Shadow of Darkness
It's about time Chapter 17 came around, eh? I do apologize for it taking so long. The story is just getting so intense, I want to write it properly!
Chapter 17:
Rikku spotted Effram crossing the Calm Lands with a white bag in hand several minutes before he actually arrive at the camp, which gave her plenty of time to notice he was perfectly fine. And to get very angry.
"Where the hell were you!" she shrilled, stalking out to meet him. "Shopping? You went shopping!"
"For food, I'll have you know," he replied crisply.
"This long? And you couldn't be bothered to tell us!
"Hey!" he snapped. "I tried to wake you up but you wouldn't be budged, so don't go yelling at me! And it took so long because the place was swarming with tourists. This place has been turned into a theme park, you know!" He thrust the bag into her hands.
"Well… you could've left a note!"
"I didn't think of that, so excuse me!"
She glared at him. With a grunt, she sat down and peered into the bag. There were a few packs of quick meals and three flasks of water 'Straight from Besaid!' But surprisingly (or perhaps not so), she wasn't hungry. She stuffed a packed of food and a water flask into her small sack and turned to Effram and Barthello.
"Let's go. We need to get to Zanarkand soon." It irked her that they would've been halfway through Mt. Gagazet by now, had they not needed to wait on Effram. She made a noise of frustration.
"What?" Barthello asked, bent half over with a bag dangling from his fingers.
"Nothing. Let's go." But she was forced to wait on the men as they finished their packing. 'Cripes, they're so slow!' But finally, they were on their way.
In no time at all, they reached the foot of Mt. Gagazet. And where Rikku was expecting cold, she got warmth instead. Strangely enough, most of the snow that had been at the foot of the mountain the other times she had visited… was gone. Barthello and Effram didn't seem as surprised, but she doubted either one of them had eve been this far. With a thoughtful frown, she approached the Ronso standing guard at the entrance to the mountain's path. He- or was it a she?- looked absolutely miserable in the warmer climate and she didn't blame him (her?). All that fur must have made the heat sweltering. Off-handedly, she wondered if the Ronso ever shed their fur. She would have giggled at the thought of a half-bald Ronso, had she not been so concerned with the change in climate.
"Excuse me. Can you tell me what happened here? Oh! Kimhari! Up close, she finally recognized the guard as one of her cousin's former Guardian. "What are you doing?" She arched a brow. "Aren't you the elder? Why do you have guard duty?"
Kimhari nodded at her in recognition. "Elder must work as his people work. Else others will not respect Elder. Will distrust Elder." He scrutinized her companions. "Kimhari does not know." He pointed to Effram.
With a nod, he introduced himself. "I'm training Rikku until she gets to Zanarkand."
"That is where you think Plague is?" Kimhari asked.
"You know then?"
"Kimhari knows. Kimhari not see Plague, but Lulu tell Kimhari Yuna is sick. Rikku will fix it." He gave her a steadying look. "Kimhari knows this."
She sighed heavily. "I wish Rikku had the same confidence. She glanced around. "So, what happened here? Where is all the snow?"
"Fayth are gone," he explained. "Clouds shrouding sacred Mt. Gagazet thin, as Rikku knows. Sunlight melt snow, causes temperatures to rise." He paused. "And Ronso to get very hot."
Rikku managed a light giggle. "Where are the other Ronso?"
"Further up mountain where snow not melt yet."
She gazed up at the mountain. "So, it's still snowy up there?" Kimhari nodded. "Well, no one ever said going to Zanarkand was a day in the park." She turned to him. "Will you let us go on?"
"Kimhari will permit Rikku and companions to pass."
"Thanks." She turned to head up the mountain pass with Barthello and Effram when Kimhari pulled her back.
"Rikku is not all right. She pretends, but Kimhari sees."
"I'm fine, Kimhari. I… I can be as strong as Yunie, you know."
"Yuna pretend too." He sighed and glanced at the men, who waited for her at the first bend in the pass. "Rikku must be careful. Kimhari sense anger on blond companion."
"Effram? He's just mad because I yelled at him for going out for food without telling us."
Kimhari sighed. "Rikku still be careful. It is okay to be afraid."
"Don't worry, I have a lot of fear right here." She held a hand over her heart. "Well, I will see you later. I hope." And she ran to catch up with the guys. But just as a precaution, she pretended to stumble into Effram. There was no flicker of darkness and she sighed in relief. At least, for the time being, he was Plague-free.
