It had been four days since the Valeria left the Cape of Good Hope and headed south in search of Battleship Island. Despite having missed Balamb Garden several times in the past, Cyrus and his friends felt confident that they would finally be able to catch up to Commander Leonhart. Cyrus only hoped they'd be able to do it before Garden reached Battleship Island…
Cyrus was below deck, sharpening Defiant Reaper and checking his supply of combat chemicals and medical potions. In the past couple of days, Cyrus had either helped Taizen with his navigation or sparred with Kyra…albeit much less intensely than during their first sparring match.
Cyrus finished prepping his gear as he looked out a porthole at the vast, seemingly endless ocean. He sighed as he decided to confer with his GFs.
"You guys awake in there?" Cyrus mentally asked.
"Always," Ifrit answered back.
"What is it, human?" Bahamut asked in a tone that sounded both concerned and annoyed.
"Just checking on everything. We're getting closer to Battleship Island…and if my hunch is right, we're going to have one hell of a fight on our hands. I don't suppose there's any words of wisdom you'd mind sharing with me before we go to battle?"
"Yes, there is one thing…" Leviathan offered, "…don't die."
Cyrus rolled his eyes as he suppressed an amused chuckle. "I'll be sure to remember that. Bahamut, you were imprisoned on Battleship Island, right?"
"Do not remind me. What of it?"
"What is it that the researchers found? Do you know?"
Bahamut sighed as he explained, "It was difficult to listen in when locked inside a soundproof cylinder. All I know is that the magic they found was ancient beyond all others…that, and it was dangerous. Even when I was freed by the lion-hearted swordsman, they did not dare venture deeper into the abyss."
"Commander Leonhart was scared to investigate? Holy hell…"
"It was not fear that stopped him," Bahamut corrected, "It was wisdom. It was pure coincidence that the warrior happened to find me. Once he freed me, he decided that the potential reward at the bottom of the sea was not worth the risk, especially when he had his mission to complete. Once he ended the war throughout time, he never saw the need to come back."
"Until now," Cyrus added. "Well, that sucks. It figures that the Seraphim Society would choose that place as the site of Hyne's resurrection. I guess we'll just have to…"
"Cyrus! We have a problem. Get up to the bridge!" Taizen shouted over the Valeria's intercom system. Cyrus immediately ended his internal conversation, grabbed his gear and scythe, and ran up to the deck and to the bridge.
"What's going on?" Cyrus asked the muscular SeeD.
Taizen said nothing; instead, he simply pointed to the sky. Cyrus turned to see what Taizen was pointing at, and then immediately regretted looking.
There, a mile or so out in the sky, were dozens of flying monsters. Using a pair of binoculars, Cyrus quickly recognized the enemy.
"Ruby dragons," Cyrus muttered as he clenched his fist. Ruby dragons were considered one of if not the most dangerous species of monsters that had ever fallen from the moon. Not only were they strong in both physical and magical attacks, but they also possessed a high level of intelligence. Ruby dragons were capable of not only overwhelming their opponents with superior might, but they could also outthink them.
Kyra joined her teammates on the bridge as they silently assessed this new threat. Kyra was the first to speak up by saying, "Let me guess…the Seraphim Society?"
"They have taken control of monsters in the past," Taizen pointed out. "But so many dragons…are they really this powerful?"
"That really doesn't matter right now!" Cyrus snapped as he turned to face Kyra. "Think you can still shoot?"
Kyra nodded as Cyrus continued, "All right…Kyra, take control of the guns. Let's hope my dad didn't just put them on the Valeria for decoration. Taizen, you have the bridge. Whatever it takes, get this boat to Battleship Island!"
"And what are you planning on doing?" Kyra asked as Cyrus left the bridge and headed out to the deck. Kyra followed her captain closely as she sensed Cyrus's energy increasing.
"Simple," Cyrus finally answered as he raised his hand high into the sky. "I'm going to fight fire with fire."
