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.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “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.