Scholar, The
Summary: FFX. Alternate Reality. Baralai of Bevelle joins Yuna and her friends on her pilgrimage as the eighth Guardian of the group. Magic-centric. Seven drabbles. 1400 words. Characters: Auron, Kimahri, Wakka, Tidus, Yuna, Lulu, Rikku.
Danko Kaji: This series of interconnected drabbles, plus Lucid Nightmare, got locked in a four-way tie for first place under the FFX & FFX-2 category of Livejournal FF_Fortnightly's Annual Drabble Contest. I'm posting this in our joint account, because Sorrow has a Human Heart inspired these pieces.
Oh, and my Lucid Nightmare won! :D Yay! Still waiting on that dramatic reading...
Pt. I ~ {Auron watches the acolyte like a hawk}
"'Doom can incur a ticking time bomb within the victim's body. The caster relinquishes negative energies, which morph into an ominous cloud and twist and alter the natural physiology of the target'..." Auron hears the boy recite the text from his magic scroll, eyes a deceptive soft, as he watches him observe Kimahri summon the spell via Blue Magic. Knowledge of the foe, resourceful and unassuming, yet that boy–
He faces a fire drake, left hand lifted in dangerous prayer. No amount of hail, or frostbite-inducing wind will break his concentration.
Blood gushes out the mouth and nose. Its proud horns break due to its rapid brittleness, and the Nidhogg collapses from spontaneous cardiac arrest. When they continue to trek Mt. Gagazet and purge the path of fiends along the way, it becomes clear Baralai has more "accuracy" than Kimahri. Intestines. Kidneys. Liver. Spleen. Lungs. The fiends' anatomy serves as his map to read and explore his potential.
'It's in his nature to cast something like that,' Auron muses, 'A manipulator...'
A healer, a destroyer, and also an expert of tactical warfare. 'He knows too much. He's dangerous.'
Auron wonders if they are truly safe, having him as an ally.
Pt. II ~ {Kimahri hates to be outdone}
End of the road; the party turns and a group of fiends ambush them from behind. Too many fiends prowl the Omega Ruins, and all prove to be fearsome. Kimahri growls, brandishing his spear, showing Yuna these foes don't daunt him, not one bit.
Baralai pounces, like a human Queen Coeurl. Beautiful. Feral. Calm. Flipping low in midair, the man-child breaches their defenses, twirling upon landing his wicked staff.
He would cast lethal spells belonging to the elements of nature next, or invisible forces of the universe, but not this time. Darkness ignites, flashing hot colors that blind retinae, and an other-worldly chill pervades the dim passageway. Kimahri witnesses the Ultima spell, where a Wraith's soul evaporates, a Zaurus's body rots until flesh melts, and a Mimic's heart withers inside organic stones.
'Baralai watches Kimahri close. Baralai studies Kimahri well.'
Not to be outdone as a Guardian, Kimahri scours the dungeon for a challenge. They soon confront a Yevon traitor in fiendish form; Kimahri extracts the ability and relinquishes it ten-fold after surviving its Supernova might. Non-elemental magic, which rivals the intense heat and brilliance of the sun.
Kimahri smiles his toothy grin when his prowess stuns Baralai into silence.
Pt. III ~ {Wakka holds respect for the golden boy}
'The kid may not be a lively one, but he sure gotta good head on his shoulders, ya?' Wakka muses, reclining on an indigo-brown trunk.
Upon the third morning since he joined, Baralai rises in the brink of dawn to meditate, then begins his exercise drills when sunlight winks through glittering canopies. Arms sway and hands gesture while condensing and releasing raw magic in precise intervals, robes flickering with the violent elements. He seems to dance within the flurry of flames and music of frost, the orchestra of thunder and ballet of water. Momentum flows ceaseless while minutes fly away, and internal alarm clocks soon awaken the others.
Fingertips aglow dispel incoming hostile spells, finally ceasing this spectacle. "Indulge me in a sparring match, will you?" Scarlet eyes glare in challenge, as a moogle doll trots side-by-side its master Black Mage.
"With all due respect, I will not hold back even if you are a woman." Ever the quick learner, Baralai learns her magical prowess far outstrips his skill, yet he holds his ground strong in this competition of mental stamina.
Wakka smirks, pleased to see Lulu's pride flare into light, and cheers her on to mellow her wrath later.
Pt. IV ~ {Tidus likes the priest, despite personal feelings}
First time they met, Tidus thought Baralai looked like a girl.
