Chapter 10: Into the Frozen Wasteland
We arrived at the Macalania travel agency and had a little chat about what his career should be and everyone agreed that he should be a chocobo breeder and not a chocobo knight. He then ran of with the chocobo and we continued walking. Not long after though, Tromell came up to us and asked "lady Yuna" to come with him and reassured Auron and the rest of us that he would send someone to get us. They walked out and Auron "stole Tidus's line" after which Tidus called out to her and whistled loudly. She nodded and continued on her way along with Tromell. Then the Al Bhed came out on their snowmobiles and everyone ran off to help them. I waited behind a few seconds acting like I had been paying attention to what was going on, though I actually had lost concentration at one point.
"Chris," I heard a few of the others yell. "Coming," I yelled back, drawing my swords and running over to help. I came over just in time since the cannon the Al Bhed had brought was now at the bottom of the hill. This thing had scared me the first time I saw it when I played the game, I mean it looked big, had a gatling gun and a really big cannon what wasn't to be scared of. Plus, there was always the fact that the little robot was going to nullify all spells and make it impossible to summon aeons didn't help much either. I instantly took out some stress on the little flying robot by throwing at least ten daggers at it, making it fall to the ground and explode. Then Lulu started casting lightning spells and the otheres started beating on it. The cannon shot out another of the magic nullifying robots and I felt energy flow through my entire body. I'm guessing this is how an overdrive feels, I thought grabing the hilts of my swords, which I had placed back in their sheathes to get ready to use daggers on the little robot that was negating our magic.
I pulled out my swords sending a black and red blast curving along the ground through each other and heading straight towards the cannon. Then I slashed my swords one after the other first down then up sending four more blasts down the middle of the path of the other two. I then stuck the hilts of my blades together and began to spin them, it appeared as if they were drawing in energy from the very air around them. I let go and the blades continued spinning in place right in front of me. I stepped back then ran up, jumped and kicked them in mid-air, I bounced off and landed standing on one hand just in time to see my blades fly straight through the cannon and start to come flying back like a boomerang. I flipped back onto my feet stuck my hand up and caught the blades. I seperated them and put them back in their sheathes. The cannon shuttered then collapsed and exploded. I stood there admiring my work then fell to a sitting position, suddenly I was very tired. I was panting and didnt feel much like moving.
Suddenly I heard Brother say, "Chris, oui paddan muug yvdan Rikku." I nodded and replied, "Hu funneac, E lyh ryhtma ed," giving him a thumbs up as he nodded and walked off. Wakka looked shocked. Great this whole thing about Rikku being Al Bhed and blah blah blah, I thought as Wakka questioned the others and Rikku on why he was being kept in the dark about this. Then he turned on me, "...and you, how come you can speak like them, ya?" Rikku looked like she was about to yell at Wakka for turning on me but I stuck my hand out to keep her quiet. "I can speak like them, because I was around them for quite some time and before that I had found an Al Bhed dictionary which I lost shortly after mastering the language. So if your wondering if I'm Al Bhed my answer is no," I said getting a little mad now. He looked like he was ready to say something bad but Auron interupted asking, "Rikku will these work?" She ran over and began fixing it. I walked over to see if I could help, giving Wakka a cold stare as I walked by.
I walked over and asked if I could help she said she was fine and said I could make sure the other ones were working okay. So I walked around seeing if I could see any major problems. Besides a few dents I couldn't spot anything. Being around Al Bhed so much did help me improve in my skills with their machina. I walked over to Rikku just as she announced that this one was working. Kimahri automatically took one and sped off. The rest of us paired up since there wasnt enough for everyone. Me and Rikku argued over who would drive and I won since she had driven in the desert.
It was rather simple to drive much like a snowmobile but actually easier. Along the way me and Rikku got to talk. "Wakka just has problems with the Al Bhed because he's so heavy on the teachings, don't take it personally Rikku," I said trying to make her cheer up. She sat there rather quiet. "That was a pretty cool move you used there," she said, I was a little confused for a minute then remembered my overdrive. "Yea, I know first time I've used that though," I replied. "Really," she asked sounding surprised, "it was amazing for a first time move," she finished making me blush. "It wasn't that great, not like you, you can mix items to make better ones... I'd probably blow myself up if I even tried," I said laughing a little. "Yea, you probably would," she said laughing at me. "Hey, thats cruel," I said a little flustered at being insulted but then I just laughed. "Watch out," I heard sunuh yell. I hit the brakes just in time to stop a few feet behind his and Lulu's snowmobile. I scratched my head, "Oops sorry," I said embarrassed.
