Update(s):
1. Various grammatical errors fixed.
2. Changed the scene with Lunafreya and the ring to not have Lunafreya explicitly reveal she is carrying it as it didn't make a whole lot of sense for her to.
3. Added more flavor text of Noctis's thoughts and feelings during the fight scene at the end of the chapter.
4. Changed the name of the chapter.
Chapter Four
The Swords of Lucis
Nyx Ulric spun his kukri knife between his fingers as he stood pressed against the brick wall. He looked back at Lady Lunafreya, as she too pressed up against the wall and nodded when she saw him looking over. Behind her stood the shorter Iris Amicitia, whom had been left in his charge by Gladiolus as the attacks began. Nyx nodded back at both of them and returned his attention ahead of him, where the wall came to a corner. Nyx inched over the edge and slowly peered past the corner. Niflheim soldiers occupied the road, aiming their guns all around. A few were speaking to their commander, a large man in a monstrous set of armor Nyx recognized as being enhanced by Magitek, the technology of the empire. This was General Glauca, and he was famous for being brutal and merciless, the most efficient killer in the empire.
From this distance, Nyx couldn't hear what was being said. The conversation was brief, however. The general left in a most spectacular fashion, by leaping into the air with the aid of Magitek, and clearing a three story building. Nyx almost let out an audible curse as he saw the man take off like it was nothing. The power behind Magitek Armor was a hell of a thing to behold, and if he should find himself face-to-face with this particular man, he wasn't sure how he would proceed to take him down.
But he was gone now, and standing in his way were the regular infantry, who possessed no form of Magitek or anything close to royal magic. Nyx tossed his kukri's and appeared in a flash, drop kicking a soldier. As the others opened fire on him, he weaved around, warping and slashing, cutting and stabbing, until his enemies lay in a heap on the concrete streets. Nyx cracked his neck muscles. This royal magic was powerful, but it took a lot out of him. When all was clear, he called out to the two young ladies, who cautiously came out from around the corner, eying the corpses. Lunafreya remained stoic in her expression as her eyes scanned over the bodies, but Lady Iris was pale. She was still so young, and these were sights she would never forget. Nyx recognized the look in her eye, seeing it for what it was as it was a look he had seen reflected in the mirror after his first encounter with warfare.
In his village of Galahd, he had witnessed firsthand an imperial invasion. He was only three years old at the time, but the images were still burned into his retina. The wall protecting Insomnia had once extended across all of Lucis, but as the empire pressed their forces into the land, the walls started to crumble. Galahd was one of the first places to be taken as it was near the outskirts of Lucis. Galahd was a collection of islands and it was the first point of contact with Niflheim in Lucian territory. The village had been beautiful. Abundant with life. The resources acquired there provided the empire great strategic advantage.
Nyx himself had run a bar in Galahd with his best friend, Libertus Ostium. There he had worked with the resistance to fight against the Niflheim invaders who had occupied the village. During a battle, his sister had been killed. Her voice still echoed within his mind in the silent hours of the night. It had been none other than King Regis who had arrived one day and helped drive off the Niflheim troops temporarily. He had recognized Nyx's abilities and invited him and a few others to become members of the Kingsglaive, fighting against Niflheim all across Lucis. Nyx joined without hesitation, and even Libertus inevitably followed.
To this day, a few of the Kingsglaive who were adopted into Insomnia from Galahd still held a little resentment for the king as they perceived he removed the wall protecting the village in order to strengthen protection to Insomnia. This resentment had to have grown since the announcement stating all lands outside of Lucis were to be handed over to Niflheim. The treaty the empire had intended to write and seal in royal blood. With the royal magic on his side, Nyx knew the king was still alive. He wondered what it was exactly keeping the king alive. Were Niflheim waiting for something to happen? No matter. Drautos had told them the Star of Lucis was nearby when Nyx told him he had Lunafreya and Iris in his possession.
"Is that it?" Lunafreya asked, pointing down the street at a sleek black car parked on the side of the road.
"I think so," Nyx said.
"Do you have the keys?" Iris asked.
Nyx produced the keys from his pocket and spun them on his finger.
"I got them from Captain Drautos when the attacks started," he said.
Nyx, Lunafreya, and Iris made their way to the Star of Lucis. They entered, with Nyx taking the driver's seat and the other two sitting in the back.
