Vice-à-Vis

Chapter 8: A Ruff Start

A dark figure watched the events aboard the massive airship unfold in a tall mirror before it. Staying as still as a statue, it continued gazing at the mirror, fixated on a figure swimming towards the shore of a lake as they carried a young woman on their back.

"You're a resilient one," mumbled the figure. A mist slowly expelled itself from inside of the black hood as he talked. The images on the mirror slowly faded away until it went black.

The hooded figure turned away from the mirror and floated down some steps towards the heart of the giant, dark room he was in. A dark mist emanated beneath the floating figure, curling into thin streams before dissipating. Dim purple orbs floated throughout the room, pulsing slightly as they gave off what light they had. Slowly, like a wraith, he ghosted his way over to four large purple crystals. He stared at them idly.

"It's surprising for one with no magical talent, that he has survived so far," he mused quietly. "But no matter. He will soon succumb to the darkness, like all the others before him." He watched as the crystals spun before him, reflecting what little light there was in the room.

As the crystals rotated, shapes of people appeared within them. The first one had the woman with the green hair, the second had a large man in a toga, and the third contained a woman with a feathery dress. He turned his head to look at the last crystal as the person within it came into view. It was a young man with dark blue hair and princely clothing. They looked as if they could have been sleeping. The black figure chuckled darkly and swept his cloak about him, dark mist blowing out of his hood as he laughed.

"It's only a matter of time, Shepherd of Souls."


"Swaaiinnne…Swaaiinnne…"

His name echoed strangely as Swaine slowly came too. He blinked as fuzzy shapes started to form before his eyes, until definite features began to appear. Esther was staring at him from above, her blue eyes gleaming with concern as her long bangs dangled above him. She was shaking him by his shoulders.

"Ugh…my back," groaned Swaine as he slowly sat up on the ground. Gingerly he massaged his back, trying to ease the ache. He noticed he felt rather damp.

"Oh! Good, you're awake." Esther breathed a sigh of relief. She was sitting beside him on her knees with her hands clasped together in front of her. Her hair was slightly damp, as were her clothes, but they still appeared drier than his. He looked over at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm a bit damp, but I'm alive at least." She plucked at her clothing, unsticking it from her skin.

Slowly he stood up, and arched his back, grunting slightly as pain shot through his spine. Esther jumped up and took a step towards him.

"You're hurt Swaine," she muttered. He watched as she brought out her harp and began to strum it. The music was pleasant and he could feel the tension and pain melt away as she played. The song ended, but the effects could be felt. His back no longer was bothering him.

"Thanks Esther," he said gratefully. Esther put her harp back in a small bag that hung at her waist. She nodded. Swaine looked around, trying to figure out where they were.

The thick fog surrounded them, making visibility very poor. All he could make out was that they were at the edge of the lake he had seen from the side of the airship. He could hear the crashing water of the waterfall from across the lake as it slammed itself into the lake.

"Where do you think we are?" asked Esther. Her voice was quiet as she too looked about them. Swaine tilted his head slightly and brought a hand up to his chin to think.

"From what I remember Kublai telling me, we are…somewhere east of Ding Dong Dell, in the Northern Summerlands." He looked up and caught Esther's eyes. "I'm sure you remember, but there was some kind being that lived in a forest near this area. Oliver used to take us to it for stories and other things." Esther thought a moment then slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I remember. It was a…tree." She furrowed her brow. "Um…I think its name was Old Father Oak." Her eyes lit up slightly as she gazed back at Swaine. "You think maybe, he can help us?" Swaine shrugged.

"It's a possibility. He's supposed to be full of wisdom and all that, right? And since no one else seems to know what's going on, I'd bet my pistol he can help us, since Oliver ain't here." Esther was a quiet a moment then nodded.

"You know, that actually makes sense." She smirked at Swaine. "Huh, looks like all these years of sitting down and thinking has actually made you smarter." Swaine's mouth turned into a frown and he raised his eyebrow.

"Oh? Actually I've always been rather savvy. You have just never noticed it." He crossed his arms. Esther rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, ok whatever." She glanced around them and noticed a river winding away from them. She pointed at the river.

