Upon pulling in, the six friends saw a familiar yellow tow truck parked nearby. They had finally arrived in Caem, and it appeared they weren't the only ones. They'd heard that Cid had traveled all the way there to start fixing up Regis's old ship, which would be their transportation to Altissia. The group climbed out of the Regalia and strolled over to where the blond mechanic was standing, as if waiting for them.

"Knew it was y'all!" she cheerfully said. "Recognize the purr of that engine anywhere!"

Iris looked to her friends. "Thanks for the ride. It was fun!"

"We'll have to do it again," Ryella replied. With that, Iris hurried away toward the house beyond the trees.

Noctis turned his attention to Cindy. "How's the boat?"

She smiled brightly, turning and following the path toward the lighthouse. "Paw-paw's tinkerin' away. Reckon he'll be tinkerin' for some time."

The others walked with her. "Trouble at sea?" Ignis asked.

"Seen her share by the looks of her," Cindy answered. "Some parts we can fix, others need replacin'."

"Huh, an overhaul," Gladio concluded.

"Don't y'all worry, Paw-paw ain't goin' nowhere 'til the job's done. Parts won't fetch themselves though. Was kinda hopin' y'all wouldn't mind helpin' out with that?"

Ignis responded without hesitation, "We're at your disposal."

"To tell the truth, we already got a couple hands on deck: Dustin an' Monica. Those two have been real swell. Managed to gather just about everything we need."

"You can depend on the Crownsguard," Ignis commented.

"Trouble is," Cindy continued, "they ain't had much luck findin' a certain somethin' by the name of 'mythril'. Apparently the stuff's hard to come by around these parts, least accordin' to the little fella from the city."

"Talcott?" Prompto questioned.

"You betcha! Sharp as a tack, that one. Could tell y'all more about the stuff'n I could."

"We'll be sure to ask," Noctis said.

Ryella mumbled, "Talcott always seems to have answers."

Cindy finally stopped, showing that she wouldn't walk them any farther. "Paw-paw's down on the dock. Now, if y'all'd excuse me, I'm gonna grab my tools and skedaddle. Got a garage to look after."

"Bye, Cindy," Ryella said. The two females waved to each other as the mechanic began heading back to her truck.

"Prince Noctis!" The five friends snapped their heads in the direction of the voice. They caught sight of Talcott through the trees, standing in front of the building and frantically waving his arms in the air. "Hey! Our house is over here!"

The group went over with Prompto practically skipping over to the kid. "Nice seeing you again, little buddy!"

The child beamed brightly. "You too!" With a more serious expression, he looked up at the prince. "I think Miss Cindy might've told you already, but she needs a very special kind of ore called mythril to fix the boat. Remember the waterfall? I read in Grandpa's notebook there's some ruins near a lake just north of there. It said you'll find mythril inside!"

Iris, who'd been standing by, decided to step forward and elaborate, "About that lake---preeety sure he was talking about the Vesperpool. I asked Monica to look into it, and she told me the road leading there's under imperial lockdown."

"If that's the case," Ryella began, "I can fly us there if need be. Or if brute force is required, then of course I'll oblige."

Noctis gave a small nod. "We'll see how things go. I won't have you causing unnecessary trouble. But if your abilities are needed, I'll let you know."

Gladio approached his little sister. "Give us a second, Iris?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Uh, okay? We'll be inside, then."

Iris ushered Talcott up the steps and inside the house. The five friends were left outside to hear whatever Gladio had to say. The shield stood in front of Noctis. "So yeah, gonna have to ask you to handle this boat business without me."

"Say wha?" Prompto blurted out.

"Got some business of my own to deal with."

"So you're just leaving?" Ryella questioned.

"How long?" Ignis inquired.

"I'll be back before you know it," he responded.

Noctis nonchalantly told him, "Do your thing. Not like we could stop you anyway."

