Well, on to yet another mission! But first, the replies!
Fallen Angel-2009: Intriguing. That's the word.
MoombaRave: Oh noez! Shuyin! The voices, they're talking to you!
Auron's Fan: Hehe, no he isn't.
Iron Reaver: I see. Good work scaring Logos, too. I never liked the guy.
XxCougarxX: (cough) Never know what I might let slip.
MysticSuperSaiyanGohan: Leblanc is quite annoying...
Asuka-Kazama-Mishima-Doo san: I'm calling you AKM from now on. It's shorter. But anyway. Shuyin's...well, a ghost. You can't hit him. Unless you're on the Farplane yourself...ooh. Idea. (runs off)
Shadowkiller27: It's actually supposed to be quite weird. It's one of those things that just isn't supposed to make sense JUST yet...and leave Shadow alone. He's cool.
Zexion72: Welcome to Eternal Requiem, Zexion! Hope you enjoy the story, and thanks.
Daniel Wesley Rydell: Oh noez! The shadow isn't watching Shuyin!
(cough) Anyway. On to Bikanel Desert! (grumbles something about 'too much sand')
Chapter 12—Buried Treasure
"So, we're going to Bikanel Desert?" Buddy asks, causing Yuna to nod.
"That's right."
"Alright, I'll have us there soon. Just sit back," he replies, and turns back to the controls, the Celsius beginning to lift off.
"Sand, sand, and a little more sand. This should be fun," I say, looking over at everyone. "Rikku, you and I wanna go it alone?" I ask, which causes Rikku and Yuna to turn to me.
"Why just you two?" Yuna asks.
"Well, it's Rikku's home, after all. And, hey, you guys deserve a break. I know I can handle myself, but I'll feel better if Rikku's out there with me." Seemingly thinking for a moment, Rikku nods.
"Alright, I'll go," she replies, and Yuna nods.
"Okay. But if anything happens, let us know. We'll be there," Yuna tells us.
"No problem," I reply, walking out of the bridge. As I walk along the corridor towards the elevator, I suddenly stop, as a cold chill moves over my body for a moment, before passing.
"...Something bad is gonna happen...and soon," I mutter, the words out of my mouth almost before I realize I said anything. Stepping inside the elevator, I head back to the floor where my room is, before stepping outside the elevator and into my room. Walking inside, I shut the door behind me and sit down on the bed, rifling through my pack. Quickly, I notice that I still have quite a large amount of Gil, but almost no Potions and other items.
"Need to make a point of restocking the next time we go to Luca," I say to myself, beginning to try and organize the jumbled mess inside the pack. As meticulous as I am when doing things, somehow, it never ends up very organized.
"Hey, we're about to reach Bikanel!" Rikku yells, from outside my door. Quickly, I shut the pack, standing up and stepping outside the door.
"Ready?" I ask, and she nods.
"Always," she replies, grinning.
"That's good. Let's get going, then," I tell her, and we start to head towards the exit of the Celsius, as it flies over Bikanel Desert.
"Neat."
That's the only word out of my mouth as I look around the camp at Bikanel Desert. Hovers and people are everywhere, scurrying around like ants inside an anthill, while others are unloading boxes from the backs of other hovers. Apparently, things they've found while digging.
"Should we ask him?" Rikku says, pointing to a tall man who looks to be someone in charge.
"Ask him what?"
"If he's seen anyone around, of course!"
Shrugging, I start to walk over to the man, Rikku right beside me. Tapping him on the shoulder, I step back a little as he turns to me.
"Fryd ec ed?" the man asks, somewhat gruffly.
"Fa fyhd du ghuf ev oui'ja caah yhouha...cicbeleuic ynuiht mydamo," I reply, and the man crosses his arms.
"Lyh'd cyo dryd E ryja. Pid, ev oui fyhd du ku uid drana yht caa vun ouincamv, ku du Djose Temple. Oui'mm haat bansecceuh vnus drana du tek," he says, and I nod.
"Dryhg oui," I tell him, nodding, as Rikku and I turn to walk off.
"Looks like we going to Djose," she says, and I nod.
"Hey, we need permission to dig. No other choice, really. Let's just hope that if Leblanc and her goons are here, that they're having to go through the same," I say, smirking.
"Yep!" she replies cheerfully, as we step back on board the Celsius.
"So? Find anything?" Yuna asks, as we walk into the bridge.
"We need to go to Djose Temple. We have to get permission to dig from there," I tell her, shrugging.
