Much shorter chapter, again :/ I could have merged this chapter with the previous one, but I thought it would be nice to leave you hanging a little xD And as I said, I don't want to rush it, because I know I'm gonna be super sad when this story is over T_T Anyway, eeenjoy! :D
P.S. I profusely apologize for any grammar/spelling mistakes you may have found/find: I mostly write at night after work, plus English is not my first language &_& should've said it earlier, but better late than never :
Prompto instinctively closed his eyes, waiting for the bullets to pierce his body. Even though Daemon blood ran through his veins, he doubted it would be enough to survive hundreds of bullets.
He didn't regret anything, but was worried for his friends. Would they be able to defeat Verstael and his soldiers? It was, after all, all his fault if they were in battle in the first place. His weakness had lured them outside the city, where they were fighting against thousands of enemies while they were on their own.
He thought of every single one of them, of his parents and how hurt they must be when they would hear it was indeed him, Prompto, who had caused the fall of Insomnia. And then he thought of Iris once more, how fiercely she had hit him and how insanely good it had felt to have her in his arms one last time…
Why was it taking so long to die? Why couldn't he feel any pain?
He opened his eyes and found himself standing right where he had been moments before, the bullets frozen mid-air as Verstael watched in horror. Everything was silent, too silent compared to the clashing sound of melee weapons and the explosions audible mere seconds before.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on a spot somewhere behind Prompto's shoulders, and he too turned around to see what was happening.
Lady Lunafreya was standing alone at the city gates, holding the trident Noctis had handed back to her when they were both allowed to return to the world of the living, and focused on keeping the shield -which separated Prompto, Iris and Gladio from Verstael and his troops- intact.
"Move, move!" Prompto ordered, grabbing Iris's wrist with one hand and helping Gladio stand with the other. The large man gave him a strange look but didn't reject him either, allowing him to guide both him and his sister away from danger. When Luna had made sure they had put enough distance between them and the MTs, she finally lifted the spell, as the frozen bullets shot forward, hitting nothing but concrete and rocks.
"Luna!" Prompto smiled gratefully at the delicate girl as he stepped towards her, but Noctis immediately stood in his way.
"You're not getting any closer" the King said coolly. It hurt to be stared at like that by his best friend, like nothing but a traitor that deserved a death sentence, but Prompto knew he had messed up big time, and that it would probably be a while before they would speak to him again. If they ever would.
"Luna, get back to the Citadel!" Noctis was now speaking to his bride, but she shook her head.
"No, Noct. I'm staying" she said resolutely. Noctis glanced once more at Prompto with a furious expression.
"If anything happens to her…" he warned dangerously.
Prompto nodded as the battle commenced once more. The battlefield outside the city was a mess of fallen bodies as well as humans against machines. Prompto was secretly happy that Noctis's sacrifice had ultimately wiped Daemons away from Eos, because he was sure they would already be dead by now had the creatures of the night been still around.
He didn't wait for the others to take the initiative as he always did back in the days. Instead, he summoned his rifle and ran back in the crowd, shooting at any MTs that stood in his way. He was relentlessly looking for Verstael, but it felt impossible to find him in that sea of chaos.
Prompto was pretty sure he had walked the perimeter a couple of times now, without luck. Verstael seemed to have vanished into thin air. Or maybe he was hiding among the other MTs.
"Prompto".
The gunslinger turned when he heard the sound of his name –his real name, he thought- and saw Lady Lunafreya was staring warmly at him.
"Luna…" he whispered. She didn't seem to be wary of him, and approached him fearlessly.
"I need your help, Prompto" she said with her soothing voice "And you must do as I say without discussions".
"I'd do anything for you, guys" Prompto nodded, eager to prove himself worthy of their trust. She smiled again.
"I knew I could count on you. Though I doubt you will like my plan" she continued before glancing at Noctis who was fighting alongside Cor several feet away.
"You must approach Noctis, and fight against him" she said calmly. Prompto stared at her in confusion, and she held up one hand to prevent him from asking questions.
"It's not going to be easy for you, Prompto, but I am confident you will make it. Once you start fighting Noctis, I will make sure the others will not stand in your way. You must not hold back and give your very best".
"What're you talking about?" Prompto interrupted her "I'm not gonna fight my best friend! I've caused enough troubles today".
Luna closed her eyes and nodded. "I understand how you feel, Prompto. But rest assure I have a plan. Make your fight look as believable as possible so that, when Verstael thinks he has won his son back, you can strike and defeat him once and for all".
Prompto lifted his chin, understanding what she had in mind. She wanted him to play the part of the traitor in order to fool Verstael into believing he had successfully turned him into an MT, despite his little moment of rebelliousness. Once he believed to be moments away from victory, he would fall once and for all.
"We will take care of the MTs" she continued "Please, be careful Prompto. You're our only hope".
Prompto thought it was funny he was their last hope when he had actually started it all, but would do anything to repair the damaged he had done.
He glanced at Noctis, who was now making his way through the crowd as Cor went the opposite way. That was his chance.
Prompto sped up to keep up with the King, who hadn't yet noticed him. Once he was close enough, he called his name.
