Fall into Ecstasy

Chapter 8: The Broken Pact

By Kaasan Faerlyte B.

Disclaimer: I wonder if I should even bother to keep writing these. I think I've made it pretty plain that I'm not staking any claims on Final Fantasy XII or its characters.

Special thanks to Alc Fluteo - Your inspiration has provided me a tantalizing solution to a major plot in my story. Thank you, thank you, you are now my hero.

Yo! Here we go. Read and enjoy!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

There was something faintly familiar in that...

The gate closed behind us with a resounding slam and surrendered the corridor to darkness. A still silence greeted the restless tension that hovered in our wake. Everyone waited with breaths held, not daring to move and possibly awaken the cavern's wrath.

Nothing stirred within–not a flutter of wings or the skitter of tiny feet. There was an emptiness in the air that seemed to grieve. It was as if the place had been abandoned by everything, the living and dead alike.

I licked my lips, apprehensively clutching the staff to my chest as a nervous tingle spread through my body. My eyes had adjusted to the dark, but there was little more to see than vague outlines of the others standing around me. There was only a faint glow emitting from tiny organisms clustered in parts of the ceiling, too high to cast light on the floor.

A scrape of someone's feet along the floor rippled the surface of silence. My foot was abruptly assaulted by the heel of a shoe and I let out an echoing yelp of surprise.

"Ouch!" I hopped to the side, nursing the injured toe gingerly, and crashed into a metal chest plate. That hurt more than I liked to admit

Basch elicited a grunt of surprise and reached out to steady me, only to inadvertently grab a portion of my anatomy that would've been considered very improper had anyone been able to see. I gasped, blushing to the tips of my ears as his hand promptly slid down to a more reasonable resting place, which only served to worsen the sensation burning the surface of my skin. The feeling was evidently mutual as we both jerked apart.

My back collided with something warm and solid, sending said victim staggering with a loud "oof".

"My apologies," Larsa managed as he regained his footing. "I didn't see you there."

I frowned in confusion, "We can't see anything."

The initial tension of entering the unknown had petered out into nothingness as the source of our dread had failed to appear. Despite our fumbling about there was still no sign of the cavern's regular inhabitants. But where had the light gone?

"There is something over there." Larsa indicated and darted off without another word.

"My Lord!" Basch called urgently and scrambled after him.

I inhaled sharply, "Hey! Wait for me!"

It didn't occur to me at the time to wonder what had become of Kang. He was not behind me when I ran after the others, but I was too busy listening to the ensuing argument up ahead of me to take much notice. I skidded to a halt where Basch and Larsa were standing face to face, oblivious to me. There was something luminescent flickering in the wall next to them. It looked like the ruined remains of a sun crystal.

"Really Basch, is this completely necessary?" Larsa was saying rather sharply. "Am I not even permitted five steps from your vicinity?"

"We should all take care to stay together." Basch iterated firmly. "You more than anyone."

"I assure you I am quite capable of handling myself." Larsa sighed inwardly and turned to examine the crystal.

I cleared my throat uncertainly and walked up beside him, peering curiously at it. The crystal had been broken, leaving a jagged edged base. Even so it put off enough light that I could see Larsa's face clearly. His eyes were eager and bright.

"It has been damaged." The Emperor murmured thoughtfully and bent down to the search the ground. When he straightened there was a crystal shard in his hand. He held it up to its live counterpart and it shimmered pale blue, but it held no light.

My brow furrowed worriedly, gazing down the dark passage. "That's strange. There were lots of them before..."

"Perhaps someone anticipated our return and thought to hinder our progress." Basch suggested ominously. "It is unlikely that natural phenomenon would have decimated the entire colony."

The screech of rusted hinges from somewhere behind us drew everyone around sharply, hands on their weapons. Across the hall was pitch black, but there was no mistaking the sound of footfall or the whine of a door swinging sluggishly. Then it was quiet.

For a split instant no one flinched. Something flared to light through the ajar doorway, casting giant shadows on the walls. A tall figure emerged from the room with a flaming torch in his hand, illuminating a silver plumed helm and the silk bandana that concealed his eyes.

"Torches." Kang said.

