The Path to Sin (Ikken Isshu + Griselda Banks)

[Ikken Isshu]

((I agree with most of what you said. razz I'd have to rack my brains to come up with sentimental trickery for Aer, who's not the most emotionally intelligent guy. But maybe I can be more creative, and do something other than just 'long-lost loved one'. twisted Brief time skip, since I'm impatient.))

The rest of the forest passed uneventfully, mostly because Aer had finally stopped jumping at shadows. When the temple finally loomed atop its hill, the guardians immediately picked up their pace without even realizing it, eager to reach their destination.

 

[Griselda Banks]

((I'm sure you can come up with something. Or...I could just make up some random "Nooo...turn baaack!! gonk " stuff, like what you did for Eddora xd ))

It was a mercy that they had had no further trouble with fiends in the forest, Eddora thought with relief as they finally reached the crest of the hill, where the temple sat. She wiped sweat off her forehead; the air was hot and muggy, and the stone stairs leading up the hillside were steep. "Phew!" she said. "Well, we're here at last, and hopefully we'll be able to get through this quickly." She didn't add, so we can catch up to Oebr, but that was what she was thinking.

One of the temple priests bowed low in prayer when he saw them, murmuring fervently, "Yevon be with you, M'lady Summoner! And your guardians as well!"

Ed automatically returned the prayer, but as she straightened up something occurred to her. "Oh!" she said in surprise as the priest moved away. "I just realized something...." She scratched the back of her head, frowning up into the sky so she wouldn't have to look Aer in the eye. "I...um...never actually accepted you as my guardian, Aer."  

[Ikken Isshu]

((I've an idea. Shouldn't take me very long to flesh it out completely, and then we'll be in good shape. I bought the 3rd and 4th Dune books, but I haven't started them yet. I got ensnared by a book called Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I'm only 5-6 chapters into it, but I already love it. I'd say that if you liked Harry Potter and/or any Roald Dahl book, you'll probably enjoy this one. It reads like a Harry Potter book, but the story, and the author's sense of humor, feel more like Dahl.))

Aer paled almost imperceptibly as Ed reminded him of that rather inconvenient detail.

"Uh - Lady," he said slowly, "you aren't thinking of putting me out now, are you?" He was already regaining his confidence, it seemed, as he started to speak more easily. "Think of all we've been through together already! I dare say I am an indispensable part of this team. Without me, Calaman might have perished in Besaid - and without Calaman and me, the Trial in Besaid might have become something much worse! Please, Lady, allow me to continue to serve you as guardian."

"The man makes a decent argument," Calaman muttered to himself, but didn't contribute anything to the discussion. Instead, he headed for the temple, stopping outside and staring up at the structure.

He didn't relish venturing inside another Cloister... But it was necessary for the pilgrimage. Although, after the nightmare in Besaid, he could only imagine what might await them here.

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Rowling + Dahl? Sounds AWESOME! I've added it to my enormously long list of books to read this summer!))

Ed scowled and snapped her gaze back to Aer's face. "Oh, shut up before I change my mind!" She snorted and crossed her arms across her chest. "Call me 'Lady' now, will you? Trying to get on my good side or something...." Jabbing her finger at Aer's face, she snapped, "It's just good for you that you're powerful enough to be useful, or I'd send you rolling down that hill right now!" For a moment, she considered doing so anyway. "But...I guess you are kind of a powerful mage," she conceded grudgingly. "And...you helped with Cal." She cast a glance over at Calaman, who had moved a short distance away. She remembered with an involuntary shudder how pale he had been after the Cloister in Besaid, how he had shivered and shook under the covers when they had taken him onto the ship. Her expression softened a little, and she bit her lip. "So...I accept you as my guardian, Aer d'Mors."

Then she looked back at him sharply, narrowing her eyes. "But don't get puffed up about this or anything, mister. I can still send you away, you know." She knew it was an empty threat, but she hurried forward before he could point this out to her. She strode quickly over to Calaman, saying as she did so, "Well, Cal, I think we'll do okay in the Cloister this time. Just don't try any fishy magic again, eh?"  

[Ikken Isshu]

((I think I'm going to have to do something about Aer, because that first display of magical talent on the ship should have been beyond his skill... I would expect him to do something like that with wind, but with any other element, he should be confined to second (-ra) and third (-ga) level spells.

