Author's Note: How many times have I rewritten and revised this chapter, honestly I'm not sure. XD I can't believe we already reached Operation Mi'ihen! So far, 1/4 of the story. XD
X. Futile Effort
The morning was supposedly quiet until they heard a scream coming from a woman who was panicking about the chocobos. Tidus was first to burst open the door heading outside and the rest of them followed. He looked around; the fiend was nowhere to be seen. The ground shook and they saw the chocobos running away in panic, and Berkut actually felt pity for the poor creatures.
"Where is it?" Tidus asked, still looking around for the fiend.
Yuna realized the only placed they haven't checked was the roof of the inn. When she looked up, her eyes widened. "Up there!" She pointed to the roof, and everyone looked. It was so far, a horrific looking fiend they've ever seen since the ones they last encountered back in Luca. Its main body was a fiendish looking face with a mouth big enough to chomp a chocobo or perhaps even a human. Its legs and feet were shorter than its arms and hands, where the latter was longer and the hands were bigger, big enough to pummel them and push them off the cliff just near the inn if they're not careful.
The Chocobo Eater jumped in front of them, its right fist aiming towards the guardians. They all split up as they avoided its huge fist. "W-What should we do?" Wakka asked in panic.
Kimahri lunged at the fiend, the tip of his spear going for the kill. The fiend saw this and just swatted him away just a few inches from the cliff.
"Kimahri!" Yuna shouted as she tried running to the Ronso for his aid.
"How do we beat this thing?" Tidus said while looking at the Chocobo Eater.
"We have to strike it hard, and fast!" Auron started to focus, and in an instant, he ran towards the fiend with red aura swirling him. The fiend flinched at his attack and lost its balance. As a result, it fell backward.
"Now!"
"Take this!" Tidus started cartwheeling towards the fiend and Auron held his sword like a baseball bat ready to hit a home-run. When Auron's attack landed on the fiend, it was pushed back, but he wasn't successful since it stopped just an inch off the cliff ahead of them. The warrior monk grunted in disappointment.
The Chocobo Eater got back up on its feet and grabbed one of the chocobos who were running past them. The chocobo was in fear and was panicking, flailing about but the grip the fiend had was stronger. It opened its mouth, ready to eat the poor thing.
"Oh no you don't!" Berkut sprinted and his lance started to gather power. His lance then, released a whirlwind which pushed it back and was forced to release the chocobo it was about to eat. The chocobo ran away again, thanks to him.
"Hurry!"
The fiend was starting to get back on its feet until Lulu casted a Fire spell and Kimahri, thanks to Yuna who healed him, shot a ball of fire from his mouth which startled it. Wakka twirled his ball from his pointing finger with lightning streaks circling around it, and kicked the ball hard towards the Chocobo Eater, and it fell backwards again thanks to the blitzer's attack. The fiend, now severely injured, was struggling to get back up.
"Now! Hit it hard!" Lulu said.
Kimahri sprinted and slashed both its arms which disintegrated to pyrefiles which now left the main body. Auron finished it off by slashing its face. The fiend collapsed and bursted into pyreflies.
"That was really impressive!" Elma, one of the Chocobo knights said as she helped gather up the chocobos.
"We appreciate this thing you have done," Rin said who was next to Elma. "Dryhg oui. It means, "I thank you. There are branches of my travel agency all over Spira. Your patronage is always welcome. "
One of the chocobos approached Berkut and nudged at him. This was the same chocobo who was nearly eaten by the fiend. He gently stroked the neck of the chocobo, and it cooed and stretched out its neck more.
"That chocobo took a liking to you," Rin said, "I also think it also wants you to ride it."
"Really? Is that how you feel?" He stared at the chocobo, and in turn it made a small noise and flapped its wings happily.
He chuckled. "I guess that's a yes."
"As a token of our gratitude, the first time is free of charge. Please ask the attendant, if you wish to rent." Rin motioned towards the woman who was in fact, the attendant. Then he went back to the group. "It is done. I told the attendant you can ride the chocobos, free of charge, for now."
"Wow thanks!" Tidus made a fistpump. "I wanna try riding one!" He looked at Auron, Lulu, Yuna and Wakka.
