I know it's been an age and a half since the last update, but please don't kill me. Being in the military makes it hard to update frequently, and even harder to get inspiration. That, and pain from a surgery in September makes it difficult.

Now, let's begin, shall we?

Chapter II: Harmony of Discord

I floated through the void, and felt fear and hate for what made its' home there.

Normal darkness has no fear for me, not even when it stagnates and creeps in the deepest caves; I'd been through most of the nastiest places Cid could think of sending me, and I laughed when the creatures lurking there came to feed. Venomous reptiles felt steely bites, and corpses near and far were torn asunder by enchantments crafted by the strongest mages I knew. Few of the darkest creatures I'd battled could take a few thousand volts of electricity for very long and overcome the resulting seizures fast enough to strike back or defend themselves. This void, however… This void I was connected to in the deepest recesses of my mind, inspired terror, all because of what was there.

The slow beat of massive wings was the only warning that I received before the arms wrapped around my torso, effectively pinning my arms to my side. My body stiffened almost immediately as a cultured baritone chuckled in my ear. "Why so tense, my Childe? One would almost think you hated me, what with how you avoid me so," it whispered.

"Perhaps it's because I want nothing to do with you, bastard," I snarled back. The arms tightened, and I felt needle sharp claws stab into meat of my arms. The voice snarled in my ear before I was thrown from the body that'd pressed to my back, the claws leaving bleeding cuts in their sudden departure. I turned and glared at the creature that floated there, his eyes glittering with rage and greed.

"You forget yourself, slave. T'was I who saved you from destruction, I who gave you life again, and a new body to inhabit! You should be thankful to me, and you spit venom from that damned mouth," he roared. I just gave a chill, hateful grin back, enjoying every moment of it as he lost his composure.

"What's wrong, Lord Benediction? Irate that your puppet refused to dance to your tune? I would have been content to pass on to my final rest, had you not chosen me as your blade. I will not fall to your manipulations, however much you bluster and try to drag me to your level; this, I swear on both graves!"

Benediction gave a deep, hissing snarl as he wrapped the claws of his left hand around my neck, piercing the skin of my throat scant inches from the arteries. "Need I break you as I have so many other pawns? I have shattered hundreds before you, and will crush hundreds after; you are but another for me to use," he growled before he cast me away from him. He shuddered as he visibly reined in his anger before he gave me a seemingly sorrowful gaze. "However, I have no desire to do so, and would rather have you as a friendly vassal than a broken slave. But if I must force your compliance in this matter, than you leave me no choice."

He straightened his toga and sash minutely, as if the cloth had been disrupted in our argument. With a raised hand, an image of my sword and chakrams appeared. A claw tapped all but two of my disks, and each one shattered. "If you so desire to be against me, than I shall weaken you to the point where you must use my strength to succeed." Benediction floated the pair towards me, and I watched as they lost the jagged edges and vicious hooks. Soon, all that was left was the basic chakram: Three leather wrapped handles, and three smooth blades to each disk. "I shall call them the Oathbreakers; after all, you broke your oath to me, and I feel they shall be a testament to my generosity at forgiving you such a grievous slight." Cracks started to form in the void around us as the blades drifted closer. When they touched my hands, the darkness shattered into blinding light, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut from the burn.

"Now don't forget your place a second time, little one; I would hate to have to punish you," was the last hissed words that fell from his lips as the vision fell away.

IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX

I groaned as I rolled over, feeling a sharp pain in my ribs as I did so. A questing hand found tenderness and bruising, but no broken skin; someone would have counted that as being blessed by a god, but I saw it as a testament to something far worse. The fact that I could see the ten thin cuts in the arms of my shirt and running my hand over my throat revealed five small, circular scars was all the proof I needed as to who had 'blessed' my survival. I shuddered as I remembered the sensation of those damned wings against my arms, and I rubbed at them unconsciously.

'Definitely a crazed up frootloop,' I thought, and I grinned at the mental image of the monster dressed in a gaudy rainbow of colors. The joy was short lived, however, as I thought of the last thing he did before letting me free from his prison. I checked the belt under my coat, only to curse as I felt one instead of two; the second belt and my sword were gone, but that could be attested to the metal buckle breaking from the crash. Unlikely, but possible. I checked my back, and cursed again; the leather straps that were woven into the metal links were still there to hold the harness, but not said harness itself. All six buckles were in perfect condition, however, and that pissed me off. Looking around revealed that there was no chance of me finding the missing weapons, either; not in this forest, and definitely not at night.

A glint of steel made me freeze, however, and I carefully picked my way to the glimmer. Sitting there on a marble pedestal covered in ivy, almost innocently in spite of their location in this hellish place, were two plain steel chakrams, their metal clean and honed perfectly, the ruby red leather wraps looking well cared for and recently oiled. The only hint to their ancient placement were the skeletal limbs rising from the moss and rot around them. I snarled as I stormed past the rotten bones, broken swords, and rusted armor and right up to the pedestal. The weapons didn't do anything but glimmer innocently in the shaft of moonlight. A plaque glinted slightly, and after being brushed off, I had to sneer and roll my eyes.

'Only a Traitorous Reptile may Remove the Breakers of Oaths.'

'Your arrogance and flair for dramatics astounds me, freak.' I gave a near silent growl, and grabbed the twin blades, lifting them from the pedestal. The stone gave a shake, but before I could drop into a fighting stance, it opened and revealed a blood red leather harness with six buckles, and designed for a single pair of chakrams. I hissed and snatched the thing, attaching it to my coat before clicking the disks into place before I turned and left the glade. Almost immediately, however, a scream echoed through the woods, causing my head to snap up and stare in the direction it had come from.

