To Fight the Rising Odds - Wufei_W (2024)

Chapter 1: A Journy Begins

Chapter Text

"The decreed hour has come. Set forth with my blessing, Prince Noctis."

The giant throne room felt stifling, even empty as it was with only his father and friends to fill it, the weight of expectation crushing him as he waited to leave. He hated the ceremony of it; why all the protocols if it was just them?

Noctis bowed in perfect form as he was taught to, hands clenched at his sides, "Thank you… Your Majesty."

King Regis sat high upon the throne above them, face impassive, "Take your leave, and go in the grace of the gods."

Noctis did his best to keep his face as neutral and blank as possible; his father's formal words washed over him as he stood straight up. But, seeing that his father had nothing else to say to him, he tried not to feel disappointed. Even with him being sent away from home, his father was a King first and a father second.

"Right," with a stiff nod to his father, he left the room, ignoring this friend's startled looks as he brushed past them to reach the doors.

He waited at the elevators for them to catch up. Staring up at one of the large paintings hanging in front of him without really seeing it, his mind went far away as he got his emotions back under control. It was only a few moments before he could hear their footsteps down the hall to reach him.

"So you all set to get yourself hitched?"

The question snapped Noctis back to reality, his thoughts wandering away from him as they often had lately. "Hmm?"

"You awake there?" Gladio flicked his ear, "You can't sleep through your own wedding, you know."

"Lay off," Noctis grumbled, slapping the offending hand away.

"So much for keeping to protocol," Ignis sighed, pushing the button to open the elevator doors.

Prompto hopped inside once the doors opened, "he's a prince! What can you do, right?" he asked playfully as they all joined him inside.

"Let's just get out of here," Noctis pushed the button to take them to the ground floor.

All were silent in the small space as the other boys could feel the tension still radiating from their prince, all quick to make their escape once the doors opened with a ping. The main hall leading outside was primarily empty; preparations were being made for their 'visitors' arrival later in the evening. Noctis felt the frustration rise inside him as he thought about anyone from the Empire stepping inside their city. He hated being sent away during this time—for a wedding he didn't even have a say in.

The cool air of early morning hit him as they left the building, and it was a relief from the stifling atmosphere of being inside the Citadel. He would miss his apartment in the city and the freedom he had been able to experience, even if only for a short time. He wasn't looking forward to moving back into the Citadel, but it seemed his wings would be clipped shortly, regardless of his wishes otherwise.

At the bottom of the grand stairs leading down, he could see the Marshal stepping out from the Regalia, the King's private car—now Noctis' for the time being, he supposed, as his own had been commandeered for the transportation of the foreign emissaries on their arrival to the capitol.

"I can't wait to drive this thing!" Prompto said, looking more excited now that they were getting closer to leaving the city.

"Leave the driving to the grownups, kid," Gladio teased, ruffling up the blond's hair even more.

Ignis ignored them both and walked ahead, likely to make sure he was the one to get the keys from the Marshal, not trusting any of them to actually drive. Noctis went to follow him but stopped when a voice shouted behind them coming from up the stairs.

"Your Highness!"

Noctis and the others turned to see the King descending the stairs as fast as he could, Captain Drautos of the Kingsglaive following close behind him in concern. The leg brace and cane King Regis was forced to use didn't seem to hinder him in the slightest as he tried to catch up with his son.

"What now," Noctis said under his breath. He walked back up the steps to meet his father halfway, not wanting him to aggravate his leg any further.

"I fear I have left too much unsaid," his father said, smoothing a hand down his beard as they stood together on the steps. There were more signs of premature graying than he had last remembered. "You place a great burden on those who would bear with you."

"You're one to talk." Really? Did his father come all the way down here just to lecture him some more? On a task hewas sending him on?

Regis appeared to be holding back a sigh and looked past his son to the young men below, "I ask not that you guide my wayward son, merely that you remain at his side."

"Indeed, Your Grace." Ignis bowed deeply, formal as ever.

Gladio gave a bow of his own, "We'll see the prince to Altissia if it's the last thing we do."

Noctis tried not to smile as Prompto did his best to copy the other two, "what he said!" the blond bowed clumsily.

Turning back, Noctis met his father's eyes, "hate to break this up, but Cor's got the motor running." he said, feigning disinterest. Looking behind his father, he nodded to the Kingsglaive Captain standing guard, "Drautos, I leave him in your capable hands."

"And one more thing," King Regis stopped his son from leaving once more, "I hope your manners will improve around your charming bride-to-be."

Noctis pushed down some of the resentment that he could feel bubbling to the surface at the reminder of why he was being sent away from his father's side. Instead of saying what he wanted to say, he bowed with an exaggerated flourish, "Your Majesty, as well. Try to mind yours around our esteemed guests from Niflheim." He couldn't keep the sarcasm from his reply, not that he was trying very hard.

His father didn't even try to hide his amusem*nt, "you have no cause for concern."

"Don't I?" Noctis had his doubts about the validity of the Empire's willingness for a peaceful outcome from these so-called 'Peace Talks,' Not after what had happened recently up at the front lines, causing the Lucian forces to lose more ground in retreat.

The King shook his head, "Take heed. Once you set forth, you cannot turn back." he said, ignoring his question.

"Not that I have much choice," he said under his breath.

His father stepped down the last few steps to clasp both hands on his shoulders, "Take care on the long road, and know that wheresoever you should go, the line of Lucis goes with you."

Noctis felt a shiver go down his spine at those words; their sound had a tone of finality that he didn't like. "I'll be back soon enough. You can't get rid of me that easily, old man," he said, holding onto one of his father's larger hands. Remembering that not too long ago, these very hands used to carry him around these same steps.

Time really passes far too quickly.

Looking to be thinking the same, his father's face softened, "Walk tall, my son."

Noctis felt the faint sting in his eyes and nodded, not trusting his voice not to break, and stepped out of his father's hold. Then, turning, he headed down the steps to join the others waiting for him at the car, ignoring the sinking feeling that something was wrong.

Core handed over the keys to Noctis, and he immediately threw them to Ignis; he was in no position to drive, his mind as mixed up as it was. After thanking the Marshal, he slipped into the back seat with one last wave of goodbye to his father.

Prompto shut the door as he slid in next to him, Gladio getting shotgun up in the front with Ignis. "Let's hit the road!" the blond cheered.

"We're burning daylight," Gladio said, leaning back in his seat, "Galdin Quay is far to the south from here, so let's get there before the late afternoon heat hits, yeah?"

Leaving the Citadel behind, the streets started to fill with light traffic as the sun continued to rise in the sky, heading into mid-morning. It wasn't long before they were heading out of the city proper, passing the gates and out of the protection of the magical wall surrounding it, thanks to the Crystal. He looked behind him to the city, his home, one last time, and the heavy feeling from before still lingered behind in his chest.

Why did it feel like a final goodbye?

-*-

They, in fact, did not make it to their destination by that afternoon.

The Regalia started making a horrible sputtering sound just outside the city limits, and suddenly the engine went completely dead on them. Ignis could only pull them slightly off to the side of the road as they rolled to a complete stop. The sound of hissing and the sight of smoke coming from under the car's hood was cause for some concern, and the boys exited the vehicle to see what the damage was.

Ignis sighed and shook his head at the others, "Looks like we're dead in the water."

"Oh, come on!" Prompto cried.

"What happened?" Noctis asked. Surely, it was looked over before they were meant to head out on the road.

"Don't look at me," Gladio said, folding his arms over his chest, "I know bikes, not cars."

Prompto tilted his head, "they can't be that different!"

"They're very different!"

"That all aside," Ignis interrupted them before they could get into an actual argument, "none of us are equipped to repair the Regalia."

"So, what do we do now?" Prompto looked at them all in turn.

Noctis shrugged, "Try to flag someone down for help?"

Unfortunately for them, no one passing by was in the mood to help four boys stranded out in the middle of nowhere; all they did was honk at them for taking up space on their side of the road. There wasn't any phone service out here at the moment either; they all tried to get a signal to no avail. Their phones may be top of the line, the best that could be found in the city, but it appeared they were all in a dead zone.

Gladio had had enough as another car passed them by with nothing but a rude honk for their trouble. Rousing the two younger members of their group from where they were sprawled out on the ground.

"Up and at 'em, you two!"

"What now," Prompto whined.

"No one is going to stop and help us out, so it's up to us to get this thing on its way to our destination."

Not that Noctis was keen on getting to Altissia anytime soon, but that plan didn't bode well for any of them. "You expect us to push this thing all the way down to Galdin Quay?"

"From what I can gather from the map, there's a rest stop with an auto shop down the road that's not too far from here," Ignis informed them, reclined in the driver's seat with an old map spread out in his lap, "Practically right next door in fact."

"So all we need is to call for a tow truck!" Prompto said excitedly.

"Unfortunately, we appear to still be out of signal range of any towers." Ignis waved his phone at them, the screen flashing with a no-signal text.

Noctis heaved a sigh, "Aw, come on, Specs! There's gotta be something we can do."

"Yeah, push." Gladio slapped his back and motioned for them to get around the broken-down car. "No time like the present!"

Noctis and Prompto shared a look of suffering before doing as they were told. Then, together, they all began the long and terrible process of manually pushing the Regalia to its new safe haven.

It was just turning noon, and it felt like they had been pushing forever now, the sun overhead burning down on them, and the desert heat was starting to get to Noctis a bit. Looking over to his best friend, Prompto wasn't looking too good either out in this heat. His face flushed red, and Noctis' eyes followed as a bead of sweat rolled down his throat and into the collar of his shirt. He felt his own face grow hotter as he thought of how far down the red flush of skin went.

Clearing his suddenly dry throat, he forced himself to look away.

"How much farther is this place supposed to be again?" Prompto asked, out of breath from all the pushing.

"The map said Hammerhead should be just ahead," Noctis said. Plenty of old notations were scrawled on the map, but they were too faded from time to make out. They could only hope they were positive signs that this place would be helpful and not a dead end.

"So much for being 'right next door,'" the blond said sarcastically.

"Can it, you two. And keep pushing," Gladio growled from his place at the back of the car.

"I'm sure you'd have no problem shoving this thing the rest of the way there with those big, strong arms of yours," Noctis said, only half-joking. He'd seen just how much the other man could benchpress. It was insane.

"Yeah! Bet you wouldn't even notice if we just let go." Prompto jumped in on the teasing.

"Prompto, don't you dare!" Gladio threatened.

"You should all save your breath for pushing," Ignis said upfront at the steering wheel.

"Common Specs, let's trade places now," Noctis said, absolutely not whining.

Prompto waved a hand at him from the other side of the car, "No way, Noct! It's my turn next!"

"His 'turn,'" Ignis scoffed.

"Yeah! My hands are killing me over here! What if my trigger finger gets damaged permanently? What kind of bodyguard would I be then?"

Gladio looked to be at his wit's end with the both of them, "How 'bout I use my hands to kill you instead?"

That caused the younger blond to gulp, "Woah there, big guy, let's not get too hasty with all the murdery intent!"

They all continued to threaten and bicker with each other, the heat getting to all of them by that point. When Ignis finally got a signal and could call the repair shop, it was worse news as their only tow truck was out on another job. That left them on their own to continue pushing until the Hammerhead sign was finally in clear view to them all.

With the end now in sight, they all pulled together and pushed the last stretch to reach the safety of the rest area's parking lot; the boys could now finally catch their breath without worrying about being hit on the roadside. Both Prompto and Noctis collapsed onto the ground with one last pathetic cheer of success. Gladio gave them a trembling thumbs up in solidarity; the man slumped over the hot surface of the car trunk.

"I think... I'm dead," Prompto gasped out, staring up at the blue sky.

"This is a horrible afterlife then," Noctis added, taking in deep breaths of the dry desert air. So far, Leide was turning out to be a horrible place, three out of ten stars, would never like to visit again.

"Well, hey there!" came a cheery voice heading their way, "wow, you pushed this thing all by your lonesomes?"

They all looked over to the voice to see a tall young woman with a short bob of blond hair dressed in a stained orange jumpsuit examining the Regalia in front of her.

"It wasn't easy, that's for sure," Noctis said as he climbed back up to his feet.

The woman looked away from the Regalia and gave him a blinding smile, "Ah! You must be Prince Noctis, then! Congratulations on the wedding, your Highness."

"Not married just yet," he said, mood souring at the reminder of their reason for being out here so far from home.

"Lady Lunafreya's groom-to-be then," she said good-naturedly. "Although Paw-paw wasn't too keen on the long wait for you to get here."

Prompto turned to Noctis and whispered, "But they're the ones that didn't have a truck ready; how's that ourfault?"

"Sorry for the wait," Ignis said, always the diplomat.

"You can tell that to Paw-paw over there," She reached out a hand to Noctis and introduced herself, "I'm Cindy, by the way; Cid's granddaughter and lead mechanic around these parts!"

"It's nice to meet you," He shook her hand; he noticed she had a strong, firm grip.

Further introductions were interrupted when an unhappy and cranky voice shouted inside the garage across the parking lot.

"Well, common then! Roll 'er in while I'm still young!"

An older man who could only be the mechanic's grandfather came stomping over to them as he shouted. On the shorter side, he was just shy of Prompto's height, with unkempt graying hair under a well-worn hat matching his granddaughters. He looked the Regalia over, glaring up at them after his visual assessment.

"Didn't your daddy tell ya?" he said, looking disgusted with all of them, "she's a custom classic! Not some old clunker to take on joyrides out in the fields like some floozy!"

"Daddy?" Prompto snickered at an unamused Noctis.

Old man Cid shook his head, "So you're Prince Noctis then, huh?"

Not used to his identity being questioned, he answered with uncertainty, "Uh, yeah?"

Looking him over again, Cid scoffed to himself," 'Prince.' Like they took your old man and kicked the dignity right out of him."

Noctis could only blink back at him, "what?" he asked, feeling off-footed and slightly offended by the remark.

Cid ignored him and circled around the broken car, "You got a long way to go, son. And that slack jaw's gettin' you nowhere fast. She's gonna take a while. Y'all get her in and run along now."

And with that, he stomped back inside the garage without bothering to see if they followed his instructions.

Cindy looked after her grandfather and sighed before turning back to the rest of them, "Welp, no time like the present! You heard him; let's get this poor girl inside to fix her right up!"

With Cindy guiding them, they all got back into position and rolled the Regalia into the shop proper. Cid snarking at them for their lousy form the whole time it took to get the car onto the lift properly. Once their task was done, they were rudely shooed back outside, the old man slamming the garage door down shut behind them.

That left them all standing outside the garage awkwardly with nothing to do in the meantime.

"Now we play the waiting game, it seems," Ignis said, cleaning his glasses.

Prompto groaned, wiping more sweat from his face, "I hate that game!"

Noctis snickered, "and you're not any good at it either."

"Mean!"

The boys perked up as Cindy walked back over to them with something in her hand, "Y'all ain't never been out this way before, have ya?" she asked them. "Y'all should have a look around!" she handed Noctis a large folded piece of paper, "here you go! This'll make sure y'all don't get lost."

Noctis took it with a quiet thanks and saw that it was a detailed map of the area, a much more recent version than the one found inside the car. It would come in handy when they would inevitably lose signal again. She smiled at them all and returned to work on a small piece of equipment outside the garage.

Gladio stretched out his arms and back, groaning, "Well, looks like we got some time to kill. Let's take a look around." He headed off to explore what looked to be a portable weapons booth parked at the lot's edge, leaving the rest of them behind. A rough-looking man sat in front of it, idly flipping through a newspaper, and barely seemed bothered enough to give him a greeting.

The people out here were so inviting.

"I'm going to have a word with Miss Cindy a moment as to the details of our transaction," Ignis said and went to do just that.

"Woah, Noct!" Noctis turned to see Prompto already investigating what the mini-mart had in stock. "They got Ebony coffee even way out here in the middle of nowhere! Iggy is gonna flip!" he said, waving at the display in front of him excitedly.

That made the two of them wonder what a 'Gil' was as they looked at the shop's prices. The shop's merchant at the counter laughed at their confusion and informed them that Gil was apparently the currency used outside the city of Insomnia and was accepted pretty much everywhere, even overseas.

Noctis never thought much about how different the currency would be while out on their travels, even so close to home. He hoped they had converted enough money for the trip.

They left the mart together and found Ignis with Gladio waiting for them by the gas pumps. When Ignis saw the two younger men, he waved them over to join them.

"What's the scoop, Iggy?" Prompto asked.

Ignis had a serious look about him, one that Noctis had a bad feeling about right away, "Noct, It seems that with all the repairs needed for the Regalia, our limited funds are completely drained."

He hated being right, "so what does that mean for the rest of the trip?"

"It means Highness," Gladio said, sarcasm leaking through. "That we're not getting on that boat—any boat for that matter—if we don't find a way to get some serious cash back into our pockets." He looked as displeased as Ignis at the sudden dark turn their financial situation had just taken.

"Indeed, we should confer with Miss Cindy," Ignis suggested.

"What?" Prompto asked, "Is she gonna give us a loan or something?"

"She's likely the best person to inform us on what our options would be," Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a sign that he was irritated. "Her and her grandfather being familiar with the area and all, they would know best."

"Sounds good to me," Noctis said. This would be an excellent way to pass the time until the repairs were made, and maybe it would also delay them from making the next part of their trip. Even just another day would be nice.

It wasn't that he didn't like Luna. On the contrary, she was a great friend who understood what it was like to be in their position, living the life they did and the many obligations that came with it. But she wasn't the person he would have chosen to marry if he still had the choice. Adding that the Empire set the arranged marriage as a stipulation to the peace talks added a sour note to the whole occasion.

He looked over to his best friend as those thoughts came and went and tried not to imagine a future where things could have been different, not that Prompto felt the same mind. Noctis had long ago accepted that his friendship was more than enough to see him through and did his best to try and quell the thoughts of something more developing between them.

Cindy looked up from her work on what looked like an engine—maybe. Noctis had no idea, "What can I help ya with, Prince Noctis?" she asked with another cheerful grin.

Noctis tried not to look as awkward as he felt, "I hate to bother you, but-"

"We're pretty strapped for cash here; got any ideas what a group of guys like us can do to get some?" Gladio asked, cutting to the chase.

Cindy's eyes lit up; something had occurred to her all of a sudden, "Oh, now I get it. This must be what Paw-paw meant when he said he was gonna 'teach them boys a lesson,'" she stood and wiped her hands off with a stained rag kept in her back pocket. "Told me he oughta have y'all take care of some nasty pests that have been causin' us some problems around here. I'd be happy to pay y'all if you're up for the challenge. How 'bout it?"

"So we'd be making back the money we already gave you?" Prompto asked, looking confused.

Noctis slapped his chest to shut the other boy up and took Cindy's hand to seal the deal, "We'll take care of them, no problem."

"Great!" she gave him another firm handshake, "just be careful out there; we should be done in no time with your ride, but be sure to be back here before dark if y'all still around by then. The daemons get real nasty around here at night."

Noctis didn't need to be told twice about the dangers of daemons. His back still twinged when the weather was terrible, and no matter how long he slept, he never felt fully rested. "Thanks for the warning."

She looked them over a moment, "Honestly when the creatures out here cause us trouble, we usually call on one of the Hunters nearby. But I s'pose y'all should know what to look for."

"Hunter?"

"Yeah, they call themselves bounty hunters. Most came from the city like y'all and keep the area pretty safe if the price is right. Unfortunately, the one we usually work with hasn't been in touch with us for a bit, so lucky for you to get his job for the day!"

Prompto's eyes brightened at that, and he clapped his hands, "Oh, exciting!"

"So, what are we getting rid of, and where can we find them?" Ignis asked, getting them back on track.

Cindy pointed at a large group of boulders northeast of Hammerhead, not far off from where they had come from but a bit away from the main road, "A bunch of Reapertails been attacking anyone traveling on foot, big and nasty looking things, can't mistake 'em."

"Well, let's show them what we're made of, huh?" Gladio looked ready to get out there and see some action.

With a final goodbye to Cindy, they all headed out of the shaded parking lot and into the hot desert to look for their target and take it out. The dust kicked up as they ran across the dry landscape. The boys searched for anything that matched the description, but so far, all they found was more dry brush and rocks.

They all felt a bit excited to be out and doing something that wasn't just waiting around or driving. Noctis couldn't remember the last time they went out to do something like this that wasn't a part of more training.

"So you got anything up there?" Prompto asked the two older boys leading the way ahead of them.

Ignis pointed to an area nearby, "We should look around those rocks and under the dry brush over there. I think I see something moving."

As they drew near, Ignis' instincts proved correct, and a group of large, nasty-looking creatures were gathered under the little shade the brush provided in the desert. Gladio took point and began the assault with a whoop, the others close behind with their weapons appearing out of thin air, all thanks to the access to the liminal space the Lucian line granted them.

Noctis did not enjoy the fight. And frankly, seeing scorpions the size of large dogs would haunt his dreams later, he was sure. The Reapertails had a thick, tough black exoskeleton that was difficult to pierce; their large barbed tails were fast when they decided to strike out at them in defense.

"Look out, Noct!"

Noctis warped out of the way of a giant pincer striking out at him from the side, landing safely onto a boulder as another group of the creatures appeared out of nowhere, attempting to ambush them.

"Nice dodge!" Prompto cheered, shooting at the creature that tried to get at the prince. It dropped when he hit his mark, taking it out with a few bullets into its eyes.

Gladio swung his massive sword down and cleaved another Reapertail clear in half, "That's the last of 'em!"

"There should be one last group from what Cindy informed us," Ignis said, cleaning off his daggers with a sharp wrist flick.

"Well, no time like the present!" Prompto took the lead this time, and they searched for the last of their target.

"So what's the plan now?" the blond asked. "After we're all done here and stuff?"

"We wait for the repairs to be done and continue our way down to Galdin Quay," Ignis said.

Gladio continued, "Then we get on a boat, and then loverboy here gets himself hitched!" he laughed as he punched Noctis playfully on the arm.

Prompto face sort of fell at that, "uh, right."

"What's wrong, kid? Scared of the ocean or something?" The taller man teased, slinging an arm over his smaller shoulders.

"What?" he asked, blinking up at him. "Naw, man, just never been on a boat before that I can remember." Prompto laughed nervously, trying to play it off.

"I haven't been on one in years myself." Notice chimed in, thinking about the last time he made a trip out of the capitol to visit Luna and her family. His mood darkened at the memory of how that visit went after his injury had been mostly healed.

"Look! There they are!"

Noctis looked up and saw the last of the Reapertails Prompto was pointing to. He was glad to take his bad mood out on something as he warped ahead to slice off the tail of the first one with his sword.

The others jumped in the fight, and the last of them fell around them in no time.

"That was fun!" Prompto cheered, sending away his guns back into the armiger and dusting himself off. He took a tumble when the final creature was in its death throes and tripped the gunner as he tried to skip away.

"Nice footwork back there," Gladio laughed at him, causing the blond to pout.

"Hey!"

Notice was holding in a laugh of his own, not wanting his friend's anger directed at him, when his phone started to ring in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw that it was an unknown number.

"Wonder who that could be," Ignis came to stand beside him.

Noctis answered and put it on speakerphone, "Hello?"

There was a crackle from the other end of the call, and then a familiar voice rang out, "Hey there! I hope y'all are doing alright out there on your hunt!"

"Cindy? Yeah, we just finished up with that, actually," he said into the phone. He was left wondering how she got his number; he didn't remember giving it to her.

"Wonderful! Just great. I'd hate to bother y'all with this, but would ya mind looking for someone for me?"she asked. "You know those Hunters I was tellin' y'all 'bout earlier? One of them, Dave, went missing on us, and I just got a call, and he's hold up in a shed somewhere nearby and can't get out."

"I suppose we could do that, sure."

"I'll even pay y'all for it since you boys seem to be strapped for cash. How 'bout that?"

Looking around at the rest, they were all happy to hear the new offer, "That'd be great."

"Thanks so much, your Highness, you're a lifesaver! See y'all soon!"and the call went dead as she hung up on them.

Gladio raised an eyebrow at him, "So we're on a rescue mission now?"

"More money wouldn't hurt our situation, Gladiolus," Ignis said with a pointed look at the swordsman.

"How'd she get your number?" Prompto asked, checking his own phone for any missed calls.

"The forms I filled out for the repairs required it," Ignis said. "she must have found it there."

Well, that answered that little mystery.

"Let's head out now, I guess," Noctis said and looked at their surroundings.

Now, where would he hide if he was a missing Hunter in danger?

The desert was large and vast around them, the territory unfamiliar to a bunch of boys raised in the city their whole lives. It wasn't going to be an easy task for them, that's for sure.

Chapter 2: Hunting for Hunters

Chapter Text

They searched high and low around the desert plains for any structures that matched this 'shed' the lost Hunter was supposed to be trapped inside of. Finally, after an hour or more of searching, they found an old, broken-down building that sort of looked like what they were told to look for. But when they investigated inside, it was empty.

"Any sign of a person hiding in here?" Prompto asked, staring in fascination at all the old, rusted equipment abandoned by the property's previous owners.

Noctis was searching through a cart and found some papers lying on top that were dust-free, "these look like they were placed here recently," he said, waving the documents at the others.

Prompto hopped over to read over his shoulder, "What's it say? Any juicy gossip?"

"Looks like a flyer of some kind."

"Dude!" Prompto ripped it out of his hand to get a closer look, "This is a bounty!"

Gladio looked interested now, "Bounty for what?"

He read the information out loud to them, "says there's a mutated Dualhorn running around the area. They're calling it 'Bloodhorn' for its red tusks. That's so metal!"

"Anything else?" Noctis asked, trying to see the flyer as the blond waved it around in excitement.

"Just something about an outstanding bounty on some saber-"

"Noct, behind you!"

Without further warning, Noctis found himself face-first on the ground. Something big had knocked him over, and a jaw was trying to clamp around his arm, its saliva getting all over him, and he could feel its hot breath from above as it snarled. There was another shout and more growls. A shot of a gun went off, and there was a great weight falling on top of him.

Noctis, trapped under the weight of the dead creature, looked around and saw the others taking out the other Sabertusks that had joined the first. It smelt so bad.

Ignis ran over and rolled the dead body off of him, "are you alright?" he asked, worriedly checking him over for any injuries. Thankfully, finding none.

"Just a bit of bruised pride," Noctis said, rubbing his wet arm where there would probably be some minor bruising later. Prompto's quick shooting got the thing before it could clamp its maw around it; otherwise, he might have been missing a limb now.

Gladio helped him back up to his feet, "gotta keep your eyes open. This is no time for being careless."

"Not being careless," he grumbled, wiping off the dust and drool off of himself. He was going to need a shower after today if this kept up.

More growling was coming from a distance, making them all look out from the back entrance of the old barn. Not too far away, a smaller structure could be seen, maybe an outhouse, and it was being circled by another pack of Sabertusks.

Gladio turned to look back at the other boys, "how much you wanna bet that's where our guy is trapped?" he asked, pointing at the shack-maybe-outhouse.

"That's a fool's bet," Ignis said, changing out his daggers for his lance.

"Still want to make one?" He winked at the slimmer man.

"Time to go play hero!" Prompto grinned and grabbed Noctis by the arm, pulling him along as he ran toward the surrounded shack. The older boys that were left behind both scowled, shouting after them to wait for them.

As they approached the pack, Ignis quickly caught up with his longer strides and pulled them both aside, "now, wait a moment, you two," he warned them. "See those tusks?" He pointed over at one of the creatures that were closer to them.

Noctis scowled, "Yeah, Specs, I was very acquainted with them not too long ago, if you remember."

"Well then, you should be very intimate with the way they gouge their prey. Though they tend to favor rodentsif I recall," he said, his tone coated in sarcasm.

"Pfffttt!"

Both turned to glare at Prompto, who had both hands covering his mouth. The blond tried and failed to smother another outburst of laughter from escaping at the insult made at the prince's expense, being compared to a rat of all things.

Gladio came over to join the others in their huddle, "so what's the plan?"

Together, they devised a plan. Noctis started them off as he warped up to the broken windmill nearby and used the added force to tear into one of the larger ones with a warp strike as he landed back on the ground. Seeing the signal, the two blond members used their long-range weapons to keep the tusks and snapping jaws away from them. That let Gladio come from the side and use his shield to break the tusks clean off of the few trying to surround them, bits of bone flying from the force of the blow.

Moments passed, and keeping to the same attack rhythm, the last couple of Sabertusks ended up running away in fear. Their tails between their legs from being so easily beaten by the four young men.

Dusting themselves off and in good spirits about an easy win, their celebration was interrupted when a shout came out from inside the old shack-not-outhouse.

"Hello? Is it safe to come out?"

Noctis walked over and knocked on the door of the small building, "all's clear out here."

The door burst open, and a man fell out of the shack and onto the dusty ground. Scrambling to get back up, he looked around in a panic until he saw that they were telling the truth, and he heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods, I thought my ass was toast!"

"You Dave?" Noctis asked him.

"Yeah, yeah, that's me. Was doing pretty good there until my ankle went out on me," Dave said, looking them over. "You all don't look like hunters. Who are you?"

"Our mutual friend, Miss Cindy, asked for us to come find you," Ignis informed the Hunter. "You caused her some worry when you failed to check in with her for so long, only then to suddenly call for assistance."

Now the man looked a bit frustrated, holding up an older model phone, "Signal has been going in and out all day."

Ignis nodded, "We've noticed."

"You out here hunting a bunch of Sabertusks by yourself?" Gladio asked.

The hunter shook his head, "No, I was out here on another hunt. But that beast wasn't right, I tell ya, nasty piece of work. With this injury, I can't finish the job either," he looked at all the animal corpses surrounding them. "Say, I know y'all ain't part of the guild, but do ya mind taking out that thing for me?" he looked at them all hopefully.

"You want us to do the job for you?" Prompto scratched the side of his nose, looking at the others.

Noctis thought this over momentarily, remembering the information they found on the flyer. They couldn't just let something that sounded that dangerous running amuck about the place. This could also be a good opportunity to make some much-needed cash they would need later. "We can help out, I suppose. What's that bounty going for these days?" he asked, mustering up some of Cor's 'take no sh*t' attitude. Not wanting to be perceived as some naive kid to be taken advantage of.

The Hunter looked at him with a bit more respect in his eyes, "Ah, maybe you lot will fit in with the rest of us after all," he chuckled.

Prompto slung an arm over Noctis' shoulder and grinned at the man, "We may be young and green around the edges, but we know what we're about!"

"Fair enough, let me show ya on your map where I last saw it before I had to run," he motioned for them to give him their map. Ignis and the Hunter studied it together before he marked the area where it could be found, a place called The Three Valleys that was a hotspot for creature activity. After that, he took the time to mark a few other points of interest, like safe places to camp with some elemental magic veins.

"They don't do much to normal folk," Dave said, talking about the veins of magic in the area, "but it keeps the animals away for some reason, so they act as a sort of safe zone for us out here."

"Thanks for the heads up." Noctis made a mental note about drawing on some of those spots and getting some flasks filled up for later use. Looking over to Ignis, he nodded back at him, clearly thinking the same.

"I'm heading back to Hammerhead for a bit to rest up," Dave said. "Once you boys finish this job for me, head there, and you'll get your payment, and who knows? Maybe something else too if y'all come back in one piece."

They waved the Hunter off as he made his journey back to the rest stop, his limp a bit better after Ignis gave him an extra 'potion' they could spare for the trip back.

"If this foe is as dangerous as he said it was, it would be best if we prepared ourselves first and foremost," Ignis said, cleaning his glasses. Wiping away the thick layer of dust that had collected on the lenses after running around all day in the desert.

Gladio studied the map with Noctis as Prompto took some landscape photos around them. They agreed with Ignis that their first action would be to head for the campsite nearby and check out those element veins before heading to the Valleys.

It wasn't difficult to recognize what they were looking for. Even under the bright desert sun, the magical glow was easy to make out from afar as they grew closer to their destination. Prompto whistled as he examined one from a safe distance; the fire magic crackled around the open vein in the rockface leading up to the campsite.

"Wow, it's actually really pretty!" he said, taking a photo of it with a click of his camera before looking back at Noctis, who was standing near a different sparking vein. "So whatcha got to do? Wave a hand or something?"

"Or something," Noctis raised a hand to hover over the spot. He focused on the magic pouring out of the ground, just waiting for something to grab onto.

Searching for his connection to the magic that lived in his body, he made it latch onto the wild magic flowing around them, forging a new link. Feeling the electric buzz, he 'pulled' and drew the magic into himself to be stored for use later. The feeling after he was done was a rush, but it also caused a slight numbing sensation going up his arm as it settled inside him. He did the same with the fire magic but didn't see any other kinds after looking around. They might find some colder magic the closer they get to the sea. The desert may be too hot and dry for it to be sustainable out here.

Noctis was starting to really dislike the desert.

"Here, Noct," Ignis handed over a few empty magic flasks. "These should do the job if we run into real trouble."

Noctis sat down on a flat rock and got himself comfortable to better concentrate on the process of filling up the glass bottles. They were specially made in the Crown City and were created for the single task of holding powerful elemental magic. It was a delicate process, but if done correctly and with care, it would let the others cause some serious magical damage out in the field on their own.

"Dude, it's such a bummer that we can't throw magic out of our hands like you and the King!" Prompto lamented as he watched Noctis fill the flasks up with the different colored magic stored inside of him. He imitated casting magic at the empty air around them with a 'zap zap' under his breath.

"These flasks will do a good enough job, I assure you," Ignis said, ignoring the other blond's antics as he safely stashed his now-filled flask of lightning away.

Noctis handed over the other two flasks to the other boys, "just be careful where you throw those, okay?" he warned them. "They'll pack a mean punch even with that small amount. I'll be fine if caught in the crossfire, but you all won't be so lucky."

Prompto was staring at his flask in excitement, "Dude! This is literally lightning in a bottle!"

Noctis tried not to flush, feeling a bit bashful at seeing his friend so pleased with something he considered a basic skill that he could do. But then it was something that he was born with, an ability that only the line of Lucis was born with, so to him, it didn't seem as amazing as Prompto made it out to be.

"Let's get this show on the road, yeah?" Gladio stashed his own bottle away, impatient to start the next hunt. He led the group in the direction that would lead to the area marked on the map. The others followed close behind, all getting excited for a more challenging foe than the few they'd faced that day.

Not one to be comfortable with too much silence, Prompto began to babble, "So these Hunters seem like the real deal out here, huh? What are they, like an outside Crownsguard out here or something?"

"A civilian outfit, more like," Ignis hummed in thought.

"These guys have seen more action than us out here, that's for damn sure. Even makes a guy like me almost jealous," Gladio said, stretching out his muscles. Noctis tried not to stare as the older boy's cropped jacket clung to his broad back, the leather stretching across his shoulders and showing off just a hint of the defined muscles hidden underneath as it rode up.

He told himself that the heat was starting to get to him, shaking his head to clear it.

"Man, I miss the car," Prompto sighed as they continued tracking the mark across the dusty landscape on foot.

Noctis felt much the same, "I could use a nap right about now," he half-joked at them.

Gladio grinned at him, teeth sharp, "What's the matter, your Highness? Crown City's upbringing didn't prepare you for this?"

"Running around in circles in the hot desert? Not one bit," he said with a pout, playing along with the good-natured teasing.

Soon enough, they reached the Three Valleys and rounded some large rocks. Ignis suddenly stopped the group in their tracks and pointed ahead of them. A few yards away, they all could see a giant beast walking around, stomping on something under its feet. As they looked closer, it seemed it might have been what was left of an unfortunate Reapertail.

"Holy sh*t!" Prompto tried not to yell, eyes rounded wide as he took the sight in, "Is that it?"

Ignis nodded, "look at its horns."

Noctis looked at them more closely. Ignis was right; they were both huge and bright red with an odd cloud surrounding them. "Hey, Specs, what's up with that, you think?" he pointed out the haze around the creature's tusks.

Ignis frowned deeply as he studied it before replying, "It appears that our dear 'Bloodhorn' has been infected by the Starscourge."

Noctis paused at that, staring at the other in horror, "are you f*cking serious?"

"As a heart attack, I'm afraid."

Prompto's face paled at that, "Well f*ck me."

"Scourge or no scourge, it can't be any tougher than a normal daemon out here," Gladio pushed the younger boys behind him as he took out his greatsword. Then, with a powerful thrust with both arms, he planted it into the ground before him.

Hearing the sound of the ground being disturbed close by, the great beast locked eyes with Gladio as he just stood there staring it down, waiting. It started stomping its hooves into the ground with a loud snort, showing aggression towards them.

Ignis looked disgruntled at the other man for not waiting to form a proper plan of attack. He brought out his spear with an agitated twirl of his arm. "get ready, boys."

"If I die out here, I'm haunting all of you. Aggressively, with extreme prejudice." Prompto said both pistols gripped tightly in his hands.

"Duly noted." Noctis flicked his arm out to summon his sword, "And, yeah, same."

That was the last thing said before the mutated Dualhorn shook its giant head and let out a mighty roar as it rushed the group; the battle officially started.

