~Chapter 7~
Wakka and Tidus were the last to meet the group. They were just barely in the forest, talking about the temple Yuna was about to visit.
"What's up?" Wakka asked.
"Yuna has decided she wants. him. as a guardian," Lulu said, motioning to Tidus.
"Huh?" Tidus asked.
"Hey, dis guy may be good at that-whatchamacallit-"
"Basket Ball," Tidus said.
"-that," Wakka said, "But that don't make him a guardian, ya know."
Thanks, Tidus thought to himself bitterly.
"Well, then." Yuna said softly. "Not as a guardian. I just want him nearby."
"Wha..?" Wakka asked.
"Ya know, I'm still here, guys," Tidus said, with an annoyed tone in his voice.
Yuna looked embarrassed. "Forgive me," she said. An awkward silence followed until Lulu finally said, "We should get going."
Kimarhi ventured farther up the trail than the others. "Prob'ly checking for fiends," Wakka said when Tidus had asked.
The group finally took a break at the base of what looked like a very old, stone stairway. "These stairs have a history, you know," Wakka said. "Lord Oholland trained on these steps when he was a blitzer. He'd run up and down, and up and down. He was very organized."
"He sounds dedicated," Tidus said.
"All right!" Wakka cried suddenly. "See that plateau up there?" he asked, pointing to a level area further up the stairs. "You time me-from here to there and back again!"
"OK," Yuna said. "Ready-set-go!"
Wakka shot off from the foot of the stairs and headed up the stairs. Tidus was also timing him, trying to see if he could beat Wakka in a race.
Wakka disappeared over the lip of the first "landing" and suddenly, a shout shot through the air:
"Everybody get up here! Sinspawn!"
Immediately, Lulu and Kimarhi took off, each staying in front of Yuna. Tidus also followed, holding the watery-like sword Wakka had given him.
When the rest of the group caught up to Wakka, they saw him staring down what appeared to be a large, sturdy shell. It had evidently ripped up the stone floor, as it looked like it had emerged from underground. Two large vine-like extensions were also unearthing the stone, one on each side of the plateau.
"Weapons out, everyone!" Wakka commanded, and the group complied. Kimarhi instantly unsheathed his lance, Tidus already had his sword, Lulu was holding a voodoo doll, Yuna had a staff in her hands, and Wakka had a very strange weapon-he was holding a Blitz ball.
"What do you expect to do with that?" Tidus asked skeptically.
"Just watch," Wakka said, smiling.
Subconsciously, everyone formed a ring around the Summoner. Wakka squared his shoulders, took aim, and lobbed the ball at the shell. It hit with the force of a large battering ram, but it didn't seem to phase the shell.
"My ball doesn't work! How about magic?" Wakka cried.
At first, Tidus thought Wakka was talking to Yuna. But Lulu stepped forward instead, and, holding the voodoo doll in one hand, she raised her other, and brought it down violently. Immediately, a burst of fire appeared around the shell, but the tentacles suddenly lashed forward and absorbed the energy.
"It's no good!" Lulu called.
"You look after Yuna! Kimarhi! Let's go!" Tidus yelled.
Catching on, Kimarhi ran forward with Tidus, and both bade and spear point met the shell. And both blade and spear point ricocheted off of the shell.
Tidus looked around, and it was lucky he did, as one of the tentacles came pelting out of nowhere to hit him. But basketball had granted him amazing agility, and he dodged it, though just barely. Kimarhi had, of course, also jumped out of the way.
Tidus landed on both feet, and, looking at the tentacles, was struck by a sudden idea. Alone, he charged down the tentacle to his right, and started hacking away at the base.
"Tidus! Get back here!" Wakka called out to him.
But Tidus kept hacking, and one last powerful swing severed the tentacle. It fell to the stone floor and evaporated.
"Do that to the other one!" Tidus yelled back at Wakka.
Acting as one, the Summoner party turned and attacked the other tentacle. Wakka threw his ball, Lulu cast magic, Kimarhi hacked away, and Yuna hit it with her staff, though tentatively. At last, the combined efforts not only took the tentacle down, it made the shell open.
A rancid smell filled their noses as an acid green cloud emerged from under the shell. At last, the creature itself was exposed.
It looks like one of those worms from Tremors, Tidus thought to himself. It had a green, pointed head, narrow slits for eyes, sharp fangs, muscular arms, and long, spindly, tentacle-like fingers.
