Standard Disclaimer: I own Final Fantasy! I also own Shonen Jump, Nintendo, and all of France!
Author's Notes: If you could not tell it from the above disclaimer, I was lying. I really don't own all of the aforementioned things.
And also, if this chapter ends up taking longer than my usual 2-4 days to update, I apologize...but I have discovered Final Fantasy Anthology. Right now, I am playing FFVI, the (as many people proclaim) BEST of the series. So far, it's holding up pretty well in comparison to FFX (and it's already surpassed FFVII in my book). And Kefka! He's just...well, mean! O.O
To the reviews!
Assamite: Yes; the pilgrimage is recommencing!
Anime obsessed fan: Oh...the site of the experiment will become the site of a side-quest later on...but don't think they're going to let up on little 'Ms. PSP' that quickly!
By the way...what do you mean by 'pile-driver'? O.o
IMPORTANT NOTE: I have started a C2 archive (a new feature of : a favorites list on steroids, as they call it) called 'Digital Fantasy'. It focuses primarily on Digimon and Final Fantasy, but if you wish to submit a story to be added to my archive, please say so in a review. The URL is:
http(colon)www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/c2/67/0/1/
Just replace the words in () with the actual keyboard symbols. The site has a thing against URLs.
Begin!
xxxx
I know what you're thinking.
'If these modifications of yours are so high-tech, why haven't you patented them yet?'
Silly girl...I'm just an old man.
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Chapter 24: The Psy Mage
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/12:32 NT, Briefing Room, Luca Security Force HQ, Luca/
Captain Lutzwin stared quietly at the six Guardsmen standing in front of him, V-Staffs held at the sides. They were taut and at attention. Lutzwin's helmet was off; this way, the six men in front of him could see his icy blue eyes as he spoke. On the small table in front of him was a sphere that had been used earlier that day by an amateur spheremaker to record footage within the Fiend Arena. Also, there was a large map of Luca and the area surrounding it rolled out onto the table.
"Gentlemen, on this sphere is a recording of the Fiend Arena battles. What interests me, however, is near the end of the footage." With that, Lutzwin picked the sphere up and strolled over to a large screen near the end of the room. The monitor was of the touch-screen variety, and for good reason; it was used for manipulating images by hand.
He inserted the sphere into a slot at the base of the screen and watched as the footage began playing. Around the actual footage itself was a black rim with different options available. Lutzwin pressed 'Fast Forward'.
He zoomed through for about fifteen seconds before stopping and pressing 'Play'. "Now we're at the part where Teela departs."
The sphere slightly shook – due to the one holding the sphere – as Teela was seen running away from Lutzwin and jumping into the stadium seats. The sphere followed her, then slowly stopped as she handed her bag of 500,000 Gil to a teen in a red robe. Lutzwin quickly pressed pause.
"Now let's zoom in." He pressed 'Zoom In', and then touched the screen where the face of the boy was seen. The image was immediately magnified, and it showed the teen's face quite clearly. "The boy's name is Hirum. His last photo identification was taken for the annual yearbook at the Summoner's School of Baaj little more than a few months ago. According to our database, he was orphaned by Sin during its attack seven years ago, and Luca Temple became his patron. He left four years ago to attend the SSoB, to become a full-fledged Summoner. He also seems to have gotten into a number of altercations with her prior to his departure to Baaj, and he regularly reported to the Luca Security Force regarding these incidents. He even gave us as full a profile of her as he could before he left. So it's clear they know each other, if as antagonists." The Captain stepped back, his scowl deepening. "Though as to why they are interacting in such a manner is beyond me."
Lutzwin then walked over to the table, looking at a large map of Luca and the surrounding region. He placed his finger on a small brown dot in a sea of green that surrounded Luca's northern side, just west of the Mi'ihen Highroad. "This is his house. At 1:00 NT, we will head for his residence and question him. If Teela is there, we will arrest him for collaborating with a criminal. I'll give you all twenty minutes to prepare in any way you see fit. I'll be waiting for you all outside. Dismissed."
