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autumn-maple13 · 5 years

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REVISED Lost to Time - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Dark, Damp… Damn

"Step lightly in here," Ignis called as Amara tried to push on a bit faster, looking up at the trees as she tried to pinpoint the sounds she was hearing. It did succeed in making her pause until they caught up to her.

"Sorry, I just don't trust those sounds," she smiled nervously, fiddling with the kukri she held "Killer bees are one thing, but even us glaives don't really know much about the Thicket."

The others seemed unnerved by that sentence, summoning their weapons and urging Iris to stay closer to Noctis where she would be better shielded. It proved to be a good idea too when they came face to face with a surprised Mandrake just around the first bend in their path – and although it was quickly felled, it still put them a bit further on edge. The Thicket was a place that was undocumented, even to hunters if you went by the "No Hunters" signs they had seen on their journey to the Thicket entrance (though it begged the question of how the hunter had documented a tomb in its deepest part for the map given to Amara) so to have Iris is tow was suddenly becoming a bit worrisome for the adults.

"So is the kind of stuff you guys usually have to do to get the arms?" Iris was bright and peppy despite the situation, making Amara have to fight a chuckle.

"Yeah, but usually Amara has a bit more info on what we might come up against," Gladio huffed, clearly a bit tense.

"So, it's more of an adventure this time!"

"That's a good way of looking at it," Amara called back, slipping on a bit farther ahead of them with Ignis bridging the gap. Up a grassy slope slick with what she hoped was moisture from the damp air, she found a pair of Mandrakes for them to cut down, and then a third not far behind. The group was just beginning to step out into the wider area the path was funneling them into when the woman looked up and groaned, her eyes landing on a large Soldier Wasp that left Prompto squealing in disgust.

"What is up with the giant bugs around here?!"

"It's the perfect place for them!" she watched Noctis decide to take this one on, warping into it before finishing it off with a sweep of his Engine Blade. The two exchanged a look and a nod before she took the lead once more, skirting some brush that had sprouted up in the center of the area and heading for another narrower path, only to be surprised by another set of the bugs. Narrowly dodging a stream of venom from one, the woman shoved Ignis out of the way of the other before she and Noctis fought them off - warping around to keep up the fast creatures.

"Glad to see you're feeling better Noct."

"Not climbing up another hill does help."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey, am I the only one who hears water?" Prompto popped up between the two, dramatically cocking an ear and pointing down the path they were on. "Sounds like it's coming from that way."

Amara paused, then nodded, and after a moment the group was off once more. The water they were hearing turned out to be a stream and a small waterfall, running by something they were all grateful to see with the darkness encroaching above them.

"Hey, I know those ruins!"

"A haven? Good, we can get some rest then."

"What do you say Noct?"

"I say – I'm hungry."

"Camp it is then. I'll set up the tent."

Amara soon found herself sitting on the edge of the haven, watching the water flow by as she listened to the guys setting everything up behind her. Iris soon came to join her, crossing her legs as she looked down at the water.

"Is it always like this when you guys make camp?"

"Mostly, but we don't camp very often – usually try to find a caravan or a hotel when we can," the redhead looked at the younger Amicitia with a shrug and a half-hearted smile. "They're probably putting a bit more care into setting everything up since you're with us. Gotta make sure we all have room to sleep."

"I don't see how all five of you can fit in that tent."

"We fit because she and Ignis usually sleep on top of each other." Noctis snickered as he sat beside Iris, grinning when the Glaive glared at him. "Hey, it's not a lie. Besides, can't really say anyone blames you when he's such a space heater. All you do is shiver when you're asleep."

"Blah…" she rolled her eyes but glanced over her shoulder to where the advisor was busily preparing their supper (some kind of fish from what she could tell). He met her gaze for a moment, giving her a smile and wink that made her whip back around to stare hard at the water.

Hearing him laugh behind her didn't help anything either.

