Cid's stroke isn't exactly filler. I needed it to get Iris somewhere, and also because Noctis will learn of something important when he next talk to the old man. Something that might help him in saving Luna's life. But I won't say more. Thanks for hanging in there with me. This chapter is posted so soon because I was inspired, we reached the 500 reviews count, and also because I want things to move along as much as any of you. Next update might take more time than this one.
Today we have two guys from the empire coming back on the scene, plus a lot of Ravus. I needed to write on Ravus, and I tried not to let him take over the chapter (pretty much failed, although I regret nothing). An Astral's backstory is also introduced.
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Unexpected
Chapter 37 – Don't try and fix me
It took only one hour for Cindy to reach Hammerhead despite the distance, Luna holding to the car's handle while Prompto tried to remind his girlfriend her grandfather would be fine. Two of the motorcycles were in the truck, Gladio following closely the Regalia that Noctis had offered to drive, since Ignis was always less keen on driving when the night had fallen. To say the guys were stressed out was an understatement. The party had turned into some sort of race to reach Hammerhead. Cid might be old, but none of them thought him old enough for this kind of problem. The garage was temporarily closed, Lunafreya the first to walk into the old man's room. Takka was watching over him, keeping a close eye on him as he'd been asked.
"His condition is not as alarming as I expected," Luna told Cindy after one glance.
"You can see as much in one glance…?"
"Give me some time to heal him. I'm pretty sure I can make him better."
Three quarters of an hour later, the rest of the team was finally reaching the garage, checking with Prompto how everything was going. No one felt like sleeping and they anxiously waited with Cindy, either checking their phones for something to do or exchanging worried looks. Crowe was the first to observe they wouldn't do any good for Cid if they stayed up all night. Agreeing to take turns, half of them went to the RV for sleep. Noctis stayed up, more worried about Luna's state of mind as she looked after Cid. She refused to let anyone else than Iris or Cindy in at the moment, and the first hadn't shown up in a matter of hours, while the second was too shell-shocked to offer assistance or sit quietly next to her grandfather.
Prompto remained close to Cindy, giving her space or hugs without needing so much as a word from her. He'd always been sensible enough to know which sort of comfort people needed.
Before that Luna got back to them with any update on the situation, Noctis received a call from Free Crown. Libertus sounded surprised to even get an answer at this hour of the night.
"Still up your Highness?"
"Long story. What's wrong?"
A courtesy call at two in the morning made little sense and Libertus sighed before to lay things out.
"You know, the only thing still up is the phone lines and thankfully, internet was down for the last few weeks."
Frowning, Noctis tapped his foot angrily. The connection down wasn't a good thing in his books…
"Information was travelling a lot slower and it was a good thing, because the empire's spies still don't know that we even have a refugee camp as large as our developing town. We were a bit too trusting, or so it seems. A freelance journalist sent me a headline that states Free Crown's coordinates. We tried building up defences, but we can't sustain any large-scale attack."
"Do you have a name for me? What does that guy want?"
"Dino needs money. The Nifs are ready to pay over a thousand for any tips on our situation. The guy's been making shady deals to decide which side to take. He's an opportunist if you want my opinion. The problem is, I can't exactly leave to track him down."
Noctis wondered why that name sounded familiar. He had read it in the newspaper once, but he couldn't tell… Wait, wasn't it the guy who'd written a series of articles over Lunafreya's leaving the empire behind to elope with him?
"Are you telling me Internet's coming back on, so the guy's going to let the information go worldwide unless we give him whatever…"
"You got it all figured out. He's hauling up to the west of Fayemoor Haven. Cor thinks he's hiding in the wildlands to avoid trouble. The guy must have made himself a haven of some sorts to keep the daemons away."
Noctis ran one hand through his dark hair, wondering how he could turn such a situation around.
"I'm not happy to say this, but… Do you think he is going to be a better asset to us alive?"
Libertus let out a bitter sigh on the other end of the line, while Cindy's eyes went up to the prince as she wondered what he could be talking about.
"I think the guy is too unpredictable. He's all about money and rare stones. We started doing business with him over a week ago, since we could use his circles of informants… and we're already at the stage of threats."
Noctis had the impression he wasn't getting the bigger picture, but the priority was assuring the security of Free Crown and its citizens. Putting Insomnia's population back on its feet depended on it.
