With Noct's physical body strength almost fully healed and Prompto coming to grasp with his powers the group decided to finally head out in search of weapons and remedies for the battle to come.
"Our best strategy is to find a dungeon. The beasts and demons will be strong, but it'll be good training after all and to see whether your weaker bodies can cope." Cor announced.
"So you're staying then?" Gladio questioned.
"Yes. I'll be sticking around for a little while to aid you and then I will leave to gather up as many troops as I can to help in the final battle. It isn't far from now." Cor left an anticipating tone hanging in the air.
The Regalia pulled up on the side of the road as the moon slowly began to peak over the horizon. They each left the car and crept slowly towards the entrance. Prompto still walked with a limp as his leg was yet to heal.
"Nighttime is approaching so we better get into the dungeon quickly!" Iggy ran on ahead with Cor.
Noct stood by Prompto's side to ensure his safety whilst Gladio remained as the guardian for the two. They slowly creeped closer and closer to the entrance and caught up with Iggy and Cor who were hiding behind large concrete pillars. Noctis peered around the corner to see what they were hiding from and he saw small creatures with hooded cloaks and magic oozing from their skin guarding the entrance.
"They don't look too hard to take down. They're about the size of my boot..." Noct confidently spoke, walking forward with a strut. Prompto grabbed his jacket and yanked him backwards.
"And I thought Cactuars were cute and small until I spend weeks pulling out their spikes embedded in my skin!" Prompto Warned Noct.
"Good point..." Noct changed his mind.
"Illusion magic is what they use. Clever, but deadly creatures. We must take them down as quick as possible and use as much fire as you can; They hate it!" Cor prepared his weapons. Daggers that burned brightly with flames.
The group were amazed at his weapons as they continued to pull theirs out. Noct readied his elemental powers, absorbing the nearby fire points.
"3...2...1!" Gladio counted with enthusiasm as he was happy to be back fighting.
The group charged at the 6 small beasts and dealt a few good hits before the demons realised they were being attacked. Noct and Prompto retreated back for a moment as they devised a joint strategy.
"Use your heavy gun! I'll catch you when you fall back because it has quite the kick." Noct smiled.
"Alright!" Prompto walked as fast as he could with his leg and approached the beast. He pulled out the weapon and shot it. A spark of electric travelled through the air before turning into a fireball as it made contact with the beast. Injuring the nearby demons along with it. The kick back was very powerful and send him flying backwards, but landed safely in Noct's arms who picked him up and scruffed his hair.
"Nice shot." Noct winked.
"Nice catch." Prompto winked back.
Meanwhile, Cor was throwing his daggers at the demons to deal great damage and then summon then back. However, the demons had learnt his pattern and began to use his flame daggers against him. Iggy with his lance and Gladio with his great sword both decide to attack from each side to ensure ultimate damage and that the beast can't run away and escape. They too found this successful until the little rascals began using illusion magic, confusing the three and making them stumble all over the place. Noct and Prompto had to come to their rescue.
"Ermm... how are we going to do this? Their illusion magic is so powerful that we can't even stun them to stop using it." Noct scratched his head.
"I have no idea. If we get too close we will get confused too..."
An overhead engine purred as it travelled above the treetops and landed a few metres away.
"That's it!" Prompto ran towards the noise.
"What's what? Are you turning into Iggy all of a sudden?" Noct tilted his head and followed the boy.
Prompto pulled the leaves back to reveal a squad of Niflheim troops that had just landed. His plan was to control the to take out the demons as they had no brain and therefore couldn't be confused.
"Are you sure about this?" Noct looked in worry.
"Yeah... but stay close by incase I pass out." Prompto's eyes widened.
"I'll be right here." Noct nervously watched.
Prompto outstretched his arm and closed his eyes. He called upon the leading bot and it obeyed, following the trail that led to Prompto. The other MT's followed the leader which saved Prompto some energy as he didn't need to control them to. Prompto told it to take out the demons, in which it obeyed and the two watched in excitement as most of the clever demons got killed easily as their magic tricks didn't work on tin heads. Despite this, some of the other MT's grew suspicious as they noticed Cor, Iggy and Gladio's presence. Noct ran forward, leaving Prompto in the bushes to protect them and pull them back into safety. Noct managed to lead the three very confused and stumbling into the forest as they came to their senses.
