Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A New Threat To Spira ❯ Crisis in Kilika ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Neon Ronin 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.01.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 315 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.01.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 315 | Status: Completed
[A/N: I don't own any of Square Enix's creations, though I did buy the game and strategy guide at a game store. ^_^ Enjoy! -Neon Ronin]
4: Crisis in Kilika
The Celsius screamed over the ocean's surface at a breakneck pace, pushing its power plant and hover turbines close to the red line. Its occupants had made their departure from Besaid as quietly as possible, not wanting to stir up unwanted panic amongst the villagers. For all they knew, the Celsius was destined for some romantic getaway; they had no idea what was really in store for the people on board.
On the bridge, last-minute preparations were underway as the Gullwings gathered their equipment together and programmed their respective Garment Grids. Having changed into their regular clothes, they were a little more relaxed, but they knew they couldn't get too laid back now.
"Where did I put those daggers? Brother, did you move my gear AGAIN??"
"Tuh'd muug yd sa, Rikku! E ryja paddan drehkc du funno ypuid dryh ouin zihg!
Don't look at me, Rikku! I have better things to worry about than your junk!]
"HEY! Don't call my daggers junk, you big doofus!"
"I am no doofus!! I am Captain of the Celsius and of the Gullwings, and don't you forget it!!"
"Hey, settle down you guys! I found your daggers right over here, Rikku." Yuna pointed to the pile of junk next to Shinra's console, where Rikku's daggers were sitting in plain sight under a spare Grid. "Now let's just calm down and focus on getting ready for this."
"You see, Rikku? Listen to Yuna, and remember who the real doofus is!!" Rikku didn't respond to Brother, but grabbed her daggers off the pile and stuck her tongue out at him.
"How much longer until we reach Kilika, Buddy?" Tidus finished polishing his sword Caladbolg and began locking spheres into his Grid. "With the way you're racing the engine, I'm hoping we get there before you throw a rod on this ship."
"Just a little while longer, big guy," Buddy replied in his usual laid-back tone. Tidus raised an eyebrow in his direction. Now there's someone who never gets riled up. Doesn't Buddy ever get stressed about anything?
"Hey, wasn't there a Rune Bracer in the equipment bin? I can't find it."
"I've got it, Yuna," Paine called from the other side of the room. She grabbed the bracer and tossed it to Yuna. "Tidus, can you get me my Power Wrist, it's right next to you."
Tidus retrieved the leather wrist strap and lobbed it to Paine. "All yours, Dr. P."
Kilika port had become a disaster area. Most of the villagers had bolted and barred themselves inside their huts, trying desperately to escape the swarms of fiends that had emerged, seemingly, from nowhere. The jungle barricade had collapsed, ripped down by the claws of a pack of Coeurls. Assassin Bees were terrorizing anything that moved. Roofs and walls were getting hammered by fiendish claws and teeth, and it didn't look like they were going to hold for much longer. What frightened the villagers most was the attack was apparently being spearheaded by squads of fiends they had never seen before, at least not in Kilika. The League forces that remained were getting steadily pushed further South down the docks, and most were nearly out of ammunition.
As they neared the Southernmost edge of the docks, their worst fear came true as a group of Sahagin sea fiends burst from the water directly across from them. Now there were fiends advancing from the side as well as the front. One trooper fired his last remaining rounds towards the Sahagins with little effect; the next anyone knew, he was sprawled on the docks covered in blood, knocked down by the beast's water attack.
A sudden roar came from overhead, causing the troops to look up in terror. A second passed, and the terror in their eyes was replaced with hope as the Celsius came down low over the docks. The access ramp underneath opened rapidly, and five figures descended from within.
Tidus hit the docks first and sprinted toward the Sahagin trio. They barely had time to turn around before he grabbed one by the massive dorsal fins and smashed Caladbolg down across its neck. The fiend barely had time to screech before it exploded into a mass of pyreflies. The remaining two recovered from the initial shock and tried to grab him from both sides, but Tidus was too quick and backflipped out from between them. Enraged, they attempted to water blast him; he evaded one shot but got hit in the left arm by the other. Just then a rattle of automatic weaponry erupted next to him, followed by a second Sahagin dropping and evaporating. Tidus glanced over and gave Yuna a quick thumbs-up as she popped a fresh ammo clip into each of her guns. The third fiend, now well and truly confused, had little time to recover as a man in green jumped directly in front of it and smashed it across the face with his double-bladed staff. The Sahagin fell into the water and did not come up again, much to Baralai's satisfaction.
