Disclaimer: I do not own the song used in this chapter. All rights go to the band themselves, the songwriters, and anyone else involved with the writing/singing of said song.
Before I begin the review replies, I would like to state one thing. For anyone reading, if you read chapter 12, you may want to go back and re-read the last half/third of it. I made a large error near the end, which has now been rectified. If anyone noticed what it was, I'm sorry. If no one did, well, I guess I'm just lucky then. Anyway, on to the replies!
Iron-Reaver: No, the blank sphere has nothing to do with Seymour. Think of it as my video camera. I'm going to use it as such. Yes, I must give credit to you for the idea of Slow, but anything else from here on out is mine. And yes, I guess I am lucky.
Firagamaster: If you're reading this, welcome! I assume that means the story is good? Lol.
discord2chaos: Yes, you do sense a plot bunny. Not until next chapter, though. Well, let's just say the ending will probably go as normal. So, in a sense, you're right. And no, Ben and Yuna will not be a couple. You'll see.
missmanga90: Thank you! I'll let you know.
Now, on to the actual story. If you happen to have access to the song used at the start here, listen to it while the fight's playing if you want a slightly more in-depth experience.
Chapter 13—Walking The Line
The Mi'ihen Highroad. Otherwise known as what I called, "the longest dang stretch of continuing dirt path I've ever seen." And it's the truth. This thing is LONG. Couple miles long, I think. And we have to walk it. Well, maybe I'll get to fight some more fiends. Looking at my Sphere Grid, I notice the next few nodes are normal stuff, like agility and mana, but after that, are some Black Magic abilities. That's making me quite happy for the time being.
"Well, what do you know?" I say to myself, noticing a fiend approaching us. One that I doubt I could have missed. An Iron Giant fiend was plodding towards us, his enormous curved blade in hand. Accompanying him were 2 more Dingo fiends. 'Must be where Seymour got them from...' I think to myself, drawing my sword.
"Let's do it!" Tidus says, charging the Dingo on the right, as Kimahri and Auron charge in for the Iron Giant. That leaves me to take the Dingo on the left.
"Slow!" I yell, using the magic on the Iron Giant to make their job easier, before turning my attention to the Dingo. Little too late, though. The thing leaps at me, and I have no time to react before it tackles me to the ground. Next thing I know, the thing goes flying off of me, courtesy of Wakka's blitzball. "Thanks!" I yell, standing back up. Wakka nods, and throws the ball at the Iron Giant, which has no effect other than bouncing back at him. I hear a yelp of pain, and look towards Tidus, to see the Dingo dissipating into pyreflies, and Tidus standing there, triumphant. Suddenly, the Iron Giant raises the sword, and swipes Kimahri, Auron, and Tidus away with a single horizontal stroke. Which leaves only me to fend off the Dingo, which is still alive, but wounded, and the massive Iron Giant, which is now looking at me.
"Oh, holy crap." I say to myself, eyes going wide, as the thing swings at me. The blade crashes down into the ground, a foot from where I had just been standing, as I run in and swipe at its leg. A screeching of metal on metal sounds, but no damage is done. I can hear Yuna using Cure on the 3 injured people, but right now I'm more concerned with staying alive. If that sword hits me, I'm pretty sure I'm toast. The blitzball flies in again, and with much the same effect, bouncing off the armor of the creature. A Thunder spell hits it too, courtesy of Lulu, but barely fazes the fiend. Before I can react, the thing swings again, swatting me away at least 10 feet with the flat of the blade. Tumbling end over end, for what seems like the 50th time to me, I can't help but feel angry.
(Play Ben's theme, "Numb", Linkin Park)
Standing up and casting Cure on myself, I glare at the ground. "Why is it always me? Why does every single little thing always try to kill me! I'm sick of it! You want to try and kill me!" I yell, my head snapping up. "Then why don't you feel...my...RAGE!" I yell, charging the creature.
"Renzokuken!" I yell, beginning to use my Overdrive, but in the back of my mind I know something's not right about this. Jumping at the creature's head, I slash across the face twice, slashing the body once as I fall. I slash at the creature's legs twice, causing it to stumble, before I stab it in the chest, actually cracking the armor, before jumping back. As I start to use my finishing move, I notice that I have a new one, after scanning my mental list. In anger, I activate it, and begin to glow with a black aura.
