Chapter 9: To the Ship!

We left the statue of the Great Gabomba and headed for the village. We found Akafubu's hut and went inside to talk to him. Felix and Kraden told him the Great Gabomba's words and also that they wanted it's magic as well. By the time they had finished their story, dawn had broken. "Well, I guess that's that!" Kraden mused when they had finished.

"You are virtuous men and women." Akafubu's father said to us. "Thank you for delivering this message to us."

"What do we have to be thankful for?" Akafubu snapped. "If they had just stopped me, I would have had the Great Gabomba's magic by now!"

"If you were more interested in your position, you would not have left the chamber in the first place!" Akafubu's father said, appalled.

"But, Father!" Akafubu whined. "They're trying to steal the magic of our people!"

"Do not whine!" Akafubu's father snapped. "That is no way for any leader of Kibombo to behave!"

Ignoring him, Akafubu turned to us. "I'll show you! I'm the one worthy of the Great Gabomba's magic!" he snapped. "And, I'll be the one to get it! You'll see!"

Then, Akafubu stormed out of the room. There was a long pause before anyone spoke. "I am profoundly sorry for my son's behavior." Akafubu's father said, breaking the silence. "He only acts like this when I'm around."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"He always thinks I am going to take his side no matter the situation." Akafubu's father explained. "So, I think it is best that you leave now."

"Good idea." Kraden said, nodding.

"Felix, I think we should rest at the inn before we leave." I suggested. "We didn't get to sleep last night, due to the circumstances..."

"Great idea, Piers." Felix said. "Any objections?"

"I have none." Kraden said.

"I don't." Jenna said.

"None that I know of." Sheba said.

"Good." Felix said. "Let's get going!"

"Wait!" Akafubu's father said. "Take this with you. My son found it inside of the statue last night and said he had no use for it." He handed Felix an odd-looking rod.

"Thank you very much." Felix said.

"You are welcome." Akafubu's father said. "Do not worry about my son. I shall try to set things straight with him."

"We'd greatly appreciate that." Kraden said. "Well, let's go!"

We headed to the inn and rested. Surprisingly, I actually slept a lot better in Kibombo than I had in Naribwe. I dreamt of being back in Lemuria, standing next to King Hydros in front of cheering crowd chanting my name. My mother and uncle's face stood out from among the group, with the look of pride on their faces that I was able to return home safely. My new companions were standing on each side of me. Jenna and Sheba were blowing kisses, Felix just waved, and Kraden was simply bowing multiple times. The best part of all, Conservato was nowhere in sight. Then, King Hydros walked up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Piers, it's time to get up."

"What?" I said, a little shocked.

"I said, 'It's time to get up', Piers." King Hydros said angrily. "Now get up before I make 'poached Piers' for breakfast."

My eyes snapped open. There was Jenna, standing over me. "Oh, it was you." I said. "I thought you were-"

"That I was what?" Jenna asked.

"Nothing." I said, shaking the cobwebs out of my head. "Never mind."

"You were smiling." Jenna said. "What were you dreaming about?"

"It wasn't what you're thinking, I swear!" I said truthfully.

"Okay, okay." Jenna said, trying to calm me down. "I'm sorry. Just color me nosy."

"I don't think that's a color, Jenna." I said.

Jenna laughed at that. "What's so funny?" I asked, oblivious to the humor.

"You are, you silly Lemurian!" Jenna said, amid her giggling.

"I wasn't trying to be funny!" I said with conviction.

She noticed the seriousness in my tone. "You know, Piers..." Jenna said, moving her face close to mine.

"What?" I asked, a little nervous.

"You're much too tense." she said, patting me on the shoulder. "You've gotta lighten up a little bit."

Jenna then headed towards the door. Then, she faced me again. "Oh, by the way, breakfast is ready if you want some." she said.

"Thanks." I said, sitting up in the bed and rubbing my eyes.

"Don't mention it." Jenna said sweetly. Then, she was gone.

I let out a huge yawn and stretched. Then, I got up and grabbed my sword. After strapping it to my belt, I headed down the ladder and headed outside. Jenna was standing there, apparently waiting for me. "Took you long enough," she said teasingly.

We walked over to a campfire that Felix had started. "Ah! The Lemurian hast awoken from his slumber!" Sheba said dramatically as we approached.

"C'mon Sheba, leave him alone." Jenna said. "He just woke up for crying out loud!"

"Here you go, Piers." Felix said, handing me a steaming mug.