"You planning to leave anything for the rest of us?" quipped Paine, holding her sword at her side.
"This was just a taste of what's going on in there," Baralai responded. "Best to exercise caution at all times."
The remaining League forces scrambled to their feet and fell back to the Gullwings' position, thanking them profusely for their timely arrival. Baralai quickly procured several vials of healing potion and administered them to the wounded.
"We'd better move fast, there's more fiends about to come around the bend," said Yuna.
Almost on cue, two Coeurls rounded the edge of the dock and headed straight for them.
"Hurt time!!!" Paine shouted as she raised her sword and plunged into the fray. She didn't seem to notice the energy sparks beginning to swirl around one of the Coeurls.
"Paine, wait! Hold back!" Baralai dashed forward just a second too late as Paine got knocked to her knees by the feline's Blaster attack. Rikku yelped and sprinted into the fray, and Tidus and Yuna did the same. The second Coeurl leaped forward and tried to tear Rikku to shreds, but she ducked in under it and slashed upwards with her matched daggers. Baralai was administering a Hi-Potion to Paine and almost didn't see the first Coeurl leaping upon him. He jammed one end of his staff in the beast's maw and tried to push it back, but it could not be done. Yuna ejected the chambered round in her gun and slammed in a higher powered flechette round, firing off a Scattershot that caused both beasts to howl in agony. The Coeurl Baralai had been wrestling with broke off its attack just as Paine sprang to her feet and cut a massive gouge across its flank. Tidus stepped in and elbowed the second beast in the side of the head, whipped his sword around and stabbed it right through the heart, causing it to burst and evaporate into a wave of pyreflies. A quick second slash from Paine and a gunshot between the eyes from Yuna finished off the other one.
"That was a little rougher than I thought," muttered Paine. "I can't believe I forgot those things could do that."
"Just be careful next time, okay?" Baralai's voice was curt, but obviously concerned. "I'm in no mood to lose any good friends today because of recklessness." Paine was about to argue that Rikku was the reckless one, but something in the way Baralai was looking at her made her stay silent.
All of a sudden, a loud buzzing could be heard approaching. "Wasps!!" Rikku yelled. "Better switch to ranged attacks, you guys!" She crossed her daggers and activated her Grid, emerging from the transformation light in the gear and clothes of a Gun Mage.
Tidus punched the Gunner sphere on his Grid, instantly entering an aura of white light. His Blitzer overalls were quickly replaced with black slacks, the Zanarkand Abes team logo emblazoned on the left shin. His sneakers were now black boots, and he wore a white t-shirt under a short black jacket with yellow flames etched across the back, and black gloves. Buckles and chains hung from his belt, framing a double holster rig from which he now drew a pair of silver automatics. Paine shook her head in amusement as she activated her own Grid and took on the trappings of a Black Mage.
The team rounded the corner and were confronted immediately by a veritable swarm of Death Daubers. The massive insects began diving rapidly towards the newcomers, and were greeted promptly by a hail of lead. Yuna crouched and somersaulted forward, rolled up and unleashed a two-fisted attack, emptying both weapons into the swarm. Tidus ran up a side stairway and fired repeatedly, spinning around to meet the wasps that were coming at him from both directions. Rikku charged up a specialty bullet and blasted it into the swarm, felling one instantly. Several Daubers exited the swarm and executed a fly-by attack, grazing Rikku across the shoulder and Yuna on the leg. Tidus promptly whirled and blasted Yuna's attacker out of the sky, while Baralai twirled his staff and tore the other one to ribbons.
"This is really bad! There's way too many!" Rikku whined as she charged up and fired again, knocking another Dauber out of the sky.
"Not for long there aren't!" shouted Paine, raising her staff and focusing not on one, but all the Daubers. "FIRAGA!!" A torrent of flame exploded from the middle of the group, sending countless wasps to their doom. It wasn't over, though. Several larger, meaner looking stragglers shot down towards the group; Tidus ducked and rolled away from one, but couldn't get away from a second one fast enough. The creature pushed him to the ground and stabbed him in the gut with his stinger, causing him to gasp and grit his teeth in pain.
