Aww damn! This is the last chapter! Yes it is I, SirGecko, back with the final chapter: number 24. It's 11 1/2 pages long as well (I'm getting pretty consistent, aren't I?), so It's not a short ending by any means. Actually, a good part of it takes place in Lemuria, so for all you Lemurian fans out there, you'll like this one.
Anyway time to respond to the 15 reviews that I got! *cheers for the hell of it*
Sukasa The Third: Yay! No death threats! Now I'm not writing at gunpoint! Jk, jk. And what's the point of continuing this? Why, don't you want an epilogue? You know you do. Come on. And no, Alex is not gonna be revived. That is farfetched.
QueenDragonGoddess: Yes, I thought the chapter was amazing too (not trying to brag here), and it was really fun to write. And here's the next and last . . .*sniff* . . . chapter for you, so enjoy. And yes, I thought Mia deserved a little anger-driven revenge of her own. Let her have the spotlight for once. You're right about most other authors. You don't know how many fics I have read where she's just the cook, and nothing else, and it aggravates me. I mean, she's not worthless, people! HELLO!!!
Dragoon Knight: Well, look on the plus side. I've never kept you hanging for more than six days. Why stop here?
bladegryphon: So, I finally hear from you! What, have you been tracking this whole story and not reviewing? You bad person! ^_^ Oh well, it's nice to hear from you again, 24 chapters later. Anyway, here's the last chapter, for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Anime-Master7: Hello, sir. You survived! Great! Now, congratulate yourself for two things, no, three things. One: you put me on your favorites list. Way to go. Second: you've reviewed every chapter. I mean, every single one. It's much appreciated. Clap, or something, or go buy a pack of Spearmint gum (my favorite ^_^). Third, well, my geckos like you. That's good. No threats from them to you! And no, I was not aware that I put GS: TLA spoilers in there (oops), so I apologize.
Bunder Black: Well, I can tell you like my work. That's good. And close your mouth. You'll need to hang it open now. You'll like the ending, I think . . .
Kirlos1253: Well, suspenseful is what I meant for it to be. Good, at least I'm getting that right.
Ssonic: They're about five inches long. One of them makes icicles and throws them like javelins at people, and the other torches people with a flamethrower made out of aluminum pencil tubing and a tic-tac box. Why? Oh, and make sure my weapons don't react with your spells . . . the back-draft aimed at you might not be pleasant. But anyway, you're right. I considered the idea of them all just charging Alex and beating the shit out of him right there. But that would make for a boring chapter, now wouldn't it?
cheese: It is mucho cool! And here's the journey home for ya, all in this chapter! Enjoy!
Kevin C: I'll agree with those two words. I like Mia, I think she's my favorite character, unless you count Saturos. And like I said to QueenDragonGoddess, I think a little anger-driven revenge against Alex suited the chapter well. And yes, I was waiting to do the Proxian reuniting for a long time. I thought it made sense too, since Menardi wasn't really dead . . .
Great Saiyaman: I put a small Ivan/Lunora scene in here just for you. It was a deciding scene too, so that'll make up for its size. I mean, it's not a two-liner, but not over a page, either. So, please be happy.
TankMasterG: That was a good chapter, if I do say so myself. It was very fun to write. Lots of action . . . you can count on battle chapters being packed with it! And Alex is evil. He didn't get impaled by Sol Blades (unless you count Solaris's). He got impaled by Sol's Blade. Cool, eh? And, I like to keep people going to the very end. It shows I write intense work, and that's the way I like it.
jg1790: Sol's Fury and Megiddo . . . ohhhh, that'd smart. But you'll like this chapter, even though it's just a closer. Enjoy.
NintendoGamer: Don't be embarrassed. It doesn't matter how long you take, it's whether the chapters are good or not. And I think the stories you've written are very good, so there's no reason to feel embarraseed. So shape up. The stuff will come to you. I remember, it took me tow weeks to write chapter 10, not because it was so long, but because thinking up stuff for mazes is difficult. But people enjoyed it see? So really, it doesn't matter. As long as what you write is good, the reviewers who truly appreciate what you do will overlook the time it took you to write it, and concentrate on quality. It's what I try to do, anyway ^_^. So, keep at it. You'll get it.
