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babybluesquid · 2 years ago

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Consequences of Karrnath Session 45

The Furious and Faithful Finality

Our Players this week:

Dagne, Redemption Paladin, party leader, an undead soldier created by the Odakyr Rites, but has a soul. They are a Seeker sworn to protect the living. Has a skeleton horse mount from Find Steed named Coffin. Can be abrasive and dishonest, but they are ultimately kind. They intend to meet their destiny to defeat Mordakesh to protect the world.

Vaeren, Gloomstalker Ranger, a blind former Deathguard. They were initially sent to investigate Dagne, but instead married them. They’re contemplative and disciplined, and are recently tired, only wishing to defeat Mordakesh and settle down.

Before boarding the airship, the party has some time to purchase some potions for the fight. Then, they’re off for the Ice Wood. Once high in the air, a large red bat flies up with unnatural speed, then tosses a Khyber shard to Vaeren. They stare down at it, the promised piece of Rak Tulkesh’s prison. There’s no going back now.

When the airship sets down, Vaeren leads the party to the designated area. Having their internal view of the area match up to the reality they can sense is a strange experience, but they’re sure that here they’ll have no issue aiming a bow. They confirm to the others that the woods are empty, not even animals stirring in the cold air of the manifest zone. It’s desolate. However, Nux feels an unmistakable presence in the stillness, and recognizes it as an encroaching, but protective cold. The Killing Cold is here, in a way. Vaeren directs the group to a defensible area, surrounded by and ice spike and a hill, and the group takes up positions guarding Nux.

Vaeren hears the unmistakable crunch of footsteps in the snow, but they cannot find the source of the sound despite their perfect knowledge of the area. They quietly impart this to the rest of the party and nock an arrow.

Something melts out of the shadows and lunges for Vaeren! They fire immediately, one, two, three arrows into gaps in the creature’s armor. But the arrows, which surely found their target, clatter to the ground. Standing there is a Rakshasa, black fur with stripes and a mane of orange fire, black full plate armor gleaming in the sun. In one hand, he holds a massive black and jagged sword, inscribed with burning runes. In the other, Dagne’s poleaxe, now combined with the artifact Garthir. Mordakesh utters some words in the infernal tongue, spellcasting, then stares past Vaeren, smiles, and says, “hello Dagne.”

Then he strikes at Vaeren with his deathly blade. Vaeren dodges aside his first sweep, but he comes in again and stabs their chest, his sword rending their armor like paper and leeching the life from them. In that moment, the pain is unbearable, and Vaeren thinks they might die. The wound isn’t deep though, so he comes in for another strike, which Vaeren just manages to block with their shield. Suddenly, he swings Garthir at them, catching them by surprise with a powerful hit from the weapon’s hammerhead.

Ev, seeing the objective clear in front of him, the will of the binding flame and the realization of its prophecy, slips into a state of pure determination. In that moment, he becomes a tool for killing Mordakesh. He yells and runs at the fiend, bashing at him with his hammer, silver light exploding with each strike to his face. However, Mordakesh seems wholly unaffected by Ev’s weapon. The demon disengages and then loops around behind Nux. Frightened, Nux misty steps away, popping back up behind a tree, and sends a knife of psychic energy to Mordakesh’s mind. It does not go through, and he advances on the rest of the party.

Dagne ascends to the top of the hill and calls upon their will to protect their party. They glow brightly with red light, an aura emanating from them and expanding in every direction. Mordakesh scoffs at their aura of life, “no matter what you do here, you will all perish.” Though scared, Dagne replies, “prophecy disagrees.” They then retrieve a potion of cloud giant strength, a rare find which accounted for most of the cost of the battle, and drink it. As magically enhanced strength rushes through Dagne’s body, Mordakesh turns on them, stabbing them through with their own poleaxe. The force of the blow punches a small hole in their armor and cracks a rib. Though shaken, Dagne pushes him back and readies themself for the fiend’s assault.

Vaeren responds with a slash to Mordakesh’s face. Dissolution cuts through fur and skin or his cheek, and some sand spills out. Immediately, the wound burns over and scars with demonglass. Bolstered by the sign that he can be hurt, they come in again with a jab for his eye. He avoids it but is gashed across the side of his head. Next to Mordakesh, Vaeren suddenly realizes just how hot the demon is burning, and they can feel the infernal heat burning their armor and skin.

Mordakesh growls, louder and deeper than any animal, then slams his weapons together. The shockwave of dark force rattles everyone, Dagne in particular, but they keep their focus. Ev sneaks in a solid blow on the fiend’s chest, but then Mordakesh ducks under his second swing. He roasts and his fiery mane suddenly explodes outwards like a supernova. The fire scorches Sagne and Ev badly, but Vaeren and Nux manage to duck the flames in time to be only minorly singed. Recollecting themselves quickly, Nux spellcasts, creating seven otherworldly lights in different colors which dance about their head. They fire one off at Mordakesh, but the demon leaps above it. He brings his sword down on Ev’s shoulder, nearly dislocating it. Dagne retaliates with a downward chop, but the fiend turns and locks poleaxes with them. They wrench their weapon free though, stab him with the spearpoint, and smite. Blinding red light fills the field and burns a gaping hole in Mordakesh’s chest, which begins to fill in with creeping demonglass. Their proximity to him burns Dagne. Vaeren stabs him through the vambrace and then finds an armor gap.

Mordakesh ignores them, focusing solely on Dagne to reply to their remark. “One’s first impression is never correct,” he says, mane once again bursting with flame and burning the party. He then feigns twice with his sword, then suddenly turns to stab Nux in the stomach with Garthir. They scream, and the wound gushes with blood. Mordakesh fixes a cruel smile on Dagne, “still so confident?” Ev leaps in and drives Mordakesh back, spiking him inn the demonglass scab. The area is crushed into a mess of glass shards. Mordakesh, though, whirls around and stabs Nux again, right in the chest. They collapse to the icy ground, stars flickering out. But then, Nux jolts and stands upright.

“Absolutely,” Dagne replies, “you’re going to wish you didn’t do that.” Nux runs away from the demon, finding a vantage point behind the hill. They retrieve the potion of maximum power purchased from Nik and drink it. Then, they call upon the magic of Xoriat. There’s a crack, a warbling through the region, and then Mordakesh is rent apart into pieces. They crumble to dust at the edges, but then recombine, fiery cracks burning brightly between sections. As he’s reforming, Dagne swings at his head, but he locks the pole against the hilt of his sword, stopping the attack dead. Then, using their magically imbued strength, Dagne lunges forward and drives the spearpoint into his eye. They smite, leaving a burning hole where the eye once was, then hurriedly drink a healing potion.

“This is becoming irritating,” Mordakesh comments. “Don’t mistake us for an irritation,” Dagne replies, “I am the Voice of Life.” The fiend snorts derisively, “ironic, considering your lack of it.” “I don’t need to possess life myself to protect it.” “Or to fail to.” While Mordakesh is busy talking, Vaeren slashes at his head, then backstabs him, to little effect. In response, the demon unleashes another burst of flame. Dagne manages to avoid the worst of it, but Nux succumbs to the fire and falls. “It is time for you to leave,” Mordakesh tells Dagne. He then strikes them with his sword, taking them off balance, then strikes again before slamming their head with Garthir. There is a burst of fire, and Dagne vanishes, leaving only scorched dirt.

Dagne finds themselves in a small, featureless room. There is no difference between the stone of the walls, floor, or ceiling. There is a skeleton in gleaming armor, its helm and skull cleaved in half. The style of the armor is foreign, and it looks old. They realize they must be in Khyber right now, trapped in some prison demiplane. The first thing Dagne does is use their lay on hands on themselves, then drink their biggest healing potion. They then inspect the room closer, looking for a way out.

Seeing Dagne just, gone, Ev shouts, comes in close, and knocks Morakesh powerfully in the side. He ignores him, aiming a fiery blast at Nux’s unconscious body. They’re sent flying far across the battlefield. “I saif you would die here,” Morakesh says with a grin. Vaeren yells and stabs the rakshasa in the neck, revering it. His head tumbles from his body, and both crumble to dust, leaving his armor and weapons behind. Though startled by the sudden victory, Vaeren rushes over to tend to Nux. Dagne reappears in the same spot where they vanished from.

There’s a roar. Then, Morakesh collides with Vaeren! He grabs them and slams them down hard into the ground. While they’re down, he tears into them with his claws and stomps in them hard for good measure. Vaeren stands, disengages, and runs, drinking a healing potion as they do. Mordakesh roars and pursues, snapping at them with his teeth. They avoid the jaws, but then he gets a hand around them again, lifts them, and throws them into Dagne. Vaeren lands on their feet, but Dagne is knocked down against a tree. Continuing his rampage, he grapples Ev and claws his back, leaving deep gouges right through his armor. Then, he kicks Dagne as they try to rise. Though restrained, Ev manages to stab the demon in his shoulder. In response, the fiend slams him hard into the ground.

Dagne stands and, thinking fast, drops their mourning poleaxe, retrieving Garthir instead. Mordaesh dodges their slash, then blocks a slam, but is surprised when Dagne spins the weapon around and hits him in the face with its butt, smiting and burning him with the holy light. Vaeren comes in at him with two slashes to the chest. He tries to bite in retaliation, but they back up, and comment disgusted, “you little shit.” Mordakesh tries to grab Dagne, but they bat his band away. He gets an arms around Vaeren, though, and throws them across the battlefield into a tree. They land on their feet again.

Mordakesh turns to stomp on the prone Evakhal again. As Dagne goes to defend, he grabs at them, is defeated once, but then gets a hold on their arm. With them pinned, he claws at Ev. “Back up!” Vaeren shouts at the two, drawing back an arrow. Ev stands and smashes the rakshasa’s ribcage. He is not staggered at all by the blow. Rather than lose his grip, he lifts Dagne into the air and throws them right at Vaeren. Dagne lands hard on the ground, but they manage to mostly step aside and stay on their feet. Somehow, Dagne’s concentration is still maintaining the aura of life around them. Seeing Nux unconscious outside the area, they send a healing word to them. They stand and run back at Mordakesh, holding a guarded stance.

The moment Nux stands up, however, Mordakesh roars and charges right for them! Ev is unable to land an attack on his back as he bounds away. Just like a wild animal, he pounces and bites Nux’s throat out. They drop to the ground, a bloody mess.

Horrified, Vaeren manages to keep their wits about them, draws their bow, and concentrates. They gather a magical electricity, infusing the arrow with it, and fire. It punches right through Mordakesh’s arm. Creeping demonglass grows to fill the large gap. Vaeren follows up with a second, mundane arrow, which embeds itself into the demon’s stomach. He pays them no mind at all, instead charging at Ev. He grabs him and digs his claws in deep, then spins and tosses him into Dagne. The two are both knocked right over. Ev stands immediately, however, and advances, launching two javelins. One flies true, embedding itself into Mordakesh’s shoulder, but it’s soon pushed out by his healing. Dagne also rises and advances, but they are still too far away from the demon to get a hit in.

Vaeren takes a moment to drink a healing potion before they fire two more arrows into Morakesh. He once again ignores them, instead looping around to grab both Dagne and Ev. He slams the two together. Ev retaliates with a powerful strike to Mordakesh’s skull, spiking him severely. He overbalances though as he tries to hit again. The fiend roars, slams Ev into the ground, and then throws Dagne at Vaeren again. Predictably, Dagne is knocked over but Vaeren keeps their footing. Dagne doesn’t get a chance to stand before Mordakesh charges! He grabs Vaeren though and then bites their shoulder, right through their armor!

Dagne stands and lunges forward, suddenly driving the spearpoint of Garthir up, under Mordakesh’s chin! Red light of their smite burns the demon and a stream of fire bleeds from the wound. Dagne does not relent, pulling the weapon free only to stab his chest with another explosive blast of light. They spin the weapon around and hit him with the opposite end as well, driving him back another couple steps from the searing holy light. Vaeren takes the opening made and slashes at Mordakesh’s legs with their sword.

The Shadow Sword responds by grabbing each of them. He throws Vaeren back at Ev. They land on their feet but Ev is knocked back into a tree. Mordakesh then drags Dagne behind him as he goes to engage the two, clawing at Vaeren again. Evakhal stands and drives his spike into the fiend’s chest. He then slams Dagne hard into the ground.

Though rattled, somehow, Dagne manages to keep their aura of life up. They pull their cracked and broken bones back up to standing and stab Mordakesh through his stomach. He burns with blood red light and roars with violent and feral rage. They pull their poleaxe free and stab again, right in his demon heart. As Dagne yells out, driving the poleaxe deeper and smiting, the entire head of their weapon tears through Mordakesh, punching right out of his back. Skewered, burning up in Dagne’s will to come out victorious, Mordakesh cries out in pain and begins to melt to dust. As Dagne pulls their weapon free, he falls to his knees and crumbles away completely. There’s nothing left of him but a large, roughly circular hunk of demonglass, about the size of a human’s head. Not trusting the victory, Dagne keeps their guard up in still anticipation, but it’s over. The fiend doesn’t reappear again. Mordakesh is dead.

Finally, Dagne relaxes a bit. They go over to Nux’s body and find them frozen, suspended alive though they should be dead. The Killing Cold kept its promise. They administer their last healing potion to Nux, before heading over to the battlefield. They retrieve the mournland poleaxe, as well as the gear Mordakesh left behind when he died and the hunk of demonglass, putting the latter items away next to Saraskha.

“It’s over, right?” Vaeren asks, looking at their internal view of the area for any sign of the fiend, “he’s not coming back this time?” “I think so. Cocky bastard, coming to fight us on his own,” Dagne replies, then adds humorously, “I was just getting warmed up.” Vaeren laughs at the fully battered Dagne, “well, it worked out well for us.” Dagne nods, “let’s go home.”

Vaeren takes a step, then winces and clutches at their chest. “What’s wrong?” Dagne asks. Vaeren puts on a smile, “stabbed right in the chest… I don’t think that’s something I’ll be recovering from.” Dagne takes Vaeren’s other hand and pulls then in close, resting their head on their shoulder and says, “I’m sorry.” Vaeren hugs Dagne and replies, “at least it’s over, but what’s going to happen now?” “Have you decided on a name for your tea shop?” Vaeren’s smile turns genuine, “Bone Brew, but it’s not just tea, it’s a tavern and brewery as well. How’s that sound?” “It sounds like revelation on Eberron, but first, we can just rest. Back to Korth. You can meet my brother, and I need to visit my mother with him and let her know what’s become of me.” “That’s a wonderful plan, dear.”

Suddenly, Dagne’s voice is filled with emotion, and though they cannot cry, they sound strained, “back when we met, I wanted nothing more than to pick a just fight and die in it. Thank you for showing me the light of another path forward. I’m so glad,” their voice breaks. Vaeren holds them tighter, “you’ve helped me more than I think you can understand. I’m just glad I’ve helped to repay the favor.” “I love you.” “I love you more.” At that, Dagne lifts Vaeren, armor and all, into th air and twirls them around, voice becoming cheerful once more, “doubt that,”

Vaeren bursts out laughing, crying tears of joy. Dagne laughs as well, the first time they’ve been able to for a long while. As their laughter dies, they remark, “I just realized, we have to walk back to Korth.” “Oh, fuck me,” Vaeren says. Dagne’s tone remains light though, “most of my life has been walking between fights to the death. I’m glad to walk with no fight on the other side.” “Then I guess it’s one worthy of walking, then.” “Indeed. Let’s never fight again.”

——————

Highlights:

WWE Mordakesh. Lmao.

The false end to the battle where Vaeren ‘killed’ Mordakesh was crazy. We really got surprised by that second phase.

Dagne was dealing like 200 damage a round in those last two round with smiting on every attack. They also completely expended all their spell slots by the end.

Everybody almost died! It was a close fight.

Dagne and Vaeren’s conversation at the end was so sweet. These two are gonna be alright. :)

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echoes-of-the-clockwork · 3 years ago

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Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter XXXII

A/n: More lime incoming! There is implied sex, but nothing to consider it a lemon/smut. It gets "dirty". That's it. Sorry if it comes across as weird. I'm still new to writing scenes like this. Also, I apologize if there's some inaccuracies in the end-game. It's been a while since I've played FFXV through entirely. Love you all!!! ••••••••••••••••••••

Prompto broke out into a sprint. He ran towards (Y/n) and encircled his arms around, lifting her body off the ground and spinning them both around in a circle. Her arms automatically wound around his neck when her feet left the ground. She was shocked at his reaction for a few seconds before becoming jubilated. When her feet were back on the ground, she slid her hands down his arms and blinked in surprise after feeling his muscles. "Geez, Prom. Have you been working out recently?" She then reaches up to touch his facial hair. "And when did you grow a beard?"

Prompto smiled, enjoying her gentle touch. He missed it and her serene voice. "You like it?"

"Oh, definitely. I think it suits you. It makes you look older, too."

His smile faltered. "(Y/n), do you realize it's been ten years?"

Her golden eyes widen in bewilderment. "Ten years? That can't be right. It's only been a few months."

"You've been asleep for the past ten years. But you..." His eyes raked over her appearance. "You haven't even aged a day."

"Wait, then that means you're older than me?!"

He laughed at her outburst. "Yep, by six years."

"That's not fair..."

He moves his hands from her back to her hips, pulling her closer to him. Leaning forward, he placed his forehead against hers. "I'm glad you're back, (Y/n)."

Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis approach the reunited couple with their own smiles. The brute chuckled when seeing the girl was still twenty-four years old. "Damn, wish I could've stayed young. You look good, short stuff."

"Indeed," Ignis said.

"I'll say," Noctis chortled. He approached the guardian, his smile slowly vanishing. He stopped in front of her with a guilt-stricken expression. "I'm sorry, (Y/n). It's my fault you and Prompto weren't able to spend the last ten years together."

She smiled brightly at him. "It's not your fault, Noctis. No one knew what was going to happen."

The man's smile returned. "Thanks, (Y/n)."

"Now then, I think all of us have some catching up to do." She grabbed Prompto's hand and tugged him towards her. "Especially you and me."

"Let us depart for the Leville," Ignis said.

Once reaching the hotel, they sat down in the seats located in the lobby. Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis shared details of what all they'd been doing these past ten years. Noctis and (Y/n) listened carefully, enjoying their lively conversation and learning what their friends had done in their absences. They chatted for hours on end until it was time for them to get some rest. After getting some sleep, they'd return to Hammerhead and begin final preparations before returning to Insomnia.

(Y/n) didn't even get a moment to herself when she stood up due to Prompto sweeping her off her feet and carrying her upstairs. She saw the other three men smirking as she was hauled off to one of the vacant rooms. She clung to her boyfriend, but had to let go when he needed to open the door. He reluctantly put her down and opened the door, holding it open for her. She glanced around the room, recognizing the painting hanging on the wall. "Wait, isn't this the room where-?"

Her question was interrupted when Prompto suddenly pushed her back against the now locked door. No sound came from her, too flabbergasted to speak. She stared up at him as his taller form loomed over her. "Prom?" Without saying a word, Prompto slipped his hands under her backside. He lifted her up, her back still pressed against the door. She placed her hands on his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist to keep from falling. A small huff of laughter slipped past her lips. "Someone's eager."

"I finally get you back after ten long years. Who wouldn't be eager in my position?" Prompto remarked. "These past ten years have been hard without you or Noct. I felt like there were pieces of me missing..."

(Y/n) moved her hands from his shoulders to his cheeks, cradling them gently in her palms and stroking his freckle-kissed skin. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I still can't believe it's been ten years. You really have matured in body and soul." A smirk made its way onto her face. "I gotta say, you look even more handsome than you did before."

Prompto could feel heat coursing through his veins. Without skipping a beat, he carried her to the bed and pinned her to the sheets. He sat between her legs, eyes becoming bright with lust. His hands that were still nestled against her rump squeezed the soft, plush skin. (Y/n) jumped slightly when feeling his hands clutch her hindquarters. "H-Hey now..."

"Sorry, did I go too far?" He asked nervously, afraid he did something he wasn't supposed to.

"Nothing like that. Just surprised me, is all."

"So, does that mean I can keep going?"

"Please do," she replied with a sigh of content. "Now that you're touching me, I don't want you to stop." Laying her arms on the bed, she allowed herself to enjoy his intimate touch. She bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning when his hands traced her sides and came to a stop near her bosom. His hands suddenly brushed against the sides of her breasts, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. Then, he busied himself with trying to take off her clothes. Within seconds, she was in only her bra and underwear.

Seeing he was staring at the valley between her breasts, (Y/n) decided to take this chance to flip their positions. Straddling Prompto's hips, she grinned down at him. "You've got another thing coming if you think I'm gonna be the only one undressed." She easily took off his shirt and tossed it aside. Her eyes landed on his bare torso, which stopped her from removing his pants. Placing her hands on his abdomen, she traced her fingers over his defined muscles. "Dear Astrals, Prom. What has your workout routine been these past ten years? This is the most muscle I've ever seen on you."

"Hey, I worked hard for this body. Daemon hunting happens to be quite a good workout routine, even though it's kinda dangerous," Prompto said. "Maybe we should do some-" His sentence was abruptly interrupted by a pleasurable moan when she gently raked her fingers across his abs and stopped just above his groin. He grabbed her hands before they could graze against his length, which was still confined in his pants. "Y-You're entering some dangerous territory, (Y/n)."

"Oh, I know." Moving her hands to his belt, she painstakingly removes it with a smirk. "We're two idiots in love and I think it's about time we took our relationship to the next level. It has been ten years, after all."

"Are you sure this is what you want, (Y/n)?"

She nodded, her coy smirk morphing into a gentle smile. "It is, Prom. I want all of you, body and soul."

Hearing that was all the motivation Prompto needed. He helped her with his pants and now they were both in their undergarments. The (h/c)-haired girl remained on top, her hands resting against his lower abdomen. She slipped a couple of fingers under the waistband and curled them upward. Her simple touches were enough to get him heated up, which she could simply tell from when she felt something poke her inner thigh. Her eyes focused on his face as she pulled down his underwear slightly. The smirk that was once gone returned after seeing his red cheeks and hearing a few moans from him.

Freezing her actions, Prompto exhaled a shaky breath. "I-It's not nice to tease people, (Y/n)..."

"I'm simply taking my time. I didn't expect you to be putty in my hands this quick," she said.

Prompto couldn't stand it any longer. He flipped their positions, eliciting a shriek from the guardian. He could feel his length straining against the fabric of his underwear. He wouldn't last much longer if he hadn't done something. Prying her legs further apart, he grabbed her legs and pulled her against him. His hardened member presses against her wet, heated core. She gasped at the contact, gripping the sheets. He giddily grinned at her reaction. "Looks like the roles are reversed now."

She giggled lightly. "It sure does look that way." Unfurling her fingers from the sheets, she reaches up to place her hands on his shoulders. "Maybe I should-"

Prompto immediately grabbed her hands and pinned them beside her head. His nose brushed against hers as he loomed over her. "Oh, I don't think so. I'm in charge now and it's gonna stay that way." He places his lips over hers and kissed her passionately. It only took a few seconds for the kiss to turn deep, resulting in a lengthy make-out session.

Once the kiss ended, (Y/n) wrapped her legs around Prompto's waist and dragged him even closer. Now there wasn't any space left between their bodies. "I know you're the one in charge, but can you hurry this up? I'm dying here," she groaned.

He laughed. "Better not keep a lady waiting."

She smiled up at him. "I'm all yours, Prompto."

