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Well another chapter for all of you. I'm honestly surprised I got this finished so fast but its not as long as the last one. Well not much to say other than hope you enjoy!
Italics for dreams
Bold for POV change or Author notes
Chapter 9: Dreams
Rex's POV
"Ouch!" Rex hissed. Pyra was tending to the wounds he suffered from the fight with Morag. She had just pressed the bandages against the wound though and the salve on them burned.
"Sorry!" Pyra apologized as she tried to wrap the bandages around his torso. Rex shivered since he had to take his helmet and his shirt off in order for her to tend to his wound effectively. Thankfully they got the campfire set up already so Rex wouldn't freeze in the night.
"No, its ok they need to be secured. I just wasn't expecting the pain," Rex sighed as she finished tying his bandages on.
"Relax, it's better than all those times Leysritt patched him up," Gil cut in from the other side of the campfire. Rex shuddered since his friend was correct. He still wasn't sure how she was certified to watch over kids. She was so lazy in comparison to Corinne and Sella.
"You mean he got hurt like this all the time?" Pyra asked, aghast. Gil just chuckled slightly before he shook his head.
"No, only small scraps and cuts. She would always rub the disinfectant into the wounds real hard though. I can't imagine what she would do for something like that. I can only think of one other person that would probably do worse," the resident blonde spoke and Rex sighed.
"Relax, Pyra I'm fine, see," Rex stood up from the log he was using as a seat and moved around to show how he was feeling. Though when he twisted his back, he ended up aggravating his wound, forcing him to sit back down.
"Ok yeah…ow…" Rex groaned as he tried to sooth the pain.
"Rex, please take it easy," Pyra pleaded as she held his hand gently. The look of absolute worry in her red eyes made Rex blush since he had never had a girl worry about him this much aside from Corinne.
"Err…right…don't worry I'm feeling better though," Rex promised and Pyra sighed but she smiled all the same.
"That's probably Nia's medicine at work," Pyra said as she turned towards their resident cat driver. She was resting with her back against Dromarch again and she gave them a small smile and a wave. Rex waved back as he settled in his seat as he took in the camp.
Gil was sitting across from Pyra and Rex with their newest addition, Mythra. They were in the middle of a conversation and they seemed to be hitting it off nicely actually. Mythra seemed legitimately interested in everything he had to say. Rex still wasn't a hundred percent sure about her but she seemed nice except she had an attitude. Though that was probably a good thing since it seemed like she had the fire to match Gil. Rex couldn't really hear what they were saying since they were keeping their voices a little low, so he assumed they were talking about Gil's trips to different parts of the world. That was usually what people wanted to hear from him.
Poppi and Tora were settled in on Rex's left. They were already looking like they were about to pass out, though Rex wasn't sure if Poppi could actually sleep. It was rather sweet; they were curled up together with Poppi wrapping herself around Tora like he was a big stuffed animal. Tora seemed so tired that he didn't really care. Rex had to remind himself that they were even younger than he was, so they were probably even more drained than he was from the past day.
Nia and Dromarch had the spot to Rex's right. Dromarch was already asleep but Nia seemed to be waiting for Rex to come over. He did decide to share his blanket with her, he wondered if he should just give the blanket to her so she could sleep. She looked exhausted like she hadn't really rested since their ordeal on that old ship where they found Pyra. It made Rex worry about her.
"It feels nice doesn't it?" Pyra asked and Rex turned to her. She was looking up at the embers of the fire, flying around like little night bugs.
"Yeah…" Rex agreed, it was nice to take a load off.
"It's been constant action and worry for the past few days. I think this is the first time we can sit back and relax without something looming over us tomorrow," Rex said as he pulled his shirt back over his head. He saw that Azurda had nodded off to sleep in his helmet already and decided to go ahead and leave it where it was.
"I guess so. There was definitely a lot that happened, especially yesterday. Though for me everything's been a lot to take in," Pyra mentioned and Rex winced since he remembered that she had only been around for a few days now.
