CHAPTER 25

FEUERHEIT VOLCANO

In the morning, the party reconvened at Davis's airfield. "So Cinna, where do we go next?" Ramza asked the bard.

"Fello City is the only city we haven't visited," Cinna said. "It's on the top of Stellar Mountain, just beyond Feuerheit Volcano, which you can see from here..." He pointed at a mountain in the distance that had smoke curling up from its top.

"I can't guarantee your safety," Davis said as he wiped his face with a greasy handkerchief. "But I'll try to fly to Fello. Get in, everyone!"

"'Can't guarantee our safety?!'" Agrias roared. "What do you mean?!"

"The volcano's been erupting randomly for the past year," Davis said. "If we were passing over it and it erupted all of a sudden..."

"(Ulp!)" Agrias gulped. "...I see your point."

"So it's a little dangerous," Meliadoul shrugged. "So what? We've faced worse."

"Meliadoul's right," Cinna said, hopping onto the airship. "Let's get cracking!"

Meliadoul appreciated the fact that Cinna agreed with her, but she said nothing.

"I have my reservations, but..." Rafa said. "...It's the only way, isn't it?"

"It looks that way," Ramza said. "Let's go, everyone!"

After the party had boarded the airship, Davis let the craft hover upwards to a reasonable altitude. Then he threw some switches and the craft started moving towards the smoke-spewing crater.

"What are the odds of getting hired for two propositions in a row that have the SAME GUY as a boss?!" Lavian complained as she moved the sponge around the rim of the titanic bathtub.

"When they said 'housecleaning,' I thought they meant dusting and stuff..." Alicia muttered as she adjusted her close pin and continued scrubbing the toilet. "Whoo! This guy's pretty fond of southwestern cooking."

"C'mon, hurry up and scrub mah tub!" Inspector Collect yelled angrily. "Ah pity da fool can't scrub mah tub! An' don't figget, dial 1-800-COLLECT AN' use Northwestern Title Loans!"

"Sheesh," Rad groaned as he cleaned out the hair trap in the shower. "Inspector Collect doesn't have much hair, so how does all this junk GET here?!"

"Beoulve's lifting off," Captain Flite said as he watched the airship sail off out of Berkana.

"The final city in Zeratul is Fello City," Admiral Miraz said as he observed a map. "They resemble the ancient Roman Empire in their style of clothing and building structure."

"I see..." Delita said. "Flite, order your troops to move out. We'll go around the volcano and wait for Ramza in Fello."

"...Yes, sir," Captain Flite said reluctantly and saluted.

"Looks like things are drawing to a close," Olan said as he observed the troops from a safe distance.

"Well, we'd better keep following them," Balmafula growled. "No telling when Ramza will need our help."

"I just wish I'd have brought my report," Olan grumbled. "This would have been great to write about."

"Wow, this airship ride is a lot smoother than the last one," Meliadoul said as she leaned back and enjoyed the ride. The only other airship that the party had ridden was the one where they had battled Ajora.

"What was your other ride like?" Cinna asked.

Meliadoul frowned. "Why do you have to know absolutely everything? I swear, you're like an annoying little brother."

"I'm just trying to be friendly," Cinna said.

"Well, don't bother," Meliadoul growled. "Just leave me alone."

"Alone, huh?" Cinna asked. "Well, if you keep pushing away people that try to be your friends, you're gonna be alone, all right."

Meliadoul's glare softened at this as she thought over Cinna's words. "Hmmph!" she sniffed as she turned away from him.

"Yes, it's quite comfortable," Orlandu said. "Davis, how long will it be before we reach Fello?"

"The ride'll take about an hour or so," Davis said. "Look, we're passing the volcano now."

The group looked down into the steaming pit of melting rock. "Wow," Ramza said. "That thing's much bigger than Bervenia Volcano."

"I sure wouldn't want to land in there," Cinna chuckled.

Down below, a dark figure looked upwards, taking note of the airship. "Now is the time..." it squawked. "Spew forth, magma! Destroy that vessel!!!"

"Hey, what the-" Agrias started to say as she looked down into the volcano. "...Mustadio, what's that?"

"Good grief, the lava's rising," Mustadio said, beads of sweat starting to form on his brow. "Davis, get us outta here! The volcano's gonna-"

Before Mustadio could finish his sentence, the airship was engulfed in a barrage of liquid flame. The tiny craft was shot upwards by the huge magma explosion, and then it plummeted downwards.

"I can't steer any more!!!" Davis yelled to the others.

"We're gonna crash!!!" Alma shouted. "Brother, save me!"

"Me, too!!!" Rafa shouted as both girls clung to Ramza as the airship fell deep into the volcano's bowels.

"Unghhh...." Ramza groaned as he sat up. The first thing he realized was that he wasn't dead. The second thing he noticed was that it was HOT. He looked around and saw all his friends lying around, unconscious. Rafa lay next to him, her arm draped loosely over his left leg.