"What did he ask for?"
"That's the thing, Noctis. He didn't ask for anything. He said that if the new king wanted to stop him, he'd know what to do."
That sounded pretty bad. Noctis couldn't remember ever meeting the man. And what did the guy know about him.
"This sounds like a trap, but we can't take a chance. Send me the coordinates. We have a dropship, so we should be able to reach him in no time."
"I didn't call to send you off into…" Libertus observed.
"If it's really a trap, my team and I can handle it. We can't sacrifice hunters or soldiers on something like this."
"Alright. But don't let this turns out into Free Crown sacrificing its king."
"Don't worry for me, Ostium."
He'd barely hang up before to have Cindy standing in front of him, Prompto on her toes.
"What was that all about?" she asked, her voice a little strained.
"Free Crown could be compromised if we don't hurry up. You stay here with Luna, Iris and Cindy, Prompto, I'll get the others up and we'll sort things out."
"What do you mean compromised?" Prompto repeated.
"Some guy is threatening to publish the coordinates of the camp unless I try and stop him." Noctis explained before to walk off to the RV.
The five of them prepared quickly for a drive up to Aranea's dropship. Flying at night might be easier for not getting spotted according to the dragoon lady and with the Regalia refuelled, they were ready to head straight out. Luna had finished most of her healing and briefly informed Cindy that her grandfather should be fine, although she'd rather keep an eye on him until he was stable enough to be taken to Free Crown. The old man had even regained consciousness, so the mechanic rushed to his side. After getting an explanation over what was going on with the refugee camp, Luna voiced a single demand:
"Before you take the road, Cid wanted to talk to you about something, Noct. He was pretty insistent."
The prince wasn't sure what that could be about, since he'd barely exchanged two words with the man in the last weeks. But Cid had been a dear friend of his father before their falling out. When he sat next to his bed, Hammerhead's founder cracked a light smirk, his face gray and the wrinkles looking deeper on his aged skin.
"I forgot to tell you the last time you swung by…That engine blade your father gave you is no… ordinary sword."
"Shouldn't he be resting?" Noctis asked, feeling a bit out of place.
Cindy raised her hands in surrender. Her paw-paw did as he willed, no matter how bad his health could be.
"Listen here." Cid insisted. "It might mean nothing to you right now. But the Glaive your father used. It was a royal arm he forged himself. And you've been using that engine blade for… how long?"
Noctis racked his brain for an answer, wondering why Cid deemed this information so important.
"Over 4 years now. Why?"
The old man nodded slowly, one of his eyes closing down. His right hand couldn't stop shaking and Cindy bit her lower lip at the sight. That was something Regis had escaped. Growing that old. Noctis tried to focus on the here and now and his eyes widened at the next declaration of the mechanic.
"Then the blade has the potential to become a royal arm. Some tombs might be lost to us, but that doesn't mean… you can't have a real arsenal."
"How?!" Noctis asked, using all his will-power not to grab the old man by the shoulders and shake him up.
Was this the solution he'd been hoping for?
"You'll need fire strong enough to forge it yourself. Reggie used his powers on Ravatogh's rock and managed a decent work. I thought I'd let you know… Since I don't think I'll be able to upgrade any of your weapons in the nearest future."
"Paw-paw..." Cindy sighed.
"Thanks, Cid. Get some rest now."
The man coughed in answer, but didn't seem worst for wear. The attack had done a number on him and he might never hold a wrench again, but he was going to survive this. Noctis could tell just from the look in his eyes.
Luna wasn't happy to see them leave, especially since the situation was so unclear, but she was tired from their long day and could barely stand up to wave them goodbye as they drove off. Thankfully, they'd get some rest once on Aranea's ship.
…
Ravus had run for hours. Hiding in run down houses, getting MTs lost in the unused subways, looking for his breath an instant only to hear the footsteps coming after him again. He'd considered going down the sewers, but his stamina was low and collapsing down there would get him killed. He'd managed to get away from the soldiers in front of the citadel thanks to the hand grenade he'd stored in his prosthetic. But he was out of arrows now, out of breath, barely holding on Regis' glaive. If he crouched down, he wouldn't get back up. Checking his phone told him he'd been out and running for over fourteen hours. Of course, he had a few hours break every now and then. He drank warm water in some abandoned supermarket, grabbing salted meat to eat while he put more distance between him and the overlooking drones.
