Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing Nia saw when she was awakened was a boy, perhaps an Ardainian.

Well, a young man if she was feeling charitable, clearly in his teens although a bit short. He was wearing a blue salvaging suit, a matching blue helmet nearby. His brown hair was messy, he probably didn’t bother to fix it after taking his helmet off, and Nia could spot the fatigue in his posture. Perhaps he had just finished salvaging for the day.

But the exhaustion seemed to fade away from him as he watched her with awe, his mouth hanging slightly open, a certain innocence radiating from his gold eyes.

Or perhaps more accurately naivety.

It was then that Nia noticed the other person in the room, what looked like an Inn with two beds, on one of which sat a girl.

Her driver.

She was another salvager, although she had more of her suit off, only wearing the lower half of the gear and a shirt that clung to her frame, which let Nia get a good idea of how thin the girl was. Worryingly so, although from Nia’s natural instincts she’d say the girl looked to be getting better, not worse.

Slowly, getting better.

But better all the same.

Nia spent a moment longer looking over her body before finally looking the girl in her face. A pair of cat ears on her head quivering with excitement marked her as a Gormotti, and her silver hair framed her face. Her face was still thinner than it should be, but it more clearly showed signs of her gaining strength. Not that her condition seemed to be impacting her mood at all as she was positively beaming at Nia.

Nia could see some tears in her eyes though, and if she didn’t know any better, she’d have to guess the girl was waiting for something with how she trembled from her seat on the bed.

It unsettled Nia slightly, but a quick glance at the boy gave her the perfect way to put herself at ease.

“If you keep you mouth open much longer, you’ll start catching flies.”

The boy closed his mouth with a click, scoffing at her before saying, “Oh, come off it, I’ve never seen a blade awakened before. Can’t I be a little impressed?”

“I suppose if it is your first time seeing a blade awakened, I suppose I can give you some leeway,” Nia flashed him a smile, “Especially with how young you are.”

“Hey, I’m a working man!” the boy said, crossing his arms.

Nia nodded, unable to help the smile spreading across her face as she leaned towards her driver. “You didn’t wake me up to babysit him when you go to the market did you?”

Her sensitive ears alerted Nia to the girl’s movement a second before she latched onto her in a tight hug. She was laughing although Nia could feel tears on her skin as her driver clung to her like a long-lost sister.
Nia hesitated a moment, her driver hanging off her, looking to the boy in confusion. He was looking at them with a melancholic smile. So, it seemed the only one who didn’t know what was happening was Nia.
Although, it wasn’t that hard to hazard a guess.

People who clearly knew her, well at least the girl, so happy to see her freshly awakened…

Nia sighed, before returning the girl’s embrace. She lightly stroked the girl’s hair as she continued to laugh and sob into her shoulder.

“You do know I do-,” Nia began but the girl pulled back sharply interrupting her.

“You didn’t abandon me.” Nia froze up, looking deep into the girl’s eyes still rimmed with tears. “She didn’t abandon me, whichever you prefer. My sister died in an accident; she and pa didn’t leave me because I was a burden. And now, just as we said we would, when she passed on, I would bring her back. And now.” A sweet smile with just the tinge of a wicked edge split the girl’s face. “You can call me the big sister.”

Nia blinked. “But you’re shorter than me.”

That got a laugh from the boy. “She’s got you there, Ang.”

“Not fair, I’m older,” Ang said, a small coughing fit interrupting her laughter although she waved off Nia when she moved closer in concern. “And you’re wearing heels.”

“I’ve still got you by the ears,” Nia teased, hesitating slightly before pulling her driver in for another hug.

A hug Ang gladly accepted.

The two embraced for a while, a bit longer than Nia liked, before the other occupant of the room made his presence known.

“I can go out and get us something to eat, give you two some space,” the boy said, “I’m sure you two have got some catching up to do.”

“Oh, come off it, Rex,” Ang pulled away from Nia but kept a hold of her hands, “You’re not being replaced.” Nia smirked as Rex’s protests were ignored, “We’ll all go out together, and get something nice, my treat before you say anything Mister Miserboots. Think of it as a thank you for all you’ve done to make this happen. And we can both catch Nia up on things as we go.”

“Miserboots?” Nia laughed. “He’s not making you pay for the Inn as well, is he?” She rounded on Rex before he could put up a proper defense of his character. “Not much of a gentleman if he’s making the lady pay for everything.”

“Oh, he’s not that bad.” Ang said, pausing long enough for Rex to start to thank her for coming to his defense before continuing, “He does make us live with his grandfather, just because Gramps doesn’t charge rent.”

Nia and Ang both burst into laughter as Rex threw his hands into the air and began walking towards the door.

“Right, just for that I’m getting the most expensive thing on the menu wherever we go.” Rex paused as he opened the door and looked at his friend with a smile. “I’m glad we found her Ang; I’ll be in the lobby when you two are ready to come down.”
With that Rex left the room giving Nia a moment alone with her driver.

“If you have any questions about, well, about before, I don’t mind answering them.” Nia looked at Ang. The girl suddenly looked quite tired and worn. “If you don’t, that’s fine too. All that matters, is that you’re here.”
Nia thought over Ang’s words for a moment. “If, it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer a fresh start.”

Ang nodded, understanding on her face.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you awakened me, you and Rex seem like good people but…”

“You’re not her.”

Nia looked away, rubbing her arm as Ang moved closer.

“It’s okay. I knew you wouldn’t have any of her memories. I just,” she looked down, “wanted a bit of closure about it all.” Ang took a deep breath before looking to the door. “I think I’m properly ready for a fresh start myself.”

Nia looked to the door, before thinking of a question she did want to ask. “What’s his story anyways?”

Ang smiled. “I met him after everything. Just happened to run into him in the market. It was before we got connected with Calan, so I just went down. Poor Rex was mortified. He immediately went about helping me up and prattling on about the Salvager’s Code. He’s going to tell you about it.” Ang punctuated the statement with a meaningful look before returning to her revere. “And he was just so friendly, even offering to help me carry everything. We chatted the whole way and he was so easy to talk to, so I ended up telling him about everything that had happened, and he just said he’d help. And he did. He did so much and…” Ang trailed off wiping at her eyes. “Don’t think I’d be here without him. Well, I suppose Calan did do most of the work, but I wouldn’t have met him without Rex so," Ang looked as though she was about to say something more before shaking her head. "Let’s not keep Rex waiting, because he will wait.”

“Really? Now you’ve got me curious. Maybe we should take the back door then and bring him back something, save you some money,” Nia said, flashing her driver a mischievous grin.

“That’s no way to thank someone who just fished you out of the cloud sea,” Ang gave Nia a playful glare.

“Alright, alright. You can buy us both something nice,” Nia said, flouncing through the door before her driver could respond.

It was a short walk to the lobby where Rex was waiting patiently, fiddling with a cuff on his left arm. He looked up in time to prevent Nia from sneaking up on him, giving her a cheerful wave before returning to the cuff.

“You two have a good chat?” he asked as Nia plopped herself down into a chair next to him.

“I suppose,” Nia said leaning in to try and see what he was doing, “You really make her live with your grandfather?”

Rex paused in his fiddling to give her a look.

“Not teasing, just asking.” Nia leaned in to give him a meaningful look. “Although…”

“Yeah, we live with my Gramps,” Rex said, shaking his head good naturedly as he returned to the cuff, finally getting it to his liking before popping it close. “But not just because he doesn’t charge us rent.”

Nia heard Ang before she saw her. Nia turned to wave her over. “Let me guess, your bleeding heart won’t let you leave him alone in his old age.”

Rex gave her a look before turning to Ang as she walked over. “So, where we heading Ang, since you’re paying and all.”

“We could go to Café Savvy,” Ang said, leading the way out.

“Do they have food? I thought they only did drinks.” Rex waved to the innkeeper as the three stepped out into the town outside.

They walked out into view of a bustling market to their right with a fountain to their left. Nia’s ears swiveled about, tracking the various sounds around her as she took in the rustic city she had been awakened in.

“Rex, I keep telling you to pay more attention to the menus. You’re going to tell me you didn’t know they served Victory Smoothies next, aren’t you?” Ang took a deep breath of the rustic air as Rex sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “And it’s not like there’s too many other sit-down places around Torigoth anyways.”

Ah, so that’s where they were.

“Don’t need to sit down.” Rex strode to the front of the party. “Best way to do it would be drinks from Savvy, food from Gryff’s and Tilly’s, I know you can’t say no to some cream orange paratha, and then we find a nice place to sit overlooking the Cloud Sea. Like Tora’s place.”

Nia looked around the city while she kept an ear trained on their conversation as Ang made her opinions on visiting Tora diplomatically but clearly to Rex, who did seem to understand her position on popping in on their friend. Nia did give them both a strange look when the words ‘blushy-crushy’ were mentioned completely straight faced, but otherwise continued to take the town in.

An open patio to their right looked to be the Café that Ang had wanted to go to, while the smell of meat threading its way through the naturally woody smell of the city alerted Nia to the presence of a butcher. Other vendors yelled out in an attempt to hawk their wares to anyone who came too close. Children played throughout the square, some getting underfoot of their parents as they tried to shop while others played on the fountain.

Colorful tapestries hung from several buildings Nia could see, complementing the color of the wood and stone they were made of. The architecture, the place resonated with her almost as strongly as Ang had. Even the trees in the distance called out to her, begging her to go climb them.

Looking around Nia did manage to spot one thing that didn’t resonate with her.

Ardainian soldiers.

Their ridiculous uniforms made them look like beetles as they tramped about the place. Nia could easily envision them as termites picking away at the great tree that was Gormott and bringing back what they could find to their mound that was Mor Ardain.
The Titan was even starting to look like a mound with how it was… dying…

“Eh, Nia, you there?”

Nia jumped in surprise as Ang stepped close to her. “Ah, oh, I’m fine. I was just taking in the sights and got a little distracted is all.”

“Gormott is a beautiful place,” Rex said looking around the city while stretching, “Which reminds me, we still need to make that trip out to Leftheria one of these days Ang.”

“Oh, finally going to introduce me to your Auntie?”

“Yep, and all the others. They’ve just been dying to meet you, and they’ll all be looking forward to meeting you as well Nia.” He flashed her a bright smile as he finished his stretch and clapped his hands together. “Righto, Savvy for drinks, Tilly’s for paratha, Gryff’s for a steak, here, Nia, you got a preference for food?”

Nia thought for a moment. “I am partial to seafood.”

“That’s the Fishmongers then, and then how’s the fountain for atmosphere?”

“Why not the port since you want that view of the sea?” Ang said, walking towards the café and motioning Nia to follow.

“Sure, I’ll grab mine and yours, you get the drinks and help Nia find something she likes the look of, meet on the upper levels?”

“Sounds like a plan Rex, see you there.”

Rex gave a wave before he walked off in the direction the smell of meat was coming from, leaving Nia alone with Ang again.

“Are you big on smoothies Nia? Savvy has a lot of shakes and smoothies, bit of a specialty of theirs, but they’ve also got teas and just some fresh spring water if that’s not your preference.”

Nia nodded along to Ang as she led her towards the server who was busy preparing drinks.

“Adwen!” Ang yelled happily, “You wouldn’t happen to have any Victory Smoothies in?”

“Believe we still have some in stock,” the gormotti woman said, finishing up her tasks, “what’s the occasion,” the woman turned and saw Nia. “Oh! You found her!”

“We did. Rex fished her out of the sea this morning.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Adwen said, offering Nia a hand.

“Likewise,” Nia shook her hand with a smile, “Got anything you’d recommend?”

“Well, the Victory Smoothie is always popular.”

Of course, the most expensive item on the menu.

Well Ang was trying to celebrate, and she had suggested the smoothies offhand.

“Why not?” Nia said with a shrug, “Not like I’ve got a good frame of reference for what’s good at the moment anyways.”

“The bar will be set high,” Adwen said with a wink.

The woman was not long with their drinks, leaving Ang to tell Nia some small stories about adventures she had had with Rex before a short walk towards the Arch at the end of the street put them in front of the fishmongers.

“Ang! And who’s your friend? She that blade you were looking for?”

“This is Nia, Cudsy, awakened her not even an hour ago.”

“Well, happy birthday to you, then!” the man flashed a friendly smile. “They get you something nice?”

“Currently they’re getting me a nice dinner,” Nia looked over the man’s wares, “You got something to go with a smoothie?”

“We got a nice crab chili,” Cudsy said, “Caught no more than an hour before you were even here. Can’t get fresher than that.”

“Sounds delish,” Nia said as Ang stepped forward to pay. “Does it actually pair well with a smoothie?”

“I’m sure it does,” The man said ladling some out into a bowl, “By the way, where were you meeting Rex?”

“We’re planning on eating at the docks,” Ang said as Nia accepted the bowl from the man.

“I just saw him running down to the carpenters,” Cudsy shook his head fondly, “I know Attas was waiting on some furniture, and Yofan was looking for some more wood for his smoker.”

“We’ll walk slow,” Ang said with a laugh.

“I’d tell you to put a leash on him, but then I couldn’t tell you to tell him I’m looking for a few Chains of Keys.” Ang laughed harder as they walked away, prompting Cudsy to yell after them. “Those shiny things attract the fish like nothing else!”

Nia enjoyed the warmth of the chili while Ang carried the drinks as they walked out of the market. Once the sounds of the market had died down, she turned to her driver. “You and Rex are quite the popular pair, aren’t cha?”

Ang laughed. “Rex is popular. He’s the one constantly running around doing everyone’s errands for them. I’ve helped a few times but…”

“Oh, don’t sell yourself short.” Nia patted Ang’s shoulder. “I’m sure they appreciate your help just as much as Rex’s.”

“I know they do, I just,” Ang sighed, “wish I could do as much as Rex does. I know I’m still not well,” she gave Nia a sharp look to tell her not to interrupt, “but, I’m better than I’ve ever been. I’m finally starting to pull my own weight. But everyone has done so much for me, sacrificed so much…” Ang stopped walking staring off into the distance at something only she could see. “I have the chance to be able to stand on my own, I need to be able to stand on my own.”

Nia put a hand on Ang’s shoulder. “Bit strange to awaken a blade if you’re planning on going it alone.”

Ang face softened. “I’m not planning on going it alone. Although if you want to do something else, be somewhere else than I am that’s fine.”

Nia pulled away from her, taken aback.

“Cal let’s one of his blades work at Gorg’s Sweet Shop in Argentum. And there are other places that would hire solo blades as well.”

“Oh, no,” Nia said, crossing her arms, “I know I said I wanted a fresh start, but you aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”

Ang stepped back in surprise, prompting Nia to step towards her.

“I could tell from the moment you woke me up that were on the mend from something, and as a healer I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t make sure you got to the peak of health. And don’t think just because I woke up today doesn't mean I don’t know how dangerous that salvaging stuff you and Rex do is. Not much point in going and doing something else if you get yourself eaten by a krabble or something.” Ang laughed at that. “I’m serious, from the sounds of it Rex might get distracted helping a crushtip move its couch and then where would you be if I’m not there? No, I’m staying with you two, so don’t even think about trying to send me off to some sweet shop again.” Nia crossed her arms and nodded to herself.
Ang smiled warmly at Nia, shifting her grip on the drinks to put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re staying with us Nia.”

Nia gave her a smile in return. “You both seem like good people. I’d be doing myself an injustice in denying myself your company.”

“Speaking of good people,” Ang said turning and motioning for Nia to follow, “We’ll need to introduce you Cal, and Tora, eventually.”

“Isn’t Tora the one you told Rex not to invite?”

“Oh, Tora isn’t bad per se he’s just…” Ang made a series of gestures that suggested Nia should steal first, “A bit… much? Eccentric. Yes, eccentric.”

“Eccentric?”

“Yes, he’s a genius with engineering but he has some unique... views? He has Rex helping him with some, ‘super-secret project that change course of world’, has him salvaging all type of tech for it when the currents are right,” Ang shrugged, “I’d tell you what it is, but he’s only shown it to Rex and has him sworn to secrecy. Honestly, I’m starting to think he’s just using it as an excuse to keep inviting Rex over. The poor nopon is a bit of a recluse especially after, well, whatever happened with his family.”
“And how about this Cal? Sounds like he’s helped you a lot, and he’s a driver to boot.”

“Oh, he’s fun, call him donut boy when you meet him, he’ll love that.” Ang laughed as Nia raised an eyebrow. “I think he has Anubis, Cliodhna, and Marianna with him. Anzu is the blade with Gorg. He’s smart, verifiably smart to anyone besides Rex. Kind of.”

Nia laughed. “Yeah, why’s that?”

“It has to do with the doughnuts.”

“Aw, you can’t say that and then not tell me.”

“It’s funnier to make Cal explain it.”

Nia laughed, nudging Ang playfully. Too playfully, as the driver almost fumbled their drinks until Nia offered a hand to help.

The two passed the time to the docks with idle chatter, choosing a view that looked away from the mass of metal that was the Ardainian relay base in favor of the expanse of the Cloud Sea. Rex joined them shortly, having managed to finish any tasks the villagers had set for him before his and Ang’s food grew cold.

The three then sat on a bench overlooking the sea and ships, Rex regaling Nia of his and Ang’s exploits with the Gormotti girl offering her own insights into the adventures, usually to point out when Rex was telling a big fish story. They hinted at plans for the future, but Ang tended to steer the conversation back to the now, clearly wanting to give Nia a chance to adjust to everything.

As the sun set, Nia couldn’t help but think the future was looking bright.

Chapter Text

They spent the night at the Inn. The Innkeeper, a lovely Gormotti woman named Helmie, offered an open room to Rex for the night but the male salvager refused her. Instead, he asked for a spare set of blankets so he could sleep on the floor, letting Nia have his bed.

In the morning, after Nia had soothed Rex’s aches from sleeping on the floor despite his protests, the two salvagers filled her in on their plan for the day. They would visit Tora so she could meet the nopon and Rex could drop of a few pieces he had retrieved for that ‘super-secret project’, do a quick supply in the market, and then meet Rex’s grandfather at a nearby island to set off back to Argentum where they would meet with Calan about halfway there on the few days long trip. A simple enough plan that Nia had nothing to add to when they asked her.

So, after a brief breakfast, courtesy of Tilly’s, the three began a slow meandering walk across the city led by Ang towards the piers and Tora’s House. Something that had seemed strange until Nia asked her driver why they were doubling back on themselves.

“Just steering Rex away from distractions. We do have plans for today after all.” She had said after checking to see that Rex was busy talking to a few kids who had run up to him to show him a few bugs they had collected. “Besides, we’ll get to at least a few extra things while we’re in the market when it’s just our time we’re burning and not also Tora’s.”

Even with Ang’s roundabout route it didn’t take long before they descended the stairs to the lower levels of the dock area where Tora lived.

The lower levels of the dock were not as well kept as the upper levels, at least, the area Ang was leading them to wasn’t. It looked as though at one point some factory had been built in the area, with old bits of pipes snaking through the wood, that had long since closed.

It was to one of the larger pipes that Ang led them, giving Nia some pause.

“Does Tora really live here? You two aren’t just winding me up for a scare, are you?”

Her driver and her friend didn’t even stop as they walked into the pipe.

“Yep!” Rex waved her forward over his shoulder. “Tora likes his privacy.”

“He also likes not having to pay rent,” Ang said, “I think that might be part of why he and Rex get along so well.”

“Oi!”

Nia smiled at Rex’s expense before hurrying after the two. The pipe wasn’t long and before Nia was walking on a makeshift floor that had been placed over the old metal. Rex and Ang turned into a well-lit area, Nia pausing a moment to inspect some strange device at the end of the pipe before following them into the lit area and-

“Wow! Ang-Ang really Driver now!”

A large nopon with a tiger stripe pattern wearing a pair of mechanic’s overalls bounced into Nia’s face, startling her much to Rex’s and Ang’s amusement. The nopon, who had to be Tora, immediately began orbiting Nia, asking her questions rapidly as he inspected every inch of her he could reach. Nia was caught so off guard that she ended up looking to the others for help, which was fortunately provided.

“Alright, Tora, give her some space,” Rex said, picking the nopon up by the back of his overalls.

“Oh, but new blade friend Nia so COOL!” Tora whined as Rex set him slightly away from Nia, allowing the blade a moment to collect herself and take the room in.

It was the basement of some old warehouse repurposed into a home. A small kitchen had been set up although it looked rarely used, a large table sat close to the center of the room, and there was a section portioned off from the rest of the large space, most likely where Tora was keeping his ‘super-secret project’. A ladder led up to a loft where Tora most likely slept, since Nia didn’t see a bed on the lower level.

Ang had taken a seat at the table, already looking a little tired from the nopon’s antics as Rex did his best to distract Tora. He was successful after bringing out the parts he had picked up salvaging prompting Tora to perform a happy dance before he darted behind the partition giving his friends a moment to collect themselves.

“Did he even pause to breathe?” Nia asked sitting next to Ang.

“That’s Tora,” Ang laughed, “he’s very, passionate about blades.”

“You can say that again!” Rex said as he fell into the chair on Nia’s other side.

“I feel like he tried to look up my skirt,” Nia said, “And I’m not even wearing one.”

Ang coughed as Rex looked down at Nia’s legs before suddenly finding the ceiling of Tora’s house quite fascinating.

“For all his enthusiasm, Tora’s perfectly harmless,” Ang said, ignoring Rex as he began tracing patterns in the ceiling with his finger. “He really is just excited to meet you.”
“If you say so. Although I can’t say I won’t punt him.”

“Meh? Why Nia punt Tora?”

Nia grimaced as the nopon looked up at her with big eyes, brimming with hurt. Of course that was the moment he got back.

“Nia just likes her personal space Tora,” Ang said.

“Meh… Tora suppose he go overboard,” the nopon said, rubbing the back of his head before perking back up, “Tora just think blades and drivers are coolest around! Tora wants to be driver too!” Tora wilted again. “But Tora not have aptitude.”

“Alright, I get it,” Nia sighed, “Just, ask your questions, slowly this time. I didn’t get a single one of them before.”

Tora perked back up bouncing happily. “Meh, meh meh! Oh! Tora must take notes! Friends wait just one moment!” Tora then turned and scurried up the ladder where several things were tossed down before the nopon hopped back down a pad of paper and pencil clutched in his wings.

Nia looked to Ang who gave her a sympathetic smile as Tora hopped onto a seat flipping through pages of notes before reaching a clean page. He then immediately began writing notes without saying anything, looking over at Nia and Ang every so often. Nia once again floundered at Tora’s behavior, as her driver and Rex provided no help, the two already desensitized to how their friend was.

“Could friend Nia stand up?”

“What?”

The nopon paused in his writing. “Ah, Tora wanted quick sketch of Nia. Does.. sketch bother…?”

“Oh, uh,” Nia looked to Ang who shrugged, giving the choice completely to Nia, “No, it’s fine. Any way I should…?”

“Arms out,” Tora said, standing with his wings flared out, “Or by sides. Either good for Tora.”

“Right then.” Nia left her arms at her sides as Tora began to rapidly sketch her.

After a moment Tora lifted the page up, compared it to Nia then nodded to himself. “Thanks friend Nia. Tora not need back view, ok to sit again.”

Nia narrowed her eyes at Tora’s words but sat back down as the nopon continued writing.

“Ang-Ang said Nia water healy blade, yes?”

Nia blinked and looked at Ang again, who was now busy talking with Rex about possible salvage spots on the way back to Argentum. “Yes. I am a healer, and water is my element.”

“Good, good, Tora glad he have that right. Could Nia summon blade for Tora to see?”

“Actually, I haven’t gotten a chance to see it yet either,” Rex said, turning back to Nia and Tora, “Think Ang said it was some type of fancy sword.”

“A scimitar, Rex.”

“Right, a fancy sword.”

Nia snorted at Rex’s words. “Funny thing there, Rex,” Nia said as she held her hands out and summoned her weapon, “I’d say she was underselling how fancy it is.”

Nia’s Catalyst Scimitar rested perfectly in her hands, the softly glowing blade entwined in floors drawing an impressed whistle from Rex and more adoration from Tora who was almost too distracted with the show to remember he was taking notes, but quickly returned to his pad of paper. Although he was still bouncing in his seat as he sketched. Ang was clearly not impressed like the others, but she still had a nostalgic smile on her face looking at Nia’s scimitar.

After Tora was satisfied with his sketch he turned to Ang. “Ang-Ang, what it like to use sword?”

Ang shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t used it yet.”

“MEH?” Nia jumped back as Tora stood up on his seat. “ANG-ANG HASN’T USED BLADE YET?”

“No ones been hurt and there isn’t anything to fight in the city.”

“Surely Ang-Ang has established affinity link with Nia?”

“Nothing to heal, nothing to fight.”

“Meh-Meh! Must fix now!” Tora sprung out of his seat fully and began looking around his house. “Tora know!” The nopon bounced over to a large sack and began grabbing things from it. ”Tora have veggies Ang-Ang can practice with!”

“Is he having us prepare his dinner?” Nia asked, leaning over to Ang.

“I don’t think he knows any recipes,” Ang said, “But, he could always be looking to get a good veggie soup going.”

“Ang-Ang know Tora too busy to cook!” Tora had returned, wings full of various hardy vegetables. “Very busy making ar-secret project!”

“You know,” Nia said, passing Ang her scimitar, “I’ve been hearing a lot about this secret project of yours Tora.”

Tora froze. “Meh?”

“You think you ca-?”

“No.”

Nia blinked and drew back in surprise. She had expected the nopon to say no but she had also expected him to try and goad her into asking more about it until he finally decided that she was impressed enough to see the project. Instead, Tora was looking her dead in the eyes with a grave, almost haunted expression.

“Project secret for reason. Cannot say more.”

“S-sorry,” Nia stuttered out, looking between the other two who gave her awkward apologetic looks.

“It okay. Tora will show friends Ang-Ang and Nia when project finished. Tora promise.”

There was a long moment of silence before Rex broke it. “Hey, Tora, mind passing me a few of those veggies? I wanna throw some at Ang too.”

Nia laughed while Ang rested the hand that wasn’t holding Nia’s scimitar on her hip and gave Rex a disapproving look. Tora perked up in a moment as he bounced over to Rex excitedly and shared the plant projectiles with him.

Despite phrasing it like they were going to pelt Ang with the vegetables, Tora and Rex kept it to gentle throws letting Ang take swings at the vegetables as best she could while Nia established a weak affinity link to enhance her slightly with ether.

Ang, was not great.

She was uncoordinated and missed most of the vegetables. Her stance was sloppy, and she admitted that she was mostly mimicking what she had seen Rex do when particularly angry wildlife chased him back up from one of his more daring dives. Something Nia thought might have been okay until Tora asked Rex to show her what kind of weapon he used, and the boy pulled out his homemade junk sword. There also was a resistance to the ether Nia was sending her along their link, preventing it from properly enhancing Ang’s abilities.

But everyone was having fun. Rex and Ang were laughing Tora was bouncing nonstop as he alternated between scribbling down notes, asking questions, and tossing vegetables at Ang. Even when Nia started to join in and show Ang how she should be using her scimitar properly everyone was still having fun. Rex, Ang, and Tora would toss handfuls of veggies at her that she would slice through with ease. Nia even began to summon streams of water to slice through the veggies they threw to Tora’s endless delight.
Nia almost let out a groan of disappointment when her driver said they had to go to the market but managed to control herself just in time.

Tora walked with them to the end of the pipe waving them off even as he tried to tempt them into staying with the promises he would share some, a few, a tasty sausage with them.

As the three returned to the upper levels, Ang turned to Nia. “What did you think of Tora?”

“He’s certainly passionate, I’ll give him that. And you weren’t kidding when you said he was ‘much’,” Nia let out a laugh, “but he can be good company when he wants to be. Although…”

“Ah, yes, we probably could have given you a heads sup about…” Ang said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Yeah,” Nia said, giving the two salvagers a meaningful look out of the corner of her eyes.

“Sorry, should’ve expected you to be curious,” Rex said, meeting her look with another apologetic one, “easy to forget how he gets about it when he’s usually such a ball of energy.”

“It’s alright. I am dying to know what that project of his is now though.” Nia looked off into the distance before turning back to the others “Don’t tell Tora I said that.”

“Aahh, why not?” Ang smiled sweetly.

“He’ll probably let it go to his head, and he certainly doesn’t need that.”

“You didn’t stop him from filling yours with hot air though, eh?” Rex nudged Nia prompting her to swat him. Rex then cleared his throat and did an impression of Tora. “‘Nia coolest blade ever!’”

“Well, it’s not like he’s wrong-.”

“’Nia so amazing!’” Ang joined in.

Rex and Ang laughed as Nia grumbled, refusing to speak to them as they teased her the rest of the way to the market.

Once they had reached the market, Ang pulled out a list of things for them to buy. Supplies such as food, extra blankets for Nia, prompting a discussion between Rex and Ang as space seemed to be at a premium with just Rex, Ang, and Rex’s grandfather, with a decision being reached that Rex could set up a hammock to sleep in so Nia could have a bed; medical supplies, and a few games that played more than two players.

After finalizing their list, Ang led Rex and Nia to their first stop, where Nia offered to carry the first set of bags.

Something that she realized was a critical mistake.

“Well, since you’ve got your hands free Rex, there is something I could use help with.”

“Rex! Just the man I wanted to see.”

“Rex, would you be able to help me carry this rice back home? I’ve got a batch of rice balls that should still be good.”

The three-person trip suddenly became a two-woman trip as Rex began bouncing from task to task helping anyone who asked. Not that he didn’t try to link back up with Nia and Ang, but it seemed anytime he got close someone would pop out in the nick of time to redirect him elsewhere on some errand they had put off.

It wouldn’t have been that bad, if Ang had been able to help carry more bags but the girl still seemed winded from the fun at Tora’s along with all the walking about the market that it fell to Nia to precariously juggle all their items. Ang apologized for not being able to carry more, something that Nia brushed off.

She was starting to hold a grudge against the people of Torigoth for taking advantage of Rex’s good nature to have him help with their chores instead of allowing him to help Nia carry all their new items.

When Rex finally got close enough Nia practically dumped half the bags she was holding on him, starting the two on an argument about whether Nia had intended to crush him while Ang laughed at their antics.

With her burden halved, Nia was able to take more enjoyment in the shopping. Rex was lively as always, and Ang started to perk up as well over her initial embarrassment at the start of the trip. With the whole team there it wasn't long before they were done. After pausing briefly at Café Savvy for drinks and food, which Rex swore they never told him about, they started out of town towards Lascham Island. Another instance of Rex’s miserly tendencies rearing their head to avoid paying the docking fees for his grandfather’s vessel as they had timed his arrival with the Cloud Sea entering high tide.

There were a few volffs and rhoguls that eyed them as they walked across their territory to the Island, but none of them attacked. Not that Nia had been worried about them being in danger. Between her and rex she was sure they would be able to take anything Gormott threw at them.

Except Rotbart.

And Gonzalez.

Okay, the volffs and rhoguls they could handle.

Once they had reached the Island, there was still some light and time before the arrival of ‘Gramps’, something both Rex and Ang told Nia she could call Rex’s grandfather when he arrived, so Nia decided that after Ang had a short rest to have Rex draw a krabble over for the new driver to have a bit of practice with.

She was doing better than before.

She still fell into stances more suited to Rex’s larger sword than Nia’s scimitar, needed Nia to block a few blows with an ether barrier, and only managed to kill the krabble because Rex kept it from wandering away from her as it kept losing interest in fighting her, but overall it looked as though Ang had listened to Nia’s coaching earlier and was trying to work the advice into her fighting style.

Rex set about cleaning the krabble to cook as Ang took another rest break and Nia summoned some water to ease any soreness she had from the fight. Satisfied her driver was comfortable, Nia turned to help Rex with cooking the meat he had managed to harvest from the krabble, and started bickering with him over whether they should dip into any of the spices they had bought.

Ang had fallen asleep by the time they had finished cooking, using some the of seasoning they had bought to Nia’s smug satisfaction. As Nia lightly shook her driver awake, she noticed a Titan that was approaching the island at a leisurely pace, which Rex confirmed was his grandfather arriving.

The three watched the Titan’s approach as they ate the krabble, giving Nia a chance to observe her new home.

It was a small Titan, barely modified outside of what looked to be a shack made out of some kind of large metal drum and a salvaging crane. It had green fur on its back and up its neck, and a large horn sticking out of its head. Try as she might, Nia couldn’t spot Rex’s grandfather, or how someone would even steer the Titan. He must have been in the shack… which looked like three people would be stretching it must less four.

Did Gramps already sleep in a hammock?

As the Titan drew level with the island its head snaked down to look over the three travelers to Nia’s surprise. She was even more surprised as it brought its eye close to look specifically at her. She then jumped out of her skin as it spoke.

“Ah, you must be Nia.”

“EH?”

“Ang has so been looking forward to finding you. But where are my manners,” the Titan drew his head back, “I am Azurda, but these two call me…”

“Gramps!” Both Rex and Ang announced with big smiles, both taking a moment to look to Nia’s frazzled reaction before laughing.

“Oh, you two did this on purpose!” Nia stamped her foot glaring down her driver and the salvager.

“Yep!” Rex said without an ounce or remorse, already loading supplies onto Gramps's back.

“Would you have believed us if we told you he was a Titan?” Ang asked, still laughing behind her hand.

“Probably not,” Nia admitted looking the Titan up and down, “How’d you even end up with these two?”

Azurda let out a hum as he looked towards the sky. “Oh, I’ve known Rex since he was smaller than my toes. I acted as a guardian to the Village of Fonsett where he grew up. I tended to keep my distance from the village but there was this one boy who decided I was just the most fascinating thing around. Well, with how attached he was to me, Corinne asked if I could help keep an eye on him and from there the rest is, how you say, history. Up until he decided to bring a girl home with him that is.”

“GRAAAAAAAMMMPPPPS,” moaned both salvagers, Azurda giving Nia a sly wink.

“Oh, but it was so sweet how Rex-.”

“GRAMPS.”

“And Angharad-.”

“Graaaaammmmps.”

Nia felt her face break into a wide smile, grabbing a few things to help Rex, although once she was on Azurda’s back the boy told her he would handle the rest and she could take a moment to explore. Before taking his turn to try and stop Gramps from telling some other thing spun in a way to embarrass the two salvagers.

A short walk around the back of the Titan let Nia inspect all the salvaging equipment bolted to his hide, before she ducked into the shack. As expected, there were two beds set up, with a curtain placed between them for some amount of privacy.
Rex’s side had bits of salvage lying about mixed in with some carvings as well as a few paintings that hung from the wall. Ang’s side featured a few board games, and partially carved figures and an easel tucked away in a corner. Nia smirked to herself as she heard Ang yell over the Titan’s current story.

Poking around the rest of the shack, Nia was able to figure out where Rex and Ang hid most of their day-to-day objects such as dishes and a basin to wash in. The last thing Nia looked over was the small kitchen set-up watch also had a brazier tucked in alongside it which was probably used to cook outside in fair weather.

