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year 5, quarter 3
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The steam built nature of this society was new to Caius, but the constant raids from beasts had brought him here. He had been brought far away from the places he normally called his dwellings, but Sonora needed able-bodied warriors to stop the raids of these lizards. Caius had decided there was likely money in it... And just his instincts as a Glaive in wanting to help people. They were what made him decide to answer the call.
Yet he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by all these new sights and all these new sensations. Caius knew that when he began to branch out, he would feel a bit of culture shock. He had already steeled himself to be overwhelmed by new things, and yet... He felt like a deer in the headlights as he walked. He knew that he needed to find the postings. Job postings, I mean. Something to tell him if there was any reward in taking down these dragons at a hold or just if they showed up... How did it work around here? He remembered taking on wyverns with Rydia and Terra, and the full on fully grown dragon with Rydia... He didn't think he could take them by himself.
He was going to need aid. He knew that. It might be best he sent a letter to Celes, inviting her. She'd been busy on something of her own when she had left, but perhaps she'd be able to join him eventually. But if worst came to worst, if push came to shove... Caius knew that he'd find a way. He had always done so, after all. Taking on beasties far bigger than him, escaping by the skin of his teeth with the beast's head... He had built confidence and it had brought him here. But he had become wiser since he had come here... And he was starting to wonder if perhaps confidence wasn't the only thing he needed.
But he was torn from his thoughts as a shiver ran down his spine. He didn't know why, but he found himself with a feeling of dread. Over the dragons, perhaps? He wasn't sure.
Just setting it up. Hopefully Caius will recognize him since he wouldn't recognize Caius!
I'm an impatient traveler ready to turn ship.
Ardyn’s plans were going swimmingly.
Well, not as perfect as he might have liked admittedly. There were holes. Flaws. Vague points of destination, but at the very least he was moving forward, and for someone who had experienced as much aimless time as he, forward was all he could hope for. And so as Ardyn strolled the dismal, snowy streets of Sonora, he could do nothing but imagine its tragic demise.
Those street lights would be extinguished. Those street cars -- quietted. The paths would be overrun with ghoulish daemons and no sunlight would ever touch these lost souls again. How lovely it would be then! Lit in nothing but eternal twilight!
The silence in itself would satisfy him. For too long, Ardyn had stepped lightly around the steps of natural civilization. For too long, he had been ostracized, feared, and reviled. And yet…
He would always be the one laughing in the end, wouldn’t he? Just him and a world overflowing with corruption.
He chuckled to himself at the thought, rolling his head to the side as he stopped to admire a street mosaic outside the local bar. Legends would be made that day. Ardyn was always a legend in himself -- of the creeping horrors in the night. Of a history long lost and replaced with reassuring lies. Of the Astrals. Of humanity. What else was there but utter hopelessness?
Ardyn considered the artistry on display on that wall. Of conflicts made by men and their infinite folly before smirking to himself and moving towards the door. A little wine would help the night move faster, and didn’t he deserve it? After ascending that tower, he’d reaped its rewards and put them to use.
Soon he would have the power to sway civilizations again. Soon, he would integrate his corruption into the very fabric of this city, and then…
The wind brushed so cold against his back that he would have shivered if he’d been capable. Instead, he merely strolled inside, marveling at the dimly lit place that still seemed so like those of his youth. He strolled to the bar counter, perched casually on the stool, and drummed his fingers on the oak wood as he thought almost fondly to another time. Humanity was so flexible and yet so unchanging. If not for the electric lights and the hum of the heating unit, this might as well have been an old Solheim tavern flickering with candles and wreaking of homemade ale.
Humanity never changed. Not really. There was always the urge to repress dark thoughts and the compulsion to do so in mass.
He ordered a rich, dark wine. He’d have money rolling in soon enough with his new crystal-acquired positions, so why scrounge on the wastes of mere mortals? Still, he waited as it splattered like blood against its glass. So little had changed. Ardyn took it and swirled the liquid thoughtfully about the rim.
So little had changed. So little but himself.
He drank and savored the bitter sweet taste on his tongue. Immortality was a cruel mistress, but at least she gave him a never-ending pool of amusement.
As Caius walked through the city with wonder in his eyes, he would come upon the presence of a local bar and eatery. He realized he was hungry in that moment, as he'd mainly been living off rations due to the very long trek to get here. His belly pretty much grumbling at this point, the mercenary made a tactical decision to go in, get something in his belly and use the time to plan. Strolling into the bar, Caius would look around a moment. The place was dimly lit, a small yet noisy little hovel. But he could smell the smells of the food being made in the back and that was what beckoned the hungry mercenary over.
