Chapter Warning: Violence and depictions of death. Things are going to be getting more graphic from here on out, the rating will be going up. Chapters which contain particularly gruesome images or triggering situations will be marked with a chapter warning.
Gentiana's departure signaled the ending of the storm, a curiosity which didn't go unnoticed by the four though they had no workable theories for her strange powers other than that she might be able to borrow the power of the Gods. The group finished crossing the fallen ledge serving as their bridge and made camp on the other side of the chasm, taking the rest of the day to recover from the cold and to let their Chocobos rest. Noctis shared the vision with the others around the fire, warming his hands which felt the chill in even his bones. He left out a few details— such as the bar code he had seen on Prompto's wrist, and only reluctantly shared that he had seemingly killed Luna. The idea made him feel sickened, just the thought so intensely repulsive that he couldn't believe it was possible. The barcode had troubled him with conflicting urges— ask Prompto, or don't? He had glimpsed it before, but thought nothing of it until the vision. Now, he knew it had some importance. What that importance was he didn't know, and what it meant for their futures? There was no way of telling without asking. And with how careful the gunner was to always keep it hidden, Noctis knew he couldn't outright ask. He didn't know how to ask either. Until he could figure it out, he decided to leave it alone.
Ignis was the first to suggest that the vision might not be genuine, which made him lean back in his seat to think it over. There was no real way of telling, was there? The idea that is was fake pissed Gladiolus off and made Prompto quiet. Noctis resolved to figure it out for his friends, but he was putting little stock in it either way. He wouldn't let that happen.
Still, he was worried about Luna. He hadn't heard back from her since he sent the journal back with Umbra telling her that he was on his way to her, which hopefully meant she was angry and not hurt. He could deal with her anger even if he would rather avoid it.
Nothing else really mattered as long as she was safe.
Another cold night and Chocobo filled tent left them sleeping cramped next to each other but warm. According to Prompto it was cozy. The next morning they moved out again, taking it easy for the Chocobos who were beginning to tire and therefore develop attitudes. They managed to find a way through the mountain and began their descent while carefully sticking away from ledges or fragile overhangs. At one point they thought a fight inevitable as they were being forced under a Griffon's perch, but the beast didn't move to attack and merely watched them.
When they broke upon the open air again and gazed out into the land, they fell still, each man drawing in a breath of shock.
Before them lay Galahd, a land rich with trees larger than any of them had ever seen. From their view high in the snowcapped mountains they could see only a few patches of grass, the dense foliage forming an unbroken mass of green wherever they looked. It was an amazing sight. The horizon was far away.
"Hold on- I've gotta get a picture of this."
"Damn right you do", the Shield breathed.
They gave him his minute to do it before moving on and starting down a narrow, rocky path. They were traveling faster than ever, eager to get down, but the hours wore on and eventually they had to settle down for the night. They were out of meat and unwilling to venture far with the area so unfamiliar, but the open air gave them enough visibility to wander and search for any bird nests nearby. They got lucky and managed to secure a half-dozen or so, which Ignis worked into their dinner for some added protein.
They were all around the fire when a giggle, high pitched and strangely rough, fell through the darkness. Prompto shot up, his eyes wide, and Noctis wasn't feeling too far off from the fear the gunner was suddenly displaying. That giggle was familiar. He knew what kind of daemons made noises like that—
An imp— or rather goblin— jumped out from the dark, swinging a wide, crescent moon blade at the nearest person, which happened to be Ignis. The serious man called his daggers forth just in time to defend himself and throw the small daemon away from him.
"God damnit", Prompto yelled, firing his guns furiously at the little creature. Noctis knew that where one goblin was, there was always at least two more. It only took a moment for him to call forth the energy and blink his eyes, letting the world light up. Like last time the trees down the mountain were bright, but their leaves made it look like an ocean of light. The camp-fire was too bright and painful to look at, a side effect of his eyes growing more sensitive, but the goblins around their camp were perfectly visible.
After that, it wasn't difficult to take them down. There were a few nasty scratches left behind, but those were easily treated with potions. Gladiolus elected to stay up and keep watch, but the four were uneasy and unable to sleep.
"What do we do if more show up?", Prompto asked, scuffing his shoes against the dirt and rocks.
"If it's just goblins we can take care of them", Ignis said, but he too sounded concerned. Noctis sighed, and looked around again. He was facing out from the fire to spare his eyes, which were beginning to ache strangely.
