Q4WS 2 preview

A cool breeze blew into Contigo from the north, serving as a nice reprieve from the arid heat of the summer. A tuft of Sheba's blonde hair fluttered in front of her face, which she quickly brushed away. The young wind Adept sat on the edge of one of the short plateaus the city was built on, stretching her legs out to feel the wind against her legs. Sheba leaned over and cushioned her head on Felix's shoulder. Felix, in turn, raised his arm behind Sheba's back and pulled her closer.

Sheba, known as "the child of the gods" in Lalivero, looked at her companion and sighed. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Felix just nodded, keeping his gazed fixed on the not-quite-setting sun. "You know, it wouldn't hurt you to actually talk every once in a while." Felix shook his head, and Sheba's brow furrowed. "Oh, come on! Why not?"

Felix looked at the Laliveran and said, "..."

Sheba pushed him away, giggling. "Cut it out! You know that's not what I meant." Sighing again, Sheba looked out at the sunset-to-be, and noticed several figures walking towards Contigo. "Hey, isn't that Jenna and Kraden? And the others are with them, too!" Sheba tugged on Felix's sleeve, giving him a half-cocked grin. "Let's go see what they're doing here."

Sheba slid off the cliff and nailed a perfect landing. A crowd that wasn't there a second ago started cheering, and three Genies sitting at a table lifted up large cards with numbers on them. The first two cards read "10," but the third card had "01" on it. Glancing at the third card, the middle Genie nudged the one holding the third card. The third Genie looked up and turned his card upside-down so that it, too, read "10."

Meanwhile, Jenna, Garet, Kraden, Isaac, and Ivan trekked towards Contigo. All of them, except for Ivan, were ready to collapse from exhaustion.

Garet in particular seemed to be having a rough time, and was supporting himself with a staff. "Must... Get... Wheat... Sword..."

"Does... Not... Exist..." Jenna said, half-mocking, half-genuinely-exhausted. "Let's just get this stupid goblet to Hama before nightfall, okay? I wanna go to bed early to make up for last night."

Kraden took a long drink from his canteen, then squinted as he saw a figure approaching them. "Would someone please tell me that isn't a mirage. I don't want to be suffering from heatstroke."

"Is what a mir-" Jenna let her sentence trail off when she saw Sheba running towards them, with Felix trailing a short distance behind. "No, wait, I see it too. Hey, Sheba!" Jenna gathered what energy she had left to wave at her old friend, finally glad to meet someone that wasn't either crazy or out to kill them.

Sheba dashed up and glomped - yes, I said "glomped" - Jenna, taking the Mars Adept completely by surprise. The two fell to the ground, but Sheba quickly got up and helped Jenna to her feet. "S-sorry about that," Sheba said apologetically, a comically-large drop of sweat sliding down her face. "Guess I got carried away."

"It's okay," Jenna said, dusting herself off. "At least you aren't trying to chase down a make-believe weapon."

"Not... Made... Up..." Those three words were all Garet had the strength to say, as he then collapsed.

Ignoring Garet, Sheba asked Jenna, "Really? What are you guys looking for?"

Jenna rolled her eyes, embarrassed to even talk about it. "Have you heard the rumors about this 'super-weapon' called the Wheat Sword?" Jenna pointed at Garet, who had just been rolled face-up by Kraden. "Numbskull here is convinced it's real and wants to find it. I'm just along for the ride so I can prove him wrong."

"But it is real!" Garet shouted as he sat up, taking everyone by surprise. He now seemed to be perfectly fine, as if Jenna's disbelief in the Wheat Sword had brought him back to life. "The Wheat Sword is out there, and I'm gonna get it!"

Jenna flung her arm across her chest and out to her side. "How can you even believe that such a ridiculous weapon even exists!?"

"Oh, this is good," Sheba said as she rubbed her hands together. "Two friends, divided in opinion and on a quest to prove who's right." A mischievous grin spread across her face, then started talking as though she were talking to some invisible audience. "Start placing your bets, people, because 'The Quest for the Wheat Sword' isn't over yet!"

The Mars Adepts looked at each other for a moment, not sure what to make out of Sheba's announcement. "Riiiight, sooo..." Jenna walked past the Laliveran, trying to act casual, "We should probably keep going..."

"W-wait!" Sheba reached out to grab Jenna before she got too far away. "Felix and I can come along too, right?"

