Golden Sun: The Age of Light
By: Mokona-Midoki
Author's Note: Hello! Chapter Ten! So exciting! I've been really busy with school, but finally finished this chapter. Please enjoy!
Much thanks to everyone who reviewed! You are the BEST!!!
Disclaimer: All characters except Megaera and Atalanta belong to me. Everything else belongs to the guys who made the Golden Sun game.
Chapter Ten
I had to change the rating for this chapter. No bedroom scenes, nothing like that. Just some violence, but that's about it.
Megaera, goddess of justice, vengeance, and order, daughter of Catastrophe, and residential troublemaker of the ethereal realm stared down through the large mirror which lay on the floor. She was not pleased. Somebody was messing with her plans. Whoever it was, they'd better hope she never figured it out because they were going to feel her wrath.
That pirate captain, what was his name, oh right, Wayde, was supposed to be no where near the place where he had run into the Ulysses. Somebody had directed him there. She slammed her fist down on the arm of her chair. WHO WAS MESSING UP HER PLANS?!?!
"My, my. It doesn't suit a goddess to act so violently."
Megaera grabbed one of her twin swords, and drew it, standing as she did so. "What do you want?"
The goddess before her smiled. "Nothing. Just came to see how my favorite little sister was doing."
Megaera glared. "We are NOT sisters."
"You wound me, Megaera."
"I don't have time for you or your games."
She shrugged. "I'm not here to play."
Megaera's gaze shot back to the mirror. "Are you the one? Are you the one who's been interfering?"
"Why would I ever do that?"
"Because that's how you view the world. Like one big game for you to play in. But it's not! Those aren't just pawns down there to destroy to your liking! Those are people's lives!"
Her smile turned mischevious. "Oh? Just like you aren't using that little adept as your own pawn?"
"I'm not! She was chosen! It's her fate! I had nothing to do with it!"
"As you wish, Sister."
"Get out Eris. You're not supposed to be here."
"Ah, but you won't tell anyone, will you Megaera?"
"WATCH ME!!!"
Her twin, goddess of chaos and discord, smiled once more before simply fading from sight. As she did so, her last words lingered in the air for Megaera to hear. "I don't think so. But I will be watching that adept. After all, I do love a good game."
As her voice too faded away, Megaera picked up her sword, and then with a sudden, violent, motion flung it. It slammed into one of the walls, and was driven into it until only a few inches of blade and the hilt showed. "DON'T PLAY WITH ME ERIS!!! YOU WILL REGRET IT IF YOU DO!!!!!"
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Noa, it's this one.
Noa stopped in front of one of the cell doors. As she did so, Lynna, Troy, and Kenda all stopped as well.
"Is this it?" Kenda asked.
"I think so. One moment." She began to insert different keys into the lock. After a few tried a few, one finally turned and she pulled the door open.
It was completely dark inside the cell, without even a window to provide moonlight. As she stepped in, Noa gagged as the smell hit her. Blood. The room stank of it. Covering her mouth and nose with one hand, she held up her other. Concentrating her psyenergy into it, it began to glow with a steady light. The sight that met their eyes made all four of them gasp. Qing Yuan stood upright facing away from them, with his arms chained straight out to the sides and his legs chained to the walls. Blood ran down his wrists and ankles from where the cold iron had cut into his limbs. His head was slumped forward with exhaustion. But that was not the worst of it. Qing Yuan's back was a bloody mess of torn flesh. He had been whipped without mercy.
A strangled sob tore from Kenda's throat, and she ran around to the other side. She grasped his face between her hands. "Qing Yuan! Qing Yuan speak to me! Qing Yuan! Please!"
A faint moan, no more than a sigh, escaped from his lips.
She looked up, desperate hope and tears in her eyes. "He's alive! Quick! We've got to get him loose."
Noa, Lynna, and Troy quickly made their way over. After a few minutes of fumbling with keys, cursing from Troy, and reprimands from Lynna, he was loose. Kenda eased him down to the floor, careful not to lay him on his back. "Noa?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you do something?"
Noa shook her head. "As much as I hate it, I have no healing psyenergy." She took off the thin overcoat she was wearing. "Here, use this." She tossed it to Kenda, who caught it and gently began wrapping it around Qing Yuan's wounds.
