High Tides (the Hydrean)
"Friends, please excuse me for not standing before you today like I usually would. I am afraid the trials I have faced thus far have weakened me more than expected."
"On this day, I speak to you on a matter which concerns us all. A great darkness is looming over our star, slowly, but surely, robbing us of daylight, and luring daemons to the doors of our homes. With the ever-lasting night drawing nearer, despair grows in the hearts of men. A greater despair than the one many of you had to experience during Insomnia's fall. This darkness which has been foretold spreads in the form of an illness you know by the name of Starscourge. Like any other disease, it too, can be researched and cured, if we bear the will and determination to do so."
"We have reached a turning point in the history of mankind. This is our choice. We can fight the darkness ourselves, or place our faith in the Bladekeeper to banish the darkness for us. The Draconian's plan, however, demands many sacrifices to be made. His price is to be paid in tears, blood and freedom."
"I, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, have arrived here in Altissia, to forge a covenant with the sea goddess Leviathan, in order to empower the Chosen King to act in the name of the people and shoulder the burden of responsibility. I know that, whichever path he ultimately chooses, he will do so with everyone's well-being in mind."
Two weeks.
That was how much time had passed since Luna's speech had been broadcasted across all stations, and Noctis still had not seen her in person. He remembered her voice sounding a little hoarse, as well as that small gasp for air in between her words. On TV, they only had shown pictures and archive footage of the Oracle. An unpleasant feeling had nestled in the pit of Noctis' stomach since. What more would the gods demand of her, if her work had already pushed her to the point of breaking?
These trials had to stop, and soon. All the better that Leviathan was the last god whose favour Noctis had to gain. If the reports were to be trusted, Shiva had been killed by the Niff army, and both she and the treacherous Ifrit, slain and buried by Bahamut ages ago, could stay dead for all he cared.
Although Luna was said to have been present in Altissia all throughout the past weeks, two obstacles still kept her and Noctis from meeting. One being the Niff soldiers and commanders that guarded her every hour of the day ever since Ravus had put her under his protection. The other problem was Noctis' involvement in the rushed evacuation of the city, simply because he and everyone else spent a considerable amount of time each day guiding civilians out of the city while the Empire brought more and more troops in.
It had taken several days for Ardyn to get Aranea on the phone. It turned out that she had already cut her connections with the Empire and would not even have picked up had he not been calling her non-stop. Once she was done shouting at him, Noctis and Ardyn had calmly explained the situation, and, believe it or not, she eventually agreed to help.
Her airship and crew proved to be invaluable in the evacuation, since Accordo had no airships of their own, and Niflheim provided no assistance whatsoever. The Emperor and Ravus only rallied their forces in anticipation of Leviathan's awakening.
Nothing had ever seemed stranger to Noctis than to see Altissia turn from this bustling tourist hotspot into a ghost town over the course of two short weeks. If it was not for the sounds of the waves and the wind, as well as the occasional squad of MTs marching by, it had become deathly silent in most parts of the city. There was no more chatter, no more music. Most Food stalls and shop windows had been emptied, many open doors had been closed.
It was as though the city itself was holding its breath for the upcoming battle.
With each passing day, the tension grew. Neither Noctis nor any of his allies knew when Luna was going to set out to begin the awakening ritual. This decision was in the hands of Ravus, and, according to what Ardyn had told him, Ravus was a very impatient man.
Chances were, he was not going to wait until the very last boat had departed.
#-#-#
The sea laid calm before the Altar of the Tidemother. Almost too calm, as though the slumbering sea goddess was keeping the waters still. The sight might have inspired peace of mind on any another day, when there were no Imperial airships hovering side-by-side in the sky all around the ancient structure.
With the Staff of the Oracle in hand Lunafreya brushed a rifle aside that was pointed at her head and strode past the magitek soldiers. Up until her arrival, they had been surrounding her and following her every step, but not even they dared to climb the stairs leading up to the altar. The divine and the daemonic did not mix well.
And yet both forces resided within her.
