Title: Escape
Genre: Drama, action
Rating: T – Aranea alone increases the rating. She's a perverted sadist weirdo.
Summary: Gentiana has shown her true colours. Noctis, Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus are taken captive. How will the five companions survive the next ordeal?
Chapter 12, part 3: Escape
What have I done.
Lunafreya slowly reached for her rapier under the table. She had to do something. She had to save her unconscious friends.
"Why are you doing this?" her voice wavered as she held the stern woman's gaze.
"My allegiance has ever been to the Empire. The Emperor wants the boy", she nodded towards the raven haired prince whose face was twisted into a restless grimace. Even trapped in a dreamless sleep he fought to regain consciousness.
"What will you do with the others?" she dreaded the answer.
"They are the Emperor's triumph card for the boy's cooperation. After he gets what he wants out of the Prince, they will be publicly executed", Gentiana spoke casually as she would of the weather. This was not the woman Lunafreya had offered her trembling heart to a year ago.
"What will happen to me?" her voice was barely above a whisper. She felt so utterly betrayed. Gentiana stood up from the head of the table and walked behind Luna. She rested her slender hands on Luna's shoulders and leaned in as if to tell a secret.
"You will remain where you belong – by my side", the Niflheimian woman's breath was hot on Luna's skin. "And you will reveal the secrets concerning your power and the visions. You will help us unlock the secrets of Etro's Gate, so that none can challenge the Empire." Luna turned away, disgusted with what she was hearing.
"What has the Emperor done to earn your loyalty and devotion?" she nearly spat. "I thought you were a good person, a trustworthy person!" She didn't give the older woman time to answer as she unsheathed her rapier and lunged, but the woman was expecting the attack and easily sidestepped.
"You are a fool, if you think you can take down the Empire with your ragtag group of companions", Gentiana taunted as she removed a hidden sword hilt from within the folds of her clothing. She switched on its obsidian magitek blade. The blade seemed to suck in the very light around it. Luna was reminded of a predator's growl by its low hum. "I do not wish to harm you, but I will not stand idle if you try to get in my way."
Luna raised her rapier, trying to ignore the small voice in her head that wished to surrender and give in to Gentiana's demands. She glanced at the plain silver ring adorning her left hand. Her mind was made up. She could almost feel the disappointment radiate from her opponent. "Consider this your last warning."
Lunafreya charged at the older woman. Sparks flew as thin metal blade clashed with magitek blade. She had to somehow disarm the dark clad woman long enough to wake up Noctis. But how was she to do that? Ketamine lasted for at least a good twenty minutes. There was no way she could drag him back to consciousness from the forced slumber. She would have to keep up their deadly dance until the men woke up on their own.
The sound of running feet barging through the front door halted their blades. Gentiana lowered her sword and ordered the newly arrived Niflheimian soldiers to cuff the unconscious men.
Luna was severely outnumbered. She could only watch as her companions were hauled unceremoniously outside. The sergeant kept watch as the troopers carried out their orders. "What about the girl, milady?" Gentiana's cool gaze never left Luna's determined eyes. "I will handle her. We have unfinished business." The sergeant saluted and took his leave. Luna raised her rapier to ready for another attack when a sudden impudent female voice interrupted the two.
"Gentiana dear, I never knew you had such a weakness to pretty little blondes like her." Luna was cornered. She turned around enough to face both Niflheimian women at once. "I can see the appeal, but I thought you had a more refined taste. She has barely enough meat around her bones to be considered attractive", the armour clad woman drawled as she inspected the Tenebraean.
"You have your spoils, Highwind. You may leave now", Gentiana replied coolly.
"And here I thought you'd want to share! Why, the Chancellor will be showering me with praises. It's only fair that you would receive your proportion of the reward."
Luna eyed the two women who blocked her only exits. How was she to get to Noctis with a whole squad of imperials between them?
"I trust that you will put it all to a good use", Gentiana countered dryly. "Best you not keep the Chancellor waiting."
"Oh, you were always such a sour host, love. Have fun with your pet", the dragoon winked as she left, her hips swaying in an exaggerated manner. Gentiana merely rolled her eyes before raising her humming sword again.
"Now, where were we?"
Noctis was lying on his side when he came to. He was chilled as if he'd been napping without enough clothes on to keep his body temperature normal. His legs felt like they were made of lead. His memory was hazy, his vision blurry and his tongue felt thick and dry in his mouth. Yet he was certain this wasn't because of his usual sleep paralysis. Something was different. He could open his eyes and look around, even if his eyes were still adjusting to the unnecessarily bright light. Why couldn't he move?
"Ig… gy?"
No answer.
"Prompt…o?"
Still nothing.
"Gl… adio?"
