Ha haaaa! Yeah, it's me, SirGecko, back with smacker number 20. Twenty chapters! Can you believe it?! Probably.
Okay, I'd like to start off by thanking all of the reviewers. Your support is greatly appreciated, all of you. Every single one. Give yourself a round of applause. Do it! *calls Geckos, and suddenly hears much applauding* That's what I thought. Anyway, you deserve it. Because . . . I've gotten over 100 now! YAY! And I'm hoping for 100 moree before this story is over!
Now, I just completed this chapter tonight . . . and it's 11 1/2 pages long, so count yourself lucky. It's a big one, and this is only a few days after the last update.
I think that's everything of importance. Now, onto number 20!
Chapter 20: The Fury of the Elements
A minute or so later, Lunora and Mia came rushing on deck. They looked tired, but alert. They also looked nervous too. They didn't yet know what the deal was with the ringing of the bell.
"What's going on?" asked Lunora, brushing some of her silvery hair out of her face.
"Look at the sky, it says all," said Solaris.
She did so. Apparently, both she and Mia knew about the old sailors' saying, and their nervous expressions intensified as well.
"Well, this ship can withstand a lot," said Mia. "So, if we just tie everything down, and bring in all the light stuff . . ."
"That's a good idea," said Isaac, trying to meet her gaze. She looked away, though.
"Well, we may as well get started," said Ivan. "Hey, wait a minute. Where are we gonna put all this stuff? All that's accessible now are our cabins."
"Well . . ." said Isaac, thinking hard. "We'll just have to split it up. We'll all put some into our cabins. There's really not that much, is there?"
"Well, there's the rope ladder, some rope, and some repairing supplies, and . . . not much else," commented Garet, looking quickly around the deck.
"Okay, that works out even more," said Isaac.
"We can take the stuff, since we have the largest cabin," said Lunora, walking to the back of the ship, and taking the rope ladder.
"That's great," said Isaac, grabbing the repair equipment.
"Don't bring in the rope, we'll need that to tie everything down," said Mia.
"Right," acknowledged Solaris, starting to sort out the rope.
"What can I do?" asked Isaac.
"Nothing," said Mia. "Just go down and sleep. You need it."
Not wanting to say anything that might anger her more, he did as he was told wordlessly and proceeded down the steps to the cabin deck. He shut himself in his cabin, and sat down with a *flump* on his cot.
He couldn't sleep. Not with all the things on his mind. Mainly Mia and the approaching storm, and also about the battle that would ensue on the Sol Lighthouse. And the lighthouse itself . . . what would the element who created all the Common Elements have to throw at them? He found himself thinking that he didn't want to know.
After another few painfully silent minutes, he heard a knock at his cabin door. Hoping for one instant that it was Mia, he leapt up and hurried to the door. He opened it, but it wasn't Mia who was looking back at him from the hallway. It was Ivan.
"Oh . . . hey, Ivan," said Isaac, disappointed that it was not Mia, and yet grateful to have someone at his door.
"Isaac, can I talk to you?" said Ivan, quite seriously, in fact.
"Uh . . . sure," said Isaac slowly and uncertainly, and he stepped back to let Ivan into his cabin.
Ivan went and sat down on Isaac's bed, then turned to face Isaac. "I want to know . . . is everything okay between you and Mia?"
"Fine, just fine," Isaac lied.
"Yeah, okay. The truth now, please," said Ivan.
"That is the truth!" said Isaac indignantly.
"Look. You can tell me the truth yourself, or I can read your mind to find out that way," said Ivan. "Now, I'd prefer you tell me, since I don't like to offend anyone by peering into their minds. Except Garet, he's full of . . . mushy thoughts about Jenna, but I won't go there. So, do you want to tell me, or do I find out for myself?"
Isaac knew he was caught. This was why it was impossible to hide secrets from a Jupiter Adept. So, he decided to quit lying and tell the truth.
