CHAPTER 1: The Adventure Begins

General Baal opened his eyes slowly, a beam of light descending from the ceiling to bathe him in it's luminous glow. He sat up, running a hand through his short, closely trimmed black hair. A large, mechanical monocle adjusted quietly from the left side of his face. He grunted.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked in a deep, guttural voice. "And... that dream...I had it again...those bastards..."

He looked up at the young man standing near the display map, a man with long golden hair and dark gray eyes. He was dressed in an ornate military uniform, and had an elegant sword strapped to his belt.

"Mullen," Baal rasped. "How far are we from the Sult Ruins?"

"It's only been half-an-hour since you asked last," Mullen said quietly. "You look tired, General Baal."

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me 'Baal' when no soldiers around?" Baal laughed. "When we're alone, please call me 'father'."

Mullen looked over at the pretty young woman standing next to him. She was fairly tall, and she had light teal hair that was combed over one of her eyes, which were a deep sea blue. She saluted as his gaze found hers.

"Excuse me, General," Mullen sighed. "But Lt. Leen is still present. It wouldn't be fitting of a general and his son to converse in such..."

"You're forgetting, son, that Leen is a special part of our operations, aren't you, Leen?"

Lt. Leen remained silent. Baal laughed his deep, good-natured laugh.

"Anyway," He muttered. "How much longer until we get to our destination?"

"About another hour, father," Mullen responded confidently. "Once we retrieve the last item, we'll be able to complete Operation Yggdrasil."

He nodded. "Good, good. Judging by the time, I assume we're passing through Parm airspace, then?"

"Yes, sir. Leen, open the view ports for fa--I mean, General Baal."

Leen saluted again. "Yes, Herr Mullen," She said before crossing the room, and opening the large set of windows at one end. They grated that annoying noise of steel-on-steel as they did so. Baal stood from his chair, and walked to the view ports, observing the city of Parm below.

Sue was running as fast as she could through the streets of Parm, her short little legs carrying her past the bustling crowd. Her dark purple hair locks bounced with each tiny step, held in place be that strange, round creature on her head known only as "Puffy". He was yellow and soft, and looked a bit like a round marshmallow with butterfly wings.

Parm was an industrial city, run mostly on steam. The small, modest houses were made of wood with sheets of metal riveted on them to protect them from the chilling bite of the sea winds. Factories on the east side of town belched out great gouts of steam, lending the entire town the faint, muggy smell of a laundry dryer. The roads were made of cobblestone and metal as well. It was a turn-of-the-century town, if nothing else.

Sue searched the roads frantically, seeking out that one young man...

"THOMP!"

She screeched to a halt, looking around. A few more crashes and clanks sounded from a shed nearby. She took a few more steps closer.

Suddenly, a boy, maybe fourteen, flew out of the shed. He had long red hair and dark brown eyes, and was wearing a mechanic's uniform with most of the sleeves and legs cut off. Under that, was a pair of black, skin-tight shorts, and a similar black shirt, the ends of which poked out from his sleeves and pant legs. He wore a blue engineer's hat on his red locks, with a set of blue goggles against his forehead as well. A big, burly man stepped out after the airborne boy.

"Justin!" The man said. "Not you again! What are you doing, messin' up my house again?"

"Hey, back off," Justin said in a high baritone. "I didn't do anything wrong! I'm just looking for something! You don't have to get all sore about it!"

"Playing another game of 'Adventurer', are we, you little punk?"

The boy stood, dusting off his scraped knees. "You think this is a game?" He asked. "I'm staking the life of my cousin on this treasure hunt!"

"There's no treasure in that shed!" The burly man shouted, then laid Justin out with a solid right hook. The young man hit the ground with a grunt.

"I tell 'ya, these kids today..."

Sue ran over to him, pulling up the hem of her purple dress so she could run faster. She knelt over him.

"Justin?" She asked her cousin in a voice that sounded quite womanly for her eight-year-old age. "Are you okay?"

He rose slowly, wiping his mouth and spitting a few pebbles. "That jerk," He mumbled to himself. "He never understands. Man..."

"Justin," Sue tapped him on the shoulder. "Did you find anything in the shed?"

"Not a thing, Sue," He sighed. "I must've guessed wrong. We adventurers do that sometimes...but how about you? Did you find anything?"

"O'course!" The girl replied with a smile, pulling out a dirty apron from behind her back. "Here it is, the Legendary Armor! I found all by myself!"

From on top of her head, Puffy spoke. "Poof poof," It said happily. "Poofpoofpoof!"

"Oh, yeah...Puffy helped too!"

Justin took the apron, smiling. "Great, Sue," He smiled. "That's the first of four. Now all we need is the Warrior's Helmet, the Shield of Light, and the Spirit Sword--then you won't have to..."

"I don't wanna get married to the creep Gantz," Sue complained loudly. "And it's your fault too, Justin, for taking Gantz up on his dare. Now, if we don't find all the treasures by sundown, I have to join his gang and marry him!"

"All right, all RIGHT!" Justin pleaded. "Let's just go!"

He ran across the fairly large town of Parm, Sue closely in tow. They stopped in front of the near-shaven, gray-haired form of a boy not much younger than Justin. He folded his arms.

"So, Justin," He said nasally. "Not doin' too well, hm? You’ll be washed up soon enough. The End of the World was found, and we don’t need adventurers anymore. Give it up!”

The boy grinned at his long-time rival. "Keep thinking that, Gantz," He said, pulling out the apron. "But there is no End of the World, and we've found the Legendary Armor!"

"GUH!" Gantz coughed, eyes widening. "How did you find it? Grr..." He eyed the two other boys in his gang, one with small, sleepy eyes and a round face, and the other with huge buckteeth.

"Koretzu," He indicated the buck-toothed one, then turned to the other. "Goose--tell these creeps about the next treasure."

"The nektht treathure ith the Warrior'th Helmet," Koretzu said, his teeth mangling some of his words. Goose was asleep already, so he was in no position to help out.

"All right," Sue nodded.

"And don't forget," Gantz growled. "If you don't find all the treasures by sundown, Sue has to join my gang, and I'll take her as my bride!"

"Whatever," Justin rolled his eyes as he walked away.

Where do we find something that looks like a helmet, he thought, holding his chin in his hand, his mind awhirl with other such questions. They started walking through Parm, looking high and low. Their search was narrowed by the fact that all four treasures were confined to East Parm. They were walking next to the canal that separated the two parts, when Sue began talking.

"So, where are we going to find the Warrior's Helmet, Justin?" She asked sadly. "We need to find it, or..."

