A/N: Chapter 10! Into the double-digits for this fic! Woo! And there's still much more to go!
X
Caretaker
"Wait, wait," started Prompto, running his hand through his hair. "Destroyers? You mean like that Obruo thing we fought before?"
"The very same," muttered Noctis. He gritted his teeth at the thought of what had happened back then. The Obruo. The woman Acantha—whose name he would not be able to forget. The questions that were raised by what had occurred. Who, or what, had been able to create such organic-looking machines? Powered by its own crystal, Noctis had assumed that the Obruo had come from the time of the Crystal Age, yet they were certain (as they could be considering they had no access to records) that no such thing had ever existed. But exist it did.
"Weeeellll, isn't this just great. Why not serve us up on a dinner platter to those blasted things while we're here?" Shotgun in hand, Prompto threw up his arms to emphasize just how crazy he found the whole situation.
"It's not that kind of threat," responded Noctis calmly. Brow knotting together, Noctis licked his lips apprehensively, trying to make sense of the feeling that gnawed him on the back of his mind. Though the same thing was causing the fear as last time, there was something different about it.
"Not that kind of..." Prompto let out an exasperated huff. Placing his hands on his hips, the blond walked over and stood in front of Noctis. Despite the efforts of his friend, Noctis continued to stare of toward the inner island, giving the sense that he was looking through his friend. "Do you even remember how hard it was to destroy that thing?!"
"I do."
"Really now? Well, you could've fooled me! We barely managed to destroy that Obruo, and that was only 'cause it was already heavily damaged!"
"How is it not the same kind of threat?" asked Ignis, remaining calm.
Noctis glanced over and was silently grateful for the constant level-headedness of his bespectacled friend. "I'm...not quite sure," answered Noctis after a moment. Glancing down, he tried to find a way to describe it so that they could understand. "The same threat is there...it's just...just..."
"Dormant," finished Niveus. The pale woman stared at the same place Noctis had been moments before. Unlike the last time they came across the Obruo, she was appearing to be rather calm and collected. It was as though now she had faced the fear before, she was capable of handling it better. "It's quiet... Resting..."
"How 'bout we let it keep on resting?" offered Gladiolus.
"I second that!"
"What the heck are you guys going on about?"
Blinking in surprise, Noctis looked over to where the voice had come from. Standing where they had been to take a look at the hull of Daedalus, the Caldwell brothers stared at Noctis and his friends as though they might be carrying some sort of disease. So caught up in the matter of the Obruo, they had completely forgotten about the sky captain and engineer standing there.
"There's...something on this island that we need to check out," responded Noctis after clearing his throat.
"What?" The Prince's brow furrowed. That question had not come from the person he expected. Looking back over, he saw the confused look on Prompto' face. "You want to go to the things that can probably destroy all of us in one hit?!" The blond waved vaguely in the direction Noctis and Niveus had been starting.
"What else should we do while waiting?"
"Rest?"
"That can wait. If there's a chance it's connected to what we're doing out here, then we should check it out," Noctis answered back firmly. "Not to mention we might be able to find out why he's interested in them."
After a moment, Prompto finally made a silent "oh" as what Noctis was hinting at hit him. Nodding a few times, Prompto chewed on his bottom lip and backed off. Though he now agreed with Noctis, the blond still did not seem happy with the prospect. The dark-haired Prince could hardly blame his friend. Had he not believed that they needed to check on this matter, he would not want to go towards the Obruo either.
"So...does this have something to deal with why you guys are headed to Zenn'thus?" asked Cid, bringing Noctis' attention back to the brothers. Thankful that that was all the sky captain had asked, the Prince nodded firmly. Sighing, Cid threw up his hands. "All right, that's all I need to know. You guys can deal with this however you want while we repair Daedalus. Just don't go bringing your mess back to us. I like to keep the number of problems I get involved in per month to a minimum."
"And don't go taking too long," added Valan as he hurried back to the ramp. "We'd like to get back on our way once repairs are done."
"We'll keep that in mind," nodded Gladiolus.
Cid gave a lazy salute at the group of friends before he also slipped back onto the airship. The ramp remained opened, giving them easy access for whenever it was they returned.
"So, off to find the machine that makes you two scared out of your pants?" The smugness in Prompto' voice had not been hard to miss.
