ã€ŠMagitek Soldiers Have No Opinionsã€‹


 Doomed Attack

    Prompto stared down the sight of his sniper rifle, took a breath, held it, and pulled the trigger. The shot rang out and he mentally cursed when his target simply vanished, leaving a blue outline where he had been, the image slightly distorted from where Prompto¡¯s bullet had passed through it. It had been a perfect shot too.

    A commotion to his right alerted him to where his target had reappeared. His shot, or one of the ones let off by others in his unit, had alerted their targets to their presence, drawing their attention from the melee units they had been engaged in.

    ¡°Noct! Slow down!¡± the big one shouted as he ran to catch up.

    Prompto tried to aim his rifle at him instead, to take him out, but was distracted by a gurgling scream immediately to his right. His gaze flicked towards it to see Arvid¡¯s throat slashed by the prince¡¯s sword. Breath catching in his throat, Prompto forgot about his earlier attempt to target the big guy and scrambled backwards to get away from the prince.

    A fireball erupted to his left back down in the gully, taking out the remaining melee units, most of them MTs that crumpled without a sound, but Prompto ignored it. He was too busy trying to get away from the Lucian prince. He was so focused on that goal that he didn¡¯t realise he had backed right into the big guy. With a shout he ducked under a swing of the greatsword, the blade only just narrowly missing separating his head from his shoulders, clipping the top of his helmet instead and knocking Prompto forward. Feeling the zap of electricity into the back of his head as the aim assist shorted out, he reached into the visor to rip it off, tossing the damaged thing aside; he hated wearing it anyway and were it not for assistive technology he would prefer to go without. Prompto winced as pain shot through his head. Magitek soldiers do not have opinions. His mind went carefully blank once more as he scuttled forward still half on his knees.

    Hearing a sound behind him, Prompto flipped over, half sitting, still trying to get away. The prince was there, the sword that had killed Arvid disappearing in a shower of shining tiny crystals to be replaced by a huge greatsword like the one his hulking bodyguard used. A greatsword that was swinging towards Prompto¡¯s head.

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    Instinctively he rose his rifle to block it, the force of the sword striking the barrel, causing a shock down Prompto¡¯s arms. The barrel cracked and Prompto winced; rifle barrels are not meant to block crystalline swords!

    With a twist he deflected the sword away and got his feet up under him. Heart pounding, he tried to back away again - he was a sniper unit, he had no melee weapons! - but gasped in surprise when his back hit the stone wall of the cliff face.

    Prompto had to get some distance between himself and his target or he would never bring them down! He started to move sideways, to try to duck away but the prince sent his greatsword away and instead a pair of daggers appeared in his hands. He charged forwards, slamming into Prompto and knocking the wind out of him as he struck the stone wall. The broken rifle dropped to the ground as an arm pressed across his throat, cutting off his air. Even as his hands grasped futilely at the arm, Prompto knew this was it. He closed his eyes and waited for the fatal strike.

    *

    Heart pounding, chest heaving, Noctis stared at the magitek soldier before him, at a face that looked about the same age as his own.

    When the drop ship had descended and all the MTs jumped out, he had charged into their ranks without thought. All the melee ones were MTs, he had known that by the way they moved, the way they jumped and landed easily from that height, the way they just crumpled amid bursts of sparks beneath his onslaught. It was a glint of metal armour that had caught Noct¡¯s eye first, drawing his attention to the snipers on the ridge. Some of them had been MTs too, but some had been human, though still made somewhat in-human by their face-concealing helmets. Then this one had pulled his off.

    The dagger was in his hand, a quick strike and it would be over, the Imperial boy wasn¡¯t even trying to defend himself now. But still he hesitated.

    The Empire had attacked his home, destroyed it, killed thousands, killed his father, killed Gladio¡¯s father. But still he hesitated.

    The sound of fighting behind him began to die down but all Noct could do was stare at the face before him, a face that had his eyes squeezed shut, awaiting his strike, unshed tears dampening the ash-blonde lashes.

    ¡°Finish it already,¡± Noctis heard Gladio growl behind him.

    With a sigh, he sent his daggers back into the ether and stepped back, the magitek soldier sliding down the rockface to sit at his feet, staring up wide-eyed at him.

    ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± was all Noctis said as he turned on his heel and strode away, confident that the boy wouldn¡¯t attack him. Gladio and Ignis hesitated only for a moment before following their prince¡¯s lead and leaving the battlefield, heading back to the Regalia to continue on their way.

 Debts Repaid

    Prompto stared at the remains of the battle before him, still sitting where the Lucian prince had left him. He was alive. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be alive, if his unit was dead he was dead, he knew that. But still, he was alive. He was the only one, two whole units, one ranged one melee, had been decimated by three men. Granted, most of the melee had been MTs, doing nothing more than following basic programming, but the majority of the sniper units were human, boys he had lived with for the past few years, ever since he had failed to make an impression with his close combat skills.

    What¡­ what was he supposed to do now? The prince¡¯s car had driven off some time ago. The sun was setting, daemons would start coming out soon, and he was all alone. No training had prepared him for this, there were no lessons on how to handle having your arse handed to you by a pampered prince and his two protectors. If he was defeated he was supposed to be dead, everyone was dead. But he was alive.

    There was an Imperial fort nearby, he could go there. But to arrive without his unit, to be the sole survivor, alive only through the enemy¡¯s mercy, would only invite a death more prolonged and painful than any daemon could inflict. No, best avoid that area if possible.

    Prompto swallowed and wiped a gloved hand over his sweaty forehead. Water. He had to find water. He also wanted to shed his armour but the pain that lanced through his head at the mere imagining of doing so convinced him that it wasn¡¯t worth it; he could deal with the heat if he could find water. Plus, the protection would likely be needed.

    Still sitting where he had fallen, he reached over, picked up his rifle and examined it. There was a chunk carved out of the barrel and cracks running up and down it. Prompto tossed it aside once more; attempting to use it would likely cause it to explode in his face and he didn¡¯t have the tools he needed to fix it. He still had his sidearm, it would do.

    Pushing himself to his feet, Prompto walked over to Arvid¡¯s body and stared down at it. From this angle he could see in through the visor, could see the boy¡¯s lifeless eyes staring straight ahead, wide in shock.

    Prompto charged at Sir, blunted steel practice blade raised high. It was contemptuously swatted aside, a foot rising to slam into his stomach causing him to double over, retching. Before even getting a chance to move away, Sir¡¯s own sword slammed into Prompto¡¯s collarbone with a crack, sending him crashing to the sandy ground.

    He had to move, he -

    The blunted blade struck his back, driving what air he had got in out again. Aside from the wuff of air forcefully leaving his mouth though, he made not a sound. He did not dare to. Any sound of pain was a sound of weakness and was to be stamped out. Crying was even worse.

    ¡°Get up,¡± Sir growled at him, his voice dripping with contempt.

    Prompto was trying, but his left arm wasn¡¯t working properly. Using his right arm he pushed and rolled himself over. His eyes met briefly with Sir¡¯s cold gaze before he saw the sword swinging down towards him once again. He squeezed his eyes closed.

    Instead of the expected burst of pain, however, there was the clang of metal on metal. Prompto¡¯s eyes snapped open to see another unit standing over him, his sword parrying Sir¡¯s.

    The corner of Sir¡¯s lip rose in a disgusted snarl and he turned his attacks to the other unit. Prompto used the opportunity to pull himself up, ensuring he remembered to pick up his own training sword. By the time he had regained his feet and stumbled back a few steps, Sir had beaten the other unit back.

    Prompto¡¯s eyes flicked to the other unit, trying to convey thanks without saying anything. The unit shot him a grin instead, despite the fact there was blood running down his face now from a cut across his eyebrow where Sir had struck him. He must be new, was all Prompto could think of the reaction before he turned his attention back to Sir.

    ¡°Very well then,¡± Sir said softly. ¡°Both of you. Come at me.¡±

    They charged.

    Prompto clenched his fists beside him and looked away. Arvid wasn¡¯t a person and he certainly wasn¡¯t a friend. He was a unit, and a dead one. He also had ammunition that Prompto needed. Bonus to wearing identical armour, Prompto knew exactly where the ammunition for his side arm was kept. He collected it, added it to his own, then moved to the next body and repeated the process. By the time he was done, the sun had nearly set entirely. He had to leave; this many bodies around would only attract even more daemons. There was a haven nearby; his unit had spent the night there after being dropped off so they would be ready to lie in wait for the prince. He headed back there.

    -l-l-l-

    Noctis stared out over the landscape as they sped past, chin in his hand with his elbow resting on the top of the door. He couldn¡¯t get that Imperial boy¡¯s face out of his mind. The fear and acceptance of pain and death written in his expression.

    A kick to the back of his seat rocked Noct out of his thoughts as Gladio snapped, ¡°What the hell was up with that? Since when do you get squeamish about killing Nifs?¡±

    Noct sighed a little; he had known the questions would be coming, he just hadn¡¯t thought of how to word what he was thinking. Instead, he glanced to Ignis and asked, ¡°Are all the soldiers from Niflheim that young?¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯m no expert, but I do believe they start training their soldiers as children there. Though he did seem younger than expected,¡± Ignis said slowly.

    ¡°I was a child when I started learning,¡± Noct pointed out.

    ¡°You were twelve. From what I¡¯ve heard, they start there as young as four,¡± Ignis clarified.

    ¡°Four?¡± Gladio exclaimed; even he was surprised by that number.

    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Ignis replied.

    Noct slid down to slouch in his seat, turning that information over. He couldn¡¯t even remember much from when he was four years old. If that boy had been training since then, if that was all he knew and all he remembered¡­ He shook his head. He couldn¡¯t even really imagine it.

    Noct charged Gladiolus, wooden sword held high. It was no use of course, Gladio simply deflected his clumsy attack and parried, his own wooden sword striking the padded armour the prince was wearing, sending him stumbling to the side. It didn¡¯t hurt of course, the padded armour ensured that and Gladio was always careful to only hit protected areas, but it was embarrassing.

    ¡°Come on, again,¡± Gladio said, turning to face the prince, his sword held ready.

    Noct turned with a sigh and readied his sword before charging in again with a shout. This time when his attack was parried, he managed to parry a few strikes himself before a strong hit smacked into his back, knocking him to the ground.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Noct swore, punching the ground in frustration and tossing his sword aside. He sat there, cross legged and head down, trying to catch his breath.

    Gladio watched for a second or two, then sat down next to him, setting his sword aside. ¡°You still have a long way to go,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯ve got guts.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Noct said, looking up surprised. Gladio never complimented him, he got the feeling he didn¡¯t even like him.

    They spoke a little then, of how Noct had covered for Iris when she went missing, of how Gladio had appreciated it. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a start, an understanding at least. Then they got back to it.

    Knowing Gladio wouldn¡¯t let the matter of leaving the Nif boy alive go without an answer, Noct said, ¡°It seemed cruel. He wasn¡¯t fighting, he¡¯d accepted death, all the others were dead. There was no need to kill him.¡±

    He might have been imagining it - it was gone as soon as Noct turned to look at him - but he could have sworn he saw a smile twitch Ignis¡¯s lips at that. Regardless, it gave Noctis some satisfaction to know that his advisor didn¡¯t disapprove of his decision.

    Gladio, however, clearly did not share this view. ¡°Still should have killed him,¡± he said. ¡°What if he¡¯d shot you?¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have,¡± Noct replied.

    ¡°How do you-¡± Gladio started but he was cut off by Ignis.

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. The sun is setting and daemons will pose more of a threat to us than a lone soldier with no transport. I suggest we find somewhere to camp for the night,¡± Ignis said.

    Noctis sighed dramatically, ¡°Do we have to camp?¡±

    ¡°What, you got a problem with camping?¡± Gladio asked.

    ¡°No, I just have a problem with not showering,¡± Noct shot back.

    ¡°A shower would be ideal, but I¡¯m afraid the nearest town is still a couple hours away, too far to make by nightfall. Camping it will have to be,¡± Ignis said.

    Noct gave a loud, obnoxious sigh and went back to leaning on the doorway, staring out at the scenery once more.

    -l-l-l-

    Deserts were  cold  at night! Gralea was cold too but it was cold day and night. Leide was so hot during the day that he had expected it to be at least pleasantly warm once the sun went down, but no. Consequently, Prompto had spent the last couple of nights shivering and fitfully sleeping as close to the fire as he could before it burned itself out. At least there was plenty of food to forage in Leide, a step up from the frozen expanses of Vogliupe where he had done some of his survival training.

    His biggest problem now, though, was water. He didn¡¯t know the area, didn¡¯t know where he was, and hadn¡¯t managed to stumble across any natural sources of water. He had a flask from when he was dropped off and had topped it up with what other units had on them before leaving the battlefield, but that was just about dry now. He had no money to buy any but maybe he could take some hunts to earn some? Would they even give him a job while wearing Imperial armour?

    Shouts up ahead pulled Prompto from his circular thoughts. Running up the hill and dropping to the ground as he came up to the ridge so he wouldn¡¯t be seen, Prompto peered over the edge. His eyes widened when he saw three familiar men fighting two coeurls. Those things  sucked! Prompto had been forced to run from one already.

    Standing so he could see easier, Prompto loaded his gun and took aim. Maybe, maybe if he took the prince down now, he could return a success instead of a failure. He was distracted by the beasts, now would be the perfect time to take him down with a single well aimed shot, then make a run for it before his bodyguards caught him.

    Prompto¡¯s gun followed the prince as he warped around the battlefield, darting between the coeurls, striking then running or warping out of reach. One shot, that was all it would take.

    He pulled the trigger.

    -l-l-l-

    They were struggling, Noct admitted that. He thought this would be an easy hunt, two big cats and a few hundred gil at the end. But now he was tiring, Gladio was getting angry from needing to shield him so many times and having the things dart away before he could hit them, and Ignis had claw scratches down one arm.

    Noctis was using his daggers which at least allowed him to get some strikes in but it wasn¡¯t enough. Drawing a breath, he summoned the Sword of the Wise, thinking maybe his ancestor¡¯s weapon would make a dent where his ordinary weapons were not. Just as he did so though, a gunshot rang out. Then another, and another.

    Both Coeurls stumbled, one with a bullet wound in its front leg, and the other with bullet wounds in its front and back legs. Noctis charged that one first, swinging the sword down and finishing it off. Ignis and Gladio took down the other one.

    Panting, Noct stabbed his sword into the ground and leaned on it. His ancestor¡¯s weapons were powerful but they hurt to use, his arms were aching just from the little he had used it. Straightening, he glanced once more at the dead coeurls - yep definitely bullet wounds - then towards where he had heard them come from. He thought he saw a figure standing on a ridge and, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, he clarified it. It was a person, but not just anyone. The same Nif whose life he had spared earlier. It seemed the others came to the same conclusion he did.

    ¡°Is that¡­¡± Gladio said.

    ¡°It appears so,¡± Ignis replied, both moving to stand either side of Noct.

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± Gladio growled.

    ¡°Saving our arses by the looks of it,¡± Noct said. He pulled his sword up from ground and touched it to his head in a wordless salute to the gunman before sending it back to the ether. The Nif in turn rose a fist to his chest and bowed slightly.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go get our bounty,¡± Noctis said turning and leading the way back to where they had left the Regalia. Ignis followed immediately but Gladio stayed where he was for a few more seconds, staring after the gunman, watching until he too had turned and walked away in the opposite direction. Only when he was sure that no shot would ring out to the prince¡¯s turned back did he jog to catch up.

 Fate

    Prompto futilely licked his lips and rested his head back against the warm stone. He had taken to resting during the hottest hours of the day, to conserve his energy and his hydration. It meant he only moved during the hours of dawn and dusk, so not a lot of progress was made, though it ensured he would live longer. He didn¡¯t know why he bothered; it wasn¡¯t like he really had a purpose. He was exhausted, dizzy, low on ammunition, his head was pounding painfully with every beat of his heart, and his throat was so dry and sore it felt as though he were breathing in sand. And, of course, he was more than familiar with that.

    The sudden shock of water being tossed over his head caused Prompto to start awake with a gasp, instantly sucking in the sand that coated the floor of the arena. Lifting his head slightly, he saw Sir standing over him, one hand holding an empty bucket, the other resting on his armoured hip, awaiting Prompto¡¯s response.

    Prompto wanted nothing more than to fall back into the oblivion of unconsciousness, but knew that even if he did so, he would just be woken again, and likely in a rougher fashion. Instead, he forced his limbs to move, pulling his legs under him and his arms before him, leaning over his thighs in a submissive bow. Waiting. He could be waiting in that pose for hours depending on how Sir was feeling, but this time, at least, he was spared that particular training method.

    ¡°The two of you will replace the floor, then report to Inurement. Do not be late.¡±

    Prompto ducked his head lower in acknowledgement, but otherwise did not move from his position until he heard the door to the arena shut. Only then did he dare sit up and look at the other unit, the one who had bravely blocked Sir¡¯s attacks even as it no doubt led to the later beating they had both taken.

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s a bit of an arse hat, isn¡¯t he?¡± the unit said, causing Prompto¡¯s eyes to widen in fear and glance suspiciously at the door, half expecting Sir to come bursting in and really let loose on them. Seeing this reaction, the unit just grinned and stood. ¡°Relax,¡± he said, walking over to where Prompto was sitting. ¡°He¡¯s gone; he won¡¯t hear us. Name¡¯s Arvid. What¡¯s yours?¡± He held his hand out to Prompto to help him up.

    Prompto took the hand and stood with only a little help. ¡°Prompto,¡± he said eventually. He had to remind himself how to talk; he had been in self-imposed silence for¡­ some time,; it was hard to keep track.

    ¡°So¡­ what did he mean by ¡®replace the floor¡¯?¡± Arvid asked, doing a fair impression of Sir¡¯s gravelly voice and causing the corner of Prompto¡¯s mouth to twitch in amusement despite himself. He was definitely new though, if he had never been assigned this particular task.

    ¡°We sweep the sand into the grates at the edge of the arena, then pour fresh sand down evenly,¡± Prompto explained, limping over to where the brooms were kept.

    ¡°Sounds easy enough.¡±

    Prompto nodded. Yes, this particular task was easy. It was hard when it hurt to walk and move, but it was better than the multitude of other tasks they could have been assigned.

    Prompto sighed and opened his eyes. One major problem with trying to conserve his energy: he had nothing to do but think. He habitually shied away from anything that could be considered an independent emotion or opinion; if he stayed with replaying safe memories or what he physically required to survive, the headaches remained at a tolerable level. Otherwise, the pain was enough to see stars in front of his eyes.

    Arvid had taught him how to laugh at their situation and the laughter and the jokes had helped a lot more than Prompto had thought it would, especially on their worst days. He was someone to talk to, someone who understood and didn¡¯t judge. They hadn¡¯t been friends ¡ª Magitek soldiers couldn¡¯t have friends ¡ª but they were comrades.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a joke for you. What does the Imperial brat do when all routes are removed? He sits down and waits for death to come,¡± Prompto said to himself, his voice a croak, before giving a bark of laughter. It wasn¡¯t even funny, but laughing at crap like that was habit, it made it seem not so real.

    Glancing at the sky, Prompto pushed himself up to a standing position; the sun was setting; it was time to move. He really didn¡¯t want to, but he didn¡¯t know what else he was supposed to do. All his life he had followed orders ¡ª well, he had been given them at least, there were a few times he had deliberately disobeyed ¡ª and now he had no orders. The only order he had had was to kill the Lucian prince. And instead of doing so, he had deliberately shot the creatures that were attacking them, saving them. That had hurt, a lot, but he rode through the pain and now it just left him feeling empty. Empty and lost.

    But he wanted to live. Even though that wanting caused pain, it remained nonetheless. Last night, he had spotted the lights of a town in the distance. That could be a destination, though he was apprehensive about how they would view him. Even without his face-concealing helmet, he was very obviously a Niflheim soldier and since Lucis had fallen to the empire, there was no love held for his people. But he had to risk it. He needed water.

    l-l-l-

    ¡°We need the gil,¡± Noctis said as the three of them leaned over a hunt poster. It was for 3 Ashenhorns tormenting the area and offered a large amount of gil and a rare phoenix down, something they had thus far not been able to afford.

    ¡°We should at least wait until morning,¡± Ignis pointed out.

    ¡°By then, someone else will have snatched this up,¡± Noct countered.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°For once I agree with the princeling,¡± Gladio said, clapping an arm around his shoulders and ignoring the pout Noct gave at the hated nickname. ¡°A prize this good? We can¡¯t risk anyone else getting to it first!¡±

    Ignis gave a long-suffering sigh, then snatched the paper back, saying only, ¡°Very well,¡± before moving off to the tipster to let him know they were taking the job.

    While Ignis¡¯s back was turned, Noct and Gladio fist bumped, sharing a grin. They were supposed to be gathering royal weapons, building up Noctis¡¯s arsenal, and to that end, they had heard of a tomb in some mines to the south of Hammerhead. However, they had also been warned that the demons guarding it were tough, much stronger than the daytime Leide creatures they had been fighting. This would be an excellent test of their prowess and a chance to spend the prize money stocking up on supplies.

    An hour later had them heading towards the area at a jog; Ignis had won that part at least: they were not taking the Regalia for what would be a five minute drive. At least with the sun setting, it wasn¡¯t so blisteringly hot.

    A gunshot ringing across the plains as they approached the Asherhorn field only fifteen minutes later was the first sign that something was amiss. Noct skidded to a halt and stared. Something had gotten the Ashenhorns all riled up but, outside of the recurring gunshots, there was no other sound.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Gladio said, looking decidedly unimpressed.

    ¡°The tipster didn¡¯t say anything about any competition, did he?¡± Noct asked Ignis.

    ¡°No,¡± Ignis said, pushing his glasses higher on his nose.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go! We¡¯ve already put our name on that job; he can¡¯t claim it from us!¡± Gladio said and, with a nod in agreement, Noctis warped ahead, leaving the other two to catch up as best they could.

    Using his greatsword, Noct slammed it down against the rough hide of the Asherhorn in front of him, but it just seemed to bounce off the thick hide.

    Hearing another shot ring out, he glanced towards it, towards the Nif boy. He was fighting them, but something seemed¡­ off. He seemed slower than he had been the day they fought, only just managing to dodge out of the way to avoid being gored by another Asherhorn. That was something that had surprised Noctis when they had fought: that a sniper soldier could be so¡­ dodgy.

    The loud clang and grind of horn on metal caused Noct to jump, raising his arms defensively over his head even as he realised the sound was Gladio¡¯s shield covering him from an attack.

    ¡°Watch what you¡¯re doing!¡± the man snapped.

    ¡°Right. Sorry,¡± Noct said as he jumped back and out of the way, focusing entirely on the Asherhorns.

    The things were annoyingly fast for how big they were and when they started bucking, all they could do was leap out of the way and wait until it stopped. It made for frustratingly slow progress.

    ¡°Noct! Move! It¡¯s charging!¡±

    Noct was focusing on one particular Asherhorn of the two remaining, the Nif boy behind him shooting whenever he got a free shot, when he heard Ignis¡¯s shout. Glancing up, he saw the beast Ignis was referring to and threw his sword, warping to it and out of danger. Glancing back, Noct saw the Nif boy just standing there, still in its way.

    ¡°Move!¡± he shouted, but the only effect it seemed to have was causing the gunman to look dazedly in Noct¡¯s direction. Right as the Asherhorn barrelled into him. The Nif went down in a tangle of limbs as the beast charged right over the top of him. Noct winced but didn¡¯t look away even after seeing the huge foot stomp on the boy¡¯s shoulder and kick his head. Once it had passed, the gunmen lay on the ground, unmoving, the Asherhorn turning to charge back over him once more.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Noct shouted. He sent his greatsword away and instead summoned a spear. Throwing it, he warped above the beast, catching the spear once more and thrusting it down into the beast¡¯s back, vaulting over the top. That got its attention.

    ¡°We need to finish this quickly!¡± Ignis shouted over the noise of battle.

    ¡°Right,¡± Noct muttered as he switched on his torch; like he didn¡¯t know that. The three of them teamed up, focusing on one Asherhorn at a time and doing their best to ignore the other, taking down first the one that had trampled the Nif boy, then the remaining one.

    Noct rested his hands on his knees, panting, trying to breathe deeply. That was¡­ a bit tougher than expected. But still they survived, so that was a good start. Maybe they could try their hands at the mines next.

    The same couldn¡¯t be said for the Nif boy, though. Ignis was already kneeling by him and Noct jogged over, squatting next to him.

    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± Ignis said, ¡°but in bad shape.¡±

    Noct could see that much for himself. The side of his face was coated in blood from a head wound and one shoulder had been wrenched from its socket. And that¡¯s just what Noct could see with the boy¡¯s armour still on, armour that was now dented and twisted.

    ¡°He won¡¯t survive long out here like that. Best slit his throat now and be done with it,¡± Gladio said. Noct turned and glared at him. ¡°What?¡± Gladio said. ¡°It¡¯s a kinder death than letting him bleed out here or getting eaten by demons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving him here to be eaten by demons, and I¡¯m not killing him,¡± Noct said firmly. ¡°He had the opportunity to kill us when we were fighting those coeurls and didn¡¯t. He helped us instead. And even now, he had the opportunity when we charged in. But again, he didn¡¯t. He¡¯s coming with us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking,¡± Gladio said, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°And how are we going to get him back?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to carry him,¡± Noct said simply.

    ¡°I¡¯m what?!¡±

    Noct turned and rose an eyebrow at Gladio, daring him to argue.

    Gladio opened his mouth to do just that, but, perhaps seeing something in his prince¡¯s eyes, he shut it again and sighed. ¡°Fine then.¡±

    While this was going on, Ignis examined the boy¡¯s body more closely. The head wound had stopped bleeding, which was a good sign, but his face was sunburnt, his lips cracked with more than just injuries sustained in this latest bout. Seeing his gun nearby, he took it and handed it over to Noct ¡ª if they were taking him with them, they weren¡¯t going to allow him to be armed ¡ª and searched for other weapons, finding none. He did find a water flask and a shake told him what he had already suspected: it was empty, the cracked lips a sign of severe dehydration.

    ¡°I think it will be safe,¡± Ignis said, moving the boy¡¯s dislocated arm to rest across his chest. ¡°He¡¯s in no shape to attack any of us, and has obviously had no Imperial assistance since his unit attacked us.¡±

    Gladio slipped his arms under the boy¡¯s knees and shoulders, lifting him with a grunt. ¡°How do you figure?¡±

    Ignis lifted the empty water canteen and gave it another shake. ¡°Empty,¡± he said, in case that wasn¡¯t obvious. ¡°Add to that the split lips, red-rimmed eyes, flaking skin with the added effects of sunburn, and it all points to someone who hasn¡¯t seen civilization in quite a while.¡±

    ¡°And the smell,¡± Gladio added, scrunching his nose.

    ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t exactly smell like roses either, big guy,¡± Noctis said with a laugh. ¡°Seriously though, Iggy, do you think you can help him when we get to Hammerhead? Lesatallum¡¯s a bit too far away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can. At the very least, we can get him a shower and some water,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Thanks Iggy,¡± Noctis replied, sincerely. He didn¡¯t know why, but he had a feeling it would be a good thing for this guy to live.

 Inurement

    Inurement. That was what they called it. A fancy word for making you act the way they want you to act, to think the way they want you to think. A place where there was one phrase often repeated: ¡°Everyone fights. At first.¡± Prompto couldn¡¯t remember if he had fought or not¡ªhis first time to Inurement had been too long ago¡ªbut he remembered Arvid¡¯s first time. How he had been returned to his dorm unconscious and woke screaming and shaking. Prompto had shoved a blanket into his mouth then to shut that up until he calmed down enough and promised to be quiet.

    Of his own Inurement, Prompto remembered little. It occurred regularly, though the time between varied. He remembered more images, sensations, words or phrases. There were needles, things being drawn out, blood, spinal fluid (that one had hurt*!), other things he hadn¡¯t even recognised. And things being injected in, things that roared through his veins, things that burned, things that made him see red. He couldn¡¯t scream. He couldn¡¯t. It was weakness, and they hated weakness. But he screamed.*

    Prompto started awake and instantly squeezed his eyes shut as pain washed over his body.

    ¡°Easy, there,¡± an unfamiliar voice said, the tone gentle.

    Prompto¡¯s eyes opened once more and then widened, seeing who had spoken. The Lucian prince was right there! He went to reach for his gun, but gasped when a burst of pain spread through his shoulder when he tried to move his arm.

    ¡°Hey, easy, I¡¯m not gonna hurt you,¡± the prince said again, his hands up placatingly. Much like he was talking to a terrified dog.