He lifted his head and looked around as the blinding light faded into a more comfortable brightness and his headache eased. He was in what seemed to be the storage room of an airship. How had he gotten there? Were they stowaways? But what was their destination? And why couldn't he remember? A painted golden behemoth on one of the metal walls caught his eye; the imperial coat of arms. His blood ran cold.
Oh no.
He tried to sit up, but his hands were bound behind his back. Slowly his unresponsive legs woke from the aftereffects of the drug and he managed to sit up. He was still wearing the white airy clothing of Tenebrae. Okay, he was definitely not here by his own choice.
I'm not gonna stay here, that's for sure.
Noctis summoned Avenger, but instead of feeling the familiar warmth surge in his veins he felt nothing. If anything, he felt even more exhausted than before.
What the…
He turned to look over his shoulder as he attempted to summon Blood sword. He saw the white-blue light of his phantom swords surround his hands for a split second before the energy was sucked into his handcuffs. The cuffs hummed and glowed with the drained magical energy. It felt like he had offered himself for blood donation only to have the nurse draw more than the necessary amount.
Guess he'd have to take a more traditional approach. Gladiolus had drilled survival lessons to him as passionately as Ignis had attempted to sneak greens into his diet. He wiggled his hands trying to get a feel for the cuffs. He could do this. With a pained grunt he kneeled and pushed his cuffed hands past his rear. His wrists protested from the strain, but he ignored it and kept going. One foot at a time he stepped over his cuffed hands. He rolled his stiff shoulders and basked in the simple feeling of having his hands comfortably in front of him. But was it just him or did the cuffs feel heavier than a moment ago?
Don't tell me these things get stronger every time they sap my magic.
It seemed like the imperials didn't run out of ideas when it came to manufacturing equipment with magitek. Sighing, he let his abused hands fall to his lap. He hadn't fully recovered from the drug's forced drowsiness. And now he was feeling even more drained thanks to the cuffs stealing his magical energy and him doing a second rate escape act. He fought to keep his eyes open, but exhaustion fell over him like a heavy blanket.
Maybe... Just five minutes… Need to rest…
Sleep claimed him once more.
Gladiolus woke up with a start as a tray was thrown heavy handedly into his cell. The slop which he assumed was supposed to be his meal flew from the tray all over the dirty metal floor.
"Enjoy, cupcake", the soldier sneered and slammed the hatch shut. Gladio blinked a few times. His cell was illuminated by dim red emergency lights on the floor level. He could hear the loud turbulence of airship engines. His hands were cuffed in front of him with good old fashioned metal handcuffs.
Heh. Easy.
Let it never be said Gladiolus didn't come prepared. In fact he had prepared for situations like this all his life. He reached with cuffed hands under his belt. He always kept a paperclip pierced through his underwear's waistband for emergencies such as this. Paperclip was small and light enough to go unnoticed, unlike proper tools. Hostiles might check his pockets or outer wear, but people rarely saw reason to check a man's underwear.
"Honey, if you're that desperate for some fun, you could've just told me." Gladio jolted back in surprise. He had failed to hear the hatch being opened. He pulled his hands from under his slacks and looked up. If the situation wasn't so dire he might have appreciated the black armour that did little to hide the blonde Niflheimian woman's curves.
"Although I understand your need for release, this being your last chance for it and all", she taunted as her eyes roved over his bare chest. His honey brown eyes narrowed, but he ignored her jab.
"Where are the others?"
"Around", she beamed. "Reflecting on their life before the big showdown." They were alive at least. He'd just have to break out and find them before the airship reached its destination.
"And how long we've got before that?" The female dragoon was positively droning in excitement.
"Long enough for you to finish what you started, big guy. C'mon, don't be shy. Etro knows I need some entertainment." Gladio gritted his teeth in frustration.
Come on. Give me a time limit.
"First inspecting the base with nothing but magitek troops for company and then retrieving you lot from the other side of the country and have miss Sourpuss ignore me for a Tenebraean hussy." Gladio could only assume she spoke of Gentiana and Lunafreya. "And now another four hours to Niflheim! I tell you, the boredom is near killing me", she ranted on, barely acknowledging the tattooed man as she paced in front of the door.
Four hours, huh. Plenty of time to get things going. But how to get rid of the unwanted audience?
"Sorry, doll, but you kinda ruined the mood." She stopped pacing and leaned in from the hatch, smirking arrogantly. "Babe, I can ruin more than just the mood. So you better take off your pants or I'll bring my newest toy and use you as a test subject."
Damn it. If he had had enough time to pick the lock of his cuffs earlier he could use this situation to his advantage. Maybe he still could. Or get his ass handed to him.
