Chapter Nine
The smell of freshly caught fish sizzling on the stove came to Kecci as he slept, drifting in the pleasant land halfway between reality and dreams. He recognized some of the spices in the scent, spices that had forever been in the air in his kitchen. it smelled like his mother was making one of his favorite dishes, Kecci thought. It was so nice of her to do that for him.
"Kecci? It's time to get up!" Her voice came up the stairs of their small house, pleasant and rich. "You don't want to be late to get to the temple, do you?"
He groaned, relishing the familiar warmth of his futon. "Coming, mother!" he managed to croak out at last, and pried his eyelids open.
A face that was decidedly unlike that of his mother looked down at him, barely repressing laughter. Roth smirked down at the sleeping summoner-to- be. "Well, it's a good thing you're awake. but I ain't your mom, last I checked." He snickered, pulling the pillow from his bed and throwing it at the young man. "Now come on and get dressed."
The tall Nagijin, who was wearing his loose, comfortable black pants but was shirtless, walked out of the hut, letting the woven mat that functioned as a door fall down behind him to block the doorway.
Kecci blinked to clear his eyes, yawned, and swung his legs out of his bed. For a moment, he held his head in his hands, trying to fight the despairing homesickness that threatened to overtake him. The dream had been full of such powerful memories of his home on Luca. everything was different, now.
'Stop that, Kecci. it's only going to get worse,' he told himself. 'If you can't deal with it now, then you might as well give up and go home.'
For a tantalizing second, the dark-skinned summoner allowed himself to fantasize about giving up, about returning to Luca and living a full, normal life. In the next moment, he had rejected that completely, and was chastising himself for even thinking about surrendering the load he had chosen to bear.
Yet it was still tempting. Kecci shook his head, and stood up, pulling on his tunic and throwing his cloak on over it, clasping it at the throat. Fully clothed, he walked out into the open.
The whiff of fish hadn't been merely in his dream. Roth was standing right outside the tent in front of an iron skillet over an open flame. The red- headed guardian gently flipped two pieces of salmon from side to side, slowly cooking the outside. As Kecci watched, the massive Nagijin reached to a jar of spices standing on a pylon, and sprinkled them over the browning seafood.
Kecci raised an eyebrow at Roth. "You cook?"
The guardian nodded, holding the wooden flipper in his teeth as he reached down to the handle of a bucket of water standing at his feet. "Mmm-hmmph," he mumbled an affirmative, pouring the water over the fire. Steam billowed out over the iron pan as the fire sizzled to nothing. Roth put the bucket down, and dropped the flipper in it. "Been cooking ever since I was young."
As he spoke, Roth grabbed a pair of straw plates that had been lying on the dock beside him. "See, in the Calm Lands, we don't get seafood much, it's considered a huge delicacy. It's a once-a-year treat for kids to get to eat fish. Here, it's everywhere." he laughed. "I wish my dad could see this." Roth flipped one piece of the salmon onto one plate, and put the other on the second. He handed one of the plates to the Lucan summoner, and smiled. "This is one of my favorite dishes. Enjoy."
The younger boy grinned. "I can't cook to save my life. Quite impressive." he grabbed the knife that was resting on the plate and cut a piece of the fish out. He was about to eat it, when Roth stopped him.
"Almost forgot the sauce. doesn't taste nearly as good without it." Roth winked, grabbing a glass bottle full of a viscous red liquid, and squirted a few drops onto Kecci's breakfast. "It's a little spicy, but nothing you can't handle."
Kecci laughed, and popped the fish into his mouth. He closed his eyes, savoring what had to be one of the richest and most flavorful bites of food he had ever had. and then, his eyes flashed open and he began to gag as his tongue seemed to catch fire. Kecci spat the fish out into the sea, the searing pain causing tears to well up in his eyes.
Roth smiled sheepishly, patting the shorter boy's back. "Guess you're not used to it, huh?" Kecci just shot his friend a silent, teary-eyed, betrayed glare.
* * *
After Roth had given Kecci his own, un-sauced plate to eat for breakfast, and the two men had eaten their fill, the larger one looked down at his newfound friend. "Well, today you start training to be a summoner." he smiled.
"Don't worry about it. if you have any problems, just ask Nesici, I'm sure she'll help you out." As he spoke, Roth pulled his long black coat on, leaving it open as usual. Kecci questioned the wisdom of wearing a long coat in the heat, but it obviously didn't seem to faze the Nagijin one bit. "Well. I'll see you in the evening. Summoner training is up at the temple; we guardians practice down in the forest and on the beach."
Roth ducked inside the small hut they shared for a moment, and came out carrying two things. The first was Kecci's staff, which he threw to the shorter boy, who caught it in one hand. It was the second that caught Kecci's eye. Roth was strapping a four-bladed steel claw to his wrist, tightening the straps to fit it snug with his hand. The red-headed guardian flexed his wrist muscles, testing to make sure it was a comfortable fit.
The dark-eyed summoner looked from the claw back up to the taller man's face. "That's an interesting weapon."
Grinning, the muscular Nagijin stretched his arms high above his head. "You bet. my clan's used these for centuries," he shook his head. "Don't know why they never caught on." Roth laughed. "Anyway, you should head up to the temple. I'll have dinner cooked by the time you get back, probably."
Kecci smiled. "Sure thing," he said, turning to leave. He had walked several steps before he turned around. "Oh, and. can we leave the spices off this time?" There was a smirk on his face, but Roth could clearly sense the earnestness beneath the inquiry. He nodded and laughed.
* * *
The instructor, a short, powerfully-built former Crusader whose head was shaven bald, crossed his arms and snorted derisively. "You're the newest guardian here, aren't you?"
Neirana looked him up and down slowly, and laid Quicksilver in the sand at her feet. She had just opened her mouth to respond when the instructor interrupted her. "When I ask you a question, you answer me right away! Do you think a fiend will give you the chance to assess the situation before it tears your throat out?" As fierce and belligerent as the Crusader was being, Neirana didn't think the comparison was particularly inaccurate. "So, I'll ask you again. You're the newest guardian here, aren't you?"
A bit blustered, and not a little bit unnerved by the former Crusader's tirade, Neirana nodded, stammering out, "Y-yes, I am, sir. My name's Neirana Sutir."
In the next instant, the instructor's expression had gone from furious to stern, yet with an aura of kindness that hadn't been there before. "Well then, welcome, Miss Neirana. My name is Instructor Lenat. I will be teaching you," he gestured to the group of young men and women standing behind him. "And your fellows all the skills you will need to be a guardian."
The blonde guardian shot a quick glance at the others who would be training alongside of her. The most recognizable was the massive Roth, whose coat and hair were blowing softly in the morning breeze. He nodded at her, throwing a quick smile, clearly wanting to make up after the fiasco with Olawa Andresen the day before. She returned the smile, slightly weaker, as she looked over the other guardians.
There were three young women standing side by side next to Roth, and they looked enough alike that Neirana immediately assumed they were sisters. The oldest one was short and rotund, with a pleasant face and light brown eyes. She was dressed in the brown robes of the Tsani temple, as were her sisters, and Neirana quickly made the connection. These three were Belgemine's guardians.
If the oldest sister had a weapon, Neirana couldn't see it. The second oldest, however, was clearly armed. She was tall-taller than Neirana-and rather wiry, with a very angular body and face. Two long, slender blades were mounted on each of her wrists. They were bent back, along the line of her arm, but the blonde girl had no doubt that there was a spring mechanism to snap them into battle position during a fight.
The third sister was by far the youngest, looking scarcely older than ten or eleven. She was blonde, and very petite. She kept bouncing from one foot to the next, obviously very energetic. A soft smile came to Neirana's face. The third sister reminded her of herself at that age.
