Big thanks to immonado on tumblr for beta-ing this!
School starts up on monday for me, so updates will be sporadic from more now on.
Enjoy!
Shulk didn't know what to say, and for a solid minute, said nothing as he processed what Miqol had just said. It made sense, and he wanted Egil to at least pay for what he'd done, but...
"You're the last person I was expecting to say that," Gadolt said.
Miqol sighed. "I know, but he must be stopped. We've tried to convince him to stop before, but he's said it himself; only death will stop him from achieving his goal."
"You're right," Shulk agreed. "We'll take him down. Is there anything you want us to tell him?"
"Tell him I'm sorry," Miqol closed his eyes with a pained expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't be as good a father as he needed."
"Sir," one of the techs spoke up. "We've reached the drop point."
"Stay safe, boys." Miqol said before they left the control room. "Come home in one piece."
"We will," Shulk assured him.
They stepped outside, the sheer force of the wind almost knocking them over. The horn of the Bionis was right above them. They'd fly to it and walk across the shoulder back to Eryth.
They hadn't used their headsets in forever, but they put them on for the flight ahead. It would help them to see through the clouds and stick their landings.
They'd never had a flight this long outside of their units, so it ended up being pretty tiring.
They landed right where the horn met the head, then slid down to the shoulder. They took a break right outside the ruins of Colony 3.
"We'll be able to make it to the center gate from here." Shulk muttered.
"They turned off the defences, right?" Gadolt asked. "I don't want to get attacked."
"They're on, but they won't attack us," Shulk replied. "The Emperor made sure of that."
Gadolt nodded. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's get going."
They flew over to the center gate, where they met up with Fiora, Dunban, Sharla, Juju, and Shulk's parents.
"Welcome back," Fiora said, giving him a tight hug.
"How did everything go?" Anson asked.
"It went well, everyone was glad to know we were alright," Shulk replied. "How's your leg?"
"I'm not walking for a while, but I'll cheer on you guys from the sidelines," he smiled.
They headed back into the city, then the palace. They spent the rest of the day planning the trip to the fortress, using the blueprints Miqol had given Shulk and Dunban's knowledge of the sword.
It would take them a few days just to reach the fortress, where they would either rescue Kallian or head over to the Central Factory. Shulk and Gadolt didn't mention it, but they would likely move on to Agniratha afterward; Meyneth still wanted them to go there, now more than ever.
It took another week for everyone to recover properly and gather all of the supplies they would need. Any time they weren't planning the route, they were training.
They were expecting heavy resistance in the fortress and they had to be ready. Thankfully, everyone had anti-Mechon weapons and Melia using ether to attack, she didn't particularly need it.
The spent the entire week planning. They'd get all of the supplies they would need from the High Entia. They triple checked everything to make sure they would make the trip. They would be able to make it to the fortress with what they had, but not enough to get back. Sorean then organised a supply run at the hilt of the sword, so they would only have to carry what they needed from Valak to there and from the sword to the fortress. Thanks to that supply run, they would be able to make it and have enough for the trip back.
Another problem was solved when Gadolt mentioned that he and Shulk didn't actually need food, but they could carry the supplies needed by others. Once everything had been figured out, they still decided to go with the supply run to drop off their climbing supplies, since they wouldn't need those on the sword.
They were ready. In two days, they would leave for Valak Mountain. The only reason they weren't flying directly to the sword was because a massive blizzard had taken over the mountain and no aircraft could fly through it. It ended up faster for them to walk through the region. The supply shuttle would fly around, making nearly a three day trip.
The morning where they were supposed to leave, Sorean called Melia to the throne room. No one else was there, to her confusion.
The Imperial Staff was out of its stand and in his hands, where it would only be during battle… or a coronation. It was too early for that. This couldn't be it. There would be so much more ceremony to it.
"You called for me, Father?" she said when she reached him.
"I did, so that I may give you this."
Reverently, he gave her the staff. She took it, not sure what she was to do with it.
