Chapter 3, Gullwings vs. Aeon
Waking up was hard to do. I was so used to just sleeping in so late. I was also expecting to wake up in my own room in my own house on my own planet. How long would I be stuck here in Spira?
I quickly got up and got dressed in my own Syndicate uniform. It was a comfortable set of clothes. I'd have to thank the girls who made it.
Running down towards the main hall I saw that Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi were already there waiting.
"Sorry I'm late." I apologized.
"We weren't waiting long. Now then today we're going to finally stick it to those annoying little Dullwings!" Leblanc declared with passion in her voice.
"Buwahahahahahaha! We gonna give em such a butt kickin they won't soon forget!" Ormi bellowed.
"Where are we heading to?" I asked.
"We've tracked a sphere down to the Mushroom Rock Road located nearby the Youth League's Headquarters. It should be simple to outwit those little girls this time." Logos informed me.
The plan was Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi would fight the three down on the ground while I hid on higher ground and used the range of my rifle to hit them from a distance. I was against the idea of hurting the Gullwings but it wouldn't be fatal shots. They would survive.
We took a hovercraft down to the Mushroom Rock Road. It was a beautiful sight right next to the calm ocean.
I climbed up a series of rocks and was high up enough so I couldn't be easily seen from the ground. I had a small earpiece that I could use to communicate with Leblanc and vise versa.
"I'm in position." I whispered. "Ready when you are boss."
"Keep us in sight but stay within a few yards of us." She told me.
"Boss up ahead I see them!" Ormi shouted. It hurt my ear for a second but then that ringing went away.
"Get ready Aeon." She told me.
I looked through my rifles scope to see a magnified view. The could see them now. It was Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. The three of them had their weapons drawn and ready to fire or slash away at Leblanc.
"Should I fire?"
"Not yet. Wait until I give the signal. If the three of us go down its up to you to take them out anyway you can." She commanded.
"You mean kill them?" I asked swallowing hard.
"I don't want them dead, love. Just rough them up a bit. Send them running."
"Copy that." I said sounding all cool like some military officer.
"Well if it isn't the Dullwings!" Leblanc greeted the trio.
"Fancy meeting the three of you here. You know the Gullwings are gonna walk away with this sphere today." Rikku retorted. She sounded the same or at least through my earpiece. I could hear everything Leblanc could.
"Just let us take the sphere, it'll save you another trip to the hospital." Paine commented.
"Don't be so sure little girls." Logos said. "The boss has a new weapon ready for you."
"Aeon. Fire whenever you want. But for right now just aim right in front of them to scare them a bit." Leblanc ordered.
"Green light!" I told myself aiming a few inches in front of Yuna's feet. I squeezed the trigger and the slug impacted the rocks beneath Yuna's feet sending pebbles into the air.
"What was that?" she said sounding startled.
"A sniper! Be careful!" Paine said looking around for me.
"Shall I?" I asked.
"I said fire at will!" the boss spat at me. I guess even she can get nasty on me.
Taking aim I hit Paine in her right arm just below the shoulder. She clutched the wound. This would make sword fighting for her much harder without the full use of her good arm.
Then I saw the six of them engage in combat. Leblanc created massive winds that stung the three girls and Logos was firing rapidly with his pistols and Ormi was throwing his shield around like it was some pebble.
I didn't have a clear shot at any of them so I took my finger off the trigger and watched through the scope.
However the worst happened. The Gullwings managed to defeat Leblanc and the rest. Now it was all up to me. How was I going to beat the three of them on my own?
I dropped down from my camping point and ran towards them.
"Well I guess this sphere is as good as ours." Yuna said walking up to it. She was then hit by one of slugs right in the stomach and was sent to the ground on her back.
"Yunie!" Rikku shouted to her fallen cousin. The three of them then watched me approach them.
Their eyes scanned me, looking me over from head to toe. They were studying me. It was clear to me they were all surprised to see me.
"Since when did Leblanc hire another goon?" Paine commented still holding her sword.
"The Gullwings I presume!" I said bowing to them. "Call me Aeon. It's not my real name so I'm afraid you won't learn that secret just yet."
"Why are you working for her?" Yuna asked me. I was actually nervous in front of them but just hiding it with big talk.
"She took me in. If she wouldn't I'd be all alone in this world. I'm not from around here as you'd say. Yuna knows what that's like." That comment seemed to spark interest in them.
"Wait how do you know about him?" she asked.
"We've talked enough. Now I'll be taking that sphere for Leblanc now." I said getting my rifle into position for using its attached blade.
Paine ran at me with great speed and swung her blade at my midsection. I guarded it successfully but she was a powerful woman, I felt that blow through my arms despite not being directly hit by it.