"Anything else and we might have trouble", Gladiolus added.
The presence of daemons after a few nights without trouble was enough to keep them all up well past the time they would have normally went to bed. There was another group that Noctis saw coming from a distance away, more goblins, but thankfully no giants or flans, which in the dark would have been more difficult to survive than ever. When morning came they were all exhausted, and all eager to get their journey over with. Spending the day riding hard got them down the barest parts of the mountain and into the trees, which they quickly realized would be problematic.
The branches and leaves were so thick that the area was cast in constant shadow.
"Think there are daemons?", Noctis asked quietly, easing his reigns back to stop his Chocobo, still unnamed.
"Likely. It's quite dark", Ignis replied, his own bird shuffling under him and peering into the forest with deep brown eyes. He had decided on calling her Magna. The advisor looked over to Noctis, gauging the king's mood, and then back to the forest.
"If we've followed close enough to our chosen route, we should have ten miles of forest between us and the other side of the tunnel. Travel will be easier on the road. The decision lies with you Noct, do we continue on?", Ignis spoke quietly and pulled his glasses off to clean them with a cloth he pulled from his pocket. They acquired dust particles throughout the day, and sometimes a Chocobo feather amongst the normal smudges that, regrettably, could not be deterred with even gloves.
Noctis glanced at the sky and judged that they would have right around four hours of daylight left to them. If they continued they would arrive on the other side in time to set a camp in daylight on the open road. If they stopped, they would risk facing another sleepless night before entering the forest, an option that was more dangerous.
"Let's get going", he said, and nudged his bird on.
They set a quicker pace than normal, urging their tired Chocobos to continue. The avians seemed to understand the necessity of making it through the forest and went without complaint, keeping their pace even when the time for a break came and went.
Ignis raised his hand two hours in, halting his bird slowly. Noctis looked to him, blue eyes shadowed by the dark. They had passed some goblins or imps earlier, but the little daemons had been unable to keep up with the Chocobos.
"What is it?", Gladiolus asked, his back straight as he used the added height Slate provided to survey the area. He then saw what had drawn Ignis's attention— three ice bombs in the distance, which hadn't yet noticed them.
"Daemons", Ignis spoke, for Prompto and Noctis, "Ice bombs, specifically. I believe we should go around them."
They never fared well against the bombs, whatever the variety, and did especially poorly when tired. The creatures required constant attacking to prevent them from overcharging and exploding… A deadly consequence of their power.
"Sounds good to me", Prompto said, and Noctis nodded his acquiescence as well. They moved slowly, keeping the bombs in sight as they circled around and continued again on their journey. The forest was growing darker as they approached the thickest part, halfway through.
"Have you guys noticed that there aren't any animals here?", Prompto asked quietly, and Noctis looked around slowly, contemplating using his magic-powered sight. However, he'd developed an awful headache the night before and sharp pains in his eyes that discouraged him.
"Yeah. No rabbits, no wild dogs… Not even a bird…", the young king replied to Prompto. It was a distinctly chilling environment, void of all noise but the sounds of their Chocobos stepping on dry leaves and brittle sticks. The birds themselves were uncommonly quiet, not a 'kweh' or a chirp leaving them.
"Think it's the daemons?", Gladiolus asked Ignis quietly, the hair on his arms standing on end with his unease. Something wasn't right about this place.
"I couldn't say for sure", the bespectacled man replied, "there are daemons in the forests of Duscae that don't disturb the natural fauna…"
They moved on carefully, going mile by mile, and eventually had to turn on their flashlights. The Chocobos were silent, and moving cautiously in the dark.
"It shouldn't be this dark", Gladiolus said, looking up at a broad expanse of inky darkness, "there should be some light. I can't even see back the way we came."
He rolled his broad shoulders to loosen his tense muscles while Ignis checked their direction with the compass and looked at the map. Prompto got some greens out for his Chocobo while they were stopped and fed her, leaning forward in his saddle. Solar took a few steps back in response, and Prompto felt his back press against something.
"Huh?", he tried to turn to look behind him, but something kept him from being able to twist around.
"Guys-!", his alarmed voice drew their attention from the map immediately. Noctis urged his Chocobo to the blond and Solar, who was pacing in place agitatedly. At first, Noctis didn't see anything, but when his flashlight shined on Prompto—
Web.
"Something's got me! What is it?! Guys!", the gunner's voice was nearing panicked as he struggled. The more he moved the more the web was shaken, and Noctis began to get a very bad feeling about that.
