Chapter 22

The people of Lestallum were thrown into a panic at the sight of Aranea's imposing airship descending from across Taelpar Crag. The red Magitek flying machine was large enough that the entire population of the city would be able to fit inside of it, and likely the majority of the cars as well - the sight of such a thing heading straight towards the heart of the city would be unsettling in the best of times.

These, however, were far from the best of times. Though those in Lestallum did their best not to focus on it too hard, they had been well aware of the Empire's expansion efforts in the area and it was generally accepted that it would only be a matter of time before the Niflheim Army came to capture the city and its power plant. This fear is what drove the frantic, distraught bustle that quickly caught the attention of Velcia and her friends; and they ran out to the town square by the parking lot to see what was the matter.

Aranea's bulky red-and-black monstrosity of an airship blotted out the morning sun as it slowly sank down towards the parking lot. It seemed at first as if it were going to land on the platform itself and crush the many vehicles left there, including the Regalia, but as it came to a stop it became apparent that it was floating just off the side of the cliff. There was a great clank and a heavy rumble, and the entire red nose of the vessel began to creak open and pivot skyward. A boarding ramp extended and lowered, just clearing the stone railing, and no sooner did the end of the metal ramp hit the pavement than could Aranea be seen walking confidently down the ramp, dressed from head to toe in her scaly, spiky battle armor.

Noctis and the others had arrived just before she made it to the end of the ramp, and the King of Lucis motioned back towards the shrieking townsfolk with his thumb. "You sure know how to make an entrance, Aranea. Did you have to freak them all out like that?"

Aranea chuckled. "We're on the clock, Noctis. I don't have time to stroll casually into town today."

"Fine, then," Noctis said, shaking his head in annoyance. "I take it everything's ready to go, then?"

"Sure is," she replied, snapping her fingers. A pair of officers came up along either side of her, each carrying a box. "These are the beacons you'll need to attach for us to accurately place our shots with the lances. Position three of them around each crack, and do try to be mindful of their placement - We're going to fire at the center of these three beacons."

One of the men nodded. "And be sure you get it right, we can't remove the lances once they've penetrated the rock."

"That's right," Aranea said with a nod, "You mentioned you had a problem with the Adamantoise trying to shake you off, so these Buster Lances have extendible barbs to lock into place. Once they're in, they're not coming out."

"Got it," Noctis said, himself and Ignis each taking one of the boxes. "Anything else we should know?"

"It's angry," Aranea said with a smirk. "Real pissed. We shelled it heavily last night and have several confirmed cracks on either side of the base of the peak."

Ignis nodded. "Our first crack should be fine to use again, but for the other side we'll want to find something in the sweet spot. Neither too high, nor too low."

Gladiolus crossed his arms. "Got it. Cindy's already getting our airship prepped, so we can lift off soon."

"Right, Biggs, Wedge, let's head in and wait for them. Tell the pilot to follow at a mid-range distance," Aranea said as they whipped around to head back inside their ship.

Ignis nodded to the others. "Let us make haste, then."

The group sprinted across the road, making their way to the airship to find that Cindy already had the engines rumbling in anticipation. They jumped in the side door and slammed it closed, lifting slowly into the air as they buckled in.

The ship began to fly forward, and from below they could see Aranea's vessel rising up to follow them. Cindy's craft was by no means small, but it was dwarfed by the massive Imperial machine that trailed behind. Velcia looked back towards the town at the crowds of people who had come to see what was happening. There seemed to be a sense of relief and confusion in the townsfolk, and she found herself glad that she wasn't close enough to hear what was being said. The airship turned now and she could no longer see the town and she sat down in her seat with a dejected sigh, very much wishing that this panic would have been avoided.

Once smoothly underway, Noctis came back into the crew compartment and sat backwards on one of the free seats, looking at the others. "So Iggy, what's the plan?"

Ignis nodded. "Once we arrive, we make our way to the same crack Miss Velcia opened last time. I suggest Noct, Miss Velcia, and I go down onto the surface and Prompto and Gladiolus stay back with the ship. Miss Velcia, if you would, I do believe it would be wise to cast the Feather Fall enchantment for us ahead of time."

Velcia nodded. "Of course. It will make it much easier to make a quick escape."

"Speaking of," Ignis said, shaking a finger in thought, "Would it not be possible to use your tether magic to ensure a safe return to the airship?"

"I'm afraid not," Velcia explained. "The tethers only stay where they are released and I do not have a way to make them move along with another object." She held up her hand, creating a glowing ball of light. "Watch, the moment I release the tether-" she did so, and it zipped quickly out through the back of the ship, phasing through the solid material harmlessly.

"That sucks," Gladiolus said, shaking his head. "What about Cid's Enchantment Drive?"