Somehow, the night ended up passing without much more 'excitement', leaving Amara to crawl out of the tent the next morning without much leftover fatigue. Coffee and a quick breakfast were made for everyone while Noctis got dumped in the stream (waking up with a screech that surely scared off any creatures in the area and made even Ignis spill his coffee in laughter), and once everything was taken care of and securely stored in the Armiger, the group turned to stare at the waterfall beside them.

"That's the only way to go, isn't it?"

"Yup."

"Damn it."

"Take care not to let the current pull you away," Ignis called after Amara as she decided to just say fuck it and start trying to climb the thing, slipping on a few loose stones as she did. Prompto, who was the first to try and follow her, soon let out a yelp that made her whip around and grab him.

"I'm not sure my footwear is up to this!" he cried out, letting the Glaive pull him to her side and hook an arm around him. What had seemed like a small waterfall the night before was showing them just how powerful it really was, and Amara was doing the same as she all but carried Prompto up the slippery slope.

"There's another incline up here! Noct, are you gonna be okay?"

"Do I have a choice?!"

"Good point."

Letting Prompto stand on his own, the redhead decided to go check out that other bit of the waterfall, feeling a lot better about it when she realized it was only about another five feet that they actually had to go up – then there was a very dry path to follow.

"Good news guys! We don't have to climb the whole thing!" she looked over at the others when they came to join her and reached over to Noctis when he reached her. Grabbing his wrist, the woman pulled him up to where she was standing while the others climbed up the watery slope as she had – Prompto complaining at the freezing temperature that she couldn't say she had actually noticed (thank you waterproofing boot spray and super thick socks). All together there, she took a moment to reach out with her senses now and picked up quickly the tug of magic from one of the Arms.

"Alright, I think we're getting close. But that tunnel is a little snug and I don't want all of us charging through when we don't know what's on the other side."

Ignis nodded and stepped over to her. "What do you think, Noct?"

"I think she has a point. The hunters aren't allowed to come in here for a reason, and since we don't know what that reason is, I think it's best to assume it's something dangerous."

"So, what's the plan?" Iris was still smiling brightly, despite how serious the others had turned. "Send a scout?"

"Send a Glaive. Amara, you're up."

"Alright," she nodded, trying to not betray her relief at being able to go alone. Giving Ignis's hand a squeeze, she turned and started down the rock tunnel, only pausing long enough to tell the others to try and dry off while she was gone.

Her path was rocky-only for a few yards before she found herself stepping onto soil and grass, and a glance ahead of her revealed a grassy hill with a few bare trees poking out of it.

And something she had only seen once before.

'A Bandersnatch? How did it get here?' she asked herself as she tiptoed from the mouth of the tunnel, deciding to cloak herself in magic before venturing further. Since trying to fight it off would asking too much under the current circumstances, she stayed close to the rocky outcropping that seemed to bar the area from its surroundings until she reached what she was looking for.

Being sure to step lightly in case of any echo, the woman poured magic into the door to the royal tomb as she unlocked it – stalling it from fulling opening so the loud stone on stone rumble wouldn't alert the monster outside. Pausing long enough to say a quick thanks to the Pious, she reached out to accept his scepter, and power, while bracing herself for a backlash that sent her to her knees.

Child of Magic blood, this scepter will cast the final blow to the plague within you. Accept my power fully, so the next part of your growth may begin.

Amara gasped when she opened her eyes and saw what looked like black goo or blood running from her skin, seeming to be pushed out by a light that was faintly glowing from within. It stopped after a few moments, leaving no trace (thankfully, how would she have even tried to explain that?), and leaving her to quietly slip back from the tomb and seal the door once more.

Moving as quickly as she could without being too risky, she loosed a kukri when she reached the tunnel, and let herself warp back to where the others were waiting. They looked at her expectantly, but though Ignis was also showing a fair bit of concern that made her realize she was still slightly out of breath from the magic blow.

"I found the tomb, but there's a bit of a problem. A Bandersnatch is hanging around not far from the entrance, and there's no way all of us can get past it without a fight. I'm not sure even two of us could actually. There's a lot of tree debris around the edges of the area and it's all rocked off from everything so we can't really go around. There's going to be a fight."

