FINALLY I'M BACK! does a little update dance okay, i'm fine. sorry for the delay everyone, i'm finding it harder and harder to get any writing done because of homework and the musical that i'm workin on for school. so for all of my, rather small, group of die hard fans that's constantly growing, here it is!but first, a few things to say to those who cared enough to review. First up, my newest reviewers!
labrat-seph- welcome! i'm glad you like my story, and i'm glad you can picture what's happening so well. it's ironic tho, because there's a character named Seph that shows up in this chapter, and the signature at the bottom of your review is a character in the sequal...
Sejast Fanel-YAY! 10's across the board! and i'm glad you like it so much. i'm pretty sure that all of the characters are staying pretty in character, including me, matt, and andy. but whether or not that's true, well that'd i'd have to ask two of my reviewers... and who says i'm not going to use you as a character? jeez... jump to conlusions or something?
Da KeR MysTeRr- wow, everyone seems to like the amount of detail in my story... good thing too, because it's really annoying putting so much in. but as long as you guys enjoy it, i'll keep doing it! and don't worry, i'll keep up the good work ; p
Sephirothxx- what do you expect me to do, quit or something?
Well there is SOMEWHAT of a reason that this chapter took so long to post. a reason i didn't mention earlier... IT'S 32F#GPAGES LONG! so with that said... on to the chapter!
Chapter 9:Confrontations with the Gods
"So this is Guadosalam. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say this is the Guado's home?" Ryan asked sarcastically.
"Yes. The home of the Guado, Maester Seymour, and the late Maester Jyscal." Yuna informed as they walked into the city that seemed to be part of a forest. All of the homes and shops were pretty much entangled in trees.
"Well, I'm not sure whether I like it or not." Ryan admitted as an elderly Guado approached the group.
"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna." The Guado said in what the group could only assume was a happy voice for a Guado. "Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my Lady. This way." At this he reached out for Yuna's hand, which Wakka and Ryan both grabbed before it got too close to Yuna.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Wakka said disapprovingly.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," The Guado said as he backed up a step and bowed, "I am called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."
"Business, with me?" Yuna repeated aloud. "What could it be?"
'I'd like to know that myself.' Matt thought as Tromell led them to Seymour's manor. The place was huge, with two levels, a giant staircase, and even a giant banquet hall filled with food. 'Guess you can afford the finer things in life when you're a Maester of Yevon.'
"I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here." Tromell said as he bowed and left to find the Maester.
"Something's not right about this." Ryan muttered to Auron. "I'm not sure whether I'm just paranoid, or whether it's Seymour himself, but he's scheming something."
"I agree." Was all Auron offered.
"There's no temple here in Guadosalam, see?" Lulu said to Tidus. "Summoners usually just pass through on their way elsewhere." When she was done Tidus laughed. Lulu looked at him oddly. "What?"
"I didn't even ask a question and you're explaining things." Tidus said with a grin.
"You'd rather I say nothing, then?" Lulu questioned the teen.
"No, no!" Tidus said suddenly. "Maybe you finally believe I don't know anything about Spira."
"Hey, we don't either!" Andy said, referring to himself, Matt, and Ryan.
"Right, anyway. If you believe that, maybe you believe me about Zanarkand, too?" Tidus finished.
"Well… There are many things I do not know. Your Zanarkand is one of them." Lulu said quietly. "I suppose I can't say what I think either way. Still, be careful. You shouldn't tell other people."
"I know." Tidus' reply came like the reply of a little kid who was used to being lectured.
"I get the feeling he called us up here for more then just dinner." Said when Tidus started to approach him.
"What do you think, Auron?" Tidus asked, approaching the ancient guardian.
"Stay on your guard." Auron replied.
"Why? This guy's just a priest, right?" Tidus questioned.
"Idiot." Ryan and Andy muttered at nearly the same time.
"What?" Tidus complained.
"Those with power use that power. Maesters have power." Auron replied simply.
"Wait…" Tidus said, "You sure you don't have something against Yevon?"
"I lived a long time in Zanarkand."
After that Tidus decided to give up on getting anymore out of Auron, and switch to Kimahri. "Kimahri not like Maester Seymour." As soon as he finished his sentence Yuna panicked and hissed at him to be quiet.
After that he tried talking to Rikku, but all she would say was that the food was good. Almost right after that Tromell appeared. "Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."
"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all Spira." Yuna replied with more then a little sadness in her voice.
"Truly a great loss. But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human." Tromell stated proudly. "He will be the tie the binds our two races together. But that is not all. Lord Seymour… he will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."
Just as Tromell finished his sentence Seymour appeared. "That is enough Tromell. Must I always endure such praise?" Seymour questioned before turning to Yuna and her Guardians. "Welcome."
"You wanted to see me?" Yuna asked timidly.
"Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush." Seymour replied, smiling back at the Summoner.
"Please keep this short. Yuna must rush." Auron said suddenly.
"Pardon me. It has been a long time since I have had guests. Lady Yuna, this way." Seymour said.
'Can't imagine why you don't have many visitors.' Ryan thought sarcastically as they entered a room that showed images of the dead, or so Seymour claimed. After getting a quick history lesson about Lady Yunalesca and her husband beating Sin for the first time, and seeing Tidus' Zanarkand, the group exited the room. When they exited the room Yuna walked around nervously, and then downed a glass of water in under two seconds, much to everyone's surprise.
"Wow, your face is beet red!" Rikku announced.
"He… he asked me to marry him." Yuna replied breathlessly.
"You serious?" Tidus asked in disbelief as Auron turned to face Seymour.
"Of course. Lady Yuna- no, all Summoners are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more then just defeating Sin." Seymour said a little too calmly for Matt and Ryan. "She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Yuna as a Maester of Yevon."
"Spira is no playhouse." Auron said in the angriest voice any of them had ever heard him use. "A moments diversion may amuse the audience, but it changes nothing."
"Even so, the actors must play their parts." Seymour replied, again in a voice that was far to calm for Ryan and Matt. "Lady Yuna, there is no need to answer right away. Please, think it over."
"We will do so, then." Auron replied as he turned and started for the door. "We leave."
"Lady Yuna." Seymour said, stopping the group as it began to follow Auron's lead. "I await your favorable reply." There was a several seconds of silence as the group started to leave again. "Why are you still here, Sir?" Seymour asked suddenly, looking at Auron questioningly. Auron too looked puzzled by the question. "I beg your pardon, we Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."
Suddenly Tidus started to sniff Auron, and Matt, Ryan, and Andy laughed quietly as Auron shoved him away.
"Yuna, the high Summoner's daughter, Seymour, leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race. It would give Spira something cheery to talk about for a change." Lulu admitted outside.
"Sounds like just a passin' daydream, like Auron said." Wakka argued, obviously against it.
As the group continued to discuss the recent events amongst themselves Andy, Matt, and Ryan walked off to talk to themselves. "So what do you think about Seymour? Proposing to Yuna I mean." Ryan questioned to neither of his friends in particular.
"I think he's feeding us bullshit." Matt answered. "He's hiding something. Something he doesn't want anyone to know about."
"I think we all agree on that." Andy said.
"So that brings us to the real question. What is it that a Maester of Yevon would be hiding?" Ryan asked, voicing what all three were thinking. "I mean, he's supposed to be the leader of the Guado, and he's a leader of the people of Spira. When the leaders don't tell the people everything, they usually have a good reason. But it also usually ends up causing riots and revolts."
"And a lot of death, which means a lot of sendings for Yuna and all the other Summoners." Andy added. "We just don't know enough about Seymour to get any answers."
"Right." Matt agreed. "So rather then waste time wondering about that, let's try and figure out what Seymour meant when he asked Auron why he was still here."
"Yeah, he said Guado were keen to the scent of the Farplane. Isn't that were people go when they're dead?" Andy asked. "I mean that's what the sending is for. To send them to the afterlife so that they don't become fiends."
"Right, and Auron's a legendary guardian. If he were dead, there's no way he wouldn't get a sending, right? So what did he mean?" Ryan wondered aloud. "Damn, I hate these looping questions."
"Hey, there you three are!" Rikku said from behind them, causing them all to turn around. "Come on, we're heading to the Farplane!"
"What?" All three asked in unison.
"What? You've never heard of going to the Farplane before?" Rikku asked, confused by their confusion. "People go there all the time. The pyreflies react to people's memories of the dead, and then take the shape of the person. It's all just an illusion, that's all."
