Chapter 3
It was a restless night at the haven. Though Ignis, Gladio and Prompto had taken shifts watching over Noctis throughout the night, sleep did not come easily for any of the men.
Ignis' phone started ringing right at four am, waking the advisor from a light doze. He laid there for several long seconds, trying to muster up the energy to turn it off. He still hadn't quite managed to even open his eyes when the ringtone changed, becoming a bit louder and more insistent. Sighing, Ignis had just about freed his arm from his blanket when the noise cut of abruptly. He squinted one eye open, blinking a couple times before he was able to make out Gladio's blurry form looming over him.
"Sorry, Iggy, but the kid just stopped tossing and turning about an hour ago," the Shield whispered, nodding toward the blond on Ignis' other side. "I'd like to let him sleep a little longer."
Ignis nodded, stretching before heaving himself to a sitting position. He tried to rub the grit out of his tired eyes with one hand, feeling around for his glasses with the other. "Any change in Noct's condition?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
"None," Gladio answered, pressing the glasses into Ignis' wandering hand. "He's still a little cool despite the extra blankets, but other than that..." He let the sentence trail off, shrugging. "If it weren't for the fact that we can't wake him up, I'd swear he was just asleep."
Frowning, Ignis crawled over to the prince, resting his hand against Noct's cheek. As Gladio had said, the skin was a bit cool to the touch though not worryingly so. He sat back, covering a yawn with one hand as he rummaged through his bag for a fresh set of clothes. "I'll get started on re-heating breakfast- there should be enough leftovers from last night to suffice. In the meantime, would you mind packing any essentials you can think of? I'd like to head out as soon as possible and it may be some time before we are able to retrieve anything left behind."
Gladio nodded, grabbing his bag and emptying out the contents as Ignis began getting dressed. He packed a spare change of clothes for everyone, water bottles, bandages, disinfectant, two blankets, a coil of rope, the flint and steel he used for the fire and whatever toiletries he could find, before doing a quick walk through the campsite to see if anything else caught his eye.
Ignis covered a yawn with one hand as he lit the camping stove. Shaking his head, he let his eyelids stay at half-mast as he stared blearily down at the half-filled pot of leftovers. Devilfin soup didn't sound all that appetizing for breakfast, but he supposed it was better than nothing at all.
Within twenty minutes, all three men were sitting around the cold fire pit, quietly eating their soup. Prompto looked as tired as Ignis felt, eyes barely open as he stared unseeingly down at the bowl on his lap. He looked like he was about to doze off at any moment.
"Come on, Prompto, wake up," Gladio said, reaching over and shaking the blond's shoulder as he listed too far to one side. "Nap time's over- it's breakfast time now."
"Nap is right," Prompto muttered, yawning widely. "Is it waaay too early to be awake."
Gladio chuckled, earning a baleful glare from the gunman. "Why are you so chipper, anyway?" Prompto demanded petulantly.
"I've never seen anyone who had a harder time waking up than Noct," the brunet replied. "But even he'd have been halfway through breakfast by now."
The previous levity was lost at the reminder of their ailing friend. Prompto dropped his gaze back down to his soup, watching the steam curling lazily in the air. "How's he doing?" he asked quietly.
"There's been no change," Ignis answered, finishing off his bowl and moving to start on cleanup.
"But, at least he's not getting worse- right?" Prompto asked.
"Not getting better, either," Gladio pointed out, draining the last of his bowl before handing it to Ignis and heading back into the tent.
"Either way, there's nothing we can do for him here," Ignis stated, using water from the lake to clean the dishes so as to not deplete their own reserves. "With that in mind, I'd like to head out as soon as possible."
Prompto got the hint, digging into his breakfast with renewed fervor.
Finishing his task, Ignis looked over his collection of cooking knives with a critical eye before selecting a long carving knife and a chef's knife of similar length with a wider blade. He hefted them in his hands, getting a feel for the weight before moving through a few basic forms. They were both lighter and shorter than his daggers, but would serve him well enough against any monsters they met on their way back to Taelpar.
"Um, Iggy?" Prompto asked hesitantly. "What are you doing?"
"Arming myself for the trip," the advisor replied, carefully sliding the blades through his belt.
