Hm...chapter 6, at long last. Without delay, the replies!
Daniel Wesley Rydell: If you say so.
Iron Reaver: (cough) No. I will think out loud. A lot. And yes, you have a penchant for causing trouble. ...And how could you not spell Pacce right!
asuka-kazama-mishima: Actually...no...I'll give you that. She has absolutely no relation to Lenne other than looks. You'll find out later. And are you referring to Carrie Tremont? If you are, not yet...but Iron Reaver will be doing an FF9 story that she will be in.
Auron's Fan: Yep. I'm a paradox. It's just me, I promise. And Lenna...you'll find out later.
Bracey Face Anime Gurl: Drante was fun to write. He's so calm. And Lenna...about the same. Calm characters are fun to write.
XxCougarxX: One of the best lines...but not quite THE best line in the game, in my opinion. One line beats it, which'll be next chapter. And as Lenna isn't my own character, but rather borrowed from a friend for this story, name spelling wasn't my decision.
desert-tiger: Oh, that's the end of the OCs. Except for maybe a cameo or two for plot development.
MoombaRave: Yup, you're right. I won't. And 7500 Gil is a lot for a half-sphere, but we needed that.
Arachnid: Hm. After this chapter, you will probably be able to figure it out. If you can't, I'll tell ya next chapter.
Now, finally, on to the chapter!
Chapter 6—Secrets
"Kilika...works for me," I say, shrugging. Yuna just nods, turning around and walking back towards the bridge. The whole discussion before my statement was really about what we should do now. Yuna wanted to explore the whole of Spira, one place at a time. Everyone else was for it, so I guess I may as well go along with it too. Kilika is to be the first place we visit.
"Ben." The voice is almost as cold as ice, which lets me know immediately who it is.
"Paine. What's up?"
"I want a word with you," she replies, and at this I quirk an eyebrow. Paine isn't much for talking, so it must be something somewhat important.
"Sure. What's on your mind?"
"I've been thinking, and I've decided that I want to spar with you. To test how well I measure up to someone as experienced as you." That statement caught me off guard. And I mean really off guard.
"Okay, why me? Why not Yuna? She's more experienced than I am," I reply, no small measure of shock coming across my face.
"Yuna isn't a warrior," Paine replies. "She has the experience, but she lacks focus and discipline." I find myself agreeing with Paine, though still hard-pressed to admit it.
"...Alright. Fine. You want to spar, fine with me. When and where?"
"Right now. There's a cargo hold here that has nothing in it, for the most part. It's a large, open area. Perfect, wouldn't you agree?" Her voice seems to now be filled with a slight degree of anticipation. I recognize it immediately, because I've felt the same way. The anticipation of having a worthy fight, to test your mettle against that of a potentially superior opponent, and come out on top.
"Let's go, then," I say, spherechanging into Warrior and following Paine down to the cargo hold.
As we enter the hold, I notice the surroundings are much like a small warehouse of sorts. Small crates line parts of the walls, and various doors lead to other, smaller rooms within the main area.
"Are you ready?" I ask, drawing my sword and dropping into a balanced offensive and defensive stance. Paine just nods, drawing her sword and taking an offensive stance. Neither of us move for a moment, before Paine charges, a rising slash flying up towards me at the last second. I'm already moving out of the way, and I bring my sword up from the ground as well, Paine twisting out of the way of my mirrored attack.
Paine spins then, her sword coming around in a cleaving arc, which I duck, only to be met with a boot to the face as Paine's straight kick sends me flying back. Standing up again, I wipe some blood from my mouth, and drop into an offensive stance once more.
"Oh, you wanna use fists and feet too..." I mutter, charging her with my sword held parallel to the ground, and out from my side. As I charge, I jump into the air, a spinning kick meeting nothing but the blunt side of Paine's blade, knocking it out of the way. My blade comes around to be ducked by Paine at the last moment, before she thrusts a palm into my chest, making me step back. Grinning, I sheathe my sword and take up a martial arts stance, Paine looking at me like I'm insane.
"Come on," I say, motioning to her to advance. Paine charges then, a quick slash evaded by me, before I smash a fist into her stomach, causing her to wince, but not move. A second punch hits her shoulder, before I have to duck the slashing blade again. A quick reversal by Paine cuts a long gash across my leg, though, and I move backwards, wincing in pain.
