Chapter VIII
A Little Friendship
Isaac woke lightly to sunlight streaming in from an open window beside him. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. He looked over the room they were staying in, remembering immediately where they were - the inn at Vault. It was odd to wake up in a room that wasn't his own from Vale. It was a feeling he'd have to get used to.
Isaac and Garet had made it to Vault an hour or two before sundown yesterday evening, and upon passing the threshold into the small town, they had immediately come upon a small group in a heated argument. Though the villagers had lowered their voices as they drew near, Isaac had still been able to catch a few snippets of their conversation - they had been arguing over who was responsible for a number of thefts that had taken place during the confusion of the eruption the day before. Doubtless, these were the same thefts Hammet had mentioned at the crossroad.
"Are we going to be greeted by arguing people everywhere we go?" Garet had asked sarcastically.
Isaac only half-heard him. Out of the few key words he had overhead - like 'thieves', 'Mt. Aleph', and 'sanctum idol' - one in particular had caught his attention - 'outsiders'.
"I think Felix and his group might have stopped here," Isaac said to Garet.
"What do we do if they have?"
"I don't know, but be ready," Isaac had said. "I don't know what they're capable of. I can't imagine them attacking us and making a scene right in the middle of a town, but if they do, we can't let any innocent villagers get hurt."
"Of course."
But those worries turned out to be unfounded. When they asked the innkeeper - after she had finally stopped chastising her employee over the hole in the roof - she told them that no one matching the description of Felix's group was in Vault.
After paying for their room, Isaac and Garet discussed this on their way upstairs.
"They must have skipped over Vault," Isaac had said.
"And idea why they would do that?"
"Perhaps they're trying to avoid civilised places. They seemed to prefer sneaking around back in Vale."
"Makes sense. If I looked the way they did and I was carrying around three priceless artifacts and two hostages, I'd keep a low profile, too."
Another possibility, which Isaac had considered but not brought up, was that they were aware that someone was after them and they didn't want to leave a trail to follow. It was definitely something to think about, but Isaac had been too tired then and had decided he and Garet could discuss it in the morning.
Once in their room, Isaac and Garet had immediately collapsed on their beds and were quickly asleep.
Isaac climbed up out of bed and picked up his bag, which he'd tossed aside upon entering the room. Garet was still asleep, snoring quietly, so Isaac left him to that, and went downstairs.
The innkeeper had made up a breakfast of eggs and bacon, which Isaac helped himself to. After making up a plate, he sat down at a table and wasted no time in digging in, having skipped dinner the previous night.
It was so quiet in the inn that it took Isaac a minute to notice that he wasn't alone.
At another table sat a group of three - the only other people staying at the inn, as the innkeeper had told him yesterday.
The three men wore ragged clothes and had unkempt hair that was in need of a trim. They spoke quietly amongst themselves, making a very deliberate effort to avoid looking at Isaac.
Isaac kept to himself and continued eating his eggs, ignoring the trio.
Some time later, before Isaac had finished eating, he heard heavy footsteps coming down the wooden stairs.
Garet joined him with a plate that had nearly twice as much food on it as Isaac's.
"Mornin'," Garet said with an enthusiastic grin.
"Good morning," Isaac answered. "Did you sleep well?"
"Like a rock. Yesterday really wore me out. I don't think I've ever walked so far in my life."
"We'll have a lot more walking to do before we're done," Isaac said. "Mercury Lighthouse is still many leagues away."
Garet nodded and grunted something in agreement. He had manners at least not to talk with his mouth full.
"So we need to figure out what all needs done today," Isaac said. "We only have a little coin, so we need to make it last. If we can afford to get weapons, we definitely should, but at the very least we have to get supplies. The next town on the way is Bilibin, and it's a lot farther away than Vault was from Vale. Not to mention the mountain range we need to go through. So we have to be prepared for that."
Garet nodded.
"I know you wanted to go see Hammet's servant to see if we could help him. I'm okay with that as long as we don't waste too much time. We can't afford to get too wrapped up in anything - Felix's group won't be making these stops."
Garet swallowed what was in his mouth and took a drink of water. "Yeah, that's right. What did he say the guy's name was? Evan?"
"Ivan, I think."
"Yeah, that's it. Ivan."
"I assumed that's who the other patron the innkeeper mentioned last night was, but it would seem this Ivan guy isn't staying at the inn."
Isaac nudged his head in the direction of the three vagabonds talking in the corner. Garet looked over, staring only a slight time longer than was polite.
It would seem that was too much, though, as the three men exchanged a few more hushed words and rose up from their seats, heading back upstairs. One of them, the biggest one, who had a rough beard, gave Isaac a dirty look as he passed.
Once they were gone, Isaac said, "Yeah, I'm sure those aren't servants of one of the wealthiest men in Angara."
"Who are they?"
"No idea. And it's not really our business. Unless…"
Garet quickly took another bite. "Unless what?"
Isaac considered for a moment, but then shook his head. "Never mind."
Garet cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I know that look. What are you thinking?"
"Just an idea, but it'll have to wait. We should focus on going to meet this Ivan guy before I say any more."
Garet continued to eat, but a grin slowly grew across his face.
"What's so funny?" Isaac asked.
"Oh, nothing," Garet said in an ever-so-slightly teasing voice. "I just knew you would do this."
"What is it I'm doing?"
"You're not gonna rest until those thieves are found, are you? Regardless of whether it gets us anything. And after all that talk of how we can't stop to solve every problem in Weyard."
