Disclaimer: I dunna have made Golden Sun or any of teh sequels, eh lads an' lasses?

Chapter 11: Enter the Kraden

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In some respects, Mitch was right. The entity that was descending rapidly did have wings. Admittedly they where made mainly out of stretched canvas and oak rods, but that's not the point. It looked like – for want of a better comparison – the offspring of an albatross and a bicycle. There was a trumpet somewhere on the thing, and a white-haired man, who could only be described by the word 'spry', blew into it. That sounded like a drowning elephant.

Jenna took one look and shouted, "Kraden!"

Kraden looked down. Through his smoked-glass flight goggles he saw Jenna and Mitch on the ground. The flying thing abruptly sank a few feet before Kraden's frantic pedaling brought it back up. When he was almost over them, he hauled the biggest of the levers, causing a click of gear changes, a brief shudder, and the rotor on the top started spinning faster.

"Hello Jenna!" Kraden shouted as he hovered, "It works!" It sank another three feet in one second, "Full thrust in the upper rotor! Sorry about that! Who's your friend?"

"There's no time for that!" Jenna shouted back, "Look! We need help!"

"What the hell is that!" said an assassin. He was the one sent to check on the prisoners while the others captured the rest of the group. Right now he stared in amazement at the clicking, whirring thing bobbing dangerously thirty feet in the air.

Kraden waved, "Hello! You're looking at the newest method of transporta–" He ducked as a crossbow bolt punched a hole in one of the wings. Seven other assassins had come and where firing at the device.

"How rude!" he said, "Are these men bothering you Jenna?"

"YES!"

Kraden pulled the big lever again and zoomed away and doubled back. He pulled the little lever with the skull on it. This resulted – well, it resulted in a lot of things, the main one being that a big metal canister detached from the bottom of the frame and landed with unerring accuracy in the middle of the assassins with a thud on the ground. Three seconds later, it exploded in a huge cloud of pinkish gas. The second was that the machine crash landed a hundred feet away in a large tree.

Jenna watched as the assassins collapsed in the smoke. When the smoke reached them, Jenna held her breath. Mitch did the same. When it became too much, Jenna gasped, and her thoughts slowed toward the blissful heaven of chemical-induced sleep.

"Mitch…" she whispered, "I…lo…"

She passed out.

An hour later

Jenna groaned as she woke up, like a student at 10 o'clock AM. The first thing she saw was the concerned face of Mia.

"- thought that I had corrected the formula."came the voice of Kraden, "It was only supposed to disperse six feet! Don't pull on that! That's the- "

"Back from sleepy-land?" Mia asked.

With a moan, Jenna sat up, massaging blood back into her fingers.

"Where's Mitch?" she asked, "Is he alright?"

"- no not there! Put the rope around that thing! –" Isaac said.

"- loop it around that branch. That one! Now pull! -" Garet said loudly.

"He's just fine," Mia said, "He's still fast asleep,"

"- No! That's the main drive shaft! You can't break that! - "

" – Isaac! You've got your foot in the…the…that thing! – "

Jenna looked to her right. Mitch was sleeping peacefully on the other side of the campfire.

"How's he doing?" Jenna asked, giving Mia an expectant look.

"He's doing alright," Mia said, "He had a nasty gash across his back and a few nicks and bruises, you know the routine. I healed him and bandaged what was left."

Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose, "It's turning out to be another adventure," she said with un-Jenna like insight, "I'm hungry…"

Mia chuckled and replied with, "Why are Mars Adepts always hungry? I'm surprised you keep your figure," she added, reflectively, "I've never seen anyone down ice-cream like that…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jenna asked, looking up, "Mars adepts eat more because they burn more calories…Burn as in Fire? Get it? Besides…I was…upset at the time…"

Mia laughed again. Sheba came over from the campfire where she was watching Ivan cook what seemed to be a thick, meaty substance in an industrial sized pot.

"No worries Jen, huh?" she said, patting a shoulder as she plopped down, "We're all like sisters here!"

"What's for dinner tonight?" Jenna asked.

"Chili again," Sheba sighed, "I'm thinking of taking the advice on Ivan's apron."

"What?" Mia laughed, " 'Please Bleach Me' ?"

"No. Look at it,"

They looked.

"It says 'Kiss the Cook'," Jenna observed, "And it's got little lips on it,"

"Exactly,"

They all laughed.

" – Garet! Don't pull that! - "

"- I wasn't going to...Can I tie it on this thing?-"

The girls looked to see Isaac and Garet high in a tree, trying to dislodge Kraden's flying machine from the branches while the said owner was on the ground, instructing what couldn't be broken. The thing lurched as Garet carefully let out a rope tied to one of the numerous shafts. The girls giggled.

