Chapter 13

The trouble that can come when sharing a room with a person who can sleep through anything is that, sometimes, they may be very poorly attuned to what amounts of noise and activity are disturbing to those who are not blessed to sleep so deeply. Cindy was by no means short of consideration and earnest attempts to be thoughtful, but despite her best efforts still managed to be rather noisy when she awoke at the crack of dawn and began to get ready for her day.

It was only a few minutes after this that Velcia found herself also fully awake, the blanket mostly obscuring her face as she lay on her side with her eyes wide open, feeling a mixture of annoyance and great amusement as she listened to Cindy quietly bumping and banging around, then much more audibly shushing and chiding herself for her bad manners.

The bed was comfortable and Velcia did quite dearly wish to sleep more after her long night, and she also realized she wasn't entirely sure what she would say now that she'd heard several minutes worth of Cindy's shenanigans; so she found herself committed to waiting and spent the next twenty-odd minutes lying peacefully in the plush sheets and quietly chuckling to herself.

When at last Cindy emerged from the bathroom, perked up and ready for the day, she glanced over at Velcia's still form laying in the bed and chuckled to herself. "Well, it's sure a blessin' that Vel's a deep sleeper. I'da felt awful if I'd woke her up," she whispered to herself, though not exactly quietly. She tip-toed her way to the door and opened it slowly, then closed it quickly. She hadn't accounted for the latch and, much to her chagrin, it clacked loudly as it closed. Velcia couldn't help but laugh softly as she heard Cindy reprimanding the noisy lock.

Velcia lay on her back, hands folded on her stomach as she looked at the ceiling. She was not able to get back to sleep as she'd hoped, but by the time she started to hear the sounds of the others in the adjacent rooms begin to get prepared for the day she was feeling very much more well-rested. It was going to be a busy day; she didn't know what with, but she did want to make sure she could be there to help. She was also eager to see more of Lestallum as well, she'd greatly enjoyed the short amount of time she'd spent in the city the day before and couldn't help but wonder what else was waiting to be found.

So she got out of bed, put on her day robes, and made her way downstairs and out front where she decided she would wait for the others. There were a couple benches on the sidewalk, and so she sat down on one of them. On the next bench over she saw another woman waiting as well, older enough to have a mix of gray tones in her black hair but she wore her age well. She seemed to be quite well-dressed, and Velcia wondered who she could be waiting for.

From where Velcia sat, she could see a way into the distance. On the far end of the valley she could faintly see cars driving across distant roads, and further still she saw what appeared to be the tall walls of yet another Imperial stronghold. She found herself curious about the Imperial invasion. It seemed to her that, overcome as Eos was with the Daemons and now the Heartless as well, there seemed little point in fighting against another country. What was there to gain for them that was of such great value? Coming from a land as unified as Olympus, with Zeus ruling directly, this sort of situation was foreign to her. Eos had a great many amazing technologies and advancements that were unknown to her own world, and yet as she contemplated the state of things here she couldn't help but feel the simplicity in which she'd grown up had its advantages.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the voices of her companions exiting the building behind her, and as she stood to greet them she saw the other woman did as well. Velcia paused for a moment to see what would happen, and the woman stepped forward towards Noctis quickly, bowing to one knee.

"Your Highness, I am glad to see you've made it past the blockade safely," the woman said.

Noctis motioned for her to stand. "I'm glad to see you're doing well, Monica. After Leide was cut off, I wasn't sure what the Nifs would get up to on this side of the mountain."

Monica stood up, hands folded in front of her. "They've yet to make any moves on the towns and cities, but everyone knows it's only a matter of time. The Imperials have been sending crews out to build infrastructure across the land. Cor believes that it's to facilitate a quick take-over, once they get the situation in Leide in hand."

Ignis crossed his arms. "It is unfortunate then that our own goals seem to be aligned with theirs, for the time being. We must stop the Adamantoise with great haste."

Monica nodded. "Dustin told me that you were working on that. I've brought the Regalia back for you, and parked it in the lot where you left it. I understand you made it back in an airship?"

"That's right, though to be honest we didn't exactly plan on coming back to Lestallum just yet," Noctis told her, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh? Is that why Dustin was asking me about an Imperial beacon?" Monica inquired.

