CHAPTER 8
STERONN COAST
"So, where are we?" Alma asked. "The river carried us pretty far from the canyon."
"Since we don't have a map, I cannot pinpoint our current location," Worker No.8 beeped.
Celes sniffed the air. "...I think I can," she said. "I think we're near the ocean."
"Why makes you think that, Celes?" Ramza asked. Then he got a whiff of the air. "Well, I suppose that would be a big indicator," he said.
"It's smells like the sea, doesn't it?" Ovelia asked. "I love oceans."
"And where there's oceans, there's beaches!" Orlandu said. "Finally, some gentle turf that won't torture my feet."
"We are near the southern coast of Steronn," Everhart said as he looked at the group. "We aren't far from our destination now."
"But where IS the beach?" Amarant asked. "I ain't seein' it."
"Ooh!" Gau said as he looked down at the ground. "Grass getting sandy. Beach this way!" with that, he dashed off into the bushes.
"Gau, don't go rushing off!" Celes shouted. "Get back here!"
The party chased through the underbrush after Gau. Finally, they crashed out of the foliage and onto a long, sparkling, sandy beach. It stretched for miles on end, and the glittering ocean licked at its shore every few moments. The sound of the waves crashing onto the surf was music to the group's ears, and the scent of salt and fish filled the air.
"Looks like we hit the beach," Cloud joked.
"YES!" Tifa exclaimed. "No more mosquitoes!"
"Oh..." Alma said. "It reminds me of Igros beach back home..."
Ovelia walked down to the water's edge and looked out across the azure surface of the sea. "It's so pretty..." she said. "It's these kind of things that make me glad you came to get me back..."
"I'm glad that you like it, Ovelia," Ramza said.
Suddenly, a huge wave rose up and crashed all over Ovelia. It retreated back into the sea, leaving a soaked and spluttering ex-Queen. Everyone laughed.
"Oh, Ovelia, you get hugs from everyone!" Orlandu laughed.
"There's crawfish in my bra," Ovelia muttered as she reached in and started throwing the little fish this way and that.
"Ooh! Gau help!" Gau said as he ran up to assist Ovelia.
"Get away!" Ovelia cried. Gau hooted and howled as he grabbed at the crawfish. He chased Ovelia all over the beach until she was worn out. She fell over into the sand. Gau knelt down over her, a hungry look in his eyes.
"You don't think he's gonna..." Cloud gulped.
"I hope not," Celes said. "Ooh! That would give me nightmares."
Gau reached into Ovelia's dress and moved his fingers around. Ovelia shouted hoarse protests, but he didn't care. After about thirty seconds, he took his hand out. It was full of crawfish.
"What?..." Ramza asked.
"The little nipper was just lookin' for some breakfast," Amarant mused.
Gau sat down a ways from Ovelia and swallowed all the crawfish in one gulp. A confused Ovelia sat up and looked at him strangely. "You were just getting the crawfish out of my dress," she finally said.
"Uh-huh," Gau grunted as he chewed.
"Thank you, Gau," Ovelia said.
"BURP," Gau replied.
"We've wasted enough time here already," Everhart said. "Let us hurry. I will lead the way."
"All right, Everhart," Alma said. "If you say so."
Everhart cast Haste on the entire group so that they could keep up with him and they started walking across the sandy beach.
"Yo Seifer," Raijin asked. "Caught anything yet?"
"No, not yet," Seifer muttered as he jiggled his rod. "Where the hell are all the fish today?"
"...SPAWN?" Fujin offered as an explanation.
"No, it's not spawning season..." Seifer muttered.
"Maybe if you weren't using that Rinoa-shaped lure..." Raijin offered. "It might be scarin' the fish, ya know?!"
Seifer reeled in his line and looked at the lure. It was shaped like a cartoony version of Rinoa. "Yeah, I suppose it would," Seifer muttered as he made a face. "This thing even scares me. Another failed SQUARE marketing venture, these lures..."
