Chapter 4 - Luca
Tara and Gian had just boarded the boat that was headed to Luca. The guardian paused to take a look around the deck. He noted that this particular boat was a lot more crowded than the boat they were on previously. He saw players from three different blitzball teams – the Kilika Beasts, Besaid Aurochs, and Al Bhed Psyches. Three blitzball teams on the same boat was an invitation for in-sphere pool rivalries to spill outside of the sphere pool. He looked over toward Tara.
"This should be an interesting trip, wouldn't you say?"
Tara had to suppress a giggle. "I think so! I hope they all remember to save their energy for the game!
Tara was pleased that Gian had become a supporter of his new home team, the Kilika Beasts. Even the guardian's day-to-day garb resembled something similar to the Beasts' standard blitzball uniform. She had been a lifelong fan of the team, and while they had never won Spira's annual championship tournament, they had always managed to make a respectable showing for themselves. The Luca Goers had always been the best team in Spira, and they always won the championship every year. Both hoped that this year would be different.
Tara introduced Gian to the Beasts players. As the guardian shook hands with the team members, he spoke.
"So how are things looking this year? Do you have a shot?"
"I really think we do have a shot this year," the team captain Darno replied. "This year's team is better than anything I've ever seen before. The Goers are gonna be in for the fight of their lives!"
Tara chimed in, "I hope you're right! We'd love for you to bring that Crystal Cup back to Kilika Temple this year. We'll both be pulling for you!"
"And we'll be pulling for you as well, Lady Tara! You bring us the Calm, and we'll take care of the Cup!"
"Deal!" the summoner high-fived the blitz player.
As the pair wished the team luck, the boat shook violently, and waves of water crashed upon the deck. Loud screams were heard from the crew members.
"Sin!"
Gian looked towards the ship's bow and saw a huge fin protruding from the water. The guardian turned back toward the deck where he saw one of the crewmates readying a harpoon.
"What are you doing?" the guardian asked, incredulously. "If you harpoon it, we'll just get dragged along! This boat can't handle that kind of stress. You'll get us all killed!"
"Sir Gian, we've gotta do something!" the crewmate exclaimed. "Our families are in trouble!"
The harpoon cannon fired and the harpoon buried itself into Sin's dorsal fin. The cable from the harpoon tightened and the boat began to be dragged along behind the immense creature.
The stress of being dragged behind Sin was too much for the harpoon cable and it snapped. Sin submerged and appeared to go on about its business, ignoring the boat as it slowed to a standstill – still in one piece.
"We got lucky on that one," Tara observed. "Or…did we?" Her voice trailed off as she noticed a swarm of Sinspawn heading straight for the deck.
"Everybody below decks!" the guardian shouted, "And close the doors!"
As the swarm of Sinspawn arrived, sticking right into the deck, Gian noted that there were too many of them to count. The guardian stood out in front of his summoner and began to cut down as many Sinspawn as he could. Tara hurled fire, lighting, and ice spells from behind Gian's perimeter of protection as quickly as she could, as there was no time to summon. Finally, the pair managed to eliminate the Sinspawn. They dropped to their knees, fatigued, relieved that the battle was over with. They failed to notice one remaining Sinspawn behind them, however, and it was poised to strike.
"Noooooooo!" came a little voice from behind the mast.
Gian looked behind him to see a Sinspawn, and right next to it, he saw an ice gem land. The gem exploded, freezing the Sinspawn solid. Hurriedly, the guardian tossed the frozen Sinspawn overboard.
"Where did that come from?" Tara asked, but then looked over towards the mast to see the smiling Rayann.
"Rayann!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Mommy and I are going to the blitzball tournament! You going too?" The little girl replied as she jumped into Tara's arms.
"We sure are," the summoner replied, "and it looks like we owe you some thanks this time!"
"You've gotten pretty good at using those gems, haven't you," the guardian noted.
"I practiced a bit! I listened to what you told me about using gems," the girl replied as she gave Gian a hug. "My foot is all better now too, thanks to you!"