<--------------<<<<<

Five hours later, Prompto and (Y/n) woke up from their slumber at the sound of Ignis' voice. The advisor knocked on their door and called out their names to inform them they'd be departing for Hammerhead in the next hour.

The guardian rolled out of Prompto's embrace and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. She looked around for her undergarments, which had been haphazardly thrown across the room by the blonde. She found them a few feet away from her clothes. Standing up, she stumbled slightly when feeling a dull, throbbing pain between her legs. Her strange waddling didn't go unnoticed by her lover. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, climbing out of bed and grabbing his underwear.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she reassured him as she put her bra and panties back on. "Just sore. Let's just hope I can walk straight before we leave..."

The couple put their clothes back on and left the room twenty minutes later. They regrouped with Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis in the lobby before leaving Lestallum with Talcott.

The drive back to Hammerhead was peaceful even with the sound of daemons echoing around them. When they stepped out of the truck, Ignis and Gladio went to procure supplies for their upcoming dangerous mission. Noctis, Prompto, and (Y/n) waited for them to return. They chatted until the two older men sauntered out of Takka's with plenty of supplies. With their stock now full, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis went to change into their Kingsglaive uniforms. Now with everyone ready, they walked towards the gate.

Waving farewell to Cindy, Takka, and Talcott, the four leave Hammerhead and walk done the darkened road towards Insomnia. They wander down the road for a while before Noctis decided to ask for one last camping trip with everyone. The five decide to make camp on the same hill overlooking Insomnia where they once bore witness to the imperial invasion. Ignis cooks their dinner, just as he did in the old days.

After everyone finished eating, a melancholic silence befell the group. (Y/n), feeling as if the men needed to speak, stood up. Before she could walk away, Noctis stopped her. "Wait, (Y/n). I want all of you to hear this." He glances around at the faces of his friends. "I, um..." His voice failed him. He wasn't sure what exactly to say.

"Out with it," Gladio said.

"I just..." Noctis leans forward and looks down. They're all silent for another moment. The king's left hand clenches as he sighs and fidgets with his hands. "Dammit. The hell is this so hard?"

Noctis laces his fingers together. "So, I..." He leans back and lets his left hand rest on his leg. He then looks at his friends. "I've made my peace. Still... Knowing this is it, and seeing you here, now." His voice cracks and a tear streaks down his face as he continues. "It's...more than I can take." Noctis looks down once again and clenches his hands together.

All of them are silent. Gladio wipes away a tear with the back of his hand. Prompto, with a sorrowful expression, was the first to speak up. "Yeah. You're damn right it is."

"You spit it out," Gladio mumbled.

After another brief silence, Iggy sighs as a tear streaks down his cheek from under his visor. "It's good to hear."

(Y/n) opted to remain silent, having nothing to add. They all look down in silence for a long moment.

At last, Noctis stands and looks at each of his friends in turn. "Well...what can I say?"

Prompto looks down and rubs away tears.

Noctis looks at them all with tear-filled eyes. "You guys...are the best."

When the men retired to the tent to get some rest, (Y/n) remained sitting by the fire. She stared into the flames before making up her mind. Walking a short ways away from camp, she casted her desolate gaze to the sky. Although the sky was dark, she could still see the glistening Celestial Crescent. She opened her mouth and called out to the god. "Brahma..."

Yes, Child of Pneuma?

"I know I am in no position for asking a being such as yourself for anything, but..."

Speak for I shall listen.

The guardian spoke to the Astral for a few minutes before having to end their discussion. She sighed, looking towards the destroyed city she calls home. Her mind was off in its own world until hearing the sound of Prompto's voice. "Heyaz."

Looking away from the ruins of Insomnia, (Y/n) offered a smile as he walked towards her. "Hey, Prom. I thought you'd be asleep by now."

"Believe it or not, it's been difficult sleeping these past ten years. I was so used to you being there that it's tough for me to sleep without you. Even after ten years, I never really was able to solve the problem. But now that you're back, I don't think I'll have that issue any longer," he said.

"You missed me that much, huh?" She laughed.

"Six, you have no idea..."

She grabbed his hands, entwining their fingers. "You'll need all the sleep you can get. We wouldn't want you collapsing on us." Tugging on their conjoined hands, she took a couple steps towards the tent. "C'mon, sweetheart. Let's get some sleep."

The couple crawled into the tent with the others and tried to get as much sleep as possible. It was only six hours later did they wake up to find Noctis had changed into the Kingly Raiment. Gladio and Ignis stood by the outskirts of the camp, waiting to leave and face their final battle together. Prompto went to join the older men while (Y/n) remained behind. Noctis glanced at her and said, "Make sure to watch out for him for me, (Y/n)."

She nodded. "I will."

He smiled sorrowfully. "Thank you." He then walked away, joining the others.

The guardian stared at the back of the king, remembering the promise Brahma made with her a few hours ago. "An exchange, huh?" She whispered to herself.

"C'mon, short stuff," Gladio called out to her. "You're one of us now and there's no way in hell we're leaving you behind."

She smirked. "On my way."

The group leaves the campsite and heads for Insomnia. They crossed through the checkpoint and sauntered their way across the lengthy bridge. Daemons were already proving to be an issue, but the five were able to fight through a few before reaching the city.

With his greatsword slung over his shoulder, Gladio looked around the city as the Citadel loomed in the distance. "Home, sweet home."

"Yeah, at long last," Prompto said, coming to a stop between Noctis and Ignis.

"What we've been waiting for..." The strategist stated.

"Sure is."

Gladio walked alongside the marksman and advisor. "Next stop: the Citadel."

"Yeah," Noctis muttered as his three friends walked ahead.

(Y/n) was lagging a few steps behind the king and watched him as he puts on the Ring of the Lucii. She decided to walk past him, smiling in reassurance. "Miracles happen every day."

Noctis heard her as she walked ahead to join the others. He stared at her back, wondering what she meant by those words. He wanted to question her, but didn't get the chance as they were soon attacked by a group of eternal troopers. "This is it-give it your all, guys!" Noctis shouted as he summoned his sword and performed a warp-strike.

Gladio grinned, setting his sights on a single enemy. "Yeah."

"You got it!" Prompto chanted, firing his pistol.

"With pleasure," Ignis said with a hint of a smirk, throwing one of his daggers and impaling a trooper.

"I could use a good warmup." (Y/n), having been slumbering for the past ten years, decided to transform. She shook her body, her tails flaring outward. It felt good to be in her spiritual form again, even though it had only felt like months to her. She leapt at one of the eternal troopers lingering in the distance, killing the machine with ease. Turning her large form around, she saw the men had dealt with the other mechanical troopers.

"We haven't fought together like this in ages. Never thought I'd miss seeing short stuff turn enemies into chew toys," Gladio chuckled.

"Really takes you back, doesn't it?" Noctis asked.

"We may have struggled before, but now nothing can stand in our way!" Prompto cheered as he ran up to his guardian. He wound his arms around her neck, burying his face into her soft fur. "Ahhh, how I've missed this... The two of us would've been the talk of Lucis if we were hunting partners."

The fox's ears twitched when hearing approaching enemies. She growled, alerting the men. They had their weapons ready as more eternal troopers and an iseultalon daemon emerged from the side street ahead.

Noctis, with determination, raised his sword and prepared to attack. "Let's make this quick."

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter || Masterlist ||

#final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv x reader #ffxv #ffxv x reader #prompto argentum #prompto x reader #prompto argentum x reader

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zaph1337 · 4 years ago

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Monster Hunter Rating 14: Basarios, the Bellowing Boulder

I said at the end of the Vespoid post that I truly believe this has to be a more interesting monster. Why? Because it’s a Main Monster! If you don’t remember, “Main Monster” was my designation for the big monsters that have entire missions revolving around killing just one of them. They’re the monsters the games are built around, so if this one isn’t more interesting than small fries like the Vespoids, then it’s probably not doing its job very well. Let’s give a big welcome to Basarios!

(How it appears in Monster Hunter 1)

(How it appears in Monster Hunter Rise)

Appearance: It’s very easy to see that Basarios is a dragon made from stone. It looks like something a mountain would form on top of, and it even has a small mass of rock on its back that resembles a mountain! Its head is...kinda creepy, if I’m being honest. It looks like a stone skull with beady yellow eyes, and for some reason it has human teeth. They could have given it stalactites and stalagmites for teeth and make it look like its mouth is a cave, but nope! That might not give kids nightmares, so obviously it’s an inferior design.

Okay, I make it sound like I hate Basarios’ face, but I think it’s fine. I just don’t get why they thought that a rock dragon needed to have such a scary face. Anyways, Basarios’ wings look like they’re made from cracked rocks, and the membranes look like sand. This kinda gives me the impression that the sand came from those cracked rocks, like the wind started sweeping over them and wearing them down before time stopped around them, freezing the sand in place as a membrane. Of course, that’s not what actually happened, but it still looks cool. It’s hard to see on the Rise render, but I like how Basarios’ underside looks more like a typical dragon’s would despite still appearing to be made of stone. It shows us that this thing may look like it was carved from rock, but it’s still a living creature. All in all, Basarios’ design accomplishes exactly what it was intended to, and it looks pretty good doing it. 7/10.

Behavior: Despite being close to 40 feet from head to tail at their smallest, Basarios are actually only juveniles; their adult forms are called Gravios, and I’ll talk about them soon enough. A Basarios only spends a short time after birth with its mother before setting out on its own...and by that, I mean that their mothers straight up abandon them and leave them to fend for themselves. Coincidentally, Basarios do not have a concept of “Mother’s Day” (or any other holiday, really). They use the claws on their wings to burrow partially underground to use their rocky backs as camouflage while they sleep, but they still tend to stand out because their backs are often a different color from the rocks around them, or because they sometimes hide right in the middle of the area they’re in. Hey, you work with what you’ve got.

Basarios mainly feed on minerals and ores, so they often live in volcanic regions and deserts, though they’ve also been seen in forests and swamps. But everybody needs protein in their diet, so they’re also ambush predators that snack on Herbivores, Neopterons, and sometimes even miners, if they aren’t paying attention to how out-of-place the Basarios’ carapace is. Honestly, I feel kinda bad for these guys; they’re ditched by their parents when they’re babies and their camouflage is subpar. I guess they have to stand out in the games for players to avoid being caught off guard, and the idea of finding a camouflaged monster to fight is pretty cool, so 6/10.

Abilities: As you’d expect from a Main Monster. Basarios have quite a few tricks up their sleeves. Ramming attacks are standard fare, and they can fly for a short time, but they can also spit out fireballs and “lava beams,” according to the wiki. Don’t know how that works or what it looks like, but sure. The thing that you might not have expected from Basarios is the fact that they can expel gases from the pores on their undersides. These gases can be poisonous, sleep-inducing, or on rare occasions a fiery plume. And here’s the gross part: the gases are what’s left of the Basarios’ past meals, so you’re basically getting hit by a fart. Not what I expected from a rock dragon, but sure. There’s also a “Hard Core” variation of Basarios in Monster Hunter Frontier Online that has stronger flame and poison sacks than normal, allowing them to use more powerful moves, but it’s not something I’m gonna talk about in its own rating. As for the regular Basarios, the only thing in the abilities department that really separates them from a normal dragon is the gas attack and maybe the lava beam, depending on what that actually is. Still, you probably wouldn’t expect those things, or the ability to fly, from a dragon made of rock. 7/10.

Equipment: As you’d expect, the Basarios weapons all look rocky, but some of them also have blue highlights breaking up the grey. An example is the Gigant Makra, a Long Sword you can make in Rise:

It’s weird that blue is the color they went for for these weapons, but I only think that because there are blue eye-like specks on several weapons, such as this Hammer known in several games as the Basarios Blow, when Basarios have yellow eyes. It’s especially weird here, ‘cause, uh...

Okay, so obviously, having a Basarios’ head as the hammerhead is morbid, but what I wanna know is, why are the bindings spiked, and why is one covering the head’s mouth? There’s a joke there I don’t want to make. To close off the weapons and move to the armor, here’s a picture of the Basarios Rock, the Hunting Horn you use in the demo of Monster Hunter Rise, and the Basarios Armor set which you wear when using the Basarios Rock in the demo:

Y’know, when I first saw this, I thought it was the standard model of Hunting Horn because of how plain it looked from afar, but it actually looks pretty cool. I like the blue “eyes” and how the neck of the Horn is blue, though I question why there’s a barrel coming out the body (not that other Horns don’t have one, it’s just the most obvious here). And here’s the armor set itself (it’s from Generations Ultimate, though; I couldn’t find a good picture of the Basarios Armor from Rise):

The Basarios Armor is clearly meant to emulate a medieval knight, and I’ll give the designers credit for not giving the female armor the stereotypical and dangerous breast plate that far too many people think women who are knights should wear. I also like how the armor has blue specks here and there, which are especially visible on the shoulder...pads? I don’t think anything made of rock can qualify as a “pad,” but I don’t know what else to call them. This design is cooler than a standard suit of armor, but it’s still pretty close to looking like one (mostly because of the helmet). The equipment as a whole gets a 7/10.

Final Thoughts and Tally: Basarios is a good monster to start us off on the Main Monsters, ‘cause it’s plain enough to be almost average while also showing us the kind of crazy things we can expect from here on. It’s also surprisingly memorable thanks to its creepy face and weird attacks, and its equipment is also pretty cool. If I wasn’t rounding all of these final scores down it’d be a 7, but because I am, it’s a 6/10.

#monster hunter #monster hunter rating #zaph1337 #monster hunter rise

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starstruck-sheikah · 4 years ago

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(working on wandering swimmer a little bit again! this is just the inogo bridge meeting ig)

Her mind grows dizzy with all the possibilities as she swims upstream with the other Zora, alongside a bank where tall pine trees grow, turning the land golden beneath their fallen needles. How long have they all really been waiting for her? Since a hundred years ago? What does a brother do? Will he expect her to remember him? But she doesn’t remember, doesn’t remember anything. Doesn’t even remember the way home.

She’s too distracted to notice herself climbing out of the stream with the other Zora, or them waving to someone above the two of them.

The ground shakes beneath them, suddenly, and Mipha gasps, hand going to the spear on her back. And then she relaxes.

A Zora even taller than the one who escorted her here (what was their name? had they told her??) now stands before her, decked out in all manner of silver-and-blue jewelry, the golden cords of some rank draping across his chest, a sash and sword at his side. For a moment, she thinks he must be as tall as the giant she’d attempted fighting, but then realizes that’s only because she has to crane her neck up so bad, just to meet his eyes. The fins that frame his face have more of a hammerhead look to them than hers, but his red scales, the same shade as hers, mark an unmistakable resemblance between them.

She doesn’t remember him, but he must be her brother.

“Mim...Mipha? Is that...really you?” His voice is soft, just a bit deeper than hers.

She nods. She needs to bring up the fact that she doesn’t remember him, or anyone, but before she can open her mouth to say anything, the humongous Zora sweeps her into a crushing hug. “I knew it! I knew you’d come back!”

The tears she’d thought she’d swallowed away all threaten to come back in a rush. This is...the first time she’s hugged anyone, isn’t it? Other than strangling boars and bokoblins, and trying to catch birds...Her arms barely fit around her brother’s neck, but she tries to pat him on the back anyway. If only she could remember! If only she could remember.

“Of...of course I’d come back,” she says, and her voice breaks.

She’s starting to wonder how long she can last without breath, when her lungs are so stifled like this, but eventually, her brother whirls around and sets her safely back on solid ground once more.

#rough draft stuff as usual...only the greenest of cheeses for u all #ws au #break the surface wandering swimmer #wandering swimmer au #mipha #sidon #i kinda wanted mipha to rush up and hug the first zora she sees cause itd be the first person she sees that looks like her but idk idk..#ill think about it cause yeah #anyway writing...slow. i do have everything planned out mostly but like yeah #im more trying to focus on some original original stuff but every now and then i like to go back n look at this one...yearh #au #botw #my writing #its me

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moonsgreatestboydetective · 4 years ago

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ALRIGHT SO: THE PETALS TO THE METAL GRAPHIC NOVEL

I just blew through the book (holy shit you guys it was so so good) and before I do a more thorough read through, I wanted to share my thots for the good folx who didn’t preorder/aren’t sold on the whole graphic novel thing, maybe sell y’all on givin it a read through!

If you don’t want your experience SPOILED for any reason (I attached a couple of pictures and my first impressions, but nothing at all major that’ll reveal any of their hard work, so don’t worry if you just want a sneak peek), I’m keeping them under the cut, so read on at your own discretion.

TLDR: If you have the money to throw their way, I totally recommend getting your hands on this book. It’s beautiful, totally true to the source material, and a really a fun ride (sorry) from start to finish!!

First of all, this graphic novel is actually fucking gorgeous. Like wowsers. The whole thing is just absolutely beautiful, like the prior two are really amazing, but this one is full of huge, sweeping landscapes, really lovely detail work, super expressive faces, the works. There are multiple full page spreads (it’s a bit longer than the previous two), full of beautiful colors and just stunning visuals.

All of the character designs are really really good. Obviously everyone has seen the concept art for Hurley and Sloane (we’ll get to them, they’re everything I dreamed of and more), but other NPCs, the battlewagons, the backdrops, everything is so lovingly thought out and is such an amazing visual. Captain Captain Bane, Maarvy (who is a girl now!), GARYL, the Lich (again, no spoiling), they’re all exactly the way you picture them and full of life and character.

It’s also got a ton of inside jokes and references for fans of the podcast who know what comes further along in the Balance storyline, like advertisements for the Chug N’ Squeeze, a cameo of Carey Fangbattle, the Red Robe’s Cave, and I’m sure a bunch of others I’ll notice when I read it again!

Obviously, Petals to the Metal is a real beefy boy, with ten episodes and the Lunar Interlude beforehand. This is actually where I am now on my latest (third!) relisten, and I just finished episode five and they still haven’t gotten to the race. There are a ton of goofs and a lot of sidequests/sideplots like the elevator fight that lasts almost a full ep, the whole misadventure with Little Jerry and Jereeeeee, and a bunch of other very good bits throughout the arc, and one thing I was really impressed with was how well they decided which bits of “filler” could be cut without damaging the narrative and missing fan favs. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER I’m super bummed they cut a large part of the hilarity of the Midsummer Festival, the majority of the scenes fighting Trent the Treant and in the elevator shaft, the iconic “Are you afraid?” line, and just everything about their attempted infiltration of the Hammerheads’ hideout [while this is actually a really hilarious cut and has been reworked to be a lot shorter] like the SAY MY NAME bit with Taako’s bad impression, Merle’s Evangelizing SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER. They do a really good job making it manageable to the readers by condensing a TON of material, but don’t outright remove anything that we the fans desperately were ready to see in full technicolor visuals.

This is, of course, referring to The Butt.

Just as an intentionally blurry sneak peek (there’s more that just this, I swear-- they were clearly Prepared for the fans) to ready y’all:

As for the other thing that everyone was foaming at the mouth excited for: Hurley and Sloane. Holy shit y’all. SO much more backstory, real obvious Gay™️, the ACHING when they look at each other, I’m just completely hearteyed in love with these beautiful ladies. They definitely changed a few things, as they’ve hinted at in interviews, but it’s really well done and still absolutely falls in line with the overall tone of the podcast. I could write a whole ass essay about how amazing their dynamic is, but I will definitely leave that as a ~surprise~ for everyone to see for themselves (along with the race itself, because we all know that’s the Main Event here).

The main THB character development is real real good too, with Taako’s “I’m a fully realized creation!” speech and Merle’s 50 Shades of Green moment being particularly amazing. Their facial expressions throughout the arc are wicked good and really convey the McElroy vocal inflections that are hard to show in print, like Taako’s shit eating grin while messing with Leon, and Magnus and Taako dying while listening to their FATHER seduce, well, everything.

In addition to all of the Easter Eggs for their listeners, there are also some great world building elements to tie this storyline back to the overall Balance Campaign, like another of the Director’s excellent speeches about the importance of disposing of the Grand Relics, the scene in Captain Captain Bane’s Office (which was also trimmed down and the lines modified, but still excellent), and our first look at the Hunger. The Hunger is absolutely terrifying (seriously, what a way to set the tone for the overriding storyline while still being wholly focused on the individual Petals arc)-- it looks Exactly the way Griff describes it in the Lunar Interlude and is just horrifying. The expressions on the THB’s faces are just *chef’s kiss*.

Overall, while there were a ton of elements that they had to adjust (partially for brevity and also to prevent potential copyright problems as in the first two books), the graphic novel is extremely well written, it absolutely feels like an extension/supplement of the podcast, and the art is utterly absorbing and gorgeously rendered. If anyone is somehow still on the fence about the book, I would give it a definite ten out of ten recommendation!

NOW GIVE ME THE CRYSTAL KINGDOM!

#the adventure zone #taz balance #taz graphic novel #taz gn #petals to the metal #FUCK ME UP BUTTERCUP #mild spoilers

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secret-engima · 5 years ago

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Nox keeps giving the media meltdowns. How's that, y'know, working out for him? And what's the general reaction around the Citadel crew to the media circus? Also, how do people feel when they realize exactly how /powerful/ Nox is?

Hmmm for the most part, Nox is ... ambivalent to how many times he sends the media into a tizzy. He’s got memories of 2k worth of royalty and scandals, he remembers the invention of media networks and sometimes dreams of the invention of the flipping printing press. There is literally nothing they can say about him that he doesn’t already have memories of somehow. Honestly, it’s .... alternately tiring and hilarious to him. He kinda wishes people would take a chill pill, but on the other hand, since Regis would never force him to deal with the media circus unless Nox willingly agreed to it, he doesn’t particularly care. At least until he wants to- you know- leave the Citadel and go literally anywhere in Insomnia and Then It Becomes A Problem (Nox misses the days he was just a nobody with earrings and baggy clothes. So much). Though, since he knows that nothing he can do or not do will calm them down, he does occasionally indulge in intentionally poking them with a proverbial stick.

By Citadel crew I’m uncertain to if you mean Regis and Co + Chocobros or the long-suffering Citadel press corps, so I will just do both-

-Regis feels So Very Sorry for his eldest. He knows he couldn’t keep Nox a secret forever, but he honestly had ... hoped it wouldn’t get this bad. He’s afraid for a while that the media things will depress Nox or make him afraid to leave the Citadel/angry at being Regis’s son, but Nox just rolls his eyes at everything and ignores the media hounds with catlike ease (by which I mean he spaces out into the distance with a neutral expression and occasionally does the human version of pushing things off other things to distract them).

-Clarus knew this was coming. He knew it was going to get so much worse when Axis’s existence came out (it did). He ... would feel bad about this but this is just- royal/celebrity life. This is a slightly more hysterical version of normal. Honestly it’s the noble society he’s more worried about (he realizes quickly that his fears are unfounded, for a kid who’s been unknown for years he can verbally tear nobles to shreds with the best of them. Clearly a talent inherited from the Izunia side of his heritage).

-Cor hates the media. Always has, always will. No time for it. Not after all the stuff they threw out about him becoming a Crownsguard and then alter their role in cementing his hated Immortal title. Is fully waiting and ready for Nox to get mad enough at the media to condone Cor going out and doing Something Stupid And Maybe Bloody about it. Unfortunately, Nox never does, so Cor has to just sit and seethe and occasionally laugh evilly over Nox’s latest trolling behavior.