"Shadow...BLITZ!" I yell, as the whole area instantly turns pitch black, completely surrounding us like a sphere of darkness.
"My domain now!" I yell, my voice echoing around the area, as I charge the Iron Giant, able to see perfectly in the darkness, unlike the fiend, which is swinging the sword around blindly. The first strike I make hits the fiend in the waist, making it flinch slightly, a small dent appearing in the side from the force. Anger fueling my strikes, I slash it three times in the chest, cuts appearing in the chest armor, before slicing once at the head, cutting a gash across the helmet. Dropping the sword out of pain, the fiend staggers back a step, before I scream and drive the sword into its chest, up to the guard. The fiend looks at me, and its eyes go blank, as it bursts into pyreflies. That's the last thing I see as the sphere fades away, as I slump to the ground, unconscious.
(End Ben's theme)
Awakening, the first thing I see is the eyes of Tidus, staring down at me. "Aaah!" I yell, jerking up with a start. Note to self: bad idea. I slump back down instantly, waves of pain shooting through my body. "What...happened?" I ask, Tidus kneeling down to look at me.
"You, kinda went berserk on that thing." he explains.
"An Iron Giant." Lulu cuts in.
"Anyway. You got knocked away, then got back up, and pretty much went crazy. You used your Overdrive, and a different finishing move. Shadow...something." Tidus continues.
As he talks, different, sporadic images start coming to my mind, and slowly I piece together what happened. 'So, I went berserk. Well, I can kinda understand why...but still. I'm a guardian, plus, I'm in the FFX world now. I should expect to be attacked, knocked around, even killed. Shouldn't lose my temper that much over something like that.' I think to myself, wincing as another pain lances through my right arm.
"Cure." I say, the healing magic helping with the pain, but not making it go away completely. At least I can stand up again. "Where's my sword?" I ask, and Auron points to the ground, a few feet away. I walk over and sheath it, grabbing my backpack off the ground as well.
"Let's go." Auron says simply, as Yuna and the group begin to walk down the long Highroad. I follow behind, a dazed expression on my face as I think about what I just did.
As we continue on, we come upon what appears to be a half-destroyed, ancient building of some sort. Standing out in front of it, is a short man, with a white beard. He's wearing a green robe and a tall green hat, giving him an almost priestly appearance.
"Do you know what those ruins are from?" he asks, approaching our group.
"Some old city?" Tidus says, causing the man to nod as Yuna approaches the man.
"Correct. A city most ancient! A terrible testament to Sin's power. I tremble every time I see them. Compared to Sin, humans are mere mudpuppies!" he says, Yuna clasping her hands in front of her.
"But I believe that humans are the only ones capable of defeating Sin." she says, and the man nods in approval.
"A good reply." the man says. "I am relieved to hear you say that, m'lady summoner. Where are my manners. I am Maechen, a scholar. At your service, m'lady."
"So, what exactly do you do?" I ask, awaiting the long, drawn out type of answer he will become known for giving.
"I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets...My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I have seen. Fragile smiles on people's faces crumbling at the mere mention of Sin. They are counting on you, m'lady. Give them a reason to rejoice once more."
"I will." Yuna says, performing the prayer gesture, as we walk away, farther down the Highroad.
For about 15 minutes or so, we walk, no fiends approaching us to fight, or anything at all for that matter. Off in the horizon now, though, something is heading towards us. Squinting, I can make out 3 big, yellow objects, apparently running towards us. As they get closer, I realize what they are. Chocobos. Reminds me of a cross between an ostrich and a chicken, except they're canary yellow. A person is riding on the back of each one, holding reins like they were riding a horse. Two girls and one guy, in total. They come to a halt in front of us, and the first girl, apparently the leader, places her arm sideways in front of her chest.
"Lady Summoner, I presume?"
"Yes, I am Yuna." she replies.
"I am Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights." the girl replies, the other beside her following suit, also raising her arm.
"And I'm Elma. We've been charged to guard the Highroad." the second girl states.
"There have been reports of a large fiend appearing in this area, with a taste for chocobos. Do take care, Summoner Yuna, if you are to rent any chocobos." she warns, Yuna nodding.
"Thank you. We will be careful." she says.
"Good. We should get back to our rounds. Farewell." Lucil says, turning to Elma.