"Rayann! There you are!" the girl's mother exclaimed as she ran to her daughter. "You promised me you weren't going to run off anymore!"
"I know, Mommy, I'm sorry," the child replied, "But a fiend was gonna get Tara and Gian! I couldn't let that happen. Not after they helped me!" Rayann's mother breathed a sigh of relief.
"It seems everybody is okay. No harm done," the guardian noted. "Tara and I are a bit whupped though, that was one heck of a fight. We should go below decks and rest up." He spoke to the child once more. "So you're going to the blitzball tournament too, huh?"
"Uh huh! And the Aurochs are gonna win this year!" the child giggled.
"I don't think so!" the guardian playfully teased. "Beasts all the way!"
"No way!" Rayann stuck her tongue out and made a face at the guardian.
Rayann's mother introduced herself as Lana, giggling while watching Rayann and Gian going back and forth over which blitzball team was the better team.
"Gian?" Tara called, catching the guardian's attention. "Lana and I are going to get some refreshments while you children argue over blitzball, okay?" Tara's smirk was unmistakable.
"Coffee! Two creams!" the guardian replied, intending to not be one-upped by Tara's teasing.
"Ice cream!" Rayann exclaimed.
Tara and Lana laughed as they made their way to the galley to gather up the refreshments. After a few moments, Lana's demeanor became a bit more serious.
"Lady Tara, I was just wondering. Have you noticed anything unusual during your pilgrimage?"
"Please, just call me Tara," the summoner replied. "We haven't really seen much of anything yet. What are you referring to?"
"It could be nothing, I'm not really sure, but I've heard rumors of summoners disappearing while on their pilgrimage. It may or may not be true, but I was just wondering if you've seen or experienced anything odd."
"Aside from that last battle up on the deck, everything has been relatively calm, in a manner of speaking." Tara knew that they had not come even close to being tested so early in their pilgrimage. "We really haven't seen much of anything that we didn't expect."
"Well, do be careful. All of us are pulling for you, and you know Rayann just absolutely adores you both."
"Lana, I hope you don't find this too personal, or too out of line for me to ask, but… where is Rayann's father?"
"He died." Lana said softly. "He died fighting Sin. Rayann was just a baby when it happened. She didn't even really know him. In a way, it's almost a better situation than what it could have been if she were older."
"I'm so sorry," the summoner replied as she hugged the woman. "It's sad to say, but most people in Spira have lost a loved one to Sin. That's why Gian and I are on pilgrimage. We want to put a stop to it. We want for all of Spira to live free without the nightmare of Sin hanging over us."
"You absolutely have my support. I can't thank you enough for what you and Gian have done for Rayann and myself."
"She's a wonderful little girl and you've done well with her. If Gian and I can help it, she'll have her whole life ahead of her – and you too, you know. You're still pretty young, yourself!"
The women exchanged another hug as their boat arrived at the dock in Luca.
"I guess we'll have to get that coffee and ice cream to go!" Tara quipped. The pair exchanged a laugh and made their way above decks. "Let's go get the rest of our crew!"
The foursome left the dock area and gazed upon Luca, the second-largest city in all of Spira.
Gian handed Lana some gil, enough to pay for all of their game tickets.
"Lana, would you do the honors with the tickets? The games are on me today. Tara and I want to take a look around, first."
Lana smiled at the guardian's generosity.
"Alright, but please hurry. The first round starts in an hour. Rayann and I will be waiting for you."
As Tara and Gian began to explore the city, Tara seemed concerned.
"Gian, we should keep our eyes peeled. Lana said something about a rumor she'd heard - something about summoners disappearing on their pilgrimages."
"Who could be behind that?" the guardian asked.
"She didn't really know," the summoner replied, "and she wasn't entirely sure it was accurate. We should be careful just the same."
"Don't worry," the guardian reassured. "As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Shall we go?"
The pair proceeded into the city of Luca although Tara was still worried.
"I don't have a good feeling about this. Something tells me we'll find out what's going on first-hand. And I don't think we'll have to wait very long either."