The night wore on painfully slowly, or that's how it felt to Ignis as he took the first watch, feeling more secure if he were the one to take it over the other two. Not that he didn't trust them, it just felt right if he were the one to do it. The majority of the night was spent watching the young gunslinger closely, rarely taking his eyes off him. He slept soundly through the night, which was a huge relief, but it did nothing to ease the concern he felt.
Hours rolled on without incident, and Ignis was beginning to feel the tugs and pulls of slumber gripping at him. He deemed it safe enough to allow one of the others to take over his watch for him. With a light hand, he reluctantly disturbed Gladio from his sleep, shaking his shoulder subtly, afraid that he would wake the others if he were to add any more force behind it. Fortunately the larger man awoke with ease, and knew what was needed of him before he could even be told.
With a single nod and took Ignis' place in sitting between the Prompto and Noctis were he stayed relatively statue still for the remainder of the night. Although only a few hours remained until sunrise, with all the tension and stress of the situation it felt like much longer than that as every second ticked by at a grueling pace.
Eventually the first tendrils of light broke out, weaving throughout the sky and chasing away the stars. He basked in the moment before tearing the other three from their restful states. Starting with Ignis and Noctis, he woke them each up, leaving the blonde to sleep a little longer while they cleaned things up and prepared to depart.
As Gladio was finishing up, Ignis took it upon himself to wake the last of the group, crouching down next to Prompto and gently placing a hand on his upper arm. He gave a light nudge calling his name softly. "Prompto, it's time to go, wake up."
The latter slowly opened his eyes, surprisingly waking up rather easily. "Hmm?" He questionably hummed groggily, using one of his hands to block out the sun; the sun which seemed to be far too bright for his liking.
"We are about to be on our way soon." Ignis responded, moving to position himself so that he was blocking the majority of the light. "How are you feeling?"
Prompto removed his hand once he was mostly blanketed in shadow, "Ummm, pretty alright I guess." He slurred, closing his eyes again, "Jus' tired."
"I know, but we need to leave." He said compassionately, having patience with his unwillingness to move. "I'll be right back, I do at least want you to drink some water before we go." He straightened himself to collect the water, and as he was turning to walk away he caught Prompto's slight wave as he turned over to his other side, he assumed to go back to sleep. Ignis only shook his head and continued forward.
As he retrieved the water bottle from the previous night he heard Gladio's voice behind him, "Everything alright?" He asked, noticing the obvious concern written on the other's face.
Ignis offered him a sigh before replying, "For the most part," He started, shooting a glance behind them, "I think a lot of what's been going on is just catching up with him now." He pushed past Gladio, but not in an aggressive way, and made his way back over to their gunslinger, who of course was asleep once again. Using the same method as before, Ignis once again roused him out of his slumber.
"Wha?" Prompto groaned this time, clearly getting annoyed now. He didn't open his eyes now, and instead stayed in the same position he was in.
Ignis placed a gentle, yet firm, hand on Prompto's shoulder, forcing him to turn back over. He then held up the water in front of his face once he finally peaked through heavy lids, "Here, drink some. Even if you don't feel like it, drink it." Without asking he was already supporting Prompto in sitting up, not wanting to waste unnecessary time. He was at least thankful at the lack of a fight he put up. Though he wasn't sure if he should be thankful for that.
Unscrewing the cap for him, he handed it over as Prompto held in it both hands, which felt oddly shaky and weak. Ignis hadn't noticed before, but now that he could see him in the morning light, he could see how pale he now looked. That combined with the stark contrast of his eyes made him appear almost sickly. He looked far worse than the day before, that much was for certain. Lost in thought, Ignis wasn't aware that Prompto was now trying to hand the water back to him, now done with it. He didn't exactly drink a lot of it, but it was better than nothing at least.
"And I don't suppose you want to try eating something?" Ignis asked hopefully, remembering that he had barely had anything in the last few days. And he got the response he was expecting; that familiar shake of the head. "Are you sure? You need to at least try." He tried to persuade him, talking quietly to him.
"I'm sure." He answered swiftly, not wanting to talk about it further. Ignis only tightened his mouth in a thin line, finally taking the water back and capping it back up.
"Alright, if you really don't want to." There was disappointment behind his words, but he tried not to let it show too much. "Do you think you are about ready to go then?" He asked instead, changing the subject.
Prompto sat in silence for a moment, and after about ten seconds Ignis was starting to wonder if he even heard him. Opening his mouth to ask again, he gave his reply, "If I have to." Tone void of any hints of optimism, he pushed away from the other man to get to his feet. Ignis reached out to help him, but he was quick to slap it away, "I can stand up myself."