"That sounded like… No!" I whispered, and took off at a dead sprint, barely dodging between trees and jumping logs as I ran. After ten minutes of running, the trail of destruction left from the Prima Vista's crash became evident; it was wide enough that a blind man could follow it. When it went off the cliff and smashed into a clearing bellow, I stood for a second and was amazed that the old ship hadn't been reduced to ruins from the multiple impacts. A second scream shook me back into action, and I jumped from the cliff, using the metal talons of my right hand to snag a branch. After heaving myself up, I took off through the trees, moving quicker than I had on the ground. The wood was old, and thick enough to easily support my weight as I jumped from limb to limb. I could hear the clash of metal on wood as I drew closer to what was obviously battle, and the two blades I'd found were already in my hands as I came through the trees and into a clearing. There, Zidane and Stiener were already in the middle of battle against a monstrous plant. Held in a series of vines on its' head, the placement reminiscent of a cage, was the little black mage I'd met and fought beside on the deck of the now demolished ship.

I didn't even hesitate as I let fly, the first blade followed shortly by the second, a trail of venomous green light following them as they soared. The creature lifted a vine and tried to block, and gave a screeching laugh as the two blades rebounded back the way they came. My hands darted out from years of practice, both disks caught cleanly one after the other, and I leapt down, landing in a crouch behind the thief and the knight. "Sorry I'm late; I had to find a path through the forest," I growled, rising to my full height with my tail lashing out behind me. I didn't see a foe before me; no, what I saw was something I could happily beat the hell out of to release some of my anger. I gave a mental sigh as I thought on the source of my fury: dealing with 'dear' Benny always put me in a bad mood.

"I don't know about you, Tal, but I don't think that set's gonna do much. I'd advise using the Hellfire pair," Zidane grunted, ducking under a vine that lashed out at him. Steiner blocked the same vine with his sword, and I spun beneath it and back into my relaxed stance, chakrams dangling at my sides. I gave another growl as I took the free window and let fly with the first blade again, this time keeping the other at my side. This time, the disk scored a hit, and the plant-cage gave a scream. Just as it lifted its' vines to smash us, a fireball burst into its' ugly face. The flames splashed, and the freak screamed in pain and rage, more so when the fire found its' sappy blood and caught like dry kindling.

"Great idea, Ziddy; why don't you go find 'em wherever they are in this gods forsaken death trap of a forest, and I'll happily start smashing them into big and ugly over there," I snarled back, and jumped the second vine to come my way; Steiner slammed his sword down into it and pinned it to the ground, causing a scream of rage as the first vine came back for round two. "Oh, I don't think so."

The twin blades flew again, pinning the limb to a tree, followed by five of my throwing knives to keep it locked in place. The thing snarled at us, and started tugging at the impromptu stakes and shackles, but just as it managed to pry the tentacle I'd pinned loose, a burst of light and six spheres of pinkish, supercharged plasma burned into its' flesh. A burst of flame from the trapped Vivi finished it, and the ugly creature collapsed as it died. Vivi jumped down from its' open vines, and sat there adjusting his hat for a moment. Luckily for me, the Oathbreakers were close enough that the magic that caused them to return activated when I stretched out my hands. There would be no luck finding my knives, though; just one more thing to add to my list of things to pick up when we made it to Lindblum.

"Quickly, now! We must save the princess!" Steiner roared, jerking his sword from the ground and starting for the cave entrance behind the carcass. Zidane grabbed his arm and jerked him around. The two of them started arguing, paying no attention to the little black mage we'd just saved. I just shook my head and kneeled in front of him, pulling his hands gently from where they were worrying the brim again. He looked up at me, and I felt that urge to protect him again. I just smiled instead of giving him the hug I wanted to, and let go of his hands.

"You'll need to get a new hat if you keep that up, Vivi," I said gently, and he nodded slowly.

"U-um… Ok, Mr. Talon," he said quietly. I just laughed and tapped his shoulder. When he looked up at me, I just shook my finger with a grin.

"None of that, now," I said. He looked confused, so I just winked. "My name is Talon DeTonare. No 'Mr.' attached to it anywhere, especially for my friends. I would like it if you just called me 'Talon', ok, Vivi? I'd like to count you as a friend."

His eyes blinked out a few times, and finally, I got the feeling he was smiling, even though I couldn't see his face. "O-ok, Mr.- I mean, Talon…" The moment was shattered moments later when the beast behind us shuddered and lifted its' vines. Before either of us could move, it deflated and sprayed a mist into our faces. Almost immediately, I felt the charge in my body start hunting out the invader, but I knew it would be useless; it might get some of the seeds, but the electricity couldn't get them all before I was exhausted. I managed to stay awake long enough to stare at the shocked pair in front of me, and gave a shrug. "Get us… Back to… The ship," I growled, moments before I passed out. I could already feel the disgusting things trying to worm their way into the soft tissues.

IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX

The sharp, almost sour scent was what woke me from the coma. A hand drew away the vial of smelling salts before a thicker bottle was pressed into my hands; it smelt worse than the salts did, but I knew what it most likely was. There was no hesitation as I put it to my lips and chugged the disgusting liquid down. Imagine boiling a pair of sour, sweaty leggings in the rotten stomach of a decayed Fang, and add the secretions of a Flan and a pigeon for flavor. That would be the rough estimate of the taste and texture as it oozed down my throat into my gut, with the same reaction of rebellion. My eyes shot open seconds before I was rolled over onto my stomach with my face over a bucket. Just in time, too, because the concoction came right back up and into the bucket, along with everything else in my system. Putrid yellow liquid filled the bucket quickly, until all that was left was the dry heaving that still wracked my form. A flask was passed over, and I took a few swigs, using the liquid to cleanse my pallet of the disgusting taste. Three spits of water later, and I still had a slight aftertaste, but it was manageable. Out of morbid curiosity, I looked at the slime that filled the bucket halfway; the creepiest part had to be the fact that it writhed and sloshed, even though it was perfectly still.

