Heathen Frolic

[It smells in here. It's not the Sinspawn, it's... pleasant. But it reminds me of the Crusaders. Or, their machina at least. I almost don't want to leave this room.]

*She pushes on Hitomi's shoulder slightly.*

"Hitomi? Hello? We're going now...c'mon."

*Hitomi jumps like a student who went on a trip to New York and was just groped by a molestor.*

"O...okay."

*She turns away from the machine and begins to leave still keeping her distance from the Sinspawn.*

*The group walks between 2 cliffs separating the Calm Lands from Mt. Gagazet. Just before the bridge to the mountain path, they veer to the right, following a path under the bridge, which leads to a gorge. A cave, more like a deep wound in the earth, lies nearby, signified by oddly bright red-&-blue rock. A woman approaches them from the other side, where she was talking to a man in green robes, who some of them recognize as Maechan.*

<Hello, there. My name is Belgemine. I should warn you that there's a dangerous Unsent in there, which plays off of its victims' fears. I tried to defeat it, but most of my Aeons were defeated.>

"So you're a summoner, then?"

<Yes. One of the few who knows how to teach Aeons new abilities. Of course, some Aeons cannot be taught new abilities, such as the one in the cavern.>

Ark: <(Call me crazy, but isn't there a huge chance she'll try to kill us if she finds out who you--who we are?)>

<(I already know.)>

Ark: <(You're creepy and I don't like you.)>

*Hitomi resuming her usual place behind the group stares at the cave.*

<(Well, that was uncalled for.)>

[<Hitoooooomiiiiii....>]

[Something stupid is calling.]

*Hitomi looks away from the cave and up towards the cliffs above. Walking up behind Luna, she tugs on her sleeve.*

Ingrid follows the group, bringing up the rear, since her magic was best suited for ranged attacks, and the fact that she wasn't exactly decked out in the best armor gil could buy. As the group reached the cave entrance the saw a summoner there, as well as an old man. As the summoner introduced herself, Ingrid returned the pleasantry. "Hello, Belgemine, I am Ingrid." She would have given the gesticulation associated with Yevon, but it seemed not a wise choice in her current company. "What exactly do you know about this unsent, and the aeon that is in there?" She asked, not wanting to fly blind in a dangerous cave.

"What is it, Hitomi?"

*The old man steps up.*

<This Chasm is a most ancient rift, created when High Summoner O'Halland's Final Aeon slammed Sin into the ground, forever gouging the Calm Lands from the towering peaks of Gagazet.>

*He adjusts his spectacles, then blushes slightly.*

<Oh my, please forgive my rudeness. I did not mean to interrupt. It's just that I'm Maechan, a scholar, & I know much about Spira's most ancient features. As for this Fiend, it is a relatively new addition, so I must confess that I know nothing about it. Nothing at all.>

Belgemine<I fought it, but it's hard to tell if I actually encountered its true form. It appeared to me first as a skeletal ghost, then as Sin's fin emerging from the wall, & finally as a mirror of metal. I managed to destroy the first 2 forms easily, but its mirror form rendered my most high-powered magic useless, and I no longer have Guardians to aid me.>

"We should work on sending the Unsent soon."

[Or now.]

Ingrid listened with genuine interest as Maechan spoke. "It is nice to meet you Maechan, and there is no need to apologize, I was actually quite interested in what you had to say. Maybe someday we'll be able to discuss what you know of Spira's history in greater detail, I would like to know more myself." She said with a smile.

Turning back to Belgemine, Ingrid replied, "Is that so, three forms, at least. Do these apparitions behave like what it looks like? For instance, did the wraith seem to have death spells? As for Sin's fin, I wouldn't even know where to begin, how could someone defeat something like that..." Ingrid thought for a second before continuing, "As for the mirror, I've never heard of a fiend matching that description, but did you only try casting magic directly at the fiend?"

"We'll go soon. There's no point rushing into this without knowing our enemy."

<There was nowhere else to cast magic, at that point it had blocked a passage. As for the Aeon in the cave, I had actually managed to destroy the fin with him. Yojimbo is the Fayth of a great Crusader and his faithful companion, and his Zanmato attack makes him arguably the most powerful Aeon short of the Final Aeon.>

"I didn't know it had a special attack."

<When he uses Zanmato, he summons a sword that can cut Rifts into space. Nothing is immune to it, but there are 3 catches: Firstly, it can only destroy 1 piece or form of a Fiend, which is why it cannot defeat Sin, who is vast, capable of spawning, and transforms at will. Secondly, the attack can be dodged and, in some cases, blocked. Thirdly, should the attack completely miss its target, it will destroy Yojimbo instead.>

*Hitomi lets go of Luna's sleeve.*

"Okay."

Ingrid widened her eyes, "Cuts rifts through space. That sounds like a ridiculously powerful attack." Ingrid continued to listen, shifting her stance every now and again before mentally berating herself for fidgeting while someone was talking, "So it is a high risk, high reward Aeon then. It could destroy an enemy, but one slip and the Aeon is gone from the battle." Ingrid smiled and let her mind drift off for a second, "...Yojimbo, I would like to see this Aeon in action." She refocused her thoughts and asked Belgemine one more thing, "Is there anything else in there we should worry about, trials perhaps?"

<There are usually Fiends, but they were reabsorbed into the Unsent. Other than that, it's a fairly straightforward cave. Its status as a labyrinth is greatly exaggerated.>

Ingrid nodded, "Well then, I'm ready now." She said, looking at Luna. "Or whenever you're ready, provided I am as ready as I am now."

Ark: <(Valefor can fly, so hah.)>

*He stares into the cave, frowning.*

"Alright, everybody! Let's go!"

*She starts to walk towards the cave when a cackle of high pitched laughter rings out from it that everyone but Belgemine & Maechan can seem to hear.*

*Hitomi falls back to behind the group and follows them towards the cave.*

Ark: <That was freaking spooky and I think it's going to kill you all.>

*He walks behind the group, next to Hitomi.*

Ark: <(I can protect you, if ya want.)>

OOC: You're all a bunch of babies.

*The cave is surprisingly open on the inside. Standing in the middle is an Al Bhed with white robes & shoulder-length, black hair.*

<Remember me?>

"I don't think you can."