Ardyn leaned against one of the walls of our new transport. "Oh, thank the gods I found you." He sounded relieved, but we still had our suspicions.
"And what will you do with us now?" Ignis asked, crossing his arms.
"Why, grant you safe passage just as I said," Ardyn responded.
Prompto spoke up, sitting next to me. "Pretty generous offer for an imperial," he spat.
That seemed to offend Ardyn a bit. "Come now. Is it fair to begrudge a man the circumstances of his birth?" He asked.
"Well, no, I guess not."
Ignis sat down with the rest of us. It was clearly time for another group meeting.
"So what do we do after he drops us off?" Gladio asked, looking at Ignis and Noct.
"Go get the car," Noct responded.
"Can't leave her unattended for long," Ignis agreed before standing back up and approaching Ardyn. "Chancellor. If you truly wish to aid us in our efforts, then I request you release us this instant."
Ardyn smiled slightly, putting his hands on his hips. "This instant? It's a long way down. Perhaps the army could break your fall." His tone changed to be more authoritative, "Or perhaps you could simply sit back and enjoy the ride. you needn't worry: you're in good hands with me."
I rubbed my face tiredly. Had I known this would be how the day was going to go, I would have made sure to sleep last night. It wasn't long before we were let out of the airship. "Here's hoping you find that car of yours," Ardyn said with a saccharine tone.
We sat outside the caravan at the Chocobo post. Days had passed with no sign of the Regalia. To add to it, the rain seemed to never end. I sat near the radio, listening to a newscaster talk about the new imperial blockades in Duscae. High Commander Ravus Nox Fleuret, huh? I asked myself. I jotted the information down in my journal, leaning over it to assure the pages stayed as dry as possible. "Sounds like we're only going to encounter more and more imperial soldiers," I sighed before walking over to the others.
"I still can't believe it. I mean, shouldn't the car have turned up by now?" Prompto asked.
"We should wait until Cindy's done asking around the local garages before we despair," Ignis reassured.
Gladio, however, was a lot blunter. "Let's not fool ourselves. The empire has it."
"Then maybe we could ask Ardyn to help us out again, right?" Prompto looked over at Gladio with a hopeful smile.
"The imperial chancellor." Sarcasm was heavy in Gladio's tone as he crouched to be at Prompto's level.
"He represents a problem, not a solution," Ignis responded.
"So where does that leave us?" Prompto's smile became more of a worried one.
"Stranded, awaiting word from Hammerhead."
"In the meantime, we'll have to hoof it," Gladio added.
"Damn, just when I got used to being crammed in the backseat like a sardine," I laughed.
Prompto nodded before getting distracted by something. "Look! It's Umbra!"
I looked over to where he was pointing, seeing a small black and white dog. "Aww, such a cutie!" I smiled. Noctis walked over to the dog, who began running off.
"Now this is what I'm talking about," Prompto laughed as we followed the pooch.
"Someone's sending us a message," Ignis smiled slightly. Noct ran forward once Umbra led us to a small group of trees nearby before turning to notice someone.
"Gentiana," He seemed surprised. Before us stood a pale woman with black hair. Her outfit was beautifully intricate, not something you'd see an everyday woman wearing. Umbra sat right at her side. She kept her eyes closed as she addressed Noctis.
"Hear me, O King of the Stone," She spoke softly. I raised an eyebrow at the way she addressed Noctis. I've heard him called "highness" before, but never something that formal.
"By the Stormsender's blessing will the path to the Stone be opened. The Oracle goes hence in her King's name," she continued.
"Luna... Where is she now?" Noctis asked urgently.
"The eye of the Storm. When the covenant is forged, the Oracle and the ring shall await their King at the Walls of Water. Stray not from the path." And with that, she was gone. I looked over at the others. There's no way she could just disappear.
"She's a messenger, a spirit faithful to the Oracle," Ignis clarified, looking at me and Prompto.
Prompto was just as stunned as I was. "For real?" he asked.
Gladio chuckled and crossed his arms. "We're going beyond real now, pal."
Umbra walked over to Noctis again, and Noctis knelt in front of him. He grabbed something from the dog's harness. A journal. He flipped through the pages, determined to find something. He placed a hand on a page before looking down. He wrote something after a moment and returned the journal to Umbra. "Let Luna know I'm okay, and she won't have to wait much longer. We'll be together soon," he told the dog before standing.
I jumped at the sound of thunder. It seems the rain is getting worse.
"Lady Lunafreya has done well to keep the ring from falling into enemy hands," Ignis praised.
"All we need to do is hit Altissia," Prompto smiled at Noctis.
"That entails passage aboard a ship. Caem may serve us now as it did them then."
Gladio nodded. "The hidden harbor. Just might work. I'll have Iris set it up."
"So in the meantime," Prompto started.
"We head into the storm," Noctis responded.
"Another day, another deity."
"So Lady Lunafreya. She's the Oracle, correct?" I asked Noctis, "And judging by what you told Umbra, I am guessing there's something between you and her?"
"We're supposed to be getting married," Noctis responded. "At least, if we can get to Altissia."
I couldn't help but smile. "Congratulations! I hope we can get there soon, then."
He nodded slightly. "Yeah. I hope so too. Let's get going."
We started on our journey yet again, this time on foot. Walking along the road, I overheard conversations of people complaining about the blockades.
"How come that lady's helping you out anyway?" Prompto asked.
"Gentiana?" Noctis asked in return.
"Yeah. Is she like your fairy godmother or something?"
"I think she's more a Messenger of the gods."
"Sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel," I responded in awe.
The wildlife here seemed rather calm, given the heavy rain. I didn't know where Noctis was leading us, but he seemed to know where to go.
"So is Gentiana, you know, human?" Prompto asked.
"Not quite. While not exactly gods, Messengers are divine entities," Ignis responded.
Noctis continued, "Just like the Oracle speaks to the gods for the people, the Messengers speak to the people for the gods."
"So she's Lady Lunafreya's partner in divine!" Prompto quipped.
I raised a hand in a joking threat to hit him. "Booo, bad joke."
We continued talking about Lady Lunafreya as we walked. "Hold on," I interrupted a conversation, holding my arm out. "There's a dropship over there. Think the empire is looking for Ramuh as well?"
"Looks like we gotta fight some more," Noctis responded.
"Magitek Armors, Imperial soldiers and Magiteks," I listed off what I saw. "Looks like they're taking this rather seriously."
"Guess we're getting close to wherever we need to be."
We summoned our weapons and engaged the small group. I readied my axe and swung it at one of the MA's legs, hoping to take it down quickly. Prompto fired a few shots in its direction, helping me defeat it.
"Hard to believe you have such great aim," I teased.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Prompto laughed. "I'd like to see you try using a gun."
"Nah, not for me," I laughed.
"That's what I thought!"
By the time we had taken out the MA, the others had taken out the imperial soldiers, so we continued down the road. Another dropship had landed nearby, with a few Magitek swordsmen patrolling the area. Noctis threw his sword, teleporting after it and striking one of the magiteks. I winced as it let out a metallic shriek.
"Not pleasant on the ears," I complained, attacking one of the other magiteks. Another battle wrapped up quickly, though it was starting to get a bit exhausting. "I really don't like that screaming noise they make."
"Yeah, it's freaky," Prompto agreed. Lightning struck close by. "Hey, at least we're close."
"Hopefully we don't need to fight another god," Gladio chuckled. We followed a path leading to a strange tree-like stone. Lightning crackled around it as Noct approached. I chose to keep my distance. He held his hand out, and the lightning stored in that stone seemed to reach toward him in return.
After a moment, he put his hand back down. "I remember... back in Tenebrae with Gentiana," he said softly. He placed a hand against his forehead for a moment.
"What is it? Another headache?" Prompto asked.
"Oh no, that doesn't sound good," I sighed. "That's the last thing we need."
"I heard her," Noct responded. "Gentiana."
"Divine voices in your head again?" Gladio asked.
"Hopefully it won't amount to the same headache it did with the Archaean," Ignis responded. We were all worried as we followed Noctis. He stopped and held his head again.
"You alright? What did she say?"
"Uh," Noct paused for a moment. "That Luna's awakening the Six." His tone sounded a bit grim.
We walked in silence for a moment, Gladio pulling out his cell phone to call someone. "Come on, pick up," He groaned.
"No luck?" Prompto looked up at Gladio.
"Probably got her phone on silent."
I realized he was trying to call Iris. "From what I could see of her, I'm certain she can handle herself if there's any trouble," I smiled slightly. I looked up at the horizon, seeing lightning striking another spot repeatedly. "Suppose that's our next spot?"
Noctis nodded in response.
"Amazing. The power of the gods in the palm of your hands," Gladio chuckled after a moment.
"Never dreamt I'd see lore come to life before my very eyes," Ignis agreed.
"Leaving Insomnia was eye-opening, but this is mind-blowing!" Prompto laughed.
"Honestly when I decided to try to tag along with you guys, I didn't expect this much of an adventure," I shrugged. "I can't complain though, beats boring mercenary work any day."
"Well, now you're stuck with us," Noctis laughed.
We got back to the road, deciding to follow it for a bit.
"Oh man, that was my first time flying on a ship like that!" Prompto was practically bouncing with excitement.
"One more item to cross off the bucket list," Gladio chuckled.
I nodded slightly, my smile fading a bit as I decided to stay quiet. We eventually switched back to being off-road.
"After Ramuh, we go see Leviathan, right?" Gladio asked.
"Indeed, I daresay Lady Lunafreya seeks the Hydraean as we speak," Ignis responded.
"Which means another rite and a heavier burden. Hope she can hold up," Prompto said softly.
More imperial dropships signaled that we were getting close to the second stone, which meant more fighting.
"Yeah, this just settles it, the Empire is out for the gods too," I sighed, ducking away from a Magitek swordsman's attack. "Is it just me or do these swords look more like giant bread knives?"
Ignis chuckled a bit as he tossed his daggers at a nearby imperial soldier. "I suppose so, given the serrated edge."
We ran to the second stone, Noctis yet again having to pause because of a headache. "Noct, you okay?" Prompto stopped at Noctis's side, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Noctis nodded and looked over at him with a smile. "Yeah. Another reminder to receive the blessing," He responded.
"That divine power's just waiting for you," Gladio stated calmly.
More lightning seemed to crackle around this one as Noctis approached. He held a hand out again, seeming to draw power from the stone before putting a hand to his head. Another headache. I looked over at the others. "Do the gods or Messengers have any other way of communicating with Noct? One that doesn't cause a migraine?" I asked.
"The last one's in the cave," Noctis said as he turned toward us again.
"Let's hurry up and get this over with," Gladio nodded.
Prompto was just as excited as ever. "Finally! Time to meet with the Stormsender!"
His excitement was contagious and I smiled. "Yeah, let's do this!"
We set out for the cave Noctis was talking about. Fociaugh Hollow.
