Chapter 16
Snow began to drift down in small flurries across the vast grassy plains. Ahead loomed a massive mountain range with peaks concealed by drifts and the darkness. Two riders on yellow chocobos raced across the open fields. The lead chocobo slowed enough for the second to pull alongside.
"How much farther is the mining camp?" asked Shiva cheerfully.
Ifrit looked at her like she was insane. She was still garbed only in her combat dress and here he was bundled up in layers and layers of clothing.
"Not far. How can you stand this freezing?" he asked, trying not to let his teeth chatter.
She laughed. "I'm an ice elemental remember? This cold is so invigorating!"
Ifrit coughed and smiled weakly. "Well I'm glad you're in such a good mood. I just wish the old man was with us."
She shook her head. "Grandpa can't look after us forever. We have to fight our own battles, not his."
Ifrit looked ahead again. "I guess so.."
They soon crested a hill and saw rows of crude wooden buildings clustered in circles at the base of a mountain. The windows glowed with warmth and smoke curled out of the chimneys. Ifrit snapped the reins and his bird broke into a gallop. He steered toward a large barn. A person pushed the door open and Ifrit rode into a large room filled with stalls and a straw covered floor. In three of the stalls were other chocobos who eyed his curiously.
"Wark!" cried Ifrit's chocobo.
"Kveh!" replied one of the chocobos in the stable.
"Wow! What a lousy night to be in out riding," said the stable boy who grabbed the chocobo's reins.
Ifrit jumped off as Shiva rode in. He pulled off his scarf and shook snow off his cloak as the stable boy led his chocobo to an empty stall. Ifrit walked over and held out his hand to Shiva. She smiled and took his hand and hopped down.
The stable boy gasped when he returned. "Mister Red!" he exclaimed.
"Hey there Nigel," said Ifrit casually, shaking snow off. "How's the mining going?"
"We just dug another tunnel off the main shaft," said Nigel. "But the miners aren't using it yet."
Ifrit nodded. "This is my friend Shiva."
"Hi Miss Shiva!" said Nigel brightly.
Shiva bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you. Tell me, do you know where Cid is?"
Nigel chuckled. "Working on that stupid boat, of course. It's in the machine shop."
Ifrit ruffled Nigel's hair. "Thanks kid. See you around."
Shiva gave her chocobo a pat on the head and followed Ifrit out into the cold night air. "So how long did you live here?" she asked.
"Four or five weeks," he said quietly. "They wanted me to stay but I was getting restless again. I haven't been here for over a year."
"What did you do here?" she asked.
Their feet made a soft crunching noise in the snow. "Mining at first. Later I tried my hand at smithy," he said. "I helped Cid build a furnace for smelting, but it didn't work."
"I hope he'll help us," she replied.
Ifrit gave her a confused look and then led her into a building at the edge of the camp. From inside came a fearful din of metal banging against metal. They entered through the door to find a monstrous looking boat. It had no sail at all and it looked like a hull had been mounted upside down on top of another. The stern seemed to be mostly black metal with strange pipes that protruded from it. Ifrit ran his hand along it as they approached the bow.
"Hello?" called out Shiva.
The racket immediately subsided. A hatch on the side of the boat popped open right next to her.
"Eek!" Shiva yelped as she jumped backwards.
A head popped out of the hatch. She had dark skin and black hair in a crew cut. Dark tinted goggles hid her eyes. "Yeah?" she asked.
"Long time no see Cid," said Ifrit.
She pulled off the goggles and stared at him. "Red, you came back!" she yelled. She leaped out and nearly tackled him. She was dressed in a long canvas coat and heavy gauntlets.
Ifrit nervously glanced at Shiva who was trembling. "You don't have to be that glad to see me," he mumbled.
Shiva yanked Cid away from Ifrit. "Get your mitts off him!" she shouted irately.
Cid blinked at Shiva. "What's your problem lady?" she said. "I'm just glad to see Red."
