BOOK 1: KINGSGLAIVE

CHAPTER 8 – RESCUE MISSION

Nyx dressed up for work that morning while he hurriedly drank his second cup of coffee. He couldn't stop tossing and turning during the first hours of the previous night, to then oversleep and having to skip his morning training. As he put his boots on, his eyes fell on Crowe's watch, still sitting on his desk. The numbers didn't flash anymore and they displayed two impossible hours: now the seconds ran faster than normal and one hour number was higher than twenty four.

He didn't bother with it, however. There was much to do, and he had lost already too much time going his own way. He took his jacket and stormed out of his apartment.

At the Citadel, a crowd had been gathering before sunrise. People from the upper city didn't want to miss this historical moment.

"Niflheim contingent has left the hotel," a voice announced through the Citadel's speakers. "Less than three hours until the ceremony. Bolster the citadel guard."

Nyx paced back and forth before the Palace's main entrance. From his vantage point at the top of the stairs, he could see the still empty plaza and the crowd slowly gathering beyond the closed iron gates. All was tranquil so far. Too much for his taste. He hated guard duty.

His headset buzzed.

"Nyx," Luche's voice broke the silence. "Is the Princess with you?"

"No. I'm on duty at the Citadel."

"Well, the Niffs just left for the ceremony. And she wasn't with them."

Something clicked on his mind. He cut the conversation and darted towards the gates. To hell with insubordination.

Reaching his home almost out of breath, he took Crowe's watch. Of course, it didn't tell the time: they were coordinates. He lost not time contacting Pelna and filling him in.

"A homing beacon?" his companion asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Nyx said as he ran back to the Palace. "I'll send the coordinates now. Can you pinpoint a location for me?"

"Sure, but it sounds like a wild-goose chase. Guess you got some free time on your hands, huh?"

"Guess I do," he smirked. "For better or worse."

Time was running out. The roads were empty as people gathered around the Citadel's gates, many of them protesters from the foreigners' quarter. Pelna found out what Nyx was looking for, at long last.

"Those coordinates are about 20 miles south of Insomnia. Outside the Wall. What the hell was Crowe doing all the way out there?"

"No, no. They sent her to-"

To escort Lady Lunafreya from Tenebrae to Lucis. Nyx stopped dead on his hurried return to the Palace, as something dawned on him.

"I need another favor, Pelna," he said, resuming his running. "Pull those coordinates up on the radar… and let me know what you find."

"On it."

So engrossed Nyx was on his personal hunt that he failed to notice that one of the protesters he passed by had to walk with a crutch, and around his neck he wore a traditional Galahdan necklace.

"You're thinking this is all a big deal now, huh?"

"Yeah, too big to ignore."

He finally reached the gates. The guards tried to stop him, but once they realized he was a glaive they let him go. He kept walking, unflinching and never looking back, as every time he was engrossed in a hunt. He didn't notice the man with a lavender shirt wandering among the crowd, not really paying attention to either the giant screens or the spectacle around him.

At the Citadel Gates, Petra Fortis instructed his men about the duties they would have that day, and reminded them they weren't at the City Gates.

Once he was inside the Palace, Nyx tried to contact Command, but to no avail.

"Jackpot, Nyx," Pelna's voice said. "There's a whole fleet of airships sitting at that spot."

"Niflheim."

"Yup, and from the looks of it I'd say they're headed to war."

"Where's the Captain?"

"Should be at the Citadel."

"There's no answer on his frequency."

"I don't know, must have his hands full with the escort details."

"Pelna, one last favor. I need you to prep the glaives for action."

"What are you talking about? You wanna deploy without the Captain's order?"

"Trust me. Just get it done."

He was reaching the throne room. Two door guards had been stationed at the entrance of the corridor leading straight to it and tried to stop him, but he shoved them aside.

King Regis stood by the glass window, looking at the plaza below. He watched the Niffs arriving on their cars, and Iedolas with his Chancellor slowly ascending the stairs, waving at the crowd. Try as me might, he couldn't help his lips slightly curling in a snarl.

