Chapter 1
The sound of steel clashing against chitin was loud in the shallow valley as four men dressed in black fought against a pack of giant centipedes. The insects were each almost ten feet in length, scuttling across the ground at incredible speeds to ram into their opponents before raising half their bodies in the air to attack with their long and sharp pincers or to shoot a stream of poisonous saliva at their foes.
One of the men, a short lanky blond dressed in a sleeveless shirt and pants with a lighter gray shapeless design across the front, fired off several shots before ducking back behind the tree he was using for cover. "Man, these are not the type of bad guys I like to fight," Prompto groaned. "Why does it always have to be bugs?!"
"Quit your crying," one of his companions replied, the ebony-haired man bringing a greatsword down in an overhead strike to finish off one of the wounded centipedes. Noctis dismissed the weapon in a burst of crystalline shards before summoning a pair of daggers better suited for close combat to his hands. Sharp blue eyes surveyed the area from beneath his dark fringe as he debated which insect would be his next target. His short-sleeved jacket flared out as he spun, quickly raising his daggers to parry the sharp pincers of a centipede that almost managed to sneak up behind him. "We need the money to get the car fixed and this was the only hunt that was close enough."
"Hey, I voted we stop and make camp last night," Prompto shot back, firing a few more rounds before ducking underneath a stream of poison aimed at his head. "But someone wanted to go looking for that stupid map scrap- which, I might add, didn't even lead to any treasure!"
"The iron giant wouldn't have been a problem if we'd left the headlights on," Noctis pointed out, throwing one of his blades toward a centipede heading toward Prompto's blindside. The prince's innate magic pulled him through the air, hurtling along the weapon's path in a streak of blue light. He grabbed the dagger's hilt just before it struck near the centipede's tail, his added momentum driving the blade deep and effectively pulling the insect's attention from the gunman to himself.
"Then we would have returned to a damaged Regalia with a dead battery," came the dry reply from one of the other men. Lithe and tall with light brown hair, Ignis moved with a deadly grace as he buried his dagger in a centipede's head before he turned his attention to the youngest members of the group as he adjusted his glasses. The button down shirt and suit jacket the royal advisor wore looked like they were more suited to a business lunch than a battlefield. "The headlights Cindy installed for us keep the daemons from appearing in the road as we drive- they would do nothing for a parked car."
Noctis sighed in frustration, switching his daggers for a sword and blocking a pair of pincers headed for his throat with the blade. "Alright, I get it- it's my fault we're out here," he grunted, pushing the centipede back and cutting off two of its legs before it could recover.
Ignis rolled out of the way of a charging centipede, quickly regaining his feet and readying his daggers as it swung around to face him. "We're not blaming anyone for this," he stated, ducking under another poisonous stream of saliva.
"I am!" Prompto declared. He opened his mouth to add more only for the words to turn to a yelp as a centipede surprised him, falling flat on his back as the creature reared up over him. He could practically feel the air pressure as a greatsword swept over him, crashing into the centipede and knocking it clear out of Prompto's field of view.
"Don't- you need to keep all your focus on your opponents," the fourth man advised, offering a hand to the gunman. Gladiolus was a bear of a man, easily the tallest and most muscle bound member of the group. The King's Shield lived up his title, his form-fitting sleeveless shirt accentuating the hard muscles across his broad chest, leaving little to the imagination. He easily pulled the blond back to his feet. "Besides," the brunet added, sweeping the greatsword in an arc and knocking back three more centipedes that had thought to take advantage of his distraction, "it was kind of your fault we were running late to begin with."
"What? No it wasn't!" Prompto defended indignantly, standing at Gladio's back as he continued firing at the insects.
"Need I remind you who was desperate to get a picture of Lestallum across the Taelpar Crag?" Ignis asked, his daggers disappearing in a burst of crystalline shards as he called his spear to hand, impaling yet another centipede.
"And the mountain at the Cauthess gas station?" Noctis pitched in.
Gladio dismissed his great sword, summoning his shield to block as a centipede spit its poisonous saliva at him. "Not to mention the Duscae Imperial Base," he added, smirking at the small blond over his shoulder.