There was a collective sigh of relief and we slowly edged our way to where the bangaa stood waiting. The light, while comforting in one way, was also a blatant announcement of our presence. If the undead were only lurking in the shadows, they would have no trouble finding us.

"There are more where this came from." Kang explained with a nod at the room he had just exited. "This seems to be an old military outpost."

"There must be other rooms then." Larsa stated excitedly. His gaze traveled along the walls, searching.

"I imagine so." The bangaa replied, tilting his head. "I sense nothing of hostile nature in our vicinity, for now."

I could just make out the faint outline of another arched door down the way, but that was as far as the torchlight reached. A military outpost probably would have many rooms for housing the guards. It was too long a journey to the city to travel back and forth daily.

Basch disappeared inside the room and returned a moment later with another torch. He struck a light and the flames srpang to life. "Stay on your guard." He conveyed darkly. "There were zombies here when we passed through."

I glanced around worriedly, "Where's Larsa?"

Kang suddenly tensed, arching his head.

A sword slid from its sheath from down the corridor and struck flesh. There was a muffled thump of a body hitting the ground with an inhuman groan.

"I am here." Came a distant and unconcerned voice. "And I have found your zombies."

The three of us set out in a sprint and found Larsa trying another door without much success. A rotting corpse lay twitching on the floor, its head some feet away, but there were no other signs of the enemy. I shivered in revulsion and quickly disposed of the remains with a holy spell.

Kang had edged further down the corridor, unbuckling his axe as the darkness opened before him and revealed empty space. If there were other enemies nearby, they were not showing themselves.

Basch sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly in evident frustration. He kept a vigilant eye on our surroundings and voiced no protest when the door finally relinquished to Larsa's insistent prodding with a soft creak. However, his face was that of a man painfully resigned.

"There." The Emperor exclaimed with satisfaction and glanced back, his hand extended expectantly towards the brooding knight. "Your torch?"

Basch handed it over wordlessly. He hovered close at Larsa's side, one hand gripping the hilt of his sword, as they entered the room.

I cast a quick glance over my shoulder at Kang before following the others. The bangaa had taken up position just beyond the door as guard.

"All military outposts contain records." Larsa started to explain as he looked around. He came to another door at the back and stopped to inspect it, giving the handle an experimental tug. It didn't budge. "Here. This is locked. Can you break it?"

"I will try." The knight responded and Larsa move aside.

The door shattered with one blow and a plume of dust lifted off the floor of the adjoining room. Basch entered first with the torch, Larsa second, and me last. I started to wrinkle my nose and sneezed instead.

It was very dry and musty. The room was small, but lined entirely with wood from floor to ceiling. An old desk sat in the far left corner, surrounded by stacks of moldy books and rolled up parchment. There were empty bookcases, their contents strewn across the floor.

My eyes traveled slowly about the room to stop sharply on the bed where the dusty remains of what may have been a bangaa lay. I inhaled sharply and grasped Basch's arm, pointing.

The knight approached the grim set of bones with admirable poise. I imagine he'd seen much worse in his line of work though. I could shrug at most things, but when it came to any remains that were evenly remotely hume-like, it gave me the willies.

I edged up behind him and peaked furtively at the bed's permanent occupant. It had been lying on its back when it died, as if in sleep. There weren't any broken bones that I could see either. Maybe poison?

"I wonder what killed him?" I mused softly, leaning closer than I ever imagined myself capable of. It was a bangaa for certain–there was no mistaking its skull now that I had a closer look. He was our first evidence of the people that had once inhabited the place and I was unusually curious about how he had come to be here when no other of his kin had been found.

"I doubt we shall ever know." Basch concluded.

"Wait a moment," Larsa called out from behind us. He was bent over the desk with his hands planted on the edge, hovering above an opened book. His eyes brightened abruptly as he scanned the page and he gave a triumphant laugh, "There." He jabbed a finger at it and squinted, deciphering something, "I can't be sure for the writing is faded and my knowledge of the dialect is limited, but I believe it's referring to a disease."

Basch grunted, remarking dryly, "I stand corrected." He approached the desk and gazed down at the book, uncomprehending. "You can read this?"