"Looks like that river will lead us out of here. Why don't we follow it for a bit?"

Swaine just nodded. He took a couple of steps forward past her then suddenly stopped in his tracks. He whirled around to face Esther. Suddenly he made a ridiculously flourished bow to her and extended his arm, gesturing her to go before him. A large goofy smile plastered itself on his face, as his dark eyes glinted into hers.

"Oh, where are my manners? You first, princess." Esther rolled her eyes as she walked past him, not before pausing to lightly shove him.

He just snickered under his breath and watched her walk past him. He quickly tugged on his coat and ran a hand through his hair. His clothes were almost dried and his hair had regained its former poof. This…is going to be an interesting journey, he thought to himself, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips as he jogged after Esther to catch up to her.

The river soon came to a bend and the fog seemed lighter in the area. The sun was trying desperately to penetrate the haze. Large rocks and outcrops appeared everywhere. Esther suggested they stop there for a bit to rest, and Swaine readily agreed. Esther daintily plopped herself on a flat rock and began to rummage in her bag as Swaine looked on.

"What's in the bag?" he asked. Esther continued to search in the bag as she answered.

"Not much, a few sandwiches, a couple of iced coffees, and one bushel of babanas. I'm surprised the sandwiches are still good after being in the water." She nibbled on her bottom lip, worry in her eyes. She glanced up at Swaine. "Hopefully we run across some supplies, cause it doesn't look good." Swaine sighed.

"Great. It's always good to hear that we might starve out here." Esther placed her hands on her hips as she sat on the rock.

"Hey, it could be worse, you know." Swaine snorted.

"Yeah I know it can be. And you know what, it probably will be. Look around us Esther," Swaine swept his arm across the dim, hazy landscape around them, "we are somewhere in the wilderness, with barely any food, we can't go to Ding Dong Dell because of some blasted black mist, and too top it off," his eyes shifted back and forth, "there are probably monsters everywhere down here. You don't need to tell me it could be worse." Esther was silent.

Suddenly the sound of growling appeared behind Swaine. And there we go, it got worse. Slowly he turned around to see what was behind him. Out of the mist, emerged a black furry shape. It was rather small with a black body and a dark grey mane. Small sharp fangs protruded from its lips as drool dripped to the ground. It approached them slowly, gleaming half lidded red eyes stared at them. A loud growl came from the dog- like creature as it stared at them menacingly. Esther slowly scooted off of the rock and stood next to Swaine, who was slowly pulling out his pistol and cocking it.

"It's a Ruffian," whispered Esther, her eyes had a hint of confusion mixed with fear. "But…what's wrong with it? It's black and something is wrong with its eyes." The Ruffian continued taking steps towards them; Swaine stood before Esther protectively.

"We can figure that out later. I don't think this puppy wants to play nice," muttered Swaine as he watched the creature approach.

Suddenly the Ruffian let out a loud howl, which knocked Esther and Swaine down to the ground. Esther groaned in pain as her back slammed into the rock behind her.

"Damn! I forgot they could do that," growled Swaine angrily as he stood up from the attack. Esther stood as well, wielding her harp in her hands.

He quickly brought up his pistol and fired off a couple of shots at the Ruffian. The little dog-like creature yelped in pain but quickly shook it off and rushed towards Swaine. He nimbly sidestepped the beast and quickly spun around and shot a couple more shots at its behind. The black Ruffian howled in pain and tumbled to the ground. It slowly got back on its feet and stared angrily at Swaine, drool frothing at its lips and splattering against the ground.

"Swaine! Let me handle this!" Swaine glanced over at Esther. She began to sing and strum her harp, the notes echoing strangely in the fog. Swaine watched, as the black beast seemed to shake off the music. Instead it's growling became louder and it focused it's attention on the songstress.

"Uh Esther, it doesn't look like it liked your performance," said Swaine. Esther stopped playing, confusion plainly showing on her face.

"But, but Serenade usually always works. How…?" The Ruffian suddenly crouched.

"Ask questions later! Defend!" Swaine and Esther quickly put their arms up and braced themselves just as the Ruffian let out another earsplitting howl.

This time the move didn't knock them down. The Ruffian rushed towards Esther and tried biting her anywhere it could reach. Esther screamed in pain as the beast clamped down on her bare calf.