Velcia sighed sadly. "I'm afraid that won't do either, the tether magic would be fully enclosed within the machine and I worry we would appear inside of the mechanism if we were to try to warp to it."

"Woah, like, super tiny?" Prompto asked.

Velcia shook her head grimly, and Gladiolus made an exploding motion with his hands. "Super tiny chunks, maybe," he clarified.

"Hm, yes, something like that," Velcia said, wincing a bit at the thought. "The other problem is, if we make the field too large, we won't be able to place our arrival accurately and could appear anywhere within the entire field… including, of course, in the walls."

Gladio made another demonstrative motion with his hands, much to her dismay.

"Well, the warp strikes worked last time," Noctis said. "So we'll just stick with that."

Prompto brightened up suddenly. "Oh yeah, Vel, I forgot to tell you, I think you need to make one of those IFF Beacons for the Heartless, so they don't see us coming!"

Velcia tilted her head. "Right now? But how?"

"Little late for that, Prompto," Noctis said, shaking his head.

"No man, it's the perfect time! Look, that enchantment drive still has an open spot right?" Prompto asked, the others staring blankly at him. "We all know the answer's yes, so just listen up: What if Vel enchants that one with like some sort of dark magic that can make a field of darkness around the airship? They won't even know we're inside!"

"Yeah, I dunno if it works like that, buddy," Noctis said, looking over towards Velcia, who seemed to be mulling it over seriously.

Prompto pointed towards her. "See? She gets it. She'll figure it out!"

"Hm, give me a moment," Velcia said thoughtfully, holding her hands in front of her, palms in. A dark mist began to build between them, small crackles of purple lightning sparking across the surface. She took a deep breath and lowered her hands, and the darkness dissipated quickly.

Everyone was watching with great interest, but none so invested as Prompto who came up close beside her. "Well?"

Velcia glanced back towards the Enchantment Drive. "Perhaps… Well, I could try it, it is hard to say how effective it would be."

"Only one way to find out!" Prompto encouraged her.

"Slow down there, Prompto," Gladiolus said, resting a large hand on the boy's shoulder. "Give her some time to think."

Velcia stood up, summoning Love's Inheritance to hand. She grasped the handle with both hands, crackles of dark magic jolting across the length of the blade. "It's possible, to try at least. Perhaps, if it does work, it will mitigate the need for Noctis to stow my Keyblade away," Velcia said, lowering her blade. "Shall I do it?"

Noctis and Ignis looked between each other. Noctis shrugged. "Worth a shot, I guess. It'd be better to make sure you have your Key at the ready, anyway."

Prompto cheered victoriously and jumped in excitement, smashing his fist against one of the cargo boxes in the net above by accident. "Aw, damn it!" he exclaimed, doubling over and holding his hand tightly; much to the amusement of his peers.

Velcia shook her head with a chuckle, and proceeded to pop open the last tube of the Enchantment Drive. She took out the long rod within, and held it tightly against her Keyblade as she imbued it with the Dark Shield spell. Once done, she eyed the rod and stuck out her tongue in disgust. "I shall never like the way dark magic feels, casting it even less so," she said, replacing the rod carefully and sealing the chamber.

Prompto, still holding his tender hand, looked up at the Enchantment Drive, his face beaming with delight. "That's going to help so much!" he said.

Velcia took her seat once more, laying her Keyblade across her lap. "I certainly hope so."

Noctis returned to the front to relay the current plan of action to Cindy, Prompto joining in to extoll the virtues of his 'Heartless IFF', and once the passenger compartment quieted down Velcia picked up her Keyblade, holding the handle in one hand and resting the blade in the other. She closed her eyes and focused on the magic inside it, and after a moment it changed forms in a bright flash.

"Woah, what was that?" Gladiolus said, turning to look.

Velcia held up the key, now in the Oraculum Gratia form. "In my Station of Awakening I learned to control the Keyblade's form through my heart, without having to change out the Keychains by hand. I just wanted to see if I could do it out here, as well."

She focused again, the Keyblade flashing into its original base form. "And, it seems that I can. Here, it is as it was when my ancestor used it, the form of the Divine Rose."

Ignis and Gladiolus watched curiously as it flashed again. "And now, Love's Inheritance," she said. It was coming more easily to her now, and she smiled proudly.

"And finally," she said as the Keyblade flashed one more time, "The form it takes from Lady Lunafreya's charm, Oraculum Gratia."

"Very good," Ignis said, nodding. "That should save plenty of time indeed."

Velcia lowered the Keyblade, holding it across her hands. "Thank you so much again, Gladiolus, for the name."

"Happy to help," he said, turning back around in his seat.

It wasn't long until the airships cleared the blockade over the mountain, and sooner still afterwards that they began their slow descent over the top of the Adamantoise once more. Per Noctis' instruction, Cindy brought the ship down in the same place she had last time, as near as she could to the crack that Velcia had blown open with her mines.