Larsa gave a hesitant nod, "Only to a small degree however. Much of this I cannot make out for it is far older than any languages I'm familiar with."

I went to join them, standing at Larsa's other side. It was certainly old. Migello had taught me some bangaa writing, but this was barely recognizable in comparison. I was able to comprehend the word for "disease" though, or was it "plague"? There were others too that were familiar, but I had forgotten their meanings.

"Can you make out anything else?" Basch asked.

The Emperor's brow wrinkled in concentration and he licked his lips, "'The gate has closed.'" He read aloud, "'The gate has closed and the keepers have vanished. We cannot get out.'" Larsa stopped and was silent for a while, blinking. "What?"

"What is it?" Basch prodded..

Larsa shook his head dazedly. "There's something here...but that can't be right." He muttered, bewildered. "It speaks here about another city–a human city–above on the mountain."

"What city?" I blurted out. "There's nothing there."

"It was destroyed." Larsa confirmed.

"Quite thoroughly apparently." Basch said, arching a quizzical brow.

Larsa straightened slowly, one hand beneath his chin while the other braced his elbow. "Few things in this world are capable of such complete devastation." He murmured darkly. "Only one that I have been unfortunate enough to witness."

My brow furrowed as the obvious eluded me. I racked my brain for the answer and found it with a slight gasp, "You mean nethicite?"

A morbid silence crept into the room and no one spoke for a long time.

Basch's expression was masked as he lifted his head and looked away from the book, "Let us hope we are wrong."

Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone before I thought to say anything.

Larsa finished deciphering what he could of the first page and went to turn back to the previous one. The parchment crumbled on contact and he let out a curse.

I glanced at him in genuine surprise. I'd ever heard anything of the like come out of his mouth, but he was completely oblivious.

"Well, I wasn't having much success reading it anyway." The Emperor maintained with a sigh. "We'd best move on if we want to reach the others in time."

"Indeed." Basch agreed and the three of us filed out of the room.

Kang was waiting back into the main passage, facing our destination. He had set down his torch in a holder on the wall and kept a defensive stance beyond with both hands gripping his axe.

The bangaa inclined his head at us, "What did you find?"

Basch relayed the details quickly and the two exchanged a look that spoke volumes of something I hadn't been made privy to. Kang hummed a sigh as the two broke eye contact. He seemed to be contemplating something, but whatever it was he chose not to divulge to the rest of us and shouldered his weapon.

"I sense a presence up ahead." The bangaa warned. "They are few, but be wary."

We pressed on cautiously, but only encountered a three wayward zombies. They were disposed of without incident and we proceeded onward to the elevator shaft that I had accidentally discovered three years ago. It didn't take a very experienced eye to see that it was in a hopeless state of disrepair.

"I wouldn't stake my life on this." Larsa said. "It doesn't appear to go down very far either."

"Then the stairs it must be." Basch declared.

My heart sank. It had taken over a day to climb the stairs and that was with magic influence and a lot of angry dead people running behind us. At least it would be down hill.

Larsa now held the second torch as we approached the top of the winding staircase that disappeared into deep abyss. The toe of his right shoe eased over the edge as he gazed below with widened eyes. He looked over his shoulder at Basch, who had gone mildly pale.

"How far down is it?" Larsa inquired, suitably amazed.

"A day's journey." The knight responded, admirably keeping his composer as his charge stood precariously above a long, gruesome death. "And I suggest we get started."

Basch lead the way while Kang took up the rear guard and Larsa walked beside me. The path was narrower than I remembered, but then I'd been somewhat sidetracked before. There was no light aside from the two torches we carried, but the pace was slow and easy.

We'd been hiking down for more than an hour when I was viciously attacked by a bat no bigger than my hand. I let out a startled shout and I reached back to slap at the offending beast as it flailed helplessly in the confines of my hair. The others had pulled out their weapons, expecting the worst up until the point where they turned to witness the spectacle before them.

I will not admit that the bat was in fact giving its best effort to escape. It was clearly a planned assault and I had the scratches on my face to prove it, never mind that they'd occurred in the midst of my wrenching him away. His tiny claws were beating furiously at my face in what he no doubt considered self defense and he vanished the instant I let go.

