Well...things will start to move along nicely now. Life is good. On to the replies!
Dairokkan: Welcome to Eternal Requiem, Dairokkan! Hope you enjoy it.
KamiKaze no Kage: (twitch) Yeah. I would forget it. But anyhow...this chapter makes up for the length of the last. And as for Shuyin...let's just say he doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
XxCougarxX: Thank you for the kind words. And as for forgetting your reply...I don't know how I missed it. I really don't. But if you smite me, I shall come back more powerful than you can possibly imagine. (smile)
Iron Reaver: Yeah, yeah, laugh at my misfortunes...
Daniel Wesley Rydell: Yeah. You die, clown. You die.
Well, now that the quite entertaining reviews are over...on to the chapter!
Chapter 23—Comrades In Arms
"Mmm...I don't get it!" Rikku whines, looking around at Yuna and the others. The past few minutes have been spent in discussion over the holes that have been appearing in the temples.
"Fortunately, I know everything," Shinra chimes in, turning around from his seat at his computer.
"So why were fiends coming out of the temples?" Rikku asks.
"The fiends didn't come from the temples. They came from the Chambers of the Fayth."
"Right, exactly! But why?" Rikku asks again. Shinra pauses for a moment, before shrugging.
"I'm just a kid."
Resisting the quite powerful urge to facepalm at the antics of the young Al Bhed, I simply continue to listen.
"The holes in the Chamber of the Fayth...were they there before?" Paine asks, to which Yuna shakes her head.
"No," she replies simply.
"So the holes must be new, right?" adds Rikku, prompting a round of nods from the rest of us.
"There was one in Bevelle too," Paine states. "A great hole..."
"But that one was made by Vegnagun, wasn't it?" Rikku counters, looking over at Paine.
"That's true," Yuna cuts in, "but they're connected somehow."
"The holes...are connected?" Brother asks, warily.
"Yes, but it's more than just that. Somehow I think there are deeper connections," Yuna continues, Brother nodding his head in reply.
"Ohhh...that is deep, Yuna," he says, putting a hand to his chin in thought.
"Hey...guys?" Buddy asks, motioning for us to walk over, "Someone's trying to radio us." Now, truthfully, I wasn't even aware the Celsius had much of a radio system, past the comlinks, of course. Instead of conveying my surprise, though, I just shrug and step over as Buddy begins typing on the console in front of him.
"Hello, Gullwings," says the voice of Drante Vego, easily able to be heard over the speakers in the bridge.
"Drante? How did you figure out how to contact us?" I ask, now even more confused than I was a moment ago.
"I have my ways," he replies, chuckling a bit. "But enough about that. I've found something that I believe you would like to see."
"Which would be?" I retort, now curious.
"I cannot yet confirm what I saw, but I believe I saw the leaders of the Youth League, Machine Faction, and New Yevon heading inside the main temple here at Bevelle," Drante responds. I can see Yuna's eyes go wide as Paine speaks.
"You're not sure?" she asks.
"That is correct. I merely caught a glimpse. I thought that you might like to investigate for yourselves, however. That is why I contacted you."
"We appreciate the information, Drante. We'll be there soon," Yuna says.
"I'll be waiting, high summoner," Drante replies, before the transmission ends.
"Looks like we've got some following to do," I comment, smiling.
"You would like spying on people," Rikku jokes.
"Of course," I reply, keeping a straight face, "makes it all the simpler to get blackmail on them." My serious expression makes Rikku start to laugh, which in turn causes me to start laughing as well. Paine simply rolls her eyes while Yuna giggles, shaking her head at my antics.
"Wonder if Drante really did see Baralai and the others..." Yuna murmurs, sitting down.
"Maybe," I reply, having overheard her. "All I know is that we need to find them, and fast." Silently, I take a seat as the Celsius continues its flight towards Bevelle.
Bevelle looks much the same as we left it the last time. People still seem calm, though I can imagine it's a much different story on a political level. The four of us quickly exit the Celsius, finding a smiling Drante Vego waiting for us at the exit.
"Greetings. I'm glad you made it," he says, causing Yuna to bow a little out of respect.