"Might need your help, can't quite work the belt with these cuffs", he made a show to fumble with the belt's buckle. The dragoon's alluring face twisted into an ugly sneer.
"There are two things in this world I hate above all else", she opened the heavy metal door and stepped inside his cell. "Liars", she took what appeared to be a whip from her belt. "And weak men", the whip sprung to life and crackled with electricity. The dim room was illuminated by its harsh glow.
Oh crap.
Gladiolus really hoped this was some drug inflected dream that he was having.
"Still can't work that belt, big guy?" He tensed, but made no move to obey her command. Of course the damned whip just had to be electric. Would've been too easy to just snatch it from her with his bare hands.
The dragoon cracked her whip impatiently as a warning. "Didn't your momma ever tell you to not keep a lady waiting?"
"Good thing you're not a lady", he quipped. With an outraged scream she let the whip fly. He tried to dodge it, but was hit on his thigh. She giggled in savage joy as he doubled over and groaned in pain. The electricity stung like a mother on his barely covered flesh.
"There's more where that came from!" she singsang and readied to strike again, but was interrupted by her buzzing walkie-talkie. Angrily she took the offending gizmo and brought it to her mouth.
"What. Is. It.?"
There was a split second of hesitant silence before an imperial soldier mustered courage to address his superior. "The Prince attempted to use magic. You wanted to be informed when he's awake, ma'am."
"Copy that", she replaced her walkie-talkie and whip on her belt. "Playtime's over, kiddo. Have royalty to entertain", she was beaming again. This could only end badly for Noct if Gladio didn't get to him first. Who knows what that psycho would do to him. The dragoon hurried out of his cell and let the guard slam the door shut behind her.
Gladiolus resumed taking out the paperclip from his waistband. He straightened it and placed the piece of wire into the cuffs' keyhole and bent it to a seventy degree angle, he then took it out and replaced the wire back into the hole and bent the other end resulting in a crude wavy lined shape. He inserted the makeshift key into the keyhole, sliding it into the locking mechanism until it ran alongside its teeth. He wiggled the bent piece of wire until it pointed in the direction of the locking arm and lifted the locking device and sprung it open.
Score!
Gladio removed the bent paperclip from the cuffs and replaced it on his underwear's waistband. He didn't doubt he'd need to abuse the tiny tool more than once on this escapade.
Rubbing his sore wrists he walked to the heavy door. He doubted he could break it down with brute force. Even if he could, there was still the matter of taking down the guard outside. He attempted to summon his broadsword, but wasn't surprised when it failed to materialize in his hand. He needed Noctis' cooperation for that and from what he understood the prince wasn't held nearby. The soldier from the dragoon's walkie-talkie had mentioned them knowing that Noctis had 'attempted to use magic'. They must've restrained him somehow.
Time for plan B.
"Ignis!" he shouted, loud enough to be heard by the guard, but not loud enough to appear he was trying to attract their attention. "Hurry up before the guard notices!" He crouched in front of the door as the guard opened the hatch to check the situation. When all he saw was an empty room, the guard took out his flashlight and unbolted the door. Gladio stepped back as the door swung open and hid behind it.
"The hell?"
Gladio tackled the guard. The guard attempted to reach his walkie-talkie, but Gladio head-butted his helmeted head, dazing them both momentarily. The two wrestled on the ground fighting for the upper hand. Eventually Gladio managed to overpower the guard with sheer muscle mass. He pulled the guard's helmet off and slammed the man's head hard on the metal floor several times until he heard the satisfying crunch of skull cracking open.
Victorious, he climbed off the dead man's slack body and began to undress him. Would be a tight fit, but he'd have to manage.
Once he was suitably dressed, he put the dead guard – now wearing Tenebraean white – to lean against the wall and put the discarded cuffs on his cold wrists. That outta cheer her Psychoness up.
Placing down his helmet's visor Gladio set out to search for his companions.
Luna panted heavily as she parried another strike from the humming obsidian blade. Their fight had moved from the dining room to the hallway. Gentiana's fringe clung to her sweaty forehead, but otherwise she seemed unfazed by the heavy exercise they had been partaking for the last two hours.
"You've much improved since I last witnessed you engage a barrel on the ground floor", there was a touch of pride as well as humour in her voice.
"Helps to have live opponents to train against", Luna retorted back as they circled each other. Gentiana lowered her magitek sword and took a relaxed stance. It almost took Luna back to a time when the two women had just stood there, in this very hallway, and discussed what colour for the curtains would be most suitable for the season. They had been comfortable in each other's presence. How did it all come down to this?
"What do you plan to do should you win?" the dark clad woman asked, sounding genuinely curious. "The transport ship has taken off and you're on foot. There's no way you can hope to catch up with them."