Noctis, Velcia, and Ignis clipped their personal magic lamps to their belts, and Noctis grabbed a backpack that contained the beacons from Aranea. They were much smaller than expected, and seemed to have a quite tacky layer of adhesive on the bottom beneath a pull-away sheet. So prepared, Velcia held out her Keyblade, providing them all with the Feather Fall enchantment, and they made their way outside. Once they had put enough distance between themselves and the airship Cindy flipped on the new Dark Shield. Velcia stopped in her tracks, pausing unsurely before turning to look at the ship.

"Hm, perhaps it might work afterall," she said softly. "I'm not sure it will trick the Heartless, but I truly don't sense anything but darkness from the airship now."

"Score one for Prompto," Noctis said under his breath.

The group advanced towards the old crevice, which was once again bubbling and teeming with the dark sludge. Velcia held out her Keyblade, still in its Oraculum Gratia form, and began to spray a deluge of water magic into the hole. The bubbling water ran thick with dark ooze that floated up and away, streaming down the mountainside. Several Heartless took notice and began to approach, and Ignis and Noctis worked to take care of them so as to allow Velcia to focus on the task at hand.

After what felt to her like ages, Velcia finally could see no more dark sludge bubbling up from the crack. She turned towards her companions. "I believe that may be it, should I proceed?"

Noctis nodded. "Do it."

The Keyblade flashed in her hands, changing now into the Love's Inheritance form, and she plunged the blade into the water; a vibrant and intense magical glow flowing out through the end of the blade and permeating deep into the water that filled the crack. After a moment, she removed the blade from the glowing pool and stepped back slowly.

"Any second now," she warned the others.

Indeed, nearly as soon as the words left her mouth, the delayed enchantment flashed into effect, an enormous spire of ice instantly crystalizing in and shattering a great tear through the Adamantoise's stony shell. The beast roared furiously and began to rock and shake violently from side to side in an attempt to fling them off, but thanks to Velcia's Feather Fall spell they found themselves only somewhat inconvenienced.

They bounced slowly in the air as the ground beneath them dropped far below, only to rise up and bounce them a little higher once more. It was disconcerting and difficult to ascertain how to move meaningfully, but Velcia couldn't help but find the situation somewhat amusing all the same.

"How are we to place the beacons?" Ignis asked.

"Good question!" Noctis yelled. He summoned his sword to hand, taking careful aim at the shaking rock shell below, and with a well-timed heave threw his sword down into the center of the ice. He warped to this quickly, holding onto the blade tightly as he struggled to gain his composure; a difficult task to accomplish while being thrashed so violently.

Noctis reached out, stretching as far as he could while still holding his blade, and with some truly admirable timing managed to stick three beacons around the edges of the ice with a respectable spacing, given the circumstances.

"Velcia!" he called out, voice strained. "Make a tether!"

She did so, placing the magic ball into the air in front of her, and almost immediately Noctis had warped to it, breathing heavily. He had a sickly complexion, and seemed as though he could vomit at any moment.

Ignis patted him gently on the shoulder. "You alright, Noct?" he asked.

Noctis let out a puff of air from his lungs. "Next time, let's place the beacons first," he sputtered.

Ignis looked around the area, spotting Cindy's airship not far away, and waved it over. The ship flew alongside them slowly, shield dissipating to allow them access, and Noctis threw his blade weakly inside the ship. It clattered against the seats, but Noctis found it to be good enough and they quickly warped inside the vehicle. Cindy pulled up and away from the Adamantoise, happy to be clear of the lurching mountain range beside them.

"Give the signal, Iggy," Noctis coughed, slowly recovering from the ordeal.

Ignis took the remote and pressed the button to notify Aranea that the beacons were ready, and the group stood at the edge of the airship's platform in the open doorway to watch. The Adamantoise was still rocking quite fervently, and as they watched the blurry, blinking lights of the beacons below it was hard to believe that Aranea's crew would be able to place their shot.

Still, belief does not define reality, and the sky above them rumbled with a loud crack. A pointed metal pillar slammed down from the sky above, piercing through the ice and crushing deep into the shattered rock below. The Adamantoise's roars and shrieks redoubled in fury, swarms of Heartless billowing out into the sky from near its head; but down below they could see a long, sturdy lightning rod standing proud and strong well above the rock.

Cindy, who had watched with great interest, whistled loudly. "She actually did it, fellas!"

"Hey, wow!" Prompto exclaimed.

Ignis crossed his arms, brow furrowed. The quaking landscape before them showed no signs of stopping, and unless it did there would be no way to proceed. "It would appear we've a new problem, however."

"Yeah," Gladiolus said beside him. "How do we make it stop shaking like that?"