I exhaled shakily, smoothing my hair and dabbing at one cut along the side of my face with a finger. There was a trace of blood on it when I pulled back. "Sorry about that." I mumbled, hiding my embarrassment as I pretended to dust off my knees.

"Here." A faintly familiar cream-colored kerchief was pushed within my line of sight.

My gaze lifted furtively, catching Basch's eye as I reached out to accept it with a uncertain smile. A repugnant gasp, followed by a, "Good God man, don't give her that." interrupted the exchange and Larsa thrust another, immaculate white handkerchief into my hand. "I'm sorry, but I must insist. I have yet to see him clean that thing."

Basch blinked speechlessly at the offending article in his hand before looking up and noting the obvious horror that I couldn't help pass over my face. His brow furrowed and he regarded Emperor with a deeply offended scowl. "That's rubbish." He proclaimed seriously. "I have washed it many times over the years."

"Over the years?" I repeated, aghast.

"My point exactly." Larsa emphasized. He patted Basch on the shoulder with a genuine smile of affection, "We understand, Basch. It can only be a consequence of advanced age."

I had to look away to avoid laughing at the expression that dawned on Basch's face. He stuffed his handkerchief back into its hiding place with a grunt, scowled, and whirled away, muttering under his breath about the lack of respect for elders and the impertinence of youth.

Kang, who had otherwise been silence during the episode, was futilely holding a chuckle back.

"I can hear you." Basch drew out flatly as he set off down the stairs.

The bangaa straightened regally, his teeth bared in an unrepentant grin, "Your pardon, sir Knight. I laugh with you of course. I would not wash my own at all, but for my Queen's insistence."

I cringed, almost missing a step, and Larsa shook his head with an amused eye roll.

Basch laughed up ahead, clearly undisturbed by the notion. "A true warrior." He said.

At that Larsa's face changed, his mouth falling slightly agape. "Excuse me," He beckoned seriously and hastened after the knight. "Hey, I am a warrior!"

"Not precisely, my lord." Basch contended and a lively debate ensued.

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders helplessly as I trailed after the two. Larsa eventually returned, muttering quietly to himself. Judging by his sudden change in mood I guessed that he had lost the argument.

"You can have this back." I said to him and returned his handkerchief. "Thanks."

He cracked a gracious smile. "My pleasure."

Time seemed to pass effortlessly for the first part of the journey, but as we drew inevitably closer to the bottom a growing sense of unease rooted itself in the back of my mind. There was something in the air that shivered the skin and sent trickles of cold fear down my neck. The staff seemed to react to the evil that I felt and throbbed with energy.

The others could feel it too. I could tell by their taught expressions and the stiffness in their gait . There was an edginess around us that hadn't been there before; we were being watched.

After some ten hours of walking we caught our first glimpse of light from below. As we descended the light materialized in the that of sun crystals dotting the walls, out of reach of destructive hands. They gradually revealed the end to our journey, until tomorrow anyway, and I felt heartened by the prospect of rest and a cold drink.

It took us another hour to finally get to the bottom, but we had made it. The crystals here were undamaged. I started to wonder if maybe the ones above had simply been destroyed in a fit of rage rather than deliberate malice.

Basch and Kang opted to scout ahead towards the lake cavern before we turned in for the night at the dragonroot cave where the stream ran through. I sat down to wait while Larsa explored the cavern floor. He looked at everything from vegetation to chunks of stone laying on the stone floor. Nothing escaped his notice or interest.

I rubbed my arms against a chill settling in the air, watching him with a sudden worry. Something could happen to him down here. Something probably would happen to him under the circumstances. I was terrified out of my mind that none of us would make it out alive.

Why on earth had he come?

No one ever tells me anything.

When Basch and Kang finally returned they were engaged in quiet, but intense conversation. Once they were within ear shot however, the topic of discussion abruptly shifted to the status of the lake and surrounding area. There was nothing there, they reported.

"We'll make camp at the stream tonight." Basch remarked wearily and strode towards the camouflaged tunnel mouth that lead down to the dragonroot cave. The rest of us fell in behind him.