Akachi: School is evil and belongs in Hell . . . yes, I'll support that statement of yours with a rally! ^_^ ALEX IS DEAD! HAR HAR HAR! The fight scenes were a blast to write, hopefully as much as they were a blast to read. So, we're both happy there. Cool!
Anyway, those are your replies. On with the closer, chapter 24!
Chapter 24: New Ties Created
"You're right, Ivan," said Isaac. "After all this traveling . . . the time away from home . . . the defeats . . . it's over. And we win!"
And so they all began to celebrate in their own little way. Agatio, Solaris, and Saturos all smothered each other in a group bear hug. Menardi and Karst started talking and laughing together, as though they were still young girls learning the simple ways of the world. Isaac and Mia started to kiss, Garet was just pumping his fist into the air and wearing a triumphant look on his face, until Jenna walked over to him and gave him a huge hug. Ivan and Lunora just stared at each other for the longest time, and then drew each other into a kiss as well.
To Isaac, and some of the others, it was a welcome relief to be through with this quest, even though they still had to sail home. But, at the same time, it would be a disappointment to see all the friends they had met along the way go back home. Isaac was thinking in particular about Solaris and Lunora, who had aided them so much throughout the journey, and how they would probably head for Prox like Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio.
But, Isaac wanted to enjoy the remaining time that he and the others had with those bound for Prox, and he wanted to celebrate the death of Alex and the downfall of him with the others.
"Come on, guys!" he shouted. "This calls for a celebration! Let's go spend the night in Lemuria tonight!"
"Hell yeah!" Garet approved, punching his fist into the air.
"Finally, I'm not under a strict control anymore," said Felix. "The way Alex bossed me around . . . it was enough to drive me crazy."
"Well, let's get off this lighthouse," said Isaac.
So he, with the help of Felix, Retreated everybody to the bottom of the lighthouse. They stepped outside instantly. They noticed that even the weather seemed to be celebrating. It wasn't blazing hot like they predicted, but very nice and pleasant out. And they could see something else too.
Five spheres had appeared in the sky, very faint, but still visible: a blue sphere to the northwest, a yellow, red, and purple sphere to the west, and a gray sphere to the south. They reasoned that with the lighting of all the lighthouses, all spheres would be visible. They were the swirls of light atop each lighthouse: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Luna, and Mars. They looked up, and noticed that the orange swirl of Sol energy had doubled in brightness, and it hurt the eyes to look directly at.
"Our ship is over here," said Karst, pointing to a ship about a half-mile down the beach from Isaac and company's ship.
"Okay, we'll meet you in Lemuria," said Solaris, grabbing the plank to their ship and positioning it so that they could walk aboard.
They all got on their ship, and, since Isaac and company were ready first, they turned the ship east and sailed the five minutes or so to Lemuria with no problem. When they docked, and the other ship still had not arrived, Garet voiced something they'd all been feeling.
"It's feels weird to be talking to the Proxians as if we've known them all our lives," he said.
"Yeah, just weeks before, we thought we'd killed two of them, and we've been making death threats to the other two," agreed Ivan. "It's a mad world."
"Well, here they come now," said Isaac, looking off towards the lighthouse, and seeing a ship headed towards them.
They got off and waited for Karst's ship to dock. When it did, Isaac and company helped them put up the ramp, so they could get off faster. When that was done, they finally took a look at their surroundings.
The city seemed like a place that looked run-down, yet had people who were cheerful at heart. There were people standing around here and there, laughing, some even celebrating. They found out why when one of them pointed to the beacon of the Sol Lighthouse and cheered.
Thin fog hovered around everywhere, giving the city a unique aura about it. It seemed mysterious, yet inviting. The pillars, having been worn with age, glinted slightly with the dew and fog that had collected on them. The buildings looked aged, and everything seemed to sparkle. No wonder everyone wanted to come here . . .
