Zodiac (Final Fantasy XV)

|•IX•|

~Zodia's POV~

All was silent as I warned the others of the unwanted presence nearby. Cautiously looking around, my eyes travel to the cave ceiling and spot an Arachne watching us closely. The daemon has yet to notice that we were aware of her presence and waited.

Whispering the incantation of the shadow spell, I tap my staff once and black tendrils target the daemon hanging overhead. As the tendrils break into multiple spikes, it impales the body of the Arachne with precision. The daemon shrieks in pain and its body falls to the ground, motionless.

"How did you-never mind," Noctis stopped himself.

"Glad you held your tongue, brother dearest. I wouldn't have been able to answer that question myself," I exclaim.

"Just another obstacle out of the way," Gladio said.

"Certainty an inessential confrontation avoided," Ignis agrees.

"Time to move forward," Noctis said, leading the way. All agreeing, we follow closely behind. Not far from our last battle did Prompto spot a small ledge we could shimmy our way over. Noctis went first and I followed shortly behind. Ignis went right after me to ensure I didn't slip or fall. Following him, Prompto and Gladio scurried across with ease.

"So much for a "little chill." I got an ice cream headache-without the ice cream!" Prompto chatters.

"Could always get ice cream afterwards and see which is worst," I comment. Prompto shook his head frantically. "I think this freezing place will hold me over for a while." I laughed a little at our small talk.

We broke our conversation when we ran into another dead end. Crossing my arms, I glance at Noctis with a raised eyebrow. Ignis gave him the same expression and lowered his voice. "Noct, if I may..."

"Don't ask," Noctis snappily replies.

"Yep, we're lost," Gladio confirms.

"Don't answer!" My brother hisses back.

"Don't know where we came from, don't know where we're goin'," Prompto added.

"Of course," I snicker. Noctis sent me a small glare, which made me laugh a little harder. "Don't get mad. You were never good at directions. You'd always get lost in the Citadel." He grumbled incoherently under his breath, not denying I was wrong.

"How 'bout you lead?" Noctis questioned. Taking a step forward, I smirked at him. "Gladly." Understanding the layout of the cave allowed us to proceed forward. Noctis refused to say a word as I was able to guide us through with little effort.

"I hope we didn't come here for nothing," Prompto fretted.

"Sure there's something if we look," Gladio reassures.

"Don't worry, Prom. We're not leaving empty-handed," I smile.

We arrived at another ledge. This one also has enough space for us to cross over to the other side. His protective nature kicking in, Noctis goes first to test the ledge. "Watch your step," Gladio warns.

"No more slip-ups," Ignis states. The five of us reach the other side without an accident, only to run into a few Flans and Imps. In a blink of an eye, all the daemons were slain. The temperature dropped even more as we finished off another horde of daemons.

"So, the glaive and ruins are through here?" Gladio asked as we ascended a small slope.

"Most likely," Noctis replied.