Chapter 62

"Let's go!" spoke Shulk, catching sight of some Mechon in front of us and drawing the Monado. "Phew..." he breathed, moving forward as the beam burst from the blade. "The Monado still works... great!"

"It does?" spoke Sharla, as she pulled out her rifle and shot at the Mechon, who came forward to meet us. "When did that happen?"

"When we were getting the Piezoelectric Unit," spoke Melia, twirling her staff in her hands. "Water... the source of all life!"

I drew my sword, getting the chainsaws to roar to life as I gripped it with both hands. Lashing out, my blade sliced right on through a Mechon that lunged for me, halting its momentum as I cut it apart.

Riki flopped on the ground, playing dead, and the Mechon that was about to bring an arm down on him stopped, turning around. "Hah!" Riki got back up, dashing to the Mechon's side. "Peekaboo!"

"Double Wind!" I heard Fiora call out, tearing her twin blades through a Mechon, and it fell to the ground, mechanical whirling fading to quietness. "Mag Storm!" she spoke next, the Mechon surrounding us recoiling at the Art.

"Nice one, Fiora!" spoke Shulk, moving past a Mechon whose arm rushed for him. "Air Slash!" he grunted, tearing the Monado through its body. "Stream Edge!" His eyes narrowed as the Monado's light pulsed with its activation. "Monado Buster!" he spoke, lashing out and decimating the Mechon in front of him. "Hah..."

I breathed out, dropping my left hand from my sword as I sensed no more living Mechon in the immediate vicinity. "Nice one," I told Shulk, nodding at him.

"Yeah... we pulled through that one," he spoke, nodding back before turning his attention to Fiora beside him.

I weighed my sword on both hands, letting my mouth shift with puzzlement. Wonder why the chainsaws rip apart Mechon when the base blade isn't capable of doing so... guess I'll just have to ask Shulk about it later. "So... the Mechonis capital... where's it exactly?" I spoke.

"Well... to start, we have to go up the Mechonis Leg, through an area called Mechonis Field," spoke Shulk. "After that, it shouldn't be too far away before we get there. Anyway, we're still a bit low on the foot to leg part, so..."

"Hm... Riki and friends still have long way to go, then," spoke the Heropon. "Alright! Let friends go! Adventure awaits!"

"I'm sure it does, Riki," smiled Melia, patting Riki on the head, the Nopon nuzzling into the princess's hand.

Too cute, I thought, looking away. Next thing you know, virtual avatars for people will take over the planet by virtue of sheer cuteness. And we are not ready for it.

"Phew..." Fiora breathed out as Shulk took the lead for us, withdrawing her swords.

"Are you alright, Fiora?" spoke Sharla, coming near the half-Homs. "You're not feeling exhausted or hurt, are you?"

She probably wouldn't tell you even if she was, I thought, casting my senses at Fiora's body. After a moment I released a faint sigh. ...Can't tell whether or not she's feeling tired, but at the very least she wasn't wounded in that last skirmish. I quickened my pace, tuning out the conversations of the others and coming to walk beside Shulk.

"Wow..." he breathed, casting his gaze on what looked like a faraway pillar, though what might have been a magnificent upper half was nowhere to be seen; it had been separated, leaving behind a massive stump. "I wonder what caused that to happen."

"That pillar?" I spoke, looking at it. "...Maybe it just happened?"

"Maybe... but then, what occurred for half of it to break off?" spoke Shulk. "Maybe, after erosion from a prolonged period of time and weather wearing at it, it couldn't support its own weight and broke off on its own... huh!" He tilted his head. "Though if that's the case...!" He dashed at a random direction, which gradually escalated to become a hill.

I and everyone else followed the blonde more slowly, eventually making it up beside him. "Huh?" I blinked, now able to see the pillar's base. "There's nothing..."

"There's nothing that might have been its upper half," spoke Shulk, eyes practically sparkling. "Does that mean that something or someone carried it away? Could it be a mark of civilization for the Machina?"

"...You can ask Miqol if that's the case, then," I deadpanned. "Anyway, let's keep going. We got a long way to go, and the sun's not gonna wait for us, you know."

"Actually..." Fiora took a quick look around, gazing up at the sky, which was already a deep, rich orange as the sun began to set. "This hill looks fairly safe, we've made good progress, and it'll be dark soon. Why don't we set up camp here?" she suggested.