The ground suddenly shifted under Nia, causing her to stumble slightly. After looking around quickly to confirm neither Rex nor Ang had seen her, she exited the shack to see Gormott slowly drifting away. Azurda was humming to himself while Rex and Ang were pointedly sitting on opposite side of the Titan’s back and looking out to sea.

Nia couldn’t help but laugh at them, Azurda joining her, the vibrations radiating up her feet and legs. The two salvagers shot them both glares, but it was short lived as they joined in too. Rex stood up and walked to Nia while Ang laid down, taking the time to enjoy the rhythm of Gramps’s mirth.

“So, whatcha think?” he asked gesturing to the Titan’s back.

Nia made a show of thinking. “It’s a bit small.” She paused as Gramps harrumphed at her. “But I could get used to it.”

Chapter Text

Rex and Ang had a routine.

They woke up early, the first one up getting started on breakfast for themselves and the other, and now Nia as well. The second up would go out and start monitoring their depth probe for any promising salvage they might be passing over as Gramps swam through the Cloud Sea. Once breakfast was ready the cook would bring it out and they would all eat near the probe, Gramps sometimes joining the conversation as well when he decided he was tired and needed a break.

Once breakfast was finished the salvagers would debate whether to keep monitoring the probe, Rex tending to be in favor of it while Ang usually pressed for giving it a rest. Whichever won the argument the two would then usually split apart for a bit before the two would settle into their chosen task for the day. Be it monitoring the depth probe, fishing to restock their supplies of food, maintaining their equipment, or indulging in a hobby of theirs.

Nia was welcome to join them whatever they were doing. Rex would happily explain how gear needed to be cared for or how to properly read the depth probe while Ang immediately set about having Nia model for a new art piece. Both were impressed when she made use of her control over water to pluck fish directly from the sea. If Nia didn’t feel like joining one of the salvagers in their activities, she could always climb Gramps’s head and have a conversation with the Titan who delighted in sharing stories of his young wards, much to their displeasure.

The routine was only broken by something being pinged by the depth probe early on the third day of travel, which sent the two salvagers into a flurry of activity. Ang, who preferred taking off the heavy dive suit top while Rex seemed to live in his gear, began organizing her gear as the two debated whether it was likely the salvage would be worth the cost in equipment to get, specifically the air cylinders and floatation devices they used during dives.

Nia observed them, perched on top of the shack to be out of their way, with Gramps craning his neck around to join her as he floated in place, allowing the salvagers to reach a decision before he moved any farther.

“So, is this how they usually do things?” Nia asked the Titan gesturing to her driver and friend, “Just kind of wander around until they hit something big?”

“Sometimes.  Rex is currently contracted with Argentum and will go on larger jobs as part of a team when the chance arises. There are also clients who will approach Rex and Ang directly, think like that nopon.”

“Tora?”

“Yes, although Rex only works for Tora for free. Apparently, whatever project that nopon is working on is fascinating enough that it’s worth the money value of every scrap Rex hands him.”

“Mister ’I’m in salvaging for the money’ himself?” Nia let out a frustrated huff of air. “What is that little fuzzball working on?”

“I’m afraid, I know as much as you do on that account.”

Nia sighed. “You said Rex was contracted with Argentum. Is Ang as well?”

“No, she was deemed, too risky to contract directly.”

Nia frowned, the Titan not having to say anything more.

It looked as though an agreement had been reached between the two salvagers, Rex signaling Gramps towards him as Ang began to pull out the equipment they had estimated was needed. Nia quietly observed as Rex began directing Gramps to the approximate location of the salvage, and Ang slowly grabbed the heavier equipment. As Ang struggled with the equipment, Nia debated with herself for a moment before lightly flicking one of her driver’s ears with a bit of water.

The Gormotti girl jumped and turned to glare at her. Nia pointed towards the bulky equipment with a quizzical gaze. Ang looked between her blade and the equipment for a moment before shaking her head. Nia nodded and went back to observing Rex and Gramps. They managed to get Gramps into position before Ang had carried all the equipment over, Rex grabbing some of the items she had yet to grab.

Hopping off the roof, Nia wandered over to observe the pile of gadgets. Lift bags, cylinders, bars and other things to reinforce the structure of an object…

“What’s that one?”

“Cutting torch,” Rex said after a quick look, “Tora threw it together when I said it could help me salvage things. Special mixture of fuel and fire ether lets it work even under the Cloud Sea. Very expensive though so I try not to use it much.”

Nia hummed, taking the information in. “You both heading down then?”

“Nah. Off the probe its small enough we should only need one.”

“It’s still a good idea for me to be prepared in case I need to fish him out,” Ang said, standing next to Nia fully in her suit minus the helmet.

“No one’s had to fish me out!” Rex boasted as he snapped his helmet into place and walked to the center of Gramps’s back.

“Yet,” Ang added for him under her breath.

“Ah, I can’t wait!” Rex clearly hadn’t heard her.

Nia watched as Rex took a running start before leaping off of Gramps, doing a few flips as he did so.

Nia snorted. “Show off.”

Ang hummed in agreement. “Want to grab a game? He’ll be a bit.”

By the time Rex leapt back up onto Gramps Nia had discovered that she absolutely loved Sneak-Thief King. She didn’t even acknowledge Rex’s showy return as she was too busy smugly watching Ang desperately try and find a way to get out of her losing position. Not even with Azurda’s help was her driver preventing her imminent defeat.

But there was one escape. “Hey, Ang, mind grabbing the crowbar? I’ve got a great feeling about this one.”

“Thinking we’ll get a big profit?” Ang said, shooting Nia an insincere smile as she jumped up to run to the shack, leaving Nia’s victory unfulfilled.

“Of course! Look how intact it is, stuff inside has got to be in almost perfect condition.”

“Could also be empty,” Nia said, a slight scowl on her face as she cleaned up the game. Always the chance something was right behind Rex, and she wasn’t about to have her new pastime destroyed, by wildlife or a sore loser.

“As I’ve always said, a bit of optimism never hurt anyone. Anyways,” Rex nodded to Ang as she passed him the crowbar. “Salvager’s Code, ‘Open a chest, it might turn out great. Until then-‘.”

“’It’s just a crate’.” Ang finished flashing Nia a number four as the blade rolled her eyes and moved the game a safe distance away.

Rex jammed the bar into a seam before heaving his full weight against it. The box held fast, forcing Rex to throw his weight into it again. Nia quietly summoned her weapon, in anticipation of danger as Ang stood beside her grinning as Rex had to go for third try at getting the crate open.

Suddenly, the box gave in to Rex’s attempt, causing him to almost go sprawling as the box sprang apart. Nia dropped into a ready stance, Ang stepping behind her as she was still not that great with Nia’s scimitar as the two got ready for…

A box filled with junk as far as Nia could tell.

Ang on the other hand…

“OH! I see a Helix Tube!”

“HA! Told you it was gonna be great,” Rex said as he and Ang descended on the contents on the box.

Nia watched the two excitedly pick through the old bits of scrap for a minute before rolling her eyes and dismissing her blade. Looking up she met Gramps eye as he watched over them all fondly.

Nia had an idea. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to be interested in a game of-?”

“I’m afraid not.” The Titan shot her down. “If we are to make our meeting with Cal I will need to set out now. And the pace I will need to maintain will put too much strain on me to think on the finer points of strategy.”

Nia scoffed. “You know Ang’s told me what you do to things that try and eat them, right? I doubt there's much that would actually put a strain on you.”

Azurda ignored her, leaving Nia to throw up her hands before she settled for ducking into the shack to grab a book to read from her favored perch on the roof while the others were busy.

Nia woke up to someone yelling directly into her ears.

She must have fallen asleep reading that book in the warm sun, listening to the pleasant noise that was her friends discussing their haul.

In a panic she rolled off the shack landing in heap before springing to her feet scimitar in hand.

The laughter of her salvager companions clued her in that she was not in danger. After giving the two a withering glare she then turned her ire to the one who had woken her up.

It was a female blade given away by her core stone, a heptagon set into her chest, dressed in ragged brown coats held in place by a series of belts with a matching hood pulled over her head. Long green hair framed her face, which looked to be painted in the likeness of a skull. An effect that might have been intimidating if she hadn’t been laughing joyously. More patterns were painted onto her hands in earthen colors, and she had a multitude of instruments strapped to her.

How she had managed to sneak up on Nia was beyond her, until the blade started floating in the air.

Ah, she could fly, of course. Must be a wind blade.

“Gggggggood morning, sunshine!” The blade spoke in a weird, harsh, exaggerated way.

Nia scoffed. “Well, excuse me if I’m not beaming after you yelled in my-!“

“She wasn’t yelling.”

Nia looked at her driver who was giving her a flat pleading look. “What?”

“She’s whispering right now Nia, whispering.”

Nia looked back to the wind blade who stuck her tongue out with a wink. “Cliodhna, the queen of scream, at your service!”

Nia thought for a moment. “You’re one of Cal’s blades, aren’t you?”

“Yep!” Cliodhna pulled out a stringed instrument and began tuning it. “Saw you guys floating on over and figured I’d pop out, say hello, tell you you’re late…!”

Rex let out a laugh. “Stopped to pick up some salvage. We’ll let Cal have a look over it for any parts he might need to keep everything running.”

Cliodhna barked out a laugh that had everyone around covering their ears before rotating to look towards Nia. “Anyways I’ve been assuming you’re Nia, am I right….?!”

“Yes! You’re right,” Nia said, rubbing her sensitive ears, “You wouldn’t happen to be able to drop down to muttering, would you?”

Cliodhna sucked on her own check for a moment as she thought, “I don’t get much quieter talking then this…! But!” she strummed a mellow chord on the instrument she had been tuning, “I could serenade you with a gentle tune, something soothing that I can croon.”

Nia blinked. Cliodhna’s singing voice was, ethereal. Mystic. It caressed Nia’s ears instead of jamming its thumbs as far as it could into them.

“I can… Uh! I… Hmm!” Cliodhna glared at nothing. “I need, ten minutes! Twenty!”

Cliodhna shot up into the air and out over the Cloud Sea.

“Her memory for lyrics is great,” Ang observed, “Her improv skills…”

“She can do a decent drinking song,” Rex observed walking to one of Gramps’s shoulders. “Uh.” He looked back at Ang who was giving him a look. “So I’ve heard.”

“Right,” Nia said, adding her gaze to the pressure on Rex’s back as she joined him.

“Don’t worry, she tends to stay clamed up most of the time. She’s a healer after all, any damage she does she’ll have to repair.”

“Just excited to meet me?” Nia asked looking to Rex.

He met her gaze with a brilliant smile, full of unabashed optimism. “Ang’s been talking you up to everyone! Course we’re all excited to meet you.”

Nia looked over to Ang who smiled at her sheepishly. “You, she was a really good big sister.”

“Feel like I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Nia said rubbing her arm awkwardly.

“I’d say they’re fitting quite nicely,” Rex said, a big grin on his face as he looked at her.

Nia scoffed at him raising an arm to hide her face, and her slight blush, as she turned to look where Cliodhna had flown off to.

It was a decent sized boat, set upon a long flat, fish-like titan that was slightly larger than Azurda. Most of it looked to have been added on top of an existing ship, giving it a ramshackle appearance with a cabin even jutting out awkwardly to one side.

On the deck was another blade. She was tall, her body was tanned, and she wore loose white fighting clothes. She held a large polearm that had a large flat blade at one end. The most striking thing about the blade was her head. It was shaped like some kind of canine, perhaps a breed of volff, and seemed to float over the rest of her body, as though it wasn’t properly connected.

As they neared, the blade brought the polearm around, kicking it into a spin causing a large swirl of shadows to form. Nia’s ears twitched as the sound of rushing air from behind drew her attention. She turned, just in time to see the blade emerging from a similar portal behind them. Her hands were also canine in nature, with the same disconnected quality about them.

“Rex, Angharad! It is good to see you two. Yes, I see the sea has been treating you well!” The blade’s muzzle was parted in a welcoming smile as the portal closed behind her and she walked towards Nia. “And you, you must be their new recruit,” the blade leaned in conspiratorially, “Have they tried to shove you in a suit yet?”

Nia looked the woman up and down, spotting a circular core in her chest. “No.” She looked towards Ang. “Did try and shove me in a sweet shop, though.”

The blade drew back and looked at her surprised, before smiling widely. “Ah yes. Gorg’s place? With our Anzu? Would have been a nice place if you wanted safety.”

“I’m more of an outdoors type,” Nia said, “Would have loved to see more of Gormott, those trees looked amazing for climbing.”

“Can’t go climbing in one of Gorg’s shops, no, that’s for sure.” The blade leaned down again. “Must go to one sometime though, hard to find better treats. Even if the best are in Uraya with Gorg himself.”

Nia hummed. “Ang did say the one Anzu is at is in Argentum.”

Anubis nodded, smiling widely. “Yes. Ah! Manners. We have not done introductions.” A paw was extended. “Anubis, at your service.”

“Nia. I suppose you’d come along with the ‘queen of scream’?”

“Of course! Why we have our ear plugs. They do not help.” Anubis motioned Ang and Rex closer, although she kept her attention on Nia. “Time for you to meet our Calan and Marianne. You are healer like screaming queen, yes?” Nia nodded. “You will find Calan’s things interesting, very, uh, ‘state of the art’? No, that one is for, new machines.”

Nia frowned as Anubis summoned another portal. “Machines? Not really my thing…”

“Ah! But healing is, yes?” Anubis led them through the portal onto the ship. “It is the healing machines Calan works on! And the pastry machines. Gorg pays well and has such interesting ideas.”

Nia nodded, noticing a third blade emerging from the interior of the ship to greet them. She was much shorter than the other two blades. Anubis towered over Nia, the top of Cliodhna’s head may have been level with her ears, but Marianne, as the only blade of Cal’s she had yet to meet, had to look up to meet Nia in the eyes. Her clothes were metallic, a mid-length skirt that looked to be made of bladed material, and a vest with leggings and a shirt underneath. A wicked pair of high heels that looked like they could be used to put holes in armor completed her outfit. She looked human and could very well pass for an Ardainian with her hair black hair that she tied into a practical ponytail and fair skin.

 The effect was ruined by the core crystal that occupied the spot where her left ear would be though.

Floating around her head were a set of knives that Nia guessed were her blade weapon. She was holding one that she was using to clean her nails and a few hovered around her core crystal forming a strange shape.

One she was talking into.

“Anubis just brought them aboard. Yeah. I’m getting Ang now. They say why they were late?” She was looking at Anubis out of the corner of her eye.

“They found good salvage! Offering priority pick before they sell off.”

“Mhm. You get that? Okay. Take Rex and pick it over Anubis, you know what’s needed.”

The canine-headed woman nodded, reopening a portal and ushering Rex through it.

“They got a new girl with them.  Nia?” Marianne looked at Nia, so she nodded. “Nia. Should I bring her along with Ang? Could always have her bother Clio. You want to come?”

Nia nodded.

“She wants to come. That okay? Okay. Follow me.” She began walking back inside the ship, Ang and Nia right behind her. “If you touch something and get zapped it’s not my fault. We’ll be down in 5 or less.” She waved a hand and the knives around her head were dismissed, before she turned walking backwards to extend a hand to Nia. “Marianne.”

“Nia.” She shook Marianne’s hand, and the blade spun back around. “That’s a pretty neat trick you were doing there.”

“Mhm. I use the same ether that’s used in short wave ether communications, so structuring my blades in the right configuration lets me connect with basically any nearby transmitters.”

“Well, that’s got to be handy. You able to just pass those off to anyone to use like that?”

“Since the ability to use the knives as weapons is required to set them in the proper configuration, the only other person it works for is Cal. Of course, that is still two less transmitters needed for an operation.”

“Damn, well, still pretty nifty.”

“Mhm. You got any ‘nifty’ skills?”

“Oh, uh, not that I’m aware of.”

“Ah, well, don’t worry. The most unique skill Cliodhna has is rupturing our eardrums.”

Nia nodded, opting to let that conversation go as Marianne lead her and Ang past the crews’ living spaces towards Calan.

Chapter Text

Marianne paused outside a door, knocking twice before entering. Ang followed her in, Nia hesitating a moment before peaking her head in. It was a spacious room, stretching across a good chunk of the Titan’s length. This room was probably responsible for how sprawling the structure of the boat looked.

It was lined with strange machines, built entirely from salvaged parts as far as Nia could tell. Many of the machines were set up on wheels and had strange displays with symbols she didn’t understand. At the center of the room was a table which had a few machines arranged around it. It also had an Ardainian man in practical clothes who was fiddling with a few settings on the machine as well.

“Charge is low on the scanner, Mari, if you would,” the man said without turning around.

“Mhm.” Mari summoned two knives crackling with electricity before launching them into two slots on the side of one of the machines. “Should I tell Clio to start on lunch?”

“Yes, Rex and Anubis can help her once they’re done with the salvage. Morning Ang,” the man finally turned to look at them, adjusting his glasses as he switched which machine he was fiddling with as Mari stepped off to one side summoning her knives again, “I hear you’re a driver now?”

“I am.” Ang motioned for Nia to come inside the room. “Rex managed to pick her up as a part of a salvage job. I woke her up as soon as we managed to get back to the Inn.”

Nia entered the room and walked over to stand slightly back from the table at the center. “Hey, I’m Nia. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

“I have. Cal, Calan, whichever you prefer,” Cal said, adjusting a few settings.

“How about doughnut boy?”

Cal stopped adjusting the machine. Nia could see his flat expression reflected in the machine’s display. Nia’s ear twitched as Marianne snickered.

“Forget to adjust the settings one time,” Cal muttered before finishing his adjustments with a little more force than necessary. “Ang was scanned as a doughnut, leading to a scientific breakthrough I have not been allowed to live down. Happy?”

“Why were you scan-?”

“Testing the feasibility of ether-based glazes for Gorg. Anything else?”

“Why not use-?”

“Equipment is expensive, and I already had something that scanned for ether discrepancies and anomalies. Anything else?”

“What kind of dough-?”

“Jelly filled with a water glaze. And I’m done with that. Ang get on the table, you absolute doughnut.”

Ang and Nia laughed openly as the driver hopped on the table and laid down. Nia’s sensitive ears managed to pick up Marianne joining them although she was doing her best to hide her mirth from her annoyed driver.

“I assume you’re not down here just to have a laugh?” Cal said, moving machines into place.

Nia paused to think. “There’s something wrong with Ang’s ether flow.”

Cal paused. “Yes… How could you tell? Using an affinity link?”

Nia nodded. “I couldn’t quite pick out what was going wrong. The ether just wasn’t flowing into her properly. Like something was pushing back against the flow.”

“Not really pushing, blocking. Here.” Cal began fiddling with devices again. “Let’s get you the visual.”

The machines which had been idling started whirring to life. Nia jumped at the sudden sound but relaxed upon looking at Ang and seeing her completely relaxed. Marianne stepped forward and began assisting her driver with the process of working the machines, several of her knives floating nearby if they were needed. Ater a few moments of her helping Cal nudged Mari and pointed to Nia. The blade nodded and turned to address Nia.

“You’ll want to watch this screen here.” Several of her knives floated around one of the screens. “The others are used to track vitals, which should not be necessary with your presence if things work as Cal has projected.”

“Alright,” Nia nodded to show Mari she was listening.

“What will be showing soon will be a map of Ang’s ether lines. It will also give us an idea of her ether flow… ah, here.” The screen finally lit up, displaying a strange pattern of lines that followed the shape of her driver. “The strength of the line can be seen with how strongly the line appears on the display.”

Nia grimaced. “A lot of those lines aren’t showing that well.”

“Exactly. And we’ve pinpointed the issues to these locations.” The knives hovered over certain spots on the screen. “Look closely.”

Nia leaned in close. After a moment she thought she saw what Mari was pointing to. “Those look like… clots.”

Mari and Cal looked to each other. “Yes, they are. Forgot you were a healing blade for a moment there. The ether equivalent to blood clots. Deadly in their own way, although as far as we could tell there’s no worry of them coming loss and causing… severe problems.”

Nia grimaced, innate knowledge filling in the blanks. “That’s… good to know.”

“It still acts like a wasting disease. Inability to put on weight, effects on the appetite, weakness to illness.  We’ve been experimenting with treatments, and currently Ang has been reacting well to… Cal, should we give an example or description?”

Cal shrugged. “Your call Ang.”

“Easier to show her,” Ang called out from the table, “You’re going to try and have her replicate it anyways, right?”

Marianne nodded. “Mhm. Cal?”

“I’ll get it running.” The man began fiddling with machines again.

“So, the treatment is based around controlled application of ether flow, more precise than an affinity link, in order to loosen and clear the clots.”

“And you’re sure it won’t just cause the blockage to move into something critical?”

“Ether is just a constant flow.” Cal called out. “There’s no pumping organ or anything for it to screw with.”

Marianne nodded. “We’ve mostly been trying to loosen the blockages, improve the flow overall before trying to clear them out completely. We’ve been doing our best to focus,” Mari’s knives once again floated around the screen, “these blockages down as they seemed to line up with critical organs.”

“Fair enough,” Nia nodded for her to continue.

“Everything’s prepped, we good to start?” Cal asked, banging on the side of a machine.

“Yes. Go ahead,” Ang said.

“Which blockage are you looking at?” Mari asked floating her knives back to herself.

“Keeping at the heart, best one to try and remove first,” Cal said, pulling out a thin device attached to the machine he had been adjusting.

Mari began fiddling with the machine, Nia taking the time to check on her driver.

“You okay?”

“Of course.” Ang gave her a reassuring smile. “Cal and Mari have done this plenty of times before. And they didn’t immediately start trying to unblock my heart. They worked on areas like joints first and moved their way up to the more vital stuff.”

“Alright… not sure I’d be able to show that level of faith after being scanned as a pastry.”

“Fair enough,” Cal said, joining Nia in standing over her driver, “Counterpoint, we’re doing this for free... and the parts to keep the machines running.”

Nia sighed. “Rex told you to go with them, didn’t he?”

“It was them or nothing,” Ang said, “At least they’re documenting everything to send to one of the schools on the continents to make sure knowledge spreads on Angharad’s Disease.”

“Mhm. I still think we should have tried to push Jelly Doughnutitis through,” Marianne said nudging Nia to get her attention. “Now, that device that Cal is handling was designed to create an ether flow.”

Cal stuck his hand out and flicked a switch on the wand he was holding. A faint ether flow emerged from it, connecting to his hand before he flipped it off.

“Looks, almost like an affinity link,” Nia observed, watching as Cal walked back to the machine and began turning a few knobs on it.

“Mhm. It’s much weaker though, even when we pump as much power into the machine as it can handle.” Mari moved back towards the screen with Ang’s ether lines and motioned Nia to join her. “We’ve been able to get enough power though to… erode the blockages in Ang’s ether lines.”

Cal moved the wand over Ang’s heart.  “Starting the connection in 3… 2…”

Cal clicked the beam back on, the ether flow stronger this time as it poured onto Ang’s chest. Nia saw her driver tense for a moment before relaxing into the flow. Seeing that she was okay, Nia turned to where Mari was hovering a knife around the screen.

“Look closely, it’s hard to see.”

Nia leaned in towards the screen, straining her eyes.

And…

Just barely, the blockage was shrinking, and the ether line was filling in just a little more.

A clicking sound behind her alerted Nia to Cal cutting the power to the ether wand. Nia looked towards him confused for a moment before it clicked. “Oh! You want me to try that with an affinity link?”

“Mhm.” Mari walked around the table, taking over putting the machine away from Cal.

“Go at your own pace,” Cal said stepping over to the table, “But, come to this side. You might be able to use the screen to help if this goes as well as we’re hoping.”

“Right, no pressure,” Nia said as she circled the table.

“Even if you can only match that still makes it so Ang doesn’t need to meet with us monthly for treatment.”

Ang punched him in his leg. “I thought you liked our visits!”

“I’ll like them even more when the reason for them is something other than the fact your body sucks at existing.” Cal flicked one of Ang’s ears. “Now, pastries can’t talk, let Nia focus.”

Nia laughed as her driver pouted, before taking a deep breath to center herself. While the wand had been weaker than an affinity link, it had been more controlled as well. The link was meant to spread the ether across a driver’s body, reinforcing and strengthening it for combat and other rigorous activities. Despite forming as a beam between blade and driver an affinity link wasn’t actually delivering ether in a precise way.

But that didn’t mean it was impossible for an affinity link to do so.

Nia extended an affinity link towards Ang. It linked to her driver on the shortest path, connecting to her side. The resistance was still present, with no noticeable change from Cal’s light treatment. Checking the screen it also looked as though the natural ether flow from the link was having no effect on the blockages.

Finesse would be key.

Nia focused on the link and began moving it across Ang’s body, lining it up to where she had seen Cal holding the wand.

A glance at the screen showed no change still.

Nia took another breath.

Nia focused on the flow of ether and pulled it together. Instead of letting it flow out naturally she throttled it, and ever so slowly, managed to funnel it directly towards Ang’s heart.

Ang sucked in a breath of air causing Nia to lose hold of the ether for a moment, but a nod from her driver encouraged her to continue. Nia focused again and redirected the link into a beam aimed at her Driver’s heart. She dared a peak at the screen and…

The blockage was visibly coming apart, the lines it had been blocking filling in cleanly.

Nia allowed herself a moment to feel proud, before refocusing on the screen. She waited a few more seconds and then…

She cut the flow.

And…

She was tired.

Nia stumbled backwards, falling into a chair that hadn’t been behind her before. She had forgotten about Mari and Cal but was reminded as Mari leaned over her shoulder to give her a smile. “Looks like you might have a nifty skill after all.”

“Huh?” Nia looked over to the table, Ang having sat up and was looking around confusedly. “Why’d we stop? It was working, wasn’t it?” Her driver’s eyes finally landed on her. “Oh. OH! Nia, I’m-.”

Nia shook her head, raising a hand to quiet her driver. “S’alright. Had to feel pretty great right?” Ang nodded, embarrassed. “But, yeah, that, is exhausting. Not to mention we might do damage to your body if we rush things.”

“Mhm. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.” Marianne appeared at Nia’s shoulder again offering her a cup. “Water. You look parched.”

“Thanks.” Nia took the cup and gulped it down gratefully. “Don’t suppose you guys have smoothies on this boat?”

“Not prepared,” Cal said, “we do have a blender.” He had picked up a clipboard, and pulled another chair up to sit next to Ang. “That’s all the fun stuff done though. We’re on to the part where this becomes science, by writing it all down. Mind answering a few questions before you head to the deck for food?”

Nia emerged from the inside of the ship and took a deep breath of air.

Cal really had meant all.

From how she had felt during the treatment, the intricacies of manipulating for ether flow, the feelings she got from it from Ang. And each question had been followed by more probing questions, with Marianne even reminding Cal when he forgot a question.

Speaking of her fellow blade, Marianne was walking with her, having led her outside while Cal continued questioning Ang in the ship below. The blade had spoken briefly through her knife set to confirm that food had been prepared while they had done Ang’s treatment. She had then told Nia they would be eating on the deck so that Azurda and Cliodhna could comfortably join them.

Azurda was obviously too big to fit in the ship, but it took Nia a moment to realize that Cliodhna’s voice would be dangerously close to guaranteed hearing damage in an enclosed room. Nia had let her curiosity get the best of her on the way up and asked where Cliodhna usually ate if they were eating inside.

“If she wants to talk, she’ll go to room,” Mari had said. “We all have personal transmitters that I can broadcast to, and I’ll send her what everyone else is saying.  Otherwise, we, Anubis, Cal, and I, all have at least a basic understanding of sign language and Cliodhna isn’t a bad pantomime, when she puts her mind to it.”

Thinking of the air blade had Nia looking around, making sure she wasn’t snuck up on again. She finally spotted the blade lazing about in the air above Rex and Anubis who were setting up a table on the deck under the watchful eye of Azurda. Cliodhna spotted Nia and gave her a friendly wave, which Nia returned after a moment, before walking over to the trio.

“So… you figure out what you wanted to sing?”  Nia asked loudly.

Cliodhna groaned. “No!” Nia’s ears pulled back but with Cliodhna some distance in the air it wasn’t too bad. “Mari put me on cooking duty before I could get anything really going!”

Nia nodded sympathetically, but she was ravenous after all the work she did. “What’d you cook?”

“Oyster Stir-fry! Also managed to scrounge up some potato salad! Only really got water to drink though! Unless you want to fight Mari for her Earl Grey!”

Nia looked to Marianne, who met her gaze with a flat look. She had begun cleaning her fingernails with a knife again, and a single spark crackled across its surface as Nia looked at her.

“Think, I’ll stick with water,” Nia said looking back up to Cliodhna. “I’m exhausted after all that science I got roped into.”

“Eh? You try the thing? Ah, affinity link therapy?” Anubis said, perking up from the table now that it was situated.

Nia hesitated for a second before saying, “Yeah, we did. Got to say, it was certainly interesting having to manipulate the affinity link like that.”

A loud whistle sounded from above. “You actually managed to get your ether flow to match that dinky wand thing!? None of us have!”

Nia nodded, boosting herself up to sit on the table. “Took a bit of effort to get right but I managed to pull it off.”

Anubis leaned on the table next to Nia. “And? How is our Angharad? She respond well to it, yes?”

 “She did,” Nia said with a smile, and a wince, as the three who had not been present cheered, “I almost cleaned out a blockage completely.”

“That’s amazing!” Rex said, drawing Nia’s attention behind her, “Cal said it would probably take them years using the flow simulator, and you almost got it done in a day?”

Rex was looking at her with complete awe, causing Nia to stumble over her words. Fortunately, Mari arrived at that moment carrying chairs to draw the salvager’s attention. She spoke as he walked over to help her set up chairs.

“Ang’s blockages responded well to Nia’s, specialized care,” the blade punctuated her statement with a smile to Nia, “but, we still need to proceed with caution. Just as restoring hearing to a deaf man can cause sensory overload restoring a normal ether flow to Ang can cause an ether overload.”

“Ah, the water poisoning thing,” Rex looked to Mari for confirmation.

“Mhm. Cal is trying to draft up a plan to safely work on Ang’s condition. If you three would be willing to wait a few days as we prepare materials for Nia to reference?”

Rex nodded. “Of course. We’ll just do a sweep of the area while you guys get that set up. Ah, me and Gramps, that is. Guessing you’ll probably want Ang and Nia on hand.”

Mari nodded. “Mhm. Now, if you all will excuse me, I’m off to fetch our drivers.”

Cliodhna floated after Marin as her fellow blade walked into the hold of the ship. “I’ll get the food!”

 Anubis nodded to Nia and Rex. “You are guests, who are tired and have already helped. I help Cliodhna, you rest.” The canine-headed blade then opened a portal and stepped through.

“They’ll be a moment,” Rex said, letting himself flop into a chair, “Anubis thinks food that passes through her portals tastes funny, so she’ll make them carry it up normally.”

“Really?” Nia said, sliding off the table, and after a moment walking around to sit by Rex.

“Yeah, says it washes the taste out. Can’t say if I agree since she never let’s anyone else eat stuff that goes through if she can help it.”

“And yet she has no problem letting us go through?”

“Probably thinks it discourages monsters from eating us.”

Both Nia and Rex laughed.

“Got to say, you two know quite a lot of characters.”

“Definitely makes for a lively first week, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah,” Nia leaned back in her chair, “Guessing you got a few more waiting for us in Argentum? An Urayan mercenary fresh from a mission? An Indoline monk pondering the nature of the Architect?”

“Funny you mention a mercenary…”

Nia looked at him incredulously.

“Not what you said, but Cal got his start as a mercenary.”

“Really? Cal was a mercenary?”

“Yeah, worked with a group out of Uraya even. How do you think he managed to get all this stuff together at the start? You should ask him about it sometime.”

“Think I might,” Nia said, turning as the door to the hold was kicked open.

“We have food!” Anubis bellowed, sweeping out of the hold with plates of food balanced on her arms.

“And drivers!” Cliodhna said, floating out after Anubis followed by a trail of plates, cups, silverware, and finally Cal, Mari, who was holding a steaming cup of what had to be her earl grey, and Ang, who was holding onto a pitcher of what was presumably water.

Cliodhna flew above Anubis’s head and set the table with a wave of her arm, before taking a seat at the table that had been placed slightly away from the others. Mari hurried past her fellow blade as well, setting her cup at the one setting that Cliodhna had left without a glass for water before turning to join Cal as he grabbed a plate off Anubis’s arm and set it on the table before taking their seats.

Ang reached the table last, setting the pitcher down before sitting to Nia’s other side, as Anubis deposited the last few plates.

Anubis clapped her hands together. “Let us eat!”

Nia enjoyed her time on Cal’s ship.

It was a high bar set by that first dinner where Nia got to discover the joy that was Snowbaby Potato Salad, but things managed to surpass the bar.

Perhaps, a little close to it but still.

Nia had spent a lot of time with Cliodhna, surprisingly enough. The wind blade taught Nia some of the basics of her sign language so they could communicate in a way that didn’t cause Nia discomfort. Although, Cliodhna earned forgiveness for all the times she had almost caused Nia hearing damage when she showed Nia how to handle and play various instruments at a basic level, even gifting her a Hero’s Harp.

When Nia had tried to refuse, Cliodhna had none of it. Signing her message in a way Nia could follow.

“I spread music. Can buy more, easy. Go make music of own.”

Mari spent most of the time keeping the ship clean and organizing a schedule of who would be cooking. Something Mari herself was not allowed to do as she could burn water. When Mari had some free time though, she showed Nia a few elaborate textiles and cosmetics that she used for project. Most of it went over Nia’s head, but she still accepted the conditioner Mari gave her with the assurance her hair would feel like the finest silk if she used it.

Anubis volunteered to go with Rex to make sure nothing ate him while he was salvaging, also limiting the amount of time Nia could spend to get to know her. Once they returned for the day, Anubis was quick to offer herself as a sparring partner for Nai and Rex. Something that Gramps encouraged, so Nia found it impossible to say no.

The older blade refrained from using her portals, preferring to fight the two head on to allow them a chance to hone their basic teamwork as they’d be fighting with each other a lot going forward. Rex had a brash style of fighting, preferring to take Anubis head on which gave Nia a perfect chance to practice her healing to her and Gramps’s annoyance.

Anubis laughed it off, saying they just needed to find the perfect member to round out their team.

“I draw attention, Marianna hurts them, and Cliodhna heals us, is good team!”

Cal spent most of his time holed up with Ang, properly documenting and designing the treatment Nia was supposed to do. Only really emerging for meals. On their last day with them, Mari assuring Rex and Nia that the plan was finished, Nia finally decided to sate her curiosity and check out the Ardainian’s workshop.

“Need something?”

Nia shook her head, looking around the cramped room. “Haven’t really had a chance to sit down and talk, heard you were a mercenary.”

“I was.” Cal continued to work as he spoke. “Signed up with Garfont after I left Mor Ardain, I’d resonated with both Mari and Anubis at that point. Seemed like a good way to fund some of my ambitions.” He gestured around the room. “Worked out pretty well.”

