Fodina Caestino
There she was. The Oracle, standing at the edge of the train station, overlooking the abandoned Fodina Caestino quarry and the dry wasteland below and beyond.
She had taken the time to change into clothes more suitable for adventuring. A tight fitting pair of jeans, lace-up boots, a plain white shirt and a beige-coloured jacket. She even wore her hair open. Just a few changes, and suddenly anyone had to look twice to recognise her as the Oracle that had been shown on all over the media.
Noctis could not help but wonder about the way she stood there, with her face tilted up to the sky and her eyes closed, like a flower starved of sunlight. "I didn't know you had taken to sunbathing," he said, mostly just to break the silence.
She slowly opened her eyes. "I can still feel it." Her voice came out barely above a whisper. Luna appeared to be talking to herself rather than him. "It is still there, but very faint now."
"The scourge?" There was a twinge of hurt in Noctis' heart at the thought of Luna avoiding the sunlight in the same manner as Ardyn had. "What was it like?"
"Unpleasant, for the most part," she said and turned to look at him. "The sunlight used to feel like pins and needles on my skin. I can't imagine what it's like for those who had it worse than me."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Luna shook her head. "It was not your fault. I brought the Draconian's punishment onto myself when I lend my ear to the Accursed. Looking back on it now, I believe Bahamut's intervention was a sign that he is scared. Scared of mankind shaping their own future."
"Ha! He better be scared, 'cuz we're coming for him." Noctis crossed his arms and flashed her a smile, which caused Luna to laugh.
"Your confidence is admirable."
Thinking of it, they did not have much else to go on, really. Hope and confidence kept them going.
Noctis felt the smile melt from his face. "I know it's not going to be easy," he admitted. "But it's not like we have many options, either. We might die fighting the Draconian, but we'll surely die if we go through with the prophecy." There was, of course, a third, but a lot less plausible option. "I don't think we can just ignore Bahamut and simply go on with our lives, can we?"
"If we don't face him, I'm afraid he will come for us," Luna replied ", or worse, for the entirety of Eos. I am just glad that we have the majority of the Hexatheon on our side."
"Lady Lunafreya."
They turned around to the crowd that was about to board the next train. As the last people stepped into the carriage, only the High Messenger remained at the platform. Due to her black-and-white dress, Gentiana looked far more regal than any of the actual Royals at the train station. Despite of her unusual appearance, however, none of the passers-by seemed to notice her. Perhaps this was one of her powers as a messenger.
"I am glad to see you well, Gentiana," Luna greeted her.
With grace and a benign smile on her lips, the High Messenger walked up to them. "The Lady is always so concerned about others, even at times she should be most concerned about herself. It is relieving to see that the King has freed her of her curse, for the most part." She leaned forward, just barely indicating a bow before Noctis.
It was in that instant that he decided it was perhaps better not to reiterate that Luna's rescue had been a team effort. If the gods wanted to see him as the saviour, let them, for as long as it kept them agreeable, at least.
"I come from the healers of men, bearing good news and a gift," The High Messenger held out her hands to Luna, revealing a small glass vial between her palms.
"The healers of men?" Noctis wondered aloud.
"This is how Gentiana refers to the researchers who have taken up the task of developing a cure for the scourge," Luna explained and took the glass vial before turning back to her familar. "Is this what I think it is?"
"The healers heard of the Oracle's affliction. They wish to aid the Lady, though they can only cure so many thus far."
"I see." Luna held the vial close to her chest, as if taking a moment to fully appreciate the gift. "They must have great faith in their progress to send me this."
"Wow, I … Just wow." Noctis found himself at a loss for words, if only temporarily. "Ardyn told me he had proof that the Starscourge could be treated medically, but I never imagined we were this close to mass-producing actual medicine."
"Some years ago," she explained ", the second or third time we spoke, he gave me a paper detailing a failed experiment concerning the Starscourge. Although he never said so, I think he did this because he knew I would ask the messengers to give it to the right people."
It made a lot of sense. "So, just like Umbra helped us stay in touch without the Empire knowing about it …"
"I asked Gentiana to check on the researchers every once in a while. They are a small, but very dedicated team of knowledgeable people from Tenebrae, and since the messenger's movements could not be tracked by the Empire, I was able to provide them with information and funding. But these troubled times have been hard on them, ever since my departure. Minister Besithia raided their centre of research not too long ago. Fortunately, they were able to escape with most of their research in time, but had the First Secretary not taken them in, their progress would have been halted indefinitely."