"My head is spinning!" Gladio shook his head like a dog.
"Where on Earth are we?" Iggy looked around, dizzy.
"They were pretty strong..." Cor rubbed his forehead.
Twigs and branched snapped behind them as the bots not under Prompto's control came closer to their location.
"Prompto! I left him over there!" Noct remembered that he was only supposed to leave his side for a short moment.
The MT's stopped Noct from running, they seemed stronger and wielded much more powerful weapons than they used to. Cor noticed the black and purple wisps escaping their armour.
"Noct! Step back now!" Cor worried.
"These guys aren't hard to take down!" Noct was ready to attack.
"No! Ardyn has done something to them... made them stronger!" Cor watched and inspected the stronger bots closely.
"They are...corrupted?" Iggy looked at them in surprise.
"Now what?" Noct continued to walk backwards with the rest of the group as they backed away from the Niflheim squadron closing in on them.
Prompto was crawling on the floor to reach the others. The corrupted leader meant it was harder for Prompto to control them... it took a worse toll on his body. His nose was pouring blood fast, but he had no choice and to try and control the whole group of 4 of them in order to save his friends. He reached out and screamed in pain as it felt like his skull was caving in. Noct heard these screams and desperately tried to run and help, but Gladio held him back as he would've been killed.
"Let me go!" Noct shoved Gladio.
"No! You'll be killed! Prompto's helping us!"
"But he's going to get himself killed doing so!"
"He's getting stronger, Noct. We should let him try.. it's all we've got." Cor didn't like the sound of Prompto in agony either, but they had no choice.
Noct tried to run forward but was confronted by the MT's. He slowly crept backwards and joined the rest of the group who kept walking backwards until they reached the edge of the forest. Their backs were parallel to a death drop off of a cliff side. They couldn't do anything in their power. Prompto screamed once more and Noct struggled to hold himself back. The corrupted Bots closed In and raised their weapons.
Prompto finally managed to connect to the Bots, each and every one and ordered them to die. They shook violent as if they were possessed. The group witnessed in horror as the purple and black smoke disappeared into the sky and their bodies dropped the large weapons they wielded. It was as if Prompto was purifying them from the curse.
Noct swallowed his spit hard and sprinted as fast as he could for Prompto. The others stared at the bots for a few seconds before sprinting ahead to.
"Prompto?!" Noct Shouted as Prompto wasn't where he was last left. Noct furiously looked around before he found his friend laying up against a concrete wall next to the dungeon entrance.
His cheeks were rosy and pink, his face and shirt stained crimson red with blood, but most disturbingly his mouth was leaking a thick black liquid. Noct raised his finger and swiped the oozing liquid off, showing it to the rest of the group.
"What the hell is this?" He looked in disgusting worry.
"That's the same liquid Ardyn had pouring out of his eyes and mouth..." Iggy spoke in terror.
"What does this mean?..." Cor crouched down to Prompto, feeling his neck for a pulse.
"He's still Alive. Probably unconscious." He added with some relief.
The group waited for some time for Prompto to awaken.
"Huh?" Prompto woke up quickly, very confused and panicking.
He startled the tired group and especially Noct who was right beside him.
"Are you okay?!" Noct grabbed ahold of him.
"I feel a bit weird, but I'm surprisingly okay..." Prompto wiped his mouth and looked down to his hand after feeling the wetness of it. He saw the black gunk.
"What the hell is that?!" He freaked.
"We...don't know. I found you with it oozing out your mouth after you controlled those corrupted MT's." Noct explained.
"Corrupted?"
"Yeah... that's why you got knocked out." Iggy looked at him.
"No wonder why it was so hard to control them..." Prompto rubbed his head.
"But you're... okay?" Gladio was confused.