Noctis groaned before he headed off in the direction he suspected the Obruo to be. "It doesn't make us scared, but rather it makes the Crystal scared."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Details, details. You still wind up frightened." From the front of the group, Noctis rolled his eyes. Not wanting to talk on the matter further, he did not respond.
Light from the moon got weaker and weaker the deeper they got into the small forest. Weaving his way through the trees, Noctis pressed onward. Not being able to see so clearly in the darkness, he ended up stumbling a few times over roots and rocks. With a quick question to his friend, Ignis complied in creating a small ball of flame to help light their way, making things start to go much faster.
Glancing over his shoulder, the Prince saw the shard that hung around Niveus' neck begin to pulsate lightly. He took that as a good sign for it meant they were getting closer to what caused this ancient fear to stir.
"Do we have to go inside that thing?" groaned Prompto. They had stopped before a face of a small cliff and stared into the dark cave before them. Water could be heard dripping inside as the noise of each droplet echoed out. The light cast by the magical flames did not illuminate very much of the inside of the cave from where they stood.
"If we want to get to the bottom of this, we do." Sighing lightly, Noctis glanced over his shoulder to the white-haired woman. Her necklace had a constant glow to it now, becoming brighter for a moment before returning to normal at a steady pace. It was like a heartbeat. Thanks to that, and the small signs of fear Niveus was beginning to show, he was certain they were on the right track. Now he felt a little bad at having her come in and face the fears of the Crystal when it affected her the most. But, none of them were forcing her to do this, nor had she voiced any desire not to go.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..."
"Yeah, we've all got that bad feeling, Prompto," sighed their scarred friend. "It's what happens when you know there's a big—scratch that—huge machine of death waiting for you at the end."
"Since we don't know how long this will take us, or how long it will take the Caldwell brothers to repair Daedalus, may I suggest we get started?" Off to the side, Ignis coughed lightly as he pushed his glasses up after they had slid down the bridge of his nose.
"Let's," agreed Noctis before he started into the cave.
"If you get scared Prompto...you're not allowed to hold my hand," said Gladiolus cheekily.
"I'm not the one getting scared!" snapped back the blond. His response caused their scarred friend to bark out a laugh. That was the last any of them were able to joke at this time.
Darkness pressed in on them, as though it was trying to snuff out the flame. The deeper they got into the cave, the closer they ended up walking together. It was unintentional, but still happened. Though nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary for the cave, Noctis began to grow leery of the place. Were they really on the right track? With how small the cave was becoming, how could an Obruo possibly fit in here?
"Well...this sucks." Prompto let out a loud huff and crossed his arms. "Now where are we meant to go?"
Before them was the back of the cave. A solid wall of rock kept them from going anywhere else but back. Staring up at it in disbelief, Noctis walked forward and placed his hand on the cool rock. Was this really the end of their search?
"This can't be right..." uttered Noctis, not wanting to believe they had come here for nothing. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the bright glow coming from the Crystal Shard. It could not have led them astray, could it? They had to be following the right path.
"Well, unless you wanna wait for the water to erode that wall and create a path for us, I don't see anything else for us to do at this dead end."
"Just, show a little patience, will you?" sighed the Prince back. There had to be something, anything, here. Eager to find an answer, Noctis continued searching across the wall of rock before them. They had to be missing something. But what?
"Noct, take a look around. There's nothing else here! Just some water and cave mold. Now, I'm not saying you and Niveus were wrong." Prompto held up his hands in defence. "But even if there is an Obruo here, who says we'd be able to still get to...it..." A sudden rumbling caused the blond to trail off.
Pulling back from the stone wall, Noctis gaped up at it. What they had thought to be solid stone proved not to be the case. After some searching, the Prince had found what, he now assumed, was a hidden switch. Old, and hidden very well, he had no idea it had been one until his hand grazed over it and the back of the cave began to move. The back of the cave was not the back, but rather a disguised door that receded into the side of the cave.
"Well," coughed Prompto while he scratched the back of his head. The end of their search was no longer the end. "I take back what I was saying."
"Let's just continue searching." Noctis raised a hand and motioned them to continue onward.
