Golden Age: Revival

R"It's open."

"Now you need to know if it'll start providing you can start it."

*Roatha starts it.*

N"Any more complaints?"

"Will it stay started? Do you any of us know how to drive? How much gas is in the tank?"

*Nero gets into the driver's seat, pushing Roatha towards the passenger side. This leaves the bed for everyone else.*

N"Get in the damn car."

"What would he want at Avalon?" Noct asked, not bothering to ask for the context behind 'his old plan'.

Arthur<Difficult to say. Avalon has innumerable caves filled with unknown magic treasures, stored away over a period at least as long as human history. But the isle was being occupied by the Illuminati when we fled.>

"Then whatever he wants there is sure to catch their attention," Noct said, "Perhaps they will clash against each other. It may make for an opportunity to attack them in a weakened state."

*Allina shrugs and climbs on.*

Allina: <All right Nero, if I die, you can have my copy of Twilight. I was going to burn it, but it seems like your kind of thing.>

=====

Ari: <Okay. I'm sorry I'm keeping you. One last thing... W-When will I be out of this... p-place?>

*Nero throws the car in reverse so that Allina falls & smacks her face on the bed.*
===============================
<When we fix that studder.>
===============================
Gilgamesh<I have to say, I have my doubts that we can boat through whatever defenses the Illuminati have set up. Fortunately, there is a little-known underwater cave that I know about.>

Arthur<And how will we brea-->

Gilgamesh<Magic!>

Noct rolled her eyes a bit.

~The Underwater Cave~

*After swimming through an underwater tunnel about wide enough for a truck, the trio emerges from a pool in a cave. Rather than being dark, the entire room is well lit by glowing blue-green crystals embedded in the walls. Unlike Gilgamesh's prediction, they find themselves being shot by a group of 3 people dressed in soldier garb. Fortunately, bobbing around in the water is making them hard to hit.*

Gilgamesh<Oh...I guess they really did know about it.>

Noctis shoots back with her revolver.

*Gilgamesh splashes the water, producing a wave that knocks them over. He & Arthur then jump out. Only two of the soldiers get up.*

Noct makes shadow steps appear and she hustles up them to Arthur, and Gil's side, shooting the two guards again.

Gilgamesh<Well, that wasn't too difficult. Do you think they heard the sounds of battle down here?>

"I don't know, maybe."

*Allina gets up.*

Allina: <What the hell!? Okay, you need to work on your sense of humor. Goddamnit, it's hard not to hate you people. I think you have anger issues or something.>

=====

*Ari sighs and nods.*

Ari: <I'm s-sorry, I'll try to stop.>

*Nero does it again before Euryale climbs into the bed, opens the window, & smacks him in the head.*
==================================
<See that you do.>

*Thiera walks out of the room.*
==================================
Arthur<Then we will simply need to proceed with caution.>

*As they're proceeding with caution, Gilgamesh stops to examine a long, dark tunnel.*

Gilgamesh<They must have tunneled quite a ways to get down here. I wonder how they even knew the cave was here?>

"How did you know?"

Gilgamesh<I can teleport, & feel the way magic moves through the Earth. I practically invented the practice. I would wager that the only secrets I don't know about this island are privy only to the King & Queen of the Fay.>

"Perhaps we should not rule out that probability," Noct suggested, "Or any possibility for that matter, and in the end, it really doesn't matter. They knew about it, and there is no changing that fact."

*The three get on griping about having to sit in the back of a hot truck. Both in the sense that it's stolen and in the sense that it's been sitting in the sun forever.*

"The border patrol's really going to love this one."

~Several hours later~

*The car jerks to a stop.*

N"...We're out of gas."

R"You mean we didn't even make it there? I'm shocked."

N"Shut up. I wasn't filling up the tank of a stolen car in the country-the-size-of-a-state that I stole it from, & we haven't found a gas station since then."

*Azuma's phone rings, the number, if he saved it, being recognizable as Theira's.*
=============================
???<It's called "sonar," magic man.>

*A man approaches from down the tunnel. He has dark skin, brown eyes, & short black hair. He's wearing a beigish suit adorned in fur at some places. At his side is a sword made of faded, chipped bronze a bit reminiscent of a sickle. He's also wearing an officer's hat with a chinstrap, the clasp of which resembles an iron Star of David & is located at his right temple.*

Arthur<And who might you be?>

???<I'd prefer it if you simply referred to me by my title of Selecus. And if you came for the egg, too bad, it's already gone.>

Arthur<What egg do you speak of?>

Selecus<You--you didn't even know about it? That's just pathetic. I mean, I know it's been over a thousand years, but try to stay in the loop, old man. Well...in that case...you must be after the Black Knight. I actually would appreciate it if you'd kill each other. He's been making a royal mess up above, & you below, by the look of things.>

Noct shot at him with her triple barreled sawed-off, aiming for the chest.