11.

"So...hungry," Nia groaned, staggering forward, forcing herself to put one foot in front of another.

It had been nearly a week since they had set out with Morag and Brighid, following the scent of humans Dromarch picked up. Unfortunately, Uraya's gullet was massive, labyrinthine, a twisting expanse of endless caves lined with rainbow, glowing fungus, and glowing green lakes of acid. There was no denying it was eerily beautiful, if alien, and full of dangerous wildlife. They had clashed with aggressive Riiks, and large, mobile, toxic flowers. Again, unfortunately, none of the wildlife was edible – all of it was toxic, a fact Morag had shared with them when they had begun running low on rations and had considered eating some of the meat from a Riik who had attacked them. The Ardainian officer corps had been well-educated on the dangers of Urayan wildlife in preparation for the war.

So they had trudged on, their supplies, already diminished from having lost so much in the crash, dwindling even further day by day. They had rationed themselves, but had been perhaps too optimistic about finding civilization, and a chance to re-stock, sooner. This morning, they had run out of food more or less completely, chewing down on the last sad remains of their food supply.

"Don't worry. Keep your spirits up," Rex said, walking beside her, acting as if he wasn't feeling the hunger at all. Nia glared at him. She knew he had to be feeling it. She had watched him skip his rations this morning, pretending he wasn't hungry, so that everyone else would have more to eat. And he had done the same damn thing the morning before, too. Rex pointed to the path they were traveling on. "You see this? Well-traveled path, yeah? Lots of people walk this pretty often. We can't be that far from civilization." He smiled against the shadows beneath his eyes, then glanced around furtively, removing a health bar from his pack. "I found this after this morning. Here, take it," he whispered to her furtively, attempting to push it into her hands.

"You are gonna take that bar right now, and unwrap it, and eat it yourself," she hissed right back at him, glancing around to see if anyone else was watching. "What do you think you're doing, starving yourself?"

"Starving myself? Hah, what are you – Ow!" Rex winced as she punched his shoulder.

"Don't you lie to me, Rex. I've been watching you, I know you haven't eaten for two days."

Rex looked at her with tired eyes, then glanced away and gave a small sad smile. "I'm...the leader, I suppose. I got you guys into this mess. The least I could do is push myself harder and suffer a little more so you guys don't have to deal with as much." He sighed, putting the health bar into a pocket. "If you don't want it, I'll save it for someone else-"

"Oh no you don't," she snapped, reaching into his pocket. "You're gonna unwrap that and eat it right now, or I'll bash you, I swear."

"Oi! Get your hands out of there. Hey, put that-don't unwrap it!"

"You're gonna eat this. I heal you so much, do you have any idea how frustrating it is when you don't take care of yourself? Eat it-"

"I'm the leader, I should-"

"Shut it. And then open it, and eat-"

"I said no-"

"You are such a baby. I'll cram it in there myself if I have to. Don't make me pinch your nose."

"Let go of my arm! Oh, Titan's foot, you aren't actually going to – mmf!"

"You happy? You happy it came to this? Oh by the Architect, you better chew."

Morag and Brighid, walking behind the two, observed quietly as they squabbled and fought with each other. Morag raised a quiet eyebrow when Nia crammed the bar into Rex's mouth. She glanced over as Malos strolled next to her, grinning. The Aegis was definitely an odd one. Everything Morag had heard about him had led her to expect something more...grandiose. Instead, he seemed...well, to be honest, Morag knew Brighid didn't appreciate his crude sense of humor, but Morag had found herself warming up to him. He could be rude, but he had a real sense of discipline, a sarcastic sort of...gallows humor, almost, a real dedication to getting things done...in honesty, he reminded Morag a lot of the soldiers she had had under her command. Malos nodded towards Rex and Nia, still squabbling up ahead. "So. What do you guys think?"

"She...certainly seems to care for him. In an odd way," Morag replied.

Brighid, perhaps still a little miserable in her disguise, was more blunt than she usually was. "Oh, she's falling for him bad, I think."

Malos raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Hah! Brighid gets it. You aren't all bad."

Morag remained silent, and considered this. She may have warmed up to the Aegis, but she was still concerned about the effects his power might have on the boy. He might insist that he could handle it, but, well...Rex was still young, despite his protestations, and enthusiastic, and...all too willing to throw himself into danger. Again, like a lot of young soldiers she knew. Talking to Nia about it might be a good course of action at some point. To get a...better perspective on the dangers Malos might pose to Rex.

