Aggredior is Latin for, "to go to, approach, address, attack".
Chapter Four: Aggredior
"This, cannot be good," comments pro, as the four of them finally catch sight of the Black Reaper.
"The man's almost like Tarzan," observes Glad with nothing else but approval in his gaze.
"He seems to be very familiar with the layout of this part of the city," comments Ignis, looking a the car's GPS system.
Yes, he had definitely done this before.
"He is leading us directly into the Dome," he observes grimly.
"Do you think he lives there?" asks Pro.
A very interesting question and he thinks it over a moment before dismissing the idea. The Black Reaper seemed to contentiously dress as he did, in costume and under guise. This pointed to the theory that he deliberately hid away his identity so as to blend into the general pubic the rest of the time. Hiding within the confines of the Dome would make such an effort needless. Which makes this man a very formidable foe. Someone who could do that, was not someone to be ignored with or underestimated. That detail alone, has him ascertaining that he was more than an accomplished fighter, but an efficient spy. He can admire a man who had the ability to achieve all of that. He would have to be extraordinarily clever to remain hidden these last few months without detection. Especially with how much they had been trying to find him. These observations, he would keep to himself though. They would only make this man a prime suspect in the death of his father and he would not allow that.
"I don't think he would bother with that get up if he lived there," answers Ignis before he can.
"From the images we've seen, that stuff he's wearing can't be cheap," notes Pro.
"So he's funded by someone," suggests Glad.
"And extremely very well connected," finishes Ignis.
"But he does strike me as kind of a lone gunman. With his own agenda," adds Pro. "Which wouldn't work if he was being funded by someone."
"I still makes him a very big threat," he says.
"Still wanna know what he wants," says Glad.
"Woh! Did you see that?!" cries Pro suddenly while pointing outward.
"What the...?"
Before Glad can finish his exclamation, one of the tall, heavy power line poles tips over and crashes right into their path. It gives Ignis no time to hit the brakes or maneuver away to avoid it causing their car to ram right into it. The four of them barely have enough time to brace for impact before the car is soon filled with the protective bubbles of the airbags. He immediately activates his rune and slashes away the white balloons to free them and they all stumble out together, coughing in fits.
"You guys all right?" coughs Ignis, spitting onto the ground to clear his throat.
"Never better," remarks Pro, with a shake and scratch of his head, causing puffs of white o flitter around him.
"What in Hades?" demands Glad, toward the cause of their collision.
The four of them quickly glance to the point where something had forced the pole to hit the ground. To which they exchange cautious looks when it becomes obvious that the thing was big and not just big, but massive. The solid beam looked like it had been snapped like a small twig. Not a second later the ground trembles with the weight of something large landing on the rooftop of a building just beside them.
Standing there is a creature unlike any he has ever seen, perched there, hissing at them with deadly intent. It bellows at them with a deafening roar of challenge and they all react as one. Swords are drawn and his rune is activated. So intent are they on this threat that they miss the pair of eyes that watches them closely from behind.
"Pro, higher ground. There on top of the crosswalk," he orders calmly, not taking his eyes away from the monster.
"On it," replies Pro with a nod. "Never seen them look like that before." Then he rushes away to set himself up.
"It's like... a mutation," says Glad when the creature lets out another deafening roar.
Ignis, Glad and himself stand their ground when it leaps from the rooftop to land heavily right in front of them on the street. The city lights flicker briefly from it's impact and the eery lights glow a sickening mixture of yellow and green. The creature hisses at them confidently, obviously seeing them as easy prey.
Underestimated.
As he always is.
"Go," he orders and tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword before they begin their assault.
He takes point as he always does. Running forward and taking a flying leap, he slams his blade against the thick skull of the creature, jarring its focus before leaping backwards again to narrowly avoid its thrashing claws. Right after him , Glad and Ignis take their turns in landing strategic blows to different sections of the head to further throw it off balance. They work together like a finely tuned orchestra, in total harmony with the moves of the others and it is not long before the animal realizes its mistake.
"Noct, it's going to bolt," warns Ignis.
"Pro, are you in position?" he asks.
"You betcha."
No sooner has Pro said the words then the beast makes a mad dash away from them and hurtles down the street.
"It's going the wrong way," shouts Glad.
"I'm on it," he says, quickly teleporting in front of the creature, gleaming weapon in hand.
He throws his axe straight towards the side of it's head, where he had delivered his initial blow and the animal predictably swerves to the right in order to evade injury. It roars again when Ignis' saber stabs against its side and it finally runs to where they want it to.
