"Ah, Erik, out for a stroll?" Rufus asked, spying his hired doctor walking along the beach by the harbor.
"If one wants to be so petty as to call it that," Erik answered.
"I do," Rufus said. "I alerted al the others, they be still at the tavern."
"What be left of it, or have they found a new one?"
"You amuse me Erik," Rufus said. "Good, otherwise I would be afraid that I cannot stand you."
"I still find it odd, even despite your age, that someone such as you is so untutored."
"I can read. That be enough for here and for my company."
"Forgive me, maitre."
"There is no room to bother with philosophy or paltry history of those long dead while Sephiroth is free to torch another fleet and three convicts have escaped from one of our own ships."
"I heard about that, maitre."
"From who? Such news came so swiftly."
"From Scarlet," Erik answered. "No doubt she’s with Heidegger now, attempting to break the bed with their wild coition."
"Why, Erik, I do swear! You be jealous of that fat pig."
Erik stopped walking. "Maitre, I hold you in the deepest respects and I owe you my life, for without you I would have died at the mercy of the powder hold. I warn you though: do not cross me about my desires to bed."
Rufus turned to Erik, and from the look Erik gave him, Rufus was certain Erik had dealt with at least one person who had crossed him and that they had lived long enough to regret it.
"I believe there was something she did not manage to tell you. I told the others, but you were absent."
"I have no intentions of abandonment, maitre. I promise you. I merely do not feel safe with the illiterate Arabian-fathered ruffians around after what they did to the last tavern and the patrons."
"Come now, the Turks are behaving themselves."
"They be drunk, are they?"
"Three of them under the table. Easiest way to distract such barbarians has always lied in alcohol. Just threaten to take it away when they get out of hand and they be perfectly behaved."
"The news, maitre? I do not wish to be rude, but—"
"Of course not, Erik. Had I thought you were rude I would have had someone take off that other leg of yours to teach you some manners. Signore Palmer has died tonight."
"How?" Erik asked.
"A very interesting sword wound. I came to inform you now to ask you to take a look for yourself, tell me what you think, doctor."
"He is already dead. Is it that important?"
"More than so," Rufus said. "Let us make haste."
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"That’s two," Cid counted, hauling Cloud up in the net of tangled ropes that used to hold the sail. Cid dragged the unconscious boy onto the rocks and dumped him by Barret.
"That boy be nothin’ useful," he told the captain. "Hate to rescue him ‘cause he deserves to be taken out an’ drowned. An’ I called that lad—lass Sharkbait."
"He ain’t done such a thing afore," Barret said, patting Cloud on the back as he started to wake up and cough up water.
"Shera well enough?" Cid asked. That was all he could manage. He had hated her and then she’d saved his life, and tried to save Aeris.
"She be alive. That be all I can tell, I ain’t no doctor," Barret said. "Only one close to tellin’ be Tifa, and she still sleepin’ from the water."
"No sign of Sharkbait?" Cid asked.
Barret shook his head.
"Miracle them all survived," Cid muttered. "Best not to worry about the corpses now. Cloud, you finished?"
Cloud nodded, then began to cough up more water.
"When yer finished come with me. Barret, give ‘im a cutlass. I hopes he kin hit somethin’ this time if we come across a brute. Ya stay here. Keep Shera warm anyway ya kin. I warn ya, she be mighty friendly in bed. Come on," he said, picking Cloud up. "A bloody waste ya’ve bin. Start makin’ up fer it. Git!"
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
"Hello?" Cid yelled into the maw of the cave. The only answer was a loud and continuous echo of his own voice.
Then they heard something groan, at least the echo of it.
The tie was changing, ebbing out and changing from high to low. Cloud and Cid waded through the black water up the their waist.
"Hello?" Cid yelled again. "I heard ya the first time, cannot say ya ain’t here!"
The was no answer.
"Keep movin’ Cid said. The water began to get shallower and eventually, the were walking over more rock than water.
"Holy—" Cid yelled, tripping over something in the dark.
"Cid?" Cloud asked.
"Oww. Cid?" a familiar voice said.