"Hey guys, wake up!" Ramza called. "We're alive!"

"Huh?" Cloud asked as he got up. "Hey, we ARE alive! Thank God!"

"Man, is it hot," Malak said as he stood up. "Someone turn on a fan or something! I'm roasting!"

"We must be deep inside the volcano," Mustadio said. "...Is the airship OK?"

The group turned around, and to their dismay they saw the airship jutting through the side of the wall, an absolute mess. They also heard the sounds of Davis cussing and metal being smacked together.

"Davis?" Ramza asked as he walked over. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Davis said as he emerged from the side. "But the ship ain't. It's gonna take a while to repair, but we may not have much time if the volcano blows again."

"But you're working as fast as you can?" Agrias asked.

"Yep," Davis chuckled. "If you can find some way to stop the eruptions, I'll have this sucker fixed in about a day. But that's a long time to be down here, so why don't you start walkin' for Fello and I'll catch up?"

"First we have to find a way out of here," Meliadoul said. "I assume that there's an exit at the top of the volcano."

"Good, you took Earth Science," Mustadio chuckled. "Ramza, all of us going isn't a smart idea. Take four people with you and find the way out. The rest of us will stay here and help Davis with repairs."

"All right," Ramza said. "Let's see... Cloud, you have your Ice Magic equipped right now, so I want you. Worker No.8 will do nice for splitting any rocks we come across, and Orlandu and Agrias's sword attacks will come in handy if trouble appears. You four, come with me."

"Be careful, Ramza!" Rafa called.

"Yeah, don't step in the lava," Alma added. "It'll burn your toes clean off."

"We'll be OK," Ramza said as his four comrades and he headed upwards on some jagged rocks.

"Yo, would someone hand me some pliers?" Davis yelled from the airship.

"Coming!" Mustadio said, anxiously running over to assist.

"Climb, climb, climb..." Cloud grumbled. "This is just like the Crater, but I'm climbing up instead of down! I prefer down."

"Down is where the magma is," Agrias huffed. "You don't want to go there."

"Sensors indicate that we are 4 kilometers from the volcano's top," Worker No.8 beeped as he effortlessly scaled the cliff.

"Look at him go," Orlandu chuckled. "I wish I had that kind of energy."

Suddenly, a huge crack was heard, and a hole opened up in the wall. Hot lava spewed out of it like water spewing out of a garden hose. "Woah!" Ramza panted. "That stuff's blocking our way! Worker No.8, block the magma flow."

"Wait a minute, Ramza!" Agrias objected. "Worker No.8 is built from steel. He'd melt faster than an ice cube on a griddle if he walked into that magma!"

"How'd you know that, Agrias?" Cloud asked.

"Mustadio was teaching me about Worker No.8's systems," Agrias explained. "We got around to latent heat of fusion, and the question popped up."

"You two seem to be understanding each other better," Orlandu said.

"I..." Agrias started to say. Then she shook her head and resumed her usual gruffness. "He's still a dope, but I thought I'd brush up on this stuff."

"All right," Ramza said. "Worker No.8, use rocks to block the magma."

"As you wish, master," Worker No.8 beeped, shoving a load of rocks into the hole. The lava stopped flowing.

"Good, now we can cross," Agrias said, hopping on the rocks and walking over.

Orlandu, Cloud and Ramza looked at each other, then they followed Agrias over the rocks. Worker No.8 trailed behind them.

"Are we there yet?" Orlandu asked as they climbed.

"No," Agrias growled.

The group climbed a little more. "How about now?" Orlandu asked again.

"No," Agrias huffed.

They climbed a little more. "How about-" Orlandu started to say.

"NO!!!" Agrias yelled angrily.

"Why am I suddenly experiencing deja vu?" Cloud asked.

"Hey, I can see blue sky!" Ramza called from the front. "We're almost there!"

"GRAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!!!"

The group froze as two candelabras with blue and purple-flamed candles appeared on the sides of the volcano. A huge circle with a picture of a rooster in it appeared in the magma below. Everyone watched as a flaming, mechanical bird flew out of the lava and confronted them.

"How dare you set foot in my domain!" the bird yelled. "When fire meets flesh, flesh loses every time!"

"You must be the Rooster Mechannite," Ramza said.

"Roaster Rooster is my name," Roaster Rooster cackled. "And now I'll get rid of all of you at once! Then our master can come back into the world without a care!"

"You're the one causing this volcano to erupt, aren't you?" Agrias yelled. "We'll defeat you and stop the lava!"

"Just try it!" the heated cock cackled.

"May I suggest against using that word?" the network censor asked. "It could be offensive to some viewers."

"Go away!!!" Roaster Rooster yelled as he grabbed the censor and flung her into the lava.

"Let's get him, guys!" Ramza shouted. "WAVE FIST!!!"

Ramza swung his fist and a blue sphere flew out and knocked Roaster Rooster for a loop. He quickly recovered and hovered menacingly over the group.

