Since the moment Estinien notified Gaius of the weapon's presence in Castrum Marinum, the Shadowhunter would set out of Terncliff to infiltrate the place along with them. All Estinien, Fordola, and Valdeaulin could do at this time were to remain near the Waking Sands and consider their strategy. It didn't help that they knew nothing about the weapon they might face, but the three of them were used to improvisation. Estinien also took it upon himself to make sure that there were no new arguments among them, not in a moment like this.
They knew it was time when the Ruby Weapon landed north of the bay in the valley, horrifying all the wild creatures so much they would charge away into their caverns. Nero and Gaius have arrived, and the plan was laid out before them. The weapon would be kept in the valley so as to not scare any people in the Vesper Bay and not disclose itself to the imperials.
Nero would wait, and if he got a signal to attack the Castrum, he would do so immediately. He seemed excited about the prospect, almost too excited for Estinien's tastes. However, this was a measure only for the most extreme situation. If all were to go as planned, the weapon would be destroyed before it could even activate, and the imprisoned pilot will be saved and brought to Terncliff. Milisandia must have desperately longed for the news. Estinien did not want to keep her waiting.
Wedge and Biggs prepared a submarine for the four warriors to use. Gaius led the others inside, and in a matter of few minutes, they had submerged near the bay, setting out towards Castrum Marinum. The clash with another weapon has been closer than ever before…The dragoon still could not forget Ruby Weapon's annihilating power and the memories of Nidhogg it made him resurface. Emerald Weapon was its equal in strength, and it was in close proximity to Ul'Dah; it could kill thousands more if allowed to roam free.
The squad of shadows, they emerged from the waters inside the Castrum. The metal walls have collided with the unruly waters beneath them, and small waves created from them emerging have spread over the surface. There were no guards around, which forced Estinien into a surprisingly eerie feeling. Despite the complete absence of imperials inside, he sensed someone watching him from behind. Each time Estinien would turn around, the sense would switch to the opposite side just as quickly.
Gaius led them effectively. He visited this place more than once and knew the locations of every single trap and siren.
"It doesn't seem like anything's here…Don't think they would have left that thing unprotected." - Valdeaulin noted quietly as they crossed the Castrum's walls.
"The weapon was on that barge. The echo doesn't lie." - Fordola noted, forcing the duskwight to doubt her abilities once again.
"Isn't your echo unnatural? I heard stories about resonant and all…"
"Want to check it out? Go ahead then and look for this bloody weapon all you want."
They felt Estinien's stern gaze over themselves, forcing the two to quiet down and focus on the mission. Meanwhile, Gaius seemed to keep up his communication with Nero.
"How is it in there? Still the same watery waste pit as always?" - The engineer seemed curious.
"There is no one here, and no sight of the weapon or the pilot just yet…"
"Call me if anything worthwhile actually occurs." - Nero claimed negligently and seemingly cut off the communications. Estinien focused on the present, looking around through various walkways of the Castrum, all shrouded in darkness without a single soul, until…
"Gaius!" - Estinien exclaimed, calling others to his side. As the quartet gathered among the found pathway, a platform emerged in front of them, atop of which stood the horrific machine. An Ultima Weapon covered in emerald colors spread its wings over the lone platform it found itself on.
"Is that it? Seven hells…" - Fordola examined the weapon, but they had to get closer to get anything useful and perhaps even sabotage it.
"Is it manned? Doesn't seem so." - Valdeaulin noted. He wanted to step forward only to find himself stopped by Estinien.
"Careful, there is something wrong with this…" - Estinien urged him to wait; Gaius seemed to share similar caution.
"Here is not a place one would have a weapon like this."
"What even is that room?" - Fordola asked.
"A former testing ground for the novel war machines, but usually they are kept in the hangar. This looks like a trap."
"And what if it's not?" - Valdeaulin urged to reconsider. "If it's not piloted, we can't let go of an opportunity like this! We'll sabotage it while no one is watching with no sacrifices at all."
"I gotta say, I'm with him on this." - Fordola reluctantly admitted. Not much to lose and everything to gain, simple."
Estinien was torn, but in the end, they came here to act, and simply retreating was not an option.
"Even if it is a trap, we can't just leave…We came here to destroy the weapon with any means and knew it could come to that." - The dragoon noted.
