Hello everyone I'm writing my first story on fanfiction and I don't have anyone to edit my work but I hope I can write good enough for everyone. Now this is a crossover between Ben 10 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 where Rex acquired the Omnitrix when he was 10 and had it for 5 years meaning he never took it off unlike Ben. Now my knowledge of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is from Chuggaaconroy (best let's player there is) so no spoiling new game plus and Torna the golden country please in the comments. I don't like oc aliens but since the Omnitrix can scan new uncatalogued DNA to obtain new forms Rex will have a titan, urayan, gormotti and nopon form so I could need help thinning up names please suggest in the comments. And since I'm new, all criticism is welcomed please enjoy my first time writing.
Chapter 1: The beginning
Alrest, a world home to the anomalous cloud sea. Many scientists around the world have tried to understand it but there was no definite answer to its origin and the reason why it was so similar to water. But in the cloud sea lies treasure and items waiting to be found by people who are daring enough to explore the unknown. These people were known as salvagers. Each salvager has a different reason to explore the depths of the cloud sea whether it be for fame or for the sake of putting food on the table.
Every salvager has a rank and only one in the entire world has the right to be the rank of being the legendary S class salvager. The person who holds this rank began his career at the age of eleven and earned his rank at the age of 15. Many people couldn't believe that such a young boy obtained the legendary rank and some wondered how exactly did this boy accomplish such a feat at a young age. But this salvager holds a secret that may shake the very foundation of the world, the truth that Alrest isn't the only world filled with life.
In the open cloud sea, there is a single titan with dragon-like features that was big enough to have a house on the front of its back and a crane attached to the bottom of it.
Suddenly something jumped out of the cloud sea and landed on the back of the titan. A large metal crate was then dropped on the back of the titan as it had been carried by whatever came out of the clouds. It was a humanoid fish creature with four fingered claws and talon-like webbed feet and greyish white skin. The fish's face had massive teeth that looked like it could easily rip apart steel along with a lure on its head and it's glowing golden eyes. The creature seemed to be wearing a blue salvager suit that has been made to fit its unique biology with an anchor shot on his right arm. On the center of its chest was a circular device with a green hourglass symbol.
Species: Piscciss Volann (Ripjaws)
Homeworld: Piscciss
Powers and abilities: underwater breathing, tail transformation, leg transformation, steel ripping jaws, mouth expansion, sharp claw, enhanced strength, enhanced durability, enhanced speed underwater and Glowing lures
Description: evolving from the water world that is held together by a solid core with an artificial gravity generator the Piscciss Volann are more dependent on water for survival than any other race in the milky way galaxy. However as they grow older and mature the need for water is reduced but it's still there. Despite their savage appearance the piscciss volann are actually an intelligent race with no natural predators originating from their homeworld. Unfortunately with their need for hydration the piscciss volann are weak to forms to high heat such as fire and other forms of heat that can produce similar effects.
"Whew well that was a lot of work I swear the deeper you go the more monsters you have to fight. I mean this time I had to fight an entire school of Lexos. Thankfully I was a lot faster than them In the water" said the Fish creature as he breathed a sigh of relief as if it came out of an intense workout.
The titan turned his head and looked at the aquatic being and said "well I hope you found something from today's haul after all the trouble. I mean an entire school of lexos I can't imagine a single driver and blade that would come out of that fine". With worry in his eyes.
The fish looked at the titan's eyes "gramps don't worry about I already have a lot of experience fighting and not just from the training you gave me but also the battles I had to fight over the last five years" said the fish with confidence in his voice. Though deep down he was a little annoyed at the titan for worrying about him too much and treating him as if he was a child.
The titan merely sighed "well can you blame an old man for worrying about his child after any good parent would always worry for their child's safety above all else". Though the titan wished that the boy hadn't such a burden that forced him to fight many battles when he was merely 10 years old. But he was proud of him using his power to help those in need and being a hero that would make even Adam admire.
Touched by gramps's words the fish looked a bit shy as he put his claws behind his head and did the equivalent of a grin for his kind. "I'm happy that you care for me this much, but honestly I feel happy beating up bad guys helping my home and other Titans. I don't just do it because it's the right thing but also because I genuinely like doing it," the fish sheepishly said.
Smiling the titan asked " well Rex do you think it could change back as impressive it is to see you change forms I would like to see my boy's true face"
The fish-man then nodded and tapped on the circular device on his chest and in a flash of green light standing in place of the creature was a young teenager with a helmet on. Taking off the helmet it showed a boy with short brown spiky hair and golden eyes with the same blue salvager suit the fish-man had. However unlike the fish creature the boy also had a strange watch with a green hourglass symbol.
