Dia's eyes snapped open, and instinctively, she laid still while her mind caught up to the circumstances. Nothing looked familiar, but it didn't take her long to remember that she and Cia had been whisked away to a fictional world that was way too real. It was then that she caught the rest of the conversation that had awoken her.
It seemed that the men were standing nearby, and Prompto said, "I don't know, they look pretty cute like that if you ask me. I might have fallen for one of them if my heart wasn't already taken."
Noctis chuckled at his statement, but Gladio was quick to add his assessment. "That isn't the point. The question is—do we leave them here for now and hope they don't wake up before we return, or not."
Dia rolled her eyes before she squirmed her way out of the sleeping bag and sat up. Her movement woke Cia as well, and her sister blinked a few times before she sat up with a gasp. Dia put a comforting hand on her arm to keep her calm while her brain woke up, but her attention was focused on Gladio as she said, "I thought that choice was already made?"
The Shield crossed his arms with a frown, but Ignis was quick to add his opinion. "Yes, we did agree to bring you, and since you are both awake already, the argument for letting you sleep or not is null."
He didn't wait for any response before he turned to Noctis and said, "If we leave now, we should have time to get in, retrieve the Regalia, and return before daylight. Barring any trouble, that is."
Noctis gave him a curt nod. "The longer we wait, the more chance we have of running into trouble."
Gladio did not look happy with the decision, but as soon as the two girls were standing, he was the one to step forward with his hands out. "Here. If you are going to go in there, you'll need these just in case. We won't have time to save your asses if anything happens."
Cia took the pistol from his grip with wide eyes, but she only stared for a moment before she made quick work of checking if a round was chambered and ejecting the magazine to verify how many bullets were in the gun. A few seconds later, she had everything back in place before she gave Gladio a curt nod and her thanks.
The Shield had watched the whole thing with interest. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said you knew how to handle a gun."
Dia took the spear from him and walked a short distance away while Cia checked out the gun. She wasn't as familiar with bladed weapons as she would have been if it had been a staff, but that didn't mean she couldn't handle it. She made sure she gave herself room to swing it around in practice stances to get a feel for the balance. When she was satisfied that she could handle it without danger of harming any of her companions, she turned back to Gladio and said, "Thank you. Don't worry that I think this means you trust us, but I appreciate the offer."
Ignis had been watching her stances with a critical eye. As soon as she finished, he was quick to add. "It does indeed seem as though the two of you are familiar with the weaponry you listed. Though, I do hope we will not run into a situation where you might have to prove yourselves in combat."
Dia planted the end of the spear on the ground next to her as she said, "I won't complain if we can get in and out unnoticed, but at least I feel better knowing we won't be a burden."
Noctis gave her a firm nod as he said, "We need to go."
The men had already taken care of cleaning up camp, so they were able to slip out, and toward the side door Ignis had discovered. Once they were inside, Ignis took the lead but paused before they went far. He looked back at them all with a stern expression as he said, "In and out without being noticed. It would be best not to draw attention to ourselves lest we become overrun. The Regalia should be our highest priority." There were curt nods from everyone before he turned to lead them through the route he had figured out.
They had not gone far before Ignis held up a hand to stop the group. Everyone ducked behind whatever was closest as he gestured to Noctis and said, "Wait until the way is clear, then attack—one hit, one kill."
"Gotcha." Noctis nodded firmly before he looked around the edge of the crate they were behind. A few seconds later, he stood and threw his sword all in one motion. He then disappeared, only to come jogging back from the other side of the crates in less than a minute. Dia had to admit that seeing him warp-strike in person was far cooler than seeing it in a game—even if the graphics had been top-tier.
Once Noctis was back with the group, all of them but Cia stood to continue. It was Prompto's concerned voice that turned their attention to where she was still crouched. "Hey, you okay?"
Cia's eyes were haunted as she looked up and said, "I—I had to learn how to fight, but I've never seen anyone killed before."
Ignis gave her an understanding look as he helped her to her feet and said, "Not to worry. They are MTs, nothing more than constructs built by the empire."
Instead of looking reassured, Cia's eyes widened, and she took a step back. "But that's not—"
Thankfully, Dia was close enough to grab her arm before she got anything else out. She made sure her sister was looking at her then gave her a pointed look as she said, "Now is not the time."
For a split second, Cia's brow furrowed, then her eyes widened. Instead of responding, she gave Dia a curt nod. Gladio had come around by that time and frowned at both women as he said, "We don't have time for this."
Dia shot him a glare, so Cia was quick to say, "Don't worry. It won't happen again." Gladio was still frowning, but Ignis reminded them that they didn't have much time, so they all fell back into formation as they headed further into the base.
Over the next half-hour or so, they stopped several times for Noctis to knock out the roaming MTs. Cia's discomfort didn't seem to have improved, and her frown testified to that, but she didn't stop again. At least not until they ran into something new, and this time, she wasn't alone. Everyone in the group rushed to hide behind whatever was available near them.
