Talking is overrated. Straight to the replies we go, ya?

Iron Reaver: First point. I will SLAY the law ninjas. Second, it was supposed to be mushy. It's a sappy moment. And third, long as I put a disclaimer withthem saying I don't own them, they're useable. So ha, ha, and did I mention, HA?

ninfan: Welcome to Destiny's Call, ninfan! If you want to see Ben's bio, go to my profile, and click on the 'homepage' link near the top. One of the blog entries on my site is Ben's bio.

Daniel Wesley Rydell: (In restaurant worker voice) We don't serve those here, you'll have to go to the one in Luca for those.

FFfanboyX: (Calmly summons Bahamut, who obliterates all the fiends with a Mega Flare) Okay, now. To answer your question, which I am sorry for forgetting...the others have already found out I'm not from this world, but the details as to how I know everything about Spira will be left unsaid. Ben, in the story, is how I think I would act if I were actually dragged into Spira. So, yes, I do somewhat have a crush on Rikku. Though, Yuna is my favorite character from FFX, actually.

SS5Matt: You'll have to wait till the end to find out. I'll read your story, too, if I get the chance, once you get it up.

Auron's Fan: Hehehe, gotta love singing 1000 Words at 2 in the morning. My family already thinks I'm insane, so it wouldn't worry them too much. And no, Lenne isn't Ben's guardian angel.Ben's just...how shall we say, overly curious about what has yet to happen. Which leads to interesting things happening.

desert-tiger: You got it.

: Welcome to Destiny's Call, whoever you are! Heh. Mind giving me a name to call you by, if you continue to review? Makes things easier. And, as I told Matt above, you'll have to wait to find out.

Alright, now, on to the Calm Lands!


Chapter 32—Silence Before The Storm

"Ugh...morning already. Gah..." I mumble to myself, waking up and looking around. Most of the others are awake now, preparing to head into the Calm Lands, which lie just beyond our current location.

"Let's go, everyone." Yuna says, looking towards the path leading to the Calm Lands.

"You're awfully cheerful this morning." I say, stretching slightly, and re-attaching my katana and wakizashi to my back and side, respectively.

"Yes...I suppose I am." Yuna says, smiling.

"Well, better to be happy." I tell her, turning and walking towards the path, stopping a short distance from it.

"We're going?" Tidus asks, and I nod.

"Yeah." I say simply, as Yuna and Auron begin to walk down the path, everyone else behind them. Tidus and I look at each other for a moment longer, before following them towards the open plains of the Calm Lands.


"The Calm Lands." Lulu says as we arrive, motioning towards the vast, open area. "Long ago, the high summoners fought Sin here. The road ends here. Beyond, there's no towns, no villages. Only endless plains."

"This is it...Mount Gagazet lies beyond, and then...then Zanarkand." I say, looking out over the area.

"Many summoners stray from their path and lose their way here." Auron explains, looking at the rest of us.

'And I have to find Tidus and Yuna's weapons while we're here, too...' I think to myself, beginning to walk down the incline towards the lower part of the area. The Calm Lands are huge, easily several miles in length. Hills surround the area, and the towering Mount Gagazet lies beyond a small, almost unseeable rope bridge at the other side. Noticing no one is following, I stop, and begin to walk back to the others. Yuna looks up at the sky, before suddenly falling to the ground, lying on her back and staring at the clouds.

"I've always known where to go." she says, Tidus walking up beside her and looking down.

"I...I won't let you die. I'll find a way, somehow." he tells her, extending a hand to help her up, which she takes. Tidus pulls her back to her feet, and she smiles, before beginning to walk down onto the plains.

"Let's go." she says to us, everyone beginning to follow her down.

As we walk across the Calm Lands, I utter a silent prayer. Thankfully I loved to walk back home, because the distance is not exactly what most would consider a short trip. No one really seems to be concerned with the distance right now, though. Everyone seems to have other things on their minds, and I can't really say I blame them. Blinking, I look ahead, and smile.