"Very well." - Gaius nodded and led the team further into the building. Soon the four have surrounded the motionless Emerald Weapon on its platform, hoping for it to remain so until they were done.
"Where do we start?" - Estinien asked, but he would not get his answer.
A mechanical sound of an activated siren flew through the room as the Emerald began its movements. The engine's roar has plunged Estinien's ears. Destructive airwaves emerged from its wings as the machine ascended into the air. Finally, the small visor atop was glowing in blue color. Any hope Estinien had for a swift resolution had crumbled right before him. Judging by the shock and desperation in the eyes of his companions, they must have felt the same.
"Damn it…" - Valdeaulin uttered, realizing that his confidence had been unfounded.
"Defend yourselves!" - Fordola sheathed her blade and prepared her shield.
The Emerald stayed static for a few moments; apparently, the pilot was examining their enemies. Gaius saw this as an opportunity.
"Listen to us before it is too late!" - The Shadowhunter exclaimed. "Whoever you are, don't you remember? Ricon, Rex, Allie…If it is any of you, then this can't continue. It's me, your father, and I don't wish for any more bloodshed!" - Gaius exclaimed with a pained yet decisive voice. "I understand that you are afraid for others, what Valens will do to them…But it is not worth sacrificing yourself in a vain attempt to please that maniac. I can only beg of you…Milisandia is there, waiting for you at home. She wants to see us reunited…As do I." - These words were followed by silence as the Emerald Weapon floated in the air without any action. Estinien has never seen Gaius being so emotional and torn before. Even Valdeaulin was seemingly taken aback.
But this brief respite did not take long. Estinien noticed its energy generators beaming with power, preparing a shockwave.
"SEQUENCE INITIALIZED: OPTIMIZED ULTIMA"
"Get ready!" - The dragoon yelled seconds before this shockwave had been unleashed. The quartet was pushed closer to the edges of the platform; Valdeaulin fell to his knees as he struggled to maintain his balance but quickly got up with Fordola's help. Estinien was able to catch a glimpse of Gaius's face after the blast…It was that of sheer horror and shock. He must have believed that for a split second, his words got through to the pilot, one of his children, but it was futile.
The weapon would not keep them guessing for the next attack. As it unleashed its energy, three bright red spheres formed at the opposite sides of their circular platform. The machine would continue to fill those with energy, and they grew larger before the heroes' eyes. There was no way to stop the transmission from the weapon, but perhaps they could be destroyed before they grew too powerful.
Estinien and Gaius rushed to the nearby sphere as the dragoon unleashed his fury, piercing it with his lance. An explosion that pushed both of them away followed, but this method worked. One of the spheres was no more.
"You saw what they did; come on!" - Fordola commanded. She and Valdeaulin managed to cause another explosion which came at a toll on them. There was still one sphere left, one they would not reach in time. Valdeaulin was quick to act, however, unleashing a flame spell, triggering the final sphere and its explosion.
"See, you don't always need to charge right into it like damn psychopaths…" - Duskwight noted seconds before two bright blue laser beams emerged from the Emerald Weapon. They would circle around the platform, moving further from the machine itself and then back again in a vicious cycle. Estinien and others rushed in circles, avoiding the blasts.
"It's trying to strike all places at once…Keep them guessing where you would be!" - Estinien attempted to give out the most useful advice he could in a situation like this.
"Easier said than done!" - Fordola retorted; she had been hit by a laser and still tried her best to run around despite all the pain.
When the Emerald Weapon seemed to finally run low on energy, Fordola attempted to strike it with all the might she got, only to find the armor impenetrable, and unlike the Ruby Weapon, there were hardly any weak spots. Valdeaulin attempted to slow it down with his powers of ice, but this attempt fell just as flat. Did they even have the means to damage this monstrosity?
The Emerald Weapon continued to strike, this time with its drones in the form of hands, each letting out desolating blasts. In these attempts to evade, even Estinien felt tired due to the constant pressure, but he stayed focused. After a few more blasts, he felt the floor beneath him shaking. Others seemed to notice it too.
"Is it just me or…" - Fordola said as the outer reaches of the platform were about to collapse. Gaius was the first to react, swiftly jumping within, right into the weapon's trap. Others had to follow to avoid falling into the bottomless pit.