    Prompto said nothing, but instead allowed his training to kick in; his eyes swept around the room, taking everything in. He appeared to be inside a camper of some description. It was dark outside, so either he hadn¡¯t been out very long, or he had been out for an exceptionally long time; he figured the former since if it had been the later his vision would have been blurred and he wouldn¡¯t be able to think as clear. His armour had been removed and was sitting on the table nearby, but looked badly damaged; he was wearing only the long grey shirt and pants he wore under his armour. He didn¡¯t know where his gun was. His head hurt, not with Inurement pain but as though it were injured. And his shoulder, gods his shoulder! He couldn¡¯t move his left arm because of it and there was a very obvious depression in his shoulder. There was pain elsewhere, but he couldn¡¯t tell if it was actually due to injury or if it was just referred pain. He was half-sitting, half-slouched in a worn out couch and there was an open doorway about three feet away from him. The table that held his armour also held various supplies for healing. The prince was seated nearby on another couch on the other side of the table, and through the window he could see the back of someone¡¯s head, the bulky bodyguard perhaps? All of this, he observed in a matter of seconds.

    The prince stood then and pulled a glass from the cupboard, filling it up from the nearby tap. Prompto watched intently, unable to take his gaze away from the water. He was so thirsty! Despite this, he made no move to get his own water; his Inurement had taught him to withstand thirst, but it had never managed to teach him not to show just how thirsty he was.

    Instead of drinking it himself though, as Prompto thought he would, the prince held it out, offering it to him. ¡°Specs said you were dehydrated, but you should still take it easy drinking this,¡± he said.

    Prompto hesitated only a moment before reaching out with his right hand to take the glass. He knew from experience how the stomach could rebel if he drank too much water too quickly after having none, so he took his time, sipping from the glass. It did occur to him that it could have been poisoned - he had no way to know what the water line was connected to - but then logic kicked in: if they had wanted to kill him, they could have just left him for the demons.

    ¡°Ignis!¡± Prompto flinched at the sudden shout, unable to stop himself.

    ¡°No need to shout, I¡¯m right here,¡± another man said as he came up the stairs and through the doorway. His accent was unfamiliar¡ªnot surprising for Prompto, since he had barely been out of Niflheim¡ªand he wore glasses in front of green eyes. Eyes that landed immediately on Prompto and seemed to soften. Prompto placed the now-empty glass on the table as the man spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I had hoped you would still be unconscious while I relocated your shoulder.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Prompto said, voice quiet. He was unsure what to make of this new man¡¯s, Ignis¡¯s, words. He looked at the prince. Noctis was his name, he remembered. He had been briefed on their various fighting styles, he knew that the prince had a vast arsenal of weapons he could call upon and summon, he had seen that already. He had also been briefed on the big guy (who¡¯s name he couldn¡¯t remember) using a greatsword and a shield and the advisor, Ignis, being able to use daggers and a spear. And that all of them were able to use magic and summon and dismiss their weapons at will through their connection to the prince. But truthfully, that was all that he knew of them other than he was supposed to kill them.

    And now here he was, in their midst, seeming to be in the process of being rescued like some kind of damsel. He carefully made sure he felt nothing about that.

    -l-l-l-

    Noctis was watching the Nif boy, even as he was cautiously watching Ignis. He had begun to stir before they got back, which Ignis had assured him was a good sign. Something still seemed strange though, even now with him being awake. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, as though he were afraid or at least nervous, but his face was completely impassive. Only his eyes gave any indication that he knew what was going on, darting around and seeming to take in everything.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Noct said, getting the boy¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked. Ignis had suggested talking to the boy if he was awake when he had to relocate his arm, to distract him. It would also allow them to detect any slurring of the speech that could indicate his head injury was worse than it appeared.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Prompto,¡± he said.

    Noct smiled. ¡°Prompto,¡± he repeated. ¡°Nice to meet you properly.¡±

    Prompto nodded, but all his attention was on Ignis, who had stepped up to him and lightly taken hold of his dislocated arm. He held it so his upper arm was against his chest and his forearm was held perpendicular to it, one hand on the wrist and one on the elbow.

    Ignis, noticing where Prompto¡¯s focus was, and that he wasn¡¯t interested in being distracted, opted for the ¡®explain everything¡¯ route instead. ¡°I¡¯m going to rotate your arm, then push it back into the socket. It will hurt, but just say so and I¡¯ll pause,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Prompto said, and it looked as though he believed it too, though his voice was husky again and he glanced briefly at the empty glass of water before turning his blue eyes back to Ignis.

    Noct, noticing this, pushed away from the counter he was leaning against and took the glass to refill again, letting Ignis do his thing. Ignis slowly began to rotate his arm outwards, pausing when he felt the expected resistance. ¡°This is the worst part. Try to relax,¡± Ignis warned as Noct turned back to watch, putting the glass of water on the table.

    Prompto didn¡¯t seem concerned with that at all, however, giving a nod to Ignis and watching him closely. Ignis pushed and Noct winced as he actually heard the joint slip back into place. Prompto though, didn¡¯t do anything more than blink. That was¡­ confusing. Once, while Noct was learning how to warp, he had stuffed a landing and fallen badly, dislocating his own shoulder. The royal family¡¯s doctor had relocated it for him and he had screamed. Granted, he was younger, about fourteen at the time, but he still clearly remembered how much it had hurt.

    ¡°Noct,¡± Ignis said, snapping him out of it. He had already maneuvered the arm so that it was resting against Prompto¡¯s chest, left wrist by his right shoulder. ¡°The bandage.¡±

    ¡°Right, sorry,¡± Noct said, grabbing it from the table and handing it over.

    ¡°Hold your arm there?¡± Ignis requested of Prompto and he did so, using his right arm to hold his left in place. Ignis used the bandage to make a sling and essentially tie the arm to his chest. He then took a potion from the supplies and handed it over. ¡°Take this, then you can have some water and sleep. It looks as though you need it,¡± he said.

    ¡°You sure?¡± Prompto asked, holding the potion but hesitating in drinking it.

    Ignis smiled. ¡°Of course. I think being trampled by an Asherhorn is reason enough to use a potion.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened,¡± Prompto muttered, looking away and appeared to be thinking as he swallowed the potion in a single gulp, putting the vial back on the table.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Noct asked.

    Prompto turned his attention back to the prince and shook his head. Noct hadn¡¯t noticed before, but now that the potion was working, he saw that there had been a tightness, almost squinting around Prompto¡¯s eyes that had now relaxed; it seemed he was feeling the pain after all.

    Prompto reached out to the water but then hesitated, looking to Noctis with a raised questioning eyebrow. Noct waved his arm, gesturing that he should drink it; it irritated him that he needed to confirm something so simple, but he tried not to let that show. Prompto took it, drank some, then said, ¡°I vaguely remember seeing the Asherhorns, and them noticing me, but not much after that. I was just trying to get to the town with the lights. To get more water.¡± He took another sip.

    Ignis reached forward and gently moved aside Prompto¡¯s hair once more, to check on the head wound. He had cleaned the wound when they arrived back at Hammerhead but it hadn¡¯t looked too bad then, not enough to cause significant memory loss. It hadn¡¯t changed since then, no swelling and no more bleeding.

    ¡°Probably the dehydration,¡± Ignis said, stepping back once more.

    Prompto just nodded and finished off the water. He looked between Ignis and Noct, his gaze flicking back and forth, before finally asking, ¡°Why are you-¡± he broke off suddenly, wincing in pain. Noct frowned and was about to ask what was wrong (the potion should have been working), when the Nif took a deep breath and, with teeth gritted, continued. ¡°Why are you doing this? What is it you want from me?¡± His face went blank after the question was asked.

    Ignis turned to Noct, letting him answer, and he did so as though he hadn¡¯t noticed the expression change. ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to leave you to die out there, I¡¯m not heartless,¡± he said. ¡°Despite being a Nif, you clearly have no interest in killing me, so we¡¯re good.¡±

    ¡°Those are my orders,¡± Prompto said quietly.

    ¡°What, to kill me?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve been disobeying those orders,¡± Noct said with a grin. The corner of Prompto¡¯s mouth twitched in an almost-smile and Noct considered that a win. ¡°Why did you, anyway? Fight the beasts and not us, I mean.¡±

    Prompto averted his eyes at that question. He opened his mouth to answer, then shut it again with another wince, followed by that same blank expression. Noct and Ignis exchanged a look. That was not normal. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± was all Prompto eventually said.

    ¡°Huh. Well¡­ thanks anyway,¡± Noct said, summoning a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna¡­ go for a walk,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but figured he would let Iggy handle it; he was the one who had medical training, after all.

    -l-l-l-

    Prompto watched as the prince stepped out of the caravan, then turned his attention back to Ignis. The man was watching him in turn and appeared to be considering his words carefully.

    Eventually, he said, ¡°How are you feeling now? Any pain?¡±

    Prompto shook his head. He reported as he had so often in the past. ¡°The potion is working. There is residual pain in my shoulder, head, ribs and right leg, but not enough to suggest serious injury.¡±

    Ignis watched him for a few seconds, but then said only, ¡°Noct has convinced Cindy not to kill you on sight, but nonetheless, you should stay here and rest some more. The bed is free, should you wish to use it, and I¡¯ll be nearby. Just call out if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Prompto said. He rose his right fist to his chest and bowed slightly; it looked somewhat ridiculous in his current state, still sitting and with his left arm bound to his chest, but it still seemed like the right thing to do. Ignis, for his part, smiled and gave a nod, before turning to the kitchen and pulling out some ingredients to cook with, leaving Prompto to make his own way to the bed. He took his time moving to the edge of the couch. He hadn¡¯t lied earlier when he explained how he felt; the potion had dulled most of his pain and he didn¡¯t think anything else was broken. If he really had been trampled by an Asherhorn, his armour had probably saved his life.

    Prompto stood, then was forced to grab the back of the couch as a wave of dizziness swept over him.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Ignis asked, seeing him stumble from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Prompto said. ¡°Just dizzy with the movement.¡±

    ¡°Any nausea?¡±

    Prompt smiled at the concern in Ignis¡¯s voice; he really did seem to care, though Prompto couldn¡¯t work out why he would give a damn about a Nif soldier. ¡°Some,¡± he replied. ¡°But only a little. It¡¯s not the first concussion I¡¯ve had; I¡¯ll be fine to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Alright, but I¡¯ll be waking you in an hour to check on you,¡± Ignis said. Prompto nodded and started moving towards the bed, but paused when Ignis spoke again. ¡°And to have a shower.¡±

    He didn¡¯t bother replying, but he did smile, content to lay in the bed on top of the covers. He was asleep nearly as soon as he hit the pillow.

 Domestic

    It seemed that no sooner had Prompto¡¯s head hit the pillow than his forearm was shaken and he woke instantly. For once he hadn¡¯t dreamed, he had been too exhausted to dream. Nonetheless, he was confused for just a second; while an unfamiliar bed didn¡¯t bother him, the method of waking was unusual. Usually in the dorms lights out meant sleep and lights on meant wake, and out in the field a kick to his boot was the sign to wake up. Then he remembered: caravan, being healed, being able to drink, sleeping.

    ¡°Good evening, Prompto. How are you feeling?¡± Ignis asked when he saw he was awake.

    Prompto swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. ¡°Achey, but otherwise fine,¡± he answered honestly.

    He looked around the room and saw both the prince and his body guard sitting at the table, the prince playing something on a phone, the bodyguard watching Prompto intently. He got the feeling that the man wasn¡¯t impressed by Prompto¡¯s presence in the caravan. There was something cooking in the oven and, smelling it, his stomach gave a rather audible rumble.

    The heat rose to Prompto¡¯s face when Ignis chuckled, hearing his stomach. ¡°Clearly hungry, too. Well, I made enough for everyone and there¡¯s time for you to have a shower first. Now, before that, I want to check your shoulder.¡±

    Prompto nodded and Ignis helped him remove the sling and pull his shirt up over his head. His torso was a mass of bruises, his shoulder even more so. Prompto watched as Ignis frowned at it and pressed the skin slightly. He rose an eyebrow slightly when Prompto didn¡¯t react to the poking, but didn¡¯t say anything about it. Instead, he said, ¡°Have a shower, but try not to let this shoulder get too hot. We¡¯ll ice it when you get out to take some of the swelling down.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Prompto said, sliding off the bed and standing.

    ¡°There¡¯s clothes on the sink for you,¡± the prince said without looking up from his phone.

    ¡°Clothes?¡± Prompto asked, confused. He hadn¡¯t brought any clothes, he wasn¡¯t supposed to be staying long enough to need them.

    ¡°Yeah. Figured you were about my size and Iggy was complaining that I packed too much anyway. It¡¯s just a t-shirt and pants, but better than putting smelly underthings back on,¡± he continued, still apparently mesmerised by his phone.

    Prompto just stared at the back of his head, at a loss for words. The prince of Lucis, who had every reason to hate him, gave him his own clothes to wear just because he didn¡¯t have anything else to wear himself.

    He jumped when Ignis placed a hand on his good shoulder. ¡°Go have a shower,¡± he said, his voice gentle, a small smile on his lips. ¡°Dinner will be ready by the time you get out.¡±

    ¡°Right. Thank you,¡± Prompto said again before making his way to the shower and closing the door behind him.

    -l-l-l-

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust him,¡± Gladio said as soon as they heard the water running.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve said. Multiple times,¡± Noct replied wearily, still absorbed in his game.

    ¡°Perhaps because you¡¯re not listening!¡± A fist slamming into the table punctuated his words and finally caused Noct to look up from his phone.

    ¡°I hear you!¡± he said, ¡°But you never say anything new, or anything I don¡¯t already know. You¡¯re like a broken record repeating the same shit over and over and over and-¡±

    ¡°Noct,¡± Ignis said in his warning voice, not bothering to look at them, trying to focus on cooking.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have to repeat myself if you would just show some responsibility-¡±

    ¡°Gladio,¡± Ignis said, his warning voice getting a little louder.

    ¡°Responsibility? I thought it was the responsibility of the king not to judge someone by where they come from, but by what they do! I-¡±

    ¡°Right! Both of you! Out!¡± Ignis snapped, turning and rounding on the two of them. Both Gladio and Noct stared at him. ¡°You heard me, get out. Go train with each other, work off that steam in something more productive than shouting at each other in my kitchen.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ what about dinner?¡± Noct asked.

    ¡°I will call you when it¡¯s ready and you can both shower after eating. Now out!¡±

    ¡°Fiiiine,¡± Noct said, leaving his phone on the table and slinking out of the caravan into the lit evening.

    Gladio didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Really, Gladio, you want to try me?¡± Ignis asked, his voice low, an eyebrow cocked.

    Gladio looked like he wanted to argue the point, but the truth was he was just a little bit afraid of Ignis when he got angry. And he looked really pissed.

    Meekly, he slid out of the seat and out of the caravan.

    Ignis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes it felt like he was the only adult of the three of them. Still, he thought as the sounds of the two of them training and shouting at each other outside reached him, at least they seemed to listen to him even if they didn¡¯t listen to each other. And now he could return to his cooking in relative peace.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    -l-l-l-

    Prompto had heard them arguing over him, even if the water had been running. He hadn¡¯t expected that. The way they fought enemies together, he had thought the three of them to be perfectly balanced, perfectly in sync, a unit of their own, albeit a small one. But what surprised him most of all was the lack of deference both Ignis and the bodyguard, Gladio, showed their leader. He couldn¡¯t understand that, couldn¡¯t comprehend how it was even possible. A soldier obeyed his superior. That was it. There were no ifs, buts, or maybes. They obeyed, or they died.

    He shook his head, trying to put it out of his mind. At least it confirmed his suspicion that the bodyguard didn¡¯t trust him. Not that he had any plans to do anything that would prove him right¡ªhe didn¡¯t have any plans at all¡ªbut he knew where he stood.

    Carefully, he kept his mind blank as he worked at cleaning the dirt and sweat of the past few days (week?) off him. It felt good to be clean, but he couldn¡¯t even dwell on that feeling without a nagging headache forming, so he tried to think of nothing at all. Watching the water was good for that. He watched the way it fell, the way it bounced off the glass door, how it ran over the discolouration of his bruises. His breathing slowed, and he felt tight muscles begin to relax. His skin seemed to go at least one shade lighter after all the scrubbing he did and when he turned off the water, he felt a lot more refreshed.

    Drying himself off, he draped the towel over his shoulders and looked at the clothes the prince had given him. They were, as he had said, a t-shirt and pants. Both were black (he wondered if any of them wore anything other than black), the t-shirt with a grey skull pattern on it, the pants ordinary black denim. Dressing, he examined himself in the mirror. The prince was right, they were pretty much of a size. The shoulders of the shirt seemed a little broader than what Prompto would have normally worn, but that just meant it was comfortably loose.

    Rubbing the towel quickly over his hair one final time, he hung it up, ran his fingers through his hair, trying to get it to sit right, then grabbed his pants and left the bathroom. Outside was just Ignis; he could hear the prince and Gladio training outside, but their argument seemed to have dissolved into wordless shouts and grunts.

    ¡°Feel better?¡± Ignis asked without looking up from what he was doing.

    ¡°Much, thank you,¡± Prompto said.

    Ignis waved a hand in dismissal, then said, ¡°Take a seat; it¡¯ll be out shortly.¡± When he did so, Ignis helped refasten his left arm in a sling and use a bandage to strap a bag with some ice to it. Once it was secure, Ignis stuck his head outside and shouted, ¡°Gladio, Noct! That¡¯s enough for tonight. Come eat.¡±

    Prompto stared at the two of them as they tumbled inside the caravan. Both were sweaty and breathing heavily, but they were both grinning. They were arguing again, but it seemed good natured this time.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t count!¡± Gladio was saying, giving the prince a shove.

    ¡°It does so count!¡± Noct countered, shoving right back.

    They both sat next to each other opposite Prompto, and continued to shove each other and argue along the same vein (¡°Does too!¡± ¡°Does not!¡± ¡°Ah ah¡± ¡°Ah huh!¡±).

    Ignis sighed loudly and put the plates down in front of them, but there was a small smile on his face even as he did so. The arguing ended in silence almost immediately when the two started eating. Ignis sat next to Prompto and placed a plate in front of him as well. Just the sight of properly cooked food that included meat (which Ignis had thoughtfully cut up into bite-size pieces for him) had Prompto salivating. Still, he waited until all the others had started to eat before eating himself.

    ¡°Dis is gud,¡± the prince said, right after stuffing more in his mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak with your mouth full, please,¡± Ignis said, his tone weary, suggesting it was something he said often.

    The prince swallowed, then repeated himself more clearly, ¡°This is good.¡±

    ¡°Then perhaps you will eat your carrots this time,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Pfft, no,¡± the prince said, very deliberately pushing them to the side of his plate.

    Ignis didn¡¯t say anything, but he did hum with exasperation. Prompto tried the carrots himself and had to think that the prince was missing out; they were delicious!

    They ate the rest of the meal in relative silence, though Gladio did let off an impressive burp and petted his stomach once he had finished, earning a glare from Ignis and a snort of laughter from the prince. By the end, Prompto was struggling to keep his eyes open, his one hour nap not really having made a dent in his exhaustion.

    ¡°Prompto,¡± Ignis said, his voice causing Prompto to open his eyes¡ªhe didn¡¯t even realise they had shut!¡ªand look at him. ¡°Go to bed. You look like you need the rest.¡±

    Prompto yawned, covering his mouth, and slid out of the seat. ¡°Do you need me to help clean up?¡± he asked as he pulled the ice pack from his shoulder, leaving it on the table; he figured helping out was the least he could do after everything the man had done for him.

    Ignis smiled, but said, ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll handle it.¡±

    ¡°Dibs on the shower,¡± Gladio said, making a dash for it.

    Ignis just watched him go before turning an expectant gaze to the prince. Noctis chose that moment to make a huge exaggerated yawn then and say, ¡°I¡¯m tired, I think I¡¯m gonna crash.¡±

    ¡°Not before helping me with the cleaning up, you¡¯re not,¡± Ignis said calmly.

    ¡°But you let him go to bed!¡± the prince complained, pointing to the staring Prompto.

    ¡°And when you get trampled by an Asherhorn, you can have an early night, too. But until then you can help me clean up,¡± Ignis replied simply. The prince sighed and stood up, gathering the plates as he went. Ignis turned and smiled at Prompto. ¡°Go to bed, Prompto,¡± he said again. ¡°His highness is just being a drama queen.¡±

    ¡°Am not,¡± the prince muttered, but was completely ignored by his advisor.

    ¡°Right. Okay then. Goodnight,¡± he said, he said turning to the bed once more.

    ¡°Good night,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Night,¡± the prince called.

    Prompto shook his head in wonderment and lay down. This was definitely not what he was used to, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

    -l-l-l-

    The next day, Prompto leaned against the wall of the campervan, watching as the royal party packed their belongings back into the car, ready to leave again and be on their way to¡­ wherever they were going. They had been very careful not to say anything about their destination around Prompto.

    And now they were leaving.

    They had given him some gil, some potions, a spare sling for his arm. He had met Cindy, and Cid, and Takka, and been assured that he could take hunts to earn more gil.

    And now they were leaving. The thought circled round and round in his head. Leaving, leaving, leaving.

    Prompto felt his heart begin to race, his breath to quicken. He had been rescued, he was alive when he shouldn¡¯t have been, but now he was adrift once more. He could not return to the Empire, not now, not after what he had done, or rather refused to do. If he were lucky, he would be returned to Gralea for Inurement and reassignment, and even the thought of that was enough for him to break into a cold sweat despite the hot sun. He doubted he would be lucky enough to be awarded that fate, however. Without his unit to support him, without his superiors to order him, he was nothing.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Not allowing him to think this through or even to acknowledge what he was doing or feeling, Prompto ran forward before dropping to his knees and bending over, sole unbound arm in front of him in his best submissive bow.

    The bantering that had been going on between the three of them fell silent instantly and, even though he couldn¡¯t see it with his head bowed, Prompto could feel the stunned stares on his back.

    ¡°Please,¡± he said, not looking up. ¡°Please, take me with you.¡±

 Quartet

    ¡°Please,¡± he said, not looking up. ¡°Please take me with you.¡±

    His request was met with stunned silence before he heard footsteps coming towards him.

    ¡°Prompto, get up,¡± Prince Noctis said, his voice decidedly annoyed. Prompto rose his chest, but remained sitting on his feet, looking up at the young man standing before him, daring to hope (ouch!) that the irritation on his face wasn¡¯t a prelude to refusing his request. ¡°Seriously, man, get up. I can¡¯t talk to you while you¡¯re on your knees like that.¡±

    He really did seem annoyed. Maybe this wasn¡¯t such a good idea after all. Prompto stood.

    ¡°Why do you want to come with us?¡± the prince asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± Prompto started, but then he clenched his teeth shut. He saw the prince¡¯s expression change, become closed off as he started to give that answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± was his standard safe response; if he needed to answer something he would say ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ to avoid thinking about it. But if he was going to travel with the Lucian prince, if the prince was going to trust him to travel with him, he at least owed him a proper response.

    Prompto took a deep breath to steady himself, then said, ¡°I can¡¯t go back to Niflheim. That no longer became an option when I didn¡¯t take the opportunity to kill you. But I can¡¯t stay here either, I¡­¡± he grit his teeth at the pain that was flaring up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here. I have no superior, no orders to follow. The only goal is to survive, and I¡¯m not very good at that. I need¡­ I want-¡± Prompto broke off when a particularly painful burst shot through his head, ringing in his ears. The prince was patient, waiting for it to pass, and Prompto rode it out before continuing. ¡°I want to follow your orders, to support you,¡± he finished.

    ¡°You know that I¡¯m essentially at war with the Empire, right? If you follow me, you¡¯ll eventually have to fight your friends,¡± the prince said, concern in both his voice and his expression.

    Prompto, though, shook his head. ¡°Not friends. Units. Killing them won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Prince Noctis looked confused at that, but he gave a small shrug and clapped a hand to Prompto¡¯s good shoulder. ¡°Welcome aboard then.¡±

    The effect was immediate. Prompto instantly felt as though a weight was lifted and he dared to smile a little. ¡°Truly?¡± he asked, wanting to ensure he had heard right.

    The prince laughed. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Noct, a word?¡± Ignis asked from where he and Gladio were standing by the car.

    ¡°Go get your stuff. I¡¯ll convince these two,¡± the prince said as he turned back to his advisors.

    Prompto, relieved, feeling as though things were where they were meant to be once more, hurried to do as he was bid.

    -l-l-l-

    ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing, inviting a Nif along with us?!¡± Gladio immediately demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must agree with Gladio,¡± Ignis said, albeit more calmly. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to help him when he was injured. The boy seems pleasant enough, but let us not forget he is the enemy. It is quite another to be welcoming him permanently into our midst. Have you really thought this through?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Noct said, leaning against the car nonchalantly.

    Gladio was spluttering too much to respond to that, but Ignis said, ¡°Then please enlighten us.¡±

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    ¡°For one thing, outside the initial attack where he was under orders to do so, he¡¯s never once attacked us. He¡¯s helped us. Twice,¡± he said, ticking off his finger as he counted. ¡°For two, he¡¯s a Nif willing to defect. That means he can give us all kinds of information on our enemy that we never would have gotten otherwise, or if we did, it would be old and unreliable at best.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s to stop him from lying to us?¡± Gladio asked, finding his voice once more.

    ¡°Nothing, but I don¡¯t think he will. He wants to go with us, he literally threw himself on the dirt begging it. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll put that in jeopardy, it was too real, too raw. And three, surely you¡¯ve noticed that weird wincing thing he does? I wanna know what that¡¯s about.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more at stake here than your curiosity,¡± Gladio pointed out.

    ¡°I know that!¡± Noct snapped, getting annoyed now.

    Ignis held up a hand to forestall the bickering and said, ¡°I believe Noct may have a point, at least about the knowledge that could be gained. If we could somehow predict the enemy¡¯s movements, we could gain the advantage.¡±

    ¡°Ha! See?¡±

    ¡°Noct, stop being childish. And Gladio, Noct has already said yes to the boy. It would be cruel to turn around and say no now,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Cruel? Cruel?! It was cruel when the Nifs invaded our home unprovoked. It was cruel when the Nifs levelled towns outside the wall. It was cruel when the Nifs killed thousands of non-combatants. It was cruel when the Nifs killed my father, your uncle Ignis, and, worst of all, Noct¡¯s father, our king! But no, none of that matters, let''s just invite the enemy along, let''s have a great big fucking tea party and pretend none of it happened!¡± Gladio roared.

    ¡°You done?¡± Noct drawled.

    With a growl, Gladio step forward but Ignis was ready, stepping between the two. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± he snapped. ¡°This is easy enough to solve. Prompto,¡± he said, turning to the stunned gunman nearby. The others seemed surprised by his presence, but Ignis had seen him hesitantly approach. ¡°Were you part of the forces that attacked Insomnia?¡±

    Prompto shook his head. ¡°Before coming here, I''d never left the Empire. And we only arrived a day before we attacked you.¡±

    ¡°Wait, a day before? How¡¯d you know we''d be there?¡± Noct asked.

    Prompto shook his head again. ¡°I don''t know,¡± he answered honestly. ¡°Our unit was briefed on your fighting abilities on the trip over, then we were dropped off at a haven. We were ordered to stay on that ridge and watch for your car, to shoot when the melee units started their attack. That''s all I know of it. We¡­¡± he hesitated, not wanting to sound disrespectful, but then made the decision to continue, anyway. ¡°We don''t question our superiors,¡± he said quietly.

    ¡°What, never? Even when your orders are immoral?¡± Gladio demanded.

    Prompto looked Gladio in the eye as he answered calmly, ¡°No, never. That sort of insubordination is stamped out early. You would question an order your king gave you even if you found it distasteful?¡± he asked, though his face was deadpan, the question almost rhetorical.

    ¡°Of course I would,¡± Gladio snapped.

    Prompto rose a disbelieving eyebrow at that, but then he remembered that they were only discussing this now because they didn''t want to follow the orders of their prince.

    ¡°And then you would obey,¡± Ignis said. Gladio turned to stare at him. ¡°We both would,¡± he continued.

    ¡°I know you don''t trust me, and that''s fine. But I will share what I know of the Empire, their units and numbers. I have no phone or radio, no way to contact anyone without going on foot. And I swear, I will obey Prince Noctis¡¯s orders,¡± Prompto said, trying to sound as confident and convincing as he could. He had to convince them, he had to! If he couldn''t¡­ Well, he didn''t want to think about that.

    The prince, at least, was smiling at him, and Ignis was nodding, but Prompto kept eye contact with Gladio. The group seemed to have completely different dynamics than what Prompto was used to and even though he was fairly certain that the prince could order his bodyguard to obey, that didn''t seem like it was going to happen. Gladio had to agree of his own volition.