Isaac scoffed. "Eat your damn eggs."
After Garet was finally done with his breakfast, Isaac went to the innkeeper and asked her about Ivan.
She raised an eyebrow at the question. "What do you want to know about him?"
"Just where we can find him."
The somewhat plump woman narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"You have business with Lord Hammet?"
"Sort of, yes. We met him on the road and he asked us if we could help his servant find something he lost."
Her eyes grew a bit narrower. "From what I've heard, he's staying with the mayor. That's the big house just north of here."
"Alright, thank you." Isaac hurried out, eager to be away from her. He was starting to feel like he was the thief under that suspicious glare.
Vault was oddly quiet. Only a few people were outside, one of whom was the teenage boy who worked at the inn, who was standing up on a ladder, awkwardly examining the large hole in the roof. From the expression on his face, it seemed he had no idea where to begin in fixing it.
Isaac suddenly was reminded of the roof of his own home, and how he had been fixing it just two days prior. He felt a pang of regret in his gut.
How had his mother reacted when she had woken yesterday morning to find her son gone? He hadn't properly said goodbye to her.
She was alone now - first her husband, and then her son…
"Hey, are you okay?"
Garet was looking worriedly at him.
"Er, yeah. C'mon, let's go find this guy."
A few minutes later, Isaac knocked at the door of what he was hoping was the mayor's home.
"Be with you in a minute!" Came a muffled voice.
The door swung open, and an kindly-looking elderly man stepped out. Isaac assumed this was the mayor of Vault.
"Ah, hello. What can I do for you boys?"
"We were hoping we could talk to Ivan. Is he here?"
The mayor frowned. "What sort of business do you have with Ivan, if I might ask?"
"We met Lord Hammet on the road and he hired us to stop here and help Ivan find an item that was lost."
The mayor's frown immediately shifted to a smile. "Ah, that's good news. Ivan could use the help. Come on inside, I'll show you to his room."
They followed the mayor into his home, closing the door behind them. The mayor moved slowly through the living room. A very young boy and girl - possibly his grandchildren - looked up from the corner where they were playing with wooden toys and watched them as they came in.
"Very nasty business, these thefts. It's rare that something like this happens in our small town, and we have little in the means of law enforcement, so such things usually come down to a public trial. And so much was taken, too - even I lost my family's precious urn. But alas, until the stolen items are actually found, no accusations can be made, and no wrongdoing can be certain. I'm hopeful that you boys can help Ivan find out who did this. It's so unfortunate that he was forced to stay behind. It must have been something very valuable that was taken."
The tired old mayor led them to a hallway, and eventually stopped at the end and knocked on a door.
"Ivan, are you awake yet?"
Another muffled voice answered. "I am. You can come in."
Once the door was open, Isaac was a bit surprised at the person he saw sitting on the edge of the bed, looking over some papers. He was younger than Isaac had expected - in fact, he was probably younger than Isaac himself.
The boy looking up at them had trimmed blond hair, and he wore green clothes that bore a few signs of travel and wear, but were still clearly worth much more than what Isaac or Garet had on. He looked up as they entered with wide, youthful violet eyes.
"Ivan, these young men were sent by Lord Hammet to help you retrieve the stolen item."
The boy smiled politely, but his eyes looked over Isaac and Garet, unconvinced. "Really? That's great news."
"I'll go make some tea for you all," the mayor offered, and then was gone before anyone could tell him otherwise.
As he left, Ivan's smile dropped just a bit. He set the papers down and stood up from the bed.
"I don't believe I've ever met you," Ivan said. "I would remember you if you were part of Lord Hammet's entourage. Did he hire you in another town?"
"We met him on the road, actually," Isaac said. "He offered to pay us if we helped you find this thing that was stolen."
Ivan smiled again, and it looked just a bit forced. Isaac was starting to feel like he didn't believe them.
"In any case, I believe formal introductions are in order," Ivan said, approaching them with his hand out. "I'm Ivan, servant of Lord Hammet-"
As the boy drew near, Isaac sensed him suddenly swell up with Psynergy.
"Isaac!" Garet shouted.
His machete was drawn in a heartbeat. At the sight of the blade, Ivan's eyes grew wide and he all but jumped backwards, nearly stumbling over a dresser.
"W-wait!" Ivan said. "I don't want to have to hurt you, but I-"
"That was Psynergy!" Isaac exclaimed. "You're an Adept!"
"Psynergy?" Ivan repeated in confusion.
"You were about to attack us!" Garet exclaimed.
Ivan shook his head. "No! No, of course not! I was just… Uh…"
Things grew silent for a moment. Isaac slowly lowered the machete.
"He didn't even hear any of that…" Ivan muttered, looking at the doorway.
"If you weren't going to attack us, then why were you gathering your Psynergy?" Isaac asked.
"I was just going to make sure you were telling the truth…"
Isaac and Garet exchanged glances. It was dawning on them that this was just a misunderstanding.
Ivan meekly asked, "Um… If I may?"
"Yes?"
"I think something very interesting just happened, and I think we should sit down and calmly discuss it."
From out in the hallway, they heard the mayor calling out that the tea was ready.
"Sounds good to me," Isaac said.
"So the power I use is called Psynergy…" Ivan said, staring into his cup of tea. "That's amazing. I've always had these abilities, but I never knew that there were others who could use them, or that they even had a name."
"What different things can you do?" Garet asked.