It felt warmer in the cave and the cheerful burble of water seemed to lift our spirits as we settled down. Larsa and Kang studied the cavern in awe. Larsa especially expressed amazement at the sheer density of the dragon root growing here. It was simply unheard of and the power it radiated was keenly felt.

Kang was the first to take a seat straight across from Basch. He lifted his snout, testing the air with an almost nostalgic sigh. "It is told amongst my people that we were the first to cultivate the herb, dragon root, but that its delicacy rendered it useless beyond that of a few days, once harvested." He explained, "There were attempts to transplant it to the surface, but it could not survive."

Larsa appeared beside him and sat down too, "And so it vanished from history into legend."

I ran my fingers through the fine filaments of the moss, recalling my own attempt at preserving its medicinal quality. "It does make a nice rejuvenation tea though." I remarked and gingerly harvested a clump. "Which we'll probably need."

"A good idea." Basch said and leaned back, his hands behind his head, against a dilapidated statue that I hadn't noticed before. It bore no likeness to anything now, having been thoroughly defaced.

We discussed building a fire, but opted to avoid drawing any further attention. Our provisions were suitable enough without heat, if not very appetizing. I was too exhausted to care much about that though and I thought I had a blister on my foot, which was far more aggravating.

Larsa spread out a blanket and reclined on his side, munching silently on a handful of figs. He was gazing off into space when he suddenly blurted out unexpectedly, "You've never told us what exactly happened here."

Basch and I exchanged a look. It was probably time to confess the whole story.

Kang and Larsa were attentive listeners as we relayed the events that had transpired here three years before. Neither of them spoke until after we had finished and then the questions came in a flood, most of them Larsa's. We answered as best we could, but the mystery of the buried city and the curse upon it were no more clearer to us than they were to anyone else.

The bangaa remained oddly silent, his head bowed in deep thought for a long time. Then, as if having reached a decision, he looked away sadly. "I am familiar with this place." He admitted.

Larsa and I glanced up in surprise.

Kang smiled grimly, "Jakarda." He said. "That is its name. It is a legend passed down for generations among my people, but I never fathomed any truth to it."

"What do you know of it?" Larsa asked, fascinated.

Kang chose his next words carefully, "It was a rare, but harmonious relationship between bangaa and humes that allowed the cities to flourish in this unusual environment." He went on to say, "The humes thrived above and the bangaa below, but as equals. Until one day the pact was broken and both sides were destroyed."

"Just like the book said." I recalled absently.

He nodded before continuing on, "I do not know what ultimately caused such complete annihilation – our history suggests that it was hume in origin – but it was made clear by our elders that something of greater evil resided there still and that none should ever seek it out, lest they wish to meet a swift death."

Why would they want to? I wondered.

"There is no doubting the presence of evil here." Larsa agreed. "But where has it hidden and why has Jovan not returned?"

I shrugged helplessly. "He doesn't tell me much." Kind of like some other people I know... My gaze slipped surreptitiously towards Basch, but I bit my tongue and stood up instead. "I'm going for a walk."

Basch scowled incredulously and got to his feet as well. "Not by yourself."

My lips thinned into a straight line. "I'm not going that far." I insisted, knowing full well that there would be no deterring him now. "Oh fine." I had a few questions anyway. Questions that I preferred were heard out of earshot from the others.

When we had put the cave behind us and emerged into the giant cavern, I spun around on him, my hands planted on my hips. "This is madness." I stated bluntly, waving a hand to the side in frustration. "Why did you let him come? He's the Emperor for Farlem's sake! What if he dies?!"

Basch looked away, "It was not a choice I wanted to make." He assured me. "But Kang and Ashe convinced me that it was the wisest course, under the circumstances. At present, no place is safe for the Emperor. It was a greater risk to leave him behind."

Why did I get the feeling something was being left out of that answer?

I decided not to press the matter, realizing that my knowledge of politics was so minimal that I would probably never understand if he explained anyway. There was still the question of what they were to do in the event that we made it back out alive. The danger would still be waiting for them when they returned and Larsa would still be powerless to stop them. What then?

"Get some sleep." Basch urged, grasping my shoulder gently. "Let me worry about Larsa."

I caught his eye for a moment, searching for something, but his guard was up now. He had distanced himself from me. Of course, that was the proper thing to do. What had I expected? But that didn't make it not sting like a knife.