"That would be wise," spoke Melia. "We would be able to get a good night's rest, and an early start tomorrow."

"Yeah, sounds good," spoke Shulk, drinking from a canteen. "Alright, then... Fiora, Sharla, could you two set up the camp? Riki, Melia, could you get some wood and start a fire? Andrew and I will fill up our canteens and get some food, does it sound good?"

We all nodded, and Shulk and I took everyone's canteens before moving toward a nearby river we had passed earlier.

"Mm... an Ice Kiwi Fruit," spoke Shulk, picking something from the ground. "We don't need to cook this to eat it."

"Fiora's a good cook, right?" I spoke, with the blonde nodding as we set down at the river to begin filling our water supplies. "Hm... wonder if she can make something good. Hopefully." Ah... I miss mom's cooking. And seeing mom, and dad, and- I shook my head, focusing my gaze on the now full canteen within my grasp, capping it and filling another. No... don't think about it too much. Get started and I'll wallow in self-pity again.

"Yeah." Shulk made a slight face afterwards. "But she always makes sure to give me lots of vegetables..."

"They're good for you," I spoke, chuckling at the sour look on Shulk's face. "'Sides, if done well, a bunch can even taste pretty good. Help balance out a meal, too, especially if it's got a lot of meat to start with. Meat can be super rich and heavy, so vegetables help out with the flavor."

"Eh... well, I suppose you're not wrong," spoke Shulk, splashing some water on his face and drinking some of the river's water. "Ah... phew," he spoke, stretching a bit. "I just don't like what I don't, though, alright?"

"Hey, I'm not arguing," I spoke, cracking my neck as I rose up, settling canteens into my pockets while I downed my own. "Anyway, I bet she does it 'cause she cares. Eating well is a good way to keep healthy, you know?" I refilled my canteen again and rose up.

"Yeah," replied Shulk, breathing out. "Alright... now let's get something Fiora can cook," he spoke. "Though... hm. We don't really have any pots or pans we could really use, huh..."

...Something has to be wrong with us to only realize this now. "Well, if we get some fish, we could use sticks and hang 'em over a fire or something, right?" I felt myself salivate at the thought. "Mm... some nice garnish, like maybe some fruit, and it'd be pretty good. Or some herbs..."

"Yeah... that does sound good," nodded Shulk. "No fishing rod though... hm..."

I closed my eyes, sensing some fish in the river currently beside us. They were small, though, likely no more than a mouthful for any of us. "Hm..." Casting my senses out on a wider area, I paused after a moment. "Downstream," I spoke, moving downward along the river bank. "Huh..." Looking back, I saw Shulk grasp a long, sturdy-looking stick from the ground. "Shulk?"

He looked thoughtful, placing a hand into a pocket and pulling out what looked like some thin string. "Maybe this might work as an improvisation..." he mused glancing it over.

"You're gonna try fishing?" I spoke, watching as he tied a sturdy knot and formed a fishing rod of sorts. "...Wasn't expecting you to just make one on the spot," I admitted. I probably wouldn't have thought of it.

"It's a lot simpler than some of the machines Dickson gave to me back in the colony," spoke Shulk. "Probably won't last long, but it should get the job done."

I nodded, casting my senses to the others, whose general location were all fairly close to each other. ...Good. Looks like they're not in any danger. I took a seat, breathing out. "Phew... you think we'll be able to get to Egil soon?"

"Mm." Shulk answered without looking away as he moved along the river. Before long, he seemed satisfied by what he saw in the water and cast his line. "Hopefully. We should do it in coordination with the allied forces, and Dickson's going to tell them, so... yeah, I think so."

I gazed around. "You know... with everything being hectic, we haven't ever really had a chance to just sit down and... relax," I spoke.

"Mm..." Shulk pulled on the rod, a large fish of some kind on the end. "There," he nodded, before looking at me. "Yeah... at first we were going for revenge, then looking for Fiora... our pace 'til now was usually pretty frantic," he spoke. "Almost surprised our weapons didn't wear out all that much during the whole time."

I inspected my sword. "Mine's probably the one that's been replaced the most," I spoke, weighing it in my hand.

"Yeah..." Shulk inspected the fish and nodded again. "Alright, this should be good for all of us. Let's go," he told me.

I nodded, following after him. "By the way..." I felt a smirk creep onto my face. Well... why not? "Do you like Fiora?"

