Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Game Master! ❯ Holy Hiding Hidon: The Monster Hunt! ( Chapter 20 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Castlevania, or Final Fantasy. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of Ryou looking for Hidon. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't approve, either. Konami owns Castlevania, and they think Hidon is baby food. Ohba owns Death Note, and he thinks Hidon can eat everyone.

 

Domino City wasn't faring well. As Yami, Bakura, and Ishtar made their way through the city proper, toward the city square, it became acutely obvious that magic was going to try devouring their world, only this time, the assault was much more successful, and much less devastating. Rather than destroy everything in sight, as the last two sieges had done, this new attack was slowly, so slowly, corrupting the city. As they ran down the cobbled roads, they saw that something resembling thick tree roots were starting to crack through the ground. But tree roots were not pink, and they certainly didn't throb.

 

Yami wasn't sure whether he should've been disgusted or disturbed. The further they went toward the proper, the worse the corruption was. He stopped to look only once. And he regretted it. Within those `roots,' he saw sinew and tiny veins; he realized that whatever was covering the city was real. And it was going to literally eat everything. And it was alive. His skin paled as he heart a very loud heartbeat. It was like living inside of a monster.

 

“Okay, this is disgusting!” Ishtar yelled, eye twitching as he finally forced himself to stop. He had never seen anything like this. Even in his most insane instance, he never once thought to do something this bad. Whatever Falnika was doing to open Oblivion, she was doing it pretty damn well.

 

“What form of devilry is this?” Yami whispered, eyes wide, “The city… it's being swallowed!” He looked around, and was at least relieved to see that many of the townspeople were inside. Rex had spread the word well, and because of his somewhat decent credentials, everyone believed him.

 

Then, of course, he saw the one thing that managed to shatter that illusion of relief: Bakura was gone. In their terror, and haste to find out what it was, they had lost track of the old thief. And when Yami informed Ishtar of this, well, needless to say the young spirit wasn't very happy with it. It was just a miracle he didn't kill something in outrage. Mainly, that he didn't kill Yami, who was right next to him.

 

“Where the hell did he go!?” Ishtar asked nothing in particular, and ran toward one particularly large artery that blocked his passage, “BAKURA, GET YOUR ANCIENT ASS BACK HERE!”

 

“Over there!” Yami said, and jumped right over the artery. Ishtar wrinkled his nose in disgust, but followed the old spirit nonetheless. Bakura wasn't far; he was simply locked in a battle against some sort of monster. But what it was, they couldn't grasp. It looked like an octopus, but with only two tentacles, and a bee's stinger on its back. At the very least, Bakura managed to actually win the battle. That was good.

 

“An unnatural piece of shit like you deserves to die!” Bakura yelled, shooting a blast of lightning from his ring, “Go back to the abyss where you belong!” He gave a triumphant laugh when the monster crashed into the dirt, and turned just in time to see Yami rushing over, with Ishtar following close behind. He gave a stiff nod.

 

“Bakura! Thank the gods that you're all right!” Yami called, stopping before he actually crashed into the thief. The two clapped each other on their backs, and Bakura actually managed a grin. It looked grim, considering the circumstances.

 

“I'd be better if I hadn't been ambushed. Sneaky, little sons of bitches,” the thief growled, and huffed, “How goes the reconnaissance?” Yami looked away, and Ishtar just frowned. It was pretty obvious that it wasn't going well.

 

“Not good,” Ishtar said, though `not good' was a huge understatement. `Not good' implied that they had any sort of feasible chance of winning. This could've easily passed as `We're all going to die.' Ishtar, however, believed in being nice. At least when it suited him. Bakura hummed sadly, and looked down at his ring. It still didn't work. All he could do was hope Ryou was okay.

 

“Connections are still down, and I can't even contact Ryou,” Bakura told them grimly, and crossed his arms, “Sith had better be close to killing that Mystic, because this is getting really ridiculous.” Again, ridiculous was an understatement. Yami chose to ignore that, though. He nodded.

