Chapter 16
The next day was bright and sunny, or at least as much so as it could be when shrouded under the purple tinted hues that had come to permeate the atmosphere the last several months. The thick and endless ocean of rain clouds that had stretched from each and every horizon to each and every other horizon was now nowhere to be seen, all but entirely vanished with only a few fluffy white stragglers remaining and floating lazily in the sky.
Monica had come by the hotel first thing in the morning to check on Gladiolus and, after a brief discussion with him and Noctis, she found her next stop to be Velcia's room. Velcia had been very nearly finished preparing for the day, and so after only a short delay Monica and Velcia made their way out into the hills south of Lestallum. Monica was very interested to see Velcia's magic, and once she found a suitable location wasted no time getting to business.
"Well, Miss Anthes, the first place to start would be to demonstrate these explosives for me," Monica said, looking around slowly and then pointing towards a small boulder. "That seems like as good a spot as any."
Velcia nodded and brought her Keyblade to hand. Monica looked at it with some curiosity, but said nothing and merely watched as Velcia cast forth her magic and created a mine on top of the boulder.
"I believe we should already be at a safe distance, but I shall create a shield for us anyway." Velcia told her, waving her Keyblade and surrounding them in a shield bubble.
After a few more seconds the mine exploded with a loud bang; smoke, dust, and some small chunks of rubble were sent flying out from it. Some of these did indeed collide with the shield, but the impacts did not seem too harsh. Once the dust had settled, a crater about twice again as big as the mine itself could be seen blown into the rock.
Monica stepped forward, Velcia dissipating the shield as she did, and went to inspect the damage. "The explosion seemed to have decent power, but it did very little damage to the rock itself. Can you control the shape of the charge?" she asked.
Velcia shook her head. "It may be possible, but this is a very new spell to me and I am not truly sure how to alter it effectively. What sort of shape does it need?"
Monica summoned a thick satchel and pulled out a metal, dome shaped device roughly as wide as a dinner plate. "The best shape really depends on what you're trying to blast through, but what you're really after is altering the shape of the explosive's container to focus the blast," Monica explained, setting the gleaming dome down on another nearby rock. There were four drill-like screws around the edges that immediately began to anchor the device to the surface.
Velcia held her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how to do that, I'm afraid."
Monica came back over beside her, holding a small remote in her hand. "Can you bring the shield back, please?"
Velcia did so, and once the shimmering defense had solidified Monica pressed a button on the remote. There was a loud boom and a great flash of light from the dome, a massive cloud of dust shooting out. Several rocks clattered against the shield and by the time the dust cleared, the rock could be seen to have been blown into many much smaller pieces.
Monica turned to Velcia. "I'd wager that explosive had about the same yield as that magic bomb you showed me. Yours seems to be more like a mine, where the explosion is meant to go outward, whereas this one was constructed to focus the blast down."
Velcia pondered this. "I suppose I could try to summon them upside-down, but I'm not sure…" she trailed off, then her eyes lit up with inspiration. "If you don't mind, I have something I'd like to try."
Monica nodded, and Velcia motioned towards another large rock near the first two. "I would like to try using my magic to create a small shield around the magic mine to see if that will focus the blast as well."
"That seems like a good plan," Monica said, glancing around them. "We ought to find a boulder to take cover behind."
She led the way to a large, jutting formation nearby and ran her hand across it. "This should do. Try your plan now."
Velcia held out her Keyblade, creating a mine on top of the small target rock and immediately surrounding it with a small magic shield. Once set, Monica gently grabbed Velcia's arm and pulled her completely behind the rock.
"If you can see it, it can hit you," Monica warned. "We can look at the results once it's safe."
A few moments later, the ground shook with the force of the explosion and the familiar, gut-wrenching cracking of the shattered shield could be heard. Debris bounced against the terrain around them, a smaller rock even bouncing back off a nearby ledge and hitting Velcia's ankle weakly. Monica nodded towards Velcia, and the two emerged from behind their fortification to check the results.
This time, instead of a small crater, Velcia's magic mine had managed to blow the rock into pieces. Even the dirt underneath it had been blown out a bit, much to Velcia's surprise.
Monica nodded slowly. "Yes, that seems to have been just what you needed."
Velcia's eyes widened with amazement as she considered what had happened. "I would never have thought that using those two spells together would have had such an effect!" she exclaimed. "What other sorts of things can I do to help increase the effectiveness?"
Monica couldn't help but crack a small smile at her enthusiasm. "Other than properly focusing your blast, you can increase your effectiveness by upping the charge and taking advantage of structural weaknesses."
Velcia bounded quickly out into the opening and began to inspect the landscape around her. "Well, there's this cracked stone in the ground. Could we try on this?"
