Daybreak. A low howl broke across the land. It rolled up from the desert wind, leaking into Garland's dreams. The boy woke instantly, pushing himself up on the palms of his hands. His blue eyes darted in fear, shifting over the sleeping forms scattered under the rim of the cave. A soft scuffling sound alerted him. He was not alone.
After a moment of cold fright, Garland's eyes adjusted to the pale light. He found his voice, nearly choking in relief. "Mr. 78…!"
The big mage was on his feet, the warm glow of his eyes brilliant in the shadows of the newborn day. Carefully, he stepped over the tiny form of Vivi, sleeping upon the stone ground. There was a softness to his expression when he looked down upon the little Mage.
"You heard it too?" Mr. 78 asked, voice low. Serious.
"Yeah… was it..?"
"Dezarg."
"Yeah… Mr. 299's flying mutt…"
Mr. 78 didn't answer. It looked as if he had stood watch over the camp all night. Again.
Does he ever sleep? If not, he sure never seems to get tired. Everynight he's always up watchin' over us…
"Do you think.. he'll find us?" Garland asked.
"Who?"
"The wolf?"
"What wolf?"
Garland began to chafe, then found himself looking up into the laughing eyes of Mr. 78.
Damn him! He's makin' fun of me now! I'm not sure whether I like the new Mr. 78… or the old one better… Ever since he's gotten smart… he's been doin' and sayin' things that are kinda scary.
"Hey!" The boy frowned, tail twitching in frustration. "Stop that! You're doin' it just to pick at me now! Be serious!"
Mr. 78 only chuckled into the back of his hand. "Sorry, Garland… I was only kidding."
"It's not funny…"
"Yeah, I guess not."
The Mage's voice was so disheartened, Garland gave him a little smirk, and a gentle squeeze on his hand.
Mr. 78's eyes beamed down at him cheerfully.
I don't care… no matter who he was workin' for. Even if he was a spy for Mr. 299. Mr. 78's saved our lives. He's always been nice to me.. and Vivi… and even Mikoto. I've never seen him be mean to anyone before. I'm sure he wants to help us. I just know he's on our side.
The cry of a wolf carried once again across the sky. This time it was closer. Garland felt fear carry him, finding himself clutching Mr. 78 around the waist. It was a familiar feeling. It reminded him of Mr. 44 for some reason. The Mage was watching the skies. Garland could feel him shaking, too.
Is… Mr. 78 scared? Of the wolf? I wonder why?
"I.. I.. think it's time… to… be going now." The words were spoken with a strange hint of loathing and reluctance. The boy blinked up at the Mage in curiosity.
"Did you hear that?" Mikoto was blinking, sitting up within her covers. The howl must have wakened the girl. "Is it that.. wolf-beast?"
"Wake Vivi. Put out the fire. I'll gather our stuff. We're moving out as soon as we can." Mr. 78 was already gathering what little supplies they had.
Garland took the cue and began kicking dirt over the ashes of the fire. No real worry that it might catch, but Mr. 78 always made certain they put out the fire and hid the signs of camp the best they could each morning.
Not that it will do us much good today… That monster-dog is on to us. I just know it. And it's likely the bastard is out there howlin' to let everyone else know where we are.
"Vivi! Wake up!" Mikoto was kneeling down next to the little sleeping Mage.
"Mmmmm…." Vivi simply rolled over, pulling his hat down further over his face.
Damn. Nothin' wakes Vivi up…
Mikoto sat there for a moment, then began to shake the little Mage violently. "Vivi! I said, wake up! We have to be going!"
This time, Vivi rolled over to face her, little golden eyes coming to life, blinking up at her in curiosity. "M-Mikoto… what's wrong..?"
"Thank heavens." The girl sighed, standing. "We must be going. That wolf-creature is nearby. We can hear him howling."
Vivi shook his head, attempting to rub his eyes and stand all in the same moment. It ended up not turning out very well. Mr. 78 returned to the center of camp, looking over it with a quick nod. Then he caught Vivi as the little Mage nearly tripped on himself.
"Is everyone ready?" The bigger Mage asked.
As if in answer, another howl shattered the sky. Garland leapt in startlement, everyone whirling about to face the growing daylight. It was small on the horizon. But there was a figure winging their way.
"Dammit!" The boy swore.
"Let's get moving!" Vivi shook himself awake, and started toward the mouth of the cave. They all followed, their panicked footsteps echoing up and over their heads, rising around them as they dodged into the Fossil Roo.
