Chapter 9: Of Marshes And Mountains

Cloud awoke slowly the next morning. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and looked around the boarding room. Aerith and Tifa were both sitting on one bed and talking to each other in hushed tones. Cloud cleared his throat and they looked over at him.

"Morning," Tifa said. "The others are downstairs waiting for us. Barret and Nanaki took a walk around town to see if anyone has seen Sephiroth."

"Fine," Cloud said. He swung his legs to the floor and reached beneath the bed to pull his things together.

"Cloud," Tifa said. "How bad was I after Sephiroth cut me?"

He stared at her concerned expression. "Pretty bad," he shrugged. "I must have been able to get you down the mountain fairly quickly or you would have died."

"Right," she murmured, not looking happy. "We should get moving."

They made their way down the stairs, past the reception desk, and out into the morning sunshine. Outside the inn, Barret and Nanaki were waiting for them.

"I picked these up at one of the stores," Barret said. He tossed each of them a small rectangular device with a screen and several buttons. "I've programmed a listing in them for each of us. That way we can be in contact if any of us gets separated."

"Great," Cloud nodded. "You find anything else out?"

"A couple of the townspeople said they saw someone dressed in black with white hair and a long sword come through town before heading east," Barret said. "They say there's a marsh in that direction, which leads to a cave through the mountain range to the south. The mountains stretch all the way across the continent, so we'll have to go through that cave if we don't want to lose several days worth of travel."

"Fine," Cloud said. "Then we make for the marsh."

"Actually, no," Barret shook his head. "We still need to get some chocobos for transportation."

"Why?"

"Because of the zoloms. They're giant snakes, fifty feet long according to the townspeople. The marsh is their hunting ground and we'll need chocobos in order to outrun them."

"Great," Cloud sighed. "So then we still need to go to this ranch you mentioned. And it's straight east?"

Barret shrugged. "More or less. I can lead the way there."

It took nearly the entire day to reach the ranch. There were more pests to deal with, deranged creatures of all manner, but they were operating as an efficient group now. What had at first been exciting frantic bouts with these creatures had devolved into a tedious practice in which they each took turns vanquishing the obstacles. Even Aerith had developed into a magic wielding example of a proficient fighter. In fact, as they neared the chocobo ranch, Cloud had begun thinking that perhaps she was the strongest of them all, the way she would wave her hands and cause vicious bolts of lightning to rain down on their enemies, or eruptions of fire to cause them to combust like so much fuel, or enormous icicles to jag their way through their bodies. But unlike the others, she always looked a bit sad as she fought, as though disappointed with the realities of life outside of the cities and towns.

The sun was beginning to set as the chocobo ranch came into view on the horizon. The first thing they saw was a large silo, followed by a sizable stable and a plantation style home. There were signs out front that proclaimed visitors welcome, so the group walked through the front door. Inside was a finely furnished home, complete with a small counter filled with different chocobo equipment for sale: food, training guidebooks, mating materials, and lures. It was all presided over by a portly little man in a Stetson hat and overalls. His speech was thickly drawled as he welcomed them.

"You folks thinking about crossing the marshes?"

"Perhaps," Cloud nodded.

"Seems like everyone's crossing the marshes all of the sudden," the man said. "I tried to warn that last fella, but he didn't listen to old Chocobo Bill."

Cloud stared at him. "What did the other guy look like?"

"He was tall and dressed in black," Bill said. "Kind of a strange look in his eyes too. Might have just been that white hair of his, though."

"And he went through the marshes?"

Bill nodded. "Saw him when I was out hunting for more chocobos this morning. I told him not to go in there on foot, but he brushed right past me. Without a chocobo, the zoloms probably got him." He smiled a toothy grin. "Fortunately you boys have done smart by coming to me. The zoloms move underground and attack anyone causing vibrations in the ground with their feet. But a decent chocobo will outrun a zolom no problem. If you folks want to buy chocobos for the trip, talk to my grandson out back in the stables. We don't have too many left, but if you can double up there ought to be enough."

