Chapter 7: Coming Tides
Vaios's eyes cracked open, and a groan left his throat as he felt his head throbbing. It was almost bothersome by this point how frequent this was getting for him. It was like even the slightest thing was setting off what seemed to be memories.
"I guess it could be worse." Vaios tried to sit up, finding himself stuck. Oh, right. He'd forgotten he'd fallen asleep with Pyra next to him. And it turned out she had quite the sturdy grip on him in her sleep. "Hm… hey uh, Pyra? You wanna wake up? Vandham kinda wanted us to help out, so…"
"Vaios…" The murmur he got wasn't a sign Pyra was waking up, and her arms only wrapped around him all the tighter.
"C'mon, little ember, get that fire burning." Vaios gave Pyra a soft shake. "We got work to do, so no reason to burn the daylight… or whatever counts for it in Uraya." Vaios's eyes lidded as a sigh rattled out from him. "I just realized the pun I made. Dammit."
"I'm up, I'm up." Pyra rubbed her eyes as she sat up, then giving a stretch Vaios could almost compare to a cat. Though maybe that joke would work more with Nia. He thought. "You sleep well?"
"Pretty much. Aside from another one of those dreams… or I guess flashbacks, at this point. This time… it was about Mythra." Vaios said, Pyra turning to look at him with a surprised gaze. "She's still sleeping or whatever, yeah?"
"Pretty much. I'm not sure what it'll take to wake her… I'm not even sure she wants to wake up." Pyra said, bringing a hand to her Core Crystal. "But, it's good to hear more memories are coming back to you."
"It's getting to be a bit bothersome now. It happens too often." Vaios muttered, moving off the bed and starting to stretch his limbs out. "But… progress is progress, I suppose. No use complaining. Also, random question but… is it possible for you to change the form of your weapon?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask?" Pyra tilted her head, and Vaios hummed as he folded his arms.
"Well, not that the sword as is doesn't work. So, well, I was just curious if it was possible. I mean, you are the Aegis, so it's not like you're an ordinary Blade." Vaios held up a finger as he spoke. Pyra produced her weapon with a wave, holding the red blade and shifting it a bit.
"Reconfigure a Blade's weapon, hmm? I can't say it's really ever been done. As it is, a Blade's weapon will be as-is from the moment they form, and it'll always be that way." Pyra said, Vaios clicking his tongue and sighing. "But there is more to the Aegis after all. I'm not too sure about it all myself. But I know that much."
"I guess that makes sense." Vaios took the sword back and looked it over a bit, staring at the gem inlaid into it. That shape still caused his mind to tick a bit. He somehow knew it as something else. "The Conduit and the Trinity Processor… tch, more words I don't have context behind."
"But the fact you know them means something at the least." Pyra added, Vaios shrugging in a manner that said he was pretty much relenting on the matter more than anything else, even when it clearly bothered him. "Just give it time."
"Well, time might apparently be something I have plenty of."
Of course, it would be bothering him, but there wasn't really time right now to think about that. There was a job to take care of after all, not that they knew about it yet. So once the two were ready, they left the room of the place where their party had been set up. The other members were all seated at the tables and eating breakfast, at least those who could. To Vaios's amusement, considering how she'd been acting the other night, Nia was lying on the table and groaning.
"Ugh… next time we stop at a place… stop me before I drink too much. Gagh, this sucks!" Nia's head lolled to the side, and she glared as Vaios sneered at her. "Oh, don' be sneerin' at me now ya' git."
"You brought this one entirely on yourself, Nia. All I did was pay." Vaios said, tapping the Gormotti on her head, which earned him a quick swipe from her.
"I at least made sure it wouldn't be so bad. Though it's not like my healing is much good for a hangover." Haze said, Vaios shrugging. And before any more chatting could go on, Vandham and his Blade approached the group, the man giving a hearty chuckle as he looked them over.
"Well, you all seem well and rested, besides the cat. She's definitely had it better, ahahaha!" Vandham's hearty laugh came with Nia just groaning again, Dromarch nudging her with his snout. "Now, as for why I'm here with you lot. There's a job we got asked about to take care of, and I figured I'd bring you all along for it. I've seen how you can fight, but I wanna see what else you can do."
"Tora curious, what request for?" Tora raised a wing up, Poppi mimicking his motion.
"I'll tell ya in a minute. C'mon, let's get to the other gate out of town first."
Everyone got up to do just that. The rear gate Vandham led them to was on an elevated path that started heading further up in the caves. The thing with Titans like Uraya was that their entire internal system was where people resided, so it made for quite the ecosystem when you could shift from winding caves to sheer cliffs all at once. Uraya was practically famous for it, with its capital city overlooking a massive one that was the largest open area within the Titan.
"Ah yeah, 'fore we go, figure I might as well do something. Ya' saw him when we fought, but why don't we introduce ourselves properly." Vandham stopped and gestured to his Blade, who nodded.
"I am Roc, Vandham's Blade. A pleasure to meet all of you." And in a surprisingly polite and proper way, Roc even gave a bow to the group.
"Same for us." Vaios responded.
"I noticed you use a rather unusual style of weapon." Pyra pointed out, earning a chuckle from the bird-like Blade.
"They're called Dual Scythes. Even around here, I've never met anyone but Vandham who can use them properly. But I feel rather impressed by how you and your Driver fight, Aegis. Not only do you pass your weapon between one another in the usual style, but you even fight together when you do. Normally Drivers only have Blades handle their weapons when using Blade Arts."
"I agree with Roc here. You three have quite the interesting method of fighting." Vandham added that in, Vaios chuckling while Haze and Pyra looked pleased with the compliment.
"Still, big man very amazing if he can use such interesting weapons like Roc say!" Tora also spoke up, Vandham laughing at the praise. Roc just sighed and shook his head.