It was much darker inside than out, and going was difficult at first. He nearly fell flat on his face numerous times from the stones that leapt from the shadows only to reach up and trip him. No matter, there was always someone there at his side to catch his stumble. Usually it was Mr. 78. But it was sometimes Mikoto, too. And when he wasn't stumbling, he was catching Vivi and Mikoto as they slipped, darting blindly into the cavern's dusk.
It was getting no lighter the further they sped in. If anything, it was getting much much darker. There was the distant sound of water flowing. Somehow it heartened Garland to hear it. Maybe it could show them a way out? For now, all they sought was the opposite exit, hopefully far far away from the fangs of the death beast.
Their race came up suddenly short at Mikoto's cry. Garland saw her go down, a slope that had escaped his site till the last moment. Reaching with all his length, his fingers barely brushed her arm. Then she vanished out of sight, only the echo of her voice to prove she had ever been there at all.
"Shit!" The boy stumbled, dropping to his knees just at the edge of the drop.
"Mikoto!!" Mr. 78 shouted, joining Garland in peering over the ledge in horror. His hands grew tight about the wick of his staff. The wood began to groan at his strength.
The gloom grew the deeper Garland looked. A seething haze obscured their vision below, twisting and veering over the entire length of the cavern floor. The sound of water came from below.
"Mikoto!!" Garland shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth in hopes that his voice would carry. It seemed to get sucked away into the depths of the foaming shadows below, muted into nothing.
Vivi appeared at Garland's other side, staring down. His voice was tiny. "It's.. Mist."
Garland blinked, looking into the darkness again. "You're right… It is Mist."
"Black Mist.." Mr. 78 had pulled himself to his feet, and backed away. Far away from the edge of the ravine.
"Mr. 78?" Vivi rose, turning in question. "What's w-wrong?"
"MIKOTO!! ANSWER ME!!" Garland bellowed. This time his voice rang far out across the tops of the darkened mists. There was only silence.
"Mikoto…" Mr. 78 was visibly shaking.
Somethin's wrong.. what's goin' on…?
Then a howl rang out over the chambers.
Vivi gave a shout, clutching at the brim of his hat. "We can't stay here!"
"Let's go down! We've gotta find Mikoto!"
"B-but…" Mr. 78's eyes had grown a very pale color.
"What the hell is your problem, Mr. 78! You're not gonna leave her there? We've gotta find her!" Garland flung his arms around, the turned to stare down into the Mists.
"N-no… I want to find her too, Garland, but.. There might be an eas-"
"Either you're comin' or you're not.. I don't give a damn either way.." The boy spat over one shoulder. Then he turned to the other Mage. "Comin' Vivi?"
"Y-yeah.."
Garland knelt at the edge, finding his balance. It was steep but not too steep… in fact it was just right for what he wanted to do. Launching himself forward, the boy propelled himself down the sandy slope on the soles of his boots, keeping balance as best as he could so that he did not end up face-first on the stone below. A scraping sound to the right indicated that Vivi had followed suit. Garland could only hope the little Mage didn't end up hurting himself in the process.
It was surprisingly short. He landed lightly on his toes at the bottom of the crag. At once, the world had been encased in a deep fog, an oily dark color. It hurt his lungs to breathe it in, a great fear growing inside him. A tiny peep was all he heard as Vivi landed only three feet away, hard. On his back. Garland rushed over, helping the little Mage to his feet.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah.. it wasn't so very deep, was it?"
"No.. doesn't seem that way."
"It was crazy of you to go jumping down here, Garland."
"It was crazy of you to follow me."
"I know, but I couldn't let you go by yourself."
"I couldn't just leave Mikoto down here.. not with that wolf inside the caves. Besides… the Mist might give us some cover from above."
"You know.. that was a lot like something Zidane mighta done.." The little Mage blinked up at him in admiration.
There was a chill inside at the sound of the name. For some reason, it bothered Garland to compared to this… Zidane… character. Even though he didn't know anything more about Zidane than the stories that drifted through the Black Mage Village.
"Whatever…" He shrugged. "Let's just find Mikoto…"
Before he could finish the thought, there was a rain of stones from above them. Vivi snagged Garland's arm quickly, dragging him out of the hail. A moment later, Mr. 78 fell straight through the black roof of the Mist, landing with a thud on his rather plentiful backside. Garland blinked for a moment, watching as the bigger Mage began to cough, pulling himself to his feet and dusting himself off. Even the fall didn't seem to phase him.
"So, you decided to join us?" Garland crossed his arms with a frown.
