Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Thirty-Six

Cloud finally awoke to the invigorating scent of hot coffee and ginger biscuits. A bright ray of light streamed in through a small window, landing right in his eyes. Grimacing, he raised a hand to shield his eyes. His right arm throbbed painfully as he lifted it, causing him to let it fall and suffer the dazzling sunlight.

When he finally gathered his senses, he realised that he was not in the Snow Fields anymore. It was not a patch of cold, hard ice he was lying on, but rather a thin sheet of cloth sprawled out on a wooden floor. Thrown across him was a heavy blanket of wolf's fur, no doubt taken from a Bandersnatch. The underside of the blanket made his arms itch, but its weight and furry texture had done the task in warming his frozen body up. But how did he get here? And where were the others?

Cloud sat up, his body protesting at the unwelcome movement. His right arm was stiff and could barely move. When Cloud looked down he saw that his elbow had been wrapped in a thick bandage to stop the bleeding. As Cloud stood up another ray of sunlight hit his eyes and he groaned. It was like having a hangover!

"You awake?"

Cloud looked up as a middle-aged man entered the room via a set of stairs close to where he had been sleeping. The man had been looking at Gaea's Cliff through a frosty window when he heard Cloud awaken. In the man's hands were a mug of hot coffee and the spicy ginger biscuits Cloud had smelled upon waking.

The man reached the bottom of the stairs and walked over to Cloud, looking the young man over as though to check he was fully warmed through. "You collapsed at the Great Glacier," he explained briefly. "It's a miracle you're all right. My name is Holzoff. I've been living here 20 years now. If you are planning to head North, you'd better listen to my story." Taking a sip of his coffee, he gestured to a door behind Cloud. "Why don't we go into the next room and sit down?"

Before Cloud could stop him, Holzoff walked past Cloud and went through the open door. Cloud stared after him in bewilderment. He'd never even had a chance to ask about the others. Suddenly he heard Cait's voice, loud and piercing, from the next room, followed by Barret's hearty laugh. Cloud sighed in relief. They were all okay.

"You ever hear about those who challenged the cliff?" Holzoff asked once everyone had settled in the living room. Mugs of coffee and ginger biscuits had been handed out to everyone who could have them. Now they all in front of Holzoff, waiting to hear his tale.

Cloud glanced around at the others before answering. "No," he said. He winced as Tifa undid the bandage around his arm and began to apply some Potion liquid to the wound. The collision with the cliff wall had opened the graze up into a long, bleeding gash down the back of his arm. The cold air had frozen the blood and stopped the bleeding, but now the wound began to close and heal as Tifa rubbed the liquid on.

"There's an old legend that something fell from the sky here a long time ago," began Holzoff. "That's what's supposed to have pushed the land up and formed this cliff. 30 years ago, Yamski and I took this cliff on to see what was on the other side. But we weren't prepared for it. We did expect the temperature to be low, but… On that cliff, there's always a biting cold wind. The cold air lowers your body temperature.

"Yamski was below me. He cut his own rope… …And I didn't even notice…" Holzoff paused for a moment in remembrance of his friend, and took a sip of his coffee. The group waited until he could continue. "Ever since then, I've settled here… continuing to challenge this cliff, and provide warning and shelter to my fellow climbers."

Now Holzoff looked around at the group of eight before him, a very serious look in his slowly aging eyes. "If you're going to climb the cliff," he told them sternly, "there's two precautions you'll need to take. First, check your route… It's hard to find because of all the snow. Second, once you get to a ledge, make sure you warm yourselves up. Understand?" He fixed his gaze on Cloud.

"Yes," said Cloud. He'd had a taste of the cold air of the Great Glacier. Up Gaea's Cliff it was going to get colder. They needed to be as prepared as they could get. After gulping down the rest of his coffee and checking his now almost-healed arm, he nodded to the others. His friends finished their drinks and stood, preparing to leave.

Holzoff watched them get ready. "You must've used up a lot of energy getting up here…" he observed. "Better get some rest before you head out." There was an almost wistful look in his eyes, remembering the strength he had had in his youth.

