Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.
Chapter 5
The darkness surrounding them was absolute, not the faintest hint of light to be seen anywhere. Prompto clutched his phone tightly in his hand, although it was of little use to him now. The sound of water splashing down to the lower level was almost enough to drown out his quickening breaths as paranoia settled around him like a constrictor, wrapping itself tighter with each passing second.
This was it. This was how he was going to die. Lost in the sewers with no light or hope of escape, just waiting for a monster to decide he looked like a good appetizer. And to make matters worse he'd dragged Noctis along, forcing the prince to share in his miserable fate. Why had he ever thought heading into the sewers was a good idea?
"We are not going to be eaten by a sewer monster, Prompto," Noctis said, his tone oddly gentle though the words rang with conviction. "And as I recall, I agreed to come down here in the first place- you can't blame yourself for my choice."
Prompto's eyes jerked toward his friend's voice, although he couldn't make out anything in the darkness. Either the prince had some freaky mind-reading powers he'd neglected to mention...or the blond had been rambling again, which he tended to do when he was scared- like right now. "Did I...say all that out loud?" he asked, wincing as he realized his voice was almost an entire octave higher than it should be.
"You did," Noctis replied with a soft chuckle, thankfully not mentioning the fact that his friend's light tenor had suddenly shifted to a soprano. "But I promise you, we will get out of here."
Prompto took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Panicking wouldn't help anyone and he didn't want to become a burden after getting them into this mess to begin with. Despite what Noctis said, it was still Prompto's idea to come down into the sewers. And it was his own clumsiness that made him fall down the slope and drop the phone in the water, thus losing their only light. If the prince was willing to overlook all that, despite their current situation, the least he could do was try to keep a cool head while they figured out what to do.
"Dude, we don't even know where here is," the blond pointed out, grateful his voice was mostly back to its normal timber, though it still trembled slightly. He couldn't help jumping as Noctis put a hand on his shoulder- well, both hands as they were still cuffed together.
"We don't have to," Noctis assured him and Prompto could practically hear the smile in his voice. "You think Cor would let me run around the city without some way to keep tabs on me? I've got a tracker on and I'm sure he's been following my movements all night. Worst case scenario, we sit tight until this is over and he sends someone to collect us."
The knowledge that the Crownsguard knew where they were eased some of Prompto's fears, though his main concerns at the moment were the darkness and monsters lurking therein. However it was obvious that Noctis was trying to reassure him and the blond didn't know how to bring those up without seeming ungrateful of the prince's efforts.
"I know you don't like the dark, but I honestly don't think there's anything down here that can hurt us," Noctis continued, unaware Prompto was seriously re-considering his mind-reading theory. "As I said before, daemons can't get past the Wall and the stories about seadevils living in the sewers are just that- stories."
"Maybe not seadevils, but there's something down here," Prompto stated adamantly. Regardless of whether they stayed here like sitting ducks or blundered their way through the dark, the prince had to know they weren't alone.
Noctis sighed, dropping his hands from the blond's shoulder. It seemed his attempts at reassurance weren't working as well as he'd hoped. How Ignis made it look so easy, he'd never know. Admittedly, the advisor had always been dealing with far more mundane situations and even Noctis himself had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment earlier. However he knew it was highly unlikely any monsters would be allowed free reign in the sewers beneath the city, despite the...odd noises that might suggest otherwise.
Perhaps a logical approach would work. "Prompto, any dangerous creatures would have been taken care of as soon they were reported-" Noctis began, speaking in a low, calm tone.
"Dude, there was something above us back there- it was drooling in my ear!" Prompto said, barely managing to keep his voice down. He didn't want to risk drawing the creature to them after they'd [hopefully] managed to lose it, after all.
Noctis blinked, staring at the darkness where he imagined Prompto's head was. That changed everything. A monster down here with them was...bad, very bad. Was it just the one or was there a whole colony of them? Surely someone would have reported it before now...unless it was a recent infestation. Would the two of them end up as the casualties that led to the initial investigation? He gave himself a mental shake, banishing the imagery along with the superfluous line of thought. Now was not the time to let his imagination run wild.