The bespectacled man said nothing as he carefully retracted his offered hand, allowing the other to be independent. And just as he predicted, it didn't take long before he was leaning dangerously to the side. Instinctively he grabbed Prompto by the shoulder, preventing him from face planting at least, but again, his hand was roughly smacked away. "I told you, I don't need your pity." His voice held no venom in it, but instead, it sounded more worn and overall just miserable. He gazed at Ignis out of the corner of his eyes, though they carried a glassy coating over them.
"Prompto..." Ignis began to say, but stopped himself. He kept his hands hovering nearby, just to be safe, but tried to keep his distance. "Just...don't push yourself." He decided to say instead.
"Are we leaving soon, or what?" Noctis asked as he walked up, watching his friend closely after seeing how Ignis was standing protectively close to him. He looked to him questionably, who in turn just shook his head sadly. The prince understood the meaning behind that and stepped back a bit, giving them some space to collect themselves.
"Yeah, I won't." Prompto turned to face Ignis completely now, "I'm ready now." He said, now turning his head to speak to Noctis. He took a couple of unsteady first steps, but soon they became more natural and sure. The two left behind shared a concerned glance and quickly joined the blonde, following close behind.
Gladio cast his eyes over his shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps, "I assume everyone is ready?" When Prompto didn't answer he threw his gaze past him to the other two. Noctis only nodded, eyes flicking to meet Gladio's. The latter said nothing more, seeing the obvious warning about the blonde's mood.
"I believe we are all ready to head out." Ignis answered, not missing a beat, and talking as if nothing was amiss. He supposed it was to uphold any sort of normalcy they had left. Which, if they were being honest, they were pretty appreciative for. "We should be able to return before nightfall tonight, as long as no one hampers our pace." He pulled Gladio to the side to real quick, "Keep a close eye on him, will you?" He said, looking to Prompto's back, "Knowing him, he's not going to tell anyone when he needs assistance, and he's in no condition to be walking the whole way there. The stubborn fool."
"Yeah, got it." Gladio patted him lightly on the shoulder as he stepped forward, flanking Prompto's left side. Ignis sped up himself and went to take the front of the group once more.
To everyone's surprise, their gunslinger was actually managing to keep up with them. He may not have been in as high spirits as he normally was, but he was keeping up nonetheless. A stumble here and there wasn't too bad considering, and more than once Gladio found himself almost stepping in, but stopping himself as he didn't want to hinder Prompto's fragile freedom when it came to doing things for himself. This went on until they were once again facing the edge of the marsh, its familiar and putrid smell assaulting their noses.
That's when the change in his pace took a drastic turn as he ceased altogether. His eyes fearfully scanned the waters that lied in front of him and he unconsciously took a step back as his body worked on its own in an act of self preservation. It absolutely did not want to move an inch at the sight of this place. "No no no." He repeated silently to himself, the words seemingly flowing out on their own accord.
He gave a startled jump when he felt something touch his shoulder, and spun around to face what it was. Ignis stared back at him, "I know you don't want to go through here, but it's the fastest way back."
"Are you sure we can't just go around or something?" Prompto asked with desperation crystal clear in his voice. "I'm mean, There has to be another way."
"That would take far too long, perhaps days if we were to go around; we have no clue how large this swamp is, and I do not intend to find out." The terror in his eyes pulled at him, "Everything is going to be fine, we know what's out there now." He continued encouragingly, "Nothing else is going to happen now."
Prompto let that thought simmer for a few moments, wanting to trust the other with everything he had, but his paranoia was flaring up again as well. No matter what the others said, he wasn't going to feel comfortable about any of this until he was certain it was over for good. "Alright." He finally said tightly. He followed Ignis closely now and cringed visibly as his foot sank beneath the green murk. And then another step. Resulting in another wince of displeasure. He was vaguely aware of his hands balling up at his sides, but he could feel his nails digging into his palms, yet it seemed to float to the back of his mind.
Noctis was behind him, and seeing his friend's internal struggles, he slid a hand carefully onto his back, "Just try not to think about it." He tried to help get his mind off it, "Try focusing on something else."
Prompto gave him a forced, yet kind smile, "Yeah, easier said than done." his voice quivered slightly. "I'm sorry." He said more quietly as a shiver ran through him.
"About what exactly?" Noctis asked.
Prompto bit his lower lip in hesitation, unsure of how to word it. "I'm just... It's just that..." He danced around in his thoughts a bit, "I feel like I'm being too paranoid about this." He looked away and berated under his breath, "Such a damn coward."
Noctis felt a sharp pang at that. Did he honestly think that? "Look, I'm not sure exactly what happened, but from the sound of it, it doesn't seem like you are overreacting." He tried to comfort, "You're not a coward, alright?"
"I'm not sure if I can honestly believe that anymore." He picked up his speed in order to put a little distance between the two of them. Noctis stayed behind, seeing that the other evidently needed some space. He glanced to Gladio, knowing that he heard the whole thing, and he offered him a half smile as he closed the gap between himself and the blonde, still wanting to be close just in case.
