Author's Note:
Red XIII: Where are the usual disclaiming duo?
Barret: Reeve's runnin' from Reno, screamin' sumthin' 'bout not doin' no yaoi. Dunno what that means.
Red XIII: I do not either, and I have studied and read extensively. I've never heard of this term 'yaoi' before.
Vincent: ... I have.
Barret: What's it mean?
Vincent: Uh... go to a site called fanfiction dot net. But be warned, it's a hive of scum, villainy, and Harry Potter slash. There you will find out what 'yaoi' means.
later
Barret: Good lord!
Red XIII: I concur. That is sick. Vincent, you poor soul. I had no idea how many people thought you should be paired with... my lord, I can't even say it.
Barret: I know. I mean, the Cid and the Sephiroth and the Cloud pairin's are all bad enough, but... Yuffie! That ain't no yaoi, but that's just wrong! She's 16! You're technically around 50!
Vincent: I know. Thank goodness it looks like Tyramir's trying to foist her off on Reno. He always struck me as the baby fucking type.
Reno: I'm who with the what now?
Vincent: Never mind. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.
Chapter Thirty Two
The Library
After Elder Juyan had ordered the gates opened, the refugees from Corel and Gold Saucer made their way into the relative safety of Cosmo Canyon. Barret went back to the wagon, and looked back as if expecting Vincent to follow, who chose to stay at the head of the crowd, flanked by Dio and Red XIII. The cat-like protector looked at the unconcious Elder Dorret, who was being carried down from the battlements by two guards, with disdain.
The Elder who had identified himself as Juyan ran up to the three, a broad smile on his face. He was an older man with tinges of gray in his hair, and a paunch on his belly. "Welcome home, Nanaki! I am immensely sorry for the rude welcome you received. Unfortunately, that scounrdrel Dorret had Frennal's support, so I was over-ruled in the vote on whether or not to let refugees in. I am dreadfully sorry."
The cat-like creature snorted. "It's all right, Juyan. You can't help what fools do. You did manage to get us in, though, and for that I am glad."
Juyan beamed. "I am happy to be of service. Unfortunately, Dorret is only looking out for his own concerns, and Frennal is a coward, following whoever he thinks is currently in a position of power. Things have not been the same since Bugenhagen led the Elders. It is not a good time to be in Cosmo Canyon."
"Pity," Dio said. "I've always liked this place. I thought Cosmo Canyon would be the last place to be overcome by Shinra politics. Short of Wutai, that is."
Juyan nodded agreeably. "I'd agree with you there. But treachery and self-interest seem to be in style with Bugenhagen gone. Cosmo Canyon is not the same place it used to be, Nanaki."
Another snort issued from the feline warrior. "This is my home. Cosmo Canyon is would do better with such change. But forget those fools. I'd like to introduce my friends. Juyan, this is Vincent Valentine, and Dio of Gold Saucer."
Juyan nodded to them both, a smile staying on his jovial face. "And your large friend that wandered off... with the mechanical hand. The one with the amazing way with words?"
"Barret Wallace. You've met him before. He's with Avalanche."
"Oh yes... Avalanche. You know, I met the founding leader once. Amazing man, ambitious certainly. I believe his name was... Zangan. Full of ideas, and bitterness. I suspect Shinra hurt him at one point. Ah, I wonder whatever happened to-"
Red XIII cut him off firmly, "What do we know of this White Scourge?"
Juyan didn't even appear taken aback, merely answered, "A little, but not much. We've been looking through old tomes in the Library, but most are in dead languages. We've actually been awaiting your return to help translate them. While Bugenhagen was the only of us proficient in the Cetra language, I understand that you have some knowledge of it."
The feline began to walk in the direction of the Library, answering, "Not much, but I pray that it will be enough."
The three men and the cat-like warrior made their way to one of the many cavernous tunnels in the side of the mountain that made up Cosmo Canyon. Unlike the others, though, this one was far larger than the rest, located towards the side of the mountain. It was decorated with a pair of large wooden doors, gilded in steel, and obviously reinforced.
Juyan smiled, looking over the doorway. "This is the pride of Cosmo Canyon. It is our most protected treasure. Few get to enter its gates, and those that do must always be accompanied by an Elder. Feel honoured."
"Always wanted to see this," Barret said, trotting up to the group, puffing slightly. Marlene was riding on his back, clutching her small arms around her adopted father's neck. He explained, "Didn't wanna leave Marlene by herself, and took me a minute to find you guys."
Walking up to a gathering of rocks, Juyan pushed at one, and a control panel opened up in the rockwall beside the door. "Something Bugenhagen designed," he said. "The library can be opened easily enough from the inside, but from the outside, it is far more difficult. Bugenhagen designed it to be a vault of sorts. Nothing short of a direct hit from the Junon cannon would open these doors. Only those whose need is great, or who can be trusted are allowed within. And you, my friends, are both."
Pressing a few buttons on the control panel, the doors gave a loud groan and swung open. Juyan motioned the group in, who immediately went into the library, followed by the Elder. Once inside, lights flared to life, and the doors swung shut behind them, groaning loudly.