Seconds before they could even gather their strength, the weapon's hands circled around the platform, covered in an azure glow.
"Everyone, to the center! It's not going to endanger itself!" - Valdeaulin shouted; everyone gathered underneath the Emerald Weapon, trying their best to resist the pouring stream of wind. Valdeaulin's guess was correct. The hands scorched most of the platform around them except for the very center to avoid overlapping.
"Good call." - Estinien congratulated the thaumaturge while using this opportunity to examine the weapon. Its cockpit structure was similar to the Ruby Weapon, which meant that the same trick could be performed here.
This thought was soon interrupted by the weapon pulling up another trick up its sleeve. It unleashed four bombs on the platform's edge; they were interconnected in pairs with a countdown bringing their explosion closer by seconds. Estinien tried to figure out the reasoning for their connection. Two of those bombs were glowing with bright red, and the other two were pale blue. The ones of opposite colors were the ones connected. If these connections were to bring them together, they would be at the epicenter of an explosion that would burn their flesh.
"Everyone out!" - Estinien shouted as the party rushed to the edges seconds before the bombs exploded.
"Bloody hell, this one's strong; we must strike at the weak spots!" - Fordola exclaimed.
"And do you see any?!" - Valdeaulin responded frantically.
The Emerald Weapon would continue its onslaught. Almost a dozen of yellow spheres appeared all around the platform, slowly beginning to approach each other and circle around. It was almost impossible to navigate this place during this. Estinien had to frantically look around to avoid any contact. Even Gaius managed to make a mistake and cause one of the spheres to explode, pushing him aside before he got back into the battle.
But this gave Estinien an idea…
"Valdeaulin!" - He shouted as he gazed at the mage.
"What? I'm busy!" - He retorted with annoyance.
"See that sphere? I'll jump right at it, and when I do, blow it up with your spell!"
"What, why?"
"Just do it!"
The mage would argue; as Estinien charged at the sphere and neared the weapon, a flame spell from the duskwight helped it explode. The timing could not have been more perfect; when Estinien was in the air, he was pushed upwards by the released shockwave. In the next instant, the dragoon pierced the cockpit's wedges with his spear, pushing the armor aside with all the strength he had left. He could feel the unpierceable metal losing its grip, just a little more…
"AAAARGH!" - Estinien shouted as he finally managed to get what he wanted. Even the weapon's armor and resilience were not enough to withstand the raw power of a dragoon.
And then, finally, he saw a pilot in an all too familiar picture. A teenage au ra girl with white hair and a broken, horrified gaze was at the handle. She looked at him not with hatred or happiness, or whatever the emotion could be, but complete resignation.
"INTRUDER DETECTED: ACTIVATING ANTI-INTRUDER PROTOCOL PHASE 1"
Estinien felt a devastating electrical current annihilating him inside and out; this shock came as so unexpected and so painful that the dragoon lost his grip and fell to the floor. Seconds before losing his sight of the cabin's cockpit, he saw its cover closing down…
"Father, I love you!" - The girl's hurt voice echoed throughout the Castrum.
…
Rex's days have been far from easy, especially when Valens played a game unknowable to himself. He was getting used to all of this. The whispers, the stares, how very few saw him as someone who was worth of any dignity. Yet slowly, the pieces of the puzzle would converge. No one talked about it openly, but from soldiers discussing their jobs and the newest developments from their commander, Rex would gain an understanding of where the experimentation room was located.
This was where the Diamond Weapon was kept. Valens put a lot of effort into this project of his, using many of his prisoners as test subjects while he tried to install the data of Zenos yae Galvus on this weapon. There wasn't much Rex knew about Zenos, but the crown prince was always famed for his ruthlessness and obsessive, psychopathic approach; his entire life was in search of prey. To have this man's data simulated in a weapon…Valens was truly insane.
Now was the time spot share this with Ricon and Allie. As Rex returned to their dormitories, he expected his siblings to be worried due to his long absence, but what he found was much more terrifying. Ricon was alone, frantically rushing around the room in a panic. When he saw Rex, there was a visible relief in his eyes as Ricon rushed and hugged his brother.
"Thank the gods!" - He exclaimed; Rex couldn't quite reciprocate the embrace. He knew that if his brother was so worried, something had gone horribly wrong. "Where have you been? I almost thought to have lost you!"
