Blessings Of The Gods.
Outside the cave, Asuka was sitting on a boulder with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She is not resting, she is meditating. She was still a little mad that the guys made her leave the cave and let them handle the rest. But after having a time to cool of, Prompto would've liked that pun, she couldn't really be to mad at them. After what those little goblin monsters tried to do to her, it was only normal they would get protective and wanting to make sure she didn't end up in a situation like that again. What made her mad wasn't that they became protective over her, it was that Asuka utterly despised being protected, mainly because it made her feel like she was a useless damsel in distress. And the mere thought of becoming one was unbearable to her. She trained her whole life so she would never need to feel helpless again.
"Asuka..." She opened her eyes and turned around to see the guys exiting the cave.
"Well?" She asked.
"Talcott's information was correct, we found another weapon inside. And now Noct has another to his growing arsenal" Gladio explained.
"Good, would be really annoying if we came all the way out here for nothing" Asuka said.
Prompto hesitated for a moment "Are you... still mad?".
Asuka sighed as she stood up "Not as much as before. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is that we got what we came for".
Noctis is suddenly wracked with pain and grabs at his head; he sees another vision of Titan, as well as the Disc of Cauthess. Everyone looked at him in concern, even Asuka who completely forgot about her earlier grudge, just to make sure her friend was ok.
"Noct, you okay!?" Prompto asked in worry.
"What did I… Where was that?" Noctis asked himself more than anyone else.
"What is it?" Gladio asked.
Noctis looked at his friends "A hole in the ground…something burning… The Meteor?".
"You saw the Disc of Cauthess?" Ignis asked in surprise.
"Let's make our way back to Lestallum" Gladio said, knowing this was something they should talk about in a safer spot.
"Yeah, gotta report to Talcott" Prompto agreed.
"And I need new clothes" Asuka added, since her current clothes had been a little torn.
"If it makes you feel any better. We made sure to kill all those nasty creatures" Noctis said.
"That... does make me feel better actually" Asuka admitted.
They head back to their car and began driving back to Lestallum. During the ride back, it was starting to rain, so they had to put the roof back up on the car to avoid being soaked. They finally arrived and headed back to Leville, thankfully not so many people were out due to the bad weather. Once they arrived, Iris, Talcottt and Jared where there to greet them.
"Prince Noctis! Welcome back!" Talcott said in excitement.
"Your story came to a happy end" Ignis said.
Jared smiled at that "Well, well!".
Noctis's headache suddenly emerged once more causing him to grab his head in pain "Not again…".
Iris rushes over to him "What's the matter? You alright?".
Gladio puts one hand on Noct's shoulder and raises the other to dismiss Iris's concern "He'll be fine. Don't worry" It was clear he just wanted to reassure his sister so she would've worry to much before he addresses the others "We oughta take a closer look at this so-called Disc".
"Then look no further than the outlook. We can use the viewer things!" Prompto said.
"No substitute for being on site, but it would be a start. Let's see what we can glean of Noct's condition" Ignis said.
"Well give me a moment to get some new clothes and then we can head out" Asuka said.
Iris finally noticed what had happened "Asuka! What happened to you?".
"Let's just say... we had a rather nasty encounter" Asuka said, not wanting to tell Iris what really happened, no telling how she would react to it "Is there any spare clothes for me to use?".
"Yes, the Glave gathered some of your clothes from our home, knowing they are more than simple clothing, they show you are part of Noctis's guardians" Iris said.
"Smart thinking" Asuka said as she followed Iris to get her clothes.
Talcott was blushing a little since Asuka's torn clothes was revealing some skin... earning a hard pull on the ear from Jared. After Asuka got some new clothes, they began to head for the outlook. Luckily the rain had already stopped and the sky was coming out. At the outlook in Lestallum, Noct and his friends run into a familiar face. The Suspicious Stranger they met back in Galdin Quay.
He turned and smiled at them "What a coincidence".
"I'm not so sure it is" Gladio said with narrowed eyes.
"Aren't nursery rhymes curious things? Like this one: From the deep, the Archaean calls… Yet on deaf ears, the gods' tongue falls, The King made to kneel, in pain, he crawls" The Stranger said.
"So how do we keep him on his feet?" Prompto asked.
"You need only heed the call. Visit the Archaean and hear his plea. I can take you" The Stranger said.
"And why should we trust you?" Asuka asked, she got a really bad vibe from this guy.
"I assure you, I mean you no harm. Allow me the chance to prove it" The Stranger said calmly.
"Your call Noct" Asuka said.
Noctis thinks for a moment "Fine. Let's do it".
The man smiles and begins walking toward the car park "I'm not one to stand on ceremony, but such an occasion calls for an introduction. Please, call me Ardyn. Come with me to the car park. That's where I left my automobile. She's a dear old thing. Pales next to your Regalia, but she's never let me down. So we take two vehicles, a convoy of sorts. Shall we?" He stops as they reach his car "All set?".