"Actually, I heard the Quistis ones were sellin' pretty good, ya know?!" Raijin noted.
"Do they catch anything?" Seifer asked.
Fujin's rod jiggled ferociously. The eye-patch-ridden girl grabbed the rod and reeled in a huge fish. "YES," she answered as she slammed the fish on the grass and pulled out a knife to clean it.
"Aww, hell," Seifer muttered. "I'll just try a worm."
Seifer took the Rinoa lure off his line, replaced it with a standard hook and then stuck a worm on it. He cast his line into the river and started the long process of waiting for something to bite.
"I'm bored," Raijin said. "Bored bored bored bored bored... Ya know?!"
"Yeah, me too," Seifer muttered.
Suddenly, a circular, pink portal appeared in the water around Seifer's fishing line. "Woah, is that a fish?" Seifer asked as he stood up and started reeling in his line.
"Go for it, Seifer!" Raijin said. "Show that shiny fish who's boss, ya know?!"
Seifer spun the reel as fast as he could, but the portal didn't move. "Stubborn as a mule!" Seifer muttered as he started yanking on his line.
Suddenly and with a tremendous jerk, Seifer was yanked forwards. He plunged into the portal and disappeared.
"Woah," Raijin exclaimed. "Did you see that?! Gone in a flash, ya know?!"
"WHAT?" Fujin asked as she looked up from her cleaning.
"I love the beach," Alma said. "I always used to play in the water at Igros."
"Yeah, I remember that," Ramza said. "You always pretended that you were a mermaid and swam around until your skin got pruney. How that happened in cold water I'll never know."
"You always built sand castles up on the shore," Alma recalled. "That is... you and Delita always built sandcastles up on the shore."
"..." Ramza said.
"Perhaps we should change topics," Ovelia said.
Worker No.8 was lumbering behind the group; sand was not his favorite terrain. He stepped on a wet spot and sank. "Master Ramza, assistance, please," he beeped.
"Oh, not again," Ramza groaned.
"Worker No.8, why don't you walk on the grass?" Tifa asked as Celes and she tried to pull him out of the sinkhole; he wouldn't budge.
"I follow the master," Worker No.8 said in his usual monotone voice. "If the master walks in the grass, I walk in the grass. If he walks on sand, I walk on sand."
"I see..." Ramza said. "Everhart, can you cast Float?"
"Indeed," Everhart said. "I think I see what you're getting at."
Everhart faced Worker No.8 and held out his hand. "FLOAT," he said. Instantly, Worker No.8 rose up out of the sinkhole and hovered a few centimeters above the ground.
"Come on, Worker No.8," Ramza said as he started walking again.
"Yes, master," Worker No.8 said as he began walking after Ramza. "...Altitude reading abnormal," he said after a few moments. "But not fatal, so ignoring..."
"Good," Alma muttered. "Of all the people Delita could have left, he had to leave that robot, didn't he?"
"He's not the brightest guy on the block, but he's a great fighter," Ramza said. "He saved my hide more than once in the battles against the Temple Knights."
"Really?" Ovelia asked. "He seems to be a strange fellow indeed."
"I can't tell if he has a conscious mind or not," Ramza said. "Sometimes it seems like he does, but other times he's as mindless as a worker bee."
"Worker No.8, can you think?" Celes asked.
"Think?..." Worker No.8 beeped in a tone that sounded like a question.
"You know," Tifa explained. "Think about strategy, analyze things without your sensors, that kind of stuff."
"...I am skilled in many fields," Worker No.8 said. "But I lack the ability to think critically. My original programmers failed to add the critical thought program before I was sealed away."
"So ya can't think for yerself, huh?" Amarant asked. "I expected as much."
"Don't worry, Worker No.8," Ramza said. "When we find Mustadio, I'm sure he'll be able to design something for you."
"I would be eternally grateful, master," Worker No.8 beeped.
