This chapter is dedicated to Reclusive Dork (not being insulting, that's their author name) for pulling me out of my writing funk so I could finish this chapter. :D
Also, for anyone who is interested, I've also posted a segment I cut as a Shards of Green fragment, it hasn't been betaed so forgive any errors.
Chapter 33: On the edge of a promise(d land)
It seemed they'd only been asleep for a few short hours when Cloud roused the party and they prepared to set out the next morning. Despite the early hour, Marcus Holzhoff was already awake and ready to feed them a hearty meal of thick oatmeal and hot tea.
"'Least he picked a good drink," Cid muttered into his mug, "Though Shera's tastes better…" Aerith discreetly dug her elbow into his ribs and he silenced his muttering while shooting a slightly abashed look to their host. Cid huffed a sigh of relief when Marcus continued bustling about the small kitchen, apparently missing the murmured insult.
"Really though, I'm glad you folks had your own cookware," the grizzled mountain-man huffed with a laugh. "Eating in shifts would be a pain wouldn't it? How would you decide who eats first?"
Once their food was finished they expressed their thanks and said their farewells to their host before stepping outside to face Gaea's Cliffs. The east had the faintest glimmer of blue, the rest of the sky was a dome of fading stars. They still had some distance before they reached the cliffs proper and by setting out early, Cloud hoped to reach the base by dawn. A chill wind whipped their cheeks and bodies, the temperature difference a nasty shock after the warm night in the cabin.
"Ya know," Barret breathed, shuffling in place, "Lookin' at a place like this really makes me understand how awesome nature is. But if anyone told me I had to live here I'd tell them to-" his eyes flickered to Aerith and he huffed, "Well, you know… 'N if I had ta' live here, I'd wanna change things around to make it easier to live."
He shook his head and admitted, "Then I think 'bout Midgar and how Shinra did the same thing there. Doesn't make them seem quite as bad…" he trailed off and his eyes widened at his own admission and he growled, shaking his head violently. "What the hell am I saying? Shinra, not bad? This cold's gotta be gettin' to me," he muttered angrily.
Sparing the man's feelings, they didn't comment on his remark and headed up the rocky slope to the cliffs. The path grew easier to see as the sun rose to their right, the stark glimmer of ice on stone and barren tree branches framed the twisting path. Marcus' concerns about the cold at the cliffs proved to be well founded. Though the materia bracelets helped, the biting cold seemed to pierce right to their bones. As they approached the cliff, it loomed over them like some great stone behemoth. Massive patches of rainbow-tinted lichen grew on the bare rock, lending the cliff an otherworldly appearance. Tilting his head back and squinting, Cloud caught the flicker of wind-tattered crimson flags on ledges as far as he could see before the icy haze obscured the top.
Once they reached the base of the wall, Cloud, Zack and Tifa helped Cait Sith and Red XIII strap on the clawed grips that would allow them to climb the cliffs rather than suffer the indignity of being hauled up the face like luggage. They were still linked by safety ropes to Cloud, Zack, and the others though. Once they were outfitted, Zack straightened, clenched one fist and cried, "Alright guys, let's get our dancing moves on!" He jumped and jived and twisted around like a character in some strange musical, the others merely rolled their eyes and shuffled in place while carefully avoiding eye contact with each other.
When he was satisfied they'd worked their temperature up enough, Cloud took the lead. Much as it would make sense for Yuffie to be first with her impressive climbing skills, the others agreed that Cloud's ability to guide them on the fastest route was a bit more important.
"You know," Zack huffed while they danced and wiggled on the second ledge. "Way back when I was in Shinra, they had a Jump materia. That really would come in handy right now."
"While I appreciate the sentiment," Red XIII replied, knowing a good portion of Zack's musing was directed at how much easier things would be for him and Cait Sith. "I suspect such an ability would only assist the bearer."
Zack grimaced and nodded slowly. "You're probably right... I still wonder what Hojo did to all of my stuff." He muttered the last with a dark scowl.
