Hello again. Still not dead. Etc.
As mentioned I've changed a few things and even added a few things. I'll give my reasons at the end, once you've read it.
The Via Purifico, Tidus was told by the guard escorting him, was the way of purification designed to purge wrong doers of sin. As far as the blitzer would tell, it did this by killing them.
Having been led downwards for a long while, Tidus could only fathom that they were now underground. This was further confirmed by the lack of windows and the dark stone walls, illuminated by torches and, Tidus took a wry moment to consider, machina powered bulbs. Before long they reached the entrance to the Via Purifico: an impressive looking stone doorway with a carved metal door, not unlike a rectangular version of the door to the chamber of the fayth. A second guard waited there, armed with a rifle and holding Tidus' translucent blue sword.
"This is one of the entrances to the Via," the guard told him emotionlessly, "Your companions will enter another way."
Tidus opened his mouth to ask why and perhaps what exactly the Via Purifico was but shut it again when the second guard handed him his weapon.
This came as a surprise but Tidus didn't hesitate to grasp the now familiar leather bound handle. He felt better instantly but held it in a non threatening manner in light of the second guard's gun.
"You're giving me a weapon?" he wanted to know.
"It's the rules," the guard replied shortly. He nodded to his companion and the other walked forward and began to crank the metal door open.
Tidus stared into the gloom beyond, "What's in there?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.
"The Via is a maze," he was told, "Make it to the exit and you will have been purged of your sin."
"That's it?" Tidus said incredulously, "What a lame way to kill someone."
"And of course," the guard went on, "Survive the fiends."
Tidus paused, "Right," he said after a moment, griping his sword tighter.
"In with you," the guard said, giving him a shove.
Tidus stumbled through the door then spun around as the other guard started to crank the door closed, "Wait, where are the others?"
"In there somewhere," the guard voice came back to him just before the door thumped closed and the light and noise from the other side. Tidus instinctively took a step toward the metal door but even by the dim light within the Via Purifico he could see there were no means of prying it open. He also had no intention of escaping only to be shot by the guard outside.
Feeling more trepidation than he cared to admit to, Tidus turned his back on the entrance and looked into the Via.
Ahead of him was a long dark passage, with many identical looking passages leading off of it. The walls, ceiling and floors of the maze were a light coloured stone which reflected the dim light. The light, little as it was, radiated from the sporadic openings in the ceiling. Looking up one, Tidus could see an impossibly long chimney topped with bars, and beyond, the sky. He dismissed it out of hand as a means of escape.
Making his way cautiously down the first passage, his sword at the ready, Tidus picked up signs of the previous unfortunates to have been thrown into the Via Purifico. Here and there desperate inmates had drawn various marks on the wall, more than likely in the hopes of figuring the maze out. There were more than a few dark stains on the walls and floors which Tidus tried to ignore. Occasionally he came across a small hole in the wall and other marks indicating either fighting or attempts at escape.
It wasn't long before he came across a dead end. Expecting any dead ends to be a wall, Tidus was surprised to find this obstacle was a long gap in the floor. A metre or so down, he could see inky black water swirling in lazy circles. Considering how deep underground the Via was, the blitzer surmised that these were the waters over which Bevelle was built.
Tidus stared down into the waters and wondered if he should consider this a means of escape. He was one of the best blitzers, this much he knew, and to be the best he had to be able to hold his breath longer than any other but could he hold his breath for the time it would take to swim the length of a city? Readjusting his grip on his sword, the blitzer turned away from the dead end and stared into the teeth of a fiend.
Caught off guard he lashed out automatically with his sword and managed to catch the lizard type monster under the jaw. The creature, which he didn't recognize as any of the fiends he'd previously encountered, snarled in reaction and recoiled slightly but almost instantly retaliated by lunging at Tidus' legs with its claws. The blitzer leapt backwards automatically, completely forgetting what was behind him, and only had a moment to draw a breath before the black waters closed over his head.
Maintaining his grip on his sword, Tidus swam deeper into waters instead of resurfacing, intending to wait out the creature. As he looked back up toward the opening, he was surprised to see more than one. The openings within the Via Purifico into the waters below the city were clearly not intentional, judging by the inconsistent sizes and jagged edges. With no way of knowing which of the openings would be closer to exit of the Via, the blitzer picked a random opening and struck out for the surface. Upon breaking though the surface of the water, Tidus immediately looked around for fiends and was pleased to discover that the opening was larger than the previous one with sloping sides, which made climbing out of the dark cold water much easier.
