Braska's Journey
On the Road – Chapter Two – Storms

Braska walked a short distance ahead, his staff before him, as they traveled through the forest.  The Summoner was torn between his duties as party leader and his disappointment over Auron's behavior.  Though Braska knew the warrior had been motivated by concern and caring, it didn't excuse the fact that what Auron had done was wrong.  Even now, he could sense the lingering exhaustion of the younger man as they walked.  It was all Braska could do to push the emotions and physical feelings that the Call fed him out of his mind.  Auron was radiating a myriad of emotions in addition to fatigue and it was tiring.

As they moved through the woods toward the Gandof Thunder Plains, the tension grew.  Jecht made a few attempts to draw Auron into conversation and they were all gruffly rebuffed.  Braska had to admit that the situation wasn't good.  Auron was right on several counts.  Jecht had no idea what they would face on the road ahead and it put all of them at severe disadvantage.  He had intended to spend the morning explaining the terrain and educating Jecht about the fiends ahead, but he no longer had that luxury.  Now, the man would have to learn by doing and it would make travel through the plains quite a bit slower.

There was more than one reason to be concerned about the rate of their passage through the area.  In addition to the difficulties of avoiding the frequent lightening strikes, some of the fiends that roamed the area – iron giants, larva, and elements – could deal serious damage.  Adding to these already formidable obstacles was the fact that Auron would likely have difficulty with the crossing.

Though Auron spent a lot of time denying it, the weeks he had spent in the dungeons of St. Bevelle effected his reactions in battle.  In particular, Braska could feel lingering fear through the Call when the warrior was attacked with magic.  He had tried on several prior to leaving Bevelle to discuss the situation with Auron, but the young man responded with stoicism and silence.  The Summoner realized that, to a large extent, repressing his emotions brought about Auron's recent behavior.  However, with the addition of Jecht as their travel companion, it was difficult to find a private moment to address the issues without causing Auron embarrassment.  Now, he had been forced to reprimand him in front of Jecht when he would have preferred to discuss the matter in confidence.

By mid-morning, the group had been accosted several times by flyers.  Auron fell back on his father's knives in an attempt to keep Braska from draining himself and casting too many spells but it was in vain.  Though Jecht's confidence level in battle was increasing and he was a quick study - he remembered the information Braska imparted about the weaknesses of the fiends they had encountered thus far and he put it to good use – he was still learning.  The blackout ball that Auron had chosen often gave them that little advantage needed to keep them from injury.  But, in spite of the combined efforts of both Guardians, Braska still taxed his reserves far too often and Auron's concern grew.

Risking the wrath of his friend by pointing out the severity of the situation after a particularly draining encounter with a pair of elements, Auron made a suggestion.  "Lord, we should rest and have something to eat.  There is a small clearing ahead.  It may be our last opportunity for shelter."

The forest had begun to thin out and the low rumble of thunder was clearly audible.  Shelter from the eternal storms of the Thunder Plains could only be found near a few of the towers that dotted the area or at the Al Bhed travel stop.  Staying out in the open was dangerous and fiends waited near the towers to catch unsuspecting travelers.  Braska carefully considered his options.  Auron was right.  However, he was still annoyed from the morning's argument and part of him didn't want to rest simply because the warrior had put forward the suggestion. 

Jecht could tell the two were about to tangle again.  He stepped in.  "Uh, Braska. Would ya mind?  I'm starvin'."

Braska sighed and nodded his assent.  The group was quickly ensconced in a large half-hollow tree trunk.  Offering only one approach, the location was easily defended by only one individual.  Auron rummaged in his pack and passed out rations, making sure he offered an extra packet of roasted flower seeds and a vial of ether to Braska.  It was a quiet peace offering that didn't go unnoticed.

Jecht shifted himself toward the opening of the tree trunk and turned his back on Auron and Braska.  He clearly intended to take watch as he ate and the pair didn't question his decision to do so.  