Nia nodded, letting herself in as she began looking over the contents of the room closely. It was packed with books and small machines in various states of assembly. Notes and blueprints were plastered across the walls. But there was a clear organization to it all. Notes and prints were above the associated devices. The books were organized by subject. And it was all lit by a salvaged light fixture hooked up to a battery designed to be powered by Mari’s electricity.

“Any particular reason for choosing them,” Nia said, running a hand along the spines of a few books.

“Got bailed out of a spot of trouble by their leader once, good man. Could see myself working for him for a while. See anything up there that jumps out to you?”

“Hmm, ah, not really.” Nia had picked a shelf full of technical books on salvaged tech.

“I think that shelf might be more your speed.” Cal pointed to a shelf tucked into a corner. “Ether and Blade studies. If you see one that speaks to you feel free to borrow it, just let me know you’re taking it.”

Nia nodded, walking over to the shelf. “When did you resonate with Clio then?”

“Let me see, think it was a year or two after signing up with Garfont. Retrieved her core from a rampaging Lexos. Ended up resonating with her not long after.”

Nia paused in her idle browsing. “She hadn’t resonated with it had she?”

“No, it had swallowed her.”

“Glad that didn’t happen to me.” Nia resumed looking over the books, a plain unlabeled one tucked into a hard to see corner catching her eye. “Rex and Ang keep mentioning they had to salvage me.”

“I’m not surprised,” Cal gave a short laugh, “They’ve been trying to organize that job for almost a year. Was tapping every contact they could for information, including yours truly.”

Nia gave a short hum to show she was listening as she inspected the book. A journal of some sort bound in plain leather, a quick flip through the pages showed the paper had yellowed and the ink had faded but was still legible.

“Not surprised Rex would mention it when he could. Lad takes pride in his work. A lot of pride.”

Nia nodded, not really listening anymore to Cal talking as she scanned the pages of the book.

Notes detailing extensive research into a specific process.

A process that was making her stomach turn.

“Find something inter-ah.”

Nia jumped, closing the book and spinning to face Cal. He had stood up and walked over to her while she had been distracted.

“I’d be careful with that one. It’s the type of science that gets you executed by the Praetorium.”

Nia grimaced putting the book back.

“Not illegal to own, but I’m sure they’d prefer it if it was turned over to them to be burned. Something else you like the looks of?”

Nia shook her head. “Think, think I’ll pass.”

Cal nodded. “Understandable.” He walked back to his desk. “Judicium was not the most… concerned nation with ethics when it came to advancing science. For all the damage they did in retrieving the knowledge… do you think it would be better to let it be forgotten?”

“I…,” Nia shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Their knowledge can be used to help just as well as it can be used to harm. Well, perhaps not that knowledge,” Cal nodded towards the shelf, “But even if it was forgotten someone else will ask the question eventually, and not care about the cost of the answers.”

“I, think I’m going to go get some air,” Nia said, shooting Cal an apologetic look, “Sorry this wasn’t much of a talk.”

“It’s alright,” Cal waved her off, “We’ll have time to get to know each other. Good night.”

Nia paused at the door. “Er, good night to you too.”

Nia hurried out of the room but made sure to close the door behind her quietly.

The words in the notebook danced across her mind. Tugging on knowledge she had that had laid dormant.

Why she possessed that knowledge innately, Nia didn’t want to know.

What good reason could there be for knowing how to become a flesh eater?

Chapter Text

They left the morning after Nia read the Judicium journal.

Rex was given a large bundle of papers to carry that detailed the plan Nia and Ang were to follow between visits with Cal to check progress on the blocks. Nia and Ang bid farewell to Cal and his blades before joining Rex on Gramps’s back, at which point the old Titan began to leisurely swim away. Cliodhna began singing shortly after they left, her voice easily following them for miles although the song was not in a language Nia recognized.

The next few days passed quickly and quietly, Rex, Ang, and Nia falling back into the routine they had before meeting with Cal. Ang made more progress on her painting of Nia, Rex and Ang argued over salvage, and Nia made progress on books that didn’t make her skin crawl to read.

She also worked in time to practice with the harp Cliodhna had given her.

The routine was only disturbed by a daring aligo that decided to follow Rex up during a salvage that quickly learned the error of its way and when Nia did her first treatment of Ang without Cal’s supervision.

It went… fine.

Nia made sure to pace herself and Ang to prevent exhaustion or strain, and…

Nothing, really.

All the monitoring equipment had stayed with Cal after all, and despite the progress Nia the resistance was still nearly as strong as it had been before Nia began treating Ang. That left progress checks mostly down to what Ang herself reported, which was better.

But she still got tired and wasn’t really putting on weight.

It had only been the second treatment, but with how much effort Nia put into it all…

At least Rex was still impressed by it all.

Argentum was heralded by Titan Ships, more than Nia had seen even during their dinner at the pier in Torigoth. From large warships to small dinghies, from the heavily modified Titans of Mor Ardain to the minimally modified Titans of Uraya, the Cloudways around Argentum were bustling with the lifeblood of any great country, trade.

Many of the trade ships that passed near Azurda had someone that wished to talk to them. Friends of mainly Rex, but also of Azurda and Ang would hold conversations yelled across the Cloud Sea. Nia was introduced to several people in this fashion, although the distance hampered her from properly learning who they were.

Soon, the Argentum Titans came into view, almost all of the ballon like Titans holding a ship of some kind that was no doubt housing at least one kind of shop. Some floated along the surface of the Cloud Sea while others hovered several stories in the air. Between the airborne and seaborn Titans smaller transport titans floated about, carrying shoppers and merchants alike to their destinations.

And then, slowly taking over the skyline, the largest of the Titans, Goldmouth, appeared with its burden, the Great Bazaar of the Argentum Trade Guild.

The massive city dominated the area, proudly displaying its wealth through elaborate decorations on the hull of the ship massive enough to engulf Torigoth in its entirety. Ships docked and left the many piers continuously as Nia watched from Azurda’s head as the Titan lazily swam around the various docks to some location unknown to Nia.

A number of traders waved to the pair of salvagers as they passed, some calling out to Rex to hold onto choice goods they needed before he approached Melolo. Rex greeted them all, and even tried haggling with those who wished for him to hold goods as Azurda floated past.

Eventually the Titan turned into a set of docks, where Rex and Ang lept off immediately as an Ardainian man was walking up to the Titan.

“Rex, Ang!” the man greeted, “How’s business been?”

“It’s been going fantastic Hirkham!” Rex said, walking towards the man, “We got a good haul on Gramps’s back but that’s not even the half of it!”

“It’s not? Well, what else did you- whoa!”

Nia had chosen that moment to leap down from Gramps’s head, smiling to herself as she startled the man with her appearance.

 “Is that-?” Hirkham did a double take. “Cor, so really does look like your sister Ang.”

Nia looked at Ang who once again looked embarrassed. “I suppose it’s a bit uncanny, not many blades take after their drivers after all.”

“Nia, right? I’m-hey!” Hirkham spun around, drawing Nia’s attention back to him. “Rex, you haven’t paid the mooring fee yet!”

“I’ll bring it to you after I’ve got the lot sold!” Rex called as he ran off into the Central Exchange.

“I can’t do-Ang have you got the-Ang?”

Nia blinked, looking behind her to find her driver had somehow vanished.

“It’s one of those days…” Hirkham said as he rubbed his forehead. “I don’t suppose you have fifteen gold?”

Nia shook her head. “Sorry, hadn’t needed any money yet so never asked them for any.”

The man nodded at her tiredly before looking to the Titan next to him, who only raised a stony eyebrow at him.

Hirkham sighed. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to drag one of them back here…?”

Nia gave a short laugh. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks.” Hirkham nodded to himself absently before shaking himself with a start. “Hirkham, by the way.”

“Nia, pleasure to meet you. You wouldn’t happen to know where the shop owned by Gorg is?”

Hirkham thought for a moment. “Think that’s the guy who bought the deed to Honeycomb Sweets? Oh, you’re wanting to meet Anzu?”

Nia nodded. “Curious to see what she’s like after meeting the rest of Cal’s blades.”

“How’s the recluse doing?” Hirkham asked.

“Had a bit of a breakthrough while we were visiting so I’d say he was pretty happy.”

“In Ang’s treatment? That’s great, I’ll have to congratulate her, if you could just bring her back here…”

“Alright, I get it. Could still use those directions…?”

“Into the ship straight ahead, walk just past the Central Exchange, it’s right next to the noddle stand, it’ll be absolutely swamped you can’t miss it.”

“Thanks, if I see the other two, I’ll box their ears and send them your way.”

“You’re Architect sent Nia! Welcome to Goldmouth!”

Nia waved as she walked up the pier, the dock still bustling with activity even with how out of the way it was.

It still paled in comparison to the crowd that awaited here once she entered the hull.

Every corner of the city ship seemed to be occupied by someone. Be it a group of soldiers negotiating a shipment of weapons, a troupe of merchants looking to hawk their goods at the heart of commerce, a band of salvagers looking to relax after a tough job, mercs and their blades hunting for the nearest source of booze, or a gaggle of tourists trying to take in the sights and sounds of the largest market in Alrest, Nia found herself wading through people as she tried to follow Hirkham’s directions to Honeycomb Sweets.

A short conversation with a passing nopon confirmed that the Central Exchange was the large structure in the center of the market, so Nia began pushing her way towards it. Once she was closer, she managed to catch sight of a familiar blue salvaging suit at one of the windows, causing her to redirect her path. As she neared, she caught the tail end of Rex’s negotiations.

“Okay, so five hundred now, and you know what to do with the rest.”

The nopon at the window nodded, sliding a sack of gold towards Rex as she scribbled something down. “Yes, yes, thirty percent of remaining monies to savings and rest to Corinne of Fonsett Village. Rex keeping more monies with him than normal. Something happen?”

Rex laughed. “You could say-.” Nia decided this was the moment to make her presence known. By making good on what she said to Hirkham. “Oi!”

“You owe Hirkham fifteen gold,” Nia said, grabbing the sack while Rex was distracted and counting out the amount and putting it in his hands.

“What this? Rex has another lady friend?” the nopon said, leaning forward. “Looks like Rex has type.”

Nia fumbled the sack of gold at the nopon’s words.

“Ah, nothing like that Melolo. This is Nia, the blade Ang was looking for, and I am going to pay him if you’d give me that-.” Rex made a swipe for the sack of gold, but Nia shifted it out of his reach, pouring the gold she had counted out into his hand instead.

“I’m going to go meet Anzu over at Honeycomb Sweets, and it’d be rude not to buy something while I was there. You hurry up and pay the nice dockmaster and maybe there’ll still be some gold left when you catch up.”

Rex groaned, bidding Melolo goodbye before turning and hurrying back towards Gramps.

“So,” the nopon said, causing Nia to jump. “Nia is blade of Angharad?”

“Yes, ah, nice to meet you,” Nia extended a hand towards the nopon, who accepted it into her wing.

“Meh, Melolo, as Nia heard. Nia salvager as well? Have anything to sell? Melolo get good deal for friend of friends.”

“Ah, no. I’ll leave the salvaging to those two. Speaking of, have you seen Ang? She ditched me and Hirkham at the docks.”

“Nope! Probably salvaging now.  Argentum safest place for it after all.”

Nia frowned. “If she is I wish she told me. An aligo tried to eat Rex on our way over.”

“Meh! Is fine. Larger predators avoid coming up after salvagers here.”

“So smaller ones still come up?”

“Nia worry too much!”

“Alright,” Nia looked around the area, “I’ll worry less if you help me get towards Honeycomb Sweets…?”

“Meh! Two rows pass exchange and then head aft. If reach noodle shop…”

“I’ve gone too far, thanks Melolo.”

“It nothing! Melolo likes the Melon Parfait!”

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Nia called over her shoulder as she dove back into the crowd.

Nia followed Melolo’s directions, quickly becoming immersed in the sounds of merchants hawking their wares. Books, games, cosmetics, instruments, food of all kinds, salvaging equipment, blade chips, aux cores, jewelry, cloth, clothes, furniture, things Nia had never heard of, things that were obviously a scam designed to drain Nia of the gold she was carrying.

Nia did pause and listen to the strange blue nopon Griftiti as he explained what all his amulets did. Want to be able to passively pull the spoils of battle to you so you didn’t have to pick it up or rifle through the bodies? Want to make it so you only had to rub your hands against things you wanted instead of doing any of that hard work like mining or harvesting? Then Grfititi has the deal for you!

Nia had a laugh about those as she finally managed to reach her destination.

 It would have been hard to walk past Honeycomb Sweets as a solid wall of people waiting to enter the noodle shop stretched across the end of the row, preventing any but the most hardened of shoppers from passing. Nia was certain she could hear a fist fight occurring somewhere within the line.

Honeycomb Sweets was not without its own line but compared to the barely restrained riot just past its stall it might as well have been empty. Although looking closer, Nia did see another familiar salvager suit in the line.

Ang was wearing her full suit and must have slipped off the deck when Hirkham and Nia had been distracted by Rex running off. As Nia approached one of Ang’s ears twitched back towards her, telling the blade she wasn’t going to be surprising her driver. Instead, Nia opted to join her in line.

“Is Rex off paying the fee?” Ang asked without looking at her.

Nia hummed in acknowledgement.

“I figured you’d want to meet Anzu and saved you a spot in line.”

“Did you now?”

Ang hummed in acknowledgement.

“And you weren’t just using me as a distraction to wiggle out of paying the docking fees?”

“Oh, no. That was what Rex was for.”

Nia finally turned to face Ang, a fist on her hip. “You didn’t use a cylinder for that stunt, did you?”

Ang turned and grinned at her. “No, I-.” Nia swatted her ear. “OW!”

“Just because you feel better, doesn’t mean your body is ready for stunts like that.”

“I wasn’t under for that long-.” Nia swatted her ear again. “OW! Hey!”

“I promised Hirkham I’d do that one.”

Ang glared at her but let her face relax back into a smile as they reached the front of the line where a nopon waited for them. “Hello Bonbon. Is Anzu working today?”

Bonbon bounced as she spoke. “Angharad! In good spirits I see! Is bladie-blade yours?”

Nia leaned forward and extended her hand. “Yep, she’s my driver. Nia.” Another wing was shaken.

“Anzu in back. Anything I get while I grab her?”

“Melolo suggested the parfaits…” Nia said looking to Ang who shrugged.

“Do you have anything from Gorg’s line up in?” Ang asked.

“Can check! Things from Gorg sell quickly so no promises! Will bring parfaits if nothing left.”

The nopon bounced back into a makeshift kitchen, hidden from view no doubt to protect trade secrets in the preparation of sweets. Shortly after a common female blade walked out of the back wiping her hands.

“Ang! It’s so good to see you. And you must be Nia!”

Nia nodded as Ang returned Anzu’s greeting. “Yeah, Ang tell you about me?”

“Of course she did! Mari did too.”

“She did?”

“Yep! She radioed me a few days ago to tell me you might be coming to visit.”

“Ah, she, have anything good to say about me?”

Anzu nodded. “She said you had some of the finest ether control she’s ever seen. Unrelated to that, did they try and have you create a glaze while you were there?”

Nia snorted as Ang did her best to hide a laugh behind her hand.

“I’m being serious here. Those doughnuts could revolutionize the industry!”

“Only doughnut I worked on was Ang.” Nia poked her driver, causing her to laugh even more.

“And your work on her glaze was fantastic! You definitely should give an actual doughnut a try the next time you meet with Cal. You’d have a breakthrough in two industries then!”

Nia laughed. “I’ll look at giving it a whirl. Seems like you enjoy your work?”

“Oh, very much so.” Anzu leaned in conspiratorially. “You reconsidering joining up? Could always use an extra set of hands in the kitchen.”

Nia shook her head, one of her ears twitching as the sounds of yelled greetings reached her. “I think I’ll stick with Ang and Rex. I’m sure if I leave them alone one of them will get themselves eaten by a krabble.”

“Oi!” Nia smiled to herself, having perfectly timed her words with Rex’s arrival. “I’ve taken down crushtips and aligos before!”

“I seem to remember you getting chased up a tree by a group of bunnits once,” Ang said, tapping her chin in mock thought.

“Oh, that’s not fair there was like thirty of them!”

“Hmm. I remember five.”

Rex rolled his eyes as the three ladies laughed at his expense, just as Bonbon returned carrying a bag that smelled divine.

“Good news! Batch of Neon Cookies just finished! Very tasty and from Gorg!”

“Provided the fire for them myself,” Anzu said, summoning a small point of fire above her hands.

“Sounds delish, we’ll take them.” Nia lifted the bag of coins up.

“Eighty gold for the lot!” Bonbon said, a wing extended quickly towards Nia.

Rex leaned towards Nia. “Hey, let me negotiate. You guys find us a spot to enjoy them. Flightdeck should be a pretty view right now.”

Nia thought for a moment before passing the gold to Rex. “You better come up with those cookies. I mean it.”

Rex waved her off leaning towards the now slightly less enthusiastic nopon and bemused blade behind the counter as Nia grabbed Ang and pulled her away, asking her to lead the way to the flight deck. Her driver obliged, opting to take the long way around the noodle queue, which definitely had a fist fight occurring within it somewhere, and giving Nia a chance to gawk at even more of the wares being sold.

Figurines of blades, salvaged goods that needed to be restored, salvaged goods already restored, incenses, religious iconography, appliances, scrap metal, beds, genuine pieces of fallen Titans-how’d Griftiti got his entire stall moved over to this side?

Ang led Nia up a set of stairs, past a massive building that overlooked the entire market. It was guarded by many burly men in suits with swarms of nopons entering and exiting constantly.

“Bana’s office,” Ang said, when Nia managed to catch her eye, “The very center of the bazaar and some may say the heart of trade in Argentum.”

Nia nodded, following Ang up another set of stairs leading to the floor above.

The floor was split in two, the lower half they had just entered being an indoor park of some sort displaying plants from various Titans. Kids darted about playing games and some tourists were gawking at a series of plants that were touted as coming from the kingdom of Tantal. The upper section was a sprawling complex of Inns, although Ang didn’t linger long enough for Nia to get a good look over the place.

Cresting the top of the next set of stairs, Nia was greeted by the living area of the nopon who called the guild home. Houses dominated the area, even crawling up the walls with small sets of stairs and ladders connecting them. A few of the nopons out and about waved to Ang and Nia as they passed by, whether out of politeness or because they were Ang’s friends Nia wasn’t sure.

Ang dragged Nia up another flight of stairs, more nopon offering greetings as they passed their homes, past another floor dominated by machinery. When asked, Ang told her it was the engines and other necessary mechanics of the ship. Ang then led Nia up one more flight of stairs and across the catwalks above the machines and out into the open air of the flightdeck.

The flightdeck was dominated by even more docks for flying Titans, a small bazaar, and, surprising Nia, a large expanse of carefully cultivated farmland. No doubt kept entirely to prevent herbs, veggies and other plants from becoming luxury goods on the artificial land of the ship. The deck was less crowded than either the main market or the nopons’ living quarters, but it too had its fair share of tourists and those taking time to enjoy the sun and open air before they had to plunge back into the enclosed space of the city proper.

Ang pointed towards a large balcony covered with tables past the rows of crops. Nia paused a moment, noticing Ang’s heavy breathing, before nodding and taking the lead to the balcony. She moved slowly, looking over the plants in mock interest as she passed, to keep pace with Ang. Her driver gave Nia a few looks out of the corner of her eyes letting the blade know she needed to work on her acting skills.

Perhaps if she pretended the plants were trees…

Once they were close Nia moved ahead to grab them an open table. Fortunately, it looked as though they had managed to time their arrival with a lull in visitors as most of them were open. Nia plopped herself down at a smaller one, and engaged in some light people watching as Ang made her way over.

Once Ang flopped herself onto the bench opposite her, Nia turned to her driver. “How are you feeling?” Nia held up her hand as Ang opened her mouth. “I’m asking as your healer.”

Ang hesitated before sighing. “Tired. You’re probably right about my impromptu dive being a little much.”

Nia crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the Gormotti girl opposite her.

Ang grimaced. “Ok, you were right about the dive being too much. Especially with how much walking we’ve been doing,”

Nia nodded. “Damn right I was right.” She held onto her anger for a moment longer before sighing and reaching a hand out towards Ang. “Give me your hand.”

Ang made a face but put her hand on Nia’s. Nia let ether flow into her driver who tensed as it flowed over her body, but Ang couldn’t help but relax as it eased the soreness and exhaustion from her body. Nia let an ether link form between them, keeping her features schooled as she felt the resistance from Ang’s body to the link.

Only ever so slightly weaker.

But weaker.

“Give it time Ang.” Nia smiled at her driver. “Trust me, you’ll get there.”

Ang met Nia’s eyes, smiling briefly before pulling back and looking away. “This place has a great view. I love coming up here to paint.”

Nia looked out over the edge of the balcony, taking in the Titans, the Cloud Sea, and…

“Oh…”

Nia gawked at the World Tree. The tree dwarfed everything around it, making even the Grandarbor of Torigoth look like a diminutive shrub. The branches of the tree intermingled with the clouds of the sky, vanishing above them even.

“What I wouldn’t give to climb that…”

Ang laughed, snapping Nia out of her thoughts. “I’ve heard it’s guarded by a massive serpent. Larger enough to be a continental Titan.”

Nia scoffed. “Like that’s gonna stop me.”

The two fell into a comfortable rapport as they waited for Rex to arrive with the cookies, both assuming he was being slowed down by requests from the various citizens of Argentum. It didn’t take as long as they thought it would as Rex managed to arrive with the cookies still warm. He sat down next to Nia and the three dug into the treats. Nia enjoyed the cookies almost as much as she had enjoyed the potato salad and took some time to enjoy the view of Goldmouth traveling across the sea.

“Hey, Rex,” she asked after a while.

“What’s up?” Rex said, giving her an easygoing smile.

“What was it that you and that nopon, ah, Melolo, were talking about when I walked up?”

“Hmm? Oh! You mean with the gold?”

“Yeah, sounded like you got a lot more than five hundred.”

“Oh, we did.” Rex took another bite of a cookie. “Only really need five hundred gold for us.”

Nia gave him a look but didn’t say anything. “And you sent some to a Corienne in Fonsett. Is she your…?”

Rex nodded. “Yep! Auntie Corienne. Fonsett isn’t the most well-off place, and I wanted to help out after they took me in. Salvaging seemed the like a good way to make money to do that.”

“Ok, I get that part… what was that about savings?”

“Oh, we’re trying to expand.”

“Expand?”

“Yeah, Gramps’s back is already cramped with just the three of us, right?”

“I guess. What, we planning on picking up more?”

Ang answered. “Well, I do have another core crystal I want to resonate with at some point.”

Nia blinked in surprise. “Another blade? They get lost in the sea too?”

Ang shook her head. “I already have Dromarch’s crystal.” She reached around behind her into her salvaging pack and produced a bright blue core crystal, “Da left it with me when you two…” Ang frowned before shaking her head and returning the crystal to her pack. “That’s not important, he was Ma’s blade, but she passed when I was born and… well… I never actually got to meet him. And… with how dangerous resonating with a core crystal can be…”

“Oh.” Nia shifted uncomfortably. “Out of curiosity… what would you have done if, you hadn’t been capable of resonance?”

Ang gestured towards Rex with her head. “I’m leaving everything to Rex if I die, be it from a salvaging accident or otherwise.”

Rex frowned at her words, but simply sighed. “Something similar for me on the off chance I bite it. Ang gets all the equipment and part of my savings.”

“The rest you want sent to Fonsett?” Nia hazarded and Rex nodded.

“That’s just a precaution, though. Good to have a plan and all but with how good things have been why bring ourselves down thinking about things like that more than necessary, hey?” Rex picked up a cookie. “The first thing we’ll need for expansion is an actual boat. Like Cal’s.”

“Just going to kick Gramps to the volffs?” Nia asked, grabbing another cookie for herself.

“Course not! Just going to let him move at his own pace, he’s always grouching about us pushing him too much anyways. And its not like we can’t still go with him on smaller salvaging trips, just going to need more space for living.”

“I did see Dromarch’s pictures and he’s not a small blade,” Ang added.

Nia hummed, grabbing another cookie for herself. They were running low.

“Alright, so we buy a boat, you resonate with Dromarch and… we just continue salvaging?”

Rex shook his head. “Thinking we can expand our services. With you and Dromarch we could look at picking up mercenary contracts. Also got Tora and Cal in the talks to join up with us, that covers mechanical and more intensive medical jobs as well.”

“And pastries.”

Rex laughed, noting their low supply of cookies and pushing the remainder closer to Nia and Ang. “That too! Just think about it! We could help a lot of people; get them things they wouldn’t normally have access to.”

“Like hearing damage.”

Ang let out a chuckle.

“Ah, you know she’s not that bad,” Rex said, to which Nia put her hands up in surrender. “Come on, it’ll be great!”

Nia snagged the last cookie before Ang could, popping it into her mouth. “Sounds like fun, we got a ship in mind?”

They spent the rest of the day discussing types of ships, how much money had been saved, and what jobs they could do to get them closer to their goal.

And time moved on.

Nia and the salvagers chipped away at their goal, taking salvage jobs and occasionally doing light mercenary work with Cal.

Rex continued to supply Tora with parts and send part of their earnings back to Fonsett.

Nia continued treating Ang, who steadily improved.

Slowly at first, and then faster and faster.

The resistance to Nia’s link slowly disappeared, and she began to properly feel her driver through the bond.

The feeling of sisterly love Ang had for her, no longer hidden by her ether clots.

They were still present, but not for much longer if Nia had anything to do with it.

As Ang got better, she became more independent. Going to the market alone, taking solo jobs while Rex and Nia were busy with other things. She would go out on hikes around Torigoth and do her best to sneak away from Nia, much to the blades chagrin.

It was good to see the hollowness gone from her face.

Even with her health improving they still visited Cal to get Ang checked up. Nia would assist Cal with his research while she was there, but she took great joy in spending time with his blades.

Cliodhna appraised her progress with the harp and walked her through a few duets they could play together. The wind blade also showed her some recordings of ancient songs that Cal had purchased in the hopes they contained knowledge when decoded courtesy of Anubis that had been passed to Cliodhna to add to her repertoire.

Anubis helped hone the trio’s combat skills, giving them pointers on how to better work together. She even helped Rex and Ang figure out tricks that incorporated some of their salvaging gear into their fighting styles. Nia had never considered how dangerous the gear Ang and Rex worked with could be when used for violence.

Mari, unfortunately, was often busy helping Cal with his research. Although the blade made sure to take some time to give Nia and Ang some tips on makeup or their clothes.

She also offered to help the two become ‘irresistible to the guys’, with many winks and nudges that had Nia uncertain about how much help she would actually be in that regard.

Although…

With how often Ang went out to enjoy her newfound health on her own, that left Nia alone quite often with Rex.

The two would team up for mercenary missions, go on shopping trips, get sucked into whatever chores Rex would invariably agree to. She’d go with him when he dropped parts off at Tora’s where she could impress the nopon with her skill with her harp. They’d talk with Azurda while Ang was below the surface on a dive.

They’d go sit in local cafés and play their favorite games. Rex showed off his art collection to Nia while she played songs she had been trying to write with Cliodhna’s help for him.  

Sometimes… Nia wondered what an affinity link with Rex would feel like.

Not that she would abandon Ang.

For all the time her driver indulged in her improving health she would still spend time properly with both Nia and Rex and she still was dedicated to their future plans.

Which were closer than ever.

Tora’s project was nearing completion, and Cal was finishing up his research.

And they just needed a few good jobs, a few good hauls, and they’d be able to afford a good-sized boat.

Nia stretched herself on top of the shack on Gramps’s back, basking in the sun as Rex and Ang were going after a particularly large piece of salvage.

The sound of the winch running roused Nia from her rest, prompting the blade to hop down and walk towards where the salvagers would emerge. She idly worked the controls, having learned from Rex the basics of operating the crane. Nia greeted Ang and Rex as the two emerged from the Cloud Sea, the salvagers stripping their gear off as Nia maneuvered the large crate onto the solid ground of Gramps’s back.

“We really do need to buy ourselves a new depth probe,” Rex said, turning towards their gear, “The ping was off by 150 peds to the east. That’s not gonna fly!”

“But we’re so close to our goal, a little bit of extra swimming won’t kill us,” Ang said as Rex grabbed a crowbar, “Then we can get a new probe with the ship itself.”

“You’ll still need to replace this one if you’re wanting to run smaller jobs with Gramps,” Nia countered, watching as Gramps raised his head up to look at his wards.

“How is the treasure, Rex?” the Titan asked, “Is it in line with your expectations?”

“It seemed pretty solid,” Rex said lining the crowbar up with the crate.

“We barely had to reinforce it,” Ang said, placing a hand on Nia’s blade which was clipped to her back.

“Even with our labor costs,” Rex jammed the crowbar into a crack he had found, “we should be able to turn a tidy profit.” Ang nodded along in agreement.

“Honestly,” Gramps said eyeing the salvagers, “it takes you two days to run the structural analysis, yet you can gauge the profits in an instant?”

“Don’t go rainin’ on my parade Gramps,” Rex said, taking an experimental pull on the crowbar, “You know I’m in the salvaging trade for the cash!” Satisfied with the crowbar’s position Rex began to throw his weight into the tugs. “A… little business sense… goes a long way, all… right?”

The crate suddenly burst open causing Rex to stumble backwards with a small shout as a large crustip rushed out.

Ang and Nia lept in front of the angry crustacean as Rex ducked inside the shack.

“Well, that’s a surprise,” Ang said, catching one of the curstip’s pincers on Nia scimitar. “How’d you even fit in there big guy?”

“Angharad!” Gramps called out craning his neck around to try and better see the aggressor.

“Don’t worry Gramps!” Rex called out, reemerging from the shack with his junk sword. “I think we know what’s for lunch!”

Nia smiled to herself as her driver and best friend lept into combat.

She was looking forward to some fresh seafood.

Prologue: Girl Meets World

Chapter Text

Nia hummed to herself as the crustip’s pincers cooked on the small brazier, the rest having been offered to Gramps to serve as his lunch. The smell of the meat and the herbs she had shoved into the claws filled the air, a delightful smell that promised the upcoming feast would be delicious. The ground beneath her feet vibrated as Gramps let out a deep sigh of contentment.

“The brazier does my weary old bones much good…” The Titan said.

“Do you want it moved around at all?” Nia asked, nudging it with her foot a bit.

“No, that’s quite all right. It’s fine where it is.” The Titan let out another sigh.

Nia nodded, turning back to the claws. Giving them a few more pokes, she nodded to herself satisfied they were cooked thoroughly.

“Alright you two, foods up!”

Nia grabbed the two claws, summoning a bit of water around her hands to help disperse the heat from freshly cooked meat and turned to the two salvagers.

They were busy arguing with each other.

Something that had been happening more frequently as they hovered near the amount of gold Rex had calculated they’d need to afford a ship.

“Rex, if we toss it back, we’ll be left with ‘a load of guff’.”

“That’s fine! We can take a hit every now and then.”

Nia weighed interrupting them but decided to just let it play out.

 “Yes, we can, but timing plays a part of it too. Didn’t you say Tora had sent a message for you saying his project is almost ready?”

“…well, yeah, but-.”

“Our time isn’t unlimited Rex. We’ve already done all the work pulling it up, we might as well take the profit from it.”

“I won’t deal in weapons Ang.”

Nia took a step forward, recognizing the argument to have reached its usual conclusion to distract the two with-

“And you won’t have to. I’ll sell it to Melolo.”

Nia blinked.

“Ang-,“Rex started but the Gormotti salvager put a hand up to stop him.

“Rex, what happened to that business sense you were telling Gramps about? Being in the trade for money? Look!” Ang kicked the metal hunk they were arguing over. “A large pile of money, that you’re trying to just throw away!”

Rex grimaced. “There’s enough going wrong in world right now without everyone going at each other’s throats-.”

Ang shook her head. “There’re hundreds of other salvagers pulling up weapons and other war supplies.” Ang suddenly stepped forward jabbing a finger into Rex’s chest. “And I know you know that Bana and Argentum have their fingers plunged deep into the pot that is arming Mor Ardain and Uraya to go at each other’s throats. Any profit you’re making for the guild is immediately being redirected to fund those ventures to line that nopon’s pockets. Are you going to quit the guild?”

Rex frowned at Ang but said nothing.

After all, being able to join the guild had been one of the highlights of Ang’s improving health.

“I’m not asking you to sell it. I’m not even asking you to help me move it. Just, don’t try and chuck it back into the sea. I’ll sell it, and I’ll even use the money to only cover my stuff for a while. You can bump up your percentages for the next few jobs and not have any ‘blood money’ used for the ship.”

Rex shook his head. “You won’t need to sell it.”

Ang crossed her arms and raised a brow. “I won’t?”

“Yeah, I’ll get enough cash from Melolo just selling the rest.”

Ang sighed. “Rex…”

“Or I’ll get a job lined up to cover the losses. Just, give me a chance once we get back Argentum Ang.”

Ang gave Rex a look, before turning to look at Nia standing awkwardly nearby. Nia gave her driver a sheepish smile, lifting the pincers up for her to see.

“Food’s… ready?” Nia said, holding a pincer out towards Ang.

Ang looked at her with an unreadable expression for a few seconds before sighing and grabbing the pincer. Nia then turned to Rex, tearing the other pincer in half and offering him his choice of the two. She didn’t hold the smaller half slightly closer to him to influence his choice. Definitely not.

Ang groaning drew Nia’s attention back to her. “Fine. If you can find a way to make up the costs, we can toss this,” Ang kicked the hunk of metal again, “back into the sea. If you can’t, I’ll sell it to pay for my equipment and you can throw my costs into the pot for the ship for a while. Is that acceptable?”

Rex smiled brightly and stuck his hand out. “Done! You’ll see Ang, it’s gonna be easy peasy.”

Ang sighed and shook Rex’s hand before turning and hefting herself on top of the now empty crate. She began eating her pincer while Rex and Nia returned to the brazier and the seats that had been set up around it.  Nia glanced towards Azurda’s head to see if he had decide to watch the argument, but it looked as though the Titan had found something else to occupy his time. They ate in silence for a bit, Ang staring off into the distance while Rex seemed to be doing his best to run numbers and scenarios in his head to make up the cost of… whatever that thing was they hauled up.

Rex and Ang had never really explained the things they chucked back into the sea to Nia before.

Nia let things settle for a few minutes before trying to get the two talking again with something she knew both salvagers would appreciate.

“So, how’s that painting you’ve been working on coming along Ang?”

Her question snapped Ang out of her thoughts causing her to look at Nia in confusion for a moment before she registered what Nia had asked.

“Oh… it’s coming along fine.” Ang kicked her feet against the crate absently.

“You were trying out those paints you made yourself, weren’t you? How are they working out?”

Ang clicked her tongue. “Yeah… I’m not liking them.”

“Really?” Rex turned to look at Ang, dropping whatever plans he had been making for now. “I thought it was turning out pretty well.”

Ang shrugged. “Oh, the painting itself looks fine. It’s the smell of eggs I can’t stand.”

Nia paused with a bite of crustip just by her mouth, her eyes narrowing.