Lynna looked expectantly at Kenda. "What do we do?"
Kenda bit her lip.
"We've got to find a way out of here, free the ship, and escape."
Troy snorted. "That's a big order for just four people." He commented. "And just where will we go once we've escaped?" He asked.
Kenda's eyes hardened. "We'll go to the Kibombo. Wayde wouldn't dare follow us there."
There was a silence as Troy and Lynna stared at Kenda, shock written on their faces. After a moment, Lynna spoke up. "But, I though that you'd-" Lynna began.
"Does it really matter?" Kenda asked. "Kibombo is the closest safe place I can think of! Our captain will die if we don't get him out of here!"
Noa decided it was time that she step in. So she did. "Look. We don't have time to be arguing about this. We're on a dangerous mad pirate's ship, out of our cells with three wounded people out of the six of us! If Kibombo's the closest then we need to get there, fast."
Now all three crew members were looking at her, confused.
"Uh, Noa, there's only five of us." Troy told her.
"No, there are six of us. There is another prisoner who I have to save."
--
Peregrine? Are you in there?
She heard him give a mental sigh. Noa, you should have left.
She shook her head. No! I'm not leaving you in there!
There was a silence. Fine.
She grinned, and began the process of unlocking the door. Behind her The crew members waited, Qing Yuan still passed out on Kenda's back, and Lynna supporting Troy.
As the door creaked open, the twins and Kenda craned their necks to see who lay inside. There were three sharp intakes of breath.
Noa entered the cell, ignoring the reeking smell that emanated from the room. She walked over to where Peregrine sat and knelt down. "I don't suppose you're strong enough to walk?"
His mouth opened up, and he spoke in a raspy voice. "If I was, I would have left long ago."
"Then I'll carry you." She slid her arms under his knees and back and lifted him. It was pathetic how light he was. Standing up, Noa turned to face her friends. Kenda and Troy's mouths was in a thin line, and Lynna looked as though she were about to cry.
"This is Peregrine. He was the one who helped us escape. He's a Jupiter Adept like me." She explained.
Kenda nodded. "I hope you'll let me save my thanks." She told the skeletal boy. "We're not out of danger just yet."
"I fully agree with you, Daughter of Gabomba." Peregrine told her.
Kenda's eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing.
"So." Troy spoke up. "How do we get out of here? We need to move quickly. I don't want to be stuck here any longer than we have to be."
They were all silent for a moment thinking.
"All we need to do is get to the ship, cast off, and get away." Lynna went over the list.
"Yeah, and how are we going to do that without getting caught?" Her brother asked.
"Well I don't know! Why don't you try and come up with some brilliant idea?!"
A sudden thought came to Noa. "I could use cloak."
They all looked at her except for Peregrine. "What's cloak?"
"It's a psyenergy." Noa explained. "It allows the user and whoever they're casting it on to become invisible in the shadows."
"What happens if you're not in shadows?" Lynna queried.
"It wears off and you become visible again."
"Doesn't sound too effective." Troy commented skeptically.
"Well it's our only hope." Kenda told him as she readjusted Qing Yuan on her back. "As long as we can stay out of the light we can get out without getting caught!"
"Yeah, but what if Noa doesn't have enough power to get us out? And we've got to get our things." Troy reminded them.
Peregrine spoke up now, startling everybody into silence. "We can discuss 'what ifs' for hours I assure you. This is not a time for indecision. Dawn will be upon us shortly and Wayde is not a patient man. Either follow one plan or another, but choose now."
Lynna nodded. "Peregrine is right. We have to get out of here now. It's a miracle that we haven't been discovered yet."
"Alright. Here's the plan." Kenda began, taking up her role of first mate. "We'll all head back to the ship. We've got to get the boys on board before we think of anything else. After that's taken care of, Lynna and Noa will grab our gear and we'll make our escape." She looked up at her friends. "Does anybody have a problem with that?"
They all shook their heads.
"Alright. Let's move. We don't have long."
"Your belongings are in the armory of the lower decks. You should be able to get them even before you exit out on to the main deck." The emaciated adept informed them.
Kenda grinned. "Great. As soon as we're all on the ship, we'll make a break for it to the open sea."
"What if we're seen?" Troy asked seriously.
"Pray to your gods that we can make it out."
