Chapter 11

The airship was a curious vessel unlike any Velcia had ever seen, though she had not seen many. It was shaped similarly to a beetle, with a long rounded back section and a much smaller cockpit on the front that retained the unmistakable contours of a truck cab. Despite the shape of the shell, the controls were not the type that would be found in land vehicles. There were two control sticks to steer the craft, and the dashboard had been flattened out and equipped with all manner of switches, toggles, dials, and knobs to control the various Magitek devices aboard the craft; including a separate board dedicated to controlling the device Cid and Velcia had created.

This device, which Cid had named the 'Enchantment Drive', was installed on the back wall of the passenger compartment which sat between the cockpit and the mechanical bay. A pair of the tall, potion-filled canisters were clamped into two sockets right beside it. In addition to the Enchantment Drive this bay contained six seats, bolted tight to the frame. On each side of the compartment was a sturdy rolling door with a pair of long windows that allowed entry into the ship, and these doors could be locked into either the open or closed position.

The passenger compartment was only the middle segment of the three that made up the craft, the third of these was the mechanical bay. Though it was the longest segment, in fact slightly longer than the front two portions combined, it had the least amount of open space inside of it.

The vast majority of the Magitek devices had been installed here on either side of a walkway that ran the length of the ship, culminating in a fold-up door at the very back. What little space was left was taken up primarily by shelves of spare parts or materials, however just beside the bulkhead door separating the compartments was reserved for the remainder of the potion-fuel canisters. Much thought had been put into their placement - here, they were not too far from the Enchantment Drive and would be simple to replace, but the thick bulkhead door ensured that should one of them somehow come loose from their security straps they would not become a danger to the passengers.

Velcia looked over this curious craft with a sense of awe and pride in her friend's accomplishments, the dark green enamel paint glistening softly in the light of the evening sun. It was strange indeed, but it was theirs.

Cindy stood proudly with her hands on her hips and grinning wildly. "I can't wait to git this thing in the air!"

"Now, now, Cindy, don't get so excited you lose yer head," Cid cautioned. "We still ain't got a clue how this thing handles."

Prompto walked over and peered in at the seats. "Man, I'm so excited! Is it time to go now?"

Cindy walked up beside him, shaking her head. "Is fer me, but I think it best you fellas hang back. Don't want any of y'all to be at risk if it goes sour up there."

Prompto turned to her with a jolt. "Woah! What? But if something goes wrong up there, what about you?"

Cindy waved a hand at him. "I'll figur' out something, Prompt, don't you worry."

Noctis came over to her. "Are you sure about that, Cindy? You don't have any sort of escape plan?"

Cindy shook her head. "Naw, but look, I'm pretty sure it'll work fine."

"Um, excuse me," Velcia said, stepping forward slowly. "I can go with you. If anything goes wrong, I could use my magic to help keep us safe. I'm not sure I could protect the whole ship, but-"

"Better than nothing!" Cid said, giving a sage nod towards his granddaughter. "Take Vel with ya, Cindy, she'll keep you safe."

"Aw, man!" cried Prompto. "Why didn't I ever learn to do magic?!"

Velcia laughed. "Oh, Prompto, I could try to teach you some day."

"You think…?" Prompto asked hopefully.

Noctis patted him on the back with a laugh of his own. "Forget it, Prompto, let's just let them test it out for now."

"You ready, Vel?" Cindy asked, hopping aboard the airship.

"I believe so," Velcia stepped, taking a shaky step up into the passenger bay beside Cindy.

"Stay safe up there, you two," Gladiolus called out to them.

"Safe as can be!" Cindy replied with a dismissive wave. She motioned Velcia towards the cockpit. "Come up front with me, just don't touch none of the controls."

Velcia nodded and followed Cindy, sitting down in the passenger seat while Cindy took the controls. The chipper mechanic reached over and flipped a large red breaker in the center of the console, and with a surge of magic the airship kicked to life with a deep rumble. The ship shuddered and grumbled as it slowly lifted into the air, settling into a comfortable hover not far off the ground.

Cindy opened the window beside her, calling out over the pulsing engines. "Flap check!"

