Chapter 29: Holy Mountain
After Yuna acquired Yojimbo, the group found it a lot easier to exit the caves. Once they got outside, they spent another night in the valley, and continued their journey the next morning. Charlie noticed Yuna staring at the bridge leading back to the Calm Lands, and thought, "All this time…she's been saying goodbye to all the places she's been. But she won't have to do that anymore, because I'll find a way to help her."
…
Even at the base of the mountain, Gagazet was bitterly cold and snowy, and Charlene did all she could to suppress a shiver. "Why is this place so empty?" she wondered aloud.
She did not have to wonder long, however, because several Ronso, led by Biran and Yenke, dropped down from the cliffs above, all glaring malevolently at the party. Suddenly, Kelk Ronso stepped through the crowd, and said, "Summoner Yuna and guardians leave this place at once! Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain of Yevon. The mountain will not bear the footsteps of infidels."
"Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso," Biran snarled, glaring down at the "intruders". "Leave, traitors!"
Instead of backing down, Yuna calmly replied, "I have cast aside Yevon! I follow the temple no more!"
Kelk stared at the summoner for a long moment, his green eyes filled with astonishment. Then he quickly regained his composure and said, "Then you will die by those words!"
"So be it," Yuna responded, seemingly unruffled by the threat. "Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!"
"Nothing but a bunch of lowdown tricksters, eh?" Wakka added, shaking a fist in emphasis.
"That's right!" Charlie included.
"We have no regrets," Yuna solemnly concluded.
"Blasphemers!" Yenke roared, as he and Biran advanced on the party.
Before they could close the gap, however, Kimahri rushed forward and interposed himself between Yuna and the gold-maned Biran. The two Ronso stared each other down, neither willing to back off, until Kelk broke the tense moment by saying, "A summoner and her guardians…"
"Lord Kelk Ronso, if I may," Lulu began, trying to further dispel the tension in the air. "Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"
"But still, you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not a maester," Auron said, finally adding something to the conversation. "Yuna is much the same."
Confused, Biran backed away a step, but then recovered his composure, and snarled, "Elder Kelk! Let Biran rend them asunder!"
"No one escape!" Yenke added, favoring the group with a bloodthirsty smile. "Not one!"
"We will not flee," Yuna replied, staring fearlessly at the Ronso. Then she turned her gaze to Kelk, and said, "We will fight, and continue on."
"You have been branded a traitor, but still you would fight Sin? Lost to the temple…hated by the people…yet you continue your pilgrimage? Everything lost! What do you fight for?"
Yuna paused, deep in thought, and then answered his question. "I fight for Spira. The people long for the Calm. I can give it to them. It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain…this I can do."
"Even sacrificing yourself?" Instead of waiting for an answer, Kelk turned and walked away.
The rest of the Ronso crept closer, menace apparent in their expressions, and the group reached for their weapons. "Oh God, I really don't want to have to fight my way through a horde of pissed-off Ronso!" Charlie nervously thought to herself.
Finally, Kelk turned back around, and said, "Ronso, let them pass!" The Ronso backed away, and the group visibly relaxed as the ex-maester turned his attention back to Yuna. "Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger than steel…tempered steel that not even the mightiest Ronso could hope to bend. Yuna, we bow to your will. Now go! The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you."
"We thank you," Yuna whispered, bowing deeply to the Ronso elder before leading her party into the pass.
…
Once the Ronso stopped impeding their progress, the group found the path leading up through the settlement quickly. The path itself, however, was less than welcoming, as the icy wind clawed at it in a fierce attempt at turning them to ice cubes. Fortunately, Lulu had a small spell that kept everyone from freezing to death, although they still felt the sting of the bitter cold. "Cold, cold, cold…I hate the damn cold!" Charlie thought to herself, shivering as a particularly nasty gust buffeted the party. Pausing to brush the snow from her face, she noticed that Auron seemed to be lost in thought. "What are you thinking about over there?" she asked.
