Noctis waited for Louise to wake up, sitting on the makeshift bed in anticipation. He wondered if the students were allowed off campus; he was curious about this new place.
The sunlight was just starting to enter the room, golden beams brightening the floorboards. The minutes passed, and the light slowly crept up onto Louise's sleeping form, until it was on her face. She scrunched up her face in disappointment before turning over and letting out a small groan.
As if watching, the sun then thoroughly bathed her body in the glorious warmth. Noctis watched silently as she grudgingly got out of her bed and yawned.
"Morning sleepyhead, how was your beauty slumber?" he asked cheerfully. She raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging.
"It was better than average", she replied, "how was your sleep? Did you dream well?". Noctis thought about it, should he tell her? He decided when the time was right he would reveal it. For now, it was best she didn't think he was a lunatic.
"Not too bad, the mattress could be softer, but I've slept in worse", he joked. Louise smiled before grabbing a towel and spare change of clothes.
"Today is a free day for us mages to get to know our familiars better, so I decided we should go into town", she said, "Plus there is a café that serves good drinks". Noctis was optimistic, to say the least, a trip into town was what he was hoping for anyway, and a café no less. He hoped it was the same kind of 'café' back in Insomnia.
"Sounds good Louise", Noctis put on the garments that he brought with him, strapping the cape around him and fitting on the armoured right pauldron. He put on his shoes and noticed it was heavily worn. Stylish shoes in combat were probably not the best idea.
"Louise, I have a favour to ask", she turned to him listening, "I don't have any money here, but my shoes are damaged, I need to find a new pair in town, could you buy them for me?" She took a moment to think about it.
"I'll think about it when we get there", she replied. Noctis nodded and headed out of the room to go shave his spikey stubble. Along the way, he found many mages with their familiars, some dragging the creatures by a leash, others were reluctantly following their masters, very few had really taken to their new masters.
Another thing he noticed; the familiars were all animals, none were human. This either meant Louise was unique or he was very unlucky to be considered amongst the creatures. Regardless there was nothing he could do to change the situation, he had to press on.
Passing the dining hall, he noticed on one of the stained glass windows a familiar image. Of course, it could've been their religion, but he could've sworn the crystal of Eos was displayed in a halo, surrounded by armoured soldiers, like that of the Niflheim Empire. He looked away, the need to shave gnawed on his mind.
Noctis made his way to the bathrooms and was surprised to see the balding man with glasses washing his face. The man turned to see Noctis and offered a surprised look. He ignored it and walked to the sink, applying some of the shaving creams they had.
"So…Noctis", Colbert began, "how was your first night?" Noctis took a few seconds to shave off some of his goatee.
"Slightly unpleasant, Professor Colbert", he replied, "a student's familiar kidnapped me and tried to let his mistress sleep with me". Colbert put a hand to his chin.
"Does she have long red hair?" he asked. Noctis thought back to the night. It was dark, but she did have reddish hair. He nodded. Colbert could only grimace.
"Yes she does have that sort of reputation as a seductress, though I am surprised you resisted her charms", Noctis shook his head.
"In my eyes, if she had her way with me, I would've never forgiven myself", he stated firmly.
"May I ask why?" Colbert queried. The memories were still raw and fresh in his mind, although tens of years passed outside the crystal, inside it felt like only hours with the training that he had with Bahamut. And he still remembered Lunafreya's death, fresh in his mind.
"My fiancée was killed very recently over in my world", he explained reluctantly, "I had a...special relationship with her. To give in to what Kirche wanted, that would've felt like a self-loathing betrayal to all my fiancée did for me". Colbert nodded in agreement.
"I am sorry for your loss", the professor's sympathy gave Noctis a more positive attitude.
"It's okay, I've had time to resolve the grief", Noctis replied, "Besides I'm in this world now". A sudden thought occurred to him. He realised that although Louise was his master, she wasn't necessarily experienced on how everything worked. Professor Colbert, on the other hand, was older and more knowledgeable on how this reality worked.
"So Professor", Noctis asked, "I have a slight request for you. Because I am not native to this reality, I would like to acquaint myself with the customs of the land, etcetera". The older man put a hand to his chin thoughtfully.
"I could direct you to the library, but then again you wouldn't know how to read our language", Noctis looked disappointed.
"Then how was I able to understand you when I found myself here".
"That was because I had cast a translation spell. I can't cast a spell that would grant you an understanding of our entire language. It requires an advanced mage to prepare and cast", Colbert explained, "with that said, I am willing to teach you in my spare time the history and some general customs to bring you up to speed".