"Buckle up," Nyx said, before turning on the car and pulling away.
They drove through the almost eerily empty streets. Troops from Niflheim seemed like they were withdrawing from the area, and Nyx began to wonder why. It had been a few hours since the invasion had begun, but the city hadn't been claimed yet.
The reason why the troops were leaving the streets became apparent a moment later, when a thunderous quake shook the road, followed by a loud, guttural roar.
"What was that?" Iris exclaimed.
The Star of Lucis climbed up an overpass, and several blocks away, towering over the nearby skyscrapers, a massive brutish hulk of a kaiju roared. From its shoulders, appendages opened up and a massive salvo of fiery energy blasts shot out, raining down on the city.
"Holy shit!" Nyx cried out as he swerved the car out of the way of several blasts tearing the overpass apart. He had managed to narrowly avoid them, pushing the car past a section of the overpass crumbing down as soon as he drove by. "We need to find the quickest way out of the city! I think that thing is a daemon."
Iris was in complete shock, and Lunafreya looked out at the monster as it tore up the buildings around it like a hundred-foot monster from a classic B Movie.
"This will be the end of Insomnia," she muttered.
Nyx quickly took them into a tunnel and raced through to the other end. Right as they were about to reach the end, a large body fell and landed in a crouch ahead of them at the edge of the tunnel. Nyx instantly recognized the Magitek Armor and pressed his foot down on the gas. He roared as the Star sped toward his foe, but before it could bowl him over, General Glauca had caught the car, skidding back a few feet, but succeeding in stopping it. He lifted it off of its wheels and brought it right back down, holding it in place as Nyx tried to accelerate, as well as reverse. It wasn't budging.
"Shit." Nyx said, as he grabbed his kukri's. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to fight this guy."
He stepped out of the car, twirling his knives.
"Nyx Ulric," the general said.
Nyx was taken aback. "You know me?"
"You do not need to die," the general continued, ignoring the question. "I am here for the princess, and the ring."
"The... ring?" Nyx asked.
Lunafreya exited the car, her hand balled tightly into a fist. The general pointed at her and opened his palm.
"The Ring of the Lucii," the general said. "She has it, do you not, Princess Lunafreya?"
Nyx looked over at her, but she remained stoic. His eyes traveled down her arm, coming to rest on her fist. Noticing Nyx staring at it, she tightened it even further.
"Yeah, that ain't happening," Nyx said, returning his gaze to the general. He held up his kukri and tossed it at the armored brute, readying to warp.
Except he didn't. The knife bounced harmlessly off of the general and fell to the street, and Nyx stood, stupefied. This implication then... the king...
"Yes, Ulric," the general said. "The end has come."
Night, moments before the arrival of the Diamond Weapon, Imperial Invasion of Insomnia
Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus were at the steps of the citadel. Behind them, a trail of Niflheim bodies littered the courtyard. They had battled their way across a large portion of the city, and had even returned to Noctis's home so he could have a change of clothes. Clothed in his high-collared black coat and gratefully removed from the stiff and restrictive royal garments, the prince was well prepared to fight hordes of enemies, as they had until they were standing before said citadel. They were sweating, panting. Noctis had started to lean as he stood. Ignis produced a small bottle and walked over to the prince.
"Noct," he said. "Here."
"An energy drink?" Noctis asked as he took the bottle, spinning it in his palm to observe the label. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"The Glaives have been using this to heal themselves. With the aid of royal magic, the energy drink takes on healing properties. Seals minor injuries and restores lost energy."
Noctis focused, and the blue energy of his royal magic enveloped the potion. It was crushed under the weight of the power, and the energy washed over his body. He felt himself revitalizing and let out a sigh of relief.
"Wow," he said. "Potent."
Ignis offered another to Gladiolus and Prompto, who graciously accepted. Noctis made sure to touch each of the bottles, which shattered and healed them both.
"Ready to go?" Gladiolus asked.
"Ready," Noctis said.
The four slowly ascended the steps. The air had grown silent. Noctis did as he always did and looked up at the roof. The glow was gone. The wall which had once surrounded the city fell some time ago, and the status of the Crystal was unknown.
"Bastards," Gladiolus growled as he too looked up at the roof.