He would walk over to the bar, looking around, at the menus, at the people, at everything around him, just... Taking it all in.
And then he saw it. His eyes widened. He had stopped cold, dead, completely freezing in place mere moments after he had sat down and began his search. Something familiar... Something...
No.
No way.
It couldn't be...
It... It couldn't be...
No, but it was...
It had to be.
CUP NOODLES!
There were Cup Noodles on the menu! He couldn't believe it! This was amazing! Caius -loved- Cup Noodles! He had always bought the basic ingredients for cheap, kept them fresh in any way that he could, then used his own meats that he cut back in his old hunting job to supply the more expensive ingredients. They were absolutely delicious, and the fact he was supplying the meat himself, and usually fairly rich meat too considering it was usually quite freshly cut... He had them quite often, and they were a delicacy he enjoyed during the years where times were very, very tough before he joined the Kingsglaive.
He was thrilled they sold Cup Noodles here. He'd have to stock up on the ingredients on his way out if he could... Oh, how he had missed the sweet, succulent flavors of Cup Noodles in year and a half he had been here!
But before he could order and enjoy his favorite dish, his eyes glazed over something that stopped him again.
That coat, that hat... And then that face.
It was the same one from the records. It wasn't hard to pick this one out of a crowd... But he knew exactly who that was... The man that Aranea had warned him away from.
Ardyn Izunia.
Deciding drawing his weapon would just cause a problem, Caius would take a deep breath as he would close his eyes. The Glaive would vanish in a blue light, then. While he couldn't warp very far without throwing a weapon, this distance was good enough.
He would re-appear, sitting calmly on the stool right next to Ardyn. Staring him hard in the face as if he were making perfect sure he had the right man, he spoke two words quite calmly... Repressing his desires to gut him for what he did to all those people from their world... Causing those 10 years of Darkness... And for what he did to Aranea.
Something stirred beside him. A flicker of magic and a familiar blue light. Ardyn glanced to the side to see a man perched there though he hadn’t see him approach. He tilted his head to look a little closer, lips curling into a smile as he took in every detail of the man beside him.
The man was worn. Well experienced. A tad rough around the edges with his long hair, dusted trench coat, and facial scruff not so dissimilar to Ardyn’s own. He was an imposing man not purely in bulk, but in height and stature and the simmering rage in his eyes. It was a look that Ardyn was quite familiar with receiving, and it was a look that brought a twinkle of amusement to his eye. He tipped his drink in amiable greeting. The man never looked away.
”Chancellor Izunia."
Ardyn’s smile widened. He’d had his suspicions about the man’s motives, and those two words confirmed every one of them. This was a man driven by hate, a man who knew him both for who and what he was, and this was a man seeking vengeance. Ardyn turned back to his drink, swirling his finger across the glass’ upper lip as he considered it thoughtfully.
Chancellor. How long had it been since he’d been called that? Such a lovely facade it had been too. Just another title. Just another name.
Still, Ardyn wanted to hear the accusations for himself. He wanted to bask in the man’s hatred and add that darkness to his own. And so, as obvious as it all was, Ardyn couldn’t help but feign ignorance. With a tilt of his head and knowing smirk, he looked the man directly in the eye and asked, ”Have we met?” as though the man wasn’t glaring with a thousand years of hatred. ”I don’t recognize you, I’m afraid.”
Ardyn played coy, and Caius would close his eyes and let out a sigh as he allowed himself to return to a state of calm. Brimming brown eyes stared back at Ardyn then, looking over every detail with curiosity. He knew he was playing coy. He knew this game. He was not the most social creature but he knew this game very well. So he would shake his head then, toward his question.
"We have not" Caius would answer, allowing his anger to simmer down. He remembered what Aranea had said. She had told him not to mess with him. If it came to it, he'd fight, but he knew that it wouldn't be the wisest thing. His research had told him already of Ardyn's immortality... His identity as the Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire. And that he had unleashed the starscourge in hopes of the Chosen King ending it at the cost of both their lives. His motives for this, he was unsure of.
"We come from the same world, as you're no doubt aware of. I've heard of you, Chancellor... Heard of what you've done. Those ten years, all of the demons, all of the darkness and suffering you caused... All to bring about the end of the Lucian line... And an end to your own immortality.