She began tilting the control sticks, peering out the window to a series of thumbs-up from Cid as he circled around the craft to inspect. Once satisfied, Cindy turned to the controls for the enchantment fields, slowly turning each dial to the fifteen percent mark. Cid's device began to hum, and soon the vessel was surrounded with all three of the protective enchantments. Cindy turned these off slowly one-by-one, then tested each individually. Each one seemed to be functioning as expected.

Velcia watched all of this with an overwhelming sense of awe, but also a creeping anxiety for the flight portion. She had great faith and respect for Cid and Cindy's craftsmanship, but even space flight in the Gummiship tended to concern her. It was simply a feeling that, for Velcia, inextricably came with the territory.

Cindy turned towards her companion with an eager smile. "Y'ready to fly this thing?"

Velcia nodded. "Yes, I am!"

Velcia was worried that Cindy might make an abrupt start, but Cindy was wiser than that and eased the controls gently. The airship lifted higher and higher into the air, floating so steadily it was difficult to tell they were moving at all. A careful hand reached towards the throttle, and the airship began to move forwards.

Cindy cautiously began making turns, banking the ship to various degrees as they went steadily faster and faster. The sky and land seemed to fly by outside the windows, Velcia's stomach leaping in her chest as they picked up speed. Her adrenaline was high and she gripped her seat tightly without even realizing it, in a heightened state of both amazement and concern.

After a fleet eternity, Cindy finally brought the airship back to the field outside her shop and lowered the ship slowly to the ground until it seemed it would go no lower. Cindy turned off the Magitek engines, and the ship dropped sharply with a soft crunch as it fell the few inches that remained.

Cindy winced, then turned to Velcia. "I 'spose I shoulda put a little more thought into the landin'," she said with a shake of her head. "What'd ya think, Vel?"

Velcia, realizing now her hands were locked tightly to the seat, relaxed her fingers and lifted her hands to her lap. "It's quite a new experience," she admitted. "But it did seem to work very well."

Cindy nodded and stood up. "Yup! I'm right pleased with it, though th' turnin' felt a mite sluggish. 'Spose that's just the nature of these machines, though."

Velcia and Cindy exited the ship, and found the others waiting outside with triumphant grins across the board.

Cid nodded towards them. "So Cindy, how'd it fly?"

"Turnin's a mite sluggish, but otherwise I reckon it's everythin' we coulda hoped for!" Cindy reported.

"Aw yeah, now it's our turn!" Prompto hollered, pumping his fist in the air.

"Actually, Prompto, I believe it's about time for dinner," Ignis told him, motioning towards the setting sun. "We'll have plenty of time to ride in the airship tomorrow morning."

"But-!" Prompto whimpered, eyes fixated on the gleaming jade aircraft. "Aw, man. Alright," he sighed, and turned back towards the others.

Cindy walked up beside the ship, opening a small hatch and pressing the singular button within. The Magitek systems began to growl and the ship resumed its gentle hover above the ground. "Gladio, Noctis, could you two help me git this thing back in the garage for the night?" Cindy asked.

The two nodded and took their places around the vessel, and the three of them carefully pushed it back down the ramp and into the garage.

Ignis looked over to the darkening horizon. "It appears I have little time to waste, if we are to eat at anything resembling a decent hour. Shall I expect your assistance, Miss Velcia?"

Velcia smiled. "Yes, I would be very happy to help again."

"Very well," Ignis said with a sure nod and a snap of his fingers. "Let us begin preparations immediately."

Velcia looked out into the distant North, the swirling dark clouds of dust visible even over the tops of the mountains, and her smile wavered. Whatever they were going to find at the center of that storm was waiting for them, and she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it was going to be more ready than they were.

As Velcia slowly climbed the mystical steps in her Station of Awakening, she couldn't help but think back to her conversation with Ignis. It seemed very strange to her that the little Stars here felt so familiar and yet their identities were so hopelessly unplaceable. It was one thing when she'd first arrived, when her mind and senses had felt so dulled and clouded, but with each passing visit she'd grown more accustomed to this puzzling dimension and her perception had improved enough that this lapse in memory was changing from 'confusing' to 'concerning'.