Monica came over and inspected it. "It's hard to say how thick this stone is, being mostly buried as it is. If we're trying to gauge effectiveness for breaching the Adamantoise's shell, though, it's not a bad place to start."
"That's good to hear. When we visited the Adamantoise the first time, I saw many large cracks in the ground that were quite a bit bigger than this… though they were almost all filled and oozing with darkness," Velcia told her.
Monica nodded. "Ooze or not, it will probably be easier than trying to go through solid stone. Try your explosives here, and let's see what happens."
Velcia glanced back down at the cracked stone slab underneath them. "I'll try using more mines this time, as well. Perhaps we should take cover behind the same boulder as before?"
"That seems a wise idea," Monica told her, making her way back.
Velcia stopped about halfway to the boulder, keeping her magic casting distance in mind. She glanced between her current location and their cover thoughtfully and with some concern, unsure if she could make the distance. Still, her curiosity won out, and without much further delay she held her Keyblade high, casting a small cluster of mines in a pile on the slab. She swung her Keyblade quickly down and to the side, a golden glow flashing across the blade and quickly beaming over to create a shield around the mines, this one glowing with a greater intensity than before.
Almost before she was even sure this shield had formed properly, Velcia spun around on her heels and made a mad dash for the boulder as Monica waved her over. She quickly scrambled behind it and pressed her back flat against the cold rock, listening intently.
There was a loud, blasting boom followed by a deafening crack as the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Velcia's eyes widened at the intensity of the jolt, wondering if perhaps she went a bit too far, but Monica simply stood nodding slowly with a look of hopeful anticipation.
"Sounds like that one was what we're looking for," Monica told her, stepping out from behind their boulder and holding her hand flat across her brow to block the sun. "Let's go take a closer look."
Velcia followed with a giddy anticipation, holding her Keyblade tightly as she saw what looked like a decently-sized hole in the ground ahead.
As they approached the hole, they could see that the explosion indeed cracked several feet down into the slab; nearly as deep as Velcia was tall and with quite a bit of rock blown out as well.
"Looks like the explosives took out a good chunk of material, and the force split the stone down further. More explosives placed into this crack should be even more effective, though I'm going to caution against doing too much more this close to Lestallum," Monica told her.
"I can't believe it works so well!" Velcia told her. "Thank you so much for taking the time to teach me about this."
Monica nodded, crossing her arms. "Anything to help with the mission. Do you think you'll be able to repeat that enough times to get through the shell?"
Velcia's confident demeanor slipped. "I'm… not sure. I don't know how thick the shell is, and casting the mines and shield like that did take a lot of magic. Still, I think I should be able to perform those spells many times before tiring, so I am hopeful…"
"Alright. I'll give Gladiolus the go-ahead for the mission," Monica said.
Velcia's head tipped curiously to the side. "You will? Isn't it Noctis' decision?"
"Of course, the King has the final say in all decisions," Monica said, nodding slowly. "Still, he will listen to his advisors and Gladiolus requested that I advise him in turn. This is a big task and no easy feat, and none of us are keen to send you back to the Adamantoise without a solid plan."
"I understand. Especially after what happened to Gladiolus last time…" Velcia said.
"More importantly, what nearly happened to all of you," Monica said. "Good piloting and quick action got you out of the last encounter, but if things hadn't worked out so well you wouldn't be here talking to me and Lucis would be without a King."
Velcia swallowed, remembering the chaos of the tumbling airship. "Yes, I agree… we must be careful not to take unnecessary risks."
"Keep your wits about you. Focus on the bigger picture, and don't get lost in the task at hand. Retreat if necessary, and don't lose yourself to desperation," Monica said firmly, but gently.
Velcia smiled softly. "I will. We all will. Thank you, Monica."
"Thank you, Miss Anthes, for your service to the Crown. Are you ready to head back to town?" she asked.
Velcia lifted her Keyblade slowly, then looked out into the hills. "I have more I'd like to try while I'm out here, but I think I can manage on my own. Thank you."
Monica nodded. "I'll let the others know."
Velcia bowed slightly, and waved goodbye as Monica turned to leave. Velcia turned towards the hills, Keyblade gripped tightly in one hand and the charm from Lunafreya held dearly in the other. She could sense that there were Heartless somewhere in the hills, and they'd come a bit closer during the explosives testing. She took a deep breath, puffing up her chest as she set her mind to her next task.
It was time to find a Heartless.
As Velcia hiked through the craggy mountains around the crater behind Lestallum, she couldn't help but feel invigorated. The air was nice, the weather calm, and though she was following after a group of Heartless she found herself becoming more and more distracted by the scenery and world around her.
