Chapter Three

"At the Mouth of the Cave"

by: Silver Nightingale

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters so please don't sue me.

AN: I finally managed to update this fic! Sorry for the long delay. It's tough being a student, our schedule is so hectic. Anyway, here's the fic. I hope that you would enjoy this chapter.

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"So, all I need to do is to exit this village and walk south?" a rather confused Zidane questioned an old man. Before he completely left the village, he realized that he didn't know exactly where to go. True, he did manage to find his way from the cavern to this village last night but it was dark and he was just wandering in search of a place to stay. He didn't pay much attention to the terrain and would-be landmarks to guide him from one place to another. Besides, it didn't hurt to ask.

"Yes." the old man replied.

Zidane thanked the man and almost turned away to start his travel but then the old man stopped him with a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Hold it, sonny. Are you planning on going to the Ice Cavern?"

"Uhh... yeah." [As if it wasn't that obvious.]

The man nodded, a grim expression ghosting his features. "I don't think that's such a good idea, sonny."

The weird tone of the man's voice got Zidane's attention, "Oh yeah?" he studied the old man for a brief moment. "Why?"

"Well, two days ago, a farmer and his son went to that cavern. You see, those two are known for their being adventurous." The old man paused. "Anyway, there is a rumor about the Ice Cavern. They say that in that cavern, there lives a legendary Silver Flan. It is a very elusive yet gentle creature. They say that anyone who manages to beat it in a fair fight would be able to gain eternal happiness."

Zidane nodded, genuinely interested. "Let me guess, the farmer and his son heard about this rumor and decided to check it out and try their luck, am I right?" He crossed his arms just above his chest.

"Exactly, sonny. So if you have any plans on going there, I advise you to be careful."

Zidane laughed. "Don't worry about me, pops!"

"Just don't go there unarmed. Even the farmer and his son took some broad swords with them."

"I won't need any swords to defeat a flan." [Uhh... whatever that is...]

The old man chuckled in amusement. He motioned Zidane to follow him and he did. A few steps later, they were in front of a shop which was very near the exit of the village. The old man pushed the wooden door and entered the shop, leading Zidane in as well.

"Hey, pops! What gives?"

The old man did not reply. Instead, he disappeared behind another door inside the shop.

"Uuh... pops?"

"Now don't you leave yet, sonny." A brief pause. "Hmm... where is it? I know I put it in here somewhere... Ahh! Here it is!" The old man reappeared, in his hands is a pair of short knives.

"Huh? What are those?"

"These are daggers, sonny. Go ahead, take them."

"Nah, I think--"

The old man shook his head in an amused manner. "I know that you don't have any gil, sonny. Just take them. Whether you use them or not is up to you. Just treat them like a present for keeping an old man like me entertained. It's been quite a while since someone talked with me."

Zidane remained silent for a moment, but soon gave in and accepted the old man's offer. He thanked him again and went on his way out of the village.

"Bye, sonny! Good luck on your trip and be careful of the creatures that live in the area. Some of them attack travelers."

"Yeah, pops! I'll keep that in mind."

"Hmm... I hope it isn't much farther. I'm getting hungry." Zidane whispered to himself after a while of wandering on the grassy meadow. By now, the sun had risen and although it was getting warmer, the chilly morning breeze was still blowing, making it quite an ideal day to travel. Zidane continued to march forward in a moderate pace. His daggers are neatly placed in their sheath, courtesy also of the old man, and are idly resting by his side. It was sort of nice to hear their clanking sounds whenever he takes a step or two. It made him feel as if he has a companion and it made travelling alone more endurable.

Everything was serene and peaceful. Zidane kept on following the invisible path towards his destination, setting aside his hunger for the time being. He just enjoyed the sway of the wind and basked in the warmth of the sun, it was easy to forget that he was hungry that way. He breathed in as a gentle breeze passed by him, unconsciously placing his left hand on his sheathed blades. The breeze remained blowing. Soon, it grew colder and fiercer. He's nearing the mouth of the cavern.

He shivered as the cold gale hissed pass his body. He took a step and the hissing grew louder. Another step and again it grew louder. With each step he takes, the hissing was growing louder yet the wind was not growing any fiercer. Zidane stopped in his tracks, his hand tightened around his dagger. That sure didn't sound like the wind and Zidane was very well aware of that.

HISS...

Zidane shut his eyes and prepared to confront whatever it was that's behind him. He turned around in one swift motion and met face to face with a green python. Its eyes were in a form of slits cast in an eerie shade of yellow and it's scales are sickly green. It was in a sort of crouching position and was swishing it's tail almost casually side to side. It's yellow eyes were trained at Zidane's blue-green ones.

Zidane gingerly pulled his daggers free of it's sheathe and shifted to an offensive position as well. He was surprised that his body automatically responded to the stance although he had no background on using such weapons but he quickly shrugged the matter aside. For now, he must focus on the fight and nothing more. True, the python does look weak but this was his first time in a battle, too. Zidane mentally nodded. [I'm ready.]

The phython sent a lightning-fast strike towards Zidane which caught him off-guard. It nearly bit him but he managed to dodge the first attack. With a swift stroke, he slashed the creature with one of his daggers which scratched the python. It became furious with the amateur's success and coiled its head near the ground. It poised it's tail high up in the air and called on a spell. The next thing that Zidane knew, he was struck by a weak thunderbolt which made him paralyzed for a few seconds. He fell to his knees and the python prepared for another attempt to bite its enemy. As the python neared Zidane's fallen form, he instantly drew his dagger to his right hand and slashed in such a speed that a silver arc was briefly seen before the python fell limp down the grassy field. It then slithered away in haste.

Zidane examined the ground and discovered a little vial of potion and a few golden coins. [Now these would come in mighty handy.] He took the items, sheathed his daggers and shook his head hard. The thunder spell made him dizzy.

He flinched and made a mental note to take things more seriously from now on. He lacked experience in these sorts of things. He realized that he needed to be faster and more agile a fighter. He raised his eyes up the winding dirt road towards the mouth of the cavern and smiled. [Hey, at least I managed to pick up some pretty useful items. It's just like how I planned! Yep, this cavern holds the key. I can feel it!]

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AN: Well, how was it? I actually went to Nolrich Heights just to get a better view of the terrain and I racked my brain to remember the tiniest details. Kindly leave a review. Comments, suggestions, and criticisms are welcomed. Thanks for your time!