"Whoa! We have visitors!" shouted a voice.
The whole group started, and looked around for the source of the voice. It turned out to belong to a man with long blue hair, in a combination of a Pirate's and an Adept's choice of clothes. He approached Isaac and the rest eagerly.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"I'm Isaac," he said. "And these are my companions." He introduced everybody.
"I see," said the man. "Well, my name is Piers. We haven't had visitors to Lemuria for over a hundred years. I remember that day well . . ."
This made everybody raise their eyebrows in surprise. A hundred years ago . . . and yet, this man looked no older then 25! Babi was 150 years old, yes, but he had been near0death when they ran into him. And yet, this man looked so young.
"Just how old are you?" asked Garet, awestruck.
"That's one issue I do not wish to discuss," said Piers lightly. "However, I will say this. I'm about half as old as the Wise One."
"Whoa . . ." said Saturos, whistling.
"Anyway, what are you doing here?" he asked. But then, some kind of connection seemed to dawn on him as he looked at how various people were wincing where they had been attacked, back on top of the lighthouse. "Do you have anything to do with the lighting of the Sol lighthouse?"
"Yes, we do," said Menardi.
"Yeah, we originally didn't want them lit, but . . . oh, we should discuss this somewhere else. I'm just about dying with hunger, we haven't had anything to eat in over a day, and that was just a fish. Is there a good place to eat around here?"
"Oh, I think I can take care of that," Piers said kindly. "If you'll just follow me, please."
"No wonder you're all so thin," said Jenna, looking them up and down. "Yeah, Garet, I remember you having a stomach."
"Believe me, it hasn't been easy," said Garet, smiling at her, and taking her hand. She seemed not to mind.
"Yeah, I heard him grumbling in his sleep about how much he wanted to go diving for a shark," chuckled Solaris.
"I doubt the shark would have gone after him anyway," said Ivan. "There's nothing on him but skin and bone. There's nothing but that on any of us."
"You said it," said Mia. "Most of my weight probably comes from the robes I wear."
They all started to follow the Lemurian Piers throughout the city. All wished they had more eyes than they did, for there was so much to see. Isaac actually noticed a stream of Lemurian Draught running through an area in the west side of Lemuria, which they passed. He made a mental note to come by and pick some up for Babi . . . but then he remembered that he was dead.
"Right here is our inn," said Piers, stopping in front of a worn, but beautiful, stone building with the classic INN sign hanging above the door. "They make the best bread, soup, and chicken in all of Weyard. So, you'll probably want a lot right? Since it's so high-quality, it may be expensive . . ."
"It doesn't matter," said Agatio abruptly. "If we pool all our money together, I think we'll be rich enough." This brought chuckles from everyone.
"If you say so," said Piers.
He stepped forward and opened the door to the inn. Holding it open for everyone, he went in last. He watched with amusement at the reactions to his new friends' faces.
Instantly their mouths dropped open, and he saw drool come out of more than one mouth. He himself felt his mouth watering at the smell of steamed rice, seasoned chicken, and noddle soup. It had been a while since he'd eaten himself, and he was almost as hungry, he assumed, as some of the others.
"I'm getting full just smelling this stuff!" quipped Saturos, spraying drool all over Mia, but she didn't notice. She was too busy stopping her own flow.
"I think there's a few tables over here we could join together," said Piers, pointing to a dark, secluded corner of the inn.
They walked over to that section of the inn, turning more than a few heads of other diners. They had also been amazed at so many visitors at one time, since it had been ages since they last saw some.
"Apparently you're not the only one who's surprised to see visitors," commented Isaac, looking around at all the people looking at him.
"Nope, I knew I wouldn't be," said Piers. "Visitors coming here is about as rare as a Lemurian death . . . they happen once about every 100 to 150 years."
"Geez . . ." said Sheba.
"Now, you can be seated, and I'll go get the food," said Piers. "It may take awhile, because there's 14 of us, but I'll be back as quickly as I can." He then turned around and hurried off toward the kitchen.
