#and I also have a lot of thoughts of how Aylin foils him

[orchid-n-petals]

So I've already shared parts of this on a discord server, but I have to scream about Ketheric Thorm on here as well. Obviously spoilers about the character under the cut! It's a long one.

The entirety of act 2 is about him, right? Jaheira, Shadowheart and numerous other NPCs shit on him for his fickle faith. First Selune, then Shar, then, as we meet him, Myrkul. You hear about his changes of faith on a whim, you hear that he's the person responsible for the shadow curse, he is painted as a villain, plain and simple.

You can figure it out pretty early on that Isobel was resurrected and that she is his daughter; the detail as well that he wants Isobel alive is so on the nose, it gives him away completely but there are still a few questions that remain unanswered, mainly about his faith.

And then you get to the mausoleum and the picture assembles; this entire tragedy, the death of hundreds if not thousands and the complete ruination of a landscape was all, ALL because you had this absolutely wrenched, heartbroken father who had lost everything and nobody answered his grief. He was left woefully alone, the Goddess whose daughter his daughter was involved with did nothing to save Isobel.

Imagine outliving your wife and your daughter. Imagine dedicating your life to fight the Lady of Loss, your Lady of Silver's enemy, and then be left so completely alone and in silence with your grief, with your loss. It's so, so poetic how and why he turned from Selune, and it's so understandable as well; he broke. His spirit completely broke. He couldn't deal with that void of having lost the only two important people in his life, seemingly undeservedly so. He was going mad with this and a lot of his ire was likely targeted at Aylin who, in his eye, represented Selune; she's literally her daughter, after all, and it was implied that even before the deaths of his family, he sort of saw Aylin courting Isobel as Selune taking his daughter from him, despite his service. This relationship was clearly not seen by him as a boon of "giving his daughter to the Moon-maiden".

His ways in the past clearly didn't spare him from tragedy and having to cope with it (which he clearly didn't, he snapped under the weight of his grief). He was clearly angry and unable to do anything, furious and helpless, which is a dangerous combination. A good part of his first change of heart must have been fuelled by a sense of revenge.

But then Shar didn't provide any balm to his aching heart either. If you read his letters in Grymforge and in act 2, he is so focused on enacting the will of Shar because he believes that healing lies in oblivion. Everything would be easier if he could just forget, if the damn world could just forget, if nothing was remembered because without Melodia and Isobel, nothing was worth remembering.

Then came Myrkul. Literally the only god who was not only able, but WILLING to give back his daughter to him. Imagine spending your all, EVERYTHING you have to serve two gods who would not give a single shit about the greatest suffering in your life. You were basically nothing, your loyalty didn't matter for shit, everything that was taken from you amounted to no recognition whatsoever: you should simply cope and seethe. Your grief will not simply go unanswered (which is not inherently antagonising) but ignored.

And then comes this supposedly evil entity who can alleviate your pain just like that, snap of a finger and it's a done deal.

I am so serious when I say that I believe Ketheric's main incentive was to extend Aylin's immortality to Isobel as well. You can read in her diary that she feels a taint after having came back, and there are things not even Selune can cleanse, but at this point, Ketheric doesn't care about Selune, vengeance is secondary if not tertiary, he's done that war during his Shar years and what did it give him? Literally nothing.

He doesn't even care about the fact that Isobel is still her cleric. He cares about the single most important fact: Isobel is back. Life is worth living again, there is something for him, and it was not Selune or Shar who gave it to him but Myrkul, and for this singular gift, he would raze the world for the Lord of Bones. Like people can clown on him for being disloyal but the man has the loyalty of a dog bonded to its owner.

He is powerful and is willing to go to insane lengths for crumbs. What is raising a single life for a god? Nothing. It has happened and it will happen again. But Ketheric will go to the ends of the earth to serve the single god who actually listened to him. The one god who didn't ignore him.

He knows that what he does is not the morally upright thing! He is so insanely self-aware that allying with Orin and Gortash and doing this entire plot with them only to then betray them is morally reprehensible at the best of times, he knows that people hate him, etc-etc. He was a Selunite at one point and he's not stupid. He just doesn't care; it could be literal Asmodeus and he wouldn't care as long as he got what he wanted, no matter the price.

He is probably the only one from the three of the chosen who has complete clarity over his situation, he almost sways (if you pass the check during his confrontation), he is not an inherently evil man blinded by power.

