27.
It had been a peaceful few months at Garfont village since they had arrived. Rex had found himself immensely enjoying the mercenary life. Vandham had paid them much like anyone else who may have been on his payroll, and he had long since earned enough money to pay back Turuni, having sent off his payment by courier a month back.
Rex had often thought of being a mercenary as a sort of amoral, violent profession. And, he supposed, for many it probably was. The mercenaries Bana hired to keep watch over Goldmouth hadn't seemed like the most pleasant bunch. But Vandham's group seemed...different. He saw how being a mercenary afforded Vandham the opportunity to refuse missions that he didn't agree with. On more than one occasion, Vandham had sent contractors packing from the village when they requested services that he found questionable. It wasn't, Rex supposed, that much different from being a salvager. They both performed dangerous, possibly deadly jobs. They both had people, governments, who might want them to perform deeds they might disagree with. Vandham saw that there was a need for violence and rough men sometimes, but he refused to let his group be directed in ways he found unethical.
And the other mercenaries...Rex had found them a bit intimidating at first. Who wouldn't have? They were a group of extremely seasoned, competent warriors, loud, aggressive...but in Vandham's camp, there was always a sense of camaraderie and good cheer. It made sense, Rex supposed. They knew their lives depended on each other.
And his time here was time well-spent. The training he got, at the hands of Vandham, Malos, even Morag on occasion...they were probably, all things considered, some of the best mentors he could have possibly asked for. Two legendary drivers of their respective nations, and the Aegis himself. He found himself improving in leaps and bounds, and after a few months, being more than capable of dueling and defeating many of the more seasoned mercenaries in the camp. The older drivers...they'd often comment that he was one of the best students they ever had, that he had boundless potential. But he thought it was probably just a product of his youth and his teachers. Sure, the older mercenaries might have more experience in battle, but who among them could say that they had teachers such as he had?
In all honesty, if he hadn't been on a mission, Rex thought he probably could have lived the rest of his life happily, as a mercenary. But, as things were...he found himself getting a bit antsy after a few months. Making some money, and getting some training, these things were good things to have on his way to Elysium. But he found himself having more and more of an urge to move on, over the past week. He could tell Malos was getting a bit antsy, too. The Aegis had denied it - "I've waited five centuries, what's a few months more?" he'd say – but Rex knew that at night he pored over books, not just trying to patch together the past, but trying to find some way to make it past the beast at the base of the world tree, trying to find some clue on how to proceed.
Vandham seemed to detect their growing impatience himself. One night, they were all relaxing after a hearty dinner, basking in the warm glow of Uraya's gentle nights. Rex had just finished another hard day of training. Malos, Morag and Brighid had returned only a few hours ago from a mission, exterminating some of the more aggressive Volffs harassing some nearby gromrice farmers. Nia was concentrating intently on a carving she was working on, leaning back up against Dromarch's side in the grass, squinting one eye as she shaved off pieces of wood from a fairly large block. Tora had Poppi's chest panel completely open as she stood cheerfully still, tinkering around inside of her. It was...always still a little disquieting to Rex when he saw Tora go rooting around in her guts.
Vandham let out a satisfied sigh, picking his teeth with a toothpick, propping up his massive boots on a nearby chair as he leaned back, relaxed. "So," he said, casually, "I think I might have a lead on how to get you lot to the World Tree."
Rex glanced at Malos, whose eyebrows rose. Apparently the Aegis hadn't heard about this yet. "Yeah? What is it?" he asked excitedly.
Vandham pulled out a small blade – well, it was small in his massive hands, in reality it was fairly impressive dagger – and began trimming his nails with it. "Got an old friend, name of Cole. Old mercenary buddy. Got...ah, let's say, quite the past." He glanced up at Malos, then flicked his gaze back down to his nails. "Think he might be able to give you a way forward. Or at least, point you in the right direction."
"Why didn't you tell us about this friend of yours before?" Malos asked.
Vandham shrugged. "He's sort of an...artsy type nowadays. Bit too old for mercenary work now, you know? He runs a troupe, performs plays, operas, that sort of thing. He was…." here, he glanced up at Morag. "...on tour, let's say, in Mor Ardain. Said he wanted to do what he could to convince people to stop the war. I told him, Cole, I don't know what a play is going to do to stop a war. But he says art can talk to people, and, well, who knows, maybe he's right. Just got back to Fonsa Myma a few days ago."
Morag was quiet for a moment. She had been away from Mor Ardain for quite some time. This was nothing unusual – her mission was to track the Aegis, and it had been understood that it might take her into territory where communication was difficult for extended periods of time. She had been out of contact for longer periods than this – and most likely, Ardainian spies in Uraya already had some idea of her location. Nobody in Vandham's camp had explicitly approached her, but she would be surprised if the Ardainian spy network didn't have at least one mole in his camp. But she had found herself restless, lately, as well. She had been...experiencing an increasing sense of dread. It was nothing that she'd ever express to anyone. But...she had found herself wanting to talk to her brother, to go back to her homeland, to do...what she could to try and stop the war. She found herself kept awake, later and later at night, with a sense of foreboding about her homeland that just wouldn't cease. "Did he...have any luck?" she asked, quietly.
Vandham gave her a meaningful look, and Morag thought she saw a deep sadness in his eyes beneath that hard gaze. "You may want to take a trip back home, when you can," he growled, steadily, voice betraying no emotion. "Cole says...well. He can tell you himself. I don't have his way with words. But...he's not optimistic, to put it lightly."
There was silence for a long moment. "Well, sounds good to me," Malos said, finally. "We can take a trip up to Fonsa Myma and talk to this friend of yours."
"Fonsa Myma," Rex said to himself, quietly. He had heard of the Urayan capital, and had wanted to visit it, though he hadn't been near it during his time in Garfont. "It's a bit of a hike, isn't it?"
"Well, that's the other thing," Vandham said, grinning suddenly. "I would have told you sooner, but I had a couple of my boys working on, well, a little...development, let's say." He glanced around at the night around him. "It's a bit late to show you right now. But let's say that the hike to Fonsa Myma might be a bit shorter than you expect. We can take off tomorrow morning, you'll see then, yeah?"
Rex found it difficult to sleep that night. The prospect of getting back on the road again, of getting back on track to their mission to Elysium, was too exciting. He was up before anyone else, even Vandham himself, who usually woke notoriously early, walking out to the training grounds with his claymore, practicing his stances.
Or at least, he thought he was up before anyone else. He had only been practicing for a few minutes when Nia strolled up, chewing on a pastry thoughtfully. She sat on a fence, watching him for a few moments as he practiced. "Gotta admit, you've gotten pretty good at that," she said. "What're you doing up so early?"
Rex grinned sheepishly. "Ah...couldn't sleep. Getting going on our way to Elysium got me too excited."
Nia laughed, leaning back against the fence and kicking her feet. "Seems a little sad though, don't you think? I've really gotten used to this place. It's...nice, here. Even full of mercenaries, it's nice. And we're leaving so early, we're not even going to get a proper chance to say goodbye."
"Yeah...suppose so. I mean, we could always come back in the future. But it has been nice here. I've gotten kind of used to it, I think. If it weren't for Elysium, think I could see myself settling down into this sort of work."
"Oh? Being a mercenary your whole life?"
"Hah! Well, maybe not my whole life. Plus I think I'd still want to salvage as a hobby. But...you know, it's nice. Helping people who need it. Vandham has a pretty nice little setup here. Plus, the coin isn't bad at all. More than enough to support a family and all that."
"Oh?" Nia gave Rex a small, wicked smile, flashing her fangs at him. "You want a family some day, eh?"
Rex found himself blushing. "I mean...well, yeah, someday, you know. Not any time soon or anything." He slid his claymore into the sheathe slung across his back. "I mean, not like I've given it loads of thought or anything. Wouldn't you, though? Want a family some day, that is."
Nia looked a bit surprised at the question. "I...don't suppose I've ever really thought about it," she said softly, and Rex thought he detected some sadness in her voice. "Seems a bit strange though, doesn't it? Honestly, I can't wrap my head around it most of the time."
