Chapter 4: Distant land
Barren, dark and lonely. They were the only three words to describe the land that hid the Golden Sphere. Everyone on the bridge was grim as they stared down at the scorched earth below. The Celsius got closer and closer until it rumbled softly, indicating they had landed.
"Well, this is it," Buddy announced as he turned himself around in his chair to face Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. "I wish you guys luck. This place looks pretty nasty."
As thought it had been waiting for those exact words, a thick sheet of rain descended upon the island. It flowed down the glassy front of the ship, blurring their view before it began to thin out almost as sudden as it had come.
The water flowed in small streams in between the sea of rocks that lay across the dark land and ran down the walls of stone that curved around the sides in waterfalls. The distance was covered by a grey sheet of mist, hiding what lay ahead and leaving it hidden in mystery. It was an eerie and dismal sight, and left the Gullwings wondering what they had gotten themselves into this time.
"Well, does that change your mind about this little adventure?" Shinra asked from behind the girls' in a worried voice. Clearly he wanted them to continue their journey, but whether it was out of greed for the sphere they did not know.
Yuna shook her head, speaking for the three. "A little weather has never stopped us before. Why should it stop us now?"
"That's right!" Rikku yelled out, punching her fist into the air. "Were not going to turn around at the sight of a little downpour!"
Paine remained silent. She knew that there was nothing she could say that would change the mind of her stubborn friends, no matter how intense the tugging fearful state in the back of her mindbecame.
"Good, because it doesn't look like it's going to stop for a while," Buddy said from the front of the ship.
The dark clouds that cloaked the sky seemed to spread further and became almost as dark as the earth. Soon the only source of light was the distant glow from the burning lakes that the crew had seen on the map. They stared through the glass out at the land three of them would soon walk upon and despair gripped them all inside for a brief moment as they realised that it was going to be different from the other places in Spira.
Shinra appeared at Yuna's elbow and held up a small instrument that looked like a remote of some sort with a small map identical to the one on his computer.
"This will lead you to the Golden Sphere," he explained. "And It will also give you contact with the Celsius, though I can't be sure of that because I don't know this island. The atmosphere here could cut off the waves used for contact." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "If that happens, your on your own."
Yuna nodded, appreciating the device but shocked at the realisation of what would happen if they had no contact. She hid the thought away deep in her mind and studied the instrument for a moment. The same blinking dot showed the location of the Golden Sphere, and a second dot identified where she was. The distance between the two was great and she took in a sharp breath of air. They had a long way to go.
The weather ceased to calm as the three girls stood at the bottom of the steps and stared out across the land. It was as demonic as it had looked inside of the ship, but now they could sense the unnerving air that hung about. The feeling chilled them to the bone more than the temperature could and for a moment they wanted to rush back up the stairs and forget about the entire ordeal, but the opportunity was too much to pass up and they each stepped onto the black ground.
Beneath their feet the rock crunched and cracked. It was weak like thin glass and felt as though it wouldn't support them for another second, but they took another few steps away from the ship and it seemed to become stronger.
Puddles of water covered the earth around them, soaking into the ground and turning some parts to mud. The short walls surrounding them spiked at the top like a fence used to keep people out, and as Yuna stared she had the uncomforting feeling that they were trapped inside a cage with no way to escape.
The feeling turned to dread as the Celsius roared to life and began to drift from the ground.
"Were leaving now," Buddy said into the Sphere Finder that Yuna had clipped to her belt. "The ground beneath the ship is unstable."
The tone of his voice betrayed him and said that the departure was due to fear.
Static became the dominant sound as Buddy's voice disappeared, then Brother spoke. "Good luck. It looks like you will need it out there." He fell silent for a moment before continuing. "Yuna, Paine, take care of Rikku. Captain's order!"
Yuna smiled up at Rikku as she shrugged, mumbling about how Brother thought she was useless.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her," Yuna assured as Brother ended the transmission.
A deep rumbling in the distance signalled flashes of lightening, and Rikku couldn't help but flinch as her old fear sparked inside.
Paine raised an eyebrow. "Were not going to have to carry you through like a baby, are we?" she asked, he voice clear with amusement.
Rikku poked her tongue out at the warrior. "No! I'm over lightening and thunder," she said in her defence. She squared her shoulders and tried to look tough, but a sudden boom of thunder forced her to cower and jump back. Her foot stuck one of the many rocks around them and she fell backwards into a puddle.
Water had splashed up onto Paine who was not fast enough to move out of the way, but Yuna remained dry and safe.
She laughed with the drenched blonde and held a hand out to her as Paine scowled. "Come on," she said kindly to her cousin. "Let's get started on this quest."
Once she was on her feet, Rikku hurried after the other pair as they started to run through the first area of the giant island. The rain showered down on them, saturating their clothes and the temperature soon dropped greatly, but their spirits remained high as they trudged through the mud and water, heading towards the Golden Sphere that awaited them in the distance.