6
"We must remain cautious." Ignis advised, taking slow and graceful strides behind Gladiolus, though he was carefully inspecting the area with his cane. Little good it would do to be falling down and slowing the pair any more than his injury already was, at least he thought. "Noct will be fine, though I would prefer we locate him posthaste."
"Yeah, me too." Gladio huffed, taking note of every single detail of their surroundings, looking for any possible sign of incoming danger.
Even with their weapons being so graciously returned to them by Ardyn - Gladio was totally not at all suspicious about that - the fortress was still an extremely dangerous place to be wandering around in. And with Ignis unable to fight it would be up to Gladio to protect them both, and get them safely reunited with Noctis so they could search for Prompto together.
"Not that he can't take care of himself." He continued. "But yeah, I'd rather the three of us be together."
"Yes, and then we can locate Prompto and free him from this dreadful place..." Ignis sighed, following closely behind Gladio, doing his best to keep up even though Gladio's pace had noticeably slowed since they'd been separated from Noctis.
It did them little good to tread slowly, but it did them every good to tread lightly.
Danger was at the forefront of all of their minds in this place. It wouldn't help anyone at all if they anyone were to be hurt before or even after reuniting with the two younger members of the group. They were already worried the possibility that Prompto was injured himself by now after spending days in Ardyn's clutches wasn't a possibility, but rather a reality. Though they didn't know what had transpired in his absence from the group, but that was what was so scary and frustrating about it all. The thought of their youngest being hurt in any way was more than infuriating for the advisor. They had all said from the beginning that Ardyn would pay dearly if Prompto had been hurt, but it was here in this place where the possibility of that outcome seemed inevitable. That thought made Ignis seriously begin to consider killing the man the next time they met.
Not only for Prompto's sake, but also for his own peace of mind.
"But first we must reunite with Noct."
"Yeah, no kidding." Gladio responded, blowing a deep sigh through his lips as he continued to survey the area around them, inspecting for any possible hint of danger that could be lurking around the numerous corners. "Just keep close to me, Iggy. I'd hate to lose you in this place too..."
The thought lingered in his mind. If something were to happen and they too were separated... with Ignis in his blinded state, would he be able to handle himself all alone in a place as dangerous as this? That thought was terrifying to the shield. If Ignis were hurt because he wasn't there to protect him... he could never forgive himself.
"Of course." Iggy agreed, nodding his head to consolidate the deal. Staying together was of the utmost importance, not just to Gladio, but to Ignis as well. "Have you found a way forward, Gladio? We would do well to move quickly here."
"Yeah." He answered, pointing the way instinctively, though he knew Ignis couldn't see it. "I think there's a service elevator just ahead. We can use it to get into the actual building and out of the basement."
The way was clear from what Gladio could see, but he feared something would be hidden in the shadows, waiting to attack. With Ignis in this state, he wouldn't be able to fight, it would be too risky. He had handled himself in Cartanica, but the four of them had all been together and could watch out for him. But with just the two of them now, Gladio worried he may not be able to protect Ignis if they got into a proper fight.
"Ah, excellent." Ignis replied, relatively cheerfully in contrast to their previous engagements. "Let us make haste. Cautiously, of course."
Iggy was fully aware of the concerns he had instilled in Gladio, as hard as he tried, the shield was terrible at concealing them. Ignis hated the idea of burdening his dear friend, but the truth of the matter was simply that he was blind. And he needed the extra help, it didn't matter that he hated being doted on. Doting on others came naturally to him, but he'd found it was just uncomfortable for him when others were to do so for him.
"Sure. But let's not take it too fast, okay?" Gladio suggested, extending his hand and placing it gently on the other's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. If anyone knew how Ignis felt about being helped, he did. But they didn't have the luxury of leaving him entirely to his own devices here. There was too much to worry about already without taking Ignis's still fairly recently acquired handicap into account.
"Fine." Ignis breathed out, a thick, deep sigh expelling itself from his mouth before shaking Gladio's hand away and making his own way forward.
"Is this really what it's come to?" He thought as he made his way forward, using his cane to try and avoid anything potentially barring his path as Gladio's heavy footsteps trailed behind him, the shield's long strides delivering him back to taking point within moments. "And now, when he needs us most... I'm not sure I'll be much use to Prompto..."