"Hey! Get off of her you mangy mutt!" Swaine focused on the Ruffian and saw a slight wound on the side of the animal. He quickly spun and let off a slug straight into the wound. The Ruffian howled in pain and let go of Esther who took that moment to hobble as far away from the beast as possible.

The beast appeared to be on its last legs, but it wasn't going to go down without a fight. It turned its attention back onto Swaine, growling fiercely. Swaine quickly inserted another slug, and cocked his pistol as he stared back into the Ruffian's red eyes.

"Come on then. Come get me. You think you can pounce on me too?" He aimed at the Ruffian, his arm steady, waiting for the Ruffian to make a move.

The beast barked sharply then rushed headlong towards Swaine, teeth bared. Esther gasped as the Ruffian launched itself into the air, aiming for Swaine's face with its mouth wide open.

At the last moment Swaine fired, the slug barreling itself through the Ruffian's mouth and exiting out of the back of its head. The black beast dropped to the ground, motionless. Smoke curled itself out of the barrel of Swaine's pistol. Coolly he blew it away as he stared at the corpse of the Ruffian at his feet. All of a sudden the body of the Ruffian shimmered brightly, then exploded into millions of small twinkling lights and smoke. They slowly faded away, leaving nothing of the Ruffian behind. Swaine turned his head and saw Esther sitting against the rock holding her leg.

"Are you ok?" He walked over to where she sat. She was breathing heavily and he could see she was in a lot of pain.

"Well, I've certainly had better." She muttered through clenched teeth. She moved her hand away from her calf and Swaine sucked in a sharp breath.

The bite wound looked terrible. The teeth had broken the skin and green slime covered the wound. The skin around it was black and blue and looked sickly. Swaine looked up at Esther's face, worry creasing his forehead.

"That looks like it's a nasty one. Can you stand?" He extended his hand to her. She looked up at him.

"I think I can." Slowly, using the rock as a support, she cautiously stood up. She let out a small gasp as she tried putting weight on her wounded leg.

"Hey careful." Swaine carefully propped her up, trying to shift her weight so he could easily support her. "Let's go to the edge of the river so you can clean that up." Esther just whimpered slightly as they made their way over to the river's edge.

She took off her pink slipper before dipping her sore calf into the cool waters of the river. She could feel the sting and pain dulling rapidly as she soaked her wounded leg. Carefully she rubbed the wound, cleaning it the best she could. Swaine stood close by, keeping his eyes and ears on their surroundings. He couldn't help though but get wrapped up in his thoughts.

That wound looks pretty bad. Hopefully she can heal it. We certainly don't need this journey to get even rougher. He sighed as his gaze wandered back over to Esther. Poor girl. First she gets knocked around like a toy, then loses her father, nearly loses me, and now this. I don't know how she still is able to continue on. She's certainly something else. He couldn't help but feel a slight admiration for the blonde haired girl. She is tough as nails that's for sure, but I'm pretty sure underneath all that…she must be pretty scared. Heck, I'm older, and I'm scared.

He watched as Esther pulled out her harp and played a short melody. The wound magically patched itself and the bruising disappeared, leaving behind newly healed flesh in its place. Putting on her slipper, she tenderly put some weight on her foot, testing it out. She took a couple of steps, a small smile on her face. She put away her harp and approached Swaine.

"Looks like you can walk again." Swaine said, watching her face closely for any signs of pain. Esther nodded, a relieved look on her face.

"I was pretty lucky. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't cleaned up my leg, it would have gotten infected. It's still a bit sore, but it's not too bad. I can walk at least."

"Good. I'm sure you're ready to get the heck out of here." Esther nodded and breathed a sigh.

"You don't have to tell me twice. Let's go."

There was a small rundown path that lead from the river and up the side of a cliff. Esther and Swaine made their way up the winding path slowly. As they walked up the path, Esther's thoughts bounced in her head as she continued forward.

Ugh my leg still hurts a bit. This climb isn't helping at all. She shook her head trying to clear her mind. But I have to persevere. I can't let everyone down. She thought of Marcassin, Khulan, and her father. Her blue eyes had a shadow of sadness cross through them. Father, I wish you were here. I miss you. I pray you are alright and safe. As she continued to climb, lost in her thoughts, she missed Swaine's words of warning.