"Ohhhh." Ryan said as the group started to follow the overly energetic Al Bhed. "Interesting way of looking at it." As the four approached the double-red doors that a Guado had been blocking earlier the met up with the rest of the group.
"Hey, why you three always sneaking off like that, ya?" Wakka questioned.
Ryan shrugged. "If you think that was sneaking, then I pity you." Matt said, he and Ryan laughing at the comment.
"Right, you're the guys that are invisible, forgot." Wakka said with a sigh.
"Invisible?" Rikku asked, utterly baffled by the statement. Ryan and Matt just laughed more at her confusion. "Hey, come on! I wanna know what Wakka meant!"
"Later Rikku. It's a bit of a story." Ryan said with a grin. "Besides, I wouldn't want to bore Wakka with it again." Rikku just pouted as they went through the doors.
Almost as soon as they entered Andy saw light reflect off of something embedded in the wall around the next turn. Sure enough there was a snow white feather there. 'What the hell?' he wondered as he walked towards it, tripping over a treasure chest with 8 lightning marbles in it.
"Hey, you okay Andy?" Ryan called back when he heard Andy cursing.
"Yeah, be right there!" He called back. He quickly grabbed the feather and pulled. At first it wouldn't budge, so he pulled out one of his fist blades and started digging in the wall around the feather until it came out. "There we go." He muttered before he ran to catch up with the rest.
"What the hell is that?" Ryan asked in amazement of the giant, blue sphere that seemed to never end.
"That is the Farplane." Lulu informed.
"Well let's go." Ryan said with a shrug as he started towards what he assumed to be the entrance to the Farplane. He stopped when Tidus asked a question about dead people living on the Farplane, turning to listen to the answer.
"You thinking those funny thoughts again, ya? You'll see once we get there." Wakka replied as the group started towards the entrance.
"Hey, we're missing two people here…" Ryan said to Matt and Andy. He glanced around and saw Yuna, Wakka, Kimahri, and Lulu entering the Farplane. Tidus, Matt, and Andy were right by him, which left, "Rikku and Auron. Aren't you two coming?"
"I… do not belong there." Auron replied.
"You're scared!" Tidus said with a laugh.
"Searching the past to find the future… that is all that is there. I need it not. You'd better be going, I'm going to get supplies while you're all in there." Auron said as he stood up and headed back the way they'd just come in.
"Rikku, you're excuse?" Ryan questioned the ever-perky Al Bhed.
"You're not really going to see the dead, more like memories of them. People think of their relatives and the Pyreflies react to them. They take on the form of the dead person- an illusion, nothing else." Rikku replied. "Well, have fun!"
"Come on, what can seeing illusions do?" Andy questioned, and Ryan and Matt glanced at each other, grinning.
"Memories are nice, but that's all they are. I like to keep my memories inside." Rikku said as she sat down on the ledge of the stairwell.
"Guess she's made up her mind. Let's go." Ryan said, and the four of them entered the Farplane.
"What the?" Tidus asked when he entered the Farplane.
"It's amazing." Was all Ryan managed to come up with as he starred into the never-ending sea of yellow clouds, broken only by an island with waterfalls and beautiful flowers covering it. Overcoming his amazement of the Farplane's beauty, he glanced around and saw Kimahri standing by the entrance, watching Yuna; Yuna talking to some dude in long blue robes and a woman, Ryan could only assume them to be her parents; Wakka talking to a kid a little older then Tidus, apparently that was Chappu; and Lulu was standing alone, watching Wakka talk to the kid with a sad look in her eyes' and some kid dressed in all black, who was talking to a girl on the Farplane.
"So, think we know anyone here?" Matt questioned. "I mean we aren't from Spira after all."
"Dunno, why don't you go and think about someone." Ryan replied as he walked to the edge of the island and bent down. 'This place is amazing. It's like a totally different dimension.'
"Wow, that's a hell of a first step." Andy said as he and Matt walked over and stood next to Ryan.
'Fools.' The kid dressed in all black thought as he watched Ryan, Andy, and Matt out of the corner of his eyes. 'Well, the job's to get rid of'em, and what better way to do that then knock them into the Farplane itself.' He thought as he took a deep breath and relaxed his body.
He closed his eyes and dove deep into himself, looking for the flow of energy that led to his most powerful weapon. It wasn't deep this time, and he was thankful. Normally it'd take him several minutes to find it, but normally he was done before his opponent knew he was even there. But there was something different about these three. The aura they were giving off was normal at first glance, but to the assassin it was vastly different then the aura everyone else was giving off. Even the unsent he'd encountered didn't have the same aura as the three he'd been hired to kill.
He felt the moister in the air gather into a thin, and flexible thread that could be as strong and sharp as any sword if he wanted it to. He smiled to himself as it wrapped around his arms several times before attaching to the two pendulum points hidden up the sleeves of his shirt. He opened his eyes as soon as he'd completely formed the unbreakable thread he turned and started toward the entrance to the Farplane. At the entrance he glanced back, thinking again of his little sister. She appeared over behind Wakka, drawing the attention of everyone in the Farplane to that spot while one of his weapons slithered along the ground, like a snake chasing its pray.
'See ya later.' He thought as the thing shot up towards Ryan. His eyes widen in a mix of surprise and horror when a bubble of pitch-black pyreflies engulfed the three teens, dragging them into the Farplane effortlessly.
"Ryan, Matt, Andy!" Yuna and Lulu yelled while Wakka and Tidus glared at the assassin.
"You the one who attacked them, ya? You're gonna pay for that one brudda!" Wakka said as his blitzball soared threw the air at the kid who just smiled as it drew closer. Out of his left sleeve shot his second pendulum, cutting the oncoming blitzball to ribbons before it was within ten feet of him.
"Hey!" Tidus yelled as he drew the sword Wakka had given him and charged the kid, leading off with a diagonal cut from upper-right to lower-left.
The kid stepped back and let Tidus' sword bury itself into the ground with it's own momentum. Just before Tidus pulled it out he slammed his right foot down on it, spun on it and kicked the blitz ace across the face with a roundhouse kick. Without stopping his momentum he ducked under a swipe from Kimahri, and then jumped up impossibly high. With an amused smile he dropped a handful of smoke bombs onto the ground.
"You've amused me, so I'll let you live for now." He said as he landed in the haze that was causing mass confusion. "See you later everyone." And with those departing words he dashed through the entrance to the Farplane, completely un-phased by the smoke that prevented all vision. When he had exited the Farplane he found himself face to face with Rikku, the blonde Al Bhed grabbing him by his shirt collar.
"What's going on in there?" She demanded.
The assassin stopped, debating what he should do. He was sure he could kill her without any trouble, but he thought that'd be a waste. He could lie and say he didn't know and he was just as lost as her, but he decided to tell her the truth instead, "Three kids got surrounded by black pyreflies and pulled into the Farplane. Then some kid started a fight." He added before pulling out of her grip.
"Rikku, stop him!" Tidus yelled a few seconds later, jumping out of the smoke that was billowing out of the Farplane.
'Shit.' The kid thought as he turned away from the Farplane and started to run down the stretch back to Guadosalam. After two steps he stopped, noticing Auron walking towards him with his massive sword drawn and on his shoulder, and that his left hand was out of his jacket. The commotion behind him died down the instant the powerful guardian had appeared, and he took that as a bad thing. 'This could complicate things.'
"You've got some questions to answer." Auron said flatly, stopping less then five feet away from the assassin.
The kid sighed and chuckled. "The legendary guardian of high Summoner Braska. I thought you went back to fight her." He replied as he stepped onto the railing. Auron grunted, wondering how the kid had known that. "It's been a lot of fun everyone," He stated as the rest of the group of the Farplane, "but it would appear you've got enough problems already."
"Lord Jyscal!" several of the Guado in the area called out, pointing to the entrance to the Farplane.
"And that would be my cue to leave," The kid said, giving a quick bow before continuing, "so if you'll excuse me, I must be off." And with that he allowed himself to fall backwards, into the never-ending void below the Farplane.
'Damn.' Auron thought before turning to Yuna. "He does not belong here."
"Why?" Yuna questioned, stunned that someone so important would not be sent.