"Ah it's good to be me again, don't get me wrong being an alien is cool and all but nothing compares to how it feels to be in my own original body" sighed Rex as he stretched his arms and legs.
Rex then walked into his house and grabbed a crowbar on the table. Walking up to the metal crate Rex uses the crowbar and tries to pry it open.
"Anyway this is the last haul we're gonna do today I want go to Argentum and see if there is anything i can sign up for" Rex said as he strains the crate
Giving a sigh gramps merely gave Rex a look of worry "are you sure Rex you should take a break from work maybe have a nice vacation Fonsett is doing better than it's ever been ever since you started to send money to help it" he said honestly the boy was too kind for his own good.
Pausing Rex looked up to gramps "it's okay gramps I'm fine with the Omnitrix I can get a lot of work done without tiring out and I do want to do more for Fonsett. if it can still improve the village then I'm going to keep working"
Fonsett used to be a poor small village in the Leftheria archipelago but with the money Rex sent back it started to expand a little bit. Not only that but children from the orphanage could be sent to schools in Indol, Mor Ardain and Uraya without having to worry about the price since Rex earns a lot of gold from all of the salvaging he's done.
"Though I do wish I never got the S salvager rank, don't get me wrong it was one of my goals but It feels like I cheated my way to the top. I mean without Omnitrix I would probably be a C rank Salvager B rank if I'm pushing it and that's not bad but comparing C and B rank to the S rank is like comparing Copper to Gold". Said Rex as he went back to opening the crate.
"Besides there still are the core crystal hunters, Brionac and this new group I just found out about called Torna. I try to make the world a better place by taking down organizations that could cause conflict and war but I've only been hitting the outposts. I haven't been hitting them where it hurts and frustrates me a lot that I can't do more". Rex said with a hint Fustation in his voice as he was almost done prying the crate open.
"You have already done so much for Alrest and the universe. I believe you saved the universe twice, once 5 years ago and the other last year" gramps cheekily said. He was proud of Rex's achievements and even more proud that Rex didn't develop a massive ego from all that he has done. But he wished that Rex would stop shouldering the weight of the world all the time and just try to live a normal life.
"Well I'm more glad about the second one, the Highbreed are now no longer sterile and their children can breathe once again though I told them they had a lot of work to do if they want the forgiveness of all the Races they attacked". Even though Rex forgave the Highbreeds for what they've done that didn't mean the rest of the universe forgave them but with Reiny being the Highbreed supreme he was sure it would only take time before the Highbreed were forgiven for their actions against the universe. Though he did wish Reiny didn't spread his name as Rex Salvager he wasn't royalty so he shouldn't have a last name and how did Reiny mix his job as a last name anyway?
Suddenly the crate that Rex was opening burst open as a king crustip came out with its claws ready for a fight with whoever dared to disturb it's sleep. But only one thing was on Rex's mind when he saw this monster in front of him. "Whoa, how did you fit in that crate? I swear you're like twice as big as it is. How is that possible? Is it bigger on the inside or something". Rex said in amazement more interested in that than the crustip.
With a loud shriek the crustip charged forward and tried to crush Rex with one of its claws only for Rex to dodge to the side unscathed. "Well I guess I know what I'm gonna have for lunch today, sorry big guy but I'm starvin". Raising his left wrist to his right hand Rex turned the dial of the watch on his wrist and then a green hologram of a four armed creature appeared on the watch's core.
Slamming down on the core a flash of green light appeared blinding the crustip. Rex could feel every cell in his body being fueled with energy as his DNA itself changed. In the place where Rex used to be was a massive 12 foot tall red skinned humanoid Alien with massive muscles and four arms and four eyes. The alien wore the same blue salvager suit Rex had with the symbol of the omnitrix on the middle of it's chest.
"Four Arms!" Rex shouted as the light faded
Species: Tetramand (Four Arms)
Homeworld: Khoros
Powers and abilities:Enhanced strength, enhanced durability, enhanced agility, enhanced speed, enhanced reflexes, enhanced jumping, Enhanced acrobatics, wrestling martial arts, gas immunity, heat resistance, earthquake generation and sonic clap.
Description: despite their homeworld being a desert the tetramand race is actually one of the most powerful empires in the galaxy rivaling even the incursion empire. The reason for this is that tetramands are not only strong but fierce warriors that enjoy battle and living on a desert world made sure that only the strongest of their kind may survive. Despite their appearances, tetramands are also quite capable engineers and are known for their special metal alloy which some even call it the strongest metal In the galaxy. In order for the next generation of their kind to grow strong female tetramand only marry and have children with a male who has defeated them in combat. As the females are stronger this would allow the strong genes of the male tetramand to be carried on to the next generation.