The once clear skies above the Valeria immediately became cloudy as the shadow of a dragon became clearer in the clouds. Then, the clouds split apart, revealing the Dragon King as he hurled himself down until he was on the Valeria's port side. Cyrus gave Kyra a thumbs-up and a confident smile as he jumped on Bahamut's back and grabbed on to his neck.
"Let's go, Bahamut! We're taking the fight to those rubies!" Cyrus shouted.
Bahamut nodded as he flapped his wings and gained altitude. Kyra shouted something unintelligible as the scythe wielder and his draconic partner flew at incredible speeds towards the oncoming flock of dragons.
"Ready, Bahamut?" Cyrus asked the Dragon King as they got within range.
Bahamut nodded as he started gathering energy near his maw. "Let us unleash hell."
"You got it!" Cyrus shouted as he focused similar energy into his hand. Seconds later, both dragon and SeeD unleashed their attacks: Bahamut's in the form of a Flare Ball, Cyrus's as a Flare spell. Both attacks hit their intended targets as a pair of ruby dragons collided with the magical spells and were mortally wounded, sending them falling down into the sea below. Cyrus and Bahamut wasted no time as they focused their magical energies again.
Meanwhile, Kyra had found the controls for the Valeria's 120 mm cannons and was acclimating herself to them. Once she had gotten a good feel for them, she aimed the massive guns at the nearest ruby dragon, made sure to lead it just enough, and opened fire. Her aim was true as the powerful shells hit the dragon dead center, killing the monster in an explosive flurry. Kyra, grateful that her marksmanship training was not in vain, reloaded and scanned the sky for another target.
And thus, Cyrus and Bahamut attacked the dragons from the sky with Flare spells while Kyra provided supporting fire. The rubies retaliated with fiery attacks, but Bahamut and Taizen were able to dodge them as both the Valeria and the Dragon King continued moving forward.
One of the ruby dragons, who apparently was a little more clever than the rest, decided to stop attacking with fire as it launched a high-powered Aero spell at Bahamut. The wind spell had little effect on the Dragon King, but it was powerful enough to blow Cyrus off the GF's back and send him plummeting.
Bahamut was moving too fast to make a turn to catch Cyrus, but the scythe wielder had other ideas. As he fell, Cyrus aimed an Aero spell below him and used the wind to help keep him in the air long enough as a ruby dragon flew right below him. At just the right moment, Cyrus allowed himself to fall right onto the back of the ruby dragon. Enraged, the ruby thrashed violently to rid itself of its unwanted passenger as Cyrus hung on for dear life. The ruby dragon failed as Cyrus took Defiant Reaper and drove the blade into the ruby dragon's back, causing the monster unimaginable pain. It was at that moment that Bahamut had turned around and launched another Flare Ball at the ruby dragon Cyrus was riding on. Seconds before the spell connected with its target, Cyrus removed Defiant Reaper's blade from the ruby's back and jumped up. The ruby dragon was eviscerated by Bahamut's attack as Cyrus was picked up by the Dragon King.
"Nice one, Bahamut!" Cyrus shouted to his GF as Bahamut turned around, only to see a dozen ruby dragons approaching, all attacking in unison with flamethrower-like attacks.
"Reflect!" Cyrus shouted at the last second, forming a protective magical barrier around Bahamut as the flames were sent flying back to the dragons. However, being fiery beings, the flames did nothing to the rubies as they reeled back for another barrage.
"Bahamut!" Cyrus exclaimed as the Dragon King knew what his summoner was going to ask him. Bahamut gathered incredible energy in his mouth as the magical power reached its climax. Seconds later, Bahamut lurched back and released all that energy in his signature attack: the Mega Flare.
The powerful Flare stream collided with the ruby dragons, obliterating anything it touched in an instant. Bahamut moved the stream left and right, destroying every ruby dragon in sight as Kyra finished off the stragglers with the Valeria's cannons. A minute later, the Mega Flare had finished its onslaught, and there were no more ruby dragons left in their way.
"Cyrus, look ahead," Bahamut said to his summoner as the scythe-wielding SeeD stood up on Bahamut's back to get a better look. There, off in the distance, was a large, derelict man-made construct that floated in the middle of the sea, far away from any semblance of civilization. It was Galbadian in design and was covered with coral, seaweed, and rust from the ocean's salt water.