Ignis felt Gladio's strong hand gently touch down on his back, guiding him forward and the pounding of his feet on the concrete ground was replaced by the clanging of a slightly grated floor, no doubt the elevator he had mentioned before.
A moment of silence passed before the force of earth changed as the elevator moved upwards toward thee main floors of the dreaded fortress which kept their precious friend locked away, trapped inside like an animal in a cage.
"There's little I can do to help them here in my state, as much as it pains me to admit..."
"Once we get up there it's gonna be even more dangerous." Gladio's gruff and masculine voice cut through the silence and humming of the elevator, rousing Ignis from his thoughts. "We'll have to stay on guard at all times. So stick close to me, alright?"
"...Right." Ignis answered, hesitating a moment as his thoughts still continued to roam throughout his mind, his tone more distracted than convicted. A complete contrast to his usual self, which was completely focused and had his sights always set on the goal ahead, no matter what was barring the road.
But now, that road was gone.
There was nothing before him to show him the way. Whatever was there in front of them, blocking them from reaching their beloved friend... Ignis could no longer see it.
"Hey. What's up, Iggy?" Gladio questioned, his tone more inquisitive than before, but also with a hint of concern mixed in. "You're not acting like yourself."
"Nonsense, Gladio. I'm alright." Ignis countered, turning his unseeing gaze in the direction of the oldest member, a serious expression returning to his face as he boldly lied to his close friend. "I'm simply concerned for Noct and Prompto. They're all alone in this dreadful place. And Prompto is no doubt injured by now after days in this fortress without any means of protecting himself, captured as a consequence because of our carelessness. Now please, let us keep moving."
The lie quickly crumbled with those words. Ignis's voice wavered and the conviction was replaced with frustration. It was clear to Gladio that there was more going on in Ignis's head than he thought.
"Ignis, listen to me." Gladio soothed, gently placing his hands on the younger's shoulders, giving them a small squeeze. "Everything that's happened, it's not your fault. I know that's what's going on inside that head of yours." Gladio took his right pointer finger and pressed it against the brunette's forehead. "But you're wrong to think like that. And so is Noct, and so am I. I know we could have done more to protect Prompto, don't think I don't regret us not being there to help them. If I hadn't been such a damn bonehead and fought with Noct, we wouldn't have split up. We would've been together. But when all's said and done, this is Ardyn's fault. Not ours."
"You're not understanding me, Gladio." Ignis responded, raising his free hand to try and push Gladio's arms away, only for his hand to be grasped by Gladio's firm but gentle hold.
"I can't understand if you don't say anything, Iggy. You never speak up when you need help. But I want to help you - we all - want to help you. But you have to tell me what's going on." Gladio said calmly, taking Ignis's hand and placing it back down at his side before clasping his hand back around the younger's shoulder. "What's that head of yours telling you? Because whatever it is, it's wrong."
"Nothing wrong about it, Gladio." Ignis answered, a stark frown coming across his face. "I simply fear that due to my... injury... there isn't much I can do to aid you in our search for the others."
A smaller sigh escaped him. Shaking his head a bit in disappointment, Ignis turned his visionless eyes to the floor of the slowly ascending elevator as the clanking and rattling of the metal rang through the small silences, drowning out any thought that entered his mind again.
"And I fear I won't be much help to Prompto. In this state, my usefulness has been severely limited. I'm sorry..."
Without even a moment's hesitation there was a change in the force on Ignis's body as he was quickly thrust forward, stopping as he collided with the warm flesh of Gladio's chest.
Taken aback by this action, Ignis stiffened once Gladio's arms wrapped around the smaller body, gently holding him close to his chest. His warmth soothed Ignis, relaxing after a moment as he registered what had just happened. Twice now had he been taken by surprise by Gladio in some way recently, it was starting to become a regular occurrence apparently.
"That's bullshit, Iggy." Gladio began, keeping his firm but gentle hold on the advisor. "Don't you dare say that. Let's be honest, we'd be completely fucking lost without you. You keep us all together, keep me and Noct from killing each other half the time. We need you, Iggy."
Gladio's hold tightened slight as he spoke, holding the younger man in a slightly more protective way denoting they were nearing their destination.
