Here it is. Despite Zelda and school, I've managed to produce a full chapter. Despite all the side writing I've made. And the gradings I had to complete on papers and mid-term exams. And no, nothing is over with school and I'm barely on top of things, you'll see why in my end chapter comments. Today we have some NoctxLuna, action, and some setting up for the next small arcs of the story. Try to determine which things feel the more exciting among the various missions and events I'm preparing for you. :D
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Unexpected
Chapter 29 – Daemons in the dark
After a brief lunch, the gang packed up the Regalia and Monica's car and prepared to leave. Ignis insisted on driving when Noctis tried to offer his help, and Monica also refused Crowe's offer to take her place behind the wheel. The easiest part was agreeing to split into two groups. Prompto was in the passenger seat next to Iggy, Luna and Noctis siting on either side of Talcott, even though the kid had said he was fine. Luna told him stories from her province of Tenebrae. Aranea served as a copilot for Monica, while Iris sat between Crowe and Gladio, mostly lost in thought while her brother had plunged himself in one of his books. The former Glaive kept a close eye on their whereabouts. They met two dropships on their way and got rid of them quickly, their ride remaining uneventful otherwise.
Killing off the MTs was a walk in the park for their new team, Talcott and Monica able to stay behind and remain secure despite the 12 to 20 mannequins dropping from the sky. The morning training had paid off, with some of the pairs of fighters showing good chemistry on the field. Prompto wasn't too surprised by anyone's tactics, having observed them well enough. Gladio might be the one who hated the fights the most, since everyone was looking out for him and forcing him to stand behind. He would still rasp and cough here and there, but he was the one tasked with being the king's shield, not the other way around. He complained about stolen kills under his breath, only to see Monica smirk at his antics.
The whole group was received with joy in Free Crown, the refugees always happy to see their prince. It was hard for everyone to consider him as their king. He was the rightful king, technically speaking, but no ceremony had officialized it. Even so, he casually talked with Libertus and everyone that dared speak up. Heads turned and smiles grew at his passage.
"Your highness!"
"Lady Lunafreya!
"Easy, easy there everyone." Libertus warned, limping next to Noctis.
There was a lot of catching up to do first and the prince had yet to visit the new Free Crown. Monica asked how she could help and Talcott was quickly recruited to help with the schooling of the younger kids. He wasn't sure he wanted to leave the group to be with new people, so Iris joined him, happy to take her mind off the news she'd received and her little conundrum on how she was supposed to share it with anyone.
"It's too late for you to go down the mines, but we can go over what's been done and what's left to do." Libertus explained.
The dorms were slowly getting insulated, one wall at a time, to control the room temperature and humidity level. The hospital wing had been insulated first and was almost entirely done and separate living quarters would be developed over the following weeks. Noctis was amazed at the material they had gotten, but it turned out that Lestallum had accepted a contract with Free Crown, delivering all sort of metals in exchange for the resources hiding in the mines.
"We have 9 mining sites as of now and once the lower levels are opened, we should be able to multiply the stocks. We have natural wells on two floors and the storm from the other day helped with our water supply. As for food, we hunt the monsters nearby and have projects to develop inner gardens."
The 600 refugees had all been registered with their respective names, ages and job experiences in the last few days, and teams were being developed for every task. They had 40 hunters, 100 construction workers and about 50 military trained personnel. There were almost 200 kids and a lot of the youngest didn't make it. Luna paled when the nursery maid explained that only one orphan toddler was still alive among the 6 they had. There might be others in partial families, but the orphans were countless. Visiting the entire three floors took the whole afternoon, but Noctis insisted on seeing as much of Free Crown as possible to know where help was needed and what he could do.
Prompto quickly volunteered to help with the construction effort, Gladio joining him while Aranea inquired over their defenses, soon allowed to give them tips under Ignis' watch. Libertus had voiced concerns about the woman. She'd been seen among the imperials by a few Glaives and he didn't want all his work to amount to nothing because of misplaced trust. The prince vouched for her and promised to take responsibility if anything bad happened.
"If you have any wounded, I'll take care of them." Luna offered.
"It will be appreciated, Lady Luna." The limping Glaive admitted.
Before that he knew it, Noctis was left only with Crowe, Libertus and Monica to talk about planning and strategies for the next three hours. Free Crown was a budding village, a community focused on healing its wounds while building up a habitable home.