''''
By the time they had reached the caves that pierced Mt. Gagazet, Rikku was frozen through. Kimhari had been right. Snow still lingered closer to the mountain's peak and it was colder than ever!
"Do you want to rest?" Effram asked as they entered the cave, when he noticed her teeth were chattering and she was bouncing on the balls of her feet trying to get warm.
She shook her head vigorously. "I few stop, I don't think I'll want to move again." She rubbed her frozen nose and continued. "The road to Zanarkand is just on the other side of this cave, anyway. And it'll be warmer out there."
"Ah, but do you remember how to get there?" he asked skeptically.
"Of course. I think. Just… Come on, let's go."
"I've never been to Zanarkand," Barthello said thoughtfully.
"That's nice," she muttered as they reached a fork in the caves. Now, which way was it? She chewed her bottom lip. Oh, how she wished she could remember!
"You don't know the way," Effram said matter-of-factly.
"Shut up! I just… look, let's go this way. I'll know soon enough if it's the wrong way." And she stalked down the path she chose.
"Deep calming breath, Rikku," Barthello interjected.
"I am calm!" she snapped. "I'm just tired of that bird brain-" she thrust a finger at Effram, "-getting on my case all the time!"
"Well excuse me if I'm impatient to get to Zanarkand and end all this!" Effram grumbled in return.
Barthello looked thoughtfully between the two. "Rikku, why do you like to argue so much?"
"What! Not you too!" She groaned. "I don't like to argue. I'm just- I'm just frustrated! And this is the wrong way!" With a sigh, she whirled on her heel and began stalking in the opposite direction.
"I think she likes to argue," Barthello murmured to Effram.
"I heard that!
''''
"Oh, we're finally out!" Rikku exclaimed breathlessly as she collapsed outside the exit of the cave. After two wrong turns and a heated argument between her and Effram, Zanarkand was finally in sight.
She stared out at the ancient ruins. It was hard to believe that this place had once been a completely different world, full of machines and wonder. She sighed. The Al Bhed would have fit perfectly in such a world.
"It's incredible," Barthello breathed, stepping up next to her.
"I know." And if she could stand utter silence, the ruins of Zanarkand would have been her favorite place to be.
Effram came up on her other side. "Do you want to camp here?"
She shook her head, getting to her feet. "There should be a campsite near the entrance of Zanarkand. If I want to rest, I'll decide there." After a brief stretch, she led the way down the winding path to the ruined city.
About halfway to Zanarkand, Rikku became aware of an odd chittering noise. She frowned. What was that? Barthello and Effram dismissed her concerns, but what did they know? Neither had ever been to Zanarkand. And, as far as she knew, there were never any chit-chit-chits on her last trips.
It was when they arrived in Zanarkand- shortly after sunset- that they discovered the source of the noise. Squatter monkeys! Hundreds and hundreds of furry white and brown monkeys scampered over the grounds. The party stared in disbelief.
"What the hell?" Barthello murmured. "What are all these monkeys doing here? These are sacred grounds!"
"Well…" Rikku gave a sheepish smile, knowing that she was one of the one's responsible for this developing monkey society. "Pops- I mean, my dad wanted to turn this place into a tourist attraction and well… Yunie and I didn't like that so much, so we…"
"Helped the monkeys get busy?" Effram asked, smirking.
"Well, it worked. There are no more tourists."
"Yeah, because the ground is alive with monkeys."
"You're always so negative, Effram." She stretched again, smothering a yawn.
"Did you want to rest here?" he asked.
"I want to," she said with a sigh, "But there is no way we'll be able to sleep with all these monkeys making this racket." Though she was disappointed with this, she supposed it was for the best. Perhaps they would find the Plague Master that much sooner.
Carefully, she picked her way across the monkey-infested grounds. She would head for the so-called chamber of the fayth, where they once fought Lady Yunalesca in an attempt to refute the summoner's sacrifice in order to defeat Sin. And hopefully, she would find her answers there.
"So many happy memories," she muttered sarcastically.
"What was that?" Effram asked.
"Er, just talking to myself." She flushed and walked ahead.
It was a long walk across Zanarkand, silent except for the casual chatter between the monkeys. Rikku wasn't sure if that creeped her out more than utter silence or not.