While she'd initially assumed this mental fog was to blame for the fruitless attempts to grab at the wisps of fleeting memories, it seemed clear to her now that there must be some other reason she was unable to recognize them. As Velcia thought about it, she found herself convinced that whatever memories she'd had of them must have been erased in some fashion.

A deep rumble broke out faintly in the distance, like the thunder of an oncoming storm, and Velcia paused for a moment to listen. It faded away after only a moment's grumble, and so she carried on. These rumbles had been coming and going regularly since she'd arrived, sometimes sounding closer and sometimes further, and she found herself wondering if it was the bear-like form of Darkness or something else entirely.

At last she made it to the top of the first set of steps and, like last time, the sleeping Star lay in the center of the platform. She approached it again, surprised to find that the previously formless pool of light seemed to be taking a shape after all, and a vaguely human-like one at that. She knelt down beside it, then sat cross-legged as she pondered.

"I'm glad to see that you seem to be improving, despite that terrible beast," she said at last. "I do hope that means my spells are helping you to recover. I'll keep doing my best to heal you when I visit…"

That said, she summoned her Keyblade and held it out, grasping the handle firmly with one hand and resting the tip in her other, stretched lengthwise over what appeared to be the little Star's newly-forming body. She closed her eyes and began to cast her spell, the Keyblade glowing gently. Drips of light fell from the Keyblade as she did, sending waves of misty ripples through the luminous form. The body grew brighter, and as it did Velcia could feel her heart begin to swell with a sense of companionship as the other heart grew stronger.

At last the spell was finished, and she sat the Keyblade down in her lap. The distant rumbles were growing more frequent, but didn't seem to be any closer.

Gingerly, she reached over with an outstretched hand to touch the little Star's form, but her finger passed through as if there were nothing there at all. Velcia brought her hand back to her lap with a sigh. "If only I could move you. The next platform up seems so much safer than this one…"

She leaned back on her hands, looking up at the next platform in the sky. A faint blue glow ringed the edges of the next station, and as her eyes traced this ring she felt drawn to it. "That little Star's platform wasn't glowing last time I was here," she said, as if conversing with the small Star. "I'm glad to see they're doing better, as well. They were very concerned for you last time, I believe. I bet you two were friends."

The silent Star before her made no reply, and Velcia sat up straight with another sigh. "I hate to leave you alone here, but I should go visit the other Star and help heal them as well. Perhaps once they have recovered they can help teach me what to do with you."

Saying so, she grabbed her Keyblade once more and stood up, brushing out the creases in her robes. Velcia backed up several paces and held her Keyblade out. A shimmering dome of magic appeared around the prone form, completely enveloping it in a sturdy protective shell. "I don't know how long this will last, but, since I cannot bring you with me I will leave a shield behind to help you."

Velcia tapped the end of her key against this dome, satisfying herself that it seemed solid as she expected it should, and reluctantly began to make her way to the next staircase. She glanced back towards it every few steps, until finally she was able to convince herself that it would be alright for the few minutes she would be away. The distant rumbles continued unabated, but she was so accustomed to these now that she hardly noticed them as she made her way up the shimmering steps.

The floor of the next platform was indeed glowing softly when she arrived, almost entirely free of cracks. The second Star noticed her the moment her head peaked over the top step, and came over to her immediately with a pleasant-sounding trill of its deep chimes. Velcia smiled and giggled as the little Star began to bob and twirl around her, holding her hands out as if to try and touch it. It seemed larger than the last time she saw it, and like its companion felt much stronger.

"I feel so strongly that I ought to know who you are," Velcia told it softly. The Star chimed again, and she couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, perhaps with enough care you will be able to recover enough to remind me."

She held her Keyblade out before her, like she had done with the form below, and began casting her spell. The little Star swooped underneath the Keyblade, catching and absorbing the drops of magic and glowing brightly as it did. Velcia was certain now that it was growing in size, where before she could have quite easily wrapped the star entirely in her hand she felt it would likely take both hands to come close now.