"Sir!" The six Guardsmen quietly filed out of the room, leaving Lutzwin alone. He quietly placed his helmet back on his head as he muttered, "Now is the time I restore my honor." Teela had somehow escaped the citywide manhunt more than a week ago. She would not evade him this time!
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/12:35 NT, Outside Hirum's House, The Outer Edges of Luca/
"Well...that should do it."
Teela dismissed the arms of Queen Vlantae and looked at her handiwork. In the ground outside Hirum's House, there was a large 5' x 4' hole that was two feet deep. Then, she morphed her left arm into the blue goop of a Flan Azul, and then her right arm transformed into the fiery gel of a Flan Rojo.
"Water!" A torrent of water erupted from her left arm, filling the entire hole in a matter of moments. Then, she stuck her right arm into the pool. She ignored the minor sting of the Flan Rojo's elemental weakness being exploited while heating the pool up.
Why was she making what was essentially a hot tub? Given the fact that Hirum's home didn't have such facilities (his family had never been the most fortunate monetarily; they had opted for the icebox and kitchen for the sake of preparing better food. After all, with a public bathing facility no more than a short walk away, why bother?), she had to somehow accommodate the unconscious girl. Right now, that red-haired girl was inside, still covered in a lot of that strange, bluish-green gelatin. The bath was to clean her up.
Hirum opened one of the girl's eyes as Aaron examined the visor that she had been wearing. The girl's irises were pale yellow in color, but they were unfocused. "She's still unconscious."
Meanwhile, Aaron was taking in the details of the robotic visor. The screen of the visor was shaped like a thin, purple line that stretched from end-to-end on the visor. Two, metal clamps stretched out in a curved fashion around the back; they would clasp together to secure the relatively bulky visor to the head.
"Ah...this is an M-R Visor."
Hirum turned around to see Aaron setting the thusly-named M-R Visor down on the ground. He confusedly asked, "M-R Visor?"
"M-R stands for Mental-Resonance; it's a more refined version of the bio-vision imaging technology used in most lower-grade seeker drones these days. Basically," said Aaron as he made sure it was in working order. "It tracks all brainwave patterns that being emitted within its range; so it only tracks sentient beings. But this is a strong one...it goes out for up to five hundred yards."
"Sheesh...how'd such high-end tech end up with this little girl?" asked Hirum as he looked down at the frail child, who looked to be no more than ten years old.
That's when Teela walked in and gruffly said, "Who cares? All I know is that this kid needs to get cleaned up." With that, the shape-shifting girl hoisted the tiny child over her shoulder before waltzing back outside.
Hirum and Aaron looked out after her in shock. The summoner slowly turned his eyes toward the Al Bhed and asked, "Is it just me...or was Teela acting...motherly?"
"...I guess stranger things have happened," muttered Aaron in reply.
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Outside, the light was fading. Stars were beginning to appear as the sun – which had faded below the horizon over thirty minutes ago – gave way to the moon.
Teela slowly disrobed the tiny girl; first, she took off the black headband that was keeping the girl's red hair in place. After taking it off, her hair fell over her eyes, shrouding her face from view. Next, Teela took off the black shirt, setting it inside the steaming water so that the gelatin would eventually melt away. Finally, she unzipped her white jumpsuit before setting the girl inside the hot little girl unconsciously tensed upon contact with the water, but the thief slowly let the water wash over her small, frail body.
Teela scowled as she looked over the small girl, scrubbing off the flakes of hardened goo as she did. "Man...this girl looks absolutely horrible...I wonder how long it's been since she had a bath?"
She sat up like a shot. Teela quickly grasped the young girl's shoulders and quietly shushed her. "Ssh...ssh...it's okay kid."
The young red-haired child looked around nervously, fright evident in her yellow eyes. She gulped twice before – with a quiet, feeble voice only a weak child could muster – asked, "Where...where am I?"
"You're just a little to the north of Luca," replied Teela with a calm voice as she began cleaning the girl's white jumpsuit.