"It is as I thought," he replied.
"What?" Charlie was confused.
"Yevon is in turmoil," Auron elaborated. "Mika tries to keep it whole, but it crumbles around him."
"After the way everyone in Yevon treated us, I really don't give a flying fig about what happens to it."
"Because you are not of this world," he said, peering at her over his sunglasses. "To those who truly believe in the teachings…a time of much pain is coming."
"Yeah…I suppose so…"
The two of them fell silent again, as they finally left the Ronso settlement and arrived at the actual path leading up the mountain. Unfortunately, they did not go very far, before Biran and Yenke appeared before them, blocking their progress yet again. "What the hell do you guys want now?" Charlene demanded, completely irritated with the two Ronso.
"Summoner may pass. Guardians may pass. Kimahri not pass!" Biran snarled, his amber eyes blazing with rage. "Kimahri shame Ronso brothers. Kimahri forget his birth."
"Forget his people, forget his mountain. Little Ronso! Weakling Ronso!" Yenke growled.
"Mountain hate the weak, hate the small. If you will climb…"
"Then I must prove my strength!" Kimahri replied, not backing down from the two larger Ronso.
"Think you will win?" Biran scoffed. "You not forget who took your horn! Never forget!"
"Kimahri never beat brother Biran!" Yenke jeered. "Never win!"
"This time, I win. I will win!"
Charlie growled a curse under her breath and reached for her sword, but Kimahri stopped her. "What is this some kind of Ronso thing?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Kimahri problem," he replied, drawing his spear and stalking toward his opponents.
The two Ronso sneered at their smaller counterpart, clearly unafraid of him. "Biran rend you asunder!" Biran yelled, glaring at Kimahri.
"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke laughed.
Before either of them could deliver any further taunts, Kimahri inhaled deeply, and then exhaled, spraying them both with a powerful burst of water. Once the unusual assault stopped, both Ronso had ice on their fur and grim expressions on their faces. A tense silence ensued, and then shattered as Yenke flung himself headlong at Kimahri with outstretched claws. The smaller Ronso managed to block the attack and toss his assailant aside, but then took a fireball from Biran across his back. "You cheap-shot making bastards!" Charlie shouted angrily as Kimahri dropped to his knees.
"Let him be," Auron said, not taking his gaze from the battle.
"But…"
Just then, Biran and Yenke both rushed forward, intent on catching him with both their attacks at the same time. Before they could connect, however, Kimahri bounded toward Biran, smashing him in the stomach with his shoulder before unleashing a devastating backward kick to Yenke's jaw. Both Ronso staggered backward, giving Kimahri enough time to jump back out of their immediate reach. Then he charged toward Biran, planted his spear into the snow, and used his momentum to launch himself skyward. The small Ronso sailed through the air like a big bird, and then fell on his gold-maned opponent like a bulldozer.
The two of them collapsed to the snowy ground, fists flying in a berserk frenzy of violence, when Biran finally managed to throw Kimahri away from him. The smaller Ronso stumbled, tripping over the fallen Yenke and hitting the ground again. Biran, seeing an opening, sped across the distance, intent on finishing the battle. Before he could close the gap, however, Kimahri sat up again, opened his mouth, and spat out a seed, just as he had during the robot battle. The projectile smashed into Biran's stomach, knocking the breath from his body and breaking several ribs. The Ronso dropped to his knees, let out an unintelligible croak, and passed out.
As soon as the battle was over, Yuna rushed forward, quickly casting healing spells on all three Ronso. Once their injuries healed, Biran and Yenke both stared at Kimahri with expressions of pride. "Strong is Kimahri," Biran rumbled, "Biran is happy." Then he got to his feet, walked away a few steps, looked up at the mountain, and loudly proclaimed, "Sacred Mount Gagazet! I honor the name of strong warrior that beats Biran. Remember always, Gagazet…that name is Kimahri!"
