Far from the festivities of above ground, Callo Merlose went further into the earth. The scenery had changed since her escape at the bridge. Things were going from obviously constructed to more natural. She wasn’t in tunnels anymore, but twisting caves and pathways wrought by erosion. The most she would see were steps carved long ago or the occasional support for natural tunnels.
She had spent the last hour in silence, just examining the old places she was in.
“If only I could contact Sephiroth or Ashley.” There was too much static here. She couldn’t detect either of them, let alone speak to them. Hopefully they were avoiding trouble, though knowing them they weren’t.
She was nervous. She knew what to expect going in, but not an ogre. The last time they had seen one of those, during their excursion into Mirage Tower, things went badly. All three of them could barely beat the thing, Ashley managing to collapse the ceiling on it. Callo could only imagine how dealing with one that had a brigade under its control would be like. She’d rather go face to face with a behemoth again.
“Then again, I have learned a few tricks since two years ago. Isn’t that right, Quetzalli?”
The former Riskbreaker summoned the avian familiar as she approached a flight of stairs. She heard a rumble nearby, sounding awfully familiar to the groan from earlier. Whatever was down there, it was big.
She approached cautiously, heels clacking on black marble steps as she descended. She passed under a massive arch, coming to a cavern so big it could have fit a town inside it. Massive pillars of rock supported the ceiling and a waterfall cascaded from the other side of the area. Light shone through a great crevasse in the ceiling to illuminate the area.
It was quite the amazing spectacle of nature, Callo feeling like a mere insect walking through it. Though she wasn’t the only one. There were…sheep, deer, the entire floor of the cavern covered in odd, pale grass they munched on. A fawn approached Callo, sniffing her quizzically.
“Hello there.” She stroked the animal behind its ear. However, her attention was brought to a great tremor coming from the back of the cave.
The animals fled as the waterfall was parted by something moving through. It was humanoid in shape, save for a pair of massive horns protruding from either side of its heads. A single eye glowed in the darkness.
“Ah, a cyclops.” She smirked. A very rare creature, often only found in the most remote and uninhabited areas of the world.
“Ch1ld of man, why have you approached mine gate?” Its voice was outright subterranean, like it was shaking the earth itself.
“Oh, you speak! Callo Merlose, a pleasure.” She bowed her head. “I pardon the intrusion, but there’s something I have to find. Would ye mind letting me pass?”
“Though you are a Bearer of the Dark, you are not the one to whom I am sworn. Begone!”
“Well, if that’s such a problem, is there a way that contract can be rescinded?” She could sneak past him, but she didn’t need an angry cyclops chasing after her.
“None, save My defeat at your hands. I have been sworn to the Mistress.”
“Alright, I suppose the decision has been made.” She brandished her shillelagh at the massive monster. “I challenge you.”
“So be it.”
The cyclops cleared the bliztball field-sized gap between them in mere seconds, his very steps causing the ground to quake. A massive hand swung at Callo, tearing the field apart. However, Callo was gone.
The cyclops looked around, trying to find the woman. Nothing, it was like she had vanished. However, he then felt something tap his cheek.
“Lord, ye need to keep an eye out!” She was sitting on his shoulder!
He threw her off, though it did little. Quetzalli appeared and prevented him from pursuing. The bird’s wings summoned gales that buffeted and cut the cyclops. He swatted at it, but Quetzalli was too fast and zipped through the air. That wasn’t the only thing he had to deal with either.
Callo whistled.
“Fenrir!”
From the ground emerged another familiar, this time in the shape of a massive wolve, large as a horse. The canine charged at the cyclops, curling into a ball and suddenly massive blades of crystal shot from its back! Like a giant saw it flew at the monster, grinding into his flesh.
Still, not enough to truly wound him. He was ancient, powerful, his skin more resilient than a mountain. Fenrir was swatted off, landing deftly on the floor before going on the move again.
It went like that for some time, Callo and her partners like annoying rats to the titanic creature. He couldn’t catch them, his power useless against a coordinated attack and every time he tried to attack Callo directly she would merely call Fenrir or Quetzalli to her, their superior mobility taking her out of harm’s reach.
“Enough!” The cyclops’ eye gleamed.
“Oh?” Callo just tilted her head.
A massive beam, hot as the sun scorched the surrounding area. Anywhere he looked burst into flame. However, Callo didn’t flee, she just smirked. And when it reached her…
“Ah!” It vanished. The beam of pure energy dissipated, a glyph in the air meeting it. The cyclops stood flabbergasted.
“What!?”
“I’ve been wanting to find this one for a long time.” And then she turned the cyclops own beam back at him. It struck him, but more concussive than burning and sent him flying. He tumbled over the grass, slamming against one of the massive columns of stone.
Callo rode on Fenrir, going over to the cylops.
“I…have been beaten.” He sighed.
“I must say, that was a right powerful beam ye got there. I tried to hold back, but are ye hurt bad?”
“Tch, I am humbled that you possess such mastery of the Dark. Worry not, these old bones are plenty strong. I will knit together.”
“Well, a little parting gift then.” She waved her shillelagh, a sudden gust rejuvenating the giant.
“White Wind, a Blue Mage are you?”
“Aye, something I picked up along the way. I wish I could stay and talk longer, but I’m running out of time.”
“Are you being pursued?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I don’t know when they’ll be here, but I know it can’t be long. Be careful, they’ll not be as kind as I, not even close.”
“I pray for you safety, my lady. I am but a lesser guardian, many in these old halls and palaces far above me.”
“I thank ye.”
Fenrir took her the waterfall, showing another massive cavern and within that cavern her scholarly instinct once again piqued.
It looked to be a lift, just like the one she had taken in the forest. It was far larger, enough for the cyclops to take upward. Well, even though she was going higher, it still meant she was moving. She activated the ancient contraption and took a seat in the magic circle in it.
She had a long way ahead of her. She hoped one of them would get there first.
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Sun Nov 24 07:51:29 2019
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