Chapter 27: Final Rounds

{Campsite: May 7th 2005, 8:05am}

"Alright kid, I'm kicking your ass today," stated Gladio as he looked at the boy who scuffed his boots across the ground a bit as if bored.

"We'll see…"

After arising in the morning, being forced by Ignis to clean themselves once again of any more muck that had chosen to stick to them – as Ignis had cleaned their clothing and they currently were in different attire – and finally being able to eat again, Gladio had demanded that he and Noctis spar; however, Ignis had suggested they wait for a few moments prior to their match and now an hour later the blonde had finally allowed them to begin. Noctis stretched, wearing a pair of black pants similar to his field attire in design with a pair of black sneakers and a blue V-neck t-shirt with a series of black, faded stars on it with his fingerless gloves in place, while Gladio was wearing a pair of black pants, his boots, and a muscle shirt. Ignis stood by with a medical kit sitting next to him as Prompto watched with intense focus.

"There's no we'll see about it!" Gladio stated.

"Uh-huh…." Noctis once more stretched, pulling an arm behind his back by his elbow before repeating the process as he tugged one arm forward and then did it once more with his other arm.

"Shall we begin?" inquired Ignis as Noctis looked at the taller teenager ahead of him.

"Sure, why not?" he looked to Gladio who smiled as he summoned his sword.

"Ready?" Noctis nodded as he held his hand out and the Airstep blade appeared within his grasp.

"On my mark!" called Ignis, the two of them kept their gaze upon one another while Prompto pulled out his camera, preparing to take a video and pictures of the fight as he had of all the events thus far for the scrapbook for Lady Lunafreya.

"Begin!"

Gladio charged forward, striking at Noctis in a swift pace as he rolled out of the way of the broadsword. Midnight-blue eyes locked onto the weapon coming towards him and Noctis took a deep breath before swiftly striking the blade of the broadsword, parrying the blow as he turned at a pivot and nailed Gladio into the side, kicking him in the ribs and momentarily stunning him as he cartwheeled away, keeping the Airstep blade at his side, prepared for the next attack. Gladio would admit that Noctis was quite strong, and when he was struck in the ribs, the impact surprised him beyond words only because it felt as though someone three times the size of the boy fighting him had struck him.

Noctis flipped away, landing in a crouch as he looked towards Gladio who eyed him, finding his stance firm but almost frightening lose as he looked at the teenager before him and then he shook himself out and attacked again, being parried once more as the boy nailed him in the ribs once again, hitting his weakened point as he got into his personal space and held the knife that had been in his boot to the side of Gladio's throat. The brunette, stilled feeling panic rise within him as the boy sent him a cold look that caused him to feel nothing short of anxiety as the blade's frigid steel bit into his skin.

"I think surrendering now would be wise," Noctis said.

"Nope!" Gladio rotated, grabbing the boy's arm and slinging him away as he brought his sword towards him.

In a matter of seconds, Noctis had dodged the blade, blocked it and gotten himself away from the taller teenager, once more landing him a few feet away as he braced himself for the next attack. Gladio looked at his disposition, not showing fear or whether or not he was rattled by the sudden change of positions; however, the gleam in his eyes read nothing short of determination to not be defeated here. It was encouraging, to see the difference in the slight teenager before him and the meek child he had encountered earlier in his life. Noctis had grown, in multiple ways: both as a person, and as a warrior. But, there was an underlying concern that Gladiolus had when it came to the boy before him, and that laid with his detached persona, and taciturn behavior towards most situations.

"It's like he's shut down from the trauma, but doesn't show it at all….I wonder why he seems so scared to let people get closer…"

Gladio's deep thoughts cost him dearly within the next second because of Noctis's swift movements. The boy once more nailed him in the ribs, catching him off guard as he managed to tangle himself around Gladio's torso and catch him in a headlock, startling the taller teenager as he looked slightly to Noctis who smirked as once again, sharp steel bit into the point of his throat. At this point, Gladio knew Noctis had won and had done so by using his petite form to his advantage. Slender but strong hands gripped the dagger at a lethal angle, eyes sharpened and bright with bloodlust as he kept his attention solely upon his prey, his breathing lax and his form taunt to where Gladiolus knew one wrong move could cost him his life. Noctis had wound himself around his back, bracing himself with his knees dug into his sore ribs and the blade of the Glaive dagger ready to claim his life with a swift movement.