"Has it been fun at least? I know this has been a lot better than my old routine so far aside from almost getting killed multiple times," he hoped that she wasn't disappointed in what she's seen and he especially hoped she liked in him as her Driver.
"Of course, I wouldn't trade any of this away," Pyra smiled at him and Rex felt his heart flutter again. He chuckled and moved his hand to a different position except it brushed against something. When he turned he saw that it was the core he took from Dughall. It was dark though like it was dead.
"Hey…um, is this core broken? I thought Blade Cores were supposed to be blue?" Rex asked as he held the core up to Pyra. She grimaced slightly at the sight.
"It's recharging. When a Blade reverts back to its core state, the core can't be reused right away. Think of it as a resting phase for Blades," Nia spoke up. She leaned away from Dromarch and rested her arms on her knees.
"Considering what that bastard did to him, it's probably going to take that Blade a lot longer than usual to be ready for use again," Nia looked sad as she finished the sentence.
"Right…wait what did he do it? What did you guys call it? Berserker?" Rex asked. He didn't have time to ask before since they were in a hurry but now they had time.
No one responded to his question right away. Gil and Mythra stopped their conversation and turned to him. Tora and Poppi seemed to lose their exhaustion; they probably wanted to know what it was as well. Nia just curled in her legs a bit more while Pyra's eyes just went down.
"They're called Berserker Chips," Nia spoke finally and Rex turned to his friend.
"You probably don't know this since you're new but it is possible to upgrade your Blade with little enhancements or augments. They're called Core Chips," Nia explained and Rex nodded.
"So these Berserker Chips are…upgrades?" Rex asked and Gil scoffed.
"If you call turning into a "mad dog" a upgrade sure," Gil's disgust was obvious for all to see and Mythra seemed just as adverse to it since she had a glare on her face.
"That's a perfect way to put it actually," Nia spoke with disdain.
"I'm sorry, I don't follow," Rex said as he looked between them all.
"They were developed during the Aegis War centuries ago. They were created as a way to try and fight against the Great Tyrant and later on they were used against the one that threatened Alrest back then," Mythra spoke up this time though she sounded so angry like she was personally affected by it.
"Wait…Great Tyrant, didn't Morag say something about that? Didn't she say that he destroyed his own Titan?" Rex couldn't imagine what would possess a ruler to destroy his own land.
"Yes but he didn't do it for the reason that she thinks," Pyra spoke up this time in a noticeably lower tone.
"Pyra?" Rex was surprised by her anger, she almost never got angry.
"Right, you were there five hundred years ago," Nia mentioned and Rex wanted to slam his hand into his face for forgetting that crucial fact.
"So you knew him?" Rex asked and Pyra nodded.
"I did, he was one of my friends. And…well can we leave it at that please, I don't want to talk about it right now," Pyra looked depressed as she finished the sentence. Rex wanted to ask more but he held his tongue since he didn't want to force her to say something she was uncomfortable with.
"Getting back on track, the Berserker Chips were designed back then right? They were derived from the madness enhancement right?" Mythra spoke next. Rex had no idea what that was. Pyra seemed surprised though.
"You're well read," she commented and Mythra smiled confidently.
"Well of course, I'm no common farm girl after all," she responded arrogantly, making Rex sweat drop. It was almost like talking to another Gil.
"Ok can someone explain what they actually do?" Rex asked, they kept putting it off. Rex wanted to know exactly why they disliked them so much.
"First you need to understand where they originated from," Pyra said calmly though from the way she was fidgeting she didn't seem calm. Rex tilted his head at that.
"You mean that thing you mentioned, the madness enhancement? What's that?" Rex asked.
"It's magic," Gil cut in, making Mythra and Pyra flinch for some reason.
"Magic?" Rex asked and Gil nodded.
"You know magic used to be a big thing centuries ago right? Remember the stories Corinne told us about King Arthur and the Holy Grail or the Grand Caster Merlin?" Rex did remember those stories, how could he forget? He loved them as a kid and the other kids liked them as well.