There was one other person standing on the beach. The final guardian looked to be around Neirana's age, if a bit younger. He was well-tanned, with hair cropped short, and clothes worn loose and airy, as was the style among the locals. He seemed friendly enough, but as Neirana watched, he kept on shooting sideways glances at Roth, clearly at unease with the Nagijin guardian. The Lucan shrugged it off. It wasn't any of her business.
Neirana shot a smile at Lenat, relieved he was friendlier than he had seemed. He smiled back, although he seemed to be lost in thought at the moment.
The blonde girl walked over to the guardians and introduced herself. She found out that the trio of sisters were indeed Belgemine's guardians. The oldest was named Cindy, the middle sister was called Sandy, and the youngest was Mindy. When Neirana raised an eyebrow at the similarity of their names, Cindy chuckled. "It's a long, LONG story. ask Belgemine about it, sometime."
The final guardian was a native of Kilika, in fact, he was a resident of this very town. He introduced himself as Sirid, smiling at her. Neirana grinned back. "Well, nice to meet you, Sirid. who's your summoner?"
"Yunno Andresen."
Neirana blinked, but before she could ascertain Yunno's relation to her idol, she was interrupted by Lenat. "Sutir. are you related to Masa Sutir?" the stocky ex-Crusader asked her.
She turned around, softly smiling at her instructor. It seemed like forever since she had heard her father's name. it had only been slightly over a week, but it felt like an eternity. "Yes, he's my father. why?"
Instructor Lenat grinned at her, reaching down to unclip his weapon from his belt-a long broadsword, glittering in the morning light. He held it up so she could see the familiar emblem carved into the base of the handle, the mark of her father's workshop. "I got this sword six years ago when I retired from the Crusaders," Lenat winked at her. "Best damn sword I've ever used. the balance is perfect. Your father is a genius."
The green-eyed guardian returned the smile. "Well. I don't know about a genius," she laughed. "But he does know how to make an excellent sword." Neirana reached down to the ground and picked up Quicksilver, showing Lenat the insignia on the hilt. "It's saved my life."
"Saved mine, too." Lenat nodded, wiping sweat from his bald head. He then turned to face the other five on the beach, and grinned. "So. it's time to start training. First, we duel."
"Draw your weapons," Lenat commanded the guardians-to-be. They all complied, not wishing to incur the fiery wrath their instructor could summon at a moment's notice.
Neirana noticed the oldest of the three sisters pull out a large rectangular shield, adorned with a golden Yevon symbol on the front. She briefly wondered how that was in any way a weapon, but then looked at the other two sisters. The youngest had pulled out an oaken crossbow, and had fitted an arrow and locked the bolt in position. The guardian from Luca nodded to herself. Of course, the three sisters would fight as a team. Mindy, the youngest, would fight from long distance, Sandy would close in on the target with her twin blades, and Cindy would provide protection with her large shield. Impressed, Neirana softly smiled as she tightened her grip on Quicksilver.
Meanwhile, Roth had tossed his coat off to the side, where it lay in a black heap. He stretched his muscles, swinging the vicious-looking claw he wore around his wrist in attack patterns. The Nagijin guardian obviously knew what he was doing.
In comparison to the skilled Roth, Sirid looked uncomfortable holding the two sai he had chosen as his weapons. Sai were blades native to the islands of Kilika and Besaid, one-handed weapons with three prongs, shaped like miniature tridents. They were excellent counterattack tools, being able to disarm an opponent with a flick of the wrist. However, Sirid did not seem as if he had much experience with them.
Lenat grinned, and commanded them to fall into a line. They did as ordered, and he walked up and down their ranks, looking at each one of them, scrutinizing them, seeming to take in every little detail. "Very good," he said at last. "We will start off with sparring today. We will start off with sparring every day. Some days, we will only spar. As we do so, you will grow stronger. You will become faster. You will become a better fighter, but," he paused here. "Only if you learn how to use the 'chi' deep within you. If you fail to understand your 'chi,' you will die."
* * *
"What is 'chi,' you ask?" Father Hukaso looked Kecci in the eyes, the aromas and mists of the temple making the young summoner's vision hazy. "The force called 'chi' is what gives a summoner his power. It gives the healers the power to save, gives mages the power to destroy. 'Chi' is the life welling up within you."
Hukaso reached out, touching a point in the middle of Kecci's forehead, drawing the finger down to his neck, and along his shoulderblades. "To make it simple, 'chi' is your life-force, is your energy. But it is not only in us humans. Everything has a 'chi,' everything fits into the web of life. All people, be they male or female, Yevonite or Al Bhed, have what we call leylines," Hukaso continued tracing lines on Kecci's body with his fingertip. "These lines are where the 'chi' travels in the body. These are the centers of energy for you, where your power comes from. We have these leylines. Animals have these leylines. All of Spira has leylines. currents of 'chi.'"
"To understand how magic works, you must understand this 'chi.' The most obvious physical representations of 'chi' are the pyreflies. When someone dies, their spirit energy passes from them in the shape of pyreflies. their essence, if sent, travels to the Farplane, where it is recycled into Spira, into the elements. The pyreflies tap into the leylines of Spira, tap into the basic elements of fire, of water, wind, and earth. By controlling these pyreflies, by controlling your 'chi,' you can call upon the primal elements themselves to obey you."
Chuckling, Father Hukaso turned away. "However, you already know that. While virtually everyone can manipulate their 'chi' in some way, very few can manipulate the leylines around them. Those few are the summoners, the mages. Black magic, the elemental destructive magic, requires power, of course. Most people with talent for magic can do the low-level elemental spells, but it takes phenomenal power to master the spells without elements. In order to cast a non-elemental spell, one must open themselves completely to raw power. but that does not necessarily mean they have control."
"White mages, on the other hand, rely completely on control instead of power. The healing abilities they have come from the ability to align their personal 'chi' with that of someone else, to greatly improve that person's healing faculties. From the moment I saw you, Brother Kecci," Hukaso continued. "I knew you were a healer. You have an aura about you, some of the most extraordinary control I've ever seen in an apprentice."
He turned back to Kecci, a smile on his face. "All summoners and mages perceive 'chi' differently. For example, it manifests itself for me in a constant hum. Different tones mean different things, different auras. Most mages, when starting out, need to focus to reach the state where they can clearly sense 'chi.' However, in this state, the physical world seems mute and hazy. There's a reason why not many summoners become excellent guardians as well." Hukaso laughed. "I have reached the point, however, where my perception of 'chi' is overlaid on my normal senses of the world, not hampering my physical ability in the slightest. However, it's taken me years to reach this stage; I don't expect you to make it in a few months."
"The relationship between aeons and the 'chi' of the summoner is important, of course, but we're not ready for that yet. we must build on your prior skills, Brother Kecci. you may be able to tap into the leylines of Spira right now, but you must try harder, or you will fail as a summoner."
* * *
The balding instructor nodded at Sirid. "Sirid, tell me honestly. Do I look like the sort of man who could move quickly?"
Looking the squat, beefy instructor up and down, the Kilika native took his time in replying, but eventually shook his head. "No sir, you look too muscular to move very fast."
Lenat laughed. "You're absolutely right, Sirid. Under normal circumstances, I'm all power, no speed," he shot a look at Roth, obviously recognizing that the Nagijin was in a similar situation. "But by harnessing my 'chi,' I can control that."
Stopping right in front of the diminutive Mindy, Lenat drew his sword, and stepped back several paces. "Mindy, please shoot me with that crossbow of yours."
"A-are you sure?" The blonde girl squeaked, looking around a bit nervously. She had obviously never been commanded to shoot an authority figure before- there were few who had, of course.
Laughing again, Lenat drew his sword, and began to take a series of deep, calming breaths. As Neirana watched, his breathing slowed, and he stood still, completely motionless aside from the gentle rise and fall of his chest. At last, Lenat nodded to the young guardian. "Go ahead, shoot me."