"Yuna, send him." Auron ordered, and Yuna nodded before turning and walking towards the former Maester of Yevon. As soon as everyone was watching Yuna he dropped to one knee, struggling to keep from being sent himself. The next handful of seconds passed by impossibly slow for the unsent, and he was grateful that it had ended so quickly. "We leave." He informed the others.
"But what about Matt, Andy, and Ryan?" Tidus demanded of the unsent guardian. "Are we supposed to leave them there?"
"The Farplane is not a place where the living are tolerated." Auron replied. "It would be best to forget them."
"But they were pulled in!" Tidus' declaration caused even ever-calm Auron to whirl around in surprise.
"Explain." He demanded simply.
"There were black pyreflies! Dozens of them, and they surrounded the three of them, and dragged them into the Farplane!" Tidus informed.
"Black pyreflies…" Auron muttered aloud to himself. 'But I've never heard of black pyreflies before. Unless-' His thoughts were interrupted by Tidus' yelling.
"You know something Auron! Spill it, what aren't you telling us?" He demanded, and Auron shook his head.
"Fine," he replied, "we'll wait for them for one day. If they're not back by then, there's no chance they'll return alive." With that grim statement he turned and headed to look for an inn.
"Way to be an optimist about it all." Tidus muttered before following the group back into the city.
888
Ryan opened his eyes slowly despite the dizzying pain throughout his body. For a few seconds he couldn't think clearly through the pain, but that problem vanished when he remembered falling off the edge of the land and into the Farplane. With a groan he lifted himself onto his hands and knees and looked around, expecting to see a great deal of pyreflies, or tortured souls, or the flowers he'd seen from the ledge earlier. Instead he found himself lying on a polished wood floor, in a large room, half of which was lined with two different kinds of training swords, and just as many training spears. The other half was lined with different types of fencing equipment, as far as Ryan could tell. But he didn't know much about fencing himself, and was simply guessing by the look of the swords and armor.
"So, you're awake." Someone from behind him said, causing Ryan to push down on the ground, launching himself forward and drawing his sword at the same time. "Interesting. So ready to fight are you?" The man asked. He had long silver hair that went down to his back, and he was wearing a snow-white kimono. His eyes were cold and calculating, and were completely silver where there should have been colored. "You shouldn't be so eager to die you know." He continued, taking step closer to Ryan. "After all, you're what, 16 years old, right Ryan?"
Ryan's eyes shot wide open at the mention of not only his name, but his age as well. "Who the hell are you?" Ryan asked, stepping back with each step the man made towards him.
The man grinned evilly. "What, you don't even recognize the person who wanted you to come here? After all," he continued to advance on Ryan until the teen was backed up against the wall, "I'm Lusniec."
"So what? I don't give a damn who you are, just tell me how to get out of" Ryan stopped in mid sentence as an overwhelming animosity washed over him. The pure hatred left him speechless, and he felt his sword drop out of his hands. 'Who the hell is this guy?' he wondered, beginning to sweat more then just a little as he reached down and picked up his sword.
"What's the matter? You were going to say something?" Lusniec said with a smug smile.
"I was going to ask that you tell me how to leave." Ryan managed to say with a significant amount of false courage. 'Who is this guy? All he's doing is standing there, and I fell like he's going to kill me for the fun of it. Then again, he just might.'
"How to leave? Oh, that's easy. All you have to do," Lusniec said, still smiling smugly, "is pass a little test for me."
"A test?" Ryan repeated doubtfully. "What kind of test?"
"A test to see how skilled you are with a sword of course. All you have to do is beat my friend here," Lusniec explained as someone a little shorter then Ryan and dressed completely in fencing gear stepped out of a shadow on the other side of the room, "and I'll let you go."
"That's all?" Ryan asked in confusion, thinking there was something more to the test than he was being told. "Just beat one person?"
"Oh, I think you'll find this fight harder then any fight you've experienced yet in Spira. Now show me." Lusniec said as the protected figure charged Ryan. "Show me how you fight."
'Damn it.' Ryan thought, barely dodging the first strike from his opponent. Rolling to the right of the thrust he brought his sword around at neck level, thinking he had caught his opponent off guard. Instead of the neck of the fighter his sword found only air. The fencer stepped back and dropped into the usual fencing stance. One hand behind his back, legs spread apart, facing the opponent with the shoulder and blade facing forward. 'Okay, so you're fast.' Ryan thought as he sheathed his sword.
'Battou Jutsu?' Lusniec wondered to himself, until Ryan pulled the sheath out of its holder as well. Lusniec smiled to himself. 'At least he's not as stupid as I first thought. Even so, this is a fight he can't win. I made sure of that.'
"Well, you're the challenger." Ryan pointed out as he dropped into the Battou Jutsu stance he'd used against Kimahri. "So why don't you lead?"
Without a word the fencer attacked, thrusting out towards Ryan with his sword. Ryan's katana flashed out faster then it had when he'd fought Kimahri, and it rode along his foe's blade, ripping up sparks. 'Weapon break, interesting way of using a Battou Jutsu. But why draw the sheath as well then?' Lusniec pondered as the two swordsmen leaned against each other in an attempt to unbalance the other. Without warning Ryan slammed one end of his sheath into his opponent's stomach, knocking him back several feet, and somewhat knocking the wind out of him.
Without a word he charged in, slashing straight down. He felt his sword connect with something solid, and was almost relieved when only the faceguard split. For a second the two stood, waiting for the mask to fall off. When it did Ryan gasped. "Billy." His mind raced back to the last time he'd fought Billy, in a park. He vividly recalled the pain Billy's practice saber had left every time he landed an attack. He also recalled putting Billy in a coma, which had lasted for more then six months. "So you finally woke up." Ryan growled. "You've got a lot of guts, coming in front of me again."
Without a word Billy charged in, his platinum blonde hair waving wildly as he did so, his ice blue eyes filled with a hatred that even Lusniec hadn't anticipated. He slashed downward, missing Ryan by a hair. He jumped forward and rolled back to his feet, dodging Ryan's counter in the process.
"Is this the limit of you skill?" Lusniec questioned mockingly. "What's the matter, afraid? You can't beat him like that, and you know it. So why are you holding back?"
Ryan ignored the taunting and watched Billy closely. 'Something's different. He's a lot sloppier in his attacks this time. And last time he wasn't so agile.' Ryan thought as he put his sheath back into its holder. 'Plus he's faster, and a lot more experienced then me.'
"Afraid of me Ryan?" Billy taunted, smiling evilly. "You know I'll kill you this time, don't you? Yes, I can see it in your eyes. You're envisioning it right now, even as we speak. Your mangled corpse, sprawled out for everyone to see. For her to" He stopped in mid-sentence, his words sticking in his throat due to the tremendous wave of murderous intent that washed over him.
"You know what Billy?" Ryan asked as he took a step forward towards the boy who was now regaining control of his body. "You're really starting to piss me off. You deserved what happen to you last time. Once I heard you were in a comma I felt bad, and to be honest, I still do feel like I should've held back. And I have been, ever since then, for the past two years."
"So what?" Billy demanded. "I'll just kill you know, and it won't matter."
"Wrong Billy." Ryan said with an evil grin that caused Billy to shake outwardly. "I've been holding back in this fight too. And I'd have kept holding back, but no. You had to go and bring her into this."
"Shut up and fight already. My god, you talk as much as an old man." Lusniec complained. He felt Ryan's anger wash over him and grinned, more then a little impressed. 'So he finally decides to stop playing around.'
"Shut up Ryan. You always did talk too much, and you always thought too much of yourself. So why don' you die, please?" Billy asked with a grin.
"I've got a better idea. Why don't you die?" Ryan asked as he charged towards Billy. He slashed at the kid's stomach, splitting the shirt but not Billy's intestines like he'd intended. Billy jumped back, landed and slashed at Ryan's stomach in return.
Lusniec laughed to himself. 'Yep, he's finally getting serious.' He decided quietly.
"What the hell?" Billy demanded of Ryan, who'd stopped his attack with the very tip of his sword. Before Ryan could say anything Billy pulled his sword away and struck again, and again, and again, each attack being knocked away by Ryan who seemed indifferent to the boy's offensive, his face a wall of hatred. "Why won't you die!" Billy screamed as he brought both his hands onto the hilt and raised the sword high above his head, preparing to cleave Ryan in two.
Ryan chuckled at the desperate move. Before Billy had the chance to swing he slashed out, opening the kid's stomach like it was made of butter. "Idiot." He muttered as Billy's blood sprayed out, covering him almost instantly.