The companions said their thanks to Holzoff, who in turn apologised that he was not able to lend them any of his old equipment. His ropes were frayed now, he said, and his cloaks were tattered and useless against the cold wind. Besides, he had added with a chuckle, he only had enough for one person, not eight. The companions had laughed with him before leaving the man's house and stepping back into the snow.

The wind had not died down since they were last in the snow. In fact it had increased into an even bitterer chill. The warmth of Holzoff's fire and coffee fled them in an instant and they began to shiver once more. The eight friends huddled together in the wind, their gazes turned to the mountain before him.

Gaea's Cliff loomed before them. The tallest mountain on the planet, very few had managed to climb it all the way to the top. Those who did rarely returned, and those who did had often gone mad with the cold. Holzoff was wise in the way he warned them—the wind was bitter even here. Tifa hugged her chest and hopped from foot to foot, trying to keep warm. The only one not bothered (much) by the cold was Cait Sith, though some instinctive reaction made him want to shiver, too.

"You know, I've been thinkin'…" said Barret suddenly.

Cloud gave him a sideward glance. "What is it?"

Barret jumped slightly. "…Seein' a place like this, makes you realise how awesome nature is," he said. "But, if anyone told me to live here, I'd tell them to… you know…" He scratched his head. "I tell you one thing, though," he continued, "if I did have to live here, I'd change things round 'n' make it better. I guess the total opposite of this would be…… Midgar. When you think of it that way, Shinra don't seem so bad…" Barret stared for a moment before throwing his hands into the air and waving them madly. "Uuuuuurrrrrgh!! What the hell am I sayin'!? The Shinra, not bad!?"

Yuffie giggled. Cloud shook his head and sighed. They were wasting time. He signalled to Cid and Vincent, and the three of them stepped forward from the rest of the group. "We'll secure the route," said Cloud to the others. "You come up later."

Cid turned away and looked up at the mountain. The peak of Gaea's Cliff was clearly visible beneath the afternoon sky. All the way from the bottom, it looked like a long way up. Which it was. "Damn!" Cid breathed, absently scratching the strap of his goggles. "If I could just get back in the air, this cliff would be nothing!"

Cloud said nothing. There was no need to tell Cid that even if he could get in the air, the chances were his plane would not fly in such cold weather. Only a powerful airship designed to fly in all weathers could make it in such extreme temperatures. Though secretly he wished they could just fly up, as well.

He was broken from his thoughts when a small, furry hand patted his arm. He turned to find Cait behind him. The cat was playing with the end of his red cloak. He was also looking around nervously, as though he was afraid of being watched.

"This is secret info, but…" the cat said. "Rufus's going to arrive here, too."

Cloud nodded. This was a good thing. Now they could get rid of all their problems at once. Cloud looked to Cid and Vincent, who were a waiting a little ways up the path that led to the base of Gaea's Cliff. Turning back briefly, he waved to the others before running to catch up with them.

"Goddamn, it's cold!" Cid complained. "I'd give anythin' for another mug of that guy's coffee. Or Shera's, for that matter. Even if it is as weak as water." He rubbed his bare arms vigorously. "I wouldn't give my Tiny Bronco, though," he added as an afterthought. "I wouldn't give my baby for anything." He looked up the cliff. "Y'all still owe me a new plane, ya hear me?"

The air pilot stood on the ledge eight feet below Cloud and Vincent, stopping just for a minute to warm himself up before continuing the climb. He seriously missed his jacket and gloves now.

On the ledge above him, Cloud stopped rubbing his shoulders and gazed down the side of the cliff. "You're bringing that up now?" he asked. Another cold wind blew and Cloud grasped his shoulders, his body shivering.

Holzoff had not been joking when he said the wind blowing around the cliff was a biting one. The three had been surprised by the iciness of it and had to keep moving to prevent them from freezing to the spot.

Trying to ignore the biting wind, Cloud looked over the side of the cliff again. They had travelled pretty far up the cliff, already the trees at the bottom were beginning to look small. He could see Tifa and the others, too, gathered at the bottom of the cliff and looking up at them.

"I'm just sayin'," said Cid. He jumped slightly from foot to foot to restore the circulation to his legs. "Once this is all over and done with… When we've defeated Sephiroth and sent his sorry ass back into hell or the Lifestream or wherever the hell it's from… you guys all owe me a new plane. And not a cheap one, mind you!"