Ignis snapped his fingers. "Precisely the reason. Unfortunately, our first attempt to learn more about the Adamantoise culminated in us being chased through the blockade by several large monsters. It is imperative that we find a way to make it back past the blockade, preferably with as little gunfire as possible."

"Absolutely," Monica said, turning towards Noctis. "Your Highness, I have not yet had the time to retrieve it myself, but one of my contacts up North in Meldacio says he knows someone who has several Imperial Beacons."

Noctis whistled. "How'd he get his hands on those…?"

"He used to be a part of a mercenary group that did work for Niflheim, but retired late last year and has been supplying information and supplies under the table as of late," Monica explained to them. "I should be able to travel there and back and have the part for you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Noctis held his hand to his chin, then turned to Ignis. "Any word from Cindy on what she needs to repair to the Airship?"

"Not as of yet, but she did mention needing to source parts from a junkyard down South," Ignis told him.

"Tell you what, Monica," Noctis said thoughtfully. "We'll take the Regalia and get the beacon ourselves. Can you stay here in Lestallum and help Cindy get the parts and supplies she needs for the repairs?"

"As you wish, your Highness," Monica said with a bow. "I'll have Dustin bring the truck and take Cindy directly. Where shall we find her?"

Prompto raised his hand eagerly. "I'll go get her!"

"Sure, go ahead," Noctis told him; and the group watched with some amusement as the energetic boy darted off towards the road. "He's sure got a lot of adrenaline to burn after the last couple days," Noctis said with a chuckle.

Monica, who'd taken the liberty to pull out a notepad and begin writing, tore a page out and gave it to Noctis. "Here's the information for the shopkeeper in Meldacio. He's apparently a bit abrasive towards Insomnians, so our contact did not tell him who exactly was looking for the beacon."

Noctis crossed his arms, a tinge of a scowl on his face. "Right… well, hopefully that doesn't cause any trouble for us."

"How is it you've been able to contact someone in Meldacio so quickly? Have you been able to bypass the Imperial jamming?" Ignis asked with a raised eyebrow.

Monica bowed. "In a way. It helps to have a source who can provide Imperial tech." Saying so, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small communication device. "It's an Imperial transmitter, we only have the one here in Lestallum - do you need it?"

"No, that's fine," Noctis said, waving dismissively and shaking his head. "You'll get better use out of it than we will."

With another bow, Monica put the device away. "Very well."

Noctis glanced over towards Ignis. "Guess we'll head out when Prompto is back, since Velcia's here already."

Velcia waved her hand with a slight blush. "I'm sorry I didn't speak up, I didn't want to interrupt."

"Not a problem, Miss Velcia, although I do believe we have done you both a disservice," Ignis said, motioning towards Monica. "As you've no doubt heard, this is Monica Elshett, a senior member of the Crownsguard and a mentor to both Gladiolus and I."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Monica," Velcia said with a respectful bow. "I'm Velcia Anthes, I've come from far away to help with the new darkness that's appeared here."

"She sells herself short in that regard, Monica. Miss Velcia's brought a unique magic power that is vital to defeating these new monsters we now know to be called the Heartless," Ignis explained. "From what we've learned of them in our time in Leide, she is an irreplaceable asset."

Monica nodded, and reached to shake Velcia's hand. "In that case, you have my thanks for lending your strength to the King and his allies. Have you come from Tenebrae?"

Velcia shook her head, unsure of how to answer. "No, I haven't."

"We'll explain more about it another time, Monica," Noctis interrupted. "It's not the sort of thing we should be discussing in public."

"Understood," Monica said with a bow.

"Shall I go prepare the Regalia, Noct?" Ignis asked.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll stay here with Monica until Prompto gets back. Hopefully he didn't get too distracted," Noctis said with an amused shake of his head.

Velcia glanced around curiously. "Is Gladiolus not coming along today?"

"Ah, no, that's something else I needed to talk to you about, Monica," Noctis said, shaking his finger as he remembered. "Gladio dislocated his shoulder pretty bad when the Nifs were shooting at our airship. He reset it himself, and Velcia gave him a dose of her healing spells, but we think he tore something."

Ignis nodded. "He's done his best to downplay the injury, but it's swollen quite severely and he is having great difficulty moving. Noctis has ordered him to rest up today, and I thought we should ask if you have anyone in town who can take a better look at him."

"Yes, I believe Dustin has a physician in town. We'll see what we can do for him," Monica said.