"I get what you mean." Rex rummaged through his backpack, pulling out an apple, biting into it noisily. He leaned back next to Nia, watching the dawn light slowly grow more rosy as it filtered down through Uraya's hide. "I mean, I just sort of think it will be something that happens eventually some day. Don't have any idea how it will happen to myself. But it happens to most people, right?"
"I suppose. I….I don't know if I'd ever really do it, though. I dunno. I like being...independent and all that. And…" Nia paused, looking at Rex, still chewing thoughtfully on his apple, eyes on the horizon. Her thoughts were of her sister, her father, how much it had hurt to lose them. Loving someone as much as she had loved them...the idea frightened her, honestly. She never wanted to feel the way she had after she had lost them, ever again. She hadn't ever told Rex about her sister, though. She hadn't really ever told…almost anyone at all. But...well…she could probably tell Rex, couldn't she? She usually kept her past as a well-guarded secret...but for some reason, she not only felt comfortable telling him, she sort of...wanted him to know. "Hey Rex," she began, quietly, "Y'know….I had a sis-"
"HEY YOU TWO!"
Nia yelped, jumping up off the fence, at the booming sound of Vandham's voice. The big goon was waving to them from across the village, bounding toward them with Roc at his side. "You have to be so damn loud?" she snapped at him as he grew near.
Vandham laughed. "Sorry. Using my command voice, I suppose. You two are up early, aren't you? Let's get some supplies packed up for this trip."
It was nearly an hour later that the entire group was assembled in front of one of the gates to Garfont village, before the sun had properly risen. Only a few other mercenaries were straggling about the village.
Morag and Brighid were both quite a sight. Vandham had approached them the night before about disguises. Of course, having the right hand of the Emperor in Fonsa Myma itself might be a pretty risky business. Just going about without an Ardainian uniform probably wasn't going to be enough for Morag. So she had tied her hair up in a bun, hidden it beneath a safari hat, borrowed some baggy fatigues from Vandham...and done a pretty good job at passing for a man.
"Wow, Morag, can barely tell it's you," Malos remarked, looking her up and down. "Really do fit well into a man's disguise."
"Wait, what? Disguise?" Tora peered up at Morag. "Tora thought Morag was always a man. Human gender divergence so strange."
"Lady Morag is plenty feminine," Brighid snapped irritably at Morag's side. She was dressed in the same bulky vest and soldier's outfit and helmet that Vandham had dressed her in before to disguise her. Only this time, he had gone the extra mile, and draped an additional poncho over all this, so that only her face peeked out from beneath a dust-colored hood.
"We all ready?" Vandham interrupted, looking over the group. "Alright, let's get going. Just a little bit of a hike to Fonsa Myma, right?" He grinned suspiciously at Rex, who gave him a quizzical look. What was the big man planning? What was the surprise he had talked about last night?
Vandham led them once more into the complex cave system of Uraya, leading them, after a few turns, in a direction they hadn't headed before. Narrow, winding tunnels slowly gave way into wider and wider caverns, all covered in vibrant blue-green grass, threaded with streams of crystal-clear water. Even after living here for a few months, Uraya still could surprise Rex with how idyllic and picturesque it could be.
Eventually, Vandham led them out into an enormous cavern, bigger than any they had been in so far, with a view so stunning that even Malos let out an appreciative whistle. They were at the top of a cliff path that looked out onto a vast expanse of crystalline blue waters, with exotic, alien structures of colorful mineral buildup spreading outward from a few geysers, surreal, colorful blotches on the landscape. Beneath the waters, they could spot, even from this distance, intricate, beautiful coral structures, and gigantic, colorful fish swimming among them. A forest of trees, with waving purple and pink leaves, ringed the waters. Even the cliffs themselves were beautiful, striped with some colorful mineral, and the whole scene was awash in a gentle, purplish glow. Vandham stopped them with a hand, puffing out his chest, taking a deep breath. "Ahhhhh. Been a while since I've traveled out this way. Beautiful, yeah? Gets to me every time." He lifted a hand to his brow, shading his eyes against the light, then pointed out into the distance. "And there you go. There's your surprise."
Rex looked where the mercenary was pointing, squinting his eyes. Vandham's vision was unusually sharp, it took him a moment to see what the man was pointing at. But there, off in the distance, a circling shadow, soaring high above the purple forests, was a familiar figure…
"Gramps?" Rex called excitedly, rushing forward.
The large Titan circled above the forest once more, then with a mighty flap of his wings, changed direction, heading towards the cliff where Rex stood. He folded his wings against himself, picking up speed, startlingly fast for a creature his size, until, with a blast of wind, blowing grass and loose soil around himself, he landed perhaps forty feet from them, his massive bulk making the ground beneath their feet shake with the force of his landing. "Ah, it feels good to stretch my wings," he said, shaking his head side to side. "Cooped up in that cove for far too long."
Rex spat dirt and grass from his mouth as he walked forward. "Geez, Gramps," he said, but he was smiling from ear to ear. "How did you get over here?"
"Well. I was thinking that I would probably just have to fly back to Leftheria at some point. But I found, after flying around the cove for a bit, a tunnel big enough for me to fit into, up higher in the cliff wall. I thought it was a dead end for quite some time, of course."
"I sent some men to try to map it out and see if there wasn't some way to get your Gramps through the tunnel. Took some explosives and some exploring, but we found a way to get him here." Vandham folded his arms, laughing. "He complained all the way here, of course."
"Excuse me. I'd eaten nothing but sea drakes for months, and had to squeeze myself in through a tunnel with not enough room for me to stretch out my wings. Took me days of crawling to do that. I was getting cramped. You'd complain too." Gramps glared down at the mercenary.
"Aw man, Vandham, you didn't have to do all that for us," Rex said, embarrassed.
"Oh, I didn't do it just for you. That new tunnel opening up is gonna be a nice new logistics and trade route, I think." Vandham patted Gramps' claw. "Anyway, I was thinking you could fly us over to Fonsa Myma and save us a lot of hiking. Though once we get close, you might wanna just set us down and let us walk the rest of the way. With the war on, government's getting a little, ah...aggressive about recruiting Titans into the war effort."
"Oh, I see how it is. I get free, and you immediately want to use me as a taxi service," Gramps said airily. Then he gave a sharp grin. "Of course. I'm enjoying giving my wings a workout anyway."
28.
Jin walked through the dark halls of the Marsanes, breathing raggedly.
He had just returned from a mission intercepting a shipment of core crystals from Indol to Mor Ardain. He had been going on more and more of these missions lately, barely stopping to take a rest in between. It was just that...with a war fast approaching, he couldn't stand the thought of blades becoming a part of it. Of being awoken, only to be thrust into violence a few months after they had begun to live. Of getting tangled in the web of people's lives, only to have everything ripped from them shortly after.
And he didn't like to admit it...but either Indol had been training its warriors better, or it was becoming harder and harder for him to use his powers. He found himself having to push closer and closer to the edge on every mission.
He stopped in front of a familiar door, bracing himself before he entered. He both longed for and dreaded entering this room. It was something he couldn't stop himself from doing, no matter how hard he tried.
He walked in to the room. It was large, circular, dimly lit. And in the center was that which haunted him, which was never very far from his mind.
Lora. Her body frozen, perfectly preserved, within a large block of never-melting ice, created by Jin himself. Her long brown ponytail flying out behind her, looking as if it was still whipping in the wind, armor and clothes of a fashion that was by now centuries extinct. Eyes gently closed, mouth turned up in the smallest hint of a smile, looking for all the world as if she was still alive. One had to look close, very close indeed, to see the wounds that had driven the precious life from her body.
And like it did every single time he looked at her, Jin's heart broke all over again. It still stunned him how the pain had never dulled over the centuries. Looking at her was like having his heart torn apart the exact same way it had the day she died, hundreds of years ago. When she had spoken those damned final words to him, when he thought he would go mad from the ache.
He had had his anger at her, over the centuries. Why, why had those had to be her final words? Bittersweet whispers of love and pain at losing him, pain at the idea of being forgotten by him, that had twisted in his heart like a knife. And then, oh, that beautiful smile on her face, that faint happiness, when he had told her that it didn't have to be like this, that he could remember her forever, by becoming a Flesh Eater. There were times where he had felt rage at her, over the centuries. She had damned him with those last words of love.
