Chapter 87: Unnecessary Travels

While the gang in Spira was riding some Chocobos to reach the northern gate, Ramiel suddenly froze and he stopped in his tracks as his eyes glazed over.

"What's wrong Ramiel? Are you okay?" Yuna noticed and she went up to him. He then shook his head and frowned heavily. "I'm fine Yuna, thank you for asking. But my sister isn't."

He was panicking inside because they will be travelling in the void. And even if everyone could, doesn't mean they should. There was currently no way to navigate the streams. And they'll just wander around through other worlds with reckless abandon.

"Fuck, I sure hope they didn't exit Gaia. That will be a disaster." Ramiel was getting anxious and Yuna was surprised that he has a sister.

"You have a sister?" She got curious and Samus listened in on them. Remembering his words that he broke a promise.

"Yeah, but let's not talk about that now. Let us go to the temple, see what they're going to do against Sin." Ramiel sighed and decided to think about it later.

"Oh, okay. Then please tell me more about her later." Yuna smiled and they continued their ride.

After an hour or so, they saw the northern gates and there were crusaders barring enter like border guards.

When they tried crossing over, they were stopped due to operation Mi'hen being prepared for Sin. Which is a good reason, because the whale was really dangerous.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Wakka sighed, unable to think of any solutions. "I can make you fly over the wall, want that?" Ramiel smiled and everyone shook their heads.

"Can't we just infiltrate and be done with this? We're wasting time." Samus was getting irritated and she was used to just busting through everything.

"Let's calm down everyone, let us think of a way to pass through, yes?" Yuna calmed them down, but there was a wild douchebag that appeared.

"Lady Yuna, is there something troubling you?" Seymour walked up to them and she greeted him normally instead of the usual kneeling crap they do.

Which made him squint his eyes for a split second. Ramiel and Samus noticed, making them roll their eyes.

"Let's kill him already Ramiel." Samus blurted out her intent to murder him in broad daylight and everybody gasped.

"Maybe later, this chump is really enjoying his Maester duties and shit. Let him know that we've set a target on his head and murder him when he least expects it." Ramiel gave a toothy grin at him and they weren't kidding one bit.

"Yeah, you'd like that won't you? We're watching you with your goofy ass hair. Killing you is a trivial task, and what can your faith do about it?" Samus was going to get trigger happy, but Ramiel patted him on the head.

"Calm down now, he hasn't shown any treachery. Yet, but he'll slip eventually." Ramiel and Samus went to the crusaders and they threatened them to let them pass.

"Uhhh, did they really just did that?" Lulu was shocked that the two supposed Aeons were so hostile.

Seymour gritted his teeth and left them alone. Samus was right after all, even their version of the pope can't do anything to the Aeons. They're like angels of god in their faith.

They followed the path of the crusaders and saw Seymour giving a speech to them. "Why is Maester Seymour backing up the crusaders!? They're violating the teachings." Wakka was outraged and his beliefs all went crumbling down.

Seeing one of the people that is in charge of the faith violate their own teachings. He was in denial and couldn't believe it.

"Wakka, calm down." Auron looked at him and he could only lower his head. "I don't really wanna say this, but told you so." Ramiel rubbed salt in his wounds.

"Please don't rub it in Ramiel." Lulu sighed, but she was still a bit worried about her friend.

"Ramiel... Can you tell us what's really happening? What is the truth?" Yuna looked towards him and the curiosity is killing her.

"Well, can you handle it? I think you'll believe me better when you see what happens next. I assure you." Ramiel squinted his eyes.

The crusaders will inevitably fail and when they die, Seymour and the Yevon faith will definitely cover it up.

"Stay frosty, Sin is lurking around here." Samus scanned the area and gravity waves were close by.

"Let's watch them fail, yeah? And don't worry Yuna, these innocent people won't have to die. They're just following the higher ups, it isn't their fault." Ramiel assured her and she nodded.

The crusaders set up cannons at a shore and the Al-bhed also prepared their Machina. Wakka was more distraught than angry now and could only look at the crusaders helplessly.

"It's not the end of the world, stop moping. Your religion isn't the be all, end all." Ramiel slapped him on the back.

"What do you mean? You're an Aeon, you're part of the Yevon faith too." Wakka was confused and Ramiel laughed.

"That's a good one, no. We aren't, do what you will with that information." Ramiel gave him a meaningful look.