"Our prayers are with you." Elma says, as the three Chocobo Knights ride past us, towards the other end of the Highroad.
"A large fiend..." Tidus says, apparently thinking about something. "Let's go get him!" I just facepalm.
"Why?" Auron asks.
"It's the right thing to do." Tidus states, crossing his arms.
"It's the right thing to do?" Auron asks, starting to chuckle softly. Tidus frowns.
"What'd I say now?" he inquires, and Auron looks up at him again.
"Jecht said that a lot, too. And every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska and me." he says, beginning to walk down the road once again. Silently, I congratulate myself for remembering to buy a new outfit, because I surely would be sweating bullets in my original one. Puzzles me as to why Auron and the others aren't sweating, though. Looking ahead, I see a young girl and a woman, apparently her mother, standing on the side of the road. The girl is playing with a blitzball, and I recognize the girl as Calli.
"My Lady Summoner!" the woman exclaims, noticing Yuna's approach. Walking over, the girl follows her, innocent curiosity shining in her eyes.
"You're a summoner?" she asks, looking up at Yuna. Yuna kneels down to look at the girl.
"Yes. My name is Yuna."
"I'm Calli." the girl says, introducing herself.
"Nice to meet you, Calli." Yuna responds.
"Lady Yuna, are you going to bring us the Calm?" she asks. Yuna smiles.
"Yes, very soon." The girl lets out a shout of joy, jumping up in the air.
"Yay!" she exclaims, beginning to run circles around Yuna playfully as she stands up to face the mother.
"We're looking forward to another Calm, my Lady Summoner." Yuna nods.
"I'll do my best." she says, as the woman looks over at us.
"And good luck to your guardians as well." she states, motioning for Calli to follow her as she walks off down the path.
"What's the Calm?" Tidus asks, when they're out of earshot.
"The Calm is a time of peace." Lulu explains. "It comes after a summoner defeats Sin, and lasts until Sin reappears."
"Sin dies and is reborn." Yuna adds, in case Tidus didn't understand. Tidus thinks for a moment, before looking back up at the two of them.
"I get it! I thought it was weird. Yuna's dad defeated Sin ten years ago, right? But Sin's still here! Didn't make much sense until now." he says, pausing a moment. "Wait...if it just comes back..."
"Don't say it isn't worth it...because it is." Yuna says, cutting him off, as she starts to walk off along the Highroad again.
"Yuna esta enojado...podrido noticias para Tidus..." I mutter to myself, sounding mildly amused. Luckily, no one seems to think anything of my rambling. "Oy...no ella..." I mutter again, remembering who meets us in a few minutes.
We seem to be nearing the end of the Highroad, judging from our surroundings and what I remember, and I breathe a prayer of thanks. Walking this road has been one of the most annoying things I've dealt with since arriving here. Next to the steps in Kilika, of course. In front of us now, is a caravan being pulled by chocobos. Two familiar faces are riding on board, and they wave to us.
"Hey! Hey, we saw the game!" Gatta yells to us. "You guys were great!"
"Congratulations, Wakka!" he yells, as Lucil and Elma ride up beside them on chocobos.
"Hey! Stop loafing around!" Elma says sharply.
"Uh...the lady summoner and her guardians..." Gatta stammers, Lucil glaring at him from atop her chocobo.
"This mission requires our full attention. We've no time to waste! Understood?" she says, Luzzu nodding quickly.
"Yes, ma'am! Apologies, ma'am!" he says, Lucil nodding.
"Carry on." she says, as the two of them ride off, Luzzu breathing a sigh of relief and turning to Gatta.
"See? Keep your head down, say 'sir' a lot, and you'll do fine." he tells Gatta, causing me to laugh.
"Right...sir." Gatta replies, causing me to laugh harder, and Yuna to giggle as well.
"Hey, Yuna." Luzzu says, turning to her. "Even though Yevon rejected us...we still believe in you. That won't ever change."
"Thank you, Sir Luzzu, Sir Gatta." she replies. "But you know...it's not too late for you to go back to Besaid, and..."
"We should be going, sir!" Gatta says, cutting Yuna off. The caravan has pulled off without them, leaving them to scramble after it. I shake my head at the amusing sight, as we continue on down, what I hope, is the last stretch of this accursed road.