He sighed. "You know my gods don't take too kindly to me. They'd probably rain flaming rocks down upon our ship as well as this one."
"Don't be such a pessimist Troy."
--
The moon was low in the sky as the invisible group slowly crept onto the deck, Noa in the lead taking directions from Peregrine. It was the graveyard watch when everything was dead silent. Luckily for them there were only three guards out on the deck, and nobody near the entrance to the innards of the ship. Noa quickly cast sleep on all three guards.
They slunk around the sides of the ship in silence, nobody saying a word, keeping to the deep shadows and avoiding even the silvery light of the moon. They were able to safely reach the thick rope which ran from the Sea Wolf to the smaller Ulysses. Lynna suddenly appeared as she stepped forward, and leapt lightly onto the rope.
She reached out a pale hand, and was rewarded by the appearance of Troy's equally pale hand holding out their weapons except for Noa's sword which had already been fixed to her back. She took them and quickly made her way down the rope.
Troy was next. He pulled himself onto the rope, and twisted so he was hanging upside down by his knees and hands. He began to make his way back to the Ulysses, hand over hand.
Lynna waited until he had reached the deck, and swung himself safely onto it before she came back. Climbing off quickly, she crouched down and waited patiently as Kenda and Noa gently lashed Peregrine to her back. It had been difficult figuring out how to get Peregrine, who was to weak, and Qing Yuan, who was unconscious, to the Ulysses. Lynna had volunteered to carry Peregrine across, which the young adept had accepted, but the captain was another matter. He was too tall and too heavy for Lynna to carry him across, and Kenda didn't have the balance needed to tightrope walk with him on her back. Finally they had decided that swimming, while not the safest or the most sanitary in Qing Yuan's current condition, was the best option.
As Lynna made her way across with Peregrine, Kenda looped another rope around her and Qing Yuan, and waited for Lynna to come back.
--
The goddess of chaos frowned as she watched the seven friends escape. No. This would never do. They weren't supposed to get away. That was no fun at all. She sighed. Why did she always have to do everything herself?
Focusing her mind on the sleeping form of Captain Wayde, she slipped out of her own body and down through the barrier and into the mortal world.
"Wake up Wayde. Your prey is escaping. Wake up now."
Blue eyes snapped open.
--
The gray light of predawn slowly spilled across the ocean to greet the two ships which rocked gently on the waves.
Noa bit her lip as she and Lynna finished lowering Kenda and Qing Yuan into the ocean. The psyenergy had long since worn off, and if anybody were to find them, it wouldn't be pretty. Please, please, please just stay down! She willed.
Noa. Peregrine's voice sounded in her head suddenly. Get out of there. Now.
What's wrong?
Wayde's awake.
Noa clapped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from shouting. WHAT?!
"Lynna. Move. Wayde's awake."
Lynna gave her a startled look. "Are you sure?" She hissed.
"Yes."
Lynna cursed. Jumping up, the rope connected to Kenda and Qing Yuan still in her hands, she ran across.
Noa placed her hands on the rope ready to swing herself onto it, but froze.
"Trying to escape?" Wayde's voice sounded from behind her.
She spun around, drawing her sword as she did so.
The pirate captain stood tall and impressive behind her. There was a mad glint in his ice blue eyes, and a malicious grin on his face. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Noa!" Lynna called back, seeing her friend's predicament.
"Lynna, go!" Noa yelled, not looking back, her purple eyes still focused on the man before her.
He stepped forward. "You've made me very angry."
"You think I care?!" She snapped.
"You would if you want to live."
Before she could react to that statement, he hand shot forward and grabbed her wrists. He twisted them forcing Noa to drop her sword. Pulling her close, his other hand closed over her neck.
"It's such a pity. I didn't want to hurt you, but you've given me no choice. Pray to whatever gods you hold dear." He lifted her up by her neck.
Noa's hands scrabbled at his larger one, gasping for breath. She couldn't do anything, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't, colors sparked in front of her eyes as her vision began to go dark.
A voice broke through the pain. Summon her. Summon the goddess Noa. They promised you, didn't they?
A memory. Words spoken by the gods. Remember, we will always be with you.
A name entered her mind.
ATALANTA!!!!
White light shot forth, banishing the darkness from her mind.
