A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm finally back with this story. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 9

Isaac's POV

The road is long and winding





But you most never give up

For the end is closer then you think

So sing loud and cheerfully



While you still can

Cause soon you will be home

With your journey being a fading memory

So sing loud and cheerfully

………….um

"Ack, I can't remember the last part…" mumbled Garet. He's been trying to sing his whole song ever since we left Vault. He managed to remember the second part after singing and humming to himself.

The sun was high in the sky, making the country side shine with beauty. It was also hot. Hot summer weather. A little wind would be nice….. I was sweating from the heat.

Garet, Flint, and I are walking in Goma Range…. I think. I'm not really sure, but Flint says we are.

"Goma Cave should be around here. Just listen for a waterfall," said Flint, cheerfully. He was perched on my shoulder. It seems like he enjoys having a free ride….

Up ahead, I could hear rushing water. Must be a river. We headed towards the source of the sound.

"Hey, a river," said Garet as he bent down and scooped some of the cool, clear water and drank. I did as well. The water was cold and refreshing.

"We're near," informed Flint. He jumped down and hopped ahead and disappeared into the trees.

I refilled my water bottle. "Lets hurry," I said to Garet who took another sip of water.

The sound of a waterfall was near. Then I heard a scream ahead of us, where Flint headed.

I sprinted and saw Flint running towards me with fear on his face. "Help!" he cried and hid behind my legs. There was rustling in the bushes up ahead.

A monster perhaps?

I drew out my sword. Garet stood beside me and drew out his. The rustling grew louder and I could hear something shrieking inside the bushes….

I clenched my teeth and tightened my hold on the handle. The monster jumped out raging mad….

And I would have fallen on my butt in fear….. If it was a real monster. The monster was nothing but a blue rat like the one before. I laughed, "Flint, it's only a blue rat. Can't you just use Psynergy?"

"Huh? I would if I could! And I wasn't running away from one Vermin, I was…." Flint was cut off by the blue rat's sudden and awfully horrible, loud shrieking.

Suddenly the bushes started to rustle and move. Then a bunch more blue rats came pouring out, each held a fork, spoon or knife. They too, were shrieking madly.

"…running away from them…"

What's really weird is that they lined up in rows, single file, side by side. The first rat that came out stood in front as if he was a commander….

Garet leaned into my ear and whispered, "Is it just me or are they really lining up like an army?"

"They really are lined up. And it looks like they're planning to attack us…." I whispered back.

"Isaac, the Vermin you kicked before must've been the commander…" Flint whispered. "You two can handle this, right?"

The commander turned and faced his comrades and started shrieking and squeaking to them. He must be giving orders or something. He then jabbed his fork in my direction and all his comrades growled and shrieked.

He probably is the one I kicked. It looks like he remembered me…..

I sneered, "He's mad at me and now he's going send his army to attack us. I can't believe they're actually this smart."

"This won't be hard for you to beat," said Flint, who was now on my shoulder, "Just make an earthquake, Isaac, and they'll fall over, begging for mercy."

"An…. Earthquake?" I asked nervously.

Flint nodded. "Yeah… an earthquake. What's wrong with that?" he asked suspiciously.

I flushed with embarrassment. I didn't know how to make an earthquake, or even be able to make a slight tremor. I didn't learn to do that yet….. Because it was hard for me to summon enough energy for it…

"Well… I…" I stammered. I didn't want to embarrass myself but somehow Flint knew what was wrong. His eyes widened with surprise.

"Y, you can't do it? Well then I'll have to teach you quickly before the Vermin attack us," he said.

The army of rats were still listening to their commander's long, annoying speech.

Garet shook his head. "Forget about it. I'll just burn them to a crisp with my fire!"

"I guess we could do that…" I said.

Flint shook his head, "Must you use such harsh tactics?"

"Harsh? What's so harsh about barbequing them? They're only rats after all…" replied Garet.

"But they're living creatures. They're pretty much harmless anyways. Let's just leave them alone…"

"But then they'll come and attack us!"

I stood back and watched them argue. Meanwhile the commander rat finally finished his pre-war speech and now turned and faced us. Then they began to march…

"Hey guys…." I began, but both Flint and Garet ignored me.