A deeper rumble shook through the platform, Velcia finding herself stumbling lightly as she adjusted her footing. The little Star began to quiver and darted over to the edge of the platform, as if peering down towards its companion. Velcia made her way over carefully as well and looked down to see the thick Darkness pooling up from the cracks once again.

She winced at the sight, her fingers rubbing together anxiously. "Don't worry, I won't jump down again," she whispered. "But I do wish I knew what I could do… I hope the shield holds."

The two watched in helpless horror as the Darkness encompassed the platform below and began to try to rise up to cover the magic shield. Though the Darkness was abundant, it burned and hissed as it made contact with the protective barrier and after only a moment the malicious blight began to retreat from it.

Velcia's mouth broke into a smile, and just as she opened her mouth to say something she found she instead gasped as a large blob of the Darkness swirled up and took form. A large, bear-like Darkness appeared from the murk and began to circle around the shield. It grew in size as it stalked the hapless body of light, the tremors in the Station coming to match the rhythm of its footsteps. The foul beast let out a terrible snarl and lunged at the shield, bashing it with a mighty paw that cracked it apart. A blinding light shot out of the shield as it exploded into pieces and the sound of a piercing, crackling shatter deafened Velcia.

When her senses came back, Velcia looked around slowly to find that she was, once again, in her bed in the small trailer. She shivered and shook, but kept her composure as she slowly processed what had happened.

Whatever this Darkness was, it was plain to Velcia that it was incredibly powerful. She pondered it for a moment, and shook her head in confusion. "If it really is that strong, I don't understand why it hasn't destroyed the little Star… what does it want…?"

She stood up from the bed, still shivering, and went to make herself some tea.

After breakfast the next morning, Cindy, Noctis, and Gladiolus brought the airship out of the garage to begin the final preparations for the journey to the Adamantoise. There was a heavy air of anticipation across the group, an unmistakable excitement draped over the underlying concern as they double and triple-checked their supplies and machines.

As they were finishing, Cid came out from the garage with the small personal magic lamps strung along a rope. He began to pass them out among the travelers, giving quick explanations to each about how and when they should use them.

After giving Velcia her lamp, he motioned towards the passenger bay of the airship. "There's something I ought to explain t' ya, 'fore you head out. Cindy already knows, but if she's busy flyin' then it would be good for someone else to be familiar with it as well."

Velcia clipped the lamp to the leather belt of her battle dress, then gave a gentle tug to make sure it was secure. "I will do my best. I'm not familiar with machines, but I will try."

"It ain't somethin' you gotta be familiar with machines fer," Cid told her, as he climbed up into the bay of the gently hovering vehicle. He reached down a supportive hand, and helped pull her up into the bay beside him.

The two walked over to the other side of the passenger compartment to the device Cid had installed. He motioned towards it with his hand. "Now, you see these here round bits out the top? These contain those enchanted pipes that make the magic fields. They're here in the tubes marked one through three," he said, tapping the labels. "I got three more tubes here with more pipes inside that don't got any enchants on 'em at all. Now, if you come to a need for more magic abilities to help out, I just want to make sure you know how to open these up and install 'em. That's all you should need to do, the controls for these tubes are already hooked up in the cockpit."

Velcia nodded, eyes scanning the tops of the tubes. Cid reached over to one of the unused ones and demonstrated quickly how to unhook the latch. "These are pressurized, so the latches take a good bit of force to open. Once you you pop 'em, just take the pipe out like so-" he removed the pipe from the open tube, and showed it to her. "Then you can enchant it with whatever you need. Just stick it back in, it'll line itself up on account of this tapering on the ends, and close the latch. Only thing you need to do after that is to turn this valve here to activate it."

"I see. That seems very simple, indeed!" Velcia said, taking the pipe from Cid. She turned it over in her hands, noting that each end was shaped the same way.

"It don't matter which end goes in up or down," Cid told her.

Velcia placed the pipe back in the tube, then closed the top and with some effort jammed down the latch. She started to reach for the valve, but Cid waved her off.

