As much as the two had anticipated the Titan of Mor Ardain to be glorious and full of splendor, they were intrigued as to how different it was from the previous continents. The land was hot and dry, barely a plant growing from it and what did come from it was not fruitful in any regards. The agriculture was sharp, rugged and spikey, adapting to the climate of the Titan's overly warm body. There were even some strange plants that seemed engorged full of water, bearing odd-looking plump leaves that welcomed them to the land.
Creatures even looked different, some species boasting heavy plated bodies. There were hungry looking vulture-like birds of enormous size looking for kill, looming beastly steer pawed at the ground for water. Bunnets here grabbed the ends of cacti, using them as defensive weapons while searching for their next meal. "This place looks like it's ready for a fight…the beasts here even seem hostile." Zeke mentioned after they had docked their ship and sold it to the closest vendor possible.
"They did say Mor Ardain has been the one trying to find land to live upon. Is this what happens to a Titan when it's beginning to die?"
"I suppose…" The prince felt his head line with beads of sweat, wiping them away. "Its ether must be warming the body of it to prepare for its final moments…much like before a person dies they become incredibly hot."
"It's kind of sad…" Pandoria looked up to the Titan's head, watching as it peered ever forward…never stopping its movements in the endless circle around the world tree. "Have you ever seen a Titan die before?"
"Me?" Zeke thought deeply, trying to recall the details of what life was like before meeting her. "Once. It was a smaller Titan, one that fit inside Genbu. It had been injured gravely, and we were unable to ensure that it would survive so we did what we could to make it comfortable. I was young at the time, so I didn't quite understand why we were treating it so well. When it died, it glowed for a while and started to dissipate into these streams of ether until it all vanished, leaving a few core crystals behind."
"Ether streams? Core crystals?"
"Well yes…I was a rather studious child so I can educate you a bit!" He was distracted by his own pride, barely paying any attention to the sign ahead of him indicating where the city was. He noticed a gate to the left of where they had docked, and so started to walk along the pathway. "Titans and Blades are both made of super concentrated ether, in the form of a living, breathing, even sometimes reproductive being. Titans produce core crystals, which as you know obviously give birth to Blades such as yourself. Blades are very similar to humans, when they take that form…they are able to do as much as a human can although no record of live birth has ever existed in the thousands of years Blades have."
Pandoria nodded a bit at his words, trying to keep up with his fast pace. He seemed to almost move quicker as he chattered. They passed through the heavy gates, and neither one of them noticed a soldier yelling about a faded sign guiding visitors to the city. "Ether is the very structure of our world Pandy! It's your lifeblood, the very thing that gives you substance. It's where our magic, our power comes from. And with Drivers and Blades, the very ether of their life forces are shared. There are all sorts of ways to manipulate it, for good and for bad." He placed his hands on his hips, and finally stared out into the distance. There was a nearby cliff that tumbled down the side of the Titan;s shoulder, there was a building with massive pipes sticking out from its body and embedded into the ground.
Large oversized snakes abounded with flailed hoods and giant rattlers, eying down the two dangerously. Horned monstrosities were even closer, heads lowered in preparation to charge. There was no friendly life around here to be seen. "Where…is the city?"
"Perhaps they couldn't take the heat and retreated to an underground respite…" Zeke told, scooting Pandoria along very carefully as to not get the attention of the dangerous, wild animals. "Ah-ha!" There was an imposing stairwell that fell deep down into the earth.
The two escaped from the wilds inside, finding themselves in a barren wasteland of what looked to be a factory at some point. The stairs creaked and appeared aged with rust. Doors bent and leaned under the pressure of the Titan's body. Pipes ran completely dry. Only spiders and snakes seemed to make their homes here, alongside a few vangs. "This should be no problem…we can navigate this with zero issue!"
Two days later, Pandoria grumbled and stomped her foot while she walked back into a room, the same room they had visited with the same hole at the same entrance. She had been marking a few places with crude drawings of a turtle, but they all had either disappeared or were lost in the twisting, winding passageways of their current jail cell.
Zeke was appearing weak, with having consumed most of their on-hand food and water his lips were becoming less supple and his energy ran low. He huffed, leaning against the wall and glanced at his clock. "9pm already…we've been stuck down here for nearly three days…"
"And we've passed by the same places so many times…I feel like we're just walking in circles." She slumped against the wall, dropping her body slowly to the floor to join him. The two groaned together, the rumbling of their stomachs simultaneously churning echoed in the distant hall.