"Uh, why not just use your daggers?" Prompto continued, sounding confused.
"They are inaccessible at present."
"What? How's that even possible?"
Ignis stopped what he was doing, studying the blond for a moment. As he recalled, Prompto's induction into the Crownsguard had been a hurried and last minute affair, having to do more with the prince's desire for his friend to accompany him to Altissia than to any outstanding skills in combat. It was possible explanations about the abilities afforded him by his new rank were lost in the shuffle. "Do you remember the ceremony when you were initiated a member of the Crownsguard?" he asked.
Prompto blinked. "Sort of," he said, shrugging. "Most of it's kind of a blur."
"Do you recall Noctis placing his hand on your shoulder and saying something...odd?" Ignis couldn't recall the exact words when he hand undergone the ceremony, but they hadn't made any sense and he remembered how uncomfortable the prince had been saying something so ridiculous.
"Uh..." Prompto tilted his head back, trying to remember. "Noct clapped me on the shoulder afterward and mumbled something, but Cor sent me for training before I could ask him about it."
Ignis chuckled, not really surprised Noctis had found a way around the embarrassment. "It's an old ritual, by which one of royal blood can share part of his power with those in his personal guard," he explained. "The magic which is his birthright affords Noctis access to a pocket dimension, if you will, in which he can store any number of items he chooses. Initially it was just weapons, but after the Regalia broke down the first time, he put all our camping gear and the majority of our supplies in there as well."
Prompto, who'd been present for that part, nodded.
"As members of his personal Crownsguard, he has lent us the ability to access this storage space ourselves," Ignis continued. "Unfortunately, when Noctis is incapacitated, so is this ability."
"Are you saying we have to carry all of this with us?" the blond asked, gesturing around the campsite.
"No, we'll be leaving the majority of it here," Ignis said, shaking his head. "However, this also means that I cannot retrieve my daggers... Nor you, your gun."
Prompto blinked, having just made the connection. "Oh, man..." he breathed, realizing he was going to be completely defenseless against whatever monsters they ran into.
"Do not worry- Gladio and I will take care of any creatures we come across on the way out," Ignis assured him. He hesitated a moment before continuing against his better judgment. "If you'd like, I could lend you a knife...?"
Prompto immediately shook his head. He was pretty clumsy on a good day and using a sharp blade made him nervous, which only made it worse. The sword part of his training had been exceptionally brief and he wasn't sure who was more relieved when it was over- him or his instructor. "No thanks- I'll leave the monster-slaying to you guys," he said, moving toward the lake to rinse out his bowl.
Gladio exited the tent, dropping a duffel bag next to one of the chairs with a heavy thump and leaning his greatsword against it. "Noct's ready to go," he informed the others. "And there's still a little room in the bag for anything you can't stand to leave behind."
Prompto nodded, doing a double take at the greatsword leaning against the chair. "Hey, how'd you get that?" he asked, surprised. "Ignis said it wasn't working."
Gladio blinked, following the blond's pointing finger to his weapon. "I was cleaning the blade when this happened," he explained with a shrug. "Luckily for us."
Prompto nodded, suddenly feeling a lot better about their chances of making it out of the cave alive.
"Looks like we're ready to go," Ignis noted, taking charge. "Let's move."
After determining their marching order they headed out, Ignis taking the lead and keeping both knives at the ready as he kept an eye out for any monsters lurking in the dark. Gladio followed twenty to thirty feet behind, carrying Noctis on his back. Prompto was right behind him, the duffel bag slung over his shoulder and the greatsword in his arms.
It didn't take long to work out a system for when they ran across daemons in the tunnels. Ignis would signal the others, providing a distraction while Gladio set Noctis down and retrieved his greatsword. Prompto stayed at Noct's side, alerting the others before any monsters who were able to sneak past them reached the defenseless prince.
The system worked rather well and though they weren't traveling at a fast pace, the small groups of daemons they'd run into were handled with relative ease, considering they were down two fighters. They didn't run into their first major problem until later that morning.