But he is inherently loyal to those deserving, and as of the story's standing, completely broken by his grief. In his eyes, at this point, the only one deserving loyalty is the one who actually listened to him. Isobel lives. It doesn't matter that she hates him, that his entire life has fallen apart, that literally nothing else that is good has come of it, because Isobel lives.

I don't think he regrets a single thing. His consciousness might tear at him at the end, but I believe he would do everything over again, exactly as he did, because in the end, his daughter was brought back. Because what would a grieving, broken parent give to bring back their child? Everything. Absolutely everything. And it's such a simply given answer, no second thoughts, no doubts.

Nobody can tell me that this man is fickle. Nobody. This man was willing to burn the world to the ground, create a Boudica destruction layer all by himself for the one single thing he wanted. For any God that would listen.

I don't know, I just have a lot of thoughts about his character.

[kidolegend]

Renewals - A Prompto Argentum Fic (Part 5)

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Heyas! In the wake of Episode Prompto, I’m back with my weekly update for Renewals! After four parts of character development, Prompto and Aylin finally get to see some action as they take on a Niff stronghold~ I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and made sure to include some references from Episode Prompto (But nothing that spoils anything past the trailer, for those that have not gotten to it quite yet).

As always, any comments, reblogs, moral support, constructive criticism, or just some hellos are always appreciated~

Tagging: @blindbae @joioliviapolaroid @xnoctits @themissimmortal @poisonous-panda​  @insomniascure​ @thegoddesseos​ @crossedquills​ @cupnoodle-queen (and as always please message me if you would like to be removed from my tagging list)

Operation’s A-Go!

Prompto gave a heavy sigh. He was sitting at the edge of the watch tower, leaning his arms against the railing and dangling his feet off the edge. Aylin was a few feet away, sitting with her legs crossed and her back to the imperial base. She was staring off into the distance, but every so often she’d glance over at him or fiddle with her cell phone.

Prompto kicked his feet back and forth impatiently. He hadn’t gotten the signal from Ignis or Gladio that they had started and the fortress in front of him was eerily silent. Until he got the go-ahead, they would just had to wait.

“Once you see reinforcements moving out of your area, that will be your signal to move. However, if they decide against sending aid to Fort Vaullerey after we’ve launched our assault, then wait for a message from Gladio or me, so you know that we have the military occupied on our front.” Ignis’ instructions were clear and logical, and Prompto had agreed to follow them for his own safety. Thankfully, Aylin didn’t protest and--outside of a few minor details--thought his strategy was solid.

‘Can’t really tell until we’re out there, but it seems like we’d make a pretty good team.’ Prompto mused, turning his head slightly to look at Aylin from the corner of his eye.

She was a bit shorter than him and she had an agile, but sturdy build. Her skin was a little darker than his and her green eyes were narrow, giving her a more exotic look. Prompto couldn’t put his finger on it, but he was sure he saw people who looked similar in the Kingsglaive, back when everyone was in Insomnia--and weren’t they from other territories on the outskirts of Lucis?

He was tempted to ask her about it, but refrained. Asking about her background would only risk questions about his own--questions he wasn’t comfortable answering quite yet. Besides, it didn’t really matter in the end--she was a pretty girl, she was friendly…

And she was going to help him take down an entire military fortress. Big plus.

“Hey,” He broke the silence as an odd thought crossed his mind.

“Hmm?” Aylin looked up from her cell phone.

“How’ d you get past my wire trap?” Granted, it wouldn’t have been difficult for a normal person to maneuver around, but with the ever-present darkness the wires would have been difficult to spot in the first place.

“Wire… trap?”

“Yeah, I looped some wires at the bottom of the stairwell, in case any MTs decided to swing by.” Prompto couldn’t help but pout, irked that his ‘awesome plan’ had been foiled so unwittingly.

“Oh, I climbed up through the second level,” Her reply was sheepish. “I was kinda paranoid about any Niffs seeing me from that side so I didn’t enter through the stairwell.”

“Aaaah, okay.” So she had been overly cautious. Granted, Prompto knew the workings of an MT far too well, so he was positive none of the troopers or armors would be able to spot anybody from that distance, but...

They both lapsed into another silence. It took several moments, but Prompto eventually realized that the quiet was comfortable--he didn’t feel the need to constantly fill the dead air with noise. It was a familiar feeling--one he felt when he was around Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio. Sure, the four of them talked a lot, but that was more out of interest as opposed to some social obligation.

