SIX
The rain pelted hard upon the caravan as the group of Crusaders followed behind, lugging their equipment as they trudged doggedly through the mud made thicker by the tormenting storm.
Chappu sighed as he wiped away moisture from his brow, perspiration caused from the trip uphill. He as well as most of the Besaid regiment including Captain Luzzu and Gatta had been traveling for almost two days, heading for the Djose coast where they would patrol the area for three full days, warding off the inevitable wave of Sinspawn that would arrive on the coast, attempting to make their way into the continent.
"The annual Djose Coastal Patrol," Luzzu said as he walked alongside Gatta and Chappu, carrying his own massive load of materials on his back, "For eight hundred years this has been the gathering place for Crusaders and their descendants to fight Sin in campaigns, hoping that we can ward it away from the coast as it attempts to release spawn on land."
"How many of these have you been to?" Chappu asked, yelling slightly over the pounding rain.
"This will be number eight."
More than a few people murmured in amazement at this pronouncement.
"It's routine really," Luzzu continued. "The time that we're there we guard the coast. Sinspawn of many types do approach the coast and we will have to fight them but Sin appears very rarely during these campaigns. Why, I don't think it has approached the coast for several years."
"Oh," Chappu said, "Well that's a good thing."
Luzzu nodded, a wave of rainwater falling from the top of his hood as he did. "You two keep up, alright? I don't want to have to come back for you." And with that statement, Luzzu briskly made his way further toward the head of the pack.
Chappu sighed and said, "I wish you had told me it was going to be like this, Gatta. You let me get into this without any info, ya? This stuff's insane! Lugging all this crap, in the rain, mud all in my boots."
"Hey, stop complaining," Gatta said, although he could sympathize with his friend. Gatta, even with knowledge of the coming campaign, could only guess how difficult it was really going to be. The reality, however, was far worse than what he had imagined during reverie as he performed mindless weapon cleaning and other tedious chores back in Besaid.
"I have a right," replied Chappu testily, "There's just no sense in it. I really can't believe we haven't stopped yet. I mean, wha's a guy gotta do to get a little rest around here? Keel over, ya? Jeez! We've been walking for half a day."
Gatta could only chuckle, albeit grimly. "If you're complaining now just wait until we get there. You're gonna have a fit over all the things they're gonna make you do."
At this comment Chappu sighed, shaking his head. "Great."
Silence fell between the two for a while as they listened to the rain pounding upon their packs, then they began to walk a little more briskly as the rain began to let up, the sun shining light through the partings in the billowing gray clouds.
Gatta smiled and pulled off his hood allowing the remnants of rain to slightly dampen his hair. "About time this stuff let's up," he commented as the two young men made their way further into the troop, their spirits slightly lifted.
Chappu pulled his hood off as well, sighing as he brushed a hand through his short red hair, shaking his head free of any moisture. He spotted Luzzu up ahead, walking in steady strides as the group came along the side of a hill. Chappu noticed that Gatta was looking at the man intently.
"So…how're things with you and the captain," Chappu inquired quietly so as not to alert the attention of any eavesdroppers.
Gatta chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "None of your business, Chappu," Gatta replied.
"Oh, come on," Chappu protested, "I've seen you two go off in the jungle together at night sometimes back in Besaid, ya? I'm surprised that the entire village doesn't know."
"You were spying on us," Gatta asked incredulously, "You're such a creep!"
"I didn't have to spy, moron," Chappu shot back, "You two can be so loud and so obvious, even when you're trying to keep quiet…if you know what I mean!"
Gatta gasped and looked at Chappu who smiled, shaking his head. "You mean…"
"Yeah, I heard you guys," Chappu said with a grin. "Kind of loud, ya? But I think most people probably mistook you for fiends. Still…"
Gatta sighed heavily. "We don't mean to," he replied sincerely, "We're trying to be as discreet as possible, considering the circumstances."
"What circumstances," Chappu asked as he stepped over a large rock lodged deep inside the mud.
