Rosa - "The Long Road - 6"
Title: The Long Road - 6
Theme + Number: #88 Uncertainty
Claim: Rosa (challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: None
Rating: K
Warnings: None.
Writer's Notes: I'm hitting a busy snag in my life. A shift of tense here; I forget if the tense must remain consistent across ALL chapters of a tale, but this felt right.
Summary: Having escaped Kain, Rosa must pass through the cave of Mist to reach... well, Mist. [This story arc takes place in the time between Cecil leaving for Mist and Rosa appearing in Kaipo.]
Rosa. Rosa Farrell is her name. And right now, she's staring uncertainty head-on. Uncertainty in the form of a cave so mysterious and dark, so unfamiliar and untested by her that the merest thought of what could lie within strikes a chord of fear in her. The sensation sinks down from the recesses of her mind to the pit of her stomach, bubbling there. Yet even as she peers into the darkness, she knows with crystal clarity that she has no choice.
"This is the path," Rosa thinks. "I will not let fear veer me off course."
The world grows dimmer as night approaches, the twin moons already showing their faces in the sky. She dismounts from her chocobo steed, watching it run off into the wilderness. Already, its scent fades with the cool breeze. Her cape flaps gently behind her, and swallowing the last vestiges of apprehension, she rushes into the cave.
The musty air fills her lungs. Raising a hand, she chants a few simple words, and a globe of light shimmers into life in her palm. One look around tells her exactly what she doesn't want to see: nothing. Mist clouds her view beyond a few feet. It seems to almost part for her as she takes a couple steps forward, revealing a cave wall.
"Slow and steady," Rosa reminds herself. Turning right, she watches the ground as she walks, listening sharply for any awkward or uncommon sounds. Her feet follow what little she can make of the the path, taking her up a set of stairs and back toward the opposite end. For the briefest moment, she worries the cave might hold some mystical properties bound to set her in an endless loop of walking and ascending. Those notions fade when she spots the edge of a cliff. Winding down the twists and turns of the cave, Rosa's thoughts stray to Cecil, and the cave's length, and she can only hope she can will make it to him in time.
Chittering pierces the solitude of her mind space. Pausing, she scans as far as the mist will allow. Too late; Rosa narrowly sees a flash of yellow and green in time for her to move aside as the monster lunges at her. Her eyes trace its movement, watching as the creature seems to disappear into the mist. It's only after the fact that she feels the cut. Glancing down, Rosa sees the light mark on her bicep, barely deep enough to draw a few drops of blood.
With slight concentration, Rosa moves the ball of light to hover above her. Taking an arrow from her quiver, she rests it against her bow and sets it on the string. Her back to a wall of the cave, she surveys from left to right, working what little she has in her favor to the best of her abilities. Her archer's sight primed, she focuses into the mist. The slightest hint of green shows in her peripherals, and the thought of her actions doesn't flit in her mind for even an instant as she turns and looses the arrow. The monster's death squeal echoes in the cave, the imp's body sliding to a stop at her feet.
Going through the motions, Rosa snatches up the tan pouch at its belt, deciding to wait until after she exits the cave to count the gold inside. Dashing to the bridge, she feels the wooden planks lightly bend and sway beneath her feet. She makes it halfway before the sound of scurrying floods her ears.
"Not another one!" Rosa gripes. Readying another arrow, she fires on the imp at the very instant she gets a bead on its position. It drops seconds after.
Her relief is short-lived. At the sight of another, Rosa sidesteps. She watches the imp pass, oblivious to her position. This would be a great shot. A perfect shot. An easy shot.
She can't take it. The soles of her boots hang over the edge of the bridge, her body teetering and squirming for balance.
"Not here. Not now!" The thought races through her mind on repeat, a not so casual glance back showing her the dark pit. A quick hop forward removes her from the edge. She wastes no time in distancing herself from the threat, crossing to the other end of the bridge as fast as her legs can take her.
A breathy sigh loosens the knots of tension. Bow in hand and light shining from above, Rosa trudges onward, praying to herself that she will make it to Cecil in time.