"So... I have to conclude by myself? Damn it, why won't he just tell us?" Wakka got frustrated. "You're a man right? Stop whining, at least he is telling us something is wrong." Lulu huffed at him.

"The girl's right. He's doing you a huge favor." Auron commented and Wakka felt bad now.

"Auron, do you know him? I feel like he knows a lot, probably everything about this whole mess." Tidus went up to Auron.

"He probably does, he knows the Yevon faith is a sham after all." Auron left it at that and the crew watched the crusaders prepare.

They saw them try to lure Sin with a pretty big sinspawn that looked like a scorpion centipede hybrid. "Why are you guys keeping that thing?" Tidus asked a crusader.

"Sin always comes back for its sinspawn. We will wait for it to go here and then attack." The crusader was happy to explain.

"You won't need to, Sin will come here anyways." Auron said cryptically. Knowing that Jecht will come to see Tidus once again.

"Vanguards! Come to the front lines, we will begin with the operation!" A crusader riding a Chocobo announced and the soldiers began to move.

"Why do they even need fighters down there? Isn't that dangerous?" Tidus asked and a guard at the command center sighed.

"They need to distract Sin in order for the Al-bhed to fire their weapons kid." He was tense and the other crusaders were too.

"Here he comes." Ramiel pointed at the waters and a shadow was starting to rise. They were greeted by the gigantic whale and Samus looked at it with interest.

"It's using gravity as a shield, breaching that thing's shields is going to be a pain in the ass. But it's doable, they really would've taken care of this thing if they developed the Machina further." Samus concluded and felt pretty bad for the people there.

They were bamboozled by the Yevon faith and the people of Spira live in fear. Due to the very religion they follow.

"Yeah, it's pretty sad. Well, buckle up gorgeous. Protect the ones over here and I'll take care of the ones down there. It's going to fire an attack later, and they won't like it one bit." Ramiel went to the shores and Samus wore her suit.

"Fire!" The cannons they prepared shot at Sin, but its protective shields disintegrated the cannonballs before it even hit its thick blubber.

It began shedding some sinspawn and monsters swam up to the shore. The woman on a Chocobo gave a warcry and the Chocobo knights went on the offensive.

"Hmmm, they're doing pretty well. For now, that is." Ramiel started his machinations and he was putting illusions all over the place.

Casualties were just an elaborate ruse and he pulled them in to a safe place after knocking them out.

And when it looked to be going well, Sin started creating a forcefield around itself. The dome expanded and Ramiel quickly pulled in all the other crusaders.

The attack vaporized anything it hit, including the sinspawn. Making the people up on the top gasp at the sight.

"Don't worry, it's just an illusion made by Ramiel." Samus patted Yuna on the back as she was the most affected, alongside Tidus.

"T-thank goodness." Yuna sighed in relief and Tidus was frowning heavily. Thinking why his old man was the whale.

A tower that the Al-bhed relocated at a nearby place started charging its cannons and fired at Sin. But the forcefield on it didn't budge.

They overclocked the Machina weapons and started to push back. But the dome got bent, about to fire an offshoot of it to the tower.

"Hah, better help them a little." Ramiel swatted off the offshoot attack with gravity magic and the tower continued firing on Sin.

The lightning it was firing off almost hit it, but it retreated to the waters and went to the depths for an escape.

"Oh no you don't! You won't escape me!" Tidus followed Sin to the waters, but he wasn't fast enough.

Though Jecht called out to him, knocking him out and giving Tidus a vision of his father.

"Hah, Tidus sure is crazy." Ramiel sighed and fished him out of the water.

He woke him up by giving him a nice slap and gave him to Auron. "I think you need to give him a talk, no?" Ramiel looked at Auron and he nodded.

Tidus sobered up and Auron patted him on the back. "Had a feel for him?" Tidus nodded and was upset.

"Why? Why'd he want to kill all those other people?" Tidus didn't understand. "That's what Sin does. He came here to see you and show it to you."

"What!? But why!?" Tidus got angrier and angrier. "So you could kill him, as long as he lives as Sin. He will continue to do so, understand?"

"Kill him... Is that the only way?" Tidus didn't have much love for his father. But killing him was a whole other thing altogether.

"Yes, or you wish for the people of Spira to keep on suffering?" Auron left him behind to follow the others.

Tidus sighed and left it to his future self. "Hey, why tell me this now anyways?" Auron stared at him. "So you won't get all emotional later when it comes to it."