WHACK!
Wakka's ball had smacked the creature right in the face, dazing it slightly. The others ran forward, slicing, casting spells, and hitting the creature.
"Not so tough without your shell, huh?" Tidus yelled. In no time, the creature evaporated into a mysterious, multicolored light.
Tidus collapsed onto the stone floor. He was breathing hard, having just killed a monster for the first-but certainly not the last-time in his life.
What-was-that-thing?" Tidus panted, looking at Wakka, who was standing quite normally.
"A Sinspawn. Sin drops them off of its body, and eventually, it calls out to it to come back."
"But if you kill it before it does that, Sin won't come back.Right?" Tidus asked uncertainly.
"Right," Wakka said. He held out his hand, which Tidus took.
"Hoped to break you in a little slower, but. Not bad," Wakka said, looking at Tidus with new respect.
"What do you mean?" Tidus asked.
"Well, Yuna said she wanted ya around, so."
"Might as well make you useful," Lulu said from the other side of the platform. The others had already started up the stairs. "Let's go!" she called.
The rest of the climb proved uneventful, until Wakka suddenly stopped and said, "You know, I been thinkin'. What if Sin," he glanced at Lulu, and threw caution to the winds, "doesn't kill people? Maybe he takes 'em to some place far away. Like a thousand years or somethin'."
He shot a Tidus this time, but Lulu rolled her eyes, looked pointedly at Wakka, and said, "No, Wakka. Sin didn't take your brother anywhere. It killed him, and left him on the D'Jose shore. He isn't your brother," Lulu jerked her head in Tidus' direction. She turned around and stormed off up the stairs.
If the temple in Besaid had been something, it was nothing compared to the Kilika temple. Towering and beautifully sculpted, the Kilika temple stopped Tidus dead in his tracks and filled him with awe.
"Cool, huh?" Wakka asked.
"Yeah," Tidus managed to spit out.
Suddenly, a group of men wearing identical clothing appeared at the steps of the temple. They were all clad in purple shirts, yellow shorts, and green gloves and green boots. They had a large, stylized "G" on the chest of the shirts. Wakka grimaced.
"Who're they?" Tidus asked.
"Blitzers," Wakka said. "They're the Luca Goers."
Wakka and Tidus were the last to meet the group. They were just barely in the forest, talking about the temple Yuna was about to visit.
"What's up?" Wakka asked.
"Yuna has decided she wants. him. as a guardian," Lulu said, motioning to Tidus.
"Huh?" Tidus asked.
"Hey, dis guy may be good at that-whatchamacallit-"
"Basket Ball," Tidus said.
"-that," Wakka said, "But that don't make him a guardian, ya know."
Thanks, Tidus thought to himself bitterly.
"Well, then." Yuna said softly. "Not as a guardian. I just want him nearby."
"Wha..?" Wakka asked.
"Ya know, I'm still here, guys," Tidus said, with an annoyed tone in his voice.
Yuna looked embarrassed. "Forgive me," she said. An awkward silence followed until Lulu finally said, "We should get going."
Kimarhi ventured farther up the trail than the others. "Prob'ly checking for fiends," Wakka said when Tidus had asked.
The group finally took a break at the base of what looked like a very old, stone stairway. "These stairs have a history, you know," Wakka said. "Lord Oholland trained on these steps when he was a blitzer. He'd run up and down, and up and down. He was very organized."
"He sounds dedicated," Tidus said.
"All right!" Wakka cried suddenly. "See that plateau up there?" he asked, pointing to a level area further up the stairs. "You time me-from here to there and back again!"
"OK," Yuna said. "Ready-set-go!"
Wakka shot off from the foot of the stairs and headed up the stairs. Tidus was also timing him, trying to see if he could beat Wakka in a race.
Wakka disappeared over the lip of the first "landing" and suddenly, a shout shot through the air:
"Everybody get up here! Sinspawn!"
Immediately, Lulu and Kimarhi took off, each staying in front of Yuna. Tidus also followed, holding the watery-like sword Wakka had given him.
When the rest of the group caught up to Wakka, they saw him staring down what appeared to be a large, sturdy shell. It had evidently ripped up the stone floor, as it looked like it had emerged from underground. Two large vine-like extensions were also unearthing the stone, one on each side of the plateau.
