Heidy-ho! It's me, SirGecko! Yes, I'm back with chapter 22, and this is where things start to heat up It's 11 2/3 pages long, so you won't be disappointed.
Now, I'm gonna respond to all those reviews I got.
TankMasterG: Well, I'm glad you thought it was fitting. So did I. Anyway, there's more action in this chapter, so that's good for you. And get rid of the salt. Or I'll have my flame gecko burn it off! *evil laugh*
Dragoon knight: I'm glad you liked last chapter. And as far as a sequel goes . . . well, I'll discuss that with you, and all the rest, later.
Sukasa the Third: This review made me laugh. It really did. Isaac probably didn't understand that lecture anyway . . . heh heh. And, isn't it supposed to be "Old McDonald had a Farm?" Oh well. It was funnier the way you worded it. ^_^. And be thankful that a croc bit you. You didn't get torched and stabbed by icicles (compliments of my geckos).
AnimeMaster7: Thanks.
Bunder Black: Why, you flatter me. I'm nowhere near as good as Vyctori or Mr. Jupiter, but I'm trying to improve. Your motivation really helps. Thanks. ^_^
Ssonic: Yes, it is about damn time. If you want to know my personality better, pretend I'm Ivan. That's me, all right. always the sarcastic one ^_^. And due to your review, I've invested in an antitoxin and bullet-proof vests for my geckos. You'd better buy some flame-retardent, lest you wished to be burned like a piece of toast left in the toaster for half an hour. *Note: the Gecko wrote this, not me.*
Great Saiyaman: Yay! You're not dead! Literally, I was just thinking that you hadn't reviewed since Ivan and Lunora got together, and then your review pops up! Good, good. Keep 'em comin'. You're absolutely right. I can write whatever makes me happy, but without getting too carried away. It's your job, as a reader, to let me know when I go overboard, because I don't want to be flamed. So, if you want something changed, feel free to let me know about it, and I'll consider it. And there will be more Ivan/Lunora, don't worry. I haven't totally forgotten about them yet! ^_^
QueenDragonGoddess: Well, I'm glad you think I didn't go overboard. And, I've updated sooner, so that should please you. This is a long one. Geez . . . it's your lucky day! ^_^
Edwin: I'm glad you like the story. And it is the longest mudshipper.
jg1790: I'm glad you like the story. So here's chapter 22. And, if you didn't notice already, I reviewed your story for you.
cheese: Okay . . . I updated, and you like it, but I don't get the rest . . .
There. That should make you happy. Now, onto chapter 22!
Chapter 22: Sol Lighthouse: The Truth
After Isaac's little motivational speech, he took the helm and began to slowly propel the ship at the Sol Lighthouse. Now used to the bright sunlight that they had always been used to (up until the point where they got into the fog), things seemed a lot more pleasant, and the water glittered as though a blanket of diamonds had been thrown over it.
The ship increased speed, and the tall, orange lighthouse loomed closer as they got closer to it. The sun here was not very hot, so Isaac guessed that it was now early morning. This was good, as he was sure that it would become blazing hot not too far from now. But he found it odd as well, because he thought that the strength of the sun would be intensified near the Sol Lighthouse.
One thing that struck Isaac as odd was that the island of Lemuria itself was surrounded by fog, similar to that of the foggy wisps they had run into while getting past the whirlpools. He thought that the sun would not allow for that, but apparently, the island had its own sort of magic.
About five minutes later, the ship ran aground gently, and Garet lowered the plank onto the sandy beach. For being the last, and toughest lighthouse, its surroundings were quite pleasant, and not ominous, like the rest of the lighthouses had been, excluding the Venus Lighthouse. Soon, everybody had stepped down onto the beach, and got a good look around.
"Well, it certainly doesn't seem very foreboding, that's for sure," said Mia, scooping up a handful of sand and letting it trickle through her fingers.
"Looks can be deceiving," said Ivan darkly. "I wouldn't trust this place if it handed me a weapon strong enough to kill any beast with one hit."
"Neither would I, even though this is my lighthouse," chimed in Solaris.
"Well, let's determine whether it is trustworthy or not for ourselves," said Isaac. "Is everyone ready?"