"I can control the wind, and I can conjure up lightning that I can blast at things," Ivan said with a slight smirk. "Although I never got much of a chance to use those - Lord Hammet advised me to keep my powers to myself, and it's rather hard to hide a lightning bolt. And the other power I have, the one I use the most, is the ability to know what people are thinking and feeling. That's what I was going to use on you back in the bedroom."
They were in the mayor's kitchen now, seating in a circle and talking quietly. The mayor and his grandchildren were in another room.
"You're a Jupiter Adept," Isaac said. "There's different kinds of Adepts, and each one can use different Psynergy. I'm a Venus Adept, and I can manipulate the earth and make plants grow. Garet is a Mars Adept, and he has control over fire."
"I remember Kraden talking about the different Adept types," Garet said. "See, I did pay attention some times."
"I don't think there's been a Jupiter or Mercury Adept in Vale since my grandfather's time," Isaac said, half to himself.
"This is amazing," Ivan said, grinning wide and trying to keep his excitement contained. "What else can you tell me about this… Psynergy?"
Isaac shrugged. "Not much. Most of what we know you seem to have figured out on your own. And your abilities are very different from ours, so there's not much we can teach you about them."
Ivan considered for a moment, then said, "You said you were from Vale, right? The eruption of Mt. Aleph… That was no natural eruption, was it? For you both to pass through here so soon after it happened…"
The boy was sharp, Isaac realised. "It's a bit of a long story. And a personal one."
"Ah. I understand. Yes, as fascinating as this all is, there are more pressing matters to deal with." Ivan took a drink from his tea before changing the subject. "So you met Lord Hammet on the road. Was he not on his way back to Kalay?"
"He said the bridge was broken," Garet answered. "He and some other guys were arguing about which way to go."
Ivan frowned worriedly. "Yes, if the bridge to the south was destroyed, that would leave quite a dilemma if you needed to get to Kalay. On the positive side, this gives me a chance to catch up with Lord Hammet if I can find the rod quickly."
"And we can't afford to linger here, so finding these thieves as quickly as possible would be best for everyone," Isaac said.
"So that settles it," Ivan said with a smile. "We'll work together for the time being and find the thieves and the items they've stolen."
Ivan offered his hand again and this time Isaac shook it.
"We should get our weapons first," Garet said. "Just in case we need them."
"Good idea."
They left the mayor's home with Ivan, who showed them to Vault's small blacksmith. As they walked, the small boy asked a lot of questions about Psynergy, such as which abilities Isaac and Garet had, what it was like in Vale, and what caused someone to be able to use the powers or not. Isaac and Garet did their best to answer his questions without getting into anything related to the Elemental Stars. They had decided earlier to keep that matter as much a secret as they could.
Ivan mentioned that he could just use his mind-reading Psynergy on them to learn all this in an instant, but he also promised them he wouldn't use it on them without their permission.
Isaac was relieved to hear this, as the idea of someone being inside his head was a bit disturbing.
At the blacksmith, Isaac and Garet looked through the blades on sale and picked out weapons to their liking. Isaac found a longsword that felt good in his hands, and Garet picked an axe much like the one he had lost in Sol Sanctum.
However, when it came time to pay, they realised they were short by more than a few gold coins.
"Here, let me," Ivan offered, stepping up and conjuring a heavy-looking pouch from his belt. He paid for both of their weapons, and the purse hardly looked any lighter for it.
"You didn't have to do that…" Isaac said once they had left the store.
"It was nothing," Ivan said. "Consider it a small advance on your reward when we find the stolen rod. Or an apology for the misunderstanding earlier. Or an investment, perhaps."
"An investment?" Garet asked.
"When Lord Hammet comes across a promising business or some chance at future profit, he'll often give some coin to support it, with the promise of a larger return in the future. He makes a small loss at that time, and he sometimes won't even get that back. But often that investment he made will help a business get on steady feet and go on to great success. I've seen this happen more than a few times. So by buying you two those weapons, I'm essentially investing in the two of you. In the future perhaps I'll get something back worth a lot more than those two steel blades."
Isaac and Garet exchanged a look.
Ivan then said, "Er, I suppose that sounded rather self-serving, didn't it? Sorry, fifteen years of living around merchants makes one think in terms of losses and profits. I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that I like you guys and I want to help you out, just as you're helping me. I guess the return I'm looking for is your friendship."
An odd way to think about it, Isaac figured. He'd never expected anything in return for the friendship he offered. But still, he appreciated the favour.
"So, Ivan…" Garet started.
"Yes?"
"This item of Hammet's that you're looking for. It's a rod?"
"Indeed," Ivan replied. "It's called the Shaman's Rod. He got it on a continent he travelled to in his early days as a merchant. It's very precious to him - possibly the most precious thing he owns. And it was my fault it was stolen."
"What happened?" Isaac asked.
Ivan considered. "Well, to make a long story short, I was supposed to be watching over the waggons, but I wasn't. I was off doing something else when the eruption started, and by the time I got back, the waggons, the Shaman's Rod and some other valuables were gone. So it was my fault because it happened on my watch."
"So how are we going to find it?" Garet asked. "Can we use your mind reading Psynergy?"
"I think that's the best plan."
"What was stopping you from doing that before?" Isaac asked.
"Well…" Ivan answered. "It has to do with the way I'm thought of here in Vault. Hammet has been stopping here frequently and I've been going with him. So the villagers have come to know who I am. While they don't know about my powers, they do have rumours about me. Aside from the mayor, there are few who will give me the time of day. And sometimes it can take some time to find a certain thing in a person's mind. If I started running up to random villagers and grabbing their arms for extended periods of time, they would think I was mad. I could get kicked out of Vault, and lose any chance of finding the rod. So I was trying to gather information in other ways, and save the mind-reading for a last resort."