"I-I… I'm sorry. It just seemed like an awful long way to jump. I thought there might have been a.. less dangerous way down?" The Mage straightened his hat, checking the yellow plume carefully.
"There probably was. But this way was faster." The boy replied.
Mr. 78 began to cough again, nearly doubled over.
"Are you okay, Mr. 78?" Vivi asked, reaching a hand out to the Mage.
"Y-yeah.. I'm fine… let's just find Mikoto…" Mr. 78 waved off Vivi's worry, his voice cracked from the fit of coughing.
"It's the Mist, isn't it?" Garland asked.
Mr. 78 froze, a terrible light to his eyes. "What do you mean?"
The boy cocked his head, having not expected such a reaction. "It just makes it hard to breathe. But it might cover us from the flying mutt…"
"Oh.." The Mage nodded. "Yeah.. you're right.."
"Mikoto??" Vivi was calling out to the Mist.
Garland didn't have time to ponder the bigger Mage's odd behavior. He jogged after Vivi. "Hey! Wait up! Don't go off leaving us! You could get lost in the Mist!"
The little Mage paused, looking back at them. "I thought I heard something over here?"
"Stay close…" Garland caught Vivi's arm in one hand, and Mr. 78's robe in the other.
Mr. 78 began to cough again.
"Mr. 78… stop that… it might give us away to the wolf…" Garland snapped.
"I-I'm sorry.." The big Mage covered his hand in one large fist. It was muted, but he continued to cough. "I can't help it.."
"Mikoto?" Vivi was leading them deeper into the Mists.
It was tiny. But Garland heard it.
"Vivi? Is that you? Vivi! I am over here!"
"It's her!" Mr. 78 managed to declare. Then he lifted his great voice into a tremendous bellow. "MIKOTO!! KEEP CALLING TO US! WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU! DON'T BE AFRAID!"
Garland wanted to kick him. "What the hell'd you do that for? Now that wolf is sure to know where we're at!!"
"Oh…" Mr. 78 scratched his head. "I forgot about him…"
"Forgot! How could you forget?"
"Um…"
All the while Vivi was leading them forward. Finally, a hint of gold shimmered through the darkness, they jogged the last few feet.
"Mikoto!" Vivi cried. He looked as if he wanted to bombard the girl with a hug. "Are you o-okay?"
"I am… lame…" She replied. Her hand gripped tightly about one ankle. The skin was ripped and bleeding.
"Shit… Mikoto…" Garland hissed, rushing forward.
Mr. 78 was there before he could arrive, already pulling a sash from his own robe, wrapping about the girl's leg quickly.
"Ow-ow….." She bit her lip, blinking away the tears. "Do you have to be so rough!"
"Pressure must be applied to stop the bleeding…" Mr. 78 told her, attempting to tie the sash off. He began coughing so hard his hands only slipped.
Garland pushed the Mage's hands away, deftly tightening the wrapping and tying it all off.
"Mr. 78.. what is ailing you?" Mikoto watched him with big eyes.
He couldn't answer, he was coughing too hard.
"I think he's allergic to this Mist." Garland told her, giving her a shoulder to prop herself on. "Can you walk?"
"I thought you sneeze if you're allergic to something.." Vivi mused, also helping Mikoto to rise.
The three of them managed a painful step forward, dragging through the Mist, then nearly collapsed. Mikoto bit down hard on her lip, whimpering in the pain.
"Dammit…" Garland growled.
"H-here…" Mr. 78 offered, finding a moment of peace in the rage of hacking. "It's slow.. let me carry her…"
No one objected. The big Mage easily hefted Mikoto into his arms, holding her tightly, but gently. She didn't seem too happy about the turn of events, holding on to the front of his robes.
"I… am sorry." She spoke, her voice filled with pain. "I have put you all in danger. You should just leave me… maybe the wolf will not follow you then.."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Garland told her. "After all the trouble we went through to find you? What an ingrate!"
She didn't seem to find his humor amusing. So he decided to shut up.
"Do you think we are heading the right way?" Vivi asked.
"I.. heard the sound of running water coming from down here." Garland recalled.
"Yeah.. so did I…" Mr. 78 agreed. "Do you think it would lead us out?"
"Maybe…" Vivi answered. "Let's try to find it. It's better than just getting lost here in the Mist…"
It was a silent agreement.
The water's sound was dim under the swelling Mists. Though he attempted to hide it, Mr. 78 continued to be afflicted by the strange fits of coughing. Garland kept his eye on the big Mage, a curiosity and new worry flowing through him. There was no sign of the wolf creature.
