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Post by Caius Dragelion on Oct 26, 2023 16:16:28 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
He'd messed up. He knew that. It had not been the right time to tell everyone about Lumina, or the Scourge. Not when they were all focused on busting out Noctis' friends. And worse yet, he had lost his cool when Noctis revealed he could not, in fact, help Lumina. He didn't know why he had lost his cool like that, he just... Did. And he regretted doing it ever since.
He'd meant to talk to them about it more after the jailbreak happened. But new information had come to light and the circumstances had changed. He had to act quickly if he was to save lives. So he had left a note with Tifa for Noctis and Prompto to meet him at the Seventh Heaven bar at a certain time, when there would be little in patrons. As Caius lacked a phone, a note would have to do. It was probably a strange thing, considering Caius had all but disappeared after the incident. He had been sighted around town here and there, but when he wasn't attending to business, his whereabouts were unknown.
The truth was: Lumina was in Sonora to quarantine. The starscourge had spread. Which meant his circumstances had changed, thus so would have to change his methods.
So when Noctis and Prompto entered the bar, Caius had already arrived, nursing a stiff drink. Drinks had already been ordered for the both of them, courtesy of Caius. Which considering Caius didn't have much in Sonoran collateral, was certainly a surprise. Truthfully, he had a little more to spend due to the fact he was living under Lumina's roof, in her cottage on Mount Hotan. So that took care of lodging. Caius was also not hurting for food anymore, either. He had initially tried to refuse having every meal prepped for him, for he didn't want to infringe on the family's generosity, but...
In that regard, Lumina was more stubborn and fiery than he was. She won that argument handily.
However, the family had also tried to ensure he wasn't leaving without more sonoran gil than the meagre amount he had. For a rich family, him doing this seemed almost asinine and she and her adopted "father" weren't hurting, to say the least. But that was where Caius drew the line. If he needed more, he would need to undergo jobs here and earn his own keep. Caius was too prideful to take advantage of them that way. There had been much pouting over that, but the request was respected. So the drinks that were soon poured were still on his own gil. He wouldn't have it any other way.
Caius found himself staring into his own reflection within the mug, noting to himself that he didn't look as happy without Lumina by his side. It served as a reminder of what this meeting was about.
He had to save her. Failure was not an option. To be honest, he didn't know if Noctis could help him, not when his powers weren't yet developed enough. For the most part, this was a courtesy call. Keeping the Prince up to date on the situation regarding the scourge. But if there was even a single lead he could pursue after the jailbreak was finished, he needed to find out.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Noctis had been surprised when Tifa contacted them to let them know that Caius was looking to meet up again. He hadn’t seen anything of either him or Alex since the disaster planning session that took place at the bar. The prince had been planning to reach out to both of them soon since he and Prompto were nearly done with preparations to infiltrate the prison, but he hadn’t been looking forward to it much honestly. There was a lot of bad blood between Alex and Prompto now that might never be cleared up, and then Noctis just felt like he had let Caius down. He wasn’t the king that the mercenary remembered. He knew that, but it had still hurt to see the usually calm and collected kingsglaive get riled up over how useless he was.
He wouldn’t do anything until Ignis and Gladio were safe of course, but it made him want to rethink his next steps. Noct needed to get stronger, or at least to learn more about the prophecy he was supposed to fulfill. And both of those paths seemed to lead to one person. Thoughts of finding Ardyn had been lingering in the back of his mind, but he knew better than to voice them to Prompto. His best friend would just freak out at him, and probably for good reason. Not to mention that the jailbreak came first, so Noctis had just been letting things simmer until Tifa had delivered the note.
The bell overhead signaled their arrival back at Seventh Heaven, and Noctis let out a breath of relief at the warm air that greeted them. Snow flurries blew in after them until the door was shut, so the prince did his best to scuff his boots on the mat before raising a hand to where Caius was seated in a corner booth. It was an off time in the early afternoon, so the bar was nearly empty, which gave them plenty of space to talk. Even if Noctis found himself nervous about what the topic would be. Still, he did his best to keep a neutral expression as he unzipped his coat and made his way over to the blond man.
“Hey,” he greeted the kingsglaive, sliding into the booth across from him. “I wasn’t sure if you’d gone back to Torensten for a bit or not.” He automatically scooted over to take the spot closest to the wall, having dealt with crownsguard protocol for his entire life. Come to think of it, Prompto might not have cared as much as Ignis or Gladio though if he wanted to sit in the open. It was just habit.
Drinks were already set out for both him and Prompto, and Noctis gave him a half-smile at the sight. “Thank you. I’m scared if we’re starting off with whiskey though.” That didn’t bode particularly well, but he’d let Caius take this at his own pace. Noctis took a sip of the drink, letting the liquor warm him up after the frigid walk to the bar. Ignis might have been a little unhappy that they hadn’t seen the drinks get made, but he didn’t exactly think Caius was out to poison them. He probably wanted a difficult conversation though, and that made the drink a welcome gift.
