"Surprised to see 'em this far out," Noctis comments, eyeing the imperial base.
"Leave no plot of land unconquered," Prompto sighs. I huff.
"That does seem to be their metaphor. It's like they can't help but grab for every freaking speck of dirt they lay their eyes on."
"Those aren't conquering numbers," Gladio shakes his head. I yelp in surprise as my chocobo leaps into the air, surprised by the bite his chocobo gives him. "Sorry."
"You really need to get him under control," I grumble.
"This is likely a supply line it would behoove us to cut," Ignis adds.
"Looks the same as before," Prompto points out.
"Looks can be deceiving," Ignis counters. Noctis laughs.
"Yeah, don't you remember high school, Prompto? Back when you liked Rayne?"
"Hey!" Prompto protests as Gladio bursts out laughing. I smile to myself, shaking my head.
"That was a miserable three months," I sigh. "And you thought you were being subtle when you followed me home with your camera."
"That's not creepy," Gladio chuckles.
"He said he got lost," Noctis cackles, grinning at his blushing friend.
"C'mon guys, knock it off," he whines. I laugh, giving Noctis a pointed look.
"Leave him alone before he dies of embarrassment," I admonish playfully. "We need him- for now."
"We beat 'em once," Gladio reminds us, turning the conversation back to the imperials. "They won't make it easy this time."
"And neither will we," Noctis replies, his eyes darkening into something unreadable. Prompto shakes his head, riding on the other side of Gladio.
"Iris isn't exactly a 'bring 'em on' backstreet brawler, is she?"
"She's tough, but I'd feel better if we got this over with and got back on the road," Gladio admits. He sighs, giving in and glancing toward me. "She does have Signum with her."
"I'm surprised he got shot by the imperials," Prompto shakes his head. I force a laugh.
"Yeah, me too. Hard to believe he'd be able to try to argue with someone with a gun."
We turn left into a gap in the gate around the facility. I cling onto my chocobo as it rears up, flapping its wings wildly. "End of the line?" I ask, looking up to see Noct's bird refusing to enter as well. He nods, sliding off Vinnie's saddle and heading down the paved road. There's not much around us- not yet, anyway. Just a plain black road with rails and a few concrete-paved areas surrounded with loose fences. I hop off my chocobo's back, giving it a good pat on the neck. Turning around, I pause upon seeing Gladio watching me.
"What?"
"Nothing," he replies, shaking his head and following Noct.
We easily avoid the first sentries as they stroll down the road, but the next are a little harder. We press ourselves up against the wall as a magitek armor stomps by. Two guards remain in the grass just around the corner. Noctis takes them out with silent warp-strikes before we continue around the side of the cement fortress. I make an effort to keep the grass silent under my boots, something else learned from Tallin. Just because he was a bad academics teacher doesn't mean he didn't teach me anything applicable. The whole reason he was "bad" was because he only taught me things that were applicable to my life's duty.
We head up a steep set of stairs, carefully looking for any troopers that might be lining the walls or the perimeter. Three guards man the top of the wall, but they're down in seconds. The more important thing is that we've found our vantage point.
I follow Ignis up the polished ladder that leads up to the top of the radio tower we've located. Once at the top, I turn to look out the grassy hills that surround the base. Didn't they know we'd be coming?
"So what's the plan?" Noctis asks once we're all up.
"Find the base commander and put him into custody," Ignis replies, straightening his glasses. I grin, looking over my shoulder at him.
"Playing dirty now, eh?"
"Targeting metal men will yield little in the way of reconnaissance but bones bend easily." He makes that sound like a simple answer. "We'll split into two groups. Gladio, Rayne, and Prompto will generate a diversion."
"Aw, yeah- making a scene is what I do best," Prompto grins.
"Noct?" Ignis says sharply, catching the daydreaming prince's attention. "Are you prepared?"
"Yeah," Noctis nods, placing his hands on his hips.
"Operation 'To Catch a Commander' is a go!" Prompto cheers.
"And now we just wait for nightfall," I sigh, sitting down with my back against the railing and crossing my arms. Gladio shakes his head, leaning forward against the rail above me.
"You goin' to sleep already?"
"Gotta be prepared for tonight, no?" I grin, raising an eyebrow. "I could really use a pillow."
"Wink, wink," he grumbles, falling onto the toward floor. I roll my eyes, laying my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes. With a sigh, he gives in and rests his head on the fence behind him. Sleep really is a wonderful thing.
"We'll head to the left and follow the commander," Ignis explains in a low voice. "You three head to the right and create a diversion in the center of the base."
"The generator?" I state more than ask, arching an eyebrow. We're huddled behind a tarped pile of crates, exchanging last minute plans. Ignis nods.
"Precisely. I'll send Rayne a message once we've subdued the commander. Don't set it off a moment sooner."
"And this diversion is…?" Gladio trails off.
"Anything you'd like that will catch the attention of the soldiers."
"Sweet!" Prompto fist pumps. The front gates open with a loud clang; I jump, startled by the loud noise.
"I simply cannot believe the nerve of that woman!" a loud, rough voice rants. I exchange a look with Gladio. This's our guy.
