Immortal Poison (FFXV)

Chapter 12

       Ruby's small group arrived in Cartanica, and walked among the crowd beneath the train station. Between the massive amount of body heat and the hot sun beating down on them, it was safe to say that every person there was beyond aggravated. Ruby stumbled, bumping into Celio who was just a little further ahead of her.
"Watch it, girl." He grumbled.
"Sorry." She replied.
"The hell is with this crowd anyway?" Celio complained.
"Given that the train is in need of repairs, I imagine everyone is well behind schedule and out of sorts." Calix assumed.
Celio scoffed. "Whatever. Let's just get to the damn ship."
Calix sighed. "How are you two doing?" He looked towards Ruby and Prompto, but they were no longer beside him, so he stopped. "Ruby?!"
Celio turned around, as the other people continued to walk around them and complain at their shortstopping. "Where the hell are they?"
"I don't know. Ruby?!" Calix called, searching the crowd.

A brief, high pitched whistle seemed to drown out the conversations of the crowd, and pierced through several ear drums.
Calix and Celio turned around, and Cor's hard fist went straight into Calix's face. The surrounding people quickly stepped away, complaining and freaking out. Some people, however, stayed close by, ready to watch a fight. He started walking, glaring Celio down as he was backing away. Celio blinked a few times, convinced he was hallucinating. It could've been the heat, or maybe something he ate, but Cor appeared so much bigger than usual. He was like a behemoth, stalking his prey with piercing eyes so cold they would scare death itself away.
Celio summoned his machine gun, but no sooner did he have his right hand sliced off by Cor's katana. His agonizing cries overpowered that of the crowd that had dispersed in a panic.
"P-p-please!! Have mercy!!! Spare me!!!" Celio begged.
He pressed the sharp tip of his katana against Celio's neck, when Amethyst rushed to his side. "Don't do it, Cor! We need to get going! He's not worth it!"
Cor didn't want to listen. He wanted to make the scum beneath him suffer, but hearing Prompto's babbling in the background, forced him to take a step back. Such a sight would've drained the bright light in the baby's eyes.
"You won't be so lucky next time." Cor promised.
      They made their way back to their rental car, and were soon on their way. Their destination was currently unknown, but the current goal was to get as far from the station as possible.

      Somnolence was an average sized city, busy with the endless commute of its many people. It was like a smaller, low-tech version of Insomnia, where their "Citadel," at the center of the city, was the best hotel in Cartanica.
     "Damn, this place is hotter than Lestallum." Jasper closed the curtains.
      "Yes, so let's get you into something cooler." Amethyst smiled as she changed Prompto's clothes.
      "How cold do we want it tonight?" Artemis asked as he stood in front of the thermostat.
       "Not too cold. We don't want the baby to freeze." Amethyst responded as Prompto babbled.

      Ruby placed the key, the map, and the notes on the small kitchen island, and then looked up at Cor. He stood on the other side of the island, staring at her.
     "What's wrong?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.
     "...Nothing." He answered, bashfully shifting his gaze.
     "He missed you!" Jasper shouted from across the room.
     "And was worried!" Amethyst added.
     Cor pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an aggravated groan. Ruby grinned as she leaned over the island and took his hand away from his face. He glanced at the ring on her finger, and then turned his gaze back to her.
      "Is that right, Mr. Leonis?" She asked, making her way around the island. "You missed me, my love?"
      "Oh Gods, I liked you two better when you were hiding it!" Jasper complained. Artemis lightly slapped his palm against his own forehead, desperately wanting the conversation to end.
      "I think it's cute." Amethyst smiled.

      Cor sighed. "Back to work. What'd you find, Ruby?"
      "More coordinates, but on a world map." Ruby explained, as everyone else joined them.
      "So what does that mean? Do we follow them?" Artemis asked.
      Prompto babbled, then Ruby smiled and kissed his cheek. "The first set of coordinates were all located in Lucis. I went to every single spot and found nothing."
"And this is the key to the tomb in Niflheim?" Cor pulled it closer with the notes and map.
"Yeah. I found it with the map, but I don't think the crystal is there." Ruby answered.
"Why not?" Cor unfolded the map.
"Shouldn't it be marked off here somewhere?" Jasper tapped on Niflheim.
"Not if those coordinates were meant to keep people away." Amethyst said. "I mean...there's no harm in checking, but I think we should let HQ know about this."
"They may already know. The higher ups at least." Ruby began. "Gloriosa was also at the estate."
"Did she see you?" Cor asked.
"I don't know. I haven't heard from her, so I don't think she did. She might have been the one who dropped the Lucian coordinates."
    "All right, forget about everyone else." Jasper began. "What is our plan? We could be chasing a myth, or information that will lead us to the crystal that the King already has."
    "Good point." Cor agreed, folding his arms. "Maybe we should let this go."
     "The Nifs are convinced it's true. I'm sure Gloriosa is convinced, which could mean that other Lucians believe it too." Ruby said.
      Amethyst sighed. "Okay. I'm putting the baby to bed, and then I think we all need to get some sleep and come to a decision in the morning."
      She retired to the smaller room with Prompto, while Jasper and Artemis retired to the couches. Ruby frowned, picking up the key and coordinates, before retiring to the slightly larger room.