The boys scattered out of the way, not wanting to be trampled in its path. Gladio was the only one to stand his ground, an immovable force as he waited for the beast to reach him. Just as it was about to use its massive horns to sweep him away, Gladio pulled out the sword from the earth and, with a snarl of his own, lashed out with it as he twirled out of the way, the blade slicing deep into its front leg.

As the beast fell onto the ground with a painful roar, he got ready for another strike, and with a shout, he broke off one of its large tusks, "You ready for round two?"

"That was so badass!" Prompto stood staring at the swordsman in awe. Despite his larger size, he watched as Gladio nimbly jumped away from the beast's side as it stood and shook its head, the creature dazed for the moment.

"Not over yet!" Ignis warned them.

Not to be outdone, Noctis used a warp strike, aiming for the other red tusk to try and break it as well. His strike missed, though, as it suddenly turned out of the way to rush at Gladio, who was ready and waiting to block it with his shield now out. Landing on the ground on the other side of it, Noctis watched as Gladio used his shield to bounce off of it safely, and it reared back to try to take the man out once more, to no avail.

The Dualhorn, now in a blind rage, started thrashing around and stomping its great hooves, making the ground around them shake at the force of its massive weight.

"Stand back!" Noctis shouted, thinking fast and not wanting to get too close to the crazed beast; he warped onto the boulder next to it and drew on the magic inside of him. Finding the burning magic he wanted, he cast out his hand and aimed a ball of fire at the Dualhorn. It hit its mark; the beast was roaring in pain now as its back was being consumed in flames.

"Now is our chance! Everyone now!" Ignis ordered, and they all attacked it at once.

Noctis and Gladio went for its front legs again, Ignis going for its back, using his lance to get to its softer underbelly when it kicked out its back legs. This left Prompto to stand back to cover them, shooting it from a distance when it thrashed too hard and made the rest of them need to back off again.

Still covered in fire, it roared once more and rushed blindly towards the one still attacking it. That person being Prompto.

"Get out of its way, kid!" Gladio shouted at him, but the gunner was frozen in place, still shooting at it as it came closer.

Noctis thought quickly and warped over to slam hard into the blond, holding him tightly to his own body as they rolled out of the path of the rampaging beast. The last remaining two members, still on their feet, continued their assault on the Dualhorn. With Gladio's final toss of a flask, the beast finally fell onto the ground for good. As the bottle broke on impact against its head, it was consumed by an explosion of more fire.

The two boys lay panting on the ground in a pile of tangled limbs as they watched as it went up in flames beside them, the smell of burning flesh now filling the air.

"Holy sh*t!" Prompto gasped as he stared at the mass of hot flames, still lying on top of Noctis.

For his part, Noctis tried not to panic as he realized their position. The other boy on top of him seemed content with his place there as he caught his breath and looked around the ruined battlefield.

"You two alright over there?" Ignis called over to them, Gladio by his side studying something on the ground.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Specs," he croaked out, his mouth dry as Prompto looked down at him.

"Dude! Did you see that?" he asked, pointing at the smoldering remains.

Noctis cleared his throat, "kinda hard to see anything from down here."

Prompto's face flushed as he finally seemed to take in their positions and scrambled to get off him, holding out a hand to help him up. "Sorry, man! You saved my ass back there!"

"Think nothing of it," Noctis dusted himself off and tried to ignore the loss he felt now that they were both standing and no longer touching. He felt colder now, somehow out here in the desert without the blond's weight on top of him.

Gladio walked over to them with a stern look on his face, "Maybe next time, don't just stand there when a giant flaming monster is running at you."

"Sorry, I just sorta panicked back there," Prompto said, looking properly chastened.

The older boy scoffed, "Well, next time, you might not be so lucky."

"Okay, okay! We get it. Do better next time. Got it, big guy." the blond pouted.

"Look, it all worked out fine, and everyone is uninjured, right?" Noctis tried to defuse the situation before it got out of hand, the two of them constantly bickering and poking at one another.

Gladio sighed, letting the argument go for the moment. Instead, he ruffled Prompto's hair, "Better look out for that pretty ass of yours. Next time, it just might get burned if you're not careful, kid."

"Hey!" Prompto swatted his hand away and tried to put his hair back in place.

Ignis waved them all to join him next to the remains of the broken tusk; it was still glowing a menacing red. "We'll need to get something to wrap this horn in. It wouldn't be wise to touch it if we can help it," he informed them.

"Why even take it?" Noctis asked, not liking the feel of the item at their feet.

"Proof of the job completed," Gladio answered. "These guys are professionals; there's no way they're just going to take our word on something costing that much cash."

Prompto scratched his head, thinking, "I think there was a tarp or something back at the barn. It's not that far from here either."

Ignis nodded, "That's a good idea. Let's go retrieve it and quickly get this task finished up then."

With a course of action decided on, they quickly ran back and forth across the desert from the old barn and back to the scorched-out area of the Three Valleys. As they got the proof of their kill safely wrapped up in the old piece of canvas, Noctis' phone rang again. Cindy called to let them know that Dave had made his way back safely and that she was grateful for their help.

"Oh, and one more thing,"she said right before Noctis made to hang up. "The old girl is looking as good as new! She'll be all ready for y'all here at the garage when you get back."

"That's great news. Thanks, Cindy," he said his goodbyes and hung up, stashing the cell away back in his pocket.

"What's the word?" Prompto asked as he and Gladio finished the last knot to keep the tarp closed and secure for the journey ahead.

"Looks like the Regalia is back up and good as new."

"Yes!"

"We still need to get there on foot first, I'm afraid," Ignis said, bursting the other blond's bubble.

He hung his head in defeat, "aw, right."

Filled with a burst of new energy at hearing some good news, they were all set to make their way back to Hammerhead. Traveling from the Three Valleys back to the rest stop, the boys were met by only a small pack of Sabertusks in their way that they were able to quickly take out. An easy mark after facing a half-daemon beast, that was for sure.

Noctis hoped that by the end of the day, they could get themselves a nice hot shower, all of them a collection of different smells and covered in grime. They were passing over another dirt path when a huge shadow was cast over them, and an ear-splitting shriek rang out above.

"What the hell was that!" Noctis shouted, covering his ears as another shriek rang out over them.

"Holy hell!"

Looking up where Prompto was pointing, a gust of wind almost blew them over to the ground. A bird at least the size of an Imperial Dreadnought flew over them, heading south. They all stared in amazement at the sight of it as it grew smaller in the distance until it was only a speck in the sky.

"What was that?" Prompto looked on in wonder. "That was almost as big as a house!"

"Nothing I want to get up close and friendly with, that's for damn sure," Gladio said.

"I didn't even think to get a picture of it!" the blond shouted, looking disappointed at an opportunity lost. "No one's gonna believe something like that without proof!"

Ignis shook his head, "let's move on, shall we?"

The Hammerhead sign was an image of beauty. All the boys were glad to be finally back under the protective shade of the building's awnings. They easily spotted Dave sitting beside the weapons booth, waiting for them. It turned out that the guild made extra money selling weapons to wannabe adventures and other Hunters passing through.

Gladio set the wrapped-up tusk on the ground with a grunt, "Here's proof of the job done."

The older Hunter whistled, impressed as he examined it. "Well, boys, I would be lyin' if I said I wasn't a bit skeptical at first. But this?" he said, waving at the glowing red tusk, "this is proof enough for me that you know what you're doing out here. You clearly can hold your own."

"And our pay?"

Dave nodded wryly and handed over a large amount of Gil, "Here, you've all more than earned it."

"You can say that again," Prompto grumbled under his breath.

"And one more thing," Dave stopped them from leaving right away and gave Noctis a piece of paper that, on closer inspection, appeared to be a letter. "Take this with you. Y'all got talent and some serious brass balls. That's the kind of people we need out here taking on these bounties. Stop by the Prairie Outpost if you ever find yourself north of here. That's where the rest of the Hunters guild is setting up shop in Leide. You show 'em that letter from me vouching for ya, they'll treat ya all real good."

Noctis stashed the letter away, "Thanks."

"Good luck on the road, your Highness." Dave waved them off, and he and the weapons merchant looked over their new item, whispering to each other in excitement as the boys left to find Cindy.

The doors lifted open as they approached the garage to reveal the woman of the hour in the driver's seat of the restored Regalia. She gave them a blinding smile as she pulled up next to them with a flourish.

"Sorry for the wait!" she said as she stepped out of the car, "but isn't she a pretty sight?" she sighed, eyes dreamy as she patted the top of the hood.

"The most beautiful thing I've seen all day," Gladio said, a handsome smile on his face, staring at both Cindy and the car in equal measure. Noctis wasn't sure who Gladio was flirting with- their mechanic or the Regalia.

Prompto circled it excitedly, "We should get a picture of it with all of us. Come on! We didn't get a chance back in the city."

Noctis looked at both older boys and shrugged, "Why not?"

The others gave in with only a token protest, and Cindy was more than happy to take it for them. All posed in front of the Regalia; Prompto requested that she take multiple shots of them, and she gladly accepted, going so far as to tell them how to pose for her. The idea crossed Noctis' mind that he should send a few to his dad once they got the chance during this trip. It would be good to show him that he was doing his best to have a good time and making the most of it despite all their arguments during the last week leading up to this trip.

He could feel his mood improving with the plan in his mind.

"Now, here's the payment I promised for both of the jobs done by y'all," Cindy handed over both the money and camera back. "I do have one more favor to ask before ya leave if ya don't mind."

"What can we do for you?" Noctis asked.

She stared at him with a hopeful look on her pretty face, an expression that reminded him a lot of Prompto's when he wanted something from him. "There should be a motel on your way down to Galdin. If y'all wouldn't mind delivering a package to the owner there, that would be a lot of help. I already put it in your trunk." she winked at them.

"Looks like we'll be making one last stop then," Ignis said, and it sounded like he was doing his best to keep from laughing out loud at Noctis and his weakness for puppy-eyed blonds.

"Thanks! It's the Longwythe Motel, can't miss it! Y'all sure are saving me a lot of trouble!"

She waved them all off as they climbed into the car, Ignis back in the driver's seat with Prompto next to him, fiddling with the radio stations. Gladio joined Noctis in the back, both wanting to catch a nap after a long afternoon of fighting and running around the desert. Using Gladio's arm as a pillow, Noctis let the voices of his friends bantering up in the front lull him to sleep. He was thankful for the chance to finally get a proper nap in today.

Everything was beginning to look up.

Chapter 3: Diners and Seaside Adventures

Chapter Text

A bright flash woke Noctis from his nap. His eyes fluttered open as his mind caught up with the rest of him. He looked around in confusion and noticed they were no longer moving. A snicker came from the front of the car, and Prompto was leaning around his seat to face the back, camera in hand and ready to take another picture.

Rubbing the grit out of his eyes, he frowned at the other boy, "Did you take a picture of me sleeping?"

The blond grinned, "I couldn't help myself! The two of you looked so cute, snuggled together like a pair of stinky kittens."

"Huh?" Noctis blinked back at him, mind still foggy from sleep.

Prompto snickered again and just pointed next to him. Looking over where directed, he was faced with the bare skin of Gladio's chest. The edges of his tattoo coyly peeked up at him around his opened jacket. The larger man was somehow still asleep and lightly snoring under him. He felt his face glow red as he realized that he had been sleeping on the other's chest for who knows how long.

Did he drool on him? Did Prompto get a picture of him drooling? Oh gods, that would be embarrassing.

"It's a great photo of you two; the lighting is awesome out here." Prompto was busy looking in the viewfinder, reviewing the camera's memory card of the photos taken that day.

Noctis cleared his throat and looked around to see where they were. He found that they were parked in front of a small building with a blinking 'Vacancy' sign above it. They were also short one man. "Where's Specs?"

"Oh, he went to talk to the motel guy and give him that package from Cindy." Prompto started to bounce in his seat, "Do you think it's drugs?"

"What? No, why would she give us drugs?" Noctis was getting lost in the conversation, too tired to keep up with his friends' endless amount of energy.

"What's a guy gotta do to get his beauty rest around here?" Gladio grumbled, the boys' bantering waking him from his nap.

"Tell Prompto we're notsmuggling drugs for Cindy."

"Why?" he asked, shrugging and fighting back a yawn. "It probably is. That or illegal firearms."

Prompto looked even more excited, almost standing up in his seat to get closer to them in the back to whisper conspiratorially. "Right? What if the auto shop is all just a front, and we're working errands for a crime syndicate operating outside the city!"

"Pretty sure that's just in the movies," Noctis said. "It's probably just supplies or a repair order of some kind."

"Pffft, that's so boring!" Prompto pouted.

"But accurate," Ignis cut into the debate, back from completing their errand for the mechanic. "All is in order. I'd suggest we take this chance to get ourselves fed before we travel any further."

Noctis' stomach growled at the mention of food and was joined by a chorus of growls from the other two right after. When was the last they ate? This morning before they left home, probably.

"Oh, diner food!" The younger blond jumped out of the car to follow Ignis to another building next to the motel. "Let's see what they got out here in the sticks!"

"Wait for us!" Gladio called after them. He and Noctis quickly exited the car and hurried to catch up with the other two who left them behind.

The building was a retro-style restaurant named the 'Crow's Nest'. It looked smaller and older than the 'Takka's Pit Stop' diner back in Hammerhead. Takka's was large and round in design, but the Nest was square, with a low roof that held the sign aloft. The paint chipped off in places from the long years of sandy desert winds, but otherwise, it looked well-kept.

In front of the double doors, where the others stood waiting for them to catch up, was a bench with a statue of what must be the place's mascot. It seemed it was a large crow-man dressed in green overalls and hat, posed and ready for tourists to take pictures with. Noctis didn't like it one bit.

Prompto was examining the bench, "oh, a photo op? We should take one here too, like back at Hammerhead! Whatcha say, Noct?" he asked, waving his camera at him. "We could add it to our growing collection!"

Noctis shook his head, "I dunno, looks kinda creepy. What's up with its face?" It had a strange expression of confusion and sadness, an odd look for a mascot of a diner, not something he wanted to get close to if he was honest. "The thing is probably cursed."

"You're no fun!" Prompto pouted, "It could be a fun cursed image to share back home!"

"So you agree that it's cursed? How 'bout you sit with it then?"

They both turned to stare at the soulless eyes of the man-size crow statue in front of them. It stared back, and before the blond could reply, the others called them back over to join them by the diner's entrance.

"I thought you guys were hungry or something?" Gladio said, opening the doors to let them all in ahead of him.

Prompto patted the taller man's arm as he passed by, "Just seeing what the locals have to offer, big guy!"

"A lot of nothing, I'm sure."

"Hey! They got that big turtle-rock-thing; you missed it when we passed by while you both were napping."

"Oh no, what a shame," Gladio said, feigning sadness at the lost opportunity of seeing a giant rock in the desert.

The diner's interior was as dated-looking as the outside, with its black and white checkered floor and red padded booths. No one paid them any attention as they all sat at the counter. Prompto was having fun spinning around on his chosen stool while waiting for their menus. The diner had quite a few customers seated around the place, likely locals in the area, with some Hunters passing through, the collective conversations overlapping into a single ambient hum in the background.

Prompto continued to spin in his seat next to him, "Wonder if they got chickie nuggies here? I'm starving."

Noctis yawned, "if they do, I want double fries with them."

"You two still eat like little kids, I swear." Gladio huffed, sitting next to Prompto, and Ignis took the one by Noctis.

Prompto halted his spinning and wobbled in place as he waved a finger in Gladio's face, or tired as he almost fell off his seat in the process. "Hey, don't knock it! Just 'cause you're an adult doesn't mean you can't enjoy the simple things in life, you know!"

The larger man huffed in amusem*nt but stopped engaging as an older man dressed in a white uniform came over to greet them from the back of the counter. "What can I get you boys?" he asked with a cheerful grin, handing them menus to look over.

Ignis scanned the single laminated sheet in his hand with a skeptical look, "What's your special?"

"That be the Kenny's Salmon."

Noctis could tell that his adviser was holding in a sigh when the description ended there and did his best to hold in a laugh at his friend's expense. Ignis liked to know everything about anything and was put off by incomplete information. It made him the best person in the group to gather intel. It was also fun to watch him all but interrogate the cook on every ingredient used in the dishes on offer.

Resigning himself to his fate of fast food dining, Ignis handed over all the menus back to the man and ordered for all of them. "Excellent, we'll have two of those and two orders of the Kenny Fries with the strips, and could that be with double fries?" He asked after a quick nudge from Noctis.

He really wanted those extra fries.

The man looked them over to see if that was everything they wanted before nodding, "Sure thing. Here are your drinks as you wait, boys." He placed four glass bottles in front of them and left to fill their order.

Popping the lid, Gladio was the first to try out the soda, "hmm, it's got a bit of a kick to it. But not as sweet as I was expecting."

With that, the others followed suit, trying it out for themselves. Noctis looked around the place as they waited for their food; the diner had a homey feel to it that reminded him of his favorite hole-in-the-wall sushi place back home. The others took their time to see what they missed while their phones were out of service, swiping through missed notifications.

Noctis ignored his phone in favor of watching Prompto instead, as the other boy shamelessly took selfies to post on social media. Gladio had already pulled out his book and was utterly engrossed in it. Ignis, on the other hand, was taking his time to study everyone around them subtly. Likely collecting any information he could use later if the situation called for it.

He decided to take a page out of his friend's book. He began to blatantly eavesdrop on the other patrons seated nearby as they all loudly conversed with each other.

There was talk about more Hunters gathering in the area that were making a permanent base to help keep the fatality rate down of civilians from the growing number of daemon activity reported at night. If that wasn't concerning on its own, it appeared the wildlife was also becoming more aggressive in the area. If Ignis was right about the Bloodhorn, it looked like the Scourge was seeping into the surrounding area, affecting more than just humans and making them ill.

There was a jingle of the door as two more men entered the diner. They sat in the booth directly behind Noctis and Ignis, the rugged men chatting loudly," Isn't there supposed to be a quarry around here? Thought I saw some old signs south of here."

His companion nodded, "Ah, you're thinking of the Bolouve Mines? Yeah, not anymore." He removed his hat to wipe his sweaty brow, "it's a shame, really. They say it was a virtual mineral motherload; the local economy went downhill once they were forced to close it up for safety reasons. Too many deaths."

The first man whistled, "Is it really as bad as they say it is?"

"Daemons have completely overrun the place from what I heard last," the sweaty man shrugged, "you'd have to be a special sort of crazy to go inside."

"That reminds me!" he gestured out the window, pointing westward. "Saw a Magitek trooper the other day! Those things are downright unsettling, special robots made by the Empire or something. Though I suppose they would be useful if you could get them to mine a place that infested, right?"

Magitek troopers this close? How strong of a hold did the Empire have out here this close to the capitol?

Noctis was interrupted from his snooping as their order arrived. Prompto cheered beside him and immediately poured an ungodly amount of barbecue sauce on both of their plates. Gladio looked on in disgust at them as they began to devour the greasy food.

Ignis waited for the man to leave before poking at his own plate with a frown, "looks decent enough, I suppose," he said after a few bites, "though I could easily improve it with a few minor tweaks of my own."

"You can't beat some good 'ol deep-fried food!" Prompto said, taking delight from the other blonds' look of disapproval as he bit into his crispy strip.

Noctis laughed as he bit into his chicken strip, enjoying the banter between the two on the merits of cheap cuisine, or the lack thereof, in Ignis' opinion.

There was a crackle of static from the far side of the diner as the owner turned on the small radio by the register. Tuning into a random station, advertisem*nts for a power company and even a catchy jingle for Jetty's Soda were played before a news caster's voice came on the air. All four boys turned as one when their home city was mentioned, and they all listened carefully as the rest of the broadcast continued.

"Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt completed his scheduled tour of the Crown City ahead of the treaty signing ceremony. Although the precise date of the signing has yet to be unveiled, preparations are already well underway. Government officials say they will issue an announcement regarding the ceremony in the coming days."

The broadcast turned to the weather forecast for the rest of the week. Noctis felt his mood sour at knowing that the Empire was already in Insomnia and making themselves at home in the Crown City. Hiscity.

Gladio dropped his fork to his plate with a sound of disgust. "Pish, I'm still having a hard time believing that those f*cking Niffs have any good intentions with this 'ceasefire.'"

Prompto's head drooped down as he quietly picked at his food next to Noctis. Seeing his cheery friend so suddenly subdued, he didn't feel hungry anymore, appetite lost with his good mood.

"As much as I agree with your suspicion, it's out of our hands," Ignis said quietly, cleaning his glasses. "The Council, with the backing of the heads of the other High Houses, agreed that with the declining power of the Wall, this was the only course of action to end the war without further lives lost. But, unfortunately, that involves us being integrated into the Imperial Nation, like all the rest."

"I still don't see why it matters that a wedding of all things is the answer to the war ending," Noctis grumbles under his breath.

"It's as symbolic as it is a physical tie to the Empire," Ignis continued. "Your union with the Oracle, who is under the 'protection' of Niflheim, will settle the unrest that the people will feel at the seemingly sudden surrender of the Crown. It also helps that the people of Eos adore Lady Lunafreya, like her mother before her. Representing a beacon of hope against the Starscourge, the plague running rampant through the population increasingly as the years go on."

"And…you two are friends, right?" Prompto asked, his brows pinched in confusion. "I thought you'd be happy that you're getting married to someone like her. You've known each other forever."

Noctis turned away; he was starting to get uncomfortable with this line of conversation. "I just would have liked to get married on my own terms, not because Niflheim or the Council wanted me to."

"One of the many burdens of holding the title of Crown Prince." Ignis patted his shoulder, doing his best to offer some comfort while in a public place.

"Well, that's enough wallowing for one day, your Highness. We got a boat to catch," Gladio said, clearly having enough of the conversation himself.

Ignis stood from his seat, smoothing out his suit jacket back in place as he did, "I'll pay our tab here and meet you outside."

Noctis got up to join the others already headed out the doors, Prompto mentioning that they should try out the pinball machines there the next time they pass by. They did look like a lot of fun.

Back outside, Noctis felt the heat wave blast him in the face, the bright sun blinding him as the door swung close behind the three. Walking back to the car, they were met with a happy bark. Recognizing it, he turned to see a dog; his dark fur shone in the desert sun as he happily trotted toward the small group.

"Umbra!" Noctis grinned and knelt on the hot pavement to scratch the dog behind his ears, "what are you doing all the way out here, boy?"

The fluffy canine turned to show the sling he wore with another bark, a small parcel stashed safely inside.

"A message from Luna?" It was an odd coincidence that the furry messenger would show up as they were just talking about her. He took the journal that he and Luna used to secretly converse under the Empire's nose. Opening it, he hoped that everything was okay and she was still safe. Noctis never wanted anything to happen to his friend, no matter how he felt about the arranged marriage. He flipped to the most recent page written to find Luna's message to him. Her elegant looping penmanship was easily legible as he read the words left for him.

- - It's come time for me to leave Tenebrae. My dearest friend, it has been too long since the last time we were allowed to see one another in person during this endless war. The journey will be a long one as the darkness grows near, but I hope you keep heart, hold your companions close, and we will see this through to the end. - -

"Oh, the secret journal," Prompto leaned over his shoulder to look closer. "Whatcha gonna write back?"

That was a good question, "dunno, but Luna never sends a letter without reason." They would be in Altissia soon, so why the sudden message?

Whatever the reason may be, he might as well send one back to keep her from worrying.

- - Just left the Crown City. The guys and I ran into a minor setback on the way to Altissia, but we're back on course now. Stay safe, and see you soo—

He was interrupted mid-word by a sharp tug on his hair by Prompto, "Tell her we say hi!"

"Fine, fine! No need to pull out my hair," he pushed the other boy away, "'ps the guys say hi.' There, you happy?" He closed the small book with a snap, glaring up at the blond, and secured it safely in Umbra's sling. Giving him a final scratch behind the ears before standing back up.

Umbra barked up at the boys in farewell with a happy little wiggle, and all three watched the fluffy dog run off into the desert.

"Did I miss a visit from our small friend?" Ignis asked curiously from behind them, having returned from his final business in the diner.

Prompto grinned, "Yeah, looked like he was in a hurry to get back to his master. Wish he would have stayed a bit longer; I always wanted a dog of my own."

"Interesting," Ignis hummed, unlocking the doors to the Regalia, "let's get ourselves back on the road, shall we?"

They all climbed back into their seats, Ignis pulling out of the small parking lot, and in no time, they were racing down the road, heading south once more. Noctis leaned back in his seat and watched the scenery go by. The further south they drove, the greener the landscape became, with palm trees and tall grass lining the roadside.

Noctis couldn't quite relax, though. He couldn't help but feel that something was off.

First, his dad, and now Luna with the foreboding words with underlying meaning, he felt like he was missing. Was there more going on that they weren't telling him? If so, why keep him in the dark? It wasn't like he was incapable of helping; it was his job, too. To help keep the peace.

What were they trying to protect him from?

It wasn't long before they rounded a few curves, and they could all see the view of the ocean down below. Driving through a tunnel, Noctis felt his mood begin to lift as he felt the sea breeze flow over his face and through his tangled hair. Maybe he could get a bit of fishing in before they left?

"Wow, look at that view!" Prompto kneeled on his seat to lean over the side of the car as he pulled his camera out to get some photos of the crashing waves against the shore off in the distance.

Noctis pulled the other boy back down as the Regalia had to make a sharp turn going down the hillside, "you're gonna fall out if you're not careful."

Prompto turned in his seat to face him, "Can't help it!" he grinned, "never seen a view like this in person. I'd be crazy not to document it!"

"You'll be seeing a lot of it on the way to Altissia, kid," Gladio said, nose still deep in his book.

The blond faced forward, a slight frown on his freckled face, "I suppose you're right."

"I'm sure traveling by ferry won't be too horrible of an experience," Ignis added, "unless, of course, you're prone to seasickness."

"Oh man, I hope not! That'd be a total drag!"

They traveled down the winding road heading to the seaside; the resort and the docks attached for the fairies came into view. Just off the shoreline, Noctis noticed a dark mass looming in the water, sharp jagged spikes reaching the sky like dark talons, clawing up as if trying to reach the sun just to tear it back into the sea.

"What's that behind the resort?"

"An island, it looks like," Ignis said.

"Kinda gives off a creepy vibe," Prompto took a few snapshots of it despite the observation.

Putting his book away, Gladio raised his arms into the air in a long stretch. "Who cares about an island when there's a long bath and a massage in my near future."

"Oh, and fancy food!"

They finally arrived at their destination in Galdin Quay, though much later than they had planned on starting out that morning. Not that Noctis was too upset by their late arrival.

Ignis pulled into the paved lot and set the Regalia into park, turning the ignition off under the shade of the eaves. Climbing out of the car and stretching out all their cramped muscles, they could hear the crashing waves now that they were at the shoreline.

Noctis' hands itched to get his rod out and start casting.

With his uncanny ability to know where his thoughts were, Ignis took the reins and led them all up the stairs connected to the long dock leading into the resort proper. There were quite a few well-dressed people out and about, tourists consisting of small families with the occasional couple enjoying the sunshine and glimmering sandy beaches. Once inside, they were met by the hotel and spa hostess. Ignis, being the only one out of the group who was still somehow presentable after the day's activities, was the one to greet her. The rest hung back as the two conversed about arrangements for them all to get cleaned up before the next leg of their trip.

"Oh, I'm sorry to inform you that all fairies are docked till further notice." She said, looking genuinely disappointed to give them the bad news.

"Wait, why?" Gladio asked.

She shook her head, "All we know is that all civilian boats are not to come in or out of international waters for the foreseeable future." After telling them their rooms would be ready for them shortly, she left with one last bow.

"Well, now what?" Gladio scratched the back of his neck in irritation.

Ignis considered the options open to them, "Perhaps someone that works at the docks will have more information for us." Noctis agreed that it was as good an idea as any.

They had to walk through the resort itself to get to the boating docks that held the ferries. Noctis noticed Prompto looking on in interest at the fancy co*cktails the bartender was serving a couple at the bar, the surface of the glass being lit aflame with a flourish, making them gasp in delight. As they approached the back, others were seen getting the complete pampering experience with drinks and seaside massages. Gladio paid that area more attention as they passed by the roped-off section to the spa.

They exited the open space out of the back of the main building and found the docks empty. The hostess had been truthful about them being closed. There wasn't a single person in sight anywhere.

Walking down the docks, Noctis saw a large bulletin board nearby and went to investigate it for anything useful. Unfortunately, on closer inspection, all postings were just as vague as the hostess's reason for the shutdown.

"Man, what gives!" Prompto kicked one of the wooden posts, letting out some of his frustration, "What are we gonna do now? Without a boat, we're stranded!"

"According to my sources, the Empire gave strict orders not to let any vessels leave or enter the docks of Altissia."

All four boys turned at the unexpected voice coming from behind them. A young man in a casual gray suit was sitting in the shade under a balcony, out of view to anyone coming onto the docks. He grinned at them all as he stood to approach them, his pale hair swept up neatly on top of his head, shining in the light.

"Real shame if you were late to your own wedding, wouldn't it PrinceNoctis?" he asked, all his focus on the prince, "Name's Dino, by the way. Pleasure, I'm sure. The Crown Prince of Lucis, shining beacon of the people, slumming it up in the desert with us commoners. Surely you didn't think it'd go unnoticed?" the man's grin turned sly as he took Noctis and the rest in. "Lucky for you, this reporter has integrity. If you wanna remain incognito, you should try a bit harder. After all, it would be a shame if the wrong people knew of your comings and goings, wouldn't it? But I'll respect your wish for digression…in exchange for a fav—"

The smug grin was wiped off the reporter's face as Gladio lunged forward, grabbing him by the lapels of his suit and slamming him into the dock's railing. The wood creaked under the force of it.

"That a threat? Sure sounds like it," the large man growled, bearing his teeth down at the sleazy reporter, "that's a really stupid thing to do."

"What? No, no, of course not!" The other man quickly backtracked, face breaking out into a sweat as he realized the mistake he had just made. "Just thought we could make a deal, you know, you scratch my back. I'll do you capisce?"

Gladio sneered down at the man, pulling him closer as his voice lowered dangerously, "Or we can see how well you can write with a couple of broken hands. Capisce?"

Noctis was reminded of the last time Gladio looked this angry back when a random drunk threatened him a few years ago while they were out in the city. It had been the same incident where Gladio got the defining scare on his face. The man was ready to throw down now as quickly as he was back then to keep Noctis safe, and Noctis would be a liar if he said seeing the man defend him like this didn't make him feel a certain type of way.

Not wanting the situation to escalate too far, Noctis stepped forward and patted his Shield on the back, silently asking him to back off. "I'm sure it won't have to come to that now, will it?" he asked, no reason to let the scared reporter off the hook entirely now. He did sort of try to extort them, after all.

The reporter shook his head quickly, seeing the lifeline that was being offered to him and taking it with both hands, "Nope! Not at all, your Highness!"

Gladio dropped the other man with a grunt and stepped away, "So what do you want?" he asked, glare still in place.

"You want to get to Altissia, right?" he asked, some of the color coming back into his face. "Well, I know a guy who might be willing to help with that."

"And?"

"Listen! We just need something to smooth some palms, you know what I mean? There's an abandoned mine back up north; yous probably passed it on the way down here."

Noctis remembered the conversation overheard back at the diner and glared at the reporter, "Word around town is that it's full of daemons. You want us to go inside a place like that? For what?"

Dino's eyes widened at the question, "Inside? What? No, that's crazy! There are plenty of ore deposits near it up for grabs, though. You get me some uncut gems, and I, the good citizen that I am, can get the four of you on the next cargo ship, easy peezy."

Folding his arms over his chest, Noctis' frown deepened further, "If it's safely outside the mines, what's keeping you from getting them yourself?"

"Look at me," the reporter took a step back while gesturing down at himself, "handsome guy like myself has no business fighting off some bloodthirsty beasts roaming around the place. But you're all trained for this kinda thing, right? Yous have no problem doing this little errand."

Noctis looked to the others to see what they thought. Gladio kept his eyes entirely focused on the guy while the other two nodded their agreement to take his lead on this. It was up to him then.

Their funds were already limited as it was. Even if they had the Gil to pay this bribe to get on that ship, that would leave them with nothing once they reached the city. There was a chance that they could convert their personal assets from the Crown City in Altissia, but it wasn't a given.

Noctis hoped he wouldn't end up regretting this.

"Okay, deal."

That made the reporter perk back up, a large grin returning as he tried to bring back the charm, "Excellent! I'll mark them on your ma—"

Gladio interrupted him again, crowding into the other man's personal space. "Just know this," he warned, "if it turns out you're lying or breathe a word to the Empire where we are, there'll be more to worry about than just a couple of broken hands. Got it?"

They could all hear the reporter's gulp as he nervously backed away from them all, "Whoa there, no need to be all threatening! Yous got my word, cross my heart and everything."

Noctis turned away, no longer paying the man attention as he left the docks. "Well, no time like the present. Let's go while there's still daylight left and find these gems."

Taking the hint, Dino returned to hide in his spot in the shade, keeping himself out of view. Now, Noctis was left wondering how many people the reporter had hassled to try to get him these items. One thing for sure was that they didn't have any other options to get to their destination, and it wasn't like he could just go back home at this point. The same hostess bid them farewell after Ignis picked up their keys for their rooms, letting her know that they would be back by evening and that they'd be staying the night after all.

"Damn, I can't believe we're being treated like a bunch of gophers," Prompto grumbled at Ignis as he hopped over the car door into his seat.

Ignis made a point of opening and closing his door properly as he sat down on the driver's side. "Not much weight to the royal status outside the Crown City."

"Hmm," Noctis found he didn't mind it too much. He was lucky enough to be treated somewhat normally while at school; he's missed the feeling of normality since he graduated a few years back. The Council had given his father a hard time due to how much freedom he gave his son during his formative years growing up, and now he was paying some of that freedom back. Their way of clipping his wings with their treaty, no doubt.

With a roar of the Regalia's engine, Ignis backed out of the lot. "That said, it should be a short drive back up to the area he mentioned. Unfortunately, we'll need to travel the rest of the way on foot."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that we didn't get a chance to shower if we're supposed to go digging for some old rocks," Gladio said, breaking his silence since leaving the docks.

Their drive was indeed a short one. Traveling back up the winding hills of the coast, they stopped under an overhang of stone arches between two tall cliffs.

"This the place?" Noctis asked, looking at an old sign warning travelers to stay away from the mine. The metal corroded by time and the ocean's salty air, making the warning almost illegible to anyone passing by.

"The marks on the map say so." Ignis looked at their map one last time before putting it away with a flick of his hand. "Let's get a look from above, shall we?"

Leaving the car locked and secured behind on the deserted road, they found a small path leading up the side of the cliff after a quick search of the place. Making their way across a small bridge made of rock, Noctis kept Prompto in front of him to help keep the blond steady, as the other boy did his best to keep his eyes forward, not daring to look down until they got safely to the other side. Gladio, looking like he was starting to have a good time now that they were back in nature, brought out his sword to cut through the thick brush blocking their way further up the small trail. Once cleared, they carefully stepped through the remains and over the occasional boulder in their path.

One of the branches that had been cut snagged on the hem of Prompto's plaid shirt, making him stumble into Gladio's broad back, "Is this guy pulling our legs or wha—"

"Shhh!"

Gladio slammed a hand over the blond's mouth, cutting off his loud ranting, and ushered them all back behind him. Curious, Noctis looked beyond him to see what made him back away so fast and the need for silence.

He found his answer around the bend in front of them. A giant dark mass blocked them from going any further in the middle of their path, leading to the ore they needed. They all watched, holding their breaths as the mass took in a breath of its own, letting out a loud snore as the massive body of dark feathers exhaled.

Quietly as he could, he turned to the others, who stood in awe of the creature before them. "What the f*ck is that?"

"An obstacle."

Prompto clutched Gladio's arm harder at Ignis' words, his face even paler than usual. "It's the gigantic murder chicken! From earlier!"

"This way," Gladio shook the frightened blond's grip off himself, "come on and shut up.

He motioned for them to be silent as he banished his weapon. Then, pressing himself against the cliff wall, he began to carefully shuffle behind the sleeping bird, the rest of them close behind following his lead. Noctis was starting to regret letting that guy talk them into this deal. There had to be a better way to get on a ship. Prompto and Ignis were close behind him, and Noctis worried for the younger boy. He knew his best friend was doing his best to conceal his fear of heights the higher they got up the cliff. Now, on top of all that, they had to sneak around a monster of a bird. The same one that had flown over them earlier that day.

The bird continued to snore, thankfully not knowing four humans were invading its space. Once they were all past it, squeezing through a gap in the rocks into the safety of the clearing, they all let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Now we know why he needed help to get what he wanted."

"I'm going to kill the smug bastard if we make it back," Gladio growled out, glaring daggers in the direction of the resort. At this point, Noctis would happily help him bury the body if they got back in one piece. He didn't like being played like this by anyone, let alone a sleazy reporter who got his kicks from extorting people for favors.

On the bright side, it looked like they found the ore deposits on the map, so the guy wasn't a complete liar. Half a dozen of them surrounded the area. With some help with the right weapons and Gladio's strength, they could harvest a good number of specimens to bring back.

And if they kept a few of them for themselves? Well, that would be an added bonus for this gods forsaken trip.