The caverns they were traveling through began undergoing an encouraging change in the next couple of hours of marching. They slowly transitioned from dank, alien caverns full of mushrooms and fungi and pools of acid, to something that seemed much more habitable to life – stony caverns coated with waving fields of blue-green grass, thick ivy covering the walls, and rivers of crystal-clear, fresh water.

"Oh, it's pretty," Rex said, as they entered a large cavern with multiple stone bridges above them. High above, in the ceiling, actual sunlight filtered down, seemingly penetrating the hide of the Urayan Titan, far above them. "See this? If anyone lives nearby, I bet it's around here."

"The scent of humans is getting stronger," Dromarch observed casually. "Very strong, in fact."

"We can fill up our canteens at that river, I bet," Rex called excitedly, pointing to a clear, healthy-looking waterfall pouring from one of the walls. "Maybe even catch some fish." He ran ahead.

And as he passed beneath one of the stone bridges overhead, six figures dropped to the ground with a thud. A group of three drivers, with their blades. One was a dark-haired Ardainian, carring a lage axe, another an Urayan of average build wielding a spear, bearded and wearing goggles, both of them accompanied by common blades. The third man, however, was an absolutely massive Urayan, towering over the other two by at least a foot, and nearly as wide as he was tall, thick with muscle, layered with scars, with wild, flowing, long gray hair, and dark, bronzed skin. He wore what looked like custom military equipment, a vest wound round with pouches and bandoliers, camoflaged pants and massive steel-toed boots. His blade was an odd, bird-like creature, with vibrant red and orange plumage, and he carried odd, scythe-like weapons in each hand. He grinned viciously at the group as he landed, his face criss-crossed with scars that made him that much more intimidating.

"Rex!" Morag cried out, as the drivers cut off his path back. Rex spun around, his eyes widening.

The massive Urayan stepped forward, shaking his head, and spoke in a loud, raspy growl. "Letting yourself get cut off from your blade. I expected more from the Driver of the Aegis."

"Wait. You know about that?" Malos crossed his arms. "Why the hell is it that pretty much everyone we meet except the person who awoke me actually knows what the Aegis is?"

"And the Aegis himself. You'll be a pretty prize, alright." The massive Urayan looked over his shoulder at Rex, who had drawn his junk sword. "Hah! Look, this shrimp thinks he's gonna fight us. Don't be an idiot, kid. Just hand over the Aegis."

"You're damn right I'm going to fight you if you think you're going to take him," Rex snarled.

Malos drew his sword as well, along with the rest of the group. "You know that's not how it works right? I'm right here. I don't just...go with whoever he hands me over to. That's not how any of this works."

The massive Urayan ignored him. "Yew, Zuo!" He called out to his two assistants. "You guys keep the rest busy. I wanna squash this kid and the Aegis myself." And with that, he launched himself at Rex with a roar.

The large man was surprisingly swift for someone his size. He slammed into Rex like a freight train, sending him flying. Malos darted forward, past the other two drivers, who let him pass without trouble, as they moved in to engage Tora, Nia, and Morag.

Morag drew her twin blades, and tried to maneuver past them, but the two were very competent fighters, quickly moving to block her path. Her blade danced out, lightning-quick, as she engaged them, but she very quickly noticed that the two drivers were fighting very defensively, not so much concerned with attacking her as they were with making sure she didn't make her way past them to help Rex. Unfortunately, they both used weapons with great reach, the haft of the spear and the axe working well to block her whenever she tried to dart to the side. Nia and Tora, inexperienced as they were, were being easily herded by them, giving them plenty of time to concentrate on Morag and Brighid.

Malos swung his sword at the giant Urayan's head, only to have it caught in one of the man's scythes. The scythes were hooked, barbed, designed well for catching and parrying straight blades. And he was quick with them, incredibly quick, in fact. Malos quickly realized they were fighting one of the best drivers he had ever been up against as he wrenched his blade out of the scythe's hooks and began dueling the man, only just quick enough to parry his blows. The ether bond between the man and his birdlike blade was incredibly strong, and the blade was channeling ether into him at an incredible rate, augmenting his speed and senses to an absurd degree. Behind him, he saw Rex struggle to his feet, wincing. "Rex! The blade!" he cried out.

