End of an Age [PLOT - CLOSED]

[Domminitus]

The power of the Plagues...why did they not use it? They were useless. Why did the Calamity choose them? Domminitus was tired of it. He wanted their POWER. HE did everything. They did NOTHING. This silly war started, yes...but now it was getting boring. The Calamity was getting impatient and Domminitus was as well. He was outraged at the Plagues.

So he took it out. UNLIKE those Plagues, when he got an order, he did it. He bowed her her only; they would never learn. If this kept up...he would be promoted to Plague himself...maybe...head of the plagues...maybe he'll take them all down and kill them, one by one, while he rules everything with the Calamity...Domminitus knew what he wanted.

"Redemption is what you seek, is it not? The destruction of Esthar... perhaps it is impossible, given your incompetence, but to raze it to the ground would be a welcome loss."

Temporarily restored of his power, Domminitus was ready. He waited in the cloak of his own dark world. Archades and Cocoon were at it's maximum rage at each other for no sides could make or break the war...and they were descending upon Esthar. He didn't know why they would think about bringing the battle over a neutral city but he didn't care.

It was time to show everyone what a TRUE Plague would do. He would not fail her. He would not fail her. The airships were ready...silly humans. They had no idea. Esthar's airships took their place in wait to bring down both fleets and Esthar armed itself for the apparent foe. However, they would soon be in the shock of their lives...or lack of it.

His world opened. It wasn't a blanketing darkness as if an Eclipse. No, it was almost like molasses, thick and ever so suffocating. It blackened the entire sky, it's dark aura pulsing so harshly that even the most unaware of individuals would succumb to the darkness' power. An evil laugh emitted from the sky, an haunting reminder of so many months.

"HUMANS! Once have I spoken to you on the continents...speaking of Plagues, and how bowing to your Master, the Calamity, shall be done. However! Neither side has done nothing! The Plagues grow lazy, and your vermin along with them! I have but one mission - total annihilation of this city you call Esthar. You have been WARNED and you did not heed. This is your consequence."

Something between the mix of an angry bear's growl and a large wolf's howl emitted from the sky, piercing all who could hear. "Welcome to MY world! My minions! Kill everyone! Destroy everything! Burn the city to the ground! Let the city turn red!" The darkness lightened up, only to reveal the ground was covered in shadow dog-like creatures.

They were no bigger than your average wolf, but they held no actual form - a general outline of a dog. They opened their 'mouths', oozing with a green substance as their white orbs looked around the city. Then they struck. People screamed in horror as they struck. They held no mercy. Men, women, children, soldiers, the elderly...no one was spared from the gaping 'mouths' and the 'claws' of the shadowy wolves.

Then descended their master, Domminitus's body, not clearly lit but his form could be easily visible to all. His body was huge, his eyes glowing red and menacing, as he raised his body. He was a vicious looking Behemoth but he towered over normal, easily making his way to the airships above. No matter if they tried to steer away, Domminitus would kill them all.

The air pressure around the entire town started to compress, as his eyes narrowed as he concentrated, ignoring any kind of attack he may have dealt with. This was his world...he could not be harmed while in it. A roar emitted from Domminitus, the air suddenly crushing as the airships engines were compressed, causing explosions to occur in the air.

Esthar's fleet was now taken care of...it was time to deal with the city itself. "THE CALAMITY'S WILL BE DONE!" He roared as he threw his entire weight against ground. Cracking happened on an large scale; so Large was it that it may affect both the foot soldiers of Archades and Cocoon. Buildings started to collapse.

Corpses and live people alike started to slip and fall into the destruction which was now Esthar...and the mansion that once stood was crumbling. The people had no hope. He would kill them all...this place would be destroyed. The crushing air with the combined force of the ground combined at the middle, sending a shockwave effect throughout Esthar, crumbling anything that was left.

Dommintus started to fade, though his minions were still fierce at work as a low chuckle appeared from the mouth of the horrible beast. In just a matter of minutes...Esthar...was destroyed. His minions would take care of any survivors. "Learn well, Archades...Cocoon...bow to this power...or your home will suffer the same."