Mitch gave a groan, and the group migrated to him. The first thing he saw when he opened a sleep-encrusted eye was a worried face blocking out the dwindling sunlight. Someone patted his cheek.

"Wflzl…What?" Mitch said as he slowly woke up. When his vision cleared he found himself surrounded by three attractive young women. Under normal circumstances he would run away before they could regroup, but it was just Jenna and the others.

Jenna was lying next to him, watching him with playful curiosity. Another thing that struck as odd to Mitch was the way the girls acted when they where together. Suddenly, they all let loose that dangerous yet attractive girlish wit and sarcasm. Mia stopped being a goody-two-shoes and was more daring, Sheba exhibited extensive knowledge of hairstyling techniques, which seemed odd because she always kept her blond hair in a sloppy boyish cut, and Jenna, up until now anyway, was the one who kept the boys away with a sweet smile and a dangerous wink.

They each had their own jobs. Mia was older than Jenna by two months and was the group leader and romance adviser. Sheba was the prankster mastermind, making up plan after plan to have fun at the boys' expense. Jenna was, as said above, was the bouncer and also took up the position of fashion guru. One other darker thing she did in the group was, when the other two where talking about Isaac and Ivan, wiped away a tear or two and remained silent. If Mitch had known this, he would have thought right now, I don't think that will happen again…

"How are you sweetie?" Jenna asked with huge innocent eyes as she produced a hankie out of nowhere and began industriously scrubbing his cheek. Mia and Sheba watched in amusement.

"I'f'fime," Mitch said, his voice muffled by her overenthusiastic polishing, "I'm a little hungry…"

"There's something you have in common Jenna," Mia remarked, making Sheba snigger and Jenna flashed a warning glance as Mitch tried to understand what was happening.

There was a cracking sound and a tree limb gave in under the stress. Nobody was standing on it although it did cause the flying machine to sway dangerously as Kraden jumped up and down in helpless anxiety.

"Why don't they just pull the rope there?" Sheba asked the group, "That would let it down slowly and nothing would be broken."

"They're just men," Mia sighed. The girls chuckled in agreement.

"Boys…" Jenna sighed tiredly. She looked at Mitch, "Isn't that right?"

Mitch looked at the group's expectant gaze. He guessed that he had just been made an honorary girl, at least for now.

"Err…Yes?" he tried.

The girls giggled. When the wave subsided, Mia looked theatrically to the left and right before leaning into the group.

"Girls," she said conspiratorially, ", Huddle!"

Mitch was hastily pushed out of the group. He turned around with a hurt look.

The only one who noticed was Jenna, who said "Awww!" and cocked her head to the side as a girl who was listening to a puppy's cry would. She was promptly ushered back into the group and joined in the excited whispering.

Another tree limb snapped. Mitch whirled around and in one swift movement drew his dagger. After witnessing the sight, his head slowly hung over to one side as his eyebrow went up at the exact same time.

Garet was perpendicular to the tree, hit feet planted firmly on the trunk and grimly clutching a length of rope. The rope was wrapped around the tree and proceeded to weave through the branches and fastened the flying machine to the trunk, giving the appearance of an elaborate tapestry of hemp and distressed robins. Isaac was frantically trying to tie the free end of another rope to a shaft on the flying machine and Kraden protested loudly.

"YOU CAN'T TIE IT ON THE MAIN DRIVE SHAFT!"

Isaac groaned and shouted back, "YOU SAID THAT THAT –" Isaac pointed at the other rod, and the machine lurched, "-WAS THE MAIN DRIVE SHAFT!"

Kraden shook his had and replied, "NO! THAT IS THE SECONDARY AUXILLARY SUB-MAIN DRIVE SHAFT! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT!"

"What does it do?" Mitch asked.

"WHAT! Ahem…Sorry, what?" Kraden asked.

"What does the Secondary Auxillary Sub-Main Drive Shaft do?"

"Err…" Kraden thought for a moment, "I…I'm not exactly sure,"

With an expression of acute curiosity, Mitch completely failed to see the point.

"So…it…doesn't…"

"Nononononono!" Kraden exclaimed, "I don't know what it does but whenever I take it out it doesn't work!"

Mitch nodded, not completely understanding but to avoid a lecture from Kraden. He had met craftsman like that, men who would be appalled at the suggestion of wasting valuable time but would have no problem at all explaining the intricacies of their crafts, leaving the listener to nod while the words screeched through their minds like drunken woodpeckers.

"HELP!" cried Isaac as the machine again shuddered.

"Oh for the love of Mars…" Mitch muttered and walked over to the tree. The girls stopped whispering and watched as Mitch made his way up the tree, took the rope from the bewildered Venus Adept, and got to work.

