"You think we can fit through there?" Gladio asks as we approach a rather slim crack in the wall. Noctis sighs.
"Gotta try."
"How deep can this possibly go?" I mutter, crossing my arms.
"As deep as it would like," Ignis replies. "Just as long as we find Ramuh." There's a strange gurgling sound as Noctis squeezes into the fissure.
"Noct!" Gladio grabs his arm, jerking him out just as imps crawl through, hissing and clawing. I swing my blade to the left, killing one just before it poisons me with its sharp rod. Prompto shoots another, scrambling away from the creepy little daemons immediately. "Seriously?" Gladio demands, crushing one beneath his sword.
"I hate these things," Noctis huffs, attacking the next that comes out. They start to flood out at an alarming rate, Prompto grabbing for his Auto Crossbow and trying to slow them down.
"I think Gladio might be poisoned!" he warns, watching the shield stumble around, his brows pinched together like he can't concentrate.
"Just great," I mutter, killing the imp that's stabbing at me before performing a back handspring, my fingers barely touching the ground before I turn back onto my feet. Faster than wading through goblins. I stab through the imp flapping around me, knocking the one that flies at my face to the floor and stomping on its head. "Here," I say, nudging Gladio and handing him an antidote from our supply.
"Thanks," he grumbles, crushing the curative in his palm before slaughtering two imps in one swing.
"That's it!" Noctis grits as yet another imp jabs at him. He teleports around the room in a series of blue flashes, using various swords of the kings we've visited to take them out one by one faster than the blink of an eye. He comes to a stop in front of Ignis, falling onto his hands and knees and gasping for air.
"Are you alright, Highness?" Ignis asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Noctis nods, forcing himself to his feet. "Anyone else wanna go through first?"
"No thanks," Prompto declines immediately. "I'm good, really."
"Your job, Prince Charmless," Gladio says, pushing Noctis toward the fissure. "We got 'em all."
"You don't know that," the prince huffs. "There could still be one just waiting to eat me."
"Don't think they eat people," I dismiss, waving for him to move faster. "We don't have all day, Noct."
We all file through the crack and head forward through the even narrower passageway, only to stop when the ground begins to shake, a bloodcurdling scream echoing through the cave, followed by a demonic moan. The sound comes from a wide hole to our right, half filled with sharp rocks
"Wha… What was that sound?" Prompto stutters, grabbing my arm. There's another hissed groan, Prompto's fingers digging even further into my bicep.
"I don't know," I whisper back, prying his hand free and following the others further down into the tunnels. Prompto cries out behind me, and when I turn back, he's gone.
"Prompto!"
"What happened?" Ignis demands, following me back up.
"Hey!" Gladio shouts, hurrying up with Noctis. "You alright?!"
"Prompto just got grabbed by something," I shake my head.
"Over here!" Ignis calls.
We run down the path Ignis directs us toward, skidding to a stop when we come a large open room full of stalactites and stalagmites. Gladio storms into the room, standing beside me as he calls into the darkness.
"Prompto! Are you okay?!" he demands, his voice straining against its volume.
"No, I'm not okay!" Prompto's voice screams back in the distance. "This place is literally the worst!" His voice falls, sounding like a choked sob. "And why did it have to be a snake?!"
"A snake?" I frown, starting to hear the rustle of daemons in the darkness.
"That thing dragged me all the- Ah!" His voice is cut off as he cries out again. Noctis glowers at the imps that begin to flood from the walls, warping away to the other side of the cavern.
"Go!" I shout, shoving Ignis and Gladio forward. "We can't fight them all off."
"They just keep coming," Ignis says, running beside me.
"Then we keep sending 'em back," Gladio grits, killing off a large number of goblins before he takes off again.
"You alright?" I ask as we catch up to Noctis. He nods, taking down an imp. Ahead, I see more bombs and another mindflayer, the octopus thing from the ice cave.
"Oh no oh no oh no!" Prompto yells from who-knows-where.
"Told you to stick with us," Gladio grits, attacking the mindflayer.
"Didn't have a choice," Noctis shrugs, fighting with another imp.
"That's it, I quit," Prompto says. I frown, trying to find him. He scrambles over to us from a cluster of rocks.
"How nice of you to join us," I tease, bringing my sword down as hard as I can on top of the thunder bomb.
"Happy to grace you with my presence," he jokes back, firing a bullet at the bomb. "Let's hope this one doesn't blow."
"It won't." I take hold of the silver pendant around my neck, feeling the icy magic run down to my sword, the blade crusted over with a thick frost. I clench my teeth, leaping into the air and spinning to give my strike more momentum as I bring it down onto the bomb. It clatters to the floor, melting into nothing but a pile of violet dust.
