Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey
Chapter XI – Disaster
"So you suggest we take the ferry?" asked Strago, sitting in Owzer's secret kitchen after they all enjoyed a hearty breakfast.
"It would be the easiest way to do things, considering that Setzer always preoccupies himself with women, gambling, then flying," said Clyde.
"He's so weird," said Relm, jumping down to the floor to play with Interceptor, who awaited attention eagerly.
"We can get to Figaro Castle by the new train system… though the anomaly if it being built so quickly is still stuck in my mind."
"Oh, they began building it a few days before we assaulted Kefka's tower. People from all around volunteered to help, and the work was done amazingly fast. Plus, some general-purpose airships had been utilized to carry the trains, which had been built previously, onto the tracks," explained Strago.
"Well, I suppose that clears that up," Clyde replied.
Clyde grabbed another piece of buttered toast, feeling rather hungry since eating only dinner yesterday, without breakfast or lunch. Interceptor immediately came to him, sitting anxiously with his tail wagging. He smiled and broke off a small portion and fed it to his dog, who took it gratefully, returning to Relm's side. On the other side of the kitchen, Owzer was busying himself with more reading, but Clyde didn't really see why, as all roads seemed to point to Tom Geeda.
"Uh, Sir Owzer… I think it might be best if you come along with us," Clyde suggested.
"W-what? Me go back to Figaro? The authorities are out for my head!" he said in a panic, coughing up a fit.
"Don't worry about it… we'll get you a clever disguise somehow. I don't think Tom Geeda would hesitate to come back here for another murder attempt."
"Well alright… if you say so," Owzer said emptily.
"And don't you worry about getting in the way either. We'll protect you from all danger."
Owzer nodded at Clyde's words, feeling somewhat uplifted now. He was beginning to get excited about this journey and gave them a wide smile. They discussed their ideas further into the morning, figuring out how to convince their comrades of the danger, how to keep Owzer's and Clyde's identity secret, what to prepare with, and so on. By the mid-afternoon, all four were packed and ready to go. Clyde had sold a good deal of his loot, using the money to buy more pairs of the wardrobe he currently had, only in different color schemes. He hid the remaining treasure in Owzer's room, a place that no one would be able to access… hopefully. Just before leaving, Clyde made it a point to purchase a new sword.
"How far is this ferry?" asked Clyde as Strago and Relm greeted them outside the inn with their own luggage, Interceptor standing next to Relm.
"It's just a ways down to the southwest," Strago informed him.
"I wish I had known that before I took my own boat to Figaro…" Owzer said disappointedly as they headed out of Jidoor, his favorite walking cane that Clyde had only seen once during Kefka's reign in hand.
"Oh Sir Owzer… you just got more adventure out of it by not knowing!" Relm said optimistically.
"Yes, yes… you are too correct, my dear. This girl is a clever one!" Owzer said smiling.
Clyde glanced at Strago with a smile, feeling very proud at the moment. In the very distant past, he would've never dreamed of having a child, but as things were… he kind of liked it. Granted, she was oblivious to the situation, but she was definitely a happy girl. Still, he needed to figure out what to do about it. Would he tell her? Sometimes he figured he thought way too much, but it was just in his character to question so many things in his mind.
"Clever and a little too grown-up it seems!" Strago retorted jokingly.
"Oh Gramps… you think everyone's too grown-up! Maybe a portrait would mellow you down?" she said innocently.
"Ack! No no! That's quite fine, dear!" Strago responded quickly, eyes wide.
"I think you'd look really good on canvas!" she giggled.
Clyde couldn't help but chuckle at the relationship between the two of them. Strago was a caring man with a few eccentric qualities, and his pairing with the witty but wonderfully artistic Relm made them excellent company. He would even go so far as to say that all throughout their journey in the World of Ruin, they were his favorite comrades, despite not knowing who they really were in the first place.
"So Shad- I mean Clyde! Will you ever tell the others who you are, if we do see them?"
"He might not need to if you don't get his name right!" Strago jested, to which Relm stuck out her tongue at him.
Clyde remained silent for a moment, pondering on this question heavily. He had said that his identity was best kept secret, but maybe he owed it to them to know that he was alive and well. After all, they had come just in time when he was abandoned on the floating continent… they had waited for him at the airship just before the world transformed… they had rescued him from the behemoths on the Vedlt… and they even went so far as to fetch him from the Dragon's Neck Colosseum. To be so deceitful to them was absolutely unfair. However, for the sake of principle… he decided it best not to tell anyone anything just yet.