"Thanks, Monica," Noctis said.

Ignis turned to Velcia. "Miss Velcia, would you like to accompany me to the Regalia or shall you stay here?"

"I'll go along with you, if that's alright. I do not want to intrude on anything else Noctis and Monica may need to discuss," she said.

Noctis shrugged. "That's fine with me. You go on ahead and pick out a seat in the back, I'll sit up by Iggy for a change."

Velcia smiled. "Thank you, I'll see you soon then. It was nice to meet you, Monica."

"You as well," Monica replied. "Take care, Ignis."

"Of course," Ignis replied with a respectful bow. He then turned and began walking towards the parking lot, Velcia quickly coming up beside him. He glanced over towards her as they walked. "Any more trouble last night?"

"No, thankfully," Velcia said with a sigh of relief. "Thank you again for helping me, I hope you got enough sleep."

"I've survived on much less," Ignis assured her. "And a road trip up North should be much less taxing than our other recent activities. Truth be told, I'm looking forward to being behind the wheel again."

"Oh, you drive the car too?" Velcia asked.

"There are times when Noct chooses to drive himself, but as a general rule of thumb, yes," Ignis told her.

At the parking lot Ignis spotted the Regalia right where he expected to and the two made their way over. He opened the door and leaned inside, and Velcia watched in awe as the rear panels of the car began to shift and the roof smoothly slid back to retract inside.

Ignis noted her expression and smiled. "It is quite an impressive vehicle, no doubt about it. It belonged to the late King Regis, who gifted it to Noct just before our journey began. We are all quite relieved to see it has not been lost."

"I can see why," Velcia said, leaning over the doors and rubbing her hands gently across the seats. "Where shall I sit?"

"Noct usually sits directly behind me when I am driving, but I believe he said he would take the front passenger seat on this journey. Gladio usually sits in the back right of the car, but as he is not joining us today you may sit wherever you wish." Ignis told her.

Velcia looked down at the seat closest to her, directly behind the driver's seat. "Would this be fine?"

Ignis shook his head, and opened the car door for her. "Absolutely."

Velcia stepped gingerly into the car, and sat down gently so as not to be too rough on the upholstery. Ignis closed the car door for her as she looked around for her seatbelt, then got in and started the engine. The Regalia's motor purred to life smoothly, and Ignis patted the dashboard with a sigh of relief. He backed the car out of its spot and drove slowly across the road to the lot by Noctis and Monica, where he parked.

Prompto had returned with Cindy, so as they said their goodbyes Ignis came around and opened the passenger doors for both Noctis and Prompto. Once they were in the car Ignis closed their doors, returned to his seat, and the group hit the highway.

"Ah, it feels good to be on the road again!" Prompto exclaimed, stretching out and taking in the breeze.

"No kidding," Noctis said with a sigh.

As they drove, Velcia watched the scenery go by with a smile. The Regalia drove very smoothly and the air was nice, and though it did blow her hair all over she did not mind it too much. The scenery was beautiful, and the Regalia traveled so quickly she felt she hardly had time to take it all in.

After a time, Velcia noticed something she couldn't quite understand. "What are those people doing?" she asked, pointing towards a work crew on the side of the road. They had a small train of work vehicles moving slowly along the shoulder, the first of which was punching deep holes in the ground, and the second of which seemed to be inserting some type of pylon.

"It's an Imperial infrastructure crew," Noctis said with a bitter shake of his head. "They're putting up power lines in advance of their expansion. I wish we had the time to slow them down."

Velcia watched with keen interest as the pylon quickly expanded in height, going from not much taller than her to nearly three stories in what felt like an instant. A third vehicle seemed to be stringing cables along between the poles.

"What are those ropes for?" Velcia asked.

"Those are just electrical lines," Prompto told her.

Ignis, in his wisdom, intercepted the next question. "Electricity is generated at power stations, and then sent through those wires to deliver power to their destination. No doubt they intend to run those to Lestallum at some point to siphon power from the plant there."

Velcia nodded. "So those transfer electricity? That's so clever. It must be very convenient."

Prompto scowled at the work crew as they passed by, sticking his tongue out at them for good measure before turning back to his friends. "A little too convenient, if you ask me."

"Indeed. Unfortunately, the Imperials have been slowly tearing down the existing infrastructure and replacing it with their own. With their Magitek, they can expand and rebuild more quickly than the locals," Ignis explained.