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," said Lunora, gripping her staff very tightly.
"Let's get this over with," said Garet determinedly.
So, with purpose, the group marched up to the steps of the Sol Lighthouse, Solaris leading the way. The instant he stood in front of the passageway leading into the lighthouse, the door blocking it slowly slid into the wall, allowing them to enter.
With a deep breath, they all put one foot forward into the final lighthouse they would have to climb. The passageway they were walking through was made of orange stone, and unlike the rest of the lighthouses, this stone was more glittery and shiny than that of the rest of the lighthouses.
They continued walking for a bit, and then emerged into a large, open room that covered the outer walls of the lighthouse. A huge depiction of Sol was carved into the floor, and suns were carved into the walls lining the lighthouse.
There was no stone tablet, which struck the group as odd. They didn't know why this was; Ivan had the nasty suspicion that Sol was going to make them find out on their own, without giving any inclination as to what was in store for them. He was wrong, however.
"Ye who seek to climb my lighthouse . . ." said a great, booming voice.
"What the Hell . . ." said Garet, jumping in surprise.
"Yes, I am Sol himself!" boomed the voice. "I did not wish to install tablets in my lighthouse, I will guide you through personally."
"Oh, how kind of him," whispered Garet sarcastically.
"Right. Ye who seek to climb the Sol Lighthouse . . . must do so utilizing everything ye have learned on your travels. If ye do not do so, ye can abandon all hope of ascending to the heavens."
"Will you be testing us on your powers through the whole lighthouse?" asked Solaris.
"No!" boomed the voice. "Let me continue. Ye will be tested on all I have created: Mercury, Venus,
Jupiter, and Mars, in that order. My tests will be the hardest of all. For these threaten your mortality, not just your thinking skills. Then, at the end, ye will face the most deciding test of all, that of Sol. Ye will not be tested on Luna. I will say no more until ye have passed the first four tests. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . ."
Then, the voice was not heard again, as the group waited in vain for more. When none came, Garet turned to the rest of the group and began to speak.
"I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but this sounds impossible!" he said.
"Nothing's impossible," reminded Isaac.
"Time travel is," said Garet.
"I'm afraid not," said Solaris.
"What do you mean?" asked Ivan.
"I'll explain later," said Solaris, shaking off the whole matter. "But like we've said before, time is of the essence. Let's go face Mercury's challenge."
"Hey, at least we don't have to go through any mazes," said Mia.
"True," said Lunora. "But let's do what Solaris said, and continue on."
Isaac nodded, and stepped in front to lead the group on. They walked down the only passage leading onto another room, the one right in front. As they walked down this new passage, the stone changed abruptly from glittering orange to sparkling blue, the stone that constructed Mercury Lighthouse. They saw the end of the passage, and running through it, emerged into the room.
Everyone's breath was taken away as the saw the sheer difficulty of the task before them. The room was full of deep water. A small raft, just large enough for all of them to fit in, floated in the water just in front of them all. But that's not what frightened the group.
Whirlpools littered the water, the centers being swirling water leading downward infinitely. If they were sucked into those whirlpools, they reasoned, there would be no coming out, even if they abandoned ship. And they only got one shot at this, anyway.
"This doesn't look good," said Isaac fearfully.
"Mercury . . ." said Mia. "I feel extremely powerful right now. Even more so than in the Mercury Lighthouse."
"Lucky you," Garet said grumpily.
"Well, let's get this over with," said Lunora. "It won't do us any good to die of fright before we even get in the boat."
Isaac nodded mutely, and led everyone into the small raft. With their combined weight, the raft sank dangerously low, but it stay above water, and everyone was sure that the boat would not collapse due to their weight.
"I've got the oars," said Isaac. "I've had the most experience with rowing a boat."
"You'd think I would, but the waters around me are always frozen," said Mia, sitting across from Isaac, and squished against Lunora and Solaris.
"I can understand that," said Lunora. "When you think about it, we all come from areas covered by ice, except for Isaac, Garet, and Ivan."
"True," said Garet. "Now, let's see if I can get us through this stuff."
