Oh boy. I have been fearing this chapter because it deals with the loreTM and these games' lore is insanely complicated. If you notice something blatantly wrong (like me saying Melia is an Aegis or something to that effect), please comment! Even if you're just confused about something, please comment! I'm early enough into the story that I can retcon things if need be.
Quote comes from Friedrich Nietzsche.
My jams: Brewing Storm (XC2), Elysium in the Dream (XC2), A Portent Crawling Over (XC2), Where we Used to be (XC2), Disquiet (XC1), Past from a far Distance (XC2).
Also, there will probably be a lot of typos/weirdness in this chapter. I haven't had the time to put this in google translate and have it read back to me. Please comment if you notice something weird!
"The lonely one offers his hand too quickly to whomever he encounters."
═════════•°• Gran Dell, Bionis Shoulder •°•═════════
Radzam tsked, kneeling down to inspect the flowers. Their once brilliant blue shine was dulled, the petals frail and slightly browned at the end. It was a shame, too; Mystic Dahlias were truly beautiful when they were in bloom. Unfortunately, since it wasn't native to this land, the water content and the nutrients in the soil were not enough for it to survive well. Perhaps Ines would have some fertilizer? She had mentioned wanting to gather ingredients to stimulate the growth of crops and It would be such a shame for such a beautiful flower to fully wither away. He stood up, discomfort blooming in his shoulder. Frowning, he rolled the joint, wincing as pain pulsed sharply anytime he pressed back.
"Ah. I forgot you Machina were more… durable," A voice said behind him. Before he could turn around, electricity cackled along the wound on his shoulder. Radzam's limp body fell to the ground, the smell of burning wires starting to permeate in the area. The figure retreated into the shadows, climbing up the stairs circling around the main area. Body after body tumbled to the ground as he maneuvered his way around the small hamlet. Nestior was the second to go. For some reason, the brat had been drawn to him since they had come to settle on (read: ejected onto) the Shoulder. The Homs brat (Angela, he wanted to say her name was) and her nosy friends were next. They didn't necessarily bother him when he returned from his patrols but they got in the way, nonetheless, with their shrieking laughter and constant play. Arara and Sarja saddened him slightly. They had been the nicest to him; Sarja always offered him homemade bread and Arara always seemed to know when he needed someone to sit in silence with. But it had to be done; they had been brainwashed by the Machina who lived in the village. The only way that they could be saved was in death.
The remaining denizens had caused him little trouble. Really, it was all too laughably easy to dispatch the people of Gran Dell. Not that he was expecting much resistance in the first place. The guards, if you could even call them that, didn't know what hit them and were down before they could even process his presence. These were the ones that foolishly trained under Lar'shen. And the villagers? Easy pickings. Most had never seen combat in their lives, mush less from a member of the Royal Guard.
He rounded the corner, knocking on a door before slipping into the shadows. There was one Machina who had managed to elude him so far. The sneaky bastard always seemed to know something was up about him, so much so that he had never left him alone, even when he was training with the other guards. He smirked as Voqzen stumbled out his house almost in a slight panic. The last of the thorns embedded in his side. The Machina glanced around, squinting. Voqzen's eyes roamed over where he was hiding, pausing to stare right at him before turning his back and heading further into the town. He followed closely, resisting the urge to giggle at the Machina's distraught expression as they passed by an increasing number of bodies.
"Go ahead, Gael'gar. I will not resist what you are so hellbent on doing. I have lived my life to its fullest," he said, not looking back.
He snorted, raising his weapon. "You're a fool, Vaqzen."
"You are the fool," Voqzen said, closing his eyes as the sword was driven through his heart. "Killing the very people you ah- consider your family. Your home."
"No. You are the fool," Gael'gar said, stumbling backwards. "I've never had a family and I never will."
After confirming his kill, he dashed off towards the stream outside Tranquil Tarn. While he had some time to spare, he didn't want to get caught by anyone when he was so close to realizing his dreams. Stripping his bloodied clothes off, he flung them into the rapidly moving water, watching with a satisfied expression as they sailed off the side of the Shoulder, falling steadily towards the surface. Shivering, he sunk down to his shoulders and washed his body of the evidence, mindful of his wings. Once he was satisfied, he stepped out and shook himself dry, pulling the discreetly placed bag from behind a rock. He slipped into his regular clothes, nestling his weapons on his side. As Gael'gar exited the area to Gran Dell, he failed to notice two Nopon with flags watching him leave from behind a large rock, fur matted and bloodied.
The path back to Companion's Cape was quiet and uneventful. The night time was calming to him, the stars and constellations lighting his path. It always had been, especially when he was a child and his sorry excuse of a mother would beat him almost to death over his failure to do much of anything. Not that he really cared much about her, considering she had turned into one of those hideous beasts. She deserved every bit of hell that the transformation and life entailed. And his father died of disease before he reached his twenty-fifth birthday. Gael'gar doubted that he would have made any lasting impact; Homs were incredibly short-sighted due to their short lifespans. He shook his head, rushing as fast as his legs would carry him.
There was no need to dwell on the past, after all. Not when he was guaranteed to get what he always desired.
