2. The Fate of Ignis
Ignis awoke in a sandy canyon. The wind was howling through the maze of sandy chasims causing clouds of sand to pick up and roll all over. Thankfully, Ignis's glasses helped to repel much of the sand from his eyes. He pushed himself to his feet and analyzed his surroundings. Large, round, flightless, birds roamed the area around him. Some stopped to examine him but marched on when they felt he was no threat. Ignis could not see his friends nor the Prince but hoped they were elsewhere nearby.
"Gladio?" Ignis called out, cupping his hands around his mouth hoping that it would power his voice over the howl of the wind. "Noct! Prompto! Are you out there?" Only echos answered his call. Ignis sighed with disappointment and looked to the sun to get his bearings. "Hopefully they made it out of this canyon." Ignis suddenly remembered the stone and patted his pockets. The stone was no longer on his person. "Curious, indeed..." With no other options to go on, he walked forward cautiously in an attempt to naviagate out of the maze.
After a while, Ignis came to a pathway that seemed to be an exit. The sun was now going down and the temperature was getting lower. A shiver came over him.
"I'd best find a place to wait out the night." Ignis told himself. He came to a cliff that overlooked the wide expanse of desert but to his right there was a large stone city that looked to be under restorative construction. With no other options left to him, he made his way to the city in hopes of gathering information, if not a place to stay the night. He held quite a bit of gil in his pocket, but with this being a different world, he highly doubted the inns here would accept his currency. He came to a vender who looked to be closing up shop for the night when Ignis caught his eye.
"Good evening to you, Young Sir!" He greeted. "I'm just about to close up for the night but feel free to browse! I have plenty of fine daggers and swords available for purchase!"
Ignis looked at his hand and tried to summon his own weapons but none appeared. With a heavy sigh, he looked at the vender to deny his offer but noticed the sign on one of the vender's Halberd pole arm for sale. The sign next to it read "700 gil." With a sudden peak in interest Ignis pulled out his wallet but noticed all the gil that he had was transformed into gold, silver, and bronze coins. Ignis pulled out three gold coins and examined it in the fading daylight. How confusing was this? His own currency turned into that of this world? Were they connected?
"Do you see something you fancy?" asked the vender.
Ignis snapped out of his trance. "I'll take that pole arm, if you don't mind." Ignis answered.
"For that much gil, you can also purchase a pair of daggers!" The Vender smiled. "If you have another, I'll throw in a couple of sheaths for the daggers and a bandaleir for your spear!"
"You drive a hard bargan." Ignis smiled. "I shall take your offer, sir."
"Splended!" The vender smiled as he took the four coins from the strange customer. "Just a moment while I polish and sharpen them up for you."
"Do you mind if I ask a few questions while you do so?" asked Ignis.
"Of course, good sir!" The vender smiled. "I'm always happy to help my fellow travelers, especially if they are paying customers."
"Of course..." Ignis smiled. Choosing his words carefully so as to not reveal his true origin, Ignis continued, "I...I'm not quite familiar with this area. Would you mind unveiling more about this land?"
"Please, take no offense, sir..." smiled the Vender as he began sharpening the pole arm. "But I could tell from your attire that you are not from this area. I've been all over Ivalice and have not seen the like of your garments. Whereabouts are you from?" Before Ignis could attempt an answer the man spoke again, "Ah! Forgive me. You asked a question first...Let's see, if you go South West of here through that canyon there, you'll come across the Royal City of Rabenastre, the beating heart of the beautiful land of Dalmasca. Although, you'll not find much jubilee there, these days. The Empire took over two years ago following the death of King Raminas and his fair daughter, Princess Ashe."
"I see." Ignis felt for the kingdom of Dalmasca. After all, Lucis lost its king and Prince Noctis is presumed dead. Ignis contemplated his provisions. "How far of a walk is it from here?"
"Well, reckoning you get through the canyon without getting lost, it should take you to early evening if you leave at sunrise."
"Very well..." Ignis waited for the man to finish. As he did so, Ignis took the opportunity to learn more about Ivalice and its recent history. The vender pointed out soldiers of the Empire and told Ignis the battle that occurred during the war two years ago. He spoke of many travelers coming to this city of Nalbena to find work in the restoration project. The vender also warned Ignis of the blocked off lower level of the fortress that was now being used as a prison for war criminals as well as murderers and thieves. When the man finished his work, he handed the weapons to Ignis who attached the two dagger sheathes to his upper thighs and removed his jacket in order to place the pole arm's bandolier across his back and chest. Ignis thanked the vender again and prepared to head out of the city when the vender spoke again.