"Alright big guy let's see how you like this!" with a battle cry Four Arms charged and threw both his right arms at the crustip. One punch at its head instantly shattered the shellfish's armour and it's head killing it instantly. Smiling at his work Four Arms slaps the omnitrix on its chest and in a green flash Rex was back.
"I do believe that is what people call overkill these days Rex" Gramps said in amusement at how Rex could have killed the crustnip without transforming and instead used the sword inside the house. Though it never ceases to amaze him at how much stronger Rex has grown over the years, a part of him thought that Rex is actually growing stronger without his teachings than with it.
"Yeah but I wanted to get it over with fast and have a quick lunch so I can get to Argentum as soon as possible" Rex said as he was cutting off a claw of the crustip and preparing to cook it. Getting a barrel and a grill bar he lit a fire and used the barrel as a stove with the bar and put the claw on top.
Rex then goes to the crate and checks to see if there was anything of value inside but all he found was some rumble parts and dark gray springs. These things weren't too valuable but they were worth something and every bit of gold counts in his opinion. He goes back to his house to wash his hands as he smells the crustip claw he cooked is almost ready to eat.
As he goes to sit and eat gramps groans out in relief "Ah the fire does wonders for my old bones" grinning Rex offered "if you like the fire that much I can turn into Heatblast and make you feel better I would like to help in anyway I can after all you've done for me" Touched by his adopted grandson's words gramps nodded his head "Ah I suppose I may have to take your offer on that someday after all this old man isn't quite like how he was in his prime before".
He then nods at gramps before turning around and grabbing the claw and starts to tear the meat from the shell and eat it. As Rex is eating he hears the sound of a whine in the air. Standing up trying to find out where the sound was coming from. Rex then found the cause: a titan with something glowing at the core of it's chest struggling to cling onto its life but failed as it sank beneath the cloud sea marking the end of it's time.
Rex then looks at it with sadness before looking up to gramps. He didn't want to imagine the same thing happening to him or to any titan in the world but he knew that whatever lived must eventually die. Sighing he asked "I hope there were no people on that titan and that was the third one we saw this month" looking sadly at where the titan used to be. Gramps too sighs in sorrow only a fool would say that everything is going okay with the world despite how many titans are dying nowadays.
Rex looks up to the distance and he sees the world tree, the home of the architect and the birthplace of humanity. Rex never actually went to the world tree himself and he didn't know why but a part of him somewhere in his soul said it wasn't time to go there yet. With all the titans dying Rex dreamed of going to Elysium, a paradise and utopia that could have more than enough land for all of the people of Alrest.
Deep down Rex knew that even if people got more than enough land conflicts wouldn't magically stop there will always be people willing to hurt others but as long as someone is there to stop them then Rex believes that he should never give up on his quest to save his world. 'It's funny I saved the universe twice but I still haven't saved my own world from its own problems' Rex thought humorlessly.
Cleaning up after himself Rex then told gramps it's time to go back to Argentum and get back to work.
The Argentum Trade Guild can be considered a neutral territory as it had merchants from every country except for Tantal to it being an isolated country. This is also where salvagers came to make all of the gold they can get as equipment from the cloud sea could revolutionize technology or they could find some helpful parts for machinery.
It came to no surprise that the Guild's Chairman is a nopon since those little guys are known to be greedy despite their cute appearances.
In Rex's opinion the nopon are the definition of never judging a book by its cover after all he had a nopon form and it was actually smarter than he was when he was human. In fact Rex often used the nopon form to calculate his money in private and try to see if there was any way he could save up as much gold as possible. Knowing what it's like to be a nopon Rex respects these little guys as a matter of fact Rex knows what it's like to be an urayan and gormotti as he also had forms for them too.
Docking at the guild Rex was going to exchange his haul for gold "Oi is that you Rex how was today's haul I hope it was something great from the legendary slavager" a voice called out. Turning to the source Rex saw Hirkham the dockeeper. chuckling he replied "nah nothing special today it's been kinda slow for me lately but I'm actually here to sign up for any expeditions do we have anything going on".
Hirkham remembered " Actually there is some big job coming up but I'm afraid everybody already filled out all the spots shame I'm sure everybody would've like to have you with them" Rex was a little bit disappointed but he didn't let it show "that's alright I have more than enough to last me a long time besides I'm pretty sure other people need the gold too" he reassured.
Hirkham then raises his right hand "Anyway legendary salvager or not you still got to pay the fine 15 gold please" asked Hirkham. Nodding Rex pulled out 15 gold giving it to hirkham and started his way to the guild. On the way he stops as he looks at another part of the dock and he sees a huge ship that didn't have a titan supporting it which is strange cause Rex has never heard of a ship like this before in his life. Shrugging his shoulders Rex then entered the trade guild to collect his gold.