"Guess we're headed to the temple, then..." she says, nodding to Buddy, who also nods, turning back to the console in front of him.
Djose Temple. The place where I earned my first aeon. Two years ago, the temple of Djose was almost deserted, with only one or two people around, and a few more in the temple. Now, there are far more people here, apparently all looking for the same thing we are. As Rikku and I step out of the Celsius, most of the people turn, and start to stare. Stopping for a moment, I look around, before turning to Rikku.
"Being a high summoner does have its bad points, I guess...like being noticed."
"You're famous. Better get used to it," Rikku replies, and I shrug.
"Guess you're right," I reply, sighing.
"Maybe you're getting old," she tells me, giggling. Spinning to her, I frown, quirking an eyebrow.
"Who's getting old?" I ask, causing her to laugh harder. "We're the same age!" I reply, almost on the verge of laughing myself. As Rikku finally starts to calm down, someone walks up from behind us, going past us, before stopping at the door of the temple. It appears to be a guy about my age, with blond hair sticking up in spikes, as well as an eyepatch over his right eye. He's wearing a light bluish-purple shirt and purple pair of pants, with patches of red fabric over the shoulders.
"That's Gippal, leader of the Machine Faction," Rikku explains. "He can be kind of annoying, but he's all right."
"Old friends?" I ask, and she smiles a little.
"Could say that," she replies.
Turning, Gippal talks to one of the guards at the entrance to the temple, before turning back to the crowd.
"Okay, let's do some interviews! Bring it!" he says loudly, waving his hand towards the inside of the temple, before walking inside himself.
"Guess we go wait in line, then," I tell Rikku, pointing over to a small hut near the temple, where a long line is standing. Walking over, we get in line, and begin to wait.
"How much longer..." Rikku whines, about 5 minutes having passed since we got in line.
"Just be patient, Rikku. Rome wasn't built in a day," I tell her.
"Huh?" she asks.
"It's a saying from my world. Means that nothing was ever done quickly. It always took time," I explain, and she nods a little. Finally, the last person steps out of the building, allowing us to step inside.
"You here for an interview?" the man asks, and I nod. "Alright, go inside the temple there." Nodding quickly, I step out of the hut, Rikku behind me.
"We waited 5 minutes for that?" Rikku hisses, and I chuckle.
"Yep. Sure did," I tell her, walking up to the guards. Nodding, they step aside, allowing us into the temple.
As we step inside, we see Gippal talking with another Al Bhed. Placing his hand on his hip, Gippal sighs.
"E ryja ymnayto ehdanjeafat people. Uha uv oui kioc dyga ujan," he tells the guy, turning away and beginning to walk towards the back of the temple. The man he was talking to turns, seeing us, before turning back to Gippal.
"Gippal!" he says, causing him to stop and turn, looking at the two of us.
"Yo," I say, simply, Gippal walking up to us.
"You, uh, here for an interview?" he says, after a moment.
"Yeah," I reply. Gippal seems in a little bit of disbelief at this.
"The great high summoner wants an interview?" he asks again, and I nod.
"Is there a problem?" I ask.
"Hm. All right, follow me," Gippal says, walking out of the temple. Quickly, we follow Gippal, as he walks off from the temple, standing on a small bridge.
"So, the infamous Gippal, leader of the Machine Faction. Nice to meet you," I say, Gippal looking over at me.
"And you're one of the high summoners that defeated Sin...Ben, was it?" he asks, and I nod.
"That's me." Gippal's gaze turns from me to Rikku, as his eyes suddenly light up.
"Well, if it isn't Cid's girl. How you been?" he asks, and I chuckle a little.
"Hey, I have a name!" Rikku replies, with a tone of mock hurt in her voice. Gippal just smiles.
"Heh. Brother doin' okay?" he asks, and Rikku nods.
"Same as ever. Buddy's around too," she says, and Gippal nods.
"Same as ever is right," he says, turning to the both of us. "You sure you wanna dig? Cause we're talking about the desert. Not exactly a picnic."
"Would we be asking if we weren't sure?" I reply, and Gippal chuckles.
"All right, you're hired. Welcome."
"That simple?" I ask, and he nods.
"You. Are. Hired. Don't know why a superstar like you would want to play in the sand," he says, looking at me and shaking his head. "Well, do what you gotta do. Anyways, I've done what I can. Dig to your heart's content."
"Thanks," I say simply, and he nods again.
"Show this letter to a woman named Nhadala. You'll find her at Bikanel Desert," he tells us, handing me a letter which I quickly pocket.
