Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Part Fifteen: The One-Winged Angel
Chapter Forty
The Highwind came to a stop at the summit of the Northern Crater. The outside of the crater was so rugged and steep it was impossible for the airship to land, and with no other landing spots nearby it instead just hovered over the peak.
One of the Highwind's crew threw a rope ladder over the side of the airship and lowered it until it reached the ground. He then handed Cloud and his companions their equipment and then stepped back, saluting them. The companions nodded their heads in acquiescence and then climbed down the ladder. They gathered around the edge of the crater, peering down.
The inside of the crater was just as harsh a terrain as it was outside, as years of weathering had worn away the rock. As they peered inside they were surprised to see that there was a path winding along the inside of the crater, heading deep into the crater. It blended perfectly into the natural formation of the rock so it appeared to be naturally made, but they knew that this was impossible. Perhaps it was Sephiroth's doing, they thought, daring them to come down and challenge him.
Cloud knelt at the edge of the crater. He looked all the way down to the very bottom. He had expected a black, shadowy pit with no end, and so he was surprised to find that he could see the bottom. A large, glowing pool of mako filled the bottom of the Northern Crater, its light so pure and so bright that it lit up the inside of the crater like a giant, glowing torch.
But there was something else at the bottom of the crater, something that could not be seen with the naked eye. Cloud could feel it in his soul. Sephiroth was also down there, waiting for them. He could feel Sephiroth's presence down there, like an infection invading the planet. And he could also tell, from deep inside, that Sephiroth was aware of them. He knew that they were coming. Cloud scowled and rose to his feet. He turned to his friends.
"Looks like we can only slide down," he said to them. His friends nodded.
Cloud descended first. He climbed over the edge of the crater and began to make his way carefully down the hole. The crater wall was rough and rugged, and there were plenty of hand and footholds to grab onto. The others made their way down after him, making their way down slowly.
As he climbed down, Cloud wondered just what had crashed into the planet to cause this kind of damage. Was it another disaster, like Meteor? Perhaps someone, long ago, had used the Black Materia to call Meteor, and the collision had caused the damage. Or perhaps it was Jenova, the calamity from the skies. Did this crater form when she descended upon the planet? Who knew?
The companions made their way steadily down the wall, heading for the path below. Then there came the sound of falling rock as Red XIII lost his footing. The hound slid down the rock face, scrabbling for a foothold. He clawed the wall but could not get a grip, and tumbled all the way down until he hit the path below. Everyone held their breath. The hound lay still for a moment, and then rose to his feet. Everybody sighed; he was okay.
Red XIII, still stunned from his fall, sat and waited for the others to finish climbing down. When he neared the end, Cait let his Mog slip down and jumped off at the end. The others did the same, gathering at the top of the path. They must have descended only thirty feet, but already the top of the crater seemed so far away.
They looked down to the bottom of the crater. The path wound around the inside about three times before it came to an end. There was a hole in the rock close to where the path ended, and this was where they headed.
As they walked down they heard a screeching roar from somewhere below them. They looked down and caught a glimpse of fluttering wings amongst the moving shadows surrounding the mako pool. An Allemagne, a winged monster with a round body and one very large eye, flew up towards them. Its red eye turned to them. It screeched and then swooped towards them.
Vincent swiftly drew his gun and fired a single shot. The bullet pierced the Allemagne's large eyeball, and came straight out the other side. The monster gave a single pained shriek before it stiffened and fell down towards the mako pool. It splashed into the Lifestream and sank beneath its surface.
Vincent sheathed his gun. He shared a quick glance with Cloud. The two had the same thought: it would only get worse from here on out.
The companions continued down the winding path, going deeper and deeper into the Northern Crater. Occasionally they looked up at the Highwind, still hovering overhead, and wondered if this would be the last time they laid eyes on the airship.
They reached the end of the path and walked through the opening in the crater wall. The air was warmer in here and heavy with the scent of mako. It was also very dark inside; they could barely see anything in front of them. Cid lit up one of the flares they had brought with them and used it to guide their way.