Out of shock Billy dropped his sword and brought his hand down to his stomach, trying in vain to hold his intestines in. Lusniec laughed hysterically at the boy's stupidity. "Impressive. You're better then I thought you were." He said as Ryan turned to face him. "Only one problem."
"And that is?" Ryan demanded.
"You're not done." Lusniec said, pointing behind Ryan to where Billy's wounds were healing.
'What the hell?' Ryan thought as he spun around, expecting to feel his sword hit another sword. He did stop an attack, but it was not one he'd expected.
Rather then Billy's sword, the attack had been from a massive, blood red, clawed hand that was attached to Billy's now changing body. His white fencing uniform was ripped nearly to shreds by the many spikes that were now protruding out of his body from multiple locations. His forehead had armor looking plates coming off of it, and his eyes were blood red except for the small slit that was his pupil. His two legs had split in tow, and he now had four legs, each sporting three toes that ended in long, curved claws. Standing eight feet tall in all, it was the most horrifying thing Ryan had ever seen.
"Oh, that's just great." Ryan muttered as the new Billy turned towards him and roared. The thing launched a slow, but amazingly powerful overhand swing at Ryan, who jumped back and watched in horror as the area he had just been in burst into flames. 'What the hell? How did he do that?' Ryan wondered as he dodged another overhead attack from the slow monster. As soon as he landed he jumped up onto the wall while sheathing his sword. He bent his knees as he landed, and pushed off with all of his strength, spinning through the air towards the deformed Billy. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji!" He yelled, as he closed the gap between the two of them far quicker then he'd expected to. He drew the sword as fast as he could, cutting one of Billy's arms in half up to the shoulder. 'Shit!' Ryan thought when his sword wouldn't come out of the armored joint.
With a roar of pain and triumph Billy swung his remaining hand at Ryan, hoping to crush him. At the last second Ryan jumped away, barely avoiding a fatal blow, but still having four deep cuts across his back to show for it. Struggling against the pain that was nearly unbearable, he looked around desperately. "What's the matter?" Lusniec asked mockingly as he watched Ryan look around for something to defend himself with.
Ryan began to panic. The only thing he could see that would be any use against the monster was his sword, which was stuck inside Billy's mangled shoulder. Other then that the only weapons he could see were either wooden or blunt fencing sabers. He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep and calming breath. 'If I panic, I've got no chance. If I keep a clear head, at least I've got something.' He thought as he opened his eyes and ducked under an open palm thrust from Billy. He jumped to the side as fast as he could, but he still felt the flames burn his leg.
'Game over.' Lusniec thought as he watched Ryan crumble to the ground, clutching the burnt leg. 'Guess this was overkill after all.'
'Shit, shit, shit!' Ryan thought as he blinked back the tears of pain that were building in his eyes. 'A single flame did that? How hot are those things?'
"Give up." Lusniec said with a laugh. "You can't kill Billy anymore. He's far beyond you. Just let him kill you, it'll be much less painful then struggling will."
"Shut up!" Ryan yelled struggling to get his one good leg underneath him so he was in a crouching position. Billy roared again, and swung at the seemingly immobilized teen. Ryan pushed off with both of his hands and his one good leg, dodging enough of the attack to live, but still getting burnt by the flames. 'Damn it!' He thought as the tears he'd been fighting back burst out, further clouding his vision. 'I can't die here! I refuse to die here! I didn't come her just to die again!' Ryan thought, and suddenly everything froze, and everything but a sword on the nearby wall, Lusniec, and Billy turned black. 'What the hell?' He thought in confusion as he starred at the glowing sword on the wall right ahead of him.
'What?' Lusniec thought in horror as his sword began to react to something. 'Impossible, he'd have to have one of my feathers to…' His thoughts trailed off when he saw a glowing feather in Ryan's pocket. 'Impossible! He actually has it!'
'This is insane. What's going on?' Ryan wondered as he began to cast cure spells on himself.
"Take it." Lusniec said in a defeated voice. Ryan looked at him in confusion. "The sword, it's your sword now."
"What do you mean it's mine now?" Ryan demanded, standing gingerly on his burnt legs.
"Wind Cutter was my sword in the past. When I died, one of my feathers sealed all of its power so that Yu Yevon couldn't use it against the people of Spira." Lusniec explained venomously. "You have that feather, and that means that you're the new owner."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryan demanded.
"Wind Cutter is a holy sword forged by the four elemental gods, as a gift to me. Now it's yours to use. Take it, before this spell wears off and you're torn to shreds." Lusniec ordered.
'Why am I always being bossed around?' Ryan wondered as he limped over to the glowing sword on the wall. He picked it up, and drew it. At first the light that it gave off threatened to blind him, but died down after several seconds.
Lusniec could feel the sweat rolling down his face. 'Why did it react so strongly? He may have the feather to unlock it, but to have it shine so brightly when he first drew it… who is this kid?' he wondered as the darkness that had replaced everything disappeared rather suddenly. There was a loud crack as Billy's claw slammed into the empty spot that Ryan had occupied when the spell had begun. 'Even with Wind Cutter, such a powerful, warped foe shouldn't be easy for him to defeat. And after taking two hits from the flames caused by Billy's hatred of him, Ryan's body's in bad shape.'
Ryan ducked under a punch that went straight through the wall. 'Shit!' Ryan thought, jumping forward just in time to dodge the flames. Seeing a chance to strike he dashed in at Billy's unguarded stomach, slashing at it with his new sword. The second that it touched the skin of the monster there was a bright flash of white.
"Impossible!" Lusniec yelled in rage. "There's no way you're that good!" he yelled, but it didn't matter. Billy's upper body and lower body quickly became two different parts, despite Lusniec's protest. 'No way. There is no way he could have done that, but I saw it with my own eyes! The attack that the sword derives its name from! The Wind Cutter, and attack that uses dormant holy energy inside the wielder's body and releases it as an invisible blade that is nearly unstoppable. What is he?'
Ryan collapsed to the ground, holding himself up with his sword and one knee. 'What the hell?' he thought as he gasped for air. 'What happened? Why am I so tired?'
'Wait, he's exhausted himself from that one attack!' Lusniec thought. 'I think I get it Wind Cutter. He can't die here, so you saved him. I guess it's true.' Lusniec thought sadly. 'I've been replaced.' He walked over to Ryan and cast a powerful healing spell on the teen. "I guess you won now." Lusniec said, casting a glance back at the two halves of Billy's deformed body. "And it's decided that you're my successor, much as I hate to admit it." Lusniec stated. "So I'll give you a gift. Use it well, and protect everyone you can kid." Lusniec said cryptically.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Ryan demanded as everything started to go dark. "What gift?"
"Oh, you'll know when the time is right. Don't worry about that." Lusniec replied before Ryan fell unconscious.
888
"Ryan, Andy! Get your asses out here!" Matt yelled in frustration as he walked along a dirt path that made Mi'Ihen Highroad look like a short walk. 'Damn it, three hours and I've yet to see anything alive here. What's with this place?' Matt wondered as storm clouds rolled in at an alarming rate. "No, I hate the rain! I hate this place, where the hell am I!' He yelled at the clouds, which answered him with a bolt of lighting less then ten feet away from him. "Oh, shit!" Matt muttered as Ixion rose up out of the ground. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Quite the opposite actually." A voice from behind him said rather happily. Matt spun around, his axe flying into his hands in the process. "Ah, hot headed and ready to fight." The man said, his dark black hair contrasting sharply with his rather pale and pasty complexion. He wore blue sweatpants, and a yellow tank top. "I like that, Matt."
"What the hell? Who are you?" Matt demanded of the man, struggling not to comment on the man's horrible attire.
"Me, oh forgive me. It's been a long time since I met anyone new. My name is Dnortih." The man said with a bow, revealing a giant, double headed battle-axe strapped to his back. Matt was pretty sure that the thing gave Auron's sword a run for it's money as the biggest weapon he'd ever seen.
"Dnortih, no way!" Matt replied in shock. "You're one of the ones that Yu Yevon killed! How are you still on Spira?"
Dnortih laughed. "We're not on Spira right now." He explained as if it were no big deal.
"Oh yeah, that's great." Matt muttered. "As if just waking up in Spira, after being gunned down wasn't bad enough, now I'm not even there anymore. What the hell is with everyone, sending us to all these different worlds!" Matt demanded.