There was not much difference between the part of the cave they had been in and what lay beyond the hidden wall. At least, for a time it was the same. The light cast by the magical flame began to glint off their surroundings in a way that rock was incapable of producing. Rusted metal began to protrude from the rocks. Most seemed like old pipes, with some wiring mixed in. Following them with his gaze, Noctis felt his head craning back as they travelled up the wall and back into the rocks. The further they went, the more abundant this change became.
Coming to a stop, Noctis stared up at what, at first glance, seemed like another dead end. Before them, the cave came to a sudden end once more. Only, unlike before where it was a wall of rock, now there was an old metal grate before them.
Intrigued by this change, Noctis walked up and peered down the other side of the grate. It was only once the others came closer as well, and the light from the ball of flame neared as well, could he see what was exactly there. Large wires dangled down into the endless shaft, soon disappearing into the darkness. With how the sides were, and what was built into them, Noctis surmised it to be only one thing: an elevator.
There was a sudden creaking noise followed by the reluctant grinding of metal against metal. With the ground beneath his feet beginning to rumble, the Prince was quick to step back. The metal grate did not seem to be the safest of constructions any longer, and Noctis was in no desire to fall down the elevator shaft any time soon.
"Guess that means it still works..." muttered Ignis.
Blinking in surprise, Noctis looked over to his bespectacled friend. Now fiddling with the sleeves of his jacket, Ignis stood to the side of the metal grate where a small control pad could be seen. A button near the top of the panel was pressed in and lit up, making the Prince assume his friend had been the one to activate it.
"Are we really gonna be going down there?" groaned out Prompto.
"We've come this far," huffed their scarred friend. Crossing his arms, he began to tap his foot while waiting. "Might as well see what's down there."
"We know what's gonna be down there: an Obruo! But I'm more worried about this elevator, actually. What if we end up plummeting to our deaths 'cause something goes wrong with this old thing? Noct here still isn't exactly able to use his powers at a moment's notice, in case you haven't noticed—uh, no offence there, Noct." Their blond friend let out a nervous laugh once he saw the Prince's unamused expression.
Sighing, Noctis crossed his arms and stared at the grate. The noise of the moving elevator grew louder and louder. He crinkled up his nose slightly as a rather musty and old smell rose with it. Whatever this facility was, it was no longer in pristine order. A whoosh of air was forced out into the rest of the cave when the elevator suddenly stopped at their level. The grate, grudgingly, slid open, allowing access to the old elevator.
"Stay here if you want then," smirked Noctis as he headed over to board the elevator. Though he tried to act smug in front of his friends, the Prince still tentatively stepped onto the elevator. It creaked at the addition of his weight, and he could not help but wonder if this really was such a good idea. "You can even go running back to wait with Cid and his brother if you want."
Noctis saw Prompto bristle at his remark. Giving a rather loud hrmph, the blond man leaned his head back proudly and was the next to board the elevator. "You guys would be begging for my help in the end if I didn't come."
Though Noctis only widened his smirk at his friend's remark, he was silently thankful that Prompto was coming along. If things were to take a turn for the worse down there, he knew he would want all of them there for assistance.
More creaking filled the air as Ignis, Gladiolus and Niveus all climbed onto the elevator. Once they were all settled, Ignis found the controls inside of the machine, pressed a few buttons with a look of uncertainty across his face, and they all felt the elevator give a sudden lurch. Reaching out, Noctis grabbed onto the railing tightly, and was quickly wishing there was another way to reach wherever it was this led to.
The elevator was not a very safe one. Only a simple railing that was built around the sides was all that kept them from falling off too easily if something happened. Noctis swallowed nervously when the railing he had a hold of moved slightly. Maintenance had not been done on this elevator in who-knew-how-long, after all...
"Man, how far down are we going?" asked Prompto. The blond brought his hand up to his nose. Even Noctis found himself opening and closing his jaw to relieve the pressure that was building up in his ears. They were certainly travelling quite a fair distance at a rather fast speed. Glancing around, the Prince saw his other friends also trying to adjust to the change in pressure as well. All save one. Niveus seemed uncertain on how to proceed.
"How do you...stop the pain?" she questioned. The pale woman had her hands clamped over her ears, her face slightly contorted in pain. While they all knew how to deal with the change in pressure, she did not.
