Chapter 17: Thunderstruck
Despite the fact that Sin had nearly wiped them all out, there were still plenty of Crusaders in various states of health limping up the road toward Djose Temple. Unfortunately, in their wounded state, they made extremely tempting targets for the resident fiends, which lurked in the shadows on the off chance that someone would fall behind. Charlene and the others followed the Crusaders, facing the occasional bold, but stupid fiend, and traveling unmolested otherwise. "What do you think is going to happen to the survivors?" Charlie asked Wakka as they passed a group of wounded soldiers leaning against the wall.
"I don't really know," the blitzer replied. "Hopefully, the Crusaders will go to the temple and pray for forgiveness."
"That's all well and good, I suppose, but would Yevon take them back?" she asked. Wakka just stared at her confusedly, and she sighed, "Never mind. I think I know the answer anyway." "The temple will either turn them all away to die, or take them back, but keep them on tight leashes. Either way, the Crusaders as Spira knew them are no more, all because of Seymour and Kinoc! God, I can't decide which one of them I hate more for this, since they're both equally responsible for this…this massacre!"
Just then, a loud, rasping hiss snapped the brooding girl out of her thoughts, and she looked up just in time to see two huge snakelike fiends slither out of the shadows. Both were long, pale beasts, with light orange markings and glowing red gems in the middle of their foreheads. The snakes reared up, looking very much like cobras with their outspread hoods, and hissed again, angrily waving their spiked "arms" at the party. "What the hell are those things?" Charlie yelled, drawing her sword.
Before anyone could answer her question, the fiends lashed out at Wakka and Kimahri, since those two were closest. Both guardians managed to evade the attack, however, receiving only minor scrapes from the creatures' claws. Undeterred by their failure to make any killing strikes, the two snakes continued to lash at Kimahri and Wakka with flailing limbs and spiked tails, forcing both of them to remain on the defensive. Finally, one of them managed to knock Wakka down, and rushed forward to finish him off, but then Lulu unleashed a barrage of Blizzard spells on it and its partner. Being reptiles, the ice slowed the two snakes down long enough for the two harried guardians to fall back and let Charlie and Auron take their places.
Charlene hacked away at her opponent while it could not see, and the loud, wet crunch of a half-severed limb rewarded her by spraying bright blue blood everywhere. However, a sideswipe from the remaining limb knocked her backward, and she lost balance and fell on her backside. "Oh shit! Not good! Not good!" she yelled, slashing at the snake's head with the Brotherhood.
Somehow, her blow managed to shatter the fiend's jewel-eye, and it threw its head back, shrieking loudly in agony until a combined Blizzard spell from Lulu and a blitzball attack from Wakka killed it. Meanwhile, Auron battled the other serpent by himself and handled it quite well, despite the handicap of being blind on his right side. The swordsman lopped off a large piece of the snake's lashing tail, followed by one of its claws, but when he tried to decapitate it, its gem flared brightly, momentarily blinding everyone. When the blood-hued light faded, the severely wounded fiend was nowhere in sight, and Auron still stood with his sword in mid-swing, as if frozen in place. "Uh…Auron, are you okay?" Charlie asked, cautiously poking the motionless guardian in the ribs.
The swordsman didn't respond at all, instead continuing to stand as still as a statue. "A statue…oh damn!" "Auron!" she shouted, shaking him. "Auron, what the hell's wrong with you?"
Yuna quickly cast an Esuna spell, and suddenly Auron started moving again. He frowned down at Charlie for a moment, his eye unfocused, but then shook his head. "I must be rusty," he muttered, pushing past her.
Charlie watched him stalk off, and she turned to Yuna and asked, "What happened to him? He didn't even so much as flinch when I poked him!"
"He was petrified," she explained, "Basilisks have the ability to petrify their victims with a look."
"Okay…" Charlie looked doubtful, but didn't say anything else. "Snakes that can freeze you with a look? God only knows what other kinds of screwed up creatures they have here in Spira!"
…
Some time later, the six of them arrived at a fork in the road, so they stopped to rest for a moment. "Hey, how much longer will it take us to reach Zanarkand?" Charlie wanted to know.
"Still a ways," Wakka replied.
When the blitzer made no further explanation, Lulu added, "First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam, then we cross the Thunder Plains and head for the temple of Macalania."
"But before that, we get to pray at the temple in Djose!" Yuna chimed in, smiling brightly.
Charlie blinked in amazement, and then asked, "You can't skip any of that, can you?"
Yuna shook her head. "I have to pray to the fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon."
"That's a summoner's training," Wakka said. "She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning."