"I'll worry about the details later", Luna knew Gentiana was toying with her. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. Her sword arm ached and she was nearly out of breath while her opponent showed no signs of slowing down. Her defeat was inevitable, but her pride did not allow her to go down without a fight.
"Details were all that mattered to you before you left for Insomnia", Gentiana reminded her. "What has brought this sudden change in attitude?"
"Them", Luna looked outside one of the windows, letting her trembling left hand holding the rapier to slowly fall and point at the ground. "They taught me to take things one step at a time and not to worry so much about every single little thing", she murmured.
"Lunafreya", the way she said her name was so gentle. How could she be so warm one moment and a nonchalant executioner the next? "You can still save them. Just offer yourself willingly and no harm will come to them." Gentiana took a step towards her, but Luna's rapier instantly shot up in defiance. The older woman merely sighed and with a quick swipe sent the blonde's weapon flying out of her numb hand. The Niflheimian switched off her magitek blade and sheathed her weapon. Luna raised her fists and attempted to strike at the dark clad woman, but was easily blocked. Gentiana grabbed her arms and twirled her so that the blonde's back was to her chest.
"Listen", Luna stopped her futile struggling. "The Emperor has razed all the defiant provinces to the ground. Insomnia is all but ashes and the rest of Lucis will follow if the Prince doesn't stop his doomed crusade. If you keep this up and continue to rebel against the Emperor and the Chancellor, they will soften you up by destroying your land and people", Luna stiffened at the mental image; the recovering people she had seen as she and the four men had walked across the city – now begging for scraps from the Empire's over bloated table. All of Tenebrae in the same state as the bombed town they had found Regis' ring from. Wasn't she supposed to do everything in her power to spare her people from suffering? Wasn't that why she agreed to marry Noctis in the first place? "Can your conscience handle the death of ten million people?"
Lunafreya went slack in Gentiana's arms. She would've fallen to her knees if it weren't for the strong arms holding her up firmly.
"Why", the Tenebraean whispered. Gentiana leaned closer as she struggled to hear the broken woman's voice. "Why do you serve such a madman? His rule will be the end of Eos as we know it."
"Because it is easier to change within the system than it is without."
Luna didn't know what to believe in anymore. One moment Gentiana was her enemy, the next she said things that made it sound like she was genuinely an ally whose methods were beyond her understanding.
"The Empire itself isn't evil. Its current leadership is blinded by greed and lust for power, yes. But removing such a leader doesn't require the annihilation of a whole nation." Luna could have laughed, but she was too weak, too tired, too betrayed.
"That's exactly what we were trying to accomplish. But you gave them to the Emperor on a silver platter."
Gentiana shook her head, her hold never loosening around Luna. "No. Your aim was to wipe out the Empire all the way down to its foundations. Your quest for revenge won't end with Iedolas Aldercapt's head."
So she knew. She knew what even Noctis didn't know; her deeply rooted desire to watch the Empire burn, watch it crumble and pay for its crimes against her and her people.
"The Empire did not set out to conquer all of Eos to enslave its countries and people. The original cause was noble; to unify its people underneath one banner", Gentiana sighed. "Alas the Emperor lost sight of it and removed the Senate. Now he is deaf to the voices of his own people."
While Luna hardly bought the whole unification business, she could hear from the solemn tone that Gentiana was serious and she truly believed in such a notion. "What is it that you plan to do? Why even offer Noctis to the Emperor if he is your enemy?"
"The Chancellor has long kept an eye on me. He and the Emperor are both suspicious of me, but they have no evidence of my supposed disloyalty. I needed to give them proof and divert their attention elsewhere. While they are busy with their new playthings, you and I will join them from the sidelines and wipe them out when the time is right."
Now the Niflheimian was beginning to speak her language. She only hoped they would get there before Noctis and his companions outlived their usefulness to the Emperor. This was the only path available for her. She was racing against time and she had no trustworthy allies. It was just like a year ago.
"The time will come for your vengeance", Gentiana loosened her hold on Luna to a gentle embrace. "Soon."
The airship they were on was huge. Probably the size of a shopping mall. Gladio suspected the ship had been stationed high above Tenebrae for some time while smaller transport ships had retrieved him and his companions from the Fleuret residence. He'd have to save them, get them uniforms and find an unoccupied transport ship. Internally he took down notes as he passed hallways and looked out for exit signs.
It didn't take him long to find a hangar for several transport ships. He added a big red stamp in his mental map and continued his way down the hallway. None of the imperial soldiers suspected anything. If he was lucky, the sentry he had killed still had several hours of his shift left before someone came to relieve him – only to find their post unoccupied.
He hadn't seen any doors such as his cell's and was beginning to worry he might have missed a room containing one of his friends. He couldn't go skulking around and checking every room or he'd attract attention. He needed a different approach.
