Tetra blinked as she stepped back into the sunlight, and looked out over the village. "We made it to the port!" Ciela shouted triumphantly. "It's so much further to walk when the bridge is out."
"Oh, yeah!" Tetra agreed. "And now that we're here, let's find this Joleen."
"Yeah," Ciela replied. "I've met her a couple of times. Can't say that I care much for her. She's an awfully big talker for such a big cucoo!"
"She's that bad?" Tetra asked.
"Yep," Ciela repeated. "Now let's head to the docks."
The cave exited onto a small ridge, that had stairs leading up to it. As Tetra descended, a woman caught her attention. "Welcome to Mercay Island's port, stranger," she called. "Normally, this place would be full of sailors, but the rumors that the Ghost Ship has returned have all but shut the harbor down!"
"Mercay?" Tetra asked. "I've never heard of Mercay Island before."
"Wait, you've been walking on an island you've never heard of?" the woman asked, baffled.
"She washed up here this morning," Ciela told her.
"Well, Mercay is the largest port in the region, so if you haven't heard of us, then you probably don't know any of the others, either," the woman told them. "But yes, the only traffic we've had lately was the woman who docked here a few days ago. She hasn't left yet, I think."
"Thank you," Tetra said as she started again for the port.
Once she got there, she saw one lone ship, and a man staring at it. "Look at this remarkable ship!" he shouted as she approached. "What do you think of it?"
"Uh…" Tetra was confused. Wasn't the captain supposed to be a woman?
The man didn't wait for her to respond. "Oh, just look at her! What a ship! Such a proud beauty! Time loses all meaning when I gaze upon her…" He paused, a look of rapture on his face that was replaced by agony. "Oh, if only she were mine!"
"Oh, so you're not the captain, then," Tetra replied, no longer confused. The man was an enthusiast, nothing more.
"Nope. It belongs to a sea captain what goes by the name of Joleen," he replied. "A fearless soul, I hear, and a beauty to boot! She's seen the whole world, yet never seen defeat!"
"Yeah, yeah," Tetra was on the verge of yawning. "Do you know where she is?"
"Oh, you're searching for her?" he asked. "Well, she spends a lot of time at the milk bar, but I haven't seen her in days. The bar owner might know where she went, though."
"Okay, thanks," Tetra told him as she walked away. For all of him calling Joleen a beauty, he was obviously more in love with her ship than he might be with her.
Walking away from the dock, she headed towards the bar, but made a detour when she passed a shop. She went inside and looked at the stock. The young woman running the store had a small display; a few bombs, a potion, a shield, a black pearl necklace, and a red…something. It looked kind of like a gem with a teardrop-shaped aura around it. "Welcome shopper!" the clerk called. "How can I help you?"
"How much for the shield?" Tetra asked, unable to read its price. The tag had fallen down in front of it. She knew that she could afford the bombs or the potion, but she didn't have a bomb bag to keep them safe, and the potion was a lower priority than the shield, if she could afford that. The other two were way out of her price range, though, since she had left her regular purse back on her ship.
"The shield is 80 Rupees, and will reduce the damage that you take from enemies." Tetra pulled out what change she had, and was glad to see that she had 84 Rupees that she'd collected that morning.
"Just enough," she said, relieved, as she put most of the money on the counter.
The clerk took the money, and handed Tetra the shield. "Thank you for your purchase!" she said happily as Tetra slid it onto her arm. It fit very well, and was either made to be a small shield for a larger person, or a large shield for a smaller person, because she felt like it was nearly as tall as she was, though it was really just the size of her back from neck to pelvis. Judging by the weight and strap size, she decided that it was a small person's large shield, as it was light enough for her to use easily, but still sturdy enough to block attacks. "Anything else?"
Tetra eyed the red gem enviously. It definitely looked like it was worth the 500 Rupees it was selling for. Maybe she'd come steal it later or something. "Nah, that's all I can afford," Tetra admitted. "Thank you, though."
"I hope to see you again!" the clerk called as Tetra walked out.
Her next stop was the bar. The bartender was cleaning a glass as she walked in, but looked up as she approached the counter. "A new customer! Oh, hearty greetings!"
Tetra looked around. The only other person in the room was an old man sitting at the end of the bar. "Looks a little dead," she commented.
"Yeah, lots of locals drift in here to while away the hours, but it's a bit empty at the moment…" He looked at her again, really analyzing her for the first time. "But aren't you a tad short to be in here? No offense, ma'am."
"I'm not here for a drink," Tetra replied hotly. "I'm here for information. Namely on Joleen."
"Oh, you're looking for Jolene?" There was a look of relief on his face. "Sure, I know her! Heck, that chair next to you knew her recently! She just dashed out a few minutes ago, saying she was off to the Temple of the Ocean King." Tetra cursed under her breath. If she hadn't gone shopping, maybe she'd have caught her before she left! "I tried to stop the foolish woman," the man continued. "But off she went to the north side of the isle."