It took a few minutes for the group to join the tables, find enough chairs, and be seated where they wanted to sit, but it was soon done. Isaac sat between Garet and Mia, Ivan sat next to Lunora, Solaris sat between Saturos and Agatio, Menardi sat next to Karst, Jenna sat next to Garet, and Felix and Sheba sat next to each other at the far end of their huge table. By the time they were all seated, Piers had returned with about a dozen loaves of bread.
"Steaming hot," he warned jovially. "I'll go back for soup."
He quickly turned away, and soon, there was a small dogfight and much ripping of bread. It turned out that Isaac had mistakenly ended up with a whole loaf, so Garet and Mia tore it in half, and each took one. Isaac, looking bewildered, looked around to see where the bread had gone. Mia, giggling, kissed him and tore her piece evenly, and gave Isaac one.
The bread was devoured soon, and then, Ivan voiced something that had been nagging at the back of Isaac and company's minds for some time.
"So, where are we all gonna go now?" he said. "I mean now that the quest is over."
"Is it really, though?" Jenna asked.
"Well, seeing as the man who got all of Alchemy's power is dead, I don't see how anyone else could take it," said Felix logically. "So yes, I do think it's over. It's been so long, hasn't it?"
"Over a year," said Garet. "But it's sure good to see you to."
"As it is all of you," said Felix. "And really, Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio were very kind to us, they only had to act nasty with Alex was around."
"But, back to what I was asking!" called Ivan. "Where is everybody going?"
"I'm going home," said Garet.
"Me too," said Felix and Jenna.
"I knew that," said Ivan. "I'm going with you, wherever you go."
"Good man!" said Isaac. "I knew you wouldn't go back to Kalay, somehow."
"I'm definitely staying with Isaac," said Mia. Isaac grinned to himself.
"We're headed back to Prox, naturally," said Saturos, referring to himself, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio. "It's home, and we miss it."
"I'm headed back to Lalivero," said Sheba. "I miss the ordinary life, but it has been fun seeing the world."
"What about you two?" asked Isaac, talking to Solaris and Lunora.
"I'm going wherever she wants to go," said Solaris.
"I don't know . . ." said Lunora. "I'm thinking I want to go to Prox as well . . . but I'm not sure."
Ivan didn't look too happy about this, but there was no time for him to voice his input on what she said, for Piers had returned with a huge plate of seasoned chicken for all of them to eat. Forgetting about the matter, Ivan and the rest leaped at the platter, and seized about five wings each. Piers watched with eyebrows raised as they all tore at the legs, devouring all of them in less than a minute.
"Wow, you guys were hungry!" said Piers, sounding both surprised and impressed. "I'll go get more."
"No, just go tell someone to send a waiter," said Karst, patting the last empty seat. "You've done enough already. But tell him to make it snappy! I'm still hungry!"
"Will do," said Piers good-naturedly, and he walked off again, returning in a minute or so. "The waiter's on his way with soup and a couple more platters of chicken," he informed everyone.
"Yeah, and I'll tell him to get a keg while I'm at it," said Garet. "It's about time I tried some ale."
Jenna smacked him. "You don't need to be drinking beer!" she snapped, laughing.
"Oh, cut me a break!" he said. "I haven't had it since we left Vale, and I think this is as good an occasion as any to have a foaming mug."
Even Jenna couldn't argue that. "Okay, okay. Actually, you do make it sound good," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
Garet went wide-eyed and flushed, but looked happy all the same. He didn't think it appropriate to make a scene in front of everyone, but he was happy that Jenna was perhaps starting to like him.
The waiter soon came. He was an elderly man with his blue hair (which fell to his shoulders) tied back in a ponytail, he had a stubby beard, and was looking exhausted. This made sense, as the inn was very busy right now.
"Okay, what would you like today, visitors?" he asked.
"More chicken, soup, and a keg," said Garet.
