~x~

(Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, but I've begun working on my original novel which I hope to actually publish someday, so updates for The Sands of Time may not come quite as often as they used to. This is still my baby, though, and I will make every effort to continue updating on as regular a basis as I can manage. Thanks to all the readers still chugging along with this, and I apologize again for the delays.)

Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 2: The Goddess War

Chapter 11 - Red Tide

Part 11.2 - The Voice of the Earth

"What's a Herald?" Elphis asked while the two were making their way down the sloping hills at the foot of the Karnak mountains. There was forest rising before them, dark and silent. On the other side, the port town of Zwill. And beyond that, the gods only knew.

Maduin stopped his tireless march downhill mid-step, looking over at the little girl on his massive shoulder in surprise. Kumiro stopped fluttering and waited patiently next to them, hovering and happy.

"What did you say?" Maduin had never mentioned anything about him once being Herald, or even the word to Elphis. "Where did you hear that word from?"

Elphis climbed up and around the large spike on Maduin's shoulder, bending over so that her head was resting against his neck, just beneath his left ear. Maduin could feel her warm breath on his face, and her long hair draped over his back like a cape. It was a wonderful feeling.

"The stone told me," she whispered into his ear playfully.

"Stone? What stone?" Maduin asked, but knowing exactly what stone she must mean. There was only one stone that might speak, and speak of such things as Heralds.

"Titan, of course! Don't be silly Maydune," Elphis said in her normal voice, still smiling.

Impossible! Maduin had been waiting for the mysterious piece of magicite, the ancient remains of the mighty Esper Titan, to react to him since Genju passed it onto him. Genju had claimed an Esper could still communicate through their magicite shard even after death, but said Titan had never spoken to him. Nor had the strange, pulsing stone ever attempted to reveal any of its mysteries to Maduin. All the time that he had kept it on his person it had simply acted like any ordinary rock. True, it felt warm to the touch, and if you paid close attention, it felt like there was some tiny heart beating inside the hard exterior, but beyond that, it was completely inert. Had Elphis somehow unlocked its secrets?

"Tell me what he said," Maduin coaxed, softly. He knew Elphis in her innocence had no idea the incredible power sleeping inside that pretty stone. When she had asked to hold it for him, he had let her without question. It was as safe in her hands as anyone's, and she had never let it out of her grasp since he had given it to her a few days ago.

"It's hard to hear him most of the time," Elphis said dreamily. "His voice sounds like it's coming from really far away, but I hear him when he speaks really loud."

"You...hear his voice? I've never heard anything."

"Adults never hear the things I hear," Elphis stated matter-of-factly. "It's just like that bad dog. I could always hear him coming long before any of the adults."

Maduin smiled. "Of course," he said simply. Elphis's almost superhuman powers of perception had ceased being something he questioned. He knew her blindness had dramatically increased her other senses, and now it made perfect sense that if anyone could hear Titan's call, it would be this little blind girl with the ears of a leaf rabbit.

"He's very sad," Elphis continued. "He says he used to be a Herald, and that his best friend killed him. Is he really dead? Am I hearing a ghost?"

Maduin knew Titan's tragic past all too well. It was Genju himself, the pacifist Herald of Altimus, that had murdered his fellow Herald Titan, long ago on the ancient Phoenix Isle.

"Yes, Titan has been dead for a thousand years. I do not know if what you hear is the voice of a ghost, though. What does he say?"

"A thousand years? Wow!" Elphis said with her imperturbable enthusiasm. "So he's really, really old? Older than you?"

"Much older," Maduin laughed. "I'm only thirty-two. Although I may live to be Titan's age someday thanks to this Esper body of mine."