"Mountain knows Kimahri is strong," Yenke said, once his comrade finished speaking. "Kimahri may pass."
"Summoner!" Biran called, turning to face Yuna. "We Ronso will stop pursuers from temple."
"Truly?" Yuna asked, almost afraid to believe it.
"Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn, long ago," the Ronso solemnly replied.
"We crush enemies following behind," Yenke added.
"Kimahri crush enemies standing before," Kimahri said.
"You are most fortunate summoner," Biran finished with a smile.
"I thank you," Yuna softly replied.
"Ronso will shine your statue brightest!" Yenke said.
Yuna smiled sadly. "Thank you…but I fear no one will make a statue for a traitor such as I am."
"Then Ronso will make!" Biran vowed.
"With grand horn on head!" Yenke added.
"That…would be wonderful," the summoner said.
Finally, the two Ronso departed, and the group continued up the mountain trail. They didn't go very far, however, before Biran and Yenke returned. "Summoner Yuna!" Biran called, catching everyone's attention.
"Goddamn it! What the hell do you want now?" Charlie yelled, thoroughly irritated by the Ronso and their constant interruptions.
Instead of answering, the two of them began singing the Hymn of the Fayth. Once they finished, the rest of the Ronso tribe showed up and sang it again, their voices echoing eerily through the mountain air, and causing the hairs on the back of Charlene's neck to stand up. Once they finished, they departed again, leaving the party to resume their journey. "That…was possibly the wildest thing I've ever heard," Charlie said, looking back over her shoulder with awe.
…
Time on Gagazet seemed to move at odd intervals. The days seemed to skip forward within the space of an hour, but then shift and ooze along like months, instead. At night, the fiends tended to come out in droves, forcing the group to take shelter in whatever space they could find. One night, they made camp in a cave not far from an odd stone monument that gave Charlene the creeps every time she looked at it. "What is that?" she asked, eyeing the rock uneasily.
"These mark the graves of summoners and guardians who failed," Lulu solemnly replied.
"How in the world do you know that?" Charlie wondered. "I thought you've never been up here before."
"Summoners that die up here aren't sent to the Farplane," Lulu continued.
"Oh?"
"Who would send them? They die alone. Many of them have become fiends, and may want Yuna's company."
"Well, they'll just have to do without it, won't they?" the younger guardian replied, resolutely ignoring the doubt the demon within hissed at her.
"You're right," the mage said, smiling slightly.
…
A few days later, the party made it through the snowstorms, and finally arrived on a huge ledge that offered a breathtaking view of the Calm Lands. Touched by such a lovely display, Charlene stopped to stare at it, and only came out of her reverie when Rikku stopped next to her and said "Zanarkand…is just on the other side, you know?"
"Yep," she replied, turning around to stare up the trail.
"Yunie's gonna get the Final Aeon, you know?"
"I know."
"I…still haven't thought of anything," the thief said, apprehension coloring her tone.
"Neither have I," Charlie sadly replied.
"What are we gonna do?" the Al Bhed cried.
"What else can we do? The whole thing about the Final Aeon is one big puzzle, and we can't solve it if we don't have all the pieces…so if we want to help Yuna, we'll have to go to Zanarkand and find out what it is we're missing."
"Hey! Just now, you sounded like a leader, you know?" Rikku said, clearly impressed by Charlie's demeanor.
"Me? Oh, no! That's the last thing you'll catch me trying to pull off…I just get good ideas every now and then, that's all."
The Al Bhed grinned at her friend's modesty, and then turned to leave, but halted and let out a small yelp at something she spotted past Charlene's left shoulder. The older guardian whipped around and felt all the blood drain from her face when she saw Seymour, who gave the girls a cruel smile, like cat with a pair of cornered mice. "We meet again," he said, continuing to grin, revealing a set of fangs that gave them both shivers.
Slowly, Charlie drew her sword, and without taking her eyes off their opponent, said, "Rikku…go get Auron!"