It was a good thing he did, for without it they would quickly have plummeted to their deaths. There were more paths inside the crater wall, but they were so old and worn down that many of them had crumbled away, leaving sizable gaps. Some paths crumbled as they stood on them, forcing them back. In many instances the companions were forced to jump over the smaller gaps in order to progress.
One thing that was plentiful inside the North Cave was monsters. There were more Allemagne, Gargoyles and Master Tonberrys, and many more that had never been seen before. Somewhere below them they heard the heavy, thudding footsteps of an Armoured Golem as it wandered the vast caverns. Most of the monsters, thankfully, paid them no mind, and so they hurried on, following the light of Cid's flare.
The crumbling paths came to an end. The companions slid carefully down a set of slender, rocky pillars and gathered on the next path, which branched off in two directions. The left-hand path went further ahead, while the right-hand one went down in a steep slope. Cid shone the light of the flare down each of the two paths. There was not much to see and it was impossible to tell which way they should go.
"The road splits into two," said Cloud. "We'll split into two groups."
Around him, the others nodded. While they were reluctant to split up at this point, it was more practical if they wanted to cover more ground quickly. Cloud relayed the plans: they would split into two teams, one team taking each path. If one team found something or they reached a dead end, they would contact the other with the PHS. In that case, the companions would regroup and then decide what to do next.
"Which way are you gonna choose, Cloud?" asked Cid.
Cloud folded his arms, thinking how he should best split the teams. Before he could choose anyone, Tifa stepped forward to stand beside him. That was one person down. Cloud also chose Red XIII and Vincent to go along with him down the left-hand path, while Barret, Cid, Cait and Yuffie would make their way down the sloping right-hand one. The two groups stood apart, looking silently at one another.
"Now," Cloud said, giving Barret and his group a stern look, "don't any of you die on me. …Gotta get through to Sephiroth!"
Barret's group nodded. At this stage in their journey, death was unthinkable. Though they were not invincible, it was hard to believe that there was much left that could stop them from reaching Sephiroth.
Cid raised his spear and hefted it onto his shoulder. Its metal tip glinted bright red in the light of his flare. "I'll destroy that Sephiroth before anyone gets to him," he said. Then, with his flare over his head, he began to march solidly down the sloping path.
"It's all over now," said Vincent. "With this…" He turned away, his frayed red cape fluttering behind him, and walked down the left-hand path.
Yuffie watched as Cid and Vincent headed down each of the two paths. The ninja then sagged and sighed heavily, lowering her head. "Oh man… 'Materia Hunter Yuffie' sounds like the last chapter of 'Materia Forever'." She shook her head, sighing again. Then she pushed herself upright, shook away her doubts, and ran after Cid.
Cait Sith sat silently on the Mog's head. The Mog walked forward, past Cloud, and stopped at the entrance to the sloping pathway. The cat turned and faced Cloud, and then looked down. He scratched his head, and then looked at Cloud again.
"I'm so happy to have met you all," he said suddenly, "really!" Without another word he turned away, rubbed at his eyes (though how they could fill up was anybody's guess!) and then left, the Mog hopping down the path.
"Well…" said Barret, walking over to Cloud. "Looks like this is our last big job!" He paused, looking at Cloud and Tifa. They knew what he meant. The last big job of AVALANCHE: the resistors of Shinra and defenders of the planet.
Tifa closed her eyes and folded her hands over her chest. She hoped that somewhere Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were watching, and were proud of what they were doing.
Barret then left, following Cid, Yuffie and Cait down the sloping path. As he left Red XIII padded forward. "All life on the planet," he said as he walked past Cloud and Tifa, "indeed the very life of the planet, is in our hands…"
The hound then fell silent. Cloud watched him as he followed Vincent down the path. Since returning from Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII had been different. It was only during the flight from Midgar to the North Cave that Cloud found out why. Upon the hound's return to his hometown he had found Bugenhagen at death's door, weakened from his long journey home. The old man died that same night. But his grandfather's death helped Red XIII to make up his mind. He left Cosmo Canyon that next morning determined to fulfil his grandfather's wishes and protect the planet.
Red XIII took a few steps down the path. He then stopped, his tail low, and looked up at the ceiling.