The click of the wooden trigger and the flash of steel were almost simultaneous. If she had blinked, Neirana would have missed it. As it was, it happened far too fast for it to register on her mind, and she simply stared in shock, as did her other apprentice guardians-except for Roth, who simply nodded in impressed silence.
Lenat held his broadsword off to the side, having finished a massive slice. Mindy's arrow fell to the sand, cleaved neatly in two down the middle. His demonstration concluded, Lenat stood straight up, sheathing his sword once more.
"You see. the human body is capable of amazing feats. They all depend on being able to harness your 'chi,' make it work for you. Learn to use it as you fight. Push each other to your limit, and beyond. That is the only way you will become a true guardian."
The ex-crusader wiped sweat from his brow, and nodded to Neirana and Roth. "You two. let's see how well you fight."
Looking at the red-headed Nagijin, Neirana's hand found the familiar hilt of Quicksilver and gripped it tightly. She nodded to her instructor, walking out of the line of guardians, as did Roth. The two guardians turned to face each other, and bowed, hands cupped in the customary prayer gesture. Without a word, Neirana shifted her weight onto her back leg, holding Quicksilver in a defensive stance. Roth, opposite her, preferred a middle stance, his weight evenly distributed. The steel blades of his claw glinted a warning to her as he held his hands up in front of his face.
"Prepare yourselves." Lenat said to the two guardians. To the rest of them, he added. "Observe these two. Watch how they fight. See their mistakes, and learn to not make them. And remember to focus on your 'chi'. learn to use it." That said, he returned his gaze to the pair of opponents in front of him, one lithe and nimble, the other gargantuan and titanically strong. "Remember, this is a spar. There are healers in the village, but if you badly wound an opponent, I will be quite displeased with you." There was a threat in his voice that everyone perceived, yet no one mentioned. No one needed to.
"And fight!"
Roth sprang forward, twisting his body around to strike a massive overhead blow down at the blonde guardian. His claw sliced air, however, as Neirana spun to the side, driving her heel into his stomach. It felt like kicking a brick wall, and the smaller guardian fell forward, somersaulting to her feet just in time to sidestep another assault.
This time, Neirana pursued the attack. She feinted low, to Roth's unprotected left, and then quickly struck at his blind side. The Nagijin had barely blocked the strike when Neirana disengaged her sword, and spun in a twirling overhead strike. This time, Roth easily blocked Quicksilver. However, the smaller combatant used the torque from her spin to bring her foot up and around, spin-kicking Roth in the side.
With the force of her spin behind it, the kick actually did some damage, and Roth staggered a bit, holding his side protectively. Neirana jumped forward in another high slash. Metal met metal as Roth blocked with a speed that no one watching would have thought possible. Quicksilver bounced off his claw as they hit, leaving Neirana wide open. Roth took the opportunity, elbowing her in the stomach, and then backhanding her as she doubled over.
Neirana fell to the ground, gasping for breath. In the corner of her eye, she saw Roth bringing his foot back to kick her. Before he could connect, she leapt off the ground, rolling to the side, and attacking, trying to ignore the piercing pains in her stomach and side.
She pressed her attack, using her smaller size to great advantage, nimbly avoiding most of the massive Nagijin's strikes, dancing just out of reach before lunging in with a quick strike. Small cuts appeared all along Roth's muscular arms as the Lucan continued to evade his strikes and counterattack. They were superficial wounds, true, but they still hurt.
The next time Neirana leapt in, however, Roth was ready. Instead of trying to block her strike as he had been doing without success, he leapt forward to meet her. Physics took over after that, and the blonde girl went flying back, Quicksilver spinning away from her to land in the sand.
Fighting the ringing in her ears, Neirana pushed herself to her feet. Quicksilver was right by Roth. and by the look in the red-haired guardian's eyes, he wasn't going to let her get it. Pulling her ponytail over her shoulder, Neirana met his gaze, and smirked. With that, she ran towards him as fast as she could.
A few feet before she reached him, Neirana let herself fall into a feet- first slide. Roth grinned, bringing his unarmed left fist down to knock her unconscious and win the match, but his massive hand struck empty sand.
The Lucan guardian had planted a hand down in the sand, and had pivoted on it to avoid Roth's attack. In the same spin, she reached down to grab Quicksilver, and brought her feet back hard to sweep her opponent's legs out from under him.
Roth wasn't going down so easy, however. As he fell, he twisted his body to give one final strike. His claw slashed around at Neirana's unprotected stomach, cutting through clothing and flesh. Then he landed, kicking up an enormous cloud of sand, obscuring all details of what was going on.
When the sand cleared, Neirana had her sword to his throat, protecting her bleeding stomach with her free hand. She was trembling in pain, but knew the victory was hers. Her emerald eyes met Roth's sapphire ones, and he nodded, congratulating her on a battle well fought.
Then, she promptly passed out on the sand.
* * *
Kecci followed Father Hukaso out of the torch-lit, hazy main hall of the temple, and into the sunlight. He squinted as the sun cut into his eyes, dazzled for a few moments before his vision adjusted. When he could see again, Kecci saw that the portly priest was leading him to a stone circle inlaid on the ground. There were two figures sitting cross-legged, in meditation, both female. One was pale with long, raven hair. The other summoner, whom he didn't know, looked older than Nesici, and had chestnut hair put up in a bun.
As Hukaso approached, he smiled at them. "Good morning, Sister Nesici, Sister Belgemine. I trust you are well?" The girls opened their eyes and stood up, then bowed to Hukaso, who returned the gesture. "This is Brother Kecci, from Luca. He has just arrived."
A hint of a smile on her face, Nesici cast her pale gaze on Kecci. "We've met, Father," she said simply. The now-familiar chill ran down the Lucan's spine as their eyes met.
The second summoner, the girl named Belgemine, bowed to Kecci, and he reciprocated. Once she had straightened up, she smiled. "So you're Kecci. I'm sharing a hut with your guardian, Neirana. She's told me quite a lot about you."
Fighting a blush, Kecci looked at her. "What. what sort of things has she told you?"
"Nothing bad, don't worry," Belgemine laughed, reaching down to the ground and picking up her wooden staff, bearing a golden rose at the tip. "Father," she said, changing the subject. "Is Brother Yunno going to be meditating with us today?"
Hukaso stopped, then turned around, looking at the mountaintop, at all the worshippers and priests, but didn't see Andresen's younger brother. "He should be here," the summoner said at last. "However, we will not be meditating today. today, we will be seeing a more practical use of magic, and practicing it. Follow me."
With that, he turned and began walking around the temple, to a narrow path leading down the mountain. The three junior summoners followed, unsure of what to expect.
They hiked down the dirt trail, occasionally using their respective staves as supports, entering the thick jungle of Kilika. They had been hiking for almost half an hour, when Hukaso held up a hand, bringing their small band to a halt.
In front of them, the underbrush whispered as two fiends, lizard-like creatures, dove through the bushes and onto the path, engaged in some sort of combat. One, the larger, seemed to take the upper hand, pinning its opponent down. However, sensing the four summoners, it sprang off, flicking its tongue out, warily slinking back. Its former adversary joined it, their fight forgotten.
"Well," said Hukaso, his hands clasping his staff tightly. "This wasn't the particular test I had envisioned, but it'll do." He stepped back, leaving the three young adults to take the front line. "Defend yourselves." With that, he watched, sensing their respective auras.
That of the young man, Kecci. his 'chi' was very focused, a tight, high- pitched vibrato. he had extraordinary control, command of his 'chi.' His power wasn't as high as that of the other two, but it was by no means weak. The girl from Tsani, Sister Belgemine, gave off a note that was soft and placid, yet steady. Although she didn't exude confidence, Belgemine probably had the most experience of the three, and had untapped wells of power and potential.