"Finally. A place to rest." I mutter to myself, seeing a small shop ahead in the distance, maybe a half mile from where we are now.

It takes another couple minutes, but we eventually reach the shop.Getting a chance to relax before starting the second half of the trip along the plains is always a good thing. As we arrive, an older man walks up to us, wearing the robes of a priest or monk. Lulu's eyes widen a little as she sees him.

"Father Zuke!" she says, looking in his direction, the elderly man walking up to her.

"Long time no see." he tells her, nodding, before turning to face Yuna. "You are Yuna?" he asks, and she nods. "Hmm...you certainly don't look like Maester Kinoc's murderer." At this, my eyes go a little wide. I'm not the only one; Wakka and everyone else, besides Auron, seem to be shocked over this.

"What'd you say?" Wakka asks in disbelief.

"Please, tell us what has happened!" Yuna insists, looking at Father Zuke.

"Maester Mika just issued a personal order, you know. It says that you and your guardians murdered Maester Kinoc and fled. We are to kill you on sight, or so it says." he explains, and I clench a fist.

"It wasn't us...it was that no-good excuse for a Guado, Seymour, that killed Kinoc! Mika's trying to pin this on us, to save his fellow Maester...the dirty fiend!" I say, more than a little angry at the news, even though it was to be expected. Nodding, Father Zuke turns to me.

"As I said, Yuna does not look like the person who murdered Maester Kinoc. I had figured that something was amiss myself." he says, as Auron turns to him.

"What of Bevelle?"

"Things are calm on the surface, but the depths are turbulent. After the death of Maester Kinoc, Kelk Ronso left Yevon."

"Convenient. Getting around will be easier with Yevon in disarray." Auron replies, giving a short nod of acknowledgment.

"But be careful, my friends." Father Zuke says, turning to the rest of us. "You have been branded enemies of Yevon. You should avoid temples for the time being."

"Thank you, Father Zuke, for your warning." Yuna says, bowing respectfully.

"Father, you came all the way here just to tell us this?" Lulu asks, facing the older man.

"To tell the truth, I was a bit curious to see...this summoner you are guarding. I hope her pilgrimage goes well. For your sake, too."

"Thank you, Father." Lulu says, giving a short nod.

"I must be off. I shall pray for all of you." Father Zuke says, doing the prayer gesture. Lulu, Yuna and I do it as well, as the older man walks off.

"Who was that?" Tidus asks Lulu, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Until half a year ago, he was a summoner. Wakka and I were his guardians." she explains, Wakka stepping up beside her.

"It was kind of a short pilgrimage." Wakka says, looking at Lulu.

"He gave up halfway. Here, on this plain. Now, he is a monk at the Bevelle temple. This is my third pilgrimage as a guardian. Father Zuke was my second. And my first, well...it ended here, too. I've never been to the lands beyond. Mount Gagazet towers to the north, and Zanarkand lies beyond that."

"So...it's almost over." I mutter to myself, walking over to the front of the shop, and looking around at the ground.

"What's up, Ben?" Tidus asks, walking over.

"I'm looking for something...another legendary weapon is here. But, I'm not quite sure of the exact place." I say, continuing to stare at the ground. Finally, I shrug, and point a palm at the ground. "Blizzara!" The ice shard slams into the ground, throwing dirt up in a small area, and I frown, seeing nothing. Suddenly, a small glint catches my eye, and I bend down, to see the corner of what appears to be a treasure chest underneath the surface. Smiling, I cast another two Blizzara spells on the ground around the chest, before beginning to dig with my hands.

"What did you find?" I hear Yuna ask, and I look up, to notice everyone standing around me. Standing up, drawing my sword, and smashing the lock on the chest, I reach inside and pull out a beautifully crafted staff, the top almost looking like a butterfly, a bright orange and gold. The length of the staff is blue, and two small, golden cords are attached to the staff, right below the top design.

"This...is Nirvana. This is your legendary weapon, Yuna." I say, handing the staff to Yuna, who gasps.

"This...is mine...?" she asks, slowly accepting the staff.