"Think about it. He's a captain and I'm a cadet. Forget that we're two men consummating a relationship generally frowned upon within Yevon. We could both be expelled from the force if word ever got out," Gatta replied anxiously. "Neither of us don't want that but I especially try to be careful for his sake. He can be so carefree sometimes that he tends to forget that we're trying to play it safe."
"Jeez. You must really care about him, ya," Chappu replied.
Gatta chuckled, the light of the sun creeping over his face, accentuating his beautiful shade of brown amidst the stray strands of black hair that stuck to his face with rainwater and sweat. "Yeah. I guess I do," he replied.
"Company halt," a man from one of the other regiments out of Kilika called and the troops instantly ceased their walking. They had all trekked to the top of the hill and were now facing Rin's Travel Agency, the medium sized building that was well known for its beautiful sunsets and its Chocobo corral. The Mi'ihen Highroad could be seen in the distance, a road that led all the way into mountains of dark, grassless terrain. Many of the men knew where the road would lead them.
Luzzu made his way back toward the Besaid troops and called for them all to gather round. "We're going to stay here overnight," he stated, "But be ready to get up and ship out early because we must arrive on Djose shores by late morning. Now…" Luzzu stopped to look over at Chappu who raised his hand and waved in response and then at Gatta who looked back at his lover with a serious yet knowing expression then continued, "Make your way to the Agency. I suggest you all get to bed early so you can get as much rest as possible. Dismissed."
"Sir," the men, women, and children all replied at once and they began to make their way toward the Agency.
Gatta and Chappu also made their way but watched as Luzzu fell back in line until he walked beside Gatta. "I have a separate room with the other commanders…" Luzzu started, "Meet me in there at midnight." And with that he patted his lover lightly across the buttocks, emitting a slight jump from the younger man. Luzzu chuckled and briskly walked ahead.
"Heh heh…Seems like you got a little date tonight, huh?" Chappu asked, smiling widely at his best friend. Their trek downhill had seemingly lifted the young man's spirits higher than ever.
"Shut up, Chappu," Gatta said but the young man allowed for a short smile to take the place of his serious expression.
As the sun began to set along the horizon, Gatta and Chappu sat at the edge of the cliff that faced the remains of a once massive city: an oddly shaped structure created with blue metal and stone. The sea gleamed gorgeously in the sunlight, its soft, dreamy hue spreading across the young men's faces as they stared out at the ocean.
"So, you never told me exactly why you joined the Crusaders, Chappu," Gatta said suddenly, causing Chappu to be taken from his reverie, "One minute you're thinking about winning the championship and the next you're suiting up and going off with us to Djose. What gives?"
"Well, Gatta," Chappu started, "I just decided that what you said made sense."
"What?" Gatta asked, still staring out at the ocean.
"Remember, man? When Luzzu arrived, that day when you said that there's more to life than just fun and games and all that stuff, ya? It just got me thinkin' you know…?"
"Hmm…" Gatta replied. He closed his eyes for a moment to think back then nodded, remembering the words that he had said.
Chappu turned to his friend, noticing that he had his eyes closed. "What about you? Did you join for the captain?"
"Nah," Gatta said with his eyes still closed, "Well, maybe just a little bit." Gatta chuckled and opened his eyes again, the red of the sun causing his eyes to glimmer with a burning fire.
"I joined for my family. I joined for Besaid. And…I also joined for myself. I have…questions that need to be answered about my past, my future. About my father…I figure if I can join the Crusaders I can find my dad in some way through my experiences. He may be gone but at least I can keep him alive by fighting for a cause that he believed in, too."
Chappu nodded and turned to look back out at the sea. "I got my reasons, too," he replied simply.
Gatta looked over in Chappu's direction slightly to find that the young man was looking into the sunset with a thoughtful expression on his face. Gatta knew that the young man was pondering something and decided to leave the conversation at that, allowing the wind to carrying their words off above the sea as they sat quietly once again, watching as the final drop of the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
Gatta sighed heavily, lifting himself off of Luzzu's back as he settled down beside him. Luzzu sighed as well, turning over from his stomach to lie on his side facing Gatta who faced him as well.
