I'm not dead! Just at a new job (that I absolutely fucking love) pregnant, trying to homeschool a toddler who can't attend preschool due to the pandemic, and tonight a random fountain of inspiration had me bust this out. I hope you enjoy!
Lunafreya nearly yelped when the crystalline growths suddenly retracted into the walls and a rush of cold air blew by. She covered her face with her arm, the hairs on her neck and arm standing on end. When the blast passed she rubbed at her upper arms, and wondered just what Shiva had done. She felt a strange absence in her chest, and it took a moment to realize she could no longer feel her connection to the Astral. She frowned, still holding her arms and keeping her shoulders drawn in. She should feel happy that Noctis had achieved another covenant. But why did this one leave her feeling so empty?
She stared down the hall waiting to see him appear, and when a darker shadowed outline appeared she ignored the barked warnings of others, pushed past Gladiolus, and rushed towards the blurry shape that quickly formed into Noctis's familiar features. She collided with his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him and he returned her embrace. His clothing was wet and his skin was cold where his palms touched bare skin. The chill sent a new wave of goosebumps rushing down her limbs but she wasn't ready to pull away just yet. When she finally did draw back she frowned, her brow coming together when she saw that distant look in his eyes.
"What… what happened?" she asked, bringing a hand to his cheek. He tilted his head against her palm, a chilled hand covered hers and she winced slightly at the cold but managed not to pull away. She could see now that he was shivering, and it only drew deeper lines across her face. "Noct…" She urged.
"I… I'll explain to everyone. Not sure I can say it all twice." He replied. She felt anxiety spike her heart rate and make the back of her throat taste acidic.
"Okay. Lets get back I-" She was interrupted by everyone else joining the royal pair and overlapping one another with concerned questions, welcomes back, and at least one one voice scolding Lunafreya for charging off with no information. She assumed that voice was Crowe. Though it was difficult to discern through the chaos. They agreed to get out of the hallway, before whatever caused the crystalline growths to retract changed its mind and made them come back, and get to the central chamber. They still had a royal arm to find within this nightmare chasm.
"Guys wait." Noctis interrupted once they got into the central chamber and all eyes turned to Ignis to decide which hallway to take next. He took a deep breath, and it had to fight its way into his lungs. Lunafreya could see the tension building in the way he held himself, the lines in his neck and arms. She reached out for his hand, giving it a firm squeeze to get his attention. When he turned to her she stepped closer, resting a hand on his cheek to draw him to her. She whispered a quiet prayer, her light soothing him, easing his tension, and chasing away traces of blight. She nearly flinched away. The blight was scared of this place? Where did he contract it since the last time she had chased it away? Other questions swarmed her mind, and she tried to silence them for the time being.
Noctis answered everyone's concerned questions, which quickly died off as he talked. The words of the crystal hit them, and by the end of his explanation they were all sitting on the floor after a varying array of curses. Lunafreya sat next to Noctis, holding his hand tight within hers. Prompto had dropped onto the flat of his back. Gladiolus was the only one standing, pacing back and forth muttering under his breath and running fingers through his hair alternating with pulling at said hair. Ignis had his glasses in his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose with the other, and Aranea sat beside him with an arm around his back and her head against his shoulder. Crowe sat a few paces from the others, and was the only one in the group not to appear distressed by the news.
"Come on guys… let's… let's get that weapon." Noctis suggested after a long lingering silence. No one seemed to want to speak, agreeing with him by standing up. Ignis broke the silence, clearing his throat, and suggesting they find a way to the bottom of the tower where it was most likely the tomb would have been built. Noctis flinched, and Lunafreya frowned. She squeezed his hand harder, and he forced a smile for her. But it didn't touch his eyes and faded just as fast as it appeared.
Noctis was breathing harder than usual as he propped himself for the first phase. The fastest way down was to phase through the floor like he'd done earlier. But he was hesitating.
"Noct." Lunafreya said.
"I.." He paused, and looked down over the edge. He didn't want to see that damn Crystal again. Didn't want it to talk to his friends. To Lunafreya. A strained sound came from his voice and he quickly grabbed Lunafreya and phased through the floor, landing at the bottom, collapsing to the floor holding her tight in his arms. He buried his face against her shoulder, his face wet with sobs. He wept against her shoulder, his arms shaking as he held her tight to him. She returned his embrace, and let silence be her words of comfort until he was ready to speak. What he had told her had shaken him, and she was certain the words hadn't hit home yet and she would react to them later.
"Noctis." She whispered after a short while, pulling back just enough to encourage him to do the same. His eyes were red, and he sniffled. And for a moment, he looked like that little boy who dared to be the friend of a little girl held up on such a special pedestal everyone else forgot she was a child too. She swept a thumb under his eye and placed a careful peck on his cheek. "We will do this together. No matter the reason. I wish only to cure our star. For us to live out our days together in a time of peace. We can achieve this together." She told him, with a heavy pang of guilt in her chest. He nodded, and looked back up to the level he phased from, to see half his friends leaning over the edge and was certain that Gladiolus was giving him a middle finger.
