Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Thirteen
Cid almost jumped right out of his pilot seat. "What?" he raged, his voice clearly audible over the sirens. His pack of cigarettes slipped from under his goggles as he moved, and tumbled down onto the floor at his feet.
He almost asked the controller to repeat what he had said, because he couldn't believe what he had just heard. Right then, so close to the launch, everyone should have been evacuated from the rocket apart from himself. Cid couldn't believe someone would be stupid enough to remain inside the rocket when it was about to blast off. Cid shook his head and punched down on the intercom button. "Who is the little $?" he demanded angrily.
The intercom crackled again and the controller's voice came through. He sounded a little panicky as well. "I don't know," he replied. "Activating the intercom in the engine section." Cid tapped his fingers anxiously on the control panel, waiting for the red light signalling the connection to flash on.
Inside the engine room, Shera knelt down beside the oxygen tank and peered inside. No, it still wasn't right. No matter what she tried, the sealing door always remained open just a few millimetres. She had tried adjusting the door settings, manoeuvring the wires around, tightening the bolts and other things, but each time she repeated the simulation it always turned out the same as before… those same few millimetres that just refused to close. All the other doors were perfectly sealed, protecting the vital oxygen tanks inside. She sighed, frustrated, and wiped away the sweat on her forehead before picking up her wrench and attempting to tighten the bolts further.
When all the other mechanics and engineers had left the rocket, Shera had originally left with them. Still, the oxygen tanks had played on her mind, so while everyone was busy evacuating the rocket she had slipped back inside and continued her experiments. She was determined to fix the problem… even if it meant still being inside the rocket when it blasted off.
As she was busy working on the tank, the intercom speaker above the door crackled and came to life. Seconds later Cid's angry voice came booming into the engine room. "Hey goddammit!" his voice shouted. "Who the &$#'s still in there?"
Shera put down her wrench and stood up, looking up at the intercom. "It's Shera, Captain," she called up to him. "Don't mind me, go ahead with the launch."
She could hear Cid's voice splutter through the intercom. "Shera?" he called back, sounding even angrier than before. Not that Shera could blame him for sounding angry. She could picture him at the controls, gripping the panel in frustration, screaming down the microphone at her. "What are you still doin' in there?"
"I was still concerned," Shera replied to him calmly, in contrast to Cid's voice yelling at her. "The results of the oxygen tank test weren't satisfactory."
"You stupid little $#! It's gonna get so hot in there that there ain't gonna be SHIT left when we blast off!" Cid told her through the intercom. "You're gonna be burnt to a crisp! You're gonna die! You know that, doncha?"
Shera lowered her head and looked at the metal floor. She did know how hot the engine room was going to get during lift off, and that she would most likely die if she stayed in there. Yet somehow… in some weird way… she wasn't afraid of it. It wasn't that she was suicidal or anything like that. It was just that… as long as the launch was a success and Cid got to fulfil his dream and go up into outer space… then she didn't really mind sacrificing her life for it.
"I don't mind," she said, smiling softly. "If I can just fix this, the launch will be a success. I'm almost done." She turned back and knelt by the pod again, picking up her wrench and continuing the work she was desperate to finish. She didn't have much further to go to complete the work. She needed a little more time.
"Almost done?" Cid cried, unable to believe his ears. "You're gonna die!"
"Cid, we must start the countdown," came the controller's voice, also through the intercom like Cid's. "We won't make it if we don't."
"Starting engine!"
A loud rumble began to grow from deep within the rocket, rising up from the ground all the way up to the cockpit where Cid was glaring at the intercom. He exclaimed as he felt the strong vibrations of the engine shaking underneath his feet. Realising that control was serious about starting the countdown he frantically grabbed the microphone, nearly pulling it out of its stand.
"Hey, wait a minute!" he yelled. "Shera's still in here!"
"What are you going to do, Cid?" asked the controller. "If we cancel now, it'll be another six months until the next launch!"
Cid grunted loudly and pounded the edge of the control panel with his fist. The thud could barely be heard through the growing rumbles from the engine room. As they continued to grow Cid stared down at the control panel, watching as more buttons on the control panel began to light up as the rocket began to start up. He wished that Shera would hurry up and say she was finished, because if she didn't then Cid would have no choice but to cancel the launch. He didn't know if he could wait another six months for the next launch. But if he didn't cancel it then...
