A Turn of Fate

Chapter 1: Boy with Eyes like the Sky

This world is an endless expanse of white. As far as the eyes can see, white like the clouds, rolling and shifting like waves. Stretching so far that the horizon of the sea and sky blend into one at their edges. As far as one could go in this world, this is the sight they would see, those rolling waves of clouds known to the people as the Cloudsea. But one thing did stand out. No matter where you could be amid this expanse of clouds, one object stood prominently on display from all sides. A massive tree that stretched skywards, up and up into the clouds, it's cast branches reaching far through the sky, and even in the brightness of noon, one could see the glittering lights at the top of this tree, the World Tree, the grandest sight in this world known as Alrest.

Amid these drifting clouds of white, what seemed to be a small, rocky island poked out amid the expanse, attached to this island was a crane, it's lift sent down, the line heading to the depths of the sea, beneath the rolling white and into the water-like depths. Further down past that line was a figure sinking lower.

Their body was covered from head to toe in a light diving suit, as opposed to the often heavier suits employed by others like them, even lacking in a domed helmet, instead opting for tight fit hood that covered all on their head except for the diving goggles and covering rebreather on their face.

Below them was a long since sunk creature. The light shining from their hood spot onto an old, rusted crate stuck to the stone creature. From the belt on their waist, the diver pulled out a hook device bearing the shape of a handgun, using that to reel close to the crate, small spikes popping from their boots and digging into the stone so they could close the small gap. They attached a floater device to the side of the crate, a turn of the latch on it causing the device to pop open into a balloon.

Jumping from the stone-like surface to use the crate as a quick lift, the diver looked up to the hook above as they neared it, then grasping the hook and attaching the cargo to it once the gap was cleared. Raising to the mesh platform of the crane, the diver flipped the switch to draw it back up while turning off the lights on their hood, sitting down on the mesh as it rose, and a brief burst of bubbles from their rebreather gave way to the sigh they gave.

Once the crane had lifted back above the waves, the diver hopped from the platform and to the "island", shaking off a bit to get the flecks of water free from their jacket as a press to its side had it go from tightly fit on their slender frame to loose and free. The sweeping back of the hood revealed the diver's hair to be a bright shade of emerald green, the long, loose strands falling down to his waist at the longest before being pulled back into a thin tail, while the previously held back fringe fell forward as he removed his goggles and rebreather, the goggles being pulled down to hang around his neck.

The diver's features were thin, and his skin pale as snow, no doubt helped by all the time spent under the waves, and brushing his bangs back as he opened his eyes revealed the orbs to be as bright a blue as the sky. If one were to guess his age, he couldn't have been any older than eighteen.

"I told Rex we needed a new depth probe." The diver's voice was light and carefree as he tapped his boot on the crate, then looking to some equipment on the side near the crane, sighing again and putting a hand behind his head. "The ping was off 150 peds to the east. And with the state it's in there's no way I'm fixing it this time!"

As he spoke, the diver shed the heavier parts of his gear to leave himself in lighter clothes consisting of the opened, loose diving jacket colored a dark blue, emerald green stripes on the sleeves, while below that was a dark shirt that also flowed loosely on his frame. The bandolier for his smaller bits of gear, such as the rebreather and achor-gun, sat at his waist, hooked to the grey cargo pants he wore, a red stretch of cloth under the belt, and a tap of his foot adjusted the lighter boots he'd fit on instead of the diving boots. The heavier gloves of the diving gear were also switched for fingerless ones the same grey as his pants, and notably, at the teenager's neck hung a silver pendant bearing an ornate sigil.

"And normally you're so good at fixing anything you get your hands on, Vaios. If you say something can't be fixed, then it truly must be time to replace it." The voice of an elderly man sounded from somewhere, Vaios shrugging as he went to the metal hut nearby, picking up a crowbar leaned against the chest just outside of it. "And what about the treasure? Is it to your expectations?"

"Well I'm not sure what's in the thing, but it was plenty solid. Didn't need to reinforce it one bit to draw it up." Vaios sauntered back to the crate, tapping it twice with a fist to listen for if it was hollow or not. He didn't want to pry the thing open to find out he'd pulled up an empty haul after all. "So even with some of the labor costs there'll be a good payout… I think."

"So good at fixing near anything you get your hands on and capable of running a structural analysis in minutes, yet numbers are always a question for you." As the elderly man's voice spoke again, the "island" rumbled a bit, a long neck covered in a grassy mane rising up into the air, ending to a craggy head of what one could only call a dragon, bearing blue horns with one longer forehead protrusions the same stony grey as the rest of his body, craning to look down at Vaios as the young man turned while tapping the crowbar into one palm.

"Because numbers are always variable, Azurda." Vaios said, tapping the metal crate once more as he looked it over, then stepping back and readying to swing the crowbar. "I may be in the salvaging business to find neat treasure, but..!" and the crowbar gouged into a seam with a loud clang once Vaios swung, "A little business sense goes a long way!"

With a loud pull before he then slammed the crowbar, the box burst open, but rather than a pile of salvaged goods, Vaios was instead immediately met by a man-sized crustacean with four legs, a long body, and sizable claws, and the thing was certainly mad to have had it's hiding place pried open.

"What in the… how'd a King Crustip fit inside of that?! Hehehe, sorry to disturb ya' big guy, but business is business!" Vaios' playful taunting of the sea creature was met with it leaping at him, Vaios jumping back with an easy roll in the air, landing back near the hut.

"Vaios!" Azurda shouted, Vaios chuckling as he tossed the crowbar aside.

"Ah don't worry about me!" Vaios hopped back and into the hut, reaching to the right side and grabbing a single edged longsword hanging on the wall, taking a clearly practiced stance with the sword held one handed at his right and low, "Besides, now I know what lunch is gonna be!"