Arriving at the exchange centre Rex is greeted with an excited voice "Meh oh if it isn't legendary salvager Rex what marvelous treasure you find today"
he merely shook his head "sorry Melolo but today's haul isn't special I'm really sorry but I would still like to sell what I found"
Handing over his to Melolo the nopon looked at what Rex found and looked a bit disappointed but didn't let it show in her voice. " This haul that friend Rex found is not worth much at most Melolo can give is 2000 gold"
Curious Rex asked "I know normally these things are worth much more what's going on." Though Rex did have a rather sinking feeling in his gut telling him he knew the answer.
Melolo then made Rex look off into the distance and Rex could see a bunch of ardainian soldiers chatting with each other and Rex hoped what he felt before was wrong.
"Tensions between Mor ardain and Uraya are rising peace won't last war will happen methinks" explained Melolo
Rex looked sad at this despite his best efforts he couldn't change much despite the emperor of Mor Ardain wanting peace the Brionac a terrorist group that are pro war have caused trouble for the young ruler by creating tension between the two nations. Rex blamed himself if only he knew how to strike the inner circle of Brionac. Maybe there wouldn't be this upcoming war.
"Melolo suggest friend Rex start salvage weapons would net much more than anything else" Melolo advised
"Sorry but I don't like that stuff. Look I'll just take the 2000 Gold and shop around a little bit" said Rex
Melolo nods then asks "still sending money home for everyone". A smile forms on Rex's face as he nods "ah such a wonderful littlepon Rex is melolo wishes her littlepon do same". Melolo sadly prays as she hands Rex his gold.'though Melolo wish Rex could not be scared of nightmares'
After getting his money Rex looked around and realized he might have better luck finding something valuable if he went further in the uncharted territories but he'll need supplies for that. "Rex!" his train of thought is caught off as he hears someone calling his name.
He saw a nopon with two bodyguards "Pupunin how are you doing" Rex recognizing the nopon that worked for Bana
"Pupunin is doing well, say Rex from the Leftherian archipelago, yes?" Pupunin questioned. "Yeah that's right" answered Rex. "Very good chairman Bana wishes to see Rex" Pupunin exclaimed.
'Bana? Well guess I better keep my toes up Bana is one of the trickiest nopon I know but why would he need some from Leftheria?' Rex thought in question. " Alright I'll head to Bana's office have a good day Pupunin"
"You too Rex" Pupunin replied before walking away with his two guards.
Running up to the second floor of the guild and arriving at Bana's door. Before he could go in, the nopon at the door stopped Rex. "Halt chairman Bana waiting for important person Rex must wait" before Rex could say anything someone yelled "Rex is person Bana waiting for send him in!"
The nopon looked surprised "oh Helehele not know Helehele apologize to Rex"
Rex just waved it off saying it was fine and walked in the room. Seeing the chairman at the desk in the room. It was an aqua green nopon but unlike most nopon this one was almost twice the size of your average nopon with a monocle on his right eye. There was also gold jewelry on both of his wing hands and he wore what looked like a brown shirt with a red coat for nopons. Besides the nopon there are also two girls in the room wearing revealing dancer clothes Rex quickly averted his eyes out of respect.
"Ah Bana thanks legendary salvager for accepting chairman Bana's summons" exclaimed the huge nopon. Groaning in annoyance he told Bana " Look I know I have the legendary salvager rank but can I be just known as Rex it's kinda annoying".
"Meh Bana was told Rex is humble but didn't expect him to be not proud of his rank. Anyway Bana wants Rex to do a job in uncharted territories having such a renowned salvager would guarantee mission's success" explained Bana as he looked at Rex. "Reward is also 100000 gold and another 100000 if mission succeeds" added Bana.
Rex's eyes lit up with interest but there had to be a catch cause money like that from a single mission wasn't normal. "So what kind of job is this and who is even paying for it" Rex needed to know why this job called for him and why is he getting paid this much
"Meh meh don't worry the clients are here, send them in!" shouted Bana. One of the girls nodded and opened the doors and Rex could see several figures coming out.
The first one was a gormotti girl with neck length silver hair and cat ears on top of her head and amber eyes with three white stripe tattoos on her face. She was about the same height as him. Her outfit was a yellow one piece jumpsuit with white armor plates covering her chest and upper arms. A brown belt was around her waist which held three daggers. Her boots were suite large extending all the way to her knees
The second figure was a white tiger with azure eyes with metal armor on its legs and chest and a crystal can be seen at the core of its chest. Rex recognized it this tiger was a blade
The third figure was a tall man with short jagged black hair and wearing black armor that covered his entire body. Though Rex did not know why this man gave Rex a sense of danger comparable to Vilgax
The fourth figure was a massive creature, person, fish thing? Rex knew it was a blade but honestly he could barely describe him. The Blade had a long head and neck with fish like attributes for its face with black and gold armor protecting it and a crystal at its chest.
