A/N
So I updated the last chapter where Velle had a tour mission with Noctis. So you know, check it out if you want.
Chapter 10
"Are you all ready to go?" Iris asked, standing by The Regalia.
"Yup... although there's one problem..." Prompto pointed out. The five looked at each other, realizing a problem. "So... how are we going to fit all six of us?" Prompto asked.
"Don't worry, I came prepared." She said, as she then pulled out a whistle, and blew it. Hearing footsteps coming closer, certainly not human, they looked to the left to see a chocobo coming their way, coloured a bright pink. "My own chocobo. Pretty cool, right?"
"We're going to leave you alone on a chocobo and follow us the whole way." Gladiolus pointed out, crossing his arms.
"Well, somebody has to come with me." She said, eyeing Velle for a second.
The others then looked at Velle, and he looked at them, seeing they were all looking at him. "Uhh... okay, I guess I'll tag along with her." He said, walking to her chocobo.
"What a gentlemen." Iris teased, looking at the others. "Don't worry, considering he protected not only me, but two other people from a behemoth, I'd say I'm in good hands."
Velle looked at the others and threw a thumb up.
"You know the consequences if you don't protect her, Velle." Prompto warned. "You'll have Gladio's unbridled vengeance." He pointed out, with a sarcastic dramatic tone of voice.
"And the guilt." Velle pointed out. "So, two things that'll kill me if I screw it up."
"Then refrain from the idea of failure, and focus on success." Ignis stated.
"You guys make it sound like we're on a suicide mission. It's only a ride to Cape Caem, we'll be fine." Iris said, looking at the five.
She was right. There wasn't a lot to worry about. Especially since they were riding on a chocobo. Those things are fast, so evading monsters is going to be easy, and with Velle, if trouble was what they had, he could handle it.
"Yeah, good point. Alright, we'll have certain points where we'll meet up. We'll see each other at old Lestalum. You two go off road." Gladiolus instructed.
"That was the plan anyway." Velle said, as he then got on the chocobo.
The other four then waved at them and got in the Regalia and drove off. Iris then jumped on the chocobo, and wrapped her arms around his waist, to hang on. "Come on, let's get to it."
Velle blushed a bit, looking down slightly, but he smiled in the end, looking back at Iris. "Yeah." He then kicked the sides of the chocobo, making it run, and go over the railing of the roads, going on the off road terrain, where grass, trees and rocks were all over, and the power pylons that lead to Lestalum, that send power to it.
Velle looked at Iris, seeing she was taking in the sights, and letting the wind flow with her hair. He then looked back to where he was going. He then went past another road, seeing the car in the distance, since the road has a long way before it would go to the direction they were going.
Iris watched as they came across them, and she laughed, turning head back to the front. "Chocobos are so environmentally friendly, and you can ride them off road. Maybe this should be my permanent mode of transportation." Iris said.
"Well, maybe you should consider on which costs more. Gas for a car, or greens for them." Velle pointed out.
"Or, think of it this way. Which would cost more? A car, or raising a Chocobo yourself?" Iris countered.
Thinking about it that way, it made sense. She certainly was smart. It was admirable. "Well, raising a chocobo can't be easy."
"With a brother like mine, it should be." Iris pointed out, smiling.
"You actually want to have your own chocobo?" Velle asked.
"Yeah. One, they are absolutely adorable. Two, it would make a great pet. And Three, feed them the right greens, and they're faster than any vehicle." Iris explained, seeing she was almost set for everything. Velle was surprised. He could only imagine what goes on in that head of hers.
"You know, you should pick up on using a weapon. Like a spear or something." Velle suggested.
"I don't know, there just hasn't been something I've wanted to pick up on in terms of weapons. I want to try swords or rapiers, but I never have anybody to practice it with. But spears does sound like a good idea." Iris said.
"Well, while the four are off to Altissia, maybe I could teach you a thing or two." Velle offered.
"You're not going with them?" Iris asked, leaning her head to the side.
"Gladio and I made an agreement. Sure, you've got Talcott and... what's his name, the dude with the glasses, but he trusts me to stand by your side." Velle explained. "I guess he actually trusts in me to protect you."
Iris looked to the side, pouting. "I get it, he cares, but I can take care of myself." She said, in an annoyed tone of voice.
"It doesn't hurt to have an extra hand around. Look at it this way. I'll be there to protect the others too. Talcott, Cid, Cindy, and the dude with the glasses." Velle said.
Iris thought about it, and she thought he was right. They could use a fighter like him. She nodded, and smiled. "Yeah, you're right."
After some time, they watched as a massive ship flew through the sky, it being a mobile outpost for the Imperials. Velle watched as it flew past them, in awe of this massive thing. "A fortress... looks like we're gonna need to take care of that." Velle said.
"Old Lestalum is where we're stopping, so you can talk to them about it." Iris said. Velle nodded as they then made it to old Lestalum, as they saw the four arrive in The Regalia.
"Did you see the fortress!?" Prompto asked, looking at Velle and Iris.
