A Test of Strength
"And you're sure that's where you parked her? Like, 100% sure?" Prompto asked, not for the first time, as they stood by an empty parking spot in Lestallum's car park.
"I am absolutely certain," Ignis confirmed.
"Then that means …," Gladio began and Prompto gasped. "She was stolen!"
Ignis put a hand to his chin. "By the Empire, no doubt. They are still searching for us."
"I don't see the problem," Ardyn said. "We can simply keep using my car. She might not be as comfortable as your luxury automobile, but we were stopped not once on our way here. With all the new blockades that have sprung up recently, I'd say inconspicuousness is a valuable feature."
"He doesn't get it," Noctis said, crossing his arms.
"The Regalia's not just a car," Ignis explained. "She's all that's left of our home."
"Our home away from home," Prompto added. "We can't just trade the old girl for another. It'd be like cheating."
"Come now, don't you think you lot are being a bit too sentimental?"
"You're the chancellor of Niflheim," Noctis reminded him, "Can't you just tell them to return the Regalia? Should be easy for you, right?"
"The communication between the forces under Ravus' command and the rest of the Empire is currently difficult at best. But if you insist, I will make some calls."
"I do insist."
Sighing, Ardyn summoned his mobile from his armiger. No wonder no one ever got him on the phone. Even if there was reception in the armiger, he would never hear it ringing. Which, then again, explained why he kept his mobile there. Ardyn strode over to the outlook, so Noctis and his friends could keep talking without being heard by his allies at Niflheim.
A familiar bark caught Noctis' attention. Luna's black dog was running down the driveway towards him.
"Look, it's Umbra!" Prompto exclaimed. "Think he's got another message for you?"
"I hope so."
Noctis had probably never been so glad to see that dog. The last time he caught a glimpse of Luna was through Titan's eyes, of that time she had spoken to the god, but that single moment had not told him how she truly fared. Noctis could only imagine that the rituals and trials were equally, if not tougher, for her than for him.
As usual, Luna's red notebook was strapped to Umbra's back. Once Noctis had retrieved it, he hastily flipped to the most recent entry.
Look for Ramuh's rune stones to receive his blessing. My prayers are with you, Noctis.
To the point, as always, and yet Noctis could not have been more relieved to know that she was, indeed, still out there and thinking of him as well.
I am on my way. Thank you, Luna.
With his reply written, he returned the book to Umbra. In truth, there was much more on his mind he wanted to tell her and talk to her about, but this was not the time for lengthy letters.
"I may assume she is alright?" Ignis asked.
"She told me to visit Ramuh's rune stones next."
It had been a cloudy day thus far, but mere seconds after Umbra had vanished from his sight, the wind picked up and it started raining. Lightning was crashing down in the distance, plainly visible even from afar.
Prompto turned to look past Taelpar Crag. "Into the eye of the storm we go, then."
"As far as I know, all of the rune stones are located to the east of Duscae, with one of them only accessible through Fociaugh Hollow," Ignis said.
"In that case, we'll have to go through all of these blockades again," Gladio noted as the rain slowly transformed into a downpour. "Better get the hood up or we'll be making our way back in a bath tub."
"Right!" Prompto agreed. They hurried back to where Ardyn had parked his car and raised the hood together. Unlike the Regalia's, this one could only be lowered or raised manually, and it was a hassle.
It did not take long for Noctis' hair to stick to his face and the rain to seep through his jacket. "Man, I miss our car."
They were not even finished yet when Ardyn walked up to them with an umbrella in hand. He offered it to the prince, but Noctis refused. It would make no difference; he was halfway drenched already.
"Please tell me you know where the Regalia is," Noctis asked instead.
"Not yet," Ardyn replied, "but I'm expecting to receive the intel in question shortly. Are we off again? Where to, if I may ask?"
"Umbra was here with a message. We are to look for Ramuh's rune stones."
"He who passes judgement on the isle of Angelgard," Ardyn thought out load. "Or so they said, in the old days. I, for my part, have yet to encounter the Fulgurian." He looked as if he could go on rambling for another half an hour, standing there all comfortably dry.