Several phases later the entire group was at the bottom and pretending not to notice the shape of the Prince. Ignis suggested a path to the royal arm to get them moving, and out of the central chamber where the Crystal remained in the center of the room, dim save for an ambient glow when seen from just the right angle. The hallways that sprouted out from this lower level matched the pattern from above, and most were coated in the same thick crystalline growths, save for one. As Noctis stared down the one hallway that wasn't illuminated, he knew it was the one that led to his family's tomb.
At the far end was the familiar white stone of a family tomb, and he grimaced at it for a moment. There were no growths in the hallway, or on the outside of the tomb. He could only see due to their flashlights casting scattered circles of light around the small room. He felt Lunafreya's hand squeeze his shoulder and gave her a small smile, assuring her he was okay. He wanted to feel whatever power his family held to keep the crystalline growths away. He took a breath and held it for a moment to keep his chest puffed, and let it out slowly. He rested his palm against the stone door before pushing, expecting it to be warm.
He moved through the motions. Reaching out for the magic, the tug, the sharp pain in his chest. But he left the tomb feeling as empty as when he entered it. He didn't read the engravement on the tomb, not wanting to know anything about who was buried in this forsaken place. He urged his friends to leave, and even Ignis didn't put up argument. Lunafreya jogged a few steps to stand next to him, her hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her, and gripped her hand. His free hand flexed, feeling his limited mana pool stalling as though the magic that kept the Crystal at bay was being pulled from his own body. He wanted to warp away. Blur in blue until he was back outside and could sleep the day away in the Regalia.
"Noct." Gladiolus's voice barked, before almost knocking him aside, Crowe just behind him and putting herself between Lunafreya and the tunnel ahead. His attention flicked up, and he could see flashlights bouncing off the walls ahead.
Lunafreya threw her hand out, a brief and dim flash of blue showing the hexagonal outline of the shield pieces before the hall became obstructed. Noctis glanced at her, and pressed his lips together to suppress the urge to tell her to drop her magic and not drain her mana any further than this accursed place already was. But her eyes were focused, her body straight. There was no tremor in the arm she held out to maintain the shield.
Gladiolus and Crowe shifted to look back at her, and both seemed to go through the same quick thought process that Noctis just had before looking up the hallway and gesturing for everyone to move closer to the wall. Noctis brushed a finger against the wall, but didn't feel the sharp prick only the damp stone and pressed himself against it. Engine Blade appeared in his hand. The others all moved as well, Lunafreya needing to step slowly to avoid dropping her focus.
Voices started to join the lights as their owners followed them, though their words were too distorted by echo and distance to make sense of anything.
"Ambush them?" Gladiolus asked in a whisper, but Crowe shook her head, paused, then nodded.
"I have an idea. Sparkles, drop the shield. Once they get closer drop one behind them, I'll blast them with fire. They'll be trapped." She suggested. Lunafreya nodded, and dropped the shield. They drew back from their position, Noctis biting down on his bottom lip as this meant the exit to the damn tower was further away, even if just by a few steps. He damn near gave away their position with a hard huff of breath but retained the sense to keep his temper in check. They were able to duck around the wall where the hall ended to wait for the Empire's forces.
"-still burning!" A soldier complained, his sentence cut off until he came closer.
"Gonna need stitches I think." Another replied.
"Fuck that, just need some superglue. You want to spend two days in a military hospital to get stitches? Just pull the MT glue out of the med-kit."
"Ah lucky for you I had one shoved up my ass for this lovely jaunt down this paradise." A third voice, this one female, replied. Gladiolus glanced at Crowe and held up three fingers, to which she nodded. Noctis held up three fingers and shrugged, his brow scrunched together. Gladiolus shrugged back. Crowe now waved to gather Lunafreya's attention, following the point of her finger. She dared poke her head out just far enough to see that the soldiers were in full view.
"Hey! There she is!" There were five soldiers, all of which started to lift their guns. She drew her head back, giving a startled scream at the burst of gunfire. Dust and chips of stone filled the air, and Lunafreya felt her heart racing. Noctis had pulled her further away, but Crowe was already barking orders. She jerked her arm and tried to gather her breath, slapping up a shield to block the soldier's approach.
The thudding of the bullets against her shield were immediately painful, each blow like a needle driven clean through her hand, sending jolts of electricity up her arm. She groaned, gripping her left wrist with her right hand, trying to maintain her magic as it quickly depleted. But the first burst of bullets had ricocheted back to the soldiers, causing a series of confused shouts and curses. One of the five collapsed to the ground, and her and Crowe tried to grasp at this small window.