"Relax." Dnortih said with another laugh, drawing an annoyed glare from Matt. "I guess saying we aren't in Spira isn't a good way of putting it. Rather, we're in the Limbo that connects all of the worlds, like yours and Spira, together. You've seen a different part of this Limbo before, multiple times." Dnortih added.
"What?" Matt asked in confusion. "I've never been here before."
"Different part Matt, different." Dnortih repeated, putting a great deal of emphasis the word 'different'. "Every time you've met the Magus Sisters you've come here."
"Magus Sisters? Who the hell are the Magus Sisters?" Matt questioned.
Dnortih sighed. "Guess you can't be expected to know, being from a different world. The Magus Sisters are three sisters that gave their lives to become Fayth. They are the ones who brought you here."
"So that's who brought us here." Matt muttered.
"Yeah, they were known as the 'Three Flowers of the Gods' while they were alive." Dnortih added. "Anyway, I'm getting off subject. I've come here to see if you're ready to learn the truth about you."
"So I am one of the gods." Matt said slowly, to which Dnortih simply nodded. "And you're the god of thunder, at least that's the thunder Aeon. So if I'm meeting you, then I must be the successor of the thunder god." Matt finished.
"That would be correct. Don't tell me I've wasted my time in bringing you here." Dnortih said with a laugh as he took his double headed battle axe of his back and put it's head on the ground, resting his hands on the end of the long piece of wrapped wood that served as the hilt. "Tell me Matt, why do you think you're here?"
Matt starred at him blankly for a moment. "Why am I here?" Matt repeated out loud, beginning to pace as he started to think. "I guess I was brought to Spira to help kill Yu Yevon."
"Wrong." Dnortih said suddenly. Matt looked at him, completely lost. "Yu Yevon cannot be killed unless all four of the gods, plus Lusniec, are present. We are the only ones capable of killing him."
"So if we can't kill him, why are we here?" Matt questioned. "And if the four of you plus that Lusniec guy are the only ones who can kill him, why haven't you?"
"It's simple." Dnortih said quietly. "We no longer have the power to stop him, only to restrain his full power. He was brought down by the previous successors of our power, and because of that his power was greatly diminished. That was a year before Sin first appeared." Dnortih stated.
"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like where this is going?" Matt wondered aloud as the wind started to kick up.
"Trust me, you won't. Sin is Yu Yevon's armor. His power was so greatly diminished that he needed a host to exist in this world. For a thousand years we have restricted his power as best we could, and forced him to remain inside of Sin to exist. But now," Lusniec said, his eyes narrowing in shame, "now he's gained enough power to exist without Sin. No matter who it is that kills Sin this time, it won't return. And in that vacuum of power Yu Yevon will arise."
"That can't be good." Matt replied. "Sounds like Hitler all over again from the way you're telling me it."
Dnortih shook his head. "I don't know who this Hitler you're talking about is, but I guarantee that he would look like an angel compared to Yu Yevon. The Farplane will not be able to hold all of the dead. The souls of the sent, the unsent, and the living will live in fear and terror. The waters will run red with the blood of the dead. He will kill all living things with his mere presences." Dnortih finished.
Matt's eyes narrowed. "So you're giving up?" He asked simply, and Dnortih chuckled.
"No. He can still be stopped for a while. If we kill him again his power will diminish. It should buy us enough time to find the other gods." Dnortih informed. "If we fail, his power will likely spread to other worlds, such as your own. He will engulf all life everywhere in darkness and fear. To stop this, you're going to need to be stronger."
Matt smiled. "I get it now. You brought me here to teach me something." Matt stated more then asked.
Dnortih smiled. "I'm glad we understand each other." He said. "It won't be enough to kill Yevon, but it'll certainly help you."
"What is it?" Matt asked, earnestly curious as to what he was about to learn from a god.
"The ability to control, sense, and absorb lightning." Dnortih explained as he picked up his axe and held it out for Matt to take. "You should know," He said just before Matt grasped the weapon, "that this will make any pain you've felt seem like getting stuck with a needle. Indeed, all of the pain in your life is going to turn into electricity the instant you touch this axe. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Do I have a choice?" Matt asked. "Think about it. We've got to stop Yu Yevon; otherwise it'll be the apocalypse. I don't know if we can do it, I'll admit to that. But if we don't do everything in our power to stop it, then we're as bad as he is." Mat finished as he grabbed the axe. As soon as his skin touched it he could feel the electricity running through him, could feel his skin burning where it was exposed. He cried out as the pain ran through him, a scream more animalistic then human. And then it was gone, and he was smoking, his body covered in hundreds of burns.
"I didn't think you handle it so well." Dnortih said as he cast a powerful healing spell on Matt. "It normally takes a person several minutes to of pain to have Lightning Edge accept them."
"What… the hell?" Matt gasped out. "No human could… survive… several minutes of… that."
"But they did. I wonder why you didn't have to endure for so long. Perhaps it's your desire to help your friends, or maybe you resolve to stop Yevon from returning to cover the world in darkness."
"What about… manipulating lightning?" Matt asked as he used Lightning Edge for support to keep himself from falling to the ground.
"You needed Lightning Edge for it." Dnortih said, and held up a hand to halt Matt's obvious confusion. "To manipulate lightning will take time, practice and a great deal of energy. But without Lightning Edge I wouldn't matter, because you wouldn't be able to do it. Only those who have been accepted by Lightning Edge may control the raw power that is lightning."
"So I have to have Lightning Edge with me to manipulate Lightning?" Matt questioned.
"No. Once Lightning Edge has accepted you as my successor you'll be able to manipulate it at will, with enough practice. Until then, you'd better keep Lightning Edge with you at all times." Dnortih added almost as a side note. "Now that you've got that, perhaps we should start with finding the lightning within you."
"Lightning within me?" Matt repeated disbelievingly.
Dnortih nodded. "All mortals are made up of fire, ice, lighting, and water, in equal proportions. Gods like us are different. While humans are one-fourth fire, one fourth ice, one fourth lightning, and one fourth water, gods only have those elements in fifths."
"Meaning we have another element we're made up of as well." Matt noted, and Dnortih nodded.
"Yes, holy. But those are normal gods, or immortals if you will. Elementals gods like us; we too have only four elements. For us, we are missing water."
"Because we're gods of lightning, which is opposite water." Matt concluded, drawing a nod from Dnortih. "Alright, so how do I find the lightning within me?"
"Oh, you've already found it, in fact you've already used it once." Dnortih replied jokingly.
Matt thought about it, and wasn't sure what he meant. 'I've already used in once? What does that mean?' He sat down on the ground to think about it, and Lightning Edge dropped into his lap. 'Lightning Edge… the axe of the god of lightning, Dnortih. Lightning Edge… Lightning Edge!' He thought, slapping himself in the face for not noting the connection earlier. "In Luca, the Lightning Edge!"
"That's the one." Dnortih agreed. "That power, that is the power of the god of lightning, the raw destructive power that can cut through anything."
"But I can't do that whenever I want, it takes way too much energy." Matt pointed out.
"True, and it will always take a great deal of energy." Dnortih informed. "However, the only reason it left you so exhausted is because you don't have the stamina for it yet, and your body's not use to the massive amount of electricity flowing through it. Over time you'll build up your Stamina, and it won't be so exhausting for you to use it. Now, to manipulate lightning we're going to need to find the same pocket of energy you used for the Lightning Edge."
"The same pocket of energy?" Matt questioned.
"Pocket, place, line, whatever you want to call it. The point is that you have to find it. Do that now." Dnortih commanded.
Matt took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He tried to think of everything that'd gone through his head during the fight against the Machina at Luca. He could recall being very desperate, and very aware that he would die if he didn't do something. And he'd been angry that the Al Bhed would stoop so low to win a single game, and he'd been afraid of dying again. But he was angrier at himself for having let one of his friends get kidnapped while he was with her. The thought of the event stirred up the same anger he'd felt before. At first it was just anger, but slowly something else showed itself. It was barely perceivable at first, and had always been there when he'd been angry. 'That must be it.' He thought, focusing in on the feeling that he couldn't describe. Anger, and serenity, torture and bliss, that was the closest description he could give. As he followed it he discovered that it hadn't been very deep at all, that it had always been just below his normal feelings. He'd just never thought anything of it at first.