Vaios took the initiative in striking back, stepping around the crustip quickly as it snapped at him, an attempted stab with his sword bringing it to glance off of its shell, but even then the shell was cut, if shallowly. Surprisingly for it's size, the sea creature was able to wheel around to try and strike again, but it's target was faster, Vaios taking the chance opening and moving past the struck out claw, gripping his sword in both hands and thrusting it forward. A clean schlick sounded as the blade drove through the crustip's underbelly, Vaios pulling the blade out and swiping it clean of the green blood sticking to it as the crustip collapsed to the ground.

"Hah, quick and clean, as always!" Vaios turned to Azurda as the beast looked back to him, giving a peace sign with his left hand. "Now, let's get to eating!"

Setting the sword aside and pulling out a brazier to get cooking, Vaios pulled up a folded seat as he hacked off one of the crustips claws and then set it to the burning brazier, taking his seat while also pulling out a whetstone and getting to sharpening his blade. As he did so, he looked off to the distance, to the World Tree afar at the center of this sea of clouds… and when he did, images flashed in his mind.

Images of a tower that stretched further than the clouds, of a city with buildings that despite their massive height were dwarfed by this tower. Of a land of endless earth and seas even bluer than the sky above… images that to him, made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

"Rhadamanthus…" A word that equally made no sense to Vaios at the moment, but it came along with those images. The thing was, Vaios was someone who lacked memories of his life. Not to say this was recent, more precisely anything since before the time he was thirteen (seemingly) was completely lost to the void. He'd been found at that age on the shores of a village he was now far, far away from, that he hadn't even seen in years, hunting for these memories he had lost, attempting to make sense of these senseless images and words in his mind as well.

It was enough to make him sigh each time. Even after years of digging through salvage, not a clue had come to him, and nobody could tell him a thing, for he dared not tell anybody of these images and dreams he had lest he get laughed off. Who'd even believe him about that in this world? It was laughable to think about… a world not trod by creatures like Azurda, the Titans, the living continents and islands who gave the people of Alrest the land which they lived on.

"Huh… hey Azurda, how much stock do ya' actually put into the legends about the World Tree?" Vaios had gotten to rummaging through the crate now, sifting through the items for anything of value he could sell, and potentially anything he'd keep for himself.

"Hmmm? Still superstitious about all that are we?" Azurda asked, giving a pleased rumble thanks to the heat of the brazier.

"How could I not be?" Vaios answered, tossing items to sell into a bucket near him. "Let's see again… how did it go? Ah right… that long ago, people lived up in the World Tree, in the paradise called Elysium with the Architect. But then one day, for reasons nobody knows or can explain, mankind was cast down from Elysium and to Alrest below, be it ticking out the Architect or something else."

"Sounds about right so far." Azurda noted, Vaios humming as he tapped what seemed to be some kind of device, adding it to the "sell" bucket and then shutting the crate.

"And of all things, not knowing how mankind lived in Alrest before then, the deity that cast them out took pity on them, and sent down his servants, the Titans, to help them. The survivors settled on the Titans, and there's been harmony ever since." Vaios tossed the bucker of items into the nearby chest, then picking up his sword again, leveling it's edge so that the sun would bounce off the metal, then glancing over at Azurda. "That sound right to you, or am I the only one in Alrest convinced it's blather Indol's been shouting?"

"Just try to be careful who you say those things around when we stop at Argentum." Azurda said, Vaios more focused on the smell now in the air from the roasted food. "Ahhhh… that brazier does my weary old bones much good…"

"Want me to move it a bit?"

"No, leave it there, it's fine-a-ahhh…"

"Right on."

Vaios picked up the claw and cracked the shell with a well-placed smack of his knuckles, licking his lips clear as a pleasant scent drifted out from the cracked shell before digging in. Though the simple lunchtime was interrupted by a bellowing from the distance, Vaios looking over to the source as he drew a thumb over his lips. Azurda also followed the sound, both human and Titan showing forlorn expressions at hearing it.

Off in the distance, a Titan, big enough that even at the distance they were at, Vaios could easily make out it's general features, breached above the cloudsea, but only for a few precious moments as it's bellows echoed across. Just as quickly as it had risen, the Titan fell back below the waves, the impact it had enough to cause Azurda to rock for a few moments.

"Damn… another one." Vaios muttered, a hand behind his head. "Been happening a lot lately… it's getting uncomfortable to see."

"Mm… More so than before." Azurda said, Vaios giving a dejected sigh.

"Think anyone was still living on it?"

"It seems not. And if there had been, they would have all left by now."

"Makes sense." Vaios sat down as he responded simply. This was the problem now plaguing Alrest. The Titans the people relied on for the land they lived on, were in short, dying out. The large kingdoms on the biggest Titans were seeing more and more refugees from smaller Titans each day with every new one that sank below the clouds and to the seabed below. "Hey Azurda, y'think the same thing will happen to Fonsett Village one of these days? The Titans that make up the Archipelago are pretty old…"

"It wouldn't today or tomorrow, but, one of these days, yes, it will be gone." Azurda answered, craning his neck to look right at Vaios as he stayed quiet. "Same with me. That's just how it goes with us Titans. I'm rather old myself you know? I wouldn't go forgetting that. There's no way around this cycle."

"It just feels… odd." Vaios muttered, laying down to stare at the clear blue above. "If this keeps up there'll be nowhere left to live and yet… part of me feels like this isn't how it should be. I understand Titans also have their life cycle, but if that's the case, then wouldn't there be new Titans to take the place of the old ones as well? If the Architect really did send you guys to help us, wouldn't he have made sure the cycle was sustainable?"

"If you ascribe to the legends anyway." Azurda said, looking off to the World Tree as Vaios also did when he sat up. "Mind you, I was born here on Alrest. As for my ancestors, who could say where they were born?"

"That's the point then isn't it? You were born here on Alrest, and if so, shouldn't new Titans be born the same way too? It's like… I dunno, like something is messing with the life cycle Titans have." Vaios flopped back down onto his back again, giving a heavy sigh. "This is what I get for being inquisitive… still, what if it does exist? Elysium, and the Architect? If so… then there should be a way to save Alrest, or at least make sure the people have a place to go when the Titans are gone. Not that I put much faith in legends… still, gotta have hope in something I suppose."

