"When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." (Genesis 4:12)
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Cloud was taking a brief rest on the westernmost point of the ruins of Midgar before he made his way across the Eastern Continent to the Western to get to Gongaga. He sat on the ground, leaning against a fallen wall with Fenrir resting calmly near him.
He turned the vial in his hands over and over again. The healing water of the Lifestream tumbled to and fro under the transparent coverings and the etchings that read "REdemption" from the top to bottom.
"Maybe you were right, Tifa," he said quietly under his breath, still watching the elixir flow. "It isn't my place to find redemption for someone else… But I think I have to, just this one time."
The waking sun shot beams of the dawn light through the cracks of the ruins, illuminating the specks of dust that floated around lazily around him. The ruins were quiet and desolate as always, save for the peaceful morning songs of the birds that nestled in the rafters of the upper plates.
Cloud slid the vial back into his shoulder pad, protecting it from harm. He got up and drew out a ration from a small compartment in Fenrir, scrutinizing it for a moment with his eyes before eating it.
A faint flutter from within him caught his attention and whirled him around to look back to the city. There was nothing to be heard and nothing to be seen.
Absolutely nothing.
Even the birds had fallen silent as faint rumbling, as if from the footsteps of a giant, was coming from deep inside the city, in the ground. It was so faint that Cloud had questioned whether or not he had imagined the noise long after it had faded away.
He shifted his motorcycle into gear and tore off into the Wastelands towards the harbor, where he would be crossing the sea by boat.
Ever since the incident with Holy and Meteor, the world had turned calmer and more peaceful. Monsters attacked less as the mako reactors were nonfunctional and didn't pollute the land as much. They would look back at him as he passed by on Fenrir with suspicious, quizzical but peaceful eyes.
Likewise with the people at the harbor and ports, they treated Cloud with intimidated respect due to the familiar SOLDIER's outfit he wore. In everyone's mind, the dominion of Shinra was gone but the strength and the power of the SOLDIERs could still be found and shouldn't be taken lightly.
Cloud was leaning on the railing of the barge he had managed to hitch a ride with, eating some of the provisions the crew had provided for its guests and trying to enjoy the refreshing winds of the sea.
A jovial older man, obviously a working man who was on a trip between cities, came and stood beside him, putting down his own cargo.
"She's beautiful, isn't she? She gives life with the waters that fill her up and takes it away with those same waves," he said dreamily. "Sometimes makes me wish that I could live out here."
"The crew managed to persuade you otherwise?" Cloud asked casually, not minding the company at all.
"Turned my mind around about it all like a scared Chocobo," the man laughed. "So whereabouts are you heading off to? Or are you just visiting Costa del Sol for a while?"
Cloud shrugged, unsure himself. "I plan to stay there for a while, I guess. I don't think I could stay for long." He nodded to Fenrir. "Got a package that needs to be delivered in there and it can't delay for too long, I've been told."
"Ah, so you're a delivery man," he said, nodding as if he understood. He patted the abnormally large parcel that almost reached his shoulder. "I, myself, am a traveling merchant so I know what it's like to be always moving. Are you part of any particular circle?"
"Strife Delivery Service and that's it. We're based in Edge."
"Edge?" A harsh, travel-worn man looked over at them with sharp, dark eyes when he heard the city's name. He seemed dubious at the stability of Cloud. "You come from Edge? How the hell're you able to run a business in that rundown city?"
Cloud scowled back at him. "I manage."
"Well, kid," the man came over, smelling of smoke, traces of blood, dirt and cold rage covering his worn out jacket. His slicked back brown hair was slightly unkempt in the salty wind of the sea and the lower half of his face was partially covered by a thick scarf that was also wound over his gray shirt. "You better be prepared to go through all them circles of hell if you're goin' by Gongaga."
The merchant beside Cloud suddenly shivered and cringed. "Even a young man like you would have a hard time with what's lurking out there, I've heard."
"Even if you do have some of that SOLDIER training," the dark-eyed man sneered, looking Cloud up and down.
Ignoring the obvious mercenary in front of him, Cloud asked, "What's out at Gongaga?"
"Somethin', that's for sure. What it is exactly, nobody's sure since nobody's rightly come back with a hard story. One guy'll say that there're monsters nobody's ever seen before that use people's bodies to move around and kill others. Another'll say that there're ghosts that haunt the area and suck the souls out of anybody who comes near. Even others'll say that a bunch o' monsters just melded and mutated into each other to get new, bigger, badder beasts that'll start to invade the rest of the world."
The merchant looked down, in a reverie and scratched the stubble on his chin. "Whatever it is, it's made Gongaga a dead city. It kind of was before, yeah," he added when the saw the exasperated look on the mercenary's face, "it's just more so now."
"Thanks for the notice," Cloud said, cursing Shinra in his mind. "Now I'm actually warned."
"You're actually heading around Gongaga?" The merchant looked amazed and scared. "The guy who hired you must've known that it's practically a suicide mission to go there."
