(Y/n) felt her body plummeting as she was dragged down the hole after being released by Prompto and Gladio. She felt the rush of the wind whip through her golden locks and kiss her skin as the Gashadokuro held her leg between its fingers. Without resisting, she allowed the monster to drag her body all the way down to the hangar area of Zegnautus Keep.

Famine glared at the enormous monster as she finally came face to face with it, dangling upside down in front of its skeletal face.

"Still ugly, I see," she scoffs, rolling her eyes.

When the monster recognized who it grabbed, it tossed her across the hangar with all the strength it could muster. The Horseman's body slammed against the metal wall, creating an indentation of her body. "What?" She laughs through the pain. "You don't miss me? My feelings are hurt along with my entire back. You've got a nice arm on ya, big guy."

The Gashadokuro hissed as it crawled over to her at amazing speeds. It tried to grab her again, but she dodged and put some distance between her and it. Summoning her blade, she turned her attention back to the immense creature. "Let's dance, buddy! I'm sending you to the grave for sure this time. That's where skeletons belong, anyway."

(Y/n) charged at the Gashadokuro and dodged when it swung its boney hand at her as of it were swatting a fly. She leapt on to its knee, charging her sword with lightning. The creature used its other arm to smack its kneecap to squish the Horseman, but it was too slow. She had jumped from its knee to its shoulder in the timeframe it took for the monster to raise its hand.

Running across its shoulder, she targets the spine and uses it as a ladder to reach its head. She ducked and dodged each time the Gashadokuro tried to pluck or swat at her with its large, skeletal hands. It howled as she climbed the side of its head and finally reached the top. Raising her blade, (Y/n) drove it through its skull and twisted it as deep as it could go. The lightning discharged and surged through every part of the creature's body.

The Gashadokuro roared loudly, the entire hangar shaking from the monstrous cry. (Y/n) withdrew her blade from the monster's skull. She knew the one shock wouldn't be enough to kill it, but it was enough to slow it down and weaken it.

Famine jumped off its head, landing with a click of her heels against the concrete floor a few feet from the enemy. She sighed, watching as it tipped over and fell onto its back with a thunderous 'thud'. "Yeah. You rest for a moment. I know you'll be back on your feet in a few minutes. That'll give me enough time to come up with a plan."

(Y/n) threw her aching body against a metal crate with a huff. She closed her eyes, trying to devise a plan to kill the monster laying before her. Unlike her sisters, she wasn't able to gain knowledge on how to kill it before having been transported to Eos at King Aeshema's command. "Why couldn't there have been two Phantom Knights? Why did it have to be one of the most dangerous monsters from the Inner Sanctum...?" She reclined her head back against crate with another heavy sigh. "I swear, those three gave me the most difficult thing to kill out of all the monsters!"

The Gashadokuro growled lowly as it gradually pushed its body off the ground. As it sat up, its lower jaw unhinged and released a deafening roar. (Y/n) glared daggers at it before pushing her own body off the crate. "Ready for round two, huh? Bring it on!"

<-----------<<<<<<<<<<<

Once the boys had departed from the dormitory in search of the Crystal and (Y/n), they encountered the Foras daemon and made quick work of the enemy before moving on, ignoring its words as it breathed its final breath.

Moving forward through the Keep, the royal retinue eventually made it to the hangar. "One helluva hangar," Gladio said as they entered the large room, not yet spotting the fight between the Horseman and monster.

"Look at all this space," Prompto said before his eyes fell upon the Gashadokuro. He gasped as he saw (Y/n)'s body fly past them and rip through three metal containers before slamming into the wall. He shouted her name at the top of his lungs and ran to her as her body fell to the floor. He slid to his knees beside her and supported her body when she tried to stand. He hooked one arm around her waist while the other grabbed her sword.

"I... am not..." She started while huffing, freeing herself from Prompto and snatching her sword out of his hand. "A fly!" Without skipping a beat, she charged at the Gashadokuro with a scream of frustration. She slashed at its hand, slicing off three of its skeletal fingers before moving to sever its other hand clean off.

"Gladio!" (Y/n) shouted, performing a few backflips to avoid the Gashadokuro's reach. She skidded to a stop in a kneeling position and moved to stand at her full stature. The shield raised a brow and eyes her, his eyes showing a hint of interest and amazement at her performance. "How high do you think you can throw me?"

"How high you wanting to go?" He questioned.

"Nape of the neck," she responded hastily.

Gladio nodded and cupped his hands together snappily as he saw the monster closing in on them. "Make it quick!"

(Y/n) ran towards the brute and he launched her high in the air. She soared upwards, blade at the ready. At the nape of the monster's neck, she plunged her sword into its body and allowed her weight to drag the blade down the back of its body. She felt a plummeting sensation in her gut as she stared at the large, deep gash she created with her blade. Her sword slipped from its back and she admired her handiwork with a smirk, listening to the Gashadokuro wail in pain before falling over face-first onto the floor.

