Author's Notes: So while I was showering the other day, I realized something about Shera. She's actually trans, and in a world where that concept doesn't even exist. No wonder she'd been having trouble with anything that has a gender difference. I won't be changing her pronouns, because the narrative's part of that world. Still, it's something to keep in mind.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Legaia franchise

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Chapter 25: Geyser

It wasn't until they'd gotten all the way back to the settlement under Octam that any of the group realized they should have simply used a Door of Light to get back. But the survivors of Octam had already been waiting for them, and all but carried them to the mayor's mansion. From what Vahn could tell, they'd known the moment the quakes stopped.

The mayor had insisted that the four of them rest before they related the story, so they got to bathe and have their clothing laundered before they had to deal with people being in their faces again.

Shera was more than happy to sit in a tub of warm water, though she could still hear some of the people around talking about the sudden lack of heat from the depths of the earth. The engineers were doing their best to figure out how to work out another energy source for their heating and, surprisingly, the elevator that towered over the settlement and disappeared into the darkness somewhere by the ceiling. She was rather glad that they wouldn't have to tell them that the lava had cooled.

Partway to the room the mayor had set aside for them to eat in, Shera paused, a sudden thought occurring to her. She hurried in, getting odd looks from Vahn and Gala, and leaned on the table, not bothering to sit as her dress's skirts swirled around her.

"Vidna ran off of the heat deep in the earth." Both of them froze at that announcement, eyes widening. "Without that geothermal heat, their fans will stop. Have stopped." She chewed on a lip, her fingers drumming on the table. "Vahn, can Meta sense how far spread Xain's curse spread?" All three of them looked to at the red object on Vahn's arm until it glowed.

"All of the magma under the Sebucus Islands has stilled, as far south as Jeremi and as far north as Ratayu. That's as far as I can sense." Shera swore, getting a startled look from both Gala and Vahn. They hadn't ever heard her using those particular phrases before, and they were a fair sight dirtier than what most folk knew. She lifted an eyebrow at them as she plopped into a chair, an unamused look on her face.

"I helped to bring the ships in when no one was watching." That was all the explanation she gave for cursing the air blue, and glanced over to the door as Noa walked in, followed by a couple of women carrying trays with food on them. "Oh good, I was starting to get hungry." One of the women giggled and set a bowl in the middle of the small table and set dishes out around it.

While they ate, the four of them discussed where they'd go next. Gala insisted that they should head to Ratayu, while Shera argued that they needed to head to Vidna. Noa simply watched while Vahn sighed and rubbed at his face in between trying to mediate the argument.

He knew that Gala and Shera could get along and did so often, but when they didn't people could easily mistake them for being mortal enemies. More than once Vahn had to remind them to keep their voices down so that fewer people would be drawn to the door to peer in at them.

After a while the mayor himself came to see what the ruckus was about, a couple of books tucked under one arm. By then Shera and Gala were both standing, hands on the table as they glared at each other. Vahn looked like he was ready to lock them in separate rooms and then drown himself in alcohol to ease his headache, and Noa was...making designs in what was left of her food with her knife.

"I certainly hope that this sort of situation doesn't happen often. Doesn't look good to most folk when their heroes argue with each other." The mayor's light tone finally got the two of them to sit and stop arguing with each other, though they did still eye one another with rather stubbornly irritated looks on their faces. "Now then. I'm afraid I don't have much in the way or rewards for the task you rendered for us all, but these have been in my personal library for quite a while. They're a mix of martial arts theory, philosophy, and some theories on how the elements work." Shera blinked as she saw the title of one of the books and snaked a hand out to grab it as soon as the mayor had set it on the table.

"Shera, don't be rude!" The girl rolled her eyes at Gala and shifted in her chair as she cracked open the cover, her fingers skimming the page. "Are you even listening?" Vahn leaned over to peer at the title page of the book and then smiled a little.

"Relax, she'd get that book anyhow. It's themed after water. Noa, here, I think this one is yours." The leader of their group gestured towards the second book as Shera tuned them out, reading over the table of contents. The introduction of the books had completely derailed the argument.