"I think I'm done," Gladio stated as Ignis and Prompto stood and Noctis jumped down, bouncing on his heels and the balls of his feet ever so slightly as he twirled the dagger in his hand before slipping it back into the holster on his leg.

"That was awesome! You moved like a strike of lightening Noct!" Ignis clapped in a humble manner, smirking ever so slightly.

"Tell me dear Gladio, what does it feel like to be, ah…how does one say…royally trounced?" he inquired.

"Real eloquent, aren't cha?" Ignis smirked, fixing his glasses.

"Indeed, it appears that I am." Prompto looked to Noctis who sighed as he sat down upon the ground and looked at the sun that shined from overhead. The heat had thankfully dried the ground; however, it promised a very hot and humid day, causing the black-haired boy to sigh in defeat as Gladio looked him over.

"What kind of training did Marshal Leonis put you through?" he asked as he looked at the boy who stood, once more stretching a bit as he looked to him.

"The same training you guys have been doing, I just have a few extra sessions with him for some things I needed to grasp better…" Prompto looked to his friend.

"What's with the knife?" he questioned Ignis turned to Noctis at that point.

"Yes, I was wondering the same thing." Midnight-blue eyes with the slight azure around the iris turned to the three other teenagers.

"Marshal Leonis gave it to me for practice…" Gladio nodded.

"It's a Kingsglaive dagger. The kind they use for the warping targets they use; however, that's not magic: its alchemy…they use it for a transmutation circle on the blade of it that links up to the one on the wrist cuffs," he pointed out.

"Yea, but mine doesn't have the transmutation symbol on it, just like my wrist cuff is leather and not pewter, and doesn't have the marks on it for that kind of power usage." Noctis held up the arm with the cuff on it, showing the crescent moons and stars woven into it as they gleamed in the sunlight alongside the dagger in his other hand that bore intricate designs, but no symbol for the alchemy that the Glaive used.

"So it doesn't….it was merely a tool for you to learn how to handle a smaller blade?" inquired Ignis.

"Marshal Leonis knows that the powers the Glaive use are on loan from my father and the Crystal: he also knows that when they warp the power of the Crystal could kill them because of how much energy it takes." Prompto felt realization dawn on him.

"That's why they have cinders on them when they reappear, and why it's so choppy: because they shouldn't really be using it," he stated as Noctis nodded.

"Yea, I figured that one out after seeing one of them warp…plus I overheard Captain Drautos mention that a lot of the Glaives are showing their usage of the warp and magic they've been taught because it chips away at their life spans…only a handful of them can use the magic and it not exhaust them but most can't warp without it making them ill or potentially even killing them." Gladio crossed his arms.

"That explains the turnover rate within their ranks," he said. Noctis sighed as he kicked a stone away and towards the pond while the others watched the pebble as it sailed through the air and then dropped into the water.

"Noct? You thinkin' about something?" deep-blue met blue-green.

"I was thinking about the three Glaives I know…" he mentioned as he rubbed the back of his neck almost as if he was anxious in admitted that he personally knew members of the Kingsglaive.

"And whom might they be?" asked Ignis as the boy paced about the campsite a bit.

"Libertus Ostium, Crowe Altius, and Nyx Ulric…they kinda helped me out of a rosebush once…and they also helped me out with one of their own when I was thirteen and with Prompto in town for the day…" Prompto grinned.

"I remember that! You beat the hell out of that guy, and then those three Glaives remembered you and they were really nice!" he stated in his normally enthusiastic and ever-so-slightly choppy manner.

"When was this?" Noctis looked to Ignis and Gladio.

"It was during spring-break week last year…we just explored Insomnia a little bit and ended up in the downtown area…but we were fine, that's where I got Prompto's gun from and then when we went to grab a bite to eat…we ended up running into this person talking smack about my family and then he brought up Luna so I punched him…" Noctis scratched his cheek in thought as he considered the words as Ignis sent him a long look and Gladio sighed.

"Girls make you do stupid stuff," he stated.

"She's not just a girl! Luna's important to me in a lot of ways Gladio!" the oldest of the four sighed.

"Yea, he's in love with Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret! She isn't just some girl Gladio!" Prompto stated as he suddenly felt a burning glare settle upon him. in mere seconds he turned to be greeted by the sight of Noctis shooting him a seething glare alongside a fierce blush of embarrassment as he tapped his foot and had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Memo to me: kill you later." The blonde laughed nervously.