"NO!" Yuna screamed, slamming another clip into her gun and shooting the Dauber right through the wings. The fiend shrieked in pain and let up on its grip. With a sudden burst of strength, Tidus jammed his feet against its thorax and shoved the Dauber off of him, jerked his own guns upward and unloaded both clips directly into the fiend's face. As it burst into nothingness, Tidus staggered up and then immediately doubled over as a sensation of fire shot through his gut. Yuna was at his side immediately; Baralai and Paine's combined efforts made short work of the few remaining wasps.
"Damn, I didn't expect them to be that fast... Or that strong," Tidus gasped as Yuna put a vial of Antidote to his lips. "That wasn't anything like the wasps we've faced before." He finished swallowing the potion and the pain in his side rapidly dissipated. "Are you okay, Yuna? What about the others?"
Yuna shook her head and smiled a tiny bit. "You always worry about others first, don't you? I'm fine. The others too." She gently put her arm around him and helped him to his feet. "How bad does it hurt now?"
"Better, but still pretty bad... Ouch." Tidus reached into his jacket and retrieved a vial of Hi-Potion. Gulping it down, he glanced around looking for the next fiend wave. "Can you hear if anything is coming?"
"There doesn't appear to be anything yet," Yuna replied. "There's still some noise coming from further North; that must be where they're focusing on."
"Phew!! This day is just turning completely disasterrific!!" Rikku grumbled as she and the others caught up to their position. "Are you guys all right?"
"We'd better keep moving. The real fight is still further on," said Paine. Just then a cry broke out from further up in the village.
"DONAAAAAAA!!!!"
Everyone looked at each other. "There's only one person I know who sounds like that!" said Yuna as she raised her guns and broke into a dead run.
Crouched by the stairway that led into their hut, Barthello was locked in a vicious struggle against a large and angry-looking Barbuta. He was covered in vicious gouges and bruises, but remained standing out of sheer force of will. "Just hold on, Dona, please!" he pleaded, trying desperately to push the fiend back. Behind him on the stairs, Dona lay in a crumpled heap, her clothes stained with blood and her eyes barely open. "I won't let this beast finish you off!!!" The words were barely out of his mouth when his knees buckled and the Barbuta pushed him down onto the dock. It raised a claw to strike, when something caught his eye beyond the fallen pair.
"Chew on this, you bastard!!" Yuna drilled into the beast with both barrels, knocking it backwards from Barthello. As soon as she fired her last rounds, she quickly stopped and ducked down; with the timing perfected by a lot of practice, Tidus executed a diving roll directly over Yuna, rolled up and emptied both of his weapons into the still-reeling fiend. With a mangled squeal, it dropped and evaporated. Yuna had already jumped to her feet and Spherechanged into the robes of a White Mage.
"Show-offs!" said Rikku lightly as she caught up to the group. "Paine and I never get that rollover switch to work as well as you do."
"That was a pretty impressive combo," noted Baralai as he circled around the group and took up a defensive position. "How are they doing?"
"Dona's in pretty bad shape," said Yuna, worry evident in her voice. "Barthello's not so bad, but we've got to work fast." She raised her staff and invoked the words of prayer and hope that could bring someone back from near-death. A white glow enveloped Dona's body. Blood stopped flowing and color began to return to her face. She shook her head slightly and opened her eyes a bit more.
"Well... looks like we still need to depend on you sometimes, Yuna." The words were tinged with humor, but it was the same old Dona through and through. Yuna wiped the sweat off her brow and smiled in relief.
"I'm just glad we got here in time. I couldn't believe it was this bad."
"I was sure I could handle such an inconvenience by myself, of course," said Dona, sitting up slowly. "But apparently I underestimated the tenacity of these fiends."
"Hey Baralai! Anything approaching from the North? It's all clear down South!" said Rikku.
"Actually, so far it looks all right," Baralai responded. "There's a few lizard fiends near the gates, but I don't see anything else."
"Whoa, don't try to sit up too fast," Yuna admonished as Dona tried to get to her feet. "You're still pretty badly banged up."
