Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
Welcome one and all to our beautiful new skin! This marks the visual era of Adventu 4.0, our 4th and by far best design we've had. 3.0 suited our needs for a very long time, but as things are evolving around the site (and all for the better thanks to all of you), it was time for a new, sleek change. The Resource Site celebrity Pharaoh Leep was the amazing mastermind behind this with minor collaborations from your resident moogle. It's one-of-a-kind and suited specifically for Adventu. Click the image for a super easy new skin guide for a visual tour!
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[attr="class","snowelf2"]what do you see in your reflection?
[attr="class","cassis"]
[attr="class","diamond"]
[attr="class","india"]Prompto had never been able to stand still. Since he was little, he was always fidgeting. Whether his heel was tapping the ground or fingers were drumming, he always had to be moving.
So, as the blonde impatiently waited for the man to finish looking over his camera, Prompto found himself pacing, adjusting his belt, combing through his hair, whistling, the whole nine yards. He had been waiting for only about ten minutes, but every sixty seconds felt more like a grueling hour. Being hopelessly lost in the desert for an entire day felt shorter than this.
Stuffing his hands in his jean pockets, Prompto spun on his heels and paced down the length of the mobile stand. The man who was currently examining his camera owned a push-cart filled with replacement parts for machinery. Prompto had spotted him and all his metal gadgets and knew he had to ask about his camera.
That camera could unlock everything. He thought, kicking up a small, gray pebble on the street and passing it from one foot to the next. Where I’m from, where my friends are, everything…
“Oi! Boy!”
Prompto spun around so fast he lost his balance and came extremely close to falling. Before his behind met the pavement, however, he had regained balance. Combing back his chocobo-like hair, he let out a nervous sigh and returned to the shopkeeper. “Can you save it?” He asked, his voice giving away how desperate he truly was, “O-Or at least save the pictures? Is anything salvageable?”
“Calm it, boy.” The shopkeeper said, itching his beard and puffing at his cigarette. “It’s missing a lot o’ parts, but yeah, I can save it.”
Prompto’s eyes grew big as his hands clasped. “Really!? Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow and chewed on the end of his cigarette. “Yeah…Well, I charge upfront. Six hundred and seventy-five gil. Cough it up, kid.”
Immediately, Prompto's face froze. His hand gripped the petty amount he had as a cold sweat began to cover his skin. “Oh, uh…can’t I like…give you what I have now and pay you back later…?”
“No.” The unimpressed shopkeeper thrust the broken camera back at Prompto, who was digging as far into his pockets as possible in vain hope he could find an extra five hundred or so gil. “Come back when you’ve got money.”
“N-Nah, c’mon!” Prompto pushed the busted camera back at the shopkeeper, who in turn pushed it back at him. “I’ll write you a check! I can work for you! I could be your errand boy! Pretty please!?”
“Get lost.” With sudden force, the annoyed shopkeeper pushed Prompto’s camera into his hands. Almost dropping it initially, the blonde held it close to his chest to keep it safe.
Prompto left without a word, his eyes overlooking the entire road. Other mobile shops littered everywhere, but the rude old man was the only seller that seemed like he could completely fix the broken camera.
“Now what…?” He muttered, arms snug around the only thing that could unlock his memories. A sinking, terrible thought crossed the blonde’s mind, and he had to shake it head to rid himself of it: What if I never remember them…?
Ardyn's over-powered. Good thing he's too apathetic to use it, right?
I'm an impatient traveler ready to turn ship.
It had been several weeks since Ardyn's initial encounter with Noctis' royal guards, and already, he was bored.
It was a recurring problem when one lived forever. He could distract himself with petty amusements and technological novelties, but it never lasted. Already, his life had come to adhere to a kind of routine. Wake to his rented room, explore the city for idle gossip and news of the growing plague (there had been over two dozen confirmed cases so far, it seemed. How slowly his pestilence spread!), then wander the wealthier quarters for leads on new revenue. Provo, it seemed, was something of a capital in trade and commerce. And so as the afternoon sun sank lower in the sky, Ardyn found himself swaggering through market crowds in pursuit of new prey.
