Four Power spheres, he wants to enhance something like... his physical strength. Three for arm strength, one for legs, if he's gonna be running and jumping a lot. Then the Speed sphere goes into... reflexes, that seems to be the rough shape of one of the ways Speed spheres go.

He doesn't really... feel much different? And he especially does not feel like he reached a "temp max", whatever that is. He'll have to interrogate Zei later.

"Thank you, Kimahri."

Kimahri nods and doesn't say anything.

They're harassed a little bit by various thankful villagers who want to show the summoner their appreciation. He's graceful enough, although Azym can definitely detect some lines of stress in his eyes whenever he's reminded of what happened yesterday. But anyway, it's a small village, and they're soon past the gates and into the jungle.

As is to be expected, the jungle is teeming with fiends. "Even with the Sending," Zei explains conversationally, "the local spirits get restless after an attack, and furthermore many of them ride with Sin itself and join the locals. So not only does Sin bring destruction by itself, it also leaves the whole surroundings more dangerous. It's good we're here."

Most of the local fiends are not very threatening, however; at least not to a party as large and well-prepared as theirs. They make good time, and make the jungle safer as they do.

There are paths cleared in the jungle, trails and beaten foliage. They're not very wide, though, and the party can only walk three abreast. They assume formation, with Kimahri in front, Wakka in the back, and Lulu and Zei square in the middle of the group. After some thinking, Azym joins Kimahri; his style definitely seems more offensive than anything.

The flora starts becoming a bit sparser as they approach what sounds to be a river. From the noise, it's probably narrower but faster than the rivers in Besaid, and that impression is confirmed when they actually reach it. There's a stone bridge erected over it, but the Crusaders Gatta and Luzzu are there.

"Halt," says Luzzu, stepping between the party and the bridge. "We must advise you against this route. The Ochu Lord has been made agitated by Sin's attack and it was already a cut above the rest of local fiends."

"Ochu Lord?" asks Azym. "You mean there's a fiend that's been here for long enough to get a name?"

"So say the locals," he nods. "It's not very mobile, and there are many other paths past the river that don't go near it."

"Thank you for the warning, Luzzu, but I think we can take it."

"...that would be risky," says Lulu mildly. "You're sure?"

"It's in the job description," shrugs Zei. "And besides, we haven't really faced anything challenging yet, and a local big one sounds like a good test."

Azym reaches up and over his own shoulder to make sure his sword is still there. Not that it wouldn't be, he's been using it all morning, but he feels a little bit fidgety by being told that this fiend will be a challenge by the dude who can summon monsters out of thin air.

"If the Lord Summoner wishes to help," says Luzzu, now that he's sure the group understands the risks and isn't about to just barge in blindly, "we would welcome all of the aid you can lend."

"I do," Zei agrees.

"Very well. May Yevon guide your blades." And he steps aside to permit the party passage past the bridge.

The path narrows again past the bridge, and does indeed lead inexorably to a clearing where the fiend awaits.

It's bulbous and rooted in place, some sort of carnivore plant with long tentacles pointing up, the tallest of which is thrice as tall as Kimahri. It sways more than the breeze would permit, but does not immediately become more agitated as the party gets closer.

"Looks like it's right up your alley, 'Lu."

"Hmm," she nods, acknowledging the point. "I'm sure you can keep it distracted, then."

Zei and Lulu stand back while Kimahri and Wakka fan out to the right and left around the fiend. He side eyes Azym and says, "You should go show off."

"—I don't think now's the time for flirting—"

He rolls his eyes and gestures at Azym's sword with his chin and eyes while he unclicks his own staff from the harness on his back. "I've seen you fight. Do it again."

...he hadn't thought he'd done that well actually but he'll believe in the Zei that believes in him.

He takes point, then, standing between the creature and the two squishy magic users—

—and rolls to the side when one of the (sharp!) tentacles dives for him with no warning. Seems the creature's finally noticed them.

Zei casts a magical shield protecting him a fraction of a second before he'd have been hit but that's good reflexes, he's once again impressed and confused. The other two physical combatants get their own magical shields and then he starts buffing their combat capabilities.

The fiend can multitask pretty well, so all three of them are being harassed at the same time.

The two magic users are also being harassed but between the other three physically intercepting the blows and Zei's constant shields they're mostly fine. And they've both trained to not let their own casts get interrupted if attacks do go through—Zei is perfectly capable of healing any incidental damage.

Magic doesn't take hardly any time to cast but it does have a few seconds' recovery period and it does take energy. This means she can't be setting the fiend on fire all the time, but fire is still the most effective against plant fiends and the creature's reactions are appropriately distressed.