"This staff has been protecting our people and our family since times immemorial," he said. "Bring it with you, so that it may keep you safe."
"Are you certain?" she asked.
"I am," he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come home safely. Even if you cannot return Kallian to us, you must return. I could not bare to lose another child."
She nodded grimly.
"I do not say this because you are my heir. I say this because you are my daughter, and I love you."
"I will return alive, father. I promise."
Sorean gave Melia a tight goodbye hug.
0o0
Valak was bitterly cold. The wing cut into them and shards of snow and ice hit their faces. They'd tied a rope around Gadolt, who was in front of the line and everyone hung on so they wouldn't get lost or separated. They could barely hear their own thoughts over the howl of the wind. Despite it being midday, it looked like it was the middle of the night.
Gadolt could see beyond the blizzard thanks to his eye, and Shulk had turned one of the lights along his arm to serve as a beacon if someone were to get lost.
They hoped they wouldn't get attacked by anything, because if they did, they were screwed.
0o0
High above the mountain, something ancient and powerful flew through the blizzard, unhindered by it. She looked over her kingdom, seeing among the dim crystals the lights of the Aries below. Before she could dive to grab a few, she saw a little red light. Nothing on her mountain glowed red.
She flew toward it, keeping her distance. She recognised it. It wasn't as big as last time, but there were people there. Her person was down there. Surely, he would freeze to death in this blizzard. She had to get back.
0o0
The group stopped when Gadolt did, who was looking in the sky.
"What's wrong?" Sharla screamed to be heard over the wind.
"There's something huge flying above, I can't tell what it is." he replied, also screaming over the wind.
Shulk shut off his light as a roar echoed through the mountain.
The blizzard cleared, letting them see a dragon retreat toward Three Sage Summit.
"Abaasy." Shulk muttered.
Without the wind, Valak warmed. They could see farther than their nose again. They undid the rope and trekked down the mountain. They rested at Ose tower, staying there for the night and pressing on as soon as the sun showed itself.
The stripped of their coats and gear as they made their way to the hilt from the thumb, leaving the gear there for the supply convoy to pick up when they got there.
They looked at the valley in front of them. The Bionis was above and Mechonis, straight ahead.
Shulk pointed at the structure further ahead. "There's Galahad fortress."
"Even from all the way out here, it looks huge." Sharla said.
"We're on Mechonis now, the enemy's territory," Dunban declared. "Stay on your guard."
He lead the way, Melia and Reyn close behind, Gadolt and Sharla in the middle. Fiora and Shulk were in the back.
"I hope he's ok," she muttered. "I can't imagine what's going through his mind."
Shulk only nodded.
0o0
Dunban's heart was pounding out of his chest. This was it. This would be their final battle. They couldn't afford to retreat. If they did, they would lose everything they had left. The engineers had been working day in and day out to make as many anti-Mechon weapons as possible and they'd delivered. One third of the soldiers were equipped with one, and it would have to be enough. They marched forward. It was only a matter of time until the battle began.
0o0
Everyone was speechless. It felt as if the sword was creaking around them, like it needed an oil change. This place was ancient and rusted, but a battlefield. A battlefield where countless had died, where a battle as old as time itself had taken place.
There wasn't much time to appreciate the view, since Mechon spotted them and attacked.
The training had done them good, and they worked as one to take their attackers down.
They took the high road to avoid battle as much as possible afterwards, and only got on the lower level to open the gates.
When night fell, they stopped and made camp on one of the ramparts. No Mechon was nearby, but they'd still take watch. Dunban was first.
0o0
The first shots were fired when the sun waned. They'd been ready and fired back with their mobile artilleries and rifles. Those with anti-Mechon weapons lead the charge on the front lines. Dunban was among them, ripping through the wave of Mechon. He'd gotten the nickname of "Beast" years ago, and he was proving it here.
The sword in his hand and those by his side would lead them to victory.
They had to.
0o0
Shulk was the next to take guard.
"How are you holding up?" he asked as he sat beside him on the watch perch.
"I'm doing fine," Dunban replied. "I've managed to keep the worst of memories at bay."