Marcus grabbed the rope handle carefully and lifted the bucket slowly before he started away with it, everyone around making a clear path for him as he moved with the contents like they would explode at any moment. I groaned as I lay back, draping an arm across my eyes as I tried to ignore my still rolling stomach. "Someone, please, make the world stop tossing and turning; I wanna get off the ride," I muttered. I heard a familiar, and currently very irritating, chuckle, and I lashed out with my free hand; the laughing grew slightly, and I couldn't help but growl. "Just you wait, monkey. When I feel better, you're going through the wall."

"And, yet, you still haven't done so, no matter how many times you've tried," he replied, and I started muttering curses under my breath. "Really, Talon? Madame Hecate would wash your mouth out if she heard half of what you just said."

"Which is why she never will, unless you want me to tell her who it was that threw Virosa through the pantry door."

"Hey! You promised you'd never say a word about that!"

"And you promised never to tell her about my language issue as long as I don't curse in front of her," I replied, and slowly sat up, pulling my arm from my eyes. I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the candles sitting around the room. Steiner, Vivi, Cinna and Zidane were all standing in the cramped room, and I was laying in the only bed. It took me a moment to realize it was the room I'd been assigned when I first joined up with Tantalus in Lindblum; it was trashed, with half of the furniture either missing or knocked over. "I'm guessing it was Blank who made the concoction?"

"Yep. He said that you're lucky that your body conducts electricity; otherwise, in the three hours it took for you to wake up, you'd be plant food."

"Reason number two that I'm glad I have that gift," I said with a slight smile.

"What's reason number one?" Cinna asked. My smile turned into a full blown grin as I looked at him. I raised my metallic hand and watched the current play along the claws.

"Being able to zap people with just enough power to make their hair stand on end for a few minutes," I chuckled, and tapped Zidane before he could move away. While his hair was too heavy to stand on end, a few of the strands stood up for a few seconds. His tail, however, turned into a giant puff ball. He jumped back and started cursing, his hands immediately going to his tail to smooth it out.

"Goddamn it, Talon! I told you not to do that to me!" he snarled. I just smiled innocently at him and batted my lashes. He flipped me the bird, and both of us started laughing. "Well, at least we know you're gonna be fine, you jackass. If you can still act like your usual irritating self after that, there's nothing to worry about." He gave a small grin to show that there were no hard feelings; just the usual ribbing between close friends.

I shrugged and looked around the room. Everything was in a state of disarray, but there was still the slight semblance that this had once been my dressing room. My armor was piled in the corner, where it had been put when they decided to make me more comfortable. The coat still had the harness and two chakrams attached, and I felt a surge of irritation at the sight of them. I would have to stay in the back of any battle unless I wanted to resort to my claws, and I only knew enough hand to hand combat to deal with a few street thugs at a time; probably not the best option to use in this forest. Something felt off, though… "Hey, Zidane?" I said.

"What's up?"

"Do you know what happened to my violin?"

Cinna winced, and that made me worried. "What's wrong, Cinna? Did something happen?" He nodded slowly, and stepped out into the hall for a moment, returning with something behind his back.

"We looked for it, Tal; we searched high and low, and when we found it, we tried our best to repair the damage, but…" he trailed off, and held out the case. My heart dropped immediately, and I slowly reached out for the poor thing. Half of the case was blackened from fire and covered with gouges; the other half was crushed to almost half its' original size. It took a moment to pry the lid open, but I had to see what was left of my violin. I felt a tear come to my eye as soon as I saw it; the neck was broken, the strings snapped, and the body crushed. The bow was in three pieces, and the horsehair was frayed beyond any possible repair. I sighed and closed the case again before I held it out to the masked thief.

"Burn it, please. It's old wood, and well oiled; it'll get some nice heat if you need it," I muttered, and stood up. I walked over to the corner with my armor and started getting dressed. After the assorted plates were in place, I reached into my pack for a series of connected pieces that went over my tail; each plate on the tail armor had a spike for a bit of added damage if I whipped something with it. Or if something was stupid enough to try taking a bite. My coat went on, followed by the helm onto my head and the mask into my belt for now; I wouldn't need it yet. I shuddered and bit back a sigh; there'd be time to mourn the loss of the gift later. Right now, we had to get the hell out of here.

"Talon? You need a moment?" Blank asked. He'd slipped in when Cinna had shown me the case. I just shook my head and stared at the wall. It wasn't as if I couldn't replace the violin; the best ones were expensive, true, but I'd stashed enough money away to easily buy at least a good quality or a custom. The problem was that it was such an old instrument. Hecate had said that she'd used it when she had first started learning, and the man who taught her had been better than she was. That violin had a history behind it of seeing kings and vagabonds, playing for each indiscriminately. For it to be destroyed in my care… That was almost an omen of darker things in itself.

"No, but I already know where I'm getting some materials for a new one," I replied, rage and sorrow coloring my voice.

"Oh? And where is that?"

"I plan on making a resonance chamber from a tree here, and I plan on reinforcing it with the Queen of Lard's ribs. I think her tendons will make excellent strings, and her tibia would be a perfect bow. Her hair would be great for the horsehair, and her ulna would be just the right size for a neck," I growled out; I could almost hear her screams of pain as I tore her apart for causing the destruction of such a beautiful instrument.

