Golden Sun: The Age of Light
By: Mokona-Midoki
Chapter Eight
Author's Note: Chapter Eight! Wow, this one took a long time to get up. Sorry about that. My internet's been on the fritz. It's really annoying. Thanks to everyone for reviewing, and please continue to enjoy Noa's adventures!
Disclaimer: Noa, and all other characters are mine. Everything else belongs to the game Golden Sun and whoever created it.
Chapter Eight
The sun beat down on the small cove, warming the water and the small junk that lay anchored right off the shore. Five people lay collapsed in different places around the deck of the junk. Two girls leaned against the starboard railing, one hand each wrapped around the wood of the ship. A boy lay against the door to the cabin, a tube of bamboo limp in his hand, and a girl and a boy lay against the wheel, all five still.
A curious seagull came down to investigate. Perching on the mast crossbars it eyed the sleeping forms with bright eyes. Seeing nothing amiss it glided down to land in front of the black-haired young man. Hopping forward it pecked his hand then quickly hopped back.
The young man slumbered on.
Emboldened by its success it came forward once again and gave his hand a hard sharp peck.
He twitched.
It was about to peck for a third time when out of the blue, the young man's other hand slashed sharply down. There was a loud 'thwack!', and the seagull keeled over, having been brained by the bamboo tube.
Qing Yuan woke up first. Sitting up, he stretched, and was a bit surprised when he felt his hand hit something feathery. Looking down, he saw a seagull lying beside his hand. Qing Yuan was not a man to question a gift from the gods. Smiling he stood and called out to his crew.
"Wake up! We've got breakfast!"
--
Noa woke to the smell of cooking meat. Groggily she sat up looking around. She was still on the deck of the ship which rocked gently back and forth on the waves. Looking around, she realized that they must be in a small cove or inlet of some sort. They were surrounded on all sides by high mountain cliffs, except for the cove shore which was a thin strip of sand that circled the cove like a crescent moon, and the equally thin strip of trees right behind it. Suddenly she realized something; she was completely alone on the deck. Then she heard someone laugh.
Standing up she made her way over to the other side of the ship and looked out onto the beach.
Over a small, smokeless fire Qing Yuan turned a makeshift spit on which something roasted. Lynna had one of the sails spread out across her lap, and with quick deft movements, she patched it together. Kenda was spreading out the contents of a black bag out across the sand, taking inventory. Troy was nowhere to be seen.
Qing Yuan suddenly waved at her and called out. "Noa! You're awake! We've got food!"
Locating the rope ladder that the others had used to disembark, Noa swung her legs over the side of the ship and slowly began making her way down, careful of her still sore body.
When she splashed into the shallows, she began making her way towards the three figures on the shore.
She waded onto the beach and groaned as she sat down in the sand beside Kenda.
"Good morning, Noa!" Lynna chimed.
The dark skinned girl smiled. "How are you feeling this morning, Noa?"
"Awful. I feel like I was thrown off the Lighthouse Aerie." She told her.
Kenda nodded. "You'll be sore for a day or so." She looked at her, her dark eyes serious. "You kept that whirlwind going for far too long."
Noa sighed. "I know, but I had too. If I didn't then we'd have been captured right?"
The older girl rolled her eyes. "That's no reason to go and kill yourself. Next time, think about the consequences of your actions a little more." She paused, measuring out some liquid into a small cup. "And here, drink this."
"Yes mother." Noa told her meekly. She took the cup and drank, almost spitting out the foul tasting liquid. With difficulty she swallowed. "Blegh! Do all you medicines taste bad?"
"Yes." Lynna and Qing Yuan chorused together.
Kenda shot them a glare, which quickly made them return to their chores. "If medicine doesn't taste bad, it's not doing its job." She told Noa matter-of-factly. "If it tasted good, then people would want to be sick all the time."
Noa laughed.
"Hey!"
They all looked over. Troy was coming out of the trees, a basket on his back. As soon as he got closer to them, he swung it down off his back, and set it on the ground beside Lynna. He then flopped down beside his twin.
"Lazy, that's what you are. Here I am, trying to get enough food, so we don't starve, and here you all are, sitting on your behinds."
Lynna beamed at her twin. "We are working, Troy! Thank you for getting the food." She focused once again on her sewing.
Qing Yuan smiled. "Yes, I love you too."
The pale boy glared. "Shut up."
Without looking up, Lynna reached over and smacked her twin across the head. "Don't be rude to the Captain, Troy."
"OW! Lynna! Why'd you do that?!"
"Sisterly love?"
"Whatever that was, it was NOT sisterly love!"
