They can't wait any longer, they have to go after Prompto, after the crystal. Niflheim had removed it to their own frozen fortress for safe keeping the same day they'd escorted King Regis and his son back home. They can't just stroll up to the front gates. That will only get them captured or worse. Prompto might know how to break into this place, but Prompto's on the wrong side of the door. So they've got to find another way in.
Noct's having flashbacks of that old cartoon he used to watch; the one where the teenagers were always searching for ghosts. Any minute now someone will suggest the split up so they can cover more ground. Which...honestly isn't a bad idea. It'd be best not to have all the royals in one spot. Nobody's going to separate Ravus from Luna, and Gladio can't keep an eye on both Ignis and Noct. Ignis and Ravus have gotten pretty chummy since Ignis lost his sight, maybe they can help each other if they do have to divide the party.
The fortress is vast; it's impossible to mark one's place, everything looks more or less the same. Noct absently wishes for a "you are here" sign like they have at the mall. Iggy's walking stick rasps across the bare tile floor as he walks. He's gotten pretty good at using it. Noct wishes he could say the same for himself. The braces keep his knees from buckling, but all he's really doing is dragging himself along by the arms. He's half tempted to summon the wheelchair just because it would be faster.
Their first encounter with hostiles, Noctis discovers he's learned a new trick. MT's swarm the hallway and Noct automatically falls back with Ignis even as his friends rush into the fray. He shouts for them to stand back as he looses a massive bolt of lightning. That takes down more than half of the mechanical troops, several of them exploding into bits of razor-edged shrapnel. Noctis throws himself at Ignis even as he shouts for him to duck. The hunk of plating shears through the thin air where they had been only moments ago. Noct and Ignis find themselves in a bewildered heap against the far wall.
"What on Eos?" Ignis asks, sounding more than a little shaky.
"Holy crap, did you just warp?" Gladio calls as Ravus brings his greatsword down through the head of the last MT.
"I think so?" Noct answers, shaken himself. The adrenaline is making him giddy, and he grins. "That was so cool!"
Noct wants to warp everywhere now that he knows he can. However, it's a huge power-suck, and he's already tired. Swallowing his pride, he summons the wheelchair. He steers while Ignis pushes. It's a good compromise for both of them.
They run into surprisingly few enemies; it's mostly sentinel automata and a few creatures. They're not as bad as MTs, most of which are apparently deployed somewhere else. There's plenty of evidence that there were robotic soldiers here, but not many actual troops. Aside from the machines, the place seems deserted. That doesn't seem to make a difference to Luna who is quietly, calmly freaking the hell out.
"I don't like this," she repeats for the hundredth time. "This whole place reeks of Starscourge."
It does. It's kinda hard to miss. It's only gotten worse the deeper they go. So far nothing befitting a horror movie has jumped out at them, which only adds to the tension.
"This place is too damn big," Gladio grumbles.
"I hate to say this, but do you think maybe we should split up?" Noct asks. "One team can hunt for the crystal, the other looks for Prompto."
They all exchange uneasy glances.
"It might get us out of here quicker," Ravus comments. Noct takes that for a 'yes'.
"Okay. Team Lucis will look for Prompto. Team Tenebrae will find the crystal. Sound good?"
"Perhaps I should accompany their magestes," Ignis says. "If Prompto is injured or under imperial influence, a more familiar face might be comforting."
He doesn't say that if they run into trouble, Gladio shouldn't have to throw Noct over one shoulder and drag Ignis along with his free hand. Ravus may have only one arm, but he can at least see where he's going. They already know Luna can more than hold her own.
"Very well," Luna agrees.
They split up. Prompto's a cyborg, so maybe they're keeping him in the machine shop somewhere. There are a lot of MT parts in the next area, and row after row of empty pods. At the far end of the room, there's some sort of assembly rig. Looks like whoever was here last never got to…
Oh no.
"Prompto!" Noct shouts, rising up out of his wheelchair as much as he can without falling. Gladio picks up the pace, almost running over to where Prompto hangs inert from the huge metal frame. Noct flicks a crutch into one hand and stumbles toward his friend. He all but collapses on him, his free hand latching onto Prompto's shoulder to keep himself upright as much as to make sure his friend is okay.
"Prompto wake up! Answer me! Prom!"
Gladio's already wrenching the latches that hold Prompto in place apart with sheer brute force fueled by rage. The metal doesn't stand a chance. Prompto whimpers and blinks himself awake. He shies back at first, obviously frightened, until he realizes who it is.
"Noct…" he croaks, staring at them as if certain he must be dreaming. His face scrunches as tears well up and spill over. "Guys… Guy's, I'm so sorry…"
"It's okay, kid, we know," Gladio tells him in a surprisingly gentle tone. "You okay?"