"Don't praise him too much now, or it'll go to his head." Roc added.
"Vandham only have one Blade then?" Poppi asked. "Odd to ask, since all but Vaios here also have one Blade!" Tora also sunk low as Poppi said that, reminding him once more of his lack of proper Driver ability. But the Nopon wasn't kept down for long.
"I'd awaken another if we had a Core Crystal." Nia said, then sighing. "But not like we've had a chance to get our hands on new ones after all. I'd say you could also get yourself another Vaios, add to the variety, yeah? I mean, you've got a sword and a staff. Why not one more?"
"Oh, and what would you be looking for besides Dromarch's chakrams, hmm?" Vaios asked, Nia crossing her arms.
"I dunno! I'd just take what I'd get, I suppose. Though one of those fancy ball weapons I've seen about wouldn't hurt. Or maybe a mega lance?" As Nia mulled on it, Vanhdam giving another laugh.
"To answer the little gal's question, Roc is the only Blade I've got. I know most Drivers have a few to mix things up. Vaios definitely kept me on my toes with just two, but Roc's all I've ever needed in a fight."
"Big man really is amazing!" Tora repeated, though Nia seemed a lot less impressed.
"Sounds to me like you just can't be bothered to come up with more than one strategy, eh old man?" Nia said, Vandham laughing again rather than getting offended by the snide remark from the Gormotti.
"Well then, now that we're all better acquainted with one another, let's get down to business!" Yet it was relatively clear to the group Vandham was clearly dodging the question entirely as he changed the subject. Perhaps his skillset was simply that direct. Vaios could certainly attest that Vandham was strong, so if he could make it work, not like there was much to go on about now, was there?
"So what's the job?" Vaios said, moving things along himself.
"The request is to check out some kinda crazy energy effect up near the blowhole. Whaddya say, fancy being a mercenary for a day?" Vandham folded his arms, and Vaios gave a hum. They certainly needed to be getting a move on to Fonsa Myma as soon as they could, but right now, things weren't precisely urgent either. Sparing a bit of time to see how a genuine mercenary tackled a job didn't sound like a bad idea to him.
"Sure, why not. As long as we get paid." Vaios said, Vandham again laughing.
"Of course ya' will, kid! Now, let's be off for real!"
Vandham pushed open the gates and led the group off on the path. The trail they followed led right past a shining lake where animals were feeding or swimming before it veered upwards, starting up one of the cliffs in a broad and solid natural path. At the top of that path was another open area, a typical-looking field. And grazing at it were large animals called Arduns, mostly fur-covered quadrupeds with some scales on them and horns at their heads. They were common enough grazing mammals and were often used for livestock across Alrest.
"An Ardun, just what we needed." Vandham stopped the march with one particular Ardun in sight, then glancing at Vaios. "Vaios, how good are you with that anchor?"
"I mean, I don't use it for much more than grappling, but I'm a pretty good shot." Vaios said, already seeing the intent as he pulled the anchor gun out, flipping it around and handing it to Vandham.
The man chuckled as he took the gun and took aim with it, though due to his large hands, he had to use the secondary fire button on it. Vandham yanked the weapon up when the anchor fired, causing the anchor to shoot back and wrap around the Ardun's leg. And with another pull, pulled caught leg right out from under the animal, causing it to tumble over to the side with a groaning keen.
"Whoa! Hehe, never thought of using it like that before for some reason." Vaios took the gun back as Vandham handed it back to him once the anchor pulled back. The now sufficiently annoyed Ardun turned to look at the party.
"The trick is to pull it taut at the right moment. Give it a shot for yerself."
"Alright."
Vaios waved the others off when they got ready for a fight. He wanted to keep this simple. They could just drive the Ardun off after he got it. When the animal went to charge, they all moved out of the way. Vaios's eyes turned sharply as he veered around when he stopped, aiming the anchor gun at one of the still moving legs. Quickly pulling the trigger, the anchor shot off and went past the leg. Noting how the wire went slack for a moment, Vaios yanked the gun back while also grabbing the wire. He smirked when it wrapped around the Ardun's leg and went tight, and with another pull, the animal's stride was solidly broken, and it crashed to the ground.
When it was released, Pyra sent some flames its way, scaring the animal and causing it to run off, a coaxing roar from Dromarch veering it down the path they'd just come from. Once it was clear, Vaios holstered the anchor and gave a breath, lurching a bit when Vandham gave him a hearty slap to the back. The man had quite the degree of strength thanks to his large size, after all.
"Well, color me impressed. You got it after seeing it once." Vandham slapped Vaios's back again, the young man chuckling even as he winced a bit. "Keep it in mind, Vaios, there's a lot more Arts you can use as a Driver than just the powers your Blades give ya. Plenty rely on your own strength to bring out their full potential, or that take advantage of things your enemies can do. I would say more to it than just that now, but I can tell you've got a good grasp on your personal Arts from how ya fought me earlier. Just remember, a Driver's job is to be smart with his Arts and protect his Blades. And you've got a couple good ones with ya."
"I get that much. If I push too much, I'll just exhaust them if I don't watch how much power I'm using. Azurda already taught me it doesn't do ya' any good to let the energy go to waste in a fight. Make all of your moves precise and to the point because a single wasted motion could spell defeat." Vaios said, Azurda popping up on his shoulder.
"Good to know my lessons stuck true with you at least." Azurda commented, Vaios snickering as he put his hands behind his head.
"Hah! Just so ya' know, that thing from before took me five years to get right. Then you saw it once and aced it like it was nothin'. That, and you got Nia and Tora in tow. You lot form a handy crew. You've all got a bright future."
"I think I'm gonna spew." Nia was not one for these kinds of situations and just sighed to herself.
"Biggipon have a scary face, but he very nice." Tora noted as he was the type for situations like this.