We continued on foot for a little while since the path was to narrow for the machina. I looked back as we walked and noticed some guado push the machina off the edge. Ah so that's what happened to those I thought as we approached the door to Macalania temple at last. We walked inside to what looked like a party. I went off into a corner choosing not to join the celebration since it was for Yuna and Seymour's wedding. Then we heard someone yell, "Lord Jyscal! a sphere, in Lady Yuna's belongings," our group instantly ran into the room the woman had just left. We entered to find a sphere lying on the ground. "This may well answer a few questions," Auron said picking up the spere and handing it to Tidus. "What exactly was that woman doing snooping in Yuna's things anyways," I asked remembering that I had always wondered this when I played the game too. "Who cares, lets just watch," Rikku said causing Tidus to turn it on.
Jyscal appeared in the sphere and told the story of how he was going to be murdered by his own son and emplored someone to stop him. Then near the end of the sphere I saw something move behind him. "Wait can you back up a bit," I asked as Tidus fidled with it and made it back up some then began playing again. "There," I yelled Tidus freezing it just in time. I grabbed the sphere and looked closer. It looked like "Mr. Cloak" but his hood was down. I stared harder trying to see his face but it was to blurred because of his distance from the sphere. "What is he doing there anyways," I asked out loud. "Who," Rikku asked. I loked up, "That cloaked guy I met in the woods," I said Rikku snatching the sphere and looking closer as well. She nodded obviously seeing him as well. "It doesn't matter right now, we have to go help Yuna," Tidus yelled. I nodded, "Yea, sorry, you're right. Let's go help Yuna... umm where is she anyways," I asked since no one had told me and I shouldn't have known even though I did. "The cloister of Trials," everyone yelled in unison and took off almost leaving me behind.
We were able to walk right through the trials since they had already benn solved by Seymour and Yuna obviously. We arrived in the room before the chamber of the fayth. "Seymour," Tidus yelled. Seymour turned saying, "Please be silent. Lady Yuna prays to the fayth." Tidus quickly yelled back, "Make me," I stood there with my arms limp by my sides just listening and occasionaly shifting my weight to get comfrotable, when once I shifted my weight my right hand nudged my dark blade and sent a burning sensation through my arm. I fell to my knees clenching my arm in pain. What the he... my thoughts being cut off by Seymour saying, "Ah but Lady Yuna it appears as though one of your guardians is not in any condition to fight." Everyone turned to me as I got up still clenching my arm, "Are you okay," Rikku asked me as I got to my feet. "I'm fine, and I have a feeling we'll all need each other to win this fight," I said releasing my arm and drawing my swords. Yuna, Tidus and Wakka all had a little chat with Seymour as we fought. Which gave me time to run up to one of the guado guards, cross my blades, slash him and back off. He wasn't very strong and with his last ounce of strength he cast Protect on Seymour and collapsed. The other guard followed casting Shell and then we fought Seymour alone.
After a short while Seymour said, "Feel my pain... Come, Anima!" Anima rose from the ground as frekishly large as ever. "Yuna, you have a new Aeon, summon it," yelled Lulu. She did so as we all backed off. Shiva came down and instantly used heavenly strike dropping a huge block of ice right on Anima's head. Anima then blasted Shiva with a blast from its eye. Shiva used her Diamond Dust overdrive, freezing Anima solid then shattering it all with a snap of her fingers, causing sharp ice shards to hit Anima. "Send them to Oblivion Anima," Seymour yelled as Anima turned our surroundins into a swirling vortex of darkness. Anima's bottom half that had remained hidden underground was now facing Shiva and began punching the Aeon. Each punch caused an explosion and Anima kept punching faster and faster. Eventually I couldn't see anything and had to cover my face from the force of the attack. When I uncovered my face and opened my eyes we were back in the room, Shiva now vanishing, defeated. I ran straight at Anima jumping up on the shell that was chained aroung him. I ran straight up it as the others slashed and cast spells at Anima. Unfortunately, Anima didn't seem to like me running towards his face since he was now trying to blast me. He missed twice then nearly hit me but I moved in the nick of time. I jumped up the remainder of the way to his face and slashed him several times before he blasted me right in the face sending me hurtling back down to the ground I hit the ground rather fast and managed to get back up to see Auron slash Anima and it begin to vanish.