[attr=class,lyric1]gonna keep on keeping on the only
[attr=class,lyric2]way i know how
[attr=class,bulk] Once it had been made clear that Prompto was there to stay, Ignis had taken him aside to give him some advice on mindfulness. Whenever he felt that familiar sense of anxiety welling up, he was supposed to ground himself. What were five things he could see? Well, right now he could see the dark gray snow melting in the gutter, mixed with car exhaust. He could see cars too, going every which way that the foreign street rules allowed. Then there were buildings, some of them tall as skyscrapers, and he saw a scrappy little dog peeking out of a dark alley and then in front of him there was Noctis.
What could he touch? Snow. Cold snow. And he felt the familiar rough leather of his gloves. The wind was kicking up, whipping his face until it turned red. His boots clomped in the wet slushy puddles on the sidewalk. If he reached forward, he could have touched Noctis.
What could he hear? Cars mostly. The background drone of a thousand people in the city, all clomping about like he was and some of them in conversation. He could hear Noct’s silence.
He could smell the choking, suffocating cloud of exhaust that a car sputtered into his face. Once that passed, the wind carried back the distinctive scent of Noctis’ hair gel.
He tasted blood from the sore he’d chewed into his cheek the night before. Worrying.
Noct hadn’t been the same since they’d come back from Seventh Heaven the night they were supposed to be talking about Gladio and Ignis and the whole “we might die in a prison escape” thing. Prompto hadn’t really been in his right mind either, what with getting yelled at and pinned against a table and then running off to a bathroom to cry and all. But he’d been chipper as ever the next day. Noctis…wasn’t.
Not that Noctis was ever really chipper, but he’d been sullen. More sullen than usual. Sullen in the way that something was on his mind. But when Prompto asked, he’d said it was fine even though it was so obviously not fine. Prompto hadn’t asked again, but now he knew it was something that Noctis couldn’t even tell him. Which made it serious. Noctis got like this when he was planning something really stupid. Not like Prompto-level stupid, but even stupider. And more dangerous. Which made Prompto worry.
And worry. And worry. And worry. And worry until there was a sore on his inner cheek and he tasted blood as he walked through the snow on their way back to Seventh Heaven.
What was the other thing that Ignis had said about mindfulness? He should imagine the worst likely scenario. Not the worst he could think up with his mind spinning, but what was the worst that would actually happen. Well, right now, the worst that could happen is that Caius could send Noctis’ crisis nose-diving until it crashed into a cliff and he disappeared into the night to do that mysterious, stupid, dangerous something.
Yeah. That didn’t help.
”Brrr! It’s cold out here, huh?” Prompto called ahead of him just so he could hear his own voice out loud instead of the tailspinning voice in his head. They’d reached that fateful bar already and he saw the sign that still looked kind of like the place was more scandalous than it actually was and Noctis opened the door and the bell rang out and he felt warm air at last except the smell of it reminded him of the disaster of a night they’d had before and it made him feel nauseous.
Gone was the smell of car exhaust and Noct’s hair gel. Now there was only the suffocating scent of old liquor on older wooden floors. That was the smell of Alex leering over him and Caius yelling from a vinyl upholstered booth. Yeah, no thanks.
But he followed Noct anyway. He always followed Noct. That was his job if he wanted to get literal about it, but he’d have done it anyway. He wasn’t about to let Noct go in alone, not here and not anywhere.
Noctis saw Caius before he did. Prompto mirrored Noctis’ wave, albeit less enthusiastically and with an even weaker smile. Noctis unzipped his coat, but Prompto kept his zipped right up. You know, just in case.
In case he needed to drag Noctis back out into the snow again, on the double.
Caius had apologized for his outburst, but it didn’t escape him that Noctis’ mood had turned right after. Prompto might have been stupid, but he was smart enough to notice something like that. He was also smart enough to put two and two together about why Caius wanted to talk to them again in the first place. This wasn’t about Gladio and Ignis. This was about Caius’ Starscourge problem.
Which they couldn’t help with. They’d already told Caius they couldn’t help with it. Yet still, he’d put all that weight on Noctis’ shoulders. Now, Caius was going to double that weight. Prompto hated when that happened.
Sometimes, it felt like Prompto was the only guy in the whole world that saw Noctis as just Noctis. Not the prince. Not the future king of Lucis. Not superpowered and the bearer of some great destiny in a long line of warrior kings that made myths and legends and history books that kids were forced to read in class. He was Noctis. Just Noctis. And Noctis hated whenever anyone reminded him of all the rest.
Noct greeted Caius casually and scooted into the booth until he hit the wall. Prompto slid in after him. There were drinks already sat out in front of them that looked like straight liquor. Caius was already holding his. Noctis picked up a glass and sipped it. Prompto didn’t touch the one meant for him. He had to stay sharp – as sharp as he could be anyway – when there was so much on the line.
