Prompto couldn't believe how close the cult's base of operation was to Old Lestallum. It explained why so many bodies were found near Fort Vaullerey and Lestallum. What shocked him even more was how no one noticed anyone entering or exiting the fort this past month.

As he crossed the bridge into Old Lestallum, he glanced back at the large structure and noticed how quiet it looked from the exterior. From where he stood, it seemed abandoned and lifeless. In actuality, it was now home to a group of murderers. Now he knew exactly why no one suspected anyone to be occupying an abandoned imperial base.

Safely in the small town, he sighed in relief seeing the lights that kept the daemons from pummeling Old Lestallum into nothingness. He found a few hunters gathered around their truck and ran over. He decided to keep Fort Vaullerey a secret and asked his fellow hunters for a ride to Meldacio. Fortunately, they told him to hop in and they departed from the small town. He begged them to drive faster as he felt his concern for (Y/n) rise with every passing minute.

Arriving at Meldacio HQ, Prompto leapt out of the vehicle and shouted for Dave as he ran. He found the man at the small eatery and didn't waste a second, skipping right to the point. "T-The cultists... Their base is Fort Vaullerey!"

"Whoa!" Dave yelled over the frantic blonde. "Calm down, son. Tell me what happened."

"(Y/n) and I were captured by cultists. T-They took us to Fort Vaullerey. I managed to escape, but she's still trapped in there! We've gotta save her!"

Dave placed a hand on the young man's shoulder to calm him down. "We will bring 'er back, Prompto. I'll gather a group of hunters and we'll head out as soon as we're done with preparation."

As he waited for Dave to return, he paced back and forth frantically as he ran his hands through his blonde locks. He didn't notice Gladio or Ignis as his attention was solely focused on (Y/n). He felt someone smack him on the back lightly, stopping him from pacing. "Iggy just arrived and we both heard what happened. We'll get (Y/n) back, Prompto."

Prompto nodded while biting his bottom lip. He wanted to attempt to distract himself for a little while and looked at the advisor. "Hey, Iggy. Haven't seen you in a long while. How's the eyes treating ya?"

"All is well. The scars have mended and eyesight is intact. Minus a few repercussions of the elixir, all went well," the tactician responds. "A second chance at sight-granted by Pestilence."

"Glad to hear it," Prompto said. "I can't even imagine losing my eyesight."

Gladio smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you did lose your eyesight, you wouldn't be able to see your "goddess" ever again."

Prompto gasped at the shield's words. "I wouldn't be able to bask in her beauty, her smile, o-or her-!"

"Legs?" The brute smugly grinned. "I told her how much you love looking at her legs in her normal attire."

"Wha-dude! Seriously?! Why would you do that?!" Prompto wailed. "She probably thinks I'm a creep now for staring at her legs..."

"You're her boyfriend." Gladio slung an arm across the younger boy's shoulders. "Pretty sure that gives you permission to look all you want."

"Unless the lady protests," Ignis added. "Do respect her privacy, though, Prompto. Keep the peeking to a minimum."

With the topic flipping back to (Y/n), the worry bubbled in his chest. He nodded with a frown, staring down at the ground. "I just hope she's okay. It's all because of Ardyn!"

"How so?" Ignis asked.

"They said a weirdo with a strange sense of fashion, velvet hair, and amber eyes provided what they needed to capture her. He's the only other person who knows (Y/n)'s a Horseman besides you, me, Gladio, Dave, and... Noct."

"Not surprised he's making another appearance after all the shit he did in Gralea. Wanna bet he's the one truly behind this cult?" Gladio inquired.

"It would come as no revelation. The chancellor may have sovereignty over the cult, but it seems to have its own volition to a certain extent," Ignis stated.

"If that bastard gets his hands on (Y/n), who know what he plans to do. If he knows how to incapacitate her, he must have some serious plans that require her status as a Horseman. We better hurry," the brute said.

"What of the other hunters?" Ignis asked.

"Dave knows where to go. We'll go ahead of him and infiltrate the fort. That way, we can locate and get (Y/n) the hell outta there."

Prompto agreed wholeheartedly to the plan. "Let's go."