The girl's small eyes widened as she said, "But...that's not right. I should be near Nibilo..."
Teela's stopped at that for two reasons. For one, Nibilo had been a relatively large town near the northeastern edge of the Mi'ihen continent, east of the Thunder Plains...easily hundreds of miles away from where they were.
And two...well, because Nibilo literally 'had been' a relatively large town. Teela sighed; she would find out soon enough. It would be cruel to let her find out later, when (or if) she had recovered. She turned to the girl and said, "Kid...hate to break it to you, but Nibilo was destroyed several months ago. A bunch of fiends stormed the town and killed just about everyone there."
The young girl's eyes dilated as the memory of a burning town returned to her. She was suddenly overtaken by shivers as she began muttering, "...no...mommy...daddy..."
Teela could feel for the small girl...because the same had happened to her...long ago...
So long ago now...
She placed a hand on the girl's left shoulder. "The name's Teela...what's yours?"
The small girl sniffled as she replied, "My...name...my name's Serena."
"Nice name." Teela stood up and looked back toward the house. "I'm going to go get something to dry you off...you just get all of that goop off of you."
Serena quietly watched as the brown-haired girl named Teela walked back towards the house. A small smile came to her face; Teela was a nice lady.
But even so...she was alone. Her family was gone...her home was gone. Where was she to go now?
And why did her head feel so funny?
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As Teela walked back into the house, she was met with stares. "What?"
Hirum snickered quietly as he said, "Man Teela...never knew you were such a softie."
"Hey...I may be a thief, but I have a heart. Besides, the girl said she's from Nibilo. Choke on that." Properly scolded, the summoner fell into silence. Then, she picked up one of Hirum's old robes, which was sitting in a corner along with a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff. "And since you've neglected to keep any towels around, I'll be using some of your old clothes to dry Serena off." With that, she sauntered back out.
A few seconds later, Aaron chuckled. "You do know that you just got burned."
"Shut up Aaron."
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/5:47 ST, Under the Ruins of Home, Bikanel Island/
Raign sighed as two ABTC commandoes stood on either side of him. The commandoes were wearing black bodysuits that hugged their skin, showing their lithe bodies and rippling muscles. Their swirly green eyes were narrow and icy, with multi-vision goggles resting on their head. Their belts had several pouches and holsters, each with numerous gadgets and handguns. Slung over their back was the A16 assault rifle: a black-colored rifle with a banana-shaped clip. It was capable of firing 900 rounds per minute, but the clips only held seventy bullets. Attached to the end of the barrel was a suppressor...but unlike most sound suppressors, the unique corkscrew design inside kept its accuracy from being affected. Also, a launcher attached to the bottom could be used for launching grenades and other long-range objects. The ABTC commandoes – known as the Lussyhtu Cxiyt (Commando Squad) – were the best soldiers in the ABTC's ranks: silent, professional, and deadly.
Raign was standing under a pale white spotlight in a pitch-black room. Mr. Kane was standing in front of Raign, his expression stern and unforgiving. Despite the fact that Project PSP's leader was still wearing his white jumpsuit and black mask, his body posture indicated his mood. His shoulders were slumped, and his head was downcast.
Mr. Kane quietly, yet concisely, asked, "Agent #1036, name: Raign. Rank: Head of Project PSP...Raign."
"Yes sir?" asked Raign as he kept his eyes toward the floor.
"You are well aware of what the girl's escape means. It means that everything your team worked for is a failure...and as the project leader, you must bear the responsibility for that failure. But there is a chance for redemption."
Raign slowly lifted his head at Mr. Kane's offer.
"Is there a form of tracking device with the girl? We need to find her posthaste."
Raign quietly replied, "Well sir...the M-R Visor that we placed on the girl has a built-in beacon. The signal it sends out is encrypted...and it can only be picked up by the instruments on this island."
Mr. Kane smiled. "Good...you have redeemed yourself, Agent #1036."
Raign sighed with relief...he wasn't going to die...
