This monster of a chapter starts out funny but gets kind of serious towards the end. Features a lot of Gladio's POV and appearances by Aranea and Gilgamesh.


Timed Trial

Noctis, Prompto and Ignis were well on their way from Cape Caem's lighthouse back to where they had parked the Regalia.
When Gladio had told them he had to take care of "business" of his own and would not be accompanying them for a while, they had accepted it without any questions asked. The only exception, of course, was Ardyn.
Even after everyone else had left and Gladio had sent Iris back into the house, he stuck around.

Noctis waved at the chancellor from afar. "What's taking you so long?" he called over to him.

"Go on ahead," Ardyn called back. "I'll be with you in a moment."

With more pressing matters on his mind, Gladio was in no particular mood to endure his presence or the questioning that would doubtlessly follow. "All right, let's get this over with," he said and crossed his arms. "What do you want?"

"Why so sceptical? I was merely wondering where you might be headed," Ardyn replied.

"This is none of your concern."

"Oh, but I am concerned for his Majesty's safety," the chancellor claimed, laying it on so thick, anyone could have spotted the lie. "Someone has to make sure his retinue stays in line."

"I am not falling out of line," Gladio stressed, feeling a little offended. "I am doing this for him."

"Do you not trust me enough to tell me what this so-called business of yours is?"

"I trust you not to plunge that red sword of yours into Noctis' back while I'm not around, and that's about it."

Gladio, who just about had enough of this conversation, walked past him. It was about time he got going, anyway. After all, Cor was waiting for him.

Successfully shaking Ardyn off, however, was another matter entirely.
"In that case," the chancellor's voice sounded behind him, "I suppose I will have to ask our prince what he thinks about you going on adventures all by yourself."

Grumbling in frustration, Gladio stopped. If Ardyn was really going to push that topic with Noct, he would cause him to worry about his Shield – And rightfully so, because there was a chance Gladio was not coming back. A discussion would ensue, and all of that was exactly why Gladio had not wanted to talk about it.
Reluctantly, he turned around. "I'm going to the Tempering Grounds," Gladio finally admitted. "It's a place for protectors of Lucian Royalty only."

Ardyn closed the distance between them. "How curious. I've never heard of such a place. Why don't you tell me more about it?"

"Because there is nothing for you there."

"That'll be for me to decide. But of course, I could always turn to my dearest nephew for answers."

Gladio sighed. It should have come as no surprise to him that Ardyn used this leverage to its full extent.
"Since the days of yore," he explained ",members of the Crownsguard have gone to the Tempering Grounds to test their strength and mettle, and I intend to do the same. If we're going to fight more Astrals, I need to make sure I can keep Noct safe."

"Then why keep such a noble cause from your protégé?"

"Very few make it back. Those who are deemed unworthy are killed by the Blademaster."

Something about that statement caused the chancellor to blink at him as though he had been woken from a daydream.
"Excuse me, did you just say Blademaster?"

Gladio did not know what had piqued his curiosity, but he got a bad feeling about it.
"Yeah. The Blademaster," he repeated. "Also known as Gilgamesh. Don't tell me you know the guy?"

All of a sudden, Ardyn broke out in the loudest, most bizarre laughter he had ever heard.

Gladio raised an eyebrow at him, almost certain he had just witnessed the man go from crazy to crazier.
"Want me to pick up those marbles you've just lost?"

It took a while for the chancellor to catch his breath and regain his composure.
"Please, do forgive me. It's just, I never even dreamed he might still be around. Gilgamesh used to my brother's shield, and many years before that, he was protector to us both." Grinning excitedly, Ardyn held out an arm as if to invite Gladio. "What say, we take him on together? This is going to be a most promising challenge!"

It was more than obvious that their goals had only aligned by chance. Once again, the chancellor had ideas of his own.
"That is not how it works," Gladio insisted. "I need to undertake these trials by myself."

The joyous expression fell from Ardyn's face. "Rubbish! Who made these rules?"

"That's just common sense. How am I to know if I am strong enough if someone else is interfering?"

"Fine," the chancellor said and stepped back. "Do it by yourself, then. I wish you the best of luck."

Although Gladio was somewhat glad to see him wander off, the fact that he had let the topic slide without further arguing left him with an uncomfortable feeling.

Ardyn turned back to him one last time. "Oh, by the way; I'd make haste to see the Blademaster if I was you."