For us to fight now, it... Would be useless, I suppose" He spoke honestly, as he seemed to decide what his desire in this meeting had become, the mercenary giving a casual shrug. "You're immortal, I can't kill you. But I'll survive more than long enough to where you will no longer find it enjoyable or entertaining... Which isn't really a benefit to either one of us" The Glaive would reveal. "So, I thought perhaps you could sate my curiosity a bit. I want to know why" He spoke. "The why, for everything. I want to know why you did what you did... And why you continue to do what you do. If you will indulge me."
He motioned toward the menu above with a slight flick of his head. "Over Cup Noodles? I'll buy."
Ardyn could almost taste the man’s rage on his tongue. It simmered there, suffocating in its own heat as the man tried to contain it. Ardyn gave a decadent sigh and turned back to his drink. He so loved the bittersweet shadows of hatred.
"We come from the same world, as you're no doubt aware of,” the man went on needlessly as Ardyn watched his wine in interest, sipping every few sentences and savoring the dry taste. ”I've heard of you, Chancellor. Heard of what you've done. Those ten years, all of the demons, all of the darkness and suffering you caused. All to bring about the end of the Lucian line... And an end to your own immortality.”
”Oh?” Ardyn’s eyebrows raised. Where in all of Eos had he heard that?
“For us to fight now, it would be useless, I suppose." The man gave a very self-aware shrug before leaning back with almost casual abandon. ”You're immortal, I can't kill you. But I'll survive more than long enough to where you will no longer find it enjoyable or entertaining. Which isn't really a benefit to either one of us.”
Ardyn laughed under his breath, but didn’t say anything. Not yet. The boy wasn’t finished, and it would be unforgivably rude to interrupt. Instead, he just watched him, eyes bright, as he sipped at his wine.
"So, I thought perhaps you could sate my curiosity a bit. I want to know why. The why, for everything. I want to know why you did what you did... And why you continue to do what you do. If you will indulge me,” he said and just as Ardyn was about to mock him, he gestured towards the menu at the counter. ”Over Cup Noodles? I'll buy."
There was a very long, very awkward pause before Ardyn found himself chuckling again. He wasn’t certain whether the man was serious or not, but either way, he rather enjoyed the joke. His eyes were sparkling as he shot the man a rather sly grin.
”Now, how could I refuse an offer like that?” The speech hadn’t been quite to his taste. No, it had been long and vague and full of misconceptions, but this time at least it wasn’t so dull. Oh, how many times had he been called a monster over the edge of a blade? Too many to count. But being called a monster over a bowl of noodles?
Never.
”I dare say, you’ve caught my attention. Whatever that’s worth.” His words came slow. Slippery and packed with intent. His eyes flicked over the boy in predatory interest. ”Such an unusual offer is worth at least the time it takes me to finish a bowl. If you’re so eager to share it with me.”
”But how awkward! It seems you know much of me and yet I know very little of you. I know that you’ve had at least a taste of the darkness that I’ve made my home and I know that you’ve somehow gotten in it your head that I wish to end my little curse. What a silly idea! Absolutely frivolous, and yet, I’d wondered what the last remnants of the light must have said of me. It’s positively heartbreaking, the slanders and the lies.” Ardyn laughed again under his breath before letting his head roll to the side as he considered the man before him.
A young man. Maybe in his mid twenties? Then he must have lived in the shadows for nearly half his life.
Ardyn had lived in it for far longer.
”I can’t say that I’ll give you the answers you seek, but I must correct at least one more misconception before we continue. I so hate lies.” Ardyn’s smirk widened as he leaned towards the man. A little too close. Close enough that he could smell the man’s breath. Ardyn lowered his voice to little more than a whisper. ”Should you choose to take arms against me, there would be no ‘long enough.’” Ardyn touched at the man’s forearm, running a finger down it before returning to his stool and leaning an elbow on the counter. He rest his cheek against his palm.
”Well then. Are you ready to order or will you be going?”
Keep calm, mind focused, guard up... He had allowed his emotions to get the better of him for the moment, but Caius had quickly found his footing and pushed any sort of violent desires aside for the sake of a new goal. He knew that if he kept his cool, and perhaps played this game... He would gain something more valuable than a simple scrap. The man didn't seem to be phased by his promise of lasting, but seemed both amused and intrigued in his offer to exchange knowledge for a bowl of cup noodles.
Caius would simply nod his head once Ardyn would make his "corrections". He didn't flinch when the man came too close, he showed no fear. Instead, he kept his expression blank and didn't show his hand. At least until he spoke those last words. Those last words? They brought about a smirk that spread across Caius' face.
