An Ultimate Quest Chapter 3
By Karura
The scene is very awkward. For sometime, all fourteen of them simply stand there and looking at each other like the other person just grow an orange pimple or something.
But something has to be said. At length, it was Locke who replied Marle’s friendly greetings.
“Good day to you too. I am Locke Cole, and these are my friends. You are now in the fairy tale land…I think.” He turns to Cloud for support: “This is the fairy tale land, right?”
Cloud shrug his shoulders: “I was asking you for directions, remember?”
“Right.” Damn, this situation is weird indeed.
Marle widened her eyes: “You mean you are not from around here?”
“Nope,” Edgar replied, eyeing Cloud and Barret, “I imagine he and the mother f*$#er beside him aren’t familiar with this place either.”
“What? You *&^^* @$$ with (&*^% and the hell you &*^^%#$!”Barret never loses a contest when it comes to cursing.
“Thou ought to be ashamed of thyself. No cursing in the presence of ladies.”
Locke’s party looked at the frog with surprise. They thought Cyan was the only one who actually talks like that, but the frog in Marle’s party seem to be quiet a chivalrous gentleman--frog--whatever.
“Don’t step into this, go kiss a princess!” Barret snapped.
Hearing this, the frog was furious, but another voice cut in: “No insult Ayla’s friend!”
Everyone turned to see a blonde woman climb out of the machine that bought Marle and her friends. The woman is stunningly beautiful, but her beauty is very different from Marle, and Terra and Celes. This woman’s beauty is totally on the wild side, with a muscular, very strong body.
“Ayla!” Marle cried, “About time you wake up!”
“Ayla up. Good sleep, stronger now.” Ayla assured Marle, turning her attention to Barret.
“You, you insult Ayla’s friend, so Ayla no like you!” She slammed her right fist into her left palm, bending into a fighter’s crouch. “Ayla no like, Ayla fight. You big dummy, Ayla beat you up!
“You…ape woman!” Barret murmured, “Women should stay home and cook! Not putting their pretty nose in to men’s business…”
“Tifa and Yuffie would be insulted.” Cloud mildly reminds him.
His warning was a bit late. Barret had already insulted Ayla, Marle, Terra and Celes. Locke and Crono were offended too, for what Barret said implies that they do not how to handle their chics.
“Dare you insult Ayla!” the blond woman let out a warrior’s cry, “Ayla chief of village. Insult chief, you pay!”
“Brother, I wonder where she came from.” Setzer whispered to Locke, “Think there is any chance she’s Gau’s real mother?”
“Hardly a chance, but they are really alike.” Locke murmured, “And that Barret guy indeed have the skill to insult anybody and everybody.”
While they are in conversation, a disaster took place. Suddenly Ayla, Barret, the frog Glenn, Edgar, Sabin, Cyan and Celes are all in a heating argument while Cloud, Terra and Crono tries to prevent a big fight from breaking out.
Marle decide she had enough. “STOP!” She yells from the top of her lungs.
Everyone stopped at once. Crono looks at his girlfriend, shaking his head in amazement.
Marle haven’t chanced a bit since the first day he met her. When Marle Guardia yells, she yells real loud.
Marle continue to scold: “It’s stupid that we stand over here and fight each other! If we are all strangers in this place, we should help each other out instead of looking like a bunch of lunatics!”
“The girl’s got some sense.” Locke whispered his approval.
He steps forward: “I agree with Marle. Why don’t we all calm down, forget about the fuss, and talk about our journey? Chances are we can learn something from each other.”
With this, the fuss was finally over, and a proper introduction was made.
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It was quiet a meeting.
First, Locke’s group introduced themselves.
“I am Locke Cole, a treasure hunter.” He bowed elegantly.
“Edgar Roni Figaro, King of Figaro, master engineer and lady’s man!” He winked at Marle, who only snorted, not flattered at all.
“Told you, bro, you are not fooling any one but yourself.” Sabin laughed, “I’m his twin, Sabin Rene Figaro.”
“Cyan Garamonde, knight of Doma.” Cyan said solemnly.
Celes introduced herself with the same dignity: “I’m Celes Chere, former general of the Empire.”
“Setzer Gabbiaon, your average gambler.” The gambler’s proud expression suggested that he is not at all average.
“Name’s Terra…” She lowered her head. The Empire took her from her parents when she was only an infant. They kept her as a laboratory research mouse until fate helped her escape and she took her revenge.
Thinking of the past still hurt her very much; she does not know what to say.
Seeing this, Edgar quickly came to her rescue: “Terra Branford is a honored friend at the Figaro court.” He gazes around, daring anyone to argue.
No one did. Everyone simply looks at Shadow, expecting him to say something since he is the only one left from Locke’s group.
Finally, he spoke in his deep, plain voice: “Shadow, free assassin.”
Very simple introduction, those who know him were used to this, those who doesn't did not question him any further.
Next was Marle’s group.