“Hang on, that’s why everything reeks of eggs in the shack?” Nia gave Ang a stern look.

Ang rubbed the back of her head. “In hindsight I probably should have made the paints outside of the shack.”

Rex and Ang laughed as Nia groaned, although the blade was happy that she had managed to distract them both from the earlier argument.

The happiness was short lived as a mournful song suddenly filled the air.

The three of them jumped to their feet and turned towards the song. Off in the distance a Titan was breaching out of the sea. It was larger than Gramps, with large wing like fins extending to either side. Perhaps it could have supported a village or two, but the core at the center of its chest was flickering as it rose higher and higher above the sea.

And then… it winked out.

The Titan rose for a few moments more before it slowly crashed back into the sea.

Moments later, a massive wave of clouds rushed over Gramps’s back, threatening to sweep the salvagers and blade off the Titan. Fortunately, they all managed to stay on.

Once she was sure there would be no more waves Nia checked on the salvagers. Ang was checking to make sure that nothing they had left unsecured had been swept away while Rex was still staring at the place where the Titan had disappeared beneath the waves.

“Not another one…” Rex muttered to himself. “Been happenin’ a lot lately.”

“More so than before,” Gramps agreed, having turned to watch the Titan’s death as well.

“Do you think…”

“Anyone who did live on there are long gone,” Ang said, rejoining them, “It didn’t look like it had the size for people to be living in it and its back looked bare from what I could see.”

Rex nodded, accepting Ang’s words, although he didn’t look at his salvaging partner.

The tension Nia had been working on dispelling was back. Ang was looking over to where she had left the contentious salvage, while Rex had shifted his attention behind them.

To the World Tree.

He was thinking about Elysium again.

Nia reached out and gently touched Rex’s arm, starling the Leftherian. She flashed him a sheepish smile letting her expression ask her question. Rex answered with a weak smile of his own, turning back to the Tree with a wistful expression on his face.

“Do you think it’s really up there?” Rex asked after a moment.

Nia hesitated to answer him, giving Ang the chance to do so instead.

“Maybe it is. Supposedly the original Titans and Blades came from up, although we don’t have any existing proof of it. And I don’t think it matters that much if it is up there. In fact, it’s probably better if there’s nothing.”

Rex frowned at Ang’s words but said nothing.

“No one has been able to get up there since the disastrous time of the Aegises when Indol set up their blockade on the Tree. And if the Aegises were stored up there, well, who could say what other massively destructive weapons might still be left up there that couldn’t be brought back down in a man’s pocket.”

Nia shot her driver a look. Ang met her glare for a moment before looking towards Rex, who was looking at Gramps’s back with his hands clenched. Ang’s face fell, and she shifted towards Rex for a moment before looking at Nia again. Nia gave her an encouraging smile, but Ang’s face fell further at that, and the Gormotti girl turned away and walked over to the salvaging crane instead. Nia looked after her, uncertain of what had just happened before turning to check on Rex.

She managed to catch him vanishing into their shack. She considered going after him but got the feeling she wasn’t the one he wanted to talk things over with. Looking to Ang, Nia got the feeling she wasn’t in the mood to talk either as she stabbed the buttons on the crane as she moved it into position to dump the emptied crate back into the sea.

Deciding that space was what the salvagers needed now and someone to talk to was what she needed now, Nia lept on top of the shack and scaled the length of Gramps’s neck to the Titan’s head, pulling herself up and over the top of it to rest next to his horn.

“A gold for your thoughts?” The Titan asked when Nia said nothing.

Nia sighed. “Is there a reason you didn’t say anything?”

Gramps was quiet for a moment. “I cannot solve all their problems for them. And once they buy that ship they have been working towards, there will be even less chances for me to intervene than even now. They must be able to work out their issues without me.”

Nia grimaced, seeing some sense in his words. “So, it’s up to me to help them work things out?”

“Not at all. You are not their only friend who can help mediate problems, nor is it your, or their, burden to assist them in navigating their relationship. Just as I will not be present for every argument they have, neither will you. There will be times when they simply must figure things out on their own.”

Nia sighed. “I know that, but…” She waved her arms at the sky before crawling over to the side of Gramps’s head so she could look him in an eye as they talked. “What’s gotten into them?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“They’ve been arguing more. Don’t tell me that’s what it was like before I woke up.”

Azurda rumbled to himself in thought. “No… not to say they haven’t argued before, but they have been more… heated at times as of late. But I’m sure it is nothing more than nerves considering how close they are to… ah, expanding their business.”

“Just nerves,” Nia said to herself unconvinced, breaking eye contact with Gramps to look out over the sea, the World Tree looming large on the horizon. “Hey, Gramps.”

“Hmm?”

“What do you think of Elysium?”

The Titan hummed to himself again. “I… am not sure. If it is a land of plenty that rests atop the World Tree, it would be a worthy goal to pursue. Then perhaps we could all live in peace. And if it is not… well, perhaps it would be better to leave it alone.”

Angharad loved the Cloud Sea.

It had always had an ethereal beauty to it even when she was still a kid. Back when she had lived with her father. She had never wanted for anything then. She had had access to servants, maids to clean up after her, cooks to make her food, tutors to give her the best education possible on Gormott, and…

She had had her sister.

Her father’s blade.

Her father was often busy with affairs required of a noble, leaving Nia to take over as her primary caregiver alongside the nurses that were hired for the early stages of her life. They had played together, Nia had introduced Ang to the joys of art, and for years it seemed like the perfect life.

And then Ang fell ill.

And… no matter what Nia or any of the doctors her father hired did…

She never got better.

And no one knew why.

Her father brought in doctors from Mor Ardain, Indol, Uraya. Medicines from Leftheria, Argentum, Voltis. Blades from around the entirety of Alrest. Anything his money could buy that might be able to help her he bought.

And none of it worked.

Slowly, they had to fire the servants.

They had to sell off family heirlooms and belongings.

Their house emptied as her father neglected his duties to pour all his attention into her.

But those duties had to be done, otherwise they’d lose what little wealth they had left.

And so, it fell to the only other capable member of the house.

It had always fallen to the only other capable member of her family.

There would be days where Nia would be tired, listless. Days where she wouldn’t see Nia at all outside of times the blade had to come in and perform a check up to make sure Ang hadn’t hurt herself. When Ang would ask how Nia’s carvings had been coming along, she would brush her off saying that she was just having a little artist’s block. She’d be behind in books they had been reading together, fall asleep during picnics they had, sit at the bases of trees her mind a million Titan peds away.

The thing that really ate at Ang though was when her father started to lose weight.

That was when she had started going to the Flower Patch on her own.

It was a beautiful place with a wonderful view of the Cloud Sea.

Ang had learned to swim in Coolley Lake, but had never gotten around to swimming in the Cloud Sea before the worst of her illness kicked in. Nia had told her it was different from swimming in water, that the Clouds basically wrapped around you.

Ang wondered what that would feel like. She thought sometimes that she was strong enough to wade out into the sea for a little bit just to feel the clouds hug her. To let them wrap around her as she descended below the surface into an embrace that she need not leave.

She’d… Ang would…

She couldn’t run very fast or far, but she’d run away from the Flower Patch when she felt that way.

But…

Now she could descend into the clouds.

She was in the Cloud Sea at this very moment, floating next to Goldmouth, able to descend as far down as she wanted, even though she weas simply floating on the surface at the moment, and she’d have more than enough energy to make it back.

And that wasn’t all.

Ang could run as much as she wanted- well almost as much as she wanted but she could fight monstrous beasts now! She’d helped kill a crustip just this morning! She had Nia back in her life after she and her father had vanished after he’d sold their manor to fund some desperate last-ditch effort to save Ang.

The last thing she’d been able to take from them…

Ang was on the verge of buying a ship with her best friend to expand their salvaging business and they’d be bringing in their other friends to diversify their business to other things as well!

Things couldn’t have been better!

And Ang was still doing something wrong.

Rex had pushed Gramps into returning to Goldmouth as soon as possible, after all that crate had been the last bit of salvage on their radar and they were on the lower end of their supplies. As soon as their guardian had reached port Rex had leapt over the side and taken off right past Hirkham, who’d been too stunned to even protest the salvager not paying the dock fee.

Ang had decided to stop and make sure Hirkham was paid and figured it would be a good chance to spend some time with her blade and apologize for her awkward behavior earlier. But by the time Ang had passed over the gold to Hirkham, Nia was gone! She had run after Rex, Ang knew it, and…

What kind of driver got ditched by their own blade?

So Ang had put on her salvaging gear and hopped into the Cloud Sea to ask herself an important question.

What was she doing wrong?

Had Ang been giving Nia too much space? The blade had asked for a fresh start, made it clear that Ang treating her like she was still the same person she had called sister made her uncomfortable, along with the fact that everyone else had been bringing up Ang’s relationship to the previous Nia, so Ang had tried to step back from her and let her adjust to everything.

It had worked out well that Nia had been able to perfect whatever treatment Cal had come up with and Ang could finally go out on her own without someone having to follow her around and make sure she didn’t pass out. And it had felt so good at the time that Ang hadn’t really thought too much about whether she was putting distance between her and her blade. After all, it wasn’t like she saw Tora or Cal and his blades all that often and they were still good friends.

Titan’s foot, Cal and his blades spent a lot of time apart from each other and Ang knew none of them would ditch Cal without saying anything! So what-

Ang was shaken from her thoughts by someone tapping her helmet.

Leaning on a railing above Ang, her staff dangled over the edge, was Anubis. It must have been time for Cal’s ship to restock supplies, and there was no better place to restock than Argentum. The blade had a wide smile on her canine snout. “You live?”

Ang hesitated a moment before raising her hand and flashing the blade a thumbs up. Anubis nodded, but kept her staff extended. Ang tried to ignore the blade and return to her thoughts, but Anubis simply poked her helmet again.

“You okay?”

Again, Ang flashed a thumbs up, which Anubis met with a flat look.

“I talk to your Azurda already.” Of course she had. Anubis loved to check in on friends whenever she was in their area, and Goldmouth was Rex’s base of operation. “You are upset about something, no? Talking can help.”

Ang sighed, letting her head roll under the clouds for a moment before giving in and grabbing a hold of Anubis’s staff. Anubis hefted the Gormotti salvager out of the Cloud Sea and onto Goldmouth’s deck. Once solid ground was under her feet, Ang released Anubis’s staff, which the blade dismissed, and began to strip off her gear to a more comfortable level for walking around. Anubis watched on, her paw like hands place on her hips.

Once Ang signaled she was done adjusting her suit, Anubis immediately swept her inside of the massive ship. The blade cut an easy path through the bazaar, steering Ang wide of the Central hub where Melolo and Rex might still be arguing over the price of the goods they had brought in.

Then again Ang hadn’t really been keeping track of time during her… reflection. Perhaps Rex had already managed to find a way to make their money back. Architect knows how many friends he has around anywhere they spend time after all, someone was bound to have a job or tip for him to make up the losses they’d have when they tossed the artillery frame back.

…of course, they could sell it along with whatever jobs Rex found and make double the money…

Ang was once again snapped from her thoughts as Anubis surged forward, scattering other patrons of the market from her path. Ang was forced to focus on keeping her feet under her to prevent Anubis from either dragging her along or tucking her under one arm like a purse.

If only the market wasn’t so crowded, Anubis would summon a shortcut instead of yanking Ang’s arm from its socket.

Well, Anubis would’ve done that anyways but much less.

After stumbling up two flights of stairs after the blade, Ang was finally given a moment of peace as Anubis pushed her into a seat at the Rumbletum Canteen.

Anubis leaned back looking over towards the counter of the canteen. “You hungry? Thirsty? I pay.”

Ang hesitated. She wasn’t really hungry, but she had been the one going on about finances…

It would also give her some time to think before she’d have to talk to Anubis.

“Some fried rice and water would be nice.”

Rex wiped a bit of sweat from his brow, scanning the deck of the Return Port for more thieving crustaceans.

“You see anymore coming?” he called out, still sweeping the deck.

“No,” Nia called out from the other side of the crates they had been defending, “I think they got the message, finally.”

Rex nodded to himself, collapsing his junk sword and reattaching it to his back as he walked around the crates to Nia who met him halfway. “Right, let’s go let Ysolde know.”

Nia nodded, falling in beside Rex as the two began to work their way back through the crowds towards the merchant. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it up to here with all the krabbles and crustips today.”

Rex let out a short laugh. “Yeah, at least we’re all stocked up on seafood now.”

“Always able to find the silver lining, eh?”

“I try to,” Rex said, his face faltering as he went through their day in Argentum in his head.

It had been… less successful than he hoped.

Melolo had been adamant about what she could give him for the salvage they had brought in. And while it had been a little higher than what Ang had predicted he’d get for it; it was nowhere near the amount for the artillery frame. Something Melolo had reminded him of as well.

‘A waste of talent.’

Rex shook his head, refocusing on the rest of the day. He’d managed to find a few odd jobs around the bazaar, although the only ones that had paid more than pocket change had been the guard duty for Ysolde’s wares and helping Gegebi track down Limuli. The latter job being a mixed bag, considering he had ran off and bought a cinnapon roll for Limuli despite Nia’s correct protests that they were trying to make money. Fortunately, Gegebi did pay them more than the cost of the roll, so the job was still profitable.

Nia had still given him an earful about letting other people take advantage of him, as if he couldn’t stand up for himself.

But that wasn’t important.

What was important was the fact Rex was still short, by a lot.

And in an unfortunate twist it seemed that Goldmouth was running abnormally smoothly outside of Ysolde and Gegebi, and most of the current salvaging jobs were already fully crewed. The only other thing Rex could even think of trying at this point was to see if those kids would be willing to lend him some gold if he played with them, and that just felt wrong to do.

But it also felt wrong to directly profit from the looming conflict between Uraya and Mor Ardain.

And no matter how Ang tried to spin it, Rex would be benefiting, Rex would have helped.

It didn’t matter if he hadn’t known the frame was in the crate he’d been part of the effort to bring it up.

Of course, Ang was also right about Bana… but…

What else could Rex do?

Fonsett needed the money to help support the meager trade they had. And any job Rex could try and work would somehow feed back into the massive machine of the guilds. Fishing, mercenary work, repairman, every job benefited from being attached to a guild. And all the guilds could see the money to be made in an open conflict brewing on the horizon.

And of all those jobs only mercenary work would give Rex equal pay to salvaging, and even then, there was a good chance he’d be conscripted into an army anyways.

If only there was some way Rex could prevent the entire conflict…

But even the Preator of Indol, the diplomatic power of Alrest, seemed powerless to stop the coming war.

If even the leader of one of the most prominent nations of Alrest could do nothing what hope did Rex have at preventing it?

…

Elysium.

If there was a way to reach it…

Rex was shaken from his thoughts by Nia tugging on his arm.

“Is that a new drink at Twelve BrotherSisterpon?” the blade asked, making a vague gesture towards the stall.

Rex frowned. As far as he knew all of Motata’s siblings were still out and about researching new flavors for their drinks. He turned to tell Nia as much, when he caught sight of her hands.

She was using Cliodhna’s sign language.

You. Being. Followed.

Rex looked back towards her face, schooling his features into, hopefully, a casual expression. “Nah, Chunky Juice has just been out of stock recently.”

Nia nodded, one of her ears flicking around as she did so. “Well, I think I need a drink after all that fighting. You want something?”

Rex shook his head. “I’m good. I’ll go tell Ysolde everything’s peachy keen and we can meet up at the Canteen to discuss what we’re doing next.”

Nia sighed. “Sounds like a plan. Try not to attract another crustip on your way up.”

Rex rolled his eyes as Nia laughed to herself as they split apart.

He’d need to mention the crustip to Ysolde. She’d only told them about krabbles, maybe he’d be able to haggle a little more out of her…?

Not that that was his main concern now.

Most likely it was just a pickpocket new to the city that hadn’t learned not to bother someone with a blade yet, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. Especially since he’d noticed Nia’s ears twitching as they traveled between their jobs. Which might mean that whoever was following them had followed them since they’d arrived at Goldmouth.

Which made it less likely to be a petty thief.

How Nia knew it was him being followed; she must have paused to look over some goods in a stall and see what the people on their tail would do with them breaking apart.

They must have ignored her in favor of keeping an eye on Rex.

As Rex pushed this way through the crowd towards where Ysolde would be waiting, he took a sudden turn towards an area he knew would be clear of almost any bystanders. On the off-chance things escalated, he didn’t want anyone else being hurt.

The area was an overnight storage area for goods to be moved onto transport ships in the morning, making it a slight maze of boxes and barrels. It was the perfect place for Rex to break line of sight with whoever was following him…

“Hello, Rex!”

…or maybe they’d just talk to him?

Well, even if this wasn’t who’d been following him Rex knew that voice at least.

“Pupunin!” Rex said, turning to face the well-dressed nopon flanked by two of Bana’s muscle. “Been a while.”

“Rex looking, on edge,” the nopon said, looking the salvager up and down. “Everything all right?”

“Salvaging was bit poor this morning is all. You got something for me?” Rex looked around the bazaar and spotted Nia watching them from one side, confirming to Rex Pupunin had been their tail. “New job maybe?”

“Something like that. Ah, by the way… Rex come from Fonsett Village in Leftherian Archipelago, yes?”

Rex hesitated, but didn’t see the harm in confirming knowledge Pupunin could easily look up. “Yeah, that’s right. Why d’you ask?”

“You should go straight to boardroom of Chairman!”

Rex took a step back in surprise. “Wait, what’s going on?”

“Chairman Bana ask for Rex by name!”

“The Chairman? For me?!” Rex asked incredulously.

He barely waited for Pupunin to nod before sprinting off towards Bana’s office.

Rex ducked and weaved through the crowd, flashing Nia a smile when the blade managed to catch up to him on the stairs up to the office.

“Rex!” Nia was panting slightly from the sudden sprint. “What’s going on? What’d the furball say?”

Rex paused on the stairs as he relayed the news to Nia. “Chairman Bana asked for me by name!”

“The Chairman? Why?”

“Dunno, but it’s bound to make us a lot of money! Might even be enough to get the down payment on our new ship sorted!” And that’d be even with him sending the usual percentage back to Fonsett.

Nia looked conflicted though, and before Rex could ask why she spoke up. “There was someone else with Pupunin.”

Rex paused, the earlier hesitance he’d experienced when Pupunin had asked about his heritage coming back. “Did you get a good look at them?”

“No. They were wearing a cloak, and they broke off from Pupunin when you started heading towards the boxes. It looked like they were heading towards Bana’s office.”

Rex looked at his feet in thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Then I guess we’re gonna find out who they are.”

Nia looked like she wanted to protest but after a quick glance towards the Chairman’s office she relented with an annoyed hiss. “Of course, we are. Can’t keep the Chairman waiting now, can we?”

 Rex flashed her a reassuring smile as they resumed climbing the stairs towards the heart of Argentum’s trade.

Chapter Text

Ang’s stomach rumbled at the smell of food as Anubis returned from the Canteen’s bar with a tray.

…Perhaps Ang was a little peckish after all.

She thanked Anubis who simply smiled, placing the rice and water Ang had asked for before the Gormotti girl before taking her own seat. The blade had grabbed one of the massive Mushroom Pies that nopons seemed to love and had gotten a water to drink as well.

Anubis tucked into her food right away, something Ang was thankful for as it gave her more time to organize her thoughts. After all, now that she thought about it, who better to ask about how a blade should be treated than another blade?

Ang scooped up a forkful of rice and popped it in her mouth as she leaned her head on a fist to think better.

…she had already done a lot of thinking hadn’t she?

Maybe she should just take a moment to breath instead…

…but what if-

“Work is good.”

Ang jumped in her seat at Anubis’s voice.

“Hun-.” Ang stopped herself, remembering her full mouth and swallowing. “What was that?”

“My work. Is good.” Anubis speared a particularly large mushroom and popped it into her jaws. “Took job to clear out Ignas with Garfront over in Uraya. Went good, was well paid.”

“Oh.”  Ang hesitated for a moment but went back to eating her rice, relaxing into the conversation. “That’s good to hear. Are you stopping by Argentum to stock up on supplies then?”

“No, our Calan has our boat over in Entrui. Reporting findings on ether therapy for Angharad’s Syndrome.” Anubis flashed a large grin with two thumbs up at Ang. “I am meeting with our Cliodhna and Marianne before we go to him.”

“Were they also on jobs?”

“No. Our Marianne was at one of her scams with that Panda lady, saw her in market, let her know we went to canteen; and our Cliodhna was delivering some instruments-.” Anubis paused. “I lie. Cliodhna was on job. Still on job. Hasn’t come in yet.”

Ang nodded, frowning after a moment. “I need to talk to Clio.”

“Why?”

“She keeps teaching Nia… ah…” Ang suddenly felt self-conscious. “…songs.”

Anubis looked at her blankly. “Our Cliodhna teach songs, yes. And?”

Ang looked around awkwardly. “Her teaching Nia songs isn’t the problem.” Ang leaned in towards Anubis. “It’s the type of songs.”

“Type?”

“Yes… she keeps teaching Nia… ah… ahm…” Ang looked into Anubis’s blank expression and picked her fight. “Never mind. Could you just, tell Clio I’d like to speak with her?”

Anubis shrugged, spearing another bite of her pie on her fork. “I tell. Mention songs to Cliodhna?”

Ang shook her head as Anubis placed the chunk of pie in her mouth. “No… just… telling her is fine.”

Anubis nodded, swallowing before asking her next question. “So, how your work. Going good?”

Ang grimaced, reminded of the morning’s argument, once she caught Anubis’s expression Ang was quick to shift back to a neutral expression. “Oh, it’s been going great, today was a bit rough though.”

“Yes?”

“Yeah…” Ang, leaned onto her hand and began poking at her rice, “the site we were pointed to was light on… approved things to salvage.”

“Was it?”

“Yep. ‘A load of guff’ as the expert would say.” Ang dropped her fork to rub at her temple. “Anubis, do you think it would be that bad to sell the frame of a weapon, not even the whole thing, just a piece of it?”

Anubis lowered her fork tapping the side of the pie dish in thought. “It is… important to have… standards of… professionalism in my line of work.” Anubis kept her eye trained on Ang, even if they did flit up every so often as she searched for words. “Both in my… conduct on the job and in the jobs I take.”

Anubis paused to look at Ang, prompting the Gormotti to nod at the blade to show she was listening.

“Certain jobs can seem… harmless at the… surface but just as it is important to… investigate the… logistics of a job it is important to… consider the wider reaching effects.”

“And whether you agree with them,” Ang said, sighing.

Anubis shrugged. “Does not matter if agree, just, live with. Can not know everything, after all.”

Ang wouldn’t be the one to assemble the artillery, wouldn’t be the one to fire it. She’d just provide one of many parts, not even guaranteed to be used, not that she’d have a way of knowing if it was used.

Could she live with that?

Ang sighed. “It doesn’t really matter anyways. I’m sure Rex has found something to make up for throwing it away by now. The extra money would be nice, it would get us even closer to the boat, but we’d still be quite a bit short, we’ll be fine without it.”

“If not big deal, then why get mad?”

Ang shook her head. “I’m not mad.”

“Really.”

Ang shot Anubis a look, the blade raising her hands to show she meant no harm. “Yes, I’m just… stressed. And Rex’s stubbornness is just…”

“Ah.” Anubis nodded. “Is grating, at the moment, yes?”

“Yes.” Ang relaxed, taking the lifeline offered.

“…what is stressing then?”

“Hm?”

“You are stressed. If not fight with friend, then what?”

Ah, right, the perfect time to ask Anubis about how poorly she’s been handling her relationship with her blade…

“Well… ah… we’re so close to…”

“Purchasing boat, yes. Part of argument with Rex, no?”

“…I …I did say that didn’t I?”

Anubis nodded, taking another bite of pie while still fixing Ang with a quizzically sympathetic gaze.

…Rip the bandage off Ang, sometimes the best thing for it as Nia would say.

“Anubis… have I… been a good driver?”

The blade looked taken aback. “You are doing fine, why ask?”

Ang leaned forward and began poking at her food again as she explained her worries to the shadow blade. Anubis listened attentively, nodding along and prodding Ang with questions whenever the driver hesitated in her explanation. At some point Mari appeared at the table, quietly setting down a few large bags by Anubis before vanishing to the canteen bar. The blade had likely taken note of the mood of the table as she approached and was doing her best to not interrupt the flow of Ang’s explanation. Ang managed to finish her explanation before the electric blade returned.

“…and she immediately ran after him. And I just… Am I overthinking this? I-.”

“Yes,” Anubis cut in causing Ang to jump in her seat. “Is cute. Sign you care. But… yes, very stressful not good.”

“But-.”

“You link with Nia, yes?”

“Yes, but-.”

“How does link feel?”

Ang shrugged. “I’m not really sure…”

Anubis leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and raising a brow at Ang’s statements. “Not sure?”

“Well… I’ve only been a driver for a few months… and-.”

“You know I discuss your progress with your Azurda, yes?”

Ang bit her lip. “Well, yes… I do.”

“Which includes when you tell him things like how link feels?”

“Ah… he told you?”

“You did not ask him to keep secret. Also likes to brag about his grandchildren, your Azurda.” Ang couldn’t help but smile at that. “Now, link with Nia?”

“…feels like an old friend… almost like…” Ang sighed, looking away from Anubis who reached over and gave her a reassuring pat.

“If Nia did not like you as driver, you would feel through link. Only thing you do wrong is stress self into losing hair.”

“I’m not losing hair!”

“Yet. Ask Nia or Cliodhna. Get stressed, hair falls out. End up bald. Need to borrow one of Marianne’s wigs.”

Ang snorted back a laugh, causing Anubis to grin at her. “None of those would ever fit in the helmet of my suit.”

“Marianne would help make them custom then.” Anubis looked over Ang’s shoulder, causing the driver to look over as well to see Mari approaching with her own plate of rice, which had been balanced on a few of Mari’s knives so the blade could continue filing her nails as she walked.  “Yes?”

“Hello, Ang.” Mari said as she hooked her foot under a chair and pulled it out as the knives slid her food onto the table as she took her seat. “How are you doing?”

“She is stressed!” Anubis threw an arm across the table onto Ang’s shoulder in mock concern to disrupt Ang’s protests. “Will need wig soon. Was reminding her you love to help with those things.”

Mari gave Ang a small smile, noting her annoyance. “That does sound like fun. Do you have any wigs in mind? Colors? Styles? Length? We could also spruce up your wardrobe to match them...”

“There’s nothing wrong with my clothes!” Ang pouted, leaning back into her chair.

“Of course not,” Mari said, “But when was the last time you dressed up? I can’t remember the last time I saw you out of that suit you wear for salvaging.”

“Well, Rex wears his suit all the time…”

Mari frowned. “We’ll have to do something about him too…”

“We?” Anubis asked, although she had fallen to the wayside of the conversation.

“Perhaps something matching? Oh! You two would look so cute together! I swear, I’ll never get the appeal of wearing the same thing all the time!”

Ang groaned. “Ok, Mari, you’re getting a little carried away. I’m not that stressed.”  She turned as Anubis leaned in to give her another look. “Anubis has done a wonderful job convincing me it was nothing.”

“Mhm? What were you stressed about?”

“I was… worried Nia was unhappy with me as her driver. But Anubis pointed out that if something was wrong, I’d feel it through our link. And I don’t.”

“That’s good to hear.” Ang relaxed. “But it looks like something is still bothering you.”

 Ang was tense again. “Ah… well… Nia has been hanging out with Rex a lot, and I guess I was just thinking she was acting a little weird around… him…”

Mari had a large grin on her face, her eyes lit up like the sun itself. She had her hands clasped together and was making a strange noise that Ang wasn’t sure what to make of. Ang looked at Anubis, but the other blade had seemingly decided that her part in the conversation was over and had started devouring her pie in earnest.

“Ang.” The Gormotti snapped her attention back to the electric blade. “You must tell me everything!”

Rex and Nia were led into the Chairman’s office by a scantily clad assistant after they had spent a few minutes waiting at the office’s front desk. Likely done to prevent Rex from getting any big ideas on his importance even with the chairman asking for him by name.

The room contained a few couches for visitors to sit on, but the secretary ushered them past the couches to stand in front of the large desk that commanded the focus of the room. A group of nopon surrounded a desk, a few stealing glances at them as they entered. At the desk, so deep in his work he did not even look up to acknowledge their presence, sat the largest nopon Nia had ever seen.

His turquoise pelt was immaculately groomed, his purple hair styled expertly.  He wore the finest clothes and jewelry that Nia had ever seen, even amongst the textiles and pieces that Mari had shown off to her. His wings and arms were a blur as he worked, eyes darting around quickly as he read documents, making notes as he did so. Once he was satisfied with a document it was quickly filed away or passed to a waiting nopon who would scurry off at top speed.

The secretary didn’t announce their presence, instead commanding them to stand in front of the desk before moving to stand behind the large nopon opposite of a similarly dressed assistant. Nia shot a glance towards Rex to see if he was gawking at the women again, something he had done when the first lady had appeared to usher them in that Nia had to correct; but he seemed more focused on the nopon.

Nia looked at the nopon as well, but he was still focused on work, not even looking at them as they stood directly in front of them.

A test, a display of power, whatever it was, it rubbed Nia the wrong way and she had to fight the urge to give the nopon a piece of her mind.

After all, he was likely one of the most powerful and influential people in all of Alrest, and she would not put it past him to be petty even to those he considered far beneath himself.

Slowly, the nopon clustered around the desk thinned out, eventually leaving only Bana and his assistants in the room with Rex and Nia. Still the nopon did not acknowledge their presence, reading and taking notes on a few more documents. Nia’s ear twitched as she began to get fed up with the self-important fuzzball before her. A glance at Rex showed the salvager was managing to at least remain outwardly respectful although she could see him drumming his fingers against a leg as even his patience was beginning to wear thin.

The click of a pen being sat down snapped Nia’s attention back to the nopon, who was finally acknowledging the pair as he cleaned his monocle with a terse expression on his face. The nopon finished cleaning the monocle placing it back on his face and nodding to himself before gesturing the two forward. The nopon looked at Nia with a slight tinge of annoyance, before turning to Rex.

“Thank you, for accepting summons,” the nopon said, self-importance dripping from his every word. “I Bana, chairman of Argentum Trade Guild.”

“P-pleased to make your acquaintance,” Rex stammered, stiffly standing at attention.

“Me hear from Pupunin that friend is salvager of some renown.” Bana leaned forward, inspecting Rex closely. “That being the case, I have teensy weensy thing to ask of Rex!”

Rex and Nia exchanged a quick glance, both unsure what to make of the chairman. Well, Rex may still be unsure, but Nia had already made up her mind. They both looked back to the chairman, indicting he should continue.

The nopon smiled, Nia certain she could see several gold teeth settled into the chairman’s mouth. “Reward is one hundred thousand gold.”

“A hundred thousand?!” Rex and Nia exclaimed at the same time.

“Correct!” Bana leaned forward, oozing smugness as he let the amount sink in. “One hundred thousand… in advance. Job also pay another hundred thousand upon completion.”

“TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND!” Rex yelled as Nia glared at the chairman suspiciously. “I must be dreamin’!”

Nia began to step forward, ready to demand more details from the chairman when Rex darted in front of her.

“I’ll do it!”

Nia sputtered. “Rex!”

“I hereby swear to use every skill I possess to ensure this job is successful!” The salvager blundered on, ignoring the blade’s protests. “I promise I won’t let you down!”

“REX,” Nia growled, grabbing the salvager and spinning him around to face her.

“What?” Rex asked, pulling himself out of her grip as Bana leaned back into his chair, a pleased smile on his face.

“All he’s told us is how much the job pays!” Nia hissed, stabbing a finger into his chest. “For all you know you just agreed to help salvage a warship!”

Rex’s face fell. “O-oh, right.” Nia sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose as Rex turned back to Bana. “Um… what kind of job is it?”

Bana waved to one of his assistants. “Crew will explain the task. Bring them in.”

“Sir,” the woman said with a small bow before opening the doors to a side room and vanishing inside.

She was not gone long before she reentered the room, shortly followed by…

Nia tensed, sensing the changes in ether before they even entered.

A group of drivers and blades.

The first to enter was a dark-skinned Ardainian woman, her white hair done up in a ponytail. She wore well fitted full-body armor and had a wicked katana at her hip. She surveyed the room quickly with a terse glare, one that softened slightly as she looked over Rex and Nia. She was followed closely by a blade that could pass for an Ardainian man. going by what little Nia could see of his face, as he was fully clad in flaming armor that reminded Nia of a demon.

Following her was another woman in armor, although Nia wasn’t sure what her nationality was. She was pale, had red hair, large… eyes, and an open welcoming smile that just didn’t sit right with Nia for some reason. Nia tried to steal a glance at rex to see if he had picked up on it as well, only to catch the salvager gawking at the woman instead.

“Oi!” Nia hissed, driving an elbow into the salvager perhaps a little more roughly than she needed to.

“Hey!” the salvager responded indignantly, something that drew a light laugh from the red woman.

 The woman’s blade was a large lizard-like creature, just barely distinguishable from an Igna, who watched from her side passively.

The two pairs of drivers and blades split apart to let the last member of their crew in. A white-haired man wearing a horned mask and some sort of old armor.

It was he who spoke once they had settled in.

“So, there’s something that we want to haul up.” He spoke with a clipped tone. “There were some current shifts. It showed up in an uncharted area. But it’s a long way down.”

“Nice…,” Rex said, puffing himself up, “I like a good challenge.”

Nia rolled her eyes at him, getting another laugh from the red-hair woman, causing her cheeks to flush red. With annoyance.

“Rex is Leftherian salvager, as requested,” Bana interjected still leaning back in his chair with the smuggest expression Nia had ever seen, “Was very lucky to catch in port.”

The white-haired woman scoffed. “You’d have us bring a child?” She ignored Rex as he protested. “Did you even try to meet our requests for a team?”

Bana’s expression darkened, and the nopon leaned forward. “Job you ask cannot be done by small team. And team of the size needed made fully of Leftherians? Pah!” Bana leaned back into his chair. “Bana has assembled elite salvager team at the exact size needed for job and has managed to locate a Leftherian salvager available for work! If you think you could do better…”

“No,” the red-haired woman cut in, “None of us understand enough about salvaging to properly plan something like this out, much less have the connections to form a competent team.  You’ve done a wonderful job for us Chairman, thank you. And please, forgive Perun. She just wants the job to succeed.”

Bana looked the woman up and down before nodding, mollified for the moment.

Perun did not seem so convinced. “Pyra, I still don’t-.”

“I know you’re worried about Rex’s safety,” Pyra said, “But trust me, he’s capable of fending for himself.”

Rex grinned, crossing his arms smugly at the praise, not seeing the problem with what Pyra had just said.

“And how would you know that?” Nia asked, placing her fists on her hips and leaning forward to glare at Pyra.

Pyra clasped her hands together, looking a little embarrassed. “I may have asked that nopon fellow if I could tag along when he told me he was going to get a salvager for our team.”

Nia heard Bana shift in his chair but paid the nopon no mind. “So, you were stalking us.”