"Hey, we're getting paid for that last one!" Prompto pointed out, quickly lowering his gun as Noctis moved into his line of fire. He paused as he felt a drop of water, glancing up at the dark clouds covering the sky and groaning internally. Riding the chocobos back to the Taelpar rest area through a downpour would just be the icing on the cake.
"True," Ignis agreed, dismissing his spear after he dispatched the last creature near him. "Our funds are running rather low at the moment, so we won't hold that last one against you."
"As for the others," Prompto continued, "well, if I don't get the pictures now, who's to say it will still be there later?"
"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Noctis muttered, throwing his blade and stunning the last centipede he could see in the area with a warp-strike before switching to his axe and chopping off its head before it could recover. He pushed himself back to his feet, the weapon breaking apart in crystalline shards and fading away as he dismissed it. "I already said I was sorry," he stated, making his way back over to the others. "How was I supposed to know that Titan would disappear and do who-knows-what with the meteor?"
"Anyway," Gladio interrupted, letting his weapon disappear, "it looks like we got 'em all." He carefully scanned the area for any movement, frowning when he felt a couple drops of water hit his arm.
"And not a moment too soon," Ignis stated, wiping an errant drop of rain from his glasses as he finished counting the centipedes. He pulled out a piece of paper, briefly studying it before replacing it in his pocket. "It looks like we got the whole colony- or, at least, matched the number the locals said have been acting up. While I'd like to get this turned in as soon as possible, I'd recommend we find shelter to wait out the storm first."
"Sounds good to me," Noctis agreed, looking at the sky. "Any suggestions on where?"
"I believe I saw a cave up there," Ignis said, pointing in the opposite direction of the road.
Noctis nodded. "Lead the way."
It didn't take more than a couple of minutes for the group to reach the cave, but by then the light drizzle had already turned into a torrential downpour. The cave was dark but dry and although the entrance was small, it opened up into a larger cavern. The darkness prompted them to pull out their flashlights, clipping them on jackets and belts to illuminate the cave.
Gladio walked the perimeter of the cavern, making sure no monsters or daemons were waiting in the darkness to ambush them while the other three sat on the rocky floor and started tending to the various cuts and scratches they'd received during the fight. The Shield finished his circuit and rejoined the others, though he kept an eye on the two paths that led deeper into the darkness.
An hour or so later the rain was still pouring down outside. "It's getting late," Ignis pointed out. "I doubt we'll make it back to the hotel before sunset. We'd best consider where to set down for the night."
"You want to camp here?" Prompto exclaimed, incredulous.
"You got a better idea?" Gladio asked.
"Um, maybe, like, a haven?" Prompto countered. "You know, somewhere the daemons can't get us?"
"Unfortunately, there aren't any havens nearby according to the map," Ignis stated. "I would, however, like to find someplace a little less open." He glanced meaningfully at the two paths leading away from the chamber they were in.
Noctis followed his gaze. "Like a dead-end corridor or something and make camp there?"
Ignis nodded. "Whatever daemons traverse these passageways on a regular basis aren't likely to check the paths they know lead to a dead end," he pointed out. "I should also like to only worry about enemies coming from one direction, instead of being caught between two groups."
Gladio shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he said, looking to the prince for the final decision.
"Alright, spelunking it is," Noctis agreed, pushing himself back to his feet. "I was getting bored just sitting here waiting for the rain to stop anyway."
The Lucian prince took point, picking a path and summoning a dagger to his hand as he carefully headed down it. The passageway twisted and turned, forcing them to squeeze through narrow openings Gladio could barely fit through, hop over an underground stream and scale a rocky wall to make it down to the level below. They ran across several groups of lesser daemons- imps, hobgoblins and the like -but were able to dispatch them with ease. They had been walking for close to three hours before they finally caught a break.
"Hey, Noct!" Prompto called, jogging up to his best friend. "Do you see that over there?"
"What about it?" Noctis asked, turning to see the blond pointing at a path branching off the one they were currently heading down.
"Doesn't it look like there might be something glowing back there?"