Gladio grinned, giving a thumbs-up. "You know me too well." He turned his back to them, flashing another smile over his shoulder as he walked away. "See ya 'round."

~~~~~

The following day, the now party of four were on their way north toward the Vesperpool. Ryella had Gladio's usual seat all to herself, giving her plenty of space. With Noctis behind the wheel, Ignis was in the back with her. The Regalia approached a large, imperial-made door that barred the road ahead. Much to their surprise, the door slid open, granting them passage. Noctis sped on through, entering a tunnel.

"Wait---what happened to 'under imperial lockdown'?" the blond asked.

"They all but turned the key and left the gates open for us---as if awaiting our arrival," Ignis said.

"And if anyone's waiting for us, I bet it's that guy," Prompto added, his tone highly unenthused.

"Chancellor Izunia." The bitterness in the advisor's voice hinted at his displeasure.

Ryella gulped. "I certainly hope not."

"Can't complain as long as he lets us in," Noctis admitted.

"Who's to say he'll let us out?" Ignis responded. "Not to mention we're a man down."

Ryella pursed her lips together for a moment before speaking up, "I feel...that it's my responsibility to act as protector in Gladio's place." She placed a hand against her chest, gazing firmly at the prince. "I shall do my best to uphold this duty."

Noctis chuckled lightly. "No need to be so serious. It's not that big a deal."

Prompto twisted around in his seat to grin at her. "Besides, you're already our Guardian. You don't have to act as King's Shield too."

Even Ignis flashed her a faint smile. "Indeed. You need not take on anything more. Your role as Guardian is plenty, for you, and for us."

The girl couldn't keep from smiling at their words. "Still, I will remain vigilant. Gladio's not here to keep a watchful eye on things, so I can do that much at least."

After exiting the tunnel, they were outside once more. They could already see the huge lake as they turned onto a dirt road that led them right to it. When they finally parked and got out, they were greeted by all kinds of new surroundings. The forested areas seemed quite different from the normal woodlands of Duscae and Cleigne. Many of the trees had roots that spiked up from the ground around them. The shallows around the Vesperpool looked more like small swamps instead of parts of a lake. Even the lake itself was deep and murky, not at all pretty and clear like other lakes and rivers they'd seen.

Ryella was especially impacted by everything. She could hear the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects. She could smell the slight scent of stagnant water alongside the lush vegetation. She wrinkled her nose slightly, taking a moment to get accustomed to the sensations.

"So, where to?" Prompto inquired.

Noctis looked around, feeling a bit lost amongst the dense trees. His eyes landed on Capitis Haven on the opposite side of the dirt path. It was higher up off the ground, making it an ideal vantage point. "Let's find our bearings first."

They walked over and up the slope of stone around the haven. There, they easily got a better view of their surroundings. Ryella's sharp eyes did wonders to scope out the area. "I see monsters."

The three boys looked at her. They went to her side and followed her gaze, squinting to try and see. But their eyesight wasn't nearly as sharp as hers. "What are they?" Ignis inquired.

"Umm..." Ryella studied their appearance. She didn't know the species, but she could describe them. "They look like large birds, but they're not flying. They're kind of colorful, and one of them is larger than the others."

"Basilisks and a cockatrice?" the advisor guessed. "We'll want to steer clear of those. Any other wild beasts we should be aware of?"

The girl hummed, slowly turning her head to scan the environment. She saw two other types of creatures wandering about. "Amidst the trees, I see a pack of spiky dog-like animals. And over in the shallow waters those saga-sahgi...those reptiles with the long snouts full of teeth."

"Well, that sums up all the dangers we should avoid," Prompto concluded with a small laugh.

"See anything that could point us to where the mythril might be?" the prince asked.

"The only thing I see are some old ruins to the east." She pointed to them.

Prompto shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted. "Hey! I see them too!"

"I'd wager that's our best bet on seeking out the ore we need," the bespectacled man said.

Noctis gestured for them to follow him as he began leaving the haven. "Then let's go find out."

