Author Notes: Reviews will always help, guys. Thanks in advance for reading, and please take a minute to review telling me what I did wrong, typos, grammar mistakes, or just general feedback. Tell me what you liked and didn't like!
Big thankyous to Aiko for catching my typo in Chapter 2. Yeah, I always mix up Mist and Mysidia. Thanks for catching that, because I never would have, haha.

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Cecil had rushed out of the house as fast as he could, Rydia running after him to follow closely behind. Cecil wanted to waste no time, he didn't know how long Rosa would be able to last. He tried to block the vision in his mind of her lying motionless under the blankets, shivering and sweating in pain.

They duo of Dark Knight and young Summoner stopped into a local item shop to buy the necessary potions and remedies for their trip. Cecil didn't say much, only pointing out what he wanted and sighing. Rydia watched him, her forehead knitted with worry. She didn't say anything though; she thought it was best to let him be.

"Can you believe Sage Tellah? He went off to find his daughter because she eloped with a bard from Damcyan! Yes, he wouldn't let them marry so she just left him. The poor man. He's getting old, and she's causing him so much worry!" two women were conversing loudly in the corner of the shop, and Cecil listened in, hoping they would maybe mention the Sand Ruby. However, he kind of knew that no mention of the ancient jewel would be made; these women were interested in frivolous things like the daily gossip.

When Cecil and Rydia had gathered together everything that they thought would be needed, Cecil led the way out of Kaipo and out into the desert towards the cave that led to Damcyan. Finally, tired of the awkward silence that had plagued them since this morning, Rydia decided to speak. "Who was that sick woman Cecil? You said she was your friend, right?"

Cecil hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah. I've known her since we were little. Her, and me, and that Dragoon Knight with us before, Kain, all grew up together in Baron. She's an excellent White Mage there," Cecil smiled as memories of their childhood playing together came back. I hope she'll be all right."

Rydia nodded smartly. "She will be, because we'll find the Antlion and take the Sand Ruby to make her better! Come on, Cecil!" she exclaimed, and ran ahead in the direction of Damcyan. Cecil laughed and jogged after her, also eager to get there.

The two finally reached a cave at the end of the desert, and they stopped to catch their breath. The inside of the cave seemed cold and unwelcoming, but was nothing like the mysterious Mist Cave that Cecil had traversed through a few days past. When Rydia and Cecil had caught their breath, Cecil led the way into the cave, holding his Dark Sword out beside him incase the need for it was great.

There were little monsters in the cave, ones that were no threat to Cecil's sword and Rydia's magic. They made their way through half the cave easily, but were stopped when they saw the hunched over figure of an old man on the path in front of them. He didn't seem like any sort of a threat, so the companions made their way towards him.

The old man turned around when he heard footsteps behind him, adjusting his glasses and then stroking his long white beard. "Could that be…" he squinted his beady eyes behind the spectacles, and then cried out in triumph. "Oh, it is! It's the Dark Sword! Dark Knight, I am in dire need of your assistance!"

Cecil cocked his head in curiosity. "What's wrong, sir?" he asked.

The man shook his head disappointedly. "I must get to Damcyan Castle to reclaim my daughter back from that evil bard she's run off with! That wicked man deceived her! We must hurry, for I sense a very ill omen on the horizon.

Rydia stepped forward then, pointing at the man. "You must be Sage Tellah then, right?"

The old and wise Sage nodded. "Indeed I am. And you, you must be a Summoner! Perfect, you can help me too. A giant monster lurks in the lake up ahead. That devil withstands even my magic. I think that we will be able to defeat it together, and then I can finally be on my way."

Cecil nodded. "That would be great. We are hurrying to Damcyan too."

Tellah turned on his heel and began to lead the now trio through the cave. "Then let us make haste."

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After walking for what seemed like days to Rydia, Tellah suggested that they rest. He took out a tent and set it up. Then Tellah set up a fire to keep them warm and suggested they all get a few hours rest. Rydia laid down and fell asleep almost immediately. Tellah watched her and laughed softly. "That girl fell asleep already? She must be exhausted. Who is she?"

Cecil also looked at Rydia in the red firelight. "A summoner from the village of Mist. I…found her the other day after the large fire there." Cecil looked at the ground in shame, not mentioning that the fire was his own doing.

"She holds great potential," Tellah said thoughtfully. "With the proper training, she'll be able to learn and master many magic spells," he smiled in the warm way that only an old man can. "Look at her. What a cute little face. She reminds me of my Anna at that age."

"Who is Anna?" Cecil asked.

"My daughter," Tellah said simply. "She eloped with a bard to Damcyan because…I didn't consent to their union," his face grew dark, and he changed the subject. "Anyways…what brings you to Damcyan?"

Cecil looked at the ground. "A friend of mine…she suffers from desert fever. I'm hoping to find the Sand Ruby to cure her before its too late. Why don't you tell me more about the monster in this cave we must face tomorrow?"

Tellah shook his head to demonstrate how disgusting the monster truly was. "It's a truly vicious creature, with eight large tentacles. We must kill it and reach Damcyan before it's too late. I feel that there is something bad going to happen, but I hope my instincts are wrong…we should try and get some rest as well," Tellah said, and when Cecil nodded he muttered a spell under his breath that extinguished the fire. Soon, the trio of Rydia, Tellah, and Cecil were all fast asleep.

When they awoke, Tellah knew the way to the exit and led Cecil and Rydia towards the outside path. "The monster lies in the cave behind here. We just keep heading north and we'll see the cave. Use potions now to heal your wounds if you must." When the reached the next cave, Rydia squealed to find that it was completely made of waterfalls, big ones and small ones, that led down to the cave base. "He's down there!" Tellah yelled over the noise of the waterfalls, pointing down to where a giant octopus like animal was glaring up at the three people that had invaded its territory.

They jumped down the waterfall, Rydia screaming with her eyes closed and Cecil trying to squelch the sick feeling that was coming over his stomach. When they reached the base, the Octomammoth, as it was called, began to attack right away.

Rydia helped by summoning Chocobos to kick the Octomammoth, and she used her minimal knowledge of White Magic to cure Cecil and Tellah. Cecil jumped, dodged, hacked, and slashed quickly with his dark sword, using the Dark Wave ability to damage all the tentacles. Tellah used superior black magic to highly damage the many tentacles. One by one, the tentacles began to break off and disintegrate, and with a great shriek the Octomammoth splashed around the water loudly, finally collapsing on the sea floor.

Rydia jumped up and down and cheered, clapping her hands at their victory. Cecil smiled while he caught his breath, and Tellah smiled. "Excellent! Damcyan is just beyond that waterfall."

So Cecil, Rydia, and Tellah were a step closer to their goals. Cecil could now only pray that Rosa was still hanging onto life, even if was by just a thread. He knew that he could find the Sand Ruby to save her; he knew that he was close, and he only hoped that everything would be all right in the long run.