Sorry this chapter took so long to get done! College really has been a pain lately. Anyway, on to the replies, of which there are plenty. Makes me happy.
Iron Reaver: Yes, finally got my defensive item. And, no, I'm not stupid enough to take on Sin with Haste, Slow, and Cure. That honor would be reserved for Tidus.
anbu713: Yep, Ben and Yuna get the aeons now. I'll try on the plot twists, though I haven't planned ahead to see what I can do.
Aalazzerath: No, I'm not playing the game while I type, it's a combination of decent memory and having the script handy.
beastboy-had-a-brain: Heh, Rikku returns next chapter. So, prepare to enjoy it!
Daniel Wesley Rydell: Thanks. Much thanks.
Andinel: Yes, Ben is a real summoner. The Overdrive Reels just showed what no one had known. If he hadn't been, the summoning would've failed.
Omega Gilgamesh: If you're reading, I sent you an e-mail with my replies.
Stelmaria: One at a time here...first, welcome to Destiny's Call, and thank you for the compliments. No, I'm not, like I told Aalazerrath, it's all memory and having the script handy. Ok, here's the deal. Ixion is Ben's first self-earned aeon, but he can summon Valefor and Ifrit because of copying Yuna's Grand Summon when she had both of them. Had he done it when she only had Valefor, for instance, he would've had to earn Ifrit the same way he gets Ixion. No, his Overdrive is not Grand Summon. His Overdrive is Renzokuken; if you've played FF8, you'll know what I'm talking about. His finishing moves are, up to this point: Rough Divide, Overdrive Reels, and Shadow Blitz. Overdrive Reels is the one that you mistook for Grand Summon. It allows him to copy any Overdrive he sees or knows, as long as it's humanly possible to do (excluding Sin's/Jecht's, for example). And finally, he will be calling aeons more than that one time. By the way, yes, you do get the award for longest review yet. (Hands Stelmaria a small statue of a piece of paper)
Now, without any further delays, the 17th chapter!
Chapter 17—Trial By Storm
"Hey! How much longer till Zanarkand?" Tidus asks, staring down the road leading to Djose Temple. Turning to him, Wakka is the first to reply.
"Still a ways." he says, Lulu also turning to speak.
"First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam...then we cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania." Lulu replies, and I just chuckle.
"In short, quite a long way away, still. Don't worry, we'll be there before you know it!" I say, trying to cheer Tidus up.
"Oh, boy." Obviously, I don't think it worked.
"And before that, I get to pray at the temple in Djose!" Yuna says, adding her input into the conversation.
"We can't just skip all that? Can we, huh?" Tidus says, frowning slightly.
"That's a summoner's training." Wakka says, placing a hand on his hip. "She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning."
"Must be tough, Yuna." he says, and Yuna smiles.
"I'll be fine with you here!" she replies happily, as we begin to walk down the road.
"Hey, new guy." I hear Auron say softly, and Tidus turns, stopping to face the monk.
"Uh...me?" he says, looking sheepish.
"Who else?" Auron replies, and I just shake my head, turning back to the group. I know what they're about to talk about anyway. Yuna not needing to find out about Jecht, and such.
"Yuna." I say, causing her to look at me. "Since I'm a summoner, doesn't that mean I'll have to pray at the temple as well?" I ask, and she furrows her brow, thinking for a moment. Lulu speaks up first, however.
"I'm not sure. You didn't pray at the temples of Besaid and Kilika, so it stands to reason that you may not be able to perform the Final Summoning anyway. But, I suppose you may be able to call new aeons by praying as well." she says, and I think about it a moment, before nodding.
"I see. You're probably right." I say, noticing Tidus and Auron walk back up to the rest of us. Suddenly, I notice Lucil, Elma, and Clasko in front of us, with only one chocobo between them.
"Yuna, it is good to see you and your companions are well." Lucil says, looking over to Yuna.
"Yourselves as well, Captain. We were worried. Praise be to Yevon!" she replies, doing the prayer gesture.
'I wasn't. I knew they'd get out. They always escape.' I think, laughing to myself in my mind.