"Have you noticed how nice the sand feels?" Ovelia asked. "I think we can take off our shoes for a while."
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Cloud spoke up. "There could be monsters that live in the sand that would just love to rip your feet off."
"There are no such monsters," Everhart said. "You may remove your footwear if you wish."
"Thank you, Everhart," Alma said as she pulled off her boots and let her bare feet plunge into the cool sand. Everhart couldn't help but notice how milky and beautiful those feet were. Before he could contemplate it further, he shook off the thought and kept walking.
"Oh, yeah, that feels great!" Orlandu said as he peeled off his boots and let his aged feet touch the sands. "I haven't felt this good in over twenty years..."
"It's wonderful," Ovelia agreed. "I've never felt so free..."
"You never did this in Ivalice?" Cloud asked.
"No," Ovelia admitted. "I wasn't allowed to. Queens just have to be proper all the time, you know..."
"Ugh," Gau snorted from Ovelia's side. He was walking next to her, occasionally dropping down on all fours and sniffing the area like a puppy.
"Ugh is right," Ovelia muttered. "I like it a lot better out here... I'm actually kind of glad that I'm not royalty anymore..."
"I guess being a renegade traveling with a group of heretics isn't so bad after all, huh?" Amarant chuckled.
"I didn't know you had a sense of humor," Ovelia said.
"I don't," Amarant responded. Ovelia became quiet.
"N'gaaaooowwww..." Tifa moaned after the fifth hour had passed. "We've been walking too long out here. When are we going to get there?"
"Not today," Everhart answered. "There is still a long way to go."
"But can't we walk in the shade?" Tifa asked. "I've got huge sunburns on my shoulders from walking around out here!"
"We would be easy prey for the animals that live in the forest if we walked in there," Everhart answered. "We must stay on the beach; it's the safest route."
"Don't worry, Tifa," Cloud chuckled playfully. "Dr. Cloud will help make those shoulders all better when we set up camp."
"Oh, you big lug," Tifa laughed happily.
"Sickening," Amarant muttered.
"How can you say that?" Alma asked. "You've never been in love."
"I loved my banjo," Amarant muttered. "And look what happened to that."
"It's OK, Amarant," Orlandu said. "You can get a new banjo when we reach civilization."
"Really?" Amarant asked. "Oh, thank goodness!"
"Uncle Orlandu, you have screwed us all," Ovelia grumbled.
"What? What did I do?" Orlandu asked. "I liked his music."
Gau was on all fours again now, sniffing the terrain like a bloodhound. Suddenly, he jerked up and looked out at the ocean.
"What's up, Gau?" Celes asked.
"AUUUUUGAUGAUGAUUOOOOO!!!" Gau howled at the ocean.
"What's with Scooby over there?" Amarant asked.
"Hey, Ramza," Ovelia said as she pointed out into the water. "What's that?"
Ramza walked over to Ovelia's side and looked. There was a spot in the water that was shining differently than the rest of it.
"That's weird..." Ramza said. "What could it be?"
"Scanning..." Worker No.8 said as he lumbered up beside Ramza. After a moment, he turned to his master. "It appears to be a rift in the space-time continuum," he beeped.
"Great," Cloud muttered. "Another rube from some other time zone."
"Watch it," Celes muttered as she elbowed Cloud in the ribs.
"I guess if we want to find out what's in it, we should use the Rooster Stone," Alma said.
"Go ahead, Ramza," Ovelia pushed.
"Well, all right," Ramza said.
"Be careful," Everhart said. "It could be a person, but it could just as easily be a demon."
Ramza pulled out the Rooster Stone and held it out over the water. A loud sound like a thunderclap was heard, and a large, purple portal opened in the water. Everyone gaped as Seifer flew out and landed in the sand, his fishing rod a tangled mess in his left hand.
"What the heck?!" Orlandu asked.
"His clothes look weirder than Cloud's!" Celes exclaimed.
"Watch it," Cloud muttered as he elbowed Celes in the ribs.