Velcia turned back and saw the work crew disappearing slowly in the distance. "That's so sad that they would do that."

Ignis nodded. "Unfortunately, it is the nature of war."

The discussion stopped here for some time, as each occupant found themselves lost in thought on various topics. They drove in silence for a while, looking at the scenery as the car made its way up the mountain pass.

Velcia found herself with her arm laid flat across the top of the car door, and her chin resting comfortably atop her arm as she watched the rolling hilltops and brushing trees in the distance. The Western half of the Kingdom of Lucis was very different from Leide, it was cooler and greener with plenty of trees. It seemed to Velcia that the further they traveled the more verdant it became, and as she looked out across the land she found herself increasingly enamored by its beauty.

Behind her, she heard Prompto speak up. "So Iggy, any ideas what we should do about that Adamantoise?"

"Hm. I'm afraid I primarily have a list of things to avoid," Ignis replied. "Chief of which appears to be the beast's head."

"Where else would we even be able to attack?" Noctis asked, shifting in his seat.

"Hey, do you guys think that maybe Cindy could build some sort of drilling machine?" Prompto asked.

In the side mirror, Velcia saw Ignis's face shift into a look of confusion. "I do not believe it to be likely, Prompto," he said.

"Nuts," Prompto said.

Velcia sat up and turned towards the others, but found herself suddenly wide-eyed at the sight. Noctis was now sitting on the dashboard, turned backwards towards Prompto who was sitting on the back of the car with his legs dangling on either side of the headrest. The very sight of it filled the safety-minded woman with a flurry of anxiety, and after a moment of fluster she turned away slowly and did her best not to notice.

"Everything okay, Vel?" Noctis asked nonchalantly.

Velcia nodded, doing her best not to say anything. If they were so casual about it, she thought, she should simply leave it be. "Uh, yes, sorry."

"It's easy to get motion sick if you turn too fast, huh?" Prompto asked.

"I imagine so, yes," Velcia replied, focusing now on the road ahead. "Um, I was going to ask… Someone had mentioned before that the Imperials tried to use bombs on the Adamantoise?"

"Right. We didn't see it close up, but we could see the explosions from a distance," Noctis replied.

Prompto spoke up quickly. "We saw a whole fleet of their airships heading towards it and followed to see what they were doing. They dropped a few bombs on it at least, but that just made the storm even worse."

Velcia pondered this. "There were several cracks filled with a dark ooze near the blast burns on the mountain. Could those cracks have been ripped open by the bombs?"

"Maybe," Noctis conceded, "But they looked pretty closed up by the time we got the chance to look at them."

Ignis hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps a perspective shift is in order. This Heartless Adamantoise, monster or no, is a living creature and not an animated geological construct."

Prompto blinked, staring at the back of Ignis' head blankly. "Huh?"

"What I mean to say is that this is not simply a mountain that happens to be alive, Prompto," Ignis explained. "Looking at the evidence in hand, it may be a safe assumption that the dark ooze we saw in the cracks could serve the same function as blood does for our own wounds."

Noctis nodded, pointing his finger at Ignis as the thoughts came together. "So, you think the bombs did crack it open, and it's healing the damage?"

"It is possible. If we focus our efforts on these cracks, perhaps we can breach the shell of the beast," Ignis suggested.

Velcia perked up. "Oh, I may be able to find a spell that could help," she said, taking her Gummi Phone out of her satchel.

Noctis looked at the device curiously. "What've you got in mind, Vel?"

Velcia lowered her phone for a moment. "A while back, Master Aqua sent me a file with information on various spells she's learned over the years that have come in handy for her. When you were talking about explosives, it brought to mind a series of magic spells from that list, the Mine spells, that create small magic bombs."

Noctis exchanged glances with Ignis. "It would be a lot easier than finding a way to haul more bombs up there," Noctis said.

"Indeed. If their explosive power is high enough, and if Miss Velcia is able to create enough of them, perhaps it would be enough to breach the shell," Ignis said.

Velcia held up her phone again, scrolling slowly through the information Aqua had given her in search of the spells.

"So uh, what do we do once we break through the shell?" Prompto asked.

Noctis held his hand to his chin. "Good question. Just cracking through part of the shell probably won't be enough to kill it."