"Okay, then, if you really want to know. Mia and I . . . well, we sorta had an argument, and she's angry at me. . . . Wait a minute. You were on deck when this happened! How did you not notice?"
"Hmm, I must have been too tired to pick anything of that sort up," said Ivan. "Anyway, go on."
So, Isaac told Ivan all about the argument, and about the talk he had with his Djinn. Ivan listened silently, occasionally asking a question or two. He kept a straight face the whole time, not looking surprised or worried at all. It was like trying to stare down a fish.
"I see," said Ivan. "Well, I can't offer you any advice, since your Djinn have given all the good stuff to you already. But, she'll cool down. She's not gonna hate you for this."
"Wow," said Isaac in mock surprise. "Ivan, looking at the bright side of things for once?"
Ivan smiled. "I'm just doing it for you," he said. "In all seriousness, this shouldn't last long."
"Well, thanks for your encouragement," said Isaac.
"Anytime," said Ivan, clapping Isaac on the shoulder and getting up. "Well, I'd better get out there and help."
"Okay," said Isaac, stepping aside so that Ivan could exit. "Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes?"
"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to Garet. You can tell the others, but if Garet gets wind of this . . . well, I just don't wanna risk it. Okay?"
"Fine," said Ivan, and he left, shutting the door gently behind him.
Isaac sighed again, and looked out of his cabin window. Since it was facing the north, he had to look out the left side of it. He could see the orange sun and clouds becoming less so, but he'd read some books on sailing when he was a kid. So, judging by the looks of the storm, it would be on them by nightfall.
*******
It was sunset now. Sol was dipping below the horizon to the west, or so Isaac and company guessed. The sun was blocked by a mass of large, black, angry clouds. They could hear the thunder rumbling in the distance, and the wind was picking up. It made the ship list even more than with just the water. And it was starting to get rough too.
Everyone was now sitting on deck, watching the clouds roll in, listening to the thunder, and enjoying the cool breeze that was flowing.
"I'm getting hungry again," said Garet.
"We're all hungry," said Ivan. "Not just you. Who knows? Maybe that storm that we run into will throw a fish on deck. Then, if we survive, we can cook it."
"Not if, Ivan, when," said Mia. "We'll live. I know it."
"Okay," said Ivan, still skeptical.
"We should be going inside in a few minutes," said Isaac. "Things are starting to get rough."
"I'm already cold," said Garet, wrapping his arms around his torso and running through the door leading belowdecks.
"Well, since Mr. Mars has decided to bail, we'd better get in too," said Ivan, getting up. Lunora giggled, and followed him through.
Solaris followed, then Mia, and finally Isaac. He tried to get Mia to look at him, but she looked away. He could see weakness overtaking her though, and knew it was only a matter of time until she spoke to him about the matter. Or maybe, he was the one who should do the speaking . . .
But there wasn't time for that. For as soon as Isaac stepped through the door leading down to the lower decks, he was knocked against the wall by a giant wave. He wasn't the only one. Mia let out a small shriek of surprise before being slammed against the wall too. To Isaac's surprise, she fell into his arms.
"Uh . . . are you okay?" asked Isaac.
"Fine, thanks," said Mia shortly, hoisting herself out of Isaac's grasp.
She proceeded to go into her cabin and shut the door behind her, leaving Isaac feeling rather hopeless, despite himself.
'She just has a lot on her mind,' he thought, in an effort to cheer himself up. 'The storm, our argument, the quest . . . it'll die down. . . . Won't it?'
"Hey, Isaac!" said Garet.
"Yeahwha?" said Isaac, snapping out of his reverie.
"The rain's started," he said simply. "And so has the wind."
"Yeah, I noticed," said Ivan sarcastically, poking his head as well out of his own cabin door. "I only almost landed on my own sword."
"Well, I'd say we're in for some rough weather," said Garet. "Are you sure this ship won't capsize?"