The final person to emerge is a tall well built man with silver hair all the way down to his shoulders and blue eyes. On his face was a silver mask with horns covering the upper half of it. He wore silver armor protecting the upper half of his body with silver to go along with it.
The man was looking at him and Rex could feel as if this man was staring into his very soul.
'Drivers and blades' Rex realized. Sure he has fought against drivers and blades before but never with them since he didn't want the world to know about his secret. A little bit excited at the idea of working with actual drivers that aren't trying to kill him Rex did let himself gawk too much at them.
The girl scoffed "seriously this is who we are hiring he looks like a little kid and isn't he supposed to be some big shot salvager he's just staring at us like we're the best thing though can't say I blame" the girl smirks at him unimpressed as she crosses her arms.
Rex looked a bit annoyed at this but took a deep breath and didn't let her comment get to him. "So who are you guys and what kind of job do you need me to do?" he asked curiously while the girl glared a bit at him for ignoring her.
The black haired man gave him a look of amusement before answering " names Malos kid this here is my blade Sever" he gestures to the tall blade beside him then to the girl and the tiger. "Over there is Nia and her blade Dromarch and the guy with the mask is our leader Jin". Nodding Rex then looked at Jin "so I heard you guys need someone from Leftheria any particular reason why"
Jin looked at him for a bit before saying "we heard the legendary salvager was leftherian and from what we heard next door you are him we just want to make sure our mission is a success". It did make sense to him that these people would want him but he had a feeling they weren't telling him the whole truth. But the money he could earn would help Fonsett a lot so he accepted.
Suddenly a mocking laugh filled the room, Nia was laughing "are we really sure this kid is that good? I mean he was just gawking at us earlier. What do we need to be his bodyguards? Nia mocked with a smile on her face. The white tiger then walked up to him "ahem Rex was it I implore you to excuse my lady's discourtesy" apologized Dromarch.
Nia looks at her blade betrayed "Dromarch, what have I told you about speaking for me? Shut up-." "That's enough Nia" says Malos, cutting off Nia's dialogue "though I do see what you're talking about so why don't we test him out!".
Suddenly without warning Malos charges straight towards Rex with a glowing tonfa of ether in his hands. Surprised Rex barely had enough time to dodge the series of slashes. Quickly grabbing his junk sword, Rex counters him and the two lock weapons with each other. It took all of his strength just to hold him and he knew Malos was still holding back quite a bit against him. As the two locked eyes Malos pushes him back making him lose his balance.
Quickly regaining his balance and stance he yelled "what the hell was that for?!". Malos just smirked looking a bit impressed "well well not bad kid though thought you would be better given your reputation and all" said Malos as he put away his tonfa.
"Malos what was the point of that!" Nia exclaimed at the tall man. "Well you said did we have to be his bodyguards, well now you know the kid can handle himself good enough" Malos responds.
Nia just kept glaring at him "I didn't mean it like that"
Malos just ignores her and focuses on Rex "by the way you don't look like a driver but you definitely knew arts where'd you learn them kid?"
Still on guard he replies " Gramps taught me and I have been through some battles to give me more experience"
Malos just looks at Rex with interest "well as long as you work hard and do the job we have no problem kid" the group then walks away with Dromarch bowing his head to apologize.
Bana just shakes his head "meh-meh that was rowdy anyway" he pulls out a bag with gold in them and puts them at the front of his desk. "This is the advance buy whatever supplies you need. When finished go to the dock at starboard the maelstrom is there". Nodding at Bana he takes his gold and leaves the office.
Once outside he thinks 'I should go to gramps and tell about the job and the details so he doesn't worry but I'll want to buy supplies so I can leave for another trip to the uncharted cloud sea when I come back' .
Walking down to the market Rex went to buy whatever he needed for an extended journey through the cloud sea, even buying a bunch of narcipear jellies, best food in the whole guild in Rex's opinion.
After getting the supplies Rex sends the leftover gold to Fonsett. After completing that Rex walks back to the docks and heads up to gramps.
"Ah Rex, so did anything special happen in Argentum?" asked his grandfather.
"Yeah, I got a job straight from the chairman. He paid me 100000 gold and that was just the advance. They said they needed me because I'm the legendary salvager, which makes sense I suppose" he explained as he walked up to his house and started putting everything away and grabbing what he needed for the job, especially food and drinks that held high amounts of caffeine.