"Well, that's great and all, but how do you plan on getting to her before you get slaughtered by the Alexandrian army? You're good, but you're not that good," Zidane said, and I heard a struggle as something metallic was forced back into its' sheathe. I guess the knight had heard me. I turned, and sure enough, there he was, fury etched into his visage as he struggled against two of the 'Nero brothers. We glared at each other for a tense minute before I nodded and relaxed.

"Sir Knight, I will not kill her if you can prove to me that she did not want this; however, should I have irrefutable proof that she did? I'll tear her intestines out of her fat belly," I said coldly, and moved past him. I stopped for a moment, but I didn't turn around. "I'll be waiting outside, Zidane; if you can convince Rustalot and young Vivi to join you, we'll go after the princess. No one should be left to die in this hell hole." I moved with all the stealth that came from training Noah had given me as I made my way down stairs, up ladders, and through holes and doors before I poked my head out of the massive wound in the hull. I gave the fallen vessel a pat to her keel as I went through the impromptu exist and started riffling through the spare weapons; with any luck, I'd find something useable and light enough for my preferred style. Long swords, broadswords, axes and maces were picked up and discarded before I finally found an old cutlass that'd seen better days; the silver hilt was tarnished, and it was housed in a sheathe covered with burn marks and rat bites. The jewel that had probably once been the pommel stone was long gone, replaced with a steel marble that made it hilt heavy.

The blade is what sold me on it, though; amazingly unspotted by rust, and honed to a perfect edge, with a large, snarling canine engraved into it. It was also serrated like a sharks' tooth, and would doubtless do plenty of damage to anything I cut. The unadorned hilt and guard said it was an enlisted mans' weapon before Bakus' crew 'liberated' it from what was likely some noble's mansion where it sat and rusted unused. I gave it a few test swings, and put it through several battle stances to see how much I'd have to compensate for the hilt; it wasn't horrendously off balance, but it was just enough that it would throw me off if I tried my usual assault of quick strikes that seemed to come from every angle and earned me the title of 'The Hydra'.

Then again, the fact that my blades were usually coated in nightshade to cause delusions in the middle of battle could account for that moniker, too.

I'd just finished attaching the weapon to my belt when Zidane, Steiner, and Vivi walked through the hole. The blonde thief grinned when he saw the blade, and I raised an eyebrow in response. He just shook his head and motioned to the blade. "Ya know, I think Baku used that at one point, back before he was a thief."

"Then he would be happy to know it shall be put to use again, once more being used in defense of those who need protection. Do you know if he named it?"

"Hellhound, from what he told me. He said he was once part of the Black Paladins, named the Nex Canis because of his ferocity."

"Death Dog, eh? That's a hard story to top; according to Noah, Nex Canis was legendary for never letting go of a scent once he had it. He would hunt his target to the edge of Gaia if he had to. No one escaped him," I said, even as I reverently sheathed the blade in its' worn leather scabbard. Knowing that it was the infamous weapon of an equally notorious Black Paladin made the fact that it was so unappealing looking perfectly understandable. If you had a flashy weapon as a Tracker, you were easily recognizable. However, if you and your weapon looked as unassuming as possible, or even down right disgusting, people would forget you existed.

"Do you know what happened to that warrior?" Steiner asked. I just shook my head.

"No one knows. One day, his crest and signet ring were on the Regents' desk, along with his letter of resignation. I'd have to ask a few people I know in their ranks to find out if this is the actual blade; if it is, either Baku has a more colored past than we thought, or Hellhound here came into his possession some other way."

"Either way, we have work to do," Zidane said, and he turned towards the massive log that marked the entrance to the crash site. "Garnet is in that forest, and the tunnel we faced the cage at is the best place to start." We nodded and set off, falling into an easy lineup: Zidane lead the way, I took the placement directly behind him, Vivi was behind me, and Steiner was watching our rear flank. I'll admit I was feeling more comfortable with a team to work with, despite the fact that I barely knew two of the members. We had a black mage, a juggernaut in full plate mail, a thief for extreme speed, and an unofficial trainee of the Black Paladins and the Headmistress of Black Magic from Lindblum's grand Academy. Whatever got in our way was not going to take us down easy. However, that didn't mean it was a good idea to be overconfident.

I remembered all too well what happened last time my arrogance got the better of me.

IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX

"I think it's time we take a little break," Zidane said. I nodded and stretched my arms above my head while Vivi took a sip from the little spring that was there. It seemed to be the only uncorrupt part of the entire forest; everything else smelled of rot, disease and death. Vivi walked up to the little spring and took a sip, giving a sigh as the crystal clear water cooled his throat. Steiner growled as he started pacing; obviously, he didn't want to take a break if the princess was on the line. The thief just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Rusty, you won't do the princess any good if you're exhausted. We've been walking through this forest and the tunnels for the past three hours, and we fought almost every step along the way. If you don't rest, you'll most likely die in the next wave."

The knight growled again, but he gave a grudging nod and sat down. I held back a chuckle as he gave a sigh of relief; even if he was used to the weight, full plate armor was not made for easy movement for long periods of time. Even more so when it was in as poor condition as Steiner's. As he sat there and polished his large sword, Vivi was filling his wineskin for later while Zidane started taking stock of his potions, phoenix downs and ethers; Ifrit knows if he ran out, we still had my reserves, but I wasn't so keen on breaking into those stores. I would if we had to, but no sooner unless necessary.

My plan was to take a moment to relax for as long as possible, and I showed it by a show of twisting until my back sounded like a sheet of thick ice in a spring thaw, cracking and popping from my shoulders to the tip of my tail. I gave a small gasp and moan as the pain of the cracks and the sweet release of the knots caused me to sit limply on the ground. Zidane gave a chuckle and grinned knowingly. "Feel better, reptile?"