The four friends trekked through the forests, keeping an eye out for monsters to avoid. Ryella didn't much like the muddy, wet patches of ground they had to walk on. Mud coated the exterior of her black boots, and her feet constantly sunk into the moist earth. It was uncomfortable and gross, to say the least. Fortunately, the constant shallows they waded through washed her boots clean. The farther they went east, the more bits of old, decrepit ruins they came across. Many of the ancient structures were still, surprisingly, in one piece, having withstood the test of time. When they neared Steyliff Grove, they paused briefly, noticing a car parked nearby. The red convertible was easily recognizable.

Ryella mumbled, "He's here."

The group warily continued, but were unlucky to find Ardyn awaiting them not far from his vehicle. He wore a crooked smile, as he always did, and watched them approach. "Gentlemen..." His eyes flicked toward Ryella. "And lady, what a pleasant surprise."

Prompto stuck closely to Ryella, knowing how afraid she always was of Ardyn. "Ugh! Told you he'd be waiting!"

"With my imperial friends, no less," the chancellor added.

Ignis made no means of masking his disdain when he replied, "Splendid."

"But fear not---I'll put in a good word." He turned and began walking. "Well, come along, then." Cautiously, the four followed him. "Don't stray too far, lest you get left behind. And surely you'd rather avoid unnecessary scuffles, seeing as you're now a quartet." He glanced back over his shoulder, noting their sour expressions. "Oh, dear. Touchy subject?"

"One we won't discuss with you," Ignis spat.

"Then let's discuss why you're here. Hmm... It can't be archaeology... Mythril, perhaps?"

"H-how did you...?" the Guardian muttered.

Ardyn ignored her shock and continued, "Mythril---it's a precious resource, you see. We can't just let anyone get their hands on it."

"But you'll help us get ours on it, right?" Noctis assumed.

Ardyn faked a dramatic gasp. "I never said that!"

"Of course you didn't," the gunman responded.

"Where's the fun in that?" the man sarcastically replied. "I thought you'd rather dig it up for yourselves." They stopped before the massive ruins, where soldiers and a familiar woman stood by. "I'll be but a moment."

Ardyn approached the dragoon alone. Ryella huddled between Noctis and Prompto, growing worried by the presence of the mercenary. "That's..." Her voice was barely audible, as if she feared someone might hear them. "That's the woman who tagged me before...with that device..."

The blond at her side wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be careful. She's not gonna do that to you again."

"All clear!" Ardyn's voice abruptly interrupted them. "Go ahead."

The party went over to face the woman with Noctis boldly standing in front of his friends. "So, you're the 'new recruits' they sent over for 'special training'. Nice cover, runaway prince." Noctis remained silent. He and Ignis glared lightly. "At ease, 'recruits'. There's nothing in it for this ex-mercenary to turn you in. Let's get this show on the road. I'm being paid to escort you. Just watch yourselves in there."

"I trust you'll be civil," Ardyn interrupted. "Commodore Aranea Highwind, I leave them to you."

Much to everyone's relief, the chancellor left them. Aranea sighed, putting on her helmet and leading the four down the watery path and to the stone staircase at the end. "Well if you're looking to get inside, you're gonna have to wait till sundown. Door only opens at night."

"Just like at Costlemark," Ryella mumbled under her breath.

Aranea stopped at the top of the stairs and looked sternly down at the girl. "Who are you exactly? I don't remember you being in this ragtag group."

Noctis was quick to defend her. "You should remember her, after all, you're the one who made her go berserk last time."

Aranea gasped lightly. "No way... You're the dragon I was told to tag? She looked the brunette up and down. "Huh, certainly don't seem like the ferocious beast from before."

"I assure you, they are one in the same," Ignis told her.

Prompto stepped in front of the girl protectively. "And don't even think about doing that to her again."

The woman chuckled. "Look, I've already told you, I'm being paid to escort you, nothing else. I only do what I'm told, and re-tagging the Guardian is not on my list."

"So you know about Guardians?" the prince questioned.

"Of course I do. Everyone in the military knows about them because of Nero. But I admit, freckles here is far more pleasant than that brute."

Ryella moved around Prompto, no longer wary of the dragoon. "Y-you...know Nero?"

Aranea nodded. "Real monster, that one. And from what I understand, he's got quite the grudge against you."

"Do you have any clue as to why?" Ignis inquired.

"Nope. I tend to steer clear of him. Especially since the higher-ups are having a tough time controlling him." The woman shook her head. "Anyway, about before...no hard feelings, freckles. I was only doing my job."

Ryella smiled lightly, seeing that the ruthless mercenary had a kinder side to her. "It's...o-okay."