Soldiers on duty most likely would be tightlipped and on high alert. Gladio saw a doorless entrance to a mess hall up ahead. But soldiers off-duty are likely to gossip if prompted.
Gladio joined the food queue. He eyed the tables, searching for a suitable target. His eyes settled on two men who had removed their helmets and were chatting casually as they ate tasteless rations. They wore the same sentry uniform as Gladio. He walked to them.
"Mind if I join?" the two soldiers turned to look at the newcomer.
"Sure. More the merrier", answered the ginger man. His features were serious; his forehead and corners of his eyes had frown lines, but he didn't appear unfriendly. Burdened would have been a better fitting term to describe the older man. "Name's Æolus. This is Lotharius", his companion, a younger man with short curly black hair nodded in greeting. Gladio sat down next to Æolus.
"You new around here?"
Gladio lifted his visor, but didn't take off his helmet. "Yeah, just got transferred. Sentry duty. Problem is I've lost my way and my duty starts at", Gladio quickly glanced at the giant clock on the wall, "twenty one hundred."
The middle-aged ginger downed the remains of his coffee. "I can help with that", he trailed off, waiting for Gladio to offer his name.
"Ferrum", Gladio lied as he in turn chewed on the hard tasteless cube. Best I get as much energy as I can.
"Ferrum. Yeah, I just returned from supervising some Lucian prisoner", Æolus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Wonder where they snatched a kid like him. Didn't seem like someone important."
"Might be an enemy spy", Lotharius suggested.
"I doubt that. He seemed way too young."
Must be Prompto. Gladio forced himself to concentrate on eating the hard cube and not show any signs of recognition.
The dark haired youth finished chewing his ration cube, his eyes gleaming in excitement as if he was barely containing himself. "I heard they're keeping another three prisoners at different parts of the ship. One of them is apparently really important", he leaned closer to the two older men and lowered his voice. "My mate from 15th unit heard from his cousin who's stationed with the 4th unit that they're holding the Prince of Lucis in the storage room. Can you believe that? We have actual royalty onboard."
"Really?" Gladio kept his voice carefully neutral.
"Don't you go on believing everything this kid prattles", Æolus crossed his arms. "Loth here feeds on rumours. Not even half of the things his network of gossipers come up with is true."
"You said there were two others besides the spy and the Prince?"
Lotharius seemed pleased that 'Ferrum' had ignored the older man in favour of hearing his inside information.
"Apparently there's this big guy with crazy warrior hair, scars, tattoos and everything who they're holding next to the hangar in an old interrogation room."
C'mon, tell me where Iggy's being held.
"Then there was some lanky guy. Mates say he might be just an unfortunate bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Gladio gulped some coffee to hide his frustration. He couldn't pry for more information without seeming too obvious, but the youth didn't seem like he had any intention on revealing more.
Æolus took his helmet and tray and stood up. "Right, we better start heading to your post. Wouldn't wanna be late on your first day." Gladio followed suit and put his visor down.
"So, where do you need to be?" Damn it, he couldn't offer any location as the two men hadn't exactly given Prompto's or Iggy's location. Then again, hurrying to Noct wouldn't hurt if that crazy dragoon lady was keeping him company.
"Storage room", he answered.
"Need to be more specific than that, son. We have plenty of storage rooms on this ship", the ginger eyed him for a moment suspiciously. "You want to see the supposed Prince or something? Best leave it. No point getting yourself into trouble. Keep your head down and do as you're told and you'll make it fine."
Gladio saw the familiar alluring figure of the female dragoon from the corner of his eye. He turned his head subtly and saw her walking towards them from the direction of stairs that went down to the hull. Must be where Noct was being held.
"Uh-oh", Gladio returned his attention to the ginger. "Captain Aranea Highwind. Whatever you do, don't attract her attention. Just salute her and move on." The Niflheimian woman closed in on them. He couldn't say for sure with her helmet's visor down, but he suspected she had an unhappy grimace plastered on her angular face. He hoped that meant she hadn't gotten much 'fun' out of the captured prince.
Æolus stiffly saluted the blonde woman, Gladio followed suit. She ignored them both and continued her way up towards the hangar. Gladio prayed she wasn't heading back to his cell or his escapade would end swiftly.
"Æolus!" the two men turned to face an imperial trooper jogging towards them. "They want us topside, pronto." The ginger smiled apologeticly to Gladio.
"Afraid you're on your own, rookie. There should a map of the ship next to the staircase on each floor, so check that if you get lost again", he made a few steps to follow the trooper, but turned back to Gladio. "And don't get any ideas. They don't take kindly to snooping greenhorns." With that Æolus hurried to the deck.