Shulk jolted in place at my words. "Wha- where did that come from?!" he spoke, looking at me.

I laughed. "Just curious," I replied. Though I think I know the answer... you better win, childhood friends. "Anyway, c'mon. Don't wanna keep her waiting, yeah?" I grinned at him.

Shulk sighed, shaking his head lightly as he led me off. Though his face was not devoid of a slight smile.

I sat in front of the fire, nodding to myself. By now it was just me, as everyone else was sleeping. My position was relative to the fire so that I wouldn't breathe in any of the smoke it let off.

Damn, that was pretty good... I thought. Never knew Fiora was so great at cooking. She seemed unsure considering her body, but it was awesome. Wonder if she might teach me if I asked her... sure ain't as good as mom's though. I smiled lightly to myself. Wonder how Fiora'd fare as a mom... hope she and Shulk don't get overwhelmed if that does happen.

I idly let my senses reach out in a general area around the small campsite, mentally noting that nothing was approaching. Hm... least it ain't cold next to this fire. I hummed lightly, letting my eyes stare at nothing in particular.

"Andrew..." I blinked, glancing over to see Fiora slowly move towards me. A yawn escaped her as she sat on a log near me. "It's my turn to take the night shift now," she spoke, eyes half-closed. "So... you can go sleep if you want..."

"You look like you're 'bout to fall asleep yourself," I spoke. I stood and stretched, grunting as I felt and heard my muscles pop. "Ngh..." I cracked my knuckles as I sat down again. "You go back an' sleep. I'll continue watching." I really got caught up in the flow of everything here, huh... never had too many chances to just relax and think. Maybe I'll think up a story or something while I have the time...

"Well..." Fiora frowned slightly. "In that case... do you mind if we talk a bit?"

...Or maybe not. "Sure," I spoke. "Anything in particular?"

"Um... just, you accompanied Shulk and Reyn on their journey, back in Colony 9, right?" She bit her lip, glancing away slightly before looking back at my face.

"Hm...? Yeah."

"Is there any reason you had?" she spoke. "I mean... Shulk and Reyn were going because of what... happened to me. But you didn't really have a reason like that to just go like that, didn't you?"

"...I guess not," I replied, tilting my head.

"I mean... you didn't have a connection to the colony, did you?" spoke Fiora. "Shulk said he just found you lying in the clearing, and then Reyn came along and you fought together. So, if you're willing to say, then... I'm curious."

"Hm..." Back then... geez, feels like ages ago. Back then, Metal Face totally beat our asses, I thought. "Well... 'cause why not, I guess?" I spoke, tilting my head. "Like... I didn't really have a strong reason, but those two were determined... I got kinda caught up in their momentum, I suppose, and just went with the flow. Or something like that." I scratched my head.

Fiora pursed her lips slightly, though nodded. "Oh, okay. Thank you," she spoke.

"What brought this up?" I spoke.

She shook her head. "I was just thinking... Riki's the Heropon and doing this for... glory, or something akin to that. Or... to pay his debt, at least," she spoke, a faint smile flickering across her face. "Sharla's trying to find her fiance... Shulk was doing it for revenge and then to find me..." Fiora swallowed, looking away. "Dunban was probably looking after you all... Reyn, too. Just... I had no clue what you were still fighting for."

For Iris, duh. RIP Zero losing his waifu. "Well..." I wanna go home, and that might be at the end of this, but... it's not like these guys don't deserve to go home too. "So all of us can go home, to our friends and family," I spoke. "That's not a bad thought, is it?"

"Going home..." breathed Fiora. "That... would be nice."

I nodded. "At the end of this... I'll make sure you guys can get home safe, then probably... go home myself." If there's even a way... might just end up wandering or something. Or maybe even going to another game! I felt myself sweat at the thought. Please god no. Let me go home first. Please-

"If that's the case, then we can help you," spoke Fiora. "It's probably somewhere on Bionis, right? After this is all over, we can help you go home too."

I covered my face with a hand, pretending to yawn to hide the twist of my mouth. "Well, that's still a ways in the future, and worryin' about it ain't gonna do much good," I spoke. "Let's just focus on the here and now first. And right now, uh... we gotta stop Egil."

Fiora nodded. "Right." She breathed out, looking up at the moon. "Right..." Her eyes drooped ever so slightly, and she shook her head.

