Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Thirty
It was a terrifying sight. Weapon was floating so close to the submarine it seemed almost possible to reach out and touch it. The sight of it stunned everyone in the sub into total silence. Only Red XIII's cry broke the silence, but they were unable to tear their eyes away from the fearsome monster in front of them.
The same questions ran through everyone's mind. When had Weapon found them? They had been onboard the Gelnika for no longer than maybe half an hour at the most. They had to wonder: did the Turks know that Weapon was on its way? Was that why they had given up the fight so easily and fled the sunken airship?
They watched as Weapon inched slowly forward. It moved by expelling air from vents in the back of its gigantic, hunching shoulders and even more gigantic legs, propelling it forward. The beast was covered from head to foot in thick, moss-coloured armour, the colour of which had earned it its name. The only area left uncovered by armour was a single point in its torso. Its torso was much slender than the rest of its body, with a red laser light at the centre. This light was trained on the companions' sub like an eye, following their every move.
"What should we do?" asked Cid loudly. Almost as if Weapon had heard his voice, it came to a stop. They all held their breath. Weapon made no further moves forward, and they all relaxed. "What should we do?" Cid repeated, this time in a whisper.
Cloud didn't know what to do. They were in a worse position now than they had been facing off against Ruby Weapon in the Highwind. At least then they had room to move about, and could use their weapons and materia. Here they could use neither. They were trapped in a cramped, metallic crate at the bottom of the ocean, with nothing left to use but a few missiles.
"Should we run?" Tifa asked.
"It's all we can do," answered Cloud. He took hold of the control stick. "Hold on."
He jerked the control stick towards him. The submarine roared into life and sprang forward at speed, charging towards Weapon. Cloud tugged on the control stick again and the submarine lurched upwards, rising in a steep climb towards Weapon's head.
The submarine did not stop and climbed ever higher, until finally it soared up and over Emerald Weapon's head. Once over the beast's head Cloud thrust the control stick forward and sent the submarine whizzing through the water, heading for the alcove's exit. They broke through the exit and headed back out into the ocean, leaving Emerald Weapon behind.
"You did it, Cloud!" said Tifa joyfully, once she and the others had regained their balance after the sudden burst of speed. She looked to Cloud, expecting him to be as relieved as she was. She was surprised, then, to find that Cloud's face was solemn as he stared up at the screen. "What is it?" she asked.
She soon got her answer. The sonar beside her beeped loudly, just as Emerald Weapon emerged from the alcove's entrance. The monstrous Weapon slid out of the alcove, moving slow and steady, like something out of a nightmare. It turned slightly to the left and to the right, searching. Then its 'gaze' settled on the sub and it began to move towards them.
Vincent was sitting at the weapon's station. Upon seeing Weapon, the gunman turned calmly to the controls and loaded a missile into the bay. He fired it, and everyone watched as the missile sped through the water towards Weapon. The missile struck the beast in its shoulder, and as it exploded the area became filled with bubbles and thick, watery smoke. Everyone watched, hopeful.
Their hopes were in vain. The watery cloud parted as Weapon emerged, undamaged and unharmed. The missile had done nothing to damage its armour, or even hinder its progression. The only change they noticed was in Weapon's speed—it had picked up its pace.
"Uh, Vincent, I think you just made it angry," said Yuffie. Vincent said nothing.
Cloud moved the sub around a tall pillar of rock. He knew the purpose of Vincent's attack on Weapon. The gunman had simply been confirming what Cloud had already suspected: that the submarine's arsenal was not suited to an underwater battle with Emerald Weapon. The missiles had been designed to penetrate other enemy ships, not the thick, impenetrable armour of Weapon.
In short: if it came to a battle, they stood very little chance of winning.
They came around the other side of the pillar. Now all that lay before them was the wide, open ocean, with nowhere they could hide from Weapon. Where should they go? Cloud had to think quickly, for Weapon was steadily gaining on them. After making up his mind, he turned the sub to the right. Perhaps they could lose Weapon along the pillars and crevices that lined the ocean floor by the continent walls.
Almost as soon as the sub began to turn, Emerald Weapon came to a stop. The red light in the middle of its frame flashed once. It lifted its giant shoulders up, and then fired two shots from two of the four holes in the front of its shoulders. The projectiles fired through the water at great speed and passed the sub on its right-hand side.