"Oh, come on Garet, this is a Lemurian ship!" said Ivan exasperatedly. "The Lemurians built them for their own swift currents and whirlpools. Do you think an ocean storm is gonna turn us over?"
"Well . . . I guess you're right," said Garet. "But I'm nervous."
"I am too Garet, I am too," said Ivan, in a much more soothing voice than normal.
"Heh, don't forget me," said Isaac, raising his hand.
"And me," piped in Solaris, having just stepped out of his own cabin.
"Me too," said Lunora, coming out of her cabin.
"Where's Mia? She's been awfully quiet this last day," said Solaris. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine," said Isaac quickly. "She's just got a lot on her mind."
It was only a half-lie. It was true that she did have a lot on her mind, but she was also angry at Isaac. But, Isaac didn't think it necessary for Garet, Solaris, and Lunora to know. Even though Solaris had said to come talk to him if ever Isaac or Mia needed to, back in that cave on Tundaria,
but Isaac didn't think it necessary for both Ivan and Solaris to know. He was surprised, in fact, that Ivan hadn't told anybody at all.
"Oh, okay," said Solaris. "Just as long as she's not ill."
"It'd have to be a pretty bad sickness for her not to be able to heal it," said Ivan lightly. Solaris smiled at this.
"That's quite true," said Solaris.
"Yes, she has the best healing abilities that I have ever seen in my life, even better than my own," said Lunora. "I bet she can even cure deadly diseases, ad that's almost impossible."
"Well, I'd bet you anything- aaaaah!" said Isaac, crying out when another powerful wave sent not only him, but Lunora and Ivan as well, crashing to the floor.
"Well, that was refreshing," mumbled Ivan into the floorborads as he heaved himself back up.
"Very much so," said Lunora, getting to her feet with the help of Ivan. Solaris and Garet just laughed.
"I'm sorry, but I have to say this. That, right there, was funnier 'n Hell. You all sort of just collapsed."
"How would being a shish-kabob suit you?" growled Ivan, raising a palm. "I think that'd be funnier 'n Hell, too."
"Oh come on," said Garet, while Solaris just chuckled.
The next wave not only sent everyone crashing to the floor this time, even Garet, but there was a splintering of wood outside that didn't sound good at all to Isaac. He hurried to his feet, climbed the stairs, and bolted out the door into the deluge outside.
"We should help him! Come on, let's go!" said Ivan, pushing past Garet and following Isaac out into the rain.
"That's a good idea," said Solaris. "Come on, Garet and Lunora. Let's get this over with! The less time we have to spend out there, the better."
And so Garet, Solaris and Lunora followed the rest out into the rain. And the instant they stepped outside, they became soaked. Waves were rather high, and the crests came halfway up the side of the boat.
"The dragon head is cracking!" shouted Isaac above the wind and rain. "Garet and Solaris, help me by protecting me from the wind, so I can patch it up! Lunora, there's a rope blowing around at the back of the ship! Use it to tie these crates down!"
"Got it!" she called, and she slowly and steadily ran aft.
"What's so important about the dragon head, anyway? Isn't it just a figurehead?" asked Garet.
"No! It's what balances the front and the back of the ship! If that thing goes, we go!" shouted Isaac. "Now help me! I've gotta patch it up!"
"Okay, but how?" asked Solaris. "How can we hold it up without putting any weight on it?"
Isaac, or any of the others, could barely even see their hands in front of them. The only relief that they got was when flashes of lightning occurred, and they could see where they were standing or who or what they were facing.
"Solaris! Garet! Ivan! You've gotta hold the head in place while I nail it together with some spires!" shouted Isaac.
"I don't have any strength to do something like that!" said Ivan.
"You do if Garet and Solaris help you! How hurry up! One more wave could put that thing in the ocean!"