Shulk nodded. "If you get overwhelmed, just say so. No one will mind taking a break, and if they do I have a nice metal fist."
"I didn't think you as the kind to punch people." Dunban said.
"I'm really not," Shulk replied with a laugh. "Did that make me sound threatening?"
"I know you wouldn't hurt a fly, so no."
Shulk sighed. "Before we go on, there's something you need to know about Metal Face."
"It's Mumkhar, isn't it?"
Shulk nodded.
"I had my doubts when he attacked us in Colony 6, but knowing there are Homs inside and after Prison Island, I was certain."
"Probably should've told you earlier," Shulk muttered.
"It's fine." Dunban paused. "I don't think he's under Egil's influence, he was always a little unhinged."
"He's not," Shulk confirmed. "He's his own unhinged self, he just uses his new body like he would have if he were still Homs."
Dunban sighed. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Getting him back is no use. I hate to say this, but he has to die."
"Yeah," Shulk agreed. "Anyway, you should get some sleep. I'll take it from here."
Dunban nodded and headed off to his sleeping bag. For the first time in a long time and surprisingly enough, sleep came easily.
The next day they pressed on through the valley, deciding they would make it to the edge of the fortress, where they would have one final rest before infiltrating it.
They had a lot to travel today, so they avoided battle at all costs. They did take down especially powerful Mechon that would only get in the way should an assault be lead on Sword Valley later on.
Galahad Fortress was now within view.
"Getting through the front door is plain suicide," Shulk said. "There's draining pipes we're small enough to fit through but mechon aren't, so we'll be more or less safe in those."
"More or less?" Melia asked.
"What's being drained is ether. Don't fall in." Gadolt answered.
"Well, most of it is diluted in water to avoid dissolving the pipes, but yeah," Shulk continued. "We'll have to be careful in there."
They left port access to find themselves where all of the ether was being drained out. It looked just like the waterfalls back on Bionis, but green. Green so bright it hurt the eyes.
"There's so much of it!" Sharla muttered in amazement.
"Isn't the only place where liquid ether found deep inside the Bionis?" Melia asked.
"Yeah," Shulk replied. "The sword is draining out the ether from the Bionis and leading it to the fortress to be purified of anything that might be in it and then transported to the Central Factory through pipes and transport-type mechon."
"That's horrifying," Melia said. "Ether is like the blood of the Bionis. To think so much of it is being drained out…"
Shulk nodded. "It's one of the many reasons why Egil has to be stopped."
"But first, let's recover my brother." she declared.
Gadolt put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're not leaving Mechonis until we have him, even if we have to drag him home kicking and screaming."
For the first time in awhile, Melia cracked a smile.
0o0
Everything had gone to shit very quickly. The mechon had overwhelmed the right flank, and it wouldn't be long before it fell entirely.
"Dunban!" Dickson shouted. "They've called for a retreat! The last line of defense will be in Makna!"
"I'm not leaving," Dunban replied. "We can't let them get any closer. If we do, we lose. Do you stand with me?"
"I don't," Mumkhar replied. "I'm sorry man, but I like being alive."
"C'mon, what would we be without those?" He gestured to Mumkhar's blades.
He sighed. "If I die, you're paying for the funeral."
Dunban laughed. "You aren't dying friend, not today. And you, Dickson? You coming?"
He sighed as well. "Someone's going to have to drag your asses back home."
They charged the incoming wave, only stopping when they saw a giant Mechon.
"If this is a joke it ain't funny." Dickson muttered as he looked over the fortress unit.
"At least we know our luck can't get worse from here." Dunban shrugged.
Other soldiers had joined them, more than half of the force ignoring the order to retreat in order to end the fight here and now.
0o0
Unfortunately, it became difficult to stay out of sight on the port since so many Mechon were going about. The carrier ships were parked on the edge, giving Reyn, Fiora and Dunban chills. Those were the ships that would hover above the colony whenever it was attacked.
"These are bound for the Central Factory, don't worry." Shulk assured their silent worries.