The third summoner, the Nagijin. when Hukaso had heard that he was to be training a Nagijin summoner, part of him had been disbelieving. Although he had been disabused of his notion that the residents of the Calm Lands were all heathens like the Al Bhed, he still had trouble seeing one of them as a summoner. Yet when he had met Nesici, his pre-conceived notions had been turned upside down.
When he sensed her 'chi,' he was reminded of nothing so much than a full symphony, playing at their loudest volume. Her 'chi' would fluctuate wildly, going up and down the scales, full of dissonant half-harmonies. It was clear to him, at least, that she did not have the control that the others did. But her power. Yevon, her power. hers was the loudest, most powerful 'chi' he had ever sensed. Even when he had met Maester Shiino, whose 'chi' had nearly bowled him over, he hadn't sensed anything like this. Nesici's true weakness, however, was in her lack of control. Yet her power made up for it. he had seen her obliterate an attacking fiend, just like that. afterwards, her sheer presence had made the pyreflies wisping out of the monster's body twist and shudder, dancing from the huge pressures of Nesici's 'chi.'
Hukaso sighed inwardly as his thoughts came to Yunno Andresen. he didn't know why the Kilika native had chosen to train to become a summoner. Yes, he had some power, yes, he could manipulate the pyreflies, but not nearly enough to control the aeons. Yunno was brash and egotistical, at times nearly blasphemous. He frequently taunted Nesici, and Hukaso continued to expect him to end up dead at her hands. However, the Nagijin summoner managed to rein in her emotions, and did not react.
The fiends slunk back and forth across the pathway, eyeing the trio of apprentice summoners warily. Belgemine whispered to her two comrades, "They're lizards. they're weak against lightning, as I recall. You know lightning spells, right?"
Kecci nodded, closing his eyes and focusing in on his 'chi,' but Nesici looked a bit bashful. ".no, I don't," she said at last. "I don't have the control to do elemental magic, really."
The summoner from Tsani shot a glance at Nesici, brown eyes wide. "Really?"
"Trust me, Belgemine, she doesn't need it." said Kecci, taking deep breaths, tapping into his inner potential. Then, the fiends leapt, slashing at the young apprentices.
The dark-skinned Lucan's eyes flashed open, and he stuck his hands out in front of him. A gust of wind picked both of the lizards up, hurling them back. The bewildered fiends smacked into a tree, falling to the ground dizzily. Behind them, Father Hukaso nodded approvingly.
Belgemine grasped her rose-head staff, seizing the opportunity, and stuck it straight out in front of her. There was a crack of thunder, and a bolt of blue lightning leapt from the golden flower, sizzling through the air and striking the larger of the two fiends in the head. The lizard promptly collapsed, dead.
Its partner shook its head, then leapt once again, teeth and claws bared. Kecci looked over at Nesici, but the raven-haired summoner didn't unleash a massive spell like he had expected her too. Instead, she spun, swinging the end of her staff into the fiend's belly. The lizard fell to the ground, injured.
Finishing the job, Belgemine stepped forward, shooting another blast of electricity from the end of her staff, frying the lizard where it lay. Pyreflies whispered into the air, dancing as they neared Nesici, and then vanished. Belgemine beamed at her two fellow summoners. "I think we did a fairly good job, don't you?"
Hukaso nodded, stepping forward. "Very good, all three of you. And remember, as demonstrated by Nesici. one must not be afraid to fight physically if one needs to. Use all the resources at your disposal."
The portly priest smiled. "Again, very good. now, we shall meditate upon what we have learned, focus on our 'chi'. let us return to the temple."
* * *
Neirana awoke under the shade of a grove of trees, groggily. She looked down, touching the shards of her shirt's midriff, finding new, healed skin there. The sun was low in the sky. she estimated she had been unconscious about ten or so hours. However, the wound had been healed by a priest, and she was okay.
The blonde Lucan sat up, stretching stiff muscles, and saw Lenat walking toward her. "How are you feeling?" he asked her, as he saw she was awake. "You were out for a while."
"I'm a bit stiff," she responded, her muscles protesting, unused to movement after lying still for so long. "I think I'll live, though." With Lenat's assistance, she climbed to her feat, albeit somewhat unsteadily.
Lenat chuckled. "Yes, you'll be fine. you fight well, by the way. I was impressed by the way you used your superior agility to fight a foe that was obviously much stronger. I was even more impressed by the way you did so, using purely natural ability. you didn't use your 'chi' at all. That's both good and bad, you realize. It's good in that you're very skilled naturally. it's bad in that you haven't begun to tap into your full potential. You need to work on that, or else you'll end up like this again," his face darkened. "Or worse. What Roth gave you was a minor wound, as far as things go. It could have been far worse, and it will be, if you don't learn to use your 'chi' properly."
The stocky instructor reached to his belt, unclipped Quicksilver, and handed it to the blonde guardian, who was feeling slightly embarrassed. "Yes, sir. thank you, sir. I'll try harder next time."
"Yes, you will." Nothing more needed to be said. Lenat's message had gotten across quite clearly. "Tomorrow, we'll meet up in the forest. I expect to see you there bright and early, to go over what you missed while unconscious." With that, he walked off, leaving the emerald-eyed girl standing by herself.
She sighed, feeling that while she had won the fight, somehow she had lost in the grander scheme of things. Feeling not a little bit alone, Neirana began the walk back to the hut she shared with Belgemine. Maybe her new roommate would know some new techniques about 'chi' usage.
Neirana walked along the beach, the sand spilling in and out of her sandals with each step, when a familiar voice came from behind her. "Hey, 'Rana- babe!" the guardian turned and flushed red, as Olawa Andresen walked up to her, his body dripping with sea water, a blitzball in his hands. He dropped the studded ball on the ground, and walked over to her.
The blitzer looked at her shredded shirt, and Neirana immediately covered herself, quite self-conscious. The rip was too low for him to actually see anything, but she was still embarrassed. "You feeling better? Last I saw, you were laid out pretty bad."
The blush on her cheeks grew darker. "You. you saw me injured?" Not only was Lenat disappointed in her, but Olawa, and Yevon knew how many other people had seen her in that condition. At the moment, the young guardian just wanted to run and hide from the embarrassment.
"Yeah, you looked pretty bad. but hey, you're fine now, so that's good." Olawa frowned. "Damn Nagijin. why don't they just learn their place?" In the space of an instant, his face lightened, and he smiled at her. "So. you're gonna be here a while, huh?"
Neirana nodded, still chagrined. "Y-yes. a few months at the least. I don't really know."
The grin on Andresen's face widened. "Well, that's good." Without another word, he pulled her into an embrace, eliciting a squeak from the younger girl.
* * *
Above the village, Kecci walked out of the jungle, smiling at Nesici, who had been relating an amusing anecdote about Roth's childhood. "And his uncle hasn't been able to look at a Chocobo the same way since!"
Kecci laughed, the sound pleasant to his ears after the stress of that day's training. right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. He wondered how Neirana had fared that day.
As if summoning her with his thoughts, a flash of silver caught his eye, and Kecci saw his guardian, walking down on the beach by herself. His first impulse was to go join her, but then his heart sunk as Olawa Andresen came into the picture. As he watched, the blitzball jock walked over to her, they talked, and then he embraced the blonde guardian in a tight hug.
Trailing off, Nesici followed his gaze and spied the two figures on the sand. "Don't worry, Kecci, he's just a simple vilken," she said, spouting a vulgar term from her native language.
However, the dark-eyed summoner didn't hear her. He didn't feel much of anything, really, except his heart continuing the downward plummet to shatter against the ground below.
Olawa Andresen leaned down to Neirana, and kissed her.
