V
NOCTIS
The crowd was in a frenzied state of being, the stadium in a deafeningly uproar, and the mood just tantamount intense. But even with the chaos and hectic clamor with the shouts and the liveliness of the coliseum, it was all so distant to Noctis. As he stood there and waited for the consuls to give the signal and start the test, the world through his eyes was somehow separate from his conscience.
He had detached himself from the present, so much so that the upcoming challenge seemed to him like a fading nightmare. He was still nervous and excited and even looking forward to the looming gladiator fight but it was a muted array of emotions, so faint and faraway that he felt almost numb. He was still there standing in the center of the arena waiting, but his conscience, his sense of reality, had fled.
Then all at once, the world returned to him and he was aware of his surroundings again.
Noctis gritted his teeth, resisting the involuntary urge to bite his tongue as the frenzy escalated.
Clutching Riptide tightly in his left hand, he braced himself and glanced around trying not to look too furtive. He checked each of the gateways that were positioned equidistantly apart about the circular stadium as if they could open at any moment and he would be attacked by some unknown enemy. He looked over, studying the differences between the nine gates with its nine arches etched with old worn text and the Cantos of Dante's Inferno.
There was this sense of uneasiness that permeated the place…
And the air itself seemed to have thickened and gravity seemed to double its pull around him. Noctis started feeling light-headed as he waited. He glanced over sidelong at his newly acquainted comrades who sat at the front seats.
Gwendolyn gave a cheer. Bobby winked and gave a thumbs-up. Dakota just nodded. And Hazel waved lazily. Noctis returned their encouragement with a forced smile before turning his attention to the consuls, waiting for the nine adversaries to show themselves, waiting for Octavian to throw that red handkerchief as the signal, waiting to fight.
He tried to keep his mind from shutting down and succumbing to instincts that told him to just bolt out of there or at least find a hiding place or a vantage point. He desperately needed a plan but couldn't come up anything. No brilliant scheme, no flashing light bulb over his head. No strategy or tactics was dangerous though, when he had to fight nine unknown enemies at once.
He glanced down at his wrist at the silver bracelet sparkling brightly with its glinting sapphire jewel of a star that with one flick changed to a crescent moon. If objects had emotions he'd say the goddess' gift was twinkling at him mischievously. All his aches and pains had gone now, completely. The trance-like daze, the feeling as if one was in a dream, gone, too. And his mind was clear and blank, focused.
What the heck? But wow. Focus… he blinked. What was that voice? That hadn't been his conscience nor did it sound like Lupa's…
'So," he murmured, studying the jewelry more closely. "You've got a few more tricks up your sleeve than I had expected." He knew it was a stretch to think that this bracelet gave him strength but the thought was what counts.
Noctis exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders and stretching. His senses were working overtime. Everything had gone into overload. Muscle tension. Heart rate. Instincts. Senses. All so acute, all so overwhelming. All of it was a new level of demigod goodness: awareness, focus, movement, observation. Everything.
He touched the silver bracelet to his forehead and felt again the ice-cold energy and the heat rush flowing through him, coursing through his veins like molten lava and cold arctic waters. Looking down, he almost could've sworn there was a metallic silvery shimmer around him, a sort of aura that covered him like a chrysalis and cleared him of any discomfort.
Noctis blinked again, taken aback. As he glanced up at the spectator stands and at the hundreds of demigods, immortals, and other creatures alike, he caught a glimpse of a pair of silvery white eyes meeting his gaze before vanishing among the crowds of people.
He took in the crowds sitting restlessly in their seats or moving about making bets on how long this new hero would last no doubt, and also having a few laughs and comments. He probably looked like an idiot for not wearing any excessive armor. Only wrist guards.
His eyes roamed over to where the gates stood situated around the place each with their forbidding sinister aura, and then over to the soldiers that had come down into the arena and stood at attention along the walls—none of them, Noctis noticed, got anywhere close to the gateways.
He felt the few beams of sunlight as the sun shone faintly through the dark rain clouds that had gathered in a swirl of angry restlessness, swirling overhead like a whirlpool or roiling grey hues and the occasional streak of lightning—the very same kind of storm that had occurred as he fought the Drakon and the Hydra.
It was disconcerting and a bit unnatural but Noctis paid it no mind. By the gods, everything was confusing.
He could feel the unevenness of the ground beneath his feet and the smell of dried blood and rusted metal of past gladiator showdowns.