"The ceremony is in less than two hours," Clarus reminded him. "We must make ready."

"Very well," the King simply said, schooling his face on a neutral gesture.

"Your Majesty!" a member of the Palace staff announced. "A man of the Kingsglaive is here, sire! He demands an audience."

"Demands?" the King asked disbelievingly. The last thing he needed that day was insubordination.

The main door busted open and a glaive rushed inside, to kneel at the foot of the stairs.

"Your Majesty!" he said. "Give the order to deploy the glaives!"

"You!" said Regis, recognizing the soldier who had escorted the Princess.

"A Niflheim fleet makes ready for war 20 miles to the south," the glaive declared.

"An imperial fleet?" Clarus echoed.

The King frowned. Nyx didn't know if it was due to his coarse insubordination, or because he believed him.

"And," Nyx added. "They have the Princess."

Something changed in the King's demeanor.

"Clarus," he said to his Shield. "Post guards outside the treaty room."

"It will be seen as a lack of faith in the peace," Clarus argued.

"Which we all harbor. See it done. We may well have to take emperor Aldercapt into custody."

"Detain him? That would go beyond a new declaration of war!"

"We are still at war, Clarus. And you," he said, looking at Nyx. "Nyx Ulric. How soon can the Kingsglaive deploy?"

"On your word, at once."

"Go, then. Save Luna."

The preparations were swift, since they were used to be deployed at a moment's notice. Captain Drautos, still busy with the ceremony, delegated on Nyx the details of the mission. With Luche at his side, Nyx held the meeting at HQ; they would have two missions: rescue Lady Lunafreya and prevent the ships from arriving at Insomnia. Having no ranks amongst the Kingsglaive, save that of Captain, Luche turned to Nyx and said:

"Nyx, you command. We'll follow," and to their comrades he said: "The glaives stands together, captain or no. For hearth. And home!"

Twenty minutes to the signing

Six battleships were anchored at the bottom of a canyon. The glaives divided themselves in two groups: The first one, led by Nyx, would be the extraction group; the second one, led by Luche, would be the infiltrators.

"I received word of the King's order to deploy," came Drautos' voice through their radios. "I'll see to matters in the city. You have your mission, and it won't be easy. The objective is two-fold. Secure the hostage, and stay the enemy advance. Just be careful. One glaive already died for this Princess. Niflheim won't give her up easily."

Nyx saw the six battleships as he perched on the cliff's edge, his purple scarf fluttering in the wind.

He gave the order, and his unit jumped to the ship Nyx signaled. They all warped and landed securely on the deck, taking their positions while they waited for orders.

Luche's unit was directed to another ship, but just when they were landing, a roar reverberated throughout the canyon as the ships took off.

Quicker than they had expected, the dreadnoughts picked up speed. Many glaives had to throw their kukris in whichever direction they could and cleave at the ships' hulls, hoping to be able to climb their way up to the decks. Luche could barely hold onto his own weapon as the ship's momentum nearly threw him away.

Nyx ran along the canyon's edge, trying to keep up with the dreadnought, which was already emerging from the chasm. He threw his kukri as far as he could, knowing that he would have to warp several times to get near the ship. The second time he tried to warp, his sister's voice asking for help made him grimace and lose his concentration. That split second was enough for one of the airship's fins to hit him and send him tumbling in the air.

Dizzy with pain, he could throw the kukri once, twice, and the third time he could at last grab onto one of the many pipes protruding from the ship. He heard Pelna yelling at him: He had reached the deck already.

"Preparing to head below deck," he announced to the Captain.

"Do not engage the enemy until instructed," Drautos said. "The ceremony is underway. Let's wait and see how Niflheim plays this."

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The delegation from Niflheim sat quietly at the conference room. Iedolas seemed like a marble statue, his eyes looking expressionless at the ebony table in front of him. At his left, an empty chair awaited for King Regis.

A subordinate walked behind his seat and whispered:

"The Kingsglaive have infiltrated the ships. So everything's going according to plan."