"Hey, Your Majesty".
The King turned around to face him and they stared at each other for several seconds.
"I'm sorry, buddy" Prompto whispered so low he was sure Noctis hadn't heard a single word, before pointing his rifle at him. Noctis's eyes flashed with anger and betrayal as he tightened the grip around his own sword.
"I'd never thought it would end like this. And to think you've been such a good actor for so many years" Noctis spat, eying his former best friend with a murderous look "You were nothing but a traitor, Damian".
Prompto frowned at his words but didn't let his distress show. His feelings didn't mean anything at the moment for he had made a promise, and he always kept them.
"Enough talking" the gunslinger said coolly "Let's just end this".
"Can't believe you had to become one of them to finally learn to say something sensible" Noctis mocked him.
Prompto fired away as his heart broke for the umpteenth time that day, and Noctis teleported behind him. The King hit him right between his scapula, and Prompto fell hard to the ground, gasping to catch some breath. Noctis then grabbed him by the scruff of his coat and turned his body so the blonde was now facing him. Prompto watched his best friend lift his arm and punch him in the face, over and over again. For some reason, the gunslinger couldn't feel the pain but knew he was bleeding badly when he noticed the red stains on the ground he was lying on. Noctis stopped to catch his breath, panting loudly as Prompto crawled onto the floor to get away from the furious king. When he kicked him in the stomach, the blonde doubled over, growling in pain.
"You bastard!" Noctis shouted, trying to refrain the tears from escaping his eyes, while repeatedly hitting the defenseless young man at his feet "You were my best friend!"
Suddenly it was over. Noctis was no longer beating him but had fallen onto his knees as tears ran down his face. Prompto wiped away the blood from his face and tried to clear his vision. He stood up, stumbling as he did so, before steadying himself and summoning the courage to counterattack.
He took advantage of the King's state to strike, punching him on his left cheek. He had dropped his rifle when Noctis had struck him, and was now counting exclusively on his bare hands. Prompto made sure he was hurting every inch of his best friend's body, as the other tried to defend himself. Noctis managed to interject one of his fists and punched him back in the guts. The two were now a bloody mess and barely had any energy left to fight. But Prompto ignored the pain and the blood trickling from his nose and mouth. Noctis was barely hanging on, his legs shaking and he stood silently for a few seconds before summoning his sword again.
"Guess… I have… no choice" he panted, holding the sword with both hands as if the weight were unbearable. Prompto stood right where he was, waiting for him to strike. The King lifted his weapon as one last tear escaped his eyes but Prompto was quicker: he closed the distance between himself and the King, punching him in the ribs and Noctis dropped his sword as his eyes unfocused. Prompto watched his friend fall to his knees, his majestic sword lying in the dust and then he heard someone clapping their hands.
"Well done, my boy. I knew you wouldn't let me down that easily" Verstael approached the two young men and placed one hand on his son's shoulder. "Let me take over from here, OK?"
Prompto swallowed as he desperately tried to locate Luna or Ignis among the crowd. What was he supposed to do now? To his horror, he realized Verstael was holding his rifle, the one he had dropped during his fight against Noct. As the white-haired man lifted it to aim at the King, Prompto suddenly got an idea.
"Father" he said, trying to sound as natural as possible. That one word was enough to make Verstael lower the weapon and look at the young man beside him.
"With your permission, I would like to be the one doing it" the gunslinger continued. Verstael seemed to ponder the request for a moment, before grinning proudly and handing the rifle to the younger man.
"Of course you may. After all, I owe it all to you" he said.
Prompto took the rifle and aimed it at Noctis, looking straight into his hollow eyes as he did it.
Everything happened very quickly as he heard several people screaming Noctis's name and saw someone rushing towards them. Verstael looked up, distracted by the sudden commotion and Prompto quickly changed target, aiming the rifle at the older man's temple. He pulled the trigger without a second thought and heard the cracking noise of bullets being fired, then the thump of a body hitting the floor.
Everything stopped all around him. The MTs ceased their fire instantly, as if sensing their leader was gone and had no one to receive orders from; Iris, Gladio and Cor were staring bewildered at the limp body lying at Prompto's feet, the gunslinger's eyes fixed on the corpse of his father as if expecting him to stand back up on his feet at any time, just like a tough boss from videogames; Noctis was still kneeling down, unable to understand what had just happened; Ignis and Luna were walking confidently towards them.
The spectacled man went to Noctis's side and quickly grabbed a small first-aid kit to attend to his wounds while Luna stood between Prompto and the others, as if to shield the gunslinger.
The Crownsguards were all glancing at their brothers in arms in confusion, wondering why their enemies had suddenly stopped fighting.
"Let's head back to the Citadel" Luna announced "The war is over".
Honestly guys, I just know Prompto will have to face his own father in his DLC D: And Robbie Daymond, Prompto's English VA, made kinda clear that the DLC is gonna be heartbreaking. OMG, can't wait until it's released! :O
Next Chapter: the Council has to take a decision about Prompto: is he a traitor or a savior? It's up to Luna and Ignis to clear his name, as Iris decides to visit the blonde at the hospital. [Fluff alert! ^v^]