But he couldn't remain angry. Jin sometimes wondered if humans could ever really understand the sorts of feelings their blades could have for them. Lora...was everything to him. Protecting her had been his every thought. And through their bond, Jin could feel the love she had had for him, and feeling that had made him...complete. It was the best, most fulfilling feeling in the world, when she had looked at him with those sparkling eyes, and he had known how much she adored him. And after losing her, after knowing he was going to have to live on, and on, and on, never feeling anything like that ever again…
Jin laid a hand against the ice, hanging his head. It was always like this. It never, ever went away. Time never healed the wounds. Every thought of her, was like reopening them every time. Every time he looked at her, it was like losing her all over again. But how could he ever do anything other than think of her, forever?
"I thought you might be here." It was Pyra's voice, quiet.
Jin glanced up, his eyes wide. The Aegis stood in a doorway, her face wearing a pained expression. She glanced up at Lora in the block of ice, and then walked into the room slowly. "Go away," Jin said, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat, then turned his face away from her, hanging it again, looking down at the ground. "Leave me be."
Pyra ignored him. Presently, her arms snaked around him from behind, pulling him into an embrace. He could feel her resting her head against his back. He didn't protest. She was...comforting.
It was strange to think that the Aegis...Mythra, the woman that Pyra had once been, who was still...locked inside her, somehow...strange to think that this woman who had once wreaked such havoc, had tried to destroy the world, might be the one to comfort him, when once, he and Lora had fought so hard against her, struggled so hard to bring her down. When Mythra...Pyra...had been one half of the disaster that had sank Torna to the bottom of the cloud sea.
But Pyra had found him during his wanderings, when for years, decades after losing Lora, he had crossed the world. Those years...as much as seeing Lora pained him now...those years had been a nightmare of unending, constant sadness. Where everything, everything he had ever felt was a constant, blurry haze. The world, for years and years on end, had seemed flat, unreal, he had felt almost incapable of even interacting with it, and through his mind ran constant scenarios of hellish guilt – he was constantly thinking of how he had failed Lora, and thinking of the life they may have had together if only she hadn't died, and everything was a dark, long tunnel of soul-shattering remorse, and regret, and grief for what could have been and now would never be.
And then Pyra had found him, and lifted him out of it. When she had first found Jin, when Jin first realized she was the Aegis, that blond, angelic Mythra was now the redheaded Pyra, he was certain that she was going to kill him. But instead, the first thing she had done was embrace him, and whisper, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," in his ear, over and over.
And then...she had cared for him. For years. For years, it was her smiling face that had greeted him in the morning, trying to rouse him from his depressed stupor. She had made him meals, cooking dish after dish, until she had perfected one to his tastes so well that even in his lowest state, he could not resist eating it. She had held him at night, simply holding him, when in the darkness his thoughts raced and sleep eluded him. Through monumental efforts of kindness, more than anyone had ever shown him, she had rescued him.
At the time, he hadn't thought to question why. To be honest, at first, he hadn't thought...much at all, so catatonic with grief had he been. But along the way, during the years she had nursed him back to health, that she had...made him engage with reality, once more, he had learned. Learned of what she had experienced, deep in the Cloud Sea, after Malos had struck her down. Learned that...yes, she was, indeed, honestly repentant for what she had done, and fully understood the magnitude of her crimes, and lived with a horrible, wracking guilt that would never go away.
She was lost in confusion about the nature of the world, and living with the awful weight of regret and remorse and guilt, and yet she was presenting a strong face. She hadn't given up, and she was trying her damndest to repent. And...it had inspired Jin. Her kindness, and her strength, had slowly lifted him out of his funk.
And once he had gotten somewhat better, they had spent so much time talking. And Pyra's words...they held a lot of wisdom. They spoke to Jin's heart. The bonds you could have – bonds between blade and human, but not just bonds like that, all bonds...friendship, love, family...they were the most beautiful things in the world. And, as Jin knew full well, also the most awful. Love, of all kinds, was inevitable, and beautiful, and could absolutely destroy you. Worse than destroy. It could torture.
Jin had never questioned this before. It had seemed...simply part of the way the world was. But after losing Lora...was all the pain of losing her, was all the awful torture of living without her, was this much pain really necessary? Pyra had caused him to question this. Was it really the nature of the world, or was it a...sadistic choice, on the part of Pyra's father, the Architect?
Jin didn't know. And Pyra was the first to admit, herself, that she didn't know, either. Jin had always seen the Architect as something...untouchable, unknowable, ineffable, the reasons behind his design...almost certain to have a good reason. But...Pyra...Mythra was his daughter. And Malos his son. And...if the Architect's daughter herself could doubt his design…could suspect his cruelty and malice…
He loved Pyra. For all she had done for him, for all that she had made him question, for the...sweetness and kindness she had shown. How could he not? Like Pyra said, these bonds were inevitable. He wasn't quite sure in what way he loved her, but she had saved him. But as inevitable as they were...one could keep oneself...distant, to minimize the pain from them. They both knew, a bond of love might invigorate them, but could also destroy them. So as much as he might love her, he would struggle and resist surrendering to it. He suspected...that she loved him as well, and struggled to maintain her distance herself.
But that was hard when she was wrapped around him, embracing him. Jin slowly, quietly disengaged himself from her embrace. Pyra's hand lingered on his, as she stared up at him. "You're pushing yourself far too hard," she whispered, laying a hand against his face.
He grabbed her hand, then simply held it. He stared down at her for a long moment. There were so many things he might say, so much he could say to her. "I'm fine," he said, suppressing anything he might feel. "Is there any news on Malos?"
Akhos had reported in months ago that the Aegis, Nia, and Rex were in a mercenary camp. Jin had considered raiding it, until he had found out who the leader was. The legendary driver Vandham. He and Pyra had actually gone up against Vandham before, when his group had been hired to guard a shipment of core crystals. Vandham and his men….had given them an astounding amount of trouble. It had been a long, bloody battle across a massive Urayan warship. Jin had never thought that a mere human driver could give the Aegis and himself as much trouble as Vandham had. In the end, most of Vandham's men had wound up dead, and Vandham himself had fled in an emergency escape craft, but through careful ambushes and clever traps, Jin had wound up needing weeks in the restoration chamber. There wasn't enough room to pilot the Marsanes or the Monoceros into Vandham's camp, and...as much as it galled him to admit, he wasn't sure if they could win against an entire small army of men trained by Vandham.
And so they had resolved to wait. To wait, with increasing frustration, as they stayed within the camp for months. One of the downsides of having so few members in Torna was that they didn't have the time to spare to wait for an opportunistic time to ambush them when they were away from the camp. They had simply told Akhos to check in on them from time to time, and to give them an alert when they decided to move on from the camp.
Pyra sighed. "They've moved on, finally. To Fonsa Myma."
Jin nodded. "Good. It's a long march to Fonsa Myma. We can intercept them on the way-"
Pyra shook her head. "You don't understand. They're already at Fonsa Myma. They were still in the camp this morning, when Akhos checked the locations on the core tracker. Then tonight, they were at the capital."
"How," Jin murmured to himself. Then his eyes lit up with realization. Azurda. The draconic Titan, according to Akhos' last reports, had still been trapped inside the cove of Uraya's mouth. He must have found a way into the Titan somehow, and flown Rex and his party to Fonsa Myma. Akhos had asked if he should take the opportunity to kill Azurda, but...the younger Flesh Eater probably didn't know what he was talking of. Jin had seen Azurda in battle before. The Titan might speak like a gentle old man, but in all likelihood, if Akhos had tried, Azurda would have probably eaten him alive. And besides...Jin wasn't about to kill an old friend over a misunderstanding. Still, it was a damn frustration. Fonsa Myma in wartime was hardly a more appealing target than Vandham's mercenary camp. "There may be a way to lure them to the forum," Jin said thoughtfully. While it may have more soldiers, in many ways Fonsa Myma might provide more opportunities than a small, disciplined mercenary camp.