"I don't think I will," he replied.
"Oh… 'cause the others were really hit hard by your 'death'," Relm said softly.
"They were?" Clyde asked, turning his full attention to Relm.
"Yeah. Locke said that your stealth skills overshadowed his… and then he was so kind as to point out the pun to cheer some of us up. Meathead… Sabin, said that you were an incredible fighter and a good companion after his accident in the Lete River. Lover boy (obviously Edgar, Clyde thought) said he wished he could throw like you. Uh… Celes said that you were a nice guy, even though the rest of the world begged to differ. Cyan noted that you were a remarkable swordsman rivaling his skills. Gau didn't say anything understandable. But Terra definitely seemed the most distraught about it. She was almost on the verge of tears, recalling that time that you guys came to Thamasa and you talked to her for a while on the boat ride at night, and a few other insightful conversations," she explained.
Clyde was actually shocked by this news… Terra was distraught? He had gotten to know her a little better than some of the others, but never thought that she took his 'advice' to heart. Hell, it seemed rather cliché to him… the whole looking within for answers. She was a sweet girl, with just some emotional mix-ups. Now that he thought about it though, whenever everyone was aboard the airship, he would usually be conversing with her. One time she even questioned his past, to which he almost went into full detail, but decided against it quickly.
"Ah, I see…" he said emptily, turning his attention to the ground as they walked.
So far, the journey had taken them a good distance from Jidoor, and the harbor for the ferry was visible in the distance. Luckily the monster population had decreased since Kefka's downfall, but Clyde wasn't really worried about that. It made him feel so… alienated to think that his companions actually cared about him like that, with Terra being the most surprising. Even when they did talk, it was usually about where the world was headed, or what should be done next. He wasn't very personal back then, and she never talked about herself.
"Don't sweat it Clyde… she'll be fine," said Strago.
Clyde nodded and resolved to put Terra out of his mind. What an enigma she was though.
"My, I am certainly out of shape for this kind of walking," said Owzer, who was lagging behind a ways, trudging along at a snail's pace.
"Come on Sir Owzer! You can do it! Grandpa is walking faster than you!" Relm cheered.
Interceptor barked and pranced around Owzer, as if to encourage the large fellow to move faster. Owzer tried to shove the dog away with his cane, but to no avail.
"Ah! A little help here?"
"Interceptor! Come!" Clyde demanded.
The dog stopped its wild encouragement and immediately ran to Clyde's side, walking at a perfect pace with its head up high and its eyes kept sharp. Interceptor had always been a good dog. Even as a puppy in Thamasa, Clyde took to him very well. He was easy to train, and listened well too. He was glad to be reunited with such a good friend.
"It seems that lately your dog has become much more friendly," said Strago.
"Is that so?" Clyde replied, hardly surprised.
"Yes! Everyone in Thamasa loves him! He's so cute!" Relm exclaimed.
"Somewhat of a nuisance," muttered Owzer.
Not long from then did they eventually reach the cozy harbor. It was a sheltered dock with two relatively large ships in present view, one nearly ready to depart, with passengers still boarding. Clyde was almost about to inquire as to the fee for passage, but then noticed a sign declaring that the trip was free, and that the ferry ran on donations. He was surprised by this, because although other ship routes were free of charge, all had only a simple point A to point B option, unlike this ferry which apparently would go anywhere.
Clyde then took note of strange protrusions on the bottom part of the bow of the ship. They looked like slender barrels just arbitrarily placed in the least noticeable area of the boat. He couldn't even guess at their function and decided it was irrelevant. Looking around, he saw a few people coming in from the north, and even more heading off to the east. This harbor hadn't reached peak popularity quite yet, as shown by the lack of decent, safe transportation to it.
"Clyde! Hey! Come on!" Relm called.
Clyde whirled around to see his friends piling onto the boat, Interceptor waiting with a wagging tail for his master. Relm was hopping up and down on the deck, waving to him. He hadn't realized that he stopped moving to ponder such useless things. Quickly, he swiftly made it onto the ship, just as the crew was readying for departure.
"Daydreaming? Hopefully not about women… I think that's Edgar's job!" Relm said jokingly.