Prompto looked out across the beast, shaking his head. "He must think we're still on his back. Maybe we could buzz around his head a bit to distract him?"

"Worth a shot," Gladiolus said with an affirmative nod. He walked over and stuck his head in the cockpit. "Hey, Cindy, can you do some fly-bys near the Adamantoise's head?"

"Are you outta yer damn mind?!" Cindy exclaimed. "You see those swarms of Heartless out there?"

Indeed, the sky was filled with swarmy, winged clouds of enraged Heartless buzzing angrily about. Interestingly, none of them seemed to be focused on Cindy's airship, though unfortunately this was because they were primarily focused on Aranea's. The cannons lining her ship were ablaze with gunfire, fending off the hordes.

Noctis looked at this with some alarm. "Hurry up, Cindy, let's go get that Adamantoise's attention so they can get out of here."

"Sure thing, Noct," Cindy said reluctantly, gunning the airship forward.

Velcia looked up towards the battle in the sky around Aranea's ship, heart filled with worry for their unlikely allies. They seemed to be fending for themselves quite well, however, and as Velcia watched the aerial skirmish a look of disbelief crossed her face. "Is there someone… jumping between the Heartless?" she asked, pointing up to the sky.

Ignis leaned out the doorway, holding his hand above his eyes and squinting to try to focus better. "It appears to be Aranea. It's a rather showy form of combat if you ask me, but it is her specialty."

Velcia, mouth agape, looked on in a sort of impressed horror. "She must have quite powerful legs," she said.

"Quite, and I believe the Magitek in her armor assists as well," Ignis said, pulling back inside the ship.

"Alright fellas, here's the head!" Cindy called out, the ship swooping into a hard drift. "How close do y'all want me to get to this damned thing?"

Velcia held out her Keyblade. "This is plenty close!" she called out. A stream of magic swirled around her blade, and beams of holy light shot down and impacted against the Heartless Adamantoise's head. These beams did very little damage to the monster's tough hide, but caught its attention all the same. There was a groaning sound that shook the very air around them as the great beast's head slowly lifted to look at them, and it let out a shrill shriek.

As hoped this seemed to cause the Adamantoise to stop shaking, but now the airborne Heartless knew precisely where to turn their attention. The sky shook with a thousand foul shrieks as the Heartless dove towards them at full speed. Even the Heartless attacking Aranea's ship disengaged to join in the hunt, and with some panicked oaths Cindy activated the ship's shield and slammed the engines to full speed.

Velcia rushed to the back of the ship and was frantically trying to find a way to open the rear hatch when a hand rested gently on her shoulder. She turned around to see Ignis standing behind her with a look of concern on his face.

"Allow me," he said, reaching up and pulling the handle. The door creaked open, sliding up above them.

Velcia turned back to see the swarms of Heartless chasing behind them, and Ignis called out for Cindy to lower the shield. Prompto forwarded the command to the cockpit, and after a moment the shield lowered and Velcia began to spray streaks of lightning into the pursuing horde.

Ignis rested his hand gently on her shoulder once more. "Pace yourself," he advised softly. "Breathe, don't panic."

A comforted warmth rushed through her, her pace slowing but her effect no less powerful. Though her attacks cleared out many of the Heartless, more and more came to join in, and after a moment Velcia was mortified to see a group of Heartless Roc joining the pursuit.

"Raise the shields!" Ignis yelled out.

Velcia stepped back suddenly, lowering her Keyblade by her side and heaving with exhaustion. "I did what I could," she told him.

"I know. It's time to take another approach," he said, turning and quickly running back to the front of the ship.

She looked after him as he ran away, leaning against a nearby shelf for support for only a moment before chasing after him. She entered the passenger compartment, hearing only the tail end of his instruction to Cindy.

"-up beside Aranea's ship, then activate Prompto's Dark Shield!" he said breathlessly.

"Got it, Iggy," Cindy said, the ship tilting backwards as she threw it into a steep climb.

Aranea's pilot must have seen their approach, and the large vessel rapidly descended to meet them. Once Cindy's airship cleared the line of fire, the red warship's guns began to flare to life and re-engage the Heartless. The diminutive craft swung a hard turn to take temporary shelter behind the behemoth, enveloping itself with the Dark Shield to provide further camouflage from the beasts of Darkness.

The communicator from Aranea crackled to life, her voice filling the air. "Need some cover, huh?" she asked.

Noctis picked up the communicator, pressing the button to reply. "Sorry Aranea, but our ship's not strong enough to take them on. We just need enough time to get the next set of beacons down."

"We'll do what we can. Hurry!"

Noctis nodded towards Cindy. "You heard her."

"What did we do?" Velcia asked Ignis, pointing towards the control board.