"S-Sorry Noct," he said anxiously.

"So, you got the hots for the Oracle of Eos….well, that'd be an interesting paring." Noctis shot Gladio a glower at the statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" he snapped.

"The fair and pure Lady Lunafreya, a symbol of peace and light all throughout our world and then there's you: dark, silent, and threatening with a short temper, and not exactly pure but you are fair…the two of you are two direct opposites." Noctis felt the blush return to his face.

"Don't even go into my personal life Gladiolus! I haven't been interested in any other girls since I met Luna: she's the only one I feel that way for," he stated. Ignis smiled.

"You are childhood friends, it would make sense that you feel such affections towards the person who helped you heal. She was your constant companion while you were in Tenebrae," Ignis stated as Noctis glanced to the side.

"I'd like to see her again…" he sighed as the words left him while Gladiolus looked him over.

"Well, maybe one day you can," he said, knowing not to try and embarrass the boy when it came to the subject of Lady Lunafreya.

"Yea….maybe…."

The remainder of the day for the four of them consisted of exploring the area, and for Noctis to fish from the pond for their meals. Prompto consisted to protest his dislike of seeing organs and blood; however, Noctis seemed to have no problem with it: which did beg the question as to why he wasn't squeamish around the sight. It was as the day wound down that Ignis finished cooking and they ate in silence while Noctis wrote something down in a red notebook that they hadn't seen before as he pasted something down within it before closing it and setting it by his side as he finished eating and went to put the notebook away before returning to the campfire where he asked if they were ready for a lesson in astrology and cosmology. Prompto was quick to listen as was Ignis, finding the information interesting alongside Gladio who only listened, in curiosity about the way the boy described and explained about the constellations.

{Campsite: May 8th 2005, 6:01am: Final Day}

A loud crash came from around them alongside a fierce roar that startled the four teenagers awake as they heard the noise from nearby their campsite. Slowly Ignis and Gladio left their tent and edged their way towards Noctis and Prompto's tent, seeing a large, horned beast sniffing around their campsite as they made a quick motion to go towards the other tent before slipping in. Gladio looked into the tent to find Prompto holding his gun while Noctis remained lax and looking around, his eyes seeming to glow a bit in the dim light as he did so while Ignis slipped in behind Gladio and the four of them huddled together.

"What's going on?" Noctis questioned in a whisper.

"It seems there's a behemoth outside sniffing about." The boy tensed a bit as Prompto swallowed around a lump in his throat.

"Any ideas what we should do?" he asked as Ignis looked around.

"Waiting for it to leave would be wise; seeing as it isn't a Daemon but a Creature, it would be difficult to gage its strength…" Noctis moved forward a fraction, peering through a part of the tent that was pulled back before finding himself not precisely comfortable with the situation.

"That thing's huge….if it comes this way can we take it down?" he inquired.

"Possibly, but it would take a lot of our strength and potentially more force than we could muster to kill it." The Lucian Prince looked to the three others as the growls and thunderous footsteps of the monster drew closer.

"I don't think we have a choice," he stated.

"Why?" Noctis tensed.

"I think it's found us…"

A bone-rattling roar let loose and Noctis summoned his sword, slicing through the tent as the four of them jumped out of the way as the monster tore it to pieces, causing the teenagers to stare onward in shock as the Behemoth looked up and charged at them, causing them to move out of the way once more. Noctis took in a deep breath as he looked at the monster and considered what they would have to do in order to successfully destroy the monster before them while Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio remained prepared for it to strike again.

"Instructions would be good right now, Ignis!" Noctis stated.

"If we can delay it for a moment I can conjure a plan; unless you have something that will work?" they dodged another attack from the monster, scattering about the campsite as they did.

"I do, but I'm not in control of it enough to use it," he answered as he kept his grip firm upon the Airstep blade.

"Well you better think quickly if you can kid: otherwise we're dead." Prompto rolled out of the way of the monster's attack before Noctis looked it over, trying to zero in on its weaknesses.

"Noct! It's got an old wound on its front left leg. That'll be a weak point, I'll direct you!" Noctis prepared his sword.

"Thanks Cari!" he said as he saw the Behemoth turn.

"Now!"