From where she was currently, she could see the vast opening of the crater that housed the Power Plant, but she was not close enough to see the bottom. From where she stood, looking out at the massive pit, it felt as though it should be incredibly deep. Much further in the distance, well past Taelpar Crag, she could see another crater; and though it was many times further away it seemed much larger than the one she was currently beside.
She paused for a moment, surveying the landscape and taking note of just how many craters, pits, and tears were scattered across the planet's surface. "I don't remember Leide looking this way. I wonder what's so different about the lands on this side of the mountain to make it look this way," she mused out loud. She stared for a moment, and was about to turn around to resume her journey when a particularly craggy cliff face in the distance caught her attention. There was a large portion missing that, from this distance, looked like a great gash, and at the base of this was another crater in the ground.
It seemed to Velcia almost as if something had fallen from the sky and smashed through it, and as her eyes turned to scan across the rest of Duscae they began to widen. "Surely not… what could possibly have fallen, to have caused so much damage…?" She couldn't help but gasp softly at the thought of such an event, and after an awestruck moment of imagination she shook her head. "I suppose I will have to ask about it, later."
Returning her attention to the task at hand, she continued on towards the Darkness she could sense ahead of her. Shortly, she found her attention drawn to a looming vertical gash in the rock face. This turned out to be a tall, thin opening into what seemed to be a cavern, though Velcia could not make any guesses as to how deep it went. She eyed the thin opening, sizing it up in comparison to her own figure and then trying to peer through to the cavity inside.
She backed up slowly, and made her way around and up a gravel-covered hill to a flat bit of land nearby. Here she drew her Keyblade and held it tightly with both hands, and after a quick swirl of magic a small glowing orb appeared bobbing gently in the air before her.
This faint, concentrated ball of magic was made of very similar enchantments to those that comprised the Warp Strike technique used by Noctis. In fact, it was through study with Noctis and his friends on Velcia's previous visit that she'd learned what she needed to cast this spell. It was a sort of magical beacon that she referred to as a tether, and as long as she could feel the magic of this tether she could warp herself to it instantly. The range at which she could sense these tethers seemed to vary greatly depending on which world she found herself on, and larger distances quickly became much more taxing to cover. Still, it was an incredibly useful spell even if it did have its limits.
Once this was set, she returned back to the cave entrance. "I shan't go any further than I can feel the tether," she said reassuringly to herself, then turned sideways to try to sidle in through the opening. It wasn't too difficult of a fit, for the most part, though there were sections where she had to bend down or contort her posture in order to successfully navigate past the jagged rocks. Her long, orange hair spent quite a bit of time brushing up against the rock face, and by time she emerged into the larger cave within she almost instinctively pulled her hair forward over her shoulder and began to try to brush the dirt and small rocks out of it.
As she did, she glanced around the cave; though there was not much to see in the darkness. Very little light made it this far through the crack. The cave was cool and damp, but there did seem to be a gentle flow of air from deeper in the blackness obscuring the back of the cavern. The feeling of Darkness was stronger still, and she was certain now that Heartless were hiding somewhere inside this underground area.
Velcia held her Keyblade at the ready in one hand, and with a well-practiced swish brought a small firelight above her other hand. The back wall did indeed open up and lead deeper still into the mountain, and so she carried on. The passages were rough and damp with not much room, though more than the crack through which she'd entered, and she found herself starting to grow concerned that she may not have enough space to actually fight any Heartless even if she did find them. She still felt the presence of the tether up above through the rock, and this welcome reassurance was all she needed to continue on.
After only a short time she found herself in a large, dome-like cavern. Mighty pillars of rock stood proud from a body of water that obscured the entire floor, and the space between these pillars was littered with an uncountable number of stalactites and stalagmites. The still water stretching out ahead of her was crystal clear, and when she bent down to inspect it she was surprised to see that there seemed to be a path of flat, round spots just below the surface. These spots seemed to be made of stone, and a quick look around the cavern at the many broken stalagmites that were beside the path suggested to Velcia that these underwater stepping stones were in fact the shorn, worn bases of stalagmites from long ago.
She stepped down gingerly into the water onto one of these round rocks. These flat spots were just under the surface, though deep enough that water still came about halfway up her toes even with her sandals. The water was bitingly cold, and flowing gently. The spaces between these rocks were filled with a sharp craggy gravel-like rubble that she began to suspect was the remains of the missing top halves of the stone spires she was walking across. Velcia wasn't sure how far this path would lead, but was very curious to find out.
The rock walls around her were wet and slick, and her feet splashed gently in the water with each careful step. There was a small rumble in the rock walls and the surface of the water rippled around her, splashing gently against the rock pillars.