Inside the citadel was as eerily quiet as the outside. The four slowly walked inside, observing their surrounding cautiously. The place looked untouched and unoccupied. Even the convoy which had been moving toward the citadel earlier was nowhere to be seen. Insomnia had fallen silent.
"The signing was set to take place in the senate chamber," Ignis said. "I suggest we make our way there."
At the back of the entrance room was a hallway, and in the hallway an elevator. They rode it for several floors, emerging near the highest floor, where they made their way to the senate chamber. The four entered the room.
The chamber was a place for the king's hand selected cabinet to gather and discuss and debate. There was a long, oval shaped table in the center of the room, and a set of bleachers to the left and right, where people could come and observe. When the four entered the room, they found it mostly empty, save the seat in the back of the room occupied by none other than Emperor Aldercapt.
The old man smiled when he saw the four, and stood from his seat.
"Ah," he wheezed. "If it isn't the fetching Prince Noctis, and his royal retinue. Come to witness the historic moment firsthand then?"
"Where is he?" Noctis growled. He called the Engine Blade and pointed it at the emperor. "Where is my father, you cowardly scum?"
"The great King Regis is upstairs, in his throne room. In the company of General Glauca. I imagine their meeting will be brief."
There came a low rumble from the upper level, faint noises. Sounds of combat muffled by the layer of stone.
"We have to go!" Noctis exclaimed.
"So soon?" Emperor Aldercapt asked. "But you just got here. Have you really no time to chat?" The emperor reached beneath his coat and pulled out a silver gun he aimed at the prince. "I'm afraid your survival would be most unwise, considering the plans I have for my new territory."
Gladiolus pulled his black shield and stepped in front of Noctis. "I'd like to see you try, old man," he growled.
"That shield looks strong," the emperor remarked, amused.
"It is. King's Shield." Gladiolus gave a sneering smile. "Stops bullets with ease."
"This is a Magitek Pistol," the emperor said, brandishing his pistol. "It will eat through Lucian steel like butter. Care to try it out?"
"There will be no such thing," came the voice of King Regis. They all turned to look at the doorway, where the king of Lucis emerged with several glowing swords spinning around him rapidly. The Royal Arms.
Noctis's face lit up as soon as he saw his father, but then he noticed he looked... worn out. The king limped inside, leaning heavily on his cane. The swords moved from around him to the emperor, where they surrounded him, blades pointed straight at his body.
"I take it the general...?" the emperor began.
"General Glauca is taking a nap," Regis said. "He is certainly formidable, but the power of the royal magic—" King Regis stumbled, and Noctis called away his sword and hurried over, catching his father before he could fall. Regis straightened himself out again, and gently pushed Noctis back behind him.
"Would seem to be failing you," the emperor said, mock-finishing his sentence. "Somehow I doubt the general will remain out of commission for long."
Noctis grunted as he helped his father return to stability. He turned to the emperor and pointed an accusatory finger at the man robed in white.
"You!" he cried out. "We gave you everything you asked for! Why did you do this?"
"Please," the emperor said. "What I asked for wasn't everything I wanted, boy. I want the Crystal. I want the Ring of the Lucii. This accursed city of yours stands as a beacon to all that Insomnia believes itself to be the single greatest power in all Eos. No. You build your walls to keep others out and horde power and safety for yourselves. Niflheim intends to unify the world under one banner: ours. Unified under one vision: mine. A vision of a world made whole, and peace ultimately brought to all the land."
"But the price of that peace is blood," Ignis said. "A price you are willing to make others pay."
"Some things are worth the price," the emperor said.
Noctis pointed at the swords surrounding the emperor. "Doesn't seem like you're in much of a state to negotiate."
"I have a feeling the tide will soon change."
There came a rumble. Cracking. Noctis looked up at the ceiling, watching as several cracks started to form, snaking outward from a central point. The point crumbled soon after and a large body fell through, crashing down and splintering the large table in half. General Glauca fell to a crouch, gripping a monster of a sword with both of his hands, bigger than even Gladiolus's own Greatsword. Red energy poured out of the vents all over his grey armored body, and his bestial helm seemed to growl as it scanned the room.
Beneath his hulking form was a mangled corpse, and Gladiolus stiffened, recognizing the garb of the King's Shield barely visible beneath the general. Regis noticed as well, sending a mournful gaze at the corpse of his closest friend. His eyes briefly flitted to Gladiolus, who kept his composure even then, and Regis marveled at the man's stoic dedication to his cause.