    They stared at each other for what seemed like a long time before Gladio finally sighed and said, ¡°Fine. On two conditions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, this I¡¯ve got to hear,¡± Noct muttered.

    ¡°Noct,¡± Ignis warned. Again.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Noct said, waving his hand dismissively; he wouldn¡¯t say anything. For now.

    Gladio was ignoring both of them anyway, focusing all his attention on Prompto. ¡°First,¡± he said. ¡°You sit in the front where I can watch you.¡± Prompto nodded; he had no problem with that. ¡°And second, if we¡¯re really doing this, then we¡¯re not going to¡­ our previous destination with him, not yet. I don¡¯t want to be shot in the back in some tight tunnel where no one will ever find our bodies,¡± Gladio said, though this time he looked to Noct for confirmation.

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Noct said, opening the back door and sliding into the seat.

    Ignis helped Prompto put his armour and the bag of supplies they had provided him in the boot (only just managing to fit it all) and then soon enough they were all on their way, the trio now four.

 Tenuous

    Prompto stared out at the landscape whizzing by, unable to prevent the small smile on his face. He couldn¡¯t put an exact name on what he was feeling other than right. Even if his shoulder was aching and even if Gladio hadn¡¯t stopped staring at him since they left Hammerhead to some unknown destination. The pressure had been lifted. He had someone to follow.

    Glancing in the side mirror at his new superior, he was surprised to see the prince leaning his head on his arm on the door, eyes closed, asleep. He twisted in his seat to look back, but yes, the scene was still the same when viewed with his own eyes instead of through the mirror.

    Seeing this, Ignis chuckled and said, ¡°Yes, Noct sleeps a lot while we¡¯re driving.¡±

    ¡°He has a sleep button in his arse,¡± Gladio said, surprising Prompto and, despite himself, he gave a snort at the comment; it was the kind of joke Arvid might have said about one of the other units they shared a dorm with.

    He turned back around and watched more of the countryside go past. It was the first time he really got to see any of it; the dropship he arrived in didn¡¯t have windows apart from in the cockpit and he wasn¡¯t allowed up there. After that, he had been too concerned with surviving to really take in the sights. In many ways it felt strange; here he was, travelling in a fancy car with his enemy. These people should want him dead and instead they had welcomed him.

    ¡°So. Story time,¡± Gladio said. Well, maybe not welcomed fully yet.

    Prompto turned in his seat again to look back at him, leaning his back against the door. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Where were you born?¡±

    Prompto blinked. That wasn¡¯t what he had expected to be the first question. Troop sizes, government plans, battle tactics, those he expected. Not something so personal. Still, he had promised to answer any questions they had. ¡°Gralea,¡± he answered. ¡°Zegnautus Keep, specifically.¡±

    ¡°Right in the heart,¡± Ignis said. Prompto nodded.

    ¡°What about your parents? Family? Will any harm come to them with your defection?¡± Ignis asked.

    Prompto shrugged his good shoulder. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t know. Dunno who my parents are,¡± or if he even had parents, but he didn¡¯t say that, refused to even think further on it. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone born in Zegnautus Keep knows their parents.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything of them?¡± Ignis asked, surprised.

    Prompto started to shake his head, then paused. ¡°Well, I think I remember a woman with long black hair when I was very young. But I have no idea if she was my mother. If she was, I guess it means my dad¡¯s a blonde,¡± he said with a slight smirk. ¡°I''ve been either on my own or with a unit for as long as I can remember.¡±

    ¡°How old are you, Prompto?¡± Ignis asked; another personal question.

    ¡°Twenty,¡± Prompto answered. At least he thought he was about twenty. Sometimes it was hard to tell, but the answer seemed to satisfy the adviser.

    ¡°So what sort of training have you had?¡± Gladio asked.

    That was getting closer to what he expected. ¡°Shooting, as you probably guessed,¡± he said. ¡°I also have basic training in swords and polearms. That¡¯s where all Magitek soldiers start, but I¡¯m not very good at them.¡±

    ¡°Why would a marksman have close combat training?¡± Gladio asked. ¡°Why not focus on where you want to go from the get go?¡±

    ¡°To¡­ find out what we''re good at?¡± Prompto guessed. He shook his head. ¡°I don''t know what their reasons are, or even if there are reasons for the training order outside of tradition. I know I was about twelve when Sir, ah, our trainer decided I would be better suited to shooting things and avoiding getting hit for once,¡± he said with a self-conscious laugh, his hand going to behind his head.

    A burst of stars as the polearm slammed into the side of his head, causing Prompto to stumble away.

    ¡°Again,¡± Sir¡¯s gravely voice ordered.

    Prompto shook his head to clear it, then attacked again.

    Wrist. Shoulder. Arm. He dropped the pole.

    ¡°Pick it up.¡± Prompto did so. ¡°Again.¡±

    Shoulder. Chest. End to the knee. Prompto couldn''t help the cry of pain as his leg buckled beneath him.

    ¡°Pathetic,¡± Sir growled. Prompto didn''t answer, merely pulled himself into a submissive bow, staying there, waiting. The sounds of more training reached him, someone who was actually good at this. Prompto felt resentment and hatred boil in him as he watched drops of blood fall from his cheek to the sand, instantly being absorbed, but leaving a patch of pink where it had been.

    He listened as Sir handed out orders to various units and waited his turn. Sir¡¯s boots approached and then stopped and, though Prompto had yet to raise his head, he could feel Sir staring at him. He didn''t have to be looking to know it was with disgust.

    A light kick to Prompto¡¯s leg let him know that what was to follow was directed at him. ¡°Clean the sand. Then return to your dorm and await further instruction. We''ll see if we can''t find some use for you,¡± he said. As he left, Prompto tried to pretend his world hadn''t just come crashing down around him.

    He tilted his head back into the wind over the side of the car, pushing the memories away and enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing against his face. He was soon smiling again without even thinking about it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the prince watching him. He hadn''t moved from his sleeping position, but his eyes were open. If the other two had noticed, they didn''t say anything about it, so Prompto followed suit.

    ¡°If you''re supposed to avoid getting hit, why bring your armour?¡± Gladio asked.

    Prompto rose his head to look at the bodyguard, confused. ¡°Um, to wear?¡± he said, not sure where this line of questioning was going.

    ¡°I''m not sure that will be possible,¡± Ignis said. ¡°It was badly damaged by the Asherhorn.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah, but that''s the point. Armour¡¯s no good if it doesn¡¯t get beat up instead, and if it couldn¡¯t be fixed, it would be too expensive,¡± Prompto said. Gladio gave a snort at that, but he was wearing a smile. ¡°I can fix it easy enough, just need to find some tools to borrow.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can find when we get to Lestallum,¡± Ignis said.

    Lestallum. Prompto was alive when he should be dead, he was seeing the countryside with wind in his hair, and he was heading to Lestallum, a city he had only ever seen on maps. Today was a very good day.

    -l-l-l-

    They didn¡¯t make it to Lestallum that night, though Ignis said they probably would by midday tomorrow, barring any trouble. For now, though, they had made camp at a haven. Noct didn¡¯t mind, it gave everyone a chance to readjust to the new dynamics. True to his word, Prompto had answered every question asked, though a lot of the detailed stuff he had admitted to not knowing. Gladio was clearly still suspicious, perhaps suspecting he was saying he didn¡¯t know something when he really did, but Noct thought it more likely he was telling the truth and just wasn¡¯t highly placed in the Niflheim military.

    Privately, he wondered about his decision. Despite what he had told Ignis, he hadn¡¯t really thought it through when he agreed to allow Prompto to come along with them, though he suspected Ignis knew this and had just chosen not to bring it up. The thought of inviting him along hadn¡¯t even occurred to him before Prompto literally threw himself to his feet. Noct shifted uncomfortably in the chair he was slouching in at the memory of that. It was so submissive and desperate it disturbed him a little. More than a little. No one had ever done that to him; he had never seen anyone do it for his father either. Bowing, sure, but not throwing themselves on the ground.

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    Idly, he picked at the food on his plate, staring into the flames. He wondered what his father would have done and felt the pang of loss in his chest before ruthlessly shoving it back down again. Outwardly, his father had been a stern ruler, unflinching, almost ruthless, but never cruel. To his family and closest friends, he had shown a softer side, caring and genuinely concerned for his people. When he was younger, Noct had resented that; it had seemed that his father cared more about everyone else than he had for his own son, especially when family dinner after family dinner had been cancelled again due to business. In hindsight, of course, he knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Especially now, knowing how much he had done, how much he had sacrificed, to keep his son safe. But after doing all that, would he have accepted Noct¡¯s decision to welcome a Nif, one of the very enemies he was trying to save Noctis from, into his company?

    Noctis looked across the fire at where said blonde was picking at his food. He had one of the chest plates of his armour on his lap, precariously balancing the plate on the arm of the chair, while he fiddled one-handed with wires that were on the inside. Half of his bottom lip was pulled into his mouth and he absently chewed it while he focused on what he was doing. He hadn¡¯t seen that wincing thing as much today as he had yesterday, and certainly nowhere near as much as whatever it was that had hurt when he had begged to join them.

    ¡°Thanks for dinner, Iggy,¡± Gladio said as he stood from where he was sitting, putting his plate on the ground in front of him to be cleaned up later.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Ignis said. He was sitting by the fire, using its light to repair a pair of Noct¡¯s pants that the hem had fallen down on.

    Gladio, however, had chosen a more active way to pass the evening. He took off his shirt (the show off) and moved to the edge of the campsite. There he started doing sit-ups.

    Noct rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his food, though he more pushed it around his plate than ate it. There were only vegetables left, no carrots thankfully, but still peas and beans and pumpkin. He didn¡¯t know why Ignis bothered. He hated the stuff, though no one else seemed to mind it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Nif had stopped his fiddling and was watching Gladio, an unreadable expression on his face.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to eat it, don¡¯t eat it,¡± Ignis said, still not looking up from his mending.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Noct said, though he was distracted by the clunk of metal hitting stone as Prompto dropped his armour to the ground and stood. He watched as the Nif started walking to where Gladio was. ¡°Ah¡­¡± he started, going to stand and to stop him from going over there¡ªif Gladio was exercising without even a ribbing comment for Noct to join him, he was doing it to work out his frustrations and that was not something anyone would get in the way of if they were wise.

    Ignis¡¯s hand on his wrist held him back, and he said quietly, ¡°Let him go.¡±

    Noct looked at him disbelievingly. ¡°But-¡± he started.

    Ignis shook his head. ¡°Let him go. They need to sort this out. We can always step in if we need to.¡±

    Noct reluctantly sat back down, but he watched what was happening anyway, ready to jump in if things got heated.

    -l-l-l-

    Prompto liked to have something to focus on. It kept his mind from wandering and his head from hurting. He didn¡¯t have the tools he wanted, but he could at least inspect his armour and evaluate the damage. Then, when he did have access to the proper tools, at least he would already know what needed to be done. All things considered, it wasn¡¯t that bad. The impact dampeners were shot, and the automatic lubricators were damaged, but otherwise, it seemed to be in surprisingly decent shape. Well, other than the cosmetic dents and scratches, of course.

    He was distracted from what he was doing when Gladio stood, thanked Ignis for the food, and started working out. Prompto watched, considering. Gladio had grilled him off and on for most of the day about everything, from his daily routine to the number of men in his unit. It was a largely one-sided interrogation, but he had learned a few things about his new companions. He in-turn had answered every question as honestly as he could, but he got the feeling that the bodyguard still didn¡¯t buy any of it, still resented that he was there. That wasn¡¯t something he could change in a day, he knew that, but perhaps he could make inroads. Gladio was a military man, he knew that now, and Prompto had been raised in the military. They may have been on opposite sides, in completely different countries, but military was military.

    Prompto dropped the chest piece to the ground and stood, walking over to him. Gladio had moved on to push-ups now and Prompto stood nearby, watching. He had good form, he thought, managing not to wince at the pain the stray thought caused.

    ¡°See something you like?¡± Gladio said without pausing, not even a hint of breathlessness in his voice.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Prompto replied. He watched for two more push ups, before dropping to his hands and knees and getting into a plank position himself, albeit a one-handed one. He took a moment to centre himself, making sure he was balanced properly, before doing his own push ups, keeping time with Gladio. Prompto doubted he looked as impressive doing so - one crippled arm strapped to his chest, his shirt still on (it was too hard to remove without help), wiry muscles as opposed to Gladio¡¯s bulky ones - but the appearance didn¡¯t matter. Keeping up did, and he was managing that just fine.

    Gladio, seeing this and becoming more irritated, began to speed up. Prompto was expecting that reaction and also sped up, being careful to match push up for push up, not bothering to count, just following.

    Soon enough, the pair of them were coated in a sheen of sweat, Prompto still watching and still keeping up, though his arm was beginning to burn now. Gladio was watching Prompto as well, with more of a considering gaze instead of the irritated one he had worn before.

    ¡°You run?¡± Gladio asked, breaking the silence they had been working out in, his voice somewhat breathless.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Prompto said. His mind shied away from any thoughts or feelings on the matter.

    ¡°First thing tomorrow morning. Let¡¯s see what a Nif kid can do,¡± Gladio challenged.

    ¡°You¡¯re on,¡± Prompto agreed.

    The two of them shared fierce grins, a temporary peace achieved.

    -l-l-l-

    No one had commented on Gladio and Prompto¡¯s work out session, and the run seemed to have also gone off without a hitch. Noct was relieved, even if he did find the whole thing a bit strange. They hadn¡¯t even talked, not really, but it had obviously impressed Gladio somewhat, and that meant fewer glares and more relaxing.

    And, best of all, they were currently rounding the cliff side, with Lestallum just ahead. Real beds! Even Ignis started to relax, the heel of his hand resting lightly on top of the wheel.

    Prompto, though, was staring around at everything, his head on a swivel as he tried to take everything in all at once. ¡°It''s so colourful!¡± he exclaimed as Ignis slowed the car, driving it down to the lookout car park.

    Noct climbed out of the car and raised his arms above his head, stretching. ¡°I like this city,¡± he declared.

    ¡°I think I-¡± Prompto stopped what he was saying with that wince and blank look, but it only lasted for a second before it was gone and he spoke again, ¡°Should I leave my armour here? I don''t see any other Imperials around.¡±

    ¡°They do come by, but are generally not very welcome,¡± Ignis said. ¡°I believe it would be best to avoid anyone drawing a connection to your origin regardless, unless you fancy answering some awkward questions.¡±

    Prompto nodded and, with a last look at his armour, pulled the lid of the boot closed once more.

    -l-l-l-

    Noct led the way to the hotel where they booked a room, staying only long enough for Ignis to inspect Prompto¡¯s shoulder and judge it good enough to go without the sling for a while. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t try to use it,¡± came the stern instructions.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you some of your own clothes,¡± Noct said. Prompto was still wearing the ones he had given him in Lestallum; the long grey things he had been wearing were kept with his armour.

    ¡°Ah, ok. I don''t have any money, though,¡± Prompto said.

    ¡°Sure you do,¡± Noct said, grinning at Prompto¡¯s confused look. ¡°You helped take down the Asherhorns before you decided you''d look better as a rug. Part of the hunt money from that is yours.¡±

    Prompto grinned. ¡°Well, ok then.¡±

    They spent the next hour or so wandering the markets, looking at all the stalls and smelling the different smells. Ignis probably spent twenty minutes just looking at the spice stall.

    And every time Prompto was asked his opinion on something, he would go to answer, wince, then mutter some non-committal answer or ¡®I don''t know¡¯.

    The fifth time it happened, Noct had had enough.

    ¡°Alright what is that?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°What... is what?¡± Prompto asked, a slight waver in his voice, carefully looking anywhere but at Noct. He winced again before the blank expression was back.

    ¡°That! The pain, the expression, what''s going on Prompto? What aren''t you telling us?¡± Noct said, his voice rising. A few people nearby had stopped to stare, but he ignored them.

    ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s just Inurement, that¡¯s all,¡± Prompto said, his voice quiet and barely audible over the sounds of the market, his gaze determinedly staring anywhere but at Noct.

    ¡°Inurement? What¡¯s that?¡± he asked, unfamiliar with the term.

    Prompto did raise his eyes then to stare at Noct. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ you don¡¯t have Inurement?¡± he asked, his eyes flicking between Noct, Gladio, and Ignis. All three mutely shook their heads, which only seemed to confuse Prompto more. ¡°But then¡­ how do you know what to think? What to feel?¡±

    ¡°Are you having a go at us? You think we¡¯re too stupid to think for ourselves?¡± Gladio snapped, ire rising.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case,¡± Ignis said softly as Prompto frantically shook his head, eyes wide.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Prompto looked around, a faint blush colouring his cheeks as he saw how much of a crowd they had attracted. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll tell you everything just¡­ not here? In the hotel room or somewhere private. Please?¡±

    Noct ran a hand through his hair. He really hoped this wasn¡¯t a sign he had made a mistake in trusting a Nif. Finally, he nodded, agreeing. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Just pick out some clothes you like and we¡¯ll go back.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Prompto¡¯s response was a whisper.

    Noct stared at him, not understanding. They were just clothes, what was so hard about choosing something he liked? But Prompto¡¯s fists were balled at his side and he was staring hard at the ground, looking genuinely upset. That crinkle around his eyes was there too, like it had when he was in pain just after waking up after being trampled.

    He sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± he said, and he picked out clothes that he liked, figuring that would do until they knew what was going. Paying for them, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s head back then.¡±

 Explanations

    Prompto stared at his feet as he followed the Lucians back to their hotel room, trying desperately to come up with something to say, some way to explain this. He wanted to be truthful, but how could he explain something so normal, but taboo at the same time? Everyone in the Niflheim military went through Inurement. Everyone. It didn''t need to be explained, and it was considered rude and invasive to ask what each unit''s sessions consisted of.

    All too soon, they were climbing the stairs to their room, far too soon for Prompto to have worked out what to say or rehearse any kind of explanation. When the door shut, a sense of finality settled in and Prompto shifted on his feet, chewing his lip while his right hand absently rubbed his left shoulder.

    ¡°Is it sore?¡± Ignis asked, seeing the action.

    Prompto nodded. ¡°Aches a little.¡±

    ¡°Put your sling back on,¡± Ignis instructed. ¡°If it¡¯s still sore with it on in a couple of hours, you can have another potion.¡±

    Prompto did so, relieved to have a task, instructions to follow, though he doubted Ignis realised the relief that brought him.

    ¡°So,¡± prince Noctis started. He was sitting on one of the beds, watching, dark eyes serious. Gladio had taken one of the seats and Ignis had moved to the small kitchenette in the room, preparing something. ¡°This Inurement. What is it?¡± the prince asked.

    He didn¡¯t seem angry, at least. ¡°I¡­¡± Prompto started, but then he cut himself off, not with pain this time, but just because he didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Spit it out already,¡± Gladio growled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start,¡± Prompto said honestly. ¡°Everyone in Zegnautus does Inurement. I just assumed everyone else, even Lucians, did it too. Well I mean, not everyone obviously, there¡¯s no need for civilians to, they¡¯re non-combatants, but military people-¡±

    ¡°But what is it?¡± prince Noctis asked, cutting into Prompto¡¯s babbling.

    ¡°Inurement, to inure oneself, typically against hardship or strife.¡± It was Ignis who answered, his back still to the party as he started mixing something in a bowl. He turned slightly so he could see Prompto out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Am I close?¡±

    ¡°I guess, yeah,¡± Prompto said. He had never thought about it like that, but it made sense when spelled out. He sighed and flopped down into a seat. ¡°It starts young, five or six, I guess, with basic stuff. Discipline, obedience, things like that. Do what you''re told, when you''re told, to perfection and don''t ask questions,¡± he said.

    ¡°Sounds fairly standard,¡± Gladio said. ¡°Young, but standard.¡±

    Prompto nodded. ¡°That needs to be ingrained so you can handle everything else,¡± he said. He kicked his boots off and pulled his feet up under him, staring at the ground.

    ¡°What do they do next?¡± the prince asked, his voice soft.

    ¡°Tolerance,¡± he said. ¡°Pain, poison, heat, cold. If there¡¯s something that can wear a person down, to hurt them or kill them, we¡¯re inured against it. There was even a rumour that some units were infected with the starscourge to see if a tolerance could be built to that, but I don''t know the truth of it. I wasn''t, I don''t think.¡±

    ¡°If you were, you would probably be dead by now, or at least showing symptoms,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Not if they¡¯ve refined it or something,¡± Gladio said darkly. Seeing the stricken look Prompto gave him, he quickly added, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that¡¯s the case,¡± the prince said. ¡°If it was, Luna would have heard of it, she would have said something.¡± Privately, Prompto doubted Niflheim would have allowed the Oracle to know any such thing, but he kept that thought to himself. ¡°That explains why it didn¡¯t hurt when your arm was relocated, but not the near constant wincing you¡¯ve done since.¡±

    Prompto gave a bitter laugh at that. ¡°Oh, that hurt, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± he said. ¡°My nerves work just fine. I was just taught not to react to pain. It¡¯s a lot easier to fall back on training when you wake up weaponless, with an arm that doesn¡¯t work, and surrounded by people who are supposed to be your enemy.¡±

    The prince smirked, and said, ¡°I can imagine,¡± but then waited for Prompto to continue.

    Prompto pulled a leg up and wrapped his good arm around it, resting his chin on his knee as he stared. The silence stretched on, broken only by the sound of Ignis scooping his mix into a baking tray. It wasn¡¯t like Prompto didn¡¯t want to explain everything, he had promised he would, he just didn¡¯t know how to find the words he needed.

    ¡°Is that what your barcode is? Tracking what you¡¯ve become inured to?¡± Ignis asked.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Prompto looked up, surprised, then at his wrist where his barcode was. Looking at the others, he saw that, sure enough, none of them had barcodes; yet another thing he assumed had been the same everywhere, but wasn¡¯t. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s an identity code. It gets added to whenever my access level changes.¡± Slipping his arm out of the sling, he pointed to the parts of the barcode he spoke of. ¡°This part¡¯s my name. It¡¯s been there¡­ forever, since I was born, I guess. This part I got when I started basic training. It allowed access to the training areas of the keep I would be using and my dorm room. Then this part identifies the sniper unit I was assigned to. The end bit was added when I was deemed inured enough to leave the keep, to go out to Gralea city.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°What determined if you were inured enough?¡± Ignis asked, jumping at the chance to steer the conversation back to where it was supposed to be.

    Prompto caught the grateful smile the prince shot his advisor and knew he had been manipulated but he couldn¡¯t care. It gave him an opening, a direction. ¡°A particularly long Inurement session determined that I think the way I am supposed to and don¡¯t have opinions.¡±

    ¡°You said that earlier,¡± prince Noctis said. ¡°Is that what you meant? That you need this¡­ this Inurement to feel anything?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Prompto said slowly. ¡°I still think, and feel, but it hurts when the thoughts and feelings don¡¯t align with what was taught in Inurement. And opinions aren¡¯t allowed at all.¡± Confusion all round. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, slipping his left arm back into the sling. ¡°I¡¯m not explaining it very well. We don¡¯t talk about it back home. It¡¯s rude to ask what a person¡¯s gone through, but it¡¯s considered normal. Without it, I wouldn¡¯t know how to think or act.¡±

    The room was small, two steps and he had crossed from one side to the other, made even smaller by the bed against one wall and toilet against the other. And it was cold. Prompto lay on the bed, curled in a tight ball. The bed had a mattress, but no blanket or pillow. That didn¡¯t really bother Prompto too much, though; he knew that when he got tired enough, he would sleep no matter how cold he was.

    If he was allowed to sleep this time.

    Wires that came through a small hole in the wall had been attached to his head. To monitor brain activity, they said. That they had told him what it did should have been his first clue. His second should have been the theory class he had completed recently about clearing his mind.

    He didn¡¯t even know what had triggered the first zap of electricity, only that the sharp agony had triggered a spiral of thoughts and questions which, in turn, had triggered more and more pain until he lost consciousness on the floor of the room.

    It had taken practice. After waking that first time, his fears and questions had once more surged to the surface and caused pain that spiralled out of control. It had taken two more attempts before he remembered the earlier class. His heart was still racing. He had sat in the corner of the room, on edge, terrified, waiting for the next surge to come, but carefully keeping his mind blank.

    And then he realised: while his mind was blank, there was no pain.

    Once he started to relax again, he began to experiment, laying on the bed so that if he lost control, at least he was on a mattress instead of the steel floor. What could he think? What could he feel?

    At that point, the answer was not a lot before pain was triggered, but he became very practiced at stilling his mind, of thinking of nothing when the pain occurred. So much so that it became second nature, and he didn¡¯t even have to concentrate on doing it. That first session had been rough, Arvid hadn¡¯t understood when he had come back twitchy but with no visible injuries. It got easier, though, with each subsequent session, until not thinking and knowing what he was allowed to feel was second nature.

    ¡°Psychological conditioning,¡± Ignis said. He pushed the baking pan into the oven and turned back to face the group, leaning back against the bench.

    ¡°I¡­ guess?¡± Prompto said, uncertain if that was what it was or not.

    ¡°Damn, kid,¡± Gladio said and Prompto shifted a little uncomfortably at what he saw in Gladio¡¯s eyes: either pity or sympathy, he couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°But then, what about you guys?¡± Prompto asked, wanting, needing to shift the attention from himself for a little bit. ¡°If not through Inurement, how are you taught to think?¡±

    ¡°We¡­ ah¡­¡± Gladio started.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Ignus also started.

    ¡°We¡¯re taught to think for ourselves,¡± the prince eventually said. ¡°We go to school and¡­¡± he trailed off with a self-conscious laugh. ¡°Ok, I think we get why it was hard for you to explain, Prom.¡±

    ¡°Prom?¡± Prompto repeated with a half smile.

    ¡°Yeah. Prom. If that¡¯s cool with you, of course,¡± Noct said with a tentative smile.

    ¡°Sure, that''s cool. Noct,¡± Prompto said, trying out the nickname he had heard the others call their prince. If he had ever addressed a superior like that back home, a beating and cleaning duty would be the very least he could expect. Here, now however, the prince just grinned back at him.

    -l-l-l-

    Noct leaned against the balcony railing, looking over the city lights, nibbling on one of the brownies Ignis had made earlier. Lestallum was a lively city at night and any other time he would have warped out to have a sneaky night on the town. Tonight though, he wasn''t in the mood.

    Prompto¡¯s words kept being turned over and over in his mind. When he had reflected on how their childhood would have been different back when he had first seen Prompto¡¯s face, he really had no idea. Even now, Prom hadn''t shared any specific details, and no one had wanted to push the matter after getting a hint of what it entailed, but the haunted look in his eyes had said enough. It may have been normal there, but it clearly still had an effect.

    ¡°Can''t sleep?¡±

    Noct turned and gave a half smile to Ignis as the man stepped out as well, sliding the glass door closed. ¡°I know, weird huh?¡±

    Ignis returned the smile and lifted a smoke. ¡°You mind?¡± he asked.

    Noct shook his head and returned his gaze back outwards. After several minutes of silence between them, Noct said, ¡°You knew what was up with Prompto from the get go, didn''t you.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t know,¡± Ignis said, ¡°but I suspected. The wincing occurred whenever he tried to say what he wanted or what he personally thought about something. Then, when he made that comment about being told what to think, it was the only thing that made sense.¡±

    ¡°What is it, exactly? He was kind of vague and I didn''t want to pry into something so obviously traumatic.¡±

    ¡°I do not know the details on how they make it work; torture is not something I have had an interest in,¡± Ignis said dryly, making Noct smirk. ¡°In general, it involves physically causing pain for any undesirable behaviour, or in this case, individual thought. Over time, the brain learns to associate that feeling or emotion with pain and anticipate it. And then it anticipates it so strongly that it creates it.¡±

    Noct was staring at Ignis by this point. ¡°So the pain¡¯s not real?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it''s real,¡± Ignis said as he put his smoke out and dropped it in the ashtray. ¡°Pain is simply certain electrons firing in the brain as a result of outside stimuli. Those same electrons are firing for Prompto, just without outside stimuli. It is no less real for that.¡±

    Noct sighed and ran a hand back and forth over his head, scratching at it in irritation. Things were beginning to click into place now. Not just the pain when he said certain things, but the way he had begged to come with them instead of making it on his own. He needed someone¡¯s orders to follow, so he didn¡¯t have to make the decisions himself. Even something as basic as choosing clothes hurt him.