Theme + Number: #88 Uncertainty
Claim: Rosa (challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: None
Rating: K
Warnings: None.
Writer's Notes: I'm hitting a busy snag in my life. A shift of tense here; I forget if the tense must remain consistent across ALL chapters of a tale, but this felt right.
Summary: Having escaped Kain, Rosa must pass through the cave of Mist to reach... well, Mist. [This story arc takes place in the time between Cecil leaving for Mist and Rosa appearing in Kaipo.]
Rosa. Rosa Farrell is her name. And right now, she's staring uncertainty head-on. Uncertainty in the form of a cave so mysterious and dark, so unfamiliar and untested by her that the merest thought of what could lie within strikes a chord of fear in her. The sensation sinks down from the recesses of her mind to the pit of her stomach, bubbling there. Yet even as she peers into the darkness, she knows with crystal clarity that she has no choice.
"This is the path," Rosa thinks. "I will not let fear veer me off course."
The world grows dimmer as night approaches, the twin moons already showing their faces in the sky. She dismounts from her chocobo steed, watching it run off into the wilderness. Already, its scent fades with the cool breeze. Her cape flaps gently behind her, and swallowing the last vestiges of apprehension, she rushes into the cave.
The musty air fills her lungs. Raising a hand, she chants a few simple words, and a globe of light shimmers into life in her palm. One look around tells her exactly what she doesn't want to see: nothing. Mist clouds her view beyond a few feet. It seems to almost part for her as she takes a couple steps forward, revealing a cave wall.
"Slow and steady," Rosa reminds herself. Turning right, she watches the ground as she walks, listening sharply for any awkward or uncommon sounds. Her feet follow what little she can make of the the path, taking her up a set of stairs and back toward the opposite end. For the briefest moment, she worries the cave might hold some mystical properties bound to set her in an endless loop of walking and ascending. Those notions fade when she spots the edge of a cliff. Winding down the twists and turns of the cave, Rosa's thoughts stray to Cecil, and the cave's length, and she can only hope she can will make it to him in time.
Chittering pierces the solitude of her mind space. Pausing, she scans as far as the mist will allow. Too late; Rosa narrowly sees a flash of yellow and green in time for her to move aside as the monster lunges at her. Her eyes trace its movement, watching as the creature seems to disappear into the mist. It's only after the fact that she feels the cut. Glancing down, Rosa sees the light mark on her bicep, barely deep enough to draw a few drops of blood.
With slight concentration, Rosa moves the ball of light to hover above her. Taking an arrow from her quiver, she rests it against her bow and sets it on the string. Her back to a wall of the cave, she surveys from left to right, working what little she has in her favor to the best of her abilities. Her archer's sight primed, she focuses into the mist. The slightest hint of green shows in her peripherals, and the thought of her actions doesn't flit in her mind for even an instant as she turns and looses the arrow. The monster's death squeal echoes in the cave, the imp's body sliding to a stop at her feet.
Going through the motions, Rosa snatches up the tan pouch at its belt, deciding to wait until after she exits the cave to count the gold inside. Dashing to the bridge, she feels the wooden planks lightly bend and sway beneath her feet. She makes it halfway before the sound of scurrying floods her ears.
"Not another one!" Rosa gripes. Readying another arrow, she fires on the imp at the very instant she gets a bead on its position. It drops seconds after.
Her relief is short-lived. At the sight of another, Rosa sidesteps. She watches the imp pass, oblivious to her position. This would be a great shot. A perfect shot. An easy shot.
She can't take it. The soles of her boots hang over the edge of the bridge, her body teetering and squirming for balance.
"Not here. Not now!" The thought races through her mind on repeat, a not so casual glance back showing her the dark pit. A quick hop forward removes her from the edge. She wastes no time in distancing herself from the threat, crossing to the other end of the bridge as fast as her legs can take her.
A breathy sigh loosens the knots of tension. Bow in hand and light shining from above, Rosa trudges onward, praying to herself that she will make it to Cecil in time.