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"The day Noctis sits upon the throne is the day the world is doomed." - Ravus Nox Fleuret
Ignis arrived in Hammerhead after some light daemon hunting. The car needed service, and he was getting restless sitting in Lestallum anyway. He decided to leave the book at home, hoping that a break from it would do him some good. There were daemon hunters all over, this place being more of a hunter headquarters now. He got out of the car, a little thrown off that he wasn't greeted by Cindy. The garage door was closed, so she was probably working on something. He was patient at least, noticing Gladio sitting at what used to be Takka's restaurant. That was a nice surprise.
"Gladio," Ignis greeted as he walked towards his old friend.
"Hey Iggy. Didn't expect to see you here. Word is you're holed up trying to figure out some book," said Gladio.
"I believe it contains answers to the questions we've been asking for some time."
Gladio took a long drink of his beer, "Like when Noct is coming back?"
"I'm afraid I cannot say. The contents have proven more difficult than anticipated. Whatever Nox hid inside, she did not want any of it to fall into unfriendly hands."
"Have you made any headway with it at all?"
"Some, though not enough to make much sense of it."
"I would have give up by now."
"Some days I feel the same."
The two sat in silence, Ignis drinking a sweetened ale. They hadn't seen each other in a while, but Ignis usually kept tabs on his friends, to ensure that they were still alive. He really had spent too much time alone with that book.
"And here are the men of the hour," said Prompto, coming to join them.
"Prompto," Ignis nodded at his friend.
"Cindy kick you out already?" Gladio smiled.
"Ah, she's just busy," Prompto grinned, waving him off.
"Busy trying to keep you out of her way."
"You should be able to repair a car with the amount of time you spend here," said Ignis.
"Yeah you'd think so, but I mostly just focus on my own stuff. In the world of tinkering, there's many different branches. But it's nice having the company, even if we're concentrated on two completely different things," replied Prompto dreamily.
They drank their drinks, each of them remembering a time they were all together. The moments were few and far between, but the time they had, he would always cherish. Even in this cruel world, nothing was more truer than the statement: Time is precious, and life is short.
.*.*.
"Hey Noct!" Prompto greeted the Prince as he arrived back to the Inn at Lestallum. Iris was trailing behind him, a slight pinkish hue on her cheeks, "You totally missed out. Ignis is a real lady killer!"
"Ignis?" Noct was taken aback by what he was hearing, "What are you talking about?" he laughed.
"Yeah! He's got it all! Style, looks, brains, gourmet chef, and major dance moves."
"Come now, you're making a spectacle of yourself," said Ignis, pushing up his glasses to hide his face.
"So modest," said Charlie smiling, nudging his arm with her elbow.
Prompto smiled, "Charlie's a great wingman, even got the big guy dancing."
"Dancing?" Noctis was still in disbelief at what he was hearing.
"That's right, every morning during shift change some of the locals go play music near the power plant, to try and lift their spirits, among other things," said Iris.
"Everyone here works hard," said Charlie.
Noct laughed, "Sorry I missed it."
"Oh, and there's something else! Talcott, go on and tell 'em what you told me," Prompto looked towards the young boy.
"You got it!" replied Talcott excitedly.
"Oh come now, show some respect," said Jared.
"Whoa, no need to respect me. I'm not royalty," said Prompto.
"So there's this legend about a sword, and the sword's supposed to be behind a waterfall nearby," said Talcott.
"It may well be one of the lost tombs," said Ignis.
"Check it out?" asked Gladio.
"For sure. Thanks for the tip, Talcott," said Noct.
"You're welcome!" replied the boy cheerily.
"This sounds dangerous. Will the four of you be alright?" asked Iris.
"Five. I know the place they're talking about," said Charlie.
"You'll be accompanying us then?" asked Ignis.
"Yeah why not," she shrugged, "It's been a while since I could stretch my legs. Besides, I always wanted to see the inside of a royal tomb."
"It'll be good to have someone else watch our backs," said Gladio.
"It's decided then," said Prompto.
"Welcome aboard," said Noct.
Charlie smiled, following her new party out of the Inn. She kept on her local garb, not really concerned about who she was with them. No matter who saw her here, they wouldn't trace her back to Insomnia, regardless of her current traveling companions. They approached the parking spots, the Regalia shining in the sunlight.
"Nice to see it's still in one piece," she spoke.
"Well... we try," said Prompto.
"Hit some road trouble when we first set out," said Gladio.
"Thank the gods for Cid eh?" Charlie smiled.