We just have to find the water. Then… I pray.. we'll be on our way…
"H-here!" Vivi called, only a few short feet in front of them. "I hear it loud here!"
"The water?" Garland asked. But he didn't need Vivi to answer. The Mists folded back suddenly, reveling a long stretch of dark water, rushing madly over the base of the cave.
"It has to be coming from somewhere.." Vivi speculated.
"Yeah… so let's find out hun?"
"G-GARLAND!!"
Mr. 78's cry made him turn and look. The big Mage was scrambling forward, a strange twisted gate, as if he was trying to put himself between something and the girl in his arms.. while protecting the others as well. The gusts from above carried the boy off his feet as Garland struggled to turn to see the razored fangs of the death wolf.
Oh shit! The wolf! He was waitin' for us to come out of the Mists!
"Mr. 78!!" Mikoto screamed.
The Mage had discarded her, leaving her at Vivi's side, brandishing his staff in both hands as if it could offer some protection. The wolf swooped upon him. There was a crackling snap in the air as two mighty powers collided. The Mists rose up behind them, alive with the dark energies, dancing in delight of death and chaos. Mr. 78 staggered back, as if struck by some great unseen hand. The same instant, the wolf backwinged, nearly spiraling down into the icy river.
Mr. 78 seemed to drop to his knees, the Mists swirling at his feet, drawn to him clinging to him. He gave a hoarse shout, swinging his arms desperately as the dark fumes gathered around him.
"It's gonna kill him! Vivi! Garland!!" Mikoto cried again, as the two of them pulled her away from the fray. Tears crept down her pale cheeks. "MR. 78!!"
"Come on Mr. 78!!" Garland shouted. "Just forget about him, get your ass back into the Mist… he can't find us here…"
The bigger Mage did not seem to hear. He was doubled over, clutching at his hat with both hands. The winged wolf swept down upon him again.
"Nooo!!" Vivi shouted, almost leaping forward.
"Don't!!" Garland grabbed the little Mage around the waist, tackling him down.
There was a shifting in the air. Garland managed to blink up just in time to catch it, a deepening darkness drawing in about Mr. 78 as the Mage staggered to his feet, lashing out at the death beast. This time, the Mists drew about him, whipping into a frenzy of pulsating void, slashing at the wolf like a million shadowed daggers. The beast gave a terrible roar, its wings of death fire slit into ribbons, dropping the creature heavily upon the bank, a stunned pile of slick fur.
"W-woah!" Vivi awed.
"Mr. 78!!" Mikoto called.
"Come on… let's go!" Garland darted up to the bigger Mage.
Just as he reached forward a hand, he felt it, a tremendous force, blocking him, throwing him back. He reeled on his feet, nearly dropping to his knees. The Mist had grown so thick, it was gagging him. The scent of death filled his senses.
Then, like slow motion, the death hound heaved itself to its feet, blood red eyes focusing upon its adversary. Mr. 78 was swaying in the midst of the misty storm. His form shivered, the outline blurring, seeming to change, to once again grow larger, the Mists dancing about him.
"M-Mr… 78??" Garland found his voice tiny. And afraid. "You're… coming… right…? Mr. 78..?"
A coldness gripped the boy's soul as Mr. 78 turned towards his pleas.
His eyes.... they're...
"Garland… take… Mikoto and Vivi.. and run… when I say run…" The voice was not his. Not even his other voice. It sounded nothing like Mr. 78 at all. There was a strange twisting sensation in the air… a ripple that began to reach through to touch something beyond their world.
Garland began to cry.
Mr. 78's eyes… They've turned…red! Like those monsters… he's… he's… one of them…! He's… turning into one of them…!
"Mr. 78!! Please…!" Mikoto crawled forward, a tiny hand reaching out to him.
The wolf shook its head, a great snarl rearing from between its fangs. It took a step forward.
"I… can't adventure with you anymore. I'm sorry, Mikoto…" For the tiniest of seconds, it was his old voice. Mr. 78's eyes smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I'm a danger to you all now. This evil seed was ebedded within me just like the others. I knew I could not stop it from happening.. not when the Mists were here. I knew this day would come, and I made myself a promise that I'd not let myself become… one of them. I refuse to do the bidding of soul stealers. Do you understand?"
Mikoto just stared at him, unbelieving, tears streaming down her face.
Mr. 78 shivered, the Mists drawing around him, then turned away.
The wolf lowered its head, a fighting position.
The last two words Garland heard him say…
"RUN NOW!!"