Chapter 19 "Faith Above Failure"

~ GREATMAW RAPIDS, of the Titan Uraya ~

"Yeah… I'm still 'ere," Nia crooned. I fell limp in her warm embrace. As there was nothing left to see, I closed my eyes and submitted to our unknown fate. I wasn't interested in learning our fate at that moment.

"There you are!" Someone shined a flashlight at us, and instantly I snapped back into the cold, hard reality. We squinted and turned to see James. "Oh, sorry! Do you… need a moment?"

"Huh? Oh… no, we're fine." I rolled off of Nia and squeezed my arms and legs to check that I was actually fine. I was hurting for certain, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. Perhaps I'd experienced a panic attack which made the whole sequence of events seem worse. Miraculously, we survived. "Nia? You okay?"

"Not especially." She tried to stand but quickly fell down to her knees. "Oh… my back…"

"My shoulders are worse as well." I couldn't stretch my arms without experiencing pain, but I was glad to feel anything at all. Everyone in the ship was awake and alert, although some soldiers remained on the floor and groaned in agony.

"What're we gonna do now?" someone asked me, reminding me that I was still the one in charge. I received a flashlight and peered out the door to assess the situation. The ship had come to rest in a lake with the back end sticking out on land. We carefully set foot in what appeared to be a cave connecting with a tunnel. (So… this is what it's like to be inside a Titan. Not exactly something I was ever curious about…)

Soon, more people exited the severed ship and secured the surrounding area. The air was damp and rancid, and the ground felt gross to step on, but fortunately there weren't any monsters to take advantage of our imperiled state. Somehow, someway, we had to escape the Titan. I found a large stone to sit on and think.

"What now, genius?" I was interrupted by Brusa who pulled me to my feet by the collar of my tattered shirt. "Great place, right? Bah! This is all your fault!" Nia tried to pry me loose, but the pain in her back forced her to retreat. Goliad made no attempt to leash his aggressive driver.

"How is this my fault?" I finally shook her off.

"They said this was your idea!" Brusa huffed back. "We never would've ended up here if not for you!"

"You didn't have to sign up for this mission! You knew the risk!" Now my voice was strained. "If you want to blame somebody, blame the Blade who chopped us down!" I stepped back to sit on the stone again, but Nia had already taken it.

"We're screwed!" There was fire in Brusa's eyes. "We'll never get out of here alive!"

"We're compromised, but we're not screwed," I tried to reason with her. "Keep faith above failure, okay? We'll find a town and charter a ride."

"Are you daft?!" She yanked at her short, pink-sprayed hair. "We're Ardainians in Uraya! We're on their turf now!" At that point, the revelation showed on my face which surely made me look daft indeed. (I forgot I'm the only non-Ardainian here.)

"Uh…" I looked around, and by now everyone was listening closely to our argument. "I still think we haven't any better options. Our ship is clearly not going anywhere."

"I am not going to the Urayans for help!" she protested stubbornly.

"You're not staying here either. This is a ship graveyard." As it turned out, our ship wasn't the only wreckage resting in the lake. "We're not Uraya's first meal."

"Supposedly ships come in and out through the top of the Titan," James joined us with Godfrey and pointed towards the tunnel. "Guess we've got nowhere else to go but that way."

"We'll go once we're ready." I examined the injured crew. A few of us were unable to stand. "Nia, is your power back yet?"

"No…" She looked embarrassed. "I feel so empty right now."

"You guys need medical attention somehow," Godfrey determined as his driver gripped his shoulder. "Some of you are in bad shape."

"Maybe we ought to resonate with more Blades," James suggested. Everybody within earshot perked up. "No offense to Nia, but one of them is bound to be another healer."

"Yeah! The more the merrier, right?" Godfrey was all for the idea. "We'll be safer with extra help, anyhow."

"You don't mind, pal? You wouldn't be my only Blade anymore." The young Ardainian let go of his shoulder and tried to hide his discomfort, but his trusty Blade knew better.