"... You underestimate me" He whispered back, his tone as confident as could be. Caius did not back down in the face of knowing he was outmatched. Being outmatched against bigger foes had been nearly his entire life up until this point. Still, he did have a point. He was asking for information... But had not given who he was.
"Caius. I was a hunter during the Ten Years" Caius spoke calmly. "I joined the Kingsglaive when the Chosen King returned. I served for over a year, before being brought here. I've worked as a mercenary since.
You could say I'm a man out of his time, out of his belonging, looking for purpose in a place I should not be, and yet here I am."
With that, he would motion toward the menu silently, for Ardyn to pick the particular type of Cup Noodles he would prefer. When he gave it, he would nod his head and make the order, paying upfront. When the order came, he would motion Ardyn toward his, while Caius would look around for a table. Those whispers told that he wished to speak freely, but knew that there were those watching. Finding a table to the far corner, he would make a motion with his head to follow, taking his cup noodles and moving to the table. Once the two were situated, Caius would casually begin to take small bites of his food, as if salivating having it for the first time in a long time. He did not speak, he instead gave Ardyn the courtesy of saying what he liked uninterrupted. He would ask questions if he had any once he'd given his piece.
Ardyn chuckled at the man’s answer. ’You underestimate me,’ he’d said. What was that supposed to mean? That Ardyn had underestimated how long the man could stand being toyed with? Honestly, that sounded less like a stoic threat and more like the man was coming onto him. Perhaps if the man really was so masochistic, Ardyn would grow tired of him eventually, though at that point would it even be considered a fight?
Regardless, Ardyn had never once lost enjoyment in tormenting those that sought to kill him. Perhaps that was what the man truly wanted.
"Caius. I was a hunter during the Ten Years. I joined the Kingsglaive when the Chosen King returned. I served for over a year, before being brought here. I've worked as a mercenary since."
”The Ten Years? Is that what they've taken to calling it?” Ardyn traced a circle across the counter with his finger. ”I suppose it was that long, wasn’t it?”
”You could say I'm a man out of his time, out of his belonging, looking for purpose in a place I should not be, and yet here I am."
”Oh yes. You have my greatest of sympathies. I simply can’t imagine.” Ardyn let every word drip with equal parts sarcasm and malice. He loathed having to listen through the complaints of those blessed with mortality. ”Not belonging in a time that isn’t your own? That must be the greatest of pains!” Ardyn gave a long, theatrical sigh. ”However will you survive?”
The man decided to move then and Ardyn chose to follow out of mild curiosity if nothing else. So far, the mercenary Caius had proved himself far less than impressive, but it was something to keep Ardyn’s attention at least. Playing along was better than boredom.
They sat almost casually at a table that wreaked of dried salt and kitchen grease. Still, Ardyn’s standards weren’t high enough to object and he lounged across a dining chair backed with sticky vinyl. The mercenary made no moves to speak and Ardyn followed suit, just sitting there marveling in his own thoughts and occasionally glancing at Caius, chuckling to himself every time he remembered the man’s provocative reply.
’You underestimate me.’ Ardyn wondered if he should take it as an offer or perhaps a challenge? Either way, every interpretation of that line intrigued him like nothing else.
There were noodles to be (mediocre -- he’d expected little else) and still the man was silent. Hadn’t Ardyn offered him a very specific allotment of time? It seemed the mercenary intended to leave the question asking to Ardyn himself. What a bother.
”Not that this isn’t, well, intriguing,” Ardyn started after another long moment of silence. ”But it was my understanding that you wished to make something of the time you’ve bought for yourself.” Ardyn places his spoon upright in his bowl and leaned back, head tilted idly as he considered the pop art paintings on the wall. ”Unless you think you’re entitled to my motives in which case you’d be tragically mistaken. I’ve only ever revealed my secrets to one in your time and a bowl of noodles does nothing to compare to his sacrifices.”
Caius was no fool. He knew that the man was immortal, and he wouldn't be able to win in a battle against him. Aranea, by what he knew of her reputation and what little he had seen of her in battle nearly a decade ago, was a tough cookie and she'd been utterly thrashed and brutally so. The man was cruel, Aranea's wounds were proof of that. Caius would not last forever, he knew. But... One thing that Caius knew how to do was survive for as long as possible. He had at one point made a career out of taking seemingly impossible hunts against creatures bigger and badder than he. While he was outclassed, he had one thing to him and that was his ability to survive and outlast. Ardyn in this case was just that. Another big bad creature out of his league. While he'd never be able to outlast Ardyn... Perhaps he'd be able to outlast his attention span. Those who clearly enjoyed their anarchy as he did, judging by how badly brutalized Aranea was... They always had a limit before the enjoyment faded. That was what he was counting on if it came to it. Thus his statement of underestimating him. Caius might not be immortal, or as strong... But he was as stubborn as a bull.