"Quite the reluctant answer to that idea you have there." Azurda teased, Vaios sighing again.

"I like actual results and data, not speculation and superstitions… there's no solid evidence, so I'll keep questioning it until proven otherwise." Said the sky-eyed boy, Azurda giving a hum.

"A land of plenty, atop the World Tree… if such a place did exist, perhaps we could all live in peace, with no need for fighting." Azurda noted, Vaios giving a thoughtful drone as he sat back up.

"Certainly sounds nice… you've always gotta wonder what it'll take to make people set aside their differences and stop fighting over petty things." Vaios stood up and stretched his arms, then clapping his hands together. "Alright, time to get back to business. The haul we've got should be good for today methinks. Time to head on back to Argentum yeah?"

"You're planning on selling it now? It's getting toward my bedtime." Azurda's voice was playful, Vaios druly chucking with an equally dry grin to match his lidded eyes,

"Funny one gramps. You're old but ya' ain't that old. A little swim'll do those old bones good! I'll keep the brazier on for ya' on the way. So don't go playin' lazy old man on me when we've still got daylight to burn!"

"Kids these days… no respect, I swear…"


The Argentum Trade Guild, the Nopon run center of commerce in Alrest, its main Titan with which the city-ship that made up the center of the, like a massive balloon with the ship it pulled attached by heavy lines, this singular Titan known as Goldmouth. Not just a trade center, but also a travel hub, smaller, similar looking Titans carried ferry ships that take travelers to and from the other Titans of Alrest, while other structures like salvager ships docked at the city-ship's port.

Azurda drifted up to one of the available docks of the port side of the city, Vaios hopping down from his Titan caretaker and to the steady dock, a pack of the salvage he intended to sell slung over a shoulder, his sword stuck into a sheathe hanging off the back of his belt.

"Whoa whoa, what's that over there?!" What immediately caught Vaios' attention as he scanned around was the large, black ship he could see a few docks over. Unlike most ships he was familiar with, there was no sign of any Titan pulling it, or as was the case with some types, built into the ship. "Oh ho ho, I have got to get a closer look at that thing!"

"Well if it isn't Vaios!" Came the voice of a man, the dock-hand approaching Vaios as he wheeled around from eyeing the black ship. "How's business?"

"Been good so far, wouldn't be here if it wasn't. Think I've got some good pieces to boot." Vaios showed the pack he had, the sound of the bits and bobbles jingling nicely from it. "And we can leave the unloading of the rest once I'm done negotiating."

"Sounds good. Mooring is 15 gold per half-day." The dock-hand said, Vaios reaching into his jacket and tossing a few pieces to the man, "Thank you! You're a lot more mindful with you're cash then Rex is when he's here."

"I keep tellin' him to keep extra money on hand for things like this. Kid never listens to me. Either way, I'm off!" Vaios trotted off with a skip, and as he headed off the dock, he took the immediate chance to take a closer look at the black ship, whistling as he looked over it from prow to stern. From here now he could see the ornate gold ornamentation of the prow, and just how massive it truly was. "Damn, that's impressive for a non-Titan ship. It's definitely not Ardanian, so I wonder who built it? Ahhh man, I wanna take an even closer look but that'd just be rude!"

Groaning to himself due to the gear-head he was begging to look at such a wonder of engineering, Vaios sucked it down and headed into the Goldmouth ship. Greeting him was the familiarly bustling bazaar he'd become so well acquainted with since he became a salvager, the various stalls mainly run by the Nopon staff, the small, furry creatures chattering about in their stilted dialects with the various customers. There were also a number of people wandering about in hardsuits who Vaios greeted and was greeted by as he approached a central desk at the bazaar, other salvagers like him, likely on down time from their own ventures out.

"So… how much am I gonna get from this haul hmm?" Vaios hefted the pack a bit as he approached the desk, the well dressed Nopon at it looking up from his papers and to the young salvager. "Yo!"

A few minutes later…

"WHAT?! That's it?!" Vaios was immediately left aghast as what the teller told him was coming in was not what he'd been hoping for. Sure it was still turning a profit for him but at the least he was hoping he wouldn't be left with a tight budget… again.

"Is life, meh!" Said the Nopon. "Still more than I give to non-friend. If you bring military supplies, then you get good price. Ceasefire between Mor Ardain and Uraya not keep for much longer, methinks. So weaponry is hot item."

"Really now?" Vaios followed the teller's eyes as the Nopon looked over, coming to view a group of soldiers in dark armor, soldiers of Mor Ardain, one of the largest and more prominent Titans in Alrest. To say there was peace between them and Uraya, another prominent Titan kingdom, was to take one massive stretch, really only kept in check because the Ardainian emperor has more of a mind for peace than his advisors and generals, at least from what Vaios has heard.

"Well, what friend think? I make it worth your while!" said the teller, Vaios sighing as he put a hand behind his head.

"Look, while I'm not exactly against getting paid like that, I'm not as black-and-white thinking as someone like Rex, but, honestly speaking I'm not sure how much weaponry that's salvage would even go for. Most of that stuff's been in the cloudsea for who knows how long, who'd know if it'd even work well?" Vaios said, the teller giving a nod. "But I guess I can give it some thought… though I don't intend to take sides."

"Ah, choice! Vaios good salvager, will help make pretty penny no doubt." The teller remarked, Vaios sighing.

"I swear I'm becoming as much of a penny pincher as a Nopon."

"Anyhoo, where we were?"

"Ugh. I'll take your offer. 200 now, and you know what to do with the rest."

"Okie-doodles! Sending monies to Corinne of Fonsett Village. Is right?"

"Yeup." Vaios nodded, the Nopon giving a chuckle.

"Is beautiful thing! Sending money home at such young age. I touched!"

