Chapter 10: Home stretch
After a few hours, and several card games, the small rowing boat could be seen coming over the horizon.
"Is that them now?" Asked Bollo excitedly getting up from the floor.
"Probably. I doubt many rowing boats would be pulling into the Vana'diel sail's private docking bay." Replied Bootus collecting together all the cards and putting them back in a compartment he had in his armour.
"Finally! Zin ain't as strong as he looks." Voldos said while standing beside Bollo watching Zinkata row the boat to shore.
As the rowing boat hit shore both of its passengers were of it in a hurry. Vivli being the first off almost capsizing the boat with Zinkata still in it.
"Ah, good to be back on solid ground." Vivli said Looking up to the sky with her eyes closed, even though the sky was there while she was on the rowing boat this seemed like the right thing to do when back on solid ground.
"How was your trip?" Asked Bootus a sly smile on his face.
"Tiring!" Zinkata replied his face backing up his statement.
"We staying in Mhaura for the night then?" Asked Voldos hopeful to get some sleep. Not that his journey to Mhaura had been tiring, he was just slightly on the lazy side.
"No. We need to carry on. We can probably get to the mountains before resting. So get everything together and lets go people." With that said Zinkata warily headed out of Mhaura followed by the rest of the party.
Ahrpahgo pass wasn't the most comfortable of places to rest for the night, jagged and not so jagged rocks and stones littered the floor, various plants of beauty and danger were all around as well as the lizards and Mandragora patrolling the area. However being adventurers they had known worse.
"So what are we actually going to say if we see the Grand Duke?" Asked Bootus as they all huddled around the camp fire. Bollo, Vivli and Voldos already asleep.
"Just tell him the situation and ask for assistance getting Bastok back into Bastokian hands." Replied Zinkata, having gone over the forthcoming events in his this was an easy question to answer.
"And what do you think he'll say?"
"I honestly don't know Bootus. I hope that he'll send out an army, rally San d'Oria and Windurst to take out this evil threat." Zinkata said tired and worn out by the events of the past few days. He had forgotten what adventuring can be like.
"That's a big hope. We might as well just go to each country ourselves and try and convince them ourselves. We could even start tomorrow with Windurst." Bootus was still pessimistic about the plan.
"No. I have faith in the Duke. I'm sure he'll be as worried and passionate about the situation as we are."
"Fine. All I'm going to say is don't hold you breath. And for Bastoks sake I hope I wont be saying I told u so. Good-night Zin"
"Night."
With Bootus asleep Zinkata was left on his own, the glow of the fire lighting his face. Despite his tiredness and exhaustion Zinkata still found it hard to sleep when many lives could be depending on him.
With the morning came the sun and sun beams which pierce the eye lids of the most heavy sleepers forcing them awake and to face the coming day.
"Breakfast!" Exclaimed Vivli in a groggy zombie like monotone.
"Bacon or sausages?" Asked Bollo, the party chef.
"I'll have sausage please." Replied Vivli yawning and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "We the last to eat?"
"Yup. Seems your adventure-wenture yesterday tired you out." Bollo replied while giving Vivli 3 Dhalmel sausages rapped in Taru bred.
"Heh. That or she's just naturally lazy." Came the booming voice of Bootus returning to camp to make sure everybody was packed and ready to continue to Windurst.
"Eating. Shut up!" Vivli said not looking up from her breakfast.
"Morning sunshine! You recovered from your escapade now? Personally I'm surprised you haven't been kidnapped before." Bootus said helping Bollo to serve himself his breakfast and put out the fire. To this Vivli only mumbled something neither adventurer was able to hear.
After the dirty hard terrain of Ahrpahgo pass the party was happy to see the lush beautiful green fields of West Sabutabaruta was a fresh of breath air, as well as the nice fresh air now hitting their faces instead of being blocked by the circle of mountains.
The final trek to Windurst was a pleasant one. Vivli and Bollo skipped most of the way there happily singing a tune with the more masculine fighters smiling and chatting to themselves. The Yagudo mainly tried to stay out of the way of the adventurers, seeing their shininess intimidated them. However the ones who did brave it, maybe from a dare from one their Yagudo buddies, was easily taken down without much trouble, even for Vivli. It seemed that the troubles had all but been forgotten with the site of the beautiful fields. However in truth it was just away for the adventurers to pretend that there were no troubles, to lighten their hearts and shoulders.
Once at Windurst the adventurers went about getting some supplies then headed to the chocobos stables for a speedier trip to Jeuno.
"I don't suppose you'll reconsider? Save us a trip and money." Asked Bootus one final time while about to pay for his chocobos.
"Nope." Zinkata boosted himself on his newly acquired chocobos, pulled it around to race out of the stables towards the, hopefully, final stretch of their journey.
"Didn't think so."