"Do we have to go back the way we came?" Prompto shifted from foot to foot anxiously.

Noctis wasn't a fan of the idea, either. That thing was huge. All of them getting past it once was lucky enough; who knew if it would be the same going back?

"Unless you want to try climbing down the side of the cliff, that's the only way back."

Hearing those options, Prompto threw his head back, a pitiful whine leaving him as he tried to come to terms with the reality of the situation.

"Can't be too bad, right?" Noctis ruffled his hair to try and lighten the mood.

"Now you just cursed us."

"Pretty sure it was the statue that cursed us."

They both shared a laugh at that.

Squeezing back through the gap, the bird was still there and soundly asleep, thankfully. They crept around again using the same tactics as before and were more confident than the first time.

All was going well; Prompto even looked more assured of himself now that they were heading back down until there was a loud sneeze behind them. All turned to see Gladio's horrified face. The black mass of feathers fluffed up around them, its large head rising from the pillow of its back to find out why its nap was interrupted. There was an earsplitting screech as it found them; its dark eyes glared down at the four boys frozen against the cliff wall.

Noctis grabbed hold of the rocky surface of the wall behind him to keep steady as it flapped its massive wings in anger, the force of it creating a squall around them.

"Move!"

They all hurried to get away from it and back down the cliff to safety. All stumbling, the creature continued to flap in agitation as it stood to its full height, and with one last wail, it took off into the sky to fly away. Unfortunately, the power of its takeoff was enough to throw them all off their feet. Being the one closest to the edge, Noctis was completely thrown off.

The others shouted after him as they watched his fall, hands reaching for him, but he was too far away to grab onto. There was a moment of panic as the ground quickly approached before he regained his senses and called out for one of his blades. Focusing on the other side of the cliff, he warped, blade screeching as it was forced into the hard rocky wall, but it held true, and his momentum came to a halt.

Once Noctis knew he was safe from falling to his untimely death, he looked back to see where the others were and found them running down the short path to stand below where he hung above, clinging to his blade with one hand. All three were ready to catch him if he fell again, but it was still a long drop.

Concentrating, he warped to the ground close to the others, ensuring there was enough distance between them to avoid accidentally hitting one of them. He dropped to the ground when his sword's support disappeared, returning to the armiger. His body slumped over, completely tapped out, losing the final bits of his stamina with that last warp.

He needed a nap.

"Holy sh*t, dude!"

The shout was the only warning he had before he was knocked over by Prompto. The other boy threw himself to the ground to grab Noctis up in a fierce hug, the blond holding him tight against his narrow chest in worry.

"That was too close, man! You almost died!"

Noctis let himself be held by the other boy, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of being wrapped up in the warm arms of his friend for as long as he could get away with. He could feel the soft blond strands of hair brushing against his neck as Prompto tucked his face into his shoulder. The feeling caused a pleasant shiver down his spine; he noticed the nerves there were more sensitive after his spinal injury healed.

Finally, he gave in to the urge and ran his fingers through that soft hair, scratching a bit into Prompto's scalp behind the ear like he would with Umbra to soothe him. "I'm fine, guys. Just ready for this day to be over."

Ignis removed his glasses to clean them, the telltale sign that he was as concerned as the other blond was. He seemed to be only a step away from crowding into Noctis' space himself to make sure he was uninjured. "Let's head back. I, too, would like to end this day without further incident if you don't mind."

He let Prompto help him get back to his feet, the other boy staying close by as if he would collapse again, "not like I wanted to get thrown off a cliff, Specs."

That caused a nervous laugh to leave the younger blond, "I can't believe it wasn't even me that screwed up."

"I'm allergic to down feathers!"

Ignis patted the large man next to him, glasses back in place, consolingly, "Well, now we know to keep you away from any avians we wish to sneak past in the future."

Gladio pushed the others away and left them to follow him back to the car, "Sure, laugh it up."

Noctis happily left the others to their bickering once they were driving away. The sunset was a beautiful sight, with all the colors reflecting off the ocean's gentle waves. The giant bird was just a black spec in the distance now, and he was thankful there were no further incidents on the way back to the resort.

Dino was precisely where they left him and was too happy to take the rough gems off their hands, reassuring them they would get on board the next ship due to arrive the following day. They left the reporter with one last word of warning from Gladio on the dangers of word getting out about their whereabouts. Noctis pulled the larger man away before he could give the guy an actual heart attack.

They had been able to book two nice rooms for that night, the bounty from the Bloodhorn more than enough to see them all having a pleasant end to an awful day. Gladio insisted on rooming with Noctis, not trusting his safety with anyone else, with everything going pear-shaped all day.

Bidding the others a good night, they took turns enjoying the limitless hot water of the fancy resort, finally washing away all the dirt and grime. Noctis let out a shameless groan of pleasure as he flopped onto his bed and snuggled into the soft covers until he was well and truly a comfortable burrito. Shortly after, he fell into a deep sleep, not even caring that Gladio still had the lights on to finish reading.

-*-

His dreams were a kaleidoscope of sound and color. He could smell the fire in the air and hear metal clashing in the distance, though he couldn't see anything clearly.

I'm sorry, Noctis

What?

It's all in your hands now, Son. Walk tall, and know that I'll always be close when you need me most

Dad?

A rush of feelings filled him up that he couldn't hope to untangle or decipher. A hundred voices all shouting at once, and ghostly figures surrounded him in the darkness.

Wake up, Little King

Chapter 4: Insomnia Falls

Chapter Text

Noctis woke up that morning disoriented and somehow still exhausted after sleeping through the night. He felt sweat cooling all over his body, with the bedding all tangled up and twisted around him. He must have gotten overheated last night, not used to the warmer southern weather.

The bright sunlight coming in from the open window pierced right into his eyes, making him squint as he tried to remember the scrambled bits of the strange dream he had. Any remaining details quickly slipped away as soon as he tried to grasp them. Sitting up on his arms, he could see the sun was already up and making its way across the sky, so it must be mid-morning now.

Movement and whispering from the other side of the room caught his attention, dragging it away from the view of the beach outside. Rolling over to investigate, Noctis saw that Gladio was already up and ready for the day. Prompto sat beside him on the neatly made bed as they looked over a brochure together. He must have made a sound to signal him waking when Prompto turned in his direction, a smile bright enough to rival the sun aimed at him.

The sunlight streaming into the room showed off the smattering freckles across the other boy's face. In the privacy of his thoughts, Noctis wanted to lick them to see if they tasted as warm as they looked.

"Mornin'!"

"Morning," he sat up all the way, smoothing his dark hair from his face and out of his eyes.

Prompto's cheerful expression turned to one of concern, "You still sleepy?"

"Feels like I haven't slept at all like I just got out of a fight." Climbing out of bed, he began his morning stretches to loosen up the muscles in his back. Ignis would tan his hide if he started skipping days. Speaking of which, "Where's Specs?"

"Should be back soon," Gladio folded up the advertisem*nt, "headed out to see what they had as options here for breakfast. Pretty sure he's still traumatized from yesterday's dining experience."

Noctis was finishing up his last stretch and thinking about showering when Ignis returned. He closed the door behind himself with more force than necessary. The loud noise gained the attention of the others, all looking to Ignis as he came in, a newspaper held tightly in his hand and a grave look on his face.

"What's wrong, Specs?"

Ignis remained silent as he passed the two on the bed, handing over the paper to Gladio as he came to stand in front of Noctis.

Gladio's eyes narrowed as he scanned the front page, "What the hell?"

"It's in all the papers I could find." Ignis said, eyes locked on Noctis, "They all say the same."

"Saying what?" he asked, turning away from Ignis when Prompto sucked in a sudden breath.

"'Insomnia…falls?'" the blond's eyes widened. Noctis saw all the blood drain from his face as he stared back at him in horror.

Noctis was frozen in place with those two words, ice filling his veins, and for a moment, all he could hear was the ringing in his ears.

I'm sorry, Noctis

No.

"What kind of joke is that?" Insomnia couldn't have fallen. His dad would never let that happen. If Insomnia fell, then that meant his dad was—no way—

He was shaken from his frozen position when Ignis grabbed him by both shoulders, making eye contact with him again as he kept him upright, "You need to stay calm so I can explain." He said, his voice as steady as his large hands as they continued to hold him in place. "There was an attack on the city last night. It appears the Imperial army has taken it for themselves in a coup."

"No, that can't be true! Dad would never let them!"

His attention snapped back to the others as Gladio read the article aloud, "'As treaty room tempers flared, blasts lit the night sky. When the smoke about the Citadel had cleared, the King was found…dead.'"

Ringing in his ears like the shouting voices from the dream. Smoke curling tight in his lungs as the—no wait—where was he again? Why couldn't he feel his legs? Why was the air so heavy in the room all of a sudden? Was he dying? Oh gods—is this what his dad felt when he—

"Stay with me, Noct!"

His vision came back into focus as Ignis called him back to the present, the other taking one of his clammy hands to lay flat on his chest to feel his breathing. His fingers flexed against the soft fabric of Ignis' dress shirt.

"Good." Ignis nodded, "Now, again, breathe with me."

Noctis struggled to focus as he stared into his green eyes, eyes that always held him steady when he felt like he was about to fall. He kept staring into those eyes and followed the old breathing exercises until they matched in rhythm.

Slowly, the feeling came back into his arms and legs. He blinked, disoriented, having been led to sit on the unmade bed. Ignis was crouched in front of him between his legs, holding both hands in his own as he waited patiently for him to collect himself.

Now that he felt more in control of himself, he glanced under his lashes over to the others and felt the beginnings of embarrassment creeping in when he saw the look on Prompto's face. The other boy sat beside Gladio and stared at him and Ignis in unconcealed shock. Noctis silently cursed himself. Prompto had never seen one of his panic attacks before, and he had hoped that he never would.

He hadn't had one in years, not since he was a kid. He thought that he was past that now that he was an adult.

Ignis tugged on his hands to regain his attention, "We had no way of knowing."

"Knowing what?"

"That the date for the signing was going to be moved up and held last night."

"I thought the plan—the agreement for the armistice—was to wait for the wedding? That was the whole reaso—"

"I know that was the plan." Ignis interrupted him, his voice stern, yet his eyes remained gentle as he continued to hold his hands in his own. "But the reports of the invasion are all the same in every paper I could find. So how could every headline in the kingdom be wrong?"

Noctis had nothing to say against that. But there had to be a chance that they were wrong; surely someone was giving them bad information to undermine the peace talks, and this was all a bad hoax.

Gladio threw the paper on the ground in disgust. "If this is all the information we're gonna get from these, then we can't be completely sure of the truth until we see it with our own eyes."

"You mean turning back?" Prompto looked from one to the other.

"It might not be safe for us to go back there," Ignis said, hands sliding away from Noctis as he stood from his crouched position to face the others. Noctis already missed the warm feeling of security they had provided him, his hands growing cold in their absence.

Prompto stood from his place on the bed as well, "Who's to say that we're any safer if we stay here?" he asked him, a look of resolve on his face now even as he was still clearly shaken by the news.

The room grew silent.

"The choice is ultimately up to you, Noct," Gladio said, arms crossed as he stared him down. "We turning back or what?"

"Yeah," he stood, legs still shaky from the adrenaline crash. "Let's go see for ourselves."

It was time to go home.

-*-

The drive back was quiet, none wanting or willing to break the strained silence in the car.

Dark clouds were rolling in overhead, a drizzle of rain falling around them the closer they got to the edge of Leide and back into the region of Cavaugh, where the Crown City awaited them. Noctis had asked the radio to remain off until they returned to Insomnia. He wanted to see for himself if all the rumors were to be believed and didn't want to hear any more broadcasts until then.

Gladio sat next to him, a dark aura of concealed rage hanging around him like a storm cloud as he stared at his phone screen. The man almost threw it out the window when all calls to his little sister, Iris, went to voicemail after voicemail.

No one they knew was picking up their phones. Noctis tried not to think of what that implied.

From above, there was the sound of something flying overhead. Rolling down the windows, they all looked up to see a fleet of giant airships with the Imperial insignia painted on the sides passing them by, the military aircraft heading towards Insomnia.

Gladio scoffed at the sight of them as they disappeared into the distance, "So that's one of their precious dreadnoughts we've been hearing about, huh?"

Ignis ensured they were all safely back inside before rolling the windows up to keep the rain out, "Apparently, they transport soldiers—namely, the Magitek infantry. The Empire's pride and joy."

"The f*cking robots?" Gladio growled.

"Mass-produced humanoid weapons of warfare, to be more precise."

Finally, the signs for the main bridge that led into the city approached. Closer to the border, traffic grew denser on the freeway around them. As the traffic came to a crawl, Ignis pulled them off to the side at the next turnout to get a better angle to see what was causing the backup. In the far distance ahead, but still in clear view, were the toll stations for the border. They could all see large groups of armed soldiers stopping and investigating the cars trying to enter the city. The soldiers appeared to be looking for something before telling the vehicles to turn around and go back the way they came after finding nothing.

"Those Imperial soldiers?" Prompto asked, taking his camera out to use the zoom to get a closer look.

Gladio's hands clenched tight at the sight of them, "The uniforms are not one of ours, that's for damn sure."

"And it appears they've already set up a checkpoint for inspections," Ignis said. He locked eyes with the other man's through the rearview mirror, the two communicating silently before Gladio nodded and sat back in his seat.

"Well, if we can't get in from here, we have to find a way around."

Ignis pulled out their map to find another route to get them near the city limits, "There's an old dirt road that leads to the old waterways. Pass there on foot, we can find a place to get a better look."

He carefully backed them up and turned them around; weaving through the dense traffic, they soon reached the old road they sought. The thick, heavy tires ran over the gate to keep people out without incident. The wrought iron gate easily collapsed against the force of the Regalia due to rust compromising the metal's structure from years of ill repair.

The Regalia bounced and shook, going over the uneven terrain. Like the gate, the place hadn't been used in years. The elements, over time, had taken their toll on the abandoned area outside the Wall.

Avoiding another pothole, the car stopped by some old, rundown ruins. Thankfully, the skies had cleared up enough around them for the rain to stop as the rest of their journey would now be on foot.

"There should be a vantage point overlooking the seaside by the city just past these old construction buildings," Ignis said, exiting the car with the rest of them, pocketing the keys after the locks engaged.

Noctis had remained silent the whole trip so far, not trusting himself enough to converse with his friends without unfairly taking his anger out on them. He knew they shared his frustrations and didn't deserve his ire. He stood tall by his father's car and steeled himself to lead the way up the old set of stairs, head held high. "Let's see this through then."

They passed through the rundown and crumbling buildings, carefully stepping around the holes in the roof, not wanting more of the ruined ceiling to fall on top of them. Then, finding the exit through a broken wall, they all ducked behind it to keep out of sight from the other side when they saw that they weren't alone out there.

The section leading down into the small valley was crawling with soldiers dressed in Imperial armor. But they all looked wrong somehow, their movements stilted and jerky as they patrolled the place.

"So these must be the MTs," Gladio said, studying their movements.

Ignis nodded. "Empty humanoid soldiers. They're soulless and merciless and won't hold back if they were to see us."

"Oh, I'm ready to be a bit merciless myself." Noctis summoned his blade, "Once I'm done, they're going to wish they had the treaty to protect their metal hides."

Ignis pointed to a pillar near a small group of the shambling things. "That would be the ideal place to take them by surprise; we'll be right behind you on the ground."

"No need to tell me twice."

In a blink, Noctis was gone, warping to the top of the pillar above the group of Magitek soldiers. Crouching in place, he was focused entirely on the MT in the group's center; he knew he could gain a few moments of surprise and do the most damage by targeting the middle of their ranks.

Channeling all his feelings of anger and frustration, he warped again, slamming into the trooper and pinning it to the ground. There was a loud, satisfying crunch as its metal chest gave into his blade. Wires and sparks flew out around Noctis as he removed the sword with an earsplitting screech, all but snarling as he stared into the blank mask of the MT under him, its eyes now empty of the eerie glow it once had.

The rest of the MTs became alert as one of their own lay before them on the ground, now nothing more than a scrap pile. Before they could raise their weapons against him, Noctis spun on his heel, swinging his blade in a wide arch. The sharp edge of the blade severed several soldiers' arms as he did.

There was a displacement of air at his back, and Noctis ducked under a soldier's arm as it swung its own sword, trying to take him out from behind. He rolled out of the group that was now trying to mob him and watched as Gladio and the others ran past him to take out the rest.

The other men went all out in the fight, concentrating their frustrations on the soulless creatures standing in their way. Prompto took out a few scouts that came around the bend to investigate the noise from the first attack, a clean shot to the head each. At the same time, Ignis impaled two on his spear for Gladio to decapitate.

Nothing but broken toy soldiers surrounded them now, circuits still sparking from a few of them as they twitched uselessly on the wet grass.

Prompto shoved one away from himself with his boot, "These are the creepiest things I've ever seen; they look like people, but…not."

Noctis walked past them without a word and continued to walk up the hill that would lead them to the lookout point of Insomnia's Bay. The others followed close behind, watching for any more troops that might be lurking still, while Noctis' focus remained solely on the task before him.

At the top of the hill overlooking the sea, their home was finally in front of them. Noctis felt his mouth go dry at the sight of it. Smoke rose into the sky in dark plumes within the Crown Cities' walls. So many of Insomnia's buildings and highways lay destroyed below them.

"As to ceasefire discussions between the two nations, all provisional terms have been suspended in light of recent developments. Moreover, in the wake of the news of King Regis's death, we've now received word that Crown Prince Noctis and the Oracle Lunafreya have also been pronounced dead."

He turned to see Prompto with his phone out, his hand shaking, fingers white as he clutched it tightly. The news station's broadcast crackled in and out from its tiny speaker, the connection unstable.

"Keep it going!" Gladio shouted, causing Prompto to jump and drop the phone.

"It doesn't matter!" Noctis shouted at him. A hand fell on his shoulder as Ignis came up behind him. His glasses gleamed in the weak light, hiding his eyes from view as the blond man stared out into the ruined city below.

A series of vibrations came from Noctis' pocket, and digging his phone out, he looked to see who could be calling him. He inhaled a sharp breath as he read the familiar name of the incoming call and quickly answered it, voice cracking as he spoke into the receiver. "C-cor? Is that really you?"

"So, you made it."

"What happened? What the hell is going on here, Cor?"

"There isn't time for details. Where are you?"

"Just outside the city, with no way back in, thanks to some Imperial assholes."

"Makes sense. The place is completely locked down."

"What about any of this makes sense?" he growled into the phone, feeling the tiny shred of control holding back his panic beginning to slip. "The news just told me that I'm dead—along with Dad and Lu—."

"Listen. I'm heading out to Hammerhead now." Cor's stern voice cut him off. There was a pause on the other side of the call as the Marshal sighed, "About the King… it's true."

Noctis felt the last spark of hope fizzle out and fade, his gaze falling back to his city as it continued to burn below as he listened to Cor's voice on the line.

"You know where to find me. We'll talk more then. Get moving and keep your head down."

"Yeah…got it." He hung up, letting his arm fall limply to his side, feeling completely numb.

Ignis saved his phone from dropping to the ground as it slipped through his cold fingers. "What did the Marshal say?"

Noctis blinked up at him as he was handed back his phone, voice cracking. "Said—" he cleared his throat, feeling too tight as he held back the tears that threatened to escape him. "He said he'd be in Hammerhead waiting for us."

"And the King?" Gladio asked, his face grave and already expecting the answer. Noctis knew what the real question he wanted to ask was.

If the King was dead, then so was his Shield.

Noctis shook his head, giving the other an answer anyway. Both of their dads were gone.

-*-

The skies were completely clear of clouds now, the sun shining down on them once more as they climbed out of the Regalia.

Once again, back in Leide, they didn't run into any trouble on their way back to Hammerhead; civilian cars were the only other vehicles on the road for the moment. An occasional airship was seen off in the distance. With the Capitol taken, it looked like the Empire was making its presence known.

The atmosphere was somber as they looked around for any signs of the Marshal or any other Crownsguard that may have escaped the city. The place was full of people waiting for the roads to reopen, but none matched anyone they knew from the Citadel. Cars full of hastily packed bags filled the lot, and people hugged those they could reunite with after fleeing the city for safety. The boys continued to look around for anyone they knew from home when a familiar voice called them across the parking lot.

"Heya boys! Over here!" Cindy was waving for them to join her by the garage's entrance. The four quickly approached her, hoping that she might have heard something that could help them find their missing comrades.

"Cindy, has a man named Cor been by here recently?" Noctis didn't waste any time asking her for information.

The bright smile she usually had was dimmer than they were used to seeing from her as she nodded. "Sure did. You just missed him. Said he had to leave here to see to some business and left y'all a message with Paw-paw," she said, pointing behind her to a place further inside the garage. "Go on in…and… I'd like to give my condolences, Highness."

"Thank you." Noctis accepted her words with a slight nod.

Inside, the garage's interior was far dimmer than the outdoors. Cid was sitting in the back, working on some gear. His back hunched over the table while he threw an item into a crate at his feet, quickly moving on to work on the next one. A small radio sat next to him on the work table. The volume was low as the newscaster repeated the same reports of the attack on Insomnia and called for all citizens to remain calm during the transition of power.

The old man didn't even bother pausing his work as he acknowledged their presence. "'Bout time you got here."

Noctis stamped down his irritation, "Cindy said you had a message for us from the Marshal?"

"Yeah, Cor stopped by here to check in before running off. Kid could never stay in one place for long when there were things to be done." Wiping his hands clean, he turned to stare them all down. "Mentioned it was the Crystal and the King's ring—that's what Niflheim's been after all along. What they destroyed an entire city over."

"So all talk of peace was merely a pretext, their way to get inside the city?" Ignis asked.

"And playing all of us for fools for believing them," Noctis scoffed, "even my Dad fell for it."

Cid stomped up to him and poked him hard in the chest, the unexpected force nearly knocking him over. "Reggie wasn't born yesterday, kid. Lucis just got dealt a losin' hand. I may not have seen him in years, but I know sure as hell your old man played it the best he could with what he had. He would have seen this coup comin' a mile away, and that stubborn ass of a man wouldn't ever go down without a fight." Deflating a bit, Cid turned away from them and back to his table of items. "In the end, though… Well, it just wasn't enough."

"So what now?" Noctis asked, rubbing the spot the old man jabbed him in. He was a hell of a lot stronger than he looked.

"Cor said he'll wait for ya up in the tombs. They're to the north of here, just a short way past the outpost. Find that first, and they'll point ya the rest of the way."

"What's he need with some old ruins?" Gladio looked at all of them, just as confused as Noctis was.

"That's for you to find out, isn't it?" Cid slid the now sealed crate over to them with a kick of his boot, "and bring these with you. Cor was supposed to take them with him but couldn't seem to wait for them to be finished. Impatient little bastard."

Prompto looked at the crate suspiciously, "What are they?"

"A safeguard, in case the Niffs decide to take down the cell towers."

"Let's get going then." Noctis picked up the crate, not really caring what it was for, and left the garage without further fuss, the physical task at least giving him something to do.

Packing and gassing up the car was quick work, and they wasted no more time driving up the road north in search of the Prairie Outpost.

Traffic thinned out the closer they got to their destination. Signs posted on the side of the roads warning of creatures and daemon hot spots passed them by, and soon, the sight of a large settlement of abandoned buildings could be seen off in the distance. As they approached, it turned out that the place wasn't as uninhabited as it first appeared from afar. Men and women alike patrolled the area, all armed with weapons and armor in different makes and styles, likely self-made or modified.

Rolling to a stop, Ignis examined the area through the dusty windshield. "This must be the Hunter encampment our friend Dave told us about."

"Wow, these guys look pretty legit!" Prompto jumped out of the car, looking around in excitement.

"Let's see if these guys know where those tombs we're supposed to find are," Gladio suggested, patting the shorter boy on the back and nearly sending him to the ground by the force of it.

They walked through the camp, though calling it a mere camp didn't do it justice. Noctis could see that the Hunters really were setting themselves up as a permanent fixture in the region. Many members worked together to reinforce and repair the broken-down buildings, turning them into livable areas for room and boarding.

A few armored cars and trucks passed by carting supplies from one end of the settlement to the other, and the vehicles parked also worked as portable shops for the camp. Much like the one in Hammerhead, they sold all manner of items, from food to weapons and armor.

Asking around for someone in charge, they were told by one of the weapon merchants to find a woman named Vera Saxe, the head of the Hunter camp in Leide. When they asked where they could find her, they were pointed to a large warehouse being used for their primary operations. Entering through a side door, Noctis was nearly knocked to the ground by someone exiting the place.

"Whoa there, pretty boy," a deep voice said, strong hands catching him as he stumbled. Looking up, Noctis' eyes locked with piercing gold, and blinding white teeth bared down at him in a flirtatious grin. "Gotta keep those pretty blues of yours open around here. No telling what kind of beasts you might run into."

The man was tall, maybe in his thirties, his face handsome, and his skin an attractive tan. A long rope of red hair fell over his shoulder in a messy braid as he examined Noctis in turn. Noctis was saved from the awkward moment as another voice called out from inside.

"Laurent! You better not be harassing the new recruits again!"

The man rolled his eyes as a woman came up behind him. She had a severe frown on her pretty face as she stared at them, clearly waiting for an answer from the other man. He, in turn, just turned his flirty smile her way. "Not at all, my dear Vera. We just happened to have a little run-in, no harm, no foul."

That only made her scowl more at him, "last time you 'ran into' someone, they needed medical attention."

"What can I say? The baby hunters need to learn how to play with us big boys sooner rather than later. You shouldn't coddle them so much."

"Can I help you boys?" the woman asked, choosing to ignore the man beside her. She was about the same age as the other Hunter, on the taller side of average height, her dark brown hair pulled back and away from her face.

Noctis looked uncertainly between the two Hunters. "We're looking for Cor Leonis. Heard he was last seen around here?"

"He's not here, but his associate is. You one of his men?" Vera asked, crossing her arms, looking far more interested in them now.

"In a manner of speaking."

"Follow me then." She turned to lead them inside but paused to send a dark look at the man she had called Laurent. "I thought you were on your way out?"

"I was, but now I'm more curious to see what a band of little misfits would need with someone that goes by the moniker of 'Immortal.'" Laurent said, carelessly tossing his braid back as he looked them over again, eyes narrowed in newfound interest.

"Just don't cause any trouble, Laurent," she sighed. "I don't have time for your games right now."

"Like you ever want to play them in the first place." He grinned and followed behind the rest of the group back inside.

Vera ushered them into a large room with maps covering all the walls, notes pinned into areas with the odd photograph next to them. The room only had one other person occupying it, bent over a table covered in papers. As the woman turned, it was revealed to be a familiar face.

"Monica!"

The boys all rushed in to meet her halfway as she quickly approached the group, her expression brightening at the sight of them. "Your Highness. I'm so glad you're safe."

"Monica! Where are all the others? Did my sister make it out?" Gladio asked, stepping forward. "I can't get a hold of her on her phone."

"As far as I know, a good number of the Crownsguard didn't make it, but we haven't had the chance for an official roll call yet. It was all we could do to escort Lady Iris out of the city in all the chaos. Dustin is with her as we speak, seeing her the rest of the way to Lestallum with the other refugees we were able to help escape."

Noctis watched as a great weight was lifted off Gladio's shoulders as he sighed in relief, "I can't thank you enough. I owe you a debt House Amicitia can't begin to repay."

"Nonsense, you know we take care of our own." She said, giving his arm a consoling pat before turning back to Noctis. "But the Marshal is waiting for you at the royal tombs, your Highness. So I was ordered to remain here until your arrival and point you in the right direction."

"So, where to?" Despite the good news about Iris's safety, Noctis was getting impatient for answers and didn't understand why Cor was giving them the runaround.

"Keep heading north toward the Keycatrich Trench," she pointed to a map on the wall near them showing the area, "there's a small pass a little to the west from there, and that's where he'll be."

"Alright, let's get going. Thanks again, Monica."

The Crownsguard bowed, a fist clenched to her chest. "Of course, your Highness."

Noctis and the others didn't give the other two stunned adults much attention as they quickly left the warehouse. However, Noctis could feel Laurent's burning gaze on his back as he passed him by. Once outside, their steps were swift as the four passed through the open gate of the chain-wired fence that blocked off the camp from the rest of the wilderness and followed the path that would lead them to the old Keycatrich ruins.

"So, is Monica one of the Crownsguard?" Prompto asked, his voice uncertain of how the others would take his question. Not wanting to seem stupid in front of the older boys he tried to impress.

"Yes." Ignis looked at him encouragingly as he answered the other blond. Seeing his fear of criticism and showing him that it was unfounded. "Unfortunately, unlike Gladio and myself, you didn't get the chance to meet the others as would be custom when joining the Guard. As your admission into the Crownsguard was pushed through last minute before our departure."

"She's one of my father's best," Gladio added. "Along with Dustin—who's guarding my sister. Thank the gods that they could get her out of there."

"It's a relief to know that at least some of our people were able to escape," Ignis said, his face still tense.

Ducking under large pieces of rusted war tanks and climbing over boulders lying in their path, they hiked across the old battleground outside the ruins of the old city of Keycatrich. Thirty years had passed, and the land still held the deep scars caused by the Great War. Giving in to the itch, Prompto pulled out his camera to take a few photos of the relics of war left behind, focusing on two tanks in particular that looked frozen in time as they clashed on the battlefield.

"Wonder what drew Cor all the way out here to find a royal tomb," Prompto said, snapping another photo of some animals grazing contently under the shade of a tree.

"A morbid curiosity?" Ignis suggested. "But more likely to search for a safe location for us to meet out of view of prying eyes, perhaps?"

Noctis kicked a rock out of his way, allowing himself this bit of petulant behavior. "If we can just findhim, we can ask him ourselves. I was promised some answers."

They found the trail leading up the pass that Monica said should take them to the final resting place of one of the Kings of old. Getting closer, Noctis began to feel something deep within himself stirring. It was a foreign and familiar power, a dichotomy that unsettled him, and it was tugging at him to keep going ahead.

They were greeted by the large bodies of birds with vicious-looking talons littering the ground when they reached the meeting point. Hopefully, that was a sign that Cor was near and not something else waiting to attack them.

"Wow. So this is where royalty gets buried, huh?" Prompto looked around, his fingers itching to get his camera out again to photograph the place.

Noctis couldn't bring himself to hold it against him. The tomb was stunning in its beauty, with tall carved pillars and a stone pathway leading up and into the tomb. The tomb itself was built with pale stone, like the pillars, with a smooth domed top. The carvings of flowers and filigree etched into the sides sloped down in graceful arches and whorls, framing the entrance where the inner chambers of the tomb would go into the ground and further into the walls of the small canyon.

Walking up the stone path, the power inside him grew stronger, trying to reach out to something hidden inside the tomb. Noctis felt a sense of eagerness not entirely his own as he gazed into the open doors beckoning him inside. The odd feeling stopped him short.

"What's the matter, Noct?"

The light touch on his arm from Prompto filled him with warmth; he hadn't even realized that his whole body had gone cold as he stood staring at the tomb. His friend's concern for him was apparent in his blue eyes as he looked at him worriedly.

"It's nothing, just a weird feeling."

"Can't blame you, dude. It's not every day you see your long-forgotten relatives, right?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah." Noctis steeled himself and entered the dark interior of the old tomb. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the inside looked much like the exterior, with the added features of pale carved stone statues standing at attention, their backs against the circular walls. Warriors guarding the fallen King even in death, all long gone from memory.

"Good, you found the place."

The two younger boys jumped in fright while Gladio and Ignis had their weapons out at the ready when one of the shadowed statues suddenly moved and revealed themselves to be their missing Marshal. The older man sheathed his Katana as he met them at the door in a few short strides, his long legs carrying him quickly across the floor to the group.

"Cor! What's with all the hide-and-seek tactics?" Noctis asked, letting out some frustration at the man now in front of him.

The Marshal ran a hand through his short brown hair, "I was tasked by your father to be the one to set you on the path to claim your power."

That stopped him in his tracks. Now, he was more confused, and that confusion made him angry. "My power? Power for what?"

"The title 'King' isn't only passed down in name alone. I'm sure you've noticed a change in yourself considering recent events? A sense of calling from this place?" Cor explained, waving a hand around the tomb, "That's the power of your lineage. It belonged to your father and his father before him. It's time for you to claim your forebears' power and birthright. To accept your sworn duty to protect your people."

Noctis felt the anger filling him up again at the mention of his father, "What about his calling? Was his to forsake the masses to spare his own son?"

Cor looked to be losing his own patience now, a fire in his blue eyes as he glared down at him. "Your father did what he had to do to ensure you would live long enough to take up where he left off. He entrusted the role of protectorto you."

"'Entrusted' it to me?" Noctis scoffed, "Then why didn't he tell me that himself when he had the chance? Why did he stand there smiling as I left, knowing full well what was about to happen? Why—Why did he lieto me, Cor?"

"He didn't want you to remember him as just the King." Cor's eyes softened at the near-broken sound his prince let out, "In those final moments together on those stairs, he wanted to be your father. He always had faith in you that you would ascend for the sake of your people when the time came. Was he wrong? Will you turn your back on your people when they need you most?"

"Of course not!"

"Then take it," the older man gestured to the ornate sarcophagus lying in the middle of the tomb, to the glowing sword resting atop it. "Accept your responsibilityand take back your throne."

Noctis, now filled with righteous anger at the implication that he was being a coward, stomped over to where his ancestor was laid to rest. Striking out his hand to the sleeping power within it, as if waiting for someone to grab and take. That odd feeling inside himself uncurled, grasped onto the force within the casket, and pulled.

He gazed in wonder as before him now, a crystallized silhouette of a sword formed and hovered above the sarcophagus, an inner light glinting off the edges as it rotated in the air.

Before he could lower his hand, the ghostly sword moved, flying towards him swiftly and piercing his chest; a heavy weight of power entered him, closely followed by a great deal of pain.

The ringing from his dream returned, along with one of the many voices that had called out to him. The single voice now whispering in his mind as the pain continued to consume him.

The King is dead. Long live the King

Chapter 5: Horrors under Keycatrich

Chapter Text

The blinding pain was slow to slip away, leaving his nerves feeling raw and exposed in its absence; the only sensation left behind was a buzzing under his skin, his body tingling all over in the aftermath.

Noctis realized that the hands holding him weren't the ghostly ones belonging to the voice but the very real ones belonging to his friends. All three huddled around him, kneeling on the floor where he had nearly collapsed. If not for their quick actions, his head would have easily ended up cracked open and bleeding on the cold stone ground.

What a great start to his reign thatwould have been.

The ringing in his ears faded into a soft echo as the cracks in the stone floor came back into focus. Noctis didn't remember falling to his knees but was grateful the feeling of pins and needles had replaced the sharp pain that had gone through his entire body when that ghost swordstabbed him in the chest.

A little warning would have been nice, he thought with a huff.

"Are you okay now, Noct?"

It took a few moments for Noctis to process the question properly. His eyes blinked rapidly as his vision began to clear. Ignis came into focus above him, a concerned frown marring his face. Prompto and Gladio hovered on either side of him with looks of worry of their own. They all withdrew from their hovering as he made to rise, his legs numb and a bit unsteady, feeling like they had been asleep for ages.

When he stumbled, Prompto wrapped his arms around him, letting Noctis lean against his side as he regained his balance. "Dude, what was that? I felt something going through me when that ghost-blade stabbed you out of nowhere!"

"Yeah, it was like touching a live wire or something," Gladio said, looking over Noctis' head at the sarcophagus that now looked completely normal.

The eerie glow the sword once had was gone, the ancient weapon now just an old useless relic embedded on top of a stone casket, nothing more than an ornament. Whatever dormant power it once held was wide awake inside Noctis, ready and eager to be used just below his skin. He could hear the ghostly sound of crystal glass tinkling around him if he listened carefully, as it had when he summoned the sword from its crypt.

He was interrupted from his musings when the Marshal chose to answer, "Thatwas your true power unlocking for the first time, your Highness," Cor said. Noctis could see the relief in him now that the task he'd been given had been completed. "You've claimed your title with this first tomb. As you collect more of the Royal Arms, that power will grow. That also includes anyone who has tied themselves to you, those chosen to be your new Kingsglaive." He looked pointedly at the three men that protectively surrounded Noctis.

Noctis' brows pinch together in confusion, "there's more? How many am I supposed to find?" he asked, rubbing his chest. Was he going to have to do that again?

Cor walked over to the casket, the tips of his fingers brushing lightly against a carved foot of the smooth stone. "When your father became King, he came out here to claim these tombs himself. The old records told us that there are twelve to find—that we know of. Each enshrined at a royal tomb in various places around the kingdom. Some in more dangerous places than others and not so easily found, and unfortunately for us, most of the locations were lost to time."

That didn't sound promising if he was to find these lost weapons; how important could they be if they've been lost for so long. "How many did my dad find?" Noctis asked. He couldn't remember his dad saying anything like this about his old travels from before he was born. Not that he liked to talk much about the time of the Great War. Not anything outside of what was expected of Noctis to know when the time came for him to take over.

They should have had more time before then—now.