Velcia, still able to sense her tether, continued along her watery path. There was another small opening in the cavern wall ahead of her and when she came up to it, found that it led to another much larger chamber. Her small light could not illuminate the whole thing from where she was, but the water became significantly deeper here and stretched out far past the distance her meager flames would reveal to her.
As she stood looking out into the wet, black void, she began to feel the water around her feet was moving differently here, swishing gently back and forth around her ankles like a tide. She hadn't realized that the stone steps had been growing deeper until this point. Another rumble came through the cavern, but this time she felt it in the water as well; the vibration of some sort of monster or creature in the underground lake ahead of her. She backed up slowly, daring not to douse her flame but worried all the same that it may be attracting unwelcome attention.
Something began to breach the surface of the lake ahead of her, and Velcia held her Keyblade at the ready as she tried to make out what it was. It continued to rise up from the water, a long and smooth structure that seemed almost beak-like. A shimmering, dark blue eye opened, and as Velcia inspected the creature under the light of the fire she found it seemed to be some sort of turtle.
Velcia smiled and looked over the turtle as it floated lazily before her. It, too, seemed to be just as curious about her as she was of it.
"I don't suppose you get many visitors down here," Velcia said gently, putting away her Keyblade. "Except, I suppose, the Heartless."
The turtle made no sounds, but swayed its head a bit as it listened to the soothing sound of her voice. It swam up a bit closer towards her, lifting its nose gently.
Velcia knelt down and reached out towards it gingerly, the sheer enormity of the creature now quite apparent to her. Its eye was very nearly the same size as her head and its nostrils, breathing softly against her, were easily as large as her hand. She touched the top of its snout softly, and rubbed her hand across it. "Well, you are delightful."
The turtle swayed slowly under her touch, then let out a deep chirping sort of sound and began to sink back under the water. Velcia watched it disappear into the dark abyss, and stood up once more and looked around the underground lake. There seemed to be no way to navigate around the sides. Though the lake appeared placid, Velcia knew that if a great beast like the turtle could live in it then there truly was no way to know what else could be out there, and so she considered this path a dead end and turned back into the previous cavern.
As she came to enter the pillar-filled dome, she heard the splashing of many frantic, aimless footsteps in the shallow water ahead of her. There was another path through the pillars and stalagmites that she hadn't seen on the way in, and so this time she navigated across the shorn stones down this path.
Up ahead she could see a small group of Shadow Heartless, or more specifically their glowing yellow eyes and faint silhouettes. They had not yet seemed to have noticed her and were prancing around as if looking for something. Seeing her opportunity, Velcia doused her fire and brought her Keyblade back to bear then reached up to her neck and grabbed the charm, feeling the magic enchantment within.
She stepped forward, pointing her Keyblade straight ahead towards one of the Shadows. Her splashing footsteps and the presence of the Keyblade caught the attention of the small Heartless, who turned towards her.
Velcia's Keyblade glowed brightly as she channeled and amplified the enchantment from the charm, the golden glow illuminating the twitching figures of the Shadows ahead. They seemed to be almost dazed by her sudden appearance, but did start to waddle towards her across the rocks in the water.
The spell was unleashed, and a bright beam of piercing light shot out into one of the Heartless. It began to twitch, bubble, and shriek; and bright beams of light shot out from within it. Velcia and the Heartless all watched this with great curiosity, though the Shadows were chittering irately.
The beams of light from the melting Shadow grew brighter still, and slowly the Darkness seemed to slough off of a small, glowing red ethereal thing shaped vaguely like a heart. To Velcia it felt like a heart, and she recognized some aspect of humanity in it as it rose into the air and faded through the rock ceiling.
The Shadow Heartless were very angry at the sight and turned back towards her. Velcia spun her Keyblade around, a magic glow building around it. She thrust her free hand up into the air, a plume of flame shooting out which was suddenly captured in a small magic bubble. The flames burned bright inside this bubble, illuminating the cavern as Velcia sprang into action; casting the charm's enchantment upon the rest of the Shadows as they splashed angrily through the water towards her.
Another set of shrieks rang out through the cavern, but this time as Velcia watched the freed hearts rising from the Darkness she realized that the dark form of the Heartless bodies was not, in fact, destroyed, and now several blob-like masses were floating across the top of the water towards her. Velcia backed up slowly, casting Holy spells onto the dark blobs. This seemed to do the trick, and though they were in a body of water the Darknesses were engulfed in Holy flames and burned away.
Still, Velcia could sense one more somewhere in the cavern around her, and as she turned around she saw the escaped blob of Darkness making its way into the large lake cavern. With a snap of her fingers she sparked a new guiding fire over her free hand, and keeping a close eye on the path below she sprinted through the pool in pursuit.