"Don't bother openin' the valve until somethin' is in there ready for it. These things are a mite more trouble to open once they've been pressurized, so let Cindy take care of that if ya need to open one that's in use," he told her.

"I understand. Thank you for explaining this to me, it is very reassuring to know that we have more options if we need them," Velcia said.

Cid tipped his hat. "A machine that can't adapt ain't much more than a trinket, I've found."

Velcia chuckled. "I will keep that in mind."

"I'll see you 'round, Vel. Gonna go take a couple last looks in the engine bay and see how this thing is holding up 'fore you go," Cid said.

Velcia gave a small bow and a goodbye, and turned towards the seats. There were six in total, one of which was immediately beside her. This seat was nearly within arm's reach of Cid's Magitek device, which she now noticed had an engraved gold placard that read "Enchantment Drive"; and so with their conversation fresh in mind Velcia hung her leather backpack over the back of this seat to claim it as her own.

"Got a seat picked out already, huh?" Noctis said, climbing up into the bay from the opposite-side door.

"Oh, yes. Cid just showed me how to add more spells to this Enchantment Drive, so I thought it might be a good idea for me to be right beside it. Would you like this seat?" Velcia asked.

Noctis shook his head. "No, I'm going to be riding up front with Cindy. It's all yours. Anything else you need to take care of before we go?"

"There is one thing," Velcia said, summoning her Keyblade to hand. "I have been wondering if it might be best to stow this away, at least until we get there. I don't know what we're dealing with, but…"

Noctis nodded understandingly. "If it buys us more time to come up with a plan of action, it'll be worth it. Alright."

Velcia held her Keyblade out with both hands, and Noctis reached out and rested his hands on it. He began to apply his magic to stow it away, the Keyblade again fighting against it, but with Velcia's help it was only a moment before Love's Inheritance disappeared from both sight and sense.

"It does take some getting used to…" Velcia said faintly, raising her hand over her heart. "But, I will be alright. I believe that's everything, for me.

"Alright." Noctis turned and stuck his head back outside. "Looks like we're good to go!"

One by one, the rest of the crew boarded the ship and found their seats.

Cid heard the commotion from the back, and came out to see the others starting to take their seats. He shook his head. "Y'all coulda told me you were fixing to leave, give me a chance to get offa this thing."

Prompto twisted around in his seat. "You mean you aren't coming with us, gramps?"

"Hell naw," Cid snorted. "I'm too old to go flyin' an' buzzin' around that damned Adamantoise, I'd do nothin' but get in yer way and die. Cindy'd turn back the moment she heard I was aboard anyway."

"Your assistance thus far has been more than we could have asked for," Ignis said.

Cid, walking slowly towards the open bay door, waved a hand dismissively. "Any time, Iggy. Can't say as I've had a project this fun in a long while." He stopped, looking into the distance thoughtfully, then started to climb down with a chuckle. "Probably not since I was travelin' around with Reggie, at least." Once out of the ship, he turned and waved goodbye. "Safe travels, fellas."

Gladiolus, whose seat was the nearest to this door, stood up. "Thanks, Cid. Get some rest, we'll go take out that Adamantoise."

Cid nodded. "I'm right sure of it. See ya later, Gladio."

Gladiolus reached over to the handle of the sliding bay door and pulled it closed. The heavy door rolled surprisingly freely, and latched into place with a satisfying mechanical crunch. "Door's shut!" Gladiolus called out.

"Alright!" Cindy called back from the cockpit. "Time to get this thing up in the air!"

The floating vessel began its gentle ascent, swaying softly as a gust of wind caught it. Velcia tried her best to peer out the long, tinted window in the sliding doors but as she was buckled in it was quite hard to see anything but the sky and distant mountain tops slowly dropping out of sight.

Prompto had jumped out from his seat and, face all but pressed up against the window, began hollering and waving as he tried getting Cid's attention. Cid, who couldn't have seen Prompto through the tinted glass anyways, did not notice and simply watched the ship as it slowly started to pick up speed and fly North.

Once Cid was out of sight, Prompto jumped over into the seat closest to Velcia. "So Vel, how long do you think it'll take to beat this thing?"

