A.N: Woohoo! More blitzball! Wait a minute. Awww. More blitzball. Well, its back to some fighting, though. Also, the O.C briefly gives an overview of the Morris clan to the group, and I think its time I gave one of my favorite weapons from Castlevania their due. (Hint: Yes, I said their. The O.C is going to get a pair of this weapon, one for each hand. Of all of the canon Castlevania heroes, however, only Alucard has used the weapon in question. It's up to you to figure out which weapon!)
Disclaimer: The elements used in this fanfiction-
Richter Belmont: No... what have I rewritten...
Maria: Thank you, Alucard. For revising Richter
Richter Belmont: Alucard?! The same Alucard who read with my ancestor, Trevor Belmont? That was over 300 years ago!
Alucard: No time for small talk. Is the person who wrote you in that castle over there?
Richter Belmont: Yes... I think so.
Alucard: Maria, take Richter and leave here. I'll publish this.
Maria: Alright... good luck!
Jonathan Morris: Wow. Talk about revisions. Anyway, standard disclaimer rules apply. Read carefully!
Final Fantasy: Aria of Ruin
Chapter Eight: Successor of Fate
The group managed to reach the door when they heard a blitzball drop. Tidus opened the door, and caught the ball with his foot. "Miss me?", was his greeting. Everyone in the locker room had a look of relief, especially when Jack, Yuna, and Lulu walked in. "Lady Yuna!" Wakka and the Aurochs shouted as the summoner stepped forth. "Good show with the game!", the hunter said as his greeting.
Everyone smiled at those words. "You okay?" Letty asked Yuna. She nodded, though it was sad. "All this, because of me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry", the summoner cried out, bowing sadly. "No, Yuna. I'm the one who should be sorry. I was caught up on trying to see what was going on with Kimahri. Because of that, the Al Bhed saw their opportunity and seized it...", Jack corrected sadly. "How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?", Wakka asked. "So what if she was kidnapped? We got her back", the hunter replied. He neglected to mention that he had redeemed himself as well. In his eyes, it was better to correct a mistake than to leave it be, no matter the cost. "So, let it go, alright?", Tidus added.
This did little to help the blitzer feel better. "Don't go near Al Bhed anymore, okay? They're trouble", he managed to reply. Everyone frowned at those words. "Well, most of us have a game to watch, guys. Why don't we get going?", the hunter asked the rest of his group. "I'll be in the game, no worries about that", the star player said. "Well, don't let us hold you back. Let's go!", Jack said to his group. They all nodded before leaving the locker room.
"This is it, folks! In just a few minutes, the championship game!", Bobba announced as Wakka and Lulu watched the crystal screen depicting the water sphere. Both had high hopes that the tournament would end in the favor of the Besaid Aurochs. Tidus claimed to be the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, even if he was supposedly affected by Sin's toxin. This was a good chance for him to prove it. "But who could have imagined. A championship game between these two teams. Our legendary Luca Goers going against the ill-fated Besaid Aurochs!", Bobba added.
'If those guys don't play nice, I'll give them the whipping of a life-time!', Jack thought. The Aurochs just won a match against the Al Bhed Psyches. That alone impressed even the announcers themselves! Why are the Aurochs still treated like pieces of junk?! "This looks like history in the making, Bobba!", Jimma announced.
Unbeknownst to anyone, even the announcers themselves, one man walked up the stairs to the stands. He had black hair, and his left eye was scarred. His outfit was a red haori that covered the black suit of armor that he wore underneath, with his left arm seemingly held up by a sling. He also wore sunglasses which made him look slightly dumber than he actually was. Despite sensing imminent danger approaching, he was taking to his business rather calmly.
The teams were already in the watery sphere and were taking their places. Tidus faced Bickson, the leader of the Luca Goers, who was laughing. He thought his match was a guaranteed win against the Besaid Aurochs. How wrong he was in thinking that. Regardless, the Goers were already beginning to taunt the Aurochs.