His victim was a middle-aged peddler of jewelry and expensive gems. More than once, Ardyn had passed the man on his mid-afternoon strolls, and more than once, Ardyn had observed the man changing places with a straggly boy -- his son, presumably. With the owner gone, the merchandise, and more importantly, the safe, would be left completely unguarded. If only he knew a way to take another's place.
The shopkeeper didn't seem to notice the subtle shifts in reality and perception. Ardyn's victims so rarely did. Instead, when the man looked up, he saw only a boy several inches shorter than Ardyn and a thousand times less suspicious. The man's expression brightened. "There you are, James. You're early for your shift."
"I was so eager to arrive that I just couldn't contain myself. Please, accept my aid."
The man gave him an odd look. Most did, even if they couldn't see through his facade. Ardyn rarely bothered to hide his distinctive mannerisms or the cadence of his words. Still, the man left, and that was enough for him. "Be careful of thieves," the man said as he pushed open the front door. "And remember to lock up."
"Oh, don't mind me. I'll keep close watch."
The door closed, and Ardyn sighed as he dropped his facade. The whole ordeal had done nothing to alleviate his boredom.
After pulling this stunt over six times since his arrival, Ardyn had little need for the resources. He'd committed the crime only because he thought it might amuse him, and perhaps to indulge in some luxury nonsense or another if he felt the need. Yet he felt nothing today. A shame. Perhaps he would try a more ridiculous scheme in the future. Robbing small-time jewelry stores was too far beneath him.
His many coat pockets were bulged as he sidled back onto the street. He made certain to lock the door behind him before he left. He had promised, after all.
With the deed done, Ardyn wandered towards the city's open air market with more than enough money to indulge his fancy should some trinket catch his eye. He glanced through new electronics (how small they'd all gotten!), browsed a few hardcover novels (so many -- it seemed a shame to the art of calligraphy!), and stopped to admire a collection of decorative music boxes. These in particular had caught his eye, and he had almost put down the money for one embedded in emeralds when he caught movement in the box's mirror. It was disorganized, bouncing, and blonde -- almost like a chocobo's feathers. Then came a voice.
He knew that voice. Shrill, shrieking, and far too excitable. He'd mimicked that voice once in his most entertaining game.
Ardyn closed the music box. How very, very fortunate.
Ardyn turned to look him over fully. Prompto Argentum. Prized experiment of Niflheim and Noctis' best friend. He did not seem to have shared in Ardyn's extraordinary luck.
“Oh, uh…can’t I like…give you what I have now and pay you back later…?” the boy stuttered. In response, the shopkeeper shoved something into his hands so violently that the boy almost dropped it. The boy shoved it back just as violently, yelling about working it off and paying it back later. It all came to no avail, however, and the boy was left dejected, head hung quietly. Now that he was no longer arguing, Ardyn caught a much closer look at his face. Young. Innocent. Without the grit of a decade of daemon-hunting.
Just as with Iris, it seemed that Prompto had been forgotten by time. Ardyn could hardly contain his laughter.
“Now what…?” The boy wrapped his arms around the object of his desire and waited hopelessly in the street. Ardyn let out a long sigh before strolling towards him. He couldn't help but smile.
"Having troubles, are we?" He glanced towards the device in his arms. His signature camera. Why wasn't he surprised? "If money is your downfall, please. Allow me to be of assistance." He tipped his hat in the boy's direction before sauntering up to the stall in question. The shopkeeper looked up to him irritably before tapping at the end of his cigarette.
"Can I help you?"
"Why, yes. I couldn't help but overhear that boy's troubles, and why -- I just had to step in! It was six hundred and sixty-five gil, wasn't it? Well." Ardyn reached into his coat pocket and pressed a handful of bills on the counter. "That should more than cover it, yes?"
The man blinked at him before picking up the bills, counting each one in turn. His eyes widened as he reached the last. "This much?"
"Might there be a problem?"
"Ah, no! No. No problems. Thank you." The man quickly stashed away the gil before waving at the boy. "You there! You still got that camera? Looks like it's your lucky day."
Ardyn chuckled to himself and leaned against the pillar beside him. He let his eyes sweep over Prompto from his tarnished boots to his worn denim jacket to the guns he himself had grown rather fond of. Then he smiled. "How lucky indeed."