"A bit of a desperate maneuver," Ignis admitted. "My hope is that by switching back to the Dark Shield after we've broken line of sight and otherwise distracted them, we will be able to slip back down to the Adamantoise's surface relatively unnoticed."

"Oh, I see!" Velcia said, nodding her head. Desperate or not, she was quite impressed by the cleverness of the plan.

The ship was descending once more, making a beeline for the other side of the Adamantoise's shell. Some Heartless still followed after them, but as hoped the majority of them remained locked in combat with Aranea's vessel.

As they approached their landing point, the group looked down to see the surface of the mountainous shell swarming with Heartless.

"Gladio, Prompto, we're going to need your assistance on the ground," Ignis said wryly, searching for a crack that seemed most promising.

"That one there!" Noctis called out, pointing Cindy towards a spot. They dropped quickly, and by time they landed Gladiolus and Prompto were both equipped with their magic lamps and the next set of beacons. Noctis came back into the passenger bay and, once sure they were prepared and everyone's Feather Fall spells were refreshed, the five of them jumped down to the rocky surface below.

The moment the Dark Shield was deactivated they sprang into action like a well-oiled machine, with Gladiolus and Ignis leading the charge into the fray as Noctis led Velcia towards the crack he'd spotted from above. They came up to it, the sounds of battle filling the air around them, and quickly took stock of the situation.

"This one looked the deepest from up there," Noctis said, motioning towards it. "How long do you think it will take to blast through?"

"I'm not sure we can get away with that this time," Velcia said nervously. "The Adamantoise is too cautious of us now. I will do what I can with the water and see how deep it goes."

"Right, keep me updated if you need anything," Noctis said, flinging his blade into a nearby Heartless and warping away.

Velcia brought Oraculum Gratia to bear, and took to her work of clearing away the deep murky sludge. This crack was wider than the first and it took some time to clear the sludge, but once she had she was surprised at what she saw. At the bottom of the crevice, fresh ooze was bubbling in from what appeared to be rather deep but thin fissures. While the breach was not as deep as it would need to be, she couldn't help but wonder if these fissures and her ice could do the job.

She looked over her shoulder towards the others, who were still preoccupied with fending off the Heartless. Busy though they were, they were handling it well. Noctis warped up to a higher vantage point to take stock of the situation, and seeing him disengaged as such she called out to him.

There was a heavy thud as his metal blade impacted the ground beside her, Noctis appearing shortly with a spin as he caught his footing. "Are you ready?"

"I'm not sure," she said. She turned back to the crack and started to clear away the new sludge. "I don't believe we can afford to try to make this hole deeper, but there are quite a few fissures at the bottom that may run as far as we need. My hope is that it will be good enough, if I am able to properly permeate the ground with the latent ice spell, but I can't be certain."

Noctis looked down into the crack, then up at the sky and the others. "Guess we'll just have to take the chance…" Noctis said, setting down the pack with the beacons and removing them one-by one. "Cover me while I place these, will you?"

Velcia spun her Keyblade around in her hand, holding the blade against her forearm and jumping into action to clear out the Heartless around the perimeter of the water-filled crack. It did not take Noctis long to complete his work.

"Alright, time for step two," Noctis said, nodding towards her.

"You four should get back onto the airship," Velcia told him. "There's no sense in everyone still being here when the ice forms."

"I'll stay back with you, at the very least," Noctis said, calling out to the others. "Back to the ship guys! It's time to hit the ice!"

The others did as he commanded and ran back to the ship, making sure to take care of whatever Heartless they could en route. Velcia and Noctis held their ground against the few remaining Shadows nearest to themselves, and once the others made it back aboard the airship Noctis signaled for Velcia to begin.

She switched her Keyblade's form back to Love's Inheritance, and plunged the blade nearly to the hilt in the water. The liquid took a deep, vivid glow as before, but Velcia kept adding more magic to the pool to be extra sure.

Noctis prodded her back, motioning behind them. "Cindy's right behind us with the airship, once you're done we can warp aboard and get clear before the ice forms. You about ready?"

"Yes, let's go now," Velcia said, removing her Keyblade from the water.

Wasting no time, Noctis threw his blade into the ship and the two of them zipped inside. The moment he caught his footing, Noctis shouted out for Cindy to steer clear.

The airship slowly began to back away, and with a shrieking crack the ice in the Adamantoise's shell took form. The frozen crystals snapped a great gorge along the shell, the crack quickly spidering out across the surface. The Adamantoise howled and bellowed, stumbling to a knee in shock.

Ignis pressed the confirmation button for the beacons, and looking up into the sky they watched as the engines of Aranea's ship, still battling against the Heartless swarms, fired to life and propelled the vessel into position. A dire shriek broke out from somewhere high above them, and Velcia could see that one of the Heartless Roc had been run through the neck by Aranea's lance. The Dragoon kicked off the beast and flipped away, leaping to her next target with a motion that was impressive and thoroughly exhilarating to watch.