When he could feel his toes again he stepped up to the cliff and grabbed the rocky wall. The snow-covered rock was as cold as ice, and inwardly Cid half betted that it was ice in disguise. He pressed his boot against the edge of the rock and pushed himself up, beginning to climb up toward the next ledge.

"I want a real nice one," Cid continued as he ascended the wall. "A big one too, with an engine big enough to hold an army, if need be. And by the wheel, my own fridge to hold my beer. There's nothin' beats a cold, frosty one on a hot—"

He stopped suddenly as he heard a loud click coming from above him. Looking up, he saw Vincent standing at the edge of the ledge, his short-barrelled gun pointing straight down to where he was climbing. One of the gunman's red eyes was closed as he took a careful aim.

"Hey, hey!" Cid protested. He almost lost his grip in his panic. "Watch where you're pointin' that thing, Vince! I was just saying!"

Vincent said nothing. He just looked down the sight of his gun, where he could see Cid and a small outcrop of rock behind him. He waited until the last possible moment before he pulled the trigger.

Cid flinched.

The bullet never hit him. Instead a piercing, pained screech came from behind him. Cid snapped his head round in time to see the grotesque, gaudy form of a Zolkalter slip from the wall and tumble from the ledge. The bullet landed in its circular, razor-tipped mouth, going straight through until it came out of its scaly back. The monster flailed its four spindly legs as it fell, before crashing on the ledge below. It twitched once, and then stopped moving.

The monster defeated, Vincent spun the Shortbarrel in his hand before flipping it back into its holster. With a flick of his cloak he turned away and began to ascend the cliff to the next level. Cloud breathed out silently and turned back to the ledge. Leaning over, he offered his hand to Cid, who was almost shaking with fright.

"I thought he was gonna kill me!" the pilot said shakily. He reached up and grasped onto Cloud's outstretched hand. Cloud tightened his grip and pulled, digging his heels into the rock. He pulled as Cid pushed himself up, until finally the pilot was able to climb onto the ledge.

A smile spread on Cloud's face. "Be thankful he missed then," was all he said. Cid scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, while Cloud turned back to the cliff and began to climb after Vincent. After a moment or two Cid began to follow them, climbing quicker so as not to fall behind again.

After a while of climbing the three came across a dark entrance leading into the mountain. They marked the entrance with a small red flag they borrowed from Holzoff before leaving—to let Barret and the others know when they caught up that they had entered the mountain. They had few of these flags and had to use them sparingly. Yuffie's advanced tracking skills would allow them to follow easily enough. The inside of Gaea's Cliff was made entirely of ice, so they could not leave any visible markers except for chinks in the ice made by the tip of Cid's spear.

There were several twists and turns inside the mountain, and more than once the three nearly ended up lost. The caverns and paths looked identical after a while of searching, and though the ice was almost opaque, it had a mirror-like quality that reflected the openings of tunnels and doorways. The floor was also incredibly slippery in parts, which meant they had to walk carefully else they would slip on the sloping paths and break their necks.

After navigating their way through the catacomb of icy tunnels they ended up outside again, faced with another long climb. In the shelter of the mountain they had almost forgotten about the cold wind, which hit them hard as they stepped out into the open air. Pretty soon they were chilled to the bone again, and had to pause for several minutes rubbing themselves over to warm up before attempting the climb. They also noticed that it was beginning to get dark quite fast, losing track of time during their treks in the snow.

This climb was longer than the last one, with the gaps between ledges steadily increasing. The were no more of the Zolkalter beasts, much to Cid's relief, though he swore that once he saw a Blue Dragon flying around the west side of the mountain. Cloud and Vincent said nothing and continued to climb, focusing more on reaching the ledge and warming up than dealing with a possible dragon.

The next doorway lay just ahead, at the top of a steady climb. Cloud figured this was the highest anyone attempting to climb the cliff had ever gotten, since he could not see any coloured flags marking the path after this point. There was another doorway a little further up, but the wall was too steep and there were too few hand and footholds to climb with. He reached the ledge first and spent the next few minutes as he waited for Cid and Vincent rubbing his arms. He wondered how the others were doing. Had they started their ascent?