Knowing it would likely be his last opportunity, Braska moved close to Auron.  He pitched his voice low in an effort to save the warrior embarrassment in front of Jecht.  "Auron, we can camp outside the plains tonight if you wish.  I know that the crossing will be difficult for you and…"

Auron gruffly cut him off.  "Thank you for your concern, Lord.  I would rather get it over with."

"You are sure?"  Braska reached out a hand and touched Auron lightly on the shoulder.

The warrior was annoyed and didn't try to hide it.  Reaching up a gloved hand, Auron brushed Braska's away defensively.  "I am sure." 

"I only want to…"

Auron didn't let Braska finish the sentence.  "What you wanted was to manipulate the Call," he snapped.  "I am fine."

Braska bowed his head.  He would get nowhere if he continued to press.  Discretion being the better part of valor, Braska simply nodded sadly and moved away. 

"Jecht, if it is all right with you, I will get a bit of rest.  I should wake in about a half an hour and we can continue."

Jecht grunted his agreement.  "No problem, Braska."

The Summoner leaned back against the tree, shifting to find a comfortable position.  Taking a small metal box from his robes, he opened it to reveal a metal and glass atomizer.  Inserting the vial of ether in one end, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply several times.  He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

----------------

When Braska woke from his curative rest the group set out again.  Auron silently followed, absorbed in thought.  Realizing he had no one to blame for the situation but himself, he was angry.  He had upset his friend and consciously disobeyed an order.  The worst of it was that he felt no remorse for his actions.  While he did feel humiliated that Braska had dressed him down in front of Jecht, he didn't regret his actions.  Instead, he felt guilty that he was unrepentant about his act of defiance. 

The warrior wondered how long Braska would insist on punishing him.  There were practical matters to consider, though he understood the point that was being made.  His choice to pick a fight over Braska standing watch had backfired in more ways than one.  Not only had it resulted in restrictions that limited his ability to protect his friend, but Auron had broken a trust.  In hindsight, he realized he could have handled the situation with more finesse but he had never been good at being subtle.  It was exactly that quality that made him a good leader on the battlefield.  Though strategy was important, taking too much time to think in the middle of a fight could get you killed.  A warrior trusted their instincts and put their faith in their training and their God.  As a leader of men, Auron had to make snap decisions without hesitation and convey those orders with authority to those under his command.  He was, frankly, not used to having his decisions questioned anymore.

While Auron had to concede that having another member in their party was beneficial – and that Jecht had proven to be a surprisingly capable fighter – he was still troubled by Braska's choice.  It worried him.  Auron was convinced that it was a matter of time before the man would be too drunk or hung over to depend on.  Every time Jecht had shown himself to be an asset, he followed it up with two acts of amazing stupidity and ineptitude.  The blitzer's speed and his ability to wield a blitzball as a weapon had saved them on more than one occasion, but a ball and luck would only go so far.  The Thunder Plains were far more dangerous than the woods of Macalania.  Iron giants were tough and required combined heavy attacks with piercing weapons. 

To be effective, Jecht needed sword training and there was no time to give it to him.  Auron had tried, in vain, to find some excuse to stay at the Macalania temple for a longer period of time so he could work with the man.  While he still didn't believe Jecht's tales of Zanarkand, he was sure of one thing – the blitzer honestly didn't know what they would face on the road ahead.  Not knowing how Jecht could or would react in the middle of a battle situation was, in his opinion, a risk they couldn't afford.  It could get them all killed.

It all came down this – Braska was more than Auron's Summoner, he was his friend.  It was more then just his duty to protect Braska and watch over him.  He cared.  He knew enough about Braska to realize that the man would overextend himself for a principal.  Jecht couldn't know that, and certainly wouldn't be able to tell when the Summoner had reached his limits.  Somehow, Auron had to swallow his pride and manage to get Braska to see reason.  How he could manage to do that when his friend no longer trusted him was a problem he didn't know how to solve.