There was a lot of work that needed to be done and even though they had made some progress, they didn't have enough workers to accomplish their goals.
"We had reports from the capital." Libertus admitted after a while. "There's a lot more survivors than what we first thought."
"How did you even get reports from the city?" Noctis asked.
Monica interfered:
"Cor had sent a few spies to infiltrate Insomnia through the secret passage before the base was stolen. They've been disguised as normal citizens among the streets and have reported to either Libertus, Cor or myself. We don't know much, there's little trust among the streets and everyone keeps to themselves."
Nodding, Crowe asked about the number of survivors.
"Over 2000, maybe 3000. We can sustain half of them with the people we have here, but we need space for all of them." Libertus explained.
"Which is why you want us to free the lower levels from daemons." The prince observed.
"Right. We have repelling lights for at least four full levels. Technicians will instruct you on how close to fix them. We have multiples elevators, and the entrances are all secured, but we need to focus on what we already have here."
"I'm pretty sure we can secure two levels in a single day. Luna can repel the daemons with her prayers and I'll kill those that are persistent."
"Which brings me to a suggestion I had. I don't know how you'll react to it, though." Monica started. "Shouldn't Luna lead one group of four people while you lead another one? You would cover more ground a lot faster and technicians could follow up on you to finalize the placement. I've gotten pretty good at setting up permanent repelling lights."
Noctis clenched his fist, realizing this was the most logical plan. The mines had small tunnels and a group of eight people couldn't move efficiently in such a closed-up space. But two teams… The idea of leaving Luna on her own, because they needed to split their powers... He wanted to protest, but channeled all the maturity, all the strength he could and nodded.
"It would make sense. I'll talk with everyone."
Their discussion seemed over, when Crowe cleared her throat, gathering their attention.
"Libertus, you've been in contact with all sorts of people lately. I was wondering if you didn't learn of a way for… forging a pact similar to the one we had with Regis with the prince. I know how to use magic and the people on our team are already quite strong, but I can't help but feel as though we have too much on our plate as it is."
The Galahdan man heaved a sigh, throwing a cautious glance at Noctis. The prince simply shrugged in answer. Regis had been the first king in a while to take as many initiatives with the powers the crystal had granted him. He hadn't told much to his son about it, and sadly, the prince didn't inquire much about it, either. Both Caelums had been afraid of what those initiatives might lead to in the long-run.
"I did some searches over it, I'll admit. Warping was pretty convenient and as much as I can hold myself in a fight, with my leg in this state, I can't do much except throw orders and use a hammer."
"Then you must know I can't do anything without the crystal." The royal heir observed.
"That's the point actually. You need the crystal. And I've heard from someone, really convincingly, that the crystal had been broken by one of your ancestors. So here is my theory for this question. Could you share your powers with other people with a fragment of the crystal in your possession?"
As Noctis processed the question, he considered all the implications. The young man didn't want to force any more burdens on the people around him than what they already faced, but if he could give them more chances to survive, could he really say no? Even though he had only the inkling of an idea over how he was supposed to share his powers with a normal person using the crystal.
"Well, I would certainly try. I guess it will be a lot more limited than what my father could do with the whole thing." He warned them.
Crowe looked excited and Libertus had a sparkle in his eyes that clearly meant he knew more than he let on. Fortunately, he didn't keep it to himself.
"Good to hear. Because there's a rumor about how a widow queen buried an important piece of the crystal in Steyliff Grove."
"Steyliff Grove? There's crazy magic in there. The place was deemed unsafe and its doors won't open until night falls." The prince remarked.
He hadn't heard of many construction sites in Lucis outside of Insomnia, but that Grove had been mentioned in some stories his father used to tell him before bed. Steyliff had been erected as a resort house by the 100th king of Lucis. A fight between brother and sister among the heirs had happened in the castle and the magic had grown almost sentient, driving in monsters and daemons. The Grove had been forbidden ever since and the fallen heirs were never found.
"There's no obligation here. After all, this is only a rumor. Crowe asked, so I'm giving an answer." Libertus defended himself.
Noctis wondered if he'd sounded too defeated.
"I'm not saying I won't consider it. Making everyone stronger is in my priorities, too."