"That is a good idea, Ivan, but things are a bit desperate right now," Garet pointed out.
"I know," Ivan answered sadly. "I was caught in a difficult situation before you two arrived. For a moment, I was considering crossing some lines I was not comfortable crossing. I love the people of Vault, but I owe Master Hammet so much." Ivan kicked a rock in frustration. "If only I had some idea where to even start! I know everyone in this town. I can't imagine any of them stealing from Master Hammet!"
"Actually," Isaac spoke up. "I think I might already know who it was."
Ivan gave a start, his eyes all but glowing in hope. "Really? Who?"
"Well you just said you couldn't imagine anyone from Vault stealing from Master Hammet," Isaac said. "Would you believe it if the thieves were people who didn't live here?"
Garet drew in a breath. "You don't mean…"
"Yeah, those three at the inn."
"There are other travellers staying here besides you two?" Ivan asked. "How have I not heard of this?"
Isaac shrugged.
"What makes you think it was them?" Garet asked.
"Aside from their suspicious behaviour, nothing." Isaac looked off in the direction of the inn, as though he were somehow looking through the walls at the other travellers. "But it would make sense if it were them, and in any case, it's a good starting point."
"We have nothing to lose by trying," Ivan said, visibly excited. "C'mon, let's go."
As they started to leave, Garet tossed his half-finished apple away with a strong, overhand throw. The fruit flew through the air and a struck a tree in the distance. A moment later, there was the sound of something falling to the ground and then scurrying away into the woods, and possibly even a faint, irritated growl.
They decided against asking the innkeeper about the other travellers, as they didn't want to draw attention to what they were doing, but they still managed to get a hard-to-read look from the woman as they went upstairs.
"She's probably wondering what we're up to with you," Isaac explained to Ivan. "We asked her earlier where we could find you, and she gave us a lot of suspicious looks for it."
"While nobody really knows the truth about my powers, some of the villagers here and in Kalay do think there's something unusual about me," Ivan said with just a little loneliness hidden behind behind those words. "Some children say I can talk to animals, and many of the adults are even a bit afraid of me."
Isaac frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been tough growing up without any other Adepts around."
"Can you?" Garet asked suddenly.
"Can I what?" Ivan repeated.
"Talk to animals."
They reached the top of the stairs and Ivan had a smile as he turned back Garet. "In a way. Animals have thoughts, just as people do. I can't answer them, of course, but I can tell what they're thinking about."
"That's amazing. I wish I could do that."
Ivan's smile grew a bit. "I'll have to show you once this is all over."
After a few minutes of searching (by listening with their ears pressed up against doors) they were able to locate the room the others were staying in. They heard the sound of voices on the other side, too muffled through the walls to be understood.
"So now what?" Garet whispered.
"We need to keep an eye on them," Isaac said. "What we need is an opportunity to get one of them alone."
They didn't have to wait long. A moment or so after the words had left Isaac's mouth, they heard a sharp shout from the other side of the wall, and the door to the room swung open. One of the men stormed out and slammed the door shut behind him.
He noticed the Adepts and gave them a sharp glare. "What are you looking at?"
They each gave shrugs of varying effectiveness.
The man shook his head and stomped past them, making his way downstairs.
"He doesn't seem happy about something," Garet observed.
Ivan went back up to the wall and hesitantly pressed his ear back up against it. "I think the other guy's by himself now."
"So what do we do?" Garet asked. "Just go in there?"
"No way," Ivan said. "We can't just run into his room and read his mind like that. But I do have an idea, though."
Ivan focused his Psynergy and transfered the energy back to Isaac, as he had before.
"Okay, now hold that as long as you can," he instructed.
Curious about what Ivan was up to, Isaac watched as he gathered up his energy once again, and then stood before the door and wove an entirely new Psynergy, one Isaac had never seen before.
"Garet, the door," Ivan said through closed eyes.
Garet went to open the door, and finding it locked, hesitated a moment before ramming the frame with his shoulder and knocking it open.
Within the room, Isaac saw one of the men standing alone beside a bed, standing in place with half-closed eyes. The man swirled in place, unaware of what was happening.
"Okay, Isaac, hurry!"
Isaac moved into the room, saving his questions for later. He went to the man's side, grabbed his arm, and released Ivan's energy, just as he had before.
[…can't stay here any longer, I told him. They're catching on to us. Should have just taken the things and-]
Abruptly, the energy faded out.
Isaac stepped back, trying to process the jumbled collection of images and sounds that has swarmed his mind.
"Isaac?" Ivan asked expectantly.
He turned and gave a nod.
Ivan smiled, and focused back on the entranced man. His Psynergy swelled again, and then the man simply fell to the floor, snoring quietly.
"Let's get him on the bed and get out of here."
"Okay, what in Weyard was that you just did?" Garet asked as soon as they were back outside.
"Well, another ability I have is that I can put people to sleep," Ivan explained. "I put that man halfway to sleep, enough that he was still awake enough to read his thoughts, but not to tell we were there. It was hard to do though, which was why I had to maintain focus. If he fell asleep fully all we would be able to mind read would be his dreams. And there's never anything useful in those."
"You can put people to sleep, too?" Garet said, impressed. "Man, I wish I was a Jupiter Adept."
"I wish it were more useful," Ivan said. "On my own, there was nothing I could do. But thanks to you two..." He trailed off with a thankful smile.