"Then let's go."

Amara nodded but looked to Iris. "You need to stay near the tunnel – Bandersnatch are known for charging around recklessly. Prompto, you too. Try to snipe its joints like when we're fighting the MT armor. Gladio, try to keep it focused on you so Ignis can get under it and attack it where it's weakest. I'll take Noctis around the edge to the tomb while you guys keep it busy and join you once he's inside."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Not really the kind of plan she would have liked though. The guys were looking at her in disbelief when they actually laid eyes on the creature and it soon took notice with a very loud snarl. It was only a moment later that Noctis and Amara were warping around the rocky edge to the tomb, and as soon as she had it unlocked for him the woman was warping right back down the center to join her friends. Spearing a lance in the now furious creature's back she used the lance as a foothold while she summoned one of Gladio's broadswords and went to slice through its neck – only to be thrown off when it slung itself around to go after the others.

She landed hard on a nearby rock, feeling several bones crack from the force of it and her skull split as her head slammed into the stone.

Already weakened from gaining the arm – everything went dark. But it lasted only a moment before all the pain was forced from her body. Her vision was overtaken by a white light, with a pair of familiar hands soon reaching out to her to seemingly pull her into it. Warmth flooded her, bringing with it a surge of almost electric energy, and when her vision finally cleared, she was aware of a red haze across her eyes.

Able only to focus on the enemy before her, Amara allowed herself to fall back on the instincts that were prickling at the edge of her memory. She felt the energy flood the air around her, felt her fingers wrap around the cool metal of the weapon that came to her first. The beast before her roared, and she allowed herself to melt away into her magic before warping after it.

The guys couldn't believe what they were seeing – Amara, laid out on a rock, with a glow starting to envelop her. Blue, the purple, then red: the glow pulsed until it turned yellow, and her eyes opened again to reveal a blazing red color in her irises that they had only seen once before.

When Noctis summoned Ramuh at the imperial base.

Amara wiped the blood from her head as she stood, baring her teeth at the Bandersnatch that was now thoroughly focused on her and the insane amount of energy she was giving off. Lightning crackled around her as she raised her hand and summoned a scythe they hadn't seen before, a scythe that she held easily despite the magic she was pouring into it.

"A-Amara?" Ignis couldn't help his stutter, staring wide-eyed at the woman who's sudden "awakening" of sorts had him remembering everything she had told him about her particular circumstances.

The Bandersnatch roared at her, and she was gone. Her body seemed to melt into the air as she warped after the creature, swinging her weapon around with lighting magic pouring out like a trail in its wake. The blade ripped through the beast's midsection, spilling blood that had barely begun to hit the ground before she was on the other side – this time ripping her scythe through its neck. The creature jerked away just enough to keep it from being a fatal blow, but it didn't make it very far.

Amara poured her energy into her magic and filled the beast's body with electricity that scorched it from the inside out. It hit the ground with a thud, it's wounds still crackling with leftover lightning.

The others watched Amara land softly on the ground a few feet away, holding her weapon at her side for a moment before it faded back into the armiger. Noctis, who had decided to stand out of her way while she was overtaken now warped in to catch her as the energy and magic left her all at once and sapped her of whatever might have been left. Murmuring filled her ears from the past rulers as her friends tried to pull her back to them.

Focusing instead on her uncle's voice as he tried to comfort her, she allowed herself to fall limp in her cousin's grasp.

Noctis looked at the Glaive in horror, then to Ignis as he knelt down to take her from him. His advisor's face was unreadable as he lifted the woman close to his chest, running a gloved hand across her face and through her hair to find the source of the blood still staining the rock she had been thrown into. There were no wounds to be found, and he conveyed as much to the others before he finally stood.

"We need to get back to the haven. It'll be too dangerous to try and leave the Thicket with her like this."

"Gladdy and I will go ahead and get everything set up."

"No, take Noctis and Prompto. I'll need Gladio to help me get her down the waterfalls safely."

"Alright."

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