Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun
A/N: A very long one.
Also, to answer the anonymous reviews:
Lord Destroyer-yes, Steamshipping means GaretMia. shudders I hate to think of the alternative. Valeshipping won't be onesided, though of course I can't show too much since Jenna disappears for most of the game. Lighthouseshipping is FelixSheba. Thanks for reviewing!
Aaron Sheeler-Thanks for reviewing!
"Master Nyunpa is waiting for you." the man informed us. I nodded, and started hopping ahead.
"Excellent, Isaac!" Nyunpa exclaimed when we returned, soaked.
Garet glared. "What about-"
"I am glad to see you master our secrets! We call the power you have obtained Ki." Nyunpa frowned. "You seem confused, Isaac."
I shook my head. "No, just..."
"You possess great wisdom for one so young, but I feel I must explain this." Nyunpa continued. "It is called "force" by the western world. I will teach you, as I promised. Use this power to go through the forest. What would happen if you let loose this energy in the forest?"
I shrugged.
Nyunpa laughed. "You are curious, no?"
"Yes...how would it help? You said the forest was like a maze." How could "force" guide you through a maze?
"Monsters that wait in hiding would show themselves," he explained. "You would then try to defeat them, would you not?"
I shrugged again. "I guess so."
Nyunpa nodded. "Sometimes, you must let go of your belief that fighting solves problems. Monsters are cowardly. They will run if they know you can see them. They are creatures of the woods, so they do not get lost there."
"Okay. Thanks." I gestured to the others to leave, but Nyunpa stopped us.
"Wait. Take the ring I keep in that jar. It may prove useful."
Mia walked over to the jar and stuck her hand inside. She retrieved a ring. "What do I do with it?"
I realized she was talking to me. "Uh, I don't know. Keep it, I guess."
Mia shrugged, a habit she'd picked up from Garet and me, and slipped the ring on her finger. "It fits, anyway. Thank you."
We left the building.
"What's the deal with him just talking to you?" demanded Garet. "It's really annoying me!"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we better go on."
"But I'm still hungry!" Garet protested.
"You are hungry?" questioned the nearest healer. "We have much food for hungry travelers. You should have spoke of it earlier."
The healer went back into the building and returned with some cloths.
"These two contain bread," he told us. "This one holds meat, and this jar holds water." He handed us the packages.
"Thank you," Ivan said.
Right outside the forest, we stopped to eat the food.
"I guess we'd better go." I suggested, when we'd all eaten our fill.
Ivan nodded. "We must make haste. I don't think we want to be caught in the forest at nightfall."
We reached the edge of the forest, and we saw a hollow tree trunk. Next to the trunk was a humanoid furred green monster. When it noticed us, its eyes grew wide and it hopped into the trunk.
On a hunch, I used "Force". I grasped the orb in my hand and concentrated. A hand, invisible to non-Adepts, reached out and punched the stump, scaring the creature out.
It snarled and hopped away to the south.
I turned to the others. "Let's go." I whispered.
"Why the whispering?" wondered Garet loudly.
"Shh!" scolded Mia quietly. "We don't want to scare the monsters out!"
Ivan nodded. "We need to walk quietly, too." he added.
I nodded, and as silently as I could, I started walking through the forest. Mia was following equally quietly, with Garet stomping along. I didn't hear Ivan at all.
I turned around to scold Garet and didn't see Ivan.
"Where's Ivan?" Mia asked.
I shrugged. "How should I know?"
"I'm up here." Ivan's voice floated down. I looked up to see him floating a foot above our heads.
"It's quieter." he explained.
I nodded, still shaken by the sight. We continued through the forest quietly.
I heard a loud thumping sound. I turned automatically to find Garet had tripped.
"Get up!" Ivan cried urgently."There's monsters heading our way!"
Gust flew down at the three moles that had just burrowed their way up through the earth. I readied and called on Flint.
The mole who Flint attacked burrowed back under, defeated. Mia and Garet attacked another, and I destroyed the final one with my blade.
We continued on quietly. I spotted another stump and discovered another creature, this one orange. It snarled savagely.
It clearly wished to fight us.
Ivan moved first, summoning Jupiter quickly. The monster cried out in pain.
I summoned Venus, infuriating the monster more. It growled and leaped forward to bite Garet. Garet tried to hit it with his axe, but the monster was too fast.
