Greetings Everyone! I have the next (hopefully exciting) installment.
How was Luna supposed to track down Ramuh, the Fulgurian? He wielded lightning, and like his chosen element, he did not stay still. He moved with the storms. Well, she would have to think about it logically. The areas around Insomnia and around Lestallum were arid, so the chances of storms, and consequently Ramuh's presence there, were slim. That left Duscae and the Vesperpool as areas that were the only possibilities nearby. She would just have to keep an eye on the weather and go where the storms were.
"Lady Lunafreya, stormchaser," Luna thought with amusement. But then her amusement faded. She would be able to tell when the weather was changing. She could feel it in her joints. Here she was, only 24, but was already affected by the weather like an elderly person stricken with rheumatism. There could be no doubt, her exposure to the daemons was aging her prematurely. She thought about Ardyn again. How was he still alive after all these years? If what Gentiana had said was true, he was around during the last starscourge, which was two thousand years ago.
She was beyond thinking about whether it even made sense that somebody who at least looked human could last that long. When one dealt with daemons, magic, and Astrals, it wasn't a stretch to believe somebody with power could live that long. But how had he done it? How could he consort with daemons and still be alive? She shook her head. She didn't even want to think about that or about him. She knew he would eventually strike, but she was still at a loss about how, and on what she could do about it. He was an obstacle to her and Noctis—that was plain, but she could do nothing about it for now.
One problem at a time—for now she had to figure out how to find Ramuh. She didn't have long to wait. Her driving knee began hurting first. She removed her hand from the steering wheel to massage it, then saw the clouds on the horizon. So Ramuh was hanging out in Duscae today apparently. They were in for a storm, so she pulled off to the side and waited.
At the fist sound of thunder, Pryna whimpered and jumped into the floor of the backseat area, and covered her white muzzle with her paws. Poor Pryna hated storms.
"I'm sorry, my good girl," Luna whispered to her. "This won't be pleasant for either of us."
From there, Luna followed the lightning. She saw where it was brightening the sky, and drove into that direction. It rained harder, it became harder to see, and her driving knee was protesting something fierce. Finally, Luna found the lightning itself. Right in front of her a tree was struck, smashing into the trunk down the middle. The tree split lengthwise down the middle, causing both halves to topple over as though cut cleanly in half.
Luna left the car, and made her way to the tree. She shivered in the cold rain, but had to investigate. This was the closest she had to tracking down Ramuh. She touched the charred bark where the lightning had struck, gingerly avoiding the wood still smoldering from the heat.
"Ramuh, the Fulgurian! I have braved the elements in the hope of having a word with you. I am Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Former Oracle. I know your brothers and sisters have rejected me, but I merely beg a few moments of your time."
No response, making Luna feel like an idiot who was yelling at a tree. Maybe using some daemon magic would get its attention. She summoned some petrify magic, and turned the smoldering wood to stone.
"See Ramuh," she said boldly. "I am disrupting the balance of nature you are trying to achieve. This fire you tried to start with your lightning will not proceed. If you do not meet with me now, I shall continue to stop every one of your bolts I see."
"Do not seek to threaten me, witch," a disembodied voice floated through the rain. "Lightning will always be faster than stone."
He was talking to her? This was progress! She continued, "but you will still have to use more bolts than you otherwise would to accomplish the same thing. And I swear to you, if you don't speak to me now, I will make it my life's work to annoy you. What would you rather, five minutes now, or being stuck with me for years?"
She felt her hair stand on end. That was the only warning she had. She petrified herself the instant before the bolt hit, aiming to strike her down.
"That was dumb, 'Princess'" one of the daemons snarked in her head. It was her first daemon—the giant from all those years ago.
"Yeah, if you petrify yourself, you'll just turn to stone," the petrify daemon who had cast the spell said. "Technically you bested Ramuh, but now you'll just be a stone statue forever. How does this benefit us," it hissed.
It was at times like this where Luna wished she had a sidekick who could toss potions her way. But she had Pryna. Her fear for her mistress outweighing the fear of the storm, Pryna rushed Luna's way, used her teeth to rip open Luna's bag, foraged with her nose through all the bottles of potion Luna had until she found a bottle of Gold Needle, then picked one up in her mouth, and tossed it at Luna's feet. It worked like a dream, freeing Luna.
Luna knew Ramuh could just try again, and keep doing it until Luna ran out of Gold Needles, but it seemed like it wasn't worth his time.
