Chapter 8: Inside the Great Gabomba
What I saw shocked me: it was a bunch of moving gears and gizmos that all seemed to be powered by some kind of Psynergy. "Oh!" Kraden said, as if he had just remembered something.
"What is it, Kraden?" I asked.
"You're a Water Adept, aren't you, Piers?" he asked.
"Yes, I am." I said, mildly surprised by the question. "Why do you ask?"
"I just find it fascinating that we now have an Adept for each element of Alchemy." Kraden said. "It's almost seems like it was fated to happen…"
"I see…" I said, feeling awkward.
"Excuse me, but are you guys going to talk all night or are we going to get your orb back, Piers?" Jenna asked impatiently.
"Sorry, Jenna." Kraden said. "I just got a little excited."
"Let's go, everyone." Felix said firmly.
We continued onward. It seemed to be pretty much nothing but a long maze of gears, but I had a feeling it was so much more than that. We approached a ladder. I went to climb it, but Jenna stopped me. "Hey Piers," she said.
"What's the matter, Jenna?" I asked.
"There's something I didn't mention earlier that's been bothering me." she said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Your orb..." Jenna said.
"What about it?" I asked.
"What exactly is so special about it?" she asked.
"I've been wondering the same thing as well." Sheba added.
"The orb is a very important component to my ship." I said.
"How so?" Kraden asked.
"Well, Lemurian ships can only be helmed by Adepts." I explained. "The orb is powered by Psynergy, and Psynergy is what makes the ship go."
"So, in other words, you need it in order to sail your ship?" Felix asked.
"Correct." I said. "Now, let us proceed."
We climbed the ladder and continued onward. As we were heading to a ladder leading to another floor of the statue, we saw the strangest thing. A mouse was crawling around on the ground, and suddenly, it stopped. It looked at us, let out a squeak of fright and bounced around on the gears in the opposite direction, as if it was in an effort to get away from us. "Strange." Kraden said. "I've never seen mice act like that."
"Neither have I, Kraden." Felix agreed.
"Well, I hope we don't have to worry about it coming back." Jenna said, with an involuntary shudder.
"What's the matter?" I asked her. "Do you not like mice?"
"No." Jenna said tightly. "I just don't like any kind of rodent, period."
"I see." I said.
"Next time I see it, I just wanna burn it up so much, that not even ashes remain!" Jenna continued, not hearing me.
"Calm down, Jenna." Felix said, patting her on the shoulder. "It's all right."
Jenna seems to be a bit of a firebrand. I thought as we continued forward. I guess it would be best to tread lightly around her.
"I agree, Piers." Sheba said.
I looked at her. "Will you stop doing that?" I asked indignantly. "It gives me the creeps when you do that."
"Sorry." Sheba said. "But, if you'd learn to veil your mind when you think, then maybe my Mind Read wouldn't penetrate your thoughts so easily."
"I'll keep that in mind." I replied. "I'm sorry about what I said before."
"Don't worry about it." Sheba replied with reassurance in her voice. "I'm used to it. I was raised in a village where my Psynergy made me a 'child of the gods'."
"I was considered special in my hometown, as well." I agreed. "But, for different reasons..."
"And those reasons were...?" Sheba asked.
"To be honest, Sheba, I don't feel very comfortable discussing it." I said. "It's nothing against you, but…"
"I understand." Sheba said. "I'm sorry I brought it up."
"That's okay." I said,
Soon, we entered a very odd chamber. There was a statue in the middle, and there was all this commotion going on outside the chamber. The noise sounded familar to me, but apparently, Felix and the others paid it no heed. We climbed up yet another ladder, only to arrive in another odd-looking chamber. Not long after we entered this chamber, we head Akafubu's voice cry out, "Focus your energies!" It was then my suspicions about the noise were confirmed.
Kraden ran over to one of the huge eyes at the bottom of the chamber, and looked down towards the chamber floor. "Everyone!" he said. "Come over here!"
We heard Akafubu say his usual "O Great Gabomba, accept this, our humble gift!" and what we saw following that was extraordinary. After he cast his spell, we saw the Psynergy flowing past us into a series of conduits that lined the floor. The Psynergy flowed along them and then suddenly fizzled and died. "Ah-ha!" Jenna exclaimed. "So that's it..."
"What is it, Jenna?" Kraden and I asked at the same time.
"His ceremony's been failing because these conduits that channel his Psynergy have been tampered with." she explained.
"Translation, please." Sheba said, agitation in her voice.
"In other words, he can't do the ceremony properly because the circuits on the floor are busted." Felix said.
"Oh..." Sheba said.
"You know, I think I'm rubbing off on you, Jenna..." Kraden said, chuckling.
"Don't even go there, Kraden!" Jenna said savagely.
"Go where?" I asked.
"Never mind." Felix whispered to me. "It's better that you don't understand, Piers."
"Okay... whatever you say, Felix." I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"Anyway," Kraden said as if he were in deep thought. "I think we should find a way to help him finish his ceremony. What do you think, Felix?"
"I think that would be a good idea, Kraden." Felix said.
Now it was my turn to be angry. "I won't help them, Felix!" I snapped, almost shouting. "He's the one who led the party that stole my orb the Madrans!"
"Calm down, Piers..." Jenna said, patting me on the shoulder.
"Piers, I understand why you're angry, but it would really be best if we helped." Kraden said. "What do you think he going to do with your orb?"
"He's going to give to the Great Gabomba..." I said, at first angry, then I gradually calmed down, because I was struck by an idea. " Oh! So if it's brought inside the statue..."