"Try not to push yourself though. If we were to lose you, I don't think the people would manage to hold on." Monica warned him.
It sounded half motherly, half threatening, but Noctis understood almost instantly that she genuinely cared.
"I've been hearing that a lot lately. I'll be as careful as possible. Is there anything else we should discuss?"
…
Hey city boy! The message popped up on his phone.
Prompto was sitting with Gladio, drinking a cold beer -the refugees had this kind of luxury, thanks to the work they put on the electric system- and there was another wall in the dorm that had been completed. The gunman was exhausted from the day's work and knew the next one might be even worse. Daemon hunting remained in the back of his mind, and he was not looking forward to having a few of his traumatic childhood memories resurface. Gazing down at his phone screen, seeing the first text that Cindy had the courage to send him made him feel like a schoolboy all over again.
His fingers flew faster than he could think.
Hey GG!
GG? She asked back.
Sorry, that was an impulsive reaction.
That the nickname ya gave me in yar head? As payback for all the nicknames a'threw to yar face?
She wrote in her accent. He could almost hear her in his mind. His goddess of the gears. He doubted telling her what the GG meant would earn him any points.
We could say that. How's everything going?
Good, thanks for asking. I thought a'd break the ice, since I left in a hurry the other day. Didn't want ta give y'all the impression I was running away from ya guys.
Glad you did.
Taping on send felt like taking an enormous risk, but Prompto tried to keep a straight face and gulped down two large sips of beer before checking his phone again. Last thing he needed was to get Gladio's attention. The big guy seemed busy explaining the best method to prepare behemoth meat to two other men.
Paw-paw said he saw ya guys passing by Hammerhead. Got a load of work ahead of ya?
I think we have one or two days of fighting daemons non-stop in front of us.
If I had more lessons, I might be able to help.
She almost sounded flirty, but those were mere texts, Prompto thought. I need to get over myself.
P: I'll give you some more. And real practice too. Just need to get some free time. Prompto answered.
C: Ya'd better get some. A've found pretty bikes for you guys. A whole three of them. Faster than birds and harder to target than the good old gal.
P: Wow, I'll tell Noct and the others. But how much will it cost?
Don't worry bout that. They're not going anywhere. She promised.
"Prompto? Dinner time?" Gladio called, raising his voice as he repeated his name.
The blond man had almost forgotten where he was, completely sucked into the discussion.
Need to go.
Alright then. Keep me updated of when ya'll be around, city boy.
Sure thing.
…
It was a lot later before Noctis had time to go looking for Luna. There was a bunch of kids following her wherever she went after she'd finished healing the people of Free Crown. She looked exhausted but the smile on her face was a nice change from the melancholy of the few last days. He was surprised to see the toddler resting happily in her arms. She'd gone back to the nursery and had convinced the children to look after the orphan, taking the small girl out of her secluded space for a brief walk.
Lunafreya had always loved children, but except for those she healed, she didn't see many in her life. There were those in Tenebrae's small towns, but except for a few visits, she couldn't exactly play around with them. One had almost been killed by an MT when he'd sneaked into the gardens of her mansion and Luna had written two full pages over Ravus' reaction to it. If her brother hadn't been there that time, she might have interfered herself.
Noctis didn't mind children. In fact, he loved them better than adults. Making them laugh and smile had always been easy for him. Maybe was it looking after Iris for so long, or the fact he was still a kid at heart, he couldn't tell. With his fiancée, they entertained the children together, easily joining in games. Here, instead of Prince Noctis and Lady Lunafreya, they were simply Noct and Luna.
It was a breath of fresh air to see all the bright smiles and hear all the laughter, to remind themselves that all their hard work was made for those innocent lives. Luna kept the orphan close throughout most of the playtime, being either referee or calming everyone down with the promise of telling an Astral's story. Noctis knew she made them up as she went, just like when they had been kids themselves and his wounds prevented him from falling asleep.
Before they knew it, dinner time had arrived, and the couple went back to the nursery to return the young orphan who was now sleeping peacefully in Luna's arms, while the other kids ran back to their temporary home. The families were sharing the same dorms until separate habitations could be developed on the second floor. Intimacy wasn't exactly in the camp's priorities, but with enough work, the refuge could be turned into a full-fledged town over the next few months. Luna reluctantly laid the toddler to bed and stroked her brown hair, murmuring a short prayer before turning her back on her.