Cor frowned, deepening the harsh lines on his face. "Unfortunately, only a few. His journey was limited due to the Great War and maintaining the Wall. I'm in the process of making a deal with the Hunters to help search for any signs of the tombs lost. Now come, there's another one close by. I'll lead you there, but then we'll have to part ways for a while."

"You're running off again. Now?" Noctis asked, following close behind the taller man as they all left the empty tomb. The Marshal's strides were much longer and faster than his own. It was hard to keep up with him. Cid was right; the man really couldn't stand still for long out here. "Where are you going, and why at a time like this?"

The Marshal turned and glared down at him, unimpressed by his tone. "Seeing how far the shadow of the Empires has already touched. If we wish to go further with our plans and remain under their radar, we need to know where they've stationed their troops going forward."

Cor led them away from the tomb, but Noctis couldn't help looking back at the crypt behind them. It didn't look or feel as powerful or ominous now that he had taken that strange power into himself.

The others followed Noctis silently, not wanting to get in the middle of the awkward silence that now lay between him and Cor after his outburst. The group took a sharp turn to head east of the tomb, reentering the old outskirts of the ruins of Keycatrich, closer now to the old city itself. Signs of the aftermath of the previous war could be seen strung about the old battlefield. Weapons of war now considered obsolete, discarded, and left behind to rot, all becoming a part of the land now as the trees and desert plants grew over them.

"The next tomb was nearby, you said?" Noctis asked, not knowing what else to say. He knew he was letting his emotions get away from him, causing him to lash out at the people around him. He didn't like that he couldn't easily regain control of them, but he was still trying to process everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Emotions were running high for all of them now that they were essentially without a home.

Cor seemed to be collecting himself as well, with barely a nod in his direction acknowledging his question as he continued to take the lead. "Deeper into Keycatrich Trench. We know there to be a crypt deep inside the tunnels used during the evacuation of the old city here, back when it was under siege."

"Is it purposeful for the two tombs to be so close together, I wonder?" Ignis voiced his thoughts out loud as the group traveled across the rugged terrain.

"Could be," Cor agreed. "To let the next in the royal line get a feel for it, a kind of test. King Regis used to say that when passing by one of these holy places, it was like he was hearing something calling out to him. He compared it to the likes of a siren song, a compulsion to follow despite the danger."

That would explain the ringing and the weird voices, the sensation of arms reaching out to welcome him, only then to stab him in the chest. Noctis was kinda glad to know that he wasn't going crazy. "So when I get close, I'll feel it?"

Prompto snapped his fingers. "Oh! Like playing a game of 'Hot and Cold!'"

"Only this game could get us killed," Gladio said unhappily, turning his narrowed gaze to the Marshal. "You said these were kept in dangerous places? For protection or because of something else?"

Cor only shrugged in return, "No one knows for sure. There's no rhyme or reason to why daemons lurk where they do or what their motives truly are—if they even have them. The only truth we know is they can't live in the light. It could be that they're attracted to the power hidden in these tombs and drawn there against their will, or it could be that some of these tombs were deliberately built and hidden in the dark where they dwell to prevent any threat of grave robbing."

Beside Noctis, Ignis hummed to himself in thought. The taller blond took in everything the Marshal said and filed it all away in his mind to think on later. Noctis recognized the look. When something new caught Ignis' attention, he couldn't let it go until he knew everything he could about it. Noctis was looking forward to hearing what conclusions he would come up with after processing all the facts and sharing his theories with him.

"Don't look now, but I think we have company coming our way," Prompto said, pointing off into the distance.

And he was right. Ahead of them, deep in the trench, was a large platoon of Imperials searching the place. The majority seemed to be made up of Magitek Troopers, but there were a few human soldiers in their ranks, their armor and helms just different enough to tell human and mechanical soldiers apart. Turned out they had brought some big guns with them, too. A couple of combat units loomed among the MTs, patrolling the area as the human soldiers searched through the old scrap around them.

"What do you reckon they're doing?" Prompto asked the others as they hid behind a broken tank to spy on the invaders.

Cor stood close behind the blond, hovering over his shoulder and ignoring how nervous he was making the younger man at the close proximity. "Scavenging it looks like," The Marshal said, steely eyes unblinking as he took in all the soldiers and their positions around the area.

"What for?" Gladio asked.

Noctis shook his head. "Does it matter what they're after? I say we take these vultures out. They don't belong here." With a flick of his wrist, his blade appeared, ready for action.

Humming below his skin, he felt the new power waiting to be set free, wanting to sink its teeth and tear into their enemy.

Trespassers! Thieves!

Cor appeared amused by his eagerness, the steely glint in his eyes turning sharp as he continued to watch their prey, "By all means, your Highness, lead the way."

Noctis locked eyes with Ignis, "those units are an older model, right? What do you think is the best way to take them out quickly and even the numbers a bit more in our favor?"

The other man turned back to look over the area again, calculating the best way to proceed with their assault. "We still have those lightning flasks, do we not?" Ignis asked, turning to Prompto. The other blond grinned back, summoned his bottle of lighting, and wiggled it playfully.

"You thinking what I am, Iggy?"

"Two hits should do the job nicely." He replied with a slight grin of his own to match Prompto's.

"Let's go!" Prompto whooped, following the other blond as they left their cover to begin the battle with a flash of lighting.

The two threw their flasks of magic at the patrol mechs, aiming to hopefully catch a few of the MTs surrounding them in the blast radius. Simultaneously, both bottles smashed against the thick metal of the mech's armored casing, causing the two battle units to convulse as the lighting short-circuited the machine's mobile functions.

Their aim had been true, and the attack severely damaged the Troopers caught in the blast, diminishing their numbers and helping to take out the two largest threats they faced before the battle properly began.

Surprised, the human soldiers flailed about in the chaos and had trouble finding where the attack had come from, not expecting the ambush on their group this far out in the middle of nowhere.

The small group looked around them as they scrambled for their weapons, lost and confused, as one of the mechs fell to the ground with a great crash that shook the ground around them. The leader finally got himself together enough to take command of the situation and yelled out orders to the remaining Magitek Troopers to create a barrier and defend them.

"Our turn!" Noctis yelled. He and Gladio ran out into the open to engage with the enemy, their swords clashing with the MTs as they met across the old battlefield.

Some of the Troopers were still shorting out. Remnants of the blast of lightning had jumped to them as the spell dissipated, making it easy for the two men to cleave them in half or dismember limbs until they collapsed, unable to hold themselves up anymore without their legs or their arms to hold their weapons with.

Surrounded by broken soldiers, there was a whirring sound of machinery, and a massive shadow cast itself over the prince and his Shield. Looking up, Noctis saw the remaining mech was still up but malfunctioning, crushing a fallen Trooper with its stumbling feet.

It was about to step on Noctis as well when there was another earsplitting screech of scraping metal. The mech suddenly collapsed, revealing Cor standing behind it with his Katana out. The battle unit now lay dead at the Marshal's feet, circuits and wires sparking out around them under the glare of the afternoon sun.

There were more shouts from across the field, followed by loud bursts of gunfire. The sound caused the three men to duck behind Gladio's large shield, the bullets bouncing off its protective surface. Peeking over the edge, Noctis saw two human soldiers being taken out by a couple of well-aimed headshots from Prompto. Noctis could see the glint of a dagger as it flew over the younger boy's head and lodged itself under the helm of the third soldier's throat, the blades cutting deep into the soft tissue there. Even from that distance, he could hear the gurgling as the Imperial choked on his own blood before falling dead to the ground.

That left only one Imperial to deal with now.

The last and final soldier cowered behind a boulder, screaming at a couple of MTs that remained to protect him as he scrambled to flee. Seeing a member of the Empire cowering like a pathetic animal filled Noctis with rage, his vision going red as his enemy tried to run away from the fight.

A fight Niflheim had started, and one he had every intention of finishing.

Destroy them! Trespassers!

The voice inside his mind screamed out in rage, begging for their blade to be used to get their revenge. Noctis, granting its wish, called out his new weapon into existence. The ghostly blade formed in his hand, and without further thought, he warped to the remaining MTs. The phantom blade cut through his enemies with little to no resistance, all falling around him like puppets without their strings. Warping again, he disarmed the final soldier with a sweep of his blade and then kicked the man in the chest, sending the Imperial tumbling to the ground with a pained yelp.

Noctis followed the soldier as he tried to crawl away to safety, the soldier's hands searching in a frenzy for his lost weapon to protect himself to no avail. But Noctis was stopped before he could land the final killing blow and end the vermin's miserable life.

Blinking away the red haze from his vision, Noctis looked up and was met by Cor's calm blue eyes, the older man being the one to block his sword.

"Why did you stop me?" Noctis asked, confused and suddenly feeling very tired. His arms felt heavy, like the worst adrenaline crash he'd ever had.

"Because we can use him," Cor said, sheathing his weapon and turning his attention to the soldier still trying to crawl away from them.

"Use him how?"

Ignoring the question, Cor stomped over to the Imperial and grabbed the back of his uniform to lift him from the ground. The man began fighting back, trying to free himself from the Marshal's grasp. "Please! I won't say anything, I swear! Just let me go!"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll talk just fine," Cor said, ripping off the soldier's helm and punching him hard in the head. The man hung limp in his hands now—knocked out cold.

Cor dropped the man to the ground into a heap at his feet, taking out a pair of cuffs; he quickly bound the Imperial's hands behind his back. Their prisoner was safely subdued and could not escape once he woke; Cor turned his attention back to Noctis to answer his previous question now that his task was done.

"This will make my job of gathering information on our enemy much easier, thanks to our new friend here."

Gladio stood next to Noctis, his amber eyes narrowing at the man at their feet, "you gonna take him back for interrogation then?"

Cor nodded, "this is where I leave you for now. The tunnel system you're looking for is just over that ridge," he pointed in the direction for them to go. "I'll be taking our friend back to the Hunter's camp to get him comfortable."

"Not too comfortable, I hope," Noctis grumbled, wanting to kick the man again, not caring he was utterly helpless now.

That got a smirk from the Marshal, "Here, I was told this will open any tomb you might find out here." He handed a key to him, "Your father entrusted it to me to give to you, so don't lose it."

"Yeah." Noctis examined the old key. It was larger than most keys and heavier still. It was as long as his hand, carved just like the tomb with its elaborate whorls of filigree and flowers etched into the dark metal.

Tucking it away safely, he looked for the others and found the two missing blonds a few yards away. Ignis was hovering over Prompto, patting his back and talking in low tones as the younger boy bent over his knees and looked to be heaving onto the ground.

Noctis ran over to see what was wrong with his friend. "What happened, Specs?" he asked Ignis once he reached them.

Prompto was pale when he looked up and met his eyes directly, his hands shaking as he wiped his mouth clean. "I never killed a person before. I shot two right in the face without thinking. There was so much blood."

"You did your job, and you did it well, Prompto." Ignis praised him, handing him a bottle of water he summoned from their stash and helping him with the cap.

Gladio came over and ruffled Prompto's hair, "Yeah, kid, don't feel bad about it. They'd as soon as put a bullet in one of our heads without losing any sleep over it. You did good back there."

"Yeah?" Prompto peeked out from under his bangs as he sipped on his water, some color coming back into his cheeks as he blushed at the praise.

Noctis wrapped an arm over his shoulders. "Yeah, buddy, you did."

"Man, I didn't mean to wimp out. Embarrassing." Prompto rubbed at his red face.

"Your first kill of another human being is never easy, nor should it," Cor said, causing all four of them to turn his way as he approached their huddle, the Imperial soldier slung over his shoulder. The Marshal's eyes focused on the youngest member, "But this is war, and there's going to be more than that heading our way. As long as you stay true to your duty in protecting the King and the people of this land you've sworn to defend, you'll do just fine."

Perking up at his words, Prompto stood tall and proud, even if a bit shaky still, giving Cor a nod of understanding. "You can count on me."

"I'll be holding you to that," Cor said. "Come back to the camp after you're done with the tunnels. We have a lot to talk about."

They all nodded, understanding it for the order it was, and they parted ways with the Marshal. Left to their own devices, they followed Cor's directions to find these tunnels. Unfortunately, they weren't as easy to access as the last tomb was. The path had been blocked off by debris of the remnants of destroyed structures, but with only a few minor scrapes and bruises, they managed to get through all the rubble after carefully sliding down the mountain of scrap.

After nearly falling over a pile of twisted metal, something caught Prompto's attention as he glared at the offending obstacle that had tripped him. "Wait a minute, what's this?"

"You find something, kid?" Gladio asked curiously, coming over to investigate.

"I think this thing might still actually work!"

Now, Noctis was curious about what had excited the other boy. Walking over with Ignis in tow, they saw what had caught the blond's attention. In Prompto's arms was a piece of large machinery. From the industrial style, it looked like old Niflheim tech, but Noctis couldn't be sure.

"What do you want with that?" Noctis asked his friend in confusion, but he was glad to see that Prompto wasn't looking so upset anymore. His curious find would likely be a welcome distraction from his darker thoughts.

"Look at these canisters," Prompto flipped the machine around to show them the 'hazard' stamp embossed on the metal that was eroding away. "I think this was a bio-tech weapon. I don't think they even make these anymore!" his eyes lit up in excitement.

"Would be a useful thing to use if you got mobbed," Gladio said, examining it as well. "You think you can handle a thing like that?"

Prompto ran his hands over the old mechanical weapon. A small, pleased grin began to bloom as he looked it over with a critical eye. "With the right tools, I can get this thing up and running like new in no time—probably even improve it. It's not very complicated, really."

Noctis wanted to argue with that statement.

Prompto was always one to underplay how good he was with things like this. Throughout school, Noctis had been amazed at how easily his friend breezed through most subjects. Yet, Prompto could not see his talents as anything more than standard. The other boy didn't even bother studying most of the time; he was too involved with his interests and dealing with his social awkwardness. Even with that, Noctis often had to work hard to keep up with the blond. Prompto could probably even give Ignis a run for his money on a few subjects if he really wanted to.

"We should bring it with us then," Ignis said. "After all, having a diverse arsenal at our disposal never hurts."

Prompto focused hard on the machine in his hands, the rundown equipment disappearing with a quiet 'pop' as it was successfully stashed away into the subspace inventory of the armiger. Noctis noticed that the other boy was getting much better at accessing it by himself the more he used it aside from summoning his guns.

Noctis fondly remembered the first time he showed him how to use the armiger. Prompto's eyes had nearly popped from his head, and then he bombarded him for hours with a million questions on how it worked. The other boy had called it a subspace-pocket dimension that defied all standards of logic. Noctis had fallen asleep on the couch as Prompto started on a rant about theories of time and space and the multi-verse, going so far as creating a board full of notes and strings.

It had been a fun weekend.

"So the entrance should be right around here, yeah? You think this is it?" Gladio asked, pushing more scrap metal off the rock wall to reveal a partially collapsed opening.

Ignis looked into the dark entrance with a deep frown. "I believe so. Do you all have your portable lights attached to yourselves?" He asked them, tapping his own attached to his lapel, the small light clicking on and shined brightly at them.

They stepped into the dark tunnel together once their lights were attached and turned on. The air was much cooler now that they were out of the sunlight and headed underground. The interior was much wider than it first appeared to be outside. It looked like it started as a natural cave that was later dug into to create the tunnel system further. At the back of the cave's entrance, they found the metal door used to keep unwanted individuals from entering. Years of neglect weakened the door, and with a few helpful kicks from Gladio, it swung inwards and slammed open for them.

"So this place was used as a shelter?" Prompto asked, rubbing his arm and looking nervously around the dark interior. Support beams creaked above as they walked under them, the old wood still holding the walls from collapsing somehow, even after being abandoned for decades.

Ignis examined the place, eyes roaming to see where the safest way through was as he answered, "Thirty years ago, the war was ruthless in this area. The entire city of Keycatrich that used to sit above us was wiped out, first by the Empire, then the daemons that moved in soon after."

Outdated equipment cluttered the ground of the narrow hallway, and Noctis nearly tripped on a set of cable wires littering the dirt floor. It was difficult to see even with their flashlights on their brightest setting. He wondered if the old floodlights strung up along the walls were still in any condition to be used.

"You think that these lights might work?" Prompto asked as if reading his mind.

"It's worth a try," Ignis hummed in thought. "Let us try following the cables to see where the power source is. No need to stumble about in the dark if we don't have to."

They let the cables lead the way deep into a man-made cave system. They passed a few metal doors, but when they tried to open them to see what was on the other side, they found them locked from the other side. Noctis found that interesting as he didn't see a keyhole to unlock it from their side of the door. Setting aside that thought for later, since the cable didn't even lead there, they continued to follow the thick rope of cable wire down the tunnel and soon found where it connected.

"Oh, a generator!" Prompto looked like he wanted to hug the thing.

"Think you can turn it on?" Gladio asked the blond.

"Let's see!" kneeling next to the old power generator, Prompto pulled a small panel aside after flipping the main power switch did nothing. Noctis wasn't sure what the other boy did, but after a short time and some tinkering with the electrical circuits and wires and a hard kick to its side, the generator sputtered into life. All the lights around them flickered on after a few false starts, the old bulbs casting a dim yellow glow.

"Oh, gods above, thank you!" Prompto cried out and actually ended up hugging the old machine in gratitude.

"Hate to pry you away from your new lover, but we should get going now that we can see." Gladio teased, though he looked relieved to be out of the dark.

It was hard for Noctis to decide if it was better or worse now that there was light to guide their way. The low lighting flickered in and out as the generator's power sputtered, having difficulty staying powered on under the strain. It cast deep shadows around them that were more than a little eerie, but now with the added light, Ignis found an old map of the tunnel's layout posted on a damaged wall. It was faded but still legible for the most part.

Noctis was pretty sure his eyes were starting to play tricks on him when it looked like some of the shadows moved around in the darker corners. Next to him, Prompto jumped in the air when a loud clanking sound was heard from behind them.

"What was that!"

"That was me," Gladio confessed. "I kicked a can or something, I think."

"Dude! What is it with you and the sudden sounds in super scary places!" Prompto glared up at the large man, referring to yesterday's incident with the Zu. Gladio just shrugged his shoulders and moved on without another word.

Unfortunately, their way further into the tunnels was blocked by a cave-in. It looked recent from the dust and small rocks still falling through the cracks overhead, the ceiling above them appearing very unstable.

"A dead end?" Noctis scratched the back of his head. He was getting tired of these setbacks this little adventure of theirs was having.

"There's got to be a way around; no way that there's only one way through," Gladio said, looking over Ignis' shoulder at the old map held in the other's hands.

"Think so?"

"There was a fissure in one of the walls by those locked doors if we go back the way we came." Ignis scanned the faded map further, "the room that should be behind it looks to lead deeper inside the tunnel system. That will be our best solution here."

"Then let's go," Prompto grabbed Noctis' arm and dragged him away from the collapsed tunnel.

Indeed, there was a large crack in the wall near one of the locked doors. Looking through the gap, the room on the other side looked empty in the dark. More shadows flickered against the room's walls with the minimal light inside, but even when Noctis flashed his light into it, he couldn't find the cause.

Was he going crazy?

"I don't think all of us can squeeze through here." Gladio looked at Ignis. "And if we try to break it down, it might cause another cave-in."

Noctis examined the crack, "I don't think even I can get through it, and it's not like I can warp through walls either."

All eyes turned to the smallest member of the group.

"Me?" Prompto shook his head franticly, eyes wide in fear. "No, no, no. No way am I going in there alone to be eaten by a ghost!"

"Prompto, you're the only one small enough to get through. We need to open this door to get the rest of us inside," Ignis said.

"This is not the way I wanted to go out," Prompto whined, pacing in front of the damaged wall. "Okay, okay, I got this."

After another moment to psych himself up, Prompto took a deep breath to calm his nerves and slid his body into the crack in the wall. It was a tight squeeze to get through, even for him and his slight frame. The rest of the group lost sight of him when a final push—courtesy of Gladio's boot—sent him falling to the dirt floor, a loud 'oomph' echoing back the only sign he made it to the other side.

"You okay in there, kid?" Gladio asked, peering through the crack to try and see where Prompto had ended up.

"Ye-yeah, I'm fine! But, holy sh*t, it's dark in here."

Ignis shoved the larger man out of his way to speak to the other blond, "Prompto, look for the door. See if you can get the lock open."

"Right! Got it, let's see…here we ar—wait, what was that?" Prompto went quiet as scuttling feet came from inside the dark room with him. It was faint but sounded like multiple tiny feet running across the ground. "Guys, there's something in here!"

Gladio shrugged, unconcerned, "It's probably just a rat."

"Dude, that sounded way bigger than a cute little rodent friend!"

"Prompto, the door."

"I'm trying!" There was a sound of metal scraping on the other side of the door, followed by banging as Prompto did his best to unlock it. "Come on, come on, come on, you piece of sh*t door!"

Noctis called out to him to try to calm him down. "It's going to be alright, buddy." There was another crash from the other side, followed by Prompto screaming, causing all three to shout in concern.

"Prompto!"

The door shook as the banging continued, along with Prompto yelling in fright. Still, he managed to unlock it despite his panic, and the metal door slammed open with Prompto jumping out from the dark room, arms latched tight around Noctis' neck in a vice-like grip.

"Eyes! So many eyes!"

"What are you talk-" Whatever Gladio was going to say was cut off when the large man was knocked to the ground as a pack of small creatures leaped out of the darkness. Like ants, they crawled all over him, snarling and scratching at his back. Gladio swiped at them with his arms, but the little creatures were too fast, avoiding his strikes.

"I told you it wasn't a rat!" Prompto yelled at him while trying to climb on Noctis' back to escape the little monsters, nearly choking the prince in the process.

"Get them the f*ck off me and stop gloating, you little sh*t!"

There was a bright flash next to them, and Ignis launched a few of the creatures off Gladio's back with the blunt end of his spear to avoid hurting him with the blade. "They're daemons! Shine your flashlights on them on full power!"

Following his commands, the two boys directed their flashlights at Gladio, covering him in the bright beams of light. The daemons attacking him hissed and jumped away when the light touched them. Noctis got a good look at the things as they scattered, crawling away from them and back into the safety of the dark room.

The creatures were the size of children, but their skin was all wrinkled and gray, their faces haggard-looking as they bared their sharp, crooked fangs in a feral display of intimidation.

"Goblins, Specs? Were those f*cking goblins?" Noctis stared incredulously at Ignis; Prompto clutched safely in his arms now that he had stopped trying to climb him like a tree.

"They're little more than pests," Ignis scoffed, helping Gladio up from the ground and checking him over for any injuries. "Now that we know they've made their home here, keeping them at bay should be relatively easy."

"'Easy,' he says," Gladio grumbled to himself, slapping Ignis' hands away as he continued to poke and prod at him.

Prompto glared at them all, untangling himself from Noctis now that the little daemons were gone. "I am not doing that everagain!"

"Well, the way is open now, so we should be on our guard." Ignis switched out his spear for his daggers, "there could be more than just goblins the deeper we go."

The other rooms they found connected to the newly open one were cluttered with various objects. A thick layer of dust and cobwebs covered everything inside, turning everything into a unified color of gray. Old lockers and storage containers were full of rotted supplies and clothes covered in mold. It was more evidence that no one had been inside these rooms for a long time—well, except for the goblins, it seemed.

They moved aside some overturned makeshift beds to barricade the doors that led into the other rooms further in the tunnels. But it appeared that whatever these people were trying to keep out, a few mere cots were no match for it. Noctis was starting to see a picture forming of what happened here, and he didn't like it.

They were still relying on their flashlights to guide them through the dark as the power from the old generator wasn't as reliable as they'd hoped. Whenever it would putter out, they could all hear the goblins scrambling to get closer to them, waiting for their moment to attack the small group of humans in their den. However, the little daemons being more scavengers than natural predators, it only took a few swipes and shots from their weapons to get them to back off.

The goblins did enjoy their own brand of mischief, though. Banging doors, turning on the water in the showers, and leaving items on the floor to lure one of them away from the group were just some of their favorite little tactics.

As they found more generators, adding power to help keep the lights on, they found more signs of the people who had once lived in these tunnels. More personal items were found abandoned, things a person would have taken with them even in a hurry. But more concernedly, all the doors they found locked were locked from the inside. Of course, the locked doors could have been more tricks from their goblin friends, but Noctis was starting to think that something more sinister had a hand in all this.

These people were hiding from something, and it had been inside with them.

After taking out another pack of goblins that had bravely decided to attack them, they managed to break into the storage rooms at the end of the tunnel. They formed a circle to keep a ring of light around them to prevent another sneak attack. In the process, they could see that there was a lot more webbing in this room than in all the others. The webs covered everything in thick dusty layers, and through it all, Noctis could barely make out the glow of some large canisters against a wall. Crouching down to get a closer look out of curiosity, Noctis found that they might have been some old fire element containers for a heating unit.

"How many spiders do you think it took to build all these webs?" Prompto asked the group, looking even more uncomfortable if that was possible as he glanced around with quick, nervous movements. "Like a million, right?"

"I keep forgetting how much you hate bugs," Noctis said in amusem*nt.

"They got too many legs," Prompto shuddered, "and too many eyes to go with 'em!"

"No arguments here, man."

"So, when do you think these people left?" Prompto asked to change the subject, examining a shelf of equipment. "A lot of this looks really outdated."

"I'm not so sure that they left on their own accord," Ignis said, sharing a look with Noctis. "Or that they left at all."

Prompto frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Just think about it," Noctis continued in Ignis' stead, "after being forced to flee the city during the siege, why would they leave so much of their things behind once they got the all-clear to go? Where they were supposedly safe from the Niffs?'

That made Prompto frown even more, "you think the Empire got in?"

Looking around, Noctis didn't see any evidence of gunfire. There were no bullet holes in the walls or shell casings on the floor, but the place was such a mess it could be under all the webbing. There were too many variables and not enough clear information to go by. "I'm not sure what happened here, but whatever it was, it wasn't good."

"Oh sh*t." Gladio cursed from the corner he was exploring in the back. "Guys, come look at this."

"Did you find a way through?" Prompto asked, looking hopeful as he went over to see what Gladio had found, only to gasp at what he saw.

"No, but I think we just found the answer to our little mystery."

Noctis looked over their shoulders, wanting to see what they were discussing. "Are those bones?" he asked. Feeling a level of disgust at the large pile of bones collected in the corner. A few skulls sat at the base in clear view, recognizable as belonging to a human. The dust-covered skulls grinned up at them, their smiling teeth stained a rusty brown with old blood and dirt.

It was something right out of a horror film.

"It looks like something was chewing on them too." Noctis bent over to lift a femur to show them the teeth marks. More of the same signs could be seen on all the other bones in the pile. "And it was something bigger than a goblin." He pointed out the size of the grooves that cut deep into the bone.

Prompto backed away and looked like he wanted to be sick, his face turning pale and sweaty. "Okay, I really think we should get out of here."

Noctis shook his head, "we need to find that tomb first." He said, burying his own sense of horror at the fate of these people. With no way out, these people had been trapped. The Empire on one side, and whatever this daemon was on the other. A literal buffet handed to it on a silver platter.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and the atmosphere suddenly changed. A malevolent presence now filled the room around them when before it felt empty. The quiet clicking sounds that he assumed belonged to the goblins grew louder now, and now that he could hear it better, it wasn't the same sounds the goblins had made.

Where were they all now, for that matter?

"Above us!"

Following Ignis's shout, they shined their lights up to the ceiling above them. Dozens of shiny black eyes stared down at them hungrily. Mouths, full of sharp teeth covered in a slimy substance, drooled out of their mouths and over twitching mandibles as they furiously clicked and snapped down at them in excitement.

"Giant spiders!"

As if waiting for Prompto's terrified scream as their signal, the half dozen giant tarantula daemons leaped off from the ceiling and attacked. It was challenging to keep them all in view of their flashlights, the tarantulas taking advantage of the dark and their significant numbers to crowd around them and doing their best to separate the boys from each other—a tactic that was working.

"Those people were eatenby these things?" Prompto shouted over the loud gunfire as he unloaded an entire clip into one of the tarantulas, black blood splattering against the walls behind it.

"No," Ignis said, dismembering all the legs from one side of another with his daggers as it attempted to strike. The tarantula screeched in pain as one of its companions started to rip into its exoskeleton to devour the soft insides, taking advantage now that it was too injured to continue fighting. The daemon's hunger too great to ignore, even among its brethren. "There's something much worse than these, I'm afraid to say." He warned him.

A cold laugh rang out from the depths of the darkness. Like nails on a chalkboard, it grated on their nerves to hear. The haunting sound caused the remaining tarantulas left alive to scurry away to the safety of the room's corners. All were waiting to see what would happen now that their master had decided to join.

The origin of the terrible sound came into view, the dark form slowly creeping out from the shadows of the ceiling to reveal itself to them. The ground shook when the massive weight of its body let itself fall to the floor and landed with a crash, its shadow looming over them all.

Standing just outside the ring of light they made, the monster appeared as a woman at first glance. Long pale hair surrounded a lovely face in a mass of matted tangles that hung over its shoulders and human-like torso to frame its exposed breasts. But that's where the human qualities ended. At ten feet tall, it towered over even Gladio, its lower half the image of a giant tarantula, looking much like its smaller minions. It grinned at them all with its human face, showing off its gleaming wet fangs, stained a dark, ugly yellow with the blood of its countless victims.

"Holy sh*t!" Prompto nearly dropped his gun in fright as he hurriedly shuffled closer to the others, closing their circle.

"It's an Arachne!" Ignis shouted in warning at them. "It can harness ambient electricity to stun its prey, so be wary when its legs begin to spark!"

Gladio grinned up at the giant daemon, "A light show, huh?" he raised his bloody great sword, ready to start the actual fight. "Sounds like a good time to me."

"This is no time to get co*cky, Gladiolus!" Ignis scolded him.

The Arachne tossed its long hair back, pleased at the opportunity to hunt large prey once again after being trapped inside for so long. Its fanged mouth opened wide in a scream before lunging at them. Its long, bulky legs swiped out in front of it and knocked them all to the ground, the boys trying and failing to dodge out of its path.

"f*ck!" Noctis stood back to his feet, a bit shaky after the first hit knocked the breath out of him.

Prompto wasted no time to cover Noctis as he took a moment to recover, using both guns to fire at the daemon. The flashes from the barrels of the guns lit up the room as Prompto aimed for the center of the daemon's human body. The daemon was a lot faster than its large size would imply it was capable of, though it screamed in anger as a few bullets grazed its upper arm. Nevertheless, even in his panic, Prompto was able to hit his mark, if only partially.

It hissed in anger as it stared down at the dark blood that oozed thickly down its human arm. The daemon then threw its head back to scream again, this time in a rage, the sound and volume ringing painfully in their ears. The tarantulas from before answered their master's call and returned to the fight, attempting to mob them all once again.

The tarantulas screeched as they jumped in front of the Arachne to defend their master as Noctis and Gladio did their best to flank it with their blades. Ignis leaped out of range of another swipe of its legs while throwing his daggers at the smaller daemons and re-summoning them into his hands once they hit their targets, another small tarantula daemon falling at the fatal blow.

But as soon as they'd kill off all the smaller tarantula, the Arachne would only scream once more, and a new batch would crawl out from the many nooks and crannies that made up their nests. And the battle continued on in the same way. If they got too close to it or Noctis tried to use a warp strike, the Arachne would begin to charge up its electrical field and try to stun them, making the boys need to fall back and out of its range.

Gladio growled in frustration as he was forced to jump away from another set of sparks that tried to stun him; he wasn't grinning anymore. "There has to be a better way to kill this bitch!"

"We used up all of our magic flasks already!" Prompto yelled, shooting another tarantula in its face as it tried to bite him.

"I don't think I have enough magic of my own stored up to do much either," Noctis said, blocking another blow from a sharp stab from the daemon's leg.

Ignis appeared to be just as frustrated as they all felt. Scowling, he threw a dagger once more, only for it to be swatted away with one of its many legs, the armor of its exoskeleton too hard to pierce. "It's only going to keep summoning more of its minions to itself if we don't kill it now."

Searching the room for a way out, Noctis was suddenly hit with a burst of inspiration. "Wait, I have an idea!" He ran towards the Arachne, ignoring the others as they began yelling at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Noct!"

"Are you f*cking crazy? Get back here!"

He ran faster as the creature's massive body reared up on its back legs, clearly intending to use the weight of its whole body to pierce him with its sharp, pointed front legs. Instead of attacking, Noctis rolled under it and quickly warped to the other side as it slammed down in the spot he was just in, its front legs now stuck in the hard ground.

Now safely behind it, he ran to the back wall, where he saw the old canisters. Lifting one up, he threw it as hard as possible at the Arachne's back while shouting at Prompto. "Shoot the canister!"

Not even questioning it for a second, Prompto took aim and fired a single shot just as it was about to hit the daemon, the canister instantly exploding into flames. The large daemon screamed as its hair caught on fire, filling the room with the stench of it as it burned. The two boys cheered at their success and quickly did it again. Noctis throwing, and Prompto shooting, the fire-filled cylinders, causing more fire damage to the daemon still stuck to the ground, unable to dodge.

"Gladio, go!" Ignis shouted, taking over the bulk of killing off the smaller tarantulas attacking them still.

Gladio gripped his sword and charged at the badly burnt daemon, and with a swing of the blade with his full power behind it, he broke through its hard outer armor, and one of its legs was cut clean through. A loud, resounding snap echoed around the room. The large appendage flew across the room in a spray of blood, and another scream rang out as the Arachne fell to the ground. All the while, its upper body continued to burn.

Taking the opportunity now it was on the ground and still stuck, they all started to attack it in full force together. Blocking and dodging the few legs still swinging about, now more in panic than in a planned attack. Gladio looked to be taking a lot of satisfaction in breaking off more of its legs. Ignis, armed with his spear beside him, plunged its pointed blade into its exposed chest that was no longer protected.

With one final scream, the daemon grew still, now just a smoldering corpse, and the last of its minions fell dead.

As one, they all sat down to catch their breath, the webbing on the walls that had been caught in the blasts burning away into smoldering piles around them.

"Did we just kill a giant spider lady?" Prompto asked, staring blankly at the dissolving bodies, trying to process what had just happened.

Noctis fell onto his back to stare at the scorched ceiling, "Cor did say it would be dangerous."

"I'm never getting the smell outta my clothes." Gladio hung his head and scrubbed his hands through his hair. "The stench of burnt hair and daemon sh*t is going to last forever."

Ignis stood over Noctis to help him to his feet, dusting his shirt off, although it was done in vain, "it's time for us to finish what we started when coming here in the first place."

"It's gotta be close, right?" Prompto asked them, still a little out of breath from the fight. "Please tell me that was the hard part, and we can leave soon."

Leaning against Ignis' tall frame a bit longer than he needed to while catching his breath, Noctis agreed with the other boy. He couldn't wait to leave these tunnels and get back out into the sunlight. Noctis prayed to whatever power that was listening that the next tomb they had to find was above ground.

Gladio stood with a loud groan and dusted himself off the dirt and ash covering him from head to toe. "Alright, Noct. It's time to use those newfound senses of yours to find this crypt."

Now that most of the thick webbing was burnt away, the doors leading to the back of the room were easy to find. It only took a few shoves for them to open them, and they could continue their search deeper into the tunnels. It was easy to pick up on the power that reached out to him now, and Noctis wondered if the daemon's presence was blocking him from sensing it earlier. That was a concerning thought and was something to discuss with Ignis later.

The old tunnel system was empty. The Arachne likely the culprit for scaring away any lesser daemons from making their homes this deep inside. With it dead now, it would probably be filled soon with more goblins and the like, the lesser creatures no longer fearful of being devoured by a larger daemon.

Rounding a corner, he felt a strong tug and followed it to a collapsed wall. It looked safe enough to climb over, and the atmosphere completely changed once they were on the other side.

This wasn't the same system as the other tunnels. These were older. Mucholder.

"Holy sh*t, this place looks ancient," Prompto said, looking around in wonder.

Noctis could feelhow old this place was, could feel it in his bones somehow. "Yeah, I get the feeling that this wasn't originally part of the system out there."

"From the looks of it, I'd say it must predate it by quite a bit." Ignis hazard a guess.

Gladio scanned the area with his weapon still drawn, unwilling to let his guard down just yet, "This far in, we gotta be right under the old city by now."

"Oh wow! Look at that!" Prompto hurried over to get a better look at the far wall of the open chamber they found themselves in. "What do you make of this?" he asked, looking at Ignis.

"Oh my," Ignis' eyes widened behind his glasses once he used his flashlight to get a better look at the wall.

"What is it, Specs?" Noctis joined them to see what they found, curious at the other's reaction. His jaw dropped when he got a good look at it himself, barely believing his eyes.

It was a giant mural that spanned the entire wall of the room. Even covered in dust and cobwebs, Noctis could recognize it. However, he had only seen vaguely similar images of the figure in the older historical texts back home, and those had been few and far between.

A tall, dark figure made up most of the mural, a tremendous glowing gate taking up the rest of it in the backdrop. The figure was encased in an armor of hardened flesh, seemingly made up of their own body. A ghoulish grin stretched across their face as it gazed down at them, their head a fleshless skull, runes, and sigils carved into the bone with thick horns growing out of the base of either side of its head. Both of their arms spread out to stretch across the mural in a proud display, their arms mismatched in both shape and size.