Gladiolus took his chance and hurried down the stairs he had seen Aranea emerge from.
Noctis woke up to the sound of something hard hitting the wall outside the storage room, the slam echoing within his metal cell. He stretched his stiff muscles and shakily got up to his feet. He heard pained grunts and battle cries as the fighting continued. He heard a sudden gasp and the sound of a blade digging through clothing and muscle followed by a body slumping to the ground. Someone was rummaging through a keychain. The door was unbolted and an imperial soldier entered his cell.
"C'mon, Prince Charmless, we've overstayed our welcome", the soldier lifted his visor. Noctis was greeted with the grinning face of his bodyguard.
"About time you came", Noctis offered his cuffed hands to the older man.
"You could've at least made an attempt to escape instead of waiting for a knight in imperial armour to come save you", Gladio jested as he searched for the correct key. Noctis merely grumbled. He didn't feel like telling his friend that he had actually attempted it, but passed out before he got anything meaningful done.
"Think these cuffs are somehow being monitored. I overheard the Captain of this infernal vessel and apparently they were alerted when you tried to use magic. I'll remove one of the cuffs and put it on your other cuffed hand, so it'll keep feeding false information. Don't wanna alert them before we've found Iggy and Prompto."
Gladio had been worried he'd find Noctis beaten up or whipped with the damned electric whip. But by the slightly unfocused look from the prince's eyes and the ugly grimace on the fair dragoon's face when he had passed her on the hallway, he came to the conclusion Noctis had been out cold when she had come to check his status.
"What about Luna?" Noctis rubbed his freed wrist and watched Gladio drag the two soldiers – one unconscious, one dead – to the storage room. He began to remove the shorter soldier's uniform.
"As far as I'm aware she's still with Gentiana. At least that's what I gathered when the good Captain ranted on about 'miss Sourpuss ignoring her for the Tenebraean hussy'", Gladio tossed the clothes for Noctis who immediately changed from the uncomfortably cold Tenebraean white. He made sure to hide the cuffs under a metal gauntlet. His left hand felt heavy enough to drag him down, but he focused on standing straight and ignoring the cuffs' burden.
"You have any clue where Iggy and Prompto are?" They took the soldiers' walkie-talkies and locked the storage room for good measure.
"No, but I know someone who does. He's a sentry, maybe a little older than you. His name's Lotharius and he's the sort of guy who knows more than he ought to. He might still be in the mess hall", Gladio put down his visor, Noct followed suit.
They found the dark haired youth loitering outside the hall with his fellow gossipers playing cards.
"Loth", Gladio called as they approached.
"Ferrum, that you? Thought Æolus showed you where you need to be", he kept his concentration on the game, but offered a polite glance to the two newcomers. Noctis merely cocked an eyebrow behind the safety of his visor. He hoped he didn't have to come up with fake names.
"Yeah. About that. Could you spare us a moment?" Lotharius groaned as his mates tried to encourage him to leave.
"Dude, I'm so close to winning. You could just check the map next to the staircase or something."
Gladio subtly let his hand rest on the short sword he had stolen from the guard, preparing for the worst. "All well and good, but we don't know the room's number. Just tell us where the Lucian boy and the bystander are being kept and we'll let you be."
Loth's forehead creased in suspicion, but as his friends kept taunting and distracting him from the game, he finally gave in and huffed: "That kid's being held in the in the old broom cupboard next to the Captain's quarters", Noctis grimaced. Poor Prompto. "While the foreigner is in another storage room, it's the K-5 one next to the eastern hangar."
"Thanks, I owe you one", the two undercover Lucians turned and headed for the stairs.
"You sure do, more than one!" Noct heard the young man curse loudly as he lost the game. They picked up their pace.
They decided to go for Ignis first as he was closest and they didn't want to risk a confrontation with the ill-tempered Captain. As the two approached the guarded door, the walkie-talkie Gladiolus had taken from the dead guard sprung to life.
"Photius, do you copy?"
The two men froze in their tracks as the two guards turned to them in suspicion.
"Photius, where the hell are you? Photius, do you copy?!"
"Aren't you gonna answer that, trooper?" one of the guards demanded. Gladio reached for the walkie-talkie and raised it to his mouth as if to answer, but at the last second he threw it at the guard, unsheathed his short sword and lunged. Noctis took his sword and engaged the second guard. Soon the alarm sounded as the guard who had attempted to contact Photius found said soldier's corpse in Gladio's cell. The two Lucians killed the soldiers.
"Take off the cuffs, we'll need the phantom swords", Noctis removed his gauntlet and let Gladio take off the magitek handcuffs. Finally free from the accursed gadget, Noctis summoned Zweihander.