"Good to see you, Drante," I say. Drante greets me with a nod in reply, before turning back to the main temple.
"Shall we go now? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can confirm my suspicions," he says, and Yuna nods.
"Let's go."
Quickly, Yuna begins to walk towards the temple, with Drante right behind her. Rikku, Paine, and I follow, the three of us having to walk at a brisk pace to keep up with the duo in front of us.
"If they're here, wonder why they picked here to meet in the first place?" Rikku asks.
"One word. Vegnagun." My mention of the giant machina causes Rikku to shiver a little.
"You're probably right," Paine states, a look in her eyes somewhere between understanding and hesitation.
"Something wrong?" Rikku asks Paine, looking over at her friend with concern.
"Nothing. Let's just focus on finding everyone," Paine replies. Yuna and Drante lead the way into the Cloister of Trials, and we quickly begin to make our way through. Between Yuna's knowledge of the trials and my own, it's not long at all before we're back at the ladder that leads into the underground of Bevelle.
"I take it that this leads to the chamber where Vegnagun was once held?" Drante asks, turning to Yuna.
"Yes. It's gone now, but I think you already knew that," she responds. Drante merely nods in reply, motioning for Yuna to begin descending.
"After you," he says, and Yuna nods, grabbing on to the ladder and beginning to make her way down. Drante follows, then Rikku, Paine, and I begin to climb down as well. As we reach the bottom, a strange feeling begins to come over me. It almost feels like...anticipation, of a sort. Shaking the feeling off, I look out to where Vegnagun once was to see three very familiar faces.
"Hey," Gippal says, walking over to the other two figures.
"You're late," Baralai replies, folding his arms.
"If you were on time, then I'd really start to worry," Nooj says, a small chuckle making its way around the trio at the joke.
"So much for being missing," Yuna whispers, as the five of us crouch down to watch without being seen.
"Sure you should be here?" Gippal asks, looking over at Nooj and Baralai. "The Youth League and New Yevon are crumbling without you guys to hold 'em together."
"You expect too much," Nooj states.
"Learn from us!" Gippal says, before his voice becomes more serious. "So why are we here?"
"There's something I needed to be sure of," Baralai says hesitantly, turning to face the open area where Vegnagun once stood. "Vegnagun...is gone."
"Listen to you," Nooj says, shaking his head and limping over to Baralai. "'Vegnagun is gone.' Are you trying to tell us that since that thing left on its own, Yevon's not to blame?" Seemingly offended, Baralai spins to face Nooj.
"It's the truth. That thing's more sensitive than its size would lead one to believe. It detects hostility, and in an instant, springs to life! Should one even think of harming it, it awakens like a frightened child."
"Hah. You did your homework," Nooj replies.
"I've had two years," Baralai replies coolly.
"Wait," Gippal says, striding over quickly, "so you're saying that Vegnagun woke up because someone was trying to destroy it? Who?"
"Who indeed," Baralai murmurs. "I'm a little confused. You came to claim it for yourself, didn't you?" he asks, turning back to Nooj. "But Vegnagun awoke. Why? Because deep down, you hated it. Did you come here to use it or to destroy it? Well?"
"Both," Nooj says quietly. "You probably think that's impossible. "You've always been too naive to see. I wouldn't expect you to understand," he says, his voice taking on somewhat of a bitter tone.
"Then, I hope you don't expect me to trust you, either," Baralai replies, his eyes narrowing. "I believed in you once...when we were training for the Crimson Squad. I thought I'd never find a better friend. But you betrayed that...two years ago." Suddenly, Baralai pulls a gun from the folds of his robe, aiming at Nooj. Startled, Gippal moves away from his friend slightly.
"Baralai!" he protests, but Baralai keeps the gun leveled at Nooj, who now faces the praetor calmly.
"Why did you shoot?" Baralai yells. "Why did you shoot Gippal and me? We were friends, and you shot us in the back!" Nooj just remains silent, and Baralai seems to get even angrier, stepping closer to Nooj.
"Answer me!"