Father… Grandfather… the hound said silently to himself. Are you watching?
Of course, he got no reply. Red XIII lowered his head and squeezed his eyes tight. His grandfather was at peace now, returning to the planet he had loved dearly. There was no time for sadness. Red XIII opened his eyes again and ran after Vincent.
Now only Tifa and Cloud remained at the junction. Tifa turned to Cloud. "After this, we can go home," she said to him. "All of us…"
Cloud nodded. Yes, after this day, everything would be done with. They had only to get through this one day. He clenched his fist tight. "This will be the end of it!" he replied. Tifa smiled and nodded back, and ran off down the path after her friends.
Cloud stayed just a moment longer, watching as his friends split off down their separate paths. This would be the end of it. He'd make sure of it.
Barret and his group headed further down the crater, following the light of the flare. Yuffie, bored by the slow pace and lack of action, ran on ahead to see if there were any hidden traps waiting to be sprung. To her disappointment, there was nothing.
The ninja stopped and placed her hands on her hips. She would have thought that here, of all places, there would be some exciting traps, or rare and powerful materia waiting to be picked up. Perhaps, she thought to herself, she would even find the Black Materia. If she had that, then Wutai would surely be restored to its former glory, and woe betide anyone who tried to invade after that! She also wondered if Cloud would agree to give her all the materia they had collected…
A scurrying sound caught her ear, and the ninja froze, listening. At first she heard nothing and wondered if it had been her mind playing tricks on her. Then the sound came again, this time a little closer.
Yuffie slowly reached behind her an unhooked her Crystal Cross. She inched forward, peering into the shadows where the flare's light did not reach. She caught a flash of movement. Yuffie turned her head and gave a low whistle. Barret and the others heard her warning and stopped, standing perfectly still.
Yuffie inched her way forward. She tread carefully, not wanting to alarm whatever it was that was lurking ahead of them. The shuffling sound came again, and again it was closer than before. The ninja saw something scuttling amongst the shadows. She raised her shuriken, waited… and then threw it.
The Crystal Cross clanged loudly as it landed in the rock. Something reared up and gave a high-pitched, panicked shriek, and then scurried away at high speed. Yuffie ran forward to see if she could spot it, but it had already disappeared.
"What in hell's name was that?" asked Cid. He and the others walked forward to join Yuffie, and the light of the flare lit up the path. There was no sign of the creature. Yuffie bent down and pulled her shuriken out of the rock.
"I don't wanna know," Barret replied gruffly. "This whole place gives me the creeps."
"Who knows what else could be lurking down here," said Cait. He hopped forward on his Mog and peered around. He turned back to Cid and the others. "Let's just get moving," he said. "I'm sure this place must lead us somewhere."
"Somewhere to nowhere, or into trouble at the very least," Cid muttered under his breath. He glanced at the flare. It was already almost halfway down. He thought of Cloud and his team, wondering if they had found anything. Then, turning his thoughts to the task at hand, he hurried after the others.
At that moment Cloud and his group were still making their way through the vast catacomb of tunnels that wound through the Northern Cave. The path that had seemed easy at first suddenly turned treacherous, as it made a drastic curve downwards. The change was so sudden that nobody noticed it until they walked right into it and went sliding down the slope.
Vincent tried to grab onto Cloud and Tifa, but they were just out of his reach. Red XIII dug his claws into the rock, trying to slow himself down, but he was moving so fast that he was unable to get a grip. They slid along, helpless, until they finally reached the bottom.
The path stopped at the peak of an immensely tall, jagged pillar of rock. The platform they now stood on connected to a path that wound like a spiral around the outside of the pillar. The pillar became thinner in the middle before widening at the end, like a stretched-out hourglass.
Brushing themselves off, Cloud and his friends descended down the path. Here and there the walls of the cavern glowed brightly in shades of blue, green and red—infused with the Lifestream. Mako flowed in abundance down here. If Shinra had known just how much mako there was in the North Cave, they would surely have built a reactor here. Thankfully the hazardous terrain made that impossible, and so the Lifestream flowed freely, unhindered by humankind.