The shockwave made by the bullets zipping past caused the submarine to careen sharply to the left. For those inside, it was all they could do to keep from falling over as the ground beneath them lurched and tilted sideways. Only Cloud remained in his chair, pulling on the control stick as hard as he could, trying to bring the submarine back under his control.
The submarine groaned as it rolled back onto its belly. Cloud immediately turned the sub around and headed north along the eastern shore. He put as much power into the engines as he could, forcing the sub forward before Weapon could have a chance to fire again. They had to bring some distance between them and Weapon if they were going to have a chance at surviving this.
Seeing the sub turn towards the north, Emerald Weapon slowly came to a stop. It lowered its shoulders, expelling hot air from the vents along its back. It opened its mouth, mostly hidden behind the armour covering its face, releasing another small stream of hot bubbles. Then it closed its mouth again and began to shuffle forwards after the companions' sub. It moved at a steady pace, keeping the sub in its sight.
Cloud steered the sub in a long arc towards the eastern shore. The current was strong this far down and Cloud had to fight to keep the sub moving at a steady pace, so as not to draw Weapon's attention. His eyes watched the continent walls closely, searching for an inlet where they could quickly hide and then rise to the surface.
There was one such inlet just ahead, but the moment Cloud made to turn the sub towards it Weapon fired another round of projectiles on its left-hand side. The shots hit the continent walls and smashed the entrance of the inlet to pieces, blocking it with falling rock. Cloud cursed and turned the sub back to the north.
The sub continued to head north for a further ten minutes, with Emerald Weapon remaining in close pursuit the whole time. It did not draw any closer to them, but any time they tried to turn and slip into another inlet or cave, Weapon fired another round that forced them back onto their northward course. Eventually they passed the northernmost point of the eastern continent and headed out into the ocean.
As they drew closer to the northern continent, the temperature of the water outside the sub began to drop rapidly. The air inside the sub became cold, until their breath came out in small, white clouds. They were very thankful for the heaters that provided them with warmth and kept them from freezing. Cloud just hoped that Weapon would give up the chase and leave them soon, before the engines froze up.
It was not long before the walls of the northern continent came into view. Upon seeing this Cloud cursed to himself. Now they would have to turn and risk being shot at by Weapon, otherwise they would collide with the continent walls. He took a deep breath before he turned the submarine cautiously to the left.
Seeing the submarine move, Emerald Weapon immediately fired another shot. Cloud saw it coming and immediately swerved the submarine to the right. The sub turned and began to rush along the continent walls, heading west.
Weapon started to give chase, no longer keeping its distance and moving at high speed after the fleeing sub. Two missiles fired from the sub's rear as Vincent tried to stall the monster's advance. The missiles struck Weapon in its torso but did nothing to slow it down—the beast just kept on coming.
"It's still coming after us!" cried Cait, cowering in fear on his Mog.
Cloud pulled on the control stick and pulled the submarine sharply to the right. A loud explosion sounded right next to them, and the submarine was thrown harshly back. Weapon was determined to not let them escape into the ocean again.
Looking up at the view screen, the rear camera showed Weapon fast approaching. Its image was growing rapidly as it drew closer, until it filled the screen. He saw the light in the centre of its torso begin to glow hotly. Knowing what was coming, Cloud pushed the submarine forward as fast as it could go, praying that the engines would hold. They had to escape before it unleashed its primary weapon!
Then, as they sped along, Cloud spotted an opening in the continent walls. Recalling the manoeuvre he pulled when they had fought the other Shinra sub, he pulled the sub into a sharp turn. The nose remained where it was while the rear kept on turning, until the sub had almost made a complete 180 degree turn.
Quickly, Cloud scanned the continent wall. There it was: a tall, narrow fissure in the rocky walls, rising from the ground and heading up to the surface. It was too narrow for the likes of Weapon to fit through, but it was just wide enough for the submarine. Seeing another barrage of rounds heading their way, Cloud punched the accelerator and headed for the fissure.
They reached the fissure just as the rounds exploded. The blast caused a shockwave that sent the submarine hurtling down the narrow gap. More than once they came perilously close to crashing into the walls. It was all Cloud could do to steer them away from the walls, leaving them with nothing more than a few meagre scrapes.
Weapon roared and tried to follow the sub into the fissure. As expected, its great bulk was too large and so it was unable to enter after them. Realising that it had lost its prey, Weapon roared in anger, its rage so intense that it made the water quiver.