"I'd rather walk," Auron said.
"Me too. I'm not really good at riding a chocobo," Yuna said.
"Same here," Lulu said and Kimahri simply shook his head.
It was just Wakka, Berkut and Tidus who rode the chocobos. It was a different experience, since Berkut never rode on a bird before. The chocobo was happy to be rode on by him.
"Whooaa," Tidus said as he struggled a bit with the chocobo but it immediately calmed down.
"We better not go to fast so Lulu and the others won't fall behind," Wakka said. "Follow me!"
He was used riding horses, but certainly not chocobos, and again, another new experience. How he missed riding again on his horse. Despite looking like a bird though, the way it moved felt like he was riding back on his horse again, except for the part where it sometimes flaps its wings as if it wanted to jump or fly, though it knew it couldn't do so. Though Berkut wished he would ride again in battle, he knew that he couldn't and shouldn't be putting this one at risk.
Wakka led the way for the two not to get lost in the Highroad. There was the Newroad and the Oldroad, and Wakka got a bit confused at first which somehow frustrated the two teens. They somehow reached the end of Mi'ihen Highroad. They noticed a wagon which was carrying a fiend passing by through the gate. Wakka was surprised; he knew it was no ordinary fiend. It was a sinspawn. To their right, Dona and Barthello were arguing with the guard by the checkpoint who barred their path.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a summoner!"
"Sorry, ma'am! No exceptions!"
"You dare impede a summoner's pilgrimage?"
"Sorry, ma'am! No exceptions!"
Dona surrendered and shook her head. "Useless." She saw the three who were mounted on chocobos. "Oh, it's you. As you can see, not even summoners can pass. But they'll call on us in the end. Just wait and see. In the meantime, I think I'll have a nap. Oh, Barthello?" The two then ran off. Tidus on the other hand, didn't want to know what that "nap" actually meant. Meanwhile, Wakka was still in shock to see Crusaders with sinspawn.
"What in Yevon's name are they gonna do?" The blitzer shook his head.
"I guess this is the part of the operation they were talking about?" Berkut said, even he wasn't sure what was going on.
They all got off the chocobos to wait for Yuna and the others who were left behind. After a few minutes, they finally came into view and approached the three. They all noticed the wagon as well.
"What's going on?" Lulu asked.
"There's sinspawn in that wagon! What are they thinking?!"
"Calm down, Wakka," Yuna said. "I'm sure there's a reason for this."
At the gate, Tidus could see Luzzu and Gatta talking to a fellow Crusader and made a salute. "Gatta and Luzzu reporting sir!"
"This is the last of them," Luzzu said as he saluted.
"Good to have you with us! Go on through!"
The two crusaders saw Tidus peering at them at the gate. "Show me how to blitz sometimes!" Gatta said positively.
"Wait around. We'll have Sin beaten in no time!" Luzzu said in turn, and Tidus made a fistpump. Yuna wasn't looking too positive though. She knew something bad was going to happen later on, and she knew deep down that this operation may fail, yet she still believes in them.
"Please be back safe," she whispered.
When the wagon moved on, the guardians continued on through the gate until the guard impeded them. "I'm sorry. I can't let you pass." He then noticed Yuna, then her party. "You're a summoner and her guardians, right? Sorry for the inconvenience."
"It's okay," Yuna said. "We'll just wait after the operation then."
Before they could leave however, Wakka approached the guard. "What're you doing with those Sinspawn, ya?"
"What? They didn't tell you? We're bringing sinspawn from all over Spira here. Sinspawn inevitably draw Sin, right? We're going to lure it into a trap!"
"Are you absolutely certain you'll defeat Sin?" Berkut asked, his voice doubtful.
The Crusader saluted. "Yes, absolutely. This mission, Operation Mi'ihen, is a Crusader-Al Bhed joint mission. We Crusaders lure Sin in, and the Al Bhed strike it down. You see, Al Bhed hate Sin as much as we do. They even managed to salvage ancient machina. They say they're as powerful as the mighty aeons."