"That's right, Piers!" Kraden said. "We can get it when it rolls in. Now, let's get cracking!"
We inspected the chamber. There was a pole sticking up from the ground. Jenna used her Psynergy to Pound it into the ground. As a result, portions of the conduits on the floor were raised into the air. We pressed these buttons on both sides of the pole to rotate the blocks so Akafubu's Psynergy would go to the correct spot. When they were rotated to the proper position, Jenna Pounded them in with her Psynergy. We worked quickly, as we wanted to get the orb as soon as possible. Soon, we were finished. Not long afterward, we heard Akafubu crying out in desperation, "Please accept this, O Great Gabomba! I beg of you! It is our humble gift!"
We rushed down to the chamber below and waited. Suddenly my orb came rolling in. We all dived for it, but we couldn't get it in time. It disappeared into a hole at the bottom of the statue. "Oh, no!" I cried out in agony. "Now I'll never see Lemuria again! I am lost forever to my homeland!"
"There, there, Piers." Jenna said, patting me on the shoulder again. "It's all right. It's all right..."
"Hey!" Sheba said, peering into the hole.
"What is it, Sheba?" Kraden asked.
"I see a light on the other side of this statue." Sheba said. "There's still a chance we could get your orb back, Piers."
"A light?" I said, hardly daring to believe it.
"Yes." Sheba said with the utmost sincerity.
"What's the meaning of this?" a voice said. Akafubu had arrived.
He stared at us for a second before asking "Are you people of Kibombo?"
"I'm afraid not." Felix said.
"Then what are you doing inside the Great Gabomba?" Akafubu demanded.
I stepped forward. "We came to reclaim my black orb!" I said, my hand over the hilt of my sword. "The one you stole!"
"Do you really think I would permit you to take it?" Akafubu asked angrily.
"Hey, is it that any way to thank someone for helping you?" Jenna asked, her fiery anger welling up again.
Akafubu looked confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Follow me." Jenna said, taking him by the hand and leading him to the upper chamber. We followed them. I could have sworn I heard Akafubu whimpering when Jenna grabbed his hand, but it might have been just my imagination.
Jenna explained how we helped him to complete his ceremony. Afterwards, he asked us why we helped him out. "Because we needed that orb for our journey." Kraden replied.
"Then, have you taken it already?" Akafabu asked.
"No." I said, shaking my head. "It rolled past us into a hole at the bottom of the statue, where we saw a light glowing from it, as if there were something on the other side."
"Ahhh." Akafabu said. "So that's it…"
"What's it?" Kraden asked.
"Follow me." Akafubu said. "I may be able to retrieve it."
We walked down to the lower chamber. Akafabu placed a weird jewel in the statue's hands and it moved out of the way to reveal a hidden doorway. Akafabu walked in. We followed him. We went onto a platform, and it lowered just as we walked onto it.
We walked down a narrow pathway towards another doorway. There we found Akafubu murmuring to himself. "I have follow Oeia's instructions and reached the final chamber, but I do not know what to do in order to earn the title of witch doctor." he murmured.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
It was then he noticed we were there. "Oh! It's you. Your orb is sitting over there," he said, pointing to the statue at the end of the room. "Go ahead and take it."
"Thanks." I said, grateful for his cooperation.
However, as soon as I touched it, it rose into the air and it stood there, suspended. Then, the room darkened. Afterwards, a voice spoke, "Akafubu... you have done well."
"Wh-who spoke!" Akafubu demanded, looking around in confusion.
"I believe it was the statue, Akafubu." Kraden said.
"Impossible..." Akafubu muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Your magical arts have certainly improved, Akafubu," the voice said. This time when it spoke, I noticed that the statue's eyes glowed with a strange light.
"Th-thank you, O Great Gabomba!" Akafubu stammered, looking at the statue with a hint of fear in his eyes.
"Do not fear me, Akafubu," the statue said. "I am merely here to present you with the feather and cloak of your office as witch doctor."
As the statue spoke these words, a feather appeared on Akafubu's turban, and the cloak he was currently wearing was replaced with a much better looking one. "From this day forth, you shall be Kibombo's witch doctor!" the statue announced.
"At last!" Akafubu said, jumping for joy. He then practically skipped out of the room, happy that he had finally become a witch doctor.
Then a chest floated down from the sky. "Akafubu, you hasty fool... there was still one more thing I had to give you!" the statue said angrily. "Say, you there..."
"Who, me?" Felix asked, surprised.
"Yes, you!" the statue said. "I need you to do something for me..."
"What?" Felix asked.
"Akafubu is not yet ready to earn this magic," the statue explained. "So, I want you to tell him if you he ceases to live for himself and refines his magical arts, he will be ready to earn it."
"Do you think we could get that power ourselves?" Kraden asked.
"What do you mean?" the statue asked.
"What I'm saying is that, maybe if Akafubu would be able to take both his position and your message seriously if he were to compete for this magical power." Kraden explained.
"Hmmm…" the statue said. "An interesting idea…"
"Do you like it, O Great Gabomba?" Kraden asked.
"Yes, I do." the statue said. "Very well. Tell him all that I have said, and your competition for the magic. I shall sleep until that time… Farewell…"
The room lit up again and I caught my orb as it was falling to the ground. The chest that was on the floor had disappeared, and a staircase appeared in it's place. "Say, Felix..." Kraden said. "Do you have any clue what this 'Great Gabomba' is?"
"Not really, no." Felix said, shaking his head.
"Good." Kraden said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Then I don't feel so foolish… Well, let us fulfill our promise to the Gabomba."