"Slip past after they've gone by," Ignis mutters before taking off with Noctis. I sigh, peering around the side of the crates and watching the commander adjust his armor with a scowl. Four imperial guards surround him, two behind and one on either side. The carry on at a casual pace, though the commander looks peeved.
"Now?" Prompto whispers. I shake my head, pushing him behind me when he pokes his head out too far. I wait until the gleam of the imperials' armor fades before motioning the guys forward with my head. I keep myself low, hurrying across the street into the shadows. They follow closely. Not a single alarm is raised, to my relief.
"So I'm assuming you're leading the way," Gladio mutters quietly, eyeing a soldier above us on a tower.
"Why does someone have to lead the way?" I counter, raising an eyebrow. "I say we all contribute."
"This isn't an 'every man for himself' situation," Prompto says pointedly, forcing me to face forward. "You're the sneakiest, you lead."
I roll my eyes and creep forward, staying in any shadows available. There should be a way into the middle from here. Continuing, we come to a spot that's completely illuminated, leaving me extremely uncomfortable as I lead the way out across the open and press my back to a dark, shadowed wall. I'm beginning to wonder how no one can hear my heart beat; it's all I can hear. I close my eyes, forcing myself to listen for the tell-tale clink of imperial MT armor behind me. There's only one. I can hear it pacing behind our hiding place.
"You wanna get him or move?" Prompto asks, his voice twitching with the same anxiety mine would hold if I could talk.
Instead of using words, I snatch up my sword from the air and creep around the side of the wall, breathing a sigh of relief when the MT keeps its back to me. Holding my breath, I step forward and stab my blade through the chink in any MTs armor- the base of its neck. It falls to its knees with a soft clink. I carefully pull my sword free and set its empty shell down.
"Let's go," I whisper, slipping past a tight gap and starting to head into the next area that leads to the generator. I feel a hand close around my wrist, jerking me back. A hand claps over my mouth as I'm pushed back against someone's body. Judging by the height, definitely not Prompto.
Two imperial soldiers walk by, obviously on edge. They must've seen me, or at least a portion of me. Their guns are raised, poised to shoot at any sign of movement. I hold my breath as they look around. I prepare to grab for my weapon when one looks toward our exact location, its red eyes staring right at us. Then it turns its back to us and searches elsewhere. It feels like an eternity later that they leave, returning to their stations.
"That was close," Prompto breathes. Gladio releases his death grip on me, giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Thanks," I whisper. He nods, looking ahead to make sure there aren't any more guards on the way.
We head closer to the generator, evading guards in the shadows and slipping past large magitek armors. Eventually, we make it close enough for me to be able to throw in a fire spell, but I hold off on that idea, dimming my phone's screen down to the lowest setting and turning it on vibrate. We don't have to wait long before it buzzes in the palm of my hand.
I: Ready
Tucking my phone away, I motion for Gladio and Prompto to back up. They do, readying their weapons. Lining up my throw, I take a deep breath before launching the fireball in my hand toward the generator. The machine rumbles, whining loudly as an unforeseen explosion blasts out toward us. I dive behind the closest form of cover, wincing at the tender burn I already feel forming on my forearm.
"You alright?" Prompto calls over the commotion that ensues.
"Yup," I nod, summoning my sword into my hand.
"Over here!" Gladio shouts, catching an incoming Noct's attention.
A blinding floodlight ignites before us. I shield my eyes, looking up to see an imperial armor unlike any we've seen standing and readying its weaponry.
"So these are imperials…" Prompto muses, grabbing his gun and reloading, raising his weapon and firing.
"Look out!" I shout, summoning my final fire spell to my hand and throwing it at the armor as hard as I can. Noctis warp-strikes in right afterward, taking it off guard. "Noct, get the generator!" I call. He nods, warping to the half-broken, spinning machinery several yards away.
Gladio beats away at its legs, beating away at the heavy plating the imperials upgraded to. I grab onto a ledge of the bot, forcing myself up onto its body and stabbing my blade through one of its bright lights. It flickers out, the armor tossing wildly to knock me off. I dig my sword into its 'head', hanging on as Gladio and Prompto utilize its distraction to the best of their ability.
The generator collapses, pieces clattering left and right. Its ruby light snaps off, Noctis warping immediately to the magitek armor. Instantly, Gladio's blows rip away at the armor's legs, leaving them exposed and weak. Unfortunately, they're still useful. One sends a powerful kick his way. I lose my grip on my blade, falling to the ground and narrowly miss getting stomped on. Gladio rolls to his feet, blood leaking through his fingers where he clutches his side.
Noctis swings his own enormous sword, finishing the robot off with a crushing blow. Soldiers open fire all around us. I wince as a bullet grazes my cheek, slicing open a portion of my stitched cut from Ravus. Prompto returns fire, effectively ending the existence of my assailant. I turn my attention to Gladio, who's limped away to get out of the way. I yank a hi-potion free from my Lestallum stash, stumbling to a stop beside him and holding it out.
"My bad," he grumbles, taking the vial and crushing it easily in the palm of his hand.
