Chapter Four
~Auron~
The frigid water of Macalania lake sloshed and splashed around the ankles of the five visitors who looked around with recollection in their eyes. The airship had lowered them into the depths of the ice where they had once fallen so long ago when they had been chased by the Guado. Disturbingly, it hadn't changed much since then.
"So...where's this third element so we can get out of here. This place carries too many bad memories." Tidus said first, speaking what everyone else was thinking.
"Just as before, a fiend will appear." Auron replied as he looked around cautiously. "We have to defeat it before we can obtain the element..." He trailed off, about to say "of Cynyr" but he had stopped himself. Nobody, especially him, could say her name unless absolutely necessary. Her name had become almost sacred ever since she left and he avoided saying it so he wouldn't have to confront the uncomfortable emotions that always followed with it.
As they walked farther into the ruined lake where rock and parts of a building lay scattered about, Pyerflies could be seen dancing and floating about. They sang softly to themselves, some of them coming closer to inspect the new visitors while others flew farther away.
"This is new..." Paine said with a look around the place."
"Oh yeah, you haven't been here before." Rikku pipped up.
"I mean the Pyerflies. Did someone die here?"
"No." Auron began as he walked over to a large stone that rose up out of the water and knelt; his eye had caught something there, "but it's where someone once was who is now dead. Seeing them here means we're in the right place."
He reached down with his un-gloved hand for the purple flower he had seen, frowning. How was it growing here?
"Then we should be close, right? Does anybody see anything that could be an element?" Tidus asked as he looked around. Everyone else did the same before they shook their heads.
Before Auron could stand and say something, the purple flower quivered suddenly followed by the ground shaking beneath their feet. Auron drew back quickly and stood as everyone pulled out their weapons.
"This is it!" Auron shouted as he stepped away from the flower and in seconds it grew larger. Gasps flew from every mouth as the group stood back and watched the flower grow to the size of a small tree, it's purple bud becoming enormous and mouth like. It opened slightly and revealed row upon row of sharp needle like teeth glistening with something yellow and sticky.
"Ew!" Rikku cried out first.
"Ugh...it's hideous." Paine agreed as she held her sword at the ready. Yuna took a step up next to Tidus who was standing next to Auron. Rikku and Paine quickly moved back, ready to switch or heal whenever necessary.
"Ready old man?" Tidus teased with a grin.
"Hmph! You almost sound excited."
"I've missed this!" He shouted before running towards the creature first and giving it a good slice on one of the tentacle like roots that had wriggled up out of the ground and and waved about. It made a gurgling sound and spat at all three of them angrily. Auron jumped back but Tidus and Yuna weren't as quick and were immediately blinded by the sticky yellow goop.
Paine was quick to heal them and they all turned back to the battle. Auron ran forward and jumped into the air as he brought his sword down point first. A deep and gaping wound formed on the stem that oozed black oily liquid that immediately began to smell and he covered his nose as he stepped back. Yuna took the opportunity to shoot at the wound, causing it a great deal of pain.
The head of the beast plant drooped, the petals wilting, but it hadn't died. Not yet. Auron smirked, knowing he had done most of the damage and he couldn't help but let a little pride seep into him.
"This one's mine." He said triumphantly before running forward and swinging his sword horizontally and sliced the plant in half. He jumped back just in time as the head fell and thudded with a splash into the water, spraying everyone with the chilling waters.
Just as groans and complaints were erupting from everyone, a root exploded from the ground followed by second and a third. Roots of all lengths and sizes came up like octopus legs and swung dangerously towards them. Rikku cried out and sliced one when it came too close to her and everyone ran back several yards to get just out of reachf from the swinging vine like arms and exchanged worried glances.
"Round two?" Tidus asked.
"This doesn't make sense." Auron murmured.
"What's wrong?" Yuna asked worriedly.
"It just feels like this fiend is far worse than the last one we fought."
"I think he's right!" Rikku wailed. Paine growled with frustration and cut down several roots. They immediately fell, darkened and withered up before a couple of Pyerflies floated into the air. There were still many more left though.
"Yuna, Rikku, you stay back." Auron instructed as one root lashed out at him and he quickly blocked it with his wrist guard. "Tidus, Paine, and I will handle this. Unfortunately, your shots won't help much here, Yuna."
"No problem!" Rikku exclaimed as she took several more steps back. "This is all yours."
"Yes, Sir Auron, I agree." Yuna added. "We will heal you all as you fight." That being said, the roots became angrier with the delay and lashed out harder and faster, striking Tidus and Paine so hard they were knocked off their feet and landed in the water on their backs several yards away.
Rikku and Yuna gasped and Auron charged forward, slicing the roots as he went. As they fell around him he headed for the base of the roots, planning on severing them all at once. Just as he was about to reach it, a thicker root came flying out of no where and wrapped itself around his wrist all the way up to his elbow and squeezed.
Auron cried out with surprise and pain as his fingers unwillingly loosened on his sword and it landed in the water with a splash. Immediately, another root lashed out and grabbed his other arm and yanked him up into the air. He grunted with surprise, his stomach lurching from the sudden momentum.