Before Lynna could come up with a suitable response, Kenda interrupted. "So, Troy, what'd you get?"
Troy pulled over his basket and pulled off the lid. It was filled to the brim with all manner of fruit, some of which Noa recognized, some she didn't.
"So now, with our seabird given to us by the gods, we'll have a feast!" Qing Yuan told the four.
Noa looked uneasily over at the fire. "Seabird?"
"Do you not like seabird?" The black-haired captain asked.
"Oh, well, no it's just, I've never had it."
"Really?"
Noa sighed. "In Anemos, birds are sacred creatures. We do not eat them, nor is anyone allowed to keep one as a pet."
"But I heard that there were almost as many birds in Anemos as people."
The wind adept nodded. "Yes, that is true. For some reasons, the birds are drawn there. We're not sure if it's because of the power of Jupiter Lighthouse, or if it's something else. Many birds live with people in complete harmony. When I was a little girl, there was a bird that would always come to my room every night. It was a nightingale."
Lynna stared, still sewing. "So, it came and left when it wanted too?"
"Yes. I would feed it and give it a place to stay, but in the morning it would always be gone."
"That's amazing!"
"You think so?"
Before they could continue however, Qing Yuan interrupted. "Enough talk, let's eat."
They all began to divvy out the food. As they began to eat, Noa sat aside her apple.
"There's something I have to ask you." She told them.
They all looked at her, food half-way to their mouths.
"Just who are you?"
--
"You know I dislike using this method." Captain Wayde told the figure in front of him. "But my prey has disappeared, and I have no choice. Well? What do you see?" Wayde asked.
The person he spoke to was no longer recognizable as such. Sightless white eyes stared out of the shrunken and shriveled head. The rest of the body was in much the same condition. Thin and emaciated, what was left of the person was draped in a dirty
cloth that was more a rag than anything else. But still, the mouth opened and in a thin rasping voice, it spoke.
"A cove like a crescent moon. A ship lies moored there. A-" But here he stopped.
"A what? What do you see?"
"A girl." He paused. "She is protected by a force greater than yours. She is-" He stopped here, and a rasping noise escaped his lips. It took Wayde a few moments to realize that it was laughter. "She is the one who will free the bird." He continued to laugh as Wayde strode out of the brig, slamming the door behind him. Dalit who had been waiting outside strode to catch up with his captain.
"What did the kid have to say?" Dalit asked.
"They're hiding in one of the coves along the Gondowan cliffs. We'll catch them like the rats they are." The laughter echoed after them, down the hall.
--
Noa watched as Qing Yuan and his crew traded glances.
"As much as I appreciate your transportation of me, I have to know. You guys aren't just ordinary sailors, are you?"
"What makes you think that?" Qing Yuan asked her.
"The sealing of a wind inside a container is highly dangerous, not only to the adept but also to the one who carries it. Because of this, it is a strictly forbidden practice. The only way you could possibly get one, or even afford to get one would be to deal with people who do not regard the law." Noa explained. "And there's something else I've been wondering. What could you have that this Captain Wayde would want? I think after last night, I'd have the right to know."
The four were silent, contemplating what she had said.
Finally Qing Yuan sighed. "Alright Noa. You're right. We're not ordinary sailors." He silenced a mutter from Troy with a single glance. "And you do deserve to know the truth, but right now is not the time."
"Why not?"
"We're not safe yet. Wayde could find us at any time. That little trick of ours last night won't hide us for very long. The wind was against us for most of it, and we didn't get as far as I would have liked. The Sea Wolf is also faster when it tacks on all it's sails. Until we're in Naribwe, or better yet Kibombo," At this Kenda threw him a sharp glance which he ignored. "We really don't have time to discuss this. I promise that we will tell you. Will you wait?"
Noa nodded.
"Then let's hurry, eat, and ship out. The less time we spend here, the better."
He turned to Troy. "How are the guns?"
"Ready to be fired anytime."
"Good. We're probably going to need them."
--
"We need more precise directions. Tell me where they are."
"The cove lies two leagues northeast." The boy replied in his rasp of a voice.
Wayde turned to leave then paused. "What did you mean about the girl?"
"Exactly what I said."
"What is this greater power?"
"The eyes of the adepts cannot see everything. That gift is reserved for no one. Not even the gods."
"What about the bird?"
The boy smiled, his cracked lips creating a ghastly image against his skin. "Exactly what I said."
Wayde stared hard at him for a few more moments, and then once again left, the boy's dead smile following him out the door.