Ace wanted to find him pretty badly. And as well as Ravus hide, a voice in the back of his head kept asking him if getting caught wasn't what he deserved. A push of a button could have his research sent to Verstael or even Iris. But he hadn't gotten so far to give up now. The thought of potential failure kept him running and fighting back, sending the rabid dogs after the MTs, his path turning entirely erratic. He didn't turn in circles, getting himself closer to the gates of Insomnia. He knew of the secret passage leading to the old base he'd taken weeks ago. He just wanted to make sure Ace would stop following him.
He could barely think straight when he seriously answered Iris' texts. His right shoulder burned and churned and the muscles twitched as the metal arm pulled on his flesh, almost hanging limply at his side. His left side was nothing but pain and he'd collected a dozen cuts and a hundred new bruises. Leaning against a wall, he tried to count the hours. To remember why going to the Citadel had sounded like a good idea in the first place. Was he simply looking for a punishment? It had been over 50 hours since he'd last slept. An alarm rang, making him jump away from the wall. Another drone. At this rate, Ravus was nothing but raw nerves and tension.
The night was still dark out and red eyes shone in the shadows, lighted by a daemonic flame, reminding him of the flames that had burned… He was slowly losing it. He hadn't felt this exhausted in a long time. His body was begging him to drop down and play dead while his mind still tried to concoct an escape plan.
"I've had enough of playing mice with that runaway bastard."
"Sir, we've sustained quite a lot of casualties already…"
Ravus pushed his head against the brick wall, wondering if the younger man had grabbed any sleep while he was running around like a mad dog.
Can't run any longer, he thought bitterly. Might as well give him what he wants.
The thought had crossed his mind to trash his mechanic arm so the boy couldn't use it. But the fingers still moved and missing an entire limb terrified him. So he steeled his nerves and walked out, dodging the single shot fired at him.
"How about you come and get the job done yourself?" Ravus dared him, unable to temper down his pride.
"You think you can bargain your way back in?" Ace retorted, drawing out a sharp katana.
"What, with that arm maybe? Here!"
Ravus rushed forward, all his muscles on fire, working on mere adrenaline and will. His sword pushed the katana to the side, his red arm throwing glints of light on the glass building standing behind Drautos. His metal knuckles hit him right in the face, breaking his nose with a satisfying crack. The new commander hadn't expected a full-on attack. But he retaliated angrily, sweeping at Ravus' legs, his katana moving beneath the glaive.
Luna's brother managed to stay upright, but couldn't raise his blade quickly enough and felt the steel screeching against the metal of his arm. And his flesh. For a single instant, his heart pulsed in his entire body, frying his nerves and his brain. He reacted with a thrust of his blade, to which a handful of soldiers answered, surrounding the fighters and immobilizing the blond man.
"Hardly a worthy opponent, and I guess my methods are all sorts of wrong. But the look on your face makes it so worth it." Ace grumbled before to twist his blade around.
It grazed the bone and Ravus couldn't hold it back anymore. It was almost worse than the first time. He howled in pain, before the first kick came. His legs gave out. He almost wished his brain would give out too, but it stayed awake, hearing the orders thrown around, registering how they half tore half hacked off his prosthetic arm. Ace slapped him with the metallic hand, his words half-incoherent. Maybe was his brain faltering after all.
"What should I do with him now… He wasted a lot of our resources." The young man wondered, kicking in the fallen prince's ribs.
"Sir, pardon me sir, but there's been news from HQ."
Ravus' head was spinning and he had trouble understanding if he was lying on his back or on his side. He barely had the good sense of recoiling on himself as he saw the annoyed look on Ace's face. A boot dug in his side, two ribs cracking under the pressure. He'd taken too many hits. His body was failing him. He felt trapped in his own mind, all his control gone and revoked.
"What news?"
Another kick, lower, making it impossible to breathe.
"Izuna's here. He's asked for you to meet up with him right now, sir."
"Well, I'm busy at the moment!"
"He said to let the Fleuret rot. And he insisted that you come as soon as I'd relay the message."
Ace wiped the blood on his face, giving one last kick to Ravus.
"Can't make the chancellor angry. You learned that the hard way, huh, blondie?"