"Are you...okay?" Noctis asked her, feeling a knot growing in the back of his throat when he met her eyes. They looked so sad.
"Yes. I just wish… I could do more. I can give them a few hours of my time, but that's not what they need. What they need are parents to look after them until they're old enough and…"
Concerned, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gently led her out of the nursery, wondering if this was about her own mother's passing or something even deeper.
"Luna…"
"I can't believe I'd still feel so selfish, after all these years." She tried to laugh at herself.
She gave a sigh and leaned into him for an instant, closing her eyes, not taking another step, just staying close to her prince.
"Selfish?" he repeated, dumbfounded.
"Do you remember our notebook? When we played that game to predict what our kids might look like?"
The question had been innocent enough back then. They'd been oceans apart and so young, and had shared theories on where they thought kids came from. Noctis smiled as he remembered a particularly embarrassing moment.
"You kept insisting we'd had more than one." He started, trying to keep a straight face.
"There was one thing I never admitted though. One thing that scared me more than anything else. If we were to have a daughter. And that she'd turn out to have my powers…"
Noctis had no words to mend such a fear. He had only thought of finding her in the last few years, of enjoying his time with her. Having a family seemed impossible with the given situation. And just the thought of being a father almost scared him. But for an instant, he tried to envision what Regis might have thought as he observed him growing up. Wondering if he'd sired a son worthy of the crystal or not. And which option might be worse. Worthy meant suffering for the flesh of his flesh. Unworthy meant the end of their line and death to their entire country.
It felt hard to breathe for an instant, as the memories mixed together, of all the looks Regis had given him, of all the words whispered in his back. Of that sentence that had left him with nothing but resentment for his fate.
"Where you go, know the Lucis line follows."
If you fall, we all fall. Don't be the last. Don't let all our ancestors' hard work go to waste.
He looked into Luna's eyes, trying to keep the fears at bay. Trying to let her know that he understood her own worries.
"We'll turn things around for all of those kids, Luna. I'm the chosen king, and you're the chosen oracle."
Her sharp intake of breath made it sound as though it made things worse, but he couldn't falter. Not in Free Crown. He was building a new country over the ashes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… turn the atmosphere this way. Seeing Talcott in that state for the past few days really hurt. And hearing about those orphans we've lost…"
"You have every right to feel that way. But I remember hearing you saying the bad stuff is only one half of things."
She managed a smile, remembering using that line every time he'd complained over small things.
"Didn't we have a discussion over how it was more a quarter to three?"
"It was a debate."
By this point, they were both smiling, fondly remembering the time they spent arguing back and forth in their secret book.
She linked her hand with his hand hanging on her shoulder and they resumed their walk. Luna realized something important a few steps later.
"I don't think I've ever asked you if you wanted kids to begin with."
"Is that a question?"
"Maybe…"
"Well, it's not really precise." He teased her, hoping it would permit his heart to get back to a normal rhythm.
Was there even a good answer to such an inquiry? Luna tugged on his hand, moving a bit closer to him to whisper into his ear:
"Do you want to have kids with me? When all this is over?"
And although she didn't say it, Noctis could tell this was the most hopeful she'd ever been. Luna had a lot of hope for the people around her, but didn't keep enough for herself. Now, she dared to dream there might someday be a point when the pain would end and the war would be over.
He felt himself blush as he pretended to consider her question.
"And share you with them?"
"Noct!"
"Of course, I want to."
He kissed her ear, squeezing her hand to support his claim. If they hadn't walked into a busier tunnel, she might have pulled him to the side for a proper kiss. Instead, she simply basked in the thought that he wanted a future with her. To build a house and a family. Together. To experience the "normal" they never had.
Luna couldn't keep the smile off her face as they joined the others for dinner at the table reserved for Libertus' guests in the simili cafeteria. No one dared to tease them or burst their bubble with questions about the next day. There had been a lot of planning done already and everyone wanted to unwind.