"It is quite dangerous to travel the desert this late in the night, sir! There is an inn further in the fortress. If you mention my name, they shall give you a discount."
"Helpful indeed." Ignis smiled. "You are too kind, sir. I shall spread word of your service."
"You have my thanks, stranger!" The man waved. "Do take care, now!"
Ignis walked and noticed the many different races of humanoids around the city. At first, he was greatly startled but found many of them conversing with men and women. He did his best to keep his composure so as to not arouse suspicion but the sight of these creatures gave him quite a shock. He finally arrived at the inn where he found the keeper to be one of the strange races. The inn also had a small tavern where many of the locals were enjoying themselves with drink and marryment after a long day. A group of raptilian creatures that were armored well caught Ignis's eye. They seemed to be watching him as well so Ignis made sure to look as though he did not notice. This inn keeper, however, resembled the toy moogles found in Eos.
"Good evening, Kupo!" The moogle greeted. He wore a green and white silk robe with a pointed hat that allowed his pom-pom to bounce at the top. "Looking for a room?"
"Y-yes." Ignis muttered, trying to hide his shock of talking to such a creature. "The Weapon vendor at the Gate recommended this inn to me."
"Wonderful, Kupo!" The moogle smiled as he used a feathered quill to write off a room. "Jashowa is a talented hume, Kupo! Well repsected among warriors here in Nalbina. That will be 200 gil, Kupo!" Ignis, quickly learning the money system, handed the moogle two silver coins. "Thank you, Kupo! What name shall this room be under?"
"Scientia." Ignis answered. "Ignis Scientia."
"Very well, Mr. Scientia!" The moogle smiled. "Follow Mogki, here, and she'll show you to your room!" Another moogle, this one appearing female and wearing a purple dress with a white apron, trotted up and greeted. The moogle's pom-pom barely reached Ignis's hips.
"Welcome, Kupo!" she smiled. "Right this way!" Ignis followed the moogle to the second level and down a long hallway. The moogle flapped her wings in order to hover by the door knob and unlocked the door. She handed Ignis the key and with a polite bow, wished the patron a good evening. Ignis removed his newly acquired arms and lay in his bed, contemplating the events. He pondered the whereabouts of the magic stone and the creature called Venat. He also wondered where Noctis and the others were and how they were doing. He prayed to the Gods of Eos that they would protect the prince, even within another world. Sleep slowly took him as the black veil of his eyelids faded his world.
He awoke with a start. Looking out the window, Ignis could see the pale blue of dawn approaching. Now, he thought, would be a good time to slip through town unnoticed. As he sat up, his stomach suddenly pained. He laughed to himself, realizing that he had not eaten. And here I scold Noct for skipping meals. He quickly equipped his weapons and grabbed a quick breakfast from the tavern. He stepped out of the inn doors and started out his journey to the city of Rabenastre. As he stared out of the main gate, he took one more deep breath, heading into this strange new world. He entered back into the canyon maze and did his best to navigate. Removing his leather jacket proved little profit in this heat, however. Many times, he came across ferocious wolves but managed to fight them off with his newly acquired daggers and pole arm. Through the battles, however, he found himself disoriented and now lost. He stopped at a nearby rock formation where he could sit and rest in peace. As he munched on a small piece of bread he acquired from the inn, he looked to the sun and shadows to judge his direction. From the looks lf the shadows, he was more north east than south west. With a quick sip of his water skin, he dressed himself and readied for another treck. Halfway through, however, the sun was beginning to go down and now Ignis was tasked with finding a place to wait out the night once more.
"Evening already?" Ignis gritted his teeth. "Blast it! I wasted so much time here…." His heart raced. He had no way of knowing where Nalbina was or how far he was from Rabanastre.
"Lost are ye?" came a growling, gruff voice. Ignis turned around to see a green reptilian creature similar to the one he saw at the inn…no…it was the same.
"Tis no place for an outsider such as yourself, am I right?" The smile on this creature was sinister and dangerous. Ignis readied his spear and pointed the blade at it. There was something off about this encounter.
"I've nothing for you, brigan!" Ignis growled, doing his best to intimidate the creature. "Begone and leave me in peace!"