"They're already going at it, folks!", Jimma announced. "The Goers are taunting the Aurochs!", Bobba added. And with that, the match between the Aurochs and the Goers began. The teams fought each other, in attempts to get the blitzball. Tidus took the brunt of the attacks, enough that he had to have been saved by his team at least twice. But they managed to prevent the Goers from scoring the first half of the match. Halftime was called, allowing the teams a few minutes to adjust themselves as needed for the last half of the match.
During the few minutes that the teams were in their locker rooms, everyone else was allowed to converse amongst each other about who they thought would win the match, among other subjects. Jack, however, really had no one to talk to, so he just sat there, in silence. "Um, Jack...?", the voice of Yuna asked, surprising him. Looking around, the hunter found the summoner and Kimahri next to him. "Hmm?", was his reply. As he said this, though, the few minutes allotted were up, and the teams were getting ready to head back into the water sphere. "Might Kimahri and I...?", the summoner began, but paused. Jack smiled, knowing what she was asking. "Any time", the hunter answered. As he said this, the last half of the match began.
As the game progressed, with the Aurochs continuing on their defensive strategies, Jack could not shake off the feeling that something evil was coming. Just in case, he placed a hand on his hip, where the silver-bladed whip was placed. "Is something wrong?", Yuna whispered. "Not now... but I'm sensing something bad...", was the hunter's reply. The summoner barely managed to make out those words when the crowd around them started chanting for Wakka.
"The fans are getting impatient! They're calling for some action!", Bobba announced. "Action? More like they're calling for Wakka...", Jack mused silently. "The Auroch's spirits are fading quickly! Are they going down without a fight?", Jimma added. "Everyone seems to be calling for Wakka, folks!", Bobba finished. That was when Jack noticed Tidus swimming towards what appeared to be the exit out of the water sphere. "Say... where is that player going?", Bobba asked. "He's leaving the sphere pool! He may be injured!", Jimma answered for him. Before long, the crowd cheered loudly. Jack looked to see what was causing the uproar. He found his answer at the top of the sphere. Wakka was going back in. "I wonder what's happening? The crowd's going wild!", Bobba asked. When the announcers found what was causing the uproar, they were surprised. "Ah! Its Wakka! He's back on the field and ready to go!", Bobba finished. "The Aurochs seem glad to have him back", Jimma added.
With Wakka back in the game, the Aurochs pushed to the offensive. They threw the ball everywhere they could, making the game seem like playing monkey in the middle. Thanks to that tactic, the Goers never scored in that half. By some sheer degree of luck, Letty managed to kick a goal, placing the Aurochs a point ahead. And just after that, time was called. "Unbelievable! The Aurochs win, folks! This is one for the record books!", Bobba announced, in disbelief. The crowd went wild after hearing this. But the yells of victory amongst the fans were soon turned into screams of terror. Jack, Yuna, and Kimahri got up from their seats. That was their cue to prepare themselves for battle. Meanwhile, Tidus and Wakka took to the fight from within the water sphere. Fiends were seen within its depths, and the rest of the players fled from the scene.
After a minute's passing, Yuna, Jack, and Kimahri had reached the upper levels of the stadium and met up with Lulu. That was when the summoner managed to spot a large man in a red, armored robe wielding a large katana. "Sir Auron?!", Yuna asked, in disbelief. All present, even Kimahri, had a look of surprise. Whatever was going on, though, the man they thought was Auron was going to be in serious trouble immediately, as several large, flying fiends were heading their way. "He's going to need aid. Stay safe, Yuna!", Jack called out. The summoner nodded quickly before the hunter rushed towards the stranger, dispatching fiends along the way.
Meanwhile, Auron was having an easy time overcoming what fiends came his way, thanks to his skill with his katana. Before long, though, several flying fiends found him. One of them was purple colored instead of brown, like the rest of them. It roared at the red-robed man as its compatriots charged at him. Suddenly, a stream of blood shot out from the first fiend to reach the ground level that the man was on. Taking the initiative of the situation, he swung his katana at the unfortunate fiend before turning to try and ward off a fireball that was released by the purple fiend. A knife from somewhere behind saw to the projectile, though.