So, there was at least one monster down here with them. They had likely surprised it before (possibly even woke it up, given that it didn't attack while they were standing there) and Noctis didn't think it had given chase. Prompto had outrun him fairly quickly and he would have been easy prey while he caught his breath. Assuming that was the case, chances were good they wouldn't run into it again. However, it wouldn't hurt to be on their guard, just the same.
Prompto couldn't help but fidget anxiously as the silence stretched on. Did Noctis believe him? Or did he think the blond had imagined it? It wasn't like Prompto had any proof, and maybe his tendency to freak out over, well, everything bespoke of an overly active imagination, but it still kind of hurt that Noctis wouldn't just take him at his word.
"Okay," Noctis said at last, the darkness hiding how the blond suddenly tensed at his voice. "You probably startled it when you screamed, so it didn't immediately chase after us. We've covered a lot of ground, so it'll probably have a hard time tracking us with all the water down here- if it decides to come after us at all," he said, trying to keep his voice matter of fact. Potential danger aside, the first order of business was still reassurance and the best way to do that was confidence and a game plan. "And if it does manage to find us somehow, we make it regret it."
Prompto couldn't help a soft sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders loosening slightly. Noctis believed him. It didn't really make a difference, and didn't change their situation in the slightest, but that the prince was willing to take him at his word, even when the young royal himself sounded so sure the opposite was true... It was heartening to know Noctis had that level of trust in him, despite how the night had gone thus far.
It took a few more seconds for the rest of what the prince had said to sink in and Prompto blanched at the thought of confronting the monster. "Um, if it does come back, how exactly are supposed to, uh, do that?" he asked, his voice creeping back up the scale with trepidation.
Noctis' brow furrowed slightly in confusion. How was that even a question? Obviously, if it attacked them, they were going to fight back... The realization hit him, sending a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the wet clothes clinging to his body. Everyone the prince interacted with on a regular basis had been training for years, capable of protecting both themselves and him if it came to that. Prompto- ordinary, fun-loving, picture-taking, painfully vulnerable and civilian Prompto -hadn't had a day of training in his life. He would be completely dependent on Noctis to keep him safe...Noctis, who would be fighting blind while handcuffed. Gladio's lectures on taking his training more seriously had never come close to motivating him so well as the realization that his friend's very life may depend on his battle skills.
"Like I said, chances of it finding us are slim," Noctis reiterated, hiding his own fears behind a mask of nonchalance, "but if it does, just get yourself somewhere safe and leave all the fighting to me." No sewer monster would touch Prompto with one slimy claw if he could help it.
Prompto couldn't help but gape at his friend's words. There were so many things wrong with that plan, he didn't even know where to start. "All right, first off, do you really think I would just up and abandon you?" he demanded, indignation momentarily overpowering his fear. He'd taken a bullet for the prince earlier- that had to count for something, right?
Noctis took a deep breath, carefully considering his words. He wasn't trying to insult the blond- far from it -but Prompto would be a liability in more ways than one in a fight. Friendly fire would be just as deadly as that of the enemy's, especially when fighting blind in close quarters. And he didn't think he could live with himself if he was responsible for the accidental maiming or even death of his only friend outside of the Citadel. But how could he make Prompto understand that?
He was again reminded of Ignis, remembering his impartial expression as he systematically tore down each of the prince's excuses through the use of cold logic and hard facts. Perhaps the same tactics would work against Prompto?
"It's called a tactical retreat," Noctis began, knowing that impressive sounding terminology would make the argument more effective. "In a battle, it's best for the non-combatants to remove themselves from the area to avoid injuring either themselves or their allies-"
"Really?" Prompto interrupted. "Because it sounds a lot more like 'saving your own skin at the expense of your friend's' to me."
"There's no shame in escaping in order to live to fight another day if the enemy is more than you can handle," Noctis said. He was a little surprised by how easy it was to imitate Ignis' rather unique speech pattern, though reasoned it was likely because his advisor never seemed to have a shortage of topics to lecture him about. If the tracker had audio, he was sure Cor would be getting a laugh out of this.
Prompto, however, wasn't so easily swayed. "And what about you? Do you seriously think you can take down a monster with just your bare hands?" he asked, voice rising once more with incredulity. While Noctis sometimes talked about the various training sessions he had every week, it always sounded like they were with weapons- not hand-to-hand combat. The blond wasn't even sure it was possible to wrestle a monster into submission, and tonight did not seem like a good time to find out- especially with the only heir to throne's life on the line.