"You should go," Prompto insists. "Leave me here. Go find the crystal."
"Like hell," Noct tells him, becoming angry. "You're coming with us."
"No! No, I'll only hurt you again. I don't know what they did to me! I'm dangerous, you have to leave me here!" Tears stream down Prompto's cheeks, muddying the dirt and oil already smeared across his skin.
"Prompto listen to me," Noct tells him, looking him dead in the eye. "We're not leaving you. It wasn't your fault, okay? I trust you. So come on."
Prompto looks back, still frightened, but he gives a shaky nod. "O-okay." He swallows hard. "Where's Iggy?"
"He's with Luna and Ravus looking for the crystal. I don't suppose you know where it is?"
"I know what area is under heaviest lockdown," Prompto answers. "And I don't think they'd layer anything else with three blast doors and a biometric scan."
"That's gotta be it," Gladio agrees.
"Okay, let's go catch up with the others," Noct says, summoning his other crutch. "Prom, you ride with Gladio."
"I'm fine," Prompto instists. Noct wants to argue the point, but bites his lip. They don't have time for this.
"Okay, whatever. Let's just go."
The Nox Fleurets have found the blast doors leading to the crystal. Luna is trying to talk Ravus out of driving his sword through the locking mechanism. Prompto steps up and calmly holds his wrist to the scanner. There is a disarmingly cheerful "ding" and the doors slide open.
"Okay," Gladio says. "Royals in the middle. Prom and I will take point. Ravus and Iggy bring up the rear." No one argues. Weapons drawn, they move through the blast doors and down the endless hallway. Behind him, Luna shivers as she pushes Noct's wheelchair.
"This isn't right," she breathes. "It's too easy. It can't possibly be this simple."
"Don't jinx it," Noct warns her, though he privately agrees. Every nerve is screaming at him, his whole body taut with waiting for the ambush that must surely come.
There's nothing at the end of the hall, just a catwalk too narrow for more than one person. At the end hangs the crystal chained in place. Noct lurches to his feet, Prompto reaches to steady him.
"I'm okay," Noctis says, gently shaking him off. "I got this."
Luna's drawn her trident and Ravus his sword, but nothing's jumped out at them yet. Noctis smiles for them, trying to be reassuring, before making his long, slow way across the catwalk. He pauses as a noise ghosts past his ears, but a quick glance around proves no one is there. Shrugging, he presses on.
The open geode reminds him of a mouth with millions of jagged teeth. The ring hurt, it is highly probably this will hurt too. Taking a deep breath, Noct braces himself and holds up the hand with the ring.
Please, he thinks, help me stop the daemons.
Its as if strong hands have grabbed him. Instinctively he shouts and drops his crutches, grabbing for purchase on the massive stone as it tries to swallow him whole. He can hear the others each scream his name, and the heavy rumble of their footsteps as they charge across the catwalk to try to rescue him.
"Why your highness, what a surprise," says an oily voice. "Can I give you a...leg up?"
Noct's rude reply is lost in the chancellor's laughter. "Guys!" Noct screams. "GUYS!"
Ardyn is droning on about something, probably his evil plan, but Noct has bigger problems right now. Like getting swallowed by a giant rock. He'd thought the ring was supposed to absorb the crystal's powers, not the other way around. How the hell can he bring Light to the world if he's stuck inside a rock?
Gladio's strong arms latch around his middle. Prompto and Luna each grab an arm, Iggy and Ravus his legs. Together they pull, but it does not help. Ardyn watches, amused, before turning on them. One by one they let go in order to defend themselves. Luna's slender fingers are the last to be pulled away.
"Noct!" she screams. "NOCT!"
It's the last thing he hears.
'A Lucian king at last,' Bahamut remarks. Noct fights back the urge to flip him off. It's probably not wise to give an Astral the finger, no matter how much you want to. Instead he manages a:
'Well. I'm here. Now what?'
Bahamut seems amused. Noct wants to punch him in his gigantic face even though he won't even scratch the paint on the armor.
'You will learn,' Bahamut intones. 'You will absorb the power of the crystal and the wisdom of your ancestors until you are ready for your final task.'
'Yeah, about that,' Noct challenges. 'You want me to lay down my life, I got some demands.'
'Have you indeed?' Noct can feel if not see the arched brow.
Floating in space as he is, Noct sticks his legs out. 'Fix 'em.'
'The Ring has already…'
'So I can ACTUALLY do something,' Noct presses. 'Niflheim won't make it easy. I'm going to need to fight, to run. I have to be able to stand up if you want me to take the throne.'
The Drakonian nods. 'So be it, Noctis son of Regis, Chosen King of Lucis. I will grant your request.'
Good, Noct thinks, and distantly hopes this won't hurt too much or take too long.