"That sounds really tough!" Charlie exclaimed.
"I'll be fine with you here!" Yuna replied.
With that, everyone except Charlie and Auron strolled down the path, presumably toward the temple. The young woman started to follow, but then Auron stopped her. "Hey, new girl," he called.
Charlene whipped around and glared at him. "Are you addressing me?"
"Who else?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I have a name, you know! Or is your memory as rusty as your skills?" she shot back, continuing to scowl.
"You've got a big mouth," Auron said, amused at her audacity.
"Why don't you come shut it for me," she muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Don't worry about it!" She shook her head and then sighed, "Anyway, what did you want?"
"Don't tell Yuna you know about Sin and Jecht," he told her.
"What? Why not?"
"She would…distance herself from you, and we do not want that."
"What, because of some 'connection' I'm supposed to have with Jecht?" When Auron nodded, she said, "It's not like anyone would really believe me, you know."
"Yuna would."
"That's true…but why did I have to know about it? It's not like I'm related to him or anything."
Auron walked past her, and then stopped and turned around. "Would you rather I didn't tell you? Would you have been happier not knowing why you were brought here?" When she didn't answer, he turned away again and said, "That's what I thought."
Charlie, once again at a loss for words, stared at his retreating back and suppressed the urge to do…something. What that something was, she didn't know, just that it was frustrating. "Damn him! That smug bastard just ENJOYS being right, doesn't he?"
…
A few minutes later, Charlene caught up to the others, who stood around as Yuna talked to Lucil, Elma, and the still-unnamed male Chocobo Knight. "Yuna, it is good to see you and your companions well," Lucil said, relief quite evident in her expression.
"Yourselves as well, Captain," Yuna replied, just as relieved. "We were worried about you. Praise be to Yevon!"
"We escaped with our lives, but our troops were decimated," the captain said sadly.
"Of all our chocobos, only this one made it," Elma added, holding the reins of their lone chocobo.
"We make pretty poor Chocobo Mounted Forces without chocobos," said the round-faced boy.
"We turned our backs on the teachings and cast away our faith. This…this is our just reward," Lucil said, hanging her head.
The group left the Chocobo Knights to their own devices, and continued up the path until they reached the temple. It looked like a massive stone pillar that trembled as if under a constant earthquake. "So this is Djose Temple?" Charlie asked. Suddenly, as if in response to her question, the walls of the temple exploded outward, the shattered stones orbiting around their progenitor on bolts of greenish-white lightning. "Holy hell!" she shouted, gaping at the wonder before her.
"That is the Lightning Mushroom Rock," Lulu explained, faintly amused by Charlie's reaction. "It only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth."
"That means another summoner's already in there," Wakka added unnecessarily.
"Another summoner?" Yuna gasped, looking slightly worried.
"Oh God, what if it's that bitch, Dona?" Charlie groaned.
"We have to hurry!" Yuna said.
The party started toward their destination, but then stopped when they noticed Luzzu lurking in the shadows of the temple. The Crusader looked up at their approach, but Charlie couldn't bring herself to meet those sad green eyes. "I knew that Gatta was going to do something stupid, but I didn't say anything. It's my fault he's dead…I'm as much to blame for his death as Sin, or Kinoc, or Seymour! Oh God, how many people have to die because of me!"
"Hey," Luzzu said, strangely calm, "Gatta, he's…he's dead. He was a good fighter, but he just wasn't lucky enough." Suddenly, the Crusader's handsome face twisted with rage and grief, which he vented by repeatedly punching the unoffending wall, as if it were the source of all his pain. "Ah, damn it! He was young! He pushed his luck! What was he thinking going up to the frontlines like that? He should've stayed back with command! Damn it! Damn it all!"
Charlie felt a couple of hot tears slip down her cheeks as Wakka yelled, "Luzzu, knock it off!"
"You don't know what it's like!" Luzzu shouted.
The Crusader was about to start attacking the walls again, but Wakka grabbed him, and said, "I…do…know!"
Charlie watched Wakka continue to comfort his friend, and choked back a sob as images of Gatta and Marcus, followed by a wave of guilt and self-loathing struck her. She was so busy holding back her emotions that she didn't notice Auron watching her out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know what Charlie thinks she's doing, but she's going to hurt herself if she keeps trying to bottle everything up like that."
Just then, she looked up and finally noticed him watching her, and she quickly wiped away the last of the stray tears before glaring at him, daring him to say something. Then Wakka finished calming Luzzu, so the six of them turned and headed for the temple, the impending confrontation temporarily forgotten.