Nodding slightly, Iedolas didn't let the man see any change on his expression. He grimaced in disgust, though, when the man went away, to then return to his impassive waiting. There was, however, something that had changed in his eyes.

Ravus sat calmly amongst the delegates. He had seen the interchange between the subordinate and the Emperor, and his lips curved ever so slightly in a soft smile.

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Regis and his retinue walked towards the conference room, the monarch's countenance set in a grim mask. He had given the order to close the barriers protecting the Crystal, and the Crownsguard to be stationed at the vault's entrance.

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Nyx walked along one of the outer catwalks on the ship, grabbing onto the railing so as not to be thrown by the strong wind.

"Ulric reporting. Six Niflheim airships confirmed inbound for Insomnia."

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Pelna sneaked silently along one the ship's corridor.

"Nyx," he said through his radio when he saw no guards anywhere. "This doesn't feel like a war fleet."

He arrived at an intersection where the number of doors suggested the cabins being there. One of them had two magitek infantry soldiers guarding it.

Drautos gave the order, and told them to be discreet.

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Regis took his place at Iedolas' side.

"Forgive my delay," the King said casually. "A bit of unforeseen trouble."

"Nothing too vexing, I hope," Iedolas retorted, as they took seat.

"A simple theft, nothing more."

"A daring thief, to steal from the king," then he added. "Perhaps magical walls and castle gates do not keep all things safe."

"Perhaps. But no matter. That which was taken will soon be returned."

"Impressive! You are a paragon of kingly composure," then he leaned towards him, speaking in a softer, more insidious voice. "But I must ask, how can You be so sure?"

"Because this thing is no mere trinket," Regis smiled. "It possesses a will all its own," he turned to briefly look at him in the eye for the first time. "Enough to break any thief's grasp."

"Hm. That sounds a very fine prize indeed."

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Dispatching the two MTs wasn't very difficult for Pelna. He cursed, though, when the miasma that escaped from their bodies as they were neutralized hit him in the face.

Hearing the commotion, Luna peered through the porthole of her cell's door. A hooded figure was there with a hand to his ear, talking with someone.

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Clarus knelt beside Regis and whispered the news.

"The glaives have recovered the Princess, Your Majesty."

It was then when Regis stood up, signaling the start of the ceremony. The crowd outside the Palace erupted in cheers.

"Have You found Your thief?" Iedolas asked.

"We have," Regis smiled as they walked to the ebony table. "And what was stolen remains intact."

"Joyous news. I am relieved to hear it."

Regis shot a brief, murderous glance towards the Emperor. Nevertheless, he kept a civil tone.

"Tell me," he said. "How heavy a sentence does the crime of theft carry in your empire?"

"Among the heaviest. Although there is one exception," the Emperor answered, raising one finger.

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Pelna and Lunafreya sneaked around the corridors of the ship towards the extraction point. Strangely enough, the soldiers didn't seem to be looking for them, bot gathering elsewhere.

"Things are about to get ugly over here," Pelna told Nyx.

Nyx, on his part, ran as fast as he could towards the extraction point. Pelna's words made him stop abruptly, suddenly realizing something.

"Pelna, get out of there!" he screamed on the radio as he started running again. "It's a trap!"

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"What is that?" Regis asked.

"A curious old law I still permit in the outlands. A thief who escapes his captor can no longer be held to account for his crime."

"A warning to the victim. Never show weakness, lest you forgo the hand of Justice."

"Oh, no, good King. Far from it."

The peace treaty documents were already on the table.

"It is a warning," Iedolas kept explaining. "To the hand of Justice itself never to loose its grip."

Lightning energy was already arching between Regis' right hand fingers.

Two explosions shook the plaza below. Iedolas, taking advance of Regis' momentary distraction, took a revolver out of his coat. The King and his retinue, however, were prepared, and they invoked the Royal Weapons before Iedolas, and before his cohort.

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Nyx reached Pelna and Lunafreya as he turned a corner.