It then froze in its tracks. I wondered what had happened, then I saw Mias arm outstretched, pointed toward the creature.
Garet took the opportunity to summon Mars. This melted the ice inflicted by Mias Mercury.
Seeing my chance, I danced forward with my blade. The creature angrily attacked Mia fiercely, leaving her almost at tears. But she didn't collapse, and she looked more determined than ever when she hit the monster back with her staff.
Garet leaped forward and attacked with his axe. The creature cried in pain, gave us one last glare, and hopped back into its trunk, leaving behind a small bottle.
"Wonder what's in it." I commented. I picked up the bottle, which was filled with a bluish liquid, and shrugged. I dropped it in my bulging pack.
"Ply," murmured Mia. She sighed happily. "That feels so much better."
We moved the logs so we could get through, and we continued on.
I trailed behind the others, still pondering Saturos and Menardi. I munched on an apple as we walked.
Was it possible? Was it imaginable, could it be that Father was...alive? Alive? After all, if Felix was alive...
Felix. Why was he acting so strange, so cold? Was it an act, or was he actually changed by Saturos and Menardi? I dearly hoped it was the former, especially for Jenna's sake.
Jenna. Would we ever rescue her? I rubbed the red stone she'd tossed me. What about her parents?
"Isaac, snap out of it." Garet waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked, and looked down. I'd been just about to fall into the water.
"Oh, uh, sorry." I muttered.
I stopped thinking about our longterm problems-after all, we had more problems at hand.
As we fought a glowing head I struggled to keep my mind off of Saturos and Menardi.
Saturos and Menardi...
"Omigosh! Adepts!" shrieked a shrill voice. I looked around. A Venus Djinni hopped over to me.
It paused a minute. "To keep it safe, I better fight them first. I would hate for them to be the evil kind...and think what a bragging right it would buy me!"
She (or at least I think it was a she) concentrated. A rock fell on Ivan out of nowhere. Garet and Mia helped him out from under it.
Ivan glared at the Djinn. "Plasma!" he called.
She yelled in pain. I attacked her with my blade. Mia attacked physically, too, but Garet used some sort of volcanic Psynergy.
Flint, are you ok?
Umm...is it ok if all of us Djinn sit this one out? She might get mad at us. Don't worry, the others all know-Gust started a mental message. So...can we? Flint asked tentatively.
Fine, sure, whatever. I thought absentmindedly.
The ground shook beneath me. I dashed forward with my weapon. Garet and Mia followed suit.
The Djinn looked worried. "I better leave," she muttered, mostly to herself.
Garet blocked her exit. "Oh, no you don't."
She gulped.
Ivan cast Plasma again and the Djinn screamed in pain. I felt bad for her.
"Fine, I give in!" she cried.
All of the Djinn promptly appeared.
"Hi, Quartz!" exclaimed Gust happily.
I groaned mentally. Quartz, as I remembered from Flints frequent mentions of her, was a busybody and gossip.
"Omigosh, it's you, Gust! Have you heard about Forge and Ember? Did you hear what Ember said about it? She said that-" Quartz paused a minute, noticing Forge was in the group of Djinn surrounding her.
"Oh, uh, hi, Forge!" she giggled.
Forge glared at her.
Gust grinned, or at least as best she could, which actually looked sort of scary. "Quartz, these are brave and noble Adepts! They saved me!"
"Oh, they did?" Quartz seemed preoccupied. "They may be brave and noble...but do they know any good news?"
Gust nodded. "My Adept, Ivan, read all their minds. He wasn't supposed to keep doing it, but he did. I know all their secrets!"
Ivan was blushing furiously. "I-I was j-just..."
"He does?" Quartz sounded interested. "You do? Tell me one. One of his," she pointed at Garet, "or hers. I'll know all of his secrets." She smiled evilly. I didn't like the thought of that Djinni knowing my secrets, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Gust got the same look in her eye. She started whispering to Quartz, pointing at Garet and giggling.
"Really?"
"What?" Garet asked angrily.
Quartz smiled sweetly. "Nothing. Um, Flint, how about you show me where I'll be? Oh, and I Revive a downed ally."
Flint nodded eagerly. Flint disappeared, with Granite and Quartz following suit.
Oh, now that's interesting! Quartz giggled. By the way, have you heard about Echo and Steel?