Jonathan Strange is getting pretty good, though odd. It seemed to start out really lighthearted, but the light tone of the book is so at odds with the often-dark subject matter that it almost just adds to the humor. Parts of this book seem like they should have been written by Poe, while other parts almost feel worthy of inclusion in a Terry Pratchett novel... All of which comes together to make the book very enjoyable, if not exactly easy to wrap your mind around in one sitting. confused ))

Calaman made a bit of a sour face, but nodded. "I've no desire to return to a sickbed," he muttered, and after a pause, continued, "Erm, the fayth that resides in this Cloister... It's Ifrit, isn't it?"

Aer came up behind them and nodded. "Fire. If we end up having to fight the aeon like Valefor..."

Calaman looked a little pale. "We'll have to move quickly to avoid serious injuries."

"If," Aer repeated with emphasis. "If we end up having to fight Ifrit. But from what little I know of the pilgrimage, that was an anomaly - a huge anomaly. We probably won't have anything out of the ordinary this time."

Calaman rolled his eyes, but Aer didn't notice. "If we don't know what caused this 'anomaly' the first time, then we have no way of knowing if that cause is here too, or if it is gone. We should expect the worst."

Aer rolled his eyes in return. "So morbid."

Both of the guardians looked sidelong at Eddora, waiting for her to give the order, when they both caught a glimpse of a trio coming up the steps behind them.

"As early as you disembarked, you must have really taken your time for us to catch up with you," the young gun mage said with a grin, but the grin faded when he noticed that no one in the party looked to be in particularly high spirits. Luseik, when he came up beside Keskes, was in no better straits, and appeared distracted; Satiyen, though, appeared to be his usual emotionless self.

There was a brief and awkward silence, until Luseik brought his attention to the present and seemed to realize Eddora and her party were there. He performed a prayer gesture almost automatically, though with much more respect than some such gestures Eddora had seen thus far on her pilgrimage.

"Come, Keskes, Satiyen; we will rest within the temple while the Lady enters the Cloister." He returned his attention to the other summoner. "Please, friend, take your time. It is not my wish to see a fellow summoner come to harm." He gestured easily to the steps behind them and smiled, though the smile didn't touch his tired eyes. "I saw no other summoners close behind us, so you needn't fret for time." With those words, he and his guardians entered the temple.

((I did a lot of chattering in that post, so feel free to insert your own participation. sweatdrop ))

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Hmm. You've got a point there. Maybe he should've put it out by manipulating air, eh? Like, cutting off all air around the flames or something, to smother them.))

Ed nodded at Calaman's question, "Yes, Ifrit-" she snapped her mouth shut as Aer interrupted her. Any irritation she felt at this was silenced by a thread of worry as she considered having to fight another aeon. She pondered this silently, letting her guardians (Yes, now they're both my guardians, she thought) voice their concerns aloud.

It was because of me that Valefor attacked us, wasn't it? Ed thought. I'm sure it was. It was a test, or something like one. For as soon as they had defeated Valefor, she had obtained the aeon. Well, the answer's simple enough. I just won't let it get to me this time. I just have to remember that it's not really her.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Ed was about to lead them into the temple when Luseik and his guardians came up behind them. She looked at them for a moment, not really sure what to say, then returned the prayer gesture. She listened to Luseik's words with a small amount of confusion. She wondered why he didn't demand to go into the Cloister ahead of them (she would have), and she wondered why he always looked so sad and preoccupied.

Then Ed realized they had left before she had a chance to say anything, and she shrugged. "Well, whatever. Let's go." With that, she led the way into the temple and up the stairs to the Cloister door. Glancing over her shoulder to be sure her guardians were with her, she pushed open the heavy wooden door.

((Have you figured out some psychological turmoil for Aer? Or should I throw some random stuff at him?))  

[Ikken Isshu]

((Oh, don't worry, I have a great idea. I hope Ed doesn't take too much offense if/when she finds out exactly what delusion Aer is having... Of course, that won't show up until (probably) my next post. But oh, will it be good. twisted Oh, and before I miss my opportunity, do you want Aer to pass his 'test', meaning no fight with Ifrit, or do you want him to fail, meaning we have to fight Ifrit? I could easily go either way, with great and epic drama on both sides.

As for his magic, I have an idea that I can play with. It will not only explain the magic, but also will give me a convenient way to stop him from doing nifty things like that again. We'll find out about that when the opportune moment presents itself. smile

I can't seem to find a comprehensive description of the Kilika Cloister, and of course I don't remember it... Could you give me a brief description of the layout? I'm sure I'll remember the whole thing once I know the general shape.

And without further ado, my pathetically short post.))

Calaman and Aer followed Eddora closely, both of them casting wary glances about the interior of the temple, as if the fiery beast might assault them before they even entered the Cloister. Once inside, though, the pervasive quiet of the Cloister seemed to wrap its tendrils around them.