"Niv." Snapping his fingers, Prompto got Niveus' attention. She looked up to him expectantly. "Clamp your nose shut...and just blow." Raising his hand, the blond demonstrated to her what he had just explained. After glancing between him and her own hand, she tentatively tried to imitate what Prompto had shown her. Closing her eyes, she was silent for a moment before...
"Agh!" Crying out, she quickly clamped her hands back over her ears. For the briefest of moments, Noctis felt himself almost go to her side to make sure she was okay. Pursing his lips together, he was silently thankful that he had not moved when he noticed his friends had gone to see how she now fared.
"Niv, you okay?"
After a moment, she straightened. Opening and closing her jaw, much like Noctis had been doing moments before, she became accustomed to the change. "Everything's...fine now," she responded. Turning to Prompto, she nodded in thanks to him. They were now all able to deal with the elevator lowering deeper and deeper beneath the earth.
Noctis began to wonder just how far they would be going when suddenly their surroundings changed. The light from the flames that had been glinting back to them off of the sides of the elevator shaft suddenly stopped being reflected. Brow furrowing, the Prince turned to where the walls had once been, and was met by...nothing.
Letting out an odd noise in confusion, Noctis continued to stare, trying to pick out the outline of anything in the darkness. All he could see were the columns that continued to support the elevator. Beyond that, the light cast by the magical flame faded off into nothing. There was nothing close enough to them for the light to be able to reach. Noctis felt a sinking feeling in his gut. The fear from the Crystal had increased as their surroundings changed, but it still was not as bad as it had been before. Still, he worried. Where would the Obruo be waiting for them in this vast space?
The elevator jerked to a stop. Stumbling for a moment, Noctis was quick to scramble off the machine before anything bad could happen. As soon as his footing came down on the ground, he nearly fell down. The floor beneath them had not been as level as he had expected. While the others disembarked the elevator, the Prince looked down to the odd ground, and became even more confused.
Pipes of various sizes ran across the ground. Rather, it was as though they were the ground. Every inch he could see around them was covered. There was no sign of visible ground anywhere. Everything was covered by pipes and wires. The faint hint of what looked like mist rolled over top, adding to the ominous feeling Noctis had scratching at the back of his mind.
"Hey, Ignis, mind lighting up this place so we can actually see what's here?" came Prompto. Noctis looked over to see his blond friend tapping his foot against their odd flooring as though to test the material. He seemed a bit more worried about their surroundings than even the Prince was.
"Yeah, just hold on a sec," sighed the bespectacled man. There was a moment of silence where nothing seemed to be happening when suddenly the flame he had created grew brighter. It seemed like no matter how bright it got, the darkness still dominated the area. Noctis began to wonder if any amount of light from the single flame would be enough to illuminate their surroundings. It was then that what was out there became visible, and they were all stunned.
"Uhm...are all those what I think they are?" gulped Prompto.
"Just how many are there?"
"Judging by the size of this place, there could be a great many."
"No wonder you guys are scared."
"Obruo..." whispered Noctis, staring up at the illuminated machines. Rows of the creations hung down from the high ceiling. The tubing and wires that ran along the floors fed up into them. It became clear to the Prince just what this place was: a factory. This was where whatever civilization that had created the Obruo made them. Their exact purpose was still unknown to him.
"Man, how come you guys aren't freaking out like crazy? I'm not connected to the Crystal and even I'm creeped out by the sight of these!" Holding his arms, Prompto shuddered.
What he said was true enough. Noctis glanced in the direction of Niveus. Compared to the previous time they had encountered the Obruo, she seemed relatively calm. Granted, the Crystal that hung around her neck still glowed brighter than normal, and her eyes betrayed just how nervous she truly was, but there was not the same fear he had seen in them the last time they saw the Obruo. Considering just how many there were—and that was just the amount they could see around them—he could understand his blond friend's confusion.
"They're dormant..." muttered the Prince, recalling what Niveus had said earlier. "They must not be active."
"Let's keep it that way!" barked out Gladiolus.
"Okay! Rule number one!" Making sure everyone's attention was on him, Prompto raised a single finger.
"No one is allowed to activate any of these Obruo!"
"Speak for yourself."
Prompto shot a light glare to his scarred friend. "Yes. Well, to make sure they're not activated, how 'bout we head back to the ship? We've seen the Obruo are here, our job's done!"