"We barely got past our last set of baddies…" Zeke closed his eye tiredly, "This…just can't be the end…" He stared to Turters and found evil thoughts running through his mind, "No…I couldn't possibly."
"If you even dare mention eating our beloved pet, I will murder you with my own hands!" Pandoria prodded her finger into his side hard.
He winced a bit. "No Pandy…we won't eat Turters. There's far too little meat on him anyway."
She gasped. Somehow even with his weakness, he chuckled. She relaxed and clutched him close, the two were beyond spent. "I haven't a survivor's bone in my body it seems."
She watched a nearby bug crawl along the earth's surface, "Is this worse or better than the avalanche?"
Zeke found himself shivering at just the mention of their home Titan. They had been exploring castle ruins, and found themselves caught inside a cavern as a plethora of snow debris fell in front of the mouth of the cave. "It's about the same level of terrible times…" He sighed, gazing at her longingly, "At least there's more company here…and it's warmer. That was just a frozen hellish nightmare. Nearly two days of digging through all that muck…how awful."
"Please don't die…I've had such a wonderful time with you…these last six years."
"Seven." He corrected with a certain haughty tone.
"Seven?" She cocked her head.
"Today…specifically…it was supposed to be our anniversary together. When I had resonated with you as a Blade."
"That means, it's close to your birthday too."
"Yep, turning into an old man it seems."
"You're only 22…" She snickered.
"Hey you don't ever age! I don't want to hear a peep from you."
Pandoria giggled, and got a good look at her Driver, watching the way his hair was swayed into its unique style, his clean and smooth cheeks, his dashing chin. She felt her hands exploring his chest for a moment, even now in the grips of suffering he was a handsome and fun man. She could feel her head swimming with ache, but what it was exactly she found it hard to describe. She just had to be close to him, had to be around him.
He hummed gently as she massaged at his shoulders. "Pandoria…are you alright?"
She snapped out of her trance, blushing a bit, "Yeah…now's probably not the time for that."
The two watched as Turters waddled off, trying to chase after the bugs. Zeke sighed deeply, "You know…this is a curse I think."
"What is, my prince."
"My…Chaos. The Chaos I bring…it just seems to make us both so miserable…and yet you're still here alongside me."
She lightly punched his shoulder, and he huffed, "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried! You'd have to be a completely different person for me to even think about doing that, even then…" She pouted, "Don't doubt yourself my prince….you're a great guy. We can get out of this…we have before."
He nodded, finding his eye closing, "Let me…get some rest. I will have us freed from here by tomorrow morning."
"I believe in you…" She gave him a soft kiss to the cheek, and the two fell asleep in each other's arms.
Pandoria found herself waking up in the arms of her Driver, his body still. She gazed down at his bare chest peeking from the corners of his cozy jacket, and could smell the sweat melting from his body. She caught his eyes, and found that it was a mistake because he had that overly confident and cocky smirk that she so adored. She felt herself shaking almost and begging for more, gazing at his lips as he focused on the sight before them. They had returned to their kissable state, no longer parched. In fact he seemed completely rejuvenated.
They were at the elevator that lead up to Alba Cavanich, the main box descending from its high perch. Pandoria nearly jumped out his arms with surprise at this, "How…how did you get out?"
"I guess I got luck for once." He chuckled, "But that hardly matters now. We're here. And from what I've overheard there's an inn, famous for its hot springs. We should check in and get some well earned rest in an actual bed."
They barely cared about the markets, despite the upgrade from Uraya. They had sights on the inn, which welcomed them with open arms. After climbing up the set of stairs to the top, Zeke helped Pandoria unpack their things and get the room situation. He glanced at the clock, the afternoon was upon them but clouds collected into the sky.
"According to our information packet, the ladies' bathing spot is open. You should go and relax."
"Go? Doesn't that mean…getting…" She blushed a bit at the idea of removing her clothing, especially in front of the prince. Why it mattered now was baffling. They had often changed in close quarters before , always respecting the other by covering eyes or moving to a different room. Perhaps it was the fact that she feared being joined by someone else, or would interrupt someone else's time. Whatever it was, her shoulders glowed and flickered gently as she stumbled about, looking for a towel.
Zeke trusted she would be okay, as he rested his head on a pillow and placed Turters onto his bedside table. "Well, enjoy yourself! I'm going to take a little cat nap now that I've had my fill of food and whatnot."
"Lazy." She joked while bending down to place a small kiss on his forehead. He hummed happily and within seconds he was out cold.