"What's this?" I asked looking at the murky brown liquid in the mug.

"Hot coffee." Felix said. "Just the thing to wake you up."

"Thanks." I said, taking a sip. "Mmmm... This is delicious!"

"You say that as if you've never had it before." Kraden remarked.

"I haven't." I replied. "We haven't had coffee in Lemuria for quite a while."

"How long, exactly?" Kraden asked.

"I don't know... probably over 400 years." I said casually.

"Wow." Sheba said, astounded. "That's quite a long time."

"It's not really a long time to us Lemurians, but I doubt people from the outside world would understand that." I said, taking another sip of coffee. "No offense meant, by the way."

"None taken." Kraden said.

While we were chatting, Felix was hard at work placing grilled steak and fried eggs on plates for us. "Here you go, guys," he said, handing the plates to us.

I took a bite. "Mmmm..." I said. "Felix, this is fantastic!"

"Thanks." Felix said. "You're very lucky to be able to eat it."

"Why is that?" I asked in between bites.

"Because I cooked it," he replied, glancing at Jenna.

"Hey!" Jenna said.

After I was done with what was on my plate, I asked for a second helping. And a third after that. "Geez, Piers." Jenna said, gaping at me. "You sure eat a lot for someone your size."

"We Lemurians have high metabolisms." I explained.

"What does that mean?" Sheba asked.

"It means we have to consume a lot more food to sustain ourselves." I said. "But, it gradually slows down as we reach old age."

"Faster metabolisms?" Kraden asked, getting excited again. "Incredible! Babi never told me anything about that!"

"There he goes again..." Jenna muttered, rolling her eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Never mind." Jenna said. "I'll explain later."

After breakfast, I helped Felix pack up the dishes and leftovers into the bag I had received from the innkeeper of Naribwe. "Thanks." Felix said.

"It was nothing." I replied. "I'm always willing to help."

We met up with Jenna and the others at inn. "You guys ready?" Felix asked.

"Ready!" chorused Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden.

"All right, then!" Felix said. "Let's go!"

We hiked along the Kibombo Mountains. I realized something that the others probably didn't notice; the Kibombo warriors that usually guarded the pass were gone. I didn't mention this, as it would probably only delay our trek. We eventually reached Naribwe, and we stocked up on supplies. A lot of the townspeople recognized me. They told me I was pretty brave to be able to go to Kibombo and come back again. They also praised Felix and the others for being able to find me. It's almost like we became instant celebrities for this quiet, little village.

After we were done shopping, we said our goodbyes, and headed towards the land bridge connecting Gondowan to Indra. We eventually reached it and so began our hike across it. Along the way, Jenna found this weird mushroom. She pocketed it and we continued on our way. We reached the other end, and set up camp. That night, Felix was preparing dinner. He made a great beef stew. I noticed he had made a little extra because now he had someone in his party who has a pretty big appetite. "Should we head straight for your ship, Piers?" he asked as he handed me my bowl.

"No." I said, taking a bite. "I think we should go to Madra first."

"Why?" Jenna asked. "They're the people that jailed you for no reason!"

"That may be," I said. "But, I think both the mayor and the village elder would be happy to see me again after they probably found out from the villagers that I headed towards Kibombo."

"I see." Kraden said. "You want to put them at ease, don't you?"

"Yes." I said, taking another bite of stew. "Even though they didn't treat me very well as a prisoner, I can still bring myself to forgive them and tell them not to worry about me."

"Wow." Sheba said. "I wish I were like you, Piers."

"What do you mean, Sheba?" I asked.

"Remember when I told you about Babi imprisoning me?" she asked.

"Yes, I do." I said delicately.

"Well, no matter what, I couldn't bring myself to forgive Babi for what he did." Sheba said. "Even now, when I'm several hundred miles away from him, I still can't do it. So, in a way, we're similar, but different. Do you understand?"

"Similar, but different..." I said, echoing Sheba's words. "Yeah, I do understand. Completely."

The rest of the meal past in silence. After dinner, I went to go sit by myself for a while. I didn't even look up when Jenna came to see me. "Hey." she said softly. "You okay?"

"No." I said, with no trace of emotion.

"What's troubling you, Piers?" Jenna asked.

"I'm just really worried, that's all." I said.

"About what?" Jenna asked.

"My mother, who's back in Lemuria." I said.

"Oh." Jenna said.

"She's probably worrying herself sick over me." I said, close to tears.