"Not yet."
"What?"
Noctis sighed lightly. "Who knows when we'll be in a situation like this again—"
"I hope we're never in a situation like this again."
"—So it's best to find as much information about these things as possible."
Groaning, Prompto ran a hand through his blond locks. "Have you ever heard the saying 'leave well enough alone'?"
"We should at least try to find out why Creon wants the Obruo." Arching an eyebrow, Ignis pushed his glasses back up. The light from the flame reflected off of them, completely masking his eyes and giving him a rather imposing look. "Who made them, and what was their purpose. A facility like this should hold at least some of those answers, if not more."
"What are we still standing around here arguing for?" asked Gladiolus, his face scrunching up in confusion. "Let's just go!"
"Yeah, well, Niv, make sure you let us know the second any of these guys wake up." Prompto's gaze darted back up to the machines that were suspended in the air as they began to head into the compound.
"Of course."
Despite the fact that the machines were dormant, Noctis still felt himself drawing forth his sword. If their situation were to go bad, he had a feeling it would go bad very quickly, and leave little to no time for them to get ready. A mostly-destroyed Obruo had been hard enough to battle against. Noctis was in no hurry to find out just how strong they were at full-power.
The farther they got into the compound, they were continually met by more of the same sight. Obruo still surrounded them, and the floor was still completely covered by pipes and wires. Only one thing was slightly different, and that was there were partial Obruo now, rather than all completed ones. Arms... Legs... Torsos... Every section of the Obruo was there in some form or another. Noctis was unsure which he found more unsettling: the completed Obruo, or the separate parts. He new the completed ones would be the source of threat if something were to happen, but the incomplete parts caused him to feel like they were in a slaughter house rather than a factory thanks to the slightly-organic look to the machines.
"Whoa..." Prompto came to a halt as they stared at what now lay before them. "Think we'll find some information there?"
Raised up on a platform was what seemed like the control center for the entire facility. All the tubes and wires that ran along the ground funnelled up to it before they continued along. What Noctis assumed to be computers were also present, their monitors still displaying a stream of information after all these years. Many more wires hung down from the ceiling and were attached to the computers, giving Noctis the impression that this structure could control everything in here.
"Only one way to be certain," sighed Ignis.
"Let's just hold off on pushing random buttons this time, shall we?"
Becoming more cautious, Noctis was first to head up to all the computers. To make sure there was room for all the tubes and wires, the entire device was raised up rather high, a fairly long set of steps granting them access to it. Nearing one of the closer monitors, the Prince watched the information that continued to flicker across the screen. Whatever language it was in, it was unrecognizable to the Prince. His brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to make some sense of the information. Just what kind of people had...
"Life forms detected."
"What the?!" blurted out Prompto while the others jumped from being startled. Eyes darting around, Noctis tried to find the source of the voice. It had sounded artificial and somewhat hollow. Despite it sounding near to them, the Prince could not find where it had originated.
"Query: Are you the Masters?"
A hint of movement caught Noctis' attention. Located at the center of everything there, amidst the wires and smaller tubes that hung down from the high ceiling, a head rose, and a pair of eyes opened. The Prince swallowed nervously and took a cautious step back.
Where colour should have been in the eye was nothing but a transparent layer. Behind them, Noctis could see the hint of wiring and circuits that allowed this robot to function. The Prince was still surprised that it was a robot. It looked so...human.
Pulling away from the wiring, the robot that looked like a woman walked towards them, her gaze not once breaking off of them. Once she became illuminated by the light of the flame, Noctis could see just how artificial her skin was as well. She may have had the appearance of a human given to her, but there were still many things that made it easy to tell what she truly was: an android.
"What...are you?" questioned Noctis' blond friend. Leaning forward, Prompto squinted his eyes at the android and studied her.
"Invalid response. Scanning life forms for verification." Her transparent eyes glazed over and took on a pale-blue hue.
"Scanning?" repeated Prompto, moving his hands in attempts to cover as much of his body as possible.
"Just be glad it's scanning and not probing," laughed out their scarred friend nervously.
"Aw, man! Gladiolus! Don't even go there!"
Noctis was about to bury his face in his hand when he saw that the android's eyes changed from being transparent to an electric red. That was not a change that comforted the Prince. Red was rarely ever a good sign.