Once in the cavern she looked desperately around the surface of the lake to try to find where this monster had gone, but to no avail. A deep rumbling rippled through the water, and ahead she could see the water breaking as the cavern turtle returned to see its unusual visitor once more. It swam up to Velcia, swaying its head left and right with curiosity as it observed her.
"You must be careful, a form of Darkness has come in here," Velcia warned, eyes still scanning her surroundings.
Then, out at the edge of the circle of light provided by her fire, she saw a dark shape floating across the surface of the water towards the turtle. Her eyes widened and she raised her Keyblade, trying to take aim at the slick and writhing form, but it was surprisingly quick and came up upon the turtle before she could act.
The Darkness slowly crawled up across the turtle's back, and Velcia watched in agony as she scrambled to think of a way to prevent the turtle's possession; but the turtle slunk back under the water. Much to Velcia's surprise, as it did the Darkness slipped right off its back and remained floating on the surface of the water until, suddenly, it was launched into the air with a hefty slap from the turtle's fin.
The form of Darkness arched through the air, splattering against the rough cave ceiling above Velcia and dripping down over her. She grit her teeth as it did, but quickly realized that instead of being sticky and oozy, this Darkness seemed quite slick. Indeed, as it reformed itself in the water it seemed to be doing its best to climb up Velcia's leg; though it was a rather useless and feeble attempt. Velcia could feel the magic of the Darkness gnawing ineffectively at her, as if it had lost its ability to take hold of her at all.
Velcia watched this flailing, impotent Darkness with an entranced feeling of disgust as she considered the situation. She was sure that whatever was happening was because of the spell provided to her by Lunafreya, but wasn't entirely sure exactly what it was that it had done. Still, she wanted to leave no loose ends, and quickly she stepped out of the Dark form and eradicated it with another beam of Holy light.
The turtle had been peering out from the lake some distance away and, once the flames of purification had waned, floated back over towards her. It opened its beak and made a sort of honking noise, which Velcia took to be a friendly sound, and then slowly disappeared back into the dark abyss below.
Velcia waved good-bye as she watched it go, then stowed her Keyblade away with a sigh. There was nothing left to be done down in the cavern now, and so after a moment of quiet focus she whisked herself back up to the tether on the surface above.
As she made her way back to the city of Lestallum, Velcia found herself slowly overcome with a growing anxiety. She wasn't sure why, but her heart was beating more quickly and her thoughts felt clouded. It was a phenomenon beyond her understanding and she found her sudden change in health to be very alarming.
The closer she came to the city, the worse she found she was feeling. Her head started to ache and she felt a sick taste in her mouth, and as her mind raced to determine what was going on she realized that her senses were overwhelmed by an incredibly dark presence. It felt as though it densely permeated the very air itself, but there were no discernible signs as to where it was coming from.
It was with some great relief that she found herself sitting down upon the first bench she came across, holding her hand to her head and breathing with measured breaths. With no visible or audible signs of any Heartless or Daemons, her mind turned to the Darkness of the Bear that lurked within her heart; prowling around the Station of Awakening. Was it beginning to come for her now?
Or, was this some lingering effect from the dark ooze that had gnawed toothlessly at her in the caverns below? It hadn't felt like it had any effect on her there, but the timing of it seemed unwise to ignore.
And so she sat for a while, bewildered and worried as the sick feeling washed over her. After some time she found her senses began to adjust to this evil presence and, though she still could feel its overwhelming presence, the sickness began to fade. She shivered briskly, no more sure as to what was happening or why. Her mind still felt clouded, and her heart was still heavy, but she decided she needed to try to continue on and find her friends. Hopefully they would be able to provide some sort of insight or assistance.
Velcia stood up carefully, cautious in case she were to be overcome by another wave of dizziness, but felt mostly fine as she rose. She made her way back to the hotel, and was passing by the doorman when held up a finger to catch her attention.
"Ah, Miss Anthes?" he asked.
Velcia stopped rather abruptly, quite curious, and bowed softly. "Yes, how may I help you?"
"Your companions have asked me to inform you that they have all set out to run errands around the town. One group has gone to repair your vehicle, and the other has headed to the marketplace," he informed her politely.
She nodded weakly, turning her head to look out in both directions. "Oh, thank you very much, sir."
"You are most welcome," the man said, resuming his posture of patient anticipation for the next guest.
Velcia smiled warmly, and found her way beside a nearby bench. She didn't feel like she was feeling well enough to go as far as the airship, but the market didn't seem like a terribly burdensome prospect. She looked up the nearby road that led deeper into Lestallum towards the Power Plant and, en route, the market.
