BOOK 2: THE TALE OF THE CHOSEN KING
CHAPTER 25 – TOGETHER AGAIN
The train car fell with a loud thump right before Gladio started crossing the gap underneath. It had fallen sideways and, entering through the rear door, the Shield and the retainer could climb their way to the side and stand on top of it.
"Going up," Gladio said, taking Ignis' hand to help him climb to the top.
"Is there a way forward?" Ignis asked as Gladio put the cane back into his hands.
The Shield peered down. There was another derailed car with its door open. It was clear which way Noct had gone.
"There's a way, but I don't see us going forward without facing off with the daemons."
"But now Noct is facing them alone. There must be some way we can help him."
"Perhaps I could be of service," said a voice from the overturned car beyond.
Both men tensed when they saw the chancellor casually strolling out of the car.
"What are you doing here?" said Gladio, a protective arm extended before Ignis.
"Why, I come bearing gifts," Ardyn smiled. At a snap of his fingers, Gladio and Ignis had their weapons back into their hands.
"The hell?"
"See? Gifts! Now, I believe a thank you is in order."
"For what?" Gladio asked defiantly. "Another one of your stupid tricks?"
Ardyn raised his arms, speaking dramatically, as if they had hurt his feelings.
"Here I am, helping for a change, but I can see I'm not wanted." And, with that, he bowed and went the way he had come.
"I'm loath to trust him," said Ignis.
"Same… but at this point, we need all the help we can get."
They willed their weapons away and climbed down from the car. Carefully, they followed the path they thought Noctis had taken towards the building ahead.
"I ought to have been more cautious," Ignis lamented. "If anything were to happen to Noct, I…"
"Can't move forward if you're always looking backwards. Quit thinking about what you could've done then and start thinking about what you can do now."
"You're right," the retainer sighed. "What's done it's done."
There was a swarm of small daemons ahead that Gladio cleared with ease.
"So if we can conjure our weapons again," the Shield reasoned, helping Ignis up the stairs. "Does that mean Noct can too?"
"I have the feeling the chancellor isn't so generous."
"How come?"
"He might have feigned friendship, but he's proven a foe, before. We'd best be careful."
They arrived at what looked like a warehouse to Gladio. He refrained from describing to Ignis the derelict state of the building, and guided his friend in silence through the debris. At times, Gladio had to make his companion remain behind each time he wanted to clear the path from the spawning daemons. It felt nice hacking them away and see them vanish in a puff of black smoke. He only wished he could do the same with Ardyn.
Suddenly Ignis asked if there was a transistor nearby. Not understanding what he meant, Gladio searched the nearby shelves to discover that, indeed, there was a functioning radio, but the volume was so low, Gladio had to stick his ear to the speaker to be able to listen at first. Tuning up to the only available radio station, both men could listen to the broadcast. A female voice spoke in an even tone, which contrasted with the content of the message:
"This is the Imperial Security Bureau. A situation has arisen in several research sectors. All civilians must relocate to their designed refuge stations immediately. Failure to evacuate will result in incarceration or other appropriate disciplinary procedures. This emergency broadcast will repeat until the situation has been resolved. The Imperial Security Bureau thanks you for your cooperation."
"You think that situation is us… or something else," Gladio asked, turning the radio off.
"The latter, I presume. Whatever it is must be a matter of considerable scale to warrant such a warning. Keep your ears open. These broadcasts might help us understand what's going on outside."
On their way to the elevator, they crossed through an open space, a terrace, from where Gladio could see the city. Again, he didn't bother describing anything to Ignis. Seeing all the warehouses and the monotonous pattern of identical housing buildings, the Shield had a feeling that Gralea hadn't been a comfortable place to live, even without the daemon invasion.
The small elevator was a circular cubicle of rusted metal. As they ascended, Gladio smiled, remembering the Balouve Mines and how they teased Prompto because of his claustrophobia.
"It's dead silent," Ignis whispered when they arrived at the upper level.
"More like undead silent," Gladio pointed out. "Place is crawling with daemons."
They followed the corridor until they stood before an open door. They stopped when they heard a voice through the announcement system.
"Right this way, gentlemen."