After some time, they slipped inside the first cave network in the cliff with considerable relief. Out of the freezing wind the temperature was just cold rather than deadly. The deep blue glaze of permafrost inexplicably coated the stones of the cave in a slick, topaz-blue. Once inside, Cloud paused to gain his bearings and then guided them through the small maze.
Arches and doorways wove haphazardly through the crystalline corridors. Whether formed by some soul's patient hands, a work of nature, or likely a combination of the two, Cloud could only theorize. The second chamber glimmered with the acidic gleam of mako shimmering in the depths of the ravine below. The path curving around the left side of the room curled around the crevasse but jagged spires of ice blocked the path. Again he paused, narrowing his eyes at the obstruction and then slowly looked up into the dim vaulted ceiling of the chamber. He whirled away and backtracked slightly, slipping into a passageway almost indistinguishable from the wall surrounding it.
The short tunnel led back to the raised portion of the first chamber. From their new perspective, a pair of pathways lined either wall connected by bridges of stone. As they tread carefully down the path on the west side of the chamber and crossed the natural bridge just inside the entryway. Straight across the bridge was another well hidden doorway. Cloud slipped inside and crouched at the gleaming blue chest.
"Don't tell me those fans of yours put stuff here too!" Barret huffed.
Cloud shrugged and replied, "It's not black and gold, but I really don't care who left the chests, I only care if the item inside them is useful." He opened it, his eyes widening and as he pulled out another Ribbon breathed, "And this one is quite useful. The question is… who gets it?"
"While it made sense to give the first to one who could break any of us free from negative statuses, it might be wise to give this one to a heavy fighter," Vincent suggested.
"I dunno how I feel about wearin' a girly bow," Cid admitted with a grimace. "No offense though, Aerith."
The Cetra giggled and waved off his remark.
Barret and Zack nodded emphatically and while not as obvious, Vincent nodded a small bit. "Maybe Cloud should get it!" Zack needled with a grin at his friend. "He'd look fetching with a Ribbon in his hair."
Tifa choked on a laugh and Aerith stuffed her fist against her mouth to fight her giggles. They exchanged knowing looks, remembering the last time Cloud wore ribbons.
"My masculinity isn't going to be hurt wearing a pink ribbon," Cloud offered with a shrug while shooting a warning glare at the two.
"Well that decides me," Zack huffed with laughter. "I vote Cloud wear it. All in favor?" Zack, Aerith, Tifa, Cid, and Cloud raised their hands while their mouths twitched with restrained laughter.
Yuffie narrowed her eyes and offered, "I'll go with it as long as I get Cloud's cape."
"What?" Zack gaped down at her. "Why on earth would you want his cape?"
"Simple, I'm still a ninja at heart and that White Cape is some awesome camouflage out here." She shrugged and spread her hands while huffing, "You can't tell me I'm the only one who would have lost sight of Cloud a few times down on the glacier if he hadn't had those purple pants showing!"
Vincent nodded in silent agreement. Cid snorted and laughed, "Shorty here's got a point there. 'Couple times it looked like a floating head and pants walkin' along."
"That ain't the whole reason you want it, is it lass?" Cait Sith asked shrewdly.
"Fine, I admit that I kind of got attached to it when Cloud loaned it to me," she huffed, a dusting of pink rising on her cheeks and the tips of her ears.
"That's fair," Cloud agreed, removing the cape with slight reluctance. "It is quite comfortable."
He extended the silky fabric to the young woman and she took it, purring at the smooth texture before swinging it around her shoulders. She grinned as it fluttered down around her dramatically. "Now I can really be the White Rose of Wutai!" she giggled and asked Tifa to take a picture of her with her PHS.
"Aren't you worried about it hindering your fighting abilities?" Aerith asked, thinking about the trip up from the Cetra capital.
"It shouldn't bother me any more than it hindered Cloud," Yuffie shrugged taking the phone back and stowing it safely away. "Since I don't have to wrap myself in a cocoon to stay warm, I can still fight easily enough."
