The remaining urodelae scuttled left and right on the opposite ledge. Cecil and the others could only watch anxiously…at last the creatures hurried one by one down an embankment nearby…In a moment they were gone…there was not a trace of the creatures anywhere…

Edward climbed to his feet with Rydia clinging to his arm.

"They will try to head us off somewhere up ahead!"

Rosa stood beside Cecil as he leaped up, brushing the snow from his dark armor. He glanced back at the others, a regretful smile on his face…

"Everyone take a deep breath --" he announced brusquely. "--It might be the last one you get for awhile…"

He adjusted his helmet and motioned for them to follow.

"--Let's make this quick!"

Rosa agreed and started directly behind him …Edward watched behind them warily then he and Rydia followed.

The company hastily made their way through the mountain path in silence…after a moment Edward shouted ahead to Cecil:

"--We should not be far from the --"

"Shh!"

Cecil stopped abruptly, gazing down at the ledges below. Guttural voices drifted toward them and as they scanned the paths far below they saw the creatures winding around and around…

"They will find us after all --" Edward murmured, gaping in horror at the urodelae…Even Rosa who was usually the optimistic one seemed worried…Rydia on the other hand was unfazed…

"Edward!"

She spoke loudly and hopped beside the prince, who was trying his best to shush her.

"Your harp saved you back there!"

Edward gestured frantically for her to lower her voice but the irrepressible little girl just frowned at him and continued:

"Edward!"

She gazed at the creatures down below…at the very same moment the creatures also gazed up at the humans…

"They're way down there!"

"Holy God!"

Edward watched as one of the urodelae shouted toward them angrily.

"Now look what you've done…"

There was a brief flicker of steel in the sunlight…the creatures began leaping nimbly across the cliffs and ridges…

Cecil swore under his breath and turned halfway to Rosa:

"We have to get out of here!"

He began jogging through the crunchy snow and Rosa followed behind…Edward stared at the creatures in the distance for a moment longer then snatched Rydia's hand and hastily dashed after Rosa and Cecil…The voices from below were still audible…they faded quickly…

"Cecil --"

Edward shouted toward the knight as they slowed their pace.

"--Have you noticed which direction we are traveling?"

Cecil gazed around them, his breathing hard…mist flowed around his mouth…

"We are traveling toward the east!" Edward pointed out…he brushed strands of whitish-blond hair away from his wind-burnt cheeks and managed a weak smile…As he stood still Rydia began to pluck cheerfully on the strings of the harp on Edward's back…the prince walked nonchalantly toward Cecil…

"We might make it to Fabul after all!"

Despite the optimism the prince's voice conveyed, Cecil shook his head ruefully:

"Not soon enough --"

He glanced toward the cliffs below, straining to catch a glimpse of the creatures…

"---Especially since we have them following us…"

"Maybe there's no way for them to reach us…" Rosa suggested, but she didn't sound convinced of her own claim. Cecil walked away thoughtfully…

"…Maybe…"

It was obvious he didn't believe it…there would definitely be an encounter…Rydia skipped merrily alongside Edward, her cheeks bright pink from the cold air and her hazel eyes shimmering.

"I still have my bow!" she declared…Edward groaned in despair...

"Oh Lord, she still has the --"

His voice trailed off as Rosa stopped abruptly, causing Rydia to nearly plow over her…Rosa's head was cocked to one side, frowning…

"Cecil --"

He instantly knew something was wrong by the sound of her voice. He was afraid to look…or ask…

"--Voices!"

Her eyes were wide…Cecil drew his sword quickly, but Rosa shook her head…

"Just in case…" Cecil turned around…he would go forward…check everything out…come back...no problems…

"I hear the voices now…"

They were obviously human…not the low guttural sounds of the creatures but the muffled frantic tones of humans…Frantic…he didn't like that part of it…

"Are they up this path?"

Rydia pointed across the snowy hill ahead of them. Edward was not thrilled with her curiosity…

"Yes Rydia…But WAIT!"

The little girl had already begun dashing up the hill, her little boots leaving clear indentions in the snow…

"It does not mean for you to --"

"I'll spy on em!"

Edward groaned inwardly as Rydia jumped into a mound of slushy snow, concealed by a large jagged rock…Cecil was frozen with indecision...of course he had expected such a thing from the little girl…So why didn't he do something about it?

