Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Thirty-TwoAn eerie, sombre silence spread through the group as they stood at the foot of the mountain that would lead them to the other side. Their eyes were open wide, their pupils dilated, as they looked on in horror at the sight that lay before them. As they had travelled silently through the marshes they had wondered why it had been so quiet, so easy, until they emerged from the thick clump of reeds and seen it. It had been so easy… because there was no threat anymore.
Before them lay the Midgar Zolom, the dreaded serpent that lived in the marshes. It was as Choco Bill had said – a serpent about fifteen-foot high. The Zolom was upright, to a point, with its heart pierced on the top of a large, ten-foot stick embedded in the earth. Its head hung limp behind it, its mouth wide open to reveal its awful teeth, a pool of blood around it. More blood trickled down its body where the stick had pierced it, and also ran down the stick towards the ground. Now they could understand why the Chocobos in the Choco Plains were so timid – they had sensed death approaching.
Cloud climbed off the Chocobo's back, and walked slowly towards the Midgar Zolom. The Chocobo was incredibly anxious and twitchy at being so close to the Zolom, even if it was dead. As Cloud neared the stick he pulled off one of his gloves and softly touched the blood that was still riding down the stick, although it was slowing down now. The blood was still warm on his fingers.
"Did Sephiroth… do this…?" he asked aloud, looking up once again at the terrifying corpse of the snake.
"Amazing…" Tifa gasped in awe. She had never seen anything like it – a beast as large and as feared as the Midgar Zolom had been taken down by just one person. Then… Sephiroth was not an ordinary person.
"Our enemy is someone that could do this…?" Aeris asked, her face pale.
"That Sephiroth guy's pretty strong, I'd say," said Barret.
A sudden wave of nausea hit her and she quickly slid off the Chocobo's back. She ran a few feet away and fell to her knees, pressing her face close to the earth against the beautiful, living stalks of grass. She inhaled deeply, inhaling the energising scent of something alive and away from the sickening stench of blood. She opened her eyes as she felt something nuzzling against her, and she looked up to see Red XIII's face close to hers. He looked at Aeris through his soft, gentle eyes. The look of those eyes made a small smile appear on Aeris's face. She put her arms gently around Red XIII's neck and felt the warmth of his fur against her skin. When she was done she released Red XIII and nodded her head, and stood up.
"It's a power that we should respect…" Red XIII said.
Barret and Tifa climbed off the Chocobos and released them. The two Chocobos instantly turned and fled from the Zolom's corpse and into the marshes, heading back towards their home ground like Choco Billy had told them. A cave was built into the side of the mountain close to the Midgar Zolom's corpse. They moved as a group passed the bleeding body, and Aeris tried hard not to look at its frozen open eyes as she walked past. She walked quickly passed it and stayed close to Tifa and Cloud, until they had passed safely through the open hole and into the Mythril Mines.
Mythril Mine
Before the use of Mako energy came into fruition, the only energy source that was available was that of Mythril, dug up from mines within mountains like the one they were going through right then. Every wall, path and ledge had once been heavily loaded with Mythril, but now many of the walls were just plain old rock now. There were still some traces of Mythril left in small pits, but other than that it had been dug dry of all Mythril. Now many of the Mythril mines were abandoned. Everything had been replaced by the apparently abundant Mako energy.
Most of the monsters hiding in that cave were nocturnal, but there were a few that weren't. In particular there was a very peculiar species that looked kind of like a crab, crawling across the walls of the mines and looking down at Cloud and his group with hungry eyes. Yet they dared not approach a group so large.
It was a very solemn silence that ran between them as they walked on through the mines. The only sounds came from the echo of their footsteps, or the echo of monster feet tapping against the walls as they watched the group pass through. Their minds were trailing back to the death of the Shinra President and many of the people in the Shinra building, and then to the death of the Midgar Zolom. Both were horrific murders unlike anything they had ever seen, and it was just a small piece of Sephiroth's extended power.
They moved on to the last part of the mine, where a large tree had grown inside, much to their surprise. Its roots were growing all over the place, thick but spread out, winding around the rocks and even bursting through the walls. They were all so silent they hardly even noticed the sound of footsteps heading their way from the ledge above, or the shadow that stopped over them.
"Just a second!" came a voice.
The group stopped and looked up towards the base of the tree, which was positioned on the ledge above by the exit of the mine. Sunlight was shining in from the exit and highlighting the silhouette of Rude as he stood on the edge of the ledge, looking down at them.