She glanced through the debris, rusty, decrepit, and covered in monkey droppings. This wasn't how Zanarkand should be treated either. She wanted to see this great machina city how it was over 1000 years ago, in its prime- majestic and powerful, full of life and activity every moment!
"Do you know what you're looking for?" Barthello asked, interrupting her train of thought..
She shook her head. "Not a clue," she admitted. "But…. I think I'll know it when I see it." She drew in an exhausted breath. If she'd see it. She was beginning to doubt she'd ever find the Plague Master.
They entered the crumbling coliseum. Rikku paused before the debris-strewn staircase. This was it. Here she would find out once and for all whether or not she was right. "Seymour! I'm coming for you!" she shouted. Her voice echoed eerily throughout the room.
"Don't you think it's strange that there are no monkeys in here?" Barthello asked.
"No monkeys?" she repeated blankly. She glanced around. "Hmm… you're right."
His head whipped around suddenly and he looked worried. "What's that sound?"
Effram frowned, looking around as well. "It sounds like growling."
"Growling?" Rikku groaned. "Oh come on! Don't tell me…"
"Yep."
"Another fiend?"
"Looks like it."
From the shadows of the coliseum, a translucent fiend emerged. A shriek filled the stairway.
"Isn't there any way we can get around it?" Rikku shouted over the maddening noise.
"Don't think so!" Effram shouted in return. Already, he was loading his crossbow with a shimmering arrow.
"But I don't know any magic against spirit fiends!"
"You never know until you try! Anyway, the least you can do is distract it!" he said, loosing the arrow and setting up another.
Rikku made an anxious noise, unsheathing her daggers. "Great. I'm gonna be the decoy…" She ran after Barthello, using him as her shield as long as she cold. She hated spirit fiends. They couldn't be hurt by ordinary means- and she didn't know the unordinary ones. And boy, its assault would certain pack a mean punch.
Though she knew it was useless, she plunged her blades into the ghostly fiend's ribcage. The fiend screamed in irritation, annoyed that she had breached its defenses. The scream nearly made her ears bleed. As it was, she stumbled back as if she'd been hit. The fiend clawed at her violently.
"Don't you claw at me!" she yelled. She unleashed a moderate fire spell. It did nothing more than give the fiend a small burn and increase its anger tenfold. She danced back and suddenly, she felt her body become heavy. It felt as though she was wading through the knee-deep sands of the Sanubia Desert. 'Dammit, it used a spell to slow me down! I hate magic-wielding fiends!'
The spirit fiend lashed out again and this time she was unable to rely on her agility to get her out of harm's way. The claws caught her in the side, tearing into her flesh, and it flung her into the air, reeling end over end. She crashed down painfully into a pile of rubble. She was motionless for a moment before she remembered to breath. Her body wracked with coughs in an attempt to recover the breath that had been knocked out of her. She sat up, dizzy and nauseous, and felt something warm trickling down her side. 'Ugh… I can't be injured… not now!'
She staggered to her feet and glanced around. Barthello was unconscious several feet away from her. 'How did he get that way? I never even saw him fighting…' Perhaps he had chickened out and fainted. Effram, on the other hand, still stood, unleashing arrow after arrow.
'Got to help!' Clumsily, she made her way over the rubble, gripping her bleeding side tightly.
A bright flash nearly blinded her and she flailed, falling back into the rubble. Stars exploded before her eyes as she hissed in agony when the fall tore the wound open just a little more. It took a moment for her vision to clear, but when it did, she found herself surrounded by swarms of pyreflies. Effram had defeated the fiend. Man, that guy was strong…
"Rikku? Barthello?" he called.
"Over," she winced, "Over here."
Effram stumbled over the debris. "Well, I'll be damned. You're still alive."
She gave a wry smirk. "I don't die so easily, unfortunately." She winced and attempted to get to her feet.
"You're hurt."
"You think?" She grabbed onto his shoulder for support. "Heal me up, will you?"
"I can't."
"What do you mean? Of course you can."
"My last attack used up all my energy reserves. Right now, I can't cast a single spell. If another spirit fiend attacked, I'd be useless."
"Great," she muttered. "I'll just bleed freely on the floor then."
He rolled his eyes and then glanced back to see Barthello's body sprawled across the floor. "What's wrong with him, did you see?"
She shook her head. "Maybe he fainted. Maybe he's scared of ghosts. Wouldn't surprise me any."