"FIRE! That's the plan!"

"NO! I don't want innocent Vermin to get massacred. How cruel is that?!"

Geezes… I was getting really mad. So I took a deep breath and yelled out, "ENOUGH!"

They both stopped arguing and looked at me. "I'll handle this!" I growled.

I leapt forward and sprinted towards the army of rats. They noticed my movement and charged at me, with the commander in the lead. Good. That's what I wanted….

When the commander was close enough, I jumped and kicked him, again, as hard as I could. He was sent flying, higher than before, shrieking madly as ever. His troops halted and watched helplessly as they're commander was sent to the heavens….

I bared my teeth at them and leaped towards them, but they quickly retreated back to the bushes. I laughed. I laughed and laughed…..evilly.

"Ha ha ha! That'll teach you a lesson!" I said proudly.

Garet and Flint both stared at me. Meanwhile, I just grinned. Then finally Flint shook his head, disapprovingly. "That was so cruel…." he said.

"Aww, way to go, Isaac. I wanted some fun too!" Garet whined.

Afterwards, we started to head for Goma Cave again. This time, no monsters got in our way. We spotted a cave on the upper ledge. The entrance was thickly covered in ivy. An up-rooted stump, that was also covered with thick, ivy blocked our path.

There was a gap between the ledge with the cave entrance, and the ledge that we stood on. The stump was in our way…

Garet stepped forward and used "Move" to move the stump, but it didn't even budge. Garet scratched his chin in thought. "Heh, that didn't work…. I know! Fire!" he suggested.

Flint let out a quick sigh and said, "Fire, fire, fire! Is that all you can think of?"

"Hmph. I am a Mars Adept after all. Fire is my specialty. And if you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it!"

"Well I think…..um…." Flint mumbled to himself quietly, avoiding Garet's gaze.

"Don't use fire, Garet." I said. "The fire could spread and get out of hand."

"Nah. I can control it," he said with confidence.

"It seems like you guys are stuck…." came a familiar voice from behind us.

We turned around and saw Ivan who was looking a little glum. He now held the Shaman's Rod in his hand.

"Ivan? Thought you went to save Hammet," I said.

Ivan looked down at his feet and lightly shook his head. "There were guards protecting the gates of Lunpa. I couldn't find another way in." Then he quickly looked up at us and said, "Don't get me wrong! I didn't come here to ask for your help."

"Oh?" said Garet.

"Well, you see…. Your quest has been stuck in my head since I left Vault. I couldn't leave knowing that all these terrible things are happening… And so, since I can't rescue Master Hammet, then maybe I can help you…" Ivan said with a small smile.

I pondered that thought……

If Ivan joins us, then we'll surely get through this a lot faster. But then he'll have to go through the dangers of our quest. I don't want to drag him into this mess….

"Don't worry about it, Isaac. I won't mind the dangers." Ivan spoke like he read my mind. Which he did.

"Ivan!" I yelled at him. Then I sighed with grief, "I just don't want to get you involved with this…."

"I already am. Besides, I can take care of myself and also, my powers could be useful to you…", said Ivan as he swung his rod in the air, making circles. Suddenly I could feel the breeze as powerful gusts of wind swirled around the vine-trapped stump and violently pulled the ivy away. In an instant, the stump was free. There was no sign of any ivy left. Well except the ones blocking the entrance.

"Amazing," I said in awe. I've never seen the powers of wind before, and this was my first time.

"Way to go, Ivan! We really could use your help, right Isaac?" Garet said.

I nodded.

"Are we going to Biblin then?" Ivan asked.

I nodded, "Yeah. Hopefully, we'll get there before nightfall."

Garet patted Ivan on the back and used "Move" again to move the stump which easily fell over the cliff and landed in the river. Ivan used his mighty winds to blow open the entrance of Goma Cave. The four of us entered the lighted cave. It was cool and damp inside. Our footsteps echoed along the deep caverns. For some reason there were torches already lit the cave. Someone must be here…

I could feel Flint tense on my shoulder as we went deeper into the cave. "There's a Djinn nearby! I can feel his presence…" Flint whispered, but in a cave it sounded quite loud.