"Just calm down!" Gippal yells, turning to Nooj. "Nooj! Apologize already! That's enough!" Turning to Baralai, his hand begins to reach down to his belt as he shakes his head slowly at the New Yevon leader. "Don't push me..." Baralai doesn't lower his gun, however, and so Gippal draws one of his own, aiming squarely at Baralai.
"If this is what it takes," he mutters, Nooj still standing as if nothing is wrong. Suddenly, Nooj's body begins to glow with an eerie light as he drops his cane to the ground. Now standing perfectly, as if he is an entirely different person, Nooj chuckles.
"This has turned out perfectly, wouldn't you agree?" he says, but his voice sounds different, a very creepy feel coming from his speech now. "Yes, I shot you." Quickly, Nooj pulls out a gun and aims at Gippal, leaving each of the three aiming at the other.
"You were easy targets. You...and Paine," he continues.
"You shot Paine, too?" Gippal says, startled by the information. Yuna and Rikku give a glance to Paine, who continues looking at the spectacle.
"Why?" Baralai asks, seemingly pleading with his former friend for an answer. Nooj just begins to laugh, a deep laugh that chills me to the bone. "Answer me!" Baralai yells again.
"I made him do it. He was too weak to resist me." As Nooj says this, Gippal takes a step back, glancing at the leader of the Youth League.
"Nooj?"
"I don't expect you to present any more of a challenge," Nooj states. "Not now." As he finishes speaking, a glowing form emerges from his body, almost diving into Baralai's body and vanishing. Baralai twitches for a moment, before standing upright once again as Nooj sinks to the floor on his knees.
"See, I found that the mind that hates and despairs is the easiest to break," Baralai says, now speaking in the same voice that Nooj was just using. "Two years ago, it was the same with you, Nooj. Seeking your own death. Now you can have it," he says, aiming carefully at Nooj with his pistol.
"Wait!" Gippal yells, running towards Baralai.
"Stop!" Paine cries, jumping up from her position and sprinting towards the trio.
"Paine, wait!" I yell, leaping up after her.
"Paine, get out of here!" Nooj yells. A barrier of light suddenly springs into existence near Nooj, causing both Paine and I to stop.
"High Summoners!" Drante yells, causing our attention to turn back to him. Pyreflies are gathering in front of where he's standing, and before our eyes they take the shape of a deadly fiend, the Malboro. Drante's orb rolls down into his hand and takes the shape of a javelin, as Paine and I draw our swords. Yuna and Rikku draw their weapons as Drante heaves the javelin at the fiend, striking it squarely in the lower part of its face. The javelin reforms into an orb and rolls down the fiend's body, rolling back to Drante seemingly of its own accord before he morphs it back into a broadsword.
"Nifty little tricks," I say to Drante, before turning back to the Malboro. "Armor Break!" My sword slashes the front of the fiend, drawing a ragged gash across its body, before it spits something at me. Dodging to the side quickly, I notice the substance eating away at the ground.
"Acid...not good," I mutter, as Yuna peppers the fiend with a Trigger Happy attack. Rikku slashes twice at it, the fiend spraying another blast of acid at her. She quickly moves out of the way, but a small part of her scarf is burned away by a drop of the acid.
Drante charges the Malboro, leaping on top of it with effortless ease before beginning to stab it in the top of its head repeatedly. The fiend shrieks, shaking and thrashing violently in an attempt to throw Drante off. It finally succeeds, Drante flipping away and landing carefully on his feet, before Paine slashes in with a Flametongue attack. The fiend howls in agony as the flames eat away at it before slumping to the ground, pyreflies beginning to float away from the fiend's dying body.
"Where'd they go?" Rikku asks quickly, looking around for any sign of the three leaders.
"I saw Baralai escape," Paine replies, putting her sword back in its sheath once more. "Nooj and Gippal probably chased after him."
"So you knew all three of them," Yuna says, more of a comment than a question.
"Long ago," Paine states, her tone of voice making it clear that she doesn't particularly want to talk about the subject.
"Yeah, but Nooj, he..." Rikku begins, trailing off as Paine interrupts.
"Yes, he shot us. It was an accident. At least that's how I see it."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Rikku continues, Paine remaining silent for a moment before speaking.