"We escaped with our lives, but our troops were decimated." Lucil says, Elma stepping up beside her.
"Of all our chocobos, only this one made it." she says, Clasko deciding to jump into the conversation as well.
"We make pretty poor Chocobo Mounted Forces without chocobos." he says, as Lucil hangs her head.
"We turned our backs on the teachings, and cast away our faith. This...this is our just reward."
"Hey. You don't deserve this. You guys tried your best to put an end to Sin, and now you're saying you deserved to fail? Come on. You've got to be kidding me." I say, annoyed at Lucil's statement.
"Maybe...you're right. I don't know." she says after a moment, walking off past us. Shaking my head, I follow the group as we continue to walk towards the Djose Temple.
As we arrive at the temple, Tidus looks up, before looking around, seemingly confused.
"Where is it?" he asks, and I smile.
"There." I say, pointing to the large column of rock in the center of the clearing.
"That's the temple? It can't be." he retorts, as the ground starts to shake slightly. A bolt of lightning breaks out of the top of the rock column, as the rock blows apart, beginning to float around the temple, connected by tendrils of electricity.
"Yes, it can. This is the temple." I say, beginning to walk inside, everyone else beside me.
"Another summoner must already be inside." Lulu says, as we approach the doors.
'Think it's Dona?" Tidus asks, and I shudder.
"Hope not." I reply, walking inside.
The temple's inside was nothing short of amazing. Large doors, decorated with intricate designs stood tall on the left and right sides of the room, as well as one at the top of a stair set in the center, leading to the Cloister of Trials. A wonderfully painted mural of the sky and clouds adorned the wall around the Cloister door, and another beautiful mural was painted onto the floor in the center of the room. All in all, a breathtaking place. It takes me a moment to get over the beauty of the place, before remembering that Yuna has a job to do here, as do I. Walking up to the Cloister door, it suddenly opens, and 3 people step out. The first one out is obviously a summoner, dressed in priestly robes, and he is flanked by a young boy, no more than about 7 or 8, and another man, about my age or a little older.
"I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?" the summoner says, and Yuna nods.
"I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid." she says, and the man's face lights up.
"As I thought! The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father." he says, and Yuna clenches her hands in front of her.
"My father? You knew him?" she says, excitedly, but the man shakes his head.
"No. I have never met the man." he says. "Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru." he says, as we do the prayer gesture to one another. "I am a summoner, like you." The little boy speaks up now.
"I'm Pacce. Please to meet you." he says, as the other man steps forward.
"And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here." he says, motioning to Issaru.
"Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska." Isaaru explains. "I wished I would someday become a High Summoner like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you! I believe you might someday defeat Sin." he says to Yuna, smiling. Yuna looks down slightly, obviously unused to taking such praise.
"I...I'm not really...I've only just become a summoner." she says, stuttering slightly from nervousness.
"Of course, I've no intention of losing, either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?" he offers, and Yuna nods, smiling.
"Very well, then. I accept your challenge." she says, as Maroda turns to Isaaru.
"Isaaru!" he says, causing Isaaru to nod, his guardian beginning to descend the steps towards the door.
"Yuna, I beg your leave. Good luck, to both of us!" he says, as the three of them begin to leave.
"Yes." she says, watching the trio depart. I just stand there, looking around the room, as the rest of the group enters the door to the trials. When I notice they're gone, I start to walk inside, but I'm stopped by Isaaru's voice.
"Hey, you."
"What?" I reply, walking down the steps to face him.
"You are Yuna's guardian, no? Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you should know." he explains, and I nod as Maroda turns to me.
"I heard it from those Crusaders. Seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimages and just...disappearing." he says, Isaaru cutting back in.
"It could just be the fiends got them...but not so many so quickly."
"Sorry I don't know more." Maroda says. Ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh?" he tells me, Pacce trying to hear what's going on.
"What? What? Whatcha all talkin' 'bout?" he says, dancing around. Maroda turns to him, bending down to look him in the eyes.
"We're talking about doing your job as a guardian!" he says, a slight edge of humor to his voice. Pacce just pouts.
"Hey, I'm doing good! Right, big brother?" he says, turning to Isaaru, who nods, before looking back at me.