The two men were in a room, filled with sleeping commanders, all of which were snoring to some degree within their own partitions. Gatta was at first worried that any one of the seven commanders would catch them in the act but Luzzu assured the younger man that he knew each to be heavy sleepers and that their snoring would be enough to muffle any noise that they made.
Gatta chuckled at the sound of the snoring, placing a hand on Luzzu's sweaty face and rubbing his hands across the older man's chin.
Luzzu responded by smiling and taking Gatta's hand in his and kissing each finger delicately. Both men were drenched with sweat because of their recent activity and the simple fact that the rain had caused the air to grow significantly humid over night. Gatta's hair, which he had freed from the short ponytail, was strewn beautifully about his face, masking most of his features from the moon's light. Luzzu took his hands and spread the hair evenly behind the younger man's ears, taking special care to gently caress Gatta's sweat soaked skin.
"…I love you, Luzzu," Gatta said suddenly, causing Luzzu's action to abruptly stop.
Luzzu's smile slightly faded as he looked at the young man that he was sharing his bed with. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He tried again but to no avail. Finally, the man gave up, sighing as he brought his hands away from Gatta's face.
Gatta looked at Luzzu with confusion, his mind wondering what was the matter with Luzzu all of a sudden. He had said the words…but Luzzu did not reciprocate.
"…Luzzu?" Gatta whispered.
"I think you should go," Luzzu said abruptly, no longer looking at the young man.
Gatta was in shock. He was not expecting Luzzu's sudden change in mood. Maybe it was not such a good idea to make that statement at that time.
He wondered if he could take it back. Then he realized that trying would be futile.
He really did love Luzzu and saying otherwise would only be a lie but…did Luzzu love him?
"Gatta…" Luzzu began softly but then stiffly replied with, "…good night," and turned over on his other side away from Gatta's eyes.
Gatta could only stare at his commander for a few moments, trying to piece together what was going on. Finally, he accepted Luzzu's dismissal and got out of the bed.
As the young man put his clothes on, Luzzu could feel the mattress shaking slightly until finally the young man rose from the mattress and he heard the young man's receding footsteps go toward the door. The door opened and shut quietly. Luzzu closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
That was a night that I can never forget. It was the first time...the only time that he had ever told me that. I…had my reasons for that evening in which I was probably the rudest I had ever been to him. I was afraid of what might happen if I were to say it back. I was afraid of starting something deeper with him, something that might actually survive the test of time, only to lose him later.
I…was afraid of getting too close. Too personal.…I was afraid of what I would experience all over again.
And so…I never had a chance to tell him until that one final time…
It was morning and the Crusader troops from seven regions of Spira had all amassed at the peak of a cliff that overlooked a majority of the shores of Djose as well as the sea which stretched out into an overcast sky, gloomy and foreboding. Gatta stood at the edge of this cliff, looking outward at this vast sight, his heart racing as he continued to think of the coming events.
He had been awoken by, oddly enough, Luzzu who was still dressing himself, shifting his armor onto his torso. The red-haired man along with several others including Chappu were already roused and out of bed, albeit still groggy from sleep. Gatta remembered the way Luzzu looked at him. It was an expression that exuded concern yet it was general in its scale. He did not smile. Did not give him any type of indication of the past night's events. He simply nodded and walked away after waking him.
And as the troops marched their way toward the mountains, Luzzu made no attempt to speak to him. He only looked back every once in a while to check on everyone then turned and proceeded on his way.
Gatta was left wondering what had gone wrong. Was it the three words that he had said to Luzzu that had caused the sudden and inexplicable disruption in their relationship? The young man tried not to dwell on it. On the battlefield the importance of conflicts in relationships significantly dwindled when compared to keeping oneself alive. Gatta knew this yet still he still pondered about the night before.
"Gatta!" a voice called from the distance. Gatta turned to find a young boy in his early teens running toward him, his tanned face noticeably showing signs of exertion as he came to a halt in front of Gatta. Panting slightly he spoke again, "I've been looking all over for you! Sir Luzzu has called a meeting at the campsite. We've gotta be there now."