Ignis was slowly getting convinced to join in the betting going on regarding the rate of construction for a few of Free Crown's installations, Libertus taunting him more and more as he tried to show some reservation. Aranea chatted with Crowe and Iris over the protective gears the team might need. Iris had started it by pointing out the dragoon's armor didn't seem protective enough, which had started a heated debate that Crowe had defused into constructive thinking. Gladio was going through the food in between his few coughs, trying to spot any potential troublemakers with Monica. They'd made it a game by the start of dinner and it seemed she was winning by a large margin.
Prompto had taken pictures during his second break of the day and shyly suggested piecing together an album for Free Crown, which Noctis wholeheartedly approved. Luna was more than happy to scroll through the shots, lingering a long time on the one where the gunman had caught them playing with the children.
"Have you been patrolling the entire place?" She mused.
"Well, I've tried, but I would have needed a map for it. I actually got lost twice." Prompto explained, a sheepish look on his face.
Libertus laughed as he caught the information.
"I get lost too. All the time."
The rest of dinner was mostly filled with laughs and small talk. After the long day, Libertus suggested they might want to get to rest early.
"I've made some arrangements to get you a separate dorm. We have one for hunters and soldiers stopping by and it's mostly empty at the moment. It won't be anything fancy, but I thought keeping royal bed hair out of sight of us lowly countrymen might be a good idea."
"Libertus!" Crowe chided him, unable to refrain the smirk from growing on her face.
"It's really welcome," Luna thanked him. "You didn't have to go through the trouble for us."
"Well, you promised you'd remove the daemons from our mine one floor at a time. I don't think it's that much in exchange."
…
Before going to bed, Libertus warned them that if they expected any texts, they should head back up for a few minutes so that they'd get a signal. Prompto doubted Cindy would text him again and didn't want to look too eager. Exchanging texts with her was fun, and the novelty still hadn't worn off. He didn't want to get teased by Gladio or Noctis over it. And the guys were making a big deal over who was getting the top or bottom bunk. There were enough beds for everyone to sleep on and Noctis and Luna had silently agreed to sleep in separate beds. It would be fun to sleep snuggled together, but that would be unfair and inconsiderate to the rest of their team and the mattresses were a bit too small.
Iris faked a headache to get out and get some fresh air and ended up being followed by Aranea, of all people. Gladio would have gone too, if the others didn't interfere.
"You're being far too protective of that girl," Crowe remarked.
"I get the feeling I've let her be on her own far too much lately." The large man retorted as he pulled on a sleeveless shirt for the night.
…
Iris checked her cell for texts from Ravus as she neared the east entrance to Free Crown. Aranea had her own phone and simply made a call, not minding the younger girl, at least, not in an evident way.
How's Luna? Asked the message on her screen.
She felt a little put off by the brevity of it.
How often am I supposed to answer these questions? She typed back.
R: Well, that depends. How often do you need intel?
The nerves of that man!
I: Well, Luna is doing well. There are about 7 overprotective people looking after her, if that makes you feel any better. What are you doing?
R: None of your business.
I: I'm just curious, don't get defensive. I was wondering how you managed to learn the things going on with Insomnia.
R: I'm running tests. Playing mad scientist. Killing puppies.
I: Moron.
R: You want intel? There are rabid dogs in Insomnia. As if the MTs weren't enough…
So you're in the capital?! Iris deduced.
She could almost imagine him cursing on the other side of the phone. His lack of an answer gave her a sense of pride. Was Ravus Nox Fleuret speechless, with all the countenance he showed?
How are the tests going? She insisted.
Taking their time. Mind answering a few questions if you're that interested in those tests?
Instantly, her wariness was back.
I: What kind of questions?
Her eyes widened at the three quick messages that followed.
Blood type. - Children infections. - If you received any shots in the past two years.
He gave her half a minute to read the first text before adding:
R: Any substance abuse? Alcohol? Cases of illness in the family?
I: Stop it already!
Why? Those are legit medical questions. Ravus shot back.
I: Where did you even learn anything about medicine?
R: I didn't contact you to make small talk.
Iris rolled her eyes and noticed that Aranea had finished her call and was waiting for her, arms crossed over her chest.
I: Well, sorry if you're not happy with that deal, but since you're running tests on my blood, I think I'm entitled to a few questions. Also, I won't be getting any signal tomorrow, so don't expect a reply if you ask me about Luna again.
R: Why wouldn't you get any signal?
I: That's none of your business.
