22.
Tora groaned as he awoke, sputtering a bit as he realized he was lying face-down on a cold stone floor, scrambling a bit as he struggled to remember where he was. He pushed himself up on his tiny arms, his eyes slowly focusing to the dim light of the environment around him. The smell of acrid smoke pervaded the air, and there was the constant sound of metal hammering on metal in the distance. He was in a small, sparse room, with a stone floor, and four rusty metal walls, condensation running down them, heat emanating from them.
Suddenly, his memories came back to him in a flood. The fight with MuiMui, Lila, the frantic flight over the desert during which he had passed out...and Poppi's large, sad, frightened eyes as she had called out to him in despair as he was pulled away from her.
"Poppi!" Tora muttered under his breath. His poor blade had been shot with a rocket. She would certainly need repairs. And a tune up, and an oil change, and-
Suddenly, the door to his cell crashed open. Behind it lay MuiMui, strolling into the room with a smirk on his face, Lila at his side, looking sad, her eyes downcast.
"MuiMui!" Tora growled, running towards him. He was within a few feet of the smirking nopon when he was jerked back suddenly, slamming into the stone floor. He gasped, looking back, only now noticing the chain that tethered him to one of the walls.
"Oh, does Tora remember MuiMui now?" the green nopon asked, preening himself, brushing his fur. "How generous of Tora to finally recognize me."
"Yes, Tora remember you," Tora snapped. "MuiMui grampypon SooSoo's lab assistant. So stupid and untalented he contribute nothing to artificial blade project, nothing! Always had to have hand held for simplest things!"
MuiMui bristled at Tora's words. But soon, he was smiling smugly once more. "If MuiMui so stupid, and Tora's family so smart, why he able to get the drop on you all, and steal your prototype right from under your eyes? MuiMui is the one with Lila now!" He beamed, satisfied with himself. "Who the stupid one now?"
"You!" Tora snapped irritably. "Any idiot can operate a gun, stupid! You...you killed Tora's grampypon and dadapon!" He leapt to his feet, straining against his chains. "You steal Lila! Her being there at your side is sick joke!"
"MuiMui not kill your dadapon, dum-dum," MuiMui snapped. He gestured to the door behind him. Tora peered through it. He could see the dim orange glow of forge-work, and the dancing shadows of gigantic, intricate machines, assembling….he couldn't see what. "Who you think help build all this? Tora behave well, maybe he even get to see his dadapon. Someday."
"What….?" Tora muttered, taken aback. "Tora's dadpon...alive….?"
Before he had time to suggest this, an angry roar echoed throughout the metal halls of the factory.
"MUIMUI!"
MuiMui began quaking. "Oh. Oh no." Shivering, he turned around to face the door. A series of heavy, thudding footsteps grew louder and louder. And suddenly, the shadow of a massive nopon filled the door, much larger than either Tora or MuiMui, a nopon decorated with gold and jewels, two sharp black eyes peering out from his face, a tuft of purple hair and a curled purple mustache decorating his face…
"Bana," MuiMui said, his voice trembling. "H-how are you? I capture Tora for you..."
Bana glared at the smaller nopon. "You capture him, and alert the entire palace security! Have authorities breathing down my neck because of this! Idiot, stupid MuiMui! And you fail completely to capture new artificial blade! You know how much I have to pay in bribes because of this incident? Tell Bana why he should not toss you in the incinerator!"
Tora looked up in awe at the large nopon as he berated the smaller one. This was Bana. The Bana. The legendary nopon merchant, the magnitude of whose wealth was whispered of by all nopon. The Bana who had been a pirate, the scourge of the Cloud Sea, before he had settled down to lead the Argentum trade guild to glory and prominence. The most legendary of all living nopon. There were whispers, stories-they said Bana had the power to turn anything he touched to gold, that he had once entered a city without a penny and had owned all its major businesses in a week's time. Humans didn't know much about him – they never paid much attention to nopon legends – but to nopon, Bana was known to everyone, a living paragon of the nopon race.
"MuiMui sorry! MuiMui a fool!" Tora snapped back to reality as the smaller nopon wailed and groveled at Bana's feet, trembling.
"Out of my sight," Bana snarled. "Just be thankful you actually manage to capture Tora. Only silver lining in all this mess. If you hadn't I'd feed you to your Tirkin right now."
Bana watched as MuiMui rose to his feet, shaking, and dashed out the door, down the hallway, Lila trailing at his side. He sighed to himself in annoyance, and then turned his gaze to Tora. "Good hired help always so difficult to come by," he mused.
Tora looked at him in stunned silence for a moment. "Why...why Bana want to capture Tora?" he asked, finally.
Bana sighed again, hefting his massive girth as he walked towards Tora, seemingly unworried about being attacked by him as he walked within the reach of Tora's chain. He adjusted one of the rings on his wings, examining it idly. "You know, Tora's family...very odd, for nopon," he replied. "All of you obviously very, very smart. Bana like that. But...so odd for nopon. So odd."
"What Bana mean….?"
Bana turned around, gesturing to the factory's din behind him, the hammers ringing like bells throughout the halls. "You...create artificial blades. Glorious achievement. Could easily make you rich, almost as rich as Bana." He turned around, peering at Tora. "In fact, is why Bana made your dadapon and grampypon a very generous offer some time ago. Want to purchase artificial blade prototype. Didn't even want exclusive rights! Would have been enough for all of you to build your own personal blades, and then to retire and have a hundred generations of security. Very generous. But your grampypon and dadapon refuse to sell, no matter how much Bana offered."
