Chapter 20 "Urayan Confinement"

~ MINNET TERRACE ~

"Good morning!" I greeted the squadron of Urayan soldiers and their common Blades as they reached our campsite.

"Stay right where you are!" their commander shouted. "Surrender, all enemies of the queen!" Nia and I stopped in our tracks as my crew prepared themselves behind us.

"We're not here to fight. We need your help." I showed them my empty hands to appear as nonthreatening as possible, but they responded with megalances pointed straight at me. "I swear we come in peace!"

"Hollow words, drongo! Mor Ardain doesn't know peace!" The Urayan Commander raised his hand and soon his soldiers had us surrounded with their Blades at the ready.

"Remi?" James looked to me for directions.

"Stand down! Do not initiate! Defend yourselves if they attack!" I called the shots confidently, but not everybody listened.

"Stand down?! You've lost it!" Brusa wound up Beila's shield-hammer as her new Blade began to power it.

"Men, restrain her," I ordered. Tentatively, two of our soldiers grabbed her and wrestled her to the ground which surely surprised the Urayans. "I'm serious. We will stand down and cooperate…"

"You can't fool us!" The Urayan Commander raised his megalance to my neck. "We've seen your lot try to infiltrate the palace under false pretenses before!"

"If we were going to attack you, then don't you think that we would've been more subtle about it?" I tried to reason with him. "You caught us sleeping… literally." That got them thinking.

"An interesting point," he admitted, "but under her majesty's ruling, we must take you under arrest."

"Sir! Look at what they've stashed!" One Urayan soldier pointed to our core crystals stockpiled against the wall. "They must be thieves!"

"Please let me explain!" I was getting exasperated. "We were making a routine delivery to Indol when we crashed into the Cloud Sea and your Titan swallowed us."

"Sir! Take a closer look at their men!" another Urayan soldier shouted. "They're covered in pollen dust!"

"So! Smuggling wasn't good enough for you, eh? You're junkies, too!" The Urayan Commander speared me with his megalance and knocked me to the ground.

"Rem!" Nia knelt beside me and tried to heal me, but her powers still hadn't returned.

"Let me help!" Floren started to run over to us but was barred by a Urayan soldier. As I hobbled back to my feet, the rest of the Urayan Army prodded my crew to start walking. More Urayans showed up to confiscate our cores.

~ DRILLBORE BRIDGE ~

"Keep moving! Don't even think about runnin' away!" The Urayan Commander marched us through the Titan's interior. The terrace of saffronias led to an ancient gate which opened to a natural bridge of mind-boggling geometry. It would've been a magical journey if not for the Urayans poking us with their weapons.

"You're gonna pay for this…" Brusa growled. "I swear I'll make you pay!"

"Fat chance, girly!" the Urayan Commander guffawed. "As if you Ardainians haven't threatened us before!"

"I was talking to my oh-so-fearless leader!" she retorted. I glanced back to see my angry teammate staring me down with her meanest look yet. Several of our captors laughed. I really wanted to turn around and punch her off the bridge, but I had to stay focused on my plan. Captured or not, we were on our way to the very place that I'd been wanting to go.

~ GWENITH PADDIES ~

After climbing a steep, winding highway, we reached the beginning of civilization. On both sides of the path were marshy plantations and saffronia saplings. Up ahead was a dock where additional Urayan soldiers received our core crystals. We were steps away from entering the city, and soon I realized that it was the capital of Uraya.

~ COMMERCIAL DISTRICT, of Fonsa Myma, the Urayan capital ~

What should've been a fun city tour turned into a walk of shame. The locals had all been moved to the upper tiers for our arrival and looked down upon us with disdain. They booed us. They jeered at us. Some of them even spat at us. I went to grab Nia's hand for support, but one Urayan soldier smacked us apart with his weapon. (Seriously? How bad is this going to be?)