"I'm sure she'll be just fine when we get there." Jenna said, patting me on the back in a reassuring manner. "Until then, try not to worry so much. Okay, Piers?"

"I'll do my best." I said, cheering up slightly. "Thanks, Jenna."

"Don't mention it," she said, playfully ruffling my hair. Then, she got up and headed back towards the campfire.

"What was that about?" I heard Felix ask.

"Nothing." Jenna replied. "Piers just wants some time to himself. In addition, he says not to read his mind, Sheba."

"Awwww!" Sheba said, obviously disappointed.

I quietly laughed at that. Thanks again, Jenna... I thought. The next morning, we ate breakfast and then headed towards Madra. The first thing we did was head for the mayor's house. Along the way, we were stopped by a strange-looking girl. "Excuse me," she said to Felix. "Have you perchance seen a girl named Menardi?"

"Y-yes." Felix said, looking at the girl in horror.

"And, you're telling me... my sister's dead?" the girl asked.

"I'm sorry, but yes, that's true." Felix said, trying to keep his voice steady.

The girl suddenly grew furious. "Don't lie to me! Go! Just get out my sight!" she screamed, almost in anguish.

We quickly moved away from her. "Oh Menardi, where have you gone, my dear sister?" we heard the girl say as we were walking away.

"Who was that?" Kraden murmured.

"She knows Menardi!" Jenna and Sheba exclaimed.

Felix just stood there, motionless and speechless. "Hey." I said, waving my hand in front of his face. "Earth to Felix..."

Felix finally snapped out of it after I fired a mild cold burst with my Psynergy in his face. "What the hell is she doing here?" he muttered.

"What are you talking about, Felix?" Jenna asked, very concerned.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Sheba asked.

"I wouldn't say 'friend', exactly." Felix said. "But, yeah, I do know her."

"Who is she?" I asked.

"I'm sure you'll find out for yourself soon..." Felix said darkly.

Jenna looked as if she were going to ask him something else, but then decided against it. We headed through the door to the mayor's house and saw that he and the village elder were sitting at a table, talking. The mayor looked up and saw us. "Felix!" he exclaimed. "You're back!"

Felix nodded, as I stepped out from behind him. "And, look! He's brought Piers with him!" the mayor's wife said happily.

The village elder looked at me, concern showing in his eyes. "Piers, I am terribly sorry we lost your orb," he said sadly.

I smiled. "Don't be." I reassured him. "Everything worked out for the best."

"What do you mean?" the mayor asked.

"We just came back from Kibombo after retrieving my orb." I explained.

"Incredible..." the elder murmured.

"Did you manage this all by yourself?" the mayor asked.

"No." I said. "It was through the aid of Felix and his companions that I was able to retrieve it."

"Wow!" a little boy I assumed was the mayor's son said. "You guys are so cool!"

"Thanks." Jenna said, blushing slightly.

"Anyway, we have to be going." I said.

"Why?" the elder asked.

"We must go to... the island that is my home." I said, choosing my words carefully.

"Before you go, take this creature with you," the mayor's son said, pointing to a Mercury Djinni. "My father found it when he traveled to Gondowan to find you guys."

I took the Djinni and placed it on my shoulder. "Thanks!" I said. "So long!"

"Goodbye!" everyone said.

As soon as we left the mayor's home, the mayor came out saying, "Felix, wait!"

"What is it, Mr. Mayor?" Felix said.

"Take this with you." the mayor said, handing him a strange-colored chip. "It's the reward I promised for helping with the ship."

"Thanks." Felix said.

"Have a safe journey, Felix," the mayor said. Then he turned around and headed back into his house.

As if from nowhere, the girl we had run into earlier had suddenly appeared. "Felix...?" she asked, taking a good, long look at Felix. "He just called you Felix, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Felix said.

"Why didn't I realize it sooner?" the girl asked herself. "You are Felix!"

"Hello, Karst." Felix said tightly. "Glad to see you've finally remembered who I am. If you don't mind my asking, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't start with me!" Karst snapped. "Where are Saturos and Menardi?"

"You won't see Saturos or Menardi ever again." Sheba said sternly. "Isaac killed them. They're probably lying at the bottom of the sea right now..."

"Sheba!" Jenna hissed. "Be quiet!"

But, it was too late. "I heard that, you wretched little thing!" Karst said, stung by Sheba's words. "It's absolutely impossible... no Adept has the power to defeat my sister!"