Thankfully, most of the Mechon being transport, they weren't equipped to attack and were easy to take out. They decided they shouldn't take out too many, since it would slow down production and make it obvious that there were people infiltrating.
That plan went out the window when none other than Metal Face crashed down in front of them.
"Mumkhar," Dunban drew his sword. "Stupid old friend."
"Dunban!" he snarled.
The chest opened, Mumkhar leaving his Mechon and letting them all see what he'd truly become.
"I think it's high time for all of you to learn who's the better fighter! And I'll give you a hint; it's not you!"
"We'll see about that." Dunban replied.
Mumkhar fought them outside of his unit, then jumped in when he'd taken too many hits. While the anti-Mechon weapons didn't affect him, the Monado now did. Fiora didn't need to waste enchant, and gave everyone a speed boost to dodge his attacks easier.
Shulk and Gadolt used their drones with second gear as a boost the pile on the damage. Reyn shared aggro with Dunban while Melia and Sharla stayed back, healing and dealing massive damage when they could.
He fired a shot straight up that knocked something high up loose.
Fiora saw it happen before it did; the piece would fall and the platform they were on would collapse.
"Everyone get back!" she screamed, pulling Dunban backward with her as she did. She knew Mumkhar would fire at him and wanted to be close to push him out of the way should he not see it coming in time.
Dunban jumped down to get out of the way, the shot hitting the thing Mumkhar had knocked loose earlier and causing to come crashing down.
Fiora and Dunban were still on the platform. There was no way they would make it off in time.
The blade cut through Metal Face and the platform fell.
She heard Melia's scream as she felt the ground fall beneath her.
Before she could register anything else, she felt something metallic grab and lift her up. She saw Gadolt grab Dunban as well and breathed a sigh of relief. They landed roughly near the others were, scared, but in one piece.
"Thank Meyneth for your flight packs." Gadolt said as he dropped off Dunban.
"I'm really glad I came up with those!" Shulk replied, catching his breath.
"We all are!" Reyn exclaimed. "That was amazing you two. I thought Dunban and Fiora were done for."
"I thought so too," Dunban replied. "Thanks for your quick reaction."
Shulk and Gadolt nodded.
"The drainage pipes are just ahead," Shulk said. "Let's keep going before anyone else pops up."
"Or any other platforms decide to go." Reyn added.
Dunban looked at where Mumkhar had been a few moments before. Rest in peace, foolish friend.
0o0
Dunban wasn't sure when he'd lost track of Mumkhar in the battle, but he couldn't see him anywhere. The small moment of distraction to look for him cost him dearly. A Mechon shot him directly in the arm. He dropped the sword and collapsed, screaming. Dickson pulled him back, dragging him behind the lines, but Dunban ignored the pain and put the sword in his other hand.
It was now or never, and he wasn't standing down.
0o0
They followed the edge of the wall of the fortress to one of the pipes. According to Shulk and Gadolt's internal map, it would lead them straight to the center of the fortress.
As eager as they were to get inside, they didn't know when they would be able to rest next, so they did.
It was mid-afternoon, but they managed to get some sleep. When the sun started to wane and it was clear no more sleep would be had, they crawled into the pipes.
They crawled on the metal grate above the draining ether. It was there for Maintenance Mechon, who were the only ones small enough to get through here. Since the ether was flowing, they wouldn't be coming through.
It would take them awhile to get through the pipes, but they would make it.
They entered one at a time, Gadolt in front of the line, then Sharla, Melia, Reyn, Fiora, Dunban, and Shulk at the back.
0o0
When the battle was over and the final Mechon fell, his arm was screaming. It was bleeding profusely and didn't look good at all. He was one of the first evacuated. He ended losing the use of his arm, Mumkhar, and many other friends that day. Many of the bodies were never found, so they would never truly rest in peace.
However, the day had been won. They'd wiped out the Mechon. The colonies were safe now. Those who had died had been avenged and could now rest knowing it was all over.
If only it could have lasted longer.