Another slap with the metal hand. And much to his own surprise, instead of finishing him off, Ace walked off, followed by each and every of his men. Leaving him behind, in the dark. Ravus waited for his brain to clear before to try and move. Rolling over was a torture, but he wasn't going to wait until he'd bleed out. The drones seemed to have gone back to inspect other streets. Which meant he was free to run, or crawl if he could muster the energy to do so.
…
Iris had just fallen asleep when her phone rang. She was thankful to be alone in the RV, Prompto and Cindy sharing her room while Luna remained at Cid's side. It meant no one else woke up from the sudden noise. Her eyes widened when she recognized the number calling.
"Yes?" she said warily.
Harsh breathing answered her, reminding her of bad jokes she'd been through back in Insomnia when she was a bit younger.
"Are you serious?!" she snapped.
"Dead. Or halfway… there. Where are you this time?" he asked, the words sounding a bit blurry.
"Ravus?"
"I don't feel patient and I need to get down a tunnel. Are you free to move around?"
"What's going on?! You're not making any sense."
"I could use…" He paused and cursed and grunted in pain before to let it out: "I need your help, Iris."
"Where are you?"
"Getting back to that base where I saved your life. And stole some blood. Track my phone."
"Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm lonely! Dammit, Iris… The sun should be rising so…"
It wouldn't be too dangerous for her to go out.
"I'll get Luna…"
"Don't… She'll think it's her fault again. I shouldn't have called…"
He seemed pretty confused, which made her worry even more. And for once, she was the one who could make a difference. Her and her alone. Was this what she needed? A purpose? As small as saving that jerk?
"Ravus, I'll be right there. Just stay conscious until I get there."
Sneaking out of the garage and grabbing one of the leftover motorcycles wasn't hard. She felt bad for not even warning Prompto or Luna, but promised herself to text them what was going on as soon as she'd reached Ravus. It sounded funny in her head when she realized what she was doing. Who'd think she'd rush out to that man's rescue? But she had learned over the texts that there was more to him than a simple jackass. He was a brother and maybe that in saving him, she was trying to prove to herself she could help Gladiolus. She didn't need to reason too much about it. All she needed was to reach the base and find the secret passageway.
Noctis would have told her she was running into a trap, and surely any of the guys would have said the same. She had some doubts as she saw the fallen base, but decided to push forward. She was already here anyway. And with all the straightforward questions Ravus had asked her already, she doubted he wouldn't be honest if he wanted to try running tests on her. The idea scared her somehow. How many times had they talked together? Could she really think she knew the man? He was a defector and a murderer. The only things she'd kill as of now were daemons.
Parking the bike and getting down, she tried hiding it between some debris. It took her a few minutes to locate the passage and her doubts rushed back as she walked in the tunnels, her flashlight turned on, bo staff in hand. A few doors on the concrete walls made her wonder what could be hiding here. She almost wished she'd listen more when her father was giving speeches to Gladio, but she'd been a child back then, with close to no reason to worry about such things as bunkers and military bases.
She heard his coughing before to see his silhouette sprawled on the floor, his right side covered with blood, the prosthetic missing, Regis' sword lying next to him, stained in more blood and dirt.
"Holy…! Ravus, wake up!" she asked, kneeling next to him, her light falling in his eyes for a second.
She gave him a light slap, stirring him up from his feverish divagations. The man was more than half death and she wondered if she even had enough potions and elixirs to fix him. His first reaction was to back away from her as his eyes fought to stir open, but his strength was so far gone, he barely managed to squirm and whine. Iris hadn't thought she'd seen him look even more pitiful than on that morning when he'd tried to get up on his own in the cave, but there it was.
"How did you even reach such a state?"
His hoarse throat blurted out a shocked: "You're really here?!"
His pupils couldn't focus and the dark bags under his eyelids looked like bruises. Iris sighed as she understood the enormity of the task she'd taken in accepting to help him before to pull him into a sitting position.
"Can you walk?"
He chuckled and curled up in pain as his ribs and sides and shoulder protested all at the same time. The young girl took two elixirs out of her pockets and forced him to gulp them down. He wouldn't get any cuddling from her, not with the way he usually answered her questions. She was pretty sure he'd worked himself to the brink without a thought for the consequences.
"Tell me there's an infirmary or something behind one of those doors."
"If there weren't, I'd gone through the sewers." He retorted.
