As Three Watch On
The morning sunlight spilled into her window as her fitful dream finally concluded. Her dark red bangs blinded her briefly as she sat up from the cot she had set up on the floor. Her hair was still braided from the night before, and it fell lightly into her bosom. It seemed to catch the sunlight, refusing to relinquish it. Her tanned feet peeked out from beneath her blanket, trying to escape the day. She stood up to get dressed, making her bed before she left it.
She walked over to the plain wooden mirror on the wall, the wooden floor of her room creaking beneath her. Her dark brown eyes stared groggily back at her, and she rubbed them vigorously in an attempt to restore life to them. She shook herself from the state of drowsiness and changed into her clothes, which lay in a freshly washed and folded pile by her bed. The white pants came on first, a baggy fit. Then, she slipped on her sleeveless, black shirt, also baggy. Still, it was better than nothing, and though she felt more like a guardian than a summoner with such ragged clothing, she had no other choice. She put on her white moccasins, the soft shoes that would walk many a path in the coming months. Just before walking out of her room, she put on her black, fingerless gloves, the instruments of her summoning.
As she exited her room and walked into the main chamber, her mother greeted her.
"Good morning, Avery," her mother said warmly. "I see you found the clothes I left you. I'm sorry, I know they aren't very becoming, but they were the best I could afford, and………"
"That's fine, Mother," Avery replied. "I understand. Thank you for buying them. I like them, really."
Her mother nodded quietly. "Are you prepared for your pilgrimage?"
Avery hesitated, and replied. "Yes, I suppose I am." She still wasn't sure, what with the weak aeon she had worked so hard to obtain, but there was no turning back at this point anyway. She would have to trust her guardians.
Her mother put a plate of food on the table. "Eat up. You'll need your strength in the next few days."
Avery nodded, and silently sat down and began to eat. She began to think as her mother washed some dishes. It was so typical of her mother to hide things like sorrow. It was her defense system, Avery supposed. Even so, it seemed cold, almost harsh.
"Sirius was looking for you earlier," her mother said abruptly. "He came by about an hour ago, but you were asleep, so I told him you'd meet him in front of the Blitzball Stadium."
Avery nodded quietly. Of course Sirius was the first one to visit her. The other two probably wouldn't be ready to meet her quite yet. They were probably making their last preparations even at that moment. Then again, Sirius' way of preparing was probably fidgeting and anxious pacing. He probably couldn't even get to sleep the night before. He never seemed tired.
Avery finished her meal and stood up. Her mother turned to her, and looked her in the eye.
"I want you to do well," her mother said, a slight break in her voice. Biting her lower lip, her eyes began to blur. "I know you'll make me proud. Please be careful. And please remember………"
Avery placed a hand over her mother's lips. "I know, Mother, I know you love me." Avery looked at her mother and tried to smile, but it was too much, and she looked at the floor apologetically.
Her mother held her hand, and placed a small ring in it. "Take this," she said, hardly able to control her own voice. "I………"
Avery looked down at the ring, a beautiful silver band with a small, bright red ruby in the middle. "Mother………this is beautiful! You should sell this, the money will help you I'm sure………"
Her mother turned away quickly. "I need to get back to the dishes," she said hastily. "Dishes, dishes, I'm up to my neck in them!"
Avery smiled sadly. This was surely the way she would remember her mother. She stepped out of the door, and before she closed it, took one last look, and said goodbye.
On the other side of town, things weren't so calm.
Langston had been awake since very early in the morning, trying to decipher his scrolls one last time. He knew that if he didn't figure out the resurrection spell soon, there would be no time left, and he would have very few chances to study on the road. The revival spell was easily one of the most precious and valuable white magic spells in the knowledge of humanity, and with his summoner's limited income, the party would surely have a difficult time buying Phoenix Downs.
The many scrolls he owned were spread across the floor, and there were so many that there was hardly any space to walk on. The blue concrete of his floor was barely visible. What was a mage to do?
He combed his hand through his wavy, dark blue hair furiously, trying desperately to figure this puzzle out. So far, he'd managed to learn the spells for Fire, Water, Blizzard, Thunder, Cure, and Esuna, but revival enchantment was still evading him. And even without it, there were still so many more spells to learn! He knew he would have to take some scrolls with him, but he couldn't even find the revival scroll, and if he didn't soon it would mean that he would have to bring all of his scrolls with him, an inconvenience that would surely slow the party down.