"I know," He said in an exasperated manner. "We've all heard it before."

"Jus-TIN!" She whined, pushing him just enough to make him lose his balance. His arms pin wheeled in the air a few times, before he rolled backwards into the canal, bouncing along with a few dull thumps before stopping himself by gripping a guardrail.

"Sue!" He growled up at her, his ire rising. "What's the big idea, knocking me around like that? I could have gotten my neck broken! I ought to come up there, and...hm?"

He let go of the guardrail, dropping onto the catwalk next to the canal. He ran over to a small iron pot, turning it over. Gantz's initials were scrawled on the inside.

"Sue," He shouted. "I found the Warrior's Helmet!"

"What?" She asked. "Way down in the canal?"

"Yeah," Justin cupped it under one arm, climbing slowly back up the side of the canal. He hopped to the top, his legs kicking briefly in the air. He rolled, and gained his feet easily. "Let's go find the Shield of Light before we go see Gantz, okay Sue? Let's surprise that creep."

His cousin nodded vigorously, and the pair kept walking, eyes scanning the ground.

"Now, if I were a shield, where would I hide?" Sue asked herself.

Justin remained silent, busy gazing around. The two walked all the way to Parm's port, where the steamships and boats were leaving. Justin always loved it here. Ships fascinated him. His father, he heard, had been on many ships when he was adventuring. Justin had always dreamed of being an adventurer, and knew that one day, he'd discover something great; although the Messina continent, where Parm was, had been completely uncovered, the New World Elencia had yet to be explored.

"And I'll be the one to do just that," He thought to himself.

Sue waved him over from a trash heap. "I found it, Justin!" She yelled.

"Found what?"

"The Shield of Light, silly. It's right here!"

He jogged over to where she was, eyeing the trashcan lid she held in her hand. Gantz's initials were etched into this item as well.

"Great!" The young man grinned from ear to ear. "Now, all we need is the Spirit Sword. After we get that, you'll be free, Sue."

It took them another five minutes to get back to Gantz. Justin stepped confidently forward, and showed him the pot and the trash can lid.

"Dang," Gantz grumbled. "You found all but the Spirit Sword!"

"That's right, Gantz," Justin grinned, eyebrows rising slyly. "Now, when we find that..."

Gantz folded his arms. "Listen up, punk," He said with a scowl. "The Spirit Sword is in the chest at my house. But here's the thing...where's the key? If you can't find the key, you're up the creek without a paddle!"

Who does this guy think he is? Justin thought to himself.

"Don't worry," He said aloud. "We'll find it just fine!"

As they walked away, Sue turned to her tall cousin.

"Why don't we talk to Gantz's brother Tentz?" She asked. "He's a lot more good-natured than Gantz is, and he might know where the key to the chest is."

The young man held his chin in his hand. "Maybe," He said, then raised his fist to the sky. "And once we find the key, Gantz'll finally recognize me as an adventurer!"

They walked towards Gantz's house quickly, and saw Tentz, a little boy about Sue's age. He had short brown hair, and huge blue eyes. He was crying and sniffling in a pitiful manner. Justin knelt next to him, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, Tentz. What's wrong?"

Tentz sniffed. "I...I lost the key that Gantz gave me," He whined in a high, squeaky voice. "He said if you found it, he'd beat me up! And if I don't find it, he'll clobber me!"

Sue looked around at the ground. "We'll help you find it," She said kindly. "It won't be too hard. Where did you see it last?"

"Just around here," Tentz mumbled. "But I just can't seem to find it..."

Justin dropped to his knees, crawling around, eyes on the cobble-stoned streets. Sue and Tentz joined him. The young man crawled around, the pebbles of the road biting into his knees and palms. He wiggled over to a small pile of trash in the gutter, and pulled it aside. Underneath was a glittering key. Justin grinned, and whipped it into his hand.

"Here it is," He exclaimed. "I found it!"

"Great!" Sue scrabbled to her feet, Puffy making a slight uncomfortable noise at her sudden movements.

"Go ahead and keep it," Tentz said, wiping his nose with his shirtsleeve. "You guys are so nice. If Gantz asks, tell him you forced it from me!"

Justin saluted. "Right-O!" He said. "Gantz won't know a thing."

Sue gave him a little hug before the opened the door to Gantz's house, and ran into his room. There was a wooden chest in the corner, and Justin knelt at it with the key. He clicked it open, and removed a long wooden sword from it. The young man twirled it in his hands, feeling the comfortable weight of it.

"Hm..." He mumbled to himself, then struck a dramatic pose. Sue breathed a sigh at this.

"Poof poof," Puffy sighed as well.

Justin resisted the urge to clock them both, and noticed a sheath in the box. He buckled it across his chest with the leather baldric attached to it, and slid the wooden blade home.

"All right!" He giggled childishly. "I'm a real adventurer now!"

"Let's show Gantz," His cousin nodded. "Now I don't have to marry that short-haired creep!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY SON, YOUNG LADY?!" A horrible female voice yelled from the next room. Justin blanched, wrapped one arm around Sue's waist, nodded a quick farewell to Tentz, and leapt out the window. He ran through the streets of Parm, dodging people, leaping over fences, and balancing on railings. He ran right by Gantz, who was getting a severe reprimand from Carl, the owner of the Blue Marlin Café. He wagged his back at his foe, the wooden sword strapped there bouncing. Gantz gaped, then stuck his tongue out.

Justin laughed heartily, and ran into the Seagull Restaurant. The Seagull was the café his mother, Lilly, operated. Their house was on the second floor, and Justin's room was in the attic. The redheaded boy slid down the stairs to the entrance, and opened the door to the kitchen. His mother was cooking at the stove. She was tall, with dark blue eyes, and long, shiny green hair that had a certain luster to it. She was a beauty, and she was one of the reasons that so many men frequented the Seagull. Any who got fresh, however, received a heavy frying pan to the head.

"Hi, mom!" Justin said as he walked in, putting Sue down. His mother turned.

"Justin!" She exclaimed, picking up her wooden tray, and bonking him on the head with it. He winced, holding his aching skull. "How many times do I have to have to tell you? You have to take off your boots before you come into the kitchen."

"OW! Mo-om!" Justin whined. "That was rude. You didn't have to hit me!"

"Aunt Lilly," Sue grinned. "If you keep smacking him like that, he's gonna get really stupid."

"Don't worry," Lilly smiled. "He can't get much more brainless."

"MOM!" Justin whined again, still holding his head. "I'm...hurt. That's a mean thing to say about your only son!"