"You're the one controlling the armor?" I cross my arms, raising one eyebrow playfully. He rolls his eyes, heaving his sword onto his right shoulder.
"How 'bout we just get back in?"
"Sounds good to..." I'm cut off as the collapsed form of the magitek armor combusts, debris flying left and right and the ground trembling violently. Prompto cries out in surprise, swatting at the flames licking at his shirt. The blast took out the remaining soldiers in the area. I scoff. Convenient. The gate to our right fazes away, Ignis stepping inside.
"Glad to see you lot were successful," he greets. I frown, Noctis crossing his arms.
"Does that mean you weren't?" he demands.
"I placed our captive into the Hunters' custody, but I've just been informed he's fled."
"Ignis," I groan. "You gave him to the Hunters?"
"He lives to die another day," Ignis replies, unaffected by my irritation.
"And I'll gladly help him with that," Noctis grumbles.
I sigh, giving Ignis one more disappointed look before following the prince out past the gate and into the main road. You had one job, Ignis. One job! Huffing, I pull my jacket tigther around me. "Hey, you don't think…"
I'm cut off by a figure that dives down toward us, Noctis blocking its blow with his blade just in time. Whoever it is, now clearly a woman, leans in close to Noct's face, sneering, "Hey, pretty boy."
She back flips away, giving me and Gladio the chance to step in front of him. I frown at the woman, her strange garb and long, ornate spear standing out clearly in the golden lights of the imperial fortress. She gives me a cocky smile, her long silver hair brushing back over her shoulders and underneath the bizarre face guard she dons.
"Let's see what you can do!" she says in a sickeningly sweet voice, batting her eyelashes.
Already through with her antics, I dive right in. Her spear quickly blocks my sword, shoving me back. She lunches forward; I dodge that one easy enough. Too bad she's set her sights on Noctis. From every corner of the base emerges a magitek soldier, their armor and weapons more advanced than those we encountered earlier.
"This doesn't look too good," Prompto warns, backing away from the fight to shoot from a distance.
"Quite the formidable foe, indeed," Ignis agrees.
The mysterious woman swings her spear around her, some sort of draining magic crackling over the weapon's elongated body. Noctis stumbles onto his hands and knees after she clubs him in the back, Gladio diving in to block her next blow. I parry her attack on Ignis, shoving her back and barely missing yet again.
"Take this!" she shouts, shooting straight up into the air. She throws herself right back down without a moment's notice, the ground cracking beneath her weapon. I make an attempt at not losing my balance, coming in from behind. She blocks me with the end of her spear, moving to quickly evade an attack from Noctis before going right back on the offensive.
"Gladio!" the prince shouts, warping away from the wild woman. I back off as Gladio rushes in like a mad chocobo, swinging his sword in every direction using pure momentum. Noctis dives in at the last second, slamming his enormous sword down over her head. She pushes back, knocking the prince backwards. I prevent her next blow from hitting him, gritting my teeth and pushing back when she forces her weapon against mine.
Without any warning, she breaks free from the shoving match and jumps into the air, twisting and sending a powerful blow to my chest. I fall onto my back, throwing my sword at her without thinking. It slashes right into her left arm. With a glower, she rushes back in toward me, stabbing at the ground right where my head used to be. I summon my sword back just in time to save myself from another crushing blow. Gladio comes rushing in, pushing her back enough that I can get back to my feet.
The woman jumps into the air and dives down toward Noct. He parries her attack, grabbing her collar and slamming her back down toward the ground in an unforeseen counterattack. She releases a shriek of frustration, pushing herself to her feet.
"Are we doomed?" Prompto calls after taking out another MT. "Pretty sure we're doomed."
"We can turn the tide yet!" Ignis shouts back, throwing his daggers.
"Let's hope you're right," I mutter, right before receiving the butt of a spear to the jaw. Grimacing, I hit her spear out of my way, rushing in to attack her… and then she dives right up into the air again. Noctis warps after her. Moments later, she lands on her back with a grunt of pain. Prompto releases a spray of crossbow bolts on the MTs, taking down one after another.
I dive right in before she can get to her feet, clashing against her spear as she rolls away. She recovers quickly, prepared to fight back before Gladio pummels right into her again. She flips out of the way, looking dazed. Suddenly, she throws herself upward, landing on top of one of the towers, looking smug.
"Aw, is it that time already?"
"What time?" Noctis calls back, sounding mildly curious.
"Quittin' time," she replies, straightening with her hands on her hips. "Sorry, but this girl doesn't work after hours." She shrugs. "I could, but there wouldn't be a single gil in it for me." She gives a sweet wave down to Noctis. "We should play again sometime, pretty boy." With that, she disappears into the night.
"Who the #$% was she?" Noctis asks after a long moment of silence, shaking his head.
"No idea," I huff, crossing my arms.
"Y'know, I'm still worried about Iris," Prompto says, looking directly at Gladio.
"I imagine she's fine," Ignis replies, heading toward the exit.
"But we shouldn't keep her waiting," Gladio agrees. "Signum's gonna lose his mind."