She made one error though. The barrel of my gun was still facing her. I pulled the trigger before she could react and sent her to the ground.
"You big meanie!" Rikku screamed wielding her two blades. She too came at me with greater speed than Paine and was prepared to shred me to ribbons.
I could barely avoid her blows. The only reason I could was because she was angry and not as focused. With one large blow with the stock of my rifle to her jaw she too joined Paine in a heap on the ground.
"Please tell me what you know about him." Yuna pleaded as she was now on her knees.
In my fury I was ready to fire at her again but I stopped myself. She had lost the will to fight so she was as good as defeated.
"I'm sorry. I don't know any more about him than you do." I said turning on my heels and picking up the glowing orange sphere on the ground.
Leblanc and her men were on their feet already. They must have found the strength while I was fighting.
"I could have done that." Logos moaned.
"But you didn't! Nicely done love. Now I know how they must feel to win against me." Leblanc boasted proudly taking the sphere from me.
"I'm surprised I did that." I told her.
"Let's get out of here boys!" Leblanc said throwing a small bomb on the ground that exploded in a cloud of smoke. We all ran to safety after that.
We piled into the hover we took to get here and were heading back to Leblanc's Chateau. I was happy we won and got the sphere but kinda sad that I just beat the tar outta the Gullwings.
Once back at the chateau we watched the sphere.
It was a fuzzy image of what looked like some man recording this big festival in Luca. Then he looked around and I saw something shocking.
It was me.
This must have been recorded when I arrived here in Spira. I didn't get a long cameo though as the man must have thought me to be a native of this world. That was the only thing of interest on the sphere.
"Wow. I was in it." I told them. I explained how I believed this was around the time I arrived in Spira, they seemed to buy into it. I was still in my old clothes.
"Well I'm proud of you today Aeon. I see hiring you wasn't a bad move after all. You two should watch your jobs if I were you." The boss told Logos and Ormi.
"You should keep them. With the four of us against the three of them our chances of repeating today are more successful." I informed her.
"As you wish. It's time for my massage so I'll be leaving you two." She said heading to her bedroom.
I too did the same but once I sat on my bed I began to cry. Cry over being away from home, not knowing if I'd return, and I cried because I had just hurt the Gullwings pride.
"I'm sorry." I whispered softly as my face hit the pillow.
Waking up was hard to do. I was so used to just sleeping in so late. I was also expecting to wake up in my own room in my own house on my own planet. How long would I be stuck here in Spira?
I quickly got up and got dressed in my own Syndicate uniform. It was a comfortable set of clothes. I'd have to thank the girls who made it.
Running down towards the main hall I saw that Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi were already there waiting.
"Sorry I'm late." I apologized.
"We weren't waiting long. Now then today we're going to finally stick it to those annoying little Dullwings!" Leblanc declared with passion in her voice.
"Buwahahahahahaha! We gonna give em such a butt kickin they won't soon forget!" Ormi bellowed.
"Where are we heading to?" I asked.
"We've tracked a sphere down to the Mushroom Rock Road located nearby the Youth League's Headquarters. It should be simple to outwit those little girls this time." Logos informed me.
The plan was Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi would fight the three down on the ground while I hid on higher ground and used the range of my rifle to hit them from a distance. I was against the idea of hurting the Gullwings but it wouldn't be fatal shots. They would survive.
We took a hovercraft down to the Mushroom Rock Road. It was a beautiful sight right next to the calm ocean.
I climbed up a series of rocks and was high up enough so I couldn't be easily seen from the ground. I had a small earpiece that I could use to communicate with Leblanc and vise versa.
"I'm in position." I whispered. "Ready when you are boss."
"Keep us in sight but stay within a few yards of us." She told me.
"Boss up ahead I see them!" Ormi shouted. It hurt my ear for a second but then that ringing went away.
"Get ready Aeon." She told me.
I looked through my rifles scope to see a magnified view. The could see them now. It was Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. The three of them had their weapons drawn and ready to fire or slash away at Leblanc.
"Should I fire?"
"Not yet. Wait until I give the signal. If the three of us go down its up to you to take them out anyway you can." She commanded.
"You mean kill them?" I asked swallowing hard.
"I don't want them dead, love. Just rough them up a bit. Send them running."
"Copy that." I said sounding all cool like some military officer.
"Well if it isn't the Dullwings!" Leblanc greeted the trio.
"Fancy meeting the three of you here. You know the Gullwings are gonna walk away with this sphere today." Rikku retorted. She sounded the same or at least through my earpiece. I could hear everything Leblanc could.