His mother winked, put her hand on his shoulder, turned him around, and patted his bottom. "Go wash up," She said. "Dinner will be ready any time now."

Justin grumbled. "I'm not nine years old anymore, you don't have to push me like that." Then he added. "I guess I am a little hungry. Fighting Gantz all day..."

THAT was a mistake.

"JU-US-ST-TI-IN!" She yelled, slapping his head with the tray. "What were you doing THIS time?"

"Ow! Jeez! I wasn't doing anything! Tell her, Sue!"

Sue looked innocent. "Aunt Lilly, it's true. He didn't get into any trouble today. At least...not much."

Lilly sighed with a smile. "My little troublemaker," She mused. "What am I going to do with you? Go wash up for dinner, okay?"

Dinner that night was fried chicken. Conversation around the table turned to Justin's most prized possession.

"Son," Lilly looked over at him. "The curator of the Baal Museum came by today. He said something about your relic. Is that the Spirit Stone your father gave to you?"

He nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Did he say if it was real?"

"No," She responded. "But he wanted you to come by and see him. He says he has a surprise for you."

"All right," Justin grinned. "I'll go see him first thing tomorrow! I hope the Spirit Stone is real...the legends say that its a remnant of the Angelou civilization..."

"Don't forget to wake up early then," Sue piped in.

"By the way, Justin," Lilly said, holding her chin in her hand. "Have you been practicing your attacks?"

He nodded.

"Good. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks."

Justin woke early the next morning and, with Sue and Puffy in tow, walked towards the Baal Museum. The interior of the place was fancy and baroque, with a large domed ceiling, and polished, shiny floors. Paintings and artifacts were on display in many cases along the walls. Justin had seen them all, so he went straight past them, and into the Angelou display room. The curator, who Justin liked to call "Mr. C", was standing next to a huge totem of a winged man.

"Ah, Justin," Mr. C began. "You finally got here. And Sue and Puffy are here too, what a pleasant surprise."

Sue giggled, curtsying.

"I just got finished restoring this Icarian statue," Mr. C continued. "The Icarians were the winged civilians of the ancient civilization of Angelou, and controlled the light of the Spirit Stones."

Justin nodded eagerly. "And there were only eight Spirit Stones, and the Icarians used them to govern the people of Angelou with a fair and righteous hand."

"You really know your legends, Justin."

"Thanks, sir. I try to brush up on them once in awhile," He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Now, go ahead and examine this statue for awhile, and come and see me when you're through. I have something for you two."

After Mr. C had left, Justin stared up at the statue.

"Wow," He sighed. "Angelou standing right in front of us." He patted the statue.

Big mistake. With a loud, resonating "BONK!", the Icarian fell apart. It's head hit it's left arm, which broke off and hit the ground. Justin jumped back with a startled yelp.

"Whoa, ugly!" He yelled. "What the heck happened?"

Sue took a step back. "Oh, now you've done it, Justin," She whined. "Mr. C is gonna KILL us!"

"Wait," he mumbled to himself. "We'll just...put it back together, and no one will be the wiser."

They worked for about five minutes. Sue took a good, long look at it.

"Um...Justin?" She said a bit questioningly. "Isn't the arm supposed to go where the head is?"

"Don't worry," He said with confidence. "It's about 70% right, and on a test, that's a passing grade! C'mon, Sue, lighten up!"

They went into the office. Mr. C had an envelope in his hands, but was looking a bit worried as the two children entered.

"I heard a noise from the next room," Mr. C said sharply. “What was it?”

“Um…” Justin mused quickly, mind awhirl. “NOTHING! Yep, nothing…n-o-t-h-i-n-g at all!”

“Okay…” The Curator said dubiously, before handing Justin an envelope. The young man opened it eagerly. Inside was a piece of paper that read roughly thus:

To the owners of the Sult Ruins,

I, the Curator of the Baal Museum, do hereby grant the permission for this young man and any of his party to enter the Sult Ruins at his leisure.

Sincerely,

Mr. Conder, Curator of the Baal Museum.

At the bottom was the official stamp of the museum. Justin gasped as he read and re-read the letter.

“No way!” He shouted. “I get to explore the Sult Ruins? Oh, this is just too much!”

Mr. C. grinned. “I thought you might like it. Run along home, Justin. You have a big day tomorrow.”

“Wait, Mr. C.,” Justin said. “What about the Spirit Stone? Is it real?”

“Ah, yes…I tried checking it, but I have no way of knowing. It’s harder than diamond, so I couldn’t get a good sample. You keep it until I can find a way to check it for sure. Until I can get a legitimate sample, it’s sort of a gray area. Here.”

He handed Justin a perfectly smooth green stone. It was spherical, and seemed to glow with it’s own light. Justin shoved it into his back pocket.

“Thanks, sir,” He said. “We’ll be going now…”

The next morning, Justin was making ready to leave when Sue and Lilly came up the stairs. Sue was all packed, and Lilly held a long package in her hand. She gave it to her son.

“Here,” She said quietly. “I bought this last night when I heard you were going to the Sult Ruins. The Marna Road, leading there, is crawling with monsters, so take this along.”

The young man unwrapped it. Inside was a sleek-looking sword, a real one. He gazed at it, the blue hilt, ornate cross guard, and the sturdy blade. He sheathed it at his back—it fit perfectly.

“Thanks, mom,” He said, hugging her. “You’re the best mother a guy could ask for!”

Sue had a tiny bow in her hands, with a quiver of arrows at her side. “Let’s go, Justin!”

He nodded, hoisting his brown leather knapsack. “I’ll see you late tonight, mom,” He said with boyish delight. “Maybe early morning tomorrow. Bye!”

“Goodbye, my little troublemaker,” She said fondly. “And good luck…”

They set off north from Parm, following the Marna Road, a dusty track that led to the Sult Ruins. Sue was skipping along, singing to herself, while Puffy tried to come up with a decent tune. Justin hung back, gazing at the Spirit Stone rolling around in his palm. It was about the size of a large marble, and he could swear he saw a faint green glow at the center. That glowing mesmerized him.

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” Sue shouted from a few yards up the road. Unbeknownst to her, a Marna Bug had crept up behind her. It looked like a giant beetle, the size of an adult human’s head. Its wings were fluttering from under its shell. Justin quickly drew his sword.

“Sue, watch out!” He yelled, running towards her. He shoved her out of the way, and leapt towards the bug.

“Eat this, you nasty bug!” he yelled. “V-Slash!”

