Ukyo was astonished how quick the chocobos carried her and Clasko along the highroad. She barely had any time to have a look at her surroundings.
When the highroad ended at the foot of a tall rocky cliff, Clasko came to a stop.
"What's up?" Ukyo asked. "Are we there yet?"
Clasko shook his head. "No, but we have to get past the gate first." He gestured towards a big portcullis that was embedded in some kind of rocky archway. When they approached the gate, he quickly dismounted.
To the crusader that was guarding the gate, he said: "Clasko, member of the Djose Chocobo Knights, and recruit Ukyo Kuonji, reporting to duty!"
"Took your time today, Clasko," the guard nodded. "Well, it's like that almost every day... but at least you've got a good excuse today, eh?" He laughed.
Ukyo fumed about how the other crusader was treating Clasko. Clasko himself just reddened and answered: "Well... you know it's Ukyo's first time here. I had to fetch her, that's all! Open the gate already, Beclem!"
The man, whose half face was hidden behind some helmet, grinned and nodded. "All right, here you go..." He pulled a lever, and the gate opened. "But better hurry up, Captain Lucil is not very forgiving today."
"Yeah, I know," Clasko sighed. "Come on, Ukyo..." He re-mounted his chocobo, then together they rode through the gate.
Behind it lay a rocky path along the cliffs. To their right, Ukyo could see the wide ocean.
"What's this 'Captain Lucil' like?" she asked. "Is she a fair person?"
"She's pretty fair," Clasko answered. "But also very stern at the same time. Her underling, Elma, always adores her and follows every command instantly. I mostly have to work with the two of them, and if I can't promptly obey an order, Elma will make fun of me... or so it seems to me..." He seemed pretty depressed.
"Hey," Ukyo tried to cheer him up. "Now that I'm gonna join the troupe, you'll not be the only one they can push around. Besides, if we try hard, we can do anything, dont'cha think?"
Clasko was really glad to have met this girl in Kilika. She always was so... cheerful, and she always manages to cheer him up. Not many of the crusaders he knew were like that.
He guided them through a narrow passageway through the cliffs. "This road leads to Mushroom Rock," he explains. "Where our headquarters are situated. There's an elevator constructed by the Al Bhed there that will take us up... so we have to leave the chocobos behind when we get there."
"Do crusaders get good food, by the way?" Ukyo asked suddenly. Clasko again reddened. He didn't want to insult the camp's cook, but...
"Most of the time, we have stew... and, to be honest, it tastes absolutely awful."
"Well, then it's time for me to introduce battlefield okonomiyaki, the new food for the crusaders of today."
"But... you're a soldier, not the cook..."
Ukyo looked at him sternly. "Are you trying to say that my okonomiyaki is not edible? Just because I also know how to fight?"
"N-n-no, that's not what I meant to say, it's just... I never met anyone who could fight and at the same time cook as well as you, Ukyo."
She grinned. "Well, my fighting style IS okonomiyaki style martial arts, after all. Doesn't just mean I use it in my fights, I also am one of the best okonomiyaki chefs that ever existed."
"Um... you really aren't very modest, are you?"
"Nope!" Ukyo shook her head. "Never was!"
----
When they arrived, Ukyo could only stare at the huge cannons that were positioned at the edge of the cliff. And the people maintaining them...
"Aren't those people... Al Bhed?"
"They are," Clasko nodded. "They agreed to help us with our plan, fighting Sin. But Captain Lucil will explain everything to you... come this way!"
When they entered the big tent, Clasko saluted and repeated his tirade. "Clasko and recruit Ukyo Kuonji reporting for duty, ma'am!"
A tall, red-headed woman turned around from her conversation with the other woman in the tent. She was wearing a purple armor that reached up to her chin... but strangely, did not protect her legs.
Well, Ukyo thought, maybe she needed to have free legs to better ride a chocobo.
"Ah, so you must be the new one," the woman addressed Ukyo. "I am Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights, and one of the subordinate officers of Maester Wen Kinoc!" She gestured towards the other girl. "And this is Elma."
"Hey, welcome in the camp," Elma cheerfully said. She was dressed in a bright red leather armor.
Ukyo nodded. "Thanks for letting me join the crusaders. I'm Ukyo Kuonji... but I bet you knew that already! I was originally thinking about becoming a summoner's guardian, but... after Clas-chan... um, I mean Clasko, told me of the crusaders and your plans to defeat Sin, I couldn't say no when he asked me to join you."
"Well, yeah," Elma grinned. "Clasko does come up with some good ideas now and then."
"Now, I must assign you to a troop where your previous battle experience is going to fit nicely in... Which fighting style do you prefer?" Lucil asked. "Armed or unarmed? Short-range weapons, long-range weapons?"
"I prefer armed combat," Ukyo proudly exclaimed. "And my primary weapon is this..." And she took off her giant battle spatula from her back. "I also use these small spatulas as throwing weapons."
Lucil and Elma looked at her in puzzlement. Then the captain said: "Um, Miss Kuonji... these are baking tools..."
"Yeah," Elma nodded. "Must be the biggest baker's peel I've ever seen, though."
"Yeah, I know," Ukyo answered. "That's my fighting style: Okonomiyaki martial arts! That's the only way of fighting I ever used, and the only style that I'm comfortable with."
"Well, this is... kinda extraordinary..." Lucil pondered. "I'm afraid I've never heard of that fighting style before."
"I saw her in battle," Clasko told them. "She managed to flip over a single Ochu with her main weapon, all by herself! And the Ochu wasn't even weakened before that!"
Elma whistled. "Wow, if that's true..." She exchanged a quick look with her captain. As always, she would agree with her opinion.
Lucil extended a hand. "In that case... welcome to the troops, Miss Kuonji. I believe you'll be a very special addition to the crusaders."
Ukyo grinned. That was easy.
"So, what now?"
"Well, I believe it would be best to put you with the infantry..."
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:36)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.