"Impressive, Lady Lunafreya," he said instead. "For the first time in my memory, stone was faster than lightning. You may be worth 5 minutes of my time. There is a cave a mile north of here. Come there, and we will speak further."
"Thank you," was all she said, sprinting back to the car to drive to the cave.
"Good girl, Pryna," she crooned to her beloved pet. "I will be sure to buy you a treat in town after this."
Pryna's ears perked up, and she whined in response.
Luna thought about bringing Pryna into the cave with her. It would be nice to have a companion, and since Pryna was an expert potion provider, it would be great to have her. However, she had put Pryna through enough danger today. Anything else that happened should be on Luna, and just Luna. She had Pryna guard the car, and made her way inside.
At least the cave was dry. There was still evidently water somewhere though. The smell of wet earth, mold, and mildew was intense.
"Do you sense them," one of her daemons hissed in excitement. "There are others here."
"Others" in this case obviously meant daemons. If she had to absorb them, Luna would. "If there are any with the death spell, please let me know," she requested.
"I just sense petrify daemons here. Yes, a Naga," the petrify daemon she had hissed smugly. "What a shame. I'd love to pit my powers against her."
"Not today," Luna said. "However, if you all behave yourselves, I promise that any daemons we find representing the Empire are fair game."
"They are not 'real' daemons, but I suppose that's better than nothing," the petrify daemon responded, partially mollified.
The daemons in the cave actually left her alone. Luna didn't know if it was because they didn't feel like fighting her, respected her power, or just didn't see her. If she had enough daemon in her presence, it was possible she just appeared as a fellow daemon. She wasn't sure why Ramuh was hanging out in a daemon-infested cave, but she pressed on.
The tunnels became narrower and narrower. Luckily she was slight-figured and could squeeze through them. Would Noctis be able to when it was his turn?
The tunnel opened up to a vast space, housing the being that could only be Ramuh. He was as large as Titan, but looked more like a wise old man than a bully. He had a long beard and long cloak, the epitome of an elemental wizard.
"So, you have arrived, Lady Lunafreya," was all he said.
She addressed him as she had Emperor Aldercapt and King Regis. "Ramuh the Fulgurian. Thank you for agreeing to listen to my plea. I come on behalf of King Noctis. He is the only one left who can avert the dark times ahead. If he requests your power, I beg you to grant it."
"You do not seek my power for yourself?"
"I know I am too corrupt to wield it properly. I know who I am, what I have done. However, please understand that I still want to help return light to the world."
Ramuh was pensive for a moment. "The fact that you admit your faults is encouraging," he said cryptically. "I shall consider your request to help Noctis. However, please understand that all power is earned rather than given. He shall have to undergo a test. Nothing too difficult, though. If he can find some landmarks, which as Chosen King of Lucis he should be able to do easily, then he can meet me here and I will grant him the powers."
"That is sufficient," Luna said. "I thank you."
"Now, be gone," Ramuh said in way of dismissal, and Luna moved on.
Two down, Luna thought. It was a miracle that she had even been able to get the Astrals to speak to her at all. She couldn't rest on her laurels though. Now she needed to find Ifrit, Leviathan, and Bahamut. Bahamut was in Gralea, which was not an option right now. Ifrit was a mystery—nobody had seen him in years. Then there was Shiva, who had completely written Luna off. However, as she had sent Gentiana to see Noctis, Shiva could at least meet him. If the personal contact was there, maybe she would see fit to grant her powers to him.
The only Astral who was a possibility right now was Leviathan. She was located in Altissia, Luna knew. That had to be her next stop. Altissia was under imperial control, but it had a strange relationship with the Empire. It kept a careful neutrality when all was said and done. While it was allied with the Empire, they kept it marginally free of magitek troops, and Emperor Aldercapt treated their leader, Secretary Claustra, as an ally rather than a puppet. It should be safe enough for Luna to venture there.
However, the ferry was still not running, thanks to the instability in the region due to the attack on Insomnia. Without a ferry, Luna had no way of getting there. She tried to bribe someone with a fishing boat in Galdin Quay to take her across, but all she had succeeded in doing was getting herself noticed by security. Luckily they had not recognized her, but it was too dangerous to stay there right now.
So, instead she was back in Lestallum, laying low in the less desirable part of town. The hotels in the good neighborhoods didn't take dogs anyway, and she needed to keep a low profile. She didn't want Iris to know she was here, even if Iris was still in town. She still had to take Pryna for a walk though.