"I'm not that young, I'm eighteen." Vaios snarked, the Nopon chuckling in response.

"Wish my dum-dum littlepon did the same." At that remark, the smaller Nopon behind the teller glanced back ever so briefly, Vaios snickering.

"Well Azurda doesn't charge rent. Alright, I'm off!"

"Take care!"

As Vaios left so that he could collect some supplies, coming down the way was another Nopon followed by two men in suits, all of them dressed in black, and it was the Nopon who Vaios recognized more.

"Vaios, good to see you!" Said the Nopon, his voice rather deep compared to most of his kind,

"Pupunin, been a while." Vaios greeted, Pupunin nodding.

"Vaios looking high-spirits! Ah, no, how say… Ah, yes, peppy!" said Pupunin, Vaios chuckling.

"I've had worse days. So, what's up? New job?" Vaios folded his arms as he asked that, the Nopon in black nodding to him.

"Something like that." Pupunin replied, putting his stubby arms at his waist… or at least where Vaios thought it would be. Hard to tell with Nopon due to their rotund bodies. "Ah, by the way… Vaios come from Fonsett Village in Leftherian Archipelago, yes?"

"That's right. Why d'ya ask?"

"You should go straight to boardroom of Chairman!"

"Eh?"

"Chairman Bana ask for Vaios by name!"

"Eh? Eh? EHHHHH?! Why would the Chairman be asking for me?!" Vaios was appropriately taken aback by this. If one got called for something by the chairman it had to mean it was a big deal… but then there came a suspicion to it as well. Why dud Pupunin ask him if he was Leftherian specifically? Sounded weird to ask about that and then tell them the chairman's asking for them. "Uh well, alright, I'll be up there soon as I can."

"Good to know. Have good day." Pupunin left with that, Vaios putting a hand on his chin as he looked up to where he knew the chairman's boardroom was a few levels up.

"Well, no point mulling on it I guess." Vaios shrugged to himself before carrying on. Past the stalls and up a few flights of stairs, and the office was right there and open to him. At the desk located at the end of the room was a truly massive Nopon, who in what was truly uncommon for this kind, was larger than most humans ever got. Richly decorated and elevated by the desk, the large Nopon looked down to Vaios, one of his "wings" curling a slender mustached.

"Thank you for accepting summons! I Bana, Chairman of Argentum Trade Guild." Greeted the Nopon, Vaios nodding, awkwardly putting an arm behind his head, still rather taken aback by all of this.

"P-Pleased to meet you." Vaios said, looking around the room.

"Me hear from Pupunin that friend is salvager of some renown. That being case, I have teensy weensy thing to ask of Vaios!"

"Shit, it is a job!" Vaios reeled back a bit. Even if "teensy weensy" was used, this had to be big.

"Reward is 100,000 gold!"

"EHHHH?!"

"Friend hear right! Actually, that just the advanced. Another 100,000 provided upon completing job." Bana stretched his wings out as he spoke, Vaios looking like he was processing all of this.

"Advanced?! So then… 200,000 gold in total… this sounds too good to be true!" Vaios felt like he'd just had one hell of an anvil drop down on his head from hearing that. Who the hell was providing this job for it to come through the chairman and come with a 100 grand advanced payment?! "Who uh… ahem, who's the job giver? Some… some Ardanian noble or something? Though uh… ahem, what are the details of the job anyway? It sounds great and all but, I don't wanna jump feet first into shallow water ya' know?"

"Understandable." Bana said. "But first off, you really have skills for this kind of job?"

"Hehe, I'm pretty confident in my salvaging skills." Vaios chuckled as he folded his arms, Bana humming.

"Meh, if you say. Here, crew will explain. Bring them in." Bana turned to a woman near a large pair of doors, who nodded and threw them open, entering the room beyond it. Vaios' eyes widened a bit as five individuals came out, two of them though, inhuman in the easiest of terms. The first of the group was a short, grey-haired, cat-looking girl Vaios could easily recognize as someone from Gormott, dressed in yellow and white clothing, a pair of chakrams at her hips, and following after her a large feline even bigger than she was. After he was a tall man in dark armor, with spiked up black hair and dark eyes that made something in him think… it almost felt like he somehow knew the man's face. Following that man was an even taller creature he couldn't put any actual words too besides being lizardlike.

And then there was one more. A man in white, with long silver hair and wearing a horned mask, icy blue eyes peering out from it and right at him. Vaios didn't know why or how… but looking at the man made him see things. Flashes in his mind like those other times, and to his confusion, these flashes had that man in white in them… and they felt awfully familiar to him.

"Tch, that's weird." Vaios muttered to himself, but, he also definitely knew what the other two people were. "Drivers and Blades? Huh, then this job has got to be a big one."

Blades. Beings Vaios knew plenty about but had never dared actually attempt to get one of his own. Beings who were as much weapon as they were a sentient partner, and the people who could use their powers were called Drivers. He knew that the feline creature and the lizard-man were Blades not just from their abnormal shapes, but also from the parts of their bodies, be it clothing or natural, that glowed a shade of bright blue.

Blades were definitely an interesting thing to Vaios. Born of items called Core Crystals, and being able to resonate with one was a rare thing. People who couldn't were either left horribly injured, or at the worst killed by the attempt at doing so. Reasons like that are why, despite having more than once fished up Core Crystals during his salvaging, Vaios had never taken the chance to actually try his hand at it. He'd rather not take the risk involved, considering he had something of a streak for bad luck at times. Though for as much as he knew about the basics of Blades, there was as much about them he was totally clueless of… but he'd have to have been living under a rock not to know those basics.

"So… there's something we want you to haul up." The masked man spoke, Vaios turning to him. "There were some current shifts. It showed up in an uncharted area. But, it's a long down."

"Huh, sounds like a good challenge." Vaois replied, folding his arms. But, he still couldn't shake off that weird feeling… had he met this man somewhere before, or was he just thinking of something weird?