As Matt concentrated a warm feeling spread throughout him, the anger and tortured feeling being completely consumed by the serenity and bliss. The longer that he concentrated, the more serene he became, until it seemed like he was in the center of a storm. Around his electricity arced through the air, and Dnortih was saying something, but Matt couldn't hear him. He was the calm eye in a raging storm.
Suddenly his legs gave out, and he felt himself hit the cold earth. "What… the… hell… was… that?" He asked.
"That? That was a lot better then I thought you'd do, that's what it was. Most of the gods take days to learn to do that." Dnortih said with a smile. "But you did go a little overboard. Relax, you don't need to do anything for the next part of my lesson."
"Good." Matt muttered as he arranged himself in a sitting position.
"Well, now that you know how to bring the power out, all you need to learn to do is focus it. Like this." He said, holding his hand out to form an arrow made of pure lightning. Matt starred in amazement, drawing a laugh from Dnortih. "So how do you focus it like that, that's what you're thinking, right?" Matt nodded. "It's sort of like the
Al Bhed's theory about the pyreflies on the Farplane. All you have to do is draw out your power, and then think of what you want to see."
"Speaking of pyreflies…" Matt started, remembering that they'd been pulled into the Farplane by black pyreflies rather then normal ones.
"Why were the ones that brought you here black?" Dnortih asked, and again Matt could only nod. "That's easy. The ones that brought you here are ancient, as old as any of the four elemental gods, probably older. They do not leave unless we require them to. They're kind of like our helpers you could say."
"That's cool I guess." Matt admitted.
"They're also the pyreflies from the previous successors. They aid us when we're instructing the next generation. But enough of that, it's time for you to go." Dnortih said in a much more pleasant tone, pulling Matt up with one hand. "Oh, one more thing before you go. As long as you're the wielder of my power, you'll be able to absorb any electric attack, including real lightning. You'll also be able to manipulate raw lightning the same way you manipulate your own lightning."
"Well that's good to know." Matt said as he shouldered Lightning Edge. "So, how do I get out of here?"
"That's what Raigeki is for." Dnortih said, nodding to the thunder unicorn that had been present the entire time. "He will give you a ride out, all you have to do is get on."
"Well… thanks." Matt said offered, and Dnortih shook his outstretched hand. "It's not often that a god talks to you, at least not where I'm from."
"Hey, anytime you need to talk to me, just think about me and I'll reply." Dnortih said with a laugh.
"Sorry, we've already got a psycho psychiatrist for the group, but I'll let you know if I have any question. And one more thing… when we go back to our own world, will I still be able to contact you?" Matt asked.
"I admit that I don't know." Dnortih replied. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, you've got a Summoner to protect, don't you?"
"Yeah." Matt said grimly as he got on Raigeki. As soon as he was on he fell into a deep sleep.
888
"Well isn't this a cheery place." Andy muttered to himself sarcastically. When he'd come around he'd found himself on a ledge that was jutting out over an open, rather larger, volcano. As soon as he'd noticed the volcano he'd begun to look for a way out, and he'd found it, a ledge down below his own. At first he'd tried to just walk down the volcano rather then make the difficult and dangerous climb, but the many random, deadly bursts of volcanic gasses, and the magma that was flowing down it was a pretty good deterrent. Not to mention the fact that even on the top of the volcano he couldn't see where it ended. So he'd begun the short, incredibly dangerous, incredibly hot climb down.
By the time he'd reached the ledge, his gloves were no longer brown, but were instead as black as they could possibly get, and they were smoking more then a little. After taking a few seconds rest he'd started down a path that led into the side of the volcano, and also, he hoped, out of it at the end. He soon discovered that he was wrong. Instead of leading out of the volcano, it led him to another ledge, just above the lava.
"Well, I'm glad you finally made it." Some said behind him, causing him to spin around, drawing his fist blades in the process. "Hey, relax. I'm not gonna kill you, unless I have to that is." A man with a red bandana, a red t-shirt that looked more then a little too tight for him, and shorts that looked just like Tidus' except they were red. The only thing he appeared to have on him that wasn't red were the white gloves he wore, and even they had red symbols that Andy couldn't make out on them.
"Who are you?" Andy demanded as sweat trickled down his brow.
"Me?" The guy asked with mock innocence. "I'm Vena, the Supreme God of Fire." He stated proudly.
'Is this guy crazy, or serious?' Andy wondered.
"Okay look, Dnortih and Lusniec have already done their job with your friends, and you're the only left here in Limbo. We don't have time to chitchat, so pay attention. And take these too." He added, taking off his gloves and throwing them to Andy. As soon as he caught them he felt a searing pain that lasted for, in Andy's mind, far too long. In reality had been only seven seconds of pain. "Okay, now that you've been accepted by The Twin Fire Starters we can get started."
"The Twin Fire Starters?" Andy repeated, looking at the gloves skeptically.
"The Twin Fire Starters are my personal gloves. You're the heir to the power of the god of fire kid. Now you're gonna need to start to learn how to use it. First you're gonna need to learn how to find it."
"What are you talking about?" Andy questioned, lost as to what the guy was murmuring about.
"Have you ever gotten really angry, or upset, or scared, and it was like someone else took over?" Andy nodded, remembering the incident against the Chocobo Eater. "That power is the power that you need to learn to control. You're the heir to my power, the power of the god of fire. As long as you have fire, you can do whatever you want. That's why I gave you those gloves."
"What does that mean?" Andy questioned, as he looked at the gloves, puzzled by the statement.
"They're alchemically enhanced. Put them on, and then snap your fingers." Vena instructed simply. Andy did as he was told, and was surprised to see a few sparks, and even a small flame erupt from his fingers, though only for a brief second. "See what I mean by 'that's why I gave you those gloves'? Now this time, when you see the fire, concentrate solely on it, just on making it into one shape. It doesn't matter what the shape is, just focus on the fire taking a shape." Vena nodded and Andy closed his eyes for a second. He pictured a burning 'X', snapped his fingers, and kept concentrating on a burning 'X' until he heard Vena speak again, "Okay, you can open your eyes."
Andy obeyed, and was met with a burning 'X' hovering over his fingers. "Wow, I did it." He said in disbelief.
"Yeah, now try and turn it into a… wall." Vena instructed. Andy closed his eyes, and concentrated on a burning wall. Andy closed his eyes, and concentrated on a burning wall. After a few seconds he felt heat down by his legs, and when he opened his eyes there was a wall of fire in between him and Vena. 'Wonder how strong it is.' Vena thought as he quietly slipped his fist blades on. He punched it once, and it started to split but held, until he punched it again. He had to stop himself from following all the way through, to keep from killing Andy. "Good job for your first defensive usage of fire. Now, let's try offensive. Use the fire to attack me."
'This guy's insane. He may live in a volcano, but if he gets hit with raw fire he'll be toast. Only… he is the god of fire, and he is dead, so what's the worst that could happen?' Andy wondered as an image of a phoenix slipped into his mind. At first he didn't want to, but slowly the thought of hitting him with a phoenix of raw fire won over. He focused on creating it first, which took several seconds. Once it was formed he spent a moment gazing at it in awe, but as soon as that moment had passed he had it charge Vena. The thing looked like a long streak of flames to him while it moved, not a phoenix. And he was amazed when Vena simply punched the thing, and it disappeared. "What the hell?" He wondered aloud.
"What? I'm a god, come on. You didn't think a beginner was gonna be able to beat me, did you?" Vena questioned sarcastically. "Anyway, there's another benefit from being the god of fire. Any fire spells you're hit with, will have the same effect as a healing spell of the same power. You could almost say you're a natural fire eater."
"Right…" Andy said, still looking at the guy oddly in the oppressive silence that followed. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Just keep practicing and you'll be fine." Vena said as he dipped his hand in the molten lava and pulled some out. "Now, for your ride out. Give me some room kid." Andy backed up as Vena started to focus on the lava. After a few seconds it started to twist and rearrange itself into a small figure that Vena threw into the lava. Before Andy could say anything, Ifrit jumped through the area between the two. "Well, do take care now. After going through all the trouble to teach you all that, it'd be a real shame for you to die. Then I'd have to teach someone else, and that's too much work."
"Right, I'll try not to die." Andy said as Ifrit picked him up in one arm and dove into the lava. Andy was asleep well before they hit.
