AN: Note to self: don't fanfiction and cook! Damn near burnt my lunch writing this while it was cooking… xD

The bottom of the valley wasn't an even puddle of mud and reeds. It was a wasteland. Barren boulders as far as the eye could see; steep cliffs ready to swallow an unassuming victim at any careless, misplaced step. And somewhere in the midst of it should have been what they were looking for: a royal tomb, presumably holding one of the unique weapons wielded by Noctis' ancestors.

Heavy stress on the 'should have'.

"And it's sure to be here, right?!" Irritation shone through the young prince's voice. He supported himself against the metal structure as his feet stuck to the marshland. "Aaand that's disgusting."

"Do you see a tourist info around here? That's the best intel we have," Gladio's gruff voice sounded from the lower deck, clearly not pleased. "So keep looking."

They had reached the machinery hours ago. It was nothing like what it had looked like from the distance. First of all, it was huge. The size of three football fields in diameter, and it didn't really stand as a proud and unconquered landmark in the emptiness as they had thought. The structures were halfway collapsed and sunken into the soft wet soil, and it was difficult to navigate. From up close, the place seemed just miserable and much more fitting to the grimy surroundings.

Prompto shook his head next to him, an attempt of a chuckle leaving him. "'Come to this awesome trip with us, Prompto', they said. 'Will be fun', they said…" Noctis couldn't help a smile.

"It hasn't been that bad, has it?"

"Yeah, great. Facing off the Imperial troops, fighting gods, almost getting myself killed a few times. So yeah, totally awesome!" he smirked.

"Getting to see the lady of your dreams… you know, from a distance."

Prompto sighed a laughter. "Man, thanks for reminding me!"

"Anytime," the prince smirked at the other's expression, and kept teasing. "You should just ask her out. Once we're done here." He watched how the color flushed onto the other's face, feeling like giving himself a high-five.

"Me?! Her?" Prompto blabbed as he pointed his thumb first to himself, then to someone that wasn't there. He scratched his head as he suddenly found it difficult to look at Noctis. "I dunno, man. I mean, uh… would she even be interested?"

"Well, you never know unless you give it a try, right? Besides, she probably knows already." He rolled his eyes at the horrified slash excited expression on his friend's face. "You're not exactly being discreet about it, Prom." The gunslinger looked like a landed fish how his mouth opened and closed but, rare enough, nothing came out.

"I'm not?!" Noctis laughed a small, honest snicker.

"It's, like, Captain Obvious discreet." He patted the blond on the shoulder as he pushed past him to scan the surroundings, sighing out his disappointment as he once again came up empty-handed. He glanced at the sky; the sun was edging closer to the skyline. They could as well forget about getting anywhere near back to the previous camp before nightfall.

"Who's idea was it to site a tomb into such a pit, anyway?" he grumbled under his breath as he rounded another corner in the hopes of seeing a glimpse of the familiar sphere shape of a royal catacomb but facing only a collapsed-in flight of stairs and pile of rubble. Now if ever he wished Ignis were with them.

Gladio was carrying him in a rather rough-looking piggy back. The man hadn't come to since the episode with his wound, which Noctis was half happy, half worried about. Remembering Gladio's words of warning, each new set-back, each new disappointment clipped away a fraction of faith. If they didn't find what they were looking for reasonably soon, they'd have to turn back empty-handed. He wanted to get Ignis to the station and have him treated properly. In the hindsight, he regretted coming all the way down here, although it had been the strategist's wish. He had thought that this would be like the past tombs: a quick there-and-back-again, nice and easy. They hadn't accounted for the place to be this run-down and almost downright inaccessible. 'If this even is the place,' he reminded himself, forcing down the urge to punch something as his frustration tried to get the best of him.

"Hey! I found something!" the deep voice came from somewhere below them. His spirits rose a little as they exchanged an excited look with Prompto, then dashed towards a set of stairs. But as they reached the survivalist, the excitement turned into bafflement.