 

“I think she is,” he said, and the other two stared at him, “Think about it. This world's being devoured, but why would that be? Because Falnika is winning?”

 

“You think she isn't,” Ishtar said. Yami nodded, and gestured toward the entire city. Veins kept popping up more and more sporadically; within two days, at the most, they'd be covered in them if Sith didn't hurry it up.

 

“If she was, she wouldn't need the magic of another world to try and take Sith down,” Yami reasoned, “She'd…?” He stopped as his cell phone rang, and curiously, he picked it up and turned it on. To his surprise, it was… Kaiba?!

 

The call didn't last for more than a few seconds, but whatever it was, Bakura heard it was really severe. Yami had said nothing except that he'd be there in ten minutes. Then he hung up, and without so much as a word, he ran off toward Kaiba Corp's general direction. Ishtar and Bakura exchanged nervous glances. Then they also followed Yami's lead. If only to see what had happened.

 

Their run took them just one mile from the square, and with no one to stop them, only took thirty minutes to reach, too. As they ran, each of them took note of how badly the city was looking, and where the corruption seemed worst. It was obvious that it didn't matter; no matter where they went or what road they took, the result was the same. Those horrifying veins were everywhere, some climbing up taller buildings like ivy, others boring through smaller buildings like some sort of living, throbbing drill. It was really quite disturbing.

 

They stopped when they finally reached the Kaiba Corp building. All around them, the damage was at its worst. Not only were the veins and arteries thickest in this section of the city, but patches of the ground began to turn pink and green, pulsing just as the veins around them did. Wisely, the three spirits avoided such patches. But what they couldn't avoid was the realization that they had no time at all. The city was more than just being eaten; it was growing into something. Miraculously, though, Kaiba Corp was just about the only building that survived.

 

“…Kaiba was right,” Yami said in defeat, as the three looked upon the large tower, “The city's turning into some kind of… of thing. But why was he spared?” Bakura glanced at the old king, not wanting to tell him that he seemed happy that Kaiba might be hurt. Yami didn't notice the glance, however. He was too focused on the tower. Veins snaked all around it, covering the courtyard, but something about the tower repelled them.

 

“I think we'd better help him,” Ishtar said, when neither thief nor king moved for some time. Both of them agreed with him, but only gave a nod of acknowledgment. Whatever was happening was too terrible for words. And without one, the three of them ran right over the veins, and toward the door into the building. They could only pray everyone was alive in there.

 

---

 

“I can't believe Mel would come this way,” Matt commented sourly, as he and Ryou held onto Sith's arms as she tried to fly across the straight onto the small island beyond. They had left the city some time ago, but with no way to actually cross the water, Sith was forced to fly them over. And with how tired she was, it was a poor idea indeed.

 

“More importantly, I can't believe I'm carrying you two,” she retorted, brows creased, “My god, humans are heavy.” Ryou could only snort. He remembered having to carry Sith around numerous times. It was like carrying a boulder. A soft, breathing boulder. He just looked up at her sympathetically.

 

“If you want, you can drop Matt into the ocean,” he joked, but the look on Sith's face, along with the deadly glare Matt threw him, told him it wasn't taken too well.

 

“Say that shit again and I'll shoot you as I'm falling,” Matt threatened angrily. Sith said nothing, but was aware that she'd have to act if this behavior continued. As much as she cared about Matt, she couldn't let him kill Ryou.

 

Thankfully, nothing else happened. Ryou got the message very clearly. And wisely, he chose to keep his mouth closed. Unfortunately, it made for a terrible trip. Not that it took overly long - the straight was barely more than half a mile wide - but Ryou preferred to have Sith speaking to him, as opposed to having both her and Matt angry with him. He knew he had a higher chance of living if Sith wasn't mad.

