Chapter Thirteen- Gau, Wild Child of the Veldt
After Cyan had collected his wits in the Phantom Forest and assured the team that he would be quite alright, they made their exit and traveled the only road leading south from the forest, eventually coming upon an uphill path that would lead them straight to Baren Falls.
At the top of the falls, Sabin looked out at the view and took in a deep breath of the fresh, water-sprayed air. It was a most welcome change from the musty forest air from before. Just off in the distance, Sabin could see the long green plains that were known as the Veldt, and just at the northern tip of the Veldt, he could make out a very small village. That was Mobliz. It used to be that a traveler could cross a very large bridge to get across the falls and then take a path in the opposite mountains to get to Mobliz. There, you could go down to Crescent Mountain and raft your way to Nikeah, which was on the other side of the continent that Narshe was also on. However, that mode of travel was no longer in existence, for "somebody" (The Empire was the most suspected, but never proven guilty) had burned down the bridge the linked the Veldt to Doma's territory, and besides that, the waterway that linked Mobliz to Nikeah (known as the Serpent Trench) had collapsed within itself in many areas due to the use of Magitek machines while the Empire traveled within it, and had filled completely with water so that there was no way one could raft within it. The circumstances regarding the planet's unity grew more and more unfortunate every day, it seemed...
Remembering all this vital geographical information, Cyan spoke up first.
"Sir Sabin, what are we to do now? We've made it through both the Empire's base and the Phantom Forest, but I am afraid we have become stuck."
"Yeah, really!" Sabin exclaimed, and turned to Shadow, who looked bored. "You told me to travel south to get to Narshe, but there is no way to get there!"
"There is always a way." Shadow said coolly, and nodded towards the falls. Sabin didn't quite understand him until his own sense of adventure had awoken once more and gave him the inspiration he needed.
"We can get down to the Veldt by..." He murmured to himself, and Cyan interrupted him.
"There are dangerous creatures there!" He protested. "And it has only gotten worse since travel through there slowed down!"
"But the Empire is right on our tails." Sabin argued. "If we don't get out of Doma territory soon, we'll all be in trouble."
"Hmmm...Well, if we did slip through the Veldt, we could easily reach Mobliz to recuperate and then...." Cyan sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "But how...?"
"We'll have to jump the falls!" Sabin decided, and slammed his fist into his hand decidingly. "Is that what you meant, Shadow?" But Shadow merely nodded and did a quick bow.
"I have served my purpose." He said, and turned to walk away. Sabin blinked and hesitantly raised a hand.
"Shadow!" He cried, and Shadow turned, not appearing to have much emotion over their departure, which had at last arrived. He had decided he had had enough for now.
"Thanks for your help!" Sabin exclaimed. "Let's join ranks again sometime!"
"Good-bye Sir Shadow!" Cyan added, and Shadow nodded again and suddenly took a flying leap from where they had been standing to the lower path below that they had climbed up to get to the falls. In a few seconds, he had disappeared from their view.
"He's like the wind..." Cyan commented to himself, and then turned back to Sabin. "Now, please tell me you were joking about jumping the falls."
"Of course not!" Sabin exclaimed, and laughed. "Are you afraid?"
"Are you CRAZY!?!?" Cyan shouted in return. "We'll never make it!"
"Sure we will, just hold your breath." Sabin said casually, and suddenly grabbed Cyan, tossing him over the edge of the falls!
"AHHHHHHHHH, SIR SABIN...........!!!!!!" Cyan's shouts could be heard as he flew down the falls, his voice echoing and fading ever slowly as he descended. Sabin laughed more and took a giant leap off the cliff himself, plunging into the freezing cold water of the falls that pushed him downwards so fast that he could barely keep focus on his surroundings. He had to admit that the pounding water sure made a great body massage though!! This was the way that the overly-positive Sabin thought most of the time. However, the pounding water and the roaring of it all around him was beginning to make him feel slightly light-headed...
"Whoa!!" Cyan cried, who was quite a ways below Sabin by now. A most monstrous fish that was a shade of violent purple had suddenly leaped up from Cyan's side from the falls and snapped it's ugly jaws right near the tip of his nose. He had no bloody idea what this thing was, but it did not look too keen with having visitors. Thinking that it would have given up after failing to bite Cyan once, he began to relax again (well, relax as best as he could while body-surfing down a waterfall) when all of a sudden the nasty creature leaped out of the water again from Cyan's other side, and tried this time to snap off his ear.
"Arg!" Cyan grunted as he struggled to unsheathe his blade. However, the water was pounding far too hard on his arms and shoulders, practically paralyzing him in place as the creature leaped about, trying to eat him a body part at a time.
"Sabin, HELP!" Cyan cried, cringing as the monster let out a vicious growl. Sabin, hearing his friend even over the roaring waters, sleepily opened his eyes after half-way drifting to sleep and saw Cyan below him, struggling to avoid the attacks of some purple-ish fish. Determined to save his friend, Sabin pushed his hands together in Blitz stance and decided that he had best warm up his good old Aura Bolt spell. After chanting a few holy words, the shining beam of light shot out from between his hands and hit the purple target, head-on. Fried, the fish let out a defeated whimper as its crusty body burst into a bright light and dissolved a moment later.
"You ok down there?!" Sabin cried.
"I'm fine now, thanks!" Cyan called back. Sabin suddenly let out a moan and tried to reach up to rub his forehead, which was feeling even lighter now that he had used some of his energy to make the Aura Bolt. Everything around him began to fade into a soft whiteness...and all of a sudden, his whole body felt light as a feather-as if the wind could carry it off at any moment...
*********
Edgar sighed as he peered out the frost-covered window of Arvis' house, hoping to see his brother and Locke making their way up Narshe's main road, but at the same time knowing that all he would see was the same thing as before... Empty nothingness. As usual, the atmosphere of the town was rather dark, since it was completely sheltered from the mountains, but it seemed even darker now, for none of the shops or homes had their outdoor lights on. Everyone was in hiding, for rumor that the Empire was to invade had spread quicker then a fire in a dead forest. Edgar began to wonder if the Narshe guards would even let Locke and Sabin in if they did indeed arrive.
"Do you see anything?" Terra asked worriedly, and Edgar turned from the window to face her. She had dark circles under her eyes, not being able to rest at all since they had arrived at Narshe since she was so worried over Locke and Sabin. Her new friends, all laying their lives down just for this one chance for her to talk to the esper...it was ridiculous. What if she couldn't do it? What if she wasn't indeed the last ray of hope for the world like Banon had said? She suddenly felt sick to her stomach, and reached out to put a hand on the wall so that she wouldn't fall.
"Please, hurry back to Narshe!" Terra prayed under her breath.
**********
Celes narrowed her eyes up toward the sky and stopped walking for a moment, tucking her hair behind her ears as she tried to read what time it was by the sun's position in the sky. Locke didn't even notice she had stopped until he asked a question and didn't get an answer. He turned around and sighed some as he watched her eyes slowly inch over the sky, searching for something. She let out a held in breath and brought a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. When Locke realized he was staring, he shook his head and cleared his throat loudly, causing Celes to look over at him.
"What is it?" She asked, and lowered her hand so that they were facing each other.
"Is something wrong?" Locke asked worriedly. "We'll be in Narshe soon...if you're having second thoughts that is..." Celes shook her head to that, much to Locke's relief.
"No, I was trying to figure out what time it was." Celes replied. "Being locked up for as long as I was, I sort of lost my sense of time."
"I don't really know, sorry." Locke apologized. "But really, we should be there soon..."
"I know." Celes said coolly, and crossed her arms over her chest. "But it may not be soon enough, I'm afraid."
**********
"Oooh....my head..." Sabin let out a low moan and slowly began to sit up, pushing his wet bangs out of his eyes.
"Oh, Sir Sabin, you're awake!" Cyan exclaimed, and Sabin looked over to his comrade, who looked perfectly fine except for some stray locks of hair from his ponytail.
"Yeah....But I don't remember much." Sabin shook his head and ran his fingers through his slightly damp hair to spike it back up again. The rest of him appeared dry, since they had been lying out in the sun for quite a bit.
"The water pressure on your head must of made thou as drowsy as I." Cyan said, and sighed. "But we made it."
"Sure we made it, but who brought us to shore?" Sabin questioned. "I mean, we didn't just float onto the dry grass...."
Suddenly, Sabin stopped talking when he heard the sound of very quiet footsteps not too far away from where he and Cyan were recovering. Cyan, with his trained ears, heard them as well, and looked up worriedly.
"Is it a monster?!" Sabin whispered, suddenly remembering how the Veldt was the home for dangerous creatures of the world all over.
"Uwaaaaoooooo!"