"WHAT?!" Wakka shouted. Berkut had never really seen Wakka this agitated before. "At this rate, Sin will keep coming back! How are we going to repent if you keep doing somethin' stupid like this, ya?!"
"Wakka!" Berkut snapped, and Wakka clammed up.
Despite Wakka yelling at him earlier, the guard remained calm. "We all know machina are forbidden by Yevon…" He shook his head. "Ah…on second thought, let's not go there. Better for you not to know. The Crusaders in Operation Mi'ihen have all been excommunicated. My own family won't even speak to me now. We have to beat Sin today. Otherwise, there's nowhere for us to go."
"Okay," Yuna said. "Good luck."
The guard saluted. "Thank you, milady Summoner."
Without another word, they all turned back from the gate while Yuna was worried about both the operation and them not being able to pass at the moment until the operation is done. They were surprised when they suddenly see Seymour who was heading their way. Behind him were two Guado guards. Yuna kneeled and offered the Yevon prayer, and Seymour reciprocated.
"So we meet again, Lady Yuna," he said. His voice was soft and smooth.
"Y-yes?"
"You look troubled. Is there anything I can do?"
"Well…" Her eyes turned to the gate. Seymour knew exactly what she meant.
"I see." He advanced towards the guard, and the captain saluted. He talked to the guard for a moment and then he saluted. He turned to the group. "It is done."
"Thank you, Your Grace." Yuna bowed deeply while Seymour was walking away. She was still bowing even after he was gone, and Lulu called out.
"Yuna, it's time to go."
"Oh! Right!" Yuna said, feeling flustered and Lulu set an arm around her then left. Tidus wasn't impressed by his act of kindness though. "Who does he think he is?"
"He's a maester," Wakka explained. "Better get used to it, ya?"
"Hmph."
They went ahead and Berkut, Auron and Kimahri were the only ones left. The prince wasn't also too fond of this so-called maester. There was an air about him, something which didn't feel right. "Hmph. He may have a high standing in Yevon, but I certainly don't like him."
Auron chuckled. "Trust me. He's not the only one."
The skies were now grey and cloudy as they entered the Mushroom Rock Road. There was tension in the air, as the Crusaders were all preparing for their big fight against Sin. Dark clouds sometimes signify a bad omen in which later on, it will happen later. Despite knowing that they will die fighting, they still had that glimmer of hope in their eyes; the hope that one day Sin will be gone forever, and Spira will finally be free from this despair.
Berkut thought it was admirable, but at the same time, this was all too risky, foolish even. He was always told that the Final Summoning is the only way to defeat Sin; this was the whole point of their pilgrimage. So why are they so keen on doing this, knowing that the summoners are there to defeat Sin? They would rather throw away their lives at this point for nothing, since he knew it's a futile effort, and he knew he's not the only one who felt that way.
The guardians approached a group of crusaders who assembled and saluted when they saw Seymour's presence. "All hail Maester Seymour!"
Seymour stood in front of them, along with the two other guado guards with him and made his speech, "Brave Crusaders of Spira, protectors of all Spira. Believe in the path you have chosen, let faith be your strength! I, Seymour Guado, maester of Yevon, will bear witness to your deeds today."
They all straightened up and saluted. "Sir!"
"What's goin' on?" Wakka asked, couldn't believe what the master of Yevon was saying. "Why's Maester Seymour backing the Crusaders, eh? They're using the Al Bhed's machina! They're violating the teachings!"
"Even going against the teachings they're willing to risk it for the greater good," Yuna said softly, "Wakka, I think Maester Seymour sees that, too."
The red haired blitzer sputtered, still unconvinced, "Lulu?"
"Hmm… I can only speculate."
"If you're so upset, go ask him yourself," Berkut said, and Wakka obliged. When he was about to go to him, Seymour went to them instead after dismissing the Crusaders. He looked at the guardians, and then turned to Auron. "Ah, Sir Auron. It is an honor. I would be most interested in hearing what you've been doing these past ten years."
Auron didn't even look at him. "I've got nothing to say about it," he said, and then he stomped off.
"I…see." He turned to Yuna, "Sir Auron must be a great asset as a guardian."