Tora paused for a moment. "Of course would not sell," he replied. "Artificial blade meant to be companion. Dear friends and comrades. Not for sale."
Bana crossed his wings. "Your dadapon said the very same thing. Bana thought they holding on to prototype to sell for their own, to out-compete Bana. But...seems he was being honest. You see, yes? Very odd for a nopon! Get so attached to these...machines, these things-"
"They...not just machines!" Tora said, his voice rising. "They friends! Not things! Friends! Maybe a little flash and dazzle to get research funding, sure. But not for sale!"
Bana waved his wings idly. "Yes. Same oddness as your dadapon and grampypon. I expected as much. It okay. Bana can appreciate genius, even if it comes with oddness. You just not know what's good for you."
Suddenly, it dawned on Tora. "It...it was you," he said, eyes widening. "You...hired MuiMui to spy on us. And then to kidnap dadapon and Tora. It was you behind all this!"And at the same time, he felt a jolt of fear run through him. This was, after all, the legendary Bana. How brave had his grampypon and dadapon been, to stand up to this figure of walking myth itself?
"And look what I was able to do with you!" Bana retorted. "Bana put you to good use! Raking in millions from sale of artificial blade mass-production prototypes! Will probably make billions in the future! Your grampypon and dadapon had no vision, Tora! This could be the most successful business venture Bana ever participate in!" He glanced down at Tora, smiling wickedly. "You understand? It a partnership! Your family provide the technology, I provide the business smarts! Plenty of buyers for war machines, always! Together, we become nopons whose names echo throughout history for all time! Richer than entire nations! Rich enough to buy the Architect himself!" Bana laughed merrily. "Does Tora understand?"
Tora was quiet for a very, very long time. And then he swallowed his fear, and looked up at Bana, this legend among nopon, whose name he had heard whispered since he was a child. "Partners...do not kidnap partners," he muttered. "And...it wrong. Artificial blades not for selling. Artificial blades not for war. Artificial blades to let even people incompatible with normal blades experience companionship and bond with one. They...not things. Not weapons. Not machines. They friends ! And friends not for sale!"
Bana's eyes widened, and he sighed to himself, scratching his tuft of hair with one of his wings. "Just as odd as your dadapon," he muttered. "Well. No matter. Would like you to be partner. But will take you as slave if I have to." He turned around, bouncing out the door, waving one of his wings behind him, the jewels on it glinting in the dim orange glow of the factory. "I give you time to think about it. In the end, you not have much choice anyway."
23.
Rex wiped the sweat from his brow as he returned to the Palace, Malos walking, oddly quiet, by his side.
It was just last night that Tora had been kidnapped, and they had all split up to look for clues to his disappearance. Morag was attempting to detain possible witnesses, and Nia had taken Dromarch to try to follow the scent of Tirkin to see where they had snuck into the Palace. Rex and Malos, in the meantime, had hit the streets of Alba Cavanich, to see if there were any rumors flying around about the attack on the palace.
And oddly...there were not a lot. The explosions that had rocked through the palace, certainly all of Alba Cavanich had heard them, and they were talking about them, yes, but...people seemed oddly uninterested in them.
Rex began to understand, the more he talked to people. Alba Cavanich was a factory city. A city of hundreds of factories, in fact, if not thousands. Apparently industrial accidents and minor explosions were not that uncommon, echoing throughout the city's nights. Most people they spoke to seemed to assume that this was the case, that one of the factories had an accident.
But even among those who knew that this wasn't the case, that the explosions had originated from the palace...they seemed not to care too much about this, either. They assumed it was some weapon misfiring, or some tech demonstration gone wrong. This seemed...strange, to Rex. They were, after all, in the middle of a war with Uraya. Had they not thought that some attack on the palace might be their fault, at the very least?
And looking around, at the Titan-ship fleets darkening Mor Ardain's skies, at the soldiers lining its streets, he realized that no, they didn't. Mor Ardain stood so far above its military competitors that even in the middle of an active war with one, the idea that they might mount an attack on the capital was thought of as laughable. He wondered how much more comfortable that made the average Ardainian with the idea of war to begin with.
He glanced up at his blade. Malos had been fairly quiet today, seemingly lost in thought, uncharacteristic of the normally sarcastic and self-assured Aegis. Rex didn't know what he was thinking, and didn't want to pry.
They walked through the halls of the palace, finally arriving at the doors of their suite. "Man, I can't wait to take a shower," Rex sighed to himself, pushing them open. "We-what the hell!"
Inside their suite, in the common room, stood Pandy and Zeke. Zeke was leafing through one of Malos' books, hand on his chin, nodding sagely. And Pandoria…
"What the-lady, are you going through my underwear?!" Rex asked incredulously.
Pandoria looked up at him, startled. Then she looked down at her hands, which had a pair of Rex's underwear stretched between them. "No I'm not," she said. She quickly threw it behind her, crossing her hands across her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about. What underwear?"
"Don't mind Pandy. She's just convinced that it's not normal for guys to wear heart patterns on their underwear." Zeke narrowed his one good eye at her.
"Well he didn't have any," Pandy retorted.
"Rex, who the hell are these people?" Malos snapped irritably.
"No, don't-" Rex cried.
"Ah, that's right, we haven't met." Zeke lowered his head, then spun around dramatically, glaring up at Malos. "My name...IS ZEKE VON GEN-"
Malos held up a hand. "Alright. Good. Fine. Zeke." He glared at Pandoria. "And you?"