"I won't mind, especially if it means you won't go through life with a bum shoulder." Godfrey relieved his driver of his bulky shield-hammer. "And you'll definitely need a good shoulder if you want to swing this again!"

"You got that right," James concurred. "So, Remi, what do you think? Can we enlist more Blades?"

"Sure. We'll need to lighten the load, anyway." Everybody looked at me when I said that. "What? We can't abandon all of these core crystals!"

"How do you propose we carry them?" Brusa started to grill me again. "Our ship's wrecked!"

"Hold that thought…" I left the group and returned to the ship. The storage room was a mess with cores scattered everywhere. Fortunately, they were all in containers which spared them of damage. Unfortunately, there were no bags nor bins with which to carry them. (Hmm… what can we use instead?)

I grabbed as many cores as I could hold at once and haphazardly brought them outside to the group. Clearly, we couldn't carry them through an entire Titan this way. Brusa gave me the stink eye as I laid them on the ground. They weren't the lightest things in the world to carry. As I lifted my shirt to wipe the sweat off my forehead, I hit upon an idea.

"Goliad, come here please." Brusa's Blade walked over to me but didn't say a word, as usual. "May I borrow your coat?" His oversized outerwear was long enough to be a cape, and it folded sufficiently into the general shape of a bag. All of the cores that I had brought outside fit snuggly into it. "This should do, yes?" I went back into the ship and retrieved another armful of cores, including rare ones. "Okay, if you guys want to bond with a new Blade, here you go."

"I'll go first," Brusa decided and reached for a rare core. She opened the container and covered the core crystal with both hands. In a blinding flash which illuminated the cave, a new Blade appeared before her. It was a blue-skinned lady Blade with white hair draped over one eye. She bowed her head and handed her ice-powered shield-hammer to her new driver.

"Hello, I'm Beila. Pleased to meet you." Brusa accepted the weapon and smiled at her new companion. Nia and I looked at each other in bemusement. This Blade used to be with Reeco during his life of crime, and now she was our teammate.

"Wow!" Godfrey was enthralled. "You've got an ice hammer, too!"

"Too bad it's not something that can heal us," James commented to his excitable Blade. "Guess it's my turn." He reached for a rare core like Brusa did. In another flash of light, a Blade was awakened.

"I'm Cernun! Protector of the animal kingdom!" the new Blade declared. He looked like a man-and-beast hybrid with majestic horns on his head and a torc worn around his neck. "You there! I hope you're a vegetarian!" He handed his beastly megalance to James who tried to keep a straight face. Strike two… megalance Blades couldn't heal. The soldiers took their chances with new common Blades, but none of them were healers either.

"Well? Aren't you going to try one?" Brusa had finished getting acclimated with Beila and turned her attention to me, again. I became uncomfortable quickly. Having witnessed several Blade awakenings by the crew, I hadn't considered bonding with a new Blade myself. Nia had always been my only Blade, and I wasn't the slightest bit interested in bonding with another.

"I… I'm sorry, but I can't do it." Nia got up from the stone and stood by my side. "Nia's my sole Blade, and I don't want that to change."

"Come on! We all did it! You have to do it, too!" The pressure was on from Brusa.

"I can't… I just can't." All eyes were on me. "I don't want another Blade."

"Why?" Brusa crossed her arms and contorted her face. "Because she's your lover?"

"Whoa… back off!" I hated this invasion of privacy. "Nia's all I ever need in life. I know I can depend on her."

"Oh? She's pretty useless right now!" The Ardainian lass went too far.

"Why you ungrateful bitch!" Nia hissed, ignoring her own advice about turning the other cheek. "You'd be dead if not for me!" She took one step towards Brusa before Goliad rushed between them and shoved my partner to the ground.

"Hey hey hey! Cool it!" James grabbed Goliad by the arm as I hurried over to Nia.

"Are you okay?" She tugged at my shirt and shook her head. The tumble couldn't have been good for her back. I helped her up and glared at Brusa. "You are out of line! Stop needling us, or I'll have you on report!"