"Your work will continue on. But you will not be a part of it."
Raign's head bolted upward, fully aware of what that meant. "...I see." Raign bitterly chuckled. "You really live up to your name Cred Kane."
Plip.
Raign slumped to the ground, a bullet hole in his left temple from where the Lussyhtu to his left had shot him. Mr. Kane quietly stepped forward as blood began seeping from the hole in his head. "Instead of being killed by a close associate, you were killed by an anonymous soldier...at least you won't feel the same sense of betrayal. And at least I offered you a parting shot." Sometimes, Mr. Kane wondered if his father had been on drugs when he had named him (given that both of his parents were dead, he would never know). Honestly, what Al Bhed names their child 'Cred'?
Mr. Kane then looked at the two Lussyhtuac (Commandoes) and waited until the one to Raign's left holstered the silenced handgun that had fired the killing shot. Then, he said, "You know what to do."
The two members of Lussyhtu Cxiyt knew their mission: find the origin of the M-R Visor's beacon. If the girl still had it in her possession, they would incapacitate her and bring her back to Bikanel. If it was alone, they would search the surrounding area, calling for backup if necessary. If they found her in the company of other people, they would wait.
Then, if they were sent the 'LF' signal, they would be authorized for lethal force against everyone except for the girl.
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/12:54 NT, Hirum's House, The Outer Edges of Luca/
Serena came through the door, fully clothed. Her white, zip-up jumpsuit covered her entire body, save for the arms and everything from the neck up. The feet of the suit had black rubber padding for reinforcement and better traction when walking. She wore a black, long-sleeved shirt that went down to her wrists, giving her a simple, yet elegant look. Her red hair – damp, but cleaner than before – was held away from her face by the black headband, allowing her yellow eyes to be seen.
Aaron set the M-R Visor down, and looked quietly at the young girl. Then, he casually asked, "So...how are you doing?"
Serena quietly backed up behind Teela, clinging to the longer leg of what had once been Sir Tidus's outfit. Aaron frowned as he looked up at Teela and asked, "What's with her?"
Teela shrugged in a sarcastic manner. "How the heck am I supposed to know? All I know is that she says that she's from Nibilo and has no clue what's happened to her parents. Go buy a clue, geekoid." The thief glanced down at the young girl. "What she could use is some food."
Serena's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of food. "Food?"
A small smile tugged at the corner of Teela's mouth as she quickly started rummaging through the icebox. Hirum rolled his eyes from his spot on the chair. "Oh sure, don't mind me, just go ahead and rummage through my icebox. I don't care."
The glare Teela shot him halted his sarcasm.
Out of curiosity, Serena looked at Hirum and asked, "Are you her slave or something?"
The sheer audacity of that statement caused Hirum to fall out of his seat. Aaron immediately began howling with laughter as Teela smirked inside the icebox. She was really starting to like the kid.
Ah, here we go. She quietly pulled out a tray of uneaten fries – or fried Mi'ihen potato sticks, as the technical name was – and put it into the heatwave module for one minute.
Immediately after that, Teela set the tray down in Serena's lap. She was sitting on the couch, watching Aaron browse through the SN channels.
Serena looked down at the strange stick-shaped pieces with curiosity. "What are these?"
Teela suddenly remembered; Rodiger's Fries had yet to fully spread throughout the entirety of Angora. There had been plans to install a restaurant in Nibilo...that is until the town had been obliterated.
Hirum answered, "Fried Mi'ihen potato sticks...or fries for short. You'll LOVE them."
"Okay..." Serena quietly took a bite out of the first of fifty fries.
Ten seconds later, the tray was empty, and Serena had an impossibly huge grin. "Those are great!"
Hirum and Aaron's jaws dropped at the mess the girl's face had become. Teela just smiled as she proceeded to wipe the fries' remains off of the girl's smiling face...with one of Hirum's old clothes, of course. "I take it you like them."
"Mmm hmm!" nodded the smiling girl, her past troubles forgotten. "Do you have anymore?"