"Should we revive him?"
"I don't have anything on me to wake him up."
He frowned. "Neither do I." He sighed. "Well, shall we just leave him then and continue on?"
"I guess. Can't think of anything better to do anyway." She drew in a pained breath. "And that is why we're here." Leaning on Effram for support, she guided him and herself into the building.
It wasn't long before she began to feel light headed. Her hand was covered in blood and her shirt was drenched with it. She paused part way into the ruins' inner chamber and pulled her sweater from her pack. With Effram's help, she made a sort of makeshift bandage out of the fabric and wrapped it around her waist. It didn't stop the blood flow- they were soaked in moments- but she hoped it would slow the bleeding down a bit soon.
Rikku smirked faintly as she and Effram stepped onto the platform that would transport them to the building's innermost chambers. "I've ruined a lot of clothes on this journey." She sighed. "If I make it out of her, I'm going on a super shopping spree."
Effram chuckled. "An adventure all on its own."
"But I'd like it a lot more than this one."
The platform jolted when it reached the bottom level. Rikku swallowed hard. This was it. She staggered unsteadily onto the small bridge and they headed into the first chamber.
"Are you okay?" Effram asked.
"I feel dizzy," she whimpered. "I feel like I'm gonna barf."
"Do you think you'll be able to do your magic if you have to?"
She shook her head no. If she opened her mouth, she probably would barf.
"Do you still want to go on?"
She nodded firmly.
He sighed and helped her through a shimmering curtain of light that led to the final chamber they sought. Rikku looked up and squinted at the hole where Lady Yunalesca 'died' for the final time. Or, more precisely, she looked above it.
"What- what is that?"
Hovering over the black abyss was a glowing portal. It made her think of the light pyreflies cast.
"It… it's where the Plague Master is," Effram replied with conviction.
Rikku clenched her jaw, either from pain or determination- she herself didn't know. "Let's go."
They crossed the chamber and approached the portal. With a deep breath, the two of the stepped into the eerie light. Rikku felt as though she was walking through a dream. It felt cold and heavy and they were immersed in brilliant lights, but there was no sound and they moved with surprising speed. Then, just as suddenly as they entered the portal, they exited.
Rikku released her grip on Effram in surprise. On quaking legs, she turned slowly as she took in the foreign surroundings. The portal had vanished. The sky above was a uniform iron gray and harsh lightening flickered in the distance. A light breeze ripple through her hair as she turned again. Boulders were scattered across the ground, seemingly haphazard, but she was observant enough to notice a specific pattern. There was a pile of bones underneath one boulder. She shivered, feeling sick again. Human bones. She turned again and her jaw dropped. Erected in the middle of this structured mess was an enormous, crimson cross. Beveled and polished, it looked like an enormous precious gem. But what she saw next stunned her even more. A body hung from the cross, its arms and legs bound by ribbons of crimson stone. She wobbled forward in disbelief. She'd recognize that blond head of hair anywhere.
"G-Gippal?" she cried, uncertain whether she was just seeing things or not. Perhaps she was hallucinating. She lost so much blood after all… She felt an arm go around her waist and hold her up. She glanced over to see Effram and then looked back at the cross.
The body's head moved and a face with a familiar eye patch appeared. "Rikku…" He shook his head and yelled hoarsely, "Rikku, it's a trap!"
…………………..
green-eyed-blonde: haha! Obsess all you want 'Tis okay! Well, this chapter didn't get out so soon but I hope you enjoy it!
OOoRikku4EveroOo: A lot of people want poor Gippy back! And it looks like you've got him! Or do you?
Cute-Kitty: I wrote I wrote! -grin- Oh, there is much to speculate about the Plague Master!
XInsanoBananax: Well, I'm glad you will return for this chapter! This chapter achieves some interesting developments!
A-RIKKKUGIPPALFAN-A: I don't know! Is Gippal dead? Is the Gippal Rikku sees a hallucination? Or a trap in and of itself? –evil grin-
Jen: A lot of people hope he's still alive! My, I was starting to worry that my readers would come after me with machetes and the Macarena song on endless repeat! Ahhh! True torture –laughs-
BrightFire15: A lot of people think something fishy is going on with Effram! It makes me very curious. And thank you for the compliments.
lemy: -laughs- well, I'm glad you loved the chapter! I hope you love this one as well!