No. What is it? asked Granite eagerly.
I can't believe you, Granite. complained Flint. But then again...
"I see what you meant, Ivan." I muttered.
He nodded sympathetically.
Forge glared sourly at Garet. "Just wait until you get three of us!"
Garet paled.
Forge turned to Fever. "Let's go." he said grumpily.
Fever coughed. "Sure...achoo! I thikk I deed to rest."
Forge rolled his eyes and disappeared with a pop. Fever followed, coughing.
Fizzs lip began to tremble. "But...but Quartz didn't even talk to me!" she sobbed.
Sleet gave one look at the other Mercury Djinn and disappeared quickly.
"Nobody likes me!" Fizz cried. "Nobody!" She disappeared, leaving a few small teardrops falling in her wake.
I rolled the final log and used Force. The green...thing hopped right from that one and hopped to the next trunk.
"Great, we have to go around." I muttered sarcastically.
We walked around, and I used Force again.
The green creature gave us a glare before hopping away. We followed it.
We lost it before we came to a clearing with three stumps. I used Force on the first stump we came to, figuring that the monster was in a hurry and would hide in the first stump.
I was wrong.
Another orange monster popped out angrily. It only took a few attacks to finish it off.
I tried the middle next. The creature hopped out and started toward the south.
I gulped when we entered the next huge clearing. There were logs placed strategically all over.
"Don't worry." Ivan said when he noticed the look on our faces. "It's not as complicated as it looks. Isaac, use Move on that stone."
I Moved the stone and pushed the log it freed. I used Force to discover the green monster again. It glared at us and hopped to the trunk below.
We moved the logs and used Force again. I could feel my strength sapping away.
We reached another stump...and, the glorious, glorious exit!
I passed the stump eagerly...and I felt the ground shake.
It shook again. I slowly turned to face a huge, blue version of the monsters.
I gulped.
"Um, I-I think you need to turn around." I stuttered.
"What?" asked Garet. And then he saw the thing. It reared and attacked him.
Ivan noticed it and cast Plasma. The monster roared.
"Uh...Earthquake." I muttered. The blue creature was tossed off its feet. It did not look happy.
"Ice!" commanded Mia.
"Flare Wall!" shouted Garet.
The blue monster roared again, and concentrated on Psynergy. Garet shuddered. "It...it blocked my Psynergy somehow!"
A whirlwind enveloped the monster. It snarled.
Mia healed Garet from his earlier attack. He reached into his pack and tossed something at the creature. Its eyes closed and it collapsed, not dead but...asleep?
"How did you do that?" I asked in bewilderment.
He shrugged. "I found it in Vault."
"Let's leave before it wakes up." I decided, leading the way. The monster roared. It had awakened.
"Great." I muttered. "Just great."
The thing concentrated, and I could feel my Psynergy being blocked. It felt horrible, having no Psynergy. I hadn't had it just a year ago, but now it seemed second nature.
Ivan summoned Jupiter, and I followed his lead and summoned Venus.
Mia grinned. "I've got more firepower than that." She summoned Nereid. The monster snarled.
"Mars!" called Garet.
The creature concentrated again, and I prepared for Mia or Ivan to call out. But the Psynergy failed, and Ivan cast Plasma.
While it was distracted, I hit it with my sword. Mia dashed forward with her staff, and Garet with his axe.
I'm set! cried Flint happily.
"Ooh-ah-ee!" cried the monster. Garet cringed.
"I-erree-uhow." he said, his mouth not moving. He collapsed.
Gust flew forward. "You shall not harm these brave, kind, wonderful, and noble Adepts!"
Now! I thought to Flint.
"Yee-hah!" squeaked Flint.
Sleet grumpily stomped out. "I'm never hiding in a lighthouse again." he muttered as his name fell on the creature.
"I can move!" Garet cried happily.
"Ooh-ah-ee!" the monster shouted again, and Garet froze once more.
"Jupiter!" called Ivan.
I summoned Venus while Mia ran over to Garet. "Fizz," I could hear her murmur.
I realized my Psynergy had returned. The creature attempted to bind Garet again, but it didn't work, from the look on his face.
Ivan dashed forward and hit the monster with his staff. The monster hopped away, dropping a small blue gem. I pocketed it, and we headed on.