"Bana offered to assemble team of veterans for this job." Said Bana, drawing the attention back to him. "But this crew very picky. They want small, elite team, and only from Leftheria. That when Bana have stroke of genius! Should hire Vaios or Rex! Depending on who available. And you first to arrive."

"Really? Heh, well I can't say you made a bad choice Chairman." Vaios said, a chuckle to his voice… that immediately turned into a flat expression when he heard the Gormotti girl laughing, the girl downright in stitches as Vaios looked at her with a raised brow.

"Are ya' sure this one's from Leftheria?" The gormotti girl said, Vaios looking at her with a raised brow. "He sure don't sound like it... not to mention he's just a kid."

"Oh ho hoooo, you're the catty one huh? If I'm a kid then how old are you short stack? You've gotta be younger than I am." Vaios replied with his own sarcastic remark, his expression just as unamused as his tone.

"At least I wouldn't wet myself at the promise of a measly hundred grand." The girl sniped in reply, Vaios letting out a sarcastic laugh.

"Sounds to me like you're trying to start something shrimp!" Vaios snapped, his step forward halting when the girl's blade got between them, "What?"

"Vaois, was it?" The Blade asked, Vaios nodding. "I implore you to excuse my lady's discourtesy." The Blade bowed his head at that, Vaios blinking his eyes a few times as he looked shocked by this development. This was all moving way too fast for him.

"Dromarch! What have I told you about speaking for me?!" The Gormotti snapped, "Shut your-"

"Drop it, Nia." The dark-haired man spoke, looking at Vaios as he folded his arms. "Though I do see your point. In that case… it should be easy enough to make sure."

Vaios lept back as the man suddenly charged him while drawing the weapon at his side, Vaios weaving back from the rapid slashes from the energy blade, one dodge coming with Vaios drawing his sword and slamming it into the other weapon, deflecting the slash while the following exchange ended with the two locking weapons, Vaios letting out a growl as the man smirked at him. Something about that face… it was just irking something in him. It sent a chill up Vaios back when those dark eyes looked down at him.

"The hell is this about?!" Vaios snapped as he jumped back when the man broke the lock, keeping his stance even when his opponent was standing casually.

"Well well… that's familiar." The man hummed as he looked Vaios over while the blade of his weapon vanished, and Nia looked aghast at what had just happened.

"Malos! What good is it, beating someone up?" Nia shouted, Malos scoffing.

"You said it yourself didn't you? What if the kid's not up to it?" Malos stated, Nia gritting her teeth.

"I said nothing of the sort!"

"You did think it though, right?" Malos replied, looking from Nia then back at Vaios, who'd only relaxed his stance ever so slightly. "And besides, now we know. You'll do right enough. Though you don't look like a Driver. Where'd you learn those Arts?"

"Picked up a thing or two from the old coot who raised me." Vaios answered. "His idea of play time was to start snapping at me."

"Well you've got skills, I'll give you that. I'd go so far as to say you're a natural." Malos said, a hand on a hip. "Guts too. Kid, you better work hard."

Vaios finally relaxed once the group started leaving, putting his sword across his shoulders, looking at Nia as she lingered for a moment and sighed before leaving herself. He had to wonder what that was all about, and he still couldn't shake that bad feeling he'd gotten from Malos… something in him just didn't feel right about that guy.

"Meh-meh-meh! Friends are such rowdy bunch!" Bana said, Vaios turning around to look at the large Nopon as he slid his sword back into it's sheathe. The Nopon then reached behind him and slapped a large sack onto the desk, Vaios hearing the coins jingling in it. "Here is advance."

"Thanks for that." Vaios caught the purse when Bana then tossed it at him, the weight of it causing his hand to lurch a bit.

"Use to buy what gear you need, then go to dock on starboard." Bana said, pointing off to the mentioned side. "Bana has arranged excellent vessel for you there!"

"Got it." Vaios tied the purse to his belt as he turned to leave, and once he was out of the office, he leaned on the railing and overlooked the bazaar, putting a hand on his chin as he hummed. "Well, there's gonna be plenty of prep to do… but I should check in on Azurda first off. He'd give me absolute hell if I took off on some ship without telling him about it."

"Heyyy! Vaios!" Looking down when he heard the call, a grin came to Vaios's face as from below, a familiar face greeted him. A young teenager with brown hair and golden eyes, decked out in a blue colored salvaging suit currently worn light.

"Rex! You're back from your own expedition huh?" Vaios called out as he started moving down, Rex chuckling as his elder teenager met him below, the two exchanging a high five as a greeting. "So how'd it go working with an actual crew again huh?"

"Wasn't so bad. Made a few new friends along the way. How 'bout you? You and Gramps find anything good?" Rex and Vaios started walking along, Vaios giving a hum as he pocketed his hands.

"A few things, though the payout wasn't so good. With the tension ramping up between Mor Ardain and Uraya, the best deals are on military gear and Core Crystals." Notably, if one listened to the two, despite the fact Vaios and Rex were both Leftherians (or at least Vaios was pretty sure he was one), they had differing accents to their speech patterns. Rex had the typical accent of a Leftherian, while Vaios' accent was a lot more neutral… in fact it was the same accent both Malos and the masked man, who Vaios could only assume was named Jin based on what he'd heard earlier, spoke with.

"Really? You're not thinking about actually dealing in some of that now are you?" Rex's question got Vaios to stop, the light-green haired young man sighing.

"I put some thought into it at the least. But, I don't plan on much with it." Vaios answered, Rex folding his arms.

"Well I suppose whatever floats your boat. Speaking of, did you see that black ship on the port docks? Marvelous thing ain't it?" Rex looked about as excited as Vaios had been when he saw the thing, Vaios chuckling as the two young salvagers took a seat at a bench.

"Of course I did. Saw it not long after Azurda and I got here. Man I wanna take a closer look! It's a non-Titan ship so I wonder what makes it tick." Vaios said, Rex chuckling at how anxious Vaios looked about the idea. "Well, before then, I need to go tell Azurda something. Believe this one Rex, but I just got a job from the chairman!"