As we move farther, we come across 2 people in the middle of the road, arguing with each other. One is a male, appearing to be from the Crusaders, from his choice of clothes. The other is a girl dressed in green robes, appearing to be a follower of Yevon.
"We'll defeat Sin any way we can!" the man says angrily.
"But Yevon's teachings say..." she begins.
"Enough!" he says, cutting her off and walking away.
"I-I only meant to..." she stammers, as we approach.
"Are you all right?" Yuna asks, and the girl turns to face her, a look of surprise appearing on her face.
"Lady Summoner...?" she asks tentatively, doing the prayer gesture after a moment, Yuna doing it as well.
"Yes, I am Yuna." she replies, to which the girl smiles.
"It is an honor, my lady. My name is Shelinda. I am a disciple of Yevon." she says, introducing herself. Wakka steps up, eyeing the girl closely.
"What was that all about? The Crusaders' operation?" he asks, causing Shelinda to face him.
"You mean the one Gatta and Luzzu were talking about?" Tidus breaks in, before Shelinda can respond.
"I heard they were to use forbidden machina!" she says, shaking her fists. "I had to stop them."
"Huh? Why?" Tidus says, cocking his head at the girl.
"The use of machina is strictly forbidden by the Yevon priesthood." Lulu explains.
"That's bad, ya?" Wakka adds. Auron simply shakes his head.
"Let them use whatever they want. They still won't defeat Sin." he says. Shelinda turns to him, slightly shocked.
"I think Auron has a point. If what I've seen of Sin is any indication, I don't think a couple of machina are going to do too much..." I say, shrugging.
"But, it's not about defeating Sin! The teachings of Yevon must be upheld!" she exclaims, Wakka nodding his head in agreement.
"Yeah! Right!"
"But you don't understand!" she continues. "The Crusaders won't listen to me. And it's all because I'm just a lowly acolyte." she says, staring at the ground.
"Don't say that." Yuna says, walking up to her. "Well, I haven't been a summoner for very long myself, you see. Still, I can't put myself down every time I fail. People are depending on me. They're depending on both of us!" she says, trying to cheer up the girl. It seems to work, because she lifts her head, smiling brightly.
"Yes! Yes, you're right, my lady. Absolutely right! Thank you so much, Lady Yuna! Now, I feel I have the courage to finish my training." she says, doing the prayer gesture once more, before walking past us down the Highroad.
'Thank the heavens that's over with.' I think to myself, shivering inwardly.
After another 15 or 20 minutes of walking, I finally spot a building in the distance. I don't think I've ever been so glad to see a building before in my life. Walking up to it, I notice a sign hanging above the door.
"Rin's Travel Agency. Huh. Nice name." I say, as Auron speaks up.
"We rest here." he states, Wakka objecting almost immediately.
"But, this is an Al Bhed shop!" he says, causing Auron to turn around.
"Is that a problem?" he asks, calmly.
"They don't believe in Yevon, and in Luca they...they kidnapped Yuna!" he says, angrily. Auron just crosses his arms, looking stoically back at Wakka.
"Where were her guardians?" he says, Wakka and Lulu placing their hands to their foreheads in mild shame.
"Sir Auron's just concerned about your health." Yuna cuts in, hoping to stop the argument before it goes any further.
"I'm not tired one bit!" Wakka says, defiantly.
"Well I am." Auron says, walking inside the building.
'And that's the end of that discussion...' I think to myself, amused.
Inside, it seems to be not only a travel agency, but also a hotel as well, having a second floor with vacant rooms for travelers. The lady at the desk walks up to us, noticing our arrival.
"May I help you?" she asks, and Yuna nods.
"We would like 4 rooms, please." she says, the lady looking at a book for a moment, before nodding.
"Okay. That'll be 2000 Gil, please." she says, and Yuna pulls out the amount, handing it to the lady. "Thank you. You have the first two rooms on both the left and right. Enjoy your stay." she says, and everyone walks upstairs, Tidus and I walking into the first room on the right.
"I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me up if or when something happens." I say, taking off my shoes, and lying down on the bed. I'm asleep in moments.
That...has to be the most annoying chapter I've written to date. Fortunately, it's about the only annoying chapter I'll probably write. Anyway, please review, and feel free to ask questions in the reviews if you're confused about anything! I'll clarify as best I can.