"Your caretaker knew about magic?" Mythra asked, she looked troubled for some reason.
"Something like that. Back onto topic though, magic used to be practiced a lot in the past though nowadays the mages have kind of died off in favor of Drivers and Blades so people think that magic isn't real anymore but it obviously is," Gil explained nonchalantly.
"Grampy-pon said that magic was like science," Tora piped up tiredly.
"Well, I imagine many mages were scientists as well," Gil chuckled hollowly at that remark.
"So this madness enhancement is a spell?" Rex asked.
"That's the basic idea but its what the spell does that's important. It gives the person speed, strength and heightened abilities that wouldn't be possible for them normally. Except it has a price," Gil explained and Rex remembered what Dolmes was like in the fight. He was like a mad beast that had no regard for pain, or mercy for that matter.
"You have seen the results first hand, the Berserker chips are supposed to be an exact replica of the spell, just that they're used on Blades not people or animals," Gil remarked with a sneer.
"He's not wrong," Pyra confirmed and Rex felt cold.
"So…they turn into nothing but mindless beasts?" that sounded like a fate worse than death to Rex. Blades couldn't die unless their driver died either so they were stuck like that.
"I read that there are some cases where especially strong willed people can maintain themselves while gaining the enhanced powers but those are rare cases. With Blades it's the same," Mythra said softly without the edge in her voice. She was playing with her coat, nervously even though there was nothing on the coat to mess with really.
"The chips were outlawed after the war centuries ago but they're still around now, I had hoped they would be extinct by now or near it like the mages," Pyra said mournfully as she clutched her hands together tightly.
"Fat chance of that happening, I've seen plenty of people use them like they were normal core chips, Dughall was just one of thousands," Nia threw out as she leaned back against Dromarch. Her eyes were sad like she had lost someone to the chips. Rex wondered if Pyra had lost anyone close to her as well to them.
"I think that's enough dreary talk for now. We have to get moving tomorrow and if we keep talking like this, we won't get any sleep," Gil cut in again.
"Tora likes that idea…mm…" Tora nodded off almost right away; apparently even a bad subject couldn't take away his exhaustion fully. Poor guy must have been more out of it than Rex thought.
"Poppi will enter stasis mode as well…" Poppi spoke as she clutched her "masterpon" tightly as she nodded off as well.
"Those two are precious," Mythra sighed happily and Rex couldn't help but agree. They reminded him of the twins back home when they were a bit younger when they were sleeping like that.
"We should get to bed too then," Nia sighed as she waved Rex over. He picked his blanket up from his pack and went over to Nia and laid down next to her. The blanket spread over them easily enough so Rex gave her some space but surprisingly she moved closer to him.
"Sorry, just to keep warm, yeah?" Nia asked in a hushed manner. She snuggled into him and wrapped her arms around his waist much to Rex's embarrassment. She nodded off fairly fast and started purring gently, which Rex found a bit cute. He would never say that though out of fear of embarrassment and pain from said girl.
"Is she asleep?" Rex nearly jumped when Pyra suddenly appeared next to him. She leaned herself on his shoulder slightly and she winced. Rex looked down and saw some bandages wrapped around her torso.
"Pyra? You're hurt?" Rex asked worriedly. She placated him with a smile though.
"It was just a scratch, don't worry. I'm a Blade, so I'll heal soon enough. It's you we need to worry about," Pyra explained nonchalantly. Rex frowned and thought about something before he went ahead with the idea.
"Might as well…" Rex thought as he wrapped his arm around Pyra and pulled her closer.
"Wha-Rex?!" Pyra squirmed gently but she didn't push away as he pulled her close and put the blanket over her too.
"There, you feel better now? My blanket is oversized already plus Nia and I are small so you can fit under it too," Rex would offer her some comfort at least if she was going to bat him away from her wound. Though it wound up with Rex leaning on her since she was the taller one. Pyra didn't seem adverse to the closeness at least.
