Nexus Necromancies: Yeah, I know, I finished both chapters at once cause I hate cliffhangers.
Llednar Twem: Just two more chapters, just two more chapters...
Metal Sonic: Ignore him, its my turn-Nexus Necromancies doe's not own Final Fantasy X or FFTA or anything else that this fan fiction refers to.
Nexus Necromancies: Good job Metal, now then, remember to read and review folks. ON WITH THE SHOW!
Friend or Fiend?
The first thing I was aware of was the water in my face, I quickly pulled myself up out of the said water that I had been floating face down in. "Just great...Baaj Temple, I hate this place. Creepy, possessing lots of fiends and...freaking freezing." I rubbed my chest, trying to stay warm and set out over a few of the ruins and occasionally through the water to find Tidus. "At least I get to see a wet bishonen..." I muttered to myself, glad that no-one was around to hear that since I didn't know how people felt towards gay people in Spira, they might even be more hated by some than the Al Bhed are and I'm certain Yevon hate them...granted Yevon and all its maesters are bastards-especially Seymour-along with a few of the summoners, namely a certain scantly dressed bitch named Dona but I'll rant on her more when we get to her.
"Anybody there? Auron! Heeey!" I smirked, hearing a familiar voice was a good thing in my opinion, since I didn't want to go through this place alone. I watched as Tidus started approaching, from the water, waving at him and starting to head in from the ruin I had been sitting on.
"Tidus! Any sign of Auron...or any sign of life at all?" he shook his head, sighing. "No, nothing, it's like we're the only ones alive here." 'Oh I don't know, there's giant fish monster's.' I smirked, making sure my one potion and five thousand Gill were safe, which they were, I guess the bags were waterproof.
"At any rate, we should keep moving, if we stay here we'll freeze to death." It was like the arctic here and if it wasn't for the fact that I personally prefer the cold to heat I would be complaining about this way more.
Tidus nodded, so we set off. I tried to stick with hopping from ruin to ruin while Tidus swam. Don't get me wrong, I like swimming and I can hold my breath for a good five minutes, I just didn't want to swim in freezing cold water unless I had to.
Which eventually we did, just as we were crossing a bridge, a bunch of Sahagins caused it to collapse, knocking us both into the water...and I was right, it was freezing. Tidus and me brought down the first two Sahagins easy but the third one went down in one hit.
The problem was, we didn't hit it, Geosgaeno did.
One word to describe Geosgaeno, ugly. It was a huge blowfish-like creature, with a hollow, bony ribcage that looked more like a prison cell than an actual body part and it hit hard, I almost blacked out when it smashed me upside the head with one of its huge fins but managed to hold out until we fond an opening. Me and Tidus swam like crazy, heading into an underwater entrance to the temple nearby. We barely made it in as Geosgaeno tried to suck us into its mouth but we made it, causing the entrance to collapse in the process and sealing our way out.
As was the outside, the temple it's self was freezing and being cold and wet is not a fun thing. Luckily I knew where to find the things we needed to start a fire in the rooms, once one was going, I sat opposite Tidus, trying to warm up. "So, where are you from? I've never seen you in Zanarkand before." Tidus was trying to strike up conversation but I knew I shouldn't tell him the truth just yet. "I was visiting, I kinda got dragged into everything by accident." I was at least telling half of the truth, I was a visitor here and the incident of the store and the operation were probably an accident.
Tidus seemed convinced and just lay on the floor, thinking. After a while, I got up to explore the place and found a chest with a potion and an elixir in it. "This should come in handy...but I had better keep it safe." Aside from that there wasn't much else in the place.
Eventually, Tidus started whining. "I need food!" Just as he said this, the fire started sputtering. "Nice going, you jinxed it." He shot me a death glare before getting up to find more wood, I drew my swords quickly, hearing a strange clicking noise. "Wait...there's something here." Tidus drew his sword as well, looking around, just then, a big fiend dropped from the upper part of the temple, its feet made out of sharp, nasty looking blades.
"Oh, just great. Listen you ugly freak, I'm cold and tired and now...you're dead!" I knew it couldn't understand me but I wanted to blow off some steam and venting on a fiend sounded like a good idea right then.
Boy was I wrong.
The thing was tough, I knew it was a bit difficult in the game but here it was like a whole different level of power, it was stronger and faster than anything I had fought before and it wanted me dead. Me and Tidus managed to get a few good hits in but so did it, even after a potion I was still covered in slashes and cuts that bled out. I thought we wouldn't be able to win when the sealed door behind us exploded, showering debris everywhere.
I knew who it was that stepped through that door and gave them a quick plea for help. "Ramb! Drec fiend ec duu cdnuhk!" I was sure that if they hadn't been wearing goggles and mask's, I would have seen their eyes pop when I started speaking Al Bhed. Yeah I know, I can be a geek when I need to be but sometimes its useful.