888
"It's done." The assassin that had escaped Yuna and her guardians informed the cloaked figure across the candle lit table. "Where's my money?"
"Do you have proof that they're dead?" The figure demanded.
"Proof? Didn't you hear about the three guardians that fell into the Farplane?" The figure nodded. "That was them. Now give me my money."
"Fine. But don't leave the area just yet. I may have another job for you in the near future. Understood?" The boy nodded, and the man under the cloak smiled. "Well then, I suppose our business is at an end for the moment, isn't it, Seph of the Water?"
"I suppose so, Seymour Guado, Leader of the Guado, Maester of Yevon, murderer of the late Lord Jyscal, and the man responsible for the fiends in Luca recently." Seph replied in a bored tone.
"So you did figure it out." Seymour said as he removed his hood, revealing his face to the assassin for the first time since he'd hired him. "Good, very good."
"Shut up, give me my money, and get the hell out." Seph ordered dryly, kicking his feet up on the table and leaning back on his chair. Seymour smirked, placed a rather large bundle on the table, pulled his hood back up, and left the hidden room under Rin's Travel Agency, a room hidden from all but Seph and his clients. A few seconds after Seymour had left Seph picked up the bundle and dumped the gold pieces of money on the table. There was a lot more then his payment there, and Seph knew that meant that Seymour had another job in mind for him. "Wonderful." He muttered to himself
888
"Do you think they're really gone?" Tidus wondered aloud as the group prepared to leave the room Tromell had given them to rest in. It was a big room, big enough for the entire group, and it was well furnished. It had certainly been the best rest they'd had in weeks, but nobody really cared.
"I… don't know." Yuna admitted quietly. "If we could, I'd like to meet up with them again."
"Yeah." Tidus agreed.
"Are you ready?" Auron questioned the group. Everyone nodded silently, and Auron lead them all out of Seymour's mansion. As they turned to go to the entrance to the Thunder Plains Yuna and Tidus took off towards the entrance to the Farplane, Rikku close behind.
"What are they doing, ya?" Wakka wondered aloud as he watched the three reach the door and talk to the two Guado that had been stationed to keep everyone out since Matt, Andy, and Ryan had been knocked in.
"The dead go to the Farplane." Lulu said quietly. "If they truly did die, then that is where they would be."
"They didn't die." Auron said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Lulu and Wakka asked the master swordsman in unison.
"Later, when those three aren't around." Auron said, pointing to the three who were now coming back, depressed.
"They wouldn't let us in." Tidus informed.
"Then we leave." Auron informed, and the group walked on until they reached the Thunder Plains.
"Oh no… we're here!" Rikku whispered when reached the gloomy, raining, and fog filled space that had large towers sticking at certain lengths from each other. As if to confirm her fear of lightning a bolt struck nearby, and she jumped nearly four feet straight up.
"How are we supposed to cross that?" Tidus questioned as another bolt of lightning struck, causing Rikku to flinch in terror.
"See the lightning rod towers? The lightning is drawn to them… hopefully." Lulu informed.
"We head north, not too near and not too far from the towers, ya?" Wakka added.
"Which means we should avoid wide open areas." Lulu finished.
Another bolt of lightning struck, and Rikku cringed in fear again. "Umm…. I think I forgot something in Guadosalam!" She said nervously, starting back towards the Guado city.
"Nice knowing you." Auron said flatly as he started to walk towards the nearest lightning rod.
"Okay, okay! I'll go!" Rikku said as she ran to catch up to the group.
888
"Where the hell are we?" Ryan questioned groggily as he opened his eyes slowly. At first he thought he was in hell, or some part of it. The scenery would certainly fit. It was cold, raining, lightning was striking rather quickly in random place, and there was a mist covering large portions of the landscape. "Wonderful." He muttered, standing up slowly. Suddenly a massive suit of armor, easily three times his size, appeared. It had a sword that made Auron's look normal, and it was charging right for him. "Shit!" He yelled as he jumped to the side, expecting the massive sword to split the ground he'd just been standing on open. It didn't and when he looked up he understood why. Ifrit and Ixion had stopped the thing. Ifrit had grabbed the wrist of the hand with the sword, which prevented it from crushing Ryan, and Ixion had rammed its horn right through the armor. When the horn was removed the thing toppled over, pyreflies leaking out of the hole.
"My head is killing me." Matt muttered sleepily as he sat up from behind where Ryan had just been. "Where the hell are we?"
"I dunno." Ryan admitted. "I just got up too."
"I see… Andy, you lazy ass, get of my feet!" Matt yelled, punching Andy in the arm. "What on earth?"
"What?" Ryan asked, getting up and walking over towards them rather unsteadily.
"Well Ixion and Ifrit for one thing, is Yuna nearby?" Ryan shrugged and Matt went on. "What I was talking about is Andy's gloves. They're different, a lot different."
"Hey, you're right." Ryan agreed, noticing Andy wearing the Twin Fire Starters rather then the leather gloves he'd had on before.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Andy questioned the two through a yawn.
"Wondering how much longer we're gonna have to wait for you to get off you're your lazy ass and get moving." Matt answered immediately. He reached onto his back and un-strapped his old axe, almost surprised to see it. He put it back and glanced around for a few seconds before spotting Lightning Edge lying on the ground a few feet away. He reached over and grabbed it, finding it slightly lighter then what he'd remembered.
"Two axes, eh? Going to go duel wielding on us?" Ryan questioned when he noticed Matt holding Lightning Edge.
"If need be, yes. But probably not." Matt admitted. While it wasn't as heavy as he remembered, it was still rather heavy, even for a battle-axe. He looked over at Ryan and noticed that the wrapping on the handle of the sword was no longer black, but silver, the golden diamonds that guided the wrapping were now silver, and the black sheath now had white wings going along it's length. "What's with the new sword?"
Ryan shrugged. "What's with the new axe?" He countered.
"Me, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." Matt said with a sigh as he sat down on the wet ground. "But I'll tell you anyway. It was a gift… from a god."
"And that's what my gloves were!" Andy added.
"And my sword was a gift from some dude who called himself Lusniec." Ryan added. Matt's eyes went wide at the name. "What?"
"Andy, the person that gave you your gloves, what was his name?" Matt questioned, ignoring Ryan's question.
"Vena… why? What haven't you told us?" Andy questioned.
"Vena… Lusniec… and Dnortih. Two of the gods Yu Yevon killed, and the Angel that warned them." Matt said quietly. "Dnortih was the god I talked to, the god of lightning. What about you guys?"
"Vena was most definitely the god of fire." Andy stated flatly. "The dude lived in a volcano. And he summoned Ifrit to give me a ride back here."
"And to watch over us apparently." Ryan said, pointing behind Andy to Ifrit who was sitting there doing nothing. "Lusniec didn't say anything about being a god, but he did say that Wind Cutter," Ryan said, holding the holy sword up, "was forged as a gift to him, by the four elemental gods."
"Then Lusniec must be the angel, 'cause Dnortih was the god of lightning. And he summoned Ixion to give me a ride back." Matt added, pointing a thumb at the electrically charged unicorn behind him. "Now that that's settled, maybe we should figure out where we are."
"You are on the Thunder Plains. And pardon me for not asking, but are you not guardians of Lady Yuna?" A cloaked figure questioned, coming up from behind a hill. "And if you are, then why aren't you guarding her?"
"Who are you?" Matt questioned, glaring at the cloaked figure. 'When did he get here? How much did he hear I wonder.'
"I'm simply someone with a desire to see Lady Yuna defeat Sin, and bring the next calm to Spira." The figure replied.
'I know that voice.' Andy thought, annoyed that he couldn't put a face to it. "So why do you want to know if we're Lady Yuna's guardians?"
"Because that would imply that Lady Yuna is nearby, and I wish to speak to her." The figure replied.
"Well you're out of luck then pal. We're not Lady Yuna's guardians." Andy replied, the right side of his mouth moving up slightly. "Or maybe I should say that you're out of luck, Maester Seymour."
"Ahhhhh, so you did notice." Seymour said as he pulled his cloak down. "It would appear that you're more observant then you let on, young guardian."
"Again with this guardian business. Who ever said we were Yuna's guardians?" Matt questioned.
"You were present with Lady Yuna and the rest of her guardians, were you not?"
"Tromell said that her friends were welcome to come too." Ryan countered.