"Did my ears hear that right?" the old man at the end of the bar shouted. "She went to the Temple of the Ocean King?"
"That's what it sounds like," Tetra replied, her interest piqued. "What's so significant about this temple?"
The old man turned to her, a grave look on his face. "Listen up, young 'un. Listen good. The Ocean King is defender of all creation. And that temple up on the hill was built in his honor. None more worthy!" Tetra pondered this for a moment. It was hardly the creation legend that she was used to, but she supposed that different areas would have different versions of it, though she knew from experience that the legend she knew was at least partly true, having been a part of its fulfillment. "Sadly," the man continued, breaking her out of her reverie, "a curse was laid on the place that sucks the souls from all who enter." She shivered involuntarily. "None dare step into the Temple of the Ocean King, so put it out of your mind! Can't say where your friend's gone, but I'll tell you this: stay out of there!"
"Yes, steer clear," the barman broke in. "That's what we all do. But the odd visitor now and then can't resist it."
"Yeah, yeah," Tetra replied, now convinced that it would be no problem: the locals probably had no proof that the place was trouble, if they were all too terrified to go near the place. She rolled out her map and looked at it. "It's this building here, right?"
"Yeah," the barman replied, and then did a double take. "You're not actually going there, are you?"
"Oh, of course not," she replied sweetly as she rolled up the map and left the bar. She then made a beeline for the northern path out of town. The northern field was full of Chu-Chus, as she now remembered the red blobs were called, but they were no match for her swift swordplay.
Wiping off the jelly left behind by the last of them, she was suddenly struck from behind. "Hey!" she shrieked, rolling over to see a crow flying away with her purse. "That's mine!" With a jump, she struck the crow as it fled, causing it to drop the bag. Injured, the angry crow cawed at her and flew onto the cliffs.
Tying the purse back on, she climbed up to the next ledge, only to find her path blocked. "What the heck?" she asked, frustrated.
"Hey, over here!" Ciela called. "It's a longer path, but this way will get you there too." She was hovering over another climb that had probably been made when the rocks had fallen to block the main path. With a heavy sigh, Tetra ran over to and up the scenic route. There were only a few more Chus to worry about, fortunately, before she found herself on the opposite side of the rockslide that had blocked her path.
With a shrug, she got back on the main path, which led into a shallow canyon. She stayed on guard, but found nothing before climbing a staircase at the end of it. She found herself standing before the large stone temple. "Aha!" shouted Ciela. "So this is the Temple of the Ocean King! Legend has it, the temple was built to honor the mighty Ocean King. But the temple has fallen into ruin, and people say it ruins any who enter!" Tetra rolled her eyes; she'd heard all of this in the bar. "Still, we have to find Joleen," Ciela continued, more quietly. "So let's dive right on in, Tetra!"
"That's the spirit!" Tetra replied, dashing inside. She skidded to a stop right after she entered, however, taking in the large chamber she had entered. She deliberately avoided looking at the skull that was a foot away from her left foot.
"Whoa, look, Tetra," Ciela said. "Looks like someone's skeleton…" Tetra knew she could avoid it no more, and looked down at the skull and the skeleton it was part of. "What's it doing here?" Ciela asked fearfully. "You don't think…this could be Joleen…?" Ciela's voice was a shout by the end.
"No way," Tetra replied coolly. "Nothing could strip a skeleton that fast."
Ciela only partly seemed to believe her. "This is really starting to creep me out…" she said mournfully, drifting behind Tetra's head.
Tetra stepped closer to the skeleton, and was shocked when it started to glow, and then speak! "I foolishly entered this temple…" came its hollow voice. "In moments, it drained the life right out of me…" Tetra wondered at that. She couldn't feel anything like that in this chamber, at least. Looking around, she saw two more skeletons on the path to the staircase down into the bowels of the temple.
She walked up to the next one, and sure enough, it spoke as well. "So, even if you clear a trap, it resets once you leave…" the voice was different than the other, though still very hollow. "I should have made notes on my map…" She saw that a map lay beside the corpse, and picked it up. It had a diagram of the room she was in, and she even saw her own position labeled on the map.
"Ah, magical maps," she said as she tucked it into her pouch with her other one.
"But I couldn't make notes on maps with those strange icons…" the skeleton continued. Tetra pulled out the map again, and looked at the image in the corner. It was a quill with a red circle behind it and a red line across it. She tried with her quill, and sure enough, nothing happened when she tried to write.
Tucking the map away again, she walked over to the third pile of bones. "I entered the temple in search of the treasure…" This one's hollow voice was much deeper than the other two. "But monsters that could not be slain with a sword stalked the corridors…"
For the first time, Tetra was scared. What was she supposed to do if her sword couldn't hurt the things? "I'll have to avoid them," she answered out loud as she walked through the doorway into the next chamber. Ciela, too frightened to speak, followed closely behind.