Garet slowly rowed the boat away from the edge of the floor, Mia directing him towards the other side. At first, the whirlpools were not placed close together, and Garet avoided them easily. But then, once he crossed the halfway point, the whirlpools started to get closer together, and Garet had to sail more slowly and carefully to avoid them.
"Left a bit . . . now to the right . . . now left . . . no! Left, Garet! Left!" shouted Mia.
Garet had started to turn the ship right for a minute, straight into a nearby whirlpool. But, catching his mistake, he and Mia both threw their weight onto the opposite oar. In doing so, the boat turned sharply, and shot out of the current of the whirlpool. They had escaped death, but just barely.
Since this sudden propulsion speeded the ship up, they were making good time across the water, and luckily they were not headed towards any whirlpools. Garet, ashamed of his mistake, guided the boat very carefully to the opposite end, and touched the floor of the lighthouse gently. He motioned for everyone to get off, and then got off last.
"That was close," breathed Mia.
"Yeah . . . sorry about that," Garet apologized meekly.
"Don't worry about it, you were under pressure," said Ivan. "It probably would have happened to me if I was rowing."
Garet was taken by surprise that Ivan was actually sympathizing with him. Usually he was one to rub it in Garet's face, not take his side. But still, Garet appreciated those rare moments from Ivan when they came.
"Well, at least were alive," Garet said, in a small voice.
"Let's get going again," said Isaac. "Next up is my room: Venus."
Not looking back they walked through the passageway leading on, which led to a staircase. The blocks soon turned from a shiny blue to a dull brown. They were about to pass the trial of Venus, the hardest Venus challenge ever, Sol had said.
They walked down this new passageway for a minute or so, and then emerged in a desert-like setting, only it wasn't hot like a desert. It was more like a barren field.
"I feel extremely powerful right now," said Isaac.
"I think that when we step into a room of our element, our power doubles to that of what it normally is," said Mia. "I know, I felt it too.
They all looked at the field again. On closer inspection, it looked entirely normal to the group, but then they saw an area where the sand on the ground was shaking. What happened next made the entire team jump back.
The sand fell through the ground, and a gaping hole widened in the floor. A pitfall. Since this pitfall was close to the safe edge of the floor, they were able to see where it led down to, and it wasn't pretty.
It fell through to the first floor right above a swirling whirlpool. They must not have noticed the ceiling opening and sand falling into the whirlpools, which was understandable. They had to get to the other side safely, not look at other whirlpools or the ceiling.
"This is going to be very difficult, but we have a warning in advance. If the sand starts to shake under you, run like Hell. The pitfalls are not very wide, maybe the length of Solaris's Sol Blade, so you won't have to dash very far. Got it?" said Isaac.
"Got it," said everyone else.
"Also, we'll all take separate paths. If we go together, and try in vain to avoid a pitfall, we'll all drown. If we take separate paths, there'll still be some of you left to go on and try to stop Karst and Agatio."
"Don't talk like that," said Mia, shivering. "You make it sound as though you'll die."
"I may, though," said Isaac, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "I'm just trying to consider all possibilities. I have much confidence in you all. I'm sure we'll all make it to the other side."
"That's better," said Mia, smiling at him.
"All right, let's go!" said Isaac.
They all took to different areas of the room, and began to slowly walk across it. They took their steps one at a time, keeping an eye out for shaking sand both in front of them and underneath them. Occasionally, a tem member could see somebody else leaping out of the way, and then a black whole opening where the person once stood less than a second ago.
As they crossed the room, the pitfalls became more frequent, and soon everybody was jumping around, as if they were walking over the floor barefoot when it was hot to the touch.
Isaac reached the other side first, followed by Lunora, and then Ivan. Mia reached next, and then Solaris. Garet, on the other hand, was still hopping around a little ways away from them, but he soon managed to get to the other side, after teetering dangerously on the edge of a pitfall, but managing to regain his balance.
"That was close," he said, panting.
"Yeah, I thought you were gonna fall through there for a second," agreed Isaac. "You scared me man." They clapped each other on the back.
"Hey, what's that over there?" asked Ivan, pointing to their left.
