Final Fantasy Frontier 102 (Patreon)

After suffering such a one-sided defeat, the Garuda didn't attempt to attack Ashe as or after she healed it. Instead, it waited until she had exhausted most of her energy before climbing to its feet, flapping its powerful wings, and flying away.

"Ungrateful, that one," remarked Balthier, following the Garuda's escape with his eyes. In response, Ashe shook her head, rose to her feet, and asserted, "I healed it because I wanted to, not because I expected its gratitude..."

Turning to face the group, Ashe added, "We should set camp and enter the tomb once everyone is well-rested," while staring at Andrew.

Nodding in approval, Basch said, "A wise choice, Majesty," before taking charge of setting up camp. Andrew had distributed Cottages and supplies to everyone in the group, so neither he nor Ashe had to raise a finger as everyone else set out to perform their assigned tasks.

Standing to Ashe's left, Andrew joined her in staring at the rather eerie-looking tomb, which, even after seven centuries and countless treasure-hunting expeditions, exhibited little wear and tear on its peculiar black-and-grey surface. 

"Nervous...?" asked Andrew.

"More like...awed..." admitted Ashe, her voice faint, barely a whisper. The Dynast King was a legendary figure across all of Ivalice, but as respected as he was, he was also feared. Even when the Galtean Royal Family fell to ruin 300 years prior, none of the surviving members dared to travel to the tomb and attempt to claim Raithwall's legacy. If they did, they were never heard from again...

"Well, don't worry too much," said Andrew, adopting a faint smile as he assured, "Despite what I said during our quarrel on the Atomos, I believe you have what it takes to become a great leader. You just need to remain open to external advice and criticism."

Recalling said quarrel, a frown marred Ashe's face as she remarked, "I still haven't forgiven you for slapping me..."

Shrugging, Andrew casually retorted, "I wouldn't have slapped you unless I believed it necessary. I 'am' sorry it had to come to that, but you had let your desire for revenge cloud your mind and judgment..."

Turning and looking up at Andrew, Ashe looked like she had something to say but ultimately remained silent, the frown on her face gradually easing into a neutral expression as she returned her gaze to the tomb and stated, "I will be more mindful of my words and actions moving forward..."

"As any good leader ought to be," said Andrew, nodding in approval before turning to leave. Ashe glanced back to observe his departure, but instead of staring plainly, her eyes invariably lowered to his ass and tail as various thoughts pervaded her mind...

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Since he had stood guard as the others slept for four days straight, Basch insisted that Andrew rest before they entered the tomb. As such, Andrew was relaxing in his Cottage, casually perusing his messages and checking on the others through his Correspondence Menu. Things appeared to be going well in Alexandria, but Andrew discovered Lightning sitting on the edge of a bed in a futuristic-looking apartment room, staring listlessly at a pendant in nothing but her underwear.

After a moment of deliberation, Andrew elected to open a direct line with Lightning, startling the pink-haired beauty by telepathically asking, 'How goes your mission?'

Adopting a slight frown, Lightning replied, 'I sent my report a few hours ago. Did you not read it?'

'I did, but feelings are more easily conveyed through words and actions rather than text,' contended Andrew. 'What I'm really trying to ask is how you're doing. You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?'

Though she exhaled a sigh through the screen Andrew was perusing her through, Lightning's voice sounded calm and composed as she answered, 'I'm doing well. How are things on your end?'

'They could be better, but isn't that always the case?' replied Andrew, preempting Lightning's response by appending, 'On a more serious note, don't forget that you can ask for help or reinforcements. It's fine to seek power, but you don't have to handle everything alone.'

'I'm well aware...' replied Lightning, staring at the pendant in her hand, a gift her sister had given her many years prior. She knew the importance of relying on others as it was thanks to her friends and allies that they could prevent the fall of Cacoon and the sacrifice of millions of innocent lives. If Andrew monitored her more closely, he would notice her teaming up or, at the very least, coordinating with others on a near-daily basis.

Raising her gaze from the pendant, Lightning looked around, causing Andrew to tense as she asked, 'Are you observing me from somewhere?'

Though he could have lied, Andrew smoothly replied, 'Yeah. When I think of teleporting to someone, I get a glimpse of them and their surroundings. When I noticed you looking despondent, I thought something might have gone wrong.'

Shaking her head, Lightning explained, 'As I mentioned in my report, the situation within the city has largely stabilized. What has me...frustrated is how complacent everyone is becoming. We still don't know the root cause of the Lunar Cry, but because the next one is forecasted to occur in sixty-three years, there is no sense of urgency...'

'Well, it clearly has 'something' to do with the moon...' remarked Andrew. 'If they're unwilling to pursue the matter further, we could always fly up to it directly.'

'I proposed something similar,' said Lightning. 'But their Chief Researcher, Dr. Odine, informed me that the vacuum of space and passing through the planet's radiation belt would prove fatal without protection. Even then, it's only feasible during the Lunar Cry, when the planet's magnetic field aligns with the moon's, forming the very bridge the monsters use to descend on the world...'

'Hmmm...'