Fire formed around Crowe's hands, and Lunafreya took a deep breath. They would raise their guns soon enough when the startle faded, and she held the breath, dropping her shield. In near the same moment a new one appeared behind the soldiers, and fire bloomed. She was forced to squint her eyes and turn away, gasping at the intense heat. She threw up her free hand, a second shield blinking before them. The ratta-tat boom of gunfire was once again muted by the presence of her shield, ricocheting bullets back at them as they howled and screamed in their fiery prison.
She dropped both shields and wobbled on her feet. Arms came around her from behind, dragging her away from the hallway as she tried to blink through the onsetting dizziness and breathe through the tightness in her chest that spread as an ache through her limbs ending with numb fingertips. Both hands were burning from the bullet impacts and heat of Crowe's magic against her shields. Her ears echoed with the pained screams of the soldiers all the while her mind echoed that she did that to them. She expected them to rush out, and she tried to lift her arm to dome them from the expected hail of bullets. But instead, all that met them was the moaning of the soldiers.
"Luna… you okay?" Noctis asked. She looked up over her shoulder, and immediately regretted the motion. She squinted her eyes, nodding and trying not to groan at the intense dizziness that was rendering her nauseous.
"That was damn-good thinking Sparkles!" Crowe encouraged, laughing and peering around the hall. "Think we can call this a victory." She said. Gladiolus was giving a thumbs-up and agreeing, the others daring a peek into the hall.
"Let's get the hell out of here okay?" Prompto asked. Lunafreya was helped to her feet, denying Noctis's protests that they allow her a minute to rest. She wanted away from this tower. Away from this hallway. Once they saw the state of the five soldiers she froze. Two, it appeared, had been wounded by bullet ricochets.
"Wait." Lunafreya said. The others hesitated,
"No fuckin' way Sparkles. They asked for it. They shot at you!" Crowe balked, the first to realize what she had on her mind. Noctis opened his mouth to protest, but saw the look on her face.
"Gladio, take their guns and check them for other weapons. Then let Luna do her thing." He said.
"You aren't fuckin' serious?" Crowe asked. But Noctis grabbed her wrist as she stepped to stop Lunafreya. The soldiers flinched at first, then looked up at her.
"You beat us! Please! Mercy!" One cried.
"I wish not to harm you." Lunafreya replied. "Please, I wish only to soothe your wounds and ease your pain. We did what must, but my heart is heavy at the thought of hurting you." She could see the burns on their clothing, and could only imagine the burns beneath. She called upon her light, and felt an almost immediate wave of fatigue. She felt drained from the brief fight, and felt frustrated at how quickly she had exhausted. But she tended to each soldier, mitigating just enough that they would be able to walk from the tower after some time's rest.
She knelt before the fifth one, panting for her breath. Noctis rushed to her side, lifting her with an arm under hers to try and get her to her feet. She leaned against him, and his own fatigue from whatever was draining him in this tower nearly caused him to stagger. Aranea, silent until this point, came over and offered to help her in his stead.
"I got her." Noctis tried to object.
"You're more useful to her if you can still stand once we get outside. Let me help." She insisted.
"Nifs are lucky Oracle has a soul." Crowe quipped as she passed them, and spat on the ground at one of their feet. "I'll pull rear since Sparkles needs some help. Gladio up front." Crowe directed.
"Bossy bossy. Sexy in a lady."
"Hit on a gal while smelling like ass. King of class." Crowe replied. Aranea snorted, and Lunafreya tried to hide her smirk as Gladiolus walk-of-shamed to the head of the pack. They started up the hall, Crowe walking backwards to keep an eye on the five soldiers. None of whom made a move to stand up.
"That was kind of you." Aranea said.
"Pardon?" Lunafreya asked.
"You still wanted to ease people's pain… and not just anyone's pain. People who shot at you... Nifleheim soldiers."
"It is not within my heart to find joy at the suffering of others. Prior… my magic has been used to fight mindless magitek, or the cursed bodies of a daemon. Never before have I lifted my hand to bring pain to my fellow man." Lunafreya replied. "How could I be asked to walk past men suffering?"
"Most people would ask the opposite." Aranea replied. "And you didn't lift your hand against your fellow man. You lifted it to protect us. And my ass sure appreciates it. I'll buy you a drink as soon as its safe to stop for more than fifteen minutes."
"Perhaps I am little more than a foolish girl who has yet to lose her naivete." Lunafreya said.
"Not knowing pop culture is one thing. But pretty sure the specific rock you lived under leaves the rest of us naive by comparison. You know more about this shit of a star than the rest of us, and still have enough of a heart to show compassion. We're the foolish ones." Aranea answered.