They saw, quite clearly, a mound of sand moving along in a fixed pattern, right next to the edge of the safe floor. Isaac walked over, and stood in front of the moving mound. It ran into his feet, and almost knocked him over. But then, when the mound collided with Isaac, a Venus Djinni popped out from under the sand!
"You're a Venus Adept!" it squeaked abruptly, looking Isaac up and down. "My name's Geode. Since you're a Venus Adept, and I sense you have several other Djinn with you, I trust you enough to join you without fighting. So, I'm now yours!"
And with that, the Venus Djinni Geode joined Isaac. It instantly found Flint, who wold him he was the boss, and that Geode would remember that. Geode just chuckled, and went to meet the other Djinn, who quickly liked him very much.
"Okay, we're done with that room," said Solaris. "Let's proceed onto the Jupiter room."
They nodded silently, and walked through the passage leading deeper into the lighthouse. At the end, they climbed the stairs. Upon reaching the next floor, the sone changed from a dull brown to a pearly purple.
"Ah, now I feel really powerful," said Ivan loudly.
"That has nothing to do with what we have to face," said Lunora shakily. "Look."
He, and the others, took a good look around the room, and instantly knew that they'd have their work cut out for them. Moai statues were placed around the room, all facing the wall. They blew wind gusts out of their mouths at random. And in front of them, the gusts blew out into nothingness. Yes, part of the lighthouse was exposed to the outside, and if you got hit by one of those gusts, you'd fall to the ground below.
Not only that, but you had to take the path along the Moai statues, because only those paths had ladders that you could climb, which would enable you to proceed up to the next floor of the lighthouse. So, they didn't have any other option, naturally, but to face the dangers of being caught up in those winds.
"Well, if you look at it this way, it's really no different than all the other rooms we faced," said Solaris evenly. "All have had life-threatening situations, so this really is no difference."
"True," said Ivan, looking determinedly ahead of him.
"Come on, there's no use staring at this stuff," said Lunora. "Let's try to get to the other side."
They split up again. Isaac, Mia, and Solaris took one side, and Garet, Ivan, and Lunora took the other side. Isaac, Mia, and Solaris were doing pretty well. They had passed the first three Moai statues without difficulty. Isaac and Mia had just cleared the fourth and final one, but Solaris wasn't so lucky.
The wind gust blew him right out the opening, but by a small chance of luck, Solaris was able to grab hold of the edge of the lighthouse. Mia screamed and Isaac had gasped sharply. They had thought that he would be falling to his death right now.
Over on the other side of the room, Garet, Ivan, and Lunora had just gotten past all four Moai statues without difficulty when they heard Mia's scream. Right away, this raised a red flag with all of them.
"That isn't good!" said Ivan nervously.
"We've gotta go see if they need help or not!" said Lunora, and they all rushed up their ladder and climbed down the other one.
Solaris was grunting as he fought to resist the wind still blowing from the Moai's mouth, pushing against his fingers. Just when he though he could resist no longer, the wind ceased to blow. With a burst of superhuman strength, he was able to heave himself back onto the floor of the lighthouse, panting as though he'd just run up the side of the lighthouse.
"Thank Mercury!" said Mia, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Amen to that," agreed Isaac, dusting off Solaris and pulling him a little further away from the Moai.
"I'm glad I'm okay too," said Solaris, laughing nervously, and shaking slightly.
"Is everything okay here?" sounded a worried voice.
Lunora came racing around the corner, followed closely by Ivan and Garet. They looked at Isaac, Mia, and Solaris, and instantly knew who had gone over the edge.
"Are you okay, man?" asked Garet.
"I'm fine," said Solaris. "Just a little shaken up, is all."
"Well, if we're ready to proceed, then we'd better go," said Ivan. "Not that I don't care about what happened to you, Solaris," he added quickly, after receiving a reproving glance from Mia. "It's just that we don't have a lot of time."
"He's right," said Solaris. "Let's be off. We only have two rooms left to get through."
The rest of the group nodded, and, Ivan in the lead, climbed up the ladder and onto the ledge. They then walked over to the passageway leading on. They reached the end, and climbed up the stairs to the next floor of the lighthouse, upon which the stone turned from a pearly purple to a flashing blood-red.