"Yes" Noctis said.
"Allow me to do the honor of assigning your driver… I choose you!" Ardyn said as he points as Noctis.
"Fine by me" Noctis said.
"You drive your car, and I drive mine. With that decided, let us be off" Ardyn said as he got in to his car.
"Thank goodness. I was worried he would offer one of us to ride with him. The mere thought creeps me out" Asuka said with a shudder.
"On that, we can agree" Gladio said with a nod as they got in their own car. It was time for another trip.
As the land is rocked by tremors, Noctis is wracked with headaches. The self-styled 'Man of No Consequence' advises the would-be King to go and heed the Archaean's call. Though loath to believe a suspicious stranger, the five friends nevertheless find themselves with no recourse but to follow Ardyn to the Disc of Cauthess, where Titan is said to slumber.
Later, Ardyn's car and the Regalia sitting side by side on the road outside Lestallum; Ardyn is in his car, the five friends are in the Regalia.
"Just to be clear, this isn't a race, it is a chase. You're not to pass me. Lose sight of me, and you'll lose your way. And no tailgating. An accident would spoil the trip" Ardyn instructed.
"Alright, alright. Let's hit the road already" Noctis demanded.
"As you wish. Drive safely, now" Ardyn drives on ahead and the others follow behind.
"First Galdin, and then Lestallum… What a coincidence, huh?" Prompto asked.
"Way too convenient to be a coincidence. I reckon he's following us around" Gladio said.
"I agree with Gladio on this one. No way we would just run in to him like this. It's obvious he knew where we were" Asuka said.
"But to what end? That question bothers me deeply, as does his origin" Ignis said.
"It's hard for me to picture that guy in the empire" Prompto admitted.
"But it's even harder to imagine him as a Lucian" Gladio pointed out.
"And I doubt he is just a regular civilian from the outside world. If he was he wouldn't know as much as he does" Asuka said.
"I'd sooner not rely on him" Ignis admitted.
"But he may be our only way into the Disc of Cauthess" Prompto said.
"What's His Highness's opinion of this Ardyn?" Gladio asked.
Noctis sighed a little "Don't really have one, he's nothing more than a creepy old dude to me".
"You hit the nail on the head right there" Prompto agreed.
"The way he looks at us easily puts him in the creepy stranger category" Asuka said, really not liking the looks they keep getting from Ardyn.
"Well, that's why we came up with a plan" Gladio reminded.
"Gotta watch our backs the whole way" Noctis remembered.
"If he does anything, I will beat him to the ground" Asuka said as she pounds her fist in to her palm.
"No one is gonna stop you if that time comes" Gladio said.
After a while of following Ardyn Ignis looked at the prince "Noct, how are the headaches?".
"Fine for now, but they come without warning" Noctis answered.
"Wouldn't want to have one behind the wheel" Gladio said, knowing the dangers if that happened.
Prompto looked at his friend "Stop if you need to, alright?".
"No need to push yourself to far" Asuka added.
Noctis smiled at his friend's concern as they continued to follow Ardyn.
"So, any havens along the way?" Gladio asked.
"Oh, somebody wants to camp. Somebody else wants a proper bed" Prompto said.
"Nice firm ground's much better for your back" Gladio pointed out.
"Can't we at least make it a caravan? I don't get why you like camping so much…" Prompto admitted.
"Under the stars, at one with nature, what's not to like? Out in the wild, there's no rules to follow, no checkout time" Gladio said.
"I daresay you had Noct with no checkout time" Ignis said, earning a chuckle from Asuka.
"Well I do like a good bed. But sleeping outside is a little more exciting" She said.
"Of course you would say that" Prompto said with a sigh.
Ardyn suddenly stops at the Cauthess Coernix Station "What say we call it a day here?".
"What say, we continue on to Cauthess?" Gladio asked in a suspicious tone.
Ardyn got out of his car "The Archaean's not going anywhere".
"Neither are we, under your stewardship" Ignis pointed out as the 5 friends got out or Regalia.
"So we make camp…with Ardyn" Prompto said.
"Hell no" Noctis declared.
"I have to agree with Noct on this one" Asuka said.
"Might as well get the tent up" Gladio said regardless.
"Oh, I'm afraid I've never really been one for the outdoors. I shall foot the bill, so let us stay at the caravan over yonder" Ardyn offered.
It was getting rather late, and it would be dark soon, so they knew it was smarter to wait for morning before setting out again. As darkness fell everyone was getting ready for the night, but Asuka grabbed Prompto's shoulder and made him follow her. They walked until they were a fair bit away from the others.
"Is something wrong, Asuka?" Prompto asked.
"I just needed to get away from that Ardyn guy for a while" Asuka answered.