Gladio took a step towards the door, which closed.
"Honestly, are you even listening?"
Cursing, the Shield stepped back. Ardyn directed them to a section of the corridor they had walked by.
"Hold up," Gladio ordered Ignis, as the wall began moving to reveal a corridor beyond it. "What is it? Found some kinda secret passage."
"Led here by our guide."
"Long as it's a step in the right direction, I'll take it."
The secret door gave them access to a wide room thrown in disarray. There were working stations and shelves pushed against the walls, but the floor was littered with debris and other objects. Gladio spotted another radio on one of the shelves and turned it on:
"This is a status report from the Imperial Defense Force. The daemon outbreak stemming from several research facilities has been suppressed in most areas. Magitek infantry units have been deployed to remaining sectors. The situation is under control. For your safety, a temporary curfew is imposed on all city areas. Your cooperation is required to ensure the security of yourself and other civilians."
"They've got their hands full," the Shield commented. "Bet they never thought they little pets would bust outta their cages."
"I doubt even the daemons could simply escape from such a secure facility," Ignis reasoned. "It's more likely their master set them free."
Walking down the next corridor, they arrived at another room. It was infested with rogue MTs, which armors had fallen off, leaving the metal skeletons exposed. Gladio could only imagine how much Prompto would cower if he encountered these monstrosities, and how much he would protest about having to fight so much. Not for the first time, Gladio wished he could hear again his complains.
They followed another hallway, which this time ended at the feet of a flight of stairs. Climbing them, they entered a spacious control room. Except for the one with the access door, all others were covered with screens where they could see footage from the security cameras. At a glance, Gladio checked if any showed either Noctis or Prompto, but most of them were blinking in and out and the others only showed static.
"Hey, Iggy. Think we might've found the control room. Got lotsa… monitors and stuff."
"Which may help us monitor the rest of the keep. Does anything look operable?"
Gladio walked Ignis to what appeared to be the main workstation.
"I'm more of a low-tech kinda guy, but I'll see what I can do," Gladio excused himself, trying to navigate through the computer files. "What have we here? Huh. Looks like they wiped everything."
"All of it?"
"Yep."
Gladio kept searching. Despite the advances on magitek technology, the interface was decades behind that of Insomnia's computers.
"Wait… I've got something. There's one surveillance tape they forgot to erase… almost like they wanted us to see it."
"Then we'd best have a look. Whatever's on that tape might help us locate Noct and Prompto."
Gladio hit the enter key and all twelve screens above them went black. Then they all started playing the recording as one, big screen.
At first, it was all black, and a feeble, elderly voice was asking questions.
"What of the Hydraean's power? What of my precious ring?"
An image came to focus. It was some sort of throne room. An elderly man, dressed in white and red sat there, rambling like a madman. Ravus Nox Fleuret stood in front of him, Regis' sword in hand.
The image was sharper now, and Gladio could see some kind of black mist around the old man's body. He described it all to Ignis, and the retainer thought he could recognize the Emperor in that account.
"By the hand of the Oracle, they are with the King now… their rightful owner. And someday soon, he shall use them to purge our star of its scourge."
The man didn't seem to be listening to Ravus.
"But the Crystal is mine… I am the one True King!"
"Nay, it is Noctis and none other." A cloud of black mist formed behind Ravus, who turned around, gripping at the sword. Three daemons appeared, giant corpses dressed in rags and surrounded by will-o-wisps. "Certainly not a puppet of the darkness and the daemons it has borne."
The Emperor snarled, and his voice became stronger.
"You are the puppet… and you must die."
The daemons attacked Ravus, but he wielded Regis' sword with mastery. However, the magic powers of the three daemons were too much for him and, despite being able to parry their attacks, one explosion sent him out of the throne room and into the platform it sat, overlooking an abyss. There was another explosion, and Ravus fell over the railing and into the void.
The screen faded to black and showed another image: Ravus had fallen to a lower level and tried getting to his feet. His wounds seemed serious as he limped his way into the catwalk connecting the platform to the main building, using Regis' sword as support. Someone approached him with slow steps.