Also, he hated liquor shots. Didn’t matter what it was, it always left him sputtering. So there was that.
”Er, hey,” he greeted Caius. ”So uh. Why’d you call us here, anyway? Cause if it’s for the reason I’m thinking then the whiskey makes sense. Heh.” He glanced at Noctis. Noctis didn’t seem as worried as Prompto was. Maybe Prompto was overreacting. Or maybe Noct was just that cool.
Either way, Prompto was here right beside him. Ready to help carry some of that weight on his shoulders. So long as Noct let him, that was.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Nov 14, 2023 17:54:21 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
They couldn’t do anything else. He knew that. They had made that very clear. Which is why this was a courtesy call. Caius had accepted that he was most likely on his own. But the two whom would soon arrive were owed both apology and an explanation. And to be kept in the loop. At the sight of them, he would give a nod in greeting, motioning towards the drinks he’d bought them. He didn’t remember what kind. Whiskey made sense, though. It’s what he’d been drinking.
“It is good to see you both well” Caius spoke once they were seated and he had begun to formulate words. This was difficult for him, and while he was always calm in his speech, one could tell this was different. He lacked any real life in his greeting. He sounded tired and stressed, and a bit run down. “I had some business to take care of in the city. Once that was finished, I was trying to wait out until the day of our plans before… Something came up. I will get to that in a moment.”
Despite it all, there was still some heart left in what came next. The glaive would turn in his seat towards them before bowing formally. “Before anything else, I want to once again apologize for my decorum before. It was more than out of line — it was completely unfair to you. I needed to remember that things are different here in this world. I knew that from the moment I met you here and you were much younger. Even moreso when I learned this world changed how His Highness' abilities worked on the beach.”
Caius shook his head. “But I didn’t. The fault lies with me. I wanted to speak to you here to apologize, and give a proper explanation,” he expressed, still wishing he’d never had the outburst. It was a breach of protocol, and a poor way to treat a friend. “I owe you both that much. And... Since our last meeting, there have been some sudden developments. Ones that mean I have to change my plans after we free your friends. I felt it best to keep you in the loop, but… Once we flee, after I have lain low for a short while. I have to attempt to return to Sonora."
Yep. There it was. The plan had been for them all to lay low and away from Sonora for a good, long time. If they even returned at all. But while Caius had a better chance of returning to Sonora safely...
"There will probably be heightened security measures in Sonora, so I will most likely not be able to contact you directly again until I next return. Letters can and will be intercepted.”
This was something that he really did not want to do. His original plan had been to stay far, far away from Sonora for a good and long time. He didn’t want to be here, especially after staging a prison break.
But he had no choice. If Lumina lost control of the parasite while he wasn’t there…
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] Noctis glanced over at his best friend in surprise as he got straight to the point by asking why they were there. That was pretty curt for Prompto. The blond man looked fairly tense too, and he hadn’t even touched the drink in front of him yet. Liquor wasn’t Prompto’s favorite, but he’d usually take a drink or two at least. Maybe he was feeling anxious about being back in Seventh Heaven after everything that had happened. Noctis would have to ask him later. He didn’t have a good way to check on Prompto right now, but hopefully he’d be able to make it through this meeting.
Caius had a lot to say though, so Noctis turned his attention to the former kingsglaive instead. He looked pretty exhausted, and the prince had to wonder what he’d been up to if he hadn’t been traveling. The blond man left that aside for now though, and instead he bowed his head towards both of them and apologized. A frown crossed Noct’s face, and he quickly shook his head to show that it was okay.
“I get it. The king you know…fulfilled the prophecy and took care of the starscourge.” It sounded weird even saying that out loud and knowing that it was him. Ardyn had shown him time and time again how powerless he was. He wasn’t worthy of that kind of title yet, and maybe he never would be now that they were all trapped here. “So it makes complete sense that you’d come to me. I just wish I knew how to help.” Except maybe he did have some idea. He wasn’t an oracle like Luna. There was only one way he could have destroyed the starscourge, and the path clearly laid with Ardyn. His future was tangled up with that of the daemonic chancellor, as much as that made him sick to think about.
His fingers tightened around his glass, and he took a sip of whiskey to hide the twitch. Meanwhile Caius went on to explain that he needed to come back to Sonora very shortly after the breakout plan. For him to do something that dangerous, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together on why he’d risk it. “That woman you mentioned who’s infected. Lumina. She lives here?” That would explain why Caius looked so pale and drawn. That told him all he needed to know about how it was going. “Is she…still okay?”From Caius’ reaction, he had a feeling the two were more than just friends, but that part was none of his business really.
[attr=class,lyric1]gonna keep on keeping on the only
[attr=class,lyric2]way i know how
[attr=class,bulk] Caius definitely got to the point. That point wasn’t exactly what Prompto had been expecting, but he got to it. Oh boy did he get to it.