His grip on Riptide had become so vice-like as he stood there tasting the fresh air that his knuckles had gone white. The crowd was cheering and shouting impatiently now—their limited patience lost.
And there was again the sound of the rolling thunder, and a low rumble that came from all around and that he couldn't really pinpoint. Still, nothing he couldn't deal with.
The field Noctis stood in seemed almost the same size as the Graveyard he had seen outside the camp's walls. As he looked around at the flat dusty field, the landscape began to change around him. It shifted and distorted into new landmarks and rougher terrains.
Ditches and walls built as cover took the flat battlegrounds place. Weapons and armor littered the grounds now and more fell like hail around him—Noctis had to bat a few aside from hitting him over the head.
Bones appeared everywhere, varying in size and shape. Some carcasses seemed to belong to giants or dinosaurs while some were normal beasts. And other…were distinctly human shaped—he chose not to dwell on it too much like last time but couldn't quite help his fascination. The skeletons littered the ground, its quantity matching the piles of weapons and mountains of armor that were strewn all about.
Mist spread across the terrain. It slightly obscured his vision but not entirely. Fragments of scenery flitted through every so often into his sight as the fog swirled and moved about, thinning and spreading equally over the whole place. So it became the Graveyard…
Noctis looked over at the consuls who had bemused expressions plastered on their faces but he felt that they weren't all too happy at the magnificent view. As he kicked his way through the old blood ground to get a better layout of the place, he spoke up, "Special effects and setting design? How come nobody ever told me?" the crowd was hushed. Everything was muted again. Weird. Was something wrong?
Something caught his attention then and drew him away from his thoughts like a snake charmer charming the wits out a snake. He had caught it out of the corner of his eye and as he turned around, he found the text written on each arch and gate glowing with its seemingly cold light even as it shone blood red, pulsating with a slow rhythm.
The source of the rumbling sound became all too clear as the ground literally shook. Something—maybe a number of some things—began pounding from the other side of the nine bronze doors.
Eerie sounds of faint moaning and soft whispers and muffled shrieks that sounded so light and low and maddeningly sharp reverberated around the circular arena from beyond the doors. The sound echoed and bounced off the walls. It was everywhere, whistling in the howling winds that had picked up nonstop.
The atmosphere had already been dark and tense but it was growing even blacker and bleaker, more sinister by the second. The apprehension, the doubts, and the fears radiated in this dark place, contaminating the air with its poison. The gloom and doom ambiance was on high, its rays piercing everything, affecting everything. Noctis thought that he had maybe taken in too much of its influence already.
But he knew how to play the game and he was going to win it. Entertain the crowd and simultaneously kick butt.
The rumbling grew even louder and Noctis could hear the whirring of machinations and the clicks of complex locks being opened and the sound of a thousand gears that needed oiling grinding against one another. The ancient mechanisms came to life and its metallic orchestra of musical clicks, whirs, and grinding joined the rumbling of the ground that shook the place so much.
The doors' many restraints quickly disarmed themselves. The gates shifted and its many devices, many assortments of machines disengaged. The carvings on the metal frames moved furiously and gracefully, becoming something like a film. The depicted souls of sinners eternally tormented swirled about and the pictures of spidery flames that ran wildly every which way consumed them.
Noctis gripped his blade more firmly and touched his bracelet to his lips. "The gates are about to open. Help me." The silver bracelet responded, glowing slightly and pooling more power through him.
Flames leapt from the torches of each doorway, illuminating the changing engravings and bringing it into sharper, better light. The depictions of horrifying nightmares and the suffering of countless sinners under the hands of Hell and the script on the gateway and arches were all too detailed and too clear for Noctis to dwell on comfortably.
The words of Dante, the other inscriptions from long-forgotten legends, and tales were glowing with an even brighter red still but its light was a cold fury. It shifted and moved and ripped themselves from the metal structures. They flew around the arena, forming sigils and signs. And when Noctis closed his eyes, he could see the scripture burned into his sight.
Then something rose from the ground on each side of every gate. A metal hand reached out from the earth and lifted the rest of its self from the ground. Bronze metal sentinels stood guard over the gates, crossing their gold spears to bar the gates from Noctis—not that he wanted to go into one of them anyway. They could have it all to themselves.
Noctis tensed, wondering if these were his adversaries but quickly dismissed that. There were eighteen of them, not nine. He shook his head. Don't jump to conclusions. Don't panic or think irrationally. Stay calm and focus.