Cloud and his friends were disappointed as they entered the mountain and stepped into the cavern. There was only one cavern with only two exits, both of which led back out into the cold. The exit to the right led straight into the cold and wound its way upward. The left exit was inaccessible, blocked by a large pool of icy water. A number of holes filled with water were scattered throughout the cavern.

"Well, looks like it's back into the cold," said Cid, crossing his arms. He nodded his head toward the right-hand exit. "Where d'you suppose that there door leads?"

Cloud walked across the icy cavern and peered out of the door. The wind seemed harsher here, and flakes of snow stung his face as he looked out. He saw the path cut into the side of the mountain, saw it flow to the outer wall before turning abruptly upward and heading back toward the mountain. He stepped back into the cavern and looked up at the ceiling. There was an upper ledge near the ceiling, with a small doorway, and a lower ledge crossing the length of the cavern to another exit behind them. Four giant icicles hung above them.

"There, I think," said Cloud, pointing to the doorway above them. "The left path leads to the door we saw outside." He drew his sword. "Stay here. I'm going up to cut those icicles down, and—"

Cloud stopped as a loud bang and a whoosh of air made him jump. Turning around he saw that Vincent had drawn his gun and was already firing bullets up toward the icicles. Cid then threw his spear up into the air. The spear lodged in the cracked base of the icicle, breaking it free of its hold on the ceiling and sending it crashing down toward the ground. The first icicle landed in one of the open holes, sending the water beneath its surface crashing and spiralling. Its force partially emptied the pool blocking the left-hand door, revealing a small icy pillar.

A few more gunshots and spear-throws later, all four of the giant icicles had been broken down from the ceiling and now lay still in the holes built into the ground. The water in the pool had been drained away, and four tall pillars of ice now led the way to the door. A few bats lay dead on the cavern floor, after flying down to feed when the icicles fell away.

"—Or we could do that," Cloud finished at last, placing his sword back on his back. The three jumped across the ice pillars and left the cavern through the exit.

As Cloud had thought, the path outside led back into the cavern from above, and that in turn led back outside the mountain through the other open doorway. When they stepped outside the three stopped to peer briefly down the side of the mountain to see if they could spot Tifa or the others climbing the mountain. They did not stare too long—it was a long way down to the bottom now.

Once more they began to climb the mountain wall. The wind was still blowing, though if it had gotten any colder since they were last outside they could not tell, for their bodies were too chilled to notice anymore. Even Cid was too cold to complain about his plane anymore.

Just when they were about to collapse from exhaustion, they reached the final ledge before yet another open door. As they stopped to warm their bodies, they looked up. The mountain peak was very close now—it was no more than thirty, maybe forty feet above them. Cloud leaned against the wall, his breath coming in short, white gasps.

"We're almost there," he breathed. His voice sounded quiet and dull in the frosty air. Though he did not say it, he could feel the air around them beginning to thin out the higher they climbed. He had to take deeper breaths to replenish the oxygen he lost in normal breaths. Cid and Vincent could feel it too, he guessed, for they were breathing more deeply than normal.

They headed into the mountain again. They were in a smaller cavern this time. It was a slender cavern that seemed to stretch across the entire width of the mountain. There was only one exit to the east of the cavern. A large number of icy blue crystals grew like trees along the walls, gathering around a small pool of glowing mako in the middle of the path.

Cloud knelt beside the pool and gently dipped his hand in. The mako was pure and untainted, flowing freely within the mountain itself. Its surface barely even rippled when Cloud touched it, it was that pure and thick. The mako was warm to the touch and made his fingers tingle. He lifted his hand from the liquid and wiped it on his shirt. It was best to leave this pure pool of mako alone.

The three headed on through the door and entered a long tunnel. The moment they passed through the doorway a pain-filled cry echoed throughout the tunnel, making them stop in their tracks. Instinctively they drew their weapons.

Seconds later another anguished cry filled the tunnel and a dark figure suddenly spiralled through the air, appearing from the exit on the other side of the tunnel. Cloud recognised him instantly as one of the Black-Caped men they had seen in Nibelheim and the Temple of the Ancients. The man crashed to the floor with a sickening crunch, and slid to a stop in the middle of the tunnel.

"Ugh…… Errgaahh!!" the man moaned loudly.