"Rydia --"

Rosa spoke in a compromising voice…Cecil would have recommended a harsh command but he knew Rosa wouldn't speak to the little girl like that…The frantic cries of the human voices resumed as Rosa continued:

"--Maybe you should come back and --"

"People are over here!"

Cecil frowned at the little girl's excited declaration. People..?

"Rydia, you need to come down --"

"Aren't they cold?"

Her voice was utterly amazed. Cecil stopped, baffled….before he could demand an explanation the little girl gasped:

"Something's tryin' to hurt em!"

Cecil immediately gripped his sword and hurried toward her…

A surprised yelp from the prince of Damcyan drew his attention away from Rydia…

Edward was backing away from something in the snow…

"What on Earth..?"

Cecil charged toward Edward to find out what was wrong…

Hovering in front of the prince was a bulbous creature…the color of a hideously over-ripe tomato, pulsating steadily as if it were breathing…two slits in its side were eyes…yellow sickly eyes…a small mouth opened menacingly, displaying row after row of tiny teeth…Edward stumbled back in disgust as Cecil lunged toward the creature…On closer observation Cecil thought it resembled a jellyfish…no tentacles…its leathery skin was rough and bumpy like a reptile's skin…it hissed as Cecil approached…steam puffed from its mouth in the chilly air…

As it darted toward him, Cecil swore loudly and swung his sword, smashing it into the creature which erupted in a bloody mass…

"The heavens!" Edward moaned, gaping at the fluid and mass of tissue on his clothing…he spat upon the snow and to his disgust tasted the bitter taste of blood…Cecil wiped at the blood on his arm, only smearing it further…

"Cecil?"

Rosa called from behind.

"Is everything okay?"

Cecil turned and hastened through the snow toward her.

"Something’s going on up here…"

She frowned at his mysterious words…the moment she started to speak Rydia’s voice rang out.

"Cecil!"

Her voice was frighteningly worried…

"Come on!"

The little girl gestured wildly…

"They’re in trouble!"

Aren’t we all..? Cecil thought with regret as he watched the little girl snatch her bow from her back…

"Rydia! Wait!" the knight shouted hopelessly…she wasn’t waiting…she was hardly listening…my God…whatever happened to discipline…

"Stay here!"

Cecil glanced back at Rosa and Edward as he pounded after the little girl…

As Cecil glimpsed the girl standing with her bow poised to attack, he heard a snarl explode in his ear and snow gushed over him….something heavy crushed into his side and Rosa cried out in surprise…an arm wrapped underneath the knight's head…hot breath poured over his cold cheeks then a knife appeared without warning…held in scaly fingers…the blade drifted in front of Cecil as the arm kept a firm grip on him…the knife winked in the sun as it fell toward Cecil's chest, slamming into the dark chain mail…sparks glittered in the chilly air…

It took a moment for Cecil to realize that he was still alive…the blade had glanced off his armor…but it smashed into his chest again….ricocheting from the armor again…Cecil strained and shouted in frustration as he thrashed left and right to sling the creature from his back…it clung to his neck and hair and drove the knife repeatedly into his armor…links of the armor shattered and tinkled to the ground…At last Cecil gave a fierce shout and kicked back with his leg, striking the urodele with his heel but not succeeding in loosening its hold…The creature snarled viciously in Cecil's ear and the knife plunged toward him once more…this time the blade pierced Cecil's flesh and he cried out in pain and surprise…it occurred to Cecil at last that he was in a very good position to die…an ambush…how could I know it was coming…?

Cecil lashed backward with his elbow and smacked the creature in the nose, forcing it to hiss loudly and release its grip…

"Edward!--" Cecil screamed urgently, tearing free of the claws. "--Get Rydia!"

He sidestepped blindly to avoid another swipe of the knife.

"--Make sure she's safe!"