"I'm…Sorry, there was a lot to be done, and these soldiers don't care for giving me the slightest break, but at least now I know something that…Wait, where is Allie?
"She went to seek you out and offer some help last night. You haven't seen her?"
The brothers looked at each other's eyes in the utmost terror. Ricon understood Rex's answer from his eyes alone. And then Rex started to realize…Ever since his argument with Valens, he has never been invited again despite the proximity of his deployment of the Emerald weapon. Rex has been tossed aside, but the project must have carried onwards…
"No…No…"
…
"Father, I love you!" - The moment Gaius heard this voice from the cockpit, he was thrown back into reality with a strength exceeding that of Ultima. Since the weapon attacked, the Shadowhunter continued to fight, but he was at a loss. He was rejected by his child, and while he understood the reasons, he could not force himself to fight to suffer another loss. Perhaps he deserved the pain, but Milisandia did not, and this pilot most certainly did not.
"Allie!" - Gaius shouted moments before the cockpit was shut tight. She was there; she still remembers. There was still hope. Estinien got up with anger and disappointment in his eyes.
"I was close, but I will try aga…"
"ACTIVATING ANTI-INTRUDER PROTOCOL PHASE 2: INITIALIZING OVERSOUL"
"NO!" - Gaius yelled and charged at the weapon, only to be pushed aside by the following shockwave. The room was covered in white light, obstructing Gaius's vision of his surroundings. Once he and the others began to process what had just happened, the Emerald Weapon turned to gold with the talon-sharp floating blades appearing around it.
"NOW YOU WILL WITNESS THE TRUE MIGHT OF GAIUS VAN BAELSAR!" - A recorded robotic voice rang out, yet even with its unnatural tone, Gaius could recognize his own. And thus, it was clear whose data was used for this weapon, but the emerging golden figure of the armored Black Wolf was not what caused Gaius's heart to shatter. If oversoul has been activated, then Allie became one with the core…Valens must have made it automatic if someone attempts to open the cockpit, perhaps even from the inside. No, no…Allie, his sweet Allie…
Gaius's companions continued to gaze in utter shock at what was happening around them, though they had no question of the cruel joke that had transpired. In an instant, a new image emerged. It was that of a scorched land that was all too familiar to Gaius. It was here when his Legion marched during the conquest of Werlyt. The land he left was demolished and broken. Just like the broken creature before him, a shade of his past burning out his present and future alike.
There was no peace to be made. By this, Valens has crossed a line. Gaius felt his blood boiling, unable to subside the rage inside. His youngest daughter, the sweetest and kindest person he ever knew, suffered so much because of his abandonment, and even so, her last words were that of love for him…
The Shadowhunter charged at the Black Wolf's silhouette in front of him, ready to clash with his own past. For a moment, he even forgot that three of his companions even existed. All he wanted now was vengeance and justice. But the figure dissipated, bringing back the golden weapon before Gaius. Its swords unleashed magical waves that were spread between Gaius and his companions, immediately weakening them with magical strength. They recuperated as swiftly as possible, but they were caught in a trap they did not expect.
"By the Fury…Where are we?" - Estinien looked around.
"The weapon must have activated some kind of projector; it's an optical illusion!" - Valdeaulin suggested.
"Well, we can't tell Nero to bombard this place if we don't even see our escape routes!" - Fordola shouted as she evaded further powerful waves from the Emerald Weapon.
Somehow the mention of Nero unleashing the Ruby weapon has made Gaius's hatred even stronger. Perhaps a part of him still saw this creation as Allie…He rushed towards the weapon, striking its possible weak spots with a gunblade but hardly leaving any scratches. As Gaius looked above, he noticed that the weapon summoned a golden sword above each of the four. The warriors evaded this falling menace, but something told Gaius that this was only the beginning.
"This is another damn bomb!" - Valdeaulin shouted as he pointed at the Azure crosses that formed underneath each sword. Gaius figures out that each direction would have a powerful blast launched at its side. There was only one small spot that would avoid the chaos.
"After me!" - The Shadowhunter beckoned his allies to follow him. Luckily, the three did not question it, and all of them were saved from the powerful energetic scorch. Valdeaulin was right. There must have been a projector installed in the weapon to trick them, to use memories of this place to open Gaius's wounds even further.