Gramps just nodded in understanding "Well that does make sense I guess who is your employer by the way"
He was getting back on the dock as he answered "there were several of them but their leader was this man named Jin anyway got to hurry up don't want to keep them waiting see ya gramps" he then starts running to the starboard side of the guild not noticing gramps shocked face
'Jin could he be….. no it could just be someone else but if it really IS that Jin I hope Rex will be fine' despite his grandson explaining the job to him something didn't feel right so gramps decided to follow his grandson when he leaves the guild for his job.
Arriving at the starboard Rex sees it a huge ship "the maelstrom this must be something big if Bana is pulling all the stops" he said as he admires the ship
"Fawning over a boat, what are you a kid? No wait you are a kid" a familiar voice cuts through the hair. He turns around seeing Nia with Dromarch in tow mocking him again.
Smirking at Nia "you know you shouldn't insult me we're about the same height so if you say I'm a kid doesn't that make you a kid too?" he replied sassily enjoying how she sputters and turns her head away with a blush on her cheeks.
"Also you might not want to stand where you are right now otherwise you might be our new anchor" He said looking to see Nia is standing in between the ropes connected to the maelstrom.
"Eeeyahh!" screams Nia as she freaks out like a cat jumping away where she was just standing a second ago.
Grinning at the response she made "Now who's the kid?" he said, having a light laugh at how cute she was.
She growls at him with an intense gaze like a cat who got sprayed with water "Grrrrrr why you little punk I oughta-" she was then cut off as another salvager came up to them
"Rex, glad you're here, the gang would love to celebrate with you but you've got night watch for the first round. Maybe after you're done the gang and I can party with you and then you can get some sleep" the man explained.
Shaking his head Rex in sadness replied "you know I don't like to sleep unless I'm home with aunt Corrine or I'm with gramps. tell you what I can take over everyone's nightwatch since I won't be sleeping" he offered.
Sighing, the man shook his head and put his hand up to his face "right sorry but are you sure Rex?" Rex just nods at him and the man walks into the ship.
Suddenly he hears a snicker and sees Nia struggling to hold her laugh in with both of her hands covering her mouth before she bursts out laughing "OH BY THE ARCHTECH YOU CAN'T SLEEP UNLESS YOU HAVE YOUR GRANDPA OR YOUR AUNT WITH YOU?. I CAN BELIEVE IT YOU REALLY ARE A KID AHAHAHAHA!" as her blade Dromarch shook his head in embarrassment from how loud his lady was.
Deadpanning at Nia and ignoring her laughter he just heads inside the maelstrom and prepares his nightwatch.
A few days pass by and Rex is beginning to feel the effects of not sleeping so he starts using the food and drinks he brought to help him stay awake. Now here he is at the night watch tower though he is a little envious of the gang downstairs drinking and having fun. He does want to drink with them as part of the salavger's code but alcohol only made him tired and want to sleep, something he doesn't want to do while on this mission without gramps.
'Well from my talk with my clients the last few days I can sort of tell how they are. Jin is the cool silent type that doesn't express himself much. Malos is the type of guy to establish his dominance though I wish he would call me by my name not kid. His blade Sever praising him as if he's the best in the world. Nia is definitely snarky and sassy with her blade Dromarch countering it. Heh what a unique bunch I wish I had friends like those guys." he thinks sadly at the thought of not having close friends who he could hang out with in public.
I mean sure he had a family with gramps and his aunt but he didn't really have friends he could hangout around other people. It's not like he doesn't have any but he was pretty sure people would freak out if they saw how his friends looked. The gang down at the party may try to be friends with him but he knew they only liked him that much because he was the legendary salvager. All he wanted was to be admired for being himself, not some title that he clearly wasn't worthy of.
Continuing the night watch he couldn't help but gaze at the world tree. Despite what he has seen in this world and out of this world nothing could compare to the beauty of it when it glows in the night. Turning away from the tree he continues his night watch and sees gramps way off in the distance. "Gramps?! I thought he would stay in Argentum. What's he doing following me? Wait, does this mean I could have slept this whole time on him? ARGHHH!" he yells in frustration at the realization he could have slept if he only looked a bit further back this entire time.
He then realizes something else is close to the maelstrom. It was the same titanless metal ship he saw at Argentum. "You know I heard some yelling out here what did you stub your toe or something" he then saw Nia walking up the stairs with a smirk on her face.
Still tired from not sleeping the last few days he really couldn't control himself from what he was about to say. "Yeah why don't you go party with the gang down there, pretty sure miss driver is popular among us salvagers" scowling at Nia.
"No thanks, I really don't need a headache right now. Why don't you go have some booze down there after all from what I've heard it's part of a code you salvagers have".