From underneath the black visors of their helmets, each of the sentinels' mechanical eyes glowed red and they began to chant in unison, their voices surprisingly human and natural.
The chants continued, rising in volume and growing more hypnotic as the scripts that twisted around like a whirlwind pulsed, and shone brighter than ever. The pictures on the gate frames were starting to glow themselves, so bright that Noctis couldn't even look at the gates anymore.
The sentinels fell silent and the light died down to a faint cold radiance. Then each automaton withdrew their spears and stepped away from the doors, stabbing the butt of their spears down in front of them.
The nine entrances were beginning to open in sequential order from Roman numeral I to IX, one by one. And Noctis was able to see what was beyond each as the gates slid aside.
He didn't like what he saw.
Beyond each gate, there was something different: a void, a wild tempest, a cold storm, a grave, a swamp, a chamber of flaming tombs, a lava lake and other horrors…
Nine silhouettes stood out of everyone's sight in the shade of their respective gates. And as they came into view, stepping forward from the threshold of their imprisonment, Octavian released the red cloth, letting the wind carry it away. It flew up over the heads of Noctis. He could feel himself tensing and the others were drawing their different assortments of weapons.
Noctis observed the red cloth's course through the corner of his eye, mainly concentrating on the nine adversaries that had him fairly surrounded. The faces were featureless blurs through his eyes, his attention centered on their movements.
The cloth landed. And all Hell broke loose in that instant.
Noctis barely had time to register what was going on or who he was up against before all nine champions came rushing at him, all from different directions, covering all the angles efficiently and swiftly
"What the—?" he was cut off as he dodged under a swipe that could've taken his head and slashed out with Riptide. It was parried and Noctis had time to see that it was a broadsword before he was showered with blows that he dodged and blocked here and there. He crossed swords again and Riptide and the broadsword grinded against one another, showering them with sparks that Noctis barely felt. He met the red eyes of a knight in black armor. The armor was scratched and battered all over and a spear stuck out awkwardly in the man's chest. Noctis blinked then focused as he leapt over a slash at the shins.
Suddenly the knight was in front of him and moving with frightening speed, the knight kicked him in the stomach with his steel toed boots. Noctis flew a few yards back, crashing into a pile of bones. But he didn't feel winded at all.
Nonplussed, Noctis got up onto his feet only to be thrown a good distance back again.
When Noctis looked up, the knight was already standing over him, raising his sword high over his head. The warrior's sword flashed and Noctis swung his sword out using the momentum and the sudden outpour of strength from his bracelet to hold the attack.
He stared at the swordsman again, warily.
The two blades resounded with clashes and screeching and showers of sparks. Noctis rolled aside to avoid getting stabbed and the blade sank into the ground where his head had been seconds ago. He leapt to his feet then ducked out of instinct and felt a whoosh of wind where his head had been.
He spun around and slashed blindly and kept at it, trying to overwhelm the enemy with speed and brutality. There was a roar and the creature fell to its knees. He caught sight of what he was fighting through the haze of bloodlust that clouded his vision and thoughts. It was a huge monster of some cross breed between a buffalo and a buff human, the Minotaur.
Noctis took no time to behead the thing and then turned to see the knight charging him full pelt. He ducked under the knight's slash. Then realizing it was a feint, he quickly sidestepped back and rammed him into the ground.
He slashed at the knight's armor then dived out of the way as a torrent of flames came surging toward him. It exploded beside right where he'd been but didn't harm the knight. Noctis glanced over to see a flaming skeleton with a tomb strapped to its back, fire covered the corpse completely and it threw another ball of fire at him.
Grabbing a shield, Noctis charged the human torch but a volley of arrows made him change course. As he ran more arrows followed and he was soon zigzagging through bones and armor to make it harder for him to get shot. He could hear the clacking of hooves behind him and chancing a glance around, he saw a skeletal evil centaur with flames running wildly around its hide chasing after him.
The evil centaur looked as if it were carved from black stone, its features angular and chipped. Noctis could just tell it was evil with its skeleton horse part and its stony colorless human half and the fact that it was breathing fire, which he knew wasn't normal for a centaur.
Through the maze of bones and armor and weapons they went until Noctis reached a dead end. He whipped around to face the centaur and prepared to meet its charge full on. When one was in a desperate position, they tended to do risky things. Noctis managed to leap up and slam his shield, which looked like a pin cushion or a board that had been used for too much target practice, into the brute's chest and sent it smashing down into the ground.