"You're back," Maxis greeted, approaching warily. He took note of the other High Entia's gleeful demeanor and nonchalant attitude. "What took you so long?"
"I ran into some trouble while tracking down the research notes," Gael'gar said, disappearing inside one of the small enclaves in their agreed meeting spot. He had asked Maxis to meet him here in case some of the other Companion's were smart enough to put two and two together. Assuming they found about Gran Dell, that is. "It didn't cause me much strife to dispatch but it did delay my travels slightly. Despite this, I have completed my mission successfully. Have the scouts noticed any odd movements near the abandoned lab?"
"No. The Shoulder is quiet and unmoving. They did not even find traces of your friends," he replied. "Why? Do you have something in mind?"
Gael'gar emerged from the makeshift house, bag stuffed full of what appeared to be rations. "Well, let's just say I received a package from our… friends. They discovered some rather interesting information. I dare say that it will give us the edge we need to accomplish our mission in full."
"Please tell me you aren't going to do anything reckless," he replied. "We don't want blood on our hands anymore than necessary."
"Oh heavens no. The rest of our race will serve their purpose, I assure you," Gael'gar said, pressing a hardcover book into Maxis' chest as he walked by. "This contains everything that you need to know. I will need a decision made soon."
"... I understand." Maxis said, discomfort painting his face. He watched the High Entia walk away, calling out to him. "What of the citizens of Gran Dell? How do they fare?"
Something about the expression on Gael'gar's face sent chills down his spine. "They're just fine." He paused. "There are some loose ends that I need to tie up. Meet me by our headquarters in a week's time at sunrise. If I'm not there to greet you personally, assume I've failed the mission."
Maxis sighed, his clothing seeming to weigh his shoulders down with his exhale. He searched around for a comfortable place to read, the book in his arms strangely heavy.
═════════•°• Bionis Shoulder •°•═════════
The late morning sun found their rather large group sitting in a circle. Tora plopped down next to Poppi, separating her from the curious human in red, or Homs as they called themselves. Was his name Shulk…? They had introduced themselves the night previous but the amount of people in their group gave Tora a headache. There was one name he did, however, remember.
"Shulk, do you remember when I showed you the origin of this world's creation?" Alvis asked, rolling his neck around. Yes, the one with the Aegis' core crystal. He interested Tora very much.
"A little bit. It's been a while," Shulk admitted, crossing his arms in front of his body.
"I once told you that the curiosity of a single man, Klaus, destroyed the universe he had lived in and birthed the one we live in today," Alvis said. The name sounded familiar to Tora but he couldn't put his wing on it. "That much is true. However, that is not the entire truth."
"The entire truth? Whatever do you mean?" Melia said, a hardened expression on her face. It reminded Tora of the face Morag had when dealing with official business relating to the Empire.
"When Klaus activated the Conduit, a source of infinite energy, he created not one but two universes, accidentally splitting his soul across both in the process. In our world, he was known as Zanza. In the other, he called himself the Architect."
"Meh meh meh!" Tora exclaimed, wings flapping up and down frantically. "Tora know all about Architect! Friends of Tora and Tora climb World Tree to meet him! Was very nice fellow in end!"
"PoppiQTπ remember. Klaus sat in air with half of his body covered in darkness," the blade said. "He looked very sad. Like he regret something."
Alvis continued, resting his head back against a tree. "The Conduit followed the part of his soul known as the Architect due to his proximity to Rhadamanthus, the place where it was stored. That is where I originated, actually. I was one of three AI cores placed in the Trinity Processor, a machine meant to maintain the Conduit's power and protect it from those that wished to use its power for their own agenda."
"Wow…" Shulk said, eyes positively shining with intrigue as he leaned forward. Tora very much empathized with him. "I always thought there was something special about you. So there are three of you? Where are they now?"
"Well, you see, this is where things get... complicated," Alvis said. "If either part of Klaus' soul ceased to exist, then that means both parts would die. The Conduit would likely leave with his passing, destroying our world and leaving the other world in a state of mass disarray."
"What Seer man mean?" Evelan asked.
"If my siblings had killed the Architect before you had encountered Zanza, then this universe would have likely disappeared. If we defeated Zanza first, the other world would still exist but not without major problems. It's possible I could have salvaged it but I would have needed access to the Conduit in order to do so," Alvis explained. "Luckily for all of us, we completed our journeys at around the same time. There was a brief moment near the end where both universes were close enough that I could reach out towards the Conduit and use my powers to create a new one. Which I attempted to do."
"Attempted to?" Shulk asked, blinking. "But you succeeded!"
"Partially," Alvis stated. "I don't think I was entirely successful, given that there are so many errors. The existence of the Fogbeasts demonstrates that not all is right, for one. And there are many smaller coincidences that are adding up to a much larger and terrifying picture."
"So many things wrong…?" Nene asked. "Nene no see what Mister Alvis talk about. World seem perfectly fine to Nene!"
"...I seemed to have sent my siblings and their companions back into the past," Alvis sighed, shaking his head. "That wasn't intentional in the slightest. Secondly, many of the measures the Architect put into place to cleanse the world still exist when they should not."