This, strangely, did not so much as surprise Auron. Smirking, he turned to see the hunter acrobatically jumping off the fiend as it faded into small lights. The red-robed man merely nodded his thanks and the two began fighting off the rest of the fiends. "You are... Jack Morris, correct?", Auron began as he slashed one fiend's wing. "How'd you know of me?", Jack asked as he destroyed a fireball with his silver-bladed whip. "Alucard occasionally talked of you during Lord Braska's pilgrimage", the red-robed man replied as he finished off his first target, barely dodging a bite by another fiend, which was killed by a swing of the hunter's whip. "Which brings me to a question... how the curses did he wind up here in Spira, anyway?", he added.
"Auron!", the familiar voice of Tidus called out, interrupting the conversation. Looking behind him, the hunter found the star player and Wakka not far from them. "Sir Auron!", the blitzer added. This prompted a look of astonishment from Tidus. "So you do know him", he added. "Yeah. Best guardian there ever was", Wakka answered. There was no time for small talk, however, as the purple flying fiend approached, its compatriots having been vanquished already. It almost managed to hit Jack in the process with its left claws. "Come and get it!", he taunted, throwing a knife at the large fiend. The creature, seemingly, was affected by the taunt, and breathed fire at him. This proved to be its downfall, as he jumped upwards. Afterwards, the hunter swung his whip at the fiend, inflicting a wound of great severity. This greatly weakened the creature, evident by its loud screech of pain.
More and more fiends arrived in a matter of seconds, surrounding the four fighters. "Hey, gimme a break!", Tidus called out. "You're lucky this isn't Castlevania, Tidus!", Jack retorted. Auron smirked at those words. Suddenly, the sounds of a familiar hymn was heard in the air. The group looked up to see Seymour in the prayer gesture. Shortly after, the sky darkened, and a large anchor appeared, falling onto the ground. As the anchor began to rise, so too did a huge, mummy-like creature. From what Jack guessed, this was an Aeon. A very powerful Aeon. The being roared, summoning forth blasts that went everywhere, killing fiends wherever they stopped. A blast shot by, finishing off the purple flying fiend and its compatriots. Within moments, the stadium was cleared of fiends. No one save for Jack and Auron noticed that Seymour had a smile on his face. One that seemed... wicked, if nothing else.
"Heh, is that all? I'm a bit disappointed!", the hunter mused. Sure enough, compared to what he faced before this whole madness had begun, the fiends he had fought thus far were of little trouble to himself. "Tidus, come. We must talk", Auron said suddenly. Tidus nodded quickly, though before the two left, the red-robed man pulled out a pair of what looked like blue gloves. Each glove had the skull of what appeared to be a monster over where the user's hands would go, though, and a red light could be seen from the eye sockets.
"Those gloves... a gift?", Jack asked, in disbelief. He saw those gloves before. "A gift from Alucard. Use them well", the red-robed man said simply, giving Jack the gloves. "Wha?", Wakka asked, confused. Clearly, he dismissed the rumors about Alucard as fairy tales. This wasn't all that surprising to the hunter, seeing as the only one who could have known the dhampir was already walking off with Tidus, leaving no reply. "Well, that answers that question, then...", Jack noted softly. Afterwards, he turned to face the blitzer. "Well, I had best get back to Yuna. I imagine you've got some boys to say your goodbyes to. See you in a few", Jack replied. Wakka nodded before the two headed their separate ways.
Before long, the hunter found Yuna, Kimahri, and Lulu in the city square, heading toward some stairs that seemed to lead to an exit out of Luca. "... I wonder if that was indeed Sir Auron", Jack heard the black mage say. Clearly, they weren't aware of his presence yet. "It was indeed Auron", he called out, as if in reply. That brought a momentary surprise to the three. "Oh, where's Wakka and Tidus?", the summoner asked. "Tidus went to have a talk with Auron. Wakka, on the other hand, went to say his goodbyes to the Aurochs", the hunter answered as he managed to catch up with his companions.
Silence followed as the four continued walking, only to stop when they reached a big staircase. Jack was now gazing at his newly acquired pair of gloves. "Where exactly did you get those...?", Yuna asked, having never seen them before. "They were given to me by Auron. He said they were a gift from Alucard", the hunter answered. Predictably, his companions had a look of shock. "Alucard? The same Alucard that Wakka heard rumors about ten years ago?", Lulu asked. "Yeah", Jack replied. Immediately afterwards, though, he sent a questioning glare in the black mage's direction. "Wait, if you heard of that...", the hunter began.