"Yeah. It is." I say simply, looking over at her. Yuna looks at me for a moment, then at Nirvana, then back at me. Suddenly, Yuna takes her old staff, and hands it over to me. "What? Yuna, why are you giving me this?" I ask, thoroughly confused.

"You should take it. I have this staff now. Besides, you're a summoner too, you know?" she says, and I pause, letting what she just said sink in. Nodding slowly, I take the staff from her, looking at it, before smiling.

"Thanks, Yuna." I say, grasping the staff in my right hand. "Well, Tidus, looks like you and I are the odd guys out, huh?" I say, chuckling slightly.

"Suppose so." he says, looking around, not really seeming to be focused on anything.

"We should go now." Yuna says, facing towards the bridge leading to Gagazet. Nodding, everyone looks once at the shop, before we walk off towards the mountain's entrance.


"Wait a moment." I say suddenly, looking over and noticing a small path, leading down into the canyon.

"What is it?" Yuna asks, stopping and facing me.

"The final legendary weapon..." I mutter, walking towards the canyon. "You guys can just wait here, won't be but a second." I say, descending into the canyon, Everyone, to my surprise, stays instead of following me. The chasm is quite large, and soI can't help but wonder what caused such a large gash in the plains. An attack from Sin long ago? Or maybe one of the Final Aeons attacking?

"No...wait...I remember now. One of the high summoners a few hundred years ago did this, during his fight with Sin." I say to myself, looking around. The chest is nowhere to be found. "Must be deeper down the chasm." I mutter, walking farther. The chasm appears to go the entire way through the Calm Lands, and I realize that I could be walking for quite a while. "Tidus, why did your weapon have to be in the worst location..."

After a minute of walking and searching, I finally come across an indentation in the chasm wall. Sitting inside of the niche is a treasure chest, which looks like it would be gold, but years of dirt and rock around it have given it a dull brown color. Breaking the lock, and lifting the dusty lid, I sigh in relief, as I pull out a long sword, blue in color. The entire blade is a shimmering blue, much like Tidus' Brotherhood, but with a silver edge. The handguard has a golden design over it, and the handle is long enough to accommodate use with two hands, but it appears to be able to be wielded one-handed as well.

"The Caladbolg. Last of the legendary weapons. Finally." I say, turning around, shouldering the sword and heading back towards the exit of the chasm.

"Well?" Tidus asks, a look of curiosity on his face as I walk back up the incline to the plains. That is, before he notices the sword that I'm carrying.

"This is the Caladbolg. Tidus, this is your weapon." I say, handing the sword to him.

"Wow..." he mutters, examining the weapon. "Thanks." Giving a small nod of acknowledgment, I turn to Yuna.

"That's it. Ready to go again." I tell Yuna, who nods slowly, beginning to lead us once again towards the towering form of Gagazet.


Finally, about 15 minutes later, we reach the wooden bridges that will take us over the chasm, and to Mount Gagazet. Crossing the first one, I steal a glance back at the Calm Lands, knowing it'll be the last time I see it. Such a peaceful place.

"Halt!" a voice cries, making me turn back around, only to come face to face with a duo of Guado.

"Summons from Lord Seymour! Come with us!" the second shouts, and Yuna steps forward.

"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour!" she yells, Tidus stepping up beside her.

"Yeah, so out of our way!"

"Lord Seymour's commands must be obeyed. You will come!" the first says, as the second nods.

"I warn you, the maester doesn't need you alive." Motioning to a path, the second Guado follows the first back towards Gagazet, as a large, golem-type creature ascends the path.

(Play Chrono Trigger theme Black Omen)

"Defender X...oh boy." I mumble, gripping the staff tightly. Magic will probably be my best bet here, as melee doesn't exactly look like it'll do a whole lot against this thing.

"Hmph." Auron grunts, raising his sword up. "Armor Break!" Running in, Auron brings his sword down, the Defender moving a little, but a visible crack in its body now appearing.

"One effective attack...Thundara!" I cry, blasting a bolt of lightning magic at the fiend. Lulu follows suit a moment later.