After that, he made a run for it, not even bothering to turn around and check on the downed fire breathing centaur as a spout of flame slammed into the pile of bones beside him, turning them to ash. He had to be in constant motion, constantly moving about and watching his step as he ran around the place. Or else he'd be easy prey for the others.
Suddenly something black and with wings and fast swooped down, streaking past him as it hit his shield out of his hand. Then it came back for him and slammed into him, sending him flying into a pile of bones with a crash.
It flung him up into the air and before he even realized he was airborne Noctis was thrown down, crashing into the ground. He picked himself up but before he even took a step, he was thrown again like a rag doll, up into the air and slammed down. At that brief time, he saw what he was up against. It was like a dark shadow of an angel, even in the faint light under the cloudy sky; it looked all black and featureless. Its wings expended to cover the skies as it grow closer, diving at him.
He hit the ground harder this time but even being dropped a few hundred feet up in the air didn't break any bones so that was something. He didn't think much of it though. The dark angel thing was hurtling at him again.
Quickly, Noctis stood and grabbed the nearest thing he could reach. It turned out to be another shield. He brought it up to block the angel's body slam and then turned to block a volley of arrows. So the centaur was back. Darn. And this time the arrows were on fire. Improvised weapon use. Again, darn.
Hastily dropping the flaming shield, Noctis ran for it but before he could even get a few steps away, something huge slammed into him, clobbering his side and sending him flying yards away. There was a deafening howl from some unknown beast. Looking over, Noctis saw a huge three headed Hellhound gnashing its teeth as it bounded toward him. It slammed him to the ground before he could react. After that, he found it trying to sink its teeth into him but somehow it couldn't and it just threw him into the air.
Arrows flew at him as he was airborne but just as the volley of arrows were sent. The dark angel came back into the game and slammed him into the walls several yards above the ground. The thing had unknowingly saved his life. He managed to push it off then leapt off the wall as leverage and flung Riptide at the centaur. The blade sliced right through the beast's neck and its head toppled. Soon after it dissolved into dust. Riptide's course continued and pinned one of the Hellhound's paw to the ground. It whimpered and Noctis felt almost sorry for it. Oh well, he was about to put it out of its misery anyway.
Noctis quickly rolled when he hit the ground, and then after taking Riptide out of the Hound's paw, lacerated wanna-be Cerberus into small enough pieces for meat packaging. Then he turned to meet the steely edge of Clarent once more.
They fought, he and the Legionary, both not able to master the other, no one able to get the upper hand. Both tried their best to kill the other but with no success. They were both equally skilled and fast. Noctis could've sworn he saw the knight's eyes glitter at the thought of actually finding a worthy opponent.
Then the dark angel came and slammed him up. His grip on Riptide loosened and he was hit over and over again and again in the air in quick, rapid succession. Noctis managed to fight back on the umpteenth hit. He flipped in the air and onto the back of the winged beast. Then he swung down and managed to throw the angel thing down, slamming it into the ground.
Noctis landed in a crouch on top the evil angel with a sickening crunch. Getting up quickly, he felt for the nearest weapon around him. Grabbing a sword from the many stuck in the ground around him. He had lost Riptide during the aerial collision where he had turned the tables on the dark angel thing but it took a few minutes for the blade to return to his pocket.
The only problem was that he didn't have that much time to spare.
He leapt to one side as another tongue of flames cam streaming his way then rolled as…arrows followed, their ends flaming. What the heck? He turned around and found the centaur he'd fought moments ago and defeated, very much alive and with a head.
Noctis narrowed his eyes. That can't be right. Then he saw it change into the Hellhound that he had diced. It was a wraith, a Changeling. Crap.
The shape-shifting beast let out a howl and in its three headed Hellhound state, it leapt over, lunging at him. He looked over its three heads and saw someone sitting atop the thing. The figure was what would look like the Roman God Pluto but it was only a shade, Noctis knew. Still the specter was terrifying by its own rights, dressed in all black armor and the cloak and its scepter held high as it rode the Hellhound.
Noctis turned and nearly got cut to shreds by the Roman soldier but managed to side step it. Then he realized it was a feint.
The bladesman went in for the kill and slashed at his chest. Noctis could feel the fabric of his shirt part as the blade ripped through it and braced for the pain. It came but in a sort of detached sense.