"Wakka never heard anything about this Alucard's origins", Lulu explained. "Not surprising. Alucard only speaks of that to vampire hunters. He himself has vampire blood in his veins. If any ordinary human was to learn of this... it would have the possibility of being much more of a hindrance than an aid", Jack said in reply. "So why did you tell me, then...?", the summoner questioned. "In the short time I've known you people, I can safely say that you only mean well for the whole of Spira. The same can be said of vampire hunters as a whole. Given enough time, Alucard would have told you about it as well. Back home, you would have made good vampire hunters", the hunter answered.
"Yo!", the four heard Wakka call out. It seemed that he arrived while they were indulged in conversation. "How did the goodbyes go?", Jack asked. "As well as it could have gone. The boys seemed pretty cut up", the blitzer answered. After a second, though, he shook his head and smirked. "Ah, they'll get over it soon enough, ya?", he added. "I hope so", the hunter replied as he turned his gaze to the rest of Luca. "So, Jack, those gloves... you seemed surprised to see them here. Were they in your world too?", Wakka asked, catching Jack's attention. "Not these gloves themselves. But they are amazingly similar to a pair of gloves that my mother owned. She said they helped with her martial arts", he explained.
Silence followed for a second as everyone else took this information in. "Martial arts...?", Yuna questioned. Jack nodded, predicting that he was about to get questioned at this moment. "Have any of you ever seen anyone fight with only their bare hands and feet?", Jack answered with a question of his own. "Kimahri has done so on occasion", Lulu answered. "Back home, we call that style of fighting martial arts. I learned my fair share from my mother. She was the martial artist of my family", the hunter replied. "Sounds like your family knows a lot about fighting", the summoner commented.
"Yeah. The Morris clan is widely known among vampire hunters for our variety of fighting styles and weaponry to bring to the fight against evil. Even so, each of us has a dislike for some weapon groups", Jack said. He himself had a strong dislike for axes and spears due to their slow speed for trivial gains, which was a painful tradeoff when he had a large two-handed sword and four different whips, which, for the most part, provided the same deal for less of a penalty. In the latter's case, they offered even better in comparison, in addition to different elemental affinities. After he said his piece, he turned to gaze downward at the rest of Luca, lost in thought.
"I wondered then and there.
What was to happen to me now?
It seemed as if my path would diverge from Yuna's.
Would I truly be alone in my search for a way home?
I had hoped not. Tidus suffered from the same fate, or so he claimed"
"Are you sure?", the hunter heard Yuna ask, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Never liked long goodbyes, anyway", the blitzer began, pausing to add a smile. "Sorry for makin' you wait, Yuna. I had some promises to keep, ya? From now on, I'm your full-time guardian", he finished. That prompted a smile from the summoner. "Then welcome back, Sir Wakka. Good to have you with us", she replied. "Hey, it's good to be back, ya?", Wakka said in response. Lulu glanced over at Jack, who at this point was still gazing downwards at the rest of Luca. "Yuna, I think its time you gave him an answer about being a guardian", the black mage whispered to Yuna. She nodded before approaching the hunter.
"Jack Morris?", she asked, getting his attention. "Is something on your mind?", Jack replied. "I have given some thought as to your question, back on Kilika Island. Please, join us on our journey as a Guardian?", the summoner finished. This prompted a warm smile from the hunter, much to her delight. "I'd be honored to support you and your Guardians, Lady Yuna. On my honor as a member of the Morris clan, I will fulfill the duty that stands before me, or die trying", he answered. Yuna giggled at those words. "That is good to know. But please, don't get yourself killed on my behalf. You still need to find a way home", she said.
"Ya! We'll help you out, Sir Jack", Wakka added. That earned him a playful glare from Jack. "Please, just Jack is fine. The title makes me sound like an elderly man", he replied. Yuna gave another giggle at this. "So, any news on what happened?", the blitzer asked. "Not really. We don't know where the fiends came from. Maester Mika is safe and sound, thanks to Maester Seymour. That's about it", Lulu answered, shaking her head. The summoner gazed at the rest of Luca at those words. "Maester Seymour's Aeon... it was so powerful", she noted. "You're not kidding there. Looked like the stuff of nightmares, too", the hunter said in agreement, before he returned to his thoughts.