"AHHH!" Sabin and Cyan cried in unison, grabbing onto each other. A blur of tanned skin and green hair suddenly leapt out of nowhere and landed in front of the two frightened men, hooting and hollering at no one in particular. He finally stopped the noise and then just began to laugh joyfully as if this were all very amusing. Sabin blinked and narrowed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
It was a boy.
Well, perhaps not a boy...a young, young man might have been more appropriate. He seemed to be in that tall, awkward stage of life a lot of men went through- He was rather skinny in structure, with evidence of small muscles built up on his arms and calves, and a skinny waist. His wild green hair was spiked all about on his head and flying in different directions, but his long green ponytail seemed sleek and tame. He had crimson eyes that were filled with delight-there was not a flicker of malice or hatred in them. He was wearing a sash made from what looked like King Behemoth hide around his chest and a matching pair of long shorts that seemed to be put together by someone who could not sew very well. The rest of him remained uncovered, including his bare feet.
"......Who might you be?" Sabin asked nervously, although he had a feeling that this was the person who had rescued himself and Cyan.
"!!!!" The boy seemed surprised and turned to run.
"Wait!" Cyan exclaimed. "Was thou the one who pulled us from the river? How can we thank you?"
"...." The boy stopped and seemed to think for a moment, as if deciphering Cyan's sentences one word at a time.
"Gau...hungry!" He suddenly cried, and rubbed his stomach. Sabin and Cyan looked at each other, confused.
"What's a Gau?" Sabin asked.
"I think that is his name!" Cyan said. "And I think he is hungry."
"We don't have any food!" Sabin squealed. "Think he'll eat us?!" At the sound of the word eat, Gau jumped up excitedly.
"Food...! Food...! Oooowaaaoooo!" Sabin gulped and looked at Gau.
"We don't have any food!" Sabin protested. He then tried to make hand movements to get Gau to understand. However, he ended up accidentally doing a blitz attack, and poor Gau was stuck with a nasty aura beam. He cried out and then howled loudly into the sky, although he had indeed not been very hurt at all.
"Owaaaaoooo!" Gau cried. "Uwaaoooo! You....strangers! Go away! You scare animals!" With that, Gau took off in the blink of an eye.
"Ack!" Sabin cried, and hid his hands behind his back.
"Sir Sabin!" Cyan cried, and shook his head. "Well, so much for thanking him..."
"I'm sure he is ok." Sabin said. "Didn't seem to stun him much with that attack...You have to be pretty strong to be able to resist a blitz like that..."
"What are you implying?" Cyan asked, and Sabin shrugged.
"Nothing at all... I think we should be going to Mobliz!"
"I agree." Cyan nodded, and with that, the two men took off up the Veldt to Mobliz, which could be seen even with their distance from the town. It was a small village, and rather cozy and welcoming of any strangers. Since they were so cut off from the rest of the world, they found visitors to be rare and also a sign of good fortune in the near future. So when Sabin and Cyan finally made it to town, they were immediately surrounded by happy villagers welcoming them and begging to know where they had come from.
"Well...." Sabin proceeded to give some of the villagers a short version of the story of how he and Cyan had come to Mobliz from Doma. He also explained that they needed to get to Narshe as soon as possible.
"To get to Narshe, you need to get to Nikeah first." A young woman said, who was holding the hand of a small child. She had light blonde hair up into a bundle of curly tendrils on the side of her head. "But we can no longer go there, I am afraid..."
"You mean there is no way?" Cyan asked painfully.
"There used to be a way, after the waterway collapsed within itself." She said, trying to ignore the child now tugging on her hand. "One of the injured soldiers here from the Empire developed a helmet that would let you breathe underwater and allow you to swim through the Serpent Trench to Nikeah--What do you want already, Ashley!?" The woman looked down to the girl, who looked desperate for attention.
"Ask them if they have ever been in Miranda, Katarin." The girl demanded impatiently. Katarin sighed and did just so.
"Have you been to Maranda recently?"
"No, sorry." Cyan said, and Sabin shook his head.
"Oh darn..." The little girl pouted. Sabin looked up quizzically at Katarin, who sighed some.
"My cousin here is worried about this soldier who lives in a house in the northern part of our village." Katarin explained. "He is from Miranda, and he also has a girlfriend there that he had to leave behind when he was forced into the Imperial Army. The only way he has managed to keep in touch with her is with Carrier Pigeons, but he explained to us that he was anxious to hear news about Miranda from travelers too because he is worried about Lola."
"Lola?" Cyan questioned.
"Oh, his girlfriend." Katarin said. "But thanks anyway...If you want to see the soldier, he, as I said before, lives in the house up north. Bye!" And with that, Katarin took the little girl with her and left. A few moments later, the crowd that had gathered around Sabin and Cyan thinned out, but no one had been able to say much more about getting to Nikeah, except for one man, who explained that the helmet Katarin had been talking about was stolen from the village not too long ago.
"Well, I'd say we are in a most undesirable position." Cyan commented as he and Sabin strolled about town.
"Duh." Sabin said, not nearly as cheerful as he was before. "We're stranded here unless we find that helmet!"
"Perhaps we should visit that soldier." Cyan said thoughtfully.
"Why's that?" Sabin asked.
"Well, I wonder if he is the soldier that invented the helmet in the first place." Cyan explained. "You know, like Katarin said? If he was, then maybe he could help somehow..."
"Good idea." Sabin agreed, and he and Cyan walked up to the northern house where the soldier was said to be living. It was a very small house, and looked deserted, but when Sabin knocked, a small voice from within shouted "Come in!"
Sabin opened the door and entered, discovering right away that the house consisted of only a big room, with a few bookcases, a rug, a desk with an oil lamp, and a small bed in which a man was lying, the covers pulled up to his stubbled chin. He had a white bandage covering a cut on his neck, and some blood-tinted bandages wrapped around his forehead. It couldn't be seen too well, but his right arm was also in sling, and both of his legs were also set in casts underneath the blanket, for both of his legs were broken...
"Good late afternoon Sir." Cyan said, and bowed politely. Sabin waved hi, and the young soldier actually smiled.
"Hello." He said. "My name is Ethan....I do not believe that we have met before. Strangers are such a rare thing here in Mobliz! The rumor around here is that they bring good luck...heh heh!"
"I'm Sabin, and this is Cyan." Sabin said. "We're from Figaro and Doma, respectively, although I am doubtful we are good luck of any kind!" He laughed heartily with Ethan, but then got back to business. "We heard about you from Katarin..."
"Oh, she is such a lovely young woman." Ethan smiled. "So is there anything I can do to help you?"
"We heard a rumor of a helmet that can let the wearer breathe underwater and take the Serpent Trench to Nikeah." Sabin said. "Do you know anything about it?"
"I'm afraid not good sirs, only that the helmet has recently been plundered." Ethan said sadly. "The soldier that crafted that once lived at the inn, but I am afraid his injuries got the best of him, and he..."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Cyan said quickly. "In that case, we didn't mean to trouble you."
"You didn't, don't worry." Ethan smiled and then suddenly let out a painful moan, turning to slowly shift onto his back to relieve some of his pain. Sabin furrowed his eyebrows in concern, wondering if now was the right time to go...
"Before you leave..." Ethan suddenly spoke up again. "Do you see the letter on that desk over there?" Sabin looked and said yes, as indeed there was a sealed letter on the only desk in the room.
"I am from Miranda." Ethan said sadly. "When the Empire invaded our town, they forced me to join their army, and when I heard we were to attack Doma, I ran away. However, they caught me...and did this..." He moaned again and Sabin thought he heard the man sniffle. "That letter, could you read it to me? It just came today and I think it may be from Lola..."
"Sure." Sabin said, and Cyan nodded. Sabin took the letter from the desk and carefully unsealed it, pulling out the stationary inside. It smelled faintly of roses...
"I can't get used to imperial troopers walking the streets of Maranda, but otherwise things are okay. Flowers are blooming in the garden, telling me spring is here. How are you doing? I'm so worried. I wish I could fly to your side! Rest, and know that I think about you constantly. Come back to me...
Love,
Lola"
Sabin ended the letter, and looked back to Ethan, who was staring up at the ceiling. Finally, he heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.
"I'd like to write her back but...I can't even pick up a pen..." He moaned. "At any rate...thank you, and good luck on your journey, strangers." Sabin and Cyan considered themselves dismissed, and made their exit.
"I feel sorry for him." Sabin mused when they stepped outside.
"Indeed...What the Empire does to its own soldiers is terrible." Cyan shook his head. "I only know too well how that man feels, to be separated from the ones he loves..." Sabin sighed as Cyan looked down.
"Well...the sooner we get to Narshe, the sooner we can protect more people from the Empire." Sabin explained gently. "But at any rate, since we can't get the underwater helmet, I think that we may have to go down to Serpent Trench and investigate it ourselves. I am going to go to the Item Shop and pick up some rations for the trip down the veldt."
