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The Crystal Rule	By : QueenDraggyofSwords Category: Final Fantasy Games > Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Views: 956 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: chrystal Chronicles, any of its characters nor am I making any profit off of them.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Chapter Sixteen

Lamias. They were vicious, deadly, time controlling cobras with the torsos of women. They fought with daggers, and stood taller than a man. They were rare, outside their natural habitat, the Island of Lynari, but on the Isle they were plentiful. And right now Layle was staring at about a dozen or so of them. Just below him and a downward rocky slope, the creatures were moving back and forth, taking care of their eggs.
"The Anilion nest is just beyond the Lamia grounds," Nadeen lifted her fingers to a ridge about two miles away. "Out there. They nest on the far end of island."
The trio were laying on their stomachs on the edge of the ridge just over the swarming snake women. "Okay, and how do we get over there?" Keiss looked over at the rocks jutting out of the sand.
"We stick along the rocks to the east. We'll be high up and the Lamias can't get us. They may see us, but we will be out of their reach."
Layle turned his head, "Those rocks? They look pretty unstable…"
"To you and me, yes. But for the Chocobos it's a simple walk. She pulled back from the ridge and stood up. "So let's saddle up and go. We get your Antlion jaw, and ride back. If we go all night we can make it to Leuda by midnight."
The boys stood up. It sounded like a plan…no one really wanted to camp out in Zu territory again. So with Nadeen leading the boys, the trio set out across the rocky ledges on the edge of the Lamia nests. It really was a journey you could only take by Chocobo. To one side was a long drop into a den of monsters, the other side a drop off into the ocean. And in between, a large, rocky, pointed terrain that would be brutal on your feet.