"What's that?" The shield gave the younger man a look that spoke volumes.

"What does it look like? It's a control panel." Noctis shot him with a heated look of his own, but before he had time to say anything, Prompto interrupted.

"I might know how to play this piano." He climbed onto the deck and crouched in front of it and flicked a few switches. Soon after he cursed under his breath. "Good news: I think it's the controls to the security doors around here. Bad news: it's dead. Probably has been since Gladio's been ugly."

"Hey!"

"Great… I thought we were onto something here." Shaking his head the prince turned back to his previous direction. "Let's keep looking."

"Gotcha!"

"Don't wander off too far, Noct! We don't need to end up having to save your ass, too!" The younger man didn't need to see him to know: the disapproving squint of his eyes was audible in Gladio's voice. He dismissed it with a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"I mean it, Noct."

"Maybe you should save it and just focus on finding that tomb," he spoke more to himself but not caring if the other heard it. If he did, Gladio didn't announce it but Noct could feel the scrutinizing eyes on him. He huffed in irritation; 'give him a break, already! Since when had he become that untrustworthy?'

'Since what happened to Ignis', his mind supplied him with the information. Since then Gladio had been on his back constantly. He gulped a little at a guilty pang in his chest as he understood it wasn't entirely undeserved either, which soured his mood more. It was misinterpreted by someone.

"Something on your mind, Noct?" came Prompto's questioning voice; he felt a hand on his shoulder and his train of thought crashed into a brick wall.

"Nah. Just thinking, I guess," he shrugged it off lightly.

"You sure? You kinda had this look…" he trailed off, as if he was unsure how to go on.

"What look?"

"Like, you know, like you wanted to go all Armiger on some poor bastard?"

Blinking a little, Noctis read the silent question in the sky eyes. It spelled worry.

"I'm fine." Prompto's expression made it clear he didn't buy it for a second. For a moment, he simply gazed at the darker blue, as if trying to read something behind those pools, and then he backed away.

"If you say so, dude." He flashed a brief, sympathetic smile. The gunslinger had most of his weight on his back leg and a hand resting on his jutted hip as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "C'mon, Noct! Let's go find ourselves one royal resting place!" The prince chuckled.

"You're not supposed to sound excited about it."

"Getting out of here is what excites me! The faster the better."

"Tell me about it. This place gives me the creeps."

They followed the frame of the construction with hasty steps. Gladiolus was pacing some ways ahead of them, the out-cold strategist hanging limply on his back. The shield didn't seem bothered by his weight at all. Suddenly he looked like he had seen something and held an arm up. "There's something down there!"

Remembering the previous "discovery", Noctis reminded himself not to get his hopes up yet, but dashed after the dark man, Prompto at his heels.

The path started to descend and seemed to curve to the right. Careful not to slip on the wet rock, they trotted down the steep hillside, Noctis in the front, Gladio taking the rear. They didn't need to go far.

"Well isn't this peachy?" Prompto huffed under his breath.

"No kiddin'."

It looked like a power arm or a sliding plate or something of the sorts. There were hydraulic joints and rotating gears on its sides. It was leaning to the ground in an odd angle, but otherwise it looked intact. Nevertheless, it was blocking their way.

"Any chance of going around it?" Noctis mused as he paced around the structure, looking for a detour or a passable crack, anything. He came up with nothing. All the holes he found were see-through only, too small for a man to pass through. Well, Prompto maybe, but those holes wouldn't fit himself, not to mention Gladio. But he had this unexplainable hunch they were on the right track; a deep desire to overcome this obstacle ignited in him. And if there was a will, there would be a way, right?

"'Don't see any. Prompto, any luck?"

The blond shook his head defeatedly. "Looks like we're stuck here, fellas."

"No, we're not," Noctis spoke determinedly. "Maybe we can move it. You think it'd still work if we got the engine running?"