[attr="class","snowelf2"]what do you see in your reflection?
[attr="class","cassis"]
[attr="class","diamond"]
[attr="class","india"]An Angel had appeared. Granted, she wasn't pretty. Or a she.
The man had just sauntered up (literally. Prompto would've loved to forget that image), seemingly out of nowhere, and told the blonde simply: "Allow me to be of assistance."
Prompto watched, and his jaw dropped to the dirt below as the man causally dropped the money like it was valueless leaves on the shopkeeper's desk. His blue eyes followed the money as both he and the shopkeeper counted it. When the total amount became evident, Prompto’s arms initially went slack in shock. Thankfully, he saved himself from dropping the camera for the second time.
“You there,” The shopkeeper gestured at Prompto, who was still cradling his broken camera in his frozen state. “You still got that camera? Looks like it's your lucky day."
Prompto let out a sound between a girl’s joyous squeal and a chocobo’s ‘kweh’. He had been honestly trying to say “Really?!” though the word was lost by his unbridled happiness. Stumbling over his own feet as he returned to the shopkeeper. His mouth and mind finally synced back up once his camera was placed on the wooden desk. “You have no idea how this means to me!” He professed to the shopkeeper, who backed away at the over-emotional boy before him. “You’re really awesome dude, really!”
“Yeeaaah, okay kid.” He replied, taking the camera with slight hesitation. “Don’t know why you’re thanking me though. That man’s your saving grace.”
“Oh, he definitely is!” Prompto beamed, turning back to the man who’d paid. “Thanks a lot! I was in a serious rock and a hard place, but you really helped me out! A lot of people here seem to be like that! I’ve practically lived off hospitality while I’ve been here. Oh, uh, here!”
Digging deep into his pockets, Prompto pulled out all the money he had, thirty-one gil, plus one paperclip. He jammed the latter back into his jacket’s pocket in a nervous sweat before giving the man a bright ol’ smile. “Please, it’s nothing much, but I still feel bad I can’t pay you back. So here!”
“Oi, boy!” The shopkeeper’s calls forced Prompto to return his attention back to him. “The film inside is mostly destroyed. Looks like it took a dunk in some water…Anyway, I can save about one or two. Just letting ya know.”
Prompto felt his heart sink ever so slightly. All but two of the one hundred and fifty pictures were lost? That was almost cruel…But two pictures were certainly much better than none. “As long as you can save those ones.” He said, voice steady yet reeking of disappointment. “If you can do that as well as fix the camera itself, I can always just take more pictures.”
Of course, he knew he was lying to himself with that last statement. He couldn’t just take more pictures. Not without his friends. Not without his memories...
He turned back to the man who had helped him out. “Thanks again, dude. That camera’s all I have from my home world. I got dragged here like all the others. Those pictures could be my ticket home…Oh, heh, sorry for not introducing myself. That was pretty rude, haha! I’m Prompto! Prompto Argentum! You?”
Ardyn had expected excitement from the boy (he was generally excitable), but he could not have predicted the odd mixture of noises that came from his throat when the repairman asked for his camera. Prompto could hardly walk straight as he stumbled over his own feet in a mad rush to hand it over. His thanks for the man was so enthusiastic that the shopkeeper backed away from him cautiously, throwing up his hands to turn down the boy's praise.
“Don’t know why you’re thanking me though," he said. "That man’s your saving grace.”
And so, in an ironic twist of fate, Prompto's adoration turned to Ardyn.
He spoke so quickly and so enthusiastically that even Ardyn was almost taken aback. The words came in a flurry of nonsense that he could vaguely identify as gratitude, but which he could only hardly follow. Something about living off of others before he pulled a handful of gold pieces and a paper clip out of his pocket. “Please, it’s nothing much, but I still feel bad I can’t pay you back. So here!” he said before shoving the money at him. Ardyn glanced at the contents of his hand and counted somewhere around thirty gil. His smirk widened.
"Well this makes it all worthwhile," he said. "Though did you have to keep the paper clip?"
It was quite the fair exchange, wasn't it? Nearly a thousand gil for thirty single pieces? But he supposed Prompto had paid him in something far more valuable than money: amusement and endless opportunity.