Prompto nods in understanding "Yeah I hear you. The guy gives me the creeps".
"It's not just that. I've seen the way he looks at me. It makes me really uncomfortable" Asuka said.
Prompto's look darkened at that, Asuka wasn't normally one who let looks bother her, so this Ardyn guy must be different "If he bothers you that much Asuka, then I can have a talk with him and tell him to stop".
"It's not that, Prompto. The way he looks at me... he knows something. He knows something about me that I don't. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is that a complete stranger seems to know more about you than yourself?" Asuka asked, growing more frustrated by the second.
Prompto held up his hands in surrender "I hear you, calm down!".
Asuka takes a deep breath and sighs "I'm sorry Prompto. I didn't mean to take it out on you, and I am sorry for being mad at you guys before. It's just... I saw my blood father to a monster, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I felt so helpless... so... useless... I promised myself I would never go through that again. I trained so hard it hurt, I spent all my life trying to prepare for anything that comes my way... but it doesn't matter how much I train, or how strong I become. There will always be situations that will be out of my control. And it's just so difficult to be in such difficult situations, knowing I can't do anything about it".
Prompto was silent for a moment before he put a hand on Asuka's shoulder "I know those feelings. More than you realize".
Asuka looked at him before she kissed him, this surprised him but he quickly kissed back, holding his girlfriend close. They kissed for a full minute before pulling back for air.
"You know Prompto. One of the many reasons I am dating you, is because you understand me more than most others ever could" Asuka said.
"I humbly accept the honor" Prompto said in a slight joking tone.
Asuka giggled "Still against sleeping outside? I'd rather not sleep near Ardyn".
"When I am with you, I can sleep anywhere" Prompto said.
Asuka smiled and they began making out again. They did indeed spend the rest of the night outside. Next morning Asuka and Prompto returned to the others, Prompto looked really stale while Asuka had a sheepish smile.
"Looks like you two had some privacy last night" Gladio said, half joking, half suspicious.
"And now I have another reason for not liking to sleep on hard ground" Prompto said rubbing his neck.
"Hey, I did say you could sleep on my pillows" Asuka reminded.
Prompto blushed "Well, I...".
Before they could continue their talk, they heard a voice coming from a radio "Though I am still young, my blood is true. As my mother before me, I'll work to bring peace to one and all".
"Wait, isn't that?" Asuka began before Noctis rushed up to listen to the radio.
"That marked the ascension of the youngest Oracle in history" A Narrator said.
A voice of an Interviewer could be heard "Is it hard giving blessings?".
"It would be selfish of me to complain of my burden, when so many suffer in wait. I hope they trust I will not rest until they all know solace" Luna answered.
Asuka smiled a little sadly. Luna was almost a little to humble. Sometimes you need to take care of yourself in order to take care of others.
The Narrator spoke again "The world watched on with worry and wonder as the young girl grew".
"I understand you have a message for us?" The Interviewer said.
"If you know of any who are bedridden, or unable to come to me… Pray, send word, and I…shall go to them. I follow my calling. I will not halt my steps for anything else" Luna said.
'Poor girl. She makes her burden even harder on herself' Asuka thought.
"In time, her strength would become an inspiration to all" The narrator said.
The Interviewer then asked a rather big question "What is your opinion of the treaty?".
"When war has ended, so too will suffering subside. The treaty is a momentous step towards a brighter future. Let there be no doubt: we walk the path of true peace" Luna said.
"If only she knew... if only the people knew" Asuka said silently.
"Don't think being married will give you an excuse not to work out" Gladio said.
Noctis looked at him "That came out of nowhere".
"You can't just let yourself go with the eyes of the world on ya" Gladio said.
"I don't know about that. He seems to have pulled it off so far" Prompto said.
"What does that mean?" Noct demanded.
"All the more reason he needs to clean up his act now" Ignis said.
"Feel sorry for Lady Lunafreya if he doesn't" Gladio said.
"He's got you there, Noct. Everyone would be like, Oh, she could do so much better than him" Prompto said in a fake complaining tone.
"What does the Oracle need the prince for anyway?" Gladio added in the same tone.
"Who could ever marry such a lazy little prince? Poor poor girl!" Asuka said in an over dramatic tone.
"Imagination run wild much?" Noctis asked in annoyance.
Everyone shared a laugh before they went to find Ardyn. It was time to keep moving. They found him inside the gas station. He seemed to have been waiting for them, and greeted them with the same creepy smile he always had.
"I should warn you: we're about to pass the point of no return. I trust you're not having any second thoughts?" Ardyn asked.
"There has been enough delays. Let's go" Noctis said.
"Very well. Let's keep moving" Ardyn said as he and the rest headed to their respective cars.
With that they headed out... they had no idea what was waiting for them.
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Tell me what you think.