"Oooh, that will be expensive," said the waiter. "You might not be able to afford-"
But he was instantly cut off at the two pouches of gold coins that Karst produced from her pocket. She jangled them, and then tossed them both to the waiter.
"Give us all that in food, plus the keg," she said. "Don't let any of it go to waste."
"Yes ma'am! No problem, ma'am!" said the waiter, catching the bags, bowing, and hurrying off to the kitchen.
Probably by the influence of the gold that Karst gave to the waiter, enough food to feed a whole council appeared suddenly at their table, with cooks bobbing around, trying to find a place to put the soup, chicken, and fried rice. When it was finally placed, they scurried off, and Isaac and company and the Proxians loaded their plates.
They had just started to drain their soup bowls when the elderly waiter came rolling a keg next to Garet. The waiter bowed again, and left, leaving Garet to fill up his flagon. The rest passed their flagons to Garet, and he filled them. Soon, everyone was enjoying their food and sipping ale.
It was a celebration party of sorts. They talked, laughed, ate, and drank. Ivan told Piers all about their quest, and the story of their whole trip. He left Piers sitting there with his mouth open in amazement. Isaac and Felix got into an argument about who would tell the wise one how they 'screwed up', and ended up laughing over it.
In the end, when they had literally stuffed themselves fit to burst, and were all feeling a little tipsy, they thanked the waiters, and went to the registration desk to rent five two-person rooms, and a family room. Karst dug out another pouch of coins, and paid the receptionist, who promptly gave them their keys.
Piers bid them goodnight, and left the inn. The rest walked shakily up the stairs, seeing as they were all, well, slightly drunk. Isaac and Mia took one room, Garet and Jenna took another, Ivan and Lunora took the third, Felix and Sheba took the fourth, Karst and Agatio took the fifth, and Solaris, Saturos, and Agatio took the family room. After bidding each other goodnight, they all went into their rooms, closing the doors behind them.
So, all being full, happy, drunk, and exhausted, they all collapsed onto separate beds, still fully-clothed, and fell asleep. They were so happy to be sleeping in soft beds that they fell asleep almost instantly after touching the pillow. It was a dreamless night, for all of them except for two.
Ivan and Lunora were lying awake, reading separate books. The candlelight flickered across Ivan's face as he read, pressed against Lunora. Soon, he put down his book and turned to face her.
"Have you decided where you want to go?" he asked.
"Well . . ." she started, looking uncomfortable. "Solaris said he'd stay with me, so I'm not worried about that."
"And I'm going with Isaac," said Ivan. "But, I'd feel much better if you came with me. I . . . I don't know. I think I'm in love with you or something. I mean, Isaac is a good friend, but I'd sure miss you. I mean . . ." Ivan stuttered, wondering why he couldn't control himself. Why couldn't he just have asked her to come with him, instead of blabbing? But, he found what he said about loving Lunora to be more true now that he'd said that.
Lunora smiled at him. "Well, in that case, I think I'll come with you," she said, now grinning. "Now that I think about it, I wouldn't want to be away from you."
"Wow . . . that feels good to hear," said Ivan, reaching up and running his hand through her hair.
She toyed with Ivan's hand for a minute as it combed her hair, and then, she pulled it to her face and kissed it softly. Ivan then pulled her into an embrace, and they kissed passionately. SO, they both fell asleep happy, having both gotten what they wanted.
*******
All emerged at different intervals in the dining area of the inn, still groggy, and having a slight hangover, but nothing serious. Ivan was the last one to come down; he looked like he could fall asleep standing up. But, they wanted to find Piers to say goodbye, and thank him for his hospitality, before they left for home. It seemed weird to think about it now . . . the word home. They had barely thought about it through their quest.
It turned out that they didn't have to look for Piers after all, for he was waiting right outside the door to the inn, looking pleasant and alert as they had seen him last night.
"Well, it's good to see you all tired," he said, smiling. "I presume you are to leave soon?"
"We're gonna leave soon," said Ivan, "but we all wanted to thank you for being so kind to us last night, before we left."