"Well? What're we gonna do about this?" Gladio asked, gesturing to the wall they'd have to scale to continue down the path they'd been traveling. The wall was only twelve or so feet high and was pretty rough with plenty of handholds and footholds. "It looks easy enough to climb, but..." He trailed off, casting a look toward the prince currently slumped over Ignis' back. "Should we backtrack and try to find another way?"
Ignis, who'd been switching with Gladio periodically throughout the day, moved to set Noctis down near the wall. Prompto jumped forward, helping ease the prince to the floor. Once freed from his burden, the advisor rolled his shoulders, loosening up the muscles. "If memory serves, this wall is very near the cave's exit," he stated, pulling out his phone and checking the time. "We've been walking for almost five hours. Backtracking and trying to find another way out at this juncture is not my preferred course of action."
"Well, I wouldn't want to try climbing up this carrying someone else," the Shield stated, looking over the wall with a critical eye. "Maybe if we had some rope or something, but-" He broke off mid-word as a realization struck him. "Prompto, lemme see that bag."
Prompto blinked at the sudden demand. "Uh, sure," he said, handing it over.
Gladio took it, rummaging around inside it for a few seconds before pulling out a coil of rope. "Good thing I grabbed this," he said, holding it up.
"Indeed," Ignis agreed, nodding. "How would you suggest we go about this?"
"The best way would be to tie one end around Noct and have someone on the ledge pull him up," Gladio said, eyeing the rope. "If it's long enough, that is. I'll go check."
Sliding his arm through the coil, Gladio started scaling the wall. It didn't take him more than a few minutes to make it up and, once he had, he turned and dropped the rope over the edge, keeping a firm grip on one end. It stopped a couple of feet above the ground. Gladio knelt down, giving them a bit more slack while still keeping enough leverage to allow him to pull Noctis up.
Ignis and Prompto moved Noctis toward the rope, the latter supporting the prince's dead weight while the former ran the rope around Noct's chest and under his arms. "Any way in particular I should tie this?" Ignis called up to Gladio.
"Yeah- so it doesn't come loose."
The advisor rolled his eyes at the obvious statement. "Knots are your forte- not mine," he reminded the Shield.
"I'll walk you through it."
Several minutes later, Ignis finished tying off the knot as per Gladio's instructions, eyeing the whole thing a bit skeptically. "Are you sure this will hold?" he asked, raising his voice.
"It should, if you did it right," the brunet answered.
"Let us hope that I did," Ignis muttered. "Go ahead and give it a try," he called up.
Gladio shifted slightly, bracing himself and heaving on the line. The knot held and Noctis slid a few inches up the wall.
"It looks good from down here. I'll climb up and help you," Ignis called, starting up the wall. "Prompto, would you mind climbing along side Noct in case his clothing gets caught on anything?"
"Sure," the blond agreed, nodding.
It was slow going, pulling the prince up a few inches at a time. His clothing didn't catch too often, although it required a bit of creative climbing on Prompto's part when it did. Ignis and Gladio were both panting with the exertion, grateful for the gloves that kept the rope from rubbing their hands raw.
"Almost...there..." Gladio grunted, pulling on the rope in time with Ignis. The advisor nodded but didn't reply, opting to save his breath.
Noct was only a few feet from the top when Prompto noticed a problem with the rope. "The knot's slipping!" he cried frantically.
"Ignis, hold him!" Gladio yelled, barely giving the advisor enough time to brace himself before releasing the rope. He threw himself down on his stomach, reaching for the prince. His fingers could just barely brush Noct's hair. "Gimme his arm!"
Prompto hurried to comply, lifting the limb up into Gladio's reach. The brunet grasped Noct's forearm as the knot slipped, the sudden dead weight threatening to pull him over the edge.
Abandoning the lax rope, Ignis immediately moved to help Gladio while Prompto climbed underneath Noctis, doing his best to push while the other two pulled. With their combined effort it wasn't long before the prince was pulled up onto the ledge, Gladio moving him away from the edge while Ignis helped Prompto up.
Once Noct was a safe distance away Gladio sat down heavily on the ground, resting his arms on his raised knees as he just focused on breathing. Ignis and Prompto stumbled over, wearily collapsing next to him as they both panted for breath.