Noctis had a feeling that a number of puzzle pieces suddenly fell into place. "That didn't, by any chance, happen three to four weeks ago, did it?"
"I think so." She looked him with a curious expression. "How do you know?"
"You remember what Iggy told us? A certain someone talked to the First Secretary before I had the chance, spreading information, sweetening the deal?"
"Yes, you're right. He's had a hand in everything, hasn't he?"
"And I still don't know if I should be glad, impressed, or worried about it," Noctis admitted.
"Yo, you ready to leave for the quarry?"
From the abandoned carriages serving as restaurant and lodgings, Gladio came walking up to them, with Ignis and Prompto in tow.
Somehow, Noctis must have been so absorbed in the conversation with Luna that he had failed to notice how Gentiana had vanished. He took a quick look around, but failed to spot her.
Next to him, Luna chuckled quietly. "Don't worry. She will return when she is needed."
"No offence, but I don't think this party needed another member with that kind of attitude."
"Looking good, m'lady," Prompto greeted Luna as they all gathered at the train station's lookout.
"Thank you."
Gladio crossed his arms and nodded into the direction of the quarry below. "We headin' out or what?"
Seeing how they had planned to be back before nightfall, it really was about time they got going. Noon was fast approaching and who knew what troubles they encountered in the depths of the quarry. If Noctis had learned one thing about his ancestor's tombs than that there was something big and nasty waiting in front of them more often than not.
He took the lead towards the elevator. "Yep, let's go," he said, beckoning the rest to follow.
There was not much to be expected from a quarry, scenery-wise. In its middle stood the monstrous piece of machinery with which the Niffs had dug this crater into the earth to plunder its resources. A tree of equally impressive size had since grown right next to it, and its roots connected certain parts of the quarry like natural bridges.
That did not mean that the terrain was any less unpleasant than expected. Years of rain had created pools of water on all levels of the quarry. Knee-deep, muddy waters. The perfect home for the local cousins of the Lucian Sahagin and Gigantoad, as well as plenty of other, water-loving monsters.
Luna never complained, not about the steep descent into the pit, nor the mud or the monsters. Although Noctis kept an eye out for her, she did fine without his help. She had no trouble to keep up with him and his retinue, in or outside of battles. He had given her access to his armiger, and thus, they shared the Trident of the Oracle and its magic.
Unlike him, Luna wielded the power of light in a much purer form. She did not have to stab a monster to death with the Trident, as Noctis probably would have done. From a safe distance, she summoned pillars of golden light, seemingly by invoking the gods' blessing through prayer and channelling it through the Royal Arm. The sight was awe-inspiring, even to him.
"Wait up, Noct!"
They had searched about half of the quarry when Noctis heard Gladio calling out for him.
His Shield nodded down the slope. "Prompto's falling behind."
And he was right. Prompto had fallen behind. He was dragging himself uphill with some effort.
Upon noticing, Luna turned back to offer the gunner a hand, but Prompto refused.
"I'm sorry, I really don't mean to hold you guys up," he said meekly, "but, uhm, I kinda skipped breakfast, and …"
"It turned out that wasn't such a good idea?" Ignis asked, giving him a criticising look.
"Let us rest for a while," Luna suggested and looked from Prompto to Noctis. "I could take a break, too. There should be an old haven nearby, where we can sit safely for a moment."
Indeed, the rocks a little further up the incline showed the typical markings of a haven. Funny how much time had passed since they last set up camp at one. In a way, Noctis had even stopped considering it. "I got no objections. Let's make it a lunch break."
They did not take the time to set up full camp, seeing how the train station was only a short walk away and they were not planning to stay the night, but they did set up the chairs and cooking table. Ignis prepared Croque Madame for them, something a bit "lighter" than usual, since some of them actually had breakfast that morning.
Once she was finished, Luna left their little circle to kneel by the edge of the haven and pray in silence.
It was a strange sight to Noctis. He had never been religious, possibly because he always had the right intuition about Bahamut from seeing his father suffer the side-effects of his gods-given gifts. And knowing what had happened to Luna and Ardyn despite of – or rather, because of – their faith, did not give him much reason to trust the Astrals, either. Still, he knew that Luna could talk to them, and that it probably made a world of difference whether she addressed the Draconian or any other Astral. From what he had seen, Titan appeared to be good-natured at his core, Ramuh was nothing but benevolent. Leviathan had been a bitch, all right, but it seemed unlikely that she was going to act up again. Only when it came to the not-so-dead Ifrit, Noctis was at a loss at what to think.
"Whoa, look!"