Rex nodded, understanding, and launched himself at the bird with a shout, interrupting its concentration on the bond. The man slowed noticeably as it turned to deal with Rex, buffeting him with powerful blasts of wind from its wings. He was still as quick and clever as any driver Malos had ever dueled, though. He grimaced as he was slowly driven back up against a cliff face. If he wasn't damaged as he was…

He gathered dark flame into the palm of his off-hand, and then, when he saw an opening, delivered a powerful punch to the man's gut, unleashing an explosion of dark fire, and sending him sliding a few feet backwards with a wince. "Not bad," Malos panted, smiling at him. "But-" he was cut short as the man aimed his wrist at him with a vicious grin. Malos noticed a familiar device on it – the same sort of winch and cable Rex wore as part of his salvaging equipment. With a whirring hiss, and a smart flick of his wrist, the man sent the cable winding around Malos' legs, then pulled them out from underneath him, sending the Aegis tumbling to the ground. His sword went flying from his hands from the jolt.

Rex yelled, then dashed forward to pluck up Malos' sword, ducking beneath the clutching claws of the man's bird blade. He pointed the dark blade at the man. "I'm warning you," he snarled.

The giant Urayan wiped sweat from his brow, then grinned at him. "What you gonna do, ya mush? You gonna show me the true power of the Aegis? You better be quick about it!" And with that, he raised one of his scythes above his head, preparing to bring it down upon Malos.

With a shout, Rex raised the sword, and felt the dark flame channel into him once again. It still tore him apart, still felt as if it was hollowing him out. But what Malos had said was true. He was building up a tolerance to it. If that meant he was actually being less damaged, or if he had simply built up a tolerance to the pain, Rex was unsure. But without the pain completely overwhelming him, he could...concentrate more on what he was doing. He could...sense the dark flame, flowing through him and into the blade. He saw...sensed...felt...how it would respond to his thoughts, how it could be shaped, how it would obey him.

This time, when he swung the sword, the dark flame did not rocket out in a cone. Instead, it erupted up from the ground in giant pillars, tearing holes of nothingness into the earth, ripping through it in a series of explosions towards the large man, whose eyes widened as he was sent flying by one of them.

Rex advanced on the man as his bird-blade helped him to his feet, holding his sword out at the ready. He could feel the pain building up in him, ramping up, threatening to crowd out his thoughts, but he pushed it down for now. "Y-you're done," Rex said, sweat pouring from him, pointing his sword at the man. With another swing, he sent out a small wave of the dark flame, carving a large, twisted scar in a massive boulder just next to the man.

The massive Urayan looked at it in surprise, then gave Rex an appraising look, and smirked. "Nah. I got plenty of fight left in me. You, though..."

Rex's breath was coming to him in ragged gasps, now. His vision was blurring before him. Whatever tolerance he had to the pain before seemed to be completely overwhelmed now. "I'm...just starting…to fight," he lied, putting all his strength into one last swing. He couldn't concentrate on the shape of the flame now, couldn't control it at all, and the snakes of dark flame spun around him wildly, carving furrows into the stone, as he dropped Malos' sword and collapsed, his head pounding, his body weak, pain throbbing through his entire being.

The man stepped forward, looking at him with an odd expression. Then, to Rex's surprise, he sheathed his scythes, and knelt down beside him. "Yew! Zuo! That's enough!" he called out.

Tora, Nia, and Morag looked around, questioningly, as the drivers they had been fighting suddenly put their weapons up. Morag watched with interest as Nia spotted Rex, seemingly being comforted by the larger man now, and dashed towards him, the expression on her face one of fury and pain.

"Away from him," she snapped at the massive Urayan, kneeling down beside Rex. At least he didn't seem to be as in bad a shape as he had been after escaping from the Ardainian base. But she hated how she was becoming accustomed to seeing him like this, and that made the rage in her arise anew, and she liked that, she liked that rage. She never wanted to get used to this, to come to see Malos' power as something...normal. She placed her hands on Rex's face, and reached out through the ether. He...felt odd. It was true, he didn't feel as hollowed out as he had on previous occasions. But...there was still the sense that he was being broken, in some fundamental way, in some way she couldn't quite completely heal, some way that would get worse each time….she poured healing into him, doing the best she could to repair.

As Nia tended to Rex, the massive Urayan stood up and grinned at Malos as the rest of the party approached, cautiously. "That was one hell of a fight," he said, roaring with laughter. "Name's Vandham. Sorry, I just had to take a crack at the Aegis myself. Been itching to do it ever since I heard you woke up."