-Noctis doesn’t even know about the media storm for y e a r s. He’s the bby Crown Prince, you really think anyone is gonna let this kid watch the news channels and the gossip talk shows? No sir. Not on Ignis’s watch. Noctis DOES hear about it at school though, with students bugging him about it and even TEACHERS side-eyeing him like they expect something Dramatic to happen. Noctis eventually gets sick of it and punches another student in the face probably. Ignis is scandalized, Regis tries to gently explain that no, Noctis cannot throw someone in dungeon because they said nasty things about Nox and no he is not explaining what those nasty things mean.

-Ignis is ashamed to look back and realize that he once bought into about 80% of the media meltdown over Nox. Now that he knows Nox better, he knows that none of it is remotely true and the world is not going to turn Game of Thrones on him. Now he’s ... very insulted on Nox’s behalf, but understands that it is not his place to intervene (though he does give patented Frosty Looks at any reporters that come sniffing around the Citadel forever after).

-Gladio does not watch conventional TV. He watches action blockbusters that have explosions, documentaries on wildlife/camping/hunting/sword-making and Iris’s favorite show about magical girls and talking, rainbow colored Chocobo companions when she makes the puppy eyes at him. That’s it. Is ... nominally aware of news and social media having fits over Nox but Does Not Care so long as they don’t bother Nox and nobody actually tries anything against Noctis’s big brother.

-Citadel press corps kinda hates Nox’s guts. On one hand, he is a Model Prince because he doesn’t go out and get drunk, doesn’t have wild parties, doesn’t have any actual scandals that they need to cover up or spin positively. On the other ... refuses to do press conferences. Refuses to do interviews. Refuses to do anything to help them mitigate the media meltdowns that his mere existence causes (and the events of the Music Drabble I have yet to write, OH BOY do they hate him for that). Just- hides in the Citadel and only makes appearances when it’s a mandatory ball/gala/thing or when he’s accidentally unleashing another media Meltdown. Agrees to one (1) private interview when he’s 18 and even then it’s ONLY if he can talk to some random, unknown rookie who runs a gossip column. They, by turns, want to strangle him and praise his existence, but at least he isn’t as bad as Regis and Clarus were in their day.

-It- would take a long time for people to really know how powerful Nox is. Like- out in the wilds of Lucis proper? There ARE people who know he’s way stronger than he lets on (the Hunter Corps and their families that he’s saved a bunch of times, plus everybody in Hammerhead who politely pretended Cid wasn’t housing the Nif Chancellor and his LC nephew for two years). The Hunter Corps, out of everyone, have the best idea of just what Nox is capable of, because they’ve ... put together a few things over the years. Like how Nox usually crops up in the area a day or so before a Niflheim base gets shredded/blown up/otherwise Wrecked™ for seemingly no reason. But his Real Power? That ... I’m honestly not sure how that would come out.

-But hypothetically, sure, let’s say something happened that made Nox go Full Fury on some poor hapless Nif soul (or army, probably an army). I’m gonna picture ... a Incident with a Kingsglaive held area. Nox is out there for like an official inspection or something, one of the Very Few media things he ever agrees to, when there’s a full on attack. While the poor Media People who are live streaming this freak out and the glaive get ready for a slaughter, Nox just- real calmly orders the glaive to Stay In the Base and keep an eye on the media people. Calmly walks out the base gate without so much as a by your leave and starts limp-striding his way toward the Impending Invasion of Death, Axis right at his side, just as calm (Axis knows what’s coming after all). Some glaives try to follow him because Obviously only to smack face first into - a Wall. A genuine magic Wall like the one encircling Insomnia.

-The entire Lucian nation plus whatever non-Lucian channels manage to pick this up get a livestream view of Nox raising a mini Wall around the base to keep everyone safe, then casually strolling out toward the Invasion force and just-

-Decimating it.

-About halfway between the invasion force and the base, Nox stops and raises a hand to the sky, a sword appears in his grip, and everyone present can feel magical pressure suddenly build-build-build until the air turns blue (the Wall keeps everyone inside safe from the intensity of the pressure except Axis, who doesn’t need it, he is Nox’s Shield and Nox will never hurt him). The Nifs release their war Behemoths on the field, gunships are coming in for the kill, and then-

-His sword sweeps down and the world shakes under the force of the pure energy wave that rises from his blade, sweeping across the distance between him and the enemy and either breaking, scattering, or straight up disintegrating anything in its path. An imperial dreadnought splits in half and then breaks into dozens upon dozens of pieces, the war-beasts caught in the path of the wave are just- gone. So are the MT units and gunships.

-Ever seen the upgraded armiger attacks from the Royal Version of FFXV? Yeah, picture those, but cranked up to eleven. Or just picture those and then imagine being an ordinary civilian seeing that for the first time. Ghostly blades whirling around Nox’s form, defending him from bullets and debris only to lash out as literal waves of energy or a death laser.

-Needless to say, Nox destroys that invading force single-handedly in a display not unlike the legends of Ragnarok or Armageddon, all while holding a Wall around the base. He then calmly turns, walks back to the base, asks if everyone is okay, and upon getting the all clear-

-Collapses. Straight up flops over into Axis’s arms while on national live television because someone forgot to eat anything today and spent most of the previous night fretting over nightmares or something (the rest of the world assumes he pushed himself way too far with that display, but really he could have done more if he hadn't already been tired/hungry and Axis knows it).

-For once, the media meltdown isn’t punctuated by frenzy but by a very, very fragile, frightened silence.

-It’s been ... a long time since a Lucis Caelum has Truly unleashed their power on the field and Nox is no ordinary LC.

-Clips of Nox’s stunt circulate for months, are analyzed by historians and doctors and talk show hosts for precedents and health risk and just sheer What levels. Social media ranges from cheering Nox on to snidely wondering why LCs aren’t doing that more often to a huge outpouring of concern for the prince who just fought off a literal army and then collapsed like he’d been decked in the head. The Hunter Corp all pool their resources together to get this idiot kid a care package, Cid probably comes over from Hammerhead to yell at him while Cindy bear hugs and cries all over his clothes.

-In Niflheim ... a lot of people are reevaluating their stance on the war. Because if that is what just one Lucis Caelum can do, then what’s going to happen when there are two of-age princes who are not chained down by the Wall?

-A lot of nobles in Lucis are also reevaluating their stances on the illegitimate prince, because UMMMMMM that’s the kind of thing that only happens in blockbuster dramas, and Nox did it in real life. More than that, he knew he could do it, as evidenced by how calm he was when he gave the order for everyone to stay.

-Lots of internet conspiracy/theory people try to figure out just how powerful Nox is and if he’s an anomaly in the bloodline because seriously can all LCs do that????

-A lot of people, for a lot of different reasons, are very, very scared of Nox now. Either because they still believe that GoT is inbound and that just put the kibosh on a lot of their rebellion daydreams or because Nox is already a wild card and now he’s proven that he’s a supremely dangerous wildcard.

-So basically, still a meltdown, but this one much, much quieter and more reverent.

-Assuming I ever do something like this in Nox versa canon, because I’m not sure I will.

#SE asks #anon asks #Nox verse #Secret Engima Rambles #HOW DID THIS GET SO LONG MY WORD #I didn't mean for it to get this long

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sohannabarberaesque · 5 years ago

Conversation

During a late-night jam session with Peter Potamus' diving crew at their base of operations

(Which, know, is a beachhouse colony along the Pacific coast of Southern California, somewhere between San Diego and Los Angeles, well off I-5 as a matter of fact. And it's during one of those convocations of Peter Potamus' divers which are basically a mix of MeetUp and refresher course to review diving techniques and try out new dive gear.

(As the session opens, our intrepid group is seated at the fire alongside the Pacific's shore as the tide sweeps in....)

PETER POTAMUS, getting to the highlight of the session: I thought you might all find fascinating a rather interesting bit of Polynesian lore which I came across during one of my recent sojourns to the isolated parts of Polynesia--as in a Polynesia of sheer wonder and fascination made even more interesting by the natives wearing pretty much themselves, and liking it!

MILDEW WOLF, somewhat stunned by that revelation: Actually, Peter means the natives are naked!

PETER POTAMUS: Mildew made a good point there, if a bit on the snarky side; yes, nakedness IS a commonplace with these same Polynesians ... but it's mainly driven by tradition as much as comfort. And it's especially true when they're diving, swimming with dolphins or even surfing ... they just can't help but feel so natural in their nakedness!

SQUIDDLY DIDDLY, somewhat observant: I should say so myself!

PETER POTAMUS: Which, you might say, is the point of the story I'm about to relate. It's a story I picked up during one of my visits to Hidden Polynesia, and was related to me by a crown prince of their King--who, I have to admit, was rather young for his age, but related it in such a way as piqued my interest!

HIS FELLOW DIVERS: [Ad-libbed shouts of "Do tell! Do tell!", for the most part]

PETER POTAMUS: What's amazing about this story is that this involves a princess of a nearby archipelagic kingdom with whom that particular such had a close relationship ... and that such was when this particular princess was in a Polynesian sort of a "tomboy" state, willing to take on male challenges even though she was female! She was roughly ten or eleven years of age, and for some reason, the king of those particular islands called for this princess to see him coming out of her sleep one morning.

MAGILLA GORILLA, munching away on a banana: So what exactly did the king want with her, to begin with Peter?

PETER POTAMUS, continuing: I was about to get to that ... at any rate, this particular king, who was getting rather on in years, called upon the princess to undergo some tests to prove herself worthy of her presence and position, tests of established native tradition among especially the royalty and chieftains ... and among the tests she had to undertake was one of riding in some rather extreme waves to shore on a "native" surfboard ... and I mean a surfboard of koa wood, perhaps the finest surfboard material known to Hidden Polynesia--and traditionally reserved for the nobility!

MILDEW WOLF, again with snark: Were there other tests this princess had to go through to, uh, prove herself?

PETER POTAMUS: Another one she had to undergo was her diving to the depths of The Blue Lagoon, which was something like 30 feet, in the company of sharks as much as dolphins ... and wearing herself as well! And at any rate, His Majesty called upon this princess to tell her that such was the day she was to undergo such tests of her worthiness, this having been revealed by his astrologers and kahuna some time beforehand!

HARDY HAR-HAR, ever the pessimist (even with Lippy the Lion): Well, how did it come out exactly?

PETER POTAMUS: Hardy, I was about to get to that ... following a number of ritual prayers and blessings, our princess took to the waters of The Blue Lagoon for the diving part of her test. To dive down among sharks as much as dolphins, and not show any fear or cowardice--and, of course, naked besides! Following some ritual deep breaths in the shallows of the Lagoon, which she was to rely on throughout, our princess dived in ... and dive in she did, sensing the presence of a coral reef close to the bottom as was undergoing a mix of decay as much as renewal! And as she dove deeper and deeper, gradually sensing the sensation of her body vis-a-vis the lagoon's waters, she couldn't help but sense the presence of a number of reef sharks close to hand, not to mention makos and hammerheads ... as well as a pod of dolphins not that far off as she approached bottom, where she was to briefly sit cross-legged and meditate without fear as such sharks passed by, some rather close to her ... and for some reason, one blue shark came wonderfully close to the princess' body, gently rubbing each other close as she was preparing to make her ascent. And yet, you had to picture just how it was possible for her to actually handle a shark in the same way natives would handle a dolphin while swimming with them in such wonderful closeness?

HIS FELLOW DIVERS: [Ad-libbed remarks of admiration and disbelief as to how such could be pulled off]

PETER POTAMUS, continuing the tale: What wonderfully graceful moves did she make for her age underwater as she did with a shark! And what a feeling such must have been in her Polynesian nakedness!

WALLY GATOR, intrigued as pretty much everybody else: And yet not manage to have been eaten by those sharks, don't you know! So where was this surfing-related test?

PETER POTAMUS: As for the surfing part of her test to prove her place, once she recovered from the dive, our princess was taken by outrigger canoe to an outer break off a rather modest island fronting upon a reef whose waves were not only rather substantial, but were traditionally reserved for the nobility ... and at a designated point, the canoe came to a standstill, whence the board was placed into the water, followed by the princess boarding same. Within a few minutes, the break came along--the signal for her to go into the "duck dive" to enter the wave from underwater. It may have been a little hesitant at first, but boy, did that dive feel wonderful on her as she broke the surface and mounted the board for the obligatory ride to shore within the green room of the gods!

WALLY GATOR: "Green room of the gods"--where have I heard THAT one before?!

PETER POTAMUS: So, positioning her body in the standing position essential to surfing, this princess began to barrel her way through waters as were heavy on the corals to such extent as made the waves as massive as they are ... only about ten feet from shore, for some reason she slipped off the board and fell into the waters, with her wondering what was bound to happen next as she was tossing and spinning around, intense corals close to the bottom as could risk cutting her open to injury ... but amazingly, as if instinct called for it, a dolphin swam close by this reef and sensed the peril the princess was facing. The dolphin signalled to the princess to grab his dorsal fin and hang on tight as shore approached, practically underwater all the way, with the very reef at hand flashing by throughout!

HOKEY WOLF, curious: So, how did the princess fare in the end?

PETER POTAMUS: Crawling onto the shore of the modest little island, catching her breath even, the princess wondered what exactly was to follow ... and after a short rest, she walked to a nearby cove to find the same dolphin who had rescued her from the surfing portion of the test jumping up and about in the waters, as if wanting to guide her back to her home island ... which she accepted, and with plenty of "quality time" underwater that amounted to discovery of herself, and then some! [Pause, as if to build up the suspense] When it was all over, and she has returned to home shores, she asked, "Well--?"

And, after a brief pause, such royalty serving as the judges, so to speak, signalled where she had passed, for the most part. Especially where a somewhat older prince noted where her slipping off the surfboard during the surfing test may have been accidental, but that the dolphin's rescuing her, and taking her in a sort of adventure over that legendary reef, may have been a rather unlikely, yet interesting, sort of test in and of itself.

[Another pause] Now--any questions?

[In essence, a stunned sort of amazed silence fell upon the divers, considering the sort of story as was just related being itself unbelievable.]

#vignette #hanna barbera #peter potamus #meet up #storytelling #polynesian lore #Polynesian fables #princess coming of age #survival tests #diving with sharks #surfing #hannabarberaforever

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galahdanblade · 5 years ago

Note

It was one of those rare rainy nights in Leide when a storm from Duscae managed to roll in over the plains. The wind howled and the rain pelted down, but at least it meant he hadn’t gone on a hunt tonight. Coeurls seemed to spawn more in the unusual weather. Running her fingers over one of the deeper scars, Cindy pressed a kiss to the mark. “Why do ya keep doin’ it?” He was a Hunter, she knew that, but it was nice to dream, right? “Ya ever think of jus’ finding something else to do?”

it wasn’t often that ramuh let loose over the dusty plains of leide, maybe only a handful of times a year, but in those far and few between times, ramuh usually sent a deluge. like tonight - with the rain hammering against the roof of hammerhead, bouncing off the forecourt outside and lightning cracking across the horizon. also meant the hunt out by keycatrich ruins has been cancelled … it had been meant for goblins, sure, but coeurls were prone to appearing when there was electricity in the air. there were some old wives tales about the cats needing to charge themselves from the fulgurian, which flew in the face of the myth back on galahd - about the beasts being born from a lightning strike to start with.

whichever tale bore more truth, kaleb wasn’t about to venture out to see for himself. the goblins could hold out until the storm passed. best not to tempt fate.shifting to move his pillow, the hunter let his fingers trail up and down cindy’s arm, his other arm folded behind his head as he just watched her - unruly blonde curls, vivid green eyes that stood out so much against her sun-kissed skin … how he wished the nights like these could stretch on forever; the world outside, the responsibilities and tasks dropped at the door, barred from coming in any further and just … them.

blue eyes blinking at the softly-spoken question and kaleb knew there was no skimming past it or sweeping it beneath the rug - had he ever thought about doing something else? oh yeah … years ago. he’d considered backing away from hunting and going back to what he’d been before - a farmer. one that still covered the necessary hunts back in galahd and their surrounding islands, but he’d waited too long to take the leap for that break. what would he do now? mechanic? ha. he knew the basics of how to fix a banged up truck, but he’d never be a grease monkey. a smith? not a chance … weren’t many around who could hone that skill and while he and randolph were on civil terms, that was never going to happen.

what else would he do if he wasn’t a hunter?

would he ever be able to walk into a diner and not glance to a bounty board? what if he turned his back on hunting, only to stumble upon a battered tag by chance? would he be able to sit there and order a meal, knowing that he had the skills necessary to remove that threat from the board, but chose not to?

leaning up a little, kaleb canted his head to the side as he stopped stroking her arm - fingers under her chin, he steered her back up to him with a chaste kiss to her brow, her touch still trailing along the scar that reminded him to always pay attention - didn’t matter if it was the start, middle or end of a hunt … until you got your ass back on a haven, you were still treading water.

‘ i keep doing it because there are more people out there who can’t do it than those who can, besides … what else would i do, girlie-girl? ’

#Anonymous #replied #Cindy #leidemechanic #{ how does she hold me - without holding on? }

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tarotdeckshuffle · 6 years ago

Text

Song HC

@laststory1013

20 & Gladiolus~

A repeat customer! ^^ I must be doing ok, at least!

Song: Seven Nation Army (The Glitch Mob Remix)

Artist: White Stripes

Album: The Glitch Mob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m7e7tCn7Bk

If you like this one, just submit a number and a character and I’ll write a random HC for you, too!

This feels like a song Gladio would just jam/workout to. Go fight scene! I choose you!

You and Gladio need to get out of the city and blow off some serious steam.

He’s not just mad, he’s pissed…

You’re not sure what happened, but ok, whatever gets you out of the city.

You think you’re just going to go hiking outside Hammerhead.

Instead, Gladio heads straight for the diner.

He swings the door open with the force of a tempest, winds of restrained fury invading the peaceful restaurant.

The building is silent except for the click of Gladio’s boots on the tile. They remind you of the ticking of a bomb.

“Takka, what’s on the menu?” Gladio leans on the counter, eyes studying his friend.

“Well, I’m assuming you don’t mean the food, so...here…” Taka slides a list of open hunts across the counter.

Gladio studies the list for mere seconds, sliding his finger directly to the bottom.

A smile that could frighten a daemon crosses his lips as his finger taps the list.

“Perfect.”

Takka raises one eyebrow at Gladio’s choice and shakes his head.

“Good luck…”

The whirlwind is off, again, sweeping back out the diner.

Gladio picks a direction and you just start walking.

You’re almost too frightened to ask by this point.

You walk for what seems like hours, but Gladio’s intensity doesn’t diminish.

Today, he burns brighter than the sun.

Finally, you reach a basin.

You can hear rustling coming from below, so you walk to the edge to get a better view.

You’re not sure what you were expecting, maybe some scorpions, maybe a basilisk, but it wasn’t this.

An eyeless,merciless, conglomerate of spikes and hatred stares up at you.

The creature looks like the incarnation of a bloody death.

It knew you were coming. It wants you to enter its domain...

It lets out a war cry, sending stinking saliva flying and exposing rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

“What in the ever loving…” You begin.

“It’s a Bandersnatch.” Gladio interrupts.

Oh, good...at least death has a name.

He summons his broadsword and hefts it onto his shoulder.

You summon your weapon to join him in this fight.

He holds an arm out in front of you.

“Heh, this one’s mine…”

You stare up at Gladio, in awe of both his rage and stupidity.

“I’ll run support...I guess.” You say, pulling out a pack of potions.

That daemonic smile crosses Gladio’s face as his eyes darken.

Meeting the gaze of the Bandersnatch, he slowing adjusts his stance.

The gravel under his boots crunches.

The Bandersnatch pants in anticipation.

And like the eagle, Gladio takes off.

Your view of Gladio is temporarily lost due to the sun in your eyes.

But he returns to Eos, crashing down onto the back of the Bandersnatch as it swings it’s armored tail up for a counterattack.

A cacophony of cries and scraping metal sounds echo throughout the basin.

Gladio is sent flying by the great beast’s tail, but lands on his feet some ten yards away.

The beast’s tail armor has a significant crack to it now.

Gladio takes his next strike, running headlong at death incarnate.

You prepare a phoenix down and a prayer...

But he drops and slides under the three tusks trying to impale him,

Instead, using his momentum and strength as his sword collides with the creature’s leg.

He rolls out from under the spiked mess as it falls to one knee, momentarily hobbled.

Getting to his feet in one swift motion, Gladio swings his sword in a full arc, connecting with the lightly armored side of the creatures hurt leg.

You think the battle is going surprisingly well and that you should have brought snacks

When the beast lurches it’s body sideways towards Gladio.

Caught by surprise, Gladio holds his sword up to guard, but there are too many spikes.

Some graze his shoulders and the sheer force of the attack sends him sprawling backwards.

You launch a high potion towards the man, who has enough thought not to to dodge it.

It hits him square in the chest and breaks open, healing many of his wounds but doing little to the blood now running down his arms.

Having noticed the flying potion, the Banersnatch turns towards its second threat: you.

Although hobbled, the creature still moves with impressive speed.

It comes barling towards your perch on the edge of the basin, making waves through the watering hole.

As you grab the pack of potions to run,

The creature is stopped in its tracks by a great “CRACK!”

Gladio has driven his sword through the strained armor of its tail.

The creature is stunned for a moment, taking in what just happened.

Now, fully enraged by pain, the Bandersnatch starts wildly swinging its whole body, desperately trying to impale Gladio.

Having learned, Gladio summons his shield to block the onslaught.

But blocking the shower of spikes slows him down.

Seizing this opportunity, death turns its great jaws towards the shield.

The Bandersnatch rears up, the three tusks spread wide, ready to crash down and tear Gladio apart.

Your eagle is planted to the ground, eyes wide with a drop of fear.

But the drop falls, rippling into a smile of confidence and awareness.

Gladion turns his shield upside down as the great jaws barrel towards him.

His name echoes through the basin from the scream that tore from your lips.

There aren’t enough potions in the world to heal that, you think.

You hurry down the slope, weapons at the ready…

But the Bandersnatch isn’t moving.

It’s starts to tremble.

And Gladio heaves it off of him.

He is horribly cut all over his body and his hair is matted with the creature’s saliva,

But he is alive.

His shield is still stuck in it’s jaws, the pointed tip having been driven up through the roof of its mouth when it tried to clamp down on the warrior.

Gladio braces himself against the Bandersnatch’s jaw and pulls his shield free from it’s teeth.

The once pristine black shield’s emblem is now gone, scratched away by thousands of teeth and the entire weapon has started to bend in the middle.

Gladio turns it over, examining it, before looking over to your shocked face and grinning.

All the rage is gone from his body, he looks like a child who just got away with something.

“I think I’m going to need a new shield.”

You blink at him...

Your shocked expression cracks into fury as you start pelting the man with potions.

#ffxv #ffxv gladio #gladiolus amicitia #fight scene #bandersnatch #gladio x reader #reader x gladio

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sassycassie-s-writing · 6 years ago

Text

An Argument

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): Final Fantasy XV/Ignis Scientia

Rating: PG-11 (for arguing)

Original Idea: The argument Talcott tells Noctis about in my last one-shot: The Original Story.

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) This one has some arguing so if you don’t like that sort of thing, be advised it’s here. Also, I swear I didn’t mean for it to get this long... (2,250 words XD)

^^^^^

“Princess?” Talcott asked quietly, the door to my bedroom opening. I turned around.

“Hey kiddo. What’s up?”

“The meeting’s about to start. They’re just waiting for you.”

“Ah shoot. Totally spaced it started now. I thought it was in a half-hour. Thank you so much, Talcott. Let’s go!” I followed him out of my room and through the halls of the hotel—which really was functioning as more of an Insomnia city hall. In Lestallum. Most of the government of Insomnia who made it out or was being rebuilt tended to meet in the Leville.

