44 Conviction : Wanderlust
After crossing the Moonflow on the back of an amphibious, elephantine creature known as a Shoopuff, the group made its way toward the home forest of the Guado, Guadosalam.
Though it had plenty of trees, Guadosalam was unique in that most of the flora within the forest nation had been woven together by powerful magic, creating a complex network of roads, archways, and residences from still-living plants and roots. The Guado were the guardians of the Farplane and lived harmoniously alongside nature, much like the Elves of other fantasy worlds. However, unlike typical elves, they had flesh resembling bark, hair akin to gnarled branches and vines, pointed ears, long arms, large hands with fierce claws, and prominent veins covering their faces.
"We should probably be careful when entering Guadosalam," said Andrew. The Guado were a fiercely religious group and were generally welcoming to all who ventured to their homeland. Still, Seymour was their leader and their representing Maester. There were bound to be at least a few people upset about his untimely demise, regardless of his crimes.
"We could go around," proposed Yuna. Doing so would prolong their trip by 3-5 days, but with Sin's main body destroyed, they weren't as pressed for time. Even the briefest Calm in history lasted thirteen months, so they could return to Besaid, finish the current Blitzball season in Luca, or even focus on installing her as Queen before 'needing' to resume their journey.
"I vote in favor of going around~!" exclaimed Rikku, raising her right hand high in the sky. She had a fairly severe case of astraphobia, the fear of lightning, so she 'was not' looking forward to passing through the Thunder Plains, the region following Guadosalam.
"The decision is yours to make," stated Auron. "So long as you do not give up your pilgrimage, it is our duty as Guardians to attend you, wherever the path may lead."
Though she appreciated Auron's words, Yuna habitually looked to Andrew to see what he had to say. In response, he smiled and said, "You know my answer. Even if you decided our next destination was the Moon, I'd find a way to get you there."
Covering her mouth, Yuna giggled before lowering her hand to reveal a narrow-eyed smile, musing, "How reassuring." Then, as she would rather avoid a conflict with the Guado, she decided they would travel west along the Moonflow, following it to the mouth of the river to wait for the Al Bhed to come and pick them up. Yuna was eager to meet her uncle, and so long as they could utilize his airship, the Fahrenheit, they could travel from the northernmost tip of Spira to the south in under two hours, saving them a lot of time, energy, and headache...
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"I'll give Andrew this much; this is way better than camping outside and eating rations..." said Rikku, seated atop a large, luxurious bed with Yuna and Paine, her body garbed in deliberately skimpy pajamas as she held a slice of pizza overhead, allowing the exceptionally stringy cheese to fall into her mouth.
"If you get fat, it could jeopardize your status as a Proxy..." muttered Paine, her voice low and lacking emotion as she periodically eyed the room's entrance. Like Rikku, she was also wearing rather scant attire, but instead of a transparent babydoll and racy pink lingerie, she wore a black halter top and spats-like shorts.
Rolling her eyes, Rikku shrugged carelessly and remarked, "Unlikely. I've been a foodie my entire life and have never put on an ounce of fat. Even if I did, I could always work it off by diving or exercising."
Noticing Paine's nervousness, Yuna, wearing a white crop top and a pair of light blue silk pantalettes, remarked, "You don't need to be so nervous, Paine. Even if Andrew were to come here, he won't force or make you do anything you're not comfortable with..."
"I'm not nervous..." lied Paine, avoiding Yuna's gaze and eyeing the pizza Andrew had bought for them. She initially didn't have much of an appetite, but watching Rikku down more than half of it made her trembling stomach issue a low, nearly inaudible growl.
"Speaking of Andrew, it's strange," said Rikku. "With how 'overbearing' he is, I expected him to force his way in here or have us sleep with him in the master bedroom. But it's been like two hours, and he only came by to give us some food and something to drink."
"I keep telling you he isn't a bad person..." muttered Yuna, staring at Rikku with a half-lidded gaze. The latter was the one to suggest they share one of the guest bedrooms, and Andrew had readily approved, saying it was a good opportunity for them to chat and bond. As for why he hadn't shown up to 'bother' them, Yuna was fairly certain he had returned to Alexandria to spend time with his wife. Either that, or he was back in Eorzea, dealing with various matters or strengthening his bond with the future leaders of the Interworld Alliance...
"Hey, I'm not saying he's bad," replied Rikku, waving her hand in front of her face as she clarified, "But you, yourself, admitted he was a pervert. He saw what we were wearing, so it's strange that he hasn't tried anything. I mean, Paine and I already agreed to be his Proxies..."
"That may be," agreed Yuna. "But he can probably tell you're not entirely comfortable with the idea. He's also busy with his duties as an Envoy and preparing for a fight against something called a Primal. They're kind of like the Aeons of our world, but powerful enough to fight entire armies..."
"And he's planning to fight one...?" asked Rikku, staring at Yuna as if she were abruptly speaking fluent Al Bhed.
Nodding in affirmation, Yuna revealed, "It's to prepare for even greater foes that will appear later. Enemies that make the Sin of our world seem inconsequential in comparison..."