Shiva folded her arms across her chest and looked at Ifrit. "Red?" she asked disdainfully.
"That's what they call me here," said Ifrit dropping his gaze.
Cid looked between them and burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" demanded Shiva.
Cid caught her breath and gestured Shiva to the corner of the shop. She followed, looking suspicious. "Sorry about that," said Cid cheerfully. "I didn't mean to make you jealous."
"Jealous?" said Shiva. "Of that oaf?"
They both glanced at Ifrit who was admiring the rafters.
Cid thought about that. "You mean you and him aren't.?"
Shiva looked upset at the suggestion. "Of course not!"
Cid nodded happily. "Oops. Sorry." She walked over to Ifrit and grabbed his arm. "So Red, did you come back for me?"
Ifrit blushed and looked away. "I er, need the boat."
Cid looked at him blankly for a moment. "Huh? Oh, the boat!"
Ifrit nodded. "We need to rescue some Espers from the Magic Academy," he said.
Cid chuckled. "Wow! Since when did you become such a hero?"
"Give me a break Cid," he said weakly.
Cid clapped her hands together. "Sure, how can I refuse an old friend? But I need payment of course."
Ifrit patted his pockets. "How much?" he asked anxiously.
"One date," she said brightly.
"What?" said Ifrit, looking flabbergasted.
"Not right now silly!" she said, punching his shoulder. "After we rescue the Espers."
"We can't take you, it's too dangerous," said Shiva unhappily.
"I doubt you can drive it lady," said Cid patting the hull. "Besides, Red here will protect me, right?"
Ifrit looked completely lost. He regarded Shiva fearfully. "Is it alright with you?"
"Why are you asking me?" she asked icily. She walked over to the bow of the boat.
Ifrit shivered. "I don't know Cid.."
"It's for a good cause," added Cid.
"Alright, but just one date," said Ifrit morosely.
Cid put her hands on her hips. "You sure know how to flatter a girl Red."
Snow began to drift down in small flurries across the vast grassy plains. Ahead loomed a massive mountain range with peaks concealed by drifts and the darkness. Two riders on yellow chocobos raced across the open fields. The lead chocobo slowed enough for the second to pull alongside.
"How much farther is the mining camp?" asked Shiva cheerfully.
Ifrit looked at her like she was insane. She was still garbed only in her combat dress and here he was bundled up in layers and layers of clothing.
"Not far. How can you stand this freezing?" he asked, trying not to let his teeth chatter.
She laughed. "I'm an ice elemental remember? This cold is so invigorating!"
Ifrit coughed and smiled weakly. "Well I'm glad you're in such a good mood. I just wish the old man was with us."
She shook her head. "Grandpa can't look after us forever. We have to fight our own battles, not his."
Ifrit looked ahead again. "I guess so.."
They soon crested a hill and saw rows of crude wooden buildings clustered in circles at the base of a mountain. The windows glowed with warmth and smoke curled out of the chimneys. Ifrit snapped the reins and his bird broke into a gallop. He steered toward a large barn. A person pushed the door open and Ifrit rode into a large room filled with stalls and a straw covered floor. In three of the stalls were other chocobos who eyed his curiously.
"Wark!" cried Ifrit's chocobo.
"Kveh!" replied one of the chocobos in the stable.
"Wow! What a lousy night to be in out riding," said the stable boy who grabbed the chocobo's reins.
Ifrit jumped off as Shiva rode in. He pulled off his scarf and shook snow off his cloak as the stable boy led his chocobo to an empty stall. Ifrit walked over and held out his hand to Shiva. She smiled and took his hand and hopped down.
The stable boy gasped when he returned. "Mister Red!" he exclaimed.
"Hey there Nigel," said Ifrit casually, shaking snow off. "How's the mining going?"
"We just dug another tunnel off the main shaft," said Nigel. "But the miners aren't using it yet."