Rolling his eyes at Zack's eager anticipation to him donning the Ribbon Cloud shook his head and then tied the Ribbon around his right bicep. The former SOLDIER's jaw dropped and he stammered, "Hey wait, that's not…"
"No take backs," Cloud smirked turning and dodged around his gaping friend. That decided, he slipped out of the small chamber and up the path on the eastern wall. Crossing on another bridge arch, he retrieved a Javelin from a chest and weighed it in his hands before slipping it in his pouch.
"It has double materia growth, but it is weaker than the Dragoon Lance you got in Wutai," Cloud explained before Cid could do more than open his mouth to protest.
The grizzled pilot huffed and jabbed a finger at the younger man and growled, "It is damn freaky when you do that. Even though I agree it was easy to predict what I was gonna say this time, sometimes ya' answer stuff 'fore we even think ta' ask."
Cloud's eyes widened and he looked down, scratching the back of his head, a worried crease between his eyes. "Let's keep moving," the blond muttered quietly, turning and entering another tunnel.
The long tunnel curved down and back towards the east, the way lit by the ghostly blue luminescence in the ice and faint gleams of mako. It opened into a lower path in the room with the mako crevasse. Cloud looked up into the darkness again and then dashed across the narrow bridge well ahead of the others. Large claws skittered on the path blocked by icicles above them and a Stilva jumped from above, nearly squashing Cloud.
Heavily resembling the Materia Keeper back in the Nibel Mountains, the twin-tailed, long nosed, crimson beast ignored Cloud in the tunnel behind it and launched itself on the party. "Try and get its Enemy Skill!" Cloud called and then slipped inside the tunnel to the sounds of Barret, Zack, and Aerith's groans of dismay. He felt a twinge of guilt for leaving them to face the monster without him, but he trusted they would be okay with their remaining numbers. In the narrow, upward spiraling pathway he fended off dozens of Evilhead bats before finally emerging on a platform high in the chamber. Dabbing gingerly at the bleeding scratches below his right eye with the back of his wrist he surveyed his surroundings.
A frost-encrusted boulder balanced near the edge of the path. For all appearances, only a rime of frost and luck kept it from rolling down the minor slope to the winding paths below. Barret, Zack, and Aeirth's cries of pain reverberated in the icy fissure and Cloud winced, peering over the ledge to calculate his angle of attack. Despite the inherent mako glow in the caverns and his own enhanced sight, he had to squint to make out the razor edged ledge below and only the intermittent flashes of attacks further down hinted at his allies' location.
Unbeknownst to Cloud, his blue eyes blazed momentarily brighter before he plotted his angle and threw his weight against the stone.
"Damn Spiky, why ya' gotta' abandon us like that?" Barret grumbled, plying Zack, Aerith and himself with Cure 3 spells while the others desperately tried to avoid the monster's Magic Breath attack and simultaneously protect the weakened trio. Barret avoided a good portion of the spell's damage with his dragon armlet and since he carried a mastered Restore, he shifted his materia around to more effectively heal the others.
Protected in part by his Fire Ring, Zack propped his beloved up, wishing his own Restore were at a higher level. A massive crash and rumbling above caused a slight pause in the fight. The Stilva swung its head to look behind it only to squawk in dismay when an ice-encrusted boulder fell from above, squashing it like a bug before bouncing down into the mako river below.
In the sudden, stunned silence, Cloud's voice drifted from above, "Well, that worked better than expected."
Barret clenched his fist until it shook, his face a mask of fury and then he seemed to slump in on himself, relaxing and shaking his head. "That boy," he muttered. "Sometimes I don't know whether I wanna hug him or strangle him."
"Welcome to the club," Zack cackled and helped the woozy Cetra to her feet.
"Literally?" Tifa jabbed with a grin, turning Zack's expression slightly sour at the reminder.
When Cloud returned to the group, it was obvious he'd run into his own enemies. Scratches littered his exposed skin and he dabbed at a freshly bleeding gash over his left eye while grumbling, "Man, fighting all alone is a pain after getting used to back-up. I hope I don't have to do that again." He sprinted to Barret, Zack, and Aerith, lips pinched in worry at their worn expressions. "That must have been a bad one…" he muttered, "I'm sorry, I only knew it was something we'd really appreciate."