The blitzer also took note of the score marks in the rough stone but tried not to dwell on what may have caused them. Now cold and wet, the blitzer started moving through the Via slightly faster, aware that he was now hopelessly lost and therefore it would make little sense for him to do anything other than take whichever passageway took his fancy. He hoped this would increase his chances of meeting up with one of the others. He was right.
"Yo, you made it!" a familiar voice caused him to turn abruptly with a relieved grin.
Wakka approached trailing Rikku. The blitzer raised a hand and the blitzball captain gave him a grin and a high five. Rikku bounced up and down on her toes in both excitement and nervousness.
"Where's Yunie?" she wanted to know.
Tidus gave a sigh, "I don't know," he admitted.
"Should we wait for her?" the Al Bhed wondered.
Tidus pondered this for a moment, remembering the golden rule of staying in one place if you got lost. Somehow he didn't think staying in one place for too long was a good idea.
"Let's wait at the exit," he suggested.
Rikku made a face but nodded in agreement, "If there is an exit," she lamented.
Wakka punched a fist into his palm, "They expect us to just give up and die down here?" he wondered rhetorically.
"Any idea which way we should head?" Tidus asked him.
Wakka shrugged, "Anyone's guess, ya?"
"At least we know which way is North," Rikku piped up earning herself two identically incredulous looks.
"We do?" the two blitzball players said together.
"Yup," Rikku nodded happily, showing them a small gadget attached to the wrist of her glove. Tidus has mistaken it for a charm, no more than decoration. Clearly so had the guards.
Tidus gave a slow smile, "You know this place is built over water right?"
Wakka nodded with a grin of his own, "We can follow the river to the exit," he said, "The Via Purifico is an old waterway, it makes sense that the exit will be..."
"By the sea!" Rikku cried in realisation, "And all rivers flow to the sea," she sing songed.
"So which way is the sea?" Tidus wanted to know.
"East," Wakka told him.
"What about the others?" Rikku wanted to know, suddenly sobering.
Wakka made an unhappy face, "Even if we could find them, they can't escape this way," he said regretfully.
"Don't worry," Tidus said with more confidence than he felt, "Yuna's the best summoner out there. She's got her aeons and Lulu has her magic, they'll make it."
"And Sir Auron?" Wakka wondered out loud.
"Are you kidding?" Tidus replied, "Nothing can kill that guy."
High above them, in the ante chamber of the High Court, the Maesters of Yevon save Kelk, gathered.
"How fairs the Ronso maester?" Mika asked the younger Maesters.
Seymour smiled, "My father's murder troubles him," he half guado replied.
Mika laughed mirthlessly, "Ever the Ronso," he murmured, "Hard headed. Hardly useful."
Seymour raised his chin, seeing an oppurtunity, "However, the summoner Yuna, she may be of some use to us alive," he said calmly.
Mika raised an eyebrow at this, scrutinizing the half guado's face and intentions, "She has disturbed the order of Yevon," he said simply, "She cannot be allowed to live."
Seymour pursed his lips slightly but nodded, "I understand," he said.
Kinoc spoke up at this point, giving the other maester a shrewd look, "Let it go Seymour," he advised unkindly, "No one thrown into the Via Purifico has ever survived."
"Yet there is always a small chance that they will," Mika added thoughtfully, "Place guards at the exits, kill any who emerge."
Seymour bowed, "Leave that to me," he said.
Kinoc snorted, "First your father and now your bride?" he wondered.
Seymour gave a tight smile, "Allow me to do this because she is my bride." He turned to go but Kinoc stopped him with hand on arm. The half guado's gaze zeroed in on it.
Kinoc let his hand drop, "I will go with you."
"You do not trust me?" Seymour wondered in a deceptively light tone.
"Would you trust a man who murdered his own father?" Kinoc countered.
Seymour smiled, looking almost impressed, "Very well," he agreed leaving the ante chamber with Kinoc on his heels.
It was only a short time later that Maester Seymour entered his private offices, looking pleased with himself. His smile only widened as the man standing to attention in front of his desk turned and bowed.
"You asked to see me, Maester Seymour?" Isaaru asked.
"Indeed," Seymour said, indicating that the younger summoner should take a seat. Isaaru did so, but Seymour did not follow suit.
"Are you aware that Summoner Yuna has been tried and found guilty of treason?" the half guado said calmly.
Isaaru blanched, "Impossible," he blurted, forgetting himself for a moment.
Seymour ignored the impropriety, "She is currently traversing the Via Purifico," he went on, "I would like to see to it that she makes it through."
Isaaru blinked, "You wish to help her?"