The companions stayed close to the wall as they followed the path, fearing that they would once again lose their balance. At the pillar's thinnest point the path stopped, and they had to slide carefully down the central point to where the pillar widened out and the path restarted. They moved quickly but carefully, and when they reached the bottom they hurried on.
They were mostly undisturbed by the North Cave's natural inhabitants. Now and then they saw them, lurking in shadowy crevices and holes, watching them closely. Movers hopped past without a care, uninterested. One Magic Pot—a wretched-looking purple goblin hiding in an enchanted pot—shied fearfully away from, terrified by the glowing light of the flare.
Small monsters were not the only things that made their home down here. As they passed a gap in the cavern wall, Vincent stopped to peer through into the adjoining cavern. A massive Dark Dragon—with wings the same size as the Highwind—had made its lair amongst the underground tunnels. The dragon was currently sleeping, digesting a full meal—there were many Gighee corpses scattered throughout its lair. For now, the beast was sleeping, and so the companions hurried (quietly) onward.
The path then took a turn and sloped upwards, and they came to a rocky ledge. Around them the rocks glowed with a burning orange light, making them seem almost ablaze. What was more amazing, though, were the bony remains of a giant serpent just ahead. The remains rested against the ledge and then wound their way down another tall pillar of rock, the serpent's final resting place. With no other way down, the companions ran across the skeleton's ribbed spine until they reached the bottom, and then started to hurry on.
"Well, hello…"
The companions froze, startled. The voice that spoke was deep and alluring; it tried to lure them in. Their hands went to their weapons as they looked around, searching for the source. The voice laughed, and it echoed throughout the cavern.
"Up here."
They looked up. Sitting on one of the curved bones of the serpent skeleton's ribcage was a woman. She had long legs and tanned skin, a rounded face and a head of long, thick raven hair that spilled over her shoulders and down her arms. Her shoulders, arms and legs were bare; all she wore was a lime green swimsuit. She was also barefoot, and her feet tapped playfully against the bones.
On first glance, the woman looked human. But one look into her eyes proved otherwise. Her pupils were deep red, and the whites were jet-black. She was not a human. She was a monster. Unlike most monsters she was an intelligent one, able to understand and speak the human language.
"Well, well," the woman said, her eyes watching them closely. "We don't get many visitors down here." She drew her knee up to her chest and draped her arms around it, her fingers curling. "I am Pollensalta. Why don't you… stay and play for a while?"
Even as she spoke, Cloud could feel her spell tugging at him. Her words were enticing, her tone deep and hypnotic. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to lure them in, compel them to go to her. He fought against the spell, trying to block her voice from his mind.
A gunshot rent the air, shattering the spell. Cloud felt her words slip from his mind, releasing him. He looked up. Pollensalta had stopped speaking. A lock of her hair, cut by the bullet, fluttered down onto the ground. Pollensalta, however, did not flinch.
Vincent lowered his gun, a trail of smoke rising from the barrel. "We know your kind," the gunman said gruffly. "Your tricks won't work on us."
Behind him, Tifa sighed heavily. Only Vincent could be so indifferent that he could not be drawn in by this monster's spell of fascination. It was lucky for them that he had fired when he did, otherwise they would have been caught.
Pollensalta looked at Vincent intently, taking him in. Her dark eyes narrowed. She inhaled deeply and then let it out in a long, hissing breath. Her lips, thin and raven-coloured like her hair, parted in a cold, cruel smile.
"My, my, aren't you the clever one?" she said. Her voice had dropped its alluring tone. "So my Fascination won't work on you? Fine. Let's see you handle this!"
She snapped her fingers. A wall of flames suddenly rose up in front of them, separating them from Pollensalta. The companions stepped back, and then stopped as another wall rose up behind them, cutting off their escape.
Over the roar of the flames, Pollensalta laughed gleefully. From her perch she could see the four companions easily and was greatly amused as they looked about, trying to decide what to do. She snapped her fingers once more and two more walls of fire rose up at the sides, sealing them in a cage of deadly fire.