 

The banks of the island came into view, and Sith began to descend. For her, it was a good rest. Matt and Ryou proved to be too much of a load for her; even Espers had their limits, after all. But for the two humans she had to carry with her, it was nothing short of a bumpy ride, resulting in a landing that practically slammed them into the ground. The tide, thankfully, was high. They landed primarily in a soggy patch of grass that absorbed most of the impact. Only Sith managed to make it through relatively well, however. And that was because she wasn't on the receiving end of the impact.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked, when she realized how badly she landed. She pulled Ryou up and quickly looked him over. He had a few scrapes and some dirt on him, but otherwise, he was okay. She sighed a breath of relief, “You're okay.”

 

“If we were too heavy, you should've said so,” Ryou grumbled, spitting dirt out of his mouth in the process. At that, Sith just let him drop. She stood there with her arms crossed, and looked at him incredulously for a moment.

 

“I did,” she pointed out after that moment, and Matt just started laughing. If there was one thing he could count on with Sith, it was the fact that, aside from probably killing them, she was willing to shove their own words right in their faces when it was least convenient.

 

But Sith wasn't in the mood for playing for long. As soon as she saw that both of her friends were more or less alive, she turned and looked at the only structure on the island. A small cave opening that seemed to lead underground. And it was etched all over her face that she didn't want to go in there. Ryou couldn't help but wonder why. As a warrior of legend, she must've been pretty used to traveling in dungeons… right?

 

“Sith?” he called. Sith glanced at him for a second, and then looked down.

 

“Don't ever tell anyone this, Ryou,” she said quietly, “But I'm afraid of the dark.” Ryou's mouth dropped. That was why she didn't want to go inside? Because she was afraid of the darkness? Ryou thought that was a pretty silly reason. Sith had, after all, slaughtered the darkness many times before. This was just a cave. This was the equivalent of a child using a toilet. Second nature. Why the sudden warning now?

 

Ryou didn't ask. Sith had already gone in before he could, and knowing what might happen if she went too far ahead, he went in after her. The cavern was nothing but darkness, and Ryou couldn't even see the entrance when he turned back, not even three feet in. Now he understood Sith's hesitancy. Should they be attacked, there was little to aid them except to draw a weapon and just go berserk. And only Sith was skilled with that kind of maneuver.

 

They continued deeper, though how far they'd gone, Ryou didn't know. It was evident that Sith wouldn't be lighting anything to help them, so he had to guess, using only his ears to keep track of their footfalls. And that was something he couldn't do. He wasn't sure which was more distracting. The dripping of the water, or Matt's constant chattering about Mello doing this, or Mello wanting to shoot that. He almost wished Mello were right there just to shut Matt up for a few minutes.

 

“I mean, seriously, Sith. Why would Mello even come here?” Matt asked her, and Ryou found he couldn't take it much longer. He stopped, and Matt crashed right into him. He wasn't sure how, but he just knew it was Matt.

 

“If Mello is so wonderful, why don't you just marry him!?” Ryou demanded hotly, and found even he was surprised by the fury in his voice. Sith finally lit a torch to see what had happened, and was amused to find Matt was only grinning at the suggestion. He straightened his goggles.

 

“I tried, but, you know… Sith kind of got in my way a bit,” he joked, and flashed a brilliant smile Sith's way, “You know, `cause you and Mello were in love and shit like that?” He was almost funny, but the truth to that statement threw both Ryou and Sith the wrong way. Sith frowned.

 

“I'm sorry that shit like that ruined your day,” she growled, and stiffly went ahead of them. Matt just sat there, blinking for a very long time. He wasn't sure why such a statement pissed her off so much; he always used to joke about them before and it never made her angry. Was there a memo he'd missed somewhere?

 

Ryou managed to have the decency to pull Matt up. He looked toward the corridor Sith had walked down. There was an intersection some distance away, but Sith herself had been obscured. Deciding to take whatever path felt best, Ryou walked with Matt and asked, “You don't think she still loves him anymore?” Matt looked up at him for a moment. Then he frowned softly.

 

“I know she does,” the red-head said honestly, “It isn't them I'm worried about.” Ryou understood what he was saying. He looked away shamefully.