Prompto couldn’t help but stare as Caius twisted himself in his seat and tried for a prim and proper bow right there at the table of a sleazy bar on the wrong end of Sonora. The bow couldn’t go very far down though. Not with the table in the way. And suddenly Prompto felt very, very awkward.
”Hey, it’s fine! You don’t gotta-!” But he didn’t get into what Caius didn’t have to do because Noctis was already on it which was a real good thing because Prompto wasn’t exactly sure how he’d handle the situation if he was alone. It was good that Caius was apologizing, and he seemed to mean it too which was even better. Really, Prompto didn’t hold much against Caius personally. He just…
Worried. That’s what he was best at, wasn’t it?
What if Caius planted some idea in Noctis’ head?
What if Caius accidentally made Noctis feel worse?
What if that combination made Noctis run off and…
And…
Prompto didn’t know what, but he was on guard for it all the same. Just in case. Hadn’t Ignis once told him to try to predict all possible outcomes?
Ignis probably wasn’t talking about the racing thoughts of generalized anxiety, but hey! It was something.
Prompto glanced at Noctis worriedly as he talked about a prophecy and taking out the starscourge. Prompto had never heard about a prophecy before – not that he could remember, anyway, and he was sure he’d remember something like a prophecy about his best friend. That whole starscourge thing was what Caius had yelled at them before. Noctis repeated it uneasily.
’I get it,’ Noctis seemed to say, ’I’m not the king you know that did all those great things. But I SHOULD be.’
The thought made Prompto shiver.
He pretended it was from the cold.
Noctis intuited that Caius would be coming back to Sonora because of that girl he wanted to save, and…Yeah. That made sense. Prompto had never known anyone who’d gotten the starscourge himself, but he knew people that had, and it sounded like pure torture. The sick one, knowing they were gonna die, watching the infection spread in dark patches across their skin and knowing there wasn’t a thing they could do about it. Their loved ones, forced to watch and pray even though their prayers didn’t do a thing.
Prompto wasn’t much of a religious person. He knew all about the Astrals from classes in school. He believed in them, obviously, and even if he hadn’t before he sure did now that he’d seen a lot of them in the flesh. Titan was mad and stupid. Leviathan was a bitch to fight. Ramuh was okay except that every time he showed up, they all had to duck for cover or risk getting fried where they stood.
But maybe even he’d start praying if someone he knew got those telltale dark patches. Maybe…
Prompto blinked hard to force his attention back to the conversation at hand. It wasn’t really his conversation as much as it was one between Caius and Noctis, but he was there and he needed to actually listen.
Even if he didn’t have much to add except a muttered, ”Sorry…” and he wasn’t even entirely sure what he was sorry for.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Dec 13, 2023 17:05:04 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
Noctis was understanding. Of course he was. Why did he have to be so damn understanding? He'd almost feel better if he got a little mad that Caius had acted so horribly to a man who was supposed to be, in his timeline, his King of all people. The person who had turned his life around and led to all that he was now.
But he wasn't his King. He was a different person entirely. There was nobody telling him to stand down, telling him to mind his tongue before the King. Just an understanding kid that was even younger than him. A neverending reminder that he could never get back what he had lost. The world, the life that he had left behind. That everyone around him would continue to reunite with their loved ones, that they could hold out hope that from that horrible void they would only grow more and more whole again... All Caius could do was move on, if he was to push down how isolated and alone he truly felt.
Even Prompto didn't go off at him. He didn't know if Prompto was as understanding as Noctis, though he had the impression that wasn't the case. But... It left him at a loss for words. At least, until Noctis got right to the point.
He knew why Caius was here. Or at least, why he was choosing to return.
"Yes," he spoke softly, just above a whisper. "She learned that the scourge has begun to spread here after her last visit, and the parasite’s hold is reaching its final stages. It was already fairly advanced the last time I saw her, which…”
He didn’t need to say it. It was why he had grown panicked before when it turned out Noctis couldn’t stop it. They were running out of time. And Caius was running out of options. It was little wonder he had lost his cool the way he had.
"Lumina is... Important, to me. Aside from people whom I had never met before and are from eras long before my own, I have never met another friendly being from my own world until your retinue arrived. For years, I’ve watched everyone around me reunite with their friends, comrades and their loved ones. More of Yuffie’s friends and loved ones seem to pop up by the week, Celes has her Returners, Cassandra has Alex, for better or worse… That disconnect has been difficult to parse through" he began, fully aware this might take a little bit. But after what he had done, it was best they knew. "Even your retinue, as happy as I was to see you both... Aren't the ones that I remember. It drove home further that I will always be disconnected from where I came from, with nobody coming through that rift who knows me, or would come looking for me. That's not your fault, and I never want either of you to think you're at fault for any of this. But the Dragonblades, as well as Lumina and her younger sisters..."