"Prompto stop! Stop moving!", the prince said. Gladiolus cursed behind him and got closer.
"You're fine, it's just web", the Shield said, and took a dagger Ignis handed him. The two moved closer to inspect the fine silver strands, each one as thick as one of Gladiolus's pinkies. He grabbed Prompto's arm and tugged a little, trying to dislodge him.
"Ow! Ow! Don't do that!", the whine was clear and loud. Noctis winced.
"We'd best move on, quickly. Cut him down", Ignis said, grabbing the blond's other arm to steady him whilst avoiding the web himself. It expanded far above their heads and into the darkness of the branches.
Noctis felt very perturbed by that web, and followed it up, pulling on his energy to summon his sight. When he tried, he was overtaken by a powerful stinging sensation and he ducked his head, rubbing at his watering eyes. When he drew them away there was no beautiful glow of the forest, and he felt his stomach sink. Had he used too much energy? Had he strained his eyes?
"This isn't working", Gladiolus grunted, tugging on the dagger which was now apparently stuck to the webbing as well.
"Guys, it's in my hair. Get me down!", Prompto cried, his legs kicking a bit and making Solar chirp quietly in distress.
"We are trying", Ignis said, a low undertone of frustration in his voice. He let his daggers dissolve and leaned back on Magna's saddle, thinking.
"Fire?", Noctis suggested, summoning a small flame to his palm.
"Give it a go", Gladiolus spoke in approval for the king's quick thinking.
"But carefully", Ignis stressed.
The web burned much easier than it could be severed but didn't spread far. A sticky gel-like substance was beaded every few inches along the strands, and when the fire touched the beads it would fizzle out and die despite there only being a few centimeters width to the gel.
"We'll have to get the remaining webbing off of you later", Ignis spoke, glancing up before straightening from his leaned position and seating himself properly in his saddle. Prompto let out a shaking breath of relief as he was freed. He encouraged Solar to take a few steps away from the webbing, and when Noctis saw his back he couldn't help laughing a little. An entire section had come away with the blond and remained stuck to him. It looked— interesting.
"Don't laugh! Who knows what made that! And it's pulling my hair-"
As it would turn out, they would get to know exactly what made the webbing. They succeeded in getting perhaps twenty feet from the spot Prompto had been trapped in, being careful not to run into any more low-hanging strands that they saw, when the steel-strong silk around them vibrated. There was a pause, and then another vibration that they all noticed and stopped to stare at.
And then the unholiest of screeches tore through the air like a siren, startling the birds thoroughly and causing a standstill panic amongst their feathered friends. They had no time to calm the birds and get them moving again, because from up above came the most terrifying scuttling sound and the trembling groan of the trees around them.
A massive, spiderlike daemon dropped from the darkness, another screech filling the air but with a desynchronized echo that took them a moment to identify.
Unlike most Arachne they came across, this particular one hosted two women at the upper body. They were pale, blueish in appearance with sharp markings and distorted faces, their torsos naked. They had jagged features to go with their spindly legs, and huge fangs in their wide-set jaws. And they looked furious. Prompto's struggling had seemed normal to them— another fly caught in their trap, another meal to wrap up when they pleased. However, the cessation of his struggles had alerted them to something being amiss. Prey did not go through those woods often enough for them to simply let Prompto go… And now that they had seen not only three other human meals but four avian ones, the Arachni was in hot pursuit.
The birds took off, scared from their standstill, dashing away with their riders still on their backs, tightly packed to each other and hopping fallen logs, ducking webbing which was growing ever thicker almost in unison. Noctis had no complaints— the Arachni was the largest spider daemon he had ever seen, far more ferocious than what he had been expecting. He had thought an Arachne likely after seeing the webs, maybe even two, but that was a daemon they could handle with relative ease if they were careful of the lightning based attacks! This was a daemon they were completely unfamiliar with!
"The webs are thickening!", Ignis yelled over the crash of the Arachni leaping from one thick tree to another. The trunks shuddered as she landed on them, sometimes scuttling in-between on her webs, placing her eight legs with perfect precision between the sticky gel beads.
"Gunna have to fight!", Gladiolus yelled, halting his Chocobo and throwing a leg across his saddle to hop off immediately. Ignis was the next to stop, and Noctis in his usual fashion threw himself off, landing agilely before he whipped around. Prompto skidded Solar to a stop and jumped off, jogging up behind Noctis.