"What, like the bigger daemons are coming out?" Gladio asked, readying his greatsword.
"It is about that time," Ignis said, shifting his grip on his daggers.
Prompto shook his head. "No, I got a good feeling about this," he assured them before turning back to the prince. "Mind if we check it out?"
Noctis shrugged. "Sure, why not? It's gotta be better than walking around in circles, anyway."
Prompto's gut feeling turned out to be right, the short passage leading to a small lake in a moderately sized cavern, complete with a pier for fishing. Large clusters of roots had grown down from the ceiling, disappearing beneath the surface of the lake and obscuring most of the far wall from view. Several small streams of water flowed down from a narrow opening in the roof, showing the storm was still going strong outside. Off to the side of the entrance and just out of sight from the main path they'd come from, were the softly glowing runes of a haven.
"Yes!" Prompto exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "We're not gonna be daemon food!"
"Nice job finding this place, Prompto," Noctis said with a smile, cuffing his friend on the shoulder.
"Very well done, indeed. I dare say we shall all sleep a bit easier tonight," Ignis agreed, moving to the haven and starting to clear off the smaller rocks and debris.
"Hey Noct, why don't you see if you can catch us some dinner while we set up camp?" Gladio suggested, jerking a thumb at the lake.
"Sounds good to me," the prince readily agreed, moving to the end of the pier and summoning his fishing rod. Selecting a lure at random, he cast his line and settled back to wait.
Thirty minutes later he was no closer to catching dinner, though he had to admit (if only to himself) the fault was his. He'd actually had two fish bite but had failed to react quickly enough to hook either one due to his attention being continually pulled to the far wall. His gaze once more was drawn to the rocky surface just visible past the hanging roots and water pouring from the ceiling. Something about it was...off, something he couldn't quite put his finger on...
The rod jerked, breaking Noctis out of his revere as the fishing pole was almost pulled from his lax hand. Gripping the rod more firmly, he yanked back on it, not intending to let this one get away. The hook caught and held, prompting the fish to struggle more violently than before.
Noctis strained to follow the fish's movement in the darkness while it thrashed around and jumped, desperately trying to keep from being dragged in. For several long moments they fought, both fish and line wearing thin. The fish was about halfway to the pier now and Noctis could already tell it was a beast. Not even Gladio could complain about the size of this one. The prince quickly began reeling again as the fish stopped fighting, imagining the look on his Shield's face as his eyes were drawn once more to the far wall. A sharp snap quickly followed by a whirring sound jerked his attention back to the fish but it was too late. The line had broken.
Noctis just stood there for a second or two, cursing vehemently beneath his breath. He almost jumped when Prompto spoke, not having heard the blond come up behind him.
"Too bad, dude," Prompto said, clapping a hand on the prince's shoulder. "You almost had him, too. Did you forget to change out the line again?"
"It wasn't the line," Noctis muttered sullenly, glaring at the far wall. What was it that was so interesting about it anyway?
"You sure?" Prompto asked skeptically. "I mean, I'm no fisherman, but I'm pretty sure I heard it snap..."
Noctis gestured impatiently. "Yes, the line snapped, but it's because I keep getting distracted by the wall," he explained, pointing across the lake.
Prompto blinked. "The wall?" he echoed. "What's so interesting about the wall?"
"I don't know," Noctis admitted, dismissing the rod in a shower of glowing shards and summoning his dagger to replace it. "But I'm going to find out."
"Dude, Iggy and Gladio are gonna freak if you go off on your own- especially after dark," Prompto pointed out.
"It's just across the lake," Noctis argued. "Within both sight and warping distance of the haven."
Prompto studied his best friend for a moment. "Alright, fine," he sighed, shaking his head. "But remember that not all of us can warp. It looks like there's enough room to walk around the lake on this side," he said, gesturing in the opposite direction of the haven. "Let me get at least halfway across first, yeah?"
"You don't have to come," Noctis said.
"And get my butt chewed by both Ignis and Gladio for letting you go alone? No thanks." The blond turned to leave before pausing and glancing back across the water contemplatively. "Besides," he added. "I'm not sure you can actually warp that far. I need to be ready with my camera when you fall in the lake."