"Really? Is he near?" I asked him.

Flint cocked his head from side to side. "He's near…. Very near. In fact, it feels like he's right behind us….."

"HEY! Flint! Glad to see you're alive!" came a loud, squeaky voice from behind us.

I turned around but didn't see anybody. "Where's that voice coming from?" Garet wondered. I did too. We looked around but didn't see any sign of whoever just spoke.

"HEY! BAKA! Are you blind?! Down here!" the voice yelled. I looked down at my feet and saw a strange red and orange creature. It had bright blue, beady eyes and a bushy tail.

"Forge? Is that you?" Flint asked. He hopped off my shoulder and went face to face with the creature.

"Baaaka! Of course it's me! Who else did you think I was, huh?" said the creature called Forge, angrily.

This Djinn doesn't seem so polite….

"Flint, why are you with these human children?" he asked sternly.

"Because they're Adepts!" Flint said in haste.

"Adepts? These children are Adepts?" Forge looked at us with an odd look. "They're nothing but children! Don't tell me they defeated you!"

"What? They didn't defeated me, I joined them!"

"Joined them?! You weakling! We're not suppose to do that! You have to test them first in order to be worthy of our powers!"

"I, I.. Isaac saved me! So I joined him in return…"

"Hmph, you disappoint me."

"Forge…."

Forge ignored him and turned his attention towards Garet. "You. You're a Mars Adept. I would like to test your skills against me," he said in a hard tone. "If you can somehow defeat me, even though you won't, I will let you have my powers. Wanna test your courage?"

Garet grinned. "Heh. Don't get too cocky, little guy. There's no way I would lose to a tiny thing like you," Garet answered, full of confidence.

"Hmph," Forged answered back, "A child like you can never defeat me. You should back out before you get hurt, boy."

"I'm not a child. Argh! Lets skip the small talk and fight!"

"I was thinking the same thing!"

Forge was suddenly wrapped in his own flames.

"Let's see well you can withstand my Psynergy!" Forge taunted.

"Good luck, Garet!" I said as I stood away from the battle area.

"Be careful!" Ivan added as he stood beside me.

Forge suddenly fired off the ground like a fireball and headed straight into Garet. Garet who didn't see Forge's sudden attack was knocked back by the force. He winced in pain but he quickly recovered and grabbed his sword. The metal blade deflected Forge's second attack.

"Hah! Try this on for size!" Forge taunted. He breathed in the flames that surrounded his body, then he spewed them out at Garet! The inferno blaze will engulf Garet!

"Garet!" I cried out in worry. I started to run to him but, in a flash, the fire stopped from Garet's own fiery wall. It absorbed Forge's flames!

The wall of fire quickly spread straight towards Forge. He was engulfed!

"Aack! A small attack like this won't stop me!" Forge cried out. He jumped out of the fire, burned. It didn't seem like he received much damage. His body was surrounded by his own flames again and he charged into Garet. Garet swung his sword, with the flat side, and repelled Forge. Forge's fire blew out and he struggled to get back to his feet. He was still willing to fight, even in his condition…..

"I, I, I….. Can't be defeated!" Forge squealed with anger. He jumped up but quickly fell down. Forge was too weak to stand.

"Forge!" Flint cried out. He hopped towards Forge's side. "Are you okay?! Say something!"

"Argh…. I lost. I… I'm defeated…." Forge said sadly. "I guess…. I'm now in your hands, boy."

Garet kneeled down beside him. "Heh. A little guy like you can sure put up a pretty tough fight. I feel honoured to have your help, Forge." Garet said with a friendly smile.

Forge smiled back. He flinched as he got up. "Here, I'll heal you," I said as I concentrated my powers onto Forge's burns. Healing was my specialty. As was making life grow.

The burns disappeared and Forge was as good as new. He stood up and jumped onto Garet's shoulder. "I, Forge, Mars Djinn of strenth, am proud to join your quest. And Flint… I'm sorry for what I said before. I…. You're not a wimp. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" Forge said quietly.

"Flint smirked, "I forgive you, Forge. See I told you they are Adepts. And they posses great powers as well."

Forge nodded. "Hmph. Children these days…."