 

“It's me,” Ryou concluded, and Matt nodded approvingly, “What did I do?”

 

“Ryou, you're still a child, so you don't understand how complicated things get when you find someone you can love,” Matt told him, and his words stung Ryou, “Look, I'm not saying you're immature, even though you kind of are. But you don't know the whole story. You don't know what they both went through, just to make it out alive.” Ryou's anger disappeared. Matt was right. He didn't have any idea just how bad things could get. Now he considered that. Mello was human, and Sith was a renegade Esper. That was enough to put a lot of problems on them.

 

“What… what happened?” Ryou asked, “I mean, you said Mello had to almost kill himself…”

 

“That wasn't all of it,” Matt said quietly, “But it was a decent chunk of it. Ryou, I'm guessing Sith doesn't remember too much, even though her memories are coming back in full force. Do you know the last world she was in?” Ryou shook his head. Sith had never really spoken about her past, aside from the false one that she created in his world.

 

“Well, it was mine,” Matt continued calmly, “Mine and Mello's. That's a world corrupted with death and destruction. There were so many webs and layers of lies and deceit, not even Sith knew where to begin with it.

 

“I never quite understood what drove her to come there in the first place, I'll be perfectly honest,” Matt went on, and Ryou saw his eyes gleam from inside his goggles, “But she had her reasons, and Mel never questioned them unless he knew she was safe. But anyway… according to her, the power of death was a power meant only for creatures of neutral chaos. I never understood what that meant, but Mello said that was why she was there. Because there was a power imbalance in our world.” Ryou only nodded. That sounded like Sith.

 

“What did she do?” Ryou asked breathlessly, looking to see if Sith was close. He had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate the history as much as he would. Matt's smile began to return.

 

“She found out that the same thing that caused the warp of power was the guy we were going after,” Matt told him casually, and laughed, “She met Mello because his team cornered her, thinking she was involved in the killings because of her insanely powerful spells. It didn't take long for her to convince him not to off her.” Ryou couldn't help but laugh. Sith with a sword was a pretty good reason not to cross her. Sith charging a Meteor spell was a good reason to just run away. Matt shook his head and said, “Man, she gave that poor guy hell… oh! Sith?” They had walked farther than Ryou thought. Sith had stopped some feet away, and glanced over when she heard Matt. She looked… confused?

 

“I've found something,” she told them as they ran toward her, Matt stopping at her side, “What in hell could this be?” She pointed to the ground, and Ryou saw that there was a pulsing pink tile, with a blue gem in its center. It was a strange piece to have, just sitting in the dirt as it was.

 

“Should we step on it?” Matt asked her, scratching his head. He wasn't particularly versed when it came to magic, but he'd been around Sith long enough to know when he was staring at a piece of it. Sith hummed, and then shook her head.

 

“If it's a trap, we'd be falling right into it,” she said after a moment. Ryou, of course, already found a way around that. He found a stick in the dirt, and knowing Sith was probably too cautious to try it out herself, and knowing that she certainly wouldn't like it if he pushed her, he prodded it with his tool. It took two seconds for the stick to disappear.

 

“S-Sith…” Ryou began, and backed away when the tile started glowing, “SITH!” And just like that, Ryou Bakura disappeared.

 

Sith understood now that what she had found was a portal. Where it lead, she didn't know, but she had no time to debate it. Ryou needed her; wherever he ended up, he needed her now, and she couldn't let him down. He was so much like her… her brother. Sith's face paled. Why did this seem so familiar to her? She didn't know, but right then, she had other pressing matters. Despite Matt's displeasure, Sith jumped into the portal. And like Ryou, she was whisked away in a black of light.

 

She was spat out a second later, however, in a cavern that was both very similar and yet not quite exactly the same as the one she'd just left. She landed on the floor in a tumble, and looked around. She was slightly disoriented, and now she couldn't even see. But she was aware that the space she was in was narrow, stretching off from left to right for some time. And that something was next to her, too. Tentatively, she reached for it. It was… a shirt. It must've been Ryou.