Famine waited to feel her back smack against the floor, bracing for the pain she would be in. What she didn't expect was to land on something rather soft and slightly hard. Pushing herself off what she landed on, she realized it wasn't a something but rather a someone. "Prompto?!"

"Ugh..." He groaned from the impact. "H-Hey, (Y/n)."

"Did you really try to catch me?" She raised a brow in question.

"I-It didn't go as I planned..." He grunted.

"Yeah, well, you still cushioned my fall. You get points for that," she snickered, helping him to his feet and avoiding irritating his most likely bruised back.

"Here," Noctis said, tossing the blonde a curative. "Can't believe you actually tried that."

"Hey, what can I say?" Prompto grinned as the potion shattered in his hand. "I'll always be there to catch my goddess."

"Your spine will snap like a twig one of these days if you keep becoming my cushion every time I fall," (Y/n) retorts.

When the Gashadokuro began recovering, Famine's head snapped towards it. She conjured her blade, ready to strike, but she noticed something was off. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the monster. "What is it-no!" She stormed over to it as it vanished. She dispelled her blade and ran her hands through her golden locks. "No, no, no, no! This vanishing act is getting very annoying!"

"Uh, (Y/n)?" Prompto called out to his girlfriend.

"What?!" She spun around, (e/c) eyes burning with anger. He flinched at her fiery tone, which didn't go unnoticed by her. The girl took a deep breath, sighed, and apologized. "Sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you."

"I-It's fine," the blonde responded. "Never seen you so angry before."

"I finally managed to locate my last target and it runs away before I can finish it-just like the Phantom Knight. I really suck at my job as a Horseman." (Y/n) fell to her knees before leaning back and falling onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"If it's any consolation, you were pretty badass," Noctis stated.

"Not your fault they run. It just means they're scared of you," Gladio added. "Which means you are doing your job right."

"Yeah!" Prompto cheered. "If I was a Horseman, I'd turn tail and run. That thing was huge and terrifying!"

"Pray tell, (Y/n), what is this "Gashadokuro"?" Ignis asked.

While still on her back, she explained the origins of the creature. "The Gashadokuro is a manifestation of the amassed bones of people who died from starvation. They're known for their skeletal appearance and immense height. There are ten in all of existence, every single one housed within the Inner Sanctum. Only one escaped when the seal broke. Thank the Six it's only one."

"Anything else interesting about 'em?" Noctis asked curiously.

"Wanna know their diet?" She sat up with a smirk, knowing it would make all four of them queasy.

"Uh, sure."

She pushed herself off the cold floor, her smirk widening. "Y'know, the usual things monsters like to eat-heads and blood. Hate the rest of the body, though. They'll just toss that aside."

Her words created a deafening silence. She glanced between all the boys with a seemingly innocent smile. "What? Too much information?"

"Um, just a little," Prompto gulped fearfully.

Famine clamped her hands together, deciding to change the subject for the sake of the boys and their slightly paling faces. "We should locate the Crystal. The mana spilling from it is quite overwhelming."

"It's close by?" Noctis asked, eyes gleaming with hope.

"I'm not sure, but its mana signature is quite strong in this hangar. It must be somewhere nearby. The central elevator is that way," (Y/n) pointed to the back of the hangar. "It's our only way up."

Their conversation was interrupted by the eerie sound of squealing metal. The large doors at the other end of the hangar begin opening, alerting the five. Over the loudspeakers, they hear Ardyn's taunting tone. "Your Majesty, your precious Crystal awaits you. To liven things up I thought I'd take you on a stroll down memory lane. Of course, memories decay with time."

Ravus' body walks through the doors, now grotesque and daemonic, transformed into a monster. "Kill me... End it..." He begged in a haunting, warped tone.

Gladio's eyes narrowed slightly as the man stalked towards them. "Is that Ravus?"

"Or what's left of him..." Prompto muttered.

"Friend of yours?" (Y/n) pondered.

"More of an acquaintance," Noctis replied. "And Luna's brother."

Famine sighed dejectedly. "A shame to see he has become a victim of the kingdom he once served." She glanced down at her hands before locking eyes with the infected man. "I'll make this quick. Think you four can create an opening for me?"

"Certainly," Ignis responds, summoning his daggers.

"We'll distract him and you do whatever you need to," Gladio reassured.

"I don't want to have to use it again so soon, but I must," she murmured to herself.

(Y/n) watched and waited as the boys fought against Ravus. Noctis warped into battle while Prompto stood in the back, firing round after round at the daemonized man. Gladio and Ignis joined the fray, grabbing Ravus' full attention.