They both chuckled to themselves.

Later on, we explored deeper into the cave. The torches clearly lighted our path. Strange skeleton monsters keep getting our way but we simply defeated them, as their bones were very brittle through age and rot. They scare the hell out of us whenever they jump in front of us or drop from the roof of the cave.

I wonder. Why are there monsters…..

Another pile of bones fell in front of us in a heap, causing Flint to shriek madly again and Forge to insult him and call him names….

"Baka! Stop being a scaredy-cat!" Forge insulted.

"B, baka? Why do you keep calling me that?! Where'd you learn it?!" Flint snapped back.

"From Squall. Remember? He and Tsunami went on a world trip and they caught onto some of the languages the humans used. That's where I learned it, baka."

"What's a baka?!"

"You."

"What?! What does it mean?!"

"Stupid or idiot, or stupid idiot, baka!"

"Arrgh!! I hate you!"

Meanwhile as they were arguing among themselves, Garet, Ivan and I disposed of the skeletons with ease. Garet chopped the last one down to dust.

"That takes care of it. Hopefully we won't run into anymore…" Garet mumbled while coughing on the dust.

After he said that, more bones came down and formed into more skeletons. The three of us moaned, while Flint and Forge argued. Again, we turned the old bones to dust.

Flint sighed with relief. Forge burst out laughing, at Flint. "Ha ha ha! Flint, you little wimp. You're such a scardy-cat. I'm gonna tell everyone!"

Flint flushed with either embarrassment or anger, "Don't you dare!" he cried.

"I will. Scorch will surely laugh at this!" Forge giggled but stopped abruptly. His face became sad, "Whenever we find him…. And everyone else…"

Flint's tone was softer, "We'll find them, Forge. With the help of the humans, we'll surely find everyone….Right, Isaac?"

I gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. "We'll find them. Don't worry."

Forge seemed to lighten up a little and smiled (oddly) back.

We headed deeper into the cave and rarely encountered any more skeletons. There were bats that flew past us every once in a while. Nothing much happened, until we ran into a man, possibly a hiker or a traveller.

"Hello there, boys. Have you se--" the man gasped and pointed a finger right at Forge. "Y, y, you caught that creature? Oh… I wanted to catch it…."

Forge cocked his head to the side. "Hmm. Oh yeah! I remember him," Forge whispered to us. "That man tried to fight me before, but I didn't want to waste my time with an ordinary human. So I ran."

Flint would have raised a brow if he had one. "Ran away?" Flint asked.

"Yeah…" Forge looked sternly at him, "I wasn't afraid or anything. I just didn't want to hurt a normal human."

Normal? That word bothered me a little. Normal people? If they don't have Psynergy, then they are considered normal? Then…. What are we?

"Um… Excuse me?" the man asked when we accidentally ignored him.

I gave him a friendly smile, "Sorry, sir. Um…. So…. As you were saying?"

The man smiled back, "I was thinking of catching that creature as a pet for my son…. But oh well. Since you caught it first, it's yours."

Forge looked angry, "PET?! No way mister! I'm not a pet! I'm a Djinn! And Djinn are powerful! I, I, I can never be considered as a pet!"

"Calm down!" Garet held Forge in his strong grasp. The little Djinn tried to squeeze it's way out but couldn't. Garet held him till he calmed himself down.

Forge sighed. "Curses…."

The man stared at Forge more closely. "Quite an interesting creature… It can talk," said the man. "Well, I guess he's all yours. I'll see if I can find another creature as a pet."

"Take care then, sir." Ivan said politely.

The man nodded and walked away, into the same path we came from.

"A pet?!" Forge grumbled. "Pah! I'm not a pet. Never!"

"Forge, please calm down!" Flint urged the Mars Djinn.

I sighed deeply. Something tells me this journey will be a very long one…..

"A PET?!"

"Calm down! He was just mistaken…"

I sighed again.

A/N: AHH! Finally… finished. And note: Tsunami is a Djinn I made up and Garet's song is not mine but Snoopy6458's. And also Snoopy, Garet's getting close to remembering! Give me some feedback on my story, like: is it good, boring, stupid, okay, etc.?