The sunlight prickling her skin was still a most unpleasant sensation, if only because the Oracle should not have to fear the light. Lunafreya adjusted her hat as she climbed the steps. The additional clothes helped her to stay focused, hid her affliction and kept the public from worrying about her. Her strength had been waning for a while now, yet the Starscourge left her restless, unable to break down and give in completely. In this sense, the Bladekeeper's punishment turned out to be a gift. One she intended to make the most of … even if it cost her life. To meet her end by serving her cause was what she had been prepared for ever since she had received the Oracle's calling.
With unwavering resolve, Lunafreya walked the last steps to the edge of the ancient stone structure and looked out over the ocean before her.
Gathering her thoughts and her hopes, the Oracle began to sing.
A gentle breeze carried her voice to the rooftops of Altissia, where it faded away, unheard and unpraised.
#-#-#
In another corner of the city, a gloomy melody drifted out of the open balcony door of a vacant hotel. Gloved hands hovered over the keys of a grand piano. Honestly, the instrument was too beautiful not to play it, especially now that there were hardly any people left in the city to do so.
Ardyn hummed along to the sound of the keys.
Of course, instead of sitting here and enjoying the music, he could be at the port herding the remaining citizens out onto the boats, like Noctis and his friends were doing in this instant. But firstly, that seemed like a lot of tedious work, and secondly, there were too many Gralean refugees among the people. They bore the Starscourge in its early stages and, although Ardyn would never openly admit it, the sight of such misery reminded him too much of days long gone. The only way for him to ease their suffering today was to daemonify them instantly. Killing the afflicted, however, was the equivalent to admitting Somnus had been right, and that was one two-thousand-year-old argument Ardyn still intended to win. Being immortal had to be good for something, if only to have the last word.
A light flashing across the sight drew his attention away from the music. He deigned himself to get up from the piano's stool and strode out onto the balcony.
In the sky far above the Altar of the Tidemother, a great barrier formed, not unlike the one which had protected Insomnia once. It slowly stretched out over the magitek engines, presumably to create a gigantic goldfish bowl to trap the sea goddess in. Ardyn had to admit he had not foreseen this move. More importantly, however, if Ravus was invoking the ring's magic already, Lady Lunafreya had to be mere minutes away from summoning the Hydrean.
"I believe this is my cue, then," he said to himself.
Leaning onto the balustrade, he let the wind dissolve his form into particles and carry him towards the grounds of the impending battle.
#-#-#
"Noct!" Ignis called over the crowd of people to the prince. "There's something going on over at the Altar of the Tidemother!"
Two more boats. That was all which was needed to ferry the last few people out of the city. Aranea would take the remaining Altissian city guards on board of her airship, and then the evacuation would be complete.
Apparently, it also would have killed Ravus to wait another hour or so.
Noctis glanced to where Ignis was pointing at. A magical shield had begun to form in the sky and was slowly spanning over the entirety of the altar and the sea before it.
"What is that?" Prompto asked, looking puzzled. "The Wall? Here, in Altissia?"
"Ravus must be using the ring," Ignis concluded.
"We gotta hurry!" Gladio exclaimed. "Or he's gonna lock us out of the fight!" He was about to turn and run when Prompto touched his shoulder.
"But, what about the evacuation?"
Aranea stepped out of the crowd of people waiting in line for one of the boats.
"Just leave the rest to me," she said. "You do whatever it is you need to do."
"Thanks, Aranea!" Noctis replied and ran off, back into the heart of the city. His friends quickly caught up to him.
Together, they hurried up a flight of stairs, past a plaza and over a bridge, and further still, towards the altar. Noctis had cursed the maze-like layout of the city before, but not as much as he did in these moments. Time was of the essence now more than ever. Whenever there were no buildings blocking his view, his gaze locked onto the hexagonal pattern of the Wall continuously extending towards ground level. This was going to be a gods-damn close call.
With grit teeth, Noctis channelled all his strength into the sprint. Warping might have been a little faster, but he was not sure how long his magic would last and he did not want to leave his friends behind, either.
Finally, the Altar of the Tidemother came into view. Just one or two more buildings to pass and one more canal to cross. Noctis rounded the last corner when he saw the Wall descend onto the canal. It had already closed off the bridge leading across.
