The Sole Star (Final Fantasy XV Fanfic)

Chapter XLIV

Lorelai stood outside, leaning against the side of the house. She was currently on her phone. Right after breakfast, she had gotten a call and stepped outside to talk. Her friends followed her outside, but as soon as she saw them, she held up a finger, silently telling them she'd be just a minute. The look on her face was a serious one.

"Yeah. Okay." She slowly nodded her head. "I'll be there soon." She hung up.

"Who was it?" Noctis asked her.

She sighed, standing up straight. "Hunter HQ. They've apparently got some kind of trouble and requested that I head there and take care of it."

"Well then, let's pack up and go," Gladio said.

The group gathered their things and said goodbye to Iris and Talcott. They got into the Regalia and headed out. It took a little longer to get all the way to Meldacio, but they still made it before noon. They all climbed out of the car and followed Lorelai through HQ. She went straight to Ezma, the leader of the hunters. The elderly woman steadily rocked in her chair, watching as Lorelai walked up the steps and stood before her.

"Ah, Lorelai. You got here quicker than I would've thought. And I see you brought Prince Noctis with you too."

"You wanted to see me about a hunt?" the girl questioned.

Ezma leaned forward, lacing her fingers together. "A strange and dangerous phenomenon has occurred around the Vesperpool. First it was that behemoth a while back, now there's multiple species of monsters competing for territory in the area." She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "I sent several hunters to take care of it, but they all came back injured and unsuccessful." She nodded her head toward the eating area where many wounded hunters sat and ate.

Lorelai glanced at all of them. "So, you want me to deal with the problem?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. At times like these, we need the Star - one of our most powerful hunters. Kill the monsters causing all the ruckus. They're making that area dangerous for everyone."

Lorelai nodded. "You can count on me. I'll get it done."

The girl led her allies away from Ezma. "You sure you can handle this?" Gladio asked her.

She placed her hands on her hips and smiled. "Of course I can. Doesn't sound that big of a deal to me. I'll gather information from some of the injured hunters, then I-" She paused, noticing someone approaching them. She recognized the tattooed man. "Hey, Dave."

"Good to see you, Lora," he replied with a smile. "And you boys too. I've got a hot tip for ya. After Cor got us lookin' for those royal tombs, we've managed to track down a few. But only one of 'em still has yet to be opened, so I'm assumin' you've been to the others. It was found in the Malmalam Thicket."

Ignis pushed his glasses up. "Yes. We have yet to go there."

"Well, we know where to go next, then," Noctis said.

"If you want, you guys can go ahead and collect the royal arm," Lorelai told them. "I have my duties as a hunter to uphold, and while I take care of things on my end, you can be collecting the next weapon."

"No way!" Prompto interjected. "I don't care how skilled you are, you're not gonna take a hunt like that by yourself! I'm going with you!"

"Whoa, whoa, you sure about this, Prompto?" the prince questioned.

The gunman nodded with determination. "Yeah. I'm sure you guys can handle the Thicket without us. I really wanna go with Lora on this one."

Gladio chuckled and shook his head. "Just like before."