"I'll appreciate using it on the next monster we meet," Aerith growled darkly.
Cloud grimaced at the tone and said, "The good news is, the way forward is open again."
"And the bad news?" Cait Sith asked shaking his head.
"I suspect it requires us to retrace our steps," Red XIII theorized and then hung his head at Cloud's apologetic nod.
They fought a few poison-spewing Zolokalters and more Evilhead bats without much trouble, but the next Stilva barely had time to roar a challenge before Aerith blasted it with Magic Breath. The seemingly innocent iridescent bubbles charged with a trinity of ice, fire, and lightning swiftly took care of the beast. Cloud and Tifa gulped audibly at the low, slightly-hysterical laughter from the young Cetra followed by a hissed, "Revenge!"
Soon they emerged at a higher section on the cliffs, involuntarily shivering at the sudden return of the biting wind. Yuffie sighed at the next array of ledges ahead of them and mused, "I don't suppose an ice tower is out of the question?"
Aerith laughed and shook her head. Cloud shot the pair a questioning look and then unerringly guided them on the safest path up. Unfortunately, the ledges were small so they had to travel in small parties so none of them were trapped on the cliff face and unable to fidget their temperature back up.
During one such wait, Yuffie was on a ledge with Zack and Barret when a Marlboro squirmed from a chimney in the cliff wall. Zack slipped reaching for the handle of his Organics blade while he tried to turn around. Only Barret's quick grab kept the sprawling man from going over the edge. Yuffie stood between Barret's aim and the monster.
The young woman instantly realized her situation and growled, "Alright then, this is your unlucky day." Yuffie whipped off her glove yelling, "Super secret ninja attack! Black thumb of defeat!" She touched the plant monster and it squealed in pain, shriveling, but not entirely dead. "Not enough eh? Second secret attack! Scent of Death!" She yanked off one of Zack's boots and shoved it on a nearby tentacle. The monster wailed, shrinking in on itself and then died.
Yuffie blinked at the boot and then wordlessly returned it to Zack.
"Damn..." Barret muttered. "I was only jokin' that the smell could kill a Marlboro..."
"Hey Zack, next time you meet one of those…" Cloud trailed off meaningfully, his expression apologetic.
Barret paled and muttered, "I ain't so sure I want anything from those freaks."
"Hey, it can't be much worse than getting burned, shocked and electrocuted," Aerith reasoned from the ledge below.
Zack slapped his face and moaned, "You had to say it. Why did you say it? You know it will be even worse because you said that!" He wailed, gripping the young woman by her shoulders and rocking her back and forth as he whined.
"Can we maybe have this discussion outta the goddamn cold?" Cid shouted.
"I hate you so much right now," Zack hissed to Cloud when they finally reached the next cave.
"I second that," Barret moaned. "How the hell did you talk me inta' takin' this thing again?" he asked brandishing the Enemy Skill materia on his bracer.
"You're the one who wanted an Enemy Skill materia," Yuffie pointed out. "To use your words 'I think some of us would be happy to get a materia that holds multiple attacks in one.'" Barret scowled and laid his hand protectively over the orb.
Tifa frowned and huffed, "You shouldn't hate Cloud! He's the one who gave you a Remedy after your… various ailments and was the one to tell Aerith that the Level 4 Suicide would kill the Marlboro after you got the skill."
"How did you know I had that by the way?" Aerith asked. "I only got that when…" she trailed off, grimacing at the memory.
"When you guys got lost on the way to Kalm right?" Yuffie asked with a grin.
"Why do you know about that?" Zack yelped. He gaped at her and then whipped his head around to shoot those who were there accusing looks. "We hadn't even met you when that… event that we do not discuss because it didn't happen er… happened." He trailed off with a constipated expression.
Yuffie shrugged, rubbing the toe of her boot on the icy floor. "I was bored waiting for Cloud to wake up back in Gongaga so I read the conversation archives. Some of the club members mentioned how long it took you guys to arrive and well…"
Cloud and Zack grimaced and then shook their heads, dismissing the topic. Cloud took the lead once more and guided them down the narrow twisting corridor into a large, damp chamber. The floor was a thick sheet of ice pierced by three circular holes. At the far end of the room, the floor had collapsed, rendering the doorway beyond the hole inaccessible.
