Royal Arms
They were on their way to the Prairie Outpost when an unfamiliar tune cut through the silence in the Regalia. It took Noctis a moment to realise that it was Ardyn's mobile phone ringing.
"Excuse me, but I have to take this," he said. "Would you mind pulling over for a moment?"
"As a matter of fact, I would," Ignis replied. "If you really intend to help us, it shouldn't be a problem if we listen in."
"As you wish." Ardyn flipped open his mobile phone and held it to his ear with some distance in between.
"Where on Eos have you gone gallivanting off to?" a man's voice shouted at him from the other end of the line. "I've been trying to get you on the phone for hours."
"Must have been on silent," Ardyn replied calmly, pulling the mobile closer. Noctis sat closely enough behind him to understand the unfamiliar voice even when the man was not shouting.
"You say that every time. I swear, if I don't find the key to immortality soon, you'll take me to an early grave. Ardyn, we have a situation in Insomnia."
"What kind of situation are we talking about?"
"Ravus has the Ring of Lucii in his possession, and now calls himself King of Lucis. He had the crystal brought back to Insomnia before I could take it into custody at Zegnautus Keep. The last I heard of general Glauca, he was fighting for Ravus. We need you in Insomnia to take him out."
"Is that so? I must say that sounds pretty dangerous." Ardyns voice was positively dripping with disrespect.
"I thought we both agreed that Niflheim needed the crystal. We have used up our strongest forces fighting Insomnia. We can't fight Ravus as well. Go out and do something."
"Not in that tone of voice, Verstael," Ardyn replied firmly. "Moreover, even I am powerless against divine intervention. But don't worry, I have a plan of my own to reclaim Insomnia."
"What sort of plan would that be?"
"Sorry, that's all the time I have. The next stop is already up ahead."
"Don't you dare hang up on me, Ardyn!"
Ardyn hung up, and Noctis felt a sense of malicious pleasure at the fact that Ardyn was being equally disrespectful to his superiors in Niflheim.
"Who was that?" Prompto wanted to know.
"An old acquaintance of mine, trying to pull my strings. Minister Verstael Besithia, head of magiteknological research," Ardyn replied. "It looks like the crystal is still - or rather, again, - in Insomnia. Commander Ravus Nox Fleuret has appointed himself the new King of Lucis."
"By what right?" Gladio asked.
"He has dad's ring," Noctis answered for the chancellor.
"Impossible," said Ignis. "Only members of the royal family can wear the ring."
Ardyn leaned against the passenger window and propped his head up in one hand. "Someone has changed the rules of the game," he said thoughtfully.
The Prairie Outpost consisted of a few run-down farmhouses usually serving as a hub for the local hunters. On this particular day, however, refugees from Insomnia had gathered about the area. They appeared to be resting on their journey to one of the towns in Leide or Duscae, even though the outpost provided neither bed nor breakfast and was equipped with only a single floodlight to keep out daemons at night. The marshal was nowhere to be seen.
Noctis and his companions decided to ask around for any members of the Crownsguard. In the meantime, Ardyn was to remain with the Regalia, since there was a risk that higher ranking members of the Crownsguard knew of his affiliation with Niflheim, and trying to explain the what, why and how was simply not worth the trouble.
"While you're out on foot, you should have a chat with the refugees," Ardyn advised Noctis as they disembarked. "Or at least listen to them. It will give you a feel for the problems of the common folk, and you might just glean a surprising amount of information."
"Yes, uncle," Noctis replied, annoyed.
"Please don't call me that."
It did not take long for them to find a survivor of the Crownsguard. Monica Elshett informed them that Gladio's sister Iris had been escorted safely out of the city and was on her way to Lestallum. The marshal was waiting for them at the Royal Tomb nearby. Apart from them, most of the other members of the Crownsguard had fallen in the battle for the city. The more Noctis heard about what had happened in Insomnia, the more his unease grew. Was there anything left of his home?