"And it begins," Calaman murmured.

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Okay, good. Sounds like it's going to be fun. Hmm, should he pass? Ooh, this is a hard decision. Obviously, it's kinda hard for me to decide, since I don't really know what exactly the test is going to be. But...I'm kinda leaning towards having him fail. Aer's a strong mage, but he strikes as being somewhat...unsure of himself? Eh, that's not quite the right way to put it, but something about him makes me think he might fail. Plus, having him fail opens the door for character growth later on, right?

Ooh, Ikken is being secretive! ninja

From what I remember of the Kilika Cloister, there's mainly two rooms (minus the one right before the inner Chamber of the Fayth). In the first one, you have to use a Kilika Sphere to burn away the door to the second room, in which is a raging inferno right in front of the stairs leading onward. There's a few Kilika Spheres in the walls of that room that are feeding the flames, so you have to take them away to go on. Does that help?))

They found themselves in a small, dark room, whose only illumination came from a torch in the middle of the room. There was a door directly across the room, and Eddora immediately hurried over to it. "Don't be so melodramatic," she said to Calaman, though she kept her voice low. Her eyes were darting everywhere, and her limbs were stiff. She pushed on the door, but it would not budge. "Locked," she muttered, turning back to look around the room.

The shadowy corners were starting to annoy her; she half expected Ifrit to leap out at them at any moment. Moving closer to the torch, she suddenly realized that, rather than embers and sticks of wood, the center of the flame was a glowing sphere. Remembering the door they had opened in the last temple, she turned to see if there was a recess on this door as well. There wasn't, but there was one in the wall right next to it. The only question now is how to get it.

Ed tentatively reached out for the sphere, ready to jerk her hand back as soon as the fire touched it.  

[Ikken Isshu]

((A little. Is Kilika the Cloister with the room that has a big drop in the middle of it, and the doors are on either side of the drop? I think in X-2 there was something in the bottom of that room, but I can't remember, which is weird since it was less than a year ago I was obsessing over X-2... *sigh*

And yes, Aer failing not only opens the door to character growth, but also to delicious drama. xd

Not an edit, but added after writing the post: I must say I am profoundly satisfied with this post. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.))

Aer and Calaman stared about warily as Eddora examined the walls, both ready to defend her at a moment's notice. But just at the moment that Calaman spotted a suspicious movement in a far corner, Aer spied something infinitely more interesting: Just as in Besaid, though Aer didn't know it had happened before, a wall panel silently slid aside and revealed a hidden passage veiled in shadow. Grinning to himself and thinking he might be about to find some treasure, he ventured into the tunnel - which closed itself behind him just as silently as it had opened.

Aer emerged from the tunnel into a middling-small chamber encircled by raging flames, but rather than giving the room a dangerous feel, they somehow instead evoked something of an... erotic feel. He didn't understand it; in some corner of his mind, some rather alarmed corner of his mind, he thought he sensed magic at work, but his senses were so befuddled that he wasn't sure what to make of it. And then he realized Eddora was there, her summoner's robe opened to reveal just a little more of her breasts than Aer would have thought customary - or to Eddora's tastes.

"Ed," he said warily, wondering if she was about to chastise him for something.

"Aer," she replied, smiling in such a suggestive manner that it could not have been accidental. "Did you find another secret entrance to this room? I wonder if there is something in here we are supposed to find."

"Where's Calaman?" Aer asked.

Ed waved a hand dismissively and moved closer.

"He is investigating another passage," she said with a shrug that caused her robe to fall open a little more. "But you know, it seems to me that we have a little time to spare. After all, that other summoner did tell us not to hurry..."

Aer found himself face to face with her, staring down at her with his brows furrowed. And staring down at her as he was, he could see a little more than she must have intended.

She smiled.

"Don't pretend you have forgotten why you joined me in the first place," she said, looking at him from beneath her lashes. With the forefingers of each hand, she drew Aer's robe apart just enough to reveal some of his chest, and she pressed her lips to his skin. He inhaled deeply and tried to think of something to say. He failed.

"Just imagine what these lips could do to other parts of your body," she whispered, and Aer couldn't resist any longer. What happened next happened as though in a dream; he felt his arms going around her, felt her hands against his chest... and then, inexplicably, the breath had been knocked out of him, and the air was whizzing past his head just before he collided violently with the wall panel that had concealed the passage, smashing straight through the thin stone and shattering it. He slid a bit further into the main chamber, and by the time he had regained his wits, Ifrit was lumbering out of the passage, with a torrent of flame hot on its heels.

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Yeah, the room with the raging inferno has a drop in the middle, filled with fire. But I guess we might not need to even go into that room, the rate things are going here.