I saw one in a pink body suit step past them, fixing a claw onto their hand, I smirked knowing just who it was, Rikku, one of the most hyperactive people I know. Tidus had no idea what I had just said, happy to have the help in any case. "Are they on our side? Cool!" I smirked, spinning my swords as I began striking the Klikk with Tidus' help, when I saw Rikku pull out a green object. "Tidus! Move!" He complied, rolling out of the way along with myself just as there was an explosion in front of the Klikk, which caused it to start breaking up into pyre flies. "A grenade."
I slumped to the floor and drank a potion quickly, glad that fight was over. 'It was stronger than it was in the game...maybe this is what the fayth meant when he said things would be harder.' I watched Tidus get roughed up by the Al Bhed, catching their conversation as they called him a fiend in human disguise and Rikku defending him. After he was knocked out they turned to me. "Fryd ypuid res?" I looked over at Rikku, who had removed her goggles. "E'as hud e fiend, e'mm ku xieadmo." I wasn't sure if they trusted me because of my eyes or the fact that I was so pale but they at least didn't knock me out, they just pointed their guns at me and carried Tidus while we made out way to where their ship was docked.
Once we were out on the ocean, I mainly just sat on deck, making sure that I wouldn't be thought of as a threat. Tidus was starting to come around while I was taking a look at the crane on board the ship, nearby I found a few spheres, all red and each one had a letter engraved on them, two P's one A, an M and an S sphere. I took a wild guess and assumed these were Power, Ability, Magic and Speed spheres, however, I didn't have a sphere grid so I was stuck until I did.
I turned as I heard Tidus start arguing with one of the Al Bhed, Brother who i also recognized from all the tattoos and weird hairstyle. I already knew what was going to happen so I just walked over and plucked the goggles from his hands. "Mad'c zicd kad uh fedr." I couldn't tell if they were angry or shocked but I got a few choice words thrown at me to say the least, however Tidus got yelled at more because he didn't understand Al Bhed. "Hey, Daniel, you know what he's saying, translation please?" I shrugged, fixing the goggles over my head as Rikku came up. "He says's you can stay if you make yourself useful." Tidus gawked, surprised that someone else could speak the same language.
How do I begin to describe Rikku? Weird is a good word, so is hyperactive but she is an alright person. Blond hair that she keeps up in a weird bun and all that swimming gear that would be gone the next time I saw her after this mission. I barely pay attention to her description of what were going after but I speak up when she starts showing Tidus how to work the sphere grid.
"Hey, guys? I don't have a sphere grid." Now that comment earned some looks and a few words in Al Bhed from those who could understand me.
"Really? You don't? I thought everyone had one. Spira's such a dangerous place..." Rikku had focused on me and I was getting kinda nervous then and there. My words had brought most eyes on the ship to me and I hated being the center of attention.
"Um...I lost it when we got washed up near Baaj temple, it must have sunk in the watter." The looks eased up a bit when Rikku whispered it into Brother's ear and he murmured it to everyone else. I couldn't tell if it was for my sake or if it was Rikku's role as a translator that made her do that but I smiled and gave her a thankful nod anyway, she just smiled back and gave me a thumbs up.
After I had been given a sphere grid, I set the power spheres, magic sphere, speed sphere and then looked to see what my ability was. When I found it I smirked to myself, it was haste and close to it was grid nodes for the three basic spells and a cure spell but they were spaced far apart and would mean a lot of backtracking.
He looked over as Tidus jumped in, attaching the sphere grid to his arm. Apparently, sphere grids are attached to the skin, allowing their power to seep into the body and unlock peoples abilities so they become stronger. I could already feel my strength increasing a bit and smirked as the knowledge of how to cast Haste appeared in my mind. 'I wonder when that "help" the fayth mentioned will show up, since Rikku's here it wont be for a while. I just hope I can live long enough.' I turned, fixed the goggles over my eyes, and leap over the rail on the ships side, splashing into the water.
About swimming, I can swim fine, hold my breath for a quite a bit too, last I checked my time under water without air tanks was about five minutes, maybe a few seconds more. Hopefully there would be some air pockets in that machina city we were headed to, otherwise I wouldn't last long enough.
I was in luck, after we had dived deep enough and gotten inside, there was an air pocket at the entrance. I took the opportunity to grab another few breaths, long with Tidus and Rikku who also seemed to believe in the 'better safe than sorry' system.
Personally I hate this place, underwater places creep me out because even though I can swim, I despise the darkness and it was pretty dark at this depth. Don't get me wrong, it's not fear, the darkness just makes me edgy since I'm never entirely sure about it, its not the darkness that scares me.
It's what's lurking in it.
It didn't bother Rikku or Tidus much, they just swam without a care but I was always watching the shadows. Eventually we came to a large room with a console on it. After Tidus decided to kick it till it powered everything up, Rikku handed us both small blue spheres.