--
It was afternoon. The sun shone down on the cove, warming the sand of the small beach. Noa picked up a basket of fruit that she had helped to gather. Qing Yuan had insisted on restocking their supplies before leaving. As he had put it, they needed supplies if they were going to escape the Sea Wolf, so he had sent the crew and Noa searching for food.
As she began to slosh back through the shallows towards the ship, a thousand questions thoughts running through her head. As she reached the ship, she passed her basket up to Troy, who hung halfway down the ladder, and turning went back for more.
Reaching the shore, she grabbed a particularly large barrel, and tried to lift it, but found it was far too heavy.
"Here, let me help you with that." Kenda's strong brown arms wrapped around one side and lifted it up.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Actually we should be thanking you." She looked at Noa seriously. "Without your help last night, we would have never made it."
Noa shrugged. "Just doing what I can." They continued on through the water, holding the barrel as high as they could. "So, Kenda."
"Yes?"
"What is Kibombo anyway?"
Kenda paused, causing Noa to almost drop the barrel. She sighed. "I knew you'd want answers sooner rather than later. But have you really never heard of the Kibombo?"
"No. I've heard of Naribwe once, but never Kibombo."
Hoisting her side of the barrel again, they once more began walking while Kenda talked.
"Kibombo isn't a what. It's a who, and a where. It's a city deep in the jungles of Gondowan. The people there worship the great spirit of Gabomba."
"Gabomba?"
Kenda nodded. "Yes, the Gabomba is an ancient spirit, born at the dawn of creation. Or so the stories go."
They had reached the ship. Troy lowered a rope net which they wrapped around the barrel. As the two boys hauled it up the side of the ship, Kenda looked back.
"Well, that's everything then. Let's head out."
She quickly climbed the ladder, followed by Noa.
"I suppose you want to know more about it."
"If you don't mind."
Kenda shrugged as she leaned against the rail, watching the shrinking beach. "There's not much to tell. The Kibombo live with their whole lives centered on the Great Gabomba and the witchdoctor."
"Witchdoctor? You mean like a shaman or an adept?"
She leaned back, one hand on the rail. "Well, I don't know about adept. The witchdoctor uses, more, like, a spiritual power than an elemental one."
Noa was quiet for a moment, taking in what Kenda had told her. "You know a great deal about the Kibombo."
"Naturally." Kenda replied. "After all, it is my hometown."
"Hey Kenda! Stop chatting! We need hel-OW! What was that for?!" Troy yelled.
"You need to be more polite." Noa heard Lynna tell her twin.
"Coming!" Kenda called. Excusing herself from Noa, she made her way quickly to the mast, leaving Noa to ponder what she had said.
--
"The bird is waiting. It's been waiting. Waiting for so long. Longer than you can even imagine." He twisted his head up towards the tiny window." Come to me, God touched. I've been waiting for so long. So long to play my part. Such a long dark time." He closed his eyes, the feeble sunlight touching on his sunken cheeks.
--
"Have you spotted them?" Wayde asked Dalit.
"Yes, Captain. They'll be coming out of the cove any minute now."
"Good. Tell the crew to prepare for boarding."
"Captain." He turned and left the cabin, closing the door behind him.
Wayde's face broke into a grin. "Time's up, Qing Yuan."
--
Noa leaned against the warm wood of the railing, fighting to keep her eyes open. She was still very tired from her ordeal the day before, and knew she probably should be resting. Still she tried to stay awake, watching as the waves passed beneath the ship, and the shadow of the cliff walls of the cove fell over her.
A picture suddenly appeared before her eyes. A tall dark-haired man with a feral smile. Qing Yuan and the crew bloodied and in chains. A small dark room with a small round window. A sunken face, like that of a dead person.
"You shouldn't be here." The sunken face told her. "You're in danger."
Noa came out of the vision as suddenly as she had entered it. She turned towards the helm. "Qing Yuan! We're in danger!" She yelled as she drew her sword.
But it was too late. The boat was already passing out through the mouth of the cove, straight into the waiting Sea Wolf.
Footnotes:
Seabird: If people can eat, walk, drive, cook, read, and do all manner of things in their sleep, why can't Qing Yuan brain pesky seabirds in his?
Birds in Anemos: As far as this is concerned, I figured that since one of their gods is a bird, Jupiter adepts wouldn't eat birds. So birds are now sacred in Anemos!
The Kibombo: What, Kenda is from the Kibombo? Well, yeah. There's more to it than what she tells Noa though. Anyway, Kibombo is a village in the game located in central Gondowan. The Kibombo are a warlike people, but they calm down after they get a new witchdoctor. It's really annoying to get into. But the Great Gabomba statue cut scenes are fun to watch.