Ignis glanced in the side-mirror. Velcia was holding the phone up to her face with both hands, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she read intently. He couldn't help but grin at the sight of it, and called out. "Any luck, Miss Velcia?"

Velcia read a little more, then lowered the phone. "I found it. It's a very new type of magic spell to me, but Master Aqua seems to have included very good notes. I will see if I can learn how to cast it next time we… hm. Well, next time we find something you won't mind exploding, I suppose."

"Man, that'll be cool!" Prompto said.

"I don't imagine the Heartless will like it if we start blasting chunks out of the mountain," Noctis said. "We'll have to be prepared for them to put up a real fight."

"In contrast to the relative ease of our mission thus far?" Ignis asked.

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh."

"Uh, what'cha doing Vel?" Prompto asked.

Velcia was sitting with her eyes closed, hands held palms-inward in front of her. "I'm trying to learn how to mix some of the magic energies needed for the mine spell."

Prompto dropped down into the seat, holding onto the top of the door tightly. "In the car?!"

Velcia chuckled, and lowered her hands as she looked at him. "I wasn't going to do any casting, merely get a feel for the energies involved. However, you are right that this is probably not the place."

Noctis gave a knowing smirk. "Just like Ignis. You know, we've caught him trying to cook in the middle of a battle a few times."

Velcia cocked her head with an expression of disbelief. "Surely not…?"

"Allegedly," Ignis said, raising a finger into the air. "I will make no comment on the matter."

"You… you actually…?" Velcia said, covering her mouth to hide her surprised smile.

"You'll not find any evidence to support such claims," Ignis said simply.

Prompto shook his head. "Man, I tried getting pictures, but he's too quick!"

Velcia sat there for a moment, face scrunched as she pondered this. "No, I don't think so… you all are joking with me, aren't you?"

Noctis dropped back into his seat with a quick spin. "Well Iggy, you win again."

Ignis said nothing, but in the side mirror Velcia could see the hints of a victorious grin at the edge of his mouth. Now she wasn't sure what to believe.

The rest of the journey was long, but smooth and uneventful. The road began to wind back and forth as they traveled up the side of the mountain, eventually finding themselves in a very unique sort of valley between two peaks. It was rounded like a cave, the tops of the sides arching inward over the road as if they once connected to make a tube through the mountain, but were separated over the eons by weather. As they traveled through this valley they began to see rows of campers, trailers, and simple buildings lining the sides of the roads.

This was Meldacio, the Hunter's HQ. The buildings were old and in disrepair, but patched up enough to remain habitable. The Hunters who worked and lived here were more than capable of restoring it to its former glory, however they found their talents and skills of greater value when put towards helping to protect the lands of the Lucian empire from monsters. To them, Meldacio was a humble starting point for a greater work.

"Where are we headed, Noct?" Ignis asked as he slowed the vehicle.

Noctis pulled out the note from Monica. "We're looking for a shop called Rogue Six," he said. "Monica says to find a man named Wes."

The group kept a careful watch as they drove, and Velcia saw many Hunters and other people working, talking, planning, and mingling around the base. Soon, they spotted a small store front against the rock that had a worn sign with patchy letters that read "Rogue 6". Ignis pulled over into the nearest open spot in the dirt, and the group came out of the car.

Prompto stood in front of the Regalia, pondering the sign. "I wonder what kind of guy this Wes is."

Noctis motioned the others close. "Monica says he's a bit hard to work with, but he's the only one she knows with the beacon we need."

"We sure seem to run into that a lot lately," Prompto sighed, his shoulders drooping.

Ignis nodded. "It is unfortunate, but we have little choice."

So, with Noctis leading the way, they entered the shop. It was much larger on the inside than it seemed, the space opening up into a cave that had been hewn from the rock. It was cool inside, but the space was quite dry and well-lit. As they entered, an older man came out from behind some shelves and made his way over.

Though his clothes seemed to match those of the other Hunters around Meldacio, his appearance seemed much more clean and tidy and his face was stern and set. "How can I help you?" he asked gruffly.

Noctis stepped forward. "We're looking for a man named Wes."

The man crossed his arms, giving the group a once-over. "You're talking to him. Are you the Lucian looking for an Imperial IFF?"

"Yeah, that would be us," Noctis said.

Wes coughed shortly. "I've got a few. How much do you want one?"

"It's pretty important," Noctis admitted. "How much are you asking for?"