Sighing Rex slaps himself awake before drinking more coffee to stay up. " it's not that I hate drinking, it's just that drinking booze makes me tired and I really don't want to sleep on this ship without my aunt or gramps". As he looks at the sea with a look of dejection on his face.
Nia becoming more curious at this was also starting to worry for Rex's wellbeing. "So you don't like sleeping unless someone you know is there with you?"
He nods at this "A few years ago I went through some traumatic stuff and it still gives me nightmares even to this day but when I'm with gramps or my aunt I can sleep without having to be afraid". His eyes are losing a bit of the light within them as he starts to think back to those events.
Realizing this was personal Nia quickly changed the subject to something else she was interested in. "So why did you become a salvager anyway in the first place?"
His eyes gained a bit of their light back as he looked up to the world tree. Then he thought back to the times of Aunt Corrine taking care of him and telling him the story of elysium.
"Two reasons, the first one is because I want to give back to the village that raised me and loved me. I want all of the children and adults to have easier lives. It's tough to survive in this world after all". He said as he kept his gaze at the World Tree.
"The second Reason is that there". Smiling at his hope for the people of Alrest.
Following his gaze Nia doesn't get it as confusion shows on her face "The World Tree I don't understand?.
"We salvagers find all sorts of stuff in the cloud sea treasure, trash and something unknown but all of it from a mysterious civilization. But living space is running out. I've seen so many titans fall in the clouds sooner or later everywhere will be gone". He said with sadness in his voice before it was filled with hope. "But up there Elysium is waiting for us".
'And maybe one day we can walk among the stars themselves and see the beauty of the universe' he thought at the idea of exploring the universe and see how beautiful it could be.
Hearing laughter behind him he knew Nia thought his idea was childish ."Pfft bahahaha! Elysium you honestly believe that guff, it's just an old tale told to us when we were children to make us feel better that thing is just an overgrown shrub".
She was trying to catch her breath from all the laughter before asking "so is that why you became a salvager?".
She didn't expect him to turn around and glare at her directly. His golden eyes held such a strong will it's as if they were a raging but controlled bonfire. 'Huh he's serious about this' Nia realized.
"I'm serious, I do believe Elysium exists and I've seen some pretty unbelievable things before. If we can reach Elysium people will have resources and land but I'm not naive enough to believe all conflicts will just disappear but I don't want everyone in the world to die just like that". His voice was strong and firm as believed in everything he said.
"Hm everyone in the world huh?" she looked at him in deep thought before continuing " you know Rex I thought people were selfish. But you…"
"But what?" he asked
She just shook her head "nevermind. So d'you have any parents?"
Rex shook his head "No my mom died to save me when I was a baby so I don't remember her and I don't know who or where my dad is or even if he is even alive". He looked a bit depressed at this before cheering up a little bit. "But I do have gramps to help me though he is a bit different compared to us just don't freak out when you see him". He smirked at her because deep down he really wanted to see her reaction that his 'gramps' is actually a titan.
"Gramps he was the one who taught you arts right" she questioned looking at him for an answer and he responded with a simple nod.
She still had one more question for him, one that she really wants to know. "Hey Rex, if you could have a blade or blades, what type would you like?"
Taken aback by that Rex quickly collected himself and regained his composure. "Well I know drivers can have up to three blades at a time so I would like a fire, water and light blade by my side with the weapons of all three of them being a type of sword"
Nia just raised a brow at the unique combo of elements. "Any particular reason why that's a really unique combo and light element blades are really rare. I doubt you'll find one." She wasn't wrong, the light element was so rare that there was no common blade that was of the light element.
He looked at Nia with a soft expression on his face "Yeah but there's this feeling in my soul. I don't know why but I just really want blades of those elements". He then started to blush as he said the other reason "I.. uh .. um.. also find blades of those elements really beautiful too."
Nia looked at him with a blush on her face and said one thing "pervert" but she wasn't mad in fact she was actually really happy.
Rex realized he probably should have said that so he tried to end the conversation
"Well this has been a nice conversation but you should sleep, don't worry about me I'll be fine we'll be arriving at our destination tomorrow". He advised.
Sighing she began walking down the stairs "just try to get some rest yourself it's not healthy to stay up for so long okay". He could tell she was worried but he couldn't sleep, not without gramps or his aunt there with him.
But maybe just this once a nap for one hour couldn't hurt 'I'll just ask someone to take over my shift there has to be someone awake I..I...I just don't want the nightmares again' . A part of him is scared to sleep alone but the other part just wants to rest his mind from staying up for so long.
'Ah Rex we were one before but now I shall possess you the Omnitrix itself will be under my control' a raspy sinister voice that was devoid of life itself called out to him
'The omnitrix is in the hands of a CHILD?! I shall rip the Omnitrix from your cold lifeless corpse boy'. Another voice different from the one before threatened him and this one felt more organic but artificial at the same time.
