This chapter and Chapter 17 was originally one chapter, but as I got closer to hitting 8,000 words I figured I might as well split the chapter into two separate chapters instead. It lengthens the Wutai section out a bit at least.
Now, a little note about the Pagoda section. I will be writing this bit up separately to the rest of the instalment, and uploading it as a separate story. This new story file shall be labelled 'Up the Pagoda' (isn't that original?). So from this point of this instalment we shall be leaving Wutai behind. I shall let you all know through here when the 'Up the Pagoda' section will be available.
Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Eighteen
Corneo stopped jumping up and down, and quickly turned to face the path behind him. For an instant there was a look of fear and panic in his eyes, for a moment wondering if he was in any danger. "Hee-haw. What… what's goin' on?" he demanded. "Who's there?"
He looked further up the path, and jumped back for a second time as he saw Cloud and his party running down the arm of Da Chao towards him. He backed up onto the very edge of the path, beside a small, metallic structure that was embedded in the rock. While he looked scared to see Cloud and the others approaching him, Yuffie, looked extremely relieved.
"Oh man! Cloud……!" Yuffie called out desperately. Never in her life had she been so glad to see the spiky-haired ex-SOLDIER. Beside her, Elena also sighed with relief, equally relieved to see Cloud and the others come to their rescue. She would have preferred Tseng or the other Turks, but as long as she was rescued from this predicament, she didn't care who saved her.
"Wheee!" Corneo exclaimed gleefully. "…Long time no see." He said it a little cautiously, as though he wasn't entirely sure whether he had seen them before.
Cloud raised an eyebrow at the estranged man, and folded his arms. "Don't tell me you forgot…" he said in disbelief.
"That fall into the trap really hurt!" Tifa shouted angrily, clenching her firsts tightly. She was of course referring to the trap that Corneo had tricked them into back in Midgar, delaying their return to Sector 7 in time to stop the support pillar from being destroyed. They had managed to squeeze the information they needed out of him, but he was as slippery as an eel and had a backup plan ready.
"You just don't get it, do you?" Aeris shouted, just as angry as Tifa was. Their minds were both fixed on all of the innocent people who had been crushed to death when the Sector 7 plate came crashing down. It was because of Corneo that that had happened. Because he had told the Shinra that AVALANCHE was based in Sector 7. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were only a few of those many innocents.
Don Corneo didn't look very sympathetic. "Be quiet!" he snapped instead, silencing them all. "None of you know how much I've suffered since then…" He turned away from them. "It's a long story, but……"
"We don't want to hear it!" said Tifa. "Just let the two go!"
Don Corneo turned back to face the group. So he did remember them after all. The Shinra had found out about him telling Cloud and the others about their plans to destroy the pillar, and since then Corneo had been on the run, fearing for his life. He had run from Midgar to Kalm, across the ocean to Costa del Sol, and finally ended up in Wutai where he thought he would be safe. Until the Turks got involved, and he ended up on the run again.
"Hmm… You guys are… serious," he said, looking from one person to another. He eyed over their wide selection of weaponry, and was clever enough to notice the complete lack of materia. A sly smile widened on his face. "……Good, good. …This ain't no time for me to be fooling around either… Why did you kill my little Aps? I'm gonna make you PLAY with my new pet, so you won't be getting in the way of my search for a bride!" He turned to the cliff. "RAPPS---Come here!"
A loud and high-pitched screech suddenly came from the ground beneath them, and the heavy beating of flapping wings could be heard. All at once everyone's hands rushed to their weapons, instantly ready to fight off anything that Corneo was about to throw at them.
Cloud reached behind him and draw his Buster Sword, holding the handle firmly in his hands. He was not worried about what kind of creature Corneo would set against them. Last time Corneo had underestimated their ability to kill Aps, his sewer monster, and it was more than likely that he would underestimate them again. Even without their materia, he had every confidence that they would defeat this new beast with ease.
The sound of rushing wings got louder, and a dark red blur suddenly zipped up from the ground below, heading up to the sky. As the creature rose it screeched again, flapping its thick, leathery wings as it rose up into the sky.
As Cloud had expected, Corneo had underestimated them. Rapps, as he called the creature, was nothing more than a simple aerial dragon, and not even a fully-grown one at that. At full size and strength the dragon would cause them problems, especially since they had no materia. This dragon was about half the size it should have been, with a long, thin, spiky snout and a small spike at the end of its long tail. It would cause no problems at all.