It was evening, and the blistering heat of the day was fading, leaving a sultry aftermath in its wake. She walked Pryna up and down the nearby streets, feeling the boredom anyone has while they walk around, waiting for their pet to find a good spot. It was then that she heard an excited and familiar bark. Pryna looked up excitedly down the street to see her beloved companion Umbra, barking insanely, pulling his human companion toward her.
Luna switched her gaze from Umbra to his human. The boy, now man, was dressed all in black. His spikey black hair was tousled, as though he had been fighting to keep it out of his face in the heat. His gaze met hers.
"Noctis," she thought in wonder. Then "damn it all!"
For one mad moment, Luna thought of running away. Interacting with Noctis directly was never part of the plan. And prolonged contact with her might render him too corrupt to use the crystal. However, between Pryna pulling on her leash so hard to see her brother that she was choking herself, and the trio of dark-clothed allies who turned the corner behind Noctis, Luna knew escape was not possible.
Noctis hurried forward. "Luna," he said raggedly, "is it really you?"
He had inadvertently left her an opening, which she tried to take.
"I'm sorry," she said desperately. "I think you have me mistaken with someone else."
Noctis backed away in shock for a moment. But one of his companions stepped forward. The man with the glasses looked her up and down intently, then settled on Pryna.
"You look like her, and have one of her dogs. Care to try again," he asked coolly.
Luna swallowed. "It would be best for all that you never saw me. I'm sorry," she said, backing away hurriedly.
Noctis didn't let her. With a speed she didn't know he had, he warped behind her, blocking her escape. Pryna was no help. She just ran up to Umbra and the two started sniffing each other as though they hadn't seen each other in years.
"I can't do that, Luna," he said firmly. "We need to talk."
"I would advise not attempting to run, Lady Lunafreya," the man with the glasses stated matter of factly. "If Noct doesn't want you to leave just yet then we are duty bound to assist him." His tone was suave, affable, but the underlying threat was clear.
She saw the large, open-shirted man behind him sizing her up warily, as though she were a threat. The blonde boy behind him was looking from her to Noctis, obviously very confused.
It was ironic, she thought. She had been able to stand up to daemons, Ardyn, and Astrals, but could do nothing against 4 humans. She had no choice.
"I won't run," she said flatly. "Kindly lead the way."
The Levelle hotel was certainly nicer than where Luna was staying. Even looking at it from outside told her that. It was also evidently Iris's quarters. She emerged to greet her brother, then was shocked when she saw Luna with them.
"How long have you been in town," she asked Luna excitedly.
"Iris, would you mind watching her dogs out here for a bit," the gruff member of the party asked her.
"Sure, I'm your slave, Gladdy," Iris said sarcastically, but took the leashes from Luna to do his bidding.
So the big gruff man was Iris's brother, Luna wondered in surprise. Her money had been on the blonde kid.
"Let's go inside," Noctis said, leading them into the lobby of the hotel.
"It's weird for four guys to escort a non-family-member lady to a hotel room," Iris called out warningly behind them.
"Woah, Iris! We would never…" Prompto said, scandalized at the very suggestion that they would do something untoward.
"We are perfect gentlemen, Miss Iris, Lady Lunafreya," Ignis said calmly.
"I know Iris is right, Luna" Noctis said. "But so is Ignis. And I think what we need to talk about would be better in private."
"I trust you," Luna said. "Lead the way."
Compared to the cramped, hot, twin bed room with shared bathroom she had at her lodging, the air-conditioned, 2 bed suite that even had its own bathroom was extravagant. And it wasn't even the nicest room in the place.
Noctis offered her the desk chair, then sat on the bed opposite. Gladio loitered near the door, guarding as usual. Ignis stood near the window, and Prompto decided he needed to use the bathroom. It was more likely an excuse to give them privacy though.
In the full light of the hotel room's lamps, Luna got her first look at Noctis in the flesh after 12 years. The naïve little boy had certainly grown up to be pretty cute, Luna thought in passing. His chubby baby face had matured. His bone structure was stronger, more defined. His blue eyes scanned her.
"Your hair is longer now," Noctis said, awkwardly.
Luna smiled. Noctis was still his bumbling self. "You are taller now," she said amused.
"Yeah, you're right. I remember having to look up to talk to you. Now I'm taller than you." He seemed to remember the point of all this, and his conversation changed. "What happened, Luna," Noctis asked intently. "Why haven't you responded to my notes?"
He had been trying to contact her with the Tenebrae Notebook? "The notebook was lost in Insomnia," Luna said, regretfully.
"So, you were there? What happened?"
