Hey everybody! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, for those who read but didn't review. Anyway, I am updating a bit early for reasons you all know too clearly. But just for those of you who lack the ability to recall that reason, I'll remind you….. IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS YOU JACKASSES!!! There…o.o;;; Anybody who remembers can just ignore that comment, but for those who forgot, read it closely. Well, here is the next chapter. In my last one I made a few spelling errors, I'll be sure not to make any this time.
I want to thank you again Bobbichan, your suggestions previously were a big help if I haven't already said before. I look forward to your future reviews, as I said…..wait….ah to hell with it!! Thanks a fucking, double fucking, lot! n.n
Chapter 17: The Guardians of darkness
Yuna's first action was on impulse. As the claw swept down towards her in an attempt to tear the woman to pieces, a swift bend of her knees allowed Yuna to spring backwards with a second to spare. Although she narrowly avoided certain death, the impact of the claws sent a sudden shockwave through the dune and knocked her standing companions off balance.
The sand split, creating more crevices between them and pulling grains of sand and rock into the cleavage while the trio struggled to keep from falling in. But that became more arduous, for another impact startled them once again as another claw burrowed deeply into the mounds. For a moment they stared in awe, then in fear as the head of creature more massive then the skull of the skeleton they had encountered before arose from the depths. It's lavender eyes glistened with it's own malevolence, it's massive body covered in black fur with jaws that dripped with saliva, long and wide enough to fit 4 grown men within them, the creature was death given form.
Paine, Rikku, and Yuna regained their balance although they did so reluctantly. The fear building inside them exceeded that of the fear experienced when the skeleton figure attacked them. Their bodies trembled, their hands twitched, their lips quivered, and their bravery slunk into the shadows. Now, for the first time, they had the desire flee.
"Hey, umm, guys?" Rikku whispered with a nervous chuckle, overcoming the cracking tone in her voice. " Is it just me or is this thing, like, very big?"
"I'd say it's pretty big." The warrior, Paine, responded while attempting to conceal her anxiety, but did so poorly. Even though she had kept her cool during all of their conflicts, this creature that loomed above them, more massive then the skeleton from Bevelle, the beast that destroyed it, produced an aura so ominous that she could not help but recoil at the chill she delivered from feeling it.
"We don't have to fight it, right?" Rikku inquired with a voice that began to tremble, fearing the thought of being forced into a conflict with a creature that could crush her in an instant with it's gargantuan paw. But more so, she feared the thought of being devoured by it, torn into pieces by it's giant fangs.
"We do Rikku. We have to. If not, then we will never get to Tidus." With the tilt of her head, Yuna responded to her fearful friend with a smile that hid her own anxiety, and with that she turned her head back to face the beast. "We can beat it, I know we can!"
"Well then, that makes one of us." The blonde haired woman gave a response beneath her breath. She did not believe that had the ability to defeat this beast, it's size proved that any harm that they could bring would be nothing more then a scratch. From what could be noticed, it appeared that only half of it's body was visible, and the rest was hidden beneath the darkness below it.
"I guess if we are going to fight this thing, we might as well go ahead and try. If I'm going to die then I'll make sure this thing goes with me." Paine declared valiantly as she drew her sword. The woman would not hesitate to fight it anymore, giant or not, no creature would make her run. Such as it has always been and such as it would remain.
"Oh! Just great! Once this starts we're going to need someone to rescue us!" Drawing her daggers reluctantly, Rikku readied a defensive stance with a whimper. Doubt filled her with negativity, she was fearful, frightened….not ready to die. Her life had not been lived long enough for death to take her, the years to come where looked forward too, she could not lose here.
As the trio prepared themselves with a newfound courage, Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai arrived on the scene following their preparation. The three males marveled at the size of the creature, then shook when it's eyes fell upon them. Pestilent claws lifted from the sands as it's fangs bared while it's snout curled back in hostility. Not something to admire.
"Oh my shit!" Gippal exclaimed while he leaped backwards impulsively in shock. Seeing it from a distance and seeing it up close provided very different emotions. Once where amazement had stood now fright overthrew it. "What the hell?! Damn, fuck it's ugly!!"
"I cannot believe it has been resting beneath Bikanel all this time." Baralai commented in disbelief. Something such as this had gone undetected for many years, and now it has arisen along with the temple which it guarded. "How deeply was it burrowed, I wonder?"
"I have an idea." The Machine Faction leader began to answer. "Too deep? If it's gone undetected I'd say this fuckers was pretty well in there!"