Just before they left the outpost for the Royal Tomb, Noctis beckoned the chancellor to follow. The next time he turned, however, it was Monica accompanying them.
"Was there anything else?" Noctis asked.
She blinked in puzzlement.
"That's not Monica," Ignis stated matter-of-factly.
Monica smiled and lifted a non-existent hat in greeting. The air shimmered in the way it did on a hot summer day, and Noctis saw Ardyn behind the illusion.
"Just a precaution, in case the head of the Crownsguard recognises my face."
Only as long as the shimmer lasted did he hear Ardyn and Monica speaking together. After that, only Monica.
Prompto startled. "Geez, don't scare me like that!"
"That's why father hadn't recognised you. Just how many more tricks have you got up your sleeve?"
Ignis walked on, but cast a critical glance back at Ardyn. "A sloppy illusion. I would recognise your gait anywhere."
"In that case, you'd be surprised how many people are fooled by it."
"If you don't want your cover blown, you best shut up," Gladio advised him.
The Royal Tomb came into view by the time they reached the top of the hill. Ancient stonework formed a half circular plateau and a simple, flat building with a curved roof that could only be accessed through an underground passage in the middle of the structure. The time-worn statue of a shrouded figure adorned the entrance. In front of it stood Cor, waiting for Noctis and his retinue.
Noctis had only seen the Royal Tombs in pictures thus far and found the actual monument to be … a lot less awe-inspiring than he had imagined, actually. Given the age of the tomb and its less than scenic view at the edge of Leide's rocky wasteland, he was not entirely certain what he had expected, either.
"You didn't have to accompany them here, Monica," Cor addressed Ardyn. "I expect the boys to look after themselves. Go back to the outpost."
"Yeah, stop babysitting us," Gladio said as he walked past her – well, him.
As Noctis approached the marshal, Cor entered the passageway to the inside of the tomb.
"Come."
With the exception of Ardyn, Noctis and his companions followed him into the burial chamber and gathered around the effigy of the Lucian king "the Wise" in the middle of the room. The statue sat atop a stone table and held an intricately decorated sword, as was to be expected. According to Lucian history, every ruler of yore had been buried with his or her signature blade, so that future kings or queens might claim the souls of these sacred weapons to strengthen their armiger. In this procedure, the original arm stayed with its owner to remain available even to the next ruler after the current. It was a respectful way to inherit a weapon, too, since it kept the current ruler, namely Noctis, from breaking, losing or giving away a former king's Royal Arm. Of course, he had never lost a weapon, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
"I'm sure you've heard about Regis' death," Cor said as he entered the chamber. "As for that ... it is true."
"I had feared as much."
Cor studied his face. "I'm surprised at how well you're taking the news."
"There has been much for me to process since Insomnia fell," Noctis replied. "Besides, I am far more in control of my emotions than you think."
A smile tugged at the corners of Cor's mouth. "I'd like to believe it." He stepped closer to the stone table. "Noctis, your father prepared you for this day. He believed you would fulfil your destiny. Now it is time for you to claim the weapons of the old kings."
Noctis extended his hand over the hilt of the sword. A spectral copy of the weapon rose and pierced through his chest, by which it became part of Noctis' arsenal. The spectral blade left a tingle where it had touched him. Normal weapons he absorbed into the armiger felt different. He summoned the spectral form of the blade for a moment and watched it hover around him.
"There are 13 Royal Arms known to us, each of which is kept in a Royal Tomb," Cor explained. "Not all of them are as easily accessible as this one. We only know the location of a few of them, though. I have enlisted the hunters to comb the land in search of the lost tombs."
"Fourteen," Noctis said as a thought struck him. "There are fourteen weapons. I know where there might be another one."
If he surprised Cor with this, the marshal did not let on. "All the better," he said, "there is another tomb nearby, at Keycatrich Trench. I suggest you head there next. You will need this to get in." He handed a large, ornamented key decorated with a jewel to Noctis.
"What will you do in the meantime?"
Cor turned to go and Noctis followed him.