Cloud kept the sub moving down the length of the fissure. Weapon could not make it down here, of that he was sure. But it still had its primary weapon: that laser. With that Emerald Weapon could blast the rock guarding the fissure to pieces, and then they would have no escape. All they could do now was move well out of range and hope that Weapon did not use its laser. Perhaps once it realised that the chase was futile it would leave and they could quietly make an escape.
The fissure came to an abrupt end about thirty metres ahead of them, but as they neared Cloud saw that there was a darkened tunnel close to the ocean floor. Here was the perfect hiding place. Cloud led the submarine into the tunnel and brought it to a stop.
Then… they waited.
In the distance they heard Weapon roaring in rage. It was incredible that they could still hear it, this far beneath the ocean, when the water should have dulled out all other sounds. Every so often they heard a 'thud', presumably caused by Weapon slamming its body against the fissure's entrance, trying to draw them out.
"So now what?" Barret asked, breaking the silence. "We jus' sit here and wait for it to leave?"
"It looks that way," Cloud replied, not looking at him.
Silence resumed. Outside, Weapon continued to slam its body against the rock. Barret, growing more and more impatient, drummed his fingers against his gun-arm.
A few minutes passed by, and still Weapon showed no signs of stopping. Unable to take it any longer, Barret slammed his gun-arm against the wall. "Why don't we jus' charge it?" he demanded. "All this waitin' around is drivin' me crazy!" He slammed his arm against the wall a second time for good measure.
"As long as Weapon is out there, we'll be blasted out of the water the moment we show our faces," said Vincent gruffly. When Barret seemed about to protest, Vincent added: "If you want to go out there and die, then go ahead. What will become of the planet then? Or Marlene?"
Barret shut his mouth. He shook his fist at Vincent and then turned away, his face sullen. "Guess I'll just wait, then," he said finally.
Once again the silence returned. Everyone in the sub sat nervously as they listened to Weapon roaring, their hearts racing each time they heard the telltale thud of its body crashing into the rock. Inwardly, each one of them hoped that the continent walls were strong enough to withstand the force, though none dared to say it aloud.
After about five minutes of silence, Tifa slipped off her headphones and left her seat to stand beside Cloud.
"How much air do we have left?" she asked him quietly, so the others couldn't hear.
"About an hour," the swordsman whispered back. "It should be enough, I think."
"You hope," Tifa amended softly. She looked down at the floor, her fists trembling. Angrily she pushed her fears aside and looked up at the screen. "Where are we, anyway?" she asked aloud, trying to change the topic.
Cloud brought the world map up onto the screen. Their location was marked by a single yellow dot. "We're in an underwater tunnel on the southern side of the northern continent," he said.
"It isn't marked on the map."
Cloud nodded. As far as the map was concerned, they appeared to be inside the continent itself. "I guess nobody knew about it until now."
The swordsman cancelled the world map and returned to the view screen. He pressed another button to turn on the outside lights, which lit up the surrounding area. As long as they were trapped down here, they may as well have a look around.
The tunnel that they were hiding in was very dark; so dark that even the lights had difficulty penetrating it. The walls were narrow, with barely enough room to turn around. It also seemed that the tunnel headed further underneath the continent, though to where it led, Cloud couldn't even guess.
"Well, we might as well have a look where this leads," he said to the others. "Before some people go crazy," he added with a smirk, ignoring Barret's shaking fist.
Cloud began to guide the sub slowly down the dark tunnel. The sound of roaring and slamming became quieter and quieter the further down the tunnel they went. All traces of sunlight were extinguished down here. The only source of light came from the sub, and even that was faint compared the overwhelming darkness.
Then, the sonar blipped. Tifa went back to her console and sat down, pulling the headphones back over her ears. Curious, she watched the screen. The sonar beeped again, a little louder this time, and a small dot appeared on the screen. The fighter raised an eyebrow. There was definitely something there, some way ahead.
"Hang on a second," she said. "I'm… picking something up. "Keep heading straight ahead, Cloud."
Cloud did as she told him. He slowed the submarine down until it was inching its way through the tunnel. Everyone kept their eyes on the view screen, scanning the pebbly ground outside, searching for signs of… something. The sonar began to beep rapidly, just as something came into view of the screen.
"What's that?" he said. He brought the sub to a stop and looked up at the screen.