Clyde couldn't help but chuckle, recalling Edgar's tendency to flirt with EVERY woman in sight during their adventures. It was truly unreal. Setzer at least had other hobbies, and wasn't as concerned about it… Edgar made it a regular practice. Surprisingly, he was apparently a very charming fellow, except for in the eyes of Terra, whom he had taken a particular interest in every time he was turned down by another female.
Clyde and Relm then moved out of the way as the crewmen pulled the loading plank on deck as the ship slowly settled in the water, free from the anchor and drifting slightly away from the harbor.
"Alright folks! For those who have never been on this special boat before, I suggest you take a seat and hold on tight for the first few seconds! This thing's a special wonder that has revolutionized universal travel! We'll be setting off in ten seconds!" called the helmsman.
Clyde turned to Relm with an inquisitive look. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, pulling him down by his arm into a seat on deck, which were benches attached to the sides of the ship. The vessel made a slight jolt and edged forward a ways, coming out past the land on the left that made up the lengthy isthmus that the famous Opera House was located on. Nine seconds later, once the ship had drifted well out into the open bay, another jolt put Clyde on edge before the boat rocketed off across the water. The former mercenary always enjoyed a good thrill, but he was now gripping his seat tightly with his muscles as rigid as stone.
"Woooo hoo!" shouted Relm over the drone of the engine powering the boat.
The other passengers seemed relatively calm, but Clyde had never been on anything like this. The Falcon could obviously go at much higher speeds, but being inside a ship-shaped cabin with no wind was quite a different feeling than this rush. The boat made a sharp turn and continued its amazingly fast course towards its destination, something that was the lowest in Clyde's mind. He felt like he would be ripped out of his seat from the force of the wind.
"Heh! I probably should've warned you fellows!" Strago yelled over the noise.
Clyde shakily turned his head to see Owzer looking doubly frightened, his cane held close to his chest and his already huge eyes open wider than ever. He looked down at the floor of the deck to see Interceptor lying calmly under the bench. The boat shot along the ocean, passing the popular opera house within a few minutes. Not too long after, the land began to grow larger as the isthmus became a bigger mass.
"Next stop! Maranda Harbor!" called the helmsman, who made a few more quick turns before stopping suddenly at a small inlet.
Clyde did not move a muscle until the boat had stopped completely by the covered pier. Even after, his movement was very limited.
"Was that a blast or what!" Relm said excitedly.
"'Twas fast…" Owzer stuttered.
Clyde remained silent, amazed at the technological advantages of their time. Everything else was run by steam lately, and it seemed that this ship was a revolutionary device. For a passenger vessel of this size and to be able to move at such speeds with easy maneuverability, the possibilities were endless in his mind. Airships were faster, but much more difficult to engineer, and there were only a select few in the world.
"Well Clyde? What'd you think?" asked Strago from behind.
"It was fast… but remarkable," he finally said.
"Oh my goodness…" came Owzer's voice again.
The other three turned to see the pier empty, and every person on the boat staring up to the north. Past the small desert was the town of Maranda, except nothing recognizable was there. Flames sprouted into the sky, dancing upon the rubble of the former houses. The destruction looked merciless, and not a person could be seen. Clyde looked around at the others, whom seemed more astonished than he. Thomas Geeda had told him that very morning that Maranda was destroyed, and yet the news was only just now being seen by these people? He now had not the slightest doubt in his mind that Geeda was very well acquainted with Palidor… a little too much for comfort.
"We should see if anyone is still alive!" shouted a passenger.
The helmsman turned to the fellow and nodded, steering the boat to the pier and quickly setting the anchor down. The crew hastily set out the plank and several men stood from their seats and ran towards the ruined town. Without wasting a moment, Clyde jumped from his own spot and followed them, Interceptor perking up and pursuing him.
"Clyde!" called Strago.
"Go fetch him by all means… but an old, ungainly guy like myself needs to stay here for my own good," said Owzer.
Strago understood and nodded, following Relm as she followed Clyde. Owzer stayed aboard the ship along with the women and other elderly men. Within a few moments everyone else had reached the destroyed town. Nothing had been spared. Everything was reduced to unrecognizable piles of bricks and wood. The dead bodies of the citizens were strewn about, many appearing to have been crushed.
"What the hell could have done this!" shouted an enraged man.