In the conference room, there were seven other people, not including me and Talcott. Iris, Ignis, Prompto, Gladiolus, Cor, Cid, and Cid’s granddaughter. I could never remember if her name was Cindy or Cidney.

“Sooo sorry I'm late. I thought the meeting was in a half-hour,” I said, taking my seat at the head of the table. Ignis sat at my right hand, as he always had. He was brilliant and a fantastic strategist, and he’d taken up the role of “royal advisor” flawlessly. He’d been training for it since we were kids, after all. “To the matter at hand, Miranda and her son Garrett went missing two days ago and haven’t been seen. Last anyone saw them they were venturing away from Lestallum for a brief search for a specific type of plant that doesn’t grow domestically.”

“Correct,” Ignis said.

“All things considered, two days is a long time in a daemon-infested eternal night. I don’t want to assume the worst, but I’ve been trying to abide by the philosophy of ‘Hope for the best, plan for the worst.’ So, I'm thinking a search party. As many people as we can get. The more the better. No one will be allowed to go alone and unarmed. Groups of two or three, maybe more, and everyone has a weapon,” I said. “There are a lot of daemons out there.”

“Very good,” Ignis agreed.

“By the way, Cindy, Prompto: thanks for making your way here from Hammerhead for this. We’re gonna need some skilled people on the party.”

“Well, sure thing, Highness,” Cindy—I'm sticking with Cindy because she didn’t correct me—said with a smile.

“Yeah, you got it,” Prompto said.

I nodded with a smile. “Now, we need to gather people. Volunteers. Everyone needs flashlights as usual. And we’re going to start sweeping after the dinner shifts are over.”

“Princess, if I may,” Ignis piped up quietly. I turned. “You keep saying ‘we,’ implying that you’re joining the search party.”

“A Lucian mother and her son have gone missing. Of course I'm joining the search party.”

“With all due respect, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?” I challenged in frustration.

“Noctis has been missing for a year. At this point it’d be a good idea to prepare for his absence enduring an even longer amount of time,” Ignis said. “With that in mind, our people are looking to you as the leader, princess. It would be wise for you to remain behind.”

“‘Remain behind’?” I quoted in disbelief. “C’mon, Ignis. You know me better than that. Noctis would be the one leading the charge out into the darkness.”

“Noctis is not here and you are not Noctis—as you always seemed keen on reminding me,” Ignis said. I clenched my jaw to rein in the flare of my temper. “We lost King Regis and Prince Noctis within an extremely short time of one another. Noctis is not dead, of course, but who knows how long he will be cradled within the Crystal. The people of Lucis need a strong, constant leader. They need to see that you are strong and you will be here to serve them through this darkness.”

“And the best way to serve the people is to show it,” I insisted.

“Not if you die out there!” Ignis exclaimed.

“Awkward…” Prompto whispered to Talcott. Ignis and I ignored him.

“Princess, you are the closest thing we have to a monarch right now. The closest thing we have to… to Noctis,” Ignis continued. “You must stay here. It’s dangerous out there and the Lucian people cannot lose the last remnant of the throne so soon after Regis and Noctis.”

“Are you going to stay here too, Ignis?” I demanded. “I mean, after all, you can’t see!”

Talcott gasped. Prompto looked surprised. Everyone exchanged looks.

If I wasn’t so angry I would have clapped my hand over my mouth and immediately apologized for being insensitive. As it was, I wasn’t thinking too much about that. Ignis was a big boy. He could take it.

“This isn’t about me, princess!” Ignis snapped. For the first time in my life, he used the title Regis had given me in a derisive, sarcastic tone. Gladio called me “princess” in a mocking tone all the time to tease me, but Ignis had always used it to be respectful. “This is about you! Whether you like it or not, you are acting Queen of Lucis right now. You cannot take unnecessary risks to your life.”

“And being branded a coward?”

“Living to lead another day is not cowardice.”

“I don’t get it, Ignis!” I exclaimed. “You know me! I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. Noctis might have been a slacker when we were in our late teens but I wasn’t! I never skipped training. Or lessons. I studied for my exams. You know I’d be just fine out there! You’d let Noctis go! Why are you fighting to keep me here?!”

“Because I let Noctis risk his life and now look what’s happened! He’s gone and unlikely to return in the near future. I was raised and educated to be an advisor to the True King and in his absence, to you. I intend to advise you to the best of my ability and wisdom, princess,” he said.

“Don’t lie to me, Ignis,” I snapped. “You were protective of Noctis too—but this is going too far. This is overprotective! Why are you being so overprotective?”

“Because I love you!” Ignis shouted.

The whispers and uncomfortable paper shuffling in the conference room went absolutely silent. All I could do was sit there in stunned silence as well. I stared at Ignis’ dark glasses, jaw hanging open. His head was facing me, but his eyes weren’t quite at mine. He appeared to be looking at my upper lip.

“I… I…” I tried to say. All words seemed strangled in my throat. I couldn’t even come up with a response to that—not one that didn’t sound totally stupid, anyway.

I was pretty sure I saw Prompto and Gladio exchange a few gil across the table in the corner of my vision.

“What?” I finally said.

“You heard me,” Ignis said.

Years. Literal, actual years of awkward half-flirtations and acting like I totally didn’t have a crush on him leading to that. I’d developed a schoolgirl crush on Ignis about a week after I met him when King Regis took me in. He was around Noctis and I all the time when we were kids. He was smart and four years older than me and cute and I was six when I first jokingly told Noctis when we were supposed to be in bed, but weren’t, that I was going to marry Ignis. Noc had given me a look like I was crazy and told me I couldn’t marry Ignis because he was four years older than me and wore glasses.

Oh, the good times when things like that were the reasons I couldn’t marry Ignis.

“Excuse me for a minute,” I said, pushing away from the table. “Iris, I'm leaving the planning to you.” I ran out of the conference room.

“Princess!” Talcott called, running after me. How old was this kid? Like, ten? Max? “Princess what’s wrong?”

“Go back to the meeting, Talcott,” I said, fumbling in my pocket for the key to my hotel room. “Ah crap. Musta dropped it or left it in my room.”

“Princess, you and Ignis are friends, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah we are.”

“So why were you mad at each other? And why did you run away when he said he loved you?”

“Ignis wants to keep me safe—for some of the right and wrong reasons. But I want to do the right thing by my people and I can’t just leave a mother and her child out in the wild without looking for them myself and I understand the reasons he wants to keep me safe but he can be so… stubborn.”

“It’s a good thing he loves you, though, right?”

“Yeah kiddo,” I said, going back along the path I’d come trying to find my key. “Gosh dang it. Where did I leave it…?”

“Looking for this?” a familiar voice asked ahead. Ignis held my key up in his free hand—the one that wasn’t holding his cane. There was a slight smile on his face. “Heard it fall from your pocket as you fled the conference room.”

“Attentive, as always,” I said, taking it from him.

“Princess, I am sorry for how that meeting turned out,” he said.

“Talcott, head back inside the conference room. Help Iris plan the search parties. I’ll explain everything later,” I told the kid. He nodded and ran off. I looked at Ignis. “Me too. I got angry. I shouldn’t have said what I did about your vision. If anything, you’re better-suited to all this eternal nighttime business than I am. I'm sorry, Ignis. Can you forgive me? Eventually?”

He smiled. “I can forgive you right now if you can forgive me eventually,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said what I did about my feelings. It was unprofessional. Especially in front of an audience. I swear I didn’t mean to manipulate you in any way.”

“No, no. I know,” I said. I pulled on his shirtsleeve towards my room. He followed after me. “I can forgive you right now too.”

We made it back to my room.

I opened the door. “C’mon in. I think we need to chat.”

“Fascinating that you didn’t say ‘talk.’”

“Well ‘we need to talk’ sounds like it’ll always be followed by bad news,” I said.

“Indeed.”

I kicked the door closed and sat on my bed. Ignis perched next to me. “Iggy… well. Full disclosure: I’ve had a crush on you since I was six. Started out as a simple schoolgirl crush since I was so young, but it grew and developed over the last… thirteen years.” I told him the story about me telling Noctis that I was going to marry Ignis. Which made him laugh. “The thing is, though,” I carried on, “with Noc gone… it seems… wrong, almost—to find happiness when the world is full of despair.”

“I agree, actually,” Ignis said. “That being said, I know Noct better than I know myself. He would want the two of us to find happiness. Whether it be together or… not.”

I sighed. “I know,” I said. “I just… I don’t want everyone to think I'm… unfocused. They want me to be the acting queen. You want me to be the acting queen. I don’t want our people to lose faith in me because they think I'm distracted by romance.”

Ignis nodded. “I understand that completely. If you should wish to pursue a relationship, perhaps at this particular juncture a private one would be most beneficial.”

I stared at him for a moment. “What, like, secretly date?”

“That is one term for it.”

I bit my lower lip and thought. “I don’t like the idea of lying.”

“You wouldn’t have to so long as no one asked. And why would they? We have greater problems to deal with than your love life.”

“Right.” I scratched the back of my head. “I'm in love with you, Ignis. I probably shouldn’t be for the sake of our people and I feel bad that it’s now. But I'm done keeping it to myself. Done fighting it down. So yeah. Yeah. If you’re willing, let’s play the secretly-dating game. I hate the idea of Noctis not being here but you’re right.”

Ignis smiled. His hand reached out and found my elbow. His glove was softer than it used to be—more well-worn—as it slid up my bare arm to my short sleeve and paused. After a moment, he let go and brushed my hair behind my shoulder with surprising accuracy.

“Of course I'm willing,” he said.

I shook the hair on the other side of my head out of my face and cupped the side of his face in my hand. “Then let’s try.”

“Yes. Let’s,” he agreed.

We both leaned forward at the same time. I closed my eyes and let my hesitations go—just for a few minutes—to kiss him without caring about how this would impact everything else. Nothing would ever be the same between he and I, but I wasn’t sure I minded. Not yet anyway. Sometimes change was for the better—something Ignis had told me growing up that I’d never liked. I didn’t like change. Getting adopted by the king was a huge change and it frightened me back then.

Ignis had comforted me then with the same warmth he kissed me with now.

My heart soared and I had a feeling that, for now at least, some things would turn out alright.

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sky-writes-daydreams · 6 years ago

Text

How They Met: Episode Skylar

A/N: Well... This is it. In case you’re new to this, Episode Skylar is the Alternate ending I planned. This one is supposed to be a lot happier than the original ending. This is the last part of How They Met. Thank you all for hanging around for this trip. It’s been a blast. :)

@valkyrieofardyn @shigekihizashi @lola-mcevil13 @blackpaladinarchive @the-altissian-authors @the-wallflower-artist

I sat quietly in the back of the truck and just listened to the others. I knew Cor was going to be mad at me but I had to go. If there was even a chance to change their fate, I had to take it. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it was a stupid move done by a desperate person. I didn’t care. I was willing to risk it all to even see if there was a chance I could keep him.

We got into the city and I kept my eyes out as we moved among the shadows. I knew a few hotspots and kept them away from them. We got into the abandoned tunnels easily and fought a few smaller ones down there before entering their safe spot. A lot of glaives were down here. They seemed to be in decent spirits, joking around and laughing with each other. It was nice to see honestly. One of the other ones pulled me into the fray and introduced me to a few and even let me join them on a mission outside in the city. I didn’t argue. I wanted to see how far I was from the citadel.

I was there for three hours before I was busted. We walked back in from a job and there was a new air. Then I heard.

“Marshall’s here!” I felt my heart drop then. He was waiting with that disapproving Dad look on his face. Gods I hate that look. I tired to walk past with my hood up but he got my arm and pulled me over.

“Nice try.” I growled a bit then and got free.

“Don’t even…. You’re not in charge of me.”

“Says who?”

“Me!” He sighed then.

“Skylar… there’s nothing you can do. You’re only hurting yourself damn it.”

“Then let me…. But I’ll be damned if I’m sitting still. I refuse to wait around for the worst when I know I can still help!” Cor sighed then and covered his face with a hand.

“Have you always been this stubborn?”

“Yeah. Just ask anyone. Cid even knows.”

“Fine… you can stay but you do not go anywhere near that citadel! That is not your fight!” I growled then and he glared at me.

“That is an order. You gonna dress like a glaive I’ll treat you like one.”

“Fine. I don’t care. Throw your worst at me. I might be rusty but I can fight.” He nodded then and let me walk off. I didn’t care as long as he didn’t try to send me back to lestallum.

I was sent out a lot with different groups to help deal with troublemakers and such. It was hard work but I had missed it. Time flew that way. I hardly realized it was getting late till most of them had gone back to lestallum to rest up or other depots. I walked into the mission room and Cor was there sitting in a chair by the table just relaxing. I sat across from him and he smiled.

“Stopping for now?”

“Might as well unless there’s something you need.” He chuckled then.

“If you’re still awake, watching the outer gate near the street would be great. Got a few last patrols out.” I nodded then and smiled.

“Thanks.” He shrugged then.

“I’ve been there…Wanted my men near Regis for the signing…. He said the people came first…. Wouldn’t let me argue.” I nodded then and sighed.

“He didn’t let me either… but I’m stubborn. I won’t give up…. Not yet at least.”

“Let me know when. I’ll buy.” I laughed then as he smiled gently. I smiled back shaking my head as I went to my new post. From here, I could see the stars and the huge sky above.

“I hope you hear me Ardyn…. I’m not running away…. I won’t let you do this alone…. I made a promise after all.” I smiled then feeling for my Ring.

“I’ll stand by you… Forevermore.”

I stayed out there for a while. I wasn’t cold or anything so it wasn’t an issue. Any demons came close and I dealt with them. The few remaining glaives came back and a few offered to replace me but I was fine. It was quiet out there and I could just exist and think. Finally Libertus came out. He had been asleep for a while after our last job. He chuckled seeing me out here.

“Still not tired huntress?” I smiled then and shook my head.

“Too edgy. Plus once you’re used to sleeping with someone close…. It’s hard to go back to being alone.”

“I hear that.” He sat down near me and slid over an ebony. I laughed seeing it and got it.

“Where the hell?”

“Machine about five blocks away. It was smashed and we looked. Fully stocked.” I laughed then and smiled.

“Don’t let iggy find out. He’ll drink you out of them in a week.” He smiled then as I got a drink. I loved them so much but it had been a while.

“So you really know them huh?”

“Who?”

“The king and his brothers.” I nodded then. I pulled my legs up then leaning on the wall.

“Not as well as I used to…. But yeah…. I ran into them over at the hammerhead garage. Regalia broke down and I had hit a demon with my jeep. So I walked over there and we met…. Helped them out at times. Traded info…. We got close. They were the first ones to know when it happened.” He nodded and smiled.

“When you fell for Ardyn?” I nodded then smiling.

“He…. He’s not what you’ve seen…. There is a good man in there. I can see him and…” I laughed a bit then looking up.

“I miss him….. He pulled away these past months knowing this was coming… He knew it would happen… but I didn’t care. I’d deal.” He nodded then and smiled.

“You really loved him huh?” I nodded then.

“Yeah…. Yeah I do. I know I probably shouldn’t admit that to you…. He’s the enemy…. But I really do love him... The happiest I’ve ever been was with him…. I don’t regret a single day…” Libertus chuckled then.

“It’s fine. Don’t hold the sins of the empire to the person… even if he was the chancellor he didn’t give the orders for the attacks��. He’s only got to explain for the past ten years.” I couldn’t help but laugh then, a real laugh. Libertus smiled and gently got my knee.

“That’s what I wanted to hear. Finally getting you relaxed around us.”

“Oh shut it.” He chuckled then and I slowly got up stretching.

“I’m taking a walk around. Wanna come?”

“Nah. You go on. Just try to get some sleep soon ok?” I nodded and helped him up easily. He headed back in while I did one last sweep before joining them. I curled up on a small cot in a corner with my coat on and just closed my eyes. A little sleep never hurt anyone after all.

For a while It was just sleep. I didn’t feel anything or anyone. Then I felt a hand in my hair. I opened my eyes and it was him. I sat up quickly and was shocked. We were on a grassy hill surrounded by the most wonderful wildflowers. Ardyn smiled then and gently brushed back my hair.

“Sleep well?”

“... Is this a dream?” He shrugged then and I looked over at him. Those eyes. They were so perfectly hazel. No darkness was in them. Only love and laughter. He looked so young right now. I felt the tears come back before I hugged him tightly. He laughed then and hugged me back.

“Did my queen have a bad dream?” I nodded then not letting go.

“You left me… Ardyn you left me and I was so scared I’d never see you again! You broke your promise to me…”

“I would never skylar… I’m always going to be here for you…. I’m not leaving you.” I felt him hug me back and I just smiled. I missed those hugs so damn much. I was safe in those arms. Only I felt him move. I looked up and screamed. Scourge was pouring out of his face with a demonic smile on his face. The land around us had turned to black and demons were coming out of every flower. A light came from above then and Bahamut came out of the sky with his sword drawn. Even now, I tossed myself in front of ardyn screaming for him.

I jerked awake right as the sword hit my back. Cor jumped back and I quickly looked around.

“No….. Oh gods no.”

“Skylar?”

“I…. No…” I looked down and my cot was wet. I felt my face and I had been crying.

“What…?”

“You were dreaming… I woke up and heard you muttering something…. But then you cringed and started crying before almost slamming into the wall yelping…. What happened?” I looked to Cor then and he was honestly worried.

“I…. I was with him…. And things were fine! He was fine! But then…. Darkness… Everywhere. And Bahamut….” I felt my stomach then almost expecting there to be a wound. There was nothing there.

“He was going to kill him…. So I jumped in the way…. I…. I can’t just let him die… Not like that!” Cor nodded then and got my shoulder. I was shaking like mad right now and I felt sick.

“I get it… Come on… Maybe there’s someone who can help.” He helped me up then and I followed him into the main room. All I saw was the broad shoulders before I knew.

“Gladio!” He turned then and smiled.

“Hey princess.” I ran then and he was a bit shocked but still got me. I hugged him tightly then taking a deep breathe. I couldn’t help it.

“What happened?”

“Nightmare… Just… Freaked me out.”

“Gotcha… There’s probably a reason…” I backed up then and he moved. Noct was there. Older with greying hair and scruff on his once baby face. He was in the royal raiments. I took a step back then and He smiled.

“Hey.” I waved as I stumbled back and he stopped. I couldn’t believe it.

“You…. you got out.”

“Yeah… It… It was rough…”

“You….” I gave up then dropping my head as the tears fell. He had been right. Now it was here.

“Don’t do it…. Please…” I heard gladio gasp but Noctis sighed.

“Sky…”

“Please… There has to be another way!!! Why the hell do you two have to die!? Hasn’t enough blood been shed for Bahamut!?” I looked up then and He looked so sad.

“I’m sorry….” I just looked away then trying to stop crying.

“Not as sorry as I’m going to make that Dragonian…” I heard Ignis chuckle then and Noct smiled.

“Why do I seriously believe you would make good on that?” I shrugged then and he smiled gently and got my shoulder.

“Skylar… It’s not like I want this either… but sacrifices have to be made… The cards were always against us…” I nodded then and just hugged him tightly. He flinched but quickly relaxed into it and hugged me back.

“Give them hell Noct….” He nodded then.

“You too Hon…. Cor’s gonna need your help after this.. So will Iggy. Help them as much as you can… Keep fighting.” I laughed then.

“Like I could ever stop.” He chuckled then pulling away before wiping off a tear.

“I know… Hang out here for a while ok? Stay safe… That was the whole reason he sent you to hammerhead anyway… So you’d be safe.” I nodded then and tried to smile.

“You got it sir.” He chuckled then.

“Not you too.” Prompto laughed then and Gladio smiled.

“You do look a lot like your dad right now.”

“Oh gods don’t get started…” I smiled then as they started razzing him for his looks before they were distracted. I slipped out then and got back outside. Clouds had covered up the stars and a cold wind had picked up. I pulled my jacket closer then and sighed looking down at the ring on my finger. I had thought about taking it off so many times now and yet I never could make myself do it. We were over. He sent me away. The promise was broken.

I stayed outside listening to the reports from the glavies coming in and out. Noctis was having them make strategic strikes on bases here in the city to open up a way to the citadel. It was going well so far from what I could tell. A few Noticed me out here but didn’t say much. I was keeping the demons back to keep myself distracted. I was waiting for more to show up when Cor walked out.

“Sky.”

“Hm?”

“Orders.” I looked over and he smiled.

“We need a strong guard at one of the bases. It’s right next to the main way. If we can keep an eye in the sky, We can keep control.” I nodded then and smiled.

“I’m good at that.”

“We know. Noct is the one that suggested it .” I shook my head then sighing.

“Idiot.” Cor shrugged then.

“You’ll live. Come on.” I followed him back down and quickly grabbed my satchel from my spot and got a thicker jacket on before following him out.

It was a well lit Nif base. A fire was in the middle thanks to what looked like a robot exploding. It kept the whole area well lit and Glavies were dealing with Straggler demons as we came running up. I helped out as much as I could before we were able to close the gates and let some of the magic users get some distance on them. It didn’t take long before we were safe and they got a happier air going as they went to explore resources and such. I headed up to the tower on my own and found that someone had already left a chair up here for whoever was taking this spot. I could see cor talking with a few below about what they had found so far. Shards from the meteor were in crates behind them and after a while, someone came and grabbed them. I figured they would be taken to lestallum as soon as they could. I smiled watching and just keeping my eyes out.

I could see her. A single figure blending into the shadows on top of the tower. Only the occasional glint of metal from her shifting her sword would point her out to anyone trained to see it. Most of them had no clue she was even there. Only even as I came in and out of places guiding them on the best moves to make and what to do with the dead mts, I stopped seeing her. Looked like it was the best idea after all. She had finally fallen asleep again. I headed up after a while to check and she was leaned back with her feet on the rails completely out of it. I just chuckled and rubbed her head a bit.

“And you call Noct the Idiot…. You can’t even stay awake and yet you’re still trying to fight.” She barely even moved only to snuggle into the coats more. I backed off then and shook my head. It would be fine for now. We had time.

Everything was shaking. My feet dropped waking me up quickly and I sat up and looked. Fireballs were everywhere and the ground was shaking. I just jumped over the edge and quickly dropped rolling before taking off running towards it. A horrible demonic roar echoed suddenly and I had to cover my ears. It was so loud and honestly scared me. I heard it stop and I just kept going. I saw a lot of demons heading the same way though so finally I had to stop. There were too many. I fell back then and quickly saw some of the other glaives come running. They saw what I did and we had to fall back. There were too many. I was following them until I saw a sword I recognized going the other way. I stopped mid step and pivoted and looked. Cor was high tailing it.

“Cor!!!” He didn’t even look back. I sighed then and quickly got the second coat off and tossed it to someone passing by before following after the marshall. It took a few but soon I was caught up with him.

“What’s going on!?”

“Ardyn’s making a move!!! He’s got the old wall up around the palace!! Noct and them are stuck and demons are heading there fast!” I nodded then and soon got his arm and pulled.

“Follow me!” He nodded and I got him into a side alley and we kept running. Surprisingly for his old age, he was able to keep up and stay steady. I got us ahead of the horde and into open space. Then I could see it.

“Whoa!!!” Cor nodded then shocked. A three headed flaming mutt was trying to chew on Noctis and them. Noct kicked him back but I saw the attack charging up.