The thought had crossed her mind to stay at the hotel and rest, but she supposed that Noctis and Ignis were likely to be the ones she'd find and the market and was very much curious for their thoughts on the matter, and so she began to make her way towards the market. Velcia looked around at the buildings as she walked, still feeling somewhat dazed. She knew very well where she was, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat removed. She sighed and lowered her head, continuing on.
As she came past one of the side-alleys a large figure suddenly rushed out and crashed into her, the pair of them tumbling to the stone-paved street in a frenzied confusion. Velcia sat up quickly, rubbing her head as she looked towards the strange man who'd run into her.
He sat up slowly with an embarrassed expression, picking up his dark-black hat and placing it back over his brown, scraggly hair.
"Ah, terribly sorry for the trouble, madam," he said hastily as he scrambled back to his feet. He leaned over, offering his hand to help her back up.
Velcia looked up at him, noting his odd attire. He wore a long gray trench coat over what appeared to be suit pants, with a pair of scarves around his neck. It was a complicated and flamboyant looking affair, but his earnestly apologetic expression won her trust and she reached up, taking his hand and regaining her footing with a refreshing ease.
The man gasped as she stood, motioning towards the charm around her neck. "I am so terribly sorry, such carelessness on my behalf is inexcusable in any circumstances, but to have so inconvenienced an Acolyte of the Oracle-!"
Velcia, who'd been brushing the dust off her clothes, lifted her head to him with some confusion. "A what?"
"Excuse my presumptions," the man said with a respectful and deeply humble bow. "I couldn't help but notice the Tenebraen rune adorning your chain. As it is a symbol associated with the Oracle, I naturally assumed an affiliation."
Velcia glanced down to the charm around her neck. "The Oracle… Oh, do you mean Lady Lunafreya?"
"The one and only," the man told her. "Pardon my fascination, but am I correct to presume some connection between you?"
Velcia smiled at the curious man. "Well, of a sort. I have yet to meet her in person, but she has been helping me work towards a mutual goal. I'm afraid our relationship isn't any more than that."
The man's eyes lit up with interest. "Ah, I see. Well, the more people Eos has working towards the end of the darkness that plagues us, the better."
Velcia nodded. "Indeed. If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"
He chuckled softly. "I assure you, I am a man of no consequence. A traveler, passing through on a journey to see the world before it ends. Though, perhaps with help such as yours the world may yet live a while longer."
Velcia tilted her head curiously. "That is the hope."
"Well, don't let someone like me keep you," he said, bowing earnestly and removing his hat, flourishing it out to the side. "You've got a lot of work ahead of you."
"Y-yes, I do," Velcia said, her mind spinning. Her skin felt clammy, and though everything about the man in front of her seemed friendly enough, the longer they talked the more she found him deeply unsettling.
"Another time, then," the man said, spinning around on his heel and beginning to walk away.
Velcia shook her head and turned around, back towards the market.
A low voice spoke, as if right beside her ear. "Time's running out."
Velcia's hair stood on end and she whipped quickly around to see who had said this, but there was nobody in sight. Her head throbbed and her heart raced, the sickly feeling returning as the dark presence loomed. Reluctantly, she turned back north once more and made her way to the bustling market.
It was some small comfort to Velcia that, whatever this haunting aura was that permeated the city, everyone else in Lestallum seemed blissfully unaware of it. In fact, it seemed as though everyone was in exceptionally good spirits today. As Velcia searched around through the crowds and stalls for her friends, she found herself starting to cheer up despite the worrisome circumstances.
After some time, Velcia found Ignis and Gladiolus at a stand selling various food products. They were just finishing up, and as Ignis was paying Gladiolus was the first to speak up.
"Hey Velcia, how'd it go with Monica?" he asked. He was friendly, but straight to the point as usual.
"It went very well," Velcia reported with a smile. "She helped me learn how to make my mines more effective, and we think we should be able to make a good crack in the Adamantoise's shell."
"That is good news. Monica already told me we had her go-ahead for it, so I'm glad to hear you're confident about it, too," Gladiolus told her.
"I am. I think we have a good chance."
Ignis, now finished with his business, turned towards his friends. "How did your other errand fare?"
To this, she tilted her head. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I went looking for a Heartless to try the new enchantment from Lunafreya. I'm really not entirely sure what it did, but it did seem to disrupt their form somehow. One of the Heartless I used it on did try to possess me-"
"Are you serious?" Gladiolus interrupted.
"Well, yes, but it didn't seem to do anything to me at first," Velcia told him.
Ignis held his hand to his chin, casting her a concerned frown. "What do you mean, 'at first'?"