Nice way to make the trial different. And you're right. Ed would be livid if she ever found out what he saw xp

Oh, and sorry for the delay in replying. I meant to reply yesterday, but it was my brother's birthday and I was otherwise occupied.))

Concentrating on the sphere as she was, Eddora didn't notice when Aer disappeared through the silent wall panel. Gathering up her courage, her hand darted in amongst the flames and snatched the sphere up. Somewhat to her surprise, the flames were a mere pleasant tickle on her hand as her fingers closed around the sphere. As soon as she pulled the orb out of the recess, the illumination from the sphere's flames vanished, swamping the room in darkness. The only light came from the faint glow of the sphere that showed between her fingers.

Cursing softly, Ed groped blindly in the direction she thought the locked door was, trying to hurry. They were incredibly vulnerable, and she had a horrible suspicion that this would be the moment Ifrit struck. "Couldn't give us a light, could you, Aer?" she hissed as she continued to grope, her fingers meeting nothing but empty air.

As if on cue, the wall right in front of her exploded and a familiar, robed figure came hurtling towards her. Ed barely had time to realize that she had been heading in the wrong direction when Aer's dead weight knocked her over. With an "oof!" she hit the ground, and the sphere flew out of her hand. Its scant illumination was unnecessary, however, and she instantly forgot about it as Ifrit charged through the hole in the wall Aer had made. Flames erupted from his back and shoulders, and when he paused to let out a roar that seemed to shake the very walls around them, Ed thought she saw more flames in the back of his throat.

"Oh, Yevon...."  

[Ikken Isshu]

((Rereading my post, I'm almost surprised that the fayth was that creative. xd ))

Aer rolled away from Eddora and pushed himself to his hands and knees, coughing and struggling to draw a full breath.

Calaman whirled away from the imaginary threat he'd been investigating, and his eyes went wide at the sight of Ifrit. He muttered a tame curse under his breath, and his sword rang as he drew it from its sheath.

No magic, he reminded himself with a wry twist of his mouth.

Aer managed to get back to his feet, and as he struggled to figure out exactly where everyone was and where he oughtto be, Calaman shouted, "Aer! Can't you do something with water, like on the ship?"

Aer hesitated, but then nodded, and plunged his hand into his robes, drawing it out with a small, blue sphere. A few hairline cracks could be seen by an observer up close, and it shone with a dim watery glow. Aer held the sphere tightly in his right hand, and summoned up the power that he could touch with it; the water in the very air around them began to swirl and condense. The dampness in the stones and the humidity in the air came together in an impossible stream that swirled like a surreal halo above the mage's head. He ducked closer to the aeon, and released the power, rocketing the water at Ifrit -

"Look out!" Calaman called, too late. Aer wasn't injured overmuch, despite the apparent force of the swipe of Ifrit's paw which sent Aer into a wall. But the blue sphere was sent out of his hand and into the air. Calaman didn't know exactly what it was, but Aer appeared to be drawing power from it, so he dove to catch it - and missed. The sphere hit the stones, and shattered as if it had fallen from a much greater height, turning to blue, glassy dust in an instant. Aer had already returned to his feet, and stared at the glass dust with a dejected expression. Calaman looked from Aer to Ifrit to Ed, and decided that the aeon took a higher priority than whatever bauble Aer was mourning. With that in mind, he returned to the fray.

((There. The origins of the little sphere are of course unknown and relatively unimportant, but now that it's been destroyed, Aer can't godmode anymore. razz ))

 

[Griselda Banks]

(( rofl

Oh, I keep on meaning to ask you, but I keep on forgetting: Have you seen the Dune movie? Lol, that's such a horribly cheesy movie! xd But the sand worms were pretty good, and Alia was perfect.))

Eddora tried to pick herself up quickly, but the collision with Aer had winded her, and she only managed to struggle onto her feet when Ifrit threw Aer across the room again. He must like doing that, Ed thought in some numb part of her brain that hadn't registered the danger of the situation yet.

The room was much too small for two aeons, but Ed saw immediately that they would need help in this battle. If only Valefor knew ice magic, Ed thought wistfully as she backed up against the wall and reached out for the presence in her soul she knew was Valefor. Once again, she experienced the same sensation of leaving her own body and entering the enormous bird aeon that had materialized out of nowhere. She shrieked and brushed past her guardians to attack, trying to keep away from the areas of Ifrit's body that were in flames.  