"Yes," Seymour replied, "She is my bride after all. I do however, require your help."
"Of course," Isaaru said instantly.
"I will ensure that Summoner Yuna and her guardians make it to the exit. There you will wait," Seymour explained, "And try to stop them."
Isaaru hesitated, "I don't understand, I thought-."
"Yes, but we cannot have it looking as though they escaped too easily," Seymour went on, "A simple aeon duel should suffice. You should be able to handle that, yes?"
Isaaru looked relieved, "Of course, my lord," he replied.
Seymour walked the young summoner to the door, "And do try to put on a good show will you?" he said, "There may be witnesses."
Isaaru nodded his assent and stuttered his assurances as Seymour shut the door.
"A good test, I should think, of my lovely bride's capabilities," he murmured to himself.
He heard the door to the opposite office open and turned as his aide entered the room. The man hesitated and swept the room with his eyes.
"Was Maester Kinoc not with you, my lord?" the aide enquired politely.
Seymour smiled, "He was."
Far below the city, within the dark halls of the Via Purifico, Yuna was puzzled. She'd heard many stories of the Via Purifico and had always feared it despite never expecting to have to traverse it herself. She may have found the irony amusing if she hadn't been so confused. The Via was supposed to be a maze, but so far there only appeared to be one way to go. It was also supposed to be infested with fiends, but as of yet she'd only encountered a few which were easily dispatched. As she walked down yet another darken hallway she realized the hallways may have been twisting and turning but they ultimately always ended up leading her one way. She only hoped it wasn't some sort of trick.
Before long she noticed a figure ahead of her in the gloom. Expecting another fiend she raised her staff but as the figure stepped forward her fear turned to relief. It was Kimahri.
She hurried forward and impulsively hugged him around the middle. The Ronso rumbled deep in his throat, a sound Yuna knew to indicate his happiness, and wrapped one big arm around her shoulders.
"Yuna," he said, "Sorry we left you alone."
Yuna shook her head, "No, it's okay," she replied.
Feeling much better now that she had some company, Yuna continued through the Via with Kimahri watching her back. They encountered a few more minor fiends which fell swiftly to Kimahri's spear until they came to a round room, from which a few passageways stretched, only one of which appeared to be accessible. This no longer surprised the young summoner but the presence of Auron and Lulu standing in the centre of the room did. They were discussing something and quickly stopped upon seeing their missing charge.
Lulu stepped forward and hugged Yuna hastily then looked her over for injuries. The summoner blushed at the scrutiny.
"Lulu, I..." Yuna started but then paused unsure of how to go on.
"It's alright," the black mage told her, smoothing down the summoner's hair with hands that only slightly trembled, "It's okay."
Auron observed the reunion with a dubious expression, "Quite the coincidence," he said.
The others looked at him with varying degrees of surprise. Lulu sighed.
"He means he's glad you're okay," she said, "And that we're being manipulated."
Yuna frowned, "But why?"
"I wonder," Auron said moving a few steps closer to Yuna. He seemed about to say something else but didn't.
"This is too easy," Lulu agreed, "But we've yet to find the others."
"I get the feeling we will soon enough," Auron told her. He turned abruptly and the others soon followed suit. Someone or something had entered the round room while their attention was otherwise engaged.
Isaaru strode forward, his expression unhappy, "Lady Yuna, so it is you."
Yuna started to smile but it soon melted into a frown, "Why are you here?" she asked in confusion.
"We rode the airship to the Calm Lands, then came to Bevelle," the other summoner explained, "I was summoned then and ordered to "deal with the traitors"."
Auron raised an eyebrow at this, looking unconcerned, "You would fight us?"
Isaaru bowed his head briefly, "I challenge Summoner Yuna to an aeon dual," he said calmly.
Yuna looked surprised at this and looked toward Auron. The legendary guardian still looked unworried, even amused so the young summoner nodded her consent and raised her staff.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
Isaaru looked vaguely insulted, "The temple's orders are law," he stated, "even if you are Lord Braska's flesh and blood, you're a traitor!"
Yuna looked disappointed but spread her arms wide as she prepared to summon. Isaaru started his own summon dance, "Forgive me Lady Yuna," he murmured.
The scene between Isaaru and Seymour does not exist in the game, as many of you will know, and it supposed to be Kinoc who asks him to deal with the traitors. I added the scene to try and explain not only Isaaru's lack of reluctance in fighting Yuna but also how easily the party gets through the Via Purifico, which no one has ever survived. Supposedly.
I also changed the Via to be slightly different for the sake of realism. Thanks for reading :)