"FLARE PILLARS!!!" Roaster Rooster shouted, lifting his wings to reveal to large cannons. Giant blasts of fire launched from them and torched the group.

"Eyyaaaaghghhhh!!!" Orlandu shouted. "My whole body is burning! SPLIT PUNCH!!!"

The destructive sword flew upwards from the volcano and struck Roaster Rooster in the stomach. He fluttered about for a moment, but then recovered and attacked again. "BLAZER BEAK!!!" he yelled, flying at Agrias with a flaming peck. Agrias took the blow in her stomach and hissed in pain as part of her armor melted.

"You lousy 10-piece dinner!" she shouted. "You're going down! LIGHTNING STAB!!!"

Agrias's electric attack knocked Roaster Rooster downwards, but he flew back up and glowered at the party. "You are weaklings!!!" he said angrily. "Try this on for size!!! INFERNO!!!"

Much to everyone's horror, the volcano started to rumble. Large globs of magma started to float up towards the surface, like the things in a lava lamp.

"What's happening?" Ramza asked. "I thought that magma was going to fly at us, but it's going straight up..."

The group watched the lava rise until it all started to fuse together at the top of the volcano. It formed a gigantic sphere and flew down at the group at a deadly velocity.

"AAAHHH!!! RUN!!!" Agrias yelled.

"I will protect the master," Worker No.8 said, standing between the ball and the humans.

"No, Worker! You'll be destroyed!" Ramza called.

Worker No.8 punched the sphere as it fell, and it bounced off and hit Roaster Rooster, who took excessive damage from it. "CAAAWWWWWW!!!" the fowl shrieked as he went into a dive.

"Wow, Worker No.8, I didn't think you could do that," Orlandu said.

"I am very strong," Worker No.8 beeped as an explanation. Of course, the group didn't notice Roaster Rooster reappear until it was too late.

"FIRE SHIELD!!!" the mechanical drumstick yelled, surrounding himself in a barrier of liquid magma. "Just try to fight me now, kiddies!" he cackled.

"Blastar Punch!!!" Orlandu yelled, sending the helmet-shattering beam towards the foul fowl. It just vanished as it touched the lava.

"HOLY EXPLOSION!!!" Agrias screamed as she launched the divine attack, which fizzled out as it touched the molten rock.

"Face it, kids, you can't defeat the volcano itself!!!" Roaster Rooster laughed, preparing to end the battle with another Flare Pillar attack.

"We haven't lost yet," Cloud said, standing defiantly before the rooster.

"...Cloud?" Ramza asked.

"I was pulled out of my time," Cloud growled. "I was ripped away from my friends and my home... I was brought to this place and forced to fight a battle I didn't belong in... Well, I want to go home, and I'll do anything to get back there!!!"

"What is this?!" Roaster Rooster yelled angrily.

"They're your last moments," Cloud answered coldly. "ICE 4!!!"

Everyone watched as a giant mound of ice encased the bird and his shield. The shield slowly solidified to solid rock, and the whole mess dropped into the volcano with a splash. The candelabras faded away, and the Rooster Stone appeared neatly in Cloud's hand.

"...Wow, Cloud," Ramza said. "That was great!"

"I didn't know you wanted to go back to where you came from that much, Cloud," Agrias said.

"Tifa... Barret... Vincent... I miss 'em all, even Yuffie," Cloud sighed. "I really want to go home."

"Guys!!!"

The group looked around to see Cinna and the others running up the slope they had climbed. They stopped in front of the warriors and gasped for breath.

"We ran as... fast as we could... to catch up..." Alma panted.

"What just happened?" Rafa asked. "We heard fighting."

"Did you beat a Mechannite?" Mustadio asked. "Look, the volcano's dying!"

Everyone looked down at the pit of lava. Sure enough, it was quickly hardening into solid rock once more.

"Yeah, we defeated him," Ramza said. "We have the Rooster Stone."

"Rooster Stone, huh?" Cinna asked. "I believe that one allows the user to travel to other times."

"Other times?!" Agrias asked. "Well, Cloud, it looks like you got your wish. You can go home now!"

Cloud looked down at the little red stone in his hand. He handed it to a surprised Ramza and shook his head. "I can't go home..." Cloud said. "...Not yet. I'll see this battle to the end. Besides, you're all my friends too."

"...Thank you, Cloud," Ramza said. Cloud nodded solemnly.

"Hey, what're we all doing standing around like dummies?" Cinna asked. "Let's go! The exit is right up there!"

"Yeah!" the group said, and started to climb the remaining few feet that separated them from the exit.

"Say, can that stone bring other people out, too?" Malak asked.

"Why don't we try?" Ramza asked, holding the stone out. A portal opened in midair. Squall came tumbling out and landed in the lava just before it cooled off entirely.

"...Oops," Alma said. The group quickly scrambled up the hill and left.