"This is just fine Rex," Pyra said gently as she wrapped and arm around his shoulders gently. Rex blushed as she pulled him closer.
"The fire is pretty isn't it? Especially the embers?" Pyra's words brought Rex's eyes to the campfire and he saw it start building a bit, it looked like the flames were dancing. Then he noticed Pyra had her other hand extended out.
"You're doing that?" Rex was in awe; he didn't realize her powers went that far.
"Of course, it's what I do," Pyra smiled at him and she snapped her fingers and a flame appeared over her fingers.
"Someone taught me a long time ago that fire was more than just a power to destroy, he told me that anything could be used for evil but good as well," the look on her face was so happy, Rex wished she could always look that way.
"They must have been a good person," Rex meant it too. Pyra laughed gently before she looked at him.
"I would hope so. He was one of my best friend for a reason," then she brought the flame close to her face and blew on it gently, sending the flames out into the air. Rex watched with wide eyes as the embers fly into the air like a stream of air. They were almost like mini fireworks. Then Pyra started waving her hand and the flames started moving around in the air in response to her movements.
Rex found himself feeling quite comfortable now as he watched Pyra work with the embers. He barely noticed Nia hug him tighter as he was entranced with the fire embers. Before he knew it he felt himself drifting off into oblivion.
Gil's POV Hours Later
Gil found himself looking up in the sky, he could not move on his own will though. It was a clear day but something was strange. He saw a Titan's head but…he didn't recognize the Titan at all. It looked like a dragon's head with a long neck. Then his gaze suddenly went down.
"Hey! We're all having lunch here! Don't you want to eat?" Gil's gaze was on a young Gormotti boy with green eyes and light brown hair. He was wearing a oriental styled outfit with some simple shoes and gloves. He had a bright smile on his face as he held out a simple bowl full of some type of soup. Gil wondered who this boy was; he had never seen him before.
"Please…" he looked a little saddened suddenly, the person Gil was looking through must have made some kind of grimace. Then a golden armored hand reached out and took the bowl from the boy rather curtly. Gil thought the armor looked familiar but he couldn't quite see since it moved so quickly.
"Thanks- I knew you would like it!" the boy exclaimed.
"Aww…looks like he's actually warming up to us! He actually took Milton's offer!" a sly voice called and Gil's vision shifted to the side quickly as if in anger.
He saw two people, sitting on a log next to him both of them were women. One was a young woman with short brown hair, dressed in an oriental style outfit like the boy but she was clearly a warrior since she had black armor adorning her limbs and vital areas. There was an interesting looking staff next to her, it was silver and the ornament on top was hold with blue crystals adorning it. It must have fired some kind of projectile since there were no sharp ends on it. The woman's golden eyes were staring at him full of mirth while her lips were curled into an easygoing smile. She was definitely pretty and apparently full of confidence as well. Her voice sounded a lot more mature than she looked though.
"Indeed my Lady, I think he is," the other woman giggled. She looked like the other woman's twin actually. The features were basically the same though she wore her hair a lot longer than the other girl. She wore a type of dress that had a white top that looked like a robe and she wore these big red robes under that. She had a type of golden crown on her head and more importantly, Gil noticed a blue core right on her chest. She was a Blade? But she looked like the other girl's sister!
"Lora! Haze!" Milton exclaimed and both girls giggled in response. Gil felt like laughing too but he had a feeling the person he was seeing through wasn't in the joyous mood.
"What's so funny? Did you all have fun without me?" Gil turned towards the new voice, which was obviously a man's but his head started aching when his gaze moved.
"Urg! What?!" Gil could barely keep his eyes open. He saw two figures; one was larger than the other by a lot.