"I hate to complain, but can we get back on the road before I'm soaked entirely?", Prompto asked.
"Wuss," Gladio said.
Thankfully, Ardyn unlocked the car's doors so they could get in and out of the downpour.
While the rune stones were nowhere near as famous as the Disc of Cauthess or the Rock of Ravatogh, at least their location was no secret. Ardyn drove them back to the Chocobo Wiz Post, from where they intended to head out into the wilderness. The Empire had stopped him only once on the way, and according to him, he had thrown up an illusion to disguise his passengers as low ranking members of the Nilfheim military. Noctis would not know, since Ardyn could apparently select who was affected by it, or rather, who was not.
They had just pulled into the parking spot when Ardyn's mobile rang. He pulled it from his coat pocket and picked up without much hesitation.
"I assume you got the intel?"
"Who do you take me for?" a woman answered. "That car you're looking for is at the Archeole Stronghold."
"Please do remind me who is manning that base right now?"
"Only the High Commander himself."
"And you are in no position to retrieve it, of course."
"Hey, I have no right to order the High Commander around. Could steal the car, though, if you're willing to pay the extra gil. Or you go get it yourself."
"I will consider my options," Ardyn said and hung up.
"Archeole Stronghold," Noctis repeated for everyone to hear. "So that's where they brought the Regalia."
"The Imperial base is not far from here," Ignis remarked.
Prompto looked ready to go. "Well then, let's get in, grab the Regalia, and bust our way out!"
"It is certainly not that easy. Going in without a plan could get us killed."
"And that is not all," Ardyn said. "The Commander might just be impatiently awaiting your arrival."
The excited expression fell from Prompto's face. "A trap?"
Ardyn turned around to face Noctis, Prompto and Ignis on the back seat. "If you are that keen on getting your car back, allow me to handle this matter while you are out gaining Ramuh's blessing. You can take the Chocobos from here and we'll meet up again once our respective tasks have been completed."
"Sounds good to me," Noctis said.
Although the pouring rain looked no more pleasant than earlier, Noctis and his friends got out of the car. In mere seconds, he was soaked again. Ardyn rolled down the driver's window just as they were about to part ways.
"Please try not to do anything foolish during my absence."
"Like what, getting captured?" Noctis asked.
"More like, dying. I'd hate to for all my efforts to have been in vain."
"Don't you worry, old man. We'll be long back before you are."
Noctis strode away with renewed confidence and heard Ardyn drive off behind him.
#-#-#
At the evening of the same day, Ravus was sitting behind the desk of one of the control rooms within the Archeole Stronghold and signing off delivery notes. As much as he hated the paperwork, even in these chaotic times, some order had to be maintained. Dim light fell through the small window in front of him. This thunderstorm had been raging for most of the day already and it did not look as though the downpour would let up during the night, either. It was proof that the Fulgurian had awoken, and Ravus had already sent soldiers to patrol all possible locations Ramuh might show up at. As for himself, he could not be everywhere at the same time, so he stayed at the Stronghold, ready to move out at a moment's notice.
A red light flashing across the sky caused Ravus to look up from his duties, but he paid it no mind. Due to the magitek generator, a red flicker in the air was a common phenomenon within all Imperial bases. A not so common occurrence, however, were gunshots breaking through the prattling of the rain. Ravus stood up to check on whatever was going on outside. Part of him hoped that Noctis and his retainers had come for their car and that some MTs had opened fire on them.
As he headed out of the control room into this insufferable downpour, he certainly did not expect bullets flying towards him. Ravus dodged the attack in the nick of time and discovered an MT gone rouge. Something like this happened on occasion, usually whenever a magitek core supercharged, but it posed no threat to him, merely target practise.
With a wave of his hand and the newly acquired power of the ring, Ravus sent a blade of light to pierce the metal soldier's chest. Where one rouge MT fell, however, two others took its place. Glancing around, he discovered that his army was tearing itself apart. Magitek swordsmen were fighting snipers, MT armours fighting axemen. About half of the soldiers had gone rouge, as was evident by their twitching movements and unusual attack patterns.