"Yeah. Ok." I mumbled and walked away. My head hurt. When had my life become such a mess?

What exactly did I want anyway?

It had turned out to be a very short walk. I went back into the cave and sank onto my bedroll with a disgruntled sigh, crossing my arms, and refused to lift my gaze when Basch's footsteps echoed from the passage. Kang appeared to be in a state of meditation and Larsa was examining a clump of glowing moss. His eyes shifted hesitantly from me to Basch, but he said nothing and returned his attention to the object in his hand.

Kang's head straightened as Basch sat down. "What is our plan of approach?" He asked.

Basch set down his sword and took his place against the crumbled statue. "Until our skeletal friends make their appearance I see no reason not to continue on our current course. There is no other way that we know of to reach the inner city. We shall have to take our chances with the lake's current occupant."

They were still discussing the situation and its possible outcomes when I finally couldn't resist the temptation of sleep anymore and laid down. I curled up on my side with the staff clutched protectively in my hands and closed my eyes. Slowly, their voices faded out of mind.

"I can feel him now." An unfamiliar voice, soft and forlorn, whispered in my ear. A woman dressed in white robes, her golden brown skin framed by shimmering black hair, knelt over me and stared off into the distance through clouded hazel eyes. They flashed with a painful yearning and her hand brushed my cheek gently, "Please hurry."

"Pen...wake up." Someone was calling me...

I groaned and slapped at the hand shaking my shoulder. Someone else spoke, commenting on my lack of compliance. They seemed to find something humorous in the fact that my assailant was so far unsuccessful.

One eye parted angrily to glower up at the figure leaning over me.

"It's time to go." Basch said, unsympathetic.

My body protested as I tried to sit up, yawning. I was very fond of my sleep, even when strange women went nattering off in my dreams about time and nonsense. I blinked, puzzled.

Come to think of it, that dream had a familiar ring to it, like when Jovan had visited the night the palace was stormed. This person was clearly not Jovan. I'd never seen her before and I couldn't imagine why she was pestering me.

Seeing the others already packed to go I scrambled to my feet hastily and started stuffing my things away. By the time I had finished they had meandered towards the cave mouth and were talking amongst themselves about what might lay ahead. This was quite possibly the most dangerous obstacle we faced.

I packed my staff away in favor of a bow as we filed out of the peaceful alcove and away from its soothing glow. The dread was forthcoming once we began the decent into the cavern of the monster's den; the underground lake.

A fragile stillness hovered above the glassy surface of the water as we emerged onto the sandy shore. The cavern was bathed in the soft glow of hundreds of crystals attached to the walls, rising infinitely into the darkness above. We came to a halt well away from the water's edge, keeping a vigilant eye, but there was nothing. Too much of nothing to put me anywhere near at ease.

Something broke the lake's surface with a small splash and everyone jumped.

Kang tilted his head acutely, "A fish." He indicated certainly. "Or some other small water creature."

"Fish?" I echoed dubiously.

"A sign, perhaps, that the monster is away." Kang offered. "Shall we continue?"

I had an ominous feeling as I glanced to the side where the pathway wound around the water. There was no avoiding the dangerous trek for we had to reach the other side and if the monster was indeed away, we would have no better an opportunity to sneak by. That was hardly a comfort however. It might just be waiting for us to assume that it was gone so that it could strike when we were our most vulnerable.

"Avoid disturbing the water if you can." Bash advised.

The going was even worse than I remembered it. Whole chunks of the path had seemingly been crumbled away into the depths, leaving gaping holes that could only be traversed by jumping. Each stray pebble that bounced precariously into the water caused a sharp intake of breath and for an agonizing second no one moved. All the while the lake's surface rippled with movement as pale fish-like creatures skimmed along, nibbling at a filmy substance floating along the top of the water.

Larsa was watching them with unequivocal fascination. The more time we spent together the more I realized that he seemed to regard everything around him with the same enthusiastic delight. I had always credited his intelligence to the demands of his station, but his zealous pursuit of knowledge went beyond that; he loved to learn, about everything .