"Your Grace!" She bowed nervously.
"Please, there's no need for formalities."
Wakka then stepped up to the maester. "Excuse me… Maester Seymour?" He began, but he was so nervous he was scratching the back of his head while Lulu shook her head. "Why is your Lordship…presently…present here…sir?"
"Please, speak as you normally would," the guado said gently.
He then relaxed himself, "Uuuh… Isn't this operation against the teachings of Yevon? Aren't you gonna stop them?"
"It's true… I should."
The blitzer nodded intensely. "Mm! Mm!"
"However," he continued, "Both the Crusaders and the Al Bhed truly wish peace for Spira. This Operation Mi'ihen was born from that wish they share. Although it may be sacrilege to Yevon, their intentions are pure. And I, Seymour Guado– the person, not the maester of Yevon… As a denizen of Spira, I wish them well in their endeavor."
Tidus and Berkut looked at each other, both having their suspicions. The others though, except for Kimahri who was calm as always and Auron who wasn't even fazed, were surprised of what they were hearing. "But, using machina…That's bad, isn't it?" Wakka asked again.
Seymour gave an empty smile. "Pretend you didn't see them."
Everyone gasped. Berkut was surprised that coming from him, a maester, a supposed leader, would say something like this. Even his own uncle, Emperor Rudolf, would never say such things.
Wakka's eyes were wide. "Beg your pardon, but that's not something a maester should say!"
"Then pretend I didn't say it."
"You're kidding!"
Seymour then turned and walked away. Berkut looked as he saw Maester Seymour's figure slowly becoming smaller. Though he never liked him when he first saw him in Luca, what he said, it did make some sense, even just a little. Wakka on the other hand, was still stunned about his statement earlier.
"C'mon man," Tidus said, hoping he would snap Wakka out of his predicament. "Let's just…go."
"I agree," Yuna said. As they were about to continue however, a man approached them. It was Clasko, who was one of the Chocobo knights along with Lucil and Elma. "Excuse me, Lady Summoner Yuna?"
"Yes!"
"The command center… Maester Seymour requests your presence there, ma'am."
"Thank you." She turned to Auron, who nods at her.
"Take that road to the command center. it's not far. We're still in the midst of preparations this way. Sorry."
After they saw him leave, Berkut went close to Yuna. "What does he want from you?"
She glanced down, "I-I don't know."
"Be careful around him Yuna," Tidus said warning her.
They went to the direction Clasko led them, which at first confused them since they've been told here and there on where they should go. Along the way, they've encountered Lucil and Elma who were also one of the people who were preparing for the operation. Then they've encountered Shelinda who gave up stopping their operation, and instead help them with her white magic. Some of the rocks served as lifts to help them go up and down the mushroom rocks. Then for some odd reason, O'aka was there as well. How he got passed security, they shall never know, but he did provide them with items they needed on their way.
They finally reached the lift going to the command center, where Seymour awaits them. Before they went however, they saw Gatta and Luzzu just near them. They looked as if they were arguing however, since in the end, Gatta ran past them frustrated, leaving Luzzu behind. He noticed the group who were standing behind him.
"They let you through, huh?"
Tidus stepped in with his arms crossed. "Mm. Gatta deserves better…" He said in a small voice.
"At least there's no chance he'll get hurt," Wakka said. "Why are you guys fighting, anyway? Aren't the almighty Al Bhed machina enough?"
"Wakka…" The prince said with annoyance in his voice.
He turned. "What?"
"They still need some time to get them ready," Luzzu continued. "Our job is to keep Sin at bay till they're done."
Wakka just snarled at him, wishing he'd hit the guy right there and then. Luzzu however, wasn't fazed by his anger, and remained calm. "Wakka…" He began softly, which made the blitzer glance at him.
"I might not get another chance to say this. It's about your brother."
Lulu stepped in trying to stop him. "Luzzu, no!"
Wakka, confused, peered at both of them. "What?"
Luzzu looked at him straight in the eyes without even blinking. "I'm the one who convinced him…to enlist."
Wakka's eyes widened then he rumbled. He looked at Lulu, her sad eyes glancing down. "I'm sorry…" Luzzu said.