He glimpsed another urodele appear next to him as he buried the sword deep into the first one's gut…the knife dropped from the lifeless fingers and the creature collapsed…instantly Cecil snatched the dark blade from the ribs and parried the oncoming attack of the second creature…something went horribly wrong at their blades connected with a spark of light…Cecil slipped to one knee in the snow…his shoulder burned where the knife had ripped into his flesh and he found it difficult to raise his sword…his arm felt weighed down…strange…the urodele lunged toward him…it had no trouble in wielding its cruel curved sword….the blade hovered above Cecil mockingly…the knight could not bear to look into the yellowed eyes of the creature…they laughed…the hideous yellow sick eyes laughed at him…the creature laughed hoarsely…bastard…I know it's over now…

The urodele lurched toward him but never followed through with its attack…it dropped senselessly in the snow at Cecil's feet…Cecil gaped at it numbly…the snow around it turned red…bright red…too bright…it was dead, he realized…dead…and I'm not…

"Good God!"

Cecil noticed the prince of Damcyan standing over him…his scarred harp was clutched in a white knuckled hand…his eyes were wide in fright and shock as he stared in bewilderment at the creature at his feet…

Despite the entire situation a silly smile crept to Cecil's face…

"I never expected that from you, man…"

Edward shook his head and extended a hand to help the knight to his feet.

"Cecil!"

He turned and watched Rosa dash toward him…

"Cecil! You're not hurt, are you?"

Cecil assured her that he was okay…to be honest his shoulder was throbbing and it felt stiff from the dried blood caked around it…

"It could be worse --" Cecil replied grimly…Rosa nodded and breathed a sigh of relief…

"Oh dear --"

Cecil and Rosa spun around in the direction of Edward's voice…Cecil didn't like his tone of voice…The prince stood near the cliff…

"Those creatures --" he said mildly. "--They are…errrr…climbing up the side of the cliffs…"

Cecil swore to himself and started toward Edward…unsure exactly why he demanded a second opinion…Before he arrived at the prince's side, another voice startled him…

"Cecil!"

It was Rydia, screaming urgently…Great…Cecil was undecided about what to do…he gazed over the cliff where he saw several urodelae clambering up the snowy cliffs…their fangs glistened and their red thick tongues dangled carelessly from their mouths…

Without a moment's hesitation Cecil kicked a mound of snow over the side of the cliff, watching it anxiously to see if it brought the anticipated results…the snow poured over the creatures and one growled angrily, losing its grip and dangling from the cliff helplessly…the other snarled and shook the snow from its head, continuing its determined climb to reach the humans at the top…

"Come on!"

Rosa began shoveling huge handfuls of snow over the side.

"We can try to make our own avalanche!"

Edward and Cecil instantly followed her lead and raked the slushy snow over the cliff…at last the urodelae were forced to release their grips and with fierce howls they tumbled into the low-lying clouds in the ravine below…Cecil watched them careen through the air with satisfaction and relief…he could feel no regret for getting rid of those…monsters…

"Cecil!"

Rydia's shrieks burst out crisp and clear in the cold air…she squealed at the top of her lungs and Cecil gripped his sword and clenched his teeth, dashing toward the sound of her voice…

"Rydia!"

Cecil surveyed the cliffs and mounds of snow frantically…no sign of the little girl…

The only thing visible was a mass of blood and bodies strewn across the snow…

"What happened?"

Rosa gasped behind Cecil and all he could do was shake his head in disgust…dismay…uncertainty…

"Where's…Rydia..?"

Cecil was almost afraid to ask…he scanned the area hoping to see the little girl…

She was lying in the snow, paralyzed with fear as she stared at the small round creatures hovering around her. Near the little girl stood a man…a dark-skinned man…clothed in nothing but a leather loincloth…he was coated with blood all the way to his bald head, where a thick black braid of hair coiled around his neck like a serpent and fell to his waist…he towered over Rydia like a giant…his limbs bulged with muscles…he resembled a savage from the Northlands…

"A living man --" Edward murmured in awe. "--I hadn't expected it…"

Cecil would have agreed but he was forced to dive into the snow as a flock of the round creatures plunged at him, gurgling and grinning hideously. He snatched Rosa down beside him and she covered her head with her hands…the creatures bolted over their heads and darted toward the prince of Damcyan…

"Oh God!"

Edward leaped aside and rolled into the snow, sweat glistening on his forehead. The monsters hovered over him as Cecil sprang to his feet, swinging his sword at an arc toward the mass of flying creatures. With a sickening pop one of them burst, spewing guts and blood over everyone. Rosa gasped and recoiled in horror. Edward smacked one of the creatures with his harp and it dropped in the snow, motionless…Edward leaped toward it, his eyes shut tightly, and stamped onto it heavily with a boot. The creature exploded and spattered the prince of Damcyan with thick red blood.