"Bwahahaha! Sussed me out furrypon!" Vandham jovially returned the way of conveyance to the Nopon.
"Well, then you guys might be surprised when you meet the captain of my crew." Vaios mused. Vandham took an immediate interest when it came up. "Rakham looks like a troublesome guy, but trust me, you won't ever meet a more reasonable salvager in all Alrest."
"Hold up a sec…" Vandham said. "Rakham… by a pure chance kid, ya' wouldn't happen to mean Rakham as in a one Rakham Leandris, would ya?"
"Eh? Yeah." Vaios nodded. "Do you and Captain know each other?"
"Know each other! Bahaha!" Vaios lurched yet again when Vandham smacked him on the back. Hard. "I don't just know the bloke! We ran in the same merc company years ago! Always wondered what his salty arse was gettin' up to after we parted ways. A Salvager, eh? He always did like to ramble on about the bits and bobs he picked up from that lot."
"Well, this is new." Vaios mumbled. "Suddenly learning the guy who's basically my foster father was not only a mercenary, but I have by some chance run into one of his old friends. This his all become very strange."
"Probably explains why ya' gave me a good feelin." Vandham stated. "Rakham was always a good sort, and if you're one of his, no wonder you're so bright. Always was too damn smart for his own good. Helluva price negotiator, though."
"Man can haggle with even the stingiest of Nopons." Vaios mused.
"Ah geez, they've found another reason to get all buddy-buddy." Nia groaned. "Can we just move on, please?"
At Nia's annoyed request, the party then continued on, the path leading them further and further up. As they got higher, natural light illuminated the space around them, thanks to being near Uraya's blowhole. Rather than the muted blue most of the Titan's space was lit by, the natural colors were brought out more. When they reached where whatever they were looking for was at, they found laying there a small, but most certainly dead, Titan that likely washed in through the blowhole at some point.
"Could the weird energy effect be because of this?" Vaios said, cautious about approaching the Titan.
"Sure looks like it." Vandham said.
"I doubt old age was the cause either, judging by the looks of it." Azurda added. "Might've been an accident… on the other hand, it might have been attacked."
If that was the case, then the likely culprit quickly made itself known. A massive Arachno came rumbling down the path, the beast alone big enough to make Vandham look small. But perhaps the real oddity of the creature was that a Blade was with it. Tall and monstrous-looking, he was quick to move a hand towards his commanding Driver.
"Looks like that Titan dying off stirred up something else!" Vandham drew his weapons first, everyone else following suit.
Being it was a beast, even with a Blade linked to it, the Arachno wasn't what one could call a challenging foe to fight. Its size made it dangerous, but with four Drivers coming at it, it didn't stand much of a chance even with its Blade defending it. It was a combination of Arts from all of them at different directions, limbs being cut by the sharper weapons like Vaios's Aegis Bladed and Vandham's scythes. At the same time, its tough armor was smashed in by Tora, a chance Nia quickly leaped in on.
It was down not long after, and when the Arachno collapsed, so too did the Blade with it. The Blade's body then glowed blue and faded, all that was left from it being a darkened Core Crystal on the ground, which Vaios picked up.
"So, even animals can bond with Blades, huh? Interesting." Vaios noted, tossing the dim Crystal a bit. Tora looked outright offended at knowing some dumb giant insect had been able to become a proper Driver.
"Tora cannot resonate, but stinky monster can resonate. Not fair." Tora pouted, Poppi putting a hand to her Driver's head.
"But Masterpon have Poppi!"
"Oh, Poppi!"
"Eesh." Nia chuckled as she shook her head at the two. Tora and Poppi certainly got along without issue.
"When a Blade loses their Driver, then end up like this." Vandham looked at the Crystal as Vaios rolled it over in his hands, giving a thoughtful hum of his own.
"It's not dead, is it?" Vaios gave a sigh of relief when Vandham shook his head.
"Nah. The Crystal'll start glowing again given some time, and then a new Driver can resonate with it. But…" And that got Vaios to look at the man with a raised brow. "When it does come back out, its memory will be totally zapped. It'll be reborn as a new Blade. Won't remember a thing."
"Well, that sounds familiar." Vaios murmured, Pyra giving him a sad look as she wistfully looked at the dim Crystal again. Vaios also spared a glance to Haze, because as Azurda had said, she'd previously been someone else's Blade. He couldn't help but ponder, just what had she forgotten? What memories of her old Driver and their friends were lost after she'd returned to her Core Crystal? "Having your past wiped out. And for Blades, it'd be again and again… sounds even rougher than my case."
"But sometimes those memories can be painful. Memories like that… can be a terrible burden." Pyra said. "And a Blade can live forever, as long as their Crystal exist. It's just as well. Eternity is a long time to be collecting bad memories."
"Pyra…" Vaios then had it come to him as well. Pyra wasn't like regular Blades. She'd spent five hundred years in slumber, and even with her original Driver long dead, she hadn't reverted. Pyra didn't have the luxury of forgetting like other Blades did. He didn't doubt every memory from that time, both good and bad, lingered in Pyra's mind. But then what did that say about Vaios himself? He had memories apparently from that far back, potentially even further if that memory about the man he called father had anything to say about it.
How long had he been alive, how much did he forget because of the state he was currently in? How many of those memories had been painful ones? If he did recover fully, would he regret it? Would there be too much pain for him to bear?
"But… would it really be that good to just be able to forget?" Vaios said, looking up to the clouds just visible through the hole above them. "Just because memories are painful, does that really mean it would just be better to forget them all? To be a blank slate and forget everything?"
"I-I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry." Pyra bowed her head, Vaios shaking his head in response.
"You don't need to feel sorry for anything. It's just a difference in viewpoints after all." Vaios said, putting a hand to Pyra's head in a comforting gesture. "At least I'm glad knowing you wouldn't forget me."