"You are not fighting him alone!"
"Don't argue with me! Just go, damn it!"
Reluctantly, Rikku nodded, and then bolted up the trail after the others. Once she was gone, Charlene launched a vicious attack on the undead Guado, her crystal blade glinting in the cold light as she slashed at his throat, intent on beheading him. Suddenly, a wall of blue-grey force erupted from the snow between them, halting the sword's progress and leaving Seymour unscathed. "You still wish to fight me?" he asked, chuckling at the stunned expression on her face. "How…amusing."
"You won't think so in a minute, bastard!" Charlie snarled, renewing her assault. Unfortunately, her second attack was as ineffective as the first one, and before she could even launch a third attack, the maester raised his hand and somehow froze her in place. "What the hell have you done to me?" she cried, gritting her teeth against the faint burning sensation that had begun to creep through her extremities as her unwanted passenger lashed out in rage at her willingness to attack its master.
Seymour watched her struggle to break free of his compulsion in silent, malicious amusement for a long moment before answering her. "You didn't really think that you'd be free of me that easily, did you?" She did not answer, but spat out a curse and flung a weak Fire spell at him, which he easily blocked. "Wait…I suppose you did. Of course, by now, a normal person would have succumbed to my pet's control, but you are not a Spiran, and they are helping you, so I will just have to break you the old-fashioned way." His ice-blue eyes glittered coldly. "I really should be grateful to you; it was so difficult restraining myself on your behalf, but now we can have some real fun!"
Suddenly, the faint burning in Charlie's limbs intensified, and turned into a stabbing agony that stole her breath before she could even scream. Her sword slipped from fingers that would no longer obey her and she dropped to her knees in the swirling snow before the undead maester dismissed her pain. Charlie struggled to her feet and glared at Seymour, who returned the look with a savage grin, and whispered, "Your hatred…it is so beautiful…"
"Shut up!" she screamed, as Yojimbo's psychic wall buckled slightly under the assaults of the Guado and his minion. "Why don't you go cram your handlebars where the sun doesn't shine?"
Instead of answering verbally, Seymour responded to her taunt by unleashing more pain on her. Charlene dropped to the ground yet again, writhing and screaming in torment. It felt like her blood had turned to boiling acid in her veins; every nerve screamed as if she was severely sunburned with someone dragging sandpaper across her skin; her eyes felt like white-hot needles were stabbing them, and through all of it, black lightning wracked her body like so many barbed whips. A thousand knives of ice flayed the flesh from her bones with the speed of a glacier and all the mountains of the world turned to spikes and crushed her, but death still refused to silence her screams. Finally, the seemingly endless agony ceased, and the sounds of malevolent, insane laughter followed her into the darkness.
…
Rikku ran up the slope as fast as her legs would take her, cursing in Al Bhed whenever a drift slowed her down. "Oh Charlie, please hold on! Don't die!" her thoughts cried, running in circles like a frightened mouse trapped in a barrel. Finally, gasping and shaking, she managed to catch up to the others. "You guys!" she yelled, frantically waving her arms. "Seymour's back there!"
"What?" Wakka and Lulu cried in unison.
"Wait, where's Charlie?" Yuna demanded.
Suddenly, the sound of a woman's scream rang out above the keening mountain wind, chilling their blood more effectively than the frigid air. On and on it went, then finally, it went horribly silent. Without saying a word, Auron drew his sword and bolted back down the slope, immediately followed by the others. The six of them made it to the overhang, and found their comrade lying in the snow at Seymour's feet, twitching slightly as black lightning crawled across her body, but otherwise motionless. "She is still alive," the maester said in a pleasant tone. "Lady Charlie would be rather useless to me if she died, after all."
Just then, Charlene's eyes opened, but she did not get up. No matter how hard she tried, her body simply refused to obey her. "Everyone…just run away…I'm not worth fighting over…" she wanted to tell them, but her voice couldn't produce more than a feeble croak.