The party of five waited in front of the door. It seemed like hours passed as day turned into night. As soon as the sun sank beyond the horizon, the door slid open, revealing a path. With great caution, they stepped inside. They began their descent into Steyliff, slowly climbing down numerous stairs.

"Ryella," Noctis said, looking back at the girl. "What do you sense? Any daemons?"

"Yes. As always."

"Wait a sec," Aranea interjected, "are you saying you can actually tell that there are daemons down here?"

"One of the attributes of a Guardian is heightened senses," the advisor explained. "Along with magic to call their very own."

"Pretty neat. Sounds like you Guardians can be pretty useful. Say, now that I think about...would you happen to be one of the Oracle's Guardians?"

Ryella glanced at the woman now walking by her side, a sad frown tugging at her lips. "I was...once."

"Whaddya mean 'once'? What happened?"

The brunette looked away, hugging her arms. It was Noctis who answered with a single word, "Nero."

Aranea said nothing else on the matter. She could tell it was a touchy subject judging by the girl's reaction. She could only imagine what could've transpired in Tenebrae, especially since Ryella was the only Guardian present now when she'd always heard of two Guardians protecting Lunafreya. At the base of the stairs, the group found themselves in a simple square room. Almost immediately, skeletons emerged, ready for a battle.

"Let's do this!" the prince said, summoning a sword.

Aranea started to follow the boys into combat, but paused, realizing that Ryella was staying back. "Hey, freckles, gonna help or what?"

"I-I...can't fight..."

"Are you serious?! What about that magic that allows you to be a dragon?!" Before she could get a response, a skeleton charged toward the dragoon. Aranea whirled around, thrusting her lance at it and shattering its body. "Nevermind! We'll talk afterwards!" She and the boys made short work of the daemons. With them taken care of, the woman marched over to Ryella with a look of irritation. "Wanna tell me why you didn't lift a finger to help?"

"I told you, I-I can't fight," the girl replied. She began shrinking back at the intimading look on Aranea's face.

Noctis and Prompto were quick to move between the two. "Ryella can use magic to transform," the prince told her, "but it takes a lot of energy out of her. She's my Guardian, and I don't let her waste her strength on enemies we can easily take care of ourselves."

Prompto gave a firm nod of agreement. "What he said. Besides, do you really wanna be trying to battle while her dragon form is taking up most of the room?" He glanced back at the brunette. "No offense or anything."

Aranea sighed. "I guess I see your point. I just would've thought she'd have at least some kind of battle experience."

"We should continue onward," Ignis advised. "There's a path over there."

Noctis led the way once more. The group passed through a few more rooms while avoiding places where the ceiling had crumbled away. Not wanting to be crushed under stone rubble, they avoided spots that looked unsafe. They soon entered a massive, open room. It gave them a good view of the ruins' layout. They were on the very top floor, and there were several levels below them. Prompto was the first to turn his gaze to the ceiling.

He let out a shaky breath. "Look up!"

His teammates all shifted their gazes to the ceiling. It looked like water, even rippled like the real deal. "Whoa," Aranea breathed out. "If that's the water's surface..."

"Wait, what?" the gunman responded. "Does that mean we're underwater?"

"I don't think so." The others looked at Ryella. "I have a strange feeling. I believe magic is at work here."

"Well, there's no telling how old this place is," Ignis said. "There could very well be some sort of magical power residing here."

The familiar sounds of daemons emerging interrupted the five. Crème brûlée monsters materialized, along with more skeletons. They were swiftly dispatched before everyone continued forward, descending a couple flights of stairs to a lower level.

"What does the empire seek here?" Ignis asked, unable to fathom what their purpose was.

Aranea had no problem with telling them the truth. "Specimens---and we're stuck harvesting them."

"Specimens?" Prompto echoed.

"Daemons," Aranea clarified.

Their insightful chat continued as they delved farther in, even after yet another battle. "So what's all this about the army and daemons?" the blond inquired.

"Turns out the empire makes weapons out of them."

"Weapons?" Ryella mumbled to herself.

"I'm sure you've seen your share by now." Aranea had hints of disgust lacing her voice as she explained things to them. It seemed like even she disapproved of what was going on. "Something not quite right with the empire lately."

"It's not just lately," Noctis replied.

"True. Maybe it's time I left."

"Then what would you do?" Ryella asked.