    ¡°Iggy, just promise me one thing,¡± Noctis said wearily as he pushed away from the railing. Ignis turned to face him, an eyebrow raised questioningly. ¡°We¡¯re gonna destroy those fuckers, right?¡±

    Ignis smiled, though the look did not meet his eyes; they flashed with a hidden rage that was scary to behold. ¡°Oh yes. That I can promise you,¡± he said, his voice low.

 Break Down to Rebuild

    ¡°So, this Inurement thing.¡±

    Prompto and Gladio jogged around the outskirts of the predawn town at a steady pace. It was quiet at this time of morning; shops were still closed, it was still another three hours until the shift changed at the power plant, and most people were asleep in bed. They had already run two laps around the city¡ªthe first to find their rhythm, and the second to just enjoy themselves. This was their third and final lap and it seemed Gladio wanted to talk.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to ask details,¡± Gladio said, and Prompto relaxed a little; he hadn¡¯t even realised he had visibly tensed. ¡°But I need to know what kind of effect it will have. What risks it will pose to Noct. I¡¯m his shield, it¡¯s my job to protect him, even if he makes it damned hard to do sometimes. You seem genuine. Iggy trusts you and he¡¯s a smarter man than most. But I need to know what to look out for.¡±

    It was a fair question, Prompto knew. But that didn¡¯t make answering it any easier. ¡°I want to say nothing, there¡¯s no risk to him,¡± Prompto said. ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t be sure, not a hundred percent sure, anyway. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any risk, though. What they¡­ what was done. It only seems to affect me. That second time I saw you? With the coeurls? I was going to kill Noct. If I had killed him, I could have gone to one of the forts and maybe not be reassigned. I had my gun trained on him and everything. But I didn¡¯t want to kill him,¡± he said, an eye twitching at the pain that admission brought. ¡°He let me live when he had every reason to kill me. It sounds stupid, but there was only one other person, another unit, who did something similar.¡±

    ¡°A friend?¡± Gladio asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Prompto replied instantly, instinctively. Then, ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe? We weren¡¯t exactly encouraged to have friends.¡±

    Gladio gave a bark of laughter. ¡°I can imagine,¡± he said. ¡°So where is this other not-friend?¡±

    ¡°Dead,¡± Prompto said. He shot Gladio a half smile and said, ¡°Noct killed him, up on that ridge.¡±

    ¡°Hold up,¡± Gladio said, reaching out and grabbing Prompto¡¯s shoulder to stop him running and turn him to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you decided to join up with the guy who killed your friend? And you¡¯re smiling about it?¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t my friend,¡± Prompto said sharply. ¡°He was just another unit like myself.¡± Prompto sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, walking a few steps away to lean on the stone wall of the lookout. A light wind had picked up, drying the sweat on his body, cooling him. ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± he eventually said.

    ¡°I gathered,¡± Gladio replied dryly, causing Prompto to give a snort of laughter. He leaned sideways against the wall, watching Prompto.

    ¡°I hated him. He was good at everything he did. He wasn¡¯t born into the military like I was, he had a choice and he chose to join. He applied from somewhere in the outskirts of Gralea. He got in when he was twelve and in his first training session, he saves me from a beating. Well, temporarily anyway.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like he was a good kid,¡± Gladio said slowly.

    Prompto nodded. ¡°Too good,¡± he said. ¡°He could make Sir or any of the instructors or scientists believe whatever he wanted. Inurement affected him, but not like anyone else. He could just¡­ turn it off. I hated that about him.¡± Prompto glanced across at Gladio, watching him from the corner of his eye. He seemed to get it though and was much more willing to listen than he had been before.

    ¡°But having him around made it all bearable,¡± Gladio guessed.

    The corner of Prompto¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Right,¡± he said.

    ¡°You said he could just ¡®turn it off¡¯,¡± Gladio said. Prompto nodded and looked back out over the canyon, watching the birds circle. ¡°You think you could do that? Turn it off?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ dunno,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how and I don¡¯t know if I could. When I tried to imagine myself living as a hunter, even having a base in Hammerhead, I couldn¡¯t do it, it hurt too much, I was afraid of the pain.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already started turning it off, though. You¡¯re stronger than you think,¡± Gladio said. Prompto turned back to Gladio at that, surprised. ¡°You went against your programming to ask Noct to let you come along, and we all saw how much that hurt you,¡± he said. Prompto nodded slowly; damn, that had hurt though! He thought he was going to throw up from that pain. ¡°The coeurls too. You said you had Noct in your sights, but you decided not to pull the trigger. You did that, not your Inurement.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Nearly blacked out from that, and then where would I have been? Sabertusk food most like,¡± Prompto said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re not alone anymore, kid. You keep on fighting it, we¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t become sabertusk food,¡± Gladio said.

    Prompto blinked, trying to ignore the heat in his eyes, and gave a solid nod. ¡°Right,¡± he said.

    Gladio raised an arm, the back of a closed fist to Prompto. He stared at it, instinctively expecting to be backhanded, but also suspecting that Gladio wasn¡¯t the kind of person to do that. Gladio sighed slightly and used both hands to take Prompto¡¯s right hand, make a fist, and raise it the same way. He then bumped the back of his wrist to Prompto¡¯s.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Come on,¡± he said, as they lowered their arms. ¡°Enough of this mushy crap. Race you to the hotel.¡±

    Prompto grinned. ¡°You¡¯re on!¡± he declared, but before he could dart off, Gladio kicked a leg out from under him, making him stumble and allowing him to get the lead. ¡°Hey!¡± Prompto shouted indignantly to Gladio¡¯s trailing laughter, and he bolted after him, determined not to lose.

    -l-l-l-

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how well he¡¯ll take to it,¡± Ignis said as he flipped the bacon.

    ¡°It¡¯ ee ine,¡± Noct said, mouth already full with bacon.

    ¡°Noct, please-¡± Ignis started, but was cut off by Noct swallowing and speaking again.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± he repeated. ¡°You said his pain was psychologically conditioned right? Well, we¡¯ve just gotta psychologically condition it out of him. If I do it little by-¡±

    Noct was interrupted when the ground started shaking. There was barely enough time for it to register that it was an earthquake before agony shot through his head. A cry ripped from his throat and he grasped his head, the plate falling from his hands and smashing to the ground.

    ¡°Now, Noct, really-¡± Ignis started before turning and seeing what was happening.

    Noctis heard none of this, was only vaguely aware that Ignis was in front of him. Images flashed before his eyes, too fast to make sense of.

    ¡°Noctis? Noct, can you hear me?¡± Ignis was saying. It sounded like his voice was coming from down a long tunnel.

    ¡°I hear you,¡± he said slowly, blinking several times as the world came into focus again.

    The relief that spread over Ignis¡¯s face was almost comical, if Noct been in the mood to laugh. ¡°Thank the gods,¡± Ignis breathed. Then, ¡°What happened? Are you hurt?¡±

    Noct shook his head. ¡°Just a headache,¡± he said. ¡°Came on¡­ kinda suddenly.¡±

    Ignis rested the back of his hand against Noct¡¯s forehead but shook his head when he only felt slightly clammy to the touch.

    Noct pushed the hand away. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, flashing a grin to reassure him. His head still ached, but it seemed more residual pain rather than something to be concerned about.

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Ignis said slowly, though he relented and stopped trying to check his prince over for some kind of injury. Instead, he started gathering up the broken plate and spilled food. ¡°Maybe we should stay here for a few days, make sure whatever it is doesn¡¯t come back. There are skilled doctors in Lestallum, we can get you checked out if it occurs again.¡±

    Noct was already shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really! And truthfully, doctors would probably just freak Prom out,¡± he said, slipping off the chair to help Ignis clean up (it was really the least he could do since he was the one who dropped it in the first place). Ignis just hummed in response, not really wanting to commit one way or the other but unable to deny the truth of his prince¡¯s words. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t mention this to the others. I don¡¯t want to worry them over nothing.¡±

    Ignis watched Noct as he picked up the last of the broken plate, but eventually conceded. ¡°Very well,¡± he said. ¡°But if it happens again, I will not be concealing it. And you will not be driving until I¡¯m convinced that this was a one off occurrence.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Noct agreed as the two of them dumped the broken plate and food into the trash, just as Gladio and Prompto burst through the door, both sweaty and breathing heavily.

    ¡°Did you feel that?¡± Gladio asked, his voice booming and Noctis did his very best to not wince. ¡°It was like the whole world shifted!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ignis said dryly.

    ¡°Something smells good,¡± Prompto said, his face turning up and very obviously sniffing.

    Noctis grinned at him, glad that he was willing to express something like that, even though he knew it likely caused him some pain.

    ¡°Nothing that can¡¯t wait until you¡¯re both clean and showered and not smelling so¡­ ripe,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Dibs!¡± Gladio said, before gathering his things and squeezing into the small bathroom they shared.

    Noct rolled his eyes at his bodyguard, but it did give him the perfect opportunity to carry out his Operation Prompto plan. ¡°So, you like running?¡± he asked casually.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Prompto said carefully.

    ¡°How come?¡± Noct pressed. ¡°I don¡¯t see the appeal myself. All that exercise, and so early!¡±

    Prompto sighed. Noct smiled sweetly; he got the feeling the Nif knew exactly what he was trying to do, but he gamely answered anyway. ¡°I feel revitalised after running. Back home, it gave a sense of freedom¡ªit was training without fear of pain. Well, not pain inflicted by others, anyway. It¡¯s fun,¡± Prompto said.

    Noct¡¯s smile widened into a grin; he could see that tightness around Prompto¡¯s eyes that gave away his pain, but still he was trying. Noct looked over Prom¡¯s head to Ignis and shot him a gloating ¡®I told you so¡¯ look, which the advisor pointedly ignored. Prompto, perhaps suspecting something was up, looked over his shoulder to try to catch what was going on, but Ignis simply carried on his cooking.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Noct said, going to the bag of clothes they had bought yesterday. ¡°While the big guy¡¯s making himself smell pretty for all of the five minutes it¡¯ll last, we should pick out your clothes for the day.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ okay?¡± Prom said as he hesitantly stepped up beside Noct, looking down at the clothes that the prince had just dumped all over the bed. ¡°What¡­ what clothes should I wear?¡±

    ¡°Nah ah, you gotta decide,¡± Noct said. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll make it easier.¡± He pulled out a pair of pants and tossed them to Prompto, who caught them instinctively. ¡°I used to have a pair like these, they¡¯re comfy.¡± He dug through the shirts then and came up with three and laid them out on the bed. ¡°What one do you wanna wear?¡±

    Noct watched as Prompto¡¯s eyes flicked back and forth between him and the shirts, back and forth, again and again. He could see the tightening of his eyes as his mind fought against itself and its programming¡ªhe had to obey, but in obeying, he had to give an opinion. When he saw the clenched fist, though, almost trembling as if he were holding back something, Noct reached out and rested a hand on his good shoulder. ¡°Hey,¡± he said, his voice quiet and gentle. Prompto rose uncertain eyes to meet his. ¡°You got this,¡± Noct said, his tone reassuring. He held Prompto¡¯s gaze until the other boy gave a nod and reached out to grab a shirt. Noct had a feeling that he only chose that one because it was the one closest to him, but he didn¡¯t care; it was a decision and one Prompto had made on his own.

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Noct said, giving him a wide grin before packing the other clothes away and allowing to Prompto to just sit in one of the chairs. He had that blank look on his face again, but it was still an improvement and proof that Prompto wanted to be his own person. And so long as that was what he wanted, Noct was determined to help him.

 A not-so-chance meeting

    Prompto stood a little apart from the group as he reloaded his gun. Noct had returned to him in a shower of crystals so long as he promised to return it once they were done. He had no problem with that. It was better than being left behind while the others hunted. Taking aim, he managed a headshot on a creature that was charging at him. A sabertusk. The irony was not lost on him, or on Gladio, it seemed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t become food, Nif,¡± he said as he swung down at another sabertusk that was charging at Prompto from the other direction.

    ¡°They¡¯re more likely to be our food than us being theirs,¡± Prompto shot back with a laugh, killing a third one himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Iggy, I swear, if you say you¡¯ve come up with a new recipe, you¡¯re gonna be the sabertusk food,¡± Gladio said.

    ¡°Not even I am skilled enough to come up with a meal from these,¡± Ignis said as he dodged around the battlefield. He had swapped his daggers out for his spear and said, ¡°They are weaker against the spear than the daggers was what I was about to say.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Noct said, before summoning a spear himself and fighting with it instead.

    Prompto tried to keep himself out of the way. He was wearing some of his armour, but it was still better to avoid the main fighting. His leg armour was fastened in place, as well as the right arm piece, but his chest and back pieces still needed work and were left in the car. The left arm piece too, since Ignis judged it too heavy and likely to strain his shoulder. Prompto thought he could have managed it, but didn¡¯t want to go against the advisor, not when he actually seemed to give a damn.

    From this distance, Prompto could admire the fighting prowess of the Lucians; they seemed to almost instinctively know where each other was (with only a few hiccups) and were even able to link together to take down an enemy, something he could appreciate now that he was no longer that enemy. It was no wonder they had mowed through the two units sent to attack them, and also no wonder that Prompto¡¯s former superiors had considered them enough of a threat to send so many.

    ¡°Prom!¡± the prince called. ¡°Back me up!¡±

    Taking down another sabertusk, Prompto ran closer to the prince as he summoned a fancy sword, the same one he had used against the coeurls. ¡°What do you need?¡± he asked.

    ¡°This sword hurts to use. It¡¯s distracting,¡± the prince said.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Prompto said. He may not understand how a sword could hurt to use, but well, did he understand how distracting pain was. He would stay close, stand back to back, and do what he could.

    No sooner were the words out of his mouth, however, than the earth moved beneath them, sending everyone stumbling and the sabertusks crouching low to the ground. It was the cry of pain from the prince that drew Prompto¡¯s attention. Spinning around, he saw the prince holding his head, the sword having vanished as soon as he let it go.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, but his words fell on deaf ears; the prince gave no indication that he had heard him.

    The sabertusks did, though, or rather they instinctively knew that one of their prey was weakened and three of them closed in. "How many of them are there?" he asked rhetorically, but he took aim and shot at one, anyway. Going to shoot another, his gun clicked empty. ¡°Shit,¡± he muttered. He slammed his left shoulder into Noct, knocking him to the ground and out of the way, then raised his right arm defensively as one of the beasts leapt at him, its teeth scraping along the metal vambrace. The force of it knocked him to the ground, his left arm breaking his fall as his right pushed forward against the jaws, forcing them open.

    ¡°Gladio! Ignis!¡± he shouted. ¡°Could use some help!¡±

    They were there within moments and a brutal kick from Gladio knocked the sabertusk that was attacking Prompto away. Ignis pulled the prince to his feet and away from the battlefield, leaving Gladio to cover Prompto while he reloaded. The pair of them worked together to take down the remaining beasts, Gladio swinging his greatsword to keep them away, shielding Prom when necessary, and Prompto shooting over his shoulder whenever he got a free shot.

    When they were done, Gladio came over and raised his fist. Familiar now with the gesture, Prompto grinned and bumped his own against it, a shared job well done. Confirming that there were no more lingering about, they both jogged over to where Ignis and Noctis were having a rather heated discussion.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Iggy!¡± Noctis was saying, his voice exasperated.

    ¡°That was not fine. If Prompto hadn¡¯t been nearby-¡±

    ¡°But he was!¡±

    ¡°No, Noctis. You said if it happened again-¡±

    ¡°Wait, this has happened before?¡± Gladio cut in, looking between the two men.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ignis said before Noct got a chance to answer. ¡°Just before you two came back from your run. When the first earthquake occurred.¡±

    ¡°So what, like some kind of earthquake sense?¡± Prompto asked. He grinned. ¡°You guys think I¡¯m weird with Inurement, but you¡¯re the ones with a prince who has earthquake ESP.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°That¡¯s not how ESP-¡± Ignis started.

    ¡°Not the point, Iggy,¡± Noct cut in.

    ¡°Regardless, we¡¯re heading back to Lestallum. This needs to be checked out by a proper doctor and likely Prompto¡¯s shoulder needs icing again at the very least after that stunt,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really,¡± Prompto said, though everyone completely ignored him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sick of doctors,¡± Noct muttered at the same time, though he did slink off towards the car, hands in his pockets.

    -l-l-l-

    Prompto looked out over the canyon as the four of them meandered along the lookout walkway. The owner of the hotel they were staying at, an elderly man named Jared who appeared to be friends with the Lucians, had organised for a doctor to come and check them all over. The adrenaline had worn off by the time they were halfway back to the city, and Prompto¡¯s shoulder had been a throbbing mass of pain by the time they arrived. He was telling the truth when they left, though; he hadn¡¯t even felt it when he had knocked the prince aside and, while it had jarred when he landed, it still barely registered. Prompto was feeling it now, though. The doctor had given him a potion for the pain and an elixer to use that night so he could sleep, then strapped his arm up again. He was now under orders not to use it lest he risk causing permanent damage. All the while Ignis had looked on with a gloating ¡®I told you so¡¯ expression.

    The results for Noctis were less clear cut. The doctor could find nothing wrong with him to explain why the headaches were occurring. He suggested perhaps a walk along the edge of town with the fresh air might help. Noct had helpfully resisted the urge to counter what the doctor said until he left, pointing out that they had been in fresh air the second time the headache occurred. Ignis insisted they try it anyway, so here they were.

    Prompto had stayed out of it, content to follow his new commander in whatever was decided. He still wasn¡¯t used to the way the three of them interacted, how they were so warm and casual and caring to each other even when they disagreed seemingly constantly. But he liked it. It didn¡¯t even matter that it hurt to like it because he felt more like a part of a team with these three than he ever had in his sniper unit. He could almost forget about where he came from and just pretend he had always been with these guys.

    That was until he caught sight of a familiar head using one of the lookout¡¯s binoculars. Almost immediately, his old world came crashing down around him. Prompto''s heart began to race when the man turned towards their approach and greeted them with a wave.

    ¡°What a coincidence!¡± the chancellor said, smiling as he approached.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure it is,¡± Gladio muttered under his breath.

    Prompto¡¯s back straightened instinctively, though he managed to avoid going to full attention. Mentally, he repeated to himself that he did not serve Niflheim any more. He had no reason to be formal to this man.

    The pain in his head was building.

    The Chancellor¡¯s wolf-like eyes fell on Prompto, and he didn''t dare breathe. He felt as though he were being stripped raw from the inside out. The chancellor¡¯s attention drifted down to Prompto¡¯s right wrist and the barcode there, then rose to his face once more. A slow smile spread, a knowing smile, one that did not meet his eyes. And then it was gone, the man returning his attention to the prince and leaving Prompto to feel as though a smothering curtain was lifted from him.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t nursery rhymes curious things?¡± he said as he sauntered towards the group. ¡°Like this one: ¡®From the deep, the Archaean calls.¡¯¡± He gestured grandly out towards the meteor. ¡°Yet on deaf ears, the gods¡¯ tongue falls. The king made to kneel, in pain, he crawls.¡±

    Stepping protectively in front of Noctis, Ignis asked, ¡°So, how do we keep him on his feet?¡±

    ¡°You need only heed the call,¡± Ardyn said as though it were obvious. ¡°Visit the Archaean and hear his plea.¡± He spun around to face them once more. ¡°I can take you.¡±

    Ignis turned back to the group, as Gladio asked, ¡°We in?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Noctis said.

    ¡°Do not trust him!¡± Prompto hissed. They all turned to stare at him. He felt heat rush to his face but pressed on, regardless. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but he¡¯s bad news,¡± he said, persisting.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any other leads,¡± Ignis pointed out. Prompto looked away, balling his fist, trying to come up with something, anything, to counter that but finding nothing. Ignis was right. ¡°I say we go along with it¡­¡±

    ¡°... but watch our backs,¡± Gladio finished for him.

    ¡°Just¡­ just be careful,¡± Prompto said.

    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Noctis asked.

    Prompto shook his head and said, ¡°Not directly, I don¡¯t think. My memories are¡­ confused. But I know his reputation. He reviewed the results of all Inurement sessions.¡±

    Noctis nodded, though his face darkened with that news.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful,¡± Ignis assured him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Noct said, and he turned with a nod to the Chancellor.

    The grin he gave was enough to chill Prompto to the core. Nonetheless, they followed him as he began to walk towards the carpark, introducing himself as ¡®Ardyn¡¯ and going on about his car. Prompto wasn¡¯t really listening. He was too busy trying to calm the irrational panic that seeing him caused.

    ¡°I suggest your blonde friend rides with me.¡±

    Until that.

    Prompto looked up wide eyed at the suggestion and stared at the Chancellor. He was wearing the same sardonic smile, though it was hidden from view when the prince stepped between the two of them, catching and holding Prompto¡¯s gaze. His voice was quiet, private, when he asked, ¡°Prom? What do you want to do?¡±

    The pain hit him so suddenly that he was unable to brace against it. Prompto stumbled with a gasp, but Noct¡¯s grip on his arm kept him upright. He couldn''t muster the courage to voice his feelings, but he shook his head sharply; there was no way on Eos he wanted to go with him!

    Noctis exchanged a look with Ignis, allowing the older man to take hold of Prompto¡¯s arm instead until he¡¯s able to get his pain under control once more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Noct said, turning back to Ardyn. ¡°The Regalia¡¯s held the four of us this far, she¡¯ll manage to hold the four of us again.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Ardyn said. ¡°You shall drive your car and I shall drive mine.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Noct replied, before Ignis had a chance to protest.

    As they all climbed into the car, Noct summoned Prompto¡¯s gun and handed it over. ¡°Keep it close,¡± he murmured. Prompto just nodded and loaded it with a practised ease.

    Holding the newly loaded gun, Prompto stared at the barcode on his wrist. Gritting his teeth, he turned his hand and rubbed it against his pant leg as though that would rid himself of it. It had never bothered him before; back home everyone had one and here no one seemed bothered by it. But that knowing look the Chancellor had given him when he saw it made him shiver. ¡°When we get back, could we get a wristband or something?¡± he asked. Noct¡¯s eyes briefly flicked to Prompto before returning to the road, following the car in front of them. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to have it so visible,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Noct agreed. Prompto nodded his thanks, then slid down a little in his seat, stilling his mind to give himself a break from the pain while he could. He had a feeling this wasn¡¯t going to go down well.

 C1094

    Prompto thought he had been inured to hot environments. He¡¯d been locked in saunas that blasted hot steam into the room every few minutes. He¡¯d been burned, both deliberately and accidentally. He¡¯d even gotten a little too close to one of Noct¡¯s fire spells once. But nothing had prepared him for the heat of molten rock erupting from the earth itself.

    The ice from the spell they had thrown at the Titan (that was so awesome, to be handed a vial and be able to actually throw magic!) had been relieving for a few seconds, but already it had melted and evaporated, leaving them just as hot as before. But at least it had worked, judging by the golden glow that had surrounded both Noctis and the downed god. A god! Prompto would never have dreamed of being able to defeat such a being back home in the Empire.

    Though he may never get to dream again if they didn¡¯t get out of there, and soon.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t get much worse than this,¡± Gladio said as he yanked a still dazed Noct away from a sudden eruption of lava.

    But, of course, it can and it does, as the arrival of a drop ship heralds. ¡°Not more MTs,¡± Prompto said, already breathing heavily. He was running dangerously low on ammunition and had mutinously slipped his left arm out of its sling. A potion had numbed the pain for now and he was trying not to use it, but that was hard when the robots and his former countrymen kept trying to kill him and his new friends.

    The four of them watched cautiously as the door to the dropship opened, but instead of the expected enemies jumping out, a solitary figure strode forward to greet them. Prompto recognised him before he even spoke.

    ¡°Fancy meeting you here!¡± Ardyn called out over the roar of the volcano. ¡°It occurs to me that I never formally introduced myself. Izunia. Ardyn Izunia.¡± He lifted his hat and made a sweeping bow.

    Heart racing, Prompto kept his eyes steadily on the prince, doing his best to keep his mind blank, to think or feel nothing during this encounter. And besides, Noct looked exhausted, was pale and swaying on his feet; someone had to make sure he was okay.

    ¡°We know who you are,¡± Ignis said, wariness in his voice.

    Prompto didn¡¯t have to be looking at him to feel Ardyn¡¯s eyes snap immediately to him; he could feel that cold amber gaze under his very skin.

    ¡°I see your¡­ friend, has been speaking about me behind my back. How rude!¡± Ardyn said, his voice pouting. Prompto risked a glance over, then quickly averted his eyes once more; despite all that had happened since that ill-fated attack on the prince, Prompto could still not manage to meet a superior¡¯s eyes, especially not one that was practically snarling at him for ruining his grand introduction. ¡°Regardless,¡± the Chancellor continued, ¡°I am at your service and, more importantly, to your aid!¡±

    Head pounding, Prompto was shaking his head; no aid was worth whatever price the Chancellor wanted. He felt a hand clap down on his shoulder and looked up at Gladio. The man wasn¡¯t looking at him, though; he was staring intently at the Chancellor, as though trying to figure him out. Nonetheless, Prompto appreciated the silent support.

    ¡°I guarantee your safe passage,¡± the Chancellor was continuing. ¡°Though you¡¯re always welcome to take your chances down there.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± Prompto whispered. The pain that admission caused to shoot through his head was enough to make his legs turn to water, but Gladio¡¯s hand on his shoulder kept him grounded.

    ¡°Buried among the rubble, is it?¡± the Chancellor taunted them, trying to drive them to make a hasty decision. Or maybe just knowing that they legitimately did not have much time before the ground beneath them collapsed and they were all burned alive.

    ¡°Dying here is not an option,¡± Ignis said. ¡°We have no choice, Noct.¡± A pause. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Prompto.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Noct said. He turned his attention to Prompto. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, Prom. We won¡¯t let him harm you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Prompto said, his quiet voice barely heard over the volcano. And he did know; despite their vastly different upbringings, or perhaps because of it, Prompto trusted his new commander. He trusted that Noct would help him.

    Decision made, the four men hurried into the drop ship, its doors closing behind them.

    A drop ship was never silent, not even the Chancellor¡¯s, but even with the hum of the engine, the loss of ambient noise from the volcano was sudden when the doors sealed. Prompto looked up when he heard Ignis tsk at him.

    ¡°Really, Prompto, if you don¡¯t start looking after this shoulder I can¡¯t be held responsible for any permanent damage caused,¡± Ignis said, stepping in front of him so he was between Prompto and the Chancellor, and helping to fasten Prompto¡¯s sling again.

    Prompto shot him a shaky grin, grateful for the distraction even if the tone was scolding. ¡°You could never be held responsible for that anyway, Iggy,¡± he said. Ignis had been there when he had removed it, anyway; it wasn¡¯t like it was news.

    ¡°I must admit, I am surprised the young King of Lucis is travelling with an MT,¡± the Chancellor drawled.

    Prompto¡¯s back stiffened. ¡°I¡¯m not an MT,¡± he said. He tried to put force behind his voice, to sound certain, but it came out as more of a squeak.

    ¡°Oh sorry, a ¡®magitek soldier¡¯. As if there is a difference, really,¡± the Chancellor said. ¡°Look at you, you can¡¯t even look at me.¡±

    Prompto tried, really he did, but it hurt so badly he could only do so for the barest of seconds before the pain forced him to look away. Nonetheless, it had been enough to see the mockery in the Chancellor¡¯s face.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Gladio growled.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± the Chancellor said, sounding anything but. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you were so sensitive about a machine.¡±

    ¡°I said enough!¡± Gladio snapped. He stood between Ignis and the Chancellor, his broad shoulders completely blocking Prompto from view.

    ¡°My, my, let¡¯s not get violent now. Especially not over a thing like-¡±

    ¡°Noct, perhaps you could help me,¡± Ignis said, effectively cutting off what the Chancellor was saying. With a hand on each of Prompto¡¯s upper arms, Ignis guided the gunman back until he was sitting on one of the seats that ran along the sides of the dropship.

    ¡°Sure, what do you need?¡± Noct asked, coming up to stand beside Ignis. The three of them were now between Prompto and the Chancellor, Noct and Ignis facing him and Gladio facing outwards, watching Ardyn. Prompto didn¡¯t really notice. His mind was blank, a still lake; he heard everything the Chancellor said, but instinctively retreated into his training, back to not responding, not thinking, not feeling.

    ¡°Some ice please,¡± Ignis said. ¡°Just the tiniest amount. We don¡¯t want it to be too cold.¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Right,¡± Noctis said. He sat next to Prompto and placed both his hands on Prompto¡¯s shoulder. Frowning with concentration, he summoned a tiny bit of ice magic.

    The sudden coldness was so unexpected that Prompto gasped a little, shocked out of his trance-like state, and turned to watch.

    ¡°I can teach you to do this, you know,¡± Noct said, still focusing on what he was doing, completely ignoring the Chancellor.