"I wish I could say that the Aeon looked... friendly.
But then again, the power that I felt from it...
With such strength, even Dracula himself would be hard-pressed to beat it.
Regardless, even it cannot possibly outlast the power of the Light.
There was just no way... was there?"
"Do you think he's gonna stay here?", Wakka asked, shattering Jack's thoughts again. He was probably wondering about Tidus. Lulu shrugged at this. "Sir Auron knows him, apparently. You were right. He did meet someone he knew", she answered. "Do you think he'll find a way back to Zanarkand?", Yuna asked. "Even if he doesn't, there's always room back home for one like him. He would make for a good vampire hunter, if nothing else", the hunter replied. "That would be very kind of you", the summoner said, smiling appreciatively in his direction. "It's the least I can do, after what he's been through", Jack remarked.
"In any case, I'll miss having him around", the blitzer added, shrugging. "He's still in town, isn't he? I think I'll go see him", Yuna said. She gasped in surprise when she turned to see Auron and Tidus walking towards the group, the latter not looking very happy. Jack, Wakka and Lulu were visibly surprised too. "Whoa", the blitzer managed to say. "Sir Auron!", the summoner managed to call out as the four performed their prayer bows. Auron just stopped in front of the summoner. "Yuna", he said simply. "Sir?", the summoner asked. "I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?", Auron finished. Everyone was shocked at this. "You're serious?", Wakka asked. "You refuse?", the red-robed man added calmly.
Yuna shook her head at this. "No, no! We accept! Right everyone?", the summoner replied. "O- of course! No problem!", the blitzer added. "But... why?", Lulu asked, squinting. "I promised Braska", was Auron's answer. Yuna blinked. "You promised my father? Thank you, Sir Auron. You are welcome to join us", the summoner replied, bowing. Auron reached over and grabbed Tidus by the shoulder. "And... he comes, too", the red-robed man said, pushing the star player forward.
"Hi... guys. Eh... howdy", Tidus managed, rubbing the back of his neck. "This one, I promised Jecht", Auron said. Everyone was surprised at this. "Is Sir Jecht alive?", Yuna asked. "Can't say. Haven't seen him in ten years", was the red-robed man's reply as he turned slightly to glance at the hunter, who at this point, was testing the effectiveness of his gloves on Kimahri, who at this point managed to successfully learn the Stonewall stance. The former had a smirk of satisfaction, while the latter looked almost as if he didn't just take fist after fist. "You're a natural, you know that?", the group heard Jack compliment, only earning an attempted smile from the Ronso. "I... see", the summoner said sadly. "You'll meet eventually", Auron responded. "Yes. I'm looking forward to it", Yuna replied, smiling.
"What's our itinerary? Where are we headed?", the red-robed man asked Lulu. The hunter stopped testing the effectiveness of his gloves, having seen enough. The Ronso seemed to take this as an okay to exit the Stonewall stance, as he nodded slowly just before turning his attention to the rest of the group. Though the gesture of kindness wasn't necessarily needed by any means, Jack couldn't help but cast a spell of healing on Kimahri regardless. That earned him little reaction.
A minute later, Jack was gazing down at the rest of Luca when he was caught off guard by laughing from nearby. Looking around, he saw Tidus and Yuna being the source of said laughter. The former's laughing, however, sounded fake at first, before eventually turning into real laughter. This caught everyone else's attention as well. "What's gotten into them?", the hunter asked the rest of the group. A shrug from Wakka was the answer to this. Shortly afterwards, though, the laughing stopped. "What are you looking at?", Tidus called out moments later when he and Yuna looked to see everyone else looking at them funny. "We were just worried you might have gone crazy!", the blitzer shouted. Jack couldn't hold back a smile at this. "Sorry! Well then, alright. Now, we will go to the temple at Djose. And guardians? Don't forget to smile!", Yuna added.