Aranea shrugged. "Whatever I want. I was a mercenary once. Maybe I'll round up my men and hunt daemons for cash?"

"That's a...heck of a plan," Prompto said.

"What about the empire strikes you as 'not quite right'?" the advisor asked this time.

"The emperor and new high commander, for starters." An image of Ravus flashed through Ryella's mind. "Then there's that charmer of a chancellor. I really can't stand that guy."

The brunette quietly answered, "You and me both."

Having made it several floors down, the team came to multiple short bridges. Right as Noctis was going toward one, Ryella snatched his arm and tugged him back, forcing him to stop.

"Wait, something doesn't feel right. This bridge---I can hear it crackling a bit. I don't think it's safe to cross."

"Well then, find us one that is safe."

With a nod, the girl began testing out a couple other bridges, finding one that was sturdy. She repeated the process in the next room, getting them all safely across. Going down another level, they finally came to a room where multiple elemental deposits grew. The adjacent room led back to the massive area under the watery ceiling, but this time, they were at the very bottom.

"Ooh, spacious," the gunman commented. "There's sooo gonna be a big nasty here."

"Perhaps I should be ready, in case you're right," Ryella said. "At least there's plenty of magic energy to choose from. I think I'll take..." She glanced over all three of the deposits, fixing her gaze on the one she wanted. "Fire should do."

She went over, holding her hands out and absorbing the energy. Aranea watched with fascination. Ignis noted her expression and decided to enlighten her. "Each Guardian possesses a unique magical ability. Nero spreads darkness while Ryella can absorb and utilize different elemental energies."

"That is pretty cool." Ryella finally turned to face them, her emerald eyes now glowing a bright crimson. "And it even makes your eyes glow. That's a nice feature."

Once they were prepared, they entered the giant room. Their heads snapped up upon hearing something above. On one of the bridges stretching across the room stood a large beast. It was mostly blue in color, and had equal avian and reptilian features. It was a quetzalcoatl, and it peered down at the trespassers with anger. It flapped its wings and dove down at them, landing behind them and giving a roar.

"Ryella!"

The brunette met the prince's gaze, seeing the look he gave her. She didn't need anything else said to know what he wanted her to do. She nodded, and her body erupted with light. The others swiftly backed away as her form expanded and grew in size. Aranea was in awe, watching the light fade only to see the white dragon standing in the girl's place. Ryella flared her wings and roared back at the monster. The two beasts snarled at each other, staring one another down.

The quetzalcoatl suddenly charged toward Ryella. In response, she stood up on her hind legs, catching her foe by the head and slamming it down onto its side. She held it there, putting all her weight on it to keep it from escaping her grip. But electricity began shooting off from the creature's body, forcing Ryella to release it and jump back to keep from getting shocked. The quetzalcoatl rose to its feet, bolts of lightning flying off its wings and hitting the ground around it. The Guardian decided to start using some elemental powers of her own. She slammed a palm against the stone floor, spreading fire across the ground. Her opponent spread its wings and flew up above the flames. Ryella soared up after it, spewing fire from her maw.

The quetzalcoatl screeched in pain, but instead of reeling back, it surprised the dragon by darting forward and slamming into her. It raked its claws across her snout, ceasing her fiery attack and giving it the opening to clamp its jaws onto her throat. Ryella yelped, and struggled to free herself, the two plummeting in the process. The white beast landed with a this onto her back on the floor, her opponent on top of her, its fangs still tearing into the flesh on her neck. The boys were about to jump in to help, but were stunned to see Aranea already rushing to the dragon's aid. The woman leapt high into the air, and with her weapon in hand, dove down, plunging her lance straight into the back of the quetzalcoatl.

The monster released its hold on Ryella and screeched in pain. It twisted around to snap at Aranea, but the woman simply leapt away. With the creature distracted, Ryella pushed through the pain of her bloody throat, and snatched her foe by the head. She grabbed its beak, forcing its mouth open despite its struggles of protests. She spewed forth more fire, right into the monster's throat, scorching it from the inside out. After mere moments, the quetzalcoatl was dead, burned alive from the inside. Ryella gave a roar of triumph at her victory. With the monster out of the way, the mythril was now theirs for the taking.