"Please control yourself, Prince," The smaller figure was a…man? No, she was a young woman though Gil supposed she could pass for a man to the common Mongrel. She had blonde hair that was done up in a bob with a braid around it on the back of her head, most likely to keep it out of the way. She had strong green eyes that seemed full of amusement and annoyance at the same time. She wore blue dress with silver armor over it along with a regal cloak around her shoulders. She also had a golden crown sitting on top of her head. There was a simple looking sword on her hip with a blue handle and gold detailing. In her hand she also held a intricate lance that looked like the metal was woven around the handle up to the tip. Both weapons gave off a powerful energy that made Gil's headache worse. Who was this woman? And…why was his head hurting from just looking at her?!
"I know but I'm curious, aren't you?" the other figure was much taller than the woman and he was the one who spoke earlier. He was clad in white robes that hid mostly everything about him; even his face was shrouded by a hood. The only thing Gil could make out was white and silver greaves and gauntlets.
Then he suddenly pulled his hood down and Gil's headache started becoming unbearable, it was like his brain was trying to eject him from this! What was going on!?
"What?!" Gil's eyes widened when he saw the man's face. He was a young man in his twenties but…the striking resemblance to Rex was impossible to miss. His eyes, his face and his hair were all similar. The only difference was that his hair was silver instead of brown. But there was no mistake; he looked like Rex if he aged ten years.
Suddenly, Gil's mind just couldn't take it anymore, the pain increased tenfold. He…couldn't focus his vision was dimming, he tried to keep his vision focused but it just wouldn't stay. The person he was looking through seemed to be feeling it as well since a golden hand reached up to grasp his head. He…he thought he saw…the "older Rex's" eyes widen in shock and worry before he reached out to him. Then…
"!" Gil's eyes opened and he sat up with a short gasp. He looked around frantically until he realized that he was awake and back at his camp. He took a deep breath to calm himself and he closed his eyes to until his mind was stable.
"Another dream…but…it was so real…" he thought to himself as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He opened his eyes again and calmly looked around. The fire had died down to being mere embers now but there was still enough light to see clearly.
The old man was still asleep in Rex's helmet, not in the least bit disturbed. Gil nearly scoffed, he wondered why he was so tired since he wasn't even involved in the fighting. Maybe his small size meant he had the same amount of energy? Gil doubted that since he was still as bossy as ever.
His gaze drifted to Rex and he smiled when he saw the rather heartwarming scene. Rex was fast asleep with Nia using him as some form of pillow while Pyra was letting Rex use her chest as a form of pillow. They looked quite cozy with each other. Gil saw the way those two were going after him, especially that little show Pyra pulled with her fire or how Nia told Rex to share his blanket with her. Gil hoped those two didn't start outwardly fighting, he knew that Rex had not taken either of their advances in the romantic sense at all. He had no idea what he was in the middle of now. Gil would have to pay attention to make sure things didn't get out of hand.
"Mm…" Gil looked down and he flushed slightly when he saw that Mythra was lying down next to him. She was facing him and her hands were cutely cupped under her head.
"When did she move over here? She was sleeping next to the old man last time I checked," Gil was the last one to fall asleep, so he knew for a fact that she did not fall asleep next to him. They had a rather pleasant talk before and after they told Rex about the Berserker Chips. Some time after Rex fell asleep, Mythra wanted to sleep, so Gil gave her a pillow and a blanket and she went to sleep. She must have woken up and moved over to him but why?
"Mmm…" Mythra curled in more on herself as she rubbed her head into the pillow more. Gil had to admit that was cute. He felt a pull in the back of his head and he reached out attentively but he stopped himself before his hand touched her hair. He grabbed her blanket and pulled it over her more before he stood up. He stared at the blonde for a moment before he turned his gaze towards Tora and Poppi.
The Nopon and his Blade were still fast asleep with Poppi using her masterpon as a stuffed animal still. Gil smiled slightly before he walked over and laid his blanket over them before he went back over to his spot and sat on the log.
He opened his gate and pulled a pitcher and a cup out. He poured the contents of the pitcher, wine into the cup before he took a few gulps of it. He sighed in slight relief before his thoughts turned back to his dream.