Unfortunately, the boy's excitement was not meant to last. Just as he'd finally been given a chance to reclaim his most prized possession, the shopkeeper called to tell them that some wounds couldn't be mended. The film inside was water-logged -- worthless. Ardyn blinked in surprise and glanced between the wilting boy and the irritable repairman. So that's why he'd wanted it, was it? Of course, it only made sense. The boy was an amnesiac, after all.
“As long as you can save those ones." Though the boy spoke optimistically, there was a rising melancholy to his voice. The bitter hints of tragedy. “If you can do that as well as fix the camera itself, I can always just take more pictures.”
"How optimistic!" Ardyn said with a clap of his hands. "There is always the future, isn't there?"
The boy turned to him. “Thanks again, dude. That camera’s all I have from my home world. I got dragged here like all the others. Those pictures could be my ticket home." He rocked uncertainly on his heels before continuing. "Oh, heh, sorry for not introducing myself. That was pretty rude, haha! I’m Prompto! Prompto Argentum! You?”
For a moment, Ardyn considered how he should respond. Should he give up the ruse and terrorize him immediately? Certainly not. How could he dare ruin his mood so suddenly? Should he extend a hand of friendship and unintentionally infect him with Ifrit's blight? Perhaps, though not now. He hardly wanted to be too forward. Instead, he decided that the most amusing sort of revenge would be one subtly played through a facade of helpful words.
Ardyn raised a hand to his mouth and gasped. "Prompto?" he repeated. "Prompto Argentum? My, that does sound familiar. But where...? Oh where could I have heard it?" Ardyn gave a short sigh before shaking his head. "It must have been somewhere, but alas! It seems I can't remember a thing. Not even my own name." He gave the boy a look of utmost lamentation. "But I remember you. And...someone else. Oh, who was it? The name! It's on the tip of my tongue! Prompto and-...!" Ardyn let out a frustrated noise before suddenly perking up and snapping his fingers.
"Noctis." His eyes traveled to Prompto, searching for any reaction. "Prompto and Noctis, wasn't it? But there were others, weren't there? If only I could remember their names! And I think I saw them recently too..." He shook his head and took three steps back, arms outstretched in disappointment before he looked up to meet Prompto's eye.
[attr="class","snowelf2"]what do you see in your reflection?
[attr="class","cassis"]
[attr="class","diamond"]
[attr="class","india"]Thankfully, the man accepted the money he had left. The payment was nothing close to what he honestly owed, but the unrestrained kindness and understanding of the stranger showed itself again…though he certainly did smile oddly. Almost intimidatingly…Just the way the ends of his lips curled seemed a smidge scary.
No. The man had helped Prompto get what he wished for most. He showed no signs that he knew who Prompto was, so what would he gain from helping or harming him? His rather suave clothing choices pointed towards anything but poverty, not to mention he was walking around with such an amount in his pocket, so the blonde had no reason to think him some random crazy running around Provo. Besides, most people he’d meant so far were helpful and, how could he put it, not crazed villains straight out of stories, so why should he judge this guy for his smile?
“Oh, the paperclip too?” Prompto fumbled it back out of his pocket, completely clueless if the man was being sarcastic or not. He was taking no chances though. He had to repay him any way he could. “H-Here, heh…”
And then the man began repeating his name. Analyzing it with a furrowed brow, he said, “Prompto Argentum? My, that does sound familiar. But where...? Oh, where could I have heard it? It must have been somewhere, but alas! It seems I can't remember a thing. Not even my own name...”
It was Prompto’s turn to gasp. “Y-You can’t even remember your own name?! That’s rough, bud! B-But you remember me?! Or my name, at the least? That’s creepy!”
"But I remember you. And...someone else. Oh, who was it? The name! It's on the tip of my tongue! Prompto and-...!” Prompto held his breath and the man searched for the name. He clasped his hands together so tightly that they began to lose color, not like the nervous blonde would’ve noticed. This man was from the same place he was, and he knew others! Finally, after what seemed much too long, the man remembered. "Noctis."