"Back into past? What friend mean?" Tora asked.
"Let's just say I sent them far enough back that I now have six siblings instead of two," he replied. "That's partially why I avoided answering your first question, Shulk. The names they were given by Klaus and Galea were Pneuma and Logos but, as I understand, they go by different names now. Some of them even share the same name."
"Far enough back… Poppi not understand," PoppiQTπ said. "What does Ontos mean by that?"
"Ontos…? Heh," the seer said, eyes half lidded. "That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. But I digress. An informant of mine said around five hundred years, give or take."
"Back to time of Torna, the Golden Country?" Tora asked, settling back.
"I do believe so," Alvis replied.
"You mentioned the name Galea. Who's that?" Melia asked, wings fluttering in the wind.
"She was a scientist who worked alongside Klaus. You knew her as Lady Meyneth," he replied, closing his eyes. Tora's face fell slightly. For all intents and purposes, Alvis appeared normal. But he noticed that the Aegis almost had this… melancholy sound to his voice.
Almost like he was talking about something that made him sad.
"I see…" Shulk said. "So since you said you partially succeeded, does that mean we're all in the same world now?"
"Tora wonder the same thing," he said.
"We are indeed in the same universe. We're even on the same planet, albeit different parts."
"What?" Poppiα said, eyes flashing in delight. "Rex Rex and friends here too?"
Alvis nodded. "Indeed. There were three bean stalks, or space elevators, that made up the Low Orbit Station. I mentioned one before: Radamanthus, which was known as the World Tree. There are two others, however; Aeacus and Minōs. When this universe was created, the existence of all three were preserved. Currently, we are located between Aeacus and Minōs."
"Wait a moment. Dunban mentioned something about a giant tree found to the south of the Bionis Remains. Is that…?" Melia trailed off, humming in contemplation.
"Indeed. That one is Aeacus, for reference," he said, turning to Tora. "The titans of your world are circling Radamanthus as we speak. They are located quite a ways away, unfortunately."
"Poppi is happy to know friends okay. That enough for Poppi," she said, nodding.
"I don't mean to be rude… but why didn't you tell us about this? It's not like your existence as a… computer is anything new," Melia asked. "And this is not insignificant information. There are entire countries out there that I had no idea existed."
"I did not wish to involve you in matters that are, quite frankly, not yours to deal with at the present moment," Alvis said. "It was my failures that led us into this situation in the first place and it was my intention to clean them up alone. However, that's besides the point. You all have sacrificed much to see this world thrive. I owe it to you all to ensure that you have a chance to witness it yourself."
"You didn't fail at all, Alvis," Shulk said, giving what he hoped was a reassuring expression.
Alvis' lips fell into a thin famicile of a smile. "I beg to differ. But I digress, once again. This situation is one of the biggest reasons I accompanied you to the Shoulder in the first place. I had a feeling that something was amiss here and I was right."
"And you couldn't foresee it?" Shulk asked. He shook his head.
"No. You have noticed that you have been receiving less visions ever since Zanza's reign?"
Alvis sighed. "My own visions have weakened, too. I was being serious when I said that I am the Monado and the Monado is me. It is an extension of myself," He glanced slyly at Tora. "Not entirely unlike a blade weapon."
"So that weapon you summoned…" Shulk started.
"Meyneth's Monado," Melia supplied.
Alvis nodded. "Indeed. It is me, much like every version of it that has ever appeared."
"That's... quite the story. I can't say I understand anything that was just said," Melia said, taking a deep breath. "But I'll take your word for it for the time being."
"You can say that again," Kino murmured.
"That's understandable. I will repeat information as many times as needed," Alvis said. "How is the boy doing, by the way? He's barely moved an inch since we started speaking."
"Mister Teelan still sleeping! Wounds took Kino long time to heal," Kino said. "Would be smart idea to wake Mister Teelan up. It late even for child!"
Shulk chuckled, letting the tension ease out of his body. "Of course. Didn't he say that he had a lab somewhere in the Shoulder?"
"Dry-dry MUST see what lab has to OFFER,"
"Why must friends drag Tei-Tei all around…?"
"Tei-Tei too TIMID. Be more like DRY-DRY!"
"Evelan thinks Tei-Tei and Dry-Dry need to stuff sock in mouths…"
"Kino and Nene agree. On count of three, one… two… Three!"
Melia chortled. "Now now, let's not bully the Ponspectors. Remember that they're looking for the rest of their team, too."
"True. Should we try and head out today, then?" Shulk asked.
"I believe that would be most wise of us," Alvis said.
"It's settled then. We head out to Teelan's lab," Melia said. "Nene, if you would…?"
"Of course, Miss Melia," the nopon said, bounding over to the sleeping child. "Wakey Wakey, Mister Teelan."
"Five more minutes…" the child grumbled, pouting. He stretched out languidly before jolting up suddenly, eyes wide. "Oh no! I have to get back to the lab!"
"Hold Ponio's there, Mister Teelan," Nene said. "Friends travel together with Nene. Friend still tired from scuffle in capital."
"But the lab's a mess," he said, a yawn betraying his facade. "You won't be able to get in at all if I don't go ahead."