"Ahh, Mars . . ." sighed Garet, opening up his arms. "The power, the energy . . ."
"The sweltering heat, the burning fire . . ." continued Ivan. Then he added sarcastically, "what could get any better than this?" Garet didn't reply.
They walked down this short passage, the further they got into it, the hotter it became. When they reached the end, it was as hot as the fourth floor of the Mars Lighthouse, and everyone instantly started to sweat.
"This brings back fond memories," snapped Isaac to himself, feeling his forehead get wet.
"But not nearly as horrible," said Lunora. "Look at what we have to face now."
They looked, and wished they hadn't. The walls and ceiling were on fire. Not only that, but moving walls of fire extended from both walls, and one protruded from the ceiling. So, they were going to have to weave their way around three burning firewalls, without running into the actual walls. And the firewalls didn't allow much room for maneuvering.
"Welcome to Hell," said Garet. "Admission's free."
"It's like Hell all right," said Isaac. "Anybody feel like getting deep-fired?"
"Only if you do," said Mia, grinning animatedly at him, and throwing her arm around his waist.
"Oh I was born ready to do this," said Isaac sarcastically. "Let's get cooked shall we?"
"With pleasure!" said Solaris.
So, sticking together this time, they slowly approached the moving firewalls. The one from the ceiling was at the far end of the room, the left wall was moving away from them, and the right wall was moving towards them. Because of this, they chose to follow the firewall moving away from them.
They walked at the speed the wall was moving, trying to keep as far away from it as possible, for even the heat radiated from the wall burned their exposed skin slightly. Mia and Garet had traded Djinn again, and Mia cast Deluge over everyone once again. Then, abruptly, the wall in front of them switched directions, and headed right for Isaac and company.
They instantly dove out of the way, Ivan just barely making it, onto the floor and out of the way of the left firewall's path. The right firewall was behind them. They stayed ducked, because they felt the ceiling firewall pass right over their heads. And from here, everything was clear.
They all got up, and ran as fast as they could, as close to the right wall as they could, toward the other side of the room. They made it easily, but that didn't stop them from being nervous still.
"Man, I can't believe how close I came to having my leg burnt off," said Ivan, panting both from lack of energy and from the heat.
"Yeah, it was all close," said Isaac. "Now, let's get out of here. I'm burning up."
"Good idea," said Garet, heading for the stairs. The rest followed him quickly.
They climbed up the steps, and the higher they climbed, the cooler it got, which was a welcome relief to the whole group. But their nerves were escalating . . . it was time to pass the challenge of the Sol Lighthouse.
They emerged onto the fifth and final floor of the lighthouse upon which the stone turned from blood-red to glittering orange.
They instantly began to walk down the short passage, leading to Sol's challenge. Each step felt like an eternity, but finally, they reached the room of Sol, and took a good look around.
This room didn't look ominous, dangerous, or foreboding at all. On the contrary, it looked entirely ordinary. There was a pattern of Sol on the floor just in front of them, like there had been on the floor in the entrance room of the lighthouse. The only thing out of place were five platforms, large enough for one person to stand on, placed in a vertical line, each plate about two arms' length apart. And then, they saw a Djinni right in front of them, a little Sol Djinni!
"Hello," it squeaked, looking up at Solaris. "I'm prominence. I'm here to serve the first worthy Sol Adept who walks through that door. You're worthy, Sol has told me ahead of time. So, use me as you wish. You're gonna need me." And with that, Prominence joined Solaris, and began to speak to the other Sol Djinni, who instantly began debating.
Now, with the added words of Prominence, they didn't trust the room any more than they did the Mars room. They knew Sol was up to something.
"Where is he?" asked Solaris.
"Yeah, I thought he was supposed to talk to us once we got here," said Garet, looking around, and listening for any signs that the voice might be coming back.
"Well, I'll look around," said Isaac, stepping forward onto the Sol depiction.
"Congratulations at passing the test of the four Common Elements!" boomed the voice, making everybody jump a foot in the air.
"Thank you!" said Solaris.