"Keep going!" Gladio yelled behind him.
With no other choice left, Noctis threw his blade, warped through the opening across the water and did a sommersault to break the momentum. Bearing the hope his friends could somehow make it too, he instantly looked back, but the gap in the Wall had closed already.
Prompto abruptly halted at the edge of the canal, almost falling in, but Gladio caught him by his arm.
"Go on ahead!" Ignis shouted over to Noctis. "We'll find a way through."
A magitek engine hovering by cast a shadow on Noctis' retainers. They turned around as it descended onto the level of the Altissian roofs and the tailboard slowly opened.
"Who have we got here?" a voice said over loud speaker. "If it isn't the prince's personnel. I must hereby inform you that you have entered a restricted area. As you should know, the punishment for trespassing on military grounds is death, and I'll gladly perform the execution myself."
"Caligo Uldor," Ignis said.
Gladio summoned and shouldered his great sword. "We've still got a score to settle."
Out of the cargo bay of the airship, a gold-painted magitek armour of respectable size jumped out onto the street, smashing a balcony in the process.
For a moment, Noctis was torn between trying to head back and continuing onwards to the altar, but then he saw Prompto gesturing behind his back and signalling Noctis to just "go".
Right. There were three of them and just one Niff commander with an ego bigger than his ridiculously painted armour.
They would be fine. Dealing with the Tidemother and keeping Luna safe from her, however, was Noctis' responsibility and his alone.
He turned towards the altar and burst into a sprint once more.
#-#-#
Luna was still singing to the best of her capabilities when something deep within the ocean stirred.
The voice of the Tidemother caused the water's surface to tremble.
"What foolish mortal dares break the slumber of the Tide!?"
"It is I, Lunafreya, Blood of the Oracle!", she called out to the waves. "Goddess of the Seas, I beseech you: enter into this covenant that the King might lead this world into an age of light and freedom!"
A sudden gust of wind tore the hat from Luna's head and carried it away. She held tight onto the Staff to steady herself.
From the depths of the sea, the Hydrean burst through the surface, sending great waves crashing against the Wall and the few buildings within. If it was not for Ravus containing them, these waves would have flooded all the streets in Altissia already. Although the sea goddess was often pictured as a creature part human, part fish, her true form was that of a great and sleek sea serpent whose fins extended almost from one side of the Wall to the other. Turning her head from side to side, Leviathan roared at the sight of the magical barrier that was keeping her locked in together with the Oracle and the airships of the Niflheim army.
"The insolence!" the goddess' voice boomed. "A tainted creature like you would trap a goddess and demand her might?" With a light movement of her fins, she whipped up a wave and splashed water at the Oracle.
Luna was not intimidated.
"We will not allow your rage to destroy people's lives!" she claimed firmly. "Calm your temper and listen to me!"
"Do not speak to me! You are but a tarnished speck, not even fit for devouring!"
In her rage, the Hydrean slammed her head into the pillars of the altar, toppling them with ease.
The largest stones missed Luna, but many smaller ones struck her, causing numerous scratches as she defiantly held her ground.
"Blasphemous wretch! Men are all ingrates, undeserving of this goddess' support, and now they send a corrupted Oracle to commune with the gods?!"
"This darkness you sense is but a testimony to the Draconian's unjust punishment of men. A god cannot be a god without worship, but only gods who are willing to show mercy and humility in return merit respect and praise."
"A god need not listen to a mere speck!"
Smaller versions of the Tidemother formed out of rapidly swirling water and shot towards Luna. She dodged the first, the second ripped her dress at the legs and brought her to her knees. She struggled back to her feet as fast as she could when Leviathan's open maw shot down to swallow her whole.
Through the Staff of the Oracle, Luna summoned the light just in time as the great sea serpent's jaws snapped shut around her. Her retaliation was both swift and powerful enough to drive the Tidemother back, even stagger her for a moment.
"If you do not intend to listen to me," Luna continued, "let the Chosen King convince you of men's strength and will!"
