I want to ride my chocobo all day!

It was hard to imagine that anything could be even more devastating and troubling than the fact that Noctis had apparently gone crazy and started attacking his friends, but Prompto soon found out that there was a lot more to be worried about here. He felt terrible, leaving Noctis where he was, but this was a desperate situation that he could not handle by himself.

Something was wrong, something had gone amiss. That had to be it. Because if it wasn't, if Noctis had really meant the things that he said…

No. No! It couldn't be! Prompto couldn't let himself think otherwise. It must have been those dark clouds, it had to be something with one of the gods, it had to be. Something. Anything but….

Ignis. Gladio. Pushing through the car door, he hurried forward, wondering where they might be. He had to find them, he had to…

( Prompto staggered a little as the train started to move again….--CW for bombings/explosive attacks/terrorism )

"Noct!" he shouted out as he felt nothing but air and gravity behind him, pulling him down from the now speeding train.

He liked to think, in that split second before everything fell away, before he hit the cold hard ground, that he could see Noct's face of surprise at what had just happened. Prompto desperately reached out for him, but he could only clutch at nothing. And all he could really be sure of seeing was Ardyn looming behind Noctis with a faintly triumphant grin. He had Prompto's gun in his hand, and he brought it smashing down on the back of Noctis' head.

Prompto closed his eyes, felt the impact of the ground as he tried to avoid seeing Noctis' crumpling body.

And then there was nothing more.

[[ end of Final Fantasy XV Chapter 11 - "In the Dark"...or at least as much of it as I could wrangle up from an alternate perspective than what we get in the game proper. It's definitely a tricky one to transcribe, but you'd better believe it's time to buckle up for Episode Prompto heading your way soon! OH BOY! Standard terms and conditions apply! ]]

The King of Lucis and his Kingsglaive were back on the move again, not through the comfort of their own lands, or even the familiar comfort of the Regalia, but first by boat again, and now by train, rumbling through the arid deserts, deeper into Empire territory. Their final destination: Gralea, the capital of Niflheim, where the Crystal that had been stolen from Insomnia had been taken. But, before then, a pitstop: Cartanica, a station located southeast on Fodina Caestino, a long abandoned mine where the Marshall's research may have located another royal tomb. Another weapon for Noctis to add to his arsenal, especially since, at this point, they truly did need all the help they could get.

But the real difficulty, it would seem, would come from actually getting there first..

Not because of any outright danger or Imperial attacks or violent gods, as they'd dealt with weeks, months before this moment. But because of themselves.

( The train car was quiet, only the steady clacking of the wheel on the rails below and the soft murmur of the conversation of other passengers around them… )

And Prompto just sat there, useless, not knowing what to say, not having any way to make any of it better.

Eventually,though, Noctis meandered back, and Prompto used that opportunity to at least try. "Hey," he offered up softly. "We're almost to Cartanica."

"One step closer to finding the next tomb," murmured Noctis, as he collapsed into his seat, and looked out across the bright deserts of Succarpe passing them by.



[[ Welcome to Final Fantasy XV Chapter 10 - "Heart of a King", or as I like to call it: this meme." NFB, NFI, OOC always ]]