The Forgotten
Chapter 30: A Strange Rock and The Harsh Desert.
Her vision blurred as she penetrated the cold water with a splash, stinging her skin and numbing her tender flesh. She sank through the clear water and twirled around, kicking her feet to push herself to the surface. With a sudden rush she found herself emerging from the depths with a sharp intake of air. She kept kicking her feet, all the while looking for signs of her boyfriend and the others.
"Luna!" Lance voice sounded from behind her and she turned to see him swimming towards her quickly.
"Lance!" she called back, closing the gap between them with a few stokes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, still gasping for air himself.
"Yeah, just a little cold. You?"
"I'm fine, come on. Lets get you out of this water." He grabbed her hand under the water and began swimming towards the shore.
----
Stratus and Gale made it to Cosmos Canyon not long after Hydras attack; the two searched the Canyon for the signs of the material that they needed. Stratus found a small cave soon after the search began; all the signs pointed to this location so the two teens entered. They crept through the narrow passageway that lead into the heart of the cave, both finding it a tight squeeze. The darkness didn't help matters either, as both teens had to use their hands to feel their way down the passage as they got deeper into the cave.
"How much further? Can you see any sign of light or anything?" Gale mumbled, scraping her arm on a jagged rock.
"Nope. Wait, the wall had run out. We're here." He replied.
"But it's still dark. I can't see a thing!" Gale moaned.
"Wait one second." Stratus used his mastered fire Materia to cast a flame into the palm of his hand, lighting the area around him. In the middle of the cavern was a huge black rock like metal that was shaped like a knife piercing the ground. Stratus stepped towards the rock and ran his hand along its surface.
"Is that it?" Gale asked from his side.
"Yeah. At least I think it is. Strange isn't it. Feel it, its warm." Stratus answered. Gale copied Stratus actions, running her hand along the surface of the dark mysterious metal.
"Weird." She whispered after a few minutes. "So are you going to get some or what?"
"Oh yeah." Stratus dropped his bag to the ground and pulled out a small pickaxe. He hit the rock a few times before a small amount fell to the ground.
"Isn't it supposed to be hard to break?" Gale asked in confusion.
"Yeah. Maybe it's the wrong stuff." Suddenly a large gust of wind flew through the cave and blew out the small light in Stratus hand, surrounding them in darkness once again.
"Stratus? What happened?" Gale tried to feel for Stratus but couldn't find him in her temporary blind state.
"I don't know." A sound startled both of them. "What was that?"
"Not me." Gale tried to find Stratus again but instead of finding him, she placed her hand on a soft sticky surface and let out a startled squeal.
"Gale!" Stratus shouted, trying to find her as she had him.
"I felt something soft and sticky. Cast another fire spell." She shouted as she backed away from the unknown sticky surface.
"I can't. It's not working!" He shouted back in a panic as he backed up and hit his own sticky surface. The surface made a growling noise in his ear and he shot forward then turned to face the being.
"I don't think where alone Stratus." Gale cried as she brought up her boomerang and knife.
"How the hell are we supposed to fight-ah" A sticky and tender tentacle wrapped around his neck, cutting whatever he was going to say off. He pulled at the tentacle but found it did nothing to help him, other than get his hands sticky.
"Stratus? What's going on?" Gale felt for him once again but came up empty. Okay, calm down, She thought. Relax. Think Gale think! I know! She stopped what she was doing and stood perfectly still, not even breathing. A scuffle to her left made her turn sharply and stab forward with her knife, piecing the sticky being in what she assumed was its chest. The loud shriek confirmed she had actually hit something and she pulled out before thrusting back in, this time her hands sank into the being and were covered in a slimy substance.
Stratus continued to struggle against his unknown adversary, pulling on the tentacle but failing to get him anywhere. To his surprise the tentacle suddenly became slack and he fell backward until he hit the floor with a thud.
"Stratus? Are you okay?" Gale voice sounded in the dark cavern.