"Aww, damn it!" Seifer cursed as he spat sand this way and that. "What the hell happened?!"
"Auuuoooo!" Gau howled as he hopped up to Seifer. "Weird-dressed guy, you OK?"
"What the?" Seifer asked. He quickly leaped up and yanked out his gunblade. "OK, who are you guys?!" he demanded.
"It's OK," Ramza said as he held up his hands. "We won't hurt you."
"No?" Seifer asked. "You coulda fooled me with monkey-boy's greeting..."
"Sawry," Gau apologized.
"Who are you?" Ovelia asked.
Seifer smirked at the ex-Queen and looked out at the ocean. "They call me..." he started. "...Hot-Headed SeeD Reject! But you can call me Seifer."
"Seifer?" Celes asked. "What a strange name..."
"Yeah?" Seifer asked. "What're YOUR names?"
"Cloud Strife," Cloud said.
"Tifa Lockheart," Tifa answered.
"Gau! Gau!" Gau hooted.
"Celes Chere," Celes responded.
"Cidolfus Orlandu," Orlandu answered.
"Amarant Coral," Amarant said.
"Ovelia Atkashka," Ovelia answered.
"Alma Beoulve," Alma responded.
"My designation is Worker No.8," Worker No.8 beeped.
"I am Everhart," Everhart answered.
"I'm Ramza Beoulve," Ramza said. "Nice to meet you, Seifer."
"Whoo..." Seifer mused. "What a bunch of weirdos."
"Well, excuse me!..." Cloud muttered.
"Whatever," Seifer said. "Look, I don't care who you are. Just send me home and I'll forget this ever happened."
"That's impossible," Everhart said. "We cannot send you back to your time until we retrieve all the Chrono Stones."
"Say what?" Seifer asked. "Speak English, Black Knight Man!"
"We can sit here and bicker for the rest of our lives, or we can keep going," Orlandu said. "It's your choice."
"We're all looking for a way home," Celes said. "Most of us come from other times, just like you. If you help us, you'll get home faster."
"Why should I help you?" Seifer snorted.
"Because if you don't, the wilds of this world will tear you into tiny pieces," Everhart said as he approached Seifer.
"Hey, what're you doin'?" Seifer asked. "Stay back!"
"You don't know the first thing about this world," Everhart said as he towered over Seifer, seemingly bigger than he really was. "How do you think you'll survive?"
"Uh..." Seifer said.
"Seifer," Ramza said. "If you help us, I promise that when we open the gate to send everyone back, you'll be the first to go."
"..." Seifer said.
"Please, Seifer?" Ovelia asked as she batted her eyelashes coyly.
"...Oh, all right," Seifer muttered. "But don't think I'm gonna get all buddy-buddy with you weirdos right away."
"To each his own," Amarant said. "I'm a loner like you, bud, and these guys're worth havin' around."
"Whatever," Seifer grumbled.
Just then, a loud roar was heard from over the ocean. "What was that?!" Ramza asked as everyone turned and looked.
A huge, blue serpent was moving towards the shore. It was about the size of a five-story building and colored turquoise with violet slashes on its face and neck. It screeched angrily, much like an irritated balooga whale.
"It's Tsunami, the Water Demon!" Orlandu cried.
"Hey, he's the guy that knocked us to Zeratul!" Alma exclaimed.
"He's not happy," Everhart said. "This island is his home and he's angry that we're tresspassing."
"If he's angry, then I'm gonna show 'im that I'm ANGRIER!" Seifer said as he readied his gunblade for battle.
"Seifer! No!" Gau cried. "You hurt animal! It get angry! Attack you!"
"Shut up!" Seifer said as he clicked his gunblade and fired. The bullet bounced off Tsunami's thick, dragonish hide and didn't hurt the beast at all.
"Uh-oh..." Ramza gulped.
Tsunami turned and glared at Seifer. The moment Seifer saw the rage and hatred in its eyes, he regretted shooting.