Prompto nearly leapt into the air. “Yes!” He exclaimed. “Yeah, he was my friend, right?! Noctis! I don’t remember much else other than that, but yeah, Noctis! And, uh, I had some other friends as well!”
Prompto then froze. “Wait…you saw them…? Like…here? They’re here too?! Are you sure? O-Oh my goodness, this is amazing! I’ve been trying to find them for forever now!” The blonde eagerly looked every which way, scanning the area for his lost friends despite not even remembering their appearances. “Let’s try and find them together, okay? Maybe if you guys talked, they’ll remember your name for you!”
He had the boy on bated breath, trapped on the hook of his own anticipation. His hands wrung together, white-knuckled and tense. His eyes were wide as he leaned slightly forward, waiting for that last word to drop. And when it did, it was like a bomb beneath his feet.
The boy jerked forward with a wild cry of “Yes!” before his mouth was running almost too fast for his tongue. “Yeah, he was my friend, right?! Noctis!” He said the name again a few more times, nearly laughing with giddy excitement before freezing as Ardyn’s words caught up to him. “Wait…You saw them…? Like here?” With every pause, his voice grew louder. Shriller. “Are you sure? O-Oh my goodness, this is amazing! I’ve been trying to find them for forever now!”
Prompto looked like he might start laughing, too happy for questions or cynicism. It was like watching a child or a particularly excitable puppy. It warmed Ardyn’s heart to see such uninhibited glee. He wished he could stay to relish in the fallout.
The boy did several turns, peering every which way as though his friends would materialize from behind the nearest corner. “Let’s try to find them together, okay?” He rocked up on his toes to peer over the crowd towards the end of the street. “Maybe if you guys talked, they’ll remember your name for you!”
It wasn’t a terrible idea in concept, though of course its execution was flawed. Most certainly, Prompto’s friends would know his name, but they would also know so much more. There had been such brilliant hatred in the shield’s eyes when last they’d met. He’d nearly caved in Ardyn’s skull with a broadsword, though the blind one had done what he could to ruin his fun. Ardyn sighed at the thought of it. He so would have loved playing dead while the authorities tracked them down as criminals, but alas! It was not to be. Instead, they’d left on uneasy terms – likely to never cross paths again.
But if he sent Prompto to them, then that would steal their attention.
And if he sent Prompto to them damaged, then they’d be out for bloody retribution.
Ardyn chuckled softly. “Now that sounds like a lovely idea.” He tilted his head and gave Prompto a kind of half-smile before turning on his heel to observe the surrounding street. Of course, he didn’t see Noctis’ friends there, and he would have been disappointed if he had. But it was more important he appear helpful than that he actually help. Prompto’s screeching had attracted the attention of several alarmed pedestrians, and the camera repairman had a pained look as though he regretted every giving the boy the time of day. Ardyn blinked at him.
”Oh, but we mustn’t start now. Won’t you need to stay close until your camera is fixed? My, what a predicament.” Ardyn sighed before casting Prompto a sidelong look. ”We’ll have to postpone our search. I wouldn’t want you to lose what’s most important to you.” He shook his head before walking past Prompto, ambling idly with his head tilted up as though considering the sky. Then he stopped abruptly, finger pointed up at the sky. “But that shouldn’t take more than a few hours, should it?” he asked, turning on his heel to face him again. “Why don’t we wait until sunset? Have a pleasant meal.” He tilted his head, glancing over Prompto in interest. “On me,” he said, smile widening. “I must insist.”
[attr="class","snowelf2"]what do you see in your reflection?
[attr="class","cassis"]
[attr="class","diamond"]
[attr="class","india"]If Prompto had been a number of other things, such as less excitable, more observing, more self-aware, there had been the chance he would’ve caught onto Ardyn. He would’ve not so blindly trusted him, and more openly doubted the man. But lacking such qualities would’ve stripped the blonde of being himself. So, instead, Prompto happily accepted that this was fate, and that the man was simply kind beyond compare.
“That sounds like a lovely idea.” The man said, immediately turning to assess the surrounding streets. Prompto, in turn, did as such as well. But in the crowd of unfamiliar faces, not a one stood out. None of them seemed like a “Noctis”, not the bearded man staring uncomfortably at him while he passed, not the teenager who chuckled along with his female friend as they locked eyes with Prompto, and especially not the woman who picked up her little girl upon approaching him. But then, the man said something rather odd: “Oh, but we mustn’t start now.”
