Absolute

Chapter eight

A week or so after the battle with Titan, the boys are frustrated and stranded, having lost track of their beloved car, appreciated now more than ever. Riding chocobos everywhere isn't good on the back or rear end, despite Prompto's unwavering adoration of the feathered creatures. They'd enlisted Cindy to assist in finding the runaway vehicle, convinced it couldn't have gotten far but that's hoping the Empire had nothing to do with the disappearance, which was the most likely scenario when she informed them it hadn't appeared at a garage. With that in mind, the question becomes: Where did they take it? And why?

"Can we not just- Y'know- Ask Ardyn to help out?" Prompto asked sheepishly, wandering aimlessly along the path, his attention otherwise engaged with his feathery friend across the ranch.

"It would be wise not to rely on the Chancellor, he is after all our enemy, regardless of the trustworthy facade." Ignis replied, scrolling through his news feed, searching for some sort of lead on the car or a royal tomb. Just something productive to busy them, they'd already taken up a reasonable amount of hunts so it wasn't like their coffers were gathering dust anymore.

Noct's attention was suddenly stolen by a familiar barking. Umbra, in all his fluffy glory, sat before him, barking again before standing, scampering off but not without checking the boys were following. The dog seemed to be leading them towards the trees, a little way from the ranch and out of immediate sight, sitting right in the middle of the small open area. Noctis grew confused, whirling around at the sound of a snapping twig.

"... Gentiana." Noct said, almost breathlessly. The woman appearing from behind one of the trees, graceful despite the downpour and bitter winds.

"Hear me, O King of the Stone. By the Stormsender's blessing, will the path to the Stone be opened. The Oracle goes hence, in her King's name." She spoke plainly, but her voice soft, her words rang in Noct's head.

"Luna... Where is she?" Noct asked, hopeful but reserved. The other three stayed silent in both awe and respect, Prompto more than Gladio and Ignis.

Gentiana folded her hands in front of her before answering. "The eye of the Storm. When the covenant is forged. The Oracle and the Ring shall await their King in the Walls of Water. Stray not from the path."

Noct's gaze left her for just a moment but the woman was nowhere to be seen when it returned, Umbra remained in her stead. Prompto looked to Ignis for some sort of enlightenment about the mysterious woman. "She's a Messenger, a spirit faithful to the Oracle." He clarified, the younger blonde looked no more knowledgeable than he did five minutes ago, tilting his head towards Noct.

"Wait- For real?"

Gladio huffed, crossing his arms as he paced. "We're goin' way beyond real now, kid."

The prince wasted no more time in retrieving the notebook from Umbra, Prompto hesitating to fuss the dog and deciding against it. Noct seemed overly bashful when reading said notebook, this time dipping his head a little as he wrote out his reply, whatever it was he would never share with his friends. Umbra waited patiently while Noct scribbled down his message, nudging his hand when the notebook was replaced on his back.

"Let Luna know... I'm okay and I'll see her real soon, she won't have to wait much longer." Noct said to his companion. Watching the dog acknowledge his message and fussing him quickly, the animal had more pressing matters to tend to than hang about.

"Lady Lunafreya has done remarkably to safeguard the Ring." Ignis said, trudging after Noct.

"Yeah- All we need to do now, is hit Altissia!" Prompto beamed.