"GODDAMMIT, Shera… you wanna make me a murderer?"
"Captain!"
Cid hurriedly leapt up and grabbed the microphone again. "Shera?"
Shera's voice came crackling in through the intercom, heavy with static and barely audible through the loud rumbles coming from the engine room. "Tank Number 7 check is complete," came her meek voice. "Once I complete Tank Number 8, it's all clear."
"Come on, Shera…" Cid said quietly. "…Hurry up… You're gonna die…" He closed his eyes tightly, his hands trembling over the controls. He just didn't know what to do.
His anxiety wasn't helped when the intercom buzzed again, and controller's voice came through to him. "30 seconds until ignition. Beginning countdown. Cid! Forget about her. We won't make it in time."
Slowly Cid let himself sink back into his pilot seat, feeling the cold, harsh reality begin to sweep itself over him. He clutched onto his head and shook it fiercely, small specks of tears squeezing out from between his eyelids as he tugged the short lengths of his hair furiously.
Opening his eyes, Cid glanced over towards the control panel. Just by the intercom was a red button that was flashing brightly, standing out against the other buttons. The Emergency Shut Down switch – the only button that could cancel the launch. If he pushed that then Shera would be safe, but then the launch…
Cid lifted his head and shook it fiercely, tugging his hair even harder than before. "What… what am I… What am I supposed to do…?" he asked aloud. There was no one to answer him, and all he could do was sit and hope that by some miracle Shera would finish quickly and get out to safety.
"15 seconds until ignition. Internal temperature rising."
Cid could imagine what was happening in the engine room right then. Shera would still be at the oxygen tanks, beginning to sweat as the temperature from the engines began to rise. Pretty soon it would rise to unbearable temperatures, and Shera would start to suffocate from the heat, her body growing hot. She would be safe for a few seconds after lift off, before the burners kicked in and propelled the rocket up off the ground. Then the temperature would soar dramatically, and Shera would simply burn into a crisp… if anything would be left of her at all.
"Oh man," Cid groaned loudly, trying to get the image of Shera's struggling, burning form out of his mind. "The moon… outer space… my dreams…" The intercom crackled one final time, and the controller's voice came booming out.
"Ignite engine!"
It was in that split second that Cid finally made up his mind, bolting upright in his chair and pulling his goggles from his head. "SH------------IT!" he roared, and brought his fist firmly down on the flashing red button.
Just as he pushed the button a loud blast erupted around the base of the rocket. A wave of smoke and fire burst out from the engines, blowing out into the thin forest that surrounded the launch pad. The four metal pillars that held the rocket up released their latches and fell back, giving the rocket the space to launch. It did so, the large metal body slowly beginning to push up away from the ground, propelled by its powerful engines.
It probably got no more than fifteen metres off the ground before a loud droning sound could be heard from the engines, and then suddenly stopped. The smoke stopped flowing, and the rocket almost seemed to hover in the air over the launch pad. Then it began to fall.
It landed with a very loud and heavy thud that made the ground and the pillars shake violently. The gust it created as it landed sent the surrounding smoke spiralling into the forest, whipping between the trees until it gradually dispersed into the air.
There were a few moments of silence after the rocket landed, standing menacingly over the forest. When those few moments had passed a loud creaking noise could be heard, and the rocket slowly began to tilt over towards its side. It almost threatened to fall over onto the forest, but thankfully one of the metal pillars just stood in its way and caught the rocket as it tilted. It came to a stop, but was balanced so precariously that no doubt it would fall eventually.
A lot of time passed by, but no one ever bothered to take down Shinra No. 26. Even when all the trees were cut away, and houses and shops were built around it. The rocket still stood there, looming over the town, still threatening to fall. That was how the town of Rocket Town was born.
Shera folded her arms tightly against her chest, a small tear forming in her eye at the memory of that day. "He pushed the Emergency Shut Down switch, aborting the mission, to save my life," she said. "After that, the Space Program was cut back and the launch was cancelled. It's my fault his dream was destroyed…" The tear fell and rolled down her cheek, and she hurriedly wiped it away with her sleeve. "That's why… it's all right. I don't care what the Captain says. I'll live my life for him."
It was indeed a very moving story, and certainly touched the hearts of everyone standing in the living room. Only Yuffie seemed unaffected by the story, for she had chosen to ignore Shera's story and was busy snooping around the rest of the house with interest. She was searching for materia no doubt, and had no time for petty stories that held no moral for her. Shera spotted some tear water on her glasses, and pulled them off to wipe them dry.