"I can go with Akhos," Pyra was murmuring, holding Jin's hand. "I'm sure between the both of us, we can handle capturing Malos-"
"I'm going with you," Jin replied.
"No. You have pushed yourself much too hard lately. Look at you, you're exhausted. You get in the restoration chamber-"
"I'm going with you," Jin repeated firmly, and Pyra became quiet. "Bring around the Monoceros. We're going to Fonsa Myma as soon as possible. This farce has gone on long enough. Rex awakening Malos was never supposed to be anything more than a temporary accident, and I'm coming along just so we can be sure it gets fixed."
Pyra lingered on for a long moment, looking up at Jin. "Did you tell Akhos to kill Nia?" she asked, suddenly, quietly.
Jin's eyes widened in surprise. Then his face became stern, emotionless. "No. I told him to only do what he thought was necessary to retrieve Malos."
"Oh, Jin," Pyra said, mournfully, shaking her head. "Oh, she adored you."
Jin stopped for a moment. He...had known Nia had looked up to him quite a bit, after he had rescued her. And though he had only known her for a short time after that...he had...felt the beginnings of the same affection he had for other members of Torna, with her. He had liked her sarcasm, her sharp tongue, the way she didn't let the other members of Torna intimidate her.
But...she was a traitor. There was no way around it, at this point. Whatever might have been, what could have been with her….it was long gone now. Which was...well...it could be more of a problem in the long run than perhaps even Pyra realized. Flesh Eaters gained new powers upon their merging with a human, sometimes. Jin had. And he could sense, in Nia, a restorative power that she held in reserve, one so great that it could bring people back from the verge of death...could possibly have even healed him, given enough time to cultivate.
Oh well. There was little time to mourn, now. Not now that things were hurtling toward the end.
29.
The flight on Gramps' back was a stunning one, watching the beautiful vistas of Uraya slide beneath them, a blur of gentle blues, purples and greens. Uraya was almost as idyllic as the vision of Elysium Rex had seen. The people here, he reflected, were very fortunate to live on such a bountiful and beautiful Titan. And so huge: This internal cavern, Vandham told him, was the largest in Uraya, but it was absolutely gargantuan. Rex had never been to Mor Ardain, but he knew from descriptions of it that it was sandy, dusty, with little capability to grow crops. He could see why, if Uraya was so gorgeous and plentiful, and so large, they might be tempted to try and conquer it.
And as they drew closer to Fonsa Myma, Rex could see, even from a distance, that the city itself was beautiful as well. The Urayan capital, from a distance, was a somewhat chaotic warren of brick buildings, with round, meandering streets, built into a cliffside. Red, pink and purple-leafed trees were speckled throughout the city, competing with some rounded, domed towers for the highest points in the city. The city was built leveled, stepped into the cliffside, with a few large, more square buildings that Vandham identified as the castle and barracks of Uraya's government. Even from a distance, Fonsa Myma gave off a friendly glow, every building lit with a soft, orange light in the windows, a few tendrils of smoke rising from some rooftops. As they grew closer, they could see the city was surrounded by gromrice fields, growing in some naturally-formed terraces. The entrance to the city had a docks, as well, with some large, Titan warships occupying them.
Gramps set them down maybe a mile's walk from the city, on the advice of Vandham, in an area concealed by large, mineral-rich rocks, streaks of flashing metallic ore glinting in the sun as he settled them down.
"Thanks, Gramps," Rex shouted, as the party leapt down from his back. "Man, we really gotta build some chairs and straps or something on you if you're gonna fly us places, though. Pretty enough, but it's not exactly fun hanging on to your back for dear life."
"Oh, typical. I give you a free ride and you've got nothing but complaints."
"Not complaints! Just suggestions!"
Gramps agreed to meet them nightly at a location somewhat outside of the city, away from the prying eyes of any Urayan guards. Although, Rex supposed, he had probably been spotted flying around already by someone or other. Vandham insisted he should probably be safe, as long as he stayed way from the city itself, where his presence might cause a commotion and get people trying to recruit him into the Urayan military.
A large, wide, cobblestoned path led up to the gates of the city, and it wasn't long before they were passing beneath the walls of Fonsa Myma. Despite it being wartime, the city itself was fairly open. A few guards manned the walls and guardhouses entering the city, Urayan soldiers and hired mercenaries in the bulky, powerful armor of the Urayan government, but none of them gave any of them any particular scrutiny. Morag took this as somewhat of a good sign. If Uraya was concerned that Mor Ardain was certain to invade Uraya itself soon, they'd most likely have many more guards stationed on the walls, and much stricter security. Uraya may not be a military state like Mor Ardain, but they were hardly incompetent.
As they continued walking, they began passing by the gromrice fields that surrounded the city proper. Curiously, Rex noticed, many of them were barren, with no workers harvesting, and no plants growing. He remarked upon this to Vandham, who nodded grimly. "While back, there was some damn loony who single-handedly poisoned most of this year's harvest." Vandham shook his head. "He was a loony, but a damn smart one. Managed his way past our guards and everything. Some think Mor Ardain was helping him on that one."
"No," Morag said, suddenly defensive. "No. The Emperor is trying to extract food concessions from Uraya to avoid war. Last thing he'd do is order the destruction of your crops."
Vandham put his hands up. "I know, I know. I keep my eye on this sort of thing. In the end, it was some loony that they tracked down to Indol. The Praetorium extradited him and everything. But, well. It's one thing that's real, and a whole other thing what the people actually believe is real, right? Mor Ardain may have had nothing to do with it, but most people think they did." He sighed. "And maybe in this situation, that's what really matters."
After walking through the fields for another hour or so, they finally reached the city proper, walking by the docks with the Titan warships lodged there. Rex and Tora marveled at the sheer scale of the ships. Urayan warships were quite a bit different from Ardainian ones. Where Ardainian ships were often integrated into the Titans themselves, wires and controllers connecting directly to the Titan nervous system, Urayan ships often had their structures, armor and weaponry built directly on top of massive, trained Titans, never bothering to cut them open and make any direct connections to their nervous system, instead preferring their traditional method of training and controlling such large creatures.
The streets of Fonsa Myma itself had seemed welcoming and humble from the air, but as they continued deeper into the city, it was impossible to miss an undercurrent of foreboding and fear. The wide, winding cobblestone streets were full of Urayan soldiers and mercenaries. The ring of blacksmith's hammers were constant in the streets, hammering out armor and weaponry for the war effort. An entire stretch of the city was taken over by workshops, rough, soot-covered men shaping metal for Urayan warships, the baking heat of dozens of furnaces turning the street into an oven. Many of the shop's offerings were rather threadbare, Urayans having bought up many emergency supplies in anticipation of an invasion.
And the Urayans themselves...Morag had to admit to herself, they reminded her of home. Ardainians were a people who lived constantly on the edge, never sure when their Titan might sink into the ocean, never sure when they might be called upon to die in one of Mor Ardain's many wars. So when they had time to themselves, they celebrated with abandon, with a glibness and lightheartedness about death. And the Urayans themselves, here, now unsure about when they might be invaded...they did not waste time on fear. They sang and drank and lived, not oblivious to their possible doom, but rather facing it with a cavalier attitude and good cheer, living while they could. It reminded Morag very, very much of the atmosphere in Ardainian taverns when she would visit those.
As they walked through the city, Vandham got friendly greetings from a few of the citizens. It seemed he was fairly popular in the Urayan capital, as well. But he would also get a few nasty glares, a few bitter shakes of the head. "People angry I haven't joined up with the Queen's army yet," Vandham shrugged. "Urayans have a long history of mercenary activity. They usually admire that sort of independence. But...well, with the way the war's been going, they expect me to sign on up with the Queen. Lots of folks don't like that I haven't yet."
Vandham led them to a cozy-looking inn, a building of grayish-green brick with a blue-tiled roof, snuggled in amongst many others. Buildings in Fonsa Myma had a sort of charm to them – they were all built out of the same material, but each one had its own little personalizations, a tower here, an alcove there, a porch there. Each building felt like its own little home, but still part of a large shared community of like-minded, friendly buildings, all rubbing shoulders with each other. Folmarie inn, was the name of the place, run by a somewhat large, matronly Urayan named Dellin, her hair done up in a gray, chaotic bun. She greeted Vandham with a warm smile as they rented their rooms, and the comfortable smell of fresh-baking bread wafted from the inn's kitchen.