"You knew about that?" asked Prompto.
"I could tell you what you had for breakfast a week ago."
"That is the coolest and creepiest thing I've ever heard."
"I suppose you'll be insisting on driving?" asked Ignis.
"You know me so well," she smiled brightly. He opened the door for her, as they all squeezed inside.
"I'm surprised specs surrendered the keys so easily," said Noct as he was forced into the middle.
"It would be a futile argument otherwise," said Ignis dryly as she began to make her way out of the city. The rest seemed to be waiting for some sort of explanation.
"Long story short, I have control freak issues," said Charlie, as the top came off and the wind began to blow her hair.
"That's what they all say to get to drive the Regalia," said Prompto.
Charlie laughed, "I've driven this car plenty of times."
"For spy business?" one of Prompto's eyebrows lifted.
"Sometimes, sure."
Ignis kept an eye on the terrain, making sure that they could find their way back if Charlie left after the journey. The usual idle chattering was taking place, most of them interested in Charlie's input. It was always nice to have someone else to talk to. A journey could get dull with the same conversation stirring around.
"So your mimic skill, how does it work exactly?" asked Prompto.
"Almost how it sounds. I mimic someone, their attributes, voice, skills, all of it. Most of the people I become are just ordinary citizens. I took their image, but created a completely different person. I'm careful to make sure that there's no way the person I mimic will cross paths with me or anyone I know as that identity," she explained.
"Doesn't it get hard? Juggling all those personalities?" asked Noct.
"Not really. The best way to lie is to tell be as truthful as possible. Most of those 'personalities' are almost the same person, just with a different appearance or voice. It's when I have to impersonate someone well known that I run into a bit of an issue."
"Someone well known?"
"Sure," she said, "The tricky part is knowing when to show up while they can't," she spoke in Prompto's voice, "But no matter your location, I shall always know," Ignis' voice came from her lips, "You never know how and when I'll turn up," she ended her description in Gladio's voice, "I've even had occasion to be you once or twice," she spoke as Noctis.
"Whoa, that is so cool!" said Prompto, "...and creepy," he added as an afterthought.
"Yes, well it has proven useful over the years," said Ignis, "It gained plenty of intelligence not only around the crown city but also in the enemy forces."
"Well as you know, it's not perfect. I'm not as high in the ranks as I should be in order to get all the good info, but I do what I can," said Charlie.
"Don't sell yourself short, you've helped us a lot more than you think," said Gladio.
She smiled sadly, but kept her eyes trained on the road. Ignis observed the slight change in her face, knowing that there was something she was hiding. Usually she was always hiding something, but it didn't cause regret to shine on her face. He didn't ask, knowing that she wouldn't say anything with everyone here. As the sun was starting to set, they arrived in an outpost.
"Welcome to Burbost Sourvenir Emporium," she said, stopping the car at the gas pumps.
"Souvenir?" Prompto sounded a bit excited as they got out of the car.
"Might not be a bad idea to set down here for the night," said Gladio.
"Scared of the daemons?" asked Charlie.
"Best to avoid unnecessary skirmishes," said Ignis.
"I guess."
"You spend a lot of time out at night?" asked Noct.
She shrugged, "I hunt them in my downtime."
They made their way over to the camper, Charlie taking the bill for them and sitting on one of the plastic chairs. She pulled out her phone while Ignis busied himself in the kitchen, as Gladio and Prompto went shopping. Charlie was joined by Noctis at the table. She glanced at him, as he seemed to look sullen. And then the smallest of tremors set in, causing him to hold his head. Charlie clenched her jaw, closing her eyes tightly and dropped her phone on the table. Ignis narrowed his eyes at them from the window. She scooped up her phone quickly, trying to recover without anyone noticing. He continued his work, but kept an eye out.
"They say the tremors are the gods awakening," said Charlie, her eyes still trained on her phone.
"That right?" asked Noct, looking over at her.
She nodded, putting her phone screen down on the table, "That's the rumour. Titan has been sleeping for a long time. But he's about to wake up, and those rumblings are him stirring."
"That's one hell of an awakening."
"It's just a rumour, but they can generally have some sort of sprinkle of truth to them."
"But they aren't always true," said Gladio, walking up to them with Prompto and sitting down with them.
"I guess there's only one way to find out."
"Will you be accompanying us to visit the Archeon as well?" asked Ignis, bringing out two plates of food.
"No, in the war of gods and men I opt out. I'll help you with that," she began to stand.