"Then we will just wait outside while you clear out space for us," Alvis said. "It would be no trouble to us."
"Hrm. If you're certain…" Teelan murmured. "When are we leaving?"
"We just discussing that. Is friend hungry?" Tora asked. "Tora would offer food but Tora already eat all of rations!"
"I'm good. What's up with the strange Machina?" the child asked. "And why do you look different from yesterday?"
"Poppiα is not Machina. Poppiα is blade," she said, tilting her head to the side. "Poppi have three forms: Poppiα, PoppiQT, and PoppiQTπ. Poppiα is base form."
"Whoa. That's so cool," Teelan said, eyes shining. "You've got to tell me more when we're on the road. It'll take us a couple of hours to get to the lab."
"Tentoo take word for it," the nopon took a deep breath. "WE MEASURE! FIND TREASURE! PONSPECTORS TILL WE DIE."
"PONSPECTORS... AWAY!"
Shulk winced. He sincerely hoped that they wouldn't be repeating that phrase too often. True to word, it did end up taking them several hours to approach the lab. While the others engaged in small talk, Shulk couldn't shake the feeling that he had made a terrible mistake. It almost felt like he had just swallowed a large piece of lead that was slowly falling down his throat. If every version of the Monado was Alvis, then the time when Alvis asked what he wanted the universe to look like as its new God… Had he sent some other, unintended message? He hadn't wanted anything to do with being a God and that was something that hadn't changed. No one singular person should have that amount of power. But he couldn't help but wonder if he had inadvertently sent another message. If the rejection of Godhood was also the rejection of something else. Of something much deeper.
He wasn't stupid. Alvis was much more emotional than he cared to admit. And even he noticed that Alvis regarded him differently out of all the people he interacted with.
If only he knew what that meant.
"Wait a minute," Shulk said, stopping. "When did we get another Ponspector?"
"Silly Mister Shulk. Friends get two ponspectors!" Nene said, grinning. "Did not pay attention when friends ask help?"
He chuckled. "I guess not. I'm sorry but what are your names again?"
"Fofora is Fofora! This is friend Faifa. We ponspectors,"
"Friend seem out of it. Missed nasty tussle with Kromars," Kino said. Shulk sent a questioning glance towards Melia.
"I tried to get your attention but you were off in your own world." she supplied offhandedly.
"I see. I'm sorry if I worried you," he said. "I'll try my best to pay better attention."
"Please do so. We don't need you wandering off a cliffside because you're too lost in your own head," Alvis said, a tinge of concern in his voice. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"It's… nothing," Shulk said, closing his eyes briefly. "Rather, it's something that I need to think about for myself before I try to bring it up."
" I'm sure-"
"What on Bionis happened over there?" Teelan exclaimed, sprinting ahead of the group. Tentoo stopped dead in his tracks; the same could not be said of the other Ponspectors, who tripped over themselves to create a giant pile of limbs and fur. PoppiQT darted off after the High Entia who had disappeared onto a small outreach. Shulk grimaced, the pungent smell of burnt fuel hitting his nose.
"That's no good," Kino said, hiding behind Melia's foot.
"You can say that again," Melia murmured, wings drooping slightly.
Teelan's voice screeched loudly throughout the quiet plain. The boy feel to his knees, pulling a limp body onto his lap. "Oh no! BIG SIS! Big Sis…! Wake up! Please wake up!"
"Oh no," Alvis said, running towards Teelan. He could hear the footsteps of the others follow.
"Tyrea…?" Melia questioned, awe apparent in her voice. The seer knelt down, turning over Tyrea's limp body. Small lacerations littered her pale face, a purplish-blue bruise painting her forehead. While not serious, the cuts were oozing with excess ether, which pooled out onto her bare skin. Looking around the area, he could find no signs of a struggle at all. He couldn't even see any discernible footsteps or other indicators of what attacked.
This was undeniably the job of someone who knew what they were doing. Could it be a former member of the Order who seeked revenge? Or someone else entirely?
"This was not result of monster," PoppiQT said. "Poppi detect residue of ignitable substance."
"I see," Melia said, clutching her staff close to her. She summoned water ether and cast Healing gift, the water seeping into Tyrea's unconscious body. The cuts adorning her face sealed themselves away, a faint white scar the only trace of their existence.
"Miss Stranger still alive! She breathing!" Kino said, scurrying to her body. "Methinks she need more ether! Bird people almost always need more ether! Kino need pure water type crystals!"
"Let's take her back to Companions Cape, then. I remember seeing a water type ether crystal deposit there. We can rest in the vicinity of the Junks if we don't get there before nightfall. This place is not safe for her," Alvis said, pulling the limp High Entia's body into his arms.
"We can cut across that way," Teelan said, pointing to the path behind them. "There are some pretty big Makna Brogs there but they're usually docile."
"I see. And what of the lab?" Shulk asked, wincing at how that might come across. "Er. Not that I'm not concerned about Tyrea."
"Lab burnt down to foundation," PoppiQT said. "There nothing left but burnt chucks of metallic substance and charred wood."
"I don't understand," Melia said. "Why would someone target a lab out in the middle of nowhere?"