Stranger, not only did a massive wing make up one of its arms, but a feminine figure was fused along with it. She was part of the wing itself, her lovely but blindfolded face gazing lovingly into the other's hollow-eyed one as the tall figure held a set of scales in their other clawed hand.

It was a familiar piece of iconography of two haunting figures combined into one horrifying yet beautiful image.

Noctis turned to his adviser, "Is that who I think it is?"

"Zelera, he who was given the noble task to weigh the hearts and souls of man and one of the messengers of Etro," Ignis said, eyes unblinking as he took in the preserved image, somehow undamaged even after all this time.

"Who is that?" Prompto asked.

"You wouldn't know of them, would you? Not after all this time being stricken from the public domains," Ignis pondered to himself.

"From the stories and legends passed down to us, the goddess Etro predates even the Hexatheon from the Cosmogony," Gladio said, gazing at the mural with the same wonder and confusion as the other two. "You've probably seen the few preserved images scattered around the Citadel the few times you visited."

"There's a whole goddess that the majority didn't know about?" Prompto scratched his head in confusion, "But why? What was she even the goddess of?"

"She's the goddess of Death and Rebirth and had been the patron of Lucis and the royal line since its origins, at least from what we're able to remember," Noctis explained, brushing the dusty webs off of the image with a careful hand. "One of the past Kings decided that all of Lucis would be better off forgetting Etro, and instead chose to raise Bahamut in her place, believing him to be a better patron as he's also seen as the god of War and Light."

"But this creepy dude is some other guy?" Prompto asked.

"Etro was said to have had her fair share of messengers, her having the largest domain to rule over compared to the other Astrals." Ignis said, "Now it makes sense that they would build one of the royal tombs down here. This must have been a temple devoted to Etro, with Zelera as its keeper back in the day."

"A whole temple buried under the rubble of a city," Gladio shook his head in dismay.

"The Kings of old must have gone down through the temple in the city above to reach this tomb on their pilgrimages," Ignis hypothesized.

"Speaking of, hey Noct," Gladio turned to the younger boy, "got a better read on that tomb from your new magical senses?"

Noctis closed his eyes, feeling a tug trying to lead him further inside, "Yeah, it's close."

"Prompto, could you please get a few photographs of this mural if you would?" Ignis asked, "I'd like to keep a record to compare with if given the chance. There's no telling what will happen if the Empire finds this place after we leave."

"Sure thing, Iggy," Prompto whipped his camera out and snapped a plethora of images to choose from later.

With Gladio at his back, Noctis followed the tugging deeper inside the old temple to a set of stone doors. The same carvings as the last tomb and key covered them, as did the borders of the mural, making it evident that this was the place. Noctis wasn't sure if the tears he felt burning the back of his eyes were relief that the tomb was indeed there or just the stress of the day finally catching up to him.

Taking the key out, he inserted it into the door. With a twist of his wrist, it unlocked easily, opening up without a single sound. He wondered if it was some kind of magic that kept it all in such good shape. If the tombs were so old, old enough to still have evidence of their forgotten goddess, it was odd that not even a creek was heard as the doors slid open for them.

The layout of the tomb was much like the first one. Noctis wondered as he looked around if it was because of tradition or if they were built around the same era. Only time would tell as he found more of them out in the world to compare with.

The others stayed back as he entered alone inside the crypt. Giving him an illusion of privacy but close enough to aid him if something went wrong and his safety was in question. The only threat, though, was waiting in front of him. The ghostly aura around the weapon atop the sarcophagus glowed brighter as he approached it.

He raised his hand to it with a steadying breath and beckoned it forth. The great axe glowed brighter, and like the sword from the other tomb, a crystallized replica appeared above the original. Now kind of knowing what to expect, Noctis braced himself as the axe rushed to fuse itself with his body.

The cold feeling spread throughout him, and a voice rang out in his mind, triumphant.

Go forth. Use my power to take back what has been stolen from us

The voice faded as he stumbled to stay upright, the tinkling sounds of the crystal shards fading with it, the power of the weapon now joined and settled with the first.

"Well, that went better than the last time," Ignis said, looking him over critically, searching for any sign he would collapse like before.

Noctis shook his head, "yeah, but it still left behind a real headache." He desperately wanted a warm bath to get rid of the chill, too.

"Hate to break the moment and all, but can we please get out of here?" Prompto said, looking about how Noctis also felt. Just done with the entire day.

"It would be wise to get back in touch with the Marshal," Ignis agreed. "See what he's found out from our Imperial guest."

All in agreement, they made their way out of the tunnels. Although with what they had discovered there, it could be labeled a tomb just as much as the royal one it hid inside.

Noctis listened to Prompto prattling on to Ignis what he hoped the camp had regarding accommodations. Gladio was silent at his side as they journeyed to the surface, sticking closer to Noctis than usual. There wasn't a single peep from their goblin friends. Their path was clear as they backtracked to the entrance, so he doubted the close proximity was for his protection. So that left him to wonder why the other was breathing down his neck.

Maybe he was just as tired as the rest of them were. Noctis himself was more than ready to get back to camp and out of his disgusting clothes. He would have planned to burn them if they had enough spare clothing, but they had to conserve their few supplies.

Noctis tilted his head back as the sun's warm light chased away the cold as the bright rays covered his skin. Prompto cheered as he ran ahead of the group to get as far away from the tunnel as humanly possible while Ignis shouted at him to stay in their line of sight.

It was a bit of normalcy that had been absent since the morning began, and it was mind-boggling that it had only been this morning that their worldview had been changed in such a violent way.

Buzzing from his pocket interrupted Noctis' darker thoughts, and he quickly answered the call, "Hello?"

"Been trying you for a while now, started to wonder if you got lost in there."

"Cor, yeah, we just got out of there," Noctis scowled into the receiver, "got tangled up with a few spiders along the way."

There was an amused huff on the other end, "Well, get back to the outpost as soon as possible. Got some things to run by you once you get here."

"Any chance it can wait until we get cleaned up first?"

"Your Highness' bath-time will just have to wait, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be there soon," Noctis hung up.

Looked like their evening plans had to wait for a bit longer.

-*-

The sun had just about set into nightfall by the time they managed to get back to the Prairie Outpost. It would have been their luck if they had to worry about daemons on the way back. The wildlife they had to get through was bad enough.

No one blinked an eye as they entered the main building looking for Cor, though with a camp full of Hunters, a group of filthy men was probably the norm around here.

Monica greeted them with a slight wave when they found them in what Noctis was now going to call 'the map room.' Beside her, Cor was bent over a table, the two speaking in low tones as they marked places on the map under them.

"Your Highness, it's good to see you returned to us unharmed," Cor said, not bothering to look up from the map, circling another spot with his pen.

"Have you learned anything new, Marshal?" Ignis asked, looking to see what they had been going over, humming in interest at what he saw.

Cor finally looked up and locked eyes with Noctis, "Our guest has been very helpful, yes."

"And?" Noctis was getting impatient.

"And," the Marshal paused just to irritate him, "it appears that the Empire is bulking up their bases here on the continent. Come here," he waved them all over to see the map he had been marking up. "See here?" he pointed, showing them the border of Leide, "they're looking to block access to the roads along the west going into Duscae. We'll need to put at least one out of commission if we wish to gain access."

Prompto whistled at the amount of Imperial activity on the map, "You think we can take out a base with just us?"

Gladio nodded in agreement, "Kid's got a point; ain't gonna be easy takin' down a whole stronghold with a handful of people."

"The bases here are unfinished," Cor indicated, referring to an area by a road closest to their current location. "From our new intel, there's a back door into the Imperial base that's lightly guarded—if at all. If we strike before dawn, there'll be little defenses in our way to get inside. Reinforcements aren't due to arrive until the following afternoon."

"So now wha—" A yawn forced its way out from Noctis, despite his attempts to suppress it. He was ready to drop any minute.

Cor patted his shoulder, "Go get cleaned up and get some rest. You'll need it in a few hours."

Taking that as a signal to go, Ignis led the way to find them somewhere to bed down for the night. Now that it was fully night, the camp was full. Apparently, there were more Hunters here than at first glance, and Noctis wasn't feeling hopeful that there would be any place with an actual bed waiting for him.

He really didn't want to sleep on the ground tonight.

But Ignis must have spun some sort of magic and scored them a caravan for the night. Even better yet, it had a shower installed inside. It was the most beautiful thing Noctis had ever seen, as small as it was.

Taking turns in the tiny shower and unashamedly eavesdropping on Gladio as he cursed the entire time during his, the boys were finally able to relax. Ignis, taking advantage of the small kitchenette, whipped them up a quick but filling meal for them all. After, Noctis sat outside with Prompto as the other two cleaned up inside.

The other boy had commandeered the picnic table, taking apart the old Niflheim tech he had found earlier. Noctis watched in amusem*nt as bolts and screws were tossed about into piles, some thrown away entirely, deemed useless. All the while, Prompto hummed quietly to himself, the occasional 'oh!' from him when he found an interesting part of the weapons design.

"So you figured it out yet?"

"Hm?" Prompto blinked up at him a few times before he realized he was being asked a question, "Oh! Yeah, yeah, I think so."

"Is it still salvageable like you thought?"

Prompto beamed, "Dude, it's totally still usable." He started waving his hands around as he explained what went into its design and how it was supposed to work. Noctis understood only half of what he was saying but was happy to sit back and listen.

"I'll only need a few things to get it up and running, and I'm pretty sure I can get them here before we leave." Prompto continued on, throwing another rusted screw over his shoulder.

"We'll make sure to hit one of the vendors here then," Noctis assured him.

"Hey, Noct," Prompto paused in his tinkering to turn his full attention to him, "you think maybe Cindy will give me a few tips about car maintenance or something?"

"Huh?"

Prompto started blushing now, "Well, you know, with us driving around and being fugitives and all, we might be on the road for a while. Makes sense that someone should know more about it just in case."

"And you want Cindy to teach you?" Noctis saw the blush deepen on Prompto's face and felt something ugly twist inside at the sight of it.

"She really knows her stuff, you know?" Prompto rushed on. "I think it can really come in handy."

"What can?"

Noctis was saved from finding a suitable response as Gladio and Ignis returned to join them, their tasks having been done.

"Being able to fix the Regalia," Prompto said, answering Gladio's question.

"That's an excellent idea," Ignis said, sitting beside Noctis and handing him a water bottle.

"No telling where our little adventure will take us," Gladio agreed. "Would be nice if we weren't stranded again."

Noctis sat quietly as the others discussed ways they could get the blond mechanic at Hammerhead to teach them the basics of her craft. He tried not to scowl when Gladio started teasing Prompto about him having a crush on the woman. Prompto sputtering his denial only made the other laugh. Ignis rolled his eyes next to him as the two continued to bicker.

Noctis shuddered as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end unexpectedly. He looked around for the source and spotted the snarky Hunter from earlier that afternoon approaching their little haven.

"So it looks like you boys were more than just a few wannabe Hunters," the man said. He eyed them all in turn, looking unimpressed with what he found. "Imagine my surprise that we were being graced with royalty this day, royalty that had been reported dead even. Vera should have had the red carpet ready for your miraculous resurrection."

"None needed, thanks," Noctis held back a sneer, "we're just passing through, don't worry."

The man looked to be holding back a sneer of his own. "Not much for passing through when you have most of the guild out here following your Marshal's orders."

Gladio looked near ready to jump out of his seat and throttle the guy. "Did you just come over here to bitch at us?"

Noctis could feel the beginning of another headache trying to burst his skull in half, "Look, Laurent, was it? I don't know about you, but it's been a really long day, and it would be nice to end on a quiet note. So, if you don't mind, we'd like to spend our evening peacefully." Noctis said, not feeling up to dealing with someone else's bullsh*t and just wanting to end the conversation, ideally, without having to break up a fight in the process.

"A prince does need his beauty sleep, I suppose," Laurent nodded to himself before pausing, "Forgive me, I meant to say 'King,' your father being dead and all." Insincerity could be heard dripping over every word.

That was the last straw for Gladio, "look asshole—" but was pushed back down into his seat by Ignis, who had stood as well, though there was a fire in his eyes as he stared the offending man down.

"I think it's time for everyone to turn in for the night, yes?" Ignis said, steel in his voice as he stood in front of the group, the rest of them seething in anger behind him.

Laurent raised his hands in mock surrender, "No offense meant. I just wanted to give my regards, but I'll be on my way." With a final look in Noctis' direction, Laurent turned on his heel and sauntered off, a few Hunters looking for their own lodgings jumping out of his way as they crossed paths.

"What's that guy's problem?" Prompto sat glaring at the man's back.

"Bastard's looking for a beating is what." Gladio crossed his arms in frustration with no outlet for his anger.

Ignis sat back down in his place by Noctis, "he's a dangerous man," he warned them.

"You know something, Specs?" Noctis asked interestedly.

Ignis tapped the side of his glasses, gathering his thoughts. "Only from what I've managed to overhear while I made our sleeping arrangements. But what I have heard paints an unflattering picture of our new friendly acquaintance."

"Like what?" Gladio asked, "Sounds to me he's just the popular kid around here worried about his spot being taken."

"You're not completely off the mark, Gladiolus," Ignis shared a look with him.

Prompto looked between the two in confusion, "So, what? Is this some kind of high school-level hierarchy bullsh*t or something?"

"If everyone carried a deadly weapon and knew how to use it, yes."

Noctis considered the worried look Ignis was unable to hide from him. "What has you on-edge Specs?"

"Laurent seems to have a nasty habit of hazing new members that end up joining the Hunters, using them as sport. From the little amount I know, it seems to be mostly harmless, but I didn't like the look about him as he set his focus on you."

"I can handle him," Noctis said, aiming to clear away the look of worry on Ignis' face. "Wouldn't be the first time some self-entitled snob tried to put me in my place."

Ignis didn't look like he planned to let the subject go, though. "Even so, we should be on our guard with him."

"We're leaving tomorrow, right?" Prompto spoke up, "s'not like we're going to make a habit of seeing him around."

"True," Gladio stood and stretched his arms up, "let's hit the hay. We got our work cut out for us tomorrow."

"Let's get this mess cleaned up first, shall we?" Ignis raised a brow at Prompto and his pile of parts across the table, the chastising look causing the other blond to groan and drape himself over the table dramatically.

Noctis laughed at the display, and they all ended up pitching in to help, playfully poking fun at each other as they did. All thoughts of the redheaded Hunter left their minds to better stew over at another time.

Come morning, they had a date with the Empire, and Noctis had no plans of missing it.

Chapter 6: Battle at the Blockade

Chapter Text

That evening, Noctis lay awake in his small bed in the cramped caravan; for once, sleep felt nearly impossible after everything. Twenty-four hours ago, his father had fought for his life and lost, without Noctis being any the wiser of it. Even being all the way down in Galdin Quay at the time of the attack, Noctis couldn't help but feel he should have been able to notice his city being invaded. Yet, all four of them had been kept in the dark.

Despite knowing the dangers of the Empire, their thirst for the power of the Crystal, and the land it protected, Noctis had never truly thought that they would overcome Insomnia's protections. The idea that his home was no longer the safe haven he believed it was was a concept that was impossible for him to grasp.

Noctis listened as the others moved uneasily in their own beds around him, the thin mattresses creaking as they tossed and turned, sleep not coming easily for any of them either. And how could he blame them? According to the multitude of radio broadcasts being aired, not a single one of them had anything to go back home to.

Would they be able to go back to the Crown City in the near future? How many of their people were still trapped inside, waiting for any word from him? At least the ones that didn't believe him to be dead. Did any of the High Houses survive the attack, or was their small group the only ones?

There was still too much left unknown, and his mind spun with all the possibilities as the night wore on.

Noctis had just closed his eyes when he was woken up by Ignis shaking him awake. His tall form was a shadow in the caravan's dark interior as dawn was still a bit away. Noctis took the offered cup of coffee handed to him and drank it as fast as he could, grimacing at the taste of it more than the temperature, remnants of the bitter drink lingering in his mouth long after he was finished with it.

Lacing up his boots, Noctis noticed he was the last to rise as usual. The others were already up and mostly dressed, gladly taking their hot drinks from Ignis. The others looked to be enjoying their morning coffee much more than he had.

"Anyone get some sleep?" Prompto yawned wide, jaw nearly cracking with the force of it.

"An hour or two," Gladio shrugged on his jacket over his spare top. Noctis idly wondered, watching the thin fabric stretch over his muscled chest, if any of their clothes from yesterday had survived or if Ignis discarded them after all the fighting they ended up involved in.

How hard was it to get spider guts and daemon blood out of cloth?

Ready and as awake as they were going to get, they headed out to meet Cor, eager to start their new mission. The Hunter's camp was quiet as they walked through the old Outpost, only the occasional Hunter up and awake for guard duty upon the lookout towers. Otherwise, everyone else was still in their beds, waiting for daybreak after a late night of keeping the roads clear for any civilians traveling the area.

It wasn't until they reached the map room that they heard any other signs that anyone else was up. They could all hear arguing from behind the door, but it was muffled enough that they couldn't make out any of the words.

As they opened the door to enter, the room came to an abrupt silence. The leader, Vera Saxe, cut herself off from whatever she was saying to Cor at the sight of the royal retinue in the doorway. Noctis wondered if it was him they were discussing, and if they were, they didn't want him to hear the details. If so, he mused that it probably wasn't in his favor.

Noctis chose to ignore the look passed between the Hunter and Marshal and approached Cor, more than ready to get this day started. "So, what's the actual plan?" he asked once it was clear neither of them would continue their conversation in his presence.

Cor looked him over briefly, scanning him from head to toe critically, but seemed appeased by whatever he found, "the plan remains the same. We head to the back entrance, slip inside the ruins used for the blockade, and open the gates from the inside after dealing with any troops operating it."

"With just the five of us?" Gladio asked, looking skeptical.

"No, we have a few other volunteers joining us," Cor said. "They'll be meeting us near the road; Vera had them scout the place for us."

"Hunters?" Ignis guessed. "Is that wise?"

His question was answered by the woman in charge. "My team is more than experienced in keeping out of sight of a few mere soldiers," Vera said, eyes narrowing at the boys. "They're my best out here on this side of the continent, that's for damn sure."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around why the Hunters would get involved with all this." Noctis really hoped Laurent wasn't part of her scouting group. It was too early in the day to deal with the redhead, expert Hunter or not.

Vera's face became even more impassive, if possible, "with the Wall being retracted decades ago, who do you think has been out here watching over the people who can't defend themselves?" At his silence, she went on, "The Empire may say that their remaining presence here is for 'peacekeeping purposes,' but we all know that's a bunch of sh*t. Cor says you want to fight back? Well, get in line 'cause we've been out here much longer than you have, kid."

"Didn't mean any disrespect," Noctis said, feeling adequately chastened by the older woman.

She remained unmoved, "That may be, your Highness, but rest assured that we're more than ready to get our own pound of flesh from the Empire's bloated hide."

Noctis felt like he had well and truly put his foot in his mouth and wasn't sure how to get it back out. He could feel Ignis' eyes at his back, judging him. He cringed internally, not looking forward to another lecture, rehashing his lack of diplomacy skills.

Cor seemed to take pity on him and gave Vera a piece of paper and a set of radios with a knowing look passing between them. "These should help you. Call me as soon as you know anything." Vera took the items with a nod and left without looking back at the group.

"Did I just f*ck up?" Noctis felt like he did.

"We'll talk about that later," Cor dismissed his worries as they had more pressing matters. "We need to go now, or we'll lose our cover of night."

"Are we really going to take our chances now?" Prompto looked worried. "Isn't there daemon activity at night? Like a lot?"

"Dawn is soon, so this is the best time to do this," Cor said, leading the way out of the building with Noctis and the rest close behind him.

They left on foot, using the rarely used hunting trails to get to where the Norduscaen Blockade was said to be posted. When Cor was asked why they weren't taking the car to make the trip faster—and safer, Prompto helpfully added—the Marshal reminded them of the importance of going under the radar.

The Regalia, as reliable as she was, wasn't known for her stealth.

Noctis tried his best to focus on the mission, but his mind kept creeping back to the reason why they were even here in the first place. The anger rising to the surface did little to help drown out his grief as he remembered that he would never be able to return his father's car back to him.

He didn't even know what happened to his father's remains. Did the Empire take him with them? Or did they just leave him to rot where they struck him down?

He wasn't sure which outcome he preferred.

"Leonis, over here!"

The call came from a broken-down shack just off the main road they had reached. Cor headed to it quickly to remain out of sight, and following, Noctis saw a few people inside the cramped structure waiting for them. These must have been the Hunters Vera had sent out. Noctis quickly scanned the group, and it looked like Laurent wasn't among them, thankfully. But from what Ignis managed to find out about the man, groups didn't seem to be his style—let alone working with the Crown.

"Still all clear?" Cor asked.

"The Imperial was right," one Hunter said. He was a tall man the same age as Cor, perhaps older, with his dark grey hair cut short similarly. "There's an opening around the cliff wall that'll lead you inside. Your friend went on ahead to keep guard." He shared an uneasy look with his companions.

Cor quickly picked up on the tense atmosphere, "But there's something on your mind?"

"There was a drop-ship that passed by not too long ago, dropped off a real fancy Magitek Armor, then flew away. It looked newer than the ones we're used to seeing around here."

"Well, that's certainly concerning," Ignis said from behind Noctis.

Noctis agreed and turned to Cor, "I thought you said there wouldn't be reinforcements until later?"

"This wasn't a full load," the Hunter went on to say, "it was a small group, and the chatter inside makes it sound like it was a last-minute change."

"Does this change the plan?" Noctis asked Cor.

"No," he shook his head, "we still go ahead as planned. If we don't go now, we'll be at a disadvantage later on."

"Seems like we're already at a disadvantage, Marshal," Gladio said.

"And that's where we come in," said one of the other Hunters. She was younger than the rest of her group, around the same age as Cindy, Noctis would hazard to guess. She leaned casually against her polearm, her dark hair floating freely about her shoulders.

"We'll be making a bit of a ruckus outside the gates; Enroza should be here with our backup right about now." The last member of the group turned and grinned at them. The man looked more feral than any other Hunters they'd met. His shaggy hair would easily blend in with the rest of the scenery in the daytime, the sandy color an almost identical match.

"Good," Cor turned to the prince's retinue, "I want you three to go with them as we get the jump on the soldiers from the inside."

Gladio and Ignis looked ready to argue that order; neither wanted to be separated from Noctis's side. But Cor cut them off before they could get a word in, "It'll be better if it's just the two of us," he indicated himself and Noctis, "You'll be taking the brunt of the force at the gates to keep the heat off of our position."

"It's my job to stay by his side," Gladio looked angry at this plan of action, having assumed they'd all be sticking together.

"And I'll be by his side the whole time, Amicitia," Cor stared him down, not an easy feat for most people with their size difference, but not budging an inch from his plan nonetheless.

A sharp whistle nearby caught the Hunter's attention, and the leader returned the sound with his teeth. "That's our cue, boys."

"You guys go," Noctis urged the others, "Cor and I got this."

Gladio looked like he wanted to say something as he stared down at Noctis but ended up thinking better of it and joined the Hunters, but not before giving the Marshal a hard look.

Ignis went to follow after making sure Noctis was settled with the plan. "We'll be sure to make an impression."

"Be careful, Noct," Prompto said, looking worried but moving to go with the others.

"You too," Noctis said before he got too far away to hear him. The other boy looked back, giving him a thumbs-up before running to catch up with the others to avoid getting left behind.

It was the first time they had been separated since the attack on the capitol, and Noctis didn't like it one bit. He felt that if he lost sight of his friends, they might vanish into thin air. The thought seemed ridiculous, but then again, he didn't think he would lose his father either. This time, he knew they were in real danger and vowed that he would get through this mission as soon as he possibly could.

With his resolve set, Noctis looked to Cor to lead them in the plan's next step, taking his cues from the Marshal in this situation.

"Monica should be waiting for us this way." Cor said, leaving the old shack to find this supposed 'back door.'

The two men used the darker shadows created by the rocky terrain to skirt past the wide-open areas around the small base. Most of the structures had been built into the cliffs that separated the two territories. With only one road up in the north, it was a perfect place to create a blockade if the Empire wished to keep the two regions closed off.

Noctis did worry for a moment about being ambushed by daemons. Prompto's earlier concerns were valid, with only their flashlights to light their way, but the pink hues he could see beginning to peek from the horizon signaled dawn was upon them. Cor had been correct that this was the right time to stage an attack.

Noctis dearly wished to take this chance to get more answers from the Marshal now that they were alone, but it wasn't the right time from the stern look of the other man. He hoped that after this, he would get more answers; things seemed to be going too fast, and Noctis felt he would never quite catch up.

They reached the open part of the cliff when a shadow moved ahead of them. Noctis, feeling on edge and prepared to begin their attack, summoned his blade, but his action was halted by Cor, who set his hand on his arm to remain still. The shadow revealed to be just Monica waiting for them, a body crumpling at her feet.

"Did you run into trouble?" Cor asked her.

"Not much. This one was looking for a place to take a quick nap. Unfortunately for him, he picked this spot." Monica said, tapping her boot against the soldier's head. "Besides that, you're all clear to proceed, Marshal."

Cor nodded, "Good. Return to camp and get ready to rendezvous with Saxe and her crew. They should be ready by the time you get there."

"You should be aware that there might be a problem, sir. The aircraft that came by earlier may be one of the Imperial Commanders." Monica said, concerned by the idea.

Cor's expression didn't change even with the confirmed information, "We still move forward as planned."

"Yes sir," she saluted the Marshal, "Your Highness," she bowed and was soon leaving the way they came, and Noctis hoped the path remained clear for the Crownsguard. Although, he was curious about what Cor had the two women doing.

"We can slip in from here, and then we'll be inside. You ready?" Cor asked him.

"More than," Noctis said, sword still in hand.

"Then let's go; the others should be at the gates right about now."

Cor slipped through the tight opening that led into the old ruins where the Imperials had started to build their blockade. The outer structures looked weak, and scaffolding had been added to stabilize the old walls. However, their information on the area seemed to be holding up; there wasn't anybody on patrol in this part of the place, a blind spot they were more than happy to take advantage of.

Rounding the corner, Cor suddenly pushed Noctis back against the wall, particles of dust falling on them and tickling his nose. "Wha—"

Cor held his finger up to silence him, pointing around the corner where they almost walked into a patrol of MTs. But more pressing were the snipers getting in position atop the scaffolding. Seemed that the place had more people than expected, and they were getting themselves ready for something.

Or someone.

"You think they knew we were coming? Are we compromised?" Noctis asked the Marshal, keeping his voice as low as possible.

Cor shook his head, "I don't think so, but they might have gotten word of your whereabouts in the area and taken the necessary precautions. We did take out a few of their scouting parties yesterday. Their absence was going to be noticed one way or another."

Noctis worried about the others, concerned that the enemy numbers were greater than was anticipated. But there was nothing for it now. They couldn't turn back; that would just leave them stuck here in Leide.

"So you take the ground, and I take the upper level and get rid of those snipers?" He asked.

"Sounds good to me," Cor summoned his weapon and held it ready.

Noctis switched out his sword for a dagger, and at Cor's signal, Noctis warped to the top of the scaffolding and took out the first sniper closest to him. His blade going in silently into their neck, Noctis caught the body and lowered it gently before it fell and gave away his position.

Below him, Cor took out the first couple of MTs before they noticed he was there, his Katana faster than their giant axes could even be raised to swing at the man. Noctis did his part to take on the rest of the snipers before they could set their sights on the man below, taking out their ground forces like they were nothing. At such a close range, the snipers were unprepared to take Noctis on, and with a well-aimed throw of his blade, the last sniper fell.

The sounds of the MTs being destroyed by the Marshal had alerted the others on patrol nearby. Noctis was just about to jump down to join Cor to take them out when a blast shook the ground, and shouts could be heard coming from the direction the gates should be. The ground shook again with another powerful explosion, and Noctis almost fell from his perch as the scaffolding became too unstable underneath him.

Noctis warped down before he could fall off, "what was that?" he asked as Cor sliced through another MT next to him.

"That should be our distraction."

"Sounds like more than just that," Noctis said. Then another, louder blast was heard, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.

"They can hold their own. You should trust your retinue, Highness." But Cor did look a bit more concerned than his words would lead one to believe.

Noctis and the Marshal got rid of the few remaining MTs, Noctis rolling and dodging the axes and swords thrown his way as Cor ran them through with his Katana. Soon, nothing was left but broken machines at their feet; their way further inside was clear once more.

The ruins of the old settlement bled into the newer parts of the base that made up the blockade, and there wasn't much left to fight by the time he and Cor made it to the gate's interior. Their distraction team did their job as planned, and the Imperials gave all their focus on the attackers outside. Noctis didn't like that his three companions were in the thick of it all, and the anxiety was starting to rear its ugly head the longer they were out of his sight.

On the other hand, Cor looked cool and calm as ever, confidently searching for the gate's control panel that was no longer being guarded.

"Monica and the Hunters said a Magitek Armor was here, right? So where is it?" Noctis looked around the base where the Imperials had started to make their new home, and there wasn't a single sign of the war machine. He highly doubted that any of the Crownsguard members would have been that wrong gathering information. Monica was one of their best, working right under Clarus before everything fell apart.

So, where did it go?

"Well, it isn't out there," Cor said, pushing a few buttons, and the gates slowly opened on both sides of the blockade.

"What makes you so sure?"

"'Cause there would be a lot more collateral damage by now." With that, Cor used the hilt of his Katana to smash the control panel, leaving it unusable to close the gates until it was repaired.

The gears came to a grinding halt as the gates fully opened. MTs and the fallen bodies of a few Imperial soldiers lay scattered around outside the gate, the distraction team now dealing with only a few left remaining, and they were quickly being taken care of by the combined forces of the retinue and Hunters.

What surprised Noctis wasn't the small craters that littered around the front of the gate—that was expected with the explosions and all—it was the bits and pieces of bloody remains that splattered and stained the road. Running over them, Noctis could only hope the mystery parts belonged to some kind of creature and not any of his friends.

"Glad to see you finally show up!" Gladio shouted as he bashed an MT with his shield, its faceplate flying away in cracked pieces and the limp body dropping heavily as it went offline.

"Noct!" Prompto beamed as the two arrived, gun barrels smoking in his hands.

"You doing all right?" Noctis' eyes roamed over the other boy, looking for any injuries or other signs of distress.

Prompto winked and fired another shot, "No problems here!"

"We've found that our Hunter friends have some interesting ideas regarding distractions." Ignis was the first to come back to Noctis' side, daggers still out and ready to guard his flank.

"You did a great job keeping them occupied," Cor said, nodding his thanks to the Hunters.

The older Hunter reloaded a mean-looking rifle he was carrying as his partners took out the last MT struggling behind him. "Everything went according to plan, Marshal."

"Excellent. Now, all we need is for the rest to arrive."

That brought Noctis up short, "the rest? Who—"

"Stay right where you are!"

Everyone turned to find where the magnified voice had come from, and as one, they spotted the culprit. At the top of the cliff's outcrop was the missing Magitek Armor they were warned about. A young man stood in its open co*ckpit, a microphone in his hand as he stared down at the group below, a small unit of MTs clustered around the Magitek Armor's feet awaiting orders.

"There's our missing Magitek Armor," Cor locked eyes with the newcomer, face blank as the other man sneered down from his high perch.

"Well, well, if it isn't 'Cor the Immortal.' So, you survived the Citadel. But you won't survive what I have in store for you. I think it's past time your legend came to an end."

"Don't hold your breath!" Prompto shouted at the Imperial, gun raised and ready to fire.

"Glory to the Empire!"The man tossed the red cape over his shoulder in a dramatic fashion, not unlike the villainous characters from Prompto's favorite shows that he had often made Noctis watch with him.

The Imperial jumped back into his co*ckpit, and with a hiss of gears, the great machine leaped from the cliff's edge and down to the ground. The force of its sudden weight caused bits of soil and concrete to fly in the air everywhere. The MTs quickly followed, moving like ants down the cliff in an orderly formation and ready to attack at the commander's orders.

"You'll be going down soon enough," Noctis was no longer filled with anxiety like he was before, a rage building inside him now that he was face to face, so to speak, with one of the high commanders of their enemy.

The Empire wanted to find him? Well, here he was.

"I'll be sure to let the masses know that it was I that took down the great Immortal and the would-be king, cutting down your reign of failure before it could even begin."

Noctis felt his vision blur in hate at the taunting words.

"Go for its legs!" Cor shouted, already ahead of them at a run. The Hunters close on his tail, with the long-ranged fighters already taking out some MTs.

"Can't be too much harder than the last mech we encountered," Gladio said, his greatsword now at the ready, and followed the Marshal's lead. His blade itching to cut into the reinforced metal of the Magitek Armor.

The MTs swarmed the Magitek Armor's legs in an attempt to keep the others away from it and prevent it from being overrun. But mindless robotic soldiers were no match for their group of eclectic fighters. With the Hunters joining them in taking out the foot soldiers, Cor and Gladio could concentrate their efforts on taking out the hydraulics in the giant mech's legs.

But unlike the last mech they fought at the Trench, this one was top-of-the-line Niflheim tech. Its metal plating was stronger and lighter, letting the metal beast swiftly move around the battlefield and away from their attacks, leaving it to strike back with its elongated arms.

One of those strikes had Gladio being forced back, his shield the only reason he was relatively unharmed by the mech's counterstrike. Though he had to take a moment to shake off the stunning blow.

The Imperial laughed as they made to dodge another of his strikes, "You'll find that without your precious Crystal's protection, you're just trash that the Empire is all too happy to take out, royalty or not!"

Gladio growled and readied another attack, "This asshole just likes the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?"

"Marshal!"

The Hunters had jumped back as the MA went momentarily still; a loud whirling sound could be heard coming from its back. Noctis and the rest jumped away from its feet, trusting the Hunter's instincts. They were right in doing so, as the mech unleashed a heavy fire of projectile missiles where they all once stood, the shell casings landing heavily on the ground, the metal smoking from the immense heat.

The ground around it was now torn up from the attack. Several MTs had been taken out in the crossfire, with mechanical appendages scattered at MA's feet like fallen leaves. The Imperial didn't seem to care about the loss as the mech walked forward to engage them in another attack; the machine's whirling gears clicked loudly as it cooled down before preparing to fire again.

"That was too close!" Prompto's eyes were wide as he watched the mech crush an MT under its heavy foot.

"It's time to take it out before it can attack like that again," Ignis said.

Their focus renewed, and most of the MTs taken care of now, the group could concentrate their attacks in full force on the Magitek Armor. Noctis put the taunting asides from the Imperial Commander out of his mind and focused on the mission at hand.

So what if he didn't have the Crystal with him? He was still a Lucii, and he was going to force every single member of the Empire out of hisland.

With that conviction, he felt the approval from his ghostly forebears. The ghostly double-bladed halberd of the Conqueror King appeared in his hands without a thought, and he was warping to collide with the massive mech, giving no quarter as he used the power given to him to unleash his wrath on his enemy. Bits of metal and wire flew with every hit of his spectral weapon.

Cor didn't even blink an eye, the man right beside him unleashing his own fierce attacks onto the mech, the Imperial screaming out his rage as the tide started to turn with Ignis and Prompto damaging the turrets on its back. With its only long-range attack system destroyed, the Magitek Armor could no longer fire its deadly attack at them.

With one of its mechanical arms now useless, the Imperial let out a frustrated scream of denial, "There's nothing that can stand against the might of the Empire!"

The mech began to vibrate, and its red core began to glow brightly.

Mid swing, Noctis' body started seizing as an electrical current was unleashed from the Magitek Armor, stunning the few in its range. Gladio was at his side instantly, pulling him away from the mech's feet. The larger man handed him over to Ignis, the other easily taking his weight, and they watched as Cor and Gladio took the last few hits to break off one of the mech's legs. Without it, the Magitek Armor could not remain standing, and it crashed to the ground.

"Let's go!" the female Hunter screamed, taking her lance and running to the fallen mech.

"You'll not be so lucky the next time we meet!"

As Cor and the others approached the mech to land the final blows, the co*ckpit detached from its frame, and the Imperial launched into the sky safely inside the small escape pod, deftly removing himself from being killed along with his mech, or worse, the possibility of being captured by them.

"What a little bitch!" Prompto kicked the ground as they watched the Imperial get away. There was no possible way they could catch up to him before he was picked up by a passing patrol ship. Not with the Regalia back at the Outpost anyway.

"Who was that asshole? He seemed to know you, Cor," Noctis asked the Marshal.

"I have absolutely no idea," Cor shrugged, unconcerned. "My best guess is that he's one of the few Brigadier Generals that Niflheim deemed worthy enough of sending to occupy Lucis in the aftermath of the attack on the capitol."

Gladio raised an eyebrow, "The little ankle-biter sure seemed to have a hard-on for you."

"Just because we ran him off today doesn't mean you boys should underestimate him," Cor warned, ignoring the crude comment.

"We took him down well enough," Gladio said, smirking at Prompto who grinned back.