Noctis' senses were working overload. He dully noted that this must be ADHD.
He looked down and found that he was bleeding a lot from where the dark angel had used slashed him. The cut ran down from his shoulder to his stomach. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal but bad nonetheless. Amazingly he was still standing. Looking up, he saw the Legionary step back, surprised. Noctis slashed out and knocked the helmet off the knight's head then went for the killing blow.
Noctis turned around and saw swrodsman getting back up, the wound on his head didn't seem to be fatal.
He parried a sword's thrust and then cart wheeled to the side to avoid a huge spout of fire that came roaring in from behind.
Who was throwing the stupid fire? It was annoying. His instincts were coming in use and his senses were at its highest sensitivity. He ran up and slid under to the belly of the wraithlike Hellhound and slashed it apart. The souls that held the beast together split away then reassembled and the mock image of Pluto fell through. Noctis was waiting for him. He twisted behind him and slashed at the impostor's head.
The head came away and the body fell to the blood and flesh spattered ground with a thunk! Five down now.
From under the belly of the Changeling beast, Noctis slashed wildly at its hide, making long, deep gouges. The Changeling/Hellhound roared and tried to crush him under it by sitting but Noctis rolled out. He was on his feet in moments. Then blocking a heavy blow from the Roman warrior, who had snapped out of his stunned motionless stupor, Noctis flung himself to the side to avoid the Changeling's rampage.
A huge fireball came whooshing at him that instant. He barely had the time to bring the surrounding mist gathered around in front of him, forming a huge dome of water, before the flames smashed against his hasty water construct in a blast of condensation.
Noctis looked up to see the one who had thrown the fiery missile and his mouth went dry. It was a flaming corpse with a huge metal coffin chained to its back that met his sight. It was a skeletal figure whose flesh had all but rotted and burnt away to leave its bones blackened and exposed. And it was on fire. The bones should have long since turned to ash and cinders but it wasn't.
Noctis charged it. There was no time to wonder about things he couldn't fathom or understand. He had to eliminate everyone before he ran out of steam. Gathering the mist around him once more, he threw it at the flaming corpse, concentrating the vapors into one point and shaping a ball of water.
The chained human torch skeleton's empty eye sockets seemed to flash red as it turned to meet the watery onslaught. It returned Noctis' water ball with a wall of flames and the water exploded again into a spray of mist. But he hadn't expected it to hit anyway, only to act as a diversion. The foggy haze provided sufficient cover for him as it covered the area.
Noctis ran in break neck speed through the smoke screen and punched out, his fist colliding with the skull of the flaming corpse. The thing fell backward and hit the ground. Its flames flickered around it then died. Noctis sighed. Six down. He turned to leave the place but a skeletal hand grabbed his ankle. Darn. He whipped around and faced the carcass of blackened bones, snatched a gladius that was within his reach, stuck to the ground, and started hacking at the skeleton until it was in pieces. The bones were metal which explained the fact that the thing didn't burn to ashes. Ne mystery solved.
Then the skeleton reassembled itself, using the other bones around the Graveyard as replacements for the metal bones Noctis had cut to chipped pieces. "C'mon, that's not fair…"
He ran at it again but this time he just pushed the corpse thing back, all the way against one of the gates then pinned it down with a couple of blades strewn about and left."That ought to do it."
A tornado of wind, dust, bones, weapons, and armor came into his peripheral vision as he straightened and turned to meet the storms which had forward into something that looked similar to the dark angel thing he tussled with moments before, a Ventus.
He made a swipe with his hand and the mist reacted, forming into a fist that enclosed around the Ventus before it had time to escape. He slammed it into the ground then around the walls, attempting to subdue the fury of the storm. Noctis brought it crashing down to the ground then slammed it into the walls then the ground again before he got bored and let it drop. The storm spirit's winds had all but died down, hardly able to maintain and keep its form. Its humanoid hands crackled with electricity and twin lances of lightning came into being.
Riptide had returned to his pocket by now and Noctis uncapped it. The golden blade met the two lances with a thundering crash. Thunder boomed overhead and lightning from the skies shot down and hit Noctis' blade, sending bolts of shock through him but he held on.
Gritting his teeth, Noctis let out s shout and pushed the Ventus back. The winds were picking up again but this time it wasn't the Ventus' doing. Noctis could feel the chaos of the storm around him and as he threw the storm spirit back, he found that he was in the center of a hurricane.