"You're good," she tells me, and I chuckle.
"You seem to be better," I reply, smiling. Paine just smirks, charging me once again. This time, I'm ready. Stepping back from the horizontal slash, I move around her, before snapping my foot into the back of her knee, knocking her down to a kneeling position, then slashing my foot across the middle of her back. Paine falls to the ground, and I step back as she gets up.
"A nice tactic," she says, and I nod, accepting the compliment.
"Yeah, you're good. You know how to use my agility against me, reversing direction quickly after I evade to keep me off balance," I reply, drinking a Potion quickly to heal my leg. Paine sheathes her sword and turns to leave, only to meet the inquiring face of Yuna, who apparently had been watching us for some amount of time.
"What are you looking at?" Paine asks, and Yuna steps back, letting the girl pass.
"I was just watching you two fight," she replies, and Paine doesn't seem to make a sign of acknowledgment, instead simply continuing to walk out of the cargo hold. Sighing, I walk over to Yuna.
"How much longer till we hit Kilika?" I ask.
"Only about 5 more minutes. We're almost there."
"Alright. I'll be in my room," I say, walking out of the hold and back to my room.
A few minutes later, Brother's voice comes over the intercom.
"Ehlusehk tydy! Gullwings, du ouin cdydeuhc!" Sighing, I spherechange to Gunner and run out of the room, headed to the Bridge. When I arrive, Buddy is typing furiously on the console in front of him.
"Rao, yfacusa," he says.
"What's awesome?" Rikku asks.
"We're getting reports of an 'awesome sphere'? Looks like it's already drawn quite a crowd. The reports are from Kilika Woods." Yuna's face lights up, and she grins, turning to the rest of us.
"I want that sphere."
"It's as good as ours!" Rikku exclaims, pumping a fist into the air. "Let's scramble!"
"Who is the leader? I am!" Brother cuts in, glaring at Rikku. "I give the orders around here!"
"We're listening," Paine says calmly. That seems to calm Brother down, and I chuckle silently.
"Let's go! Party! Party!" he says, and we all nod, heading for the exit as the Celsius sets down outside Kilika Port.
As we exit the airship, I take a moment to look around at Kilika. Two years ago, the entire place was destroyed by Sin. Now, the entire port is bustling with activity, having been rebuilt even bigger and better than before. People are moving from place to place, and the port is generally quite busy when we step out onto one of the docks.
"I wonder what this 'awesome sphere' is like," Yuna says, turning to Rikku.
"Well, it's definitely awesome!" she replies, sounding quite excited. Yuna giggles, smiling broadly.
"It will be, won't it!" she says, Paine simply shaking her head and walking ahead of us.
"Keep this up and someone will beat us to it," she tells the duo, who stop immediately and follow her. Sighing, I shake my head and follow the trio of girls. A minute later, we come across a large wooden gate, blocking the entrance to Kilika Woods. The guards seem to recognize Yuna, unsurprisingly, and open the gate for us to pass through. The gate shuts behind us as we walk inside, and we come upon a large group of people, with a figure approaching in the distance.
"These are all sphere hunters?" Yuna asks, Paine shaking her head.
"I don't think so," she replies, and I nod.
"Paine's right. These aren't all sphere hunters," I tell her, as the man who was approaching finally steps in front of the group. It appears to be an older man, dressed in a red outfit and carrying a curved walking stick. His long brown hair is tied back into a ponytail, and a pair of spectacles adorn his face, giving him a distinguished look.
"Nooj," Paine says, recognizing the person. Nooj looks over the crowd for a moment, then begins to speak.
"Greetings, friends! An important sphere is hidden in Kilika Temple. A sphere documenting the true history of Spira. We are here today to demand that New Yevon make the contents of that sphere public. Yet, as always, the voice seeking truth goes ignored. My friends, I ask you: why? Because New Yevon wants to hide the truth! Just as the temples did before them! I tell you now, this has gone on long enough! My friends, stand with me, and together we will bring the truth back to the people." As Nooj finishes speaking, the people let out a collective cheer and applause, and Nooj raises his hand to silence the crowd.