"So glad that's over," Prompto breathed as he flopped onto his back, chest heaving.
Gladio grunted. "I don't think you tied that knot right," he said, too drained to add any inflection to his voice.
"I'd say the result speaks for itself, though I'd like to point out I followed your instructions precisely," the advisor returned wearily.
"Clearly not- otherwise it would have held."
Ignis sighed, too tired to argue. "In future, I shall happily leave any knot-tying to you."
They rested for several minutes, regaining their strength. Ignis was about to suggest getting a move on when he realized something was missing. "It seems we have left our supplies down below," he informed the others.
Prompto groaned, dropping an arm across his eyes. "I already reached my limit for time spent clinging to a wall today," he whined, still lying on the ground. "I vote someone else go and get it."
"I'll arm wrestle you for it," Gladio offered, grinning down at the blond.
"Against those logs you call arms?" Prompto asked, moving his arm to glare up at the brunet. "No thanks."
"C'mon, they feel like jelly right now," Gladio cajoled. "You might even stand a chance."
"I'll go," Ignis sighed, pushing himself to his feet and moving toward the wall. "It's like dealing with children sometimes," he muttered, carefully easing himself over the edge.
"You can tie the bag and my greatsword onto the rope and we'll pull it up," the Shield called after him. "Assuming the knot holds this time," he added with a grin. "I can put a slip knot in the end for you before I lower it down if you want."
Ignis paused in his descent, raising an eyebrow at the brunet. Though it would have been bad had Gladio not managed to catch the prince, Ignis readily admitted he knew nothing about knots. And, as he had followed the Shield's directions to the letter, he did not feel solely responsible for the mishap. "You may as well rest up a bit more while you can," he informed the brunet primly. "When we continue, it's your turn to carry Noct."
Gladio chuckled, offering the advisor a cheeky two finger salute as he disappeared from view.
-LINE BREAK-
It was difficult for Noctis to track time in the dream, but it felt like they'd been walking for hours before the gates to the Citadel finally came into view. He couldn't help sighing at the thought of finally getting out of here. The silence, while something he was growing accustomed to out in the wild, was unsettling inside the Crown City.
Everything was just as he remembered it: the displays of merchandise in department store windows, the flashing advertisements on the billboards, the convenience stores on just about every corner... The only thing missing was any sign of life.
The wide city streets were deserted, the normally crowded sidewalks completely devoid of people. Cars were parked here and there along the curb and in parking lots, but not a single one was on the road. No pigeons landed on the signs or lampposts lining the streets. No cats scavenged through the trash bins in the alleyways, looking for their next meal. An eerie silence shrouded the city that never slept.
The gates opened on silent hinges, granting access to the Citadel. A long bridge stretched past the guardhouse, ending at a decorative fountain in the middle of a roundabout at the palace's steps. The Citadel itself loomed tall and imposing, separating into four towers around a central spire after the first fourteen floors.
Homesickness warred with an overwhelming sense of loss as Noctis gazed up at his childhood home. Every detail was just as he remembered it when he'd left for Altissia all those weeks ago. The glimmering black tiles of the fountain, the statues standing tall in between the three sets of doors at the top of the stairs, the light from the Crystal shining from the top of the spire... He could almost see his father, standing at the top of the steps as he said his final goodbyes, knowing that would be the last he'd see of his son in this life.
At the same time, the entire thing seemed...off somehow. Similar to a forged painting, this was merely a copy of the original- a close replica missing those finer details that defined the genuine article. No water flowed from the fountain... None of the flags or banners rustled in the breeze... The ever-present hum from the Crystal was silent. This was nothing more than a mockery of what Noctis had lost, the sight of it leaving him hollow inside.
A soft pressure on his leg interrupted his train of thought, glancing down to see Carbuncle rubbing against him. The fox chirped once he had Noct's attention, the phone beeping a second later.
/Ready to go?/
"As I'll ever be, I guess," Noctis sighed, sliding the phone back in his pocket as he started over the bridge with Carbuncle at his heels.