While his sight was focused on the four boys, the Horseman snuck up behind him and reached out to touch him. When her hands were a few inches from his head, he turned and drove his blade through her abdomen. She gasped in pain and heard the boys shout her name. "Damn... That one hurt..." A grunt escaped her lips as she took another step forward, the blade sinking further into her body.

Reaching out, (Y/n) placed her hands on the sides of Ravus' face and gritted her teeth as she fought through the immense pain in her abdomen. The second her hands touched the man's face, she could feel the daemon inside him trying to invade her own body. "Sorry, pal. That's not gonna happen."

"Kill... me..." Ravus begged through labored, pained breaths in a dark undertone.

"I'll try to make it quick," she whispered and used the Touch of Starvation.

Ravus screamed out in pain as the daemon inside him tried to break free from (Y/n) and escape, but it was too late. His bones show through his flesh as his body slowly discorporated, turning his body into nothing but bones until they disintegrated into ash. The screaming ceased and Famine's hands shake as they remained in the air. The exhaustion hit her like a bullet train, but she desperately tried to fight through it.

The girl glanced down at the sword that was still embedded in her abdomen and called out to the boys. "Can I... get some help here?"

Noctis was the closest to her and jogged over. He grabbed the hilt of the blade. Before doing anything due to the fright of the amount of blood, he met her (e/c) gaze. "You ready?" He asked nervously.

(Y/n) nodded, her eyes drooping due to the exhaustion. "Just... make it quick." Noctis nodded and used all his strength to briskly remove the sword from her body.

Once it was out, Famine sighed in relief before she felt her vision fading. She stumbled backwards in a desperate attempt to stave off the exhaustion as her body healed. Noctis tossed the blade down before grabbing her arm to keep her from falling. "H-Hey!"

Prompto rushed over as he saw her eyes shut and her knees collapse underneath her. He wrapped his arms around her body and Noctis released his hold on her, seeing the blonde had a firm grip on her. He sunk to his knees with (Y/n) collapsed against him-one hand cradling the back of her head while the other rested on her waist. "Iggy!" He shouted in worry.

The tactician followed the sound of Prompto's distressed tone and made his way over hastily. He found where they were and asked the blonde what was the problem. He quickly explained to him how (Y/n) suddenly lost consciousness after her wounds healed, concerned something had went wrong during the healing process. Her skin was slightly clammy to the touch and pale.

"She's immortal, right?" Noctis asked.

"Y-Yeah, but still..." Prompto muttered. "Is she okay, Iggy?"

"By her symptoms, I believe it's simply exhaustion," the advisor responds.

As the boys were discussing (Y/n)'s condition, the hangar suddenly fills with daemons. The amass of enemies varied in size as they flooded the entirety of the hangar.

"Look alive-company!" Gladio shouted, conjuring his greatsword and killing an approaching daemon.

Prompto shook (Y/n) lightly, hoping to stir her from her unconscious state. "(Y/n), we could really use your help right now!"

The Horseman didn't stir.

"That's not gonna work," a voice hissed. Prompto looked up and saw a girl with crimson hair and lapis eyes staring down at him. "It's useless to try and wake her at this point. The power she used to kill that man takes a lot out of her. She won't be awake for a couple of hours. You better protect her or I'm gonna skin your ass."

"Not the time, War!" Gladio snarled at the girl. "Could use your help!"

The redhead rolled her eyes with a groan. "Fine. Just don't get in my way. I'm doing this for my sister, not for the rest of you." War called upon one of her many weapons and took down daemons left and right.

Prompto, a little shaken at the Horseman's threat, summoned his pistol and shot any daemons that tried to pounce on him and (Y/n).

<--------<<<<<<<<

The fighting droned on endlessly. Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, Ignis, and War slew many daemons, but more kept replacing them.

"We're getting nowhere!" Gladio bellowed as he sliced through several assailants.

"And they just keep coming!" Prompto whimpered.

Ignis addresses the raven-haired boy through the scuffle. "Noct, you must go alone."

"What?" Said boy gasped in disbelief.

"If you can obtain the Crystal's power, we may yet turn the tide. Elsewise, we are all likely to perish here."

"Iggy's right," Gladio said in agreement. "It's our only chance."

"But what about you?" Noctis glanced around at his friends and War.

"We'll manage somehow! Just get moving!" Prompto yelled, shooting a daemon between the eyes.

Then, Ardyn broadcasts his voice over the loudspeakers. "You could still get to the Crystal... if you went on your own. Your friends will have to stay behind."

Noctis glanced at his friends and the Horseman before taking off. As he was running to the central elevator, someone grabbed his arm and hoisted him upward. With a grunt, he realized it was Death. She glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. "Need a ride, Your Highness?"