Golbez weighed Damcyan's crystal in his hand with a small smile. The Red Wings had returned to Baron now and Golbez was in his quarters with Kain, who hardly ever left his side due to the spell cast over him. The dragoon sat in a chair by the window, buffing a little rust off his armour and occasionally blowing on it to rid it of dust. They had only just got back and his heart was still hammering, but he was also very pleased with himself for succeeding in his mission.
Golbez picked up on his thoughts and chuckled. "Yes, Kain. You did well."
Kain looked up, blinking. "Thank you, Lord Golbez."
"Your plan went exactly as you wanted."
"Yes."
"And now we have the second crystal in our possession." Golbez lay the crystal aside and beckoned Kain over with a tiny gesture of his finger. Kain got up obediently and crossed the room to where Golbez sat on the bed. Even sat down, Golbez was taller than Kain; the dragoon found it a little unnerving. "Do you remember what I said, back on the airship?" Golbez's voice was smooth and sultry as he ran his hands through Kain's hair. Kain nodded stiffly, then remembered himself and said hurriedly, "Yes, m'lord. I would…if I was good…"
"That's right." Golbez's hands left Kain's hair and ran down his armoured chest, to meet with his hips. He pulled Kain down into his lap so the dragoon straddled him, and brought him in for a rough kiss. This time, Kain responded, hesitantly placing his hands on his master's broad shoulders and tilting his head to the side ever so slightly. He might have been possessed, but he still knew how to kiss. And it's business, nothing more, he thought. It's Rosa I want.
Golbez pulled away and smirked. "Look at that," he murmured, "you have control over me. You could do anything you wanted right now. And…would you?"
Kain didn't know how to answer this. Here he was, sat on the lap of a man at least a foot taller than him, gazing into his blue eyes in wonder…he was a little aroused by the situation, but words failed him at present. Golbez laughed softly at Kain's mixed jumble of thoughts. "You don't know, do you? Do you think it betrays Rosa?"
"I…possibly."
"Well, as you thought before, it's strictly business, nothing more. Everyone needs a little…relief every now and then." Kain gasped, feeling hot breaths on his neck. A wet tongue slipped out and ran up the sensitive flesh, tasting it. Kain shivered and clung to Golbez, whimpering softly. Golbez could feel himself growing hard from the erotic noises Kain made in his ear, and silently cursed his armour. He was in no way attracted to Kain- he was good looking, he'd give him that- but he was very easily manipulated and put up no resistance. What harm could a little fun do? Golbez continued to abuse Kain's neck, clamping down with sharp teeth and sucking as if he wanted to drink the dragoon's blood. Kain let out a high-pitched whine of desire and instinctively bucked against his master. Golbez's ministrations were painful but pleasurable, and Kain winced as his erection strained against the confines of his armour. Golbez seemed to pick up on the mutual arousal, but pulled away and smirked at the large, possessive love bite he had left blooming across Kain's neck. The dragoon's lips were parted as he panted for air, his eyes half lidded. "You've been good," Golbez said, "but not good enough yet. I know Cecil was not at Damcyan when the bombs dropped, so…when the time comes, you may kill him, and I will reward you accordingly."
"L-Lord Golbez…" Kain whispered. "I thank you. You're too kind."
Golbez chuckled softly. "Return to your seat, Kain. We have much to plan."
*...~...*
Rydia clung to Cecil's hand nervously. She wasn't a fan of the dark, and the Antlion's Den was just that. She had reassured herself by coming across an item Edward said was called an Emergency Exit, and it would take them to the exit when they needed it. They had been in the caverns for a few hours now, and the party were starting to tire, Edward more than anyone. He was not used to battle and often dodged attacks rather than retaliated. Cecil soldiered on as best he could, though Rydia noticed he was drooping a little. "Should we rest?" she asked him.
Cecil looked down in mild surprise. "Are you tired?"
"Not really, but you seem to be."
"I can manage a while longer, have no fear." He called out to Edward, who was walking a few paces ahead (he knew the way), "Edward! Do you need to rest?"
Edward shook his head. "I'm weary, but your friend is much more important than fatigue. We must press on."
"Yes…you're right."
"Besides, the Antlion's nest is near. We'll only be here a while longer."
"Phew!" Rydia said, smiling. "I don't really like it here."
"You've been strong so far," Cecil told her. "I'm quite proud of what you've achieved."
"Thank you!" she beamed. She then frowned. "Hey, where did Edward go?"
"I'm over here!" Edward called from down below; he had clambered down into a circular pit of sand. Rydia grimaced as she peered over the side. "I don't like being up high..." she muttered.
"Stay there," Cecil said, then jumped into the pit and held out his arms for Rydia to jump. She did so with a little squeal, but Cecil caught her and set her down gently. "There we go."
"Th-Thanks." She rubbed a little sand out of her eyes, then looked round the pit of orange-red. "Look!" She pointed to the centre, where a large shimmering orb sat. "Is that the Sand Pearl?"
Edward nodded. "It is produced when the Antlion lays its eggs." He approached the Pearl and reached out a hand towards it. Almost immediately, a pair of sharp pincers emerged from the sand and Rydia screamed, but Edward, in a rare display of bravery, merely chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "It's tame."
