Final Fantasy Spiral
Disclaimer: All characters, places, scenes belong to their respectful owners!
Chapter 8: Sandy Lands
-8-0-8-
"I'm quite sure he floated away from Kilika…" said Hao a bit startled at Wakka's sudden appearance. All of us were actually.
"Sir Kuro! I finally got to see Sir Kiako and now Sir Kuro ya? I must be the luckiest man in all of Spira! Oh thank Yevon for blessing me with such--!"
"OH SHUT THE HELL UP!" I screamed punching him in the noggin but wincing from the pain of my own wound. And here I thought he was gone for good… "Tell me, where'd you see Kiako?"
"But Sir Kuro! You're bleeding!"
"TELL ME NOW!" I demanded.
"Y-yessir!" he said saluting. "I saw her… in a big ship that flies!"
"She was in an airship."
"And I came by to say hello to her!"
"You crashed into the window and knocked the ship off course."
"Then a bunch of giant black birdies came to say hi to everyone too!" he cheered no longer saluting.
"A flock of Zu attacked the ship and now they're shipwrecked somewhere."
"Then I came to say hi to Sir Kuro!"
"You fell off the airship and plummeted here. Good job. Now good bye." I booted him into the sky with a Firaga and out of my sight. "At least he served some purpose this time."
Diablos looked at me awkwardly. "How… did you get all that from what Wakka said?"
"If you hang around idiots long enough, you eventually learn their language," said Leon. I nodded firmly. "So, where do you suppose they're at?"
"The closest area for a Zu to be hanging around would be Bikanel."
"Whohoo we're going on vacation!" cheered Anise.
"This isn't a field trip you know," scolded Luke. "We're still trying to get back home."
"Bikanel Desert. I can hardly call that place a vacation spot," I said. "The oasis is pretty nice though."
"How do we get there?" asked Shaolee.
"How else?" said an unknown voice. It sounded almost like Luke but…
"Asch!" exclaimed Luke and Natalia. I regarded the Luke-look-alike who was dressed in all black with red patterns all around. He had long red hair and green eyes just like Luke.
"This is all your fault dreck! If you hadn't stupidly used your hyper-resonance like that, we wouldn't be in this place!" shouted Asch at Luke completely ignoring Natalia.
"So this is MY fault?" he blurted in complaint.
Jade tried to stop the redheads from getting any redder. "Now now, calm down. Asch, please explain what you want with us then we can all be on our merry little ways."
"All I want is to get back to Auldrant before Van does anything. According to the people here, there should be some technology that I might be able to use at a place called Bikanel Desert."
"Master Van…" said Luke.
"Brother…" muttered Tear.
"We could provide you with transport. We're on our way there ourselves," said Jade.
"I'm not travelling with a jerk like him!" Luke complained.
"Looks like we can agree on something after all," scoffed Asch crossing his arms.
I growled in annoyance. "I'll take you to your destination on my Oversoul; the Al Bhed there can help you with any technological stuff. Though I doubt it's enough for a portal to another world."
"Tch, useless…" Asch mumbled. "Then at the very least, get them to lend me an aircraft. I'll search for another way myself."
"I'll see what I can do. The rest of you go with Hao-sama on Spirit of Fire and see if anyone is at the shipwreck and help any of the injured. I'll meet you all there. No complaints?"
"How about some milk before we—oof!" I punched Train away cutting off his sentence and then collapsing to my knees.
"Let us treat the injured before we leave," said Natalia.
"Yes, that would be best," said Jade peering to my injured self.
-8-0-8-
I sat by one of the campfires alone. My wounds had been tended to by Tear as she and Natalia were the only healers here. Everyone else seemed okay except for Train who was still begging for some milk.
"You're regretting, aren't you? Killing that Doctor," said Diablos out of nowhere beside me.
"Despite all my threats to kill… I've never actually taken someone's life before," I replied.
"But you did it because--"
"I did it out of shear rage. At that time I just wanted to kill him for everything he's done to us. I had no control over my dark side…"
Diablos sighed. "Darkness is the hardest to control out of all the elements. Flowing as wind, spreading as fire, deep as earth, deadly as lightning, cold as ice and water… Each of the basic elements' characteristics is incorporated into the element of Darkness. The only one it doesn't have is…"
"Light," I said amazed at his wisdom.
He continued on explaining. "Light is gentle as wind, bright as fire, nurturing as earth, powerful like lightning, soothing as water and ice…"
"What about gravity?"
"Gravity in Darkness is the ability to force into submission. Its counterpart for Light is the ability to repel, in other words, Reflect. Dark takes away life, Light restores life. That's how it is for the two Magics… So I've heard." One of the few times I've seen him this serious or rather just not freakishly happy with hearts at the end of his sentences. "You still have a long way before mastering Black Magic."