"Now, you must pass my test," said Sol in a superior sort of voice. "In fact, if ye think about it, it's not going to be that difficult. In fact, only one of ye has to perform the test to pass. But I choose who does."
Everyone waited with baited breath as the voice went silent for a few moments. Yes, Sol was right, it didn't sound that tough. But, Sol was probably a master of deception, so nobody let their guard down for even a second.
"I have made my decision!" said Sol after another few minutes.
"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" said Garet impatiently. "Who's going to take the test?"
"Ah, an eager Mars Adept," said the voice with amusement. "Well, the Sol Adept will take the test. Solaris is his name, is it not?"
"Yes, that's my name," said Solaris, looking nervous again.
"You are the one who will perform the test, but first I must give instructions to everyone else. Okay, all the rest will stand on the platforms. Go on!" the voice instructed. Everyone quickly chose a platform and stood on it. "Now Solaris, only you can hear me. They can't. So, anything we say will not be overheard, as we don't want to give away the challenge."
"Got it," said Solaris. "Why though?"
"I'm getting there!" said Sol. "Now, ye have the ability to go back in time and witness previous events?"
"I do have that power," said Solaris. "You must have felt me use you for it back in the cave on Tundaria.
"I do recall that," said Sol. "Now, I also recall ye saying that ye could not change time, only witness it. That is not true. So, your test will be to change time."
"What do you want me to change?" asked Solaris.
Inside, he was truly scared now. He didn't know he had the power to change time, and now he had to try it and get it right the first time, or something bad would happen. He waited for Sol to speak again.
"If ye fail this test, your friends will die," said Sol. "Your task is to pull them back, not allow them to get on the platform, for right now, they cannot get off them. I will take ye back in time, and you'll have one minute to persuade them not to follow my order. Understand?"
"Y-yes," Solaris stuttered. His friends' lives were in his hands? He had to alter time?
"Good. Now, open your mind . . ."
Instantly, Solaris saw the golden ball of light forming in front of him, and then the beads of energy snaking up his arms. In another few seconds. There was a blinding flash of white light, and Solaris was taken back in time.
Three minutes from the present . . .
Solaris soon emerged in the Sol Lighthouse, in the room he was just in. He was standing off to the side of the platforms and the entrance to the room, so he had a good view of everything that would be going on.
He also noticed that he had a visual hourglass in front of his face, of which only he could see. The sand was not moving yet, and he assumed there was the equivalent of one minute of sand in the top hourglass bulb.
He then saw Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Lunora, and himself come through the passage, and into the room. He watched as they got talked to by Sol. The two minutes seemed to drag on forever, but then he saw everyone but himself make their way towards the platforms.
"Now!" boomed a voice in his head.
Instantly, the sand from the top bulb of the hourglass began to fall through to the bottom one. Solaris quickly ran forward and stood on the platform Garet was heading for. He stood still, like a statue, watching the sand.
"Hey, there's something on this platform!"
Garet pushed Solaris off, and stood on the platform like Isaac, Ivan, Mia, and Lunora had done. By this time, over half of Solaris's sand was gone.
'I've gotta think of something, quick!' thought Solaris, racking his brain for any ideas. Then, he came up with one. He just hoped to Sol that it would work. He walked up next to Isaac, and spoke in his ear.
"Get off the platform," Solaris said clearly. "Get off, now! You don't want to be on there!"
"What?"
"Get off the platform! And I'll tell the others. Get off of the platform, quick!"
Solaris watched with relief as Isaac stepped off and away from his platform. Solaris had only a few seconds' worth left of sand. He quickly went and repeated the message Garet, Ivan, and Mia. Now Lunora was left.
"Lunora, get off the platform. For your own safety, get off the platform!"
"Who said that?"
"Trust me! Get off-"
But instantly, the glowing ball of golden energy had returned. Solaris's time was up. The energy then snaked its way up his arms, and a few seconds later, there was a bright flash as Solaris went back to the future.
Sol Lighthouse, Present . . .
Solaris reappeared in front of the entrance to the room of Sol, and quickly walked forward towards his companions. He was very relieved to find out that Lunora had gotten off her platform. All were looking confused.
"There you are, Solaris!" said Isaac. "Where did you go? What . . ."