"Do not trouble yourself," he put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place. The last three plates he brought with ease, setting one in front of her, taking a seat on her left. She took a bite of the Lasagne Al Forno.
She moaned in approval, "You're amazing, you know that?" she told him seriously, her mouth half full of food.
"I'm nothing special," he said, smiling politely at her. She didn't notice the slight pink that crept to his cheeks, she was back into her dinner.
They ate their fill, talking well into the night. Slowly, one by one, they went to bed, until only Ignis and Charlie were left sitting at the table. She had her feet up on Noct's vacant chair, as she was leaning back, looking up into the stars. Ignis observed her, as her eyes were closed. But once or twice, they would close even tighter. He knew she wasn't sleeping, it was possible she was having a similar reaction that Noct was having. There wasn't a very good explanation to his headaches, in fact, Ignis was drawing a blank as to the cause of them.
She opened her eyes slowly, neither of them feeling the need to fill in the silence with words. He also gazed at the stars, enjoying their view without the light pollution of the crown city. He remembered when she would tell him what they looked like in the middle of the night. His camping trips proved her information to be very accurate. He glanced at her again, noting her eyes were once again closed.
"It is unnecessary to keep watch," said Ignis gently, "Go to bed and try to get some rest."
"Why bother lying? We both know I won't go to sleep," she said softly, closing her eyes tight again.
"What's troubling you?"
"A great many things. None of which we have time for."
He sighed, "How are you feeling? After the loss of the crown city..."
"I should be asking you that. Your uncle was one of the casualties. Such a sweet man I wish it never happened. Clarus died defending his King, and it was ugly. My father... it wasn't pretty either. But it happened, and it affects us all. We just deal with it in different ways."
"Your way seems to be repressing everything."
"I don't have time to feel anything, I have to stay focused on my mission."
"And I suppose that mission is also something I'm not privy to."
"Not yet. I'll tell you all about it when its done."
"I shant hold my breath waiting."
"Now you're learning. Go to bed, you do so much for everyone, you deserve a break to."
Ignis didn't say anything. He sighed again, sitting for a few moments. She was sitting with her eye closed again, but he knew she was awake. Giving up, he stood, walking behind her and towards the camper. He stopped, putting a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes slowly, meeting his green orbs. He looked sad, sad for her, and maybe a little worried, "You are not alone, Nox. You may always lean on me," he said soothingly.
She didn't say anything as he walked away. But one tear fell from her eye as she gazed back at the stars.
...
The next day about mid morning - as the Prince did enjoy his sleep - they ate breakfast and then set out. They followed Charlie as they left, the Regalia parked at the emporium. She led them down the street, to where there was a staircase that led down towards the river. She held her arm out, stopping them slightly.
"What is that?" asked Prompto. Near the river was a giant snake.
"Too much for us to handle," answered Charlie, "Follow me and stay low," she instructed.
They snuck by the Midgardsorm successfully, carefully trying not to slip on the rocks. The sound of the waterfall filled their ears as they approached.
"There's something a little easier," said Gladio, nodding towards the Shieldsears below the waterfall.
Charlie noted the path that could easily avoid them. She hung back as they went to fight off the enemies. She saw no need to kill them, but observed their fighting. She already knew they were adequate bounty hunters, hearing of their conquests from her whispers. They proved to be much better than she thought, vanquishing their enemy in a small amount of time. They even seemed to have fun with it, smiling as they walked towards her.
"Still?" asked Gladio.
"I am who I am, love me or leave me," she replied, holding her arms out and bowing mockingly.
Prompto and Noct seemed to be waiting for context, but she wasn't going to offer them any. They followed her, climbing the path towards the waterfall. The air began to chill, goosebumps starting to form on her forearms. There was a drizzle from the water falling on them, and it only got heavier as they got closer to the waterfall. But finally, they were right beside it.
"The legends say to look behind the waterfall," said Prompto.
"What does the waterfall say?" asked Ignis.
"I think it says... 'Come in'," Prompto was unsure.
"Speaks fluent waterfall, no wonder you keep him around," said Charlie as they began to follow the path behind it.
"It's just one of my many talents," he laughed. Once behind the waterfall, it grew darker, but there was most definitely a way inside, "Wouldn't you know it. An entrance!"
"Looks like the legend checks out," said Gladio as they walked inside.
It was dark, the lights the four of them carried turning on. Charlie grabbed her own, pinning it to her strap.
"This place gives me goose bumps," said Prompto, "Double back for our coats?" he suggested.