They didn't linger long at the inn – only long enough to drop off their packs and supplies in their rooms – before Vandham rounded them up again and led them deeper into the city. They climbed gentle steps as the city slowly rose around them into the cliffside in which it was built. It was one of the higher levels of the city to which Vandham led them, the last bastion of cozy, comfortable buildings before the city gave way to the more grand, harsh angles of the castle and barracks and other government buildings. There, there was a large, yet still cozy-looking building, carved into the side of the cliffs itself, worn and smooth sandstone, its entrance wide, grand, inviting, colorful posters and paintings plastered along the entrance walls, a riot of color and faded faces. It dominated the small cobblestone plaza it was located in, and was surrounded by potted plant life and gorgeous purple-leafed trees, leaves stirring gently in the now-dimming light of the day.
"Mymoma playhouse," Vandham said approvingly, hands on his hips. "Gotta say, it's been a while since I went and saw one of Cole's plays."
"Are you a fan of the theatre, Vandham? I didn't really peg you as the type," Morag said.
Vandham shrugged, smiling. "Well, Cole's my friend, y'know. And everyone's got a bit of an artsy side to them. Just because I'm a mercenary doesn't mean I can't be cultured, right? 'Sides, not like I was always a mercenary."
The group approached the playhouse. They had only just entered the lobby, carpeted in thick purple and gold, when a tiny voice called out "Vandham!" and the big mercenary was attacked by a small blur. It was a girl, certainly no older than twelve at the most, with light, whitish-gray hair woven through with bright flowers, wearing a white dress that billowed around her as Vandham snatched her up and twirled her around, her laughing in delight.
"Iona!" he bellowed, setting her down. "It's been too long since I got to see you. You're getting so big! How's your grandpa?"
At this, Iona's face immediately fell. "He's...sick," she said. "He shouldn't have gone to Mor Ardain. He needs to rest."
"Ah, that bad, eh," Vandham said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Well, don't worry about it too much. Your grandpa is a tough old goat. Can we go see him? I bought some friends along with me to talk to him."
Iona put her hands behind her back, suddenly shy, seeing the group of people following Vandham. She looked with wide, shocked eyes at Malos, and Poppi, in particular. "He's….putting on a show right now," she said quietly, timidly. "Maybe you could talk to him after…?"
"A show? Ah, perfect!" Vandham turned to the rest of the group, throwing his arms wide. "What do you guys say, wanna take a look at one of Cole's plays?"
Iona smiled, beaming at them, and led them through the playhouse, which extended far into the cliffside and descended down. It was naturally cool, comfortable in here. They slowly filtered into a small theater, lined with stools, the stage covered by a beautiful translucent, purple curtain, threaded through with curving gold designs, through which light filtered through.
As they took their seats in the front row, the curtains rose.
The play was about the Aegis war, long centuries past. It was...a little hard for Rex to follow. Whoever this Cole guy was, he certainly liked...abstract set pieces and loads of poetic imagery. What he took from it, though, was interesting. He could surmise that what had kicked it all off, so long ago, was that someone – represented by a man wearing a white mask with a small black dot in the center – had climbed the World Tree, and bought back two Core Crystals. He had awoken one of them, and that had been Mythra – or as the play called her, 'The Angel of Death', played by a woman wearing shockingly little clothing, but who always had bright, glaring lights shining upon her whenever she was on stage, so that you could never see her form. According to the play, she was there to punish the sinners of the world, and had begun wreaking havoc, death and destruction. In response to this, a group was formed to stop her:
A boy, represented on stage by a man wearing a mask of clockwork gears and a black iron crown. "Hugo," Rex heard Morag whisper.
His two blades: The witch of blue flame, represented by a woman wearing a dress of many translucent, blue silk layers, some of which were constantly waving in the air. "I suppose that's me," Brighid said softly. "But witch, really, was that necessary?"
And the Obsidian Golem, played by a statue that was wheeled around, carved of black stone, never speaking at all. Rex didn't quite get it, but it made Morag and Brighid laugh. "Oh, poor Aegaeon. But he really doesn't talk much, does he?" Brighid whispered to Morag.
Next was a woman called Lora, who the play mournfully called 'the brightest of us all'. Unlike most of the others, her costume was not so abstract – she was played by a simple brown-haired girl with a sweet smile. Her two blades were the Iced Devil, played by a man covered in a sheer white sheet, tattered, ragged, with horns poking out the top of it, and a character Rex wasn't sure was supposed to be her blade or her sister for most of it, the Lady of the Winds, who, as well, did not have much of an abstract costume, and was instead played by a character that looked very similar to the actress who played Lora. Hair perhaps a little darker, but still very similar. Lora was tied, at all times, to her blades by two long, red threads.
And then there was Addam, legendary wielder of the Aegis, represented by a man wearing a mask of a shining golden sun, the rest of his body covered completely in a cloak patterned after the night sky. The Dark Aegis – Malos, Rex supposed – was played by a man in a costume of pitch-black cloth, covered in so many layers of it that he was completely indistinct, looking more than anything like a hole on stage than an actual actor.
All these strange characters went on some sort of journey, though Rex couldn't tell much of what was happening during it, to be honest. But it ended with a confrontation between Malos and Mythra that was visually impressive, at least: More and more lights shone on Mythra's character, flooding one half of the stage with light, while on the other side the lights dimmed darker and darker, and sheets of black silk flowed across the stage, looking as if Malos was unfolding, devouring, and the accompanying instrumental section rose to a crescendo, and -
And then it was over. The play left it ambiguous who had won. Which seemed, to Rex, a bit silly. After all, the world was still here. People knew who won in the end, right?
Afterwards, Iona appeared to guide them toward's Cole's room. Nia glanced up at Malos, who seemed a bit lost in thought, as they made their way there. "Must've been a little strange, seeing yourself up on stage, right?"
Rex, who was walking next to them, glanced up. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot, that play was basically about you."
Malos paused a moment, as if still lost in thought, and then barked a laugh. "Hah! Not like I could tell what the hell was going on with all that anyway."
"You sure?" Rex didn't like to pry into the Aegis' business. After all, it seemed like barely anything ever really upset him. But sometimes, he did wonder. "You seemed a little...puzzled."
"Oh no, it's fine. It's just...that play...seemed awfully familiar to me. Someone I...used to know, loved this sort of thing."
Iona led them down a long hallway, past rooms filled with stage props and dressing rooms, down to the end of the hallway where they crowded into the playwright's room. Various posters and promotional materials lined the walls, and the room was haphazardly strewn with reams of silk, masks, and costumes, and pages and pages of chaotic notes. Cole himself was leaned over a desk crammed into the corner of the room, scribbling notes furiously on a piece of paper. He glanced up as they entered. He was an old, somewhat frail-looking man. Not yet gone completely gray, but definitely with the majority of his youth behind him. And something about him looked a little...off, a little deformed, though it was hard to put your finger on it. He had a red beard, and sad, tired, but sharp eyes. "Hello, Vandham," he said, as the mercenary walked into the room. "I presume this is-"
"Wait. Wait." Malos pushed his way to the front of the group upon hearing the voice, and then laughed, with surprising delight, upon seeing Cole. "I knew it! It is you, Minoth!"
Cole sighed, calmly putting his quill down, folding his arms, and leaning back to stare at Malos. "I...cannot believe this. I go through…all the trouble of choosing a new name after the Aegis War. I think to myself….even if this is Malos, surely, surely he will pick up on the context clues that maybe, maybe these new people in my life don't know about my past, and maybe that I prefer it that way. Surely even he has this most slightest of social graces and common sense. How wrong I was."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Malos said, waving a hand dismissively. He eyed Cole...Minoth, Rex supposed…up and down. "Man. You really look like shit. The hell happened to you?"
Minoth stared at him in shock, and then broke out into laughter that turned into a wracking cough. "I suppose...it's good to know...after five hundred years, you haven't changed," he wheezed, as Iona ran to his side. "It's good to see you too, you complete bastard."
