Chapter Six: In Deep Trouble

Being free of the sludge that they had been swimming in for hours was like emerging from a pool they had spent too much time in, but they had no towels, no source of heat, leaving them drenched, cold, and miserable.

As usual, Rikku broke the silence. "This is horrible! How can we keep going like this? And where are all the fiends?"

Paine shrugged, unable to find herself mad as the thief started to talk again after being so silent in the tunnel. "Well, at least the rain has stopped. And that means that the fiends will probably be out to play soon." A wicked smile formed on her lips and she stared at the sphere in her hands. "Than we get to play as well."
Yuna glanced at Rikku as she walked a few steps ahead, keeping a lookout. "Why don't you try using the black mage again to make a fire or something that can warm us up?"

"You trust me to use that dressphere again?"

Yuna shrugged. "I think you've learnt your lesson."

Rikku turned to the warrior of the group. "Paine?"

"If your confident in not almost killing us again."

Yuna interrupted as Rikku began to reply. "Don't worry about it. I just found our first fiends," she informed them with a tightened voice.

In an instant the Gullwings formed a line, each holding their weapons out and scanning the area to make sure there were no more targets other than the three massive creatures that Yuna had spotted ahead.

The fiends were stocky, plated animals that looked like hounds made purely of bone white scales. They had black skulls with a thin layer of brown skin stretched over the top and a pair of red eyes peering over at their prey. Thick, knotted muscle was visible, lining their legs and surrounding their shielded bodies, and long thick tails waved behind them, bending along the ground and moving piles of stone and dirt powerlessly.

"Guess they're the sort of fiends we should be expecting here," Paine pointed out as she stared at the demonic pair. "How… bizarre."

"I don't like them," Rikku almost whimpered, but she stood strong, her grasp steady on her daggers.

The fiends unleashed an echoing howl that pierced the ears of YRP before launching themselves towards them. Their heads swayed side to side manically and their paws pounded deep into the earth.

"Paine, the sphere," Yuna urged calmly as she raised her guns, ready to fire.

Paine nodded and lifted the sphere high into the air where it glinted and left shades of red on her face. She took out her own sphere grid with a whip of her hand. "I'll go first, then you two activate it on your sphere grids and-" She was cut off as the sphere began to shine and she realised she didn't need to do anything at all. It was working itself, and before she could react the land around her changed.

Explosions of fire and debris showered down on her. Waterfalls of lave surrounded her, spewing into boiling pits that dug bit deep into the cracked and broken ground beneath her feet. Smoke whirled around, robbing her of breath, but she landed firmly on the ground, only having just realised she was floating. Her body began to tremble and she collapsed in a heap. There she clawed with nails of steel, and her eyes glowing a bright red. Anger exploded inside until she was screaming out in rage. It was torture, yet she enjoyed it. She began to laugh out loud, hysterical and pained, but it was laughter none the less.

"Paine?"

Yuna was above her in the real world, staring down in concern. Paine realised that she was lying on the ground, laughing to herself, and slowly she raised herself up. She barely took notice of her friends. Instead she stared ahead, thrill and excitement coursing through her as her bloodied eyes flicked to the beasts that approached.

"Like I said, play time," she snickered before throwing herself at the enemy. Each step felt so strong, so heavy, she felt as though she could kick through a wall. Every sense inside of her seemed to had heightened. She could hear the cracking of steaming rocks, feel the intense heat and burning coal fragments in the air as it whipped past. She barely even realised that she was running much faster than usual until she had slipped straight past her targets.

Cursing, she bent down and dug her clawed hands into the dirt. It was as she glanced down at her hands, a wave of dirt flowing after them, that she realised black tattoos, fading into a deep crimson, had spread up her arm. It seemed to pulse, but it wasn't enough pain to hurt her. In fact, it only added coal to the fire burning inside.

Many metres back now, Yuna and Rikku were struggling to come to terms with what had happened to Paine. They stared at her from across the distance as she directed herself back at the confuse hounds in the centre of the clearing.

"I've never seen anyone move that fast," Rikku gasped as she fell to her knees in shock. With shaking hands she lifted the sphere that had been discarded by Paine and stared at it with worried eyes. "What kind of dressphere is this?"

