Where dreams end...
4. Trouble in Luca
On disembarking from the boat, Buffy found herself swept by in a crowd of people pushing past her, both anxious to see the young Summoner and eager to see their favourite Blitz team. Luca, it turned out, was home turf to the Goers, and they had a strong following here.
There was limited cheering when the Aurochs marched down the gangplank. Buffy thought she heard someone scream Wakka's name in the background. It was really true: the Aurochs didn't have that many fans.
"Wow, they really must suck," Buffy muttered, shaking her head.
"Don't say that!" Yuna protested, a fierce look in her eyes. "The Aurochs play with all their hearts, and that is all that matters."
"We'll be the only ones cheering for them," Buffy said, shaking her head. She shrugged, an indifferent gesture. "I guess that means we'll just have to cheer extra loud."
"Right!" Yuna said, that determined smile on her face.
Suddenly, the crowd picked up again, pulling the two girls away towards another one of the docks. She looked around, at the people all around her, at the looks on their faces. They were eager for something, excited even.
"What's going on?" Buffy asked Tidus, who, like her, seemed to be being drawn along by the crowd.
"Maester Mika has arrived!" Yuna supplied excitedly.
"What's a Maester?" Buffy asked.
"Mika? Maester?" Tidus asked, at the same time. They glanced at each other, sharing their confusion.
"Maester Mika is the leader of all the people of Spira," Lulu explained calmly. "He's come all the way from Bevelle. The tournament is being held to honour his fifty years as maester."
"Fifty years?" Tidus asked. "Shouldn't he be, uh, retired by now?"
"Yeah," Buffy agreed. She looked over at Lulu with a questioning look on her face. "Do they have retirement homes in Spira?"
"Hey!" Wakka said. "Mind your mouth, now."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever." The group came to dock three, one over from where their own ship was docked. The dock was already crowded with anxious people, waiting to get a glimpse of Mika. "You'd think they were waiting for a rock star or something," Buffy told Tidus conversationally.
"I know," Tidus agreed quietly. He craned his neck, trying to see over the crowd. "Can't see a thing," he said, frustrated.
"Quiet, you two," Wakka said, his tone admonishing them.
"Gee teach, everyone else is talking," Buffy said sarcastically. It was true, there were people in the crowd, conversing amongst themselves. Apparently something was going on. Buffy heard mention of a Guado, whatever that was, but she was too short to see. She jumped, hoping to catch a glimpse of the action.
"Isn't that Maester Seymour?"
There was a man, if he could be called that, standing at the bottom of the gangplank. He was dressed in curiously voluminous purple robes that left his tattooed chest bare. The man had long spiky azure hair, and there was something about his eyes that Buffy just didn't like.
Maester Seymour performed a prayer. The crowd prayed as well, though the only reason she knew that they were praying and not starting up on some kind of martial arts routine was because Yuna had been so kind as to explain it to her. She and Tidus stood out like sore thumbs, the only ones not praying.
"People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome," said another voice. From the top of the gangplank an ancient-looking man appeared.
Buffy was instantly on edge. There was something completely wrong with him; she just couldn't put her finger on what it was. The man had white hair and a short trimmed beard. His ancient skin was brown and tan. The man was dressed in long robes, which, while completely different from Maester Seymour, bore some of the same intricately embroidered symbols. This had to be Maester Mika.
"Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well. I present to you… the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past," said Mika. "As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a Maester of Yevon."
"What's this Farplane stuff?" Buffy whispered to Tidus. "And who's this Jyscal guy?"
Wakka smacked her in the shoulder, gesturing for her to be quiet.
"I am Seymour Guado," said Maester Seymour in a voice that, to Buffy, sounded discordant. "I am honoured to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfil my duties as Maester to the best of my abilities."
"Acceptance speech," Buffy muttered. Tidus nodded.
"Bow your heads!" Wakka hissed at them.
The crowd, including a reluctant Buffy and Tidus, bowed their heads, and remained that way until the two Maesters departed, surrounded by their honour guard.
"Really psyches you up, ya?" Wakka asked.