"TIDAL CYCLONE!!!" Tsunami roared as he opened his mouth and started creating a huge hurricane.
"He'll blow us all to Oz this time!" Alma cried.
"Not if I can help it," Worker No.8 said as he opened his chest compartment and fired his cannon. The blast hit Tsunami in the mouth and dissolved the attack. The Water Demon roared in anger.
"Looks like it's up to us to calm him down," Orlandu said. Ramza, Seifer, Worker No.8, Gau and himself were the fighters in the direct path of Tsunami.
"Gau! Gau go!" Gau said as he bent down and snarled at the monster.
"AQUA CANNON!!!" Tsunami roared as it opened its mouth and shot huge blasts of water at the group. The water hit the beach and blew sand everywhere, along with the fighters.
"Agh!" Orlandu cursed as he hit the sand, but he got back up and swung his sword. "LIGHTNING STAB!!!" he yelled. The electric blast rocked through Tsunami and made him screech angrily.
"Rage: Stray Cat!" Gau yelled. "CATSCRATCH!!!" Gau ran up and slashed Tsunami across the chest. The beast shireked horribly and tilted backwards, but did not cease his attack.
"This guy doesn't quit!" Ramza exclaimed.
"ICE WINDER!!!" Tsunami roared. Its gills opened and huge ice chunks spewed out at the group. No one escaped the barrage without being hit more than twice.
"Agh!" Orlandu yelled as he landed on the sand. "He got me!"
"I will defend Master Orlandu!" Worker No.8 said as he stood in front of the fallen Holy Swordsman. "ROCKET PUNCH!!!" Worker No.8 aimed his fist at Tsunami and it launched. It smacked the dragon demon in the face and then retreated back to the robot's arm. The beast roared even more.
"FREEZE CRACKER!!!" Tsunami roared as he charged up his strongest magical attack.
"Oh, no you don't!" Ramza shouted. "ULTIMA!!!"
The holy attack stopped Tsunami cold. He reeled backwards and sank into the water until only his head was on the surface. He then opened his mouth and charged at the shore; his giant, white fangs glistened horribly in the noon-day sun.
"Uh-oh..." Gau gulped and retreated behind Ramza.
Seifer looked at his surroundings. Worker No.8 was trying to protect Orlandu, who had fallen to one of Tsunami's attacks because Seifer had provoked him.
"(What'm I feeling?...)" Seifer thought. "(I don't like it. Could it be guilt?...)"
"This is going to hurt..." Ramza growled as he stepped backwards.
"No, it won't," Seifer said. "ROUGH DIVIDE!!!"
Everyone watched in amazement as Seifer ran towards the charging sea serpent and slashed it across the face with his gunblade. Tsunami reeled back, shrieked in agony and retreated. He sank into the ocean and disappeared.
"Woah..." Cloud exclaimed. "Seifer got him!..."
"Way to go, Seifer!" Ovelia called.
"You OK, old timer?" Seifer asked as he helped Orlandu stand up.
"I'll live," Orlandu grumbled. "That was some stunt you pulled, Seifer."
"Ahhh," Seifer laughed as he scratched his head. "I was just doin' what was right... (for once)."
"Hey, you could be pretty useful," Amarant said. "Why don'cha come along with us?"
"Gee, I dunno..." Seifer joked. "It might be bad fer my reputation to be hangin' out with you guys..."
"Oh, come on," Celes muttered.
"Aw, hell, you've convinced me," Seifer laughed. "I'll tag along until we get those Chrono Stones back."
"Welcome to the team, Seifer," Ramza said as he extended his hand in friendship.
"Heh!..." Seifer chuckled as he shook Ramza's hand vigorously.
"One big happy family," Alma sighed.
"It's nice to have so many friends," Tifa said.
"Let us go," Everhart said. "We must still travel far before we reach the goal."
Led by Everhart, the party (now with Seifer) continued walking along the beach.