Reno was still searching at that moment. He had searched the eastern side of the statue, looking into every hidden cave that he could see, and was now heading back towards the west side to meet up with Rude. He could not see Cloud and his party any more, and it disgusted him to think that he had to team up with them in order to get Elena back safely.
As he was walking across one of the upper paths, he suddenly heard a loud and angry screech echo up from the ground below. He stopped in the middle of the path and looked down in time to see a dark red and purple dragon fly up from below. The sound of gunfire could then be heard, and the dragon circled rapidly.
However, Reno was ignoring the dragon. He had spotted something much more important standing on the hand near to where the dragon had arisen. He could see the small, rounded figure of Don Corneo, jumping up and down in excitement, calling out to his draconic pet in glee as it circled and avoided the gunfire. Reno let a small smile appear briefly on his face, before he began to walk across the path again.
Rapps gave another ear-shattering screech as another bullet pierced the thin flesh of its body. The bullet shot straight through to the other end, pushing out of the monsters back and into the air. There were more bleeding bullet wounds all across its body – dark green blood pouring from its chest and stomach, and even pouring like tears from its eyes. Its speed had been a great advantage in this battle, allowing it to dive in fast strokes.
The monster dived again, making one final attempt to get at least one of its prey off the ledge. It tilted its wounded wings and dived, trying to pass the ledge on the eastern side.
The dragon approached, and Cid pushed past Tifa and ran across the path towards the junction where the dragon would pass. Vincent managed to jump aside as the dragon swept in, firing a good few bullets from his gun as it passed. He stopped firing as Cid jumped past him and off the ledge, his spear high above his head as he prepared to bring it down onto the creature.
His aim was perfect. He landed on the creature's back as it flew past the ledge, and instantly brought his spear down. The sharp spear pierced through the flesh with ease, its thin point splicing through until it came out of the other end, narrowly missing the creature's erratically beating heart.
Cid hung on with all his might, keeping the spear still as the dragon screeched and thrashed its wings in a panic. Already it was beginning to drop in height – the blood loss and pain from the spear beginning to take its toll. Pretty soon it was beginning to drop dramatically, heading towards the ground. At the last second Cid withdrew his spear and leapt from the creature's back, landing back on the ledge without a scratch.
Rapps meanwhile, was dead even before he hit the ground. As he fell towards the rocky chasm below his eyes slid shut, passing quietly into death before his body could hit the rocks. No one watched him land.
All Don Corneo could do was watch and stare as his beloved Rapps crashed onto the ground, falling into a rugged heap on the floor. His jaw hung open in disbelief, unable to believe that his dragon had been defeated. When he looked up at last he saw the fixed gazes of the party staring at him intently, and he quickly turned white as he realised that he was next.
"Wait…" he said quickly, waving his arms madly in front of him. "Just wait a second!"
Cloud shook his head, his sword sharp and ready in his hands. "SHUT UP!" he commanded. He had had enough of Corneo's attempts to waste their time, and he had had pretty much enough of this pointless escapade.
"Just listen to me – it won't take long," Corneo said earnestly, desperate to buy time for himself. He was backing up onto the ledge again, his hand slowly edging towards the peculiar metal object hidden in the ground. "Why do you think a bad guy like me would swallow his pride and plead for his life? 1 – Because he's ready to die. 2 – Because he's sure to win. 3 – Because he's clueless."
Cloud rolled his eyes. He knew Corneo was just stalling for time – trying to think of some way he could save his own pathetic hide. "Three," he answered finally, deciding to humour him for a little while.
"Hmm…!" Corneo sniggered. "Close, but no cigar!"
Before anyone could react, Corneo quickly spun round and pulled on the metal object behind him. It was actually a remote lever that he had quickly set up when he tied Yuffie and Elena to the statue, and it was connected to the metal plates that they were tied onto.
As he pulled the lever, the mechanism whirred. Seconds later the metal plates began to slowly turn, and Yuffie and Elena turned along with them. By the time the plates stopped turning the two women were hanging upside down on the plates, pointing headfirst into the rocky chasm where Rapps lay dead.
Elena had closed her eyes while the metal plates had turned, but as they had stopped she slowly opened her eyes. She found herself looking straight down into the chasm, which looked much closer now she was upside down. "Eyaaaah…!" she screamed in fright, closing her eyes again.
Beside her, Yuffie was furious. "Makes me so MAD…!" she snarled angrily. She continued to wriggle even though she was upside down, but nevertheless she still could not break free of the ropes.