Maybe that was what would set him apart from his predecessors. It wasn't the power knowing gave him that Larsa craved, but rather the process of obtaining it. Larsa wanted to know things because it pleased him to discover truth. He was as honest a person as I'd ever met.

"I wonder what it is they are eating?" Larsa pondered with a pause in stride as he leaned his head cautiously out over the water. The distraction caused him to lose his footing on a patch of algae slime and he stumbled, throwing his weight back. He landed on the edge of the path with a grimace of pain and let out a gasp as his feet broke the water's surface with a tiny splash.

A few seconds of silent dread passed wherein no one moved. Then, with a reproachful glower, Basch hoisted Larsa back to his feet by the collar in one swift jerk. There were tiny droplets of water on Larsa face as he straightened, his head bowed sheepishly. He smoothed out his clothes, which were now damp in places and dirty where he had landed on the path, and murmured an apology.

The tension had reached a climax as we slowly, but surely continued along the edge of the lake. I felt myself flinching at the smallest disruptions; dripping moister, cascading pebbles from above, the low murmur of groaning earth.

I nearly collapsed in the relief that I felt when I finally touched down on the far beach. An invisible burden had suddenly lifted and everyone stopped to recuperate. The intense fear wrought from the journey had exhausted our nerve.

"At least that's over with." Larsa said. "I confess that I had misgivings about whether we would even survive the journey across when we set out this morning."

He said it in such a matter of fact tone that I wanted to strangle him. How could he risk himself so recklessly when there was a country depending on him to lead it? I couldn't shake the feeling that this was all somehow my fault.

Larsa must have caught a residue of distress in my eyes for he frowned uncertainly and turned to address me. "Is something the matter?" He asked, genuinely bewildered.

I spun away from him, clenching my hands in restraint of a groan that pried its way between my teeth and willed myself to relax. With a deep breath I turned to walk away.

Basch intercepted the Emperor with a curt command before Larsa could escape and a discussion ensued. When I'd gotten far enough away to risk a glance back, I saw the exchange. It was not resonating, but there was a forceful tension in the way that Basch spoke to Larsa that was bordering on insubordination. Larsa would never call him on that of course, but neither would he submit easily to the knight's quiet management.

When the two ceased to speak they walked apart and there was a gleam of defiance in Larsa's eyes that I'd seen only once before when he had faced his brother upon the Bahamut. Basch bore a mask of indifference, which for him was a sign of intense displeasure. While certainly adept at holding his emotions in check and keeping a cool front, Basch was still oblivious to one glaring flaw in this disguise; Basch was only "indifferent" when something disrupted his quiet, introspective nature.

"Your friends have left a trail." Kang called from down the beach, pleasantly interrupting the uncomfortable situation. He stood beside a large and irregular shape poised in the sand.

We hastened to join him.

The contraption beside the towering bangaa took on a more recognizable form as we approached. It was a small air transport, capable of carrying two – three if one wanted to be risky. There were no signs of damage and the landing appeared to have been smooth. Three sets of tracks lead away from it towards the tunnel.

"They're here alright." I grumbled.

And don't think I'm going to let you off on this one just because you got yourself into a bunch of trouble, Vaan.

Something snaked around my ankle and I jerked to the side with a strangled cry of alarm. A metallic ring filled the cavern as three blades were drawn simultaneously. I drew back on my bow with an unusual ferocity and buried an arrow into the skull of the rising skeleton. Larsa added a finishing touch by removing its head.

"It is about time." Basch remarked sourly.

We put out backs together, forming a dense circle. More pale extremities were exploding from the ground around us as we edged toward the mouth of the path leading out. They were swarming together for a strike on all sides.

Basch cleaved two with one swing. I had exchanged my bow for the staff for short quarter fighting and tried splitting the ranks with spells while Larsa darted agilely back and forth, jabbing with his rapier. Any reservations I might have had about the blind bangaa swinging a sharp, heavy object in my vicinity were quickly quelled as he carved a swathe through the ranks towards the tunnel.

How does he do it?

I guess it had something to do with disruptions in air movement. Or maybe he wasn't as blind as I thought. Regardless, I was happy to oblige and follow in his footsteps.