With those words, everyone began to walk up the stairs leading out of Luca. It wasn't a long walk before the group reached the top of the stairs. The sight that awaited them was a large, green plain with a long dirt road. "Well, time to get this show on the road", the hunter said as he walked ahead, his hair, cloak, and tailcoat blowing freely in the wind. This earned him nods from his allies. This was going to be a long journey, and they knew it.
The next minute or so flew by with little to no interesting events for the group. A variety of fiends did come to stop them, which allowed Auron the opportunity to show what he could do for the rest of the group. His heavy katana, much like the two-handed sword that the hunter himself used on occasion, was slow but powerful. It also pierced through most forms of physical defenses. Little could protect their foes from something like that. Tidus grumbled as he watched Auron do this, though. His sword did not pierce, sadly.
Whatever the case, the only one that seemed to be annoyed by this was Jack, of all people. "Wakka did say to leave those fiends to him...", he said. Those words were ignored, because Tidus still shot some sarcastic remarks at Auron. He didn't seem to give a care at all that he was at the receiving end of said remarks. If anything, he occasionally smirked. The guy was like a living, breathing stonewall that stood fast against the tide, no matter the odds.
Eventually, though, the group came by an old man garbed in green clothing. He was looking at some ruins. "Do you know what these ruins are?", he asked to the group. Tidus looked at said ruins for a moment. "Some old city?", he guessed. "Correct. A city most ancient. A terrible testament to Sin's power. I tremble every time I see them. Compared to Sin, humans are mere mud-puppies", the old man continued. "But I believe humans are the only ones capable of defeating Sin", Yuna finished, shaking her head. This brought a smile from the old man.
"A good reply. I am relieved to hear you say that, m'lady summoner", he began as he bowed. "Where are my manners? I am Maechen, a scholar. At your service, m'lady. I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets. My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I have seen. Fragile smiles on people's faces crumbling at the mere mention of Sin. They are counting on you, m'lady. Give them a reason to rejoice once more", he finished. "I will", the summoner promised, nodding. Maechen smiled faintly before turning to continue on his journey.
Before long, the group was back to their journey as well. Only to be stopped by the sounds of large feet hitting the ground. "Huh?", Jack wondered out loud. "Must be chocobos nearby...", Yuna commented. "What's a chocobo?", the hunter asked, confused. His answer came when three large yellow birds came within view. "Those are chocobos", Lulu whispered to Jack. This gave him a small smile as he watched them cover a great distance in a matter of seconds. Two women and one young man were mounted, one on each chocobo.
"Lady Summoner, I presume?", the woman who seemed to be the leader of the trio asked. "Yes. I am Yuna", the summoner replied, nodding. "I am Lucil, Captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights", the woman continued. "And I am Elma. We've been charged to guard the Highroad", her female companion added, earning a nod from Lucil. "There have been reports of a large fiend appearing in this area, with a taste for chocobos. Do take care, Summoner Yuna, if you are to rent any chocobos", she finished. "Thank you. We will be careful", Yuna replied, nodding. "Good. We should get back to our rounds. Farewell", the captain finished. "Our prayers are with you", Elma finished before the chocobo knights sped off. "A large fiend, huh? Let's hunt it down!", Jack began. This prompted Auron to look at him, almost as if surprised by his words. "What, we can't do something for the good of the people?", the hunter mused.
"Why?", the red-robed man asked. "Because it's the right thing to do!", Tidus answered. This prompted Auron to look at him funny. "It's the right thing to do?", he repeated before chuckling. "What'd I say now?", the star player asked, annoyed. "Jecht said that a lot too. And every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska, Alucard, and me", Auron clarified before chuckling again. Everyone else laughed at Tidus' look. "Alright, enough small talk. Let's go!", the hunter added. And with those words, everyone continued onwards.
A.N: And that's a wrap. Don't be afraid to leave a review telling me how I'm doing thus far. Constructive criticisms will go far at this point, plus, it adds a touch of motivation! *stands up menacingly* But enough talk... See you in the next chapter! *teleports into the background, laughing evilly*
Richter Belmont: Get back here! Oh, before I forget, the author wishes to apologize if he mixed up Bobba and Jimma during the early parts of the chapter.