"Oh, it'll take more than this to put me down for good." Dona procured a bottle of Hi-Potion and was about to drink it, when she paused and looked over at Barthello, who was standing but shaky. She looked at the bottle in her hand, then took a step over and gave it to him to drink.
"Here. You'll need to be in top form if you expect to be my guardian effectively," she said, a little louder than necessary. She tried to hide the smile that was creeping onto her face, with minimal success. The others just smiled and shook their heads in amusement. Rikku was grinning from ear to ear.
Barthello finished gulping down the potion and straightened up. "I won't let you be hurt again, Dona. I promise," he declared. Dona nodded in approval, and this time let her smile shine through.
Just then a massive crash was heard out in the harbor, followed by numerous splashes and the sound of churning water. Baralai dashed across the dock bridge to the other side, where the access bridge to the Youth League watchtower had been under construction for the last few months. The others followed quickly, weapons readied. Rounding the last hut, they stopped and gaped. The tower was being overrun with fiends that were leaping from the ocean and almost instantly becoming airborne. They were like nothing anyone had ever seen; great humanoid beasts with batlike wings and reptilian arms and legs. Their heads were freakish monstrosities with swept-back horns, jutting jaws with rows of razor-sharp teeth and a gaping hole where a nose might have been. Glowing red eyes peered out from the fiends' eye sockets.
"Are you sure this isn't just a dream, because those things look like nightmares to me..." Rikku shivered and looked like she would bolt for cover any moment.
"Nightmare or no, those things are getting hurt." Paine twirled her staff and took a swig of Ether potion.
"Looks like that outpost was their true goal," said Baralai. "They drive the villagers away and attack their primary objective without interference."
"Yeah, but they didn't count on the Gullwings showing up," said Tidus as he activated his Grid and started the Spherechange sequence into an Alchemist.
"What's the next step, then?" said Rikku. Next to her, Yuna was already Spherechanging back to her Gunner mode.
Tidus emerged from the sequence clad in a red and black trench coat covered with buckles and straps, heavy-duty shoulder guards, red pants and black boots rimmed with yellow. "First, we get in close enough to scan these things and find out their weak points. Then we fall back and let 'em come to us, and pick them off one at a time."
"That access bridge looks awfully narrow; we won't have much room to move around," Yuna remarked.
"I know. It's gonna be tough, but we can't back out now," Tidus muttered, casting a look at the narrow pontoon bridge. "If we don't finish these things off, who knows what or who they might claw onto next?"
"Then let's go kick some fiendish tail!" Yuna said brightly, chambering a round into each gun.
Tidus nodded, locking and loading the rifle he was now carrying. Paine gripped her staff and glared at the fiends ahead with an eager air. Baralai brushed his hair back and checked his reserve supply of potions. Rikku sighed and prepared an Antiaircraft bullet. "E fecr E fana eh Djose ehcdayt.." she whined to herself.
[Translation: I wish I were in Djose instead...]
Malar twitched and his eyes flew open. He opened his left hand and furrowed his brow, a furious gleam in his ruby irises. A violet crystal emerged from his palm and cast a livid glow across the room. The glow grew fuzzy, then clearer as a distinct image emerged.
"What is this?" he growled as images of five warriors emerged. "There shouldn't be anyone left who can fight!!!!" The anger in his eyes grew more intense as he saw a young man with blond hair take down one of his prized Wrathfangs with some sort of explosive device, while another man with silver hair spun a double-bladed staff with devastating force, cutting down two more. Even worse, three girls appeared to be holding their own with projectile weapons of a type he was unfamiliar with, except one.
Malar peered closer in and saw the final girl clad in the trappings of elemental magic. "So... that legacy has still endured. That stunted and unenlightened legacy..." Anger crept into his face again, when suddenly the girl in black turned and looked right at the Wrathfang whose eyes he was currently seeing through. He barely had time to glimpse her face before the image became glazed over and suddenly vanished.
She must have taken that one out... he pondered quietly to himself. This is an unexpected problem. Hopefully the Morlach will be a better match for these interlopers; by all rights he should have found it already. If not, then I may have to accelerate things a little. It's not over yet...