"Be careful up here. The rocks are rather loose." As he spoke, a few small stones dislodged themselves and tumbled away, falling over the edge of the path and down the side of the cliff.

And here I am, in the middle of nowhere, stuck with Swaine of all people. She furrowed her brow slightly. Well, it isn't too bad. He's actually been pretty nice to me. His continuous complaints and worrying are annoying but otherwise…Oh!

Esther let out a small gasp of shock as some of the rocks dislodged under her feet, causing her to trip forward. She could see herself face first in the rough, rocky ground when suddenly strong arms caught her, burying her face in a soft cloth.

"Sheesh Esther. I told you to be careful." A gruff voice scolded her from slightly above her head. "Honestly, I have no idea how you've been able to get along without me."

Esther looked up to find herself buried in the chest of Swaine. His arms were tightly wound around her, keeping her close. His brown eyes twinkled with humor as he smirked at her clumsiness. Esther couldn't help but get the scent of mustiness and earth from his clothing as she gripped his orange shirt, which was not at all unpleasant. A blush instantly appeared on her cheeks and she untangled herself from the embrace.

"I'm not usually this clumsy. I just didn't realize the rocks were so loose." She muttered sullenly, she readjusted her top and skirt in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Swaine raised his eyebrow.

"Well come on then. We're almost at the top. It looks like it evens out."

They continued up the path, Swaine keeping close to Esther in case she fell again. The rocks turned into smooth hard ground as the cliffside disappeared and trees took its place on the landscape. The fog was still thick however, making it tough to see very far ahead.

Swaine observed Esther as they walked along the beaten road. The girl seemed pretty winded and he could tell she was favoring a leg over the other. We should probably rest again pretty soon.

He suddenly spotted a large stump on the side of the road, the perfect place for a quick stop. He stopped Esther from continuing.

"Esther look. Maybe we can take a break over there. You can sit down for a bit." As he said the last statement, he pointedly looked at her hurt leg. Esther gazed at the stump with uncertainty.

"But we have to make it to the forest before dark. I don't want to be stuck out in the open like this."

"Esther, we'll be in the wilderness no matter what, whether its in this foggy landscape or the forest. Don't tell me that these last few years of sleeping in a nice comfy bed has made you spoiled," he teased. Esther's face transformed into a pout as she defended herself.

"No! Of course not! But you can't say that it isn't better than this." She had him there.

"Well regardless, lets take a break real quick." He turned away from her and headed towards the stump, Esther sighed and walked as quickly as she could towards the spot.

Esther plopped herself on the stump and grimaced slightly. The stump was hard, but also a tad damp. Well it's better than nothing, she told herself. Swaine was staring down the path, as if he was looking for something. He turned to her.

"I'm gonna go scout ahead a bit. I want to see if we're getting close." He started taking a few steps in the direction when Esther tried standing up.

"Oh no you're not. Stay right here. If you leave me…" her voice trailed off in her warning as she glowered at the thin, lanky man.

"Don't worry Esther. It doesn't look like there's anything here. You'll be fine." He walked over to where she was and lightly pushed her back onto the stump. "You just take it easy right here, ok? I'll be back before you know it." He winked at her and flashed her his trademark smirk before turning away and heading up the path. She crossed her arms and legs and pouted on the stump as she watched his form slowly disappear into the fog.

"Humph, you better Swaine."


Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have left her alone like that. It's not exactly safe out here isn't it?

Swaine nibbled on his bottom lip uncertainly as he followed the dirt road, his hand straying to the base of his gun as his eyes shifted about while he walked through the dense fog.

Maybe I should turn back? Ah but then, I would have to return empty-handed, can't be doing that now, can we?

He continued on his way through the haze. The path rose slightly and he found he was under the shadow of a large plateau suspended in the air by a far smaller column of stone. He paused a moment to marvel at the sight.

My, that is something isn't it? I can't imagine what it'd be like if that thing came crashing down. He blinked a moment as a memory resurfaced. I remember this place! He looked ahead and squinted into the fog. Say, I wonder if that's the forest?