From the distance, Gladio watched the chancellor walk all the way to the road that ran past Cape Caem, where Noctis and the others were impatiently waiting in front of the Regalia. The four of them exchanged a few words and eventually parted ways. Instead of driving off with the prince, Ardyn headed to his own car parked further down the road.
This moment was more than enough to confirm Gladio's suspicion.

"Dammit. He's gonna mess everything up," he said to himself, grinding his teeth. The chancellor was going after Gilgamesh and Gladio had sent him there by accident. Worse yet, he had no means to stop someone of his rank and power. If he really wanted to prove his worth to the Blademaster, he would have to do it before Ardyn got into the depths of the Tempering Grounds.
Gladio immediately got out his mobile and called Cor to come and pick him up as quickly as possible.

"Why the sudden change of plans?" Cor asked.

"The chancellor of Niflheim is going to beat us to the Tempering Grounds if we don't get a move on right now," Gladio explained while jogging towards the road.

"I'll be there as fast as I can."

#-#-#

Looking back on it, the swamp of Alstor Slough suddenly appeared to be as dry as a savannah – at least when compared to the Vesperpool. Water was everywhere they went. As if the mud reaching up to Noctis' ankles and the tropical climate were not bad enough, it was pouring down on him and his comrades as though Ramuh wanted to punish him. The only good thing about the rain was that it kept the mosquitoes from eating them alive, so perhaps the Stormcaller was just helping them in a really roundabout way.

Noctis, Ignis and Prompto had fought their way past a couple of Sahagins and Giant Toads, as well as a squad of MTs patrolling the roads, and were finally nearing the entrance to the ancient Solheim ruins Talcott had spoken of.
From afar, Noctis spotted even more MTs stationed about the area. Although he was more than confident he and his friends could handle the Empire in such small numbers, Noctis wondered whether Ardyn's influence was waning after having travelled with him for so long or whether he had simply forgotten there was yet another squad that needed to be pulled off.
He had told Noctis he would help clear the path to Steyliff Grove and the Mythril inside even while he was not around. Of course, he had not explained how he intended to do that, but Noctis trusted him to keep his word.

Interestingly, none of the MTs engaged them when they passed by.
In front of the ruin's entrance stood three people in military clothing, among which was a silver-haired woman wearing black and red armour.

"Commodore Aranea Highwind," Ignis reminded Prompto and Noctis.

She signalled her men to stay back as she walked up to them.
"Look who we've got here. If it isn't the prince." She greeted Noct with a challenging smile, lowered her spiked visor and brought forth her spear. "You're here to finish our match? I'll gladly play with you again."

"We're not here to fight you," Ignis clarified.

"Such a spoilsport," she said. "You're just afraid I'll send you packing without the big guy around."

"We can take you on any time!" Prompto boasted.

"Keep dreaming, Blondie."

"Listen," Noctis said, still trying to avoid the fight she was itching for, "the chancellor sends us. Didn't you get a notice or anything?"

Aranea chuckled. "Yeah right. As if you'd be in league with him. Why don't we settle this in a fight? I'm dying of boredom just waiting around." She charged at Noctis, and he phased out of the way just as she swung her spear at him.

"Wait, just – wait a second!" he called out, but she just kept going.

Ignis sliced at her with daggers in hand, driving her back for a moment.

In the meantime, Noctis quickly got out his phone with one hand to text Ardyn while already summoning his sword in the other.

At steyliff grove now. Araneas fightin us

He deflected a strike.

Cant you tell her to backoff or sth?

Trying to focus on two things at once proved too much, and Prompto and Ignis could keep her occupied only for so long. With an impressive roundslash, Aranea cleared the space around her. She jumped at Noctis, hitting both his phone and sword from his hands and threw him onto his stomach. A moment later he felt the heel of her boot dig into his back, provoking his old wound as if to add insult to injury.

"No one ever told you not to text and fight at the same time?", she asked him.

"I was trying not to fight you," Noct grumbled.

Just then, the ringing of a phone interrupted the conversation. It was Aranea's. She pulled out a smart phone – Noctis could not see from where, but he was surprised her clothes and armour held room for pockets at all.

"Funny you're calling," she said to the person on the other end of the line. "I'm just about to gift wrap the prince of Lucis and send him to Gralea."

Noctis wriggled underneath her boot, trying to turn around, but she would not let him.