While Yuffie was busy looking around the corridor leading to the backyard the door suddenly burst open. She leapt back as it slammed against the wall and Cid came strolling in, flicking a cigarette out of the door as he came in. As he entered the living room he looked around for a second, before glaring at poor Shera angrily.
"Shera! You still haven't served 'em tea!"
"I… I'm sorry," Shera apologised quickly. She pushed her glasses hurriedly back on her face and turned back to the boiling kettle and beginning to pour the hot water into the mugs, along with the milk. Soon the smell of piping hot tea filled the house.
No one said anything as she worked. They were remembering the story Shera had told them, and slowly beginning to understand why Shera never said anything about the Captain's aggressive behaviour. Now they could understand why Cid seemed so angry about everything, and it certainly explained his behaviour towards Shera. Still… it seemed a bit too harsh, as Red XIII had said.
While Shera hurried about finishing the tea and handing out the few mugs that were ready, Cid walked over and sat at the table. He tapped his fingers irritably against the wood, tapping out a faint but catchy tune. He stopped tapping long enough to look up at Cloud and the others. "Hurry up and sit down!" he commanded. "Or ain't my hospitality good enough for you?"
At his command the others immediately sat down. Yuffie moved first, forgoing anxiety and leaping straight into another chair at the table. Aeris and Tifa sat with her, sipping their mugs of tea meekly without a word. There were no other chairs so the others had no choice but to stand, but Cid never said anything more to them.
After a moment or two, Cid pushed back his chair and leaned back. He brought his feet up and placed them on the table, tapping them gently in place of his fingers. He checked his watch again and grunted loudly. "They're late…" he grumbled. "Where is Rufus…?" No one replied to him. They just sat silently, slowly drinking their tea.
At that moment there was a loud knock on the front door, before it burst open and a man in a yellow suit came strolling in. Everyone recognised him instantly. They remembered his bulbous figure back in Midgar, in the President's office after his assassination. It was Palmer, the man in charge of Shinra's Space Program.
"Hey-HEY!" Palmer said loudly, brushing rudely past Cloud and Barret into the living room. "Long time no see! So Cid, how ya been?"
Looking up, Cid swung his legs off the table and stood up in a single, fluid motion. He now blanked the others and ran over to Palmer, looking him briefly up and down. "Well, if it ain't fat man, Palmer," he said gruffly. "How longer were you figurin' on keepin' me waitin'? So? When's the Space Program gonna start up again?"
"Hey-hey! I don't know!" Palmer said hurriedly, waving his arms rapidly in front of him. He then stopped and pointed outside the front door. "The President's outside, so why don't you ask him?"
Cid's face crunched up into an expression of fury, and his right eyebrow twitched as he glared angrily at Palmer. "$#&!" he spat. "Good for nothing, fat &$#$!" He pushed Palmer aside, grabbed his spear, and ran out of the door. Palmer waved his arms about frantically as he tried to stop himself from spinning into the door. When he stopped spinning he turned towards the door, his fist shaking angrily.
"Don't say 'fat'!" he shouted, but Cid was already gone. He sighed heavily and looked inattentively around the room. His eyes passed over Cloud and the others without a flicker of recognition, and settled on the kettle that was still steaming behind Shera. He ran over to her "Hey-hey! Tea!" he exclaimed. "Can I have some too? With lotsa sugar and honey and… oh yeah, don't forget the lard!" He licked his lips dreamily, despite the horrified and sickened gazes of Cloud and his group around him.
While Shera began to brew up Palmer's very odd idea of tea, Cloud put down his own mug and sidled over towards the door. In his rush Cid had left the door slightly open, and he could see out into the town. Cloud pressed himself against the wall and peeked through the small crack, careful not to be seen.
He could see Cid easily, standing with his back to them in the middle of the town. President Rufus was in front of him, talking to Cid about something that Cloud couldn't hear just yet. There was also a single blue-uniformed soldier nearby, staying close to Rufus. That struck Cloud as odd, but then Rufus probably didn't suspect that Cloud and the others were already in Rocket Town, and didn't need more guards.
Cloud dared to open the door a little more and look a little further, trying to make out what they were saying. Meanwhile the others in the house were all silent, listening and watching Cloud carefully. Cloud wondered when Cid was going to find out that the Space Program wasn't restarting. He soon got his answer.