"Auron!" Everyone shouted with open mouths and wide eyes.
"What do we do?" Rikku asked, but just as the words left her mouth, Tidus was running forward with Paine right behind him. As he slashed and cut at the on coming roots, Paine cut down the ones that came from behind.
Yuna immediately whipped out her guns when Rikku grabbed her wrist. "Wait!" She exclaimed. "You might hit one of them." Yuna's finger loosened on the trigger, a look of uncertainty and helplessness on her face.
"But we have to do something!" Yuna cried out as she dropped her hands. Rikku bit her lip nervously as she looked from Auron to Yuna. Tidus was nearing the roots that held Auron up and Paine was beginning to wear out. Several times a root had caught her arm or leg and she had to desperately fight it off with her sword or a fire spell.
"Wait..." Yuna said softly to herself."
"What?" Rikku asked hopefully.
"Follow me!" She ran around to the other side of the plant, away from the others as they continued to fight. As they ran, Auron suddenly cried out from above, a noise they had never heard come out of him before. Everyone stopped momentarily as they looked up and watched in horror as the roots began pulling at his arms. It intended to tear Auron apart.
"Auron!" Rikku shouted, tears brimming her eyes, but Yuna quickly pulled out her guns and began firing at the base of the plant.
"Tidus! Move!" She shouted. He did as he was told, running away from the base and whacking at a couple more roots before he finally reached one of the roots that held Auron. He sucked in a breath as he held his sword up high above his head then swung hard as he let out his breath with a loud cry of anger.
Auron shouted again in pain as he felt his shoulders popping loudly out of their joints. Looking down at Tidus he saw that the first cut hadn't been enough to bring the thick root down. Tidus immediately swung again and this time he chopped it in half and Auron felt the grip around his left arm loosening.
Suddenly, Paine was at Tidus's right and chopping down the last root that relentlessly held onto him. Meanwhile, Tidus stood beneath him as if ready to catch him when he fell. He doubted that was going to happen. He knew they would both end up sprawled out in the water and would probably end up with a few broken bones.
He heard Yuna shooting again and he watched as Rikku cheered her on and cut down any roots that tried to attack her from behind. Yuna held a look of concentration, her brow furrowed as she blinked with each shot that fired. She was going to take it down and save everyone.
Finally, Auron felt himself drop, his arms useless and throbbing with pain. He and Tidus landed in the water with a splash as the monstrous roots began falling one by one around them like rain, withering and splashing with the sound of Pyerflies following behind.
Tidus slowly rose and held Auron up out of the water, careful not to jostle his arms when he saw the pain on his face.
"Yuna, hurry!" He called out behind him and he heard the splashing of the two girls footsteps as they ran to his and Auron's side.
"Yevon that looks awful." Paine gasped as she sheathed her sword and sat down on a rock nearby, exhausted.
"Sir Auron?" Yuna's voice trembled as she touched his forehead gently. He finally opened his eyes and looked up at her, wincing.
"I'm alright, Yuna." She nodded and proceeded with healing his wounds before attempting to replace his shoulders back where they were suppose to be. It caused pain a great deal more, but he gritted his teeth and refused to show the agony he felt from it. He didn't want Yuna to think she was hurting him, though she was, but then he would have to listen to her apologize a hundred times before she eventually felt forgiven.
Finally, Yuna gave him a bottle of red liquid and he drank it gratefully. It numbed the pain in his arms and shoulders and soon he was standing again but he quickly sat back down on a nearby structure protruding from the water. Tidus retrieved his sword for him and laid it beside him before checking on Yuna to make sure she was alright too. I wish she had given that tonic to me before she relocated my shoulders.
"That element better be around here somewhere after all that." Rikku muttered, shivering from the cold. They were all shivering and soaking wet with both lake water and sweat. Thankfully, nobody had been as badly wounded as Auron had been and at least his hadn't been an open wound.
"Did you happen to see anything, Auron?" Tidus asked breathlessly. "Before that weirdo showed up?" Auron gave a snort before nodding at the spot where the fiend had projected itself out moments ago.
"Over there. Where it showed up. I saw something glinting in the light but I didn't get a good look at it." Tidus and Yuna sloshed over to the spot where he had indicated and bent over as they searched the waters. Rikku joined them and after a while Auron was beginning to think he had imagined it all and they would have to continue searching the ruins, or worse, they hadn't come to the right place after all.
And what about that fiend. All that dark oily liquid it spilled...the roots. Something is very wrong here. He thought.
"Could this be it?" Rikku suddenly asked and he looked up to find her holding up a small and short length of chain about the length of her pinky finger. Tidus frowned at it and Yuna tilted her head to one side, but Auron's eyes widened with recognition and he stood. In three strides he was standing before her.
Rikku looked up at him as she continued to hold it up between her thumb and forefinger, a brow raised. He met her eyes and nodded before looking back down at the chain and both painfully and slowly held his hand underneath it and she let it drop in his open palm.
"It's an element." Auron said softly as he rubbed it between his fingers.