Instead of running, Yuna whipped out her staff and twirled it around as she began the sending. "A sending, so soon?" Seymour scoffed, grinning malevolently. Then he let out a bone-chilling giggle and said, "Allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave."
"Last Ronso…what does he mean?"
::The master slaughtered all the others!:: the demon within her crowed. ::Can't you smell the blood and death on him? It is glorious!::
"Yours…was truly a gallant race," Seymour told Kimahri. "They threw themselves at me to bar my path, one after another."
"No…" Kimahri said, his expression dark with both rage and sorrow.
"Kimahri…" Yuna whispered, tears filling her eyes.
Seymour saw those tears, and said, "You could end the suffering of this poor Ronso."
"I don't understand you!" she shouted.
"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain." The mad Guado turned away, strode toward the cliff, and stared out over the ledge. "Spira is a land of suffering and sorrow caught in a spiral of death. To destroy-to heal-Spira, I will become Sin. Yes, with your help." He turned back to Yuna, held out his hand, and said, "Come with me, Yuna."
After hearing all this, Charlene felt a surge of rage well up within her, and she used it to get to her hands and knees again. "You…you leave her the hell alone!" she gasped.
Seymour stared down at her with an unreadable expression. Then he raised his hand, and Charlie let out another agonized scream as the black lightning burned through her body again. She fell to the ground once more and Yuna yelled, "Stop it, Seymour!"
Just then, Kimahri darted forward, brandishing his spear. Before he could connect, however, Seymour floated out of the way. "Pitiful mortal…your hope ends here," he spat, hanging in place.
As he hovered, something resembling a huge yellow demon-chariot rose up above the ledge, and he slowly backed into it, vanishing in a flash of light. It faded as quickly as it appeared, revealing Seymour's new monstrous form. Instead of backing down, however, Kimahri stood his ground and snarled, "You have angered Kimahri! The spirits of the Ronso will guide Kimahri's spear!"
In response, Seymour slashed at the Ronso with his own lance, but missed. He then looked at Yuna, and said, "Do you not want to heal Spira's sorrow? Let death carry you off into peaceful slumber."
"You can't run from your fate!" the summoner replied, before casting a healing spell on Charlie.
Charlene awoke then, but her bones felt like they were made of gelatin. Blearily looking around, she saw her friends on one side, and on the other, a flying monstrosity she knew could only be Seymour. Struggling to her feet, she looked around for her sword, spotted it lying in the snow several feet away, and dove for it. She managed to grab it, but then froze in place when her "passenger" lashed out at her mind. ::You will not hurt the master this time, you bitch!:: it hissed, its voice full of fury.
"LET…ME…GO!" she shrieked back at it.
The demon backed off, and she whipped around just in time, haphazardly blocking a huge blade wielded by Seymour's fiend-chariot as it swept toward her. The force of the impact flung her backward several feet and slammed her into the snow.
…
Charlie awoke again in pain and stared up at Wakka, who stood over her in a protective stance. Something about him looked strange, but in her pain-induced stupor, she couldn't figure out what it was. Then he looked down at her, and she let out a strangled scream. Wakka's face was a mottled green color, and his flesh looked as if it was about to slide from his bones at any moment! "Charlie, you okay?" he asked, his voice sounding like a hollow croak.
The world reeled around her, and turned dark as her zombie-protector returned to the fray.
…Flash…
She opened her eyes and found herself in the final chamber of Macalania Temple…but something was wrong. Seymour was nowhere around, and everyone stared at her as if she was a monster. Charlie opened her mouth to speak, just as Auron charged forward and drove five feet of tempered steel through her stomach. Her spine severed, destroying any control over her lower half, causing her to collapse helplessly to the floor as the older guardian withdrew his blade. As she died, she also despaired, as the last thing she saw was the self-satisfied smirk on Auron's face…just before he changed into Seymour.