Gatta nodded and watched as the boy ran off from where he came from, his boots kicking up gaps of sand in his wake. Gatta made a short sigh and began to walk briskly toward the campsite.
As he approached the site, he noticed that his regiment was already gathered around a campfire, with Luzzu talking, his hands on his knees as he crouched low to the ground, drawing something on the ground with his hands. Soon his voice became audible.
"…and that's when I'll need you guys to move in with the rest. The Al Bhed are pretty confident in their new cannons but I would think that they'll need plenty of back up when the time comes, regardless of what they may say."
The rest of the group agreed, nodding their heads and mumbling to each other.
"Now, if all goes according to plan, we can drive most Sinscales and lesser Sinspawn away from the coast, which is the ultimate goal here. No playing hero here, people. I don't want anybody to lose their life because they decided to disobey orders and go out on their own. Spread out, fire when you get a shot, and group ONLY when you know that Sinspawn will have a hard time retaliating. When they begin an assault, RUN, don't look back and take cover behind anything that's grounded, like a rock or something. Stay away from cliffs because we all know what occurred last year with Kilika's forces.
"If in the likely event greater Sinspawn do emerge, be on your guard. Don't try to engage it alone. Call for help and try and overcome it as quickly as possible. Sin always comes back for its spawn…always.
The troops were silent with that comment.
"Now," Luzzu began again, "I know some of you are a bit apprehensive of the machina weapons that we are using. Because of our choice to use them, the Crusaders have recently been excommunicated from Yevon, which explains why we have no backup support from the warrior monks as in previous years."
The tension by this statement was felt moreso than heard.
"But these weapons are what may help us overcome Sin more quickly than any other year as well," Luzzu went on with conviction. "These weapons may help reduce casualties. These weapons, sacrilegious though they may be, may even one day help defeat Sin for good. That may be wishful thinking on my part but if any one of those possibilities occur today, here on these shores, well…I think it is well worth being excommunicated."
Many of the soldiers seemed to mumble agreement with Luzzu with few exceptions.
"Now, I suggest you all get ready. Reports tell us that Sin could be here at any moment," Luzzu stated, "Dismissed." With that final word, the troops broke away from the circle and toward where more people were preparing for battle.
Luzzu stood erect from the ground and brushed his hands off on his pants. As he looked up he noticed Gatta still standing at a distance, staring at him at first then directing his eyes into the flames of the fire before finally turning and following the rest of his comrades.
Luzzu faced the fire while secretly following Gatta with his eyes. He wanted to say something to him but soon decided that it was not the right time. So, as he stood at the fire, he began to think deeply, his eyes closed, until he found himself praying. Praying for the safety of all of the soldiers. Praying for his men. Praying for the safety…of Gatta.
"SIN!!!"
It was a cry that echoed across the entirety of the occupied coast of Djose and then some.
As the nearly 100 soldiers heard the cry they turned toward the horizon of the ocean and saw the telltale sign of Sin making its way toward the coast.
The massive fin of the beast jutted from the water, the froth of the water jettisoned many feet into the air as the ocean surrounding the fin seemed to grow darker with approach.
"BATTLESTATIONS, EVERYONE!!" a Lucan regiment commander bellowed as he readied the machina weapon in his hands, an especially pointed bayonet strapped haphazardly to the device. Gatta watched as the heavy set commander ran toward his regime, giving them orders as they scrambled for their own weapons.
Gatta looked at Chappu with determined eyes. His friend attempted a look of strength but Gatta was certain that his friend was scared stiff. If he was then he knew his blitzer friend was too. Still, Gatta gripped his machina weapon tightly, even as the commotion of the people of surrounding regiments grew more fervent. Yet with a surprisingly steady voice he said, "It's going to be all right, Chappu! We're gonna make that bastard and its freak kids wish they never set foot on these shores!"
Chappu, not for the first time in his life, saw the fire burning in his best friend's eyes and after an intake of air and a hard swallow, he nodded and gripped his machina weapon as well, standing up with his companion as they ran toward one of the points designated as prime spots for attacking incoming waves.
And then the first wave came.