Everyone stared as the two men laughed hysterically, in utter confusion. "Cole," Vandham said slowly, "What the hell is going on here? Hey, old man, stop laughing yourself to death and speak! What's the Aegis doing, calling you 'Minoth'?"
Minoth waved his hands, as he gasped, slowly recovering from his laughing and coughing fit. "Iona, dear," he said to the young girl fretting at his side, "Would you mind making your grandpa and his friends some tea?"
Iona, who didn't seem to care in the slightest what name people called her 'grandpa' by, nodded, then glared at Malos. "Don't go making him laugh too hard again!" she snapped, her voice trembling. Then she dashed from the room.
Cole sighed, scanning over the group in front of him. "Well, what the hell, might as well show you," he sighed finally, and pulled his shirt down, revealing the top of his chest. There, embedded in an ugly scar in his skin, was a core crystal. Cole...Minoth...was a blade. But not just any blade. His core crystal was splotched red, in addition to the normal blue.
Rex heard Nia gasp, shocked, and Morag and Brighid murmured to themselves. "What's that? What's wrong with your core crystal?"
"He's a Flesh Eater." Malos' eyes flicked over to Nia, then back to Rex. "Blades merged with humans through...well, I suppose there are a few ways to do it."
"I was….an experimental version, let's say," Cole said, gesturing down to himself. "People though that merging humans and blades might give the blades special powers. And I suppose that in some cases they're right. But I never got any special powers. I just lost the immortality that blades are supposed to have." He shrugged, cavalierly. "Such is life, I suppose. I can't complain. I still had a longer life than any human properly could have ever asked for."
"Sheesh, old man." Vandham crossed his arms disapprovingly. "I can't believe you hid that from me all the time I knew ya. I gotta say, I'm a little hurt. What...should I call you now? Cole, Minoth? Hell, I don't even know your real name."
"Cole...is just fine. Minoth is a name I forgot long ago. A name I'd prefer to keep forgotten."
"Is that why you kept yourself out of your own play?" Malos asked, leaning back up against a wall. Then his eyes lit up. "Do you know what happened to...everyone else? I know….Hugo died. But..."
"I don't know what happened to Addam." Suddenly, Cole was quiet, sad. "I...do know what happened to Lora, Jin, and Haze, though."
"I assume that Mythra got a hold of Jin's core crystal somehow. Did you know she's resonated with him and is using him? It seems sick-"
"No, Malos, you don't get it," Cole replied quietly. "After the war...Lora died, and Jin used her body to become a Flesh Eater. That Jin you've seen with her is the same Jin you knew centuries ago."
Malos froze, almost shuddering, as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. The twinkling mischievousness in his eyes went out. In its place was just shock, shock and a flash of sadness. "I...why…? Why would..." he steeled himself, pausing for a moment. "How did...Lora die?"
"I don't know. It was shortly after your final battle with Mythra, though. It was...the last time I ever spoke to him. He...seemed half-mad with grief. I tried getting him to come with me, but he just sat there, not responding to anything I said. I gave up after a while, and never really saw him again. Though...I did hear of him, and his little Torna operation."
He burst into another coughing fit as Iona entered the room with the tea. She nearly spilled it, rushing to his side, pouring him a cup and pushing it into his hands. She didn't bother to pour any for anyone else, fretting too closely over Cole. "Grandpa, you need to rest," she begged him. "You're not well enough to be staying up all night chatting."
"Yes, yes, dear." Cole glanced up at Malos. "We can...catch-up some other time, if we have the chance. Vandham tells me your driver wants to make it to Elysium."
"That's right!" Rex said, stepping forward.
Cole's eyes widened, and he looked back up at Malos. "This...is your driver? But he's so young. There was no one else…?"
Malos, still in shock, merely shook his head, staring down at the floor. "No one else," he murmured.
"Hey. I am getting pretty sick of people pointing out how young I am," Rex snapped irritably. "If we're going to do this thing, isn't it better to send someone young like me, than an old geezer like you?"
Cole laughed, quietly. "Well, Vandham. I can see the kid has picked up some of your social grace during his time in your company." He fixed Rex with a steady gaze. "You saw the play, right? You know there was someone else who climbed the World Tree. That's how the whole damn thing began in the first place. The Aegis War, that is."
"Right."
Cole turned to his desk, sliding open a drawer. "Well," he said, as he rummaged through its messy, disorganized contents, "The man who did that, was actually my driver. Praetor Amalthus, leader of Indol. Now I don't know how to get past the beast that guards the tree. But I would bet that if anyone may have any idea, it would be him."
Malos glanced up suddenly, directing a hard gaze towards Cole. "You're going to send us to Amalthus for help?"
Cole sighed as he continued rummaging through his drawers. "I...know I haven't been fond of Amalthus in the past. I'm still not. But...well. Maybe it's my old age. Maybe it's the fact that I still technically have a bond to him. But...I left him, at a pretty dark point in his life. All those centuries ago. Maybe if I hadn't, maybe if I had been a listening ear...maybe he wouldn't have felt the need to climb the Tree in the first place. Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided. Ah, here it is." Cole finally pulled out a long, decorated dagger, with a strange barrel-like mechanism in the hilt. He held it out to Rex, who grasped it, but did not let it go. "This, is my old weapon," he said to the boy, quietly. "Used to use it when I fought side by side with Amalthus. If anyone in the world has an idea of how to get to the World Tree, it will be him. But let me warn you. I don't think there's a mortal in this world more clever or ambitious than Amalthus. He has a very dim view of the world, and it can be difficult to tell what his intentions are. All of this makes him dangerous. When you talk to him, always keep that in mind. No matter how safe you feel, Amalthus is a very dangerous man."
With that, Cole let go of the dagger, releasing it into Rex's grip, and then collapsed into a coughing fit, struggling for breath. Iona growled, then stamped her feet. "That's it. You're going to bed, grandpa. No arguments," she snapped. She wheeled around, glaring at the group. "No arguments! Everyone out! He needs his rest!"
30.
The group slowly filtered out of the playhouse, into the cool night air of Fonsa Myma. Early night had fallen now, the city still aglow with the dim, gentle light of fluorescent fungus and the dancing, merry fires in people's homes flickering through the windows. Vandham suggested staying for a couple of days in Fonsa Myma, to meet with Cole when he had time and he was healthy.
As they all strolled slowly back to the inn, Nia fell into step alongside Rex, bumping his shoulder. "Hey," she said, smiling, snapping Rex out of his reverie, staring at the blade Cole had given him. "Guess what? Fonsa Myma has a nice, fancy seafood restaurant. Very expensive."
"Ohhhh, is that so," Rex replied, tucking the blade away. "You're saying you want to have your dinner there? When?"
"Why not right now?"
Rex shrugged, considering. "Yeah. I could do that, I'm pretty hungry. Wanna see if any of the others want to come-"
But Nia was already grabbing his hand, waving to the rest of the group, which had walked a bit ahead of them. "Hey guys, Rex and I are going to go grab dinner, meet you back at the inn!" she said hurriedly, pulling him along, dashing away before anyone could react or say anything.
She led him on a winding path throughout Fonsa Myma. Rex was sort of impressed at her sense of direction. He quickly became lost, but it seemed like Nia had no problem navigating her way through the winding streets of an unfamiliar city to find her way back to a restaurant she had spotted earlier. It wasn't long before they stood before a small brick building, with large, brightly-lit windows, called 'Ikthus Fine Dining'. The delicious smell of well-prepared seafood dishes wafted out of the restaurant into the street, reminding Rex of just how hungry he was. He glanced at a menu, pinned to the window, and his eyes widened. "Boy, you weren't joking, this place really is expensive," he muttered.
"Oi, no backing out now," Nia replied. Rex glanced over at her. She was about as excited as he had ever seen her, rocking back and forth on her heels as she looked over the menu.
But...well, Rex glanced down at himself, dressed in ragged, old Salvager's gear, and back at her, dressed in her well-worn jumpsuit and armored, spiked boots. "We ah….might not meet the dress code for this place," he said.