But then, Isaac understood. He understood all. He knew Solaris had gone back in time and told them to step off the platform. He quickly relayed this message to the others. Mia looked like she understood, and so did Lunora (because she knew about Solaris's ability as well), but Garet and Ivan looked utterly confused.
"Congratulations! Ye have passed my test! Now, had Solaris not passed his test, here's what would have happened."
They all watched with horror as an image appeared on the flat wall in front of them. It showed Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, and Lunora being trapped by a see-through solid device that they could not escape from. The gruesome part was yet to come. As they pounded on the substance solar flames erupted from the base of the platforms, incinerating them alive. But the most horrible part was listening to the screaming.
"Be thankful that ye have a wise and powerful Sol Adept with you. Now, ascend to the heavens, Adepts of Renown!"
And, the voice became no more. All were standing there, mouths open at the now-normal wall. They couldn't believe what just happened.
"Uh . . ." said Ivan, finally. "Thanks."
"Anytime," said Solaris, still looking dazed.
"That is an image that'll be burned into my memory forever," said Mia, shuddering. "I'll never forget that."
"Neither will I," agreed Isaac. "Oh!"
He and the rest of the group were startled by a hovering platform that had just appeared, like the one in Venus Lighthouse that carried them to the Aerie. They approached it, and all got on.
"This is it," said Isaac. "The final battle. Weapons at the ready . . ."
And, as they rose and emerged outside, they all drew their weapons. By the time they landed on the top of the lighthouse, they had their weapons out. They were relieved to see that the beacon had not been lit yet.
"Okay, that's good," said Isaac. "The beacon hasn't been lit. Maybe they're not here yet."
"Guess again!" said a malicious voice.
They spun around, and saw Karst right behind them, leaning against a statue of the sun, and twirling the sparkling Sol Star between her fingers. She looked very triumphant, and was wearing a smirk to rival Ivan's.
"Let's end this, here and now," she said, drawing out her scythe. "Alex!"
Alex appeared out of nowhere, no doubt he just teleported to the roof. He looked like his usual calm self, not wavering, his blue hair blowing in the small breeze. By the feel of the temperature, it was still morning.
"What is it, Karst?" he asked.
"Take the star," she said, "but don't throw it into the well yet. I want to make them watch, and then me and Agatio," at this point, Agatio emerged from behind another statue, "can dispose of them."
This didn't sound good at all. Garet saw Felix, Jenna, and Sheba peering out at the goings- on from behind another statue of the sun looking fearful.
"Yes, that sounds like a sound idea," said Agatio, drawing out his old sword, before he had the Sol Blade. "I want my old sword back. I guess bloodshed is the only way to get it."
"No! There will be no bloodshed today, except on one person!" came a muffled voice, which struck icy-cold terror into the hearts of Isaac and Garet.
They looked behind them, and sure enough, the only two people who could make a bad situation worse, had just burst onto the roof of the lighthouse. The assailants. They were still wearing black, their voices were still muffled, and their faces were hooded.
"Who are you?" asked Agatio, looking surprised.
"Bearers of the truth," said the muffled voice of the man.
"What are you talking about?" snapped Karst. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but we have business to take care of. Now either clear out, or I'll have to get you out of my way as well."
"Not until you've heard us out," said the woman. "Maybe revealing our identities would help."
"Yeah, I'd like that," said both Garet and Isaac.
And with that, at long last, the assailants lowered their hood and removed their face mask. When the group figured out who they were, they almost fainted in shock.
"What the fu . . .?!" started Solaris, but before he could finish the sentence, speechlessness overtook him.
"How . . . how can this be . . ." breathed Karst, leaning on her staff for support.
The assailants were Saturos and Menardi.
**************************
Ah ha! So that's who they were. Congratulations to Akachi and 0==l=R=a=g=n=a=r=o=k=! They guessed right!
A cliffhanger? Maybe. You tell me. Until then.
Note: I will be postponing work on my fic Out of Place until I complete this one. Sorry, but I wanna get this done by the middle of November.
Remember the SirGecko deal! The more reviews I get, the more I work on this story, and therefore, the faster I update! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!