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 Note: Here I go, again on my own~… to bring you a new chapter! Sorry about the length of time it took, but with winter break just around the corner, I should be able to up my writing speed by just a fraction for that time. For now though, let me get to replying to reviews, and then getting on with the show!
ImReallyShort: Thank you for your kind words.
Guest #1: Well, you're about to see.
SolidSamurai223: The prequel will be a challenge, as t will only include Etro and some of the older characters. It's something I'll be intrigued to do, though.
Guest #2: I was actually thinking of making an OC X Tifa pairing in the FFVII story I already have. That stories just on hiatus currently.
And Guest #3: Not a bad guess, to be honest.
And now, we begin!
Ch.37 Adonis's Trial
Lightning and I both fell onto our hands and knees, myself almost weeping at relief at the sight before us. We had taken the usual route to find where the bandit's settlement was, only to have our way blocked by a sand twister that was even more powerful than the one around the Cactair. According to Hope, this one was unnatural too, and as such we should have been able to deactivate it by finding a stone slab and using a Pilgrim's Crux.
Only for that slab to be too close to the sandstorm for us to get close.
With that avenue taken away, the two of us were forced to take the long route, going completely around the settlement and through the section of the desert that contained the shattered corpse of Atomos. To see the fal'Cie that had carved through the underground of Pulse reduced to a ruin was shocking, to say the least. Had either Lightning or I had any remaining feeling towards fal'Cie, we might have even stopped to pay our respects. But any respect for that race was lost from either of us, and so we kept going.
"You two are close. I've confirmed that the settlement nearby is the camp of the bandits. They should know something about the clavis, considering how much time they spent in the ruins. But be careful if you go in there," he warned us. I grunted and stood up, wiping a sheen of sweat of my forehead. "Well, we've come this far. No reason to stop now," I said. Lightning nodded in agreement and stood. Together, we kept going.
Once we arrived- the whole trip having taken a walk of two hours- we saw that the bandit camp actually didn't look half bad. There was a set of ruins built into a wall that appeared to be the main building, several trees for shade, and even a freaking oasis. I sighed in relief at that last part. We had run out of water just an hour ago, and in the desert heat that time alone was already bad. "To think, we'd have gotten here in no time if it wasn't for that sandstorm," Lightning observed.
Hope chimed in, saying "Indeed. I'm sure the two of you are looking forward to some rest. However, I wouldn't let my guard down if I were you. I would guess that everyone living here is part of the bandit gang." I frowned. "So… if we take a nap, odds are that we'll wake up with knives in our faces, right?" I said, resisting the urge to reach for my sword. Lightning shrugged, completely unintimidated as usual. "Fine by me. It'd give me an excuse to beat some information out of 'em," she stated.
I blinked and looked at Lightning, before chuckling. Yeah, that was the girlfriend I knew. That response must have surprised Hope though, as he said "You'd use yourself as bait, just for that? I guess that's just like you. But try not to get hurt, okay?" While the show of concern did satisfy me somewhat, I couldn't help but feel a small flicker of confusion at the edge of my consciousness. Hope had said that as if Lightning putting herself out there… was new to him.
It shouldn't be something new, as Hope had known about us for over a thousand years now. Lightning's habits and traits, while changing slightly with her becoming the savior, were still relatively the same. Why would this surprise him?
I was knocked out my thoughts by one of the bandits, who was wearing a gray jumpsuit and rebreather mask, likely to keep from breathing in any sand. "A traveler, huh? Pretty unusual to see one of those out here in desert. This is Ruffian, the only settlement in the desert. It used to be a real town once, but most people have gone and given up the bandit life. We're all that's left," he said. Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then who can I talk to in order to get some information around here?" she asked.
The bandit chuckled. "Sorry, but if you want any of us to talk, you're gonna have to talk to head bandit, Adonis, first," he said. That name struck a chord in my memory. Adonis… that was the name of the person who had written the note in the desert, warning about the Cactair near the Lighthouse. "I see. And where might we find this Adonis?" I questioned. The bandit waved at the interior of the base/fortress. "He'll be in there. Just look for a blonde guy in a red suit," he informed us.