The trio hop into Gladio's truck and leave Meldacio without saying a word to Dave. They drove through Old Lestallum and across the bridge Prompto trekked across a few hours prior. Parking the car at the base of one of the four walls that protected the fort, they disembark and scale a small hill before reaching the crevice the blonde had located during his escape. It was a tight squeeze for them, but they shimmied through and successfully infiltrated Fort Vaullerey without alerting any cultists.

"My assumption would be (Y/n) is being held underground," Ignis whispered to his friends as they hid behind a rustic, old machine.

"Where do we go from here to reach the underground facility, Prompto?" Gladio asked.

"Follow me," the blonde whispered back, taking the lead.

Using the various items the empire had left in the fort once they abandoned it as cover, they snuck past all the men and women without bringing attention to themselves. They found the door leading underground and descended the stairs.

"Damn. Didn't know this place had an underground facility," Gladio comments as they enter a large room littered with medical equipment. What caught their attention was the examination table in the middle of the room. It was engulfed in blood along with the medical instruments splayed out on a cart beside the metal table. Blood splatters were strewn across the lab's floor alongside streaks of blood on the tiled walls.

"T-This wasn't like this when I escaped," Prompto stuttered, swallowing the lump in his throat. "T-There was no blood... You don't think-?"

"We must hurry," Ignis urged his companions. Prompto nodded and they left the lab.

Down the narrow hall, they checked the cell block but found nothing. When they raced to the last door they had yet to check behind, they stopped when they heard voices from the other side.

"Well done, my boy," a familiar voice rang from the other side. "You did well in procuring a Horseman, especially the one I requested."

"Just give me what you promised," another voice hissed in vexation.

"Of course."

Ignis pushed open the door slowly in order to not alert the two men on the other side. He peered through the small slit and watched as Ardyn's form turned daemonic. His skin turned deathly pale and his veins were a pitch black, contrasting against his pale skin in a haunting image. Kael screams out in fear as the chancellor reaches out and touches him. The black substance dripping from the daemonic man's body lands on the cultist's arm and sinks into his skin.

Kael continue to screams as he feels the corruption slowly begin to infect his entire body. His skin slowly began to match Ardyn's along with his veins turning sable. Eventually, his screams were silenced as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body collapsed on the floor, lifeless.

"Bring her to the ship," Ardyn commanded a handful of MTs, his voice tinted with a daemonic tone before returning to normal. "Do be careful with my prize now. We wouldn't want her slipping off the needles and regaining mobility."

Prompto was the first to react. He flung the door open and shot all the MTs in the head, killing them instantly. Gladio and Ignis followed the blonde into the room, their weapons drawn and aimed at the chancellor. The man's features had returned back to normal as he spun around to face the trio with a smirk. "Ah, what a pleasant surprise! Quite an honor to cross paths once again, gentlemen."

"Shut the hell up!" Gladio growled, eyes narrowed in a sharp glare.

"What is this twisted plot you so desire?" Ignis hissed.

"A simple trophy to add to my collection. Such beauty is exquisite and only comes once in a lifetime," Ardyn coolly responds before his eyes flickered over to the blonde standing between the two taller men. "Don't you agree, dear Prompto?"

Prompto's only response was to shoot the chancellor in the head. He and the others were aware of his immortality after they tried to kill him in Zegnautus Keep years ago, but that didn't stop them from attacking.

Gladio and Ignis distracted Ardyn, granting Prompto the opening he needed. He dashed over to (Y/n) and tugged at the metal straps around her wrists and ankles, but they wouldn't budge. Remembering how the orb had granted him the ability to harness a small but powerful flame, he quickly took it out of his pocket and prayed he'd be blessed with the ability once more in order to free Famine.

"Hold on, babe. I've gotcha." He melted the metal restraints and briskly places the orb back into his pocket before it could burn his palm. As he went to catch her, he realized her body didn't collapse like he thought it would. "What is-?"

"Prom," (Y/n) grunted, desperately trying to fight through the paralysis. "The needles..."

His eyes widen and he checked the device once more. He saw the myriads of needles scattered across the device, buried into her arms, legs, and back. When he glanced down, he finally spotted the small splotches of blood on the floor. "O-Oh, Six..."