"Uh huh."

"Feel like moving any time soon?"

"Nuh uh."

"And if I asked you to scout ahead a bit and see what we can expect?"

"Nuh uh."

He snickered evilly, and I felt my heart drop. He wouldn't offer that, would he…?

"I'll pay for the visit to Yuffie's office," Zidane sang. I groaned and slowly pushed up to my feet, wobbling for a second as my spine realigned.

"Cheater…" I muttered, even as I reached into my pack to pull out what the damned chimp called my 'sneaky shoes'. He just laughed as the coverings and caps were slipped onto my talons and secured around the around the ball of my foot and the ankle; it was the smartest place for the latches, since the only thing that ever touched the ground were the balls of my feet. I secured the pouch on my hip again as I took off, slinking down the tunnel, darkness cutting through shadows. Zidane's voice carried as he explained that Yuffie was the best chiropractor in Lindblum, and how I always stopped by her office after a long job. What he failed to mention was that Yuffie was a skilled assassin, treasure hunter, thief and my handler for contracts.

Then again, the only person aside from the ninja and me who knew that was Cid, my current employer.

I gave a silent chuckle as a goblin cut its' own head off after tripping on a loop of black cord and into a length of garrote wire stretched across the tunnel. The disgusting thing wasn't using it, anyway. After the cord was back in my pouch and the wire clipped, I continued on; I could see a strange, pulsating red luminescence up ahead, and I had a sinking feeling that it was probably something big and ugly. Ten minutes of creeping later, and I remembered how often I hated being right. Seemingly asleep and with the princess laid out behind it was a massive Plant-Brain. In the years since I'd woken up in this world, it was by far the largest I'd ever seen.

"Damn, that's ugly," whispered a voice next to me. A throwing knife was in my hand and ready before I recognized it as Zidane's baritone sounding in my ear. I sighed and slipped the wicked knife away; I didn't have time to use an antidote on him, and I would rather use it when an enemy poisoned him. He gave me a nod as he crouched down next to me, watching the four massive tentacles sway in an unseen breeze. "What are we looking at, Tal?"

"Plant-Brain. Likes to use pollen to blind its' enemies, has a penchant for Thunder spells, and has one hell of a right and left hook. Unfortunately, I have no eye drops with me, so it would be best to avoid the pollen if we can, unless you have any," I said, and he nodded, tapping a pouch on his belt marked with an eyeball. I gave a short nod and looked back at the ugly monstrosity. "Has a severe allergic reaction to fire based spells and attacks. They tend to break out in pain and death when they get hit by them. I'm personally amazed this one has survived this long; they are usually found and destroyed within five or six years of sprouting. Ugly over there must be at least fifty to sixty years old, if not more."

Zidane shrugged, and glanced at my back. "Dunno. I just know that I really wish we had your Trinity set."

"As I said earlier, if you want them so bad, go find 'em. Their harness broke away during the crash, so I have no idea where they could be. I'm pissed Reaper is gone. Noah's gonna kill me for losing his mentor's sword."

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Yeah, but we have to get to Lindblum first. So, ya got a plan for big and ugly over there?"

"Since I doubt we want to fight it, I suggest we—" I started, but was interrupted by an echoing warcry from down the path near the bend in the tunnel. I turned just in time to see a steely blur dart past me, sword drawn. I started swearing as Steiner jabbed the sword at the Plant-Brain."

"Release the princess, foul beast! I command it as Captain of the Pluto Knights!" he screamed, and I groaned as I drew Hellhound and Zidane drew his daggers, both of us darting forward. Vivi followed right behind us, staff coming out of the sewn in holster for it.

"Yeah, like it's gonna listen to you, Rusty!"

"Blood and bloody ashes, can I truly not get a break on this job?" I sighed as my left hand reached behind my back to grab the two Oathbreakers, venomous green light dripping from the edges. Vivi gave a shrug and I could see the power flaring to life across the knots and gnarls in the old wood. I jumped to the left as a massive vine smashed down where I had been standing just seconds earlier; I could see pieces of wood cracked around the impact zone, and I shuddered. The Plant-Brain was strong, not like the others I was used to facing. I saw a mass of bones around its' base, something I'd missed before. Canine, goblin, human, reptilian, and others I couldn't make out.

This monstrosity had fed often, and it fed well.

Steiner took a swing with his sword, putting a good sized gouge in one of the tentacles and dodging another. "Be gone, brigands! It would be disgraceful if some rouge rescued the princess!" he called, working hard on breaking through the beast's defenses. I snickered as he was struck by a bolt of lightning and was knocked back for a few minutes; served the arrogant bastard right. At first, I had a sense of respect for him, considering he was trying to complete his duties; however, with his idiotic cries, constant screaming and his obvious lack of thought in any aspect of strategy aside from a headlong charge that would make a berserker look at him like he was mad, Captain Steiner was quickly making me wonder how he earned the rank of Captain at all.

"Captain," I called, weaving out of the way of two tentacles and jumping another as I made my way to him. "If it is your desire to commit suicide by taking on a beast large enough to devour a chocobo and still be hungry, please, be my guest. However, if you actually want to save Her Majesty, I highly suggest working WITH us!"

All of a sudden, I felt the air around me start to thicken with dust and my eyes watered. I started to blink, but it wasn't helping; if anything, it made it worse as I quickly lost sight in my mismatched eyes. I started cursing, and was definitely caught off guard when the Plant-Brain sent me flying into a root wall of its' lair. I groaned and rolled onto my side, spitting a bit of blood onto the ground. I started cursing my own stupidity for not grabbing any eye drops; I could almost hear Virosa and Noah yelling at me for not making sure I was prepared for every possible condition. A clash of wood on steel signaled that at least someone had been missed.