Just ahead of him, up the path, he could just make out the shapes of huge trees in the distance. The trees were far different than the ones he had seen previously. They were larger and broader, casting their shadows over the smaller trees around them. Swaine smiled in relief.

"Yes! It is! I better head back and let Esther know we're pretty close." He turned around and started walking back down the path to where he came.


Esther sat on the stump, her mouth formed into a thin frown on her face. She drummed her fingers on her arm as she looked about, waiting for her companion to reappear in the fog.

"God where is he? I swear, what did he do? Go all the way to Castaway Cove?" She huffed slightly in annoyance, her patience wearing thin.

As she sat on the stump, she was unaware of several sets of gleaming eyes watching her every move. She smoothed out her skirt, picking off bits and pieces of leaves and dirt.

"I don't even know why I tolerate his behavior. First he treats me like a child, and then he just leaves me here on this godforsaken stump! The nerve!" Her voice rose slightly as her anger began to peak. She didn't notice as a small group of creatures began to slowly approach her.

"I mean, my God, is it too much to ask for someone to be civil and gentlemanly for once? Especially him? I could've gone too, I wasn't in that much pain." All of a sudden she heard growling from all around her.

Esther gasped as she looked up and saw three snarling, black Ruffians, similar to the one that had attacked earlier, approaching her. She slowly scooted onto the stump and stood up, holding her harp tightly as she looked around from beast to beast. She was totally surrounded, and with how her calf felt, she wasn't going to be able to run from this fight. Her blue eyes betrayed the fear she felt within her and she sighed sorrowfully.

Where are you Swaine?


Swaine picked up his pace slightly, jogging down the incline back to where he left Esther. Something didn't feel right; he had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind as he made his way back. Abruptly a piercing scream echoed out of the fog just in front of him.

Esther! He swore under his breath and ran towards the scream. Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have left her alone! He pulled out his gun and skidded to a halt before the stump, kicking up dust, as his trench coat flew about him. His mouth opened in shock at the scene before him.

Esther was standing on top of the stump, her familiar Gogo desperately trying to fend off three black Ruffians. He watched momentarily as the poor familiar tried smacking one on the nose with its staff, but to no avail. The black beasts congregated closer and closer to the distraught girl.

Swaine whistled, making all heads turn to him. "Oi! Think you lot can just gang up on a girl, eh? How about you try that on me?"

One of the Ruffians barked sharply then charged at him like a black, furry rocket. Swaine quickly brought up his pistol and shot it straight in the face. It howled in pain and stumbled to the ground, but it quickly stood up and glowered at tall man.

Esther ordered Gogo to use an electrical attack on one of the attacking Ruffians still around her. The air felt like static and a sudden lightning bolt shot out of the sky and zapped one of the black Ruffians. It yelped and stood still, paralyzed from the attack.

One of the Ruffians also broke away from the stump and began slowly pacing between Swaine's battle and Esther, watching the fights as it growled menacingly.

Swaine fired off a couple more shots at his Ruffian, but both missed as the little canine quickly dodged his attack. Swaine sneered at the beast.

"So you think you're quick? Try this on for size then! Come on boy! Show'em what you got!"

A bright green orb suddenly appeared from his chest and dropped to the ground. A big, blue, burly, muscular looking creature appeared within it and it hopped up and down, pounding its chest. It wore a small, yellow, single spiked hat, similar to a Viking hat with yellow hair sticking out at the sides. It flexed its muscles dauntingly at the Ruffian. Swaine cheered on his familiar as he jabbed at the air.

"Alright Gunther! Show this rotter what for!"

The two creatures circled each other, watching the other's movements. Suddenly the Ruffian howled and charged headlong at Swaine's familiar. The burly familiar grabbed the Ruffian and roughly threw it to the ground. Gunther punched the Ruffian a few times before the beast could move away. The Ruffian looked worse for wear, but it didn't give up. It tried charging once more at Gunther, slobber flying as it rushed towards the hulking familiar. Gunther wound up his fist and punched the Ruffian square in the jaw, sending the little dog-like creature flying. It hit the ground and bounced a few feet before coming to a halt. The beast exploded into a bunch of little lights and smoke. Swaine cheered.