Then something he had seen made him stop and think.
"Red eyes..." He leaned back in his chair and smiled quietly to himself.
"She has red eyes..."
Be Continued.
4: Crisis in Kilika
The Celsius screamed over the ocean's surface at a breakneck pace, pushing its power plant and hover turbines close to the red line. Its occupants had made their departure from Besaid as quietly as possible, not wanting to stir up unwanted panic amongst the villagers. For all they knew, the Celsius was destined for some romantic getaway; they had no idea what was really in store for the people on board.
On the bridge, last-minute preparations were underway as the Gullwings gathered their equipment together and programmed their respective Garment Grids. Having changed into their regular clothes, they were a little more relaxed, but they knew they couldn't get too laid back now.
"Where did I put those daggers? Brother, did you move my gear AGAIN??"
"Tuh'd muug yd sa, Rikku! E ryja paddan drehkc du funno ypuid dryh ouin zihg!
Don't look at me, Rikku! I have better things to worry about than your junk!]
"HEY! Don't call my daggers junk, you big doofus!"
"I am no doofus!! I am Captain of the Celsius and of the Gullwings, and don't you forget it!!"
"Hey, settle down you guys! I found your daggers right over here, Rikku." Yuna pointed to the pile of junk next to Shinra's console, where Rikku's daggers were sitting in plain sight under a spare Grid. "Now let's just calm down and focus on getting ready for this."
"You see, Rikku? Listen to Yuna, and remember who the real doofus is!!" Rikku didn't respond to Brother, but grabbed her daggers off the pile and stuck her tongue out at him.
"How much longer until we reach Kilika, Buddy?" Tidus finished polishing his sword Caladbolg and began locking spheres into his Grid. "With the way you're racing the engine, I'm hoping we get there before you throw a rod on this ship."
"Just a little while longer, big guy," Buddy replied in his usual laid-back tone. Tidus raised an eyebrow in his direction. Now there's someone who never gets riled up. Doesn't Buddy ever get stressed about anything?
"Hey, wasn't there a Rune Bracer in the equipment bin? I can't find it."
"I've got it, Yuna," Paine called from the other side of the room. She grabbed the bracer and tossed it to Yuna. "Tidus, can you get me my Power Wrist, it's right next to you."
Tidus retrieved the leather wrist strap and lobbed it to Paine. "All yours, Dr. P."
Kilika port had become a disaster area. Most of the villagers had bolted and barred themselves inside their huts, trying desperately to escape the swarms of fiends that had emerged, seemingly, from nowhere. The jungle barricade had collapsed, ripped down by the claws of a pack of Coeurls. Assassin Bees were terrorizing anything that moved. Roofs and walls were getting hammered by fiendish claws and teeth, and it didn't look like they were going to hold for much longer. What frightened the villagers most was the attack was apparently being spearheaded by squads of fiends they had never seen before, at least not in Kilika. The League forces that remained were getting steadily pushed further South down the docks, and most were nearly out of ammunition.
As they neared the Southernmost edge of the docks, their worst fear came true as a group of Sahagin sea fiends burst from the water directly across from them. Now there were fiends advancing from the side as well as the front. One trooper fired his last remaining rounds towards the Sahagins with little effect; the next anyone knew, he was sprawled on the docks covered in blood, knocked down by the beast's water attack.
A sudden roar came from overhead, causing the troops to look up in terror. A second passed, and the terror in their eyes was replaced with hope as the Celsius came down low over the docks. The access ramp underneath opened rapidly, and five figures descended from within.
Tidus hit the docks first and sprinted toward the Sahagin trio. They barely had time to turn around before he grabbed one by the massive dorsal fins and smashed Caladbolg down across its neck. The fiend barely had time to screech before it exploded into a mass of pyreflies. The remaining two recovered from the initial shock and tried to grab him from both sides, but Tidus was too quick and backflipped out from between them. Enraged, they attempted to water blast him; he evaded one shot but got hit in the left arm by the other. Just then a rattle of automatic weaponry erupted next to him, followed by a second Sahagin dropping and evaporating. Tidus glanced over and gave Yuna a quick thumbs-up as she popped a fresh ammo clip into each of her guns. The third fiend, now well and truly confused, had little time to recover as a man in green jumped directly in front of it and smashed it across the face with his double-bladed staff. The Sahagin fell into the water and did not come up again, much to Baralai's satisfaction.
