loud sizzling sound. Because the fire was "Garet Enhanced", the chicken was done in only a few minutes.
It wasn't as good as everyone had hoped, but it was food. Garet apparently hadn't taken Isaac's advice, and was wolfing down his chicken as though it would be his last meal.
"Lunora, I was just thinking," said Mia, "that you haven't told us much about your past. Would you mind giving us a little dinner conversation?"
"Sure, why not?" said Lunora, putting down her chicken leg. "Well, like I said before, Tundris is my hometown. I soon became-"
"How old are you?" cut in Garet.
"Let her talk," said Isaac dismissively.
"No, it's okay," said Lunora. "I'm 21 years old, Garet. Anyway, at a young age, I soon became very interested in the lighthouse south of town. The townspeople and my parents soon learned that I was also quite skilled in wielding the powers of the moon. So, the council, influenced by my parents, appointed me to be the Guardian of the lighthouse. I was only 11.
"I accepted this job with pride. It was my dream at the time, to use my power for something other than practice. To serve the goddess Luna by protecting the sole structure that represented her. I was highly respected by all the townspeople.
"Eventually, after a few years, I became quite bored with my position. I had so much power, more than some of the eldest council members, and I wasn't using them for anything. Sure, I guarded the lighthouse with them, but I never actually used them.
"I started voicing my opinion to some of my best friends, a group of girls who had a level of power similar to mine, though I had the most. We were young and foolish back then. Anything to please only ourselves . . .and we always had to be right . . .
"Eventually, after a couple more years, I became quite frustrated. I started writing about my frustration in a journal that I always kept, rather than just voicing how I felt. One day, when my parents were in my room to see where I had gone, they noticed my journal lying open on my desk. My parents were strict and especially nosy, so, they looked at my latest entry, which unfortunately for me, vented my feelings about everything quite clearly. They saw my thoughts about the position of Guardian of the Luna Lighthouse. I was out with my boyfriend partying. He was a Mercury Adept named Alex-"
"What?!" yelled Garet. "Alex?"
"You mean, the Alex that we met on top of the Jupiter Lighthouse?" asked Mia.
"Hm, no wonder he looked familiar," said Lunora vaguely. "Anyway, when I came home from the party with Alex, my parents confronted me on the issue of the Luna Lighthouse. They were furious with me. And I was with them. I said that they should never have been looking in my journal in the first place, while they maintained fully that it didn't matter whether they did or not, and that I had disgraced and shamed the town. I said that they were the only ones disgraced, and told them that they weren't the only people in this town. I then called them some extremely nasty names, and barricaded myself in my room.
"They were so angry after this, that they dismissed me from my position as Guardian of the Luna Lighthouse. I didn't mind this. In fact, if anything, I was glad. What I didn't like were the sneering faces that some of the townspeople gave me. I only had my closest friends, Alex, and a few people who were convinced of my side of the story to look to for a friendly face. Then, my parents did something that changed my life forever."
"What was that?' asked Ivan. He didn't think the answer was going to be good.
"They went behind my back and convinced the council to banish me from Tundris altogether," said Lunora acidly.
"What?! Oh, that's terrible! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Mia.
"Don't apologize Mia, I really don't need your pity," said Lunora, smiling slightly at her. "I'm okay with it now. But back then, I was devastated. So were my friends, and especially Alex. Some of the townspeople who didn't think that decision was fair tried to fight back, but my parents and the council had too much power. They kept their decision to remove me.
"So, facing the worst, I finally decided to search for another place to live. Most people rejected my letters after hearing why I was asking them. Alex, by this time, couldn't stand watching me search in vain for a new place to live. He left town for good. This made things a whole lot worse for me, and I hated him for not staying by my side while I was in trouble."
"Why didn't he offer for you to go with him?" asked Isaac. He was leaned over from his position on the floor, the better to hear.
"Well . . . because he was too overcome with grief . . . but that still doesn't excuse his leaving me," she said in a flat, expressionless voice.
"Oh of course," said Isaac. "We knew that."
"But mainly, I think the reason was that when he left, he had go idea where he was going to go either. Last I heard, I mean, before we met on top of Jupiter Lighthouse, he went to Imil," added Lunora.
"You're right," said Mia. "He, like me, was assigned to protect the Mercury Lighthouse."
"Oh, I see," said Lunora. "Anyway, after Alex left, I finally found a home in Prox, where I met Solaris. We've been good friends ever since.
"And that's basically my life story," she finished.
"Have you heard from your parents since you left?" asked Garet.
"No I haven't, and even if I did, I wouldn't give a damn about anything they said," said Lunora acidly.
"Oh, I see. So, after you left . . . Mia, is something the matter?" asked Isaac.
"Wha . . . oh! No, nothing," said Mia faintly, jerking out of a stupor.
"Yes, there was something-"
"Shouldn't we get a little rest before we continue on to Tundris?" said Mia, cutting Isaac off. This convinced Isaac that she was indeed hiding something.
"Yes, good idea, Mia," said Solaris. "It's time for a little shuteye. Since we made good time getting to the cave, we have a couple of hours before we have to go. Sleep now, because I don't think we'll have time until we get back to the ship."
And so, everyone set about, getting ready for bed. Ivan, Solaris, and Lunora slept on one side of the cavern, and Isaac, Garet, and Mia slept on the other side. Garet soon fell asleep, the sound of his snores reverberating around the stone walls of the cavern. Ivan, Solaris, and Lunora managed to fall asleep, but Isaac and Mia stayed awake, Isaac because he was wondering what Mia was hiding, and Mia because she couldn't block out Garet's snores. Isaac saw that Mia was awake, and he decided to try again.
"Mia, please tell me what's the matter," said Isaac.
"I don't want to tell you," said Mia quietly. "You won't like what I say."
"I won't mind, I swear," said Isaac, scooting closer and putting his arms around her.
"You swear? You absolutely swear?' asked Mia seriously.
"Absolutely," said Isaac in his sincerest voice.
"Okay, I'll tell you," said Mia uncertainly. Several minutes passed before she spoke again.
"I was . . . once . . . in love with . . . Alex."
"W-what?!"
*********************
Now that's a cliffhanger if I ever saw one.
Ooh, bad call for Mia . . . she's got some explaining to do. I wonder how Isaac's gonna take it in the next chapter . . . oh, we'll just have to wait and see. ^_^.
I know that you'll probably want chapter 8 soon. So if that be the case, Review! If not, don't be surprised to see little geckos on your bedcovers carrying little flamethrowers. Just kidding . . . but you will hear from them if you don't review.