The smell of freshly caught fish sizzling on the stove came to Kecci as he slept, drifting in the pleasant land halfway between reality and dreams. He recognized some of the spices in the scent, spices that had forever been in the air in his kitchen. it smelled like his mother was making one of his favorite dishes, Kecci thought. It was so nice of her to do that for him.
"Kecci? It's time to get up!" Her voice came up the stairs of their small house, pleasant and rich. "You don't want to be late to get to the temple, do you?"
He groaned, relishing the familiar warmth of his futon. "Coming, mother!" he managed to croak out at last, and pried his eyelids open.
A face that was decidedly unlike that of his mother looked down at him, barely repressing laughter. Roth smirked down at the sleeping summoner-to- be. "Well, it's a good thing you're awake. but I ain't your mom, last I checked." He snickered, pulling the pillow from his bed and throwing it at the young man. "Now come on and get dressed."
The tall Nagijin, who was wearing his loose, comfortable black pants but was shirtless, walked out of the hut, letting the woven mat that functioned as a door fall down behind him to block the doorway.
Kecci blinked to clear his eyes, yawned, and swung his legs out of his bed. For a moment, he held his head in his hands, trying to fight the despairing homesickness that threatened to overtake him. The dream had been full of such powerful memories of his home on Luca. everything was different, now.
'Stop that, Kecci. it's only going to get worse,' he told himself. 'If you can't deal with it now, then you might as well give up and go home.'
For a tantalizing second, the dark-skinned summoner allowed himself to fantasize about giving up, about returning to Luca and living a full, normal life. In the next moment, he had rejected that completely, and was chastising himself for even thinking about surrendering the load he had chosen to bear.
Yet it was still tempting. Kecci shook his head, and stood up, pulling on his tunic and throwing his cloak on over it, clasping it at the throat. Fully clothed, he walked out into the open.
The whiff of fish hadn't been merely in his dream. Roth was standing right outside the tent in front of an iron skillet over an open flame. The red- headed guardian gently flipped two pieces of salmon from side to side, slowly cooking the outside. As Kecci watched, the massive Nagijin reached to a jar of spices standing on a pylon, and sprinkled them over the browning seafood.
Kecci raised an eyebrow at Roth. "You cook?"
The guardian nodded, holding the wooden flipper in his teeth as he reached down to the handle of a bucket of water standing at his feet. "Mmm-hmmph," he mumbled an affirmative, pouring the water over the fire. Steam billowed out over the iron pan as the fire sizzled to nothing. Roth put the bucket down, and dropped the flipper in it. "Been cooking ever since I was young."
As he spoke, Roth grabbed a pair of straw plates that had been lying on the dock beside him. "See, in the Calm Lands, we don't get seafood much, it's considered a huge delicacy. It's a once-a-year treat for kids to get to eat fish. Here, it's everywhere." he laughed. "I wish my dad could see this." Roth flipped one piece of the salmon onto one plate, and put the other on the second. He handed one of the plates to the Lucan summoner, and smiled. "This is one of my favorite dishes. Enjoy."
The younger boy grinned. "I can't cook to save my life. Quite impressive." he grabbed the knife that was resting on the plate and cut a piece of the fish out. He was about to eat it, when Roth stopped him.
"Almost forgot the sauce. doesn't taste nearly as good without it." Roth winked, grabbing a glass bottle full of a viscous red liquid, and squirted a few drops onto Kecci's breakfast. "It's a little spicy, but nothing you can't handle."
Kecci laughed, and popped the fish into his mouth. He closed his eyes, savoring what had to be one of the richest and most flavorful bites of food he had ever had. and then, his eyes flashed open and he began to gag as his tongue seemed to catch fire. Kecci spat the fish out into the sea, the searing pain causing tears to well up in his eyes.
Roth smiled sheepishly, patting the shorter boy's back. "Guess you're not used to it, huh?" Kecci just shot his friend a silent, teary-eyed, betrayed glare.
* * *
After Roth had given Kecci his own, un-sauced plate to eat for breakfast, and the two men had eaten their fill, the larger one looked down at his newfound friend. "Well, today you start training to be a summoner." he smiled.
"Don't worry about it. if you have any problems, just ask Nesici, I'm sure she'll help you out." As he spoke, Roth pulled his long black coat on, leaving it open as usual. Kecci questioned the wisdom of wearing a long coat in the heat, but it obviously didn't seem to faze the Nagijin one bit. "Well. I'll see you in the evening. Summoner training is up at the temple; we guardians practice down in the forest and on the beach."
Roth ducked inside the small hut they shared for a moment, and came out carrying two things. The first was Kecci's staff, which he threw to the shorter boy, who caught it in one hand. It was the second that caught Kecci's eye. Roth was strapping a four-bladed steel claw to his wrist, tightening the straps to fit it snug with his hand. The red-headed guardian flexed his wrist muscles, testing to make sure it was a comfortable fit.
The dark-eyed summoner looked from the claw back up to the taller man's face. "That's an interesting weapon."
Grinning, the muscular Nagijin stretched his arms high above his head. "You bet. my clan's used these for centuries," he shook his head. "Don't know why they never caught on." Roth laughed. "Anyway, you should head up to the temple. I'll have dinner cooked by the time you get back, probably."
Kecci smiled. "Sure thing," he said, turning to leave. He had walked several steps before he turned around. "Oh, and. can we leave the spices off this time?" There was a smirk on his face, but Roth could clearly sense the earnestness beneath the inquiry. He nodded and laughed.
* * *
The instructor, a short, powerfully-built former Crusader whose head was shaven bald, crossed his arms and snorted derisively. "You're the newest guardian here, aren't you?"
Neirana looked him up and down slowly, and laid Quicksilver in the sand at her feet. She had just opened her mouth to respond when the instructor interrupted her. "When I ask you a question, you answer me right away! Do you think a fiend will give you the chance to assess the situation before it tears your throat out?" As fierce and belligerent as the Crusader was being, Neirana didn't think the comparison was particularly inaccurate. "So, I'll ask you again. You're the newest guardian here, aren't you?"
A bit blustered, and not a little bit unnerved by the former Crusader's tirade, Neirana nodded, stammering out, "Y-yes, I am, sir. My name's Neirana Sutir."
In the next instant, the instructor's expression had gone from furious to stern, yet with an aura of kindness that hadn't been there before. "Well then, welcome, Miss Neirana. My name is Instructor Lenat. I will be teaching you," he gestured to the group of young men and women standing behind him. "And your fellows all the skills you will need to be a guardian."
The blonde guardian shot a quick glance at the others who would be training alongside of her. The most recognizable was the massive Roth, whose coat and hair were blowing softly in the morning breeze. He nodded at her, throwing a quick smile, clearly wanting to make up after the fiasco with Olawa Andresen the day before. She returned the smile, slightly weaker, as she looked over the other guardians.
There were three young women standing side by side next to Roth, and they looked enough alike that Neirana immediately assumed they were sisters. The oldest one was short and rotund, with a pleasant face and light brown eyes. She was dressed in the brown robes of the Tsani temple, as were her sisters, and Neirana quickly made the connection. These three were Belgemine's guardians.
If the oldest sister had a weapon, Neirana couldn't see it. The second oldest, however, was clearly armed. She was tall-taller than Neirana-and rather wiry, with a very angular body and face. Two long, slender blades were mounted on each of her wrists. They were bent back, along the line of her arm, but the blonde girl had no doubt that there was a spring mechanism to snap them into battle position during a fight.
The third sister was by far the youngest, looking scarcely older than ten or eleven. She was blonde, and very petite. She kept bouncing from one foot to the next, obviously very energetic. A soft smile came to Neirana's face. The third sister reminded her of herself at that age.