"Sharkbait! Yer alive. Damn your tiny hide, yer alive! Ya must’ve washed up with the tide. But how?"
"Yer on me hand," Yuffie answered.
"Cannot see!" Cid exclaimed, moving. "Dark as hell in here."
"Where be me flint?" Yuffie asked herself, searching her pockets.
"What would ya be lightin’ it with?" Cid asked.
"I found a torch—aaaa!" Cloud yelled.
"Rots in here!" Yuffie complained.
"What be in ya now, boy?" Cid scolded.
"I jus’ found what be rotting!" Cloud said.
"Found you!" Yuffie said and followed Cloud’s voice. She grabbed the torch and after a few tries it lit.
They were all silent and Yuffie nearly dropped the torch.
A pile of what used to be bodies were strewn down the cave, trailing away into the darkness. The flesh and sinew had been picked clean; most of the clothes had been destroyed by the elements. Still, there was enough to create a stench. All of the skeletons held weapons, pistols, axes, cutlasses, machetes, swords, and daggers.
"Must’ve gone out in one of the higher tides," Cid muttered.
"Damn," Yuffie commented, seeing the weapons dull and a few with old barnacles.
"What be ya doin’?" Cid asked, as Yuffie took another torch from one of the bodies and lit it, then handed it to Cid.
"They must’ve left something," she said, and scurried off down the cave.
"I bet they all drowned or starved. Sharkbait! Git back here!"
There was no answer, this time Cid knew it was on purpose.
"Come on, after her," Cid told Cloud. "Afore there be a new corpse in this damned place. Blasted kid."
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
The cave shook and rumbled, and a cloud of smoke came charging down at them. "Quick, down!" Cid yelled, and pulled Cloud down with himself, hitting Cloud’s head on a rock at the same time.
The cloud passed over them, leaving them both choking in its wake. They could hear Yuffie coughing as well, only a few yards ahead.
"Damn. Knocked the torch right out," Cid complained. "Git up, boy."
"Ow," Cloud complained.
"Ah, it’ll make a man outta ya," Cid said.
"It’ll make a corpse outa me," Cloud said.
"One less mate ta worry ‘bout," Cid said as they entered the circle of light shed by Yuffie’s torch.
"Worked!" she exclaimed, still coughing.
"Worked?" Cid asked. "Ya mean ya were tryin’ ta git us all dead?"
"No, look!" Yuffie said, pointing to a hole in the cave floor. "Obvious someone move a boulder on purpose. Found ‘nough gunpowder to move it."
"Ya coulda asked," Cid complained, pointing at his spear.
"‘Ould never ‘greed."
"Greed, indeed," Cid scolded. "That be all yer good fer, hey! Git back up here! You dare go in there—"
"She went in there," Cloud said.
"I knows," Cid said and sighed. "Best follow her. We leave now and she be bringing the whole of the island down lookin’ fer treasure."
Cid clambered down the hole, his oaths getting fiercer and fiercer as he went.
Cloud was left in the dark for a second. He did not want to go down there and his wound flared up in pain at the thought. Still, he found himself poking for footholds and failing, crashing right on top of Cid.
"Ya land better’n ya fight, boy," Cid said, pushing Cloud’s leg off his face. "Sharkbait! Whadda ya think yer doin!"
The coffin in the middle of the cavern did not bother Cid as much as the fact that Yuffie was struggling with the lid.
"Damn, this is heavy!" Yuffie complained. "Come ‘ere, either of ya read?" she asked.
"Lemme see. How big’re the werds?" Cid asked, walking over and then brushing dust off the lid. "Old."
"No one took the treasure, ya s’pose?" Yuffie asked.
"Shiny be all that git in yer mind, is it? I’ll git ya a nice pocketwatch next port we git in ta. That’ll keep ya busy," Cid said. Lessee. That’s a B, an that’s—"
"Black Valentine," Cloud said.
"An’ how would ya know?" Cid asked.
"’Cause it spells…"
"I dun care what it spells, how ya done learn ta read?"
Yuffie screamed and they both turned to her. She was scared enough to wet her pants from a gun pressed against her head and someone in the coffin wielding it.