…
The inside of Djose Temple was much like the other two, only this time, the theme of the décor was quite obviously lightning. They looked around for a moment, and then headed toward the stairs leading to the Cloister of Trials. Suddenly, the door at the top opened, and a man in blue and white robes walked out, followed by a dark-skinned man in red and white, and a dark haired little boy in green and blue. The man in the robes approached Yuna and said, "I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?"
"I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid," she politely replied.
"As I thought!" the stranger exclaimed, smiling broadly. "The daughter of Lord Braska…you have the look of your father."
"My father?" Yuna stared at the strange young man. "You knew him?"
"No, I have never met the man." The man blinked suddenly, as if he just remembered something he had forgotten, and bowed. "Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru, a summoner like you."
"I'm Pacce," the little kid chimed in. "Pleased to meet you."
"And I'm Maroda," added the man in red and white, "I'm guarding my big brother here."
"Those three are brothers?" Charlie thought. "They sure don't look like brothers! Maybe they're adopted or something. And what's the deal with the little one? If they're on a pilgrimage, then why in bloody blue hell are they letting him tag along? Don't they know how dangerous it is?"
Before Charlie could voice any of those questions, however, Isaaru spoke again. "Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska and wished I would someday become a High Summoner like he was." He then gave Yuna an awe-filled look. "You must have some of your father's talent in you! I believe you might someday defeat Sin."
"I…I'm not really…I've only just become a summoner," Yuna modestly replied.
"Of course, I've no intention of losing, either," Isaaru continued, smiling again, "So perhaps we should race to see can defeat Sin first, no?"
Yuna returned the smile and nodded. "Very well, then. I accept your challenge."
"Isaaru!" Maroda called from the door.
"Yuna, I beg your leave," the summoner said, bowing apologetically. "Good luck, to the both of us!"
With that, Isaaru and his brothers left, and the rest of the group, except for Charlie, walked up the stairs and into the Cloister of Trials. The young woman turned to join her friends, but Isaaru's voice rang out behind her. "Hey, you."
Charlie turned around. "Are you talking to me?"
"You are Yuna's guardian, no?" the summoner asked, approaching her. "Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you should know."
She looked at Maroda, who said, "I heard it from those Crusaders. It seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just…disappearing."
"It could just be the fiends got them…but not so many so quickly," Isaaru added.
"Sorry I don't know more, but watch…your…back." Maroda emphasized those last three words. "Ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh?"
Just then, Pacce bounced up, an exuberant ball of energy. "What? What? Watcha all talkin' 'bout?" the little boy wanted to know.
"We're talking about doing your job as a guardian!" Maroda replied, giving the child a long-suffering look.
"WHAT? You've got to be kidding me! That boy's got to be, what, seven, eight at the most, and they're letting him be a guardian? Why didn't they just find someone to keep an eye on him until they finished the pilgrimage?"
"Hey, I'm doing good!" Pacce protested. Then he turned to Isaaru and gave him a winning smile. "Right, big brother?"
Isaaru nodded, and then turned back to Charlie. "Please be careful."
"I will," the young woman promised, all the while thinking, "If anybody even so much as BREATHES wrong on Yuna, they'll spend their last few moments regretting it…just before they die a most horrible and painful death!" Finally, she looked down and realized that Pacce was still standing there; staring at her as if she were the most fascinating thing in the world. "What's his problem?" she wondered.
"Pacce!" Isaaru called. "We're leaving!"
"Be right there!" The little boy ran to the door, and then turned around and waved at Charlie. "See ya!"
Charlie waved back, and then sadly shook her head. "I just hope those two can keep that little boy out of trouble!"
…
A few minutes later, Charlene caught up to her companions at the entrance to the Cloister of Trials. "All right! Guardians, at attention!" Wakka said when he noticed Charlie's arrival.
"Yes, Drill Sergeant!" the young woman suppressed a giggle.
"We are ready," Yuna told him.
"All right, let's do it!"
The party made their way through the Cloister, the faint hum of electricity present in the air at all times. As in the previous two temples, they could only find the way forward by using the various spheres lying around. Charlie reached out and picked up one that glowed a sparkling green, and froze as a static tingle slowly ran over her body. ::Hello Charlie,:: an old man's voice rang out in her mind. This new voice sounded old, but unlike Mika, this man sounded as if his age had only strengthened his soul, rather than wearing it away. ::Child, you should not bottle up your pain the way you have. It will only hurt more when you finally feel it, and will only cause your friends grief.::
"How the hell does some voice know what I'm feeling?" Before Charlie could ask, Wakka put his hand on her shoulder and asked, "You feeling okay?"
