Chapter 45, Beneath the Trees

One thing Vaan noticed when he entered Golmore jungle was the light. Unlike other forests there was no friendly light to filter down from the treetops, the only light came from large clusters of yellow luminous fungus. These glowing plants filled this alien world in an everlasting twilight which was quick to un-nerve the younger members of the group.

"How long do we have to crawl through this tree cave?" Penelo whined as yet another spider web became caught in her hair.

"Shh!" Hissed Basch. "We are fortunate to be crossing the jungle at its narrowest point, it shouldn't take more than two days."

"And we have to be quiet the whole time, why?" Vaan joined in.

Basch looked away, peering into the darkness of the trees. "I do not want to draw unwanted attention."

An uneasy silence fell over the group.

"Basch?" Ashe said softly. "Do you think they... I mean the Viera, will they find us?"

"I have no doubt they are watching us right now." Fran hadn't spoken since entering the trees and her voice came unexpected.

Ashe looked back in alarm. "If they know we're here why don't they attack?"

"I don't know, but whatever the reason it would be wise not to provoke them."

Late that afternoon, or at least Basch said it was late afternoon it was so hard to tell the time of day in here, they stopped to rest.

"I hate this place." Vaan grumbled, "If I'd known it would be like this I'd have gone with the boat building idea."

He plonked himself down on a squat looking plant and surveyed the scenery. Now they were close to the heart of the jungle, the trees were massive and the path was actually carried off the ground at least a hundred feet.

"Vaan, I don't like it any more than you do." Penelo sighed sitting next to him. "But we have to bear it, we have to be brave."

Vaan looked grumpily at her. "There's a spider in your hair." He said dully.

At once she was on her feet dancing around, she couldn't scream but she whimpered as loud as she dared. "Vaan, get it out get it out get it out get it out. I hate spiders."

Vaan sniggered, thoroughly cheered up. "I thought we were supposed to be brave, maybe you should..."

But nobody ever found out what Penelo should do, for the plant Vaan was sitting on chose that moment to clamp it's enormous jaws over him. Penelo screamed, Ashe yelped and jumped off a similar plant she was sitting on. The plant which now had Vaan's flailing legs sticking out of it scuttled with surprising speed off the path. Fran was on her feet, three times she drew her bow and three arrows found their mark in it's back. It opened it's maw and Vaan tumbled out. The creature turned around, it was truly hideous. Countless vines supported a bulbous spherical head sporting a mouth lined with hundreds of teeth and framed with countless black eyes. It seemed however, it was not willing to risk another attack, and retreated into the darkness.

"What the hell was that?" Vaan spluttered as he wiped saliva from his clothes.

"A malboro." Basch said quietly. "Vossler and I met a few of the little monsters in the Salikawood."

"Merciless jaws, no pity and a very short temper." Added Balthier.

"What about mine?" Ashe said frantically pointing at the plant she had been sitting on.

The knight shook his head. "No, the head is the wrong shape."

"I hate this place!" Vaan reiterated.

Balthier scoffed. "Don't say that Vaan, you're a lucky man. If that thing had succeeded in dragging you off the path then I doubt we would have been able to follow and it would have digested you slowly and painfully over a couple of days."

Vaan shivered at the thought. "How can that even exist?" He muttered.

"Plants eat light from the sun." Fran said, retrieving her arrows. "Also life from the soil but the malboro needs neither."

"One of the few plants that eats human flesh." Balthier said cheerily. "And this jungle is full of them."

"Then we need to set a watch at night" Ashe fumed. "I for one do not want to end up inside one of them." She strode over to where she had dumped her belongings and slung her pack onto her shoulder. "Come on then," She called. "The sooner we get out of this nightmare the better."

She hadn't gone a yard when she yelped and stumbled backwards as if hit by something.

"Highness." Basch hurried to steady her. "Are you hurt?"

"No." She said shakily. "But I don't understand, I only walked along the path."

Basch approached the offending patch of air cautiously, stretching his hand out towards it. He hesitated for a moment, then snorted.

"Don't go any further." Penelo said nervously.

"I can't." Replied Basch. "Look."

Everyone stared hard as Basch pushed against some invisible force. Well, almost invisible. You had to look at it from an angle but it was there, a translucent blue web of energy stretched across the path.

"Fran." Basch turned to face the group.

The Viera looked as if the whole world had died within her. "This is exactly what I was afraid of." She whispered.

"No time for riddles Fran." Balthier urged. "What's going on?"

"The jungle denies us passage." Fran said slowly as if each word was a strain.

"The jungle's alive?" Vaan said incredulously but Ashe cut across him.

"So what if the jungle is alive or dead," She snapped. "People have got through Golmore before but it decides to block us from going through. What have we done to offend it?"

"You, no." Fran said gently. "I."

She would say no more, no matter Ashe's protest the Viera would not speak again.

"Oh fine then." Ashe fumed. "We set up camp and tomorrow we find a way around this blockage."

Vaan was talking with Larsa and Penelo. The young Archadian had been very quiet over Giza and even more so in the jungle, but it seemed he felt most comfortable talking with the two of them who were closer to his age.

"So then, we went off down into the sewers with Penelo to find this flan." Vaan said with far too much melodrama, Penelo huffed with her arms folded but Larsa was hanging on his every word. "And we looked everywhere for it but we couldn't find it, we looked through every waterway and I mean every waterway. So finally we decide ok never mind let's call it quits, I go off for one last look and..."

"I don't think we need to go into what happened next." Penelo said hurridly.

"No please, continue." Larsa said with bated breath.

"So anyway I hear this scream and I run back and there's the flan, big ugly purple thing and Penelo is floating inside it." Both boys roared with laughter. "I mean actually inside it, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry."

"You could have told me it only attacked girls." Penelo grumbled.

"What, I got you out didn't I?"

Larsa was still laughing and took a whole five minutes to subside. "Oh, you two." He managed at last. "Have the most fun adventures."

Vaan sat back on his haunches. "Well it can't be all bad being the son of the emperor?" He sighed, stretching.

"Well." Larsa smiled. "There are a few advantages."

"Oh you two." Penelo said slyly. "If you're going to tell the flan story I get to tell the saurian one."

Ashe sat next to Basch watching the trio talk. "Two street urchins and the son of an emperor, talking like family."

"Hopefully the first bond of many." Basch murmured. "With an alliance between Dalmasca and the Empire, maybe we will see more in common with them."

Ashe dipped her head and stared at the floor. "Reason tells me this is the only course." She sighed. "We must avoid a war with the empire at all costs." Her hands clenched into fists. "Yet I fear I could not bear the shame." She lay back on the ground. "Had I but the strength." She finished wearily.

Basch rose steadily to his feet. "A shame perhaps for me and you Highness, but for Dalmasca it is hope."

"And you can just accept this can you?" She shot at him lazily. "I envy you."

Basch picked up his heavy looking parcel from the ground. "After Vayne's ruse I had abandoned all hope for honour, yet never did I forget my knightly vows." He strode slowly away. "If I could protect but one person from war's horror, I would bear any shame, and bear it proudly."

"Basch." She called after him. "You have suffered enough disgrace already, why pile more onto your shoulders."

He stopped but did not turn around. "I could not protect either of my homes, what is shame to me?" He walked away into the trees.

See, I told you it'd be quick, and to top it off I'm writing the next one now. When it comes to this section of the story I'm buzzing with ideas so I literally can't stop writing, this means another speedy update is happening. Horray and such! See you soon.