And it was true, he just might. Genju himself was over two thousand years old, and still full of power. It scared Maduin sometimes thinking about the almost limitless life that might be ahead of him. How many people had dreamed of living forever? Would they choose a gruesome body like his if they knew the price? He suspected there were many humans that would do that very thing. To some, immortality was all that mattered, and they'd sell their very soul for any chance at it. Before the end, Maduin was willing to bet there would be many Espers that chose their fate willingly, in hopes of a gloriously long life and awesome power. For the tired and humble archeologist, though, this so-called gift had far too high a price to pay.

"Wow...," Elphis said in a low voice, awed. "Titan says 'the undying body was a curse' and that he is 'still paying the price for the magic blood that was spilled ages ago.' What does he mean?"

"I can imagine what he must have felt like," Maduin said. "Living forever might sound like fun, but after a few hundred years I think it would get boring."

"Nah. You two sound the same. He's always grumpy and you're always sad. Cheer up, both of you!" Elphis smiled wide, and she was speaking both into Maduin's ear and to the large faceted stone at her side. It hung in a simple leather pouch she had made for it, with the help of Maduin. As she spoke, she could feel a pulse of warmth through the leather bag, and she heard the faint echo of Titan, although she did not realize it was only speaking in her mind.

The Dreaming Awake are cursed. Our lives are a cruel joke, spun from the threads of trickster gods.

"What?" Elphis said suddenly. "Titan's speaking to me again. He's always sad."

"Can you speak to him?" Maduin asked, curious what this mighty Herald of Earth had to say.

"I've tried, but he never seems to talk like a normal person. Sometimes he answers me, but most of the time he just ignores me. He's really rude!"

"Does he say what its like where he's at?"

"Kinda. He calls it the 'Nexus' and says it's lonely there. Just him and no one else, on a big flat plain."

"Sounds about right," Maduin said almost to himself. The Nexus was what you made of it, shaped by a person's mind and thoughts. Maduin's Nexus was full of nightmares and bad memories. Titan, murdered by his friend and king, was probably a similar reflection of his own regrets and fears.

"Huh? That's boring!" Elphis said, hearing Maduin's words clearly, as always.

"It doesn't have to be. If Titan is alone in that world, it is because he chooses to be. Or at least, it's what his innermost thoughts and desires choose for him. The Nexus can be a paradise, or a prison."

"Sounds scary to me. Can't we help him?"

"No. Only he can change the shape of his soul," Maduin said sadly, knowing all to well the powers the Nexus had over Espers.

Elphis scrunched up her face into a pout if incomprehension. "I don't get it. If I was there, I'd make it a happy place, full of flowers to smell, moogles to hug, and a bunch of friends to play with."

"Yes, I imagine you would," Maduin said.

"Kupo!" Kumiro said from their side.

"Yeah, Kumiro would be there, and you too!"

"Perhaps. I don't know," Maduin said glumly.

Elphis's little fist punched the back of his head lightly. "Stupid! Now you sound all sad again! Both of you need to stop moping. I order you to!"

Maduin couldn't help but laugh at the little queen sitting on her spiny throne next to him. "Yes, my queen."

There is only one queen who can command Titan, and she is as damned as I. She sleeps beneath the waves of her Mistress, dying and being reborn in her own flames of rebirth in an endless cycle. You are a strange creature, though. No one has heard my voice in centuries, nor has any human dared speak to the Herald of Gaeus in such a tone before. I like you, little one.

Elphis heard the words in her mind again, and this time she took the magicite stone out of her pouch and looked at. Maduin, too looked over at the large jewel-like shard as Elphis held it close to his face.

"He spoke to me again," Elphis explained. "This time he almost sounded friendly. But still sad. He called himself a Herald again. I still don't know what that is."

Maduin thought for a moment, then decided he might as well try to explain the complex idea of Heralds to the girl. "A Herald is an Esper that has been chosen by his Master to act in their stead. A Herald is the voice and hand of their Master, and it is through the Herald that their Master's power flows directly. It is from the Herald that most other lower Espers are created."

"Are you a Herald?"

"I was, but I renounced my Master. He was a very bad monster, Elphis."

"Renounced? What does that mean? And was he like the big dog?"