"No problem, anything for a visitor," said Piers, chuckling.
Solaris then reached into his pack and pulled out a pouch of coins, and handed it to Piers. He tried to refuse, but Solaris insisted, saying that it was the least he could do.
"Yeah, I tried to pay for stuff last night, but Karst beat me to it," said Solaris, grinning at Karst, who looked back at him, mocking embarrassment.
"Well, it was nice to see you all," said Piers. "You've been very polite, and that's something Lemurian like to see. As a token of my appreciation, I'd like you to take this with you."
Piers then produced a small leather book from a pouch on his belt. Isaac took it, and looked at the cover, and whistled. It was entitled: Lemuria: Past, Present, and Future, and by flipping quickly through the pages, Isaac reasoned that it was like a history, and description of Lemuria, plus countless other things, including how to get past the whirlpools.
"Show that only to those you trust," said Piers. "We don't want other people to know about it, because we feel that if they really want to know, they'll find a way to come here for themselves."
"Okay, I promise," said Isaac. "Thanks again."
"No problem," said Piers, shaking everyone's hand. "And if you can, try to come back sometime."
"We will," said both Menardi and Isaac. Piers nodded happily and then left, and disappeared into a building.
"Wait!" Isaac shouted. Piers then popped his head out the door.
"What?"
"How do we get out of here? Do we just ride one of the currents?"
"Yes. Just take the first current you come to, on your left, right before the one you had to cross to get here. You can't miss it."
"Thanks!" said Isaac, and Piers disappeared though the door.
"Well, we've finally visited Lemuria!" said Lunora. "It's the most beautiful city I've ever seen."
"I'll agree with that one," said Sheba, glancing around. "But, I'd like to get home now."
"Hear hear!" chanted everyone else.
They all walked out of the city, casting a quick look back at it. Once they crossed the row of pillars that marked the edge of the city, they stepped into bright sunlight, now able to reach them. It could not shine upon Lemuria.
The soon reached their ships. Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio turned around and shook hands with everybody, until they were left with shaking Isaac's hand.
"Thanks for being so understanding, and, well . . . for not killing us," said Menardi, pulling him into a small hug. "You know, that's really nice . . . we should have told you our purposes from the very start."
"Not a problem," said Isaac. "I'm surprised you didn't kill us. You've no idea how bad we feel for almost killing all of you."
"It was a lack of communication," said Saturos, coming up to shake Isaac's hand. "On both our sides."
"But, I hope we can create a friendship with you all the same," said Karst, shaking Isaac's hand as well. "Even if that scum Alex nearly killed us all," she added angrily.
"And we'll hope to hear from you," said Agatio, nodding at Isaac, and also extending his hand.
"Of course," said Isaac. "We may even visit you."
"I'd like that, from all of you," said Menardi. "Oh, and Jenna, Felix, and Sheba, I hope we weren't too hard on you."
"Not at all," said Sheba. "Your company was enjoyable."
"All right then," said Saturos awkwardly, getting on the ship. Menardi, Karst, and Agatio soon followed. "Well, we'll hopefully see you sometime soon."
"All right then, have a safe trip," said Solaris. "Goodbye, brother."
"See you later, squirt!" shouted Saturos to Solaris as they sailed away.
Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Jenna, Felix, Sheba, Solaris, and Lunora watched the four Proxians sail away, until they saw them being jerked away by the current until they were out of sight. Isaac then sighed.
"So many places to visit again . . ." he said. "But only after a good rest in Vale. We'll visit Prox, Tundris, Tolbi, all those places later. I just wanna get home."
"I'll go for that," said Garet. "Let's get on board, and sail then!"
They all got on board their ship just as soon as they got the ramp set up. Retracting it, Lunora stepped up to the Black Orb and guided the ship away from the beach. She then turned it around, and sailed straight for the current. In a minute, they were swept away, the ship being slightly tossed about in the raging waves carrying it out to calm seas.