The weapon continued; Gaius noticed a whole myriad of Black Wolf silhouettes behind him, each of them readied their gunblade.
"Glory be to Garlemald!" - All of them exclaimed in an unforgiving unison. "The savages bow, false gods eradicated!"
They would shoot, rank after rank. Due to imperfections in the oversoul's programming, they would not do it at exactly the same time, leaving time for Gaius and others to swiftly move between the scorched lines. The Shadowhunter has made the mistake of looking behind him; a part of his soul just wanted to see it. See the warrior he once was in the most twisted fashion one could ever conceive of. This cost him a few precious seconds as Gaius was wounded by one of those shots. The Shadowhunter groaned, but Fordola helped him to get up.
"You need to focus!" - The woman shouted as she looked at distraught Gaius. "She's…She's gone, I'm sorry, but she is! We need to find that damn projector and call Nero!" - She added, getting no disagreements. She was right, Gaius understood, as painful as it was.
"Yes, she is gone." - He said starkly, almost as if still trying to process it himself. "But there is still a score to settle."
The next step was golden magitek ships which began their bombardment from above. Valdeaulin tried to unleash more spells to stop the onslaught but never had enough time to concentrate.
"Damn them!" - The duskwight shouted as he was looking for a solution. Gaius would be swift to help him. He jumped up at the lowest gunship, disorienting it and giving his companion just enough time to unleash his spell and turn the gunship into a formless mass of harmless energy.
"Now that's more like it!"
As Gaius jumped to the ground, the weapon was replaced by the image of the Black Wolf and another myriad of gunships. Gaius stood face to face with the Legatus he once was, whose face and body were covered in garlean armor. The man who conquered countless lands, bringing suffering and misery to thousands. A man who sowed jealousy in his subordinates, be it Nero, Valens, Livia, or anyone else. A man who put his conquest above family, the one who gave his honor away for power…A man who taught those around him that there is nothing that matters more than their strength and power. The man who created Valens.
And today, he will meet his end.
Gaius kept his defensive stance as the Black Wolf attacked, avoiding his every hit. Gaius remembered how he fought back in those times, fueled by aggression and rage, but he wasn't anymore. He realized just how predictable his strikes and tactics were; even when the Black Wolf attempted to shoot him with the gunblade, the Shadowhunter easily predicted that he would aim for the head and always remained on the move.
The Black Wolf created smaller blue crosses of terminus est, unleashing them at Gaius one after another. This sheer strength had no grace to it whatsoever. Every move evoked a memory in Gaius's mind. This was akin to a methodical dance where your partner simply cannot conceive of any original moves. This was still a machine, the one that was created using his data and the one that would fail because of it.
He would not have to fight this creation alone; Fordola was swift to join after destroying the magitek aircraft she fought. The moment she saw the Black Wolf, it was clear that the towering image had unleashed some memories within her, causing the woman to fume.
"Take that, you bastard!" - She shouted after hitting the Black Wolf with her blade. She managed to put only a minuscule wedge in his armor, but the ghostly machine immediately gazed at her, preparing for termination. Gaius attempted to strike from behind, but the Black Wolf pushed him aside with another cerulean cross.
"You dare challenge me?" - The Black Wolf clashed with Fordola and spoke with his mechanical voice, which gradually got more eager, reminding Gaius of his own determination during the battle of Praetorium. Fordola gave him a few seconds to recuperate and attack the machine from behind. It was quick to adapt, however, and the next cross was formed almost in one second, focusing on Fordola. She reacted swiftly, but the surge still managed to push her away, leaving a few scars on her arm. When Fordola was at a distance, the Black Wolf crossed his blade with Gaius once again.
"Give up, savage! What you defend is a land without principles ruled by weak men unfit to wield power." - The Black Wolf taunted him before continuing to fight, but Gaius blocked his strikes once again.
"What I defend is no land; it's the people. It's my friends, my family, those who live by principles in resisting those who threaten their freedoms…And I defend my family. There is no army I wouldn't topple for them; you are just a fainting shard in their shadow."