"At last you have arrived, Noctis," Ravus said through labored breath. "The gods have shown you their favor. As Blood of the Oracle, I present you your father's glaive. Now go forth, my king. Shine your light unto the world."
His artificial arm presented the sword to Noctis, who gazed coldly at it. Just as Noctis extended his own hand, the king summoned a different sword and cut Ravus' arm. The Lord of Tenebrae staggered back and fell, dead, to the floor.
Noctis took the sword with the arm still gripping at it and nailed it to the ground, next to Luna's brother. Then he knelt at the Lord of Tenebrae's side.
"Spare me your sycophancy," the king spat; then he smirked. "I've indulged your false heroism for far too long," then his voice changed, and it was Ardyn's voice which spoke through Noctis' lips. "You tried to save the world in my stead, but it wasn't enough. The Crystal chose me… not you."
The man who looked like Noctis got to his feet, and when he stood up it was Ardyn the one Gladio saw standing there and adjusting his hat. From his coat, the chancellor took some paper sheets and threw them over Ravus before walking away.
"Rejection hurts, doesn't it?"
The recording ended there.
"Was that Noct?" asked Ignis in bewilderment.
"No. Just that scumbag chancellor posing as him."
"It sounded like Ravus tried to return His Majesty's sword."
"Yeah. Guess he finally got over his grudge. Even called Noct his king. Let's move. If that's what he did to Ravus, there's no telling what he'll do to Noct."
Ardyn had bought himself some time, which meant they had none to waste to access the upper levels.
There was an elevator on that room. Going up they reached a cargo bay, maybe the one which hosted the Crystal upon arriving. They searched for another elevator which would lead them up.
At the other side, they found a giant door, with an iron giant guarding it. Gladio found that this daemon was not as strong as he expected, and with a little help from Ignis, he felled it.
Beyond the door and across the catwalk they found the central elevator. Rogue MTs prowled along the way, but Gladio made short work of them. He helped Ignis into the lift and the two of them went to the upper levels.
"We ought to be close to the core of the Keep by now," said Ignis as Gladio helped him out of the lift.
"And that's probably where they're keeping the Crystal."
"And most likely where Noct is headed as we speak."
Daemons ambushed them. If not for Ignis' stack of potions, Gladio would have had a hard time.
The passage ahead had a single door to the left, which opened as they walked by. More rogue MTs; another hallway ahead; an intersection with a dead end at their left and stairs at their right. After the stairs and to the right, a control room.
"Hey, there it is," said Gladio, looking at the surveillance screens.
"What is it?"
"The Crystal… right here on the screen."
"Then we're close," Ignis said with urgency. "Do you see any sort of control panel?"
"Sure do."
"If it's anything like the Citadel, there should be a barrier barring access."
"Then we un-bar it. You must tell me what to do."
Gladio described the controls and the text on the screen to Ignis, and the retainer slowly gave the instructions of what he thought was the correct procedure. When Gladio finished, he looked up at the screen with expectation.
A few seconds passed until the red lasers barring the entrance flickered and faded.
A thud made Gladio turn around. There was a daemon behind them. It looked like a nightmarish mockery of a human, its exposed muscle glistening red under the artificial lights, its leathery wings and black talons extended to encompass the whole room.
"Thieves cannot escape the hand of justice!" it roared. "The Crystal is mine… Never shall I lose my grip! The Crystal, the Light, the power… All of it… Mine!"
It attacked with a strength Gladio didn't expect. Ignis assistance was lifesaving this time. When it disappeared in a cloud of black mist, the two men stood there, waiting for it to reappear.
"I can't hear it anymore," said Ignis. "Is it dead?"
"Not yet…" Gladio answered, breathing heavily from the exertion. "Thing just disappeared. Ain't never seen one that talked like that before."
"Nor one so fixated on the Crystal."
"I thought Aranea said the daemons were afraid of the Crystal."
"It might be like moths to a flame… or it may be one of the empire's alternative facts."
"Whichever it is, that monster's still on the loose."
"And we need to find it before it finds Noctis and Prompto."
They opened the only door available, next to the control panels. A voice taunted them over the announcement system.
"Oh dear. I can see the light fading from your friend's eyes."