"…Great heavens…" Edward groaned, shaking his hand in disgust and sending droplets of blood into the white snow. "This is --"

A ferocious cry split the chilly air and as they gaped at the dark-skinned man, he lunged at a group of the creatures, his teeth gritted menacingly. With the execution of a blindingly fast roundhouse kick, the dark-skinned man smashed several of the bulbous creatures; in an explosion of blood and tissue the man was soaked in dark red liquid again…he ignored the blood, his face set in noble and grim determination…the stranger boldly faced another onslaught of the tiny creatures…

"Look at him!"

Edward's mouth hung open in shock.

"He has the strength of a Titan!"

Cecil shifted his sword to his other hand with a grimace.

"But even he can be overpowered --"

He started toward the dark-skinned man resolutely.

"-Wait here Rosa!"

Rosa ran behind the knight for a moment then stopped, watching apprehensively. Edward sighed with a glance at the harp in his hand; nevertheless the prince leapt behind Cecil hastily. As they approached the man, he was tearing at the creatures as they remained locked onto his arm…One burst in his hands and he flung the leathery mess aside…his eyes darted to one side for an instant and he noticed Edward and Cecil…He could say nothing as he tried to catch his breath…

"Are you okay?!" Cecil shouted over the squealing of one of the creatures…the brawny man seemed about to reply when he staggered back, an arrow whizzing by his face…it struck a creature with a plop and the creature erupted instantly…

"I am fine!"

The dark-skinned man finally managed to gasp…his voice was deep and tinged with a thick accent of the Northlands…

"But what are those creatures doing?"

Cecil whirled around and watched the bulbous creatures with a frown. They hovered in mid-air for a moment longer then fused together with a sickening slurp. Cecil stumbled back in horror. The individual eyes of the grotesque creature blinked calmly; the glittering eyes were littered across the massive blob…teeth protruded everywhere and as the mouths opened, they emitted high-pitched gurgling squeals.

Edward had become a pale shade of green as he gaped at the creature. The dark-skinned warrior however glared at the beast in determination.

"Wield your sword and attack, sir!" the man commanded Cecil…before Cecil could make a move the warrior had already clenched his fists tightly, and with an angry shout lunged at the monster.

Cecil followed quickly behind the dark-skinned man, raising his sword high and bringing it down upon the creature with all of his strength. A section of the leathery hide was sheared off cleanly…black blood gushed from the tissue as the creature shrieked…as Cecil stood, stunned, one of the gurgling mouths slurped his arm, which clutched the dark sword, deep into its gaping maw and the tiny teeth began tearing at his flesh. With an agonized cry Cecil fell back, thrashing left and right to drag his arm free of the grip but it would not release him, and he only succeeded in making a deeper gash in his flesh. His arm was strangely warm and cold at the same time…saliva mingled with blood and gushed from the mouth and Cecil felt an overwhelming pain flare in his arm…he closed his eyes and bit deep into his lip but it didn't mask the pain...he though he was going to lose his arm but just as the pain became almost unbearable the warrior plunged his hand into one of the slick wet eyes and the creature squealed, instantly releasing Cecil’s arm and recoiling in pain and anger…Cecil collapsed into the snow, gaping at the yellowish liquid pouring from the socket of the eye…the squeal became a deafening scream as the dark-skinned warrior drove his hand into another glittering eye, the fluid squirting out around his fingers…

"Attack it without mercy!" The man shouted toward Edward and Cecil, who nodded and with slight hesitation leapt to his side. Greenish yellow bile spouted from the creature’s mouth as they heeded the warrior’s command, and Edward’s face had become nearly as green as the putrid liquid.