"I've told the engineers to go about unlocking the elevator so that you'll have an easier time getting back to the surface. I'm concerned about the effects the sudden cold in the depths might cause elsewhere. Most of the islands use that heat for various things. It's been the source of our technological prowess, or, it was before the Mist came. I understand that Ratayu may very well be in the Mist but you mentioned that Vidna had managed to keep it at bay?" Vahn nodded to the mayor's words. "I hate to ask a favor of you so soon after you saved us all, but..."

"We were going to head there anyway. We've made some friends there that we're concerned about." The mayor nodded in relief, and glanced at Shera as she glanced up. Gala as frowning, but she didn't so much as glance in his direction. "I don't believe there is a Genesis Tree in range of the city, but the least we can do is check in on them and see if anyone has managed to find shelter before trying to find the Mist Generator."

"And there's a Genesis Tree near Ratayu, so that will be our next stop after Vidna. We may very well find some information about the Mist Generator there. Do you know of anyone named Dohati?" Vahn blinked at Shera as she spoke, but her attention was on the mayor, who frowned thoughtfully.

"No, I can't say I do. There's bound to be people who might in Ratayu, though. Oh, ah... If you're headed to Vidna, is it possible for you to bring back some of the salts from the springs there? Some of the elders have bedsores that could be eased by springwater, but with the Mist and all..." Shera exchanged glances with Vahn, and both shrugged.

"I don't see why not. They haven't been getting much tourism, and the spring would bring up more of the minerals." Vahn sighed a little as Shera explained. "When should we leave?" The mayor looked a little startled at that, and Vahn rubbed at his nose, thinking.

"Unless you need us for anything here," he started, looking towards the mayor, who shook his head. "After we rest up and resupply, then." The others nodded, accepting that, and Vahn leaned back in his chair.

"It's odd. We seem to be happiest when we're traveling." All eyes moved to Noa, who was hugging her new book to her chest, green eyes wide. "It's not a bad thing, just odd. Most people like to stay in one place, right? So why're we happier when we're on the move?" That got several shrugs from the others.

"I'll go and tell the townsfolk that you'll be leaving soon, so if they have any gifts for you they'll need to give them quickly." Vahn nodded to the mayor as he left, and then looked at the other members of their group. Shera had gone back to reading, and Noa was flipping through her book to find pictures to look at. Gala was glowering but he wasn't looking at anything in particular, so he was probably thinking.

Shera had the faintest of marks where she'd been bleeding on her forehead. The only reason it was noticeable was because the paint that made up the protective seal on her forehead had been broken by the injury. Gala had a couple of small scars on his face as well, Vahn was sure, but it wasn't as obvious on him as it was on Shera. Noa had a few scars as well from their trip down. His hand drifted to his arm, running his fingertips over the smooth skin that marked the scar he now bore. It wasn't raised or painful, but it was there. None of them had emerged from the Fire Path without one or two new scars. Thankfully though, no one had gotten a scar like the one on Shera's leg.

Vahn wasn't sure if she noticed, but she still favored that leg a bit. He certainly had noticed that when they were on their way out of the frozen Fire Path, she'd rubbed at it as if the scar itself pained her. He had to hope that there would be someone that he could speak to on it in Ratayu, because while the physician in Drake Castle had said it was fully healed, neither he nor Shera had thought about if there would be any stubborn effects from the scar.

"Alright, so what sorts of supplies will we need?" Vahn blinked out of his thoughts as Shera set her book down again, and shook his head a little before going over what they'd used on their trip through the Fire Path.

"Food, for one. We at the last of our supplies on the way back up." Gala had his eyes on the ceiling, rubbing at the calluses on his hands idly. "We'll need to restock our water as well. Healing supplies...Did we even use any?" Vahn blinked at the ex-monk and thought.

"No, all of our healing was done through the Ra-Seru. Maybe we can find those minty leaves that seem to help with the headache we get from using the Ra-Seru's powers, though? We didn't use any, but if we continue to rely on our acquired Seru more than our healing supplies, we'll need more of those." Shera tapped a beat on the spine of her book, also looking thoughtful.

"I'll get our food supplies sorted out." She glanced meaningfully at Vahn, who nodded in understanding. She'd need their coin purse to buy anything. He knew she would be able to get them the food they needed without spending too much. "We may have to go all the way back to Drake Kingdom ad Rim Elm for food that will keep, though. We don't want to be a burden on these people." Gala sighed and thought.