He sliced down at an angle, and came up at an adjacent angle, forming a “V” in the air. The Marna Bug split in two places, and fell to the ground. Justin took a step back as Sue screamed. He turned around, sword ready.

Dozens of Marna Bugs! They had ambushed them from the back. Justin ran to help Sue as she pulled out an arrow. He sliced through one of them, but another buzzed next to him, it’s pinching mandibles leaving a cut on his cheek. He turned, and lunged with his weapon, spearing it. Sue raised her bow, and fired. Another bug went down. Puffy started squeaking desperately.

“You want to try?” Sue grinned, picking off another bug.

“Poof poof!” Puffy bounced a few times.

“All right, then,” She grabbed her pet’s feet, and hurled him. “Go do it!”

Puffy whirled in the air in front of a Marna Bug, and began kicking it mercilessly. It went down in a heap. Justin pointed with his sword.

“Let’s go, Sue! Get Puffy and go!”

They ran away from the bugs, and hid behind a group of rocks. The bugs buzzed by. Justin stuck his sword in the ground, breathing heavily.

“Ha…I guess…we got away…”

She nodded, pulling out her first aid kit. With a motherly air, she squirted a bit of wound salve on his cheek. He winced. With that done, she put a bandage on it.

“There,” She grinned. “All better.”

He nodded. “Thanks, Sue,” he said. “Let’s get going. We’ll be at the Sult Ruins soon.”

CHAPTER 2: Liete of Alent

The guard at the gate to the Sult Ruins wore the uniform of a soldier from the Garlyle Forces, the military force on the Messina Continent. Justin dutifully showed the guard his pass from the Curator, and he and Sue went into the courtyard in front of the ruins. Soldiers were running around, operating digging machinery and talking with their superiors. As the pair approached the entrance, they saw three female sergeants. One, the shortest one, had red hair and red eyes, the medium woman had green hair, green eyes, and small glasses, and the tallest one had blue eyes and purple hair. They were talking with their separate divisions.

“All right,” The red-haired one said after their troops had run into the ruins. “It’s finally our chance to get close to Colonel Mullen!”

“We’d better hurry, Saki,” The purple-haired soldier reprimanded. “Remember what happened last time? It was your fault we were late.”

“Shut up, Nana!” Saki growled. “Mio, help me out, here!”

The green-haired woman shrugged. “She’s right, Saki. No help here.”

Saki smiled. “Yeah, but when they were late, I made ‘em all give me THREE THOUSAND squats!”

“You’re way too easy,” Mio puffed indignantly. “I’d make them go without food for one hundred days.”

“You’re both getting soft,” Nana laughed cruelly. “I’d give them each a thousand lashes, pickle them in brine, and lock them in the brig for a hundred days!”

“THAT,” Saki said queasily. “Would kill ‘em. Herr Mullen would rip you apart if he heard you did that.”

“Well, Herr Mullen doesn’t have to know, does he?”

Justin poked his head out from behind a rock.

“Jeez, those ladies are mean,” He said with spite. “And ugly, too. I guess we shouldn’t pay them any mind, huh?”

Sue nodded. “I don’t want to do three thousand squats,” She whined. “I’m glad I’m not in the army.”

The young man stood, trotting towards the entrance to the Sult Ruins, trying not to pay attention to the three women off to the side.

“HOLD IT!” Saki yelled at them. “Where do you think you’re going?”

He screeched to a halt. “Into the ruins,” He said. “I have a pass to be here, so you shouldn’t be stopping me.”

“Oh, we’re sorry,” Nana’s voice had taken on an overly sweet undertone. “Let us see your pass, and you can go right in…”

Justin handed her the piece of paper. She looked at it for a few moments, ripped it in half, and gave it to Saki. Saki crumpled it up, and gave it to Mio, who tossed it over her shoulder.

“Bye-bye,” The bespectacled sergeant said with a smile.

“He-hey!” The boy protested loudly. “Y-you can’t do that!”

“We just did,” Mio said coolly, adjusting her glasses. “Now, what have we here? Trespassers, maybe? I think we should execute them!”

“Whoa!” Sue took a step back. “Wait a minute, we haven’t…”

“Shut up!” Nana snapped. “Now, get out of here before we get serious!”

The three sergeants whirled, and walked into the ruins, leaving a distraught Justin and Sue glaring after them.

“Those JERKS!” Justin grunted, clenching one fist. “How could they do that to us? I say we just go in there anyway.”

“Justin,” Sue admonished, staring up at her cousin. “They said they’d kill us if we went in there. It’s dangerous!”

A grin split his face. He brushed his spiky red hair out of his eyes, and his mood lifted immediately.

“An adventure is supposed to be dangerous,” He said happily. “And besides, they’re so desperate to keep visitors away, you know that whatever is down there has got to be good! So come on, Sue, pick up your feet, and let’s go!”

After a few minutes of debating with herself, she nodded. Justin ran inside the mouth of the cave that was the Sult Ruins.

The place was well lit by torches that lined the roughly hewn corridor. Justin ran one hand along the wall as he walked, looking around with a kind of awe he had never experienced before. He was actually inside a place with ancient Angelouian artifacts. He could barely contain his excitement!

Sue snuffled behind him. Apparently, Justin was kicking up some dust, and it was irritating her nose. Puffy breathed in, and let out the biggest sneeze Justin had ever heard.

“POOOOOOOOF-CHU!”

Sue grabbed the flying marshmallow, and clapped her hand over his mouth. “Be quiet, Puffy…we’ve got to stay hidden so those mean ladies don’t find us!”

“Pumf pumf.”

“Sh!” Justin said sharply. “I hear voices. Follow me, and stay out of sight, okay?”

They went down on their hands and knees, crawling over to a ledge. Below, there was a bunch of Garlyle Soldiers standing in uniform order. In front of the columns of men were the three female sergeants. In front of them was a tall man with blond hair about as long as Justin’s, and next to him was a shorter woman with light teal hair that was combed over one of her eyes. Justin watched them warily as the woman began to speak.

“Soldiers of Garlyle,” The woman said, raising one hand. “Roll call!”

“Sergeant Saki, leader of the Lightning Star Squad! All men accounted for!”

“Sergeant Nana, leader of the Bloody Rose Squad! All men accounted for!”

“Sergeant Mio, leader of the Desert Moon Squad! All men accounted for!”

“Excellent,” The blue haired woman nodded. She looked to be about fifteen years old, and the man looked to be about seventeen. “Colonel Mullen will now address the Garlyle Forces!”