~ SEVIND PALACE PLAZA ~

As if the hike so far wasn't bad enough, we walked up scores of stairs to further tax our legs. At the very top stood the largest gate that I'd ever seen. Situated high above it was a series of majestic buildings which I assumed comprised the royal palace. (How much further are they going to drag us?)

~ FONSA MYMA PORT ~

The end was in sight. We entered the port where ships of several types were docked. This was exactly where I wanted to be. Unfortunately, it was the ultimate tease as the soldiers forced us into a prisoner ship.

"In you get!" The Urayan Commander filed us into the floating dungeon. There were more of us prisoners than there were prison cells. I was thrown into a cell with a couple of our common Blades. All of the doors were lined with ether-absorbing panels to keep the them at bay. "Sit tight. I reckon you'll be here for a good, long time."

Soon, a prison warden and two Urayan soldiers arrived to relieve their commander and began patrolling the halls. The warden peered into every cell, almost like he was searching for someone in particular. I had no idea which cell Nia was in, but I trusted that she could handle herself. Powerless that I was, I resigned to sit and contemplate in the corner of my cell.

How could I have ended up in the slammer? I'd lived a good, honest life. I'd helped people and paid my dues. What did I do wrong? How could my luck be so bad? I felt like crying again; but like before, I held back the tears, fearing that crying meant giving up. There was no way that I could give up. There had to be a way out.

"You there!" the warden called through the barred-window. "Yeah, you, with the vine-sword!" I sprang to attention as the warden got up close to the door. "You're the Prudentian, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am," I confirmed, nervously.

"State your reasons for siding with the enemy!" He sounded like a schoolmaster admonishing a restless student.

"My name is Remi, of the Solly Mercs. This was a joint-mission with the Ardainian Empire to chaperone their cargo ships of core crystals to Indol for routine deliveries." I was surprised at the strength in my voice despite the stress.

"Right. Now explain why you and the enemy were found slumming in Uraya!" he demanded next.

"We were attacked by an unknown Blade who separated our ship from our traveling Titan. Then Uraya swallowed us… whole. We were on our way here to seek help." I expected the warden to scoff at the last part. Instead, he thought to himself before exiting the ship without another word. (Great… now what?)

All went quiet, so I returned to my corner of the cell. I couldn't sit still, unlike my two cellmates. I wondered if our captors meant to separate drivers from their respective Blades or if we were tossed in here randomly. It didn't matter with the ether-absorbing panels all over the place. Attempting to break out would surely worsen things.

An hour passed before the warden returned. I prepared for another round of questioning, but then I heard the distinctive sound of rattling keys. To my surprise, my cell door opened.

"Prudentian! Get up!" the warden bellowed. "You've been pardoned. Come on out!" I scrambled to my feet and tensely tiptoed out, feeling confused by this sudden turn of events. "You've got a Blade, yes?" He noticed Nia's scimitar on my back. "Who're you with?"

"Oh… uh…" I was a little slow on the uptake as the warden led me down the hall. Guilt filled me as I peered into each cell and saw my teammates dwell in defeat. Eventually, I found Nia in a cell with a common Blade and the inventory specialist. "I'm with her."

"Stand back and make no sudden moves!" The warden unlocked Nia's door and addressed her gruffly. "You! Sheila with the long hair! Come on out!"

"Rem!" Nia wrapped her arms around me in a trembling embrace. The feeling of relief was instant.

"Alright! Break it up! Let's go!" The warden poked us with his bat.

"What's going to happen to them?" I asked of my crew.

"They aren't going anywhere. Her majesty insists. Best bid 'em a fond farewell. I reckon you'll never see 'em again!" The warden indolently tried to hide a grin.

"What about all the core crystals you took from us? Surely there's enough for a fair trade," I attempted to barter with him. "You keep the cores and let my crew go."

"Don't push your luck. We can't let our enemies loose amongst our good people." He made sense even though I knew my crew was in no condition to cause any harm. I didn't want to abandon them like this, but the door to freedom was wide open. Reluctantly, Nia and I began to leave.

"That's right! Just walk away and forget all about us." I knew immediately that it was Brusa giving me the lip one last time. "We were always your tools, anyway."