"Huh, right." Aranea looked down on him with a surprised expression. "So that's them. Could've fooled me."
Finally, she removed her foot from Noctis' back and allowed him to sit up.
"Sure," she said, still talking to the caller, before handing her phone to Noctis.

He did not need to ask why or who wanted to talk to him. He just knew.
"Why, I am thoroughly disappointed in you," Ardyn's voice sounded from the speaker of the phone. "You're not supposed to go down so easily."

"Dude, I didn't want to fight her!" Noctis snapped at him.

"So you've been messaging me instead. Remind me to teach you proper spelling sometime." Ardyn clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "This will not do at all!"

"Yeah, well, I'd like to see you typing while dodging attacks!"

A loud, bestial screech sounded from wherever Ardyn currently was, followed by an even louder crash and the rumbling of moving rocks.

"Where the hell are you?" Noctis asked, perplexed. "Are you fighting right now?"

"Of course not. Only a fool would fight and make a call at the same time. Which is also why I have to hang up now. Be nice to the Commodore, all right? She is a … how do you always say? A badass fighter?" The expression made him sound like someone's dad trying to act cool and failing miserably. "In any case, she will fill in for your missing Shield, so don't cross her."

And with that, he hung up. Noctis returned the mobile to Aranea and she offered him a hand to pull him back to his feet. An offer he gladly accepted.

"So," she said, lifting her visor. "Turns out you're the new recruits sent here for special training. I can't really stand that charmer of a chancellor, but I can stand you, so I'll do you the favour."

Ignis looked relieved to be able to dismiss his daggers.
"Isn't it rather so that he will remove you from your position if you don't comply?", he asked Aranea.

"Watch me gave a damn," she replied, unfazed. "I was thinking about leaving the Empire, anyway. Things've gotten just too weird lately."

Noctis let out a breath he did not even know he had been holding.
"Tell me about it!"

#-#-#

According to legend, Taelpar Crag had been the result of a great battle between the treacherous Pyreburner and the Bladekeeper during the war of the Astrals. Gladio found it fairly easy to imagine when looking at the strange formations of rocks and crystals. The sight might have been even more impressive, had he not been forced to take it all in while jogging down walkways made of half-rotten wood, through caves and along crumbling rock faces.
Gladio had just passed the entrance to the second trial and made his way across a large rock serving as a natural bridge to connect both sides of the canyon. Ever wary, he expected monsters to jump at him from any where, at any time. The first trial had him battle a fearsome and powerful daemon, accompanied by many smaller ones. But this one …
Gladio just knew something was very off by the time he reached the second shrine and acquired the fallen warriors' approval. There should have been a trial, and there had been none.
He left the cave and hurried to the next resting spot within the Tempering Grounds, where Cor caught up to him.

"Have you seen anyone?" Gladio asked him. They neither stopped nor rested, but kept walking, always under time pressure.

"You're asking about the Niffs? No, haven't seen anyone."

For a while, they marched along a walkway on the inside of the canyon, until an inhuman shriek split the quiet.
Gladio's attention was immediately drawn to a large, black bird monster, fluttering in mid-air and spewing flames at something – or someone on the other side of the canyon. From this great distance, Gladio was just barely able to make out the black-clad form of Ardyn running down a narrow path along the cliff face. The bird monster dived at him, tackling him into the rocks. A cloud of dark energy erupted, throwing the monster back, and with a red flash of royal magic, Ardyn warped after it. They fought in mid-air for a few seconds, until Ardyn – presumably – hit stasis and fell, but the flaming bird went after him without hesitation. The creature was so relentless in its pursuit, Gladio assumed it guarded the Tempering Grounds and should have been his enemy in the second trial.
He and Cor stopped to watch the fight, at least until monster and chancellor disappeared into the depths of the canyon.

"The chancellor?" Cor asked.

"That was him, all right," Gladio confirmed and resumed walking. This was not the time to be standing around.

"I did not take him for a fighter," Cor admitted. "Much less for someone with extraordinary abilities. But this explains the boldness with which he presented the peace treaty to Regis." The marshal's footsteps sounded behind Gladio. "It appears you have more intel on the chancellor than I."

"I'd share it with you, but honestly? I have absolutely no idea where to even begin."
He hastened his steps.

"Gladio. Wait a moment," Cor said and Gladio turned around. "I know we have competition, but you must keep your wits about you. Calm yourself."