"That power that defeated Anima... it will be mine," Seymour yelled as he prepared to fight us once more. "I've had enough of you," I yelled running up to him and slashing at him. It hit and he flinched in pain then retaliated by attempting to hit me in the head with his staff. I ducked and kicked him in the stomache. I backed off just as Lulu casted a Fira spell and brought Seymour to an inch of his life. He fell to the ground and Yuna ran over. "Yuna... you would pity me now," he said then seemed to just go limp. I'd feel bad for the guy, if he weren't so evil, and if he was actually gonna stay dead, I thought staring at Seymour lying there motionless.
"What happened here," I heard as I turned to see Tromel and a few attendants. He looked around and then noticed Seymour on the ground, "Lord Seymour, what happened here," he reiterated. The conversation continued, Tidus tried to say that we had done nothing, Seymour struck first. Tromel just called us traitors as the attendants lifted Seymour out of the room closely followed by Tromel. Wakka and a few others were freaking out. "Lets go," me and Auron said at the same time and then glanced at each other. Auron just walked off. "Come on," Tidus urged the others again. We all walked back towards the cloister of trials, Tidus now up front. He was running rather fast then I remembered the bridge was going to disappear. "Het, sunuh slow down you'll get yourself hurt," I called after him as he ran out into the middle of the bridge. The bridge vanished beneath him and he did a sort of air run thing that looked hilarious then he fell down to the grounf below as the rest of the bridge vanished.
"I warned you," I said as we approached him below and Yuna used Cure on him. "First of all, I heard but it was a little late anyways. Second, what the heck does sunuh mean," he said loudly. I laughed, "I'd rather not tell you," I said thinking how mad he would get. "It means moron," Rikku said then, "oops, wasn't thinking," she said realizing that she had blurted it out. Tidus looked shocked, "I'm not a moron," he yelled making me laugh harder. Then he lept at me, I just side stepped causing him to slide along the icy floor and smash his face into a stalagmite of ice. We then solved the cloister after much sliding around and other tasks.
We walked out to see Tromel and a group of guado blocking the peth out. I poked Kimahri in the arm, he looked at me and I motioned for him to bring his head closer. He did so and I whispered in his ear, "If things get ugly you clear a path for us to run okay Kimahri?" He nodded and we noticed the conversation had already started. "You mean this," Tromel said holding the sphere with Jyscal on it in the air and crushing it, "The Guado take care of Guado affairs," he finished. I looked at Kimahri and nodded. "Away," he said moving up towards Tromel and the other Guado forcing them to back off, "run," he said as we all began to run.
This is going to be fun I thought sarcastically as we pushed open the door to the temple and closed it behind us. We bought a few things from O'aka and then took off running but Rikku still wanted to buy some more stuff so I picked her up and started running. "Put me down," she said as a few guado caught up to us and summoned fiends. I put her down and we fought them off and started running again. We were caught a few more times before we reache the area where we had been on the snowmobiles last time. We all kept running and eventually slowed down some. "It's way too quiet," I said noticing no more guards or fiends were chasing us. "Just keep going," Auron said as we broke into a run again. We arrived back at the lake only to encounter a pair of guado guards and a Wendigo. We quickly killed off the guards who cast spells as they collapsed and then the Wendigo ran over and punched at Rikku who dogged and then punched the creatures hand. It looked annoyed at best.
We attacked it again, it looked mad now and ran over and punched me square in the face. I flew back did a flip in the air and landed on my feet. My head was pounding, that had hurt, a lot. Now I felt a surge of energy again, I began my overdrive again sending a series of blasts at the Wendigo. Then I noticed that as I rose my swords in the air, after sending a total of six blasts out, I felt a huge surge of energy. There was energy flowing all around my swords. I slashed both my swords down in unison releasing a huge ball of energy, that glowed red and black. It went flying straight towards the Wendigo who just slammed his fist on the ice and then took the full force of the blast bursting into pyreflies in the middle of being hit. The ice cracked all around us then shattered and we fell.
ha Mr. Cloak makes another appearance, has anyone guessed correctly at his identity u ask? I will not say. You will learn his identity in chapter 12 or 13 most likely. pleeeeeeeeez review and u can still guess at Mr. Cloak's identity if u want. btw I would just like to thank anyone who has reviewed my story so far.