"One Tenebrae Princess," Pelna said. "Safe and-"

His words were cut when a giant tentacle grabbed him and started ramming his head against the metal walls. There had been something else roaming the corridors, a beast the empire had planned on unleashing at the Crown City. As soon as Nyx saw the tentacle appearing and heard the beast's roar, he knew they had to run.

Nyx grabbed Luna by the hand and dragged her away from the Ultros. Pelna's body hit the wall behind the spot they had been standing a second before, falling to the ground like a ragdoll.

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There was an explosion and a cloud of toxic gas at the Crystal chamber. The Crownsguard fought bravely, but they were quickly overrun by the imperials, which this time were human.

Once they entered the chamber, their captain quickly used ID cards to disable the physical barriers protecting the Crystal, while the other soldiers placed explosive charges all around the chamber.

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At the plaza, the man with the lavender shirt ran alongside the panicked crowd, but it was just an act: He wanted to stay as long as he could to witness what it was about to happen.

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Inside the airship Luche's unit had infiltrated, two glaives waited patiently for instructions. One of them activated his radio and commented that something was happening at the city.

The other was Sonitus, who had been watching Nyx and Libertus alongside his friends, Tredd and Axis. He looked through a nearby window at the approaching Insomnia. That was the signal: Sonitus took out his kukri and sunk it between his companion's ribs, leaving him there to die.

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"What's going on!" Nyx screamed on his radio, while he and Luna ran down the corridors, still chased down by the tentacles.

"Insomnia is under attack," Drautos answered.

"Who brought you here?" Nyx asked the Princess.

"General Glauca."

"You were bait! Us coming here was all part of their plan."

Turning corners, they finally outran the monster and they reached the engine hall, where a gigantic turbine worked at full power.

"Target secured," he told Drautos. "Request permission to withdraw."

"Granted," said the Captain. "Get to-"

The communication was cut as an explosion went off. They looked though one of the windows and they saw that they were already flying above the Palace. Fire erupted from its center: the Crystal chamber.

The explosion dissipated the Crystal's beam, and the Wall came crashing down as a broken glass window over the entire city.

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"The Crystal will not serve you!" Regis warned the Emperor as he held the weapons against him in a stalemate.

"Nor you..." Iedolas smirked, but it quickly turned into a grimace of disgust. "Once I take it from this accursed city."

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Nyx guided the Princess along the catwalk over the ship's engines. At their side, there was a designed opening to give light and ventilation to the engine room. From there they could see the Wall crashing down. Two of his companions approached from the left, while one did it from his right.

"Fall back!" he ordered them. "It's a trap!"

The one on his right lunged, knife in hand, towards them. At the same time, one of the other two at his left stabbed his companion and went for Nyx and the Princess. He barely got rid of the first one when he already had the other on top of him, but Nyx wasn't considered the best warrior for nothing. The only thing that had made him hesitate but a second was the fact of seeing his own companions attacking him.

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Inside the ship the second unit had infiltrated, the wounded glaive dragged himself up to peer over the railing to the other gangways below. His companions were fighting fiercely, not against the magitek soldiers, but against each other. Standing on one of the higher gangplanks, he could see Tredd giving orders to the magitek infantry. His red hair was unmistakable.

With a last effort, the glaive conjured a fireball towards the main turbine. The explosion could be felt all throughout the ship. Large portions of metal and debris flew, crushing the two MTs escorting Tredd, who dodged the projectiles in time before running away.

The ship veered, crashing onto the one Nyx had boarded.

He and the Princess kept running, barely keeping their balance inside the tilting ship. The path ended abruptly and they lost their footing, finding themselves dangling over the turbines.

A glaive appeared behind them, again lunging against Nyx and launching both of them to the void. As the man was about to stab him, a giant tentacle grabbed him.

Nyx threw his kukri to a safe location, and he saw how the tentacle monster had come finally loose and how he had grabbed the Princess. More glaive lunged at the beast, if friend or foe, Nyx couldn't know, but he Ultros kept either swatting at them or eating them, while it kept Lady Lunafreya unharmed.

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The ships' cannons aimed at the Palace, as assault crafts overflew the main plaza. They opened their hatches, and magitek troopers jumped down towards the Palace.