"What of me?" Cyan questioned. Sabin smiled.
"I have an idea for you." Sabin said, and looked back to the soldier's house. "While you're waiting for me...why don't you sit down in there and write a letter to Lola for him? You know, ask him what he wants to say and write it down for him?"
"That's a most wonderful idea Sir Sabin!" Cyan exclaimed. "I shall propose it to Ethan right away. I'll see you later!"
"Bye Cyan." Sabin smiled, and waved before making his way across the small village to the Item Shop. There, he purchased a few tonics, phoenix downs, a stamina recovering tent, and some dried meat for a late lunch/early dinner incase they did not make it back to Mobliz at a reasonable eating hour. After his shopping, Sabin explored the town on his own for a bit, taking in the peaceful scenery and happy laughter and chatting that surrounded him. For Sabin, it had been ages since he had been in a town that was not filled with fear or despair from the Empire breathing down their necks. The world had become undone, and at the rate the Empire was growing, there might not be any sanity left in the hearts of the poor people by the end of the year.
"Hmm...we'd better be leaving if we don't want to be walking on the Veldt in the dark." Sabin noted to himself as he looked up at the sky. With that, he picked up Cyan from the soldier's house, almost feeling bad for interrupting the two men's conversation about swords. After saying their final good-byes, they left, and Cyan held up the letter he had written.
"He was so happy." Cyan smiled as they passed by a Carrier Pigeon Post Box and deposited the letter in it along with the 50 gil it took to mail it.
"I am glad." Sabin smiled back. "I just hope we get some of that good luck the villagers here say we have..."
The Veldt air was rather humid and the tall, dry grass made a crunching noise as Sabin and Cyan marched through it. The Crescent Mountain Range was directly south of Mobliz, and within it was the Serpent Trench. Sabin was beginning to feel a bit restless, almost wishing a monster would come out of hiding to challenge his idle fist, when all of a sudden, there was a loud screech, and Gau, the wild child from before, leapt out of the tall grasses ahead of Sabin and Cyan, giving them the scare of their lives.
"AHHH!" Sabin screamed.
"Good Sir, what are you doing?!" Cyan scolded Gau, who burst out laughing. A loud growl emitted from his stomach, suddenly making him moan and rub his tummy.
"Uwaaoooo...Gau hungry..." He sniffled. "Strangers scare away all food!"
"I think he's talking about us." Sabin blinked.
"Obviously." Cyan said. "Why don't you just give him some of that dried meat you picked up before?"
"Oh, alright." Sabin sighed and pulled out a piece of the meat, throwing it to Gau.
"There ya go, sorry we scared the animals." Sabin said bitterly, not wanting to part with his portion of their dinner. Gau cheered happily and caught the meat, instantly stuffing it into his mouth whole.
"You're going to choke!" Sabin cried. Gau blinked and then gulped the meat down, a most satisfied grin on his face.
"Thou are so....odd." Cyan remarked. "But at any rate...there is your repayment for rescuing us at the river before. Thank you. I am Cyan, and he is Sabin." Gau looked from Cyan to Sabin, and then back to Cyan curiously.
"You Cyan...you Sabin....me want more food!" Gau exclaimed happily.
"No more for you." Sabin said firmly, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You...go get more for me!" Gau tried, and Sabin shook his head.
"You're a regular munchkin!" He exclaimed, and Gau howled.
"And you....afraid of me!" He smirked, and Sabin blinked.
"You wanna fight?!" Sabin challenged, and raised his fists.
"Sir Sabin, Sir Gau!" Cyan cried, but of course, no one was listening to him.
"Me not wanna hurt you..." Gau smiled sweetly, making Sabin turn red.
"Quit lookin' at me like that!" Sabin shouted, and leaped at Gau. Gau cried out and before Cyan could stop either of them, they were chasing each other around in circles, bringing dust up from their feet. Finally, Gau stopped, and laughed manically as Sabin collapsed to his knees.
"You're...pretty tough..." Sabin huffed.
"Waa-ha, that fun!" Gau replied. "Sabin strong!"
"I'll show you strong!" Sabin cried, and they proceeded in chasing each other all over again. Gau was so fast, he managed to slip out of the circle that he and Sabin were running in without Sabin even noticing until a few minutes later, when Gau started to laugh and point at the disgruntled Sabin who was chasing himself in a circle. Cyan tried his best to hold back a chuckle.
"Me like dancing!" Gau smiled. "You good leader!" Sabin stopped running and turned even redder then before.
"Shut up!!!" Sabin bellowed, and Cyan stepped in between them.
"Simmer down Sirs." He said calmly, and looked to Gau. "And thou...O wild one, who might you be exactly?"
"Thou?" Gau blinked and began walking around them, looking all around.
"Thou! Thou!"
"I don't think he knows you're talking to him." Sabin whispered rather loudly.
"Ahem..." Cyan began, but Gau cut him off.
"Thou! Thou!"
"Thou! Thou!"
"Thou! Thou!"
"Oh dear..." Cyan heaved a sigh and turned around. Gau blinked, noticing him right away, and rushed up to Cyan.
"You angry?" Gau asked, but Cyan did not reply.
"You angry...me?" Gau asked again, walking around to face Cyan.
"Cyan! You angry...me?"
"Cyan! You angry...me?"
"Cy--ack!" Gau squirmed as Sabin grabbed him by the sash on his chest and pulled him aside.
"Listen Gau, his family was just..." Sabin trailed off and sighed. "They aren't here anymore...uhhh...." But surprisingly, Gau's eyes showed understanding.
"Me understand..." Gau nodded, and walked back over to Cyan. "Me sorry...Me not a mean person...really." Cyan looked up, and Sabin and Gau were both relieved to see him smiling.
"Well listen!" He exclaimed. "We can't have ye two prancing 'round all day! Gau, I think we are going to get along fine together. Why don't you join us?"
"Aha!" Gau exclaimed. "And me give you present! Gau give Cyan and Sabin nice gift in thanks for food!"
"What manner of rubbish do you suppose he's gonna..." Sabin trailed off as Gau began to jump up and down excitedly.
"Gau's treasure...Shiny!" He exclaimed. "Shiny shiny shiny shiny shiny!"
"Can anything be THAT shiny?" Sabin questioned wearily.
"Does Mr. Thou like shiny thing?" Gau asked Sabin, and Sabin nearly fell over.
"He's Mr. Thou over there!" Sabin cried, and pointed to Cyan, who laughed. Sabin did smile though, and brought a finger to his chin in thought. "Hmmm...A shiny thing, eh? Think about how jealous Locke is gonna be when he hears about this!!!"
"Who be Locke?" Gau demanded. "He bad man? Maybe he try to steal my treasure!!" Sabin blinked and tried to look as surprised as possible at the thought of Locke stealing treasure.
"Locke....? Well, he's..." Sabin began to explain, but Gau had begun to twirl about in circles, laughing hysterically.
"Listen when someone is talking to you!" Sabin cried.
"I think he is trying to tell us something." Cyan said, and Gau pointed southward.
"Here! Here! Shiny thing here!" Gau exclaimed, and Sabin and Cyan turned to see that he was pointing to none other then the distant Crescent Mountain.
"Sabin!" Gau said, and Sabin looked back to him. "Place where you buy food...it's called Mobliz!"
"Duh." Sabin muttered, and Gau looked to Cyan.
"Cyan...place where you stand, river brought you here!" Gau said, and Cyan nodded. "Now we go to Crescent Mountain! Shiny thing there!"
"Alright, we will go along with you." Cyan said, and with that, Gau leaped ahead to lead the group. Sabin sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Phew...Why'd we have to invite him along, anyway?" He asked himself. Suddenly, Gau walked backwards up to Sabin in a strangely creepy way that made Sabin get a chill.
"Mr. Thou, hurry up, we're leaving!" Gau said, and Sabin growled.
"Hey, I told you once, I am not Mr. Thou!" Sabin bellowed, and with that, chased Gau all the way to Crescent Mountain, Gau laughing the entire time.
**********
At the entrance to a cave in Crescent Mountain, Gau began to dance about and make strange motions with his hands that Cyan couldn't even understand. However, Sabin guessed right away.
"Cyan, the shiny thing that Gau spoke of must be in here." Sabin said, and Cyan nodded.
"Uh...Sir Gau..." Cyan began, "Where exactly is it?"
"Gau....forget!" Gau exclaimed, and Cyan and Sabin's jaws dropped.
"Shall we look around!?" Sabin asked with clenched teeth, and Cyan agreed with a cheerful "Indeed!" The cavern wasn't very big, but still, the shiny treasure could have been anywhere.