"I am calm," Gladio claimed.

"On the surface, yes, but I can see you struggling underneath."

Taking the marshal's suggestion to heart, Gladio stopped, breathed in deeply and tried to get his nerves back under control. Truth be told, he was nervous. Nervous and afraid. Not only to fail before Gilgamesh, but to fight Ardyn as well. The man was a ticking time bomb of daemonic energy and Noctis' ultimate enemy. Reluctant to play his part in the prophecy, yes, but also not quite right in the head and thus, still a great danger. Whatever shred of trust Gladio had placed in him thus far, he only had because Noctis trusted him, and Noctis was clearly under his influence. Ignis was not going to speak against the chancellor as long as his good deeds outweighed his bad ones, and Prompto was as oblivious to everything as always. This road trip was going to end in a disaster, but it was his responsibility to make sure they all survived somehow.

Cor sought eye contact with him. "Feeling better yet?"

"I will when I have faced Gilgamesh."
Whether he would prove his worth or lose his life – or escape wounded, like Cor once had – at least Gladio would be free of doubt.

To make it through the Tempering Grounds, it took more than strength. It also took resolve. The voices of past warriors, their souls forever bound to this place, teased Gladio, belittled him, called him unworthy and spoiled by the peaceful Insomnia he had grown up in. He kept pushing on, never waning. On this journey of trials, he realized that none of it mattered. Even if the voices were right, even if he was unworthy and spoiled and frightened, he was still willing to give his all to protect the prince, be it at the cost of his life, and, well, that had to be what being a King's shield was all about. His father had given his life defending Regis and Insomnia. Gladio had not been there to witness it, but he knew there was no way his father was still alive when Regis had fallen in battle.

By the time he reached the stone bridge littered with the swords of fallen men, Gladio was more determined to prove himself than ever before.

And Gilgamesh was waiting for him.
Although the Blademaster might have been but a spirit animating a one-armed armour, he still made for an imposing figure wrapped into an eerie, ghostly aura. An unnatural, purple light shone from the four eye holes of his helmet. According to Cor, he saw straight into the hearts of men.

"I'm here," Gladio announced his presence.

"Brandishing your brute force?" Gilgamesh asked.

Gladio summoned his great sword. "Let's see if you can handle it."

"This won't take long," the Blademaster claimed.

The fight against Gilgamesh was like everything the Tempering Grounds had thrown at him condensed into one opponent. The Blademaster turned out to be not merely an expert swordsman, he also possessed the Power of Kings which the Founder King must have shared with him once. All throughout the fight, no matter how hard Gladio retaliated, Gilgamesh commented on the fear within him, continuously foretelling his demise.
Yet Gladio took those words and let them spur him on. He fell to the ground, once, twice, even using phoenix downs to help him back to his feet. So what if he was unworthy? That would not stop him from getting back up.
The tip of Gilgamesh's sword grazed his forehead, drawing blood. Gladio barely noticed it, so much adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He just kept going, eventually pushing the Blademaster to the point where he had to recreate his missing arm from light in order to catch Gladio's blade and keep him from landing a hit.

In hindsight, the whole fight seemed to be but a blur of swords being swung, of hitting and getting hit, of ridicule and determination.
It only ended when Gilgamesh sank to a knee.
Gladio took a moment to realize that this was it. The Blademaster had never accepted him as worthy, but he had defeated him nonetheless. With the adrenaline fading, Gladio became abruptly aware of the cut across his forehead. He sharply drew in a breath. A little deeper and he might be missing his scalp. This would be another scar to add to his collection.
"Not the souvenir I had in mind," he said to himself, then turned to Gilgamesh, who was slowly rising from the ground.
"I may be unworthy, and I may be afraid," Gladio stated. "Afraid of not living up to this job I'm supposed to do, but I'll keep protecting Noct the only way I know how. And I will kneel before no man! I'd rather go down for good."

"Spoken like a true Shield," Gilgamesh said, and although his mask betrayed no emotion, his voice sounded content.

Gladio had intended to leave, but stayed upon hearing those words.

"Fear and doubt beget death alone," the Blademaster explained. "He who averts his gaze from his own faults cannot himself a true Shield call – but you, having made peace with your inner self – have proven you are worthy."

So all his teasing had been but a part of the test as well. Gladio stepped closer, still too surprised to pride himself on his victory.

