Pyry: Finnish name meaning blizzard or snowstorm
WARNING!!: Character death involved. Not going to say who, but it's very vivid and detailed. But then again, you may thank me for it. (gore-o-meter says very gory. Made my beta cringe.)
--
Men staggered in restless motions. They had been standing around the temple in Macalania for several days now with no word on when they would be able to leave. It was cold and they were starting to lose feeling in the extremities. Suddenly a shout was heard over the roar of wind. Two figures were approaching. A male and female.
"Greetings." The male called out. "I trust travelers are still allowed inside the temple? We have been walking for some time and would like a chance to rest and warm up before moving on."
The men glanced to one another seeing nothing wrong with this request, but still they had strict orders from Cid himself.
"Please," The man went on. "My wife cannot handle the cold at all. I do not want to see her death should she fall ill. I do not think I could survive without her."
"Alright. We will let you pass. See the priest once you arrive inside. He will provide you with what you need."
"As I hoped." The man whispered low enough for them not to hear. He then guided the woman through the guards and inside the temple. A priest stood right in front ready for them as soon as they crossed the doorway.
"Greetings, welcome to the Temple of Macalania. You must be tired after such a harsh journey. I pray you will permit us to feed and allow you to rest before you continue on your way."
"We would be grateful for it. Thank you." The man allowed himself and the woman with him to be led into a grand room where a table was laid out. Together they took a seat at one end of the table while acolytes served them covered dishes. It was an enjoyable feast to be sure. But the horror that followed is a story better left unsaid. Only one person would be able to tell the story and they died days after it was told.
The couple that entered the temple left it shortly after doing one last deed. When they left, it was with more then they arrived with.
--
"How in Spira did they manage to get through over a dozen men?" Cid was shouting and screaming, but no one was able to answer his questions. Most of the crew could only stare or run in fear. Only one man was brave enough to stare the man down.
"He is a man great for manipulation. Seymour is not to be underestimated. It is a skill he has developed over many years."
Cid rounded on the man who spoke up and got right in his face. "A skill? You call it a skill? He has my little girl with him teaching her these things. I would rather you not refer to it in such a flippant manner!"
"My apologies. That was not my intent. You wanted to know how he got through, I answered." Auron turned away and stood just in front of the door ready to leave the bridge if things called for it.
Cid growled to himself, he knew Auron was right. But to actually hear it was not easy. "Fine, whatever you say! Set a course to Djose. We will cut them off there ourselves." The ship lurched as it turned in mid-air for the direction of Djose. "It will be at least an hour or so before we arrive. I suggest you all prepare yourselves.
Auron took his leave and made his way down the corridors searching for a large open space were he could practice alone. It had been several years since he really trained himself. After the fight on Kilika, it was all the incentive he needed.
He began with a simple defensive stance hoping to stretch each body part. From there he moved on to actually swinging to defend attacks. He closed his eye envisioning each move in his mind. He used to love doing this when he was a cadet, but it had been so long since he had the chance to let himself go. The feeling he got as he imagined his foe going down under his sword was pure bliss.
The feeling that someone else was in the room entered his mind. Without opening his eye, he swung for the person making sure to stop the blade inches from their head. When he looked, Tidus stood in front of him staring wide-eyed at him.
"Uh, think you wanna move that thing? You could have killed me!"
"Then you should not have attempted to sneak in." Auron answered before sheathing the sword on his back. "What is it you want?"
It took him a moment to remember why he had come seeking the older man out. He stumbled over words before getting the reason out. "Right, oh, uh. Cid said come get you. We've arrived in Djose."
"Already?" Auron was surprised. He must have been practicing for longer then he thought. But at least he felt ready. "Very well. Tell Cid I will be there shortly."
"You got it boss." Tidus replied before running off.
Auron moved at a much slower pace. He needed time for his heart rate to slow down. Though how he had a heart beat if he was dead was another matter. He wasn't really alive, he should not be able to feel his heart beat in his chest. Perhaps it was another trick of the fayth. A way to make him seem more alive then he was.
He left his training area and joined the rest of the group on the bridge.
"Gippal is waiting below. He knows this temple better then the rest of us put together." Cid was explaining as he arrived.
Yuna was nodding in understanding. She had met Gippal once before, and remembered who he was. He would be the one in charge of fortifying the temple from Seymour.
--
It was no surprise to find the temple as protected as the last. In fact Seymour had expected and wanted this. The more death Rikku caused, the stronger she became. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Rikku, now that we are close, summon your newest aeon. We will not be sneaking in like last time."
She nodded once and raised her hands above her head. Bringing them down sharply, three very large shards of ice came down with them. A woman soon followed and landed behind them. The ice shattered and broke leaving the woman behind.
"Pyry, scan ahead and see what we are up against." Rikku commanded. Her childish mannerism was gone now making her sound harsh and cruel. But the summon did as she said and looked ahead. She glanced back at the young girl as if telling her everything she saw.
Rikku passed the information over to Seymour. "And the airship is here as well?" He questioned in glee. "Seems as we have a chance to deal with two birds with one stone."