"That..."
Unable to complete her sentence, Rikku's words trailed off. She couldn't imagine a monster more powerful than Sin, but she also knew the latter had been destroyed rather unceremoniously by the summons of another world.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to get involved with these other worlds...?" asked Rikku, suddenly feeling like a swarm of butterflies was rampaging in her stomach.
Nodding in affirmation, Yuna firmly asserted, "I wish for the people of Spira to prosper, and I believe joining the Interworld Alliance is the best way to guarantee that. Without the aid of Andrew and our allies in other worlds, it would take us generations to restore even a fraction of Spira's former glory. Just reintegrating the Al Bhed into Spiran society will be an uphill battle..."
Understanding what Yuna was saying, a tired sigh escaped Rikku's throat as she visibly deflated. A thousand years of religious persecution couldn't simply be forgiven, and even if the Al Bhed were willing to let bygones be bygones, those that had dedicated their lives to hating them might not be so accommodating...
"Still, Spira is our home..." muttered Rikku. "Some might be willing to move to other worlds, but I believe most of us will remain..."
"Well, once the alliance is formed and you've become a proper Proxy, you should be able to travel freely and facilitate other people moving between worlds," said Yuna, smiling as she added, "If nothing else, we can request their help excavating old cities and ruins. According to Andrew, there are more than one hundred levels of ancient, machina-rich cloisters waiting to be uncovered beneath Bevelle."
"Those jerks..." groaned Rikku, still annoyed after learning that Bevelle had been persecuting them on entirely made-up grounds. She, and many Al Bhed, had always believed that to be the case, but there was a distinct difference between believing something to be true and knowing it.
"That's why I will become the Queen of Spira, ruling over our people from Bevelle," asserted Yuna. "The sins and deceit of the Yevon Church are too severe. Not only were they directly responsible for Sin's creation, but they actively hindered those searching for a permanant solution and vilified the Al Bhed to shift the focus from their duplicity and misdeeds..."
"You can say that again..." muttered Paine, furrowing her brows as she recalled the events of a few days prior. Maester Kinoc had sent her and several others to investigate the existence of an ancient machina said to be powerful enough to destroy Sin. The Warrior Monks that served under him also made use of machina weapons such as guns and grenades, so it was pretty obvious he didn't give a damn about the tenets of the faith he purported to represent...
"But I can't rule alone," said Yuna, smiling as she added, "I need people I can trust and rely on. Andrew is someone I can entrust my life to, but his heart isn't with Spira and its people. He will enable us, but it is up to us to bring about the change we desire...the change the people need..."
"Wow, Yunie...you're sounding more like a Queen with each passing day..." remarked Rikku, prompting Yuna to cover her mouth and giggle. In reality, she had been spending much of her free time conversing with Garnet and people like Nanamo to get a better understanding of what was required to rule over a kingdom. According to them, the most important aspects of a ruler were the ability to delegate and inspire. To that end, she intended to give it her all and would encourage others, like Rikku and Paine, to do the same...
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"You've got that look on your face again..." remarked Garnet, sitting with her back against Andrew's chest as he affectionately caressed her belly.
"Things didn't develop how I thought they would..." replied Andrew, not that he was complaining. The issue was that he Linked the world of Final Fantasy X to promote his growth. His inaugural battle with Sin challenged him, but everything after that was a cakewalk...
"If you're eager to prove yourself, you could try antagonizing the Garleans or investigating the disappearance of Kuja..." suggested Garnet, a glimmer of hatred appearing in her eyes as she mentioned the latter's name.
"Those are valid options..." muttered Andrew. However, as his knowledge of Final Fantasy XIV had been acquired intermittently across ten or more years, he couldn't recall most of the plot. All he knew for certain was that shit got out of hand extremely quickly, so if he intervened in the growth of Ardbert and his allies, things could be unsalvageable 'very' quickly. As for Kuja...Andrew would be surprised to learn he was still alive...
"Well, whatever you decide, make sure you don't get involved in anything too major," advised Garnet. "Yuna will be heavily dependent on you in the coming months, and the Grand Companies could use your help in dealing with the Empire..."
Recalling Merlwyb's suggestion of sneaking into Castrum Meridianum and simply teleporting soldiers inside, a wry smile developed across Andrew's face. Another proposition was to dispatch an elite unit that could teleport out the moment things went south, but regardless of which option was chosen, it was a fact that the Empire would experience some hardships in the near future.
"I'll help if they ask, but I think it's best to let them solve their problems," contended Andrew. After all, unlike most other Final Fantasy settings, the world of FFXIV had a lot of forces working in concert. It wasn't like other worlds where, more often than not, only 4-8 people were actively working to undermine whatever plot jeopardized the world. To that end, Andrew would rather visit a world like FFVII or FFXIII, where, even if he decided to take on entire armies, it wouldn't matter too much as there weren't a lot of additional forces at play. In FFVII, for example, the only real 'power' in play was the Shina Electric Power Company. The moment they were taken care of, the only major threat was Sephiroth, a single, albeit exceptionally powerful man...
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