"Yes, if it has avoided all detection, then it was far below the sands." Nooj agreed while a smile, unafraid even though he knew he could die should he face it. But the will to run was dwarfed by the will to stand. "It would have to be settled below deeply if it wished for space to contain it's size."
"Are we going to fight it or discuss about how deeply it was burrowed?" Paine responded with annoyance, somewhat shocked that they would discuss something so trivial. "Let's just stop talking and take it down!"
"Alright!" Yuna concurred with a grin before tilting her head back to Gippal and the others, the smile quickly fading. "We need you three to go get Brother and tell him to attack with the Celsius, with this things size we are going to need some heavy firepower and that airship is just the thing to bring it!"
"As you wish, Yuna." The crippled Nooj obeyed with the nod of his head, turning his back to the fearsome creature before him. "They shall be fine…Let us hurry!" Nooj did not hesitate to leave the girls, knowing of their skills and strengths, he had no reason to fear. So with his command for Gippal and Baralai to make haste, there was no reluctance in his voice, they would be fine and he knew it.
"Stay safe, Paine." Baralai commanded as he lingered, stepping to face the warrior with a look of concern in his eyes before he turned away and sprinted down the sands. Gippal and Nooj pursued shortly after their silent goodbyes.
Now, the three valiant companions stood with determination before their menacing combatant who towered above them. Overhead shrieks filled the air and growls erupted from around as fiends carved their way through the openings of crevices, scampering onto the sand. Jaws snapped, talons stretched, and bodies quivered, yet they refused to withdraw. Together they would stand against all odds, together they would crush any man, or beast, who came between them and their goal. For together, they would rescue Tidus and end the suffering of Spira, once and for all.
In the range of Paine, a nearby Nashorn howled ferociously before the mighty fiend leapt across the sands. The warrior did not await another moments pass, for as the snarling monster closed in upon her, the courageous woman drew the might of her sword upward in a blur, swiftly tearing through the creature's flesh until it's bulking entity collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap.
Rikku shrunk back at the site of the beast that began to disperse into pyreflies as it's blood spilled onto the sands, loosening the hold on her daggers as wave of nausea overtook her, causing her to stumble. With her stomach weak from fright, she could not help but feel sicken by the grotesque image. Meanwhile, as the blonde attempted to ease herself, a Lesser Drake shot upward from the cleavage behind her in a fury. Turning to face it, Rikku's actions came slightly too late, for the pestilent claws of the scaled fiend tore down upon her fragile figure, the claws sinking deeply into her lower abdomen which easily shredded her flesh.
"Ah!" Rikku yelped as the dagger-like nails tore through her gut with flesh clinging to the sides. Blood stained her chest from where the impact had spewed the fluid, dampening her skin. Collapsing to the dune supporting her with hoarse whimper, she recoiled at the site of the Lesser Drake rearing upon it's haunches with roar. A new terror filled her, the terror of dying right then by it's claws. Her face went pale and blood ran cold, her body shook and lip quivered, she knew she was going to die.
While she hugged the laceration on her gut, the distorted sound of gunshots, from Yuna's pistols, came to her acknowledgement over the roars. Watching with excitement over her dread, the beast preparing to finish her stumbled dazedly for many moments as it dropped upon all fours, blood dripping freely from newly opened wounds in it's neck area. It fell feet away from the wounded Al Bhed, and plunged into the darkness of the hole beside her with a final roar.
But all was not well, for Yuna ( Rikku's savior ) was in a peril of her own. Just as the bi-color eyed woman rejoiced over having saved her cousin, she did not heed the hiss of the Kukulcan beside her. Despite Rikku's attempts to warn her, the roar of the fiends was to fierce to be drowned out, and she could only watch in horror as her cousin bounded for her and went unaware of her pursuer.
Cutting through an obstinate Lupus who persisted in annoying her, Paine twirled around excitedly in the direction of Yuna and Rikku, hoping they were enjoying this bout, but became confused at the horror written on Rikku's face. Spotting the wound upon the blonde's gut, Paine felt compelled to attend to her, but ignored that urge for the time being. Something else interested her, the something that had Rikku so frightened. Veering her head in the direction to which the Al Bhed's eyes were adjusted, and grew fearful at the site of Yuna inches away from a glare that could petrify her.
"No! Yuna!" Paine called loudly, only to have it drowned by the roars of approaching fiends and battling diggers. Slashing diagonally to rid herself of an attacking Killer Hound and Hug Bug, the warrior flung herself into the spray of green and purple blood from the deteriorating carcasses, heading for Yuna. Raising her blood-stained sword high above her head, the warrior released a shout of battle as she leapt into the air with the kick of her legs, soaring above the snapping Elder Drake before ramming the apex deep into it's cranium. She hit the ground in a roll as it fell lifelessly.