His last answer took more time than his previous texts. Was he trying to deduce their location? His reply didn't give anything away.
Fair enough.
"What was that all about?" Aranea asked as soon as the brown-haired girl turned off her phone.
"What?"
"All that mad typing and those faces you pulled? Who were you texting to?"
"Huh… Who were you calling?"
"My friends Biggs and Wedge. I check on them every now and then. Now you answer."
Iris wasn't expecting that. She gulped down.
"I know someone who's still in Insomnia."
"How vague… Well, I won't tell anyone. But know this...secrets are dangerous." The dragoon warned her.
The young girl followed her back down the tunnels with a new knot in her throat. It wasn't that she wanted to keep secrets from the others. It was more that they gave the impression they couldn't trust her and she wasn't going to give them any cause to confirm that fear. Maybe if she'd had time to think it through, she'd seen the flaw in her own logic. But it had only been two times that she'd texted back Ravus. She wanted to get more information from him before sharing it with the guys.
…
Noctis had asked Ignis to wake them up as early as possible to get properly prepared before they went down the elevator with a few hundred daemons repelling light-bulbs. Noctis carried most of them in his pocket, which seemed to be able to hold anything, and the mandatory forty-some bags were given, one to Gladio and one to Ignis. They planned to split into two teams, Noctis, Iggy, Aranea and Prompto on one side and Luna, Crowe, Iris and Gladiolus on the other.
The girls were dead set on keeping the king's shield from fighting, so he would focus on installing the repelling lights, while Prompto and Ignis had agreed to share that role on their side. The goodbyes were a bit awkward at first, Noctis having a lot of trouble leaving Luna out of his sight. But they had a task they needed to get done.
"Be careful." He asked, only for her to ask him the same in return.
Seeing how they hesitated to hug each other, Prompto decided to lighten the atmosphere and gave a playful slap on Gladio's behind, seeing the instant giggle on Iris' face while a few pairs of eyes temporarily widened.
"Do try to come back to me in one piece, man. I'd miss your tattoos way too much."
"Damn, kid, you're going to make me blush." Gladio retorted, ruffling his hair before tackling him and putting him in something Prompto would describe in a headlock.
Ignis pushed his glasses a little higher on his nose, the hint of a smirk forming on his thin lips.
"We should get going." He reminded them.
Noctis nodded, squeezing Luna's hand one last time before letting her go. They'd been standing in the closed elevator and opened the doors to discover a single repelling light on the opposing wall of stone. The elevator doors wouldn't open again before a few hours and both Umbra and Pryna were following the royals closely, ready to rush to the other in case of an emergency. Since their phones didn't work, the dogs were their next best form of communication, even though Noctis doubted they'd need them. Daemons hissed in the background, crackling sounds reminiscing of a whip snapping, giving them goosebumps and keeping everyone on edge.
"This is it, guys. Let's meet up in three hours." The prince whispered.
Luna's group went right and Noctis' left. They faced daemons immediately, Noctis getting through his in a blurry flash of blue while Luna joined her hands in prayers, hurling the monsters back. In a matter of minutes, repelling lights had been securely fixed onto the walls and connected to the current. Once turned on, it was easier to get more daemons down and they both reached their end of the tunnels, to the turn that meant they wouldn't see each other for the rest of the way. No turning back now. Refusing to throw a glance back, they trudged on.
There was a distance they needed to respect as they placed the bulbs and lights. Gladiolus wasn't exactly happy to bring the rearguard, but Lunafreya kept the daemons at a safe distance. Iris wore a portable repelling light to make their work easier and Crowe was mostly fighting against herself to withstand the darkness all around. She needed to face it, and eventually she came alive, taking the lead, hurling magic at the monsters, recognizing their weaknesses. Luna held her trident in self-defense, keeping an eye out in case the former Glaive needed back-up. Taking out the few daemons that dared to brave the Oracle's prayers was pretty easy at first. Luna's powers hindered the monsters, making their movements sluggish and turning them into easy targets.
"Those prayers are really impressive." Gladiolus observed.
"I have no idea how long I can keep them up though. There are thousands of them in here." the princess admitted.
She wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow, taking small steps forward while Crowe unleashed a small thunderstorm on a bunch of mindflayers. Pryna followed along closely, her fangs bare, ears lowered. Iris hadn't expected to ever see the sweet dog looking so dangerous.