"Say what now? Are you serious?" Rex shot to his feet as Vaios chuckled, the boy giving a whistle. "Damn impressive. Does it have to do with the people who have that black ship? Garram told me it was owned by some associates of the Chairman's."

"Likely. I met a crew with a couple of Drivers when I got the job. Would be surprising if that ship is theirs." Vaios said, "But as for the job, guess how much the advance payment was!"

"A grand?"

"Try a hundred."

"A hun-you're bloody kidding me!"

"Nope! Got it all right here!" Vaios tapped the new coin purse he had, Rex's mouth agape. "And even better, once the job is down, that'll be another 100,000 to go with it."

"For real? This has gotta be some big deal then! How big is the crew for this job?" Rex asked, Vaios folding his arms, the two now making it out to the portside docks.

"Not that big apparently. Furthermore, they asked specifically for Leftherians. Kind of a strange request if you ask me."

"A small salvaging crew that's exclusively Leftherian? Hmm… man with such a good reward you really do have to wonder why they'd make such a specific request if it's that big."

"I'm also wondering who the heck is funding this bunch." Vaios added. "Considering they hired Drivers and all that."

"Speaking of, what kind of Blades did those Drivers even have?"

"Hmm… well there was only two but, one of them was a Gormotti girl with some kind of big cat, and the other was a man who's Blade was some lizard-man-thing. Gotta be Rare types." Vaios added, Rex giving a whistle.

"Ah man, now I want in on this. But, guess you got here first, so the job's all yours. Try to bring me back something from it will ya?"

"Ahahaha, I'll see if there's any keepers on whatever we find." Rex pumped a fist at that, the two now approaching Azurda where he'd stayed moored, Vaios giving a wave to the old Titan. "Hey Azurda! I'm back with a new job under my belt too!"

"Hey there Gramps, been a while!" Rex greeted the Titan too, Azurda turning to face the two boys.

"Ah Rex, good to see you're back from the expedition. And Vaios, what kind of job is this?" Azurda asked, and taking a few moments, Vaios retold the details he did know so far… clearly not to the approval of the old Titan from his expression once Vaios wrapped up.

"… and that's the full of it. I should be back in a day or two. Why don't ya' take it easy?" Vaios said, Rex now mulling over those details now that he knew the full picture.

"That does not sound like "the full of it" in the least!" Azurda said, Vaios wincing a bit. "Why would you take a job you know nothing about?"

"Well see, I did ask, but the people giving the job were kind of vague about it." Vaios answered. "What I do know is, it's some big object that's deep down in an uncharted area. They need a whole team to get it up, so it's gotta be pretty big. Why else would the reward for it be so large? Also it came straight from the Chairman, what more reason do I need?"

"Yeah Vaios has got a point Gramps. From what he said it seems like those folks've been looking for this thing for a while. Ain't that all you really need to know for a job?" Rex added, Azurda sighing. "I'll hold down the fort for ya' Vaios! Once you get back, let's head out, 'cause I got a map for a new area we can explore."

"Heh, nice. Alright, I'm off! See you guys later!" Vaios turned and ran off before anything else could be said.

"H-Hey! Come back here! Wait a moment, Vaios!" Azurda sighed as Vaios was already out of sight, Rex looking to the Titan.

"What Gramps, worried about something?"

"Ugh, it's nothing… he should be fine." Azurda looked over and to the black ship, giving a low rumble. "But if it's them… seems Vaios's past is finally catching up to him."


"Alright so… more or less having Gramps' permission, let's get some prep done." Vaios hummed as he looked around the bazaar, snapping his fingers. "Ah! Shynini should have that new deep-dive vest I asked about before. I'll actually need to bust out more than just my goggles and rebreather for this one anyway."

Vaios palmed at the goggles hanging from his neck, veering off towards the starboard side of the bazaar, and to the stalls near the stairway that led up to Bana's boardroom. At a stall covered both with various accessories and Salvager gear, a Nopon hopped down from a stool as he saw Vaios approaching.

"Ah, friend Vaios! Good to be seeing!" The Nopon, Shynini, greeted, Vaios giving a wave.

"Hey there Shynini. You still got that thing we talked about? I need some additions to my hard suit for an up and coming deep dive." Vaios said, Shynini nodding.

"Vaios finally save up enough money to purchase?"

"That and so much more." Vaios chuckled as he folded his arms. "So, can I get a look at it?"

"Of course of course! Here here, Abyss Vest accessory! Perfect for deep dive venture!" Shynini wheeled out the item, Vaios giving the hard suit piece a good look over, then nodding.

"Alright, that'll be good, how much?"

"5,000 G!"

"Not bad."

Vaios reached into the coin purse and tossed the needed amount to the Nopon, Shynini pocketing the coin and giving a chuckle.

"Thank you! Why Vaios have so much money? Pull up some amazing salvage?"

"Actually got a job from the Chairman. Got 100,000 as an advance payment." Vaios answered, Shynini's "wings" fluttering up in surprise.

"Wow, that quite impressive."

"Yeah but it's also in uncharted waters. It's why I wanted something like this. Gotta be prepared y'know?" Vaios tapped the best as he said so, pulling it off the stand and shouldering it. "Either way, thanks Shynini!"

"Of course! That accessory sure to protect Vaios! Shynini guarantee. Good luck!"

Vaios waved back at the Nopon as he trotted off, leaving the bazaar for the starboard docks, though stopping dead before leaving, giving a hum.

"Hmmm… before I leave though, let's go nab something to eat. I just realized I'm freaking starving... and since it's tomorrow… I'll rest at the inn. Will also give me time to get things in order." Vaios nodded to himself at the thought and turned off again. Tomorrow was going be to one busy day.


That next day, Vaios was out on the portside dock, munching on some food he'd picked up from one of the stalls. He looked around for the ship that had to be the one Bana had set up for this, and he gave an impressed whistle as he looked over the large Titan ship moored to it, putting a hand on his hip as he looked it up and over.