"What's the point?" asked Gladio, "Little chill won't kill ya.
"Well, looking on the bright side, maybe the cold keeps the daemons at bay?"
"Yeah because monsters like warmth."
"Ah sarcasm. Hm, but what if they're frozen?"
"Encased in ice, waiting for something warm to pass by..."
"And then they jump out!"
Charlie chuckled lightly to herself, giving a bit of a shudder at the cold. Wordlessly, Ignis took off his leather jacket and placed it on her bare shoulders. She looked at him about to protest but he held his hand up, silencing her and pressing on.
"Ignis over here lady killing it up," said Prompto, who had noticed the transaction.
"Focus," said Charlie smiling.
They walked further into the cave, careful not to slip on any of the rocks. And then the daemons popped up from the ground, as per usual.
"And there's our warm welcome," said Prompto, summoning his weapon.
The Flan didn't think he was very funny. Noct warped into the first one, followed by Gladio swinging his giant sword at another. Ignis threw a dagger as Prompto shot his gun. Charlie grabbed her double sided and bladed lance, striking a fourth Flan. Ignis attacked the Flan she was fighting while Prompto moved on to help Gladio and Noct. She delivered the final blow, going to see what was left. Gladio had finished with the last one, and then they pressed on.
"Heading down a slippery slope in slip sliding shoes," said Prompto, "What could possibly go wrong?" he sounded nervous.
"Whoa!" Noctis started to slide, falling onto his back
"Down we go," said Ignis.
"Alright!" exclaimed Charlie excitedly, jumping down the big ice slide, keeping on her feet for balance.
They reached the bottom, only three of them on their feet. More daemons spawned as they arrived. Charlie brought about her weapon, putting one side of the lance into an imp and then using it to lunge at another. Noct warped behind her, hitting the imp that showed up there. She joined him with his sword, killing that one and moving onto another. They stood back to back and then separated, going to help the others. They were vanquished quickly, allowing the party to continue their journey.
"So much for a 'little chill'," said Prompto as they were climbing uphill, "I've got an ice cream headache without the ice cream."
"I think that's brain freeze," said Charlie thoughtfully.
"I really hope we didn't come here for nothing."
"Sure there's something if we look," said Gladio.
Once they had finally come to the top of the hill, there laid before them another icy slide.
"Again? Really?" said Noct exasperated.
"Yes!" Charlie jumped down it much like the first one. She hit a bump but jumped, doing a flip in the air and landing on some solid ground.
"Show off," said Noctis, coming to stand beside her.
"Again!" she said.
"Like a kid in a candy store," said Gladio.
She smiled at him, following Noct down the path that went over the rest of the ice slide. They came to a low bridge, ducking down to get through it. Noct was first, followed by Charlie, then Prompto, Ignis and Gladio bringing in the rear.
"Your tips just got frosted dude!" exclaimed Prompto.
"Really? How's it look?" replied Noct.
"Let's say distinguished," answered Charlie as they walked further into the cave.
They came down a path that led to the bottom of the last ice slide, fighting another string of Flan on the way. They could have gone lower into the cave, but there was a convenient ledge connecting them to where they needed to be.
"Watch your step," said Gladio as Noct began his way.
"No more slip ups," agreed Ignis, being the second to make his way across.
He was followed by Prompto, and Gladio brought in the rear. Charlie eyed the ledge with distaste, looking for another way that she might get across. The boys observed her but said nothing. She called her weapon, satisfied with her plan. She twirled it, throwing it so that it stuck in the wall above the ledge, perfectly in the middle. Taking a running start, she used the momentum to jump, grab the handle of her lance and force herself to the other side. Her weapon was dismissed as she dared any of them to say anything to her.
"I don't like falling," she said simply, leading the way.
They kept right, having another run in with some Flan. Noct threw fire at the bunch as everyone else sprung into action. At least for a while, the fire heated up the leather she was wearing and she was almost sweating. But the enemy was destroyed and they were able to keep going. Not five feet away another band of Imps spawned from the ground. She noted that Gladio stayed near her during this fight, but they were easily able to fall back into routine, one they had before she had left Insomnia the first time. It wasn't long before these enemies were defeated as well, the menfolk happily patting themselves on the back. They came upon more uphill, walking across what she could only perceive to be a bridge that led higher into the cave. They hadn't run into anything yet, but she was always ready for a fight.
"So the grave is through here?" asked Gladio, as they were coming to what looked like a separate room inside the cavern.