Noctis leapt forward, shocking the other three with him as he drove his sword into the old wound on the Behemoth's leg where Cari told him it was. In a matter of seconds, the monster howled in what could only be described as agony while Noctis rolled out of the way, dragging his blade deep into the hide of the creature before tumbling aside to move from its point of view. Blood pooled out onto the ground, soaking it in deep red as the four teenagers circled the monster and prepared for the next attack. Cari continued to grant Noctis a few pointers here and there, and soon Ignis had found a means to strike the creature down by cornering it because apparently: Behemoth's couldn't swim.

"Lure it to the lake!" Ignis called as Noctis nodded.

"On it!" he kept his sword by his side, drawing the monster's attention as it recognized its own scent on the boy before him.

"It'll charge you, what do you want me to do?"

"When it does, cast Ruby-Light. Got it Cari?" Noctis heard the Carbuncle chirp in response.

"Will do Noct!"

It took a grand total of ten seconds later for Noctis to hear the rumble of the monster coming closer to him as he prepared for it to hit him: which he would let it do. As soon as the horns of the beast connected with his blade it also jabbed into his side, causing quite a bit of pain by way of it puncturing his skin as he slid back with the Behemoth, drawing it closer as he summoned form a blizzard spell to startle it as the others rushed forward confusing it as Noctis freed himself and slashed it across the face, blinding it in one eye as he leapt away from it and into the water, drawing the Creature's attention as it charged once more in a blind rage as Prompto shot into the air, further confusing it as the monster looked back to Noctis who smirked as it charged onto the dock and it began to sink under its weight.

The behemoth roared, and as it did, it turned, knocking Gladio away as it charged at Prompto, nailing him sharply with its face as it threw him and then smashed into Ignis who let out a startled shout as the Behemoth roared and turned its attention to Noctis who tisked as the others began rising from the ground and he remained where he was within the water, hoping to call it to him again. It failed when the monster caught the motion of Prompto coming closer and charged him. Noctis jumped forward, unsure of his skill with his warp to use it in the field as he started running towards his friend and in that second feared he wouldn't make it in time to cover him as the blonde aimed and shot at it, the bullet wounding but not stopping it.

"PROMPTO!"

The blonde tensed, preparing for the worst when suddenly a noise that reminded him of a gunshot went through the atmosphere as a dagger sailed through the air and someone landed between him and the behemoth as a mass of broken glass and cinders covered the area, startling the monster as Noctis slid to a stop at seeing a familiar face, or in this case: three familiar faces. Ignis looked up as he was assisted by a dark-haired woman who nodded to him as he assured her he was fine while another burlier man helped Gladio and Prompto darted away with the other person as Noctis braced his weapon once more.

"Nyx! Crowe! Libertus! Good to see you three," he said as the behemoth looked around at the group that had circled it.

"Good to see you as well Prince Noctis." Nyx looked at the monster.

"Quite the party-crasher here. How did you guys end up with that thing coming your way?" he asked as he looked between the four teenagers who looked remarkably beaten up.

"Just came sniffing around this morning…" Crowe looked at the Behemoth and frowned.

"Libertus, you and Gladiolus round off at the left, Prompto: take the trees and try and get above it. Ignis, you and I are gonna steer it back with magic and distance attacks: Nyx!" Crowe called to him and he turned.

"Yea?" the man looked to her and she took in a deep breath.

"Guard the Prince and aid him," she stated.

"Got it, you ready for a few close range attacks Prince Noctis?" the fourteen-year-old nodded.

"Bring it on!" he said as he charged forward with Nyx directly beside him.

The two struck the Behemoth in the back as the others attacked it from the positions that Crowe had ordered them into and soon the monster started to weaken under the different attacks. Noctis fought alongside Nyx, taking down the front while Libertus and Gladiolus brought up the rear as Prompto took to the top of it while Crow and Ignis handled the sides, caging it in and limiting its movements as they struck the Behemoth twice more and finally, the monster gave a final groan of pain and fell to the ground as Nyx and Noctis sliced through the beast's throat and blood swelled from the wound, spilling out onto the ground of the campsite. Libertus cheered as Prompto came down from the tree, giving the cheerful man a high-five as Crowe nodded to Gladio and Ignis while Nyx looked to the Prince as the boy took in a series of deep breaths, wincing as he held his side where blood trickled through his fingers.

"Prince Noctis….you're hurt!" he said as he turned to the boy who felt his legs cave out from beneath him as the Kingsglaive member helped him to the ground.

"I'm fine…" he received a shake of Nyx's head.