“No….” Cor moved before I could. I headed forward but ended up tripping over rubble as he launched a fireball at Noctis. I looked up just in time to see Cor take the blow for our king. It didn’t stop him. He wailed on that dog to the point he was launched into the air and I saw him stab down into the central head. The scream was ungodly as fuck but I had to deal. I launched potions to the boys as quick as I could before Cor landed off to the side. He couldn’t stand. Only it was enough to get their fighting spirit back. I ran to Cor then as they finished it off. He was damaged badly but still breathing. His sword was still in his hand and a smile was on his face.

“That…. It’s been a while.”

“Just shut up.” Cor nodded then and took the hi potion I pressed into his hand. He crushed it while I was searching for something stronger. I heard the boys coming over and Cor slowly got up. I looked up then and Noctis was smiling.

“You two really saved us…” I shrugged but Cor smiled a bit. He was still hurting and I could see why. He had a huge burn on his back.

“One chance so I didn’t outlive another king…. Thanks to her though, It wasn’t meant to be.”

“Good… I need to leave strong men in my place after all.” The others nodded then and I smiled.

“Plus… It’s not like we can let the uncle of the king die.” Cor stopped then and Noct chuckled.

“Damn straight.” I got up then and Noct smiled.

“Still overstocked?”

“Always.” He nodded then until we heard it. THe thundering footsteps of a thousand demons bearing down on us. I got Cor’s hand then and Noctis nodded.

“Go.” I nodded then and pulled the Marshall behind me as we ran. We couldn’t get caught up in that. Only I saw her before the boys did. I smiled gently and waved, As lady Luna appeared next to Gentiana smiling. Seems even now in death she was able to help her king.

We got out of sight right as the thunder started and I saw groups of demons died as Lighting hit them as Ramuh descended. Cor had to lean on a wall and soon took the elixir I handed over as we watched. All of them were coming to his aid. It was honestly Terrifying to see but I saw why. It took the power of the six to drop the king’s wall. I saw it shattering and turning to dust under their might. Cor chuckled then.

“Never seen something like that huh?” I nodded then. He smiled then. He was healed now and feeling a bit better it looked. They faded out afterwards and soon Luna was gone as well. I just sighed watching before stretching and turning.

“Don’t you want to stay?”

“This is their fight…. There’s nothing more we can do except keep a guard on the gates… but going off what Ramuh just did… I think moving those left to Lestallum is of bigger importance. Get them there to wait.”

“What about you?”

“I’m staying. What else would I do?” I looked over and he smiled.

“Not sure… Mind if I?” I shrugged then.

“Just don’t stop me.”

“Fair enough.” I smirked then and we headed back using the backways listening to the roar of flames and gods.

Once further away, you could barely tell there was a war going on at the Citadel. The ground didn’t shake anymore and you couldn’t smell the smoke from the fires. It honestly worried me. Would we even know when the end came? I didn’t focus on that once we got back. Everyone was here and scared. Cor stepped forward and sighed.

“Forces are to fall back to lestallum… Noctis is alright…. The wall has fallen and he is able to enter the Citadel… All that is left to do is wait.” I saw a few nod and start packing up. The others looked worried and Cor smiled.

“I’ll see you all once the dawn has come back.” THat caused a whole new air to enter the room and more even got up to help. I smiled and soon we were both helping them back up and head back to Lestallum. Hopefully we could head back with good news later because Cor and I, We were staying no matter what happened.

We saw the last truck leave. Libertus had stayed back and offered to take me with them but I had to refuse. I didn’t want to leave. I had to stay and see this through. He understood and gave me something before he left. It was a dagger made from Lucian metal. It was the mark of a glavie to have daggers made one from their homeland and the other here. Mine was one and the same. I accepted it gratefully and kept it on my belt. Cor just smiled and we headed back into the tunnels. He was healed from his injuries but now that it was just us, his age showed. He couldn’t keep up as well as he could before. Taking a blow like that would have drained anyone.

“Hey…. It’s not like we aren’t going to know… We’re here in the city right?”

“Yes… Why?”

“I’m worried about you is all… you look ready to pass out for a while. Maybe a little rest won’t kill anyone you know?” He chuckled then.

“And leave you to fend for yourself?”

“I’m more than Capable.” He shrugged then and pointed ahead. There was an old building there still standing/

“You got binoculars?”

“Yeah.”

“You can see the citadel from there…. We get in, I’ll rest. You can keep an eye on the palace.”

“Works for me!” He chuckled then and shook his head.

“The benefits of youth I guess. Endless energy.” I laughed then. He didn’t have a clue.

We got into the building safe and sound and found a small camp someone had been using for the same reason. Cor got settled and was quickly out. I tried to hold out a while longer but in the end, sleep got the best of me. I was fighting my exhaustion so I could make sure others were safe first. It was just how I was.

Only this time I didn’t dream. Not till the end. I didn’t know how long I had been asleep when It seemed like I woke up alone. I was on the train again, the one we took the Gralea. I was completely alone but I could feel how cold it was. We had to be at Ghorovas Rift. I finally found an open door and I stepped out. It wasn’t snowing for once. The storm around Shiva was calm. I could see her in even better details now and she was honestly Gorgeous. I started slowly walking over when I heard snow crunch behind me. My sword summoned almost like Ardyn’s did and I stopped. That was odd. I refocused and stopped. It was a taller woman. She was walking in the snow in Sandals and a kimono with long sleeves. Her hair was straight black and gently moving in what little wind there was. This was totally strange. Her eyes opened then and I instantly relaxed. She just had this look to her. She wasn’t here to hurt me. I let my sword go away then and she smiled as the snow swirled around her. I didn’t understand and just looked around confused until It hit me. The cold wind wasn’t coming from the rift anymore. I turned towards it and stopped.

“Shiva….” The goddess was right there in front of me. I stepped back then and she just smiled.

“The king of kings has completed his task. The accursed has sought out peace. Awaken and seek them out.”

“Wait….” She just smiled then and suddenly I was back in my head and I woke up gasping. Cor was still asleep next to me and I looked out. Nothing was going on at the palace. I wasn’t going to ignore a goddess. I quickly shook cor awake and he looked over.

“What?”

“We’ve got to go. Now.” Right as the thunder rolled and Rain started to drop over Insomnia.

It was over. I felt the final blow and fell onto the ground. I could feel the rain hitting me but not for long. I faded away into the beyond. I didn’t feel. I didn’t hurt. The voices of darkness were still there but quieter. I felt almost human. It didn’t take long floating there in the ethereal before I saw it all. All of my memories. I watched silently as my past went rushing past before it came to those months with her. Those smiles brighter than the sun. Her eyes shining as she told me stories she learned traveling. The loving times I held her in my arms. I still wore the ring even in death it seemed. I looked down and just smiled. She would have a brighter future without me. I never should have pulled her into my dark world to begin with. That was my only regret. She deserved so much better than me.

Noctis finally showed up. He was just as lost as I was but we both knew how this had to end. I bowed to him as the rightful heir but when I looked again he wasn’t alone and something set it off. I felt the darkness fighting to take over and the change happened. I couldn’t fight it. Not until she touched me. The darkness screamed inside of my soul but I could feel the healing touch of Lunafreya even as the dark made my body jerk away. That move was the same one that got her killed. Only it wasn’t in control right now. Noctis was and it learned that as the weapons of the kings of yore returned to their owners and came at me. My own brother, the mystic was last. I felt his blow and just smiled. This was always going to be my fate.

Only… I didn’t disappear. Part of me was still here. I opened my eyes and Gazed up to an endless night sky. Stars were everywhere. It was dead silent until I heard the steps. I turned and came face to face with someone I hadn’t seen in eons. Somnus. The face so much like that of my nephew, The wavy dark hair. Those perfect Blue eyes.

“Brother.” He gave a gentle smile then as he stopped just out of arm’s reach.

“Somnus….” It felt so odd to speak in this area. It was so quiet. He took a half step forward.

“Ardyn…. It has been too long… I… I acted foolishly then. I should have stood by your side and helped you.... Instead of turning my back on you.” He knelt then and his Glaive came into my hand. I jumped but I understood. His fate was mine to decide. The real revenge could happen. Those who betrayed me could pay. I gripped it tightly until I remembered her. That worried look when I spoke of my past. The fear of my anger getting the best of me. If I gave in like this, Would it really fix anything? THat was what she had always asked me when I couldn’t handle it on my own. I threw the glavie to the side then and Somnus looked up as it clattered.

“Times have changed Brother…. I was hurt over your action deeply… But… There’s been someone who has helped to heal the wound. So I’m going to take a page from her book…” I offered him my hand and pulled him to his feet.

“I forgive you Somnus…. You did what you thought was best as king… It was an unfair choice for anyone to make.” He nodded then and for the last time, I felt my brother’s embrace as the weight of my anger left me. Revenge never fixed a thing. Only Forgiveness could open new paths.

This time, It truly did. I felt him disappear into the beyond and I fell once more. Only this time the landing was slower. I kept my feet and landed on a armored hand. Noctis was next to me. He seemed confused as well. Then we saw him. Bahamut rose before us as we slowly realized we were in his hands.

“A king of old… a king of new. Both were chosen and yet have suffered separate fates. Words have reached the gods in favor of our chosen kings.” We stopped then until the Voice started.

“Oh Dragonian… Keeper of fate and guiding light of our Star…. I ask as your oracle… and as one who loves him…. Is there no sparing Noctis? Is there nothing I can do to keep him from his fate…? Is there no other way to purge our star except by his death? Please…. Mother’s gone and brother….. Noctis is the only reason I have to keep fighting. THe hope of seeing him again one day allows me to continue your work so please…. Help me find another way.” Noctis couldn’t help it. I saw the agony on his face.

“Luna…” I heard whispered as tears fell down his face. I smiled gently until I heard her.

““Noct….. Please….. Tell me you’re there hon….. I did what you said…. I jumped…. But now the grounds coming out from under me and I’m scared…. I don’t know what to do…. He lied…. He rushed the darkness knowing damn well what that means for us….! It’s like he doesn’t even care how much I care about him Noct…. I get it!!! Immortality sucks!!! But you’d think he’d find a reason to stay! A reason to keep fighting!!! We did! You kept going for luna…. And I did for him….. So why can’t he do the same for me!? Am I not good enough!? Or is it that Damn Dragonian!? I hope you can fucking hear me Bahamut!!! You stupid dragon!!! You won’t get them that easily damn it!! Not Noctis and especially not Ardyn!! I don’t care who you are!!! They’re all I have!! They’re all I’ve got…. So please…. Don’t….. Stop it…. There has to be another way… There has to be another way.”

I couldn’t breathe. I could hear how much sorrow she had been hiding then. She had been terrified of this happening. She didn’t understand. There was no other way. We had to die to that the light could return. So hers could keep burning. I had done it all to give her a stronger future than she would have ever had with me otherwise. She wasn’t made to live in shadows. Neither of these girls were. Going off Noctis, He felt the same. We couldn’t stand the idea that our girls had been hiding that agony from us. Bahamut nodded once then.

“Pleas have been made for your lives….. Pleas that will not go unanswered. The darkness blight has been banished… Go. and live as men. Rule justly… For the stars light will always guide your lines.” I stared at the dragonian in shock until suddenly his hand came out from under us and we plummeted down into something hard and very very solid.

Cor didn’t argue. We took off running and he let me lead even as we got soaked by the sudden rain. We got there right as three iron Giants showed up and I pulled my sword. Ignis, Gladio and Prompto were outside and ready to fight but I wasn’t going to let them alone. I got right into the thick of it with them and even as I got thrown around taking blows to keep them on their feet, it was worth it. They were vanquished. Ignis came running over then and helped me up. I was limping but I would survive. I looked to him then.

“Where are they?”

“I…. I do not know…. We went inside and after fighting three kings of yore… We found ardyn on the throne….He hit us with his magic and we went out… Only woke up long enough to get out here and find Noctis… He went inside after…” I stared at him and quickly got free then before I saw it. Close by lying alone in the rain… Was Ardyn’s scarf.

“No….” I ran over then and picked it up. It was ripped and soaked but I knew it was his.

“No….” I held it tightly before spinning and trying to run. Cor caught me as soon as he could but I still fought hanging onto the scarf. He was trying to stop me from going into the Citadel. I just fought against him until Gladio traded and got me. He honestly bear hugged me as I lost it. I couldn’t tell if it was rain or Tears hitting my head as I gave up fighting. My hands dropped instead of hitting him as a sob escaped. It was over. We had lost them for good.

We stayed there on the steps of Citadel. The rain stopped slowly and we were all soaked. I still held onto his scarf and just stared at it. I couldn’t even speak. The words wouldn’t come. The others were in the same shape so an eerie silence laid over us. At least till Prompto saw something. He shook my leg and I looked up. He pointed out and I looked. There was someone coming. I got up then and Gladio looked.

“Sky?” I shook my head and slowly walked down and across the courtyard. Cor got my arm halfway then. I could see it better now because light was coming from behind them. Wait.. Light!? It was the dawn. Someone was coming towards us with the dawn. As they got closer, I went into pure shock.

“No…..” It looked like Ardyn. He was wet from the rain and missing his coat and scarf but it looked like Ardyn. I jerked trying to get free but Cor wouldn’t.

“Skylar… It’s a trap. Don’t….” I shook my head then.

“No…. It…. It’s not!” I laughed then. I knew that stride. He looked up then and smiled.

“Marshall, I recommend letting her go. She might accidently hurt you.” I heard the others gasp then and I took my chance. I got free dropping my sword and ran.

“Skylar!!!” Cor yelled but I knew better. It wasn’t a joke. This wasn’t a demon. It was him. Ardyn hurried up then and I could swear he was crying. Once I was in those arms though, I knew it for sure. I wrapped my arms around him tightly sobbing as he held me close.

“I’m sorry… I am so so sorry…. Oh gods Skylar….” I just shook my head then trying to get him to shut up. He laughed then before letting me go and kneeling. He was crying so much right now.

“I am so sorry…. I… I broke our promise… I left and… I’m sorry…. Please…. I heard what you asked of Bahamut!! I never meant to put such agony on you!” I smiled then gently touching his face before I grabbed his ear lobe and twisted. He yelped and lost his balance before I got him up by his shirt.

“You EVER think of pulling a stunt like that again Ardyn and I’ll break more than a promise, Do you understand me you jerk?! You pulled away from me months ago!! Do you even know how much I missed you!?” I let him go then pushing him back. He fell back and just looked at me before I tackled him into a hug. He chuckled then and held me back tightly.

“Missed you too hon.” I smiled then hugging him before kissing him happily. He kissed me back before getting us back up. I just stayed at his side then hanging on for life. We headed forward and I grabbed my sword. None of them were going for weapons. I didn’t want to fight them over this but if it came to that, I would. I heard someone behind us after a minute and I just moved. Ardyn couldn’t stop me and I came face to face with Noctis. Luna was back with their coats on and a look of pure shock. My sword was level with Noctis’s chest. He had reacted out of fear of me and his glavie was at my neck.

“Lay one finger on him and we’re down a king again….”

“Skylar…. Stop.” He made the glavie disappear and I felt Ardyn get my shoulder.

“Sky…. It’s ok.” I looked over then and had to stop. Something was off. I lowered my sword then and Ardyn smiled.

“Was wondering when you would notice.” I gently got his jaw then and looked him over but it was in his eyes. Once a darker Amber, They were now… pure.

“Oh my six….” He nodded then and smiled.

“It’s over… So stop threatening our king love. Noctis had his chance. It’s done.” Noctis nodded then. I smiled gently then before hugging ardyn with one arm.

“Do you blame me?”

“Not at all. It’s about time he had someone to knock sense into him.”

“Oh like you can talk Noct.” Luna laughed then and came closer. She was wearing both of their jackets. Her white dress was soaked from the rain. I smiled at her gently then.

“Glad to have you back my lady.”

“Glad to be back.” She Gave Noctis a smile then as she stood next to him. The others had slowly come forward and I let them come to their king. Ardyn kept an arm around me while I held on with one arm. I wasn’t letting him go for anything. We didn’t have to say anything. It was all there in how we hung onto each other for dear life.

The joy was there in the new daylight. Everyone here was at a loss for words. I had luna back and It was over. The Crystal was gone now along with the ring. Neither were needed now that our star had been purged. We sat on the steps of the citadel while Cor got in touch with the glaives and arranged transport back for us. He was by the gates talking with them. He hadn’t said anything about us being back yet. We wanted to surprise them. Yet the biggest surprise was next to us. I kept seeing Prompto look over and gladio did as well. Ardyn was close by but he was whispering mostly to Skylar. She wasn’t really talking but we did hear giggles at times. She was lying over on his shoulder with her hands on his arm. He finally noticed and smiled.

“What?” Prompto chuckled then.

“She always like this with you?” Gladio nodded then.

“She never seemed like the cuddly type.” Luna giggled then and Skylar smiled.

“Neither does luna. But Trust me… All Girls cuddle.” Luna nodded then.

“Making sure he’s not a dream?”

“Pretty much.” She nodded then and got my hand then.

“I completely understand.” I chuckled then and Ardyn smiled.

“Looks like we’re on leashes, Dear Noctis.”

“I think so as well… But it’s worth it.” The Girls smiled then and it was over. As long as we had them, I think we were going to be ok.

Our ride came and they got a huge surprise. Cor didn’t tell the Glaives Noctis was back. It only got better once we got to lestallum. Within the next week, a huge party was staged in lestallum. The king and Oracle were back. They had survived after all. The joy in the air was amazing and so much different from the dread that used to be there. Once it got out that Ardyn was free from his possession as well, he was easily accepted. It didn’t help when Noct called him uncle once on accident. That really helped. Rebuilds got started shortly after and we all did our parts. It was a lot of fun honestly. Got even better when we were sent out more often than others to take out what demons remained in dark places. It was just me and him out on the road helping the people when we could and taking out what few demons remained. Life was amazing. The nightmares we both had slowly faded away and by the time for Noctis and Luna to be married came, we were back to the most normal we had ever been. They had the wedding here in Lucis at the Citadel steps. It was the biggest party to be held there in a long time. The original dress had survived the attack from leviathan and Luna dazzled everyone in it. Everyone was invited and everyone that could showed up. It was such a happy occasion and marked the end of their journey. The peace of the nations was everywhere and what resistance there was quickly fell under cor’s and Gladio’s strategies. We had even been able to help make up for everything in Accordo and now had an open trade agreement. First Secretary was still in charge which meant we needed an ambassador to help keep the lines open. I was chosen for that. I didn’t understand why until she got up in my face and I didn’t back down or get scared. I just told her the truth. She even said once that she liked my attitude and it was refreshing to see someone wasn’t scared of her. That was probably why she let us have our wedding there in altissia.

We weren’t going to have a huge thing. I didn’t want to be in the spotlight like that and Ardyn was willing to respect that. Only Noctis and Clastura weren’t. After everything we had been through and the fact that Ardyn was still part of the royal line, They covered everything. The dress was from the same people that made my original one and fit me like a glove. I was so scared when the day came. I almost couldn’t breathe as I walked down into the Garden. We wanted to be married under the Roses in the Garden and they were more than willing to let it happen. He was waiting at the other end and suddenly… I wasn’t that scared. He was watching with this stunned look on his face and I just smiled trying to stop myself from running down there to him. Luna was my maid of honor as I had been for her and she was there smiling. I smiled back and soon I was there. He got my hand tightly and I just held it back. We didn’t exchange rings. There was no need. We had the ones we wanted. The Rest went by in a what felt like a blink and I barely remember saying I do. Then the veil was off and he was kissing me. I kissed him back happily as everyone cheered.

We spent most of our time there in the city. I loved altissia and all of it’s sights. He didn’t argue not even when I accidently pushed him into the ocean goofing off. He only pulled me in with him and we went for a late swim apparently. Upon Coming home in our own boat about a month later, a gift from cindy and cid, Noctis was there with keys. He handed them to me and smiled.

“Our wedding gift to you…. We’ve been working on the place for a while… Feel free to add to it…” I gave him a look then.

“Where?”

“The Cape.” I stopped then and he smiled.

“You don’t do well inside city walls… And Ardyn doesn’t either. You two know this and so did we. So… We fixed up the house. It’s more home than base now.” I nodded then and smiled.

“Thanks Noct.” He nodded then and smiled.

“Dock’s still under the Lighthouse. There’s room for both boats. Take care of Dad’s ok?”

“Duh. midnight joyrides!”

“Hey!” I laughed then before giving his cheek a kiss.

“Relax. It’ll be safe with us.” He nodded then and smiled.

“We’ll swing by and visit later ok?”

“Same to you.” He chuckled then.

“If you’re not too busy.” I gasped then and he smiled. It was well known that by now, they were expecting a heir. I just shook my head and got into the captain’s seat. Noctis waved and Ardyn waved back confused. I didn’t explain until we were docking under the lighthouse.

Three months passed easily there. We’ve done a little work around here like painting and changing fixtures around. The kitchen is huge and completely filled with anything we could need. Ignis had left us his normal copies of his cookbooks as a gift. He had braille ones now so he could still use them if they were needed. We had cleaned up the Garden and had a steady business of carrots going to the market in lestallum. Then the lighthouse. We had it rebuilt and extended the deck around the front. I was heading up with two cups of hot cocoa just humming to myself. We loved watching the sunset from up here over Eos. The elevator stopped at the top and I easily walked around. We had a little patio set up here. Ardyn was in his chair reading over one of my letter from Altissia. He looked up when he heard me and I smiled putting down the cup before stealing my letter back.

“Hey. My business.”

“Sorry Love. I was curious… She’s a rather demanding person isn’t she? Wanting us back next week already?”

“Yeah I know. I’ve called and told her no way. When she asked why, I told her about Ignis opening up the restaurant and she understood. Said she might come here instead.” He chuckled then and I curled up in my chair happily. He didn’t dress so formally these days unless we had business. Just some nice black pants with his boots and a loose shirt. I was in jeans with one of his other shirts on and looked out. I sighed gently and he looked over.

“You ok?” I nodded then and smiled.

“Perfect… Absolutely perfect… Just… Thinking back…” He nodded then leaning back getting a drink.

“Been through a lot huh?”

“More coming too.” He nodded then and smiled.

“Going to stay with me? Not scared?” I laughed a bit then.

“Not scared anymore, you know that. I’ll always stand by you Ardyn.”

“Forever?”

“Forever and more.” He smiled then and reached out for my hand. I got his happily as I moved closer. We could get through anything as long as we were together. Even if we did add to our little family. I wasn’t going to tell him I was already thinking of us needing a nursery in the near future.

#writing #sky writes #ardyn izunia #ardyn x oc #ffxv #ffxv fanfiction #HTM

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robininthelabyrinth · 7 years ago

Text

FFXV: Eschaton - 1/4

Fic: Eschaton (ao3 link) - chapter 1/4

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Pairing: None (gen)

Summary: Sure, it's the end of the world, but that just means someone's got to fix it.

And then the world found its somebodies.

(aka, with Noctis gone into the Crystal and no one sure when he'll be back, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto end up saving the world one piece at a time)

A/N: So, the lack of actual change in the World of Ruin segment of FFXV made it feel like it was set three months after Noctis' disappearance, not ten years. So I took all the detail we saw from the supposed "ten year" mark, set it at "three months", and then went through the ten years from that starting point.

...aka I really wanted to write a proper post-apocalyptic fic. So here it is.

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THREE MONTHS

"We don't know how long the darkness will last," Ignis says again, hoping that by repetition he can finally impress the seriousness of the point. "As a result, it is urgent that we gather as much of the harvest now as possible, before it is befouled by daemons and blighted by the lack of sun."