"Umm..." Tidus began with confusion.
"Oh!" Yuna exclaimed as she clapped her hands excitedly. "The fall, two years ago! She must have lost a part of her chain mail skirt here."
"I guess..." Rikku said from beside Auron, not quite convinced.
"This is definitely hers." Auron said with confidence. It matched her skirt perfectly and it was the only thing that had been near the area where the plant fiend had showed up. It was too real to be a coincidence.
"Besides, the vision I had confirms it." He added before slipping the chain into a pocket on the inside of his jacket where he kept the other elements.
"Hey! That's right," Tidus began excitedly, "there were those chains all around you in the water, right?" Auron nodded and Yuna smiled. There was a splash and everyone turned as Paine joined them.
"If that's all and we're done here, I can call the ship back."
"Yes. We're through here." Yuna said with a smile.
~Rin~
Rin eventually made it to the Calm Lands and willed himself to stop at the Travel Agency there. He jumped off the Chocobo he had rented and pulled his bags off. Taking the reins, he led the giant bird to the fenced off area beside the Inn where three other ran about, cooing and chirping contently.
"Sir Rin!" He heard a female voice call from behind him. He spun around and when he recognized who it was he smiled.
"Zyhad! How are you?"
"I've been well." The young Al Bhed girl replied with a smile. :Not many travelers have come through but Pmyga and I have been holding it up well. What are you doing all the way out here? It's only the second week of the month. You're a bit early."
"Ah, yes, about that. I thought I would give Kelk Ronso a visit. Why don't we go inside." She smiled and nodded before picking up one of Rin's bags and headed inside.
"Let me get a room ready for you." Zyhad called over her shoulder as she made her way over to the desk. She grabbed a key off the board on the back wall then reached under the desk and pulled out a rolled up towel and washcloth and handed it to Rin. He took it and they both headed down the hall.
"Room F5. I'll make you something to eat too if you're hungry."
"Yes, thank you Zyhad. It's been a long day." He entered the room, taking the other bag from her, and sat his stuff down and turned to find Zyhad still standing there.
"Did the journey here not go as well as you had hoped?" She asked with concern.
"Well..." he began, but she interrupted him with a gasp. "You didn't run into any fiends did you?" He smiled.
"No. Everything was fine. I just haven't been sleeping well. So I'm rather tired."
"Shall I bring you your dinner here, then? Any wine or sake?"
"Yes, wine would be nice. Whatever you have in stock is fine." She smiled sweetly and nodded.
"Right. I won't be long!" She said cheerfully and left swiftly, leaving Rin to his bags. He sat down on the edge of the bed, sighed, and placed his head in his hands. He was exhausted. It was true, he hadn't been sleeping well all week, but he had also avoided falling asleep last night and now it was catching up with him.
He hoped to drink enough wine to drown out all the dreams and nightmares. He hoped to sleep long and peacefully. He couldn't go anther night without restful sleep. I hope Kelk will know what to do. He hoped to find answers if anything. He didn't think he could stand to touch another person and find himself staring at a blank faced man, woman, or child and be left with that horrible, icy feeling.
Taking note that he hadn't touched Zyhad yet, he made a mental note not to do so in case it happened to her as well. For all he knew, something bad was happening to those who touched him too. Perhaps they felt that same cold feeling like he did only something worse was going on inside them.
After using the bathroom and washing his face with cold water he went back into the room and found Zyhad setting down a tray of hot food and a wine bottle with a glass on the long table that sat up against the wall behind the door.
"Ah, thank you again, Zyhad."
"Oh, it was no problem...Rin." She said his name without the "sir" but he didn't seem to notice as he sat down and poured himself a tall glass of the wine.
"Well...if you need anything else just call for me. I'll help you with anything you need." She said with a gentle smile, lingering a moment longer before disappearing back out in the hallway. Rin began to eat and sip at his wine, sighing afterwards. He was used to Zyhad's behavior, he had long sensed her admiration of him months ago. He pushed it from his mind and before long he had downed two full glassed and was working on another.
If I have to, I will get myself drunk. I refuse to have another one of those awful nightmares. He thought. Once he had finished his dinner he poured a little more into his glass and walked over to the window to watch the Chocobos. They had been fed and were snuggling down for the night, resting their heads on one another and keeping close so as to keep warm.
The nights were always chilly in the Calm Lands. Rin shivered a little and thought about Home, back where it was warmer. He liked the heat, the sun, and the sand. But that was all gone now.
"Oh, are you finished with your dinner already?" Zyhad suddenly said from the doorway. Rin looked up, surprised.
"Sorry!" She exclaimed, her face flushing. "I didn't mean to startle you, I was just passing by and thought I would check on you."
"No, it's alright. Yes, I am done, thank you it was wonderful and very filling." She blushed lightly as she took the tray from the table.
"Thank you, Rin. Shall I leave the wine here for now?" He looked back at her and nodded.
"Yes...I think I'll have another glass or two before I go to bed."
"I see..." She said thoughtfully, then headed out of the room without another word but Rin caught her smiling just before she had turned to leave. What's she up to?