"Well, it looks pretty much alright, so yeah, suppose it could. But…"

"But what?"

"Dude, the power! It's dead, remember?"

"Then let's restart it! There has to be a backup."

Prompto didn't look assured; he let out a breath. "You're sure about this? We don't even know what's behind that thing. Could be another dead-end."

"I do. It's there, I know it."

Gladio had been observing, his look one of critical analysis as he listened to them, but now his tone was questioning. "And just how do you think you know that, Noct? Prompto's right, it could be a waste of time."

"Or it could not be. I just have this feeling it's there. We can at least try, and it's not like we'd have anything better to go with." He cast a challenging look at the others: if anyone else wanted to question him, let him speak now or forever hold his peace. One after another the men nodded their acceptance. "Let's go then."

They returned hastily to the control panel and Prompto went to study it carefully. Soon,

"Ha-haa!"

"Got something there, choco-boy?" Gladio smirked openly at the other's expression.

"I've told you, like, a thousand times not to call me that! And yes, as a matter of fact, I did," he pouted a little.

"So, what now?" Noctis urged, sounding probably more impatient than he would've liked, but he wanted to get this done and get out of here, all joking aside.

"Well, according to these circuit diagrams, there's a backup generator unit located close-by. In that direction, maybe?" Prompto pointed at the direction they had come from when they had descended the hill earlier that day; Noctis frowned a little. How could they've missed it on their way down?

"You sure?"

"Positive. It's not like these diagrams are exact or anything, but if it's drawn to the right of the main power source, then it is to the right of the main power source. It could be some ways right, though." Sighing, Noctis accepted that answer.

"If you say so." He was already heading for that direction. Behind his back, Gladiolus shook his head with a disapproving look on his face before trotting after him.

Prompto had been right. It was some ways to the right. It was more than a mile to the right, and Noctis begun to believe his friend had been mistaken until he caught a glimpse of the flight of stairs, and he understood why they had missed it earlier. Looking down from the path, the machinery obscured the stairs from view. It was almost like they had been stashed behind the construction in an attempt to conceal them. "I've got something!" He heard two sets of running steps splashing closer in the ankle-high water.

"Is that it?"

"Should be."

"Then don't stop. We're running out of time," Gladiolus pushed past them. Noctis' temper flared but he controlled himself before he could snap anything he might regret. He understood the bodyguard's haste – hell, he wasn't happy about their delay himself – but what got to him was the man's tone. It was as if he had scolded a little kid: demeaning.

The long unused grates cried under their feet as they stomped silently. Noctis was still seething, but the others pretended not to notice it. The sooner they'd get this done, he thought, the sooner they'd be out of here and back on track on their way to Gralea once Ignis had recovered. The sooner the better, because swear to Shiva, if he'd have to deal with Gladio's shit for much longer, he might end up doing something drastic.

The backup generator looked as worn-down and out of order as everything else in the midst of the abandonment. Eyeing all the switches, gears and doohickeys with little understanding what each of them was for, the dark one frowned as he gestured for Prompto.

The blond looked almost excited as he stepped closer. "Let's see here…" He flicked a few switches, turned a handle, and stepped back. "Alright. It's either gonna work, or then it's gonna overload the circuit and fry the entire thing in one neat blast." Prompto's smile was tight. The others' expressions were incredulous.

"I hope you're joking," Gladio grunted. The gunslinger's face was enough for an answer.

Noctis gulped. "This'd better work." He turned the switch.

The machinery became alive under his touch. A set of lights flickered alight and a reassuringly increasing hum of electricity sounded from the generator. "Wohoo! And we're on, baby!" Prompto cheered and threw Noctis a high-five.

"Might not have it for long, though. Hurry up and move the machine." Gladiolus was already going back down the stairs. Noctis rolled his eyes.

"Yes, sir." His voice was dripping sarcasm as he, too, headed down.