"You planning to leave anything for the rest of us?" quipped Paine, holding her sword at her side.
"This was just a taste of what's going on in there," Baralai responded. "Best to exercise caution at all times."
The remaining League forces scrambled to their feet and fell back to the Gullwings' position, thanking them profusely for their timely arrival. Baralai quickly procured several vials of healing potion and administered them to the wounded.
"We'd better move fast, there's more fiends about to come around the bend," said Yuna.
Almost on cue, two Coeurls rounded the edge of the dock and headed straight for them.
"Hurt time!!!" Paine shouted as she raised her sword and plunged into the fray. She didn't seem to notice the energy sparks beginning to swirl around one of the Coeurls.
"Paine, wait! Hold back!" Baralai dashed forward just a second too late as Paine got knocked to her knees by the feline's Blaster attack. Rikku yelped and sprinted into the fray, and Tidus and Yuna did the same. The second Coeurl leaped forward and tried to tear Rikku to shreds, but she ducked in under it and slashed upwards with her matched daggers. Baralai was administering a Hi-Potion to Paine and almost didn't see the first Coeurl leaping upon him. He jammed one end of his staff in the beast's maw and tried to push it back, but it could not be done. Yuna ejected the chambered round in her gun and slammed in a higher powered flechette round, firing off a Scattershot that caused both beasts to howl in agony. The Coeurl Baralai had been wrestling with broke off its attack just as Paine sprang to her feet and cut a massive gouge across its flank. Tidus stepped in and elbowed the second beast in the side of the head, whipped his sword around and stabbed it right through the heart, causing it to burst and evaporate into a wave of pyreflies. A quick second slash from Paine and a gunshot between the eyes from Yuna finished off the other one.
"That was a little rougher than I thought," muttered Paine. "I can't believe I forgot those things could do that."
"Just be careful next time, okay?" Baralai's voice was curt, but obviously concerned. "I'm in no mood to lose any good friends today because of recklessness." Paine was about to argue that Rikku was the reckless one, but something in the way Baralai was looking at her made her stay silent.
All of a sudden, a loud buzzing could be heard approaching. "Wasps!!" Rikku yelled. "Better switch to ranged attacks, you guys!" She crossed her daggers and activated her Grid, emerging from the transformation light in the gear and clothes of a Gun Mage.
Tidus punched the Gunner sphere on his Grid, instantly entering an aura of white light. His Blitzer overalls were quickly replaced with black slacks, the Zanarkand Abes team logo emblazoned on the left shin. His sneakers were now black boots, and he wore a white t-shirt under a short black jacket with yellow flames etched across the back, and black gloves. Buckles and chains hung from his belt, framing a double holster rig from which he now drew a pair of silver automatics. Paine shook her head in amusement as she activated her own Grid and took on the trappings of a Black Mage.
The team rounded the corner and were confronted immediately by a veritable swarm of Death Daubers. The massive insects began diving rapidly towards the newcomers, and were greeted promptly by a hail of lead. Yuna crouched and somersaulted forward, rolled up and unleashed a two-fisted attack, emptying both weapons into the swarm. Tidus ran up a side stairway and fired repeatedly, spinning around to meet the wasps that were coming at him from both directions. Rikku charged up a specialty bullet and blasted it into the swarm, felling one instantly. Several Daubers exited the swarm and executed a fly-by attack, grazing Rikku across the shoulder and Yuna on the leg. Tidus promptly whirled and blasted Yuna's attacker out of the sky, while Baralai twirled his staff and tore the other one to ribbons.
"This is really bad! There's way too many!" Rikku whined as she charged up and fired again, knocking another Dauber out of the sky.
"Not for long there aren't!" shouted Paine, raising her staff and focusing not on one, but all the Daubers. "FIRAGA!!" A torrent of flame exploded from the middle of the group, sending countless wasps to their doom. It wasn't over, though. Several larger, meaner looking stragglers shot down towards the group; Tidus ducked and rolled away from one, but couldn't get away from a second one fast enough. The creature pushed him to the ground and stabbed him in the gut with his stinger, causing him to gasp and grit his teeth in pain.