"But...let's not overdo it. Our opponents aren't as young as they used to be," he says, chuckling. Most of the people laugh at the joke, before Nooj turns and walks back into the woods, the group of people following him. Yuna and Paine turn to each other.
"Not exactly what I had expected," Yuna says, her voice sounding a little disappointed.
"Hey, that's our sphere!" Rikku says, still watching the group of people walk away. "Oh, poopie!" she exclaims, turning to us. "So, what now? Call it quits?"
"Don't know about you, but I could use an awesome sphere," Paine says, crossing her arms and looking at the other two, the beginnings of a smirk crossing her face. Yuna smiles, seeing what her friend is implying.
"Hmm...okay! They can't decide who it belongs to? I say we make it our own. Right?" she says, and we all nod.
"Right!" Rikku and Paine say, as the trio give each other high fives. I simply draw my pistols, ready for anything, and start to make my way into the forest. The three girls follow me a moment later. As we walk into the woods, we come across a guard at a bridge, keeping a few angry people from crossing. A second guard walks up behind him, helping him to maintain order.
"Hand over the sphere! The temples have controlled Spira's secrets long enough!" one angry man yells, waving his fist at a guard. The guard doesn't flinch, however, the citizens not being armed.
"Spheres? Secrets? What's this about?" the guard asks.
"Don't play dumb! We know you're guarding something!" another yells, the second guard speaking up now.
"Hey! We're here to guard our families from rabble like you."
"What did you say?" a third says, angry at the comment. The guard just steps in front of the man and the other guard, facing the people.
"I think it's time you left," he says, waving the people off. The people are reluctant to leave, but do so, apparently electing to find another way through. Stopping, I turn to Yuna and the others.
"Looks like if we're getting in, we're fighting our way in. No sneaking around this," I say, and Yuna looks a bit hesitant, before nodding. Continuing to walk along the path leading towards the temple, we come across a trio of guards blocking the path. Stopping, I examine the trio for a moment, before deciding the best way to approach it. Yuna and the others do the same, then run in, Yuna snapping off a pair of shots which make two guards drop their guns. I draw one of my pistols and fire, the third dropping his weapon just as Paine and Rikku smash into them. Paine throws a right hook which sends one guard to the ground, and Rikku slams the handle of her daggers into the second guard's face. Yuna turns and shoots the final guard, sending him down in a heap, and we quickly run past them, leaving the guards behind before they can call for help.
"Yeah...that worked well enough..." I mutter, running up some of the steps, before we come face to face with another duo of guards. Shaking my head, I barrel headlong into them, my foot slashing out to catch the one on my right in the chest, as Paine's foot knocks a guard clear off his feet to land a foot or two away. Spinning, I quickly level the other guard with a spinning heel kick, before racing up the stone steps and stepping onto the platform where we fought Sinspawn Geneaux 2 years ago. Dona and a group of others are there, facing a priest of some sort, and more guards. Standing back, we listen intently to what appears to be the end of a conversation between Dona and the priest.
"Which is why I keep telling you..."
"Shut up. Just give us the sphere and we'll be on our way," Dona says, interrupting the man and holding her hand out.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the priest says defiantly. Suddenly, a person comes running down the steps, a sphere in hand, apparently found inside or near the temple.
"Hey! I found the sphere!" the man yells, and Dona turns back to the priest, a somewhat condescending look on her face.
"There you have it," she says, gesturing towards the man. Suddenly, before anyone else can do anything, a rumbling noise can be heard and felt, and it seems to be getting closer.
"What's that?" Dona asks, looking around for the source. Suddenly, a large, stone golem lumbers onto the platform, stepping up beside the priest to face Dona. Most of the people run away, but the man with the sphere and one or two others stay behind.
"I had a little something prepared for just such an occasion. Nice knowing you!" the priest says, and I glare, growling and stepping towards the priest.
"You're willing to endanger lives for the sake of a sphere? You're going down, you jerk!" I yell, charging the priest as Yuna, Rikku, and Paine charge the golem, YSLS-Zero.