Ifrit nodded. "This is my friend Shiva."
"Hi Miss Shiva!" said Nigel brightly.
Shiva bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you. Tell me, do you know where Cid is?"
Nigel chuckled. "Working on that stupid boat, of course. It's in the machine shop."
Ifrit ruffled Nigel's hair. "Thanks kid. See you around."
Shiva gave her chocobo a pat on the head and followed Ifrit out into the cold night air. "So how long did you live here?" she asked.
"Four or five weeks," he said quietly. "They wanted me to stay but I was getting restless again. I haven't been here for over a year."
"What did you do here?" she asked.
Their feet made a soft crunching noise in the snow. "Mining at first. Later I tried my hand at smithy," he said. "I helped Cid build a furnace for smelting, but it didn't work."
"I hope he'll help us," she replied.
Ifrit gave her a confused look and then led her into a building at the edge of the camp. From inside came a fearful din of metal banging against metal. They entered through the door to find a monstrous looking boat. It had no sail at all and it looked like a hull had been mounted upside down on top of another. The stern seemed to be mostly black metal with strange pipes that protruded from it. Ifrit ran his hand along it as they approached the bow.
"Hello?" called out Shiva.
The racket immediately subsided. A hatch on the side of the boat popped open right next to her.
"Eek!" Shiva yelped as she jumped backwards.
A head popped out of the hatch. She had dark skin and black hair in a crew cut. Dark tinted goggles hid her eyes. "Yeah?" she asked.
"Long time no see Cid," said Ifrit.
She pulled off the goggles and stared at him. "Red, you came back!" she yelled. She leaped out and nearly tackled him. She was dressed in a long canvas coat and heavy gauntlets.
Ifrit nervously glanced at Shiva who was trembling. "You don't have to be that glad to see me," he mumbled.
Shiva yanked Cid away from Ifrit. "Get your mitts off him!" she shouted irately.
Cid blinked at Shiva. "What's your problem lady?" she said. "I'm just glad to see Red."
Shiva folded her arms across her chest and looked at Ifrit. "Red?" she asked disdainfully.
"That's what they call me here," said Ifrit dropping his gaze.
Cid looked between them and burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" demanded Shiva.
Cid caught her breath and gestured Shiva to the corner of the shop. She followed, looking suspicious. "Sorry about that," said Cid cheerfully. "I didn't mean to make you jealous."
"Jealous?" said Shiva. "Of that oaf?"
They both glanced at Ifrit who was admiring the rafters.
Cid thought about that. "You mean you and him aren't.?"
Shiva looked upset at the suggestion. "Of course not!"
Cid nodded happily. "Oops. Sorry." She walked over to Ifrit and grabbed his arm. "So Red, did you come back for me?"
Ifrit blushed and looked away. "I er, need the boat."
Cid looked at him blankly for a moment. "Huh? Oh, the boat!"
Ifrit nodded. "We need to rescue some Espers from the Magic Academy," he said.
Cid chuckled. "Wow! Since when did you become such a hero?"
"Give me a break Cid," he said weakly.
Cid clapped her hands together. "Sure, how can I refuse an old friend? But I need payment of course."
Ifrit patted his pockets. "How much?" he asked anxiously.
"One date," she said brightly.
"What?" said Ifrit, looking flabbergasted.
"Not right now silly!" she said, punching his shoulder. "After we rescue the Espers."
"We can't take you, it's too dangerous," said Shiva unhappily.
"I doubt you can drive it lady," said Cid patting the hull. "Besides, Red here will protect me, right?"
Ifrit looked completely lost. He regarded Shiva fearfully. "Is it alright with you?"
"Why are you asking me?" she asked icily. She walked over to the bow of the boat.
Ifrit shivered. "I don't know Cid.."
"It's for a good cause," added Cid.
"Alright, but just one date," said Ifrit morosely.
Cid put her hands on her hips. "You sure know how to flatter a girl Red."