"He is coming to you," he tells Pro before nodding to Ignis and Glad.
Then the three of them are moving in pursuit. He gets to Prompto and the creature first with the use of his powers and waves his arms in a gesture for attention. The thing sees him without a weapon and rushes towards him. Where he expertly leads it to the overhead crosswalk, taking the stairs three at a time. Once he reaches the top, he stops to stare defiantly towards the gruesome being and watches it let out another bellow before it slams its massive claws on either side of his body.
"Is that the best you can do?" he hisses out in challenge before he summons his blade again and throws it towards the creature's face. In a perfect bull's eye, his aim is true and it stabs right into one of its irises. It rears back and screeches in agony, clawing at its face in an attempt to dislodge the blade. He runs towards Pro on the other side of the crosswalk but his eyes remain on target while .
"A little close there, Noct," warns Pro when he passes him to walk down the stairs to reach the ground level to be in front again.
He watches closely as the beast manages to hurl his sword away from its ruined eye and screeches again. It steps right where Pro needs it to and his friend fires without hesitation towards the explosives he has already planted. The corresponding boom and bursting flames engulf their foe and it cries out again in outraged defeat. Pro fires another shot towards the heart, silencing that dreadful sound. It lets out one last choked cry before it crashes down with a crunching thud and causes all manners of dust and debris to scatter around them.
"How many times I gotta tell you to lighten up on the explosives, straw for brains?" demands Glad, stomping to their blonde friend angrily. "You could have gotten yourself and Noct killed with that blast."
"But I didn't!" protests Pro. "Besides, that sucker was huge! I needed to make sure that he was going to stay down!"
"What sort of monstrosity is this?" he whispers to himself, heedless to the arguing of his friends behind him and he walks towards the charred body of the thing they have just killed. It was not like the behemoths he has faced before nor like the raptors. He has to agree with Glad. This looked like a mutation.
"Get your head out of your arse and listen to me for once!"
"And be like you? Party pooper!"
He wonders where this creature came from and looks around, noticing that they are deep within the vicinity of the Dome. Which must be the reason. The Dome had changed it... So consumed in his musings he is not quick enough to react when the creature's claw swiftly raises to smash him. It would have been successful were it not for the double bladed knife that whizzes past his head and buries itself in the hardened flesh. He can see an electric current travel swiftly through the attached wire like lightning to fry the creature completely. The scorched claw fall away from him and the knife is jerked out and retracted as quickly as it had been throw to returned to its wielder.
He turns around and sees him up close for the first time.
The Black Reaper.
Long black overcoat billowing in the ghostly air with mask donned. He looks just as sinister as he is.
Without thought or hesitation, he summons his broadsword and hurls it towards the Black Reaper and watches the other man expertly work his wire around it in mid air to thrust it aside. The white mask peers back at him at an angle with a silent question.
Is that all?
"Do not interfere," he orders his friends.
Then the double bladed knife is flying towards his own head but he blocks it easily with his armory shield. The knife is not even completely deflected before another wire shoots right through his shield and latches onto his right hand. His quick reflexes have him tightening it around his wrist and pulling the wire taunt by twisting his body while simultaneously recalling his sword and severs the wire before he too can be electrocuted just as the fallen beast had been. He has just completed his turn when he sees the rapid approach of the Black Reaper with another double bladed dagger at the ready. His sword is up just in time to deflect the blow but he staggers back from the momentum. He does not take too long recover before takes his own swing and metal clashes against metal as they engage.
"What do you want?" he demands through a hiss while they parry back and forth.
"Not the right question," is the reply.
They push away from each other.
"Be careful making wishes while you're in here," warns the Black Reaper. "There are prices to pay for the wishes you share."
"What does that mean?" he demands again.
"Be careful what you wish for," the man warns again. Then his head turns to his friends. "Be careful what you all wish for while you're in here."
"I want answers from you," he orders, bounding forward with his sword in a downward stroke.
"Noctis!"
The cry has him skidding to a halt mid stride to whirl around at the sound of that familiar feminine voice.
To see nothing there.
He looks at his friends and they look back at him just as confounded. They had heard her too. They had heard Stella. Stella's voice call out his name, but Stella was not there.
The four of them turn to the Black Reaper to find that he too is not there.
"Okay, what the frak is going on here!?"
Author's Note: To my Anon reviewer, who wanted to know whether Stella was going to be in this fic... yes, she most certainly is. It just would not be the same without Stella. :)