"Thank you, Professor, I'd really appreciate that", Noctis said. The balding mage just waved it off.
"Tomorrow, meet me at the Northern tower after lunch, and we will begin instruction", with that said, the old man left the bathrooms. Noctis sighed in relief. Though Louise could help him, it wouldn't hurt just to get extra information. He quickly finished up in the shower before heading out to the central courtyard.
Louise was waiting for him, tapping her feet softly on the cobblestone pavement. She wore a green knee-length skirt with black lacing and patterns adorning it. A white blouse topped it with a charcoal cloak clasped at the front. Her pink hair was done up in a low ponytail tucking all her loose strands.
"Are we ready to go Noctis?" she asked.
"I'm definitely ready to leave this place". As much as Noctis enjoyed the greenery, he was keen to explore what the rest of the land had to offer him. They discreetly left the courtyard and entered the stables. Louise looked at him.
"Have you ever ridden a horse Noctis?". He shook his head and swallowed, he only had experience with riding 'chocobos', and they just had two legs. How hard could it be? He watched as Louise hoisted herself upon the beast, readjusting her seating before motioning for Noctis to do the same. Slowly, he copied the motions that Louise had just done only moments ago. Swinging onto the saddle, and locking his feet into the stirrups; a sense of achievement filled his mind. The horse, already used to this sort of stuff, nickered and pawed the ground beneath it.
"Wow", Louise said in surprise, "usually it takes people many tries to get it right, are you sure you haven't ridden a horse before?" He nodded in confirmation.
"There was something like this back home, but it had two legs and was feathery", he replied. And softer too, he added in thought. He lightly gripped the reins and gave a flick. The horse trotted to the exit of the stables. Louise followed in suit, flicking her reins and nudged the horse on.
Soon enough, they left the perimeter of the academy and were on their way to the town. The horses cantered for half an hour before making a stop to drink water. Noctis decided to share some of his adventures around Lucis.
"So you fought a giant mountain!" Louise exclaimed. Noctis chuckled while shaking his head.
"Not quite, but it was a beast the size of a small mountain", he explained, "its name was Adamantoise, and it was tough". He reflected on that time when Prompto almost got swept up by the things appendage. It was tough but offered a good reward.
"So how did you beat it", she asked excitedly.
"My friends and I worked together to bring it down, though it was the most excruciating thing we had ever done", he said, Prompto was out for days trying to come to grips that the 'Chocobros' killed a mountain.
"That sounds awesome!" Louise squealed. She hadn't expected to be interested in his adventures, but they were so dramatic and enjoyable.
"So Louise, what kind of shenanigans do you get up to?" Noctis casually asked he was curious at what happened in her life at the academy. Louise shyly looked away, embarrassment filling her cheeks.
"Well…it's not so much as shenanigans as it is accidents", she mumbled, "I am very lacking in my control of magic". Noctis was interested.
"And what kind of accidents have you caused". Louise blushed.
"During a class for alchemy, I attempted to transmute a material into metal", she hung her head, "I ended up blowing up a third of the classroom, and knocked my teacher unconscious because of it". Noctis laughed hard. It took him a minute to get his composure back.
"Does this happen quite regularly", he playfully asked.
"On occasion, when I attempt at casting spells", her facial expression was downcast, "it's just that I don't know why it does that, I study the spells so hard and get good marks on theory, but practical assessments…". She balled her hands into fists, squeezing them as she became slightly self-conscious of her 'zero' nature. She didn't want to be weak.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, releasing some tension in her mind and thoughts. Noctis then used his other hand to massage the other shoulder. She looked up and found a smiling face at her.
"Don't let that beat you down, I'm sure you'll get past the control", he spoke, "it takes time, and not everyone can master it easily, you need to look at it positively". Louise nodded her head.
"Plus, it's pretty awesome to be able to summon explosions at will, would be very useful in battle", he stated, "I want to see you do it". She widened her eyes.
"I don't think that is a good idea Noctis", she warned, "it can get quite out of hand". He just shook his head.
"I think I can manage", he said confidently. Louise reluctantly moved several metres away from Noctis and got into a spellcasting stance. She slowly brought the wand to her face and breathed in and out softly. Her wand flew down in the direction of a rock.
"Alchemi – Ferrous!" she exclaimed. Almost immediately, an explosion rocked the area where the rock was, dust threw up in the air. Both Louise and Noctis coughed as they tried to exhale the minuscule earth particles in the air.