I was silent for a few moments as the fire crackled. "Thanks," I mumbled
"Hm? What for?"
"For helping me realize how much I suck."
"Err, I didn't mean it that way…"
"My inability to control my Darkness tells me that it's getting stronger while I'm getting weaker. It means I have a greater potential ahead of me; I can still improve."
"That is correct," said Hao popping in with a smile.
"Oh, Hao-sama. You're okay now?" I said.
"Yeah. We can get going anytime." The difference between this face and the face that nearly killed me was truly frightening. One wouldn't even think that he could be capable of such a thing. I've known Hao for about three years yet he still scares me in many ways. But I know I could trust him.
-8-0-8-
We took to the skies after the several hours of rest, the explaining of the usual, and some proper introductions, and then we went our separate ways after arriving at the coast of Bikanel. Not even two seconds into the island, we got attacked! Zu from below were charging towards me and Asch. Diablos was currently in Oversoul mode dodging attacks so his help was out of the question.
"Hey! Can you use Fonic Artes? Judging from your weapon, I assume you're a Fonist!" yelled Asch over the sound of the wind.
"If by Fonist you mean Mage, then yeah!" I replied.
"Follow my lead!"
"Got it!"
Asch started the incantation as a glyph appeared below him glowing lightly. "O darkened storm cloud,"
"Loose thy blade and…"
"Run mine enemies through!"
"Run mine enemies through!"
"Thunder…"
"…Blade!"
Four were instantly incinerated; only pyreflies remained floating away. "Watch out!" I warned. Asch had gotten knocked off the Oversoul. I instantly switched over to my armoured Oversoul and grabbed his arm. "Dammit…"
"Bring all to ash and ruin! Explosion!" shouted Asch. A glimmering light fell from the sky and, well, exploded. I lost my balance within the shockwave and crashed into the ground.
I blurted, "Are you STUPID or something? You could've killed both of us!"
"You're the one who lost control in the air!"
"Well maybe if you hadn't exploded the entire field--!" I cut my speech mid way; I just realized we had barged an Al Bhed camp; various machina were scattered throughout the sands. There were many murmurs in the other language of Spira. "R-rao, druca baubma vmaf eh vnus dra cgo!" "Yna drao veahtc?" "Tuh'd mad ouin kiynt tufh!"
"What the hell are they saying?" Asch asked me.
"As if I'd know; they're Al Bhed."
"Tu hud ryns dras. Kuro, ruf ryja oui paah?" said someone I knew all too well walking out from the crowd.
"In a language that we can understand please, Ciel," I told him annoyed.
"My apologies, Kuro," he said smiling.
Asch looked at me. "You know him?"
"I suppose. Ciel here can be your translator for the time being. I gotta go and meet with the others."
"But I never agreed to—"
"Alright then," said Asch. "Take care of Natalia for me."
"Natalia?" I said surprised.
"Just go!" he snapped before I could say anymore.
-8-0-8-
As I walked away from the camp and into the empty sea of sand and sky, I called up Diablos.
"You rang?" he said behind me in a deep voice trying to imitate that butler dude from The Addams Family.
"Quit fooling around, you idiot."
"I'm tired okay? Can't we just rest a bit?" he said peering up to the clear blue skies.
"We have to find a place to rest first. We'll burn in the sun if we don't--"
"Hey look it's a scarecrow!" he said in a freakishly happy delusional state.
"Two seconds and you're already hallucinating…" I grumbled shaking my head.
"No no, really look." So I looked to where he was pointing at. Sure enough, there was a lone scarecrow in the middle of nowhere. "See?"
"Hmhmm… I must be hallucinating as well. Let's just get the hell outta here," I decided just about to walk away. Diablos ignored me and ran up to the scarecrow. Reluctantly, I followed. "Diablos!"
"I swear, I've seen this thing before…" he said observing it. "Now where…huh?"
I groaned, dying in the sun's merciless rays, "DIABLOS!"
"Eh, sorry! There's some shade by those ruins, come on."
As I stomped off, I swore that scarecrow had moved.
-8-0-8-
Since he was used to fiery flaming heat, Diablos seemed well enough to move around. I, on the other hand, was not.
"Here, some water from the oasis." He handed me a canister.
"I hate the heat…" I croaked trying to drink the water. "I hate the heat…"
"You doing okay?"
"I hate the heat…"
"You been repeating that since we got here…"
"I hate the heat…"
"We have to move on soon."
"I hate the heat…"
"If you don't wanna move I'll possess you and make you move," he threatened and I suddenly felt all better.
"Ehh! Let's Oversoul!" I hate the heat…
-8-0-8-
A/N: Apologies for the extreme lateness!