"I can't move with this web on me!", he said frantically, standing stiffly and straight. Noctis summoned Engine Blade, hand tight on the handle.
"Then stay back!", he said sharply, throwing his blade up and warping as the Arachni dropped. The action took him into the uppermost branches where they had come from, and his flashlight briefly shined on a horrifying sight.
Bodies, wrapped in silk and hollowed out with death and being fed upon, hung suspended throughout the branches above them.
Noctis let himself drop, his gaze moving fast to the Arachni below who was already charging up for an elemental attack. Lightning shuddered up her legs, coiling around the four arms of the two upper torsos, making their hair stand on end. Noctis aimed his blade right at her and flung it, hoping to throw the attack off. No one had enough room to dodge such a devastating blow, and when he glanced at Gladiolus— illuminated by his own flashlight— Noctis saw that he had swung into a web after the Arachni dodged a blow and had gotten War Sword stuck. A flash of blue and the sword disappeared from the silken strands, but that moment left the Shield undefended.
Thankfully, Noctis's blade distracted her well enough. Engine Blade sunk deep into the shoulder of the woman on the left, protruding through the other side, and she screamed out.
Unfortunately, the other woman didn't feel her pain and grabbed Noctis by his jacket, flinging him hard to the ground. He had just enough time to warp, landing on one knee, before he swung his sword again to gain distance.
Gladiolus had called War Sword again and now flung it hard through the air. It lodged into the Arachni's lower, spider-like body and spilled black blood onto the ground. The woman on the left was bleeding heavily after Noctis's attack but didn't seem defeated, instead appearing more furious. Prompto fired from behind him and Noctis saw the whiz of one of Ignis's blade go by almost simultaneously, the bullet and dagger lodging into the injured creature. The silver metal sunk into her belly, just before she connected to the singular body, and the bullet left a bleeding hole in her chest.
"Aim for them, not the body!", Ignis yelled, dodging with Noctis as she charged them, legs stabbing into the soft earth. He warped under them, drawing their attention as the right sided-torso followed the direction his sword took. She had learned from his first strike and would not lose track of him.
"She's targeted Noct!", Prompto yelled, trying to get closer to provide more light to them. The effort took him too close though, and when she backed up from another of Gladiolus's swings he was knocked to the ground. The sticky webbing at his back connected solidly with the earth underneath him and held him fast.
He couldn't get up.
"Noct!", the fear in his voice was obvious as the spider moved over him, her legs not unlike a cage. She hadn't yet noticed he was below her, but it was only a matter of time with his struggling.
The young king felt his heart lurch for their blond friend, and he pulled on the power of the kings, summoning his armiger. The act would leave him exhausted, but better that than to lose a friend they had no hope of reaching.
The blades of his ancestors lit the area as he warped rapidly, attacking the Arachni duo viciously and proficiently. The one that was already injured soon slumped over, and her side of the spider-body weakened, but the other female screamed at him and dodged with surprising agility, sustaining serious but not life-threatening damage.
Still, she was weakening from the blood pouring out of her companion.
Noctis warped out of her strike zone, eyes moving to Prompto who was still struggling desperately. There was primal fear in his gaze, and Noctis thought back to all the times his friend had been in a tough position before. If Prompto didn't have escape as an option, he grew very panicked.
And his panicking was attracting her attention.
"No!", Noctis flung engine blade and warped after it, catching it in midair just above Prompto. He summoned his own greatsword as his feet touched down, using the broad blade to defend the gunner as he stood over him.
The force of the blow she had struck with her leg made his arms cave and his sword's flat edge hit him powerfully in the chest, knocking the air out of him. He too hit the ground, and he heard Prompto yelp as the king fell against his left side.
"Noct run!", he felt Prompto pushing at his arm and had a moment where he realized how selfless his friend was.
Instead, he summoned a shield, equipment he was less familiar with but which was large enough to hopefully save them. Flat on his back and tight to Prompto's side, he held the shield with both hands and braced for impact.
The impact was a hard one, the Arachni struck at them with two legs which took his breath again and made his arms hurt with the force of the blow, but which didn't make his arms give out. It was easier with his hands gripping the handles and his elbows bent tight, holding the shield as close to them as he could and bracing his upper arms against his chest.
It still hurt like fuck.
"Highness!"
Ignis's fright was obvious in his shout, but was swallowed up by Gladiolus's war shout. The man swung his sword and cleaved through two legs of the Arachni, driving her off balance, and before she could regain it he used the momentum of his swing to carry him into another, twirling to deal another harsh blow that took another leg.