"Gladio, do it!" Noctis shouts. Gladio rushes forward toward the cluster of imps before him, wildly swinging his enormous blade left and right. "Prompto, you're up!"
"Oh hello, opening," Prompto taunts, sending a small explosion into the confused pile of enemies.
"Rayne!" Gladio yells, grabbing the hand I extend and throwing me into the air like I'm weightless. I summon one ball of ice and another of fire, hurling both down into the mix and falling back toward the ground easily. I roll to my feet, lessening the impact.
"I'm impressed," Noctis laughs, watching the daemons melt away.
"What can I say?" I toss my hair over my shoulder, giving him a false cocky grin. There's a loud roar from a few feet away, making me dive out of the way just as a club-like fist pummels into the ground where I once stood.
"Giant goblins?!" Prompto cries, shooting as another charges toward us.
"I hate caves!" I shout, shoving my sword through the goblin's thick back and kicking it off my blade. It shrieks, stumbling toward me with its enormous fists flying. I dodge the attacks, instead ramming right into its chest and jamming my sword up through the bottom of its head. The second falls soon after.
"I'm dyin' of thirst here," Prompto groans.
"I'm starving to death," Noctis adds.
"And yet we're all very much alive," Ignis reminds them, tugging his gloves on further. He sheds his jacket, rolling up the sleeves on that dreaded leopard print shirt. "I sense we're on the right track," he says, eyeing the deep lines marked in the ground. We've come to yet another crawlspace.
"I'll go first," I say, crouching down and peering through the hole.
"Now you offer," Noctis scoffs, following. Prompto gasps upon reaching the other side.
"She's here… I just know it." He steps forward, glaring into the pitch black cavern we've entered. "Show yourself already!" he yells. Gladio grabs his shoulder, yanking him back.
"Cool it."
"Seriously," I huff. "Drawing her attention here is not a good idea."
The cave widens as we head further in, slowed only when we hear a loud hiss echo through the empty space. I shudder, every nerve completely on edge. I almost pee my pants when a translucent blue shape shoots up from the cave floor, whispering nonsensical garbage.
"See?! I told y0u!" Prompto cries, his fists balled at his sides. There she is! That's her!"
There's a splash of something wet (I wouldn't dare assume it's water) as the creature lands. When I straightens, I shiver. Dear Shiva… At the end of a long snake's body sits a human-like head, its face greyed and its eyes white. Tangled, decorated hair falls from its scalp in chunky strands. Her entire body is coated in some unknown slime.
"Do something, Noct!" Prompto demands, hiding between me and Gladio.
"Don't ask me," Noctis hisses, stepping back and away from the horrific daemon. "Do it yourself."
"My baby…" the monster growls, her words hardly intelligible. "Where…"
"I, uh, I know where," Noctis says, looking around for help from us. The daemon's eyes flash.
"That would mean… You took her!" It shrieks loudly, loose debris falling around us. She lunges forward, barely missing us.
"Showtime," Gladio mutters, summoning his sword to his hand.
"Let's hope it's not a tragedy," Ignis returns, avoiding the end of the creature's whipping tail.
"I prefer comedies, myself," I reply, throwing an ice spell at the back of her head.
"Prompto's gone frog on us," Gladio grumbles, slashing at the screaming daemon's back.
"The #$% are you talking about?" Noctis demands. The snake disappears, shooting up from underneath his feet and knocking him onto his back. I dive forward and slash at her face as she looms down to snatch him up with her jagged fangs.
"He needs a potion," I clarify as Ignis provides the blond with one. "Get up, Princey. Now's not the time for a nap."
"And now Ignis has too," Gladio grits, attacking the snake again.
"Okay, scrap that," I huff, pointing toward the frog leaping across the floor. "That's Iggy."
"Well, here's your comedy," Noctis sighs, warping toward the snake's face and attacking her head. Ignis poofs back into "human form," adjusting his glasses irritably. "Look who's back: the Green General."
"… Back to business," Ignis mutters, driving the end of his spear into the daemon's neck. "Out of the way," he says, eyeing Noctis.
Just as the prince throws an ice spell, I throw my own, doubling up the effect of the magic. The creature screams, lashing the end of her tail at us. Gladio gets slammed against the rough wall, the pointed tip of her tail cutting a deep trail down my left arm.
I find the urge to scream a thousand vulgar words, and instead, hurl my sword at her. It cuts into her forehead, jutting out like a thorn. I can feel that familiar dizziness of poison shooting through my veins as Ignis, Noctis, and Prompto hack at whatever will to live the daemon has left. She melts into a puddle of black goo, screaming her last words.