“We can’t give up our hunters!” the man – an important merchant-man of some variety from one of the towns, unaccustomed to not being listened to even now as a refugee – argues.

Ignis feels bad for him, uprooted from his home, forced to take everything he owned and put it in a carriage, fleeing the daemons, fleeing the night, heading to the only place that was still known to have light.

Lestallum.

Lestallum might not have the Titan crouched beneath its meteor any longer, the dread Archaean who once was sleeping and now is dead, but the power plant still works, and their city has light.

Light, the final barrier against the daemons that prowl freely through the forests and the hills.

With the sun gone, what do they have to fear?

Nothing. Only humans have fear, now, fear from the daemons that hunts them for sport, fear from the Astrals that abandoned them, fear from the Starscourge that still sweeps through the countryside and changes men into daemons – a fate worse than death.

Fear of starvation, as the far-sighted look into the future and realize that no new harvests would grow as long as the sun was gone. You could only hide in a Haven for so long, after all, until someone stronger or more desperate came and pushed you out, or until hunger itself drove you forth, and then the daemons would find you.

Hunters do what they can to hold off the daemons, but only light – clear, consistent light – can hold them off for good, long enough to rest and recover.

And the only place with that sort of light is Lestallum.

And so people come from all over, come to the temporary gates that the Lestallum hunters so painstakingly constructed around the city, the gates they watch every day, with endless patrols; the gates that are protected by hunters going out daemon-hunting, meat-hunting, hunting – hunting – hunting –

And, sometimes, doing other things.

"—with the proliferation of daemons attacking –" the man is continuing to argue.

"The decision is final," Ignis says firmly. "The hunters accompanying your caravan will be reassigned from guarding your belongings to ferrying in crops from the nearby fields; the farmers have arranged several shipments, but require assistance in defending the transport from daemon attack."

"Should’ve expected it. Of course Lestallum prefers to rescue its own – always favoring the farmers –"

"I am not a resident of Lestallum," Ignis says, very slowly and glacially calm. "I am a citizen of Insomnia, as it happens, so I can sympathize with your feelings as a city resident. That does not make them appropriate now. Our origins are irrelevant. We are all citizens of the world now, common in our humanity, and we must work together to do what we can to hold back the darkness.”

The man is still grumbling, still unsatisfied, still displeased. Ignis can’t really blame him – those hunters would have represented the only hope of safety he and his family have had for weeks now, and they arrived at a refuge only to have them taken away. Ignis wouldn’t have particularly appreciated it, either.

“You have been assigned to a housing unit. The information will be posted on the posting board in the center of the town within several hours,” Ignis says, moving on to other business. “When you leave this office, you can pick up your daily ration ticket which you will be able to turn in for a meal –”

Ignis had ordered them to go down to two meals a day, a morning and an evening one. The part of Ignis that is still a chef aches at the thought of the meals they are mostly able to provide.

They aren’t great, but they're nutritious enough.

At the very least, it is all free. All food has to be given to the central administrator and set aside for redistribution, with the focus of each daily meal on the food that is on the verge of expiration or, if they are lucky, whatever amount of the meat that was brought in by the hunters that couldn’t be smoked or preserved or frozen. This applies to everyone: Lestallum no longer discriminates by wealth, no matter how many times the rich men who come to their city in search of shelter try to bribe their way to extra food or additional benefits.

They usually try it on Ignis, which is – less than successful.

To say the least.

“Why’s a blind man making these sort of decisions, anyway?” the man challenges Ignis.

Ignis doesn’t even grind his teeth at the slight. This isn’t the first time this has happened, either. He understands that angry, scared, tired people have the urge to lash out and use any weakness they can against someone they perceive to be taking away their food and their protection, even though he doesn’t appreciate it happening to him. It doesn’t matter, in the end.

The only thing that matters now is keeping the order and the peace of the city.

“I speak now not for myself,” Ignis says clearly and calmly. “But as a representative of King Noctis."

That gets the grumpy merchant to shut up, but it starts up whispers from elsewhere in the room, mostly whispers about the King in Exile, as they've taken to calling Noctis.

In exile, because that's easier: easier to think that Noctis is just far away, gathering more resources, physical and technological and magical. Easier to think that Noctis left his people to the guidance of his lieutenants, purposefully installed to govern them in his absence, while he was on his journeys, than to think that they had been abandoned, that all of them had been abandoned, because of a trap no one could predict. Easier to think that Noctis is only unavailable because of the distance, than it is to think of him trapped away in a glowing treacherous rock filled with magic, a rock that took away all their hope at the very moment that they thought they had won.

The King In Exile, they call him, because while no one wants to give up hope, most people don't really believe the story about the Crystal.

Ignis scarcely believes it himself some days, and he'd all but witnessed it.

Not with his own eyes, of course – the blindness from Altissia remains as stubbornly incurable as ever, and Ignis isn't willing to continue to uselessly waste increasingly precious potions on a wound that seems unlikely to heal.

At any rate, it doesn't matter. He’s found his own ways around it.

Ignis feels the pad beneath his hands with its upraised series of bumps and dashes – a language designed for the convenience of the blind, Cor explained in one of his brief visits between daemon hunts; he brought several of the pads, which functioned as translators for the paperwork Ignis had to review, and two typewriters that could conveniently type simultaneously in both common and the physical-language.

Ignis immediately gave one to Cindy and Cid, with the request that they supply Lestallum's central office with as many of duplicates as possible to make with the machine parts they had to spare, and installed the other in his office at once. Honestly, given the utility of communicating by text in the dark, he's thinking of insisting that everyone learn to read the blind-language. Hunters are already picking it up at speed, following Cor’s example; he loudly announced his intention to learn the language alongside Ignis in order to ensure that messages could be passed secretly between hunters when trying to sneak through the darkened towns outside Lestallum, but with the engineers warning that even the power plant would need to go through occasional black-out periods for maintenance and repairs, it isn’t necessarily a bad idea to suggest something like that universally.

No time for that now, though; Ignis has enough to worry about already without adding in concerns about universal education, no matter how useful. His assistants have all learned how to read the language – that's good enough for him.

Between the typewriters and the pads that let him read, albeit in a slow and clunkly fashion, handwritten documents, Ignis feels almost like his old self again.

Almost.

Noct...

The sharp pang of his friend and prince's absence stings as bitterly as the day he disappeared. It's been two months – no, nearly three months, now.

Three months of loss, of grief, of pain.

Of loneliness.

Noctis' absence had shattered not only their hearts, but their unity.

Gladio buries himself in hunter work, barely coming back to Lestallum long enough to shower and pick up a new assignment and supplies. Ignis speaks to him at times when Gladio has something new to report that he’d found in his hunts, but that's not often; the only thing out there are daemons, daemons and more daemons. Ignis doesn’t hold it against him: the sight – or sound, in Ignis’ case – of each other simply causes too much pain.

Prompto acts as a messenger to Hammerhead, flitting to and fro whenever possible, flirting with almost savage desperation with Cindy as if she could ever fill the hole left in his heart. He doesn't even notice that he's unsuccessful, but that isn't the point of it. The point is to forget. Instead of returning his flirtations, Cindy is using the time Prompto spent at Hammerhead to teach him how to fix cars, and possibly also weapons. At least, that’s what Ignis thinks is the case; he’s not sure. Prompto usually only comes to see him when he has a message for Lestallum from Hammerhead, or if he’s planning on heading out and wants to see if Ignis has any messages for Hammerhead.

Ignis himself stays in Lestallum. He intended to continue helping with daemon hunts at first, his vow to stay until the end still thick on his tongue, but Gladio and Prompto didn't want him around, and the town did. They needed him. He helped the town come together to reactivate the power plant and, when that was done, began working with engineers to help set up outpostings of light to try to guard against daemons, and, after that, the gates they built around the city to aid in patrolling. It worked to start with, but as more and more refugees arrive, Ignis is starting to worry about how long they'll be able to keep this up.

At least there were some hunters in this group. Ignis will be able to assign them to assist the farmers, who have come to Ignis with frantic complaints about food starting to rot in the fields. Food that wouldn’t come back, next harvest. The fall is here, and the harvest, and when the spring comes there will be no new growth without the sun.

No new food, if they don’t harvest and carefully ration what's left.

Ignis would say he doesn't know why they came to him with their requests, but he does. He's the closest thing Lestallum has to a government right now – Six, the closest thing they have to any type of authority, what with all the refugees. The Long Night, as people are calling it already, does not discriminate between rich and poor, meek and powerful, healthy and sick.

It kills everyone.

At the start, Lestallum was wracked with chaos. There wasn’t been any order or anything: everyone giving contrary orders, imposing conflicting priorities, confusing everything. Everyone wanted desperately to preserve what mattered most to them, family and property and safety, and no one was giving any thought to the long term, to the needs of the community at large. They were all too scared, and those who were not scared were often merely selfish. The old authorities were ignored, and a new authority was needed: an authority that could decide what they needed to do now and what could wait for later. An authority that could convert the scrambled individuals of Lestallum into a unified force, bent on preserving life.

Ignis stepped in because there was no one else to do it, and he used Noctis' name in vain to accomplish it.

Gladio didn't like that.

Cor accepted it without words, merely placing a hand on Ignis' shoulder in what Ignis liked to interpret as approval.

Prompto – Prompto, Ignis wasn't sure even noticed what Ignis was doing. Prompto was hollowed out by Noctis' disappearance, hit as hard if not harder than the rest, blaming himself –

They all blamed themselves.

Ignis has reviewed the events leading up to it, but it never changes. Their goal had always been to retrieve the Crystal. Whether or not it was in Gralea, whether or not it was at Ardyn Izunia's taunting, it mattered not. They would have obtained the symbols of Noctis' kingship, the Royal Arms; they would have obtained the Ring; and they would have sought out the Crystal.

The logic is straightforward and clear.

The logic doesn't help.

Ignis finishes signing off on the transfer order and holds it up. One of his assistants (he's not sure which one – they keep dropping out to become hunters) takes it and hands it to the hunters, who mumble agreement and thanks before going out.

Ignis only hopes they'll actually follow the directions he's given them. Sometimes they don't. A blind man with no authority but the name of a missing prince...

Well. There's nothing he can do about it now.

He turns back to reviewing the reports on his desk, clearly dismissing the merchants; they walk out grumbling, but at least they walk out.

Ignis is too busy to care.

The reports –

This isn't working.

This. Lestallum. The Long Night. Any of it.

They're taking in too many refugees. The hunters that focus on food can't bring back enough meat. The vegetables are running low, as is the rice, and grain, and –

They have too many people, not enough food, and not enough light – and more people are arriving by the day.

They're going to have to start turning people away.

Ignis shudders at the thought, true as it might be. There's nowhere for people turned away to go to. Hammerhead can only hold so many, and most of the other main cities are too far away to even check in on, much less send people.

No, Ignis can't lie to himself. Anyone they turn away will be left alone, in the dark, for the daemons and the Scourge.

They will die – if they're lucky.

And how to pick who to turn away? the traitorously practical part of Ignis' mind hisses, the horrifying logic already going to its reasonable conclusion. We need hunters, skilled and trained. We need farmers. We need engineers. But who's left? Women and children? Unskilled laborers? Are they to be cast aside to die? Is it first come first serve? What about the sick? The wounded? Who gets chosen to die? And who makes the choice?

Ignis bites his lip. He doesn't want to think that way. He doesn't want to have to make that decision.

But there's no one to do it but him.

He bends back over the reports, searching desperately for a way to divide their food and housing yet again so that they can squeeze in just a few more refugees.

Just a few more...

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Gladio's not expecting to find anything in the shabby sparse room he claimed for himself in Lestallum – it's not like he really has anything of his own there, maybe a few of Prompto's old pictures of sunny days, a few novels he'd been carrying around with him.

He's not expecting to open the door with a grunt and find a family of eight staring at him, wide-eyed and terrified, from where they're all huddled together around the few Cup Noodles that Gladio'd stashed behind the desk.

Their knuckles are white around the cups and there are guilty looks on their faces. They know they shouldn't be eating them. They know they weren't theirs.

Four of the eight are under the age of thirteen, and one more barely over.

"You can keep 'em," Gladio grunts, uncomfortable, and he backs out of the room, closing the door in front of him. That room is fit for a bachelor like him; he has no idea what on Eos Ignis is thinking, renting it out to so many people.

"Your clothing's been moved," a calm voice says from behind him.

Gladio jumps a bit, but turns with a smile. "Marshal," he says. "Shoulda known. You're the only one who can sneak up on me nowadays."

Cor doesn't really smile, but his face softens a bit. He's happy to see Gladio too. "That's for the best," he says. "Given your current choice of profession."

Gladio shrugs. He was born and raised a Shield – and what's a Shield without a King? Nothing, that's what. All those years, focusing all his time, all his skills, everything that he is, all devoted to the singular purpose of defending his King, and he fucked it up within months.

What's left for him now, other than hunting? What else is someone like him, a self-made weapon good for nothing but destroying things, destroying threats, going to do? What else is he possibly useful for, now that there's nothing left but the fight?

Gladio swallows those poisonous thoughts back down. He's not useless, not as long as he has his strong right hand and his swords.

And anyway, he doesn't want to go spilling this poison in Cor's ears, burdening the older man with all of Gladio's fears and worries and grief. Cor – the only one who understands. The only one in the same position.

Both of them weapons needing use, and no one left to use them.

"What're you doing here?" Gladio asks instead. "Would've thought you'd still be out hunting."

Cor goes further and farther than any of them, now. His eyes are shadowed by the same emptiness and grief as Gladio's, but for all that Gladio mastered Gilgamesh's challenge where Cor didn't – and Gladio's increasingly less sure that Cor didn't master the challenge, in his own way; Gilgamesh, the Blademaster, seems to know the best way to temper steel, and Cor even by his own account emerged stronger and more cautious than ever, letting him survive the battles he did, the battles against overwhelming odds that no one could have survived, earning himself the name of the Immortal – Cor has the skills to go alone where others don't dare go.

Gladio missed him, these last few weeks. Barely any time at all.

In the Long Night, a few weeks without word is an eternity. If the unthinkable happened, if Cor fell – if Cor died, they would mourn. If Cor became a daemon, well, they were all fucked. Might as well turn in their swords then and there and go straight for ritual suicide.

But the Immortal still stands.

"I returned," Cor answers vaguely. His brow is furrowed.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Cor says. "Just a hunch."

"Your hunches are as good as Bahamut's prophecies to me," Gladio says with a shrug. He knows it's blasphemous to say, but he doesn't much care anymore. Not like the Astrals would get off their asses and do anything about it. They never do.

Cor's lips twitch in amusement. "I'll show you where your stuff is," he says. "The old corner store has been converted to hunter's barracks."

"Great," Gladio says, images of hunters sleeping on metal racks meant to hold supplies drifting before his eyes. "What's Ignis thinking, putting that many kids into a small room like that?"

"He's thinking that they'd rather be shoved in together in the light with running water than left out in the dark," Cor says, amusement gone. "You haven't seen the tents."

Gladio frowns. "The tents?"

"You'll see it on the way to the barracks."

He does. The old parking lots have been cleared, and in their place, on the hard asphalt, a virtual sea of tents has popped up. Tents of every color, every quality, pitched claustrophobically close together, and in each tent there are people. People still covered in the dust of the road, sleeping or eating or just sitting there, staring into nothingness, the shock of everything that has happened to them setting in.

And outside of the sea of tents, there are lines. Lines to use the showers, lines to get a bowl of stew spooned out by a tired-looking cook in a ragged old apron, lines for everything.

"What the Six," Gladio says. "Where'd they all come from?"

Cor shrugs. "Everywhere," he says, answering Gladio's question even though he knows it was rhetorical. "Not a lot of places still have light enough to keep the daemons back."

Gladio knows that, in his brain, but he's still having a hard time wrapping his skull around it. It's like the entire population of Insomnia tried to all move into Lestallum.

Except it isn't just Insomnia, is it? It's Galdin Quay, it's Hammerhead, it's everywhere. All of Lucis is coming to the light.

All of Lucis is coming here and dumping their problems into Ignis' lap.

"Shit," Gladio says. He feels bad about his uncharitable thoughts from earlier. He almost feels bad for not being here to help, but it's not like he can do anything to help. He's no administrative wiz like Ignis is. He just hits things.

Once, he thought his greatest fear was not having the strength to be the Shield Noctis deserved.

How naïve he was. There's so much else to fear, here in the Long Night.

They just have to hold out until Noctis comes back, though. Noctis will come back – he has to come back.

Gladio doesn't know what they'll do if he doesn't come back.

They waited next to the Crystal that first day, shivering. Then, when nothing happened, they took it back with them, guarding it closely with their lives, but nothing happened after the first week, either.

They split apart after that, unable to look at each other, unable to do anything more than bury themselves in different types of work – Ignis throwing himself into the power plant, Gladio with his hunts, Prompto going to learn car maintenance from a patient and pitying Cindy.

They all came together at the end of the first month, standing there, hoping – praying –

But there was nothing.

"Vector points," Gladio said dully at the time. "This is the Astral's design: it works like a fairy tale. One day, one week, one month – one year. Next time he might come out is one year."

"Three months," Ignis replied, his mouth tight. "It might be three months. Or six. The Astrals have always appreciated the number six."

"Or the number thirteen," Prompto snapped bitterly. "Thirteen royal arms, right? It could be three months, six months, a year – and what about after that? Three years? Six years? Ten years? Forever?! How long do we have to wait before we just give up?"

"We can't lose faith," Ignis said.

"We've lost Noctis," Prompto raged, his eyes overflowing with tears. "What else is there to lose?"

No one answered his question. There was nothing to say.

The three month mark –

It's soon.

Tonight.

It's why Gladio's back.

Maybe that's what Cor felt, with his hunch. But no, he was concerned, not pleased.

Besides, the Astrals favor the numbers one, six, and ten. Three is half of six, but it isn't a special number.

Doesn't stop them from having hope.

Gladio follows Cor to the hunter's barracks, split roughly down the middle for men and women – hunters don't much care about gender, or in fact about propriety, but it seems reasonable enough a split – and Gladio gets his shower and change of clothing, which is all he really wanted. His novels are still there.

Iris is there, too. She insisted on becoming a daemon hunter herself. Gladio fought it at first, but he was just so tired after losing Noctis that he couldn't sustain it, so he instead made her promise to start with coeruls and sabertusks instead of going straight to daemons.

Looks like she kept her promise. She has a dozen yellow stripes down the arm of her leather jacket – achievements marking a dozen successful meat hunts – and only a single red stripe, for a dozen daemons downed.

She waves, but doesn't come close.

Still sore about that fight they had last time, Gladio guesses. He doesn't even really remember what he said, just that he knew it was below the belt when he said it, and that Iris needed time away from him after that. They said their 'I love you's by rote at the end of the encounter – they never parted without it, nowadays - but she was still stewing.

Just another thing Gladio managed to destroy.

Great.

Cor leaves off to go patrol after that, leaving Gladio nothing for it but to go to the administrative center to see Ignis, who'll know where the Crystal has been hidden this week. They agreed it should be moved around after the first few attempts to steal it.

Prompto is already lurking at the steps.

He's trying to grow a goatee. It doesn't suit him.

"I'm good at hunting daemons," Gladio announces in lieu of a greeting.

Prompto blinks owlishly at him. "Um," he says. "Yeah, you are..?"

The ending is less a question and more a request that Gladio explain what exactly he's on about.

"I could take care of the one you've got clinging to your chin for you," Gladio clarifies. "No problem. Won't even charge you."

"My chin –" Prompto raises a hand, then realizes. "Hey! Gimme a break, I’m still growing it!"

But he's smiling, just the littlest bit; Gladio can see that the smile is coming despite Prompto's best efforts, but it's there. A little lightness, amid all this darkness.

Prompto smiled the most out of all of them, before.

"Just saying," Gladio says gruffly. He shakes his head. "How's Cindy?"

He doesn't ask how Prompto's doing. He knows the answer – he feels gutted and empty and numb. Just like Gladio does.

"She's tough as nails," Prompto says, his voice fond. Gladio doesn't comment on how that fondness sounds more like the way he talks about Iris than it does the way it sounded a few months back, when he was still dorkily crushing on her. "Nothing gets her down."

"Not even having to wear long pants to keep back the chill?" Gladio teases.

"Hah! You think a little bit of chill is going to stop Cindy?"

"Goosebumps aren't attractive."

"Cindy makes everything attractive," Prompto says firmly. His best attribute has always been his loyalty.

Loyalty –

Like his loyalty to Noctis.

Oh, Noct.

As if his ghost were summoned by the thought, Gladio and Prompto move apart from each other, unable to look at each other.

"Three months, huh," Prompto says, trying and failing to keep his voice light.

"Probably no chance of it," Gladio warns.

"Still worth a shot," Prompto says with a shrug. "Don't want him coming out of it alone."

Ignis appears at the door then. He has his cane, and he's found a visor to protect his still-useless eyes. "Gladio," he says. "Prompto."

"Ignis," Gladio says, his voice rough. Ignis is too thin, the work and the loneliness taking its toll on him. He was their chef and their snappiest dresser; now his fancy clothing hangs loose on him and the tightness of his cheeks suggests that he hasn't been eating right.

Gladio knows that he should stay here in Lestallum, offering his strong right arm and his eyes and his company to help ease Ignis' burden as Ignis does the work that should have fallen by birthright to Noctis. But he can't. He's just a Shield without a King. He can't help.

"Let us go," Ignis says.

The Crystal is in a sub-basement of the building. It was in a cave, last time.

They wait.

There are a few stilted attempts at conversation that quickly die – what do they have to talk about? Ignis knows everything about Gladio's recent hunt from the report Gladio turned in at the gate when he arrived, and the sea of tents says everything about Ignis' activities, and Prompto's attempts to fix cars in Hammerhead are the same as they've always been – and they wait in silence.

It's midnight (or at least the hour that used to mark midnight, before it was all night) before Ignis stirs with a sigh and rises with a creak to his back. He's too young for his bones to be groaning like that.

He states what's obvious to all of them, but which none of them wanted to say.

"He's not coming back today."

"He might," Prompto says stubbornly, his eyes fixed on the Crystal.

"He won't," Gladio says, bitter despair coloring his voice. "He's left us here, alone. He's not coming back."

He doesn't add the 'today' that Ignis does.

Prompto's cheeks flush red. "You always were the first one to give up on him."

Gladio's hands curl into fists. Gladio's never given up on Noctis, not once, not ever; he was angry at him, but it was always for Noctis' own good, to help push him forward. Gladio gave everything to Noctis, everything he had, from the second he was born, from before Noctis had even been conceived; he'd always known his duty, and knowing Noctis himself had turned that duty into a pleasure. Prompto has no idea what he's talking about, with his cars and his girl and his machine repairs, the insipid little –

"That was uncalled for, Prompto," Ignis says, his voice chilly. "Your pain is no greater than our own, and you know it."

Prompto ducks his head, ashamed, conceding the point.

"It doesn't change the facts," Ignis says. "Tonight isn't the night. We should go."

"You go, then," Prompto says. "I want to –"

They never find out what Prompto wanted, though, because the door opens and it's Cor.

"There's a disturbance outside the gate," he says. "You should come see this."

"Daemons?" Gladio asks, his fingers already flexing for the grip of his sword.

"No," Cor says, and his eyes are dark. "Magitek soldiers."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I thought they were all disabled," Prompto says, gnawing at his lower lip. "The MTs, I mean."