Wes tapped his foot. "Hard to put a price on, nobody except the Imperials have an airship to make use of it. But, here you are…"

"Yeah, here we are," Noctis said, motioning outwards with his hands. "You take Gil?"

"Hm…" Wes crossed his arms, eyes narrowing a bit. "If you're looking for an Imperial Airship IFF, it seems safe to assume you've got an airship of some sort, don't you?"

Noctis and Ignis exchanged glances, and Noctis spoke up. "Probably. Why?"

"I'll give you the beacon for free, in exchange for an Airship," Wes told them.

Noctis shook his head. "No, we can't do that."

"And why not?"

"We cannot make that agreement in good faith, for many reasons," Ignis added.

"I'm listening."

Ignis sighed and looked to Noctis, who shrugged with resignation, then turned his attention back to Wes. "We have but one such craft, and our current mission comes with a high risk that the airship could be destroyed. Additionally… it is not technically our airship."

Wes narrowed his eyes. "I see. Then how about you get me in touch with this mysterious owner and let me ask them directly?"

"We… could ask," Noctis said.

Ignis stepped forward. "Our current mission requires our full attention, and it may be some time before such a meeting could be arranged."

Wes nodded slowly, his face softening in begrudging understanding. "Alright. Let's say I give you the beacon now for some sort of collateral until I get that meeting. Once we get to that point, you can compensate whichever of us walks away from the exchange without an airship."

After another set of reluctant glances towards Ignis, Noctis turned back to Wes. "It's the best we can do, I guess. Alright."

Wes nodded. "I'll go get your beacon, you work out your collateral." The man turned away, and went back deeper into the cave.

"What are we going to use as collateral, Noct?" Ignis asked quietly.

Noctis sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I was kinda hoping you'd figure that one out, Iggy."

Ignis rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We do not have much to trade with."

Shortly, Wes returned holding a black metal box. It was a very unassuming looking device and quite plain, aside from a set of ports in the corner on one end. The tall man set it down on a wooden countertop nearby.

"So, what've you got for collateral?" he asked.

Noctis shook his head. "We don't have much to offer, I'm afraid."

Wes shook his head with a breathy, inaudible chuckle. "The great King of Lucis hasn't got anything of value these days, huh?"

A frown broke out across Noctis' face. "Guess not."

"If you know who he is," Ignis interjected, "Then would it be too much to ask to take us at our word?"

Wes sighed. "Just because I don't want anything to do with the Imperials anymore doesn't mean I'm rushing to jump in bed with Lucis," he said firmly. "The great Kingdom of Lucis… yeah. The Empire's had free reign over most of your country for years now, and your predecessor was all too happy to leave anyone outside Insomnia to their fate."

Noctis scowled. "Hey now-"

"Don't try to convince me otherwise," Wes said, cutting him off. "I've been doing mercenary work for the Empire for years, I've seen it first hand. If Lucis didn't care to start launching offensives to free their land and people until after Insomnia fell, what sort of faith am I supposed to have that you'll honor the agreement?"

Noctis crossed his arms, his face tense. "Fine. What do you want as collateral?"

Wes inhaled deeply, tapping his foot again as he thought. "You must have something of value, if you're planning on attacking an Imperial base with an airship. Got any weapons, munitions, information?"

Noctis shook his head. "We're not attacking the Nifs," he said with a sigh.

"Oh?" Wes asked in surprise. "What else could you want with an IFF?"

"Our target is the Adamantoise," Ignis said quietly. "The beacon is purely a tool to get us back across the mountain range."

Wes' eyes widened. "The Ada-" he cut short, and shook his head. "You're either liars, or fools. The Imperial Army's hit that thing with everything they have and haven't gotten anywhere. Giving this beacon to you would be a waste."

Ignis crossed his arms. "We are set to our task with or without your assistance. The threat the Adamantoise currently represents is an imminent danger to all of Eos, its darkness and evil is spreading more rapidly every day. Unless it's taken care of, your beacons will go to waste regardless."

Wes nodded slowly. "Still… what can you hope to accomplish against it with just one airship?"

Velcia stepped forward uneasily, looking to Noctis and Ignis for approval before speaking up. They gave her a subtle nod, and she turned to Wes. "If I may, I'm not from Lucis either, I've come from a kingdom quite far away. It is true that we do not have many weapons, but we do have our magic."

