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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time
Book 1: The Beginning
Chapter 6 - Omens of the Past
Part 6.4 - Parting Ways
Without Jehad, the scientists were left to mull over their options. After some heated debate, they decided it would be best to try and explore some of the other paths they had seen earlier. If they couldn't enter the city, maybe they could at least find something of interest down one of them. Silas and Levi were not to be deterred, though, and continued to try and convince the group to follow Jehad.
"I know the dangers, Mobius, but I've got to at least peek my head into that city down there," Silas pleaded. "I'll only be a little while, and if I start feeling sick, I'll get the hell out of there, I promise you."
Bismark looked at his friend carefully. "Fine. I guess if I were in your shoes, I'd want to get a little closer too. This is your dream, after all. Just be careful, you hear?"
"Always. We'll meet back at that statue with all the arms, alright?"
"Sounds good to me. Well, we'd better get going." Bismark looked over at Levi, who was impatiently shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "What about you Jonah? Are you still planning on going in there, too?"
"Of course!" Levi spat out, not looking at Bismark. "I'm going in there and seeing just what there is to see, and I'll do it alone. Your Professor Karn does not need to look after me."
Levi stormed off through the archway without another word.
Bismark expected as much, but called after him. "Fine by us. Just meet us back at the statue."
"Don't bother waiting for me, " Levi said over his shoulder. "When I'm done here I'm going straight back to my ship. Have fun playing in the woods."
Levi was gone into the blackness beyond the second arch before anyone could argue with him.
"At least he's eager, right?" Silas gave a good-natured shrug and turned to follow the miserable Levi into the darkness. He stopped and looked at his companions one more time. "You three be careful out there. It may be just as dangerous in those words as it is inside the city."
"Don't worry," Indie said. "Three strong men of the world like us can handle a jungle or two. We've all got our food and supplies, and we all know how to rough it. I'm more worried about that priest, though. He seems a little green."
"I don't know," Alex now spoke up slowly. "He seems more at home here than we do. This place seems to respond to him and welcome him. I know this is going to sound completely unscientific, but it feels like there really is something out there looking after him. I can't explain it, but my gut tells me he will be fine on his own."
"You know, I agree with you Alex, " Silas said. "I'm more worried about Levi following him than any trouble he may get into on his own. It's probably a good idea for me to go in there just to make sure he behaves himself. I'd better get going if I want to keep up with them. See you later!"
Silas tipped his hat and jogged down the corridor, disappearing into the second arch like Jehad and Levi before him.
The remaining three men backtracked to the central area with the eight branching paths. Even now, the route they had created to reach this place from the harbor was half regrown and soon there would be no trace of their path back to the ships. Levi may think he was going to return straight to his ship without waiting for anyone, but without Jehad it was unlikely any of them could find their way back home now.
Putting this worrisome thought at the backs of their minds for the moment, the scientists focused on what they came here to do. Research. They looked around them and counted the branching stone paths that spread out from the statue like the spokes of a wheel. Eight paths, and eight arms on the statue, each arm pointing down one of the paths. But where did all these paths go?
"Well? Which path do we take?" Indie asked.
"Hard to say if one is better than the next, hrm, " Bismark said. "Alex, any ideas?"
"None," Alex said. "I can't make out anything useful from the statue. It's just a woman with eight arms...wait." Alex walked up to the base of the statue and examined some of the markings. "Look at this. I can't understand the language, but these symbols are obvious enough. We don't need Silas's expertise to tell what these mean."
He pointed to eight symbols that lined up with the eight arms: a gust of wind, a lightning bolt, a flame, a mountain, a drop of water, an ice crystal, a sun, and a skull. Eight arms, eight paths, and the eight basic elements classically believed to make up the world.
"No coincidences here, " Indie said, studying the sun symbol. "This arm with the sun under it(or is it a pearl, maybe?) is where we just came from. That's the main citadel of the Order of the Pearl, which worships the god of life Altimus, or as he is also known, the Holy Master. I bet these other paths lead to other temples for each of the seven other main gods of classical mythology."
"Of course!" Bismark smiled at the simplicity of it. "I guess the question now is which god do we want to study? It's a crying shame we don't have time to study them all, but I guess that will be a task for our grandchildren, eh? Gahaha!"
"Earth would be my choice," Alex said, with a smile to the obvious choice they knew he would make.
"Wind for me, " Indie said, with equal assurance. "Lightning might be more up my alley though..." He added, after glancing at the lightning symbol. "Maybe some other time, eh?"
"I don't think I even need to say which path I'm going to take," Bismark said last of all. "I'm a man of the sea, and there's only one path here that really interests me. Who knows, I may even meet the real Maiden of the Sea down this path, right?"
They all laughed, and decided to split up, each taking the element most suited to their interests. They may not be able to visit the main city, but hopefully they would find something of interest down these paths. The three wished each other good luck, and set off on their separate ways.
