(no subject)
Disclaimer: Camelot made this great game, Nintendo published it, and I’m just a rabid fan that decided to write about it.
*Chapter 8*
A single tree interrupted the pristine grassy plain that stretched as far as Isaac's eyes could see. The midnight blue sky above had no moon tonight, only thousands of distant silver specks casting a mystical light on the world. He'd never seen such a place in any of his travels, yet he had no one to share it with. How lonely…
"Isaac…" trailed a faint, familiar voice.
He turned and saw a heavenly vision--a beautiful young woman with long blue hair and shining aqua eyes. She gave off a faint, light blue glow and had the feathered white wings of an angel. Oh, just… ugh. Is this where that cliché originated from?
"Mia," he said. "Is that really you?" No, it’s just Alex in drag.
She nodded. "No matter how far apart we are, our hearts will always be linked - I got Verizon Heart2Heart, so now we can talk any time without using our minutes! - and our dreams will reflect our innermost carnal desires. You and I are one, now and forever."
Isaac embraced her, full of longing for this to be really real and not just a dream. After all, he couldn’t score with a dream - not that he’d never tried. "I don't care what it takes. I'll search to the far corners of the world until we're reunited. I promise."
"I know." She kissed him as she started to float up towards the sky. "Find me, Isaac. Find me so that this moment won't exist solely in our imaginations." And she disappeared in a swirl of feathers and blue light. … *twitches*
************
Isaac awoke with the early morning sun shining in his eyes, stiff from his short nap on the tree roots. He'd combed the woods all night for some sign of Mia or her captors and had come up empty handed. To make matters worse, he was now totally lost without the slightest clue of how to get back to the ship. Now he wished he’d signed up to be a Boy Scout with Garet and Felix. He should've gone back for the others in the first place, but he had feared that the trail would've gone cold if he'd had. And he hadn’t been ready to face Jenna anyway. His emotions might’ve betrayed him and then he could’ve said something that he’d regret in the end. Aw, that would have been fun. You could have crushed her fragile emotions and caused irreversible psychological damage.
Mia...how could he have let Felix take her away like that? You’re a weakling, that’s why. Come on, Felix is only level five at this point. If only that dream had been real. Why couldn't it be real? Was she safe? Was she OK? Would he ever see her again? No. The uncertainty made this situation ten times worse.
No, stay focused, he thought. If I’m going to find her, I can’t let my emotions run amuck. I have to concentrate Ooh, look, a butterfly!.
Gathering his courage and determination, he pressed on into the forest. First, he had to find Garet and the others and tell them what happened. Tracking down Felix and Alex would be much easier with everyone’s help. Somehow, he’d find Mia out in this great wide world. As long as he believed that, there was hope that his dream would become a reality. A hot, steamy
reality.
************
"It’s about time we got out of this forest," Alex said crossly. "I was beginning to think we were lost. And it didn’t help that someone kept asking if we were there yet." He glared at Mia, who glanced innocently away.
Felix pushed aside the last branches blocking their way. "We should be there shortly."
"Where are we going?" Mia asked quietly.
"You’ll see," said Alex. "Don’t fret, Mia. You’re safe…for now."
Mia sighed. Alex was in a particularly foul mood today and he refused to give her a straight answer to any question, and Felix barely acknowledged her presence. Being ignored certainly didn’t help ease her fears or loneliness. What were they going to do with her? So many jokes…
Isaac, where are you? she wondered. She twisted her ring around her finger nervously. She wished she had the ability to teleport like Alex. Then she could get away from here easily.
"Are you thinking about him again?" Alex implored, appearing beside her.
"Maybe," said Mia.
Alex smirked. "It's touching how much you care for that boy. What is it about him anyway? He's hardly worthy of a full-blooded descendant of the Mercury Clan." Malfoy!Alex, eh? What’s next, calling Isaac a mudblood?
"So you say. But at least Isaac would never betray me the way a member of my own clan did." Burn.
"I lit the Mercury Lighthouse for us, Mia. I'm sorry that you can't see that." He leaned in a little closer. "You and I are destined for greater things. Unlimited… Together we’re unlimited. Together we’ll be the greatest team there’s ever been, Mia. Dreams the way we planned ‘em, if we work in tandem. There’s no fight we cannot win, just you and I, defying gravity!"
"Get away from me, Alex. I want nothing to do with you ever again. Not after everything you've done to both our clan and me. You disgust me. Can’t I make you understand? You’re having delusions of grandeur!"
Alex glowered. How dare she speak to him like this? To hold a grudge was one thing, but to treat him as if he were a lower life form was quite another. He crossed his arms indignantly. "Well, that's too bad for you, Mia. If you're going to be nasty to me, then I'll have to tell you some bad news." Alex stuck out his tongue. “You’re a poopy-head. Nyah!”
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Your precious boyfriend won't be coming to rescue you anytime soon. You'd better get used to that idea."
"Isaac will come for me," Mia said with all certainty. "And you'll be sorry that you ever crossed his path."
"Unlikely," said Alex with another smirk. "You see, he's dead." OH SNAP!
Her eyes went wide. "What?"
"I wasn't going to tell you because I thought it might be too traumatic for you," Alex continued. "But Felix and I fought your dear Isaac after you blacked out. The battle got a little out of hand for him, though. Suffice to say he couldn't withstand the full wrath of our power. We killed him, Mia. He won't be coming for you." Of course, we know this isn’t true, but dang, I gotta respect Alex here. I love it when villains do this sort of thing.