I winced as I started feeling around for a specific bottle I hated using, mainly because the ingredients to make the substance were hard as all hell to get a hold of, and almost cost a person their first born to buy, be it the materials or the concoction itself. When I felt a hand grab me and a sudden stinging in my eyes, I stopped looking and let the mist cause my eyes to water again. Instead of blinding me this time, they started to clear, and after a few seconds and some tears from the eye drops, I could see Blank in front of me with the now empty bottle. He gave me a patchwork grin and tossed the bottle over his shoulder with a shrug. "I guess I made it just in time, huh?" he said.

"Yeah, ya did. Give me a sec so I can find those damn goggles so I won't get hit again," I grumbled as I shoved half my arm into the pouch and digging out a pair of solid glass goggles. A wicked grin spread on my face as I pulled the elastic ribbon tight around my head so the lenses would seal into place over my eyes; it had cost me half a million gil to get these things made, but it was worth every cent. The ribbon was threaded with specially treated metal to make it hard as hell to break, while the glass was all treated and soaked in potions designed to make the wearer immune to the blind status effect. I'd had it tested against every possible form, from powder and liquid, to spell and poison. The reason I didn't wear them all the time is because of the side effect; wear them for an hour and they left large black welts around your eyes that made you look like you had a permanent bandit mask. Any longer, and the mixture of chemicals, spells and potions would most likely blind you permanently.

"I've always wondered something about those pouches of yours, Tal," Blank said, breaking me out of my thoughts of how many jobs it would take to get a new pair of these made.

"Even though this really isn't the time, what is it?" I replied, picking my weapons back up and getting ready to fight. Vivi was taking turns between blasting the monster with fire and enchanting Steiner's sword to do the same. Zidane was throwing dagger after dagger at the combination mouth/flower that served as the things' head.

"Why don't you store the other pouches in one pouch like them?"

"Two reasons: One, it would take forever to find the right pouch, whereas I just keep them all on my belt for ease of access. Two, it would be really bad if one pouch opened inside another."

"How bad?"

"Black hole that would devour a city the size of Lindblum bad," I said.

"Oh. That's bad," he replied.

"Yep. Shall we get in there and have some fun?"

"Of course," he said, and dart forward, broadsword leading the way while I sent the two chakrams flying at the plant. They tore into its' bark like hide and it gave a screech of pain and anger. The poison wouldn't affect it, but the blades themselves would piss it off. Almost immediately, it shot a heavily charged Thunder spell at me, almost on the verge of being a Thundara. I just looked up, heedless of Vivi's cry and Steiner's yelling as the clouds gathered, and smiled. This was gonna be fun.

I switched Hellhoud to my left hand and pointed it straight at the Plant-Brain, while my metal shod right hand threw a steel dagger that jabbed into its' hide before it shot into the air. I gave a high pitched whistle and grinned as it turned its' head back towards me. "Here's my response, ugly!" I called. The bolt of lightning struck my hand and followed the paths carved into my very cells by the electric charge already there, every spark and crackle becoming mine as I redirected it to the tip of my sword. I could see the glint of metal that was my dagger and laughed; each throwing dagger of mine had a petty soul gem in the hilt with a spell to attract electricity and send it through the weapon and into whatever it was embedded in. The way the spell activated was the small rune etched into the blade that activated when liquid touched it, be it blood, water or even… Sap.

The second the Thunder spell ended and the last of it was converted and sent to the tip of my blade, I released the current, sending it crackling and sizzle through the air and into the dagger, from the dagger into the Plant-Brain. It screamed and thrashed, stunned for almost a minute before Steiner and Blank finished what they'd set out to do: Cutting the stem of the root enough that it snapped under its' own weight. I panted and sat down heavily on the ground, each breath feeling labored as if I had been running for hours. That was the biggest problem with that trick; I could only do it if I was hit directly with a powerful electric based spell, and only then when it was a moist, humid environment so the electricity could travel along the particles in the air and hit the ground created by the dagger. Any other way, and I would have fainted afterwards. As it was, I wouldn't be able to make more than a spark between my fingers for the next day or two.

"Princess!"

I looked up just in time to see Steiner crouching next to the still form of Princess Garnet and lifting her head into his metal covered lap. I stretched and pulled a bottle of Virosa's home made energy drink from one of my pouches; I would rather have a full nights' sleep, but it wouldn't be safe to do that here. Instead, I popped the cork and chugged it, grimacing at the bitter, almost acidic taste. "Too much citrus again, furball," I muttered as I tossed the bottle away. I glanced up just in time to see Zidane administering the seed removal medicine to the half unconscious royal. Vivi was standing off to the side and I gave a little smile; for someone so small and innocent, he had an incredible amount of power. I doubted we'd have been able to get through the fight so easily. Seeing him worrying the brim of his hat again, I gave a sigh and heaved myself up on unsteady legs. From past experience, I had about an hour before I crashed from the effects of draining so much power and the energy drink.

A tap on the shoulder had the little black mage looking up at me with his luminescent yellow eyes, and I gave him a smile. "You did great back there, Vivi. We couldn't have done this without your help," I said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear me. He just shook his head and looked down, seemingly embarrassed by the praise.

"I didn't do much. If anything, it was that Thunder spell of yours that finished it," he replied, kicking a root with his shoe. I just gave a small chuckle and shook my head when he looked back up.