Aeris looked up. "By any chance, are you…?" she asked, unable to see Rude clearly.
"Do you know who I am?" Rude asked. He was still wearing his shades, even in the shadows of the mine.
"From the Turks, right?" asked Cloud.
Rude nodded, seeming impressed that they recognised the Turks when they saw them. "Well, if you know, then this won't take long," he said, folding his arms superiorly. "It's difficult to explain what the Turks do…"
Cloud also crossed his arms. "Kidnapping, right?"
Rude looked down at him silently. "To put it negatively…" he said finally, and almost quite sombrely. "You could say that. …But, that's not all there is to it anymore." He seemed about to say something else, but he suddenly stopped and turned aside, falling silent once again. "…… ……" The others watched him curiously. He was very different to Reno. The Turks came in all shapes and sizes, they figured.
"Sir!" came a woman's voice.
The group and Rude all turned and looked up towards a higher ledge above them, where a woman was standing. It was clear from her appearance that she was also a Turk – she had the same blue uniform that Rude, Reno and Tseng all wore. She had short blonde hair that was swept to one side, and a fierce, determined expression.
"It's all right, Rude!" the woman said formerly, standing firm on the rocks. "I know you don't like speeches, so don't force it!"
Rude didn't even give a flicker of a smile. "…Then Elena, explain."
The Turk known as Elena nodded and looked down at Cloud and his group. The way she stood made it clear that she was not very experienced and was trying to assert her authority over them, and not to much success either.
"I'm the newest member of the Turks, Elena," she said, introducing herself. "Thanks to what you did to Reno, we're short of people.. Although because of that, I got promoted to the Turks… In any case, our job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed. And try to stop you every step of the way. Wait a minute, it's the other way around… You're the ones that are getting in our way." She scratched her head and turned away, puzzled.
"…Elena. You talk too much."
Elena snapped round and looked down behind Rude, where Tseng walked up from the exit. A wave of red spread across Elena's face as she burned inside, her heart pounding in embarrassment. "Mr. Tseng!" she exclaimed.
Tseng stopped beside Rude and gently pushed his black hair away from his eyes, looking up at the blushing Elena. "No need to tell them about our orders," he told her simply and unemotionally.
Still, Elena continued to blush. "Sorry… Tseng."
Tseng slowly nodded his head. "I thought I gave you other orders," he said to her. Elena looked away for a second, the red glow in her cheeks growing ever stronger, and trembled a little. Tseng sighed and shook his head pitifully, before signalling for her to go. "Now go," he ordered. "Don't forget to file your report.
"Oh! Right!" the young Turk exclaimed. She turned back towards Rude and Tseng and saluted formerly. "Very well, Rude and I will go after Sephiroth, who's heading for Junon Harbour!"
In Cloud's group, Tifa and Aeris giggled slightly at the Turk's mistake. Elena looked at them in bewilderment, wondering what she had said to make them giggle so. She was about to snap at them to shut their mouths, when she saw Rude slowly shaking his head and Tseng looking at the floor, holding his head in his hands.
"…Elena," Tseng whispered sadly. "You don't seem to understand."
Elena blinked, clearly still confused. With a flash she remembered her exact words, and her face burned once again. "Oh!" she exclaimed, shifting uncomfortably on the rock she was standing on. "I'm, I'm sorry…"
"…Go. Don't let Sephiroth get away."
"Yes, sir!" said Elena and Rude together. Elena then turned and ran back through the cave she had come from, desperate to get away before her face literally burst into flames from the embarrassment of messing up in front of her own boss. Rude was about to leave when he stopped as though he had remembered something, and turned back to Cloud and his group.
"…Reno said he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave him healed," he said, looking specifically at Cloud as he spoke. "He wanted to show his affection for you all… With a new weapon." He then turned and nodded to Tseng. Tseng nodded back, and Rude ran out of the exit. Once he was gone, Tseng stepped up to the edge and looked down at them.
"Well, then…" he began. He stopped suddenly as he saw Aeris standing between Cloud and Tifa. For a moment there was a flicker of softness in his eyes, which he quickly pushed away. "Aeris… Long time no see. Looks like you got away from the Shinra for a while, now that Sephiroth reappeared."
Aeris narrowed her green eyes fiercely. "…So what are you saying?" she asked of him, sounding angry. "That I should be grateful to Sephiroth?"