"Weapons out, everyone!" Wakka commanded, and the group complied. Kimarhi instantly unsheathed his lance, Tidus already had his sword, Lulu was holding a voodoo doll, Yuna had a staff in her hands, and Wakka had a very strange weapon-he was holding a Blitz ball.
"What do you expect to do with that?" Tidus asked skeptically.
"Just watch," Wakka said, smiling.
Subconsciously, everyone formed a ring around the Summoner. Wakka squared his shoulders, took aim, and lobbed the ball at the shell. It hit with the force of a large battering ram, but it didn't seem to phase the shell.
"My ball doesn't work! How about magic?" Wakka cried.
At first, Tidus thought Wakka was talking to Yuna. But Lulu stepped forward instead, and, holding the voodoo doll in one hand, she raised her other, and brought it down violently. Immediately, a burst of fire appeared around the shell, but the tentacles suddenly lashed forward and absorbed the energy.
"It's no good!" Lulu called.
"You look after Yuna! Kimarhi! Let's go!" Tidus yelled.
Catching on, Kimarhi ran forward with Tidus, and both bade and spear point met the shell. And both blade and spear point ricocheted off of the shell.
Tidus looked around, and it was lucky he did, as one of the tentacles came pelting out of nowhere to hit him. But basketball had granted him amazing agility, and he dodged it, though just barely. Kimarhi had, of course, also jumped out of the way.
Tidus landed on both feet, and, looking at the tentacles, was struck by a sudden idea. Alone, he charged down the tentacle to his right, and started hacking away at the base.
"Tidus! Get back here!" Wakka called out to him.
But Tidus kept hacking, and one last powerful swing severed the tentacle. It fell to the stone floor and evaporated.
"Do that to the other one!" Tidus yelled back at Wakka.
Acting as one, the Summoner party turned and attacked the other tentacle. Wakka threw his ball, Lulu cast magic, Kimarhi hacked away, and Yuna hit it with her staff, though tentatively. At last, the combined efforts not only took the tentacle down, it made the shell open.
A rancid smell filled their noses as an acid green cloud emerged from under the shell. At last, the creature itself was exposed.
It looks like one of those worms from Tremors, Tidus thought to himself. It had a green, pointed head, narrow slits for eyes, sharp fangs, muscular arms, and long, spindly, tentacle-like fingers.
WHACK!
Wakka's ball had smacked the creature right in the face, dazing it slightly. The others ran forward, slicing, casting spells, and hitting the creature.
"Not so tough without your shell, huh?" Tidus yelled. In no time, the creature evaporated into a mysterious, multicolored light.
Tidus collapsed onto the stone floor. He was breathing hard, having just killed a monster for the first-but certainly not the last-time in his life.
What-was-that-thing?" Tidus panted, looking at Wakka, who was standing quite normally.
"A Sinspawn. Sin drops them off of its body, and eventually, it calls out to it to come back."
"But if you kill it before it does that, Sin won't come back.Right?" Tidus asked uncertainly.
"Right," Wakka said. He held out his hand, which Tidus took.
"Hoped to break you in a little slower, but. Not bad," Wakka said, looking at Tidus with new respect.
"What do you mean?" Tidus asked.
"Well, Yuna said she wanted ya around, so."
"Might as well make you useful," Lulu said from the other side of the platform. The others had already started up the stairs. "Let's go!" she called.
The rest of the climb proved uneventful, until Wakka suddenly stopped and said, "You know, I been thinkin'. What if Sin," he glanced at Lulu, and threw caution to the winds, "doesn't kill people? Maybe he takes 'em to some place far away. Like a thousand years or somethin'."
He shot a Tidus this time, but Lulu rolled her eyes, looked pointedly at Wakka, and said, "No, Wakka. Sin didn't take your brother anywhere. It killed him, and left him on the D'Jose shore. He isn't your brother," Lulu jerked her head in Tidus' direction. She turned around and stormed off up the stairs.
If the temple in Besaid had been something, it was nothing compared to the Kilika temple. Towering and beautifully sculpted, the Kilika temple stopped Tidus dead in his tracks and filled him with awe.
"Cool, huh?" Wakka asked.
"Yeah," Tidus managed to spit out.
Suddenly, a group of men wearing identical clothing appeared at the steps of the temple. They were all clad in purple shirts, yellow shorts, and green gloves and green boots. They had a large, stylized "G" on the chest of the shirts. Wakka grimaced.
"Who're they?" Tidus asked.
"Blitzers," Wakka said. "They're the Luca Goers."