Pandy fidgeted to herself. "You really ought to let my Prince finish the introductions...but I'm Pandoria. Pandy for short."
"Okay." Malos pointed to the door. "Pandoria, Zeke, get the hell out of here."
"Oh, I'm afraid it won't be that simple," Zeke said, striding forward, smiling smugly. "You see, you and I have business….Aegis. You're coming with me."
"I am definitely not," Malos retorted.
"Then I will defeat your driver in battle," Zeke smirked, drawing his massive two-handed blade, "And take you by force."
"It doesn't work like that," Malos snapped. "It has literally never worked like that. I don't know where you people get these damn ideas. Even if you defeat my driver, I am under no obligation to go with you. I don't retreat into my core if my driver's defeated. If you defeat my driver, all that happens is that I get pissed off and then I'll probably just kill you."
Zeke and Pandy exchanged glances for a moment. "Wait, is that right?" Zeke asked.
"I don't get how Morag just let you wander around the palace like that after you threatened me the other night," Rex muttered under his breath.
"Morag just told me if I had business with you, to handle it in private. Regardless!" Zeke hefted his sword once more, smiling wickedly. "I still want to see for myself...the power of the Aegis!"
"Oh, I can give you some of that," Malos snarled, and suddenly black flames were crawling up and down his arms.
"No no no!" Rex snapped, waving his arms. "Stop! Stop this! We're guests here, we're not gonna blow up Morag's home fighting in the middle of it!"
Zeke paused for a moment, then sheathed his blade. "You know, I think you're right about that. It would be awfully rude."
Malos sighed, and the black flames crawling up and down his arms disappeared. There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Okay so get out," Malos said, finally.
"Now, hold on a moment. I need to make sure that the person wielding the power of the Aegis is the good-natured sort. That's my job here, see. The power of the Aegis can't be in the hands of just anyone." Zeke scratched his chin, then pointed dramatically at Rex. "YOU! What's your worst attribute!"
"Uh," Rex said. "I, um...laziness?"
"MONSTER," Zeke roared. He glanced down as Pandoria tugged insistently at his arm.
"Hey, my Prince," she said, gesturing towards the two. "You know, I get the feeling he's a pretty good dude. During the attack last night they helped in evacuating everyone. And ever since their friend went missing, he's done nothing but look for him. That doesn't seem like the sort of stuff a bad guy would do."
"Hmm. You really think so, Pandy?" Zeke scowled at them, narrowing his one gray eye. Rex reflected that he might actually be a pretty intimidating figure, tall, muscular, with a massive sword and only one eye, if he hadn't seen how ridiculous he could act. Finally, Zeke smiled, and ruffled Pandy's hair. "Well, you know, if you think so, I trust your judgment." He gestured grandly towards Malos and Rex. "Congratulations. You have passed….PANDORIA'S JUDGMENT!" he cried outrageously, as Pandy posed dramatically next to him.
There was another moment of silence.
"Get the hell out!" Malos shouted.
"Oh, right. Ought to give you your privacy." Zeke gave Rex a little half-salute as he walked out the door. "See you around, chum!"
Pandy followed him, but paused before Malos, squinting up at him.
"What is it," groaned Malos.
"Do you ever wear underwear with hearts on them?" Pandy asked, curiously.
"I'm counting to three," Malos replied, black flames appearing on his arms again. Pandoria whooped and dashed out the door after Zeke.
Rex and Malos stared at each other after the door closed behind them.
"Well, at least we probably won't have to deal with them again, right?" Rex laughed, optimistic.
24.
Brighid hummed quietly to herself as she walked down the hallway to the throne room. On the walls of the hallway, the portraits of the Emperors stared down at her. She glanced at them, from time to time, considering how many of these men of war she had been bonded to in former lives. If they were alive now, if she had met them now, would she like them as much as she had in her previous lives? She knew from her journal that she had always been devoted to the Emperors who she served. She thought of them as honorable, noble, good. But...how much of that had been the bond between blade and driver? If she met them now, in her current life, would she still consider them as noble? Some of these men, she knew, had inflicted the bloodiest wars to ever occur upon Alrest. Would she still…?
Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Regardless of the past Emperors, she knew what she thought of the current one, and she wasn't even bonded to him. She thought he was the sweetest, most pure-hearted boy she had ever met, and she was fiercely protective of him. She smiled down at the platter in her hands, upon which rested a steaming batch of fresh cookies and a tall glass of milk.
She didn't know what it was. Normally, she found children tiresome, and even found it slightly annoying how people seemed to dote on them. But Niall...perhaps it was because she had been bonded to so many Emperors in the past. Perhaps it was because she had seen him grow up. But she adored him, probably more than even Lady Morag knew. Seeing him smile and laugh bought joy to her heart. And seeing him as he was now, overworked and pushing himself to the edge….it worried her. That's why she was bringing him these cookies. She hadn't cooked them, of course, that was what kitchen staff was for. But it would be nice to bring him a snack.
She nodded at the guards standing at the door to the throne room, one saluting her, the other pushing it open for her.
She entered the golden, glowing throne room, glancing around a bit before she finally spotted Niall.
He was at his desk, papers piled up around him, collapsed across it in exhaustion, snoring peacefully.
She walked over to him, carefully, quietly, setting the platter down upon the desk, smiling down at him as he slept. He looked so torn, so...vulnerable, so mournful. Even in his sleep, dark circles lined his eyes, and a frown graced his normally cheerful face.