"I'll look after the water. Ozma says that he can purify it most of the way. It won't be as pure as if Mule had done so, but it'll still be safe for us to drink without risk of getting ill." Vahn nodded and stood to stack his dishes together.

The four of them split up, Vahn and Noa wandering around to see what the locals were saying about the quakes having stopped, Shera to do the shopping, and Gala to fill their canteens. Vahn and Noa stopped in the square to look at the memorial statues that had been lined up along the edge that had once faced the Palace of Meditation. On each of the three were the inscription 'below lies Hari, Prophet of Rem' in red, green, and blue.

Shera arrived some time afterwards, the straps of the satchels crossed in front of her. Gala was walking along beside her, looking a little uncomfortable. Vahn had to guess that she'd refused to let him take one of the satchels. Shera was probably the most independent woman he'd ever meet.

"That's a better memorial than we could have made down below." Vahn sighed a little at Shera's quiet words. He knew she was right, though. As much as it had hurt to walk away from the rubble without leaving more than a few cairns, they couldn't have done any better than this, and it would have slowed them down enough that more people might have been killed.

"I imagine that there will be a better one once the Mist is gone." Shera nodded to Gala and turned to start back to the mayor's mansion. Vahn stretched with a groan and started to head back as well, linking his fingers behind his head as he went.

A few of the townspeople approached them after that, mostly to comment on how much they were looking forwards to seeing the sky again. Shera seemed to be the least approachable, but that was likely because she had her new book with her everywhere she went.

After they'd woken up the next morning, Vahn almost wished that he had a new book to hide behind as well. All the townspeople that hadn't spoken to them the day before had gathered to see them off, though they were really just heading to the elevator that was behind most of the town.

One of the many people in the crowd pressed a bottle into Vahn's hands as he struggled through the crowd. He glanced at it, blinked, and then looked around to try to find who had handed him a Miracle Water. When he couldn't, he simply tucked it into the satchel he was carrying.

By the time they reached the elevator, Vahn thought for a moment that Shera was close to lashing out at anyone that pushed her. Though remembering her reaction to the elevators in Jeremi, maybe it was more the prospect of being in such an enclosed space and unable to do anything if the machinery failed.

Their trip to the surface was mercifully smooth. If not for the noise of the gears and the slight vibrations, Vahn would have thought that they weren't moving. At least, not until his ears started to ache sharply. It was a relief when the doors finally opened to the Mist.

Shera practically ran off of the elevator, her spear at the ready in case there were any Seru lurking about. The rest stepped out of the moving room pretty quickly, not wanting to get stuck inside of it if the doors closed faster than they expected.

It was sort of odd, being back in aboveground Octam for the first time in weeks. The air was thinner, yes, but it was also much fresher. There was a scent of mold but there wasn't the heavy scent of earth anymore.

When they stepped outside, Shera took a deep breath in and held her arms out like she was embracing the sky. Vahn chuckled at her and dug in his satchel for a Door of Wind. They couldn't use it where the buildings were so tight together, but it wasn't very far to where there was more space.

Their sense of celebration ended as they arrived at Vidna, though. There was no breeze like there had been on their first visit, and the giant fans were still. The entire place was silent, the Mist muffling any noise that could be getting produced. Noa ran ahead of the others, stopping once the cobblestones were underfoot again. She turned to look at the others, worry on her face. None of them needed to speak to communicate what had happened.

"There was someone who was building a shelter underground, right? Do you think anyone made it there?" Shera's words almost disappeared into the Mist. For how close it was to Jeremi, the Mist was still thicker than they had seen it in Drake Kingdom, except for right by the Mist Generator.

"This way." Vahn gestured for the others to follow him as he padded towards the building by the beach that held the shelter. The only Seru that they saw were the ones that the fools around the weapons shop had been wearing of their own volition. Shera eyed them a little, but they didn't seem to notice the passing travelers.

The door to the building they were looking for was unlocked, and the Mist was everywhere inside. It was also eerily silent. Shera wasn't sure what bothered her about it until she remembered that the last time they'd been there, the sound of construction had echoed up from the stairs. Now there was nothing.

They all were quiet as they walked down the stairs. Shera had her spear angled to be able to lash out at anything that ambushed them, whether it by with the butt of her spear or the blade. Nothing did, thankfully.