"Blegh, get a room, you two!" Nia said, Vaios chuckling, Pyra looking away as her face went red as her hair.
"Tora find that quite romantic!" Tora threw a wing up, Poppi and Haze nodding along.
"Aight, c'mon then. Let's get finished up here." Vandham went over to the Titan as its body began fading, picking up a few things the others couldn't see. He held one of them up when he came back over, revealing it to be a shining, bright as a star Core Crystal.
"What the… where was that?!" Vaios yelped.
"Well, that's where they come from after all. Titans incubate Core Crystals inside of themselves." Vandham said, showing several more Crystals shining in his pouch. "This one's brand new and ready to resonate, like a good steak before the first bite. It'll probably end up buddying up with a bunch of Drivers in the years to come. Every time the Driver dies, it'll return to its Crystal, and forget everything, and then resonate with a new Driver later. Drivers dyin', Titans dyin', but the Blades just live on through it all. A never-ending cycle, an eternal history. As mortals, we'll never be able to understand."
"Something about that doesn't… sound right." Vaios put a hand to his head as he started feeling that telltale headache come on again. This time it was just a flash, fuzzy again, but he had the image of some kind of mural in his mind now. He couldn't make out anything about it. Yet, he felt something monumentally crucial about that, like it held an answer that would finally make a question clear.
Pyra walked over to the Titan as it finally faded completely, Vaios humming again as he looked at her. Again the thought of how different she was crossed his mind. Her existence was unique among Blades… or perhaps it was better to say it was an anomaly among the cycle. Whatever the Aegis was, Vaios definitely had questions about the nature of it.
"Well, now that it's done, here." Vandham then took a couple of the bright Crystals out, tossing them to Vaios and Nia. "Payment for helpin' out with this. Keep the dim one too. Whether you resonate with that Blade or not, at least make sure it ends up in the hands of a good Driver, yeah? And maybe resonate with those shiny new ones when we're back, eh? I'd be interested to see what ya' two get!"
"Well, I will certainly be sure to do that." Nia said, pocketing the Crystal into her own pack, and Vaios placed both now in his possession deep into his own pouch for later.
And back at Garfront, the Driver bunch was down at the training area. Poppi and Tora were practicing with one another while Nia was brushing out Dromarchs fur. Haze, Pyra, and Vaios were helping each other take care of some minor injuries they'd gotten no thanks to some overly aggressive animals. Yet, it was only the latter two who were actually hurt in some way. And Vandham was watching the pair with keen eyes, downright mystified about the sight.
"Ow!"
"Well, don't flinch like that, and it won't hurt when I press down."
"It's a natural reaction."
Vaios retaliated by taking his own swab and pressing it to Pyra's own scratch, causing her to yelp.
"See, you're not any better!"
"That was just petty!"
"Whaddya mean, I was just putting the salve on."
As the two kept messing around like that, Vandham finally stood up and walked over. He looked the two over, noting it down. Their injuries were exactly the same. A cut on the cheek, one on the hand, another on the upper arm. Exact same location, same depth. It was like the two had somehow mirrored one another.
"What is this?" Vandham murmured. "I've never seen a Blade get so many wounds before, much less ones that don't heal up right quick… not to mention, they're the same as Vaios's."
"Well… there's a reason for that." Vaios said, Vandham raising a brow. He went on to explain a bit more about recent events. Mainly about how he and Pyra were sharing their life force, even showing the portion of her Crystal attached to him as proof of it. Vandham and the other Drivers of the band who'd come over awed at the tale and the sight Vaios showed them. "… and that's about the gist of it. Honestly, it's probably unique even for a Blade. Pyra is the Aegis, after all. I really have no idea what all she's completely capable of right now."
"That's incredible. And while I've never heard of something like that happening before, I definitely wouldn't put it out of the Aegis's abilities." Vandham said, folding his arms, then looking at Haze. "Must be a bit more work for ya', eh?"
"Oh, it's nothing at all." Haze said, raising a hand. "I'm just glad I'm able to help like I can."
"Heh, and here I thought that pretty x was just an accessory like that fancy medallion o' yours." Vandham added, Vaios putting his fingers to said medallion as it was brought up. "Blades are supposed to heal up right away no matter the wound. If the Crystal's in one piece and the Driver's alive, nothin' can touch 'em. So why's she all bashed up?"
"Honestly, I don't know why it's that way, but that's just how it ended up. It is what it is." Vaios replied, a hand on his hip.
"What it is, is a problem. It means if one of you kicks the bucket, you both do." Vandham's statement made Vaios flinch, and his loose hand tightened up, then his hand relaxed.
"But you also told me a good Driver protects his Blade. And we fight side by side as it is. We're both making sure that doesn't happen." Vaios stated with a firm tone in his voice. "Protecting Pyra is the least I can do. She saved my life, made sure I wouldn't die when I was on the verge of death. If I didn't try and pay that back, I wouldn't be worth a lick of salt. So I've gotta keep that promise, at least until we get to Elysium. I won't die so easily before that happens."
"Vaios, you mean…"
"Going to Elysium? Oh no, I can't allow that." The interruption brought the eyes of everyone over. Akhos and Obrona had appeared, the Driver pushing his glasses up as he continued down the path and closer to the lot. "It won't do. A bunch of amateurs stealing the show? The script exists for a reason!"
"Who the hell are you?" Vaios immediately switched gears because his danger sense was going all kinds of wild, standing up and getting in front of Pyra. But he had a gut feeling Akhos already knew who she was.
"Akhos!" Nia said, Vaios glancing from her and then back.
"So you're one of those Torna guys?" Vaios asked, already pulling out the Aegis Blade and igniting it.
"Please speak only when you're spoken too, traitor." Akhos said, adjusting his glasses again.
