I Never Let Her Die! (Aerith x Male Gamer Reader)

Disk 01: Chapter 04: Chocobockle Boondoggle

We departed Kalm early the next morning. As we walked across the plains, Aerith asked "So what's our plan anyway? Where are we going?"

Cloud answered "Sephiroth is headed to the south and west. There's really only one destination he could have in mind on that heading."

"Right. The Mythril Mines west of Choco-Bill's Chocobo Ranch." Barrett confirmed. "The mines have entrances on both sides of the mountain range they're tunneled under, so he could pass all the way through and then head on to Fort Condor or even Port Junon."

"And if he reaches Port Junon, he could board a ship for almost any place in the world." Cloud added.

"And we're a day further behind him thanks to someone here." Barrett said glaring at me.

Tifa slapped him upside the head. "It's not his fault."

"And I may have a way to help you make up the lost time." I said. "Red and I talked about it a little last night... You are aware we've got an obstacle in our way right? The marshes in front of the mine entrance?"

"So? No marsh is gonna stop me." Barrett argued. "And if you're afraid of one it's not too late for you to turn back."

I was about to say something unkind when Red spoke again. "It's not the marsh that Y/N is worried about Barrett. It's what lives in it."

"Exactly." I said. "Midgar Zolems. Which, for those who don't know, are snakes. BIG snakes."

Barrett laughed derisively again, but Aerith seemed unsettled. "How big?" she asked.

"About five hundred feet long, twenty feet in diameter..."

Barrett was finally convinced of the problem. "DAMN!" he exclaimed. "How do you deal with something that big?"

"Something tells me that's what Y/N was getting ready to tell us when he said he had a plan." Tifa replied. "Before someone interrupted him..."

"Right. Here's the deal: Chocobos are a lot faster than the snakes. We'll need them to cross the marsh safely, which means stopping at the Ranch up ahead. The problem is, I know from prior experience with these kind of ranchers..." (True enough, I thought, though said experience was sitting on my couch playing the game) "... that instead of renting us their own birds they'll want to sell us a Lure Materia to go catch our own."

"Aw man, that could take days..." Barrett grumbled.

"Which is where my plan comes in: I'm going to bribe someone to loan us birds whether the ranch manager likes it or not." I said.

Aerith was aghast. "You can't steal them!"

"We're not." I assured her. "Chocobos have strong homing instincts. They'll go straight home when we get to the mine entrance and set them free. We're just borrowing them for a day or so." I could tell from the look on her face she still didn't like it. "Look, I don't like it either. And I'd never, ever, do anything like this normally. But this is too important, fate of the world maybe."

"I guess so... Alright. But you've got to promise me we'll come back and square things up with the actual owner once all this craziness is over with."

"Done."

"Then we're all set." Cloud said.

"Not entirely. There is still one difficulty." Everyone looked at Red as he spoke. "I seriously doubt a Chocobo would permit a creature such as myself onto it's back..."

"Oh!" Aerith exclaimed. "I guess it's my turn to work out a problem. Don't worry Red, I've got a perfect solution... Now let's keep moving."

As Aerith walked on, Cloud turned to Red and said "Be very afraid. Her last 'perfect solution' involved stuffing me into a dress..."