"That would be mighty dangerous." Another voice came from a pathway on Ignis's left. He turned his spear and found himself cornered by two more creatures. "To leave such a weak hume alone in such a place would be…criminal." Grinned one of the male reptiles.
"Aye, we wouldn't sleep at night at the thought of leavin' ye…" Laughed the other.
"I assure you, I can handle myself…" Ignis argued, his heart was pumping faster. "However, I get the feeling you're not here for my benefit."
"Sharp as them daggers, aren't ye?" laughed the green one. "Very well…come quietly and we'll spare any 'unpleasant' mishaps."
"What need have you of me?" Ignis growled. "I have nothing of value." Could he do it? Take on three of these massive, burley creatures?
A seductive scratch slowly ran down Ignis's back, causing him to jump and turn his spear. A white reptile humanoid slowly lifted her claws to her 'lips' and licked them. She smiled as she hissed, "Ye have a strong back….you'll fetch a good price."
"Slavers?!" Ignis looked all around him. He was surrounded on all sides by the four with no means of escape. Now was the time for his body to choose: Fight or Flight. "Begone with you! I'll be a slave to no one!"
"The odds are against ye, hume!" laughed the leader. "If it's a fight ya want, then we'll deliver! We must be quick, however. A tight schedule we be on but we're not one to pass up fresh meat for the market."
The second green bangaa charged but Ignis was quick enough to thrust his spear and flip out of the way. As he did so, he noticed the male silver one below his feet and tried to thrust his spear down upon him. The female grabbed her companion by the tail and thrust him out of the way. The leader was much quicker on the attack and almost cut Ignis's arm off with his strange saw-like weapon but Ignis managed to block it. The saw, unfortunately, cut Ignis's pole arm in half and was now useless. The leader jumped in for another attack as Ignis quickly threw himself on the ground and rolled away. The female, however, seized this opportunity and quickly jumped on top of him. The two rolled and wrestled until Ignis was now pinned to the sandy ground with his wrists pinned up above his head. Although female, her strength was remarkable, she held both of his arms down with just one hand.
"Don't make this harder on yerself, handsome…" She licked her beak as she caressed his face and chest. "You'll fetch a fine price indeed."
"Release me!" Ignis managed to lift his legs high enough to kick his captor in the back of the head, freeing himself. He quickly rolled away and rose to a crouch. From the corner of his eye, he could see the male silver Bangaa charging toward him with great speed. In his crouch position, he removed his leather jacket and jumped as he wrapped it around the charging Bangaa's face. Before landing, he shoved both feet into the back of the bangaa, allowing Ignis to recover with a back flip.
"This bloke is no joke!" huffed the other green bangaa. "Perhaps more swift tactics are needed, brother?"
"I lead you!" Hissed the leader. "I make the decisions around 'ere!" He crossed his arms as he stared down his mark, now with daggers drawn. "Perhaps yer right, Gijuk. Do it."
"Aye." Gijuk loaded his gun with some strange ammo and aimed it at Ignis.
Not taking any chances with this menace, Ignis threw one of his daggers into Gijuk's leg, causing him to reel back, but the gun fired.
"Rinok! Bwagi!" Shouted the leader. "Outta the way!"
The blast exploded and a green gas was realeased. The Bangaa quickly retreated the area and Ignis followed suit, but the one called Bwagi quickly turned for a surprise attack. He tried to hit Ignis in his gut but the man was too quick. He dodged and tried to slice Bwagi's neck with no success. Another shot was fired and this time the blast exploded from behind. Bwagi threw sand into Ignis's face and thrust his fist into the advisor's gut with such force that he was thrown back into the gas. Stunned and breathing in the toxin, Ignis did his best to cover his face while struggling to stand and breathe. The toxin was quick to work on his muscles and nerves. His legs were the first to go numb as his arms soon gave in. He fell back onto the soft sand, releasing the dagger and now defenseless. The gas cleared and he found himself surrounded by the four once more.
"Good thinking, Brother." Laughed Rinok. "He's got a lotta life, this one."
"He better fish a high price after what 'e did to muh leg!" growled Gijuk. He grabbed Ignis by his shirt with one arm and grabbed Ignis's right arm with the other. "Mayhap I break yer arm as payment, eh?!" All Ignis could do was widen his eyes at the expected pain.
