Cape Caem looked nicer by daylight and had it's own charm. Too bad most of that was lost on Noctis at the moment. It wasn't fair. He ends up with a curse and his friends, who he still mostly couldn't remember aside from Iggy and a little bit about Prompto, thought he was too weak and just something to protect. He wasn't a chocochick! His mind produced the image of a black chocochick for some reason.
Carbuncle kept pace with him and just followed him, silently with no texts for interaction. Talcott seemed to have read his mood and left him alone too. The Lighthouse was interesting. He walked inside and saw a lift that looked a bit old fashioned, but he knew how to operate it. Too bad it was almost too tall for him. He jumped and pulled the leaver down. The doors slid shut and the whole car jolted and began to move downwards until it eventually stopped. Noctis took a few steps out only to hear loud stomping towards him.
"I told y'all I'd eat when I was hungry!" It was an angry old man wielding a very large wrench.
"Sorry!" Noctis ducking back.
"Who're you? I wasn't told there were any other kids here?" he said.
"I'm not normally a kid," Noctis said. Carbuncle chirped and shook out his coat.
"Why, I'll be! A carbuncle, just like in those tales old Reggie would spin. I've been rude. I'm Cid," the man said.
"You knew my dad?" Noctis said.
"Who was your—Prince Noctis? Boy, this is a fine pickle you're in," Cid said bending down to be eye level with Noctis.
"I know that!" Noctis said.
"So, are you a kid up here too or just being your usual self?" Cid asked tapping his temple. The phones buzzed.
He's mostly a kid in mind and form. The curse seems to have made him into his eight year old self.
"Don't that beat all. A Carbuncle texting," Cid said, "Aside from the height, your attitude's no different."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Noctis crossed his arms.
"It means that while you being a brat like this is expected, you're still a childish brat when you're your proper age," Cid said.
He's got you there, Noct!
"What're you doing down here in the first place?" Cid said.
"My friends left me behind and I was exploring," Noctis said.
"Probably because it's easier to travel while not carting about a pint sized Prince," Cid said, "Ever think about that?"
"They just think I'm a weakling," Noctis said.
"Right now you are," Cid said, "Until you're handier in a fight as more than an active target, your friends are making the right call in leaving you behind. This attitude of yours will only get you hurt and them dead or worse: you dead. Think about it this way. Now we have someone here who can sort of fight in case something bad would happen. Monica and Iris can fight well enough, but they'll have to protect Talcott and Dustin would help, but he's not as good a fighter as I used to be and I'm old," Cid said, "So stop being upset about what you can't do and focus on what you can."
"Shouldn't we have at least said goodbye?" Prompto said. They were headed to Lestallum.
"Noctis's sleeping habits have not changed in nearly twenty years. It was also best we got an early start to the day so that we might spend the night in Lestallum and head back to Cape Caem tomorrow," Ignis said.
"Yeah, but it's Noct as a kid! Isn't he going to be upset we ditched him?" Prompto said.
"He's used to people who take care of him having to do important business," Gladio said.
"Yeah, but this is earning easy money, not running a whole kingdom," Prompto said.
"If Noct was an adult, you wouldn't be worried," Gladio said.
"If Noct was an adult, he'd be here with us, probably asleep in the back of the car but still would be here," Prompto said, "What are we really going to do if this is permanent?"
"We'll make due. If Lady Lunafreya cannot undo the magic, we will see if it is possible to do the rite with Noctis as he is. If it is too dangerous, then we are faced with little choice other than to go to ground and wait for Noctis to grow up again," Ignis said.
"What if he never remembers anything from the previous twelve years?" Prompto said.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Gladio said.
"Easy for you to say," Prompto said.
"He doesn't remember me right now either. I wasn't his trainer or guard until he was ten. He only met Iggy earlier than the rest of us because Iggy's parents decided it was better for Iggy and Noct to get to know one another as soon as possible," Gladio said.
"That's true. My parents and King Regis were convinced it would be best for us to raised alongside one another as I was to be his advisor one day," Ignis said.
"I'd have thought he would be acting brattier, though." Prompto looked down at his camera flipping through pictures of the trip thus far.
"Noctis wasn't a brat, per say, but he was a Prince and used to getting his own way, but he behaved in public and when he was a guest in someone else's home. It's likely that is the reason he has been so well behaved at Cape Caem," Ignis said.
"He's a little different than how I remember him, though. Maybe something of adult Noct is in there under the kid mind," Gladio said.
"Perhaps all he needs is time to remember," Ignis said. They emerged from the tunnel onto the main drag of Lestallum.
"Yeah, and be an adult trapped in a kid's body. That'd go over well," Prompto said.
Noctis looked at his targets. They looked a little lopsided, but he had to work with scrap wood and driftwood washed up below the cape. Practicing his aim with his spells was all he could do, so he would. He switched through his arsenal and found the thunderbolt spell Cabuncle had given him. He stood back, aimed, and obliterated the target. He switched to firework and there was some damage and it caught on fire a little. He switched to rain drop and threw it. It destroyed the remaining target and the target next to it, which was still on fire from firework. Meteor Rain: aim didn't matter with that needed the most aiming and he seemed to have that in spades. He hadn't been able to aim this good until he was older. How did he know that? Noctis shook his head.