"And you weren't followed?" she insisted, managing to pull him to his feet after a few unsuccessful tries.
"Apparently, Ardyn had bigger fishes to fry." He grunted back, leaning on her. The walk to the closest door was torture on both of them. He smelled a dozen sorts of bad and she couldn't keep a good hold on him without hurting him somehow. Ravus didn't have much endurance by then and merely followed her lead, his brain half turned off.
Opening the door was easier than expected, the secret passageway hidden well enough to forego the most basic protections. Iris was thankful for the lock on the door and a small shower that would give her a chance to clean up the man. Any care she'd give him wouldn't mean anything if she couldn't remove the multiple layers of dirt and other craps he was covered in.
"Won't you talk and let me know what you did to get in this state?" she asked again, pushing him in a chair and examining his right shoulder with a grimace.
He winced and mumbled something about being an imbecile, to which she simply nodded in approbation.
"The flesh is close to necrosis. I think the only way out is to cut off the infected parts and dress the wound for it to heal properly before to reattach anything to your nerves."
Her voice hesitated on a few words and he just shut his eyes tightly, his shivers turning stronger. The elixirs in his organism barely managed to strengthen his ribs and he knew his body couldn't take much more.
"Ravus, I believe Luna could help you way more than I…"
"It's my sister. I can't have her see me like..." His voice broke a little as she started taking off his clothes, using scissors to remove one tattered and bloodstained layer at a time. She needed to see what she was doing. "I'm… sorry for even asking you to help. Just do what you must. I don't think you can make it any worse."
But she worried she just might. His muscles had slimmed down in the few last days. Foreign dog tags clung to his chest, his skin dark from the blight on his left side, covered with either red gashes or blue and green bruises everywhere else. He shivered and flinched at every brush of her fingers, not even defending himself against the numerous invasions. His eyes kept closing, his eyelashes as pale as his hair and the angry beard covering his hollow cheeks. Dry blood clung to the beard and she wanted to trim it clean, but forced herself to focus on the wounds first.
"Stay awake. I'm cleaning you up as soon as I'm done with that shoulder, and I'll need your cooperation."
"Why did you come?" he asked.
"It's not as though I can just let you die. Luna has already enough on her plate as it is. Why did you dig a hole in the first place?"
He blinked, teeth clenching as she disinfected the scalpel she'd found in one of the many drawers. The room was small, a set of metal drawers on one wall, a shower in the corner, a bed, the chair he was currently occupying and a single light bulb on the ceiling that wasn't alimented anymore. Iris had put one knee on his thigh, almost blinding him with her flashlight directed at his butchered stump.
"I know I shouldn't focus on what you're doing." He breathed out. "But I don't think I can be coherent."
"I'm not the gentlest nurse around and I can't promise a clean surgery. All I know is that you'll get worse if you stay like this. The elixirs should help with the blood loss, but I..." She halted in the middle of her warning, trying to gather her own courage. "Just talk. Tell me of Insomnia. Or even Tenebrae."
The idea sounded preposterous and when she pushed his head to the other side, all his muscles tensed, knowing this sort of torture was too much, even if he'd been rested.
"If you shake this much…"
"Numb the flesh with something. Alcohol, fire, I don't care what. I don't have any strength to resist…"
"Talk of something else. Anything else, Ravus."
He hissed as the medical alcohol burned his wounded, but forced himself to endure, knowing he'd have a right to sleep soon.
"I've got a hypothesis for the new cells in your blood. I think the Oracle powers are meant not only to heal you, but make you immune too. That way…" He winced. "She only has to treat the blight once for every person."
"So what, you're going to look for that dark sword and re-infect me?"
He breathed out sharply, feeling the metal digging into his flesh. His left hand clutched to the chair and for an instant, the only noise in the room was his laborious breathing and Iris' madly beating heart. She thought she'd feel some sort of vengeful pleasure in inflicting him pain, even though she meant well by it. And on the contrary, she only wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. The corrupted flesh didn't go deep and she slathered him with enough potion to halt the bleeding as she went.
"I was thinking of… having Luna heal me and test the blade on me, if I can find it. I've already put you through enough…"
He cried out at the next cut and Iris couldn't tell how she managed not to jump from the fright it gave her. Sweat perspired on her forehead and she forced his head back to the side.
"I'm almost done." She encouraged him.