About a third of the way through the trip, as predicted, the monster's noticed them. And right away they started swarming at the bottom of the rocky drop off. The sounds of their daggers hitting the stone and attempts to cast spells could be heard, but they were too high up. That did not stop them however, some attempted to climb up the incline, the sharp rocks cut their underbellies and they fell back to the soft sand. Layle couldn't help but keep looking down at them, amused at how determined they were and amazed at the same time.
"They're going to follow us the whole way, aren't they?"
"They usually do!" Nadeen called back to him as they continued across the rocks.
At the halfway point the Selkie female took to suddenly stopping and then edging her bird forward before stopping again another couple of feet. Keiss who was right behind her quickly grew tired of this. "What is it! Is something wrong up there?"
"Ah…ah no…" The female started forward again. It was about another five minutes before she stopped once more.
"Nadeen! If something is wrong you had better tell us!"
"Nothing is wrong…It's just…My eyes…Are playing tricks on me." She looked over the side of her bird, and then ahead. "I keep thinking…I see someone ahead of us…but when we get to where they are…there's no trace. I- I've never experienced a mirage before. Never!"
Keiss looked back at Layle who only frowned. The Clavat then shouted ahead, "Nadeen! What does this 'mirage' look like!"
"L-like a Lilty woman! With some sort of…purplish flower in the ends of her hair. Why?"
"Well, you're friend is here, Layle." Keiss turned to him, "Can you handle her?"
The Clavat smiled, "Do I have a choice? …You and Nadeen go on a head. I'll wait here."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. She's bound to come to me. She's always got something to say before we fight…And I want to talk to her too this time."
The red head looked him over for a moment. Trying to analyze this idea and determine how crazy it was. He didn't like it…but there was no way they could fight her on Chocobos. So talking was the winning decision. "Okay…Just be careful." With that, Keiss called to Nadeen and the Selkies continued on a head, leaving Layle to wait for Clockwork.
By the time they were out of sight, the Crystal Bearer Lilty made herself known. She appeared a few feet away from Layle, dressed in airy clothing and wearing mountain boots to protect her feet from the rocks.
"You know…"He smiled at her, "I was starting to think I wouldn't see you this mission."
She chuckled, "I'm sorry I'm late, Clavat. I had a very important dinner date."
"Something is more important than me?"
"Nothing is more important than you and these missions…" She flipped her hair, "I gave a good week's worth of appointments to make sure I got here before you did."
"And why is that, Clockwork?" Layle leaned forward on his Chocobo, "Why do want to stop us? What is it you are working so hard to prevent?"
The time controlling Lilty smiled at him, "You're finally curious? …Tell me, have you heard of the term 'Crystal Rule'?"
"…Maybe. Should I have?"
"It's the idea that the Crystal's control people's destinies. Just like the idea that the Crystal Principle controls the balance of the world. …I am doing this, because you cannot run from destiny."
Layle scoffed, "And here I thought you had information on what I needed."
"You mean the weapons?" He stared at her shocked, "Yes. I know about them. I know you've been fighting them. I know a lot."
Layle slid off his Chocobo, hanging onto the reigns, "Clockwork, what do you know? You have to tell me."
"I will tell you if you make this your last mission." She extended her hand to him, "I will tell you not only what I know…But just how much my power can really do." Layle looked at the offered hand.
How much her powers could really do? And Destiny? …She certainly came across as a nut, but if it meant putting a stop to these missions and getting to the truth, he'd take it. The Clavat reached out to take the girl's hand. He was almost expecting her to double cross him. To toss him into the Lamia pits below, however when he took her hand, she shook it. She just shook it, with a smile.
"Heh."
"Something funny?"
"Not really…I'm Layle."
"I know you're name. My name is Ve-" In the middle of her sentence there was suddenly the sound of a gunshot. Layle pulled his hand back in terror as the girl's eyes went wide. She stumbled forward and grabbed her arm. She had been shot in the shoulder. Both the Crystal Bearers turned their heads to see Keiss standing a head of them with his pistol raised.
"What are you doing!" Layle raised his hand to attack his partner when he felt Clockwork shove him. He stumbled back into his Chocobo as she cast a slow spell on him.
"You! You're a damn fool, Clavat!" He struggled to speak to her, but nothing could come out fast enough. Layle had to watch as she pulled a control box out of her pocket with a series of buttons on it. She looked ahead at Keiss and pressed one. There was the sudden and loud sound of an explosion. The entire rock shook, and sand blew up into the air form the Lamia pit below. Yet, he knew that was not the result Clockwork had been expecting. Her facial expression was rather pissed.
"You weren't expecting me to find those explosives, were you!" Keiss called out to her he kept is gun raised and walked forward. "Go ahead, press it again. Blow up some more snakes."
She smirked and tucked the detonator back into her pocket. "Very good, Selkie." Clockwork reached down and grabbed the still slowed Layle by the collar of his shirt. "But are you gonna beat me to the Antlion?" Keiss started to shout at her as she pushed Layle off the edge into the Lamia pit below. As he fell, he felt her release the slow spell on him. But that didn't stop him from tumbling down the rocks.
Each blow hurt like hell. And he was sure if not for the fact he was able to put a shield of gravity he would be impaled on one of the rocks. By the time he hit the ground, he knew he was in trouble. The Lamia's had scattered from the explosion, but they were not gone.
"Well," Layle cracked his knuckles, "I better start finding a way out of here!" He dash forward while the snakes were still disoriented. He raced past a few and then grabbed one directly in front of him and started using her as a battering ram. The monster twisted and contorted as she was hurled into her sisters.
What few could make sense of their surroundings gave chase, trying to slow Layle down with their spells. He had no idea if there was actually away out of this pit. But he knew he couldn't stand still and wait to find out. As he ran forward, more and more of the snakes seemed to emerge to follow him. Hot on his heels they were casting spell after spell, which he was barely dodging or cancelling out with his own. Finally one struck him in the back and Layle felt his body slowing down. He struggled to force his own magic out and cancel the spell. Just as a Lamia circled around in front of him, her daggers raised he felt a hand on his back, and the spell suddenly break.
Layle raised his arm and caught the attacking snake in a gravity field and hurled her behind him into the crowd of Lamias that had stopped chasing him. He stared at them, surprised. They hadn't stopped chasing him. They had just stopped.
"Don't stand there too long, Clavat!" He turned his head to see Clockwork next to him. "It's not a very long lasting spell."
"You!" he pointed at her, "You were going to kill us!"
"Only if I couldn't reason with you…" Clockwork was still clutching at her arm. "And it would seem reasoning with the Selkie is out."
"You can count reasoning with me out too!"
The time controlling Lilty spit on the ground, very unlady like and jerked her head back, "We will settle it out of the Lamia pit!" With that she turned and started to run. Layle looked back; the snakes were already starting to move. He took off after here. Half pissed, and half wondering if she could cast Stop, how come she never used it before.
The Lilty woman led him to a nearby bluff and stood at its bottom. "Here, the rocks are not so jagged. You can climb up." Layle put his hand on the rocks and looked over at her. She didn't move to climb. "What are you waiting for!"
"Your arm…" Layle reached out to her, "Come on. Hang onto me." Clockwork took a step back and he snagged her with his power and pulled her back, "You saved me form a Lamia, now I am saving you. We keep this even, got it!" Startled, she could only nod before wrapping her good arm around Layle's neck.
As he started up the rocks he heard her mutter about him being strange.
By the time Layle was halfway up the rocks the Lamia's were swarming below. They were still within range of their magic, but Clockwork kept them at bay. For each of the spells they casted she used her good arm to counter them, keeping them from striking the two as Layle climbed up. Finally the Clavat pulled himself over the top of the ridge and let the Lilty slide off his back.
Layle kept himself up on all fours, his head down and sweat dripping from his brow. "Crud…that was a long climb…"
Clockwork still clutched at her arm and shook her head, "Only because you carried me up…I could have gotten out without you."
"Yeah right."
"Honestly I think he should have just left you too." The two Crystal Bearer's lifted their heads to see Keiss, standing behind Clockwork, gun raised, and smiling. She merely smiled back at him.
"Hello, to you to Selkie."
"Come on, get up. …You okay, Layle?" The two Crystal bearers got up slowly, Layle nodded to his partner as Nadeen took hold of the Lilty's hands and tied them behind her back. "Good. Well, Miss Crystal Bearer, it may have taken us a month…but we're finally taking you in. Lieutenant Spinosa is looking forward to meeting you."
The girl just smiled at him. "We'll see how that goes." She wasn't at all afraid. She knew something they didn't know, he was sure of it. Layle took note of that and kept his eye on her as they continued to the edge of the rocks toward the Antlion nest.

A/N: Oh my how short! Considering how long the last ones were you all must think I am mad...but there's a reason its short I swear. This one and Seventeen were originally one. And that was just too long! So two short ones are now what they are. Anyway, stop reading this, move on to the next chapter!
- 15
- 16
- 17
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The Crystal Rule