Teela's ears pricked.
A hovercraft was approaching...and judging by the hollow tone of the thrusters and steady rumble of the ground as it slowly descended...it was an LSF (Luca Security Force) Transport.
Teela turned to Hirum and said, "Hirum, go outside."
Hirum was about to complain...but then he remembered how 'persuasive' his 'guardian' could be. "Alright." He slowly walked out the door and blinked as he watched a sleek, bullet-shaped hovercraft set down twenty yards away from his front door. He was even more surprised when seven Guardsmen stepped out.
A Guardsman with a golden slash painted across his helmet stepped towards him and asked, "Are you Hirum?" The summoner quietly nodded. "Hirum, my name is Captain Lutzwin of the Luca Security Force. I have received anonymous information showing that you've been in recent contact with the criminal known as 'Terrible Teela'."
Hirum knew it. The moment the thief had become his guardian, he had known this day would come sooner or later; the day when Teela's record finally caught up with him as well. He quietly replied, "Well...no. I haven't."
One of the Guardsmen gazed at the house quietly...and then blanched at the sight of Teela staring at them out the window. He yelled, "CAPTAIN! TERRIBLE TEELA IS IN THERE!"
The Guardsmen all turned to Hirum, who suddenly looked very meek. Lutzwin ordered, "Two of you, get him onto the hovercraft. The rest of you...storm the house."
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Teela frowned as she tilted her head to face Aaron and Serena. "Aaron, keep her safe." With that, she transformed into a Flan Palido and slithered out the window, leaving a trail of ice crystals in her wake.
Serena gasped out of astonishment. "What happened to Teela...?"
"She's going outside to keep some bad men out," replied Aaron in a way so that she could understand. He quickly activated his R-1 Battle Arms and put them on, standing protectively in front of the tiny girl.
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Hirum yelled, "Hey! Let me go!"
Two Guardsmen held the struggling summoner tightly as they dragged him back to the LSF Transport. The one holding his left arm grumbled, "Give it a rest kid. You earned this!"
Hirum seethed at that comment. He didn't deserve this! He had no choice but to stay near Teela! He didn't deserve it! "No...I...DIDN'T! Come forth Blitzan!"
Hirum's gloves began to glow turquoise as the Guardsmen continued dragging him away. Before they could toss him into the back of the LSF Transport, Blitzan materialized in the air above them. The Aeon landed quietly in front of the two Guardsmen before kicking them away. Hirum gave a sigh of relief as Blitzan helped him up. "Thanks Blitzan..."
One of the Guardsmen that had been carrying Hirum turned to the other five and yelled, "The kid's summoned an Aeon!"
Lutzwin, who had just been preparing to storm the horse, whirled around and roared, "You two, go assist them! You two will stay with me." With that, his two men in the rear went off to assist in defeating Blitzan. Now, only Lutzwin and two other Guardsmen faced the dome-shaped house. "Now...on my mark."
"Yoohoo...over here."
That's when a puddle of light-blue goop rose into a humanoid shape, no more than five meters to their left. Lutzwin easily recognized the figure as Teela. "Open fire!"
The laser bolts roared from their V-Staffs and towards Teela, but she shifted her body with each bolt. Whenever a bolt was on the verge of hitting her, Teela's body made small holes, resulting in the laser bolts passing through harmlessly, only to dissipate over one hundred meters beyond her. The Guardsman to Lutzwin's right charged toward Teela...only into her left arm, which quickly morphed into the purple, muscular arm of the Behemoth fiend. With an idle flick of her hand, Teela tossed the Guardsman away...
...and into the window of Hirum's house. "...whoops."
In her moment of temporary disorientation, Lutzwin and the other Guardsman tackled her to the ground. "Got you!"
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Serena shrieked as a Guardsman was tossed through the window and onto Aaron. The Al Bhed teen yelped as the armored man fell on his head, knocking him out cold. The Guardsman shook his head wearily before standing to his feet. "Oi...that thief's a pain in the ass..."