"I assure you, that little trick of mine was a serious last resort, and it only worked because the Plant-Brain zapped me first. Otherwise, I'd be out like a light right now." I kneeled down next to him and took his hands from his hat. "All I have is the power I was born with; it's just like a muscle, and if I overuse it, I become weak for a few days. You, on the other hand, tap into a source of power I can't even begin to comprehend. I remember talking to a friend of mine, and she told me point blank that I was worthless at magic." His eyes widened, and my smile grew.

"Did she really?"

I nodded, laughing at the memory of Lulu hitting me with a very heavy grimore when I blew up half of her laboratory. "Yes, she did. In fact, she hit me with one of her heaviest spell books and said that if I ever dabble in the Arcane again, she would go out of her way to make sure I never forgot her lessons on, and I quote, 'keeping my reptilian nose out of things that I can't understand,' ever again." That got me a laugh from the little black mage, especially when I stood up and put a hand to almost the middle of my throat. "And she's only this tall, too. There is a reason I respect her as a person, and fear her as a friend."

Before he could reply, a loud rumble sounded, and we all turned to see the massive corpse sink into the ground, a large pit opening underneath where its' stem connected to the ground. A loud, almost spider like chorus of chitters and clicks sounded from the pit, and I felt my shoulders tense and a shiver of icy fear go down my spine. "For the love of Siren, please, please tell me that's not what I think it is…" I groaned, already drawing Hellhound from its' sheath again. Sure enough, four large insects came out of the pit, each one making the clicking their mandibles and rubbing their legs together in the chilling sounds.

Zidane looked at me as I shuddered again, and then looked back at the four creatures. "Talon, you ok?" he asked.

I just stared at the four green bodied monsters, their heads similar to a large red poppy. Even though they each only had six legs, the sounds they made still sounded too much like oversized, eight legged freaks of nature. I could almost imagine them crawling on me, legs covered in bristly hair, bodies slung low, dragging silk all across my arms and chest, and I lost it. I couldn't stop as I dashed forward and started chopping away at them, the serrated blade cutting through chitin and into their gooey insides before sawing back out and into another and another. Legs, slime, petals and carapace shards flew into the air as I kept going, lost in a haze of adrenaline fueled by fear. By the time I was finished, all four Plant Spiders were dead, I was covered in slime, and I was still shaking. A twitch to my left from a corpse caused me to hack until the last two legs were gone. I panted as I came down from the high, and I shuddered again as I looked into the pit; more of the man-sized started crawling around.

"Tal? Tal, are you ok?"

I turned back and saw the others giving me concerned looks. It took a moment to regain my composure, but I gave a weak smile as I cleaned off my saber. "I might have a slight case of arachnophobia," I said, sheathing the sword at my hip again.

"Might? Dude, you just tore through them like a man possessed," Blank said, staring at the carnage. He shook his head and looked back at me. "If that's not enough, you were screaming something about evil spiders must die."

I shrugged and pointed at the ledge Blank had used to get in. "We can talk about it later. Right now, let's get out of here before more of those things show up," I replied, and everyone nodded their agreement. Steiner picked up the princess bridal style and went first, followed by Vivi, Zidane, Blank and myself as more of the monsters started crawling out of the pit. I glanced back and felt another shiver go down my spine as we jumped down a waterfall, just in time to see Steiner and Vivi finishing off three of the Plant Spiders with their magic sword combo. There was no time to stop and celebrate, however, and the five of us took off running. I could almost feel the creepy monsters gaining on us.

Suddenly, Zidane and I stopped, almost in synch with each other. He looked up while I looked around at the spaces between the trunks. Blank looked at us both, confusion clear in his eyes. "Guys, what's wrong?"

"The forest… It's chasing us," Zidane said.

"And not just us," I said, watching the electrical currents of every beast in range through my reptilian eye heading for the exit. "It's chasing everything with a pulse and legs."

"Blank, make sure the others get out of here safely," the blonde thief said, right before he took off back down the path. The red headed thief looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What was that about?" he asked. I just shrugged before we both took off after him and the others, but I had a sinking suspicion that he was doing something similar to what I thought of: He was going to sacrifice himself to the forest to buy us time to escape. However, the possessed wood wasn't just hunting heat; it was hunting electrical currents, and since mine was just slightly higher than a normal person's, it was after every current it could find.

A heavy rumble started shaking the ground, and I looked back for a split second before starting to run faster: Stampeding behind us was what had to be hundreds of the Plant Spiders. "Spiders, spiders, spiders, SPIDERS!" I was gone, not even seeing the others as I dove under low branches, jumped logs, swerved between trees and smashed through foliage. I couldn't think; all I knew is that a lot of giant spiders were on my tail, and I wanted away from them.

I only stopped once I was out of the forest and could see the night sky through the thinner mist, putting a hand on a large boulder as I panted from the insane dash. Moments later, I was joined by Steiner and the princess, then Vivi. I looked back and would have run back in as I watched the thorny vines chasing my adopted brother if the knight hadn't grabbed my arm. I looked at him, and he shook his head even as Zidane executed a dive roll through the half sealed opening. In the next few seconds, the path was hidden by the vines, and the entire forest turned to stone. I could only watch as Zidane pounded his fists against the petrified wood, trying to break through. Finally, I had to ask the one question that no one wanted to ask.

"Where's Blank?"

IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX

I stoked the fire and rubbed my jaw as Steiner finished setting up the tent; his theory was that the only two people allowed to sleep in the tent would be Her Majesty and Vivi. When he realized that we didn't have a spare bed roll, I tossed him mine.