After ten more lights, they found a crossing that split into three separate tunnels, all equally dark, except for the eyes that shone deep within. Goblins hissed and Uttus crawled above their heads.
"Securing this place might be tricky." Crowe whispered. "Don't stand too tall, Gladio." She added as an afterthought.
Next thing they knew, she'd put the ceiling above their head on fire to get rid of the giant spider centaurs. Severed limbs and hooks fell to the floor, vanishing into the darkness and making thumps as they hit the ground. Luna brushed one aside, preventing it from slashing at Iris while she used her portable light on one of the tunnels, keeping the monsters at bay. Gladio had gotten a good rhythm, used to working under pressure, but this was proving a bit much. He lit light after light, risking electrocution as he added a few wires here and there and lit the current without adding any protection on the naked wires. He would cover them once the place was more secure, because right now, it was not a good feeling seeing the three women fighting in his stead because of his stupid lungs…
Gladiolus felt a lot more pressured than he usually did. Which made him cough here and there. And curse inwardly.
…
Noctis had never seen so many daemons in the same place. Goblins, hobgoblins, arachnes and uttus, even mindflayers which usually preferred to lurk in the woods. He was careful not to overdo things, either using only his two royal arms or sticking to a single weapon. But he did tap into his powers, warping and warp striking in a flurry of moves that made the others dizzy just from looking at him.
Prompto had taken the first turn at installing the repelling lights, Ignis observing that his gunshots might attract even more daemons. Aranea was taking the beasts out, stabbing quickly with her spear, Ignis having shifted from his daggers to a polearm, much to the dragoon's surprise.
She knew he'd trained with various weapons, but the fact they used something so similar… From the few glimpses she'd dared take in his direction, she felt a strange sense of pride. Iggy really was good at everything he tried.
They progressed quickly despite being consistently outnumbered. The tunnel was large enough for the three fighters to attack simultaneously while Prompto worked on the lighting. Noctis always stood a few steps further, while Aranea and Ignis took turn in supporting their gunman turned technician. For the first hour, things went well enough. But when he kneeled again and started nailing the lamp to the wall, Prompto felt an old fear creeping up. He had wondered how long the memories would take to catch up to him and pushed them aside. But as he blinked, the dirt on his hands seemed to turn into blood. He had to swallow back a gasp of surprise, telling himself his mind was playing tricks on him. But three more blinks didn't make his hands any cleaner. And the daemons hissing didn't help.
"Can we switch up, Iggy?" he asked as he finished connecting the wires, trying to prevent his hands from shaking.
"Sure…"
The reprieve helped a little, at least for the first twenty minutes. Aranea and Noctis managed to keep most of the deamons at bay and Prompto was left with cover fire, to take out those that managed to slip past their guard and walked along the ceiling. He evaded them as they fell to dust, but the smell was reminding him of injections and those awful tests. As he raised his gun to a target, he realized how much he'd started shaking.
He was relieved when Noctis suggested a break, leaning himself against a wall after creating a wall of fire between them and the remaining daemons. Ignis started by checking on the lights and their distance, making sure they'd respected Libertus' recommendations. Aranea leaned on her spear, shifting from one leg to another to help her blood circulation. Without the heaters all over the upper floors, the tunnels felt cold and humid.
Prompto wished he could have collected himself faster, but his trembling was soon noticed by the others.
"Were you bitten?" Ignis asked.
"No, I… I just don't like mines much."
"Seriously?" Noctis inquired, looking doubtful.
"Yeah, serious. It's…"
He blinked and had a vivid flash of his father towering over corpses of children, eyes wide and a strange smile disfiguring his face. The vision made him whimper in protest and as he managed to open his eyes and see his surroundings, he noticed the sad looks his friends were giving him. If it wasn't enough, all three of them were staring at him suspiciously and his shoulders sagged a little more.
"I thought I'd be fine." He started, looking ready to apologize. "But we used to dig so we'd been strained enough to absorb… whatever they injected us."
There was clearly more to it and the fact he left so much of it out made it all the more terrifying to his team. Aranea wrapped an arm around her waist, trying not to picture herself in the same situation, since she'd been branded just like him. Ignis simply remained silent, doubting any words could undo the damage he saw in the gunman.