Morag's eyes widened. Vandham? THE Vandham? He was reputed as Uraya's strongest driver. But not only that, the stories about his exploits were legendary. He was not only Uraya's strongest driver, but if half the things she heard about him were true, he was the sort of driver that only came about once every few generations. If Mor Ardain ever bought the war to Uraya, she had assumed she would be facing him on the battlefield.

"You already heard about that? News travels fast," Malos said, in an almost chummy manner that got right on Nia's nerves. Why the hell was he being so friendly? And Vandham, this dumb fat goat, treating battle like it was playtime, pushing Rex to...she shook her head, tamping down her anger, concentrating again on healing him.

"Well, I got better intel than most, probably," Vandham grinned.

"Hey, boss." The Urayan assistant, the one named Zuo, pointed suddenly toward Morag. "This one here, and her blade. They really know how to fight."

"Yeah. I noticed." Vandham stepped towards them, towering over them, rubbing his chin between two gigantic fingers. Suddenly he lashed out, surprisingly fast, snatching the bonnet from Brighid's head, sending her blue-flame hair cascading down her back. "As I thought. The jewel of Mor Ardain."

"Oh! Does this mean this disguise didn't work? Does that mean I can change?" Brighid said, delighted. In a flash of blue flame, the skimpy maid's outfit was incinerated, and she was back in her blue dress and flame-styled gloves and boots.

Tora looked sadly at the floating ashes of the dress as they drifted to the ground. "Tora, ah, send you a bill for that," he said.

Zuo's face was suddenly etched with fury, and he raised his spear again. "Morag and Brighid? Here in Uraya? Boss, we gotta report this, you can't say no now-"

"Put that damn weapon down, Zuo," Vandham roared. "You know our policy is to stay neutral in this war."

Zuo didn't put the weapon down. Morag slowly began reaching for her blades again. The sheer hatred written on the man's face was frightening.

"Put it down," Vandham intoned, his voice low and threatening. "We'll talk about it later, back at camp."

Zuo, after a long, tense moment, finally shook his head and put his weapon back down.

Vandham stared at him with an unreadable expression for a long moment. "I do have to ask," he said, without taking his eyes off Zuo, "What's the Inquisitor doing in Uraya?"

"Keeping an eye on the Aegis," Morag answered, calmly. She was in a delicate situation. It wouldn't do to raise the tension.

Vandham moved his gaze to her, finally. He didn't say anything, merely meeting her gaze. The man had a stare as unflinching and penetrating as her own. Finally, he gave a small nod. "Right," he said, simply.

Nia, meanwhile, had managed to heal Rex to the point where he was no longer overwhelmed by the pain, and could manage to sit up. He really did have incredible drive. Healing was part her own contribution, part the metabolism of the target, and part sheer willpower of the target. Rex was starving, but...the flame that burned inside him burned so bright that he could recover anyway. Nia gave him a flat, angry stare, then looked away as he grabbed her arm. "Thank you, Nia. I don't know what I'd do without you." He rubbed the back of his head as she continued to deliberately look away from him, her face inscrutable.

"Hey, kid." Vandham prodded him with a boot, as Rex slowly, wincing, got up. "You know what happened, there?"

"I got attacked by some giant Urayan and his pet parrot?"

Vandham threw his head back and roared with laughter. "That's right! And we kicked your ass, too. I've heard tale of the Aegis power before. The Driver of the Aegis gets granted incredible power, but it can consume them." Vandham jabbed him with one giant finger. "You gotta learn to fight smarter, kid. So you don't have to rely on that power, unless you really, really need it. Otherwise your enemies will just do what I did. Drive you to a desperate situation, and then let you burn yourself out." Vandham tapped a finger to the side of his head. "Raw power only gets you so far, yeah? You gotta fight smarter." He cast his eye over the group and grinned. "Right. Well, you all look tired, hungry and dirty. Why don't you come with me? I run a little operation not that far from here. You can rest up and eat up, on the house. Consider it payment for letting me take a whack at the legendary Aegis."

12.