So, Garet, Ivan and Solaris quickly found a piece of rope with a large hook attacked to it, and threw it over the front of the boat. They missed, because a sudden gust of wind bucked it to the right. So, trying it a second time, they managed to snag the hook on the dragon's chin, holding it up.
"Good! Now pull! Don't let it fall into the water! I'll climb on top and patch it up!" shouted Isaac.
Isaac then carefully climbed onto the head. His body, suspended only by the head, which could easily tumble into the Great Eastern Sea, taking Isaac with it, left Garet, Ivan, and Solaris breathless with anxiety. But, they pulled harder, now supporting the weight of both the cracking dragon head and Isaac.
"Hurry up! I don't know how much longer I can hold this!" said Garet through clenched teeth.
"Just another minute longer, Garet! I've got two spired in place, now I need to get two more!" shouted Isaac. A pause. "There! I just nailed in the third, but this last one is gonna be difficult! It's on the underside of the head!"
"Oh, Mars. I don't think I can hold on anymore . . ." said Garet. "If I don't get some help, I'll slip."
"No, you won't!" shouted Ivan. "We've gotta hold on!"
"I'm out of strength," said Garet. "It's slipping-"
But just then, he felt a tug behind him. Mia had just appeared, and was pulling on the rope with all her might. Her presence bought Isaac enough time to get the last spire nailed in place, and slide back on deck. Once he did so, he collapsed.
"Are you okay?" asked Solaris immediately.
"It's not about physical strength this time," Isaac panted. "It's about the nerves. The fact that I knew I could, at any time, slip off and be gone."
"Isaac, I'm so-" started Mia, but soon there was a shout from the aft section.
"That's Lunora! She must be in trouble!" said Isaac. "I'd help her, but I need to recover. Any volunteers?"
"I'll do it," said Mia. "I should have been out here sooner, and you've all done your fair share."
And she scampered off to the back, just as another giant wave rocked the boat. She tripped and fell, but got up without any sign that she had fallen, and continued to run until she saw Lunora, struggling to pull out a rope.
"Need some help?" shouted Mia over the wind and rain.
"Yes, thank you," said Lunora, letting go of the rope for a minute. "Every time I get a good hold on it, a box or something falls and catches me off-guard. It's getting extremely frustrating."
"Well, I think we could get this accomplished if we pull together," said Mia.
"I think so too. Now, let's pull!"
Together, they heaved, and after a few minutes of tugging, they were able to pull the rope free. They both used the rope to tie down the boxes lined against the center of the ship. It was tough; another violent wave sent Lunora tumbling over the boxes they were trying to tie down, and if Mia hadn't caught her, she would have been flung over the side of the ship.
After Lunora got up, she went over to her side, and she and Mia finished tying sown all the crates. It was tough, the wetness of both the rope and their hands made tying tight knots difficult. That, and the fact that they couldn't see either.
"It's done! Let's get inside before a wave sends us overboard!" said Lunora, taking off for the front of the ship, Mia following close behind.
"Look, here come Mia and Lunora," said Ivan, pointing to two shadowy figures making their way over to them, their silhouettes outlined by a flash of lightning.
"The crates are tied down!" shouted Mia. "Is there anything else?"
"No!" said Solaris. "Let's get inside!"
They all scampered toward the door, but they were all knocked down by another violent wave. This one reached so far up that the ocean water actually splattered onto them.
"That was close," Isaac said, getting to his feet.
"Too close," added Lunora, making her way to the door.
Eventually, they all managed to get inside. They were cold, windswept, and very wet. They all had jangled nerves, especially Isaac, from having been suspended over the water for such a long period of time.
"I don't think there's anything left to do but to wait it out," said Solaris evenly.
"Fine with me," said Garet, taking off for his cabin, and shutting the door quickly behind him.
"Well, I wish him luck trying to sleep," said Ivan, nodding at Garet's cabin.
"As far as sleeping goes, Garet has ways that I'll never be able to figure out," said Isaac heavily. "But I'm exhausted, too. I'm gonna try to at least shut my eyes."