"About as much as a lecture from my mom," Buffy answered sarcastically. He'd been on her case ever since they left Kilika, giving her suspicious looks whenever he thought she wasn't paying attention.
Wakka sent a disapproving look at Buffy before turning to his team. "All right! Last meeting before the match! Hustle!"
Yuna drew closer to Buffy as Tidus moved off towards the team meeting. "Did you see anyone in the crowd that you recognised?" Yuna asked.
"No, but that Mika guy gave me the creeps," Buffy answered.
"You mustn't talk like that," Yuna said seriously. "Maester Mika is a great man." Buffy studied the young Summoner's features for a moment, before nodding. Yuna smiled. "I know you're unfamiliar with our ways, Buffy, and I don't want you to get in trouble."
"I'll try my best, m'lady Summoner," said Buffy, with a grin. "But I don't guarantee anything. All this is pretty new to me, so…" She looked around, examining her surroundings in depth. "I'm gonna go look around. Is there some time I should meet back up with you guys?"
Buffy reached into her pocket, pulling out a digital watch. Yuna's eyes widened in disbelief. "Put that away!" She said in a hushed but urgent tone of voice. "Machina are forbidden by the teachings of Yevon," she said.
"It's just a watch," Buffy said innocently. "All it does is tell time."
"Regardless, machina are forbidden. If someone sees you, you could be in very deep trouble," said Yuna. She smiled at Buffy comfortingly. After a moment, Buffy nodded, and slipped her watch back into her pocket.
"I'll try my best to stay out of trouble," Buffy promised.
"If you need to find us, just ask someone to direct you to the Aurochs," said Yuna. Buffy nodded her understanding, before turning away, disappearing into the crowd.
***
Buffy made her way through the crowded streets of Spira's second largest city, stopping here and there to admire the scenery. There was nobody she recognised here, but she already knew that she wouldn't meet anyone she knew.
Instead, she found herself shopping, mostly for something that would let her blend in a little more. For some reason, the things that had attacked her in Kilika woods carried money, left it behind after she beat them. She was checking out a cool jacket, yellow, blue, and black and all pockets, when she saw Yuna in the crowd.
The young Summoner was half following and half being pulled by a strange pair of men, dressed in strange clothing, even for the people of Spira. "Excuse me," she said. The stall keeper, a bright old woman, looked up. "Who are they? Those two guys with the Summoner?"
The old woman followed Buffy's line of sight, saw the young Summoner and the two men. "They are Al Bhed," the woman said, her tone of voice indicating her distrust of the two. "Why her ladyship would associate with them, I don't know."
"So, they're bad news?" Buffy asked.
"The worst. They use machina forbidden by the teachings," said the woman. Buffy considered this, then considered the watch in her pocket. Was it really so bad using machines? Nothing had happened in her world, but then this was a different world.
"I'll take the jacket," she said, picking up the jacket that she had been considering. She handed the stall-keeper the money for the jacket, then pulled it on over her shoulders. "Thanks. Have a nice day."
Buffy turned away, slipped easily into the crowd. She followed Yuna as she was lead away by the two men, followed the young Summoner to dock number four. She saw the young Summoner board the ship, the only metal vessel docked in Luca, pushed up the gangplank by the two Al Bhed.
"This looks fishy," she said to herself, a smirk touching her lips. Yuna asked her to stay out of trouble, but this had to be an exception, right? The Summoner was being kidnapped, by the looks of it.
The girl followed the Summoner onto the ship. "Yuna! Where're you going?" Buffy called out, startling the two Al Bhed. They spun around, and opened fire.
Buffy had only just enough time to dive out of the way, finding cover behind a stack of crates. "Buffy!" Yuna yelled, concerned.
"We might be a little late for the game, Yuna!" Buffy called out from behind her cover. She poked her head out cautiously. The action was immediately rewarded, as the two Al Bhed men started shooting again.
"I hate it when I get shot at," Buffy muttered, through clenched teeth. The Al Bhed stopped shooting. She heard one of them edging around the stack of crates.