"If I push this button," Corneo was saying, as Cloud and the others all gasped and stared at the two hanging women. "They'll fall upside down, and we'll have a SQUASHED TOMATOES!"
No one bothered to correct his grammatical error. Cloud turned and glared at Corneo through fierce blue eyes, trying to see any sign that he might have been bluffing. Yet there was no sign in Corneo's eyes that said to him that he was lying, and he really meant to drop the women. If he were to drop Yuffie and Elena from this height, they would surely be killed the moment they hit the rocks.
"Damn…!" he cursed, knowing that they could not make any form of attack as long as Yuffie and Elena were pointing into the chasm. They were now at Corneo's mercy.
Tifa curled her lip as she looked at Corneo angrily. "Coward," she said.
Corneo did not seem to care much about her insult. He was smiling now, all the memory of Rapps completely wiped from his mind. His anguish had now been replaced by the sheer thrill of excitement that came with the knowledge that he had once again got the better of the group. "Now, give me your women too!" he ordered them sternly, the manic grin of enthusiasm returning to his face. He saw Cloud's angry glare, and laughed. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! I guess I'm the one laughing last!"
"No, that would be us."
"Hee-haw. What…" Corneo asked, opening his eyes and looking around. "What's goin' on? Who's there?"
He looked up past Cloud and the others, and his eyes opened wide into a true expression of fear as he saw Reno walking down the path behind Cloud and his party. Although he didn't recognise Reno individually, he recognised the trademark uniform. That blue uniform was the designated uniform of a Turk. He had dismissed the uniform as mere chance with Elena, but now that Reno had arrived he was truly afraid. "…The Turks!" he said.
Reno did not respond. He calmly walked past Cloud and the others, ignoring their gazes as they followed him across the path. He came to a stop on the thumb of the statue, and flicked his hair out of his eyes. Then he looked at Corneo. "You knew this was gonna happen ever since you leaked that secret," he said. "We're going to take care of you… personally."
"DAMMIT!" Corneo shouted, those words cutting into his heart more than Cloud's sword ever could. He feared the Turks far more than he could ever fear Cloud and his group. His entire body was trembling. "Then they're all goin' with me!" he shouted, and turned to push the button beside the lever.
Before his hand could get anywhere near the button, a black blur suddenly zipped through the air. It struck Corneo in his side, and the man staggered forward in surprise, trying to maintain his balance. He staggered all the way to the edge of the cliff, and waved his arms frantically to keep from falling over. He lost the battle for balance and tumbled over, his hands grabbing onto the edge. There he hung, holding on for dear life. Reno smiled and looked up at Rude, who was standing on another path at the back of the statue.
"Good timing, Rude," he said.
Rude adjusted his shades and slowly nodded his head. "…Let's get to work," he said simply.
Reno nodded in agreement, and walked carefully down from the thumb and towards the spot where Corneo was hanging. He looked down at the hanging man for a second or two, before bringing his foot down on Corneo's hand. Corneo cried out as he felt the firm leather crushing his hand. If Reno were to release him now, he would fall to his death.
"All right, Corneo," Reno said sternly, leaning over to look Corneo in the eye. "This'll be over quick, so listen up. Why do you think we went to all the trouble of teaming up with those guys to get you…? 1 – Because we were ready to die. 2 – Because we were sure of victory. 3 – Because we were clueless."
Corneo tried to think of which was the right answer. It was hard to think because he was hanging from the edge of a cliff, but he eventually understood enough to answer. "Two… Number Two?"
Reno shook his head. "All wrong."
Corneo's eyes widened in fear. "No…! Wait, sto……!" Reno then lifted his foot, and Corneo slipped from the edge. "Aaaaaaaaaa……p!"
No one watched him land. The only clue to his demise was the fading of his last scream, followed by the heavy thud as his body hit the ground. Aeris flinched as she heard that thud, and turned her head away. Corneo may have been a sick man, but this was another reminder that the Turks were not to be messed with.
When the final echoes of Corneo's dying thud had died away, Reno turned away from the cliff edge and closed his eyes. "The correct answer was…" he began.
"…Because it's our job," finished Rude. Reno opened his eyes again and nodded at his partner, satisfied that they had completed their mission.