"Quiet in there!" The warden approached her cell with his bat.

"Let me handle her, if you don't mind," I intervened. "You did allow me to bid them farewell, after all."

"Hmph!" The warden snarled, perhaps regretting his words. "Make it quick and keep your hands where I can see them!" Feeling an odd sense of power over my imprisoned teammate, I walked to Brusa's cell with my arms behind my back.

"This is far from over," I told her sternly.

"You bet it is. When I get out of here, I'm gonna make you pay!" She took one step closer to the door and spat at me through the opening.

"Yeah… you said that earlier." My eyes were locked onto hers as her spit ran down my face. "We all made choices during this odyssey, for one reason or another…"

"What's your flippin' point?" she snapped.

"Fate will see to it that you end up where you belong." I spoke with a double entendre and left it at that. She stared at me and shook her head like I was crazy. It appeared that we were never going to reconcile, at least not anytime soon. I wiped my face with my shirt and sought James next, who happened to be in the same cell as Floren.

"Is this part of the tour?" The poor flower child looked so innocent.

"I'm so sorry, Floren, James… You didn't deserve this." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I don't blame you for what happened, Remi," James assured me. "Some things are simply unavoidable."

"Yeah, but…" I was interrupted by the warden's bat pushing against my side. Visiting hours were over, it seemed. Nearly outside, I turned and saw Godfrey waving pathetically from his cell. "You keep the morale up, okay?"

"Aye, aye, captain!" Even in captivity, the ice Blade remained jolly.

"That's quite the motley crew you've got there," the warden commented as we exited the ship.

"They're good people," I pleaded again. "I hope someday you'll drop your bias and see that."

"That pink-haired girl sure has your number. Ardainians are always causing trouble. You'll be glad to be rid of them!" And with that, he returned to the prisoner ship and slammed the door behind him. I felt awful leaving my crew behind, especially after all that we'd been through.

"This isn't how it ends." I looked back at the ship as it floated in isolation. "We need to get back to Mor Ardain and inform the Special Inquisitor."

"Well, we're already in the right place." Nia pointed to the passenger ships along the main dock. "I doubt any of them will go to Mor Ardain though."

"They should have a route to Prudentia," I hoped. "We'll go home first so we can replenish our necessities and then go to Mor Ardain."

"Hang on. Can we afford to travel?" She looked concerned.

"I still have our lunch money for the Indol visit that we never made," I determined as I checked my belt.

"We haven't had a proper meal in a long time." She spied a seafood vendor wheeling by the docks.

"We can't both dine and ride with what we have left." I sighed and rubbed my empty stomach. "Right now, a ship ride is more important."

"Let's not dawdle, then." She grabbed my hand and hurried us over to the passenger ships.

"Excuse me, ma'am…" I approached the first ship in line. "Does this ship have routes to Prudentia?" The conductress of the first ship took one look at me and shook her head.

"Excuse me, sir…" I tried the next one. "Does this ship go to Prudentia?" The conductor dropped his newspaper and squinted at us.

"No, and I wouldn't ferry you regardless!" We were taken aback by his incivility.

"And why's that?" Nia confronted him.

"Get off my pier or else I'll have the coppers on ya!" The brusque conductor noisily flicked his newspaper and returned to his reading. Nia quickly stepped away. The last thing we needed was to be thrown back into the prisoner ship mere minutes after getting released from it.

"Come on. Let's try another one." I directed us to the third ship which was already packed with passengers. "Excuse me, sir…" Before I could ask about the routes, the conductor of this ship slammed the door and stood in front of it like he was a guard. The passengers also shunned us with an onslaught of unpleasant gestures.

"Piss off!" This conductor was as bad as the last one. "We don't serve you mongrel Ardainians!"

"But we're not Ardainian!" I argued back, but to no avail. The ship started to leave without us.