The Heartless Roc's dissipating body fell past them into the maelstrom below, and not a moment later the next buster lance was launched out from Aranea's mighty vessel, impaling through the ice and embedding deep inside the Adamantoise's shell with a thunderous crack.

They watched as the Magitek machine quickly grew larger, extending and locking itself into place. Velcia stepped forward into the open doorway of the ship, grabbing onto the safety railing with her free hand. She took a deep breath and clutched her blade tightly, swapping it back to the Oraculum Gratia form, and began psyching herself up for the final push.

She held out her Keyblade, bolts of her most powerful lightning bursting from the end and striking the metal pole. The Heartless Adamantoise groaned and roared as the electrical current coursed deep down past the shell, and began trying to turn towards them. Cindy accounted for this and maneuvered the ship carefully, doing her best to keep Velcia near enough to continue her assault.

Velcia took deep, measured breaths as she continued her attack, remembering Ignis' encouragement from before to keep her pace steady.

"Hey Vel, how much longer?" Prompto called out. "We've got company!"

Velcia did not turn to look, but could hear the cries of more Heartless Roc approaching from the distance. She took a deep breath, redoubling her efforts. A familiar magic had began to well up inside of her as she'd cast her spells, and once she noticed it she called out over her shoulder.

"Ignis!"

Ignis came up beside her quickly. "Yes?"

"You're not going to like it, but once I'm clear of the ship, have Cindy fly back up to Aranea's craft to take cover," she said, eyes locked on the Magitek lightning rod as she focused on her efforts.

"Clear of the ship?!" Ignis demanded frantically. "No, no, what are you planning?"

Velcia turned her head, locking her eyes with his over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ignis, I'll be alright," she said, taking a deep breath.

A flash of light consumed Velcia's body as her Drive Form activated. Her long, feathered wings returned and she began to glow with a brilliant gleam. She pulled in her arms and fell from the ship, wings opening and catching the invisible drafts of magic energy. Loud cracks of thunder rumbled out from the empowered lightning spells that crackled from her Keyblade as she twirled along the magical currents and away from the ship.

Ignis looked on in slack-jawed shock, and though he was impressed a deep sense of fear gripped his heart.

Gladiolus' voice called out from behind him. "Cindy, get back beside Aranea's ship!"

Velcia flew through the air, following the powerful streams of dormant thunder magic she could now see permeating the atmosphere. If there was any benefit to be had at all from the Adamantoise's mighty storm, it was that these electrical elements were to be found in abundance. Velcia's Keyblade glowed and crackled with power as she cast bolt after bolt of lightning into the Magitek conduit, which was burning red-hot from the incredible voltages it was now carrying.

As Velcia crested above the mountaintop, she could see streaks of electricity shooting out from the Magitek lance sticking out the other side, and breathed a quick sigh of relief. If the lightning was coming out from that side, it was surely coursing through the body of the Heartless Adamantoise.

The effects of the electricity burning through the large Heartless were, in a word, devastating; and it wasn't much longer until the rank, musty smell of burnt Darkness began to permeate the air. Loud crackles, cracks, and pops could be heard over the shrieks of the Heartless Adamantoise as the shell began to fracture and burst, molten sludge erupting from the breaches in furious geysers like bursts of black magma. Velcia spun around these with a flicker of her wings, twirling higher into the air as she chased the last remnants of a particular stream of electrical power.

She stopped in place, looking down below to see the Heartless was beginning to burst and explode into large puffs of smoke. Her eyes scanned the horizon, seeing the airship not far ahead, and she waved towards them enthusiastically, proud of her victory.

This, unfortunately, was when her Drive Form's power ran dry, and with a surprised shriek Velcia began to plummet down towards the deadly storm below.

Noctis and Ignis had been standing in the airship doorway, watching Velcia with great interest as she flew around the Heartless Adamantoise, a flurry of Lightning erupting from her and into the foul beast.

"Incredible…" Ignis said in a low voice.

"Heh, your girlfriend sure is something, huh?" Noctis asked, bumping him with his elbow.

Ignis said nothing, and the two watched as the Heartless Adamantoise began to erupt and explode below them. Velcia caught sight of them and began to wave, and a sense of warmth filled Ignis' heart.

Then, in a flash of light, Velcia's outfit reverted and her wings disappeared. The two watched in shock as she began to plummet to the ground below. Ignis gasped and stepped forward, looking on in horror as he desperately tried to think of a way to help.

Velcia tumbled as she fell, and they could see her descent slow dramatically after a flash of magic; though they knew her Feather Fall spell could not prevent the inevitable on its own.

Noctis clenched his fists. "Can she make it back, Ignis?" he demanded.