"It means I told him to go away. So far, it seems he has. He is like Cerberus, yes, only much bigger, much more powerful, and much more evil." Maduin looked over at Elphis, her blank face rapt with attention.

"Sounds scary," she said almost in a whisper.

"He is. His name is Chemosh, but I call him Doom, for that's what he was to me. He was the one who seduced me, and turned me into this monster."

Chemosh was all our dooms. His reach stretches across time and space, calling out to the pride and weakness in all souls, human and Esper alike. My king, the great Herald of Altimus, heard that call, and Chemosh became his Doom as well. And mine.

Elphis nodded as the voice of Titan spoke in her mind, forgetting that Maduin could not hear it. "He sounds like a very bad man. If he ever spoke to me, I'd tell him to go away too!"

Maduin looked at her, wondering what the magicite was telling her. "It is not so easy. Or at least, it was not so easy for me." Maduin's face turned very serious, and he looked directly at Elphis's wide, empty eyes as he continued. "If I ever act in any way that isn't like my normal self, Elphis, you must get away from me as fast as you can. Understand?"

Elphis tightened her grip on her magicite. "I would never leave you, Maydune. Never!"

"You must. If Doom were ever to take control of me again, I would not be myself. I would be his pawn, and would have no problem attacking you. Kumiro would sense the difference right away, so follow his instincts."

Kumiro nodded sagely, following the conversation as best he could.

Do not worry, little one. Once the bond between Esper and Master has been severed, there is no going back. Your friend will never fall under Chemosh's control again, unless he chooses that path himself. And he would truly be a king among fools to be seduced by such power again, now that he has tasted of its consequences.

Titan's voice calmed the little girl. "Titan says that won't happen, and I think he's right. You're not bad, and you would never hurt anyone."

"I hope it doesn't, but you can never tell what the future may hold. We can only hope," Maduin said, continuing his walk towards the forest ahead.

"Yeah, well I think you're being stupid!" Elphis said without anger, hitting her friend on the back of his hard head again. "Ouch!"

"I've told you, my skin is..."

Maduin never managed to finish his tired remonstration to Elphis's antics. As they approached the forest, a huge shadow flew over their heads, forcing Maduin to dash to cover behind one of the large white slabs of stone that dotted the sloping plains. The shadow wheeled around, coming back towards the two.

Is that...no, it can't be...not here... Maduin thought to himself, not wanting to voice his thoughts for fear of scaring Elphis and Kumiro.

But as the shadow descended and its source came into view, Maduin breathed slightly easier. It was not what he thought it was after all. But still, it was huge. The sun was directly behind the gigantic thing, so it was hard for Maduin to make out its features, but he knew it was some sort of monstrous bird.

"Get down!" Maduin rasped into Elphis's ear, pushing her and Kumiro down under his large frame as he spoke. The boulder they were hiding behind was poor cover for the ten-foot Esper, and he did his best to cover both his tiny companions with his body.

It was too late to hide, though, and soon a fearsome screech filled the air as the bird swooped down to attack its prey. Maduin felt talons as large and dangerous as his own scraping against his hard Esper skin, and he was surprised to feel a slight pain at their touch. Most creatures would not be able to pierce his armor-like flesh at all. Perhaps this was an Esper?

Maduin swatted at the huge clawed feet as the searched angrily for a soft spot to tear into He managed to grab one of the bird's feet and pull it down to the ground in a cloud of dust and feathers. The bird was as larger as he was, and yet Maduin found that he hand yanked it out of the sky with unexpected ease. He had grown accustomed to his giant's strength over the past few months, but either this bird was lighter than it looked, or the power coursing through his limbs now was even greater than usual.