This was driving him insane! His dark blue robe slipped constantly on the now-paper surface of his floor, and he still couldn't figure out this one letter! Surely, he had enough trouble with trying to figure out which of his wands to bring with him and which bangle would be the most useful without having to stress out over all these scrolls! What was the world coming to?
Finally he found it! The spell for revival was called Life, according to the Yevon scripture he had discovered in the Kilika temple's library. He had just arrived back from his voyage to Kilika, and already he was being forced to leave again. Such hurried situations were certainly not good for his mind.
He rushed through the scroll, barely taking any time to read a vast majority of it. He had at least figured out the incantation and the thought patterns associated with the casting process. Now he had to gather up the scrolls of the spells he had yet to learn, find his best three wands, scour through his belongings to get his Footpath Bangle, and rush to find Avery. Not to mention the amount of meditation he had yet to complete to focus his mind for the strain it would undergo in the months to come!
What was a mage to do?
Meanwhile, an angry Vera popped in and out of the crowds of Luca, pushing her way through the masses.
"Excuse me," she shouted above the chatter of the throng. "I need to get through! All of your lives may depend upon it!"
It was much more difficult than it should have been to pass through the people, as most guardians would have an easy time commanding the respect of the people. Unfortunately, when one's summoner had as little social standing as Avery did, a pilgrimage could easily be hindered.
Finally, Vera made it to her favorite merchant stand – the cheapest. She pushed her glasses up in frustration and glared at the merchant, who had a look of fear on his face at her furious visage.
"I need a Bow of Wind and five quivers of Purity Arrows," she cried over the ruckus. "You had best fill them to the brim."
The merchant nodded shakily. He quickly brought her the wares. "That'll be 3000 gil, please."
Vera blanched at the vendor's audacity. "3000?" she shrieked shrilly. Nearby citizens turned in shock at the sudden outburst.
"You have got to be kidding," she screamed at the seller. "I have been a devoted customer of this stand for years, and you have the nerve to charge me 3000 for a bow and some arrows?" She sneered as the quivering merchant held the quivers.
"2000 for the bow," he stammered. "And 200 for each –"
"What?" she yelled viciously. "2000 for a Bow of Wind? Look at it! The wood's green has almost completely paled! I refuse to pay any less for that wretched bow than 1000!"
The merchant stiffened in shock, and for a moment, almost seemed to have regained his courage. "But, ma'am, I know for a fact that my goods are top quality, and I cannot sell you this bow for less than –"
"Did I say you could interrupt me?" she said, her voice suddenly becoming cold and seething. Many had now come to watch the scene play out.
"Listen here," she practically whispered. "I will not be a victim of your scalper's prices! 1000 or nothing. And 100 for each quiver."
The merchant hesitated, seeing that Vera would not back down. Looking at the floor, he sheepishly uttered, "1500."
Vera squinted at him and took her glasses off. "1250."
The merchant's jaw dropped, but when he saw her without her glasses and with such a harsh glare in her eye, he nodded slowly.
"And the quivers?" she said icily.
"150," he moaned under his breath.
She smiled wickedly and paid the man, picking up her wares and turning to face a crowd that stared at her in shock.
"What?" she spat. "Move along, you Rubber Neckers!"
Although the others certainly had their own worries, Sirius was easily the most nervous of the bunch.
He stared into water at Dock One of Luca. A frightened youth stared back at him. His black hair flopped lazily at his shoulder, and his bangs covered his left eye. He wore a pair of black shorts that were ripped at the bottoms, and covered his knees. His black boots reached just past his ankle, and had spikes on the bottom. His red shirt was short-sleeved, and open to reveal the lean chest he had worked so hard to obtain. Despite the fact that he had worked out to the best of his capability, his muscles were still hardly noticeable. His two-handed blade, a long, thick, red sword with an intricate, golden handle was slung on his back.
Despite all the work he had done to prepare himself for today, behind his intimidating figure, he was petrified. Being a guardian would surely be a difficult task, especially for a summoner as unequipped as Avery. He was always cheerful, always confident, but for the first time, he was unsure of what would happen. Then again, the only way to be sure was to go on and try his best.
He hadn't slept a wink the night before. After an hour of trying to get to sleep, he finally gave up and practiced with his sword some more. He had also worked out the night before. Somehow, he felt all of his preparations had gotten him nowhere. He still wasn't completely confident in his sword skills. After all, he had barely learned how to focus his strength with Empower yesterday. How could he have any hope of helping his allies with just one skill? Langston would surely scold him.