"No monsters have ever been this powerful!" said another.
"Maybe it wasn't a monster! Maybe the Empire has fooled us again!" shouted yet another.
Soon enough all the men were calling out their theories on the incident, pointing out insignificant things like fallen weapons, which could be logically explained as falling out of the weapon shop when it was obliterated. Clyde, Relm, and Strago went further into the destruction, looking around sharply. It made the little girl cringe to see so many corpses all around. It was unreal to all of them to see such destruction once again. The only time prior was when the imperial capital of Vector had been attacked by the wild espers in the World of Balance.
"Didn't Mr. Geeda tell you that Maranda had been destroyed?" Strago asked.
"That he did… and I'm guessing it wasn't at the time, and has only just recently been annihilated," Clyde replied quietly.
"H-help…" came a voice.
The three of them froze immediately, snapping their heads from side to side to locate the noise. Clyde then saw a piece of brick fall from a nearby pile, a finger extending from the heap of rubble.
"WE HAVE A SURVIVOR!" he yelled, running to the pile and immediately scraping the destruction away.
Soon enough, all the men were there helping out, finally retrieving a young woman of maybe twenty or so years of age. She was still very alive, but badly bruised and cut, with weak breathing. She was supported by many fellows at once, who began to carry her away to the boat before Strago stopped them.
"Wait! I know magic, and I may be able to help her!" he called to them.
They looked at him curiously for a moment but came back with the woman, setting her down softly on the ground. Her injured form twitched a little, head lolling to the side. The old man walked up to her, kneeling down beside her.
"Strago… are you sure you can use magic still?" Clyde asked.
"I sure hope so…" he said solemnly, extending his hand out over the girl's body.
"Cure!" he said aloud, moving his hand in a swift waving motion.
A faint green glow emitted from his hand, spreading across her body like a glittering dust, setting down upon her weak frame. Almost immediately, her eyes were wide open, and her breathing became a little easier.
"W-wha? Who are…?" she stammered.
"Are you alright miss?"
"Do you need further medical attention?"
"Are you hungry?"
"Are you thirsty?"
"Do you need to lie down somewhere?"
"Hey! Don't bombard her with questions!" Relm shouted, glaring at the protective men.
The woman looked at Relm and gave a faint smile, her eyes then wandering over every single person standing around her. She looked delirious, and almost attempted to stand but decided it was best to stay as she was, staring up at the gawking eyes of her rescuers. She was a cute girl with long, but now dirty and messy red hair. Her white blouse was covered in dust, and her long black skirt was torn widely at the bottom. She appeared to be somewhat frightened too, but Clyde would feel the same with so many people surrounding him while on his back.
"What's the next destination?" Clyde asked.
"Well, usually it'd be South Figaro, as Tzen doesn't have a harbor… but I think we need to get notification to the capital about this," said the helmsman.
"First we need to get this girl to a town though," he said urgently.
"If you're willing to stay with her…"
"We will!" Relm piped up.
The woman, still confused, was heaved up by the other men. She looked around oddly as she was carried back to the ship. Clyde, Strago, Relm and Interceptor followed up behind, leaving some of the crewmen to search for any other survivors or salvage.
"This girl will be a burden on our mission!" said Strago.
"No, she will not. Sir Owzer can take care of her, since he will have nothing better to do," Clyde answered.
"We're to leave him alone in South Figaro? I thought he was wanted there!"
"That is why we are going to get him a disguise…"
"But we don't have anything to disguise him with!"
"We'll find something!"
Both men were obviously frustrated at the moment. Clyde couldn't get his hatred for Tom Geeda out of his mind, and he had only known the man a day. Strago was worried that the girl would be in more danger now that they were bringing her along to Figaro. He always found it good to help those in need, but to endanger them further was not what he had in mind. However, Clyde definitely had no intention of having the young lady tag along for the entire mission. He would just have Owzer take care of her for as long as it took before they let her go on her own. It was the best option for the time being, especially given that magic can only do so much to help others.
"Well… at least we know the others will be obligated to help out after they hear about this!" said Relm.
Author's Notes: Ok, this will be the last chapter for at least two weeks, as I'm leaving for vacation. During that time I would expect to get some reviews on this tale. Basically, your reviews will keep this story alive, and if I don't get any reviews… it shall be discontinued until they arrive. I'll see you folks again in about two weeks' time!