"Gladio..." Ignis practically whispered, honestly taken aback.
"We always have, and we always will. Who gives a damn if you can't see? That doesn't make us need you any less, and it sure as hell doesn't make you useless. And right now, Noct and Prompto are out there alone." Gladio gently moved his hand from Ignis's back and softly placed it on the back of his head, smoothing back the light brown hair as his tone softened as his words reached the blind man. "I'll need your help to do that, Iggy. Besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight anyway, so you're helping whether you like it or not."
Ignis chuckled quietly to himself at that statement. The kindness of the shield's words paired with the warm, protective hug and the gentle stroking motion he felt on the back of his head soothed his poor, defeated soul. He had never felt this particular kind of affection from anyone before. It was... an enlightening experience, to say the least. And certainly wasn't not helpful in assuaging his fears.
"Thank you, Gladio." He said, allowing himself to be held until Gladio decided it was time to let go. "You are a true friend, and I... apologize for my outburst. You're right. Let's find the others and make sure they're alright..."
"I'm here for you, Iggy." Gladio said, a small smile coming across his face as the elevator stopped, the metal doors scraping against the walls as they opened, allowing them to make an exit. "Don't feel like you've gotta hide that kind of stuff from me, got it?"
Giving Ignis one last gentle squeeze of reassurance before releasing him from his embrace, Gladio helped him out of the elevator by gently leading him forward with his hand behind his back to guide his direction.
"Either way, Noct must be searching for Prompto." Ignis deduced, stopping once Gladio placed his hands around his sides to keep him from going too far before they decided where to go. "We should head deeper inside. I imagine Prompto is being kept in a detention center somewhere in the upper levels that would be more heavily guarded. Noct should be heading that way as well."
"Makes sense to me." Gladio shrugged, accepting the simple plan. Though he didn't enjoy the aspect of the place being even more dangerous than he thought it would be, especially with Ignis going into it. But there was nothing he could really do about that. "Let's get going. I don't like us not being all together. And Prompto's been here long enough."
"Agreed." Ignis nodded, taking a step forward, his direction realigned by Gladio so they were going the correct way.
The two started on their way, venturing cautiously and on guard for any deamons that may be lurking around the corners, lying in wait for poor souls such as themselves to come by for them to attack. In the silence, Iggy wondered about Noct. No doubt he still had no weapons or powers of any kind, and he was alone in this place.
And no doubt there was even more to bar his path than there was theirs.
"Noct… be careful..."
"Dammit!" Noct shouted, slamming his bare fist into the metal walls lining the halls.
His friends were all gone, he had no weapons, no power, nothing. But even with the ring on his side, he still didn't feel too much better about the situation. And the world seemed to just want to make everything harder for him as he had been running and hiding from rogue MT's for at least a half hour now it seemed. But the frustration was really starting to get to him.
Sighing, Noct lowered his hand back to his side, relaxing his hand so his fist finally released itself.
"I'm already tired of this..."
"Dammit, where could he be? This place is fucking huge..." He thought, taking a quick look around for any more MT's that could be wandering around the area before pushing onward. "Ignis and Gladio should be around somewhere too. They better be okay."
The thought of his friends being hurt while they were separated clawed at his mind. Noct already harbored numerous fears that Prompto had been harmed, but now on top of that, he was worried about Ignis and Gladio's safety too. Although, it wasn't so much Gladio he worried about. Even with Gladio to protect him, Ignis was still more vulnerable than he would admit with his injury. He could still handle himself fairly well, but that didn't assuage Noct's fears one bit.
Not when they were in a place like this. The very heart of the spreading darkness.
"Better keep moving." Noct muttered under his breath, taking long strides down the empty metal hallway, taking into account every single detail. How despite the fact that this was an important Imperial fortress, there were hints of rust on the walls.
The floor clanged under his feet with every step he took, and even the slight eerie humming in the air from various machines all around the place made him uneasy. But most importantly, he took note of just how empty Zegnautus was. Normally a place like this would be filled with people of different levels and purposes, but this place... it was completely devoid of life with not but a great deal of decaying MT's wandering the hauntingly quiet halls. But other than that, not a trace of human life anywhere.
