Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy X or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Ch.21 Save the Chocobos!
After I woke up from my deep sleep- yesterday's magic practice had left me sawing logs- I put on my clothes and walked downstairs, seeing Tidus talking to the owner the agency, Rin. He seemed alright, and Tidus was talking with him in friendly tone. I walked down and saw Deiru sitting at a table, wiping a cloth over his huge sword. "Morning," he said, not looking up. I grunted and sat down, trying to still wake myself up. It was done for me when I heard a girl scream. "Someone help! The chocobo!" she called.
Auron walked in and said "That's our cue. Let's go." Tidus said "Huh?" but Deiru and I were already standing. Deiru put the cloth in his pocket and said "Here comes that large fiend. Happy happy joy joy." I smiled and said "But once we do the chocobos are saved." He nodded in agreement, and when the three of us ran out Lulu said "To the chocobo corral!" And we all started that way. When we arrived at it though the ground rumbled, and I looked up to see the fiend on top of the corral.
It had blue-ish skin had a wide mouth, in which it had two purple tongues, with a pair of huge arms covered in muscles, one of which was clutching a chocobo. It jumped down in front of us, and the chocobo thrashed in is grip, managing to break free and get away. It growled in anger and turned to face all of us, each of us drawing our weapons. It swung at Lulu, who dodged the attack and countered with Fire.
Auron concentrated for a moment before using Power Break, decreasing the Chocobo Eater's strength. It pointed at him as if to say "You're next!" and after it dodged a ball from Wakka it swung at him with both fists at the same time. The double blow knocked him off-balance, and the fiend took the chance to shove us all back, nearing the edge of the road. "So we're to be pushed off a cliff then!" he said, and I nodded. I cast Water and froze it with Blizzard, but the monster just shrugged it off and punched at me, forcing me to move further back.
Wakka used Darkness Attack to blind the fiend, and then Kimahri slashed at it with his spear. The combine attack sent it onto its back, and Auron called "Attack now! Push it back!" we did, and while it was down the beast cast Blizzard at me, Yuna quickly casting Cure on me and NulFrost on the entire party. We continued attacking until I jumped back up, roaring and shoving at us again, sending us back this time. "We need something to really hit it hard!" Tidus called, and I had an idea.
"Hey Deiru! Here's a large fiend, like you said. Now's your chance to show us what you can do!" I called. He smiled. "All right, everyone stand back!" he said, and we did. He charged forward and the Chocobo Eater tried to punch him, but Deiru jumped over it and cast Fire, a silver ball of flame flying to hit it on the head. The beast roared and cast Blizzard, ice crystals forming around him and swirling in a deadly twister. But Deiru spun his sword around in a circle, countering with Thunder.
The bolt hit the fiend straight on the head, and I ran forward, swinging its fists with reckless abandon. Deiru was hit a number of times and sent flying, put he flipped the air and landed on his feet, but his left arms was limp and at an odd angle, broken. "Deiru! You okay?" I asked. He smiled. "I'm fine, this isn't anything. Just all of you watch one of my favorite tricks!" With that he cast Water and sent the wave along the ground before it swung upwards, sending both water and dirt into the fiend's eyes.
It roared and clawed at its eyes, trying to get the dirt out. While it did Deiru cast Fire, but kept the orb in its hand. Then he yelled "Blizzard!" and I coating of ice formed over fire, turning into a hemi-sphere with the fireball inside. Smiling, Deiru ran forward and jumped onto the Chocobo Eater's head, slapping the hemisphere on, the fireball inside starting to throb. As Deiru ran back the fiend finished wiping its eyes, and glared at him before it felt the ice block on its head.
It grabbed the hemisphere and pulled it off, but the ice on it caused it to stick to its hand, while the fire started to throb brighter and faster. It growled and tired to pull it off, but it stuck to the other hand. It tried repeatedly to get rid of the ice block, but by the time it almost succeeded it was too late, and the fireball exploded with the force of a claymore mine.
The Chocobo Eater was sent back by the force off the explosion, its face and arms severely burnt with it nearing the opposite cliff. "And I'll leave the rest to you," Deiru said, stepping back. We all nodded, and Lulu and I began casting magic while Tidus, Wakka, Auron and Kimahri went into with their weapons. The fiend tried to put up a last resistance, but once Tidus cast Haste on everyone it didn't stand a chance. All of them attacked at the same time, the combined force enough to knock the Chocobo Eater down and send it off the cliff.
"Yeah!" Tidus called, watching the pyreflies fly up from below into the sky. Yuna ran over and spent the next ten minutes healing everyone, checking the injuries and casting magic. Once they were done the chocobo ran around happily, while Rin and the chocobo attendant walked over. "Have you an interesting in renting any chocobo. As a token of our gratitude, this first time is free of charge. Please ask the attendant if you wish to rent," Rin said, and the attendant said "Thank you so much for saving the chocobos!"