"Ignis, if you can hear us, stand back!" he shouted and took down the door. Gladio rushed inside and helped Ignis off his cuffs.
"Timely rescue, although you could have used a more subtle approach", Ignis retorted as he summoned his knives with Noctis' aid.
"No time for that, Iggy. We gotta run, the crew is on high alert. They still have Prompto and will probably have an ambush waiting for us", the three men ran, listening to the buzzing of the walkie-talkies as soldiers tried to contact the unconscious and dead sentries.
A group of soldiers ran towards them, probably heading to secure Ignis' previous location. Noctis warpstroke amongst them and with Zweihander in hand cleared the path with a brutal whirling attack – Tempest as he had dubbed it. The few soldiers that had managed to avoid fatal damage took up arms and shot at the prince, but their bullets missed as he danced like a blue phantom around them, phasing through all solid offensive objects.
"Iggy, behind me!" Gladio ordered as he summoned his broadsword to deflect any wayward bullets that headed their way. Noctis finished the survivors with a Full thrust. The men hurried towards the staircase, killing any and all hostiles in their path. Once inside the door slammed shut behind them. Halting momentarily to look back, they could hear automated doors closing sequentially both underneath and above them. The stairs were sealed off. They were trapped.
"Incoming!"
A grenade tumbled down the stairs, followed by another. Noctis shot blizzards at them before the bombs could reach them and do any real harm. Another five were dropped on them. Noctis managed to encase four of them in ice, but missed the fifth.
"Get down!"
But to their surprise there was no explosion. Only a quiet hiss as the supposed bomb released gas.
Should've known as much. They didn't keep us alive this long just to blow us sky-high the moment things went wrong.
Noctis ripped a strip of his imperial uniform and put it in front of his nose and mouth, but he couldn't completely block the tear gas from entering his lungs. He coughed and sneezed violently, his lungs burning from respiratory pain. Soon his eyes began to water. He wiped his eyes, but the action only increased the irritation. He couldn't see past the blur of tears. The urge to rub his itching eyes grew unbearable.
"Don't touch your eyes, it'll make it worse", Ignis advised between painful sounding coughs. Noctis opted to shut his eyes and lowered himself to crawl on all fours up the stairs.
Breathing grew increasingly difficult as the three men slowly made their way up the stairs, ignoring the falling shells. Once they reached the floor Prompto was on, Gladiolus summoned his broadsword and took down the door. The imperial soldiers closest to them were wearing gas masks and crouching by the walls. They opened fire without hesitation. Noctis rushed ahead of his comrades, his phantom weapons rapidly rotating around him and protecting him and his companions from the bullets.
What I wouldn't do for some eye drops right now.
Noctis advanced slowly. He tried to peek at his surroundings through teary lashes, but the irritation and blurriness forced him to close his eyes once more. His phantom swords sent soldiers flying back from the magical impact. There were few who tried to lung at the blind prince, but only managed to get impaled by the magical swords. Their corpses whirled like an uncontrollable tornado made of flesh and magical energy around Noctis. The troopers retreated in horror at the sight of their comrades being so easily butchered.
Their victory was short lived as heavy metal feet marched forward in synchronization. MTs took over where mortals had failed. Noctis stopped in his tracks as he tried to assess the situation by hearing alone.
"Highness! Don't let your guard down!" Ignis shouted as he summoned his knives. He, too, was having hard time seeing, but he had had the good sense to cover his eyes during the gassing. He could just about see what was happening.
"Keep going, Noct!" Gladio urged. Their breathing was slowly returning to normal as they moved towards clear air.
MTs kept firing, but the bullets couldn't pass the impenetrable wall. The bullets shattered on impact as if they were made of glass. An MT lunged at Noctis, swinging its upper body rapidly, but it couldn't match the enchanted swords. Piece by piece the metal parts fell off and soon the MT was nothing but a scrap metal at the prince's feet. Unlike the Niflheimian men, the machines felt no fear and merely kept going until there was nothing left of them. Noctis could feel his concentration waning.
Once the last MT was destroyed, the exhausted prince slowed the swords to a stop. He jumped at the sudden sound of the Niflheimian corpses dropping heavily on the metal floor. He opened his glowing crimson eyes and eyed the gore at his feet with mixed feelings. The swords disappeared as his eyes turned back to their usual cool blue hue.
"We'll take it from here. Sit this one out, champ", Gladio patted Noct's shoulder and took the lead.
They were met with surprisingly light resistance for the rest of the way. Ignis stood guard with his knives drawn out as Gladio picked Prompto's cell's lock with his trusty paperclip. Noctis allowed himself to lean against the wall and gather his strength for the next push. The door opened with a loud creak. Turns out it really was an old broom cupboard they had hastily emptied and repurposed as a prison cell for the young man.