Luna told him what she could. She told him in a cold recitation about going there to commune with the crystal; getting used as bait to lure out the excess soldiers; the attack on Insomnia; what his father had said; what happened to Nyx; her trying and failing to use the ring as Nyx had; and having been rejected by the Six, but still trying to fulfill her calling as best she could so that Noctis had a chance. She had to keep her tones cold, clipped or else she thought she would break down, which she couldn't afford right now.
She did not tell him about the marriage, though, and why she had proposed it. To even bring up her suspicions about Ardyn's designs made her feel, uncomfortable, and reluctant to share with Noctis and his friends around. She didn't want to bring up the marriage at all right now. It was, too late. She also didn't want him knowing about the daemons within her. He had enough to contend with.
"Nyx was a good soldier to the end," Gladio commented gravely. A fitting eulogy from one shield to another.
Noctis was silent afterwards. His gaze pierced Luna, looking for all the lost years, sizing up who had she become. Luna felt like she was being judged. He was not a friend she could go to get comfort from anymore. Times had changed. Now he was a king, and would have to forgo old friends if he must for the sake of the many. If he felt she had betrayed him and his kingdom, there was nothing she could do about it. If he rejected her too, she would not be surprised, even though the shaft of pain that went through her at the thought was visceral.
Still, she had to say it, even if it sounded like she was begging for a reprieve. "I, know that saying sorry is pointless, but for what it's worth, I am, so, so sorry. It's my fault that Insomnia fell. If I had not been there, there would have been more guards around. There is nothing I can do to atone for it, but I will still try."
"You think I blame you," Noctis asked, genuinely appalled. "Man, the thought of you going through all of that and me not being there. It's I who should be saying sorry to you."
Luna's jaw dropped. Noctis was trying to apologize to her, after all she had put him through? She had the overwhelming urge to break down and cry, to lean on him for comfort, but knew she shouldn't.
"If I may, Lady Lunafreya," Ignis said calmly. "I don't think it would have mattered how many soldiers were present. If the Empire had a way of taking down our shield, then it wouldn't have mattered if one soldier or 100 thousand soldiers were there. The results would have been the same whether you were there or not."
"It was not your fault, Luna," Gladio piped up from the doorway. "The way I see it, the Empire was going to attack anyway."
"And you and Nyx were with my father at the, end," Noctis said shakily. "At least, it was on his terms. And he got you and the ring out safely." He held up his hand with the Ring of the Lucii on it.
"Gentiana got it to you," Luna asked in wonder.
"Uh huh. And it has Titan's and Ramuh's powers in it too," Noctis said smugly. "I don't know how you got them to talk to you given all the trash Gentiana was saying about you, but hey it worked."
Luna was happy for the first time in, years. "I'm so glad you're alive, Noctis," Luna said reverently.
"Same here," Noctis said, suavely by his standards. "Well, you know, about you," he added, ruining his swagger.
They gazed at each other intently. Luna hadn't brought the marriage up, but it was still there between them as a gauntlet.
"Um, should we leave," Gladio snarked.
Luna returned to reality with a start. "Oh! I've got to get back to my puppies, and back to my hotel."
"You are staying in a less genial part of town," Ignis said warily. "I might suggest you relocate here."
"Yeah, you and Iris can bunk together," Prompto said excitedly. "Um, I assume the group of us are teaming up, right?"
"How about it Luna," Noctis asked, calmly, but very interested in her response.
Luna was overwhelmed. She didn't know what to say right now. She had been alone for so long, and she suddenly had potential comrades again. She hedged. "Let me get my stuff, and I will think about it."
"I'll walk you over there," Noctis said.
"Yeah I'll come too," Prompto said, only to break off when he got a speaking look from Gladio. "Oh yeah, I forgot. I, uh, need to help Gladio with something."
Luna was not taken in by his blatant attempt to get her and Noctis alone. She knew it for what it was, but couldn't do anything about it right now.
"And I will speak to the proprietor," Ignis said. "I'm sure I can persuade him to allow two well-trained dogs to stay here."
"Prompto and I will come with you," Gladio told him. "If all else fails, 3 dudes with weapons should do the trick."
Luna pretended she didn't hear that as she and Noctis left the room.
I got Noctis and Luna to meet up. YAY! Would have loved seeing more interaction between them in the game.
Hope people don't think it's in poor taste that I published stuff about storms in the wake of all the devastating hurricanes going on right now in the US/Caribbean. It happened to be the next part of the story :( Anyway, to any of my readers in the US, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Mexico, stay safe out there, and wishing you a speedy recovery if you are affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, or Jose.