All about were stacks upon stacks of books, soaring to the ceiling. Ladders and stairways were all about to reach the various levels of shelves, and in the center of the room was a large round table, littered with books that had been left open.
"You will have to forgive the mess," Juyan apologized. "Normally we keep this room as tidy as possible, but with the arrival of the Tali Hishna, we've been scrambling for information."
"Tali Hishna?" Dio asked.
"The White Scourge, as the common folk have labeled them. Or at least, that is our theory. Ancient Cetra records describe the original war against Jenova, and her infected followers. The Cetra influenced by her fought against the uninfected ones, and a great war ensued. The Tali Hishna, 'True Children' in ancient Cetra, were a horrible enemy, because they could be anyone, anywhere. So one of the Cetra Elders, a man of great power, called forth his power and cast a curse upon those tainted by Jenova. 'Thy blood will be as ash, as ye will be unto death' were the Elder's final words. His spell consumed him, and took his life. But it gave the Cetra the advantage they needed. They could test those around them to see if they were of the Tali Hishna by cutting them. Those that did not shed blood were not their kin, and could be killed. At this point, confrontations became more open between the two factions, and the Tali Hishna were defeated, said to be driven underground. No one knows for certain what happened to them after that, but we believe these White Scourge to be them."
"The ash thing fits," Barret said, and Dio nodded.
Juyan said, "Yes, but unfortunately, we haven't been able to translate any more. That's why we needed to wait for Nanaki... where did he go?"
The group looked about, and saw the giant cat laying down on the table with all the books, reading one over, his tail absently twitching. He looked up and asked, "Can I get someone to turn the page for me?"
Juyan smiled, and Barret immediately walked over to his companion, followed by Dio and the Elder. Barret flipped the page for Red XIII, who made a small cat-like noise in appreciation. A few minutes passed as the cat scanned over the page, and then he nodded.
"I haven't been able to make out much, but from what I've managed to see, I've come up with a way to prove whether these are the Tali Hishna or not. Long ago, it's said they had developed the power to counter Cetra magic. Jenova gave them this, but only a select few had it, their... I'm afraid this doesn't translate well... 'Yenta Pree.' I'm not sure what it means, exactly. But these 'Yenta Pree' apparently could use their own powers to negate other magics."
"So?" Barret said.
"So, if we have any problems using Materia," Red XIII explained, "we would know that these are in fact the Tali Hishna."
"They are," Vincent said. Everyone jumped, having nearly forgotten their demonic looking friend was there. "Before my ... change... I attempted to use a Cure Materia, but failed repeatedly. At first I thought it was a lapse in concentration because of my injuries, but I realize now it was induced by an outside force. I am certain that these albinos are the Tali Hishna."
Red XIII glanced back at the book and made a noise. "Fascinating. I can't tell much, but it says here the Tali Hishna are adept with illusion. That is, the Yenta Pree were. A defensive measure, mostly... It says 'Beware the Tainted Tongue, for it lies to both the ears and the eyes.' Very poetic, and not very useful, but it goes into detail about the Yenta Pree using their own brand of magic to weave 'lies into air', so that their enemies, the uninfected Cetra, would focus their attacks on the illusions and not the-"
Suddenly, the doors to the library swung open again, and the group turned to face the newcomer. Elder Dorret, a large bruise adorning the side of his face, strode in, flanked by Elder Frennal and a half dozen armed guards. Dorret did not look happy.
"Juyan!" he bellowed, but then stopped, regaining his composure. "We will talk later. I have news for the others, your... guests. We just received two messages over our radio. The first being so badly garbled, I couldn't make it out, but the words 'help' were repeated. I suspect it is another distress signal."
Juyan sighed, and said, "Whoever it was, we can't help them. We're too caught up here."
Dorret smirked. "Of course we can't help them. I almost thought you'd be fool enough to try. Unfortunately, we can't even locate the source of the transmission, so we don't even know who it is."
"And the second message?" Vincent said menacingly.
The balding Elder flinched, looking over the demonic being in his presence, and said, "From Fort Condor. They said they've taken in a pair of Avalanche members, your kind, and have not only survived another attack, but actually managed to drive it back. How, they didn't say. The message cut off. These White Scourge-"
"Tali Hishna," Red XIII corrected.
"White Scourge," Dorret emphasized and continued, "have managed to block most of our radio transmissions very well. It is very rare that we're able to communicate with the outside world. We have few allies, and those we do have are either refugees or under siege like Fort Condor. Do you have any suggestions?" He turned that question on Barret, his eyes narrowing.
Juyan frowned, but understood. Barret had been the one to challenge Dorret at the gates and sway the other Elder to act against him. Juyan himself would be reprimanded, but Barret was definitely seen as an adversary.
"Yeah. Put my people to work on fortifications, arm 'em with what you've got. We'll kick the shit outta them White Scourge right back to where they came from. And I know where to get some allies, if you got the balls to ask 'em for help."
"Who?" Dorret asked.
"Shinra."
Author's Note:
I think I finally have this cold beat. Now before you all go whining about the Zangan reference earlier on... don't worry, I'll explain it later. I know I'm practically rewriting the original game, but I'm fleshing it out a bit. All will be explained.