The blond man stepped forward. He looked around, and also raised his hand. “Operation Yggdrasil is about to be complete. All we must do is find the final key item for its success.”

“Operation Yggdrasil?” Justin whispered from his perch. “What the heck is that?”

“You, the elite of Garlyle,” Mullen continued. “Must find the last item for our mission. Be careful in the depths of the ruins, because monsters still live there. Six men were injured yesterday, and one was killed. Be sure to have your swords loose in their scabbards. I want you to bring back every single piece of treasure or junk you find down there. Understood?”

“YES SIR!” The soldiers saluted.

“Good! Then go, and find the last item for Operation Yggdrasil!”

All the soldiers ran off into the depths of the Sult Ruins. Mullen and the blue-haired girl began talking.

“Do you think we’ll find it here, Herr Mullen?”

“I don’t know, Leen…but it has to be somewhere, doesn’t it?”

Leen nodded, casting her eyes down.

“Come on, Leen…let’s go.”

They also walked into the deeper ruins. Justin grinned, poking his head past the ledge. He tossed his thick mane of red hair, and slowly climbed down the small cliff.

“Come on, Sue,” He urged. “Boy, they didn’t even see me! Well, for a master adventurer, I—oof!”

Sue dropped on top of him. He struggled to stand up.

“Sorry,” Sue giggled, and hopped off. Justin dusted himself off, and walked deeper into the cave. The torches were still in abundance, so the way was still lit. They ran deeper and deeper, dodging in between the soldiers searching the piles of rubble and small shrines. Finally, they came to a large archway where no more soldiers lurked. Justin could hear monsters squirming beyond the archway. Slowly, carefully, he drew his sword. Sue pulled out her small bow and notched an arrow.

They trekked through the deepening darkness, eyes watching the shadows. Justin could see silhouettes of what looked like liquid squirming behind columns and pillars. A few of them wiggled into the light. Justin readied his blade.

“Looks like they want lunch,” He said as he moved back-to-back with Sue.

“Let’s not give it to them,” She nodded. “Let’s go!”

Justin tried a clumsy swing at a slime, but it moved aside, and his momentum carried him past his enemy. He hopped around on one foot, then turned and sliced. The slime squeaked and disintegrated. Sue aimed carefully, and fired. The arrow stuck in the slime’s outer covering. It appeared to cause damage, but the evil ooze kept on coming. She shot another one. As this one hit, the slime disappeared as well.

Justin grinned widely, tapping his sword against his shoulder. “Wow, we did pretty good,” he said. “I think I’m getting better at handling this thing.”

They walked farther into the Sult Ruins, and eventually stopped at a long staircase leading up. Justin gazed up at the top, where a large statue of a human head lay on an alter. With Sue in tow, he ran up the stairs. He suddenly pin wheeled his arms backwards, clapped his hand over Sue’s mouth, and jumped behind a rock.

And just in time, too. A few Garlyle Soldiers were examining the head statue.

“Must be important,” One said. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be on this altar-thing. Let’s go report this to Herr Mullen.”

“Good idea,” The other chimed. “We might get a promotion for this!”

They walked on by. Sue stood up, and ran towards the statue. Justin followed her, with Puffy fluttering behind. The little girl tossed her deep purple locks, running her hand along the face.

“Its kind of creepy,” She mused. “It looks like it’ll bite my hand off any second.”

Justin leaned against it, holding his chin in his hand.

“The Angelou civilization,” He thought aloud. “Maybe something really important is behind this head thing! Come on, Sue, let’s try and move it!”

Before anything could happen, Sue was whimpering. She was looking at his rump with a fearful expression on her face,

“Um…J-J-Justin?” She quavered. “Y-y-your bottom is glowing!”

“What?!”

He craned his head around. His bottom was glowing. A bright green color! He dug his hand around in his back pocket, and pulled out his father’s Spirit Stone. It’s green glow felt comfortably warm in his hand. With a grinding moan, the statue behind him split in half, revealing a doorway behind it. Justin leapt into the air, one fist raised, yelling out a hearty “YEAH!”

“The Spirit Stone must be real!” He exclaimed as he landed. “I don’t believe it! My father’s legacy is one of eight of the rarest stones in the world! This is sooooooo cool!”

Sue tugged at his sleeve. “Come on,” She said. “Are we going to explore this, or not?”

He blinked. “Oh, yeah. Let’s go, Sue!”

The door led to a large hallway. The interior was surprisingly well lit, but the light source was unidentifiable. They walked quietly, with an air of reverence. The hallway led to a huge disc floating in a separate room. Sue examined it.

“Wow,” She mumbled, walking across the small bridge that led onto the disc. “It’s floating in mid-air!”

There was a blue button at the center of the disc. Without trying to repress his instincts, Justin ran over and pressed it. With a moan, the bridge on the disc turned away from the door through which they had entered, leaving them stranded. The bridge, however, came to a stop at another section of the wall, which opened up into a new door. Justin grinned.

“This is amazing, isn’t it, Sue?” He said happily. “The mysteries of Angelou are in our reach! C’mon, let’s go!”

They ran through the door, and came upon a hall lined with large statues. At the end of the hallway was another huge door. Justin ran his fingers along it, a glitter in his dark brown eyes. The Spirit Stone still clasped in his hand began to glow again, that same green luminescence filling the chamber. The statues suddenly turned towards the door, and it swung open. Past the door was a huge chamber with a giant domed ceiling. Their footsteps echoed alarmingly in such a vast place. In the center of the room there was a floating sphere of light. They approached it with utmost caution.

As soon as Justin drew near to the sphere, it began to glow brightly. So bright, in fact, that he couldn’t see. He shielded his eyes, taking a step back.

“Jeez!” he exclaimed. “What the heck is that…?”

“Welcome,” A voice rang out, a new voice. It sounded deep, seductive. A woman’s voice. “Welcome, he who holds the Spirit Stone…”

“Eeek!” Sue whined. “Wha-wha-what was THAT?”

“Who are you?” The young boy said, squinting. “Where are you?”

The light faded, revealing the image of a young woman standing before him. She had long purple hair all the way down to her calves, and she wore a ceremonial blouse and purple hose with a flimsy dress. Her hair was topped with a small miter with a few bangs hanging out from under it, and she carried a staff in one hand. She was absolutely gorgeous.

“I am Liete of Alent,” She said calmly. “Welcome, Justin, holder of the Spirit Stone.”

It was about this time that Justin noticed his new surroundings. The floor had crumbled away to a small section, which was floating in an endless sea of stars. Below, he saw a globe with brown and blue splotches on it. Sue clung to his arm.