"That's because they weren't expecting any of the royal family to have survived," Cor said. "Now that he knows you're alive and well, he'll report back what he's seen here, and they'll be sure to up their firepower in the future."

"Marshal," the older Hunter came over as his companions examined the mech's remains, "you want us to bring this back to HQ?" he said, pointing over his shoulder at the Magitek Armor smoking behind him.

Prompto appeared excited at the idea, "Using the enemy's weapons against them? Sick!"

Cor nodded in agreement, "it could come in handy. That is if it's still salvageable."

"No worries, Marshal," the older Hunter quickly assured him, "you'll find that the people on the outside are more than familiar with repairing and re-purposing equipment. At the very least, we can use its heavy artillery."

"Yeah, it can join the other one we took from the Trench yesterday!" a younger Hunter added, excited to add this new 'toy' to their collection. Noctis didn't remember them from the shack, so he must have been the fourth member they were waiting on; Enroza was what they called him, he was pretty sure.

"This one is in a lot better shape, too," one of the others said, her sharp eyes examining a razor saw of all things sticking out from one of the arms.

"I'll call in a favor and see if I can get you some help with that," Cor said, satisfied that the Hunters had it all in hand.

"Well, the way is clear now. We can move past the border and into Duscae," Ignis said, handing Noctis a bottle to drink, one of the last they had brought from the city.

"We'll have to head back to the Outpost to retrieve the Regalia," he popped the lid and took a large gulp, feeling the healing properties wash away the last of the shocks still running through his system. They'd need to restock soon if they were going to keep running into the Empire and their forces.

"Before you head onward, we need to sit down and have a conversation on what's next on our agenda," Cor said, waving away Ignis' offer of one of their drinks, much to the blond's dismay, the worrywart.

Noctis nodded, "yeah, I have some questions I'd like answered too." He glanced over to Gladio, and the other looked to be of the same mind.

Cor's eyes remained steady on his, "I suppose you do."

Cor didn't want to waste any more time and motioned to go back on foot. On their way back to the Outpost, the morning light now shined bright above them, making the trip back much more enjoyable than skulking around in the dark had been. The Hunters had opted to stay behind and wait for their pickup truck to bring back their new plaything, leaving them with the privacy they needed.

"Should we be worried about the Empire re-stationing more of their men here?" Ignis asked, and Noctis was glad someone had remembered to point out the concern.

"The main road here is close enough to the Hunters HQ that we can keep tabs on any reinforcements that might be sent. But they won't see it as a real necessity to keep the public out from crossing the border if you're already in the next region." Cor explained.

That made a sort of sense, Noctis supposed. The Empire wanted to appear to have the public's best interests at heart. It would be harder to do that if they kept the roads closed for no reason—no reason they could say at least. They had declared him dead, so it wasn't as if they could warn the population of his wanted status.

The Outpost was bustling with activity now the day had truly begun. Many of the Hunters stopped to greet Cor as they returned to camp, hoping to gain the man's attention. He didn't stop to converse with them, though, just giving them a simple wave and walking the boys to the Regalia. Noctis could hear a few of the older men snickering at them and the image they must have made, the four boys following behind the Marshal like a flock of small ducklings behind their mother.

Noctis was glad to see that the Regalia remained untouched and safe where they had left it. Ignis' warnings of hazing were still fresh in his mind from the night before.

He very much wanted to get out of there and away from the scrutiny of the older Hunters, but Noctis had waited long enough for some answers as he stared the Marshal down. "So, can I ask those questions now?"

"I can already hazard a guess as to what those might be, but shoot." Cor leaned against the hood of the Regalia, getting himself comfortable, and waited for Noctis to find his words.

"Do you know what happened to my dad's body?" it was the first thing to come to mind and the question that he needed answered most. He'd come to terms with the fact that his father was gone. Now, he needed to know if there was anything left of him to bury and properly mourn.

Cor failed to conceal the grimace at his question but didn't hesitate to answer with what he knew. "He should be where he fell. Same as Clarus," he looked to Gladio at that, the taller boy letting out a breath through his nose, quickly looking away at the mention of his father.

"Is there any chance that we can get them out of there? I don't like the idea of them being left to rot inside the Citadel." Noctis said quietly.

"And they won't, Highness," Cor assured him, "we're making moves to get inside the city and start with the recovery efforts. The Empire may have started settling there, but the attack left a great deal of chaos in the aftermath. There's enough of it to keep them busy to not notice a small team sneaking in to retrieve our wounded and move them to a safer location." The boys all perked up hearing that.

"So you have word that more of ours have survived the siege?" Ignis asked, the other boys looking hopeful at the possibility.

Cor nodded, "And getting to them is my next priority now that you're back with us and your way forward now unblocked."

"Is that what you have Monica and that Hunter, Vera doing?" Noctis asked, recalling their tense exchange before she left.

"That and keeping an eye on patrol movement in places of interest," Cor said. "We're all counting on you to gain as much power as possible; finding those lost tombs is your top priority. We're going to need your power if we want to have even half a chance in hell in fighting back against the Empire."

"Understood, Marshal," Gladio said, the order heard loud and clear.

Ignis hummed in thought, "and if there were a few sightings of the royal retinue cruising along the countryside, I'm sure it would take some eyes away from the capitol, and those inside that may not have the Empire's best interests at heart."

"That was the thought as well," Cor said. "But don't take any unnecessary risks just yet. The moment you see it's getting hairy out on the road, go silent and out of sight until it blows over."

Something else was nagging Noctis' brain, "Cor, the broadcast said that both Luna and I were declared dead along with my father. What was she even doing in Insomnia?" It was the one odd detail he still couldn't wrap his head around.

Prompto nodded, looking at the others, "Yeah, weren't we supposed to meet her in Altissia?"

"She arrived with the Emperor shortly after you had left the city. Whatever plans your father made to get her safely to Accordo to meet you were somehow intercepted," Cor said, looking grim. "All I know is that the last I heard, she made it out of the city with one of the Kingsglaive, though I'm not sure who."

"So if she's with one of them, she should be safe, right?" Prompto looked at the Marshal hopefully.

Gladio shrugged, "well, she's out of the Empire's hands either way. That has to count for something."

As much as Noctis worried about where Luna could be, the others had a point. If she was away from the Empire and hidden, they couldn't use her against them. He could only hope that she wrote to him soon so he could know for sure she was well. "Was there anything else you needed to tell us before we go?" He asked the Marshal.

"We'll be setting up a temporary base here in the Outpost, but once we get our people back, we'll need a proper place to settle in for the foreseeable future."

"You want us to find one?" Prompto asked, confused about how they would go about doing that.

Cor shook his head, "No, I've got a couple places in mind that I'm going to check out. What I want is that once you've found a few more tombs and we're ready to move, you answer my call and return to us." He pinned Noctis with a stern look, "No running off to fight the Empire on your own, you got that? You'll need the backup of the remaining Crownsguard and Kingsglaive for that."

"Where are they anyways?" Gladio asked, "They were doing a decent job holding back the Empire out in the field before those bastards unleashed those weapons. How did the Empire get past them so easily in the capitol?"

Cor scrubbed a hand over his short hair, "it has become apparent that news of the ceasefire caused a lot of tension within the Glaives, namely those that had been displaced by the war and joined the Kingsglaive in return for sanctuary inside the Wall for themselves or their families."

Noctis' brows furrowed in confusion, "what has that got to do with anything?"

For the first time, Cor looked tired, "to put it plainly, there was a mutiny. At least a third of the Kingsglaive ranks turned on the Crown in retaliation to the perceived betrayal by the King."

"They turned traitor?" Noctis could hardly believe it, and from the stricken looks of the others, they couldn't fathom it either.

"With the Glaives fighting each other and the Crownsguard scattered across the city, seeing to the safety of the civilians, the Empire found it easy enough to take over the capitol."

"Where was Captain Drautos in all this? How did he lose control over his men like that?" it didn't make sense to Noctis. From what he remembered, the man was a formidable warrior who had led the Kingsglaive without trouble. How could he let his men fight amongst each other?

"We don't know what happened to the Capitan just yet," Cor answered, troubled by the fact. "He's been declared MIA, along with many others that haven't yet been confirmed to be killed in action."

"Well f*ck."

All turned in surprise at Ignis, who had let out the curse.

"We're really in trouble, aren't we?" Prompto asked, looking at them all uncertainly.

Noctis felt much the same. They had already been at a disadvantage with the treaty being a hoax by the Empire to get inside the Wall, but to have their own men turn on them? No wonder the capitol fell so quickly.

"It's not going to be a walk through the park, that's for sure," Gladio grumbled.

"Monica and Dustin will be working with the Hunters to find everyone that might still be alive," Cor said. "We're not out of the game just yet."

"And my dad?"

Cor gripped his shoulder, "We'll take care of it." Noctis could only give him a slight nod; he wasn't sure if he could keep his emotions together if he tried to speak at that moment.

"We should get on the road if we want to miss the next infantry drop," Ignis suggested, and Noctis quickly agreed. There wasn't much they could do here now; they needed to move on and trust that Cor and the others had everything in hand until Noctis could be of any help.

"Keep your phones charged and an eye on the sky." With that last bit of advice, the Marshal waved them off as they climbed into the Regalia and departed from the Hunters Outpost.

Soon enough, it was just the four of them again, speeding down the main highway and heading west.

Driving near the blockade, Prompto snapped a few photos of the Hunters hauling the broken Magitek Armor onto a trailer bed, the blond waving to them as they passed by. The others cheerfully waved back when they spotted them. "These guys are really cool," he said, sitting back in his seat at the front.

"Glad that we've managed to get ourselves some allies," Gladio agreed. "Heard a few were former Crownsguard, too."

"Wow."

The group was on high alert when driving through the cleared-out blockade. So far, the place still appeared to be deserted of Imperials, and hopefully, for Cor and the others, it would remain that way for a while. As Ignis blasted through the place, bits of debris from their fight crunched under the wheels of the Regalia. The boys were not wasting time, putting as many miles between them and the Empire as possible.

Soon, the arid and dry land of Leide turned green and lush as they entered the Duscae region. The difference was stark, and it was a bit mind-blowing that only a small mountain range divided the two very distinctive areas.

It was a relief to be away from the dry heat, though, and Noctis enjoyed having the top down as they drove on, not having to worry about all the sand and dust.

"We should make a quick stop at the next station to refuel," Ignis said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen amongst the group.

"Yeah, it would be sad if our journey ended because we ran out of gas." Prompto agreed. "We'd have to call Cindy, and that would be super embarrassing!"

"So let's keep a lookout, yes?"

"Oh! And we can get some snacks!"

Noctis made a noncommittal sound, letting his mind drift as he let the scenery blend together into abstract shapes of greens and blues. He took comfort in Gladio's quiet presence at his side in the backseat, the two of them letting the blonds in front chat together as they drove. The familiar sound of pages turning lulled Noctis into a half-dozing state as Gladio read quietly beside him.

'Berk!'

Noctis blinked, suddenly awake as the memory of a gentle red glow and soft fur under his fingers faded, leaving him wondering when he had fallen asleep. It took him a few more moments before he noticed they were no longer moving, but seeing the Regalia parked next to an old gas pump, Ignis must have found a gas station to fuel up at.

Noctis found himself alone in the car; the others must have gone inside to see what sort of supplies they offered around here. Noctis could half recall Ignis and Prompto discussing something of that nature while he nodded off.

Deciding it would be best to stretch out his legs, he climbed out of the car to wait for the others to return. His body was still stiff from that electric shock he got caught in earlier that morning; the healing properties in that last bottle could only do so much.

f*cking Imperials.

Something weird caught his attention as Noctis was rolling out a stiff muscle in his shoulder. Eyes squinting, trying to make it out, Noctis blinked in surprise as a familiar-looking car drove past the gas station. He couldn't distinguish who was driving as the car's speed was much too fast to get a real glimpse, the car faster than any of the other cars they'd seen away from the capitol.

Surely it couldn't be?

"What're you staring at, Noct?"

Noctis was startled out of his wandering thoughts as the others returned from their shopping. Prompto held several bags in his arms as he waited for him to answer, Gladio close behind him holding just as many. "It's nothing," Noctis tried to brush it off, "I just thought I saw my car drive past here just now."

"Way out here? How could that be?" Gladio asked, looking just as confused as Noctis probably appeared to them.

"Yeah, you're right. It's probably just a similar model. Anyway, it was heading back towards Leide, so it's probably someone trying to get back to their family or something." Noctis scratched the back of his neck, still feeling weird after seeing the car but trying to shake it off. "What's with all the bags?"

Prompto grinned wide and popped the trunk of the car, "found a few vending machines and thought it best to refill our 'potion supply.'" Noctis nearly groaned. He knew what he would be doing for the next leg of their trip.

"These two cleaned out both machines even after I told them twenty bottles was more than enough," Ignis said, a single bulging bag on his arm. Noticing it, Noctis shared a quick look with Prompto, and the two barely kept the laughter at bay.

It seemed that Specs had finally found his Ebony.

Noctis helped the others put the bags in the trunk as Ignis fueled the car, giving them a hard look. Ignis deduced correctly that they had kept that very important information from him, and it was clear that he didn't appreciate it. The look only served to make it harder for the two younger boys to keep from laughing at him outright.

They had just got the last bag in when Gladio's phone started to go off, the shrill sound of the ringtone startling them all. He quickly grabbed it from his pocket and answered, and the rest of them waited in tense silence, trying to hear who was calling him.

"Iris?" Gladio barked into the cell phone, his eyes closing in relief when he heard the voice on the other side. "Thank the gods, you finally called me back! What the hell? Are you alright?"

Noctis felt his body sag in relief hearing that little bit of good news. Monica said that Iris was fine, but it was good to hear Gladio talking to her, even if it was just by phone. It was proof that other people they knew and cared about had made it out of the city alive.

"Yeah, we're headed towards Lestallum now," Gladio continued to speak, "should take us a few hours to get there, by sundown at the earliest. Stay out of trouble until I get there, you hear?" he waited for an answer before saying another goodbye and ending the call.

"Is she alright?" Prompto asked, looking worried as Gladio continued to stand there with his eyes closed.

"She's good," he sighed, "I swear that girl is going to be the death of me."

Ignis finished filling the gas tank and locked the cap into place. "Well, if we're going to make it to Lestallum by sundown as promised, we should be on our way."

Gladio nodded and walked back to the car. "Yeah, let's get going."

They all climbed back into the Regalia, ready to get going and see for themselves that their people were all right. Noctis graciously accepted the bag of snacks from Prompto, feeling hungry now for the first time in a while. It was closing in on noon, and they had all skipped a few meals the last two days. Prompto flashed him a smile as Ignis popped the tab of his can of Ebony coffee, the other man unable to repress the sigh of bliss after taking his first sip.

The roads were clear, as was the weather. All there was left to do was wait until they arrived at Lestallum and see for themselves how Iris and the others fared. After that, they could plan their next move while they waited for word from Cor.

The Marshal was right. As much as Noctis wanted to, they had to wait to strike at the Empire. They were probably expecting him to lash out, angry and unprepared, making it easy for them to get rid of him once and for all.

Noctis didn't plan to go down easy.

Chapter 7: Downtime in Lestallum

Chapter Text

Hours spent in the Regalia went by slowly as they drove across the vast plains and wetlands of Duscae to reach the city of Lestallum.

Noctis and Gladio stayed in their preferred spots in the backseat for the duration of the trip, the larger man passing him the abundance of soda and water bottles they had 'liberated' from the vending machine at the Alstor Coernix Station, all so Noctis could infuse them with his magic to give them some healing properties. Prompto had asked him to make more of the oranges and cream-flavored ones as they were his favorite, and Gladio asked Ignis if he thought it would work on beer, too. Ignis had just glared at him through the review mirror and silently passed Noctis an unopened can of Ebony.

"You sure you want to test it on your precious coffee, Specs?" Noctis asked, adding the can to the small pile between him and Gladio.

"The caffeine properties remain the same for other types of drink; I doubt it would affect these any differently," came Ignis' reply.

"I can't believe you two punched a hole in the vending machine," Noctis was going to need some food with more substances soon with how much energy he was using up.

"It jammed and ate my money," Gladio sipped on his stolen soda, "the cashier wasn't being helpful at all either."

Noctis rolled his eyes, "Tell me you at least left some money behind before you fled the scene."

"Relax, I paid for most of—"

"Oh wow! Look at that, guys!"

They all turned to see what had gained Prompto's attention, hoping it wasn't another crazy detour he wanted to make but were greeted by an amazing view. They had traveled above the wetlands far enough to see the Meteor of the Six in the distance. The blue flames and the waves of heat it radiated could be seen from where they were, even though it was miles away below them.

"So that's the old Meteor?" Prompto had his camera out, using the zoom function to get a closer look, "Do they really use it to power the entire country?"

Gladio nodded and handed Noctis another bottle, "yeah, they've been gathering all the remaining pieces that fell with the big one, the one the Titan is supposed to still be holding up to this day. There's some sort of plant in the city that uses something like geothermal technology to convert it all into energy."

"Like the Crystal did back home? For the Wall?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Prompto whistled, impressed. "Crazy to think a space rock can do all that, powering a whole city and everything around it. I wonder if they've got any public information about their process that we can look up."

Noctis smothered the snort trying to escape as an image of Gladio having to leash the younger blond as he tried to run off to get lost in the city's archives. They would need to keep an eye on him even more than Ignis if Prompto was already that interested in the subject.

The light, airy music from the radio cut out as the new hour rang in, interrupting the rest of their conversation. The news castor's tone was one of grave seriousness as they introduced their correspondent, some Imperial liaison who was apparently at the scene in Insomnia.

That caught all of their attention, and Ignis raised the volume so they could hear the two men better.

"No one has yet been able to grasp the extent of the damage, but what can you tell us about the situation inside the city?"

"Occasional outbursts still occur around the Citadel, the rebel forces still active in the area despite the lack of support, but the Imperial forces have successfully quelled most sources of unrest in other areas of the city."

"Nevertheless, the streets must bear the scars of war. How did the Crown City not foresee the signs that insurgents hid among them?"

"Reports have now surfaced that Lucis was itself arming for an offensive attack ahead of the rebels' sudden clash with the Empire. This battle caused by the failed peace talks may be remembered as the most violent in history, despite the hopes it would rein in an era of peace for all people."

"Unfortunate indeed. Thank you for your time. In other important news from the Capitol of Niflheim, Lord Ravus Nox Fleuret was recently appointed Imperial High Commander. However, due to grievous wounds sustained inside the Citadel in Insomnia, he has been recalled to Gralea for treatment. His appointment follows the ongoing investigation on whether or not the missing former High Commander, General Glauca, has been killed in the line of duty or is only one of the many missing among the rubble of the Crown City in the aftermath of the failed ceasefire.

"Citizens are to be assured that Lord Ravus will resume peacekeeping efforts in Lucis once recovered. Now for the weather forecast—"

Prompto turned down the radio and looked over his shoulder to stare at Noctis, "Isn't that Luna's brother? He was there?"

"If the ceasefire had been real, it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary that Lord Ravus was in attendance," Ignis said, frowning at the new information. "As her older brother and only remaining family, it would be only natural that he'd be there as Lady Lunafreya's representative for the final marriage negotiations."

Gladio's fingers started to go white as he clutched his book, any attempt at reading forgotten. "Serves him right if he was involved with the attack. I wonder who was the lucky bastard to get him?"

Most of their thoughts about that question hovered around Clarus or perhaps the missing Capitan Drautos as the culprit of the Lord Commander's mysterious injuries. Ravus Nox Fleuret was a formidable warrior in his own right. It would have taken someone equally as skilled to take him out of the fight, even temporarily.

"At least the major players are out of the country for the meantime, it seems like. That should work in our favor until we get a better foothold in the area or before any more of those weapons are deployed." Noctis sat back in his seat, thoughts still whirling around the fate of Luna's brother.

He remembered Ravus well. When they were younger, he was always reticent but welcoming to him—kind even. He was always around when Noctis and Luna would spend time together after Noctis' healing sessions with their mother at Fenestala Manor. Ravus was usually in the background, watching over his sister as they played. They would sometimes get him to join them in their little games, and it was those small moments that Luna looked to have been the happiest.

But then the Empire had come crashing in, in an attempted assassination on his father and had claimed the rest of Tenebrae in the process. The Queen Oracle was killed in the crossfire, leaving a young Ravus and Lunafreya at the Empire's mercy as they refused to abandon their homeland and dashed all hopes of escape to safety.

Noctis had only seen a few broadcasts of the former prince since then. Still, his demeanor had clearly changed after that day into a cold man who looked for all intent and purposes to serve the Empire willingly and with great fervor. Noctis knew that leaving the two children behind had weighed heavy on his father, but he had chosen to flee the battle to save his son.

It was a theme that Noctis tried not to resent his father for, as Regis' actions seemed to only cause harm to everyone around him as the King continued to sacrifice others for his son's safety.

To keep his thoughts from dwelling on those depressing memories of the past, Noctis focused his energy on restocking their 'potion' supply. Honesty, Prompto's penchant for comparing their life to their favorite game brought a bit of lightheartedness that he desperately needed these days.

-*-

It was coming on nightfall when the glow of the city could be seen from the highway just ahead of them.

Passing through the tunnel entrance that served as a gate to the Lestallum's central plaza, the boys arrived just in time to see all the outer buildings light up as one. The city a bright beacon in the night for lost travelers to be guided by. Every street was lit by the tall rustic street lamps lining the walkways, the wrought iron lamps casting a pale blue glow that shared the same tinted flames seen from the Meteor.

Driving slowly through the main road to find the parking area, they noticed that unlike the street lamps back home, the cores of these lamps were made up of tiny shards of meteorite. The light from the blue shards gave the plaza an almost magical atmosphere and charm. From all the couples strolling around, holding each other close as they enjoyed the evening, it also seemed to add a bit of a romantic air to living there.

Ignis found the parking area in the lower sections of the plaza after finding some helpful signs leading the way for new travelers. There was even underground parking available, and they quickly agreed that it was the best place to keep the Regalia out of sight while they stayed in the city.

"Man, it sure is humid here!" Prompto waved a hand at his face to try and cool off. Even with the sun down for the day, the air was thick with heat.

Ignis locked the Regalia up and noted their parking space to memory while they looked for the pedestrian exits to get back up to the upper plaza on foot. "Cleigne is more of a tropical climate than Duscae, it would appear. I imagine that being close to the Meteor wouldn't help alleviate the temperature either."

Noctis could feel his shirt sticking to his back and thought that maybe all black was a terrible choice on their part.

The air above ground was no less sticky and hot, but there was, at the very least, a breeze to counter the worst of it. The walkway from the parking garage was already crowded with people, locals and tourists alike, coming to admire the view of the Meteor from the overlook nearby. There was even a decently sized shrine in the middle of the outlook with all kinds of offerings and prayer notes hanging from the multiple hooks placed all over the shrine's surface.

"Wow! It looks even prettier at night!" Prompto ran to the edge of the overlook, pulling out his camera to take multiple snapshots of the Meteor that glowed brightly miles away from the city.

Ignis examined the old shrine instead of admiring the Meteor, taking in all the recent offerings in front of it, many containing Sylleblossoms in some form. "The city of Lestallum doesn't seem to care that the Empire has made a ban on all forms of reverence directed at the Hexatheon."

"This close to the Disc? It'd be hard to enforce that law without significant backlash from the locals," Gladio said, picking up a tiny carved figure of the Archaean, a tiny prayer paper folded into the miniature Titan's arms holding the Disc. "The Empire may have some agenda against the Astrals that we don't know about, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone on this side of the world who would agree with those views."

"They did kill their own, after all," Noctis added. News of the perpetual winter that covered most of Niflheim ever since they slew the Glacian still reported no end to the blizzard that hovered over the land. The people who lived there could still see Shiva's giant corpse, which remained in clear view of the trains running through the countryside.

It was a gross display of power that the Empire wore with disturbing pride.

"We should head into the city if we plan to locate your sister, Gladio," Ignis suggested, his peruse of the shrine now completed.

Leaving the outlook behind, they crossed the main street into the city square. Noctis found it difficult to pull his gaze away from his surroundings, admiring the older rustic buildings of the central square. One could tell they were likely the first to be built back when the city was only a small settlement that was added onto over the years as the successes of the power plant grew.

The newer buildings were constructed farther away around the large crater where the power plant was partially built over. The plant standing right on top of the giant shards of meteorite that had broken off from the main body of the Meteor as it fell to Eos from the heavens. The glow from the power plant reflected off from the buildings around it, and it was a pretty place with a robust vintage flair.

Prompto's camera went off as quickly as the boy's finger could click the button; he would need a new memory card soon if he kept that pace up. "Where do you think Iris and the others are held up?" he asked, snapping another picture of the brightly lit city square.

Gladio tapped on his phone, sending another message. "She said she'd meet us in the upper plaza."

"So we should take a minute to look around, yeah?" Prompto was eying the food vendors. The smell of smoked meat permeated the air around them, and Noctis' stomach began growling from it.

"I could be convinced at trying out what the locals have on offer," Ignis said, close to Noctis' back and observing the crowd.

Gladio put his phone away after sending one last message, "So let's grab something and find a table somewhere close. Standing around out here in the open is making me nervous."

Noctis and Gladio found a table out of the way from the main thoroughfare. The larger man pushed Noctis into a seat behind a pillar to better keep him out of sight of any prying eyes before taking his own seat next to him. He tried not to scowl at the manhandling from his Shield, but until they knew what the situation was here, it was wise to keep as low a profile as they could.

Ignis had taken Prompto with him to pick out a selection of the various foods offered to the public. Noctis could see them through the crowds as they examined each food cart, and Ignis grilled the vendors about what was in each item. It felt almost normal sitting under the veranda as his friends acted the part of tourists, expanding their pallets to new and exciting cuisines.

This is what their journey from the Crown City was supposed to be from the very beginning. Traveling to Altissia, making a few stops along the way, and making some final memories with his friends before adulthood and all of its complications took over their lives. It was surreal to think that less than a week ago, all he had to worry about was packing up his apartment to move back into the Citadel and an arranged marriage he didn't want.

Seeing the stack of plates the two had brought back to the table, Noctis worried how long their meager resources would last them. Their accounts were likely frozen even if Insomnia's currency was valid outside the Crown City. That meant they only had the Gil they earned from that Bloodhorn mark they had stumbled across a few days ago.

They had enough left to get them through a few more days, a week if they spent it wisely and camped at the Havens instead of the caravans, but it would run out sooner rather than later. They would have to plan what to do about that now that they were out here on their own.

"Please tell me I don't have to eat allthose vegetables, Specs," Noctis grumbled, seeing his plate full of different grilled plants sitting beside the meat skewers.

"No need to come down with something as pedestrian and avoidable as scurvy, Noct," Ignis narrowed his eyes at him over his glasses and pushed the full plate in front of him, not taking his eyes away until he picked up his fork and speared something green on it.

"Fine," popping the offending bite into his mouth, he tried not to pout. It didn't taste too awful; he'd give Ignis that much but wouldn't pretend he liked it.

"Look at these sauces! I'm a dip all of them!" Prompto proceeded to do just that, lining up every flavor of dipping sauce he had found in a neat line to try various combinations.

Gladio watched him with horrified fascination, taking a large bite from his bowl and grimacing in distaste when Prompto mixed two different flavors together and scarfed the slathered slice of meat down, "You can't tell me that tasted good."

Prompto hummed, "You'd actually be surprised," he held out another slice, "Try it!"

"No thanks, kid."

"Come on! Please?" Prompto dangled the sauce-covered strip of meat in front of the other man's face, wide-eyed and pleading.

"Alright, alright!"

Noctis' eyes flicked between the two boys as Prompto successfully cajoled Gladio into trying his weird blend of sauces. But instead of taking the fork from his hand like he expected—Gladio leaned over and let his mouth wrap around the entire piece of meat. His long body stretched over the table to reach it, making his shirt rise up in the process.

Noctis couldn't tear his eyes away when he was exposed to the trail of dark hair that traveled from Gladio's navel and disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants. His eyes snapped back up when Gladio slowly pulled the slice of meat off the fork before sitting back down. The other man took his time chewing to taste the full flavor of it before finally swallowing, his throat bobbing with the action.

Noctis could feel his face was scorching hot without even touching it, and he was embarrassed to find that it wasn't due to the humidity.

"It's not as gross as I thought it would be," Gladio hummed, surprised to be proved wrong by the younger boy's strange taste in condiments.

Clearing his throat, which was suddenly very dry, Noctis reached for his glass of water and was startled to find that he wasn't the only one looking a bit red in the face.

Prompto sat frozen in his seat, still holding out his fork mid-air. His face was beet red, and there was an unmistakable spark of arousal in his eyes as he stared back at Gladio, who had already leaned back in his chair to sprawl out and finish his meal.

Noctis waited for that ugly feeling from the night before to surface when the other boy had spoken about the pretty mechanic, but it didn't come. Just the small growing pyre burning in his gut as he watched the interaction between them. He quickly took another bite from one of his plates to hopefully mask his weird behavior. He almost spat it back out when he tasted beansinstead of the rice he aimed for.

"Really, Specs?" he shot a betrayed look at the other man, "what did I ever do to you to deserve that?"

Ignis didn't even bother replying to the accusation and simply continued eating his own food in silence. However, Noctis swore he saw a slight smirk cross his lips before they were all distracted by a shout coming from across the plaza.

"Gladdy!"

The sudden blur of hair and limbs was the only warning they had before Gladio was nearly knocked out of his chair, Iris' arms wrapped around his neck in a crushing grip.

"f*ck!" Gladio managed to wheeze out from beneath his sister.

"You all really made it!"

Gladio pried the deceptively strong arms away from his neck and stood to hug his sister properly, "Of course we made it. You didn't think we'd leave you out here alone without at least checking in on you, did you?"

"See is believing," Iris said, pulling away after giving her brother one last hard squeeze, "after the last couple of days with no word from anyone, it's been difficult not to let the worst possible thoughts take over, you know?"

Gladio nodded, knowing full well how she felt after being unable to reach her. "Where's Dustin?" he asked, looking around for the other Crownsguard.

"He had to leave this afternoon after getting a call from Monica asking to meet up for something. He didn't tell us what for, though. You know how he is." She said, shrugging her shoulders. Though, she couldn't shake off the worried look at Dustin's sudden departure.

"Let's go somewhere less out in the open if we want to continue this line of conversation," Ignis said, looking a bit uncomfortable talking about their business where anyone could overhear them.

"We're staying at the Leville," Iris said, stealing a skewer from Prompto's plate, "it's one of the nicer hotels here. Lots of tourists coming and going from there, so it's easy to blend in with them."

"Smart, let's go," Gladio grabbed a few of their plates still full of the remaining food, closing the containers for easy transportation if they got hungry later. Noctis made it a point to leave the offending plate of beans behind, ignoring Ignis' disapproving stare.

Iris acted as their guide as they walked in line with the crowds. The streets got fuller as the day shift ended for the power plant, and groups of exhausted women joined their friends and families for the evening. There was a distinct difference between the locals and the people visiting for leisure or necessity. Many citizens from Insomnia were among the crowds as they reached the hotel's private plaza. Small groups of families and acquaintances clustered together, all staring at their phones to see what updates were coming from the Crown City.

Iris herded them all quickly to the hotel's entrance, not wanting to linger too long outside now that there were answers to be found. "We have a set of rooms near the top floor," she said, opening the doors, and a gust of cool air hit them as they entered the building.

"We should see if there's one available for our duration here," Ignis said. Iris shook her head as she walked up the curved staircase at the back of the lounge.

"Dustin took care of that before he left. He made arrangements for your arrival once I could get a hold of you. It's paid up for at least a couple weeks, so you can just head up and rest."

Hearing that, Noctis' feet started to drag on the thick red carpet now that there was a promise of a soft bed and a decent amount of hot water waiting for his arrival. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to a bed that wasn't the size of a wood plank. It was hard to believe their stay at Galdin Quay was only the other day. Time felt like it was passing by at a snail's pace and in the blink of an eye.

"Here are the rooms that they gave you. They're not the biggest ones, but they're still really nice. There's even a connecting door, so you can go between them unbothered," Iris said, handing them the keys to the double room. "I think that was purposeful on Dustin's part. Didn't want to gain too much attention paying for the penthouse room for some mysterious patron."

Noctis waved away her look of concern, "No, that's smart. Someone would be looking for anyone expecting the royal treatment." Iris nodded in agreement, following the boys into the room before throwing herself at her older brother again.

"Gladdy, I'm so happy to see you. There was a moment while leaving the city that I thought we'd never actually make it out; it was all falling apart around us so fast."

Gladio clutched his sister tighter, "I can't tell you how awful I feel that I wasn't there, Iris."

She shook her head, burying her face into Gladio's chest, "No, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. You'd have just gotten yourself killed." The words, 'like our dad,' went unsaid, lying heavily between them. The moment grew awkward as the other boys stood on the sidelines, left to witness the unspoken grief between the two siblings.

A few minutes passed in silence as the two regained some semblance of composure before making themselves more comfortable in the small seating area near the balcony. From there, seated among the plush armchairs and small sofa the room provided, a perfect view of the fiery Disc could be seen outside the city, though not a single one of them was in a state of mind to appreciate it.

"What was it like outside the Citadel?" Prompto nervously asked the younger girl.

"Really bad," Iris picked at her nails, unable to look at them momentarily before speaking again. "When the Glaives turned on each other, it caused chaos in the rest of their ranks willing to fight the Empire. A lot of areas in the city took a real beating from it all, but most of the residential areas made it through with minor damages."

Ignis shared a look with the others, "that's somewhat of a relief."

Iris nodded in agreement, "yeah, most of the fighting happened in the commercial areas and the government sectors surrounding the Citadel. Once the Wall was down, the Empire could just dropthose weapons on us from above using their airships."

"I can't believe you had to see all of that yourself," Prompto shuddered at the thought of witnessing the destruction of their home and being unable to do anything about it.

"Dustin and Monica were able to come and grab me in the middle of all the fighting," she looked at Noctis with wide eyes then, "while we were driving out of the city, I think I saw the Old Wall fighting near the nature preserve." That declaration took most of them by surprise.

Noctis sat forward in his seat, "the Old Wall? How?" he had to have heard her wrong. There was no way that could have been possible.

Prompto looked at them all confused, "what does that mean?" he asked, looking to Ignis for an answer.

"The Old Wall was the last line of defense before the Wall as we know it was constructed." Ignis removed his glasses and began cleaning them, continuing the lecture, "The grand statues of the Kings of Yore weren't just built as a reminder of their legacies; their very souls were tied to them to defend the Crown City and its people. But some on the council a few generations back thought it was no longer needed and thought it archaic, so new protections were put in their stead."

Noctis rubbed a hand down his face as he took over explaining why this was so strange, "only a member of the royal family can call on the Old Wall, and it's been decades—maybe even a century since it was last called—I don't think even my grandfather or his father had ever used it. But if the Crystal had already been taken, Dad would have been gone by the time Iris had seen the Old Wall in action."

Gladio looked pensively at them, "If not the King, then who? And better yet, how?"

But no one had an answer to that, and that was concerning.

"Another mystery for us to solve, it seems," Ignis leaned back in his seat, sliding his glasses back in place.

"Did the others see it, Iris?" Noctis asked.

The younger girl nodded, "I know Monica and Dustin did; it really freaked us all out. But I'm sure other survivors must have seen it take down all those weapons while they escaped the city. Not to mention all the people who couldn't make it out would also have had front-row seats."

"So maybe there could be someone who survived who has a better idea of what happened?" Prompto suggested, "An eyewitness or something?"

Gladio's expression turned grim as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Better yet, why didn't Cor or Monica say anything about that when we were at the Outpost? That seems like something that we should have been told about."

"They didn't want to say anything until they could gather more details on what happened that night," was Ignis' conclusion. "The Marshal likely worried that the news might have caused Noctis to try and enter the city himself if he had thought that the King might have survived the attack after all."

Noctis wanted to argue against the accusation, but knowing all too well what his emotional state had been right after finding Cor, he couldn't truthfully say he wouldn't have done that if given this information. So, instead, he chose to ignore that Cor had kept information from them and focused on other important things.

"Were any of the other High Houses evacuated?" he asked Iris. It felt like they were interrogating her for information on a very traumatizing event she lived through just days ago, and he didn't like it. Of course, knowing who they had left to work within the realm of political power was essential, but that didn't mean the shuttered expression that crossed her face at his question made him feel any less horrible for it.

"Not that I'm aware of, no." Her voice shook a bit, knowing she was fortunate to have gotten out when she did. "If they weren't killed outright, they're either being held hostage to keep the peace inside—or, best case scenario, in hiding. But it didn't look good, as everyone who was really important was inside the Citadel that night for the treaty."

Gladio kicked at the coffee table in anger, nearly toppling it over as he all but growled, "like shooting fish in a f*cking barrel." Ignis didn't even scold him for mistreating the furniture, being equally upset over the implications.

"Take out the Royal Family and the Sensate Council all at the same time. A complete takeover."

"Rebuilding the power structure is going to be a nightmare when we win this," Gladio said to Ignis, who could only nod in agreement.

Iris' demeanor changed as she perked up at her brother's words, "You think we really can? Win, that is?"