"Alright. Let's go, Rikku," I say, walking back towards the Celsius. Rikku gives one last wave to Gippal, before following.
"Back to Bikanel Desert, Buddy. We've got what we came for here," I say, upon entering the bridge again. Buddy just nods, the Celsius lifting off a moment later.
"Sure is a lot of running around..." Yuna says, and I shrug.
"Comes with the job, I guess."
"What do you mean?" Yuna asks. Yawning a little, I lean against the railing of the stairs. Hadn't realized how annoyingly tired I am.
"Well, think about it. They can't just let any and everybody in to dig, right? If you have to go through something like this, I guess it ensures that only the people who really want to dig will get to dig."
"You've got a point..." Rikku says. "Sure is annoying."
"Of course. That's the key to it all," I reply, stretching. "I'm ready for some action. It's too quiet. That bothers me."
"Would've figured you would enjoy the quiet," Paine says, smirking.
"She's got you there!" Rikku says, as I remain silent.
"I'll concede the point," I finally say, chuckling a little.
"We're coming up on Bikanel," Buddy says, turning to look at us from his chair.
"Alright. Ready when you are," I say, nodding to Rikku.
"Let's go, then," she replies, heading towards the exit happily.
Exiting the Celsius once again, and stepping back into the digging camp at Bikanel Desert, I notice that the man that I talked to last time is nowhere to be found. And as far as I can see, I can't seem to find anyone that appears to be in charge.
"See anyone that looks like Nhadala?" I ask Rikku, who shakes her head.
"Not really..."
Sighing, I step over to a man standing in front of a hoverfoil. I may as well ask someone.
"Excuse me. Is Nhadala around, by any chance?" I ask, to which the man shakes his head.
"She went off on one of the hovers. She should be back any moment now."
"Alright. Thanks," I reply, stepping back over to Rikku. "Look like we'll be waiting a minute, then."
"I don't think so," Rikku says, pointing. Following her gaze, I turn to see a hover approaching, driven by a woman in a pair of goggles. As the hover stops, the woman gets out, talking with one of her workers for a moment, before walking over to us.
"I'm busy, so make it fast, okay? I've got lots to excavate and no one to do it," she says, and I nod, pulling the letter from my pocket and handing it over to her. Skimming it for a moment, she looks back up at me.
"Oh, so you're the new guys?" she asks, and Rikku nods.
"That's us!" she says, and I nod as well.
"Nice to meet you, Nhadala."
"Hmm. I guess the high summoner's hard up, too. Well, don't be expecting any special treatment," she says, and I nod.
"Never do." As I start to walk away, Nhadala stops me, and I turn back to her.
"Actually...before you start digging, I'd like you two to check something out for me. Go check out the oasis. Some strange stuff's been washing up there lately. I'd appreciate it if you'd look into it," she says, and I nod.
"Alright," I reply.
"Talk to the pilot over there. He'll take you where you need to go," she tells us, before walking off.
"Well, let's get to it, then," I mutter, walking over to the pilot.
"Ah, the new guys," the pilot says as we approach. "Where can I take ya?"
"We need to go to the oasis. Nhadala wants us to check it out," I tell the man, who nods.
"I heard there've been some weird folks hanging around the oasis. Better make sure you're ready before heading out there," he says, and I nod.
"We're ready."
"Alright then, climb on," he tells us, stepping into the pilot's seat. Rikku and I jump onto the hover, as the man takes off towards the oasis.
A few minutes later, the hover slows down and stops, near a small pond in the desert. A tree or two stands over the pond, giving some shade, as well as some rocks nearby. Stepping off the hover, I walk over to the pond, kneeling down and looking at the water. For all the sand out here, the water is clear, almost crystal clear.
"Hey, look at this," Rikku says, causing me to look over at her.
"What?" I ask, before noticing that she's holding an orange colored sphere in her hand.
"A sphere, all the way out here," she says, and I shrug.
"Ours now." As I look around, I suddenly stop, scowling and tensing at the sight in front of me.
"Well, fancy meeting you here," Logos says, both guns in hand. Two female goons stand beside him, as well. "You can lead a Gullwing to water, but you can't make it drink!"
"Umm?" Rikku says, looking over at me.
"Say, nice uniforms they have there," I say, an evil grin spreading across my face as I spherechange to Warrior and draw my sword.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Logos shouts, the goons rushing us quickly.
(Play FF9 theme Hunter's Chance)
"You hold them off! Logos is mine!" I shout to Rikku, who nods, drawing her daggers and meeting the goons' advance.