Every muscle in her body tensed. She saw the barrel of the gun, and she knew it was her time to move. The young Slayer launched herself from her cover, grabbing the gun from the Al Bhed man. She twisted, until the man was forced to either let go, or lose the use of his arm for several months while the bone healed.
The man let go of the gun. Buffy smashed the handle across the Al Bhed man's jaw, hard enough to knock the man out. Buffy was across the deck in the time it took the man to crumple to the ground.
It wasn't fast enough.
The other Al Bhed had his gun pressed tightly to Yuna's temple. "Not another step."
"Yuna!" There was nothing Buffy could do, and she knew it. Buffy raised her hands, with a defeated sigh. Suddenly, Yuna jammed her foot into the Al Bhed man's foot, then pulled herself free from him as his grip faltered. She swung her rod like a club, and hit the man hard enough to knock him out. "Whoa! Way to go Yuna!"
"Thank you," said Yuna, blushing at the compliment. "You were incredible, yourself."
"It's nothing," Buffy dismissed, with the wave of her hand. Still, she had to admit that she was pleased with the compliment. Shaking her head, she looked around to get a feel for her situation. "These guys went to a lot of trouble to kidnap you, and this boat doesn't exactly look like a three-man dinghy. Let's get out of here before anything else can go wrong."
"I agree," said Yuna.
Before either of them could move another step, something happened. The deck beneath their feet trembled. A large trap door that Buffy hadn't noticed before opened. A large robot rose up from the metal ship's hold.
"Sometimes I really hate when I'm right," Buffy told Yuna.
"I can see why," the young Summoner said, nodding her agreement and still looking a little surprised at the appearance of the machina weapon.
Buffy wrenched a length of pipe almost taller than she was from a nearby railing, and brandished it. "Alright, Yuna. Stay behind me. Things are about to get a little rough."
The machine started to move, giant cog-like wheels whirring faster than Buffy's eyes could follow, causing sparks of static electricity to ground themselves harmlessly on the deck. Suddenly, it moved, firing a volley of blue and white balls at Yuna.
"Look out!" Buffy called. She wrapped her arms around Yuna, taking the hits herself. Buffy stumbled, but managed to catch herself before she fell to the deck.
Buffy gasped, clutching her side with one hand, her makeshift staff with the other. The machine seemed to be reloading for another volley. Buffy readied herself, grasping her staff firmly with two hands.
The machine fired. Buffy dodged one ball, smashed another out of the way. The third glanced off her shoulder, spun her around.
"Buffy, let me help," Yuna said, her voice quiet but forceful. She closed her eyes, held her staff tight, concentrating. "Cure!"
Buffy felt a warmth flowing through her body, fixing all the minor aches and pains she felt. Her side still hurt, but the pain had been reduced to a dull throb. "We shall beat it together," Yuna said.
"Right," Buffy said, with a determined nod. She readied herself for another volley and wasn't disappointed. Buffy managed to dodge the first two blitzballs sent her way and smashed the third away from Yuna with her staff. "I don't suppose you have any, uh, magic that would deal with this thing, huh?"
"I can summon, but it will require all my concentration. I won't be of any help to you," Yuna said.
Buffy shook her head. Yuna needed to be concentrated on the fight for the moment. Buffy smashed another blitzball back towards the Oblitzerator. She tightened her grip on her makeshift staff and widened her stance.
The machine fired another round at them. Buffy batted the first two aside, and then smashed the third ball right back at the machine menace. The ball shot back into the hole it had come from. The machine began to falter, black smoke issuing from the hole.
"Hole-in-one!" Buffy grinned victoriously.
The young girl jumped forward, used her staff to vault on top of the Oblitzerator. She raised it over her head, looking at the two quickly spinning gears, timing her attack. Buffy plunged the metal staff into the machine's gears. It struck with a shower of sparks.
The Oblitzerator groaned threateningly, started shaking underneath Buffy's feet. Wide-eyed, Buffy realised what was about to happen.
"Uh-oh…" Buffy muttered. She jumped from the monstrosity, and ran towards Yuna. "Get down!" Buffy yelled, diving behind a stack of crates. Yuna ducked behind another stack.