"What else can we do?" Noctis answered, trying to feel the conviction in his own words, "We either take back our home or die trying. I can't do anything less." Thinking of it in those terms, it was a simple enough task. He tried to keep what came after out of his mind.

Noctis ruling the kingdom was always going to happen eventually, sooner than any of them liked, with how quickly his dad's health had declined to maintain the Wall. But if he was being honest, Noctis was afraid to take up that responsibility. He hoped he would have a few more years before giving up the rest of his life to the Crown. But, now that it was happening, he was grateful for the freedom his dad had given him to live outside the Citadel and experience a bit of a normal life while he could.

"Let's try not to die though, yeah?" Gladio said, piercing him with a stern look.

Ignis agreed with the sentiment, "We have time to worry about a frontal assault on the Empire later. But, with all the unaccounted tombs we're tasked to recover, we can't do much until we find them."

Iris raised a brow in confusion to that, "Tombs?"

Noctis sighed. It was getting late, and they had so much more to catch her up on, so he attempted to give her an abbreviated rundown. "Cor sent us on a task. We're collecting relics to strengthen our power while he gathers what's left of our forces inside and outside the city. That's probably what Dustin was called away for."

"That sounds like it's going to be difficult," she tugged on a strand of her hair in thought, staring at all of them in turn. "Well, if you're staying in the area for the foreseeable future, we'll have to get you guys new clothes to blend in better around here."

That took them a bit aback, all looking at one another in confusion at the non sequitur. "What?"

Iris sighed in exasperation, "you're all still running around in your royal colors! All it takes is the wrong person to make that connection, and you've given yourselves away," she said, waving her hand at their clothes to get them to see her point, all four still in their black Crownsguard apparel.

"sh*t. Didn't even think of that," Noctis felt a bit stupid for not coming to that conclusion himself, "that's all we brought for the trip as it hadn't mattered what we were wearing at the time. But Iris' right, even our clothes are going to end up giving us away at this rate if we're going to be running around out here."

"You can get clothes here in Lestallum; there's a lot of shops and vendors to choose from." She indicated her clothing, a matching set of a skirt and blouse in blues and cream instead of the red and black she usually preferred. Noctis didn't even think about it when Iris showed up at the plaza, wearing a completely different outfit not traditionally found in Insomnia. Still, now that it was pointed out to them, she easily fit in with the rest of the other girls in the area.

Even Ignis couldn't conceal a frown of self-reproach at his own apparent oversight, "We'll go in the morning. We should have enough Gil to get the four of us proper attire."

"But not much after that," Noctis pointed out, his thoughts from earlier regarding their finances back in the forefront of his mind.

Gladio scratched at the dark stubble growing thick on his cheek, thinking over the situation they now found themselves in. "We're gonna have to find a way to make some money if we want to keep on the mission. We're completely cut off from our accounts and usual resources."

"And even if we were able to use them out here, I'm sure the Empire is watching them very closely," Ignis said.

That left them all with little to no options. It wasn't as if they could go out looking to gain employment here in the city to fund their mission. It wasn't only that they didn't have time for it, but the odds of them getting recognized would grow exceptionally higher, putting them in danger of getting handed over to the Empire.

"Wait!" Prompto snapped his fingers, sitting at the edge of his seat, excitement now coloring his voice as an idea came to him, "Don't we have that letter from that Hunter, Dave? We should totally take him up on his offer and petition to take up some marks of our own!" he stared at all them waiting for their input, his excitement was infectious as the idea grew more merit the longer they considered it.

Gladio nodded, the first to agree that the other boy's suggestion was sound. "That's not a bad idea, kid. That Bloodhorn gave us a lot of Gil, and that was for just one mark," he turned to Ignis to get his take on the idea.

"It could also serve as an excellent cover for us," Ignis said, tapping his fingers on his knee, his mind going over all the possible ways it could work in their favor, "the locals are used to seeing Hunters roaming the countryside on the odd errand. Also, disguised as Hunters, we'd have fewer suspicions directed at us when asking for information on more delicate matters."

Gladio grinned at the other man, "such as dangerous places a tomb might be hiding in?" Ignis returned the look with a smug one of his own.

"Precisely."

Iris was nearly vibrating in her seat as she listened to their brainstorming. No longer able to keep in the questions bubbling to the surface, she burst out excitedly, "You've gotten involved with the Hunters Guild? The bounty hunters that hunt down daemons and stuff? I overheard Dustin and Jared talking about them; they're super prevalent around here. Let me join you guys!"

"No, Iris, this isn't a game." Gladio was quick to shut that line of thought down, not even bothering to think it over. "It's too dangerous out there for you, so don't even think about it." But his sister wasn't one to be cowed, as she glared back up at him.

"It's pretty dangerous everywhere now, Gladdy," she pointed out, undeterred, "I'm the daughter of House Amicitia. Our House is the most loyal to the Crown, and the Empire would very much like to see the rest of us gone."

That only proved to incensed Gladio even further, the older of the two digging his heels in harder against the idea. "More the reason for you to stay out of sight and out of trouble!"

"It's my right to fight back as much as yours!"

"You're still a child!"

"I'm nearly sixteen!" Iris was furious now as her voice raised over her brothers, the argument morphing into an all-out fight. "I would have been already enlisted for training into the Crownsguard if it wasn't for Dad forbiddingit just because I'm his daughter!"

"Dad was trying to protect you!" Gladio raised from his chair to loom over his sister in a subconscious attempt to get her to back down, but it only made her leap from her own seat to match his stance.

Despite their obvious differences in height, they were an equal match regarding their temper.

"Well, he's dead now, so he's not protecting anybodyanymore, is he!" she nearly screamed into his face while stabbing a finger into his chest.

There was a deafening silence as the siblings let that harsh truth sit between them, their pain bleeding out like a gaping wound.

Noctis and the other two boys sat stunned as the argument came to an explosive head. None of them knew what to do to calm the situation as the worst had already been said. Yet, none could deny the truth of her words, even though it hurt to hear them all the same.

Iris let out a deep shuddering breath, her body deflating like an angry balloon before her hard expression softened as she stared up at her big brother. "Gladdy, you've taught me everything you know since I was old enough to badger you to do so. You know I can fight as good as any other Crownsguard hopeful. Our home as we know it is gone. I saw them burn the House districts down to the ground myself."

"Iris," Gladio was shattered to hear that. His anger evaporated momentarily, being faced with the reality of what had become of their home.

"It should be mychoice if I want to risk my life like you have; I want to become a Kingsglaive." Iris pierced Noctis with a determined stare. "I want to pledge myself into the service of my King. I want to get our home back."

That shook Gladio out of his stupor as he turned to Noctis as well, eyes alight with panic, "before you say anything, Noct—"

But Noctis waved his hand sharply, silencing the other man from speaking. His eyes still locked with the younger girl's, his blue meeting dark brown across the crooked table as Noctis seriously considered her request.

"Take some more time to think about it, Iris," she opened her mouth to argue, but Noctis interrupted her, "If we're planning on taking up some marks to get some Gil, that's going to take us out of the city for at least a day or two. So take that time to review your options, and see if you reallywant to do this."

"Noct!"

He ignored Gladio's angry shout and spoke directly to Iris, "And when we get back, and your answer is still the same, I'll gladly accept your pledge."

Iris looked so hopeful that he couldn't take back the words even if he wanted to in that moment. "Really? Do you really mean that, Noct?"

Well, he couldn't back down now, "I do. But it's nothing like training out there," he warned her, "they're aiming to kill us."

"I know," Iris's face was shadowed by the memories of the attack, but they weren't enough to dampen her resolve.

Gladio's face was red with suppressed rage, and it looked like he was getting ready to begin their fight anew when there was a sudden knock from the door, interrupting any of them from continuing their conversation.

"Think it's a noise complaint?" Prompto joked.

Gladio gave Prompto a stern look, "I doubt they'd be responding that fast if it was," he went to first look through the peephole before quickly unlocking the door to open it. There was a cry of delight before his arms were filled with an excited boy.

"Lord Gladiolus! You're alright!" the little boy clung to Gladio's arm as his grandfather entered the room more sedately.

"Talcott! You shouldn't be throwing yourself at people, never mind Lord Amicitia!" The elderly man scolded his grandson.

"Jared! I'm so relieved to see that you both made it out as well," Gladio's face had smoothed out from the anger he displayed a moment before, truly relieved to see the two had safely made it out of the city. Talcott jumped away from the older man to give him a bright smile and a salute.

"Not to worry, Sir! We kept Lady Iris safe and sound!"

"Thanks, little guy," Gladio chuckled, messing up his neat hair playfully, "wouldn't trust anyone else for the job," his words filled the young boy with pride, his tiny chest puffing up with the praise as his grandfather watched on in indulgent silence.

Talcott began speaking a mile a minute, feeling bold after the attention he was given, "We wanted to make sure everything was alright when Lady Iris didn't return! I'm so pleased that you and the Prince made it here safely!"

There was a quiet cough behind him, and Talcott quickly bowed at Noctis, remembering his manners once he was reminded that everyone else was in the room, not just the members of House Amicitia.

Jared bowed as low as his aging body could to formally greet Noctis. "Your Highness, please excuse my grandson. He has only begun to learn his manners and the correct protocols befitting his station."

"I really don't mind, Jared. There isn't much for protocol in light of recent events," he had always felt a bit awkward being treated like a prince when in informal situations. Even informal ones, it was still tedious to go through all the niceties required when mingling with the other High Houses and other representatives visiting the Citadel for various occasions.

"I beg to differ, Your Grace, but thank you for your kindness," the elderly man said with another bow before returning to his grandson. "It's getting late, Talcott. We should return to our rooms now that Lady Iris' whereabouts are accounted for."

The little boy's face fell in disappointment. But he didn't argue with the gentle order, "Yes, Grandpa. Goodnight, your Highness! Goodnight, everyone!" he waved happily to everyone in the room, then followed his grandfather to return to their own accommodations.

Iris wasn't far behind as she stood in the open doorway, "I'll get Jared up to speed before turning in for the night myself," she refused to look at her brother, "and we'll get you all sorted in the morning like we planned." She closed the door with a firm snap behind herself, cutting off any possibilities of Gladio speaking to her further.

The room was full of silence in the younger girl's wake. Prompto and Ignis stared between the other two men, the atmosphere becoming tenser by the second. The thick tension was finally cut as Gladio whipped around to face Noctis head-on, his face pinched with the anger he could set free now that the Hesters were gone.

"I can't believe you told her that she could pledge herself! She's fifteen!"

"Wasn't Cor King Mors' personal bodyguard at fifteen or something?" Prompto couldn't stop himself from asking out loud, causing Gladio to unleash his anger on him as well.

"Shut up, Prompto! That was a completelydifferent set of circ*mstances!"

Noctis was starting to feel a sharp pain beginning to build behind his eyes, "not too different. They were in the middle of the Great War when he was let into the Crownsguard. You can't say we're in a position to turn people away from serving," he snapped out.

"You can't compare my baby sister to the Marshal! I can't believe you would put her in danger like that!" Gladio's anger was reaching new heights, as was the pain behind Noctis' eyes. It pulsed with every word the other man shouted at him.

When he tried to argue back, the pain suddenly increased to an unbearable amount. The shock of it knocked him to his knees as his pulse pounded in time with the pain. He couldn't suppress the scream he was holding back any longer and jammed a fist into his mouth to try and smother it instead.

"Arg!"

"Noct!"

His head was splitting open, fissures opening up in his skull, but none of the pressure was released. Noctis was sure that his head would pop off. Then flashes of light crossed behind his eyelids, and a garbled voice he couldn't understand shouted in his head, bringing the pain to a new level.

"Should we call someone?"

"Who!"

"Are those tremors? Are we dealing with earthquakes now?"

He really wished everyone would stop yelling and just dosomething—like drill a hole into his head to let the pressure out—but all anyone could do was talk over each other as the ground trembled beneath him.

"Do you think a potion would help?"

"I don't know. This doesn't look normal."

When the pain's force became too much for him to endure, he saw another flash—blue flames and a piercing molten eye—and then his head was blissfully empty.

Noctis felt faint at the sudden lack of pain or pressure that had come over him so abruptly. He nearly wept when a cold, wet cloth over his face blocked out the room's light, which had become too bright for him to handle. He finally discerned Ignis' voice from the others as he spoke quietly to him and recognized that it was Ignis pressing the beautifully cool piece of cloth to his sweating face.

"Are you with us, Noct?"

"Yeah, Specs, I'm here." He croaked out, clinging onto the hand holding the damp cloth to his head to anchor him. He greedily took in the comfort that Ignis' steady hand under his gave him.

"What the hell was that?" Gladio nearly yelled, causing Noctis to flinch as the loud sound aggravated the phantom waves of pain that echoed still in his head.

"Loweryour voice, Gladiolus," Ignis scolded the other man, voice low but full of authority. Gladio didn't say another word, but the room still felt strained from the anger he was radiating off.

Noctis could hear feet lightly shuffling over the thick carpet nearby before the soft tones of Prompto's voice were heard as he spoke to Ignis.

"I'm going to lower the lights. That always helped my mom when she had a bad episode."

"That would be much appreciated, Prompto."

From the edges of the cloth, Noctis could see the light grow dimmer in the room, and he weakly pulled on Ignis' hand to lift it away just a little, "I'm alright, Specs."

"That didn't look alright to me," Gladio said harshly yet quietly. His eyes betrayed his worry, though, as he scanned Noctis' face for more signs of stress.

"What happened?" Prompto asked, his face pale enough to make his freckles stand out as he looked to Noctis for answers he didn't have.

"I don't know," he went to shake his head and immediately thought better of it. "It came on so fast."

"Do you think it's from those Arms from the tombs?" Gladio looked to Ignis, but Noctis waved away that notion, somehow knowing it wasn't that.

"It didn't happen after either time I claimed one, not like this—this felt nothing like the first time I collapsed," Noctis didn't know how he knew, but he was confident that it had nothing to do with the Lucii this time. He could sense an echo of a feeling of indignation that wasn't his own at the implication.

"Could be stress," Ignis looked worried still as he helped Noctis back into his seat on the sofa. He didn't remember getting out of it.

Noctis waved away Ignis, who remained at his side to hover over him. He could feel the other man fretting, no matter how good he was at concealing his emotions. "I'm fine now, and it's also getting late, guys. We should call it a night and get an early start tomorrow."

"You? You want an early start?" Gladio couldn't help but laugh, and the tension in the room finally broke as Noctis pulled a face, trying not to pout.

"I don't always sleep in."

"Not from a lack of trying," the two were able to share a small smile at that. The heated argument from before was put on the back burner for now.

But Noctis knew that it was far from over. Iris was determined to get her way. Noctis was stuck between her wish and Gladio's refusal to see his sister as anything other than the kid she used to be.

Ignis cleared his throat, gaining the rest of the boy's attention, but his words were directed at the taller man. "You and Prompto take the adjoining room. I'd feel more comfortable if I were the one to keep an eye on Noct's condition overnight." Gladio looked like he wanted to argue, but the severe look he received from Ignis stopped him short.

"I call dibs on the first shower!" Prompto fled the room through the adjoining door to the second one, leaving the other boys to stare wearily at his retreating back.

"I could just toss him out, but I want to speak more to Iris and make sure she really is doing all right," Gladio said, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

"Yeah, you should catch up with her," Noctis knew the two siblings would have to tackle the elephant in the room regarding their dad and the gaping hole he left behind in their lives.

From what the little Noctis was able to piece together on his own, Iris had a strained relationship with her father. She watched as Gladio was trained to take over for Clarus one day, leaving her behind to take on what their mother would have been tasked to do as Lady of the household. Of course, that was when she wasn't sneaking off to train like her brother or looking for an adventure of her own.

Gladio bid them goodnight and said he'd see them in the morning, the 'bright and early,' directed at Noctis, who did his best to playfully scowl at the larger man's teasing. However, his head still suffered the after-effects of whatever that spell from earlier was.

"I'd suggest a shower then to bed, but perhaps a bath would be a better option?" Ignis suggested, and it sounded like a lovely idea to Noctis.

"Yeah, I'd hate to bash in my skull falling in the stall due to another headache hitting me out of the blue," he joked, but the other man didn't look amused by it.

"I'll be right outside if it recurs," he said instead, helping Noctis stand. Only once he was assured Noctis was steady once more on his own two feet did he let him walk into the bathroom alone.

Noctis was grateful that Ignis didn't try to draw the bath for him; he felt like an invalid from all the collapsing he'd been doing the last few days. And the time alone would be nice too. He was thankful for the guys being there, but he could imagine they all needed a bit of space, too. If only for a bit.

Once he was lying back to soak in the tub's hot water, Noctis let everything go. His racing thoughts drifted away with the steam that curled above the water around him until his mind was as quiet as the empty room.

He was grateful that he didn't have to be strong here in the bathtub. The tears he had been holding back all this time finally flowed free now that he was alone to do so without embarrassment. There wasn't anyone in here to stay strong for or appearances to keep up.

Here, he could just be a son grieving and missing his dad. A father who was taken from him too soon and would never be able to speak to again.

Noctis let out a quiet sob. The sound still echoed around the tiled walls of the room, and he couldn't make himself care if Ignis could hear it from the other side of the door. He was just too tired to care about much of anything.

He wasn't ready to be a king yet—he didn't wantit. He just wanted one more moment with his dad, to hold onto him in a hug he desperately regretted not giving him before their final goodbye.

He sank deeper into the tub and let himself cry harder beneath the water.

-*-

The morning came all too soon. The beams of sunlight shone brightly through the open doors as the boys gathered in the lounge to wait for Iris to join them. Noctis didn't even bother to smother the massive yawn that cracked his jaw; even with a full night's sleep, the fatigue he felt from the last forty-eight hours was still riding him hard. It felt a bit like he was hung over or something, and he couldn't pinpoint if it was the odd headache he still had or if the stress was getting too much for him to handle.

He was almost blinded by the sheer amount of cheerfulness Prompto was exuding so early in the morning. Noctis wanted to try whatever the blond was taking if it got him through the day as content with life as he seemed to be. Even with everything falling apart around them, the other boy didn't hesitate to flash them all with a smile full of optimism.

Wishing he was back in his bed upstairs, Noctis sprawled out on the seating area next to Gladio, sinking into the plush cushions with a sigh. The two watched Prompto as he all but danced about the lobby, snapping a few photos of the hotel's interior. He was mumbling to himself but was just out of hearing range from them, making it difficult to hear what it was, but Noctis could guess that it had something to do with the building's aesthetics and architecture.

Noctis' eyelids began to droop, and he debated whether or not he could get away with using Gladio as a pillow to get a few more winks of sleep, but the thumps of rapidly approaching steps alerted them that the last member of their early morning rendezvous had arrived.

"Morning!"

Iris jumped down the last few steps after her way too cheerful greeting, and now Noctis was wondering if they were all keeping some secret stash away from him. If so, then that was completely unfair and uncalled for.

Gladio sat up from his relaxed position next to him to stretch out his long limbs, removing himself from being used as a headrest by Noctis.

He didn't approve of that one bit, either.

"Alright, now that we're all up and awake, which is debatable for some," Gladio ignored Noctis flipping him off for the unnecessary commentary directed at him. "Let's get something to eat and some shopping done."

"I'd think that we might do that in reverse," Ignis suggested, "it would be best to get our new attire settled now so we can integrate better with our surroundings." They all had dressed down as best as possible. However, their all-black ensembles still made them stick out like sore thumbs among everyone else who could be seen wearing various combinations of bright colors with pale, airy neutrals.

It made sense to get their clothes sorted first, but from all the sounds coming from more than one stomach, food was at the forefront of their minds.

Iris quickly offered a solution, "Noctis and I can get food to go nearby while you three head out and get the clothes! Then, we can meet back here, dress, eat together, and plan the next step!"

"Splitting up would make our tasks faster. Although, I don't like that Noctis will be without one of us to watch his back if something were to happen," Ignis said, sounding uneasy about forming two separate groups.

"We wouldn't be having this problem if Gladio here didn't eat all the leftovers from last night," Prompto grumbled and avoided the swipe Gladio aimed at his head for ratting him out.

"It should be fine, Specs," Noctis tried not to roll his eyes at his over-protectiveness, knowing it was well warranted but chafing under it all the same, "If there's anything fishy, I'll call after ducking into an alleyway or something." Ignis didn't take much comfort from that, but he didn't argue any further either, so he took that as a small win.

On the other hand, Gladio had no problem displaying his displeasure and crossed his arms over his chest as he frowned at the two. "Fine, but if we return before you do and we don't get a call as to why, then you won't be leaving my sight for a moment, not even for the bathroom."

"Gross, Gladdy!" Iris' face scrunched up in disgust at her brother, "No one wants to hear about the weird sexual things you're into!"

Noctis coughed to cover up the laugh that burst out as the older man's affronted look quickly turned into one of abject horror as he realized that his sister not only made a sex joke at his expense but even knew what sex was in the first place. Prompto didn't even try and conceal his amusem*nt, the blond nearly cackling as he turned his face away from the rest as Gladio continued to stare at his innocent baby sister like she just threw all of his books into the river right in front of him.

Taking that moment as their cue to leave, Noctis grabbed the younger girl's arm and headed out the doors, letting Ignis handle the stunned man behind them. "Come on Iris, you can show me where to get the best breakfast since you've been here a day longer than us." That made her face light right up.

"I know a few places!" she quickly took the lead, dragging him behind her as they left the Leville.

With the rest left behind to deal with the shopping, it was just the two of them strolling together through the streets. Noctis noticed that it was a lot less crowded than the night before had been. So either the morning rush had already passed, or they were just ahead of the masses heading out for the day. It was nice either way, as it meant that he could lower his guard a tad and enjoy the quiet moment for what it was.

Iris pointed out a few interesting things to him that were more popular for tourists, noting that the few people they came across were from out of town like them.

"Most of the locals are probably at the market closer to the power plant," Iris said, keeping in step with him, "it's where they sell all kinds of different ingredients and supplies—it smells great there! We should totally check it out later when we have time to look around more."

It was hard not to be infected with her excitement, and Noctis felt himself smiling because of it. "Sounds like you've looked around a lot in the short time you've been here."

She only shrugged at that, "You know me. I like to see what's happening, especially somewhere new, and this place is fascinating!"

"At least you didn't get lost this time," Noctis laughed, recalling when they had first met in person, back when they were much younger, and Iris had gotten lost on the royal grounds trying to befriend a feral cat.

Iris laughed, recalling the same memory, "Yeah, well, I'm not five either."

It was a nice moment of the past to get lost in while Iris pointed out the few things she had discovered on her first day in the city. The local women had taken all her curious questions with good cheer, taking a natural shine to the young girl. They told her all the best spots to try out that weren't generally found on the list of places given out to the tourists who came to the city. Small hole-in-the-wall places reminded Noctis of the little old restaurant he had worked part-time at after school when he lived outside the Citadel.

It was one of those little corner shops that he and Iris stopped at. The two placed their orders with the older man who owned the place—a man who was way too cheerful at this time in the morning, in Noctis' opinion. Then, they were left waiting at the pickup counter after grabbing their drinks.

The humidity was already bad for it only being seven in the morning, making the warm air feel thicker than he was used to. Noctis was grateful that they could get their beverages first.

"You really have a talent for getting good intel," he said, accepting the cold drink from Iris and quickly taking a long drink from the straw. He was glad to have left his jacket behind as he could already feel sweat beading down his back.

Iris played with her straw before sipping her drink and gathering her thoughts. "It helped to be doing something after Dustin got us settled here. I couldn't just stay in that room, just thinking about what had happened. It was driving me crazy."

"I can imagine." Noctis knew full well the need to keep moving as a way to run from your own thoughts before they could consume you. Until they arrived here in Lestallum, that's all they'd been able to do after reading the headlines the morning after the attack. At least they had been able to take out their immediate anger on the Imperial soldiers crawling over the place. Iris had been made to flee, the Crownsguard fearing for her life if they didn't get her out of the Empire's way.

"I know Gladdy doesn't approve of me wanting to join up—he made that very clear to me last night," Iris pulled a face, stabbing her straw through the plastic top, "but he never got what it was like to be told to stand aside and do nothing. I'm not built like that. I needto be doing my part—a real part—not just standing in the background waiting for him to return from the battlefield."

And that was precisely what Gladio expected her to do. To stay out of the fight, maybe give moral support from the sidelines while he forced himself into the front with the rest of the remaining Crownsguard and Glaives, who would be in the thick of it in the battles ahead.

"I was serious about what I said, but really take your time thinking about it more," Noctis told her, wanting Iris to know that he took her seriously but that she didn't need to throw herself into this mess off the bat. "We're not ready to make any offensive assaults just yet, not until I'm able to find all these tombs that are supposed to be lying around."

"I'm not going to change my mind, Noct," Iris said, her jaw set in a stubborn expression eerily the same as her brothers.

"I don't think you will either, but let Gladio take this time to get used to the idea, at least?"

"Pfft, like that will ever happen," Iris stirred her drink, staring at it sullenly. The moment was saved from getting awkward when their food was announced to be ready for pickup.

"Here you kids go!" the teller handed them their order, all nice and bagged up for easy carrying. "You should take these over to Pegglar Outlook. I hear that the view of the Meteor is a popular spot for couples!" he said, winking at the two of them, and Noctis nearly choked on his drink.

"Thanks," Iris squeaked out, taking half of the bags and unable to make eye contact with either of them. Her face was bright red like a tomato, embarrassment coloring her every movement from the man's teasing remark.

"Have a great morning!" the man waved them off cheerfully, either unaware of their discomfort or it was something to do on a slow day, deliberately attacking unsuspecting customers emotionally to get his rocks off.

"So embarrassing," Iris said under her breath.

"Makes a good cover, though, right?" Noctis tried to lighten the mood by joking.

"Please stop talking!" he could only laugh at how redder Iris' face got as she elbowed him for teasing her, but he couldn't help it. Her small crush wasn't too obvious, but Gladio had taken the time and pulled him aside years ago, warning him from ever trying to lead his little sister on.

That conversation left him in an awkward situation, as Noctis had already realized that he had no interest in women. However, he had yet to tell a single soul of this personal revelation. Gladio's baby sister didn't even hit close on his radar when there were several members of the Crownsguard and Glaives running around, barely clothed, while they trained in the yards all day.

The first time seeing Nyx Ulric in all of his half-naked glory was an eye-opening and embarrassing experience for his younger self that he'd like to forget.

So Noctis refrained from pointing out Iris' discomfort any longer, granting her a bit of mercy from his teasing despite the current sticky situation she'd put him in with her brother. "Let's get back to the hotel and wait for the others; there's air-conditioning there, at least."

"Just wait until the afternoon heat sets in," Iris waved a hand in her face to cool it off.

They spent the next fifteen minutes chatting in front of the hotel, waiting for the others. The outdoor patio had fans already out and running in the private area. They were fortunate to find it empty of other patrons staying, so Noctis caught Iris up on their latest tomb mission in graphic detail. He told her what they had found in the old mines under the ruins of Keycatrich and how they suspected the other tombs to be in similar dangerous places with bloody pasts.

"You really found remains of people inside?" Iris shivered at the thought.

"Yeah," Noctis suppressed a shiver of his own as he recounted the memory, "looks like they were trapped inside there a while and found something they shouldn't have."

"Those poor people," she shook her head, mourning those she'd never known, "to think no one came looking for them either." That had also plagued Noctis' mind as they left the tunnels that day.

"With the Great War, I'm sure there's a lot of people still missing like those ones," he confessed. It must have been right after his grandfather, King Mors, pulled back the Wall to strengthen it, leaving everything outside the Crown City to the Empire's mercies.

Iris' face hardened with resolve as she stared up at him, a fire in her eyes he recognized from last night when she spoke of fighting back, "We can't let that happen to our people left back home. They deserve to be found, not forgotten in the chaos."

"I agree," Noctis didn't want there to be a repeat of what they found in that mine. But, once things cooled down and everything went as planned, he wanted to retrieve those lost remains in Keycatrich and try to discover who they might have been. At the very least, give them a proper burial if they couldn't uncover their identities.

"We made it!"

The two were startled from their intense conversation when Prompto threw himself into the chair across from Iris, the boy pulling a fan over to blow cool air into his face, which was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Even his hair looked hot as the blond strands drooped over his forehead due to the rising heat.

"And with our pockets emptied for it," Ignis sat next to Noctis, much more dignified than the other boy had. The open collar of his shirt was the only hint that the heat was getting to him just as much as the rest of them, the upper top buttons undone to reveal a hint of smooth skin on his chest.

Gladio took his seat on the other side of his sister, stealing her drink to take a sip from it and getting slapped for it in retaliation. "They have a few shops geared towards Hunters passing through, so we got a few items that should help us look the part and add credibility to our cover story."

"Gladio just wants to show off the new vest he got that'll show his tattoo for everyone to see," Prompto said, tossing a fork at him.

"Chicks dig it. What can I say?" Gladio caught the fork aimed at his face mid-air and grinned at the pouting boy.

Iris groaned as she handed out everyone's food now that they were all present and accounted for, "Gladdy, I really don't want to hear about your many conquests while I'm eating—or ever, in fact."

"You'll understand someday. Hopefully, when you're well past sixty," he said, getting back at her from the night before and giving her the side-eye as she blushed at his remark.

"Any idea where the bounties are posted here?" Noctis asked, wanting to derail where the conversation was heading, "That last one kinda just fell into our laps."

Prompto snickered, "Yeah, then you nearly got mauled by that Sabertusk after finding that flyer." That had Iris staring at them all with wide eyes.

"And you're trying to say it's too dangerous for me, and you're getting mauled by scaly dogs?" she asked her brother. The way she was holding her utensils, she looked just about ready to stab him if he chose his following words poorly.

Prompto took a hefty bite from his plate and waved his fork in thought as he chewed, "More like scaly wolves, but yeah, fair."

"As to the question at hand, they seem to be posting their notices near popular restaurants. There were a few leaflets outside the diner we stopped by in Leide if I remember correctly." Ignis poked at his food before taking a bite of what Noctis was pretty sure was a piece of potato. They shared the same texture as one but were a bright pink and sweeter than normal ones.

The only sound after that heard around the table was of cutlery on disposable plates as everyone dug into their breakfast. Gladio was the first to finish his food and tossed his containers into the nearby trashcan, taking the other's empty plates if they were finished, too.

"We'll go on a hunting mission for a bulletin board after getting redressed. Best to be looking the part if we want people to take us seriously and not ask too many questions," he said, wiping his hands on a napkin before tossing that away as well. He was ready to move on, not one to be caught dawdling when work was to be done.

That was their cue to return to their rooms and for Noctis to see what the guys had gotten for him while shopping on their own. He silently rejoiced to be back inside and out of the heat, but hopefully, they'd all get used to the climate soon, as they would be in the area for quite a while if they didn't get any new leads on the next tomb.

"Here, Noct. They should all be in your size," Ignis handed him a large bag that was a bit heavier than he expected it to be for some streetwear.

"You put a brick in here, Specs?"

"Something more sturdy than the run-of-the-mill clothing offered here. With your tendencies for warping into fights head-on, we thought it be best," Ignis said, giving him a look that told him that he disapproved of his battle tactics in the field.

Noctis shrugged off the comment, spilling the bag's contents onto the bed to see what he would be working with. "That's a lot of green."

"It seems that all the Hunter outlets are equipped for the individual terrain they're stationed in," the other man explained, "with the exception of areas in the west and the surroundings of the Disc itself, this region and Duscae are mainly tropical and wetlands."

That was true. It was nothing like the arid lands back east, "the Hunters based in Leide did wear a lot of tans." All except for Laurent.

That man stood out among the others like a co*ckatrice strutting around a flock of common chickens the way he dressed in his bright-colored leathers. The reds and oranges were like a beacon, announcing his presence everywhere he went inside the Outpost. Noctis doubted that the man worried about blending into his surroundings at all. From their brief encounter and how he spoke to his superior, Noctis got the impression that the man was always looking for a fight. Whether it was from a human or a creature didn't seem to matter to him.

"Let's get dressed so the others aren't kept waiting," Ignis said, taking his own bag into the bathroom to change, giving Noctis a bit of privacy where he could.

It was going to be weird not wearing their regular clothes and colors. Aside from his school uniform, Noctis had always worn something in the royal black of his House. Slipping into the dark green and brown clothes felt like he was slipping into someone else's skin, and he found that he didn't hate the idea of it either.

Noctis let the brief fantasy of fading into the wilderness as just another Hunter cross his mind. Just leave all of this behind for someone else to deal with, someone more capable than him who would do a better job. Someone who knew what the hell they were doing.

The phantom weight lifted off his shoulders only briefly before the click of the bathroom door opening brought him crashing back down to reality. Noctis tried to keep a straight face as the heavy weight of responsibility returned with it.

Ignis returned dressed in his new attire, an airy-looking shirt made of soft linen worn underneath a reinforced vest and pants, all in the same greens as his own clothing. The colors looked good on the other man, his dark leather gloves and modern glasses not looking the slightest bit out of place with the style change. Noctis could only hope he pulled the look off half as well as the other.

"Looking good there, Specs. Green is your color for sure," he couldn't keep from complimenting the man. And the color wasflattering, the new clothes really bringing out the green in his eyes, unlike the black tones from before.

Ignis looked him over in return, slowly eying him from head to toe, "Likewise."

Clearing his throat, unsure why it was tight all of a sudden, Noctis went to the connecting door leading to the other room, "Let's get the others and see what we're working with for jobs."

The others were clothed in similar things as Noctis and Ignis were. Prompto had chosen an outfit similar to Ignis', though he had rolled up the sleeves to leave his forearms free like he often preferred. Gladio had gone without an undershirt entirely, choosing to wear just the vest instead, the tattoos covering the upper part of his body on display for all to see, just as the younger boy had said he would.

"Should we be worried that someone will recognize those?" Noctis asked, unable to keep himself from staring at the inky feathers curving over Gladio's broad shoulders. He'd seen them plenty of times in the past, but the new Hunters gear gave off a different vibe that was hard to ignore.

Gladio shrugged the concern off, "A lot of the Hunters we saw have tattoos of some kind. I don't think mine will get more attention than theirs."

They couldn't argue with that logic as they left the hotel searching for information. It could make it easier for them to blend in than if they were to try and hide his tattoos. If someone were to discover them anyway, that would look far more suspicious than just showing them off like the others.

Iris was waiting for them in the lobby, speaking with some hotel staff when they descended the stairs. Now, getting later in the morning, the city was becoming hotter like Iris warned them it would. Even inside, they could feel the temperature change. With a perky thanks to the staff member, Iris led them to the likely places the bounties might be posted after their helpful input.

"They told me that the best place to look for the local Tipster would be near the main plaza," Iris skipped ahead, leading the way and acting the part of a curious teenager well.

"We probably passed them when we arrived last night," Prompto said, adjusting his belt to his new pants. They were much tighter than he usually wore them, and Noctis noticed that they hugged his long legs nicely, making him appear taller than he was.

They found the Tipster serving a couple sitting at one of the small round tables scattered around the open patio by the plaza. They all took a seat and waved him over, but before they could ask about any available jobs, the man asked what rank they were, recognizing the familiar clothing immediately.

"Rank?" Prompto blinked, confused by the question.

"What's your boys' Hunter rank?" the man clarified, "but going by all of the blanks looks coming my way, I'd say you're a bunch of Apprentices. So, who's your sponsor?"

Ignis handed over the letter they were given from Dave, "We were told this would give us leave to take up bounties."

The man read the short letter, his brows rising into his hairline in surprise, "David, huh? Old Ezma's boy decided to sponsor you all?" he gave them all a long second look.

"Will his word be good enough to see what marks you have?" Ignis asked, staring unflinchingly back at the Tipster, daring him to turn them away. But they needn't have worried, as whoever this 'Ezma' was, Dave being her son was good enough to vouch for them.

"Sure is. Got a few still pending. The Hunters who had taken the job got called away suddenly, so it's a relief to know that they sent more here to replace them, even if you are on the green side." He gave them a few flyers he kept on hand to flip through, "some of these are nasty pieces of work; they've been keeping some of the foragers out here away from their usual spots and held up the supply routes."

"Can we take all of these?" Noctis asked, looking over Ignis' shoulder as he flipped through the small stack.

The man looked surprised, "knock yourselves out. If you can take care of them, you'd be doing us a huge favor."

"More options, the better, right?" Gladio laughed.

"Just be careful of that one marked in red," the man pulled out the flyer in question, "this one was the one the other Hunters were going to take but had to abandon. They were a bit more seasoned than you lot, so I'd set that one aside for now."

It was the highest-paying mark out of all of the ones available. The boys shared a look and kept that one in the small stack with the others, "we'll make sure to stay within our range of abilities to get the jobs done," Ignis reassured the man. However, he didn't look entirely convinced of that.

"Can never talk sense into the rookies," he muttered but gave them a few maps of the area as their other one was mainly made up of the Leide region and wasn't as much help here. He also marked their map to help them find their way around better, correctly pegging them from outside Cleigne. Finally, he told them where the Havens would be, circling the ones close to some of their marks in case night fell before getting back to a settlement.