"Good God! This is revolting!" The prince exclaimed in disgust as he smashed his harp into the soft flesh of the beast. Cecil’s sword hacked and slashed ruthlessly, sending waves of blood over them and into the snow where it changed to a bright pink…

The canyons below rang with the sounds of the beast’s agonized squealing…At last it drooped into the snow, which had been stained reddish brown and green…it was nothing more than a bloody mass…

Cecil gazed at the bloody remains scornfully…the prince of Damcyan staggered away from the gory scene and sprawled into the snow beside Rydia …his face had still not regained its normal healthy tint…

"…Please tell me that it's over…" he moaned, falling back into a mound of snow…Rydia, who still appeared frightened, giggled at the hapless prince…The dark-skinned warrior stooped over, his thick braid dangling over his bald head…his chest was heaving as he struggled to regain his breath…

"I cannot thank you enough –" the man bowed politely to Cecil after he drew a breath large enough to speak…Cecil waved his remark aside…

"What else could we do when we saw you in trouble?"

Of course there were plenty of options…but only one I would have chosen, Cecil promised himself…He continued as he shoved the dark sword back in its sheath:

"—It was no problem…"

The man bowed again gratefully.

"I am Yang FanLieden –" he revealed in his deep accented voice…Rydia was first on her feet, extending her tiny hand toward the gigantic man.

"I’m Rydia!"

Yang smiled, a very sweet gesture for such an imposing figure. He shook her hand gently, engulfing her small hand in his brawny one. Rydia beamed and began introducing the others standing around her.

"This is Cecil…and that’s Edward…and that’s Rosa –"

She pointed to each one and the warrior smiled again:

"Well, Rydia…you have very brave friends…"

Edward was climbing to his feet wearily and seemed about to speak when Rydia blurted out loudly:

"Aren’t you cold, Mr. Yang?"

She was gaping at the crude leather loincloth draped about his waist…He seemed slightly taken aback by her question, but he realized she was just a small child and she would be curious just like any other child.

"To be a Karate Master one must have stamina and will power –" he intoned seriously…Rydia nodded in fascination, obviously not understanding anything he said. The warrior gazed around suddenly…

…He’s looking for someone…Cecil realized…

"Did you see anyone else here?" the warrior asked hopefully…Cecil lowered his head. God he hoped the warrior could read his thoughts…he didn’t want to explain everything that they had seen…After a moment the warrior turned away…

"I see –"

It was the only thing he said for awhile…in his solemn voice…Cecil felt terrible…but for some reason he was relieved…I didn’t have to tell him…he inwardly rejoiced…I didn’t have to tell him what happened…

"—I know it is always a possibility –" the warrior continued…a single tear glinted in his eye. "—Yet I cannot help but feel it is…my…fault…"

Rosa stepped toward Yang…of course she would be the one to offer comforting words…it was always what she did…for me, Cecil reminded himself…

"They were brave –" Rosa stated softly. "—Sacrificing yourself for someone else is the what we’d all like to be remembered for, isn’t it?"

Yang nodded but for some reason Cecil felt a knot in his chest…in his stomach…her words sounded wrong…why don’t I agree? Instead of remembering someone for sacrifice, wouldn’t we just wish to have that person here with us again? He couldn’t help but think of Kain…

"We were simply coming into the peak of the mountains for practice and conditioning…" Yang said in confusion. "We never expected to be attacked…especially not so close to Fabul…"

"Fabul?"

Cecil lifted his head quickly…

"Are you from Fabul?"

Yang nodded a bit reluctantly…he seemed confused at Cecil’s sudden interest…

"Is it odd for me to be from Fabul?"

"No!"

Cecil shook his head quickly.

"It’s…just…we’re on our way to…Fabul…"

Yang stared at him blankly…Edward finally spoke:

"There is really no time to explain sir –" he said, looking a bit intimated by the hulking figure standing before him. "—We will have time to do that later over a mug of hot tea –"

Rydia’s eyes lit up and Edward smiled faintly at her as he continued:

"—But for some unknown reason, a dark Knight of Baron is seeking the crystals…."

"The crystals?!"

Yang echoed with a scowl…

"—The elemental crystals?"

Cecil grimaced.

"Yes…the elemental crystals…"

And that’s not all, he wanted to add…he already has two of the crystals…and he’s going to get the others before long…

"The man responsible for it isn’t even a dark Knight of Baron –" Cecil added. "—He was hired recently as the Captain of the Red Wings…"

"No one is quite sure where he is from –" Edward supplied guiltily. "—It seems that he appeared there or was invited there by the King…and now…"

His voice trailed off…Cecil finished with a grim nod:

"—And now he’s controlling Baron and capturing the crystals…the other nations hardly stand a chance…"

Cecil broke off with those words…Rosa took over where he left off:

"This man Golbez is using Baron’s power to steal the crystals from the nations…"

Yang watched her in shock.