"Ni-ice! Bana pulled out the Maelstrom for this job eh? Now I know this job has gotta be serious."

"Gawking at a boat? What are you, twelve?"

"Ahahahaa, funny." Vaios turned around when he heard Nia, the Gormotti girl giving him a smug smirk. "Laugh all ya' want, I happen to be the type who appreciates fine works of engineering."

"Ya' don't close your mouth soon your gonna swallow a fly." Nia replied, Vaios shaking his head, looking down and smirking when he saw Nia standing right between some mooring lines.

"Might wanna watch where you're standing there kid. Don't move, and when we take off those lines are gonna take your legs with it." Vaios's playful tone despite the remark still earned him Nia jumping back in surprise. "Haha! Fell for it!"

"Why you little-"

"Ohh? Whose mouth is hanging open now?" Vaios sniped, his smug look falling a bit when he looked off and saw Jin and Malos staring from a short ways off, that uneasy feeling coming back to him. Why couldn't he shake it off? That subsided though, for now, when another salvager approached him.

"Vaios, we're heading out. No one is seeing you off?" The man asked, Vaios shaking his head. "You got night watch. Till then, rest up inside."

"Aye aye. See ya later." Vaios have a wave as he sauntered off and boarded the ship, going to find a spot to watch things as everyone else boarded, leaning back on the railing of the overlook as the ship pulled off into the expanses of the cloudsea. Once things were well away and the ship was adrift on the open sea, Vaios took the time to head back down into the hold, giving a hum as he looked around, spotting Nia and Dromarch below amid the crowd of people. "Hmm… maybe I should take some time to these clients we've got. Would do me good to know more about them. I'll have to go see Monell after that. Should report in before I go to rest up before night watch."

First up, Nia, who he decided to mess with a bit by downright dropping in behind the Gormotti.

"You're being pretty quiet. Seasick?" Vaios teased, Nia's ears going flat as she glared at him.

"'Course I'm not seasick! I'm just… not used to ships with this many salvagers on it is all." Nia said, Vaios chuckling. "What? What's so funny?"

"If you're not okay with it now then you're gonna hate what comes at night. Ain't no party like a salvager party." Vaios remarked, Nia shoving him off of the barrel he was sitting on, "WAGH!"

"Oh shove off. I can handle myself just fine." Nia snapped, Vaios snickering as he put a hand behind his head.

"Sure sure. So… what's the deal with you Dromarch?" Vaios turned to the Blade, his Driver huffing as she went elsewhere.

"I'm simply milady's loyal aid. What of you Master Vaios? Are you ready to begin salvaging?" Dromach asked, Vaios nodding as he stood up straight.

"Course I am. I do this for a living after all." He replied, the Blade nodding.

"Good. Let us all work together to make this mission a success."

"Of course… so hey, do you know any of the finer details about this, or is that some trade secret in your group? Like, I dunno, do you know what it is we're pulling up?" Vaios's question got Dromarch to hum, the Blade giving a short breath.

"I don't know much myself honestly. I do know however, that the object they want this crew to pull up is a derelict ship. Apparently it's also rather large." Dromarch said, Vaios folding his arms as he started thinking about that.

"A large derelict ship huh? Alright, good to know. Thanks Dromarch." The Blade nodded to Vaios as he then left to the upper deck. While there, at one of the view areas, on his lonesome was Jin. Vaios was slow in his approach of the masked man. "Uhm… hi there."

"…" The silent gaze from Jin made Vaios shudder a bit… and again that weird feeling he was getting. Why did this man seem familiar to him? "That pendant you have, do you know where it's from?"

"Hm? This? I uh… have been trying to find that out, actually." Vaios palmed at the silver item around his neck, turning it and viewing an emblem engraved into it, a flame shaped symbol. "I've had it with me since I washed up at Leftheria… I'm hoping I can find out where it's actually from by salvaging."

"So, you're not Leftherian? It would explain the accent."

"What? No, I'm pretty sure I am. It's just… I don't know what happened but, well… hehe, you probably don't wanna be bothered with my little sob story do you?" Vaios only got a shake of the head in response, an awkward chuckle coming from him. "As for the accent, well, I've always talked this way as far as I know. Guess I was just raised by people who talk differently."

"Ultimately it doesn't matter. You'll suit our needs anyway." Jin turned away from Vaios with that, the salvager edging back and getting away, making his way up to the top deck. He saw Malos and his Blade watching the sea pass from one side… but his instincts told him he should just avoid the dark man. He felt he wouldn't get a thing out of it anyway.

The crows nest was a way up, and Vaios made a small whistle to get the attention of the man currently on watch.

"Ah, there ya' are. So, you here to start the watch shift or not?"

"Course I am Monell. You can head on down, I've got it from here."

"Good to know. Keep a sharp eye watching. It's not looking to good out there, so keep an eye out for the worst."

"Will do. I'll give a warning if a storm starts rolling in." Vaios leaned against the railing as the man left, pulling out a pair of binoculars of his own, "Okay, let's get watching."


Hours later, now that night had fallen and the ship was drifting over the motionless waves of the sea in the dead of night lit only be the moon and stars. Vaios was scanning the horizon as clouds were also rolling up, and as he panned over, he brought his gaze back. It was the black ship from the harbor.

"What the? What's that black ship doing here? Is it following us?" Vaios lowered the binoculars as the thought came around, giving a sigh and leaning heavily on the rail, adjusting his goggles, causing his pendant to also jingle a bit on its slender chain.

"Ugh, it's way to cold up here?" Nia's voice came from behind him, and Vaios couldn't help but crack a grin as he turned to face the Gormotti girl.

"You-"

"I'll have you know I've got a name. It's Nia."

"I picked that one up." Vaios replied.

"Hm… they started boozin' below decks. You should join them." Nia suggested, Vaios giving a hum.