She was looking right in the eyes. We quickly avoided eye contact. "Yet, all of you avoid my gaze..." Karst remarked. "I didn't want to believe it... it must be true..."

"How do you know that it wasn't Felix that killed your sister?" Kraden asked.

"What kind of a fool do you take me for?" Karst snapped. "I'm a warrior, just like my sister."

"So?" I asked.

"So, I can gauge an Adept's strength at a single glance." Karst replied. "Even if you doubled Felix's power, I doubt that he would have stood a chance against my sister."

Felix gripped the hilt of his sword. "Say that again." he muttered angrily. "I dare you to say that again, you bitch!"

"I also doubt that Felix would be able to find the courage to betray Menardi in the first place." Karst continued. "He knows the lives of those he holds dear hang in the balance..."

I saw the fury growing in both Jenna and Felix's eyes. I noticed Felix's grip tightening around the hilt of his sword. Karst must have hit a nerve. "Just who is this Isaac?" she asked.

No response. "Is he a friend of yours..." Karst said silkily. "...Or is he pursuing you?"

Still no response. "More likely the latter." Karst said to herself. "Lately, I've been hearing rumors of a traveler named Isaac, so I guess there's no reason to worry."

"What will you do once you find him?" Jenna asked, worry showing in her voice.

"I swear that the last thing he sees will be 'The Great Karst' avenging the death of her dear sister!" Karst proclaimed.

Felix quietly scoffed. "Heh. 'The Great Karst'. Yeah, right." he muttered.

"What was that?" Karst asked.

"I was just wondering what you wanted us to do in the meantime." Felix said innocently.

"I want you to find a way back to the Western Sea." Karst said.

"What shall we do once we get there?" Sheba asked.

"You may have to light Jupiter on your own." Karst said. "Unless you need some help..."

"No, I think we'll able to find Jupiter Lighthouse." Kraden said. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"I see." Karst said, eyeing Kraden suspiciously. "Just don't let us down! Look out, Isaac! Here we come!"

Karst left as quickly as she had appeared. "Wow, and I thought Saturos and Menardi had issues." Sheba remarked.

"I agree, Sheba." Kraden said. "We haven't seen the last of this."

"Who is Isaac, anyway?" I asked.

"He's a friend of ours." Jenna said, pointing to Felix, Kraden, and herself. "He's been following our group for quite some time."

"Why?" I asked.

"What we are trying to achieve," Kraden said. "They are trying to prevent."

"You mean, lighting the elemental lighthouses?" I asked.

"How'd you know?" Jenna asked, surprised.

"I had my suspicions when Kraden mentioned the Elemental Stars back in Kibombo." I explained.

"You're pretty sharp, Piers." Kraden said. "You could probably give me a run for my money."

"I don't think so." I said. "You've probably got many more years experience than I do, and that is saying something."

"Thanks." Kraden said. "Anyway, I think we should get going."

"Wait a minute!" I said. "Shouldn't we try to find Isaac and warn him about Karst's intentions?"

"Yeah." Sheba said, nodding. "I'm agreeing with Piers on this."

"Believe me, guys, I'd love to see Isaac again, I don't think it's possible right now." Jenna said.

"Jenna's right." Kraden said. "We might end up fighting them. Let's go!"

"Wait!" Jenna said. "There's something I gotta do!"

We all looked at her in utter confusion. "Follow me!" she said.

We followed her to a house where an old couple lived. "Excuse me, sir." Jenna said to the old man. "Was this what you wanted?" She handed him the mushroom she had found while we were crossing the land bridge from Gondowan!

"Yes!" the old man said happily. "That's exactly what I wanted! Thank you so much, young lady."

"Don't mention it." Jenna said.

As we turned to leave, the old man stopped us. "Wait!" he said. "Let me give you something for your trouble."

He headed upstairs, and then quickly came back down again.. There appeared to be the tail of a salamander in his hand. "I don't know if you want this, but this is all we can give you..." the old man said.

"Thank you." Jenna said, taking the tail.

"There's a blacksmith on Osenia named Sunshine that makes special weapons and armor with materials like that tail." the old man said. "I wish all of you a safe journey. Especially you, Piers."

"Thank you, sir." I said, nodding. "Shall we leave now, Jenna?"

She nodded, and we departed Madra and headed for the East Indra Coast. Suddenly, a voice cried out, "Hey! Wait a minute!" We turned around to face three suspicious-looking men. The man in the middle appeared to be their leader.

"Who are you?" Felix asked of them. "What do you want?"