Pyra leaned back in shock at the words before clasping a hand to her chest. “No, I wasn’t stalking you I was just… scouting out your skills!” Pyra nodded to herself. “And I must say, you certainly did a good job of showing them off. Helping that nopon find his pendant, fighting off those monsters as they tried to steal that woman’s cargo,” Pyra smiled brightly at the Rex and Nia, “I’d say as driver and blade you two are more than qualified for this job!”

Nia felt her cheeks flush again, as Rex let out an awkward cough. Pyra looked between the two confused before Bana spoke up.

“Rex is not driver. Rex’s partner is.”

“Oh,” Pyra looked pensive for a moment before smiling brightly. “We can hire them as well then!”

Perun frowned. “Pyra-.”

“Having another driver along can only help us,” Pyra said, looking over her shoulder at Perun, before looking to Nia. “Besides, if I had to guess…” Pyra walked towards Nia, causing her to stiffen. “You… look like a healing blade.”

Nia frowned not really wanting to answer the woman. Rex on the other hand…

“That’s right! Probably the best healing blade you’ll ever see!”

Nia felt her cheeks flush as Pyra giggled again, smiling brightly as she turned to Perun. “See? Now even if someone were to get hurt, we’ll have an expert to fix them right up!”

Perun looked conflicted, looking between Rex, Nia and Pyra. Her blade leaned forward and whispered something to her, causing her frown to deepen for a moment before shaking her head. “Alright, Pyra. If you think it is for the best.”

Pyra nodded before turning to Bana. “We’ll handle the payment for Nia and her driver.”

Rex was grinning like an idiot at Pyra’s word, while Nia couldn’t help but frown again.

Bana simply nodded, already shuffling through a new stack of papers that had appeared on his desk, only pausing to toss a bag of gold towards Rex that the salvager caught. “That is Rex’s advance. Use to buy gear you need. Report to starboard staging deck tomorrow morning. Bana has arranged for vessel to be docked there.”

Rex nodded, his face becoming determined even though he still had a goofy grin on. “You got it. Pleasure meeting you all. Let’s get going, Nia!”

Nia sighed as Rex bolted out of the room. Looking back to their employers to Nia saw that the man, Perun, and the blades were already gone while Pyra and Bana seemed to be negotiating some new aspects of the job that her and Ang’s presence would cause. Deciding that the nopon would not tolerate her loitering in his office, Nia left to find Rex excitedly looking over the gold.

“A hundred thousand! And we’ll get even more after we finish! Can you believe it?” Rex grinned at the blade, although his expression fell when he saw her sour look. “What’s wrong?”

“Something about that Pyra woman rubs me the wrong way,” Nia said, walking past Rex to lean on the railing overlooking the bazaar.

“What? She seemed so nice,” Rex said, joining Nia at the rails, “Perun on the other hand-.”

Nia suddenly slammed a hand down on the railing cutting Rex off. “That cheeky- they never told us what you’re hauling up!” Nia shot a glare towards Bana’s office, having half a mind to storm back in while the other half told her exactly how stupid an idea that would be.

Rex blinked, before shaking his head. “It’ll be fine, I doubt they’re hauling up any kind of weaponry.”

“What makes you so sure of that?”

“Well, Pyra, and Perun actually, don’t seem like the type to be trying to arm up for a war.”

 “Oh, PYRA doesn’t seem the type? You miss the part where she was STALKING us?” Nia gave Rex a withering look, causing him to raise his hands in an attempt to placate her.

“Alright! That’s not convincing. Then… why would they be coordinating something this special instead of some government official?”

“They could still be trying to sell it to the highest bidder!”

“Nia, it’ll be fine. Trust me.” Rex gave her a confident grin, wearing down her resolve enough for her to sigh in resignation.

“Fine… I’m keeping an eye on Pyra though.”

“Thanks Nia.” Rex said, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing Nia to flush red again. “You go find Ang and tell her I got us a job and I’ll go tell Gramps not to wait up for us and grab us some supplies. Meet you back at the Rumbletum Canteen!”  

He took off before Nia could agree to his plan, leaving her to sigh to herself and follow the gentle pull on the ether that pointed towards her driver.

Chapter Text

Nia stretched, letting her joints pop as she followed behind her driver through the Goldmouth Bazaar. It was early morning and yet the bazaar still bustled with life. Even at this hour small crowds flitted between stalls as dedicated shoppers did their best to ensure they’d be the ones to receive some premium item or secure a good deal before sneaky merchants marked prices up in response to demands of the day. Nia glared at a few merchants that tried to call them over, eliciting a laugh from Anubis and snickers from Mari.

Nia had found the two blades at the Rumbletum Canteen with Ang, Anubis having smelled her approaching and meeting her slightly before she could get to her driver and Mari. According to the shadow blade they had all been catching up with life, although Nia wasn’t sure that was the whole truth based on some weird feelings she had sensed through her bond with Ang.

Nor with how Mari grinned at her like a hungry volff.

Unfortunately, that had been something Nia would just have to remember to ask Ang, not Mari that smile promised Nia something she got the feeling she wouldn’t like; about later.

After all, they had needed to discuss Rex’s new job first.

“Job is shady.”

Anubis was the first to speak after Nia’s explanation was finished.

Mari nodded in agreement, once again filing her nails with one of her knives. “Mhm. They didn’t tell you their names, the location of the job, nor what you’re hauling up. They wanted the smallest team possible, and…” Mari stopped filing her nails. “I’m… actually not sure what to make of the Leftheria thing.”

Anubis nodded. “Is strange.”

“Mhm.” Mari tapped the knife in her hand on the table, before looking to Nia. “Did they put a limit on the number of blades Ang could bring?”

Nia shook her head. “They didn’t say anything about her not bringing any more blades…”

“Ah! We go as well then, yes?” Anubis said, beaming.

“Mhm.” Mari resumed filing her nails. “If they try anything untoward to you two and Rex, we’ll be there to help.”

“…Nia made it sound like they were really against bringing more people on…” Ang said, uncertainly.

“We are not people, will be fine,” Anubis said, reaching over to Ang, ignoring the frown on her face to pat her encouragingly.

“Mhm. We’ll even bring our own supplies.” Mari stood up, grabbing her bags and shooting Nia a knowing look that gave Nia a feeling of impeding doom. “I’ll go store my things at the bank and see about sending a message out to Clio. Anubis, you get our supplies organized.” The canine-like blade nodded, shoveling the last of her food into her mouth before rushing off as Mari turned to Nia and Ang. “If we don’t see you again tonight, we’ll meet you in the morning.”

Ang nodded, giving Mari a smile. “Thank you for coming along.”

Mari nodded. “What are friends for?”

The electric blade then turned and followed Anubis at a more sedate pace, summoning some of her blades to float around her core stone as she did so.

Ang took a deep breath as she watched the blade vanish, before turning to Nia. “You don’t think Rex agreed to the job because…”

Nia shook her head cutting her off. “He would have taken the job regardless of your ultimatum. I don’t think he had anything other than how much money he was about to make going through that head of his.”

Ang laughed, although it was still strained. “He is in salvaging for the cash after all.”

Nia nodded. “Let’s find him before he does anything else stupid.”

 Ang nodded with a more genuine laugh, standing from the table as she did so.

It hadn’t taken them long to find Rex, he had just finished buying food at the fishmonger when the two ran into him. Ang gave Rex a short lecture before informing him of Anubis and Mari joining them for the job. Once she was done, Rex assured them he had told Gramps about the job and had gotten his permission, Nia didn’t believe that for a second, before showing off the supplies he had grabbed for the trip. New suits for both him and Ang, several higher end cylinders, and a combination of home sent and store brought fish for the trip.

The three had then retired to the Inn for the night to rest in some proper beds before they headed out. Well, they had taken some time to play hide and seek with those kids before they went to the Inn. Nia had won that game easily, leading to Ang accusing her of using their link to cheat, although she relented when Nia pointed out she would have felt if Nia had drawn upon their link.

Besides, Nia’s hearing had been more than enough to find her driver and the others.

A low whistle from Rex and a light gasp from Ang drew Nia’s attention back to the present.

They had arrived at the staging deck Bana had directed them to during their meeting, and while there were several ships moored along the piers, two jumped out at Nia in particular.

 On was a long black ship, completely enclosed like an Ardainian warship with some gilded decorations across its exterior. It lacked a visible Titan as far as Nia could see, and when she asked the salvagers, Rex and Ang both agreed that there was no way a Titan could be worked into the ship beneath the waves either.

The ship made Nia’s skin crawl, and while Rex and Ang were too blinded by professional curiosity, she could see Anubis and Mari frowning at the ship as well.

The other ship was the only ship larger than the Titan-less ship on the deck, and the ship that Rex and Ang ultimately led them too.

“Wheeling out the Maelstrom for this? Bana really has some deep pockets…” Rex mused as they approached.

Nia gave him a look. “Was him having a hundred thousand to chuck at us not enough to tell you that already? What’s so special about a boat?

Rex rolled his eyes at her as Ang stepped forward. “The Maelstrom is one of the largest salvaging vessels currently in operation.”

“One of the most advanced ones too,” Rex added, “this ship is a modern marvel of engineering!”

Looking the ship over, Nia supposed she could see it.

The Maelstrom was a little shorter than the other ship, but it made up for it by being a few stories taller, and topped with a tall watch tower that almost scrapped the belly of the Titan that carried it. Several smaller Titans were attached to the sides of the ship, ready to be deployed rapidly if needed. Several large salvaging cranes dotted the ship among other bits of salvaging gear Nia could not identify without asking Rex or Ang.

“Alright, I suppose it’s impressive,” Nia said, smiling to herself as Rex groaned at her while Ang laughed.

Before Rex could say anything more, another salvager called out to him, gesturing for him to come closer so they could talk. Nia went back to looking over the Maelstrom, trying to remember any of the terms Rex had taught-

“Another child, why am I not surprised?”

Nia jumped, turning around to find Perun and her blade behind them. The woman was looking at Angharad with clear annoyance on her face before she turned to look at Anubis and Mari. “Are you the girl’s blades as well?”

“Mhm. That won’t be an issue, will it?” Mari said, summoning out a knife to file her nails.

 Perun stole a look over her shoulder, and Nia spotted Pyra, her blade, and the masked man discussing something off to one side of the deck. The woman sighed before turning back to look at Nia and her friends.

“Unfortunately, it will not.” The woman stalked away from them, towards the entrance of the Maelstrom, Pyra and the rest of the crew moving towards the ships entrance as well.

Before Nia could comment on Perun’s behavior to Ang and the others, the sound of a throat being cleared caused her to jump again and spin towards the noise.

The woman’s blade had remained behind. “I would like to apologize for my driver’s… harshness,” the blade said, bowing to them slightly, “There has been much peril on our path, and she does not wish for others to experience such hardships unnecessarily. I implore all of you to approach this job with caution, and to avoid any risks when possible.”

The blade didn’t wait for a response, bowing again before turning and quickly moving towards the ship to rejoin his driver.

The four stood in silence for a moment before Ang cleared her throat.

“Well… he’s certainly a…” Ang trialed off unable to find words she liked to say her thoughts out loud.

“I could not smell him,” Anubis said, scowling after the blade, “Nia, you hear him?”

Nia grimaced. “No, I didn’t hear either of them approaching us.”

“I could not either.” Anubis’s scowled deepened as she growled softly. “Most certainly doing of his.”

“Mhm. I’m liking them less by the minute,” Mari said, summoning more knives to herself, “I’ll update Clio on our status. She should be in today; I’ll have her meet up with Azurda and set up her long-range transmitter on his back.”

Anubis and Mari exchanged nods before the electric blade walked away as Anubis turned back to Nia and Ang. “I will go aboard, keep eye on them.” And before they could speak the blade was striding off towards the ship.

Ang and Nia exchanged a look as Rex called out to them, waving to them as he walked over with the older salvager.

“Spraine wanted a word with you two,” Rex said, gesturing towards the salvager, who nodded at them, “I’ve been given night watch so I’m heading aboard now to get some shut eye.”

“Save some bunks for us,” Ang said, Nia nodding in agreement.

Rex nodded, flashing a large grin. “I’ll get a whole room for Anubis and Mari too, see ya!”

He bounded off towards the Maelstrom as Nia and Ang turned their attention towards Spraine.

The salvager looked them both over, before speaking. “If Rex has no one to see him off, I’m guessing you don’t as well?” Ang shook her head for both of them. “Right then, you’re being classified as guards for the trip, just like the other drivers. Nothing special you need to do while we’re enroute so just relax and unwind until we get there.”

“You don’t need me for the salvage?” Ang asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Spraine shook his head. “Full team already accounted and supplied for. If someone gets hurt or too drunk, we can look at subbing you in but pays so good on this job I doubt any of the boys are going to risk it. Especially with our employers right there.”

Ang nodded looking dejected for a moment before she schooled her face to professionalism. “One of the blades joining me had to take care of something quick, her name’s Mari.”

Spriane nodded.  “Alright, we’ll head out once she’s back. Heh, a job out in uncharted territory, I’m getting goosepimples just thinking about it.”

Traveling on the Maelstrom was…

Well, dull.

For all the build up and dread they had all felt for the job, besides Rex who had to be colorblind to not spot the red flags the rest of them saw, the journey to the location of the haul had been uneventful so far. The Maelstrom was large enough to scare off most of the predators that would consider attacking the ship, with built in deterrents that Spraine and Rex assured her would work kept away the rest. Their employers seemed quite happy to keep to themselves, something that the rest of the crew seemed to be fine with.

 The mixture of humans and nopons was constantly shifting between working the ship, resting, and passing the time, with Nia and Ang being restricted to the latter two activities. The Maelstrom was well stocked with things to entertain those with ample downtime, mainly beer and other alcoholic beverages, things that Nia and Ang weren’t the biggest fans of. There were a few books and manuals on salvaging tucked about which Ang busied herself with, but nothing that particularly interested Nia.

Well, at least she had thought to pack her harp.

Something that did not escape the notice of those around her.

The crew had seemed strangely enthusiastic when Nia agreed to play and sing a few songs Clio had taught her. It had struck her as weird that they kept requesting children’s songs. Why they wanted to hear about vegetables and hedgehogs was beyond Nia.

It had seemed to bother Ang for some reason.  Her driver was very quick to pull her away from the crowd to the other salvagers’ disappointment.

Fortunately, a few games had somehow managed to be brought aboard as well. Nia managed to while away a few hours into the early dusk and make some money with several games of Sneak-Thief King before the crew wised up to how unlikely they were to win.

With the crew refusing to play with her, and Ang having opted to turn in for the night, Nia decided to see if she couldn’t catch Rex before he went up for night watch.

…she could even keep him…

No, she needed to rest and be ready for the upcoming job as well.

Pyra, Perun, and… Nia still didn’t know the man’s name were clearly up to something.

She needed to be at the top of her form for when things went down.

…she could still check in with Rex and see how he was holding up.

A quick check of the room confirmed that Rex had already left, not that Nia was surprised by that as Ang was already asleep in her bunk. Making sure she did not disturb her driver; Nia closed the door to the room and began to make her way towards the lookout platform.  

As Nia walked towards the upper levels of the ship, she spotted Anubis over the railing on the lower level, talking to Perun’s blade, whose name Nia realized she had still yet to hear, as the driver herself stood to one side staring intently at anything other than the two blades. Leaning over the railing, Nia was able to listen in on the other blades’ conversation as Anubis continued to speak.

“…you sure she is not sick? Jaw is clenched quite hard.”

Perun’s blade let out a good natured, if clipped laugh. “I am sure. Neither of us are… conversationalist at the best of times.”

Anubis grunted, looking over at Perun who was staring pointedly at a wall. “I see… not what I here to ask anyways. On dock you implied job dangerous, I want to know more details, share with others to make sure things go smooth.”

The other blade nodded. “I see.” He looked up in thought and caught sight of Nia leaning over the railing.  He gave her a cool look as she felt her face flush from the embarrassment of being caught listening in, but he still gave her a small smile and a nod, causing Anubis to look up to her as well.

“Ah, evening Nia.” Anubis gave her a small smile. “Looking for Rex?”

“Ah,” Nia paused before shrugging. “Well. Figured he might like some company, at least for a bit of his watch.”

Anubis chuckled to herself as Perun’s blade gave Nia a smile as well. “An interesting character, Rex. He was quite sure of his skills when we discussed the upcoming work he will be doing.”

“He certainly likes to toot his own horn,” Nia groaned, rolling her eyes to the heavens before looking to the blade, “I don’t think I ever caught your name…?”

The blade bowed his head to her. “My apologies. I am known as Perceval. Rex went towards the lookout platform after we spoke.”

Nia nodded, thanking the blade before continuing on her way. She heard Anubis and Perceval resume their conversation as she moved towards the stairs, Perceval describing creatures they may encounter during the mission, with Anubis listening politely to the blade as he did so.

Nia ascended the stairs towards the weather deck, taking a moment to breathe in the open air before looking around her to try and spot Rex. The previous watchman was still in the lookout platform, so Nia turned to look across the deck. It wasn’t too hard to spot Rex, his blue diving suit sticking out almost as the red armor of the person he was talking to.

The blade leaning against a crate nearby also probably would draw people’s attention.

Nia felt a spike of annoyance, before moving closer to the salvager and driver. She did her best to take a route that wouldn’t alert the two to her presence as she got into a range where she could hear them comfortably and not be distracted by the other sounds of the ship, fortunately near a few crates that she could tuck herself behind.

Pyra and Rex were laughing about something when Nia began listening. She didn’t have to wait long before they continued their conversation.

“Rex, can I ask you a question?”

They were facing away from Nia, but she knew exactly the dumb smile Rex would be giving Pyra. “Ask away, Pyra!”

“What did you do with the rest of the advance? That looks like a new suit and I’m guessing you bought some supplies for yourself and your companions… but that’s hardly a hundred thousand gold.”

Rex shrugged. “That all? Well, I sent some back to my home in Leftheria. Bit remote where I’m from so I send money back to help keep things going there.”

“Ah, that’s sweet!”

Rex rubbed the back of his head bashfully as Nia rolled her eyes. “The rest well… me, Ang, and Nia have been saving up for a ship.”

“You have?”

“Yeah. We’re lookin’ at expanding out our operation.”

“Trying to get some bigger salvaging jobs?”

“Well, yeah, but not just salvaging-.”

“What are they talking about?”

Nia jumped, spinning around to find Mari standing behind her. The electric blade had taken a step back, surprised at Nia’s reaction.

“Ah-, Rex is just, telling her about our plans for the future,” Nia said awkwardly, turning back around, looking towards the two worried she had alerted them to her presence. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the two still chatting away.

“Mhm.” Nia turned back to Mari. “Have you seen Anubis?”

“She was talking to Perceval, the other blade, and getting him to talk about what he thinks we’ll encounter once the job gets going.”

“Mhm. Have you seen that swordsman of theirs?”

Nia shook her head. “Don’t think I’ve seen him since we got on board.”

“Ang said she ran into him. Apparently, he just looked at her and then, ran off.”

“That’s… weird.”

“Mhm.” Mari looked past Nia with a frown. “I’ll ask Rex if he’s seen him later, along with anything he’s found out about the others.”

Nia nodded, looking back over to where Rex and Pyra were standing and talking. The two were still standing in roughly the same spot, and a twitch of Nia’s ear managed to catch enough of what was being said to confirm they were still discussing Rex’s life.

“You been in contact with Clio since we left?” Nia asked, keeping her eyes, and one ear, focused on Rex and Pyra.

“No. We don’t fully know what those blades of theirs are capable of, and ether waves aren’t necessarily the most discreet form of communication. It’s best not to tip them off that we have back up if things look like they’ll go south. Is Ang already asleep?”

Nia nodded, noting a lull in Pyra’s and Rex’s conversation.

“Okay. Let me know if you hear anything of note or manage to find the wayward swordsman.”

Nia nodded as Mari walked away, turning her full focus towards Rex and Pyra as the woman spoke again.

“You keep looking towards the World Tree, Rex. Something on your mind?”

“Ah.” Rex rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s nothing.”

“Was my reason for being on this job ‘nothing’?”

“Well, no-.”

Pyra reached out a place a hand on Rex’s shoulder, causing him to stop talking.

It also caused Nia to dig her fingers into the box she was holding onto.

“Then I’m sure whatever is on your mind is not nothing either. You can tell me.”

Nia could see the blush on Rex’s face from across the ship.

“Well, it’s just…” Rex sighed. “A few days ago, me, Nia, and Ang… we all watched a Titan die.”

Pyra drew her hand back to herself in horror. “That’s awful. Was there…?”

“No, it looked old. Ang didn’t think anything could have been living on it at the time.” Rex turned to face off the ship, towards the World Tree. “But that’s just it.” Rex gazed upwards. “We’re running out of space, resources. And then because of that people go to war with each other and we lose even more.”

Pyra followed his gaze upward but remained silent.

“There’s so much we find while salvaging. Some of its trash, some of its treasure… but all from people long gone. With how things have been going, sooner or later, we’ll be the ones sinking down into the Cloud Sea. But, maybe, under the Cloud Sea there’s…” Rex sighed, and began to wave the thought away before Pyra interrupted.

“A way to Elysium?”

Rex looked at her surprised. “Yeah, how’d you…?”

“I know what’s at the top of the World Tree, Rex.”

“Well, everyone’s heard the stories… a land of plenty, with enough for us all… but…”

Pyra reached out and touched Rex’s shoulder again. “I believe you’ll make it there.”

Rex stepped back, surprised. “You do?”

Pyra nodded, her smile plain to see even from Nia’s point of view. “You seem like the type that once you have your mind set on something, you don’t stop until you get done. So, yes. I believe you’ll find a way to Elysium.” Pyra flashed Rex with another smile before looking around at the sky. “Oh, I’d love to stay and chat more Rex, but we do have work to do soon.”

Nia sunk back into the boxes, recognizing the end of the conversation. Pyra was clearly trying to get in Rex’s good graces, something that should clearly be not that hard to do. Which made it strange to see her trying to go that hard at it. Not that anything she had heard about Rex was new to her…

Perhaps, she and Ang had been a little too skeptical of Rex’s thoughts on Elysium...

The sound of footsteps passing her caused Nia to tense and shrink further into the boxes as Pyra and her blade walked past her hiding spot. Nia felt a moment of Panic as Pyra seemed to look in her direction, but it was short lived as the driver and blade continued down into the hold, no doubt towards their room.

Nia poked her head around the box, looking for Rex and spotted his blue suit ascending towards the lookout platform. Deciding that it would be best to be clear of the boxes before Rex saw her sneaking about, Nia walked out of the boxes and paused when she saw something moving out of the corner of her eyes.

It had looked like Pupunin… Nia hadn’t thought he was hired for this job.

He certainly hadn’t been moving like someone that was supposed to be on the ship.

Nia moved to where she thought she had seen the nopon, but didn’t find any sign of him. She spent a little more time searching around for Pupunin on the deck, hoping that the fading light might make the nopon overconfident and let her catch him out with her superior senses, but still, nothing. Deciding that the nopon had probably darted after Pyra, Nia returned to her original goal of meeting up with Rex.

Since it was night, most of the men had shifted off duty and now were drinking in earnest. Nia could hear them through the ship although they faded away as she climbed the stairs to the platform. Rex was looking off into the distance when she joined him, muttering to himself about a ship.

“You see something out there?” Nia asked, Rex looking towards her with a smile although the rest of his expression was tinged with concern.

Rex nodded, holding out a pair of binoculars to her. “Yeah, come take a look.”

Nia walked over and put her eyes up to the binoculars, letting Rex guide her gaze. Through the binoculars, Nia managed to catch a glimpse of a black ship before it was consumed by a large wave of clouds.

“The ship from the harbor,” Nia said, pulling back to look at Rex who nodded.

“Think it’s been following us.”

“Great. Another thing to worry about.” Nia groaned, rubbing her temple. “I’ll tell Mari and Anubis about it. Speaking of, that swordsman, have you seen him?”

“Jin? Yeah, I spoke to him earlier. He seemed distracted by something. Don’t think he would’ve been much for conversation even if he wasn’t.”

Nia nodded, pausing before asking her next question. “You… haven’t happened to see that one nopon, Pupunin have you?”

Rex nodded, slightly surprised. “I did. He was sneaking about earlier, watching Jin. Guess he didn’t want to tell us he’d be working the job too in case we didn’t take it.”

Nia frowned, suspecting that wasn’t the reason but decided that the nopon wasn’t worth worrying about. She walked over to lean on the railing next to Rex, rubbing her arms as a breeze kicked up. “Bit chilly up here.”

Rex laughed, taking a moment to pace the platform and look over the clouds around the ship. “I’m sure Mari would help you make a coat.”

Nia laughed as well. “I suppose she would, although, between you and me she’s been giving me these weird looks.”

“Has she?” Rex said, leaning on the railing next to Nia.

“Yeah, like she knows something and is dying to tell me about it. For hours.”

Rex laughed. “She can be passionate, can’t she?”

Nia nodded, shivering again in another breeze. “If I had her make me a coat, I wouldn’t be surprised if she-.” Her words caught in her throat for a second as Rex suddenly moved right next to her. ”-she made me wear one of those costumes she’s been trying to get me to wear as ‘payment’.”

“And what’s bad about those?”

“Have you seen them, Rex?”

“A few. And it’s not like they’d show more than- well, uh.”

Nia looked at Rex confused. “More than what?”

Rex looked at her for a few moments, clearly thinking something through before he looked back out to sea. “Nothing. Have you talked to our employers much?”

Nia frowned at the change in topic but looked back out to sea as well. “No, they’ve been avoiding everyone from what I can tell. Anubis managed to corner Perun and Perceval to grill them for details on the job, but it looked like all she was getting was the standard monsters you see while salvaging.” Nia looked back at Rex. “How’re you feeling about the job?”

Rex looked at her and flashed a smile. “It’s gonna be easy-peasy.” Nia rolled her eyes and dug an elbow into his side, getting a laugh from Rex.

She opened for mouth to give Rex an earful about overconfidence when he cut her off.

“She did tell me what we’re looking for.”

Nia blinked. “Pyra did?”

Rex nodded. “We’re looking for a core stone.”

Nia looked at him incredulously. “A core stone, all the way out here?”

Rex nodded again, looking at his hands. “The blade was the property of some old kingdom, according to her. She wants to retrieve it for some family member of hers that has a connection to it.”

“That’s…” Nia began, frowning at the story. “…awfully nice of her. Can’t help but notice that…”

“It’s kind of like how I got you for Ang.”

Nia looked out to the Cloud Sea before looking back at Rex. “Aye, that’s… exactly what I was thinking.”

“You tell her that story?”

Nia shook her head.

“Think anyone else did?”

Nia shook her head again. “I doubt Anubis or Mari would be scrambling to tell them that, and I was with Ang most of the day.”

“You got any other way she’d know?”

“Bana might have told her…”

“You think he wouldn’t charge her for that information?”

Nia huffed, turning to look at the World Tree. “Alright it’s probably just a coincidence.”

Rex gave a small laugh, looking at the World Tree as well. “Hell of a coincidence too.”

“She could still be lying you know.”

“Maybe, still don’t think she seems the type.”

Nia groaned, shaking her head before looking towards the World Tree’s crown. “Hey, Rex.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you really thinking about trying to find Elysium?”

Rex turned to Nia with a confused look, causing Nia a small amount of panic thinking she may have tipped him off to the fact she had been eavesdropping earlier before he followed her gaze to the heavens. “Yeah, I am. Why, you want to join?”

Nia shrugged. “Not sure about Elysium myself, but a chance to climb the tallest tree in the world?” She turned to Rex with a wide smile. “I’d like to see you try and stop me.”

Nia let out a sigh of relief as she reentered the warmer lower decks of the ship.

Rex still had several hours of watch to get through and she needed to rest up to be fully prepared for the retrieval job. She paused in the quiet interior of the ship, the rest of the crew seeming to have come to the same decision she had regarding sleep.

They were retrieving a core stone.

Just like…

“Excuse me.”

Nia jumped, almost falling backwards onto the stairs before catching her balance.

Before her stood the swordsman, Jin. One of his arms moved slightly, like he had just been reaching out to help steady her, although it may have been Nia’s imagination.

“Hell, give a girl some warning before you pop out like that!”

Jin’s expression was inscrutable behind his mask. “My apologies.”

Nia sighed. “Can I help you with something? You give yourself a papercut and figure you’d bother me?”

Jin was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “That Gormotti girl, she is your driver?”

Nia frowned, crossing her arms. “She is what of it?”

Jin remained silent for a moment. “You two… remind me of someone I used to know.”

“Oh, we do now do we?”

“Yes. She and her blade… they shared an uncanny resemblance for one another.”

Nia looked over the man, trying to gleam any knowledge of what he was thinking behind that mask. “A friend of yours?”

Jin once again was silent. “Yes, she… was my closest friend.”

Nia felt her expression soften. “Did something happen to her?”

Jin remained silent.

He remained silent for a long time, before he finally spoke.

“Rest well. You will need it for the job ahead.”

Before Nia could say anything else, Jin turned and disappeared into one of the nearby cabins, leaving Nia to think over what he said as she headed towards Anubis and Mari’s cabin to tell them of the following ship.

Chapter Text

“We are in position. All personnel, report to stations. Salvage team, suit up and proceed to hatch.”

The announcement snapped Nia’s attention away from the game Anubis had been teaching them, some card game about onions. She exchanged a glance with her driver who had a look of determination on her face as she tossed the cards into the pile that Anubis was gathering, Marianne doing the same. Nia showed her hand to Anubis, having the blade confirm for her it was a good hand before she tossed it into the pile as well. Standing up, Nia walked over and joined Ang and Mari who left the table to watch the crew assemble.

She spotted Rex joining the crowd and managed to catch his eye. Nia flashed him a smile and a thumbs up, which he returned with a cheeky grin of his own and a mock salute. Laughing to herself for a moment, Nia suddenly felt pressure from around her.

Looking over to Mari, the electric blade was once again giving Nia a look that promised trouble. She turned to Ang, only to find her driver giving her a look as well. A much more pensive one, but that did little to comfort Nia as she found herself sandwiched between the two.

“What?” she said, looking between the two.

“Nothing,” Ang said looking back towards the other salvagers.

“Mhm, Nothing at all.”

Nia grumbled, ready to push the two but fell silent as Spraine placed himself before the assembled crew. Behind the man, Nia thought she spotted Perun and Perceval lurking on the landing above the crew but when she took a second look they were gone.

“Your target is located inside a shipwreck 450 peds straight down.” The Ardainian man cast his gaze over the salvagers as he spoke. “Searching the wreck while submerged is too high-risk for our tastes, so… we’ll be using flotation devices and cranes to lift the hull first. Next, you’ll split into teams and explore the interior. Once the target is found, retrieval can commence.” Spraine took one last look over the assembled salvagers, looking for any sign of confusion and found none. “Let’s begin with attaching the floats. Get into position!”

Nia, Ang, Mari, and Anubis, who had finished cleaning up the cards; all moved towards the upper deck of the ship as Rex and the salvagers began their final scramble for gear based on Spraine’s orders. The blades and driver had been told to assemble there to stay out of the way until it was time to join the boarding party to search the ship for the core stone and any other salvage there was to be found.

Their employers were already on the deck when they emerged, a heavy storm pelting them as they did so.

“Architect,” Ang muttered, putting her helmet on, “We couldn’t have gotten here at a better time.”

“Mhm.” Mari hummed in agreement. “I should have told Anubis to grab an umbrella as part of our supplies.”

“Rain will not kill.” Anubis had her weapon already in hand. “Build character! Good for developing mind.”

 “Oh, the rain won’t kill us.” Nia paused lifting her hand up to suspend the water above her head in a weak ether field. “Just make it easier for us to get sick and die from that.”

“Mhm.” Mari discreetly stepped closer to Nia to be under her ether canopy. The electric blade put a hand to her face and took it away with a scowl. “It’s also ruining my make-up.”

 Anubis snorted. “I never understand why you put stuff on when going on mission. Perfume especially, it give us away with smell.”

“Because I like smelling nice. I understand you don’t mind smelling like a wet volff, but I’d rather avoid that if I can.”

Anubis looked surprised, sniffing herself as they approached the other drivers and blades. Pyra had turned to look at them, her blade using a similar trick to Nia but with wind to keep the two of them dry; and gave them a small smile.

“Spraine says it should take them a bit to get the ship to the surface.” The red-haired woman turned to look out over the water where two smaller parasite Titan ships were moving into position.

Ang stepped forward; her voice muffled because of her helmet. “Of course. I doubt you’re looking to have the thing fall apart on you right as you find it. Tricky thing with salvaging ships especially old ones is their tendency to break apart if you move them wrong, especially if they’re damaged.”

Pyra looked at Ang and nodded. “Our reports were that the ship should be largely intact.” She turned back to the water. “But this is much too important to rush, so I appreciate Spraine’s caution in the matter. Do feel free to go and try some place with cover. I’m sure Spraine will make an announcement once the ship is close to being raised. There’s no need for you all to get wet.”

Ang shrugged. “My suit is made to get wet. I’d also hate to miss out on seeing this ship of yours raised.”

Nia nodded in agreement. “Probably going to be some angry monsters stirred up anyways.” She gave Ang a sideways glance. “Hard for me to think of a time when something wasn’t chasing the two of you up or hiding away in the salvage, and those were just crates.”

“Hey, there’s been plenty of times we’ve been able to pull stuff up without some monster chasing us, you don’t remember them because you wander off and take a nap when there’s nothing for you to heal.”

“Oi! I do not!” Nia swatted her driver with her free hand.

Ang laughed, Pyra joining in with a giggle while Mari snickered beside her. A poor choice on the electric blade’s part as Nia simply shrunk her ether field. That managed to get the blade to stop quickly as she whined to Nia about her make-up being ruined. That had both drivers laughing harder, with even Anubis and Pyra’s blade joining in. She glanced towards the other three members of Pyra’s group, noting that Jin and Perceval both had the ghosts of smiles on their faces as well.

Perun looked like she had been forced to suck on a lemon, although she looked away quickly.

Before Nia could retort further, the sound of a throat being cleared drew everyone to look behind them. It was Spraine, opting not to wear his helmet despite the rain. He was facing Pyra, and once he was sure he had her attention he spoke.

“The ship looks to be in excellent condition, but there’s certainly more monsters around it than we would like.” Spraine stomped on the deck. “The Maelstrom’s deterrents are keeping them away for now, but a few are getting bold. The lads are managing to keep them back, but it’s only a matter of time before some of the larger creatures decide they want to see what all the noise is. The lads think we could pull the ship up faster than initially planned…”

Pyra nodded. “If your men are certain it won’t break apart.”

Spraine nodded. “I’ll have them do another look over before giving the go ahead.”

The salvager turned and moved back below decks as the drivers and blades all turned back to the water. Any conversation they were having died down, with the two groups shuffling away from each other after a short time. It wasn’t long after that Nia could see the Cloud Sea begin to shift as something large approached the surface.