    ¡°What, for real?¡± Prompto asked, enticed by the idea despite himself. The magic he had thrown earlier against the Titan had been handed to him by Ignis; magic was not something a magitek soldier could ever hope to wield.

    ¡°Well, sort of,¡± Noct said. ¡°Not like this, I can''t even control it well enough to use it in battle like this, but to access the armiger where I store magic flasks? Sure.¡±

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Prompto said with a grin.

    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Ignis said quietly, and Noct lowered his hands. Used to the cold, Prompto¡¯s shoulder felt unnaturally warm now, but it was throbbing less and, with another potion that Ignis handed him downed, the pain was barely noticeable.

    ¡°So¡­ how does it work?¡± Prompto asked.

    ¡°Are you really sure you want to do that with it? Do you truly trust an MT with that kind of power?¡± the Chancellor asked.

    ¡°First, I have to give you access to it,¡± Noct said, completely ignoring Ardyn. Prompto followed his lead as best he could; Prince Noctis was his new commander, but he couldn''t stop the words ¡°it¡± and ¡°MT¡± from circling around his mind.

    Noctis took Prompto¡¯s gun and set it aside before holding his hand in both of his own. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a warmth spread, a golden glow encasing both their hands, though Prompto could swear he felt a hot cord or something winding around both their wrists, binding them together. He blinked, and it was gone, the heat, the binding, all of it, to the point where he wondered if he had just imagined it all.

    Noct removed his hands with a weary smile and, after sending Prompto¡¯s gun to the ether, said, ¡°Now you summon it. You''ve just got to will it into existence.¡±

    Prompto squeezed his eyes shut and screwed his face up as he tried to will the gun into his hand. And then, feeling its familiar weight, he opened his eyes and his face broke into a bright grin. ¡°I did it!¡± he said.

    Noct laughed at his new friend''s reaction and rested his head back against the wall. Even Ignis was smiling at him. Prompto sent the gun away before summoning it again, without the facial expression this time. He sent it away and summoned it again. And again. And again.

    Feeling a weight against his shoulder, Prompto looked to his side to see Noct had fallen asleep and slid sideways to rest against Prompto¡¯s shoulder. He really could sleep anywhere. Prompto let him be; he had looked exhausted after the battle with the Titan. He doubted any harm would come to him just now.

    Ignis and Gladio had moved off to the side and were talking quietly with one another. Neither had noticed that Ardyn had moved closer to Prompto and Noctis. At least not until he spoke. ¡°How sweet. A picture of innocence. One might even believe you to be human, with thoughts and feelings that are your own.¡±

    ¡°Can it,¡± Gladio snapped, immediately inserting himself between his prince and the Chancellor.

    Prompto, meanwhile, had summoned his gun again and started to raise it. His head erupted with pain. He managed to raise it a little further, but that caused dark spots to swim before his eyes.

    ¡°It''s alright, Prompto,¡± Ignis said, his hand on Prompto¡¯s upper arm serving as an anchor.

    Prompto sent the gun away as Ardyn laughed at him. Trying to distract himself, he looked across at Noct who had slept through the whole thing. ¡°Is he alright?¡± Prompto asked, voice still tight with pain. Surely it was unusual for even him to sleep through that.

    ¡°He will be,¡± Ignis said. ¡°Each time we access the armiger to summon weapons or magic, or whenever Noct warp strikes, it takes a little bit more energy. Energy he then needs to recover by sleeping. After a fight like that with the Titan, I''m honestly surprised he stayed awake as long as he did. That''s why we try to limit our magic use and only use two weapons each.¡±

    ¡°And cause Sleeping Beauty there likes to look good,¡± Gladio added.

    ¡°That too,¡± Ignis conceded with a small smile.

    Prompto felt guilt well up. ¡°And I was just continuously summoning my gun to see if I could,¡± he murmured, voice stricken.

    Gladio laughed. ¡°Don''t worry, he''s tougher than he looks,¡± he said.

    ¡°The energy required to allow you to do that would have been negligible. He may have felt it, but of itself that¡¯s not enough to cause this. I wouldn''t worry about it,¡± Ignis assured him.

    Prompto nodded, but nonetheless resisted the urge to summon his gun again. Instead, he rested his head back against the wall, mirroring Noct¡¯s pose. He couldn''t sleep, he couldn''t allow himself to relax and let his guard down, but he could rest just a little. At least the Chancellor seemed to have lost interest in taunting them for the moment, allowing Ignis and Gladio to rest as well.

    They didn''t have too long to themselves before Prompto felt the familiar shift in air pressure that indicated they were descending; drop ships were a lot faster at crossing great distances than a car was. He nudged Noct awake, then stood as the doors began to open.

    ¡°I''m afraid I must bid you farewell for now, little Lucians, though I do hope to see you again soon,¡± the Chancellor said.

    Prompto hoped nothing of the sort¡ªthe Chancellor made him extremely uneasy as well as bringing up thoughts and feelings that caused pain despite his best efforts. He led the way down the ramp and jumped the small distance to the ground, glad to be out of the dropship.

    ¡°Thanks for the lift,¡± was all Noct said about that as he followed Prompto down, Gladio and Ignis beside him.

    ¡°Just a friendly warning,¡± Ardyn called out from the mouth of the dropship. ¡°Make sure to keep a close eye on your personal MT unit. You never know when they might malfunction. Right C1094?¡±

    Prompto felt his old world come flooding in, hearing his unit number spoken by that voice. He again felt the urge to stand at attention, awaiting and obeying any and all orders. The biting cold of Gralea¡ªunits do not need heating¡ªthe ache of previous training lessons, the burning of some unknown substance pumping through his veins from the latest Inurement.

    He didn¡¯t see the satisfied smile on Ardyn¡¯s face as the drop ship doors closed, didn¡¯t hear the questions his new friends asked. He didn¡¯t hear Prince Noctis telling him to follow, but his body did, and his body obeyed.

    -|-|-|-

    ¡°Right C1094?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Noct asked, but Ardyn merely lifted his hat slightly in a salute, smirked, and retreated inside the dropship as the doors closed and the thing rose upwards.

    ¡°Noct.¡± Ignis tilted his head towards Prompto, who was standing stock still, back straight, pale enough that his freckles stood out starkly.

    ¡°Prom? You okay?¡± Noct asked hesitantly.

    Prompto didn''t respond. He acted as though he didn''t hear him at all.

    ¡°Shit, now what?¡± Gladio asked. ¡°You don''t think-¡±

    ¡°No, I don''t,¡± Noct said, cutting him off. He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking around. Ardyn had dropped them near the chocobo ranch. Convenient, since they had been forced to leave the Regalia behind.

    ¡°I should speak to the proprietor,¡± Ignis said eventually. ¡°Sort out our accommodations, some birds to hire in the morning. I think we can afford to relax for a day.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Noct said. Looking over the chocobos in their pens, he got an idea and started walking towards them.

    ¡°Ah, Noct?¡± Gladio said.

    Looking back, Noct saw that Prompto hadn''t moved, though his eyes were following him. Running a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable, Noct rose his voice and said, ¡°Prom, follow me.¡±

    He didn''t know if he was relieved or dismayed when Prompto did as he was told. He supposed it didn''t matter; if he would obey Noctis, then at least it wasn''t Ardyn he was obeying. Walking over to where the chicks were, Noct picked one up, ignoring the indignant squawks it gave. ¡°Sit down,¡± he said. Once Prompto had sat cross-legged on the grass, Noct dropped the chick in his lap and sat opposite.

    Prompto blinked and looked down at her. The chick cheeped up at him and hesitantly he rose a hand to stroke her feathers. She nuzzled his hand.

    The effect was almost instantaneous. ¡°She''s so cute!¡± he practically shouted as he gathered her up in his free arm and held her close, nuzzling her like a mother chocobo might do, and, surprisingly, the chick didn''t seem to mind.

    Noct laughed and sat back, relieved beyond measure that his friend was back to normal. He didn''t know why Prompto had reacted like that to Ardyn¡¯s words when nothing he said on the drop ship had caused that reaction, but at least chocobos seemed to break through it.

    Hearing the crunch of footsteps approaching, Noct looked up to see Ignis walking towards them, eyebrows raised. Standing, clapping Prompto on the shoulder as he passed, Noct walked over to his advisor, wearing a smug grin.

    ¡°Well, this is a surprise,¡± Ignis said, still watching Prompto as he played with the chick. ¡°How did you know he would even respond to that?¡±

    Noct gave a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°Had a hunch,¡± he said. Ignis rose an eyebrow. ¡°Saw him eying off that dorky chocobo t-shirt you and Gladio got me last time we were here. Figured he hadn''t seen one before and might like to.¡±

    ¡°Noct! Can we keep her? Please?¡± Prompto called from where he sat.

    ¡°Didn''t think it would be this effective, though,¡± he admitted with a laugh.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ignis said and, though his tone was displeased with the childish antics he was smiling fondly.

 Firsts

    Prompto had spent the entire afternoon with the chocobos and, after seeing how the birds seemed to like him, Wiz started showing him how to care for them, letting him help with feeding and grooming them, clearing out the stalls and exercising the ones that hadn¡¯t been hired for a while.

    The sun was setting and the pair of them were working in an easy silence grooming two birds who had just been returned. ¡°You¡¯ve got a real knack for this, kid. You sure you¡¯ve never been around the birds before?¡± Wiz asked.

    Prompto grinned over the bird¡¯s back and shook his head. ¡°No, never. Today was the first day I¡¯d even seen one other than just a photo. It¡¯s too cold in Gralea for chocobos.¡±

    That seemed to give Wiz pause¡ªPrompto hadn¡¯t mentioned where he was from before now¡ªbut when he continued speaking, there was no hint of malice in his voice. ¡°Well, Nif or not, you ever get tired of following the prince around, you let me know. I could use another set of capable hands around here.¡±

    Prompto practically beamed over the offer; it was the first time someone had actually said he was good at something he hadn¡¯t trained his whole life for. Nonetheless, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. For now, though, I''m happy to stay with Noct,¡± he said, looking over to where the prince was sitting in front of the caravan, playing on his phone again. Noct was the one who had managed to break through past the training that had taken hold and then asked nothing more of him than to enjoy himself spending time with the chocobos. No demands, no questions, just patience and a willingness to let him readjust himself. He couldn''t even think of leaving Noct now, even for something as awesome as chocobos.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Wiz said. ¡°Just remember, I¡¯ll always welcome you to work here should the need arise.¡±

    Prompto nodded, and the two of them finished up in silence.

    It was perhaps an hour later that Prompto hesitantly approached the prince. ¡°Where¡¯s Ignis?¡± he asked by way of a conversation starter. He could hear Gladio snoring in the caravan, so that one was obvious.

    ¡°Well, he was supposed to be just grabbing a few ingredients from the shop, but that was an hour ago,¡± Noct said, not looking up from his phone.

    Prompto looked towards the shop with a frown. ¡°Should we go see if he¡¯s alright?¡±

    ¡°No way,¡± Noct said. ¡°Not unless you wanna be stuck there for another three hours at least while he extolls the various virtues of the cabbage.¡± Prompto tried not to laugh at that, easily being able to picture it, but didn¡¯t entirely succeed. ¡°Hey,¡± Noct said, looking up from his phone. ¡°Go grab Gladio¡¯s phone and bring it out here. I¡¯ll teach you to play King¡¯s Knight.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t he be angry?¡± Prompto asked, glancing towards the caravan as the man inside gave a rather loud snort.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Noct reassured him.

    Prompto wasn¡¯t so sure, but he wasn¡¯t about to start questioning Noct now. Thankfully, Gladio had left his phone on the table, so Prompto could grab it without waking him and bring it outside. He handed it to Noct and pulled a chair close so he could see what was being done.

    They spent a good hour playing each other in the game. Ignis came back at some point carrying two large bags of supplies but other than humming in disapproval, a sound Noct just rolled his eyes at but otherwise ignored, he didn''t comment on seeing a Nif with a phone.

    ¡°I suppose you want some kind of answer for what happened before, huh,¡± Prompto said eventually.

    ¡°Only if you want to,¡± Noct said slowly, watching him from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°I don''t know what I want,¡± Prompto said honestly.

    Perhaps guessing that Prom would need some kind of guidance on this, Noct suggested, ¡°Why not start with what it was Ardyn said after we landed that was different to all the crap he said before?¡±

    Prompto nodded. That made sense. ¡°My name,¡± he said.

    ¡°Your name? Prompto?¡± Noct frowned, unable to recall Ardyn ever using any of their names.

    Prompto, though, shook his head. ¡°Not that one,¡± he said. ¡°C1094 is who I am. What I am. My unit number.¡±

    Prompto was strapped to a medical table. They told him this was part of the process of migrating to another unit. He had proven inadequate for melee so now they were trying something else. Only those who were completely malfunctioning, were defective, were destroyed.

    A scientist wearing a full mask, apron, and gloves approached holding a syringe full of a dark liquid. Prompto watched it intently, but he didn''t dare ask questions. The scientist tightened the wrist strap painfully tight, causing Prompto¡¯s elbow to flex. Under the harsh lights, a vein was easy to find, and the needle inserted. Whatever that liquid was, it was thick; Prompto felt it spread, felt it as his racing heart pumped it ever faster throughout his body. It burned. It burned, it burned, it burned it burned!

    He screamed.

    ¡°I thought you said Prompto was your name,¡± Noctis said.

    ¡°It was, until I was about twelve,¡± Prompto said. ¡°They reassigned me then. I had failed too many times in melee training. I wasn''t responding well to Inurement. This was my last chance to avoid being decommissioned.¡±

    ¡°Decommissioned? They fire you?¡± Noct asked.

    Prompto shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so. No one really knows. Those who are decommissioned just¡­ disappear. Reassignment was my last chance to avoid that. As part of it, they¡­ kill who you were. You no longer exist as a name, and you''re given a unit number. Prompto died then. C1094 was born.¡±

    He was walked along a narrow hallway, flanked by two B-Grade units with guns, to stop him from trying to escape. He didn''t want to escape, though part of him wondered if he could. His fingers twitched and his eyes darted this way and that and why were they walking so slowly! He wanted to run!

    Turning a corner, he had to wait for one of them to open a door before he was ushered inside. There was a man there in a lab coat. He had long white hair and looked familiar, but he didn''t care why. There was a girl on the other side of the room. She was pretty. She was chained to the wall, but it didn''t look like she had been there for long; she didn''t have the raw wrists that he had.

    ¡°C1094.¡±

    He didn''t understand at first, but then he remembered. C1094. That was him. He looked at the scientist.

    ¡°This woman has been found guilty of a crime by our courts,¡± he said. He picked up a rifle that had been resting against the wall and handed it to him. He had never held a gun before, but had seen other units use them. He copied the way his guards held it and awaited further instructions.

    ¡°You are to carry out her sentence. C1094, shoot the woman.¡±

    ¡°No, please no,¡± the woman said, pressing herself back against the wall. She was crying. Crying was weakness. He rose the weapon, pointing it at her.

    And hesitated.

    She didn¡¯t look like a criminal. She looked like just an ordinary girl, older than he was, but not that old. Twenty would be pushing it.

    ¡°C1094. Shoot!¡±

    Intense pain shot through his head and he gasped as he pulled the trigger. The woman¡¯s chest exploded in blood and gore. It splattered against the wall, sprayed him, blood in the mouth. It was hot and metallic. He licked his lips. He grinned even as his arms trembled, euphoric.

    ¡°I killed a woman,¡± Prompto said, staring at the table. The phone he was holding had automatically locked ages ago. ¡°That was the first task C1094 was assigned. I hesitated, but I still killed her.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°You did what you had to do to survive,¡± Noct said, his voice full of a sympathy that Prompto didn¡¯t deserve, sympathy that wouldn¡¯t be there if he knew the whole truth.

    ¡°I did have to do it. It was an order, and I had to obey,¡± he allowed. ¡°But I liked it. I liked killing them and I liked the blood. And I wanted more.¡±

    C1094 killed two more criminals, an old man and a middle aged man. He didn¡¯t know what their crimes were. He didn¡¯t ask. He didn¡¯t care. All he wanted was that rush, the explosion of blood, the gore, the light fading from their eyes and the euphoria it brought him. Shooting targets was boring when he could shoot real people.

    When they came for him again, he willingly offered up his arm for the drug they gave him before every execution. The scientist, the one who had given him the order to kill every time, had laughed at him.

    ¡°Eager, aren¡¯t we?¡± he said.

    C1094 didn¡¯t answer; it was a question, but not one that required answering.

    ¡°So, this is your little pet project?¡±

    C1094 turned his head to watch the new person enter.

    ¡°About time, Chancellor. I had hoped you would get here before the unit so I could run you through our findings so far,¡± the scientist said.

    ¡°All in good time, Verstael. What was it you wanted to show me?¡±

    ¡°A lower dose, first,¡± the scientist said. C1094 watched as he brought the syringe with the black liquid closer and injected it in.

    Anything further they said was lost as the sensations the drug caused washed over him. It burned, it hurt, but less than normal and not for as long. The restraints were removed, and he was ordered to follow. His body obeyed before his mind caught up.

    They took him to a different room this time and there was another unit in there, waiting for them. His eyes widened when he saw the two men (no need for guards now) accompanying C1094. That only made it obvious that he hadn¡¯t had many Inurement sessions, hadn¡¯t learned to hide his facial expressions.

    The scientist was speaking, but not to him, so C1094 stood calmly, trying not to fidget, as they attached electrodes to his head, chest and back to measure his heart and brain activity.

    ¡°C1094. This unit is malfunctioning,¡± the scientist said, handing him a gun. ¡°Shoot him.¡±

    C1094 rose the gun and shot, then closed his eyes with a smile as the euphoria washed over him.

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± the Chancellor said.

    ¡°They always gave me some kind of drug before,¡± Prompto said. ¡°I hope that¡¯s why I liked it so much. The Chancellor took an interest in it and in me. I didn¡¯t recognise him before, I usually only saw him after the drug was injected and that made things¡­ muddled. But he had seemed really interested in how much I liked killing.¡±

    ¡°The drug made you like it, I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Noct said, a conviction in his voice that Prompto didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°How? How can you be sure? I¡¯m not even sure,¡± he said.

    ¡°Cause you didn¡¯t want to kill me. And I saw the way you fought the Nifs back at the meteor. Clean shots straight to the head, every time. Even the MTs. Someone who enjoys blood and killing, who really enjoys it, doesn¡¯t do that,¡± Noct said.

    Prompto still wasn¡¯t convinced, but he couldn¡¯t deny anything that Noct said. And the fact was, the euphoria had faded when they started taking him off the drug¡ªapparently it made him too jumpy and trigger happy¡ªbut still that kernel of doubt remained.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you gave your name as Prompto though. C1094 is such a mouthful,¡± Noct said, leaning back in his chair.

    Prompto smiled. ¡°That¡¯s what Arvid said.¡±

    ¡°Arvid? Oh! Gladio said you had a friend who died up on that ridge.¡±

    Prompto nodded. ¡°He got reassigned too, some time after me. We worked well together, so they put us in the same unit. I¡­ didn''t recognise him at first. But he kept talking to me and helped soothe the withdrawals. He insisted on calling me Prompto when we were alone and made me promise to call him Arvid instead of his unit number. I hated it.¡±

    Noct¡¯s eyebrows rose at that. ¡°You hated it? Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier to deal with things when you don¡¯t have to think about them. And having a name meant you were more than just an expendable unit. That¡¯s probably why they did it. So we could do what needed to be done,¡± Prompto said.

    ¡°No,¡± Noct snapped. Prompto looked up in surprise at the forcefulness of the prince¡¯s voice. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what these so-called reasons are. There is never an excuse to do that kind of crap to you, to children.¡±

    Prompto smiled sadly. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it being any different.¡± He paused, then added, ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t really imagine anything at the moment without getting a headache, so that¡¯s not exactly a high bar.¡±

    Noct gave a snort at that, but said, ¡°Well, when we get Lucis back, you¡¯ll get to see for yourself how it can be different.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Prompto said softly, smiling through the pain.

    ¡°Dinner is ready,¡± Ignis called from the caravan.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat!¡± Noctis said. Prompto stood to follow. Gladio was awake too now if the way the caravan rocked as he walked about was anything to go by.

    ¡°Where the hell is my phone?!¡±

    -l-l-l-

    Prompto woke suddenly with a gasp, then gritted his teeth as he ran a hand through sweaty hair. His heart was racing, and he breathed deeply, trying to slow it. Damn the chancellor and his sardonic smile! And damn his ability to bring everything back when Prompto was finally managing to feel like he belonged with these guys.

    Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stood in a fluid motion and moved away from the bed, absently rubbing his shoulder. The joint ached. He knew he had no one to blame but himself¡ªhe was the one who had gotten trampled to begin with and then kept removing it from its sling¡ªbut he was, nonetheless, frustrated with how long it was taking to heal.

    ¡°Everything alright, Prompto?¡±

    Prompto jumped at the sudden voice, quiet though it was. ¡°Of course, Ignis,¡± he replied, his voice equally soft. ¡°Just¡­ couldn¡¯t sleep.¡±

    ¡°Neither can I,¡± Ignis said. A shadowy shape revealed itself to be the advisor. ¡°I was just thinking of making myself a hot chocolate, if you¡¯d care to join me?¡±

    Prompto smiled; he doubted that was the case at all, but he wasn¡¯t about to complain. ¡°Sure.¡± He took a seat at the table and glanced back at the beds. As expected, though, both the other men were still asleep; Noctis could sleep through a hurricane and Gladio wasn¡¯t much better. Ignis seemed like a light sleeper, though, unless Prompto had made some kind of sound in his sleep that he wasn¡¯t aware of. Ignis was polite enough not to mention that though, moving about the small kitchen with a practiced ease.

    ¡°You really like cooking, don¡¯t you?¡± Prompto asked.

    ¡°I find the true joy of cooking on the faces of those for whom I cook,¡± Ignis said.

    Prompto smiled. ¡°That wasn¡¯t really an answer,¡± he said.

    Ignis smiled as well as he handed a mug over. Prompto wrapped his hands around it, enjoying the warmth. ¡°I have learned to enjoy it,¡± Ignis answered. ¡°His highness wasn¡¯t particularly adept at looking after himself as a teenager.¡±

    Prompto laughed, then quickly smothered it, not wanting to wake anyone. ¡°I could imagine that,¡± he said.

    ¡°What about you, do you like to cook?¡± Ignis asked as he sat opposite with his own mug.

    Prompto took a sip before answering and hummed at the delicious warmth that spread through his body. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve never tried. Cooking was never really considered important to a soldier when we were just given ration bars and vitamin pills. I cooked a little in survival training, but that was more cut the skin off whatever I caught as best I can, then put it on a fire till the outside was black. There was usually an inch or so of flesh that was edible that way.¡±

    ¡°¡®Edible¡¯ seems to be a matter of opinion,¡± Ignis said dryly. ¡°If you like, you can get up early tomorrow morning and cook breakfast with me. You can¡¯t be any worse than Noctis, and you should at least know the basics. Then we can visit the store and get a wristband for you to wear.¡±

    Prompto nodded. ¡°Sure, sounds fun,¡± he said. Leaning back into the couch, he continued to sip his drink. To think that not all that long ago he had woken up in similar surrounds after nearly dying three times and now he was travelling with his country¡¯s enemy prince. A prince he would even dare to call a friend who could summon magic and crystal swords and gods. ¡°Life¡¯s funny, isn¡¯t it,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I would use the word ¡®funny¡¯, truth be told,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Heh, maybe. But it¡¯s so much easier to laugh at stuff, ya know? If anyone had told me a year ago that I¡¯d be here, with you guys doing this, I would have thought them mad. And¡­ I know you lost a lot of people who were important to you, but¡­ I¡¯m glad things turned out the way they did. I¡¯m glad that-¡± He took a breath and a sip of the hot chocolate. When he felt ready, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m glad that my first actual mission was against a soft-hearted prince who, for some reason, decided to spare my life and then, of all things, let me tag along.¡±

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Prompto, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re with us as well.¡± Ignis took a sip of his own drink before adding, ¡°And away from those sadistic fucks.¡±

    Prompto nearly snorted his drink at that. Wiping his mouth on the back of his arm, he just smiled at Ignis and the two of them finished their drinks in silence, just enjoying each other¡¯s company.

    -l-l-l-

    Prompto strode up the aisle of the small shop the chocobo ranch had. He didn¡¯t really expect to find what he was looking for¡ªsome tools to fix his armour should they ever get their car back¡ªbut it was nice just to look, to push the limits on his Inurement, to actually like what he was doing and looking at.

    He and Ignis had cooked breakfast for the four of them, with mixed success. As it turned out, Prompto did not have the same innate talent for cooking that he had for shooting. What he lacked in skill he made up for in enthusiasm, trying to convince them that burnt bacon was better, but no one really bought it. He doubted Ignis would be so keen to invite him to help again anytime soon.

    Now, though, he was proudly holding a wristband that he had chosen out himself and was eyeing off the various cameras on the shelves. They were all fairly basic, just simple things for the happy snaps of tourists.

    ¡°We can get one of them as well, if you like,¡± Ignis said from behind him, seeing where Prompto¡¯s attention was.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know how to use one,¡± Prompto said, looking over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve pulled a couple apart before. Pulling things apart and putting them back together is a good way to clear the mind and stop thinking. But that¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°Well, no time like the present to learn. Who knows, you might find a new hobby. Something less destructive than burning bacon perhaps,¡± Ignis said.

    Prompto hesitated briefly¡ªhe knew they didn¡¯t have a lot of money to spend on frivolities¡ªbut in the end, he nodded and took one of them to the counter with his wristband. Ignis was the fiscally responsible one and if he said he could buy it, then it should be fine.

    New wristband now covering his barcode and a crash course in how to use the camera given to him by the shop owner, Prompto raised the camera and took his first photo: a blurry picture of a decidedly unimpressed royal advisor.

 Break Free

    Prompto was breathing heavily, ears ringing from the explosions and constant gun shots, the hand holding his gun trembling slightly, though he tried not to show it. That was¡­ Ramuh. He had been told how the prince could summon the aid of the gods, of course, that was what the glow had been with the Titan, and he had seen firsthand how he pulled crystalline swords from the tombs of his ancestors. But nothing compared to the complete destruction of the gods.

    ¡°Really glad I¡¯m on your side right about now,¡± Prompto said, as he sent his gun away.

    Noct shot him a weary smile. ¡°With your shot, so am I. The way you blew up that mech¡­ magic!¡±

    It was just in time too; the sun was beginning to rise and with no end in sight, Prompto wasn¡¯t sure how they were supposed to deal with the influx of enemies that was sure to come. Still, Cindy had really come through for them this time with her tip on where the Nif¡¯s had stored the Regalia and, with that whole lightning ritual thing done, they had wasted no time in getting their wheels back. Good thing too; chocobos were fun to ride but they couldn¡¯t cover nearly as much ground as the Regalia, which meant they had to plan their movements very carefully to ensure there was always a haven that could be reached by the time the sun started to set.

    ¡°At least it clears the way to simply drive the Regalia out of here,¡± Gladio said.

    ¡°Quite right,¡± Ignis replied.

    Perhaps it was training, perhaps it was habit, but something alerted Prompto to the fact that they were being followed. Ramuh hadn¡¯t killed everyone, it seemed.

    ¡°Ah, guys?¡± Prompto said, catching sight of the figure finally. Resplendent in white robes and shining silver metal, he nonetheless recognised the Commander of Niflheim, even if only by reputation.

    ¡°Long has it been, Noctis,¡± the commander said.

    ¡°Ravus,¡± Noctis replied.

    It seemed they both knew each other by more than reputation, Prompto thought, as they each approached the other.

    ¡°You receive the Storm¡¯s blessing. And yet.¡± He drew his sword and in an instant had its blade against Noct¡¯s throat. That he didn¡¯t immediately slice meant he didn¡¯t mean to kill the prince, but it was still a very obvious threat. ¡°You know nothing of the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Watch it,¡± Gladio snapped, immediately moving to put himself between the sword and his prince.

    Ravus responded simply by moving the blade to the Shield¡¯s throat, pressing to drive him back. Prompto and Ignis both responded at the same time, Ignis to leap forward, and Prompto to start raising his gun, ignoring the pain such an action caused.

    ¡°Be still, all of you,¡± Ravus commanded, and, despite his best efforts to the contrary, Prompto had to obey. Ignis didn¡¯t but clearly could see that it would be best to follow the order for now; with the blade still at Gladio¡¯s throat, any wrong move could spell the man¡¯s death.