"I wish I was done." He whispered through his clenched teeth.
She didn't insist on him talking, finishing up the surgery as quickly as she could. Dressing up the wound properly, she didn't leave him much time to recollect himself.
"Now, we're getting you clean." She declared.
"You think there will be water running in those pipes?" he asked, face white, eyes red from fatigue and the tears he'd shed from the sheer pain.
"There better be, lean on me, Rav…"
He seemed heavier than before, as though the suffering clung to him and weighed him down, but they still managed to get across the room. He didn't protest as she pushed him in the small shower, following suit. He could barely stand up on his own and she was as wet as him in a matter of minutes. The former army commander felt diminished and vulnerable, wearing only his dog tags and boxer, letting Iris move him around like a broken doll. But he'd been broken one time too many. More tears fell, as his shivers came back. The water was cold and she wasn't exactly gentle, focusing on her efficiency instead. The soap she'd found was small, but it worked, washing off the blood, dirt and also any drops of potion his skin hadn't drunk up. She cleaned up his beard and hair, a bit rougher, intimidated by how intimate the gestures felt. She was careful of not wetting his right shoulder throughout the entire process, making him wonder how such a young girl could gather this much nerve.
They didn't exchange a word, Ravus wondering if she was as cold as him, catching only glimpses of her face in the dark room. His eyes couldn't seem to adapt and he knew his mind was slowly drifting. When she finally cut off the water, his left arm instinctively wrapped around her, holding her close as he shivered and trembled. Her hands patted his head and back in answer, the girl understanding he was looking for some sort of comfort.
"Let's get you dry." She offered.
Ravus felt like a child in a body he didn't control anymore. Why were his legs so weak, why couldn't he stop trembling? He wanted to either apologize or hide as Iris helped him, but his throat was too tight by then and his limbs barely cooperated with him. The girl was merely following a mental path of instructions, knowing that as long as she stayed active, she wouldn't feel as embarrassed to make any of the things she did for him. Like helping him into a new pair of pants or drying his hair as his arm held on to her waist for balance. She'd treated refugees with all the care she could muster as they'd run away from Insomnia, but she didn't remember letting anyone that close to her.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"I'm… not sure." He answered truthfully, sitting down on the bed.
His muscles were still aching and he needed Iris' help to keep his balance, but he was slowly realizing he was entirely safe at the moment. Something he hadn't felt in years. The shaking got worse.
"You need some water and food. And I'd like to know what happened to you…"
And even worse.
"I told you already." He objected.
Except he hadn't. Iris turned her back on him, walking back to his stack of ruined clothes, getting his phone out.
"I left on my own to get you back from death's door, without warning any member of my team. I think I owe some sort of explanation. And I bet I can crack your code and get it from this thing if you refuse to talk."
"I doubt it. All you would find are blueprints and my research reports. But if you insist… I paid a visit to the Citadel and fell on Ace Drautos. Turned out the guy wants a third arm."
"Stop it with the bad sarcasm. What were you doing in the Citadel?"
He blinked and saw the tombstone with the Amicitia's name in the blighted section of the graveyard for a second. A new knot build up in his throat at the thought he'd inflicted on the girl the very illness that'd taken her mother from her.
"You couldn't mention how she'd died. It's understandable. What I don't get is why you even bother answering any of my messages. Or coming all the way over here."
"You're not making any sense." Iris complained.
"I don't think I have in a long…"
"Just answer me without any detours. What was that text on digging holes about? Why did you get caught after all this time?" she cut him off, walking up to him with a hard look in her eyes.
She was angry of being kept in the dark. She had a right to know, although he didn't want her sympathy. Not like this. He heaved a deep sigh. The trembling was still as bad and he hated his own weakness.
"I thought the bodies might still be there. Like they'd left my mother's… Luna has always respected Regis like a father. I thought I'd give him a proper grave so she wouldn't have to see him..."
The anger receded into shock. Iris took off the light still attached to her shirt, putting it on the nightstand so the room would be better lighted. Her eyes were incredulous and Ravus thought of backing away as she grabbed his shoulders.
"You said I couldn't tell you how she'd died. You can't mean…"
"I started with your father…" he admitted. "It took me a while to found his wife. When I did, I…"
"You buried my dad… next to my mom?" As she paused, he nodded in confirmation, unable to utter a word. He couldn't tell what was going on in her head. He didn't want to hear the relief in her voice. He'd needed it, but it was too soon, he was too raw, he… Iris interrupted his thoughts, insisting on getting answers: "Why would you…?"