The jump had been carefully calculated, and they landed through the treaty room's glass windows, where the King and the Emperor held a standstill. They shoot to the unsuspecting Lucians, killing some of them and forcing the rest, King included, to conjure a magic shield.

The emperor and his cohort calmly abandoned the Treaty Room while the MTs covered their retreat. But someone remained behind.

xxxxXX-0-XXxxxx

Inside the falling ship, Nyx tried to see any weak point in the giant squid.

Using the distraction that a falling glaive gave him, he launched his kukri to the tentacle holding the Princess, warping there and bombarding his head with fireballs.

The beast finally let her go, and Nyx had to warp several times to get a hold of her. Finally grasping a railing behind a metal wall, they caught their breath before Nyx tried to kill the monster.

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The MT soldiers fell to the ground with Regis' lightning spell. He would never get used to the eerie scream they let go each time the miasma abandoned their metallic bodies.

"Come," Clarus said. "We must escape while we can."

"No, Clarus," the King said, turning to the broken glass window. They could hear a rising hum. "I'm afraid escape is no longer an option."

Something fell through the broken glass window and landed heavily on the marble floor. It was an enormous human clad in liquid metal magitek armor. On his hand a heavy two-handed sword shone with a red gleam.

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The monster kept searching for them, oblivious to the fact that the ship was free falling.

Nyx left the Princess holding onto a railing while he went to face it. The glaive raised a magic shield just in time before the many tentacles lashed at him, the force of the impact slowly letting the railing loose.

The shield faded and he heard the engine of an assault craft approaching. When the side door opened, Nyx could see Luche, who just stood there, staring wide eyed at the monster.

The Ultros, with a movement, swept Luche from his perch, sending him falling to the void. The monster, now taking a particular interest on the assault craft, elveloped it with its tentacles, dragging it inside the ruined warship. As the craft went by, Luna climbed what remained of the railing.

Nyx called for her, but she didn't look back. The Lady jumped to the craft's open door and laboriously clambered inside.

"You gotta be kidding me," he muttered as he followed her.

As he had guessed, he found the Princess at the cabin, fumbling with the controls.

"They teach piloting back at the royal academy?" he asked, as he unceremoniously removed her from the pilot seat. "Give me that."

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At the Palace, King Regis' old guard quickly surrounded him.

"It's been a long time since I fought at Your side, old friend," Clarus said.

"Yes, but this time it is not your fight. If you wish to leave, go now."

His friend chuckled mirthlessly.

"And abandon my king? I think not. Besides, our magic is bound to you. If you fall, Lucis falls."

"Then let us once more into the fray, old friend."

General Glauca suddenly lunged forward. The Kingsguard was no match for him and in one clean swept he defeated them. Brave as they were, Regis was right: They were all too old to fight.

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The assault craft, with the monster still clinging to it, flew away from the derelict warship, but the beast's weight threatened to make it fall. Nyx had an idea. A risky one, but he wouldn't let an Ultros loose in the streets of Insomnia. Lady Lunafreya sat rigidly at his side; she neither screamed, nor she complained about their predicament. Not even when Nyx directed the craft straight to the sharp antenna of one skyscraper did she do anything except clutching at her seat.

The impact rocked the ship and they could fly faster: the building's antenna had pierced the monster. Nyx yanked at the controls just in time for the falling battleship to hit the same building, sending it crashing down with the giant squid still impaled and flailing its tentacles in its death throes.

"You must take me back to King Regis," Luna said as Nyx tried setting the ship on a steady course.

"Are you out of your mind? Insomnia's a war zone."

"I have a duty," she insisted. "I cannot neglect it."

"Yeah, I heard all that before."

"Then you know we must hurry"

"Hurry to do what? Get yourself killed?"

"I do not fear death," she said firmly, still looking ahead. Behind her profile, the setting sun made the whole skyline burn with an orange light.

"Oh. Enough with all this brave Princess act!" he shouted angrily, but then he grumbled: "Just pray this thing will make the trip."

He directed the ship towards the Palace.