"NO!" Yuna screamed, slamming another clip into her gun and shooting the Dauber right through the wings. The fiend shrieked in pain and let up on its grip. With a sudden burst of strength, Tidus jammed his feet against its thorax and shoved the Dauber off of him, jerked his own guns upward and unloaded both clips directly into the fiend's face. As it burst into nothingness, Tidus staggered up and then immediately doubled over as a sensation of fire shot through his gut. Yuna was at his side immediately; Baralai and Paine's combined efforts made short work of the few remaining wasps.
"Damn, I didn't expect them to be that fast... Or that strong," Tidus gasped as Yuna put a vial of Antidote to his lips. "That wasn't anything like the wasps we've faced before." He finished swallowing the potion and the pain in his side rapidly dissipated. "Are you okay, Yuna? What about the others?"
Yuna shook her head and smiled a tiny bit. "You always worry about others first, don't you? I'm fine. The others too." She gently put her arm around him and helped him to his feet. "How bad does it hurt now?"
"Better, but still pretty bad... Ouch." Tidus reached into his jacket and retrieved a vial of Hi-Potion. Gulping it down, he glanced around looking for the next fiend wave. "Can you hear if anything is coming?"
"There doesn't appear to be anything yet," Yuna replied. "There's still some noise coming from further North; that must be where they're focusing on."
"Phew!! This day is just turning completely disasterrific!!" Rikku grumbled as she and the others caught up to their position. "Are you guys all right?"
"We'd better keep moving. The real fight is still further on," said Paine. Just then a cry broke out from further up in the village.
"DONAAAAAAA!!!!"
Everyone looked at each other. "There's only one person I know who sounds like that!" said Yuna as she raised her guns and broke into a dead run.
Crouched by the stairway that led into their hut, Barthello was locked in a vicious struggle against a large and angry-looking Barbuta. He was covered in vicious gouges and bruises, but remained standing out of sheer force of will. "Just hold on, Dona, please!" he pleaded, trying desperately to push the fiend back. Behind him on the stairs, Dona lay in a crumpled heap, her clothes stained with blood and her eyes barely open. "I won't let this beast finish you off!!!" The words were barely out of his mouth when his knees buckled and the Barbuta pushed him down onto the dock. It raised a claw to strike, when something caught his eye beyond the fallen pair.
"Chew on this, you bastard!!" Yuna drilled into the beast with both barrels, knocking it backwards from Barthello. As soon as she fired her last rounds, she quickly stopped and ducked down; with the timing perfected by a lot of practice, Tidus executed a diving roll directly over Yuna, rolled up and emptied both of his weapons into the still-reeling fiend. With a mangled squeal, it dropped and evaporated. Yuna had already jumped to her feet and Spherechanged into the robes of a White Mage.
"Show-offs!" said Rikku lightly as she caught up to the group. "Paine and I never get that rollover switch to work as well as you do."
"That was a pretty impressive combo," noted Baralai as he circled around the group and took up a defensive position. "How are they doing?"
"Dona's in pretty bad shape," said Yuna, worry evident in her voice. "Barthello's not so bad, but we've got to work fast." She raised her staff and invoked the words of prayer and hope that could bring someone back from near-death. A white glow enveloped Dona's body. Blood stopped flowing and color began to return to her face. She shook her head slightly and opened her eyes a bit more.
"Well... looks like we still need to depend on you sometimes, Yuna." The words were tinged with humor, but it was the same old Dona through and through. Yuna wiped the sweat off her brow and smiled in relief.
"I'm just glad we got here in time. I couldn't believe it was this bad."
"I was sure I could handle such an inconvenience by myself, of course," said Dona, sitting up slowly. "But apparently I underestimated the tenacity of these fiends."
"Hey Baralai! Anything approaching from the North? It's all clear down South!" said Rikku.
"Actually, so far it looks all right," Baralai responded. "There's a few lizard fiends near the gates, but I don't see anything else."
"Whoa, don't try to sit up too fast," Yuna admonished as Dona tried to get to her feet. "You're still pretty badly banged up."