Gladio didn't want to hear that voice, but Ardyn was opening the doors for them. Namely, the walls which revealed secret passages.
As they climbed the flight of stairs hidden behind a secret door, Ardyn's voice gasped.
"What's this? I think he's stopped breathing. Why don't you come and see for yourself?"
There were two doors along the next corridor, both closed, though the one at the far back opened as soon as they stepped on the hallway.
"If that son of a bitch even…" Gladio grumbled.
"Wait," Ignis raised his hand. "Can't you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Noct's voice," he said, walking ahead. "I heard it clear s day. This way… follow me!"
Gladio only hoped Ignis wasn't losing his mind when he darted ahead into the next control room.
"Noct? Is that you?" Ignis yelled.
"Hey! Noct! Can you hear us?"
Gladio saw the room they had entered had a door at the far wall which opened to a hallway. A strange device, arcing with electric energy, was mounted on the threshold, slowly moving towards the center of the corridor, where he could distinguish a human figure fighting against MTs.
"Where are you?" Ignis kept calling.
"Noct's in trouble!" Gladio warned.
"There ought to be a kill switch nearby… find it!"
"How do you know that?"
"I believe it's the reason we were brought here."
Sweeping the room with a glance, Gladio threw himself over the first thing that resembled a kill switch, pressing it. The electricity in the hallway died down and the door opened. Noctis crawled out of that space, white as a sheet and short of breath.
"That was close," said Gladio.
"The hell'd you get here?" Noctis asked when he could catch his breath.
"You're welcome?" Gladio smiled as he offered his hand.
"Thanks," the king said, taking his Shield's hand.
"After we were separated, we received help… from the usual suspect," Ignis explained.
"That bastard's playing with us," Gladio grunted. "But at least we're together."
"All but one of us," Ignis reminded.
"Reunited with your retainers at last. How very touching," Ardyn jeered at them. "Must be a fine feeling, having friends. Look how happy you are! I pray you find your dear Prompto soon."
They went back the way Noctis had come. The doors the king had crossed before were closed shut, while others were open. At the end of a hallway, Noctis thought he could see something behind some cell bars.
They approached, their flashlights illuminating only part of the dark hallway. There was someone locked up there and bound to a device. A golden head slumped forward, and Noctis could recognize the t-shirt the prisoner wore.
Gladio forced the door open, and Noctis hurried to open the restrains. It was Gladio, however, the one to tear them open and free Prompto. The young man fell to his knees, gasping.
"Hey, you alright?" Gladio tried to get him to talk.
"Are you hurt?" asked Ignis. "Do you need help?"
"I'm fine," Prompto stuttered. On trembling arms, he could push himself into a sitting position. "Thank you, Noct," he gasped, smiling despite the bruises and the cuts on his face.
"No sweat," Noctis tried his best to say it in a joking voice. It took everything he had to so, seeing his friend in such a state.
"Tell me," Prompto asked all of a sudden, his smile faltering. "Were you worried about me?"
"Of course I was," the king's voice trembled ever so slightly. "What kind of question is that?"
Prompto chuckled nervously.
"Of course. That's why you came, like I believed you would," he stood up with some difficulty. "That's why I told myself I couldn't die. Not until I could see you and hear you tell me I'm not a fake… that I'm the real me."
"I'm sorry," Noctis started. But Prompto just smiled.
"Don't be. Everything's alright now."
Ignis gave Prompto a potion to regain some strength, but no one said anything more. Once they caught their breath, the friends kept on their way to the strange platform Noctis had come from.
"Noct, do you hear that?" Ignis put a hand on the king's shoulder.
"Hear what?"
"I've heard this sound before… on the train, just before your weapons failed you. It's nearby, and it may hold the key to restoring your power."
Ignis guided them to the room Noctis couldn't open, the one at the center of the circular lift. A panel sat at its side, and the king had guessed some fingerprints would be necessary.
"Door's locked," Noctis sighed, patting the metal.
"It's coming from within," said Ignis. "Is there no way through?"
"There's a way."
They all looked at Prompto. He stood aside from them, paler than usual. Without another word, he approached the panel and put his right wrist against the reader. The red light turned green with a beep, and the door opened.