"I'm used to sleeping on hard ground, Captain; she'll need it more than I will, after this ordeal," I said in explanation, and he nodded in grudging thanks. As he went back in to set it up for Garnet, I rubbed my jaw again and hissed. Needless to say, Zidane hadn't taken too well the question of what happened to his brother thief. He might prefer his daggers, but the damned monkey still packed one hell of a right hook. I stretched and looked around, checking on the rest of our little group; Garnet was sitting upright, looking exhausted but aware, at least. Vivi had pulled out his little staff and was checking it over for scratches, cracks or burs and had a small set of tools designed specifically for the upkeep of magical foci. Steiner walked out of the tent and took up his vigil behind the princess, and Zidane was just coming back from his half hour of smashing his fists into the unflinching stone of the Evil Forest. I took one look at his gloves and reached into my belt pouches for a potion to fix his damaged knuckles and the sewing kit for the leather gauntlets. He took them both without a word and sat down next to the fire to begin his work.

"Steiner, thank you for your assistance," Garnet suddenly said. I looked up and caught the half enraged look starting to bloom across Zidane's face. 'This ain't gonna be good…' I thought.

"Such words! Your Highness, it was only in your best interests as my sworn duty-" he started, and Zidane went off.

"Your sworn duty?! You jackass, your sword was only part of what got Garnet out of there! If it hadn't been for my daggers, Vivi's magic and Talon's assorted skills, you wouldn't have gotten halfway to the Plant-Brain!" he shouted, daggers all but forgotten as he stood up.

"You dare-?! Princess, do not listen to this lying brigand! He would do anything to save his neck from the hangman's noose! We must leave immediately and return to the castle, if only so you can be protected from this vermin and his band of rouges! I swear, thief, you and this damned freak next to you shall make excellent additions to-" He screamed, and froze when he was suddenly slammed against the boulder we'd set up camp next to with the sharp claws of my right hand at his throat. He started to struggle, but went limp immediately when my hand started to clench.

"Sir Knight, I will accept that you were in a temper as you spoke, so I will forgive you this one time," I said, and something in my eyes must have made the man realize how close he was to dying. "However, if you ever call me such a horrible name again, I will be forced to rip out your vocal cords. Am I clear?" He nodded quickly as I eased my grip, and I gave a cheery smile, though my eyes still retained their icy quality. "Now, as for you leaving immediately for Alexandria Castle, I have only one thing to say: Did you, perhaps, ask Her Highness what it is she wants to do?"

I let him go as I turned to Garnet and gave her a slight bow at my waist. "Princess, may I ask what it is you would like to do from her?" She gave me a grateful smile as she nodded.

"I must say that I would like to continue on to Lindblum," she said, and I nodded before I turned back to the knight who was glaring at me.

"Is that good enough for you?" He sneered at me, but nodded. I gave another nod before returning to my seat near the fire, but still with enough space away that my night vision wasn't too affected.

"Ya hear that, Rusty? We went to snatch her, and she wanted to be snatched. So hows about we just enjoy this little camping trip we have on our hands before setting out in the morning?" Zidane asked, sarcasm practically oozing from his voice.

"C-camp?! You fool! Have you no idea what kind of things the Mist does to a person's brain? The kind of abnormalities it spawns in man and beast alike?! No, we must make for safety immediately! It would only be safe-"

"Captain Aldebert Steiner!" The thief shouted. When the knight looked ready to start yelling, Zidane gave him a chilly glare. "State your sworn duty."

"What else? I am to protect and serve the royal…" he started, only to freeze as it dawned on him all the possible ramifications of the last twenty-four hours.

"Think about it, Captain," I said softly, jabbing the burning coals of our fire with a length of wood. "You saw how Vivi and I reacted to this stuff. We were both knocked unconscious, and the medicine sent our little friend reeling. I was out for several hours, and I only survived that long because of the fact that I conduct electricity. If I didn't have this gift, I wouldn't have lasted an hour before I was dead and used as fertilizer for those seeds. Garnet was in that state for much longer than I was; we only barely got their in time to administer the medicine." I gave him the chance to interrupt and looked him dead in the eyes. He kept my gaze for a minute before he turned away. "Vivi is a young black mage with vast potential in his craft. I am an experienced veteran of the mercenary's life and trade. If we were knocked on our asses, then it is quite obvious to me that Garnet is in even worse shape. She needs at least a nights' rest, and as easy a day of travel we can give her tomorrow. Agreed?"

The knight was silent for what seemed to be a long while before he nodded, clearly disliking of the prospect of agreeing with 'an uncouth brigand' such as myself. "… Very well. We shall send the night here; but neither you nor the thief are allowed in the tent! I will be standing watch to make sure you do not enter it; should you try, I shall strike you down where you stand."

I just rolled my eyes. "Captain, that was agreed earlier, if you would be so kind as to remember that fact," I replied with strained patience. "Just as it was agreed that we would spend the night here. However, it seems you have a rather short memory. And with that, I bid you good night; you can have your watch on the tent. I shall take post on the boulder there and watch for any monsters or beasts that think us to be an easy meal." With that, I bowed and climbed up the boulder while Zidane unpacked his bedroll. Vivi and Garnet entered the tent, and a few minutes later, the lantern inside was extinguished. Steiner took to standing before the entrance, his sword drawn and the tip in the ground while his eyes traveled from Zidane to me and back again. I sighed loudly into the quiet, Mist shrouded air as a single thought crossed my mind.

It was going to be a long night…

IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX

Well, I apologize for the long wait, again. It took me quite some time to get this one out. I'll say this to all the aspiring writers, and the veterans who know me and know what it's like: Writer's Block and new releases do not mix. Especially when you add booze and friends to the recipe. It usually ends in long waits such as mine.

Here's hoping the next chapter won't take nearly as long; if I take another year hiatus, I fear this one might die before Lindblum for a second time.

-GC