There was one other person standing on the beach. The final guardian looked to be around Neirana's age, if a bit younger. He was well-tanned, with hair cropped short, and clothes worn loose and airy, as was the style among the locals. He seemed friendly enough, but as Neirana watched, he kept on shooting sideways glances at Roth, clearly at unease with the Nagijin guardian. The Lucan shrugged it off. It wasn't any of her business.
Neirana shot a smile at Lenat, relieved he was friendlier than he had seemed. He smiled back, although he seemed to be lost in thought at the moment.
The blonde girl walked over to the guardians and introduced herself. She found out that the trio of sisters were indeed Belgemine's guardians. The oldest was named Cindy, the middle sister was called Sandy, and the youngest was Mindy. When Neirana raised an eyebrow at the similarity of their names, Cindy chuckled. "It's a long, LONG story. ask Belgemine about it, sometime."
The final guardian was a native of Kilika, in fact, he was a resident of this very town. He introduced himself as Sirid, smiling at her. Neirana grinned back. "Well, nice to meet you, Sirid. who's your summoner?"
"Yunno Andresen."
Neirana blinked, but before she could ascertain Yunno's relation to her idol, she was interrupted by Lenat. "Sutir. are you related to Masa Sutir?" the stocky ex-Crusader asked her.
She turned around, softly smiling at her instructor. It seemed like forever since she had heard her father's name. it had only been slightly over a week, but it felt like an eternity. "Yes, he's my father. why?"
Instructor Lenat grinned at her, reaching down to unclip his weapon from his belt-a long broadsword, glittering in the morning light. He held it up so she could see the familiar emblem carved into the base of the handle, the mark of her father's workshop. "I got this sword six years ago when I retired from the Crusaders," Lenat winked at her. "Best damn sword I've ever used. the balance is perfect. Your father is a genius."
The green-eyed guardian returned the smile. "Well. I don't know about a genius," she laughed. "But he does know how to make an excellent sword." Neirana reached down to the ground and picked up Quicksilver, showing Lenat the insignia on the hilt. "It's saved my life."
"Saved mine, too." Lenat nodded, wiping sweat from his bald head. He then turned to face the other five on the beach, and grinned. "So. it's time to start training. First, we duel."
"Draw your weapons," Lenat commanded the guardians-to-be. They all complied, not wishing to incur the fiery wrath their instructor could summon at a moment's notice.
Neirana noticed the oldest of the three sisters pull out a large rectangular shield, adorned with a golden Yevon symbol on the front. She briefly wondered how that was in any way a weapon, but then looked at the other two sisters. The youngest had pulled out an oaken crossbow, and had fitted an arrow and locked the bolt in position. The guardian from Luca nodded to herself. Of course, the three sisters would fight as a team. Mindy, the youngest, would fight from long distance, Sandy would close in on the target with her twin blades, and Cindy would provide protection with her large shield. Impressed, Neirana softly smiled as she tightened her grip on Quicksilver.
Meanwhile, Roth had tossed his coat off to the side, where it lay in a black heap. He stretched his muscles, swinging the vicious-looking claw he wore around his wrist in attack patterns. The Nagijin guardian obviously knew what he was doing.
In comparison to the skilled Roth, Sirid looked uncomfortable holding the two sai he had chosen as his weapons. Sai were blades native to the islands of Kilika and Besaid, one-handed weapons with three prongs, shaped like miniature tridents. They were excellent counterattack tools, being able to disarm an opponent with a flick of the wrist. However, Sirid did not seem as if he had much experience with them.
Lenat grinned, and commanded them to fall into a line. They did as ordered, and he walked up and down their ranks, looking at each one of them, scrutinizing them, seeming to take in every little detail. "Very good," he said at last. "We will start off with sparring today. We will start off with sparring every day. Some days, we will only spar. As we do so, you will grow stronger. You will become faster. You will become a better fighter, but," he paused here. "Only if you learn how to use the 'chi' deep within you. If you fail to understand your 'chi,' you will die."
* * *
"What is 'chi,' you ask?" Father Hukaso looked Kecci in the eyes, the aromas and mists of the temple making the young summoner's vision hazy. "The force called 'chi' is what gives a summoner his power. It gives the healers the power to save, gives mages the power to destroy. 'Chi' is the life welling up within you."
Hukaso reached out, touching a point in the middle of Kecci's forehead, drawing the finger down to his neck, and along his shoulderblades. "To make it simple, 'chi' is your life-force, is your energy. But it is not only in us humans. Everything has a 'chi,' everything fits into the web of life. All people, be they male or female, Yevonite or Al Bhed, have what we call leylines," Hukaso continued tracing lines on Kecci's body with his fingertip. "These lines are where the 'chi' travels in the body. These are the centers of energy for you, where your power comes from. We have these leylines. Animals have these leylines. All of Spira has leylines. currents of 'chi.'"
"To understand how magic works, you must understand this 'chi.' The most obvious physical representations of 'chi' are the pyreflies. When someone dies, their spirit energy passes from them in the shape of pyreflies. their essence, if sent, travels to the Farplane, where it is recycled into Spira, into the elements. The pyreflies tap into the leylines of Spira, tap into the basic elements of fire, of water, wind, and earth. By controlling these pyreflies, by controlling your 'chi,' you can call upon the primal elements themselves to obey you."
Chuckling, Father Hukaso turned away. "However, you already know that. While virtually everyone can manipulate their 'chi' in some way, very few can manipulate the leylines around them. Those few are the summoners, the mages. Black magic, the elemental destructive magic, requires power, of course. Most people with talent for magic can do the low-level elemental spells, but it takes phenomenal power to master the spells without elements. In order to cast a non-elemental spell, one must open themselves completely to raw power. but that does not necessarily mean they have control."
"White mages, on the other hand, rely completely on control instead of power. The healing abilities they have come from the ability to align their personal 'chi' with that of someone else, to greatly improve that person's healing faculties. From the moment I saw you, Brother Kecci," Hukaso continued. "I knew you were a healer. You have an aura about you, some of the most extraordinary control I've ever seen in an apprentice."
He turned back to Kecci, a smile on his face. "All summoners and mages perceive 'chi' differently. For example, it manifests itself for me in a constant hum. Different tones mean different things, different auras. Most mages, when starting out, need to focus to reach the state where they can clearly sense 'chi.' However, in this state, the physical world seems mute and hazy. There's a reason why not many summoners become excellent guardians as well." Hukaso laughed. "I have reached the point, however, where my perception of 'chi' is overlaid on my normal senses of the world, not hampering my physical ability in the slightest. However, it's taken me years to reach this stage; I don't expect you to make it in a few months."
"The relationship between aeons and the 'chi' of the summoner is important, of course, but we're not ready for that yet. we must build on your prior skills, Brother Kecci. you may be able to tap into the leylines of Spira right now, but you must try harder, or you will fail as a summoner."
* * *
The balding instructor nodded at Sirid. "Sirid, tell me honestly. Do I look like the sort of man who could move quickly?"
Looking the squat, beefy instructor up and down, the Kilika native took his time in replying, but eventually shook his head. "No sir, you look too muscular to move very fast."
Lenat laughed. "You're absolutely right, Sirid. Under normal circumstances, I'm all power, no speed," he shot a look at Roth, obviously recognizing that the Nagijin was in a similar situation. "But by harnessing my 'chi,' I can control that."
Stopping right in front of the diminutive Mindy, Lenat drew his sword, and stepped back several paces. "Mindy, please shoot me with that crossbow of yours."
"A-are you sure?" The blonde girl squeaked, looking around a bit nervously. She had obviously never been commanded to shoot an authority figure before- there were few who had, of course.
Laughing again, Lenat drew his sword, and began to take a series of deep, calming breaths. As Neirana watched, his breathing slowed, and he stood still, completely motionless aside from the gentle rise and fall of his chest. At last, Lenat nodded to the young guardian. "Go ahead, shoot me."