"I've had worse," Cloud said plainly, eating the remains of his food.
The mercenary barely took his eyes off of Cloud, glaring and trying to analyze the young man. The merchant noticed but said nothing since it didn't seem to bother Cloud and went back to admiring the sea.
"You look familiar," the mercenary said to Cloud. "But I'm pretty damn sure I haven't met you before." Then, his eyes narrowed in revelation. "You're that kid who was involved with that Bahamut Sin in Edge a while back."
Cloud vaguely nodded and saw the merchant turn his head back towards the two men at the mention of the Summon.
"You and your buddies actually managed to beat it. I watched you guys from afar. Y'guys think you can save the world or something?"
"No," Cloud replied, looking at him straight in the eye, "we just usually persuade the one who can. She's the one who save our world from both Meteor and the Sephiroth elements. We just helped along."
"What's your name?" The merchant asked kindly, intrigued by him.
"Cloud. Cloud Strife."
The merchant held out his hand and shook Cloud's. "I'm Mikhail Sokolov. Usually, I'm just known as Mik, though. If you need anything and I have it, just ask and I'll give you a much fairer price than most other merchants."
"You didn't quite tell us for real where you were off to, kid," the mercenary said gruffly.
"I'd rather know who asks first before I reveal my destinations," Cloud snapped back, just as coolly and calmly. Mik looked edgily at the mercenary for his reaction.
Stunned but begrudgingly, he said, "Anyun. You could kind of say I'm on the market. You going to tell us where you're going or what?"
"I'm going to Gongaga. The things I'm delivering need to get there so I can't take too much time in Costa del Sol." He turned to Mik. "But I think I might need some supplies in case anything does happen."
Anyun went silent and kept his distance as the merchant happily showed Cloud his wares. He fished out a pack of cigarettes from the depths of his jacket and walked away, leaving a trail of smoke behind him to the wind. However, his departure and mysterious nature didn't fully escape Cloud.
They sailed through the day and throughout the night, encountering few disturbances and monsters along the way. Mik, along with a few others on board, remarked about how calm everything was with the mako reactors shut down and the monster populations down.
Cloud slowly rode off the barge to an inn that Mik had recommended that they could take lodging in. Even in the morning, Costa del Sol was bright, sunny and hot with lots of people bustling about.
"Tourist trap," Cloud muttered under his breath and wound his way between the crowds through the streets.
On the barge, Cloud had talked with Mik enough to know that he was an honest man who loved what he did and trusted him in his advice, also knowing that he was genuinely friendly even though he might not stay in once place too long.
Despite the fact that Mik seemed to have developed a slight hero-worshipping attitude towards him, Cloud found him to be quite fun to keep as company as he wasn't quite as overbearing as some of the residents of Edge had been. But even though he was good company, Cloud was eager to part ways with him when the time came due to the dangers that he was heading into and because Mik was getting on in his years.
Careful to keep his cargo hidden from view as he rode, Cloud managed to park Fenrir in the lot that the inn kept for its guests and secured it with the inn after checking in.
The inn, called The Red Bubbly Mog, was an out-of-the-way treasure of Costa del Sol and offered large windows and comfortably rustic rooms. Leafy plants were set all around the main level and dining area of the inn as flowered creeping plants snuck inside around the ebony-framed windows. The bright sunlight poured in, casting a warm, golden glow throughout the whole inn.
Women were often jokingly advised not to sit near the partition between the dining area and the main level since the dining area was raised onto a second level about a meter above.
While relaxing at a table near a window in the dining area and overlooking the lower floor where the front desk was, he noticed Anyun walk into the inn and check in as well.
Trying to act nonchalant, Cloud tried not to attract too much attention to himself and continued to enjoy his coffee and cake. However, his SOLDIER's uniform once again foiled his attempts and Anyun took almost immediate notice of him when he turned from the front desk.
Without so much as a word, Anyun walked straight up to Cloud's table and sat down.
"What're you planning on finding in Gongaga, kid?" Anyun asked brashly. The scarf around his neck hung looser in the hot climates. "Nobody goes there 'cept to try to grave rob or get killed nowadays."
Cloud stayed silent, remembering what he was looking for on behalf of Shinra.
"Either way, kid, you're not going to get back home the same man you were when you left. Hell, you might not even leave unless you're forced to."
He looked up at the mercenary's face at the bitter tone in his voice. Before Cloud could say anything, Anyun had already risen from his seat and was leaving.
"Hey."
Anyun turned and looked back at him.
"You're headed there, too?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Got some unfinished business to attend to."
"We might be able to help each other out. You seem to know a lot more than I do about what's going in Gongaga."
Anyun shrugged. "Just as long as that merchant doesn't come along and screw us all over." He turned to leave. "But who knows… As a merchant, he does have some advantages over us, don't he?"