The Oblitzerator exploded thunderously, sending shrapnel hurtling across the surroundings. A plume of black smoke rose up from its burning remains. Buffy poked her head out cautiously.
"I think it's safe to come out now," Tidus said with an even tone of voice.
"Uh, hey guys," Buffy said, suddenly self-conscious. Okay, so it wasn't the most graceful win, but a win was a win all the same. "When did you get here?"
"We learned that the Al Bhed kidnapped Yuna," said Lulu. She looked directly at Yuna. "We were coming to rescue you. I hope you hurt them."
"A little," Yuna admitted, smiling slightly.
"You would make a worthy guardian," Lulu told Buffy. "How did you get to be so fast?"
"That's a little complicated," Buffy said, shaking her head.
"What is it?" Yuna asked Tidus, cutting off whatever questions Lulu might have asked next. Tidus was looking around at the ship, scrutinising it for some weird reason. Buffy wondered what he was looking for.
"There were these Al Bhed that saved my life when I first came to Spira," Tidus said, still looking around the ship. "They took me on their ship, even gave me food. I was kinda hoping this was the same ship. But it's not. I wonder if they're all gone."
"What happened?" Yuna asked, obviously concerned for some reason.
"Sin came up near us," Tidus answered. "I made it out okay, but I don't know what happened to their ship."
"Um, was there anyone called Cid on that ship?" Yuna asked, her voice once again hesitant.
"I don't know," Tidus admitted with a shrug. "They were all speaking that Al Bhed language."
"I see…" Yuna said, sounding disappointed and relieved at the same time. Her eyes took on a distant look, as though she was lost in thought.
"Spira to Yuna," Buffy said, waving her hand in front of the young Summoner's eyes. "How come you wanted to know? Who's this Cid guy anyway?" Tidus nodded, giving Yuna a curious look.
Yuna blinked, her attention focused again on there here and now, first on Buffy and then on Tidus. "He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him," Yuna answered a little hesitantly.
"Wait, that means you're Al Bhed, too, Yuna?" Tidus asked, confused.
"Can't put anything past you huh, genius?" Buffy asked, her voice clearly sarcastic.
"I am," Yuna said, nodding. "On my mother's side. Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married. But she told me to seek him out if I ever needed help." Yuna looked away, a worried look flashing across her face.
"You're worried he was…?" Tidus started. Buffy elbowed him sharply in the ribs, shutting him up before he could finish that question.
"I'm sure if he was on that boat that he got out okay," Buffy said, trying to reassure Yuna. Yuna offered the young Slayer a grateful smile for her efforts.
"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage," Lulu said. "The thing about Wakka – he never had much love for the Al Bhed."
"Whoa," said Tidus. "I gotta tell Wakka!"
"What did she just tell you?" Buffy asked, smacking Tidus in the back of the head. She rolled her eyes. "It's like you weren't listening at all."
"The game!" Yuna realised.
"Oh!" Lulu said. She concentrated, gathering some of her magical energy.
She sent it up into the air, exploding brilliantly all across the sky,
a marker that would no doubt be seen all across town. Then, the group turned
and started back towards the dome…
I'd had my first encounter with the Al Bhed. I didn't know what to
think, to be honest. I'd learned about the Al Bhed at the Temple. According
to Yevon they were partly responsible for perpetuating Sin's reign of terror,
because they used machina – machines… I started to wonder… Even in Kilika,
Yevon's teachings didn't agree with me…
Yuna found herself watching Buffy intermittently throughout the championship game, between the Aurochs and the Goers. There was something about the younger girl, a secret that she kept to herself. Yuna had to admit that she was curious about what that secret was, even if she had decided not to pry.
The more she watched Buffy, the more she became convinced of the hidden
power her friend possessed. It was evident, even now, in the manner in
which Buffy carried herself, the way she stood, the way she interacted
with others. It was certainly evident in the way she fought, with unreal
strength and speed.
The Aurochs had just played an excellent game, beating the Goers by
two points to win the cup. Buffy loved the game. She certainly cheered
loud enough. The players were making a final lap around the pool.