"If you want to get back out…" Noctis started.
"I'll tough it out. I'm just... If we keep moving, I'll manage…"
He was clearly trying to convince himself and Ignis and Noctis exchanged a look, agreeing to watch over Prompto more closely for the next few hours. All the pieces of information he had disclosed of his early childhood sounded far too traumatic to their liking. They had had their share of traumas, too, but never that early.
"We got one hour left before we head back up."
They went on, with more fighting, more installations of the repelling lights. Ignis refused to let Prompto take back the task of installation, since it seemed staring at a rock wall affected him more than shooting at things. The daemons fell and bickered but kept dying under their approach. Noctis wondered how many more ethers he could take before he got sick from their aftertaste. He abused his magic to make sure no daemons got away from him and by the end of the fourth or fifth tunnel, the prince knew he could trust Aranea. Umbra stood back, encouraging them or giving warning barks.
By lunch time, they took a two hours break, reuniting with Luna's group. They tried to determine how much terrain they'd covered. The task proved a lot more daunting than expected and Crowe looked almost as shaken as Prompto. Iris convinced them to get in the elevator and take the twenty minutes walk to reach the sun and open air. They made a picnic with a few kids from Free Crown, including Talcott, who had made a few friends in the last few hours.
Instead of sitting with his friends, Prompto played with the kids, leaving Noctis and Ignis even more worried about him. Luna tried to comfort her fiancée, while Iris argued with Ignis over his seasoning, much to Aranea's amusement.
"If he doesn't want to talk about it, you can't push him." Luna told him.
"I know. But I don't remember him looking this bad. I've seen him getting scared before and it was different. Sometimes I think I understand what's going on in his head and other times, it's as if he's someone I don't know at all."
Luna shook her head, her comprehensive smile not entirely comforting him for once.
"Prompto fights with his own demons, like every one of us. For me it's failing to help someone, for him, it's facing the shadows of his past."
"There must be something we can do." Noctis insisted, hating the feeling of being helpless.
Gladiolus had been trying to comfort Crowe through jokes that barely made her laugh and caught the end of his conversation.
"Isn't it his birthday in just a few days?" the prince's shield asked, leaning slightly toward the pair.
Noctis' eyes widened.
"You're right, he's turning 21 in about… two weeks."
"Wait a second. Prompto's older than you?" Crowe exclaimed.
The resulting grimace was almost instantaneous and the prince crossed his arms.
"Only by a month." He protested.
"And a half." Gladio reminded him playfully.
Luna hid her smile behind her hand and Crowe simply burst out in laughter as she saw the childish glare the prince was sending to his bodyguard. Gladiolus' smirk was half smug, half teasing. Eventually, Noctis ended up smiling with them.
"But seriously, we should throw him a party or something." The dark-haired man insisted.
"Let's invite Cindy." Luna suggested.
"And all the alcohol we can find." Gladio stated.
It sounded like a good plan. Now, all they needed to do was put Ignis in charge of organizing the event and to make sure Prompto wouldn't notice anything.
To be continued…
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Doesn't the daemons fighting sound like a painful sidequest we could have had? And do you have any idea how many more epic stuff I have in store for them? I'm trying not to announce too many things at once. When the daemons fighting is over, I'll give the team a light break for some shameless fluff that might turn smutty and then we will head to Steyliff grove, before Quetzalcoatl undertaking starts. I think I will need about 6 chapters to reach that point. Noctis will then have to make a decision and go gather royal arms or try his luck with Insomnia. But it's too early for the Crown city. We need more Covenants to be made, and I have character development to make before that Titan tries talking to Luna again. You might wonder why he hasn't yet. To be honest, Shiva forging a covenant with Luna instead of Noctis might have thrown the Astrals off.
I sure hope you've liked this chapter. I have a big three days' conference coming up (in less than a week D: ) and the two presentations I make for it are mostly complete now. One is under impression while the other needs some tweaking.
So thankfully this chapter is done. Next one will come when it will come. But there will be more action and some mandatory fluff. Please keep reviewing to let me know what you think of this chapter. ;)
As for the texting things and the fact Libertus observed they wouldn't get any messages at night, let's say they cut off ever links to satellites at night to stay under the radar. I hate leaving inconsistencies in this story. XD
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