"That we were," Isaac said. "It's definitely them. They were arguing about leaving Vault with the things they stole."
"Great, so all we have to do is take the mayor to where they have the stolen items hidden!" Ivan exclaimed.
"Yeah…" Isaac said unenthusiastically.
Ivan and Garet looked to him expectantly. Feeling somewhat ashamed, Isaac found a rock on the ground to stare at.
An awkward silence settled.
"You didn't see where they had the items hidden, did you?" Ivan asked finally.
"Sorry," Isaac muttered, twirling the corner of his scarf around his fingers.
"Hey, it's okay," Ivan said. "It took me years to figure out how to read minds right. For just a day of practice, you're doing great."
"What do we do?" Garet asked. "We can't go back."
"No, we can't" Ivan said. "Isaac are you certain you saw nothing that might help?"
Isaac considered for a while. "I think it's stashed away somewhere in the inn. I don't know where, though."
"In their room, maybe?" Garet offered.
"No, there wouldn't be enough space there," Ivan said. "There was too much stolen. They'd need somewhere with a lot of room."
"Somewhere that nobody would stumble across it by accident," Isaac added.
"Does the inn have a basement?" Garet asked.
Ivan turned and glanced over the building behind them. "Hmmm. No, it doesn't. Only the houses up on the rocky hillsides have basements in Vault."
After a moment, he added, "It does have an attic, though."
Ivan pointed in the direction of the large hole in the inn's roof, and the large ladder beside it.
The attic was dark, the only light being the small beam of sunlight shining in from the hole they climbed through. As Isaac dropped down from the ceiling, his boots landed on the wooden floor and stirred up a layer of dust.
He covered his mouth with his scarf to avoid coughing in the dusty air, and looked around the spacious attic. There were crates and boxes all around, some stacked so high they nearly reached the ceiling. In addition to the storage, there was spare furniture - tables and chairs and even a few bed frames.
If the stolen items were here, it would take hours to find them.
Ivan dropped down and landed lightly beside Isaac, followed a moment later by Garet's much less graceful landing.
"Wow," Garet muttered, once he took in the messy room they were in. "Look at all this junk."
"Almost as bad as your bedroom back in Vale," Isaac quipped.
"Where do we even begin?" Ivan asked.
"If only our Psynergy could just tell us where everything was hidden," Garet said. "You sure you don't have a technique for that too, Ivan?"
"I wish…" The small boy said quietly.
Isaac took a few steps into the darkness, his eyes slowly adjusting. Vague shadows took the shapes of crates and boxes stacked in huge piles. He stopped before one particularly large wooden chest, and he ran his finger over the layer of dust covering it, leaving a line.
An idea came to him.
"Look for anything that looks like it's been moved recently. If the thieves stashed everything here they would have had to do it quickly during the confusion of the eruption. There might be some kind of-"
"Mmmph!"
Isaac stopped and turned back to his companions.
"Did you hear that?" he asked them.
They were silent for a moment, and then they heard it again.
"It sounded like a person," Garet said. "Like someone gagged and tied up."
A moment of searching revealed exactly that - on the floor behind a stack of crates was the innkeeper's young assistant, his hands and feet bound by rope and his mouth silenced with a knotted rag.
Isaac quickly freed the boy, using his new sword to cut the ropes.
"Ah, thank the gods!" the kid said after pulling the rag from his mouth. "It was those three, those travellers! They did this to me!"
"What happened?" Isaac asked him.
"I was fixing the roof when I heard something inside the attic," he quickly explained. "I figured it was an animal or something, so I climbed inside to check it out and I found those three men in here, messing with some crates. They attacked me and knocked me unconscious. When I woke, I was tied up like this!"
Isaac exchanged glances with Garet and Ivan.
"They're the thieves, aren't they?" the boy continued, his voice panicked. "Oh gods, they're gonna kill us…"
"Calm down," Isaac said. "You won't be hurt, not with us around."
"Are-are you warriors?"
Garet chuckled at that. "You could say that."
"Do you remember which crates they were at?" Ivan asked the boy. "It's important that we have proof that they stole the items before we turn them in to the mayor."
"Uh…" the boy said. "I-I think so. My head hurts when I try to think about it, but I think I remember…"
"Can you show us, please?" Ivan asked.
"Y-yeah."
Isaac helped the boy to his feet. He swayed a bit, rubbing the back of his head where he had been struck.
"I… I believe it was over here," he said, pointing to one of the corners of the attic.
They had taken no more than half a dozen steps when they heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs beneath them.
"…something funny. I came back to the room, he's passed out on his bed. It wasn't natural."
"I'm telling you, I don't remember anything!"
"Well we'll see in a moment."
"It's them!" the boy whispered, fear in his voice.
Isaac scanned the room quickly, searching for a way out. Aside from the hole in the ceiling, which Garet's rope swayed from, the only other way out was the trapdoor that the thieves were about to climb up through. There wasn't nearly enough time for the four of them to climb out through the hole, to pull up the rope, and to get away.
Hiding was pointless. There were plenty of places to hide in the clutter attic, bit as soon as the thieves saw Garet's rope, and their missing captive, they would know they weren't alone.
That left only one option.
"Stay back," Isaac said to the boy. "No matter what happens, stay behind us and we'll keep you safe."
The boy, understanding what was about to happen, backed away into the crates with wide, fearful eyes.
"So we're doing this, then?" Garet asked. When Isaac met his gaze, he did not look afraid, but rather eager.