Jenna glanced at Garet and Kraden again, then looked at Sheba and said, "Sure, why not? But..." Jenna looked around, "Where is Felix, anyways?"

The fire Adept's question was answered when she heard Felix say "???" All four of them turned and saw Isaac and Felix "talking."

Isaac followed up with a "!!!", but Felix countered with a "!?". Isaac, not one to admit defeat so easily, pulled out his secret weapon, a "*$&@". Felix was speechless for a moment, but finally he said "Why?"

"Hey! Isaac! Felix!" Garet waved the two earth Adepts over. "We're heading into town now! Come on!"

As the group walked towards Contigo with their two new members, Kraden looked back and noticed Ivan standing a good distance from the rest of the team. "Hurry up, Ivan! You don't want to be left behi-"

Before Kraden could finish his sentence, Ivan burst ahead of the group, faster than anyone had ever seen him move before. He soon turned around and ran back to the group, saying "sry i haz rly bad lag "

-*-*-*-

Master Hama, Ivan's older sister, had an amazingly barren house. She was sitting on the floor and facing the front door, which was closed at the moment. Even though she was alone today, she said, "You know, Garet, it's rude to barge in without knocking first."

A split-second later, Garet pushed the door open - it is worth noting that he didn't bother to knock first - and said, "Hey, Hamma! We've got something for you!"

Hama nodded. "That's exactly what I said."

"Hunh?" While Garet scratched his head in confusion, the others began filing in.

Jenna looked at the door and sighed. "You know, Garet, it's rude to barge in without knocking first."

"Meh, whatever." Garet dug a Silver Goblet out of his pocket and handed it to Hama. "Here, Hamma, this is for you."

"It is." Hama said, looking at Kraden.

Kraden didn't seem to notice Hama's gaze, but instead turned to Garet. "Actually, I'm pretty sure her name is spelled with only one 'm,' not two."

"That's not important right now." Hama stood up and walked towards the group.

Jenna looked at Kraden and raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell how he spells a name by listening to him?"

Taking the goblet from Garet, Hama said, "Don't be hasty. You can't go there yet."

"Alright!" Garet pumped a fist into the air. "Now we can go into the cave in Anemos Crater! Let's move!" Garet charged out of the house, with Kraden, Ivan, and Isaac following. Jenna sighed (something she's been doing a lot of lately), and was about to follow them before she noticed Sheba walk up to Hama.

Hama looked at the young wind Adept and said, "Yes."

"Hey, Hama?" Sheba asked. "Are you doing that thing where you see into the future and respond to what we say before we actually say it?"

Hama let out a light laugh. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time?"

Sheba's eyes began to sparkle. "Can you give me a demonstration?"

Hama laughed again. "I just did. And don't worry. It happens."

"No you didn't- Oh!" Sheba smacked herself on the forehead when she realized what Hama had been saying. "Of course. Duh! Sorry about tha- Oh, you said not to worry, didn't you? Hehe..." Soon, both Jupiter Adepts were laughing.

Jenna looked across the room at her older brother, who just shrugged and pointed out the door. Jenna held her hand out in front of her, as if to say "stop." "Not just yet," she said. "There's something I wanted to ask Hama before we leave." Felix nodded, and left the house with a still-laughing Sheba.

At this point, only Jenna and Hama were left in the house. Hama looked at the young Valean and asked, "Yes, Jenna?"

"Um, Hama?"

"What is it?"

Jenna silently wished the others hadn't left so soon. "I was just wondering if I could ask you something."

A soft, sympathetic smile appeared on Hama's face. "I'm afraid not."

"Oh, okay." Feeling dejected, Jenna turned to leave.

Just as she left, Jenna heard Hama say, "Don't worry about Ivan. He'll be just fine."

Jenna was about to go back and ask Hama what she meant, but Sheba grabbed the fire Adept's arm and dragged her away. "So," Sheba asked, "what were you two talking about?"

"Well, I was hoping to ask Hama whether or not the Wheat Sword really exists, that way we won't have to keep looking for it."

"And the verdict is...?"

Jenna looked at Sheba, an awkward grin on her face, as if she was trying to apologize for something. "She wouldn't even let me ask."

"I see..." Sheba released the other girl, but they both continued to walk for a while. Being with Felix made the following silence a bit less awkward. After thinking for a bit, Sheba started beaming. "I guess that means Kraden owes me fifty Rupees."

-*-*-*-