"What is going on here?" Ravus spat out. Not a single human soul was in sight to respond. His gaze drifted up to where the tower of the magitek generator rose above the buildings. Its red glow had vanished.
This was an act of sabotage, without doubt. Lucis must have successfully infiltrated the base.
Ravus drew his sword and ran to where the Regalia was parked, dodging bullets and slicing down rouge magitek soldiers along the way. Lightning crashed in the distance. He narrowly avoided a misguided missile, before drawing on the ring's power to summon more of Bahamut's blessed blades and cleaving a path through the fighting MTs before him. Whether some of them had or had not gone rouge, he did not care.
Beyond the collapsing metal soldiers and the veil of heavy rain, Ravus made out Noctis, who was casually approaching the Regalia amidst this chaos of storm and battle.
With determination, Ravus walked towards him, his own sword in one hand and summoning Regis' blade in the other, more than ready to engage Noctis in battle. Although he did not make his presence known, it took but a moment for the first Chosen to notice him.
Noctis turned to him with an unusually self-satisfied expression on his face. There was something distinctly off about him.
"Ravus!" Noctis greeted him with an unpleasantly familiar tone. "I thought it was about time we met. Just look at the effort you put into luring me here. But let me ask you this; Did I walk into your trap or did you walk into mine?"
Ravus glanced sideways to make sure Noctis' friends, who were suspiciously absent, were not jumping at him from a dark corner of the Stronghold.
"You will regret coming here," he replied eventually. "Your lineage is no longer fit to rule. You have failed to prove yourself worthy to the title of the Chosen. With the Draconian's blessing, I will strike you down and return the world to divine order."
"I'd love to see you try," Noctis said, smirking. "Show me what you can do with these new toys of yours."
A blue gleaming longsword appeared in his hands.
"How dare you speak of the god's gifts with such insolence", Ravus said through grit teeth.
He charged at Noctis with both swords raised, even though he was fully aware that his opponent had more experience with the power of kings than he had. Their blades clashed when Noctis threw the longsword at him and warped after it. The force of the strike pushed Ravus back, yet he remained on his feet and retaliated with quick swipes.
Somehow, Noctis revealed himself to be a far more capable and deceitful opponent than he had imagined. Whenever Ravus thought himself out of range, Noctis sent a red glowing spectral blade after him or seemingly reappeared out of nowhere. The downpour was not making this fight any easier, either. Expert swordsmanship alone was not enough for Ravus to break through his opponent's attacks. He found himself forced to use the ring's magic far earlier than anticipated. The next time Noctis slashed at him, he defended himself with the Holy spell. White flames burst forth, flinging Noctis to the ground.
"So, we're bringing magic into the mix now, are we?", he said as he rose back to his feet. "Well then, you've asked for this."
With a grand gesture, Noctis threw up a hand and snapped his fingers. There was a delay, just about long enough for Ravus to wonder what was supposed to happen, before black clouds erupted from the ground around him. They formed a roaring whirlwind of dark energy that ripped into Ravus life force and threw him off his feet. His own sword was flung from his hand, but he managed to hold onto Regis'.
"You are … tainted," he brought out under strained breath. The blast had hit him full-force and while it had left no open wounds, he felt his strength waning, sapped by the darkness. Ravus struggled to stand up, whereas Noctis walked slowly towards him.
"I must say, I expected more from you."
Defiantly, Ravus threw several blades of light at him, some of which he deflected, some of which he dodged. One, however, pierced Noctis' leg and brought him down on one knee. Black miasma poured of the wound.
With some effort, he picked himself back up and the sword shattered into soul crystals.
Ravus called upon more of the sacred blades, but with his strength already fading, he felt the ring draining his life force more than ever. His vision swam for a moment and he dropped back down.
Through the pouring rain and rumbling thunder, Noctis continued to approach him.