"No…" Tseng replied, his own voice sounding a little sad at Aeris's anger. "Well, I won't be seeing too much of you, so take care."
Aeris tilted her head to the side. "…Strange, hearing that from you."
Tseng turned away from them and headed towards the door, hiding the look he had on his face. He then stopped again. "Well then, stay out of Shinra's way," he said instead. Before Aeris could say anything else he quickly walked on and out of the mine, leaving Cloud's team alone in its dark corridors. Aeris looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet.
By the time they finally left the Mythril Mines there was no sign of the Turks, although there were the tracks of a vehicle outside the exit, heading off away from the mine and winding around the Condor Plains into the distance. This was a time when they wished they could have kept the Chocobos, but there was no way they would have got the Chocobos through those caves.
They continued to move on as a group across the Condor Plains, this time a little chirpier now they had left the dank, dreariness of the abandoned mine behind and were walking through the sunlight. Thanks to Elena's naivety and inexperience with the Turks, she had accidentally given away their next location. Cloud had somewhat expected that Sephiroth would be heading to Junon – it was the only place on the continent that allowed transport to the other continent. So it was clear that Sephiroth was planning to go across the ocean, and Cloud would follow him every step of the way.
It was easier to take the direct route to Junon – going in pretty much a straight line towards the shore, and passing through a nearby forest towards the final stretch that led to the port town of Junon. They had to be careful as they walked through the winding paths through the forest – it was not a large forest, but Cappawires and Formulas, vicious plant and bird beasts that were no strangers to attacking unwary travellers inhabited it. The problem lay mainly with the Cappawires – they looked so much like ordinary plants it was almost impossible to distinguish them from the rest of the forest wildlife.
Yet, as it turned out, it was neither the Cappawires nor the Formula birds that they had to be wary of. As they continued to walk through the forest, they were completely unaware of something stalking them, following them cautiously through the treetops. It trailed them throughout the forest – a sly shadow preparing to strike.
It was Red XIII who noticed it first. His keen hearing caught the sound of shuffling amongst the treetops, something that was not the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. He stopped suddenly and fell silent, his body not moving at all, and his ears twitching gently round to focus solely on the sound.
The stalker froze, poised on a branch above him. The stalker held his breath, trying not to make a sound that would give him away. Then, very cautiously, he slowly backed off into the shadows of the leaves, and out of sight.
"What is it?" Cloud asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Everyone stopped and turned to Red XIII.
Red XIII continued to look around the treetops, his sharp eyes focusing on the movement of every leaf on every branch. He sniffed at the air and sure enough, there was a scent in the air that did not belong to any monster. "We're being followed," he said in reply.
With a sudden bust of speed Red XIII spun round and dashed off into the trees and out of sight. Cloud and the others stayed where they were, confused. They too began to look around, but they could not hear, see or smell anything rather than the fragrance of the forest. They couldn't even hear Red XIII now, and the silence was extremely uncomfortable.
Moments later a piercing scream rang through the forest and everyone turned sharply to the bushes nearby. They rustled loudly before suddenly parting, and someone ran out.
It was a girl no more than sixteen years old, and was dressed in an outfit that none of them had ever seen before. She looked like some sort of ninja or warrior, dressed in a tight green sleeveless top that stopped just on the diaphragm, and a pair of thick white shorts that were perfect for running in. Her left arm was protected by a long white panel that was used as a shield, attached to her body by hooks around the palm of her hand and a piece of armour attached to her shoulder. Her other arm was encased in a band rising up to her upper arm, and an armlet around her wrist. On her feet were boots with straps attaching them to her shorts. Her hair was short and dark brown, with a band tied around her forehead and two long strips resting down her back. What was most amazing about her was her weapon. It was a four-point Shuriken – a ninja's weapon. It was a deadly weapon when in the hands of the skilled, and from the looks of her she probably was.
Moments after the girl came tumbling out of the forest, Red XIII came dashing out. The girl jumped back in a fright, gripping her Shuriken tightly in her hands. Red XIII looked up at her and snarled fiercely.
"Hey! Back off, you stupid mutt!" the girl snapped, waving her Shuriken in front of her in an attempt to keep Red XIII from getting closer to her.
"This girl's been following us ever since we entered the forest!" Red XIII growled.
Everyone turned and looked at the girl with interest. She was really no more than a child, and couldn't see any sense in her wandering around the forest by herself. She was clearly not from this continent, that much was certain. The way she dressed and her strong, aggressive accent gave that away.