"If it comes to a fight, so be it. We'll have to see how well these new weapons work. Just don't forget the boy's there."
Isaac looked to Ivan, who nodded slowly.
The hidden message was clear. Don't use Psynergy with that boy standing right there.
The trapdoor swung open and the first of the thieves climbed up through. He immediately saw the Adepts, and his face twisted into a scowl.
"We know you were the ones who stole from the town!" Isaac said to the man. "Turn yourselves in and return everything you took and nobody needs to get hurt!"
The bearded man stepped up into the attic and laughed. "Oh, really? We're the ones who are supposed to be afraid of you? That's rich, boy."
The other two thieves joined their leader. The one who had stormed out of the room earlier pointed to the Adepts. "I knew it! That's them! I saw them snooping outside our room earlier!"
"The short one's Hammet's servant, isn't he?" said the other.
"Yes, he is," the leader said. "The one the villagers say has strange powers. I wouldn't have believed it before, but after finding you passed out like that… Well, let's just say today has been an interesting day."
"I told you we should have left when we had the chance!"
"And I told you we weren't leaving behind all this loot," the leader said. "You just couldn't wait for the caravan from Lunpa, could you?"
"Well now we're caught! We won't be getting anything from Dodonpa!"
"Nonsense," the leader said, smiling wickedly through his beard. "Who's caught us? These three, and the boy from before? A leak that can be easily plugged."
The man reached within his coat and withdrew a long dagger.
"W-we're going to kill them?" one of the thieves asked nervously.
"No, I'm going to tickle them into silence with this very sharp dagger," the leader said.
Isaac's hand went to the hilt of his sword. "It doesn't need to be this way. You're caught. Just give it up, already."
The man didn't answer with words, only a slow advance and a cold glare. The dagger in his hand caught the light coming in from outside.
Isaac saw the look in his eyes, devoid of any remorse for what he was about to do, and he knew then that there was no hope of reasoning with this man.
Resigning himself to what was about to happen, Isaac drew his sword. Following his lead, Garet unbuckled his axe and Ivan, who had no weapon, stepped back to protect the terrified boy.
Isaac considered their chances. Were they able to use their Psynergy, the thieves would have had no chance at beating them. But the circumstances at hand - the witness and the fact that they were inside a building - meant they would have to rely on their weapons. Isaac and Garet were no strangers to weapons, as they had practised combat for the last three years, sparring with one another often. But they had never been in a real fight before, save for a few brief monster encounters in the woods around Vale.
Killing a monster was one thing, and killing a human being was another. Isaaac knew that he couldn't bring himself to take these men's lives, both morally and for the simple reason that it would reverse suspicion and make them look like the thieves.
Still, Isaac knew his opponent would not have the same reservations, so he could not afford to hesitate.
Isaac moved in.
The bearded thief tried to go for a quick kill, moving quickly to separate the distance between them so he could stab Isaac. A quick swing of his blade put an end to that plan, and the thief backed away cautiously.
Out of the corner of his eye, Isaac saw Garet closing in on the other two thieves. For a moment, Isaac was worried for Garet, but his two opponents were clearly hesitating in a way their leader was not. Garet was strong enough to wield his bulky axe with enough speed to keep those two at bay.
And if it came down to a life-or-death situation, Ivan could still use his Psynergy to save them. Of course, that was a last resort.
Thus, Isaac concentrated on the task at hand. His opponent circled around him, his eyes as sharp as his knife. Isaac matched his gaze.
The man tried for a few quick thrusts, and Isaac side-stepped each. He was playing it safe, Isaac quickly realised. He hadn't gone for a true strike yet for the same reason Isaac hadn't - they were gauging each other's ability.
His attacks were quick, and Isaac knew that any mistake he made would end with that dagger in his gut. His own sword swings were slower, so Isaac could not go on the offencive. The man would need only dodge a single clumsy swing to have the perfect opportunity to strike in those few precious seconds while Isaac was recovering.
Ivan wouldn't be able to react quickly enough to save him in that event.
Thinking of Ivan, Isaac glanced over to check on his companions. His heart nearly skipped a beat at what he saw. Garet was now only facing a single opponent, and was sporting a bleeding cut on one of his arms. The other thief had found his way over to Ivan, who was backing into a corner as the other approached with his dagger in the air.
But he could not run to help them, as he had his own worries. Taking advantage of Isaac's distraction, his opponent moved in and attacked with his long dagger. A quick swing of Isaac's sword saved his life, and nearly cut his enemy across the chest - the thief stopped moving forward half a second before throwing himself upon Isaac's blade.
Isaac stepped back to put some more distance between them…
And he felt his boot hit something mid-step. His balance gave way and he stumbled backwards, tripping over a small wooden box.
With a sharp pain, Isaac felt himself fall hard into a large stack of wooden boxes and crates. A cloud of dust was thrown up as boxes were overturned and spilt open onto him.
Isaac coughed and he tried to get his bearings. It was hard enough to see in the dark attic before, but after his fall he found himself completely lost - he couldn't even remember which way the battle was taking place in. Isaac reached for his sword-
It was gone. He must have lost it in the fall.
"Should have paid more attention to your surroundings."
Isaac heard the bearded thief's voice, but it was hard to place where it was coming from. He shoved some of the debris on top of him away, but that only sent more stuff tumbling onto him.
And then he spotted the man in front of him - nothing more than a silhouette in front of the beam of light on the other side of the attic.
"Where's all your big talk now, boy?"