He touched the Pearl; this time the pincers snapped, almost ripping off Edward's arm, and he jumped back with a yell of fright. "Edward!" Cecil gasped, pulling him away. The prince could only gape as the Antlion clawed its way up to the surface and clicked its jaws threateningly. "I don't understand…" he murmured.
"No time for that!" Cecil drew his sword. "We must defeat it!"
Edward let out an involuntary groan, but pulled out his harp while Rydia bounced backwards and readied her spells.
It turned out Rydia was the most effective; her spells seemed to confuse the Antlion enough to let the men attack without fear of a counterattack. Every time they struck without Rydia to back them up, a flurry of needles sent them scurrying back. The feral beast was determined to protect its nest at all costs and would stop at nothing to kill the intruders. It made quick work of Edward, knocking him out with a swipe of claws. He tumbled to the ground, leaving Cecil and Rydia to converge around him in an effort to attack and defend while reviving the injured prince. Cecil tossed Rydia a Phoenix Down and she pressed it into Edward's hand; a moment or so later he opened his eyes and was back on his feet. "Nice work!" Cecil called, then yelped as pincers clamped down on his arm. He kicked out at the beast and cleaved a deep, bloody wound on the top of its head with his sword. The Antlion dropped Cecil and howled in pain. "Shit," Cecil cursed; his left gauntlets had been crushed by the pincers and moving his arm was painful. Edward tossed him a Potion just as a Summoned chocobo scurried past them and clawed at the flailing Antlion. In the end it was Rydia who delivered the final blow with a rapid-fire Blizzard spell. She poked the slumped Antlion curiously. "Did I…did I do it?" she asked herself. Cecil came up behind her and chuckled.
"You did a great job. Now, the Pearl…"
A shaken looking Edward picked up the gem and inspected it. "Why did it attack?" he murmured.
"Monsters have been acting strangely recently," Cecil offered. "We had to fight our way past an enormous octopus before we could reach Damcyan."
"Distressing words indeed…but we should leave now. Rydia, the Emergency Exit?"
"I've got it!" She pulled it out from her pouch and threw it in the air; it released a burst of light that engulfed them, blinding them, but when they blinked, they were outside and the hovercraft was parked a few feet away. "Cool!" Rydia giggled, running towards the craft. Edward smiled shyly and passed the Sand Pearl over to Cecil. "Here…you should be the one to give it to Rosa."
And indeed, he did. They hurried to Kaipo as fast as they could, only stopping for a few hours sleep in Cecil's tent. Cecil rapped on the door of the elderly couple's house and it was opened almost immediately by the old woman. Cecil pushed up his visor and showed her the Sand Pearl. She smiled warmly. "Ah, we're glad you came back," she said, letting the party in. "We didn't think she'd last much longer." Cecil sat down on the chair beside Rosa's bed, looking troubled; the young girl's brow dripped sweat and she muttered frantically under her breath. Edward stood at the end of the bed, watching silently; Rydia moved to stand beside Cecil, who held out the Pearl towards Rosa. It began to glow with a ruddy pink light, bathing the feverish Rosa in it. Cecil bit his lip, watching carefully for any signs of improvement. Come on, Rosa…you're going to be alright, I know it!
After what seemed an eternity, Rosa's eyes fluttered open and she gazed around, confused. Cecil's face split into a wide grin. "Rosa!"
"C-Cecil?" Rosa's blue gaze fell on her unrequited love. She smiled gently. "I'm so glad you're okay…"
"Rosa, what happened?" Cecil reached out and squeezed her hand. "Why did you follow me?"
She sighed. "I grew worried when you didn't return, and what with the King acting strangely, and Golbez coming into the picture- have you heard about Golbez?"
"Yes. I'll explain how later. Carry on."
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright, so I set out to find you. I found that Mist had become secluded from everywhere else and had to climb over the mountains, then once I got into the desert I got lost…hence the fever." Her eyes slid shut and her chest rose and fell erratically. "But now…you're here. I'm so glad…"
Cecil grimaced. She was in no condition to be told that he didn't feel the same way about her. Rosa opened her eyes again and this time she noticed Rydia and Edward. "Who are your friends, Cecil?"
Rydia scampered up to the bed and smiled. "I'm Rydia! Cecil rescued me from soldiers!"
"Nice to meet you, Rydia."
"She's a Summoner from Mist," Cecil explained. "After the incident there, Kain and I were separated. I had to take her with me."
"Kain's gone?" she gasped. "Oh, no…"
"He'll be fine," Cecil said quickly, then changed the subject back to his party. "And this young man here is Edward, the prince of Damcyan. He's suffered losses of his own."
Edward inclined his head. "A pleasure to meet you, Rosa. Damcyan was attacked by the Red Wings and our crystal stolen in the process…"
"Oh…" Rosa sat up, her face sympathetic. "I'm sorry." She turned to Cecil. "I must accompany you, now I'm awake-" A sudden stream of hacking coughs stopped her mid-sentence and she rubbed her chest with a pained expression. Cecil shook his head and gently laid her back on the bed. "No, Rosa," he said firmly. "You're in no state."
"I'll be fine," she promised. "As a white mage…I promise I won't be a burden."