Voices began to echo in his head now as he studied the storm that gathered around him, the winds twisting about and lightning flashing here and there.
"He's too powerful, P—"
"No, I can handle it. You take care of the others. I'll hold of the Titan."
"You think you can defeat me mere mortal? Me, Hyperion, Titan of the Light?—No, stop doing that! Stop!"
"P—, is that you? The storm…?"
Then he returned to the present just in time to meet the Ventus' lances all over again. He parried the blows then launched into a rapid counterattack. Slamming Riptide against the twin lances of high voltage, he managed to bring the humanoid angel-like Ventus down onto its knees. He sliced through the spirit then as it let down its guard and cut it half then slashed again just for extra insurance. Seven down for the count.
Getting back up to his feet, Noctis stared around. The mist was clearing and as his surroundings came into view, Noctis could see that the terrain seemed more even after the Changeling and the other creatures had flattered most of it.
The Legionary stood several yards off, searching for Noctis. Noctis met his gaze the instant the bladesman noticed him.
Switching Riptide to his left hand again, Noctis grabbed a spear that lay by his feet and charged. The guy drew his sword and charged, too. They met at the center of the arena. The sword came slashing out across Noctis' chest a second time and sliced his shirt to further shreds but it seemed lady luck favored Noctis because the blade didn't cut him this time. Noctis felt the coldness of the blade brush past his skin with a shiver.
Then the hilt came slamming into the side of his head and Noctis realized the first blow had been a feint. Stars erupted and his vision flashed red then white. But enemy must have used the flat side of his blade because Noctis was still very whole, his head still very much intact with the rest of his body.
He glared down the length of his blade. Noctis charged with the spear. It slammed home. Noctis continued on, driving the spear into the dark knight's throat. The enemy fell to the ground and lay motionless. That was eight adversaries down.
Letting go of the spear still clutched in his hand and turned around in a full circle, searching for the Changeling, the last champion.
It was a little too big to miss and as he looked over his shoulder at it, the thing morphed into the dark angel. Noctis ran at it, Riptide brought back for a thrust once her neared but the Changeling didn't wait for him. It swooped up into the air and flew about the arena in an upward spiral. Noctis looked around, trying to think of what to do. He spotted several swords stuck to the ground, a shield, and a grappling hook.
Noctis grabbed the shield first and threw it like a Frisbee at the spiraling winged monster. It missed by a hair.
Then he went for the swords and threw them one after another in rapid fire movements. Each blade landed a few feet short of their target and stuck to the side of the walls until it formed steps spiraling up…like a spiral staircase.
Steps…
An idea flashed through his mind. In the heat of battle, that was something. There usually wasn't time for planning, only improv.
Noctis snatched the grappling hook and wrapped its lengthy cord around his arm. Then he waited. Timing was everything. It had to be perfect.
The Changeling remained in its course, tauntingly out of reach, and then it flew past the swords and Noctis began to run.
He ran towards the wall and threw Riptide as it flew past the last flight of swords stuck in the wall. Riptide missed it but that was only a distraction. Just something to slow it down.
Noctis leapt up and ran on the swords like they really were huge, widely spaced flights of stairs. He ascended the makeshift spiraling staircase in a flash. Everything seemed to slow. Time came to a standstill and yet he moved onward. His distant conscience deduced that maybe his mind was several seconds behind his movements. He didn't stop. This was his only chance to give the beast the smack down it deserved. He ran on, up the wall, following the Changeling's spiral course, and came head to head with the thing.
The thing let out a primal roar, shrieking out its battle cry, and changed course. But it had realized Noctis' intention a split second too late.
Noctis was already about fifty feet above the ground and as he stepped on the last sword, his sword, Riptide, he leaped up and pushed off from the wall, outward, toward the ninth adversary that had swung away from the vicinity of the walls. He swung the grappling hook around at his side once, twice, and then threw it at the thing.
The length of the grappling hook coiled around his last foe like a snake. In an instant it seemed the Changeling was bound. Swinging from the cord of the hook, Noctis managed to land on it. He huffed, "You're not going anywhere now." and strangled the thing with the cord. He directed the angel/Changeling thing into a crash landing down into a pile of bones. The impact was jarring. He bit his lip accidentally and tasted blood. Quickly rolling off the creature, Noctis got to his feet and brought the cord swinging up. He swung the grappling hook over his head like a lasso. The Changeling still entangled in it then smashed it against the ground.