"Who...who are you?"
The Guardsman slowly turned to face a red-haired girl, who was cringing into a corner away from him. Huh...that thief and that summoner must've been holding her here against her will. "Come here little girl...don't be afraid."
Serena continued to back away. "No...stay back..."
The Guardsman frowned as he reached a hand for her. "It's okay...I'm not a bad guy..."
As the Guardsman's armored hand obscured her vision, Serena suddenly remembered.
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Her vision was shaky...why couldn't she concentrate?
She turned her head to the right to see obliteration. An entire town up in flames. The fire danced wildly as smoke poured into the slowly brightening sky of the early morning.
Then there were the men in black...they were searching...but for what?
"Found one."
She turned her head back to see two men in black advancing towards her. One of them kneeled down and looked at her cautiously.
"Man...she looks horrible."
"Stow it. All that matters is that she's a survivor...for Yevon's sake, she's the first one we've found so far."
"Yeah, I know."
"Just get her into the transport. We'll take her to Bikanel as ordered."
"Roger that."
The man in black who was kneeling down then pulled a cloth out of a pouch on his belt. "Don't worry little girl...the vapor sealed in this cloth will knock you out. Sleep..."
Then the hand obscured her vision.
Darkness.
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"NO!"
"What the!" yelped the Guardsman as a purple aura erupted from the young girl's head. It fashioned itself into a tendril...then latched onto his head.
Aaron slowly sat up to see the display. Serena whimpered in the corner as a purple tentacle of energy was wrapped around the screaming Guardsman's head. This...this is psychic magic in action...unreal...
Then, the Guardsman went limp...and the tendril of energy, seemingly moving of its own accord, drifted out the front door with the man in tow.
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"Captain! Look!"
Captain Lutzwin turned his head away from the struggling Teela to see one of his men hanging in the air, with nothing but a purple energy tentacle holding him up. "What the blazes is that thing?"
The six Guardsmen stared silently at their floating comrade...and so did Teela and Hirum, who were completely bewildered by the event happening before them.
Then, the tendril of energy spat the Guardsman to the ground. Tiny threads of light-blue energy wrapped around the seemingly unconscious man...then more threads wrapped around the other six Guardsmen.
Lutzwin roared, "What's the meaning of this?!"
Then, all seven of them disappeared in a flash of light.
Hirum and Teela looked at where the Guardsmen had been...then toward each other.
Without a second thought, they dashed into the house.
Aaron rubbed his head gingerly as Teela and Hirum dashed. "Hey...what was that flash of light?"
As Teela glanced at the unconscious Serena – huddled in the corner – she said, "You tell us."
Hirum quietly grasped the young girl and placed her on the couch. Then her turned to his guardians and motioned for them to come outside. "We need to talk outside." He then walked outside the door.
Teela followed him, and Aaron did the same (only after taking off and deactivating the Battle Arms), leaving the young girl behind to sleep.
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/1:10 NT, Commissioner Gestohl's Office, Luca Security Force HQ, Luca/
Commissioner Gestohl sighed as the numbers from Sin's attack continued to roll in. "Criminy...wish one of them summoners would hurry up and kill the damned beast already."
A flash of light.
Gestohl's eyes turned up to see seven Guardsmen falling. With a tremendous crash, they landed on his desk, smashing it into pieces.
The Guardsmen moaned as one of them slowly looked up to see Gestohl. The golden slash on the helmet indicated it was Lutzwin. "Hello sir."
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Down in the lobby, the female receptionist watched a personal SN set quietly; activity was slow, and no one minded that she took a break to watch her favorite show.
That's when she heard a dull shout.
"LUTZWIN!"
The female receptionist looked at the ceiling with confusion. "Huh...that sounded like the commissioner."
But that was impossible. The commissioner's office was on the tenth floor. He couldn't shout THAT loud.
How wrong she was. Commissioner Gestohl could get loud. VERY, VERY loud.
On the fifth floor, it sounded like someone shouting from across the hall.