She blinked confusedly at him for a moment, and then replied, "No, I'm fine!" "No, some weird voice just started talking inside my head, but I can't tell you that, because you'll just stare at me like I'm some kind of psychotic nutball who's about to go on a rampage involving lots of fire and green Jell-O!"
"You sure?" Wakka looked doubtful.
"Yes, I'm sure, now can we please get on with this?"
The blitzer gave her a worried look, but didn't say anything else, and the group finished making their way through the Cloister with no further difficulties. When they got to the Chamber, Yuna immediately walked inside, leaving her guardians to await her return in tense silence. Charlie paced around for a little while, but after a quelling look from Kimahri, she quickly sat down and engaged in a staring contest with Auron, who seemed to be of the opinion that incessant watching was the best way to figure her out. They continued to eye one another, her look defiant and his inscrutable, until Dona and Barthello strutted into the room. "Well, well. You again," the summoner said, surveying the room with disgust, as if it was full of insects. "Still traveling with quite the crowd, I see."
Meanwhile, Barthello meandered around the room, nearly stepping on Charlie's leg, and stopped and stared at Auron. Although Dona's guardian was much bigger, Auron just continued to return the stare, his face coldly impassive. Finally, Dona broke the impasse by rudely asking, "What is it, Barthello? Do you know this riffraff?"
The overly muscular guardian ignored the question and inched closer to Auron. "You are…Auron, no?" he asked, drawing a stunned look from Charlie, who had gotten up and leaned against the far wall after her near trampling.
"Wow, he can talk! Now let's see if he's going to be stupid enough to pick a fight with Mr. Happy-Joy-Man over there."
"What of it?" Auron demanded, eyeing Barthello warily.
Suddenly, the hulking guardian struck a pose, almost as if he were competing in a bodybuilding competition, and asked, "Can…I shake your hand?"
Charlie felt her jaw start to drop and let it, not caring that she was staring like some kind of bumpkin at a carnival freak show. "He wants to shake Auron's hand? What the hell!"
Barthello struck another absurd pose and proclaimed, "Auron…no, Sir Auron, you're the reason I became a guardian!"
At that, Auron chuckled and extended his hand, and the hero-worshipping guardian took it and shook it vigorously. "Thank you, sir!" Barthello gushed, drawing a look of disgust from Dona, "This means so much to me!"
"Calling the personal guardian to Lord Braska riffraff?" Wakka demanded, quite clearly taking pleasure in Dona's astonishment.
"And you call yourself a summoner!" Lulu smirked, her red eyes cool.
"Stupid bitch really put her foot in it this time, didn't she?" Charlie thought, fighting down the urge to laugh.
Dona gaped at them a moment longer and then stalked over to one side of the room, yelling, "Barthello, enough! Get over here!"
Like a faithful dog, Barthello quickly trotted over to his mistress, all the while still going on about the handshake like a teenybopper at a boy band concert. "I swear I'll never wash this hand again!" he cried.
"Oh please!" Dona groaned. "Touch me with that hand and I'll remove it!"
A while later, the door to the Chamber opened and Yuna stumbled out, Kimahri's quick reflexes the only thing keeping her from cracking her head on the floor. As the Ronso continued to support her, Dona sneered, "You owe much to your father. All these guardians…and Sir Auron, too? I also hear Maester Seymour's quite taken with you." The older summoner's look grew quite vicious. "The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska."
"This has nothing to do with my father!" Yuna replied, her temper flaring slightly. "I am traveling on my own, as a full-fledged summoner!"
"Oh, is that so?" Dona demanded nastily. "Then try standing on your own two legs for once." She strode toward the Chamber of the Fayth, still glaring at Yuna. "Your guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes."
Then she entered the Chamber, and the door slid shut behind her. "I hope the goddamn door gets stuck while she's inside!" Charlie growled as they headed back out of the temple. "I swear to God, if she weren't a summoner, I'd kick her ass back to Kilika!" Everyone stopped and stared as if she had just said something really vile, but she was angry, tired, and just didn't care anymore. "What? I'm not sorry I said it! I don't care if she's a summoner or President of the United States…"
"What's the President of the Whatever-You-Said?" Wakka interrupted.
"What? That's not the point! The point I'm trying to make is that she doesn't have the right to talk to Yuna that way!" Finally, Charlene threw her hands up in exasperation and stormed off, sighing, "Just forget it! I don't know why I even bother opening my mouth."
"Hey, Charlie?" Yuna called.
The young woman stopped and turned around, "Yes?"
"Thank you."