If only Locke were here, we'd have found this in no time! Sabin thought bitterly. Gau leapt to a corner of the cave and dug furiously, but came up with nothing.
"Not over here..." Sabin mumbled. Gau suddenly looked excited and dug in another area. A few moments later, he held up a....
"Tonic!?" Sabin cried, eyes wide.
"T-This is Sir Gau's treasure!?" Cyan stammered. But Gau quickly shook his head and handed the Tonic over to Cyan for safe keeping, while Sabin inspected the edge of a small cliff that looked as if it had been dug at before. Gau grinned and slowly snuck up behind Sabin, who was muttering to himself.
"GAU!" Gau exclaimed, his voice bouncing off the walls of the cave. Sabin screamed and leaped up, a small pouch falling from his belt into the unreachable deeper part of the cavern below the cliff.
"Gah!!!" Sabin cried. "My pouch! That had 500 gil in it....Why you little...!"
"Oh dear, Sir Sabin, let me handle this!" Cyan cried, before Sabin could wallop on the poor boy. However, Gau escaped both men, running down a small corridor into a new room. A few moments later, he called out their names, and Sabin and Cyan both came running after him.
"Did he get attacked!?" Sabin cried worriedly, forgetting the prank Gau had just pulled.
However, when they came into the new room, they found a very proud Gau holding up a large, golden helmet of some sort with a few cords attached to mouth pieces dangling off of it. Sabin blinked, and Cyan clapped his hands together.
"Is this is? Sir Gau's treasure?" He asked.
"Treasure...yesss..." Gau grinned.
"This looks like the underwater breathing helmet that they had in Mobliz!" Sabin said, and looked at Gau. "Hey, did you steal this?"
"No, Gau never steal." Gau said confusedly. "Stealing wrong. Gau find in monster chamber in part of Crescent Mountain. Monster dead, monster children crying. Gau borrow shiny thing to find fish for monster children. Children grow up and leave nest and shiny thing!"
"Oh...how very noble!" Cyan beamed, but Sabin cut right to the chase by snatching up the helmet and looking it over.
"Looks like it might just fit." Sabin said, and fingered one of the cords. "It would seem that multiple people can use this by having one wear it, and the other people use the mouth pieces attached to the helmet. I can tell it is fused with Magitek Power..."
"Well, we still should use it." Cyan said. "I mean, Gau has used it, and he's fine, right?" Sabin blinked and gave Cyan a look that read: "Yeah, REALLY fine." But he knew what Cyan meant. Gau had wandered off to another room in the cave, which actually led outside to a ledge over a very fast river.
"This Serpent Trench." Gau explained when Sabin and Cyan had joined him outside.
"Current's....fast." Cyan gulped.
"No kidding..." Sabin said, and looked at the helmet again. "But if we don't hop in, we will never see our friends again..."
"...Right...." Cyan said, and looked up from the ground. "So let us go!!!"
"Gau!" Gau exclaimed.
**********
The trip through the Serpent Trench went very quickly for the team. Before Sabin knew it, they had reached the docks of Nikeah's harbor and had pulled themselves onto dry land once again. A sailor who had been lifting crates and bringing them onto a ship nearby turned to look at the three soaking wet travelers, surprised.
"Hi!" He exclaimed, and set down the crates. "Did you come from Mobliz...?"
"Yeah." Sabin explained, and took off the helmet. Cyan and Gau removed their mouth pieces as well.
"So they have recovered their lost helmet!" The sailor said, and smiled.
"Yeah, but we don't know how to return it, since we're not going back." Cyan said worriedly.
"Don't worry about it." The sailor said. "If you want, we can take it to Mobliz for you by ship like we used to do when travelers still came to Nikeah with the helmet."
"Oh, well thank you!" Cyan exclaimed, and Sabin handed over the helmet to the sailor.
"Speaking of ships, will there be one leaving for Narshe anytime soon?" Sabin asked.
"You're in luck, one will be leaving in a half an hour." said the sailor. "If you get seasick, I recommend you get a good drink in you at the tavern before leaving."
"Good drink?" Gau questioned, and Sabin laughed.
"Come on Gau, we'll show you around." Sabin offered. "Bet you've never been anywhere outside of Mobliz and the Veldt, huh?"
"Gau no remember." Gau said, a troubled expression coming over his cute boyish face.
"It is ok, Sir Gau." Cyan smiled. "Let us all get something in our stomachs before we go to Narshe!"
So, the three men made their way into downtown Nikeah, which was full of many outdoor merchants excitedly shouting to each other and to the potential customers. Gau blinked in amazement and looked all around, taking everything in. Everyone looked so happy...no one looked afraid that he was around...
"Here's the tavern!" Sabin exclaimed, and they entered. It was actually quite empty, except for the bar tender himself and a young woman leaning up against the wall. She was actually quite attractive, but there was something almost sinister behind her deep violet eyes and shining red-lipped smile. Cyan eyed her strangely as he, Sabin, and Gau sat down.
"Hullo." The bartender said gruffly. "What will it be?"
"Hmm... This place got any specials?" Sabin asked, and laughed nervously. It had been a while since he had had anything like alcohol, and he honestly couldn't remember any good drink names...
"Yeah, it's a mix of Curiel and Mimmet greens with just a touch of cherry." The bartender said.
"Sounds great!" Sabin said. "Three rounds of that please." The bartender turned to make the drinks, and spoke to the team as he did so.
"You look kinda wet...Make your way here through the Serpent Trench?"
"Yep!" Sabin said.
"So that means you were up north." The bartender concluded. "Lots of troubled folk up there...Have you met the man who lives in the lone house north of Doma? His wife bore 'em a son 13 years ago, but the poor girl died while giving birth. The man totally lost it, and thought the child was a monster. He threw 'im out on the Veldt to die...Wonder if the poor baby survived...? Probably impossible, but..." He shook his head and handed over the three drinks. "Anyway, good that you've come to Nikeah safely." With that, he disappeared through a door behind the bar to get some more supplies. Sabin felt his spirits go down a little after that story, and looked to Gau, who was curiously looking over his drink. Suddenly, a thought came to him.
"Hey Gau...how old are you?" Sabin asked, and Gau looked up.
"Hmm..." Gau held out a hand and began counting in a most confusing way. Finally, he looked up at Sabin and grinned.
"Gau...Forget!" He exclaimed, and laughed.
"Figures..." Sabin smiled some. There probably was no connection anyway... But while Sabin was pondering this, Cyan was developing a complex situation of his own. The young woman leaning against the wall had sauntered over to him, and slid on the stool next to him, crossing her legs so that her already rather short skirt rode up even more, making Cyan turn red for noticing.
"Yoo hoo!" She cooed, and smiled. "You handsome thing...how 'bout joining me? Tee hee!" Cyan blinked and realized the nature of this woman right away.
"H...how dare you...you licentious howler!" Cyan cried, and leapt from the stool. The woman smirked and followed him, forcing him to step backwards until he was pressed against the wall.
"Geeze, don't blow an artery baby!" She exclaimed, and Cyan cringed.
"B-Baby!?" He howled.
"Cyan!" Sabin laughed, and stood up. "Don't let it get to you!"
"But...but I'm not like that!" Cyan protested.
"No one thinks you are." Sabin said, and smiled. "Just let it go."
"Stop whispering!" The woman exclaimed. "My ears are burnin' baby..."
"Enough!" Cyan cried as Sabin and Gau proceeded to drag him out of the bar. "Have you no shame? I'll have you know...etc...etc....."
"Goodness!" The woman exclaimed after they had left.
"Cyan...Don't you know not to pick a fight with a lady in public?" Sabin shook his head.
"That was no lady!" Cyan cried.
"Gau disagree..." Gau trailed off, with hearts in his eyes.
"Sir Gau!" Cyan moaned. "No no, you see..."
The three of them proceeded to argue about the young woman in the bar even when they boarded their ship for Narshe. Finally, though, things began to quiet down between them. The sun had begun to set, casting a soft golden glow in the horizon. Sabin was sitting by himself at the head of the ship, half-meditating and half thinking about what would happen when they reached Narshe. Terra would talk to the Esper, but Kefka was also going to attack. Did Kefka know Terra was in Narshe? If he found out, he would surely try to get his hands on her again...
Right then, Cyan walked over to Sabin, and put a hand on his shoulder as he sat down himself.
"Narshe is just a stone's throw away!" Cyan exclaimed with some cheerfulness in his voice, despite knowing about the situation that would await them. Sabin had explained everything to him and Gau in full depth on the boat.
"I just hope the others arrived safely." Sabin said, thinking of Terra, Edgar, Banon, and Locke.
"I am sure they did." Cyan nodded, and Gau suddenly appeared as well from behind Sabin and Cyan, his hands folded together.