[Ikken Isshu]

((The 1984 movie, or the Sci-Fi miniseries? Both of them were pretty terrible, but the movie had an odd culty appeal, I thought. Though the intro with Irulan was kind of odd; I thought it clashed with the rest of the movie. And I watched the movie after only reading the first book, so I didn't get a lot of the bits which were actually taken from later books, which kind of sucks. The dude in the tank, for one. I don't remember reading about any fish-monster in a tank until the second book. But, there you have it. rolleyes

Dammit, I thought I posted, but it seems Gaia rejected it. stare ))

Calaman struggled to keep out of Valefor's way, but it was difficult to avoid Valefor, Ifrit's attacks, and manage to make a nuisance of himself to the fiery beast. He scored a few good hits, though, before glancing back to see Aer still, apparently, pining over his lost bauble.

"Aer!" he shouted, and the mage blinked, looking up. He appeared to notice just then that there was a battle going on, and spared the glass dust one final lamenting glance before rushing to join the fray. His trick with the wind blades presented itself, but Ifrit's hide was too thick for it to do much damage.

Calaman ducked a few swipes, and finally sheathed his sword and caught hold of one of the locks of orange hair that hung from Ifrit's arms. He winced; it was as hot as if he had grasped a flame. But he swung upward, grabbed one of Ifrit's massive horns, and held on for dear life as the raging aeon struggled to combat Valefor and throw him at the same time. As soon as he got a chance, he would free a hand and draw his blade, but that moment didn't appear to be forthcoming.

 

[Griselda Banks]

((The 1984 movie. Yeah, the Irulan intro was kind of weird, but I guess they were trying to have a similar effect to all the quotes from things Irulan wrote in the book. And I was confused about the squid thing in the tank, too, since I've only read the first book. My brother, who's read the entire series, briefly explained it to me. But dude, everybody's acting was so melodramatic! xd And Baron Harkonnen was...really weird o.0))

Valefor drew back slightly when Calaman pulled himself onto Ifrit's back, but when she saw what he intended to do, attacked the other aeon even more fiercely than before. Something stirred in the back of her mind, as if some distant memory of a similar irritating weight on her own back.... But then Ifrit swiped at her, and the memory slipped away.

She slashed at Ifrit a few more times with her talons, but then Ifrit suddenly let out a blast of fire from his mouth. Valefor darted to the side, but she was just a little too slow. The fireball smashed into her left wing, and in an explosion of searing pain, the fire burned her wing almost completely off. For an instant, all she could do was shriek an ear-splitting cry of pain, and she fell onto the floor. Ifrit darted forward, his long claws slashing towards her, and she felt them piercing straight through her body, pinning her to the floor. This time, a numbness crept over her body soon after the pain, and her vision began to blur. She tried to call out, but all that came out was a gurgling croak as blood seeped up her throat. She couldn't breathe. She was dying. She could feel her pyreflies rising up inside her. The last thing she saw with Valefor's eyes was that Ifrit had paused his thrashing to push his claws deeper into her chest. If she had not had a beak, she would have smiled.  

[Ikken Isshu]

((Holy crap, this scene reminds me of a passage from the Black jewels Trilogy, by Anne Bishop, and which I must now relate as best I can. In some castle, I forget exactly where, there is a statue of a maiden sleeping beneath a great beast with it's claw upraised; and depending on how one views the statue, and in what mindset, the beast could either be preparing to kill the maiden or it could be protecting her. The image of Valefor and Ifrit just pounded that image into my head, so I had to share. razz ))

Calaman stared at Valefor, his thoughts racing, swirling around the horror of the spectacle as if it were a whirlpool, with Valefor's death at the center of it all. Of course, he knew nothing of the metaphysics of summoning; he knew nothing of Ed's relationship with Valefor, and he could not know that Ed was suffering the death of the aeon, and never mind that the aeon could be summoned again, and die again, as many times as necessary. All he saw was the magnificent creature shrieking in enraged, furious agony at the beast that loomed over it, with no regard for its beauty, its glory...

All at once, Calaman remembered where he was, and with a furious bellow that he didn't remember giving of his own free will, he yanked his short sword from its sheath, gripped it in both hands, and drove it as hard as it could into the base of Ifrit's skull.

With a roar that shook the walls and sent dust billowing through the air, Ifrit arched and took a few futile swipes at the air, staggered to one side, and collapsed. Calaman flung himself away from the aeon desperately, and managed to avoid being crushed beneath its weight.

Aer, who had continued slashing ineffectually at the aeon, let his magic dissipate, and hurried to Eddora's side. He knew a little more of the specifics of summoning - he was by no stretch of the imagination an expert, but he knew something of the strains - and hastened to offer her a potion, along with a few inquiries as to how she felt.