In a moment, the bird had gotten back onto his feet, and was squawking furiously at the unexpected attack. Maduin was still huddled in a protective mound over his vulnerable companions, but he hazarded a look at the great creature now stepping warily towards him. It was a magnificent thing, with bright violet plumage and golden-toned beak and claw. It was the shape of an eagle, but grown to unnatural proportions. He had never heard of a bird of prey this size in this area, but then, strange creatures had been assaulting them all along their path from Narsille to Zwill. This one, though, was far more dangerous than the worm-like crawlers and floating vaporites. This thing might actually pose a threat if Maduin wasn't careful.

Another horrible screech and the bird had lifted itself off the ground to pounce on the motionless Maduin. This time Maduin was ready for it, and struck it hard with his clawed hand. The purple plumage gleamed with drops of red blood as the bird spiraled sideways back to the ground. Maduin had struck it hard and true, cutting a sharp gash along its feathered hide. He knew he hadn't killed it, and hoped that perhaps that wound would convince it that this was not a meal worth pursuing further.

The bird lay in an awkward heap almost upside-down, its long legs sticking up in the air and its wings bent at painful-looking angles. It had been batted away like some common pest, and was in a rage over being outclassed so easily. This predator was used to being at the very top of its food chain, with nothing standing against it, be it bird, beast, or even man. For over a century it had flown the skies over Zwill, never feeling pain or fear at the insignificant prey beneath it. It was the king of the skies here, but now...

The bird let out a plaintive howl, and struggled to get back on its feet. Maduin could tell it was not going to give up. It did not look like it knew how to surrender, nor should such a massive beast be expected to know the ways of lesser animals. He still wasn't sure if it was an Esper or not, but so far it was acting like a normal bird of prey, just much, much larger.

Maduin was getting ready to reluctantly deliver what would probably be a fatal blow to the majestic bird when he heard the sound of a gun being fired. In a moment, the bird shuddered and fell back to the earth, a bullet lodged in its thick skull. It still wasn't dead, but it would not be getting up again any time soon.

Maduin remained where he was and waited to see where the shot had come from.

"What was that, Maydune? Is it over?" Elphis whispered from underneath her guardian's stone-like body.

"I don't know. Stay under me, and don't move yet. I see something approaching us from the direction of the forest. This bird's mate, perhaps."

Maduin watched the speck grow larger over the treetops. It definitely was another large bird coming towards them, but something about this one seemed different. Familiar. He didn't have long to wait before his questions were answered, and more were created.

"Kweh!"

Maduin knew that call. It was the warking sound of the chocobo, coming from the large feathery mass closing in on them. But chocobos were flightless, or so he had always thought...

In another moment, the bird had descended far enough that Maduin could tell it was definitely a chocobo. But it was black, and much larger than a normal chocobo. He had heard fairy tales of flying black chocobos, but never had he ever thought they were real.

As the bird came down to earth, its strong feet slammed into the earth with a thud, leaving two deep prints in the ground. It stood erect and proud, like a soldier at attention. Without a word, its rider leapt off the bird and stood at its side, patting its beak affectionately. The two were about a hundred feet away, and Maduin could see that the man had a long, silver rifle in his hands. So this was the shooter?

Silently, the stranger studied the situation, then jumped back on his chocobo and trotted over to the downed bird monster only a dozen feet from Maduin's position. Without getting off his bird or lowering his gun, he guided the chocobo around the unconscious bird, examining every detail. He lifted the sail-sized wings, inspecting the violet feathers and feeling the muscles. He plucked several large feathers, and tucked them away in a pocket of his riding leather. He then walked his bird over to the creature's head and looked closely at its beak, actually opening up the deadly mouth and peering into a maw that could have swallowed him whole. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he snapped the bird's beak shut again, like a Narsillian mechanic slamming shut the hood of one of the city's cabs. Carefully, he tugged at the bullet lodged in the bird's head, removing it from the skull and putting it in the same pocket as the feathers.

So far the man hadn't said a word or looked in Maduin's direction, and the Esper wondered if the man even noticed him. Crouched down and motionless like he was, the man might have thought Maduin was just another large, dark boulder among the rest of the rubble. Maduin had no idea if this man was friend or foe, and for the time being, he stayed where he was. Maduin knew all too well what most people's first impressions of his giant Esper body were like.