Gilgamesh offered him the impressively large katana he had used in their battle. A pendant with the symbol of the Crownsguard was slung around its handle. Obviously, this was the weapon Cor had lost in his fight against Gilgamesh many years prior, and it must have been greatly appreciated by the Blademaster since. Gladio, while hesitant to take a gift of such value, accepted it with great honour.

"Now, hasten forth," Gilgamesh said, "and return to the side of the last King of Lucis. For great darkness has befallen the Tempering Grounds and with my duty fulfilled, there is no more need for a place such as this."

His words were vague, but Gladio was fairly certain he understood. He had gained what he had come here for and beaten Ardyn to it, and there was no point in waiting around just to see the chancellor chasing after literal ghosts of the past.
"Thanks again," Gladio said concerning Cor's old glaive and strode away, feeling satisfied with his accomplishment. Exhaustion should have weighed him down after a fight such as this, but perhaps it was due to this new strength he had gained that he barely felt exhausted at all.

He had just left the stone bridge when the cawing and shrieking of a large bird creature echoed through the canyon. The black feathered monster dropped out of the sky and crashed onto the bridge, breaking several of the littered, rusted swords underneath its lifeless and blackened body. It dissolved mere seconds later into purple fumes and black miasma, which were then drawn towards a figure behind Gilgamesh.
The darkness from the daemonified monster accumulated with more miasma floating down from above, and the chancellor materialised from it.

"Well, well, well," Ardyn said. "Looks like the past 2000 years have left their mark on you, too. I suppose, immortality comes at a different price for each of us."

Gilgamesh glanced to his missing arm. "I may be but a shell of my former self, but you are no more than the wicked echo of what was once a great and righteous man. I last saw him the day he left to travel Eos and placed Somnus in my care."

"And a whole lot of good that did," Arydn replied bitterly and brought out the sword with the blue tinged blade he had stolen from the Royal Tomb.

"I did not expect you to honour the memory of your brother, but to stoop so low as to add grave robbery to the list of your crimes …"

"Why, I had to take it." Ardyn's gaze grew malicious. "To give you the hands-on experience of having the sword of the self-proclaimed Founder King stabbed through your heart." Like a fencer preparing for battle, he casually raised the large sword with one hand and pointed its tip at Gilgamesh's chest.

"If this is a fight you are looking for, I will have to disappoint you," the Blademaster calmly explained. "I have passed on my strength, and now there is nothing left that binds me to this world."

"Don't you dare disappear before me!" Ardyn shouted, anger and hatred breaking through in the tone of his voice and his twisted facial expression. "You need to atone for your betrayal!"

The chancellor charged at him, but Gilgamesh made no move to defend himself.
"Ardyn," he said, sounding almost empathetic, "I hope your soul, too, will be able to rest one day."

When Ardyn struck Gilgamesh's chest piece with the Blade of the Mystic, his entire armour fell to the ground clattering, as though hollow. The ghostly aura and purple light faded, and Gilgamesh was gone, just like that.

All around the canyon, more lights rose from the Tempering Grounds upwards and disappeared.

"No! Don't you dare deny me my revenge as well!" Ardyn screamed, desperate to vent his frustration.

Hastily, he cast the blade back into his armiger and reached down to Gilgamesh's chest plate with hands that were practically smoking, overflowing with the power of the Starscourge. When Ardyn shook the remains of the Blademaster as if to wake him, the terrible disease ate even through the metal armour and dissolved it until nothing was left but sparse miasma particles.

Ardyn dropped to his knees.
"Come back here at once!" he yelled and pounded the ground with a fist.
"This is not over yet! If the gods ever grant me death, I will drag you back into the land of the living and I will make you suffer like I have! And tell that bastard brother of mine I have worse in store for him!"

Darkness was slowly seeping into the stones around him and spreading.

Oddly enough, while Gladio was very much aware of the danger he posed, he also felt pity for the man. Even if it was not revenge he sought, but merely justice, he would never find it. Everyone from his time was gone, history long since written. The ghosts of the past could only tease him with their presence.

Huffing in frustration, Ardyn dragged himself back onto this feet. It was just then, when he, too, turned to leave, that his sight fell on Noctis' Shield.
"You!" He called and pointed at him. "You have been granted Gilgamesh's power!"