He'd made it about halfway across when an almost palpable sense of foreboding fell over him. His pace slowed as he eyes scanned the area around him, trying to locate the source of his unease. Nothing he could see had changed, yet his apprehension only continued to grow. He instinctively sunk into a battle-ready stance as he continued across, his nerves all on edge. He stopped short when he heard a soft clicking sound, his head whipping around as he tried to figure out where it was coming from.
It wasn't loud or obtrusive and if he'd heard it anywhere else, he probably wouldn't have even noticed. However, after walking for who-knows-how-long in the dead silence of the city, it might as well have been an air horn. The soft noise was irregular, keeping to no pattern or beat that Noctis could discern. The clicking was growing in number if not volume, seeming to be coming from all around him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins at the unseen threat as the prince cautiously moved to the rail, glancing down into the wide-open area below. There was nothing there.
Suddenly the fox yipped sharply, fur raised as he crouched defensively on the ground. /Above you!/
Noctis glanced up, blanching at the sight. A whole flock of thunderocs had managed to sneak up on him.
The birds were about two feet long from head to tail feathers, though they had narrow sinuous twin tails that almost doubled that length. They were vividly colored, orange tail feathers darkening to red and brown across the body and wings before shifting a brilliant golden along the crest of the head. The beak was short but sharp and although the talons were of a decent length, given the size of the bird, the part to watch out for were barbs on each of the tails.
Noctis had never fought a group larger than fifteen or so, and that was with his companions assistance. Here he could see at least three and some times four of the large birds sitting on every lamppost along the length of the bridge, with even more circling high above him in the sky. He knew there was no way he could take on that many by himself.
Despite what Gladio may say about his recklessness, the prince had no qualms about running from a fight when the odds were so heavily stacked against him. A quick glance in both directions showed he was a little past halfway across the bridge, so he turned and ran toward the Citadel.
The birds starting shrieking loudly at the possibility of losing their prey, diving with talons splayed as if to catch a rabbit or fish. Noctis tried to zigzag back and forth across the bridge to avoid them, but there were just too many. The birds were everywhere.
Claws raked over his forearm as he dodged right a second too late, a snapping beak barely missed his ear, a bird almost made him trip as it hit the ground right in front of him, forcing him to jump over it. Another beast did make him fall as a talon caught in his boot and jerked his foot back enough for his momentum to send him tumbling across the ground. His body moved almost on its own, rolling back up into a crouch with twin daggers appearing in his hands. He silently thanked Gladio's insistence and the hours spent drilling that move into him as his blades stopped another set of talons inches from his face. Clearly, escape was not an option.
The birds changed tactics once their prey stopped running. The thunderocs' main attack was to descend in a tight spiral, gaining speed with each rotation. Their tails whipped behind them, lashing the prey with the appendage itself or raking it with the quills before swooping back up and circling for another shot. Their speed combined with the hit-and-run tactics made them difficult to strike.
Although thunderocs in the wild traveled in small groups, they generally didn't coordinate their attacks. Whether these monsters were more intelligent than their counterparts in the real world or something else was pulling their strings, they hit hard and heavy. The main attack pattern was the same. The only differences were the numbers and positions.
The thunderocs came down nine or ten at a time, all circling closely together so that evading one often left the prince right the path of a second or a third. And as soon as the first group pulled out of their dive, another group was right behind it, scarcely giving the prince room to breath much less counter.
Noctis focused all his energy on defending, dodging and blocking what blows he could and phasing through those he couldn't as he waited for an opening. Ignis was constantly lecturing him on watching the enemies' movements and not charging in carelessly. The prince couldn't think of a single situation that advice applied to more than this.
A few painfully long minutes later, Noctis decided Iggy's advise sucked and he needed a new strategy. The overwhelming numbers of thunderocs meant there simply was no break in the attack for him to exploit. He'd tried to create his own, but the few hits he did get in were glancing at best and not enough to disrupt the pattern.
Carbuncle was still at his feet, barking and snapping at any bird that came too close. The phone in Noct's pocket was beeping almost frantically, but the prince simply didn't have time to read what the fox was trying to tell him.
It wasn't long before fatigue started slowing Noctis down. His jacket and pants were already littered with rips and holes and, though he'd managed to avoid any serious injuries, he knew it was only a matter of time. Phasing didn't take much energy, but the constant drain on his magic was wearing him down. He couldn't keep this up much longer.