In a few minutes, the saw the end of the river, leading into the Great Eastern Sea. They soon got deposited into the ocean, still speeding west, until they slowed to a stop. Lunora sat down for a minute, and spoke to Solaris.
"By the way, you said you'd stick with me, right?" she said.
"You mean as far as where we're going? Yes, I did," said Solaris.
"Well, how would you feel about living in Vale?" asked Lunora.
"I'd like that," said Solaris, smiling. "It sounds like a very nice place."
"It is," said Jenna. "I like it, anyway."
"By the way Isaac, how are we gonna get home?" asked Garet.
"I have an answer to that," said Solaris. "If you'll sail to the beach along the southeast end of Angara, you'll run into a small town called Champa, and if I recall correctly, they have a teleport pad there. We can teleport to Vale, because every town on Angara and Gondowan has one in the town or somewhere close by."
"How do you know this?" asked Mia.
"I traveled there years ago, before I even came to Prox," said Lunora. "I told him all about what I found. And he's right. If you just get us to Champa, we can get home without a problem. And about the ship, there's a cave a mile or so away from Champa, a cave that has water deep enough for a ship to dock in it. We can keep the ship there."
"Sounds good to me!" said Ivan. "I really didn't like the idea of re-traveling half of Angara just to get to Vale."
"Okay then! Destination . . . Champa!" said Isaac, walking up to the Black Orb, and turning the ship northwest. He then set the ship at full speed for Angara, the continent where home awaited.
*******
It took half a day to sight land, but it sure didn't seem like it to anyone else. It felt like another year. However, their sailing time would have been longer, but the wind was with them. Ivan had made it blow towards the southwest at a fairly strong pace, because he could control the wind as a Jupiter Adept. All the while, Isaac had scanned the book that Piers had given them about Lemuria. It told them everything about it, and Isaac soon found himself reading it aloud to everyone, and showing them the pictures drawn inside. All in all, it was very interesting.
When Garet spotted land, everyone cheered, and Isaac poured maximum psynergy into the Black Orb, which speeded the ship up. About ten minutes later, they came so close to Angara that they could make out the land features upon it. Lunora then started to give instructions on where to sail.
"We're too far east," she said. "We'll need to sail down the coastline a few miles, and then we'll come upon the cave. Then, we'll leave the ship there. It's okay to do that since nobody can sail it without Psynergy and the Black Orb."
"If you take that with you Isaac, then the ship should be just fine," said Felix. "Then, hardly anybody can move that ship."
"Right," agreed Solaris. "Then, we walk to Champa, and on the side we'll come into, there'll be a little shack which requires Reveal to enter. In there, you'll find the teleport pad."
"Okay!" said Felix, feeling more excited the closer he got to home. "Let's get sailing."
Isaac turned the ship west and put it at full speed. A few minutes or so later, they came across the cave that Lunora had mentioned. After reaching it, Isaac guided the ship inside it, so that it was right next to the ground lining the wall of the cave. Soon, he brought the ship to a stop, and lowered the plank.
"Welcome to Angara, everybody!" said Isaac happily, and they all cheered.
They all went belowdecks to get anything they might want before leaving the ship behind. After everyone stuffed their packs and their arms with personal belongings, they all emerged on deck again, and walked down the plank and onto solid ground. They walked the few hundred feet that it took to get out of the cave, and turned West.
"Okay, it's about a fifteen-minute walk from here," said Solaris. "Then . . . oh wait. You can even see Champa from here!"
"Where?!" shouted Jenna excitedly, squinting into the distance. "Oh, I see it now!" she said pointing.
She showed it to everyone else, and actually, it looked pretty close, it was just blocked out by the landscape, which it blended in with. Enlightened by this sight, everyone began to run towards the small town in the distance, and since they were so excited, they didn't lose much energy. It just became difficult to hold onto the things that they carried in their arms, plus the weight on their backs.
As the town loomed so close that they could see the buildings of it, Sheba managed to spot the little shack. It was in a secluded part of the village, away from the whole of the town, and sheltered by large boulders. She approached it, and cast Reveal to see a lever where a sign used to be saying: WELLHOUSE: DO NOT ENTER. She pulled it, and the door swung open to reveal a teleport pad.