The Arachni fell to the side, away from Prompto and Noctis, but the king had to readjust as the remaining female swung the legs of the spider-body towards them. He rolled to his right side, dropping the shield's edge hard against the ground, and was driven back against Prompto by the kicking legs colliding with the front. The gunner let out a grunt of pain, but his left arm came up and crossed over his chest to grip Noctis's sleeve.
The king and the civilian didn't see what happened to make the kicking finally stop, but it did a few moments later. Ignis's boots hit the ground loudly as he ran over.
"Noctis! Prompto!", Noctis saw his relief when the shield dissolved and the two were relatively unscathed. They had both sustained bruising, which would later darken almost black against Noctis's forearms and chest and Prompto's side.
"We're good, we're-", Noctis glanced at Prompto and his voice fell silent. The gunner's eyes were shut tight and he was clutching his right wrist.
"Prompto? Is it broken?", Ignis asked, and the blond's eyes popped open. As close as they still were, Noctis could feel his heart racing. In case the gunner was hurt he moved away, rolling to his knees to check the young man over.
"I'm sorry", the gunner said, his shaken voice tinged with upset, "I was an idiot. I got too close and Noct had to-"
He closed his eyes again and his grip on his wrist tightened. Noctis recognized it as an action of habit— when Prompto felt upset or uncomfortable, his hand often went to his wrist.
To the barcode.
Gladiolus had reached them and was breathing a little heavily, his skin lined with a faint sheen of sweat that Ignis shared. Dodging the attacks of a daemon were much harder without the ability to warp.
"Noct is the idiot. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?", the man growled, cuffing the back of the king's head. Noctis didn't even try to dodge the gentle hit when his body was starting to ache so much.
"I thought your shield was going to give out after using the armiger."
"Nah", Noctis said quietly, "I had someone else to worry about. Couldn't let it go."
The words didn't have the comforting effect he intended. Prompto's expression flashed with pain before he turned his head away. Feeling guilty, Noctis gently tapped the blond's arm, close to the barcode that was hidden by bracelets and a tightly gripping hand. Prompto looked back, startled.
"Hey, you're worth it", the dark haired man said, hoping that would help.
It did. A small, unsure, but happy smile crossed the gunner's face.
They wanted to get away from the area as quickly as possible, but the task was harder than simply hopping on their Chocobos and going. The birds would not approach them so close to the Arachni's body, and Noctis's legs wouldn't hold him up for long despite an ether and a potion helping his worn body, so the task of walking to the Chocobos was made more difficult. It was further complicated by the fact that they were having trouble unsticking Prompto from the ground, and the blond's unease with being trapped hadn't abated. They couldn't cut the strands off of his back and couldn't burn them off, something the gunner was distinctly uneasy with anyway because the webbing was directly against his back and head. Gladiolus suggested digging the soil out from beneath Prompto.
"Would get him free and solve the sticking issue until we know how to get it off", he said. With no other real options, he went to get the shovel from Slate— and then stilled when he saw a blue light in the forest. It was heading straight for them, and was extremely bright. Too bright to see what was making it. He summoned his weapon and was joined by Ignis, who called his daggers up at Gladiolus's side.
"Hey! You people alright?", it was a woman's voice, and as the light got closer a figure got clearer. A woman with black hair pulled up into a ponytail, her olive skin lined and scarred by battle and brown eyes wary but friendly. She was dressed up in leather armor, not too different from a hunter's, but with bone accessories. The bones, oddly enough, were black. Most of them were wide, slightly curved but mostly flat pieces to adorn her outfit as armor. A sword was strapped across her back, about as wide as Gladiolus's palm and an inch thick.
"Yeah", Gladiolus said, lowering his sword slightly. He looked as surprised as Noctis felt. He hadn't expected to see anyone else out there— and definitely no one alone.
"You four are crazy to be travelling without a haven rock. What are you doing out here?", she lifted her light, which turned out to be a lantern with a glowing blue chunk of rock in it. It looked familiar, and was glowing like the etchings of a haven.
"Trying to reach Garanhai", Ignis said, letting his weapons disappear. The woman's eyes went wide when she saw him do that.
"How'd you do that?", she asked, and her gaze got sharp very quickly, roaming the group, "Everyone lost that power when the king died. How do you-"
Her eyes had strayed past Gladiolus and Ignis to find Noctis, and just the sight of the young king, even seated on the ground and tired from the battle, was enough to quiet her. She obviously recognized him. Gladiolus stepped in front of her to block her sight, regaining her attention, while Noctis leaned to the side to try and see her again.