"I don't know," Alvis said, pocketing a stray feather that lay innocently on the ground. "But I think we might find out with time."
═════════•°• •°•═════════
Mikhail felt like he was in a dream. One of those dreams where the world around you was undoubtedly the one you live in but with just enough differences to let you know that something was off. Something about the landscape or the wildlife or the people would be different and you would think 'Oh, that's not quite right'. Except for him, this was his reality.
This land, the Remains of the Bionis, was a sight to behold. It was full of life he had never seen before. When he opened his eyes for the first time since the World Tree, the night sky filled with soft pillars of yellow light was the sight to greet him. And what a sight to behold it was. He had nearly gotten frostbite from his awe as he stared, mesmerized, at the ice crystals. He had thought he had ended up in some off version of hell at first. But upon running into other people who were very much alive, he quickly realized that he was in fact not dead. Nor was he in hell.
He was in a different world entirely. A world absent of blades and filled with other sentient species. The people of Valak Mountain that he had encountered were Homs, apparently, not humans. There were the High Entia, those with wings on their head, and the Machina, or machine people. The only thing that reminded him of the world he left was the Nopon. Even then, from the few that he had already seen, even they were different. Different speech patterns, different mannerisms. They even had new, different fur colors. He had never seen a nopon with a neon green coat before.
"Dunban! Look!" He heard Fiora called. "Is that the Junks?"
"I do believe so. Mik, do you think we could land here?" the Homs called. Mikhail glanced down, analysing the land below.
"We should be able to but it won't be the easiest of landings with this thing," he warned, circling the area. "There are some people camping in the space right next to the ship so I'll have to take a chance with the lightly forested area."
"Peoples camping…?" Oka murmured, wiggling around in Fiora's arms. "Wait. That Nene and Kino! And other friends!"
"Are you sure?" Dunban asked. "I can't see them. It's too dark."
"Riki cannot see either but Riki trust Oka. Oka taught Kino how to shoot rifle. Oka sharp shot," Riki replied, hovering in the air.
"Other friends?" Mikhail asked.
"Did Linada not tell you what you were doing?" Sharla asked.
"No. She just told me that a group needed a pilot," Mikhail said, humming. "I knew she was up to something…"
"Up to something?" Reyn asked.
"Yeah," Mikhail said. "She was the one who rescued my sorry ass from my own stupidity. I guess she wanted to make sure I stayed out of trouble."
"I see. Well, you'll fit in just fine with us," Sharla said with amusement, glancing out of the corner of her eyes towards Reyn. "You and Reyn will get along just fine."
"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?" Reyn asked.
"You guys might want to sit down and buckle up," Mikhail warned, preparing the ship to land. Of course, given his luck with things, It turned out that he had been worried for nothing; the landing proceeded smoothly and without incident. Mikhail breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly cheering at the successful turn of events. Despite how much pain it caused him, some part of him was glad that he was a blade eater. An innate understanding of machines was a skill that proved to be extremely valuable, especially since he found himself in a strange place.
It did have some drawbacks, however. He hadn't quite expected Linada to immediately throw him into a variety of ships and other situations to prove that he, in fact, had an innate understanding of how machines worked. How she ascertained that it stemmed from the core crystal buried into his chest, he would never know. How she even knew he had a core crystal in the first place would be something he'd like to know as well.
"Not the easiest of landings, you say?" Dunban asked, smirking as they disembarked. "I dare say that was perfect."
Mikhail rolled his eyes. "Hey, I was just trying to make sure you guys didn't lose your lunch. Literally."
"Kino! Nene! Mamapon here!" Oka cried, rushing off towards her children.
"Dadapon here too!" Riki echoed, running after his wife.
"How adorable. I wouldn't have expected Riki to have a family already when he's so young," Mikhail mused, trailing behind the group. He had hoped to avoid getting drawn into conversation but it seemed that his luck ran out when Sharla approached.
"I know," Sharla said. "They're also not as young as they seem, however. Did you know that Riki is almost forty two?"
Mikhail spluttered, glancing at the group of Nopon forming. "Forty two? Damn. They got to tell me how their anti-aging secrets."
"They also have seven or eight children between them," Sharla said. "Kino, the green one, is adopted."
Mikhail whistled, gazing at the family. He blinked rapidly, pushing the vestiges of feelings that he hadn't felt in years away. It wasn't time to think about that right now. "That's a lot of kids. Then again, most Nopon families are the same."
"Why Kino and Nene leave like that? Mamapon was so worried," Oka said, tears welling in her eyes.
"Mamapon! Kino s- s- sorry!" He cried, sniffling. "Kino j-j just wa-want to be Heropon! Like Dadapon!"
"Kino already Heropon! Kino work hard to save lives!" Riki exclaimed. "Heropon not just rushing out to fight big bad. Traits of Heropon also mean helping other heal. Why you think Dadapon learn secret special technique to help friends?"
"Don't blame Kino, Mamapon. Dadapon," Nene said, eyes downcast. "This Nene's fault. Nene should have stopped Kino."