"You were seen with them," he rebuked. "That makes you one of them! No ships will serve you! Now clear out of here!" I retreated to Nia in yet another setback. We spent the next hour awaiting new ships and requesting service, but the conductors kept denying us. Cruelly, they even prevented us from boarding a Prudentian ship when one showed up. Fearing that our constant presence would draw undesired attention of the Urayan soldiers nearby, we finally left the dock in search of another way out.

~ SEVIND PALACE PLAZA ~

We retraced our steps up to the high-top plaza and seated ourselves by the fountains. I'd forgotten how much Nia liked them. Normal life on Prudentia seemed like a distant memory now. I longed for my home in Hagan Village, with its humble people, cozy restaurants, and Nia's favorite fountain in the village square. I couldn't bring myself to admit that she was probably right that we'd be late for our anniversary. It seemed like everybody in Uraya was working against us. (How will we ever get home if we can't board any passenger ships?)

"Hey…" Nia bumped her shoulder against mine. "How're ya holdin' up?" The expression on my face summed it up for her. We were tired, hungry, and desperate to go home. It was barely past noon and already I was exhausted. As I leaned on my partner, I noticed a bunch of people walking across the plaza from the dock.

"Nia, look!" I perked up instantly. "Mercenaries!"

"Yeah…" she yawned, "what about 'em?"

"I've got an idea." Feeling hopeful, I hopped to my aching feet and pulled Nia with me. "Come on! Let's see if they'll help their fellow mercs!"

~ URAYA MERC BARRACKS ~

We followed the mercenaries down to their quarters. I tried to make myself appear more presentable, although my hair was a mess and my clothes were in shambles. I was baring more skin than I would've liked, but I had nothing else to wear at that point. (Who knows? Maybe they'll take pity on us.)

"Hello!" I accosted the mercs with the cheeriest smile that I could muster. "Are you guys still taking requests today?" There was a pause…

"Let me get the B-team captain," one of them responded and shuffled back inside. The others looked at Nia and I with varying countenances. A minute later, we were met by someone whom we hadn't seen in ages.

"What have we here?" It was GT-Han, with his fancily-dressed, electric Blade Gregorio. This formidable duo had lost to us in the Cloud Sea Championship last year. "Oho! So, it was you two I saw earlier with those foul Ardainians!" This got awkward quickly.

"Han?" I had to blink to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

"Great Thunder Han, to you!" He didn't appear like a typical Urayan. His hair was black and bowl-cut, and there were hardly any markings on the sides of his face. "I hear you have a request for us."

"Ahem… yes. My partner and I need a ride home, and nobody at the docks will let us board a ship," I explained. "Since we're mercenaries just like you, I was hoping we could appeal to…"

"Now let me get this straight," GT-Han interrupted. "First, you ruin my chance for immortality in front of thousands of spectators. Then, you join the enemy and frighten my tree-trimmers. And now you seek my help?" (I don't like where this is going.)

"Listen! We get it. You don't want to be seen with us. Fine. Nia and I are willing to stoop to subterfuge." She looked at me anxiously as I spoke. "Stow us onto a ship to Prudentia and you can have all the gold in my pockets." I laid out my money on the ground.

"You're quite loaded for someone so destitute." GT-Han counted every coin carefully. "What makes you think we Viltsbine Mercs can be bought?"

"As I said, I'm a merc, like you," I reminded him. "I know that gold will turn you on like honey to a bee." He couldn't come up with anything to say to that, and soon I felt the tides turn in my favor.

As if to try to regain control of the negotiation, he sauntered over to me and inspected all of my scrapes and blemishes up close. Curiously, and uncomfortably, he lifted my torn shirt and ran his hand along my abdomen. Next, he approached Nia and traced his finger from her neck down to the top of her dress. She swiftly grabbed his hand and twisted his arm.

"Alright! Alright! Let go!" The shameless merc jerked out of her grasp. "So, here's the deal. I challenge you to a duel. If you beat Gregorio and I, then we'll help you. If we beat you two, then you join us for our ongoing tree-maintenance mission."

"Ongoing?" I repeated.

