"What the hell?" Noctis cried out shielding his eyes from the flash of light that radiated across the sky.

Gladiolus swung his great sword, felling the last havocfang, before turning the direction the Prince was looking.

"Curious." Ignis said releasing his blades as he too stared off towards the horizon.

"You think we should check it out?" Noctis asked turning to his advisor.

"I don't see why not." Ignis replied, it was mid-afternoon, plenty of time to have a look and find a place to camp before dark.

They had been driving for nearly an hour, the last twenty minutes or so in silence as they took in the ruin. It had started off with a few trees leaning sideways but as they got closer to the source of the disturbance there were more trees completely uprooted and laying on the ground than standing; some splintered and broken as if hit by a massive force.

"Whoa, check it out." Prompto said leaning out the window, pointing. A few hundred yards away was a crater that had definitely not been there when they passed this way a few days back.

The crater was more than a hundred meters in diameter and from the car there was no sight of the bottom. Ignis pulled the Regalia off to the side and the four men got out their steps slightly hesitant, cautious as to what could have caused such destruction.

"There's something down there." Ignis said as the four stood along the edge.

"Wait here." Gladiolus said putting out his arm to stop Noctis. Noctis gave a frustrated sigh at his shields over protectiveness but still stepped back to wait with Prompto as Gladiolus and Ignis started making their way down the steep slope.

Gladiolus reached the center first and was surprised to find a white clad figure sprawled on the ground. He stared for a moment unable to move as he took in the dark hair and pale delicate face, there was a strange sense of familiarity to her. Stepping around the bigger man Ignis knelt down next to the young woman, his hand shaking slightly as he moved back strands of black hair and pressed his fingertips against her neck. He detected a slow but steady pulse. Her dress was elegant and in a fashion he had never seen before. The white fabric of the high necked bodice and asymmetrical skirt was stained brown and red from the dirt but her pale skin, what he could see of it, was remarkably free of any cuts or bruises. From the devastation around her he had expected the young woman to be dead but a cursory inspection found no obvious signs of injury.

"We can't leave her here." Gladiolus said crouching next to his friend.

"Of course we can't." Ignis replied picking up the long staff that had been resting by her right hand.

Grabbing her arms Gladiolus hoisted her over his shoulder. She was small and looked to be no older than Noc. She wasn't heavy but the steep slope made the climb difficult her weight threatening to throw him off balance and his feet slipping back several inches with each step he took. Ignis kept his hand on the small of the other man's back to steady him as they stumbled their way to the top.

"Who is she?" Noctis asked as soon as they broke the crest of the crater.

"She not in a condition to grace us with a name yet." Ignis said sarcasm and weariness tinging his voice.

"Wow, neat." Prompto said taking the staff Ignis had been carrying so the other man could brush the dirt from his usually meticulous clothing.

Turning it over he studied the intricate engravings that covered the black surface. "Shoot." He said as the cool metal slipped from his fingers.

As the staff struck the ground the six silver rings that rested around two of the trident like spokes clanged together. The air was suddenly filled with an energy that pulsed in rhythm with the chiming rings and seemed to permeate their very souls. As the rings slowly stilled the sound faded along with the energy.

"Whoa, what was that?" Prompto asked taking a step back from the staff that now lay quiet on the ground.

They all stood in silence for a moment staring at the offending staff before Ignis finally stepped in and picked it back up. "Whatever it is, let's just try to be a little more careful with it." He said his voice maintaining only a margin of its usual calm. "If we hurry we can make it to Lestallum before nightfall." He continued glancing at the sun sinking towards the horizon.

It would be close but he wasn't comfortable having his charge sharing a campsite with this woman, not with so many unknowns. They couldn't just leave her there helpless, to be preyed upon by daemons or monsters, but that didn't mean he was enthused about bringing a stranger with them. A stranger, who despite leaving a behind a crater the size of a small town, had not a single mark on her. A quick glance at Gladiolus confirmed that the shield was feeling the same way.

Prompto kept up a steady stream of unanswerable questions and wild conjectures as to her identity as the group made their way back to the Regalia.

"Could she be a messenger?" Prompto asked as he climbed into the back seat.

"I don't know." Gladiolus said for what was probably the tenth time in as many minutes. Setting her down in the passenger seat he carefully fastened the seatbelt and leaned her head back against the headrest. Pushing the hair from her face he took a moment to study her features unable to shake the feeling that he somehow knew her.

"She fell from the sky after all. She could be from the Astrals, couldn't she?" Prompto continued as Gladiolus slid into the back seat. It was a tight fit with the three of them but it would have to do.

"Could be." Gladiolus said. The black trident like staff that Ignis had placed in the trunk was certainly like nothing he'd ever seen before and that was before it started emitting those haunting chimes. Ignis had been careful to wrap it tightly in some cloth as to prevent another disturbance should they hit a pot hole or something.

"Everyone set?" Ignis asked over his shoulder as he took his place behind the wheel.

He took the grumbled response as an affirmative and pulled back onto the road. He pushed the speedometer further than he was usually comfortable with and took the curves at a speed that required Gladiolus's firm hand on her shoulder to prevent the girl from sliding back and forth in the seat. As it was they were just pulling into Lestallum as the last rays of light faded from the horizon.

They received more than a few curious glances as the carried the girls limp form thru the crowds towards the hotel. More than one person looked like they wanted to check on the group but Gladiolus's glare quickly dissuaded them. It wasn't until they were safely behind the closed door of their room that any of them even thought about relaxing. Gladiolus deposited his burden on one of the beds and sank into the nearest chair his lower back aching slightly, as much from the cramped ride as from carrying the girl. The four of them stared at her motionless form at a complete loss as to what to do next.