"Traitor traitor traitor!~" Obrona jumped around as she spoke in a singsong, and Vaios was immediately annoyed by her grating as all-belief voice. "Nia, you're one of the baddies now, a villain!"
"And whoever said you lot were the good guys?" Vaios spat, aiming his blade at Akhos. "Last I checked, it was Torna who decided to hire an entire salvaging crew and then kill them all once you were done with them!"
"Can you please stop interrupting? You're taking things off script." Akhos said, Vaios growling at him.
"Look, I didn't betray anybody! And Vaios is right! That bloody event is why I'm even here! You lot of psychos are the actual villains!" Nia snapped back, also grabbing her chakrams. Akhos just scoffed at her.
"Really now? If you didn't betray anyone, then why do you stand with them instead of us? Do you feel this is where you belong?" Akhos posed, Nia just growling at him herself.
"You said Torna, right Vaios?" Vandham said, Vaios nodding. Now the man seemed outright livid. "Well, that puts a lot into perspective! But that's a helluva name they chose to use! Talk about stampin' on history!"
"Akhos, just tell us what you're here for!" Nia said, stamping a foot down.
"Well, the Aegis, of course."
"Not surprised at all." Vaios dryly spoke, Akhos giving him a slight glare.
"I just had to come and see the leading lady with my own eyes."
"Jin put you up to this?" Nia said, Akhos chuckling, his hands going to the swords at his hips.
"Well deduced. And, oh, by the way. His orders were to deal with you in whatever manner I see fit. So, you know what that means."
"He wouldn't… you're lying!" Nia about lunged, but Vaios put an arm in front of her. This wasn't a situation where they could let themselves run too hot in.
"Why the surprise? Do you think he would still care about you?" Akhos said, then looking at Vaios. "And you must be the Aegis Driver. Jin spoke surprisingly highly of you! He wants you dealt with as soon as possible, said that you could become a far bigger threat in the future if we just leave you to your own devices. Do you and he know one another? Jin spoke as if he knew you quite well."
"I suppose we do, can't say much about it myself, other than that he stabbed me in the damn back."
"And yet you stand here now, seemingly without a scratch. You see, Jin said you were dangerous even without a Blade, and that being the Aegis Driver would only make you more dangerous. I personally was surprised by that, but for some reason, I cannot help but doubt the veracity of it. You don't seem all that powerful to me." Akhos chuckled as he drew the slender blades at his hips out of their holders, the blue glow of the edges lighting up as he spun one. "So, I hope you don't mind if I test that theory!"
"Fine by me, I was waiting for you to shut up and actually fight!" Vaios was about to move, and Vandham put a hand to his shoulder. "Vandham?"
"You ain't fightin this guy alone. I know the name Torna from more than just history. These guys have taken the lives of too many Drivers. That includes some of my crew, good people." Vaios's eyes widened as he realized Vandham had a personal stake in this just as much as they did. Akhos's wicked smirk only made the glower on Vandham's face worsen. "Rumor has it it's because they're collecting Core Crystals… so if this Akhos is one of them… Yew! Zuo! Get everyone out of the village!"
"Yes, sir!"
As the two other Drivers took off, everyone who hadn't taken their weapons to the ready did so, and Akhos chuckled as he spun a sword again.
"Be careful with him." Nia said. "His Blade, Obrona, she can mess with the ether in the air."
"Well, I've got a Blade who can do that too." Vaios said, his eyes glancing to Haze, who nodded.
"I'll be ready when you are. Just give the order!" Haze said. If such was the case, it meant this coming fight would be a test to see who'd pull that kind of skill out first. The question was how it worked. Vaios knew Haze's skill could lock down a Blade, but he didn't know how Obrona's own manipulation did. All he had to do was get it done first.
"Right!"
"Sounds like a decent opponent for the change! Let's go!" Vandham called out, Vaios nodding with an enthusiastic smirk of his own.
"Finally! There won't be any more interruptions, will there?" Akhos hummed as he took a stance of his own. "Good, time for you extras to get off the stage!"
The first to clash in the fight were Akhos and Vaios themselves. Blade to blade, Vaios matched the shorter and faster swords with his own footwork and minimal blade movements. The fact aside from the central portion, his blade was functionally weightless meant he could move it far easier than it would otherwise allow. But the repeated blade clashes between Akhos and Vaios were interrupted when Vandham shot in, Akhos blocking with a single blade and being pushed away from Vaios.
Vandham's swings were rougher by comparison but still fine in their own right and packed enough of a punch Akhos was a bit more on the defensive since he didn't have the edge in size here. Vandham's reach was practically identical to his own. And Vandham was clearly masterful with his weapon Arts, the wind swirling around his scythes giving him some extra reach to his attacks, just as easily able to twirl them around to hook Akhos's blade and parry a strike just as quickly. Then Obrona's wings opened, flecks of red light beginning to fill the air. Vandham saw his weapons dim a bit, but he wasn't deterred as he kept up the attacks.
To break away, Akhos tossed his swords to Obrona, who let loose a series of lightning blasts that chased after the opposing Drivers. Some of them hit, and in quick response, Nia raised his chakrams on one arm, and Haze tossed Vaios her staff. Both called out, and dual pulses of water and wind went out across the party, easing the pains they felt from the Blade Art and coming with a slight boost to stamina.
Tora and Poppi charged in to get to Akhos after the healing. Dromarch went for Obrona after the Blade tossed her weapons back, his claws barely missing the flying Blade, who used that to get away from the feline Blade quickly. Akhos dodged the swipes of Tora's shield and raised his weapons as Obrona sent ether his way. Still, to his surprise, the shield didn't hold as Tora struck it, and out of the corner of his eye, Akhos saw Haze holding her staff in both hands, a slight ringing in the air as wind pulsed around.