Mia suddenly couldn't breathe. Isaac…dead? The thought cut in to her emo soul like a dagger razor blade. No, it was impossible. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't!
"You're lying," she said softly.
"Believe what you want," said Alex. "You can deny it for the rest of your life for all I care, but you'll never see your precious Isaac again--and that's the truth."
He teleported to go walk beside Felix. Mia looked at her ring again, biting her lower lip to keep from thinking the worst. He's not dead; he's not dead! she repeated to herself. He’s just pining for the fjords! Alex is playing games with my mind. Isaac is alive and he'll find me--I know he will! She couldn't allow herself to think otherwise. She had to hold on to the hope of seeing him again.
"There it is," Felix said. ”Ba Sing Se.” Mia followed his arm to where he was pointing. A small village was a short ways in the distance.
"Finally," said Alex. "Maybe now we can get the Jupiter Star back and then move on to the Lighthouse."
"I thought that you already had the Jupiter Star," Mia said.
"We did," Felix replied. "But we ran into some unexpected trouble when we landed here in Hesperia. A few old acquaintances of ours ambushed us and took it. Originally, we were going to cooperate with them to get it back, but I’ve decided that would be pointless. These people can’t be trusted."
"So what do you intend to do?" Mia asked. “Knowing the sporker, it will involve sexin’ of some kind.”
"Alex, go on ahead to the Lighthouse," said Felix. "I’ll get the Star and meet you there."
Alex nodded. "Farewell, Mia. Do have a pleasant time." He vanished in a flash of blue light. Mia had to wonder what he’d meant by a pleasant time. Heh heh heh…
"But you still won’t be able to enter the Lighthouse once you get the Star," Mia said. "You’ll need the help of a Jupiter Adept."
"Correct," said Felix. "But it’s only a matter of time before your friends reach the Lighthouse anyway. We’ll lie in wait for them to open it and then get inside. All I need is the Star, and it is within my grasp." He grabbed her wrist. "I just need the proper bait."
A chill went down Mia’s spine. "Felix, what village is that?"
Felix pulled her along behind him as he headed for the town. "It is Tartarus,* the village of the Fire Clan." Lol, pre-GS2 fic.
************
"Where were you?" Garet demanded. "You had us worried sick!"
"I’m sorry," Isaac said. "I was searching the woods and I got my directions mixed up. I knew I should have joined the Boy Scouts with you and Felix. Still, selling cookies door to door was more fun than learning to tie knots. I guess I had too much else on my mind."
"Are you OK?" Ivan asked. "And where’s Mia? We thought she would be with you."
"Well, she was," said Isaac sadly. "I found her in a clearing somewhere around here, and then Felix and Alex showed up. We tussled briefly and then they took Mia and disappeared. That’s why I didn’t go back to the ship right away--I was trying to find their trail."
"Those jerks!" Garet scowled. "When I get my hands on them..."
"Oh no!" Sheba exclaimed. "But did you two at least get a chance to make up?"
"Yeah. I found out what was wrong and she agreed to come back."
"We found out what was wrong too," said Garet, glaring back at Jenna.
"Isaac," Jenna began. "I’m so sorry for everything. I didn’t mean for it to turn out this way."
Isaac couldn’t even bring himself to look at her. He was still too upset and too angry about what she’d done. Her deeds wouldn't have mattered as much if Mia were safe, but now that she was missing, he couldn't dismiss them. He shook his head. "Why, Jenna? What did I do to make you want to hurt me this way?" Haven’t we been over Jenna’s motivations, um, ELEVENTY-ZILLION TIMES?!
"I wasn’t trying to hurt you, Isaac. I...I thought that Mia was stealing you away from me and I got caught up in my fear and jealousy." She bowed her head. "If I’d known that this would happen, I never would’ve gone near her, I swear! I’d take it all back if I could!"
"Well, you can’t," Isaac said flatly. "What’s done is done and that can’t be changed. But I hope you realize that I can’t forgive you for this." That’s the way to play, Isaac! Pulverize her already fragile emotions! Spit on her heartfelt apologies!
Jenna looked visibly wounded. "Isaac, I..."
"You know what’s really ironic?" Rain on your wedding day? A free ride when you’ve already paid? he asked, cutting her off. "Mia was trying to ensure that she didn’t come between us. Even after I found out what you did, she refused to come back unless I promised to go easy on you!" He sighed. "I’m so mad at you, Jenna, that I don’t even know what to do. But I made a promise to Mia, so this is all I have for you." He leaned in close and whispered something in her ear. Jenna immediately started to cry, which made the others wonder what he’d said. No, seriously, way to go, you jerk. You just made Jenna, who has been feeling bad and trying to apologize, cry. Now I see why people liked you better when you didn’t talk.
"We’ll find her, Isaac," Ivan said in his most optimistic voice.
Sheba nodded in agreement. "She’s out there somewhere, and we won’t stop searching until she’s
back safe and sound."
"And I’ll personally make mincemeat pie out of those guys," Garet added. "So cheer up, OK? We’ll have Mia back by your side in your bed before you know it. You have my word."
Isaac couldn’t help but smile. It was so good to be back with them, even if Mia was still unaccounted for. There was something so reassuring about their presence.
"Thanks, guys. I knew I could count on you. Now let’s get going. The sooner we start looking, the sooner we’ll find Mia."
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*In case you didn’t know, in Greek mythology, Tartarus is the name for the lowest point in the underworld where the wickedest of souls are banished (so much for subtle foreboding…). That’s all for Chapter 8. Stay tuned for #9!
MidnightC is my hero. What an amazing chapter. >_>