"As I began to approach Lestallum, I've come to be overwhelmed by the sensation of darkness. This feeling has become almost crushingly intense as I've been here, though, and I believe that is what's making me feel ill. I didn't sense it before I used the spell…" Velcia said softly.
Gladiolus shook his head. "Well, if the Darkness is what's ailing you then I don't think you're alone in it. Noct, Iggy, and I started sensing a dark presence in Lestallum earlier today as well. You're probably just more sensitive to it than we are."
Velcia nodded slowly. "That would make sense… but I do wonder what it could be."
"I've never felt a Darkness like this before," Ignis whispered. "Whatever it is, we must be cautious."
Velcia glanced around the market furtively. "Yes, I agree. How are the others?"
Gladiolus motioned down towards the hills with his good arm. "Noct and Prompto went to the airship with Cindy to install the beacon. Cindy's pretty sure it should be ready to go again today, so I guess that means we'll head out again tomorrow morning," he told her.
"That's good to hear. I believe I will be ready," she said. Her brow furrowed over her slowly-narrowing eyes. "You know, I had the strangest encounter on the way over here…" she said softly.
Ignis raised an eyebrow. "Let's find somewhere a little more private, and discuss it there."
"You eat lunch yet, Velcia?" Gladiolus asked.
She held her hand to her stomach. "No, I have not… in fact, I was so eager to go out with Monica that I haven't eaten anything at all today."
"No wonder you're light-headed," Gladiolus teased. "Let's go pick something up, Iggy."
Ignis agreed, and the group made their way back down into lower Lestallum. There were a few different restaurants to be found here, and ultimately the group split up. Ignis and Velcia found themselves each with a delicious sandwich, while Gladiolus made a beeline for the noodle stand and returned happily with a heaping bowl of steaming-hot noodles.
They sat down at a table to eat, and Velcia explained to them about the strange man she'd met on the way to find them. From the moment she mentioned his hat she could see an aggravated scowl come to both of their faces, but they said nothing and let her finish the story.
Gladiolus turned to Ignis grimly once she'd finished. "What's Ardyn up to, messing with Velcia now?"
"Ardyn?" Velcia piped in. "The same man who sent the letter to Yen Sid?"
"If our assumptions are correct," Ignis confirmed, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I can only surmise that he's grown impatient and has come to check on our progress."
"Could he have been the one who whispered as I was leaving?" Velcia asked.
"Yeah, probably," Gladiolus said. "You'd think if he was so worried about it, he'd do something to actually help for a change."
"This is Ardyn we're talking about," Ignis reminded him, replacing his glasses. "His intervention has only ever been a trigger for some new complication. The less involved he is, the better."
Velcia set down her sandwich and lowered her hands, leaning forward a bit. "Who is this Ardyn, anyway? He told me he was a man of no consequence, but it sounds like he's been working behind the scenes in all sorts of things."
Ignis scowled. "Ardyn is an enigma about whom we know infuriatingly little. He offers roses, but delivers daggers. He presents himself as a friend, but speaks with a veiled hatred. We know him to be affiliated with Niflheim in some capacity, but he seems to hold them in just as much contempt as he does us."
"He cares about nothing, but has his filthy hands in everything," Gladiolus added. "He's good at keeping himself shrouded in secrecy, if nothing else."
"I see… when I spoke with him he was acting quite friendly, to the point where it began to feel insincere. Thinking back to the things he asked… I don't believe him bumping into me was an accident at all," Velcia said, staring down at the table. "Is this a normal sort of encounter with him?"
Gladiolus groaned. "Yeah, sounds about right."
"We'll speak with Noct about this later," Ignis said, returning his attention to his sandwich. "For now, I suggest we leave Ardyn to himself and continue on."
"What if he's right, and we are running out of time…?" Velcia asked.
"Don't let him get in your head," Gladiolus warned. "Ardyn is manipulative and dangerous."
"Indeed. There's a very good chance he's simply trying to goad us into something," Ignis agreed. "We have our course of action set and are working towards solving the Heartless problem as quickly as we can. There's no reason to rush things further."
Velcia nodded slowly. "I understand. I'll put him out of my mind for now, then."
"That makes two of us," Gladiolus said, slurping up a large mouthful of noodles.
The food did quite a bit more good for Velcia than she expected, and though she still felt a little light-headed and sick from the Darkness she found coping with it much more manageable now. Once finished with her food, she told the two about the cavern she'd found in the hills. Ignis was very interested to hear about the turtle, informing her that it sounded like a creature that they had long worried was extinct.
Velcia was glad, then, to be able to inform him that the Darkness from the Heartless had not been able to hurt the creature, and she explained what happened to the Shadows when she'd used Lunafreya's spell. Ignis and Gladiolus listened to this with interest.