"So… they have a Blade who can play with ether too, huh? We can play that too! Obrona!" As Akhos called out, Obrona cackled herself, and the glow in the air shifted from red to blue. The Blades all lurched a bit, and their Drivers could feel a cutoff in power being sent to them as well. Whatever Akhos had done, it had messed with the link between the Drivers and Blades. Undeterred, Vaios pulled out his anchor gun and aimed at Obrona. Once he had a shot lined up, he fired and successfully hooked the Blade. When the line was tight, Vaios grabbed it with both hands and yelled as he pulled, Obrona screaming as she was pulled in an arc and slammed into the ground hard enough to leave a crater.
The flecks in the air vanished as Obrona twitched, Akhos growling as the Blades were able to get back to full now that the connections weren't being messed with. Vaios reignited the Aegis Blade and rushed back into the fray, tossing the blade to Pyra and pulling out his own longsword. Akhos growled as now both were bearing down on him. The move clearly caught Akhos off guard but also visibly excited him at the same time as he was forced to double-task. He threw one sword to Obrona as she flew back over, creating a double blade lock between the engaged fighters.
Vaios actually smirked once they were locked. He moved one hand and grabbed the Aegis Blade, a golden glow edging across him and Pyra. With twin yells, the fiery blade grew as they swiped it along, nailing Obrona and Akhos. The latter reclaimed his second sword as he flipped back in the air, laughing as he skid to a stop. At the same time, Vaios took the Aegis Blade back himself, Pyra moving back to the support position.
"Such an honor… to share the stage with the legendary Aegis!" Akhos jumped back in, slamming his blades down on Vaios's, who caught them in the notches of his sword's lower spine, locking both down in place. "I will admit I underestimated you, Aegis Driver! You actually know what it is your doing with that Blade!"
"I'll take that one without issue!" Vaios wrenched the blades up and slashed at Akhos, who narrowly dodged, a singe mark appearing across his chest plate. But then, suddenly, Vaios closed the gap faster, Akhos gasping as the next strike from Vaios's blade came down harder and faster, the flurry of slashes pushing Akhos back. There seemed to be a faint glow around Vaios's body, blue in color. His eyes had brightened in shade as well. "Haze now!"
"Roger!" Haze lifted her staff again, that ringing going through the air. Obrona yelled as her flight was shut down and sent her to the ground again. Akhos gasped as his swords dimmed in light.
"She doesn't just disrupt ether flow, but she can cut it off entirely too?!" Akhos barely had time to process that before he was forced to block Vaios's hard strike again, being pushed across the ground by the force of the rushing strikes. Vaios broke through Akhos's guard and landed a clean slash across his chest. "AHHH!"
"How's one more for ya?!" Not to be left out, Vandham followed up on that flaming strike by flinging blasts of wind at Akhos, blowing him and Obrona back across the ground. Clearly frustrated as he stood back up with one nasty burn mark gouged in his armor, Akhos reset his glasses as Obrona struggled up.
"This is… not to the script at all." Akhos growled as he started backing away. "Obrona, we're retreating for now! Some redrafts are in order!"
"Got it!" Obrona dashed back despite the strain, pulling Akhos along with her. Before they could be pursued, they'd already left the range of Haze's jamming and then flitted away higher than they could get.
"Yeah, run away, ya' damn coward!" Vaios shouted as he shook a fist, giving a deep breath, and the glow around him died down as he also deactivated the Aegis Blade. "Everyone alright?"
"Near perfectly fine, yeah. Talk about timing. You did a hell of a number on Akhos just now too." Nia said, Vaios giving a nervous noise as he placed his blade back to his belt.
"Vai-Vai did something real cool! What was with glowy effect? Not Blade aura!" Tora said, Vaios raising a brow.
"Tora, what are you talking about?"
"Meh meh?! Vai-Vai not aware of what he did?!"
"Uh… no."
"Well, whatever it was, at least that guy's gone now." Vandham stored his weapons and chuckled as he looked to Haze. "And here I thought the Aegis was the biggest surprise I'd see. Where'd you find a Blade like her, eh? Never seen one that can shut down a Blade like that! It's one hell of a trump card, that's for sure."
"Yeah, but it's also why I feel we can't use it much." Vaios added, Haze nodding in agreement. "If enough people know about it, then it won't be too effective. And that guy's Blade can mess with ether too. If we fight again, I doubt he'll let us pull that off on him for a second time."
"That's the problem with abilities like mine, I suppose." Haze tilted her head and sighed. "Use it, and then your enemy can try to counter it."
"Well, that's also why we fight in groups too." Pyra said. "So that we can make sure things don't, well, get too predictable."
"Which is exactly why having more Blades is a good thing." Nia said, looking at Vandham.
"However you believe it to be. Either way." Vandham dodged the issue again. "For now, though, how about you all rest up? I doubt that idiot'll be coming back here any time soon, either. I'll go out and get everyone back here, and then we can all have ourselves a nice big dinner. How's about that!"
"Rest right now sounds about right." Azurda commented, the others giving affirmative and going to head off, but as he was leaving, Vandham stopped Vaios.
"Hm?"
"Could ya wait a minute? I wanna talk about somethin'." Vaios nodded, and Vandham brought him to look over the village elsewhere. Vaios wondered just what the change of scenery was for but not questioning it. "You know, now that I've seen it against a foe you were actually trying to fight for real, you've got some impressive power, kid, you know that?"
"So I've apparently been able to show." Vaios noted, giving a sigh. "Almost makes a person scared to use it when people keep saying things like that. Least of all, when apparently you're seen as a huge threat by some big shot terrorist group."
"Heh. Perhaps. So, you know what the difference is between guys like Akhos and me?"
"This is one of those "there isn't much of one" type things, is it?"