Gladio knew sticking around had been a mistake when Ardyn summoned his signature red blade.

"Fight me in his stead!"

"You can't just go around demanding people to fight you," Gladio replied and stepped forward in case words alone did not stop him.

A wicked grin spread across Ardyn's face. "Oh, but I can!"
He sent his sword flying towards the king's Shield.

Gladio blocked the warp-strike just in time. Thank the Six he had watched Ardyn fight before or else he would have overwhelmed him easily with his many tricks and abilities. The chancellor fought not like anyone else Gladio knew. As if his expertise with the Power of Kings and the darkness he wielded were not enough, his attacks also came under-handed and reckless. The all-out offensive of a man who had nothing to lose, could lose nothing, and most likely did not care whether he lived or died, anyway.

Although Ardyn kept him mostly on the defensive, Gladio held out much longer against him than he had initially thought.
Gladio noticed his opponent dissipate into particles and swung his great sword all around, catching Ardyn just as he reappeared to strike at Gladio's back. Yet no matter how often he knocked him down, Ardyn got back up seemingly unharmed. Whichever way you looked at it, Gladio was fighting a battle he could only lose. If he had some kind of sacred magic at his disposal, he might at least be able to wear Ardyn out.

More spectral blades had gathered around the chancellor. Ardyn put some distance between himself and the king's Shield and sent a legion's worth of incorporeal swords at Gladio. Putting up his shield, Gladio blocked a large number of them before the blades eventually broke through his defence and knocked him back. He pulled a hi-potion from his personal space within Noct's armiger to help him keep going. After fighting Gilgamesh just minutes earlier, he had very few items left, yet Gladio had no intention of backing down.

As the fight wore on, Ardyn's tactics changed. His attacks came from angles that were easier to anticipate and he used less of his dark magic, effectively going easier on Gladio. Whether this change was intentional or caused by stasis, Gladio could not tell. Even so, it was only a matter of time until Gladio fell to a knee once more, panting.
He reached into Noct's armiger, but his hand remained empty. No more potions left. No phoenix downs, either. Nothing.
With effort, he summoned his shield as Ardyn shadowstepped towards him, bracing himself for a hit that was bound to hurt.

A hit that never landed.

Surprised, Gladio dismissed the shield and saw the chancellor standing before him with a potion in his hand instead of his sword.

"You're not going to finish me off?" he asked.

Ardyn looked much calmer compared to when they had started fighting. "I never said I was going to kill you."

"But it was on your mind, wasn't it?" Gladio said, feeling smug. "Then you realized my death would not quell that lust for revenge, it would only complicate things with Noctis."

Judging by his expression, Ardyn did not like him seeing through his facade.
"Perhaps it was on my mind, perhaps it was not," he just said. "Now, do you want that potion or not?"

Gladio was in position to pass on that offer. When Ardyn dropped the item into his open palm, he broke it instantly to recover from his exhaustion.

"You know," Gladio said as he stood back up, "If you need to blow off some steam, you can just ask me to spar with you."

"I very much doubt you could have withstood my force without Gilgamesh's strength."

"Good thing I undertook his trial, then."

Gladio too, had realized something during this fight. First, and most importantly, even if he could not defeat Ardyn, he could last against him, which meant he would enable Noctis to break out the sacred weapons and pin him down if needed. And secondly, there was always a chance Ardyn came around even when his temper flared. Both of these discoveries greatly alleviated the danger Gladio had felt in presence of the so-called Adagium.

In silent agreement, they parted ways.
At least, when Gladio walked away and glanced back over his shoulder, he was not surprised to see Ardyn gone.


You might have noticed that I skipped out on the travel with Iris, including the chase after Caligo and the first encounter with Aranea.
That's because I could not come up with any interesting scene that would have diverged enough from canon to type it out.
Which is not to say that I might not think of something at a later point in time and simply squeeze in another chapter between this and the previous.
You can keep your eyes peeled, anyway, because I have a habit of going back to older chapters and fixing things I have not thought of before.

By the way, had Ardyn not been in Episode Gladio, you might want to imagine Gladio retelling his adventure at a caravan and Ardyn doing a spit-take at his mentioning of Gilgamesh. "You did WHAT?"

Also, here's a shout-out to Misaki Murakami who left a comment on the previous chapter:
I'm glad to have you along for this ride. This AU has come into existence for cheap laughs only, but it's developed so much more potential since.