There was an object there, sticking up out of the rock just a few metres ahead of the sub. Cloud inched the sub a little further forward to bring it into clear view of the lights. Then his breath caught in his throat and he stared in disbelief at the object.
It was a wooden stick, jammed tight into the rock. It was almost perfectly straight and had numerous branches growing out of it at intervals that were too well positioned to be pure coincidence. It looked very old and very delicate; in fact they were surprised it hadn't rotted away by now. Cloud thought it resembled one of those old-fashioned music box keys. A musical key…
Cloud rose out of his chair, his eyes fixed on the 'stick'. "Do you think it's…?" he began, but couldn't finish for fear he might curse it.
Nobody said a word. They waited in nervous anticipation as Cloud manoeuvred the sub until it was positioned over the key. The hatch on the underside opened and the grabber claw descended. The claw's fingers closed gently around the key, hooking beneath the branches, and began to pull it carefully out of the rock. Everyone held their breath as the claw pulled, terrified that the key might snap. The key moved slowly and eventually slid out of the rocks, intact. Everyone sighed heavily. The claw carried the key into the sub, and the hatch closed behind it. The computer hummed, analysing the key.
"…Analysis completed…" the computer said after a moment. "…Exact date of origin cannot be determined… …Estimated to be several thousand years old…"
"Key of the Ancients…" Cloud breathed. His heart was racing with the tension. The swordsman sank back into his chair, took a deep breath, and sighed heavily. He didn't know why, but he just knew that this was the key they had been searching for. How it had ended up buried this far beneath the ocean he would never know, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was that, at last, they had found the 'key'.
They were so thrilled about having found the Key of the Ancients that they totally forgot about Emerald Weapon. They only remembered when they reached the entrance to the fissure and quickly slowed their pace, looking to see if Weapon was still there waiting for them to emerge.
To their surprise, Emerald Weapon had gone. There was no sign of the beast anywhere in the surrounding area—even the sonar showed no signs of it. They took this as a good sign and quickly made their escape, though more than a few of them began to wonder about Weapon's true intentions when it had chased them across the ocean.
They headed with all haste back to Junon, where they had left the Highwind. Stepping out of the sub into the sunlight and open air filled them with such indescribable relief that they had to stop for a moment to appreciate the feeling of the wind against their skin. The moment was dampened only by the sight of Meteor in the sky, reminding them of their mission.
They transported the key with the utmost care onto the airship. It was much stronger than it looked but they did not want to risk damaging it now, after all they had gone through to find it. Once it was fastened securely in the hold, they headed with all possible speed back to the northern continent.
They landed the Highwind once more outside of Bone Village. When they were preparing to disembark, Cait Sith suddenly announced that he would be staying behind. When asked why, the cat simply replied that he had some maintenance to take care of. Cloud decided not to press him on the issue, and so they left the cat onboard the Highwind and headed on to the Forgotten City.
Bugenhagen was where they had left him, waiting patiently beside the altar. When he saw the companions approach carrying the key, his old face creased into a smile.
"Oh! You've found it!" he said, and Cloud was irked to register some surprise in the old man's voice. Had he really doubted their ability to find it on their own?
The old man took the key from Cloud. He turned it over in his hands, examining it closely. He felt the wood: old and damp, but firm. He ran his fingers along the branches… Yes, this was indeed the 'key' that the Ancient's writing had spoken of. Bugenhagen nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand towards a strange structure on a small platform on the other side of the chamber.
"That Music Box over there," he said. "We'll put the key in it." He started to float away, but then stopped. "I'll go use the key," he told the companions. "You all wait here. And watch closely what happens."
They all watched as Bugenhagen left the altar and floated towards the platform. He stopped next to the strange structure that he had pointed out to them. It was made up of numerous rising crystal spikes of various sizes, all positioned loosely around a tiny hole in the rock. Next to this 'music box' as Bugenhagen had called it, was a tall, cylindrical pillar of rock.
Carefully Bugenhagen lifted the key and then lowered it gently into the middle of the box. The key's tip slotted into the hole with a gentle click, locking into place. Bugenhagen then let go of the key. It remained perfectly upright, its branches positioned perfectly between the numerous crystal spires.
"Ho Ho Hooo!" Bugenhagen chuckled, and stepped back to watch.
The key started to turn. As it moved the branches hit the many crystal spires, which rang out with a soft, high-pitched note. The more the key turned the more notes rang out throughout the chamber, playing an intricate yet beautiful melody.