"Me? Emotional? Ha! Who says I'm emotional?" Tidus denied and Auron snorted. "I heard you were a crybaby." He smirked and remembered Jecht's stories of him.

"Hey! I'm no crybaby!" Tidus denied again, but he felt that he still was, but just a little.

Everybody then reached temple in Djose and it was covered in rocks. The temple then started to arc electricity and the rocks got peeled off, levitating in the air.

"This is the lightning mushroom rock, it only opens like that when a summoner is addressing the Fayth." Lulu explained.

"Then another summoner is inside no?" Wakka concluded and Yuna wanted to go inside now so they could get the next Aeon.

They went inside and another summoner was exiting the temple. "Hello, what is your name?" The man was polite and Yuna greeted him.

"Ahhh, as I thought. You are Lord Braska's daughter." The fellow summoner mused.

"You know of my father?" Yuna was surprised. "Sorry, no. I do not know him personally. I am Isaaru, please do be careful. I have heard of summoners going on pilgrimages and they suddenly go missing."

He waved goodbye and they all thought about it. "Summoners don't suddenly vanish in thin air." Auron squinted his eyes and was suspicious.

"Well, don't worry about that. You can't possibly disappear with us here." Ramiel put his arm on Samus' shoulder and smiled.

She pried off his arm, but she nodded. "That's right, now let's go in the temple and finish our business here." Samus was impatient as Ramiel needed her to absorb the Fayth there for a little boost.

They waited to enter the room where the wall was, but lo and behold. Dona the slutty looking summoner was there as well.

"My oh my, still travelling with this riff-raff?" She made a comment, but she saw Ramiel staring right at her and she immediately started running.

But her guardian stayed as he saw Auron. "Ummm, you are Auron right?" The guardian was looking excited.

"What of it?" Auron raised a brow. "Auron, no. Sir Auron, can I shake your hand? I became a guardian because of you!" He went for a handshake and Auron indulged a fan.

"Barthello! What are you doing! Get over here!" Dona immediately pulled him and they escaped.

"Keep trying, poor guy." Tidus felt bad for the man. Following a little bitch.

Yuna then entered the room and Samus was shocked to see people embedded in walls.

"Don't make a comment, I'll explain it to you later." Ramiel patted her on the head and she frowned.

"Use your Metroid powers later when she finishes. You'll get a boost, pretty nice one too." He instructed her and she prepared her Metroid suit.

Yuna finished her prayers and they were joined by a unicorn that clearly used lightning. Its convoluted horn arcing with electricity.

"Now." Ramiel gave Samus a push and he helped the Fayth to the farplane. While Samus absorbed all the Mako that they had, only leaving the new unicorn.

"Woah, that's a substantial amount of energy." Samus clenched her hand and felt a surge of power.

"Right? Absorbing all the souls of those dead people was really nice." Ramiel joked and she went wide eyed.

"Y-you. You let me absorb souls of dead people!?" She was outraged and was clearly upset. "Chill! Chill, I was just kidding. I sent them to the afterlife, you just absorbed the lingering energy." He quickly explained.

She gave a sigh of relief and glared at him. "Not funny." Samus huffed at him and Ramiel gave a wry smile.

He helped Yuna up as she was exhausted and they exited the room. "Was Yuna successful?" Lulu asked and he nodded.

"Of course, now let's rest for a bit. She's exhausted." Ramiel carried Yuna on his back.

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Meanwhile, with Alex and the gang. They were playing poker, but Tifa and Alexandra used card counting.

"You guys are cheating for sure!" Aerith huffed as they always lost. "Can you prove it? If not, then you're just a sore loser." Tifa retorted.

"You're using a trick for sure, you guys aren't losing at all." Zack looked at them suspiciously.

"Are not, you guys just suck." Alex snickered and they groaned. They bet lunch and dinner after all.

A portal then opened from some ways away and they craned their neck to the spatial distortion. "Purple man is here." Zack announced.

"Thanos is here, prepare for battle!" T'challa shouted and their army were tense.

"Hands up, stay sharp!" Cap prepared his new shields and they were definitely going to have a hard fight.

"Umm, a little help?" Bruce looked towards Alex and her team. "Well, I wanna see how you guys protect this planet. We're mercenaries, and we haven't even received our pay yet." Alexandra crossed her arms and Bruce looked at Strange.

Thanos looked at the Avengers on his way and Cap was the first one to charge. But the purple man just clenched his golden gauntlet and the power stone made him fly like a ragdoll.