We thanked the bandit and walked inside. Immediately we were the subject of several hard stares, all of the guarded and cautious. Taking a look around, we could see that the place had a fully stocked bar, an armory, forge and even a supply store from what we saw outside. Also, off to the side, we could see a hallway in the base. And standing right in the middle of it was a blonde man in a red outfit.
Lightning smirked at the sight and walked forward, ignoring the stares from the other bandits. I followed behind, and once we came close enough he smiled at us. Rather than send us a glare or send us off, he said "Why, hello. Looks it's your first time to our humble home. Welcome. Do either of you need a guide?" We nodded. "That's exactly what we need. That, and some answers to a few questions," Lightning said.
Adonis smiled. "A woman who knows what she wants, huh? Alright, fire away and I'll do my best," he replied. I frowned, noticing the rather enamored look he was sending to Lightning. I didn't like it one bit. Stepping forward, I said "Rumor has it that you bandits might be able to tell us something about the holy clavis." Adonis blinked at me and frowned. "Hmph. So you know who we are. From what I can tell, you two don't look like a pair of the Order's lackeys, so what possible use could you have for the clavis?" he questioned.
Lightning's eyes narrowed. "Why should I have to tell you that?" she questioned back. Adonis chuckled at her response. "You shouldn't. And you don't. Neither of you are one of us, you can do whatever you want. But I won't be telling you nothing," he said. I grunted, resisting the urge to point out the double negative he had just used. He continued "If you want to know what we know about the clavis, then both you'll have to join our gang: Monoculus."
Now my eyes narrowed as well. Adonis saw that, and didn't stop. "Have you ever wanted to be a bandit, explore secret ruins, and search for treasure? Well, now's your chance. Not that we let just anyone join us. But we'll at least let you try it out. If you two don't like that, then I think you know where the exit is. And that's all I've got to say about it. If you want to attempt the trial, just say the word," he told us.
I glared at him, and was about to tell him to shove his 'trail' up his ass, when suddenly Hope's voice came onto the com-link. "If you want to find the holy clavis, it looks like there might not be much choice but joining the bandits. I suggest talking to Adonis and finding out what his trail revolves around," he said. I groaned minutely, not liking that fact one bit. But it was true. Having researched the desert for years, the bandits were our best bet to getting information about the clavis.
"Alright, fine. We'll take your trail," I grumbled. Adonis nodded. "Good to hear that. Now, let me explain what the two of you have to do. There's a giant sandstorm out there in the desert. You've seen it, right? It's been causing us nothing but grief out here, to say the least. Make it stop. That's your test. Now, off you go," he said, grinning the whole time.
Both of us stared at him like he was nuts. Despite already having an idea on how to do just that once we found another Pilgrim's Crux, the fact he didn't know that made the request slightly insane. "Make it stop? A sandstorm? Do you want a bandit in me or a holy woman?!" Lightning exclaimed. Adonis sighed and rolled his eyes in an exaggerated motion. "Oh, fine. Make me explain it all. Look, that thing's not exactly natural. People call is 'God's Wrath'. It's magic or a curse, or something. If you can trigger the stone monument near it, you should be able to make it go away," he explained.
"If you now that much then, why ask a stranger like us to do it instead of doing it yourselves?" I demanded, crossing my arms. Adonis waved his arms in the air. "What, you think a human can control the weather? That's just crazy talk! Now go and give it your all. Best of luck. Oh, and beat the monster near the monument to get the key you need to activate it. That's the last freebie you'll get from me," he said.
We both grimly accepted, and walked off. Within my mind, Etro chose to comment on the situation, saying "So in order to join these bandits, you'll have to defeat a monster, get the key inside it, and hope that the key is able to stop God's Wrath. Wonderful." I nodded in agreement. 'I concur. This is something beyond what any human would be capable of,' I thought back. I said as much aloud as well, and Lightning chuckled humorlessly. "Well, we are the Savior and Protector. Do what others can't is part of the job," she pointed out.