"If you're suggesting that then why aren't you there? For me personally, I actually don't drink. Besides, I don't need a headache before a job, especially not a deep dive." Vaios said, Nia nodding.

"I feel the same. I don't hate it, I just don't need a headache right now myself."

"Heh, funny things is, part of the Salvager's Code is "swim like a fish and drink like one to." You'd have to get used to it." Vaios stretched a bit as he leaned on the railing again, Nia giving a scoff.

"Ugh, sounds terrible. I don't think I'll change careers if that's the case." Nia's remark got Vaios to snicker.

"I'm sure you Drivers make way more than us salvagers could ever hope to anyway. Don't see why you'd wanna." Vaios looked off and to the World Tree off in the distance, and in the dark of night, the lights around the titanic tree were even clearer than during the day, lighting it up brilliantly.

"So, kid…"

"My name's Vaios. I'd appreciate if you called me that, Nia."

"Alright, Vaios. Why did you become a salvager in the first place?"

"There's a few reasons." Vaios said, pulling off his pendant and letting it dangle in Nia's view. "The first is kinda personal. You don't mind a bit of a long story do you?"

"Go ahead."

"Alright." Vaios turned around and placed the pendant back on, folding his arms. "The thing is, when I was thirteen years old, I was found on the shores of Fonsett Village in Leftheria. I don't have a memory to my name, the only thing I could remember. Aside from the ill fit, wrecked clothes I washed up in, the only thing I had on me was this pendant. I have no idea who made it, or what the emblem on it means. Even weirder, certain things I see or hear keep making me see these flashes, and I remember words I shouldn't know… I kinda hope that this salvaging job'll help me find something about who I am, give me answers to all these things I see and can't make sense of."

"Wow, quite the story you've got there. Sounds like the kind of thing that kicks off some grand adventure." Nia said, Vaios laughing at the remark. "So, what else? You said you've got a few reasons."

"The other reason… would be that." Vaios turned again and pointed off to the World Tree, Nia lifting a brow. "Yeah, kinda silly I know. I'm not even the kind of person who puts a lot of stock in the legends surrounding that thing but… I feel weirdly drawn to it all the same. I mean, you find a lot things in this line of work. Most of it's junk, some it's treasure. But the thing is, they're all left from people from a long time ago. And the thing, we lose more Titans every day. I saw a big one go under the other day, and who knows how many animals were still living on it? Soon enough we're gonna run out of place to live, and who knows how much fighting will start over the bits that are left. I may not put a lot of stock in it… but if something like Elyisum really does exist up there, then maybe there's a way to find out how to get up the World Tree to reach it. If we did… maybe the potential disputes over land could be prevented before they start."

"Pffff… bwahahahaha!" Nia's open laughter at the melodramatic way Vaios was talking earned a bit of a chuckle from the young man in turn. "'May not put a lot of stock in it' eh? For that kind of remark you certainly seem sure of yourself. And what's with this 'drawn to it' bit as well? Geez you're talking like the protagonist of some novel!"

"Ehehehehe… yeah I kinda caught that one. Still, I'm honest about it. It's either that, or we find out how to keep the Titans from dying out. Whichever happens first I suppose."

"Besides, that's all just stories for children. And that there is just an overgrown shrub."

"Maybe… but, I still think there's a way up there." Vaios replied, looking back to the tree. "Chances are, it's just hidden by the clouds. I can't shake the feeling there's more to the World Tree than we know… Rhadamanthus. Every time I look at that tree, that word pops into my mind. It has to mean something, doesn't it?"

"Hm. Can't give you much advice about that. I've never dealt with memory loss, so can't help you there either." Nia said, Vaios chuckling.

"But… I mean think about it. If something like Elysium does exist, doesn't that mean everyone in Alrest can settle down and we can have some honest peace, and not this stupid stalemate that'll snap like a rubber band the more we pull it? It's something to believe in as far as I think… and believing in the hope things can get better is, to me, far better than accepting things as they are, better than just going along with the status quo."

"Well, not like anyone can tell you what to believe in. But… everyone, huh? Y'know, I always thought people were selfish by nature. But you… well, even if part of the reason you're doing this is to search for your own answers…"

"Huh?"

"Well… so, if you're some kid who washed up on the shores of a Titan one day, who raised you then?"

"Hm? That one I mentioned earlier, Azurda."

"Ah, the guy who taught you to use those Arts of yours?"

"Well… it's kind of a bit more complicated than that." Vaios said, Nia raising a brow. "First off, Azurda's a Titan, so teaching me how to use a sword isn't exactly natural…. But also, somehow, just holding one felt natural to me. Like I knew the way to do it by instinct… of course with that in mind it doesn't paint a pretty idea for me of just who I could've been before."

"Heh, who knows, maybe you were some talented army conscript with a knack for fighting despite not being a Driver." Nia and Vaios both started laughing at that one, the Gormotti slowing down and then giving a hum. "But raised by a Titan huh? Interesting… not sure I fully catch your drift, but this Azurda doesn't sound that bad. And you're not so bad yourself, kid. Not that different from me."

"Hm. I'll take that as a compliment." Vaios said, blinking when he saw dark clouds starting to roll in. "Ugh, that storms here now. Come on, let's get below deck so we don't get caught in it."

"Heh, I can handle a bit of rain I'll have you know. I'm not some common house cat." Nia got a chuckle out of Vaios again, but turned to follow him down either way. "But I agree with you. Better to be in top form once the real business begins."

"Yeup." Vaios stopped for a moment and looked back to the World Tree, his hand tightening a bit on the railing he was gripping. "I just feel it though… the answers I'm looking for… they're at that tree, they have to be. I don't know why… but that's the feeling I've got about all of this."


A/N

Well I've had this one on the burner for a while... like over half a year. Oh the thought that came into all of this since I've been playing both Xenoblade 1 and 2 for a while now. Now... how to handle the Blade sets in this. Oof that's gonna be a deal to think about. But it will be fun! Didn't spend months talking over this and thinking about it for nothing. See you all next chapter!