"Hahahaha! You've certainly got a good head on your shoulders Vaios, that's for sure." And yet again, Vandham gave Vaios a hearty slap to the back, and again Vaios lurched forward from the force of it. "Yeah, there ain't much of one. My crew here think we're fighting for justice, but ain't no such thing as a just fight. War is war from whatever angle you look at it. Justice is just what people try and justify their actions when they go to war, just an excuse to fight. The more you stand up for yourself, the more people wanna fight ya. Before you know it, you're in a war. All I'm saying is, we got our fight, and he's got his."
"So I guess it's safe to assume even if we can both agree with what he, and by extension Torna, are doing is bad, that ultimately doesn't matter." Vaios sat down and sighed, ruffling his hair a bit. "Morality is one troubling thing. People wanna make things easy. See all of it in black and white. I won't even say it's all shades of grey… the world is so many colors. It's impossible to say which ones are really right and wrong."
"Not a bad take on things. I get why Rakham took ya in. You're a good kid." Vandham said, nodding. "I see it myself as a use of power. It takes on a lot of forms, and all based on the heart of its wielder. If we don't use our power just 'cos we're scared of it, then we're done for. As for who's right and who's wrong, like you said, it's impossible to tell. Who knows for sure what those words truly even mean? So all we can do is protect what's important."
"Well, I definitely get that." Vaios said, looking at his pendant. "I can't help but feel like, in a way, I failed in that regard before… and now, I don't want to let that happen again. If everyone has their own war to fight, then I think I know what mine is now. So long as people keep getting in my way to Elysium, I'm going to have to fight them. I can hope for an understanding all I want, but there's definitely going to be people I won't be able to get through to in any way."
"I'm glad you've got that mindset." Vaios was now worried he'd actually really get injured by Vandham's back slaps. "Alright now, I've gotta go get me crew. Take a nap or somethin', cause I promise ya tonight's gonna be a big one!"
"Thanks for the advice!" Vaios laughed as he called out to Vandham while the man marched off, giving a chuckle as a smile came to his face. "Y'know he kinda feels like a rowdy uncle when it comes to character. I like it. I wonder what stories he's got about him and Rakham."
And big it definitely was. The entire village was out this time to go with the merry mood brought on by Vandham's successful news. And it was certainly a loud one. But the festive air at least helped ease any woes, and who could argue against a night of tons of good food?
"Well, I'll give it to these fellas. They certainly know how to throw on a party!" Nia laughed from around her own spread of plenty of food, Pyra, Haze, and Poppi nodding along to her. And then Nia got an idea as she caught Pyra glancing off to Vaios, who was chatting with Tora, probably about various engineering things from how ecstatic they seemed about it. "So, Pyra, you and Vaios get somewhere?"
"Pffffftt!" Pyra was clearly surprised by that, her sudden splurt going to gagging a bit. And that kind of reaction, plus a red face, got the other girls aweing a bit. That meant something! "W-We didn't do much at all! Nia, what are you even getting at?"
"What just curious is all. You two go off into your own little world sometimes, so I got curious." Nia was smirking now, Pyra's blush getting a bit worse. "How far did you go then?"
"Not far at all! I swear we haven't done anything. Can we not talk about this?" Pyra whined, and then she saw how Haze had this… quite flowery air around her. "Haze?"
"Ah, sorry! I just got lost in thought a bit." Haze put both her hands to her face and chuckled a bit, Nia shaking her head as she shrugged. Poppi looked confused.
"Vaios has it in for him, that's for sure." Nia commented.
"Poppi unsure of what everyone talking of."
"Adult conversation Poppi." Nia said, playfully waving a hand, then her look went a bit more somber, and she gave a deep hum. "I definitely should…"
"Hm? What's up, Nia?" Pyra said, Nia leaning on a hand.
"Well, I… I feel like I should talk to Vandham." Nia sighed deeply, her look a bit troubled. "It's just… he's kind of, you know."
"Well, why not have Vaios go with you? He and Vandham certainly get along pretty well." Pyra suggested, Nia giving a hum and nodding. Pyra certainly wasn't wrong that the two got along with relative ease… so maybe it was a good idea to do that.
"Alright, sure… but tomorrow." Nia said, nods going all around. Nia then looking back to her food. "Now, time to chow down!"
"Ahhh, well, I certainly feel a lot better after a good rest." Vaios rolled his arm as he, Tora, and Dromarch exited the room they'd crashed in for the night after the big feast, Tora hopping ahead with a laugh.
"Despite big battle, much fun had! But Tora still think Vai-Vai did best during fight." Tora said, Vaios chuckling and high-fiving the Nopon. "So, where to now? We continue to Fonsa Myma?"
"That would probably be best." Dromarch said, the three stopping in the foyer. "Now that we know Torna can find us, remaining here would assuredly put the non-combatants in danger. Though it would be rude if we just left without giving a word."
"Of course it'd be." Vaios put his arms behind his head and sighed. Dromarch had a point. Who is to say Akhos wouldn't come back, and next time with more with him? He knew that they had Haze and her ability to shut down Blades, so of course, that strategy wouldn't work twice. So if Akhos had reinforcements, the fight would definitely be more of a challenge to the party.
"Good morning, everyone!" Pyra gave a greeting as the girls then came on out, Vaios nodding. "Were you all discussing something?"
"Just what we should do next." Azurda said, on top of Vaios's head, to the latter's clear annoyance. "We were thinking it would be best we get moving on our way to Fonsa Myma today. After saying our farewells to Vandham and his crew, of course. We wouldn't want things to become worse for them."
"About that, actually." Nia said, glancing at Pyra, who nodded to her. "Vaios I… Uhm… could ya' help me with something?"
"What is it? I'm glad to help with whatever it is." Vaios said, and Nia seemed to relax. A bit. Not much. Just a bit.