Yuna's hand shot out and grasped the orb. "Well, it doesn't matter right now. She needs out help, and I don't think we can beat these things with any other sphere."

Indeed, Paine was having trouble on her own. Though she was strong enough to punch through walls of rock and jump higher than many of the odd rocky pillar structures, the hounds were becoming too much.

Blood sprayed against her as she slammed her fist into the jaw of the nearest hound. She cracked through its thick skull and it was thrown back, but the second fiend leapt onto her back and forced her to the ground. It's strong claws dug into her flesh and she screamed out. Hot blood poured over her shoulder and pooled beside her cheek.

"Enough!" A deep growling voice caught the hound's attention, and a moment later it was sent flying across the area. It hit the ground a few metres away with a heavy thud before it stilled, but a moment later it lifted its head and began to scramble to its feet.

"Damn," Yuna muttered, but a smile spread across her lips. "I guess I'll have to rip through its face next time."

Paine glanced up at the once kind hearted gunner and smiled at the sight. She too had the odd tattoos stretched across her body. It thinned out at her neck, but left small trails along her temples and jaw line. Her eyes, as red as blood, scanned the area and her arms tensed up, thick muscle more visible beneath the patterns stretched over them.

Along with these changes, her attire had also been altered. A sleeveless leather jacket, as black as the night complimented her strong, fit body, and heavy tears revealed a dark grey shirt beneath. A heavy chain hung across her waist, holding up a long pair of black pants that balled up at her feet. Rips decorated the bottom, and a row of stitched crosses lined the sides.

"Something wrong?" she asked as she stared down at Paine.

"No, the look suits you is all," Pain replied, pushing herself up. "About time you ditched the innocent look."

"So a mini skirt and 'barely there' shirt is innocent?" Rikku had joined them, wearing similar clothes and sharing the same amazing speed. She grinned as she arrived, revealing rows of pointed teeth that gleamed painfully.

Paine shrugged. "You have a point."

"Enough conversing!" Yuna suddenly shouted out, lowering herself like a cat about to pounce. "It's coming back, and it has friends."

No longer was one hound remaining. Another pair followed, and behind them three more struggled to keep up. Each wore looks of hunger, their long black tongues rolling out of their mouths and saliva dripping to the ground.

Paine laughed and picked at her claws absent-mindedly. "Guess we're on the menu." She was calm and steady, but Rikku was uncontrollable.

"Let's go!" she screamed out, only a slight growling hint to her usual high voice. She had no mind for caution and sped towards the nearest of the hounds. With a strangled cry she leapt into the air, balled her hand into a fist, and slammed it down on the hound. As soon as she felt her knuckles collide with its spine three of the other fiends dove into her and knocked her to the ground.

"Rikku!" Paine screamed as she gaped at the sight. The young girl was being dragged across the ground like a piece of cloth. Blood spurted from her arm as one of the beasts tore into her, and soon her pained face was hidden from view as the rest of the pack joined the attack.

"Come on!" Yuna yelled, grasping Paine by the back of her black shirt and yanking her to her feet with ease, something she would never had been capable of or dared doing in any other dressphere.

The pair raced towards the attacking fiends and they threw themselves against the shielded creatures again and again, claws swiping and teeth tearing into flesh. Blood pooled around them until finally a gap appeared. Yuna dove in and dragged out a struggling Rikku.

With a mighty 'thwack' Paine slammed her head into the jaw of one of the hounds, ignoring the ringing that pulsed through her brain, then slit deep into the armours throat of another. Blood splattered against the ground as she ripped through an artery, and as she prepared another attack she heard an animal whining from behind her.

Rikku had been hurt severely, and Yuna, thinking of no other way, changed into a white mage to heal her. The pain that surged through Rikku caused her to yelp out in agony, and tears flooded Paine's eyes.

With an ear splitting roar, the girl lost her control completely and ren headfirst into the remaining of the group. It felt as though a hundred daggers had pierced into her flesh and she collapsed to her knees completely. She could feel the blood gushing from her wounds, and was butted this way and that in the tight group, but she didn't give up like that. Her strength had heightened and she thrust her palm to the left, blinded by a shuddering mass of thick bon armour.