They went on in silence for a little longer, and just like earlier, Gladio was there and lurched forward with every falter and trip. If the others didn't know better it would have looked as though he were being a bit overprotective. Ignis would take the occasional glimpse back to check up on him, and he couldn't help but be worried about it. Not only because he seemed to struggle more as time went on, but also because they were going far too slow for his comfort. At this rate it would take a couple days.
As that idea played through his head he heard a swift change in the splashes behind him; they came almost to a stop. Looking back he found Prompto staring off, Gladio right next to him holding onto his upper arm, supposedly the only thing keeping him upright now. He backtracked to stand in front of him, and in his eyes he saw nothing; he wasn't there. "Prompto?" He asked, cupping his face in one hand. He was breathing rather quickly. "Gladio, do you have a good hold on him?"
"Yeah." He answered quickly. "Why?"
Ignis watched as his eyes dimmed even more and started to roll back, "He's about to pass out." As the last syllable passed his lips, the blonde's knees buckled from beneath him and Gladio was quick to catch him. He was completely limp in his arms. It happened so quickly he didn't know how to react to it; he was walking almost as if nothing was wrong, and then all of a sudden he had just stopped. "Like I said, he doesn't know when to ask for help or when to tell someone something's wrong. And look now, he pushed himself too far, precisely like I knew he would."
"Is he gonna be alright though?" Noctis asked, moving a little closer to get a better look.
Ignis nodded stiffly, "Yeah, he will be. Exhaustion caught up with him, that combined with his lack of eating anything sustainable. His body was bound to rebel sooner or later, but he'll be fine." He brushed back strands of pale gold hair, feeling the temperature of his skin, relieved that that still felt safe. "When he wakes up, you are not to let him walk on his own again. I do not care what he says, or how much he complains, it's not happening." His words were final.
"Yeah, I understand." Gladio scooped Prompto into his arms, just as he had done the previous day. The younger relaxed against him as he was in his rag doll state. "You sure are a lot of trouble, I hope you know that." He said to his comatose form.
Ignis didn't want to mention it, but he was a bit thankful for his fainting, not only for the sake of getting out of this place quicker, but also for his own health. He was spending energy that he no longer contained. Without another word, he went about setting their new pace, which was more than double what it had been. But to be fair, the previous one hadn't been all that fast to begin with.
A couple more hours passed as the waded through the waist deep greenish muck, soaking them through with the grotesqueness they grew to despise. Gladio glared down at the young man in his arms, "You have it easy now." He said humorously, "Getting to stay dry and clean this time around."
"And I'm sure he will greatly appreciate that when he comes to." Ignis threw behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks when something flared out of the corner of his eye. "Did either of you see that?" He asked, one-hundred percent serious now as he drifted closer to where it was. "Noctis, come with me, Gladio, stay where you are." He instructed as the two of them gradually went in that direction.
Noctis followed as asked, "What is it?" He asked after a few steps.
Ignis said nothing as he focused all his attention on his sight and hearing, waiting for any other signs to show themselves. He held up a hand, signalling for the prince to remain silent. Listening closely, he caught a faint grumbling that sounded to be a few yards away. "That must be it." He said more to himself.
"You mean the thing that did that to Prompto?" Noctis asked bitterly, gesturing back with his hand. "Can't wait to get my hands on this son of a bitch." Without another thought now that he was set on his goal he began to move forward.
"Noct." Ignis warned with a grab of his arm, "Control yourself. Rushing in there will do no one any good. We have no knowledge of where it even is." He turned back to Gladio, "Keep an eye out, and do what you are able to keep your distance from it." Once Ignis got his confirmation he turned back to Noctis and called one of his daggers, "You stay right here, I'm going ahead." Noctis was about to protest to that idea, so he cut him off before he could speak, "I'll need you to be back up. If something happens, you will be able to act faster than I would be able to."
Noctis still didn't like the idea, but he felt inclined to go along with it. It did sound to be more logical anyway, he had to admit. He watched Ignis' back as it slowly got further and further away. He got about fifteen feet away and stopped to listen once again. Giving it about twenty seconds, he came up empty handed, it was as if it was never there. Taking another scan around he straightened himself up and dismissed his weapon, deeming the area relatively clear.
Noctis let out a deep breath, not feeling any better about the situation knowing that thing was out there somewhere. And the fact that it could slip away so easily without their realizing only made matters more stressful. As Ignis was cautiously making his way back, he tossed a look back to the others, just to make sure they were fine. He was starting to understand Prompto's paranoia now. "Iggy? Any chance we can track this thing down?"
"I wish it were that simple, but-" He was cut off as his voice transitioned into a resounding splash.
Noctis spun his head around at the noise, "Iggy?" He asked as he faced where the man was, but he was met with swamp. "Iggy!" He called again, a bit more urgently.