"Threat present. Enemy life form confirmed. Defence protocol activated."
"Crap..." Prompto fumbled for his shotgun. "That can't be good!"
Before them, the android's form changed slightly. A device that hung around her neck glowed a red that matched her eyes. Raising her hands, they changed as well. What had once been normal appendages morphed into two scythe-like weapons. Without hesitation, she charged for their group. More specifically, she charged for Niveus.
Noctis cursed under his breath. The android was unbelievably fast. Though his weapon had already been drawn, he had not been able to move swiftly enough to engage the android. If it had gone that badly for him, it was even worse for his friends who were already a step behind.
Once the android had moved for Niveus, the pale woman began to act. Though she had proven to be rather agile over the past couple months, the machine was much faster. Appearing to act on instinct, Niveus quickly spun around. While she would not have been fast enough to draw her weapon, it was still able to provide some defence. A cry of pain escaped her as one of the scythe-like weapons sliced along her back. Thanks to the small amount of defence her spear had given her, the wound was not nearly as bad as it could have been.
Trying to adjust to the pace of the battle, Noctis and his friends began their fight. Like usual, Prompto was the first to attack. Taking careful aim, he fired at the android. A curse escaped him when the machine raised one of her weapons and deflected the bullet. The blond cringed slightly when he heard Gladiolus let out a yell in surprise. The bullet had been deflected in the direction of their scarred friend, who had barely managed to dodge it.
While he pushed the quick argument between his friends from his mind, Noctis rushed for the android. He was not at all surprised when she jumped back to a safe distance, in fact, it was what he had been counting on. The second she was away from them, flames erupted around her. The favoured spell of Ignis burned brightly until he dismissed the magic.
Now slightly singed, the android rushed back to them. Noctis was slightly surprised when her focus still remained on Niveus. Was the white-haired woman the only threat the android saw? Was it... Noctis figured it out. The Crystal... If this android was related or connected to the Obruo in some way, then it was safe to assume that the Crystal was an enemy to her as well.
Cursing under his breath, Noctis quickly glanced around. None of the Obruo seemed to have been activated, at least. While an annoying foe, he would much rather deal with this android they fought than one, or more, of the Obruo. He could only hope that it stayed this way.
Acting quickly, he threw out his sword in hopes that... It worked! He was somewhat surprised by how little thought had been required this time to use his old abilities. Caught off-guard by the floating weapon, the android tried to bat it aside, but Noctis' sword moved as if on its own accord. While the machine was distracted, Niveus was the one to take that moment to attack.
Spear in hand, she sent her attack out while the android continued to focus on Noctis' sword. Just before her spear would have hit the sword, Noctis held out his hand and summoned it back. Lights swirled around his hands, along with the familiar glint of small shards of crystal. It was reassuring to see them again.
Caught off-guard by the disappearance of what she was fighting, the android was unable to adjust to the situation quickly enough. Her weapons barely raised, she was unable to block the spear that pierced straight through the device that hung from her neck. Cracked, the light from inside it flickered for a moment before it died completely. Red eyes faded back to their original transparency and the android's head fell back down, her weapons morphing back into normal hands.
"Did...we get it?" asked Prompto, keeping his shotgun raised to fire if needed. Slowly, Niveus withdrew her spear from the android, and used it to help support her weight. Gladiolus was the first one to move to her side and aid in the healing of her wound.
"Good thing she didn't wake her friends," sighed Noctis, taking one more glance around to judge the state of the Obruo. All they could see were still dormant, and the level of fear he felt from the Crystal had not risen at all.
It was then that Prompto cried out in surprise, causing the others to become startled as well. "She's alive?!"
Their attention fell back onto the android. The broken device around her neck fell uselessly to the ground with a light thud. Raising her head, Noctis watched as her eyes flickered between multiple colours before returning to the transparent look they had been initially.
"Defence override damaged. Returning to normal protocols." Transparent eyes glanced over the five of them. "Awaiting further input."
Baffled, Prompto walked forward and stared at the android. Raising a hand, he waved it in front of the machine. No matter what he tried, or how long he waited, she did not react to him at all.
"Are you gonna start attacking us again?" he questioned, keeping his shotgun ready if needed.