"Please, be careful." he says, as they start to walk away.
"I will. Don't worry." I reply, walking up the steps and into the Cloister of Trials.
"All right! Guardians, at attention!" Wakka says as I walk in, everyone getting ready for the trials.
"We are ready." Yuna says, and Wakka nods.
"All right, let's do it!" he replies, walking into the trials.
A short while later, maybe 15 minutes at the most, after a lot of sphere placing and removing, pushing pedestals, and almost getting hit by lightning bolts, we make it to the Chamber of the Fayth. The door opens, and I turn to face Yuna, slightly nervous.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to do this?" I ask, and she nods.
"If you are a summoner, which you are, you will be fine." she says, walking inside. I just shake my head slightly, before following her inside, the door shutting behind us.
The inside of the Chamber of the Fayth is much like the main chamber of the temple. Beautifully decorated with murals of the sky, sea, and land. Pictures of people are drawn onto the walls, what I assume are summoners who have defeated Sin before. The whole room has a decidedly solemn air to it, and Yuna and I both fall to our knees, doing the prayer gesture. I follow Yuna's lead, praying softly, and after a moment, the image of a man appears in front of us. The man is a little taller than me, an old man with gray hair and a short, white beard. He's dressed in a green, short sleeved shirt, and a pair of long green pants. A blue wristband is strapped onto his left wrist, and a small blue bag hangs from his side.
"Greetings, summoners. I am the fayth Ixion. You prayed for help to defeat Sin, and I have come. I will grant your wish, and hope that maybe you will finally be the ones to defeat the great beast." the fayth says, and I nod slowly, bowing my head in reverence to the spirit. The man smiles, and moves towards us, holding out his hands. A bright flash of light overtakes us, and a dizzying sensation follows a moment after. Standing up, I almost fall back down again, shaking my head to try and clear the disorienting feeling. I can feel the fayth in my mind, however, and so I know that I have successfully gained my first, self-earned aeon. Yuna smiles softly at me, and I smile back, as we exit the Chamber of the Fayth, still feeling slightly woozy from the endeavor.
As we exit, Yuna falls to her knees, Kimahri at her side in an instant to help her up. As Yuna stands up, I notice Dona and Barthello standing there as well, and whatever dizziness I may have been feeling dissipates immediately, to be replaced by a strong loathing towards the female summoner.
"You owe much to your father." she says, the same cocky tone present in her voice as before. "All these guardians...and Sir Auron too? And I hear Maester Seymour's quite taken with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska." Yuna must feel the same way I do, because she suddenly stands up straight, glaring at Dona.
"This has nothing to do with my father!" she says angrily. "I am traveling on my own, as a full-fledged summoner!" Dona just smirks.
"Oh, is that so?" she says haughtily. "Then try standing on your own two legs for once. Your guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes." she says, entering the door to the Chamber of the Fayth.
"I cannot stand her." I say, beginning to leave the Cloister of Trials as the door closes.
Leaving the temple, I turn to Wakka, stifling a yawn in the process. "Hey, is there somewhere to sleep here? It's kinda late." Wakka looks back at me, pointing over to the west side of the area.
"That's the Djose Inn. We can rest there before we leave for the Moonflow." he replies, and I nod.
"Good." I say simply, walking towards the inn to make our reservation. After talking a moment with the woman at the desk and paying for rooms, everyone walks up to their respective room, hoping to get a good night's sleep. Except for Yuna, I notice.
'Oh yeah, that's right. She stays up all night helping heal and send the fallen.' I think, closing the door to my room. After a short time, I fall onto the bed, preparing for another long walk tomorrow.
The next morning, I get out of bed and head downstairs, seeing the group preparing to leave for the Moonflow.
"We're leaving once Yuna gets here." Wakka says, and Tidus begins to walk towards the temple. I follow, awaiting quite an amusing exchange.
Entering the temple, Tidus looks around a moment, walking in the door to the right, which is empty, before we enter the door to the left, to find Yuna asleep on one of the beds in the room. A woman notices our entrance, and walks up to us.