Vandham, Yew and Zuo led them on a small march. Morag hung back a bit, observing. Malos and Rex had seemed to take an immediate shine to the man, laughing and joking around with him. Even Tora and Poppi were crowded around him, jumping enthusiastically. Vandham certainly had charisma, at least. Not many men could get the people he had just been fighting to warm up to him. Not everyone was so charmed by him. Nia was alternately glaring daggers at him and looking away, sulking, forlorn, riding on Dromarch's back. And Zuo, his Urayan assistant, was alternately looking back at Morag with fury etched in his face, and looking up at Vandham with a stony expression. And Yew…

"You don't have to worry," Yew said by her side. Vandham's Ardainian bodyguard had fallen behind the others, to keep up with Morag. "Vandham's not the sort to go running to the Urayan government to turn someone in."

Morag eyed him up and down cautiously. "And you're certain about this? I have to say, in his position, reporting me is exactly what I'd do. I wouldn't even begrudge him for it."

Yew glanced over at his blade, then back at her. "I mean, he's not going to sit by and do nothing if he thinks you actually are here to plan the invasion. But if he thinks you really are just keeping an eye on the Aegis for Mor Ardain, and that you don't plan on turning him into some weapon for the Empire..."

Morag shook her head sadly. "And why wouldn't he think exactly that?"

Yew gave her a steady look. "Because he knows Mor Ardain's history. Because he doesn't think you actually want to do it. Because he thinks you can't do it, even if you wanted."

"He may not be wrong about that," Morag said softly. She looked back at Yew. The man was prime military age. Strong, and competent, at that. Tall, lean, with a shock of black hair, the picture of an ideal Ardainian soldier. If he was back in Mor Ardain, he would no doubt be in the military. "So how did an Ardainian come to be part of an Urayan mercenary group? Neutral or not?"

"Well, it's not really an Urayan group, as such. Vandham takes in all kinds." Yew's face grew...pained, sorrowful. "I...I love the Empire. As much as any Ardainian. But..." he shook his head. "I don't think you'd understand, being the right hand of the Emperor. Mor Ardain is...walking a dark path. Maybe we have been for a long time, now. I can still see so much to love in it. It has so much good in it. But...traveling the world, I came to realize I can't blame them for hating us so much, when we hide all that good behind a gas mask. That's all they know of us. As conquerors. I...realized I couldn't be part of that anymore. I couldn't don the mask and point a gun at the world. So….I left."

Morag was taken aback by the man's words. If she was being honest with herself, she saw much to sympathize with in them. She felt the same way, to a degree. But she still had hope, hope that one day, when Mor Ardain was secure, it could show the world all the beauty it had to offer. That one day, it might be known for more than conquest. That people might see its military as the strong helping hand. That they might see the prosperity its technology offered. The resilience and good cheer of its people. There were few things that moved Morag, but love of her country could still send chills down her spine. Still...she wondered how many young men felt the way Yew did. "I...understand more than you might think. But there's still hope. It doesn't have to be like this."

Yew looked at her in surprise, then looked away wistfully. "I hope you're right," he murmured.

It wasn't long, perhaps an hour or two, before they came across the camp. They crossed into a tunnel, and into a large cavern, overlooking a winding path down to a series of large tents and stacks of crates and supplies, with some small, permanent buildings scattered among them, surrounded by a rough hewn wooden fence. Armed men milled around the tents, some of them looking up and waving as soon as Vandham came into view.

"Alright, Vandham," Zuo snapped suddenly, startling him out of his conversation with Rex. "We're back at camp." He jabbed a finger at Morag. "What are you planning on doing with her?"

Vandham glanced back at Morag, then down at Zuo. "Giving her a place to sleep. Maybe hitting on her if I get drunk enough." He winked in Morag's direction, and she did her best to suppress an amused smile.

"This ain't funny, boss. This is the right hand of the Ardainian Emperor, in Urayan territory, during a time of war. Tell me why aiding her isn't an act of treason."

Silence fell across the group at the mention of the word 'treason'. Vandham looked down at his massive hands, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "Treason's a funny thing, Zuo. Everyone has their own definition of it. You know there's some people who'd call you a traitor just for fighting side by side with Yew."

"That's different."

"Sure is. My point is, you gotta make your own calls. I come across Morag here, fighting to protect a kid, lost and hungry, alone in enemy territory. I think to myself, well, that sure doesn't seem like the vanguard to an invasion. Why's she here alone? Definitely can't be to spy – she'd be a dumb choice of spy, too many know her. She tells me her mission is to watch the Aegis, and you know what, I believe her. Keeping an eye on the Aegis is definitely something Mor Ardain would put a high priority on, maybe even above the war. And you know what else, it's a good thing – someone ought to be keeping an eye on him. No offense," he said, glancing at Malos.