"Yeah that's it! Great job Gunther! You showed him not to mess around with a Hurlabaloo!" The Hurlabaloo growled happily and pounded on its chest.

Meanwhile, the Ruffian Esther had zapped had been able to free itself from its paralyzed state. It growled angrily at her and Gogo. Esther breathed deeply and focused.

Come on Esther! You're a familiar tamer for goodness sake. They're just familiars, just…different slightly. She pointed at the snarling black Ruffian, determination gleaming in her eyes.

"Gogo use Water Bomb!"

The penguin like familiar squawked and began creating a huge water bubble out of thin air. With a cry, it tossed it at the Ruffian, exploding on impact. The Ruffian let out a cry as it tumbled backwards before finally becoming still. It exploded in a puff of smoke and sparks. Esther cheered.

"Great work Gogo!"

Her familiar squawked happily but then the last of the gang of black Ruffians charged at the celebrating familiar. It head butted Gogo, sending the poor familiar flying into the air. Esther gasped.

"Gogo, return!"

Her familiar warped back to her chest. She felt tired and worn out and she could feel that Gogo's energy was very low. She slouched towards the ground, panting as she tried to remain standing. She touched the spot where her familiar had entered back into her body. I need to heal.

There was a loud growling coming from in front of her. Looking up, she saw the last of the Ruffians just before her; crouched and baring its white fangs at her. She stared into its red eyes and she could see the hate and anger within them. Fear paralyzed her, and she felt helpless as the Ruffian launched itself towards her. She closed her eyes waiting for the Ruffian's jaws to clamp down on her.

BANG!

The Ruffian suddenly dropped out of the air and skidded to halt at her feet. It exploded into orbs of light and smoke. She opened her eyes and saw Swaine standing a short distance away, his pistol still smoking as he aimed at the spot where the Ruffian had just been. Slowly she stood up straight and breathed out a sigh of relief. Swaine pocketed his pistol and rushed over to her.

"Esther, are you alri…OW!" Swaine yelled out as her hand smacked him across the face, leaving a bright red handprint on his cheek. He instantly brought a hand up to his face and rubbed at his stung cheek, grimacing in pain as he backed away from her slightly. He cracked open an eye and glared at the blonde girl.

"What the hell was that for? I just saved your neck!" Esther planted a fist at her side as she jabbed a finger at his chest.

"Don't. Ever. Leave. Me. Alone. Again." Her tone was dangerous and she had a very dark look on her face. Swaine could see she was very angry, however the slap had triggered his anger as well.

"I came back didn't I? Damn, that smarts!" Swaine continued rubbing at his cheek as he glowered at the young girl. Esther humphed and crossed her arms.

"Well that's what you get for leaving me. I was attacked by three of those monsters! What if you hadn't shown up when you did Swaine? I could've been dog meat!" Esther tapped her foot against the ground. Swaine glanced away from her.

"Yeah…well…I showed up didn't I?" grumbled Swaine. He turned his back to her, though she could see he was abashed. She heard him mutter a few curse words and other unsavory things, before finally he said quietly, "Sorry." Esther pursed her lips.

"I guess I'll take that as an apology. It's probably as good as I'm going to get." She twitched her nose slightly. "Well I hope you discovered something good to have been worth all this trouble."

He turned back to look at her. He noted that her hair was slightly frizzy now, though it still remained tied in its ponytail. The heat on his cheek was beginning to dull, leaving a slightly warm sensation instead, though he knew if he touched it just right, it would probably hurt. He stared into her ocean blue eyes, currently calm despite having just been raging like a storm a minute prior. He sighed wearily and pointed up the path.

"Just ahead is the forest. I'm pretty sure it's the place, there are huge trees and I remember we passed by plateaus before." Esther nodded.

"Well I'm glad to hear your excursion was a success. Let's go then!" She brusquely walked by Swaine as he stared at her. Swaine shook his head and sighed. I hope all this trouble is worth it.

"Swaine! Come on!"

Swaine caught sight of her a bit ahead of him. He casually walked towards the girl as she waited for him on the path.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, keep your hair on!" He chuckled to himself as he heard her reprimand him.