Glauca raised his sword in a blur and knocked the royal arms aside with ease, clearing them from the emperor and turning to face them.
Regis summoned the weapons again, but this time he placed it between Glauca and himself and his son.
"Noctis," the king began. "Run. Run now. You stand no chance against him."
"No way," Noctis said. "I've been using the royal magic. I can take him. He's got nothing on that."
"Gladiolus!" Regis barked without looking at the man, his eyes firmly locked on General Glauca.
Gladiolus responded without a word, immediately rushing to pick up Noctis, who protested, wriggling in his massive grip as he was rushed out of the room with Ignis and Prompto.
"Gladio!" Noctis shouted. "No! Get me back in there!"
Noctis called the Engine Blade and threw it, but it collided against something in mid-air and fell to the ground before Noctis could warp. A shimmering blue field of magical energy appeared and solidified into a glass-like dome, shutting off access to the room. Regis briefly turned his head and his eyes met Noctis's. It was a brief moment, but it seemed to last a lifetime as Noctis felt the world slow around him as he looked into those melancholy eyes.
Noctis's eyes turned to the Engine Blade waiting on the ground, and he reached out. In a flash, he was crouched over it. Gladiolus growled as he quickly turned to face the prince. Noctis rushed to the barrier and raised his sword, striking against it several times. Helpless, he swung the blade until his arm became sore from the vibrating impacts. He made not a dent in the barrier. He watched, frozen in place, as General Glauca slowly closed in on his father.
"Behold," came the general's unnaturally deep voice, "the King of Lucis. A king who hordes safety within his walls. Tell me, king, where is your safety now?"
Regis raised his free hand, and a powerful surge of lightning struck the general, who slid back on his feet, using his sword to keep his momentum by stabbing it into the ground. He gave out a deep grunt. A smile had somehow managed to creep to the corner of Regis's lips. He lowered his arm and turned away from the general, facing his son one last time.
The moment in time slowed to a crawl. Noctis looked through the thin but powerful layer of magical energy separating him from his father. His hands had been balled into fists, having abandoned his sword to pound helplessly against the energy field. His mouth hanged agape as he stared at the once proud King Regis, reduced to this limping corpse which had nearly abandoned all sense of life. The only light remaining was the glint in his eye when he looked upon his only son. The boy he cared about more than anything in the world. And as Noctis watched his father, Regis gave one solitary nod as a tear ran down the creased valleys of his cheeks.
And then the moment was over. The blade of General Glauca emerged from his stomach, piercing him straight through. The blood sprayed against the liquid glass magical shield, right in front of Noctis. The one ounce of light in his eyes disappeared soon after, and the prince of Lucis watched as his father died, helpless to act. In this one moment, it all came crumbling down. Memories flashed in front of his eyes. The time he had spent with his father as a child, playing out quickly like someone was fast-forwarding through his life. Those moments he never realized were so fleeting. Moments beyond his reach.
General Glauca's voice broke him from his trance. "The ring is not here. Where…" The General straightened up. "The princess. She has it. She met with the king before the invasion began. She is with a Glaive."
"Then retrieve it," said the emperor.
General Glauca looked at the prince through the still-standing barrier. "And what of the boy?"
"The ring is more important," the emperor said. "That barrier isn't coming down anytime soon."
It took Noctis a moment to realize he had been grabbed again. He looked down to see two massive arms around his stomach, and the barrier now quickly escaping his view.
Gladiolus kept running, Noctis tight in his grip over his shoulder. They rounded a corner in the hallway and the view of his father completely disappeared. Noctis was in a daze. All sensation had abandoned him, as though he had left his body to become a silent observer of the world around himself. His tears slowly rolled down his cheek. His eyes were wide, unblinking. His mouth remained agape, even as he bounced in Gladiolus's grip.
They made it to the elevator and Ignis punched in the button for the first floor. Gladiolus still held tightly to Noctis as the elevator began its descent. When Gladiolus finally put Noctis down, it was at the entrance room. He blocked his path to the elevator and grabbed him by the shoulder, leading him to the door. Before they could reach it, a deep rumble vibrated the citadel. Shortly after, several explosions could be heard, rocking the floor of the citadel.