Sinscales storming the shores, shrieking as they made their way along the sands, some spreading out and away from the gatherings of soldiers dotted along the coastline toward the road, but most heading straight for their adversaries, a collection of tentacles and pointed talons stabbing into the ground, readying their inevitable encounter with the humans.
And so the battle began.
People began to bellow as they fired deafening shots from the machina weapons. The first apparently rung out from one of the Kilika groups covered behind a group of rocks on Chappu's left, the scattered shot that blazed across the mist-filled air as it took down a Sinscale and injured another. The rest of the regime followed suit with minimal hesitation, firing their respective weapons upon the advancing group of black and blue fiends, the fiends falling to the ground in surprisingly growing numbers, never to move again.
Chappu looked over to his right and realized that other regimes were doing the same, firing their weapons, even moving from cover slightly to get better shots at the Sinscales, holding the monsters at bay. Suddenly, a startling blast rattled Chappu's attentive gaze at his ally's valiant efforts and he realized that his own group was firing their weapons as well, Gatta clearly among them. Gatta turned around for a split second and looked at Chappu and yelled, "What are you doing, Chappu!? Get up and started shooting!"
Suddenly everything clicked with Chappu and he immediately stood up as Gatta turned to deliver another blast toward the shore, raising his machina weapon above his shoulders and turning to point it over the rugged wall of rock that he his back once rested upon. The sight before his eyes was horrible and magnificent all at once: the ocean, once blue and clear was now an impenetrable black. It rippled and motioned unnaturally, as if the black were somehow independent of the waves above. He soon realized that the black was alive, that the black was emerging gradually from the ocean, and that the black, emerging from the waves, was what was being decimated by his comrades.
And he fired once. Twice. Three times.
The recoil was not as severe as it once was and he was surprised that he still stood to witness two Sinscales fall upon the sands in the distance, their bloodied entrails spilling upon the white sands of the beach.
"Good shot, Chappu!!" one of the Besaid soldiers, a father of one of Chappu and Gatta's younger friends cried and he stood up to take another shot. "We need to get out from behind this rock! The scales are getting closer!"
Chappu did not realize what the man was saying was the truth as he continually shot at anything that moved, never realizing that the Sinscales were only growing in number. They brought with them a lesser Sinspawn that emerged from the black waters with a more threatening roar that pierced Chappu's ears yet somehow never diverted his attention from firing his weapon.
"Let's GO, Chappu!" Gatta yelled as he pulled at his friend's arm.
"Yeah!!" Chappu cried excitedly as he took down another four Sinscales, watching as their bodies blew apart into bloody clouds upon taking direct hits from his weapon. He realized a hand was tugging at him and turned to realize that Gatta was motioning for him to follow and so he did, somewhat reluctantly, following his friend and the rest of the group as they ran to a further point on the shore.
As they did so, even louder blasts rumbled from above and Chappu turned just in time to see a flurry of shots firing down upon the advancing Sinscales and spawn right where he and his allies were positioned just moments earlier. Chappu watched in amazement as the majority of the advancing fiends dropped into heaps upon the sands, their bodies noticeably riddled with weapons fire.
Chappu looked to the heavens and noticed a small group of the accompanying Al Bhed had used their more advanced machina weapons to fire upon the Sinscales and spawn. Chappu felt the need to cheer and did so, raising his fist in victory for the goggled individuals that had blasted those monsters into the next life.
"It's not over yet, boy!!" the Besaid father bellowed and he pointed just as Chappu looked at him again. Chappu followed the point and realized that another Sinspawn, about the same size as the one that had emerged with the now obliterated Sinscales, was being engaged by a small group of Crusaders that looked in need of assistance.
"They need our help!" another Besaid Crusader, a female this time, yelled and she and the rest of the group made their way toward their allies…
…only to watch in horror as one of the warriors engaging the Sinspawn was struck down by the monster, the sharpened, scythe-like pincers of the spawn cutting into his torso and emitting a generous amount of blood upon his person. They could not hear the man's scream over the firing of weapons and the screeching of Sinscales and the heaving breaths and gasps of their running forms as they closed in on the Sinspawn's position.
