The Secret Garden!
Reno, Rude, and Ilian are standing down the middle path. It's becoming greener - sickly vines are growing around the wire, and once in a while, a fleshy orange flower blooms.
This path goes dangerously close to the carousel, and they can hear the whimpering horses over the tinkly music.
A long, long ways away, there's a garden full of statues, and ( Read more... )
This path goes dangerously close to the carousel, and they can hear the whimpering horses over the tinkly music.
A long, long ways away, there's a garden full of statues, and ( Read more... )
And he liked a challenge.
He looked around at his companions. This place was very foreboding, but he hardly felt the need to fear it. It wouldn't chop his head off, as it did the other elf.
"I'll go first...?"
He took a few steps into the garden.
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Really. This looked like fun.
Reno took in the sight of the horses with a somewhat horrified grimace. Seeing them from a distance was bad enough but... this close was awful. There was something about wounded animals that tugged on the heartstrings just a little.
With a sigh, he followed Ilian into the garden. "... Looks like fun." Voice dripping with bitter sarcasm.
Why did he think coming down here was a good idea again?
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He made no comment on the situation or surroundings. Their mission was straightforward enough, and that was what he concentrated on.
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Sick, dripping, hateful and aggressive is the hissing and from the shadow of a statue slinks a creature that seems mostly lizard, but with wings and walking awkwardly on chicken's feet.
Its eyes are closed and it suddenly rears up on its hind legs. Opening its eyes, they shine a brilliant shade of sapphire blue, ruby red and emerald green. It would be hypnotizing and beautiful to look at, but it's not looking at anyone but Ilian.
In a flash, Ilian has become a statue.
The basilisk seems to laugh to itself and it scurries back into the shadows.
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And he felt his heart stop.
"F-"
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Oh fucking hell.
That made Reno jump and he couldn't help but watch the basilisk as it slithered away. "Oh fuck." He pulled a face at the now-stone Ilian and moved over to the statue, taking a closer look and resisting the strong urge to tap it on the head with his chair leg. 'Cause that would be bad form.
"Could do with a soft or an Esuna, huh?" He gave a soft snort, but there was nothing amusing about this. Not really. He cast a glance back over his shoulder to check that Rude was still with him and continued on, cautiously.
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But it brought up the concern that if that creature reappeared, the same thing could happen to either of them, just as quickly. He didn't tell Reno to be careful as he continued on behind him; he'd already know.
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Behind them!
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After what had happened to Ilian, Reno knew better than to just turn around and look at the thing. Not with no curative materia or anything of the sort with them, but he couldn't just leave it either.
So he went for the next best option.
Avoiding eye contact altogether and screwing his eyes shut at the last minute, Reno turned and raised the chair leg to hit the thing... anywhere, really. Just so long as the fucker went down.
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The basilisk flies backwards and smacks into a statue, croaking weakly.
Speaking of statues, the ones around Reno and Rude seem... closer? How is that possible?
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