"So, MTs…" he said in a hoarse voice. "They've got those codeprints… just like I do."
"Do they? Never looked," Noctis joked, though he knew perfectly well what his friend was talking about.
"Yeah…" Prompto chewed on his lip, his eyes gazing at the floor. "So, as it turns out… I'm one of them. Not exactly something I could tell people growing up in Lucis. Still…" he blinked furiously as he looked up. "You guys are like… the only friends I've ever known. I just hope that things can stay the way they were."
"Whatever," Noctis waved his hand, trying to make light of the subject. "Who cares where you were born?"
"I don't see you turning against us," Ignis added. "Not now, or ever."
"Thanks, guys," Prompto said hoarsely. "Still… I can't change where I came from. What I am."
"Since when does where you come from matter to you?" Noctis smiled broadly.
Prompto's eyes widened in surprise.
"You never once treated me as a prince," Noctis laughed, punching him playfully on the shoulder.
"He's got you there," Gladio chuckled.
"Never so much as a Highness," Ignis reminded him.
"We're done here," Noctis beckoned him. "C'mon, crown citizen."
"You're one of us, right?" Gladio slapped him in the back.
"Unless you'd rather not be," Ignis joked when Prompto didn't say a word.
The young man kept quiet because he knew that uttering a single word would make him burst into tears, so he just nodded and watched his friends walk into the room.
It had gone far better than he expected. He felt lighter, as he felt his life-long burden disappearing all of a sudden. He looked at his right wrist, and didn't mind that his bracelet didn't cover it completely.
Gladio said aloud that he recognized that chamber as the throne room. The emperor's robes lain on his seat, but there was no sign of their owner. Tall computers lined up at each side of the room, and it was there where Noctis plunged his sword to the hilt. The machines sputtered and crackled before dying out, and the red light shining on top of the throne room went off.
"So… did it work?" Prompto wondered.
"With the device down and out, Noct's power should be up and running."
"Go on, try it," Gladio encouraged him.
"Alright. Moment of truth."
He extended his arm and called for a weapon. A telltale blue glow shone around his arm as his weapons materialized. Noctis smiled, willing it away.
Prompto clapped happily.
"We're back, baby," Gladio said.
"Let's roll," the king grinned.
Gladio and Ignis had discovered a way to the Crystal. It was full of daemons, but being together again made fighting much easier.
"I see you decided to rock the ring," said Prompto all of a sudden, looking at Noctis' hand.
"Had to. No weapons, no friends, no choice, really. Y'know, somebody here's got to fight to rescue the Crystal… not to mention rescue all of your asses."
"Spoken like a true king," said Gladio, not without a hint of pride. "About time."
"The ring represents a great burden, but you don't bear it alone," Ignis reminded the king.
"You can say that again," Noctis smiled, looking at his friends. "Especially now that you all have your weapons back.
As the most important research facility in the empire, Zegnautus Keep needed constant manning, thus there were areas were the human staff and soldiers could rest, with bunk beds and other facilities. Once they were together, they decided to use one of those rooms to regroup and plan their next step.
Ignis decided to use one of the heaters to warm some tin food Gladio found in a cupboard. While the Shield and the retainer busied themselves, Noctis and Prompto sat on one of the beds, but not on the same side, so that they weren't facing each other. Once the rush of the moment had worn out, Noctis felt he owed his friend an apology.
"Hey, I'm… sorry," the king started timidly.
"For what?"
"For falling right into his trap… and for hurting you like that."
"I know, right?" said Prompto, and then he mocked an overly dramatic tone. "How could you possibly do such a horrible thing… after everything we've been through!?" Then he chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. You're not the only one who fell for it."
"Once this is all over, I say we break down the borders… come together as one nation. I mean, what does it matter where you're from anyway?"
"Y'know, I never thought I'd say this, but you sounded like a real king for a second," said Prompto, turning around.
"Better late than never," Noctis sighed, relieved to see his friend back to his old self. Then he smiled at him. "I'm gonna make this world a better place. You with me?"
"Uh-huh," Prompto grinned, "ever at your side."