"No, you're bleeding….how long have you had this wound?" he started to pull the boy's shirt up, eyeing the puncture to his side from the horns of the Behemoth.

"Really….I'm fine…" he took in a deep breath, feeling anxiety overtake him as his mind rushed back to the past and the night of the accident that nearly claimed his life when he was nine. The others rushed to him, and Noctis took in a few steady breaths, holding onto him gently, Nyx rubbed soothing circles onto his back as the blood-loss started to get at his mind while the others started trying to work on keeping him awake.

"I got you Noct, don't worry….I'm here…" tired blue eyes looked to where Cari was just behind the group and he nodded his head a bit.

"Go ahead, I'll explain it…" she nodded to him and cut a flip as a glow of red appeared around her and almost instantly he felt the weight of the rough-ruby-cut circlet appear upon his head, startling the others as it did.

"W-What the hell happened?" asked Crowe.

"My…familiar healed me….this thing appears when she heals me…" Nyx whistled.

"Well I'll be damned. How long have you had that contract?" he questioned as Noctis smirked a bit.

"Since I was in a coma when I was nine, that's when…." Ignis sighed in relief as he lifted the hem of the boy's shirt to find the wound gone save for the blood that left the indication of a wound once being present.

"Well, now that this scare has passed….shall we head towards the city? I know it is early, but I do believe none of our supplies are salvageable," he stated as they all looked around at the disaster that was the campsite.

"I agree. Staying is kind of pointless, besides….you guys survived so I think you passed the first session tier…" Noctis smiled as Nyx helped him stand before he got his balance and nodded to the man.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yea, but…please tell me you guys have a car…" Crowe laughed.

"Yep, now come on kids, let's go home," she stated as they started towards the jeep and loaded up.

Noctis sighed as he settled himself into the seat while Gladio hopped into the back of the jeep alongside Libertus while Nyx got into the driver's seat with Crowe and Ignis. Noctis looked at the area, thankful that Umbra had come to get the journal the night before so that it more than likely was now safely with Luna. Prompto set to watching the scenery go by as Noctis looked towards Gladio who had his arms folded as he rested against the back of the jeep with Libertus next to him. The dirt road started to shorten, showing the paved main road again as they started towards Insomnia again and Noctis rotated himself to look out the window, stretching just a bit as he watched the wilderness go by while the weight of the circlet remained upon his head, occasionally catching the light of the sun through his bangs.

As they drove, the group found themselves in a comfortable silence while they continued down the dirt road and further away from the chaos that had been their first field session. On normal field sessions, the first one was the easiest, and was meant to only display how to work together in the wilderness; however, Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio had gone through a series of events that most would not have anticipated on their first field session. Now, four days later the group was a bit scratched up, dirty, and in desperate need of a few decent hours of sleep; but they were alive and had proved that they could work well together as a team. Noctis glanced to the back of the jeep at that thought and turned himself to where he was leaning towards the two older males in the back.

"Hey, Libertus?" he asked.

"Yes? Prince Noctis?" the teenager smiled.

"Thanks for helping us out, you too; Nyx! Crowe!" he stated with a sincere grin upon his features.

"No problem, we're part of the Kingsglaive, it's our job." Noctis nodded.

"Yea, but still…thanks for helping us out," he said.

"You're welcome…" Gladio sighed, looking towards the road behind them before Noctis flicked his ear.

"Ouch! What the hell! Damn brat!" he snapped.

"Just getting your attention, that's all…" Gladio narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want Prince Noctis?" he asked as the boy tisked.

"I was going to tell you: drop the Prince title….we're teammates now." He held his fist out just as he would with Prompto, causing Gladio to look at him in confusion.

"Then what should I call you?" the boy smiled, his eyes seeming to glow in the sunlight alongside the circlet of ruby upon his head.

"Noctis….or Noct is fine," he said as Gladio blinked before smirking as he knocked his knuckles against the fourteen-year-old's.

"Roger that, Noct…" and just as it was stated, the road turned from the rough dirt to smooth pavement, signally their ride home was almost over.

{…}

That's when something wild calls you home….

{….}

Author's Note: Gladio and Noctis are finally starting to respect one another and Noctis clearly now trusts Gladio. Now we have the fun of getting up to speed with a series of events that prepare us for some other things in the stories to come. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to reading your reviews. Have a great day or night, wherever you are!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.