Now the stranger was trotting his chocobo to where Maduin had wounded the bird. Maduin heard an audible "What's this?" from the man as he examined the long bloody gash. His muscles tensing, Maduin waited to see how the man would react to his handiwork.

For a moment, the man did nothing. He looked carefully at the wound, stuck his fingers into the thick feathers and ran his hands across the cut, apparently measuring something. After a minute of this, he looked up into the sky, his double-barreled rifle ready to fire at some unknown threat from above. Seeing nothing, he lowered his rifle slightly, but his head remained gazing upwards.

"Maydune...what's going on?" Elphis whispered as quietly as she could.

"Shh.." Maduin rumbled as softly as he could.

It was not soft enough, and both the black chocobo and its rider suddenly looked straight at where Maduin was huddled. The man straightened himself like an arrow and both he and the bird bolted straight towards them, stopping only a couple feet away. Without dismounting, the man pointed his gun directly at the spiky mound that had uttered the very un-boulder like noise.

"This is no Marchosias, Sable...," the man said with a note of confusion in his clear voice.

Pointing his gun at the unknown object, he guided his bird closer and closer, until he was close enough to prod the mound with his gun. It felt like a rock when he touched it, but there was no doubt in the man's mind that this was no rock.

"Beast! Show yourself! Hyah!" The man shouted loudly, as if he were trying to flush a wild animal out from hiding.

Maduin decided the game was up, and spoke in his deep, rumbling voice. "I am not a beast, I am a man. If you promise not to harm us, I will stand."

The man and bird jumped back several feet, nearly taking flight in their shock.

"What manner of creature is this?" the man stuttered. "Not a Marchosias, but not an Adamanchyt like I thought, either." The man quickly recovered, and shouted to his unknown adversary. "I know not what you are, but if you are a man, you are not like any man I ever seen. By Gaeus's beard, not even Hammer compares to your stature!

"I am a man, but I am not a human," Maduin said as carefully as he dared. "Allow me to rise, and I will explain everything."

Now the stranger laughed a hearty guffaw. "Man, I have no claim over you! If you are no beast, then I have no business hunting you. Even so, I think you might be too tough for my arms. You have a shell harder than an adamantoise, stranger! Show yourself, and let us see what is to be done between us. I promise I will not harm you if you do not harm me."

"Very well, but be warned, my appearance can be...startling." Maduin said as he began to move.

The stranger watched in wonder as Maduin rose from his crouched position higher and higher, until he towered over both him and his mount. When Maduin stood before him in full array, the man couldn't help but back his mount away another step. He did not lower his gun, but no longer was it aimed directly at Maduin's heart. What finally managed to drop the hunter's guard completely were the two tiny things still hanging onto the trunk-like legs of the giant.

A little girl and a moogle? He couldn't help but laugh again at the ridiculously disproportioned sight.

"Stranger and stranger! This is a day full of surprises, isn't it Sable?" The man patted his bird's beak, and leaped off its back once again, standing only a few feet from Maduin and his odd companions. "First we manage to down a Marchosias, and now we find...this! Tell me, what are you doing out here in the lowlands, and who are these little ones attached to your side?"

Maduin stood his ground, one hand protectively on the heads of both Elphis and Kumiro. "I am known as Maduin. These two are Elphis and Kumiro. We mean you no harm."

"The girl and moogle I understand, but what are you, man?" The stranger craned his neck far back, looking up at the distant face of Maduin, blotting out the sun behind him. "I have never in all my travels seen anything of your like." Now his head lowered to Maduin's clawed hands. "And unless I'm much mistaken, those are the culprits that gave the mighty Marchosias such an ugly wound."

"It attacked us," Maduin said simply. "I may look fearsome, but I am not a fighter, nor am I a monster. I am what is called an Esper."