"Lot's a daemons around at night lately, so be careful, alright? I don't care if it's part of your code or whatever; you kids are too young to be taking on some of the ones heard to be running around." The Tipster gave them his last bit of advice before sending them off with a bag of food for the trip as a welcoming gift.

"People are pretty nice out here," Prompto said, looking through the bag and snacking on the bits of fried bread dusted in sugar and spices he found inside.

"They would be. Showing kindness and support to the guys that keep the lands clear for everyone else would only garner more Hunters to stay in the area after all." Gladio took a sweet piece of bread from Prompto and tossed it into his mouth.

"That makes sense."

"So, are you guys heading out now?" Iris asked, looking sad at the thought of them leaving so soon.

"We should," Noctis said, not wanting to disappoint her but knowing they needed to get going sooner than later if they wanted to earn enough money to live off of for the foreseeable future. "Getting started before the day passes us by would be the smart thing to do."

"Don't burn yourselves out, alright?" Iris said instead of trying to convince them to stay longer, "and don't think I forgot about our deal! When you get back, you better keep your end the of the bargain!" she poked Noctis in the side.

"Iris—"

"No, Gladdy, not listening!" Iris glared at her brother, holding his gaze until he huffed and turned away from her heated stare.

"Whatever."

"Let's head out, shall we?" Ignis took control of the conversation, bidding Iris a good day and to stay safe while they were gone.

Iris let them go without any more arguing with Gladio but made eye contact with Noctis, giving him a final look before they left, and he held in a sigh as they left her behind in the plaza. He was not looking forward to dealing with Gladio going on another rampage over his sister wanting to make her own decisions.

It was much cooler in the underground parking garage where the sun couldn't reach them. They all enjoyed the temporary reprieve from the heat as they climbed into the Regalia. Pulling out their maps, they debated which of the closest marks they should start with and how long it might take.

Ignis flipped through their stack of bounties and compared them to the parts of the map marked for their locations. "We can start by going north to Pallareth Pass, work our way down from there, and head southwest?" they were all agreeable to that. It would help save on gas until they got more funds if they refrained from backtracking too much, and hopefully, they wouldn't find themselves lost.

"Sounds good enough to me. Hopefully, it'll be cooler up there than it is here," Noctis leaned back into his seat and enjoyed the cool air of the parking garage before the car rolled back out into the harsh sunlight outside.

They didn't have a lead on the next tomb. And so far, there wasn't any word of the Empire making strikes anywhere significant yet. That could only be a good thing for now, as both sides regrouped for differentiating reasons. The Empire had what they wanted for now, for what reasons remained to be seen, but there wasn't anything they could do about it until they gathered more info and power to back it up.

They would just have to try and enjoy pretending to be ordinary civilians and keep their heads down until they heard back from Cor. Keeping Gladio and his sister from tearing each other apart was the more arduous task at the moment. From the way the other man was typing away at his phone, they were back at it again, a dark scowl marring his handsome face as his fingers continued to pound on the small screen.

Noctis chose not to get involved for as long as he could and propped up his feet between the front seats to get more comfortable, deciding to catch up on the sleep he missed this morning.

If Gladio wanted to bring it up, he would pretend he slipped back into a coma again.

Chapter 8: Life Can Be Hard for a Hunter

Chapter Text

In the end, the weather wasn't as cool up north as Noctis had hoped.

Granted, the heat wasn't as bad as Lestallum, the city being built over a piece of the ever-burning Meteor. However, it wasn't the relief they were all hoping for, either. The late spring air was thick with the region's high humidity, and Noctis worried how much worse it would get when the summer season settled in.

They had gotten lucky, though, as two of their marks were said to be found in the same area. The pack of Saberclaws they were searching for was almost as easy to get rid of as the Sabertusks back in Leide. Although, they had come to find out that this species turned out to be a bit smarter. The creatures had used the dense brush to ambush anything passing through the mountain pass they had claimed as their new hunting territory.

Ignis nearly ran over the first Saberclaw as it attempted to ram their car off the road. It turned out to be a trick, as the rest of the pack burst out from under the dense foliage as soon as all the boys left the car to deal with the distraction. If they had been anyone else, they might have been overwhelmed by the ambush, but with only a few scrapes from the first surprise attack, they dispatched them with relative ease.

Their second mark proved a bit harder to find.

They ended up having to go off-road and hike higher into the hills and through the dense underbrush, where it was heavily shaded, to find the Hekatontoads they were after. One would think such a large breed of monster frog would be easy enough to spot, but they were very much surprised at how sneaky the bastards actually were.

They literally walked over their hiding place, as the toads had buried themselves in the ground to hide away from the day's heat. Prompto went flying as one unburied itself when he stepped on one of its large bulging eyes. In his panic, Prompto flailed in the air, screaming, and only Noctis warping in to grab him kept his landing from doing much harm.

In the meantime, the others had started the fight without them. Gladio used his sword to lop off one of the toad's hind legs, preventing the creature from kicking out at Ignis, who was able to stab it in its softer side with his spear. The two younger boys joined in when the second toad jumped into the fray, the massive creature trying to help its partner when Gladio severed another leg, rendering it useless and unable to defend itself against Ignis' unrelenting attacks, the man killing the first toad with one last jab into its thick neck.

The second toad ignored all the others on the field as it threw Ignis into the dense brush using its long, sticky tongue. The attack was too fast for Gladio to use his shield to deflect it in time.

"Iggy!" Gladio tried to reach the other man, worried that he might be injured, but the creature, being the size of a small car, blocked his path.

Noctis and Prompto flanked the Hekatontoad's side as it turned all of its focus onto Gladio. Enraged at its partner's death, the creature left itself open for their joint attack.

"Look alive, big guy!" Prompto aimed for its eyes in a bid to blind it before it could attack again, while Noctis sunk the thin blade of his sword into its belly as he slid underneath it, warping out of the way as the toad wailed at the direct hits from both boys.

"My turn," Gladio growled and finished the thing off by leaping high into the air with his greatsword above him, aiming for the toad's head. As the attack hit its mark, the skull split cleanly in half, its contents spilling out in a gory mess upon the damp grass around him as he landed.

"Oh, gross!" Prompto gaged as Gladio nearly slipped on a bloody chunk of brain as he regained his footing.

"Specs!" Noctis ran into the brush where he last saw the other man get thrown into, worried that he may be hurt.

"Over here!"

Noctis sagged in relief when he found Ignis not too far away. The other man had picked himself up from the ground to untangle himself from the thick wall of brambles he'd landed in. "Are you alright, Specs?" he asked, rushing over to help him as Ignis climbed out of the worst of the tangled brush.

"Not too damaged. The vest can now be approved for getting one's body launched across a field in one piece," Ignis said, coughing a bit, still winded from the attack but otherwise looking unharmed.

"Iggy!" Gladio launched himself over the brush to reach them as fast as he could. Prompto was just behind him but could not make the leap himself, and the younger boy had to shove his way through the sharp branches instead.

Ignis shoved the larger man away as he became crowded by the other three, "No need to fuss, Gladiolus. I assure you I'm quite alright."

"Didn't even think that an attack would come from below!" Prompto said, picking some grass from Ignis' hair, only for the other man to shoo him away.

"It's something that we should take into account going forward. Daemons tend to use the same tactic from some of the field reports." Gladio said eyes alert for any other sneak attacks.

"Huh," Prompto hummed, "Think we should take on some daemon marks in the future?"

"They're not like normal creatures," Ignis warned, "they're much more dangerous and unpredictable."

"But if they're a danger to the civilians out here, isn't it our job to help?"

Ignis sighed, "If it wasn't for the war, we would have had the manpower to keep them in check. As it is, we've had to send everyone capable to the borders to fend off the Empire. Up until recently, that is."

The younger boy didn't seem satisfied with that answer, "With the Hunters working so close with us now, maybe we can lend a hand and not just use them as a cover?"

"With our priority being the tombs and the Marshal gathering what's left of our forces, that might have to remain on the back burner until we have the resources to help."

"But if we're in a position to help, we will, right?" Prompto asked, eyes narrowing at the rest of them.

"Of course," Noctis reassured him, "we won't stand by if we can actually help out."

"Don't worry, kid. If you really want to fight some daemons that bad, you'll get your chance soon enough," Gladio teased.

Prompto's face paled at the thought, likely remembering their last fight with the Arachne, "No! No! I'm perfectly fine staying out of their way for as long as possible! Forever would be nice!"

Noctis had to agree, his back twinging painfully at the memory of the Marilith. He would like to keep their run-ins with any daemons as brief as possible, but now that they were in the Outlands and no longer within the safety of the Crown City, they would be coming face to face with the abominations sooner than later.

"Well, Specs, that's two down, and we still have plenty of daylight left. Where to next?" Noctis asked.

Ignis pulled out their map. "There's a mark near the Grasslands and another southwest of there in the Coernix Bypass. However, due to the canyon, we'll have to do a bit of backtracking to reach it."

Prompto's eyes lit up, "Oh! I so want to get a look at that."

"There's also a town nearby there, Old Lestallum. So we'll have somewhere to stay the night if we do not wish to make camp in the outdoors once evening falls upon us."

"Sounds good," Gladio nodded, "the longer we're out of the city, maybe Iris will let go of her silly little whims."

Noctis wasn't going to add his own thoughts to that, not wanting to restart their fight from earlier. He didn't think that Iris would let it go, nor did he believe it was a mere whim of hers. She had the same strength of conviction in her words that both her brother and father had when they made their own vows to the Crown. The sooner Gladio accepted that the easier it would be for his relationship with his sister to remain unstrained.

Leaving that mess alone for now, he returned his attention to his Hand, "We should get moving then. You good to drive, Specs?"

"I'm fine," Ignis once again brushed off their concern, looking posh as ever, even covered in grass stains and dirt. Noctis held in a snicker at the disgusted look Ignis tried to conceal as he straightened out his soiled clothing and knew that the other man would be the first to call dibs on the shower later.

Noctis turned to the other two, "Let's get to harvesting, shall we?"

*-*

"What do you think they want with all these fangs and gross-looking oils?" Prompto asked once they were all back in the car and driving away to their next mark. He was examining the vials they had harvested from the toads, clearly grossed out by the viscus fluid inside but playing with the items all the same.

"If I were to hazard a guess, these components are probably used to help subsidize the Hunters' income," Ignis said. "The bounties pay well, but I'm sure there has to be quite a bit of self-funding involved to replace things like weapons and clothing." He tugged on the collar of his shirt as a reminder of the money they had spent on their new gear.

"We should invest in something with a little more protection to carry this stuff around—just imagine what this would do to the interior of the Regalia!" Prompto stuck out his tongue at the thought of the slimy substance getting everywhere. They were all quick to agree. The slime had smelt awfulwhen they had to scrape it off the corpses of the two giant amphibians. Still, it had yielded quite a bit of the substance to hopefully sell later.

Ignis nodded, "We'll look around town this evening and see what they have that might work until we return to one of the Hunter Outposts."

"If we're lucky, there might be one of those traveling merchants where we're headed," Gladio suggested, recalling the one stationed back in Hammerhead.

It was a few hours' drive to their following two marks. The heat grew worse as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, and they were all grateful that their new gear was designed for this exact type of weather. They would have all melted if they had remained in their original Crownsguard apparel.

Despite their extreme height and numbers, the herd of Arba was easy to eliminate. The boys almost felt bad for getting rid of the grazing animals, but they were apparently destroying the ecosystem around the area as it wasn't their natural habitat, and according to the bounty, peaceful measures weren't working to get them to leave.

The giant bees, on the other hand, were a real bitch to get rid of. If Noctis and the others never saw those bastards again, it would be too soon. Gladio and Noctis had been hit by a few of their stingers, the wounds hurting more from the stinging venom than the damage from the initial hits. They were lucky to have plenty of healing potions to go around because, by the end of the day, they were a right mess.

It was just nearing sundown, and it was time to find shelter for the night. The boys agreed to travel to Old Lestallum instead of searching for a Haven or returning to the city. The old town was closer than Lestallum—not by much, but enough for Gladio to justify the matter. And with everyone in a foul mood after their last mark, none felt up to pitching a tent out in the dark or setting up the portable kitchenette for dinner, either.

So, with the last bits of Gil remaining to their names, they rented a caravan for the evening and cleaned themselves up as quickly as possible. After getting rid of the worst of the grime that covered them from head to toe, Prompto dragged them all out to spend the rest of the evening inside the diner to unwind and try out the pinball machines every Crows Nest sported.

While Ignis and Gladio inquired about the old town, Noctis and Prompto competed for the highest score on one of the machines. At the end of the evening, Noctis ended up winning by a fair margin, and the two boys were delighted to find that prizes were to be won after reaching a certain threshold. After turning in the voucher to the man behind the counter, Noctis received a lovely silver bangle. He immediately gave it to Prompto as they left the diner, knowing he liked to stack bracelets and wristbands together.

"Damn, for real, Noct? This piece is really nice," Prompto admired the bangle as he added it to the others he had collected over time. The boy never left home without them on; the quirky collection had always covered his wrists since Noctis had known him.

"There are better ones, from what the man said, though they're way up on the higher tiers," Noctis rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to look so flustered when he saw the piece of jewelry on his best friend's arm. The gesture somehow felt quite intimate despite his best effort to squash the feeling.

"When we have the time and extra cash, we should totally see what the top prize is. Then we can match!" Prompto smiled at him, so pleased by the simple gift. His blue eyes gleamed so bright and clear under the rising moon's light, and Noctis lost control over the blush that had been trying to surface.

The mere idea of the two of them sharing something like that was too much, causing blood to rush fast and hot under his skin, and Noctis hoped that the other boy wouldn't notice his reaction. He could always blame it on getting too much sun or something, but the excuses sounded lame even to him.

Noctis was saved from possibly embarrassing himself further when Gladio's phone went off as they neared the caravan. The older boy cursed under his breath when he saw who was calling before he answered.

"Yeah, Iris?" Gladio didn't bother to hide the brusque tone of his voice as he listened to his sister on the other end. "We're too far out to return to the city; we're staying at a caravan near the Bypass." There was more chatter on the other end, and Gladio sighed, "Fine, fine, hold on."

"What's up, Gladio?" Noctis hoped nothing had happened while they were gone.

"She wants to be put on speaker. The little guy has something to say, I guess," he said before sitting down in one of the garden chairs scattered around the caravan and putting his phone on speaker. "Go ahead."

"Finally! Go on, Tallcott, tell them what you told me."

"Sure thing! Highness, Lady Iris told us the mission you were given by the Marshal. I think I heard something that sounded like what you're looking for!"

Noctis shared a look with the others, all curious now, "And what's that?"

"So, there's this legend around here about a sword belonging to a great wandering warrior. It's supposed to be protected behind a waterfall somewhere nearby in the region."

"Sounds like one of our tombs, alright," Gladio said, "did they say which one, kid?"

They could hear the little boy's excitement from before dimming as he answered, "No, unfortunately, there wasn't anything to tell us more about that, just a waterfall somewhere in Cleigne, sorry."

Gladio shook his head. "Don't sweat it, kid. You've helped us out a lot by finding that," he said, trying to lift the child's spirits.

"Really?"

"Absolutely, Talcott," Noctis couldn't keep the smile from his face as the brief moment of meekness passed, the little boy sounding pleased with himself again.

"I'll continue to do my part and look out for other stories just like this one, Highness! You can count on me!"

They could hear the little guy being scolded by his grandfather in the background as Iris came back on the line.

"Looks like you got a lead. Who knew that some local folklore would be connected to the old Kings, huh?"The line went dead without a farewell from Iris, a clear snub to her brother.

"Brat," Gladio glared at his phone, the screen going dark with no one else on the line.

"Folktales, huh?" Noctis felt his phone burning in his pocket, knowing he would find plenty of notifications from the younger girl about his promise. He decided to leave it alone for now.

"It makes sense the more you think about it," Ignis frowned, scowling at himself for not coming to that conclusion sooner. "The Kings and Queens of old spent countless years either expanding the kingdom or battling back the daemons during their reigns. Those stories being passed down by the people here is what we should have considered from the very beginning."

"It's something to use to help find them, at least," Noctis agreed.

"That will make this the third tomb, right? That's a pretty good start, and it hasn't even been a week yet!" Prompto said, always looking at the positive side of it all.

"Yeah," Gladio sighed, putting his phone away, "but this waterfall could be anywhere; this region is full of them."

"So we study the maps and mark down every single one of them and go looking," Ignis turned to Noctis, "with your ability to sense the Royal Arms, we'll know when we get near the correct waterfall."

Gladio looked pensive, "That's considering if this waterfall hasn't dried out over time; these tombs are centuries old, after all. It's not unheard of for a water source to dry up."

"Let's not borrow trouble," Ignis said, marking several parts on the map near them. "We'll go searching in the morning. There are several rivers in which our next mark could be found. We might just be able to kill two birds at once."

"Isn't that the mark the guy warned us about?" Prompto asked, worried.

"We took out four marks in one day. I think we can handle a bit of a challenge," Gladio said, waving off the other's concerns.

"Tell that to your bee stings."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Make me!"

"Alright children, it's time for bed," Ignis rolled up the map and sent it away into the void with a flick of his wrist.

Gladio leaned back in his chair until he was on its back legs, batting his eyes at the other man, "Aw, come on, Mom. Can't we stay up a little bit longer?" Ignis tipped him over instead of engaging any further. Gladio's quick reflexes were the only thing that kept him from crashing to the ground. "Cheap shot!"

"I assure you, Gladiolus, there's nothing cheapabout me," Ignis sassed back, leaving the three behind to get himself ready for bed.

"You can take the man outta the city but can't take the city outta the man," Gladio laughed at his retreating back. The other two snickered as Ignis flipped them off before closing the screen door with a sharp snap.

"That's our cue, boys," Gladio said once they got their laughter under control. He was the first to follow Ignis inside despite his teasing of the other man.

"Yeah, I'm tired after all that. Going to bed early sounds really nice—damn! We're getting old already!" Prompto groaned in despair at the very thought of it.

"Better old than dead," Noctis joked, though it fell a bit flat to his own ears.

Thankfully, his discomfort seemed to pass over the other boy's head. "Let's get some shuteye then," Prompto said, standing with a long stretch, hoping to give his sore limbs some relief.

Noctis watched as the other boy's back bent in pleasing arches in front of him. It was a nice distraction from the dark places Noctis' mind had begun to slip into, and he scrambled out of his chair to follow. "Yeah, let's head in."

It was almost too humid to sleep in the caravan with all four inside, but the day had been long, and they were all worn out from fighting for the better part of it. That alone was enough to see them all passed out, their quiet snores drifting out of the open window well before the rest of the town's residents entertained the idea of bedding down.

Noctis' dreams were restless, his mind burdened with the endless responsibilities now laying heavily over his shoulders, making restful sleep difficult.

There was something tickling at the edges of his subconscious, something small and fleeting, but familiar. He tried to grasp at it, but it slipped through his fingers like water, unsubstantial as most dreams and forgotten memories were, and soon darkness was all that remained as he sank further into a deep sleep.

"Berk!"

-*-

The next day was just as hot and humid as the day before, and all four concluded that this was going to be their new normal until they were done with their business in the region.

The night before, Ignis had been successful in his search for one of the traveling Hunter vendors stationed in Old Lestallum. As a result, he had been able to sell off their extra components and find where they could turn in their completed hunts.

After turning in the bounties, the tall blond was far too pleased with himself. The retinue may not be as rich as they used to be, but they were no longer as destitute. With their new funds, Ignis had bought the hunting pack Prompto had wanted and picked up more marks from the local Tipster.

"The gentleman was gracious enough to mark down some places we missed that might lead us to our next tomb, with a few local Havens as well," Ignis said, adjusting the mirrors as everyone settled inside the Regalia.

"Might be a good idea to stay at one while we go waterfall hunting," Prompto hummed as he examined his new pack and all the different supplies inside.

Noctis agreed, "We should look around for some elemental deposits too. With so many rivers running through the area, plenty of ice deposits should be here."

"No harm in looking around," Gladio nodded, "would be nice to have something to cool off with in this heat without having to jump into the river itself.”

They were lucky and found plenty of ice deposits along the riverbeds near the roadside around Old Lestallum. Noctis spent the early portion of their morning absorbing as much of the magic as he could, filling all of their flasks up and handing them out before setting off properly.

Noctis wasn't quite sure, but drawing on the magic from the earth had come to him much easier than it had back in Leide. The well inside of him felt larger and deeper than it had in recent memory, the power flowing just beneath his skin, waiting to be used, and he wondered if it had something to do with gathering these powers from his forebears.

It was something he wished he had asked his dad about when he had the chance.

They drove up the main road back north, where most of the waterfalls would be found. By noon, they discovered a few smaller ones that ran up a few streams but had only come back empty-handed. So far, Noctis didn't sense anything like the other two tombs, so they knew they weren't near this 'sword of legend.'

Undeterred, they continued their search along the Upper Wenneth, now also on the lookout for the mark they had been warned to stay away from. But after a few hours of hunting up and down the riverbanks, they had only found more packs of Saberclaws roaming too close to the roads for comfort.

They had taken the initiative and eliminated the possible threat to the locals who traveled through the area. If they were anything like the other pack bothering people in the mountain pass, it was their job to get rid of the problem before any causalities could occur.

Though it was a job well done, it didn't help them in the search for their current prey. Another hour was spent looking, and they debated on whether they should head over to the Haven they saw nearby to take a well-deserved break. It was then, as they were leaving, they found the aggressive creatures they had been looking for. One had almost taken a bite out of Ignis' leg as they stumbled upon them in the shaded overgrowth of the hillside. The pack of Sahagins had taken shelter farther away from the river's edge than they had assumed.

The rest of the pack jumped in all at once as the fight started in earnest, the beasts hungry for what they thought was an easy meal. Gladio and Ignis did the most physical damage, but once the creatures began to swarm them in earnest, they had to retreat, and the two men were forced to attempt to cross the river on foot.

However, that posed a danger if more of the Sahagins lurked in the deeper parts of the river, waiting to pull one of them under at the given opportunity.

Watching from higher ground as a few of the Sahagins followed the two into the river, Noctis suddenly had an idea.

"Prompto! Go after them!" He grabbed Prompto and shoved him to cross the river with Ignis and Gladio, ignoring the other boy's questioning shouts.

Noctis held off the creatures as Prompto did as he was told, trusting him despite his confusion. Once he felt that enough distance had been made, Noctis tried to get the remaining Sahagins still on his side of the river to come and chase him as well. Standing ankle-deep in the cold water, he waited until the pack of Sahagins charged at him, thinking of him as easy prey now that he was alone.

Just before a pair of sharp, snapping jaws attempted to snatch a leg, Noctis warped over the deeper part of the water at the last minute, acting as a lure.

It worked better than he thought it would. Perched on a boulder in the middle of the river, Noctis ignored the shouts of his friends as he successfully led all the creatures into the water after him. The alpha of the pack released a roar as their meal was within easy reach now that they had him on their own turf.

He just had to wait a little more.

Once the remaining Sahagins were in place, Noctis gathered all of the cold pulsing magic waiting under his skin, pulling until he had it all in hand, and released the powerful burst of magic in a single strike. The damp air around him froze, flakes of sharp ice swirling around him, and it was just enough to freeze the flowing river under him with most of Sahagins with it.

Noctis didn't wait for the other boys. He took the opening he had made for himself to shatter the thick ice that now covered the scaly bodies. With each swing of his blade, the creature's frozen limbs snapped and broke off, leaving them to float or sink into the river's depths.

Once the last frozen Sahagin in front of him was dead, Noctis could hear the others joining in on the battle now that the shock had worn off. With the final stragglers taken care of, the fight was over.

Once there was no sign of any more Sahagins remaining, and the parts they needed had been gathered to prove the job was finished, evening had fallen fast with the sun now low in the sky.

Ignis was left holding what was left of his spear. One of the alpha Sahagins had snapped the weapon in half, rendering it useless. "I fear we won't be able to make it back to Lestallum before nightfall," he said, banishing his broken weapon away to be dealt with later. "I propose that we camp out at the nearby Haven until morning. The Regalia is near enough to retrieve our gear."

"No complaints here," Gladio said, "can't go walking around in these wet boots either unless we want our toes to rot off."

"That actually happens?" Prompto gasped, eyes wide.

"Yup, we should all get a spare set of boots for the future if we're going to continue our new careers as Hunters."

"With this mark, along with the others we've already turned in, we'll have more than enough funds to see us well-equipped," Ignis said, returning to Noctis' side to check on him after the stunt he had pulled.

"Sorry your spear got a bite taken out of it, man." Prompto grimaced at the thought of losing one of his own weapons.

Ignis shook his head, unbothered by the whole ordeal, more focused on poking and prodding his royal charge, "like I said, it can be replaced back in the city now that we're no longer destitute."

"Praise the gods for that!" Prompto cheered, "Being broke sucks."

"Indeed."

Gladio and Prompto went on ahead to retrieve their camping gear from the Regalia, while Ignis kept Noctis close to his side as they looked around the Haven to make sure there weren't any nasty critters making the area their home. The Oracle's blessing may keep the daemons at bay, but normal animals were a completely different story, and could be just as dangerous.

Noctis spent most of that time reassuring the other man that he was fineand that there was no reason to fuss so much. Ignis glared at him over the rim of his glasses and kept himself glued to Noctis' side, silently shoving a bottle at him to drink.

Hating to have that look directed at him, Noctis did as he was told, reluctantly taking the cold bottle and drinking it without any more prompting.

Plenty more elemental deposits were scattered around for them to use—a lot of it being ice so close to the river. Noctis swiftly absorbed as much as he could to replenish the magic he had used. His entire body tingled with the overabundance of magic by the time the other boys had returned. Noctis showed them their new retreat from the sweltering heat as he cast a few ice spells around the camp, giving them much-needed relief.

It was going to be much easier to sleep now that was taken care of.

"That was an awesome trick you pulled today, Noct!" Prompto praised. They had gathered around a large lantern as they ate dinner instead of lighting a campfire, not wanting to add any more heat around them if they could help it.

"Looks like our Royal Highness canbe moved to think on his feet after all," Gladio teased, dodging the stem of a hot pepper Noctis threw at his head for it.

"Yes. Though, it would have been nice to be given a heads up before you ran off so recklessly," Ignis said, giving Noctis a scolding look as he gathered everyone's empty plates.

Prompto tugged on Ignis' pant leg as he passed, "Come on, Iggy! You have to admit that was a cool move!"

Ignis shook his head, "It was dangerous."

"I had plenty of time to warp away, Specs. That was the whole point," Noctis tried to defend himself, "I had to get all of them at once. Otherwise, we all would've been swarmed with how many there ended up being."

"Perhaps we should take the Tipster's warnings to heart in the future then," Ignis pointed out instead of giving in.

"Can welearn to warp?" Prompto asked, excited at the mere possibility alone.

"There isn't reason you can't try," Gladio said, thinking it over. "Plenty of the older Crownsguard and Glaives could, though Ulric was the best at it by far."

Nyx Ulric was the one that Noctis had trained with in warping when he was younger; the man from Galahd was the only one among the Kingsglaive who could keep up with him. Noctis remembered him fondly and prayed he was among the survivors inside the city that Cor was searching for. He couldn't let himself think of the possibility that Nyx could have taken part in the mutiny.

"We can at least see if you have the aptitude for it," Noctis suggested, letting those thoughts drift away. "The stronger I get with these relics, the three of you should as well from the connection we share, from what Cor says anyways."

Prompto pumped a fist into the air, "Yes!"

"That will have to wait another day," Ignis cut in, making the younger boy groan, "it's time to turn in. And if we want to wear our boots tomorrow, we should start a fire to dry them out."

"Fine, fine," Prompto grumbled, "but we're totally trying it out as soon as we can!"

Gladio laughed, "And maybe then our Highness here won't have to keep sweeping you away from danger."

Prompto's face flooded a bright red at the teasing reminder of all the times Noctis had to save him since leaving the city. The boy kicked out at Gladio's leg in retaliation as he made to pass, but his bare foot did little to do much damage. The larger man just continued to laugh at him, snatching Prompto's ankle mid-kick, and dragged him away towards the tent. The younger boy clawed at the ground helplessly as he was dragged away, shouting obscenities at Gladio all the while as he was pulled into the tent against his will.

Noctis stared blankly after them as the two continued to shout at each other from inside the tent. The arguing was still playful in nature, though Noctis couldn't quite hear what was being said.

"I fear there will be little to no peace to be found with those two together," Ignis sighed as he lit the fire pit, laying all their soggy boots in a neat circle around the blazing fire.

"At least it won't be boring," Noctis silently offered to help with the last bit of cleanup, not ready to interrupt whatever was happening inside the tent.

Ignis' eyes softened as he accepted the help, "We might be wishing for those boring days shortly." The two sat together in that quiet moment, knowing that those words held more meaning for them in particular.

Ignis knew him better than anyone else in the world, even his own father. Noctis took comfort in knowing that the other man had seen him both at his worst and best and remained at his side through it all. Ignis was his eye in the storm that continued to rage around him, and Noctis wasn't sure if he would be able to do any of this without him there by his side.

Noctis wished he could voice those words of sentiment out loud and tell him how grateful he was to have him, but they lodged somewhere inside his throat, trapped, and then the moment passed.

They continued the final tasks for that evening, the motions being second nature to them after years of living in each other's space, as they wove around one another to complete locking down the camp for the night.

After another day of running around the unfamiliar region searching for their hidden tomb and coming up empty-handed, again, they were ready to rest. Their training back in Insomnia didn't take into account all of this hiking across the countryside, and they were all feeling how unprepared they were for it.

Even Gladio, who was the most outdoorsy of them all, found it to be a bit of a challenge. But unlike the rest of them, he seemed to be having a great time—the complete psychopath that he was.

With their soggy boots now steaming by the fire, hopefully drying out enough by morning, Noctis was the first to actually turn in for bed. Laying on top of his bedroll, he let the quiet chatter of his companion wash over him as they settled down for the night, the comforting sound lulling him into sleep. He was more than ready to embrace the darkness waiting there to greet him.

-*-

Noctis stood knee-deep in the middle of the river as the fishing line whipped out above his shoulder and back into the glittering water surrounding him. With every practiced flick of his wrist, another string of droplets would scatter over him, leaving small sparkling diamonds all over his vest before drying up. Back and forth it went, the rod gripped in his hand swaying in hypnotic patterns as he waited patiently for the bait to be taken.

He'd make sure Gladio lost that bet. This time, he'd catch something worth keeping, and then he'd have to eat his words.

High above him, the midday sun shone bright, nearly blinding him with its light. Despite the effort, the scorching heat of the rays beating down on him could be barely felt. Either way, he should have made sure Prompto used extra sunscreen. At this rate, he was going to be a tomato by nightfall.

'Berk!'

Startled, Noctis looked around. He couldn't see anything through the fog surrounding him. It swallowed everything up in a thick white haze; no hint of any shape could be made within it. He might as well have been encased by a solid wall. Worse, he couldn't remember how he got here or what he had been doing. And there was no sign of the other three boys who should have been by his side.

"Specs?" Noctis called out, his voice wavering as it faded into the white, hazy void, but there was no callback in return. "Where'd you guys all go?"

He was completely and utterly alone.

Noctis waded up the river, the current fighting him with every step, but he had to find his friends, or at the very least a sign where they had disappeared. In the back of his mind, finding it a bit strange that he couldn't feel the temperature of the water or the chill that should be in the air. He remembered the river had been almost ice cold earlier; Prompto had fallen in and had worried he was going to catch a cold. The other boy had to set out his soaked clothes to dry by the fire as they set up camp that night—or was it day? It was hard to tell in the dim twilight here.

He walked for hours, the river's path never changing as he struggled against its constant flow. Noctis could feel the beginnings of exhaustion creeping in, his legs filling with lead with every step, and still, there was no sign of his companions, no sign of life anywhere, for that matter.

Maybe they decided to leave him behind. He couldn't even blame them if they did; he didn't know what he was doing. What kind of leader could he even be? He didn't have half the power his father did. He knew everyone didn't believe he could keep the Wall going with his diminished magical power. His potential was crushed before he could prove himself worthy, so how could he be expected to keep Insomnia safe?

The idea of just giving up slithered through his mind. Not just giving up his search for his missing friends, but rather he'd be better off just giving it allup. Just let the river take him under and let the line of Lucis end with him.

It coiled tighter around his mind, the growing feeling of self-loathing choking him, making him lose his balance and stumble in the water. He was about to let his legs give out when the fog began to thin ahead of him, just enough to see the edges of the riverbank. And the self-destructive thoughts drifted away with the mist, and he was able to suck in a full breath of air.

As he sucked more air into his lungs, things began to clear; his ears caught the barest hint of whispers floating on the breeze, coming towards him. Though insensible at first, they drifted closer to him in lazy circles before fading away again, much like the misty wisps of fog.

'Berk!'

Noctis whipped his head around at the sudden sound of splashing nearby, the first sign of something else here with him, coming from further ahead if his hearing was right. With no other signs of life in this barren place, he steadied himself and fought harder against the current to see where it was coming from, hoping to find some answers.

The fog, now growing thinner than ever, still obscured everything beyond the pebbled riverbanks as he strained against the river's current. He couldn't see the roads that should have run above him on the hillside or the long bridge that had been in view from their Haven.

'Berk!'

The splashing was becoming louder. He had to be getting near, and as he slowly closed the distance, the thick mist cleared around him in full, revealing the source of the sound that beckoned him at last.

Noctis froze inside this clear pocket inside the fog. He recognized the small animal spinning around in place ahead of him. He knewthis creature chasing its own fluffy tail, circling faster and faster atop the flowing river like it was solid ground. Ignoring all physical logic.

It continued for a few more spins, its tiny feet skipping on the water's surface until it finally noticed someone's attention on them.

Seeing the human staring down at it, the tiny creature instantly stopped its playful game to stand at full attention, staring back at him in turn. Their eyes locked together for a long moment before its large ears suddenly perked up. A familiar trill burst from them, breaking their odd stalemate before they ran to him excitedly, the small ruby gem glinting on its forehead with a gentle red glow.

Noctis couldn't believe his eyes as the creature stood on its hind legs to greet him like they were old friends who had spent a long time apart.

"Carbuncle?" he was so confused. He hadn't seen his little friend since his recovery from the attack, back when he was just a small child, and dreams and reality seemed one and the same. He thought it had just been something he had made up to help cope with the trauma his body had suffered.

And maybe it was still a dream? The thought cemented in his mind as he looked at his surroundings more closely, the fog closing in and surrounding them once more, cocooning them both in thick plumes.

"Am I dreaming again, buddy?"

"Berk!" the little fennec jumped on the water's surface, making it ripple and splash around them. The water should have wet their pale blue fur but remained dry as if they were immune to the substance. Carbuncle made a loud trilling sound, spinning in place once more before skipping away, stopping a moment before looking back to see if he was following them.

"What is it?" Noctis had no idea what they would want to show him in a place that was nothing but fog.

Go…show the way…follow

Noctis startled. Suddenly, the voices of the Lucii were here with him, whispering in his ears. They echoed out, growing loud but distorted like he was hearing them from underneath a deep well of water. He stood frozen as he tried to decide whether following the fennec was a good idea. It had led him through odd dreams before, but this dream felt way too real to be just a normal one.

Go!

He recognized the voice of the Conqueror as the watery shout came from beyond the fog, ringing in his ears and demanding him to obey.

"Beeeerk!"

He felt the fennec against his legs as it leaned its whole body against him, trilling up at him in comfort. He looked down into those large, hopeful brown eyes, and Noctis felt his resolve crumble. "Okay, buddy. You wanna show me something?"

With another happy chirp and a flick of its tail, they dashed away and he was suddenly running after.

The river remained unchanged as they traveled upstream. Whenever he tried to walk to shore to get out of the water to make it easier to travel, the shoreline was farther away than he remembered it being, so he stopped bothering and stayed in the shallows of the river.

The fog remained thick in the air. It surrounded them completely, rolling around and pushing him onward with phantom hands. Noctis was hit with nostalgia as he let his little guide lead the way; he strained to keep the dim glow of the red gem in sight as he stumbled after and tried not to be left too far behind. Up further ahead, where it was even harder to see, he heard the fennec let out a trill of triumph. As he fought the current to catch up, he was suddenly hit by the sound of water crashing against rocks. The force of the sound was nearly deafening as it raged around him.

In a blink, the blanket of fog was just gone. Everything around him was crystal clear once more, but what stole his attention was the massive wall of water before him. The waterfall somehow loomed over him as if weighing his worth, which was a ridiculous thought. Still, the unsettling feeling remained all the same.

Meanwhile, little Carbuncle was busy dancing atop the rocks beneath the torrent of water without a care, just a delighted ball of fluff enjoying their adventure as the water crashed down around them.

"What the hell?" Breaking himself out of a spell, Noctis looked up and around and found himself beneath a wide bridge. The roads and highways were restored now that he'd arrived wherever the voices wanted him to be.

Find me! Take!

The voices grew louder, piercing through him like shattered crystals into his mind now that he was in front of the waterfall, and something inside his chest pulsed. The same place where the Royal Arms lay sleeping inside him, waiting to be called forth and used.

The Tomb!