OK! With one drop of myrrh they finally reach the miasma stream. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. (I don't think anyone should be able to sue us anyway. This IS FAN fiction. It's not like we're going around saying 'look at MY story!' Anyway, on with the story.

Chapter 5: Miasma Stream & Marr's Pass

Four months later the caravan was nearing the miasma stream. By now they had all been accidentally out of the crystal's protective circle, and they all knew what it was like to be temporarily suffocated. NONE of them were looking forward to going through the stream, but they knew they had to. They soon saw the entrance to the miasma stream.

Kris shivered as a chill went down her spine. "We have to go through, hunh?" No one answered.

"How are we GOING to go through it?" Rob asked.

"We should probably send Papu through first, right?" Mike asked anyone who would answer.

"Yes, we'll have Papu go through first, then we follow after. Make sure everything is secure, we don't want anything to fall off." Tyran said as he inspected the caravan.

Slap! Tyran sent the wagon forward. "I'll carry the chalice through it."

They then stood around for a while, and Kris inspected a sign next to the stream.

It read 'Beware! Miasma stream! In case you haven't already figured that out…'

"All right, let's go." Tyran announced.

None of them had ever been in a miasma stream before, and they didn't know how powerful they could be.

As soon as they stepped into the stream, Rob felt as if he would vomit. The miasma was STRONG. Even though it didn't have the choking sensation, it felt as if it turned him inside out. He ached all over, and he wanted to turn back.

When Tyran stepped inside, he almost dropped the chalice in pain. The miasma storm, even though the crystal kept it out, seemed to tear him apart.

Kris blacked out when they stepped inside, but the miasma was so strong it kept her standing, so no one noticed. It felt good to black out, for a few seconds she didn't feel pain. But when she came to, it felt as if thousands of the world's sharpest blades were attacking her all at once.

Mike went numb from the miasma. He stumbled forward, trying not to fall. Though he couldn't feel the ground beneath him, he felt the pain from the miasma.

They slowly went forward, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the pain. The crystal was fighting the miasma storm, and none of them wanted to even think about what it felt like OUTSIDE of the crystal's protection.

"We're almost there!" Tyran yelled, running forward, forcing them to follow. They didn't know what he was talking about, for there was no exit as far as they could see.

Suddenly the crystal's barrier began to shine. Its glow began to brighten, and with one burst shone like never before. The feeling from the miasma storm was gone.

Rob ran over to the edge of the pathway and threw up. Kris fainted, landing flat on the ground. Tyran lay on the ground, catching his breath. Mike tripped, suddenly getting his feeling back.

For a few minutes they lay there, re-gaining their energy. Then they went through the rest of the miasma stream peacefully.

­

"We're finally out!" Kris squealed in delight.

"Yes, finally." Mike sighed.

"We're going to have go through it again on the way back, and there are other miasma streams too." Tyran said. "I'm going to take a nap. Who wants to drive?"

"I will." Rob volunteered. 'I won't be able to sleep with the nausea anyway.'

They all got some sleep while he drove.

'Tyran said we would get to Marr's Pass in a few days. What if I get us there earlier? Then Kris might be impressed.'

He slapped the reigns hard, and Papu went more than 2x faster then she had been going previously. At sunset he saw the image of Marr's Pass on the horizon. He slowed Papu down, who was breathing heavily. A few minutes later everyone woke up.

"Hey Tyran!" Rob yelled behind him. "I thought you said we wouldn't get to Marr's Pass for another few more days!"

"What?" They all looked to see. Sure enough, the town was sitting in the distance.

"Yes! Finally, Marr's Pass!" Kris exclaimed. "Now we can fix up our caravan! I'm going to have to do some major shopping too!"

They trundled forward, and in no time got to Marr's Pass. They parked in an area set apart for caravans, and they all got a good night's rest.

-:-

In the morning Kris got up before anyone. She quickly ate a striped apple and headed into town. When she returned everyone was awake and had just finished breakfast.

"Where have you been?" Rob asked.

"I went into town to get a guy to come fix up our wagon. He said he would come by at ten." Kris answered.

"Oh."

"I also got some shopping done. I got a new iron belt, some materials, and some food. Now you guys can get some stuff done, and I'll stay and watch the caravan. OK?" She then hopped into the wagon.

­

The boys then left for town. Tyran got a bronze plate to replace his travel clothes, Mike got a frost shield, and Rob got a solid racket. When they got back they saw that the wagon had been fixed up.

The driver's seat now had a hood over it and had cushioned seats. Inside the old bunks had been torn out and replaced with new ones with strong, sturdy wood and mattresses with soft sheets and blankets. They were now both the same size, each one taking up 1/3 of the wagon's inside space.

The roof also had been replaced with very strong, yet soft wood, much to Kris's delight. They would still need to use a tarp when it rained, but that wasn't very hard to do. The wheels also had been replaced with ones that wouldn't creak.

"OK cough it up." Kris said with her hand out.

"What?" Rob said.

"I mean, this costs 1500 gil, so give me some gil or I'm going to kill you."

"1500gil!"

"Yeah. The wheels cost 100 gil each, the roof cost 300, the bunk FRAMES cost 200, the mattresses and blankets cost 300, the driver's seat area cost 100, and the labor and tip cost 100." She said, hands on her hips.

The boys gathered as much gil as they could find to pay the portion they owed.

"Thank-you!" She said, hiding the gil.

They each tried out their new bunk. The mattresses were soft, and the blankets were smooth. A GREAT improvement to before.

They then just enjoyed the rest of the day in town, for tomorrow they would head for Mushroom Forest.

In case you haven't already figured this out, the next chapter takes place in Mushroom Forest.