“Waaaa!” She yelled. “We’re gonna faaaaaall!”

“Do not be afraid, young lady,” Liete said. “This is the world you live in, when viewed from the height of the stars.”

“Liete,” Justin said questioningly. “Who are you? Are you an Angelouian?”

“I am the one who has inherited the history of Angelou,” She said. “I know everything about that lost civilization. Do you posses many questions, Justin?”

“How do you know my name?”

“The light of the Spirit Stone reveals all. Do you have many questions, Justin?”

He drew back. “Erm…yeah, I guess you could say I do…” He said dubiously. “But what has that got to do with anything?”

“Head east, Justin, to the continent of Elencia, to the city called Alent. That is where you shall find me, and I will answer all of your questions about the mysteries of Angelou. Come to Alent, Justin…”

“Liete…wait!”

But she had faded away, leaving a very confused pair of cousins in her wake. The scenery changed back to the huge domed chamber

“W-wow,” Sue said quietly. “Was that a dream? Was that woman real?”

He nodded. “I think so, Sue…”

He turned to the young girl, and smiled an eager grin. “C’mon, Sue! Alent is waiting for us! Let’s go! Oh, man…I can’t believe this is happening to me of all people…all right!”

With smiles on their faces and stars in their eyes, they ran for the door, unaware as to the surprise that waited for them there.

CHAPTER 3: The Steamer Pass

As they left the room into the one with the giant disk, they were greeted by Mullen and Leen. The tall blond man spotted them, and walked towards them with a benevolent air. Justin took an involuntary step back.

“What do you want?” He asked in a belligerent tone of voice.

“Were you the ones that opened the door?” Mullen questioned. He responded before the boy could answer. “What did you see in there?”

“That’s none of your business,” Sue said, reaching for her bow. Mullen drew his rapier, pointing it towards them.

“Don’t make me use this,” He said. “I don’t want to kill a child.”

Justin drew his own sword. “Hey!” He exclaimed. “This is ridiculous!”

“Now,” Mullen said calmly. “If I’m not mistaken, you are trespassing on Garlyle territory. As punishment, I will have to keep you children as prisoners. You will never go home, my friends. You will be forced into slave labor. If you do not comply peacefully…” He brandished his rapier. “You will die.”

“Justin,” Sue whispered into his ear. “They’re standing on the stone bridge. Press the button!”

He grinned, sheathed his sword, turned around, and stepped hard on the button. The disk turned, leaving Mullen and Leen floating with no way to get back on the disc. Justin ran for the door, hefting Sue by the waist. Puffy poofed his protest at being so rudely disturbed, but they paid no mind. Behind them, Mullen began laughing.

“What is it, Herr Mullen?” Leen asked. “Why are you laughing?”

“Justin, that girl said, didn’t she?” Mullen chuckled. “What an energetic young man. I admire such courage for one so young. It would be nice to have someone with so much energy in the Garlyle Forces, eh, Leen?”

She saluted. “If you say so, Herr Mullen,”

“It really doesn’t matter,” The tall man continued, green eyes alight with glee. “They won’t get past the little surprise I set at the entrance.”

Justin once again whipped out his sword as they came to the entrance to the disc room. There was a giant bird in front of him, with gargantuan wings and a huge, fearful beak. The strange thing was…it was made completely out of rock.

The RockBird came at them, pecking fiercely. As they took a step back, Sue pointed out the Garlyle insignia on its chest.

“Great,” She said, pulling out her bow. “I guess we’ll have to fight it, then!”

“I guess so!”

Sue launched a few arrows, which lodged themselves in the RockBird’s chest. It wailed with pain and rage, and waved its wing. Large stone feathers sent themselves towards Sue, striking her in the stomach. She doubled over, gasping sharply. Justin ran forward, and hacked at his enemy’s chest, but only succeeded in leaving a small scratch. The bird of stone whapped him upside the head with it’s beak. The young man crumpled in a heap.

“Ow…” He mumbled, struggling to gain his feet. He held his sword in both hands, and jumped to the side as the RockBird attempted another peck. He drove his weapon forward as hard as he could, and the blade sank into its chest halfway up the blade. Going wild, the bird started beating at him with its wings and beak, but he held his ground, digging his feet into the dirt floor.

Sue fired another arrow from nearby, which sank into the thing’s shoulder. It turned, throwing Justin into the wall, and came after the purple-haired girl. It struck her as she was trying to notch another arrow, dropping her to the floor with a wail. Justin ran up from behind, leaping into the air.

“V-SLASH!”

The wings of the RockBird were sliced cleanly off. The young boy shoved his foe forward as Sue gained her footing.

“Fire now, Sue!”

“Right!”

She notched another arrow, and sent it spinning right into the RockBird’s forehead. It stumbled back and forth a few times, then hit the ground. The little girl began jumping and spreading her arms out, cheering wildly.

“We did it, Justin!” She shouted. “We did it!”

“That was so cool!” He said lifting one fist into the air. “We beat the pants off that thing!”

“Let’s go home, then,” Sue put in, tucking her bow away in her purse. “Aunt Lilly is probably worried sick about us. And besides, do you realize we haven’t eaten anything all day?”

His stomach growled as if to accentuate this point. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m starved. Mom will probably cook us some of that stew that she makes on special occasions. At any rate, let’s just get out of here!”

As they ran down the stairs for the front entrance, Mullen and Leen stepped out of the hallway that led to the disc room.

“Amazing!” Mullen exclaimed. “They even defeated the RockBird! Those children are absolutely fantastic! Ha ha ha…”

“Herr Mullen…” Leen began.

“Too bad that child isn’t tagging along all the time,” He laughed. “At least we would know things would never get boring. Let’s get back to the Grandeur, Leen. We’ve got to make a report to General Baal.”

She saluted, and followed him out of the ruins.

“…and then I chopped its wings off, and Sue took it down with an arrow! You should have seen it, Mom! It was awesome!”

Lilly finished spooning some stew into her son’s bowl, and tied off the handkerchief she wore around her ponytail. “It sounds like you had some pretty wild adventures, Justin.”

He had recounted the whole story to her, but at Sue’s insistence, had left out the part about Liete. He was very vague on that situation.

“Hm…” He thought. “Liete told me to go east to the New World Elencia. That means I’ll have to cross the ocean on a Steamer. Now, how do I get a pass…?”

“Hey, Mom…” He said aloud. “How would I be able to get a pass on a Steamer boat bound for Elencia?”

“Elencia?” Lilly asked questioningly. “Why on earth would you want to go there?”

