Next set of two chapters-- we're nearing the end! Thanks to Mythweaver1 for reviewing -- I've tried to fix all the typos now. As I said in my new note in Chapter One, if you see any more mistakes, or just have some suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

That said, I hope you all enjoy the next chapters.

Allergies and a Harp

by Maelstra

14 - The Legendary Harp of Self-Control

According to Kain's tablet, the resting place of the legendary harp was in the precise center of a forest in a valley that was just below the mountain's summit. The trek up there was uneventful, aside from increasingly frequent appearances of some very pesky bats. The vile creatures only took one square hit to dispatch, but they swarmed like mosquitos and kept trying to latch onto one's neck, or barring that, one's arm.

The forest itself was no improvement. All the trees were dead. All the plants were dead. Despite the lack of leaves, though, it was still dark because of the heavy fog that covered the entire valley. The only light came from phosphorescent fungus that heavily covered everything at ground level. As the group stood silent a moment, surveying the terrain, they could clearly hear sticks snapping just ahead of them. Whatever lurked in here, it was not at all shy.

"Any more specific directions besides 'the middle of the forest'?" Cecil inquired.

"Nope." Kain drew his lance out of the bag on his back and held it ready in his hand.

They entered the forest. Not unexpectedly, they were attacked by zombies and the like almost every inch of the way. Rosa finally went ahead and cast Holy into the trees in front of them, and this bought them a few unmolested minutes.

"Do you have the key assembled?" Cecil asked Kain quietly.

"Um . . . not exactly . . ." Kain pulled out the pieces, and showed that he had two attached, but probably not correctly. Hesitantly, Kain addressed the others. "For the sake of not wasting time, is anyone good at puzzles?"

"Gimme." Cid held out a waiting hand.

Kain, unprotesting, handing the four pieces over. Then, almost immediately, he had to fend off a purple-oozing, bone creature. Luckily, it did not like Kain's Holy Lance, so the fight was over very quickly.

"Got it!" Cid declared, thoroughly pleased with himself.

Kain looked over and stared. The four fragments fit together to form an emeraldine donut. "How does that work as a key?"

"Who cares? Are we there yet?" Edge grumbled.

Cecil ignored Edge and continued on, hardly even pausing as he slashed at a zombie that leapt out in front of him.

Things continued on much as before until they arrived in a clearing that contained an ugly black tower that resembled a painfully contorted hand. The tower's door had a donut-shaped indentation in it.

Something cackled evilly. Everyone ignored it because lots of things in this forest seemed to cackle. Cid pulled out the donut key and headed forward, but then . . .

A witch appeared out of nowhere, right in Cid's way, cackling again a bit louder for added effect.

Cid glowered down at the monster that only came up to his knees. "Move before I kick you."

"I think not!" the witch squeaked. "There's no escape for you now! You will be my slaves or perish!"

Cid rolled his eyes and pulled out his hammer.

The witch panicked, faced with such a dreadful weapon. "Ayeeee! Dispel! Silence! Esuna! Confuse! You will obey me! You will protect me, not attack me!"

"How stupid do you think I am?" Cid grunted. He drew his arm up to swing his hammer, but then somehow grasped his hand from behind. "What the–?"

Kain, face vacant, yanked the hammer from Cid's fingers, then walked over to stand protectively in front of the witch.

"You've gotta be kidding . . ." Edge stared open-mouthed.

"Yes! Yes yes yes! It worked!" the witch exulted.

"Kain!" Cecil stood frozen, uncertain what to do.

"Come, my minion! Drop that . . . icky stick-thing and flee with me into my protected cave!" The witch charged into the dead brush surprisingly fast for such a short creature. Without a word or any outward reaction, Kain let his lance slip from his fingers and land in the dirt. He then bounded off into the forest, after the witch.

"We have to go after him!" Cecil declared, starting forward to do just that.

"Wait a minute! What about the harp?" Rydia spoke up. "Won't we need that to break the mind control on Kain?"

"Not if we kill that witch first," countered Cid.

"I'll get the key–" Edge and Rydia started to say at the same time, then stopped and looked at each other funny.

"Fine," Cecil interrupted. "You two handle that. We'll go on ahead. You come find us as soon as you get the harp."

"No problem!" Edge declared. Cid passed the key over to him, and Edge immediately went and set it into the indentation in the door. Rydia watched the others pass out of sight before she went to join the ninja beside the tower. Conveniently enough, with the key in place, the door hummed cheerfully for a moment, then swung open. Within was a dark chamber containing a table.

"Great! Now . . . where's the harp?" Edge stepped into the room. A soft rustling filled the air, and a number of cards appeared, carefully laid out on the table. The ninja stared and scratched his head. "Are we supposed to make a harp out of these or what?"

"Is it a puzzle? Or some sort of game?" Rydia could not guess what the card formation was supposed to mean.

"Wha? Oh, blecch! It's solitaire. I hate this game!"

"Well, I've never heard of it." Rydia nudged Edge meaningfully. "So, you'd better get onto it."

Edge dutifully played the game. Before he had gotten half the cards set aside at the top, the cards picked themselves up, shuffled, and redistributed on the table. The ninja grunted, but started over. He got more cards set aside this time, but then, once again, the game abruptly reset itself.

"What's it doing? Edge, I thought you said you knew this game!"

"I do . . . I've just never actually won it before. I'd always get bored and quit . . ."

Rydia slapped a hand to her forehead. "I hope Cecil, Cid, and Rosa are doing better than we are . . ."