Meanwhile, Elena was still hanging upside down from the statue. "Oh, thank you very much…!" she called out to them, the gratitude clearly audible in her voice and visible on her face. "I never expected you to come help……"
Reno snapped his head around and looked up at Elena, glaring at her through narrowed eyes. "Elena, don't act so weak," he told her sternly. "You're a Turk!"
"Y…Yes, sir!" Elena replied. Reno smiled and shook his head, secretly relieved that Elena was all right.
"Thanks for your help," said Aeris.
"……" Rude muttered silently, turning his head away from them.
Reno was about to say something more, but right then a loud ringing sound suddenly began to buzz from inside his pocket. He turned away from the group and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and putting it to his ear.
"Yes… this is Reno," he answered, listening to the voice on the other end. "Yes…" He glanced over at Rude and nodded his head slightly. Rude seemed to understand what Reno meant in that nod, and folded his arms. "Yes… I'll get on it right away." He flicked the phone off, and slipped it back into his pocket.
"Was that the company?" asked Elena.
Reno nodded. "Yeah, they want us to find Cloud…" He turned back around to face Cloud and the others, who were all still standing silently behind them. Cloud narrowed his eyes and quickly put his hand to his sword again, ready to fight them if necessary.
To his utmost surprise, Reno made no move to draw his weapon, which was clearly visible underneath his jacket. Nor did Rude make any move to jump over to them, even though he could make the jump easily. In fact, neither of the Turks made any move to attack them. Reno just stared at Cloud intently, saying nothing.
"Are we on…?" asked Rude, breaking the silence.
Reno stared at Cloud a few seconds more, before glancing at Reno. "No, today we're off duty." He looked back at Cloud and nodded reassuringly. For a moment Cloud wondered whether or not to believe him, but then he relaxed his hand, leaving his sword behind his back. He would give the Turks the benefit of the doubt this time.
"Hey---who cares about any of that?" came Yuffie's angry voice, as she was still hanging upside down from the mountain. "Get----me-----down----!"
Now back in Yuffie's house, Yuffie leapt around the room, darting from one person to another as she slipped the materia back into the slots of the weapons and armour. Her hands moved like lightning, zipping in and out of the brown bag where the materia was stored, pushing it into an available slot before jumping to the next person. She didn't take note of who got what materia – what was important was that she was finally giving the materia back at last.
"Phew, perfect," the young ninja said, as she finished putting in the last piece of materia into Barret's gun-arm. "Now the materia is back in its rightful place."
"Hey…" Cloud said, looking down at the amulet around his wrist and his blade. "The placement of it is all messed up."
Yuffie sidled over and looked over Cloud's shoulder. Sure enough, Cloud had a completely different set of materia from what he was used to. Instead of lightning, he had ice, and instead of the Ramuh materia, he had Choco/Mog, as well as the Cure materia.
"Huh?" Yuffie said. She tapped the materia gently with her finger, and then shrugged. "Oh, it'll be all right… Don't be so picky! Anyways, that sure was close…… Now, normally I would kick their butts. Boom, Bang!" She began to punch and kick the air, acting as though she was beating Corneo and his dragon pet to a pulp with her bare hands, swiping her shuriken across the air.
Everyone watched and stared at her as she did her little show. They couldn't believe that she was acting as though nothing had ever happened. If it hadn't been for her, they would never have had to go through all that in the first place. Yuffie's ego really was something to be trifled with. Cloud looked over at Tifa, Vincent, and Cait Sith, and they nodded.
"That Corneo guy's a real pain," Yuffie was saying. She had turned away from the whole group now, standing at the far end of the living room. She was oblivious to the silent conversation going on behind her – the way Cloud turned to the other side of the room and nodded at the rest of the group. "I'd rather deal with my dad than deal with that guy. Oh, by the way, some of those guys from the Turks are good, huh? At least, after all that, we got the materia back. Now come on everybody, let's continue our journey…"
At that point she finally turned around, and jumped as she saw that she was standing alone in the room. The others had all left, walking out while she was in the middle of her rant about the materia.
"……Hey!" Yuffie called out angrily, realising that she had been left behind. "W……wait! Oh, all right. Here, I'll give this to you guys. Here, look, look!" She jumped up and waved a single piece of materia in the air – the piece that she had snatched from Cloud's hands in the Item shop. "………… Come on, wait---! No matter what anyone says, I'm going with you!"
She lowered her arm and looked down at the glimmering ball of materia resting in her hands. After a second or two she closed her fist around it, and quietly slipped it back into her pocket.
"…Next time…" she said, before running out of the house after the others.