Vahn rattled the bars of the elevator cage in a pretty common rhythm for children's songs, and then called a quiet, careful greeting down the shaft. After a bit, the elevator creaked just enough to allow someone to call up to them.

"Who...who is it? Are you human?" Vahn and Shera exchanged relieved looks. Shera called down an affirmative, her back to the wall out of habit. "Oh thank goodness! So there are still other humans not possessed by Seru! Just a moment, we'll send the elevator up." Gala sighed with relief. They all were on edge.

Sure enough, the elevator rattled up. It was moving slower than it had in their last visit, but that was kind of to be expected, what with the magma underneath the region solidifying.

The shelter was bustling when they finally got down there, with some crying children in a corner. A young woman was trying to sooth them, holding the youngest in her lap. A few rather muscular men were panting by some pulley system that was hooked into the elevator and looking tired. They waved at the newcomers as they gulped down water that was being offered to them by some young men.

"Did you see Danpas up there?" That was the wife of the man who had created the shelter. Vahn glanced to Shera, who had an equally uncertain look on her face. They both shook their heads slowly and looked at the woman, concerned. "Oh no... He went to see if he could find anyone else that didn't make it to the shelter in time."

Shera sighed a bit and ruffled her hair as she looked over the shelter. Things were rather cramped, with belongings, people, and supplies everywhere. Vidna was out of range of the Genesis Tree in Jeremi, so these people were stuck in this little shelter until the Mist was gone.

"We'll have a look around, and see if we can't find him. In the meantime, is there anything else you need that we can provide?" Plenty of people hesitated before shaking their heads. Shera tilted her head from side to side to crack her neck, and set her spear against the wall before going to talk with the men that had been operating the elevator. They were the construction workers that had built the shelter.

"We were wonderin' if it'd be you lot. Seems to me like anyone making it through the Mist has got to have some courage." Shera shrugged one shoulder and bent a bit to take a closer look at the machine, holding her braid out of the way.

"There's others that can travel in the Mist besides us. We've come across at least one, but she had enough confidence that I'm sure others can as well. This wasn't here last time we were here. Who set it up?" The leader of the men chuckled a bit at Shera's curiosity and started to point out how it worked to her.

Finally, Vahn called her back to the elevator, looking a little tired but more certain of what they were doing. They waved goodbye to the rest of the shelter before heading into the elevator, Shera once more with her spear in hand. They heard the brigade of muscled men start up a chant to time their movements on the machine that powered the elevator. The lift shuddered under their feet until it stopped at the top. They stepped off and then rapped on the lift to let them know to bring it back down and seal off the shelter once more.

"The elder told me that there are some things stored in the far side of what was the machine room that serviced the fans. A bridge fell quite a while ago and no one was able to get them, but now that the water has cooled, it should be possible for us to pass. He gave us permission to retrieve them." Shera lifted an eyebrow at that, but shrugged a little as she followed him anyhow.

They encountered some creatures that didn't' look unlike the ones in Octam, but they fell fairly quickly. The purple humanoid creatures were left to Shera, whose spear was best at knocking them down and keeping them down. She had more reach than the other three did. In return, they kept the other creatures off of her back.

The machine room was indeed cold, and there was the remnants of a broken bridge and stairs that led down into the once-hot water. Vahn hesitated at the head of the stairs, though Shera was already pulling off her boots and socks, rolling up her pants leg. After a glance at the water she left the other one straight and picked up her spear.

"I'll go get them." She didn't wait for anyone to give her permission, just started wading across the water, ignoring the fact that it reached her thighs. She was nearly stopped by a couple of Seru dropping from the ceiling, but the other three used the powers of the Seru that they had acquired to destroy the Seru before they accosted the wading brunette.

Soon enough, Shera made it across the water and pulled herself out onto the platform that the boxes were set on, grunting a little in an effort to pull herself up onto the metal that stood at about her neck. She unlooped the satchel from where it had been held tight against her chest, and loaded the contents of the box into it before heading back. She grimaced at how wet her pants were, and handed the satchel over to Gala.

"Let's make a stop by the inn so Shera can change into dry pants before looking around for Danpas." They all agreed, and Shera picked up her boots and socks, walking oddly up the stairs as she attempted to get the fabric to stop clinging to her skin.