When the air had cleared, both Noctis and Louise were greeted with a surprising sight; more like empty space. The area was completely obliterated. Blackened ground – heavily scorched from the power of the spell, filled the perimeter of a 4x4 square.
Noctis turned his head towards Louise, an incredulous expression plastered on his face. Louise gave a small embarrassed smile. It took a while for Noctis to form words.
"Holy Crystal! You just exploded a rock", he said, "you call this a problem?". She grimaced.
"When that is the only magical thing you can do, then yes it can be a problem", Noctis glanced at her. He never thought about it. Magic in his realm was only good for destruction and petty entertainment. But hers defines your class in society, which relies on magic for other tasks than just destroying things.
"Sorry", he apologised, "I'm not used to magic being useful other than being a way to destroy things…I mean, you would be probably one of the best mage users to be able to do that". She lightly blushed under that comment.
"Thank you Noctis, it really encourages me when you say my affinity for explosions is useful", she frowned, "although I don't know how to harness it well enough actually to form an effective weapon". Noctis put his hand on his forehead, deep in thought.
'Click'
Ah! I know just what to do, he thought.
"Hey Louise", she looked over, "what say you and I practice some magic together after this trip to town". Her face lit up, and she smiled.
"I would love that very much Noctis", she replied. Glancing at the sun she headed to the horses, "we had best be going; otherwise we won't make it to town before sunset". Noctis nodded.
"I agree", he promptly headed to his horse and swung onto the beast, locking his feet into the stirrups, "lead the way, Louise". She flicked the reins of her horse, and they trotted on, with Noctis a few feet away. Upon a few miles of travel, grey walls sprung from the horizon. The town grew larger as the two progressed towards it.
"There it is Noctis, the town of Bellaruse", Louise proclaimed. Noctis squinted his eyes at the sunlight. The town was of medium size, the tallest building being a bell tower with multiple men on the ramparts, watching the surroundings with bored gazes. He shook his head; those guards were setting themselves up for failure. The town itself was surrounded by low walls that also doubled as buildings, mainly shops.
As the pair trotted in on the steads, Noctis was struck with the sight. Children playing in the streets and laughing, bustling crowds milled about peacefully, vendors yelling to the world that their wares were the best and people smiling, no weight on their conscience about darkness. Even the smell was different, no smoky pollution filling the air, just natural winds and sweet scents of food wafting in the air.
Noctis closed his eyes. I wish the guys were here, the sights for Prompt, the food for Ignis and even the people for Gladiolus. He opened his eyes to feel the regrets of his decision piling up inside, No I can't think about it that way, I am a king that gave my life to bring a better hope and future for everyone. With that train of thought, the feelings disappeared.
Looking around, he watched as Louise struck up a conversation with a commoner. She had stiffened herself and steeled her attitude more befitting of a noble, although it felt quite off.
"Commoner, I require you to take my companion's horse as well as mine and put them in the stables," she commanded. Pulling out a small but weighty bag, she tossed it to the man before sliding off her horse and handed the reins to the man. He followed her example, though with more gratitude.
"Many thanks", Noctis said politely. The man stared for a moment before dipping his head in return.
"Not a problem, just doing my job", the man replied. He turned and led the horses away until they were out of sight.
"So, where are we staying at?" Noctis asked.
"At the Pinion's Nest", she said haughtily. Noctis frowned at the personality change.
"Louise", he said warningly, "this is not you, so stop acting like a noble with a stick up your ass". Louise looked astounded with the reply.
"Wha…What vu…vulgar language!", She stammered out loud. It was fortunate that the residents didn't take much notice at the ruckus they were causing.
"I only say that because it disgusts me when I see people do that to me", he resolutely said, "being a noble is no excuse for that kind of behaviour". Louise just clenched her jaws before huffing and walking off. Noctis sighed. He was no means sorry for saying that to her, but maybe he was a bit harsh. Letting her cool off would give him some ease in talking to her later.
Noctis glanced at the sun; it was still relatively lit. It seemed there was enough time to wander the markets a bit before meeting at the Pinions Nest. Taking a glance to the left, he noticed a man, wearing clothes that seemed out of place. A mop of brown styled itself into a parting at the front. A black jacket lined near the neck with what could be mistaken as feathers, a white undershirt, black trousers, with black buckled shoes.