Suddenly, he recalled that he was to meet Avery in front of the Blitzball Stadium. He immediately ran through the crowds, out of the dock, and up the nearby stairs to wait for her.
Finally, Avery arrived. Clad in clothing that almost disguised her true identity as a summoner, and wearing a shining ring that Sirius had never seen, she certainly did look ready to go. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her. At least they were leaving promptly.
"Hey," Avery called out to him. "Sorry I'm late."
Sirius smiled. "No problem. Just glad that you're here."
Avery approached him and asked him if he'd seen the other two. He replied that he couldn't say he had. They both decided to wait for the two remaining guardians.
"You ready to go?" Sirius asked, trying to pass the time.
"Yes, I suppose," she said quietly. It was a lie, of course. She still didn't feel ready. Everything was happening far too quickly. She had only obtained her first aeon a month ago, and still had little idea on how to use it, despite Langston's attempts to tutor her. "As ready as I will be, anyway," she said with a shrug.
Sirius nodded. "I know what you mean," he said in agreement. Without a moment to allow his sentence to sink in, he covered up his cowardice. "Of course, I'm ready for anything, so you don't need to worry about yourself." It didn't sound as confident as he thought it would.
An awkward silence overtook the two of them, and lingered until a tall woman with red boots and skin-tight, yellow pants appeared in front of them. Looking up, Sirius saw Vera.
Her thin blonde hair fell to her shoulders limply, and her thin glasses magnified her bright green eyes. Her hands were at her hips in an impatient gesture. Her long sleeves hung loosely about her wrists, almost covering her hands completely. The sleeves belonged to a shirt that was white with a yellow-lined collar, which wrapped tightly about her neck. She had a green bow slung across her back, along with a quiver and four other quivers lining her red belt.
"Ready to go, kids?" she asked in a stern voice. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can reach the Final Summon in Zanarkand."
Sirius stood up, anxious to leave Luca and get his fears over with. "Let's go!" he said with pep.
"Wait a minute," Avery interrupted. "Where's Langston?"
"Probably busy with something or other," Sirius replied. "Do we really need to wait for him? We've been here long enough as it is!"
Vera have him a look as though the answer to the question were obvious. "Sirius, he's our only mage. His role in this pilgrimage is almost as dire as Avery's! Without a white mage, a summoner party won't last much longer than one temple. And without a black mage, any party is defenseless against many a fiend that will succumb to nothing else but black magic!"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Already with the lectures! Can't we please just move on? Really, we could easily find another mage to help us! Besides, I'm sure Avery could be a mage if she wanted to!"
Avery bit her lip, and shook her head. "I've tried to learn magic in the past. It really isn't for me. Besides, Langston is really an amazing magician, and without him, we'll have quite a time trying to find a new one."
A familiar voice was heard over the clamor of the city. Langston was running toward the three others, with a large sack in his left hand and a white wand in his right. He seemed to be having some difficulty with the bag.
Finally, he made it to the group. "Sorry, everyone," he panted. "I didn't realize we were meeting here! No one ever told me! And I was busy –"
"Forget it," Vera said irritably. "We shouldn't waste anymore time on your excuses. We've got to get going if we want a crack at any of the good temples."
Avery nodded. "Yes, let's go. Where should we go first?"
"Probably Bevelle," Vera answered with assurance. "The aeon there is probably the strongest, and I doubt that any other summoners are there yet to get in our way of the Chamber of Fayth."
Langston shook his head furiously. "Definitely not! The closest temple is in Kilika, and its aeon is just the right strength for Avery to tame."
Vera rubbed her eyes in frustration. "Langston, do you really think that measly fire aeon will help Avery at this late stage in the summoner pilgrimages? The other summoners have surely already made it to Kilika, and are probably going for Djose as we speak!"
"Who cares about the others?" Langston said with equal irritation. "We should be more worried about Avery's safety! The Bevelle aeon is much too powerful for her at this point! She needs to work her way up."
"What do you mean, 'who cares about the others'?" Vera said, now yelling. "If the other summoners make it into the Chamber of Fayth before Avery, do you know how difficult it will be for her to get in? People will have thronged to the temples to catch a glimpse of the summoners. As far as I know, there are two summoning parties right now - Lady Yuna's, and Isaaru's. Both started on similar dates, and Yuna just passed through Luca a week ago, remember? She's been to Kilika recently, and that means that all of her little fans are probably thronging Kilika!"