Prompto's voice called him back to reality. His high-school friend pointed at the runes to their feet. They were usually dormant during daytime, but shone, right before their eyes, with a blueish glow from deep within.
"A true miracle worker," Ignis said.
"You'd expect nothing less from the Oracle," Gladio added.
Noctis got up from his chair. "Give her a break, Gladio. It's bad enough that I've got to live up to everyone's expectations all the time."
"You know you could do better."
"Tsk."
Noctis saw Luna stagger to her feet and hurried over to offer a hand.
She looked more worn after their break than before. "Thanks, Noct. This, I … It was something wanted to do for myself, just for once. My mother, she used to go on pilgrimages to restore power to the havens all over Eos. Ravus and I listened to the stories of her travels when she tucked us into bed. I've always wanted to follow in her footsteps, but the Empire only ever let me travel so far."
"When all of this is over," Noctis told her, "I'll make sure you can travel anywhere you like. We'll settle matters with Niflheim once and for all, and open all the borders."
She smiled at him, taken by the idea of Eos united in peace. "That'd be wonderful."
"You could make it another roadtrip – No, wait! Make it your honeymoon!" Prompto called over to them, grinning.
Noctis turned around to him. "Then you're gonna be the last one I'm inviting."
"Aw, man."
They all laughed at that.
A while later, they had packed up camp and found their way deeper into the quarry. Noctis and Luna stood both a little to the side, up to their knees in swamp water, waiting for Prompto to fix an old generator, so they could try to move the old crane that was blocking their path.
"You know, about what Prompto said earlier …" Luna began all of a sudden. She did not look him in the eye, but Noctis tensed in anticipation of a touchy subject all the same. "I'm sorry I couldn't let you know that our marriage was just an arrangement to escape Niflheim's grasp. But, married or not, I'm still happy to be with you, and I hope that we can spend more time together in the future."
For the first time, Noctis sensed a certain bashfulness in her wording, and it felt like a weight crumbled and fell from his shoulders. "So do I!" he uttered in surprise.
She turned to him. "Do you think I could help you rebuild Insomnia? So many homes were destroyed. I'd like to bring hope to the Crown City if I can."
"Of course you can! Just come and stay at the Citadel with us," Noctis offered before realising he was getting ahead of himself. "That is, if the Citadel's still standing?"
"It is," she assured him.
He all but laughed out loud in relief. "Great!"
"It's a deal, then."
"It's a date," he said, suddenly overcome with confidence, and a smile spread across Luna's face.
"Let's make it so."
The generator sputtered to life, and with a rumble of wood and earth, the old crane moved just enough to open up a way through the roots of the great tree before it got stuck again.
Gladio went ahead and signalled for the grinning and giggling royal couple to follow.
Years of rain that had poured down into the quarry's centre had created a dark cave underneath of the great tree's trunk, filled with more murky water. A horrid, but thankfully faint stench permeated the air as though something had been rotting down there for decades. This was the last place Noctis wanted to be at, but it was also the last place to check for the lost tomb. If it was not here, he would gladly turn around and leave this stinking, muddy hellhole.
As they ventured deeper into the cave, they came across a number of small, plant-like monsters, which slithered through the swamp water on their tentacle-like roots. Their heads, if they could be called such, consisted only of suction cups and a large jaw filled with several rows of sharp teeth.
To think that someone had decided that would make a cute brand mascot …
Although they were bothersome, they posed no considerable threat. Still, Noctis could not help but wonder; Were Malboros not supposed to be much bigger?
He got his answer much sooner than expected. The horrid stench increased in intensity, causing Noctis' stomach to cramp up. Next to him, Luna clasped a hand over her mouth and nose as a wave of the gas rolled over their party. Out of the darkness and the noxious fumes the actual, adult Malboro emerged, armed with more teeth, more tentacle-like roots, and a very bad temper.
"Someone needs a mouthwash!" Prompto shouted.
"Best be quick about this," Ignis suggested.
"Wouldn't want the stink to stick." Gladio added and cleaved through the Malboro sprouts that were gathering between him and the big one.
With a gurgle, the Malboro released another wave of its bad breath and Ignis seized the chance to throw a flask of fire magic at the creature. Due to the moist swamp climate, however, the flames died quickly. Prompto gave the monster a taste of the auto-crossbow. In return, the Malboro snapped at him, but Luna drove the monster back by summoning a pillar of light to pierce it. Noctis switched from his favourite sword to a spear, so he could keep a bit of distance to the whipping roots and snapping jaw as he warped at the creature.