Bruce went in with the hulkbuster, but the space stone turned him intangible and he got embedded into rocks.

"Fuck me, Strange! Give the lady the time stone!" Tony saw Thanos deal with them easily and was getting anxious.

"We'll try to deal with him first Stark! She's right, we protect this planet and I'll be damned if I just let them do everything!" Strange started casting magic.

Waves of energy snaked around the ground, forcing Thanos to dodge. He countered with a beam from the power stone and Strange blocked it with a barrier.

T'challa saw an opening and he jumped right at his back. He tried ripping his throat, but Thanos pried him off his back with telekinesis and held him on the neck. He punched him to the ground and his Vibranium suit couldn't absorb all the force, bouncing on the ground.

"You know what, fuck it." Tony went in and transformed the arms of his armor to get larger. The back of them propulsing as he slugged Thanos on the chest.

Rhodey unloaded a barrage of bullets on him, but he was bulletproof. Thanos held Tony on the head and blocked the bullets with his body. He then threw him right at Rhodey and they went spiralling down.

Spiderman fired his webs right on his face, blinding him for a second. He then slugged Thanos on the face with all his strength, making him crash on a wall of rock.

"You've got some serious hands, kid." Cap complimented Peter. "Thanks, sir!" But he was suddenly hit by a purple beam.

Strange floated into the air and multiple arms appeared on him. He multiplied and all his clones whipped Thanos with energy, binding him to the ground.

Cap and T'challa then began wailing on him. "Enough!" He clenched his hand and a shockwave blew them all away. He then used the reality stone and Strange seemingly floated right next to him as he choked him.

"Commendable effort, but this ends here." He pulled on the eye of Agamotto to get the time stone, but strange hid it.

"Where is it?" Thanos squinted his eyes. Strange was about to toss it right at Alexandra, but Thanos got hit by a bright beam that looked like the bifrost.

"Thanos! You will pay with your blood!" Thor appeared with a raccoon and a little tree man.

"Yeah! Come on Thor, beat his ass!" Bruce cheered while he was inside the rock.

Thor threw stormbreaker right at Thanos, but he dodged. He used the space stone and a bladed weapon appeared in his hands.

"You came for revenge, but it will still end the same." He threw his blade like a boomerang and Thor slid under it.

Thanos caught it back and they clashed with their weapons. Thor swung his axe at him, but Thanos was too fast and strong.

He dodged and slapped his hand away, making the weapon fly. He then slugged him on the face and slammed Thor on the ground.

Thanos stomped on his chest and hit him multiple times on the face. Thor called for his weapon, dizzy and beat up black and blue.

But Thanos caught it and was cutting Thor on the chest with it. Tony made multiple blasters fly in the air and shot beams at Thanos, distracting him.

"Strange! Stop holding on to the time stone and give it to her!" Tony was feeling like they will certainly lose and Strange parted with the stone apprehensively.

Alexandra caught the green stone and she made another indent on her hand. Putting the new infinity stone in it. "Hmmm, this does put a smile on my face."

She grinned and could feel like she could bend time however she wants as long as she could stand the power of the stone. And with her time with the mind stone, she was adapting really quickly.

"Who are you?" Thanos squinted his eyes, seeing Alexandra put the infinity stones right in her body without any problems whatsoever.

"Me? That's not important, what's important is I need that blue stone on you." Alexandra pointed at the infinity gauntlet and Thanos frowned.

"Can I have a go? I want to help get to Ramiel too you know?" Tifa donned Balrog and shadowboxed.

"Sure thing, don't lose now." Alexandra patted her on the back and Tifa entered her focus mode, looking at Thanos coldly as she walked towards him calmly.

"Give the blue stone, now." Tifa growled and was ready to throw hands. "If you want it, then you have to take it."

Tifa squinted her eyes and she filled her quads with Mako to the brim. The ground cracking and trembling with her every step.

"Then so be it." Lightning fell on top of her and a deafening thunderclap silenced the peanut gallery. Her form crackled with electricity and Balrog was emitting heat that began to melt the surroundings. While plasma glassed the ground.

"Who in Odin's name is that?" Thor looked at Tifa and he felt his heart beat quicker. It was like seeing a goddess of lightning and fire.

"Don't even think about it lover boy. Those guys are really scary." Tony commented from the side and they suddenly saw a flash of light.

Tifa disappeared in place and gave Thanos' chest a straight. Balrog's fire exploded upon impact and lightning fell down from the heavens as they targeted Thanos who flew like a pebble.