"Calm down," Noctis said, raising his hands in a placating gesture, though the effect was lost in the darkness. Ignis had failed him- the logical argument was clearly not working. Maybe Gladio's approach would be better; blunt and to the point, with a large side of self-assured confidence. "Unlike you, I'm not unarmed- I've got a sword," he informed the blond, leaving out the patronizing tone the Shield generally took with him. He needed Prompto to understand the situation, not get riled enough for a sparring match. "Plus, I have my magic. Trust me, anything living down here isn't going to like fire."
Prompto took a deep and calming breath, reminding himself that he wasn't going to let his fears get the best of him. He opened his mouth to ask just where Noctis was keeping a sword, when his mind ground to a halt on one word: magic. "Dude, you can shoot fireballs!" he said excitedly.
"Uh, yeah," Noctis said slowly, thrown by the non sequitur as well as the sudden enthusiasm. Did Prompto always jump from one extreme emotion to another like it was a game of hopscotch? How had he not noticed this before?
"Well can you, like, just carry one around in your hand?" the blond pressed.
Noctis paused, realizing straight away what the blond was getting at and a little surprised he hadn't thought of it sooner. He held his hands in front of him, drawing the on the magic flowing through him and willing it to take form. Tendrils of light materialized in front of him, swirling together and condensing into a small flame that hovered within his cupped hands.
"Whoa," Prompto breathed in awe. While he had technically seen the prince preform magic earlier, he'd been too distracted at the time to fully appreciate it. Though the flame he summoned was small, Noctis had commanded one of the three base elements itself with nothing more than his will- and it had obeyed him. The blond abruptly realized he wasn't just stuck down here with his friend- this was Noctis Lucis Caelum, born of a bloodline blessed by the gods themselves. His father was powerful enough to create a magical barrier which encompassed the entire city- one that not even the empire had managed to breech. And one day Noctis would use his own power to do the same. The thought that he would need Prompto's help against one monster in this miserable pit was laughable at best.
Noctis was oblivious to the blond's epiphany, focusing all his attention on maintaining the flame. With nothing to burn, Noctis himself had to supply the energy to fuel it and that part was proving a bit more challenging that he'd anticipated. It was small and didn't require much, which was the problem. Fire was a bit unstable and simply not meant to be carried around in one's hand. Too much energy would not only cause it to grow to a dangerous size (which, in reality, was about the size of his fist), but could also trigger an explosion. Not enough energy, on the other hand, would snuff it out- and probably give Prompto another heart attack.
It took Noctis another minute or two to find a happy medium between the two extremes, letting out a tired sigh once the flame had stabilized. He'd thought channeling was hard when he'd first started practicing with his magic, but that was nothing compared to this. All his training had been geared toward the end goal of enabling him to summon a sizable amount of energy quickly. This, on the other hand, was like trying to hold back a pool of water while letting a just little bit slip out slowly through a straw.
"There you go- one custom torch for all your sewer-travel needs," he said, glancing up at the blond. He couldn't stop the snort of laughter that escaped his throat at the sight of Prompto- hair plastered to his face, clothes still dripping and holding his phone up like an offering to some god or other while he gaped, opened mouthed, at the flame nestled in Noct's hands. "You look like something the cat dragged in," he chuckled.
Prompto sputtered indignantly, awe forgotten as he glanced up at the prince's similarly disheveled state. "I'm pretty sure you're not looking any better, your highness," he returned, though his lips turned upward in an answering grin.
"Oh, I'm sure we both make quite a sight," Noctis replied, still grinning as he shook his head. He shivered as several beads of cold water ran from his hair down his neck. "Alright, Cor's not gonna come looking for me for quite a while, and I don't really want to sit around in cold, wet clothes all night," he said, turning his attention toward the corridor in front of him. "What say we find a way outta here?"
Prompto nodded, sliding his ruined phone into his back pocket. "Sounds good to me," he agreed, carefully placing his uninjured arm around himself in an effort to retain some warmth.
The flame wasn't as bright as the phone had been, but it illuminated the area all around them instead of just where the beam was pointed. Its light flickered and danced across the damp walls and floors, reminding Prompto of old pirate movies where the characters were searching hidden caves for treasure by torchlight.