Nia could hear Spraine yelling over the weather. He must have come topside to get a direct view of the ship breaching the clouds. Nia was tempted to ask Ang if Rex or any of the other salvagers would be riding the ship as it broke the surface, something she had seen them do with some of the smaller crates. But as more and more of the Cloud Sea began to shift Nia couldn’t help but feel the pressure of the sea might have crushed someone if they had tried to ride it up.

The ship finally broke the surface of the sea, the bow lifting high into the air. Black metal dominated her vision as it seemed to blot out the sky.

“Whoa, that’s massive!” Nia heard herself say as the bow began to tilt back down towards the sea.

“…is it just me, or does it look like…”

Nia turned to Ang who was shaking her head. “Sorry, did you say something?”

Her driver looked at her, probably trying to flash her a smile obscured by the helmet. “Just thinking to myself. Nothing important.” Nia frowned about to say something when Ang cut her off. “Might want to brace yourself.”

Nia looked back towards the ship in time to see it hit the surface of the Cloud Sea. The impact caused waves to radiate out from the ship, and while the parasite Titan ships were hovering far above the Cloud Sea, the Maelstrom wasn’t. The deck began to pitch beneath Nia’s feet, the blade managing to avoid falling over as the ship settled back down.

Nia gave her driver a nod, thanking her for the warning and tactfully ignoring the hand held up to the helmet that might be stifling a laugh.  From the corner of her eyes, Nia managed to spot their employers approaching the railing of the Maelstrom, probably trying to get a better look at their prize. She could see Perun saying something, and Nia couldn’t help but move a little closer to try and hear them better.

The pouring rain and yelling men made it hard to pick out what Perun was saying but, Nia had managed to sort through all the noise just in time to catch the words Pyra was speaking as she looked at the ship.

“The ship is preserved so well… hopefully, he’s doing just as well.”

Before the woman could speak more, Spraine’s voice cut through the air.

“Object is secure. Proceed to second phase.”

Their employers turned to the man, prompting Nia and the others to do the same as well. He motioned for them to follow him, before turning and walking back inside of the boat. Seeing Pyra and her followers moving after him, Nia started to walk forward before a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“We stay and watch for monsters,” Anubis said, turning her back around to the ship, “Marianne will go and keep eye on employers.”

A short hum was the only acknowledgement Mari gave before she walked off, the clicking of her heels managing to ring out clearly over the storm.

“I’ll watch towards the stern if someone will get the bow,” Ang offered, taking up a position on the railing and leaning to get a better view of the ship.

“I will get bow.” Anubis walked towards the opposite end from Ang. “Will create path if we need.”

Nia looked between the two before shrugging to herself. “I’ll just watch the middle then.”

Nia walked towards the railing, taking a second to manipulate the water lingering on it to create a dry patch for herself before leaning forward onto it. As Nia watched, she could see movement along the ship, but it wasn’t long before it became clear that it was only the salvage team using their anchor shots and other equipment to get onto the deck.

It wasn’t long before the distinctive blue gear of Rex exited the sea, in the usual flashy matter.

“Looks like the Maelstrom’s deterrents are still working,” Ang said, walking over to Nia. “Hey Anubis! We should probably head down now, shouldn’t we?”

Anubis continued looking at the ship for a moment, although a twitch of her ear told them she had heard them. The shadow blade nodded to herself after a moment, before motioning them over.

“Employers have reached deck with Marianne. We try and keep element of surprise, yes? No shortcuts.” She pointed to the stairs that led down into the Maelstrom. “We take long way.”

 Ang and Nia nodded to Anubis, the blade flashing them a toothy smile before turning and leading the way down towards the ship.

Rex stood on the deck of the ship, taking it all in.

Even just looking around at the outside of the ship, Rex could tell how old the ship was. A quick appraisal put it at several centuries old by Rex’s guess. No means the oldest thing he’d helped bring up, but certainly the largest, and most intact.

Another thing Rex was excited about.

With all the technology they could salvage from the ship, they could probably revolutionize the current how all ships were being built. Hell, they could probably revolutionize several industries.

…if they could reverse engineer the systems from what they could gather that is.

Rex frowned at that thought. After all, the ship had to have been scuttled for it to remain this intact so it was likely they were on a time limit unless they could figure out a way to keep the ship afloat. Most of the work was being done by the ballons he and the other salvagers had attached to the ship. And those were only designed to hold the ship up on their own about an hour before the air started to leak out of them. And it was hardly feasible to force the Maelstrom and its parasite Titans to try and haul this thing all the way back to Argentum.

Perhaps there was a way they could fix or close whatever entry point had been opened to let all the water in the ship…

“Excellent work.”

Rex jumped at the unfamiliar voice, turning to find Perun and Perceval, the latter offering him an apology for startling him, standing behind him. He could see, Mari, Pyra and Jin discussing something with Spraine a little way behind them.

“I must admit, yours and the rest of the crew’s skills live up to Bana’s words,” Perun said, giving Rex a small smile.

Rex grinned at her. “I do this for a living, remember? Where’s Ang, Nia, and Anubis?”

Perun looked back up towards the top deck of the Maelstrom. “They were keeping watch for any of the wildlife getting stirred up. Fortunately, it looks like everything is calm for now.” She looked back at Rex, her gaze hardening. “Don’t think it will be like that for long though.”

Rex nodded, looking towards the stern of the ancient vessel and the entrance to the lower decks. “You don’t need to tell me twice. A ship this big is bound to have attracted quite a few monsters looking for a nice place to sleep. You wouldn’t believe the size of some of the crates I’ve seen crushtips squeeze themselves into. Architect, I’m just hoping we don’t run into a lexos coiled up in there.”

That managed to draw a short laugh from Perceval, and more surprisingly Perun. “I’d also rather avoid a run in with a lexos.” She paused for a second looking towards her companions and Marianne, who were still talking with Spraine. “But… there may be other safeguards in there as well.” She frowned. “Pyra and Jin wouldn’t get into many specifics with me, but…” She sighed. “Just stick close to someone else, alright?”

Before Rex could answer, he spotted Spraine, Pyra, Jin, and Mari walking towards them. He could see all the other salvagers that had been milling about or moving the last few bits of equipment they would need in the ship turning their attention to Spraine as he broke apart from the group who continued walking towards the stern of the ship.

“All teams, proceed inside when ready!” the man bellowed out galvanizing the other salvagers into motion.

Rex nodded to Perun and started to move to help the other salvagers carry equipment when Jin suddenly turned to him.

The man looked between Rex and Pyra for a moment before speaking.

“…You. With us.”

Perun and Rex looked at Jin in surprise, the driver being the first to speak up.

“Why?”

Jin didn’t respond, having already turned back towards the stern of the ship, leaving Pyra to answer instead.

“It’s likely we’ll need Rex’s help with some of the systems further down.” Pyra gave her a rueful smile, communicating something that went over Rex’s head, before the smile softened. “Besides, it’ll be easier to make sure he stays out of trouble if we keep him with us won’t it?”

Perun frowned, Perceval laying a hand on her shoulder as Pyra turned to continue towards the stern herself. The woman took a deep breath before turning to Rex. “Remember what I said. Stay close, no unnecessary risks.”

Rex nodded, Perun turning and following her companions before he could say anything. He looked over his shoulder, spotting Nia, Ang and Anubis walking down the ramp from the Maelstrom to where Mari was waiting for them. He managed to catch Nia’s eye, doing his best to signal to them that he was going with Pyra’s group. He was sure he managed to get the message across when Nia’s ears pinned back and she started stomping towards him, the others hurrying after her.

“Rex, we are on a time limit here,” Pyra called out to him, prompting him to hurry towards them.

“Sorry! Just getting the others’ attention!” he said, quickly running over to join the group of drivers.

“Oh, thank you for reminding me, we should bring Ang and Nia along as well,” Pyra said, prompting Perun to give her a look she ignored. “We’ll need their healing abilities.”

“Yeah, I thought as much.” Rex took a second to catch his breath. “Figured we could also use Anubis and Mari to help in any scraps we might get into.”

Pyra frowned at Rex, opening her mouth to say something when a banging sound from the stern of the ship caught their attention.

The doors to the hold of the ship suddenly flew off their hinges, bouncing across the deck and sending up sparks as the largest lysaat Rex had even seen charged through them. Rex couldn’t help but stumble backwards as the other salvagers scattered. Rex heard Nia and Ang calling out to him as he regained his balance and grabbed his junk sword from where he had clipped it to his back.

While the lysaat king looked around and gained its bearings, Perun stepped in front of Rex, drawing a chrome katana from her hip as she assumed a defensive position in front of him. Pyra joined her in front as well, assuming a defensive position with her own blade’s weapon as well. Jin had stepped to one side, Rex recognizing his intent to flank the angry monster.

Rex quickly mirrored Jin’s movement, creating a pincher formation as Perceval and Pyra’s blades began to funnel ether into them through their bonds. Then, Perun charged.

The sudden movement towards it managed to grab the lysaat king’s attention fully. The creature hissed at the woman as she lashed out at it with the blade of the katana. She managed to nick the creature, fully grabbing its attention as it began to try and skewer her with its appendages.

Jin called out to Rex, signaling him to charge. The two ran in cutting at the lysaat with their swords. Rex’s blade managed to bite into the shell of the lysaat and draw some blood, but Jin’s strike caused the creature to stagger and almost fall on top of Rex. He could see blood pour from the other side of the creature from the wound Jin inflicted as the creature tried to scuttle around and face the man.

Pyra stopped it, dashing in to slam the tonfa she had into the lysaat’s face. The creature screeched, before spewing out a liquid towards Pyra and Perun, their blades throwing up ether shields to protect them from the worst of it. Rex could still see angry burns appear on their skin from where the shields failed to keep the liquid out.

Rex was distracted for a moment as the cries of a few of his fellow salvagers reached him. A quick glance at their direction let him catch sight of Anubis, Ang, Mair, and Nia fighting off a few smaller creatures that must have climbed up the side of the ship. He hesitated, fighting the urge to rush to them when he was suddenly shoved to one side.

The lysaat slammed down where he was a second later, having tried to crush him with its shell. Perun was standing over him in a defensive position as Perceval reached out to help Rex up to his feet. Rex grabbed the outstretched hand, the blade easily hefting him back to his feet as the lysaat’s attention was once again grabbed by Pyra.

“Don’t get distracted,” Perun scolded Rex, “They can handle themselves.”

Rex nodded, readjusting his grip on his sword. “Right.”

Perun nodded, refocusing her attention on the lysaat, Rex following suit.

Pyra had managed to turn the monster away from the others, preventing it from accidentally hitting someone else with the spray attack it had used. Jin was circling it, looking for an angle of attack although he seemed to be having trouble finding one he liked. Rex began circling it himself, moving to the side Jin had attacked earlier.

Rex frowned at the sight of the wound. For all the force the man had put into it, it looked rather superficial from what he could remember from Nia’s lectures. Even the initial torrent of blood had all but stopped. Made sense that a creature this big would be tougher than the average lysaat.

Hard on the top, soft on the bottom…

Rex had an idea.

Getting back around to the rear of the lyasst, Rex sized up the creature. Well, Ang and Nia were nearby so as long as he didn’t get himself killed outright…

Rex let out a cry and charged the lysaat king, jumping up and running along the slightly sloped back. Rex flung himself forward, sword down, driving it deep into the lysaat’s shell. Throwing out his arm with his anchor shot, he launched the grapple and managed to hook it on one of the outer edges of the shell, hopefully sticking himself to the creatures back like a persistent gogol.

The lysaat was quick to begin thrashing about, trying to throw Rex from its back as it shrieked up a storm. Rex heard several people yelling his name but was too busy trying not to be launched across the deck. Finally, the creature reared back to slam down onto Rex and crush him between its shell and the deck.

A deadly hiss of metal cut through the air and the lysaat went rigid.  

The creature went deathly still, before slumping forward onto the deck.

Rex waited a few seconds, just to be certain the creature wasn’t faking, before he pulled his word out of the monster’s back. He slid down the side he’d managed to catch his anchor shot on, and began disentangling it as the salvaging crew around him began talking amongst themselves.

“Amazing…”

“So that’s how Drivers and Blades fight…”

Rex straightened up, turning to where he remembered Jin, Perun, Pyra, and their blades being.

“So ruthless… it’s like they’re monsters themselves.”

Rex spotted Perun, who was frowning at the salvagers around them with Perceval a few steps behind her.

“Nice job, Perun! I’m sure glad you guys are with us.” Rex turned and flashed Perceval with a grin. “You too Perceval.”

The blade gave him an amused look and nodded at him, while Perun gave him a very flat look.

“Did I not say, no unnecessary risks? You’re not going to throw yourself at every monster we encounter in there are you?”

Rex opened his mouth, ready to deny it but was cut off by someone smacking the back of his head.

“Of course he is! I take my eyes off you for five seconds and you’re flinging yourself on top of the largest monster in the area!” Nia growled, beginning a rough inspection of Rex for injuries. “This bloody idiot is always trying to use himself as bait just because he’s not a driver!”

Rex tried to disentangle himself from the irate blade. “It worked, didn’t it? ‘Sides, you’d have been able to patch me up if I get hurt, anyways.”

“So, you’re saying you’re only this stupid when I’m here?”

“No, he’s always that stupid,” Ang said walking over to join them with Mari and Anubis close behind, “He’s just more confident in his stupidity when you’re here.”

Rex groaned as the driver giggled and the blade huffed at him, satisfied he hadn’t broken anything. Perun watched them with a strange expression, but turned as Pyra approached them, followed by Jin and her blade.

“Change of plans,” Pyra said, addressing the assembled drivers, blades, and salvager, “we’re exploring the ship on our own to clear it of monsters so the salvagers can move about safely.” She turned to Anubis and Mari. “You two will stay up here and guard the salvagers from any other monsters that scale the deck.” Pyra held up a hand as both Mari and Anubis tried to protest. “This is not up for discussion.”

Anubis growled, looking between Mari and Pyra. Mari looked at Rex, Ang, and Nia before turning back to Pyra. She opened her mouth only for Pyra to cut her off.

“They’ll be fine. You have my word that I will do everything I can to ensure they make it back in one piece.”

Mari closed her mouth with click, only giving her a terse nod before turning and walking away. Anubis growled again but stomped away to stand guard over the salvagers with her fellow blade.

Pyra looked after them sadly for a moment before turning to Rex and the others.

“Let’s not keep them waiting long. I’ll take the lead. Perun, you’ll guard our rear. Stay alert and call out if you see anything.”

Pyra waited for Rex, Ang, and Nia to acknowledge her words before she turned and lead them down into the hold of the ancient ship.

Chapter Text

The ship was cold.

That was the first thing Nia noticed as they made their way into the depths of the Ancient Ship.

Taking a moment to rub her arms to offset the chill, the water blade looked around the entrance they had passed through. A few medooz floated around what looked like an elaborate pillar, or perhaps some sort of relay or something that Rex or Ang would know about. Lights were embedded in the wall, somehow still glowing with a strange light that allowed them to see, even though the ship had spent decades at the bottom of the sea.

The medooz watched them cautiously as they passed, but didn’t seem interested in picking a fight with such a large group. Pyra paid the monsters no mind, striding forward confidently with her blade and Jin following behind her. Rex and Ang were both gaping at the ship, clearly fascinated with salvage possibilities.

Sneaking a glance at Perun and seeing the driver’s patience for her driver and friend’s impromptu inspection already wearing thin, Nia took it upon herself to coral them.

“Hey!” Nia bit her tongue as she caught not only Rex and Ang’s attention but the medooz’ attention as well, making her decide to continue in a quieter tone. “You’ll have time to try and rip the floor panels up later, get moving before Perun drags us along by our ears.”

Ang sighed and gave Nia a short nod while Rex gave her a sheepish grin as he rubbed his neck. Both salvagers then moved after Pyra who seemed to be discussing something with Jin at a set of stairs. Nia stole a quick glance at Perun and Perceval as she followed her friends, and thought she caught a ghost of a smile on the driver’s face but quickly snapped her head back forward as Pyra called for them to keep moving.

It made sense, the air bags would only hold the ship aloft for so long.

Nia certainly wasn’t looking to get trapped at the bottom of the Cloud Sea for a second time.

Descending the stairs, the group arrived at a large room. Here, the ship showed its time in the sea much clearer, as sections of walkways were gone, chunks of the ceiling had fallen in, and pillars had broken away from their foundations.

A krabble postured at them to scare them away, but it was quickly dealt with. Rex and Ang tried a few doors as Pyra and Jin moved ahead to discuss something again, but they were all sealed shut, either by a lack of power or rusting shut due to exposure.

They didn’t linger long before Pyra was leading them forward once again, down another set of stairs and into what Nia would hazard was the ship’s hold. Crates were scattered around the grated floor, some still arranged semi-neatly all things considered. Nia could see more crates on the floor below, perhaps another hold.

Medooz floated about in the air, drifting away when the drivers, blades, and salvager got close. Krabble scuttled between the crates, a few challenging them if they got too close to the cranny they had claimed. Fortunately, simply walking away from the creatures was all that was needed for them to lose interest.

As they rounded one set of crates, they came face to face with a crushtip, which gave a gurgling roar before it charged them. Jin moved to draw his sword, but Pyra held a hand up for him to wait. As the monster got close the grates collapsed from under it, sending it into the hold below.

“I figured that section wouldn’t hold its weight,” Pyra said, walking to the edge of the new hole with Jin and her blade.

Rex, Ang and Nia joined them in looking down on the fallen lobster monster, while Perun continued to stand back to keep an eye out for any monsters that might have decided to follow them. The crushtip had clearly been injured in the fall, most likely from landing awkwardly in the heap of metal that had fallen with it. It limped forward, eyeing the group balefully like they had caused the floor to collapse.

It didn’t focus on them for long as a few lysaats emerged from the surrounding crates, chittering to each other as they surrounded the crushtip. The larger monster tried to scare them away, drawing itself to its full height and letting out a roar, but the lysaats smelled blood. The lysaats began to take turns, darting in to nip at the crushtip only to scuttle backwards quickly when the lobster-like monster swung around to try and catch them.

“We should be moving,” Jin said, causing everyone to look away from the fight.

“Right, sorry,” Pyra said shaking her head, “I… just felt bad for it.”

Nia saw where Pyra was coming from but couldn’t help but shrug. “If it hadn’t fallen there, we would have had to kill it anyways.”

Pyra looked at Nia, a strange sadness in her eyes before she turned back to the monster. “I guess there’s just no changing some fates.”

Nia looked at Ang, who just shrugged at the driver’s words. “Right, well, how are we getting across?”

“I believe I can be of assistance.”

Nia jumped at the sound of Perceval’s voice, biting back a curse.

Pyra gave the blade a small smile. “Thank you, Perceval. I believe Sever and I should be the first across.”

Perceval nodded, lifting Pyra into a simple carry as Sever walked up beside him. The two exchanged a simple nod with each other before they both took a running start towards the hole. Perceval lept into the air while Sever jumped and seemed to glide across the air. Nia could feel the ether the monstrous blade was using to perform the feat, a much weaker version of Clio’s flight.

Both blades touched the ground at roughly the same time. Perceval set Pyra back on her feet before jumping back across. He looked between Rex and Ang for a moment before moving towards Nia’s driver.

Nia opened her mouth to ask why he wasn’t taking Jin across first when she noticed that somehow the swordsman had made it across on his own.

“If I may?”

Once again Perceval’s voice caused Nia to jump, as her driver gave a small nod as the shadow blade lifted her into the same carry he had used on Pyra. Not wanting to be separated from her driver, Nia hurried over to the edge next to Perceval. She resisted the urge to look over it to see how the fight was going, although from the sounds of it the lysaats were getting bolder.

“Do you need any assistance?” Perceval asked, “I am sure I could carry you both.”

“Nah,” Nia said, “I’ve jumped further distances when climbing up the Grand Arbors on Gormott.”

Perceval nodded, but still gave a short countdown so they could time their jump together. Once they had landed, Nia was quick to move to Ang’s side as the shadow blade jumped back. Nia frowned as she realized that it would be hard for them to get back without Perceval’s and Sever’s help and instinctively moved even closer to Ang.

As the shadow blade moved towards Rex, the salvager waved the blade off, moving towards the edge while rolling his shoulder.

“Let me show you how a salvager gets across a gap,” Rex said, lining up his anchorshot.

Nia was about to scold him for being reckless, a task that Perun looked ready to join in as the driver had turned from her guard position and started towards Rex when Pyra spoke up.

“That pipe looks strong enough to hold your weight Rex, go for it. Perceval, grab Perun and let’s keep moving.”

Rex grinned at Pyra’s words, while Perceval swept Perun into his arms despite her dour expression. The shadow blade gave another countdown before he lept back across with Rex swinging alongside him. Nia couldn’t help but note that despite Pyra’s encouragement, Sever still increased the flow of ether to keep Rex from falling.

Now that they were across the gap, Pyra was quick to usher them forward once again. Reaching another set of stairs, Pyra and Jin had another short conversation before leading them down the stairs into the lower hold. Once they were in the hold, they were once again treated to the sight of the crushtip fighting off against the swarm of lysaats.

The fight was nearing its end, the crushtip struggling to stand as the lysaats were working themselves into a frenzy. Pyra had the group hug the edge furthest from the conflict, a strategy that let them pass the fight without incident.

They stopped before two large doors, Pyra walking forward to look at them with a frown on her face. She ran a hand along the surface of the door, before stepping back with her arms crossed in thought.

“Its rusted shut,” she said after a moment, “and I’m certain what we’re looking for is through here. Do you know a way around Jin?”

The swordsman simply shook his head, prompting the driver to look back at the door in thought.

“We could try prying them open,” Rex said, walking up alongside Pyra, “Think I see a bit at the bottom where we might be able to slip a pry bar in.” Pyra followed Rex’s gaze, her expression becoming more pensive as he continued. “Didn’t really think to grab a bar what with all the excitement up top though, I could run back and-.”

“It would make the most sense to send Perceval back to grab one,” Pyra said, cutting Rex off as she walked toward the door, “but I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Sliding Sever’s sword tonfa from its place on her side Pyra kneeled down and jammed the blade into the space at the bottom of the door, with a loud shriek of metal. Nia’s ears drew back reflexively at the sound, and she couldn’t help but turn and look behind them towards the lysaats and crushtip, whose fight had gone silent sometime during Rex’s Pyra’s inspection of the door.

As more groans of metal grated against her sensitive ears, Nia concluded that the lysaat were now too busy eating or squabbling amongst themselves over the crushtip to care about the loud noise Pyra was making.

Nia blinked, before turning back to look at the driver.

The woman was indeed prying the doors open herself, which had Nia’s jaw drop. She couldn’t even feel Sever channeling any ether to his driver.

Wait, there was something else… a sound Nia could just distinguish over the sound of the door being reshaped.

Something running towards them.

“Pyra, get back!”

Pyra swiftly dislodged Sever’s tonfa from the door and lept back, just as something slammed into the door with a loud clang, deforming them outwards. A shell poked through the gap Pyra had made, before the creature retreated.

“Thanks Nia,” Pyra called out to the blade, giving her a warm smile. “Everyone, get ready!”

Nia didn’t have to be told twice, pouring ether into the bond she shared with Ang as her driver drew their scimitar. The rest of the group followed suit, all taking a ready position to the sides of the door as Nia heard the creature begin another charge.

The creature slammed into the doors again, bending one almost in two while causing the other to fly off its support, forcing Perun, Perceval, and Jin to dodge out of the way as it smashed across the floor of the hold. A large pagul shook itself off as it recovered from the impact, its massive hornlike shell bobbing as it took stock of its surroundings.

The creature caught sight of Ang and Nia and immediately let out a gurgling roar as it charged at them. The pair immediately jumped to one side, letting the pagul slam into the side of the ship. The creature scuttled around, trying to get sight of them again as Pyra stepped in and hooked her tonfa over the horn, pulling hard as Sever slammed into the other side of the creature to flip it on its side.

The creature let out an angry gurgle as it thrashed about, trying to gore Pyra or regain its footing as the blade and driver stepped back.

“Jin, Perun! Follow up!” Pyra called out.

The swordsman appeared next to the toppled crustacean, his blade appearing to teleport from his side, to above his head as the pagul was launched towards the walkway above them. Perun took a running start, Perceval pumping ether into her to give a boost as she lept into the air and brought her chrome katana slamming down onto the pagul, causing the creature to crash back into the deck below.

Its shell exploded, Nia barely managing to throw up an ether barrier to prevent herself and Ang from being cut by the flying shards. A quick glance let Nia know the rest of the creature had not fared much better than the shell, and both she and Ang moved away exchanging looks of mild disgust. She heard Rex begin to say something, but the salvager was cut off by Perun chastising him about letting his guard down.

Jin moved in to look over the pagul himself as Pyra walked away from the splattered monster, inspecting the now very open door. She paused for a moment giving Nia a calculated look before shaking her head and stepping through the doorway with Sever, assuming a defensive stance as they both looked around.

It wasn’t long before Pyra’s stance relaxed and she turned and motioned them forward, the group falling back into their marching order.

Skirting some lysaats in the loading bay the pagul had emerged from, the group soon found themselves in a control room. A single control panel sat in the center of the room with a line of engines in the wall behind it. The panel faced a large door that Pyra seemed certain was their way forward. Unlike the door to the loading bay, this one was in almost pristine condition and neither Pyra nor Rex could find a way to pry it open, nor could any reaction be gotten from the console.

It was at this point that Ang had started to feel lightheaded.

It was nothing that hadn’t happened before. Even after all the effort Nia put in, Ang’s body was still trying to improve from years of being ether deprived after all. Nothing a lie down wouldn’t fix. Or, when they were out in the field like now, some healing from Nia.

Ang looked towards her blade and couldn’t help but smile as she spotted Nia already scouting out a place to have her sit down.

It made her think of… her old home.

Her father and the previous Nia.

“You get a chance to look at those engines Ang?”

The Gormotti jumped at the sound of her friend’s voice turning to swat at Rex who gave a lighthearted protest.  

“Of course I haven’t. Nanny dearest is keeping us on a short leash remember?”

“I heard that!” Nia snapped from across the room, still looking for a good spot for Ang to rest.

“Well, looks like we might have some time now,” Rex said, walking close enough that Ang could latch onto his shoulder for support as they walked to the wall, “Pyra and Jin are trying to brainstorm another way for us to get in, and its looking like it might take them a bit.”

“It’s sealed up that tight?” Ang asked, letting Rex drag her along.

“Yep. Might have to send Perun and Perceval back topside for some breaching charges.”

Ang frowned at that. “That’d take an awfully long time.”

“We’ve cut things close before,” Rex said with a shrug.

Ang rolled her eyes, but she had a small smile on her face. “Ever the optimist.”

“That’s cause I’ve got you for the pessimism,” Rex said, with a laugh.

“Oi!” Ang said swatting the back of Rex’s head, although she joined him in laughing after a moment.

“Is it just me,” Nia asked, walking over to Rex and Ang, “Or did whoever design this damn ship decide that no one would ever need to sit down?”

“They probably used chairs,” Ang said, Rex leaning in to inspect the engines on the wall while she kept eye contact with Nia, “And the monsters have grabbed them all for nesting material.”

“Every single chair in the place?” Nia said, an eyebrow raised, “That’d be some dedicated monsters.”

“I’ll just sit on the ground while you work,” Ang said, beginning to lower herself down, “we’ve done it before.”

“Ugh,” Nia said, looking at the ground and pulling a face, “It’s all slimy though.”

“And the chairs wouldn’t be?”

Nia gave her a look. “It’s different. Look, they’ve got to go get breaching charges, don’t they? Just give me a little more time to find something.”

“We might be able to get one of these loading things open for Ang to sit on,” Rex said, pointing to the line of engines. “Looks like they might slide out to take fuel in.”

Nia looked at the engines before walking to the opposite side of Ang from Rex. Ang transferred her weight from her fellow salvager to her blade, letting Rex move over to the engines and prod at a few buttons. While the first few engines remained firmly closed, Rex was able to get one to open up, a repository system extending out from the engine that Ang was able to hop up on to sit.

“Well would you look at that,” Pyra said, approaching the group wit Jin, Perun, and their blades in tow. “Do you think any of the ether rods could still be charged after all this time Jin?”

“I didn’t see any in the second cylinder bank,” the swordsman said, turning to look towards the opposite side of the ship, “but there may be some in the first.”

“We might as well check it out,” Pyra said, watching Nia as she began to work on Ang. “She didn’t get hurt in one of our previous fights, did she?”

Ang shook her head. “I just got tired at times. Just a lingering bit of a condition that Nia’s been helping me with.”

Pyra frowned, but didn’t push for any further details. “Alright. Perun, keep watch over them while Nia works. Rex, come with us to check out the other cylinder bank.”

Nia paused in her work, turning to say something to Pyra but the woman cut the blade off.

“Rex has proven himself to have a knack for getting this ship to respond to him. We might need him to open something up for us.”

Ang could feel her blade’s uneasiness through their ether bond, but Nia simply went back to working on her with a few curse words muttered under her breath. Ang patted her shoulder in the hopes of calming her down, but her blade only gave her a look that told her to sit still.

“Don’t worry,” Rex said, grinning like an idiot like usual, “we’ll be back before you know it!”

Ang simply nodded, keeping an eye on the group as they ascended the ramp. After they were out of sight, Ang turned her focus to Perceval and Perun. The shadow blade was keeping an eye on their surroundings, politely giving Nia and Ang space as he did so. Perun on the other hand was watching her and Nia intently.

Something that made Ang feel…

Uncomfortable.

Ang couldn’t remember the last time she had felt self-conscious about her health or being seen receiving treatment. It wasn’t something she had ever bothered to hide so everyone she encountered tended to know.

But… they hadn’t mentioned anything about it before to their employers, had they?

“It’s nothing dangerous,” Ang said, causing Perun to jump slightly at the sudden break in silence.

To Ang’s surprise, Perun didn’t immediately snap back with questions about her condition. In fact, she seemed almost flustered, looking back towards Perceval as if she was hoping he would answer Ang for her. Perceval showed no sign of acknowledging Ang had even spoken, perhaps too focused on his watch or deciding that this was a conversation Perun had gotten herself into. Either way he was leaving Perun on her own to respond to Ang.

“If you were to become fatigued during combat,” Perun began, trying to resume her harder persona.

“I’d fall back and let Nia take over while I caught my breath or found a safe spot to hide,” Ang said, putting a hand on Nia’s shoulder to get her blade’s attention so she could give her a smile.

Nia gave her a stern look but after a roll of her eyes said, “Aye, nothing we haven’t done before. At least this time I won’t just have Rex backing me up in keeping this one safe.”

Perun frowned. “Do Anubis and Mari not help you when such this happens?”

Nia froze, and Ang thanked the small amount of training she had for high society that allowed her to keep her features schooled. Anubis and Mari were supposed to be her blades after all. It probably wouldn’t hurt to tell Perun they weren’t but…

“They’re not all that interested in salvaging which is the majority of what Rex and I do.” Ang gave Nia a subtle nudge with her leg which managed to get her blade working again. “I couldn’t bring myself to try and force them to join us, so they go and find their own work to do.”

Perun seemed surprised by her words, and a tilt of Perceval’s head betrayed that he was indeed listening in to the conversation.

“That is, something I have not seen often.” Perun looked over to Nia. “Most countries would frown upon the idea of a blade leaving their master’s side.”

Ang shrugged. “I was raised with Nia acting as my-.”

Ang hesitated, looking towards Nia to let her decide the next word.

Nia did not hesitate.

“Sister.”

Ang smiled. “-sister. And Rex is well, Rex. It just made sense to us that blades should be afforded the same choices as us.”

“I… see.” Perun looked towards Perceval, before looking back towards Ang with a soft smile.

“We’re back! Miss us?”

Rex strode over to the group, his hands laced behind his head with Pyra and Jin following close behind.

“How’d he hurt himself?” Nia asked, not even looking over to him.

Before Rex could argue, Pyra chimed in. “He tried to show off fighting a crushtip and it managed to scratch him.”

Ang giggled as Nia let out an annoyed sigh as Rex let one of his arms fall to his side as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“At least tell me you found something to get those doors open,” Nia said, as she signaled to Ang she was good to stand before turning to Rex with her arms crossed.

Rex brightened at that, turning around and retrieving some kind of rod from his salvager pack.

“We sure did,” he said, striding towards the fuel depository.

Nia snatched the rod out of his hand as he got close, slapping the back of his head at the same time. The fuel rod was passed to Ang who took it without comment as Nia silenced Rex with an unamused glare as she waited before him with crossed arms.

Having seen Nia heal Rex more times than she cared to count, Ang turned to the repository and slipped the rod into one of the empty slots. Taking a second to find the control to close the repository back up, she couldn’t help but be amazed at how smoothly the machinery ran as it closed.

“Whoever made this place knew what they were doing,” she said to herself wishing they had some time for her and rex to pry one of the engines apart.

“That did it,” Pyra called out, having moved over to the console.

Jin walked over to the console and after looking at the buttons for a moment, pressed one. There was the quiet sound of power being rerouted before the door lit up with a soft blue light. Pyra once again took the lead, motioning for the others to follow as she approached the door. Once she was close, the door opened automatically, again causing Ang to marvel at the quality of the ship’s engineering.

Past the door was a large empty room whose purpose Ang wasn’t sure of, with the standout feature being a massive door at the opposite end. Not that she spent long thinking about it as the sole inhabitant was slowly rising to its feet and turning to face them. It was a large aligo, its shark-like head swinging round to face them as it. It roared upon seeing them, although it didn’t charge immediately, instead pawing at the floor of the ship with its massive hand-like feet.

Pyra sighed. “It’s not going to let us past. That’s a shame.” She looked around the room for a moment. “Perun, Rex, Ang. You three focus on the aligo.” Ang exchanged a look of surprise with Rex and Nia, and out of the corner of her eye she was sure she caught Perun looking to Pyra with a frown although the driver said nothing. “I’ll act as rear guard. Jin, assist them if they need help but don’t overexert yourself now.”

The swordsman nodded, stepping away from the monster to the side of the room although he kept a hand on his sword. Pyra stepped back towards the door, although only Sever turned away from the upcoming battle to watch for enemies.

“I’ll keep its attention,” Perun said, striding forward as her bond with Perceval flared to life. “Rex, try and get behind it.”

“On it!” Rex said, moving wide as the aligo began growling and pawing at the floor more.

“Ang, Nia, on the side between us. Be prepared to get back if I lose its attention.”

Ang nodded, feeling the bond she had with Nia surge as Nia sent ether to her through it.

The aligo let out another roar, done with trying to scare them off as it turned to Rex, who was the furthest into the room, tensing its limbs as it prepared to launch itself at him. Perun dashed forward, slamming the sheath of her katana onto the creature’s nose causing it to stumble backwards, stunned from the impact.

Rex, Ang, and Nia rushed to their places as Perun slashed a few more times at the creature before it recovered enough to lash out at her with its jaws. The driver danced backwards, and was forced to do, so again as the aligo kept gnashing at the air wildly.

Ang approached the side of the beast cautiously, keeping an ear tilted towards Nia in case her blade caught something she didn’t. Rex, on the other hand, charged right in, no doubt confident that Perun would keep the monster’s attention.