"Don't ye dare!" the leader pulled Ignis from Gijuk with such force that Gijuk ripped the right sleeve of Ignis's shirt clean off. "Damaged goods yield low prices, you idiot! We must wait until the time is ripe to sell this one. We've a bigger prize to sieze!"
"Aye, the pirate." Gijuk nodded.
"He should be in Rabenastre by now." Rinok stated. "If we leave now we should get there before sunrise. That shall leave us with plenty of time for preparations for his capture as well."
"Aye, n' if we don't catch 'im there, this fellow should still pay for food at least." Bwagi smiled.
"Agreed." The leader stared deep into Ignis's face. "Yer in for quite a trip." He threw Ignis to Rinok. "Be sure he's comfortable. Don't want our meat to spoil."
"I'll be sure too, my brother." Rinok ran a claw down Ignis's chest and stomach before binding his hands behind his back and binding his ankles together. She took the ripped sleeve Gijuk was holding and tore it in half. She tied one article it around Ignis's mouth to prevent him from shouting and tied the other round her rist as a trophy. Along the way, they also drugged his water to ensure his immobilization.
When they finally reached Rabenastre, three of them waited outside of the city while Bwagi ran to find a sack large enough for Ignis to fit within. When he returned, Ignis fought as hard as he could but the might of all four monsters was far too much for him in his current state. All he could do was sit and listen to what all was happening outside. After many hours, they seemed to find a place underground to hide their cargo. There was an empty crate available for them to throw their new slave-to-be while they attempted their next kidnapping scheme.
"Rinok, you stand here and wait for us!" the leader, now recognized as Ba'Gamnan, ordered. "Don't let him make a peep, ya hear?"
"Aye, Brother." Rinok sneered.
"N' no funny business!" Ba'Gamnan growled. "He's no play thing!"
After a long while, the drugs began to wear off and Ignis was able to mentally understand what was happening around him. There was roars of a crowd, almost like a market. The bag he was in, however, was becoming intensly warm and he was struggling to breathe. Almost as if she knew, Rinok untied the sack and allowed Ignis's head and shoulders to appear from the bag. Ignis breathed the fresh, cool, air through his nose and relished this small taste of freedom.
"Keep quiet, you!" Rinok grabbed him by the throat. "If I hear one peep out of ye, I'll find a nice place for a tender beatin'!" Ignis glared at the female reptile but nodded. She released him and he leaned his back against the crate, hoping that Noctis was avoiding this type of Hell.
Many more hours passed, with updates on the other bangaa every now and then. It sounded as though their target was slipping through every trap they were setting. However, Bwagi returned this time with urgent news.
"Brother's not happy about this one, sister." Bwagi crossed his arms. "He's on 'is way back. Apparently, the Imperials got to 'im first."
"Blast them all!" Hissed Rinok. "If I was there, this wouldn't have happened! We'd have Balthier and be halfway to Archadia by now!"
"Patience, sister." Bwagi smiled. "Sounds like there are more of these strangers about."
Ignis's ears perked. "Strangers, ya say?" Rinok seemed interested.
"Yep, three humes all in black." Bwagi answered. "One's a big one…but the other two look as weak as sickly chocobos."
"Ripe for the picking…" Rinok smiled. "If we can't get Balthier, the lot of these strangers will fetch quite the price!"
"Not as high as Balthier's…" Bwagi sighed. "But, it will have to do. Maybe we can put this one to good use."
"Ya think they're together?" Rinok asked.
"Let's find out…" Bwagi walked around and grabbed Ignis by the shirt. "A simple yes, er, no question for ye: Are there more of yeh?" Ignis glared, knowing full well that he did not want them rushing after Noctis. He quickly shook his head. "I can tell yer lyin'…" He raised a finger and pointed to the skull and cross bones insignia on the pelvis of his pants pocket. "Those three all have this here symbol." Bwagi shuffled his hands so that he could grab Ignis around the neck and hold him high. "I'll ask ye one more time….are there more of yeh?"
"Bwagi!" Ba'Gamnan charged up with Gijuk before Ignis could answer. "Hide that damn hume! The Imperials are here n' they have Balthier! If they find we have this hume they'll take him too!" Before being shoved into the bag, Ignis caught a glimpse of Prompto, bound and surrounded by men in armor. Ignis tried to call to him but was quickly shoved back into the bag. To silence him further, he received a heavy blow to the back of the head and fell unconscious.