But Chappu knew that the man was screaming for his life, possibly even for mercy from a demon that knew none as his comrades tried futilely to fight for his release, shooting around him at the Sinspawn as the man's movements gradually fell in line with the monster waving him about.
Chappu's breath was faltering. His panic, his fear was rising.
One of the men behind Chappu roared with anger and, running ahead of the group, began firing upon the surrounding Sinscales that were attempting to interfere with the others battling the spawn. The now lifeless man was released from the Sinspawn's death grip, his nearly severed body falling gruesomely to the ground.
Chappu took a shot at the Sinspawn and managed to chip a small portion of the carapace, causing the insect-like monstrosity to emit a sharp screech and turn toward its assailant. The Sinspawn made to approach the newly arrived group but the group did not allow it to get far, concentrating fire upon the head of the fiend and especially between the pincers that had extinguished the life of one of their own. As blood gushed from the spawn's now injured mouth, it began to snap viciously toward its attackers with frightening precision, narrowly missing the torso of another male Crusader attacking it but awarding a serious looking gash across the chest of a young female soldier.
In a hail of blasts from machina weapons and more than a little rage on their side, the Sinspawn fell, Chappu among the few to take parting shots that effectively drove the creature to the ground, bloodied, unmoving and never to rise again.
Chappu panted as he grasped his weapon tightly, holding it and the bayonet dangerously close to his torso. "Are you all right, Gatta!?" Chappu yelled over the distant gunfire and screeching of fiends to his longtime friend.
Gatta turned to address Chappu, a more uplifting response in his expression but his eyes instantly reflected a change in tone as his mouth gaped open slightly.
"ANOTHER!!!" Gatta bellowed and he pointed toward the ocean, prompting Chappu to turn around.
It was another Sinspawn. However, unlike the two that Chappu had witnessed emerging from the ocean, this one looked far more formidable, capable of devastating even the largest of groups. And just as Chappu thought about how formidable the Sinspawn looked he was instantly introduced to just how powerful the fiend was as it was served a blast from another one of the Al Bhed's powerful machina weapons…and moved along with nothing more than a flinch. While its carapace appeared a bit worse for wear, it was still moving with murderous intent, the gaggle of Sinscales that emerged with it now reduced to less than half due to the power of the Al Bhed weapon blast.
"We've gotta do something about that thing!!" the Besaid father yelled to the rest of group. "I don't know what we can do but we've gotta get that thing to stay right where it is until those Al Bhed can get another shot off!!"
"What can we do!?" one of the survivors of the group the Sinspawn that was just cut down yelled. "That thing is huge! We can't hope to take on that thing head on!!"
"We don't have to fight it for long!!" the Besaid father yelled back. "Just long enough for the Al Bhed to load up their guns so they can weaken it more!! Then we pick it off!!"
The general consensus was shaky but in no time the group had gathered the courage to cut the formidable Sinspawn off, keeping it within reasonable firing range for the Al Bhed. The group took cover behind a rock, taking care to choose their shots carefully as the spawn revealed a new weapon: acidic projectile saliva that was launched liberally wherever it spotted movement.
One of the group members that they had come to their aid was caught by the acid spit on the arm and made an excruciating scream as he dropped his weapon, taking refuge behind the rock once again as he watched the flesh upon his arm dissolve into a terrible, liquid crimson.
"By Yevon!! What the hell is that thing shooting!?"
Another from the group attempted to care for him but the man was inconsolable, screaming in agony as his injured arm shivered incessantly. Finally, they realized that the man was going into shock as he began to convulse. The saliva was not only corrosive but poisonous as well.
"It's not slowing down!! This thing is getting too close!! Where the hell are those Al Bhed!?"
Chappu watched as the man slowly slipped into unconsciousness, his convulsions becoming mere shudders as one of the men supported his head between their rough and dirty hands. Chappu shivered slightly and made a gasp at the moment the man seemed to draw breath no more, grew limp, his mangled right arm still grasped to his chest.
"...by yevon…" Chappu whispered, "…he's dead…he's dead too."