He still doesn't like talking about them, about the MTs, about –

Well. It's not like they don't all know about him now, about his past, about where he's from, about what he was meant for. That moment of acceptance, from all of them, from Noct, is still one of the most precious memories he has, one that he pulls out in the darkest moments of the night and replays time and time again. He's not letting that memory fade, not ever.

"We thought so, too. Guess we were wrong," Cor says, his face lined with concern as he looks out of their ring of light to the troop of MT troopers standing a reasonable distance away. Far enough away that a sword strike would be difficult, and, in the dark, a gun shot would have only limited accuracy. Prompto could probably get one – he really is that good, and he knows it – but that wouldn't help against the whole troop.

Noct could've warped the distance, no problem.

But Noct's not here. He's not coming back today.

He's not coming back –

No. He is. He has to.

But right now, they have a different problem, and the problem is the rows of dark silhouettes with glowing red eyes, standing at attention in the dark. They don't move forward, but they're clearly watching the camp.

"What do they want?" Prompto asks. He's taking a leap here, assuming that MTs actually want something, but they're here, and they weren't here before, and that has to mean something, right? Most likely it just means that someone is commanding them, but that person has to want something.

"Excellent question," Ignis says. He can't see them, of course, but they've described the scene to him.

Well, sort of.

Cor gave a brief report, numbers and approximate placement, as well as a quick overview of the terrain and the fighting advantages and disadvantages (positive: lots of hunters; negative: lots of civilians).

Prompto described the atmosphere – the words 'creepy' and 'spooky red eyes' and 'like statutes but homicidal' came up.

Gladio rolled his eyes at both of them and described it in a way that actually explained what they were seeing (dark silhouettes, glowing red eyes, surrounding some sort of box, one standing somewhat ahead of the rest).

He's always been best at it.

"We should just attack already," Gladio grumbles, but it's clear he doesn't mean it. "The longer we wait, the closer they'll get; the more civilians might get hurt."

"They're not doing anything," Ignis points out, sounding thoughtful.

"They're MTs," Gladio says flatly. "Robots."

Prompto doesn't feel the usual sting he does when MTs get discussed in harsh terms; it helps that Gladio knows, and still stays the same tactless ass he’s always been. It shows that he doesn't think about Prompto that way, not even in the back of his mind.

"They came here," Cor says. "That means they want something, or, rather, someone with access to them wants something. We need to figure out what that something is."

"We should approach them," Ignis says abruptly.

Everyone looks at him.

"We have no other means of obtaining information. Cor, call for some of the hunters and set them up on the perimeter to cover us, and to keep watch and make sure this isn't some sort of distraction –"

"Already done," Cor says.

"And we'll go ourselves," Ignis continues. His face is set. "Between the four of us, we can defeat a group this small. Even if there's a greater ambush out there, we have enough power together to keep it back to cover our retreat. We should be able to question them without difficulty."

Nods all around.

"I am the local authority," Ignis adds, forestalling the objections to his presence that no one actually raised. "I need to approve any agreement, or even the opening of negotiations on behalf of Lestallum."

"We'll protect you," Gladio says. Cor murmurs an agreement.

Ignis relaxes infinitesimally; his fears of being left behind are as strong as ever. Prompto can sympathize.

After all, Prompto –

Well, they don't really need Prompto, do they?

"I'll hang up a pan on the gate," Cor says. "Prompto shooting it down will be the signal that the gate should be closed and not opened to anyone, even us."

Everyone looks at Cor.

"In the event they have a biological weapon," he clarifies. “And we don’t want to come back.”

Get turned into daemons, he means.

"Prompto's always been the best shot," Gladio agrees. "And we'd need something that precise to convince them here."

"Then we're agreed; we all go," Ignis says.

Prompto's throat is tight. He doesn't want to deal with MTs, not really, but the feeling of being needed, of being part of the team again, of being useful –

He wouldn't give that up for anything.

"You can count on me," he says.

They make the last few arrangements and they head out into the dark.

The MTs watch them approach.

As they (and their lights) get closer, more details become clear. It's a group of riflemen, tall and dangerous but not as giant as the axemen, and standing some few steps out in front of their perfect formation is a single MT, his armor slightly more fancy than the others. A unit commander, maybe; Prompto doesn't remember seeing that distinction, but it's a reasonable one. At some point, the Empire had more MT squads than captains to lead them, and an MT commander made sense. Robots (not-quite-robots, Prompto's mind reminds him, as you know best of all) commanding robots.

Why are they here?

They don’t move for a long while, just watching the group approach, their red eyes glowing above those fixed, metal smiles.

It’s only when they’re standing less than fifteen feet away that the commander moves with that jerky, inhuman motion characteristic of a puppet with badly pulled strings, or an MT out of battle. Same thing, really.

He (it?) raises a hand, and the MTs who were standing around what is now recognizably a large box all stir to life.

Cor, Gladio, and Prompto all tense for an attack, Ignis tensing when he feels them all brace themselves, but nothing happens.

Instead, the MTs just peel apart, perfect formation reforming several steps behind the box, the commander still out in front.

Gladio’s voice is a quiet murmur, letting Ignis know what happened.

Prompto glances at Cor, whose face is calm and serious as ever.

The MT commander gestures at the box, his metal palm open and welcoming, and then returns his hand to his side and stills again.

“He wants us to see what’s inside the box,” Prompto surmises.

“I don’t see anyone else,” Cor says, scanning the horizon, his hand still on the hilt of his blade

Prompto gulps. That means – could the MTs be doing this themselves? After all, they were human, once. But they were reduced to mindless, obedient robots…

Well.

They’re not going to find out anything just standing here.

“I’m going to open the box,” Prompto says, and holds his hands up before Gladio or Cor can volunteer to go in his stead.

He knows he’s the least useful one here. Gladio and Cor destroy daemons; Ignis runs Lestallum; and what does Prompto do? Run messages back and forth between Lestallum and Hammerhead, like a child, and sometimes fix cars?

No, he’s the right one for the job.

He moves forward slowly, carefully, knowing Gladio and Cor are at his back, watching him, ready to leap in at a moment’s notice, knowing that Ignis has his sharp ears and sharper mind bent on the situation, ready to call out instructions.

But nothing happens.

He gets to the box.

The MT commander is standing only a few steps away, but he’s as still as a statute.

Prompto looks down at the large box – big enough that it would take four men to carry it, easy.

Only one way to see what’s inside.

He opens the box, and then freezes, staring inside.

“What is it?” Ignis asks, breaking the quiet.

“It’s – it’s a – it’s a generator,” Prompto exclaims, rocking back on his heels. “Guys, it’s a generator!”

Generators are worth more than gold, more than diamonds, more than hunters – they mean more light, and more light means more space that can be protected from daemons, and that means more people, more safety. This one is disconnected, too, and it isn’t reliant on the power plant for power, and that means it could maybe be sent to Hammerhead, to help them maintain their boundaries – it means they could hold out longer –

This is great.

“What do they want for it?” Ignis asks, and Prompto stops, abashed.

The MTs didn’t just bring this as a gift, of course. That isn’t exactly characteristic of them.

They’ve correctly identified the thing Lestallum wants most, and they brought it here, in the dark.

Prompto looks at the commander. “What do you want for it?” he asks, unable to keep from addressing the MT directly. He knows it’s probably just a person using a transmitter or something – not sure why they’d send the MTs in that case – but he was very nearly one of these creatures, and maybe, a long time ago, they looked like him, or like someone else.

The commander stays standing still for a few more moments, almost considering, and then he very slowly reaches for his sword.

“Prompto, be careful,” Gladio calls, his voice tense.

“No,” Prompto says, watching the painfully slow process by which the MT commander draws the sword. “I think it’s okay.”

Sure enough, once the sword is fully drawn, the MT commander puts it on the ground, hilt facing towards Prompto.

Prompto’s not sure what that’s supposed to mean.

“It’s an offer of truce,” Cor says. “They want to negotiate.”

Oh. Okay. That makes sense.

“We can negotiate,” Ignis says. “Not here, though. We need light.”

“We can’t let them into Lestallum!” Gladio protests.

“Not all of them, and we’ll be in front of the gate,” Ignis says patiently. “In front of dozens of hunters. It’ll be fine. Negotiations take time; we need a place to sit while we do it.”

The MT commander nods creakily and raises his hand again.

Four MT troopers step forward and come to the box, lifting the heavy weight easily.

“They can carry the generator forward,” Ignis says a moment later, after Gladio has narrated their actions. “But then they return here. The negotiation will be between you and me.”

The MT commander shakes his head.

“No? What do you want, then?”

The MT commander raises a hand and points, first at Ignis and then –

At Prompto.

“Me?” Prompto asks, surprised.

“You want Prompto involved in the negotiations?” Ignis asks.

The MT commander nods.

“Why?” Prompto asks, entirely befuddled. He’s no negotiator!

“It doesn’t matter why,” Cor says. “You’ll agree to come alone to negotiate with Ignis and Prompto?”

The MT commander nods.

“Let’s get this moving, then,” Gladio says. He sounds worried.

Prompto can’t blame him.

They come back slowly towards the gate, the four of them, the four MTs and the MT commander.

The MTs put the generator – the top open and the contents clearly visible – down next to the gate and retreat.

There’s lots of excited whispering from the giant crowd of people who have gathered – Prompto sees Monica, Talcott, and Vyv among them. Another generator could mean opening another field for people to live in – more space to live, more space to breathe.

The MTs retreat, marching in perfect two-by-two order, leaving the MT commander alone before the gate. Not entirely alone, of course; Prompto can see well enough in the dark that he knows that the MTs back at the meeting point have drawn their rifles, though they’re still pointing them down at the ground to signify their lack of threat.

It’s clearly a defensive gesture, meant to show that they will act if they need to.

Whoever is running these MTs is very smart.

Six, Prompto hopes it’s not some leftover remnant of Verstael Besithia.

You killed him, Prompto reminds himself. He’s gone.

He hopes.

The MT commander is looking at the crowd and then, suddenly, moves forward, heading towards the crowd.

“What are you doing?” Gladio growls, his sword half-drawn. He’s not the only one; half the hunters in the crowd have drawn weapons. “Get away from there!”

The MT commander stops in front of some of the crowd. It reaches out a hand towards – Talcott?

Talcott stares up at him. He’s clutching his little two-way radio, which he uses to call Cindy and some of the truckers on the road; he likes to talk to them as they go down the empty roads, keeping them company in his own small way.

The MT commander’s hand remands extended. He does not move.

“Do you want my radio?” Talcott asks shyly.

The MT commander nods.

“Um. Okay?” Talcott says, and offers it.

The MT commander takes the radio and turns back to where some of Ignis’ assistants have brought out a table and three chairs, as well as notepads and typewriters to keep a record of the negotiations.

Ignis sits in his seat, with Gladio standing close by his side to act as narrator and not-so-secret bodyguard, but the MT commander doesn’t seem to object. Ignis gestures for Prompto to sit at the other chair.

Prompto gulps. “You sure this is a good idea?” he hisses to Ignis.

“They want you in the negotiation,” Ignis points out. “It’s an easy concession on our part.”

“But why?” Prompto asks. “Do you think it’s because I…?”

“I don’t know how they’d know,” Ignis says gently. “We can ask once we’ve gotten started.”

The MT commander is doing something to the radio while walking slowly and stiffly back towards the table, fingers moving quickly over the machinery as he takes pieces apart and puts other pieces back together, changing the configuration of wires and gears inside.

Prompto makes a mental note to ask Cindy for a spare radio for Talcott. He has a feeling that what Talcott gets back isn’t going to resemble what he gave away.

Suddenly, a horrible mechanical screeching comes out of the radio.

Everyone flinches, but the sound moderates itself quickly, resolving into crackling static which, in turn, dies down a soft hum. The MT commander is holding the radio in both hands now.

“Did you get what you wanted from the radio?” Prompto asks, curious.

The radio crackles with static again for a second and then, almost unbelievably, a voice comes out.

“Affirmative,” it says.

For a second there, Prompto thinks it’s one of Talcott’s trucker friends with a terrible sense of timing, but Ignis straightening up in surprise next to him leads him to put two and two together.

It’s not a trucker.

It’s the MT commander.

The MT commander is speaking.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Growing up, Ignis was part of a number of high-level, high-risk negotiations – first as an observer and then, later, as a participant.

This is by far the strangest.

He didn’t even know MTs possessed the ability to speak.

Though, to be fair, it doesn’t look like they do – after all, the MT commander is using the radio to speak through.

That’s a horrifying thought – that they have the capability of speech, but not the ability; the brains but not the mouths.

“You can sit, you know,” he hears Prompto say, followed by a few moments of pause and then, very slowly, the sound of metal contorting as the MT commander gingerly lowers himself down to the chair.

Ignis folds his hands in front of him. He wants to take a deep breath to steady himself, but he won’t; that would be revealing weakness, and he’s not going to do that.

This is no different than any other negotiation, he reminds himself. You need to figure out what the other side wants, what they can get you, and how to come to a compromise between the two without exposing your side to betrayal.

That last part is a new addition, added following Insomnia’s fall.

“The people of Lucis –” Ignis is going to go with Lucis, rather than Lestallum as he typically does, both because it sounds better and because he might as well be representing them as anyone else. “– thank you for the generator.”

The MT commander crackles static for a moment. “Offer to open negotiations,” it finally says. “Negotiations can now proceed.”

It takes a second to puzzle through that, but it makes sense: the generator was used to entice them to open the current negotiations, which they would never have entered into without the offer of the generator, but the MT commander seems to think that that was its sole use and there is no further need to discuss it.

Cutting straight to the chase, as it were.

Not quite what Ignis is used to in negotiations, but he can adapt.

He’s good at adapting.

“Of course,” he says smoothly. “You wanted negotiations; you have them. What can we do for you?”

The MT commander makes that creaking sound that Ignis has figured out is a nod. “We have offer. We have desire. We will reach agreement.”

A fairly mechanical description of negotiating, yes, but not too different than what Ignis had just thought. Good to know they are on the same page – albeit a slow page determined to go through each step of the negotiating process. Negotiation by machine…

“Who are you working on behalf of?” Gladio asks, even though he’s supposed to just be there as narrator. Ignis kicks him under the table.

“Unclear query. Please resubmit.”

“Um, what he means,” Prompto says, sounding uncertain, “is – are you answering to anyone? Who’s running the MTs now?”

The MT commander is silent for a long moment.

Finally, it speaks. “Superior orders have ceased,” it says.

“What does that mean?” Ignis asks, though he’s starting to have a distinct suspicion.

“Superior orders have ceased,” the MT commander repeats.

“You’re on your own,” Prompto breathes. “You don’t have orders – you’re doing this yourself!”

Another long pause and then, reluctantly, the MT commander answers, “Affirmative.”

Ignis tries very hard not to think of all the MTs he has killed over the years, thinking of them as nothing more than empty robots. They were the enemy, and they were attacking; it was nothing more than self-defense.

MTs thinking for themselves.

They really have reached the end of the world.

“So you represent the MTs?” Ignis asks, instead of focusing on that.

“Affirmative.”

“And the MTs wanted – to negotiate with us?” Ignis can’t help but ask.

“Affirmative.”

“Very well,” Ignis says, struggling to regain his footing a bit. “Do you accept myself and Prompto as adequate representatives to negotiate with?”

“Affirmative.”

“What do you want, then?” Ignis asks. “What do the MTs want?”

“Repairs,” the MT commander says.

“I thought MTs were self-repairing,” Prompto says.

“Affirmative.”

“Then why do you need repairs?”

“Finished units require location to complete self-repairs. Unfinished units require additional repair,” the MT commander says.

“And you want our help to repair them?” Prompto asks, sounding dubious.

“Affirmative.”

“I see,” Ignis says. “And what would you be offering in exchange for our provision of these repairs?”

“Assistance,” the MT commander says promptly. “Scouting and transportation through regions without light. Assistance in removal of obstacles.”

“Obstacles?”

“Physical or biological.”

“You mean daemons,” Prompto says.

“Biological obstacles,” the MT commander agrees.

“We already have hunters,” Ignis points out.

“Limited in number,” the MT commander points out in return. “MT units are more efficient.”

“I’d argue that,” Gladio mutters.

The MT commander crackles static for a few seconds. “Contrary to hunter units, MT units operate at peak efficiency in darkness,” it finally says. “MT units do not face biological obstacles, which will enable swifter activity.”

“Daemons don’t bother you,” Prompto interprets, which is good, because Ignis was starting to get confused. “Why not?”

“MT units are not recognized by biological obstacles as a source of sustenance or opposition.”

“They recognize you as fellow daemons,” Ignis says, feeling nauseous. “And they don’t bother you. So you can go quicker – that’s what you mean?”

“Affirmative.”

Ignis is negotiating with daemons. Oh, they may have been human once upon a time, as Prompto’s story made clear, but they were so infected – deliberately infected – by the Starscourge that they transitioned into daemonic machines. Machines designed to be obedient and mindless, but here they are anyway, negotiating on their own behalf.

Ignis doesn’t know what to do with that.

“MT units can provide additional support in protection of light-given areas,” the MT commander says again. It must be concerned that it’s losing their interest. “Additionally, MT units have located additional generators.”

That gets Ignis’ attention. “How many more?”

“Greater than four,” the MT commander says, clearly opting for its own version of vague.

“Four,” Prompto whispers. “Four – Ignis, you know what we could do with four more?!”

“Where did you find the generators?” Ignis asks.

“Cities,” the MT commander says. “Forts.”

“Were there people left in the cities?” Ignis asks.

The MT commander crackles in static. “Affirmative,” it says, though it sounds confused as to why Ignis would care. “Hiding inside.”

The MTs had made it into the cities.

Ignis clenches his fists under the table, a small nervous twitch he’s picked up ever since he stopped being able to close or roll his eyes.

No one, not even Cor, has managed to make it into the larger, further cities. There are too many daemons encircling them, tearing at the bodies of dead humans; no one dares to make it through.

This is the first confirmation they have that there are refugees left in the cities proper.

“Were the people left in the cities infected by the Starscourge?” he asks.

The MT commander crackles again, in what Ignis is starting to recognize as a thinking sound – much like a human might hum thoughtfully. This time it goes on for some time.

It occurs to Ignis that he’s posed a difficult question for a machine (I don’t know if it’s a machine) to answer, as some of the people were undoubtedly infected and others were not.

But just as Ignis opens his mouth to clarify, the MT commander speaks first.

“No extensive survey was conducted,” it says. “But of humans identified during initial walkthrough, estimated that 80% living humans are currently free from pathogen infection.”

Eighty percent!

Eighty percent of the living, mind you, which could mean 8 people out of 10 total, but it could also mean 80. It could also mean 800. It could mean –

So many people.

We don’t have space for them.

But if they had additional generators – if they were able to properly cannibalize the machine parts from the cities – if they had a few dozen MTs to help bring in the harvest in the dark of the night, untroubled by daemons, they could feed so many more people.

They could rescue so many more people.

“Do you represent the small squad you arrived with?” Ignis asks abruptly. There are only dozen of them. “Or are there more?”

The MT commander is silent for a while. “There are more.”

“And in return for your services as protectors and transportation and scouting on our behalf, all you want is a place to conduct your repairs, and assistance in repairing unfinished units?”

The MT commander hesitates. “Additional desire,” it says.

“What?”

“Orders.”

Ignis blinks. That was not what he expected from an additional request.

“MTs are made for service,” the MT commander explains.

“Wait,” Prompto says. “Are you saying you guys are bored?”

“Negative,” the MT commander says. “MTs do not get ‘bored’.”

“But you want something to do? Someone to give you orders?”

“Affirmative.”

“And you came here?” Gladio asks, clearly skeptical. “There are plenty of other places you could have gone – some of which still have soldiers from the Empire, no less. There were fortresses, scientific laboratories, administrative outposts – Six, even if you weren’t looking for military, you could’ve gone anywhere in Niflheim and found someone who would give you orders. And you came to Lestallum?”

“Affirmative.”

“Why?” Ignis asks.

The MT commander is silent.

“I’m afraid we will need to know why,” Ignis says. “It’s non-negotiable. We must be assured of your good faith, and for that, we need to know your motives.”

The MT commander’s neck creaks.

“Um,” Prompto says. “Why are you looking at me?”

Ignis’ eyebrows go up. They had demanded that Prompto be part of the negotiations…

“Why are you interested in Prompto?” he asks. “What does he have to do with your decision to offer Lestallum your services?”

The MT commander hesitates, static crackling.

Ignis hears Prompto swallow. “Is it because of this?” he asks, and Ignis can’t see what he does, but he can hear a hand be placed on the table. Palm up, if he had to guess; Prompto, one of the bravest souls Ignis has ever met, offering up his barcode for the MT commander to see. “Is this why?”

A moment of quiet, and then – “Affirmative.”

“Why?” Prompto asks. “You know I’m not – I am not an MT. I’m not. I was stolen as a baby, and raised in Lucis.”

“Unit NH-00O6-O204-1987 was never finished,” the MT commander agrees. “MT units have observed over time that Lestallum Base has reacted positively to the present of Unit NH-00O6-O204-1987.”

“Reacted positively – you came here because we’re nice to Prompto?” Gladio exclaims, getting the answer before either Prompto or Ignis do.

“Affirmative. No contingent of Niflheim has demonstrated similar tolerance. Unit NH-00O6-O204-1987 has been given repeated missions selected to his preferences and has been repaired regularly when damaged.”

“Don’t call me that,” Prompto says automatically. “My name is Prompto, not Unit…whatever. Also, are you referring to the fact that they heal me when I get hurt? That’s – that’s not getting damaged. I’m a person, not a machine.”

“Unit NH-00O6-O204-1987 was never finished,” the MT commander says again, clearly agreeing.

A terrible realization strikes Ignis.

“Wait,” Prompto says, and Ignis can hear that same realization in his voice. “You said – you said earlier, that you needed assistance repairing unfinished units. Are the unfinished units – are they like me? They’re people, not machines?”

“Negative,” the MT commander says. “Unfinished units are unfinished. Unit NH-00O6-O204-1987 was never finished. Unit NH-00O6-O204-1987 underwent a different process of development, resulting in person designated as ‘Prompto’.”

Ignis doesn’t care if it’s a gesture of weakness. He presses the back of his hand to his lips until it’s white from the pressure, as if that will keep the bile crawling up the back of his throat back.

“Children,” Prompto says blankly. “You mean you have children. Children that were supposed to grow up into MTs.”

“Affirmative,” the MT commander says, its mechanical radio-voice as emotionless as always. “Unfinished units require non-MT units to provide repairs, or they begin to become dysfunctional.”

“Do you even feed them?” Gladio demands, horror seeping through his words. “Do you even know that you need to touch them? Have the babies started dying?”

“Touching is necessary?” the MT commander asks, sounding surprised.

“Oh, Six. You have to bring them here, right away,” Gladio says. “Babies die if no one holds them.”

“Non-MT units can provide necessary repairs,” the MT commander says. It almost sounds relieved.

“You bet we can,” Gladio says. “We can do our best, anyway.”

“Negotiations are agreed?” the MT commander asks.

“Ignis?”

“No,” Ignis says, putting his hand down.

“Ignis!” both Gladio and Prompto exclaim.

“I’m not saying we’re not agreeing,” Ignis says sternly. “I just want to work out some additional terms with – I’m terribly sorry, I just realized I never asked. What should I address you as?”

The MT commander seems equally taken aback by the question.

“Designation Commander Unit NH-00TX-U514-1553,” it offers after a moment.

“That’s a bit of a mouthful,” Prompto says. “How about just, uh, ‘U5’ for now?”