On the ninth floor, it sounded like someone shouting into your ear.
To Lutzwin, Gestohl sounded as loud as an airship engine.
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/1:21 NT, Hirum's House, The Outer Edges of Luca/
Serena opened her eyes slowly. "Ow...what happened...?"
Her head felt funny again. What was up with that?
Voices. They were coming from the outside.
She hopped off of the couch and crept for the front door. She looked outside and saw them talking.
Teela...and the two boys – what were their names again...oh yes – Hirum and Aaron. They were talking about...something. Well, mostly Hirum and Aaron; Teela seemed to be a spectator.
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"You're crazy Aaron..."
"I'm serious! The color of the energy and the aura around her head; those are telltale signs of psychic magic! Serena is a Psy Mage! A true psy mage hasn't been seen on Spira in over a thousand years!" exclaimed Aaron, his excitement easily visible.
Hirum shook his head wearily as he replied, "I understand what you're saying...but she's too young! I'm on a pilgrimage to Zanarkand, a pilgrimage to get the Final Aeon and defeat Sin! It's too dangerous."
"But think about it!" moaned Aaron. "Look...psychic magic is VERY useful, since it goes beyond simple elemental weaknesses. It attacks the mind...she'll be a boon to you!"
"But did you see what happened with the Guardsmen? She has no control. Serena could be a danger to you, me, and Teela!" yelled Hirum.
Aaron immediately retorted, "Then we'll help her in controlling her powers! If she can control her abilities, she'll be perfect!"
"ENOUGH."
With a sudden slam, Teela grabbed Hirum by the neck and slammed him against the wall of his house. Her free hand's – the right hand – nails grew into the razor-sharp claws of the Wild Wolf fiend as she said, "Look. Aaron's for Serena joining, and so am I. And you will too."
"Why should I?" replied Hirum, defiance in his eyes.
Teela placed her right hand's claws right next to the summoner's face. "Because I said so."
Despite the overwhelming urge not to, Hirum gulped. "Okay. Fine by me."
Teela smirked as she dropped the summoner to his feet...then she turned to see Serena sticking her head out of the door. "Good news kid...since the summoner," She quickly pointed at the sprawled Hirum. "is the one in charge of our little group here, he decides whether or not you get to come...and you get to come."
To say that Serena was surprised was an understatement. She looked as though her birthday wish had been granted. "He's a summoner...and you're his guardians?"
Aaron nodded. "Yep. And to keep you inconspicuous, you'll be a guardian too."
"Wow!" cheered Serena as she leapt for Hirum and hugged him. "Thank you! I've always wanted to be a guardian...I remember the last time a summoner came to Nibilo, and he had all these guardians with them, and one was a strong Ronso...ever since then, I always wanted to be one! Thank you!"
To see the child's exuberance was endearing was also an understatement. Hirum quietly said, "You're welcome Serena." At the same time, he thought, What have I gotten myself into?
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
...hmm.
Hehehe, hahaha!
You can stop anytime now.
Hehe, hoo, hahaha...
It's not that funny...well, not to me at to me at the very least.
Hee hee...oh man...you can't be serious! That was hilarious! How so?
Are you kidding?! That girl has some serious spunk! We've known that. I don't see what's so humorous about it.
Man, your sense of humor must've up and died or something...oh wait, you never had one!
He has a valid point...you never were one for being jovial.
It's just how I live.
Then you need to live it up some more!
In case you've forgotten, we're all technically dead.
...was that sarcasm?
Man, I believe that was! If it was such a big offense, then forgive me.
HA! Now he's making jokes!
Just because I'm reserved doesn't mean I don't have a wit.
Indeed.
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To be continued...
Next time...
Chapter 25: The Mi'ihen Highroad
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Author's Notes: It's taken awhile, but our lovely group is finally going to set foot on the Mi'ihen Highroad.
Also, recall that Angora is the canon name for the giant continent that spans from Luca to Bevelle (the latter of which kind of serves as the barrier between Angora and Wilderia).
As before, please read and review!