"If our luck holds as usual, that is the way we need to go," Cait Sith remarked sadly. Through the shattered part of the floor, it was easier to see the pool of water with large chunks of floating ice several feet below.
"Some of us could probably jump it," Zack mused, judging the distance with his eyes. "It would be tricky with the slippery landing though, and I'm pretty sure getting immersed would void the warranty on these awesome bracelets."
"I don't s'pose we could make bridge or somethin'?" Barret suggested.
While they discussed their options, Cloud stalked around the room, peering into the circular holes and then up at the distant ceiling. He absentmindedly accepted the Elixir Tifa retrieved from one of the chests in the room and then cleared his throat, inclining his head to the tunnel they could reach.
The tunnel opened in a wide crack in the side of the Northern Crater. Two narrow paths went up either side of the crack. Spying the brutal ice crystals bristling the bottom of the crevasse, Zack refrained from suggesting they jump over the gap. The snowy trail twisted around and returned to the former chamber, though much higher up. Ignoring Yuffie crowing over a Fire Armlet she found in another blue chest, Cloud looked up at the four massive icicles in the ceiling and then back to the chamber far below.
A swarm of Evilhead bats swirled around the nearest icicle before attacking the group. All too eager to try out his new enemy skill, Barret unleashed the Marlboro's Bad Breath attack on the monsters. For one brief moment, a flock of tiny frogs surrounded the icicle before falling with faint splashes to the icy water below. Barret's face twisted between abashed and amused at the spectacle, looking down below, he didn't notice the reaction of the icicle behind them. It gleamed a moment, a sudden radiance emitting from its core just before it unleashed an ice attack on the man.
"Now come on!" he protested, brushing the rime of ice off his face, realizing instantly the monolithic ice structure was an enemy. With a few shots from Vincent and a well timed fire attack from Zack the ice stalactite cracked at the base and fell into the lower chamber with the crunch of ice and a distant sloshing.
Red XIII hung his head and sighed, "I suppose I wouldn't be remiss in assuming we must attack the other three?"
Cloud nodded his head and sighed, "I never promised this would be a normal journey. You have to admit that isn't the weirdest supposedly inanimate object we've had to fight."
The few who had been with the party the longest nodded before preparing to attack the next icicle. "Like those mirrors back in the Shinra Mansion?" Yuffie suggested, dodging an Evilhead and slicing it in half with her sickle-like Hawkeye.
"Or those random weeds in Wutai," Cid interjected, jumping up and impaling three bats on his Dragoon Lance. "Never thought the weeds would get revenge for whackin' em."
Barret laughed and mused, "Does attacking those pyramid things Reno cast count?"
"Only if the bubbles the Bottomswell in Junon cast count," Cloud huffed, striking the icicle a few times and watching it slowly crack then fall.
Tifa rubbed at a scratch on her arm and huffed, "I always despised those monster houses between Sector five and six."
Zack, Cloud, and Aerith winced at the reminder and nodded conceding her point. "I dunno," Zack mused as they started in on the third icicle and its defenders. "I always thought one of the weirdest things was fighting those Warning Signs back at the Shinra Tower."
Barret growled, "Damn man, I had almost forgotten about those! Why'd ya have ta' go and remind me about 'em?"
"A warning sign? Seriously?" Cid gawked, blindly flailing at the bats while gaping at the abashed group. "I dunno about the rest of ya', but I think other than these icicles, that takes the prize."
Cloud was tempted to tell the man his mental image of them fighting a deranged wet-floor sign was way off, but that grew unimportant as during the whole discussion they finished off all the icicles. Cloud blinked, a little disturbed they'd fought so many monsters without paying attention to their actions. The sudden, embarrassed silence from the others hinted he wasn't the only one thrown off by the realization.
Yuffie scampered to the end of the pathway and retrieved a megaelixir. Zack peered down to the faintly visible chamber below and then shouted, "I'll be waiting for you slowpokes from the bottom!" He whooped and jumped off the ledge.