"Negative. My original programming does not allow me to attack unless in self-defence or upon orders. Do you wish me to attack you?"
"NO! No, no, no." Prompto was quick to wave his hands in denial. Noctis let out a quiet sigh. Though the android claimed she would no longer attack them, the Prince still kept his sword drawn. Glancing to his friends, he could tell they were as cautious about the matter as he was. "Just what are you?" questioned the blond again.
There was a slight delay, as though her mind was retrieving the necessary information. "I am of the A-906 series. My unit ID is Vacua. I am the caretaker of this facility until the Masters return."
"Has anyone else been here?" asked Noctis, taking a step forward. If Creon knew of this place, and had been here, it would not be pleasant news.
"Please provide a more specific time frame."
The Prince wanted to smack his palm against his forehead. The way this Vacua was acting reminded him of... He bit his bottom lip and quickly felt ashamed of his thoughts. The android Vacua was reminding him of Niveus. It was only a slight similarity, but enough that Noctis felt ashamed once again that he had not treated the pale woman as another human being until now.
"In..." Noctis paused. Just how long had Creon been working on the plan of his? It may have been only two months since he attacked their Crystal, but it was likely the man had been scheming this for a good amount of time before that. Quickly, he thought up of a number that he hoped was reasonable. "...the past fifty years?" Judging by the reactions he got from his friends, it was clear that they found that number to be rather unreasonable.
"Negative. No life forms have been present in that time frame."
Prompto let out an odd noise in surprise. "When was the last time someone else was here then?!"
"One-million-six-hundred-fifteen-thousand-eight-hu ndred-fifty-five days ago."
There was a pause.
"What?"
"How many years ago was that?" asked Ignis while Prompto scratched his head in confusion. Even Noctis found his head hurting slightly at the thought of calculating all those days.
"Four-thousand-four-hundred-twenty-seven."
"But that..." breathed out Noctis, realizing just how long ago it was.
"Is before the Crystal Age is recorded to have begun," finished Ignis. The bespectacled man cupped his chin in his hand. Brow knotting together, he seemed rather deep in thought—more so than usual. "That era only dates back to just over two-thousand years ago."
"At least Creon definitely hasn't been here," laughed Gladiolus wryly.
"How long have you been here then?" Finished with scratching his head, the blond slung his shotgun over his shoulder.
"Two-million-one-hundred—"
"Ah!" Prompto raised a hand to cut her off before Vacua could continue. "In years."
The android dipped her head slightly. "Five-thousand-seven-hundred-sixty-two years and one-hundred-forty-eight years. Since the completion of my construction, I have been caretaker here."
"What is the purpose of this place?" asked Noctis while Prompto seemed to get another headache from the large number, and Ignis was trying to make sense of this new addition to the timeline he knew.
"To construct Obruo."
The Prince sighed. The concept of expanding on answers never seemed to have been added to Vacua's programming. "What were the Obruo built for?"
"To fight against the False Gods and their armies."
Confusion was simply piling on all of them right now. "False Gods?" pondered Gladiolus. "Who the hell are the False Gods?"
For the first time since meeting her, Vacua blinked. It was slow and unnatural. "Error. Insufficient data. My knowledge only pertains to this facility."
"Who do the Obruo fight for?" questioned Noctis. Perhaps if they knew that, they would be able to figure out just who these False Gods were.
"This facility and the construction of the Obruo were built to serve the true Goddess, Etro."
Noctis felt as though his stomach had fallen out of his abdomen. Had he heard correctly? Were his ears playing tricks on him?
Etro.
That was what she had said.
The Goddess Etro. It could not possibly be the same Etro that they knew, could it? Then again...the Crystal knew of the threat caused by the Obruo, despite them having been created before the Crystal Age. It was likely that Etro's roots ran much deeper than any of them suspected.
"Etro..." breathed out Prompto. "You mean the Goddess of the Underworld Etro?"
"Affirmative. Full title: Goddess of the Underworld."
"Of course..." whispered Noctis. The Prince ran a hand through his hair and licked his lips apprehensively. He recalled what it was Ignis told him that Niveus had called them. "Weapons of the light..." A bitter taste rose in his mouth as he suddenly looked over to Niveus. Her expression almost seemed to mirror Vacua's with how neutral it was. "You meant The Light!"