Tentatively, Brighid reached out, placing a hand against his face, and then gently stroking his hair. The burdens of sovereignty...Niall shouldn't have to shoulder them. No child should. It was the curse of his bloodline. He should be out, free to roam, play, explore, carefree...not fighting all alone against the damn, bloody tide of madness Mor Ardain seemed intent on hurtling toward-
Brighid paused, surprised at herself. She had...never thought of Mor Ardain like that before. Normally, she tried to remain strictly removed from politics. It was her role to serve, not to steer the ship of state. It wasn't her business. But she knew that Lady Morag had become….more opposed to the war after her time in Uraya. Brighid had never felt anything about it personally...but…
Now, looking at poor, sweet Niall, one child, alone, heroically trying to stop it all...for the first time that she could remember, she found herself hating the idea of the approaching invasion. She wondered if she had ever felt this way before, ever, in her existence. If she had, there was nothing about it in her journal. She must remember to jot it down.
She glanced behind her as she heard the sound of the throne room door opening once again. It was Aegaeon, looking tense, his hand on the hilt of his blade. He nodded at her as he walked in, a grim expression on his obsidian face, his eyes narrow, glowing slits.
Brighid knew how badly the breach in security had shamed him. He was normally in charge of palace security, and she knew how personally he took it that a band of armed Tirkin had been able to sneak onto palace grounds. He had personally interrogated all guards posted that night, replaced them with a completely new regiment…
But it seemed he didn't know who to trust anymore. He felt besieged, even as the blade of the Emperor within his own palace. And Brighid had to admit, things...seemed pretty bad. Aegaeon was no slouch about security. For the Tirkin to have been able to make their way past his guard, it must mean that...there were a lot of soldiers among the palace guard who didn't care about the security of the Emperor. It was one thing for there to be Senators who disliked the Emperor. For the palace guard to be so infiltrated by soldiers disloyal enough to look the other way while an armed band made their way through palace grounds…?
The more Brighid thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. The armed forces in general still seemed loyal to the Emperor. For the palace guard to be so unreliable...someone had to be shuffling compromised soldiers specifically into the palace guard. Weakening security around the Emperor. But...for what purpose? Just so that some Tirkin could sneak past and kidnap a random nopon…? It didn't make any sense.
But Aegaeon had taken to prowling the hallways of the palace himself, alone, as if he could guard the entire building himself. Brighid couldn't help but smile ruefully. That was Aegaeon all over, to his very core. If he couldn't rely on someone else to do it, he'd do it himself, even if it was an impossible task.
She approached him, a fond smile on her face. Aegaeon...was a comfort. Her drivers, she knew from her journal, came and went. Emperors, too. But Aegaeon...although every time she awoke with a new driver, she did not remember him, Aegaeon was a constant. He was there, in every page of her journal, her one constant companion across all of her lives, the one thing that always remained the same. And it was reassuring to know that he maintained his personality so much across all his incarnations: Her journal invariably described him as quiet, stoic, fiercely loyal, a little uptight. And there were so many stories in her journal of their adventures together, tomes of them...if there was one lifelong friend she had, it was Aegaeon. She knew he didn't think of things the same way she did. Aegaeon had the...self-assurance to not care what happened in his past lives. Or maybe it was just a lack of curiousity. But it was nice to know that...there was someone always there, always with her, across all her incarnations.
"How is he?" Aegaeon asked, softly, as she drew near.
"He was sleeping when I came in." Brighid raised an eyebrow at him. "You should remember to get your sleep as well, you know."
Aegaeon grimaced, rubbing his face. "I...can't sleep. Something just isn't right. The palace guard...they were so compromised, right under my nose."
"I was thinking the same thing," Brighid replied. She was going to continue, but she noticed Aegaeon's eyes darting around quickly, and he broke into speech before she could.
"I've...done some investigating," Aegaeon continued quietly. "There was a loophole where Senators could request a change in their personal guard, and then cycle that guard into the palace guard itself. They were doing it slowly enough that I didn't even notice that nearly half of the guard had been replaced by some of their own handpicked sources."
Brighid felt a chill run through her. "So...what are you saying? The Senate itself was responsible for undermining security?" She put a hand to her mouth in shock when Aegaeon nodded quietly. "For...what purpose?"
"I can't say just yet," Aegaeon muttered grimly. "And...I don't have the authority or the standing to interrogate the Senators themselves." He shook his head. "But it couldn't have been just to let a band of Tirkin waltz into the palace to kidnap a nopon they didn't even know exist until last week."
"You've replaced them all, haven't you?"
"I've been trying. But nearly two thousand men compose the palace guard. I couldn't tell which ones were compromised or not, so I've had to just replace them all. It...takes time to cycle in that many new men. Especially with so many on the front lines." He shook his head. "Security...is still so weak. There are so many holes. I'm concerned for the Emperor's safety."
Brighid reached out with a comforting hand. "Don't worry. Lady Morag and myself will be here to help. I can tell you Morag won't leave her brother's side until security is up to speed."
Aegaeon gave her a quiet, evaluating look. "To be honest, I worry for Lady Morag's safety as well. She's a target herself."
Brighid laughed softly. "You let me worry about Lady Morag's safety. We can take care of ourselves."
Aegaeon nodded silently, then moved to walk past her. On a whim, Brighid held out a hand, stopping him. He looked at her curiously.