"I do not believe so," Ignis said. His fingers tightened around the handrail, knuckles white.

Velcia's Keyblade glowed with a surge of magic, and a great gust of wind blew up from underneath her. The wind did blow her higher into the air, but not enough so to be able to get back to the ship. By the time her next burst of Aeroga was cast, it was clear she was continuing to lose altitude.

"She's treading water, Noct, she's going to exhaust herself," Ignis whispered, eyes locked on to her.

There was a rush of footsteps beside him, and Ignis turned to see Noctis take a running leap out the side of the airship, throwing his sword into the distance. With a quick warp he caught the blade, and arms by his sides he dove down towards Velcia.

Gladiolus, who had watched Noct leap from the side, roared out loudly. "Cindy, we've gotta get down there and get them!"

Cindy looked out the cockpit's side window and saw Velcia flailing below, then caught sight of Noctis in free-fall heading towards her. Cindy grit her teeth and jerked hard on the altitude lever, cutting the engines and causing the ship to plummet like a rock.

Velcia cast another Aeroga spell, desperately trying to slow her descent as much as possible. She tried to see if she could control her direction to no avail, and panic began to set in as she realized that not only was she making no progress, she was quickly exhausting herself.

Though the Heartless Adamantoise was defeated and exploding, the storm and toxins swirling across the ground were still incredibly deadly. She looked into the whirling maelstrom of death as she frantically tried to think of a way to save herself from it, but found a sense of hopelessness beginning to overcome her. Her magic was running thin and her body ached, and though she knew she had a set of ether potions in her pouch she couldn't spare the time to retrieve them due to the desperately critical spellcasting.

An indistinct yell broke out from above her, and Velcia looked up quickly to see Noctis plummeting down towards her. She reached out with her Keyblade, casting a Feather Falling spell on him and catching him with her hand as he passed by. This dragged her much further down, but with a burst of wind she tried to help bring them back higher up.

"Nice catch," Noctis said breathily.

"Noctis, you shouldn't have come down here," Velcia said, tears forming in her eyes. Another blast of air came up from beneath but the effect, already insufficient to adequately propel Velcia herself, was even less effective for the two of them.

"We'll think of a way out of this," Noctis said, heaving his blade high into the air above them. He warped to it, dragging Velcia alongside him. "Come on, let's take turns. Accuracy doesn't matter."

Velcia nodded, and the two took turns flinging their blades into the air and pulling the other up their warp-strike ladder. This took less magic than her bursts of wind, but it seemed no more effective at gaining altitude.

"Oh, Noctis, it's not enough," Velcia said sadly, throwing her blade skyward for another warp.

"It's fine," Noctis said breathily, taking his turn, "We don't need long."

A loud rumble could be heard above them, and before they could even turn to look Cindy's airship streaked past them, the engines hissing and straining as they were suddenly press-ganged back into action by their determined pilot. The craft rumbled and buckled under the strain, but caught itself all the same and began to regain altitude.

Noctis looked down at it, then to Velcia. "Alright, stop!" he told her.

Velcia saw the airship slowly rising towards them. The side door was wide open, and beside a puking Prompto they could see Gladiolus and Ignis waving them frantically aboard. With one last great heave Noctis threw his blade through the open door and both he and Velcia stumbled to the floor in a heap.

"Got 'em!" Gladiolus cried out victoriously. "Let's get out of here, Cindy!"

"Ain't gotta tell me twice!" Cindy called back, the ship's sputtering engines groaning as she began to fly away from the storm.

Velcia and Noctis sat up slowly, breath heaving, and Ignis raced over beside them. His face was pale and his skin clammy, and he looked between them both in stunned shock, unable to speak.

After a moment, Noctis shook his head with a deep breath. "Let's try not to do that again, huh?"

"I'm so sorry…" Velcia said quietly. "I didn't expect…"

Noctis shook his head. "I'm just glad it worked out. Everyone's safe, and the Adamantoise is defeated. Let's just… take a breather for a moment."

Velcia turned now to Ignis, who was sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. Her mouth opened slowly, lips trembling as she struggled to find her words "I'm… I didn't expect…" she trailed off, crying gently as the weight of the situation came down on her. Ignis motioned her over and she crawled beside him, sitting next to him with her arms wrapped tightly around his torso.

"I'm so relieved you're both safe," Ignis whispered softly.

She pressed her head tightly against his chest, sobbing quietly with relief. "Me too."

After their near disaster, Cindy flew far enough away to land the airship just out of range of the waning dust storm. The six of them sat either on the ground beside the ship or on the edge of the platform in the doorway, watching the storm die out as the remnants of the great dark beast slowly faded away. Theirs was a complex and messy countenance, the great pride and relief of the accomplishment marred by the narrowly-averted catastrophe. Slowly, though, the shock of the situation began to wear off.