The girl looked around and, seeing that she was surrounded, quickly spun round and made a dash for the trees. She zipped past Tifa as she ran, quickly reaching out to the girl before pulling away again and making a break again for the trees. Before she could get away Barret quickly grabbed her, picking her up with one arm and using his other harm to hold her still. The girl struggled, but Barret was far stronger.
"Hey! Lemme go!"
Tifa checked herself over. She glanced over at her armlet, and saw the empty spot where her piece of Fire Materia had once been. "She stole my materia!" Tifa exclaimed, showing Cloud her empty armlet. "The little thief stole it!"
"I am not a thief!" the girl protested fiercely. "I didn't steal anything! You probably just dropped it when you were walking. Now let go of me, before I get mad!"
Cloud narrowed his eyes. "A Materia Hunter, huh?"
Barret tightened his grip on the girl's arms. She struggled harder, but the pain was too much to bear and she was forced to open up her hands. Her Shuriken dropped harmlessly onto the forest floor, along with the green ball of materia. Cloud walked over and picked it up, holding it in front of the girl's face.
"I think this belongs to us," he said.
The girl froze, realising that she had been caught out. She looked into Cloud's eyes before looking away, quickly thinking about her situation. Eventually, she looked up again. "Alright, so maybe I did steal it," she admitted. "But you should keep a tighter grip on your possessions! It's not my fault if they happen to 'slip' into my hands."
Cloud turned away from the girl and threw the materia back to Tifa, who placed it back in her armlet, giving the girl a fierce glare as she did so. The young girl sighed.
"Okay, you got your materia back," she said. She tilted her head back and glared up at Barret. "Now, let me go, you big DOPE! You're hurting me!!!"
Barret looked over to Cloud, who nodded. He then threw the girl down onto the ground, and she rolled over onto her knees. She stayed there for a second, before she suddenly began to chuckle. Her chuckle got louder until it attracted the attention of the group. She slowly turned to them, still on the floor, a wide grin on her face.
"One thing you should always remember," she said. "Is never let go of the Materia Hunter!"
She suddenly zipped up and darted forward, incredibly fast. Barret didn't even have time to dodge as she ran past, snatching the materia from his gun-arm as she passed and ran off into the forest, laughing as she did so. The group all jumped in surprise, and began to chase after her.
She was incredibly fast as she dashed through the forest, zipping through the bushes and dodging the trees. She could possibly even beat Red XIII in a race, and as she knew every inch of the forest, she had the advantage over her pursuers. With her Shuriken in her hand she cut away the overhanging branches and bushes that blocked her path. That was her only mistake – she was giving them a trail to follow.
Cloud pulled ahead of the others as they tore through the forest after the girl, but even he was not fast enough to catch up to her. She was already well away from them, and fatigue was beginning to take its hold on Cloud and slow him down. Eventually he was forced to stop, but he wasn't prepared to let the girl escape yet.
Quickly drawing his sword he flipped the blade over and pulled out the red materia he received from the Chocobos at Chocobo Farm. Closing his eyes he concentrated until the materia began to glow, and then he threw the ball forward into the forest.
The materia flew threw the air, and a bright wave of light burst from its centre. The light flashed through the trees, and the materia disappeared. Then from the light emerged a silhouetted figure, tearing out of the light and into the forest. This was the effect of Summon Materia – calling forth a beast within.
Not that this was a beast, and it was easy to see why the Chocobos were attracted to it. The materia released the energy of a Chocobo, which began to dash through the forest after the thief. Riding on the Chocobo's back was a moogle, ushering the bird on. The girl glanced back and saw the Choco/Mog heading towards her. She cried out in fright, and pushed herself harder.
She may have been a fast runner, but she was not fast enough to outrun a Chocobo. The Chocobo and its moogle owner tore after her until it was just a few feet behind her. The Chocobo lurched its head forward and grabbed onto the rim of the girl's shorts. She fell off her feet instantly as the Chocobo lifted her up and began to carry her back towards Cloud. The Chocobo dropped her easily at Cloud's feet, and then vanished and returned to its original materia state. Cloud caught the ball and put it back on his sword, before walking up to the girl.