Noctis had managed to work his way toward one of the lampposts, staying near it to force the birds to break up their formation even if only a little bit. Sweat ran down his cheeks as he panted, chancing another glance around as he desperately looked for a way to escape. If he didn't come up with something soon, he didn't think he'd make it out of this dream alive.
A new sound cut through the cacophony of shrieks and barks, almost making Noctis sag in relief at the familiarity of it. The report of a gunshot ripped through the air, quickly followed by several more until the clip was emptied. Several thunderocs fell to the ground around the prince, dead. Noctis slumped against the pole at his back, knowing he only had seconds to rest before he was in range of the next wave. The gunfire rang out again, felling another four beasts that thought to take advantage of the prince's distraction.
Noctis looked toward the source of the gunfire, eye's widening as he located the sniper leaning out of an open window on the third floor of the Citadel. Though he was too far away to make out the man's features, he'd recognize that blond hairstyle anywhere.
"Prompto," he breathed, his lips turning up in a weary smile. Movement off to the side had him reflexively spinning in the opposite direction, sharp quills just missing him as they ripped through the tail of his jacket. He breathed out a curse at allowing himself to be distracted. There were still more thunderocs than he could count- had their numbers increased? -circling overhead and a lone gunman could only do so much.
Forcing his attention back to the problem at hand, Noctis blocked another tail with his sword while eyeing the distance to the Citadel's door. It was further than he wanted to run in his current state, but doable with Prompto's cover fire. Taking a deep breath (and ducking underneath another tail), he waited until the next break in gunfire. When it came, he gave Prompto a few seconds to reload before making a run for it.
The thunderocs switched once more to direct dives, aiming at the prince's unprotected back and legs. Noctis didn't bother trying to running back and forth erratically this time, pouring everything he had on making it to the door as quickly as possible. The gunfire increased, indicating Prompto had either procured some new type of gun when the prince wasn't looking or, more likely, he was now holding a pistol in each hand. The heavy thumps on the ground behind him showed the blond's aim was just as deadly with two guns.
The cover fire stopped as Noctis reached the fountain. The prince skidded to a stop, daggers already out and blocking talons and beaks alike while the gunman reloaded. The birds were angrier than before, their attacks increasing in ferocity. Noctis was barely able to keep them at bay, silently wondering if he'd be able to escape even with Prompto's help.
The first shot sent him running again, taking the stairs two or three at a time. The shots petered off the closer he got to the door, as the gunman was unable to cover him from that angle. Making it to the top of the steps, Noctis ran the last ten or so feet to the door, heedless of the claws raking across his back. He crashed into it, almost breaking the handle in his haste to open it before all but diving inside and slamming it shut behind him.
The sudden lack of noise was almost startling, nothing but Noct's gasping breaths breaking the silence. He sank into a boneless heap on the floor, too tired to move to one of the many couches or chairs on either side of the lobby. The tiles were deliciously cool against his sweaty skin and the hard floor had never felt so comfortable in his life. He half thought he could fall asleep right there.
It was several long minutes before a soft whine accompanied by a cold and damp nose to the cheek forced him out of the daze he'd fallen into. He sighed, gingerly pushing himself back to a sitting position. The numerous cuts and scratches in general- and the claw marks on his back in particular -informed him that was a bad idea. He summoned an elixir from his storage space, imbuing it with some of his magic before crushing the bottle in his hand. It burst easily, turning into a blue mist that gently enveloped him, healing and rejuvenating both body and mind.
Feeling refreshed, Noctis fished the phone out of his pocket as he climbed back to his feet.
/This isn't a good place to fall asleep./
"Didn't mean to," he replied, heading toward the elevator at an easy pace. He paused as he glanced back at the phone, realizing previous messages disappeared regardless of whether or not he had read them. Carbuncle had seemed awfully keen to talk to him while the thunderocs were attacking, but it just wasn't feasible to read texts while fighting. "Hey, do you have a text-to-speech function on here?" he asked, glancing down at the fox. "You know, something that can read the texts to me?"