"Most likely," replied Noct.
"Let us see for ourselves," suggested Ignis.
They came up to another ledge. Noct went on first, followed by Prompto, Ignis then Gladio. Charlie could see no other option than to go that road. Sighing heavily, she summoned two small daggers and began her journey. She made sure that her daggers were in the wall with every step, though careful not to make enough impact to have the cave collapse on them.
"I'm so cold," Prompto complained, "What I wouldn't give for a hot bowl of soup. Mmm, soup."
"Soup... with a sandwich," Charlie conceded.
"We're almost there. We gotta be, right?" Prompto sounded urgent this time.
They finally finished the ledge, Charlie letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She dismissed her weapons, this time without the questionable stares. They walked into another room, one completely encased in ice. But there seemed to be more light gleaming off of the reflective surfaces.
"Hey! Knock, knock!" said Gladio, as the very obvious door to a royal tomb became present.
"We're there, finally," said Ignis, rubbing his forearms a little bit. Charlie felt guilty that she had his jacket. That was, until there was a prickling in her spine.
"We are not alone," she said, summing her lance. Almost as if on cue, the enemies spawned.
"Can't it ever be easy?" Gladip was exasperated.
"Never," replied Noct.
"Where's the fun in that?" said Ignis, as he called his own daggers.
Charlie analyzed everything around her, springing into action against the Flan and the Imps. She wanted to see what the Mindflayer was going to do before she figured out her next move. Her jaw set, she hovered around the Prince as discreetly as she could. She joined him in his attacks against the beast, as he called forth reinforcements. The daemon wasn't exactly as easy as they had been experiencing so far, but that was to be expected she supposed. She caught Gladio in her peripherals, taking a hit, but clearing him a path. Ignis was there to help her up, and they kept the lesser daemons at bay. The five of them launched an assault from all sides afterwards, before the Mindflayer could call for more back up. He was finally fallen, Charlie taking another deep breath as she held her left hand over her right shoulder.
"Does this mean we get to go back outside?" asked Prompto.
"Almost," said Ignis, as he followed Noct towards the entrance of the tomb.
Charlie watched curiously as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. She looked on with wonder at everything around her once she had piled in. She could feel a pulsing within herself, almost like a calling. A faint whisper, coming from the weapon. She stood opposite of Noctis, as he held his hand out. The weapon disappeared into a light, which then flew straight into his chest. Charlie's eyes lit up with the power of Kings before her, circling him before finally disappearing.
"Fascinating..." she breathed.
He was looking at her curiously, but she wasn't paying attention. She snapped back to reality as they left, no longer having business here. The way out was more direct, and it was sunset by the time they had come out. Charlie gave Ignis his jacket back, smiling in thanks at his concern for her. It was nice not being able to see her breath. And then there was another tremor, and it made her head want to explode. She instinctively grabbed Ignis' arm and squeezed, keeping herself from crying out. His eyes were trained on her, but weren't focused.
"Noct you okay?" asked Prompto. That brought her back, and she let go of her friend, looking at the Prince.
"What did I.. What was that?" he asked, still holding his head.
"What is it?" asked Gladio, walking towards him. Ignis and Charlie had made their way over as well.
"A hole in the ground... burning... The meteor?"
"You saw the Disc of Cauthess?" asked Ignis. Noct didn't say anything.
"Let's make our way back to Lestallum," said Gladio.
"Yeah, gotta report to Talcott," agreed Prompto.
"You three go on ahead, his Highness and I have some unfinished business," said Charlie. Noct looked at her in alarm, confused as to what she was talking about. Ignis looked displeased, as Gladio and Prompto were about as confused as their volunteered Prince, "Did I stutter?"
"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Ignis.
"We can go with you," offered Gladio.
"No, I insist. Only he can do this and the less I have traveling with me the better," she spoke.
"Sure," Noct shrugged, intrigued.
"You sure?" asked Prompto skeptically.
"Scram, I got this. One of us will be in contact to regroup," she said.
Gladio's massive arms were crossed, but he nodded at them, "Suit yourself. Good luck," and he began to walk away.
"I guess we'll see you... later?" Prompto was still unsure of himself, following his friend.
Ignis was upset about the abruptness of the ordeal, and it was written all over his face. But they had both made up their minds, and Charlie was daring him to challenge her, which was usually a trap of some sort. He sighed finally, "Do be careful," he told them, before turning his back and walking away with the others.
.*.*.
...
hey guys, thanks for sticking with me. how am i doing