"I'm keeping an eye on the Niffs," he replied. "It looks like they're setting up a blockade west of here."
Next to one of the pillars marking the way to the tomb, Monica paced up and down.
Cor's voice took on a stern tone. "What are you still doing here?"
"I still have something to discuss with the prince."
The marshal eyed her sceptically. Ardyn's false identity obviously did not convince him. Admittedly, it would have surprised Noctis, had Cor not grown suspicious. He was a legend among the Crownsguard for a reason. Noctis strode past him, trying to distract him a little.
"Keycatrich Trench, right? Leave it to us."
Cor's gaze shifted back to him. "Take care of yourselves. I don't want to lose another king."
With those words, he left Noctis and his entourage alone.
Noctis waited a moment longer until he was out of sight before addressing Ardyn.
"I have just obtained a Royal Arm. According to the marshal, there is another one nearby. But you used to be king too, right? In some way?"
"You flatter me, but I fear being chosen and rejected by the crystal is not enough for that," he replied. "You want to add my sword to your collection of Royal Arms, am I right? I don't know if it will work. After all, I am neither a king nor dead yet, but you are welcome to try."
Seeing him speak with Monica's voice and face but his own gestures and facial expressions was immensely disconcerting. Noctis was glad when he finally dropped the optical illusion.
Ardyn summoned from his armiger the red longsword Noctis had seen earlier in his memory.
"So it really is true," Prompto stated at the sight of Ardyn's shimmering red magic.
"Is this the Blade of the Mystic?" Ignis asked.
"This is one half of a pair, the Rakshasa Blade." He presented the sword to Noctis so he could try to draw an image. "Consider it a gift of goodwill."
For a moment Noctis wondered about the name, since all sacred arms were named after the title of their owner. But then he remembered that Somnus had eradicated any mention of Ardyn from the annals of history, and even had that not been the case, the blade would probably be called "Sword of the Usurper" or bear a similarly derogatory name. The longer he thought about it, the less respect Noctis could muster for the Founder King.
He raised his hand over Ardyn's sword and called it to him. To all their surprise, a spectral copy came loose and passed into Noctis' arsenal as a second, sacred blade.
"That was easy," Gladio commented.
"Isn't that cheating, actually?" Prompto asked.
"All's fair in war," Ardyn replied, sending the original back into his armiger.
"You don't happen to be carrying any more Royal Arms for me to borrow, do you?" asked Noctis.
"You are slacking off again," Gladio reprimanded him.
Ardyn chuckled and spread his arms. Around him, in addition to his own sword, appeared the images of five other weapons, including the Sword of the Wise Noctis had obtained earlier. "In the last few decades I have visited some of the tombs discovered by Minister Besithia, but I do not think I can hand them over to you." He grabbed a sword seemingly at random and held it out to the prince.
Noctis' hand slid through the spectral form. The weapon was equally unresponsive to his call.
"Looks like I'll have to visit some graves after all."
"I don't mind. I'm still looking for my brother's tomb myself," Ardyn said with a smile that did not bode well.
Ardyn has too many abilities to keep track of. Perhaps I'll relieve him of some.
I can't make sense of why Ardyn would have the exact same set of weapons as Regis in the DLC, because he does not have the key,
and I have not yet seen him shadowstep through a solid door. The only weapons he might have are those which are not locked behind a door, or which could be obtained by Niflheim with force without causing much of an outcry within Lucis.
It's also not like he needs all of those arms. There are at least another 100 regular swords in his armiger, judging by some of his attacks.
Update 2022-09-22: Now that I've paid some more attention to the cutscene, I've noticed that Noctis is taking the actual weapon with him, not just an image. Honestly, though, can anyone explain to me, how Noctis, Regis and Ardyn can have the same Royal Arms in their armiger when the first person to take a Royal Arm takes the original with him? It's not like Regis could have brought them back after his death. and Ardyn didn't have access to most tombs, at least not before the Long Night. I'm leaving this chapter as-is because it makes more sense to me like that. It's canon divergence, anyway.