Since it was no longer just him, Noctis had been planning on walking around the lake with his friend. However a challenge like that could not simply be ignored. "You don't think I can do it?"
"I'd bet you 50 gil you fall in the water- if, you know, Ignis didn't make us pool all our money into the 'mutual fund,' that is," Prompto said, shrugging.
Noctis nodded pensively. "How about this: if I make it across, you can't bring up not getting a picture of the meteor ever again," he suggested.
Prompto eyed his friend suspiciously. "And if you don't?" he asked.
"The next time you want a picture of something we'll stop, regardless of where we are, where we're going or what we're doing," Noctis stated, hiding a grimace. He didn't really mind stopping for Prompto to get a picture of whatever landmark caught his eye. The problem was they always had to backtrack several minutes to find the 'perfect spot' for the blond to snap the photo, which frequently required them to park the Regalia on the highway with no shoulder to speak of.
Prompto eyed his friend a bit distrustfully. "You only get one shot? No warping again before you hit the water?" he clarified.
"One shot," Noctis agreed.
"And if the water's only up to your ankles, it still counts?" Prompto continued, trying to find any loopholes the prince may try and exploit.
"If I get wet at all, it's your win," Noctis stated, rolling his eyes. "So? Whaddya say?"
"Alright, you're on," Prompto agreed, a grin stretching across his features. "But you hafta let me get all the way across first- I want to see you land so you can't try to weasel your way out of it later."
Noctis laughed, giving the blond a friendly shove toward the bank. "Fine, but hurry up- I could've been there and back already," he said, smirking.
It only took Prompto a few minutes to make it to the other side, waving to Noctis once he was in position. Summoning one of his smaller daggers, the prince hefted it in his hand to get a feel for the weight before drawing back his arm and letting it fly. The familiar rush of magic filled him as he flew through the air before his hand closed around the weapon's hilt once more. He dismissed the blade immediately, flipping while still airborne and landing solidly on his feet...three or four feet from the water's edge. He couldn't help smirking at the blond gaping a little ways away.
Prompto was trying hard not to look impressed. "Dude! Why didn't you tell me you could do that?"
"Pretty sure I did," Noctis replied, grinning. "You know, with the whole 'I'm going to warp across the lake,' thing."
"Yeah, but I've never seen you warp even half that distance," the blond insisted. "Why don't you do that when we're fighting?"
Noctis shrugged. "Not much point unless we're fighting a rock or something that doesn't move," he explained. "It's just a waste of energy to warp only to find your target a foot or three to your left."
"I guess I hadn't thought of it that way," Prompto said pensively. "Still, that was cool enough that I'm not even going to complain about losing the bet."
"Just so long as you uphold your end of it." Noctis was getting tired of the blond using the missed photo opportunity to guilt him into stopping every time something else caught his eye.
"I will. After all, I got a pretty sweet shot of Titan with the meteor when we were down in the crater, so it's all good," Prompto assured him. "So, what's so important about this wall, anyway?"
Noctis shook his head. "I don't know," he said, walking toward the wall in question. It certainly didn't look any different from the other walls of the cavern up close. He reached out and ran his fingers over the surface of the rocks, jerking back in surprise at the familiar tingle of magic coming from it.
Prompto was suddenly at his side. "What is it?" he asked, his voice tense.
"It's...a barrier," Noctis replied, brows furrowing in confusion. He pressed his hand more firmly against the rock, closing his eyes to help him focus.
"I suppose some people might call a rock wall a barrier," Prompto said slowly after a minute.
"No," the prince replied, shaking his head. "Sorry, it's a magic barrier. Kind of like the Wall around the Crown City, only not nearly as strong. This wasn't made using the Crystal," he explained, opening his eyes and pulling his hand from the rock. "It was made by a king of Lucis."
"So, your dad or someone put up a magic barrier in a random cave?" Prompto asked skeptically.
"Not my dad, but one of my ancestors, yeah."
"Why?"
Noctis shrugged. "Dunno. Wanna find out?"