…Flash…
Charlie awoke, and the world spun with her as its axis as something colored like the sunrise swept past her like a blast of wind. Somehow, she managed to follow the blur's path, and her eyes widened in shock as it swept around a massive katana and sliced Seymour in half. The undead Guado and his demon-chariot shivered violently, and then exploded in a burst of pyreflies and greenish black smoke. "Oh…that must have been Yojimbo…" she thought to herself as everything faded once more.
…
"Curaga!"
Charlie woke up, this time with everyone standing over her. Gingerly sitting up, her head only spun slightly this time, a fact for which she was very grateful. "Charlie, I'm so glad you didn't die!" Rikku cried, glomping the older girl as she got to her feet.
"I'm glad, too," she replied, wincing slightly.
"What were you thinking?" Auron suddenly demanded.
"Huh?" Charlie was confused.
"What were you thinking, trying to fight Seymour alone?" he repeated, more loudly this time.
Charlene blinked, taken aback at his sudden anger. "What'd you expect me to do, Auron…lie down and die? Should I have run away and have him ambush us up in the pass? That's what would have happened, you know!"
This was true, but it did not make it any less annoying. "So you decided to stay behind and die?" he growled.
"Why are you making such a big deal about it?" she yelled. "You wouldn't freak out like this if Kimahri or Wakka had been in my shoes! 'Protecting Yuna is everything', remember?"
Auron paused, the wind briefly taken out of his sails. "That doesn't mean you should just throw your life away!" he said, switching tactics. "Are you so determined to make me keep that promise?"
"But it's my life, Auron," she said, lowering her tone, "And besides, it's not like I was ever meant to be here in the first place. You and I both know that Jecht and the others only brought me here as a replacement."
"Jecht? Replacement? What are you talking about?" Lulu asked, cutting through their dying argument.
Charlene sighed. "I suppose it's time I told you this anyway, since Captain Closemouthed here doesn't plan on it. The person that should actually be standing here is Jecht's son…Tidus."
"But Sir Jecht didn't have a son," Yuna protested.
"Not here," Charlie replied, shaking her head. "Tidus lived in Zanarkand, but there was an accident, and he died. After that, Jecht brought me here in Tidus' place."
"Wait…how could he do that? He was just a human, right?" Rikku asked.
"I don't know how it happened, but Jecht became Sin!" Charlene blurted.
"You hit your head?" Wakka all but yelled.
"I'm serious, Wakka! I didn't believe it at first, but I saw him inside Sin back during Operation Mi'ihen, and again when it carried us from Macalania. Jecht is Sin and Seymour's trying to do the same thing!"
"You sure this isn't some kind of bad toxin dream or something?" the blitzer asked. "How could something like that happen?"
"I really don't know…" Charlie finished sadly.
"We'll learn when we arrive," Auron said, in a "no more discussion" tone, before walking away.
That gesture effectively ended the conversation, and the rest of the group fell into step behind him. "You really hurt his feelings, with that 'my life' line, you know," her conscience accused. "He doesn't want you to die, even if it's in the line of duty!"
"I know…I don't have a choice, though."
"Oh really? Someone's twisting your arm, making you show that you care for him, and then pushing him away?" it asked.
"That night was a mistake. I shouldn't have kissed him."
::No?:: the demon asked, slithering outside Yojimbo's psychic wall. ::You really should have had your fun with him, you know… At least you would have a happy memory to cling to after I win and slaughter all your friends!::
"Shut up! You won't win, and you won't kill anyone! I'm going to find a way to beat you!" Charlie silently snarled.
::No, you won't… You don't even think that they'll believe anything you tell them about me!::
"Maybe not, but my body won't do you much good if I kill myself, now will it?" Startled, the demon backed off, leaving her alone in her mind again. "I hope it doesn't really come to that…" she thought to herself. "I don't think I could actually go through with it. There's no help for it…I'll have to tell someone about this, and hope to high hell that they'll actually believe me."