The blue-white amulet around the adept's neck shone with a brilliant light, and Wayde was blinded by the light. He dropped the girl, backing away, cursing.
There was a blast of wind from nowhere rocking the ship swirling upward like a hurricane, then blasting outwards.
Wayde opened his eyes blinking hard. His mouth opened in stunned amazement.
Above his deck, floating in the air was a tall green-haired maiden with a dress of white and a headdress of wings. For the first time in his life, Wayde felt fear. Atalanta: the heavenly huntress watched him from above. Her beautiful face an expressionless mask.
All was silent on the ship as the warm pink light of dawn cascaded across the water.
Footnotes: Ah! Hooray it's number ten! The big first double digit number! And we have the first time a god is summoned and a new goddess who likes to smirk at others misfortune! How exciting! Please tell me what you think of Eris, I'd love to know.
Character Profiles
So sorry, I meant to get these up sooner. Here they are folks! Character profiles for your favorite characters! By the way, even if the characters are not adepts, they have an assigned element based on their personality, where they live in the world, etc.
Noa
Full name-Noa la Solana de Anila (One heck of a name…)
Age-16
Adept-Jupiter Adept
Element-Wind
Hair-Blonde, cut short rather like a boy's
Eyes-Purple
Height-5'9
Hometown-Anemos on the continent of Atteka
Family-Elder sister Ellora, younger sister Ivira
Hobby-Reading
Outfit-Noa wears a light purple dress with long sleeves and slits up to mid thigh. She has a braided leather belt from which she hangs all sorts of doodads. She wears light blue pants beneath it and brown boots. Over this she wears a dark purple sorta overcoat thing. She wears her sylph amulet around her neck, and her sword on her back.
Inspiration-Personality wise Noa didn't really have any certain person that she was based off. Her body type, outfit, and appearance were all based off Ivan, Hama, and Sheba from the game. She was named after my next door neighbor's youngest daughter. (That child is one of the most adorable little girl EVER!!!)
Troy
Full name-Troy of Kalt
Age-15 (He's the older twin by five minutes)
Adept-NA
Element-Fire
Hair-White, short
Eyes-Blue
Height-5'6
Hometown-The settlement on Kalt Island
Family-Twin sister Lynna, grandparents
Hobby-Playing the flute, experimenting with explosives
Outfit-Troy's whole outfit is black. Black pants, black boots, black shirt, and a black headscarf.
Lynna
Full name-Lynna of Kalt
Age-15
Adept-NA
Element-Fire
Hair-White, long, usually pulled back
Eyes-Blue
Height-5'6
Hometown-The settlement on Kalt Island
Family-Twin brother Troy, grandparents
Hobby-Singing
Outfit-Lynna's outfit is black. Black pants which tuck into her black boots, a black corset shirt thing with sleeves, and a black headscarf. (I'm bad at describing clothes, okay?)
Inspiration-I love twins. I don't know why, I just think they make things a whole lot more fun. I tend to have at least one pair in every story I write. (It's a bad habit of mine…) Anyway, Troy and Lynna are based off of my own younger sisters who are also twins. Like Troy and Lynna one is mostly a pessimist, while the other an optimist. Troy and Lynna's outfits are based off of pirate costumes I saw once in a costume magazine.
Please let me know what characters you would like to see profiles for.
Eris: She is a totally original character and does not appear in the games. Goddess of chaos and discord, she is based off the goddess of the same name in Greek mythology. If you have seen the Sinbad cartoon a different version of her appears as the antagonist in that.
Healing Psyenergy: Yeah, it's true. As far as I know Wind Adepts have no healing psyenergy. It's really annoying. Earth, water, heck even fire has healing psyenergy, but none for wind! UGH!!!! In the game it's especially annoying considering Ivan and Sheba aren't all that strong anyway…
Cloak: Was used before by Zephyr in chapter…four. Has no specific element it is based off of.
Troy and Lynna's Gods: Kalt Island, being so close to the frozen north, the Mars Lighthouse, the Mars Clan, etc. worship the Gods of Fire. This includes Kirin, Tiamat, Meteor, Ulysses, and Daedalus from the game, and Eris (An original character). Because Troy and Lynna left their home and set off to the sea, they probably aren't in the best standing with the Fire Gods. They still worship them though.
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!!