Rikku glanced at him in question, but said nothing. In fact she was starting to grow resentment toward him. He was always trying to tell her what to do. When to do it. That was going to stop very soon. She was going to let him go for now, but soon, very soon she would take care of this little problem.
They came closer to the temple while Pyry walked with them. The ice aeon looked down at Rikku as if she knew what she was planning. The smirk on her face showed she agreed with the plan.
"Halt! Who goes there!" Someone shouted ahead of them.
Seymour was about to speak up and trick them into letting them pass, but Rikku had a different idea. She snapped and Pyry surrounded them in a block of ice. The men were trapped with looks of shock over their faces. Without waiting for Seymour, Rikku walked passed. She never bothered to look back at the guards.
Seymour narrowed his eyes. She was not supposed to act before he commanded anything. But he followed soundlessly.
--
"Sir, we have reports of three figures approaching. We suspected it might be Lord Seymour, but we cannot get a definite reading on the last figure."
Gippal cursed under his breath as he listened. It was too early. They were not ready for this yet. "Lady Yuna, I advise you to gather yourself and evacuate. We cannot stand up to them yet. Our men are not prepared to defend."
"No," Yuna protested. "We will stay and fight too. I refuse to leave knowing there was something I could have done to help. How will I live with myself if I do not?"
"I agree with Yuna." Tidus added in from behind her. "We will stop this here and now. Seymour has gone too far."
Before Gippal could say more, a woman ran into the room out of breath. "They are here. We know who the last person is now. We think it's the aeon from Macalania!"
"It would make sense." Auron spoke up for the first time. "Yuna, you and Tidus make your way down to the fayth's chamber. If possible, see if you can get it to join our side."
"Auron! You know we can't do that!" Tidus shouted at him. "Every one we tried to see was stuck in a block of stone. There is no way we can get them out."
The temple shook as if it had been attacked. The group braced themselves before they could fall.
"He's right." Gippal agreed. "We checked it out ourselves. The fayth are nothing more then stone." He gave a sympathetic look before heading out. He didn't have time to worry about the rest of them, he had his own job of giving orders.
Auron sighed after watching him leave. "Very well. It seems we must do this the hard way. Tidus, Yuna, you're with me. The rest of you, leave while you still can. Seymour wants blood. Don't give him that chance."
They saluted quickly before the building shook once again. Stone fell from above forcing them to move out. Gippal was out there shouting orders but could tell it was a losing battle. There were so many more of them, yet against the ice aeon, they were still losing. Gippal looked around in a panic watching as his team was slowly dwindling. "Back off! We must retreat!"
Auron stood still as people ran passed him in an attempt to get away. His katana rested on his shoulder as he regarded the aeon. She stopped her attack and stared back at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tidus and Yuna doing what he wanted them to do in the first place; helping to evacuate people.
"Now is your chance, Rikku. You can kill him and be done with it. He will forever be a thorn in your side if you do not do it now." Seymour smirked as he leaned over and spoke in Rikku's ear. They stood just behind Pyry but far enough away not to get hurt.
Auron watched as her eyes narrowed at him. Something was amiss. Rikku was not normally like this. It was just the four of them now, the rest of the people had made it out. His good eye widened in shock as Rikku reached one hand out and gripped Seymour around his throat.
"I'm done listening to you." She hissed. As he struggled to get free, she threw him right in the path of Pyry. The aeon looked down at him laying at her feet. "Pyry, do it!" Rikku called out.
Auron wished he had never come. While he cared little for the man, mainly for the things he had done, to watch the final death of Seymour was something he never wished to see. The man labored for air at the same time as wicked sharp blades of ice rose from the temple floor. They pierced his body leaving him hanging from somewhere near the top, his back bent at an unnatural angle. But the aeon was not finished yet. The ice shattered, and Auron had to cover his face with his arm or risk getting cut.
When he lowered his arm again, Seymour was gasping for breath, his lungs had been punctured, but it seemed as his mind did not register this information yet. He rolled over and tried to crawl away leaving a trail of blood behind. But Pyry was quick and leaped in front of him. She kicked him back forcing him to cry out in pain. "No, why must this be?"
Pyry spun around before encasing him in a block of ice. With a snap of her fingers the ice broke open. One of the shards had been caught in his left eye. As soon as he could move again, Seymour reached up and tried to pull it out. He yanked too hard and instead of pulling just the ice out, he lost the eye as well. He covered his face but the blood continued to run.
Pyry lifted one hand as more ice spikes shot up from the floor. They impaled Seymour in his legs as he tried to crawl away. One spike was so wide that it actually split the leg in half near his hip. A scream of pain was heard before Pyry dropped a large ball of ice pinning him to the ground. While pyerflies floated away, Rikku changed her attention. Blood was left on the ground under the ice, but it was ignored. Her sights were now set on Auron.
"Rikku?" He tried to call out to her. "Why do you do this?"
The only answer he received was a grin from Rikku as she moved in closer.
--
I know, very short, but it is almost three in the morning. And I am very tired. I wanted to give you something after making you wait so long. But I think given what I did, you'll forgive me, right?