Wakka glowered at him for a moment, then punched him hard on the face, and Luzzu fell to the ground. He wanted to hit him more when Tidus restrained him from behind. "Wakka! That's enough, Wakka!" Berkut stepped in also in case he decided to fight Luzzu again.
He then stopped struggling, but his eyes were a mixture of anger towards Luzzu, and sadness for losing his brother, Chappu. Berkut never really saw this side of him before, and he felt he was starting to get to know him more. "When we used to play blitz together, Chappu used to say…He'd say that–when we won the Cup, ya?–he'd propose to Lulu. And then one day…he goes off and becomes a Crusader. Just like that."
"Chappu also said to me…" Luzzu said as he was slowly getting back on his feet. "That being with your girl is good…But keeping Sin far away from her is better."
Wakka then turned to Lulu. "Lu, you knew?"
The black mage sighed. "Luzzu told me…before we left."
The crusader chuckled. "She hit me too."
"Wakka…" Tidus began, "You know, you shouldn't really blame him for his death. It's not really his fault."
"What're you talkin' about, ya?" Wakka said, still enraged. "It's because of him my brother died! It's because of him, he and Lulu were—"
"Wakka… Please…" Lulu said softly.
"But—"
"You're brother knew what he was getting into," Berkut added. "He knew he was going to die, not just for you and Lulu, but for Spira. And even if he survived, he won't be the same man you once knew. Honor his bravery and sacrifice."
After he said that, Wakka calmed down. Lulu smiled at him. "Thank you."
Luzzu was about to say more when Captain Lucil arrived, riding on her chocobo. "All Crusaders in the vanguard are to assemble on the beach!" Then left again.
"That's my cue," Luzzu said.
"Luzzu! Don't die out there!" Wakka called out.
"So you can hit me more?"
"Lots! Lots more!"
Before he continued, Yuna stepped in and barred his path, her arms spread out. "Sir Luzzu, please!" She pleaded. "Please, don't go!"
He looked at her sadly, but he knew his fate was set. "I have to, Yuna."
"Let him go," Auron said. "The man has already chosen his path…As you did when you became a summoner."
Yuna was reluctant, but she let him through. They all watched as he left the area, and they all knew, something very terrible is going to happen later on.
"Curse these…!" Wakka kicked the machina cannons that were facing the open sea, but ended up getting hurt instead. "OW!"
"He really hates them, huh?" Tidus asked.
"Chappu…" Lulu began. "He left the sword Wakka gave him in Besaid. And he fought with an Al Bhed machina weapon instead."
The prince crossed his arms, "So that's why…"
"That's got nothing to do with it!" Wakka retorted. "I just hate these sacrilegious contraptions!"
"Sure," Berkut said with sarcasm in his voice.
"It's true!"
"Come on Wakka," Yuna said, "Maester Seymour is waiting for us."
Just outside the command center, both the Crusaders and the Al Bhed were all doing their final preparations as well as herding sinspawn into a bigger cage. It was only a matter of time, before the operation will begin.
"Grrr… It won't work anyway." Wakka said as he watched.
"Don't say that," Yuna said. "It might be a hopeless campaign, and it might mean defying Yevon…But the Crusaders and the Al Bhed– they're doing their best to defeat Sin. They want to rid Spira of Sin forever. And that's just what we want, too, isn't it?" She turned to the group. "Isn't it?" She said in a small voice.
"Hmph! All right, all right! But I still think machina are bad news. They're forbidden for a reason!"
Just then, Lucil approached the guardians. "Lady Summoner! There you are! The command center is that way. Maester Kinoc is also there."
Yuna's eyes were that of surprise. "Maester Kinoc, too?"
"Yes. Please hurry, my Lady."
As they walked towards the command center, they also saw children amongst the crusaders, helping them with their preparations. The prince's heart sank. Even the children were among those who will fight and die. He even overheard one of them who were practicing their swordsmanship, and he heard the child wanting to avenge his sister. They were so much younger than him, and yet they chose this. Such cruelty this world had brought them.