Her hands were gripping too hard and he tried to pry her off, tried to find the words that would anger her. He needed anything but gentleness right now. But he didn't have the heart to lie and his creativity had left with his strength.
"It was the least I could do after…"
Her brown eyes were staring at him so hard, he couldn't look away. Even his sister had never looked at him like that. As though she didn't know if she should slap him or hold him. Apologies wanted to slip off his lips, but she pulled him into a hug before he could muster a sound.
"You moron! You didn't have to do that…"
"Why are you even believing me?!"
"Because it sounds like something you'd do. Getting caught trying to do something noble all on your own. It's so stupid."
He wanted to push her away, but one of her hands ruffled his hair and his shaking seemed ready to subside in her embrace. She was warm. It was only because she was warm he told himself. His arm held her back, his instinct pulling her closer than necessary. His memory reminded him of some words he'd thrown at her in mocked desperation earlier. Of course, I'm not wounded, I'm lonely, dammit!
I'm an idiot.
Iris felt too small next to him, too young. His saviour and former victim. He had no right to ask anything from her. But she let him hide his face in the hollow of her neck. Let him breathe into her hair and wrap his arm as tightly as he dared around her frame as she hugged him back fiercely. A sob ran through her and a new question came out:
"Do you think he suffered?"
He mentally gnashed his teeth.
"The whole point was sparing you those thoughts. And I don't want gratitude," Ravus tried to sound convincing.
But he needed it. He was only human. He'd only been a conceited fool to pretend otherwise.
"Well, I think I've already repaid you by answering that call. But I'm still grateful." Iris told him. "Which doesn't make you any less of a jerk."
He didn't laugh at the jab. The knot in his throat had reached the size of a fist and he was simply trying to contain his shaking. He'd pushed himself too far, thinking he'd atone for the bad decisions and actions. And despite all he'd done to her, she'd come all this way to help.
"Thank you, Iris."
She couldn't believe her ears at first. But the words came back two more times, her name sounding different on his voice. Not as frail as the flowers Gladiolus used to pick up for her. Not as gentle as when her friends called her out. But despite his usual roughness, it sounded soft.
"Just try not to do it again."
…
Ace walked into the control room, still holding Ravus' arm, not feeling patient enough to meet with Ardyn. The Chancellor was waiting, sitting back on a console, his fedora lying next to him, following the drones' cameras with a light smile.
"You wanted to see m…"
"Drautos, the hunter I was looking for! How fresh is that catch?" Izuna interrupted him, pointing at the red prosthetic.
"Let's say I could have brought you the head too if you hadn't been so insistent…"
Ardyn smirked at the look on Ace's face.
"I've told you the fallen prince of Tenebrae should stay alive, didn't I? He can still prove useful to us. And I have a far better prey for you to hunt."
"We're still working here…"
"Work that could be automatized if you give the right orders. We have a prince collecting all the pieces of his arsenal all over the country. And I heard Ifrit was seen lately."
Ace blinked, taken aback. Why would the man be interested in one of the Astral? The fallen one at that…
"I don't think I told you of the legend about Ifrit's fall, or did I?"
"Huh… Why would I need to know, sir?"
"Because you are going to find him for me."
The look on Ardyn's face was slowly shifting. The easy smile looked darker and darker.
"I… How?"
"Well, you got the arm. Now all you need is the right tools and a bit of history lesson."
Ace didn't feel like listening to any sort of lesson, but he knew better than to get Aldercapt's replacement angry. He'd seen what had happened to Ravus. Loqi had fallen as low as taking random people hostage to try and get some big wits attention instead of coming back with his tail between his legs. Highwind had run from her post and back to her adoptive country. Verstael stayed cooped up in his lab, going mad and madder. Which left him alone to face the orders. And as a Drautos, he'd learned early to stay on the right people's good side.
"So everyone says the blight was brought down on our world because of Ifrit. You'd think he had something against us, but apparently, it was the exact contrary. Ifrit was so curious of humans that he made himself a human body and tried to live among us for a few years. Shiva soon did the same, but it was more to be a messenger and she kept her distances. Ifrit didn't and made the mistake of falling in love with a human girl. So far, it's much like the fairytales you'd heard as kid, wouldn't you say?"