Basch and Kang traded places with the latter moving to the rear guard when we reached the tunnel mouth. The force was concentrated behind us now, leaving the passage ahead empty. It wasn't until we come to the fork and started to take the right that would lead us to the city's gate that things took a turn for the worst. An impenetrable mass of elite skeletal warriors barred the way. Rows and rows of three pronged spears gleamed in the hands of seasoned erstwhile soldiers, eyes patently glowing with ghostly malice.

These were not like the other feeble fighters we had first faced. There was something distinctly more dangerous in the still concentration of these ones. They were full of cunning and purpose.

Meanwhile, behind us the weaker, but more numerous rank of skeletal warriors were closing in.

"They are driving us." Kang asserted. "These feeble offensives are nothing but prods."

Basch grimaced as one of the elite soldiers made a deliberate stab at his arm. He struck back, but the warrior merely blocked and remained rooted to his place in the formation. Kang and Larsa had turned to engage the rear attack, and I dropped back behind Basch, picking off from afar.

Panic suffocated me.

They're blocking our way in!

The staff flared to life in my hands, burning the flesh. I gasped in pain and nearly dropped it, but I held on with gritted teeth. A deathly cold enveloped me in wraithlike tendrils and I shivered, terrified. A pale silhouette materialized as the tall, graceful figure of a woman in white robes with wild black curls, and for a moment it was just the two of us surrounded by a deep, gnawing grief.

"There is another way." She spoke in a quiet, intense voice, her gaze watching for something in the distance. "Through the open passage. They will want you to find it, but you must not let them in."

The vision disappeared and I stared in stark horror as a great ripple shifted through the ranks of elite warriors. The mass began to march as one. Kang was first to meet the front line and was expeditiously tossed right back, but he landed in a controlled roll and spun deftly to his feet.

"I do believe you are correct." Basch commented idly on the bangaa's earlier statement as the two bumped shoulders. "Have you any ideas?"

My mouth parted without thinking and I blurted out what the mysterious apparition had told me, "There's a second gate." I spoke, entranced, and turned to flee. "We have to go!"

If anyone questioned my judgment they made no attempt to voice it. Our present situation was dire enough that any alternative to this futile struggle was a glad reprieve, and I think they truly believed me. I believed it! There was a conviction behind those words that I didn't expect to feel when I had spoken. Somehow I knew.

Running was not a skeleton's strong suit fortunately. We had easily outdistanced them and were rounding the first bend in the path when we were met by the second wave. They stood in perfect still formation, blocking the left fork. The right lay open before us.

"This is getting to be rather alarming." Larsa murmured.

Suddenly their heads all turned, as if to stair past us at some unforeseen enemy. Confusion rippled among the ranks as they glanced back and forth between us and the wall, hesitating. We seized the opportunity and charged in full force.

The first line crumbled within seconds and the second was not much better, but by the time we'd reached the third they had managed to salvage a modicum of their discipline and had reformed. There were still three more lines behind them too. With their defense re-established we were steadily being pushed back and into the right tunnel. A small contingent of warriors had caught up from behind and together we were forced down the open path.

"Keep going." She urged. "They will not give chase long."

There really was no choice in the matter. We had only one place to go whether we wanted to or not. The path we followed went for a long time, passing crumbled doorways and rusted bits of steel. It was littered with many other branching tunnels, small and dark, but we stuck to the main highway and eventually were rewarded for our persistence.

The passage came to a halt at a detailed arched doorway. It opened into another great hall–nearly identical to the cavern we'd been in three years ago–tall and beautifully crafted, at the foot of a great staircase. The only differences were the contrasting artistic depictions upon the ceiling, and the flood of bleached bones, glistening in silver armor from wall to wall with weapons drawn.

Author's Note: Finally finished this chapter. I decided to rewrite it and I'm always slow when I have to rewrite anything, but I think it's better for it. My chapters seem to get progressively longer with each update, or have I already mentioned that?

Anyhow, I have some import info to impart so here is the deal: I am going to be gone from August 7th - August 26th roughly. My plan is to get one more chapter out before I leave. However, there's obviously going to be a long wait regardless, not to mention college is starting back up and I won't have as much time on my hands. I'm sorry!

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up, thanks.

Faerlyte.