The man seemed to know Noctis was looking at him but only took a short glance in the general direction he was at, before walking off. Noctis's eyes traced the man until he was out of sight. That was indeed strange, he thought. Storing that information in the back of his head, Noctis kept walking around the marketplace; he found it interesting. Watching people looking at wares, haggling for the prices; it was a pleasant environment.
Suddenly, a scream rang through the air, piercing the atmosphere. Heads turned, people halted what they were doing to see a small crowd of men striking down a woman. Blood trickled from the wound on her cheek as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Polonius wants his money peasant", the lead thug said, "you owed him since the beginning of this new moon's cycle, and now he wants it back". The poor woman, couldn't even think straight or form words in her mouth as the man grabbed her by the hair. Tugging it roughly, he pulled her up to his face.
"I…I don't have the money yet…", She pleaded, tears trickling down her cheeks. The man scowled deeply. He pulled back his hand and backhanded her onto the cobbled pavement. Noctis watched the scene with anger. He couldn't interfere as he knew it was business, but he knew the way they were treating her in public was unacceptable. As he formulated a plan in his head, a voice called out.
"Hey! Didn't your mom teach you how to treat women", the voice was cool and composed. When Noctis found the source, he was surprised to see the man before standing out of the crowd, in front of the thugs.
"Turn away commoner, this has nothing to do with you", the thug retorted. He brandished a rusty scimitar towards the brown-haired upstart. The man did nothing but draw out his own blade. When Noctis saw it, he was intrigued. A revolver like contraption was incorporated near the edges handle, and the sigil of a strange animal was engraved onto the blade.
"I think it does", the stranger replied, before getting into a battle ready stance. Two men instantly surged towards him, swords wildly flaring. They exchanged blows with enthusiasm, the stranger effortlessly parried them. Then one of the men left an opening, and the stranger took it, along with one of the men's arms. The man screamed in pain, momentarily distracting the other man before he to was struck in the chest deeply.
Seeing two of his men bested by the stranger, the thug leader yelled for all his men to engage the stranger. They all encircled the man, brandishing their swords, trying to intimidate him. But he saw through their tricks and focused. Then they struck.
The stranger parried a blow, then lowly kicked and knocked the sword before going into a roll and slicing another mans leg. Another swipe and other thugs fell. Slowly one by one, the men whittled down to three men, the other victims of stabs, slashes and kicks. Though it was apparent, the stranger was getting tired.
A thug flanked the stranger and stabbed. The stranger tried to dodge, but it pierced into his side, leaving him handicapped. The remaining men encircled him their blades held in front of them. They looked to their leader for approval; he nodded. They raised their swords and slashed.
CLANG!
Noctis warped in front of the man and brought up the 'Shield of the Just', blocking the swords. Before they could even react, Noctis brought out the engine blade and swiped at their unguarded chests, catching them all in one fell swoop. He turned around and offered a hand. The stranger gave him a guarded look before reluctantly taking his hand.
The thug leader looked at them with wide eyes."Wait, I…I..I'll you who hired my boys and me". Noctis and the stranger looked at each other before walking up to the man.
SMACK!
The pommel of the engine blade smacked into the guy's forehead - knocking him out cold. The stranger looked to Noctis.
"Thanks for the help back there", he said, "the name's Squall Leonhart".
"Noctis Lucis Caelum", Noctis replied. He pulled out some cloth and passed it onto Squall.
"You might want to seal that wound up; otherwise your gonna end up on the ground", he joked. Squall ignored it and took the cloth before heading towards the woman the thugs harassed. She was still curled up on the pavement.
"Are you alright?", She looked up to see Squall and Noctis standing in front of her. She looked around for the thugs, only to see them all over the place.
"Don't worry, they won't be bothering you anytime soon", Squall said. The woman just teared up. The next thing they knew, she was hugging Squall, gripping him tightly, muttering thanks. Squall just patted the woman before letting her off.
"Well that was eventful", Noctis said.
"Yes it seems that way", Squall looked at Noctis, eyeing his attire, "you don't look like your around from here?"
"I could say the same thing for you", Noctis countered, "all I'm saying is this is still kind of new to me".
"I agree", Squall suddenly looked up at the sky, to find that the sun was setting, "I got to go, don't want to be late for my ma…friend's celebrations". With that the otherworldly man jogged into the crowds, disappearing among the people. I definitely think he was going to say, master, Noctis thought. However, he knew that he needed to be back at the 'Pinion's Nest'. He headed towards the inn, wondering if there were others like Squall.