In ten minutes, the machine peacefully set down on solid ground, and Kraden hopped around with glee. Isaac and Garet, wearing expressions of wounded masculine pride, half-climbed, half-fell out of the tree and Garet was treated for one case of rope burn on his palms.

When Mitch came down, the girls applauded loudly and a few catcalls where heard, making Mitch blush and grin sheepishly and Isaac and Garet frown.

Kraden's upper half had disappeared somewhere inside the mechanical nightmare. There was a clanging sound.

"I think I found the problem," Kraden said from inside the machine. There was a series of popping sounds followed by a click, "Now If I can just adjust the…"

"Let him go," Isaac said to everyone, "It hurts to listen,"

"What happened to you guys?" Mia asked Mitch and Jenna.

Jenna then related the entire story to them, with Mitch offering nodding support.

"- and then they put these thingies on us and now I can hardly cast psynergy," Jenna concluded, gesturing to the golden ring around her ankle. There was a small blue gem placed in the middle of the ring, which was locked securely by a small yet incredibly strong padlock, and the group crowded around to inspect it.

"Maybe Kraden can figure out how to get 'em off," Garet said. Kraden, upon hearing his name, came out of the machine, coated with grease.

He wiped his hands on a rag, which only achieved to make them even more dirty.

"Get what off?" Kraden asked.

Jenna told the short version. "We've got these little things on and now we can't cast psynergy."

"Ah," Kraden said, "I have never seen this before! Magnificent!" A huge magnifying glass appeared in Kraden's hand, as if by magic as he kneeled down.

"This seems to be a shard of the Mercury Star!" Kraden exclaimed as he inspected the anklet, "I thought that the entire star was consumed in the process of lighting of the beacon! The Alchemic runes here are extremely complex! This one here reads…"

"Just take the thing off please Kraden," Jenna sighed, "I'm tired."

Kraden gave her an odd look but nodded anyway.

"Fair enough, fair enough. Given the correct tools I could remove the gem and you could simply melt the gold. It would take me a few hours, as the slightest miscalculation could cause the star shard to become unstable and rip a hole in the space-time continuum which would cause…"

"Or we could use the key to unlock it," Isaac said, tossing a small silver key to Jenna, who immediately bent down and opened the shackle. Kraden looked dejected.

"Where'd you get this?" Jenna asked, handing the thing to a suddenly ecstatic Kraden. Isaac jerked a thumb behind him, where the assassins where just beginning to wake up, and would be surprised when they found themselves tied with their own rope.

"Here we go Mitch," Jenna said. She grinned playfully.

Mitch looked back oddly.

"I'll take it off if you…" Jenna looked thoughtful for a moment, "…hold my hand until we get to Vale,"

Mitch looked panicked, "Err…what if I…erm…took you out to dinner-"

"Good idea," Jenna said, "You can do that too."

"But…"

"No holdie no unlockie!" Jenna said in a singsong voice, "It's your choice-ie!"

Mitch groaned, "Oh alright…"

Jenna reached down, tossed the ring aside, and slipped her hand into Mitch's as she sat down next to him. She had convinced (well…paid) Isaac, Ivan, and Garet to give Mitch the entire rundown on boyfriend – girlfriend relationships. Mitch, who could take down a buck with his bare hands, listened in curiosity and then in mounting bewilderment while they gently hammered in the fact that he was Jenna'sboyfriend.

"Well," Isaac said as Mitch and Jenna filtered back into the discussion, "I suppose it's time to head back home. The caravan hasn't gone anywhere for awhile and we can pack the assassins in the back. Let's go home, huh? Is there anything you'd like to break…excuse me...talk to the assassins about Jenna?"

"Not tonight Isaac," Jenna replied, raising her voice so that the prisoners could hear, "I'm exhausted right now but I will be them a few questions in the morning."

As one man, the assassins looked up. They exhibited a newfound eagerness to escape.

"Well, are we all ready to go?" Mia asked. There was a chorus of affirmatives.

"I have room for another person in my machine!" Kraden bubbled happily. They ignored him.

"Where can we pack them?" Jenna asked, nodding towards the assassins, who where praying to whatever god it was that assassins prayed to. She tugged gently and Mitch fell in step beside her as they began to stroll back to the caravan, which had circled in on itself and looked like a group of beached whales.

"In the back," Isaac said, prodding one of assassins gently in the back with the Titan Blade.

"You mean the cart with all of the chickens and pigs and things?"

"Yup,"

Jenna eyes twinkled. "I like it…"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Doughnutmaster: "Woo…That took awhile…huh? Well…er…there's a perfectly logical explanation why I haven't updated recently…(Ducks) Hey! HEY! NO BOOTS PLEASE!"

Jenna: (Enter Stage Left, still holding her favorite whip) "However, javelins are acceptable…"

Doughnutmaster: (Whimper)

PLEASE REVIEW THE STORY!