"Yeah. What happened?" he replied between pants.
"I think I killed them, whatever they where."
"You think?" he asked jokingly.
"Well I can't exactly see anything so yes, I think." She joked back. Stratus reached out then and found her slime-covered hands before pulling back with a gasp. "It's some slimy stuff. It's either blood or just plain old slime. Not sure."
Stratus raised his hand and opened his palm before casting another fire spell, this one working and lighting the cavern.
"Yup, it's slime." Gale sounded unhappy as she rubbed her hands on her skirt, covering them with the green sticky goo.
"Wonder why it didn't work before?"
"Those things must have been able to block magic. Speaking of them." Gale grabbed Stratus and dragged him forward a bit before stopping and looking down to see a human shaped being covered in green slime at her feet, its tongue handing from its mouth and had been cleanly severed in half.
"Eww. That was its tongue!" Stratus said in a sickened tone.
"What are you whining about! Least you didn't stick your hand in one of those things." Gale grumbled. "Now hurry up and get your Metal before more show up."
With this Stratus pulled out his sword and with one swift movement cut the top portion of the soft metal and placed it in his bag.
----
The wind blew the sand up into the air, sending it into the faces of our heroes as they strode through the desert towards Costa Del Sol. After they evacuated the plane, the group met up on the shore of the lake and began the long trek towards the sea resort. They currently wandered through the treacherous Gold Saucer Desert, struggling to find their way in the harsh winds. Shielding his eyes from the wind and sand, Vincent led the group in a Northeast direction; at least he hoped he was. After hours of wandering the desert Vincent collapsed to his knees, burying his knees in the sand and starling the rest of the group.
"Vincent? What's wrong?" Yuffie yelled over the howling winds, her voice barely audible to him.
"I'm afraid we're lost." He shouted back, making everyone gasp.
"What do you mean lost? I thought you knew where to go?" Blain roared from behind his arm.
"I said I thought I knew where to go! Not did. Barret, you should know this place better than any of us. Any ideas?" Vincent shouted back as the wind picked up and blew his long dark main back.
"I may fucking live near here but this place is treacherous to the sand itself!"
"I knew this was a bad idea." Cloud put in. "Look, we need to do something so everyone, think."
"Isn't he smart." Blain mumbled but it fell on deaf ears under the razor wind.
"Hey look! Isn't that the remains of the Gold Saucer?" Cid's gruff voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. Cloud followed Cid's line of vision and found himself staring at a dull gold shape on the horizon, just visible to the trained eye.
"Yeah. I think it is."
"Then what are we waiting for!" Barret was off in a matter of seconds, marching towards the mass of rubble where the great Gold Saucer once stood. Now just a pile of rubble in the middle of a harsh desert. It didn't take them long to reach the mass of gold rubble, at which they decided to set up camp for the night and get some much needed rest in the cover the rubble created. Darkness crept over the group and they fell pray to the night, all except for one dark mysterious Gunslinger.
He stood alone, staring at the fluttering light the campfire created, watching the wild flame lick at the wood. Many thoughts ran through his head, of Yuffie, Lucrecia and his sins. Lucrecia, the woman that plagued his mind from the day he met her, until a few days ago anyway. She was a beautiful scientist that stole his heart, and then went of with Hojo. The man that did this to him, the man that turned him into this demonic monster. He had taken his revenge however, all those years ago when he delivered the final shot to the mad scientist. However, after that he did not feel any better, not that he expected too. People always say revenge never changes anything, and for him, they where right. His past troubled him, haunted his every essence. Until recently he thought he'd never be free of it, but now. When he is with Yuffie, he forgets everything of his past; it does not matter to him. All that matters is that they are together. With her, he can finally forget about his sins. The sound of many guns clicking into action snapped him from his deep thought, causing him to look up. He was surrounded by at least forty armed gunmen, all aimed at him and dressed in Ranish uniforms.
"Vincent Valentine. You are under arrest, along with the rest of yours friends."