"Prompto, where are you...?" Noct thought desperately to himself, looking down every single corner he passed by. There had to be some clue to where Prompto was being kept. But of course, this was Ardyn they were dealing with. "I swear to the Six, if he hurt you..."
The anger seethed through him at even the thought. The thought which had terrified him from the start, and had been tormenting the three remaining members ever since they had learned what happened to their treasured friend. Even still, as the silence plagued him, Noctis was greeted by his friend's unbearably heart-wrenching screams and cries in his mind like they had before.
Unable to shake the cries away, Noctis barreled down the halls, though he felt like he was getting nowhere fast. Every part of this place looked the same, and he feared he may have been turned around somewhere. But at this point, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered now was finding Prompto, and making the screaming stop...
"Astrals please, make it stop..." He whispered, screwing his eyes shut as the screams continued to circle his mind, instilling an even greater fear for his best friend's safety than he ever had before. "Please, Prom... please be okay..."
"Oh my. If it isn't my old friend, Noct."
He knew that voice.
Noct immediately tensed at the sound of Ardyn's condescending baritone coming through what he supposed was an intercom system. But any uneasiness he may have felt in that moment was replaced by a burning rage towards the man who had kidnapped and probably tortured his best friend.
"So you came for your little gunman after all! Such a bond you must share to go through all this trouble for him. He'll be over the moon!"
Noct's hands curled up into tight fists as he listened while Ardyn chuckled to himself through the loudspeaker. The anger he felt inside only growing with every word the twisted man spoke. If he dared lay even a single finger on Prompto, the three friends had all agreed that there would be a reckoning like no other. And now Noct was determined to follow suit on it.
"But... you might want to hurry. The poor boy has certainly seen better days. It would be such a shame if something untoward were to happen before you could find him."
Noct's eyes widened in a fleeting moment of fear as the words reached him, sparking his deepest worry.
Prompto was hurt. He had to be.
"Dammit!" Noct spat out, sprinting down the halls once again as Ardyn's dark, sadistic chuckles followed him. Clawing at his mind, mixing with the screams and cries that tormented him in silence. Guilt panged in Noct's heart as he thought about his poor friend. All of this, because Noct couldn't see through Ardyn's tricks.
Prompto didn't deserve any of this...
"I'm so sorry, Prom..." He said, panting slightly as he pushed himself to keep moving. "This is all my fault. But I'll get you out of this, I promise!"
Stopping in front of a small ramp way serving itself as somewhat of a staircase with it's small incline which led to some actual small stairs, Noct took a moment to catch his breath. Taking a second to collect himself after all the mental stimulation, Noct looked back up from the floor so he could keep going. But before he could take even a step, his heart seized in his chest.
It was there for a moment, and then it was gone. The sight of familiar golden hair at the top of the incline shimmering in the lights illuminating the hall before it disappeared around the corner.
"Prompto!" Noct called after what he hoped was really his friend. Quickly giving chase, not about to lose him again.
His heart pounded in his chest as he chased after the blonde. This could be his chance to finally rescue him, to take him back to some place safe where he could never be harmed again. But that could only happen if he could actually catch up with the blonde first.
"Prompto, wait!" He almost shouted before falling to the ground as a mostly broken down MT on the ground grabbed at his ankles, causing him to crash into the hard metal ground below him.
"Dammit! I don't have time for this!" Noct shouted.
Thrashing about on the floor, he managed to get the cold metal hand off of his ankle, scrambling back up to his feet and a distance away before it could blow up in his face. Taken aback for a moment as the warm air produced by the small explosion forced it's way into Noct's face. Hesitating for only a moment, he continued sprinting after the blonde hair that had all but disappeared from his sight.
"C'mon Prompto, what's going on with you?" He thought, still desperately tearing after his dear friend. His desire to see him only increasing with the growing odds of catching up to him as Noct continued to run.
"Poor Prompto must be feeling the heat right about now."
Ardyn's less than comforting voice sounded over the loudspeaker once more, causing Noctis's heart to seize in his chest for a moment as he came upon what he assumed was a cell of sorts, judging from the heavy iron bars separating him from the inside. Taking a look inside, Noct's heart beat frantically.