The stench proved to be a slightly greater issue than anticipated. Not only did it limit their already poor vision to the point where he lost sight of his comrades, but whenever Noctis breathed too much of it in, the world around began to spin. He considered himself lucky just to stay on his feet.
They had not been fighting for long, when the Malboro coughed up a big ball of half-digested plant food – carnivorous plant food, that is, – and spat it at Luna.
Quickly, Noctis warped into her direction. Just as he tried to pull her out of the way, the Malboro's spit knocked them both into the swamp water.
Luna and Noct emerged, soaked, stinking, with pieces of gods-know-what stuck to their clothes, hair and skin, but, well … At least the swamp water had washed some of the Malboro's digestive fluids off instantly.
Although clearly disgusted by the state she was in, Luna did not complain. She merely turned to Noctis, reached out to touch his cheek, and hesitated. "Uh, Noct?"
He shot her an annoyed look. "Don't tell me; I got something on my face?"
Noctis got back to his feet, peeled off some of the Malboro's last meal from his arms and helped Luna up as well. It was just about that moment when the temperature dropped around them. Even time itself seemed to slow down. Noctis felt the magic of the gods surge in the air. His breath condensed before his eyes. The poisonous fog surrounding him and Luna cleared, and in a glow, Gentiana appeared. She walked past them, on a fine sheet of ice atop the murky swamp water.
"Such foul weed shall not be allowed to stain the Oracle and her King." Her entire body was engulfed in light for a moment or two, and when it faded, a human-sized goddess with white braids and grey to blueish skin had appeared in her stead.
Noctis gasped as he watched her float past, towards the monster. "Could that be … Shiva?"
The Glacian gathered the magic around them between the palms of her hands, concentrating it and releasing a cold blast at the Malboro and its sprouts.
In a matter of seconds, the monsters frosted over, turning brittle and lifeless. Thick ice crystals shot out of the water, shattering some of the Malboro's sprouts and caging the adult in. Noctis braced himself against the freezing gust of wind that suddenly blew through the cave. It cleared out the noxious fumes, and when the winds died down again, Shiva was gone.
Dumbfounded, Prompto looked around. "Dude, what was that? What did I miss?"
"Divine intervention?" Ignis guessed.
"Yup," replied Noctis, drawing their attention.
Iggy's collected expression fell from his face at the sight of him and Luna. Gladio, too, raised an eyebrow at the messy state they were in. "What happened to you two?"
"You, uh, don't wanna know." In a quieter tone, Noctis turned back to Luna. "So, Gentiana's the Glacian, huh? You could've told me."
"It was something you had to find out for yourself, I'm afraid. But I can assure you, you had her blessing all this time."
"Right," Noctis replied, trying not to sound as annoyed by the gods' mysterious ways as he really was. "Alright, let's find that tomb and get out of here. I'm so through with this place."
By this point, Noctis was just about ready to abandon the quarry, with or without a Royal Arm, to go and get a hot shower back at the train station's lodgings. Especially so because Ardyn was not around to hog the bathroom for over an hour, which meant he would not have to sit around waiting, all sticky and gross. Then again, he probably could wait long enough to let Luna go first.
Now that the fog had lifted, an overgrown stone structure became visible at the edge of the swamp. Although damaged, the basic shape matched the entrance to a Royal Tomb.
Something was not right, however. Even though Shiva had disappeared, Noctis could still feel the hum of divine magic in the air, as strong as though the Astral had not left. His and Luna's eyes met.
"You can feel it, too, can't you?" she asked.
Sounds of cracking ice caused the five of them to turn their attention back to the frozen Malboro. Its body emanated an orange glow from deep within, as though liquid fire was burning in its veins. The frost melted rapidly off its body. Ice crystals shifted and splintered.
"Heads up, everybody!" Gladio shouted, summoning a shield from the armiger.
Fire erupted from the Malboro, but instead of burning it to ash, the monster returned to life, having seemingly taken on the element as its own. Smoke and embers flew from its jaws as it snapped at thin air. Next to the creature, in another burst of flames, the Pyreburner appeared. Unlike the last time Noctis had seen him, Ifrit no longer showed obvious signs of the Starscourge. His skin had regained a healthy and natural colour, and his presence exuded a constant warmth. The water surrounding him boiled as his feet touched the ground. He carried a curved sword in one hand, large enough to cleave a car in two in one strike.
"It's the Infernian!" Prompto pointed at the fire god, half-excited, half-panicked.
Noctis stepped forward, knowing that Ifrit could only be here to see either him or Luna and the Astral did not look agreeable.