"Just let us take the sphere, it'll save you another trip to the hospital." Paine commented.
"Don't be so sure little girls." Logos said. "The boss has a new weapon ready for you."
"Aeon. Fire whenever you want. But for right now just aim right in front of them to scare them a bit." Leblanc ordered.
"Green light!" I told myself aiming a few inches in front of Yuna's feet. I squeezed the trigger and the slug impacted the rocks beneath Yuna's feet sending pebbles into the air.
"What was that?" she said sounding startled.
"A sniper! Be careful!" Paine said looking around for me.
"Shall I?" I asked.
"I said fire at will!" the boss spat at me. I guess even she can get nasty on me.
Taking aim I hit Paine in her right arm just below the shoulder. She clutched the wound. This would make sword fighting for her much harder without the full use of her good arm.
Then I saw the six of them engage in combat. Leblanc created massive winds that stung the three girls and Logos was firing rapidly with his pistols and Ormi was throwing his shield around like it was some pebble.
I didn't have a clear shot at any of them so I took my finger off the trigger and watched through the scope.
However the worst happened. The Gullwings managed to defeat Leblanc and the rest. Now it was all up to me. How was I going to beat the three of them on my own?
I dropped down from my camping point and ran towards them.
"Well I guess this sphere is as good as ours." Yuna said walking up to it. She was then hit by one of slugs right in the stomach and was sent to the ground on her back.
"Yunie!" Rikku shouted to her fallen cousin. The three of them then watched me approach them.
Their eyes scanned me, looking me over from head to toe. They were studying me. It was clear to me they were all surprised to see me.
"Since when did Leblanc hire another goon?" Paine commented still holding her sword.
"The Gullwings I presume!" I said bowing to them. "Call me Aeon. It's not my real name so I'm afraid you won't learn that secret just yet."
"Why are you working for her?" Yuna asked me. I was actually nervous in front of them but just hiding it with big talk.
"She took me in. If she wouldn't I'd be all alone in this world. I'm not from around here as you'd say. Yuna knows what that's like." That comment seemed to spark interest in them.
"Wait how do you know about him?" she asked.
"We've talked enough. Now I'll be taking that sphere for Leblanc now." I said getting my rifle into position for using its attached blade.
Paine ran at me with great speed and swung her blade at my midsection. I guarded it successfully but she was a powerful woman, I felt that blow through my arms despite not being directly hit by it.
She made one error though. The barrel of my gun was still facing her. I pulled the trigger before she could react and sent her to the ground.
"You big meanie!" Rikku screamed wielding her two blades. She too came at me with greater speed than Paine and was prepared to shred me to ribbons.
I could barely avoid her blows. The only reason I could was because she was angry and not as focused. With one large blow with the stock of my rifle to her jaw she too joined Paine in a heap on the ground.
"Please tell me what you know about him." Yuna pleaded as she was now on her knees.
In my fury I was ready to fire at her again but I stopped myself. She had lost the will to fight so she was as good as defeated.
"I'm sorry. I don't know any more about him than you do." I said turning on my heels and picking up the glowing orange sphere on the ground.
Leblanc and her men were on their feet already. They must have found the strength while I was fighting.
"I could have done that." Logos moaned.
"But you didn't! Nicely done love. Now I know how they must feel to win against me." Leblanc boasted proudly taking the sphere from me.
"I'm surprised I did that." I told her.
"Let's get out of here boys!" Leblanc said throwing a small bomb on the ground that exploded in a cloud of smoke. We all ran to safety after that.
We piled into the hover we took to get here and were heading back to Leblanc's Chateau. I was happy we won and got the sphere but kinda sad that I just beat the tar outta the Gullwings.
Once back at the chateau we watched the sphere.
It was a fuzzy image of what looked like some man recording this big festival in Luca. Then he looked around and I saw something shocking.
It was me.
This must have been recorded when I arrived here in Spira. I didn't get a long cameo though as the man must have thought me to be a native of this world. That was the only thing of interest on the sphere.
"Wow. I was in it." I told them. I explained how I believed this was around the time I arrived in Spira, they seemed to buy into it. I was still in my old clothes.
"Well I'm proud of you today Aeon. I see hiring you wasn't a bad move after all. You two should watch your jobs if I were you." The boss told Logos and Ormi.
"You should keep them. With the four of us against the three of them our chances of repeating today are more successful." I informed her.
"As you wish. It's time for my massage so I'll be leaving you two." She said heading to her bedroom.
I too did the same but once I sat on my bed I began to cry. Cry over being away from home, not knowing if I'd return, and I cried because I had just hurt the Gullwings pride.
"I'm sorry." I whispered softly as my face hit the pillow.