It felt nice.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when his cell phone buzzed in his hand. Aylin looked over at him as he unlocked the screen, his eyes scanning the message.

‘We are beginning our operation. Message glad leo if you happen to spot any airships being diverted our way, so he can call for a retreat if necessary.’ Prompto snorted at the typo--obviously Ignis’ phone didn’t recognize Gladio’s name over the voice-to-text function and of course Ignis would be none the wiser unless he had the Shield proofread his messages beforehand.

Aylin had read the message over his shoulder. “So… that means we wait a little longer, right?”

Prompto nodded. “Yup, that’ll give them enough time to raise hell and get any reinforcements up and on the way over to them.”

“Leaving the base clear for us to destroy?” Aylin raised an eyebrow at him.

“Hell yeah.”

Another buzz caught his attention and he opened a second message from Ignis.

‘Send me a message when you begin your assault. I shall assume you have started when my phone vibrates. Good luck.’

Aylin settled back into her spot, pulling her odd looking blades out and polishing them with the end of her shirt. Prompto let out a slow breath, trying to relax as he whispered into the night air.

“You too, guys… Be safe.”

  It only took another hour before Prompto and Aylin heard movement in the garrison. They exchanged tense looks as the sound of heavy machinery came to life and after several minutes, one of the Niflheim airships appeared over the top of the stronghold, ascending slowly into the air. It rotated slowly before it began its flight, heading away from them and out towards the rest of the continent.

Out towards Ignis and Gladio.

Prompto had his phone out in an instant. ‘One airship headed your way.’

The first message was sent out to Gladio and the second one to Ignis followed seconds after. ‘Operation’s a-go, I’m heading in!’

Prompto double-checked that his phone was on silent before tucking it into his pocket--there was little chance he would get a response when they were also in the middle of their ambush.

He summoned his pistol, making sure it was fully loaded before concealing it and facing Aylin. “I'm good to go!”

She looked impressed by his unwitting display of the Lucian arsenal, but she focused quickly and unsheathed her blades, attaching them at the hilt to form a shortbow. “Ready when you are.” She replied, determination coloring her features.

Prompto felt a thrill at the familiarity of it all, and he grinned. “Then… Let’s do this!”

 Getting into the military base was simple enough--Aylin was a decent shot with her arrows and Prompto didn’t miss a single bullet, keeping a silencer on the muzzle to conceal their location.

Prompto gave an impressed nod as Aylin took out another enemy in complete silence. “Nice work, dude. I-I mean… Aylin.”

“With standing targets? I guess,” She gave him a cheeky smile as they headed into the fortress, unchallenged due to their combined sharpshooting. She paused, realizing it would probably be better to express gratitude than sarcasm, but she couldn’t help but water down the praise regardless. “Thank you… but my brother was a lot better than I'll probably ever be.”

“Oh? And where's he?” The moment the question left Prompto’s mouth, he knew the answer and felt his heart sink.

Aylin confirmed his suspicion with a tight smile. “A Niff airship dropped MTs on us during a hunt, making the job way longer and more exhausting than it ever should have been… Before we knew it, night had fallen and the daemons appeared…”

The gunner ducked his head apologetically. “I'm sorry.”

She shook her head, taking a deep breath. “It was a few years ago, and now that I'm here,” She gestured at the fortress around them. “I can give Levant a bit of the justice he deserves.”

“Of course.” Prompto agreed, suddenly arming himself with his pistol. “Duck!”

Aylin obeyed, instinctively trusting the blonde’s judgement. Prompto vaulted over her shoulder and kicked out at an infantryman that had unexpectedly rounded the corner and lifted its gun at them.

The trooper's knees buckled under it, its balance thrown forward so Prompto could lock it's head under his arm. The blonde rotated and shifted his weight, bringing the soulless machinery to the ground. He gave a grunt as he snapped the MT’s neck, holding it still until he was sure it was gone for good.

Aylin held out her hand as he grimaced and shoved the trooper away from him, the light-resistant armor starting to dissolve into gray smoke.

“Phew, close call.” He muttered, accepting her help gratefully. “You okay?”

Aylin nodded, checking around the corner again for any other enemies before waving him forward. “Yeah, you?”

He locked eyes with the still fading infantryman and felt a chill run up his spine. For a moment, he caught an image of the emotionless red eyes mirrored in his own and he glanced down at his hands, flexing them slowly.