“Acceptable,” U5 says warily.

“Okay, then,” Prompto says. “Ignis, what are the remaining terms you want to work out?”

“The children,” Ignis says. The concern had occurred to him while they were talking. “What happens after we, uh, ‘repair’ them? Are they going to become MTs?”

“Affirmative.”

“Uh, no,” Prompto says. “Not okay.”

“Query – why not?”

“What if they don’t want to be MTs?” Prompto asks. “What if they want to be more like me?”

“They are MTs,” U5 says.

“You’re making decisions for yourself now,” Prompto says savagely. “Why not give them the same chance?”

Ignis doesn’t interrupt. It’s not his place.

U5 is silent for a moment.

“Acceptable,” it finally says. “Unfinished units will be advanced to the finalization stage, but prior to finishing, will be permitted to select preferred development path of MT unit or Prompto unit.”

“Prompto unit?” Prompto squawks.

“That sounds fine to me,” Ignis intervenes. “When the children are old enough, they decide for themselves. We’re agreed. Dustin, do you have a final version of the terms?”

“Yes, sir,” Dustin, who had been taking notes, says. “The MTs will get us generators and provide help with necessary services, including but not limited to transportation through the dark, fighting daemons, and scouting and retrieval from cities. In return, we provide them with a place to, uh, repair themselves, and we help them raise their children, which will get an option as to whether they turn into MTs or not. And we give them orders.”

“Does that sound acceptable?” Ignis asks U5.

“Acceptable with one revision,” U5 says. “Orders will be delivered through Prompto unit.”

“Wait, what?” Prompto yelps.

“Prompto unit will promote the interests of the MTs,” U5 says firmly. “Prompto unit will ensure that MT units are repaired and not discarded. Correct?”

Prompto says nothing.

Ignis suspects he’s probably gaping.

“Prompto, are you comfortable taking a leadership role in relation to the MTs?” Ignis asks. “I understand that it might remind you of things you don’t want to think of, but they seem to trust you more than anyone else here. Can you do it?”

“Yeah,” Prompto says faintly. “I mean…yeah, I guess.”

“Then we have an agreement,” U5 says.

“Good,” Ignis says. “First things first – what do you know about harvesting vegetables? And how many generators does ‘more than four’ mean, exactly?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gladio did not expect to end today by attempting to explain how Cup Noodles work to a bunch of MTs.

They seem bizarrely intrigued by it, if by intrigued you mean ‘red eyes creepily watching Gladio bring noodles from cup to mouth in repetitive motions’, and Gladio has to start explaining or else he would have to punch someone just to make the awkwardness stop.

And that’s not nice to do to allies.

He’s in the back of the truck the MTs used to get close to Lestallum, while Prompto rides in the front with the MT commander – U5, Gladio reminds himself, we’re calling him U5 – and Cor, who insisted on coming along to scout out the size of the MT group.

This left no seats in the front, which meant Gladio got to sit in the back with the MTs.

Who are watching him eat.

Original best case scenario for today: Noct comes back, Gladio thinks wryly. Updated best case scenario: MTs turn out not to have accidentally let the babies die.

Gladio really hopes the MTs don't actually have babies in their care. He doesn't have much experience with babies, just hanging around a lot when Iris was small, but the thought of Iris when she was small and wrinkled and red and helpless, trapped in some sort of test tube...

That would be intolerable.

The MTs are definitely still watching him eat.

They're not moving their heads or anything as obvious as that, but he can feel himself being watched. By the Six, he still has that secondary alarm ringing in his head, the one that warns him of nearby MTs because MTs mean danger, the alarm that saved their lives (Noct's life) a hundred times over.

Except now, they're allies, and that means Gladio has to be nice to them.

“You should definitely pick these up when you’re in cities,” Gladio tells the MTs encouragingly, and really only mildly sarcastic. “They have different flavor varieties.”

“Gladio, stop recruiting MTs to satisfy your Cup Noodle habit,” Prompto calls from the front of the truck, his voice somewhat muffled. “I’m the one who gives them orders, remember?”

“I’m just saying, if they happen to see a few packs –”

“Generators first!”

“Fine, fine,” Gladio says, but he’s smiling, just a little bit.

He’s smiling. At MTs.

What the fuck is he doing.

The smile goes away.

Prompto goes back to talking with U5 in the front seat about generators.

Apparently, U5's little "more than four" wasn't deliberately vague so much as his best attempt at an answer he didn't know. Several MT squads apparently reacted to the total stop of orders from the top by joining up together to try to figure out what to do – a most un-MT-like behavior, born of desperation – and decided to take several actions at once: U5 to go negotiate with Lestallum for repairs and orders with one of the four generators in their possession, and several other squads to go out to obtain more generators in the event that the negotiations were successful.

U5 assumed that said other squads were successful, but could not, without reporting to his base, confirm how many generators were obtained.

Thus the current trip.

Prompto's asking about the attrition rate of the squads sent out on mission, because he's trying to deal with his newfound role as 'leader of the allied MT units' with responsibility.

He's a better man than Gladio, if he can learn to care about the wellbeing of a bunch of MT troopers – especially given his own traumatic experience with them.

Well, Gladio's always known in his heart of hearts that Prompto's better than he is.

Not a better fighter, of course – Gladio's trained his whole life, where Prompto started in his early teens. But that's just it – he came and he did the same thing Gladio did, try to protect Noct with his life, and he did it without any family duty, without any outside impetus, without training, with nothing but friendship. And where Gladio willingly abandoned Noct's side in his quest to assuage his own fears of not being enough, Prompto had to be thrown off a train before he would leave.

All things considered, Gladio doesn't mind helping Prompto through a few panic attacks (he'd had two before they set out on this trip, and he's still talking a bit too fast). It's quite literally the least he can do.

And the MTs are still watching him eat.

Six, they're creepy.

Gladio supposes they can’t help it; they’re MTs, after all. They’re born (made?) creepy.

Yeah, Gladio doesn’t want to think about this one too hard.

It doesn’t help that only U5 has a radio, so none of them can talk.

Though –

Damnit, Gladio's job has always been people. Ignis, for all his strategy and cleverness, preferred math and administration to diplomacy, even if he was better at the formal push-pull of negotiations. It was always Gladio who went out and befriended people, charmed them with a smile and a discussion of things that interested them.

Gladio's the one who bridges the gaps between stranger and friend.

And right now, he's letting his prejudice against MTs stop him from doing that. Six, the MTs are probably not watching him eat out of interest, but out of fear – a dozen MT troopers like this would be nothing for him to take out. He could probably wipe them out with a few swipes of his sword.

He's done it plenty of times before, after all.

Six, he’s being an ass. Worse, he’s being an ass who isn’t doing his job.

Okay, Gladio. Can't change what you've done. Just do better.

Gladio finishes his Cup Noodles and tosses it aside, then turns to look at the MTs, which are still staring at him.

“So, how do you communicate?” he asks one of them.

It blinks at him from behind its mask.

“I know you guys do. I just don’t know how,” Gladio says reasonably. “I’m willing to learn.”

He doesn't actually get a response from any of them, which he supposes is fair. He hasn't exactly been trying to make conversation so far.

"Information exchange is important for any well-trained group of soldiers," Gladio continues. "You must've seen – or at least heard of – the way my team yells at each other mid-battle –"

At least, the way they used to, when they still had Noct – shouting compliments and friendly insults with the same breath.

Now isn't the time to think of that.

"— but that's because we weren't trained together, not until late. You guys were. But you can't react so well to new input – and I know you do – without communicating about it. I've always been curious as to how you do it," Gladio lies. He'd always assumed there was some controller back on the drop ship, playing a video game but with soldiers; it would explain the slowness of their response time.

But he's trying to make friends, not insult them.

No response.

Red eyes blink at him from behind frozen metal faces.

Gladio shrugs. He tried. "Think on it," he advises. "I don't blame you if you don't want me to know, but if we're going to be allies, then, well, I figure we may as well get to know each other."

The MTs are clearly considering his question, from the way they're squinting, and some of them even turn their heads away from Gladio to look at each other in silent consultation.

Gladio feels pretty good about that. It's progress. It’s something.

Of course, that's when the truck shudders to a stop.

"We're here," Prompto announces unnecessarily. His voice is kinda breathy and high-pitched.

He hates MT laboratories; just hearing that they were going to one had triggered his second panic attack. Reasonable, given that he'd been captured and kept captive in them twice. The first time, after the train, he’d had to fight for his life to escape and barely made it out. The second time, he'd been literally strung up to a rack and left there as a gift to lure Noct to the trap that waited on the other end.

Not great memories.

The first panic attack had been about being the envoy to the MTs, which Gladio honestly couldn't blame him for, either. Even if it'd been only the dozen MTs in this squad, rather than some uncertain number more (Gladio does wonder how many survived – a few dozen more? A hundred more? Two hundred more?), Prompto's understandably tender about his past, and having actual MTs seize on it...

Yeah, Gladio can't even imagine.

Especially if what Prompto haltingly reported about MT units being clones – in at least one factory he knew of, clones of him – is true.

"Gotta run," Gladio tells the MTs, and slips out of the back of the truck and around the front.

Cor has his hand on Prompto's shoulder, grounding him, but they both seem relieved to see Gladio.

Gladio nods his thanks at Cor and nudges Prompto with his shoulder. "So, tell me," he says.

"About what?" Prompto asks, doing his absolute best to breathe evenly and not descend into a third panic attack.

"What's wrong with this architecture? I mean, I know it's ugly, but –"

Prompto snorts an involuntary laugh.

Good, he's distracted. A bit more of that, and he'll start to calm down.

Gladio clowns around for a few more minutes – Prompto always did find Gladio saying the words 'flying buttresses' really funny, and this time is no different, even though the laboratory (of which they can really only see the top, since most of it is underground) definitely doesn't have any – until Prompto is back to his usual color.

"Okay," Prompto says. "Let's go."

The MTs are already in formation, waiting patiently, U5 in the front.

They go inside.

The laboratory is, well. All jokes about architecture aside, Gladio really can only describe the place as ‘classic Niflheim creepy’ – lots of shapeless, colorless walls, industrial ceilings, soulless straight lines built entirely for utility and not even a little bit for aesthetics. Even basic human comfort wasn’t a factor considered in building these walls.

Gladio thinks he heard someone refer to it as ‘Brutalist’, meaning ‘brutally grabbed a handful of walls and put it up without any concern for appearance’, and he thinks the term fits.

Not that they don’t have a certain vibe to them, what with the aura of evil practically dripping from the dirty blood-speckled walls.

The majority of the laboratory is underground, meaning that the unobtrusive looking building hiding in the mountain is actually the entrance to a giant complex.

At least it has light. If they had to explore this place with nothing but their flashlights, Gladio’s pretty sure Prompto would have another panic attack.

“The unfinished units are on level three,” U5 says.

“Children,” Prompto says. “They’re called children.”

“Negative. ‘Children’ units are on level four,” U5 says.

Gladio frowns. “What’s the difference? The age?”

“Negative. Unfinished units are designated for processing into MT units. ‘Children’ units are designated for processing into researchers.”

Gladio glances at one of the rooms they pass by, in which the ripped-apart bodies of researchers are quietly decomposing. “The kids of the researchers, huh? They still, uh, alive?”

“All ventilation aimed at levels three and four automatically seals to prevent contamination of units,” U5 says. “Strict quarantine procedures have been maintained and there have been no signs of contamination of the remaining ‘children’ units.”

“Remaining?”

“Several of the researchers attempted to retrieve their ‘children’ units prior to shut-down. Their status is unknown.”

Dead or refugee, in other words.

They go down in a large elevator.

“Working power,” Cor murmurs thoughtfully.

Gladio nods. That means there’s some form of generator here, too; presumably a massive one if it’s lighting a facility this extensive. If they evacuate this facility, they’ll be able (hopefully) to take it with them.

Maybe they can use the Empire’s portable fortresses to build additional refugee homes. Gladio’d almost forgotten about those things, in all the mess, but surely one of the MTs would know how it was done, or could direct them to some paperwork detailing it…

The elevator doors open, and Gladio stops thinking.

Children.

There are so many children.

They’re on level three, which means ‘unfinished units’, and Gladio can tell, too. The kids have all been let out of their tubes, thank the Six, and they’re of all ages – everything from red-faced babies just lying out there on the floor to blank-eyed teenagers.

“Wow,” Prompto says. “Those are…definitely children.”

Only child, Gladio reminds himself.

He glances at Prompto, who’s gone wide-eyed and vaguely terrified, and at Cor, who, amusingly enough, has a better hidden but otherwise fairly similar expression on his face.

Only child and perpetual bachelor, Gladio amends. Is he really the only one here with experience with children?

Not that these are normal children.

They’re all eerily quiet, waiting for instructions. The older ones have the tell-tale red eyes of the MT units, along with pale skin and what almost look like tear-tracks of black blood dripping slowly down their faces. The younger ones look more normal, albeit still terribly pale – Gladio doubts they ever saw the sun, even before it went away.

They don’t look like Prompto, which is some small relief.

They do look like each other, particularly ones in the same age group. Just at a glance, there seem to have been three distinct ‘types’ for each age group, and about a dozen or so of each ‘type’.

It’s awful.

“Clones,” Cor confirms, crouching before some brunette children, about six years old, that stare up at him. He frowns at them, his brow furrowing. They frown back, similar furrows appearing in their chubby little faces.

It’s…creepily similar actually.

“Are those miniature versions of you?” Gladio asks, mildly horrified.

“Just similar, I think,” Cor says, though he looks disturbed. “Though I wouldn’t put it past the empire to try to harvest our blood to try to create clones of us…”

“Never say that again,” Gladio tells him. Even if it’s true, he doesn’t want to think about it.

Six, there have to be at least a hundred kids in this room.

“Why are the babies on the ground?” Gladio asks, already wading in that direction.

“It was necessary to uncork the unfinished units prematurely,” U5 says, and isn’t that a horrifying way to describe the process. “It was unclear what to do with them once they’d hatched from the pods.”

“So you put them on the ground?”

“It was unclear what to do with the unfinished units once they had hatched from the pods,” U5 repeats, and even though his voice is emotionless, Gladio would swear that there is a tremor of uncertainty and confusion in there.

The MT units had no idea what to do with kids, and all the researchers had either died, turned into daemons, or fled.

Six, what a mess.

Gladio sits down next to the babies and picks one up.

It makes a little choked-up sound and immediately tries to curl up to Gladio as much as possible.

Touch-starved, just like he thought.

“Let’s check out level four,” Gladio hears Cor tell Prompto. “The children of researchers may know more about the facility.”

Gladio doesn’t really pay attention to them going (or, more correctly, fleeing the prospect of having to deal with all the kids). He has other business to attend to.

“I need people to pick up the babies,” he instructs.

Several of the older teenagers come and mimic what he’s doing.

Surprisingly enough, so do some of the MT units that accompanied him.

One of them kneels next to Gladio, holding something out.

“Yeah?” Gladio asks, twisting to look at it, then flinches.

It’s an empty MT helmet.

“I don’t want that,” he says.

The MT just keeps holding it out.

“I’m not an MT, you know that, right?”

The MT doesn’t move.

Gladio looks around, but U5 has gone with Cor and Prompto, so there’s no one to explain what’s going on.

At least the people are picking up the babies, who are sighing with relief – babies gone so long without touch that they don’t even cry anymore, that are probably about to die from lack of attention, babies –

Babies that probably never saw anything other than MTs and researchers, and Gladio does not want them to think he’s a researcher.

Not with the barcodes already seared onto the babies’ flesh, and the ports buried under their skin.

“Fine,” Gladio says. “I’ll put on the damn helmet.”

The MT moves before Gladio can, gently positioning the helmet over Gladio’s head and bringing it down.

It’s absolutely terrifying, even though Gladio knows, rationally, that the MTs probably can’t be created just by adding a helmet.

Looking down at the baby through the mask, though, the baby does seem more comfortable. More relaxed.

Certainly the kids around him are relaxing. Visibly relaxing.

Yeah, they definitely thought he was a researcher.

“Ding! Gladiolus advances to MT Wrangling Level 2,” Gladio mutters.

“What’s a Gladiolus?” a voice crackles into his ear.

Crackles, as though transmitted by radio.

Gladio looks up.

The MT unit next to him is looking at him. “Your unit designation is Gladio, correct?” it asks.

The voice is female.

Gladio would never have known.

“Gladio is a shortened designation for Gladiolus,” another voice chimes in. Male, this time. “All units are assigned shortened designations.”

“But that’s because it takes 8.3 seconds to state a full unit designation and only 1.4 seconds to state the shortened designation,” the female objects. “The time advantage between Gladio and Gladiolus is minimal. Is one used in more formal situations?”

“Yeah,” Gladio says, after swallowing down his shock a few times. “Gladio’s what my friends call me.” He hesitates for only a moment. “You can all call me Gladio.”

Suddenly, he has a feeling of surprise and pleasure.

It’s not his feeling.

In fact, it feels like it’s coming from multiple other people.

“Is that you?” he asks. “You – you guys communicate through your helmets? With feelings as well as words?”

“Affirmative,” several voices chorus.

“MT units have implanted devices which use an equivalent of radio waves to interface with the mind,” the female MT says. “The helmets act as a back-up method in the event the device is broken. It permits conveyance of reports, as well as emotional output for additional context. Is this permitted?”

“Permitted?”

“The researchers did not permit exchange of emotional output,” the male one says. “Emotional output can be suppressed for the link, if Unit Gladio prefers.”

“Uh, no! No need. Emotions are fine. Good. Emotions are good.”

Sensations of relief.

They weren't sure.

“You can all do this?” he asks, thinking of all the MT soldiers he’s slaughtered. They were enemies, so he doesn’t feel bad about it – self-defense in the time of war – but it’s still disturbing. “All the time?”

“Negative,” one of them responds. “Only within link-groups. Link-groups can be modified.”

“Modified?”

“Small squad link-group, twelve units. Large squad link-group, one hundred units. Link-groups are designed to more efficiently create unified movement.”

Marching together without any of the whole ‘training’ business, Gladio interprets.

He looks at the kids, who remain silent.

“Is there a reason they’re not talking?” he asks.

“Unfinished units are not permitted to speak aloud,” the female MT says. “We can broaden the link-group to include them.”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s – let’s do that.”

Suddenly, he can hear them.

Children, whispering to each other, wondering what’s going to become of them; toddlers, babbling happily now that they’re being held because the MTs seem to be assuming ‘baby’ is anything under the age of 5; teenagers discussing –

Okay, there’s three teenage girls actively talking about the size of Gladio’s biceps, absolutely shamelessly.

By the Six, they’re really kids.

Mute kids, traumatized kids, but kids.

A six year old – too old to be held, by the totally arbitrary division imposed that Gladio’s really going to have to fix, given the jealous looks the babies are getting from all the other kids – toddles over and tugs on Gladio’s sleeve. He’s one of the ones that look a bit like Cor.

“Yeah, kid?”

“Unit Gladio will be responsible for future maintenance of unfinished units?” he asks shyly. He doesn’t move his mouth, but Gladio’s getting a bit better at placing the voices that come out through his helmet with the individuals transmitting the signal.

Gladio opens his mouth to deny it – he’s a hunter now, not a babysitter; he only came on this trip to protect Prompto and make sure there wouldn’t be any trouble – but the kids are all looking at him with big wide eyes that, regardless of color or shape or age, remind him of Iris.

“For now,” he temporizes.

They all look deeply relieved.

Gladio comforts himself that ‘for now’ really only extends until they get back to Lestallum and set up an appropriate place for all of them to stay. Then people who actually know what they’re doing can be assigned to take care of them.

Gladio is definitely not one of those people. He’s leaving to go back on hunting missions the second they get back to Lestallum and the kids are no longer his responsibility.

Though he will have to make sure that none of the people assigned to take care of them end up being prejudiced just because they’re Niflheim, or MTs…and are willing to wear the helmet to communicate with them, at least at first…and take special care to make sure that the older kids get some serious touching therapy, not just the babies…

Okay, maybe Gladio will have to stick around a bit.

Just until the kids are settled.

“Hey, Gladio!”

Gladio looks up.

Prompto, Cor and U5 are back. Prompto has a weird look on his face. Cor is trying very hard to look like he’s carved out of stone.

“I’ll be right back,” he tells the MTs. “Do me a favor and try to make sure that everyone in this room has some physical contact, whether it’s the teenagers holding the babies or kids hugging each other, okay?”

“Order received, Unit Gladio!”

Gladio will deal with that later.

He hands his baby to the male MT and jogs back to Prompto and Cor.

“Nice headgear,” Prompto says.

Gladio is confused for a second, then realizes he’s still wearing the MT helmet. He pulls it off, but doesn’t discard it. “They use it for communication,” he explains.

“You were permitted into speaking link-group,” U5 observes. He sounds – surprised?

“Is that weird?”

“Unusual. Researchers only very rarely accessed link-group.”

“Even under orders?” Cor asks.

“Link-groups in which researcher access was permitted rarely involved speaking beyond reports,” U5 tells him.

Gladio feels – complimented? Is that the feeling?

Well, it’s a nice feeling, anyway.

“What’s up?” he asks Prompto, whose weird expression hasn’t gone away.

“U5 says there’s more MTs than just in the complex,” Prompto replies. “He says there’s more laboratories out there, too. With, uh, unfinished units.”

“There’s more kids?”

“Yeah. And more MTs. Apparently they’re camped in the back or something?”

“Why not in the building?”

“That’s what we want to know,” Cor says.

U5 leads them to balcony that seems to look into some sort of underground cavern. Gladio says seems to, because the light is only on inside the building, not in the cavern; everything more than a few feet beyond the balcony is pitch black.

“They’re there?” he asks, marginally suspicious. He sees why Cor and Prompto wanted him there. If there’s a lot of MTs there – or worse, daemons, hiding in the dark – that’s a good ambush point.

“Affirmative,” U5 says.

“Can we get some light?”

“Affirmative.”

U5 goes over to a giant wall of control panels and begins pressing buttons.

After a few minutes, the lights in the cavern start flickering on. Weak lights, reddish in color – clearly back-up lights that drain the generators, but enough to see by.

Enough to see the frankly gigantic cavern.

Enough to see the army of MT units there. Hundreds of them, thousands of them, all standing in perfect formation. All of them looking up at the balcony, awaiting orders.

Gladio tries to count by units, but quickly loses track. There have to be three thousand of them, at least.

U5 steps forward to the balcony. “Lestallum Base has agreed to terms,” he announces. His voice isn’t any louder than usual; Gladio suspects the message is being heard through the helmets of each and every MT unit perfectly well regardless. U5 is only speaking through the radio for their convenience. “MT units are now in the service of Lestallum Base. Units must register change in chain of command.”

The crowd ripples as each MT nods once, sharply, confirming the receipt of orders.

“Amended command hierarchy will retain MT unit classifications and squad orderings until alternative groups are imposed,” U5 continues. “Ultimate superior is to be registered as NH-00O6-O204-1987, designated ‘Prompto Unit’. Acknowledge.”

And the armies of MTs all move at once, faces swinging around to focus on Prompto, and their arms rise up in merciless, perfect unity in the traditional Niflheim salute, swearing loyalty.

To Prompto.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, shit, Prompto thinks in the frozen second spent staring at the saluting legions before him, right before he faints dead away from shock. What in the Six have I gotten myself into?

#final fantasy xv #ffxv #noctis lucis caelum #prompto argentum #ignis scientia #gladiolus amicitia #cor leonis #my fic #YES a new fandom who would have thought

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