A strange noise echoed across the waters, as though the goddess was laughing at her.
"Ha! So let this King of yours test his might against mine! If he fails, know that my fury shall know no bounds! These walls will shatter and I will feed on men until every last heretic has been devoured!"
"I vow that the Chosen King will not fail," Luna claimed with conviction.
"Then this covenant shall be forged!", Leviathan finally agreed, even though she seemed to do it fully expecting Noctis to lose against her. Yet a covenant was a pact that could not be broken. If Noctis succeeded in her trial – and Lunafreya had faith he would – the Hydrean was bound to aid him, whether she liked it or not.
#-#-#
Another MT went down face-first, with the Engine Blade stuck in its back and Noctis towering above it. The prince quickly phased out of the way of a number of bullets, then struck at the remaining riflemen, quickly taking them out. They posed little to no threat, but hindered Noctis on his way to the altar nonetheless.
To the left of him, Leviathan was winding along the inside of this magical goldfish bowl. Her fins strained the barrier where they grazed it, sometimes creating small tears that closed again within seconds.
Underneath of the sea goddess, waves whipped back and forth, building up their destructive strength. Already, Noctis felt the foundations of the walkway shake with every movement of the water. A great wave rolled towards him and the next batch of MTs charging forwards. Quick thinking, Noctis point-warped to the rooftop of the nearest house just before the wave hit. Its force nearly knocked him off the edge. A crack ran along the magical barrier from one side of the building to the other, and the entire half of the house tilted beneath Noctis' feet. Accompanied by the sounds of cracking stone and splintering wood, the half which was not protected by the barrier began to sink into the waves, while the receding waters took the MTs and the walkway with them.
Noctis struggled to stay upright on the loosening shingles when Leviathan floated past him again. Hoping to gain some footing on her body, he threw his blade at her and warped over. His sword did not stick, his feet slipped on the wet scales, yet as he fell, he managed to grab hold onto a fin.
"Leviathan, grant me your blessing!" he shouted.
A noise resounded through the magical sphere that made Noctis believe Leviathan was laughing at him. That arrogant sea goddess was not taking him seriously. Water splashed into his face as the Tidemother lowered the tip of her fin into the waves.
Noctis ground his teeth. "Don't expect me to ask nicely again!"
He aimed further up at the sea serpent's body and, making full use of his warping abilities, struck her once, twice, three times and kept going, for as long as his magic allowed him to zoom back in and keep himself from falling.
Yet it was only a matter of seconds until he hit stasis. Plummetting down from great height, Noctis hoped he had dealt some good damage. Much like Titan, Leviathan too, barely let any injury show.
He felt the Royal Arms at his fingertips, calling out to him. They were almost ready to be unleashed from his armiger, if only …
His thoughts were momentarily interrupted when he crashed hard through the cold water's surface. Instinctively, Noctis found his way back up, gasped for air, but the sea around him was moving violently and within mere seconds another wave pushed him underwater again.
From what he had seen of his surroundings, all but a handful of the buildings and man-made structures had been destroyed by the Tidemother's powers already. What little dry ground remained lay far out of his reach. If he was to regain his footing and magic, he would have to swim over first and Leviathan was not making it easy.
At least the machine gun fire opened by the magitek engines overhead was drawing the Hydrean's attention away from him.
#-#-#
Ardyn put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. A gesture that was wholly unnecessary, but all the more fun because of it.
"Yoo hoo, Ifrit! The Chosen King requires your divine assistance. Be so kind and lend him your aid, will you?"
He stood in front of a small plaza, wide and open, without any obstacles. Probably the only place completely untouched by the waves thus far, and perfect for summoning an entity of the Infernian's size. Expectantly, Ardyn raised his arms to welcome the Pyreburner. He waited one second, another, and just when it seemed as though Ifrit would not answer his call, the roaring of erupting flames sounded behind him.
A sigh escaped his lips. After all those years, it should not have surprised him, really. The Infernian always found a way to make his disapproval of their "covenant" known, even if only in the smallest displays of disobedience.