"When you explored Luca, did you… did you meet anyone you recognised?" Yuna asked after the game was over.
"No," Buffy answered, shaking her head in dismay. "I didn't recognise anything either. Everything on Spira's so… bizarre. Well, to me anyway. But then, I gotta admit, I wasn't really expecting to see anyone I knew."
"In that case, I would like to ask you something," Yuna said, her voice quiet and serious. Buffy gave her a curious once-over, wondering what was bothering the young Summoner.
"Sure, go ahead," Buffy said, nodding her head.
Yuna had been thinking about the question for some time now. She wondered about the answer, wondered how she could present the question.
"You've saved my life twice now, at the risk of your own," Yuna said, her voice hesitant. Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but Yuna stopped her, raising her hand. "I want you to… consider becoming my guardian."
"Are… are you serious?" Buffy asked, looking around, as if trying to spot the joke.
"Yes," Yuna said, bowing apologetically. "I will understand if you do not want to, but…"
"Of course," Buffy said, smiling warmly. "It sounds corny, but I'd be honoured to be your guardian, Yuna. Besides, we're friends, right?"
Yuna nodded, smiling warmly. "Well, friends… they look out for each other."
Almost as if on cue, chaos overran the stadium. People fled, screaming, in every direction. Someone had released fiends! Buffy caught sight of Tidus and Wakka being attacked in the sphere pool by a couple of fishy-looking critters.
"What's happening?" Lulu asked rhetorically.
"I'm thinking someone's trying to get a lot of people killed," Buffy said, landing an uppercut on a passing fiend. The fiend was thrown thirty feet into the air, landing with a bone-crunching impact. It burst into a display of pyreflies.
Lulu cast a fire spell at a fiend rushing towards them. The fiend burst into flames, then into pyreflies, before it could ever come close to the Summoner's party.
"This sucks," Buffy muttered, landing a kick to one fiend, then immediately turning to punch another. It was pandemonium. People were running and screaming. And dying. And someone had released fiends into a populated place. How could anyone do such a thing?
"Stand back. I'll summon," Yuna said, clasping her staff close.
The sky suddenly went dark, cloudy. A huge anchor shot down, buried itself in the suddenly dark ground. The thick metal chain started to retract, pulling back foot by foot. A huge monstrosity was pulled up by the chain. It was completely chained up. The chains held the monster sandwiched between two green-brown leaf-like structures, almost reminiscent of something trying to squeeze out of a Venus flytrap.
"Uh, good job," Buffy commented. She had to remember to close her mouth, which had fallen open. "You, uh, you do have complete control over that thing, right?"
"That isn't my aeon," Yuna said. She looked around, until she saw Maester Seymour standing, watching over the scene. "It's Maester Seymour's!"
"He's, uh, got control, doesn't he?" Buffy asked uncertainly, edging away from the very large, very dangerous-looking, aeon.
The aeon started to fire what looked like bolts of energy, efficiently picking off the fiends in the crowd. It didn't miss even one. The aeon vanished in a swarm of pyreflies. Buffy looked around. There were no more fiends left in the stadium; the place was clear.
"Maester Seymour's aeon was so powerful," Yuna gasped, as it vanished in a cloud of pyreflies. Her voice was filled with awe and wonder.
"I'll say," Buffy muttered. Wasn't it lucky that he was here to summon that thing? She shook her head; such thoughts were counter-productive. "Okay, so the monsters are gone, the Aurochs won the cup, I say we party," Buffy suggested, grinning broadly.
"Is that Sir Auron?" Lulu asked, ignoring Buffy.
Buffy, for her part, frowned, turned her attention in the direction in which the black magician was looking. She could just make out the figures of Tidus and Wakka in the distance, and a man dressed entirely in red, wielding a big sword, but that was about it.
"Yes! Yes, I think that is Sir Auron!" Yuna exclaimed.
"Um, who's this Auron guy?" Buffy asked. She was fixed with incredulous looks from everyone around her, and Yuna was reminded once again of how little her new friend actually knew about Spira. She couldn't help but smile…