Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII-2 or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Author's Notice: Finally, I have managed to pull this chapter together amidst all the schoolwork and scholarship applications I have been doing. Hope you all enjoy this action-packed chapter, along with the replies to reviews! Enjoy!
ImReallyShort: Well, I have my updates set on rotation. First is this story, followed by Wings Spread Afar, then The Ties That Bind. Fourth is a New Horizon, last is A Shift in Tides, and then its starts over again. How much time it takes to update the next story depends on whether I can get anything done when faced with schoolwork. So it's all kind of subjective.
Rsdk525: Thank you for your kind words.
And SolidSamurai223: You are correct; when I do the prequel to this whole series, it will not feature Lightning and the group. It might feature Caius and a few of the Yeuls, but that's a big 'might'.
And now, let the fun begin!
Ch.36 Giant Freaking Metal Cactus
"And stay down!" I said, slicing a Cactuar in half. The little green shit had been literally running circles around Light and I the entire time we were fighting it. It had been so long since we fought any of the cactus-like fiends that I completely forgot how annoying they were. And in the Dead Dunes, they had a habit of popping up in spades. Luckily, for every one we defeated, we were able to get a little farther into the Dead Dunes, and thus closer to the bandits.
Hope came onto the comm link, telling us "You guys, I've looked into that clavis for you. Apparently, it's an artifact thought capable of drawing the souls of the dead to it. That's about all we know. Though it seems that the Order has been trying hard to recover that relic. In recent years, they've dispatched several groups of search squads called 'Secutors' to the desert." I raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess, they've had no luck? Maybe the Order isn't the only ones looking for it," I suggested.
Lightning nodded in agreement. "The bandits that call this desert home- they want the clavis too," she stated. "Precisely. The bandits make a living by exploring the ruins, taking what they can from it, and selling their finds," Hope told us. I chuckled at that. "I wonder, would that make them bandits or grave robbers?" I joked.
Both of them chuckled at that, though it seemed rather... forced? "I don't know how much the clavis is worth. But if it can be used to gather souls, it sounds pretty handy for a savior," Lightning pointed out. "Yes, it's the only artifact of its kind in the world. And if the Order is willing to spend so many resources to search for it, it's probably worth finding," Hope said. We agreed, and continued searching.
Along the way we picked up several mysterious items called "Pilgrim's Cruxes" but we couldn't find a use for them. Just as well, as our scouring the desert also allowed us to activate a couple of warp points as well. One of them was near a set of ruin, which had a arrow and sign attached to a slab of rock. When we came close enough to read the message, it said 'A sandstorm had emerged along the lighthouse's path, along with a mysterious beast. Be careful, gents. Senor Advisor Adonis'."
I raised an eyebrow. "A lighthouse? Where?" I thought aloud. Lightning shrugged, not having any idea, and Hope answered. "it's that tall structure to the north. Do you see it?" he asked. We looked north and saw it, rising above the rest of the rocks slightly. Though with it being daytime, and with the lighthouse also being made of stone, we wouldn't have noticed at first. "Okay, we see it. But that begs the question- why is there a lighthouse out in the middle of the desert?" I asked, honestly not able to see why.
"Well, the archeologists believe that this desert was actually once a vast ocean. But the waters dried up, and the lighthouse lost all meaning," Hope reported. Lightning frowned. "Has it, though? It could still shine upon the seas of Chaos- or show travelers the way. I think that light is needed more than ever in this kind of desert," she said. I looked at her in surprise, before slowly smiling. "You know, you're right. That lighthouse can still bring people the light of hope... Just like you, Claire," I said.
Lightning smiled at that, and gave a light punch to the shoulder. "If you were hoping for kiss out of that, you're going to be waiting a while. We still have work to do," she said. I mock-pouted, looking at my girlfriend with watery eyes. "Aw, but I wanted one~," I said. Light laughed, but kept going. I laughed as well, glad that I could still evoke her softer side.
We followed the direction that the arrow on the sign indicated, and we reached the path to the lighthouse. However. Right in the middle of it was a miniature tornado, one that picked up sand and threw it in every direction. Though in the center, we could just barely make out of the shape of some something... green? And hopping?
"Is that another Cactuar?" I asked, trying to get closer, only to be pushed back by the force of the sandstorm. "I don't think so. Cactuar are fairly common around here, and the sign said that the beast here would be 'strange'," Lightning reminded me. I was silent, thinking, before I gasped and my eyes shot wide. "Then if it's not a Cactuar... could it be the Cactair?!" I said to her. Her eyes went wide as well. "If that's the case, then we have to find a way to get rid of that sandstorm," she declared.