Caius took a deep breath, considering taking another drink. But he knew he should be at least somewhat sober to relay this properly.
"... They are my family now. The family that I fight to come home to, that makes me feel like I belong somewhere for the first time in a very long time, with people who know me, people who care about me. A family that I would do whatever to save. And Lumina, she's..."
Was he really going to say it? What had been stirring deep in his heart all this time? He didn't know how to phrase it, didn't know how to best say it, but...
"I'm not great at putting it into words... But she's special, and I would walk to the ends of this realm if the cure for her condition were there. She's someone I... Want to be there by my side, for the rest of my days. No matter what it takes. She is who this starscourge parasite has taken host in. And her life, amongst others, is who is at stake."
For a moment, his emotions had raised as his eyes lit up and his voice picked up just a little. But when it came to the actual business at hand, his voice calmed once more. The mercenary actually did take a swig this time. Getting on the subject of her condition was... Hard.
“Before I came to Sonora, I learned of a parasite in Zephon able to take host in a person. Eventually take control of them until that person is gone and only it remains. At some point, it melded with the starscourge. Possibly the strand that Adagium, or Ardyn as you call him, brought into this world. It became stronger, more able to spread the scourge itself, and has only grown in strength since,” he began, remembering to pause at points to try and give Noctis space to process. Even he knew that for someone like Noctis whose life had been as changed by the scourge's master as his was, this whole thing was as unnerving as could be. "By what I was told… The last time this blighted parasite took hold of someone, they perpetrated a massacre throughout Zephon, slaughtering hundreds of innocent people. Until it was finally put down. The parasite regressed to a weaker state and moved to find a new host. But this came at the cost of the original host’s life. That parasite is now what inhabits Lumina.”
Therein lay the problem. This wasn't just the starscourge... It was something else entirely, blighted and mutated by the scourge that had overtaken their world. And Noctis had been the only one he knew of in this world that could even come close to stopping it.
“I have found myself lacking in leads to expunge the parasite from her safely. While the scourge appears to have given it some weakness to my power, I still cannot remove it. The only person alive I have ever seen expunge the scourge without taking it into themselves… Was the King that I served. Your retinue arrived to Zephon, but not as the same ones that I remember. And I need to come to terms with that. It was wrong of me to heap such expectations on you. I have full confidence after having met you that one day, you will be every bit the Noctis that I once served. I don’t doubt that for a second. But after losing my last lead, I..."
He had screwed up. Simple as that. No matter how overwhelmed and frustrated he had become, he had made a mistake.
"You're my friend. And I never should have snapped at you. I wanted to see you today before things get crazy, to make sure you knew that. That you didn't blame yourself, or think I see any less of you for something you can't control. And if I can figure out if there's any way we can still save her... I'll be in touch."
Caius needed to own up to his mistake, and make it right. This was the only way he could think of. But that wasn't the only reason he had come here today.
“She has returned here to stay at a place she can isolate away from civilians. Which is why when our business here is finished, I will find an opportunity to return to Sonora to keep tabs on her. And in hopes that perhaps here, I may find a means to exercise that parasite. And... If I'm unsuccessful..."
How much had this been on his mind now? This particular thing? This possibility that had fueled his nightmares for months now.
"The task of preventing another massacre will fall to me. The only way to stop it in that point is to defeat it, and send it back to a weaker state until it finds a new host. Which means…”
Caius averted his gaze a moment, biting back tears as he sharply bit the inside of his cheek.
“… Which means that to protect everyone, I have to kill Lumina.”
And destroy the light in his own life as well. That was the burden he would have to take on, as was his duty to this world’s people. All just to buy Zephon’s people more time before the next rampage. More time to find a means to permanently kill the parasite. But time was not something Lumina had.
Then came the biggest reason that he had called Noctis here.
"There's a chance that I won't be able to stop it. If I do not survive the attempt, then this world and its people will need the four of you to finish what I could not. You two, and your friends as well. Besides the power of an Oracle, the Power of Kings is the only weapon I know that can stop the starscourge. And keep what remains of my family safe."
If it came to it... Either by their hands, or his. It would be the only thing that could set his Lumina free.
[attr=class,lyric1]i am noctis, prince of lucis and
[attr=class,lyric2]king of fishing
[attr=class,bulk] As Caius started telling his story, Prompto muttered an apology for literally nothing, which meant his best friend wasn’t doing so good. Noctis lightly tapped his boot against the other boy’s in a sad show of support, but it was the best he could offer while they were sitting in a booth together. Anyway, he didn’t want to interrupt the kingsglaive. He was obviously having a bad time of it too. Lumina’s scourge was apparently in its advanced stages now, which made Noct wince and direct his eyes down towards his whiskey. He wished he knew what to say. A king should know what to say, but all that came to his mind was ‘that’s rough buddy,’ and he clamped down hard on that before it could come out of his mouth.