Gladiolus shrugged. "Sounds pretty weird to me. Why make a spell that doesn't just destroy the Darkness?"
Ignis held his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "If it is true that only a Keyblade has the ability to destroy Darkness permanently, then a spell that is able to disrupt the Darkness that sustains them and render them impotent for a time does seem like the next best thing."
Velcia held a closed hand to her mouth as she thought about this. "The Shadows I used the spell on not only lost their grips on the Hearts they'd formed around, but they were also entirely unable to infect or possess either myself or the turtle. The spell may not destroy the Darkness that comprises them… but it certainly does seem as though it would slow it down immensely."
Gladiolus smirked. "That's a pretty damn powerful tool. Any idea whether the effect is permanent?"
"No, Lady Lunafreya didn't specify, and I did not want to take any chances with the Shadows and so I destroyed them as quickly as I could."
Gladiolus shrugged with a somewhat disappointed sounding huff, while Ignis shook his head knowingly. The spectacled man turned to Velcia. "A very prudent decision, of course."
Velcia smiled weakly in gratitude for the support, but her mind was still occupied on other matters. "As wonderful as this spell may be… I am not entirely sure I see how it can help me to deal with the Bear."
Ignis held his hand to his chin. "I don't suppose you know whether the spell disrupts their other abilities, such as the Bear's ability to create these alternate realms."
She shook her head. "I do not, and that is what worries me. This spell does seem like it may allow me to disrupt the Bear's possession of the Star's heart, but I do not trust that this would make it any less lethal to me. Furthermore… If I am unable to destroy it, and the effect of the spell is not permanent, then it would likely be able to return to the Star's heart once its powers return."
Velcia's face slowly twisted into a solemn frown, and she began to stare into the distance. It was an expression that Ignis felt he understood immediately. "Or, worse yet…" he started slowly, catching her uneasy glance toward him, "It could very well move itself into a new heart… such as your own."
She nodded wordlessly, fighting back against the anxious impulse to bite her lip.
"It would seem that, for now, we must continue to work towards a greater understanding of both this Darkness and the spell," Ignis said with a sigh of resignation.
Velcia slumped down, forehead resting atop her crossed arms in weary resignation. "Damn it."
Gladiolus reached over, thumping his flat hand on her back with what was meant as a friendly pat. "You'll figure it out. There's a lot going on right now."
"It's an easy thing for any of us to say," Velcia sighed, turning her face up and now resting her chin on her arms. "We're not the ones who have to suffer its malice constantly."
"Don't do that to yourself," Gladiolus warned. "Don't take the blame for the evil actions of others. Just because you can't act meaningfully now doesn't make the ongoing suffering your fault - you'll drive yourself crazy if you think that way."
"I know…" Velcia nodded sadly.
Ignis reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder. "It's never easy, but know that we are with you."
She sat up, placing her own hand atop Ignis's with a sad smile. "Thank you both."
"Don't mention it," Gladiolus said. He leaned back a little bit, and adjusted the strap on his arm sling. "So Iggy, what's the plan for tomorrow then?"
Ignis removed his hand from Velcia's shoulder, adjusting his glasses. "Ah, well, for now I suppose the plan is somewhat basic. Using the IFF Beacon, we should hopefully be able to pass through the Imperial Blockade without harm. On our previous visit, the Heartless mostly seemed to ignore us until we provoked the Adamantoise itself. If we cross over with enough distance, I believe we can circle around behind it and land the airship on its back near one of the cracks."
Velcia nodded. "If we do that, I can use my explosives to blast a hole in the shell."
Gladiolus leaned back forward, resting his good arm on the table. "What then? Cracking through the shell alone won't destroy it."
Ignis held his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose, once the hole is deep enough, we can begin to attack it using both our magic and Elemancy potions."
"Oh, perhaps I could also try Lunafreya's spell against it," Velcia piped in, with some excitement.
Ignis snapped his fingers. "Of course! It is perhaps unreasonable to hope that the spell would be as effective on such a large Heartless as it was on the Shadows, but it does certainly seem like an avenue worth exploring."
"At the very least, we may be able to get a better idea of what the spell does on more powerful forms of Darkness," Velcia added hopefully.
Gladiolus stood up from his seat. "Don't know how to feel about the fact that the majority of this plan is theoretical," he said grimly.
"Unfortunately, we can only plan using the information we have, Gladio," Ignis said.
"Yeah, and the only way to get more information… is to try again," the large man replied.
Velcia turned her head towards the mountain range separating them from the Adamantoise, seeing the faint brown haze of the dust clouds blowing across the peaks. "We'll find a way. We must…" she said.