A giant mech was roaming just on the other side of the boxes. Ignis gave them all the signal to stay still as he whispered, "On my mark." He then counted down while watching the machine turn both ways before it finally started to walk away from them. As soon as it was faced the other way, Ignis gestured for them to follow. "Now!"
Both girls were quick to follow, but Dia felt fear start to crawl up her spine. Yes, she knew how to fight, and she was sure she could do what was needed in a real battle, but she hadn't thought about the things they were likely to face. Fighting the MTs and monsters that roamed the land would be scary but not impossible. However, trying to take down one of those machines was a whole other matter.
Thankfully, her feet never faltered. She was also grateful that they had only run into one machine. So far, the infiltration was going well. She hoped it stayed that way and didn't turn out like how she remembered things. That would be a pleasant change from the back-to-back messes she and her sister had been running into ever since the earthquake back on Earth.
Somehow, the group managed to make it through the maze of wandering MTs and giant crates despite Ignis pointing out the magitech generator that was the most likely culprit for the enemy's hardiness. They all breathed a sigh of relief when the Regalia came into sight. Ignis held them back for a few moments while he and Gladio verified there were no enemies nearby before they gave the all-clear.
Both Prompto and Noctis rushed over to the waiting vehicle with exclamations of joy and relief. Gladio and Ignis were more sedate, but their happiness at having the Regalia back was no less than the others. The twins were the only two that didn't hurry forward. Instead, they were both looking around as though they were searching for something else. That wasn't far from the truth.
Neither one of them had forgotten that this rescue wasn't supposed to go off without a hitch, and Dia was sure nothing had been changed yet. She and Cia had hardly been in Eos for a day. Although she had wanted to be proven wrong, she was ready when her wariness was rewarded, and the mech that loomed out of the shadows met both sisters with their weapons raised. Thankfully, the men were not far behind when a taunting voice called out from the thing's speakers. "Well, what do we have here?"
Cia noticed the whites of her sister's knuckles as her grip tightened on the spear, but she hadn't backed down. It gave Cia courage to see her sister take up a position in front of her, even as the action caused a guilty pang. Not that either of them had time to think past trying to survive.
Gladio barely spared a glance to the two women as he passed and yelled, "Aim for the weak spots."
Cia was just glad Dia hadn't rolled her eyes at the obvious command. Instead, her sister had jumped forward with the men and started trying to jab the mech in any and every junction that came close enough for her to do so. Cia's heart was in her throat to the point that she was grateful when Prompto grabbed her and pulled her back as he yelled, "Let's cover them. Give it hell any time it tries to get them!"
That was all Cia needed to swallow her fear. The gun was up, and she was firing on instinct any time one of the arms or legs got close to any of the others. She lost track of how long they had been fighting, but she had to get an extra clip from Prompto twice before everything fell into a deafening silence in their direct vicinity. Though, she wasn't sure how long that would last.
As soon as the mech was on the ground, Cia rushed to check on her sister. Not that it did much good. Dia gently pushed her away with a shrug and a frown. Despite the treatment, Cia smiled. If Dia was unharmed enough to pretend to be irritated, then she was fine. Cia knew her well enough to not take it personally. Especially after a battle like that. It was going to take time for both women to get used to that level of danger, and she had no doubt that her sister was just as rattled as she was, even if she didn't show it.
Both women turned when Gladio called out to Dia, "You weren't half bad. I didn't expect you to be able to handle a spear so well."
Cia wanted to groan when she saw her sister smirk back at the Shield as she said, "You have no idea."
Gladio's eyes widened before he smirked back. Cia knew the taunt was her sister's way to blow off steam, but they didn't need any more tension between them and the Shield than they were already dealing with. She didn't wait for Gladio to respond before she stepped between them and focused on Ignis as she asked, "So now what? I doubt this battle will go unnoticed for long. Soldiers will be crawling all over this place any second now."
A furrow appeared between Ignis's brow as he gave her a curt nod and said, "Indeed. It would be wise to target the generator, as its absence should be a crushing blow to the enemy. Our new goal will be to clear a path for the Regalia."
Noctis grinned at the suggestion as he said, "What about stealth?"
Ignis smirked back as he responded, "You heard the lady; our cover is blown. You have free rein to go wild."
Prompto pumped his fist in the air as he yelled, "All right!" Gladio rolled his eyes at the younger man but didn't say anything. Instead, they all headed toward the light that was shooting into the sky.
The only delay was when Prompto stopped to help Cia reload her magazines. After that, the whole group proceeded with caution, which was a good thing. Less than a minute later, a swarm of MTs came rushing over. Cia was still rattled by the idea of running headlong into danger, but she couldn't let Dia do it alone. Nor did she want to see anything happen to the men around them.
