7. Grave of the Pyreflies

Back at Youth League headquarters, Paine left the base's main tent. She walked through the compound, leaving the gates with an unlikely pair.

"...I can't believe Nooj actually wants me to work with you goons," Paine said.

"Hey, the feeling's mutual, brat!" Leblanc replied. "And don't think I'll forget that little stunt you pulled back at the stairs. Were it not for my catlike reflexes, I could have seriously been hurt!"

"Please. You went down like a sack of potatoes. Consider it payback for all the times you gave me and the Gullwings trouble," Paine said.

"The Den of Woe isn't far from here. Stay alert," Logos said.

The three continued toward said den, Paine all the while thinking back to her briefing with Nooj.

"I want you three to investigate the Den of Woe. Our scouts report strange sounds coming from within, and suspect it may be infested with fiends. This could also explain the recent increase in monster activity near our base. Look into the cave, and destroy whatever creatures lurk within."

Paine shuddered, recalling painful episodes of the past. The cave did not hold happy memories for her, and having to go back to the place she nearly died at the hands of Nooj and the Crimson Squad rubbed her the wrong way. Still, she knew the Youth League was in bad shape. If fiends really were inside the den, dispatching them could help the faction greatly.

Paine, Leblanc, and Logos continued on, crossing Mushroom Rock Road under the purple sky. Upon reaching the cave's entrance, Paine paused. She stared at the entrance, briefly shuddering.

"...What's wrong, kiddo? Gettin' scared?" Leblanc teased.

"Sh-Shut up," Paine replied, moving on. In truth, however, Leblanc was on to something. Paine wasn't one to let her emotions show, but the den gave her the chills, and it was all she could do to stop from shaking. Leblanc and Logos were clueless as to her history with the place, and Paine wasn't about to confide in anyone, least of all those two.

The three entered the Den of Woe, air getting chill as their eyes adjusted to the dark. The cave glowed an eery green, pyreflies flitting in and out of sight. As the trio moved deeper into the cave, Paine's grip on her sword tightened. She cringed, trying to keep harsh memories of the place at bay. Memories of her fight with Nooj, Gippal, and Baralai... memories of her fight with her dear friends Yuna and Rikku, both taking place in the den.

"Paine. Are you alright?" Logos enquired.

"...I'm fine," she replied. "It's just... I have a history with this place. That's all."

"Meh. Looks like some musty old cave to me. Honestly, if this place ruins my clothes, I'm gonna be pissed," Leblanc said.

Paine briefly eyed her companions, wondering if they, too, might become possessed. Shuyin was gone, so there was little fear of that. But if Paine were forced to fight Leblanc and Logos, she was hardly concerned, as she was fairly confident she could take them both.

As the three steadily approached the cave's depths, they paused. Paine looked around, suddenly spotting a collapsed wall near the back of the den.

"Hmm. This passage wasn't here before," she said.

As she and the others peered inside, a low growl steadily echoed through the cave.

"EEEK!" Leblanc shrieked, hair suddenly standing on end. Paine looked on, giving her a dry smile.

"...What's wrong? Getting scared?" she asked.

"W-W-Wha? Who? Me? No way!" Leblanc replied, clearly frazzled.

"Whatever that was, it sounded big. Don't let your guard down," Logos said.

The three warily traipsed through the passage, Paine leading the way as Leblanc and Logos followed close behind. As they entered a corridor, a cluster of fiends suddenly attacked.

"Heads up!" Paine said, the three quickly bracing for a fight.

The trio found themselves faced with a group of flans. The slimy creatures crept forth, each of them a different color. Paine and Logos slashed and shot, but the fiends took little damage from their attacks.

"Allow me!" Leblanc said, casting thundaga. Her spell crashed into the flans, the creatures evaporating in a flash. "Ho, ho, ho!~ Child's play! Honestly... what would you two do without-"

Before she could finish, a fiend crashed into her back. Leblanc gave a shriek, suddenly tumbling forward multiple times. As she came to a stop, she turned, noticing a large basilisk behind her. It gave a high snarl, suddenly shooting fireballs her way. "KYAAAAAA!" Leblanc screamed, awkwardly jumping out of the way. Paine then dashed forward, fiercely slashing her sword, slicing the basilisk's head off. As the head rolled to a stop at Leblanc's feet, she went pale.

"Heh. Squeamish much? It's just a basilisk," Paine said.

"Tch! O-Of course it is! I'm just not used to fighting such lowly creatures!" Leblanc replied.

"...I see. No wonder you're so weak," Paine said.

"Weak?! Look who's talking! You and Logos were the ones struggling with that slimeball earlier!" Leblanc retorted.

"That's because flan's are resistant to physical attacks. I could have killed it. It just would have taken longer," Paine said. As the two argued back and forth, Logos stepped forward.

"Ladies, ladies, please... let's not fight. We have enough fiends to deal with without battling each other."

"...Hmph!" Leblanc sniffed, folding her arms.

"Yeah, yeah," Paine replied, reacting similarly.

The three soon encountered additional fiends, fighting their way through scores of beasts. The cave had monsters of various kinds. Flans. Drakes. Bats. Basilisks. Leblanc and Logos eventually grew weary, but Paine stood unfazed, continuing her way through the den.

The trio eventually reached an open section of cave. Bones of all kinds littered the ground as sunlight peeked in through holes in the ceiling. An underground lake was present, and near it, a moldy wall lined with stone bricks.

"Ooh! What is this place?" Leblanc asked.

"Beats me," Paine replied.

"Looks like an underground complex of some sort. Perhaps a temple," Logos replied.

Paine and the others followed the wall, eventually reaching a pair of unlit torches. Between them, a door; wide and tall with intricate designs. Paine moved close, running a hand across an empty relief. She then tried the door. As expected, it wouldn't budge.

"...Locked up tight. I wonder if this door needs spheres to open, too," she said.

"Spheres?" Leblanc asked.

"Yeah. When I first came here with Yuna and Rikku, the Den of Woe was sealed shut. It had a door similar to this, and needed ten different spheres before it opened," Paine explained. "Looks like this one needs four."

As Paine laid it all out, the growl the trio heard earlier sounded again. The three froze in place, ground shaking as massive footsteps approached. The three turned around, eyes wide as they spotted the source of the noise.