Almost as soon as they were out the door, she needed to drop them on the ground and get her spear between herself and the blades of an oddly colored Swordie. She winced a little as the gravel dug into the soles of her feet, but she still pushed the blades off and then whipped her spear around to force the blade of her weapon into its gut. It shook a little and then turned transparent. They all froze a little at that, but it dissolved into lights before migrating up the shaft of the spear to melt into Mule's carapace.

"Well. Looks like I've got another wind-based Seru." Vahn smiled a little at Shera's optimism and picked up her boots for her, offering them back to her. Thankfully they weren't too far away from the inn. Noa walked into the room with her to keep her safe while she changed, and then walked out with her again, damp pants wrung out and looking rather wrinkled.

"Think you can leave those hanging over a fence or something by the entrance?" Vahn looked like he wasn't sure how Shera would react to the suggestion for a moment, but relaxed when she shrugged.

"I don't think Seru are going to bother with clothing. Or creatures for that matter. If they do get lost, well, we can get me another pair of trousers after we clear Ratayu of Mist." The leader of their little group blinked before shrugging and walking outside with the rest. The wet cloth made a slapping noise as it was draped over the inn's fence, though Shera paid it no mind after that.

They split into pairs, Gala and Shera heading along the coastal area as Noa and Vahn went into the deeper part of the city, where they could fight better than the other two. Shera gladly took advantage of the extra space to swing her spear about, sending Seru and monsters flying before they could even touch her. Gala tried to do the same, but he didn't have the extra reach that she had.

The two of them didn't see any sign of anyone that hadn't been taken control of by a Seru on their sweep, and made the trip back to the building the shelter was built into. Vahn and Noa were there, looking a little scuffed up, but unharmed. Shera tilted her head to the side in a silent question.

"He's holed up with some supplies. Didn't think that he'd be able to make it back to the shelter on his own." Shera nodded understanding, and stepped into the building. Gala followed after her.

"We'd better tell his wife before she starts to think that she's a widow now. This is the only place where we're guaranteed to not get attacked by the Seru, too. I hate to impose on them, but it'd be better than holing up in the inn." None of the others suggested otherwise. It was late, they were tired and sore, and didn't want to have to stay up to keep watch.

Danpas' wife was glad to hear that he was alive and in hiding, and offered them one of the spare beds. As there was only one, there was some discussion on who should get it, which was cut short by Noa starting to nod off. As the youngest climbed in bed, the others settled by the wall. Shera curled up and leaned against the corner the bed made with the wall, and was soon asleep.

The next day saw them heading off bright and early, not that it was possible to really see that through the Mist. The survivors of Vidna bid them farewell as the gate of the lift closed behind them.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. There was a bag of Spring Salts in that box in the machine room. We should probably take it to the Mayor of Octam." Vahn blinked at Shera as she spoke into the damp air, thumbs tucked into her belt.

"Back to Octam it is, then." Vahn dug in the satchel that he was now carrying, and sighed. "No Doors of Wind. The Doors of Light don't have the range we need. We'll have to walk." They all groaned, but started to walk along anyhow. At least they knew the way, now.

The trip to Octam was less difficult than it had been the first time. The monsters no longer posed any challenges, not after what they had faced in the Fire Path. Shera's skill with the spear certainly helped a great deal with the flying enemies, cutting the wings off of the large insects that thought to attack them.

The people of Octam were surprised to see them back, though they still greeted them gratefully. Damon, the soldier that had taught Shera how to use her spear, waved to them from his post by the door of the mayor's mansion. The once-plump mayor himself was in the foyer when they walked in, and greeted them.

"Have you been to Vidna and back? Are the people there safe?" Shera was digging in the satchel she was carrying when Vahn glanced at her, so he sighed and started to explain what had happened, including their embarrassing lack of a Door of Wind. Byt the time he was done, Shera had finally found the Spring Salts that she was looking for, in the satchel that Gala was carrying. "Oh dear...I wish we could send aid, though I suppose that the best that can be done right now is simply getting rid of the Mist..." The mayor didn't look pleased at all about that revelation, though everyone knew that the only ones that could survive traveling through the mist unharmed were those with the protection of the Ra-Seru.