The click of the wooden trigger and the flash of steel were almost simultaneous. If she had blinked, Neirana would have missed it. As it was, it happened far too fast for it to register on her mind, and she simply stared in shock, as did her other apprentice guardians-except for Roth, who simply nodded in impressed silence.
Lenat held his broadsword off to the side, having finished a massive slice. Mindy's arrow fell to the sand, cleaved neatly in two down the middle. His demonstration concluded, Lenat stood straight up, sheathing his sword once more.
"You see. the human body is capable of amazing feats. They all depend on being able to harness your 'chi,' make it work for you. Learn to use it as you fight. Push each other to your limit, and beyond. That is the only way you will become a true guardian."
The ex-crusader wiped sweat from his brow, and nodded to Neirana and Roth. "You two. let's see how well you fight."
Looking at the red-headed Nagijin, Neirana's hand found the familiar hilt of Quicksilver and gripped it tightly. She nodded to her instructor, walking out of the line of guardians, as did Roth. The two guardians turned to face each other, and bowed, hands cupped in the customary prayer gesture. Without a word, Neirana shifted her weight onto her back leg, holding Quicksilver in a defensive stance. Roth, opposite her, preferred a middle stance, his weight evenly distributed. The steel blades of his claw glinted a warning to her as he held his hands up in front of his face.
"Prepare yourselves." Lenat said to the two guardians. To the rest of them, he added. "Observe these two. Watch how they fight. See their mistakes, and learn to not make them. And remember to focus on your 'chi'. learn to use it." That said, he returned his gaze to the pair of opponents in front of him, one lithe and nimble, the other gargantuan and titanically strong. "Remember, this is a spar. There are healers in the village, but if you badly wound an opponent, I will be quite displeased with you." There was a threat in his voice that everyone perceived, yet no one mentioned. No one needed to.
"And fight!"
Roth sprang forward, twisting his body around to strike a massive overhead blow down at the blonde guardian. His claw sliced air, however, as Neirana spun to the side, driving her heel into his stomach. It felt like kicking a brick wall, and the smaller guardian fell forward, somersaulting to her feet just in time to sidestep another assault.
This time, Neirana pursued the attack. She feinted low, to Roth's unprotected left, and then quickly struck at his blind side. The Nagijin had barely blocked the strike when Neirana disengaged her sword, and spun in a twirling overhead strike. This time, Roth easily blocked Quicksilver. However, the smaller combatant used the torque from her spin to bring her foot up and around, spin-kicking Roth in the side.
With the force of her spin behind it, the kick actually did some damage, and Roth staggered a bit, holding his side protectively. Neirana jumped forward in another high slash. Metal met metal as Roth blocked with a speed that no one watching would have thought possible. Quicksilver bounced off his claw as they hit, leaving Neirana wide open. Roth took the opportunity, elbowing her in the stomach, and then backhanding her as she doubled over.
Neirana fell to the ground, gasping for breath. In the corner of her eye, she saw Roth bringing his foot back to kick her. Before he could connect, she leapt off the ground, rolling to the side, and attacking, trying to ignore the piercing pains in her stomach and side.
She pressed her attack, using her smaller size to great advantage, nimbly avoiding most of the massive Nagijin's strikes, dancing just out of reach before lunging in with a quick strike. Small cuts appeared all along Roth's muscular arms as the Lucan continued to evade his strikes and counterattack. They were superficial wounds, true, but they still hurt.
The next time Neirana leapt in, however, Roth was ready. Instead of trying to block her strike as he had been doing without success, he leapt forward to meet her. Physics took over after that, and the blonde girl went flying back, Quicksilver spinning away from her to land in the sand.
Fighting the ringing in her ears, Neirana pushed herself to her feet. Quicksilver was right by Roth. and by the look in the red-haired guardian's eyes, he wasn't going to let her get it. Pulling her ponytail over her shoulder, Neirana met his gaze, and smirked. With that, she ran towards him as fast as she could.
A few feet before she reached him, Neirana let herself fall into a feet- first slide. Roth grinned, bringing his unarmed left fist down to knock her unconscious and win the match, but his massive hand struck empty sand.
The Lucan guardian had planted a hand down in the sand, and had pivoted on it to avoid Roth's attack. In the same spin, she reached down to grab Quicksilver, and brought her feet back hard to sweep her opponent's legs out from under him.
Roth wasn't going down so easy, however. As he fell, he twisted his body to give one final strike. His claw slashed around at Neirana's unprotected stomach, cutting through clothing and flesh. Then he landed, kicking up an enormous cloud of sand, obscuring all details of what was going on.
When the sand cleared, Neirana had her sword to his throat, protecting her bleeding stomach with her free hand. She was trembling in pain, but knew the victory was hers. Her emerald eyes met Roth's sapphire ones, and he nodded, congratulating her on a battle well fought.
Then, she promptly passed out on the sand.
* * *
Kecci followed Father Hukaso out of the torch-lit, hazy main hall of the temple, and into the sunlight. He squinted as the sun cut into his eyes, dazzled for a few moments before his vision adjusted. When he could see again, Kecci saw that the portly priest was leading him to a stone circle inlaid on the ground. There were two figures sitting cross-legged, in meditation, both female. One was pale with long, raven hair. The other summoner, whom he didn't know, looked older than Nesici, and had chestnut hair put up in a bun.
As Hukaso approached, he smiled at them. "Good morning, Sister Nesici, Sister Belgemine. I trust you are well?" The girls opened their eyes and stood up, then bowed to Hukaso, who returned the gesture. "This is Brother Kecci, from Luca. He has just arrived."
A hint of a smile on her face, Nesici cast her pale gaze on Kecci. "We've met, Father," she said simply. The now-familiar chill ran down the Lucan's spine as their eyes met.
The second summoner, the girl named Belgemine, bowed to Kecci, and he reciprocated. Once she had straightened up, she smiled. "So you're Kecci. I'm sharing a hut with your guardian, Neirana. She's told me quite a lot about you."
Fighting a blush, Kecci looked at her. "What. what sort of things has she told you?"
"Nothing bad, don't worry," Belgemine laughed, reaching down to the ground and picking up her wooden staff, bearing a golden rose at the tip. "Father," she said, changing the subject. "Is Brother Yunno going to be meditating with us today?"
Hukaso stopped, then turned around, looking at the mountaintop, at all the worshippers and priests, but didn't see Andresen's younger brother. "He should be here," the summoner said at last. "However, we will not be meditating today. today, we will be seeing a more practical use of magic, and practicing it. Follow me."
With that, he turned and began walking around the temple, to a narrow path leading down the mountain. The three junior summoners followed, unsure of what to expect.
They hiked down the dirt trail, occasionally using their respective staves as supports, entering the thick jungle of Kilika. They had been hiking for almost half an hour, when Hukaso held up a hand, bringing their small band to a halt.
In front of them, the underbrush whispered as two fiends, lizard-like creatures, dove through the bushes and onto the path, engaged in some sort of combat. One, the larger, seemed to take the upper hand, pinning its opponent down. However, sensing the four summoners, it sprang off, flicking its tongue out, warily slinking back. Its former adversary joined it, their fight forgotten.
"Well," said Hukaso, his hands clasping his staff tightly. "This wasn't the particular test I had envisioned, but it'll do." He stepped back, leaving the three young adults to take the front line. "Defend yourselves." With that, he watched, sensing their respective auras.
That of the young man, Kecci. his 'chi' was very focused, a tight, high- pitched vibrato. he had extraordinary control, command of his 'chi.' His power wasn't as high as that of the other two, but it was by no means weak. The girl from Tsani, Sister Belgemine, gave off a note that was soft and placid, yet steady. Although she didn't exude confidence, Belgemine probably had the most experience of the three, and had untapped wells of power and potential.