----
Chapter 30: A Strange Rock and The Harsh Desert.
Her vision blurred as she penetrated the cold water with a splash, stinging her skin and numbing her tender flesh. She sank through the clear water and twirled around, kicking her feet to push herself to the surface. With a sudden rush she found herself emerging from the depths with a sharp intake of air. She kept kicking her feet, all the while looking for signs of her boyfriend and the others.
"Luna!" Lance voice sounded from behind her and she turned to see him swimming towards her quickly.
"Lance!" she called back, closing the gap between them with a few stokes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, still gasping for air himself.
"Yeah, just a little cold. You?"
"I'm fine, come on. Lets get you out of this water." He grabbed her hand under the water and began swimming towards the shore.
----
Stratus and Gale made it to Cosmos Canyon not long after Hydras attack; the two searched the Canyon for the signs of the material that they needed. Stratus found a small cave soon after the search began; all the signs pointed to this location so the two teens entered. They crept through the narrow passageway that lead into the heart of the cave, both finding it a tight squeeze. The darkness didn't help matters either, as both teens had to use their hands to feel their way down the passage as they got deeper into the cave.
"How much further? Can you see any sign of light or anything?" Gale mumbled, scraping her arm on a jagged rock.
"Nope. Wait, the wall had run out. We're here." He replied.
"But it's still dark. I can't see a thing!" Gale moaned.
"Wait one second." Stratus used his mastered fire Materia to cast a flame into the palm of his hand, lighting the area around him. In the middle of the cavern was a huge black rock like metal that was shaped like a knife piercing the ground. Stratus stepped towards the rock and ran his hand along its surface.
"Is that it?" Gale asked from his side.
"Yeah. At least I think it is. Strange isn't it. Feel it, its warm." Stratus answered. Gale copied Stratus actions, running her hand along the surface of the dark mysterious metal.
"Weird." She whispered after a few minutes. "So are you going to get some or what?"
"Oh yeah." Stratus dropped his bag to the ground and pulled out a small pickaxe. He hit the rock a few times before a small amount fell to the ground.
"Isn't it supposed to be hard to break?" Gale asked in confusion.
"Yeah. Maybe it's the wrong stuff." Suddenly a large gust of wind flew through the cave and blew out the small light in Stratus hand, surrounding them in darkness once again.
"Stratus? What happened?" Gale tried to feel for Stratus but couldn't find him in her temporary blind state.
"I don't know." A sound startled both of them. "What was that?"
"Not me." Gale tried to find Stratus again but instead of finding him, she placed her hand on a soft sticky surface and let out a startled squeal.
"Gale!" Stratus shouted, trying to find her as she had him.
"I felt something soft and sticky. Cast another fire spell." She shouted as she backed away from the unknown sticky surface.
"I can't. It's not working!" He shouted back in a panic as he backed up and hit his own sticky surface. The surface made a growling noise in his ear and he shot forward then turned to face the being.
"I don't think where alone Stratus." Gale cried as she brought up her boomerang and knife.
"How the hell are we supposed to fight-ah" A sticky and tender tentacle wrapped around his neck, cutting whatever he was going to say off. He pulled at the tentacle but found it did nothing to help him, other than get his hands sticky.
"Stratus? What's going on?" Gale felt for him once again but came up empty. Okay, calm down, She thought. Relax. Think Gale think! I know! She stopped what she was doing and stood perfectly still, not even breathing. A scuffle to her left made her turn sharply and stab forward with her knife, piecing the sticky being in what she assumed was its chest. The loud shriek confirmed she had actually hit something and she pulled out before thrusting back in, this time her hands sank into the being and were covered in a slimy substance.
Stratus continued to struggle against his unknown adversary, pulling on the tentacle but failing to get him anywhere. To his surprise the tentacle suddenly became slack and he fell backward until he hit the floor with a thud.
"Stratus? Are you okay?" Gale voice sounded in the dark cavern.