Paine did not have the time to erect herself, for in moments fiends were upon her. Jaws locked around her arms, tugging violently for the skin to come off while claws shredded her flesh in an instant and blood splashed upon her face and clothing. Yelling out to release the pain, the warrior struggled with everything she was to escape the hold. Kicking her legs against whatever was close enough to kick, swinging her arms despite the sound of skin ripping and flesh tearing off. She had to get to Yuna, but knew she could not.
Rikku, who had grown tired of watching her cousin be chased, blocked out the pain shooting through her as she forced herself to stand and limp. With only one dagger in hand, it would be difficult to combat any attacking fiend in her current condition. But that fact did not matter, she would not let Yuna, who had so much to live for, die here. Just a few more steps and….
"Yunie! Behind you!" The woman finally came within shouting distance, and with that being said collapsed to the ground as everything began to go black and numb.
"Rikku?" Yuna inquired briefly before her body acted in response to her cousin's last sentence, whirling around to confront the fiend approaching her. Avoiding the ray it's massive eye deployed at her, which instantly reduced the patch of sand it collided with to stone, Yuna raised her pistols angrily to the beast. With the pull of her fingers against the triggers, bullets bombarded the lengthy neck of the fiend within seconds, tearing into it's eye and skin. With a shriek it evaporated into nothing and the battle went on.
Yuna fell upon her wounded cousin only moments after the creature's fall, lifting the blonde's head into her lap with a whimper. Her eyes had become bloodshot, cheeks and chest stained with her own metallic tasting liquid, the wound on her stomach still bleed fiercely, showing no signs of stopping. She grew concerned for Paine as well upon seeing Rikku in such a condition, but right now Rikku needed her and Paine would come second.
"Rikku, are you okay? What happened?" Frantically, Yuna questioned her bleeding companion with a cracking voice, fearing she would soon die.
"I wasn't paying close enough attention, Yunie." The blonde responded hoarsely as she rested her head against Yuna's thighs, relying on them for support. "I'll be alright though, don't worry." Regardless of her efforts to mask the weakness she felt, Rikku could not hide the tired tone in her voice and knew Yuna was not convinced.
"Oh, Rikku. I'll get help, don't worry!" Yuna responded as a tear fell down the side of her cheek, wiping it away with the brush of her shoulder.
Yuna chose to ignore the growls drawing louder as fiends of different kinds fell upon them slowly, snapping their jaws and beaks hungrily as the smell of the Al Bhed's blood entered their nostrils. There was too many, Yuna could see that now. Only few had been slain, all high-level fiends, and now she could see how many there truly was. Even the leviathan above her had not moved at all, it still growled with baring fangs, yet made no attempt to attack them, like it had no desire too.
"Yunie…..I…" Before she was given the opportunity to continue, a ravenous Barlivaruha sprang forward for the crowed of massing fiends with wide stretched jaws and bared fangs. With the strength that remained in her body, Rikku flung her free arm upward against Yuna's side and pressed her palm into her ribcage, pushing her unaware cousin to the side. Bringing the hand that held the dagger forward, she stretched outward with all her made, and the fiend fell upon it. But although the beast died instantly, it's fall was not halted, and as a result crashed into the wounded Rikku, sending them both skidding across the sands where dust followed in their wake.
"Rikku!!" Yuna yelled out frantically as she scampered to her feet and ran to the site where the fiend was fading. When the beast became transparent and eventually withered into nothing, the woman cried out at the site of her beloved cousin beaten and bloody before her. All the strength that allowed her to stand reduced to nothing, and upon her knees she fell, placing her hands on Rikku's body.
"Rikku, please, wake up!" Yuna called and called for her beloved companion to awaken, yet she did not stir, she did not breath. Rikku, the one who had always been there for her, her guardian, her cousin, was gone. After all she had done for Yuna, the High Summoner repaid her by giving her death. Guilt weighed her down as did sorrow, Rikku had died saving her.
With tears that fell faster with every passing moment, and whimpers that steadily grew louder, Yuna burst in hysterics at the moment where the fiends strangely drew back. "Rikku!!!!" With a yell that could block out the roars of a million fiends, Yuna's scream drifted on throughout the sands of Bikanel and forever went unheard.
Alrighty, some people are diffidently going to hate me for having Rikku die, but I swear it will all work out In the end! You guys may hate me now, but the ending you will love me for. The story still has about 8 or more chapters to go, chapters that will be very dramatic. So thanks, please review, and I'll see you next time!
Chaotic Heroism