"But the…crystal of Air …is in…Fabul –"

He lowered his eyes to the ground.

"—There is no reason that he would not capture it as well!"

"I have no doubt that he will," Edward claimed matter-of-factly. "Damcyan has…already…fallen…"

Yang gasped.

"The castle of Damcyan?!"

He shook his head in disbelief, the thick black braid flapping left and right.

"---It cannot be true…"

The pained look on the prince of Damcyan’s face was evidence that it was the truth…

"I try to tell myself that –" Edward intimated. "—But a king must learn to accept these situations…"

"You? The King?"

Yang stared at him and started to bow reverently to the young man, who shook his head vigorously…

"I am only the king because my father died a short while ago –"

He pressed his hand over his forehead.

"—He and…my mother…"

Edward glanced at Yang.

"—I was only the prince then…but now…"

"The crown still awaits you –" Yang declared earnestly. "—Is there a reason not to rebuild Damcyan greater than it was before?"

"I don’t have the will –" Edward stated simply…

"It is…hopeless for Damcyan…"

Edward looked away and stroked the gold ring on his finger…Awkward silence fell upon the chilly air…it seemed to grow even colder…but the prince of Damcyan broke the silence after a moment…

"It is not hopeless for Fabul, sir --" he stated in a stronger voice. "--How far is Fabul from this mountain range?"

Yang gave a faint mysterious smile.

"How near do you wish it to be?"

The warrior winked at Rydia, but the prince of Damcyan frowned and gazed into the distance.

"It is not half as close as we need it to be…"

Cecil would have liked to agree…they didn't need to stand around anymore…it was dire that they hurry…Yang scowled thoughtfully:

"Even if we can reach Fabul in a few hours, can we be certain that the crystal is still safe?"

Cecil shook his head…they couldn't know, could they?

"Does Fabul have a large army or any kind of defense?" Rosa questioned the warrior, who lowered his head and replied regretfully:

"--Those in the castle have just begun their training…"

He gazed at Rosa sadly…

"When he arrives at Fabul, Golbez will be faced only by women and children…"

Somber silence settled over the company…even the chilly wind died away for a moment…it seemed to await their next move…

"We should hurry to Fabul…"

Cecil adjusted his dark horned helmet…there was nothing else to be said…he could have told them exactly what would happen when the Red Wings arrived in Fabul…but he didn't…Cecil started through the snow toward the east, giving the others no choice but to follow him…they made a rather odd-looking group…a small green-haired girl…a woman of the white robes…a young man dressed as a bard to hide his true identity as the prince of Damcyan…a tall dark-skinned warrior of Fabul…and me, Cecil thought in dismay…

"Sir Cecil --"

Yang's deep voice broke the silence and Cecil paused, turning to look at the warrior. The tall man seemed to hesitate before he continued:

"--You are a Dark Knight --"

Cecil immediately felt the blood rush to his cheeks… he knew what the warrior was going to say…

"--Can I trust one of the knights who are planning to destroy my home and my friends and family?"

Cecil bowed his head…of course you can trust me, he wanted to say…but it wouldn't be that easy to convince the warrior…

"I can't ask you to trust me…and honestly believe that you will…"

To his surprise Cecil noticed a weak smile etched on the warrior's noble face.

"I shall certainly be a fool if I doubt you even after you and your companions risked your lives to bring news to Fabul about the Baronian attack…"

Cecil attempted to return the smile but it appeared to be a grimace instead.

" …If getting rid of this armor meant all of my past was forgotten, I would have done it a long time ago…"

He lowered his eyes to the bright white snow.

"It's…not that…easy…"

Just like it's not easy to forget the people who died in Mysidia and Damcyan…some things are never forgotten…

"I understand…" Yang nodded, his thick black braid drooping over his shoulder. Without another word he started again toward the east…Rydia grabbed Edward's hand, her eyes shimmering in excitement; the prince smiled wearily at the little girl and shifted his harp to his other shoulder…