As the song came to a close, there was a gentle rumble from deep beneath the audience chamber. The pillar next to the music box trembled and then slid down into the ground, like a switch that had just been turned on.
There was another rumble, this time from above the chamber. Everyone turned their eyes to the hole in chamber roof as a few droplets of water trickled through. Then a torrent of water flowed through the hole and descended upon the stone platform. It fell like a curtain over the altar, hiding the crystal and the slab from view. A moment later a bright glow began to shine from within the wall of water.
Tifa walked to the edge of the path, stopping before the waterfall. The water was crystal clear—she could see her reflection almost perfectly. She stretched out her hand and let the water slide onto her fingertips. It was deliciously cool against her skin, and the sunlight streaming in from above gave the water a shattered diamond effect. It was beautiful.
Bugenhagen floated up beside them, also admiring the waterfall. "Now, go inside," the old man told them. "Hope may be inside… Or…" He did not finish his sentence. He did not need to—they all knew what 'or' meant.
Cloud stepped up to the edge of the wall. He, too, placed his hand into the wall, letting the water splash onto his hands, his gloves, and his materia. It was just water. The swordsman stepped through the water until he came out of the other side, inside the barrier made by the water. He shook his head, shaking the water out of his spiky hair.
The others came through after him, until all were gathered around the altar. Bugenhagen came through last and immediately moved to float beside the crystal.
The crystal was glowing now. Its light filled the altar, reflecting off the water and casting its image about the water's surface. Bugenhagen watched as his own reflection danced about on the water, ever-shifting. As the light began to gather at a single point on the water, realisation dawned in the old man's eyes.
"This was just a screen to project an image!" he announced. He turned to Cloud and the others, who looked up at him in bewilderment. "Look!" he told them, pointing up at the waterfall. "Look at the image projected on the screen of the water!"
They did as he bade them and looked up at the water. At first they saw nothing: just the rippling reflection of the crystal. Then, as the light gathered, an image began to form. Cloud's eyes widened as he recognised the face now showing on the water. It was Aeris.
The Ancient was inside the City of the Ancients, the forgotten homeland of her predecessors. She was kneeling at the centre of the altar, her head lowered, eyes closed, and her hands clasped across her chest. Her lips moved voicelessly, as she prayed with all her heart for the one hope that could save the planet from Meteor.
Cloud watched the image in disbelief. Aeris looked so alive and so real…
Suddenly Aeris lifted her head. She looked directly ahead of her, which, incidentally, was right at Cloud and the others. Her face softened into a smile, as though she was truly alive and was happy to have seen them again.
Then Aeris was falling, as Sephiroth's blade left her body and took her life along with it. Her head dropped low and her eyes fluttered shut. They heard her last breath as it left her, soft and painless. Her pink silk ribbon, the one that she always wore, came loose and slipped from her hair.
There it was. The White Materia.
Now free from the ribbon, the White Materia fell onto the altar. When it hit the floor it bounced with a light clang. It did not stop but continued to bounce from pillar to pillar, until at last it fell from the final pillar and plunged into the water that lay at the foot of the city. It slipped quickly through the water, until it finally reached the bottom. It came to a stop, nestled among a pile of pebbles.
And then… as it lay still among the pebbles… the White Materia began to glow.
Holy had heard Aeris's prayer.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS
Another chapter done, and another step closer to the end! I hadn't planned on an epic underwater battle with Emerald Weapon, but I figured, realistically, the sub wouldn't stand a chance and I haven't had a chance to include the finding of the Underwater materia.
I'm still scripting for Crisis Core at the moment. I'm currently up to the bit where you make the wagon for Aerith. I'll get it done eventually.
But now I'm torn, because I also really want to write up Final Fantasy 13, which is steadily becoming my favourite of all the games. I was tempted to restart the poll and include Final Fantasy 13 as an option (or even the other games, since I also had plans for FF8, 9 and Dissidia), but I don't know. Crisis Core is currently winning the poll, and it seems a shame to make people feel like their vote didn't count. I also had plans for writing up Kingdom Hearts, Shadow Hearts and Star Ocean (and even Klonoa, at one point), but if I do all these games I'll be writing till I'm an old biddy!
Please message me your opinions on whether you would like me to continue with the FF7 saga after this, or whether I should branch out into the other games! Your opinion is important to me!