His body disappeared as the darkness started to crumble. A golden ray broke through the oozing darkness, shining on all of Esthar...which was now a city of complete ruin. The screams, crys, and the complete anguish of people were gone...for there were no more people. No airships covered the sky, no militia to defend Esthar.

The deed was done. The Calamity would be pleased.

[laguna]

Laguna had been deliberating on just what to do with Esthar when suddenly a voice called out from above, alerting him to the danger his city now faced. What looked like a sea of shadows had formed over Esthar. A great roar caused the airships of the city to fail save one that was already heading away, before suddenly three great monsters burst into his office. They were huge, and they didn't seem to care whose office they were in. Laguna produced a pistol from his outfit, opening fire on the monsters to no avail. They shrugged off the bullets as though they were nothing, coming forward and bowling him over at first.

What came next was three of them looking over him hungrily. His gun wouldn't help here. He opted instead for a small hidden grenade, pulling the pin and dropping it on the floor next to him. If he was going down, he was going to at least try to take some of them with him. The city felt like it was collapsing now, as the seconds counted down for the grenade to explode. Sorry Raine... it looks like... I won't be coming home after all. I just wish it didn't have to end like this... He thought, before an instant of searing flame hit his body, and then nothing.


<LAGUNA LOIRE has died. His Gil and possessions as well as mod status will be transferred to Xemnas upon his creation soon.>

[Lightning Farron]

Lightning was arguably the first one to react.

The battlefield wasn't that far from Esthar; in fact, the technologically-advanced city loomed on the horizon close enough that they could make out the colors of the buildings. But as Lightning, protecting Cocoon amidst bigoted tendencies and backlash from the men she commanded, was in the middle of biting out an order to the platoon behind her, she was cut off at the sudden swarm of darkness in the purple mist-tinted sky above.

From there, they were forced to only watch events unfold, both Cocoonian and Archadian forces coming to a dead halt as all eyes turned to the city nearby. Weapons lowered or dropped completely; formations broke, orders were forgotten, and warring armies turned suddenly to horrified bystanders that stood, watching the city overrun with darkness be obliterated within a span of minutes.

Screams, crying, flames and darkness brought an evanescent glow and whisper to the sight, ringing with silence as both ceased, only ruins where a mere hour before had been bustling life and happy people.

And the worst part? The sergeant recognized the voice that had echoed from plain to mountain, filled with murderous glee and vindication. It's him. That vile...

"We're ordering a stand down," she said lowly and suddenly, turning away from the shell of a city.

"What?" one of the men under her command retaliated, disbelief evident. "We've got them right where we want them!"

"I said, we're surrendering!" Lightning whirled on the warrant officer, who visibly recoiled, having heard rumors about the woman's ferocity and still somewhat wary of her despite Lightning's lack of a Focus. She may still be a l'Cie, but it seemed a green light from Raines held some worth around the military. The grunt may be a Cavalry soldier, she wasn't really sure. "You saw what that thing did to Esthar. You heard the threat."

By now, the rest of the platoon was listening, in varying degrees of raptness, some with insubordination clear in mind, though derogatory jeers of Pulse slave and l'Cie scum died on their tongues underneath their helmets or not. They had all heard the legends of the former resident of Bodhum.

Lightning looked them all in the eyes, through tinted and transparent alloy. "Open your eyes and face reality. No matter how hard we fight, we're no match for that thing. Not by ourselves, and not taxed by this pointless war. They've seen the enemy too. I may be a l'Cie, but Cocoon is my home; I would never put my fellow citizens in danger, which is what this war would do if you barbarians want to keep fighting it. He will destroy us if we do this to ourselves."

The commlink's green light flashed in her gloved palm, fingers wrapped loosely around it. At this point she raised it to her mouth and ear, holding down the transmit signal button with her thumb.

"All troops of Cocoon; cease fire and stand down. I repeat: All troops of Cocoon; cease fire and stand down immediately."