"Just pull me off," she reassured him through gritted teeth. "I can't feel or move my body."

Prompto nodded and placed his hands on her sides. He winced as he began prying her body off the needles. It was almost as if he was feeling the needles embedded in his own flesh as he removed the Horseman's body from the device.

Reaching a certain point, (Y/n)'s body slipped off the needles and into Prompto's arms. He hugged her tightly as he fell to his knees, his hands trailing across her back and feeling the numerous puncture wounds along with the droplets of blood. After a few seconds, he could no longer feel them knowing her body healed itself.

Prompto's eyes darted over to Gladio and Ignis when he heard both of them grunt in pain. Ardyn looked over their bodies for a few seconds before stepping over them. He stalked toward the couple, resulting in Prompto encasing (Y/n) in his arms protectively.

"Ah, true love," the chancellor smirked. "Tis quite beautiful. Unfortunately, I've no time for such pleasantries." The man's arm shot out and gripped Prompto's neck tightly before the young man could summon his pistol. Gasping for air, the gunslinger was forced to release Famine as he couldn't breathe.

Ardyn's grin festered as he used all his strength to toss Prompto across the room. His body slammed into the wall before falling onto the floor with a grunt. Seeing as the blonde was incapacitated for the moment, the chancellor bent down and snatched one of (Y/n)'s wrists. He hauled her to her feet and pulled her against him, her back reclining against his chest. "I must apologize for the abrupt departure for it was such a splendid reunion with you gentlemen." (Y/n) gasped as one of his hands tangled in her golden locks and yanked her head back. "But I have much more important matters to attend to."

Prompto fought through the pain and pushed his body up onto his hands and knees. He summoned his handgun and aimed it at the chancellor. "Let her go," he growled.

The velvet-haired man chuckled, keeping his hold on the Horseman. He lowered his head to her exposed neck and peppered it with kisses, taunting the young man. "Such porcelain must be treated with care. You, my boy, are far too reckless for such delicacies."

With feeling slowly returning to her body, (Y/n) felt a frightening chill creep down her spine when the man holding her finished kissing the side of her neck and trailed his tongue along the spots he placed his lips. She felt disgusted and desperately wanted mobility to return to her body so she could fight back and give Ardyn what he deserved. Morosely, the only thing she could do was stare at the ceiling while the man kept tugging her head back by grabbing her hair.

Ardyn tugged her body backward as he pushed open the door with his foot. He kept his eyes on Prompto as he dragged (Y/n) slowly out of the room before the door closed.

The blonde pushed his body off the floor and stalked after the chancellor with his gun held tightly in his hand. He ran out the door and after Ardyn, leaving Gladio and Ignis behind. He grabbed a potion from his pocket and used it to rid his body of the pain before running through the hallway after the man and the Horseman.

Emerging from the underground facility under Fort Vaullerey, Prompto immediately froze when he saw numerous of cult members surrounding him with their firearms aimed at his chest and head. From where he stood, he could see Ardyn boarding a drop ship with (Y/n) still held hostage in his grip. He could see feeling was returning to her body as she tried to use her legs, but she kept stumbling. Her (e/c) eyes locked with his own azure ones through the throng of men and women, fear and worry for him apparent in them.

"Do take care, dear Prompto!" Ardyn shouted over the engine of the drop ship as it slowly ascended into the sky.

He watched helplessly as (Y/n) was taken from him, anger and sorrow glinting in his eyes. He dispelled his handgun and watched as the imperial ship rose higher and higher into the dark sky. Before it was out of sight, his eyes widened in horror as a large blast of lightning erupted from the ship. It lit up the entire sky, grabbing everyone's attention.

Prompto took the chance and hid out of sight while the cultists ran around frantically as the drop ship exploded, sending a shockwave through the ground from such a tremendous explosion. Pieces of the ship rained down across the fort, fire consuming the metal shards. He heard all the frenzied cries of the men and women running around, but all he could listen to was his racing heart. He wanted to desperately find (Y/n), knowing she would've survive the explosion, and see if she was alright.

Peering from his hiding spot, Prompto watched as the cult members ran around. He built up his courage and decided to use their confusion as a way to search for Famine. "Please be okay..."