"You were talking about Isaac, weren't you?" the leader asked, ignoring Felix's questions.

Felix and Kraden looked at each other, then back at the men. "Don't play dumb with us." the man of the left said. "The three of us heard you."

"Yeah, we know Isaac." Jenna said. "What do you want to know?"

The man on the right smiled, I immediately sensed it wasn't meant as a friendly gesture. "Can you tell us where we can find him?" he asked.

"Why should we tell you anything?" I countered.

"Because, Isaac took good care of us during our stay in Vault," The leader said smoothly. "We merely wish to return the favor…"

"I'm afraid we don't know where you can find Isaac at the present time," Kraden said. "I'm sorry."

The leader let out a humorless chuckle. "Is that so?" he said. "Well then, I guess we'll just give you reward we planned to give him."

"You've got a grudge against Isaac, and you're going to just take it out on us?" Sheba asked. "How immature!"

"A grudge…" the man on the right said, echoing Sheba. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that…"

The men drew their weapons. Felix and the rest of us did the same. "Don't worry…" the leader said, a sinister smile crossing his face. "We're only going to give you a taste of what we've got planned for Isaac."

Suddenly, they attacked! Fortunately, we managed to fend them off using our Psynergy. When the dust cleared, the men were lying on the ground, moaning. "We lost again…" the leader groaned.

"Uh, boss?" the man on the left asked. "D'you think it was a mistake to go after these guys?"

"This means we're going back to jail, doesn't it?" The man on the right groaned.

"Why do we have to get back to jail… I hate it there…" the leader muttered.

"It's not like we really hurt anyone this time…" the man on the left said. "After all, we lost!"

""Yeah… it's not like we stole anything… this time…" the leader agreed.

After that comment, we were shocked. "You're thieves!" Kraden exclaimed.

"If we asked around, I'm sure we could find a dozen reasons to have you guys locked up!" Felix said curtly.

Now it was the thieves' turn to be surprised. They quickly got up. "Are you guys wandering sheriffs or something?" The leader asked.

"No, we're merely mercenaries traveling the world to get stronger." I said.

"You know, we could be really useful to you guys…" the leader said.

"Do you honestly think we'd let you join us after the stunt you just pulled?" Jenna asked.

"Please!" the leader begged. "Anything to keep us out of jail!"

"No way!" Sheba said. "Leave and don't bother us or anyone else again!"

"Fine…" the leader said, defeated. "So long…"

They bolted from the scene, disappearing into a nearby forest. In their haste, they dropped a pair of golden boots. Quickly, Kraden swiped the pair of boots off the ground and stuffed them into his cloak. "What?" he asked when he saw all of us staring at him. "There's no sense leaving them here."

Jenna sighed. "Let's continue to the coast." she said, rolling her eyes.

When we reached the coast, my ship was still sitting in the surf. "That's your ship?" Sheba asked, pointing to it.

When I nodded, everyone continued to look at it, as if they were awestruck by the sight. I never quite understood why. It was just a ship. "Come on, everyone!" I said, climbing the ladder.

Felix and the others followed me soon afterward. Felix immediately headed towards the tiller. "Don't bother, Felix." I said.

"Why?" Felix asked.

"Follow me and you will see." I said with a smile.

We headed towards the door leading into the cabin. Felix got there first, and tried to open the door. "Why won't this door open?" he said in frustration.

"Because it's locked, Felix." I said casually.

"Locked?" Jenna asked. "Why would it be locked?"

"It's guarded by a special defense mechanism most Lemurian ships have these days." I said.

"Fascinating!" Kraden said enthusiastically. "How does it work exactly?"

"It would take too long to explain, Kraden." I said.

"Then, how do you open it?" Sheba asked.

"Wait there a moment." I said, walking up to the cabin door.

I took out my orb, and it started to glow. After a flash of bright white light, the door was open! "In order for the ship to run, we have to restore its power." I explained. "Now, follow me!"

We entered the cabin, and I could tell Felix and the others were in awe over what they were looking at. "This is nothing." I said, looking at their shocked faces.

"Are sure about that, Piers?" Kraden said, trying hard to contain his excitement.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I said, rolling my eyes. "Let's head down."

We traveled down through the ship, fighting little monsters called Aqua Jellies along the way. "How much farther, Piers?" Felix asked.

"We're halfway there." I said.

"Are you serious!" Jenna said, clearly exasperated.

"Don't fret, Jenna." I said, laughing. "We're almost there. I was only kidding."