"Who are you?", he asked tensely.
"Paroli Descov. Former Kingsglaive", she said quietly, "and that over there is the prince- the king- sorry. This is… Really unexpected."
Noctis forced himself up even though his legs shook, and moved out of Gladiolus's defensive shielding. His brows had dropped and his eyes were intense as he looked at her.
"Were you there? Do you know what happened?", he asked fast.
"Yeah, I mean, there's not a whole lot of people left who do but… What are you doing out here? This is no place for royalty." Her posture shifted as she changed the topic, and she eyed the Arachni warily. "I guess you've already figured that out."
"Yeah, we have. We didn't expect to see anyone until we reached the road though", Gladiolus said.
"We try and search the forests for anyone passing through, reach them before they get killed", Paroli said, "which they do, unless they have one of these." She lifted her glowing rock again, and Noctis's fist clenched. He wanted answers about Insomnia! About his father!
He glanced to the side when Ignis touched his arm, sending him a quelling look. He needed to calm down. Answers would come, but they had to get Prompto free and see if she would help them to Garanhai.
"So you find people and take them where?", Gladiolus asked, keeping his tone lighter, less defensive. Noctis envied his ability to carry on speaking when there was something eating away at him— he knew Gladiolus had his own questions.
"Garanhai, of course. It's the only place left really. I've got a small group, a few other Searchers and a few people who came through the forests from the coast-line, we're heading back. Should take about three days to get there once we clear the infested part of the road where we left our truck…", she put a hand onto her hip but didn't really shift her weight, glancing over them and then at their Chocobos.
"You're welcome to come. I just gotta wonder what you're doing here, I thought you'd be in Altissia waiting for Lady Lunafreya."
Noctis couldn't contain himself.
"Have you seen her?!", he asked fast, tone dropping with worry. Paroli leaned back a bit at his fervor, but didn't look very disconcerted.
"Your Majesty, she was getting ready to set sail for Altissia when I left the city. I don't know that she's still there, but she was doing just fine when I saw her. She seemed tired, but alright." She looked past Noctis, seeing Prompto on the ground.
"Speaking of health, is your friend there okay?", she asked, concerned, her ponytail swinging as she stepped closer.
"Oh, I'm good!", Prompto said enthusiastically, and a touch sarcastically, "Glad to see someone remembers me! I'll be unstuck before I know it!"
Noctis ducked his head in a laugh, relieved that Luna was okay and that Prompto was feeling good enough to complain. He eased back over to the blond and sat before his legs could give out. Prompto offered him a sympathetic glance and patted his knee.
Again, the barcode drew his attention. But it wasn't the time or place to say anything.
"Would you mind terribly if we traveled with you?", Ignis said, adjusting his sleeves. He was reading as much from her as possible, but she didn't give away much when she wasn't speaking. She seemed observant.
"Of course, it's why I'm out here. We'll find a way to fit your Chocobos in the truck too…"
Once Prompto was freed they got on their way, travelling easier with Paroli's assistance and the light of the haven-rock, which she explained was a fragment taken from a haven rune. The rocks were capable of repelling daemons and offering a portable sanctuary, smaller than a haven but just as strong. Their power hadn't yet been conquered by the daemons of the area which were intensely powerful and numerous, and for that the inhabitants of Galahd were thankful. The rocks were a temporary fix though, as they would grow dimmer the longer they were away from the haven they originated from and were in limited supply. It was a long day for the four men after an equally long night, though they couldn't tell the time without looking at Ignis's watch. They were able to rest considerably easier in the presence of the light and the absence of daemons when they stopped, and Paroli revealed that water reduced the stickiness of the webbing and with repeated treatments got it off of Prompto. He was utterly grateful and, in the way that he often acted around pretty women, was eager to show the older woman their pictures and tell her stories of their journey. It helped bridge the unfamiliarity between them and the formality she expressed to Noctis, and made the trip to the rest of her group pass faster.
Before they knew it they were with other people, traveling under the immense, webbed, and domed branches which arched over a beaten and cracked road. Daemons kept their distance, and when they reached the truck everybody and the Chocobos squeezed in, the solution found by a few people volunteering to sit on the roof. Noctis was not allowed to.
And soon enough, Garanhai was in their sights.