"Um, I'm pretty sure they put the barrier there for a reason," Prompto argued, raising his hands in the air as he took a step back. "What if there's some huge daemon or something back there?"
"Not likely. This thing is positively ancient- we're taking centuries, maybe even millennia old. If some sort of monster was sealed back there, it's long dead by now," he explained. "Besides, it's not very big- maybe a little larger than a double-doorway, I'd say. The perfect size for an entrance to a hidden room."
"And if something's worth locking up..." Prompto trailed off, staring at the wall speculatively.
"Exactly." Noctis grinned at the blond. "So, what say we crack this thing open and take a look around?"
Prompto was still a bit hesitant. "I don't know, Noct. It could be dangerous."
"Says the guy who used me as bait to get a close-up of a catoblepas," Noctis retorted.
"I just wanted to make sure you were in the shot, buddy," Prompto replied, clapping the prince on the shoulder as he returned the grin. "Alright, let's do this- preferably before I change my mind!"
Noctis summoned a sword and thrust it deep into the wall. There was a sound similar to glass shattering, centuries worth of accumulated rock and dirt falling at his feet as the barrier crumbled. He coughed as he stepped back, waving a hand to clear the cloud of dust now hanging in the air.
"Noct! Prompto!" came the irritated bellow from across the lake. "What are you two doing all the way over there?"
Noctis turned back to see Gladio and Ignis both standing at the edge of the pier. Gladio had his arms folded across his chest and, although the prince couldn't see the larger man's face, he could tell Gladio was Not Happy. He took a few more seconds to try and clear his lungs before calling back a reply. "Just having a look around."
Noctis could practically feel Ignis' patented Disapproving Stare from across the lake. The advisor had one hand resting on his hip while the other moved up near his face, presumably to pinch the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses. It was clear from his body language that wasn't a good enough reason to wander off after dark without his bodyguards. "Noct-"
"It's a Royal Tomb!" Prompto exclaimed, inadvertently interrupting Ignis' lecture.
Noctis glanced back toward the rapidly clearing cloud of dust. A white door shone dully in the beams from their flashlights and although the loops and swirls carved in the stone was a bit different from the other tombs they'd visited, it was still clearly of Lucian design. The usual statue of the Oracle with robes splayed out around her that stood over the doors of the other tombs had been replaced with a solemn bust of the same, the hood hiding the features beneath it in darkness. A stone pillar stood on either side of the door, the ancient Lucian writing carved on one identifying the king whose resting place they had found.
"Hey Ignis, did Cor mention anything about a Royal Tomb in this area?" Noctis called.
"Not to me, though a number of tombs have been lost over the years," the advisor answered. "Perhaps this is one of them."
"Gotta admit, this is much better than the daemon I was expecting," Prompto commented, keeping his voice low even though it was unlikely either man on the pier would be able to hear him.
Ignis turned to Gladio, conferring briefly with the larger man before turning and heading back to camp. "Iggy's gonna start on dinner, since you don't seem to have caught any fish," Gladio called. "Get that Royal Arm and then get back to the haven- both of you."
"Will do!" Prompto called, offering a two-finger salute as Gladio turned and followed Ignis. "Well, that went better than I expected," he said, lowering his voice to a normal volume as he turned back to the door.
"It helps that we found a Royal Tomb over here, but I doubt that's the last we've heard of this," Noctis stated, shrugging. He stepped toward the door, pulling the key to the tombs from his pocket before stopping. "There's no keyhole..."
Prompto leaned forward, checking the door himself. "Well, it was hidden behind that barrier," he pointed out. "You said it was really old- maybe this guy died before they invented locks?"
"I highly doubt it's that old," Noctis argued. Planting his feet, he put his hands on the door and pushed. It slowly slid open with a low grumble of stone on stone and a surprisingly low level of resistance given its size.
"Did you just get really strong or is that more of your 'innate magic of the Lucian royal line' stuff?" Prompto asked.
"I don't know," Noctis panted, peering inside. "But I'm all for it if it means I don't have to call Gladio over to open a door for me."
"True enough," Prompto agreed. "He'd probably make us both join him for early morning training every day or something."