The salvager slashed at the aligo’s tail with wild abandon, and after the creature continued focusing on Perun, who kept smacking its nose with the sheath of her katana, Ang joined him in the attack. She opted to try and disable the leg and began slashing where she remembered key muscles being during Nia’s explanations when she had been trying to learn more about healing. Not that Nia had taught her about aligo anatomy, but Ang was sure the basic placement of muscles was roughly similar.

Another roar from the aligo managed to stagger the group before it lept into the air. It flipped over as it tried to crush Perun under its back. The woman again managed to dance out of the way, although the gust of air from it landing managed to knock her off balance and sweep Ang and Rex off their feet. Nia managed to stay on hers and was quick to rush over to Ang and offer her a hand in getting up, which the Gormotti took with a small word of thanks. Nia cast a glance in Rex’s direction, but the Leftherian had already scrambled to his feet.

The aligo had rolled back onto its feet as well, growling as it did so. It had managed to turn itself so that it now faced Ang and Nia, and seeing a new target, dug its feet into the metal of the ship and launched itself forward, its jaws opening wide. Ang dove towards one side while Nia lept the other way as the aligo continued to slide past them its jaws snapping uselessly as the two managed to clear its bulk.

The monster only stopped sliding when it crashed into the wall of the ship with a loud bang, stunning it. Ang took a moment to catch her breath as she pushed herself back up to her feet as Nia and the others regrouped around her.

Except for Rex.

“Come on! We got it on the ropes!” The salvager yelled as he charged the monster.

“Rex! Let me get its attention again!” Perun yelled, while Nia called out for Rex to wait as well.

He ignored both to leap onto the aligo’s back and plunge his sword into it several times.

The blows caused the creature to snap out of its daze and roar again, before it began vigorously shaking itself to try and dislodge him. Unlike the lysaat from when they first arrived on the ship, there was nothing for Rex to anchor himself to and the monster was able to throw him from its back. Ang grimaced and began moving towards Rex, Nia running as well and quickly outpacing her.

The aligo turned towards Rex and began to charge towards him when Perceval landed on its head slamming his katana through the top of the aligo’s skull and out the bottom of its jaw. The creature went limp, collapsing into a heap that slid along the ground for a few seconds before coming to a standstill near Rex.

Ang let her pace fall to a more casual walk as Rex pulled himself off the ground to begin boasting about the battle. Something short lived as Nia grabbed him by the ear and began giving him the full rundown of everything he had done wrong. Ang only paid half mind to them as Perun joined Nia in berating Rex, instead turning to look at Pyra and Jin.

The two had moved to the door and were inspecting it. Jin remained unreadable but Pyra seemed almost distressed by the sight of the door.

“It’s his crest,” Ang heard the driver say to the swordsman, “Which means…”

Ang couldn’t contain her curiosity. “What does it mean? And whose crest is it exactly?”

“Rex.” Jin’s voice cut through the air, silencing any further questions from Ang and the ongoing chewing out of Rex. “Open this door.”

“Me?” rex asked, disentangling himself from Perun and Nia.

“This door will only open to one of you people,” Jin said, his arms crossed as he kept his gaze on the door.

“One of me?” Rex asked, his brow furrowing in confusion and annoyance. “What are you talking about?”

“Rex.” Pyra turned to the salvager, a pleasant smile on her face although Ang could see the strain. “Please, just try.”

Rex hesitated, looking between Pyra, Jin and finally Ang before letting out a sigh and giving Pyra a strained smile of his own and turning to the door.

As Rex approached Ang finally took a moment to appreciate the elaborating carvings on the door, most notably what had to be the crest Pyra had been talking about earlier set in the center. It was familiar to Ang; she had seen it sometime ago. Perhaps from one of her classes back when her father was still a noble. Before she could remember properly where she had seen it, Rex had reached out and touched the crest, causing it to light up before the door split apart.

A short corridor was now open, with another door at the end. A soft intake of breath next to Ang let her know that Nia had rejoined her, and that her blade sensed something she couldn’t. Before she could share what had her bothered, Rex stepped forward into the corridor, causing flashes of purple ether to crackle along his feet.

“Of course,” Ang heard Pyra mutter, before Nia started to run after Rex prompting Ang to join her.

“Wait.”

Jin’s voice halted both of them, Rex turning back to look at the swordsman as well.

“There. Open that door too.”

Rex nodded, walking forward and pressing a similar crest button to the first door on the second, causing it to open as well. The room beyond was shrouded in mist, perhaps even some lingering clouds from the sea itself, although that didn’t stop Rex from walking right in.

“Let’s move.”

Ang jumped as Jin spoke again, but Nia was already rushing towards the door. Ang followed her as quickly as she could, with Perun calling out for them to wait for the others before they rushed into another monster.

Ang didn’t slow down, maintaining her pace until she caught up to Nia.

Her blade had stopped at the entrance of a large chamber. It was circular, with a central pillar with a lone walkway stretching out to it centered in what had to be some clouds from the sea. The air was heavy with ether to Ang’s senses, she could only imagine what it was like for Nia. Rex stood on the walkway, staring at something. But much like Nia, something else caught Ang’s eye.  

Embedded within the pillar was a coffin, and within the coffin was a man. He was dressed as though he was a doctor, or lab worker, and had a head of white hair. His face was sharp and angular, and his eyes were closed like he was sleeping.

In his chest was a purple core crystal.

“He really did change.”

Pyra and the others had caught up with them and were also taking in the man in the coffin.

“There’s still no mistaking it.” Jin’s voice had a strain to that someone who hadn’t had training at a young age may have missed. “That’s the Aegis.”

“The Aegis?” Ang said, looking at them incredulously. “The Aegis of a hundred years ago? The one that-?”

Pyra cut her off, speaking with the tone of one who was about to lose a friend.

“Rex.”

The salvager jerked, almost like he had been broken from a trance. There was a sound like a chime being hit, and a release of ether from whatever it was that Rex had been looking at.

“Jin.”

At Pyra’s words Ang suddenly felt a burst of ether and…

Jin was across the room.

His sword stuck through Rex’s back.

“Ang, Nia, listen to me.”

Ang jumped back at Pyra’s voice; glad she had not bothered to put away Nia’s blade since the encounter with the aligo. She could hear Jin speaking but the blood had started to pound in Ang’s ears, the only thing keeping her calm was the bond she still had with Nia, although the blade still seemed shocked by Rex’s…

“Why?” Ang asked, her hand trembling as the sword suddenly felt heavy, “WHY?”

“I’d like to know why as well.”

Perceval had stepped forward, his hand on his katana. Ang was surprised by the blade’s words, and when she snuck a glance towards Perun the driver seemed just as shocked as Nia at what had just happened.

Pyra sighed. “There’s a lot that’s happening right now. A lot that NEEDS to happen-.”

“Like killing Rex?” Ang snapped.

Pyra grimaced. “Yes, but he’ll be fine!”

Pyra’s words snapped Nia out of her shock. “He’ll be fine, alright. I can still heal him.”

The blade began to rush towards Rex, causing Pyra to become panicked. “No, that’s not how this needs to go!”

“Like hell it isn’t!”

Ang’s heart sank as the ether bond with Nia weakened as her blade got further away.

She looked away to call out to her blade. “Nia, wait-!”

Ang felt another surge ether. She could tell Nia sensed it too as she went rigid, but Ang was too busy turning back to Pyra to see if she was coming back.

Pyra had her tonfa raised above her head. Ang barely managed to bring her blade up in time to stop the blow, which drove her to her knees.

But that wasn’t where the ether was coming from.

Pyra’s other hand was coated in flames, and the woman was swinging it towards Ang’s chest. Ang couldn’t block it, dropping the sword would mean letting Pyra drive the tonfa into her skull.

And then an ether barrier shimmered into existence in front of her.

Ang felt herself smile as her sister came to her aid and-

The barrier shattered as Pyra smashed through it.

Chapter Text

A bell tolled.

Birds sang.

And Rex pushed himself up with a groan.

It was… hard for him to think. He couldn’t remember what he’d been doing.

Rex was in a field of grass, lined by trees on one side. Right, he must have been visiting Gormott. With Nia and Ang, they’d just been with him he could remember that. Although, something felt off. Had they … been on a mission so Ang and Nia could practice? No that… didn’t sound right. And with how clearly Rex could see the sky, shouldn’t he be able to see at least one Grand Arbor somewhere?

So, if he wasn’t on Gormott then where…

The bell tolled again as Rex turned and saw a hill with a single tree growing atop it. A man in a white coat stood beneath the tree, his hands clasped behind his back. Rex knew he had seen him somewhere before but couldn’t place where. Perhaps an associate of Cal’s? Had Cal ever had anyone else on the ship at the same time as them?

Not sure what else to do, Rex began to walk towards the hill.

The sun was pleasant, and a gentle breeze blew across the field. The air was… different. Rex wasn’t sure how to describe it. Like it was… lacking something? The bell continued to toll as Rex walked, a mournful sound contrasted by the songs of the birds.

Rex slowed as he neared the top of the hill, taking a moment to look over the man.

He was tall, with messy white hair. The coat was accented with silver streaks that looked like a type of armor and had a few spots that glowed dull purple. From where the coat fluttered in the breeze, Rex could see a pair of steel-toed boots and leather pants that looked to be reinforced with similar silver and purple details.

Rex had almost found his voice when the man turned and looked at Rex over his shoulders. He regarded Rex cooly with silver eyes.

“A fresh perspective. Just what we need.”

“We?” Rex asked, looking around confused. “And perspective on what? The bell? Are… are we near the Praetorium?”

The man shook his head, motioning Rex to stand beside him. “Not on the bell, it’s simply tolling for the lost, and the Praetorium isn’t close by either.”

Rex began to walk hesitantly towards the man. “Well, where are we then? And who exactly is we? And who was lost…?”

“A curious mind, I can appreciate that.” The man turned back away from Rex, although the salvager had seen a sad smile on his face. “The home of our Father, the cradle of Mankind, our place of ‘birth’…”

Rex reached the crest of the hill and stood next to the man. As far as Rex could see, there were hills and mountains. In the distance there was a town with a large chapel which had to be the origin of bell. A lake stood between the hill he and the man stood on and the town. The landscape held an eerie beauty that left Rex speechless.

“This, is Elysium.”

“Get out! R-really?”

The man hummed to himself, letting Rex take in the view for a few seconds more before answering. “Well, not really, unfortunately. This,” the man swept an arm in front of himself, “is just a memory. As for your second question…”

The man turned towards Rex, allowing him to finally see, situated at the center of his armored vest a purple core crystal.

“You’re a…”

“A blade? Yeah, but more than that. I am one of the Aegises.” The man paused to rub at his chin in thought. “I believe an appropriate name would be… Glacios.”

“Glacios-? OH!” Rex felt like kicking himself. “Right, my name is-.”

“Rex.” Glacios cut him off. “I picked up on that when you bonded with my sword.”

Rex took a step back in confusion. “I… bonded with you? I… sorry I can’t… seem to remember how I got here.”

Glacios gave him a sad smirk. “You died. Killed, specifically. Stabbed through the heart by Jin. That’s how.”

Rex froze, the memories flowing back to him. The feeling of the blade in his back, Jin’s whispered words on the act being a mercy. A wave of nausea washed threw Rex, causing him to almost throw up, although he was barely able to hold it back.

“I remember now!” Rex still hunched over, felt himself trembling, be it in rage or shock he couldn’t tell. “That bastard stabbed me!”

Glacios said nothing, observing Rex with a curious expression as the salvager suddenly snapped up straight.

“Oh man! This is bad!” Rex wheeled about wildly as he spoke. “Nia, Ang, they were right there! And the Guild! Anubis and Mari will be outnumbered! They’re all in danger”

He began to sprint down the hill, before falling to his knees in a slide as reality surged to the front of his mind again. “No, wait! I can’t do anything if I’m dead!”

“Yeah, that does tend to make things difficult,” Glacios said, following Rex at a more sedate pace.

Rex didn’t even notice the blade speaking, busy beating the ground in a rage. “Titan’s foot, if I wasn’t dead I’d kick that guy’s arse!”

“I believe I could help with that.”

Rex whirled around scrabbling to his feet at Glacios’s words. “You could? For real?”

“I have a request in exchange for my help though.”

“Yes! Whatever it is, I’ll do it!”

Glacios frowned at his words. “So much for a curious mind,” the blade muttered to himself before raising his voice to address Rex directly. “I wish to return to the real Elysium, not just this memory we currently inhabit.” The blade waved a hand around the field they stood in. “I need to get to the real Elysium, the one in Alrest atop the World Tree.”

Rex didn’t hesitate. “Done! Now how do we get back?”

Glacios clasped his hands behind his back once again. “I’ll make you my driver, and by doing so I can share my life force with you to get you back on your feet.”

Rex finally paused to consider what was being said, memories of Ang sharing some of her knowledge of history bubbling across his mind. “Hang on, that’ll make me a Driver of the Aegis right?”

Glacios smiled. “Wielder of power that could rend Titan’s in half. Yes, it would.” Glacios watched as doubt overcame Rex’s face. “What will you do?”

Glacios couldn’t help the look of surprise that briefly crossed his face when Rex didn’t immediately answer, instead taking a moment to look around the field again. He managed to school his features before the salvager looked back at him though.

“This place, is it really your home?”

Glacios nodded.

“And it really exists…?”

Glacios gave a half-smile. “Space to live, resources to share. A way to stave off the slow demise Alrest currently faces. That’s what you’re asking is it not?”

Rex looked towards the ground. “We wouldn’t have to live in fear.” He looked back up to Glacios, determination burning in his eyes. “Then there’s only one choice.” Rex ran up to Glacios. “Let’s go to Elysium, I’ll get you there myself, on my honor as a salvager.”

Glacios nodded. “Then there’s only one thing left to do. To resonate with a blade, a driver must touch their core crystal. If you would Rex.”

Rex blinked, surprised at the request before reaching out towards the man, and placing his fingers on the crystal in his chest. A sudden pulse of ether swept through Rex’s being.  Power he had never experienced before rushed through him, unlike anything else. Not even Nia’s healing. The air itself ran purple with the overwhelming amount of ether released, before Rex’s vision was consumed by black.

Anubis stalked across the deck of the ship.

There had been sporadic attacks by monsters since their employers had led Ang, Nia, and Rex into the ship but nothing on the scale of the initial Lysaat, which meant that Anubis had mostly been able to handle the monsters on her own.

Not that Marianne hadn’t offered to help. Of course, her sister had. But Anubis had assured her she could handle it while Marianne tried to keep track of the exploratory group.

Key word there being ‘tried’ unfortunately.

Without being able to slip any of her knives onto Rex, Nia, or Ang preemptively, Marianne had been forced to try and navigate the blades through the interior of the ship without alerting their employers, something that had proven impossible. Once Marianne had become certain she had lost the group she had offered to help Anubis with defending the ship but again Anubis had refused.

Instead, she had directed Marianne to set up knives around the deck to act as traps in case something big tried to get on the ship to try and dissuade it without having to engage it directly.

And if their employers happened to have done anything bad to their young friends…

No, they would bring them back.

Perceval and by extension Perun seemed to have some code of honor they tried to live by and Pyra seemed to have some sort of interest in Rex so Anubis doubted she would try and harm him.

Yes, the traps were just for the monsters.

When Anubis’s path brought her close to her sister blade Anubis couldn’t help but ask, “Marianne, heard from Cliodhna and Azurda at all?”

Marianne paused in drumming her fingers against her leg, turning to Anubis with an unhappy look.  “No, my ability to establish any connections is shot out here. Something about the ether in the air is causing it to just all be static.”

Anubis frowned at that letting out a selection of her favorite curses from across Alrest.

The nopon had a few choice ones that felt great although Anubis had yet to find another language they translated well into.

“Maybe all got hurt? We go check on them? Salvagers are big strong men and nopon, they watch after selves, yes?”

Marianne let out a bemused huff. “Mhm. Sure, the only reason you got that last aligo was because they were just tripping over each other to get at it.”

Anubis growled to herself, fighting the urge to bang her fan axe on the ground. “I get, I get.”

Marianne looked at the bow of the ship, beginning to drum her fingers against her leg again as she did so. “They haven’t been gone that long. And while the job itself is a bit suspicious, our employers haven’t really done anything yet to suggest they mean to harm anyone.

Anubis growled again but couldn’t really argue with Marianne’s words.

“Mhm. You could always try saying some prayers if you’re that worried. Not like we can do much else.”

Anubis snorted, taking a few steps to begin patrolling again. She paused, hesitating. Indoline was such an interesting language…

Her sister knew her well.

Anubis began muttering the first prayer she could think of when she started walking again. No time to try and think of one specific to the situation, she began giving thanks for bread.

Perhaps it counted as asking the Architect for protection for Ang.

As Anubis patrolled, something began to strike her as wrong.

According to Spraine, the deterrents on the Maelstrom should be driving less monsters away over time as they became acclimated to the ship’s presence. It made sense to Anubis. Monsters either becoming used to the sound or getting so pissed they wanted to smash the sound. Both would end up with more monsters coming to investigate why there was something big floating this far out in the Sea.

And yet…

Where there had been a monster every few minutes by Anubis’s guess suddenly there was none.

Anubis had spent enough time in the wilderness to know that when everything went quiet it was because there was something you didn’t want to notice you. For as strong as she was, Anubis had spent a few hours hiding up a tree or cowering in a hole as she waited for a pack of particularly nasty monsters, or in some cases one very large monster, to lose interest and seek easier prey.

It was a feeling you didn’t forget easily.

And with how her skin crawled…

Anubis paused in her patrol to take stock of her surroundings.

The rain was making things more difficult than normal. It wasn’t at a point to be blinding but it made the deck much slicker than normal circumstances. It had to be daytime though as even with the cloud cover there was still light enough to see.

Marianne was standing towards the center of the ship, Anubis had paused closer to the bow; and was keeping a steady eye on the entrance to the interior. She had the heels of her shoes jammed into the ship, Anubis could tell by the slight lean backwards in her stance and was almost completely still except for the rapid drumming of her fingers against her leg.

Finally, Anubis looked over the salvagers. The men, women, and nopons stood around in various states of readiness. Not all of them had picked up on the tense air, although a few of the older ones, including Spraine looked to be on edge. A few of the younger ones, nowhere near as young as Rex of course, were still even trying to pry off pieces of the ship to try and get some salvaging done while they waited.

Anubis watched them for a moment longer before catching movement at the center of the ship.

Marianne had taken a few steps forward and was looking intently behind Anubis.

And now that she was listening for it, just barely over the storm she could hear footsteps emerging from the interior of the ship.

Anubis turned to face the returning group and didn’t even try to hide her scowl.

Pyra led the group out just like she had led them in, her expression focused. Her blade wasn’t directly behind her, although the swordsman Jin was. No, the blade was carrying something with Perceval, whose face Anubis couldn’t see. Nor could she see Perun’s face as the woman was looking down and away from her companions for some reason.

An obvious reason.

The group was three members short.

The three most important members short.

A brief glance over her shoulder, enough to make eye contact with her sister and for something more than words to be exchanged and then Anubis was stalking towards their negligent employers. She needed to stop them at the right spot, line them up for Marianne to knock down if needed.

Going off Perun’s stance, the need was present.

“Where others?” Anubis demanded, slamming the butt of her polearm into the ground with a loud clang.

The sound of Anubis’s voice and fan axe caused Perun to jump in surprise, a stunned look on her face telling Anubis all she needed. After all, she and Marianne were supposed to be Ang’s blades.

“They’ll be up shortly,” Pyra said, surprising Anubis by then turning to Perun, “See? I told you they would be fine.”

Anubis hesitated for a moment before refocusing on her ire. “Why would they not be fine?”

“They wanted to stop and grab a few things on the way back for salvage.” Pyra let out an exasperated sigh. “Rex managed to talk Ang into it and Nia decided to stay with them, of course.”

Anubis stole another look at Perun, but the woman had turned to talk to her blade in a hushed but frantic tone. “Did he? Then why not leave guard with them?”

Pyra gave Anubis a faint smile. “Give those three some credit. They kept up with us just fine down there, and we cleared out basically everything to make sure we weren’t attacked on the way back since our hands would be full.” She gestured to her blade and Perceval.

Anubis scowled, holding Pyra’s gaze. The woman’s story made sense. Rex would definitely want to grab a few things to sell off, and Ang would probably resist at first but agree to it quickly, especially considering the reason Rex agreed to this job was for money. And of course, Nia would stay with her driver and Rex.

Even the group split made sense to ensure that whatever Perceval and Sever were carrying was protected in case of attack while the three did their own side job. 

Anubis growled, turning to stalk back towards Marianne. Attacking their employers for not guarding their hired help when that help was doing things they were not hired to do was a risky move. Anubis wasn’t looking to cost Rex, Ang, Nia, or the good folks of Fonsett a hundred thousand gold after all. And this was a job from Bana, so mark down being banned from Argentum on top of that.

Anubis was halfway to Marianne when her sister called out.

“Hostiles!”

Anubis reacted immediately, spinning around as a surge of electricity crackled through the air as Marianne activated her trap. A slight disturbance in the air, years of experience, and no small amount of sheer luck had Anubis bring her fan axe up in the right place to catch the blow that had been aimed at her back.

The weight and speed of the blow caused her to slide backwards across the slick deck. She sunk her claws and after a second the blade of her axe into the deck in order to not be sent across the length of the ship, managing to stop slightly past Marianne.

“Rex and Ang not salvage ship?” Anubis managed to grit out, flexing her feet to alleviate some of the friction burn.

“No… and going off what Perun and Perceval were whispering about our employers did something they’ll be mad about.” Blades appeared around Marianne floating about her and giving the air a taste of tin. “They wanted to make sure we weren’t going to be a problem as they talked things over, perhaps even use us to get them in a talking mood.”

Anubis looked at her fan axe, twisted and barely holding together from the blow she had blocked. It hadn’t been aimed at her core crystal, so she would have survived… but she wouldn’t have been doing anything until Nia had shown up.

“They not play, we can not either.”

She tossed the weapon away, letting it dissolve as she reformed it in her other hand. A glance towards their former employers caused Anubis to grimace. It looked as though all of them had managed to dodge the trap, except for Sever who had likely prioritized whatever he and Perceval had been carrying.

Perceval had grabbed Perun and lept away, while Pyra had managed to jump clear of the field, and had moved to check on Sever although the blade was already hauling himself to his feet and waving her off. Jin had to have been the one to send Anubis skidding across the deck but he had turned back to check on his allies.

Movement from the corner of her eyes caused Anubis to remember that they were not alone on the deck. Some of the smarter salvagers had already begun to clear out, but a few of the younger ones were standing about frozen in fear. Fortunately, it looked like Spraine was already working on getting them moving so there wasn’t any need for Marianne or Anubis to get distracted with crowd control.

Anubis turned her attention back to their employers.

Pyra, Sever, and Jin were approaching her and Marianne, while Perun and Perceval stood near the object that they had come here to retrieve. That meant whatever it was it was more important to make sure it remained safe instead of trying to overwhelm them with numbers.

The throbbing in her feet and hands warned Anubis that they still might overpower them.

And she had been fighting monsters constantly, so she was running low on ether reserves, and they didn’t have Calan to…

A chill ran down Anubis’ spine.

“I think we out of depth.”

Marianne did not answer, and Anubis didn’t dare look at her. Pyra, Jin, and Sever were closing in on them.

“I think they knew we not Angharad’s blades.”

“So, what’s our strategy then?”

Anubis grimaced. The three who went in weren’t the only people to protect. “Buy time, as long as possible. But ready to run.”

 Anubis stepped forward, tapping into her ether, as Marianne stepped behind her for cover. Pyra rushed ahead of Jin to meet Anubis, lashing out at the blade with the tonfa. Anubis blocked, and held tight as Pyra hooked the blade around the haft of her axe and tried to rip it from her hands.

The force was enough to throw Anubis off balance, but she managed to hold firm to her weapon. A flash of movement passed her head and Pyra was leaping back as Sever erected a barrier to deflect the blades Marianne had launched at his driver.

A disturbance in the ether alerted Anubis to Jin making his move. The move was fast and aimed at Marianne, and if Anubis had needed to run the distance she would not have been able to make it.

But she didn’t have to run.

Stepping through a gate, Anubis lept out the other side in time to catch Jin’s blade again. The force again sent her sliding across the deck, but being prepared for the weight of the attack let Anubis stop herself before she crashed into Marianne, who then tapped into her own ether to put space between her and the other combatants.

Anubis shook herself, before the sound of running on the deck alerted her to Pyra attacking again. Anubis kept her eyes on Jin, trusting her ears to tell her when to dodge. The man stood stoically, but Anubis got the suspicion that he was winded. Perhaps he couldn’t use that kind of power consistently.

Anubis’s ears twitched as she caught the sound of movement.

She slipped sideways into another gate, dodging Pyra’s blow, before stepping forward. The exit put her in range to swing at Pyra with her axe. Another barrier from Sever deflected the blow, but the barrier flickered almost letting Anubis nick the driver.

It looked like the trap had taken its toll on Sever even though he didn’t want to admit it to his driver.

Marianne had switched to launching blades at Jin, forcing the swordsman to deflect or dodge them to keep him busy. It may have been preventing him from building up enough power to launch another blitz attack, but the swordsman was still moving towards Marianne in a steady stride.

Anubis jumped back into another gate to dodge Pyra’s next blow, before leaping forward into a new one to lash at Jin’s side and-

The gate split at the middle as she moved towards it, forcing her to duck low and end up skidding along the deck past the man’s feet. The shadow blade conjured a barrier above her, taking Jin’s follow-up blow as she managed to get past him and back on her feet.

Pyra hurried over to Jin’s side with Sever behind her as Anubis retreated to her sister.

 “This not going well,” she grunted out.

They might be able to outlast Jin in a war of attrition, but Pyra and Sever would be able to go longer as a proper driver and blade set.

“Mhm. We calling it? Spraine’s got the salvagers on board, they’re just pausing for us.”

Anubis sucked in a breath of air. “Risky to wait for Azurda and Cliodhna…”

But if they left, they’d be leaving the kids with-

Anubis sensed the change in ether.

Perceval.

Anubis and Marianne had been so focused on the others, it had given the other two ample time to sneak around.

Anubis spun, catching the blow on her axe. She caught a look of sadness on Perun’s face as the woman leveraged her katana and sheath to knock Anubis away from Marianne. The woman lept forward, joined by her blade to push her even further back as Jin rushed for Marianne.

Her sister’s element of electricity allowed her to leap clear, although Jin managed to scatter the knives, she had been keeping close for defense. She lept backwards from Jin, who’d managed to rush behind her-

Straight into Pyra.

The woman’s arm shot out, grabbing the side of Marianne’s head.

Right over her core crystal.

Anubis caught a look of surprise on her sister’s face before a green light obscured it from view.

Anubis’s initial sense of alarm turned to panic as the electric blade’s body began to spasm. She tried to summon a gate to her sister, but Jin once again sliced it apart before she could make use of it, cutting it too small for her to even duck through this time. Perun and Perceval had become distracted by the display, perhaps never seeing whatever it was that Pyra was doing before, so Anubis held out hope she’d make it through.

So, Anubis summoned multiple portals, forcing Jin to move quickly in the hopes he’d tire out and miss one. But the swordsman kept pace, with Anubis feeling her energy ebb instead.

A roar tore through the air.

Pyra lept back dropping Marianne to the deck in a crumpled heap. Jin vanished from Anubis’s side, quickly appearing next to Pyra. The woman waved him off, causing him to vanish and reappear again, this time next to whatever prize they had come to claim.

Anubis tried to find Perceval and Perun, but the driver and blade had vanished from sight. Anubis growled, but didn’t waste the opportunity, summoning a gate directly above herself and beneath Marianne. Her sister fell through it into her arms; Anubis quickly slinging her over her back to have her hands free for her axe again.

She was not the one to do a checkup anyways.

The newcomer stood in the entrance to the ship’s hold. A white tiger in gold armor with blue gems and a pair of twin rings that clicked back onto its shoulders as it began bounding forward. Anubis could see a figure on its back. She opened a gate directly in the tiger’s path letting it leap through to land next to her, and giving her a clear view of his passenger, although her front was buried in his fur as she seemed barely conscious.

“Is Angharad okay?” Anubis asked, keeping an eye on Pyra and Jin after her quick glance.

“My lady suffered a grievous wound,” the tiger spoke with the voice of a dignified gentleman, “Although her former blade was able to mend it at great cost to herself.”

“How great?”

Pyra was approaching them with Sever slightly behind. Jin remained where he was. Both Anubis and her new ally were going to be fighting at a disadvantage after all.

“Her form was on the verge of collapse by the time I awoke and has most likely given way at this point.”

Anubis growled, her grip tightening on her axe as she glared at Pyra. The woman had stopped, frowning at the tiger’s words.

“And Rex?”

“If you are referring to the young salvager, he was dead when I awoke.”

And Anubis felt tired.

Still, she took a step forward flourishing her axe, scowling at her enemy. Pyra assumed a defensive stance as Anubis summoned a gate…

And fell through it with the tiger and their passengers onto the entrance to the Maelstrom’s hold.

“We leave!” Anubis barked at the assembled salvagers. “Now!”

She heard Spraine’s voice bellow out over the assembled group as the men who had been prepared to retract the gangplank immediately sprang into action. Anubis let Marianne slide off her shoulders onto the tiger’s back next to Angharad. If the large cat had been surprised by Anubis’s actions he’d done a fantastic job of not showing it.

“I go, make sure they do not follow,” Anubis pointed towards the bunks, “Take them there, check on them. Do what can.”

The tiger nodded. “I will do my best, Lady Anubis.”

The shadow blade let out a shot bark, muttering the number of the room that had been claimed by Rex and Angharad before slipping through a gate onto the deck of the ship.

The deck was abuzz with noise as the salvagers worked to get the ship up to speed. Anubis walked towards the rail of the ship closest to the ancient vessel, quickly spotting the lone figures on its deck.

Pyra and Jin seemed unconcerned with their escape, the two seeming to discuss something. Anubis scowled at them, muttering every curse she knew across all the languages of Alrest. As she watched, Pyra pointed at the ship as Jin began to walk back towards their prize. There was a flicker on the woman’s hand, causing Anubis to blink, wondering if her eyes had just played a trick on her.

And then a large tongue of fire arced out from the woman and slammed into the side of the ship. An explosion came from below knocking Anubis from her feet as panic sprang up on the deck, although the bellows of Spraine quickly reorganized the group.

Anubis scrabbled up the rail, quickly drawing what reserves of strength she had left in order to defend against any follow up attack Pyra had…

But something was happening on the deck of the ancient ship.

Ice and purple light.

Perhaps her reinforcement had taken the opportunity to damage their former employers’ prize, and it had exploded. She’d have to ask him later. But for now… the ship receded into the horizon as the Maelstrom limped away.

Anubis let out a soft whine as she slumped onto the railing of the ship.

A complete fiasco.

Two dead, two critical, and her barely on her feet, with no way to warn Azurda and Cliodhna.

She would need to tell Calan what happened.

But first things first though Anubis approached Spraine. The man was talking to a few salvagers who ran off as Anubis approached giving her a moment to speak with him.

“What damaged?” she asked, leaning on her axe as the man gave her barely half his attention.

“One of our engines was nailed,” Spraine said, moping a hand across his brow as he muttered some thoughts to himself, “We’ll keep above the clouds but we’ll need to make port to do some of the repairs we need. The closest one should be Gormott.”

The blade nodded, not that the salvager saw it.

“We’ll get there in a few hours, and we should be good enough to make way towards Goldmouth in a few more.”

“We leave on Gormott.”

Spraine paused, turning to look at Anubis. “You sure? Those two looked something awful.”

“Do not trust Bana. Need to get to Calan. Angharad and blade can help Marianne meantime and have friends in Gormott.”

Spraine shrugged. “If you say so.”

Another group of salvagers ran up to Spraine, and Anubis took the chance to slip away. She hesitated near the entrance to the hold.

Perhaps, she should go check on the injured…

No.

Someone should stand guard.

Anubis turned and began to look for a spot out of the way of the salvagers to keep an eye out for monsters or pursuers.

She’d rest when they reached Gormott.  

Chapter Text

Rex could no longer feel Glacios’s core stone.

Rex couldn’t feel anything.

He floated in a void that stretched on to eternity, for a time that felt like it stretched on for that long as well.

And then…

Power.

Light.

Cold.

Darkness.

He was on his feet, and instinctively, Rex reached out a hand and when he closed it, he felt the weight of a sword.

The weight of the ether rippling within it, pouring out of it.

Rex opened his eyes.

Motes of purple light floated through the air and the room was covered in a layer of ice, and structures had formed around the room. The ice structures seemed strange, with dark shapes within them that Rex could not make out.

Not that he had time to gaze at the ice.

The others were in danger.

He needed to move fast.

Rex began walking along the ice, slipping as he did so. He slowed enough to regain his balance, noticing that the ether from the blade was causing even more ice to form. Rex almost groaned in frustration before a vague memory of Ang describing a time when the weather had gotten cold enough in Gormott for ice to form on Coolley Lake.

Rex began to slid his feet across the ice and slowly began to pick up speed. He grinned to himself and took an experimental swing with the sword. Ether poured out, creating a ramp of ice before him.

He could work with this.

The Maelstrom was vanishing into the distance by the time Rex reached the deck of the ship, skating out of the doors he’d entered what felt like a lifetime ago.  

He had died since then…

The deck was almost empty, but several ice structures like the ones he had seen in Glacios’s room had been created on one side. Rex could barely see the blade’s coffin within the structure. Small spikes of ice were stuck in the metal of the ship, patterned in such a way that Rex could only assume it had been an attack.

Pyra, Sever, and Jin were the only people Rex could see on the deck. Their focus was drawn to something above him, giving Rex the element of surprise that he decided to capitalize on by swinging Glacios’s sword with a wordless yell.

A wave of ether tore through the air, creating crystals of ice that were swept up behind it as the deck below was coated in a thin sheet of ice. The attack broke whatever trance had been over Rex’s former employers, with Jin stepping behind Pyra as Sever shielded them all with an ether barrier.

Pyra smiled at the sight of Rex but then frowned her eyes darting about as though she was looking for something.

“That can’t be right…,” she said to herself, “where’s…?”

Rex pointed the sword in his hand at them. “It’s kinda low to stab a man in the back… you bloody psychopath!”

Rex turned to where his opponents had been looking and was unsurprised to spot Glacios standing atop the entrance to the hold, his hands clasped behind his back as he observed the scene calmly.

“Glacios! Cover me!” Rex called out, the blade giving a small nod to show he had heard his driver.

Rex didn’t wait to see what the Aegis did, instead immediately charging the driver and swordsman who stood before him.

Jin moved a hand to his sword, but Pyra stopped the man.

“I got this Jin.” Pyra started to walk forward to meet Rex. “We have someone unaccounted for, find them. Don’t overexert yourself.”

The man nodded, slipping away as Pyra and Rex clashed.