It wasn't long before Gladiolus and Prompto began to talk amongst themselves once more, Noctis joining in soon after. Velcia and Ignis sat in the doorway behind them, her arms wrapped tightly around him still. She looked up at Ignis, staring at him sadly; and she saw him in turn staring blankly over towards Noctis.

"Ignis, I… I never intended…" she said quietly.

"It was Noct's decision to go after you," Ignis said quietly, squeezing her hand in his. "And… I am relieved he was able to save you."

She began to tear up again. "I should never have gone out of the airship."

"Do you believe your magic would have been strong enough to destroy the beast if you hadn't?"

"No… no, I don't think so," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Ignis rubbed his hand along her back, holding her closer. "Then you need not regret that decision. What's done is done… and we are victorious."

Velcia took a sharp breath, her lips trembling. "You're not… not upset with me?"

"Of course not," Ignis said, smiling at her gently. Her shimmering green eyes were locked to him, and he couldn't help but let out a conflicted sigh. A multitude of emotions were welled up within him, but for now he took a deep breath and focused on one in particular. "In fact, I daresay I appreciate you all the more."

She tilted her head curiously, noting a hesitation in his voice and an uncertainty behind his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It… it is nothing you, or anyone, has done wrong," Ignis assured her, looking back over towards Noctis, who had now managed to pull Cindy into their conversation. Ignis shook his head, taking a deep breath. "It's been a difficult afternoon for us all," he told her quietly.

"It has," Velcia agreed. She looked over to the others, Ignis' insistent focus beginning to form a picture in her head. "I… I believe I understand what's bothering you," she said, pulling back away and sitting up straight. "If you need to talk with me abo-"

"Not yet," Ignis interjected. "Let us broach the subject another time, once our heads are more clear."

Velcia bit her lip. "Agreed. For now… please, go be with your friends. I'll be along soon."

"Are you certain?" Ignis asked.

"I am. It's where you belong, Ignis. I'll be alright, really," she insisted.

Ignis nodded graciously. "Very well, then," he said, standing up. "Please, don't be long. We will all be delighted to have you join us."

Velcia bowed her head weakly, and watched Ignis walk over to the others. He knelt beside Noctis, patting him on the back as the two began to talk. She sighed, a deep pain aching in her chest. This was where Ignis was meant to be, and this was where his duties lay. She clenched her eyes shut, breathing deeply as she did her best to stuff away the emotions welling up inside of her.

She opened her eyes, standing up to go join the others. Though she accepted the reality of the situation, she did not have to embrace it just yet.

Everyone smiled as she approached, and she waved happily. "Sorry I took so long," she said to them.

"No worries, you all good now?" Noctis asked.

"Yes, I believe so," Velcia told him. "I've certainly learned my lesson with that Drive Form, though."

"Man, it was pretty cool though," Prompto told her.

She bowed graciously. "Thank you."

"So what next, Iggy?" Gladiolus asked.

Ignis held a hand to his chin. "If I remember correctly, now that the Heartless Adamantoise has been destroyed, Miss Velcia is supposed to seek the entrance to the Heart of the World."

Velcia's eyes lit up. "Oh, of course!" she exclaimed, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Oh, there is so much less Darkness here…" her eyes shot open suddenly, and she looked out into the distance beyond the mountain. "I believe I sense it in that direction."

"Already?!" Prompto exclaimed in disbelief.

"It would seem so. It's… it's less as if I'm sensing it, and more like it is calling out to my heart," Velcia explained.

"Lucky for us that's on the way back to Lestallum," Gladiolus said, standing up and brushing the dust from his pants. "Should probably get going before it gets dark, anyway."

Cindy nodded, jumping to her feet. "I'll git the ship started up."

It wasn't long before they were airborne once more. Velcia and Ignis stood side-by-side in the open door, Velcia's eyes closed as she listened to the call of the Heart of Eos. Shortly after crossing the mountains, she opened her eyes and pulled out her Keyblade.

"We're close," she said to Ignis, who called out to the others to slow down.

Velcia held her Keyblade out towards where she felt the call, and out in the sky above the deep crater in the center of Lucis a faint, glowing outline of a Keyhole could be seen gently shimmering. Velcia grasped the handle of her Keyblade tightly in both hands, a beam of light shot up and into the center of the Keyhole. A magical energy crackled across and through the sky, and a wave of relief washed out across the group.

"Is that it?" Prompto asked.

"I believe so," Velcia said, looking up into the now-empty sky. "It does feel like there should be more to it, doesn't it?"

"I suppose the effect is more important than the spectacle," Ignis postured.

Velcia cracked a smile, stowing her Keyblade. "Indeed."

"Vel's done already, guys!" Prompto called out. "Let's get home and have some dinner!"