Human hands. Not an MT’s.

“Uh, Prompto?”

The sound of his name was almost like a balm. It wasn’t a lab number or specimen label--it was familiar.

It was home.

“Yup, sorry,” He cleared his throat, blinking as the last wisps of smoke dissolved into the night air. ‘That’s not who I am. And that’s not what I’ll become.’

He re-checked his gun--more out of habit than actual necessity--and took a quick breath before nodding at her. “All right, bring it on.”

  Things grew more difficult as they progressed deeper into the base--while the MTs on the outer areas were on their own and could be picked off without being noticed, the ones closer to the center either traveled in groups or were in the views of others. After a few more close calls, Aylin and Prompto had managed to work their way towards the the control booths.

“That’s the one, right?” Aylin whispered, nodding her head towards one of the larger bungalows, where at least seven guards were visible.

“Yeah… Of course it had to be in front of that warehouse, too.” Prompto bit his lip, his eyes narrowed as he glared down the ten mechs lying in wait under the shelter. “If one of ‘em spots us, we’ll have all those giant magitek armors headed our way as well.”

“Greaaat.” The dryness in Aylin’s voice made Prompto chuckle. They were crouched on top of one of the shipping containers, keeping clear of any searchlights or sniper guards. Prompto scanned their surroundings once again, trying to find something--anything--that they could use to give them an advantage.

“If one of us could get up to those turrets, we’d be able to take down a lot of the MTs in a snap.” Aylin murmured.

“Mm but you’re pretty much a sitting duck for any snipers or armors.” The gunner pointed out. “We should get their numbers down before that… Or at least find a way to take out the big baddies easily.”

“True…” Aylin sighed. “Got any ideas?”

“Hold on a sec,” The blonde pursed his lips, his eyebrows knitting together in thought. His bright blue eyes darted around more, glancing over various construction pipelines, shipping freights, mounted turrets, those exploding energy tanks… Prompto inhaled sharply, sitting up so he could dig around in his pockets. “Now I do.”

“Oh?”

“Yup. Gimme a sec,” Prompto pulled out a Lumen Flare, turning it over in his gloved hands. Back in Niflheim, he had some leftover from his time in the Magitek production facility. However, once he started making things difficult… Well, it wasn't until Noctis regained access to his powers in Gralea that Prompto was able to get his hands on another weapon.

Sure, Prompto might not have been able to steal any of the Niflheim technology to use against them… But that sure didn't stop him from creating replicas that worked just as well--or in some cases, even better.

“Is that a… a grenade?” Aylin looked impressed as her eyes skimmed over the craftsmanship. “A Niff grenade?”

“Eh, kinda. ‘Borrowed’ some ideas and added a few of my own. I wasn't gonna use it since it packs a punch and I wouldn’t have been able to get out of its blast range quick enough…” He turned to Aylin, gesturing at her weapon. “Buuut now that you're here…”

She raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, I get where you’re going, but I’ll need a target to aim at first.”

“Right, I just gotta check one thing.” Prompto flopped back over onto his stomach, squinting in the direction of the main warehouse. He waited for the searchlight to make another round, trying to confirm what he had spotted earlier. “Hmmm… yes!”

“Keep it down,” Aylin chastised him. “What's up?”

“In the warehouse, not quite in the center… it's a little to the right.” He turned her in the correct direction.

“The freight?”

“No, right next to it, the stack of barrel-things.”

Aylin leaned forward a bit and Prompto scooted closer to her, trying to center his pointer finger. After a moment, she nodded. “I see something that looks kinda like that covered under a military tarp…”

“Bingo,” The blonde gave her a thumbs up. “I've seen those things a million times; they're magitek energy tanks. They power the control panels and armors aaand... they're highly flammable.”

Aylin’s face lit up in understanding. “Aha, so one of your grenades and my arrow, plus those energy tanks…”

“Equals...!” Prompto made an exploding motion with his hands. “We'll have to be as far back as possible, but that should clear out that entire warehouse in one go.”

Had they not been surrounded by hostiles, Aylin would have given an impressed whistle. “It'll be that strong?”

“With the energy tanks? Totally. Even if the explosion’s weaker than I’m expecting it to be, those magitek armors will be nothin’ but junk.”

“And… if it’s stronger than you think?”

“Ahaha…” Prompto leaned on his elbows, propping his head up and looking proud of himself. “We’ll be able to blow the whole warehouse straight to hell.”