"The giant air vehicle that flew by, making noises loud than gunfire its self? Nah, didn't see it." Velle said sarcastically.
"All joking aside, we must take care of it immediately. Velle, you're coming with us. Iris will stay here." Ignis instructed.
"Right." Velle said, as he then got in the car. He watched as Iris walked to the motel and went in, seeing she looked at them for a second, Velle seeing she had a disappointed look on her face. He guessed she wanted to be there to, or it might be something else.
Driving off to where the fortress went, Prompto turned to look at Velle. "So, Velle. What did you and Iris talk about? Alone." Prompto teased, with a grin.
"You really sound like you enjoy the idea of me and Iris being a thing." Velle pointed out.
"Well, can you blame my curiosity?" Prompto asked.
Velle scoffed at him, but figured there was no point in not telling him. Plus, he bet his brother would want to hear this. "Well, she did tell me that she wanted to raise her own chocobo. I said that a car would be easier, but she retorted, telling me a chocobo is not as expensive, and would make a great pet. Then there was the talk of wanting to learn on how to use a weapon."
Gladiolus turned to look at him. "And you encourage she learns that?"
"She'll have to eventually." Velle suggested.
Gladiolus looked forward again, remaining silent for a few seconds. "I guess there really is no stopping it. From me or herself, she's gonna learn how to wield a weapon."
"Did she say anything specific?" Noctis asked.
"She wondered about rapiers, or anything sword like, but I thought she'd do good with a lance." Velle answered.
"Hmm. Maybe I should take it up with her when I see her again." Gladiolus said, as then rest of the drive was quiet, making their way to the outpost. They pulled over by the side of the road, to find the drive in to it was blocked, so they had to get in on foot.
"There's a tower over there. We can get to it and figure a plan of getting in." Ignis said, as he pointed to where he could see it. With that in mind, they made their way to it, avoiding any Magitek troopers along the way. There were a few, but Ignis suggested they avoided them, to avoid any sort of alarm raising.
While sneaking past them, they noticed that the magitek troopers all had red auras coming from them. The reason was unknown to them.
They found stairs that led to the watch tower, them going up to find there was more of them. Ignis turned to them. "Noct, take the two upper troopers. We'll take care of the three below."
Noctis nodded and summoned his sword, as he then threw it, warping with it, striking one from behind. The others went for the others, Ignis and Gladiolus going for two that were close to each other, and Velle getting one that was in a small building that was next to it, crushing it's head against the ground.
With all of them gone, they were in the clear. They went to the top of the watch tower, they had a clear view of all of the outpost. But what he was surprised to see what a massive red beam that was coming from some machine that was in the middle of the place. "What the hell is that thing?" Velle asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, but those magitek troops we had recently dispatched of had a red aura coming from them. I'd say it's because of that. We need to dispose of it." Ignis explained.
Velle took a look, and he turned his head. "Nighttime like always?" Velle asked, turning his head to him.
Ignis nodded. "Indeed. But this time, you go with Gladiolus and Prompto. You guys will provide a distraction when Noctis and I take care of some before you do so. Getting them all together, we can take them all out in one fell swoop."
Velle nodded, looking at the two for a second, before going back at him. "Alright, nighttime it is." Velle said.
Later...
Coming from the top of the walls, Gladiolus, Prompto and Velle came sliding down, having magitek weapons, using them to slowly descend into it. One by one, they hit the ground, and threw the weapons they used to the side.
"So we'll need to find a good place to start a distraction, any ideas?" Gladiolus asked, looking at them.
Prompto shrugged, but looked up, to see the giant red beam in the sky. "Well, if that isn't a sign of where we should start, I don't know what is." Prompto said.
Velle saw there was another watch tower, and remembered that the spot they wanted to get to was heavily guarded. "If memory serves, there was a turret there. And since you're good at handling firearms," Velle said, looking at Prompto. "You can handle turret fire. Take it, and watch your back. You can take care of any snipers or gunners that get too close."
"Look at this guy, getting all stealth op on us." Prompto commented.
"Well, Ignis isn't around, so somebody's gotta be a good substitute for that." Velle said, smiling a bit.
"So what's the plan, 'General?' Do we split up to cover more ground? Take some out along the way?" Gladiolus asked, teasing a bit the name, General.
Velle thought about it for a bit, and shook his head. "No. We'll stick together. Lower the chances of being spotted before we get to where we need to be." Velle answered.
"Got it. Lead the way, 'General.'" Gladiolus said.
Velle rolled his eyes and moved forward, as the others followed. They came to a section where there were two of troopers, watching a path that was blocked off. It was the way they needed to go, so they had to figure out something. Velle looked at Prompto, and motioned his head, saying that he should take care of it. They could also hear the sound of one of the big magitek robots coming around, the stomps being loud. "Time your shots with the steps." He instructed.