The man's arm moved, and Isaac saw the dagger glint in the darkness. He raised the blade up in the air, prepared to bring it down into Isaac's chest.
Isaac knew he had only one chance.
He summoned up his Psynergy, forming a ghostly hand in the air above him. The Psynergy hand moved at the same time as the thief did, and deftly plucked the dagger right out of his fist.
"What the-?!"
The ghost hand placed the dagger in Isaac's hand and dissipated.
The thief stumbled forward, still moving from the momentum of his attack, but confused from losing his weapon.
He tripped over the same box and fell on top of Isaac. He let out a choked gasp.
It took Isaac a moment to process what had just happened. He let go of the dagger, which was buried between the bearded man's ribs.
Isaac climbed to his feet, pushing the man out of the way. It took some effort to find his way out of the pile of debris, but he was quickly back on his feet. He spotted his sword some distance away, and quickly ran over and grabbed it.
He ran back to the middle of the attic to help his friends, only to find the battle was over. Garet was kneeling beside his unconscious opponent, his axe on the floor. Isaac was relieved to see there was no blood on it.
Ivan ran up to Isaac's side, looking worried. "Are you alright, Isaac? I just heard those boxes falling a moment ago-"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Isaac said, waving his hand. "What about you guys?"
"I'm unharmed," said Ivan.
"Just a scratch. I'll live." Garet said.
"And the boy?"
Ivan pointed over to a corner of the attic, where both the boy and his thief were lying on the floor, snoring softly.
"Ah, I see," Isaac said.
Garet picked his axe back up and joined them. "What happened over there?"
"It was a close call, but I made it," Isaac said. "I think… I think I killed him." As he said that, the weight of those words set in.
They went back over to the collapsed pile of boxes and crates and pulled the bearded man out of the debris. Immediately, Isaac could tell he wasn't breathing.
"He's dead," Ivan confirmed.
Isaac felt a lump forming in his throat. He turned away from the body, finding himself forcing back tears.
Why was he so devastated, he asked himself. The man was a stranger who would have killed him without hesitation and slept peacefully the next night. It was a kill or be killed situation, and Isaac hadn't even intentionally ended his enemy's life. So why did he feel as though he had failed somehow?
Garet placed a hand on Isaac's shoulder and gave a sympathetic nod. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to.
"We should go tell the mayor what happened," Ivan said.
In the end, it all wrapped up well. Once the two surviving thieves were conscious again, they confessed to everything - to stealing from the town, to their plans to sell the stolen items to people from Lunpa, to attacking the inn boy when he found their stash, and to trying to kill Isaac and company to keep the secret. It was clear that their leader was the one driving everything and that the two others were in over their heads, because no real interrogation was needed. As soon as they woke up in jail cells, they started spilling the beans on everything.
A quick search of the inn's attic found their loot hidden behind a large pile of crates and boxes. The mayor's urn was there, along with a golden statue stolen from the town's sanctum, and several boxes of jewelry and other valuables. The mayor came up to the attic with a paper listing everything missing and inspected it all, and confirmed it was all accounted for. The town's two guards carried the stolen goods out in crates and in front of the inn, the villagers came up in a large group to be returned their things.
Isaac, Garet, and Ivan watched from atop a nearby hill. Ivan had his master's rod back, and he turned it over in his hands, smiling.
Though Isaac still felt a heavy weight of guilt over the thief leader's death, he felt a warm feeling of accomplishment in his chest at the sight of the townspeople getting their possessions back. There was a good chance that, had they not arrived to help, the thieves would have been able to get away with these things and sell them off to their contacts in Lunpa. It was thanks to them that that hadn't happened, and Isaac found himself enjoying that feeling.
"When he was coming at me, I wasn't sure what to do," Ivan said. "All I had was my Psynergy, and I couldn't use it with that kid right there. But I got the idea that it would be fine to put that guy to sleep, as long as I did it to both of them. I know you didn't want us using Psynergy, Isaac…"
"No no, you did great," Isaac reassured him. "That was a really smart idea, Ivan. In fact, it's what we should have just done in the first place. I wish I would have thought of that."
Garet put his hand on Isaac's shoulder again. "Hey man, it all worked out in the end, right?"
"I know," Isaac said. "But still, I can't keep letting myself make these mistakes."
"Hey, remember our conversation from yesterday? Don't keep beating yourself up over past mistakes. These lighthouses are still a long ways away and I refuse to deal with your moping the whole time. So get it together and… uh… why are you looking at me like that?"
It took Garet a moment to put two and two together. He turned to Ivan, who was watching them with a confused expression.
"You're travelling to the elemental lighthouses?"
Isaac and Garet exchanged glances.
"What business could you two possibly have at ancient ruins?" Ivan asked. "Unless… Wait, does this have to do with Mt. Aleph's eruption?"
Isaac bit his tongue. So much for their big secret.
"Who are you two, really?"
"I guess we can't lie to you," Isaac said. "If we did, you would just read our minds and know the truth anyway."
"Ah, but I promised you I wouldn't," Ivan said with a smile.
"That's true. All the more reason to trust you…" Isaac reached into his bag and withdrew the mythril bag. He opened it, and pulled out the glowing red orb it contained.
Ivan drew in a breath.
"You're right, the eruption was no coincidence," Isaac told him. "Another group of Adepts broke into Vale's sacred temple and stole the other three Elemental Stars. If they use them to light the beacons on the lighthouses, the world will be put in grave peril. Our mission is to stop them."
"They kidnapped friends of ours," Garet added. "One of them is Isaac's girlfriend. So the stakes are pretty high."