I nodded and faced it. Unlike with a tornado, a sandstorm wasn't caused by a mixture of hot and cold air, so it wouldn't to launch any magic at it to change the air pressure. Nor would it probably have worked anyway, since having such a strong twister only take up such a small area was largely unnatural. "There has to be something that will allow us to disperse it," I said. Lightning looked around, until she noticed the sunlight glinting off of another stone slab. Once she got closer, she realized that the sun had been hitting a green picture of an enlarged Pilgrim's Crux.
"I wonder..." Lightning muttered, pulling one of the Pilgrim's Cruxes we had collected out. She held it in front of the enlarged picture, and both glowed before disintegrating into sparkling dust. At the same time, the howling winds composing the sandstorm began losing speed, until it was completely dispersed. I looked over at Lightning, before grinning. "Nice one, Light!" I called, giving her a 'thumbs-up'. Lightning smirked, before turning serious as she drew Chaos's Revenge.
"Good. Now we can fight the Cactair and get the fourth Fragment," she said. I nodded as well and drew Callais Hawk. Once we got full sight of the Cactair. I nearly face-vaulted into the sand. It looked just like a regular Cactuar, only larger than normal... and with an Afro! "What the hell is this?" I said, eyebrow twitching. Lightning was similarly put off, though she was able to get over it faster. However, before of us charged, a burst of black flames appeared behind the Cactair, resolving itself into Uried.
The white-hair grinned at us and waved. "Well, isn't this a coincidence, Deiru, Lightning," he said, not even trying to sound believable. I glared at him. "I highly doubt that. So what are you doing here? Trying to interfere with us getting the Fragment, like you did in Yusnaan with the traders?" I asked. Uried gave me a fanged smile. "Right on the money. Sazh and his despair is a great source of sustenance to the Chaos, so I can't very well have you go and save him, now can I?" he pointed out.
Lightning pointed her sword at him. "So what are you going to do, then? Fight us?" she asked. But to our surprise, he shook his head. "Oh, no, you're not going to fight me. You still have this lovely Cactair to fight- I just showed up to give the thing a little... boost," he said. My eyes widened, and I charged at him. But before I could get close, Uried conjured a sphere of black smoke and threw it at the Cactair. It hit straight on and enveloped the monster in an dome of shadows, while Uried turned to dust that scattered on the wind.
"Dammit!" I said, seeing him gone. But Lightning called "Deiru!" and we looked at that Cactair. It seemed to be growing in size, getting larger and larger, until it's size rivaled that of a Gigantuar. But just then, its entire body flashed bright, and when it faded it was a chrome gray with handlebar mustache and retaining its Afro. I stared. Now we were fighting a Metal Gigantair? "Are you kidding me?!" I yelled, glaring at the monster and already hating it.
The Metal Gigantair must have understood me, as it narrowed its eyes before aiming its head at me. Recognizing the pose as the one for when it used a Needles attack, both of us raised our shields to block it. But then the massive cactus shrieked, and it waved its arms in the direction of its head. We both stared. Were the needles... stuck in its Afro? Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, we both charged and attacked.
Lightning began with casting Curse, Deprotect, Deshell and Poison, only to see that none of the spell had absolutely any effect. Grunting in anger, she switched struck out with a Punt only to deal a small scratch. I tried afflicting it with Debrave and Defaith, and after several tried they both worked. I grinned and began launching Ruin spells continuously, but each one barely scored a dent.
The Metal Gigantair aimed its head again and tried to attack us, but shrieked when its attempts were again in vain. Lightning struck in a rapid flurry of slashes and kicks, while I went with Light Slash. Our hits were doing little though, and only chipping away at the beast's stamina. It glared at us and unleashed a massive jump kick, hitting me in the chest and sending me skidding back. It flipped over and repeated the move on Lightning, pushing her away as well. Then, with both of us a moderate distance away, it fired an Aeroga spell.
I held up Kore Soteria and Lightning blocked with her Chiron Gauntlet, enabling us to hold firm against the miniature tornado. While we were unable to move without being blow away, the Metal Gigantair actually slammed its head against the ground, and all of the needles it had tried to fire fell out. It cheered as it finally got them loose, and fired 1,000 Needles at Lightning. She didn't see them coming and cried out as the pierced her all of, turning her into a pincushion.
"Light!" I called, and tossed her a Hi-Potion. She took it and drank it, causing every one of the needles to fall out. The Metal Gigantair fired a round of needles at me, and I had to roll away to avoid being turned into a pincushion as well. Lightning switched to her Guardian Corps outfit and cast Firaga, hitting the metal cactus dead-on and leaving part of its metallic skin glowing red. It squeaked(?) in pain and glared at Lightning, before moving back. It struck a pose that seemed to resemble the number 7, before doing it again for 6.