But now the changeling had gotten free and morphed again into the shape of the evil, fire-breathing centaur he had killed a while ago. Arrows flew every which way he went as the centaur galloped around the clearing.
The arrows came ceaselessly as if there was no end to them and the quiver of arrows strapped to the centaur's back was limitless. Noctis ducked under a wall of sandbags as a volley of flaming missiles came hurtling his way over his head. He glanced down at his silver bracelet, the gift of the goddess, and hesitated. He didn't want to show everyone all his tricks but in this situation he might not have any choice. But maybe there was another way. He checked his pockets for Riptide but his blade hadn't come back yet. Darn, he had no choice now. Hopefully the mist will shield the fact that he had a silver bracelet that could turn into weapons.
He flicked the star/crescent moon gem and it changed into the bluish-silver crossbow with its intricate designs and sigils. He brought the weapon around and then came into the opening. "Like they say: fight fire with fire, venom with venom, and now arrows with arrows." He let loose his return volley of arrows at the centaur Changeling. Each hit the centaur's arrows out of the way and a few stabbed into the skeletal flank of the Changeling. His crossbow was like a machine gun. The arrows like bullets and the weapon also seemed to have an endless supply of ammo.
The long range battle continued for what seemed like hours but he knew that this was getting nowhere and the Changeling seemed to think the same because it changed tack and morphed into the pyromaniac skeleton with its coffin chained to its back. The thing threw darts of flames at Noctis that singed everything even remotely close to it.
He had to bring forth the mist around him to form a shield. Noctis let go of the crossbow and it charged back into the bracelet. Then he flicked the gem again and clutched the long silver lance moments later.
Searching his pockets, Noctis uncapped Riptide one-handedly and threw it like a boomerang. Riptide flew through the air and stabbed the flaming skeleton in the chest, through the coffin, and pinned it to the ground. It roared and ripped Riptide out, throwing his blade to the side. It began to grow, larger and larger, until it towered over him. It kicked him in the chest and he went flying into the wall opposite the monster. He fell onto his staircase of swords and without thinking, he ran up it once again. When he leapt off the side of the wall, mirroring the movements he had done to take it down while in angel form, his bracelet changed into a crossbow again.
Firing several rounds, he watched his arrows' course, noticing that it left a fiery blue-white trail. His weaponry seemed to improvise as he fought and added new additions and adjustments. His arrows looked like small comets and he could only surmise the damage they caused were beyond normal; it left huge gashes and other severe wounds on the giant's rough, iron-like hide. Flames danced around the spearhead tips of his missiles, sometimes emitting sonic shrieks and punching a hole through the giant's torso with ease.
Noctis felt as if he were airborne for a long time as he took in all the details, analyzing the damage, and the course of the arrows. He wanted to land atop the giant's head but he knew he couldn't possibly make it that far a distance.
A flash of memory came into his vision of how he had used the winds of the storm when he fought the Hydra. He had been airborne just like now and he had used the wind to keep him that way. There was a tug in his gut and the storm around him that had been raging moments before returned. Furious howling winds pushed him forward and he landed atop the thing.
His entire body was glowing now, at the edges, outlining his body in silver and blue fire. He felt like an avenging archangel come down to smite the demon down. His crossbow changed into his medium range weapon form, the lance again. He barely felt the resistance as he drove it through the giant's head and then he raised it again to smite it once more. The storm gathered around him and obscured the crowd's vision throughout his whole performance.
And he gathered the mist and water about to form a lance of its own which came down, drilling into the beast.
After that, the giant fell and Noctis along with it. He crashed into the ground and rolled out of the changeling's way. His silver lance changed back to bracelet form. Riptide clattered to the ground from his loose fingertips. It was over. Thank the gods, it was over.
He was tired, really tired and as he staggered up and looked around as the mist cleared once more he saw the crowd in silence. He was half conscious and half asleep. His vision was blurring and growing darker by the second. He was falling. Then he felt himself being caught by soft, delicate, and gentle hands. A voice whispered in his ear, "You were amazing, Percy."
Was I? He thought. Then, Percy...? But he couldn't think properly and the thought escaped his mental grasp.
"Sleep now, Perseus. All is well." Sleep.
He still had to thank her for everything, for taking care of him and protecting him and healing him and giving him such an awesome gift but he couldn't open his eyes—they were like lead...
And then he fell into the goddess' comforting embrace completely and then into his dreams...that took him far, far away into his own dreamscape wonderland.