"An Esper, eh? Can't say I've ever heard of a creature by that name, and I know the names of all the beasts that roam this world."

"You wouldn't have heard of my kind, since until very recently, we only existed in legends," Maduin sighed. "It is a long story, and one I would rather not discuss out here in the open. We are on our way to Zwill, and then eventually to Jidorik. If you mean us no harm, then I suggest you be on your way. I thank you for taking care of that bird for us, but we would prefer to keep moving."

"Very well," the man said agreeably. "I will not stop you. Hmm, I doubt I could stop a being who could swat a Marchosias out of the sky, anyways. If you are headed to Zwill, then we will probably meet again, since I am headed there as well on a mission. Careful, though. Strange things are happening in town, and upon seeing you, I believe they may be connected to you, or something like you. There are rumors of giant beasts plaguing the town, beasts with fiendish strength and powers, that can talk and think like men. Beasts like yourself."

The man cast an accusing stare at Maduin now. He wanted to trust the giant, but it was too much of a coincidence finding a creature such as this out here, on the outskirts of Zwill. He had been summoned to Zwill to hunt down and destroy exactly a creature such as this, so why was he talking to it like it was a friend? And who were these two misfits with it? Prisoners?

"If they are like me, then they are not my allies," Maduin said, interrupting the man's thoughts and guessing his suspicions from the way his formerly calm gaze turned to steel.

"For some reason, I want to believe you, Esper. But your kind seem to be the reason I'm here, so forgive me if I have my doubts. Why exactly are you headed to Zwill again?"

Maduin did not want to reveal everything to this man he had just met, but he had to try and gain his trust somehow. If the man thought he was a dangerous monster, it would be a repetition of Antissa all over again.

"It is important, that is all I can say. Please, I am not dangerous. I was once a human just like you, and I know how you must feel looking at this form. If you won't trust me, then trust the girl. She is as defenseless as can be, and yet she is more scared of you than she is of me."

"Hey!" Elphis shouted suddenly. She kicked Maduin in the leg in mock offense. "I'm not that worthless, am I?"

"Sorry," Maduin said, half-chuckling. "But as you can see, the girl has no fear of me, and neither should you."

"I see," the man said, glancing again at the long-haired girl with the defiant look on her face. "Elphis, was it?"

"Yeah?" Elphis said, turning her head in the direction of the man's voice. It was a nice voice, she thought, but whoever it belonged it, he was no Maydune.

"This man isn't holding you against his will, is he?"

"Of course not! Don't be stupid. Maydune's my best friend, and so is Kumiro!"

"That would be the moogle?" The man turned his gaze onto the little white ball of fur on Maduin's other leg. He had seen moogles before, but never this far from the Narsillian mountains.

"Kupopo!" the moogle exclaimed, his tone the same as Elphis's.

"He says you're stupid, too," Elphis said in as grown up a voice as she could muster. "If you hurt Maydune, we'll get you!"

"Ha! Full of energy, the two of you are." The man straightened out again and looked at the strange trio once more. "Alright, I believe that you don't mean any harm, but I would still recommend staying out of Zwill for the time being. Like I said, something similar to you is terrorizing the town, and if you waltzed in there looking like you do, I don't think everyone there would be as understanding as me. I'm used to strange sights and fearsome beasts of all sizes, and even I must say, you cut an intimidating figure, Maduin."

"I understand, but I must get to Zwill, at the very least to restock on supplies. I don't need much, but Elphis..."

The man cast a knowing look at the three again. "I see. Well, I won't stop you. At the very least I can alert those in charge that you're coming." The man leaped back onto his chocobo, slinging his rifle onto his back as he positioned himself to lift off.

"Thank you, uh..."