 

“Sith?” Ryou whispered, and when she nodded - he couldn't see it, but he knew she had - he hugged her tightly and said, “Now I know why you hate the darkness. That was terrifying!”

 

“Aye, teleportation's a power not favored by me. But I'm glad you survived,” Sith replied, ruffling the boy's hair, “Now the question is, did Matt?” Ryou frowned, realizing Matt hadn't even come through yet. Was it possible the man ran away?

 

“SHIT!” came a cry behind them, and a second later, they heard a heavy thump as Matt collided unhappily with the cold dirt, “Damn it, my ass!” Ryou couldn't help but chuckle. Sith, on the other hand, sighed and shook her head.

 

After making sure Matt wasn't too badly injured, Sith led him and Ryou through the narrow, winding corridors. Without light, she had to tread carefully, but she was too afraid to try and light a torch. If there were enemies about, that light would give them away instantly. Unfortunately, light would've also revealed anything in the way. Namely, the chest Sith managed to slam into. Ryou winced as he heard the resounding crack as her shin hit it, and then a heavy thud as she fell to the ground. Surely, she must've at least sprained an ankle.

 

“A chest?” Ryou asked, as Matt ran over to help Sith, saying, “Who the hell puts a chest in the middle of a hallway!?” Sith groaned miserably as she was hoisted to her feet, but what happened next made her forget her pain. At least temporarily. And only because the chest was speaking.

 

“Hey! Just what do you brats think you're doing!?” the chest asked, in a surprisingly sarcastic tone, “Don't you people know who I am!?” Sith blinked, and considered lighting a torch to see what was currently yelling at her. She looked to Matt. He shrugged.

 

“Looks like a talking chest to me,” the red-head said unhelpfully, “But to hell if I've ever seen one.” Sith briefly considered setting Matt on fire. His recklessness and stupidity was far worse than the human torch he'd make. The chest certainly didn't like his reply, in any case.

 

“What are they teaching you kids in school these days!? For YOUR information, I'm Mimic,” the chest said furiously, “A little respect would be nice!”

 

“Dude, it's not my fault that chests are meant to be kept closed and not talk!” Matt yelled back, his brows creasing as he challenged the enraged box, “So why don't you clam it!?”

 

“Oh, so that's how is it, huh? You think I'm just here to hold your stinkin' crap for ages on end!? Not a damn chance, kiddo!” Mimic scoffed, “The last time someone came to me, they took a shit in my mouth, thinking I was some sort of toilet! No way am I doing that again!” Ryou was pretty sure Matt was going to lose it soon, and it didn't seem like Sith was going to step in, either. He took a breath. If they had any chance of getting a new ally, it'd rest with diplomacy. Ryou had no idea how he'd fare, but he understood he was currently the best candidate for it. And that was a little pathetic, too.

 

“We're looking for some friends of ours,” he said simply, and Sith stared for a long moment, “If you help us, we'll leave you alone forever.” He could feel Sith twitch in disapproval, but it wasn't as if she was doing any better. Besides, he managed to at least get the chest's attention. For now, anyway. The chest hummed.

 

“I like that offer, kid, so I'll help you out,” Mimic said, “But I don't move just like that. I need to eat coral to get out of your way.” Ryou sighed. He really didn't want to do another fetch quest. But he remembered the basis of how they had gotten there at all: this world was originally a portal to a video game, where fetch quests were staple. Doing one at some point only made sense.

 

“If we feed you, will you let us pass?” he asked in annoyance. The chest, if it could have, would have nodded. His next words brought no comfort to any of them.

 

“You got my word, kids,” Mimic replied happily, “Just know, I eat a ton of coral.”

 

After that, Ryou and his two companions promptly left, with Sith taking the lead to find the right way to go. Mimic had pointed them initially in the right direction, but Sith hadn't been so sure about trusting the creature. And as they walked down the narrow tunnel, with no turns and a dead end soon approaching, she found her feelings were right. When they came across another warp pad, she found herself willing to go back and slaughter Mimic. What form of mockery did he just commit!?