The deep rumble of thunder increased and the terrain began to change.  As the trees cleared, the sky grew oppressively black.  Though the canopy of the forest blocked most of the light to the land below, the Macalania woods existed in an ethereal perpetual twilight.  The gathered energy of the sun's rays, stored in the large crystalline spheres atop the trees, created the light bridges and a caused the trunks of the giants to shimmer even in the dead of night.  Now, as the group left the woods behind, the dim light was replaced by gloomy shadow.  Nothing would grow in the perpetual storms of the Thunder Plains.

Periodic flashes of light became clearly visible on the horizon and Auron had to suppress the urge to flinch.  Braska was right; the crossing would be difficult.  He wanted this part of the journey over with as quickly as possible. 

---------------------

Jecht lobbed his ball at the Iron Giant for the third time.  While it wasn't doing much damage to the fiend, it at least blinded the thing and gave the group a chance.  Auron easily dodged the next attack, his movements accelerated by Braska's magic.  The warrior swiftly responded to the assault with a counterstrike. 

"This is not working." Auron returned to Braska's side and had to shout to make himself heard, the rumble of thunder nearly drowning out his voice.

"I should call the Aeon," Braska responded.  Sweeping his staff backward, the Summoner moved swiftly to act on his words.  Auron stopped him, a hand on the wooden shaft.

"We are too far from shelter.  If you drain yourself we will have nothing in reserve."

The fiend attacked.  Braska jumped sideways, narrowly avoiding a strike by a massive sword.  As it was, the blade contacted part of his helm and sent the thing flying from his head exposing his hair to the incessant rain.  "What do you suggest?"

"Well I don't care whatcha do!  Just get rid of this thing!"  Jecht was getting frustrated and prepped for another toss.  The blindness spell was wearing off again.  Shaking its head, the giant took the opportunity to find a target.  Just as Jecht was about to let the ball fly, the fiend took its massive blade in both hands and leapt forward. 

"Watch out!" Braska cried.

Jecht was already too far into the windup to stop.  Bracing himself for the inevitable, he launched the ball at the fiend and hoped for the best.  The brute slammed into Jecht, its sword slashing downward.  The enormous blade clipped Jecht's throwing arm but missed the rest of him.  He went sprawling backward into the mud, his ball bouncing ineffectually off the fiend's leg and flying away into the darkness of the storm.

Auron reached behind his back and pulled Jecht's sword from its scabbard.  Though the blitzer barely knew how to use it, it was better than nothing.  He quickly tossed the thing at the dazed Jecht and it landed not far from where the man lay.  "Take this!"

"Jecht, are you all right?" Braska moved a step closer to the blitzer, trying to determine his injuries. 

The man nodded weakly in response.  He took hold of the sword lying near him and staggered to his feet.  His right arm was numb from shoulder to fingertips so he hefted the weapon in his left hand.  It felt awkward, but it was all he could do. 

"I am going to try something."  Unsure it would work, Auron bowed his head and attempted to focus his magical skills in an armor break.  He had been working on the spell for several weeks prior to his imprisonment but had never managed to execute the maneuver.  Guard arm thrust before him, Auron took a deep calming breath and willed it forward.  He was almost shocked when he felt the tickle of magical energy envelope his body and rush to encase his blade.  Without hesitation, he ran forward to attack.  His sword contacted the fiend's iron hide in a resounding crash, cleaving through the metal as if it were soft cheese. 

Badly injured, the fiend refused to give up.  It roared in anger and slashed wildly with the sword.  All three men had to jump backward to avoid the scythe attack. 

Braska moved to make a follow up strike.  Giants had no specific elemental weaknesses so he opted for brute force.  Staff it both hands he rushed at the badly injured fiend he delivered a sharp thrust of his staff forcing the dazed the thing back a step.  After an agonizing half-second, the beast wavered and finally toppled over. 

Braska slumped forward slightly and leaned on his staff to catch his breath.  The encounter was their fifth since entering the plains and the worst skirmish yet.  Auron was so exhausted now that he was bent at the waist and barely able to keep his sword aloft.  Jecht was wounded and had lost a weapon.  They were still too far away from the Al Bhed travel stop to see the building.  "Could you do that again, Auron?" 

