Meanwhile the party of five were surfing across the vast ocean expanse of the Balance World. They had left from the shores of Narshe, and had been on the ocean for quite some time. It wasn't until Syldra gave another shrill and adorable cry that Krile began to notice a rock formation closing in ahead. "This is it?" Bartz wondered as he peered over Syldra's shoulder. He noticed the sharp rock formation peircing through the sky, but it seemed too small to be an entrance. "Nothing but rocks here," Sabin added.
Bartz looked at the water's surface and noticed some strange white colours looking back at him. "I'm going to check below, under the surface," Bartz leapt off from Slydra and dived into the deep, salty water. As he submerged below, he didn't know why he hadn't earlier. It was beautiful. Great white statues of dragons decorated the bottom of the rock formation that he had seen from the surface, and beautiful vivid corals litters the bottom of the pacific blue ocean. The pillar of rock itself seemed to expand into a vast underwater palace, and a good deal of milleniums had been spent creating it. He took a moment to dive down a little further to bear witness to one of the pearl white statues. Two long scaly, serpentine dragons, with similar resemblance to 'Shinryu' held stone medallion within it's foretalons.
Realising he was running short on air, Bartz quickly ascended to the surface, gasping a little for fresh air. Syldra and Sabin looked down on him in curiosity. Celes was now perched atop of the rock formation with Krile riding upon her still.
"Anything interesting down there?" Sabin asked.
"Why don't you take a look?" Bartz gestured.
"But I really can't swim all too..." Sabin's words were stopped by Slydra, as she moved before he did, forcing him to grab tight to her neck. As Sabin opened his eyes under the water, he gazed in awe at the picturesque sight. ("Absolutely fantastic")He thought to himself.
Syldra then resurfaced, with Sabin soaking wet. "Beautiful," He added "I'm guessing that's the entrance that this Syldra found then,"
"Aw, and I was hoping I wouldn't get wet," Krile pouted. "But what about Celes, is she okay with getting all wet?"
"If she enters the water with us, then she won't be able to fly for a while," Sabin warned.
Krile seemed to listen out again before replying promptly. "She says she doesn't care,"
"Then we're agreeded then," Bartz said with confidence "Let's be on our way!"
Syldra lead the way, diving under the water's surface to find the palace entrance. Bartz, Krile and Celes followed closely behind. With Syldra guiding the way, the trip was mostly uneventful, and as they reached the underneath of the rock formation, they could see light. Several heads surfaced from the water. Looking around, they were in a large expanse of cavern; brightly lit by green corals that constructed the walls. "Just what the heck is this place?" Bartz wondered, looking around. It was then he noticed more evidence of ship wreckage, piled high in the corner of the room. It could only mean one thing; that Lenna and Faris were here. Still alive was another thing that worried him.
"They're here!" Bartz cried with excitement as he swam towards the shore. Krile seemed to smile too. Suddenly, without warning a strange fish-like creature threw itself at Bartz from below the water's surface. It was a green fish-like monster, but with arms and legs, and webbed feet, toes and a teeth like a piranha.
"Bartz!" Krile cried in shock.
"It's a Sahagin!" Sabin realised as he swam after the attacked man.
Bartz found himself wrestling the creature with his bare hands. The sahagin's claws dug into his own, making it hard to keep grip. He tried his best to keep it's gnashing jaws away from him, pulling him futher under the water.
Krile dug up the courage to swim faster still; and drew a wet dagger from her sheathe. She then dived and swam for Bartz, and plunged her dagger into the busy violent creature; forcing the fiend to lose it's grip and let go. Syldra; now very angry proceeded crush the Sahagin underwater like a stream train, the creature stuck between her jaws. A trail of blood was created as she threw the stunned fish into a wall, finally killing it.
Bartz pulling back slowly to the surface covered in fresh bloody scratches. The ocean water exaggerated his injuries as blood still wept into the ocean; but other than the painful stinging of the salt water, he was alright.
"Are you okay?" Sabin asked in worry, finally pulling up out of the water"
"I'm fine," Bartz assured the man as he himself began to pull out the water. "But it seems we arn't alone in this place,"
Krile and Celes then followed, while Slydra stayed upon the water, having no ability to climb on land.
"Syldra won't be safe staying here," Krile began to worry. Celes stared at Krile. "You'll stay behind and look after her?"
"Yes, I am sorry but I can't be much more use to you or Sabin,"
"Well let's get going then," Krile marched ahead down one of the two single corridors of the conflux. Bartz and Sabin followed behind, trying to shake the water from their drenched clothes beforehand.