"It not fault of Kino or Nene. Nene was just being good big sisterpon. It fault of Mamapon for not keeping eye on all of littlepon,"
"Also fault of Dadapon. We are sorries,"
"What an interesting family…" Mikhail mused.
Dunban chuckled. "Yes. They most certainly are. Since you seem to know of Fiora and I, why don't I introduce you to the rest of our group? It's not everyday that you get to meet the saviors of the world."
"Sure," Mikhail said, shrugging. Linada had mentioned briefly that Dunban and his friends had saved the world from a mad god called Zanza some time ago. He hadn't really paid attention since he had still been in awe from his surroundings.
"Dunban! It's been ages!" the man in red said, a strange mechanical sword strapped to his back. "I'm sorry that we worried you. We weren't expecting to get shot out of the sky!"
Dunban shook his head. "Don't worry about it. What matters now is only that you're safe."
The man's eyes landed directly on him. "Whose that?"
"He's our pilot. None of the regular colony folks are adept at wielding the Havres. All except him, that is."
"Impressive, for a Homs," Melia said. "I'm Melia. What is your name?"
"You can call me Mik. Pleased to meet you," he said before freezing when his sights landed on Tora and PoppiQT. He prayed that the Nopon would feign ignorance and pretend not to know him.
"Nice. I'm Shulk. Pleased to meet you," the man in red said. He gestured towards the rest of his party. "This is Alvis, Kino, and Nene. and these are the Ponspectors."
He barely suppressed the look of surprise on his face once he locked onto the core crystal on Alvis' chest. Given the knowing glint in the man's eyes, it did not go unnoticed. He settled for an obvious statement in order to cover the storm of thoughts that threatened to escape from his mouth. "That's a lot of Nopon."
"You can say that again," Alvis remarked. "While I'm grateful that we ran into you and that you came to rescue us, I'm afraid that we've run into a bit of trouble that we need to deal with first."
"Oh? Is it anything that we can help you with?" Sharla asked.
"Yes. If you don't mind staying on the Shoulder for the foreseeable future, that is," Alvis replied.
Reyn scowled at Fiora's smug expression. "Now aren't you glad I harrassed you over bringing extra supplies~"
"Oi! I didn't ask for comments from the peanut gallery!"
After the group settled down for the night, they quickly were enraptured in a discussion lasting several hours about their situation, catching up on everything that had happened since Shulk, Melia, and Alvis had left for the Shoulder. They departed for Companion's Cape shortly before dawn, arriving just as the late afternoon sun started to set. The villages living there were very accommodating, setting up a temporary area for Tyrea to rest while her body recovered. Since they couldn't do much until the High Entia woke up, they collectively decided to have some downtime.
Mikhail used that time to do what he did best: observe what he could and ask questions when he didn't understand something. He was able to pull some more information from the others. The woman, Tyrea, was apparently a former Assassin to the group known as the Bionite Order. She was also Melia's half sister and an avid researcher into Telethia, which were the original forms of the High Entia. Dunban was a bit of a local hero and overall mentor figure to their group. Fiora was a kind soul that didn't have a harsh word for anyone and who was lucky to be alive in her current state, given that she at one point was more machine than Homs. Sharla and Kino were healers of renown that knew their way around a rifle. Ryen was a bit of a dunderhead but arguably had the biggest heart of them all, always checking up on everyone to make sure they were okay. Melia, or rather, Empress Melia struck him as the royal type which he confirmed by listening into their conversations. Riki and Oka's family was probably the strongest he had seen in awhile. The Ponspectors… were the Ponspectors. He didn't think that he could explain them anymore than that. Alvis, though, intrigued him. He undeniably held a core crystal on his chest but claimed to not be a blade when he managed to get him alone one night. An Aegis' core crystal, to be precise.
Before they knew it, a full week had passed. He was honestly starting to get a little impatient with all the waiting around but he knew it couldn't be helped.
"Mikhail." A voice stated from behind him. He nodded in acknowledgement, not needing to look back to know who was speaking. He had shared brief and tense conversations with Tora anytime they were forced to interact with each other yet he had managed to avoid running into Poppi. However, confrontation was inevitable when you decide to act as allies.
"Poppi." He greeted, unsure of what to say. What was there to say, though? 'I'm sorry for acting like a total dick and almost murdering all of your friends?' Or 'I wasn't trying to destroy the world but Amalthus needed to die because he tortured me and countless others and killed the people I considered family?' Yeah, he imagined that would bode really well.
The blade stared at him, blinking owlishly. He suppressed a shiver, willing himself to look at her directly. "Poppi glad Mikhail alive."
He blinked once, his body freezing. That.. was the last thing he had expected to hear out of her mouth. His voice cracked as he spoke. "... Huh?"
"Poppi thought Masterpon and Poppi were alone in strange world. Now not alone," She said.
"So you do know each other, then?" Dunban interrupted, a smug look on his face. Mikhail let out a world weary sigh, leaning back.
"It's complicated," he replied, eyes drooping.
"Well, I can't say that's a surprise," Dunban replied, chuckling. "You do have this otherworldly quality to you."
"Trust me. Tora and friends very, very familiar with Mikhail," the nopon said.
"You traveled together, then?"