At the entrance, they saw Gatta. "The operation will begin shortly," He said flatly. "Please check all your equipment."
"Um, you all right?" Wakka asked.
"Of course not! I came here to fight Sin! But they stick me here!"
"If you want to prove yourself…" Auron spoke up.
"Huh?"
"First you must complete the tasks you are given."
He sagged. "Just doing what they say? It just won't be enough."
"Guarding the command center is important too," Berkut said. "If you prove to them that you can do that, then they'll think you are worthy."
"Yeah…" Gatta made a fistpump, now feeling encouraged. "Yeah! You're right! I'll show Luzzu and everyone else that I'm just as important too! Thanks man!"
They continued on in the command center. Inside the command center, they saw a chubby, adult man wearing a light orange robe sitting on a chair at the center. When he saw the guardians, he rose from his chair and began embracing Auron, who the latter stiffened. He was rather shorter than Auron. "I'd heard from Seymour, but I didn't know if we'd actually meet. Good to see you, Auron! Ten years, is it?"
Auron said nothing and the man chuckled. Before Tidus and Berkut could ask, Lulu was already ahead of them. "That's Wen Kinoc, one of the Four Maesters of Yevon. He leads the warrior monks and also commands the Crusaders."
Gatta suddenly rushed inside and made a salute. "All troops ready to move at your command, sir!"
"Good." He made a casual salute. "Dismissed."
"Sir!"
As Gatta exited, Tidus, Yuna, Berkut and Auron stayed behind. "Tell me, Auron," Kinoc began. "Where have you been the last ten years?"
"We don't have time for this now, do we?"
As the rest of them were about to leave, Kinoc said something that disturbed them. "This plan won't work, you know that. We'll just let them dream a little longer."
The blonde's eyes narrowed, "What?"
Behind them, Seymour called out. "Lord Kinoc…"
"Oh, yes. Proceed…"
The prince certainly heard him right. What did he mean by letting them dream a little longer? His brows furrowed at the maester. He saw him talk to Auron one last time before seeing the latter walking off.
"I kinda…think we don't belong here," Yuna said to the two men.
One of the captains then began speaking towards all of them. "It is time at last. We must tell the Al Bhed waiting outside to begin the operation at once. The fiends may break through. This place is not safe. Make sure you're prepared to defend yourselves. Tell me when you're ready."
"This is it huh…" Tidus said. Even he was nervous about this whole thing.
"We just have to remain strong," Berkut said, despite feeling the same way. He knew the feeling of being in a war, but certainly not like this one. He knew that people would die eventually, especially in battle and yet, why was he feeling this way?
Yuna also knew that it was finally time. "We're ready," she said to the captain. Then, Operation Mi'ihen begins.
The ground suddenly shook as they saw the sinspawn inside the cage was electrified by the Al bhed machina. The ground shook again and this time, the sinspawns were freed from its cage and some scattered to the beach and the crusaders scattered fighting the fiends while one giant sinspawn jumped in front of Yuna and her guardians. Because of the number of sinspawns the crusaders have gathered, it merged into one ugly beast which is Sinspawn Gui. Everyone held their weapons, ready for battle.
The sinspawn was like a mixture of a scorpion and a centipede fused together. Its head hung from a top of a long neck that connected to its body that contained the core which was open. Two huge, shield like appendages acted as arms and two more at the bottom which was bigger and bulkier. It scattered the party by slamming its right arm towards them, hitting the ground. They were lucky the ground didn't give way, or else they could've fallen to their deaths.
Tidus was the first to charge head on towards the sinspawn. With his sword, the Brotherhood at his side, he locked on towards the core that was wide open at the center. The fiend saw this however, and used its shield like hands to protect its body. Its head started to move suspiciously, and suddenly spat venom homing towards Tidus. He did a backflip to dodge the attack just in time.
"We have to deal with the arms so we can damage its body," Auron said, then his eyes went to Tidus, Berkut, and Kimahri. The three immediately got his instructions without him saying anything and nodded.
"Wakka and I will handle the head," Lulu said, then she turned to Yuna, "Wait until it has gone weaker. When it does, summon an aeon."
Yuna nodded. "Okay."