    ¡°Heir to a crown befitting no other¡­ witness his splendour and glory,¡± Ravus said, the contemptuous sneer obvious in his voice. ¡°All hail the Chosen King.¡±

    ¡°Awful high and mighty for an Imperial rat,¡± Noctis taunted, trying to draw the attention away from Gladio, to give him the break he needed. ¡°Serving the enemy to hunt down Luna!¡±

    His words had the desired effect; Ravus ignored Gladio and instead rushed forward, grabbing Noct by the throat with his metal hand. ¡°I do not serve,¡± he snarled. ¡°I command!¡± He shoved Noct away and Gladio took the opportunity to insert himself back between Ravus and Noctis. Prompto moved behind Ignis to rest his hand on Noct¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°You okay?¡± he hissed; he couldn¡¯t easily fight Ravus, but he could at least see if his friend was alright.

    Noct nodded, but his attention remained fixed on Ravus.

    ¡°The King¡¯s sworn shield,¡± Ravus said, voice mocking.

    ¡°You better believe it,¡± Gladio said confidently. Watching, Prompto could easily see the power Gladio had; his stance was confident but not overly so, fists clenched and ready to fight if need be. Protective and fully aware of his position and his job in protecting Noctis. Prompto had seen Gladio on the battlefield, had only narrowly avoided being beheaded by the man himself. He knew that confidence was well deserved.

    Ravus seemed to see none of this. ¡°A weak shield protects naught,¡± he said before bringing his sword down in a strike.

    Gladio, seeing this was no idle threat this time, summoned his own blade and blocked it. Instead of easily turning it to the side though, as he did whenever he and Noct were training, he was struggling to even hold it steady, to stop it from descending to his head. Gladio¡¯s huge muscles were straining, bulging, fighting against the inhuman strength Ravus possessed.

    Inhuman. Prompto¡¯s eyes widened with realisation. The arm was metal and made with the same fancy silver armour the A-Grade magitek soldiers had. And if he had undergone even a few of the enhancements A-Grades were privy to, then this was not a fight they could win!

    That thought became obvious to all when, although Gladio managed to finally turn Ravus¡¯s blade aside, the Commander slammed his arm into the shield¡¯s chest¡ªhis unenhanced arm!¡ªand threw Gladio back. He went flying past Noct and Prompto and slammed into the Regalia.

    ¡°Gladio!¡± Noct shouted.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Prompto winced in sympathy and hurried over to help. He wasn¡¯t sure what he could do, but at least he could help the man stand, to not show any weakness to Ravus. Well, not any more than they already had. A sign of how badly the man was hurt, Gladio used Prompto¡¯s shoulder to help him stay upright, his other arm wrapped around his chest, stance wide for balance.

    Now, though, Noct was pissed. Prompto didn¡¯t think he had ever seen the prince truly furious. Frustrated, sure, maybe even some mild anger after hearing snippets of Prompto¡¯s past, but even that was nothing when compared to what this was.

    ¡°Hey! Wanna go? Let¡¯s do it,¡± he said, moving forwards and summoning his armiger, crystalline weapons dancing around him in a circle.

    Ravus smiled and looked more than happy to do just that. ¡°Should the Chosen fall, that too is fate,¡± he said.

    Instead of the expected fight though, Ravus looked to the side, drawing Prompto¡¯s attention in that direction as well.

    ¡°Oh shit,¡± he muttered, seeing who it was who had arrived.

    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s far enough,¡± Ardyn said as he strutted towards them.

    Prompto remained where he was by Gladio¡¯s side, ready to help him however he could, but Ignis began to move sideways so that he was slightly behind Ardyn, to get the jump on him if need be. Apart from tormenting Prompto, the Chancellor hadn¡¯t really done anything to harm them yet and had actually helped them, though why Prompto had no idea. But despite that, he definitely wasn¡¯t to be trusted and, after overhearing Prompto¡¯s talk with Noctis the other night, Ignis wasn¡¯t going to let him get the advantage.

    ¡°A hand, Highness?¡± Ardyn asked.

    ¡°Not from you,¡± Noct snapped. The corner of Prompto¡¯s mouth twitched; the quiet anger the prince had shown after learning that the Chancellor had overseen Prompto¡¯s reassignment was evident in his voice, in the way his eyes narrowed dangerously. His armiger had been dispersed but a tingle along Prompto¡¯s hand and arm told him it was ready just below the surface and could be called upon again in an instant should Noct need it.

    ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m here to help,¡± Ardyn said, appearing oblivious both to how angry Noctis was and to how Ravus had turned away from him, clearly uncomfortable by his presence. That was interesting, Prompto thought. Perhaps things weren¡¯t as cohesive in the Niflheim leadership as he was led to believe.

    ¡°And how is that?¡± Ignis asked.

    ¡°By taking the army away,¡± Ardyn replied.

    ¡°You expect us to believe that?¡± Gladio asked, his voice pained despite his efforts to hide it. Prompto had to admit, he was of the same opinion. If the Commander was here, it would be at the head of a small army of reinforcements, more than enough to take the four of them down, especially since they had already been fighting all night. And the Chancellor wouldn¡¯t allow them to just leave and take the Regalia unless there was something in it for him. Prompto just couldn¡¯t figure out what that something might be.

    ¡°Believe what you will,¡± Ardyn said. His eyes then fell on Prompto and smirked. ¡°I see you kept your malfunctioning MT around.¡±

    Prompto¡¯s heart raced, but he was damned if he would let the Chancellor get away with a repeat of the last time. He summoned his gun and rose it. Sweat instantly broke out on his forehead as the pain¡ªalready a constant low-level ache while fighting¡ªblossomed into agony. His gun shook, but he held it as steady as he could and tried to convince himself to just pull the trigger.

    ¡°C1094, lower your gun,¡± Ardyn ordered sharply.

    Prompto closed his eyes as his arms began to lower of their own accord. He heard Ardyn chortle and gritted his teeth, hating himself, hating his body, hating the Empire and everything they did to him.

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder,¡± the Chancellor said in a considering tone. ¡°C1094, shoot the prince.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Noct demanded.

    Prompto began to raise the gun.

    No!

    Pain exploded through his head. He gasped, the gun trembling in his hand.

    No!

    He can¡¯t do this! Those others had meant nothing to him. This wouldn¡¯t bring him the euphoria he still sometimes craved. He couldn¡¯t kill his friend!

    No, no, no!

    Prompto dropped his gun and it disappeared in its usual crystal burst. He didn¡¯t notice as he gripped his hair, a cry of agony ripping from his throat. The pain was building, getting worse and worse until it felt as though his head exploding would be a relief.

    ¡°Oh look, I think I broke it,¡± Ardyn said, still laughing.

    There was a hand on his shoulder, but Prompto couldn¡¯t feel it. He had fallen to his knees, unable to stop screaming as the pain just would. Not. Stop!

    ¡°Prom. Prompto, listen to me.¡± Noct¡¯s voice, and he was close. ¡°Are you listening?¡±

    Prompto, teeth gritted, managed a nod. Yes, he was listening. It was hard to focus, but he was listening.

    ¡°You obey me and only me,¡± Noctis said, his voice firm. ¡°Ignore everything Ardyn says. Ignore any order given to you by anyone from Niflheim. Is that understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Prompto answered automatically, responding to the tone even before the words themselves sunk in. When they did, however, the pain began to ease. He crawled away slightly and vomited off to the side before sitting back, his back resting against the wheel of the Regalia.

    Ardyn was clapping that slow, annoying clap. ¡°Oh, very clever, your highness,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a lot of fun soon. When next we meet, it¡¯ll be across the seas. Just so happens we have business of our own with the tutelary deity. Don¡¯t we?¡±

    Ravus, who had impartially watched the entire scene play out, turned slightly towards him at that, but didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Fare you well, your highness,¡± Ardyn said, making a sweeping bow before leaving with Ravus in tow.

    Prompto tilted his head back against the car, eyes closed. That¡­ had hurt. A lot.

    ¡°Prom? You okay?¡±

    Noct¡¯s voice was so hesitant that Prompto opened his eyes and did his best to smile, though it turned out more of a grimace. Noct was kneeling right in front of him, his face creased with concern. Glancing to the side, he saw Ignis was tending to Gladio, so he drew his attention back to the prince. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Prom,¡± Noct said, and Prompto frowned at the genuine sorrow in his voice.

    ¡°What for? I should be the one who should be apologising, I¡­ I nearly¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even say it. His hand began to tremble again just thinking about how close he had come to shooting his closest friend.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± Noct said. He took Prompto¡¯s shaking hand in both of his own, stilling it. ¡°You fought it. I just¡­ you were screaming and I couldn¡¯t think of anything else that might stop your pain. I never wanted to order anyone like that.¡±

    Prompto rose an eyebrow. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re the prince. King really. It¡¯s your job to give orders.¡±

    ¡°I want people to obey because they want to, because they trust me. Not because some sadistic programming forces them to,¡± Noct said.

    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s any consolation, I¡¯d follow your orders anyway, even without Inurement. But now,¡± he gave Noct¡¯s hand a squeeze, then let go to wipe the back of it over his sweaty forehead. ¡°Now I think Ardyn won¡¯t be able to repeat that stunt. Your orders are the most recent. You win.¡±

    Noct smirked and stood. ¡°I¡¯d rather ¡®win¡¯ without sinking to their level and using your programming, but I guess a win is a win,¡± he said, holding his hand out to help Prom up. He looked over to Ignis and Gladio. ¡°Hanging in there, big guy?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± Gladio said, and though he tried to put on a brave front, his voice was pained.

    ¡°Nonetheless, I suggest we make for Hammerhead. We could all do with some R&R and I¡¯m sure Cindy would like to check over the car.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Noct said. The four of them, a little battered and worse for wear, climbed into the car and drove out of the base, facing no further attacks or interruptions.

 The Cape to the Grove

    Spending a whole life training for combat, learning to respond to threats before the brain has even processed that a threat exists, is not something that is easily broken or set aside. This was never more obvious as when, stepping through the door to their room at the Leville, Prompto nearly shot Iris.

    Prompto and Noct had spent their time in Hammerhead experimenting. Both of them wanted to know exactly what kind of effect Noct¡¯s orders had on the magitek soldier. They obviously couldn¡¯t just summon Ardyn and ask him to participate so there was no way to tell if that worked as Prompto suspected it might, but they could experiment with Prompto acting on his own, having his own opinions. They found that if Noct asked what he thought or felt about something, there was either no pain or only very minor pain in thinking about it and answering truthfully. That alone was a relief to Prompto; it had been years since he had been able to have his own opinion about something without associating it with pain. He suspected that what pain he did feel when giving his opinion was psychosomatic. However, he still felt the same higher levels of pain for his own opinions if he shared them without first being asked, or if Ignis or Gladio asked him.

    Noct wanted him to practice resisting his orders as well, not wanting Prompto to mindlessly obey everything he said, but Prompto was less eager to do this. He trusted Noct on a deeper level than he had ever trusted anyone in the Empire. He had always obeyed his superiors because it was expected and the consequences for disobeying were dire. But it was different with Noct. And truthfully, he was a little afraid of being without anyone to order him; he didn¡¯t want to go back to that lost and adrift feeling he had experienced after his unit was destroyed.

    It was likely only that reluctance to break free from immediately obeying Noct¡¯s orders that saved Iris¡¯s life and, by extension, Prompto¡¯s; there was no way Gladio would allow him to live if he ever harmed his little sister.

    Prompto led the way into the room, laughing at something Noct had said when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, movement that his training instinctively interpreted as a threat. He didn¡¯t even have time to think, didn¡¯t really hear the wordless cry of the attacker, his body immediately moving to deflect the clumsily thrusting knife. He spun around, still gripping the hand, summoned his gun and had it pointed at their head.

    ¡°Prom! Stop!¡±

    Prompto blinked. The order was enough to stop him from pulling the trigger, but it wasn¡¯t until he recognised that the girl attached to the arm he was holding wasn¡¯t truly a threat that he sent his gun away and stepped back, arms out passively.

    ¡°What the hell, Iris?¡± Gladio demanded and, though he directed his question at his sister, he was watching Prompto warily.

    Not wanting anyone to think he might willingly attack someone, Prompto walked to the far side of the room and sat in a chair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Iris,¡± he said. He hadn¡¯t met Iris before¡ªshe was out of town helping one of the women from the power plant when they were last in Lestallum¡ªbut he could see the Amicitia family resemblance now that he looked for it. He had also heard Gladio talking on the phone to her, he knew she was his kid sister. And that apparently that meant something outside the Empire.

    Iris, though, didn¡¯t want to hear it. She was crying, and that made Prompto shift uncomfortably, unused to the reaction. She pointed a wavering finger in Prompto¡¯s direction and cried, ¡°Why do you protect him? He killed Jarred!¡±

    The three men all spoke at once.

    ¡°What?¡± Noct said.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Ignis said, voice tense.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Iris? Prompto¡¯s been with us this whole time.¡±

    ¡°P¡­ Prompto?¡± Iris said, turning back towards him hesitantly.

    The corner of Prompto¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± he said.

    ¡°Wait, what happened to Jared?¡± Noct demanded.

    ¡°It¡­ he¡­¡± Iris closed her eyes, ignoring the tears that ran down her cheeks. ¡°He''s dead.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Noct exclaimed, sitting down rather heavily.

    ¡°How did it happen?¡± Ignis asked as he moved to the kitchenette. One thing Prompto had learned about the adviser was that whenever anyone was upset, Ignis baked. He had baked chocolate brownies when Prompto had explained his Inurement. After dinner, he had baked a caramel cake the first time Ardyn had utilised his Inurement and a strawberry cake the second time. This time it looked like it was something with custard.

    ¡°Some Imperials came and started asking questions. One had his helmet off and he¡­ he looked like him, like Prompto. But they were all called B-something.¡±

    ¡°B Grade units,¡± Prompto said. Everyone turned to look at him and he shifted a little uncomfortably. ¡°Like my name is C1094, their names would start with B.¡±

    ¡°Your name¡¯s Prompto, not some number,¡± Gladio said sharply and Prompto gave him a small smile, grateful.

    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Noct asked.

    ¡°Some. The higher the grade, the more training, better equipment, better assignments, less likely to be cannon fodder. A Grades guard high profile people, like the Oracle.¡±

    ¡°Luna?¡± Noct asked.

    Prompto nodded. ¡°I never met her, before you ask. There was no way I would have gotten the chance; I was training as a B Grade before I was reassigned.¡±

    Noct frowned at that, making the connections, but thankfully he didn¡¯t bring it up. Instead, he said, ¡°You will, in Altissia.¡±

    Prompto gave a small smile, liking the idea. ¡°But, Noct, if B Grades are after you¡­ then no one¡¯s safe here. They know you come here often, they''ll be back. They were probably watching for you to return.¡±

    The sounds of someone crying outside interrupted any further attempts at making plans. Prompto clenched his fist, nails biting into his palm, and looked away. Crying still made him extremely uncomfortable, and it was hard to silence the voices that said crying was weakness and should be eradicated. It didn¡¯t matter if the boy crying was only a child or that he had just lost his grandfather, Prompto had been that age when he had killed someone. Granted, that time was a training accident, but still.

    He squashed those thoughts and feelings down; that wasn¡¯t him any more and, as he was discovering, there were other ways, better ways, to raise children. Noct seemed to have it in hand, though, as he went to the door and knelt down before the boy.

    ¡°I¡­ I couldn¡¯t stop them,¡± the boy said in a hiccuping voice.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let the empire get away with it,¡± Noct said. ¡°They¡¯ll pay for what they¡¯ve done. I promise.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ you travel with one of them,¡± the boy said, his wide pink eyes looking over Noct¡¯s shoulder to where Prompto was sitting.

    ¡°Prom¡¯s different. He¡¯s a good guy, you can trust him,¡± Noct said.

    ¡°How do you know? The¡­ the ones who came, they looked just like him.¡±

    ¡°Because I know Prompto. He would never harm you, and he¡¯ll help us make them pay, I promise you Talcott,¡± Noct said.

    The boy was still watching him, so Prompto gave a small smile and a nod, agreeing. He certainly had no reservations about attacking his home country, especially if he could break free of his Inurement first.

    ¡°I¡­ I believe you, Prince Noctis,¡± the child said, before leaving them and continuing on to his own room.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking Talcott, and we¡¯re going to Caem,¡± Iris said once the boy had left. ¡°We¡­ we can¡¯t just stay here and do nothing.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Noct said. ¡°We can¡¯t all fit in the Regalia, but Monica has a car. She can take you and Talcott there, and we¡¯ll follow. Dad once told me he kept a boat there from when he took his road trip.¡±

    ¡°Wait, your old man has a boat, and we¡¯re just hearing about it now?¡± Gladio said.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t exactly been maintained, I doubt it will even run. But since Luna¡¯s last message said she was in Altissia I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a choice but to try and get it running again,¡± Noct said.

    ¡°To Altissia, then,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°To Altissia,¡± Gladio echoed.

    ¡°To Luna,¡± Noct said, looking around at each of his companions, determination written on his face.

    -l-l-l-

    Gladio surreptitiously watched Noct while under the guise of reading his book. The uncrowned King of Insomnia was sleeping. Again. He knew that the power wielded by the Lucian kings was draining, had seen firsthand how fast it had burned the life from King Regis. But Noct wasn¡¯t maintaining a wall encompassing an entire city, nor was he providing access to the armiger to hundreds of kingsglaives.

    All that left Gladio with was one burning question: how the hell was Noct supposed to take back their homeland when just the MT fights and normal hunts had him snoozing every chance he got? And as the one responsible for his safety and his training, how did Gladio himself fit into that?

    ¡°A weak shield protects naught.¡±

    That bastard¡¯s words kept circling round in his head, echoing particularly loud because they were true. Ravus had swatted him aside as though he were no more than a fly and Noctis, the very one he was supposed to protect, had to jump in to defend him, to rescue him.

    And then there was Prompto. They had been travelling for over a month with the Magitek soldier now and Gladio was more than willing to admit he had been wrong about the boy to begin with. He truly did seem to hold no further loyalties to his home country. He was reliable and dependable in a fight, and his laughing mannerisms made him fun to be around. It was that Inurement that worried Gladio. His heart was in the right place and he had more than proven that he would put himself in harm¡¯s way to protect Noct, had proven that the way he fought off the order to shoot him. But what about next time? What if the next time a Nif gave him an order he couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t fight it off? He wasn¡¯t sure he bought into the belief that Noct¡¯s orders completely outweighed an entire lifetime of psychological training.

    And if he wasn¡¯t able to fight it off, then Gladio had to protect their monarch from threats both inside and outside.

    ¡°A weak shield protects naught.¡±

    He had to get stronger. There was no other way. He hadn''t been strong enough to protect Noctis from Ravus, but he couldn''t allow that to happen again.

    Putting his book away, he instead took out his phone and sent a message to the only person he could think of who would help without condemning him for needing the help in the first place. Noct had said the boat would likely need repairs; he had time.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    His phone buzzed with a single message from a Cor: ¡°Ok¡±.

    ¡°A weak shield protects naught.¡±

    Gladio smiled to himself as he pulled his book out again. Even weak shields can be tempered with fire, he thought to himself as he started reading, actually able to focus on the words now that a course of action had been laid.

    -l-l-l-

    Prompto hummed a little tune to himself as he tightened a nut on the engine he was working on. They had made it to Cape Caem without any problems and even managed to take out an Imperial fort along the way. This time they had been able to explore the warehouses once they were done so Prompto now had all the tools and supplies he needed to fix his armour.

    He''d finished that task yesterday and, wanting to keep busy, had approached Cid looking to help on the boat. Between that and taking photos of the beautiful ocean views, he had plenty to keep his mind busy. The old man hadn''t trusted him to do much at first but, after he had shown that he knew his way around an engine, Cid seemed to have warmed up to him and now spent the days regaling him with tales of his youth. Prompto soaked it all in; it was so different to what he had seen and experienced growing up in Gralea that it almost seemed like a fairy story, the kind young children knew. Or at least the kind that Arvid knew.

    ¡°Hey, boy. That fancy armour you were tinkerin¡¯ with. That wouldn''t happen to have any mythril we could cannibalise, would it?¡±

    Cid always called him ¡°boy¡± too, which Prompto liked a lot better than Nif or unit. He snapped a candid photo of the old man, who swatted him lightly with a wrench he was holding, saying, ¡°Oi, none of that.¡±

    Prompto just laughed and shook his head. ¡°Only A Grades get mythril; I was nowhere near important enough for that,¡± he said. Sitting back and putting his camera aside, he wiped the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead, heedless of the grease streak it left. As windy as Cape Caem was, none of that breeze reached under the lighthouse where they were working, but the heat sure did.

    ¡°Damn. Well, looks like you boys need to stop lazing around and go on a little reconnaissance mission.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m up for that, but I think Noct wants to wait here in case Gladio comes looking for him,¡± Prompto said

    ¡°He¡¯ll come back and find you when he¡¯s ready,¡± Cid said. ¡°He¡¯s got some stuff to work through first.¡±

    Prompto tilted his head to the side, considering that. Gladio¡¯s desire to go off on his own for a while had seemed sudden to him, and with no true reason that he could decipher. ¡°Did he say something about it to you?¡±

    ¡°Na, but Cor sent me a message the other day saying he was going on some dangerous mission with one of his students and that if I don¡¯t hear from him, to assume the worst. So dramatic. As if that little shit will ever die in combat!¡± he said, giving a bark of laughter. Prompto smiled politely, sure that he was missing some joke there. ¡°Still, figured it was probably your missing shield.¡±

    ¡°Maybe don''t mention that to Noct,¡± Prompto said. ¡°He''ll worry. He''ll pretend he doesn''t care, but he''ll worry.¡±

    ¡°I''ll worry about what?¡±

    Prompto jumped at Noct¡¯s voice and flushed guiltily, even as Cid¡¯s eyes twinkled with mirth. He could have said that the prince was coming up behind him! ¡°Just that we don''t have what we need to fix the boat,¡± Prompto squeaked, managing to hide the fact that lying to his new superior officer hurt.

    A dark eyebrow rose, suggesting that he still didn''t buy it. He seemed willing to play along, though, saying only, ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°We need mythril. And the only place I know of that has a ready supply of it is in the Vesperpool, which is currently held by the Empire,¡± Cid said.

    ¡°So let¡¯s go take it,¡± Noct said.

    ¡°I was hoping you would say that,¡± Cid replied with a smile.

    ¡°Alright! Time to check out my armour!¡± Prompto said, punching the air.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a nerd,¡± Noct said fondly.

    Prompto just grinned.

    -l-l-l-

    Ignis had a bad feeling about this. It wasn¡¯t even the way the Imperial gates were open to let them through, only to run into an MT blockade further along the road. They mopped that up fairly quickly despite the fact that they were down a man. It just seemed awfully convenient for the enemy that the one thing they needed to repair the boat was only available in one location, and that that location was under Imperial guard.

    They left the Regalia parked at the nearby Haven and took what they needed from the boot. It was with a strange sort of glee that Prompto put his newly repaired armour on.

    ¡°Would it not be better to leave that here and keep your range of movement?¡± Ignis asked.

    ¡°I can move just fine, thank you! I didn¡¯t go through all that training with it for nothing,¡± he said, swinging his arms this way and that as though to prove a point. ¡°Besides, it saved my life once, twice if you count the time Gladio nearly scalped me. If I get hit in this, it won''t hurt as much.¡±

    ¡°I''d rather you not get hit in the first place,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Yeah, I know, but what are the chances of that?¡±

    Ignis didn''t bother replying. As much as he admired the gunman¡¯s skill, he had shown a complete disregard for his own safety, especially when it came to protecting Noct. Ignis had judged his shoulder healed enough to handle the armour back in Caem, but that hadn''t stopped Prompto from gathering any number of cuts, bruises, and scrapes that he didn''t even seem to feel with his various antics.

    ¡°You think we have time to do some fishing?¡± Noct asked, looking almost longingly towards a pier that was just visible through the trees.

    ¡°I don''t see why not,¡± Ignis replied. ¡°Anything you catch, I can cook up fresh for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Noct exclaimed and Ignis smiled in spite of himself. Noct hadn''t smiled a lot lately; Ignis was glad to do what he could to bring it out again.

    ¡°Prom, if you could accompany his highness, I''ll get the camp set up and dinner started,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Prompto said, jogging to catch up to the prince who had wasted no time in heading down to the water.

    The fact of the matter was, it didn¡¯t take any longer to set camp up on his own than it did with the other two helping. Ignis was just putting the finishing touches on his immaculately prepared campsite when he heard the shout.

    ¡°Iggy! We got trouble!¡±

    Gunshots followed Noctis¡¯s voice and Ignis quickly turned the stove off before running down towards the pier. He expected some kind of creature attack, a giggatoad or sahagin or something. He even could have expected magitek troopers, though there was no sign of the drop ship that usually heralded their arrival. What he didn''t expect, though, was both Noctis and Prompto teaming up to fight a veritable horde of sahagin with the woman they had fought at the Imperial fort on their way to Cape Caem. Aranea Highwind.

    There was no time to question it, however. Ignis grabbed the collar of Noct¡¯s jacket, yanking him away from the jaws of a too-close sahagin before summoning his daggers and slicing downwards. They barely scratched its scaly hide, so he sent them away and summoned his spear instead.

    Dodging to the side to avoid getting bitten himself, he thrust his spear forward, allowing himself a small smirk of satisfaction when his strike struck home. He kept half an eye on Aranea, not entirely trusting her not to take the opportunity to attack them, but she didn¡¯t seem interested. Especially when she protected Prompto from a flanking sahagin.

    Sharing a grin, Ignis and Noct both used their spears and struck simultaneously, forwards, to the side, outwards and forwards again. Then Noct took Ignis¡¯s spear and used his own to warp forwards and up into the air, bringing both weapons down into an enemy. He then tossed Ignis¡¯s spear back to land embedded into another to Ignis¡¯s right. Iggy grabbed it, then spun around as a high-pitched scream sounded.

    Prompto was madly shooting at a huge sahagin that had its jaws around Aranea¡¯s waist. One shot out the creature¡¯s eye but that only enraged it further and, with a shake of its head, it sent the woman flying into the shallow water.

    ¡°Noct, it¡¯s blindside!¡± Ignis instructed.

    ¡°Right,¡± Noct replied, moving to where Ignis indicated.

    Glancing over his shoulder, Ignis risked a look to where Aranea had fallen and was glad to see she was still moving, managing to keep her head out of the water even as she was trying and failing to get up.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Prompto shouted, drawing Ignis¡¯s attention back. They had downed the massive sahagin and a single shot killed the last one.

    ¡°Are you both alright?¡± Ignis asked.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Prompto replied.

    ¡°We¡¯re both fine,¡± Noct said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look it, though.¡± He pointed his chin towards Aranea.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Ignis asked, his voice low and quiet so it wouldn¡¯t carry.

    Noct didn¡¯t bother with such subtlety, much to Ignis¡¯s irritation. ¡°Help her,¡± he said simply. ¡°She was the one who warned us about the sahagins.¡±

    Ignis nodded and walked over to where Aranea had managed to rise to her hands and knees, one hand clutching at her side, blood leaking from between her fingers. He summoned a potion and handed it over. She accepted with a tight smile and a nod of thanks, downing it quickly.

    Ignis held a hand out to help her stand, knowing she wouldn¡¯t appreciate being carried, and Prompto ran around to her other side to help. ¡°We have set up camp at a haven nearby,¡± Ignis said as they started making their way there.

    ¡°Thanks. My boys, though, they¡¯ll want to know what happened,¡± she said.

    Ignis nodded. ¡°Where are they?¡±

    ¡°Steyliff Grove,¡± Aranea said, voice tight with pain despite the potion.

    ¡°Prompto, would you mind going there and reassuring them that their commander is injured but will be returning once she''s been tended to,¡± Ignis said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Prompto said, starting to move off to do so.

    Before he could leave, however, Noctis held a hand out and said, ¡°Hold up, Prom. Iggy, you sure that''s a good idea? I''m mean¡­¡± he glanced to Prompto, then back to Ignis. ¡°You know¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ignis replied, understanding Noct¡¯s reluctance to send their friend to someone who could take advantage of him. ¡°But we don''t have much choice.¡±

    ¡°Bleeding out over here,¡± Aranea quipped, but other than pursing his lips, Ignis didn''t answer.

    ¡°I''ll go with him,¡± Noct said.

    Ignis was already shaking his head, but it was Prompto who answered. ¡°I''ll be fine, Noct. You won, remember? Besides, I''ll be less conspicuous in my armour than you in your Lucian blacks,¡± he said.

    Noctis sighed. ¡°Fine, but hurry back, okay?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Prompto said with a wave before taking off at a jog.