Carbuncle tilted his head to the side, considering. After a few seconds he chirped, jumping up and flipping backward in the air. A softly glowing ball of light materialized in front of the prince, hovering silently about chest height.
Noctis slowly held out his hand, the light fading to reveal a headset which floated gently down to rest on his palm. With a slight shrug, he slid the earpiece over his ear.
The fox chirped again. "Is this better?" a young boy's voice asked.
"Well, it'll certainly make things easier," Noctis replied, slipping the phone back into his pocket and continuing on toward the elevator. "Why a child's voice, though?"
Carbuncle seemed to hum. "It means you see me as a relic from your childhood," he stated, tail swishing behind him as he trotted at Noct's heels. "A positive influence, though not particularly helpful. I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not."
Noctis rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. "Well, you did help by giving me the toy sword and whatnot last time," he said, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "But then you left me to fight against all those 'nightmares' or whatever they were by myself. Not to mention that iron giant at the end..."
"I can see your point," the fox conceded thoughtfully. "But since you had started training the month before, I thought you'd be able to handle it on your own." He looked up at the prince, tongue lolling in a canine grin. "And I was right- you beat them all, even the iron giant!"
"I was eight! The last thing I remembered was being attacked by a huge daemon snake-lady, then I wake up trapped in a dream world full of monsters and a fox with a phone for a guide- who, I might add, could only tell me what I was supposed to be looking for, not where it might be," Noctis pointed out.
"It does sound pretty bad when you put it like that," Carbuncle agreed amiably.
"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the weapons and spells you gave me- I wouldn't have made it very far unarmed," he said, glancing down at the fox. "But saying you'll protect me right before you leave me to face an iron giant by myself? That...was kind of harsh, don't you think?"
"You had to defeat all the nightmares on your own- including the iron giant. Elsewise you would never have woken up."
Noctis was silent for a long moment, reaching the elevator and pushing the button. He studied the fox as they waited for the car to arrive. "I suppose I can see the logic behind that, and why you wouldn't have told me that then," he said at length. "But why say you were going to protect me if you had no intention of doing so?"
Carbuncle tittered. "Oh, little prince," the voice laughed, sounding both amused and just a touch exasperated at the same time. "I did protect you- both then and now."
The prince blinked. "What?" he asked, confused. "How?"
"Do you remember being thrown into- sorry, through the lamppost?"
Noctis did. The iron giant had been swinging its massive blade back and forth in wide strokes. Unable to fully dodge, Noctis had been caught by the flat of the blade and hurled through the air. He had hit one lamppost with enough force to break it and possibly the one behind it as well, although the injuries made his memory a little fuzzy at that point. Right afterward he'd been enveloped by a soft blue mist, not unlike the elixir he'd used moments before. He blinked, finally making the connection after all these years. "You healed me?"
The fox sat up straight, preening proudly. "Yep!"
The elevator dinged softly as the cart arrived, the doors quietly sliding open. Noctis stepped inside mechanically, absorbing this new information. "You said then and now," he stated after a moment. "Does that mean you're still protecting me?"
"You bet!" the fox agreed, hopping lightly into the elevator. "You've got a pretty important destiny ahead of you, after all!"
Noctis pushed the button for the third floor, blinking as something else occurred to him. "What about with the thunderocs?" he asked. "Why didn't you heal me then?"
The fox tittered again as the elevator started moving up. "Gladio would laugh if he heard you call those injuries life-threatening."
"So that's the catch?" he pressed. "You only step in if it's life-threatening?"
"Pretty much," Carbuncle answered, regarding the prince solemnly. "I can't fight your battles for you- this is a trial you have to overcome yourself. But I promise I won't let you die in here."
"Functional immortality," Noctis mused as the elevator came to a stop. "I could get used to that."
"I wouldn't," the fox advised. "Life-threatening injuries mean you have to go through a whole lot of pain first. I'll only step in if I'm absolutely certain you'll die without my help."
The prince grimaced, thinking back to some of the more painful close shaves he'd had as the elevator doors opened. "Last resort then, got it." He stepped out into the hall, walking down the corridor with quick, sure steps.
Carbuncle kept pace, trotting at his heels. "What are we looking for?"
"Prompto," he answered, heading for the door at the end of the hall. "He should be in there."