 

“Should we take it?” Ryou asked, his face barely illuminated in the soft, pink glow. Sith's visage, or what he could see of it, told him she didn't want to try. She snorted.

 

“What other choice do we have?” she asked sarcastically, “Damned thing led us in a dead end. Only one way to go, unless we want to leave.” Ryou wisely left it at that, and walked onto the panel. Its glow grew brighter, and he found himself thrust mercilessly through space, for a split second, and spat back out in another cavern, similar to where he had been, but this one had a stalactite poking from the middle of the ceiling. He saw no such thing earlier.

 

Sith and Matt joined him seconds later, the former coming through in a roll, the latter landing flat on his back when he was spat out. Now Sith lit a small spell, no longer worried about a battle. She doubted anyone from Thamasa, or from Mobliz, had followed them this far, and monsters were no match for her, either. But the only thing she saw were rocks and mounds. And passages. There were five passages connecting to this chamber. Matt stared at all of them, and then glanced at Sith.

 

“Er, Sith? Any thoughts?” Matt asked her. He didn't need to tell her the obvious problem. Her frown worsened.

 

“Coral probably grows all over this cavern,” she guessed, looking around, “I'm not quite sure if any limitations are on us, because this `quest' was in the game we were thrown into, but my good guess is, it won't matter how much we collect. Just to be safe, we should probably split up and cover more ground.” Ryou didn't like that idea in the least. Neither he nor Matt were particularly skilled in dealing with demons alone.

 

“And the monsters?” he asked, raising a brow. Sith's frown faded only slightly. She was already one step ahead on that strategy. Ra only knew what that could mean.

 

“I'll be fine. Zealacht will handle it on my end,” she told him, “As for you, I'd summon Zerrkandr and use it to dispel the monsters.” Ryou blinked, nearly forgetting that he, like Sith, wielded a legendary blade now. But there was one problem. He left his sword in their world. When he said this, Sith merely replied with, “Then call it.”

 

“Sith…” he mumbled in annoyance, but he took her word for it. If she thought it would come, maybe it could. She knew more about those swords than he did, after all. Closing his eyes, he summoned the blade's name into his mind again and again. At first, he felt only slight traces of magic; then, that feeling grew, and he felt something appear in his hand. He cracked an eye open. Zerrkandr was in his hand. His eyes widened, and he looked up to tell Sith. But he found she was no longer there.

 

“She left,” Matt told him, seeing his perplexed look, “Come on. We'd better get moving, too.”

 

The tunnels twisted and wound around at several degrees, going in angles that Ryou assumed were impossible to scale. Yet Matt plowed through with determination, obviously wanting to keep better pace than Sith was. The slight tracks told them she had taken the higher passage, which left them with the rockier, somewhat uneven one. Matt's endeavor, however noble it seemed to him, looked a bit ridiculous to Ryou. Sith could've easily outpaced them even if she took the most difficult path in the mountains.

  

Their saving grace was the fact that the passage was relatively straightforward. Sith's, at a higher slope, must've overlooked theirs regularly, even sprawled out into several branches if she was unlucky. All they had to do was keep going forward. That meant there wasn't much chance of an ambush, and that they wouldn't miss any coral they passed. That was, in Ryou's mind, more of an asset than Zerrkandr was.

 

“Think Sith's doing any better up there?” he asked absently, when Matt stopped to look at what could've passed for a rock. Matt hummed, his eyes glinting in the faint light Ryou's sword created. In the light, the rock looked too jagged, too edgy. And it smelled, too.

 

“Nope,” Matt said with a grin, pocketing the rock, “We just found ourselves a nice chunk of coral. I doubt she has, yet.”

 

“Why's that?” Ryou asked him suspiciously, now understanding why Matt hadn't tried to stop Sith. He had a feeling the red-head let Sith take the easier passage on purpose.