"Oh...oh damn, I didn't even think of that," Nia said, eyes widening. She peered in through the window. "I can't see how people are dressed in there...there anyone in there at all…?"
Suddenly, a fat, jolly-looking Urayan burst out of the doors of the restaurant, widening his eyes at them. "Customers?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, well, we were just wondering if we had the….proper attire," Rex began, when the Urayan grabbed them both by the hands and yanked them inside.
"Don't worry about that, my boy! I'm glad to have anyone in. With the war on, nobody's spending money on fine dining. Don't you worry about the dress code, that's for snobs anyway. Don't tell the Queen I said that. Now I warn you, we're low on Gromrice for our side dishes, shortages and all, but we still catch our fish fresh every day, so don't you worry, don't you worry, let old Merve take care of you and show you the best dining experience you'll ever have!"
Still babbling, the Urayan – Merve, so he said – hustled them indoors, seating them at a table for two in a secluded corner of the restaurant. With frantic energy, he poured them water and had menus dropped in their laps within seconds. He lit a small candle in the center of the table, and insisted that they tell him anything, anything they could possibly want.
"Well," Nia said, almost out of breath, as she looked over the menu, "He sure seemed...enthusiastic."
"I'm not complaining. I'm paying this much, I'm just glad I'm getting this sort of service."
They looked over their menus, Rex settling on a dish of sea-drake steak with mushroom sauce. His eyes widened as Nia ordered dish, after dish, after dish, as the waiter, with increasingly arched eyebrows, continued scribbling them down. "Boy, Nia, you really are taking me to the cleaners with this one, aren't you," Rex muttered, after the waiter had finally left.
"Hey, I told you, I'm ordering enough to feed me for a week. I warned you when we made this bet, no complaining!"
Rex leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "Yeah, yeah. So. What did you think of that play?"
"Little bizarre, wasn't it? I mean the costumes and everything were neat. It was...kinda weird, seeing someone play Jin."
Rex's eyes widened. "Oh, right. I didn't even think. So Jin would have been that….Lora character's blade, right?"
Nia nodded. "I...heard him mention Lora, once or twice, but never really asked him about her. Honestly, I didn't have much of an idea who she was. Didn't know she was someone from so long ago, from the Aegis War. Truth be told, I had no idea Jin was in the Aegis War either. I...guess I didn't really know all that much about him."
"And...he's a Flesh Eater, too, just like Cole," Rex said thoughtfully, not noticing Nia's eyes widening. "A combination of human and blade. I mean...calling them 'Flesh Eaters' sure makes them sound scary. Cole doesn't seem too bad, though. But still, I wonder what it takes to turn a blade into a Flesh Eater."
"Yeah," Nia said, quietly, fiddling with an edge of the tablecloth.
"I mean I guess I can see the temptation. It seems...awfully sad that blades forget their drivers once their drivers die. I wonder why that is. I mean you hear stuff about blades falling in love with their drivers all the time, that sort of thing. Imagine dying, and knowing that you'll be completely forgotten by the one person you care about the most. That they'll go on living and never even know your name." Rex stared out the window into the night time streets of Fonsa Myma, looking at his own reflection in the glass thoughtfully. "I wonder why the Architect made things that way."
"Maybe it's better than the alternative," Nia said softly.
Rex glanced at her. "Eh?"
"Rex….w-….uh, I mean, blades, they have...a really deep connection to their drivers." She shook her head, looking up at him. "I guess you don't really know, you've got Malos as your blade, and he's different. But like you said, you hear about blades falling love with their drivers, marrying them...even if it's not like that, the connection is really deep. Now imagine if blades didn't die along with their drivers, if they kept their memories of their drivers. How much it would hurt them to never be able to see their drivers again." Nia seemed...mournful, sad, all of a sudden. "Maybe it's better for them if they forget. Living with just the memory of someone you love...it's a terrible burden. Blades aren't meant...to live long without a driver."
"Hm. Maybe you're right."
Their food arrived shortly, the waiter having to pull over an extra table just to fit all of Nia's dishes on them. Rex watched, astounded, as Nia wolfed down her food, quickly going through one dish and starting on her second before he had even finished a third of his dish. She was so tiny, how could she eat so much? "Titan's beard, where are you putting it all?" he cried, putting down his fork, as she tucked into her third dish.
"Huh?" She glared up at him, mouth full, then swallowed. "Hey, I was hungry. I haven't eaten since morning!" She flicked a piece of torn-up napkin at him. "Mind your own beeswax, eh?"
They sat back, satisfied, after finishing their meal. Nia had eaten her way through three whole dishes, and taken a few bites out of the fourth. "Man, I gotta say, Urayan seafood is a whole lot different than Leftherian seafood. Or even Argentum seafood," Rex said, patting his stomach. "Way more filling."
"That's one of the perks of traveling," Nia said, picking her teeth with a small toothpick. "You get to try all sorts of different food. I've had Gormotti and Urayan seafood, now."
"Hey, what about Argentum seafood? Remember that claw I cooked you?"
Nia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, but that doesn't really count-"
"Oh, it so does. Why doesn't it count? It's seafood, made and caught in Goldmouth. Why wouldn't that count?"
"You didn't add any spices or anything! It's not like it was some...traditional dish, it was just something you whipped up-"
"That's how food's made! That's how dishes get popular! All the salvagers eat stuff like that. How much more of 'traditional dish' can you get if everyone eats it? You just think it doesn't count because it didn't come from a restaurant. Oh, you are such a snob."
"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like it. Alright, alright, it counts. I've had Gormotti, Urayan, and...Salvager seafood. You happy?"
They chatted and bickered playfully with each other as the night wore on. Suddenly, Nia's ears perked up. The restaurant had a small in-house fiddle band, and they had begun playing a slow, sweet tune. "Oh, I love this song," Nia said. "It's an old Gormotti tune, hardly anyone can play it right."
"You gonna dance to it?" Rex said, giving her a smirk.
"Oi. What's that expression for?"
"Oh, nothing. Just I've seen you, ah, do those...little dances you do in fights sometimes. You seem like the dancing sort of girl."
Nia's eyes widened, and she blushed. "Those are commands to Dromarch. He's...supposed to read my movements and know what to do. It gets loud in combat sometimes! You do a dance, and everyone knows what to do. Oh, shut up."
"No, no, they're...extremely cute," Rex laughed. "Just never saw anyone do a dance like that before. Nothing wrong with dancing."
"At least I can dance." Nia leapt to her feet, pulling Rex out of his seat. "I bet you don't even know how."
"I mean, I know a little bit, but you're right, I don't-"
"C'mon, I'll show you. Hold my hand with that one, there you go. Now place your other hand on my hip. My hip, Rex, lower." She gave him a smile as he began blushing. "The part of me that curves, that's my hip. There you go. Now follow my lead...there, easy, isn't it? Even you can handle this."
She took him through a few steps of the song, showing him how to twirl her, how to dip her. "Well...this seems pretty easy," Rex said, after a few moments.
"You're supposed to be the one leading, not me, though."
"But this song's so slow and simple. How's anyone screw it up-"
Suddenly, the tempo of the song changed, switching over to the more fast-paced, lively portion of the dance that Nia loved. She laughed as Rex stumbled in shock, breaking free of him. "See, for this part you've really got to have some fancy footwork, like this," she said, placing her hands on her hips, tapping her feet rapidly in rhythm to the beat.
Rex's eyes widened. "What the-how the hell are you keeping up?"
"Try it!"
"There's no way – hold on." Rex put his hands on his hips and tried imitating her dance, biting his lip in concentration as he desperately tried to keep up. He didn't do so bad...for a few seconds. Then, his large boots, not really designed for dancing, tripped him up, and he fell backwards into a potted plant.
Nia stopped her dancing to burst out laughing. "Oh...oh man, oh I can't breathe," she gasped, already breathless from the exertion of the dance. She offered Rex a hand to help him up, but fell backwards back into her chair, laughing too hard to help him.
She was still laughing when Rex paid their bill, still laughing when they walked out of the restaurant back into the cool night air of Fonsa Myma. "Oh...oh man," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, that was great. Great dinner, and all I had to do was make some crappy carvings."