"Hah! Go ahead! We're not getting home anyway." She and Goliad retreated to Beila who didn't seem to care that her new driver was causing a ruckus.

"Leave them alone," James continued to defend us. "There's no harm in trying again." He reached for another rare core and commenced the awakening. As the flash of light blinded us, we immediately smelled something unusually fresh and redolent.

"I'm Floren!" Carrying a bitball, the new Blade appeared to be a flower child in the literal sense with a costume made of leaves and petals. "You look like a driver I can depend on."

"Really? I'm flattered!" As James closed his eyes and bowed, Floren turned around and snickered.

"Heh… this one's putty in my hands," the flower child murmured smugly.

"What's that?" James whipped back up straight.

"Oh nothing!" There was something odd about Floren, but what mattered was that this Blade was a healer.

"Listen, Floren… I'm James, this is Godfrey, and we've been shipwrecked here in Uraya," the Ardainian driver explained. "As you can see, we're in dire need of help."

"Uraya?" Floren twirled around and sniffed the air. "Ah… I can smell it!"

"Smell what?" Godfrey sniffed around, too. "Titan-breath?"

"No, silly! It's the scent of the indigenous saffronia." The flower child danced around gracefully while we all looked at each other in confusion. "It's unmistakable! There must be several saffronia trees growing in Uraya!"

"That's… that's nice, but we could really use your help." James was getting annoyed. "Most of us are bruised up, and some can't even walk…"

"I sure would like to see all the saffronias in full bloom." Floren was paying no attention.

"Hey Floren!" I took a turn with the distracted Blade. "My name is Remi. These people are my friends, and…"

"Do they like saffronias too?" The ditzy healer skated across the mossy path and got right up close to my face. The fragrance was heavy, almost overwhelming.

"Um… yes! As a matter of fact, we all like these, uh, saffronias! Isn't that right, everybody?" I faced the crew who all nodded or smiled awkwardly. "I'll make a deal with you. If you heal us, then we'll take you on a tour of Uraya."

"You got it!" Floren retrieved the bitball and held it chest-high. In a rush of green light and flower petals, the cave was filled with a refreshing aura that dampened my skin. I watched in beguilement. This new Blade was completely oblivious to the severity of the situation despite the healing being given to us. Nevertheless, our cuts and bruises were gone in the blink of an eye.

"Ah! My shoulder!" James moved his arm around. "Floren, you're absolutely wonderful!" He quickly covered his mouth and cleared his throat. "Ahem… I mean, thanks. We needed that."

"Right on, kid," Brusa complimented as she flexed and pounded her fists together. "You've really earned your keep. It's nice to have a healer among us." She looked Nia dead in the eye.

"Ignore her." I stepped in front of Nia to block her view. "How are you feeling now?"

"Not bad. I'm definitely better, but…" She paused to stretch and loosen up. "I still feel a slight bother in my back."

"It's an improvement." I put my hands on her shoulders as she relaxed her stance. "I'm glad. I didn't like seeing you gloomy."

"Gloomy?" She studied her palms. "My powers haven't returned."

"Maybe you just need more rest." I honestly had no idea, but I remained hopeful that it wasn't a long-term problem.

"What about you, Rem? You're puttin' on a brave face. I can tell." She saw right through me.

"I'm… worried, Nia. I'm worried that we won't make it home in time for, uh…" I glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "You know… our special day. We simply must find a new ship out of here tomorrow."

"Our anniversary is tomorrow?" Her eyes widened.

"It's in two days," I corrected her, "but you know how long traveling can take. I know I should be more concerned about survival, but…"

"It's okay. It's important to me, too." She leaned forward to kiss me on the lips. "But you have to face reality. We probably won't make it back in time."

"Ooo… I didn't know drivers and Blades were allowed to do that!" We both jumped as Floren snuck up on us. "So, when are we going to tour Uraya?"

"Right! You're right. We should leave soon, but first I need to prepare the crew." I left Nia with her fellow healer and called for everybody's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am aware that you are Ardainians in Uraya, but we must push onward. We've been revitalized, we've gotten reinforcements, and we've got the will to salvage what's left of this mission. And to that end, we will tote as many cores as we can."