"Me hope so too...."
After Cyan had collected his wits in the Phantom Forest and assured the team that he would be quite alright, they made their exit and traveled the only road leading south from the forest, eventually coming upon an uphill path that would lead them straight to Baren Falls.
At the top of the falls, Sabin looked out at the view and took in a deep breath of the fresh, water-sprayed air. It was a most welcome change from the musty forest air from before. Just off in the distance, Sabin could see the long green plains that were known as the Veldt, and just at the northern tip of the Veldt, he could make out a very small village. That was Mobliz. It used to be that a traveler could cross a very large bridge to get across the falls and then take a path in the opposite mountains to get to Mobliz. There, you could go down to Crescent Mountain and raft your way to Nikeah, which was on the other side of the continent that Narshe was also on. However, that mode of travel was no longer in existence, for "somebody" (The Empire was the most suspected, but never proven guilty) had burned down the bridge the linked the Veldt to Doma's territory, and besides that, the waterway that linked Mobliz to Nikeah (known as the Serpent Trench) had collapsed within itself in many areas due to the use of Magitek machines while the Empire traveled within it, and had filled completely with water so that there was no way one could raft within it. The circumstances regarding the planet's unity grew more and more unfortunate every day, it seemed...
Remembering all this vital geographical information, Cyan spoke up first.
"Sir Sabin, what are we to do now? We've made it through both the Empire's base and the Phantom Forest, but I am afraid we have become stuck."
"Yeah, really!" Sabin exclaimed, and turned to Shadow, who looked bored. "You told me to travel south to get to Narshe, but there is no way to get there!"
"There is always a way." Shadow said coolly, and nodded towards the falls. Sabin didn't quite understand him until his own sense of adventure had awoken once more and gave him the inspiration he needed.
"We can get down to the Veldt by..." He murmured to himself, and Cyan interrupted him.
"There are dangerous creatures there!" He protested. "And it has only gotten worse since travel through there slowed down!"
"But the Empire is right on our tails." Sabin argued. "If we don't get out of Doma territory soon, we'll all be in trouble."
"Hmmm...Well, if we did slip through the Veldt, we could easily reach Mobliz to recuperate and then...." Cyan sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "But how...?"
"We'll have to jump the falls!" Sabin decided, and slammed his fist into his hand decidingly. "Is that what you meant, Shadow?" But Shadow merely nodded and did a quick bow.
"I have served my purpose." He said, and turned to walk away. Sabin blinked and hesitantly raised a hand.
"Shadow!" He cried, and Shadow turned, not appearing to have much emotion over their departure, which had at last arrived. He had decided he had had enough for now.
"Thanks for your help!" Sabin exclaimed. "Let's join ranks again sometime!"
"Good-bye Sir Shadow!" Cyan added, and Shadow nodded again and suddenly took a flying leap from where they had been standing to the lower path below that they had climbed up to get to the falls. In a few seconds, he had disappeared from their view.
"He's like the wind..." Cyan commented to himself, and then turned back to Sabin. "Now, please tell me you were joking about jumping the falls."
"Of course not!" Sabin exclaimed, and laughed. "Are you afraid?"
"Are you CRAZY!?!?" Cyan shouted in return. "We'll never make it!"
"Sure we will, just hold your breath." Sabin said casually, and suddenly grabbed Cyan, tossing him over the edge of the falls!
"AHHHHHHHHH, SIR SABIN...........!!!!!!" Cyan's shouts could be heard as he flew down the falls, his voice echoing and fading ever slowly as he descended. Sabin laughed more and took a giant leap off the cliff himself, plunging into the freezing cold water of the falls that pushed him downwards so fast that he could barely keep focus on his surroundings. He had to admit that the pounding water sure made a great body massage though!! This was the way that the overly-positive Sabin thought most of the time. However, the pounding water and the roaring of it all around him was beginning to make him feel slightly light-headed...
"Whoa!!" Cyan cried, who was quite a ways below Sabin by now. A most monstrous fish that was a shade of violent purple had suddenly leaped up from Cyan's side from the falls and snapped it's ugly jaws right near the tip of his nose. He had no bloody idea what this thing was, but it did not look too keen with having visitors. Thinking that it would have given up after failing to bite Cyan once, he began to relax again (well, relax as best as he could while body-surfing down a waterfall) when all of a sudden the nasty creature leaped out of the water again from Cyan's other side, and tried this time to snap off his ear.
"Arg!" Cyan grunted as he struggled to unsheathe his blade. However, the water was pounding far too hard on his arms and shoulders, practically paralyzing him in place as the creature leaped about, trying to eat him a body part at a time.
"Sabin, HELP!" Cyan cried, cringing as the monster let out a vicious growl. Sabin, hearing his friend even over the roaring waters, sleepily opened his eyes after half-way drifting to sleep and saw Cyan below him, struggling to avoid the attacks of some purple-ish fish. Determined to save his friend, Sabin pushed his hands together in Blitz stance and decided that he had best warm up his good old Aura Bolt spell. After chanting a few holy words, the shining beam of light shot out from between his hands and hit the purple target, head-on. Fried, the fish let out a defeated whimper as its crusty body burst into a bright light and dissolved a moment later.
"You ok down there?!" Sabin cried.
"I'm fine now, thanks!" Cyan called back. Sabin suddenly let out a moan and tried to reach up to rub his forehead, which was feeling even lighter now that he had used some of his energy to make the Aura Bolt. Everything around him began to fade into a soft whiteness...and all of a sudden, his whole body felt light as a feather-as if the wind could carry it off at any moment...
*********
Edgar sighed as he peered out the frost-covered window of Arvis' house, hoping to see his brother and Locke making their way up Narshe's main road, but at the same time knowing that all he would see was the same thing as before... Empty nothingness. As usual, the atmosphere of the town was rather dark, since it was completely sheltered from the mountains, but it seemed even darker now, for none of the shops or homes had their outdoor lights on. Everyone was in hiding, for rumor that the Empire was to invade had spread quicker then a fire in a dead forest. Edgar began to wonder if the Narshe guards would even let Locke and Sabin in if they did indeed arrive.
"Do you see anything?" Terra asked worriedly, and Edgar turned from the window to face her. She had dark circles under her eyes, not being able to rest at all since they had arrived at Narshe since she was so worried over Locke and Sabin. Her new friends, all laying their lives down just for this one chance for her to talk to the esper...it was ridiculous. What if she couldn't do it? What if she wasn't indeed the last ray of hope for the world like Banon had said? She suddenly felt sick to her stomach, and reached out to put a hand on the wall so that she wouldn't fall.
"Please, hurry back to Narshe!" Terra prayed under her breath.
**********
Celes narrowed her eyes up toward the sky and stopped walking for a moment, tucking her hair behind her ears as she tried to read what time it was by the sun's position in the sky. Locke didn't even notice she had stopped until he asked a question and didn't get an answer. He turned around and sighed some as he watched her eyes slowly inch over the sky, searching for something. She let out a held in breath and brought a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. When Locke realized he was staring, he shook his head and cleared his throat loudly, causing Celes to look over at him.
"What is it?" She asked, and lowered her hand so that they were facing each other.
"Is something wrong?" Locke asked worriedly. "We'll be in Narshe soon...if you're having second thoughts that is..." Celes shook her head to that, much to Locke's relief.
"No, I was trying to figure out what time it was." Celes replied. "Being locked up for as long as I was, I sort of lost my sense of time."
"I don't really know, sorry." Locke apologized. "But really, we should be there soon..."
"I know." Celes said coolly, and crossed her arms over her chest. "But it may not be soon enough, I'm afraid."
**********
"Oooh....my head..." Sabin let out a low moan and slowly began to sit up, pushing his wet bangs out of his eyes.
"Oh, Sir Sabin, you're awake!" Cyan exclaimed, and Sabin looked over to his comrade, who looked perfectly fine except for some stray locks of hair from his ponytail.
"Yeah....But I don't remember much." Sabin shook his head and ran his fingers through his slightly damp hair to spike it back up again. The rest of him appeared dry, since they had been lying out in the sun for quite a bit.
"The water pressure on your head must of made thou as drowsy as I." Cyan said, and sighed. "But we made it."
"Sure we made it, but who brought us to shore?" Sabin questioned. "I mean, we didn't just float onto the dry grass...."
Suddenly, Sabin stopped talking when he heard the sound of very quiet footsteps not too far away from where he and Cyan were recovering. Cyan, with his trained ears, heard them as well, and looked up worriedly.
"Is it a monster?!" Sabin whispered, suddenly remembering how the Veldt was the home for dangerous creatures of the world all over.
"Uwaaaaoooooo!"