This war must end. And they will agree. They have to, if they really want to live. We all saw what Domminitus can do - only fools would think this battle has any reason to continue, if neither they or we wanted to start this war.

For the good of all of us. Please.

"Odin!"

A bolt of lightning struck the ground, only feet from an unsuspecting private, who let out a rather undignified shriek as he scrambled away from the large scorch mark that the Eidolon now stood upon. At the sight of the knight, the majority of the platoon behind her shrank back, one at the back even yelling "an eidolon!" as if nobody else saw him.

The horse stamped a foot. "It seems," he snorted aloud, tossing his neck as he worked out the kinks, "that in this case, discretion is the better part of valor. You have exercised wisdom in this command."

"Avoiding the deaths of millions?" the soldier responded sarcastically. "I'd hope you'd think that's wise."

Already having come to a conclusion, despite her immense misgivings about it, the soldier turned to regard the men behind her with a look that professed bloody torture... and then stripped herself of her jacket, leaving only the zipped and high-collared black tank underneath it. Upon her breastbone, two necklaces were visible.

She drew her gunblade, leaving it in firearm configuration for the moment so as to minimize damage to the article of clothing, and flipped the jacket inside-out, thrusting the sidearm through both sleeves to serve as a makeshift truce flag.

"Let's ride," she said dryly, and leaped onto Odin's back with a smooth swing of her right leg and left arm used to secure the maneuver. The rose-haired woman kicked the eidolon forward, raising the flag high as she rode across the field, towards the Archadian army.

"On behalf of Cocoon, I call a truce!"

[Larsa Ferrinas Solidor]

Larsa couldn't bear to look at the ruins of Esthar, the once great and awe-inspiring city that he himself had toured. Everyone had fallen within her walls, including President Loire - no, Laguna. He knew this to be true, somehow, merely by the feeling in the air. The honor of such a man; he would have defended his country to the last, never would have dared to leave her to perish while he still stood.

In the end, this Daedalean War perhaps could have been their salvation, the young lord thought wryly, within the second line of the army despite the misgivings of every single agent of his country he had come across, but it is not ours. We must end this conflict, now, whilst both our nations are still whole.

The Judge he had asked to accompany him stood beside him, a communicative microphone within his mailed fist. "M'lord," he said hesitantly, turning to Larsa once he had had his fill of staring at the dying fires of Esthar.

"We have been threatened," the raven said, grimly, looking slightly away. The army around them was at a standstill, in mild disarray though still holding the line out of loyalty, despite their urge to turn tail and flee at the demands of the demon that had wrought such destruction upon the neutral city. "This is not the time to waste lives on such a fickle thing as pride."

Gone were any traces of optimism or goodwill or innocence from the mildly accented voice - the only remnant was the trademark steely will of House Solidor, of which he was but the one heir. Larsa met his Judge companion's eyes. "Duluth, I will require that microphone."

"Yes, m'lord!" Duluth bequeathed it upon him quickly, and, wasting no time, Larsa gave his own order to the Archadian military. All platoons were centered around a transmission device in lieu of individual transmitters, given the poor status of Archades as of the moment. As such, all of them would hear this announcement, bounced from the microphone to the radio transmitter near thirty yards behind them to the transmission devices.

"This is Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, Emperor of Archadia. Cease fire at once. This war is over."

Hundreds of yards before them, a horse sprinted across the barren ground, a makeshift "white" flag held aloft by its rider. Larsa saw this and returned the microphone to the Judge, breaking forward and through the second and first lines that parted before him like receding tides at a fast clip. He emerged from the sea of armored and armed men just as the rider hit their front line, calling for a truce on behalf of Cocoon.

"On behalf of Archadia," he declared, raising his voice and ignoring the sure-to-be-incredulous look at his diminutive stature, "I accept this treaty, and request an audience with Primarch Cid Raines."

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thread end.

[IMPORTANT: To prevent plot backlog, all quest threads related to the war that have begun (the thread has already been posted) will be allowed to finish; those that are pending will be dropped, but the rewards will still be given. Apologies for the inconvenience.]