As he approached her she suddenly jumped to her feet and swung her Shuriken in an attempt to cut Cloud's head off. Cloud pulled away and pulled his sword up in front of his face, blocking the Shuriken off. The others finally caught up to see Cloud and the young girl engaged in the middle of a fierce test of strength, trying to outwit one another and who would miss the strike first.
The girl swiped her Shuriken towards Cloud's head again, and once again Cloud blocked it with his blade. The edges of the Shuriken became jammed with the handle of Cloud's sword, and she couldn't pull it away. She struggled and pulled hard, but it wouldn't budge. Realising this, Cloud quickly flicked his sword up. The Shuriken fell from the girl's hands and through the air, landing safely on the ground a few metres away. The girl fell backwards onto the ground, defeated.
Cloud panted heavily and leaned over to pick up the ball of materia that had also fallen from the girl's hands along with her weapon. He kept his sword aimed at her in case she made any other attempts to run away, but from the defeated look on her face it was clear she wasn't going to. He then withdrew his sword and put it back where it belonged. She was talented, that was clear. She turned away, sulking.
The others then began to walk up to them, and Cloud threw the materia to Barret. "Cloud, do you know her?" Tifa asked.
"Who is that girl…?" wondered Aeris.
Cloud walked back to the girl, who was now sat with her back to them. "Man……" she said quietly to herself as he approached. "I can't believe I lost…" She shook her head and climbed to her feet, brushing the dirt and soil off her clothes. She suddenly leaped up over a metre into the air and flipped over Cloud, landing daintily on the ground behind him, an angry look on her face. "You spiky-headed jerk!" she yelled at him. "One more time, let's go one more time!"
Cloud shook his head in reply. "Not interested," he said. He'd had pretty much enough chasing this girl. Still, he couldn't help but wonder…
"Thinkin' of running away?" she asked him sarcastically. Even without her Shuriken, she raised her fists and began to punch the air furiously, so fast it was hard to see her fists move. "Stay and fight!" She ran to Cloud and punched, but he stepped back away from her. "FIGHT, I said!" she snapped. "C'mon…… What's the matter? You're pretty scared of me, huh!?"
Cloud rolled his eyes. "……Petrified."
At his reply the girl jumped up again and landed behind Cloud again, perched on a nearby rock so she stood almost as tall as him. "Hmm, just as I thought. What do you expect with my skills?" she said smugly. She was acting as though she had never even lost. She gave them a little wave. "Good luck to you guys, too. If you feel up to it, we can go another round. Later!" She jumped off the rock and began to run back towards the forest. Before she left the small clearing, she stopped and looked back at Cloud. "I'm really gonna leave! REALLY!"
Cloud glanced around at the others, wanting their opinion. Aeris was nodding her head at him even as he turned. Tifa and Red XIII both seemed a little unsure, but eventually they agreed. Barret looked around and saw the three of them nodding. He then quickly shook his head fiercely, not trusting the young girl one bit. But he was outnumbered, so Cloud turned back to the girl.
"Wait a second!" he called out to her.
"What is it, you still have somethin' for me?" the girl asked him. In truth she was expecting him to stop her from running, if not hoping that he would. She turned back and walked slowly towards the group. "……Hmmm. So is that it? I know you want my help because I'm so good! You want me to go with you?"
"……That's right," said Cloud. He prayed it was the right decision. Behind him, Barret sagged in dismay.
A smile spread on the girl's face, her inner ego rising. "Heh, heh…… thought so," she said. She turned away and began to pace back and forth across the floor, pretending to be making a decision. Cloud rolled his eyes again. "You put me in a spot. Hmm, what should I do? But if you want me that bad, I can't refuse…" She clapped her hands together and turned back to them, smiling. "All right!" she announced. "I'll go with you!"
The others all sighed heavily. Finally. "……Let's hurry on," Cloud said to everyone, and they all turned and began to walk off through the forest, past the girl and leaving her behind. She stared in astonishment.
"Huh? Hey… HEY! Wait!" she called. She ran across the ground and picked up her Shuriken, and turned back to the others. "I haven't even told you my name…… I'm Yuffie! Good to meetcha!"
She waited until the others were all out of earshot, before she turned away from them and began to rub her hands together gleefully. A sly smile spread on her face.
"Heh, heh……" she laughed quietly to herself. "Just as I planned. Now all I have to do is… a little this…… and a little that…… nyuk, nyuk, nyuk……" She suddenly looked up around her, realising that she was alone. "Hey, wait up! Wait for me!!" she called, beginning to run back after the group.