Cloud looked around him. The flames surrounded them on all sides and showed no signs of stopping. He heard Pollensalta laughing. She knew that she had them trapped. The heat of the flames made him sweat, and he felt the air around him grow thinner as it was burned up by the flames. He began to pant heavily. Next to him, his companions were also beginning to struggle. He turned back to the flames and drew his sword. They had to break free of this cage before the air was used up.
"Vincent," he said breathlessly, turning to the gunman. "Your Ice materia…" He then stopped, unable to say anymore. The air was vanishing fast.
Vincent did not respond. He knew what Cloud was getting at. The gunman raised his gun and pointed it at the flames. His Ice materia flashed as he fired five rounds of ice bullets into the flames. They exploded as they came into contact with the flames, creating a gash in Pollensalta's cage. Hurriedly, they ran out. Welcome air washed over them, and they breathed it deeply.
Pollensalta stopped laughing as she saw the companions escape from her prison. She scowled and snapped her fingers, causing the fire cage to dissipate.
Once they had recovered enough to move, the companions ran forward. Pollensalta clicked her fingers, and bursts of fire erupted from the ground beneath them. The companions kept moving; they could not afford to be trapped in her cage again. Red XIII leaped over one blast of fire and landed on the skeleton's spine. He began to make his way back up along it, trying to get close to the monster.
Vincent meanwhile, fired his gun. The monster saw the bullets coming and easily ducked to the side, grinning as the bullets slid past her face. Her dark eyes glinted in excitement as she snapped her fingers once more. Vincent was forced to duck and roll to the side as another explosion erupted behind him.
Pollensalta then turned her attention to Red XIII, who was nearing the top. She laughed and clicked her fingers. An explosion ripped through the spinal ridges just in front of the hound, causing them to blow apart. Red XIII yelped as the ridge he had landed on suddenly fell away beneath him, and he went tumbling back down towards the ground, disappearing in the smoke.
Pollensalta then turned back, her fingers raised to create another explosion. The monster then froze as she saw Tifa soaring up towards her, thrown up by Cloud. The monster's hesitation gave Tifa the chance she needed as she struck out with one tightly clenched fist. She caught the monster on her jaw, knocking her head so far back it almost snapped. Despite the flames the monster created, Tifa noticed that her tanned skin was icy cold.
The monster shrieked as she fell back against the rib bone. She scurried back in alarm, frightened by the speed in which her carefully laid out trap had turned on her. Tifa ducked down and swung her leg, trying to swipe the monster off the bone. Pollensalta must have recovered her confidence, for she placed her palms flat against the bone behind her head and flipped back, avoiding Tifa's leg. Tifa, angered, stood and charged at her, bringing her fist up for another painful blow.
Pollensalta exhaled deeply, releasing a cloud of icy breath. Her breath touched Tifa's right arm as she brought it up, and Tifa cried out in pain and shock as her arm became so painfully cold it was almost unbearable. Still she did not stop and kept her fist moving forward, much to Pollensalta's alarm.
Her fist smashed into the monster's gut, causing her to choke in pain. As she keeled over, Tifa grabbed her by the shoulders and swung her around, before throwing her down to the ground below. The monster landed with a heavy crash, shattering a pile of bones.
Pollensalta opened her eyes. Cloud was standing over her, his sword raised over his head to finish her off. The monster's eyes widened in panic and she rolled to the side. The monster ran to the nearby wall and jumped up from ledge to ledge. She stopped at the top and glared back down at them, her eyes flashing angry.
"You'll pay for this!" she said with a hiss, and then disappeared through a crack in the wall.
Tifa jumped down from the skeleton and walked to stand beside Cloud. "Well, that was bizarre," she commented. "Why'd she suddenly give up like that?"
Vincent sheathed his gun and walked past her. He stopped by Red XIII, who was still brushing himself off from his fall. "Monsters of her kind are weak," the gunman said in answer to Tifa. "They like their prey to be intimidated and to give up easily. They don't like it when the prey fights back."
"Either way, we're wasting time," said Cloud.
He looked up at the now broken spine of the serpent. There was no way they could get back up there now. They would have to keep going and hope that their path led them to Sephiroth. Cloud looked at his friends. They nodded.
"Let's go," said Cloud, and they hurried on.