(Play Ben's Theme, Sandstorm)
"Insolent boy! Fire!" the priest yells, a Fire spell rocketing towards me. Quickly, I grab both my pistols and roll under the spell, before launching a Trigger Happy attack at the priest. He takes all the shots, stumbling back, before launching a Thunder spell. The lightning bolt strikes me, attracted to the metal of my guns, and I stagger back, electricity coursing through me for a moment. Holstering my pistols, I jump into the air, spherechanging in mid fall. When the light clears, I'm now dressed in a tan pair of shorts, coming just above my knees and allowing me freedom of motion. A white tank top adorns my chest, and a silver bracelet is on my left wrist, opposite the Garment Grid on my right wrist. A white headband is wrapped around my forehead, and a light pair of tan shoes cover my feet, as I spin the two white daggers of my Thief dressphere around for a moment.
"I like this..." I say, smirking and charging the priest. Slashing at him twice, I step back for a moment, before stealing a Hi-Potion out of one of the pockets of his robe. Still smiling, I spin ninety degrees and launch a high kick, but the priest ducks under and launches a Blizzard spell into my side. The magic spins me around, tossing me to the ground, but I roll with the attack, standing up quickly and drinking a Potion. Rushing the priest once again, I jump and slash down, the priest moving out of the way of the attack. That was what I wanted, though. My left foot comes around faster than he can move, and catches him squarely in the stomach, lifting him up and off the ground to hit the dirt a foot or so away from me. Glaring at him, I run back over to the others, who are still locked in battle with YSLS-Zero.
(End Ben's Theme; play FFX-2 theme YuRiPa Battle 1)
"Need a hand?" I ask, just in time to see Paine slam her sword into the 'stomach' of the golem, cutting a chunk of rock out with the Power Break attack. "Guess not..."
"Take this!" Yuna yells, a bullet flying in and hitting with enough force to shake the fiend. Rikku also runs in, slashing wildly at the golem with the sword of her Warrior dressphere. Spherechanging back to Warrior quickly, I run in and deliver a Power Break attack of my own, the shock causing the golem to wobble a little. Yuna unleashes a flurry of shots, right before the golem knocks Paine back to land on the dirt. I'm a little slow to react, and also get hit by the fiend's other fist. Picking myself up off the dirt, I drink another Potion, before my sword starts to glow with bluish-white light.
"Ice Brand!" I yell, Rikku running in beside me.
"Liquid Steel!" Rikku yells, as we bring our swords down hard on the chest of the golem, a burst of ice and water flying from our blades and making the creature step back. Raising one fist, it grabs the wrist of that arm with its other hand, before the fist comes flying off, Yuna taking the full hit and falling to the ground, out cold.
"Yuna!" I yell, quickly looking around to see Paine locked in combat with YSLS-Zero again. "Paine, keep it busy!" Running over to Yuna quickly, I use a Phoenix Down on her, the magical elixir seeping into her body. After a moment, her eyes open, and she stands up again, though weakly. Reaching into her pocket, she takes out a Potion and drinks it, before nodding at us and launching another flurry of shots. The golem is starting to fall apart now, chunks of its body missing, and Rikku and I rush to help Paine, the three of us bringing our swords down one after another. The YSLS-Zero can't take the strain of any more attacks, and collapses, falling apart into pieces of rock which burst into pyreflies afterwards.
(End FFX-2 theme YuRiPa Battle 1)
"How you like that?" Rikku asks, smirking and turning to Yuna.
"Not bad at all!" Yuna replies.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Dona asks, looking the four of us over.
"Actually, we're sphere hunters," Yuna replies. Dona just gives a tired look to Yuna, shaking her head.
"So?"
"Gullwings, let's go!" Yuna exclaims, dropping into a crouch and pointing both guns at Dona, Rikku and Paine dropping into fighting stances as well. "Sorry, Dona, the sphere is ours." Paine quickly runs in, and takes the sphere from the man holding it, before we all start to run down the steps. The Celsius appears, flying overhead the temple, and drops us a rope ladder to climb back up on.
"Tough luck," Paine says to no one in particular, jumping onto the ladder along with the rest of us, and climbing back aboard the Celsius as it flies off.
Next chapter will be amusing...Yuna's concert! And my favorite line in the whole game...but that's next chapter. As always, please review!