"You didn't do so well the last time we fought," Logos taunts, and I glare.
"I'll remedy that, rest assured," I reply, leveling my sword into almost a fencing stance. "Come on!"
"With pleasure!" he shouts, firing rapidly at me, the Trigger Happy attack bouncing off my sword blade partially as I bring it up to block, but still hitting me.
"Power Break!" I yell, running and jumping into the air, my sword coming down hard across his chest, before he shoots me from nearly point blank range. The bullet smashes into me, causing me to wince as blood starts to trickle down my chest.
"Ice Brand!" The ice elemental attack cuts a line across Logos' chest, before I step back, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. Another Trigger Happy attack flies at me, and I roll along the sandy ground, evading the shots by mere inches. Flipping back to my feet, I bring the sword above me, before slashing out and charging, the blade now pointing behind me. Spinning quickly, I bring the sword around, flipping the blade back over as I do so. The blade barely misses Logos, who ducks under the attack.
"Too slow!" he yells, before firing once at me. The bullet connects, and I can feel my vision cloud up as a result of his Russian Roulette attack. Growling, I spherechange to White Mage, gripping my staff tightly.
"Esuna!" I yell, the magic restoring my vision. Turning, I see Rikku fighting off an advance from one goon, the other now unconscious on the ground. Quickly, I point my staff at her and cast a Cure spell, before spherechanging back to Warrior. As I turn back to Logos, I'm met with another Trigger Happy attack, which causes me to stumble back.
"When did these guys get so tough..." I mutter, dodging out of the way of another shot and charging. Quickly, I swing the sword across, the flat of the blade moving like a bat and connecting with Logos' shoulder, causing him to drop one of his pistols. Before he can grab it, I lash my left leg out in a snap kick, catching him in the stomach and making him wince. As he steps back from the blow, I kick the pistol away, before leveling the sword at him again.
"Not so easy this time, is it?" I taunt, smirking.
"Indeed," he replies, firing again. The bullet catches me in the shoulder, and I can feel my ability to cast magic become blocked, the Silence taking hold. Gripping my sword tightly, I run at him again, the blade bursting into fire this time.
"Flametongue!" As I bring the sword down, Logos attempts to block with his pistol, but fails, the pistol being shoved out of the way as the strike knocks him back into the ground. Sparing a quick glance at Rikku, I can see one goon running off, the other slowly regaining consciousness, but apparently in no shape to fight.
(End FF9 theme Hunter's Chance)
"Had enough?" I ask, sheathing my sword as Logos gets to his feet.
"You haven't seen the last of us!" he shouts, grabbing his pistols quickly and running off.
"Of course not," I mutter, walking over to Rikku. "You okay?"
"I'm okay...but you look like you could be better," she replies. Wincing, I spherechange to White Mage again and cast a Cure spell on myself, feeling the wounds from the fight heal over, before shifting back to Gunner.
"There," I reply. Smiling, I watch Rikku walk over to the goon, and point both of her daggers into the goon's face. The goon quickly stands up, and begins to strip off her uniform, as Rikku just stands there. I watch in amusement as Rikku grabs the goon's uniform, sending the goon running with a gesture.
"Done?" I ask, still laughing.
"Yep!" she says, smiling. Looking over, I suddenly realize that the hover pilot has been watching the entire time, and is now looking at us with a dumbfounded expression.
"What?" I ask, as if all of this was perfectly normal to us, before climbing back on the hover. "Take us back to camp, please. I believe we've found what Nhadala thought was wrong here." Shaking his head, the hover pilot starts the machine up as Rikku jumps on, turning around and heading back to the camp.
As we arrive, I quickly spot Nhadala on the far side of the camp, and leap off the hover as it comes to a stop. Rikku follows, and together we walk over to Nhadala.
"So? Did you find anything?" she asks, and I nod.
"Three people were at the oasis. They gave us a little trouble, but we sent 'em running," I reply, and she nods.
"Good work. Here, take this for your troubles," she says, handing me a thousand Gil, along with an Elixir. "Oh, and take this, too. I found it, but I don't have any use for it," she adds, handing Rikku a Garment Grid.
"Thank you," I reply, beginning to head back to the Celsius.
"That was interesting!" Rikku says, and I chuckle.
"Well, I said I wanted action..." I trail off, Rikku rolling her eyes at me as we step back into the Celsius.
So, where's next on this little world tour of Spira? You'll have to keep reading to find out! As always, please review!