    ¡°Noct, there''s a first aid kit under the passenger seat. Could you get it for me?¡± Ignis asked as he helped Aranea into a seat. To Aranea, he said, ¡°I will need to¡­ get under your armour.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one I¡¯ve not heard before. I¡¯ve heard get in my armour, get me out of my armour, but good on you for being unique,¡± Aranea said.

    Ignis couldn¡¯t help it: he blushed. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not what I meant at all!¡± he stammered.

    Aranea started to laugh but broke off with a hiss of pain. ¡°You¡¯re fun,¡± was all she said, but she did undo her armour, dropping it down beside her. Ignis was relieved; he had half expected her to be naked under it, but she was wearing a crop top and her skirt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mean to ruin your moment,¡± Noctis said as he entered the haven with the first aid kit.

    ¡°We¡¯re not having a moment!¡± Ignis snapped. Aranea just laughed again.

    ¡°Sure you¡¯re not,¡± Noctis teased.

    ¡°Noctis, I swear if I-¡±

    ¡°Relax,¡± Noct said, cutting him off. ¡°So, what do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°Just¡­¡± Ignis trailed off with a sigh and pushed his glasses higher on his nose. ¡°Just keep an eye out for Prompto.¡±

    ¡°Sure sure,¡± Noct said, though at least he did as he was asked and stood by the edge of the haven, looking out over the swamplands towards where his friend had disappeared.

    For a time, Ignis was able to fall back on his first aid training and focus solely on the task in front of him: cleaning and tending to the wounds the sahagin had left. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t as bad as they first appeared; the biggest risk would be infection after falling in that filthy water. He was able to clean them and use steri-strips to hold the wounds together without stitches. ¡°Next time you¡¯re in civilization, you should probably get these checked. I can do field triage, but I¡¯m no doctor.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine, Specs,¡± Aranea said, a teasing smile on her face when she used the nickname.

    ¡°Here he comes,¡± Noct said as Ignis was fastening a bandage around Aranea¡¯s midriff.

    ¡°Hey, weren¡¯t there four of you last time?¡± Aranea asked.

    ¡°There were,¡± Ignis answered. ¡°Gladio just had some business to take care of.¡±

    ¡°Kinda rude, him running out on you like that. Isn¡¯t he supposed to be your bodyguard?¡± Aranea asked.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Noct snapped, but Aranea just shrugged.

    ¡°Just calling it like I see it, kid,¡± she said with a nonchalance that would rival Noctis¡¯s when he was in one of his moods. ¡°And what about you?¡± she asked, turning her attention to Prompto as he climbed up to the haven.

    Prompto paused, uncertain. He glanced once to Noct before answering, ¡°Ah, what about me?¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯d you switch sides? Why travel with them?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡­ because I like them?¡± Prompto said, glancing once more with that uncertainty to Noctis.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer any more if you don¡¯t want to, Prom,¡± Noct said and Ignis gave the boy a reassuring nod; he had been doing so well lately with expressing himself. Ignis didn¡¯t doubt that it still caused him some pain, but either Prompto was practicing hiding that or it seemed to be less than it used to.

    ¡°Oh relax. I was ordered to try to find out more about you, and to give you a few orders of my own just to see how you reacted, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna do that,¡± Aranea said.

    ¡°Ordered by whom?¡± Ignis asked slowly.

    ¡°Oh, you know the guy. Purple hair, freaky amber eyes, pompous ass all round.¡±

    ¡°Ardyn,¡± Noct said darkly.

    ¡°Yeah him.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­ why are you not doing as he asked?¡± Prompto asked, his voice quiet, staring at the ground.

    ¡°Cause I don¡¯t like him and he¡¯s not paying me enough for that shit. He is paying me to help you get the mythril, but truthfully, I would have offered to help, anyway. You saved my arse back there,¡± she said, meeting the eyes of each of them in turn. ¡°All of you. You¡¯re alright by my books.¡±

    ¡°Hear that?¡± Prompto said, nudging Noct. ¡°We¡¯re ¡®alright¡¯,¡± he said with a grin and coaxing a reluctant smile from the prince.

    ¡°How did you know about the mythril?¡± Ignis asked sharply.

    ¡°You just told me.¡± Ignis¡¯s eyes widened and Aranea burst into laughter, gripping her injured side but unable to stop it. ¡°Oh, the look on your face!¡±

    Ignis truly was mortified; had he just given their mission away through his own stupidity? And to an enemy, no less?

    ¡°The same Chancellor who¡¯s so interested in your gunman there said you would be by. He didn¡¯t say why, but it doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what you¡¯re here for.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just here to fish,¡± Noct tried.

    ¡°The fishing is good, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± Aranea replied. ¡°But not good enough to risk gigatoads, cockatrices, sahagins, and enemy soldiers. And the Grove is the only place that has mythril. I don¡¯t know what you want it for and I don¡¯t care, but I will help you get it,¡± Aranea said. ¡°Besides. Me and my boys are guarding the place. You¡¯d have to go through us, anyway.¡±

    Ignis didn¡¯t like it. But the fact was, everything she said was true. They did need it, and they would have to go through her. Even injured, he knew she would put up a hell of a fight. He gave a small nod to Noct, letting him know he approved.

    ¡°Alright,¡± the prince said. Walking forward, he held out a hand out which Aranea took. ¡°A truce so we can get the mythril. And get out again, then go our separate ways. Deal?¡±

    ¡°Deal,¡± she said and shook on it.

 Water

    Altissia was truly beautiful. No where near the technical wonderment that Gralea was or, what he had heard, Insomnia had been, but still beautiful. Its waterways were magnificent, and the way the sun¡¯s rays bounced off the still lakes and flowing waterfalls and canals was simply breathtaking. Prompto¡¯s photos were improving daily, if he did say so himself, and he was getting plenty of practice in this stunning city. The city itself was very easy to get lost in, but in the best way, the way that lent itself to exploration.

    They visited the place where Lady Luna¡¯s dress was on display, unbeknownst to those others gathered around that her groom was watching with them, looking forward to meeting her once more. And Prompto was looking forward to that as well. Meeting the Oracle was never something he ever imagined he would be able to do and now, thanks to Noct, he would.

    They visited the monster arena where they proceeded to lose a couple thousand gil before Ignis managed to drag the three of them out, Noct and Gladio obnoxiously blowing their vuvuselas in each other¡¯s faces even as Ignis physically dragged them from the arena.

    They took evening gondola rides to marvel at the city, and sat for hours while Noct fished. The other two seemed to find it incredibly dull, but Prom was fascinated and took photos every few minutes, even if it was just the same subject matter again and again with only slightly different light.

    They would speak for hours with Weskam, enjoying his fine food and watching the gondolas slide past. Ignis was in a frenzy to examine all the different foods and fruits and spices and lamented that they didn¡¯t have enough money to try something called caviar (¡°If you hadn¡¯t wasted it all on those blasted monster games we could be dining on something truly divine right now!¡±). Prompto doubted that; it looked pretty gross to him and smelled worse, but there was no counting for tastes.

    Of an evening, they would either take monster hunts around the city or retire to the fancy hotel, play cards or darts or King¡¯s Knight¡ªIgnis was willing to let Prompto borrow his phone to join in¡ªand sometimes they would make wedding plans. Inspired by viewing Lady Luna¡¯s wedding dress, all of them were eager for the wedding to still take place, often spurred on by Gladio, who showed himself to be a hidden romantic. And, if Prompto had to guess, Noct truly seemed to love Luna, despite not having spoken in person for years. Not that he was an expert on such things, far from it, but he noticed how the prince got a faraway look in his eyes whenever he spoke of her, and his voice would take on a softer tone. He loved her, Prompto was sure of it.

    Eventually, though, they had to get down to business. The first secretary, a stern-looking woman named Camelia, had already said that the Oracle was in her care, but before she could allow Noctis and Luna to meet, they had to ¡®come to terms¡¯, whatever that meant. All Prompto understood was that Noct ruled in that diplomacy meeting, and Camelia seemed impressed as well, saying that Noct reminded her of his father, a compliment that made the prince grin with pride.

    Of course, their good fortune could never last. After the meeting, Noct pulled Prom aside to speak quietly. ¡°Hey, Prom. Your Inurement. How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I guess,¡± Prompto answered. ¡°Was there something specific?¡±

    ¡°I need you and Iggy and Gladio to take three different sections of the city and organise the evacuation of its citizens; they don¡¯t deserve to be caught up in our war with the Empire or with the Hydraean. If I remember correctly, that particular goddess never really liked humans, so I think gaining her power will be difficult. Especially if the Titan was anything to go by.¡±

    Prompto grimaced at the memory. ¡°I can handle that,¡± he said.

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    Prompto smiled. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. The most it might cause is a kinda constant ache, nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±

    ¡°Ardyn is here somewhere too, remember,¡± Noct said.

    That caused Prompto¡¯s smile to falter, but he forced it back, for Noct¡¯s sake. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You should watch your back, though; he¡¯ll be more interested in what you¡¯re doing than a lone Magitek soldier focussed on evacuating citizens.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess. Just¡­ be careful, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I got the easy job. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s gotta deal with a cranky goddess,¡± Prompto teased.

    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Noct said with a groan, causing Prompto to laugh.

    ¡°Just remember the end goal: Luna.¡±

    ¡°Right. Luna.¡± Noct smiled. Mission accomplished. ¡°Before you go, there¡¯s one more thing.¡± Reaching into his pocket, Noct pulled out a box, holding it out to Prompto.

    ¡°Aw, Noct, you shouldn¡¯t have. But you¡¯re supposed to be proposing to Luna, not to me.¡±

    ¡°What? No! Just- just take it already,¡± Noct stammered, much to Prompto¡¯s amusement, as he shoved the box at him.

    Opening it, Prompto¡¯s mouth fell open rather comically. Inside was a brand new phone, complete with a wireless earpiece and chocobo protective case. ¡°Noct¡­¡± he started, but didn¡¯t really know what to say.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already loaded King¡¯s Knight on it, and Iggy transferred your account over. And the earpiece means we can all keep in contact and still have your hands free to fight, so no excuses not to keep me informed of what¡¯s going on, okay? I just hope it¡¯s a model you like, I didn¡¯t know-¡±

    Noctis broke off suddenly when Prompto threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, his voice husky. ¡°For this, and for trusting me with it.¡±

    Noct awkwardly patted Prompto¡¯s back, saying, ¡°Yeah, well, how about letting me win a few games in King¡¯s Knight to make up for it.¡±

    Prompto gave a bark of laughter as he stepped back. ¡°You got it.¡±

    Noct showed him how to set up the earpiece, connected him to their group call and, after making sure that everything was working properly, each went their separate ways.

    The evacuation, as Prompto had said, was easy. He left his armour in their room at the hotel so he wouldn¡¯t be mistaken for the enemy and the citizens were more than willing to follow someone who seemed to know what they were doing. It was when the Empire began to move against the Hydraean that things became hectic. Ignis had the best view of this.

    ¡°The empire has the Hydraean surrounded. Hurry, Noct!¡± he said through their earpieces.

    ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Noct replied.

    ¡°Then the rite¡¯s already begun?¡± Gladio asked.

    ¡°Most likely,¡± Noctis replied.

    Well then, there was only one thing for it. ¡°Time to lend the Hydraean a hand!¡± Prompto said; they could not allow the empire to interfere with the rite as they had with the Titan.

    After making sure that all the citizens he could find in his section had evacuated, Prompto started running through the city towards where he could see Leviathan towering above the buildings. It took him through the area Ignis was working on and, as luck would have it, a few shots managed to protect the advisor from being swarmed by MTs.

    ¡°Prompto, are you alright?¡± he asked hurriedly, watching as the citizens continued to run ahead.

    ¡°Fine, I-¡± Seeing something out of the corner of his eye, Prompto reacted without thinking, throwing himself into the advisor and knocking them both to the ground, just in time to avoid being hit by a missile.

    ¡°My thanks,¡± Ignis said as he got to his feet again.

    Prompto wasn¡¯t listening though, he was staring at the missile that had crashed nearby and short-circuited from a blast of Hydraean water, an idea forming in his head.

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    ¡°Prompto,¡± Ignis said slowly, recognising the look on Prompto¡¯s face as one he usually wore when he was about to do something reckless and drag Noct into it. ¡°What are you planning?¡±

    Prompto was jogging over to the missile and turned to run backwards as he answered, ¡°Gonna hitch a ride; it¡¯ll be faster to get to Noct that way.¡±

    ¡°Will that work?¡± Ignis asked, intrigued despite himself and going to look over Prompto¡¯s shoulder at what he was doing.

    Prompto, meanwhile, had ripped the cover off the missile¡¯s control panel and was pulling various wires out. He yelped and pulled his hand back when the damn thing sparked at him, but then just plunged right back in again. ¡°Dunno,¡± he admitted. ¡°Water and electrics don¡¯t exactly mix.¡± He looked over his shoulder with a grin and added, ¡°But it¡¯ll be fun to find out.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to know,¡± Ignis said dryly.

    Nonetheless, Ignis watched Prompto¡¯s back while he tinkered, taking out any enemies who came too close until, with a whoop of delight, the missile¡¯s engine started up. Straddling it, he took the controls and shouted over the engine¡¯s roar, ¡°I¡¯m off to find Noct. We¡¯ll have the rite done in no time!¡±

    ¡°Keep in contact!¡± Ignis replied.

    Prompto smacked a fist to his chest by way of acknowledgement and gunned the engine, shouting with delight as it took off, flying through the air with him on it. Through his earpiece, he heard Ignis say, ¡°Noct! Prompto is on his way to you.¡±

    Well, he was trying anyway, zig-zagging between the buildings and up and down the streets, searching for a sign of his friend.

    ¡°But, what about you guys?¡± Noct asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait below¡ªthere¡¯s only room for two.¡±

    And¡­ there! He could see him! ¡°Noct! Jump!¡± Prompto shouted over the engine noise.

    ¡°What?¡± Noct asked.

    ¡°No time for questions, just trust me!¡±

    Prompto followed along as Noct ran along the balcony and then leapt off the edge. His heart leapt at the same time, both with pride that Noctis trusted him this much, and also with fear that he may stuff it up. Gunning the missile forward, he hung on with one hand, the other outstretched to grab Noct as he collided with the back of the missile, helping him to get his feet under him and hang on.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Noct asked.

    Prompto laughed, adrenaline making him giddy. ¡°New ride we borrowed from the Nifs. This¡¯ll get us in close,¡± he said.

    ¡°Serious?¡± Noct asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

    Prompto just laughed again, but broke off with a, ¡°Woah! Here she comes!¡± as a waterspout surged towards them.

    ¡°I got this,¡± Noct replied as he summoned his sword. Prompto focused on flying around the city, leaving the defence up to Noct; he was better at it, anyway.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get as close as I can. Then it¡¯s up to you,¡± he said.

    ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t be long,¡± Noct said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± Prompto promised.

    Clearing the main maze of the city, Prompto pulled upwards, confident now that he wouldn¡¯t hit an overhead bridge. Upwards and upwards, they flew.

    ¡°Hey, nice job finding this baby,¡± Noct said.

    ¡°More, she found us. Moment I saw her, I knew we¡¯d go places,¡± he said, fondly petting the side of the machine. Hearing a roar of water behind them, Prompto looked over his shoulder. ¡°Not again!¡±

    ¡°Not making this easy,¡± Noct said, summing his blade once more.

    ¡°Noct, hold on tight!¡± Prompto said, and he yanked the missile, pulling it into a tight barrel roll as Noct blocked one of the waterspouts. Perhaps that was a little too ambitious, as Noct started to slip. Prompto reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back up, saying, ¡°Dude! Don¡¯t let go!¡±

    Noct had only just regained his hold when he shouted, ¡°Hey! Head¡¯s up!¡± drawing Prompto¡¯s attention back in front of them.

    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± he shouted as he yanked on the steering, only just managing to turn away from the Hydraean¡¯s head to avoid colliding with it. Well, this definitely counted as close. ¡°Noct, can you reach?¡± he asked. He turned the missile back towards the Hydraean¡¯s head again, watching¡­ then, ¡°Now!¡±

    Noct threw his sword, warping cleanly to the god. ¡°Don¡¯t crash!¡± he shouted as Prompto whizzed past.

    ¡°No promises!¡± Prompto replied, before turning the missile away from that battle. He had gotten the thing up in the air, but hadn¡¯t really thought about how he was supposed to land it. These missiles were meant to be remotely controlled, not ridden.

    As it turned out, the option was removed from him entirely. Whatever it was Noct was doing with the Hydraean was causing water spouts to come up all over the place. The entire city was surrounded by a wall of water and the very buildings were starting to crumble and lift up into the sky.

    ¡°Gladio, Ignis, where are- oh shit!¡±

    Prompto tried to dodge the waterspout, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough, the engine unresponsive and shorting after too much water drowning it. The missile nosedived. They slammed into a chunk of masonry and spun out of control. Prompto was thrown, the ground racing up to meet him. The last thing he remembered was fervently wishing he had Noct¡¯s warping ability before he slammed into the cement, rolled down a slope, only to fall again and lay still.

    -l-l-l-

    ¡°I swear, Prom, if you don¡¯t answer me in the next two seconds, I¡¯ll-¡±

    Prompto groaned. ¡°Gladio?¡± he asked, pushing himself upright. ¡°Oh, my head,¡± he said, raising a hand to touch it, his fingers coming away sticky.

    ¡°About time. You alive?¡± Gladio¡¯s voice came through his earpiece. Prompto was honestly surprised the thing was still working, but he wasn¡¯t about to turn his nose up at that little bit of luck.

    ¡°Yeah, think so,¡± he replied. Sitting back, he looked around and realised he was sitting in a few inches of water, water that was steadily rising. ¡°Crap,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Gladio demanded.

    Pulling himself to his feet, fighting off the wave of vertigo, Prompto said, ¡°Water¡¯s rising. I¡¯m down in one of the canals, or what¡¯s left of it. Where¡¯s everyone else?¡±

    ¡°We have to find Iggy. Something¡­ something happened, I don¡¯t know what. He was talking, after we lost contact with you then¡­ well, he¡¯s hurt bad. Somewhere. I don¡¯t know where, but we have to find him.¡±

    Prompto felt as though ice had lodged itself in the pit of his stomach. Gladio was rattled. Gladio was never rattled, in the face of danger he was cool and collected. Sure, he had a temper, but when it came to situations like this, he was in control of his emotions. What Prompto could hear in his voice was anything but. Whatever it was he had heard had gotten to him.

    ¡°Ok, we should split up. You take one part of the city, I¡¯ll take the other. What about Noct?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Haven¡¯t heard from him either.¡±

    Reaching the upper level, Prompto came up short, staring at the destruction around them. The city was destroyed. Completely and utterly destroyed. This wasn¡¯t going to be easy.

    ¡°He¡¯s alive, he has to be,¡± Prompto said, as much to convince himself of the fact than anything else. ¡°We¡¯ll find both of them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m closest to where the Hydraean fight took place. I¡¯ll look for Noct, you look for Ignis. And stay in contact, got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Prompto said.

    Right. He would look for Ignis. But how the hell was he supposed to find one man amongst all of this? Especially since that man was likely unconscious and severely injured. The Hydraean battle seemed to be over at least; there were no more waterspouts, and the empire appeared to be driven back, retreating once the fight was lost. Nonetheless, there were still people milling around. Not many, most had gotten to safety, but there were those who had refused to evacuate and those who hadn¡¯t made it in time.

    Prompto scanned the faces of everyone he saw, but couldn¡¯t find Ignis. It was unlikely, of course, but part of him hoped that Ignis was alright, injured, perhaps, but otherwise fine and that it was just his phone that was damaged. He hoped the same with Noct too, but he left that worry to Gladio.

    Prompto picked his way around the city, trying to head back to where he had last seen Ignis, figuring he couldn¡¯t have gone too far from there. He began asking anyone he saw if someone had seen him, but he was just one of many doing the exact same thing. He was always met with the same response, either a muted shake of the head, or an apology and a reply question asking for whoever they were looking for.

    ¡°Prom! I¡¯ve found him!¡±

    Gladio¡¯s voice made Prompto jump, but his heart leapt at the news. ¡°Is he okay?¡± he asked desperately.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I- hold on.¡± Prompto froze where he was, listening. He gave a sigh of relief when in the background he heard someone that sounded like Noct heaving. ¡°He¡¯s breathing now, threw up a lung full of water, but alive. Still out cold, though. Cuts and bruises¡­ I don¡¯t think he¡¯s seriously hurt.¡±

    ¡°Thank the gods,¡± Prompto murmured, closing his eyes briefly in relief. ¡°Is there somewhere safe we can take him?¡±

    A pause. Then, ¡°The secretary''s office. It¡¯s the most sturdy building, probably still standing, and will have the highest security. I¡¯ll bring him there.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll meet you there when I find Ignis.¡±

    Silence.

    ¡°Just¡­ let me know when you find him. Please.¡± Gladio¡¯s voice was desperate.

    ¡°I will,¡± Prompto promised, trying to sound reassuring.

    He went back to searching, but the minutes dragged by into hours. Gladio kept him updated on what was happening to Noct but was reluctant to leave his side to search. Prompto tried to reassure him, a shield always stays with his king, he said, but he could tell how torn the man was.

    It was starting to get dark, with people retreating to the safety of the lighted areas to avoid demons, when Prompto finally spotted him. He had almost given up hope, but it was the purple and black patterned shirt that caught his eye. Feeling his heart leap into his throat, he ran forwards, near shouting, ¡°Gladio! I¡¯ve found him!¡±

    ¡°Is he okay? Is he¡­ is he alive?¡± Gladio asked desperately.

    There was debris that had fallen on him and Prompto hastily shoved it off, then froze. ¡°Oh shit,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°What? What is it? Damnit Prompto, if you-¡±

    ¡°His face is¡­ burned, I think,¡± Prompto said, cutting into Gladio¡¯s swearing. Leaning in, he rested his fingers against his throat and felt a pulse. It was fast, but strong. ¡°He¡¯s alive, Gladio. Other than his face and superficial stuff, I can¡¯t see any other injuries.¡±

    ¡°How the hell did he get burned? If anything, he should have been drowned.¡±

    Prompto just shook his head, forgetting that Gladio couldn¡¯t see the movement. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he said. He spotted Ignis¡¯s broken glasses lying nearby but ignored them; they were useless broken and, by the look of those injuries, would remain useless for some time. Gathering him up, he grunted a bit lifting him but managed; despite probably being the smallest of the four of them, Prompto¡¯s training made him surprisingly strong. He would be able to carry their friend. He had to. ¡°I¡¯m on my way back. Just¡­ just make sure there¡¯s doctors ready. He¡¯s gonna need it.¡±

    ¡°Got it. They¡¯ll be here on standby. Prom¡­ Thanks.¡±

    Prompto gave a tight smile. ¡°You got it, big guy,¡± he said.

 Darkness

    Noctis was unconscious and unresponsive.

    Ignis was unconscious and unresponsive.

    Gladio spent most of his time standing outside their respective doorways, making sure that no uninvited guests visited the two. He used to stand guard at the Citadel, he said, he was used to it.

    Prompto didn¡¯t know what he was supposed to do. Standing guard with Gladio just reminded him of the hours spent in a submissive bow waiting for Sir to notice him so he avoided that, but he seemed to just be in the way of the doctors when he was in either Noctis¡¯s or Ignis¡¯s rooms. Consequently, he found he spent a lot of time out in the city, trying to help where he could with the recovery effort.

    Now that the waters had receded, temporary shelter and body identification and disposal were the top priorities. Were they in Gralea and the bodies soldiers, Prompto knew that their barcodes would be scanned and recorded and the bodies burned. Simple, quick, easy, no chance for the bodies to rot or contaminate drinking water. Here, it wasn¡¯t so simple. There were no barcodes, and the public wanted to have control of their own dead, to have funerary arrangements how they wanted them. To that end, a warehouse had been emptied of stock and all bodies recovered were laid out there. Prompto volunteered to use a separate memory card and spent the days taking photos of each of the recovered bodies. The photos were then used to help the relatives identify their missing family. Only when someone was identified would Prompto then go in and help get that body ready for transport to the family. His upbringing and familiarity with death and all its stages meant that the sights and smells were not new to Prompto. The people of Altissia on the other hand seemed ill-equipped to deal with how fast bodies began to decompose when the most basic utilities had been knocked out.

    Each evening he returned to the room he and Gladio shared, exhausted and smelling of rot. He would take long showers to try to rid himself of the smell and then visit Noct and Ignis to get an update. With Noctis, there was no change. Within the first day, his lungs had cleared, but he remained in a coma. The doctors could not determine why. They suggested that it was exhaustion and that he would wake soon, but Prompto wasn¡¯t convinced.

    Ignis¡¯s situation was more complicated. The doctors weren¡¯t sure about his right eye. It was damaged, but might heal, they said. For now, bandages around his head kept him from trying to use it. His left eye was another story. The doctors had determined that it would never see again; the burns were too severe, the eye and eyelid damaged beyond repair. It had to be removed, else it cause a lifetime of pain.

    The day that surgery had taken place, Prompto had not gone down to the warehouses. He did not want to be around death when Ignis was going through that. Instead, he had stayed in the room, watching, heart in his throat and waiting. He could not see much past the doctors, though that was probably a good thing. It had been bad enough for Prompto when doctors insisted on stitching the wound on his head. For that, Gladio had remained by his side, a hand on his shoulder, a constant reminder that he wasn¡¯t with the empire, that this was different. Seeing what they were doing to Ignis, though, while he lay there helpless and unconscious, a dear friend under their knife and at their complete mercy? He didn¡¯t trust himself not to react to that, even as he couldn¡¯t bear to be away.

    It was several days later before Ignis woke. Prompto had switched the memory cards over, leaving the one with the dead bodies on it on the bedside table, and was flicking through the photos he had taken. It was a soft groan that first alerted him to a change and, looking up, he saw Ignis starting to move, trying to raise his hand.

    ¡°Ignis?¡± he said hesitantly.

    Ignis turned his head towards Prompto. ¡°Prom?¡± His voice was croaky.

    Prompto smiled, relieved, and switched his camera for a glass of water. ¡°Here, I¡¯ve got some water for you,¡± he said. Slipping a hand under his head, he lifted it slightly and brought the glass to his lips so he could drink.

    Ignis only took a few sips though before he turned his head away and asked, ¡°Noct, where-¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± Prompto cut in as he helped Ignis lay back down again. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ in a coma, but doesn¡¯t seem injured. It¡¯s just like he¡¯s sleeping.¡±

    ¡°And you? And Gladio?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re both alright. We¡¯re in the Secretary¡¯s offices. They¡¯ve made it up as a kind of private hospital of sorts. She¡¯s letting us stay here till you and Noct are both back on your feet. Speaking of, how¡¯s your pain? They¡¯ve been giving you a lot of elixirs to try to help with it.¡± Prompto didn¡¯t mention that, as with everything else, the city was running low on all their curatives and he and Gladio had largely been pulling from their own personal store.

    ¡°Smarts a little,¡± Ignis admitted, so Prompto helped him take another elixir.

    ¡°Just¡­ rest okay? I¡¯ll let the doctors know you¡¯ve woken up so they can give you a proper reporting of what¡¯s going on, I¡¯d probably just bungle it,¡± Prompto said though truth be told, he was chickening out; he didn¡¯t want to be the one to tell Ignis that one eye was gone and the other may never see again.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll¡­ do that,¡± Ignis said, his voice already sounding dazed from the elixir doing its job. Prompto waited until Ignis¡¯s breathing evened out into sleep before he got up to tell the doctors and Gladio that he was awake.

    -l-l-l-

    A loud crash jerked Prompto awake and instantly his gun was in his hands, eyes darting around, searching for any sign of danger. But there was no danger in the room, only him and Ignis, and Ignis was leaning against a table, breathing heavily, shoulders shaking silently. Prompto sent his gun away when he realised what had woken him: Ignis had swept his arm across the table, knocking everything on it to the ground.

    ¡°Iggy,¡± Prompto said quietly, standing up, but he froze when Ignis spun to face him with a surprised gasp. He had pulled the bandages from his face, they were hanging loosely around his neck, and his blind eye swung left and right, trying and failing to see him. What shocked Prompto, however, was the bloody tears running down Ignis¡¯s cheeks from his right eye.

    Ignis closed his eye then took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. When he spoke, his voice was calm, but the words were clipped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Prompto,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Prompto said simply. Walking over to where Ignis was standing, avoiding the broken glass, he took a hold of the bandages, unwrapping them from around his neck. ¡°You got hit with the life fucking sucks stick, and now you¡¯re trying to figure out how to handle it.¡± He used the edge of the bandages to gently wipe away the bloody tears before carefully winding them around Ignis¡¯s head again.