"I think I'm in love Stark." Thor couldn't help but speak out. Tony rolled his eyes and would definitely not be involved in that.

Thanos used the reality stone and buried Tifa neck deep into the ground. "You have great strength, but not enough." Thanos wiped his mouth, coughing up blood from Tifa's violent blow.

"How so?" Tifa used earth magic and buried Thanos as well while she escaped from the ground.

She stomped on his head with a roar, an earthquake shook the army. But he wasn't under her foot.

"Tch, he teleported. What a slippery bastard." Tifa clicked her tongue and started checking for spatial distortions.

Thanos appeared behind her and beamed her with the power stone. She punched through it with Balrog and a pressurized blast tore the beam in half. Sundering the ground at her sides, her gauntlet smoking.

"Come on and fight like a man, pussy." Tifa taunted him and he squinted his eyes. "I am inevitable, surrender now." He ran at her and Tifa tiptoed lightly, cracking her neck.

"Make me." They punched each other and their fists clashed. A shockwave made the ground explode and the two slugged each other.

"Bruce, you sure Thanos beat you in your hulk form?" Tony asked as the two were having a fist fight.

"Hulk won't even come out after losing. Scared little bitch." Bruce gave a snide comment, but the hulk still didn't want to throw hands with Thanos.

"Come on! You hit like a girl!" Tifa gave an uppercut and Thanos' jaw cracked from her explosive punch. She then jumped in the air and used gravity magic to fall. "Starfall!" Her foot crashed right on his chest and he got buried deep in the ground.

Tifa was about to take the infinity gauntlet, but the reality stone glowed and her hand turned into ribbons. But her energy offset the effects and only her arm got affected.

With the surprise attack, she received an uppercut and Thanos got some breathing room. He coughed and some blue blood splattered on the ground.

"I admit, you are strong. But I will be back." He was going to port away with the space stone, but he got stabbed right onto the chest by Alexandra and she lifted him up in the air.

"Enough games, purple man. You are just destined to fail." She reached for the space stone, but Thanos' goons fired at her and she got distracted for a split second. The stone that she got was the power stone and Thanos was able to warp out of there.

"Tch, stupid mobs." She swung her sword and the self proclaimed children of Thanos got cut in half.

"Hah, why didn't you just cut off his arm or his head?" Tifa sighed and shook her head. "I only wanted the blue stone. But I guess I'm getting soft. I should kill anything that is on our way next time. And loot their corpses of everything."

She looked at the violet stone and put it on another indentation on her left hand. "Hmmm, he'll be back. Don't worry, it is inevitable that I'll get what I want later."

Strange then slowly walked up to them. "Umm, can I please have the time stone back?" He asked sheepishly and Alexandra thought about it.

"Later, when I have the space one. I'll return it all before we get out of this universe. Besides, don't you think it suits me Stephano?" She showed off her hand. The time, power, and mind stones glowing brightly.

"Yeah, it does. Hello, I am Thor." Thor walked up and had a grin on his face. "Ahh, yeah. Hello." Tifa and Alex introduced themselves, thinking he wasn't as useless as the others.

"So, uh... Where you guys from? I haven't heard of any godesses like you in the 9 realms." Thor tried his rizz.

"We're humans though? We're just the elites of the elites, but a good amount of people back home can do what you guys can." Tifa explained and he was stumped.

"Thor, I won't do that if I were you." Tony noticed that he was trying to get buddy with them and feared for his Asgardian friend's balls.

"By the way, I can sense where he is. Through the other stones, they're resonating with each other. We'll take the fight to them tomorrow maybe. I want to at least enjoy my payment from him." Alexandra pointed at Tony.

"Ooh yeah, can we like go shopping here? I really wanna see the clothes in this place." Aerith was excited and Zack sighed, he will surely be relegated as a pack horse soon.

"We didn't pack any clothes. Now that I think about it, we should definitely shop for clothes." Tifa looked at her battle dress and it needed repairs too.

"Shouldn't we like make plans to fight Thanos?" T'challa was thinking of strategies. "I don't know about you, but she didn't even use any of the infinity stones. And he still almost died." Strange pointed out.

"Yeah, shouldn't you like plan your defenses more? Those drop pods were just a small part of their army no? And you would've been overrun pretty easily. Your defenses suck, honestly." Aerith chose violence and T'challa almost kneeled from the damage.

The girls then began shopping in New York, using all the credit cards of Tony.

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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.