"Whether or not that's the case," Langston argued coolly. "Avery is not ready for Bevelle, or anything having to do with Bevelle, for that matter! Her best bet is to go to Kilika, and then try to make it to Djose. Maybe we can stop at the temple in Mi'ihen on the way – I hear Yuna missed that dusty old place."
Vera shrugged. "What do you want, Avery?"
Avery pondered, then spoke. "If it's okay with you, Vera, I'd like to try Langston's plan, please."
Vera nodded. "Whatever the summoner wants. Of course, we'll have to buy tickets for a boat to Kilika, and I don't know exactly how we'll make that kind of money."
Sirius spoke up. "Man, what would you guys do without me?" he said, a handful of gil poking into the group. "I was just at Dock One, and apparently, they're having a sale in honor of the Luca Goers' victory. Tickets are only 500 gil per person over there! I have just enough for each of us."
Vera looked at the coins for a moment, and agreed. "Although I would love to save our money for more important things like supplies, I suppose it's the only way. We'd have to pay for a ship to Bevelle, anyway, I guess."
Avery nodded and smiled. "Okay, then let's go!"
Upon boarding the boat, the four soon realized just why the tickets had been on sale. The boat had obviously seen better days. Its wooden deck was deteriorating, with holes here and there. The mast had been torn and sown back together, and the cabins were tight fits for two, let alone four. Still, it was quite luxurious to a girl such as Avery.
"So," Sirius said nonchalantly as each person sat on their own bed – the room had two bunk beds. "What have you each done to prepare?"
Vera responded just before Langston had a chance to. "Well, for starters I bought a new bow and new arrows. My old set had seen better days. I managed to persuade a merchant into giving me a Wind Bow and five quivers of Purity Arrows for just 2000 gil."
"Oh," Sirius said with fascination. Melee combat always intrigued him, especially when hearing about it from one as experienced as Vera. "What do those do?"
Vera smiled at his interest. "The Wind Bow deals extra damage to fiends with hard shells, almost like a piercing effect. However, the Purity Arrows are my real secret weapon – they deal heavy damage to fiends that use dark magic, such as undead monsters and certain flans. More importantly, they can slightly increase the defenses of an ally – but at the cost of some HP of that ally, of course."
Sirius blinked. He was truly fascinated.
Langston shrugged. "We won't be needing your arrows' protection as long as we have my magic," he said gloatingly. Vera and Sirius both rolled their eyes. Neither had any appreciation for magical arts.
Avery suddenly became as interested as Sirius had been. Although she had no talent for magic, Langston's prowess in the area had always earned her respect and admiration. "What magic have you learned lately, Langston?"
Langston grinned at her curiosity. "Well, since I knew I would have to learn a lot of magic for a party in which I would be the only magician, I've been working harder than usual lately. I've learned the spells for Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Water, as well as the healing spells of Cure and Esuna. Oh, and I just recently learned how to cast Life. I've brought along some of my scrolls with me. While we travel, I plan to study the arts of support magic, specifically the powers that affect speed and defense."
Avery smiled. "I'm sure you'll be of tremendous help during this pilgrimage."
Vera nodded. "I must admit, your assistance will be greatly appreciated."
Sirius interrupted. "Well, I've been preparing too! I just finished making my own custom sword – I call it Bloodbath! The red blade makes up for its inaccuracy by dealing critical blows, and the Gold Handle causes the blade to be lighter than it normally would be." He grinned.
"That's nice," Vera said sarcastically. "How about you, Avery?"
Avery looked at the ground. She hadn't summoned her aeon since her first battle with it, which Vera had been present for. An awkward pause filled the room.
"You mean you haven't prepared at all, Avery?" Vera said in a stunned voice.
"You know, Avery," Langston scolded. "A summoner's best defense is his or her own strength! You can't hope to survive just by hiding behind us, and there will be a time when you'll have to stand up on your own two feet."
Avery shrugged. "I know," she said sheepishly. She really had wanted to become stronger, but she still had doubts about the pilgrimage. Would she really be able to tame so many wild beasts when she'd worked so hard to gain this one? The fayth had already been reluctant enough to bestow her with this measly power. How could they trust her with even greater might?
Sirius noticed how uncomfortable she was, and decided to help out. "Look, everyone's tired right now," he said calmly. "Why don't we all just get some rest? We're going to need it for tomorrow's temple, anyway."
Hesitantly, Vera and Langston nodded. Avery smiled at Sirius' kindness, and they each lay down to rest, sleeping for the next day's trials.