Gladiolus looked to the door and said, "What the hell was that?"
The shaking became more violent. Outside, the skies had lit on fire. Bursts of magical red energy fell from the clouds, bursting against buildings, slowly knocking them to pieces. From above the skyline, a great massive beast was in view, firing salvos of the magical energy from its shoulders.
"What the hell is that thing?" Prompto shouted, as soon as they got a view of the monstrosity.
"Whatever it is, we need to go now!" Gladiolus exploded. "Noctis?" He turned to see the prince with his back turned to the monster, staring up at the citadel. "Noctis! We have to—"
His words were cut off as he was knocked aside by a blast from the great beast. Gladiolus hit a wall so hard, it knocked him unconscious. Before they could react, Ignis and Prompto were hit by another blast knocking them aside. Noctis stood alone.
The raining fire came to an end. Several moments passed, with Noctis still facing the citadel. He watched absently as General Glauca leaped from high above, landing on a rooftop near the citadel and disappearing from view. There came another sound moments after. Metallic crunching.
Noctis turned and saw rows of imperial soldiers aiming their guns at him. Something within the prince snapped. He felt a rising sensation from within as he scanned over them, and hatred followed soon after. His gaze hardened and he took his first step down the stone steps of the citadel. Their guns raised. Another step and they pulled the trigger, a hail of gunfire hitting the stone steps around him. He continued his descent, and as the bullets aim became true, they were stopped before they could hit the prince, colliding against something barely visible in the air around him.
As the bullets collided against the objects, they shimmered briefly in the air, appearing as the illusory weapons once commanded by King Regis, now possessed by Noctis. The prince could not be sure where the power came from, whether it was from within or granted by some external force, but he knew what this was: The Royal Arms. The birthright of the Lucis Caelum dynasty, and now it belonged to Noctis. He waved a hand through the air and the weapons became visible; the blades pointed at his enemy. As the gunfire continued, Noctis spun the weapons freely around his body, stopping the gunfire once more, before grabbing hold of one of the swords, his very own Engine Blade, his eyes landing on a soldier in the midst of the enemy crowd. His violet eyes flashed with a ruby light, and he appeared in the midst of the soldiers in an instant, swinging his weapon to cut his target down.
The other arms appeared, moving and slicing through the air wherever Noctis aimed them. Soldier after soldier tried to close in, tried to shoot him down, but the weapons reached them first. Noctis grabbed a lance and brought it down on an enemy, using the momentum of his fall to keep himself spinning around the lance, firing off a gun he had managed to wrench free from a soldier mid-leap. He tossed the weapon and leaped again, landing atop a soldier whose neck he twisted with his legs. The crunch it produced was satisfying. The body fell forward and Noctis rolled off, summoning the arms to appear in front of a line of soldiers who fired their guns, the bullets ricocheting off of the weapons right back into their bodies. He felt invincible now, and he could see the soldiers beginning to quake in their metal boots.
Good, he thought. They would suffer now. All of them. All the empire would suffer the wrath of Noctis Lucis Caelum.
From above, imperial soldiers rappelled down the side of the citadel from the numerous airships occupying the skyline near the roof of the citadel. Noctis warped to the stairs, and then warped again to the top, without the aid of a warp strike. A group of soldiers made chase, but the weapons appeared again, dropping to the stairs, bowling them over. Noctis warped again, this time taking to the sky, appearing at the side of the building.
As he fell, he kept disappearing and appearing again, dropping upon the imperials rappelling the building. He impaled one with the Engine Blade, and a burst of blood exploded from his body, dropping to the ground below. More satisfaction filled the prince. Noctis threw a blade, cutting down the ropes of another, whom fell screaming to the concrete below. One by one, he warped and sliced, taking out all of the soldiers before they could come close to stepping down.
Noctis landed in front of the entrance, and several missiles immediately closed in on him. They exploded, enveloping him in a burst of fire and smoke. For the briefest moment, the imperials holding rocket launchers breathed a sigh of relief, but it quickly faded as the smoke cleared, blown away by the summoned weapons quickly rotating around his body. As Noctis turned to face the still numerous soldiers, he looked to his left and right to see Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto had regained consciousness, each possessing their weapons. With a nod, they rushed down the steps. The empire would taste their fury, and they would know their vengeance in the blood they would soon shed.