"I see. Then why did you helped her in Djose Temple, through the cloisters there." Seymour questioned, raising an eyebrow curiously.
'So you've been following our movements. Sick bastard.' Matt thought with a chuckle. "I guess you've got us there. Oh well, 'Guardian of High Summoner Yuna' does have a nice ring to it. Now what do you really want?"
"I've heard that you are… not very skilled in combat." Seymour said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "So I'm curious as to why Lady Yuna would want any of you as guardians."
"You know, that's a good question…" Matt admitted. "Why does she want us as guardians? And where do you get off saying that we aren't skilled in combat?"
"I'm sorry. I repeat only what I've heard." Seymour said with superficial politeness and a bow. "If these rumors anger you, I might know of a way to abolish them."
"What are you suggesting, that we fight you? What happens if we accidentally kill you?" Andy questioned.
"Not me specifically, but my Aeon. I'll make sure that it does not kill you, and as long as Anima is out you won't be able to kill me. But just to be on the safe side I'll cast several defensive spells on myself." Seymour added.
"I don't see why not. It's not like we know where the Farplane is, or where Yuna was heading next for that matter." Ryan said with a sigh.
"I can tell you that, if you wish. She will soon head for Macalania Temple, in lake Macalania." Seymour said as he removed his cloak completely and threw it to one of the two Guado accompanying him. "Now enough with words. Show me your skill in battle."
"You certainly kept us waiting long enough." Matt replied as he picked up Lightning and put it on his shoulder until it he'd need it. 'I don't want to do anything I haven't done before, especially since I don't like Seymour much. And I've got the oddest feeling that we're going to fight him again, so I'd better save some tricks for the real thing. But if he's been having people watch him he probably knows about the Chidori, so I can use that.' Matt thought, hoping his friends would keep secret whatever they'd learned in Limbo.
Suddenly a chain shot through the ground, and when it came back up it pulled with it the mummified fish looking Aeon known as Anima. "Go Anima. Show them your pain!" Seymour cried as Anima began to gather energy in its single showing eye.
The three scattered the second they saw what was happening. After seeing it wipe out so many fiends in Luca it was a hard attack to forget, and they had no intention of getting hit by it if they could avoid it. Ryan quickly found himself the brunt of the assault, and he didn't like it. The energy kept hitting right behind him, and the explosions were causing him to lose his balance more and more with each step. Cursing he jumped forward and then changed direction and pushed off towards Anima as hard as he could.
'It can't be able to move well, all wrapped up in bandages like that. It's gotta be a distance fighter, so if we get in close it should be easier.' Ryan thought as he stopped a foot in front of the thing, dropping immediately into a Battou Jutsu stance and executing his attack. He heard Seymour laugh, and was shocked when the bandage didn't give at all. 'Or not.' He thought bitterly as a less powerful attack hit him, knocking him back through the air five feet, and another three on the ground before he could stop himself.
"Bastard." Matt muttered as he grabbed his old axe and chucked it at Anima as hard as he could. The axe ripped through the bandages, though it didn't go very deep.
"What are those things made of, steel?" Ryan questioned, not bothering to hide the fact that he hated things that had natural armor.
"No, they're too soft to be made out of steel. And they feel like cloth too. They're just too dense for us to really break through." Matt muttered, looking around for something to use against the powerful Aeon. He saw the Lightning Rod Towers, and they gave him an idea. "Ryan, get the tip of one of those towers onto Anima."
Ryan looked at him curiously, but the look on Matt's face left no room for questioning his plan. With a sigh he sheathed his sword and looked at the towers. 'How the hell am I supposed to get up one of those things? They're giant!' Before he could voice his question he felt a clawed hand wrap around him, and he panicked for a split second before he realized it was Ifrit. "Thanks for the lift!" he yelled just before Ifrit threw him, more gently then he'd expected, onto the top of the tower next to Anima.
'What in the name of Yevon are they planning?' Seymour wondered as he watched Ryan sail through the air and then land on the tower next to Anima. Before he could dwell on it anymore Ifrit and Ixion attacked the powerful Aeon, drawing his attention to the immediate problem.
In the blink of an eye both Aeons disappeared, and Seymour grinned with amusement. 'Bastard, that was pretty much our last trump card.' Matt thought as he watched Seymour turn back to watching Ryan. Cursing, Matt threw Lightning Edge into Anima, damaging it enough to draw a cry of pain from it. Seymour spun around, fury obvious in his eyes. Matt's hands flew through the three forms for the Chidori, and the ring of electricity formed around him.
"Anima, pain!" Seymour ordered. "Direct it all on the one without a weapon!"
'Shit!' Matt thought as he abandoned the attack to avoid almost certain death at the hands of the mighty attack. 'Once Lightning Edge has accepted you as my successor you'll be able to manipulate it at will.' Dnortih's voice rang out in Matt's head. 'That's it!' He thought as he sensed a bolt of lightning heading towards the tower Ryan was on. He closed his eyes and found the power within him. He bent the path of the lightning before it even formed, and directed into a ball in his hand, the same way he focused the energy of the Chidori into a ball.
"Matt!" Ryan yelled suddenly, causing Matt to open his eyes just in time to see a massive wall of flames shooting up in front of him, and a ball of purple energy heading towards him. When the two connected there was an explosion, and he was knocked back to the ground. He managed to twist and land on his feet, charging the Aeon while the dust from the two forces colliding was still present.
"Seymour! Go. To. Hell!" He yelled as he jumped, landed on Lightning Edge, and jumped again, managing to make it to the massive Aeon's ribcage. As he reached the zenith of his jump a bolt of lightning struck his hand and molded into a ball. With a grin he shoved his fist through the dense bandages, easily penetrating that, and through the skin, all the way into the thing's stomach. With a roar of pain it launched a powerful attack at Matt, connecting and sending him reeling through the air for more then a dozen yards.
"Bastard!" Ryan yelled, jumping off the tower with his sword pointed down. It easily pierced the lightly armored head all the way up to the finger guard. Pulling it out he reached behind him and pulled out the top three feet of the lightning tower he'd been on and shoved it in the hole his sword had caused. Anima shook it's head violently, and Ryan was thrown back into the Lightning Rod Tower, and slid down the center to land roughly on the ground. "Shit that hurt." He moaned as he glanced at Anima who was now staring solely at him. 'Wonderful.'
Anima started charging up a rather powerful looking attack. As it leaned towards him to fire there was a loud crash, much louder then any the thunder had caused yet, and Anima jerked in pain as a thick bolt of lightning struck the lightning rod stuck in it's head.
'I see. That's what the rod was for. Cunning, much more intelligent then I expected them to be. And using their own Aeons as distractions. And that reckless charge by Matt, and the wall of fire by Andy. They'll be incredibly annoying soon.' Seymour thought bitterly as Anima faded into pyreflies. "Impressive. I suppose I must remember to argue against any rumors I hear of you three not being skilled in battle." Seymour said with another superficial bow. "Well I suppose I'll see you soon then. Until then, may the blessings of Yevon be upon you."
"Hey, where are Yuna and the others?" Matt asked before Seymour could turn to leave.
"I imagine they would be headed for the travel agency over there." He said, pointing in the direction of the only travel agency for miles. "Now if you'll excuse me I must take my leave."
"Well, I guess it's time to head to a travel agency. Wonder if it's another one of Rin's." Ryan muttered aloud as he sheathed Wind Cutter, while Matt retrieved Lightning Edge. "So, shall we?"
"Let's. Anything to sit down someplace dry for awhile." Matt muttered as he strapped his old axe to his back and shouldered Lightning Edge. Laughing, the three friends started towards the travel agency. The trip didn't take long, despite the random fiend battles, and the fact that Matt and Andy were incredibly tired from overexerting themselves in the fight against Anima. Less then 15 minutes had elapsed before they heard a familiar Al Bhed's voice, complaining, followed by Auron's normally emotionless voice that sounded rather annoyed. Smiling, they waited until they heard a door close before bounding over the top of the hill and sat down out behind the travel agency, waiting for their friends to leave so they could see the expressions on their faces when they came out.
(manical laughter) now i have to begin working on the next chapter! finally, a REAL showdown with seymour! please Read and Review everyone! it takes a long time to write these things, and it's always good to know more and more people are reading and enjoying it. anyway, maybe in this next chapter we'll see some rather... interesting developments. we'll see, so be warned... may be some fluff next time. CYA LATER!