He flirted with 'her', almost asked 'her' out on a date, until Yuna introduced 'her' as a man and new Guardian. A part of his ego died that day. 'And I'm not the only one on edge, either.'
The way he has Auron nervous, and Yuna head over heels, and Lulu on her toes, and Rikku speechless, and Kimahri polite, and Wakka captivated– 'That's gotta be magic, how he can win over people's hearts like that. He's even got me liking him!'
What kind of priest studies the Al Bhed language in public places? Or worships his religion, yet questions his god without tripping over his own words? Or steals lives human, fiend, and machine using sacrilege in hand?
He knows stuff, Spira's history, all kinds of magic, things people don't know. Tells stories way up there with Maechen. His words are like magic, weaving syllables into beautiful colors and painting pictures for the listener to daydream. "A silver-tongue," Auron called him, "A master manipulator. Don't get too close to him."
Yet Tidus trusts him almost as much as Yuna, 'Cuz he believes me when I talk about Zanarkand.'
Pt. V ~ {Yuna mends a scar under discretion}
Unable to fall asleep, Yuna rolls over, blinking, catching sight of blood seeping through well-worn bandages. They unravel, revealing a small, fatal wound in his backside. Tan fingertips glow in the rain, channeling Regen under discretion to mend a scar. Her healer instinct kicks in; she approaches, lowering her voice. "...may I heal you?"
"Don't exhaust your reserves..." Baralai whispers his grudging consent.
Esuna loosens the metal shards, soothing the infection within. Proffered from its leather sheath on his left biceps, Yuna uses his small knife to dig around the bullet-sized wound. She fears to assume, yet she holds little doubt– 'This was a very deliberate attempt on his life...'
"You should drink some Remedy. It's healing properties are potent when ingested..."
Heeding her advice, he takes sorrowful swigs, flinching when Yuna plucks the last piece of metal out. His stiff muscles relax, cool Cura closing the hole well, yet hearing her sigh of dissatisfaction triggers paranoia to resurface. Pulling out a needle and thread, Yuna stitches the rest of the way shut.
"I will stay with you until you fall asleep, if you like..."
Baralai leans into her touch, wanting to feel connected, yet fears of the future risks.
Pt. VI ~ {Lulu is the natural; Baralai is a hard worker.}
Earthquakes have an electromagnetic element, which relates to tidal pull and the core of the Earth, the tilt of the axis...
Lulu skims the elegant scrawls, the fruits of his labor and studies on papyrus. 'I am the natural and he is the hard worker. I see...' Cultivating intellect to fuel latent potential, the Scholar relies on logic and formulas, unlike the designated Black Mage loyal to emotions and imagination.
Lulu stands atop the deck, where Cid has the Fahrenheit parked in a remote glen, overlooking the Calm Lands and the teen meditating alone down below. How long has he stood there, distant, still, and silent as a statue, awaiting the right moment to cast? Covering so much space between him and the airship, Lulu wonders 'Will he attempt to mimic the exact mechanics of an earthquake...?'
Over-excessive energy soon escapes from his pores, a soft cyan aura, and he slumps in posture, light-headed, overwhelmed; feet float a margin, arms rise, hands conduct ample magic, and Baralai plummets fast to pound the ground.
Light disappears, light ignites the soil, spreading, rumbling the planet's crust, and a quarter-mile crater bursts into existence.
Her hairs stand on end, like a fretful porcupine.
Pt. VII ~ {Rikku teaches Baralai a thing or two about chemistry}
Rikku demonstrates her home-made recipe of a Black Hole. "You take a winning formula and drop a shadow gem inside, like this... and viola!" Slipping the pitch-black stone inside the vial causes its mysterious contents to simmer and steam. Chemical reaction; hot light ignites, gravitational force circumcises air, and raw energy rips apart molecules and atoms and particles in limited space.
Baralai murmurs in awe and wonder. "Fascinating... You are quite an intelligent young lady. Thank you for showing me." Unused to hearing honest compliments from a Yevonite, Rikku blushes, scratching her cheek, smiling silly.
"Aw, it's nothing!"
"No. It is not 'nothing'. The way you mix concoctions in record time, why... it's almost like magic."
"...you really think so?"
His kindness tinkles like laughter in her ears, and Rikku blinks, tearing up, mouth crinkling in euphoria. "But of course. You are a prodigy. And I will tell you again and again until you believe me."
Indescribable happiness propels her to glomp the living daylights out of him. "You are my second best non-Al Bhed friend in the whole wide world!" All the pain she ever felt at this point– 'This guy makes me want to believe it's worth it.'