"You didn't ask."
"I'm asking now," Rikku states, stepping over to Paine who remains silent, looking away from Rikku. "You don't wanna tell us," Rikku finally says, and Paine nods.
"Bingo," she replies, stepping away from Rikku and looking back at her. Rikku looks somewhat frustrated now, and Paine sighs.
"You wanna know."
"Yeah, but..." Yuna interrupts, walking closer to Paine, "forcing you to tell isn't any better. We'll wait until you're ready."
"No pressure, huh?" Paine asks her friend. Yuna merely nods in reply, and an expression of what could pass for relief shows on Paine's face for a brief moment.
"We need to get to Djose Temple," I remind Yuna, looking over at Drante. "Drante, do you want to come?"
"I appreciate the offer, but I shall decline," the red-garbed man replies.
"Suit yourself," I say, shrugging. "Thanks for telling us about this."
"It was no trouble at all," Drante says, turning to Yuna and the others. "A pleasure working with you ladies," he comments, bowing, before beginning to walk back towards the exit of the underground area.
"We should get going too," I state, more to myself than the others, before heading for the exit as well, Yuna and the others behind me.
A few minutes later, we find ourselves on the way to Djose Temple. We got quite a few expressions of surprise after explaining what had happened underneath Bevelle to Brother, Buddy, and Shinra. Sighing, I lean back on my bed, hoping to get some much-needed relaxation time. I've been thinking about everything that's happened, but what's confusing me is the strange feeling I had as we arrived in the underground area. It almost felt like a sense of anticipation over something, as if I was eager to do something, but I had no idea what it was that I wanted to do.
"Let's see how long it takes you to figure this one out," Shuyin cuts in, his image appearing before me once again.
"Don't you ever get tired of harassing me?" I ask, annoyed by the unsent's actions.
"To be honest...no. Your mind is filled with such depressing thoughts...it's truly a pleasure to explore your true feelings."
"My true feelings, huh?" I mutter. "And how would you know which ones those are?"
"It's really very simple. The ones you repress, the ones you push to the back corners of your mind and exert the most control over, so as not to let them run free...those are your true feelings. And you harbor a strong sense of regret, inferiority...the list goes on and on. To me, your mind is nothing more than an open book, and I am the reader."
"...Alright, fine. I can't deny that, as much as I hate to admit it," I finally say, staring at Shuyin's transparent image. "Answer me this. You were the one who made Nooj shoot Baralai, Gippal, and Paine, weren't you?" I ask, wanting to confirm my thoughts.
"Yes...it was I. Nooj's mind was simple...seeking his death everywhere he went, his mind proved easy for me to control. And so I did," Shuyin replies, seemingly almost pleased with himself. "And that the other three all believe that it was Nooj who betrayed them, instead of myself...well, it just makes it that much sweeter." The last words of Shuyin suddenly make everything click in my mind, as if the proverbial lightbulb had suddenly begun to shine.
"I get it now...the feelings I had when I went underground at Bevelle, they weren't mine...they were yours. This...link, or whatever we have, must work both ways..."At that, Shuyin starts to laugh, his ghostly form clapping mockingly but making no noise.
"Very good," he says, speaking as if talking to a child who has just learned to walk, "you are right. The link we share does work both ways...even now, I can feel your sense of happiness, just as you should feel my anger. I can remember once when I felt happiness..." Shuyin trails off, not wanting to continue his sentence. The underlying meaning is crystal-clear, however.
"When you were with Lenne," I state.
"Yes."
The approaching sound of footsteps makes me jump a little, standing up and walking to the door just in time to hear a knock.
"Ben! We're landing at Djose!" Rikku's voice says from the other side of the door. Sparing a glance back at Shuyin's image, I'm not surprised to discover that it's no longer there. Slowly, I open the door, stepping out and shutting it behind me before heading towards the elevator.
"What's wrong?" Rikku asks, noticing my silence.
"Nothing," I mutter, stepping inside the elevator with Rikku right behind me.
"You're a terrible liar, you know? Spill it."