"So that's it?" Zuo was dangerously still, stone-faced, his voice flat. "So we just treat her like anyone else?"

"That's right. How about this, Zuo. I think she's doing anything that might help the Ardainians in the war effort against Uraya, I'll kill her myself. That sound good?"

"Are you threatening Lady Morag?" Brighid said, quietly, stepping forward. Morag held her back and shook her head.

"Come on. There is a war on, after all. I can't exactly just let you run around doing whatever you damn well please. I'm a mercenary, but Uraya is my country." Vandham shrugged.

"It's fine," Morag replied. She looked over to Zuo, seeing the muted fury in the man's gaze. She understood. "For what it's worth, Zuo...I didn't want this war, either. And neither did the Emperor."

Zuo stared back at her with a flat gaze. "Well, that hardly matters anymore, does it," he replied, his voice low. "The war happened anyway." He looked at Vandham, shaking his head, and walked off toward the camp alone.

Vandham watched him go. "Lost his sister. She served on an Urayan destroyer. Shot down few months back." The big man sighed, crossing his arms.

Morag was silent. She thought back to what Yew had said. It really was all the rest of the world got to see of Mor Ardain most of the time, wasn't it? Conquest.

"Well anyway, enough of that," Vandham growled. He threw his arms wide. "Welcome to Garfont village! Let's get you something to eat."

He led them down into the village, pointing out shops and houses along the way, receiving plenty of hearty greetings and waves on the way in. He was well liked by the people of the village, who seemed completely comfortable going out of their way to come up to him and clap him on the back, greet him, and engage him in small talk, despite how intimidating he looked.

On the way past one tent, Nia heard rowdy cheers. She pulled a flap aside to peak inside, and widened her eyes. Inside the tent was a circle of relaxing mercenaries at various small tables, drinking, while a woman with a mysterious smile on her face and wearing very little did a hip-swaying, seductive dance on a small stage.

"How crude," Brighid sniffed, appearing over Nia's shoulder with Morag.

"Oh, it's not that bad. It's just a little skin. Uh...okay, a lot of skin," Nia said, blushing, as another of the woman's skimpy garments went sailing overhead, discarded. "Wow, she's pretty."

Vandham, disengaging from a conversation with another resident, noticed the three of them peaking into the tent. "Nothing wrong with a little entertainment. They get paid well. And we got a tent with something for the ladies too, if you'd like." Vandham pointed out another tent and grinned.

Brighid wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. Absolutely not. This is terribly degrading."

"Oh, I dunno," Nia said, still entranced by the dance. "I think it's kind of brave."

"Alright, that's enough, my lady," Dromarch rumbled at her side, nudging her away from the tent. "Come on now."

"But-hey! I wanna-" Nia reluctantly let go of the tent flap as she was pushed along with the crowd.

Vandham led them to a small inn, of only a few rooms, where the proprietor gladly offered to let them stay for free once Vandham asked him if they could stay. The big Urayan insisted on paying for them.

Rex was glad to have a place to stay. It had been weeks of travel – he realized he hadn't had a chance for a proper bath since Argentum. The party split into their rooms to bathe, and as they filtered out into the small common room of the inn, little more than a porch with some tent cloth held over it with poles, they noticed a feast had been laid out for them. When Rex came out, feeling refreshed, his hair still damp, he noticed Tora and Poppi already there. Tora was cramming food into his mouth while simultaneously showing Vandham a particular gadget of his, a small attachment that exploded outward into a claw. Vandham seemed impressed by the nopon's technical skills.

The party settled down into a feast, and mercenaries filtered in and out of the inn as Vandham regaled them with talk of missions, pointing out various residents of the town as they walked in and out. He had an insult and a kind word for everyone. While he may be crude, it was hard not to get drawn in to his boisterous attitude and rough, loud laugh. Beer and wine flowed freely, and he didn't bother asking them any hard questions. He seemed to sense that they could use a night just to rest and relax and get their spirits up.

As the night wore on, the party atmosphere began to die down. Rex glanced around. Tora was showing off Poppi's capabilities to a particularly busty barmaid. Morag and Malos were lounging in a corner, playing some board game against each other, Brighid watching with a smirk on her face. From the expression on Malos' face, it seemed like Morag was winning. But Nia…

Vandham gave him a nudge with one massive hand, finishing off yet another beer. The man could outdrink any salvager Rex had ever met, he could give him that. "You looking for your girl, mate?"

