Faithful - Ignis Scientia x Abused!Reader

Chapter 9 - The Great Empire of Niflheim

The fact that you hadn't been able to talk to Ignis about Prompto's suicidal thoughts scared you to death. What if he did something to himself while you weren't with him? Losing Prompto... you couldn't even imagine the heartbreak that would follow you and the rest of the group for days — weeks — years.

Thoughts were shattered like glass as lightning struck right outside Lestallum. The thunderous sound following just half a second later. At the same time, someone's scream was heard as well. A grin appeared on your face; it was Iris', she was terrified of thunderstorms. Ever since the Archean was defeated about a day ago, it had been raining non-stop. People were going crazy about how humans were all doomed because they woke the Titan from his slumber. It was understandable; the weather made it seem like doomsday.

«I hate this!» yelled a very stressed out Iris as she stomped into your room and straight to your comforting embrace.

«It's all right, come here,» you replied in a soft tone, trying your best to make her feel better. It didn't help much there and then, but Iris would definitely appreciate what you did in the future.

«I wish Gladio was here, he always makes me smile when I'm scared,» she started, burying her face in your chest, «when I was small he'd crack jokes when there was a storm, and I'd always laugh. Gods, I'm so worried about him.»

«I know, I know, but he'll be back, they always come back, don't they?»

«Yes...»

Suddenly, something was picked up by your ears. Quiet and autonomous, it sounded like a running motor, or worse, a machine gun. It sounded like it came from the main street. «Did you hear that, Iris?» you asked as your face carried a puzzled look. She looked up at you, trying to listen to whatever caught your attention.

«Hear what?» she replied before the room fell quiet. At the blink of an eye, Iris' expression turned into panic. Eyes wide, lips trembling, she grabbed hold of your hand. «Someone is shooting!» Panic spread through you like a disease, twisting and turning your feelings all over the place.

«Wait, it stopped,» you commented as you noticed that the autonomous sound was gone. Iris stood up, walking towards the door.

«We need to warn the others while we still can,» the dark haired one said before you stood up as well. The two of you quickly hurried towards the lobby where Jared usually spent his time greeting guests. Running down the stairs you slipped and almost fell, the situation really was that stressful, especially considering that your shotgun was locked in Ignis' room. When Jared entered the picture, he turned to look at you with just a panicked look as yours.

«You girls shouldn't be here!» the elder yelled as he started pushing you back towards the stairs. «The Kingsglaive are in lesser numbers, and the Magitek Troopers will soon be here to inspect your rooms...» At his second warning, his words were much quieter in fear of being heard by them.

«Troopers!» Iris yelled at the top of her lungs as Magitek Troopers broke their way through the locked Leville entry, causing shattered glass to fly everywhere at high speed. The sound was ear-piercing, much more than of a loud scream. You instinctively grabbed Iris by her hand and sprinted back up the stairs. She was hesitant; you had to drag her to get up in time. Shortly after your feet touched the upstairs floor, gunfire was heard once again. Jared had been shot. A sharp cry was heard behind you; Iris was heartbroken. You didn't give up, though, and kept dragging her along the corridor until you found a way out.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Iris as her legs started to give in. You didn't blame her; Jared had served her family for many years. He was a part of it by the end. The situation crept back onto your mind when you heard metal footsteps run up the stairs, ready to bring their rampage to you and Iris. It was getting dangerous – really dangerous.

"Keep going," you replied strictly as you looked for a window with a safe height to jump. There weren't many windows in the corridor as it was in between two sets of rooms. When you had turned a pair of corners, you saw a fire exit sign. "There, Iris! It's our way out!" Iris didn't reply, she just obeyed at that point. You reached for the window and opened it, letting fresh air flood the empty hotel. Outside were shots and panic, and just as you thought you were confident your anxiety started to kick in. The situation was too much, and you could barely handle it for much longer. But you had to keep a straight face. For Iris.

The emergency ladder outside the window was long and went straight down. Any miss step would lead to injury. "You go first, they'll be here any second," you offered. Iris agreed and climbed up the window before you. The ladder would lead to the other side of the Leville. Underneath was a tiny street and a little shack of some kind. It was most likely a storage unit for a seller due to the boxes surrounding it. Finding a way out was impossible... If only you had your weapon with you. If only you had Ignis.

Truly, you wished he was there...

"Y/N, hurry up!" yelled Iris when she was halfway down the ladder. You snapped back; Magitek troopers were threating your fate being seconds from turning the last corner. If they did, you would be in their range. You would be killed instantly.

Your options were getting slimmer and slimmer. At that point, you didn't even have time to get down the ladder safely. Reality struck you; jumping was the only option, and it was going to be painful. Hearing the terrifying metal footsteps behind you, you jumped. You felt your fingers let go of the window's frame, and your heartbeat was well over a healthy level. The wind embraced you on your way down, flowing through your hair and clothes. The whole thing went by in a gust of wind.

Loud noises spread across the tiny street, but the sound was completely engulfed by the rest of the panic that was spreading through town. "Are you crazy, Y/N?!" yelled Iris as she moved some destroyed boxes out of the way. You landed straight atop the little shack, and it had softened your fall. At least a little bit.

"I-I would've been shot..." you mumbled upon your breathy voice, slowly regaining your wit. Your body was laying spread out between a mixture of cracked wood, fabric and watermelons. Your arm hurt, your thigh hurt, everything hurt. You couldn't tell if anything was broken; your adrenaline was overrunning all sense of logic. Placing your arm in a balancing position, you pulled yourself out of the mess. "Let's get going, we have to hide somewhere." Your statement regained Iris and yours focus.

"Right," replied Iris as she gave you her hand to help you step over the wooden planks. Soon you were off looking for a hiding place.

"We need to enter a building, trying to get out of the city is impossible," you said while trying to open multiple locked doors along the street. Iris checked the windows.

So far, finding a hiding place came with bad luck. The two of you started to wonder if you were doomed...