Chapter 11 – Treasure Hunting

"Nono, I need you to fix the airship. Get this old girl ready to fly by the time we return."

"Yes sir! Kupo!" The moogle replied enthusiastically as he waved at the departing backs of the hume and viera.

"You really think it wise to search for treasure in our current situation?" The viera asked her partner when they were out of earshot of the moogle.

"A good a time as any," The hume replied as they headed into the direction of some old ruins that dotted the horizon, "and Nono had yet to fail on me." He added with conviction. Fran did not reply, she knew it was hard to win over the favour of the sky pirate. If he could trust the moogle to accomplish the task, she would have no doubts.

The couple made their way over the dusty cliffs, climbing over boulders and marching over the dry, cracked earth. The scenery consisted of nothing but shades of brown, as if the sun had faded away all colour from their surroundings. The land was uneven and usually caused travellers to either jump of climb their way across, and Balthier soon found himself wandering alone, as his viera companion traversed the area with swift ease. He continued to walk, feeling the heat of the sun burning the back of his neck. From the position of the great fireball, he could tell it was past midday. Balthier began to wonder how far Fran had gotten as he trudged along, feeling an inkling of annoyance at her for leaving him to bake in the heat, conveniently forgetting that she too had travelled over the sun baked earth that he now traversed. He looked up from the miserably dry ground to see if he could maybe spot her in the distance, and as if she had read his mind, he found the viera standing not too far away under a rock overhang, her pack stowed safely in the darkest corner of the shade.

"I thought you were more eager for that treasure." Fran said teasingly as he approached.

"I will be once I see it." Balthier replied as he grabbed the water bottle Fran offered him and gulped down the contents. He placed the half empty bottle on the ground and dropped his pack beside him, "Any idea how far this Cache is?"

"The entrance to the ruins can be seen not too far ahead. As long as this hunt proceeds well, we shall be there by nightfall."

"As long as the hunt proceeds well you say? My dear Fran, when have I ever spoiled a hunt?" Balthier asked with a coy grin.

"You mean besides that time two years ago when you decided to play with your weapon and caused a wound to my leg?" Fran retorted, refusing to fall for the charismatic charm of her partner. Balthier's expression fell, but he replied, "Touche' Fran. But don't forget, it was I who saved your life on the airship Bahamut. And from what I believe, it was you who went and loaded my gun that day, without my knowledge."

Fran opened her mouth to return the argument, but before she had a chance to speak, she felt a huge forced ram against her and she felt herself flying. She crashed to the ground a distance away from where she once stood, and in her panicked gaze she found a huge winged beast. Her arms immediately sought out her bow and arrows, but with the sinking feeling of realisation, as he arms felt nothing but her own wavy hair, the image of her weapons sitting peacefully in the corner of the dark overhang flashed in her mind. The beast let out a huge shriek and flew towards her, talons flashing and the viera could do nothing but draw her arms over her face and curl herself up into the tightest ball possible. The sharp claws swiped at her and Fran was suddenly and horrible aware as she opened her eyes that she had hanging in midair, the creature having grabbed her and pulled her into the skies. She could faintly hear somebody call her name, but she did not pay attention as she struggled. She could see the distance between the ground and herself grow larger, and knew that if she didn't get off soon, it would become impossible. The avarian beast suddenly let out a huge scream of pain as a gun rang in Fran's eardrums and the claws released her. Fran felt herself falling towards the earth, another bang and the creature was falling too. She clamped her eyes shut, fearing the impact she was about to make when suddenly, a loud crash resounded in her ears and she was sure it was the end, until she realised she had landed against something softer than she expected. Fran opened her eyes to eyes of hazel brown and found herself in the arms of the sky pirate, the beast unmoving on the ground not too far away. Balthier grinned at her, "So does this make up for being shot in the leg?"

"I suppose it does."

"Good." Balthier added as he got her back onto her own feet and they started back to the overhang to grab their bags. "Because I was afraid you might get revenge of a similar nature in the future."

Balthier watched his companion grab her own pack and weapons and sling them over her shoulder, then begin walking down the path. He wondered if he had made her mad, but then she stopped and turned around, "If you do not hurry, it will be sooner before we possess any great treasure at all." She said with a faint smile, "And it would be a shame to lose my advantage on a wasted hunt."

"Fran, when you travel with the leading man, the hunt is never lost." Balthier called as he grabbed his own pack and ran after her.

The trip over the dust encrusted land took another few hours, and as the sun began to shine its last rays of light over the horizon, the pair of sky pirates finally stopped before a darkened entrance. The area they had reached was made up of ancient buildings, left fallen to waste hundreds of years earlier. The couple peered into the large gap curiously, the path that led inside was pitch black, but from the rank smell that issued from within, it seemed like the entrance led far beyond, into dark recesses almost like that of a cave.

"We should make camp for tonight. It would be foolish to wander within the darkness." The viera said smoothly as she placed the bag she carried onto the ground and began to unpack. Balthier nodded, far too tired to reply and followed her actions, but not without a longing look into the mysterious depths of the long forgotten ruins.