That…was the most detailed dream he had ever had. They had been getting clearer but that one felt like he was actually there. Who were those people? Who was he seeing through? Why was he even having these visions in the first place? Gil groaned in annoyance as one of his hands found his face. He brought his hand away slowly before he took a few more gulps of his wine.
"Going to share that?" Gil sighed as he turned his gaze to the person next to him. Mythra was staring at him with an expectant look on her face.
"Why not, I could use the distraction," He rolled his eyes and opened his gate to produce another cup. Mythra smiled and she got up with the blanket still wrapped around her. She took a seat next to him and took the cup. Gil poured the wine for her and she took a sip before she sighed in satisfaction.
"Mm…it's been some time since I've had something like this," she looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I think the last time I had something like this was in…Mor Ardain," Gil chuckled slightly before he nodded towards the pitcher.
"Well the brand is from Mor Ardain," Gil always preferred their brand for some reason. The only other thing he liked more was a strange brand that he found in his treasury but he had no idea where it was from, he couldn't read the writing on the bottles.
"Small world," Mythra commented and Gil shrugged. They sat like that for a few moments before Mythra spoke again.
"You were shuffling around in your sleep," Gil wasn't too surprised, he imagined he was considering the dream he had and the headache it gave him. Thankfully the headache left the moment he woke up.
"I came over here because I thought I could calm you down," Mythra explained and Gil nodded. He supposed he could understand that she seemed to take some kind of liking to him it was mutual after all.
"Well I'm awake now, so it doesn't matter too much, the sun will be up in a hour or two anyway," Gil explained. Mythra frowned for some reason and Gil turned away.
"You gave your blanket to the Nopon and his little robot," Mythra commented and Gil nodded.
"What can I say, Tora's a smart kid and he's nice…for a Nopon anyway. Poppi's unique too, I can't wait to see what she'll be like later," Mythra giggled in response and he turned to her in question.
"You put on this big front like you could care less but you care don't you?" she teased and Gil rolled his eyes not at all phased by her.
"I wouldn't be protecting them if I did not," he said simply and she tilted her head at that. She was analyzing him, Gil would normally be annoyed but he felt like it was ok when she did it for some reason. He felt strange around her, he felt strange around Pyra too but this was a little different, he felt like he was drawn to Mythra in a sense. Gil was always a good judge of character and he felt like he could trust Mythra. That was why he made such a sudden move like allowing her into their group.
"Your friend, Rex is lucky to have you looking out for him," Mythra mentioned and Gil chuckled slightly.
"Well I've been doing it ever since we were kids, so I guess it makes sense that I'm still doing it now," Gil's always had Rex's back even if he was an idiot at times.
"You've been with him that long? Wait what am I saying, it makes sense from how you two act, you act like brothers," Mythra seemed surprised at first before she started connecting the dots.
Gil smiled softly as he recalled the time he first met Rex. It must have been at least eleven years ago already. He still remembered the time Corinne brought him in. He was quiet back then while Gil was…well he was different back then to put it lightly.
"Yes, we've known each other for eleven years or so now. The same person took us both in after we lost our respective parents. Rex stuck to me and well I guess that's just how it's been ever since. He's a good kid even if he's selfless to a fault," Gil wondered why he was saying all this to Mythra instead of Pyra but it felt right for some reason.
"Oh…you both don't have parents?" Mythra's tone darkened and Gil sighed. They both had sad stories but the sad thing was that among the other kids back home and orphans in general, it wasn't exactly uncommon. The atmosphere in the world was so ripe with conflict; they were part of the result.
"Yes…but I don't really feel like talking about that right now, it's a bit too personal right now," Gil meant no offense but he felt like going into the full details of his orphan status was a little too much even if he liked the blonde. Mythra seemed a little saddened by his response and he smiled.
"I wouldn't mind answering other things though…like my hobbies or my business…if you'll answer some questions I have for you of course," he offered and she smiled in response. They spent the rest of the night talking about small and silly things and Gil didn't regret any of it.
Shorter chapter to wrap up this little arc of the story, romance is in the air. Don't forget to review, follow and favorite!