"What the……!" came Cid's surprised and angry voice, now lifted so Cloud and everyone in the house could easily hear him. "You got me all excited for nothing? Then, what'd you come here for?"
"I want to borrow the Tiny Bronco," Rufus replied, much more calmly, seeming unfazed by Cid's angry shouts. "We're going after Sephiroth. But seems like we've been going in the wrong direction. But now, we think we know where he's headed. But, we have to cross the ocean. That's why we want your plane…"
"&#!" Cid cursed, his fists tightly clenched and shaking. "First the airship, then the Rocket, and now, the Tiny Bronco. Shinra took outer space away from me and now you want to take the sky away from me, too?"
Rufus shook his head pitifully, and moved a strip of blond hair from his eyes. "Oh my…" he said. "You seem to forget that it was because of Shinra, Inc. that you were able to fly in the first place."
"What?" Cid raged. His fists were twitching, trying to hold back the urge to land a furious blow on the smug young man's face. With the guard nearby he couldn't do anything, so he just had to contain his anger.
While this conversation was going on, Cloud continued to watch from the crack in the door. Although he could hear Cid's voice easily he couldn't hear Rufus very well, and couldn't make out what the President was saying. He got the impression that Rufus was also after the Tiny Bronco, judging from Cid's outraged cries. He was interrupted from his watch when a hand gently patted him on the shoulder, and a nervous-looking Shera gazed at him.
"Uh, excuse me… This way…" she said, motioning Cloud back inside the house. Cloud complied, shutting the door behind him and following Shera back into the living room. "You wanted to use the Tiny Bronco, right?" she asked him. Cloud nodded. "I believe Palmer's going to take it. Why don't you talk to him?"
Everyone jumped and looked around the room. Sure enough, Palmer was gone, his estranged mug of tea still sitting on the worktop. No one had noticed him slip away – they had been far too busy listening to Cid outside to notice. They almost kicked themselves for their stupidity, but there was no time for that. They needed to stop Palmer from taking the Tiny Bronco.
They ran through the back door and into the yard where the Tiny Bronco was resting. Sure enough Palmer was there, climbing over the plane's ample frame, messing around with the controls and muttering to himself.
"Hmm… Why do I have to do this…? I'm the head of the Space Program…"
"We'll be takin' that Tiny Bronco," said Cloud.
Palmer froze, his fingers hovering above the controls. Slowly he turned around and saw Cloud and the rest of the group gathered around the plane, looking up at him. Palmer's eyes squinted as he looked back down at them, and for the first time the faint flickers of recognition slowly began to appear on his rounded face.
"I've seen you somewhere before…" he said, unsurely. He stared at Cloud and Barret a few seconds more, scratched his head, and then clicked his fingers. "I know! The Shinra building! When the President was killed!" He suddenly froze again as the full memory came back to him in a flash. "Ulp! Se…se…security!"
Of course no one was there to answer him. Realising this, Palmer instead reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small gun that had been hidden in his inside pocket. Cloud recognised it as a Mako gun – a gun that utilised the power of Mako. The Mako energy within it was not as condensed as Materia, and flowed freely to create magical waves of fire, ice or even sometimes lightning.
Without even a consideration for where he was aiming, Palmer pointed the gun down and fired. A stream of Mako energy came pouring from the tip of the gun, firing out in a long, continual stream. Red XIII and Vincent both jumped aside as the stream struck the ground between them. It burned a searing hole into the ground and the smell of burning grass lifted up into the air.
Running forward, Cloud drew his sword and leapt up into the air. He swung the blade with all his might, and as it swung a thin shield of flames swept across the metal. Palmer jumped aside just in time, but the flames singed at least a few of the grey-white hairs on his head and made him cry out.
Palmer then darted across the top of the Tiny Bronco, rubbing his head and calling out curses as he ran. His extra weight jumping about the plane made it shake and tilt from side to side, and because of his attack Cloud was in a precarious position, and was finding it hard to keep his balance. He eventually lost the battle for balance and fell forward onto the plane's controls, his hand accidentally falling on the switch-on button.
All at once the plane came to life. The engine gave a loud chug-chug as it coughed into life, before settling into a gentle rhythmic motion. The propellers on the plane's wings slowly began to turn, gradually picking up speed. Thankfully they were slow to warm up, and it would be about a minute or more before they picked up enough speed to take off.