I realized what it was doing, and called "It's making a countdown! Stop it!" I called, casting Rapid Fire and Quick Freeze. Lightning charged another Firaga and sent it loose, but the Metal Gigantair jumped away from the massive fireball and struck a pose for 5. Not having any choice, I charged in and switched to Shogun, unleashing Heavy Slash. The beast fell back but still posed for 4, and then 3. Lightning gritted her teeth and cast Blizzaga, hoping to spear through it with ice. Only for the monster to literally kick the sphere of ice away, and pose for 2.
I swung again but was kicked next to Lightning, and the metal Gigantair posed for the number 1. Then it aimed its head at us, and unleashed 7,777 Needles. That exact number flew out of its Afro in a storm of projectiles, hitting our shields and sending us back from the force with which they were fired. What parts of us that our shields didn't block was hit, and I groaned at feeling Needles pierce and cover my legs. After about a full minute the barrage stopped, and the Metal Gigantair moved away to recover.
I painted, and cast Salvation on myself to remove the needles and close up the holes. Lightning quickly downed an X-Potion, and rose back to her feet. I tried to think of something that would let us defeat this metal monster, and glanced over to the spot where it had been hit with Firaga. A proverbial light-bulb went off, and I grinned. "Lightning, that thing's made of metal now, right?" I asked, looking over at her.
She nodded, and I said "Doesn't metal expand and contract went hit with heat and cold?" Getting the idea, she smiled. "That it does. So I'll handle the heat, while you dish out the cold?" she asked. I nodded back, and we both smirked before charging. Lightning switched to her Danse Macabre garb and called "Take this!" before casting Flamespark. I moved back to Black Mage and waited for Lightning's spell to hit. Once they did, I unleashed a barrage of Quick freeze spells to the same spots.
The Metal Gigantair shrieked as it felt its skin warped and began cracking, unable to take the massive changes in internal temperature. We traded and I cast Rapid Fire, aiming for the leg it hopped around it. Once the metal was nice and orange, Lightning cast Blizzaga and shredded it apart with ice spikes. The Metal Gigantair fell over, but quickly got back up and hopped on its other foot. Now it was made, though, and glared at us before moving back, shaking its Afro from side to side.
Not wanting to find out what it had planned, I cast Thunder and let the current travel all throughout its metallic limbs. It went stiff for a second, and Lightning used that chance to blast it right in the head with a trio of Flamespark spells. The heat from the fire and lightning actually began to partially melt its face, before I jumped up and hit with Quick Freeze once more. It face shattered apart and its Afro released a groaning sounds, before literally snapping off and landing it the ground.
What was left of the Metal Gigantiar's face bugged at the sight of its lost Afro, and it wailed loudly before looking and us in pure hatred. It pointed its head at us and- realizing that it was about to unleash 10,000 Needles, I called "Light! Overclock, NOW!" She nodded and the Savior mark on her chesty glowed, before Lightning literally blurred out of sight. I reached my hand out and channeled by Divine Fury into a a solid gold. As she shot past me,Lighting grabbed the orb and absorbed its power.
To Lightning, were we all moving as if through syrup, and she was moving normally. And with my power as well, and ran to the Metal Gigantair and jumped off, gripping Blaze fire Saber and slamming it against the beat's right arm. The metal of its body gave way like paper, allowing her to slice it clean off. Then, just as quickly she zipped to the other side and did the same to its remaining leg.
Time returned to normal, and the Metal Gigantair fell onto its back just as it unleashed 10,000 Needles. Every single one of them shot straight into the air, before coming back down and pelting the one that had fired them. The Metal Gigantair wailed over and over, before eventually going still once all of its needles had fallen. It's body was enveloped in Chaos and shrunk back down, turning into a normal Cactair again. Then the Cactair faded away, leaving only a shard of transparent crystal behind.
I sighed, placing my sword on my back. "By the name Etro, that thing was annoying," I remarked. Lightning grunted in agreement and put her blade away, before grasping the Fragment and absorbing it into herself. It glowed before fading away, and Lightning smiled. "This is the Fragment of Kindness. That means that there's only one left," she said. I smiled, before frowning. "Then that means that the only one left is in the Slaughterhouse- which doesn't open until Seven at night," I said.
Lightning frowned as well and looked at her watch, sighing as it read only 11 AM. "Well, then we just have to find a way to occupy ourselves for the next eight hours. We can start with those bandits," she said. I nodded, as it sounded like a good idea, and we moved further into the desert.
Yeah, this chapter was pretty much dominated by the Metal Gigantair fight. But hey, we got the Fourth Fragment! Now we only have one left before reviving Dajh! But what other things will occur between now and then? Will Deiru and Lightning be able to find the bandits? The next chapter tells!
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