The third summoner, the Nagijin. when Hukaso had heard that he was to be training a Nagijin summoner, part of him had been disbelieving. Although he had been disabused of his notion that the residents of the Calm Lands were all heathens like the Al Bhed, he still had trouble seeing one of them as a summoner. Yet when he had met Nesici, his pre-conceived notions had been turned upside down.
When he sensed her 'chi,' he was reminded of nothing so much than a full symphony, playing at their loudest volume. Her 'chi' would fluctuate wildly, going up and down the scales, full of dissonant half-harmonies. It was clear to him, at least, that she did not have the control that the others did. But her power. Yevon, her power. hers was the loudest, most powerful 'chi' he had ever sensed. Even when he had met Maester Shiino, whose 'chi' had nearly bowled him over, he hadn't sensed anything like this. Nesici's true weakness, however, was in her lack of control. Yet her power made up for it. he had seen her obliterate an attacking fiend, just like that. afterwards, her sheer presence had made the pyreflies wisping out of the monster's body twist and shudder, dancing from the huge pressures of Nesici's 'chi.'
Hukaso sighed inwardly as his thoughts came to Yunno Andresen. he didn't know why the Kilika native had chosen to train to become a summoner. Yes, he had some power, yes, he could manipulate the pyreflies, but not nearly enough to control the aeons. Yunno was brash and egotistical, at times nearly blasphemous. He frequently taunted Nesici, and Hukaso continued to expect him to end up dead at her hands. However, the Nagijin summoner managed to rein in her emotions, and did not react.
The fiends slunk back and forth across the pathway, eyeing the trio of apprentice summoners warily. Belgemine whispered to her two comrades, "They're lizards. they're weak against lightning, as I recall. You know lightning spells, right?"
Kecci nodded, closing his eyes and focusing in on his 'chi,' but Nesici looked a bit bashful. ".no, I don't," she said at last. "I don't have the control to do elemental magic, really."
The summoner from Tsani shot a glance at Nesici, brown eyes wide. "Really?"
"Trust me, Belgemine, she doesn't need it." said Kecci, taking deep breaths, tapping into his inner potential. Then, the fiends leapt, slashing at the young apprentices.
The dark-skinned Lucan's eyes flashed open, and he stuck his hands out in front of him. A gust of wind picked both of the lizards up, hurling them back. The bewildered fiends smacked into a tree, falling to the ground dizzily. Behind them, Father Hukaso nodded approvingly.
Belgemine grasped her rose-head staff, seizing the opportunity, and stuck it straight out in front of her. There was a crack of thunder, and a bolt of blue lightning leapt from the golden flower, sizzling through the air and striking the larger of the two fiends in the head. The lizard promptly collapsed, dead.
Its partner shook its head, then leapt once again, teeth and claws bared. Kecci looked over at Nesici, but the raven-haired summoner didn't unleash a massive spell like he had expected her too. Instead, she spun, swinging the end of her staff into the fiend's belly. The lizard fell to the ground, injured.
Finishing the job, Belgemine stepped forward, shooting another blast of electricity from the end of her staff, frying the lizard where it lay. Pyreflies whispered into the air, dancing as they neared Nesici, and then vanished. Belgemine beamed at her two fellow summoners. "I think we did a fairly good job, don't you?"
Hukaso nodded, stepping forward. "Very good, all three of you. And remember, as demonstrated by Nesici. one must not be afraid to fight physically if one needs to. Use all the resources at your disposal."
The portly priest smiled. "Again, very good. now, we shall meditate upon what we have learned, focus on our 'chi'. let us return to the temple."
* * *
Neirana awoke under the shade of a grove of trees, groggily. She looked down, touching the shards of her shirt's midriff, finding new, healed skin there. The sun was low in the sky. she estimated she had been unconscious about ten or so hours. However, the wound had been healed by a priest, and she was okay.
The blonde Lucan sat up, stretching stiff muscles, and saw Lenat walking toward her. "How are you feeling?" he asked her, as he saw she was awake. "You were out for a while."
"I'm a bit stiff," she responded, her muscles protesting, unused to movement after lying still for so long. "I think I'll live, though." With Lenat's assistance, she climbed to her feat, albeit somewhat unsteadily.
Lenat chuckled. "Yes, you'll be fine. you fight well, by the way. I was impressed by the way you used your superior agility to fight a foe that was obviously much stronger. I was even more impressed by the way you did so, using purely natural ability. you didn't use your 'chi' at all. That's both good and bad, you realize. It's good in that you're very skilled naturally. it's bad in that you haven't begun to tap into your full potential. You need to work on that, or else you'll end up like this again," his face darkened. "Or worse. What Roth gave you was a minor wound, as far as things go. It could have been far worse, and it will be, if you don't learn to use your 'chi' properly."
The stocky instructor reached to his belt, unclipped Quicksilver, and handed it to the blonde guardian, who was feeling slightly embarrassed. "Yes, sir. thank you, sir. I'll try harder next time."
"Yes, you will." Nothing more needed to be said. Lenat's message had gotten across quite clearly. "Tomorrow, we'll meet up in the forest. I expect to see you there bright and early, to go over what you missed while unconscious." With that, he walked off, leaving the emerald-eyed girl standing by herself.
She sighed, feeling that while she had won the fight, somehow she had lost in the grander scheme of things. Feeling not a little bit alone, Neirana began the walk back to the hut she shared with Belgemine. Maybe her new roommate would know some new techniques about 'chi' usage.
Neirana walked along the beach, the sand spilling in and out of her sandals with each step, when a familiar voice came from behind her. "Hey, 'Rana- babe!" the guardian turned and flushed red, as Olawa Andresen walked up to her, his body dripping with sea water, a blitzball in his hands. He dropped the studded ball on the ground, and walked over to her.
The blitzer looked at her shredded shirt, and Neirana immediately covered herself, quite self-conscious. The rip was too low for him to actually see anything, but she was still embarrassed. "You feeling better? Last I saw, you were laid out pretty bad."
The blush on her cheeks grew darker. "You. you saw me injured?" Not only was Lenat disappointed in her, but Olawa, and Yevon knew how many other people had seen her in that condition. At the moment, the young guardian just wanted to run and hide from the embarrassment.
"Yeah, you looked pretty bad. but hey, you're fine now, so that's good." Olawa frowned. "Damn Nagijin. why don't they just learn their place?" In the space of an instant, his face lightened, and he smiled at her. "So. you're gonna be here a while, huh?"
Neirana nodded, still chagrined. "Y-yes. a few months at the least. I don't really know."
The grin on Andresen's face widened. "Well, that's good." Without another word, he pulled her into an embrace, eliciting a squeak from the younger girl.
* * *
Above the village, Kecci walked out of the jungle, smiling at Nesici, who had been relating an amusing anecdote about Roth's childhood. "And his uncle hasn't been able to look at a Chocobo the same way since!"
Kecci laughed, the sound pleasant to his ears after the stress of that day's training. right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. He wondered how Neirana had fared that day.
As if summoning her with his thoughts, a flash of silver caught his eye, and Kecci saw his guardian, walking down on the beach by herself. His first impulse was to go join her, but then his heart sunk as Olawa Andresen came into the picture. As he watched, the blitzball jock walked over to her, they talked, and then he embraced the blonde guardian in a tight hug.
Trailing off, Nesici followed his gaze and spied the two figures on the sand. "Don't worry, Kecci, he's just a simple vilken," she said, spouting a vulgar term from her native language.
However, the dark-eyed summoner didn't hear her. He didn't feel much of anything, really, except his heart continuing the downward plummet to shatter against the ground below.
Olawa Andresen leaned down to Neirana, and kissed her.