There wasn't a huge party welcoming them back, thankfully, though the soldiers pestered them for information about the state of the city above. More than one displayed chagrin that the city was becoming overgrown with plants. It seemed that the task of weeding the streets was left to the soldiers, not the people that walked through them.

After restocking the next morning, the quartet left again, heading north from Octam towards the capitol city of Ratayu. It took several days before they reached the stone bridge that they had been told would be there. They camped at the southern foot of the bridge, keeping their backs to the stone wall that had once kept carts from careening off into the water.

Shera kicked at the nearest rut that had been worn into the stone as she kept watch, pacing as the sun dipped towards the horizon. The only sounds, besides the fire that had just been started and the wind, were her boots on the stone and the butt of her spear rapping counterpoint to her footsteps. They were too tired to really talk much.

None of them slept peacefully, either, sleeping fitfully and lightly, in case an enemy decided to attack them in the night. None did, though that was more thanks to their constant watch than anything else.

The bridge was a long one, and took far too long to get to the other side. More than once, Shera nearly gave Vahn a heart attack by jumping up onto the wall that edged the bridge to walk along that, looking down at the water. She didn't even wobble as she strolled along, her spear draped across her shoulders idly.

"Hey Vahn?" The leader of the quartet looked up at the brunette. "Were you scared, back in Rim Elm? When you first walked into the Mist with Meta on your arm?" If she noticed the stares that were suddenly pointed at her, Shera didn't show it.

"That's a fine time to ask that question." She shrugged and dropped back down onto the stone of the bridge, and tilted her head from side to side to crack her neck.

"I've been thinking about it since Vidna, off and on. We all trusted that we wouldn't become monsters in the Mist because we'd seen Vahn manage it without trouble." Shera paused in walking to look back at Vahn, sliding her spear off of her shoulders so that the butt was back on the ground. "Whereas Vahn had to take a risk." The other traveler from Rim Elm scratched the back of his head with a grimace.

"I was a bit nervous, but I didn't really have much of a choice. None of us really had a choice. Either I trusted Meta, or everyone in Rim Elm got killed by the Seru. What?" Vahn narrowed his eyes at Shera for her grin.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about what I heard someone mention about what it means to be brave." Now Vahn tilted his head to the side, though his eyes were still narrowed. "Bravery isn't not being scared. It's doing what needs to be done despite being afraid. And you, Vahn, are very brave." He grimaced at that, but Shera didn't see, already turning around to walk point again.

Vahn grumbled to himself for a while after that, but it wasn't even midday, so he didn't get a chance to stop talking long enough to get his breath back for an extended conversation. Shera seemed to be enjoying herself as she skewered some of the huge butterflies that attacked travelers in the Sebucus region.

Their camp that night was at the foot of a cliff, and Shera, oddly enough, climbed up to a ledge that was about ten feet off the ground to sit as the sun started to go down, looking off towards the ocean.

"Hey Shera?" Vahn had to crane his neck to look up at her from his spot at the foot of the cliff. "Can you remember anything at all about what life was like for you before you came to Rim Elm? I don't think I ever asked." The kicking feet stilled, and she leaned over to look at Vahn, an odd look on her face.

"I can't remember much at all, to be honest. At most, I can remember a vague feeling of dissatisfaction and loneliness, but that's pretty much it. Why do you ask?" Vahn just shrugged, and looked back to the fire. The brunette climbed back down, and collected her spear before crouching by the fire.

"Sunset is over?" Gala had a smile in his voice as he faced away from the small camp, standing in the resting position that everyone trained in the Biron fighting style was taught. Shera hummed an affirmative, and accepted some of the meat that Noa was cooking over their fire.

"So how far are we from Ratayu?" Vahn took that as his cue to drag the map they'd been given so long ago from his satchel and set it well out of range from the fire, using the glow from Meta to illuminate it. Noa shifted over to look at it as well.

"We passed over this bridge this morning, and we haven't passed over this one yet, so we're somewhere around...here." The girls looked at where Vahn pointed, and Shera sighed as she saw just how far they still had to travel.

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End Notes: I'm actually kinda surprised by how quickly I'm writing. Then again, I am nearing a plot point that I've thought over quite a bit. You'll see what it is when I get there.