Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ About Darkness ❯ The Marshes ( Chapter 11 )

The marshlands that lay between Galbadia's northernmost harbor and its denser populated areas proved a difficult obstacle for the army of SeeDs that had come here to make their way towards Eringar and Rimholm, the largest ports of the continent.

 

They had not taken the waterway to reach their destination, avoiding an early discovery by the hostile armies.

 

Reno shrugged in order to direct the heavy backpack that held food and a tent to a more comfortable position on his shoulders.

 

Swarms of mosquitoes were feasting on the soldiers. Their dense clothing clung uncomfortably to their sweaty skin and it was hard to breathe in the heavy, humid air.

 

The redhead lifted his gaze and watched Yuffie's petite figure before him, her heavy leather boots splatter mud up her legs with every step she took.

 

“Hey beautiful!” he panted and grinned lopsidedly as she turned to cast him a tired smile. “You okay there?”

 

“I will be once we get out of these bloody swamps and kick some ass” she replied with a smirk then nodded and focused on the way ahead once more.

 

It was mostly silent despite the size of their troop. Talking proved to be an exhausting effort and the SeeDs had to save all energy for the strenuous march. Irvine and Squall led them; they had taken the command of this mission. Somewhere in the crowd were Selphie and Rinoa. Cid and Ellone were on horseback, having signed up as scouts. The two soldiers rode ahead of the army, scanning the area, looking for passages and possible threats. At night they would return to the camp and report to Squall who knew the region best.

 

They had taken only a handful of horses on the ships and although Reno cursed the heavy weight on his shoulders he was glad not having to worry about maneuvering one of the large animals through the mire.

 

//I hate this sneaky business. Give me two armies, facing each other on a vast plain, and I'll be fine. What would I give for a shower now// Reno thought irritated. He was tired of waking up every morning in the same damp clothes he had gone to sleep with.

 

At least he had a tent, he thought then looked up as out of nowhere the sky opened up and a spring tide broke down over them.

 

It was impossible to make out anything that was more than an arms length away. The rain came down straight and hard, a wet curtain that soaked the soldiers and set the ground under water within minutes.

 

Their legs sunk into the morass knee-deep. There was no way they would be able to camp here. They would have to keep on marching until they had left the marsh behind.

 

Xxx

 

“What do we have?” Cid asked, squinting his eyes to focus on Ellone through a curtain of rain.

 

They had returned to their meeting point, a small hill that marked the end of the deepest swamps behind which a forest stretched out to the right all the way to the mountains and vast, unprotected rocky plains covered the land to the left.

 

Ellone brought her horse closer to Cid's. Her hair hung in heavy strands down her back and clung to the sides of her cheeks. She seemed to ponder before speaking up.

 

“There's a ravine further up West! It leads straight to the other side of the mountains and will save us at least one week of hiking! If we keep on marching straight we will reach it within a day!” She had to yell to be heard above the thundering rain. Although the afternoon had just passed the sky was dark and grey.

 

“We can't do that! What if we walk into an ambush?” Cid shouted back, running the back of his hand over his eyes.

 

“The walls are not going straight up! They are steep but any army that might hide up there would never get near enough to use their crossbows on us! I checked all the way! We'll be through there in five hours!”

 

Cid followed Ellone's arm that pointed in the direction of the canyon. He still did not like the idea of leading an entire army through there but what the brunette said sounded reasonable. The sooner they got to the ports the greater their chance was to arrive before Edea did.

 

The archer gave an approving nod. “Let's see how the others are doing! I hope they haven't drowned, yet!” he was only half-joking.

 

Xxx