“You’re right Rex, it was low us,” Pyra said, holding Rex in place as he struggled to overpower her while she talked, “but you need to understand-.” Rex changed tactic, wrenching his sword free and kicking off Pyra’s to leap back a short distance. “I’m trying to do what’s best for everyone!”

Rex rolled his eyes as he continued his attack. “Just leave it out!”

Glacios was moving towards Rex, keeping a bit of space between him and his driver so he could properly see any threat that might present itself. The most concerning of which was Jin. The memories Glacios could access of the man had the Aegis weighing whether he should try to directly disable the man when a cry forced his attention elsewhere.

Sever had taken it upon himself to charge Glacios, which Glacios sidestepped, snapping his fingers to summon an ice structure to catch the blade’s arm as Sever swung it in an attack. Sever chuckled, freeing himself from the structure with a violent wrench as he stalked towards Glacios.

“Aegis! Over here!” the blade taunted with a sneer that Glacios met with bored curiosity.

Pyra managed to trap Rex’s blade again and resumed her attempts to talk to the salvager. “How much have you seen of the world, Rex?”

“Plenty!” Rex said, wresting his blade free again, “That’s a great thing about salvaging! You get to travel a lot!”

Pyra parried the next few attacks before she managed to get another word in. “Then you’ve seen what’s happening out there. The Titans dying, the move to war.”

Rex paused in his attacks, his eyes narrowed. “And how does stabbing me in the back help with that exactly?”

Pyra winced at Rex’s words. “It was necessary, Rex. I-.”

Rex didn’t let Pyra continue, launching into another flurry of attacks.

Glacios meanwhile warded off Sever’s attempts to attack him. The wind blade was attempting to channel his element for speed, but the Aegis was able to keep pace, slowly working his way towards their drivers as he did so. Once he decided that he was close enough to Rex, Glacios finally responded to Sever with an attack of his own, driving the monstrous blade back before a snap of his fingers caused a wall of ice to spring up between them.

It wouldn’t delay the blade for long, but it would let him properly link up with Rex.

Rex almost jumped as the bond was established between him and Glacios. It felt like one of those times when some of the younger kids had sneaked up behind him and dumped cold water on him back on Fonsett. His surprise distracted him enough for Pyra to leap forward, aiming to knock the sword from his hand. Glacios stepped between the two, blocking her strike with an ether barrier.

Pyra leaped back, Sever landing next to her as he made it over the wall Glacios had created. An ether bond sprang to life between them as Rex charged in, Glacios following behind at a wider angle.

Rex began to hack away at Pyra, the woman parrying his blows as he pushed her back towards the wall. She tried to trap the sword again, but Rex had got wise to her strategy and made sure the blade swung clear of her once a hit had been blocked.

The next time Pyra leaped back Rex called out to Glacios the Aegis leaping forward as Rex tossed the sword into the air. Two swings sent lines of ether cutting through the air, trailing shards of ice. Pyra managed to block the slashes outright but Sever was forced to throw up another barrier to catch the following hail.

Glacios then charged forward, bringing his sword down on Pyra in an overhead swing that the woman managed to block and finally trap the blade again.

“I don’t think either of us have properly met,” Pyra said, her eyes trained on Glacios with a forlorn              desire.

“Personally, I’d prefer to keep it that way,” Glacios said, making no attempt to hide his dislike of the woman before him.

Glacios wrenched his sword free and leapt back to Rex, quietly passing the blade back as the woman continued to talk.

“Things have changed,” Pyra gestured all around her, “the world as well as us. It needs our help!”

“A burning light to scorch the earth and start over, yes, I’m familiar with Mythra’s thoughts.”

Pyra scowled at Glacios. “I’m not Mythra!”

“And I would prefer to keep it that way.” Glacios jabbed a thumb towards where the Maelstrom had vanished. “I picked up on what you did to that blade, striping her for data to try and patch yourself up.”

“Wait, what blade?” Rex asked, turning to Glacios, although the Aegis did not answer him.

“I’m not trying to bring her back,” Pyra snapped, “I just, needed a way to stop them and…” She turned away from them, looking out over the Cloud Sea.

Glacios let out a short laugh. “You don’t have foresight.”

Pyra did not respond, but her grip on Sever’s tonfa tightened.

“No wonder the kid was giving you such a hard time.”

Rex frowned. “Hey, I’m not a kid. And what blade-?”

Pyra spoke over him. “If I can just get foresight back I can-.”

Glaicos let out a harsh snort. “That is Mythra’s ability. The only way you’re getting that back is if she comes back.”

Pyra turned back to him with a scowl. “You can’t know that. And you can’t expect me to stand around while nothing is done-.”

“I have already made plans to speak with Father.”

Pyra took a few steps towards him. “And we’d be more convincing if we went together-.”

“And how could I trust you to not try and use data from me to patch yourself up?“ Glacios gestured towards Rex and the ship around him. “I’ve already had a chance to see how much your word means.”

Pyra gave the two a frustrated look. “You won’t have a choice.”

Glacios didn’t respond to her beyond simply raising an eyebrow.

“We’re in the middle of uncharted territory. How exactly do you plan to get back to the known Cloud Sea?”

Rex shrugged. “We’d figure something out. How’d you plan to get back?”

Pyra sighed before gesturing off the side of the ship.

Pulling alongside the ancient vessel was the Titanless vessel from Argentum. As it moved, hatches popped along the top of it, allowing devices to slide out which swiftly turned to focus on Rex and Glacios. It didn’t take a genius to guess they were some kind of cannon.

“Oh, right.” Rex rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Kinda forgot about that in all the excitement.”

Pyra let out a short laugh, sheathing her tonfa and gesturing for Sever to stay back. “I may not know exactly why you wish to speak to Father, but I’m certain we both want a solution to the crisis Alrest faces. Work with me. Let us help this world together as Father intended.”

Glacios shook his head. “There are things I need to do and see that I doubt you’d be willing to entertain. My answer is and will remain no.”

Pyra looked to Rex, but the salvager shook his head. “You had me stabbed in the back, I’m not itching to join up with you either.”

Pyra deflated. “I really did want us to work together on this.” She turned and began walking back towards Sever raising her arm as she did so. “Mikhail, tire him out.”

Glacios placed himself between Rex and the ship as the cannons roared to life. A wall of ice was created and quickly blasted to splinters as Glacios resorted to shielding himself and Rex with an ether barrier. The deck of the ship trembled under the force of the shelling, with chips of ether breaking away from the barrier in glittering shards that vanished after a moment. Rex could see the sweat forming on Glacios from the effort of holding the barrier steady.

Fortunately, whoever was controlling the barrage didn’t keep it running for long, probably erring on the side of caution as Pyra wanted them alive.

As the smoke began to clear Rex ran up to Glacios and grabbed his arm. “C’mon! Let’s get close to Pyra!”

Glacios nodded matching Rex’s pace with more sedate strides. “Worth a shot. We’ll at least make her tired as well.”

The two cleared the smoke to see Pyra standing on the other side of the ice wall Glacios had created, a hole melted through it roughly her size. The woman gave them a tired look, raising her communication device to her mouth, no doubt ordering another barrage.

Suddenly the hull of Pyra’s ship lit up as a barrage of fireballs slammed into it. Rex and Glacios skidded to a stop, Glacios stepping in front of Rex with his arm raised, ready to summon another barrier. Pyra seemed stunned by the turn of events with Sever taking up a defensive position near her. Jin had reappeared as well and was standing nearby his ally with a hand on his sword as he scanned the sky.

A shrill bird like sound heralded the appearance of a small dragon Titan flying between the two ships, one that Rex recognized instantly.

“Gramps!” he called out, stepping alongside Glacios as a figure took flight from the Titan’s back.

Cliodhna flew straight to Rex and Glacios, the paint on her skin luminous in the dark and her hood down with her long hair flowing freely behind her caught in the wind she controlled. She gave the Aegis a curious glance before turning to Rex.

Others?  she asked with her hands.

“The Maelstrom is already clear, it’s just us, I think,” Rex answered pausing to glance at Glacios to see if he had anything to add.

“I sensed all the salvagers and your friends leaving,” the Aegis said, “I can’t give you exact details since I was in a box at the time.”

Cliodhna shrugged. Good enough. We hop on next pass.

“Right.” Rex turned to the Aegis. “You able to jump from here to Gramps if he gets low?”

Glacios only gave a terse nod, tracking the Titan as he barraged Pyra and Jin with fire.

“Right, let’s get outta here!”

Rex and Glacios ran towards the edge of the ship, Cliodhna gliding alongside them. Gramps was swinging in low, having finished his strafing run. The scrape of metal rang out as Pyra’s ship ready more weapons, signaling that time was running out.

“Rex!” Gramps called out, slowing his flight as he pulled alongside the ship, “Get on!”

Rex moved to line up his anchor shot, only for Glacios to grab the back of his suit and leap into the air. The winds changed around them as Cliodhna channeled her ether to help boost and guide their path to the Titan, circling around them as she did so. Glacios slammed into the Titan’s back, latching onto the grass that grew there, before bringing his driver closer to the Titan’s back, allowing Rex to grab ahold of the grass as well. Cliodhna touched down after she was certain the other two were secure.

Sensing his passengers were steady, Gramps began to pick up speed again.

“We’re going!” The old Titan called out, “Hold on tight!”

As Gramps cleared the space between the two ships, whatever weapons Pyra’s had been readying finally clicked into place. The ship immediately opened with a steady barrage of fire explosions ripping through the sky around Gramps.

Rex got the sense of large objects hurtling past and was nearly thrown from the Titan’s back as something slammed into his grandfather. A shrill call full of pain accompanied the moment as a few more impacts shook the old man’s body, Glacios grabbing hold of Rex again to ensure the salvager as not thrown from the Titan.

Still, the Titan managed to maintain his speed and altitude, the barrage falling away as they left the range of their enemies.

And Rex slowly passed back to nothing.

As the air calmed down, Glacios dared to look around, grimacing at the sight of several massive harpoons lodged in the Titan’s side.

“He really is a tough old bastard isn’t he,” the Aegis muttered to himself before turning to locate their other helper.

He spotted Cliodhna, who was eyeing the harpoons herself, her expression horrified.

Glacios kept his expression calm as he yelled over the wind. “Think you could give the old man a boost?”

The blade blinked turning to look at him in dismay. “A boost!?”

Glacios fought the urge to clap his hands over his ears, making sure to place a hand on Rex although the driver seemed to be out of it all. Adrenaline crash most likely.

Or perhaps coming back from the dead took more out of you than Glacios had thought.

“His organs have to be scrambled! I try to ‘boost’ him and I’ll probably just make him bleed out faster!”

“Can you keep him in the air until we can get him some proper treatment?” Glacios asked.

 Cliodhna looked over at the harpoons again before nodding. “I’ll try!”

Glacios grimaced as Cliodhna’s voice split the air in song. The sound rattled his teeth although he could feel the healing effect of her ether overtake any damage she was causing. The Aegis placed a hand on Rex to ensure he didn’t get separated from his driver as he offered a word to his Father that she and Azurda would manage to hold it all together until Azurda reached the closest Titan he could land on.

Bana drummed the tips of his wings against his desk.

Pupunin had just given his report on Bana’s latest venture and received a proper dressing down for all his failures.

Torna had failed to properly destroy the ship he had sent, but the damage done sounded like it would be at least a decent payout for insurance. Although he would need to waste most of it repairing the Maelstrom he’d still be able to invest some of it in his other projects so it would work out for him in the long run.

It always did.

And while the smaller nopon had failed to die for Bana properly, he had managed to get Bana some worthwhile information. While the rest of the crew had been busy trying to keep the ship from sinking Pupunin had taken it upon himself to lookout for any pursuit and managed to spot Rex’s little Titan amongst the clouds. Combined with the glance Pupunin had managed to take of the blade inside that coffin…

Bana began to dial up his contacts in Gormott. He’d need to alert the buffoon in charge of the Aegis’s return, as well as have him hamper any attempt by Torna to retrieve it themselves. He could do all that by cashing in some favors and stroking the little runt’s greed alone. Retrieving the Aegis for himself…

A bounty, he would put one out. He’d need to try and mask what it was they would be bringing to him so the stupid thugs didn’t try and keep it for themselves… so the target would need to be the boy.

A shame about Rex. He really had been a promising salvager. But Bana knew when to cut a loss.

Yes.

Bana would turn this into a profitable situation.

He always did.

 “They’re out of range.”

Jin’s voice cut through the air.

A simple fact.

Not that it made Pyra feel any better.

“They just wouldn’t listen.”

Jin said nothing, allowing Pyra to pace in frustration across the deck of the ancient vessel. They were alone, Sever having been dispatched to retrieve the one Jin had left out of sight just within the entrance of the ship. This didn’t bother Pyra. Sever may have been her blade, but it was hard thinking of someone she was more comfortable with than Jin.

“I could have explained it all. Sure, Rex wouldn’t have believed anything I said about foresight but Malos, whatever he wants to call himself now, would have been able to tell him I was speaking the truth if they had just…” Pyra dragged her hand across her face with a groan.

The two stood in silence, staring out after Azurda, Glacios, and Rex. And whoever that had been on Azurda’s back. Pyra would guess another blade sister to the one she had drained.

“Did any of the visions suggest that talking would work?”

Pyra sighed. “You know I wouldn’t keep any from you. We’re almost to the end of what I saw.  But… I… still had to try.”

“Because she wouldn’t.”

Pyra remained silent, before turning back towards the Monoceros. “He’s awake, that’s enough for now.”

Jin said nothing, walking alongside her.

“We can have Akhos track them and if all else fails, we always have a bargaining chip to get them talking.”

“What of Perun and Perceval?”

Pyra shrugged. “They... were not ready for this. For what we have to do. We’ll let them have their space. You know what this world is like. I have no doubt they’ll be back with us eventually. I gave them the perfect excuse to return after all.”

“It was risky to attack the ship with them on it.”

Pyra let out a short laugh as they stepped onto the Tornan vessel.

“Are you that surprised he stopped me?”

Jin was quiet for a few moments.

“I am.”

Chapter One: Rebirths

Chapter Text

Captain Padraig skimmed through the documents in his hands as he walked through the small military installation at Torigoth. He could hear the quiet panting of Sergeant Collun as the man followed behind him at a respectful distance. Not for the first time Padraig tried to picture the man as anything other than a Sergeant and ran against the bounds of human imagination once again.

The man had likely just been given the rank when he signed up after the recruiter had seen the results of his physical, if they had even needed to see the man in motion.

Padraig paused as he reached the end of the information he had asked for and found that he still had more things to read. Skimming the unexpected pages made Padraig wish he had time for a smoke.

“We’re to close the ports as soon as we can get the Maelstrom out of here?”

“Yessir.”

Padraig growled to himself. “The bloody idiot say why at any time?”

“Nosir.”

“Of course he didn’t.” Padraig shoved the rest of the orders back into Collun’s arms. “Hold onto those for me, I’ll read the rest after I get done talking to our witness.”

Collun coughed awkwardly. “One of the orders had to do with what questions you were supposed to ask the witness, sir.”

Padraig growled again, grabbing the papers back from Collun and shoving the documents the Sergeant had gathered for him on their friend from the Maelstrom into the man’s arms instead. Padraig once again began skimming the documents, letting most of the drivel Dughall had scribbled down float past.

The man was so full of himself that Padraig was always baffled by how the city had yet to collapse.

Finally, coming across the relevant paper, Padraig separated it from the other documents before exchanging stacks with Collun again.

They had reached the room they had stashed the blade from the Maelstrom in while they tried to sort out the ship’s unscheduled docking, the soldier standing guard saluting the higher-ranking officers until Padraig dismissed him. The soldier left in a hurry, probably going to gawk at the Maelstrom. Such a massive thing, and in such a damaged state, had already caused a stir amongst the locals, not to mention headaches for the bean counters although Padraig cared less about that.

It wasn’t his job to deal with the bean counters if they got agitated after all.

 As Padraig organized his papers, he couldn’t help but notice Collun shifting his weight nervously. There was a lot to shift after all. Perhaps it was time for some outside perspective, since he’d been so wrapped up in the official side of things.

 “Something on your mind Collun?”

The Sergeant rolled back on his feet, sucking air through his teeth as he did so. The man then tucked the papers he was holding under one arm to take his helmet off to mop at his brow before speaking.

“That was Radiohead on the tiger, Pad.”

Padraig sighed. “I saw her Collun.”

A lot of the career soldiers would know her. She’d practically been made for running a comms station after all. Most of the men who’d been in the war on Gormott ten years ago who’d decided to stay on had spent some amount of time talking to the blade as she set up their calls home when she hadn’t been tagged for some mission or other.

Padraig had been one of them, along with Collun. He’d been a corporal at the time. Collun had been a sergeant.

He’d never seen her in combat but heard she was no slouch even though it was command’s preference to try and keep her back in a support role with her driver being just of age for the army at the time. Word would spread amongst the old heads, and the new heads would get spooked once details came out.

“And Arbor recognized the girl, Pad.”

Arbor was a massive Gormotti man that had somehow managed to work his way into being stationed out in Gormott despite the fact most Gormotti who joined the military were sent to other bases. He was good-natured and got along with people and seemed alright with the way of things if people were being treated well. He was invaluable in getting a feel on the pulse of the community for Padraig.   

“Said she and her partner were local features, even if they spend a lot of time abroad.”

Padraig grimaced. “He sure of that?”

“Sure was, Pad. Even surer that they’ve never taken jobs without each other since they met up.”

“And we had one casualty reported amongst the salvagers.”

Collun’s red face bobbed up and down. “And one blade who didn’t make it off the ship as well.”

“Her blade, of course.” Padraig heaved another sigh as he leaned against the wall. “So, a reason for the men to be unhappy, a reason for the locals to be unhappy, and the short idiot in charge of everyone is going to shut all the ports down, which is going to just make everyone madder.”

“Can’t say they’ll be happy about it Pad.”

Padraig shook his head as he stood up and bounced the papers in his hands to straighten them out. “Architect.”

“Couldn’t say it better myself, Pad.”

Padraig drummed his fingers against the wall. It wasn’t their fault that the salvager and blade had been hurt, but the port closing would be the Ardainian’s fault. And that one would be something the locals could act on, and then the boys would have to respond after getting antsy about Radiohead.

“Sergeant.”

“Yessir.”

“Try and keep that damn salvaging ship in port for as long as you can.”

Collun slipped his helmet back on before giving Padraig a salute. “On it, sir. I’ll toss these in your office.”

Padraig straightened himself as the man jogged off. That would at least buy them some time before the locals got angry with them. Hours at most though. Hopefully the feelings rattled up by the news of the deaths and injuries would subside by the time the ports closed, and it would only be anger at the loss of trade that Padraig would have to deal with.

Padraig pushed the door open and walked into the interrogation room. It lacked windows and was lit by a single light set into the ceiling. After all, it was mostly intended to be used as a storage closet. A small table and a pair of chairs had been set up under the light, and sitting in the chair facing the door was a jackal-headed blade.

Anubis did not look up at Padraig as he entered, focusing on two books in front of her. She held open one, tracking the words within it with a clawed finger as she wrote things down in the other. A drink sat nearby her, likely brought by one of the soldiers trying to be accommodating to their guest.

Padraig slid into the chair across from her, a twitching ear letting him know she was aware of his presence. Padraig took the time to organize himself, arranging the papers he brought along for easy reference and retrieving the small pad of paper and pencil he had stashed on his person earlier for this encounter.

Once he was satisfied with his things, Padraig leaned back into his seat and got comfortable. After all, Anubis had approached the soldiers herself when they rushed to the Maelstrom to figure out what had happened and volunteered to answer their questions so that her friends could go and rest from their ordeal with friends.

Padraig had no doubt that she’d answer any question he asked her as truthfully as possible, when she was ready to do so. Hardened mercenary she may be, she had just lost a few friends. And Padraig knew how it could sting when they were your responsibility, and on the greener side of experience.

Curiosity did get the best of him after a moment.

“So, what’re you doing?”

The blade’s eyes flicked up to him and back to her work. “Translating.”

“Ah.” Padraig looked at the strange markings Anubis had been making that looked nothing like any language Padraig had seen. “To what language?”

“An old one. This is, learning aid. Yes.” Anubis nodded to herself. “Keep language alive.” She paused in her writing for a second before finishing the passage and closing the books to look at Padraig. “Well, keep understandable, hopefully.”

Padraig nodded as the blade stashed the books away. “Well, I take it then that you’re ready to share what happened out there.”

Anubis scowled but nodded.  “Yes. Best to get over with soon. Must get back to Calan. Explain what happened to Marianne.”

Padraig frowned under his helmet, picking up the pencil and letting it hover over his notes. He glanced over at the paper that had the consul’s list of questions on it before shifting it to the bottom of the stack.

He’d ask the questions in the order he wanted to.

“Let’s start there then, what happened to Marianne and your friends?”

Rex opened his eyes.

His head was resting on something cold, and when he shifted, he was greeted by the crunch of snow. He pushed himself up, blinking away the last bits of fatigue from his rest as Glacios kneeled next to him.

“You feeling alright there, kid?” the Aegis asked. “I didn’t see any injuries but I’m not a healing blade.”

“No, I’m fine,” Rex shook himself, “Don’t even feel that sore.”  

Glacios let out a short laugh. “Surprised your ears aren’t ringing.”

Rex gave Glacios a strange look before his memories came rushing back. The salvager quickly lept to his feet, alert and looking around.

He was surrounded by trees, but ones he recognized even with the fog from the sea. After all, Nia had no problem explaining to Rex what made them the best to climb.

“Where’s Gramps? And Cliodhna?!”

Glacios pushed himself up, folding his hands behind his back. “I don’t know. Azurda ended up hitting a rough patch in the storms and I lost my grip.”

“We have to find them!” Rex looked around a bit more, noticing the Cloud Sea lapping at the stony sides of the Titan. “We got to be on the lower level of Gormott, they can’t be far!”

Glacios started in surprise, looking around for a moment before turning to see Rex sprinting away, only slowing to grab his helmet that Glacios had left a little distance away. Glacios quickly joined Rex in his run.

The forest formed a natural path through the twisting trunks and roots of the puzzlewood and Grand Arbor trees. Bioluminescent plants lit the way through the fog, and it was not long before the pair reached a marshland.

Fliers flit through the air, and a few casts of krabbles scuttled along the reeds. In the distance several Garaffa waded through the shallow waters of the marsh grazing on the plants that grew out of the fertile mud. Glaicos was quick to point out a large brog to Rex, which the driver and blade made sure to give a wide berth in their haste. A few territorial lizards hissed and lept at them but a short blast of ice from Glacios was enough to convince the creatures that this was a fight they did not want.

Rounding the trunk of a particularly large Arbor, a massive body came into view.

“Gramps!” Rex yelled, running over to the Titan.

The Titan’s eye slowly opened to gaze upon the salvager. “It is good to see you uninjured, Rex.”

Glacios gazed along the Titan’s body frowning at the sight before giving Rex and his grandfather some space to look for Cliodhna.

Rex began to dig through his things. “Hold on, I should have some herbs…”

“You are kind, but I am beyond the need of human medicine.”

Rex looked at Gramps, crestfallen. “B-but…”

“Weep not, my boy.” The Titan gave the boy a faint smile.

Tears began to well in Rex’s eyes despite Gramps’s words. “I… I can’t help it, can I?”

“He isn’t dying.”

Rex jumped at Glacios’s voice, turning to see the Aegis walking out from behind the Titan. Cliodhna was on Glacios back, her chin resting on his shoulder as she gave Rex a lazy wave. Her hood was still down even if her tattoos no longer glowed, and her hair was floating into Glacios’s face prompting the Aegis to blow it away every so often.

“What?”

Glacios gave the salvager a small smile. “I thought that might be the case when I counted considerably less spears impaled in him,” Glacios bounced Cliodhna higher onto his back, “so I took a moment to find our missing healer.”

We’re just exhausted Rex. Cliodhna signed sloppily.

Rex stared at the two blades for a moment before rounding on Gramps. “Well why didn’t you just say that?!”

“Did I not?” Gramps asked with a raised brow.

“No!”

“I told you I didn’t need any more medicine.”

“You said you were beyond needing medicine!”

The Titan let out a low laugh. “So, you admit I told you.”

Rex groaned. “That’s not what people mean when they say that!”

Cliodhna snapped her fingers to catch Rex’s attention, before signing, It’s cute you care.

Rex groaned, before turning and shooting his grappling hook up on to Gramp’s back. “Right, you two are fine. I’m going to check on my house.”

He’s worried he might have to pay rent while it gets repaired, Cliodhna signed to Glacios and Azurda conspiratorially as Rex let his grapple pull him on top of the Titan’s back.

Azurda laughed again. “Miserboots.”

Rex paused his ascent to roll his eyes before turning back to look at Cliodhna. “I am glad you’re both OK,” Rex looked towards the face of his guardian, “and you really bailed us out by showing up when you did.”

Cliodhna gave a lazy wave while Azurda let out a rumbling hum.

“I do hope this experience has given you a valuable lesson,” the Titan said, tilting his head to follow his ward as Rex began climbing again, “about blindly taking shady jobs.”

Rex grimaced, both at Gramps’s words and the rough shape of his home. He stuck his head into the makeshift shack as he responded.

“I think banging at all these dents will help it settle in.” The inside of the shack was not much better. All his and- “OH!” Rex slapped his forehead, rushing out of the shack. “Nia! Ang! Anubis and Mari! We got to find out where they ended up!”

Glacios stepped forward, bouncing Cliodhna up higher on his back again as the wind blade had begun to nod off. “With the damage done to the engine of the ship your friends escaped on, it is unlikely they chose to bypass Gormott before making repairs.”

Rex smacked his fist into his other hand. “Then they’ll be in Torigoth! Best place to get a ship that big checked out and they’ll probably be stopping by Tora’s to tell him I’m-uh…”

Glacios gave Rex a look that said he had stepped in it as Cliodhna and Gramps both began to scrutinize the salvager.

“What exactly,” Gramps rumbled, a certain edge in his voice, “would they tell Tora Rex?”

Rex rubbed the back of his head awkwardly looking everywhere but his guardian and the healer who seemed to have found a second wind to float slightly off Glacios’s back with.

“Oh, um, nothing big, just…”

Azurda grumbled. “Out with it, Rex.”

“One of our employers… might… have stabbed me in the back.”

Azurda swung his head closer to the salvager. “They did what.”

Rex began to stutter out a few words to the Titan when the sound of snapping caught his attention. He turned to Cliodhna who had drifted so that her torso was over Glacios’s head.

But Nia was able to heal you before you got separated from the others, right?

Rex sucked in a breath of air through his teeth. “Not… exactly…”

Cliodhna stared at Rex for a few seconds, her eyes drifting down to his chest briefly before she suddenly leaned over to look at Glacios’s chest, hitting his head with her own causing the Aegis to stumble a bit in surprise. It wasn’t even five seconds before she straightened back up to look at Rex and deliberately signed one word.

WHAT.

Rex broke eye contact to look at one of the nearby trees. It was a puzzlewood, maybe he could distract Azurda and Cliodhna if he pointed it out. Then again that never worked on Nia and she was crazy about trees.

“I… may have… died before she could heal me.”

Rahim looked over the market at Torigoth.

Even with the beautiful weather today, thankfully the heavy storm had passed through during his off time, it was important to remain vigilante. Especially with the massive salvager ship pulling in with a massive hole in its engines, the locals would be looking to Ardainian soldiers like him for strength, and Rahim wasn’t one to let those that depend on him down.

He turned to look out over the massive plain that stretched out into the distance and…

Rahim blinked, tapping the side of his helmet.

Had someone just yelled?

He glanced over his shoulder but no, that certainly hadn’t come from the market…

Perhaps he was overheating and should take his helmet off?

Yes, that had to be it.

Tora bounced along stealthily, a quite impressive feat of movement only made more impressive by his larger than average size for a nopon.

He’d been intending to browse some of the ‘wares’ available at the relay base but the soldiers had been on high alert due to the unexpected arrival of the large salvager ship. Considering it was unlikely they would have had what Tora needed at this point anyways, the nopon had decided against a riskier journey and had instead spent some time browsing the market instead.

The decision had started off promising as Tora had spotted one of the parts he needed at Margia’s. But then he had seen the price tag. And considering he had such wonderful friends who were willing to work for free… Tora decided that he could wait a little longer to finish his family’s dream.

After all, he wanted his friends there anyways!

Rex-Rex and Ang-Ang would be so impressed!

Nia… well, she’d be impressed too, even if it took her a second to fully understand Tora’s genius!

Not to mention Tora still needed to restock on food. He was running dangerously low on tasty sausages!  

His mind made up Tora snuck around the fringes of the market, making sure to grab plenty of sausages. And a few other things so Nia wouldn’t feel the need to explain to Tora again the importance of eating a balanced diet.

After definitely paying for everything he picked up, Tora proceeded to return to his home. The nopon couldn’t help but frown at the lightness of his wallet. At least he wouldn’t be embellishing by much when he told his friends he was out of money. Perhaps he should try and find a few scraps that he could throw together into some simple toys or other devices to sell to some of the merchants in the market. He’d prefer selling directly to keep more of the money for himself, but Tora couldn’t help but worry about making his presence known to too many people.

That was just one of the difficulties of having to try and keep a low profile.

Another was that it usually took him a while to get anywhere.

At least it would help with his endurance once he was ready to join Rex-Rex, Ang-Ang, and Nia on their adventures!

…Tora still decided to go for the secret door over the pipe.

After all, they’d probably take the shortest route to get the current adventure done faster so they could get on to the next one sooner.

So, his endurance probably didn’t need to be that high.

Tora slipped into the hidden doorway and made sure to firmly set the door back in place. Now within the safety of his home, Tora began to relax and even hum a jaunty tune to himself. It was some song Nia had learned from one of her blade friends, although Tora couldn’t quite remember the lyrics.

Tora rounded the corner into the large room that comprised his home and began to bounce over to his small kitchen. He put his groceries away, idly thinking through design tweaks and upgrades to various devices he was working on. Deciding a few of them were worth writing down Tora turned to find where he had left his most recent pad of paper…

And promptly screamed at the large tiger that had been sitting behind him.

“MEH, MEH, MEEEEH!”

The tiger jumped at Tora’s sudden scream, not that Tora was able to take advantage of the creature being caught off guard as the nopon stumbled backwards on his own feet and ended up rolling onto his back.

“Don’t eat Tora!” Tora pleaded with the predator as he tried to right himself in his panic, “Tora not tasty like sausage!”

The tiger cleared his throat, surprising Tora as he bowed his head to the nopon. “Apologies Master Tora, I did not mean to startle you. I was about to make my presence known when you turned around.”

Tora paused in his struggles to scrutinize the tiger who padded over cautiously. Tora almost panicked again when a massive paw stretched out towards him, but the tiger simply hooked a claw under one of his suspenders to pull him upright. Once Tora was back on his feet, the tiger sat back on his haunches again and fixed him with a regal look.

“I am Dromarch. My lady is currently resting, although she assured me that we were welcome in your home.” Tora looked the tiger up and down as he spoke, finally spotting the core crystal.

“Lady?” Tora asked curiously, looking around his home for a regal figure. “Tora not know any ladies.”

Dromarch cleared his throat. “My Lady… Angharad?”

Tora blinked, before his face lit up. “OH! Friend is core crystal Ang-Ang carried! That mean Rex-Rex and Ang-Ang finally able to afford boat!” Tora began bouncing excitedly, missing the sudden air of awkwardness exuding from Dromarch as the nopon bustled past the tiger. “Tora also have wonderful news for friends!”

Dromarch lithely cut the nopon off from moving further into his own home, startling Tora. “That is… good to hear Master Tora. But I must reiterate that My Lady is resting at this moment.”

Tora blinked at the blade before breaking out into a smile again. “Oh, friends tired because they came directly after job to let Tora know.” He began bouncing again. “Friends must remember Tora know ship builder and wanted Tora’s help to get good deal.”

Dromarch opened his mouth to say something else when a tired voice came from the loft area that held Tora’s bed.

“I told you to wake me up when he got home, Dromarch.”

Tora looked up to see Ang climbing down the ladder. And… was that someone else in his bed?

Dromarch turned to the salvager and bowed his head. “I… apologize. You were still quite exhausted from your ordeal. I simply thought you could use as much rest as possible.”

“Was… job that difficult?” Tora asked, finally sensing that something was wrong.

Ang stopped at the bottom of the ladder, resting her head against it with a sigh.

Dromarch cleared his throat. “If you still need time, perhaps I could-.”

“No.” Ang took a deep breath before turning to face Tora. Her eyes had a redness to them. “I… I can tell him. Tora deserves to hear it from me.”

Tora felt as though he’d been dunked in ice. “Hear what?”

Ang didn’t respond immediately, walking over to the fire pit in the center of Tora’s home and sitting on one of the cushions. Dromarch padded over to her and laid down behind her, Ang reaching back absently and running a hand through his fur. Tora walked over to sit opposite of Ang his feeling of dread only increasing.

Ang didn’t look at Tora when she began to speak. “There was an argument about… about some salvage. So, Rex went to look for a job to make some extra money and… Bana had one for him.”

Tora lept to his feet. “Chairman Bana? Tora know Rex-Rex amazing but what could Bana want with Rex-Rex?”

Ang let out a soft laugh. “I’m getting to that Tora.”

“Oh.” Tora sat back down. “Sorry.”

“Since the job was from Bana and Rex was needed to get at the thing the employers wanted, they offered him a lot of money, and the idiot accepted it without thinking. It was shady from the start… but we had Anubis and…” Ang looked towards Tora’s bed. “Mari with us. So, we thought we could handle it.” Ang laughed again, the sound hollow. “We… couldn’t have been more wrong. I… don’t think our employers were even human.”

Ang fell silent staring at something only she could see. Tora fidgeted nervously, looking towards the blade she leaned upon before standing up and walking towards her. He reached a wing out to the Gormotti driver, but she turned and looked Tora in the eyes before he could touch her.

“They killed Rex.”

Tora froze, not wanting to believe what she had said.

“Then they gutted…” Ang suddenly looked away from Tora, taking a shaky breath as she recollected herself. “They gutted me.” Tora drew back in alarm as Ang began to hug herself. “Not even with a weapon that crazy bitch just, shoved her hand into- into me.” Ang shuddered. “I can still smell the flesh burning.”

“But…” Tora cut in, finally walking forward and placing his wing on her shoulder reassuringly. “Ang-Ang is alive. Nia…”

“Yes.” The Gormotti spoke almost more to herself than Tora. “She did heal me… but, she had to pour all the ether she had into it. Even the ether that was… was keeping her form together.”

It happened again.

And once again Tora couldn’t do anything to help.

No… that was wrong.

Tora stepped forward and wrapped both of his wings and arms around Ang. He the Gormotti girl stiffen through her salvaging gear, surprised at the sudden contact. Tora felt Dromarch shift but he paid no mind to the blade.

After a moment, Ang hugged the nopon back.

Tora rubbed her back, saying nothing as she began to shake.

There would be time to talk later.

For now… they could grieve.