"Aegaeon," she murmured. "This...may sound...odd. But...how do you feel things are...doing? I've been away for a while. But….with the invasion….with Mor Ardain...how do you think things are?"
Aegaeon was quiet for a long time, staring straight ahead, further into the throne room. He cast his eyes upward, looking out at the stormy sky above the glass dome of the throne room, and then turned his unblinking, hard gaze toward her. And then he said something she had never heard him say before.
"I'm afraid," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
25.
Nia awoke to the sound of loud, massive slams, the impacts reverberating through her. She jolted up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. "What the bloody hell…?" she muttered, nimbly leaping down from her bed. She glanced around. Dromarch was in the corner of the room, his eyes wide, panicked. Another slam rang through the palace, and his tail flicked wildly.
She crossed through the common living space, the slams getting louder and louder. She poked her head out the door to the suite, walking down the long stone hallway. Dust shook from the walls as she drew closer and closer to the origin of the slams.
Finally, she found the source. It was Poppi, punching a large stone support pillar, over and over again, two small fist-shaped holes already punched into it.
Nia sighed. It had been a few days since Tora had been kidnapped already. Poppi had wanted to go out and go looking for him right away, combing over the desert itself if necessary. But there was no way to know where he had been taken, and any information gathering they had managed to do in town – which wasn't much – had been largely fruitless. The members of the party Tora had been at – even though they had been a target of the attack – seemed intimidated, reluctant to give any information as to who could be behind it. Morag had attempted to hold some of them for questioning, but between their wealth and political connections they had managed to slip away before they could really be put to an interrogation. None of the palace staff had been any help at all, reluctant to even say how or why the Tirkin had managed to infiltrate. All they knew was what Poppi herself had been able to tell them – that the nopon that attacked them had been called MuiMui, and was clearly the nopon who had attacked Tora's family before.
"What is all this racket…?"
Nia spun around to see Rex, rubbing his eyes, blinking groggily at the sun. He frowned, sighing as he saw Poppi slamming her fists into the stone pillar. "Oh...Poppi, come on now. You can't do that, you'll wake up half the palace."
Poppi spun around, her orange eyes flickering dangerously. "Poppi not care," she declared, as angry as Rex or Nia had ever seen her. "Been three days and masterpon still missing. Three days! Who...who know what they doing to...my Tora," she murmured, slowly getting quieter as she continued on.
"Well, c'mon, keep your chin up," Nia said, trying to console her. "You said yourself that MuiMui said he wanted Tora for his brains, right? They kidnapped him, yeah? That means they want to keep him alive. He's out there somewhere, we'll find him."
Poppi covered her face with her hands. "Masterpon have very specific needs. Who will brush his fur? Or make sure he gets his favorite breakfast of tasty sausages? Who will help him organize his design notes? Or guard the door when he goes to the bathroom so nobody else comes in? Masterpon very shy when it comes to biological functions." She sniffled, removing her hands, looking at them with mechanical eyes full of despair. "Who...who will repair Poppi?" she wailed.
"Wait, you did all that for Tora?" Nia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Masterpon….conceited, but it true he complete genius. But he so forgetful...his brain so full of other important thoughts! He...he need Poppi to help him." The mechanical girl looked down at the ground. "And Poppi need him."
"Don't worry," Rex said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Like Nia said, we'll get him back. Tora's a smart guy, I'm sure he's fine..."
"Not worry," Poppi said quietly, shaking her head, looking down at the ground. She laughed softly to herself. "Not worry? How could Poppi not worry?" She looked up, her eyes flashing. "Nia and Rex...are not blades. Not understand. With masterpon gone and in danger...Poppi's heart is breaking. Poppi's job is to protect masterpon. Poppi failed and...it hurts so much."
"I might understand more than you know," Nia murmured quietly.
Poppi kicked at the floor in frustration. "If only Poppi's jet boots were not broken. Poppi would fly above the sands and track down masterpon if she had to fly over the entire desert."
Rex scratched his chin, suddenly. "Well. I dunno if zipping about the desert would really be useful. But you know, I can be pretty handy. If it'll make you feel better, why don't you let me take a look? Maybe I could get your jets working again."
"Rex really think so?" Poppi sniffled.
"Sure, lemme give it a shot. C'mon, sit down on this windowsill over here..."
Rex led the mechanical girl to a stone windowsill seating a large, towering window. Nia sat down next to her and watched with some interest as Rex knelt on the floor, taking out a screwdriver from a small pouch on his salvager's outfit. "Alright, let's just take a look here," he muttered, as he deftly unscrewed the bottom panel of Poppi's outfit. "Might have just been the igniter got bent, or..."
Suddenly, there was a clattering as the contents of Poppi's foot spilled out onto the floor.
"Ah," Rex said. "Hmm. Uh."
Nia and Poppi watched as Rex fiddled around with the complex, intricate, tiny metal pieces of Poppi's foot for a while. After a moment, Rex cleared his throat. "Ah, Nia," he said, an edge of panic in his voice, "D'you mind, um...coming here and holding something real quick?"
Nia hopped down from the windowsill to crouch next to Rex, and stifled a gasp as she saw the interior of Poppi's foot and the mess of pieces on the floor before Rex's knees. It was a mess of gears, cables, wiring, mysterious pieces of machinery tinier and more complex than she could have believed. "Bloody hell, Rex, what have you done?" she whispered furiously, leaning in towards him so Poppi wouldn't hear.