 

“Because coral grows in moist soil. The higher up you go, the drier it gets,” Matt told him, and laughed, “I'd have thought Sith knew this one.” Ryou didn't think leaving her up there was funny, but if she hadn't known, she could only blame herself for it. He shrugged, turning back toward the path. There was another piece of coral dead ahead.

 

“Maybe she won't be angry,” Ryou offered. Matt picked up the coral and pocketed it, going not even ten steps further before taking another piece. They must've found a whole mine of it!

 

“Nah, she probably won't be,” he agreed casually. Ryou wasn't too comfortable with how easily he said that. Sith was easy to anger. And if Matt tricked her, he probably wouldn't live to see the next day. She might even let him deal with Hidon as punishment. As much as Ryou didn't like Matt, he knew he didn't deserve that sort of treatment.

 

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into a main chamber, and Ryou saw that one of the other passages crossed it as well. He and Matt sat down as soon as they came inside, and laid the coral out on the ground. Together, they managed nearly ten pieces. Ten rather decent-sized pieces. Mimic should've been pleased; the only question was if Sith managed to gather any. If what Matt said was true, there was a chance she'd be back empty-handed. Ryou looked back, considering going to get a few more pieces.

 

Sith came back before he could. Ryou smiled at her as she approached, and she nodded, laying down only three pieces. Matt stared at her, and Ryou understood that they might not have enough, after all. Sith said nothing; she simply sat down across from them, crossing her arms. Ryou waited several minutes, and when no one spoke, he asked the question he'd been asking himself for some time.

 

“Is it enough?” he asked, his voice cutting through the silence. Sith blinked, looking at what was gathered. In all honesty, she had no idea. It'd depend on Mimic's mood.

 

“It should be,” Matt said hesitantly, glancing at Sith, “How much can a chest eat, anyway?” Sith snorted, standing up and using her cape to hold the pieces as she picked them up. Ryou stood as well, using his sword to provide her with light.

  

“If it isn't, I'll set it on fire,” she told them with a grin. Ryou knew that that would convince the chest to move. Or just kill it. As a wooden chest, Mimic would probably fall easily to a good blast of fire or two.

 

Beyond the chamber, another warp pad waited for them, and without hesitation, Sith stepped onto it. They were taken immediately to where Mimic was, and in all her usual annoyance and impatience, Sith threw the pieces at the chest's proverbial feet. They clinked off loudly, and Ryou wondered if Mimic had been sleeping before Sith's rude awakening. The chest yawned loudly. It hadn't drowned out Sith's sharp tone, however, as she gestured to the scattered pieces with her outstretched arm.

 

“Here is your coral,” she snapped, “Now let us pass.” Ryou and Matt eyed her curiously, knowing she was offending the chest. But she didn't appear to care. Mimic regarded her carefully as she spoke. Humans, he could deal with. But he understood this one, by the outline of her ears, was no human. He should have known by her silence earlier.

 

His silence was not well received, as Sith rose a slender brow and asked, “Well?” Mimic huffed, and then tipped forward, gobbling up all of the coral in one bite. The crunching sounds were disgusting, but in about thirty seconds, he had devoured all of their food. In another ten, if he didn't move, he'd be eating fire as well.

 

“GWAAAAH! Now I'm stuffed!” the chest said happily, “Can't eat another bite! Well, guess I'd better get out of your way, kiddies. Good luck.” The chest wisely vanished into thin air, leaving the three alone, with nowhere to go but ahead; Ryou was sure the warp pads were inactive now. He looked down at Sith as he stood by her side. She regarded the darkness with hesitancy.

 

“Ready?” he asked, knowing the pressing darkness was getting to her. She nodded.

 

Hidon was within the chamber that Mimic had opened up. As they walked in, they were surprised to see the monster was in the center. But he was asleep, on a circular nest made of dead grass, dirt, and to Ryou's horror, human bones. Using Zerrkandr as a light, Ryou held the sword out, and saw that most of Hidon himself was bone. There were only a few tufts of green hide, with only sparse amounts of fur, hanging off of those bones. He was serpentine in appearance, with two thick, bony back legs, and the same forelegs as well. His wings had long since rotted out. But what truly worried Ryou was his head; it was like that of a centipede, with two huge, closed eyes on the sides of the head, and six smaller ones on the top. Ryou forced himself to stop. Was it actually asleep?