Meanwhile Palmer had jumped off the plane, and was now locked in a fierce battle with Aeris and Tifa. Aeris raised her staff and swung it out in front of her, aiming for Palmer's head. She missed his head as he dodged, but with his arm raised she managed to knock the Mako gun from his hands, and fell down to the floor, skidding out of harm's way.
With his weapon now gone Palmer turned away, only to remember that Tifa was standing behind him. The young woman grabbed hold of Palmer's shoulders and pulling him towards her. She gave him an almighty kick in his solar plexus, which made him choke and groan loudly. She didn't stop there and lifted him straight up, giving him two sharp punches in his round face. Then she let him go, and Palmer went rolling to the floor. Incidentally, right by his Mako gun. And Vincent.
While Palmer was busy struggling with Vincent and Barret over possession of the Mako gun, Yuffie quickly darted around the side of the house, remembering something she had seen while she had been exploring the town earlier (she didn't just go to explore the Materia Shops!). She leaped past the battle and skidded round the corner, her crafty eyes lighting up as she saw that it was still there.
The Mako gun went flying through the air, and a single bullet from Vincent's expertly held pistol ended its usefulness. Palmer cried out in dismay as his beloved weapon and his last line of defence came crashing to the ground in pieces, the Mako energy slowly spilling onto the ground.
Palmer sagged heavily, realising that he was beaten. Looking up he saw the others standing in a line in front of him with stern looks on their faces. Suddenly Palmer pointed up behind them and cried out, and when they all looked they also cried out and quickly ducked down to the ground.
The wing of the plane passed slowly overhead, casting a dark shadow over them as it passed. Palmer also had to duck down to avoid the wing and its lethal propellers, but as it passed by he saw his chance to escape. While the others were busy climbing to their feet he jumped up and fled, darting across the backyard.
He didn't get very far. As he was running the roar of another engine came to life, and a dark green blur suddenly came zooming out of the driveway. Palmer had no chance to stop or dodge the truck as it came past. He was slammed into the side of the truck and bounced straight off, rolling across the grass until he slumped into an unconscious heap in the bushes. Behind the wheel Yuffie grinned happily, smug and self-satisfied that she had been able to injure a member of the Shinra.
She was a little miffed when no one praised her for her efforts, until she realised that everyone was gathered around the Tiny Bronco. By now the plane's propellers were spinning wildly, and already the plane was slowly beginning to fight and tug to get off the ground.
Aeris climbed up alongside Cloud and looked down at the controls. The propellers were moving so fast now that they created a strong updraft that blew Aeris's hair all around her face, and she could barely see the controls. Everything looked so complicated that she had no idea which button to press in order to get the plane to stop, and the propellers weren't about to slow down, either. "It won't stop!" she shouted to Cloud over the roar of the propellers.
"It's going to take off," said Red XIII.
Cloud shook his head. "Forget it!" he said, his voice barely audible. "Get in!"
Everyone obeyed and jumped onto the plane, just as it began to tug a little more and attempted to rise off the ground. Yuffie made it only just in time, diving from the truck and grabbing into the edge of the wing, just as it began to finally rise into the air, carrying Cloud and the others with it.
The plane moved forward and rose steadily off the ground. It just missed hitting the back fence and rose higher and further, slowly pulling away from Cid's house. A strong gust of wind turned the abandoned lever to the left, and the plane complied in turn. It swiftly rose up and spun round, narrowly missing the tilting rocket as it headed back into Rocket Town.
Down on the ground, Cid and Rufus looked up in amazement as the Tiny Bronco came swerving around the rocket. Someone must have pressed on the lever again, for the plane came swooping down towards the ground. It narrowly missed Rufus and his guard and zoomed steadily past. Cid looked around for a second before he pushed past the soldier and began to run rapidly after the plane.
Cloud turned around on the plane and looked down at Cid running after the plane. He wished he could slow the plane down a bit and get him on board, but the Shinra soldier was now firing at them and they couldn't afford to slow down. Besides, he didn't know which button it was anyway, and the plane was picking up speed.
As it turned out, he didn't need to know anyway. With the plane still trying to gain speed Cid was catching up to them, although soon the plane would be moving too fast for him to catch up. As he neared the tail end of the plane he jumped with all his might and grabbed onto the end of the wing. He held on with all his strength as the plane began to rise again, picking up in speed.