"I...I have no idea what any of this is," Rex whispered back. "Help me."
"Architect's arse. What do you want me to do?! I don't know anything about this either!"
"Look...just...here, hold this..."
"No! Rex-wait, damn it-"
"What going on down there?" Poppi asked suspiciously, looking down at them with eyes narrowing.
"Nothing!" Rex smiled up at her, as he shoved a pile of gears into Nia's hands. "Almost done! Don't worry!"
"Almost done?" Nia hissed angrily at Rex, as he stared in despair at the pile of gears before him. "Almost done, he says!"
"I don't want to make her feel worse. Here, just...help me...sort of...cram it back in there..."
"Titan's tits. I swear. Okay...let's just..."
"Hold that, or it's going to spill out-"
"Oh, gears spilling out, that really seems like something that should happen-"
"Quiet! Let me….okay, hold the plate in place..."
Nia rolled her eyes as Rex got to his feet, dusting off his hands, after screwing the plate on the bottom of Poppi's foot back in place. Poppi looked up at him dubiously, then shook her foot, which made a loud rattling noise. "Poppi's foot feels funny," she muttered. "Jets….still not work." She put her hands to her face in despair. "Rex has only made things worse! Only sweet Tora has knowledge and expertise to repair Poppi!"
"I'm sorry, Poppi," Rex said bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "I promise you, we're gonna find Tora-"
Poppi let out a growl of frustration, with a slight metallic screech to it. She removed her hands from her face, eyes glowing bright orange, glaring with anger at Rex and Nia. "What is Poppi even doing here!" she snapped. "Poppi cannot stand it anymore! Poppi must find her Tora!"
Rex and Nia exchanged worried glances as Poppi stormed off, throwing her hands in the air, her foot rattling with every step.
26.
Poppi stomped angrily through the halls of the palace, frowning at her rattling foot, sighing in frustration at the clattering it produced. "Stupid Rex," she muttered to herself. But she immediately felt bad for it. Rex had only been trying to help, to try to make her feel better. She should have known better than to let him try to tinker around with her foot. Her masterpon really was one of a kind. No one was genius enough to fix her like her masterpon. Her...Tora. Her…
She put her hands to her chest as a spike of sorrow and pain shot through her. She had never felt something quite like this, even when Vandham had died. It was shame, worry, fear, and a deep, wracking sense of loss. She had wondered, at first, if it had been the ether connection being severed. But that didn't make sense, Tora had been out of the range of their ether connection for an extended period of time before, and it had never felt bad like this.
This was something...deeper. Something that went further than the simple ether connection. Something that was fundamental about the connection between driver and blade. She felt...half-empty, not being able to be there to protect him, not knowing whether or not he was alive. It was an awful, endless feeling. Nia and Rex could not possibly understand. It was something only blades could feel, she was sure of it.
She tramped up a set of stone stairs, ones which led up to a balcony, seeking solace in solitude. But when she opened the door to the balcony, someone was already there.
It was Pandoria, the blade of that funny Zeke man, leaning over the edge of the balcony, peering down below. Poppi was annoyed to find her here at first. But then she reconsidered. It might be worth talking to...a fellow blade about this. Even if she was artificial, maybe Pandoria knew what she was feeling too.
Pandoria glanced over at her as she approached, her eyes hidden behind the glare of her glasses. "Oh. Hey. You're that...artificial blade girl, right?"
"Yes. You are Pandoria, yes?"
The blade laughed, her odd sharp ears twitching and long cabled tail flicking back and forth. "Yeah, sure. But you can just call me Pandy. Your name is...Poppi, right? Hey, sorry about your driver, you know. But at least you know he's still alive, right?"
Poppi looked up at her curiously. "How would Poppi know he still alive?"
"Because if he wasn't, you'd return to your...wait, I guess that's probably not how it works for you, huh?" Pandy ran her hands through her mop of green hair bashfully. "I...look, just, sorry, alright? I'm...sure you'll find him."
"Poppi...wanted to ask you question," the artificial blade said quietly. She held her hands to her chest, staring up at Pandy. "It….feel so empty without Tora. Finding him all Poppi can think about. I...never feel like this before."
Pandy whistled, staring off the edge of the balcony out towards the smog-covered streets of Alba Cavanich stretching before them. "Yeah, I think I know how you feel," she said after a moment. "There was a time when I thought….I was gonna lose Zeke. And...it felt like my world was splitting in two. I guess that's just the way us blades were made."
"It funny, because...when masterpon with me, he can….be….a burden, sometimes," Poppi said delicately. "But now that he gone, all Poppi can think about are...all the ways her Tora is so wonderful. Why it like this…?"
Pandy laughed. "Oh, I definitely get that. I mean, my Zeke can definitely be a little much sometimes, too. But….well, come here, look over the side…."
Poppi approached the edge of the balcony, peering over the edge of it, down towards where Pandy had been watching. There, perhaps thirty feet below, lounging in one of the interior gardens of the palace, was Zeke, laying in the grass, shirtless, basking in the sun.
"Wow, Zeke pretty ripped," Poppi chirped.
"Oho, believe me, I know," Pandy said from her side. She held a hand out, so Poppi could see. In her palm was a large spider. "Watch this. He hates spiders."
Pandy leaned over the edge of the balcony, extending her hand carefully, and then opened her palm, so that the spider dropped from her hand directly onto Zeke's chest, landing with a distinct plopping sound.