“No reason,” He responded quickly. “I’m just wondering, that’s all…”

“Well…to get a Steamer Pass you could be a sailor, you could buy one, or you could get one from somebody else. But we don’t have nearly enough money to buy a Steamer Pass.”

“Looks like you’re stuck,” Sue piped up from nearby.

“Not quite, Sue. Don’t give up hope just yet. Oh, man…I’m full…I’m going up to bed. Good night, Mom…good night, Sue.”

“Good night,” Lilly said with a sad look in her eyes. “My precious little boy.”

The next morning, the two set off through the town of Parm, asking everybody if they knew anybody who owned a Steamer Pass. They didn’t have much luck—it looked like there was not a single adventurous soul in the whole town. They finally lucked out when they walked into a little café tucked away in a clean alleyway. As fortune would have it, it was the same alleyway in which they had helped Tentz find his big brother’s key.

“Welcome to out diner,” A flashy-dressed woman greeted them. “I recommend the Seafood Special, and—oh, Justin! Sue! What are you kids doing here?”

“Hi, Miss Krillian,” Sue said with a bouncy flair. “We’re looking for a Steamer Pass. Do you know anybody at the café who might have one?”

The woman thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it,” She said. “An old adventurer named Java was in here the other day, showing off an old Steamer Pass. You might want to go talk to him. He lives southwest of Parm, near the Leck Mines. Also, he left his wallet here. If you’re going to see him, would you mind bringing it to him?”

Justin took the wallet, pocketed it, and nodded to Miss Krillian. “Yes, ma’am,” He said politely. “Okay, Sue, we’re outta here!”

They left for home, as the sun was seeking its bed. The next morning, they gathered their gear. Lilly was helping them pack some medical equipment.

“That RockBird really bruised you up,” She was saying as she put some wound salve into Justin’s leather backpack. The pack fit over his sword sheath, offering easy access to both sword and equipment. Justin retorted as he buckled his baldric over one shoulder.

“Don’t worry about me, Mom,” He said. “I’m a true born adventurer. Bruises don’t bother me! Would bruises have bothered Dad? I don’t think so, and I’m his son, after all.”

She took a moment to bonk him with her tray, which somehow was in her hand. “Don’t get cocky, son,” She reprimanded. “Small wounds can lead to large ones if you’re not careful.”

“Ow! All right, all right…ready, Sue?” He asked.

“Yeah, let’s go!”

“Okay, we’ll have to take the steam engine to the Leck Mines, all right? Mom already gave me money to buy the tickets, so let’s roll!”

They left the Seagull Restaurant, and headed for the train station, where they paid for the tickets on the steam engine. After explaining to the conductor that Puffy was a stuffed animal so he could ride on the train, the settled in for the hour-long ride to the Leck Mines.

Justin put his chin in one hand, staring out the window. The scenery was rolling by—grass, trees, shrubs…he heaved a sigh, the words “are we there yet?” running through his mind like a cheetah. Finally the train stopped, and they stepped off in front of a huge, gaping cave. Off to the left was a small cottage. It looked to be a modest place, with a mailbox in front of it that read: “Home of Java the Adventurer”. Justin walked up to the door, and knocked loudly.

“Hey, Java!” He yelled. “You home? Hello-oh!”

When there came no answer, he opened the door anyway. Sue grabbed his arm.

“What are you doing, Justin?” She wailed. “That’s breaking and entering, you can’t do that!”

“I’m just going to put down the wallet somewhere,” He said. “And then we’re going to sit down and wait for him to come home!”

They walked into a house that Justin would forever after think of as a real home. It wasn’t spotless, but it wasn’t a dump either. It was comfortably messy, as if it had a casual air about it. The boy was setting down Java’s wallet on the table when the door burst open, and an old man walked in.

He was a scrawny old coot, with no hair on the top of his shiny head, and a white puffy mustache that stretched from either side of his nose. He wore full plate mail armor, and held a lance in one hand.

“What do ‘ya think yer doin’ here?” He yelled. “Tryin’ to take my wallet, eh? Well, you little scamp! I’ll slice ‘ya to ribbons!”

“Whoa, whoa, easy there, old timer!” Justin held up his hands, backing off. “I was returning the wallet. You dropped it in the café in Parm! Calm down!”

He huffed. “Well, now…that’s a different story. Sit down, and tell me what’s up.”

So, Java sat them down, and poured them some lukewarm tea. The conversation turned from the wallet to the Steamer Pass. Justin questioned him about it as they sipped the potent tea.

“So, I hear you have a Steamer Pass,” He said quietly. “I’m heading for the New World Elencia. Is it all right if we borrow your Pass?”

“Well,” Java mused thoughtfully. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt…”

“All right!” Justin grinned. “So…gimmie.”

“Justin!” Sue admonished. “Don’t be so grabby!”

“Hold on there, whippersnapper!” The old spindly man yelled. “You have to pass an adventurer’s test if you want this here Pass!”

Justin sighed. “All right, okay,” he said. “What kind of test?”

“Go into the Leck Mines,” He continued. “There’s a gang of Orcs living in there. If you beat their boss, I’ll give you my pass, fair? I’d do it myself, but…”

“You’re too old, right?” Sue put in.

“Young lady, I happen to be a very active adventurer, thank you very much!” Java nearly screamed, a vein bulging on his forehead.

“Okay, okay!” She whined. “Sorry!”

“Now, Justin,” Java went on. “I trust you’ll do okay for yourself?”

“Yep. Come on, Sue.”

“Hold it there, lad! The girl stays here!”

Justin reached for his sword. “Why?”

“Because this test is purely for you, sonny. Just to test your courage!”

Sue sniffed from nearby.

“Fine,” The young boy nodded. “Sue, I’ll be back soon. Take care of Puffy while I’m gone.”

“Okay, Justin.”

“Poof-Poof!”

Justin left Java’s house, and entered the Leck Mines with his sword drawn. His footsteps echoed alarmingly in the cavernous hallways where coal had been mined for hundreds of years. There were broken tools and handcarts here and there, and Justin kept following the old handcart track that led deeper into the mines.

He found the Orcs sometime later—or rather, the Orcs found him. They were big and burly, with snouts that looked like a pig’s and huge muscles. They had surrounded him without his even knowing it. Justin was suddenly aware of his own mortality.

An adventurer doesn’t give up, he told himself as he wiped a drop of sweat away from his face. An adventurer laughs in the face of danger.

He saw what had to be the boss Orc standing at the front of the line. He was the biggest of them all, and was the only one wearing armor. He carried a huge battleaxe in one hand, and was at least half again as tall as Justin.

