Dangerous Research

"Well fuck me," I said when we arrived at the Henne Mines. There were so many dead bodies, all Archadians. Something had went drastically wrong here and I was betting we would encounter it at some point. Knowing our luck we definitely would.

"Researchers from the Draklor Laboratory," Larsa said, slightly confused. "What were they doing here?"

"Research," Balthier answered bitterly.

"And it looks like it got out of hand," Reina said. "So whatever done this will still be in there."

"We must find Mjrn quickly, then," Fran said and she and Balthier took the lead. I walked by Ashe, who was more than annoyed at the detour.

"Don't worry, we'll get to Bur-Omisace soon enough," I told her to strike up conversation. She didn't seem happy still but I continued. "Look it's not going to be all that bad, trust me. We'll get sidetracked here and there but we'll get there in the end."

"What makes you so certain?" She asked. She wasn't rude or curious it was just an even question.

"I've been through this before, remember?" I told her, remembering Spira. I could remember Yuna's Pilgrimage like it was yesterday. It really did feel like yesterday that I was a Crusader, fighting against Sin. I looked at Ashe assuringly. Now that I think about it she had a vague resemblance to Yuna. "Everything seems shit now and everything's against you. You're going to find the means to end the war before it begins and become Queen."

"You sound confident."

"Well as I said I've done this before," I said. "But this whole business with the Nethicite gives me the chills. I don't know why, maybe it's because the Empire have control of it and could blow us all up in a second. Sure that power's great when it's yours but at the same time it's not something I'm... really used to." That was a half-lie there. Sure back in Spira my soul was linked to a Fayth and I could draw from her power but I still didn't like the idea of that kind of power being in anyone's hands. Not the wrong ones and not even the rights ones. Power just goes to people's heads too quickly.

"Larsa do you have any idea at all as to why the Imperials would be here?" Reina asked the young boy as we walked through the mines, following the thinning trail of dead bodies.

"I'm beginning to think that they were searching for new sources of ore," He replied to her. "If the Resistance make a move then the Magicite at Bhujerba would be beyond their grasp and with it, their source for Magicite and Nethicite study and manufacture," The Hunter gave a nod, looking around the Mines for any signs of Fran's sister. "However, I cannot say I know what it is that attacked them."

"My gil's on a dragon," I said with a shrug.

"Twenty says it's not," Lucifer propositioned.

"Done."

The further down the Mines we got the darker they became. Lights flickered and failed and only walls of Magicite could light our way. Reina seemed to be finding her way well enough and Lucifer had ignited a flame on his hand as a beacon we all stayed close to to stop getting lost.

"The bodies are growing more and more scare, we may be nearing the source of their deaths," Basch noted as we ventured deeper and deeper into the Mines. I still had twenty gil on the source being the dragon. We hadn't fought a dragon yet to my knowledge. I still couldn't shake the chill I had, like that bad feeling that you know something bad is going to happen soon. Fran stopping abruptly only strengthened the bad feeling.

"What is this Mist?" I looked at Reina, who was definitely feeling it as well.

"It's... unsettled and confused..." She managed to say. I could see her looking around the Mines in the faint light before focusing on something. "There! Someone's there!"

"Mjrn!" Fran exclaimed. Lucifer made the fireball in his hand bigger to let us see a younger looking Viera stumbling about, muttering things to herself.

"What's wrong with her?" Ashe asked with concern to Mjrn's well-being. The girl then halted suddenly, turned and pointed directly at Ashe. Gave us all a fight at the suddenness of it.

"Stay away!" She yelled. "Power needy Hume!" With those words she ran off and we followed, Reina in front to try and catch Mjrn. Although we came face to face with something else.

"Hey Lucifer," I said, drawing my spear. "You owe me twenty."

"I'll be sure to pay you," He replied, shooting the fireball from his hand to the dragon's face. He looked to the others and quickly calculated. "Fran, take Balthier and get your sister. Larsa I want you at the back with Penelo and Reina. Ashe, Basch, Vaan get behind it. Grace and I will distract it." Well at least it's something I'm good at. I had some pouches of stuff that I had made during my watches at night and I picked a red dust from one, throwing it in the dragon's eyes to provoke it to attack me. I kept a distance from it, using a grey powder to escape it when it got too close, provoking it with the red dust again. Everyone else was attacking it and only got a bit of damage but in the end we all were fine and didn't get hurt much when it had fallen.

Balthier and Fran arrived with Mjrn, who was slightly disorientated but seemed to be in a better condition than before. I took a Potion from my bag and handed it to the young Viera.

"It was the Nethicite controlling her," Fran explained. Mjrn finished the Potion and I took the bottle. I'd probably need it for something.

"What happened?" Vaan asked Mjrn curiously.

"When the soldiers came to the Wood an uneasiness in me stirred," Mjrn started. "The village took small heed of them, so long as they were not harming the Wood the Viera cared little but I had to discover why they had come," She paused in her thoughts, continuing. "But they found me and set close beside me a stone. They said the Mist would be drawn to it; that the Viera were well suited to this end. I saw a light from the stone and then..." She couldn't finish. Maybe because she didn't remember or she didn't want to remember.

"We have seen this," Fran told her. "On the Leviathan the Mist from the Dawn Shard drove me, too, into such a rage. Mjrn was not taken by the Dawn Shard."

"It was the Manufacted Nethicite," Larsa said and turned to Penelo. "Penelo, the stone I gave you. Do you still carry it with you?" She nodded and brought it out and the boy took it from her grasp. "This is a thing more dangerous than I could have imagined. I should not have given such a thing to you. Forgive. I did not know."

"Even the dangerous can protect, Larsa," Lucifer mused whimsically.

"He's right. I saw it as a good luck charm," Penelo told Larsa. "On the Leviathan it kept us safe, after all."

"There is a place for all things, even danger such as this," Ashe said.

"I hope you're right about that," Vaan spoke.

"We shouldn't stay here longer than needed," Reina spoke up. "We need to return to the Viera for passage through the Jungle." Thankfully this detour would be over soon and we could get back on track. I could only imagine what would happen next.