Zeke immediately opened his eyes, and looked down at his chest. "Oh...oh...Architect's balls, no," he whispered, freezing immediately. The spider began crawling up his chest, towards his face. "Oh no, no no no no," he cried, sitting up, scrambling backward. Then he calmed himself, steeled himself, and scooped the spider off his chest, and with panicked, quick movements, set it on the tree in the center of the garden. "There you go, you little nuisance," he muttered. "Interrupting my tanning session, how rude. You just stay there, now." And then he settled back into the grass, laid back, and closed his eyes again.
Back up on the balcony, Pandoria sighed adoringly, wrapping her arms around herself as she watched this.
"Poppi...does not understand," Poppi said quietly.
Pandoria sighed, blushing a bit as she stared down at Zeke. "Even though he hates spiders, when one dropped right onto him, he didn't go smashing it. He just moved it somewhere else. Because he'll never kill anything at all if he doesn't have to." She glanced down at Poppi, smiling. "Even though he can be a total dork sometimes, even though he can be a bit much to deal with...I see things like that, and I just melt. Even though sometimes he can get on my nerves, there's a thousand little things about him that I love. And it's those things about him that I miss the most when he's away. I don't think 'Oh well, Zeke's gone, I don't have to deal with him being such a dork'. I miss all the little beautiful, adorable things about him." Pandy put a finger to her lips, considering. "And his abs. Definitely his abs the most."
Poppi paused, considering for a moment. "Does Pandy...love Zeke?"
"Oh, yeah, sure. I mean, you love Tora, don't you?"
"No, Poppi means, in the...romance way. The one where you want to-" she mashed her fingers together in a twirling motion.
"Oh. Uh. Well I'm not sure what that finger motion is supposed to be, but...well yeah, totally. How could I not? Look at that."
Poppi sighed in relief. Finally, someone who could admit it openly. "What would Pandy do...if Zeke was taken like Tora was?" she asked curiously.
Pandoria paused for a moment. "To be honest...I'd cry at first," she laughed. "But then I'd...tear the world upside down looking for him. I'd never stop until I had found him or I retreated back to my core."
Poppi nodded. She wasn't alone. She felt exactly the same way. "Poppi knows now what she must do," she whispered to herself.
"Hey, wanna toss more spiders on Zeke?"
27.
Malos was intensely aware of Sylvie staring at him.
Ever since Tora's kidnapping, when they had come back in from the desert and discovered what had happened, Malos had spent most of his days with Rex, Nia, Dromarch, and occasionally Brighid and Morag when they weren't busy helping Niall, canvassing Alba Cavanich, looking for clues as to where he could have been taken. It had been a largely fruitless search, so far. And how could it be anything but? What would the common people know about palace intrigue?
But at nights, when they returned to the palace, he'd find Sylvie staring at him. Hiding, thinking she hadn't been spotted – sometimes peaking around the corner of a palace, sometimes simply staring at him from across the common dining area of the palace.
That was where he was now, in a large, ornate dining hall, where Senators and other important officials would gather to eat when they didn't take their meals back to their private quarters, sitting next to Rex and Nia as they quietly ate. Zeke and Pandy were there too, sitting down the table from them, as well as Morag and Brighid, with Aegaeon, talking amongst themselves, most likely about palace security. Other Senators and officials milled about, talking quietly at other tables. And a few tables back, there was Sylvie, staring at him with those intense blue eyes.
Malos had been thinking about what she had said, out there in the desert. He had to admit...it made a certain kind of sense. He had no desire to help Mor Ardain conquer the world. But with their industrial-age technology, they were the nation best suited to exploit the dwindling resources of Alrest until a more permanent solution could be found to why the Titans were dying off. Even if the world hated them for it, even if they went down as the villains of history. And…
He looked down, next to him, where Rex sat, scarfing down his food. It was true. Rex was so young. He was willing to shoulder the burden of the power of the Dark Aegis. But when someone was that young, could they ever really be counted on to make a smart decision for themselves…? Rex...was all too willing to throw his life away for others. Could he even encompass what that would really mean…? Had...Hugo, when he had thrown himself recklessly into the crossfire between Malos and Mythra?
It was true, Rex prioritized what Malos thought was more important – going to Elysium, so Father could be confronted. But he could hardly blame Sylvie for thinking it was more important to secure a stable position here on Alrest, first. After all, to most people, Elysium was just a myth, a legend. But...was that selfish of him? To want to endanger someone so young and naive, just because they happened to agree with his goal prioritization more than other possible candidates?
Malos continued looking down at Rex with hollow eyes. Would there come a day when he had to hold Rex's lifeless body in his hands, killed by his own power? Was that really what he wanted? More of the young and noble, dead by his hand? Before, if someone said they were willing, Malos would have held them to it – they were their own person, responsible for themselves. But thinking like that had led to Hugo's death. It could lead to Rex's death. Death was no stranger to Malos, and thinking about it in a purely theoretical sense, he would have been fine with it…
But the actuality, the reality of Hugo dying by his hand had shaken him. And Rex...should Rex die in the same way, it would shake him as well. It seemed strange, in a way, almost a foreign concept to him to care about it like this. He couldn't understand why he should care, or feel the way he did. But he did, nonetheless. Perhaps there were certain...limitations, boundaries...that being in this form put on him after staying in it for a protracted amount of time.
Of course, if he went with Sylvie, the young and noble would die at his hand as well. No matter what course he chose, the good were destined to die at his hand. He put down his fork, considering.