"Jenna is not my girlfriend, Garet."
"Wow, that's so much to take in," Ivan said quietly. "The entire world is in danger?"
"If Alchemy is released, it very well could be," Isaac answered, looking down at the Mars Star. "You've already seen the eruption."
"I did. I watched it with my very eyes."
"Mt. Aleph's eruption was only the beginning. If we don't stop those people, then more calamities will follow. The entire world will fall into chaos."
Ivan grew quiet, looking back at the inn, and the people gathered around it. A few children laughed as they chased one another around the small town, as their parents' sorted out their returned belongings.
No one said anything for a while. On the horizon, the sun was starting to set.
"I'm worried for Master Hammet," Ivan said after a while.
"Why?" Garet asked.
"Well, you said Master Hammet was going to go to Lunpa, sell the stock he had left, and commission them to repair the bridge to Kalay," Ivan said. "But the thieves in this town were working with people from Lunpa. They knew Hammet was stopping in Vault, and they were planning to rob him the whole time. And now Master Hammet is travelling to Lunpa…? I've just got a bad feeling about it all. I feel like he's in danger."
Isaac and Garet exchanged a look.
"And yet… there's so much more at stake now. I thought that everything would be over when I got the Shaman's Rod back. And now I just found out about all this?"
"Are you alright?" Garet asked.
"I don't know," Ivan said, standing up suddenly. "I need some time to think." He wandered away, carrying the Shaman's Rod at his side.
Some more time passed, and the crowd around the inn gradually dispersed. The remaining items were things stolen from Hammet's caravan, and the mayor and his two guards took those with them back to his house.
The sun finally set, and Vault grew quiet.
Finally, Ivan returned to them.
"I want to go with you," he said, resolute.
Isaac was a bit surprised by this answer. "But what about Hammet? Aren't you worried about Lunpa? Don't you have to get the rod back to him?"
"I can have a letter sent to Kalay," Ivan said. "Lady Layana, Master Hammet's wife, can deal with Lunpa if anything happens. While it is true that I am worried about him, if he ends up in Lunpa then there's nothing I can do. I just have to keep the Shaman's Rod safe, and find my own way back to Kalay.
"But all of that is secondary. Because there is so much more at stake than Master Hammet's safety. Saving him from Lunpa won't mean anything if the world ends due to my ignoring this."
"This is a huge responsibility," Isaac said. "Garet and I are bound to go on this mission, but you aren't. It's not your burden to bear."
"But I am an Adept, just like you two," Ivan said, smiling. "In a way, it is my responsibility as much as it is yours."
Ivan stepped forward and took Isaac and Garet's hands in his. "In only a single day, you two have been better friends to me than anyone else I've known after my adoptive parents. It may not seem like much to you, but the help you gave me in retrieving this rod has been one of the greatest gifts I have ever gotten. I do not simply want to repay this kindness - I have to."
Garet grinned. "Well in that case, I'm glad to have you aboard, Ivan!"
"We found the thieves by working together," Ivan said. "I'm sure we can save the world the same way!"
Isaac found himself grinning too, his melancholy mood from before now a distant memory.
The three of them gathered up their things and spent the rest of the night at the inn, and in the morning they set off towards the Goma mountain range in high spirits.
A/N: So this is probably the first chapter where I actually cut a huge chunk of content out. Now I know what you're thinking. Nearly 9k words and he cut a "huge" chunk out? But really, I did. Let me explain:
I always felt the three thieves in the game were a bit obvious, and I felt the same in this story after I had written their introduction. But I wanted it to be obvious that it was them… because I was going to have it NOT be them.
My initial plan with this chapter was for those three guys to be a red herring, and for the true thieves to be the innkeeper woman and her worker. Their big master keikaku (keikaku means plan btw) was to steal valuable items from the town and from Hammet, pin the blame on the three travellers, and then escape away to Tolbi, sell everything, and spend the rest of their lives in luxury. Her badgering the worker to fix the hole in the roof was so that nobody would discover where they had hidden the treasure. Her suspicion when Isaac was asking about Ivan was supposed to be another clue. I basically had this huge Sherlock Holmes-style mystery planned out.
So why did I scrap it? Well, there were a number of reasons.
The first is that it just felt unnecessary. The stop in Vault isn't exactly a huge key point in the Golden Sun mythos, and the thief quest is more notable for being the introduction for Ivan and Mind Read than for it's actual storyline.
A second reason is that it just felt like too much of a departure from canon. I only want to make changes that I feel are necessary, and this whole switch just felt like change for the sake of change.
But the third, and most important, is that I felt it took too much focus away from Ivan. I decided that the very obvious thieves were enough, because that wasn't the point of the chapter. Cutting the mystery out gave me more time for Isaac and Garet to bond with their new friend, and given the title of the chapter, I felt that was much more important.
In any case, my original outline called for two whole chapters to be spent in Vault, and I ended up revising the outline after I decided not to use the big mystery I had planned out. And then I ended up writing two chapters worth of content anyway. But I always break up my chapters based on the point in the story where it feels best, not by length. That's why this chapter is twice as long as chapter three.
I'd also like to apologise for the long wait between updates these past few months. My interest in the story is not waning; in fact, I'm more excited about it than ever. But between real life issues, my holiday work schedule, the huge revisions needed on this chapter, and just the sheer length it ended up needing it was an absolute bitch to get done. The next few chapters should be shorter, and I should have more time to work on them, so hopefully updates will be quicker.
Next chapter: Trees!