AERIS LEGACY
Chapter Six
Cave × Fort Condor × Pricilla
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They entered the cave. Airis saw glitters here and there along the walls.
Must've
been the Mythril. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw
that there was a fork in the cave.
"I'll go left." Aeros said.
So Airis took the path to the right. She chopped
down the overhanging bats and the path opened up to a small room. There
was a sword lying on the rocky cavern floor. She picked it up. Aeros
might be able to use it.
Back at the fork, Aeros was waiting for her. He
handed her a large sword. Airis gave him the one she'd found. "This is
a Mythril Saber." Aeros said, turning it over in his hands. "Yours is a
Mythril Sword."
Airis examined the sword. "Did you find the exit?"
"Hmm..." Aeros looked around. "Back there." He pointed
the way they'd come. Airis rolled her eyes.
Then she saw a shadow. It was darker than the rest
of the grayish rock wall. Moving towards it, she found it was an opening
in the cave. "Over here."
It was a dark tunnel. At the end, there was another
fork. One led...probably to another room. The other came to a ladder which
went up to a ledge and at the ledge was light, which ment the exit.
"Stay here." Aeros said. He went off to the right
and came back a few minutes later with two armlets. "More Mythril." He
explained.
Airis took off her Titan Bangle and clasped the
Mythril Armlet in its place. She climbed up the ladder and ran outside.
Aeros followed suit.
Leaving the Mines behind, they saw the top of a
blue tower in the south. "Let's go there." Airis said.
"Do you know how to cross the sea?" Airis asked him.
"Nope," The guard answered, "Never been away from here. You'd better ask the Elder. He should know."
Airis and Aeros found the Elder sitting at a table on the second level. The Elder's eyes widened when he saw them. He reached out and embraced Aeros wth his frail arms. "Cloud, my boy, you came!"
"Er..." Aeros stepped back. "I'm not Cloud..."
"Eh?" The Elder took a closer look. "Who are you, boy? You're not Cloud. Cloud was much bigger. Are you his son?"
Cloud. The name clicked. Airis flipped her book to the page on AVALANCHE. "Is this him?"
"Yep." The Elder smiled. "Saved us from Shinra quite few times back then; see, in those days, Shinra was evil."
Airis looked at the black and white photo of Cloud, Elena's enemy. She looked at Aeros. "The Elder's right. You two look alike. Do you think...?"
Aeros shrugged. Airis turned back to the Elder. "Actually... we came to ask if you knew how to cross the sea."
"Ah... girl, there's a Shinra station by the name of Junon to the northeast. They'll take you across."
"Thank you." Airis said.
"Oh, wait a minute, young uns. If you see Cloud, tell him to visit me some time."
"That we'll do." Airis waved good-bye as they left.
"..." Aeros looked down at the ground.
"Maybe we'll see him somewhere. What do you think?"
No answer.
"Fine, be that way."
They entered Junon. Aeros was immediately barreled down by a girl. "Cloud!!" She looked up at him. "Hey, you're not Cloud!"
"You know him?" Airis asked the girl.
"Yeah, he saved Mr. Dolphin!" She answered. "Come with me, I'll show you Mr. Dolphin! I trained him myself!"
"Pricilla!" A voice shouted from the end of the road. "Don't bother the travelers!"
"Grandpa~!" Pricilla pouted. "They wanted to see Mr. Dolphin! C'mon!"
Airis helped Aeros up and they followed the brunette girl down some stairs to a small beach. Pricilla whistled. There came some clicking sounds, and a blue dolphin jumped out of the water. She whistled again. Mr. Dolphin somersaulted in the air thrice and splashed water, drenching the three.
Airis applauded, and Pricilla whistled twice. Mr. Dolphin ducked his head into the water as if bowing. Then he swam away. "Wow," Airis said. "And you trained him to do all of that?"
Pricilla nodded.
Grandpa appeared at the top of the stair. "Pricilla, it's time to go in!"
"Bye!" Pricilla said to to Airis and Aeros. She ran to her Grandpa and the two of them walked away.
They sure meet up with a lot of old men, don't they?