"Yeah. What happened?" he replied between pants.
"I think I killed them, whatever they where."
"You think?" he asked jokingly.
"Well I can't exactly see anything so yes, I think." She joked back. Stratus reached out then and found her slime-covered hands before pulling back with a gasp. "It's some slimy stuff. It's either blood or just plain old slime. Not sure."
Stratus raised his hand and opened his palm before casting another fire spell, this one working and lighting the cavern.
"Yup, it's slime." Gale sounded unhappy as she rubbed her hands on her skirt, covering them with the green sticky goo.
"Wonder why it didn't work before?"
"Those things must have been able to block magic. Speaking of them." Gale grabbed Stratus and dragged him forward a bit before stopping and looking down to see a human shaped being covered in green slime at her feet, its tongue handing from its mouth and had been cleanly severed in half.
"Eww. That was its tongue!" Stratus said in a sickened tone.
"What are you whining about! Least you didn't stick your hand in one of those things." Gale grumbled. "Now hurry up and get your Metal before more show up."
With this Stratus pulled out his sword and with one swift movement cut the top portion of the soft metal and placed it in his bag.
----
The wind blew the sand up into the air, sending it into the faces of our heroes as they strode through the desert towards Costa Del Sol. After they evacuated the plane, the group met up on the shore of the lake and began the long trek towards the sea resort. They currently wandered through the treacherous Gold Saucer Desert, struggling to find their way in the harsh winds. Shielding his eyes from the wind and sand, Vincent led the group in a Northeast direction; at least he hoped he was. After hours of wandering the desert Vincent collapsed to his knees, burying his knees in the sand and starling the rest of the group.
"Vincent? What's wrong?" Yuffie yelled over the howling winds, her voice barely audible to him.
"I'm afraid we're lost." He shouted back, making everyone gasp.
"What do you mean lost? I thought you knew where to go?" Blain roared from behind his arm.
"I said I thought I knew where to go! Not did. Barret, you should know this place better than any of us. Any ideas?" Vincent shouted back as the wind picked up and blew his long dark main back.
"I may fucking live near here but this place is treacherous to the sand itself!"
"I knew this was a bad idea." Cloud put in. "Look, we need to do something so everyone, think."
"Isn't he smart." Blain mumbled but it fell on deaf ears under the razor wind.
"Hey look! Isn't that the remains of the Gold Saucer?" Cid's gruff voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. Cloud followed Cid's line of vision and found himself staring at a dull gold shape on the horizon, just visible to the trained eye.
"Yeah. I think it is."
"Then what are we waiting for!" Barret was off in a matter of seconds, marching towards the mass of rubble where the great Gold Saucer once stood. Now just a pile of rubble in the middle of a harsh desert. It didn't take them long to reach the mass of gold rubble, at which they decided to set up camp for the night and get some much needed rest in the cover the rubble created. Darkness crept over the group and they fell pray to the night, all except for one dark mysterious Gunslinger.
He stood alone, staring at the fluttering light the campfire created, watching the wild flame lick at the wood. Many thoughts ran through his head, of Yuffie, Lucrecia and his sins. Lucrecia, the woman that plagued his mind from the day he met her, until a few days ago anyway. She was a beautiful scientist that stole his heart, and then went of with Hojo. The man that did this to him, the man that turned him into this demonic monster. He had taken his revenge however, all those years ago when he delivered the final shot to the mad scientist. However, after that he did not feel any better, not that he expected too. People always say revenge never changes anything, and for him, they where right. His past troubled him, haunted his every essence. Until recently he thought he'd never be free of it, but now. When he is with Yuffie, he forgets everything of his past; it does not matter to him. All that matters is that they are together. With her, he can finally forget about his sins. The sound of many guns clicking into action snapped him from his deep thought, causing him to look up. He was surrounded by at least forty armed gunmen, all aimed at him and dressed in Ranish uniforms.
"Vincent Valentine. You are under arrest, along with the rest of yours friends."
----