No matter how much Ravus willed his body to move, his muscles failed him. Noctis threw the longsword.
If the warp-strike hit, it would be his end.
In a blinding light, an armoured figure appeared before Ravus. With a clang, the sword was deflected and spiralled towards the sky. It landed, blade first, in the ground at Noctis' feet.
"That's enough, brother." The figure spoke with an almost otherworldly echo.
Although Ravus was struggling to stay focused, he recognised the figure as a Lucian king of yore. The ring on his finger burned like red-hot metal. Clutching his hand, Ravus groaned in pain. The apparition was taking everything out of him just to stay materialized.
"Look at you, Somnus, still donning that ridiculous armour!" Noctis said with a laugh in his voice and spite shining in his eyes. "Are you too afraid to show your face, or are you so proud of being the Draconian's puppet?"
"You're one to talk, hiding behind an illusion yourself."
Noctis pulled the longsword from the ground.
"I was merely giving the man what he wanted."
"I see, your thirst for vengeance is still not stated. Know that you can still return to the path which was laid out for you. I only wish for you to find respite, brother."
"I will find respite, once I have freed myself from the shackles of fate."
"Will you two stop talking already!", Ravus shouted with what little strength he had left, despite the stinging and burning pain. The ring's magic was slowly eating through his flesh, yet he refused to be consumed by it.
"What on Eos is going on here!?"
"This man is not the first Chosen King you have sought," the king of yore finally told him, "but the darkness the Bladekeeper spoke of. You have allowed yourself to get caught off-guard. This must not happen again."
"It will not", Ravus replied through clenched teeth.
A flicker of realization crossed Noctis' face. "You have been watching this whole time and that is all you have to say to him?"
The two stared at each other for a second and it seemed as though unspoken words passed between them.
"Leave him be, unless you want me to keep talking," the old kind demanded.
Noctis begrudgingly gave in and dismissed his weapon. "I was just about to leave, anyway."
As Noctis, or whoever he really was, walked away, the king of yore disappeared and the pain wrecking Ravus' body finally stopped. Robbed of all his strength and soaked to the bone, he collapsed on the wet concrete floor, closed his eyes and let the falling raindrops cool his burning skin.
He would not be defeated again, he swore himself.
#-#-#
The downpour had subsided an hour ago, but there were still rain and mud puddles all around the Chocobo Wiz Post. Noctis and his companions sat around one of the tables of the bistro, sharing some sandwiches and talking about their most recent adventure in Fociaugh Hollow.
"That demon's voice is going to haunt me in my nightmares," Prompto said. "What did it say about a baby? Does it kidnap babies?"
"A daemon appears whenever a person succumbs to the Starscourge," Ignis explained. "It might be a bit of a stretch, but perhaps it recalled fragments of its former self."
"Scary stuff, dude."
"Why don't we ask our daemon expert?" Noctis suggested. "Ardyn?"
The chancellor sat there with an unfocused gaze, clearly lost in thought, and only blinked himself from his trance once Noctis addressed him.
"Excuse me," he said, looking somewhat disoriented. "What was the question?"
"What's the matter? You've been unusually quiet ever since we returned."
"While you have been chatting away, I've been trying to understand the motives of our enemies."
The term enemy was everything but well-defined when he used it. "You're talking about Ravus?"
"Not quite."
"Any chance you're gonna let us in on that thought process?" Gladio asked.
He took one of the remaining sandwiches. "Later, perhaps."
"So, not at all", Gladio concluded.
"Now, what was it you wanted to know?"
"About that Naga we met …"
Big chapter.
Unlike chapter 5 in FFXV, which is rather short and uneventful - especially if you just bypass all those soldiers and blockades while traveling between the rune stones.
Gentiana is incredibly difficult to write, so I'm saving her for later.
According to the wiki, the ring's powers manifest differently depending on the wearer, and Ravus seems like such a swordsman at heart, that even his "spells" might come out in the form of weapons, so I gave him light blades to wield.
As for Somnus, well, let's say he's not particularly happy with Noctis being replaced.