Inside was Prompto, slumped over and seemingly unconscious on a metal folding chair. Desperate to save his dear friend, he grabbed the barred door and pulled with all his might, but to no avail.
"Dammit! It won't budge!" Noct fumed, his eyes lingering on Prompto for a moment longer before he turned down the hallway to his right to hopefully find another way in.
With a moment of caution, Noctis slowly opened the greenly lit door he found beside his destination, flinching slightly as a broken MT fell in front of him. It's broken metal body scraping against the equally metal floor like nails on a chalkboard, the sound grating in Noctis's ears, gritting his teeth together as he gave a cringe at the sound. Shaking his head quickly, he moved onward, stepping over the machine as if it hadn't been there at all.
Looking around for a moment, Noct found a small crevice among the various shelves and boxes lining the small room. In all honesty he didn't care about his own safety anymore, entering the crawlspace in haste, worried only for his best friend. As he made his way through, a slightly muffled voice reached his ears.
"Noct! Help me...!"
Noct's heart hurt at the sound of Prompto's fearful tone, asking him for help. Quickening his pace as much as he could as he sidled through the small space with relative ease.
"I will help you, Prom. There's not a power in Eos that'll stop me!" He thought, exiting the space to find yet another obstacle barring his path as a massive wall of crates stood between him and Prompto.
Slipping in through another small opening between two large crates, he made his way swiftly into the room containing Prompto. Noct's chest tightened as he looked upon the blonde still slumped down in the folding chair. Taking small, slow steps forward, he made his way over to the blonde, reaching out his hand and lightly taping his shoulder. But as he made contact, the blonde's skin turned to cold, hard metal. The body of a broken MT falling to the floor as the image of Prompto disappeared from his sight, revealing the true form of what he had been chasing this whole time.
"W-What?" Noct gasped, taken aback slightly by what had just happened. He could've sworn it was Prompto… but of course, naturally his feelings weren't left alone to process.
"Oh! You should have seen the look on your face." Ardyn's dark, melodious tones sounded once again causing Noct's blood to boil with the realization that Ardyn had clearly had this planned all along. "You'd best hurry. Next time, it might really be your friend."
Noct's blood was boiling hotter than it ever had before in his life. The blinding rage he felt towards Ardyn was staggering. And unfortunately, he knew that when he actually found Prompto, the real one, he was only going to become that much angrier seeing him hurt like Ardyn had already implied he was. But in that moment, the rage almost exploded out of him.
"FUCK!" Noct shouted at the top of his lungs, throwing his fist once again into the closest wall. "Where is he!?"
Noct's teeth grit tightly as he forced out the words, demanding an answer before his anger got any worse. But it only served to spur him further as another wave of pure hot, flaming rage flowed over and through him.
"Where the fuck is he you son of a bitch!?" Quickly whirling around and jamming his foot into the broken MT on the floor behind him, the clanging metal sound reverberating throughout the somewhat small space. "It's me you want, right!? Well here I am!"
The all encompassing rage slowly left him as he beat down on the MT's body, kicking it a small ways across the room and stamping down on it as much as he could before his anger died, and was replaced by something much more somber.
Noct's heart sank in his chest, dropping down to his knees with a hard thump on the metal floor, his arms dangled limply at his sides as he looked up at the ceiling, searching with his slightly droopier eyes for the intercom speaker. It was the closest he could get to speaking directly to Ardyn, but it would have to do.
"Just let him go already, you bastard!" He spat quietly, not even caring about how pitiful he sounded at the moment. All that he cared about now was Prompto. Closing his eyes for a moment, he heard his friend's screams growing weaker in his mind, filling his heart with even more fear and sadness. He feared Prompto was running out of time as he sat there, but he just couldn't bring himself to stand back up... not until the wave of sorrow passed.
"I'm sorry, Prompto." Noct curled his right hand into a fist again, a small spark of anger reigniting the flame of his determination, his face straightening out as he slowly pulled himself up back to his feet, turning his back on the broken MT. Eyes forward as he opened the barred door to reenter the hall. "I'm here, and I'm getting you out of here."
Taking a step out into the empty hall, Noct stopped for a second. Turning his head slightly so he could see the mangled MT out of the corner of his left eye, silently vowing to do the same to Ardyn the next time they met face to face.
"I promise."