"Thanks," Cloud said.

Bill peered down at Nanaki. "Not so sure about your pet, though. You'd have to hold on to him real tight."

"I am nobody's pet," Nanaki mewed harshly.

They left Chocobo Bill sputtering at the notion of a talking cat and made their way out to the stable house. Even though Cloud had seen chocobos before, including the one that had been pulling Don Corneo's carriage back in Midgar, he was still struck by the beauty of the animals. Outside the stable was a fenced in grazing pen which contained several of the large golden bipeds as they shuffled around and foraged the grass for insects and grubs. Standing some eight feet tall, the chocobos were avian in appearance, with long scaly legs and beautiful feathered wings tucked securely at their sides. A sharp beak did nothing to add villainy to their kind appearance which was cemented by their large, liquid, and thoughtful eyes.

Chocobo Bill's grandson was inside the stables. Friendly enough, he sold the group three chocobos, all they had available. They were informed that the creatures were naturally skittish and would likely run away if not tethered down. And, the young boy assured the group, the animals would certainly refuse to go through the mountain cave on the other side of the marsh.

"No problem," Cloud said. "Just so long as they can get us past those zoloms."

"Oh, they'll do that no problem," the boy smiled. "But if you want a chance at catching chocobos in the wild, I'd suggest buying a few lures and some special food to attract them."

Cloud had plenty of money left over from the pay he'd earned with Avalanche, so he sprung for a lure and some of the food. Bidding the ranch goodbye, the group saddled up aboard their new steeds and trotted south towards the marshes. Tifa and Aerith had doubled up on a chocobo since they weighed the least of any pairing, which left Barret and Cloud their own mounts. Nanaki insisted that he could run every bit as fast as the chocobos and didn't need to ride one, so he trotted alongside the large birds. The only trouble they had getting to the marshes was the chocobos getting skittish whenever Nanaki came a little too close to the group.

They noticed the change in the ground first. The emerald plains gave way to murky, muddy footing and the tall grass turned to large leafy plants designed to soak in whatever sunlight made itself available. As they move south, the climate began to change rapidly as well. As the mountain range was to the south, it did nothing to quell the humidity that formed from perpetually heavy clouds. The air itself felt thick, as though if they were hungry enough they could reach out and break part of it off for a snack.

"How will we know when we're in the zolom's hunting grounds?" Tifa asked.

"If they travel under the earth, we'll see disturbed ground," Barret said.

A half an hour later, they came upon the first such evidence. The turret dug into the ground was enormous, as were several gaping black holes in the marsh loam where a zolom had stuck its head out for a look around. In the distance they could see the mountains and something of a grassy landing area, ostensibly built out of rocky soil that would keep the zoloms away.

"What do you think?" Barret asked, looking at Cloud.

"We certainly shouldn't keep still," he answered. "I think we just make a straight sprint for that area up ahead. If these chocobos are as fast as we were told, the zoloms shouldn't have a chance."

Barret nodded. "Well, let's not stand around yapping then. This place gives me the creeps."

They each slapped their chocobos hides and they took off with a jerk. The speed of the animals was breathtaking. Cloud dug his fingers into the long neck of his bird to keep from falling off. With a turn of his head, he saw Aerith gripping Tifa's waist tight, her eyes wide with awe. Barret was bouncing around his mount as though he was a ragdoll and only the headlock he had on his chocobo was keeping him from falling off.

Nanaki, on the other hand, moved with speed and grace that Cloud wouldn't have guessed possible. He was only a step behind the group, ducking and weaving around small plants and rocks. It was the first time Cloud had seen him look happy.

They were roughly half way to the mountains when the zoloms attacked. They attacked as a group. The first of the creatures came at them head on, the only indication of its approach a rolling buckle in the ground ahead of them. Cloud saw it and shouted at the group, ordering them to branch away from each other to the sides. They had just done as he'd instructed with the zolom rocketed out from the earth to balance on its tail.