"She's not my girl," Rex said, still glancing around.

Vandham ignored this. "I saw her sneak out a couple hours ago. Think she's out over there." He pointed with one giant finger out into the village, up at a large tree, ripe with pink blossoms, growing on some platforms above the village. He gave Rex a rueful grin. "Think she's mad at you. Think she's mad at me, too. She's been pulling faces at us both all night."

"Really? Ah, man..." Rex scratched the back of his head. He thought he had detected a hint of that before, after she had healed him. "Maybe I should go talk to her."

"Good luck, kid!" Vandham called after him as he got up, raising his beer glass to him. "Tell her not to kill me for taking a wack at you, yeah?"

13.

Rex exited the inn into the streets, such as they were, of Garfont. Of course, they weren't really streets at all, the village was too small for that, they were merely dirt paths beaten into the grass by the repeated passage of people between the buildings. The village was dark, peaceful...not quite tranquil, as the boisterous shouts of mercenaries could be heard coming from several tents. Rex kind of wondered how the few residents of the village felt about mercenaries living there, having rowdy parties until the late hours of the night. Probably they didn't care that much, considering how much money they likely bought in. And who knew, maybe the whole village was nothing but hangers-on of Vandham's merc group to begin with.

The village was lit by warm, flickering torchlight. Rex kept his eyes on the tree and walked towards it. It was a good distance above the village...and, Rex found out, not on a hill. He ran into terraces, natural ones carved into the rock, a good deal taller than he was. He traced his arm along them, looking for a ladder, or some steps, any way to get up them. There had to be some way to get up there. When he jumped, he could see rice growing in still waters at the top of the terrace.

"Good evening, Rex."

Rex jumped, spinning around. Dromarch sat perched upon some crates, peering down at him intently, his tail flicking back and forth idly.

"Oh...hey, Dromarch." Rex exhaled, the adrenaline draining out of him. "Is Nia up there…?"

Dromarch didn't answer. The big cat continued to stare down at him with large, mysterious dark eyes. Suddenly, he leapt down from the crates with fluid grace, landing at Rex's feet. He circled around Rex curiously, tail flicking the whole time.

Rex sighed. "She's mad at me, isn't she?"

"Perhaps," the big cat said idly. "My lady...she has...her passions, you could say. You do a good job at fanning those flames."

Rex laughed. "Fancy way to say I get on her nerves."

Dromarch stopped his pacing, giving Rex a skeptical look. "Sure. Let's go with that." He continued pacing again, circling around Rex in what was beginning to feel like an almost predatory manner. Finally, he stopped, looking up at Rex with those mysterious eyes. "Might I offer some advice? Do not hurt my lady."

Rex was taken aback by this. "I would never, Dromarch. I swear!" Even the idea of hurting Nia made him feel sick. She had done so much for him that he could never repay. Why did Dromarch think he was going to hurt her? He wasn't the kind of man who hit women.

"Perhaps not intentionally," Dromarch said quietly, tail still flicking. He sighed, then nodded his head towards the darkness. "The ladder you're looking for is over that way."

Nia sat beneath the tree, her back against it, legs drawn up against her chest. It was lit faintly by the walls of the Titan, which had some bioluminescent fungus coating it still. Not as big as it had been in the caverns on their journey here, but enough to light the tree. It was a beautiful tree, too, and had all sorts of flowers growing at the base of it.

She had found herself thinking of her...father. He had loved her so much, and she had loved him back. And she liked to think he had been honest with his love. But nobody, nobody had hurt her like he did. After her sister's death...all the love was twisted up with the pain he caused her. Why did her mind drift to him, now?

She tossed a pebble into the small stream that ran in front of her. Her ears perked up at the sound of ruffling grass behind her. She glanced around, to see Rex, pausing in the waist-high grass. "Oh. It's you." She looked away.

Rex came and sat next to her. She continued to look away from him. "Vandham says he thinks you're mad at me. And him."

"He sure says some stupid stuff."

"Dromarch says so, too."

Nia sighed and tossed another pebble into the stream, saying nothing.

"Hey...look, I know it...must be annoying having to heal me all the time. You don't have to do it. Seriously, I mean it. I-"

"Rex, I don't mind healing you. I like healing you. And everyone," she added quickly. "I like...being able to fix things."