He tried to stand, but by the time Cloud and his companions ran forward he had fallen again. They did not need to check to see if he was dead. Before their eyes, the cloak surrounding the man began to fall, as though the body inside it was slowly disappearing. Within seconds there was nothing left but an empty cloak, and then that too vanished into nothing.

As the last remnants of the cloak disappeared, the tunnel suddenly shook violently. Cloud, Cid, and Vincent gripped their weapons in their hands and faced the doorway, waiting to see what creature had slain the black-caped man.

A head peered into the tunnel. One head, and then another. Two heads, one with red scales and curled horns, the other with white armour across its head and muzzle, both joined by long necks to the same body. The shadow of a large body blocked the entrance to the tunnel. Two short, thin arms reached in and gripped the wall as the heads loomed in, both hissing and screeching as they caught the scent of prey. As it eyes fell on the three in the tunnel the heads roared loudly.

At a sign from Cloud, Vincent whipped out his gun and quickly aimed four shots at the creature's twin heads. He fired in quick succession. He moved too fast for the creature's heads to react, and they recoiled in pain as the bullets were shot directly into its eyes. The two heads began to snake out of the tunnel.

"Now!" shouted Cloud, raising his sword and charging forward toward the monster.

Cid, taking Cloud's lead, hefted his spear onto his shoulder and ran forward to join Cloud in his assault. The monster, blinded by blood and bullets, could not see the attack coming. In a desperate attempt to defend itself it jabbed its two heads forward, snapping its jaws hungrily.

Cloud and Cid dodged the biting jaws and skidded to a halt in between the monster's long necks. Together the two thrust their weapons forward, stabbing spear and sword into the thick, rubbery flesh.

The monsters roared loudly as blood spurted from the wounds, struggling to move and free their necks. Cloud pulled his sword out of the right side head and quickly brought the sword down, attempting to severe the head from its body. The sword sliced almost cleanly through the monster's head and it fell to the floor, writhing and slithering.

Instantly Cloud turned and brought his sword down on the other head. The monster was already pulling back after feeling the pain from its other dying head. When Cloud brought his sword down it struck the hard metal from its white armour, making a huge dent before cutting through into its skull. The monster died almost instantly, choking out a gurgle before finally dying.

The body of the Schizo, devoid of life, began to tumble back away from the tunnel entrance. Its clawed hands lost their grip and fell from the tunnel as its large bulk fell backward over the ledge. The last the three saw of the monster was its body as it fell from the mountain, crashing into the wall and rolling down the rocky slope toward the ground far away.

The three stood at the edge of the tunnel, looking down as the monster disappeared from view. When the monster was gone they lowered their weapons and began to head out of the tunnel and back into the cold. They were just about to step out of the tunnel when a familiar voice called out to them from somewhere behind them.

"Hey!"

"Seriously, you guys sure make an easy path to follow, even in ice," said Yuffie. The young ninja walked with her hands behind her head, taking long strides up and down the ledge. "There was no problem tracking you. Dead bats and bullet holes everywhere. I could have followed you blindfolded… and deaf!"

Cloud, Vincent, and Cid said nothing, and did their best to ignore the ninja's bragging. But Yuffie would not be silenced and continued to brag about her skills. She went on and on and only stopped when Cid threatened to throw her off the cliff, a threat to which Yuffie looked down the mountain and abruptly went quiet.

They were very near the top of Gaea's Cliff now. The peak was just ahead of them, no more than twenty feet above. The eight friends, now finally gathered, were close to their destination.

They began to climb. Cloud led the way, using whatever footholds and handholds he could see, since there were no flags to mark his way. After about ten feet the mountain wall turned inward and began to level off, sloping just enough that they could walk on it.

Naturally, Cloud was the first to reach the top of the mountain. He climbed onto the ridge and ran forward to reach the mountain peak. When he reached the top and looked over the edge he stopped, his jaw falling open in awe. Moments later the others ran up beside him and they also stopped, their own mouths falling open. Even Yuffie, the incessant chatterbox, had only one word to say.

"Wow……"

Emerald: That was longer than I expected. I only had a short battle with the Schizo, since we have the battle with Jenova coming up soon. But hey, in the New Year we get inside the mountain! Woot! Happy New Years everyone!