"Not quite. Let's just say that we had opposing ideals," Mikhail said, chest burning with sadness. He missed his friends. He missed Akhos' snark, Jin's quiet but calm presence, Malos' attempt at glaring, Patroka's everything.
Dunban hummed. "You're not going to break out into a fight, are you?"
"No. I have no reason to fight them. Not anymore," Mikhail said, bitterness seeping into his tone. Poppi sent him a sympathetic look, scooting closer to him.
"No," she agreed. "Masterpon and Poppi have no reason to fight Mikhail anymore. Both strangers to strange land. Friend should stick with Poppi. Poppi can protect friend."
"Friend?" He said with disbelief. "Now I can see why Rex likes you so much. And hey! I'll let you know that I can protect myself!"
"Poppi know that. But Mikhail is friend now. Which means Poppi will protect him at all costs," she said. "Does Dunban need something?"
"Oh. Yes. I didn't come over merely to be a voyeur. I came to inform you that Tyrea has woken up. And, true to herself, she's not taking any breaks," Dunban explained, helping Mikhail up. "Apparently, she got knocked out after coming back from Gran Dell, another settlement on the Shoulder."
"Did Tyrea see attacker?" Poppi asked as they walked.
"I don't know. I left before she could say," Dunban said, maneuvering out of the way of some of the residents. Mikhail looked ahead to see a very angry looking High Entia. He couldn't stop the fond smile from spreading on his face.
"Ooh. When I find that stupid wench I'm going to stab him over and over until he begs for mercy. Or perhaps I will rip his nails off one by one until he screams," Tyrea seethed.
"You knew who attacked you?" Fiora asked.
"Yes. His name is Gael'gar. He was a part of the Royal Guard assigned to shadow the Emperor and his family anytime they left the palace. Melia's journey with you lot was the only exception to that rule," Tyrea explained.
"Did he, perchance, happen to hang around Companion's Cape?" Alvis asked.
She glowered. "Yes. He and that ragtag group of traitors escaped to Companions Cape because they wanted nothing to do with the Machina trying to live peaceful lives in Gran Dell."
"Traitors...?" Shulk asked.
"It's a long story that I don't have the time for. I need to get back to Gran Dell. If I've been out for as long as you say I've been... then they've been expecting me for several days now," Tyrea said.
"You just recovered from a serious injury, Tyrea! Be realistic about this!" Melia said. Tyrea stalked past her, shoving her aside.
"Save it. I don't need your pity. I shouldn't have let my guard down like that," Tyrea said. "Especially since I knew he still lived. Ugh! So stupid…"
"Tyrea!" Melia called, watching helplessly as her sister walked away. "Tyrea! What do you mean by that?"
Shulk put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's follow her. She's obviously too stubborn to reason with. The least we can do is make sure she stays safe."
"I agree. Quickly, everyone pack your things. We leave in two minutes," Dunban commanded. After a very frantic couple minutes of scrambling, they tore out of Companions Cape after Tyrea, unaware of two pairs of eyes on their party.
"You didn't have to follow me." Tyrea said.
"Except we did. This doesn't just concern you," Melia stated firmly.
"Ugh. Don't give me a headache, foolish girl," Tyrea murmured. The walk to Gran Dell was filled with a strange sense of quiet anticipation. All things considered, they should have no reason to believe that the hamlet would be any different than normal. But Melia couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into something terrible. The Prospectors tried to keep their spirits up but their attempt at jokes and jibes fell flat. Even the wildlife seemed to pick up on the mood; normally aggressive monsters, like the Moramora's and Lexos, actively avoided getting in their path or within range of their weapons. The mood somehow got more somber as they passed through Thulles Way.
"Oka, what's wrong?" Fiora asked, the gates of the small hamlet growing closer and closer.
"Oka smell blood. Oka smell lots of blood," she said. "Friends should tread very careful. Nene! Kino! Stick with Mamapon!"
"Ooooh Heropon Riki charge ahead. Heropon Riki save the day!"
Dunban grimaced, picking up the pace. "That's not just blood. That's the smell of rotting corpses."
"Yeah. And not just one. There has to be a whole lot of them for it to be that strong," Mikhail said, plugging his nose in a vain attempt to block out the smell.
They approached the outside of the gate cautiously, the stench almost unbearable at this point. They filed single file through the unlocked door, tentatively stepping into the ramparts. Aside from the stench, nothing seemed terribly wrong at first glance. Tyrea, Reyn and Alvis lead the group as they ventured further into the settlement. Fiora's eyes grew wide with horror as they came across the body of a Homs child.
"You poor thing..." she murmured, drawing her weapons. She wanted nothing more but to bury the child but they couldn't afford to stop looking around until they had a better idea of what had gone on. As they got closer and closer to the main settlement, however, more and more partially decomposed bodies started appearing. Most seemed to have been killed with nothing more than a simple blow to the head with some type of blunt force. Others, however, had been gutted entirely, stray intestines, gallbladders, and lungs hap hazardously scattered on the ground. Pools of blood painted the ground a faded red to the point that an entire field's worth of land was stained red. Oka and Riki tried their best to shield Kino and Nene's eyes from the sight.