"Chappu!!"
Chappu's breath was growing ragged as he looked at the man's half open eyes staring blankly at the overcast sky of the day. He shuddered as he looked at this man. This man who probably had a girl back at home like him, waiting on him to return safely, but because of what just happened, would never get that chance again.
And Chappu grunted and stood, fired his weapon blindly as he began to run toward the Sinspawn, firing his weapon and running, hoping he could avoid being hit by the saliva.
"Chappu!! What are you DOING!?"
I'm leading it away. I'm leading it away from you guys. I don't want to watch anyone else die in front of me ever again.
"Chappu! Get back here NOW!"
I'm not going to let anyone else die. I can't.
"CHAPPU!!!"
Chappu turned just in time to see that the Sinspawn had gained ground on him. Just as the spawn reared its head to launch forth more saliva, Chappu bellowed and fired shots at the fiend's head, causing it to screech and swallow some of its own corrosive spit. It screeched with what sounded like anguish and although far from being dead, was now writhing around angrily as it attempted to vomit the very substance it sought to kill with.
Chappu continued to fire upon the Sinspawn, managing to penetrate its carapace further and spill crimson blood down its sides. The spawn screeched further and launched forth toward Chappu, barely missing the opportunity to skewer the man with its pincer. It crashed upon the sands and writhed upon the sands for a more erect position once again as Chappu scurried from the ground to his feet.
He ran behind a buildup of rock and watched his allies from the distance as they occupied themselves with an encroachment of Sinscales. He noticed Gatta looking back every so often, taking a shot, and then looking back once again. Chappu then heard the screech of the Sinspawn and realized that it was back in action once again.
Suddenly he heard the thick accent of an Al Bhed overhead calling out to him.
"Boy! BOY!! Move NOW!!! We're gonna fire this thing again!!"
Chappu did not need to be told twice and made to get up but was greeted with the looming figure of the Sinspawn none too distant from his position.
"Damn!" Chappu cursed as he gripped the machina weapon in his hands. He held it so securely that the metal imprinted itself against his chest.
The Sinspawn screeched again and Chappu made note of the fact that the spawn was nearing closer to him. He couldn't make it back to his allies and they couldn't provide support either.
He was on his own. He had to rely on himself.
So with a deep intake of breath, Chappu ran. Ran not toward his allies but toward the distant road that would eventually lead to the Djose temple miles away. He ran and hoped that the Sinspawn would be keen to follow so that the Al Bhed could get a clear shot. He ran like he had never run before, turning and firing blindly at the Sinspawn that made a slow but steady progression after him.
"JUST A BIT MORE!!" Chappu heard the cry of the accented Al Bhed.
I'm going to do it! They're going to do it! We're going to kill this bastard! It'll all be over in…
The deafening blast of the Al Bhed weapon coincided with a sudden and excruciating pain Chappu felt on his backside that seemed to spread from the very top of his head to the very tip of his toes.
It was a pain that spread and weighed him down and he slowed to a near stop, a scream that never made it past a whimper escaped his lips as he staggered to the ground. As he fell to his knees, he thought the sound of rumbling was his own landing but as he heard the anguished, gurgled screech from behind he realized that it was none other than the pursuing Sinspawn.
He felt heavy, too heavy to function, but gathered enough strength to turn slightly and watch the Sinspawn writhe upon the ground, its carapace having been completely blasted off and then some, the soft tissue underneath exposed and clearly ravaged by the weapon, gushing crimson essence upon the white sands of the beach.
With this sight he smiled and slowly taking the machina weapon by the hilt, dug the muzzle of the weapon into the sand and leaned against it for support. He chuckled lightly as he heard the yells of his allies as they fired shots at the screeching creature, eventually silencing the beast once and for all.
He thought it was a shame that he did not witness them draining the last bit of life from the Sinspawn but he was suddenly tired. He was so tired that he could not even open his eyes when Gatta, sounding unusually emotional, began crying, screaming his name.
I'll…be back later, Gatta. I just need to take a nap. I'm just glad the rest of you are…all right…