"AHHH!" Sabin and Cyan cried in unison, grabbing onto each other. A blur of tanned skin and green hair suddenly leapt out of nowhere and landed in front of the two frightened men, hooting and hollering at no one in particular. He finally stopped the noise and then just began to laugh joyfully as if this were all very amusing. Sabin blinked and narrowed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
It was a boy.
Well, perhaps not a boy...a young, young man might have been more appropriate. He seemed to be in that tall, awkward stage of life a lot of men went through- He was rather skinny in structure, with evidence of small muscles built up on his arms and calves, and a skinny waist. His wild green hair was spiked all about on his head and flying in different directions, but his long green ponytail seemed sleek and tame. He had crimson eyes that were filled with delight-there was not a flicker of malice or hatred in them. He was wearing a sash made from what looked like King Behemoth hide around his chest and a matching pair of long shorts that seemed to be put together by someone who could not sew very well. The rest of him remained uncovered, including his bare feet.
"......Who might you be?" Sabin asked nervously, although he had a feeling that this was the person who had rescued himself and Cyan.
"!!!!" The boy seemed surprised and turned to run.
"Wait!" Cyan exclaimed. "Was thou the one who pulled us from the river? How can we thank you?"
"...." The boy stopped and seemed to think for a moment, as if deciphering Cyan's sentences one word at a time.
"Gau...hungry!" He suddenly cried, and rubbed his stomach. Sabin and Cyan looked at each other, confused.
"What's a Gau?" Sabin asked.
"I think that is his name!" Cyan said. "And I think he is hungry."
"We don't have any food!" Sabin squealed. "Think he'll eat us?!" At the sound of the word eat, Gau jumped up excitedly.
"Food...! Food...! Oooowaaaoooo!" Sabin gulped and looked at Gau.
"We don't have any food!" Sabin protested. He then tried to make hand movements to get Gau to understand. However, he ended up accidentally doing a blitz attack, and poor Gau was stuck with a nasty aura beam. He cried out and then howled loudly into the sky, although he had indeed not been very hurt at all.
"Owaaaaoooo!" Gau cried. "Uwaaoooo! You....strangers! Go away! You scare animals!" With that, Gau took off in the blink of an eye.
"Ack!" Sabin cried, and hid his hands behind his back.
"Sir Sabin!" Cyan cried, and shook his head. "Well, so much for thanking him..."
"I'm sure he is ok." Sabin said. "Didn't seem to stun him much with that attack...You have to be pretty strong to be able to resist a blitz like that..."
"What are you implying?" Cyan asked, and Sabin shrugged.
"Nothing at all... I think we should be going to Mobliz!"
"I agree." Cyan nodded, and with that, the two men took off up the Veldt to Mobliz, which could be seen even with their distance from the town. It was a small village, and rather cozy and welcoming of any strangers. Since they were so cut off from the rest of the world, they found visitors to be rare and also a sign of good fortune in the near future. So when Sabin and Cyan finally made it to town, they were immediately surrounded by happy villagers welcoming them and begging to know where they had come from.
"Well...." Sabin proceeded to give some of the villagers a short version of the story of how he and Cyan had come to Mobliz from Doma. He also explained that they needed to get to Narshe as soon as possible.
"To get to Narshe, you need to get to Nikeah first." A young woman said, who was holding the hand of a small child. She had light blonde hair up into a bundle of curly tendrils on the side of her head. "But we can no longer go there, I am afraid..."
"You mean there is no way?" Cyan asked painfully.
"There used to be a way, after the waterway collapsed within itself." She said, trying to ignore the child now tugging on her hand. "One of the injured soldiers here from the Empire developed a helmet that would let you breathe underwater and allow you to swim through the Serpent Trench to Nikeah--What do you want already, Ashley!?" The woman looked down to the girl, who looked desperate for attention.
"Ask them if they have ever been in Miranda, Katarin." The girl demanded impatiently. Katarin sighed and did just so.
"Have you been to Maranda recently?"
"No, sorry." Cyan said, and Sabin shook his head.
"Oh darn..." The little girl pouted. Sabin looked up quizzically at Katarin, who sighed some.
"My cousin here is worried about this soldier who lives in a house in the northern part of our village." Katarin explained. "He is from Miranda, and he also has a girlfriend there that he had to leave behind when he was forced into the Imperial Army. The only way he has managed to keep in touch with her is with Carrier Pigeons, but he explained to us that he was anxious to hear news about Miranda from travelers too because he is worried about Lola."
"Lola?" Cyan questioned.
"Oh, his girlfriend." Katarin said. "But thanks anyway...If you want to see the soldier, he, as I said before, lives in the house up north. Bye!" And with that, Katarin took the little girl with her and left. A few moments later, the crowd that had gathered around Sabin and Cyan thinned out, but no one had been able to say much more about getting to Nikeah, except for one man, who explained that the helmet Katarin had been talking about was stolen from the village not too long ago.
"Well, I'd say we are in a most undesirable position." Cyan commented as he and Sabin strolled about town.
"Duh." Sabin said, not nearly as cheerful as he was before. "We're stranded here unless we find that helmet!"
"Perhaps we should visit that soldier." Cyan said thoughtfully.
"Why's that?" Sabin asked.
"Well, I wonder if he is the soldier that invented the helmet in the first place." Cyan explained. "You know, like Katarin said? If he was, then maybe he could help somehow..."
"Good idea." Sabin agreed, and he and Cyan walked up to the northern house where the soldier was said to be living. It was a very small house, and looked deserted, but when Sabin knocked, a small voice from within shouted "Come in!"
Sabin opened the door and entered, discovering right away that the house consisted of only a big room, with a few bookcases, a rug, a desk with an oil lamp, and a small bed in which a man was lying, the covers pulled up to his stubbled chin. He had a white bandage covering a cut on his neck, and some blood-tinted bandages wrapped around his forehead. It couldn't be seen too well, but his right arm was also in sling, and both of his legs were also set in casts underneath the blanket, for both of his legs were broken...
"Good late afternoon Sir." Cyan said, and bowed politely. Sabin waved hi, and the young soldier actually smiled.
"Hello." He said. "My name is Ethan....I do not believe that we have met before. Strangers are such a rare thing here in Mobliz! The rumor around here is that they bring good luck...heh heh!"
"I'm Sabin, and this is Cyan." Sabin said. "We're from Figaro and Doma, respectively, although I am doubtful we are good luck of any kind!" He laughed heartily with Ethan, but then got back to business. "We heard about you from Katarin..."
"Oh, she is such a lovely young woman." Ethan smiled. "So is there anything I can do to help you?"
"We heard a rumor of a helmet that can let the wearer breathe underwater and take the Serpent Trench to Nikeah." Sabin said. "Do you know anything about it?"
"I'm afraid not good sirs, only that the helmet has recently been plundered." Ethan said sadly. "The soldier that crafted that once lived at the inn, but I am afraid his injuries got the best of him, and he..."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Cyan said quickly. "In that case, we didn't mean to trouble you."
"You didn't, don't worry." Ethan smiled and then suddenly let out a painful moan, turning to slowly shift onto his back to relieve some of his pain. Sabin furrowed his eyebrows in concern, wondering if now was the right time to go...
"Before you leave..." Ethan suddenly spoke up again. "Do you see the letter on that desk over there?" Sabin looked and said yes, as indeed there was a sealed letter on the only desk in the room.
"I am from Miranda." Ethan said sadly. "When the Empire invaded our town, they forced me to join their army, and when I heard we were to attack Doma, I ran away. However, they caught me...and did this..." He moaned again and Sabin thought he heard the man sniffle. "That letter, could you read it to me? It just came today and I think it may be from Lola..."
"Sure." Sabin said, and Cyan nodded. Sabin took the letter from the desk and carefully unsealed it, pulling out the stationary inside. It smelled faintly of roses...
"I can't get used to imperial troopers walking the streets of Maranda, but otherwise things are okay. Flowers are blooming in the garden, telling me spring is here. How are you doing? I'm so worried. I wish I could fly to your side! Rest, and know that I think about you constantly. Come back to me...
Love,
Lola"
Sabin ended the letter, and looked back to Ethan, who was staring up at the ceiling. Finally, he heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.
"I'd like to write her back but...I can't even pick up a pen..." He moaned. "At any rate...thank you, and good luck on your journey, strangers." Sabin and Cyan considered themselves dismissed, and made their exit.
"I feel sorry for him." Sabin mused when they stepped outside.
"Indeed...What the Empire does to its own soldiers is terrible." Cyan shook his head. "I only know too well how that man feels, to be separated from the ones he loves..." Sabin sighed as Cyan looked down.
"Well...the sooner we get to Narshe, the sooner we can protect more people from the Empire." Sabin explained gently. "But at any rate, since we can't get the underwater helmet, I think that we may have to go down to Serpent Trench and investigate it ourselves. I am going to go to the Item Shop and pick up some rations for the trip down the veldt."