"The Adamantoise?!" Velcia asked, almost startled at the question.

"Yeah! You're a pro at taking down those tall Darkside guys, so I thought maybe you'd know what to expect with the Adamantoise, too," he told her hopefully.

"I… I must admit that I do not. I have no idea what to expect, I've never even seen one before," she told him.

"Prompto, the Adamantoise is likely to take an extraordinary amount of effort, even with the power of the Keyblade," Ingis interceded. "Do remember that, if we are correct, this beast is actually a Heartless Adamantoise. It is much more powerful than it already was."

Gladiolus leaned back against the front bulkhead, arms crossed. "Yeah, and don't forget either that the Nifs have already tried bombing this thing and failed. Only made it more dangerous, in the end."

Velcia felt her fingertips begin to tingle, and rubbed the fabric of her tunic between them. "We'll just have to try our best."

"Storm's coming into view!" Cindy called out.

Prompto rushed back over to the window, face against the glass. "Woah, look at it from up here!"

Gladiolus and Ignis walked over, and after a moment of timid contemplation Velcia reluctantly unbuckled her safety belt and walked over as well to see.

A swirling maelstrom of dust and debris rolled across the land for what seemed to be miles, the jagged peaks of a sharp, tall mountain jutting up from a calm space in the very center. Though this calm space seemed free of wind and dust, there was a sickly purple tint to it that shrouded the base of the mountain in a thick fog. Streaks and flashes of lightning skipped across the tops of the clouds, rushing out from the mountain in the center.

Velcia swallowed hard at the sight of it. "S-so, the Adamantoise is hiding somewhere in that mountain, then?"

The others looked between themselves, then Ignis adjusted his glasses and spoke up in a voice that was quite deliberately softened. "Ah… Miss Velcia, the Adamantoise is the mountain."

Velcia's face paled, a chill washing over her as her eyes locked onto the titanic creature that lay ahead. "The entire mountain…?" she whispered.

"Indeed. The mountain serves as the Adamantoise's shell. It lay dormant here in Leide for so long that most believed it truly was just a simple geological feature, the tales of its true nature widely disregarded as little more than ancient mythology… but that is not the case, as you can see for yourself," Ignis explained.

"I can't… I could never…" Velcia whispered under her breath, in awe of the incredible size of the beast. "Even the mighty Titans of Olympus are small, compared to this!"

Prompto looked over at her with excitement. "How many of those guys have you beaten?"

"The titans?!" Velcia blurted in shock. "None! Why, only Zeus or Hercules were powerful enough to stop the Titans!"

"We will find a way," Ignis reassured them.

The airship made its way over the storm, then lowered down gently over the top of the Adamantoise. Cindy kept a careful watch but there seemed to be nothing paying attention to them yet, and so they began to fly slowly around the peaks of the mountain.

Gladiolus waved the others back. "I'm going to open the door so we can get a better look."

They stepped back and with a mighty tug the door was pulled open, it rolled smoothly back and out of the way. They could see now that Cindy had already turned on the ship's hazard shields, the glowing edges of their spherical barrier keeping a very subtle mist at bay.

The rocky mountain that made up the Adamantoise's shell was covered in cracks and trenches that were filled with and spewing a dark ooze, trails of which ran down and over the sides like gloppy streams. The great beast swayed slowly, but Cindy made sure to adjust the ship's motion alongside it.

Shadow Heartless could be seen forming from the muck and some others clambered out from the gaps in the earthen shell; and as the travelers flew they could on occasion see large patches of scorched rock and dirt from the Imperial's bombing efforts.

Ignis eyed this solid landscape with a slow shake of his head. "This shell seems quite impenetrable," he noted. "Perhaps we should see if attacking the head would be a better approach."

"It's gotta be easier than getting through this," Gladiolus agreed, then stuck his head into the cockpit. "Hey Cindy, let's find the head and see what we're in for."

Cindy nodded, and began flying towards the edge of the mountainous shell. Once they reached it, she flew in a large circle around the perimeter until the massive head could be seen in the thick mist below. She reached over to the sliders for the toxin filter and wind barrier and turned them as high as they could go, then began the descent.