"It wasn't a problem at all," Yuna said. We walked over to the chocobo corral and each climbed on top of one. The birds chirped and tensed up, before rocketing forward. I called "Whoa!" and gripped the reins tighter; these things were fast! The other thought so too, and Wakka said "These things keep going at this pace and I'm gonna hurl!" Deiru however, laughed into the heavens and over the wind "It's been too long since I rode a chocobo! Even better than a shoopuf!"
Before I had a chance to ask what a shoopuf was, the chocobo actually picked up speed and ran faster, effectively ripping the words from my throat. I held on for dear life as we rode across the rest of the Mi'hen Highroad, ending up at a large gate where they stopped. Yuna and I slid off and the world spun around me for a moment before steadying, while Wakka and Tidus ran over to throw up in a bush. Lulu, Auron and Kimahri looked unaffected, while Deiru jumped off and grinned excitedly.
"That was the most fun I've had in a long time! What do you guys think?" he asked. Tidus and Wakka answered this by throwing up a second time into the bush, while I said "The sensation… feels like it would take some time getting use to." Deiru shrugged. "True enough. But once you are used to it…" he looked off into the sky. "There's no better feeling." "You're insane," I stated simply. He looked at me and winked. "Maybe a little. But enough to further enjoy the thrills of life."
Not having a response to that, I walked around until I spotted Dona and Barthello talking to a guard. Instantly my eyes narrowed in distaste, and my hand began drifting to Selini at my waist. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a summoner!" Dona said. "I'm sorry ma'am. No exceptions!" the guard stated simply. "You dare impede a summoner's pilgrimage?" she said threateningly. "I'm sorry ma'am. No exceptions," he repeated. "Useless!" she muttered.
I smirked and said "Aw, they not letting the high and mighty prude through?" Dona turned and recoiled. "You?!" she asked. "Me," I replied. "And what in Yevon are you doing here?" she asked hatefully. "Nothing much, just passing through on our way to the temple," I said. Now she smirked and said "Well, good luck with that. They won't let anyone who isn't a Crusader past that gate. You don't stand a chance."
I looked at the cart standing, along with Gatta and Luzzu, and said "We'll see about that." Gatta said "Gatta and Luzzu reporting sir!" Luzzu gestured to the cart and said "This is the last of them." Inside was a huge slug-like fiend that hissed and scratched at the sides. "Good to have you with us. Go on through," the guard said. I walked over and he said "I'm sorry, but I can't let you pass. You're guardians and a summoner right? Sorry for the inconvenience." I winced, but said "That's okay. Tell me about the operation."
"What, they didn't tell you?" he asked, and I shook my head. He explained "We're gathering sinspawn from all over Spira. Sinspawn inevitably draw Sin right? We're going to lure it into a trap!" I nodded, and said "And the Crusaders plan to destroy it using the forbidden machina?" He nodded. "This operation, called Operation Mi'hen, is a joint Crusader- Al Bhed mission. We Crusaders lure Sin in, and the Al Bhed use the ancient machina they've salvaged to destroy it."
I nodded and walked away, personally believing that the plan wouldn't work. "Aw, you couldn't get past either?" Dona asked in a taunting voice. I was about to snap at her when I saw someone walk towards us, and I smiled. "Down count us out just yet." Dona frowned and looked to see who me and everyone else were gathering by, and gasped when she saw who it was. Followed by two assistants, it was Maester Seymour.
Yuna and Seymour performed the prayer gesture for each other, and he said "So we meet again Lady Yuna." "Y-Yes?" she said nervously. He looked at her closely. "You seem troubled. Is there anything I can do?" he offered. "Well…" Yuna said, and looked behind her at the gate. Understanding he said "I see," and walked over to the guard. He saluted the maester and said "Maester Seymour! Allow me to show you to the command center."
"Hold. I have a request," Seymour said. "Yes Your Grace?" the guard replied. "I need to have Summoner Yuna and her guardians let through to the command center," he said. The guard was hesitant, and showed it by saying "But, Maester Seymour, sir." "Don't worry, I will take full responsibility," Seymour assured. This relieved the guard, and he said "Very well. They may pass." The guard walked to the side, and Seymour turned back to look at us. "It is done," he declared.
"Thank you, Your Grace," Yuna said, bowing. She did do even after he left, and Lulu said "Yuna, it's time to go." "Oh!" she said, looking rather distinctly embarrassed. I laughed, and Tidus looked rather upset, saying "Who does he think he is?" "He's a maester, better get used to it," Wakka said, walking off to join the others. As I followed I saw Dona looking at me with her mouth wide open, until I smirked at her again. Her mouth snapped shut and she glared at me, before she and Barthello turned and walked off the other direction.
xxx
Well, soon to come is the beginning of Operation Mi'hen and with it the Djose Temple soon to come!
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