"Yeah... I'm just as confused as you all are..." Prompto moved his stiff neck around.
"Maybe you're getting stronger?" Noct smiled at him.
"Finally." Prompto laughed a little.
Prompto stood up with Noct's help as the group watched nervously. He took a few steps on his own and seemed to be completely unscathed. Iggy obviously tried to speak, probably suggesting a break, but Prompto ran out of sight and into the dungeon.
The group held back for a moment, cautious and beginning to be scared by Prompto's behaviour. Noct looked at the others with a face painted in terror as he sneaked closer to the dark entrance.
"Prompto?" His voice was concerned and quiet.
There was no response from the abyss. They were all so silent that the sound of Noct swallowing his saliva echoed against the dank walls. Nobody said a word. Cor pulled out his flashlight and lead the group deeper into the dungeon.
"This is way too quiet." Cor looked around at every nook and cranny with his light.
"Where's all the demons?" Gladio's voice shook a little.
"That's what's worrying me." Cor slowly walked.
Dripping noises echoed in the dungeon as the water seeped through the walls and onto the floor. It was difficult not to make a squelching sound under their feet. They continued deeper without saying another word and without any sight of Prompto. The ending of the dungeon was approaching and they still didn't fight and demons.
"Prompto?" Noct tried his best to call out once more. Only the tomb entrance stood in front of him and only he had the key.
"We get the weapon and we get out of here. Prompto must've found another way out." Cor instructed.
Noct didn't argue. He opened the door and was the first to enter. The statues of the king's surrounded him, looking down on him as he thought how insignificant he was. A scuffling noise in the corner sent shivers down his spine. The rest of the group heard it and entered in a rush.
In place of one of the statues stood a breathing person, facing the wall and away from the group. Noct snatched Cor's flashlight and walked closer. Cor tried to grab it back, but didn't have the time to. They remained silent and on edge. As Noct walked closer it became apparent who it was.
"Hey... Prompto?" His voice was soft and uncertain.
The blonde haired boy began to turn as Gladio spoke.
"How did he even get in here?"
Prompto revealed what he was hiding as Noct raised the flashlight's beam into his face. He stumbled back in terror, dropping the light.
Iggy and Cor rushed forward to aid Noct and Gladio picked the light back up to see what scared Noct. There he was stood in the corner, a thick black liquid oozing out of his mouth and eyes. He looked lifeless and didn't react to anything the others did.
"What's wrong with him?!" Noct began freaking out.
"It's... It's the starscourge." Cor couldn't move his eyes away.
"Can we... help him?" Iggy was scared.
"Yes, but I don't know how..." Cor shook his head.
A piercing cackle filled the room.
"You boys can't heal the cursed. Only force it out and kill them. Prompto has been taken over by the very thing he can control. It won't kill him...yet. But here's a secret coming from a man experiencing the same. He can push it away to the back of his mind...If you can convince him to. It's like talking to a brick wall. He can be stuck like that for years, like I was." Ardyn laughed emotionless as his voice faded away.
Cor, Gladio and Iggy began arguing and freaking out over what to do, but Noct stood up from the floor in silence with a very pale face. They were too heated to notice that he stood up and began walking near Prompto. Without saying a word, the flashlight still on the floor barely lighting the room up, Noct stared deeply into the blank Prompto. He reached forward and wrapped his arms around his best friend.
"I know you're in there. Fight it. Do it for me." Noct whispered calmy whilst his head rested on Prompto.
The other 3 finally turned after noticing the absence of Noct.
"Noct?" Iggy squinted into the darkness.
Cor stepped forward. "Noct, step away from him, You don't know what he will do..." Cor raised his hands as if he was being arrested.
Gladio agreed with Cor and stepped forward as he tried to pull Noct away. He resisted and looked to Iggy for help who wasn't interfering. Ignis only shook his head in sadness.
Noctis stood his ground and gripped tightly to the floor. The two stronger men attempted to pull him away from Prompto who stood lifeless with his arms fixated to the sides of his body and his hands resting on his upper legs.