The fox whined softly, coming to a stop.
Noctis stopped as well, glancing down at him in surprise. "What's wrong?" he asked urgently, realizing Carbuncle may have been injured earlier. He didn't see any blood staining the white fur, nor was he leaving a trail of it behind him, but...
"I don't think your friend is in there." The voice sounded sad.
That wasn't what Noctis had been expecting. "Why not?" he asked, confusion coloring his tone.
"Because he was never really here to begin with."
Noctis shook his head. "I saw him," he pointed out, lengthening his stride as he continued toward the door. "I wouldn't have made inside here without his help."
Carbuncle shook his head sadly. "Not even your father's magic could allow him to enter your dream world," he pointed out as Noct's hand closed around the handle. "How could your friend have managed to do what a King of Lucis, with the full power of the Crystal at his disposal, could not?"
The door swung open, revealing a conference room. A long table was sitting in the middle of the room, numerous plush chairs lining both sides. Smaller tables were set up along the sides of the room, meant to hold refreshments or meals during the longer meetings. Several tall windows allowed sunlight to stream in, one of them standing open although the curtains did not move in the breeze. Prompto was nowhere to be seen.
Years of practice allowed Noctis to hide his disappointment- and the band of fear tightening around his chest -beneath a disinterested mask. He had grown used to having his companions by his side, especially in times of peril. This dream world had already proven far more dangerous than last he'd been here and although he himself was stronger, he had his doubts that his strength alone would be sufficient. The incident on the bridge was proof enough of that.
Still, he had not imagined the blonde figure leaning out the window, felling thunderocs with his guns. "But I saw him- he was right here," Noctis stated, keeping his voice steady although he did not turn to face the fox.
"He was," Carbuncle agreed, staying out in the hall. "But he wasn't."
Noctis tightened his grip on the door handle, the only outward sign of his agitation. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, a little irritation slipping into his tone. He was in no mood for riddles.
"We're inside your head- that means you have power over everything in here, though you can't control it consciously," the fox explained. "On the bridge you were basically trapped with no way out, so you subconsciously created a replica of the friend most likely to help you escape. Once you had done so, he was no longer needed and disappeared."
"You're saying Prompto was just...what, a figment of my imagination?" The prince kept his gaze on the far wall, bitterness coiling around the fear and settling in his stomach.
"In the most literal sense."
Noctis took a deep breath and released it slowly, making sure his composure was perfect before turning back into the hall. "Then we shouldn't waste any more time here," he said, voice steady but dismissive as he brushed past the fox, heading back to the elevator. Logically, he knew he could handle himself- he'd been trained fight and utilize his magic both offensively and defensively from a young age. It was unsettling, not having any of his companions' solid and reassuring presences at his back. The thought of facing whatever dangers lie ahead- by himself -was terrifying, especially when he'd been unable to save himself on the bridge.
"You're not alone, you know."
Noctis stopped, his hand partially raised to hit the button that would open the elevator.
Carbuncle padded over softly, leaning against the prince's leg and giving comfort in a way that only an animal could. Noctis kept his gaze on the elevator doors, refusing to meet the liquid brown eyes. "I know it's not the same but, no matter how long it takes to find the way out, I'll be by your side every step of the way." The words, though softly spoken, rang with sincerity and determination. "I promise."
Noctis sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment even as the words eased the knot of fear in his stomach slightly. "Am I really that easy to read?" he asked, his voice shaking a little as he forced the words past the suspicious lump that had formed in his throat.
The fox tittered again, dispelling the solemn atmosphere that had fallen over them as the young voice echoed the laughter in Noct's ear. "Don't you remember what I told you before?" he asked as the prince finally met his gaze. "I know everything about you."
Noctis huffed out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, I do recall you saying something like that," he said, the corner of his lips turning up slightly. He hit the button, hesitating as the doors slid open. He'd never been very good at expressing his feelings. "...thanks."
Carbuncle nodded, able to read the sincerity behind the succinct response. "You bet!" he said, all but hopping into the elevator.
Noctis followed behind, hitting the button for the fourteenth floor. "Next stop: the throne room."
To Be Continued
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