"Can you hear me alright?"That surprised me, I didn't expect to be able to hear Rikku underwater.
"These spheres let us talk so we Don't miss something important." I nodded. "Got it, I guess this is how they do it in blitzball."Tidus decided to join in the conversation himself, a note of humor in his voice. "Nah, its just good teamwork that lets us do that and skill." All that earned was an eye roll as I turned and headed out the way we had come in.
'I had always wondered how they pulled that off, now I knew. Of course, Tidus had to be so arrogant and pt it all down to his skills...why doe's it seem like I'm forgetting something?'
I came back to reality in time to dodge a tentacle that was swung at me. I sound spotted the source, a large, octopus-like fiend with a bulky, hard shell, Tros.
Soon Rikku and Tidus joined me and we all drew out respective weapons, getting ready for my first underwater battle, I smirked a bit. Tros was gong down, hard.. I had fought it before and knew all its moves, I had every confidence this would end easy.
This time I was right, a well placed grenade by Rikku a few moments in had ripped most of its tentacles to bloody shreds and Tidus and I were hacking away at its body, determined to turn it into sushi. It slammed us with its few remaining tentacles and swam to the other side of the circular room, behind a large column.
I knew what would come next so we had to move quickly. "Tidus! Follow me, you swim after it, we'll distract it, then you can pull out another grenade." Rikku looked a bit mad and a few seconds later I was rewarded with a bit of abuse. "Hey! Don't give me orders and my name's Rikku...but fine, sounds like a plan." Like I said, the girl was weird.
Me and Tidus stared down the ugly creature, while Rikku came up behind it and grabbed something from its body. Me and Tidus delivered a few slashes at its face and I had a good feeling that it couldn't take too much more, I was right, I heard Rikku yell at us to move and after we did, an explosion finished it, causing blood to fill the water, along with a load of pyreflies.
"Hah, that'll teach ya not to mess with us." I smirked, giving Tidus the thumbs up. "No kidding, chalk up one more monster on the board." Rikku just shook her head and muttered something that sounded like "Boy's"
Once we got back on board, I watched as they started talking about our find. Which just happened to be an airship. I grinned as Tidus was told to stay out when he tried to go in with everyone else. I just lay back on the deck, gazing at the sky, one of the few things that seemed the same.
'Why me? I can fight sure but...I already know that Yuna makes it to Zanarkand and saves Spira...could there be something else? Maybe thats why they sent me and that other guy to help, something else is involved this time around.'
My thoughts were interrupted by Rikku coming and offering Tidus food...the noises he made while eating could wake the dead. He started choking so I smacked him in the back, causing him to start coughing so she handed him a canteen full of watter, which he drank in one gulp.
"It's 'cause you eat too fast!" Rikku giggled, making me sigh. Like I said, the girl could be really weird sometimes but all in all, she was a pretty good person when she wasn't totally hyperactive. "Well, I think that comes from being stuck here with nothing to eat for about...give or take six hours." Rikku shrugged. "Yeah but I couldn't help it, everyone thought oui were bot fiends." Tidus was looking pretty confused now so I spoke up. "Its a different language Tidus, 'oui' means 'you' in Al Bhed."
Rikku nodded vigorously. "Yeah, thats right, but how did you know that?" I smirked, nodding at the crane. "With all these machina around, I just took a guess." Rikku looked a bit wary now, her voice apprehensive. "You're not Al Bhed haters are you?" Tidus shook his head. "No, I Don't even know what an Al Bhed is." I just shrugged. "I have nothing against you, I don't care about race myself."
Rikku looked a lot happier now that we had said that. "So where are you two from?" I smirked. "A place far from here." Tidus had to go and open his mouth and I face-palmed. "Zanarkand. I'm a blitzball player. Star player of the Zanarkand Abe's!" Rikku just stared at him. "Did you...hit your head or something?" I smirked. "Don't forget, you hit him."
Rikku blushed a bit. "Oh, right... Do you remember anything before that?" I tuned out Tidus as he went on about everything that had happened and Rikku's telling him that Zanarkand had been wiped out by Sin over a thousand years ago. After they were done talking about Luca, I noticed something odd. "Is it just me...or is it really quiet?" Tidus looked over, nodding slowly. "Yeah...not even a bird."
That was when it happened, the water seemed to come to life and shake wildly, Rikku was thrown back into the boats door and me Tidus had to grip onto the rail to avoid being thrown off. I heard shouts of "Sin" from the Al Bhed, then the railing snapped and Tidus and I plummeted into the ocean.
A/N
Nexus Necromancies: Second Chapter...Over and done with!
Llednar Twem: Just two more chapter's, just two more chapter's.
Nexus Necromancies: I think i can feel my brain trying to escape! Metal!
Metal Sonic: For the sake of their sanity-and mine because if I go crazy there will be pain-please review, no flames or I'll hunt you down and vivisect you.