"I want to talk to Vandham. I need to tell him about… about my past with Akhos and that lot." That was certainly an understandable thing. It was clear now Vandham had it out for Torna due to his own personal reasons. Even if Vaios knew Vandham saw things as they were, it's not like that would simply dissuade that personal vendetta. Torna had killed people Vandham looked after and worked with. Of course, he'd have it out for them.
"Not a problem. Though why do you want me to go with you?"
"Well, it's just… Vandham kind of scares me a bit."
"What? Why? I mean, sure he's big, has a mean face, is definitely scary when he's-never mind I get it." Vaios got a chuckle out of the others at his sudden about-face as he spoke. "He's probably going to be at the training grounds. Let's go."
And the air in Garfront was certainly about as merry as it was last night. You could almost think they hadn't just been attacked the other day and had to run for a bit because of the fight that had broken out. Still, the routine these people no doubt had resumed without any issue at all. Perhaps it was because they were a mercenary crew, so dealing with situations like that wouldn't be that troublesome to get themselves through at all.
And as Vaios had guessed, Vandham was at the training grounds with Roc, watching the children train at the practice dummies with various fake weapons. The man turned as he saw the party approach, giving a loud laugh.
"Hey there, you lot! What's got all of you up so bright and early?"
"Nia?" Vaios turned to Nia, who took a moment and then stepped forward, clearing her throat. Vandham folded his arms, catching onto the general mood of things quickly.
"Thanks for yesterday. You saved our skins, helping in that fight." Nia said, letting out a grumble. She had no idea how Vandham even felt about her former relation to Torna, so obviously, she was a bit uneasy. "That guy, Akhos, I mean… I wanted to tell you about him, you see… thing is, we used to be…"
"Being a mercenary, you meet all kindsa different folks." Vandham spoke up, and not a lick of potential malice was in his voice, letting off that he wasn't bothered in the slightest. However, Nia gave a confused sound at his interruption. "Your country, family, money… People got plenty of reasons to fight. Like fightin' for a special girl. I see that a lot. Though not every girl has a strange crystal in her chest, eh?"
"Please don't use me as the example." Vaios deadpanned, Vandham laughing at the obstinate snipe. If anything, the fact Vaios didn't deny a word of that was the main reason Vandham found it funny.
"Nia, you're with these guys right now. That's what matters." But he also quickly dropped back to his serious tone, Nia giving a small gasp.
"But… aren't you…"
"Anyway, Vaios, you said you're aiming to go to Elysium?" Vandham diverted matters. Nia went silent, seeing his point had been made. He was right about that, though. As far as they could be concerned, the fact Nia was with the current group mattered more than her old connection with Torna.
"That was the plan, though we did hit a snag." Vaios said, putting a hand to his chin. "For one, the ship we had got wrecked, as you know. And there's no way we can think of right now to get past the Abyss and to the World Tree itself. And then there's the… monster that's around the Tree we just found out about as well. We were planning to keep heading on to Fonsa Myma to get to Argentum and then try and make a plan there once I can meet up with Rakham and the rest of my crew. Though I doubt the Guild has a ship that can get past a thing like that. And Rakham isn't gonna risk the Inquestor."
"Well, if you're headed to Fonsa Myma, I've got an old mate there. I got a feeling he might know a way through. Knew Rakham too." That response got Vaios to gasp, and even without words, it was clear he wanted more details just from the glimmer in his eyes. "Besides, I've gotta go there anyhow, so I might as well introduce you two along the way."
"Thanks! What's this guy's name?"
"Cole. He's a playwright who knows a lot about the Aegis War. Figure if anyone knows about the Abyss and whatever monster is in it, he would, at least I hope so. And don't thank me, it's destiny or something. Get your stuff together and meet me by the village entrance! Also, I'd suggest awakening those Core Crystals I gave ya. More Blades in the party means more people to help fight. Fonsa Myma is a long way from here, so be prepared as you can."
"Oh, so now you think having multiple Blades is a good idea." Nia said with a snide grin on her face.
"Ah, shut it. I'll meet ya there." Vandham and Roc left with that, leaving the party there in that space. Nia and Vaios pulled out those shining Crystals, both humming.
"I think I'll save this for a bit later." Vaios said, pocketing the Crystal once more.
"Well, I'm certainly waking this little one up." Nia said, holding out her arm and gripping the Crystal tight. The others immediately moved to give some space for it as Nia shut her eyes. The glow began to radiate through the air as the Crystal left her hands and began pulsing.
Flecks of ice began to shine in the air as the light burst out. The Blade that was revealed was… small. A little girl with pale blue hair and eyes and pale as snow, garbed in flowing white, blue-accented clothes… and a bear of all things with her, the creature tall and with long limbs ending in large claws.
"U-Uh, hello there!" The small Blade was clearly suddenly nervous, giving a slight bow. "My name is Ursula, and this is Beary! N-Nice to meet you!"
"Ohhh! Nia got quite cute Blade!" Tora commented, Nia humming.
"Well, not bad. She doesn't seem that weak. Hello there Ursula, I'm Nia, your new Driver." Nia stepped forward and held a hand out to Ursula, the shy Blade taking the hand and shaking it. "Sorry to drop it on you so suddenly after waking up now, but we're going to be heading on out somewhere. I'll tell you about it while we get ready, sound good? Dromarch?"
"It would be my pleasure to assist in that. I am Dromarch, milady's other Blade. A pleasure to meet you, Ursula." Dromarch gave a bow of his own, and the warm personality of the gentlemanly cat Blade visibly relaxed Ursula as well.
"Welcome to the party." And Pyra then set off the introductions among the whole group to their new member. Sure the coming journey did have that air of dread over it now, especially with Vaios still wary of what could happen. Still, if they could keep these kinds of things up, it would definitely make things easier. Cause what was better than a happy-go-lucky group of oddballs?