"Oh yes. Should take another week to complete." Whether or not his estimation was a lie, he knew that we were desperate to leave Uraya as soon as possible. Now he was twisting our arms, figuratively. Nia and I looked at each other. We had no other option.

"Deal." Hesitantly, I shook his hand.

"Right, now let us make some room over here." GT-Han ordered his men to clear the patio. "First driver to stay down for ten seconds loses!" The grin on his face showed how much he was enjoying our plight. As I reached for Nia's scimitar, I realized that I hadn't replaced my shield yet. (Guess we'll just have to be extra dodgy.)

"Rem!" Nia shouted behind me with her hands extended. "I'm… still powerless!" The reaction on my face made GT-Han laugh apathetically.

"Too bad! Too late!" The heartless merc charged forward with his katana fully-powered by Gregorio's electricity. Such aggressiveness contradicted their reactive strategy from the championship. With no shield in hand, I tried to block with only the scimitar. Without Nia's powers, we were no match for them. GT-Han took one swipe which forced the scimitar into my forearm. The pain seared through my body and I fell backwards onto Nia. Normally with her power blanketing me, hits like that felt no worse than bumping into the edge of a table. But now, I was stunned on the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Nia cradled me while everybody watched and snickered. "I… I forgot I'm still… damaged…"

"You and me, both… now," I grunted and tried to sit up.

"Hope your arm ain't broken," GT-Han said as he sheathed his weapon. "You'll need it to chop those saffronias for us, tomorrow! Come back bright and early!" He and the rest of the mercenaries went back inside like nothing ever happened.

"Curse those bastards," Nia swore under her breath as she wrapped her hands around my throbbing arm. "Ugh… I'm sorry. I can't heal you. I don't know… I don't know what else to do…"

"Help me up." I struggled to stand. "We were fools to try that. It's all my fault."

"Don't blame yourself," she hushed me. "Let's go. No point in stayin' here any longer."

~ COMMERCIAL DISTRICT ~

After composing myself, we headed back into town. People treated us like outcasts. Nearly every market refused us service, and it took us over an hour to find a doctor to patch me up. Food and treatment used all the gold we had left, but I figured it wasn't good for anything else anymore. With nothing left to do, Nia and I spent the rest of the afternoon on a balcony overlooking the main stairs.

The day was bad in every sense of the word. My crew remained incarcerated, the whole city shunned us, we ran out of money, my body was beaten, Nia's powers were still gone, and worst of all…

"Looks like we're going to miss being home for our anniversary, Remi." Nia said it like it was. "I'm sorry…"

"Stop apologizing. It's not your fault. It's mine." That was twice that I'd put myself down today. Perhaps I was finally starting to lose hope.

"At least we're still together. That's the most important thing." She rubbed my shoulders and nuzzled my neck. Night settled in and the streetlamps glowed like fireflies in the mist. Most of the people had gone home for the evening. One-by-one, the vendors put away their wares and closed their stalls.

"I can't believe we're about to spend our first anniversary as driver and Blade in a foreign city that hates us." I stared at the level below but focused on nothing in particular. Something caught Nia's attention, though.

"Hold that thought, hon'. Be right back." I watched her stroll down to the edge of the food court where a vendor was tossing out her unsold baked goods. After they started talking, they disappeared around the corner.

I sat on the bench and observed the night sky, only it wasn't actually the sky since this city was inside a Titan. Even though we were free, it still felt like we were under Urayan confinement. I took a moment to reflect on what had happened this week. What began as a simple treasure-hunt turned into a mission for the Ardainian Empire until we were ambushed by a masked Blade which led to the Urayan Titan swallowing us and now…

"I'm back!" Nia returned with something in hand, and she seemed rather chipper about it. "Here! I got this from a lady who let me decorate it!" It was a cupcake with frosting shaped like a heart. While not exactly artistic in merit, it was an adorable gesture of unwavering affection, and the emotions hit me like a ton of bricks. "Happy anniversary, Remi."

…and at last, I cried.