Ace shrugged in answer, only to feel Ardyn putting an arm around his shoulders, which made his blood freeze in his veins for a second.
"Try to picture it for an instant. A god and a human woman! Ifrit was called back to the spirit realms by his fellow Astrals and had to leave the girl, not suspecting he'd left something behind. The end results were twins and a dead mother… While one of the babies was perfectly human, the other was a monstrous thing, retaining its father's true traits. Not viable, the warped baby was buried in forbidden grounds, too monstrous to be seen or known. When Ifrit came back down to Eos, he learned of the birth and looked for his progeny. The human one had been adopted by a family and refused to see him. As for the monstrous one, Ifrit found its tomb, unearthing his remains. In a fit of rage, he burned the bones for a full month, wishing to give the stillborn a true funeral. And the smoke from his fire rose to the sky, showering every continent with ashes."
Ace had difficulties believing what he was hearing. But it sounded almost plausible.
"It started out the blight?"
"Apparently, it did. And if Ifrit is back in our realm… He might hold the key to taking out Lucis once and for all. I need you to find him and alert me when you do."
The young man wondered why it was so important for the Chancellor. If he'd know the identity of the human boy from the legend, he'd understood just how badly this mission might go.
…
As they flew over Leide and past the mountains, Noctis spotted a dark dot on the green plateaus. A dot that moved, walking back and forth. Too tall to be human. Too large to be any sort of beast he knew. Too much sun in the sky for it to be a daemon.
"Could it be… A prima?"
Aranea rose from her seat and peered outside, Ignis already monopolizing the binoculars.
"It is an imperial mech," the advisor observed. "And the pilot seems to be none other than the one back in our base."
"Loqi? How can that moron still be alive?!" the dragoon exclaimed. "He was one of the worst recruits back in training…"
Crowe frowned.
"He gave Noctis and the others a really hard time with his MA-X Prima. And he seems to have improved his machine."
"So he's taken Dino hostage? Why didn't that boy attack the refugee camp directly?" Gladiolus wondered.
But they all understood why quickly enough. The boy wanted to fight the prince and capture him. There could be no other reason for the imperial soldier to pull off this sort of desperate plan.
"Well, he should have tried hiding himself. This time, Ramuh is going to answer. We might get back a lot earlier than I'd expected." Noctis declared.
"Brace yourself for evasive actions," Aranea warned.
Her dropship had no furtive mode and Loqi had just spotted them, firing at the target right away. For once, Aranea regretted the red streak she'd painted on her ship. Noctis wasn't long to react.
"Can you open a door while we're still flying? I feel like giving him the imperial medicine."
"Are you crazy?"
"I can still warp in the air, Gladio, I'll be fine." The prince objected.
Ignis raised one brow. It sounded as though Noctis was back to his rash behaviour. This threat against Free Crown had gotten him even more riled up than he'd thought.
"Do you have parachutes on this thing?" he asked his girlfriend.
"Why don't you take the controls and let me jump off with the prince? I can take a fall from this high without any extra equipment."
"I don't think I feel like seeing you jumping off." He shot back before to notice a change in the sky. "Careful, to the right!"
She dodged a barrage of missiles and cursed under her breath. Meanwhile, Noctis was opening a side door and looking down. Loqi was two miles lower, his mech guarding a small mountain shack.
"Don't fly too close to him. I might try striking him with lightning for real this time." He ordered before to jump off.
His royal arms held him up, transforming his fall into a graceful flight, as though the man was skidding on air.
Crowe whistled and Gladiolus groaned:
"He'd never be this careless with Luna around."
They could only hope Ramuh would answer and the fight would be over before things turned too dangerous for either of them.
To be continued…
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Loqi was meant to become some sort of team rocket in this fic and since I needed the team to split up for Iris to go rescue Ravus without having to sneak on too many people, Loqi happened. It won't last long, I just wanted to give his part in the story some closure, and also to use him more than once since he has a name and a face and was merely there for a 15 seconds fight in the game. (maybe more, I was so overlevel, I don't remember..)
Next chapter – which will definitely not come out as fast- should see Ravus entirely fixed, Loqi's small intervention finished and our royal couple going after Titan.