 

“Think we should sneak up and steal the ship?” Matt whispered, and Sith wished he hadn't spoken a damn word. His voice, quiet as he tried to be, boomed right through the cavern. Hidon cracked open an eye, and then his ghastly head rose, spraying ancient dirt and mold everywhere.

 

“Who dares to wake me up!?” Hidon roared angrily, tossing his head until he caught Ryou's scent, “…! Humans again! Have you never learned your mistakes!?” His mouth opened, revealing thousands of pointed, craggy teeth, rich with the rancid smell of fetid flesh. Ryou felt his stomach churn. Now they were in for it.

 

“You may think humans are ridiculous, but how dare you threaten me,” Sith said quickly, and Ryou's mouth dropped as she stepped toward the massive creature, “You have defied death long enough. Tell me where to find Mello, or I will annihilate you like the vermin you are!” Her sharp tone, mixed with her nerve, threw the monster off guard. But he heard her accent clearly - this was no fool human. They had finally brought an Esper with them.

 

“An Esper?” Hidon asked curiously, though he sensed that hadn't brought Sith's fury down any faster, “How intriguing. I did not think your kind would bother with me.”

 

“My kind does not, but I'm of a different make,” Sith told him warily, still aiming her sword, “I sensed your power when we entered this cavern; I knew I'd have to destroy you before we left. That was why that old man sent us down here. To die.”

 

“What!?” Matt shrieked, staring at the woman as if she'd gone insane. There was a wild gleam to her eyes, though. She knew Strago had lied to her, knew that Mello was not here. And she came anywhere. But what was her reasoning?

 

“I will let you live, because I have no need to exhaust myself,” Sith continued, as if Matt hadn't spoken, “All I require are answers. Help me, and we will leave - without a fight.” Hidon considered her greatly. She could have easily torn him apart, he understood, with only one of her spells. But she was opting not to. Perhaps that was good. He didn't actually want to die, not yet. He leaned back a bit.

 

“What do you seek, Esper?” he asked her. Sith's answer was quick.

 

“Get us to Kefka's Tower,” she replied, and the answer shocked the monster before her. Information was one thing; but to go out and actually fly toward civilization? That was not in his terms of banishment. He could not go where he wasn't allowed. Strago, that conniving man, really did mean for these three to die. Hidon smiled. He wouldn't be giving death this day, not for his hated rival.

 

“I cannot go, not on the grounds I currently stand,” the monster said with a sly grin, “But I have another way to help you, Esper. During my travels, I have acquired a number of vessels to display. One of them…” He said nothing more, just motioned behind him, toward his trove of treasures. Sith looked, and watched as Matt and Ryou ran toward it, their eyes wide. It was shimmering brightly, a terrible contrast to the blackness of the cave around them. Beautiful gems and coins, silvers and coppers of all sizes, enchanted weapons and mystical armor… there was enough to sustain a kingdom!

 

But Sith was not looking at the treasure. She had her own trove, somewhere, and had no need for such mundane things. What had truly caught her eye was the vessel behind the treasure, big and daunting in the shadows, but well-preserved and cared for. It could easily fit the three of them, and many, many more. And though she could only barely see it, she saw there was a deck equipped with cannons, and she felt the magical ballistics within. She smiled. What she was looking at was their invasion onto Falnika's final hiding spot.

 

What she was looking at was an airship.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

After scouring the island, and the cavern that Strago directed them to, Ryou and his friends come face to face with Hidon, the terrifying monster of Ebot's Rock. After a generous offer from Sith, where she promises not to kill him, he directs the group to the airship they need. Can they get to Kefka's tower now? Or has Mello moved elsewhere? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!