"I'm not moving!" Noct cried out, pushing the large hands away.
"Maybe we should--." Ignis couldn't bare to remain in silence any longer, but was cut off by the other two.
"Prompto is unpredictable!" Gladio worried.
"We saw what the corrupted could do out there..." Cor lowered his tone.
Cor and Gladio gave up trying to free Noct and stepped back towards Ignis.
"The demons would be back soon. I'm going to scope the area." Cor walked out of the tomb.
"I'll come too." Gladio followed, looking back at Iggy.
He sighed. "I will keep an eye on them."
"Be careful." Gladio still worried for the sake of all three of them in the room.
"And you." Ignis gave a reassuring smile.
The silence returned. White noise filled the room until light sobbing was heard.
"I don't want to be king. So much crap has happened to all of us and my best friend is practically gone from who he once was." Noct sobbed. Childhood images flashed before his eyes, sparking the good memories back to life. The statues of the king's looked down on them. Iggy walked forward and rested his hand on Noct.
"You're not giving up now." He was calm, but also teary.
Noct began to lose his balance so he pulled away and rested his weight on the tomb. It came to life and the weapon flew up into the air glowing a bright white. It reflected in his eyes even more beautifully as they were coated in tears. The sword spun around him and impaled his torso, without the pain and effects as he had absorbed the power of the sword. It was a reminder of who he was and the promise he had made. Prompto still didn't move so Noct sat in the corner and Iggy stood in the doorway awaiting Cor and Gladio's return.
Some time passed and they finally came back.
"Everything okay?" Gladio prioritized safety.
"We're good." Iggy's response was undetailed and dampened.
"The demons keep coming.. I don't think we should stay here..." Cor spoke hesitantly as he knew it wasn't going to have a good response.
"I know. But i'm not leaving Prompto."
"I knew you were going to say that so I will call some of the hunters in to keep an eye on him until the morning and you can get some sleep."
"So they can watch him like an animal? He's still alive!"
"Look I understand you're angry and not on great terms with me at the moment, but-" Cor began to speak, but Noct shot up from where he was sitting.
"Just leave." Noct angrily spoke. He didn't really mean these words.
Cor didn't argue back. He nodded and turned to leave.
"Cor!" Both Gladio and Iggy called out to him.
He stopped in the doorway and turned to speak.
Noct walked closer to him to ensure he left so Cor didn't speak a word of what he wanted to say. As Noctis began to walk back arms reached out to him grabbing him and pinning him up against the wall, it was Prompto.
The other three pulled out there weapons to attack as Noct desperately tried to tell them not to, but Prompto was strangling him. Cor swung his weapon in order to protect Noct. Prompto released his grip and Noct after coming to his realisations. Noct reached his arm out as quick as he could to stop the blade from hitting him. The firery daggers made contact with Noct's arm as they sliced through the skin and burned the surrounding flesh. He screamed in pain, but stood himself up. Cor in terror dropped his weapons and walked backwards.
"I'm sorry... I.." He spoke.
Noct ignored him and turned to Prompto who was shaking. He was looking down at his hands.
"I tried to... hurt you." Prompto trembled like a puppy.
Noct shook his head and ripped a piece of his jacket off, wiping the black discharge from his face. Prompto grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes.
"I heard you. Calling for me. I followed your voice." His tears began washing away the darkness.
Noct couldn't reply, he was overcome with emotions and fell to his knees. Prompto fell with him and the two hugged.
"It's hard to hold it back." Prompto spoke in pure fear as he cried.
"It won't be long before this is all over. I promise." The prince looked up to the King statues.
Iggy crouched next to the two and picked up Noct's arm. He fed him a healing potion to deal with any major bleeding and pain.
Cor still was shaken up. He swore an oath to the King and the God's that he would never hurt the royals and he just injured Noct. Paralysed by this fear he stood up and walked out of the tomb without speaking.
Gladio wiped his sweat and watched Cor leave. He didn't follow him and instead comforted the two. The dungeon remained heavy and unpleasant as the events soaked in.