    Ignis gave a bitter bark of laughter at that and said, ¡°Nonetheless, it was uncalled for and I apologise for it. Had I known you were there, I would not have¡­ I would have comported myself with more decorum.¡±

    It was Prompto¡¯s time to snort with laughter at that. ¡°Comported yourself with more decorum? Only you could quote an etiquette textbook when you should be raging against the astrals right now.¡± Taking Iggy¡¯s arm, he guided the man to a seat, getting him to sit down. ¡°Besides. I seem to remember you, all of you, telling me I wasn¡¯t alone anymore, that I didn¡¯t have to fight my Inurement alone. Well, this is no different. We¡¯re here for you, one hundred percent. And we¡¯ll help you with whatever you need.¡±

    Ignis didn¡¯t respond, but he did accept a glass of water when Prompto offered it, and didn¡¯t throw it in his face, so that was a start as far as Prompto was concerned. He started to gather up the broken glass, allowing Ignis to sit in silence but ensuring he made enough noise so that the man knew he was still there.

    ¡°Noct is¡­ still asleep, is he not?¡± Ignis said eventually, as Prompto was dumping the last of the glass into the bin.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Prompto replied. ¡°He¡¯ll stir a bit every now and then. And whimper as though he¡¯s caught in a nightmare. But that¡¯s it.¡± Truth be told, Prompto was just as worried about Noct as he was about Ignis. He hadn¡¯t really shown any sign of waking and that scared Prompto; he was afraid that his friend might never wake again.

    As though predicting Prompto¡¯s emotions, or perhaps just hearing his fears in his voice, Ignis said, ¡°He has recovered from such bouts before.¡±

    ¡°He has?¡± Prompto asked, unable to stop the small kernel of hope that latched on at the news.

    ¡°The circumstances were different. Last time he was out this long, he was a child and had fractured his spine. He was unconscious even after the wounds themselves had healed,¡± Ignis said, his voice gaining in confidence as he spoke. ¡°If he warp strikes too much, he can fall into what King Regis called Stasis and he could be unconscious for some time after that as well.¡±

    ¡°Well, at least there¡¯s hope,¡± Prompto said.

    Ignis nodded once.

    Prompto brushed his hands on his legs and said, trying to put optimism in his voice, ¡°So. Do you want to go for a walk? Most of the debri has been cleared away now so if you keep your hand on my shoulder I can keep you out of trouble.¡±

    The corners of Ignis¡¯s mouth twitched in an almost-smile as he said, ¡°I think I would like that.¡± Prompto grinned and started to walk towards him, but was halted as Ignis held a finger out to him. ¡°First, though. I need you to do a favour for me?¡±

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    ¡°Sure,¡± Prompto replied; he would do anything to make Ignis¡¯s life a little easier.

    ¡°Take a shower first. To put it frankly, you smell.¡±

    Prompto laughed a little guiltily. ¡°Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I meant to have one before I fell asleep. I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said, hurrying out of the room.

    -l-l-l-

    Ignis listened as Prompto hummed to himself in the shower. Were it not for the pain, an agony that throbbed in time with his heartbeat, he could even pretend that his eyes were just resting closed, that they were in a hotel somewhere and he had just scolded Prompto for trying to come to the table without showering after running with Gladio. He could pretend that Noct wasn¡¯t lying in a bed somewhere, unconscious and unresponsive, but was instead being his normal moody self, playing on his phone and ignoring everyone.

    He could pretend that he wasn¡¯t useless.

    And then he would try to do something, like this afternoon. Or this morning. Or this evening, he had no idea. All he had wanted was a glass of water and a sandwich. He had even managed to find the ingredients he wanted for the sandwich. But first he had dropped the knife and couldn¡¯t find where it had fallen on the floor. And then he had knocked over the honey pot, spilling it. When he misjudged how full the cup was and overfilled it, he had just snapped. What was the point of surviving if he couldn¡¯t even function on a basic level as a human being?

    But Prompto, Prompto was always bright and cheery. Ignis knew a lot of it was fake, put on for his benefit. He knew the gunman was hurting, was worried about them all, was trying to keep it all together and make everything normal when there was nothing normal about this situation. And, if what Gladio had told him in private was true, he had even faced his fear of doctors and surgeries to stay by his side when his eye had been removed. That took guts, more guts than Ignis had ever given him credit for. There was no Inurement that said he had to do that, no one had ordered him to and it wasn¡¯t an act that could allow him to avoid pain. There was nothing in it for him, but he had done it, anyway. That was true friendship right there; such a soul was wasted in the Empire.

    ¡°Alright! All pretty and smelling like roses just for you, Iggy,¡± Prompto said as he came out of the shower. Ignis had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn¡¯t even heard the water stop. ¡°Do you have a preference on where you¡¯d like to go?¡±

    Ignis couldn¡¯t help the bitterness that rose up at that question. ¡°Does it matter? I won¡¯t see it, anyway.¡±

    Prompto was silent for just a second too long, long enough for Ignis to regret his words, but before he could call them back, Prompto spoke again, a false levity in his voice. ¡°Alright then. Well, if you don¡¯t have any objections, I need to take this memory card to the records office. I said I would drop it over once I checked on you. I didn¡¯t exactly mean to fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re donating your photos of Altissia before the Hydraean damaged everything?¡± Ignis guessed as he stood. Reaching out, he felt Prompto take his hand and rest it on his shoulder. As he always did, Ignis felt a lurch as he stepped forwards, needing to rely entirely on someone else to ensure he didn¡¯t run into anything. He tried to focus on the steps, tried to draw a mental map of the area.

    ¡°Ah, not exactly. This is a different memory card. It has¡­ well, photos of the dead on it. For identification purposes,¡± Prompto said, his voice uncertain.

    ¡°Ah,¡± was all Ignis said in return. ¡°That would explain the smell.¡± Truth be told, he had thought Prompto had just gotten dirty. Not that he had been dealing with the dead.

    ¡°I just felt like I had to do something, you know? We brought all this down on the people, I figured the least I could do was help out. And¡­ well, I¡¯ve seen plenty of dead bodies before. Most people here haven¡¯t. So if I can do it and spare them that¡­¡±

    Ignis gave the shoulder under his hand a squeeze. ¡°You¡¯re a good person, Prompto,¡± he said quietly.

    There was silence for a second or two, then Prompto said, ¡°I¡¯m grinning right now. Just so you know.¡±

    And Ignis laughed.

    -l-l-l-

    Gladio swung his fist and grinned in satisfaction when it connected with the face in front of him. It hurt, of course it hurt, but he barely felt the pain. This was better than just sitting around, though, waiting for something to happen. It was easier now that Ignis was awake and he could talk to him, but even that wore him down after a while, and he would always make his excuses and leave. He hated the thought, but maybe it would be better to leave Ignis here. Or even to send him with Cid back to Hammerhead; he was sure the old man and Cindy would look after him. And if his sight ever returned, he knew that Ignis would find them again.

    Gladio had tried bringing up these facts, this plan, with Prompto, had tried to convince the gunman that it was for the best, but Prompto had yelled at him. Actually yelled at him. He¡¯d never seen the Nif yell at anyone before, especially since doing so seemed to cause him pain. Gladio had tried reasoning, had tried matching shout for shout, but nothing got through to him. So he had stormed out, looking for a fight to pick.

    He didn¡¯t realise Ignis had heard it all.

    He didn¡¯t realise Ignis had followed him, as though to prove he could.

    As citizens were slowly returning to Altissia there were bound to be those who took advantage of the controlled chaos. When looters started making the rounds, Gladio also made his own rounds, taking out any who dared to try something so low.

    This time he had scored big, a whole gang of them. They all tried piling on Gladio, but Gladio was among the elite, trained since childhood to be a member of the Crownsguard, the prince¡¯s and then the king¡¯s shield. He had not only fought, but survived fighting with Gilgamesh. These ruffians had no chance. Nonetheless, the fight was began to attract quite the crowd, and after knocking out the third person he spun around, grinning fiercely, arms open, welcoming. ¡°Come on. You wanna piece of this?¡± he shouted.

    Then he spotted him. Ignis. He was standing among the crowd, eye wide open, trying to step back but unable to get past the push of people, mouth open, chest heaving as he began to hyperventilate. Gladio had seen that reaction once before, when Prompto had freaked over a particularly tight squeeze in a cave. He knew that the advisor was on the edge of a full-blown panic attack.

    One of the thugs decided to take advantage of Gladio¡¯s distraction and used a piece of wood, slamming it against the back of Gladio¡¯s shoulders, sending him stumbling forwards. With an animalistic growl, Gladio spun around and tackled the guy, slamming him into the crumbled side of the building. Striking his head against the wall, the thug was knocked out and Gladio turned in time to see Ignis break free of the crowd and start to run. ¡°Shit, Iggy!¡± Gladio shouted, but other than stumbling and falling, Ignis acted as though he didn¡¯t hear him, only getting up to continue running again.

    Growling in frustration, Gladio turned back to the thugs. No more games; he had to finish this. He knocked out the rest of the looters in just a few minutes and started to run down the street he had seen Ignis disappear down, but skidded to a stop when a young woman stepped in front of him.

    ¡°Sir? Please, could you help? My husband, he¡¯s being threatened. Please?¡±

    Gladio was about to turn her down¡ªhe had to find Ignis!¡ªbut then he saw her eyes, swimming with tears, desperate for help. He never could say no to a crying woman. ¡°A minute,¡± he said, before pulling out his phone and dialling Prompto¡¯s number.

    ¡°Gladio? What¡¯s up?¡± he asked after it had only rung once.

    ¡®Bless your technology obsession,¡¯ Gladio thought, figuring he must have been playing on his phone when he called. And also bless that there was no sign of a grudge from their earlier argument. ¡°I need you to find Iggy,¡± he said urgently.

    ¡°What? Why, where is he?¡±

    ¡°If I knew that I wouldn¡¯t need you to find him,¡± Gladio growled before he could help himself. He was pacing back and forth across the street. ¡°He followed me into town and I didn¡¯t realise. He saw- heard me get into a fight against some looters and panicked and ran off somewhere.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find him, but don¡¯t you think it would be better if you were to find him, to reassure him that you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m needed elsewhere. Just¡­ just do this for me? Please.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Where¡¯d you see him last?¡±

    ¡°East High Street. And Prom? Thanks.¡±

    ¡°You owe me,¡± was all Prompto said in reply before he hung up.

    Gladio sighed and put his phone in his pocket before looking at the woman. ¡°Lead the way,¡± he said.

    -l-l-l-

    As it turned out, Prompto didn¡¯t need to go far to find Ignis. The man had somehow managed to make it back to the Secretary¡¯s offices. Prompto saw him as he half ran, half stumbled through the door that led to Noct¡¯s room.

    Prompto jogged after him, closing the door behind him to give them some privacy. He could guess what had caused the panic. First the sounds of fighting, a friend in danger and he couldn¡¯t see to help, and then the noise of a pressing crowd, unable to tell what was what or where it was all coming from. That would terrify anyone. And yet, despite the circumstances, he couldn¡¯t help but be impressed; somehow Ignis had followed Gladio when he wasn¡¯t walking slowly or taking care to lead him along open streets and likely, knowing Gladio when he was angry, walking very quickly. And then, even amidst a full-blown panic attack, Ignis had somehow managed to find his way back here and retreat somewhere safe.

    ¡°Ignis?¡± Prompto called softly.

    Ignis didn¡¯t respond. He had sat himself on the carpeted floor in front of the fireplace and, were he not blind, Prompto would say he was staring into the flames. Prompto approached slowly, noting the man¡¯s rapid breathing but knowing that he was aware of his presence by the way his head had turned slightly towards him.

    Prompto crossed the room and flopped down to sit behind him, leaning so his back was resting against Ignis¡¯s back. Tilting his head up slightly, he closed his eyes and said, voice soft, ¡°Close your eye, don¡¯t try to use it; you don¡¯t need it. Listen. Just listen.¡±

    He paused and listened himself, listened to Ignis and waited until his breath slowed somewhat, telling him he was calmer. Only then did he speak again. ¡°Hear yourself breathing, your heart beating.¡±

    He paused again, waiting. Ignis¡¯s breath slowed further, reaching a more normal rate, and Prompto allowed himself a small smile. ¡°Expand it out and hear the sounds of the room. The crackling of the fireplace. Noct breathing, the way he snuffles in his sleep.¡±

    As though to help with their little exercise, Noct gave an unusually loud snuffle right then and Prompto bit his lip to stop from laughing. ¡®Thanks, mate,¡¯ he thought to himself. He let the silence stretch on, let Ignis just focus on what was in the room, to pick out the close sounds. Then, ¡°Outside you can hear the water lapping against the buildings. Gulls crying to one another. The wind blowing in lines of laundry.¡±

    After the quiet of Cape Caem, Atissia had seemed loud to Prompto. Its nightlife rivalled Lestallum¡¯s with the added water noise and gondoliers calling to each other. Even now, there were plenty of sounds to be heard and Prompto listed each of them one by one, allowing a pause between each to give Ignis a chance to pick them out.

    ¡°The cacophony of voices are all individuals. Pick one out and listen to it for a bit, then change to listen to another,¡± he said.

    A minute stretched to five, which stretched to ten. Prompto didn¡¯t mind; he was patient. And for Ignis, who did so much for him, who tended his wounds gently and carefully, who baked sweets whenever someone was having a hard time, who always made sure they had enough food and gil for hotels whenever they were near a town, for Ignis, he had all the time in the world.

    Finally, Ignis spoke. ¡°I never realised before now how it was possible to pick out so many individual sounds,¡± Ignis said, voice quiet, a touch of wonderment in it that makes Prompto smile sadly. ¡°Thank you, Prompto,¡± he said.

    ¡°Sure thing. Seems sense deprivation training is good for some things,¡± Prompto said lightly.

    Ignis moved his hand, searching until it found Prompto¡¯s. Resting over the top of it, he gave it a squeeze, then let go. Prompto stood and started moving around the room, checking on Noct, making sure he drank a little, then pulling out his phone to text Gladio, to let him know that Ignis was alright and to bring back some pizza. Ignis remained sitting on the floor, head tilted to the side slightly with his eye closed, just listening.

 Departure

    Prompto gritted his teeth, fingernails biting into the palms of his hands as he struggled not to make a sound. The medical bed he was strapped to was turned on its side and hot wax was being poured into his ear. It wasn¡¯t hot enough to raise blisters but it still hurt! When it had cooled and solidified, he was flipped over and the process repeated on the other side, effectively blocking all hearing.

    The table was righted once more and the straps holding him in place removed. People around him were talking, but Prompto couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying. He could hear his breathing, much louder than normal, but that was it. One of the guards gestured that he was to follow and Prompto did so, though his step faltered when he recognised where he was being led.

    No. Oh no. Not again!

    Ahead of him were those storage containers. And this time he wouldn¡¯t be able to listen, to hear when someone walked along the corridor in front of him, or hear the conversations that careless B Grades made.

    It was no use, of course. They needed to see how far they could push him, what his body and mind could tolerate, to determine where best to reassign him. A gun barrel pushed into his spine and forced him to step forward until his nose touched the back of the container. And then they sealed it behind him, leaving him in total darkness.

    For a while he was okay; even with his ears blocked, he wasn¡¯t in complete silence since he could hear his breath. But time stretched on. He didn¡¯t know if his eyes were open or closed, as there was no difference in what he could see. His nose itched, but there wasn¡¯t enough room to lift a hand to scratch it. Sparks started dancing before his eyes, and his breathing began to quicken. Air. There wasn¡¯t enough air! Gasping for breath, Prompto started to push, to try to move his arms, to get more room! The container was getting smaller, he was sure of it! And the smaller it got, the harder it was to breathe. He screamed as he felt as though he were being crushed alive. Or was he dead? Was he already dead and that was why he couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t breathe, couldn¡¯t hear couldn¡¯t see? He screamed until his throat was raw, but it made no difference. No one came.

    He was alone.

    Prompto woke with a strangled cry in the darkness, feeling as though he were being smothered. He kicked the light blanket off him and stumbled from the couch where he had fallen asleep, throwing open the doors to the balcony and almost falling outside to lean against the railing.

    Looking down at the lights reflecting on the water, he started to calm himself down. He could breathe out here. He could move, he could hear, he wasn¡¯t trapped, he wasn¡¯t locked inside that hated container.

    ¡°Prompto? Are you alright?¡±

    Prompto jumped at the sound of Ignis¡¯s voice. Looking across, he could see the man seated on a chair on the balcony next to him; he hadn¡¯t even realised he was sitting there. ¡°Yeah, sorry. Just¡­ just a nightmare,¡± he said breathlessly, running a hand through his sweaty hair. ¡°Seems the less I need to rely on my Inurement, the more it haunts me,¡± he added wryly. Or maybe it was just the pending foreboding of what was to come next, of returning home when every instinct screamed to run as far away as he could. He couldn¡¯t share that, though; it was the only chance for his friends to get their home back, for Prompto to make a new life for himself in a new country. Instead, he said, ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to intrude on you.¡±

    Ignis smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s quite alright. I couldn¡¯t sleep, and I wanted to listen to the sounds of Altissia once more. I doubt we will be back here once we leave tomorrow.¡±

    Prompto nodded, then realised Ignis wouldn¡¯t be able to see that so said, ¡°Right.¡±

    He closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart down. There was a slight breeze blowing, and it cooled his sweat soaked body as he turned to lean back against the railing and look back inside the room.

    A week ago, they had learned that Luna¡¯s body had been found. She was dead. Prompto had even been able to see her then. Her body, at least. He was requested to take photographs for the official records, though such photos would not be released to the public, of course. He had taken back the memory card he thought he was done with, taken the required photographs, handed it back, and left. He thought about keeping one of the face¡ªapart from being pale, it was otherwise unmarked¡ªbut decided it was likely best not to; Noct would probably rather remember his beloved alive.

    Noctis had woken that same day, while Prompto was out, leaving Ignis to be the one to tell him about Luna. Prompto remained somewhat uneasy around his commander; he was so quiet and sullen, barely even speaking two words to Prompto, or anyone else for that matter. It made Gladio furious¡ªthe man had ranted about his childish reactions on more than one occasion to both Prompto and Ignis¡ªbut Prompto just wanted to be near. Needed to be near. That was why he was sitting in Noctis¡¯s room when he fell asleep, though he didn''t know who had put the blanket over him.

    ¡°Permit me to ask a question, if I may,¡± Ignis said, his voice cutting through Prompto¡¯s reminiscing.

    ¡°Shoot,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Why does the empire teach their soldiers to handle sense deprivation? It is not something normally faced in combat.¡±

    Prompto smiled slightly; Ignis had been practising focusing on his hearing since their little talk. He had a cane now that helped him tell if there were any debris or slope changes in front of him, and Prompto and Gladio had been helping him adjust to that. They had also bought him a pair of dark glasses, which seemed to make him more comfortable going out in public. They didn¡¯t hide the scars entirely, of course¡ªthe wounds were far too large for that¡ªbut Ignis had always worn glasses. He wanted to world to be crystal clear, Prompto remembered with a pang when he bought them. So having them now were a source of comfort to the man. He was getting better at being able to tell what was around him, didn¡¯t panic any more and, if he got himself lost, he called Prompto¡¯s phone; Prompto had found a little sticker and stuck it on the screen so that Ignis could feel where his fast dial icon was. All in all, he seemed to be coping well. Which was why his question surprised Prompto.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so much that they teach us how to deal with it, but that we learn how to deal with it through exposure,¡± Prompto said, then shook his head. ¡°That didn¡¯t come out right. I mean, they use the sense deprivation to test our limits, to see how much we can handle before we snap, to determine what grade we should be reassigned to.¡±

    ¡°Your reassignment was when they decided to make you a sniper instead of melee?¡± Ignis asked.

    Prompto nodded. Then said, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Prompto was sitting on his bed in the dorm room, waiting. There was no one else there, everyone else was still in training or Inurement, like he was supposed to be. There were rumours: if you were unsuitable for reassignment, if you were decommissioned, you were designated D Grade, that D Grade really stood for Decommission rather than a simple alphabetical scale. D Grades weren¡¯t human, they were all monsters, harvested for the Empire to experiment on in secret. There was no way a human could be designated D Grade, even so, Prompto worried. He was B Grade now, so reassignment meant either C or decommissioned, D Grade. Reassignment itself was bad enough; C Grades were  cannon fodder, but at least he would still have a purpose. He wouldn¡¯t be a monster.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The door to his dorm opened, and Prompto immediately stood at attention. His knee throbbed at the sudden movement, but he dared not shift his weight from it; he couldn¡¯t give them any more of a reason to find him defective.

    One of the men, a scientist with a walking stick, looked him up and down, circling him. Prompto carefully kept his gaze forward. ¡°Hmm, yes, it could do. Good scores in shooting, you said?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sir replied. ¡°That¡¯s about all it excels in, though it may make it worth the cost of upkeep.¡±

    Was Sir¡­ defending him? Prompto never thought he would hear such things from Sir¡¯s mouth; he thought the man hated him!

    ¡°Hmmm, maybe. I¡¯ll have to see how it goes with a few of chemicals we¡¯re developing. If its body can withstand that, then it may have some use. As a training dummy for the A Grades, at the very least.¡± The walking stick shot out then and slammed into Prompto¡¯s sore knee. It buckled, but he managed not to make a sound as he straightened once more to stand back at attention.

    ¡°Very well. Unit, follow me,¡± the scientist said, leading the way out. Prompto followed and was flanked by Sir.

    ¡°They had these¡­ storage containers. Black metal things, tall enough that you would fit in, but not so wide enough that Gladio¡¯s shoulders would fit. Magitek soldiers don¡¯t tend to be as broad. I was¡­ put in one of them while they were working out what to do with me,¡± Prompto said.

    Ignis, for his part, said nothing. But he did reach into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Prompto stared as he lit one and took a drag. He had never seen him smoke before, didn¡¯t think he was the type who would.

    After the silence stretched out for some time, Ignis said, ¡°That was where you learned your listening technique?¡±

    Prompto shook his head. ¡°No. That was where I learned that I really, really don¡¯t like small spaces,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°Like, you remember that time when we were getting the royal arm behind the waterfall? How¡­ how Gladio and I had stayed behind and found another route cause he said that he was too big to fit through?¡±

    Prompto stared at the narrow gap in the cave wall with a growing sense of unease. Noct led the way, turning sideways to squeeze through, and Ignis followed. Gladio was last and, with a wave forward, gestured that Prompto should go first. He stared at the gap a second longer, the lights from the two in front of him growing dimmer, before he took a breath and forced himself forward. He had been Inured against this, he could do it. And besides, Noct cared a lot more for him than his Niflheim superiors ever did.

    He took one step to the side, and then another, back pressed against one wall, hands in front of him against the other. Another step. Another. It was getting narrower, he was sure of it, and he instinctively started pushing against the walls, trying to force it wider.

    ¡°Hey guys? I think it¡¯s a bit narrow for these guns. You go on ahead, me and Prom here will look for another way around,¡± Gladio called out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think splitting up is a very good idea,¡± Ignis said, his voice echoing strangely in the cave.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a very good idea being stuck tight in a gap only wide enough for skinny arses like yourselves, blocking the way out,¡± Gladio shot back as he took a hold of Prompto¡¯s forearm and started pulling him back the way they came.

    ¡°Point taken,¡± Ignis said.

    Ignis gave a single nod, remembering it.

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t¡­ he lied about that. He could have fit through. Even started to do so behind me,¡± Prompto said, ¡°but then he saw that I was panicking so came up with that excuse to get me out of it.¡±

    ¡°It reminded you of your reassignment. Of your Inurement,¡± Ignis guessed.

    Prompto nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. He wrapped his hands about his arms, leaning over slightly, chilled despite himself. ¡°I had my hearing in the cave, of course, and it wasn''t completely dark, but it was still tight, I still couldn''t move my arms in front of me properly. Usually I manage okay, I probably could have then too if I''d been given the time, but I think Gladio didn''t want to take that chance.¡± He paused, thinking, remembering. He had been so embarrassed at the time, but Gladio had just sat him down and forced him to bend his head over his knees until his breathing slowed down, and he was able to enact what he had remembered, the listening technique, counting what he could see and hear.

    ¡°Back in Zegnautus,¡± Prompto continued, ¡°I overheard some older guys talking in the showers of listening to individual sounds, of counting them. One of them had just come out of a sense deprivation Inurement, the other was telling him about this technique to handle it so that they wouldn¡¯t be reassigned. When they took me and did it again, I tried it and it worked,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Figured if it worked for me, it might help you, too.¡±

    Ignis was silent for a few moments, turning over what Prompto said. He took a drag from his cigarette, then put it out on the balcony railing. ¡°It has,¡± he said eventually. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Any time, Iggy,¡± Prompto replied.

    -l-l-l-

    Noct stared at the darkened ceiling as he listened to the muted conversation outside. It made him guilty that he had dragged Prompto through those caves when they terrified him so much. He never realised it, Prompto had never let on, at least to Noct. Yet another thing he had screwed up.

    Well, he couldn¡¯t fix that. He couldn¡¯t heal Ignis¡¯s blindness, or take away the pain of Prompto¡¯s Inurement, or make Gladio understand how he felt. But maybe he could at least show his friend how much he meant to him, show him how much he appreciated all he had done for Ignis while Noct had been unconscious.

    Decision made, he rolled over and buried himself in the blanket, trying to get what little sleep he could before morning.

    -l-l-l-

    ¡°So, do you wanna talk about it?¡±

    Prompto slid himself into the seat opposite Noct and watched his friend cautiously. Five days had passed since they left Altissia, travelling first by boat, then by car, and now by train. And through all that time Gladio had ground his teeth while Noct moped in silence, Ignis stumbled and Prompto helped as best he could while at night a growing sense of unease crept up on him.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Noct replied, not looking at him, his chin propped on his hand with his elbow on the table. He was staring out the window, though there wasn¡¯t much to see at the moment. Prompto didn¡¯t push, merely sat back and looked out the window, too. After a while, he sighed and spoke, as Prompto knew he would. ¡°When your friend, Arvid, was killed did you¡­ I don¡¯t know, feel something?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Prompto answered honestly. ¡°But I was conditioned not to. If I showed that I cared about someone, I was ordered to kill them. Or they could be ordered to kill me.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I wish I could be conditioned not to feel anything,¡± Noctis muttered bitterly.

    Prompto laughed a little despite himself. ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± he said with certainty.

    ¡°Well, maybe not,¡± Noct allowed. ¡°But it would make things easier, to do what I have to do.¡± He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring, staring at it. ¡°She gave up everything for me. Her life, her health, her safety. Everything. And I didn¡¯t even get to say goodbye.¡± Noctis¡¯s voice hitched slightly at that last word and he closed his fist, squeezing it tight.

    ¡°Because she believed in you, Noct,¡± Prompto said quietly.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m sick of people dying for me!¡± Noctis suddenly shouted.

    Prompto smiled sadly, ignoring the stares the outburst gained them. Gladio thought that Noctis didn¡¯t care about his position, that he¡¯d never make a good king because he was apathetic about what that position entailed. Even Ignis had confessed worries in private about what kind of king Noctis would make, his sloppiness and unwillingness to even attempt the political reports he had presented him with before they left Insomnia. Prompto, though, thought that Noctis cared too much, too deeply, about everyone.

    ¡°Maybe it''s because I''m just an outsider looking in, but Noct, it''s okay. You can''t protect everyone. You can just do the best you can with the situations presented to you, ya know? And I think you''re doing just fine at that.¡±

    ¡°But what if ¡®just fine¡¯ isn''t good enough?¡± Noctis asked quietly. ¡°What if ¡®just fine¡¯ gets even more people killed?¡±

    ¡°Then you get up, brush yourself off, and keep trying.¡±

    Noct gave a mirthless laugh. ¡°Just like that, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just like that.¡±

    -l-l-l-

    Gladio was angry. He was always angry lately, all the damn time. He was angry at Noct for not putting the past behind him, for not getting on with his job in taking back their home. He was angry with Prompto for allowing himself to be put through the crap that he was put through, for the wincing he still sometimes witnessed, for pretending to always be so damn happy all the time. He was angry with Ignis for being blind, for insisting on coming along with them when the wounds on his face had only just healed, for acting like he was okay with everything. But most of all, he was angry with himself, angry with his failures, failures that it felt like were constantly being slapped in his face.

    Sitting with Iggy, he tried to hide it, but he knew that the other man was aware of it, was aware of the simmering resentment boiling just below the surface. And watching Noct and Prompto a few seats down from him just made it all the worse.

    Gladio was angry, and it was only a matter of time before he lost it completely.