The yellow, wicked eyes of the Heartless Adamantoise locked on to the ship as they came down, though it did nothing but slowly move its jaw as it watched. The enormous mouth was large enough to eat a half-dozen of such an airship in a single bite. This fact was not lost on Cindy, and she made a conscious effort not to get close enough that it might be enticed to try.

Clouds of toxin puffed slowly from its mouth as it breathed, and the shields glowed brightly as the magic worked to keep the poisons at bay. Velcia walked as close to the edge of the ship's platform as she felt comfortable, gripped tightly onto a nearby rail. "Do… do we just attack it now, like this…?" she asked.

Gladiolus looked out at it. "I guess so. There's no way any of us are getting out there to hit it with a sword, though."

Velcia nodded. "We'll try magic, then. Ignis, Prompto, will you be able to assist?"

Ignis nodded back to her, then called out. "Noct, we're going to try to attack the head. Cindy, be ready for evasion once the battle starts."

Noctis came back and walked up beside Velcia, the two locking eyes with the great monstrosity below. "Think it's time, Vel?"

"I'm not sure what else to try. I don't think we have any way to break through the mountain," she replied.

"I guess we have to start somewhere…" Noctis said, shaking his head. "Want your Key back?"

"I… yes, I believe it is time," Velcia said. Noctis nodded and snapped his fingers, Velcia's Keyblade flashing back and returning dutifully to her hands in the blink of an eye.

The moment it appeared, the Adamantoise's eyes narrowed and it let out a chilling roar that shook the airship even through the barrier. Velcia and the others stumbled momentarily, and the thick fog outside the barrier began to grow thicker still. Velcia regained her footing and held her Keyblade out, sending a burst of powerful Holy magic into the Adamantoise.

The beast howled again, this time being answered by a chorus of screeches and rumbling roars through the mist.

"Uh, fellas?!" Cindy called out in shock, the airship jolting as she began to lift up. "The barrier ain't cuttin' it, that cloud's starting to eat away at the varnish!"

Gladiolus leaped over and grabbed the door, slamming it shut in a hurry. The paint on the ship was indeed starting to corrode away at the edges despite the hazard shields. "Everyone strap in, quickly!" he ordered.

They rushed back to their seats as the sound of angry howls grew louder outside.

"This ain't good!" Cindy called out.

Enormous, bird-like monsters could be seen out the windows flying out from the storm and heading straight for them, followed by swarms of smaller Heartless. The ship rumbled and the sturdy metal frame began to creak as Cindy did her best to swing the nose of the vessel away from them, kicking the engines to full power as she attempted to evade.

"What are those things?!" Prompto shouted.

"They appear similar to the Roc!" Ignis replied. "Dangerous beasts in the best of times!"

Gladiolus leaned forward towards the cockpit. "Cindy, anything we can do to help?"

"No there ain't!" she called back frantically. "This thing ain't agile enough to outfox 'em, and they're driving us straight west!"

"West?" Ignis perked up in concern. "Why, the whole western mountain region is lined with anti-air cannons the Imperials have been setting up to keep the Heartless at bay!"

"I know, Iggy!" Cindy shouted back. "But we're just barely outrunnin' these things as-is, they'll tear us to shreds if we try to turn back!"

Velcia turned to Ignis. "The shield! Could that protect us from the cannons?"

"We can only hope," Ignis replied through grit teeth.

Noctis ran back up into the cockpit, strapping into his seat. "Let's hope this shield is strong enough!" he said, turning on the magic barrier. A blue, circular shield enveloped the craft and the Enchantment Drive began to hum loudly.

The western mountain region quickly came into view, the cannons lining it bursting into action the moment the Heartless Roc came into range. The skies outside the windows lit up with explosions and debris, the Heartless screeching in anger and triumph as they backed off. They watched the invasive airship continue on towards the Imperial blockade with reckless abandon, and they cackled as they turned back towards their accursed mountain.