"Got it." Prompto said, as he then leaned to aim with his revolver. With the first step, he fired his shot, getting a direct head shot, and the second step, leading to another head shot. Prompto then put his gun away, smirking a bit, impressed with his shots.
"Nice job." Velle commented, patting his back, as he then moved forward, as Gladiolus did too.
With more sneaking, and occasional moments where they used teamwork, Gladiolus and Velle taking down a group of troopers together, and another time where Prompto used his marksmanship again. Eventually, they made it to their destination, their plan all ready to go. Prompto got on the turret, and Velle and Gladiolus waited for their queue. A few seconds of silence, and the Prompto fired at a spot where there was a pile of barrels, filled with energy, and he shot at it, causing a massive explosion, destroying the machine too, surely catching the attention of everybody in the area.
Gladiolus and Velle then took center stage, catching the attention of anybody that came to their area. "Good luck." Velle said to Gladiolus, revving his greatsaw.
"I don't need luck. I just need you and Prompto to watch my back." Gladiolus commented, as he then held his greatsword, ready to fight.
A swarm of them came running in, Velle and Gladiolus turning to their direction. But then they exploded in lighting, as then Noctis was there, with Ignis by his side. "Perfect timing." Velle said, as then he turned to see them coming in a different direction.
"But of course." Ignis said, summoning his daggers. And with that, they fought the swarm of Magitek troopers that swarmed them. One by one, each trooper was put to the ground, or severed in pieces. Noctis warped left and right, getting any trooper in sight. Ignis, Gladiolus and Velle handled anything on the ground, and Prompto used the turret to handle any of the big ones.
After some time, no more showed up. They were all gone. Velle sheathed his greatsaw. "Phew... that was a battle..." He said, catching his breath.
"Definitely. But let's be glad it's over. Come on, let's not keep Iris waiting." Gladiolus said.
The others then put their weapons away and walked for the exit. Another outpost cleared out.
However, it wasn't over just yet. On the very top of the tower in the base, where the machine's energy was being sent, there stood a woman, with a lance that had an engine in the back. She also had a strange helmet, and white hair, with black chest armour and black pants, a piece of clothing that hung on the left side of her hips. She looked back, to see on the walls of the outpost, there was another, with a rather large sniper rifle, wearing a metal body armour, that hugged her body, while having a mask that hid her face. Her identity was hidden, but the form of her outfit showed she was a woman.
"Ready to see what these guys are made of?" The white haired woman said, her voice being fairly deep.
"Ready when you are." The other one said, her voice being deep too, but not as much, as she aimed her eye right over the scope of the sniper, as she turned it to thermal, heat signatures.
The white haired woman then jumped high up in the air, and then held onto her lance, and the activated the engine, making her go down and an incredible speed.
Noctis heard it coming, and summoned his sword, blocking the incoming blow, and reflected it to launch her back, but she then slammed to him again, looking at him in the eyes. "Hey there, pretty boy." She taunted. Noctis pushed her off, as she then landed on the ground, everybody getting to his side. "Let's see what you can do."
She then flew up again, flying around, for the five to keep a beam on her with the speed she was going.
As they saw her fly around, they saw as magitek engines were flying to their position. More things to deal with.
"We'll handle the magitek engines! Prompto! Help out Noct!" Velle said, thinking a ranged fighter would be useful against somebody who could fly.
"Alright!" Prompto, as he looked in the air, as he then took a bullet and loaded it in his revolver, one he called, "Starshell." He then fired it in the air, as it then made a bright light in the sky, giving Noctis time to see her.
He threw his weapon at her and warped to her side, as he then knocked her down to the ground, making her crash against it, Noctis coming down to strike her while she was down, but she moved out of the way.
Velle, Gladiolus and Ignis focused on the troopers, taking them down one by one, giving Prompto and Noctis time to focus on the woman that attacked them.
Noctis swung at the woman, her blocking it with her lance, and countering with a kick, and another right after, but Noctis avoided it both. Her weapon was then shot out of her hand, from Prompto.
The woman looked at then two, and had a cocky grin. "Not bad, for a prince." She taunted.
One of the barrels were then shot beside them, exploding, almost hitting Prompto and Noctis, as they got back from the blazing heat.
Through the fire, the woman then charged at Noctis, Noctis warping away from her, as she then flew up and high up.
As for the woman on top of the wall, she decided to peak at the others. She aimed her scope at them, and saw Velle, as she then had this confused face for a second. She turned off her thermal, and zoomed in, and she had a shocked look on her face. "Velle?" She whispered to herself.
She then heard something coming up, as she saw daemons crawling up the walls. "Arenea, Daemons are coming to my position, I can't prove cover fire." She said, as she then began to shoot at them.
Arenea, the white haired woman heard what she said, and she looked from below, to see the four. "Right, I guess we're done here." She said, as she then landed on one of the pipes, as she looked at them. "As much as I'd love to stick around, this girl doesn't work overtime. Until next time, pretty boy." She taunted, as she then flew away.
Noctis looked at where she stood, and tilted his head. "Who the hell was she?" He asked.