“Ooooooooooh boy,” He said fearfully, then took a defensive posture.

The Orc beat it’s chest, wailing in fury. Justin pointed at it with his blade.

“You!” He called. “Ugly! Let’s go, you and me!”

The entire hoard advanced, but their leader held them back, and barked a few commands. The entire congregation backed off, and formed a ring around the two combatants. The Orc was the first to attack, swinging its axe down at the young boy. Justin brought up his sword to block the attack, but the sheer impact rattled his body to the point of extreme pain. He dug in his heels, and fought to stay upright, but the insane face of his foe combined with the sheer pressure of the weapons forced his feet almost three inches into the hard clay floor. With a yell, he pushed the axe aside, and jumped to the left, rolling into a kneeling position. That attack had been so powerful, he was already breathing hard!

“One swipe of that axe, and I’m history,” he said between breaths. “I’ll just have to take him out first!”

He ran at the Orc, leaping into the air, and bringing his blade down. The giant pig creature shoved aside the sword with its axe, and grabbing Justin’s collar, holding him in mid-air. He struggled against his captor as the shadow of the axe fell across his eyes. He gasped, and pushed away, falling on his butt, and rolling backwards. He stood up, ran forth, and slashed a diagonal line down the Orc’s chest—straight through the armor—leaving a deep gash on its brown leathery skin. Some of the other creatures grabbed for their weapons, but their leader held them back, eying Justin with a death gaze.

As it raised it’s axe and charged, Justin once again leapt into the air, holding his sword in both hands.

“W-BREAK!”

He pulled down with his usual V-Slash attack, but once he was finished, he did it again, leaving a W-shaped cut in its chest. Black blood oozed out, and the Orc boss swayed back and forth. It fell to its knees, then slammed to the ground, stone cold dead.

Justin held his arm, breathing heavily. His forearm hurt where that forceful axe swing had rattled him mercilessly. Turning, he staggered past the silent ring of Orcs.

Without any sort of forewarning, the gang attacked him. He turned, lashing out at the first few of them, but the kept coming. They were almost upon him, when he heard another voice ring out.

“Justin! I’ll save ‘ya, m’boy!”

Java had leapt through the crowd, cleanly severing several Orc heads. He turned around, and gave a thumbs-up.

“Java!”

“I told you I was still active!” He cackled, and then added. “Ow…my back…”

There was a deep rumbling from deep inside the Mines. Sue appeared, pushing a handcart with all her strength.

“The whole place is coming down!” She yelled. “Get in, we’ll never make it out on foot!”

Justin and Java hopped into the handcart along with Sue. They all ducked their heads as the rubble came raining down. Sue was screaming, Justin was cowering, and Java was laughing his head off. Good fortune was with them that day, for as soon as the handcart left the entrance, the entire ceiling caved in. The handcart toppled over, and Justin bounced out, hitting the grass a few times before stretching out, closing his eyes and lying in the warm sun. He started laughing, just enjoying the sun and the fact he had passed an adventurer’s test. Sue crawled over to him and hugged his neck, laughing as well.

“Good job, Justin,” Java congratulated, waving a strip of paper. “When you come back from Elencia, tell me all about the things I never saw when I was there, okay?”

“Y-you mean…we…can have the Steamer Pass?” He asked with delight.

“Of course you can!”

Gingerly, as if holding a baby, Justin took the shred of dirty paper. It said “Port of Parm Steamer Pass” on it. It smelled horrible.

“Dude,” Justin sniffed it. “It’s all sticky, and it smells nasty!”

“That’s because it’s soaked with my blood, sweat, and tears! And a few other things…hee hee…”

“Ew!” Sue shrieked. “Gross!”

“Well, anyway…thanks, Java…” Justin shook the old man’s hand. “I promise to tell you all about Elencia when I get back.”

“These are your wings, Justin…your own wings…spread them and fly to your own adventures!”

He had stars in his eyes. “Spread them,” He repeated. “And fly to my own adventures…”

“Let’s go home, Justin,” Sue said from nearby. “We have a big day tomorrow…”

She ran off to the Train Stop. Java pulled the boy aside.

“Listen to me, Justin,” He said. “For both your sake, and hers do not take the child along…”

“Don’t take Sue? Why not?”

“Because,” The old adventurer said with all seriousness. “She is still a child, and the trip to Elencia may be too much for her younger body to bear. I strongly advise you not to bring her along.”

This silenced the boy a bit.

“All right…I’ll take your advice.”

The ride back was a silent one. Justin sat in his seat, completely quiet, while Sue bounced around happily. When they got off the train in Parm, Justin hung back, hands in pockets. He suddenly stopped in his tracks as they stepped out of the train station.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sue asked, turning around.

“Sue,” He said quietly, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. “I’m leaving for Elencia tomorrow…I’m taking off at dawn…you don’t have to wake up that early to see me off.”

“See you off?” She asked incredulously. “I thought we…I thought we were both going to Elencia!”

“I talked to Java…he said that I shouldn’t take a child along…I’m sorry, Sue.”

“Ch-ch-child?” She whimpered. “I fought with you! I met Liete with you! If it weren’t for me, you might not have even gotten the Steamer Pass!”

“Sue…I…”

“You TRAITOR!”

Tears were in her eyes as she ran off into the crowd. With a resigned sigh, Justin made his way home.

Lilly had dinner ready when he got back.

“Where have you been all day?” She asked. “You must be hungry. Have some more stew!”

“That’s okay, Mom,” He said gently. “I’m not really hungry tonight…”

“Where’s Sue? You did invite her to dinner tonight, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…she said she couldn’t come tonight. But I have an idea that she’ll be coming over a lot from now on.”

They were silent for a few minutes.

Do I really want to leave my home…my mother…behind?

“Mom?” He asked quietly. “If I were to leave…you know, to go off on adventures…”

“Yes, Justin?”

“Oh.... nothing…I’m going to bed, Mom…”

“All right, Justin…good night.”

He made his way upstairs, and hopped into bed, still wearing the same clothes that he hereby dubbed his traveling clothes. He hung up his hat on his rack, and settled into the bed sheets.

Do I really want to do this? Leave my home, my mother, my friends? Leave for an adventure in a place I haven’t been to before?

He fell asleep with troubled thoughts, and slept a dreamless sleep.

CHAPTER 4: Surprises at Sea

He woke almost an hour before the dawn, and made ready to leave his home. He packed food and supplies into his knapsack, and buckled his sword across