"I can't," I reply simply, taking out my Garment Grid and changing one of the spheres in order to avoid facing Rikku.
"What do you mean, you can't? Of course you can!" she says.
"No, I can't," I repeat, Rikku's face growing frustrated. 'I can't tell anyone...not yet.'
"Fine," she finally says, giving in. The elevator stops, and the two of us step out of the elevator, exiting the Celsius a moment later. Yuna and Paine are already outside, looking at the temple. A number of Al Bhed are outside, holding guns and staring at the front doors of the temple.
"Frana ec Gippal frah fa haat res?" one of them mutters.
"He says Gippal's not back yet," Rikku says, translating the basic meaning of the words for Yuna and Paine.
"Wonder if he's still with Nooj and Baralai?" Yuna questions.
"Probably," Paine replies. The apparent leader of the Al Bhed starts to approach us, telling something to the others before walking over.
"Fa dneat vekrdehk dra veahtc uh uin ufh, pid fa uhmo syta drehkc funca," he explains. "Dra veahtc vuiht y fyo du sanka fedr uin machina."
"Translation...not good!" Rikku exclaims as the man finishes speaking.
"Then that's our cue!" Yuna retorts, grabbing her pistols and running towards the temple doors. The three of us quickly follow Yuna, our weapons also drawn in preparation.
Inside the temple is relatively calm, but I can hear the faint whirring of machina parts coming from behind the door leading to the Cloister of Trials.
"Better get ready for a fight," I say to myself, holding my sword beside me. As the door opens to the Trials, a pair of machina advance, smaller ones with two legs like those back at the Highroad. Yuna quickly fires an Enchanted Ammo attack at one, while Paine's blade begins to glow with lightning.
"Thunder Blade!" she cries, slashing into the other machina. To all of our surprise, however, the machina seems to be unaffected by the lightning. The machina looks at Paine before casting a Thunder spell, making Paine twitch from the electrical energy.
"Yunie!" Rikku cries, looking at her cousin, "It must've joined with some kind of lightning fiend!" Thinking quickly about Rikku's words, I raise my sword as the blade becomes covered with fire. If it has merged with an electrical fiend, then lightning nor water will do any good because of the elemental resistances of both.
"Flametongue!" I yell, running in and stabbing down through the machina. The inside is engulfed in flames, melting through the wiring and causing the machina to sink to the ground. Pyreflies begin to fly from the machina, and they quickly reform into the shape of a Flan Amarillo fiend, confirming Rikku's suspicions.
"Fira!" Yuna yells, blasting the other machina with a gout of flames. It also sinks to the ground, a Yellow Elemental fiend forming from the remains of the machina.
"Liquid Steel!" Paine cries, running in and cleaving straight through the now-weakened Flan fiend. It disperses into pyreflies again as Yuna casts a Watera spell at the Elemental, also destroying it.
"Great. We can't use water on them until we destroy the machina. Just great," I mutter, the four of us quickly heading towards the Chamber of the Fayth.
It takes a few minutes to reach the chamber of this temple, as the fiends seem to be tougher than those in the other temples because of the merging. Finally, however, we do reach the Chamber of the Fayth and step inside, looking around.
"Sure took long enough for you to get here," Darius says, leaning against the back wall with his arms folded.
"This isn't a game, jerk. People are getting hurt!" I yell, annoyed by his nonchalant attitude.
"And that's not my fault," he retorts, stepping closer to us. "The only things I control are the aeons. And they aren't the ones hurting the civilians. The fiends are doing that on their own. Any more stupid comments?" Seething from the insult, I spherechange into Black Mage, preparing to cast a spell. Suddenly, pyreflies gather in front of Darius, forming into the shape of the lightning horse, Ixion.
(Play Star Ocean 3 theme Influence of Truth Appearance)
"Let's see just how powerful you four really are. Ixion, attack!" Darius yells, the aeon giving a short whine and leaping to the attack.
"Watera!" My spell hits Ixion in the face, stunning it for a brief moment as Yuna fires a powerful shot into the side of its head. The aeon shakes the attacks off and charges me, slashing down with its horn. Paine's sword suddenly intercepts the horn, holding it off long enough for me to move out of the way.