"That's a good idea," said Lunora, yawning and standing up.
They all made their way to their separate cabins, shutting the doors behind them with a snap. Isaac flopped down onto his cot, still in his soaking-wet clothes, and was somehow able to fall asleep almost instantly.
*******
Mia awoke with a suppressed shriek as a wave hit her side of the ship and knocked her out of bed. Shaken but alright, and hoping her shriek didn't wake any of the others, she saw that the storm was still raging, but sort of feebly, like an angry grandpa. And, looking out her window, she saw the sun rising in a break in the clouds, yellow this time, and shedding light on everything. By the looks of it, the storm was dying out.
Trying to hold back her excitement, she just stood there, hands clasped on her lap, not moving, with a small smile on her face. She wished Isaac were here to enjoy this . . . but, he was probably still sleeping. Too bad.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock on her cabin door. "It's open!" she called.
Lunora entered the room, looking horrible. She was even paler than she normally was, and she was sweating. All the signs of a high fever were presenting itself to Mia.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," said Lunora in a very weak, raspy voice.
"No, no, not at all," said Mia comfortingly. "It looks like you've got one nasty cold there. I'll take care of that."
"Thank you. That's what I came here for," said Lunora. "I tried healing it myself, but I was too drained of Psynergy to do so."
"That's okay, it's why I'm here," said Mia.
Mia put the palm of her hand up to Lunora's forehead, and felt burning heat. Wincing slightly herself, she cast Pure Ply on her, to relieve her of the fever, and the cold. Just like that, Lunora was rid of her fever.
"Ahh, that's better," said Lunora, sounding less hoarse now. "Thank you very much. I just woke up with that huge wave and felt my head burning up."
"Well, now you won't have to," said Mia. "If ever you feel like you're coming down with it again, because if you coughed, the sickness will most likely still be in your cabin, and since we can't open the window yet because of the storm, I suggest you stay with me until the storm blows out. Then, we can air it out in your cabin."
"Thank you," said Lunora, finding a spare blanket, laying down on the rug that had been placed there when they got the ship, and lying down.
"My pleasure," said Mia. "Is Solaris okay?"
"Mia, an earthquake couldn't wake him up," said Lunora, grinning. Mia chuckled. "He doesn't snore, but if Isaac cast Grand Gaia on him, he'd be beaten up but still asleep."
A flash of lightning suddenly illuminate things better. The storm seemed to be dying, for the clouds were breaking up. The wind wasn't raging so hard anymore, and the sun was poking through, casting yellow over the dark blue and black that was the sky and the ocean. This was a good sign, and it brought a sigh of relief to everyone.
"Yay! This tense ordeal is finally nearing an end," said Lunora, leaning against the wall.
"Um . . . look outside," said Ivan, terror evident in his voice.
Lunora peered out the window . . . but saw only water. Then it hit her. This was no choppy wave like they had felt before. This was a tsunami. And it was coming right for the Lemurian ship!
"Brace for impact!" shouted Isaac.
The wave hit a few seconds later. The ship did not capsize, but it was turned at a ninety-degree angle so that the Adepts fell onto the wall, which was now the floor. They were pulled underwater for a second, and water gushed through the door leading out onto the deck. All feared that they would never resurface . . .
The ship broke the surface of the water, emerging with every inch of it, including the inside, soaked. But, when they got back on the surface of the water, the rain had stopped, and the angry clouds were disappearing. With that one final wave, the storm was over. The sea was beginning to calm.
The Adepts slid, shaken and soaking, off the wall and onto the floor. There was about ½ inch of water on the floor, but Torch quickly took care of it so that the floor was only damp.
"Well . . . I think it's safe to say that I spoke too soon," said Lunora. She and the others laughed nervously.
"The storm is now over," laughed Mia, looking around. "Well, let's get out on deck and see what damage we've sustained."