“I figured the two of you were like that,” he said hesitantly instead. “I know it’s not like you to blow up. That’s why I wasn’t mad. I’m glad you have her.” The for now went unspoken, but it lingered too loudly in the silence until Noctis had to take a drink of whiskey just to drown it out. Astrals, this sucked for everyone involved. Most of all Caius though, so the prince let him carry on with his story.
At the revelation that the starscourge had apparently melded with a different parasite, Noctis gave Prompto a look of alarm. That was beyond bad. That was horrifying. “You’re kidding. Is that rare here, or do we have to worry about an epidemic of both of these spreading around?” It probably wouldn’t make Caius feel better if Lumina had the only case, but Noctis didn’t even want to think about what would happen if a stronger version of the starscourge became permanent. That was nightmare-inducing.
Caius said that he was his friend and that he didn’t want Noct to think less of himself for not being able to help. The prince finally raised his head from his drink to look at him as he self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. That would be…hard to internalize when all he’d done since Insomnia had fallen was blame himself. He appreciated the man’s intention though, so he gave him a small smile that was more genuine than before. “Thank you. Really. I have been thinking though. Ever since that night. If your king-...if I destroyed the scourge. I’m no Oracle. I don’t think it would be like what Luna can do.” Could do. Noctis paused for a moment, choked by the accidental present tense before he continued. “So I keep coming back to the same possibility. Ardyn.”
Noctis glanced at Prompto out of the corner of his eye, aware that this conversation was going to upset him. They had barely talked about the chancellor of Niflheim, and for good reason. For one, rescuing Ignis and Gladio was obviously the priority. For another, even Noct wasn’t sure what all Prompto had gone through at his hands. Not when they’d found him strung up in Gralea. The man was a literal monster.
“He wanted me to take the crystal’s power and come back. And if he’s the reason the scourge is spreading here…then I think we’ll find an answer with him.” No one would like it, but all signs for stopping the scourge pointed to the red-haired daemon. His ancestor. It still made his skin crawl to remember, but he had to remember it. Or he wouldn’t be able to face him.
Caius confided that if he couldn’t find a solution, then he intended to kill Lumina to save hundreds of other lives. And if that failed…
Noctis let out a breath, but nodded his head immediately. “We’d help if it came to that.” After the empire, they were no stranger to killing humans who had been twisted beyond recognition. For all that Ravus had done, Luna’s brother had deserved a better ending than that. “But don’t feel like you have to fend for yourself before that. Once Ignis and Gladio are out, you can come to us if you need anything.” Assuming they all survived this breakout of course, but that concern seemed secondary right now.
[attr=class,lyric1]gonna keep on keeping on the only
[attr=class,lyric2]way i know how
[attr=class,bulk] ”Dude…”
Prompto probably should have had something better to say when somebody shared all his worst fears and traumas like that. He probably should have, but he didn’t. Cause when Caius got to talking, he really got to talking, and what did somebody say to all that? It felt weird listening to it all.
It felt real weird.
Prompto took another swig of the whiskey in front of him and winced, coughing just as Caius told them he’d have to kill the love of his life if things didn’t change. ’Smooth, Prompto. Real smooth.’
When he finished, Prompto just kinda sat there, glancing uncertainly at Noctis like he might have some better response than he did. Noctis did have a better response, thankfully. Or maybe not thankfully when Noctis put two and two together and realized the literal, actual Starscourge might have followed them here.
”No way…” Prompto bit his lip, eyes downcast. ”But there aren’t any daemons here! I thought it was supposed to be different…”
He’d thought. But it didn’t really matter what he’d thought, did it? If one woman had the Starscourge then that meant it could spread and she’d had to have gotten it from somewhere, didn’t she? It was so obvious that Prompto could have kicked himself for not putting the pieces together sooner and needing someone else to spell it out for him.
Oh well. Everybody needed a group idiot, right?
Then it came back to Noctis’ worries. The one that Caius had put on his shoulders the last time they’d all talked, and Prompto just watched Noctis warily, really hoping he didn’t have to drag him off like last time or start making a scene.
He couldn’t have ever guessed what was actually on Noctis’ mind.
”Ardyn?” he asked warily. Something turned in his stomach. Maybe it was the whiskey, but it was a bit more like dread. Whiskey dread.
”He wanted you to…?” Prompto repeated as the pieces slowly, hesitantly fit together. ”But…”
No. No way was Noctis suggesting what he thought he was suggesting.
But the pieces finally fit together a bit like the trigger of a detonating bomb. Noctis had been quiet ever since Caius had last talked to them. He’d been hiding something. And this was it. The something that he’d keep even from Prompto, and as it finally came out, Prompto threw himself to his feet, slamming his knee into the table with a muffled, ”Ow!” as he gracelessly turned on Noctis, hands clenched into fists, feeling strangely cold and woozy and probably even paler than usual.