It was one thing to think of them as characters in a beloved game and something entirely different from facing them in the flesh. Things had been so hectic since they first arrived on Eos that she had not had time to process the idea properly. She doubted Dia had either, but her sister had always been the one to rush headlong into things without always thinking them through. Unfortunately, for the moment, that was all either of them could do. She only hoped they had time later to talk alone for more than a few minutes. After her reaction to the MTs, she knew they both had a lot to figure out, and in the middle of battle was a difficult time to do it.
The rush to the center of the base was only paused for gates or battles. Thankfully, they were able to take down all that approached—not that it was easy. Even with Noctis warp-striking every chance he got, the battles were hard-won. It was almost a blessing that Cia wasn't given an opportunity to stop and worry. Unfortunately, their luck did not hold.
They all passed through the last gate between them and the generator, only to come to a screeching halt at the sight of another enormous mech standing between them and their goal. Dia and the others jumped right into the heart of danger, which forced Cia to swallow her fear so she could help Prompto cover them.
Things were so hectic between the mech and the MTs that swarmed the area that Cia almost felt overwhelmed and unable to keep up. Even so, she wasn't sure if she was pleased or not at what happened next.
She first noticed it as a crackling of electricity that seemed to dance across her arms. It didn't hurt, but every hair in her body felt like she was standing inside a Tesla globe. It wasn't until she saw a few arcs fly from her fingertips and into the air that she remembered what was about to happen. On instinct, she grabbed Prompto and pulled him back. She wanted to rush forward and grab the others too, but it was too late. Thankfully, when she looked, she noticed that Dia must have remembered too because her sister tackled Ignis out of the way as a giant hand came and plucked Noctis off the ground.
Dia's voice could barely be heard above the din as she yelled at Ignis and Gladio to run. Thankfully, they must have already figured that need out and didn't argue. The three of them barely made it out of the blast radius as lightning crashed to earth, completely obliterating the magitech generator, as well as the mech and any remaining MTs in the vicinity. Cia thought it would have been beautiful if it hadn't been so deadly.
It was over almost as soon as it had begun. Ramuh set Noctis back on the ground before he disappeared and took the black clouds with him. The silence that followed was absolute and eerie. Nothing except for the six of them moved. Well, nothing except the pools of molten earth around the generator as they started to cool.
The silence was finally broken by Noctis's soft voice as he nearly whispered, "So, that's the power of the six."
His simple statement seemed to break the pall on everyone else. Prompto rushed over and yelled, "That was hardcore!"
Gladio smirked as Ignis said, "It seemed to have done the trick."
It looked like he was about to add more, but their collective gazes finally turned to the two sisters. Cia had immediately gone to check on Dia. Her sister had a few cuts and a lurid bruise on one cheek from a nasty blow but otherwise was unscathed. Not that she seemed phased by any of it. As soon as the men turned their way, Dia asked, "Are we done here? I'd rather not stick around long enough to see if they have backup nearby."
Ignis gave her a curt nod as Gladio said, "Yeah, let's grab the Regalia and split."
Cia was just as ready to leave as the rest of them, but something seemed off. Not that she could put her finger on what it was. She was still trying to deal with the aftermath of the battle, and her brain wasn't quite straight. Though she tried to focus on what it might be as they made their way back to the car.
As they walked, Cia was glad to see that Gladio seemed to have warmed up to her sister a little. The Shield had caught up with her purposely just so he could offer a potion. His voice was low enough that Cia didn't hear what he said when he handed it over, but at least it made Dia smirk. Maybe their plight wasn't as hopeless as she had feared. Or it could just be that Dia kicked ass, and Gladio was more impressed than he expected to be. Cia could only hope.
It was well on the way to midmorning by the time they made it back to the Regalia, and Cia could feel the tired in her bones. She related to the relieved sound Noctis made as they walked up, but her attention was instantly diverted when she heard Prompto stutter, "Uh, guys?"
She saw another familiar face approaching them and wanted to curse at herself for being distracted enough to forget this. She heartily agreed when she heard her sister mutter a curse. By then, everyone had turned to face the newcomer.
The white-haired man had a sneer on his face as he said, "Long has it been, Noctis."
The young prince almost sounded afraid as he said, "Ravus."
Both Ignis and Gladio immediately stepped in front of Noctis to face the man that had defected to the empire. Cia had to grab Dia's arm to keep her from heading over as well. The last thing they needed was to draw attention to themselves. It wasn't the time or place. Cia only hoped things would go down the same way—at least for the moment. She had no desire to try and fight their way past this particular roadblock.
A/N: Hello! Yes, I am still alive. I apologize for the long absence, but between a killer bout of the worst writer's block and a super busy full-time job, I have not been able to get much done on any of my hobbies. I hope this chapter is worth the wait, and am trying to get back into a regular update schedule. Wish me luck. In the meantime, thanks for reading and cheers!