"Magic, huh?" Wes said, some of the sharpness leaving his face. "You really think that'll be enough?"

"In all honesty, I do not know, but we are determined to try," Velcia said.

Noctis lowered his arms. "Look, I understand your hesitation. Maybe Insomnia could have done more… I don't know. But what I do know is that we're trying right now, and if we don't find a way to get back over the mountains to take out that Adamantoise there isn't going to be a Lucis left to fight over."

Wes sighed, and looked at the beacon. He picked it up. "Alright. No collateral, then - but I still want to talk with the owner of that airship."

Noctis nodded. "Thank you, Wes."

Wes slowly handed the beacon over to them. "Aranea spoke well of you boys. I'll take the chance."

"Aranea?" Ignis asked with some surprise.

Wes nodded. "Served under her in the 87th Airborne, a couple old friends convinced me to join up with her. Even still, I just couldn't stomach what I saw the Empire doing over here."

"Better late than never, I guess," Noctis said.

"Listen here, the only reason I joined up for deployment over here was because I'd heard Insomnia wasn't doing jack for the rest of the continent," Wes bit.

"Sorry, sorry," Noctis said, immediately regretting his pithy remark.

Velcia bowed gently. "Regardless of the tensions between your peoples, I am quite thankful for your assistance with our efforts to stop the Adamantoise."

Wes sighed, looking kindly to her. "Same to you, madam. Best of luck."

"Thank you. I will make sure to talk to the owner of the airship and let them know of your interest," Velcia said, taking advantage of the soft spot she seemed to have found. "May I ask what you would like it for?"

Wes motioned outside. "The hunters could do a lot of good for people with an airship that's not under Empire control. Deliver supplies, extract people from entrapment. All I want to do is help."

Velcia turned towards the others with a smile. "That does seem quite reasonable to me. Perhaps they would be able to help deliver supplies to New Crestholm?"

Noctis nodded, a pleasantly surprised smile on his face. "That would be great. Yeah, we'll see what we can do."

"Alright, just keep me posted then," Wes said.

Ignis spoke up. "Well, Noct, are we ready to head out?"

"Yeah, I think so," Noctis said. "See ya, Wes. Thanks again."

Wes said nothing, but bobbed his head with a light grunt. The group turned and left the building, making their way over to the car once more.

"In case you were wondering, Vel, his version of history wasn't quite right," Noctis said with a heavy sigh.

"I do admit it's something I've been curious about the last few days," Velcia told him cautiously. "But, given the circumstances it didn't seem proper to ask."

They arrived at the car, and climbed in. Ignis started the engine and turned to Noctis. "There's not enough daylight to make it back to Lestallum tonight, and no havens in the interim. Shall we find a place to stay here in Meldacio?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Noctis said.

Prompto shook his head sadly. "Poor Gladio! Hope he doesn't get lonely."

"I rather suspect he could use some peace and quiet," Ignis said. He shifted the Regalia into drive and took to the road.

Noctis turned around in his seat towards Velcia. "Wes was right to an extent about Insomnia being closed off, but that only happened after Niflheim attacked both Lucis and Accordo with their armies of Magitek troops and armors."

Velcia frowned. "I don't understand why they would do that. Was something wrong with their own home?"

Ignis spoke up. "There is only speculation as to their reasoning, but we believed they were trying to create a single, unified civilization across Eos and saw fit to place themselves at the helm. Their kingdom has no Magic powers naturally, and so they turned to Magitek to try to take ours by force."

"So, simply a lust for power, then…" Velcia whispered to herself. "Well, thank you for explaining it to me. I'm sorry to press into such a delicate subject."

"It's fine," Noctis said bluntly. "Right or wrong, it's not exactly hard to find people who believe what Wes does."

"Noct, here's an Inn on the right. Shall we stop here?" Ignis asked.

Noctis spun around to look. "Yeah, that looks good to me. There's open parking too, that's good."

Ignis pulled the car into a dirt lot, and the group headed inside the main building. There seemed to be dirt paths beside it that led to several other buildings painted in the same weathered-white-and-blue. The attendant inside, a surprisingly well-dressed man with a wide-brimmed black hat, helped get them set up for a standalone unit with three rooms; and Prompto eagerly called dibs on the sofa for the night.

As the man handed them their keys, he spoke up with a hint of reluctance. "You're in Unit Five, out, to the right, and back two. If, or more realistically when, the power goes out please don't be alarmed. The backup generator should kick in before too long, and we'll come around during the night to top it off until the main power's back."