Melia winced once her foot hit something solid. She looked down, eyes widening in horror, and gagged, bile lacing her tongue. The severed head of a Machina stared back at her, wide eyes and unflinching.
Carnage. Mass Murder. Indescribable cruelty. There was no other way to put it.
"No… It can't be… " Tyrea murmured, wings fanning out.
"What the hell happened here?" Mikhail asked, nausea settling in his throat. Just who were they dealing with?
═════════•°• Laboratory 1, Indol •°•═════════
Haben fluttered inside the lab frantically, stacks of heavy paper pressed close to his chest, shuddering as the door closed. He could still hear the tortured screams of Subject Zero, even from clear on the other side of the building. He pitied the poor soul, truly; but that is what one gets for trying to betray the Praetor and the Prophet. He narrowly dodged an incoming pair of Indoline scientists who seemed to pay him no heed, too engrossed in conversation to pay attention to their surroundings. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the person he was looking for; the mysterious Prophet. They stood in the center of the room, watching over the team as they frantically tried to extract DNA from the tissue samples they had just received. Mapping the genome of familiar species was hard enough and not to mention time consuming; trying to do it for a species they had no idea existed until recently was even harder.
"Sir… I have the results of the experiments from Laboratory Two… " He said, quivering as he approached. The Prophet turned towards him, reaching for the offered papers. They paged through the results, humming softly. He briefly wondered how he could possibly read much less understand the words on the page with how fast he was flipping through them.
"Excellent. Send Questor Amalthus my regards. He truly does have the mind of a scientist," they said. He inwardly preened at the affectionate tone in their voice. "You have done well. Does Hugo suspect anything?"
"Not at all, sir. But I have found out something interesting that you might want to know about," he said. "It appears we might have some.. Uh, time travelers in our midst."
If he could see their face, Haben was certain that The Prophet was raising an eyebrow. "Time travelers? Do elaborate."
"You see, I was tasked with taking care of one Morag Ladair and her blades. She claims to be the Special Inquisitor from the year 4059. Her blades are… Well, Aegaeon and Brighid. I almost didn't believe her until Hugo's own Aegaeon and Brighid appeared in the room too," he said, shifting his weight between his hips. "Does this… does this impact our goals?"
They were silent for a moment, humming in contemplation. "It is a set back, for sure. Not even I could expect the people of my prophecies to show up in the flesh."
"Sir?"
"It is true. Morag Ladair is the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain. However, she does not hail from the time she claims to come from," they said, inclining their head forward. "She will replace the current Special Inquisitor no less than a year's time. I've seen her many times in my dreams. Do you know what she does, dear Haben?"
He whimpered, The Prophet's voice infused with a sudden chill. "No sir, I don't. Please tell me."
They tut, shaking their massive head. "She stands atop the World Tree aside sweet Hugo, commanding her fleet of Ardaninan Warships as Indol is brought to its knees, watching gleefully as our great nation and our citizens burn to ash," Their voice turns sickly sweet. "Do you want that, dear Haben? Do you want all of our efforts to go to waste? All of our research and teachings, gone in the blink of an eye?"
"No, sir. I want us to prosper and show the world how great we are," he said, straightening up. "I want to show them compassion and kindness and everything else. Sir!"
He startled when The Prophet reached out and patted him on the head. "Of course. We will not let her or her allies succeed. Has Questor Amalthus said anything else to you at all?"
Haben blinked, skin tingling from where they touched his head. "Uh… Yes! The information contained within these notes were from Subject Zero. Although the subject himself was less than willing, the results show great potential. And… well… The Aegis has gone down. He lost track of his signature somewhere on the Gormotti titan."
"So be it. Not that I expected much out of such a rebellious weapon. Is that all?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Very good. You are dismissed, Haben," they said, pausing. "Why don't you take a well deserved break, hmm? You deserve it for all your hard work."
"Sir...!"
"Please, take a day off. If anyone gives you trouble, refer them to me," they said. He nodded, scampering out of the room. The Prophet took a deep breath, a small smile on their face. Despite the drawbacks, their team of scientists had progressed ahead of schedule on their DNA extraction. Once that was complete, then they could start the genome sequencing, and that's when Project: Endbringer could truly begin.
If anyone has any sources for gender neutral forms of address that function like "Sir," or "Madam", I would be appreciative. I've been looking and looking and looking but I couldn't find anything.
I was really trying for a double update. I was trying my dudex's. But it's just not going to happen. To sum up the first month of 2021, my classes, and several interpersonal relationship problems in one singular word: Fuck.
Your comments keep me alive. When I'm in a particularly bad mood, I'll go back and read over everyone's comments/words of encouragement. This semester (and really, this year) has been nothing but emotional blow after emotional blow and academic blow after academic blow. And I know it's going to get worse before it gets better.
The next chapter will end Arc 1 of this story. Chapter 12 will begin Arc 2. Should I release Chapter 11 on time, I will be taking a brief hiatus in the months of March and April. Worry not; I will still be writing. But I will not be particularly trying to meet any type of deadline. I will instead be focusing on progressing in NG+ and finishing one the other story that I have one chapter left in.