"What happened here?" Noctis turned to see it was an older man in a suit, "Hello there, I didn't know there were two kids here."
"Hello, Tony!" Noctis looked over his shoulder; Iris walked over to them, "We don't have any more carrots yet, but the newest batch is doing very well!"
"Is this another of your cousins?" Tony asked.
"He's the kid of a dear family friend we're taking care of," Iris said.
"What's your name, big guy?" Tony asked. Noctis bristled at the epithet but looked at Iris who nodded.
"Noct Gar," Noctis said on instinct. Why had he said that?
"Nice to meet you, Noct," Tony said reaching to ruffle Noctis's hair. He stepped away. He didn't like that. "Shy guy, aren't you." Noctis just stared at him. Were outlanders all like this?
"Tony, watch out!" Iris pulled Tony out of the way of a stream of bullets. Magitek! Noctis reacted on instinct he didn't know he had. He pulled out an orb of Meteor Rain and threw it at the troopers that had landed on the edge of the Cape Caem property and the orbs fell from the sky battering them until they ceased to move. Noctis looked around and saw the damage hadn't ruined anything around them too much.
"That was something else!" Tony said, "How did you do that?" Noctis was at a loss. Carbuncle chirped and shook out his coat drawing Tony's attention to the small fox like being.
"A carbuncle? But those are pure myth."
"He's my friend," Noctis said, "Get back!" Another airship landed and this time a mobile armor and more troops were unloaded along with a man in armor. Noctis knew this man. He was sure of it.
"Whenever a pilot radioed in reports of a magic spell destroying my troops I knew we'd must have found His Highness's retinue, but here I am faced with a girl, a child, and a man who seems close to fainting."
"General Caligo," Iris said.
"You do remember me, Miss Amicitia. Now, who is this child? Another relative of a butler in your family's service or something else," Caligo said advancing. Noctis narrowed his eyes at the man. Butler. Jared! Like a lightning bolt from a stray thundara spell, Noctis remembered everything he knew about this man. Everything.
"Stay away or else," Noctis said.
"Tough guy, are we?" Caligo said. Noctis summoned a weapon. It was the Radiant Sword. A toy. All but useless, but it would have to do. Caligo's laughter died a little.
"What have we here? A Royal Bastard perhaps?" Caligo said. Noctis narrowed his eyes further.
"The only bastard here is you, General," Noctis said.
"Trying to sound tough by swearing doesn't suit you, boy," Caligo said, "So, whose are you? The King's or Prince Noctis's?"
"Wh-what?" Noctis sputtered. He'd never—.
"Ah, King Regis's then," Caligo drew a sword, "Now surrender quietly and no one else will get hurt."
"Don't do it!" Iris said.
"Miss Amicitia, would you care to accompany this child as well? Can't have you telling tales to your brother or the Prince before the time is right, after all," Caligo said. Carbuncle charged forwards, fur bristled, body glowing with power, a growl emanating from its throat.
"What's this?" Caligo said.
"That's Carbuncle," Noctis said. Caligo signaled with his free hand and the MT's opened fire. The other two!
"No!"
"Noctis! Run! Protect yourself!" Iris said after she tackled Tony out of the way. A shield protected them. It was Carbuncle.
"Noctis? No, it can't be, can it?" Caligo said. He charged forwards, using his sword to disarm Noctis and he pinned the child King of Lucis to the ground.
"Prince Noctis in the form of a child? Isn't this just a marvelous find—Ahh!" despite being covered in armor, Carbuncle could still reach the general's throat. Noctis took the opening and got free pulling a spell out of his arsenal and throwing it at the MT's and the mobile armor: Meteor Rain. The MT's were down, mostly, and the armor and taken damage. He pulled out a Rain Drop and threw it to finish the job. He heard a pained squeal. Carbuncle! Noctis turned back only to be tackled down by Caligo who had him by the neck, squeezing.
"How does it feel? To be utterly helpless before me?" He snarled. Noctis's vision was growing dark, Carbuncle wasn't moving. He needed help. Any help! He reached like he had to summon Carbuncle and lights were filling the air. Just before he passed out, he thought he saw a large hand reaching down.
Caligo tried to finish the brat off before the lights could condense. There had been reports of what this brought: Untold destruction. It was too late. A large hand reached down from the sky, flicking him off Prince Noctis as if he were a mere spec of dirt. The being was huge and familiar. He might have been from Niflheim, but he had studied the basic Cosmology of the Six. Ramuh the Fulgurian. He knew the being was real, he'd seen the corpse of the Glacian, after all. He backed away from the intense glowing red gaze of the Astral, but he knew it would do no good to run. He looked up and saw reinforcements had arrived. Two more carriers with troops and mobile armors. It would do no good. He closed his eyes and waited for oblivion.
MP:The battle between Kid! Noctis and General Caligo was rewritten at least three times. I had to scale back little Noct's power and for plot reasons I won't go into other changes I made.
Hence why Kid! Noctis not dying was quite literally a deus ex machina moment on the part of Ramuh.