Caius took a careful listen to every word that Ardyn spoke. Both his lack of perception of time, and his biting remarks in regards to some of the things he had said told him one likely thing. While immortal, it was hard to say how long he was immortal... But the pure malice in his sarcastic remarks on top of everything else almost confirmed that he'd lived long. Very long. Longer than he would have liked, by the sound of it.
Caius had given Ardyn the courtesy of settling in before he asked questions, especially as he had already indicated he was interested in the "why" of Ardyn so it wasn't like he was completely in the dark on what Caius wanted to know. But Ardyn would refuse to divulge that. While disappointed, Caius wasn't surprised either. He would casually shrug his shoulders as he would move his head back up from his bowl to look toward Ardyn.
"I won't lie and say I'm not disappointed" He would admit. "But you will not see pressure on the matter further from me. So with the "why" off the table..." Caius would trail off he would spin his fork a bit absentmindedly between his fingers. "The idea of someone becoming immortal sounds like something out of fairy tales and folk lore stories. I'll admit, the idea has me intrigued and I do enjoy a good story. How does a man suddenly find himself with the power of immortality?
Of course, if that is off the table as well for any reason, I wouldn't mind just hearing a story or two of your own adventures. You've given the impression that you've lived long. Likely in an era that I've only ever read bits and pieces about. To hear a direct account from an era past would be an incredible thing to hear."
Either one would likely gleam him to some level of knowledge. Caius was a man who had an eye for detail, and could tell a fair bit about who someone was from the stories they told and their experiences. The "who" was something he was the most curious about, if the "why" was off the table... As for one reason or another, being near this man brought about a feeling that bothered him. Not his own repulsement for what he had done, nor the bad vibes he got from this dude. While they were there, they didn't bother him near as much as this.
There was a familiar feeling to him. Something about him made something within him react in a way that he felt like he should recognize. It was a feeling that almost brought about an old habit that had become instinct. To draw his blade, bring his fist to his chest and salute.
But it wasn't the same. Not exactly.
There was clearly something beyond him just being the Imperial Chancellor. There was more to it than that.
The ex-glaive relented -- a wise move on his part -- and leaned forward in thought leaving Ardyn to reflect on the truth absurdity of the situation. ’Yes, yes. I happen to know that you’re an immortal dark god set to wreak ruin and destruction. Do you have the time for a bite? Truly, I’m parched!’
”How does a man suddenly find himself with the power of immortality?”
Ardyn paused. The nature of the question had changed -- not the why, but the how. It was truly bizarre. ’Well, my dear kingsglaive, do you have a moment to discuss the duplicity of the Astrals?’
The man walked back his question a moment later, saying that any story would do and that he must have so many from throughout his immortal life! Ardyn chuckled at that, more out of disbelief than genuine amusement. His stories would be “incredible things to hear?” Yes, he had no doubts about that, but somehow he felt that the man’s focus was misdirected.
Still, in all his time, Ardyn had never met anyone quite like Caius.
”My stories…” he muttered to himself before laughing again. Such a simple question and yet one so novel he had little answer to it. ”Caius, was it? Hm. You served their glaive, you said? The royal line of Lucis…” Ardyn let his finger slide across a layer of dried grease on their table. ”Oh Lucis,” he repeated quieter this time. A darkness was rising within him.
”Tell me. Have you ever considered what it means to die?” His finger slipped through cool condensation left by their water cups. ”It’s a terrifying thing, isn’t it? To simply end. Oh yes. Most would go to great lengths to avoid it, and yet…” His hand paused. The scars on his palm gave a phantom throb. ”Is it not life’s greatest mercy?”
Here were the questions that lurked quietly in the dark. The questions that reverberated across empty stone long forgotten. Please, on everything left in this world, why won’t you let me die?
His fingers clenched. He had lived this long and had no intention of ending that now. Not until his enemies had suffered as he had.
”You said you were a hunter during the ‘Ten Years’ unless I’m mistaken.” His voice was surprisingly light even as his fist remained clenched. ”And that you joined the glaive after that. Now, I would say that’s impossible, but I think we both know the value of ‘impossibility.’ You see, a glaive can only be granted by the chosen king of Lucis. And there was no chosen king of Lucis.” His eyes drifted to Caius’ and locked there, simmering in darkness. ”Unless you claim that Noctis survived?”