"What of me?" Cyan questioned. Sabin smiled.
"I have an idea for you." Sabin said, and looked back to the soldier's house. "While you're waiting for me...why don't you sit down in there and write a letter to Lola for him? You know, ask him what he wants to say and write it down for him?"
"That's a most wonderful idea Sir Sabin!" Cyan exclaimed. "I shall propose it to Ethan right away. I'll see you later!"
"Bye Cyan." Sabin smiled, and waved before making his way across the small village to the Item Shop. There, he purchased a few tonics, phoenix downs, a stamina recovering tent, and some dried meat for a late lunch/early dinner incase they did not make it back to Mobliz at a reasonable eating hour. After his shopping, Sabin explored the town on his own for a bit, taking in the peaceful scenery and happy laughter and chatting that surrounded him. For Sabin, it had been ages since he had been in a town that was not filled with fear or despair from the Empire breathing down their necks. The world had become undone, and at the rate the Empire was growing, there might not be any sanity left in the hearts of the poor people by the end of the year.
"Hmm...we'd better be leaving if we don't want to be walking on the Veldt in the dark." Sabin noted to himself as he looked up at the sky. With that, he picked up Cyan from the soldier's house, almost feeling bad for interrupting the two men's conversation about swords. After saying their final good-byes, they left, and Cyan held up the letter he had written.
"He was so happy." Cyan smiled as they passed by a Carrier Pigeon Post Box and deposited the letter in it along with the 50 gil it took to mail it.
"I am glad." Sabin smiled back. "I just hope we get some of that good luck the villagers here say we have..."
The Veldt air was rather humid and the tall, dry grass made a crunching noise as Sabin and Cyan marched through it. The Crescent Mountain Range was directly south of Mobliz, and within it was the Serpent Trench. Sabin was beginning to feel a bit restless, almost wishing a monster would come out of hiding to challenge his idle fist, when all of a sudden, there was a loud screech, and Gau, the wild child from before, leapt out of the tall grasses ahead of Sabin and Cyan, giving them the scare of their lives.
"AHHH!" Sabin screamed.
"Good Sir, what are you doing?!" Cyan scolded Gau, who burst out laughing. A loud growl emitted from his stomach, suddenly making him moan and rub his tummy.
"Uwaaoooo...Gau hungry..." He sniffled. "Strangers scare away all food!"
"I think he's talking about us." Sabin blinked.
"Obviously." Cyan said. "Why don't you just give him some of that dried meat you picked up before?"
"Oh, alright." Sabin sighed and pulled out a piece of the meat, throwing it to Gau.
"There ya go, sorry we scared the animals." Sabin said bitterly, not wanting to part with his portion of their dinner. Gau cheered happily and caught the meat, instantly stuffing it into his mouth whole.
"You're going to choke!" Sabin cried. Gau blinked and then gulped the meat down, a most satisfied grin on his face.
"Thou are so....odd." Cyan remarked. "But at any rate...there is your repayment for rescuing us at the river before. Thank you. I am Cyan, and he is Sabin." Gau looked from Cyan to Sabin, and then back to Cyan curiously.
"You Cyan...you Sabin....me want more food!" Gau exclaimed happily.
"No more for you." Sabin said firmly, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You...go get more for me!" Gau tried, and Sabin shook his head.
"You're a regular munchkin!" He exclaimed, and Gau howled.
"And you....afraid of me!" He smirked, and Sabin blinked.
"You wanna fight?!" Sabin challenged, and raised his fists.
"Sir Sabin, Sir Gau!" Cyan cried, but of course, no one was listening to him.
"Me not wanna hurt you..." Gau smiled sweetly, making Sabin turn red.
"Quit lookin' at me like that!" Sabin shouted, and leaped at Gau. Gau cried out and before Cyan could stop either of them, they were chasing each other around in circles, bringing dust up from their feet. Finally, Gau stopped, and laughed manically as Sabin collapsed to his knees.
"You're...pretty tough..." Sabin huffed.
"Waa-ha, that fun!" Gau replied. "Sabin strong!"
"I'll show you strong!" Sabin cried, and they proceeded in chasing each other all over again. Gau was so fast, he managed to slip out of the circle that he and Sabin were running in without Sabin even noticing until a few minutes later, when Gau started to laugh and point at the disgruntled Sabin who was chasing himself in a circle. Cyan tried his best to hold back a chuckle.
"Me like dancing!" Gau smiled. "You good leader!" Sabin stopped running and turned even redder then before.
"Shut up!!!" Sabin bellowed, and Cyan stepped in between them.
"Simmer down Sirs." He said calmly, and looked to Gau. "And thou...O wild one, who might you be exactly?"
"Thou?" Gau blinked and began walking around them, looking all around.
"Thou! Thou!"
"I don't think he knows you're talking to him." Sabin whispered rather loudly.
"Ahem..." Cyan began, but Gau cut him off.
"Thou! Thou!"
"Thou! Thou!"
"Thou! Thou!"
"Oh dear..." Cyan heaved a sigh and turned around. Gau blinked, noticing him right away, and rushed up to Cyan.
"You angry?" Gau asked, but Cyan did not reply.
"You angry...me?" Gau asked again, walking around to face Cyan.
"Cyan! You angry...me?"
"Cyan! You angry...me?"
"Cy--ack!" Gau squirmed as Sabin grabbed him by the sash on his chest and pulled him aside.
"Listen Gau, his family was just..." Sabin trailed off and sighed. "They aren't here anymore...uhhh...." But surprisingly, Gau's eyes showed understanding.
"Me understand..." Gau nodded, and walked back over to Cyan. "Me sorry...Me not a mean person...really." Cyan looked up, and Sabin and Gau were both relieved to see him smiling.
"Well listen!" He exclaimed. "We can't have ye two prancing 'round all day! Gau, I think we are going to get along fine together. Why don't you join us?"
"Aha!" Gau exclaimed. "And me give you present! Gau give Cyan and Sabin nice gift in thanks for food!"
"What manner of rubbish do you suppose he's gonna..." Sabin trailed off as Gau began to jump up and down excitedly.
"Gau's treasure...Shiny!" He exclaimed. "Shiny shiny shiny shiny shiny!"
"Can anything be THAT shiny?" Sabin questioned wearily.
"Does Mr. Thou like shiny thing?" Gau asked Sabin, and Sabin nearly fell over.
"He's Mr. Thou over there!" Sabin cried, and pointed to Cyan, who laughed. Sabin did smile though, and brought a finger to his chin in thought. "Hmmm...A shiny thing, eh? Think about how jealous Locke is gonna be when he hears about this!!!"
"Who be Locke?" Gau demanded. "He bad man? Maybe he try to steal my treasure!!" Sabin blinked and tried to look as surprised as possible at the thought of Locke stealing treasure.
"Locke....? Well, he's..." Sabin began to explain, but Gau had begun to twirl about in circles, laughing hysterically.
"Listen when someone is talking to you!" Sabin cried.
"I think he is trying to tell us something." Cyan said, and Gau pointed southward.
"Here! Here! Shiny thing here!" Gau exclaimed, and Sabin and Cyan turned to see that he was pointing to none other then the distant Crescent Mountain.
"Sabin!" Gau said, and Sabin looked back to him. "Place where you buy food...it's called Mobliz!"
"Duh." Sabin muttered, and Gau looked to Cyan.
"Cyan...place where you stand, river brought you here!" Gau said, and Cyan nodded. "Now we go to Crescent Mountain! Shiny thing there!"
"Alright, we will go along with you." Cyan said, and with that, Gau leaped ahead to lead the group. Sabin sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Phew...Why'd we have to invite him along, anyway?" He asked himself. Suddenly, Gau walked backwards up to Sabin in a strangely creepy way that made Sabin get a chill.
"Mr. Thou, hurry up, we're leaving!" Gau said, and Sabin growled.
"Hey, I told you once, I am not Mr. Thou!" Sabin bellowed, and with that, chased Gau all the way to Crescent Mountain, Gau laughing the entire time.
**********
At the entrance to a cave in Crescent Mountain, Gau began to dance about and make strange motions with his hands that Cyan couldn't even understand. However, Sabin guessed right away.
"Cyan, the shiny thing that Gau spoke of must be in here." Sabin said, and Cyan nodded.
"Uh...Sir Gau..." Cyan began, "Where exactly is it?"
"Gau....forget!" Gau exclaimed, and Cyan and Sabin's jaws dropped.
"Shall we look around!?" Sabin asked with clenched teeth, and Cyan agreed with a cheerful "Indeed!" The cavern wasn't very big, but still, the shiny treasure could have been anywhere.