'Ah this form was your favourite, wasn't it well let's get rid of it shall we?' a third voice that was cold and lacked human warmth with an almost metallic and cruel tone mocked him.
'NNNNNNNNNN NOOOOOOOOO!'
"NOOOOOOOOO!" he woke up yelling eyes wide with fear and gasping for air. Trying to control himself he put his hands to his chest to try to steady his heartbeat but it was useless and he felt his stomach churn. Quickly running out of the room he was sleeping in and heading to the rails he began puking his dinner out over the rails of the maelstrom and into the clouds.
After finally emptying his stomach he realized what happened and then he started to break down, tears were streaming down his face and snot started coming out from his nose. His breathing was hard and heavy as sounds of crying came out of his mouth with it. Curling up into a ball he just stayed there in his own sorrow unable to move. 'It happened again why why WHY!? Am I still afraid after all these years? I shouldn't be scared of this anymore I shouldn't be scared of anything even'
He heard footsteps. No doubt someone heard his breakdown. He raised his head when he realized someone was standing in front of him, his eyes were still blurry from all the tears but he could make out it was Jin.
Jin looked down at him and his eyes were cold but even so he asked "I heard yelling what's wrong?"
Quickly wiping away the tears he tried to speak but his words were inaudible since he couldn't stop crying. Jin however was patient enough to wait for Rex to finally calm down.
After gathering himself he took a few more deep breaths to calm down then he looked Jin in the eyes. "S-s-sorry i-i-i j-just had a nightmare that's all". He managed to get out after controlling his breath a bit better.
"A nightmare that bad couldn't have been normal, what's actually going on?" Jin demanded him to answer.
Rex considered to say it was nothing but after giving it some thought he decided that maybe talking about it will help him even if just a little bit.
Swallowing his spit before steeling himself to answer even though he was still scared. "I went through some stuff over the years since I was ten and I had some situations that almost killed me. Since then every time I tried to go to sleep I always had nightmares about those times". He took a deep breath to calm down before continuing. "But when I have gramps there with me I can always sleep fine but he's not with me now so I thought maybe just an hour of sleep couldn't hurt". He pauses as his voice cracks a bit but he keeps on speaking. "I was wrong, the nightmares are still there! I shouldn't be afraid of them and yet why?! Why am I still afraid it's been years I shouldn't have anything to fear about it anymore". He yelled as tears were running down his face again.
Jin just kept looking at him before taking a deep sigh "are you trying to be fearless or brave?"
Calming a bit Rex looks up at Jin a little confused "w-w-what do you mean aren't they the same thing?".
Shaking his head Jin explained "to be fearless is to be not afraid of anything to be brave is to be afraid of something but still facing it head on"
Seeing Rex's confused face he closes his eyes but keeps going "fear is because it's easy to be afraid. Being brave is harder since you have to overcome the fear that so easily rules you". Jin opens his eyes and continues "From what I've heard you weren't trying to overcome your fears but instead trying to make them invisible to you, keep that up and eventually your fear will consume you for the rest of your life".
A look of understanding appears on Rex's face seeing that his work is down Jin begins walking away "Just don't let your fear interrupt your job we'll be at our destination soon.
Nodding Rex then gets up and starts walking back to his room and sits down on his bed. Thinking back to what Jin said he knew he was right it was easier to be scared and hard to be brave and he wasn't trying to be brave. He was just trying to Ignore his fears and by doing that he was letting them control him. He promised to try to be better but he didn't know how.
Author's notes
So this is my first story ever. I would like criticism. I also don't have a beta reader or editor and I'm new at fanfiction so is there any way I can get one?
Now onto the story this is Rex having the Omnitrix for five years who just beat the highbreed not too long ago. The reason why I didn't write him first getting the Omnitrix is because I don't have confidence in my skills as a new writer. I will however plan to write a prequel sometime in the future when I get better at writing.
Now as for Rex you can see he is more mature but still naive in a way. This is mainly due to being forced to mature after getting the Omnitrix. And as you can see from the nightmare he had and his sleeping problems he has a lot of trauma in him.
I mean even the 10 year Ben we know admitted the reason why he jokes around a lot. It's basically so he could have a coping mechanism and Rex does not have that in my story.
And just to repeat, I only know Xenoblade Chronicles 2 through Chuggaaconroy (again best let's player there is) so no spoilers to anything I haven't seen yet please.
And the pairings for this story is Rex x Pyra x Mythra x Nia x Coffee with milk and I want to try to write lemons but again first story so don't expect much from me.
Have a good time until my next update.