"How will we do that?" someone from the crowd hollered.

"As I demonstrated earlier, we can use our shirts as bags if we pinch and tie up the holes." I looked down at my own shirt which had holes and rips everywhere. "Now, I would like for all the men to remove their shirts and follow my folding instructions." All of the soldiers removed their cuirasses and shirts to the delight of the females of the crew. "All set? Now, each of you fill your shirts with as many cores as you can." The collection process took longer than I anticipated, and there was still a small amount of cores leftover. It made me sick to my stomach to leave them behind. (Hopefully they're found by an honest driver and not a monster.)

"Is everybody ready?" I conducted one final check as the soldiers put their cuirasses back on. "Okay then, let's see where the path takes us." Up ahead was the great unknown, and we had no choice but to explore it.

~ JEBBA'S CAVERN ~

Our trek began most unpleasantly. The tunnel steered us around a series of acid-filled caves with an odor foul enough to sting. Not even Floren's fragrance could neutralize it. Regardless, the flower child insisted that the revered saffronias weren't far off. I wondered how long we could humor the Blade. Our goal was to escape the Titan, not to be tourists. Eventually, we entered a large cavern with zigzagging pathways and the first sighting of the famous trees.

"Look! Over there!" Floren pointed across the chasm to a smattering of peach-colored leaves growing out of a hole in the wall. "That's the saffronia alright! I want a closer look at it!"

"Sorry Floren, but we can't fly." I directed us to a path on our right which connected to an overpass above us. "We'll have to find another way around."

~ COBALT CLIFFS ~

The steep incline made our knees stiff, but Floren was kind enough to heal away any aches and pains from the hike. Still, we were getting tired and hungry as the day wore on. If not for my watch, I would've lost track of the time and date. As evening approached, we turned the corner and were greeted by a truly breathtaking sight.

"Great Titan's glory!" James exclaimed with both hands on his head. Laid out before us was the grand interior of Uraya that was too big for words. Saffronia trees and other gorgeous blossoms decorated every inch of the place. Water filled the bottom with several types of fauna drinking from it. "I've never seen such natural beauty like this before!"

"I'll tell you what looks even better." I focused on the far side of the subterranean course where a city sat in plain view with ships floating above. "There's our ticket out of here." Filled with new hope, I encouraged the crew to continue forging ahead. Soon, we came across our first saffronia, but it wasn't the only thing we encountered…

~ MINNET TERRACE ~

"Hey! What are you doing to that poor, defenseless tree?!" Floren ran ahead to confront a couple of Urayans carrying a two-person crosscut saw. A Nopon was accompanying them with a clipboard.

"Meh meh meh! Viltsbine Mercenaries are commissioned to cut down overgrown trees! Friend best not pester!" The Nopon in charge waved his clipboard at Floren as if to shoo the Blade away.

"Floren!" James called out as he and Godfrey caught up. "Don't leave us like that!"

"Who's there?" One of the Urayans dropped his end of the saw as the entire group gathered behind Floren. "What? Ardainian soldiers?! Run! Run for your lives!" The two Urayans grabbed their Nopon friend and scurried away.

"Well, that was smooth," James said sarcastically. "They're liable to warn the city about us."

"If they send a platoon after us, then we'll just have to take them down." Brusa threw a few punches in the air like she was ready to fight.

"No, we won't," I vetoed. "We need their help. If they come for us, then we'll surrender."

"What?!" I expected Brusa to lash out at me, yet again. "Do you want to get us killed?!"

"The more we cooperate, the better the chance we have at boarding a ship out of here." I was too tired to yell back at her. "Besides, they'll want to have us out of their hair as quickly as possible."

"Sure, by killing us!" She threw her hands in the air in frustration, nearly knocking a few cores out of Goliad's coat which he was carrying for her.