"Then what is it?" Rex didn't sound annoyed, didn't sound angry. He just sounded curious and concerned.

"I...don't like seeing you hurt yourself," Nia replied quietly. "I don't like seeing you be so….willing to use the Aegis power….you...Rex, I can sense how hurt you are when you do that." She shook her head. "Maybe the others...they see you get up, and think you're okay, but I know exactly how bad it hurts you."

Rex looked away. "Oh, it's not so bad," he said lightly.

"And you keep doing that," Nia snapped, drawing her legs closer to her chest. "I know you're lying to yourself." She huffed, and then looked away. "Look, whatever. I don't give a damn."

"I have to, though," Rex said quietly. Nia glanced over at him. "Look, fine, I'll admit it. It hurts. It hurts like nothing I've ever felt before in my life, when I use it a lot. It hurts so much it scares me. But I have to use it. I...can't not use it, when I think my friend's lives are at stake."

Nia looked away again, but found herself smiling a little bit. Rex...really was a sweet kid, all things considered. "Could y'do something, then?" she asked, after a moment of silence. "Could you...practice, with that sword of yours, so you're not such a total dunce using it? Actually get good at using it, so you don't have to rely on Mr. Spooky and his dark magic?"

"Mr. Spooky? That your nickname for Malos?" Rex laughed.

"I'm workshopping it until I can come up with something meaner."

Rex sighed , crossing his arms behind his head. "Yeah," he said after a while. "Yeah, I mean, I need to get better with my sword anyway, right? The fight with Vandham definitely showed me that. I can't rely on Malos' power for everything. I'll practice with my sword so I don't have to use it as often. And I'll practice on using the power without pushing myself to the edge like that, again."

"You mean it, now? You aren't gonna get lazy and just forget to bother?"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise. After all, make a girl cry, that's not gonna fly. Make a girl smile? You pass the trial. Rule three of the salvager's code!"

Nia furrowed her brow in annoyance. "I was not crying. And I'm not smiling. And that is the cheesiest line I ever heard."

Rex grinned at her. "Just you wait. Other parts of the Salvager's code are even cheesier."

"I find that hard to believe."

A moment of silence passed between them, as they sat back and enjoyed the warmth and peace of the spot, the natural beauty surrounding them. The tree above them swayed gently in some errant breeze, perhaps from the Titan's depths, perhaps somehow traveling down to them from some distant entrance to the outside.

"You know," Nia said quietly, after some time, "My da...he always tried to train me to be a lady. He was a lord, and always wanted me to grow up trained proper." She laughed, ruefully. "It was so stuffy."

"You, a lady? No way."

"Most of it was boring stuff. But one thing I always did like was the flowers. Old Gormotti nobility, they have this whole thing about giving someone flowers. Different colors, different kinds meant different things when you gave them to someone." Suddenly she reached forward, plucking a flower from the grass before them, an orange lily. She leaned over and placed it on Rex's chest, deftly tucking it into the straps of his salvager's vest. She looked up at him expectantly, a small smile on her lips, eyes gleaming mysteriously in the gentle light.

Rex looked down at his chest, then back at her. "So...what's an orange flower mean?"

Nia smiled mischievously and leaned forward again, until she was close to his ear. "It means you're a great big idiot," she whispered sweetly.

Rex rolled his eyes. "Okay. What's it really mean?"

Nia fished out an old tattered book from one of her pockets and handed it to Rex. Its worn, tattered cover had a gold inlay that read "A Gormotti lady's guide to Botany." She scooched closer to him, and Rex was suddenly embarrassed as she laid her chin on his shoulder as she opened the book to the correct page for him. His eyes scanned down the page to where she was pointing. "I can't believe it actually means that," he muttered.

Nia laughed, getting to her feet and stretching out until she shook. "Ohhhh, I am looking forward to having a comfy bed to sleep in."

Rex was still leafing through the flower book. "This...half of these flowers are insults. It's bizarre."

"That's part of why I liked it so much."

They walked back to the inn together. As they clambered down the ladder, Dromarch fell in pace beside them, silently, Nia's hands reaching out to instinctively stroke his fur. Dromarch looked up at his driver as she and Rex talked on their way back. She was smiling, that was good. And there was a mischievous twinkling fire in her eyes that Dromarch had never really seen there before.