Wordlessly, she went up onto the deck, the others following her. The outside of the ship was still dripping with water, and a moderately strong wind was still blowing.
There was nothing on the outside of the deck, except for what Mia and Lunora tied down with the rope; all those boxes. The rest of the deck was completely void of anything. It was all lost to the sea.
"This isn't good," said Isaac. "The only things that were in those boxes were spare repair supplies. We have no rope except for what was used, we have . . . nothing. . . . . Where's the Black Orb?!"
He looked to the pedestal, and, breathing an enormous sigh of relief, he saw that it was still there, lopsided inside the pieces of wood that held it there.
"That also brings up another bad point," said Ivan.
"Well, let's hear it, you're always the one to deliver bad news. Why stop now?" said Garet.
Ivan glared at him. "Um . . . who knows what direction we're heading? What about how far we've been blown off-course?"
"That is a problem," said Solaris, rubbing his chin. "Well, the sun has just risen, so that's east." He pointed in the direction of the rising sun. "And, we're facing southeast. So, we nee to turn left."
He quickly walked up to the Black Orb, straightened it out, and using it to power the ship, he slowly turned the battered ship so that it was facing just to the left of the sun.
"Okay, we're east," said Ivan, walking up next to Solaris. "We need to head east-northeast to get to Lemuria."
"But, for all we know, we could have been blown so far down south, that if we head east-northeast, we'll run straight into Osenia!" said Garet.
"Look Garet, if you're gonna be negative like me, you've gotta do it with brains," said Ivan. "We won't run into Osenia, we got past that before we even encountered the storm. Now, if we have been blown off course, we'll know it when we run into Gaia Falls."
"Oh, that's comforting," said Mia sarcastically.
"We can't figure out where we are at the moment, since we're not next to any familiar land. The best thins we can do right now is to sail in the same direction as we would if we were on course," said Isaac simply. "Now, set course for Lemuria."
"You got it!" said Ivan, saluting Isaac and going off to get a compass.
*******
They had been sailing for quite some time now, more than half a day, and no signs of the storm present as the ship glided through the water. They were sailing east-northeast, hoping for some sign of land, or even better, Lemuria.
All damage to the ship had been repaired, the railing of the ship was cracked and broken in several places. Isaac checked the dragon head, but everything was okay with that. Luckily, there were no leaks either.
"It looks like we got off luckier than we should have," said Isaac.
"Yeah, we did," said Solaris.
"What are we gonna do now?" said Garet.
"We'll be on extra-alert," said Isaac. "On the lookout for anything that's familiar, so we can get a better idea of where we're headed. If we are, by lucky chance, steered for Lemuria, we should get there late tonight, since the wind is with us."
"Hey guys! Let's eat!" came a shout from the aft section.
"What? You found something?" asked Garet excitedly, tearing off for the back of the ship, where he found Lunora staring at a humongous fish that had probably been washed on deck during the storm.
"And I was just joking about that too," said Ivan, as he came up to the area.
"I'm not complaining!" said Solaris. "Let's chow down on this guy!"
They didn't need telling twice. After setting the fish on an empty box (it took Lunora, Ivan, and Solaris to put it on the box), Garet lit the box on fire. The psynergy-enhanced flame cooked the fish in minutes, and the box was reduced to ash.
Once cooked, Solaris removed the serrated knife from his belt and cut away huge sections of the fish, giving one to everybody.
"You should probably go get your gloves for this," said Garet. "My fires can get pretty damn hot. Isaac, would you get mine?"
Isaac nodded, and ran off. He told everybody that he'd get their gloves as well. When he returned a minute later, everyone eagerly put them on and took a chuck of fish. They waited for Garet to take the first bite, since he was the hungriest.
"It's good," said Garet, talking with a mouthful of fish. "If I had my spices, it'd be even better!"
"I don't care, I'm starving right now," said Ivan, also taking a huge bite.