"Battleship Island," Cyrus muttered as something else caught his eye. There, docked on the east side of the research facility was a familiar-looking blue dome…
"Kyra, you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" Cyrus asked through his comlink.
"Yeah…it's Balamb Garden. We've finally found it," Kyra replied back. "What's our next move?"
"Simple," Cyrus answered. "Have Taizen dock the Valeria and meet me on the landing platform. We then rendezvous with the Commander and bring the Seraphim Society down."
"Finally!" Kyra exclaimed excitedly as Cyrus smiled. He then turned his attention to Bahamut and said, "Let's go."
Bahamut nodded as he flapped his mighty wings and carried his summoner across the skies and towards Battleship Island. Cyrus sat down on Bahamut's back as he checked his gear one last time and cleared his mind for the fight to come.
Twenty minutes later, and Bahamut had landed gently on Battleship Island. Cyrus jumped off the dragon's back and landed right beside his GF. Cyrus, despite not knowing Bahamut for very long, could sense the GF's uneasiness at returning here.
"Listen, Bahamut…I'm sorry you had to come back here, but…"
"Do not finish that sentence, Cyrus," Bahamut interrupted with a snarl. "I am here, regardless of whether I want to be or not. The past is the past, so let us move on."
Cyrus nodded. "Got it. You better…"
"Halt, intruders."
Cyrus turned to face this new voice, only to come face-to-face with several Seraphim cultists walking up to him and Bahamut slowly…deliberately.
"Guess my hunch was right," Cyrus said as he grabbed Defiant Reaper and dropped into his battle stance. "Where's Commander Leonhart?"
One of the cultists answered, "He and the rest of his heathens are deeper in the abyss. We were unable to stop his advance, so we remained behind and waited for reinforcements. Sensei Ezerath knew you would be following him to slay the goddess like your ancestor before you."
"Yeah, yeah…Vascaroon's heir and all that," Cyrus shot back flippantly. "I just wanted to verify that the Commander and the SeeDs were kicking your ass. I didn't really care about the rest. Now, are you going to get out of my way, or am I going to have to send you all to your beloved Hyne early?"
The Seraphim cultists responded as they typically did with any threats…by focusing magical energy into their hands and preparing for a barrage of powerful spells. Cyrus shook his head as he turned to the Dragon King.
"Bahamut, show these zealots what power really looks like."
"With pleasure," Bahamut replied as he launched several Flare Balls at the cultists, annihilating them without any mercy. The landing pad was cleared in an instant as Bahamut returned to Cyrus's mind. Seconds later, Kyra and Taizen made it up to the rendezvous point and reunited with their captain.
"We heard explosions," Taizen said, his hand hovering near Knight's Valor's hilt. "Are you all right, Cyrus?"
"Nothing to worry about," Cyrus said reassuringly. "Just a little clean-up. The Commander's already inside with an army of SeeDs, but some cultists remained behind to cut off any reinforcements. Let's cut through them and meet up with the SeeDs."
"Right!" Kyra exclaimed as she and Taizen followed their captain across the landing pad and into a hatch leading into Battleship Island. Cyrus kicked the door in and motioned for his teammates to follow him into the darkness and the nightmares that awaited them in the abyss.
Author's Notes:
And Bahamut makes his debut on the side of good! I was really looking forward to writing this aerial assault, and I had to scrap several different ideas before settling on what I wrote. Hope it brought the epic!
And now, to thank the reviewers: the Duelist of Dawn, Ally Todd, ExtremeuGamer, trevorami, BestinInfluence, and Hiiro Mizutani. As always, I bow to your excellent review skills!
They can't stop me, let 'em try! For the reviews of my readers, I will...take quite a lot of punishment. But not die. Seriously, I can't allow myself to croak! (This joke brought to you by "Die for Metal" by Manowar!)
See you all on the Long and Winding Road,
"The Exile" Cyrus Truth