”You want to go after him? Ardyn? He can’t die! He’d just-!”
’Hurt you. Hurt me to hurt you.’ Prompto bit his lip. Hard.
”Look, I want to help Caius too, but that’s not the way to do it! We don’t have a way to do it! If you really did get rid of all the Starscourge or whatever, then however you did it came out of the crystal and we don’t have that anymore! You don’t always have to solve everyone’s problems!”
Prompto was almost in tears now. He furiously wiped his eyes on his coat sleeve.
”I knew we shouldn’t have come here,” he said. ”I’m just trying to look out for you…”
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jan 16, 2024 18:19:47 GMT -6
The Dragonblade
"Were like that" he said, and for the first time in his life -- Caius immediately knew what he meant. He knew how he had just described Lumina, and perhaps he even agreed to that statement. Their relationship was... Complicated, but the more that time had gone on, his feelings had become ever more clear. No more clear than when he had snapped at Noctis of all people. Noctis who, fortunately, continued to be understanding in ways that not many would have been.
"I'm glad you have her."
That stood out in his mind. Glad he had her. He supposed he was glad to have her too. Being around her made him happy, and him being around seemed to make her happy too. Was that how a relationship was supposed to work? Is this how it's supposed to feel?
“There are. A man whose description sounds like Ardyn infected a hospital in Provo with the scourge,” answered Caius when Prompto claimed there weren't daemons here. “I've only seen them a handful of times, they tend to stick to darker places. But they definitely exist on Zephon. There’s also the man who tried to assassinate His Majesty in my timeline, he’s here somewhere as well. We had a run-in, but haven’t encountered them since. By what I understand, they’ve experimented with daemons and the scourge, and gained the ability to turn people -- as well as command daemons. It wouldn't surprise me if he's been picking up the victims from that hospital incident."
Yeah, THAT was something he had been meaning to drop. But the whole fact that Caius was Noctis' own Kingsglaive, Lumina, getting Ignis and Gladiolus out, all of that had taken precedence and there just hadn't been an opportunity. Caius would have liked to forget that horrible man, Cortex he remembered was his name, ever existed. But as much as he had pushed it down, and surrounded himself with people who had made him happy... The pain had never truly gone away. "However, he’s clearly blighted himself. Without Ardyn’s power of kings keeping it in check, I don’t know how much humanity they have left, or if they haven’t already fully turned since.”
A deep part of him hoped the bastard had already been turned by his own experiments, had no sentience left, and was barely enough of a threat to hurt anyone else until someone could finish him off. But another part hoped he was alive just long enough for Caius to gut that monster himself.
"I don't know. I've only ever heard about Lumina. And the new strand of recent infections in Sonora. I don't know if they're purely scourge or if this parasite is multiplying," he admitted softly when Noctis brought up the possibility of an epidemic. He found himself shuddering at the thought. "I would like to figure out ways to deal with that -before- we find out how much of a risk there is of an entire army running loose"
He really didn't want to think about that possibility. Especially considering both things seemed to be compatible and able to make each other stronger. If they continued to merge and cross-mutate, the result would be an absolute nightmare. And Caius would be helpless to stop it. He couldn't even save Lumina, lacked even the remotest capability to do so. How was he supposed to stop an army?
He remembered how helpless this whole thing had already made him feel, and now that feeling was growing. He had to remind himself once again... There was still things he could do.
Caius' attempt to assuage Noctis' grief seemed to help, which was good. But Noctis brought up that he wouldn't be able to heal the same as an Oracle probably. Something that in hindsight, Caius should have known. "I hate to say it, but it makes sense. By what I know, the King in my time just... Wiped it out, all at once. I wasn't privy to the specifics. You went in, Ring of the Lucii in hand, there was a battle, and a bright light... And then dawn came for the first time in a decade. The daemons and all trace of the scourge were gone."
Caius knew that he should have known Noctis couldn't just do that here. There had to be some kind of requirement, otherwise it wouldn't have taken ten whole years. But Noctis was the only one he knew that could, period. Noctis, meanwhile, decided to veer for something a touch... Extreme, to put it mildly. Ardyn wanting Noctis to take the crystal's power was an entire can of worms that Caius didn't know how to process, but wanting to go to HIM for ANSWERS? It was insane, and the likelihood of that even succeeding was as low as could be. Dangerous, risky, and with a low success rate. Caius couldn't see it working.
Prompto beat him to opposing it, hurting himself in the process. Though one line caught his attention. That line about the crystal caused him to chew the inside of his cheek with far more discomfort than before. Before taking another long swig. He was going to need to top up soon.
“I'm with Prompto. Ardyn caused this, I don’t think involving him is a good idea. The odds of securing any amount of cooperation is low, and by what I understand from the records, he's after the Lucian family. Not to mention, expecting Prompto or myself to sit idly by with him standing there, after all he's done, is..."