Blinking, Niveus tilted her head slightly in Noctis' direction. "I did?"
The dark-haired Prince gripped his blue locks in frustration. The Light. Etro. What did they have to do with this? Along with the Crystal, the Goddess Etro was the one other entity his people believed in. Not only his people, but everyone did. From those on Domumna to those on Zenn'thus, their entire world, knew of Etro. She was the Goddess of the Underworld, the place which all dead souls travelled to. And the Light... Noctis let out a heavy huff. He did not have fond memories when it came to dealing with the Light...
While some may have believed it to be legend, he knew the matters dealing with the Light and Etro to be true. There was a power behind them that he was unable to deny. Still...that did not mean he had to like it.
Prompto was the first of them to find his voice again. "Why the heck did Etro need an army?"
"To fight against the False Gods."
"Do you know anything else about this?"
"Negative. My databanks do not hold any more information on the Goddess Etro."
"Let's go." Noctis pursed his lips together and slung his sword over his back. "We're not going to get any more information here." What information they had acquired left him in a foul mood. Did Creon know that the Obruo were connected to the Goddess? Was that why he wanted them—because they were the enemy of the Crystal? And these False Gods that Vacua mentioned...were they connected to the Crystals, or were they something completely different? Question after question gnawed at Noctis' mind, not giving him a moment's rest. If he had found it hard to fall asleep earlier tonight, it was going to be near-impossible to fall to slumber now.
"What? But—but—"
"What are you complaining about, Prompto?" Noctis arched an eyebrow in the direction of his blond friend. "You're the one that wanted to get out of here quickly."
"Yeah, but..." Prompto's eyes fell back onto Vacua. The android continued to stand motionless. "It doesn't feel right just leaving her here..."
"She's a machine, not human," reminded Ignis, pushing his glasses back up. "Not to mention on the side of the Obruo, which, in case you've forgotten, seem to be an enemy of the Crystal."
"It wouldn't hurt to have someone else who can fight on our side..." commented Gladiolus. The scarred man stroked his scruffy jaw pensively.
Noctis sighed and shook his head. Having Vacua travel with them would certainly attract a fair amount of unwanted attention. Not only did her eyes stand out, but so did her artificial skin that had a slight metallic glint to it. There were no androids as advanced as her in their current time. Then again...Gladiolus was right about it being handy to have someone who could fight for them along. That and she may hold some other useful information...
"You can ask her," huffed Noctis, not turning back around.
"I knew you'd give in." Prompto gave a small smirk in victory. "Hey, Vacua, want to come with us?" The blond tossed his head back in the direction of the elevator.
"Come with you?"
"Yeah! Get out of this place! Travel with us. See the world..."
"Unable to comply."
"What? Why?"
"My duty lies here. I am the caretaker of this facility. As such, my programming does not allow me to leave until the Masters have returned."
Noctis felt somewhat bad when he heard that. He had the feeling she would be waiting for a very long time then...
"Well, it was worth a shot..." sighed Prompto. "So..." The blond tapped his shotgun on his shoulder a couple times. A familiar grin returned to his face as he pushed aside the matter. "Shall we get going?"
Sighing, the Prince rolled his eyes momentarily. "Let's."
Glad to now be done with the place, Noctis and his friends headed back down and retraced their steps to the elevator. Vacua remained where she stood, her programming not allowing her to leave this ancient facility. The android was left behind as they exited, along with any other secrets the place might have held.
Noctis remained silent on their way out. The Light... The Goddess Etro...
The new information was starting to give him a headache.
If it was truly connected to their Crystal in some way, just what would be waiting for them when they found where they all met?
A/N: Woo, more lore revealed!
Anyone wanna guess who the False Gods are? Hah. You'll get a cookie if you're right!
I was actually considering having Vacua join their party for a time...but then I realized...she'd pretty much be a repeat Niveus with her personality. Plus it would make things odd in later bits so...yeah, no android on their side for them.
In case you hadn't already seen, I've posted up a short one-shot prequel to this, The Darkness That Follows The Light. It gives some more information on the Light and how it relates to this story. More shall be explained later in this fic, but I just wanted to get the idea down for people to read before too much more information came out on the game.
Feedback greatly appreciated; always love to read your thoughts!