Even though the man was about to start a second sentence, Prompto had been so filled with confusion he had to let out a quick “What?!” before planting his fingers over his mouth and impatiently letting the man finish everything he had to say.
“O-Oh, yeah.” Prompto looked back at the repairman, who was trying his best to pretend he was both blind and deaf towards the boisterous situation in front of him. In the case they didn’t find Noctis and the others, the only thing he had return to was his camera and the very few pictures capable of being saved. If anything happened to it while he was gone…well, then he’d truly be alone. The man walked past Prompto, who hung his head as he passed and mumbled, “Yeah, you’re right…”
“But that shouldn’t take more than a few hours, should it?” The man spoke up, eyeing up the nearly cloudless sky above their heads. “Why don’t we wait until sunset? Have a pleasant meal. On me, I must insist.”
Prompto didn’t know what to say at first. His first thought was to blurt out a resounding “YES!” followed by a list of his favorite meals, but he withheld himself. Th nice man had already done so much for him. It felt wrong to ask for more. But, well, the blonde didn’t exactly have money, even a little. So, to refuse such an offer was rather difficult…
“Oh, well…” His words trailed off for a moment or two as he struggled with his indecisiveness. “Alright. Otherwise I’d be eating whatever I could kill tonight, heh. I promise though, once we find the others and figure out your name, I’ll pay you back!” He placed a hand on his hip and smiled. “So,” He joked lightly, “Where you taking me for our dinner date then?”
To be honest, I wrote myself into a corner. I've time-skipped, summarized, and wrapped it up here. Hope you don't mind.
I'm an impatient traveler ready to turn ship.
Ardyn would never have imagined the turn his day had taken.
In truth, he could only marvel at it as he watched Noctis’ friend finish the remainder of his meal – a meal that Ardyn had, of course, infected with plague. It wasn’t something he had expected to do, not even when he’d first stumbled into the boy, yet here he was, admiring the tail end of a dinner date in a café that he could only call charming. The windows were dimmed with vintage curtains to accent the array of votive candles centered on every table. Mounted speakers pattered out some light piano tune or another. It might have been almost romantic if Ardyn had come with anyone but Prompto. As it was, he could think of nothing but schemes, spite, and his own immense surprise at the course of fate.
This was the problem with improvisation, he supposed. Sometimes he took actions that would shock even him. But how had it come this far?
Had he gotten carried away toying with the boy? Alas! Such was the price of his own malicious amusement! Ardyn let out a lamenting sigh as he parted with a sizable sum of his ill-gotten money. It had all been quite entertaining if nothing else. Ardyn had inquired into all sorts of the boy’s recent adventures with the formal poise of an eccentric nobleman. He’d only laughed once at the tales of Prompto’s immense suffering, and he considered that quite the show of restraint.
Had Prompto really been saved from wild beasts by a six year old girl? How very amusing.
”Well then, I suppose I shan’t waste any more of your time.” With the money spent and the plates cleared, Ardyn rose to his feet, adjusting his coat as he went. ”Your camera should be nearly salvaged by now, and I’d be loath to keep you from it.” He waited for the boy to rise before sauntering off, glancing back only once to make certain he was being followed. It wasn’t until he’d reached the entrance and lifted a hand to shield himself from the light of the setting sun that he spoke again. ”Your friends, I met them by the Fountain of St. Atticus. A simple inquiry should be enough to point you in the right direction.” He gestured vaguely in the fountain’s direction. It would be enough to get him started at least. ”From there, well, they are quite distinctive, aren’t they? Someone must have seen them, and if you managed to recover a photograph…”
Ardyn turned to face him for the last time. This poor, unfortunate boy with the bad luck to fall head-first into every tragedy of fate. Ardyn offered him a knowing smile before tilting his hat in farewell. ”With that, I’m afraid I must take my leave. I bid you only the best of luck!” Ardyn laughed softly before turning to leave. He'd already taken a few steps before he glanced over his shoulder and offered the boy his final parting advice. ”And do be wary of the strangers you trust.”