"Oh! I didn't tell you my name, did I? Call me Servais. If you run into trouble in Zwill, just tell them you're with me, and they should back off." The man gripped a large horn at his side and put it to his mouth, then lowered it slightly to give one last word. "When you get there, look for Harcourt Manor. You'll find a friend of mine there. We call him Ole Bull, but his real name is Sampson. Sampson Harcourt. He's the mayor of Zwill, and if you can gain his trust, things will go much better for you there. Now then, I must be off. Until we meet again Maduin."

Servais put the horn to his mouth again, then smiled and lowered it once more. "Oh, and until we meet again, Elphis and Kumiro."

Elphis only pressed her lips together and let out a "Hmph!" as she heard the man blow his great horn and then shoot straight into the air like a feathered rocket. She felt the force of the bird as it lifted into the sky, its wings wafting the smell of chocobo over her nose.

"You can do that too, Maydune. He's not so special."

Maduin laughed at his staunch defender as he watched the hunter fly away over the trees. There was only one other person he had met besides Elphis that talked to him as if he were still human, and not a creature to be avoided or destroyed. That was the seemingly dangerous and unpleasant Lady Blunt. Despite the obvious differences in personality, this Servais seemed to have much in common with the Lady Blunt, and both seemed to have connections to Zwill. Was this man a Stradivari like Lady Blunt? And what of this Ole Bull? It seemed there were a great many powerful people waiting for him just past the forest. His experience with Servais had been a positive one overall, but the Lady Blunt had not left him with a good impression. As of that moment, Maduin was still undecided on whether to trust this secretive group of mercenaries. Zwill looked to be the proving ground for their intentions in Maduin's mind. Tomorrow they should reach the city gates, and then he would see what kind of people inhabited the famous port town.

"Let's get going, Elphis. I don't want to get caught in that forest after dark, and that bird might wake up at any moment."

"Nah, I'm not worried. You could beat that bird silly without even trying, couldn't you?"

Maduin lifted his hand and flexed his fingers, looking at and feeling them move. There was definitely strength flowing through them that wasn't there before. He had to be careful, or that strength could hurt the ones he loved. Maduin claimed he was no monster, but this body of his was still full of surprises, and there was always the chance he might lose control again, overwhelmed by the raw magic flowing through his veins. But he had to admit, it did feel good to know he had the power to protect people.

"Yes, I think I could." Maduin said, smiling in spite of his own uncertainty. "But we can never be too careful."

I bet you're even stronger than Titan!" Elphis said happily, tucking the magicite back into her pouch. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard a distant Hmph! somewhere as she returned the magicite to its proper place in her things.

Maduin said nothing, but he was happy to have someone who believed in him by his side.

Without another word, the three were off again, this time flying in great leaps across the plains in the direction of the forest. Maduin felt he could launch himself right across the forest if he wanted, but that would be reckless. If there were more of those giant birds in the sky he would make an easy target, and they would have no problem plucking Elphis or Kumiro from his back, if they didn't fall off first. No, he had to be responsible with this growing power of his, and continue along the ground just as he had.

As he approached the forest limits, he looked into the sky and could still see the smudge of black that was Servais and his black chocobo flying ahead of them towards Zwill, hanging just above the treetops as they coasted across the forest. As he watched them fade away, he saw something hideous reach out from the forest and try to swat them out of the sky. It looked like a giant green tentacle or vine, swinging out from the canopy like a great tongue. Maduin's heart skipped a beat as he watched in horror the green tendril connect with Servais and bring him down into the mouth of the forest. What had just happened?

"Elphis hang on, we're going up!" Maduin yelled out unexpectedly.

"What's going on?" Elphis said nervously, unaware of the scene that had just taken place ahead of them. "Is it another bird?"

"I don't know, but Servais is in trouble, and we've got to help him!"

"O-okay!" Elphis said, tightening her grip on his shoulder spike.

Kumiro likewise closed his wings tight against his body and hugged Maduin's other spike with all his furry might.

A second later, Maduin had blasted off into the sky with even more speed than Servais and his massive chocobo, a blue contrail of magical energy glowing behind him as he rushed to the rescue of his newfound ally.