Though he knew of the dangers of space from his previous life, Andrew also knew it was a visitable location in several Final Fantasy games. The fact that monsters originated from it proved that it was inhabitable, so if radiation was their only concern, they should be able to shield themselves with magic or something as innocuous as a cube formed from lead...

Before Andrew could propose his idea, Lightning added, 'Esthar's Lunar Base orbits below the most concentrated radiation belt, but they lost the means to access it readily due to their launch facility being decimated by the monster horde. The Ragnarok can reach and fly through space, but its electronic systems would be damaged and everyone onboard potentially killed if it attempted to pass through the radiation belt...'

Thinking of a fairly 'obvious' solution, Andrew asked, 'Have you tried sending over Odin or Bahamut? The Eidolons of your world are purely mechanical beings, so they should be impervious to radiation.'

'The issue with that is proximity,' said Lightning. 'An Eidolon can only move so far from its host, and the moon of this world, while much closer than a typical planetary satellite, is well outside that range.'

'Mmm...have you brought this up with Etro?' asked Andrew. 'If it's her, she should be able to create an Eidolon that functions like a spaceship.'

'...'

Though the thought had crossed her mind, Lightning couldn't regard Etro with the same 'casualness' as Andrew. When she first appeared in Valhalla and stood before Etro's throne, Lightning had been permitted a glimpse of the past, present, and future of all timelines. The enlightening experience had brought her to tears, so she couldn't just drop by and casually entreat the literal Goddess of her world for a favor...the mere thought bordered on blasphemous...

Seeing Lightning pale through the monitor, Andrew raised his brows and wondered if the pink-haired warrior might fear Etro. However, instead of asking and potentially upsetting her, he proposed, 'Once I'm finished with my current task, I'll stop by Valhalla and pitch the idea. I have a few ideas for the ship's appearance and functions, so you should continue focusing on your current task. When the time comes, we'll visit the moon together.'

Raising her gaze and staring at a random spot in space, Lightning asked, 'You intend to accompany me...?'

'I mean, if there are millions of monsters roaming about, it could be the single best place to stockpile AP, LP, and other system-related resources,' contended Andrew. His response caused a slight frown to mar Lightning's face, but as someone who pursued strength, she couldn't resent Andrew for considering how best to take advantage of the situation.

'Then I will inform the President, Headmaster Squall, and Sorceress Rinoa that we may have a way to reach the moon,' said Lightning, adding, 'They will either want to participate or dispatch a team of SeeDs to oversee any investigations we conduct.'

'That's fine, so long as they understand who's in charge,' replied Andrew. Space exploration had been a pretty 'contentious' subject in his previous world, but he had no intention of playing politics. Squall might have been the protagonist of his story, but Andrew's time in FFXII was teaching him just how 'tedious' it was to play a support role for others...

'I understand,' said Lightning, her expression turning serious within the display as she added, 'I've already alluded to your existence and that of the Interworld Alliance. Given the state of this world, it shouldn't be too difficult to spread your influence to it.'

Though he felt weird hearing Lightning refer to him as if he were some great mastermind, Andrew just frowned and prepared to wish the woman a good night. At least, that 'was' his intention before Lightning rose to her feet, stretched her body, and said, 'Give me a few minutes to take a bath and prepare myself before you come over.'

Raising his right brow, Andrew considered asking Lightning what she was talking about but recalled his earlier words, specifically the part about him being able to see those he was preparing to teleport to. Lightning seemed to have interpreted that as him wanting to pay her a visit, and since it had been some time since their last meeting, she presumably thought he was contacting her for a 'booty call.'

'Well, this is a peculiar predicament...' thought Andrew. Unfortunately, he was a man of his word, so before Lightning could enter the bath attached to her bedroom, he clarified the situation, causing the pink-haired warrior woman's expression to turn somewhat cold. She wasn't the type to show her embarrassment, so when something happened to fluster her, a frown invariably marred her face...

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As they had arranged to set out at sunrise, Andrew emerged from his Cottage around 4:30 to get an early start on breakfast. To his surprise, Penelo had beaten him to the punch, the dainty, pig-tailed girl hard at work preparing enough food to feed everyone.

Sensing everyone else was in their Cottages, Andrew made his way over, surprising Penelo quite a bit as he embraced her from behind and asked, "Are you naturally this cute, or are you pushing yourself?"

Though she tensed at the unexpected contact, Penelo didn't scream as this wasn't the first time Andrew had surprised her. Instead, she raised her head, permitting him to kiss her lips before returning her focus to the stove and revealing, "I had a chance to talk to the Princess last night. She said she would accept me as a Handmaiden, but I would need to undergo an evaluation and acquire a License to 'officiate' the position..."

"Is becoming a Handmaiden something you 'want' or something you feel obligated to do?" Andrew asked, habitually caressing Penelo's abdomen. She hesitated briefly in response to his words but eventually answered, "I don't want everything handed to me. This allows me to elevate my status and support the person responsible for rebuilding my home...the place my parents were born and died..."

"Then I have nothing to say on the matter..." said Andrew, punctuating his words by planting a kiss on the crown of Penelo's head. Then, as tempting as it was to keep holding her, pressing his bulge against her perky butt, he released and joined her in preparing breakfast...

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