Noctis grabbed the keys from him. "Trouble with the power station?"

"The power station is fine, it's those cursed Daemons. Some new breed of Daemon we've never seen before has been periodically visiting Meldacio's Substation and shorting out the power lines. Many of the hunters have tried their hand at destroying the beast, but it just keeps returning," the man told them indignantly.

Velcia looked towards the others. "Could it be a Heartless?"

"Quite possibly," Ignis said with a short nod, then turned towards the attendant. "Does this beast ever appear during the day?"

"Yes sir, and it has been seen as rather a bad omen amongst us. A Daemon with no fear of the light is not something Eos needs more of," he replied.

"It's a Heartless for sure!" Prompto said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Man, we could go take that out for them, huh Noct?"

Noctis nodded. "Yeah, I think so. How do we find this Substation?"

"Well, you're welcome to try if you'd like, but as I said many have already destroyed the beast only for it to return later. The Substation should be simple to find if you follow the power lines with a blue ring around the base of the pole and head North," the man said.

Ignis put his hand to his chin. "Many thanks. How often does this beast come to attack?"

The attendant put his hands on his hips and looked out the window. "At least once a day. I'm surprised it hasn't knocked the power out already, to be rather honest."

Noctis turned to Ignis. "We might as well go check it out, huh?"

"We have time to kill, as they say," Ignis said with an affirmative nod.

The attendant folded his arms, shaking his head. "Well, best of luck to you."

Velcia bowed gently. "Thank you, sir. You needn't worry on our behalf."

He simply nodded.

Once back outside, the four travelers began looking around at the power poles. Fortunately, one of the ones just across the road from them had the tell-tale blue stripe around the base that they were looking for, and so they crossed the street and walked North.

After a way, the rock overhangs and valley walls began to shrink and flatten and they found themselves in a flat open area. The power lines took a sharp left and in the distance, surrounded by a wire fence and several spotlights, was the Substation. It seemed fine at the moment, but they began to walk towards it to check it out regardless.

Upon closer inspection, they found that not only was the Substation perfectly fine, there seemed to be no visible signs of damage at all.

Ignis raised his hand to his chin. "It is unusual that something that has been under such frequent attack would show no signs of damage."

Prompto shrugged. "I bet they're just really good at repairing it."

Noctis raised an eyebrow skeptically. "With how often that guy at the motel said the station's knocked out? No, something strange is going on here."

"Well, what do you guys want to do about it?" Prompto asked.

Ignis looked towards the afternoon horizon. "We still have some time before nightfall. Perhaps we could wait here for the monster to appear."

Prompto's eyes widened excitedly. "Ooh, a stakeout! Count me in!"

After some brief perusal, the group found a shady spot under a large boulder that seemed big enough for the four of them. They retrieved a set of folding chairs from their camping supplies, as well as a table and some of their water rations; and set themselves to waiting.

After some time, Prompto stretched with a yawn. "I sure wish Gladio was here, he'd have brought his cards along."

Noctis grinned. "You know, I could go for a game of cards about now. You bring any, Specs?"

Ignis shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Noctis sighed. "How about you, Vel?"

"No, I do not believe I have any cards," she replied.

"We could play King's Knight?" Prompto asked hopefully.

Ignis shook his head. "It seems poor manners to partake in a group activity in which Miss Velcia is solely excluded."

Velcia smiled and shook her head. "I would not mind if you do. Truth be told, I have been eying the sand dunes across the road and am curious if that may be an acceptable place to practice the Mine spell."

Ignis stood up and held his hand flat over the top of his eyes, peering into the distance. "I do not see anything that should cause trouble, so long as the explosives are not overly powerful."

"I don't believe they should be. In Master Aqua's notes, this entry specifies that somewhere around ten feet is required for a safe distance. I should hope that doesn't cause much trouble," Velcia told him.

"No, that sounds quite reasonable," Ignis said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

She stood up excitedly, looking over towards the dunes. "Would you mind?"

"No, go ahead," Noctis said, chuckling at Prompto's quick dive for his phone.

Ignis sighed as he sat back in his chair, watching as Velcia began to make her way across the road. There was no telling when, or even if, the troublesome Heartless would appear, but it seemed that for now they would just have to wait.