“I’m Marle Guardia, Princess of Guardia Kingdom.” Marle said cheerfully.
At this, Edgar wondered if her kiss would help her frog friend turn back to human. But seeing the sword buckled to Crono’s belt, he suppressed his curiosity.
Crono made a friendly smile. He has a red radical punk hairdo; it’s real hard to ignore him even if someone actually tries.
“I’m Crono Sakona from the town Truce of Guardia.” His voice was deep but a bit rash, indicating his voice just changed from that of a boy to one that belongs to a man, not too long ago.
The frog took off his hat and bowed: “I am Glenn, a Knight of the Square Table of Guardia. It is a pleasure meeting you all.”
So, he is also a knight, no wonder he resembles Cyan in his way of speaking. Edgar thought to himself.
Then, Ayla give a roar with her impressive self-introduction: “Ayla, Chief of Ioka Village! Whhhhhhhhhhoaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Magus. Magician.” the last person in Marle’s group said. He has beautiful blue wavy hair, but his face was cold, and his eyes very sad, full of pain and rage from the past. He and Shadow certainly have something in common.
Then the remaining two guys briefly introduced themselves. The calm young man with a huge sword is Cloud Strife, a former Soldier with rigid training. Barret Wallace is his friend; together they and other people defeated Shin-ro Corp. and Sephiroth, the evils of their world.
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Once they are acquainted with each other, they talked about their quests.
The others were surprised to learn that Locke’s group wants to ban magic from their world.
“Without magic!” Marle exclaimed, “I can’t imagine what my life would be without magic.”
“We like our magic too.” Edgar said dryly, “But no everyone has this ability, so the fight over it cost us two huge wars and nearly destroyed our world.”
Terra’s eyes were darkened by the memory. Being the only descendant of Espers living among human, she knew only too well how terrible human’s greed for magic and power could be.
Marle must have noticed it, for she fell silent. After a moment, Edgar asks: “So why are you here?”
“We are here to help Magus look for crono trigger.” Crono replied.
Everyone turns to look at the grim magician. He was not very flattered by this shower of attention, however.
The magician stood against a tree, wrapped himself with his cape, and murmured something like: “The idiots insist on following me.”
Hum, definitely not the talkative type. Edgar decided to ask about the crono trigger later, and turns to Cloud: “So why are you here?”
Cloud’s smile was a forced one with sadness: “I’m seeking the white materia, a legendary item that is said to have the power to resurrect life.”
Barret grumbled: “The kid is damn stubborn. Wasn’t about to let him run aimless and get himself killed.”
Edgar and Sabin exchanged a look, their respect for the big man increased. Beneath Barret’s rough manner lies a most noble heart, stay loyal and true to his friend.
Curiously, Terra asks: “What does the white materia looks like?”
Cloud hesitated, then reach into his pocket and pulled out a small red orb: “This is a fire materia. A white materia will look like this, only the color will be different!”
Marle gasped: “Whoa, incredible. If a white materia is what you describes to be, it would look exactly like a crono trigger!”
“So does your crono trigger…” Cloud asks hopefully.
Marle nodded: “It works damn good, it brought Crono back.”
Everyone stares at Crono in awe, he grumbled: “So I was once toasted to ashes, satisfied?”
Ayla suddenly grabs Marle’s arm: “But old man say, only one trigger!”
“Yeah, you are right. That &%* old weirdo did say there is only one crono trigger in the world.” Marle said thoughtfully. From her use of &%*, apparently she never liked that uncanny old man very much.
Celes looks at Marle then at Barret: “&%*? Barret, shame on you for corrupting youth.”
“Wasn’t my fault, kids learn these things damn fast, like it or not.” He murmured.
Cloud cut in impatiently: “Are you saying the white materia does not exist anymore?”
“Not necessarily.” Edgar said, “Marle, it probably does not exist in your world anymore, but this is not your world, after all.”
Locke looks at the fire materia thoughtfully: “Actually, the phoenix Esper, which is an Esper said to have the ability to revive dead, looks like a white orb before it lost its energy and turned red.”
“So there is a possibility that these items, although extinct in our worlds, may still be found here.” Shadow’s sudden comments made many of them jump. He is always so quiet that they often forget he was there all along.
Magus nodded and shot an impatient look at Marle: “Exactly. That’s why I came here, you idiots.”
“If thou dare to insult us one more time, we will not let thou abroad Epoch, hath leave thou here for eternity.” Glenn warned.
Magus falls silent with a “Humph!”
Terra now commented: “Is there a possibility, that there are many of these rare items in this world? After all, this is the fairy tale land, dreams are suppose to come true.”
Now everyone was silent. Bring back the loved ones… this is a dream lie in the heart of every person who loved, and was loved by others. Bring back the dear ones…
At length, Locke speaks first: “C’mon, we can do nothing by meditating over here. Cloud, you mentioned about Lakefroth? Then let’s go find that damned sorcer of yours, he seems to be an interesting enough person.”
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