Rex looked down at her, somewhat annoyed. "Oh. You're done laughing, now?"
"I dunno if I'll ever be."
Rex ignored that. He fished one of Nia's carvings out of his pocket as they walked along, examining it. "I don't think your carvings are crappy, you know. I mean I was skeptical at first. Still think it's bullshit that you won our bet with them. But I think they look pretty neat."
"You went and bought one? You didn't need to do that, you know. I've got tons of them, you could have just asked me for one if you wanted it."
They wandered the streets of Fonsa Myma for a while, passing by a small ledge that overlooked a pristine blue lake, ringed by strange, alien, multicolored trees, on their way back to the inn. They stopped for a moment to appreciate the view, staring out at the landscape that stretched out beneath the cliffside city of Uraya's capital.
"Uraya is awfully pretty," Nia said, leaning up against the ledge. "It's like everywhere you go, they've got these fantastic views."
"Mm." Rex was silent for a moment. "Hey, Nia. What were you going to say to me this morning? You know, right before Vandham came over. We got kinda busy the rest of the day, I never had a chance to ask."
Nia's eyes widened in surprised as she glanced over at him. She was surprised that he remembered that. She could tell him...but suddenly, she was seized by an urge to tell him not just about her sister, but to tell him about everything. Why not? Rex...it was so comfortable being with him, and...he'd understand, wouldn't he? Of course he would, Rex was a sweet kid, and he made her feel so happy and free, like she was in this moment, she could get this burden off her chest and be free, there was no reason to fear, Rex liked her a lot and it wouldn't change anything…
But...this night was so nice. As much as she loved her sister...her past didn't have to be a part of every new happy memory, did it? It could be something new, couldn't it?
"Oh, don't worry about it," she said finally, staring out at the lake. "I'll tell you some other time."
Eventually, they abandoned the beautiful night time view of Uraya, and made their way back to the inn.
Nia paused outside the door to the lobby. "You know...thank you, Rex. Tonight was fun. More fun than I've had in a long time."
"It was!" Rex said, stretching out, his hands behind his head. "You know, there's something to this whole travel thing. How about, every new place we go to, we try to find a nice place to eat at? I want to try this whole 'food from every land' thing you've got going. But let's not do seafood every time, yeah?"
Nia laughed softly. "Yeah, well. I suppose it will depend on what the others want to eat too, huh."
"Actually," Rex said, studiously avoiding her eyes, "I was thinking that, uh, it could be just a...thing you and I do. You know."
Nia looked up at him in surprise. "I….yeah, that sounds nice," she said, finally. She was glad for the night hiding the furious blush in her cheeks.
"But I'm not paying every time!" Rex said, finally looking back at her, a faint blush on his cheeks. He seemed...somewhat relieved that she had said yes. "That place cost me an arm and a leg. Plus you've got plenty of extra coin from selling your art, haven't you?"
"Oh, what a cheapskate, making a lady pay for her date," Nia teased. "Fine, fine, I'll pay next time." She cast her eyes around, then snatched a couple of flowers from a nearby bush, deftly slipping them into Rex's jacket. "Here, for you."
"And what do these ones mean?" Rex asked, as he opened the door to the lobby.
"You've got the book with you still, right? Look 'em up when you get back to your room," Nia said, as they walked inside. "Goodnight, Rex."
She watched, humming happily, as Rex walked up the stairs back to his room. She swayed her hips, twirling, in a happy little dance to herself, in the lobby.
"I take it you two had fun?"
Nia's eyes widened. She looked out across the lobby. The lobby of this inn was fairly large, with a few chairs arranged in front of a fireplace, roaring with a crackling fire. She hadn't noticed, walking in, but Morag and Vandham were occupying to of those chairs, drinks at their side, pondering over their moves in some board game that was laid out in front of them.
"I...yes, I did," she said defiantly, refusing to let herself be embarrassed. She crossed the lobby, sitting down with the two of them. "What about you two?"
"Just thinking over what our next move should be," Morag said quietly, sipping from her drink.
"I think you should move your knight here-" Nia said, reaching out.
"Not in the game," Morag said. "Where we should head next on our way to...Elysium. Indol seems like the best bet. But I would really like to make a stop in Mor Ardain, if we can."
"Ah. Yeah...that's right. We're gonna be leaving Uraya soon, aren't we." She looked up at Vandham, suddenly sad. "I...suppose that means you'll be staying here, yeah?"
Vandham laid a finger against his nose, grinning at her. "Well. I was really considering coming along with you guys."
"You were?" Nia said, ears twitching, leaning forward excitedly. She had been hoping Vandham might say something like that. She thought he was probably the sort of good influence Rex needed.
Vandham nodded. "I mean, running a mercenary group is nice and all. But, c'mon. A quest for Elysium, with the legendary Aegis? The new driver of the Aegis? Mor Ardain's finest?" he said, raising his cup to Morag. "That's the sort of opportunity that comes along maybe once in a lifetime. And besides, Rex...he ah...well, he sort of reminds me of someone."
"Really? Who?" Nia asked, curiously.
Vandham looked into his cup, stirring it idly in his massive hands. "Ah...I used to...have a little boy of my own," he said, quietly. "Died, some time ago. Sickness. Rex reminds me a lot of him. Guess I feel like I gotta do my best to look out for him, make sure he doesn't hurt himself." Vandham looked up, and grinned at Nia. "I think between the two of us, we can take care of him, yeah?"
Nia was shocked. She had never imagined the boisterous, crude Vandham as the fatherly sort. And yet...it made a certain sort of sense. Looking back, she realized that Vandham would often treat Rex the way she had seen fathers treat their sons. Pushing them to do their best, but always protective and watchful of them. She felt sadness stab into her heart. Vandham...had probably been a very good father.
"What happened to your wife?" Morag asked, softly. "If you don't mind me asking."
Vandham's hand went to the scar on his face, tracing it thoughtfully. "Ah, after my boy passed, I guess...she couldn't really stand the sight of me. I can't blame her, really. Probably just reminded her of him. Oh well, is what it is, right? Can't go back and undo the past." He set his drink down and shook his head, banishing the sadness from his face. "It is what it is. Point being, I think Rex could use someone else by his side to make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid."
Nia barked a laugh. "He could use an army of people by his side for that!"
Up in his room, Rex twirled the flowers Nia had given him in his hands idly as he leafed through the book. One was a blue daisy. It took him a while to find the right page, but….
"...terrible dancer," he said, chuckling. "Right. Well, I suppose I deserve that one."
He picked up the other flower, this one a pale pink carnation, the petals at its edges striped with white. This one was going to be a pain. Simple color combinations were easy to find, but patterns could have completely different meanings for the slightest variation.
His eyes widened when he finally found the meaning. He found himself double-checking multiple times to make sure it was the right one, for nearly twenty minutes. Could it be that Nia had made a mistake? No – actually it seemed as if this was one of the more commonly given flowers, and there actually weren't any others that looked very similar to it that had a different meaning.
It meant, "Very handsome."
Rex blushed as he held the flower, twirling it. He heard footsteps out in the hallway. Looking out, he saw Brighid walking past, out of her disguise. Probably not a good idea, but well, she could barely stand wearing it. She was probably fine as long as she stayed indoors without it. She glanced in at him, arching an eyebrow. "Ah. Hello, Rex. How was your dinner?"
"It was...nice," Rex said. "Ah, Brighid. I don't suppose you know how to dance, do you?"
"Oh, absolutely," Brighid smiled. "Dance isn't just for frivolity and grace on the ballroom for, but can help your movements on the battlefield, as well. I've got more than a few country's styles under my belt. Why do you ask?"
"You wouldn't...mind giving me some pointers, would you?"
Note:
Man, this chapter ended up being much longer than I thought it would be, but now we're set up for the end of the game's 'Chapter 3' content in the next update. I debated on whether or not to introduce Zeke and Pandy this chapter, and ultimately decided against it, thinking it would bloat an already-long chapter more, just to introduce some characters that wouldn't really show up properly until later. But don't worry, they will be showing up in the 'Chapter 4' content. As usual, please comment if you can, comments are very motivating