If only Locke were here, we'd have found this in no time! Sabin thought bitterly. Gau leapt to a corner of the cave and dug furiously, but came up with nothing.
"Not over here..." Sabin mumbled. Gau suddenly looked excited and dug in another area. A few moments later, he held up a....
"Tonic!?" Sabin cried, eyes wide.
"T-This is Sir Gau's treasure!?" Cyan stammered. But Gau quickly shook his head and handed the Tonic over to Cyan for safe keeping, while Sabin inspected the edge of a small cliff that looked as if it had been dug at before. Gau grinned and slowly snuck up behind Sabin, who was muttering to himself.
"GAU!" Gau exclaimed, his voice bouncing off the walls of the cave. Sabin screamed and leaped up, a small pouch falling from his belt into the unreachable deeper part of the cavern below the cliff.
"Gah!!!" Sabin cried. "My pouch! That had 500 gil in it....Why you little...!"
"Oh dear, Sir Sabin, let me handle this!" Cyan cried, before Sabin could wallop on the poor boy. However, Gau escaped both men, running down a small corridor into a new room. A few moments later, he called out their names, and Sabin and Cyan both came running after him.
"Did he get attacked!?" Sabin cried worriedly, forgetting the prank Gau had just pulled.
However, when they came into the new room, they found a very proud Gau holding up a large, golden helmet of some sort with a few cords attached to mouth pieces dangling off of it. Sabin blinked, and Cyan clapped his hands together.
"Is this is? Sir Gau's treasure?" He asked.
"Treasure...yesss..." Gau grinned.
"This looks like the underwater breathing helmet that they had in Mobliz!" Sabin said, and looked at Gau. "Hey, did you steal this?"
"No, Gau never steal." Gau said confusedly. "Stealing wrong. Gau find in monster chamber in part of Crescent Mountain. Monster dead, monster children crying. Gau borrow shiny thing to find fish for monster children. Children grow up and leave nest and shiny thing!"
"Oh...how very noble!" Cyan beamed, but Sabin cut right to the chase by snatching up the helmet and looking it over.
"Looks like it might just fit." Sabin said, and fingered one of the cords. "It would seem that multiple people can use this by having one wear it, and the other people use the mouth pieces attached to the helmet. I can tell it is fused with Magitek Power..."
"Well, we still should use it." Cyan said. "I mean, Gau has used it, and he's fine, right?" Sabin blinked and gave Cyan a look that read: "Yeah, REALLY fine." But he knew what Cyan meant. Gau had wandered off to another room in the cave, which actually led outside to a ledge over a very fast river.
"This Serpent Trench." Gau explained when Sabin and Cyan had joined him outside.
"Current's....fast." Cyan gulped.
"No kidding..." Sabin said, and looked at the helmet again. "But if we don't hop in, we will never see our friends again..."
"...Right...." Cyan said, and looked up from the ground. "So let us go!!!"
"Gau!" Gau exclaimed.
**********
The trip through the Serpent Trench went very quickly for the team. Before Sabin knew it, they had reached the docks of Nikeah's harbor and had pulled themselves onto dry land once again. A sailor who had been lifting crates and bringing them onto a ship nearby turned to look at the three soaking wet travelers, surprised.
"Hi!" He exclaimed, and set down the crates. "Did you come from Mobliz...?"
"Yeah." Sabin explained, and took off the helmet. Cyan and Gau removed their mouth pieces as well.
"So they have recovered their lost helmet!" The sailor said, and smiled.
"Yeah, but we don't know how to return it, since we're not going back." Cyan said worriedly.
"Don't worry about it." The sailor said. "If you want, we can take it to Mobliz for you by ship like we used to do when travelers still came to Nikeah with the helmet."
"Oh, well thank you!" Cyan exclaimed, and Sabin handed over the helmet to the sailor.
"Speaking of ships, will there be one leaving for Narshe anytime soon?" Sabin asked.
"You're in luck, one will be leaving in a half an hour." said the sailor. "If you get seasick, I recommend you get a good drink in you at the tavern before leaving."
"Good drink?" Gau questioned, and Sabin laughed.
"Come on Gau, we'll show you around." Sabin offered. "Bet you've never been anywhere outside of Mobliz and the Veldt, huh?"
"Gau no remember." Gau said, a troubled expression coming over his cute boyish face.
"It is ok, Sir Gau." Cyan smiled. "Let us all get something in our stomachs before we go to Narshe!"
So, the three men made their way into downtown Nikeah, which was full of many outdoor merchants excitedly shouting to each other and to the potential customers. Gau blinked in amazement and looked all around, taking everything in. Everyone looked so happy...no one looked afraid that he was around...
"Here's the tavern!" Sabin exclaimed, and they entered. It was actually quite empty, except for the bar tender himself and a young woman leaning up against the wall. She was actually quite attractive, but there was something almost sinister behind her deep violet eyes and shining red-lipped smile. Cyan eyed her strangely as he, Sabin, and Gau sat down.
"Hullo." The bartender said gruffly. "What will it be?"
"Hmm... This place got any specials?" Sabin asked, and laughed nervously. It had been a while since he had had anything like alcohol, and he honestly couldn't remember any good drink names...
"Yeah, it's a mix of Curiel and Mimmet greens with just a touch of cherry." The bartender said.
"Sounds great!" Sabin said. "Three rounds of that please." The bartender turned to make the drinks, and spoke to the team as he did so.
"You look kinda wet...Make your way here through the Serpent Trench?"
"Yep!" Sabin said.
"So that means you were up north." The bartender concluded. "Lots of troubled folk up there...Have you met the man who lives in the lone house north of Doma? His wife bore 'em a son 13 years ago, but the poor girl died while giving birth. The man totally lost it, and thought the child was a monster. He threw 'im out on the Veldt to die...Wonder if the poor baby survived...? Probably impossible, but..." He shook his head and handed over the three drinks. "Anyway, good that you've come to Nikeah safely." With that, he disappeared through a door behind the bar to get some more supplies. Sabin felt his spirits go down a little after that story, and looked to Gau, who was curiously looking over his drink. Suddenly, a thought came to him.
"Hey Gau...how old are you?" Sabin asked, and Gau looked up.
"Hmm..." Gau held out a hand and began counting in a most confusing way. Finally, he looked up at Sabin and grinned.
"Gau...Forget!" He exclaimed, and laughed.
"Figures..." Sabin smiled some. There probably was no connection anyway... But while Sabin was pondering this, Cyan was developing a complex situation of his own. The young woman leaning against the wall had sauntered over to him, and slid on the stool next to him, crossing her legs so that her already rather short skirt rode up even more, making Cyan turn red for noticing.
"Yoo hoo!" She cooed, and smiled. "You handsome thing...how 'bout joining me? Tee hee!" Cyan blinked and realized the nature of this woman right away.
"H...how dare you...you licentious howler!" Cyan cried, and leapt from the stool. The woman smirked and followed him, forcing him to step backwards until he was pressed against the wall.
"Geeze, don't blow an artery baby!" She exclaimed, and Cyan cringed.
"B-Baby!?" He howled.
"Cyan!" Sabin laughed, and stood up. "Don't let it get to you!"
"But...but I'm not like that!" Cyan protested.
"No one thinks you are." Sabin said, and smiled. "Just let it go."
"Stop whispering!" The woman exclaimed. "My ears are burnin' baby..."
"Enough!" Cyan cried as Sabin and Gau proceeded to drag him out of the bar. "Have you no shame? I'll have you know...etc...etc....."
"Goodness!" The woman exclaimed after they had left.
"Cyan...Don't you know not to pick a fight with a lady in public?" Sabin shook his head.
"That was no lady!" Cyan cried.
"Gau disagree..." Gau trailed off, with hearts in his eyes.
"Sir Gau!" Cyan moaned. "No no, you see..."
The three of them proceeded to argue about the young woman in the bar even when they boarded their ship for Narshe. Finally, though, things began to quiet down between them. The sun had begun to set, casting a soft golden glow in the horizon. Sabin was sitting by himself at the head of the ship, half-meditating and half thinking about what would happen when they reached Narshe. Terra would talk to the Esper, but Kefka was also going to attack. Did Kefka know Terra was in Narshe? If he found out, he would surely try to get his hands on her again...
Right then, Cyan walked over to Sabin, and put a hand on his shoulder as he sat down himself.
"Narshe is just a stone's throw away!" Cyan exclaimed with some cheerfulness in his voice, despite knowing about the situation that would await them. Sabin had explained everything to him and Gau in full depth on the boat.
"I just hope the others arrived safely." Sabin said, thinking of Terra, Edgar, Banon, and Locke.
"I am sure they did." Cyan nodded, and Gau suddenly appeared as well from behind Sabin and Cyan, his hands folded together.
"Me hope so too...."