"Oh, it'll take more than this to put me down for good." Dona procured a bottle of Hi-Potion and was about to drink it, when she paused and looked over at Barthello, who was standing but shaky. She looked at the bottle in her hand, then took a step over and gave it to him to drink.
"Here. You'll need to be in top form if you expect to be my guardian effectively," she said, a little louder than necessary. She tried to hide the smile that was creeping onto her face, with minimal success. The others just smiled and shook their heads in amusement. Rikku was grinning from ear to ear.
Barthello finished gulping down the potion and straightened up. "I won't let you be hurt again, Dona. I promise," he declared. Dona nodded in approval, and this time let her smile shine through.
Just then a massive crash was heard out in the harbor, followed by numerous splashes and the sound of churning water. Baralai dashed across the dock bridge to the other side, where the access bridge to the Youth League watchtower had been under construction for the last few months. The others followed quickly, weapons readied. Rounding the last hut, they stopped and gaped. The tower was being overrun with fiends that were leaping from the ocean and almost instantly becoming airborne. They were like nothing anyone had ever seen; great humanoid beasts with batlike wings and reptilian arms and legs. Their heads were freakish monstrosities with swept-back horns, jutting jaws with rows of razor-sharp teeth and a gaping hole where a nose might have been. Glowing red eyes peered out from the fiends' eye sockets.
"Are you sure this isn't just a dream, because those things look like nightmares to me..." Rikku shivered and looked like she would bolt for cover any moment.
"Nightmare or no, those things are getting hurt." Paine twirled her staff and took a swig of Ether potion.
"Looks like that outpost was their true goal," said Baralai. "They drive the villagers away and attack their primary objective without interference."
"Yeah, but they didn't count on the Gullwings showing up," said Tidus as he activated his Grid and started the Spherechange sequence into an Alchemist.
"What's the next step, then?" said Rikku. Next to her, Yuna was already Spherechanging back to her Gunner mode.
Tidus emerged from the sequence clad in a red and black trench coat covered with buckles and straps, heavy-duty shoulder guards, red pants and black boots rimmed with yellow. "First, we get in close enough to scan these things and find out their weak points. Then we fall back and let 'em come to us, and pick them off one at a time."
"That access bridge looks awfully narrow; we won't have much room to move around," Yuna remarked.
"I know. It's gonna be tough, but we can't back out now," Tidus muttered, casting a look at the narrow pontoon bridge. "If we don't finish these things off, who knows what or who they might claw onto next?"
"Then let's go kick some fiendish tail!" Yuna said brightly, chambering a round into each gun.
Tidus nodded, locking and loading the rifle he was now carrying. Paine gripped her staff and glared at the fiends ahead with an eager air. Baralai brushed his hair back and checked his reserve supply of potions. Rikku sighed and prepared an Antiaircraft bullet. "E fecr E fana eh Djose ehcdayt.." she whined to herself.
[Translation: I wish I were in Djose instead...]
Malar twitched and his eyes flew open. He opened his left hand and furrowed his brow, a furious gleam in his ruby irises. A violet crystal emerged from his palm and cast a livid glow across the room. The glow grew fuzzy, then clearer as a distinct image emerged.
"What is this?" he growled as images of five warriors emerged. "There shouldn't be anyone left who can fight!!!!" The anger in his eyes grew more intense as he saw a young man with blond hair take down one of his prized Wrathfangs with some sort of explosive device, while another man with silver hair spun a double-bladed staff with devastating force, cutting down two more. Even worse, three girls appeared to be holding their own with projectile weapons of a type he was unfamiliar with, except one.
Malar peered closer in and saw the final girl clad in the trappings of elemental magic. "So... that legacy has still endured. That stunted and unenlightened legacy..." Anger crept into his face again, when suddenly the girl in black turned and looked right at the Wrathfang whose eyes he was currently seeing through. He barely had time to glimpse her face before the image became glazed over and suddenly vanished.
She must have taken that one out... he pondered quietly to himself. This is an unexpected problem. Hopefully the Morlach will be a better match for these interlopers; by all rights he should have found it already. If not, then I may have to accelerate things a little. It's not over yet...
Then something he had seen made him stop and think.
"Red eyes..." He leaned back in his chair and smiled quietly to himself.
"She has red eyes..."
Be Continued.