FFXV: Subvert Fate

3 - Let's go hunting

Noct relies heavily on his ability to warp, making him able to move quickly across the battlefield. However, it also makes it hard to direct his attacks because he won't necessarily be able to perform a maneuver Ignis has in mind if he is already warping away. Noct needs to balance his warping with dispatching all enemies in the vicinity first.

Gladio's attacks are all about power and he is relatively good at felling enemies with well timed blows, not wasting much energy. But since his sword strokes are so powerful, his reaction time to faster foes is limited and he needs to learn how to quickly recoil and shift himself on his feet.

Prompto has quicker reflexes but isn't always aware of his surroundings on the battlefield in 360 degrees. He keeps moving and reloading which means Ignis is almost always sure Prompto is ready to step in but his placement on the battlefield is not always ideal.

Chrys is long-range in this battle but Ignis thinks maybe she should have been deployed with her blade in this hunt. The reapertails have thick shells that seem best pierced by blades although every one of Chrys's arrows has pierced the armor on the creatures. Chrys's role in this battle has been to pick off reapertails at the fringes and support the rest of them if one of them is overwhelmed. It isn't a strenuous job but Chrys does it as her duty without complaint. Ignis finds her eye and aim extremely useful at a distance but he wonders if maybe he should have had her in close with her bladed longbow.

The he is back in the battle himself, slicing both daggers in quick succession with a reverse grip. His own flaw is that he thinks too much when he should be acting, he thinks ruefully. A well-placed arrow takes down a reapertail scuttling for him. He looks up at Chrys and she ducks her head slightly in acknowledgement. Or perhaps, he thinks, maybe he was right to put Chrys at a distance.

That arrow dispatched the last reapertail and the area is now clear of the beasties. "Excellent work," Ignis says, looking at Noct. Ther eis a flap of leather and Chrys joins them, having jumped down from her perch. "On we go."

They set out across the land, chatting occasionally, enjoying the open sky. In Insomnia, buildings often crowd the view of the sky, but out here all there is is a big expanse of blue and a light breeze. Ignis talks to Noctis about the battle, the young prince nodding in acknowledgement. It always humbles Ignis how much faith Noctis puts in his advice.

He also drops back to fall in step with Chrys. "Thanks for the assist," Ignis acknowledges. She looks at him sideways and gives him a faint smile and nod.

"Just doing my job," she says nonchalantly. Chrys is always formal and respectful with Ignis in a way she isn't with the other boys. Noct told him it was all about respect when Ignis voiced his concerns to the prince. 'She thinks your tactical sense is amazing,' Noct had told him with a smile. 'Don't let it go to your head,' he'd said warmly to his advisor.

Ignis regards Chrys. "I'd like you in short-range on our next encounter," he tells her and she turns her head to look at him fully. Her question is in her eyes but she simply nods. "I want to see how you can support Noctis and Gladio in close combat," he explains. "While having your shooting as our cover, I do want to be ready for future eventualities. Reapertails aren't Niffs afterall, but we might as well use the time to work out alternative formations and strategies."

She nods and adjusts her quiver around her back, the cap sliding over the arrows as she presses a mechanism she built. As they walk, she unstrings her massive longbow. Ignis has always wondered how she strings it so quickly as the weapon is as tall as she is. Gladio tried to string it once in jest but ended up sprawled on the ground as the bow recoiled on him. Ignis doesn't doubt Chrys's strength; he just can't figure out the physics of it.