"Blame me all you want. I'm done arguing with you." I motioned for the crew to keep walking along the terrace. As we left the scene, Floren inspected the saffronia for damage and gave it a hug. I swore its leaves lit up a brighter shade of orange.

We didn't advance much further before I'd heard enough requests from the crew to stop and break out the last of our emergency rations for dinner. We set up camp along a concaved cavity in the cavernous wall with a nearby saffronia for seclusion. Three campfires were necessary to warm up everyone. As we'd done earlier, we took turns resting and guarding the area.

Conversations were aplenty, but I wasn't paying attention to any of them. I couldn't stop worrying about being late for the big day. All escape plans aside, there was no telling what might happen upon our arrival to the city ahead.

"Hey you." Nia joined me away from the group. "A little antisocial tonight, are we?"

"I'm just exhausted." I sat back and admired the foliage. "You're looking no worse for wear, at least since Floren came along."

"She's odd, that one." Nia laid one leg over mine and snuggled close. "I sure wish my back wouldn't throb every so often, though."

"Something's going on inside, Nia." I reached behind and caressed her back. "Blades aren't supposed to retain pain."

"Hmm… so this is how it feels to be human!" She giggled impishly. "How did you get through life before you met me? One injury and you can't do anything for days, right?"

"There was a time when the Solly Mercs had their very own masseuse," I recalled from my teen years. "We'd be out all day, get beaten up, then return to camp for a nice back-rub and a meal."

"Mmm… a massage sure sounds good right about now." Her smile was endearing.

"Sure thing, Nia." She spun around to face away from the crew, and I crawled to sit behind her. "Hold onto your dress," I instructed as I swept her hair away and untied her outfit to expose her back to me.

"Start in the middle…" A gust of wind blew, and she shivered instantly. "Hurry up, would you? It's parky bein' out 'ere like this!"

"Sorry! My, er, 'powers' don't quite work as quickly as yours," I joked and started to apply pressure to the center of her back.

"Lower," she ordered. "Lower still… no, too low… higher. Yeah, right there… oooh…" I glanced behind me and caught James and Godfrey staring, but they quickly turned away. I continued to rub her back for a few more minutes until she shivered again. "Alright, that's enough." She shook my hands off.

"You good?" I checked as I let her hair fall back into place.

"Yeah… I was startin' to feel a little… too good…" she admitted, blushing. "Save the rest for when we get home, yeah?"

"I'm sorry, lady, did I not heal you properly?" We were startled as Floren snuck up on us, again.

"What the 'ell? Don't you know it's rude to…" Nia stopped her scolding and sighed. "Anyway, no, don't take it personally, kid. You healed me just fine. There's something wrong with me. That's all." For once, Floren looked serious.

"Where does it still hurt?" The flower child sat behind Nia as I had done and placed both hands on her back.

"Right in the center. It's like a really… dull throb…" Her voice trailed off as Floren administered another round of healing, this time concentrated on one spot.

"That should do the trick!" Floren moved over and let me tie up Nia's outfit.

"Thanks. You really know your stuff." She caught another whiff of the Blade's fragrance. "And your perfume is lovely, too."

"Perfume?" Floren gave us a quizzical look. "I'm not wearing any perfume."

"Really?" I caught another whiff of the fragrance myself. "I guess being a flower girl means smelling nice naturally, right?"

"Girl? Uh… I'm a boy." Floren skated back towards the saffronia and left us speechless.

In a few hours, the chatter subsided, and we all picked our spots for the night. The ground was much softer than a ship's rooftop, so Nia and I were asleep in no time.

It was utterly peaceful. As the campfires died down, the sounds of the distant waterfalls took over…

"Alert! Alert! Unidentified persons approaching!" I woke up the next morning as one of our common Blades sounded the alarm. I sprang to my feet to see a large group of men in bulky suits of armor.

"Oh for crying out loud! It's the Urayan Army!" someone shouted as everyone reached for their weapons.

"Stay on defense and do not initiate," I ordered. Nia and I walked to the front of our group to meet the oncoming squadron. "Let me handle this…"