The warrior nodded hesitantly, his sword point down in the mud.  "I think so."

Moving to retrieve his helm, Braska turned his attention back to Jecht.  "We need cover before I can look at your arm.  And stow away the swords, they will attract lightening."

Auron up righted himself and unstrapped a scabbard from his back.  Sheathing his own sword, he moved to Jecht's side. "You might as well carry this now, Jecht.  I will see what we have to barter when we reach the Al Bhed shop.  Perhaps I can obtain another ball."

Jecht frowned.  "Gimmie me a hand?  My arm's numb."

Auron nodded and placed the leather holder against Jecht's back.  In a matter of seconds, it was securely fastened and the Sword resting in its new home.  "Lord, shall we make for the next tower?  It has a canopy and should give us enough cover."

The Summoner nodded and the group set out again.  Wet, cold, and exhausted they slogged along the path as fast as they could.  When they reached the tower, Braska examined Jecht's arm and was relieved to find that the bones were intact.  "The shoulder is displaced.  I can adjust it here and then give you a potion.  You should be fine, though you really should rest."

Tilting his head, Jecht's neck popped.  "Do what ya gotta do, Braska.  I can't fight with my arm like this."

Auron held Jecht steady and Braska took hold of his arm.  After a few moments of pulling, there was an audible pop.  Jecht grimaced as the bone slid back into the socket. 

Braska then reached into his robes and withdrew three vials.  He handed the largest to Jecht, another to Auron, and drank the third.  "It has been years since I took this road, but I do not believe the Al Bhed stop to be far from here.  I think we should take a room if possible and try to recover before going further."

Jecht began to cautiously test his right arm.  Flexing his hand, he reached above his head tentatively in a stretch.  He nodded in response to Braska's statement.  "They got showers there?"

Cuffing the man amiably on his good shoulder, Braska smiled and playfully wrinkled his nose.  "Yes, Jecht.  They have showers.  And I, for one, will be happy to have you take one."

-----------------

Another altercation, this time with two larva, ensued not far from the next tower.  The travel stop was still out of sight and stores of potions were running low.  When the fight was over, Braska made a decision.

"Auron, you have been through here more recently.  The shop is on the west side of the plain, is it not?"

"Yes, Lord."

"I think we should chance a direct route."  Gesturing south with his staff, Braska indicated his intended direction.  "There will be a greater chance of being hit by lightening, but the trail turns east again to the next tower.  If we are careful, and swift, I think we can make it."

Though Auron's outward appearance displayed nothing but resolve, he was struggling to maintain control.  The idea that they would attempt an open crossing frankly terrified him, but he wasn't going to object.  To do so would mean admitting a weakness.  He felt it better to confront his fear in the hope that he could set it aside.

Braska felt a rush of panic through the Call at his suggestion and waited to see what Auron would do.  When the young man said nothing, and the feelings reduced to strong anxiety, he realized Auron had no intention of mentioning it.  He hesitated, trying to decide if he should ask about what he felt.  Finally, he decided against it.  Auron was strong and had been a warrior almost all his life.  He had to trust that the young man knew his limitations.

Stowing his staff on his back, Braska tried to give Jecht a bit of last minute advice.  "We will be exposed as we cross the area.  Without the towers to draw the lightening, our weapons will attract it.  There will be a flash of light that immediately precedes a lightening strike.  If you jump backward fast enough, you should be able to avoid it.  Are we ready?"  

Auron and Jecht both nodded and Braska took the lead.  He set a fast pace, running as quickly as his rain soaked robes would allow.  Attempting this was dangerous, but Braska was certain they could manage. The critical thing was to avoid a fight.  Staying in the open long enough to defeat even one fiend would surely mean at least one hit by lightening.  Braska was not in the mood to be singed.

A flash occurred and Braska jumped backward in response, praying that Auron would be fast enough to avoid the strike.  While there was a ting of fear in the Call, he detected nothing else.  Jecht yelped and Braska turned his head to look, there was a huge scorch mark at the man's feet but he was unscathed.  He ran on.