"Yeah." Noctis stepped inside, gazing around the interior of the tomb. The statues of kings past that usually lined the walls were missing, intricate designs chiseled across the stone in their place. The full sized statue of the Oracle standing across from the entrance was there, though it had not withstood the test of time. The head and one of the arms had broken off, the smashed pieces lying where they had fallen on the floor.
In the middle of the room was the familiar stone table with a statue of the king lying on it, his ashes stored in the gilded box above his head. The statue's hands were clasped around the handle of a sword, the likes of which Noctis hadn't seen before.
The blade was about seven inches wide at its base, gradually thinning to about four inches near the tip before sloping sharply to a point. A bit of metal stuck up about an inch on the back of the blade a bit past the widest part, serving as a guard. Below that, a hole had been cut out of the middle of the blade, allowing the wielder to grip the metal itself in place of a more traditional hilt. The entire thing was made of a dark metal which glinted dully in the light from the flashlight.
Noctis shivered as a sudden chill ran down his spine, rubbing the goose bumps that sprang up all over his arms. The feeling of something being wrong had intensified once he'd stepped inside the tomb, making the hair on the back of his neck rise. It almost felt like some sort of monster had been sealed in here for whatever reason, though he saw nothing to indicate that was the case. Not wanting to spend any more time in here than absolutely necessary, he decided to just grab the Royal Arm and go.
Noctis stretched forth his hand, calling upon the power of kings within him to bind his ancestor's soul and power to his own. The sword reacted, glowing brightly as it rose into the air, shimmering between incorporeal and physical forms as the bond was completed.
Noctis gasped as the bond was made, a feeling of dread washing over him. He had gained nine other Royal Arms in his armiger, bonded with the souls of nine of his ancestors over the past few months. Every time he felt it burn within him, almost like a fire that couldn't be quenched. This time it was colder than ice.
He glanced up at the sword hovering almost serenely over the king's statue, expecting to see the weapon shining with the familiar blue-white luminescence. What met his eyes instead was a dark red glow, casting the interior of the tomb in an ominous light. Before he could even think of how to undo the binding- or if such a thing were even possible -the sword swung down in an arc, entering his chest and absorbing into his body in a burst of crystalline shards.
Prompto stayed outside as Noctis entered the tomb. As impressive as the whole 'power of kings' thing was, he didn't mind admitting that it kind of freaked him out basically watching his friend get stabbed by whatever weapon his ancestor had left behind. Yes, he knew gaining the Royal Arms didn't actually hurt Noctis, but that didn't stop him from itching to pull the prince out of the way whenever another glowing weapon shot towards his chest.
Glancing around the exterior of the tomb for something to distract himself with, his eyes fell on the plaque. The past kings of Lucis didn't seem to be big on names. All the tombs they'd found listed the late king's most prominent characteristic. So far they'd come across the tomb of the wise, the pious, the clever... He idly wondered what happened if they had two king's with the same defining traits. Was that what happened to whoever was buried in the tomb of the tall?
Shaking off his rambling musings, he moved closer to the plague, curious to see what this guy was most known for. To his surprise, the plague seemed to have been altered, the original text literally gouged out of the wall. The graffitist had tried to chisel something else beneath it, though he- or she, he supposed -clearly wasn't skilled in working with stone.
It took Prompto a bit to work out the crude letters, guessing at the ones that were illegible. Benaray? Beronye? No, that was definitely an 'a'... Bemayan?
Prompto rubbed his eye, cursing softly at a bit of dust that was irritating his contact lens. He glanced at the plaque again, the slight blurriness of his vision suddenly making the word pop out at him. He blinked. That couldn't be right, could it? The tomb of the betrayer?
A soft gasp from inside the tomb pushed the plaque from his mind. Stepping back over to the doorway, he glanced toward his friend. Noctis was standing in front of the king's statue, the last glowing shards fading away to nothing around him. He was shivering.
"Hey are you okay?" Prompto asked, stepping forward and hesitantly reaching out a hand. "Noct?"
The prince didn't seem to hear him, swaying slightly where he stood before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed bonelessly to the ground.
"NOCT!"
To Be Continued
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