Boot-clad feet thundered down the Citadel hall behind him. They didn't have the manpower to perform a thorough search of the Citadel, let alone Insomnia, but Cor led the sweep from the treaty room down to the ground level and entrance hall. The emperor and what remained of his attache would flee to the open, hoping to be picked up by one of their ships. Probably. By now, the imperial fleet they had been watching all day must have been within range of Insomnia in anticipation of the Wall falling.
Well the Wall had fallen. Not because the imperials had succeeded in taking the crystal but because Reina had bought her father's life by pulling it down. Time would tell whether or not her choice was worth it; if Insomnia was overrun, Regis would die anyway, along with everyone else in the city.
They hit the entrance hall; the cool night air from the thrown-open doors blasted his face. Outside, pandemonium reigned.
The fleet of Magitek engines hung in the sky overhead, engines blazing red against the black sky. MTs rained down, dropping into the streets and picking themselves up as if they hadn't just fallen hundreds of feet. Civilians fled before them, unprotected because the vast majority of the Crownsguards had been recalled to the Citadel to protect the crystal and the ring. Little good all that protection did, when all the imperials had to do was threaten Regis and Reina would give them whatever they liked.
How had they been so stupid, leaving Regis unprotected like that? They had been so focused on the crystal and the ring that alternate weak points had entirely slipped their mind. Not that Reina had ever been given the choice to sacrifice an entire kingdom for her father, before, but...
Well. He couldn't honestly say he didn't understand what must have gone through her head.
No time to worry about that now.
"Marshal." His radio crackled. "Pressure outside the crystal chamber is easing up. Instructions?"
Cor stopped at the top of the Citadel steps, watching chaos unfold in the square below. What to protect? People were dying. Hell, people were already dead, and more would be before the night was over, no matter what they did. Regis had been willing to sacrifice much for their safety, before Reina returned. He had assigned every Crownsguards, including Cor, to protect the people rather than the Citadel. If everyone was dead it would make possession of the crystal a moot point. On the other hand, if the imperials took the crystal, Insomnia was all but guaranteed to fall.
Shit.
"Squads five and six remain with the crystal. I want the rest of you on the streets—your new assignment is the protect the civilians," Cor spoke into his radio.
"Yes, sir, Marshal!"
"Are the Glaives still with you?"
"Yes, Sir."
"On your frequency, Marshal," Captain Ulric's voice said.
"Good. Ulric, I need your people sweeping the city; Aldercapt is out here somewhere. We can't afford to let him get away."
"Hey. Cor. What about us?" Noctis must have stolen someone's radio.
"Your sister and father are in the treaty room with Drautos, the emperor is free, and the city is crawling with daemons and MTs alike. Make your choice," Cor said. "But make it fast."
And with that, Cor waded into the streets, sword drawn and five dozen Crownsguards at his heels. Orders sent out over the radio would bring the rest of them. Those imperials who had been inside the treaty room were, for the most part, either dead or in custody; he wasn't worried about the humans any longer.
He cut down MT after MT while the Crownsguards dragged civilians to safety—whatever that meant now. They could have evacuated the city, but it wouldn't have been any safer. It would have divided the Crownsguards that he had at his disposal. Better to keep them in one place.
Overhead, streaks of blue against the night sky indicated that the Kingsglaive had taken flight and were searching for the emperor. Whatever orders he had been left with, Cor couldn't work as efficiently as they could. Better that he keep his feet on the ground and his eyes open while saving as many lives as he could.
"Anyone have a visual on Iris Amicitia?" Gladiolus' voice asked over the radio.
Cor pulled his sword free from an MT, leaping back as the energy inside sparked free. Monica and Dustin were meant to be with Iris. "Lieutenant Elshett, report."
He ran through another two MTs waiting for a response.
"Lieutenant Ackers?" Cor tried.
As if this night needed to be worse.
"We're on the way, Marshal. We'll find them," Gladio said.
Hopefully they would find them both alive, but Cor had his doubts. He could spend all night worrying about the people who would give their lives before dawn came. It would get him nowhere.