A heavy thump indicated a good hit, and the body of a hound hit the ground in a cloud of dust. She had broken a countless number of bones, and blood soaked the earth from its mouth. Desperately, she lifted herself to a half standing position, but everytime she began to rise she would be knocked back to the ground.

Thankfully, help arrived. The youngest of the gullwings had healed and dove in top of Paine's attackers. With wild growls she ripped and tore at the bodies, flakes of hard shell covering flying up around her. She was like a chainsaw biting into wood until finally she reached the sap. Blood flowed around her as her claws reached flesh.

Though Rikku was taking a toll on the hounds, there were too many and she soon became lost under the mass. Paine lay beside her, reaching out blindly until her hand touched the young girl's ribs. Through closed eyes she rested her hand on her back to protect her, ignoring the painful ripping sensation as claws and teeth attacked her arm.

"Hey! Over here!"

Yuna's voice had attracted the attention on many of the beasts, but they did not move. Paine's eyes burst open as she realised what Yuna was trying to do. She tried to yell out to her, tell her not to lure them to her, but it was too late. The white mage's staff flew through the air and hit the beasts. Enraged, they fled from the pair and raced towards Yuna instead.

All Paine and Rikku could hear was a desperate cry, the scratching of wolves as they scuttled along the rocky ground, and then the roaring of triumph.

'She's dead,' Paine though dismally as she lay against the hard ground, her wounds not permitting her to move. All she could do was turn her head a fraction to see Rikku trying to get to her feet.

"I'll… finish t-them," she muttered, patting Paine on the shoulder with slight strength. "I'll sa-save Yuni."

With that she was gone, using her speed to stumble towards the hounds where her sounds were silenced. Paine strainer her ears to try and hear the outcome, but there was nothing accept for the constant growling and occasional thump of another casualty.

'I have to save them,' she thought, a ball of energy flaring up inside again. 'Have to get up and save my friends…'

The more wound Rikku inflicted, the more she was rewarded with. She found herself slumped to the ground countless amounts of times, unable to reach the pale unmoving form of Yuna only metres away. Desperation forced her back to her feet each time, but after a strong knock from one of the hounds she was forced onto her back and didn't get up. She lay, sprawled out, surrounded by the enemy, a strong warm wind covering her. She glanced over at Yuna to see her robes billowing in the sudden burst of eat and confusion clouded her mind. What was causing such a strong current?

Her question was answered as Paine appeared above her, flames licking around her body. She stared down at Rikku, smiling as the hounds around her were caught in the surrounding flames and were scorched to ashes. The inferno spread across the area, but left Rikku and Yuna unharmed. For the fiends, however, they had no chance. It took only seconds until they were all gone and Paine collapsed to the ground completely.

Rikku slowly rolled herself onto her side and with trembling hands she pushed herself up to sit and stare at a barely conscious Paine who was slumped over, staring at the ground as droplets of sweat rolled from her face and mingled with the dirt.

"Yuni?" Rikku croaked.

As though she had been shocked back to life, Paine glanced up and leapt her feet. It seemed that with every step she took her body regained more energy and after a few seconds she ran to Yuna's side.

Behind her, Rikku too had returned to her usual energetic self and appeared at Yuna's opposite side. She stared at Paine, disbelieving. "How did we recover so fast?"

Paine shook her head. "No idea, but we need to get Yuna out of here. She's been knocked out, and I don't think we'll be left alone for much longer." She paused and stared down at the young mage. "What was she thinking?"

"She was protecting us because she cares."

There was venom in Rikku's voice. Slight, but noticeable. It left Paine staring at her, unsure of what to say. Clearly the girl had not forgotten about what she had said in the cavern at the bottom of the lake, and she still believed that Paine didn't care.

"Come on," Rikku muttered as she slid her hands beneath Yuna, confident that she could carry her. Though Paine knew Rikku could handle it in her current form, she helped to carry the unconscious girl.

They had to get away from the open like this where they could recover, and hopefully talk.

She did not want to leave things like this between her and her friend Rikku. She needed her to know how much she cared.