The Pyreburner spoke first, in the voice of the gods that set Noctis' brain ablaze with a headache. Luna placed a hand on his back as to support him, but, thankfully, the longer Ifrit kept talking, the easier his voice became to bear.
With an unreadable, stoic expression, the fire god pointed his sword at the prince.
"The Infernian wishes to grant you his blessing," Luna translated "and thus, he challenges you to undertake his trial."
"Didn't you forge a covenant with him in Altissia already?" Noctis asked her.
"At Altissia, I was able to gain his favour, but he must grant you his blessing out of his own free will."
Noctis was sceptical. "What does he want me to do? Take out the Malboro?" It seemed a bit too easy to be a god's trial, but perhaps there was a twist to it.
Instead of Luna, Ifrit answered. His voice sounded more demanding than before, yet to Noctis it remained unintelligible and painful noise.
"He says," Luna continued, "if the future is to be placed on the shoulders of men, then it is their strength and resolve that must prevail. You are to send forth your best men against his champion, but those tainted by the Draconian's blessing musn't interfere."
Noctis gave her a questioning look. "Tainted by the Draconian's blessing?"
"He means you and I," she clarified. "It was Bahamut who created the bloodlines of Oracles and Kings."
The prince flashed a bold smile at the Infernian. "Fine, we'll play by your rules! I got my best men right here." He glanced over to Gladio, Iggy and Prompto. "You up for this?"
"I've felled bigger monster than a burning Malboro before," Gladio boasted.
Ignis adjusted his glasses. "Come now, don't get cocky."
"You got a plan, right, Iggy?" Prompto asked.
"As always."
"Then we're as ready as we'll ever be." Prompto gave Noctis a thumbs-up, trying his best to appear confident even though he was, most likely, still a bit nervous.
When it came to his friends, Noctis had no doubts that they were going to give it their all and succeed.
With a gesture, Ifrit sent the Malboro to attack them with its flaming breath, and in response, Ignis signalled the others to scatter. The three of them spread around the cave, so that each of them could approach the monster from a different angle. Gladio opened the fight by hurling his great sword at the creature, and Ignis followed up with a round of daggers imbued with ice magic, successfully cutting through some of the roots while Prompto opened fire at the monster from a safe distance.
Perhaps it was because Noctis had been asked to sit and watch, but it seemed to him as though the powers granted by the Astral had barely added to the Malboro's strength. The Infernian was going easy on them. Since he did not stick around to watch, Noctis was left to assume that Ifrit, just like him, already knew the outcome.
"Did you know," Luna began as they watched the fight, "that the Pyreburner used to watch over the people of Solheim? He used to be a very generous god until his worshippers turned against him. If my sacrifice restored even a little of his faith in mankind, then I believe it had been worth it."
"I think you succeeded," Noctis replied upon seeing Ignis toss another magic flask at the Malboro, right as it opened its jaws to breathe fire at them. The flask exploded into a freezing cloud of ice and send the creature staggering backwards. Gladio closed the distance in an instant by jumping at it with his sword raised high, knocking the monster over. It flailed once more before it breathed its last and the fires eventually turned its body into ash.
"Now that," Prompto said, sweating and panting, "was one hot affair."
Even Ignis was looking somewhat dishevelled after all this fighting.
Unlike them, Gladio kept his weapon shouldered, obviously wary of what was coming next. "Was that good enough or what?"
In place of the dead Malboro, the Infernian reappeared with his gaze fixed onto Noctis. Though his expression remained stoic, he lowered himself to a knee before the Prince. This time, Luna kept up translating while he spoke. "To the Chosen King, I entrust my blessing, so that he may fell gods unworthy of their power and lead his people into a future of light and prosperity."
Noctis nodded in recognition of Ifrit's gift, and the Astral dissolved in a golden light.
"That was it?" Gladio asked. "That was the trial of the so-called treacherous Pyreburner?"
"Would you have preferred to fight the Astral himself?" Noctis replied.
Ignis wiped the grime from his brow. "Let's just be glad that he was in a giving mood. I'd say we've done more than enough fighting for a day."
"Gotta agree with specs," Noctis said. "C'mon, the tomb's just over here."
By the evening of that day, they returned to the train station all dirty, smelly and exhausted. But it was the good kind of exhaustion; the satisfaction of knowing that they had obtained another Royal Arm and the favour of two more gods through their hard work.
So here's finally the retroactively added Fodina Caestino chapter I've promised, so Noctis and Luna can spend some more time together.
I've actually tried to keep Ardyn out of this as much as possible, but you know him, he's had a hand in everything.
Also: picking up a few more loose ends and plot points.