Lulu then began concentrating. The red aura which indicates the Fire spell swirled around her only this time, it was stronger. "Fira!" she yelled, and a more powerful version of Fire was casted on the head. The head shook as it was struggling after that attack.
Auron and Tidus were battling against the left arm while Kimahri and Berkut were attacking the right arm. The sinspawn roared in anger after Lulu's Fira spell, and began stomping and slamming its arms and feet around the party which destroyed some parts of the tent of the command center. The remaining crusaders that were inside immediately ran away after seeing the sinspawn on a rampage.
Auron used his Power Break on the right arm, and the right arm pounded him and was thrown at one of the flags outside the tent. Tidus avenged him by jumping at the arm and raised his sword, gathered energy around it, and casted it towards the right arm. The arm then, burst into pyreflies.
"Nice one, brudda!" Wakka said while Berkut gave a tiny smile. He knew he became more capable now than before.
The sinspawn became angrier than before. It fired a barrage of Thunder spells which now ultimately destroyed the tent and a dark ball of energy towards the guardians, but it didn't really do any serious damage to them. However, it did feel as if half of their strength was sapped.
"What was that?" The prince asked.
"That was Demi. A black magic spell which takes half of your energy and strength," Lulu explained. "It's trying to wear us down."
"I see. We have to defeat this thing immediately," he said, then he and Kimahri charged at the monster. The left arm slammed towards them which they immediately avoided and kept running. Kimahri then began to jump and slashed its head, then its arm. He used his Ronso rage and began shooting flames at it then tried shooting its main body where the core lies. It shielded it using its left arm, but it didn't stop Berkut from sprinting towards it. The tip of his lance began to glow, and he stabbed the left arm shield. The shield showed small cracks, then the crack grew bigger and bigger until the arm burst itself into pyreflies.
"Whoa! What was that?" Tidus asked, surprised after he saw his last attack.
"Armorcrush," the prince answered.
They looked up towards the sinspawn. Only the head remained, and they were winning…or so they thought. The right arm which Tidus and Auron destroyed earlier was slowly beginning to regenerate and the head was starting to move suspiciously.
"Hurry!" Wakka immediately kicked his ball which was covered in thunder towards its head since it was starting to spit Venom at them, and Lulu casted another Fira spell. "Yuna!" The black mage signaled.
Yuna nodded and began spreading her arms. "Everyone! Stand back!" She said, and she twirled her staff and a fire began to appear as she twirled it. The fire reached the ground making a magic circle and Yuna touched the ground which began to shake and came out her aeon. This aeon had a mixture of a head of a lion with huge horns and the body of a muscular man. It jumped in the air and caught Yuna with its muscular arms. The aeon landed and roared with all its glory. Once again, Berkut was awed of what he saw.
"Ifrit!" Yuna cried, and the aeon used its unique move, Meteor Strike. The sinspawn's right arm was completely regenerated and was about to do the same with its left arm, but the shield was no match for Ifrit's ball of fire. It once again burst into pyreflies, which leaves the head, which it spat venom against Ifrit. The aeon however, was immune to all kinds of ailments and therefore, the venom didn't have any lethal effect on him at all. Ifrit fired again, and the head turned into a sickly grey hue and now its body was wide open without anything left to defend itself. Ifrit began to gather its power, and the power grew bigger.
"Hellfire!" Yuna shouted, and great flames began bursting from the ground which sent the sinspawn mid-air. Ifrit fired another great ball of flame from its mouth and the fiend was trapped in an orb of flames. The sinspawn was in great agony. The aeon began grabbing great chunks of earth then hurled it towards the monster. The sinspawn fell and the flames died out leaving the monster incapacitated. Ifrit roared in victory. Yuna looked at the aeon and smiled, "Thank you." The aeon gave a small growl of acknowledgement and disappeared.
"Wow, Yuna!" Tidus said, still in awe of after that spectacle earlier. "That was amazing!"
"No. It was thanks to Ifrit that we won in the end," she simply said. Again she was being very humble.