They walked for several minutes, following the twists and turns of the corridor before it opened up in a small room. "Look at this," Noctis said, crossing the large metal grate that covered the floor to the other side. Several large control panels were situated side-by-side along the opposite wall, a sliding chain link fence with a lock blocking off access to them. "This must the main control room. You know what that means?" he asked eagerly.
Prompto gave him an odd look. "That...we can turn off the water?" he asked uncertainly.
"No- well, maybe, if we could get to those panels, but that's not what I meant," Noctis said, shaking his head. "If this is the main control room, then that means any sanitation workers likely have to come here first, regardless of what area they're heading to afterward, right?"
"Which means, there's probably an exit near here!" Prompto said excitedly, catching onto Noctis' train of thought.
"Exactly," the prince agreed, looking between the two doorways located on either side of the fence. "We just have to find it."
An hour later, their enthusiasm had waned considerably. "No~oct," Prompto whined as they came to an awfully familiar-looking dead end for the umpteenth time. "Are you sure we're not just wandering around in circles?"
Noctis let out a frustrated growl from deep in his throat, brow furrowed in irritation and pain. The strain of tightly controlling his magic over the last hour or so was taking its toll in the form of a steady throbbing behind his eyes, which was only getting worse as the minutes stretched on endlessly. "If you've got a better idea, I'm open to suggestions," he snapped, glaring at the blond.
Prompto shrank back from the angry gaze, automatically moving his hands up in a gesture of surrender before noticeably flinching when he raised his left arm. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he apologized, unconsciously placing a hand over his injured shoulder.
Noctis exhaled sharply through his nose as he turned away, trying to regain his composure. Prompto hadn't done anything to earn his ire and it certainly wasn't fair to take his anger at the situation in general out on him. "No, I'm sorry," he sighed, closing his eyes. He desperately wanted to rub them, but wasn't stupid enough to bring the fire that close to his face. "Look, do you mind if we take a break for a bit? I'm not used to channeling my magic like this and my head is killing me."
"Um, yeah, sure!" Prompto agreed quickly. "If you need a break, just say so- I mean, you're kind doing all the heavy lifting anyway."
Noctis let the flame die in reply, plunging them back into the darkness once more. He sat against the wall, dropping his head into his hands with a tired sigh as he rubbed his eyes before sliding his fingers to his temples. The persistent throbbing didn't stop, but the pressure did seem to help a little bit.
Prompto almost jumped at the sudden darkness that enveloped them once more, belatedly realizing that Noctis had been asking for a break from using magic. It didn't sound like it was easy to carry around a small flame, based on the heavy sigh, so the blond gingerly settled himself against the opposite wall to wait until the prince was ready to continue.
The steady dripping of water nearby and the occasional rustle of clothing were the only sounds that broke the silence stretching between them. The last hour of identical passageways, overflow containment rooms and dead end after dead after dead end had gone a long way to soothing Prompto's over-worked nerves through repetitiveness and sheer boredom. Sitting quietly in the dark, however, was just asking for trouble, so he cast about for some topic of conversation to fill the silence.
"So, uh, this test thing," he began hesitantly, not entirely sure what to call the fake kidnapping attempt. "If those guys catch you, then they are admitted into the Crownsguard or whatever, but what about you?"
"I get extra training sessions all week," came the slightly muffled reply.
"No, no, not that- I meant if you win what do you get? Is there some sort of prize in it for you or something like that?" the blond clarified. He was a little curious what sort of prize would tempt someone who pretty much had everything.
Noctis huffed out a laugh, dropping his arms to his lap. "Cor's not really big on rewards," he said, leaning his head back against the wall. "If you're given a task, he sees no reason you should put forth anything less than your best effort and doles out punishments if he thinks you're slacking off."
"For real?" Prompto asked, incredulous. They were punished just for failing to live up to the expectations of Cor the Immortal? That didn't seem like a very good system to him.
Noctis shrugged, though he knew the blond couldn't see it in the darkness. "He's actually pretty fair about it," he admitted a bit grudgingly. "You're not penalized for failing to do whatever you were assigned to as long as you tried your best. And he generally encourages thinking outside the box in situations like these."
"So, you get extra training sessions this week if he doesn't think you were taking this seriously?" Prompto summed up.