It wasn't long walking down the corridor before a further two Sahagins dashed down the corridor for them, as fast as they swam. Sabin clenched his fist "Now it's my turn to show you what I'm made of," He jumped at them in a flash, baiting them to attack him. As they did; he grabbed one by the fin and slammed it into the other oncoming Sahagin with incrediable force, rupturing the coral wall construction. The Sahagins were left twitching and dying.
"Shall we move on?" Sabin asked, seeming entirely undaunted by the fight.
Bartz was impressed at his strength.
The continuing theme of bright, uninteresting corals continued down the rest of the way, but the corals at least kept it well lit. Another sharp noise of a Sahagin emitted down the corridor. They noticed a junction in the road ahead of them, and inside them were several rooms with high ledges like bookshelves and strange pinkish corals. Krile noticed a few Sahagins resting upon the corals "This looks like their nest,"
Inside the room was also several cages with corpses inside them. "Whatever's been going on here, has been going on a long while and many lives have paid a price..." Sabin admitted regretably. Bartz's anxiety rose again as he saw the dead bodies "Why are Lenna and Faris in a place like this?"
"There's no need to panic just yet," Sabin reassured. "Hm?" His attention was drawn by the sound of something. He could hear something, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Bartz took time to listen too. He could hear faint grinding of something further down; like a machine. He tip-toed down the corridor and then gestured his hand for his companions to follow him. The sound became louder and clearer, the sound of some mystical energy building itself up and suddenly shooting out with a zoom, repeating the pattern now and again like a factory.
After quietly passing some Sahagin nests, they reached another junction. "Where do we go now?" Krile asked.
"Hush up!" Bartz whispered. He could now hear something else.
An echo of malicious voices echoed down the pathway. Bartz followed the sound, and found his way into another vast room, filled with strange machines constructed of coral.
The room contained more Sahagins. But this time, they were awake, not nesting and were dragging the corpses of humans along the ground. Some of them were just barely alive, screaming and moaning. It was a horrifying sight. The party felt sickened.
Before they could word a reaction; a Sahagin noticed their presence and immediately charged at them, followed by several more. "Dammit! There's so many of them!"
"A colony?" Krile wondered as she drew her small dagger and knocked away an advancing Sahagin.
Sabin pummeled another fiend before replying "This is too organised to be a Sahagin nest alone. No... this is..."
Sabin was interrupted as he knocked away another two of the creatures. Every time one fell to the ground, yet more monsters replaced them.
"Bartz! Try your magic again!"
"Ok!" Bartz nodded. Another Sahagin charged for Bartz but Krile and Sabin protected him from harm. However, Bartz could not feel the strange feeling he welled up when he fought Siren and began to stall while casting. It was made even more difficult when stray Sahagins clawed at his arms; already being injured by the previous assault did not help in the slightest. His delay was not helping his friends either. Krile and Sabin were beginning to sustain damage trying to buy him time.
"I can't do it! We should run through them!" Bartz cried, hacking a pathway.
It felt difficult for him leaving the dying prisoners in that room, but he knew deep in his mind that if he tried to save them they were already at the brink of death. He didn't understand why the fish creatures were not so instinct to instantly kill them like a normal instinct would causing within a fiend.
After a good deal of running, the party had begun to lose their bearings withing the labrynth. Fortunately the Sahagins that once chased them had been slain and no more followed. Bartz was still unhappy, fisting the wall and cursing.
"You couldn't cast could you? What allowed you to last time?" Sabin wondered.
"Last time I did... this pendant, this memento of my friend shone," Bartz lifted the bright shimmering gold Tycoon pendant.
"That pendant looks so much like the cursed pendant the Siren gave to you. Are they not of the same vein?" Sabin seemed concerned.
"No way," Krile quickly snapped "The Tycoon pendants were passed down through generations. If anything, they warded against wars and conflicts and ensured Tycoon reign,"
"I'll take your word for it then. But remember, the lores of the world here are different from your own." Sabin replied.
Krile began to inspect Bartz's wound "You need to be a little more careful Bartz. Or you won't make it out of here alive,"
It had completely passed him the sheer amount of punishment his body had taken so far. The ship's wreckage, the fight against the siren and now the attacks from the Sahagin. The injuries were beginning to take their toll, he had no time to rest. But he didn't care. he didn't want to stop until he knew Faris and Lenna was safe.
"You know we really should take a break. Especially you," Krile seemed worried.
"No," Bartz firmly replied continuing to move on.
"Bartz, this is rediculous! You need to stop right now!"
"I made a promise that I can't give up. I promised Lenna I'd find and protect her."
Sabin seemed angry "There's no use trying to protect someone if you're dead!"
Krile looked up at Sabin as Bartz continued down the road "He's a man who doesn't give up easily. He follows where the wind rides,"
"No kidding," Sabin sighed and promptly followed. He somewhat admired Bartz for his solid diligence, but he was worried for his wellbeing too.