Maybe...Mythra had been right, in a way. She was still much more of a monster than he was. But they were still both monsters, all the same. When something was tearing out your throat, whether it was a demon or a wolf made very little difference.
He looked up as the doors to the dining hall slammed open suddenly, pushed aside by something with great strength. Behind them lay Poppi, with a determined look on her face. On her back she carried a backpack, and it looked like she had put a fresh coat of paint on the X painted across her face.
She marched forward, purposefully, metal feet slamming against the polished stone floor, one of her feet rattling as she marched. She stopped a few feet from the table, as Rex, Nia, Brighid, Morag, Zeke and Pandy looked up at her, expectantly.
"Poppi," she said, "Cannot wait anymore. She is going out into the desert to search for her Tora."
"Poppi..." Rex began, but the artificial blade held up a hand, silencing him.
"No buts," she replied. "Information gathering is useless. Poppi..." she choked up slightly. "Poppi just cannot bear the thought of what is happening to Tora anymore. Already mapped out a grid pattern search with algorithms to increase efficiency of search coverage by 90% from typical human search strategies. Poppi will comb the entire desert if she has to." She stomped her foot, with a rattle. "Poppi will go with or without you."
There was a moment of silence. "Of...course we'll go with you," Rex said, the first to break it. "I will, anyway. I would never leave Tora behind."
"I'll go too," Nia added quickly.
Morag, Brighid and Aegaeon exchanged worried glances. "I...I would go with you," Morag began, faltering. "But...after the attack on the palace...the security, my brother...I...want to remain at his side, to ensure that nothing happens…."
"It's alright, Morag, it's completely understandable," Rex began, but was interrupted by Zeke.
"Why don't I go with you, instead of Morag?" he suggested. Pandy beamed up at him, and curled her arm around his. "It sounds like you could use someone with experience to tag along. And I can't stand the sight of a sad girl missing her driver."
"Uh," Nia said, narrowing her eyes at him, "Weren't you trying to steal Rex's blade just a few days ago?"
Zeke dramatically flung a finger to point at her. As he did, a turtle slipped out of his sleeve and flew across the table, landing in her salad, where it immediately began lazily chewing on a leaf. She eyed this incredulously as he spoke. "Listen here, kitty. That's all water under the bridge. I just wanted to make sure that the person wielding that sort of power was the good-hearted type."
"I….don't know..." Rex muttered, eyeing Zeke suspiciously.
"Am I the only one who sees this turtle?" Nia asked, looking around. "Anyone else…? Please tell me I'm not crazy."
Morag sighed, rolling her eyes at Zeke, before looking back to Poppi and Rex. "I...am loathe to admit it," she started, grimacing as Zeke began to smirk, "But...Zeke is...a very good-hearted person. If you're wondering whether you can trust him, you absolutely can."
Her grimace became deeper as Zeke began preening, putting his face in his hands, leaning across the table. "Oh, Morag. Do go on."
"And...he is a swordsman of legendary capability," Morag continued, forcing herself, as if she was biting off the end of every word. "I have no doubt...that you'd be much safer with him at your side. I would personally feel better if he accompanied you."
"Hm...well, if you trust him, Morag, then I do too," Rex said, after a moment's consideration. "Sure. We'll have you along as well."
Everyone looked at Poppi as she suddenly began sniffling. She covered her face with her hands, crying into them.
"Oh, Poppi, don't worry, we'll find him, I swear," Nia said softly, but Poppi shook her head.
"Is not that. Poppi...thought she might have to do this alone." She wiped her eyes, smiling for the first time they had seen since Tora's disappearance. "Poppi is...happy her Tora has such amazing friends."
Poppi insisted on leaving as soon as possible, but they managed to convince her to wait until at least the next morning. Night was already falling.
Rex and Malos retired to their suite after dinner. As they entered, Malos quickly noticed that their usually well-lit common room was entirely dark, cloaked in shadow. His eyes darted around, drinking in information, as a familiar voice echoed out from the darkness.
"Are you alone?"
"Who's there?" Rex snapped, reaching for a light.
"Don't turn it on. Nobody can know I'm in here."
"Sylvie?" Malos said.
From the darkness, the face of the Senator swam out, bathed in pale moonlight, her sharp eyes icy glints in the shadows of the room. She wore a long dark trenchcoat covered in the Brionac regalia, silver skulls glowing in the moonlight, while the dark fabric of the cloth merged her with the shadow. "Is Morag with you?" she asked, quietly.
"Lady, what are you doing in our suite? How do people keep on busting in here?" Rex snapped, but Malos put out a hand to stop him from rushing forward.
"No, we're alone."
Sylvie glanced down at Rex, frowning, then flicked her eyes back to Malos. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot, silent for a long moment. "What I tell you about now, can never make it way back to her, you understand?"
"No," Rex replied. "Morag's a friend. I'm not going to keep secrets from her."
"Then I can't help you." Sylvie twisted her cap down on top of her head, and made to move toward the door.
"Wait," Malos said, blocking her path. She looked up at him. She looked...troubled, conflicted. "What is it you could help us with?"
Sylvie sighed. "I know where your friend is being kept."
Note:
Hey, sorry for the long absence, I got really crushed at the end of the semester and sort of fell out of my writing schedule. I'm hoping now to get back into my weekly update schedule. It might take some tries to get back onto weekly updates (especially since the next chapter looks like it is shaping up to be a very long one) but I hope that eventually I'll get back on track.
As always comments are very much appreciated!