The Shinra soldier continued to fire, even as the plane began to rise and head speedily out of his sight. He must have had either good sight or excellent aim, for the next bullet he fired went zipping through the air and struck the tail end of the plane, cutting a giant hole in the tail. The plane shuddered violently and dropped about a metre out of the air, smoke pouring from the tail.
"Shit! The tail's been hit!" Cid shouted, glancing back at the smoking tail.
"Emergency landing…" said Cloud.
Cid nodded and turned back to the front of the plane, gripping onto the frame. "This's gonna be a big splash," he warned them all. "Hold onto your drawers and don't piss in 'em!"
The plane's engine chugged again and dropped another metre out of the air, before it very slowly began to descend. Looking ahead they could see the ocean of the west part of the continent, which meant they were going to crash in the ocean for sure. They passed by the shore and continued to descend, heading straight for the water.
As Cid warned it was a big splash. The plane landed in the water and almost bounced off the top, as though it was a stone that had been skidded across the top of a smooth, calm lake. But this was no lake and certainly wasn't smooth. A spray over water came pounding up the side the plane, sending cold droplets down onto the group as they struggled to hold onto the plane, holding onto anything they could to stop themselves from falling and drowning in the water.
The crash wasn't as bad as they had feared. Although the plane landed heavily it stayed above the water and did not sink, and even as the roar of the splashing water died down they could still hear the faint chug of the engine, showing that the plane was still usable. Although, there was one thing.
"She won't fly anymore," Cid said, disappointed. He ran his hand through the water, feeling the gaping hole in the tail wing, which was half submerged in water. They needed the tail wing to fly, and without that, the Tiny Bronco would never make it off the ground without crashing again.
Cloud sighed heavily. That was a huge blow to them, but not a completely disadvantageous one. They had wanted to use the Tiny Bronco because of its ability to fly, but as he looked around at the plane, he had another idea. "Can't we use it as a boat?" he asked curiously.
"$&!" Cid cursed. "Do whatever you want."
Cloud looked round at the others. They all felt a little guilty about the way things had turned out, especially for Cid. The Tiny Bronco had meant so much to him, and now because of them and the Shinra, it had been taken away from him.
"Cid, what are you going to do?" he asked.
Cid pulled his hand up from the water and sat up on the edge of the plane, thinking it over. "Dunno," he admitted finally. "I'm history with the Shinra and I've given up on the town."
"How 'bout your wife? How 'bout Shera?"
"Wife?" Cid spat, choking back a laugh. "Don't make me laugh! Just thinkin' 'bout marryin' her gives me the chills. What're you guys gonna do?"
"We're going after a man named Sephiroth," Cloud explained. "We'll have to get Rufus of the Shinra someday too."
Cid stared at Cloud, wondering if he was serious. When he saw Cloud's expression didn't change and he realised he was, he said, "I don't know about any of that, but…" He closed his eyes in thought for a second, before he stood up, grabbed his spear and put it firmly over his shoulder. "What the hell? Sign me up!"
Cloud couldn't help but smile a little. He somehow figured that Cid would say that. Still, he needed approval from the others to make it official. "How 'bout it, everyone?" he asked, waiting for their answer.
One by one the others looked round at each other. Then Aeris stood up on the plane, making it rock a little, and said, "I'm all for it!" The others then slowly nodded their own approval, and it was then that it became official.
Cid smirked proudly. "Glad to be aboard, numbskulls!" he said.
Cloud tilted his head. "Numskulls…?" he asked.
Cid nodded. "Yeah. Anyone stupid enough to go up against Shinra nowadays has GOTTA be a numskull! I like it! So, where we headed? Rufus was goin' after Sephiroth towards the Temple of the Ancients."
"Really…?" Cloud exclaimed, almost falling from the plane and into the water. "…Where is it? That Temple of the Ancients?"
Cid thought carefully for a moment, before he finally shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "That numskull kid was tellin' me he was headin' 'the wrong direction'." He pointed out in the direction they were facing, towards the west. "…So maybe it's off this way?"
Cloud turned around and looked out at the ocean. There was another continent visible in the distance, probably no more than an hour's ride from their current location. And they still had a good few hours of daylight left, so they wouldn't need to worry about travelling at night. Still…
"Let's just head for land and get some information," he suggested. "Temple of the Ancients… That name bothers me."
End of Part: 06
Next part: Part 07: Treachery