Ardyn glanced over his shoulder. "His Majesty is no apt swimmer, and I believe the Tidemother has an unfair advantage at the moment. If you could take down a few of those uselessly many Magitek engines, your Chosen King will have at least some ground to stand and fight on."
The fire god walked around him, trying to scorch him with his gaze of unadulterated hatred, and Ardyn turned to him with his arms outstretched, feeling unjustly offended.
"Come now, don't act like I asked you to toast a slice of bread for me! That was just one time."
"My allegiance does not lie with the Chosen King," Ifrit said in the voice of gods. Only thanks to having absorbed his memories, and thus, his language, was Ardyn able to understand him, but even so, the voice of the god sounded as soothing as nails scraping across a chalkboard.
"But my allegiance lies with him," Ardyn argued, "and as you should already know, we are going after Bahamut – the very same old dragon who buried you atop the Rock of Ravatogh in case you've forgotten."
"I have no intention to serve men who will dispose of their gods as they please."
"Yes, I know. You are still thinking of what happened in Solheim. But this! This is something else." Sighing in frustration, he put a hand to his forehead. This was not the time for arguing. Ardyn signalled for the Infernian to leave. "Just go and do as you are told. Take out your hatred on the Empire to your heart's content."
In a burst of flames, Ifrit disappeared.
#-#-#
Noctis struggled to swim through the raging waves. Whenever his magic recovered a little, he warp-struck at the Hydrean again, but if this game of literal "rinse and repeat" kept going, he was going to be worn out long before the sea goddess went down. If it was not for the adrenalin in his veins, the cold sea might have caused him to cramp up already.
Far up in the sky, a fiery explosion erupted among the hovering airships. The Hydrean had knocked one or two down already, but this was someone – or something – else's doing. Three ships began to lose altitude one after another in rapid succession.
Another wave washed over Noctis and when his head came up for air again, he shook the wet strands of hair out of his eyes and saw a large, humanoid figure enshrouded in flames riding the closest airship down towards him.
"What the -?" he sputtered.
Fire engulfed the supernatural figure and disappeared along with it while the MT engine continued its descent at a slow, but steady pace. It missed Noctis as it hit the troubled water, but floated long enough for him to warp on top of it. He stumbled, so unfamiliar was the sensation of firm ground underneath his feet after having been tossed about the waves for so long.
Immediately, his magic recovered. Noctis almost felt the Royal Arms in the air around him. Just a little closer, and he could unleash everything he had at the Hydrean.
By point-warping, he crossed over to the second, then the third descending airship, getting much closer to Leviathan's head and the other MT engines in the process. On top of the largest engine, the flaming figure reappeared, wielding a curved sword. Only then got Noctis close enough to realize he was looking at yet another Astral.
The so-called treacherous Pyreburner looked much like a man, except that he was easily three times as tall as one, horns curled from his head and there were black markings all over his body. Wait, those were signs of the Starscourge … on an Astral!?
Although he gained the faint impression that this was somehow Ardyn's doing, Noctis had little time to think about the meaning behind it. For now, he was just glad that the Infernian appeared to support him. Perhaps the story of his treason was nothing more than another of Bahamut's lies.
A pillar of golden light rose from the remains of the altar as Noctis ran along the length of the airship, further closing in on the Hydrean. Magic was humming all around him, growing stronger than ever before.
"Thanks, Luna."
Without stopping, he jumped off the highest point of the airship and let the Royal Arms burst from his armiger all at once. They swirled around him, providing him with the ability to float effortlessly around Leviathan. With so much magic at his disposal, the rest of the fight was going to be a breeze. His confidence surged. By flicking his wrist, he send some of the Royal Arms at the great sea serpent, striking her body with an explosive magical force.
Roaring, Leviathan reared back and finally turned her attention to him.
She would have to take him seriously now.
There's way more to this fight, but since I have to split it anyway, I might just split it already, so it won't be as long until the next chapter.
Halcyus Lance: Thanks for your review! I don't know yet if I'll be able to really write out the entirety of this AU, but the encourament helps, and - just for the record, I'll be happy if anyone else wants to contribute to this AU.
