[Fanfic] Prince Overboard! The Unforgiving Storm
Category: Stories

Prince Overboard! The Unforgiving Storm

Finally, able to sail the open seas! Noct’s excitement was above and beyond. This mean fishing even more than before, right out in the open waters. The boys boarded the Royal Vessel as Cid gave a grin, minding them to keep it in one piece. Noctis took the Operator’s seat and began to drive the boat. A nervous Prompto exclaimed if it was truly safe for him to drive, but Gladio assured there was no way Noctis could crash in the open seas. 

Sailing from Cape Caem all out~ the radar picked up activity of hotspot fishing. Noct cast out and actually reeled in a few catches. The quad took a break from all the sailing, until... a rumble of thunder was heard as clouds began to move in. Ignis awoke and looked to the sky, his eyes widened as he nudged the others. The boys awoke as Noctis gasped at the sky, he made haste to the operator’s seat, attempting to beat out the storm and began to sail towards their closest dock.. Galdin Quay. 

However, the storm was proving a challenge as the waves began to increase and shake the vessel side to side, strong enough to eventually throw Noctis from his seat, which spiraled the boat towards the heat of the storm. Lightning cracked across the sky as the waves became rougher and larger. Ignis took to the seat and struggles to keep control against, the now raging sea. Noctis held on to Prompto and the railing, Gladio struggled to keep the two from falling overboard. 

Another wave... massive in height.. Ignis gaze was of pure worry as he gave a hard pull away from the incline as much as he could.. his efforts meant nothing to the tidal wave as the vessel turned over with the wave. All went under... the vessel had turned back up.. the boys coughed out any water they ingested “Everyone here?!” Gladio called out, he counted Prompto and Ignis.. .... Noctis! his eyes scanned around for the ravenet “Noct..! NOCTIS?!” he called out desperately. The realization soon hit Prompto and Ignis as they too searched around.

Noctis was nowhere to be found on the royal vessel. Looking over the rail, one conclusion came to mind to Prompto... Noctis had fallen overboard.. the storm’s massive waves must have projected him right off the boat! was it too late? did he already sink to the bottom? Gladio had volunteered to take the dive after Noctis, instructing Ignis and Prompto to keep the boat steady and drop the anchor. With their instructions taken, Gladio threw off his shirt and dove in, using his light to see within the darkened water as the storm continued above. Prompto released the anchor as Ignis mapped their coordinates on the radar, taking the ship’s wheel and monitoring activity around them.

Further down, Gladio swam in search for Noctis. He soon caught a glimpse of something shine... the ring! the diamond was reflecting Gladio’s light when he was searching. He swam through as fast as he could, hoping Noctis would be attached to the ring. To his dismay, it was just the ring alone. Where the heck did Noctis go?! had he been swept under the current of the storm?! he would have to find out later as he was running out of breath. Gladio grabbed the ring and began heading back to the surface, where an anxious Prompto and Ignis waited.

Upon breaking the surface, taking in that gasp of air, he held up the ring “Found the ring but no Noctis attached!” he called out as Prompto and Ignis tossed the line to haul Gladio back board. Once they got him back up and dried him up, Ignis took the ring into his pocket “We have a leadway.. the Tidemother has blessed me a vision on where our king was swept.” Ignis smiled. Gladio could accept this “If we can follow Leviathan’s map, we then might find Noctis.” he nods.

They followed the flow of the current, marking points on their radar that Leviathan had mentioned. Before long, they were sailing towards... Angelgard? of all places... did Noctis wash up there? this was their only shot at finding Noctis. Ignis dropped anchor as they neared the island, knowing full well that this was the domain of King Bahamut’s sanctuary. The trio began to discuss how they would go about their search, it was a long shot. In the end, they all decided to take the challenge. The three of them looked at Angelgard... prepared for what may await them in order to get their king back.

The tension on the island itself was very present. It irked at Ignis as he could feel the energy pulsing throughout the island. The colossal swords lined up perfectly to the stone prison, it gave Prompto and Gladio a sense of uneasiness. Ignis could tell it was hard for them, dealing with an Astral was no cake walk “You must brave through, push back your worries and fears!” he pleaded to the two. Prompto and Gladio quickly turned their focus back to their main task; saving Noctis. Both nodding to Ignis as they carried on forward.. into the dark and cold atmosphere of the stone prison.

The ominous atmosphere was high with tension, it was too dark of a presence to even exist in a place of the Gods. Ignis had a theory immediately, but didn’t wish to worry Prompto or Gladio with anything just yet. A deep low cackle began to echo from the depths of the prison. Ignis paused and kept Prompto and Gladio behind him, sneering towards where he heard the main of the cackle. Soon after, a familiar voice spoke up “How precious… your friends came to your rescue after all.” his voice rang. There was no mistake, it was now clear why there was such dark energy here. Ardyn Izunia, Chancellor of Niflheim, no mistaking his playful yet sarcastic tone.

From the darkness, his eyes seemed to be the only thing that truly illuminated. Not even their flashlights could fill every nook and cranny of stone around them. There was a low growl among the silence suddenly. Ardyn’s tone continued “Have I not introduced you to my little friend? He has made a chew toy out of your king as of late~” he purred. Gladio refused to believe such either way, knowing Noctis too well “Don’t listen to a word he says.. Noct wouldn’t let himself fall that fast.” he declared. Ardyn seemed displeased that his attempt at getting under their skin had been thwarted. Instead, he took a more personal approach and looked right at Prompto, grinning. He started making his way towards the blonde, suddenly gone within the blink of an eye. Gladio soon realized what was going on and quickly stepped before Prompto, materializing his Greatsword as a clash of blades was heard. Prompto’s eyes widened, realizing how close he was to being struck.

Gladio growls as he grunts and pushes back against Ardyn, parrying him off as the fancy man jumped back “My my… extraordinary that was. Reflexes so quick, yet you could not manage to save your king from falling overboard.” he chuckles. He was mocking Gladio’s skill level “A shield, so powerless against the very forces of nature.. or could it be an act of the Gods?” he smirked. Of course, it was only a plight to get under the brawn’s skin. Ignis reminded the shield never to pay mind to Ardyn’s taunts, otherwise he would react as the Chancellor would expect him to, in order to gain the advantage. With that reminder, Gladio took a deep breath and exhaled “Heh... unlike you.... I actually help protect the people.” he eyed the Chancellor “Unlike you, I have a reason to keep fighting, a reason why I shouldn’t listen to people like YOU!” he held his sword at the ready.

Ardyn’s grin had vanished into a sneer, just a mere speech to psych himself up? It didn’t matter to him anyway. He welcomed the challenger with open arms and grinned “Very well, if that is how we shall make our mark for your king, I should hope he is not who you face off in the end~” he materialized his own Arms “Shall we dance?” he taunts towards the shield. Prompto and Ignis were ready to provide support, should Gladio need it. Prompto loads up his firearms as Ignis prepares an elemental infusion for his daggers.