"Yeah, well some of us wanna be able to use our knees when we're old!" Cid bellowed down after him.
Cloud figured it was probably a good thing Cid couldn't hear Zack's responding jab about already being old. He gave the sensible trail a longing look and then sighed, "I'd better go down and keep an eye on him."
"Thank you, Cloud," Aerith murmured with a fond look down below and then followed the others back outside. Considering his experiences since his mako enhancements, the fall really wasn't that bad. A few chunks of shattered ice skittered away from his feet when he landed. Just as he'd suspected, the icicles filled the circular holes and raised the water level to meet the formerly inaccessible passageway. They'd still have to hop on the ice floes, but he'd work with what he had so far. Perhaps these were much more stable than the ones he'd given a pass on the Great Glacier's lake.
The fourth icicle created a ramp to reach the previously inaccessible chest. Zack tossed the Speed Source a few times before handing it to Cloud. "You know, you've got all those speed, mind, and power sources. Are you ever going to use any of them?" he asked.
The blond blinked, looking down at the bottle in his hand, looked back up at Zack and honestly replied, "You know, I kind of just forget I've got them. You know how it is, these pouches hold so much you don't remember all that's in there." He patted the pouch on his belt and shrugged one shoulder.
Zack nodded slowly, "Yeah, I know that feeling. Kind of glad I don't have to deal with some of it though."
Cloud nodded vaguely and then peered with slight worry at the ice floes. As if a healing wound the ice of the chamber floor was already bonding with the water, crystals and flurries of frost drifting on the surface of the pool. He narrowed his eyes and then scratched his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps….
He tilted his head, hearing the sound of the others returning from the more sensible path. His eyes flicked from Aerith to Tifa and then he asked, "Would one of you ladies like to help this pool along on its freezing so we have a safer way across?"
Tifa and Aerith traded looks, silently asking each other who wanted to take it. Aerith finally shrugged and summoned Shiva. The ice goddess seemed delighted to be summoned to her element once more and waved her hand towards the slushy pool. Her powers easily turned the rime of frost into a solid layer, locking the ice floes into place. She nodded a farewell to Aerith and vanished with a swirl of snow crystals.
Zack jumped on the first ice stepping stone and bounced in place a few times. "Seems solid," he hummed in approval and skipped the rest of the way across. Cloud and the others followed with a bit more caution.
A weaker sword and one twisting mountain trail later and they emerged into yet another icy chamber. Cloud looked up and behind the entryway and slapped his face, groaning. Following his gaze, Yuffie narrowed her eyes at the ledge just above and behind them and the freshly shattered icicle stumps on the ceiling and asked, "Isn't that…?"
"Where we fought the icicles?" Cloud finished, swiping his hand down his face and sighing. "Yes. Yes, it is."
The drop from the previous ledge wasn't much worse than the drop in paths back in the Nibel Mountains. Once they realized how much time they'd wasted, Barret grimaced and shook his head while Aerith patted Cloud's back consolingly. "Right,"the blond growled, pushing back the frustration and firming his shoulders. "Let's keep going."
They wandered through several twisting icy corridors and up another climb of the cliff's surface as afternoon swiftly approached evening. The monsters in the caves weren't particularly difficult, rather they were pervasive and persistent in their attacks. After the seventh time enduring a toxic barf attack from a Zolokalter, Tifa muttered to Cloud, "I think I got puked on less babysitting Mrs. Lowry's sick triplets."
Cloud snorted a surprised laugh, "Oh man, I remember them. Didn't the town babysitter circle throw a party when they moved away?"
"Yes, yes we did," Tifa agreed proudly, scraping the last of the greenish sludge off her arms.
Cloud laughed again but choked off when his eyes landed on a glowing pool off to the side of the narrow corridor. The glow in his eyes intensified momentarily and he nodded as if someone had whispered in his ear and he accepted the message. "Everyone make sure to drink from that pool," he pointed and explained, "the water will restore our strength and magic stores."