They all devoured their sections of fish within minutes, and soon Solaris was digging out his knife agin to cut off more strips. By the time they were done eating, all that was left were the bones and organs of the fish, which Garet took the liberty of chucking overboard.
"That hit the spot," said Mia, rubbing her stomach.
"You bet it did," said Isaac. "This is the first time in a week that I actually feel full. I'm skin and bone! And I bet you all are too."
"Hey, we've got muscle," said Ivan, rolling up his sleeve and flexing.
"Quit showing off," said Lunora animatedly.
"Yeah Mr. Puny, put it away," said Garet. Everyone chuckled at this, including Ivan.
"Shut up, Garet," said Isaac, still chuckling. "You're talking about the guy who defeated Karst when she was about to put her scythe through my head. Remember, up on the Luna Lighthouse?" Garet nodded.
"Now that we're full, who wants to take a nap?" called Solaris. Everybody raised their hands except for Lunora.
"Well, that works, then," said Lunora. "You all get some rest, and I'll take watch now and tonight."
"Works for me," said Mia, starting for the door.
Everyone followed her through, and went off to their separate cabins. He could have sworn that Mia gave him a small wink when she went through her cabin door, but then again, he was tired, full, and happy from all that fish.
Taking his boots, armor, and weapons off himself, he lay down on his cot, shut the curtain over the window (the sun always bothered his sleeping), and closed his eyes. He quickly drifted into his dreams.
*******
Lunora, chilled by the night wind that was blowing now, sat down on the railing as the ship sailed on. The moon was full tonight, and it lit everything up brilliantly. The sea was completely still, like an endless pane of black glass that reflected the twinkling sky and the brightness of the moon.
'It's just so beautiful out,' she thought to herself. 'I never got to see something like this as a child. I can't believe what I was missing out on . . .'
She started when she heard the door creep open behind her. She slid off the railing and spun around to see who it was. Isaac had just walked on deck looking happier than he had in days.
"It feels so good out here, don't you think?" he said.
"It's a little chilly, but it's beautiful," Lunora commented.
"Yeah, it sure is," said Isaac. "I never got to see the ocean when I was a kid . . . I'd always hear Kraden talking about it. Venus, I'm gonna miss him. He was kind of annoying at times, but he was like a grandfather to me. A grandfather that I never had . . ." His voice cracked slightly, and Lunora came up and gripped his shoulder.
"I bet it's going to be hard to get used to not having him around," said Lunora.
"Sometimes, I refuse to believe that he's gone," said Isaac. "Then, if I think about it long enough, it hits me . . . and I can't stop thinking dark thoughts."
His expression soon went form that of a sad boy to that of an angry beast. It took Lunora slightly by surprise, and she removed her hand from his shoulder.
"Karst, Agatio and Alex are gonna pay for this!" he shouted. "They're gonna pay for it all! The death of my father, the death of Jenna's parents, the death of Kraden, the lighting of five of the lighthouses, the kidnappings . . . they've done so many bad things! I can't think of one single good thing that's come out of this quest!"
"I can," said Lunora simply. "More than one in fact."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" said Isaac.
"You've met many new friends, you've gotten to explore the world, meet new people, learn new things . . ."
"Well, I guess you're right," said Isaac.
"But that's not all," continues Lunora. "You would not have met Mia if you hadn't been chasing Saturos and Menardi."
This shut Isaac up. He knew that she was right . . . he had never looked at his quest that way. But, with something this important, it was hard not to concentrate on the bad, when so many things went wrong. Their failures at five of the lighthouses . . .
"I think you've just made my day," said Isaac, smiling.
"Well, I'm glad," said Lunora, also smiling.
"That's not all," said Isaac.
"What else, then?" asked Lunora interestedly.
"Ring the bell," said Isaac joyfully. "I'm turning us further north. The fogs of Lemuria approach."
**********************
To some that's a cliffhanger, to others it's not. You make the call.
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