Black Wolf attempted to grab Gaius by his neck and slowly choke the Shadowhunter, but this would only leave him open. Gaius used the single second he had t pierce the Black Wold with his gunblade. The Legatus recoiled and fell to his knees, immediately transforming back into the Emerald Weapon. Valdeaulin and Fordola stood beside him as the weapon prepared to unleash another Ultima. This time, Gaius was ready. As Fordola and Valdeulin prepared to withstand another strike despite their tiredness, Gaius made a precise shot right at the weapon's visor. This would not stop the process entirely, but it would be an unexpected strike for this machine, which would slow it down. His two companions could breathe in relief. As Gaius damaged the visor, all of them could see the veil before them thinning. The shimmering image of Werlyt was occasionally replaced with Castrum's walls.
Estinien did not remain unaccounted for too long. The agile dragoon was already on the weapon's back again, trying to avoid weakened electrical currents which still pulsed through its cover.
"The visor! Destroy it!" - Gaius shouted, and Estinien obliged. The dragoon got to the top and pierced the Emerald Weapon with his lance, destroying the illusion one and for all. Gaius and others have finally found themselves amidst the Castrum. Now there was one thing left to do.
"Nero, engage!" - Gaius commanded as he opened their communication connection.
"What, it actually came to this? Say no more!" - The engineer responded with surprise, quickly replaced by gleeful satisfaction.
It only took a few more minutes before a destructive crimson beam pierced the Castrum's roof. Its upper part was annihilated almost immediately. The metal parts have fallen, revealing the azure sky with its boundless clouds, all overshadowed by the Ruby Weapon.
The large remnants have fallen down. While the heroes would easily maneuver in between them, the Emerald Weapon would not be so lucky. The sheer strength of a roof falling on its right wing has separated it from the rest of the body, leaving a fissure in the weapon's structure, a massive weak spot to strike. Nero rushed to the ground and unleashed a dozed of crimson rockets into the fissure. The explosions were so devastating that the opponent could not withstand them. The Emerald weapon has collapsed, buried beneath the Castrum remnants. Gaius would have breathed in relief, but they were far from safe when this place was about to come crashing down.
"You seemed to have some fun here…" - Nero's voice rang from the weapon's dynamics. "And judging by the golden armor of that one and how perfectly it goes with the name, I can only assume Valens is colorblind…"
"Shut up and get us out of here!" - Fordola yelled as she grabbed one of the Ruby Weapon's legs, holding tight. Estinien and Valdeaulin were quick to follow her. Gaius was the last to board, but he heard the robotic voice once again.
"SE-E-E-EQUENCE INITI-I-I-I-A-A-A-LIZED: OPTI-I-I-I…"
The Shadowhunter rushed towards the Ruby Weapon, but it was too late. The Emerald weapon unleashed one last explosion to put an end to Castrum Marinum. It took all of the remaining strength it had left. Nero had to swiftly move upwards to avoid damaging the weapon and its passengers; Gaius was not as lucky.
In a few seconds, the Shadowhunter found himself consumed by the sea. He was descending to the darkest abyss, with the rays of sunlight fading with every passing moment. The Castrum's ruins have been sinking along with him, disappearing one piece after another. How fitting…
Soon Gaius felt a firm grasp over his leg that has been draining him down. As he looked down, he saw a one-handed and weaponless image of the Black Wolf. It was desperately clutching up to Gaius, trying to climb towards the light with no success at all. Desperately clinging to life, with its grasp becoming weaker with every second. Was there still a fractured voice of Allie inside? As his grasp deteriorated, it became a gentle touch. The one he felt when his daughter hugged him or shook his hands. Just for a moment, but it was enough to remember.
And then the Black Wolf let him go. Gaius saw him sink into the ebon depths, giving up and giving up on his freedom, feeling the same cold sting Gaius felt. The Shadowhunter closed his eyes, imagining those last moments. Seeing a shade of his older self perish along with his daughter…There was no joy, pride, or glory in it. This was the tragic fate he would suffer in Praetorium had he not the will to carry on. Just a little bit of willpower…
Gaius opened his eyes and swam upwards towards the light. There were still people he would fight for, no matter how much pain would throw at him. To give up would be to betray Milisandia, Rex, Ricon, and all those who gave him a chance…And there will be retribution, of that Gaius had no doubt.
As he emerged amidst the sea and boundless sunlight, Gaius could finally breathe. The Ruby Weapon swiftly approached as soon as Nero detected him, signifying that this horrific ordeal had finally been over.