"Really?" Aerith asked weakly, swinging her gaze from Cloud to the pool hopefully. Though her stamina had increased greatly over the weeks of travel, the climb up the cliff in the cold wind had been incredibly grueling for all of them.
Zack shrugged and pulled his travel mug from his pouch. He scooped up a cupful of water and slurped it down. "Mmmm. That's the stuff!" He shivered at the cool temperature and the revitalizing sensation as it seemed to fill his body. "It's cold but delicious."
One by one they drank from the pool, even Cait Sith, much to Barret's confused consternation. "I suppose the effects only appear if taken directly from the source?" Red XIII mused with a faint note of disappointment.
Cloud shook his head sadly, "I'm sure you're right. But it is a good idea to fill our canteens anyway. The water tastes great and it is faster and easier than melting snow."
After he took his turn filling his water container, Cloud crouched, stroking a set of gouges in the permafrost. "Brace yourselves guys, I think we've got a fight ahead of us."
"Sephiroth?" Vincent asked stepping from the pool to peer over Cloud's shoulder.
"No," Cloud rose to his feet and shook his head. "I think it is some kind of dragon."
When they continued down a smoothly sloping tunnel Yuffie mused, "So avoid fire attacks?"
"Or ice," Barret countered. "This is a cold place after all."
A human shriek of terror and pain rang out from ahead of them. The broken form of a black cloaked figure skidded into the tunnel, half frozen, half burnt.
"Looks like both," Aerith groaned in a sickened voice when the pathetic figure moaned about a Reunion before vanishing into the Lifestream.
"Let's do this," Zack growled, charging into the next room.
The two-headed beast in the next chamber looked nothing like the dragons they'd faced before. It balanced on squat lower legs, keeping the forelegs free for balance or attack. Its right head was smooth and gray like some kind of bottom-dwelling fish. The left head vaguely resembled a crimson rooster.
"Right, no problem," Tifa growled, flexing her fingers in her gloves, making the blueish Dragon Claws stand out more prominently and widening her stance. Cloud flicked his hands, directing some of the group to circle around the beast on both sides. Schizo's heads swung to watch the group, its golden eyes gleaming with animalistic rage.
"Zack, Aerith set us up with Big Guard. Barret, line us up with Regen," Cloud directed, hefting his Organics blade from his back. "Avoid any ice, water, or fire attacks at least until we know which head does what. Anything else is free game."
Vincent holstered his gun and then shifted into the Death Gigas. The massively muscled form, pierced by random pieces of metal roared and unleashed his Livewire lightning attack, starting the battle.
With Cloud's directions, they darted around the beast, wearing it down one head at a time. Cid's Big Brawl limit break finally finished off the wounded beast.
A few of the party members yelped as various materia mastered and birthed new ones. Yuffie drooled while she watched Cloud scoop the bounty of orbs into his pouch for later distribution.
"It is kind of sad," Aerith mused, stooping to help gather the dropped gil and materia. "It probably mutated from the unnaturally high levels of mako here."
Zack ran a soothing hand up and down her back after she stood. "Yeah, let's press on. We're almost there, aren't we?" The last he directed to Cloud.
The blond nodded and pointed to a passageway with a few flakes of snow drifting inside. This last climb up the cliff wasn't as hard as all the previous climbs. Some strange weather phenomenon kept the icy winds away. The luminous lights in the night sky were enhanced by a twin echo over the rim of the crater. They fanned out over the rim and stared down at the awe inspiring sight below.
The size of the crater was staggering. It could easily hold Midgar in its cradle. Warm wind rushed from below, rustling their clothing and hair with the electrifying scent of pure mako. The brilliant green mako gushed and spurted violently at the epicenter of the planet's wound. A swirling column of wind encircled the source of the mako like a mint-colored tornado.
Gaping at the massive eruptions of mako Yuffie weakly joked, "Guess Shinra would call this the promised land."
Random Author notes:
***Just a small comment on my own playing with the "source" things. I always collected them but never got around to actually using them on anyone. XD So much for their value...
***To Redrangerlegacy, there you go, your reference to the Jump materia (which I know almost nothing about so won't say much more about it.) XD