The equipment glowed in the last rays of the setting sun like a hot coal. In the distance, they could hear the screeching movement of massive machinery as black smoke puffed out of the long-cold pipes. The force of it shook the earth.

"Alright! Let's go." Excitement bubbled in his voice as the prince started to head for the path down the slope, but was stopped dead on his tracks by a stern hand on his shoulder.

"Hold your horses, kiddo. It's getting dark soon. We should camp and rest, and wait until morning." The dark eyes widened a little at the unexpected attempt to persuade him.

"Yeah, but…"

"But what? With the demons coming out soon, it's not safe down there." Then he added more gently. "Plus, we can't take Iggy down there like this."

One glance at Ignis' oblivious face, and Noctis knew he had lost. Much as he had wanted to, he knew there was no way he could justify bringing Ignis along when it was dark. Leaving him behind was out of the question as well. His posture slumped a little as he huffed a resigned sigh. "Fine." The shield didn't protest as Noctis shrugged his hand off.

They settled to sleep on a nearby cliff. It was dry bedrock and reasonably high should the local beasts develop a taste for man flesh. The dusk had matured into full-bodied darkness by the time they had set up the tent and made a fire.

Ignis came to with a small grunt. He was lying close to the fire, the flames making the shadows dance over his strong features. Prompto was the first to notice the twitch of a hand that soon became attempts at movement, and the others were quick to be by their side.

"We've got you, Specs," the prince consoled, resting a hand on Ignis' good shoulder; the adviser visibly relaxed at the notion of familiarity.

"How- how long was I insentient?" he croaked.

"Half a day. How you feelin'?"

A ghost of a smirk visited Ignis' lips briefly. "Like… I have encountered… a dualhorn stampede."

"How much do you remember?" Gladiolus chose his words carefully. At that, the man's face darkened.

"Pain, regrettably."

"Your wound got infected. We needed to rinse it… with Antidote."

"I see," Ignis' frown didn't tell if the man was pleased or displeased to hear it. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Noctis felt like changing the subject,

"You feel like eating?" he asked hopefully, and thankfully the smile returned among Ignis' pained features.

"I should… love to, actually." He held a small pause. "Thank you, Noct." The adviser made an attempt to sit up; like it'd have been an instinct, Prompto leaped to help him to sit up with his legs crossed.

"I'm afraid it's the choice of cup noodles or cup noodles tonight, ol' pal," Gladio chuckled a bit sheepishly as he guided the carton into his good hand. Ignis snorted, but it was mainly in amusement.

"Do you think you can eat by yourself?" Prompto asked with a hint of hesitation in his voice. The smallest of frowns appeared between the neat eyebrows; the sole indication of Ignis' irritation. His voice betrayed the will to salvage the rest of his dignity as he said,

"Thank you, Prompto, I'll manage." As if he was proving a point, he maneuvered in the first mouthful. A faint blush rose to the blond's cheeks and he had to look away.

They ate in relative silence, Ignis taking far longer than most of them, but it was understandable and no one made a comment about it. Soon after Gladiolus fixed a stern look at the lighter brunet. As if sensing it, Ignis turned to the direction of the gaze. At this point the others noticed it, too, as they too stilled to see this through.

"Iggy, lemme see it."

Looking like someone had held a fresh pile of dung under his nose, Ignis' nose turned up at the realization of the other's intention. Reluctantly he offered his shoulder.

As carefully as he could Gladiolus peeled the bandanna off the wound. Noctis' heart rate had gone up, and Prompto tried to peer over the large man's shoulder nervously. They both breathed a sigh of relief as Gladio's tense shoulders relaxed in contentment.

The wound wasn't that bad. It was still raw-looking and clearly hurt a lot, but at least it wasn't any worse than before. It had stopped seeping, too. And the fact that the strategist seemed to be in better spirits was good news. Gladio released a breath he hadn't noticed he had held. "Looks like it did something after all."

"Glad to hear… that torment… hasn't been for naught," Ignis noted, smirking a little although he winced a little.