"Well Sheba, I guess this is goodbye, for now," said Felix, hugging her.
"You'll all come see me, right?" she inquired. "I know we don't know each other very well Isaac, but I hope you and your friends will come see me sometime, so we can get to know each other better."
"I'd like that," said Isaac. "Well drop by sometime soon."
With that, Sheba hugged Felix again, and then Jenna, and stepped onto the teleport pad. Using the psynergy she claimed at the Jupiter Lighthouse, she cast Teleport, and instantly disappeared. That left the original six, plus Felix and Jenna.
"Okay, I think we cal all fit on this thing," said Ivan, stepping onto the pad. He made sure that everyone else stepped on too, and had room. "Okay, are we ready to go to Vale?"
"We're ready!" chorused the rest of the group.
"Okay, to Vale we go!" said Ivan, getting out the Teleport Lapis that Sheba handed him sometime other than then.
He cast teleport, and instantly they felt a new, rushing sensation. The room soon began to swirl, and bright white balls of energy flowed out of each of them, and the Teleport Lapis. They soon disappeared.
*******
They soon reappeared on another teleport platform in a stone room with blue-tiled walls, and torches hung in brackets on the wall. Isaac and Garet recognized the place with a thrill of excitement.
"It's . . . it's Sol Sanctum!" shouted Garet.
"Really?" said Mia excitedly. "So, we're right outside Vale?"
"Yeah!" said Jenna. "Let's go!"
"Welcome back," said a cold, distantly-familiar voice.
They all started, and Jenna soon pointed upwards. They all saw the Wise One hovering over them, staring down at them with its one, huge eye.
"I'm glad you see you all back safe, Isaac and Garet," said the Wise One. "And you brought some new friends with you, I see. And even recovered Jenna and Felix. You've done much right on your quest."
"Thank you, Wise One," said Isaac.
"But you failed to prevent the lighting of the lighthouses," said the Wise One coldly. "And where's Kraden?"
"Alex killed him back at the Jupiter Lighthouse," said Isaac. "It's a sad loss."
"That it is," said the Wise One. "But, we'll discuss your quest later. "Right now, you probably have some villagers outside who'd be really happy to see you right now."
"Do they know we're here?" asked Mia.
"Know, I'll save that surprise for you guys," said the Wise One, slightly humorously. "I'll be speaking to you later about your quest." And then he vanished.
"Well, let's get into Vale now!" said Ivan. "I'm so close to my new home, but I haven't gotten to see it yet! Let's go!"
All following Ivan, they ran out the door of the small room, and found themselves near the entrance to the sanctum. Isaac led the way out, running down the dirt path leading into Vale. He was just dying to be back in his bed, of which he left vacant for over a year.
"Isaac?" said a feminine voice.
He looked up, and as soon as he saw who had spoken, his face split into an ear-to-ear grin. He saw his mother, who had just come out of the Great Healer's sanctum, looking over at him, as though she couldn't believe it was him.
"Mom?" he said tentatively, also not daring to believe it.
"Oh, Isaac and Garet! And Jenna and Felix! It's so good to see all of you!" Dora cried, rushing forward and grabbing them all into a crushing hug, as Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora watched on with a big smile on their face.
They were back.
END
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And that's it. That's the end. The final chapter.
Or is it the end? Yes, I'll have a short epilogue brewed up for you guys . . . and I mean short. Probably no more than two pages.
After that, I will post the afterthoughts on the story, including my replies to the reviews I get on this chapter. And I'll discuss the prospect of a sequel and the Idea I have fully formed in my head, and whether you like it or not. So, wait until then.
I will also give you some final statistics on the story itself, which my computer word program was kind enough to tell me. Just a statistic.
And even though the next thing updated will be the epilogue, and it's very short, the SirGecko Deal still stands! The more reviews I get, the more I type, and the faster I update!
REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!