The outlines of the travel stop finally became discernable amidst the fog.  The sight of it gave Braska a new surge of energy and he put on a bit more speed.  It was a matter of only a few hundred yards now to safety, a hot bath, and a warm bed. 

Something began to shimmer to the right.  Braska slowed a bit, unable to tell what the light source was.  The last thing they needed was to be ambushed.  Veering in the direction of the glow, he squinted into the darkness.

"Lord?"  Auron was beside him now.  "What is it?"

Braska shook his head.  They were too far away.  "I'm not going to find out.  Leave it."

"What the heck are these?" 

The pair turned to see Jecht stopped a few feet away.  Braska knew immediately what he was seeing and his eyes flew open.  "Do not move!"

Remembering the last time those words had been directed at him, the blitzer froze.  Three small green creatures stood not far from Jecht's location.  Their size and appearance made them almost comical.  Resembling a child's toy, the things chittered and giggled at the human before them.

Auron reached slowly behind his back toward the pommel of his sword.  Braska grabbed him by the wrist in response.  "They are cactuar.  I have never seen them outside Sanubia.  Make no sudden movements."

Jecht, still rooted to his spot, asked the first question.  "Ok.  And what about the lightening?"

Braska had no idea what to do.  He had only seen cactuar once before.  A group of Al Bhed he was with had run into one while crossing the desert and it had killed two men before running away, unscathed.  "We've got to get away from these things.  Jecht, move backward very slowly.  Whatever you do, don't break eye contact with them.  If they lean forward, run."

"Surely these creatures are no match for our weapons."  Auron glanced at his Summoner.  The Call told him that Braska was terrified of these things.  In his estimation, they looked like nothing more than a black mage's familiar.

"They are extremely fast.  Only a cast of magic can strike them.  When agitated or frightened they shoot poison spines at their target.  They kill almost instantaneously."

Jecht heard Braska's response to Auron's query and did his best to quell panic.  The thought of dying face down in the mud wasn't appealing.  Everything about this world seemed so alien and bizarre.  An insect could defend itself by creating deadly monsters.  Now, something that looked like a stuffed toy could kill a man.  He stepped backward, one agonizing foot at a time until he stood next to Braska.

"If we continue to move slowly away from them, they should not see us as a threat.  Once we are out of range, run."

Almost as one, the group began to move backward.  The cactuar responded by jumping and spinning in place.  The men froze.

"What're they doin' that for?"  Jecht was, for the first time since enter the plains, glad of the rain.  In the storm, no one could tell he was sweating.

"Just keep moving." 

The party began to move again.  This time, Braska remained motionless as Auron and Jecht stepped backward.  After a few seconds, he began to slide backward as well. 

"Just a few more feet."

It seemed to take forever.  Braska kept repeating prayers to Yevon over and over in his head.  Finally, they moved out of range.  "Now!  Run!"

No sooner did the group take off, but a flash occurred.  This time they weren't so lucky.  Jecht and Auron managed the dodge but Braska, encumbered by his sopping wet robes tripped and fell.  The lightning struck him in the back and threw him forward several feet.

"Braska!"

Auron rushed to the Summoner's side and gathered the dazed man in his arms.  The additional weight of the water-laden robes and the staff on Braska's back made him almost impossible to carry.  "Help me!"

Jecht sprinted to Auron's side and took Braska's legs.  While it was awkward, the pair managed to reach the speed of a jog with the man stretched out between them.  When they reached the door of the Travel Stop, Jecht abruptly dropped Braska's legs and threw the door open.  Drenched, the Guardians practically drug their Summoner across the threshold to safety.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

A/N
Sorry to have taken so long getting this to you.  Work is keeping me far busier than I expected and writing time is at a premium.  At this point, I'm expecting slow output for another month or so as I continue to slog through the print process.  Hang in there!  I'm not giving up on the tale.
A