But Prompto wasn't there. Instead they saw a table and on top of it were a microphone and a screen that buzzed with static.
"Damn it, he ain't here. They must've evacuated him once the alarms went off."
The men were about to leave, when the screen shuddered to life.
"Not so fast, pretty boys", Aranea's familiar crooning filled the small space. "You put up quite the show! Why, I haven't been this excited for minutes!" she giggled, the sound far from pleasant. "But you also made my boys here look bad", she scowled at the screen. They couldn't tell if she could actually see them or not. "The Chancellor is expecting a royal gift and I never fail to deliver what is promised! Now then. You can continue your testosterone oozing escapade and let your friend here", she forcefully pulled Prompto to stand beside her, "meet his end."
"You need us alive. You wouldn't have gone through so much trouble otherwise", Noctis sincerely hoped she was bluffing. He had no way of reaching Prompto and no easy warpstrike solution for their current problem.
"Ohohoho, ohh noo, no-no-no. No", Aranea smirked. "You misunderstood me completely, Highness. I need only you. The others are just a bonus and an insurance for your cooperation." She turned to look at something off-screen. "You, camera-boy. Step back! Back, further! I want them to see what's at stake here."
As the camera moved back from the two blondes, the men could see that she was at the deck. She was holding Prompto tightly by his hair and arm. His hands were cuffed behind his back and he was staring at the older woman in clear panic. As the camera moved further back they could see why. She was holding him over the edge. They could see an airship engine under his dangling feet. There were no rails for Prompto to hold on to.
"Now. Prince. Let me make this crystal clear. If you do not surrender yourself at once, your friend here will learn what they say about chocobos and flying. Don't try playing any games or magicking up any swords. The boy has only one life and I'm more than happy to end his miserable existence. The longer you hesitate the bigger chance he has to be shred into pieces; my arms tire holding him like this."
Damn it.
"What can we do?"
"There's nothing we can do. We're too far away to interfere and we're running out of time."
"We can't just leave him! He's one of us!"
Noctis blocked their shouting and walked to the microphone. He was about to press the transmission button, when Prompto's hysteric voice interrupted him.
"Noct! Don't listen to her! I'm not important, you are! You have to get out of here! You're Lucis' only hope-"
"Quiet!" Aranea shook him violently and he cried as her hand pulled at his hair painfully.
Sighing in defeat, Noctis pressed the button.
"I surrender."
Aranea's beamed. "Wise choice, Highness!" The screen shuddered and went back to static.
MTs arrived and cuffed the three men. They did not resist. They were walked to the Captain's quarters. Prompto was also there, held between MTs.
"We're arriving to Niflheim in an hour. Any last words?"
Noctis stepped forward. "I only ask that you leave this man", he nudged his head towards Ignis, "out of this. He's innocent and has nothing to do with us."
Aranea circled around Ignis, measuring him and his foreign attire and features. "A poor innocent bystander swept in the currents? My, my. If that was the case why go through so much trouble to free him? If he was truly innocent Tenebraean citizen as you claim, I don't see what he has to fear from his Niflheimian allies."
Noctis kept his face neutral. "Guilty until proven innocent, isn't that how you imperials work? I'd rather rescue a man I don't know than leave him to face an unfavourable fate at the hands of the likes of you."
Aranea zipped in front of the prince, invading his personal space. "I'd watch my tongue if I were you, Prince. I hold your lives in my hands. I can show mercy or intolerance." Noctis stood his ground even as he wanted to take a step back instinctively. "He will not come under harm. The Chancellor shall decide what will be done with him once his backstory's been confirmed."
And with that they were dismissed and taken to their individual cells. Their guard was doubled and MTs were stationed inside the cells by the doors. Noctis had his old familiar magitek cuffs on while Gladio and Prompto were rewarded with electric cuffs; another sample of Aranea's newfound toys. Ignis had only metal cuffs, but he wasn't spared with guards either.
Before the ship arrived to its destination Aranea paid Gladiolus another visit. He was left unconscious, his body spasming from too many electrocutions and his back full of gashes from her whiplash.
A/N: Oh boy, this is by far the longest chapter I've ever written. I hope it's not too taxing to read.
Gladio stole the show, whoo! And I taught the readers to escape handcuffs, uhh, yay?
If you're interested, the two soldiers' names – Æolus and Lotharius – mean quick-shifting and loud warrior while Ferrum is any tool or weapon made of iron.
I like to think Luna's left-handed. She even wields the trident in her left hand in the new trailer. :) And Gentiana, gurl, decide which side you are on already!
When my friend read the part with the imperial corpses impaled with Noctis' swords, he said it was a corpsnado. I thought it was hilarious.