The guns did not take long to change their priority from the creatures of darkness to the unidentified airship, and though Cindy did her best to weave past their shots many of the shells scraped by the shield, lurching the craft with sickening jolts.

"How long until we're out of range?" Ignis called out.

"I don't know Iggy!" Cindy cried out. "It's just gettin' worse!"

As she said this, a shot hit the shield head-on near the back of the airship, sending the craft into a tumble. Velcia felt her stomach leap into her throat as Cindy tried to wrestle the controls to get the ship flying straight once more, but they were losing altitude. Another set of shots hit their starboard side as they fell and sent them into a barely-controlled spiral.

"We're going to crash!" Prompto cried out.

Velcia looked around frantically for a moment, then remembered Cid's device behind her. She reached down and undid her buckle, legs flying out from underneath her as she did. She grasped the back of the seat tightly as she gasped.

"What are you doing?!" Gladiolus called out.

Velcia motioned her head towards the device. "Feather falling spell!" she cried out.

The ship lurched again as Cindy started to right it, once again gaining some altitude as they continued to be pelted by the determined blockade. Gladiolus undid his buckle and began to leap back through the bay. He made it to the machine, and jammed his arm between a handrail and the wall and wrapped his arm around it tightly. "Which tube?" he demanded.

"Number four!" Velcia called, swinging around the back of the seat but still holding it tightly.

"Hold on!" Cindy cried out, the ship lurching back into a sickening nose dive only seconds later.

Gladiolus swung out and scooped Velcia up with his free arm, wrapping it tightly around her waist and pulling her up beside him as the ship spun out of control. Velcia gagged and gasped, eyes barely able to focus as she scrambled for the latch. Her shaking hands found their way and popped the tube open, and with a graciously firm grasp she pulled out the pipe and held it tight to her chest.

Her head swirled, her stomach lurched, her body numbed, but Velcia kept a strained focus on the task at hand and infused the pipe with her potent magic. She opened her ailing eyes and just barely managed to drop the pipe inside the tube before another powerful shot cracked through the shield, impacting the side of the ship and sending it plummeting straight down towards the ground far below.

They swayed wildly, Gladiolus groaning in agony as they swung from his stuck arm, but with a determined, roaring growl he pulled himself and Velcia back up towards the device, which Velcia grasped with both free hands as she slammed the latch closed and turned the valve.

"Cindy, enchantment four!" Velcia shouted out.

"Noct, can you get it?" Cindy screamed, ground approaching quickly.

Noctis leaned over, slamming the slider to full.

The sensation that followed was not harsh, but indeed quite sickly jarring, as all of their spinning motions rapidly slowed down as if the entire ship around them had begun to crawl in slow motion. Once the ship reached a point in its spiral where they were more-or-less level, Cindy slammed the thrusters to maximum and dialed back their new enchantment; and the battered little airship rocketed away from the blockade.

Gladiolus loosened his grip on Velcia as she found her own two feet again, and with something of a roar pulled his arm free from the handrail. The two of them looked at each other in shock, then over towards Prompto and Ignis who seemed equally surprised at their continued existence.

"W-we're alive!" Prompto called out shakily, positively trembling head-to-toe from the adrenaline.

Ignis nodded slowly, adjusting his much-askew glasses wordlessly.

Velcia turned back to Gladiolus, noting a deep, dark bruise growing along his arm and shoulder. "Thank you, Gladiolus," she said softly.

Gladiolus winced, holding his bruised arm with his other hand. "Same to you," he said, the two clambering back to their seats and strapping back in.

Velcia breathed heavily, head resting against the back of the seat as she stared into the air. The Adamantoise had beaten them this time, and it was going to be a battle now just to get back to it. Still, she was relieved to be alive.

Noctis called back to them from the cockpit. "We're going to see if we can make it to Lestallum, guys. Hopefully they'll have enough supplies to repair the ship."

"The ship?" Prompto said to nobody in particular. "I'm going to need repairs after getting beat like that."

Ignis nodded in agreement. "Keep moving forward… we'll be better prepared next time."

"Next time?!" Prompto exclaimed.

"Down, but not out," Ignis sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the seat.