Zodiac (Final Fantasy XV)

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~Zodia's POV~

With the machinery out of our way, the path was clear once again. The trek was growing more treacherous as the slope became more steep. We carefully descended the path as it began to rain and made the dirt muddy and slippery.

"Why? Why does it have to rain? Do the gods hate us that much?" I purse my lips.

"Must've done somethin' to piss 'em off, Sis," Noctis snorts.

"Its just... Ugh, I hate the rain!" I whine. "Reminds me too much of the Myrlwoods. Hated that place."

"Agreed," Ignis chimed in.

As the path led us further in the quarry, a pungent odor wafted through the air. Prompto pinches his nose to keep the stench from creeping up his nostrils. "Man, something stinks around here. Don't slip and fall in whatever that is."

"It is rather strong. We must be drawing closer to something," I said. As those words slipped from my lips, the path led us to a swamp at the bottom of the quarry. In the distance, I could spot the entrance to the royal tomb but no sign of the zodiac ruins. Then, we come across several large organic sacs hanging between some tree roots near the tomb. Prompto peered at the strange sacs. "What is this?"

"I hate eggs," Gladio groans.

"Do we really wanna know what's back there?"

I took a small step back as the sacs began to ooze. "Those are-"

Suddenly, tentacles emerge from the swamp followed by the creature who owned them. Prompto backed up next to me with a grimace. "That looks like a mouth. Is that its face!?"

"It's a malboro. The foul odor secreting from its body is what our noses picked up on the path," I stated.

"Any ideas?" Noctis asked me.

"No, I've only read little about them. I don't know its weaknesses."

"Specs?" Noctis turned his gaze to Ignis.

"Apologies, Noct. Neither am I knowledgeable of this foul creature."

"Just attack with all you've got and stay away from its mouth," Gladio said as he summoned his greatsword. Prompto called upon his pistol while Noctis and Ignis favored their polearms. With my staff in hand, I moved behind the creature and attacked with incantations. When it lashed one of its tentacles at me, I was forced to go on the defensive. The malboro was pushing me back as it gave me its full attention.

The boys tried to get it to switch its attacks to them, but it was solely targeting me. I grit my teeth as I was pinned against the rock wall with its tentacles trying to break my staff in two. From the corner of my eye, I saw the sacs beginning to shake and ooze. "Great..."

As the malboro exerted more force, I decide to slacken my grip and roll out of the way. The creature slammed face-first into the rocks, wailing in pain. As it cried out, I warped next to Prompto just as the sacs bursted open. "Whoa! Look who's hatching!" The blonde comments.

"Bust 'em up!" Gladio yells as he kills a malboro sprout with one hit.

Prompto suddenly glanced at me with puppy dog eyes and I knew exactly what he wanted. "Elemental bullets coming right up!" I smile as I casted the enhancement spell, making Prompto cheer happily as he took out a handful of malboro sprouts.

As the battle prolonged, none of us were getting anywhere with the malboro. Gladio clicked his tongue and jumped back to avoid being swiped by a tentacle. "It's useless."

"What do we do!?" Prompto frantically shouts.

"This might be a good time to panic," Noctis said.