"Blizzaga!"

The two magic attacks slam into the Defender X, who makes a noise sounding like a grunt, before lumbering over to me, and swinging a massive fist. Trying to dodge, I'm not quite quick enough, and get slammed back into the ground, the wind completely gone from my lungs. Auron takes another strike, as does Tidus, but Auron is also hit by the massive fiend. As it turns to Tidus, it raises one fist, and grips its wrist with the other hand. After a moment, the fiend's hand flies off, slamming into Tidus, before moving back towards the fiend of its own accord, and reattaching itself.

"Holy!" Yuna's magic spell slams into the Defender X with great force, and it stumbles back, before lumbering forward to Yuna, and throwing a punch, knocking the summoner off her feet, and onto the ground to join the rest of us. Wakka quickly runs over to her aid, kneeling down beside her.

"Yuna!" Kimahri growls, raising his spear, as rays of light transfer themselves from the Defender to Kimahri, restoring his health and magic power. Standing up straight, Kimahri sprays a hail of bubbles at the fiend, each one striking, and forcing the fiend to step back. Kimahri then presses the attack, giving the rest of us a chance to stand back up, and continue an assault.

"Power Break!"

"Thundaga!"

"Blizzara!"

Auron darts in, striking down at the fiend, causing another crack on its body, as another bolt of lightning and a shard of ice slam into the fiend as well. Tidus looks quite angry now as he races towards the Defender X.

"Take this!" he yells, bouncing off the fiend and slashing his sword in mid air, a rain of energy waves flying from it to land under the Defender X as the ground suddenly explodes, vaulting the creature off its feet with a sickening thud. Everyone stops, waiting to see if the creature is finished. Unfortunately, the Defender X is more resilient than that, and slowly gets up, its large bulk working against it.

"That's it..." I mutter, putting my staff away for the moment and drawing my katana. "Renzokuken!" Runningtowards the fiend, I give a battle cry, before slashing furiously at the fiend's chest several times. The fiend flinches a little with each one,before I jump back, energy lacing around my body as I figure out an idea on the fly.

"Overdrive Reels!" Focusing, I pick the move I want and sheath my sword, bringing my staff back out. "Time to feel the cold." I say, holding my staff up, before mimicking Yuna, dropping into a crouch as ice crystals slam into the ground behind me. The form of Shiva appears inside, before the crystals shatter, the aeon stepping up beside me. "Diamond Dust." I order, Shiva holding two fingers up, before spinning and firing a wave of ice, freezing the Defender X solid. Smiling, Shiva snaps, as the ice enclosure suddenly bursts, sharp, magical ice shards cutting the Defender's body up.

"Enough!" Auron yells, thrusting a hand forward, and drawing his sword back. Moving back to a straight standing position, Auron takes the jug off his belt, and takes a small drink, before spitting the liquid onto his blade. Holding the blade up, it suddenly bursts into flames, as circles of black, magical symbols fly around the blade. As the flaming blade begins to glow brighter, Auron slashes downward into the ground, three balls of black energy flying up from the point of impact. Slamming into the Defender, the black balls cause the fiend to stumble back, setting it off balance for the next attack.

"Blizzaga!" Lulu cries, a large shard of ice sailing through the air and into the Defender, piercing its chest slightly, and Yuna raises her staff up.

"Holy!" she yells again, the balls of light slamming into the Defender which finally falls, dissipating into pyreflies after a moment.

(End Chrono Trigger theme Black Omen)

"Is everyone okay?" Yuna asks, as we regroup. Nodding, everyone looks at her, and she gives a sigh of relief. "Maester Seymour has gone too far..." she mumbles, and I nod, remaining silent for the moment.

"We need to continue onwards to Gagazet." Auron says, turning towards the entrance to the mountain.

"Yeah. We should keep moving." I say, as Auron and Yuna take the lead, leading us all into the cold, icy heights of Mount Gagazet.


Now, onwards to Ronso territory! Kimahri won't be very happy to return...but that's next chapter. As always, please review!