I chuckled, conceding the point. We left the bandit's home/fortress and activated the Cactuar statue outside the entrance. It glowed red and we were warped to the statue near one of the temples closer to the center of the desert. We moved out from there, taking down any monsters that appeared to take a chunk out of us. The closer we got to God's Wrath, the more we could hear the roar of the wind as it swirled around.
The winds picked up the sand to the point that we both put on goggles to void getting it in our eyes, as well as scarves we had purchased at a store to keep from breathing it in. Finally, once we reached the other side of God's Wrath, the ground itself was literally shaking from the force of the twister, and the air was filled with both sand and traces of magic, the same magic sustaining the storm. As we got close, the sand in front of us shook, before a Gurangatch burst out the ground and glared at us, hissing.
"I think that much be it- Adonis's monster. Question is, does it have the key?" Hope said over the comms. I grinned and drew Callais Hawk. "Well, I know one way to find out if it does," I commented. Lightning smirked and held up Chaos's Revenge. "Yeah. We beat it and get an answer," she said. Then she sighed. "And now we get to be bandits too," she added in a mutter. Sparing the moment to give her a look of sympathy, I smiled before charging ahead, shouting a war cry at the beast.
In reply, the Gurangatch hissed and released a blast of toxic air, forcing me to stop and move back to avoid it. Lightning switched to Danse Macabre and blew the cloud away with ice storm, while the shards of ice rained down on the Gurangatch. Unfortunately, its hard shell combined with the heat caused it to have little effect. As did any debuff spells I used. The monster growled in annoyance and snapped its fangs at Lightning, forcing her to jump back.
I clicked my tongue. "Looks like we'll need to break that shell for us to get anywhere," I analyzed. Lightning took that into account and began firing Flamespark and Icestorm over and over, determined to stagger the Gurangatch. Getting the idea, I switched to Shogun and charged. Holding Cruel Grace up high, I swung down with Heavy Slash and tore through a section of the scales, though not destroying the shell entirely.
With that section of the shell destroyed, I sent a Poison spell straight through the opening, and watched as the Gurangatch roared in pain at the contagion. It curled into a ball, and for a second I thought it was in pain, before it unleashed a point-blank Boulder Tackle on me, sending me flying. Lightning's eyes narrowed and she switched to Guardian Corps, firing both Firaga and Blizzaga. The two high-level spells blasted the beast back, knocking it off-balance.
While I landed on my side and groaned from the impact against the unforgiving sand, Lightning changed her Blazefire Saber to its gun form and fired off several rounds. While none of them punched through the shell, the ones she aimed at the face and feet hit their marks, leaving several holes. The beast smart enough to avoid getting shot in the brain, and curled up again. Rather than tackle again though, its injuries began healing as it used Mediguard.
"Oh, hell no!" I yelled, getting to my feet and ignoring the pain from my probably-cracked ribs. I changed to Black Mage and began spamming Rapid Fire and Quick Freeze over and over. Any damaged the monster might have healed was re-dealt to it, and with a shout I unleashed none of each spell from either hand. Both of them together successfully shattered the Gurangatch's shell, leaving it exposed. "Light, now!" I called.
She nodded and we both changed Together, we swung down with both Blazefire Saber and Death Herald, cleaving the beast apart in an X fashion. It released one last hiss before the four pieces of it dissolved into Chaos, fading away on the wind. I sighed, relieved that it was over. We both put our weapons back, and there was a small burst of light before a Pilgrim's Crux appeared in the Gurangatch's place.
I grinned and picked it up, saying "So, there's one key for us." But suddenly we heard a voice behind us, and spun around to see Adonis standing there, smirking. Lightning stared at him. "You were watching us the whole time, weren't you?" she asked. The blonde smirked and raised his hands. "What, me? Why, I would never do such a thing!" he said in mock-hurt. We both stared at him flatly, but he ignored it and continued on.