Pandoria carefully and gently removed her clothing, watching in a mirror the way the fabric slid from her body. She hated feeling so exposed usually. She tugged at her tail, removing it and placing it onto the bed after undressing completely. She covered herself with a large purple towel and started to make her way towards the hot springs.
The air was a bit chilly, the wind blew softly. The world below seemed quiet with afternoon haze. Pandoria stared at the hot springs, there were no other guests using it so she cautiously stepped up to it and dipped her toes into its waters. She drew back a little, but bit her lip and slip the towel from her shoulders. Quickly, she jumped inside and gave a calm breath out.
It was relaxing, the warmth enveloped her from the outside in. It smelled heavily of minerals, but it wasn't unwelcome. She took off her glasses, setting them behind her on the ground and placed her head back, allowing the waters to play with her hair. Just as she thought she was trying to drift off, she felt the waters move a little and gasped. She straightened up at an instant, squinting before returning the spectacles to her nose.
A straight-faced, black-haired woman was in the baths now, minding her own business. She was carefully dabbing water along her arms in a fanciful manner. She noticed Pandoria's stare and hummed softly at the core crystal on her chest. "Away from your Driver are you?" The woman in question had a thick, stern accent.
"Male Driver…" Pandoria tried not to make too much eye contact with her…those amber eyes were so piercing and cold…it made the Blade shiver.
"Ah well that's understandable…"
"Are you…a Driver ma'am?"
The woman's eyes widened, and she cocked her head at her. She chuckled and shook her head, "You…you're not from around here are you?"
"No…"
"Where do you hail from Blade?"
"T…Tantal…ma'am…" She didn't want to expose too much information to this random stranger but she felt her heart racing.
"Tantal…I haven't seen or heard wind of anyone from there in many years. Rumor has it that the prince was expelled some time ago…and is roaming around somewhere in Alrest with his Blade. Some proclaim he's gone rouge, and has been committing crimes. Others say he is a great hero that brings justice to those who are most in need of it." She gave a tiny shrug, "Who can say? All reports are so vague and unthreatening that I couldn't be bothered with half of them. Perhaps I will study it more if it pertains more to the health of my nation."
Pandoria felt a little angered by this statement, trying not to let it show. She hated anyone who bad-mouthed her prince. "And just who are you exactly?"
"Someone very important to the military. I'm actually shocked they didn't force you out of the spring before my arrival but perhaps it was because they had no women on duty." She bowed her head gently, "Mòrag Ladair. I am the owner of Brigid, commonly known as the Jewel of Mor Ardain. She's a beautiful Blade who produces a blue flame and can render enemies asunder in seconds."
The Blade shivered with the confidence in this woman's voice…and this Brigid she spoke of sounded so strong. "Th…that means."
"Aye…I'm the sister of our Emperor Niall. If it had not been for our strict laws, I would have been the ruler myself." She stretched her arms and reached for her towel. "Well Blade, I must be going. It has been an honor talking to you. I wish you well in your travels."
And without another word, Mòrag lifted herself from the springs. She toweled herself down, threw the dirty one away in a nearby bin, covered up and disappeared without a trace.
Pandoria barely had time to register this before she noticed a small green rock moving. She adjusted her glasses a few times and gasped, seeing it was her pet galloping along without a care in the world. She turned around towards the wall of the spa, hoping he wouldn't notice her.
"Oh no…" She went back and forth in the springs until the familiar yell of her Driver made her duck into the water at chin-level. A panicked Zeke barged into the hot springs area, yelling, "Turters!" He glanced all around, finally snatching the tiny creature from falling into the edge of the hot pool.
But his eyes stared up, at the nude back of Pandoria. Even with the mild coverage of the waters, she was completely exposed. Zeke could feel his eye twitching, his mouth open with shock and his brain fog over with a mix of shame and interest. He fought his primal instincts, refusing to gawk as he sharply turned around. He said nothing, but returned back down the steps.
After hearing him leave, her shoulders dropped and she sighed in relief. Believing he didn't take notice, she lifted herself from the baths and grunted as she retrieved her towel.
Zeke was trying not to blush as she returned, now covered. "H…How was your bath?"
"Nice…" She cleared her throat, "You missed me by just a few minutes, I was behind the screen getting my towel back on!"
"Ah what a lovely opportunity missed…" He chuckled as she puffed her cheeks up.
"I…met someone though."
"Really? I thought the hotel was empty?"
"Not at all…apparently someone by the name of Morag stopped by. I guess she's some kind of important leader."
"Mòrag huh…." Zeke felt his memories trying to recall the name but to no avail. "Never heard of her. Well I'd like to meet her someday! Sounds like an interesting person."