The thing was as tall as a building. Snakelike, it swayed and hissed, a large hooded neck giving way to evil eye slits and long curved fangs. It snapped at them as they rode past, jagging out with incredible speed. Fortunately, thanks to Cloud's instruction, they were well out of range of the reptile beast. They flew by the zolom, leaving it hissing angrily in their wake.

That's when the others attacked from the sides. Alert, the group saw them coming, but the angles the creatures were taking meant that all they could do was come back together. Cloud led the way with the other two chocobos on his heels and Nanaki bringing up the rear. The ground buckled towards them fast and it was clear that the group would be intercepted before they had reached the safety of the rocky foothills.

We're all going to die unless I do something, Cloud thought.

He shouted at the others to keep moving towards the hills. Then, with a yank on his chocobos neck, he spurred the chocobo to the left. The reaction of the zoloms tracking them was instantaneous. They altered their course to follow him. Urging the chocobo on, he led the creatures a few hundred feet away from the rest of the group. Once he was sure that they'd make it to the hills safely, he dug his heels into his mount's sides and set it sprinting towards the nearest rocky ground.

I'm not going to make it, he thought.

He turned and reached out with his hand, sending brief streams of fire towards where the ground was buckling at him ever closer. Somehow the zoloms sensed the attack, though, and they evaded it with ease, still getting closer. Before long the ground was buckling on either side of him. Cloud looked up and saw that he was still nearly a hundred feet away from the safety of the rocks.

Both zoloms burst through the ground simultaneously, launching themselves up into the air and twisting as they crashed to face him, jaws agape. Cloud imagined they were smiling as he saw it all in what seemed like slow motion. His chocobo skidded to a halt, a vicious change in speed. The inertia tugged at Cloud as he dug his fingers into the feathers deeper, trying desperately to stay atop his mount. If he fell off, there would be no question about his death. He pressed his knees together into the chocobos sides…

And, in response, the creature bucked him forward over its head, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Dead, he thought.

He scrambled to his feet, yanking his sword from his back.

For all the good it will do, he thought.

The zoloms stared at him for a moment, as though distrusting the gift the chocobo had given them. Then, with a stereophonic dual hiss, they bobbed their heads and weaved their way towards him.

I am going to die. Finally.

As they bore down on him, fangs glistening, their hot sweet breath making him nauseous, he closed his eyes and prepared for the darkness.

That's when he heard a roar and felt something run between his legs. Instinct took over and his free hand reached out and grasped a furry mane. Finally opening his eyes, he looked down to find himself atop Nanaki, who had changed direction with blinding speed and was sprinting around the right hand zolom. All four of his feet were chugging at blinding speed, churning up soil behind them as the zoloms pursued. But their surprise had slowed their reaction. It was a matter of a minute or so until Nanaki was hopping up on the several large boulders at the base of the mountains, coming to rest where the others had been waiting.

He was shaking as he climbed off Nanaki, mumbling a weak thank you and trying to keep his footing on the rocks. Down below, the ground was buckling angrily, but the zoloms never ventured above ground now that their prey was beyond their comfortable hunting grounds.

Cloud wasn't sure what else to say. His heart was still racing and his adrenaline pumping furiously when Tifa launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Don't ever do that again!" she was crying, pushing her face into his neck. "Do you have any idea how horrible it was to watch that?"

"Sorry," he murmured.

"Yeah, kid," Barret said, giving him an odd look. "That was brave and all, but you're no good to us dead."

Tifa peeled herself away from him, giving him a sheepish look. Without another word, they started up the mountain, using a faint path that cut through the rocks and brush. They'd see signs that others had passed through occasionally: a food wrapper here, an abandoned fire pit there. As they closed in on the base of the mountain, they came across a sign that read Mithril Mine.

But it was at the entrance to the mine that they got their biggest shock, causing each of their jaws to drop.

It was a zolom, dead and thrice impaled on a massive wooden stake that had been planted in the ground. Its body had been carefully wound up the wood to hold it in place, with the culminating point at the top rammed through the enormous snake's open mouth. The fangs still glistened and the blood that pooled on the ground was only slightly congealed.