"Don't joke like that, Piers!" Sheba said.

"Hey, Jenna's the one who told me to 'lighten up' because she thought I was too tense." I said.

Jenna blushed furiously when Felix, Sheba, and Kraden looked at her. "Well, I did think he was a little too stressed out..." she said sheepishly.

We continued on down. Just before we reached the final floor, we ran into a massive monster called an Aqua Hydra. It was a gigantic, three-headed, blue-colored sea serpent. I could sense it was armed with the power of Water, which meant my attacks were pretty much useless against it. "Was this part of your plan, Piers?" Kraden asked.

"No, Kraden." I said, surveying the creature. "I don't even know how this monster got on board in the first place. I know I locked the door before I left!"

"Well, we'll have to defeat this thing if we're gonna get to the bottom level!" Jenna said.

"Well, then, let's do it!" I said, hardly believing that I had just said that.

It was my first big battle with Felix and the others. I remember it well. "Diamond Dust" I shouted

Chucks of ice flew from my hands and crashed down on the creature. It didn't even flinch. "Fume!" Jenna shouted. A long pillar of flames flew from Jenna. It crashed into the monster with a powerful burst of flames. The monster howled with excruciating pain.

"It must be weak against Fire!" I said. "Jenna, you've got to hit it with everything you've got!"

"Gotcha!" Jenna said. She then proceed to channel every ounce of strength she could into her Psynergy.

"Storm Ray!" Sheba shouted.

"Ragnarok!" Felix shouted.

The two attacks did considerable damage to the beast, but I knew the battle wasn't over yet. It let out a piercing screech and it sent a tidal wave crashing into us. But, thanks to Shade's watery shield, the damage dealt to us was minimal. "Now, Jenna!" I shouted.

Jenna unleashed an incredibly powerful flame attack that completely engulfed the Aqua Hydra! The creature let an ear-splitting shriek and exploded. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of that damn monster. "Let's go..." I said, after a long silence.

"Thank Sol for that..." I heard Kraden murmur.

We headed down into the lowest level. I saw the pedestal. I channeled some of my Psynergy into the orb, and placed it on the pedestal. Another bright white light shined and the ship started moving. All five of us rushed up to the deck as quickly as our legs could carry us. "Quick! Take the tiller, Felix!" I shouted, once we reached the deck.

Felix nodded and rushed over to the tiller as quickly as he could and grabbed it. The ship came to a very abrupt halt, causing all of us to fall over. "Reminds me of that damn tidal wave..." Jenna said mumbled angrily.

"If you hope to reach Lemuria, Felix, you have to learn some things." I said, getting up and brushing myself off.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like handling a ship, for instance." I said. "I think we should sail around the Eastern Sea for a while until you get the hang of it."

"Kraden, don't you think we should be heading straight for Lemuria?" Sheba asked.

"I think it's better that we learn how to sail first." Kraden said.

"I agree, Kraden." I said. "The sooner you guys learn, the better."

"I want to go to Tolbi!" Jenna said excitedly. "Vale too! Can we go to Vale?"

"What's Vale?" I asked.

"It's Jenna and Felix's hometown." Kraden said.

"Oh? Well, then, let's go to Vale!" I said enthusiastically. "I would feel honored to see your hometown, Jenna!"

Jenna blushed a very deep red, nearly matching her hair. "I don't think that would be very wise decision at this time." Felix said, eyeing Jenna carefully.

"I agree with Felix." Kraden said.

"Can we go to Tolbi, then?" I asked.

"The people there are probably... looking for us." Kraden said.

"The incidents involving Saturos and Menardi, I presume?" I asked.

"How'd you know that?" Kraden asked.

"I merely guessed." I replied.

"Are you sure you're not part Jupiter Adept?" Sheba asked.

"No..." I said, surprised. "Why?"

"Because, you're very smart!" Sheba said matter-of-factly.

"That's just an oversimplification." I replied.

"Huh?" Jenna said.

"Never mind..." I said shaking my head.

"I have an idea!" Kraden said.

"What?" the rest of us asked.

"The sea is so vast!" he said. "Let's go where ever we please!"

"That's a superb idea!" Felix said.

"Yeah!" Jenna and Sheba said, ecstatic.

"The seas can be quite dangerous, Kraden..." I said cautiously.

"Oh, pish-posh!" Kraden said. "To the open sea, Felix!"

Thus began our adventures on the waters of the Eastern Sea.