"You're gonna be fine, four-eyes!" Prompto cheered as he smacked Ignis friendly across the back, causing the other to yelp in surprise as he nearly toppled over. Ignis' counter was a snappy elbow which hit his arm. Their awkward exchange of playful punches escalated into a wrestling match as Noctis hopped in to tackle Prompto onto his stomach to the ground. After a small struggle, someone brought in the tickles. They ended up into a sprawled heap, all of them laughing hysterically.

Noctis couldn't believe this. This went against everything he believed of himself. Again he had ended up staring at the roof of their tent idly, his mind refusing the sleep his worn-out body so desperately desired. Knowing his love for sleeping, it was almost obscene.

Further in the darkness, Gladiolus made a snorting sound and shifted. Ignis was lying next to him, having claimed that he felt good enough to sleep in the tent instead of staying close to the fire with Prompto, who had agreed to take the first watch. Noctis glanced at him but paid no more heed.

His mind was in the shadowy depths of the cavern. What they were looking for would await them there, he knew it. He couldn't explain why but for some reason he just had this feeling; it was almost like a calling. It felt weird but for some reason he had never been this sure of anything in his life. He sighed in frustration. It was there – and he was stuck here until the morning.

If only they'd have just gone and got it! It'd be done already and they could head back to the station first thing in the morning. Despite being happy about Ignis' condition improving, of course, the prince still didn't feel good about staying in the valley for any longer than was absolutely necessary. He wanted to be done with this – "riffraff", he heard the adviser's voice in his head and chuckled – and to get back to some resemblance of civilization.

But it wasn't going to happen tomorrow, either. Their trip to the tomb would most likely spend too much time to make it back to the station in one trek, even if they tried to push it. Which was out of the question. Ignis felt better but was still long ways from being able to make that distance in one day. And again conscious, he would never allow himself to be carried. No, they would have to take it slow. Which meant one more night outdoors. One more night in this stinking hole! Unless…

His eyes widened as an idea came to him, and he had to stifle a gasp. It was so ludicrous of an idea, so delusional that he knew he shouldn't even finish it. He should downright scrap it and never consider it again. But… so much of it was so tempting to him at that moment.

He could just go and find the tomb on his own.

He gasped lightly; suddenly it made so much sense, felt so obvious he blamed himself for not thinking about it sooner. The path was open, he had the key to the tomb. And let's face it, he was really the only one who needed to go in to retrieve the royal arm, anyway. He knew the others would never approve. He chuckled darkly as he imagined even mentioning this; Gladio would throw a fit, and Ignis would just about eat him alive. But it would save them so much time and effort! If he left now, he could be back before daybreak. Yes, it would be dark outside; yes, it could be dangerous; but it wasn't like he couldn't fend for himself! And he could always just run if things looked like he was in too deep. The more he thought about it, the more riled up he got. Sleep now totally forgotten, Noctis got up as quietly as he managed and got dressed.

As he climbed out of the tent, he stopped to question his idea. Was he doing the right thing? Or was this just insane? He knew the answers to both of those questions: they were "yes" and "most definitely".

Prompto hadn't noticed him as he sat by the fire, his back towards him and posture hunched over. His attention seemed to be on something he held in his hands, and silently Noctis hoped that something would keep his attention for a while. He felt like a burglar as he tiptoed further from their camp, one step at a time, watching Prompto's every movement like a hawk. Only when he was sure his friend couldn't see him anymore did the prince turn to sprint into the darkness, the light of his flashlight soon disappearing behind the cliffs.

AN2:

I just made Noctis a complete retard, lol.

I promise there's a point to that. :D

I had to tweak some details a little, for obvious reasons. It's actually Ignis' idea to move the machinery out of the way, but I tried to build it up so that it makes sense like this, too.

I didn't have the heart to torture Iggy any longer. But take note, he's by no means alright yet. I just wanted to give them some love. Because they deserve it.