"My god," Barret said quietly.

"Sephiroth did this," Cloud shook his head.

"Amazing," Tifa murmured.

"Our enemy," Aerith spoke with wide eyes. "He's capable of this?"

"Let's just keep moving," Cloud urged them on.

The entrance to the cave was beyond the dead zolom. It had clearly been used as a mine, with wooden beams bracing the cave walls and a pulley system for removing buckets of dirt long since abandoned. When they climbed through the hole in the mountain, it immediately became clear just how rich this mine was. There were shards of mithril ore nearly falling out of the walls. They were dark obsidian-colored deposits, incredibly strong. Shinra made use of the material for melee weapons due to its properties.

They moved through the mine swiftly, following occasional signs that promised a way out the other side. Looking around, Cloud could see where the miners had branched out onto shelves and into crevices. Some of the ridges above and below them had ladders that had been left behind. But there was no time for idle exploration. That dead zolom had been evidence that they were not too far behind Sephiroth.

It was until the mine opened up into a large hollowed out chamber that they ran into trouble. Above them on one of the ledges were two people: a bald man in a blue suit wearing sunglasses and a similarly clad woman with bright blonde hair, minus the headwear. The group stopped and looked up at where they stood, obviously waiting for the group.

"Turks," Cloud said darkly. He reached back with one hand and slid his sword from its sheath. "You're Rude," he pointed at the bald man. Then he looked at the woman. "You I don't know."

"This won't take long," Rude said. "Since you know what the Turks do."

"Yeah, we know what you do," Cloud growled, looking significantly at Aerith. "You kidnap people."

"That's one of the negative aspects of our reputation," Rude nodded. "But it isn't the only type of mission that falls within our parameters."

"That's right," the woman added. "Right now we're trying to track down Sephiroth. And we have orders to stop you as well."

From behind them came another man. He was imminently familiar, with long black hair accompanying his Turk uniform. "Elena, stop talking," he said evenly.

She looked at the ground. "Sorry, Mr. Tseng."

"Go," Tseng continued. "You have your orders."

"Yes, sir," Elena said. "We'll meet you at Junon Harbor, sir."

Tseng gave her a sharp look that made her wilt noticeably. She and Rude shuffled out of sight. With a patient sigh, Tseng turned back to look down on the group. "Aerith," he said softly. "I'm glad to see you're okay. It looks like I'll be going after Sephiroth instead of you for the time being."

Aerith stared up at him. "You say that as though it makes you sad."

"A bit perhaps," Tseng said with an incline of his head. He smiled. "If you and your friends know what's good for you, we won't be seeing each other much from now on. Please take care of yourself."

"It's strange," Aerith said. "To hear that from you."

"Yes, well, we all have our different sides," Tseng smiled sadly. Then this expression turned cold. "Well, then, a final warning. Stay out of Shinra's way, or the Turks will be forced to deal with you."

And, with that, he turned and left.

They all stood there silently, staring dumbly up at the ledge where the Turks had stood.

"What do you think?" Barret said finally.

"I think we've come too far to let a couple of Shinra lapdogs stop us with a few scare words," Cloud said.

Barret smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Shall we get moving?"

Cloud was still staring up at the ledge. There appeared to be just a hint of sunlight peeking through. There was likely an exit in that direction and he was pretty sure they could climb up and follow the Turks out. They'd just have to stay out of sight long enough to remain unseen once they'd left the cover of the mine.

"Cloud," Tifa said, touching his arm. "What's the plan?"

"First we get out of this mine," he answered her. "Junon Harbor is two days travel to the western coast." He took a step forward and began pulling himself up onto the ledge. "If that's where Sephiroth is going, then that's where we're going as well."

They followed him up and out through another entrance to the mine. They had crossed through the mountains to the southern half of the continent. There was still enough light for them to start east, where the Shinra military installation at Junon Harbor awaited them.