"Not...exactly," Noctis said distractedly, trying to ignore the pounding inside his skull that didn't seem to be going away. "I have extra training sessions if I'm caught and fail to escape or escape but get caught again- sort of like remedial courses is you fail a test, I guess. That part doesn't have anything to do with whether I was giving it my all or not."
That...was kind of an obscure grading system in Prompto's mind. "So, what sort of punishments does he give you?" he asked, wondering if wandering the sewers counted as 'thinking outside the box' or if hiding in the first hole they found would be considered a 'sub-par effort.'
"A 'special diet' for a week," Noctis admitted sullenly. "Made up of nothing but vegetables."
Prompto blinked, words failing him. Cor the Immortal, a legend among men for both his mastery of the sword and ability to survive anything, threatened Noctis with...vegetables?
"He enlisted Ignis' help last time," Noctis continued, scowling at the darkness. "I was practically under house arrest to make sure I didn't sneak out to get some real food."
Prompto couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands, almost able to feel Noct's glower through the darkness.
"I'm glad you think it's funny," the prince groused, trying to cross his arms only to abort the motion due to the handcuffs on his wrists. "Perhaps you'd like to try some 'spinach apple muffins,' or waffles made out of pureed pumpkin with chia seeds?"
"That second one actually doesn't sound bad," the blond admitted, still grinning broadly.
Noctis groaned, dropping his head back down into his hands. "I don't believe it," he complained, massaging his temples once more. "You haven't even met Ignis and he's already corrupted you."
"C'mon, dude," Prompto said, laughing outright. "I was shot just so you don't have to eat your vegetables!"
Noctis couldn't help a soft chuckle at the ridiculousness of the statement. The fact that it was actually true made it seem all the more ludicrous. "Next time you should listen when I tell you to run," he said, pushing himself back to his feet. He grunted as the pounding behind his eyes increased when he stood, clutching his head tightly until it settled back down again.
"Not a chance." It sounded like Noctis was getting up, so Prompto stood as well. "How's your head?"
"I'll live," Noctis bit out after a couple of seconds, lowering his hands once more. "Doesn't seem like the headache is going to go away until I either sleep it off or take something for it, so there's no point in sitting around here," he said, stretching his arms out above his head before calling on his magic, the glowing tendrils once more swirling through the air and condensing into a small flame. "Ready to go?"
"After you," Prompto said, giving a theatrical bow and waiting for the prince to start walking before falling in slightly behind and to the side of him. "After all, I'm not the one with a vegetarian diet on the line. Ignis is probably looking up enough recipes to fill a whole cookbook just for yo-" He broke off with a yelp as Noctis' shoe connected with his shin.
"Laugh it up, Prompto," Noctis said, glancing sidelong at his friend. "I can't wait to return the favor after Cor grades your performance today."
That sobered the blond up quickly. He could picture himself standing at attention as Cor the Immortal stared down at him, picking apart his every move since seeing Noctis in the alley. At that moment, he couldn't think of anything more terrifying. "Wait- what? Why would he do that? I'm not Crownsguard or, or anything like that!"
Noctis shrugged, affecting nonchalance. "No, but you did kind of throw yourself in the middle of it- and the Crownsguard is also responsible for protecting civilians, too. Who knows? Maybe he'll start training you alongside me..."
Prompto sputtered for a few seconds before noticing Noct's suspiciously twitching lips. "Not cool, dude!" he said, punching the prince in the arm. The raven-haired teen didn't even have the decency to act like it hurt. "That's just mean- you were totally freaking me out, here!"
Noctis laughed, grinning at his friend. "I beg to differ- that was hilarious."
Prompto turned away, grumbling under his breath in mock irritation. He couldn't really complain about the teasing after his vegetable comments, and would rather see Noctis grinning at his antics instead of the semi-scowl he'd been sporting for the last thirty minutes or so- likely due to the headache. However, the blond wasn't too keen on finding if Cor's appraisal was merely an idle threat or if it could actually happen. "Alright, alright, can we call a truce?" he asked. "I won't mention your 'punishment' and you won't sic Cor on me- deal?"
Noctis chuckled again, turning his attention back to the corridor. "Deal."
To Be Continued
New chapters are posted on Monday.