"Protect!" Rikku yells, having spherechanged to White Mage. The defensive barrier appears over Paine for a moment before becoming invisible again.
"Ice Brand!" Paine cries, slashing up across the side of the aeon. Ixion whines again and swats Paine back with its head, the Protect lessening the impact some.
"Aerospark!" Darius commands, causing Ixion to jump back. The aeon rears its head back before slashing through the air with its horn, a spinning wave of energy biting into Yuna and causing her to cry out.
"Cura!" Rikku yells, casting the magic on Yuna. Yuna winces in pain before firing rapidly at Ixion, giving me enough time to use another spell.
"Blizzara!"
The ice spell smashes into Ixion's face, the aeon shaking its head to clear its vision from the attack before using Aerospark again, this time directing the energy attack at me.
"Whoa!" I yell, ducking under the spinning blade, which explodes harmlessly on the wall behind me. Quickly, I begin to spherechange into my special dressphere, Rikku also doing the same. Yuna spherechanges into Black Mage, immediately casting a spell at Ixion.
"Fira!" The ball of flame hits Ixion in the side, causing the aeon to whine in pain. Just as Rikku and I finish spherechanging, Darius smiles, pointing at the four of us.
"Ixion. Overdrive," he commands simply, the aeon giving a loud cry and raising up on its back legs. Smashing its front legs into the ground, Ixion fires a bolt of energy from its horn, encompassing all four of us and lifting us into the air. Unable to do anything, we can only watch as Ixion sends a spark of energy up the electrical rope of sorts, which causes the entire orb to explode around us and send us back to the dirt. For a moment, we're unable to do anything, our bodies jerking and becoming spastic from the lightning. Paine is the first to recover, and she doesn't look happy.
"Demi Sword!" she yells, slashing vertically at Ixion and cutting a large gash in the front of the aeon's face. Ixion roars in pain and thrashes around, swatting Paine away with its head while continuing to bellow.
"Rikku, hit it now!" I yell, running towards Ixion.
"Got it!" Rikku replies, firing two blue lasers at the aeon. As the lasers strike, I jump towards Ixion's face, sword held high.
"Renzokuken!"
Slashing quickly, I land 7 powerful strikes on the aeon before landing and jumping back. The aeon gives a final cry, before slumping to the ground, clearly unable to fight any more.
(End Star Ocean 3 theme Influence of Truth Appearance)
"That's it for your aeon, Darius!" I yell, spherechanging back to Warrior as Rikku changes back to Thief. "You want to be next?"
"Please," he scoffs, "you four couldn't beat me right now no matter what you did. I've got more to do right now than waste my time with you idiots." With that said, Darius vanishes once again, leaving the four of us alone once again.
"Another hole," Rikku states, glancing down into the deep pit behind where Darius was standing. "I wonder what's down there."
"Go find out," Paine says.
"Uh-uh! No way!" Rikku yelps, jumping back.
"Wait..." Yuna says, turning slowly to look at Ixion, "why didn't Ixion vanish like all the rest?"
"Good question," Rikku says, looking at the aeon. Suddenly, Ixion stands up as its body begins to glow with a yellow light. Paine's eyes go wide as she turns to Yuna and Rikku.
"Get back!" she cries, running away from the hole.
"Huh?" Rikku asks, unsure of what Paine is talking about.
"What?" Yuna starts to say something, but doesn't get to finish her sentence. Ixion suddenly explodes, the force of the blast knocking Paine and I to the ground, as well as Rikku. Yuna is standing right in front of the hole, however, and screams as the force of the blast knocks her into the black pit.
"Yuna!"
"Yunie!"
Paine and Rikku quickly stand up, dashing over to the hole to try and help Yuna. Silently, I mutter a curse before turning to the two girls.
"We need to get back to the Celsius, now!" I yell, beginning to sprint to the door. "We might be able to track Yuna from there!" The two of them share a quick nod, as all of us begin to run full-speed back through the Cloister of Trials.
Now Yuna's in a bit of trouble...how will the group get out of this one? Keep reading to find out, and as always, please review!