Inconceivable. Caius wanted to kill him. Can't die, he said? They would see about that. Caius didn't revel in killing, but he didn't need to revel in it to find several hundred different ways to gut Ardyn until he stayed dead. Perhaps it was a far cry from his previous stance on Kuja, but someone had once told him that even back in their world, Kuja had shown a potential to change for the better. Ardyn had caused pain and suffering for over a decade, he was a monster that needed to be put to the sword for everyone's sake. He wasn't human anymore, and Caius had never hesitated to cut down a vicious, cruel monster before.
"There are... Two other options, that I've considered. Neither of which involve Ardyn" Caius revealed. One he had been considering since his most recent meeting with Lumina, the other opened up as a possibility when it got lore dumped to him right before this post. "It's risky. But I've been able to infuse some of my power in Lumina as a protective barrier, of sorts. Because it contains the scourge, which has some weakness to our power, it causes the parasite to recoil and flee further back into her consciousness. Though it's ingrained so deep that it's messed with her mind in retaliation when I have done so. I've considered the possibility that if I were able to infuse enough... While it wouldn't work on dispelling the normal starscourge in people like an Oracle could do, if I did it here, this blighted parasite might be forced to evacuate its host."
Caius took a deep breath then, gritting his teeth a moment as he was reminded of the kicker in this.
"... But I'm not strong enough. Just infusing the amount needed to do what I've done is a huge strain on me. I'm not confident I could do it, and even if I did succeed, I wouldn't survive if the parasite attacks."
And there it was. The source of that feeling of helplessness.
"I can't do too much, however. If this healer is who I think she might be... It's possible I can work with her, see if my power is compatible with hers. But there's no guarantees, and just keeping the parasite at bay in your daughter drains me a great deal. If I was a Lucian King, I could do more. But I am no healer."
He couldn't help Yuna, either. The limits of his power became clearer by the day. That feeling of helplessness grew ever stronger...
For a moment, an intrusive thought crossed through him. Why couldn't he have been born in the Lucian bloodline? Why couldn't he have been graced with the abilities of the Lucian Kings, able to wield their magic to the fullest extent? If he had been able to do the same as Noctis, maybe... Maybe he could have kept researching and found ways to use that power to expunge this blighted parasite from Lumina. And from the others who had been infected. With a stronger magic pool, maybe he could have even been better at curative magic, like Yuna and Celes. Maybe he could have kept Yuna from getting overwhelmed at the clinic, and he could have saved lives while alleviating his friends...
But this world had dubbed him purely a fighter. A destroyer of lives. A killer. Yes, he had saved lives in his own way. But not in this one. Celes could, Yuna could, Noctis very likely could if he figured out how... But not him. He was cursed to stay in his lane, and even doing what he had done for Lumina pushed the limits of his power.
As the moment passed however, he breathed and reminded himself there was still things he could do.
He had reminded himself then that he could still help in his own way. He had to continue to do so now. Even if he lacked the power to do it on his own, he had the connections to keep looking. Connections he'd amassed with his own merits. And he would not stop until Lumina was safe...
"If I had His Highness with me, however, it might be enough. But Alex also warned me, when I encountered him, that doing so would likely kill her if she was overloaded with "light" magic in trying to expunge the parasite. He knows nothing about the parasite itself, and we actually need to have a conversation about Alex before you two leave Sonora, but that's going to take some time, and we have other problems."
Though there was one thing he thought he should note. He would eye Noctis. "However, I would recommend against letting him find out that you can, or could, summon the Astrals. Or he might turn his blade on you as well."
He wasn't getting through a conversation about Alex while sober. Not even what he had drank so far was enough for that.
"The other option came to me very recently. It's... Unlikely. Super unlikely. But..."
How did Caius even bring this up? Considering what he knew of their history, and the circumstances of her death, this was a massive can of worms to open up right here and now in the middle of all of this. Where did he start? Was it even a good idea to talk about this?
"There's a woman tending to the infected. Has been for some time, apparently. Stricken with amnesia, by what Lumina told me. I wouldn't have thought much of it if not for the fact she's been doing this as long as she has while completely staving off infection. Those with the King's magic, as far as I can tell, have resistance to the scourge. She doesn't, but has been able to tend to the infected far better than any doctor or healer could without any issues. I don't know much about her, only that, and that Lumina's family have been taking care of her in her amnesiac state. But while it could be a coincidence, and I don't want you to freak out..."
He took a deep breath. Here we go.
"... She claims that her name is Luna."
Yeah, that might need a minute to process. Caius gave them a little space on that one before speaking again.
"I've asked Lumina to introduce us if there's an opportunity. Either before we leave Sonora, or after I return. With how busy she's been, it could take me some time. But I'll investigate that lead further and report back."