"But yeah, that thing's the key. Or at least, that's the theory. It's called a crux, and it's supposed to fit right into the monument and switch it on, somehow. But not just for anyone," he said. I grimaced. "Let me guess, only those with God's blessing would be able to use the crux and stop God's Wrath, huh?" I said. When Adonis nodded, I handed the crux over to Lightning, who pointed it at the monument. Both of them began glowing as the crux and monuments reacted to Lightning's power.
As she walked closer to the stone slab, Adonis's playful expression was tossed out for one of shock. "Don't tell me; y-you can actually make it work?" he asked. Now it was my turn to smirk, and I said "Would we have taken this job if we didn't think we could?" Adonis looked at me, before focusing back on Lightning. The crux floated from her hand and laid itself flat on the monument, and both glowed before vanishing.
Immediately after, the wind from God's Wrath spiked before burst outwards, completely dissipating and kicking up a cloud of dust. Adonis held his arms in front of him to block the burst of air, and when it cleared he looked at where the sand twister used to be. He grinned widely. "Well… shoot. I never thought you'd be able to do it. So you two are the real deal- you actually got the crux to do its thing," he said.
I scoffed, while Etro spoke in my mind, saying "As if I had any doubts about you two." I smiled at that. Not hearing the conversation that I was having with the voice in my head, Adonis said "Guess the bosses were right, as usual. You've got some strange kind of power that the rest of us just don't." Lightning frowned. "Your bosses? I don't remember being introduced to any of them," she said. "Well, you haven't. But we've been keeping tabs on you both ever since you stepped off the train in the station."
"But I suppose I should let the bosses explain the rest in person. 'Cause, honestly, I don't want to get blamed for spilling the wrong things," he stated. With that, he began dashing for Ruffian along the newly-opened path. Before he could get far though, I asked "So does that mean that we're in the gang now?" Adonis looked back. "I said that the bosses will explain everything in person, didn't I? You think just anybody gets in to see them?" he pointed out.
Giving us both a thumbs-up, he announced "Welcome to the gang. You are now officially members of Monoculus!" As he ran off, we could see Adonis's soul rise up out of him before flying into Lightning. Another soul saved. I smiled. "So, we made it. Let's see these fabled bosses of the gang, hmm?" Lightning nodded in agreement, and we both made our way through the new route to Ruffian. Once we got there, we could see the looks of surprise and slight awe at our success at clearing the sandstorm.
I couldn't help but puff my chest out a little at the praise, but resisted doing more than that. Once we went inside the stronghold, we made our way down the same hall where we had met Adonis. At the end of it was a set of double doors, which Adonis himself opened. The minute it did, voices that were blocked from getting out before could be heard.
"I'm telling you, if we can't open the doors, we should just blast through them!" a young female voice suggested
"And what if the enchantment on them prevents that, hm? Even if it did work, we'd could still end up damaging the ruins and causing a cave-in!" an older and sterner male voice countered
"Well, I don't see you coming up with any bright idea, Lieutenant!" another female voice, though older, pointed out.
"Grr... Shut it, Colonel!" the male yelled.
"All three of you just shut up, yeah?" a fourth voice called, one that was female and with a distinct accent.
"…Yes, boss," the other three voices replied.
Then the voices stopped as we walked through, and both Lightning and I froze in shock at the four people standing in the room. Two of the people in here were old friends… while the other two were supposed to be dead. Hell, I had fought one of them even after she died.
Lightning stared at two of them. "Fang? Sofia?" she asked, while I stared at the others. "Yaag Rosch? Jihl Nabaat?!"
And BAM! End of the chapter for you! So now Lightning and Deiru have joined Monoculus, and we see who it's ringleaders are! But how did Rosch and Nabaat get there? Why has Nabaat come back? What's going to occur next?! Find out in the next chapter!
Please review! If you flame me then Bruce Lee will smash you with his nunchaku. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)