As Anyun left, both men saying nothing, Cloud a small black and white animal prowl around. It kept hiding and he never got a good look at what it was, but he had a very good idea what it was and purposely ignored it after looking straight at it.
Once night had fallen and several of the street markets were the only things left open, Cloud decided to take a stroll through them amongst the shadows.
He was weaponless save for a small knife that he had purchased off a stall in Edge, keeping it hidden at the small of his back, underneath his shirt. He was also without his Tsurugi holster and gloves, making him look much more normal to the average person though he kept his shoulder pad on.
Luckily, it was a peaceful night and the air was filled with excitement, much like a festival.
But soon after he had arrived, he could sense that someone was following him and made his way out of the markets to a small grove of trees.
They're good, he thought to himself as he checked his seeker's position. But they're sure as hell not Shinra...
When he reached the shadows of the trees, well hidden from the markets, he slid behind a tree and prepared to attack. His hand had reached under his shirt to his knife as he kept an eye out for any other threat when footsteps were heard crunching on the ground foliage coming into the grove.
"Why, hello there, laddie!" A black and white cat in boots and a crown suddenly jumped out in front of him.
Cloud jumped, almost throwing his dagger at the animatronic cat in surprise.
"I really would appreciate it if you didn't impale Cait Sith with that knife of yours, Cloud," a deep voice said as a man came around to talk to him.
"Then you shouldn't get him to jump out at me like that, Reeve," Cloud replied as he put the knife back and pushed his blond hair away from his face. "Long time no see. How's the WRO coming?"
"Good, good," Reeve said, picking Cait up into his arms. "We've got agents everywhere and I can find anyone I want just by asking."
Cloud chuckled, "Then I suppose this means that I can't go and hide anymore."
"Not if I need to find you," he said with a smile. "So I hear you're heading to Gongaga on a delivery of sorts."
"Yeah. Rufus actually showed up at the bar and talked to me, sent me off with the package. Who told you? Tifa?"
"Naturally. And from what I've heard about Gongaga, I put it upon myself to warn you about what's there and help you. It's no easy task entering Gongaga anymore, if it ever was in the first place."
Cloud quickly told him what Mik and Anyun told him on the barge.
"It sounds like you've made some interesting friends, Cloud. I'm surprised. But that's what the public tends to believe about Gongaga; that it's a place where people never return as they were and that new, horrible monsters live there that take the lives of anyone that comes near."
Inspecting and playing with the Cait Sith, Cloud looked up at him. "So I take it that you know what it is?"
Reeve, leaning against a tree with the distant glow of the market lights contrasting his ruggedly square face and softening the look of his beard and brown hair, shrugged.
As a former high-ranking Shinra employee, he was privy to many of the inner workings of the technology of the cities and how the mako reactors worked with them. With this knowledge, he was able to effectively restore parts of the ruins of the world and this earned him the respect and revere of authority, both legitimate and otherwise.
"I know that something had happened in Gongaga a while back, after the WEAPON obliterated the Shinra building and Holy battled it out with Meteor. Whatever it was, it made it worse and feared by everyone else in the Eastern Continent. From witnesses who got too close to the village, a strange sense of rage and regret kind of lingers in the air.
"A few of Gongaga's people managed to escape from there without suffering any sickness or whatever it is there. From what their testimonies, it happened fast."
Cloud absent-mindedly petted Cait Sith while listening to Reeve, thinking.
"People around here even know what it's about even though it's something of a taboo by now, I'd expect," Reeve added, looking towards the market where an elderly shopkeeper was arguing with an elderly customer about her wages.
"What are they calling it?" Cloud asked.
"Cayne," Reeve answered, "I think they're calling it that because of an old legend about a man and his brother, which I don't have an idea what it is. But I think that your delivery has something to do with it."
"More than likely," Cloud said, getting up and handing Cait back to Reeve. "I'm going to go back to the inn. Just a question, though."
Reeve nodded, listening.
"Does WRO have anything to do with the two guys I just met?"
Reeve laughed, "No, they don't, as far as I know. But I'd keep an eye out on that Anyun character; he seems a bit uneven."
"I think he'd get along with Vincent," Cloud said dryly.
"Oh, most likely, they would if they don't kill each other first. You might see him on your way to Gongaga. He's been seen somewhere on this continent so you could ask him yourself if he knows anything about it."
Cloud nodded. "Thanks, Reeve. I'll see you around."
Cait suddenly jumped out of Reeve's arms and waved to Cloud as he left, "Toodles, Cloud! I'm sure we'll meet again soon enough!"
Cloud waved his dagger farewell at them in response and went back to the Mog with thoughts flying in his mind.
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A/N: Sorry for the long delay in the updates. Work more or less prevented me from using the computer much until this week.
Yeah, not too much prose here since it's hard to keep it up without a good action scene or something that has to do with pure fantasy/sci-fi in it, I know. But I needed to get the story properly going without putting TOO much thought into it.
Besides, stories just like to come out in one way or another and this chapter came out like this.
REview!