"It's not over yet," Auron said, his eyes looking upon the open sea. "The battle is only beginning." Everyone looked at the sea, and saw a huge shadow that mostly covered up the sea. The crusaders and the chocobo knights were now all assembled at the beach. Rising from the water was Sin himself, sitting at the sea motionless. The Al bhed began firing the machina cannons towards Sin, and each fire they made causes chunks of Sin's skin to fall into the ocean floor, turning into jellyfish-like sinspawn. The chocobo knights then, charged and the fierce battle began. As they fought, Auron began to sense something from Sin and immediately shouted at the group.
"Look out!"
Everyone scattered, avoiding Sin's incoming powerful attack. The attack was so powerful, they were all thrown back from the impact. The last thing Berkut saw was a really bright white light and heard screams of pain.
Everything became quiet after all the chaos earlier. Berkut was lying face down and was a bit surprised he was still alive after all that. He groaned, and struggled to get up. When he got up, he saw the tragedy around him: debris was littered everywhere, and so many corpses lying on the beach. His eyes widened, and he was speechless. He may have experienced a war in the past, and knew about soldiers such as him would die in a war, but this was different. This was a brutal massacre. He first experienced the tragedy brought by Sin from Kilika, now he had experienced it again. Just how many more people are going to die, because of Sin?
He searched among the corpses to see if there were any survivors. Some of them didn't even have a clue and just died right there, some had their eyes still wide open, staring at the sky, lifeless, and some were breathing lightly until it stopped completely. There were hardly any survivors at all.
"It's you! You're one of Lady Yuna's guardians!" A female voice said from behind him. When he turned, it was the young Yevon acolyte, Shelinda. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Shelinda? Where are the others?"
"Lady Yuna and the others are over there," she pointed to the direction where the pyreflies were starting to gather. "She's already performing the sending. Thanks be to Yevon you are okay." She strode along with him until they saw the others standing there while Tidus sat looking frustrated. Yuna was there not too far away from them, performing the sending.
"Hey! You all right?" Wakka said. "We were worried you were either dead or lost somewhere."
The prince raised a brow. "I should be asking you that."
"Hey, as you can see, I'm still in one piece." Wakka then looked at the few remaining survivors of Operation Mi'ihen. "Told ya using machina was a bad idea. Now look what happened."
"I agree," Shelinda said in turn, "If they only followed Yevon's teachings, then ill fate would not befall them."
"Still…" Berkut said, and then he saw Auron talking to Maester Kinoc before walking away. He at the maester with contempt. He did not forget what he said earlier in the command center. Let them dream a little longer, he said. He knew, and he still let these people die. He felt disgusted.
He looked at the dead bodies. He knew the feeling of death, and now he somehow felt lucky to be alive again. His travels, the people he encountered, and the suffering he had experienced from the people, this entire thing he was seeing not as a prince or a noble, but as a person. He was also fortunate Valentia did not have such a monster like Sin. This whole operation was nothing more but Sin's demonstration of power, and Sin will not stop killing some more.
"Hey," Yuna approached him, "Are you okay?"
"I am. But I should be the one asking you that."
She chuckled. "I'm okay. After we rest up, we should get going." She smiled, "Everything's going to be okay." She went to Lulu and Wakka.
"Yuna…"
"In dark times, Yuna must shine bright," said a low voice which surprised Berkut. He was more surprised to see Kimahri talk for the first time. So he can talk after all. "She does not want you to worry. She tries harder when we look worried."
"So, you're saying, we should smile?"
The Ronso nodded. "Kimahri tries too. Kimahri show Tidus smile earlier."
"Really, now…?"
He nodded again, and began "smiling." His smile looked more like a cat hissing than smiling. Berkut grimaced and slowly looked away muttering, "You should practice more on that."
They all continued on their journey after this whole incident. Whatever awaits them in the future, they'll have to face it come what may.
Another Author's Note: So far, now we have 3 skills for Berkut: Mistdancer, Tempest lance and Armorcrush. This chapter was the longest I had honestly but it was fun! XD I'm still working on the next chapter lol so hopefully it'll be early...I'm not sure. Well anyway, reviews are welcome! And I know it's really really late but... HAPPY HALLOWEEN! XD