"She was working until dawn. Healing the sick, sending the fallen." she explains, and we nod, Tidus speaking up first.
"Ok...I guess I'll let her sleep for now, then." he says, as we turn to leave. Yuna gives a short moan and sits up just then, causing Tidus to jump.
"Morning!" he says, waving slightly, and Yuna gasps.
"What? Morning?" she says, looking around frantically, suddenly wide awake.
"Don't worry!" Tidus replies, and Yuna stands up.
"But it's morning!" she exclaims, running around frantically, trying to make herself somewhat presentable to us and the rest of her guardians. "I'm so sorry! I-I'll get ready right away! Just a moment!" I stifle a laugh, but barely, watching Yuna dash around the room.
"Don't worry! It's okay!" Tidus says again, as we leave the room. I finally let out the laugh I've been holding as we walk out of the temple, causing the others to look at me strangely.
"What's the matter with you?" Wakka says, raising an eyebrow.
"You'll see in a minute." I say, between laughing spurts. Yuna races out after a moment, her hair still quite a mess, unbeknownst to her.
"Yo! Sleepyhead!" Wakka calls, Yuna running over to us quickly.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" she says, walking over to Auron and bowing. "Please forgive me."
"Really, there's no rush...here, your hair." Lulu says, causing Yuna to reach up and try to make her hair somewhat decent.
"A summoner with bed hair! What's the world coming to?" Wakka says, causing me to laugh once again.
"You could have woken me up!" she protests, turning to Wakka.
"We called to you, but with all that snoring..." Lulu says, trailing off as Yuna gasps, causing me to laugh harder. Yuna just frowns.
"Hmm...what is it today? Everyone's picking on me!" she says, everyone starting to laugh, except Auron. But, that doesn't last very long, Auron beginning to chuckle as well after a moment.
"Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave." he says, causing me to almost stare in amazement.
"Wow. Auron just cracked a joke? Well, this is just a day of firsts, isn't it." I say, causing Yuna and the others to laugh again.
"Alright, let's go, ya?" Wakka says, as we all start to walk down the path that will take us to the Moonflow.
A couple minutes and a few fiend battles later, we encounter the Chocobo Knights once again. Except, Clasko isn't with them this time.
"Off so early?" Lucil asks, doing the prayer gesture to Yuna. "Lady Yuna, you must be exhausted after working so hard last night. Will you be okay?" she says to Yuna, who giggles, doing the prayer gesture back to Lucil.
"I feel that I have rested enough. But, thank you for your kindness!" she says. "Will you be leaving, too?" Lucil nods.
"Yes, first we cross the Moonflow, and then we head north in search of chocobos to replace the ones we have lost."
"Once we find chocobos, our mounted forces will ride again!" Elma says, excitedly. Tidus takes a moment to look, before stating what is somewhat obvious.
"Huh? Aren't you missing someone?" he asks, as a voice breaks the silence.
"Captain! Waaaaait for meee!" Clasko yells, running in and placing his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
"What took you so long?" Elma asks, turning to the out of breath Clasko. "We're leaving!"
"You expect me to keep up with a chocobo?" he says, between gasps.
"He has a point..." I say, remembering how fast it was to ride them. Lucil just shakes her head.
"Lady Yuna, I wish you good fortune. Elma! Clasko! Let's go!"
"Ma'am!" Elma replies, Clasko looking up pitifully.
"Eh? C-Can't I just rest a sec..." he says, Elma cutting him off.
"No complaints!" she says, as the three of them leave again, Clasko looking as if he's going to faint at any moment. Watching them leave, we continue on after a moment, hoping to reach the Moonflow soon. After a few minutes, we come to a fork in the road.
"Where to next?" Tidus asks, causing Lulu to turn to him.
"We cross the Moonflow." she says simply, Tidus nodding.
"Gotcha. Moonflow, baby, here we come!" Tidus exclaims, and I just sigh, Tidus' enthusiasm beginning to annoy me slightly as we keep walking towards the Moonflow.
Finally, another develepmental chapter out of the way! Next chapter, the Moonflow and Rikku's return! What will happen? Only I know...please, read and review!