"Bring back… my baby…"
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to clear my eyes as I stumble toward Ignis. Something catches my eye. Gladio…? I change direction, stumbling and catching myself with my hands. I grit out a grunt of pain through my teeth, a jolt running up my bleeding arm. Biting down on my cheek, I drag myself over toward Gladio's unconscious body where it slumps against the rock wall. A thin line of blood trails down his face, a long path of red running down his chest from where it pools on his shoulder. "Ignis!" I call, wincing as my head pounds sharply with the volume of my voice.
"Rayne?" Prompto calls back, pointing toward me when Ignis turns to look for me. "You alright?"
I don't answer, waiting for Ignis to come running. He kneels in front of me and Gladio, taking my arm into his hands. "What on Eos have you done?"
"Her tail got me," I huff, resting my head back against the wall. Ignis sighs, handing me an antidote.
"Poison does seem to be your mortal enemy as of lately. What happened to Gladio?"
"He got thrown into the wall," Noctis sighs, watching the trail of red grown longer, the river of blood never seeming to end. "Guess that was the last straw. He's been taking a beating today."
"It's a good thing you purchased these elixirs," Ignis murmurs, carefully peering past the blood caked hair on Gladio's head. "That daemon did quite a bit damage." He takes the ornate bottle from our stock, crushing it in Gladio's hand for him. The blood trailing down the left side of his body stops right over his tattooed eagle's face. "Have a potion, Rayne."
"I'll be alright," I insist, pulling my jacket's sleeve away from the stinging cut. Ignis sighs, shoving the potion bottle into my leg. It shatters, its magic seeping into my body. "Iggy, seriously?"
"You wouldn't take it otherwise."
"Still."
Gladio's amber eyes flutter open, a frown settling over his face as he looks around at all of us peering at him. "What?"
"Oh I don't know," I scoff, tearing my eyes away from the wound that's mending right before my eyes. "Maybe you were just bleeding out from several places at once."
"I'm fine," Gladio huffs, waving Prompto's camera away. "We gonna keep going?"
"I think it would be wise to take a moment to rest," Ignis advises, settling on his heels.
"I think I'm good to go," Gladio counters. "Not even lightheaded. What'd you use?"
"An elixir," Noctis answers, crossing his arms. "And don't tell us it was too much. Let's go."
"What was she talking about?" Ignis asks once we're moving again.
"The snake lady? Beats me," Noctis shrugs.
We move through a new set of tunnels, these filled with pale white and tan rock. The ground is sandy, easy to slide on and lose your footing. It smells like something's rotting.
"Something about her 'baby'," Gladio mutters with a frown.
"Ugh," Prompto grimaces. "If it's anything like her, I ain't going near it." He jumps, grabbing the closest person to him, who just so happens to be Ignis. "Do you guys see anything?!"
"Nothin' that's gonna snatch you up," Gladio replies, chuckling when Ignis wrestles himself free from the blond's firm grasp. We turn the last corner of the tunnel to see a patch of luscious greenery, a familiar white tree standing at the front.
"That's the last runestone," Ignis says, a hint of relief in his voice.
"Finally," I groan, watching Noctis step toward the tree quickly.
"Alright, let's do this," Gladio nods.
Noctis reaches out toward the tree's ivory trunk, a bright glow emitting from its roots and pooling where his hand remains. The light spreads out over its branches, rippling like water over its surface. A crack of thunder comes from above. I stumble backwards just as a lightning bolt strikes the tree, sending a spray of violet sparks over the room. Noctis grits his teeth, holding his ground as the bolts splay out around him, his eyes flashing an angry crimson. The bolts fade away, Noctis staring at his hand as he turns back toward us. The glow in his eyes vanishes.
"This is it… the power of the Storm," he says.
"Eh, I expected more fire and brimstone," Prompto shrugs.
"Some gods are friendlier than others, I guess," Gladio says, though he also sounds impressed by the lack of a fight.
"And thank the Six for that," I breathe. "I'm beat."
"But not all of 'em," Noctis sighs. "Poor Luna."
"Perhaps you had better console her in person," Ignis suggests, crossing his arms.
"Just a boat ride away!" Prompto reminds Noct cheerfully.
"Yeah, and lose the scowl along the way," Gladio says, giving Noctis a knowing smile.
"Will do," Noctis mutters, rolling his eyes.
"And now to find our next mark," I grin, skipping ahead of them. "Just as long as we get out of here."