"You should go back and sleep," I spoke. "Rest. Tomorrow- er, today, I guess, at this point- is gonna be even more demanding." I smiled lightly as she eventually gave me a nod. "And 'sides... I bet Shulk'd like to-" I stopped. Actually, I have a bad feeling. I shouldn't probe those two too much about their relationship. Not my place to get 'em together... you hear that, Robin, Corrin, Byleth?! Don't ship your companions together! Let those relationships develop naturally!

Even if that means not getting the Supports you want! And not getting the endings you want! And-

"Er... were you going to say something, Andrew?" spoke Fiora, peering at me.

"Ah, no, sorry," I spoke, shaking my head. "Nothing. Just... uh, good night." I nodded to her again.

"...Good night. Thank you." Fiora rose from her seat and retreated to lie near Shulk. Her breathing evened out and I sensed her consciousness fade away.

I breathed out, feeding more wood to the fire. What I'm fighting for, huh... I felt my face twitch, my mind drifting to Ike fighting for his friends. "Well... hm..." At this point... with all I've ended...

I pulled out the katana from my coat, drawing it from the sheath. What the hell was wrong with me to enjoy killing once upon a time? I sighed, placing the blade back in its sheath and putting it away.

"I guess... I'll be selfish and take this all the way to the end," I murmured, crossing my arms and looking up at the sky.

The expanse of sky held nothing within its depths save for the shining, full moon. Glancing at it, I idly allowed my senses drift around, and felt a frown come to my face as I focused on my body. What the...

"Hm...?" I blinked, looking at my torso, though my jacket covered it. I undid the zipper and looked underneath. "Ah," I murmured. "Interesting."

Lined across the entirety of my body were a large number of scars. A number of them had faded somewhat, with some almost seeming like a ghost. However, massive ones littered my body, looking fresh, probably only a day or so old- from lack of pain and general colour, they thankfully seemed free from any possible risk of infection.

"A day or so... guess it was Virgil?" I spoke. I did get fucked up in that fight, after all... guess healing my wounds like that leave massive scars, huh. I felt my face almost contort into a kind of smile for some reason. "Hunh." I zipped my jacket back up, rolling up the left sleeve to be a bit past my elbow and crossing my arms, casting my gaze on the nearby fire.

Wonder how much more damage my body's gonna sustain before it's all through... I felt my face twitch at my thoughts.

And how much more I'm going to destroy along the way.

"Alright..." I breathed out, climbing up what looked like a large sheet with indents in place to allow for vertical movement. I glanced down quickly to see Riki, Sharla and Melia below. Moving along I managed to get myself onto solid ground, where Shulk was looking Fiora over. "Phew..." I wiped some sweat away. "Lot of climbing today." At my words Sharla gave me a nod.

"Riki agree with Andrew," spoke Riki, as the six of us moved along, over a ramp. "Riki and friends really high up now!" He peered over the side, as we reached another sheet, identical in appearance to the previous one.

I cracked my knuckles, shaking a bit of weariness away before climbing up the sheet. At the top of this one I lent a hand to Shulk who was behind me. "Thanks," he spoke as he took my hand.

Melia's breathing was somewhat laboured as she gazed forward; another ramp awaited, this one extending for what almost felt like an actual kilometer. "It appears we are only going to get even higher," she spoke.

"Right," spoke Sharla. "Let's keep up a steady pace, guys."

"Mm," responded Fiora as we continued off at a leisurely pace along the ramp.

Once we reached the top we all blinked. "Wow," spoke Shulk, eyes widened. His voice was soft, almost seeming like he was sucked out of the present.

The scene before us all was nothing short of a breathtaking view. The sun shone distantly above, illuminating everything down below. The sandy beaches below glinted platinum from its influence. Vast fields flourished, existent farther than eyesight could possible take in; straining my senses, wildlife reigned, as well as mechanical whirling. From here... "Huh... the village looks like the shape of a circle," I spoke. This... is this what it might look like if humans weren't constantly ravaging the planet? I wondered. A place where humanity and nature can sorta... co-exist...?

"Yeah," spoke Fiora. "And look... I think..." She squinted, leaning against the railing. "If you look closely, you can see the remains of my Face."

I blinked, squinting in the same direction as Fiora. Without my glasses, long gone, however, such a fine detail was one my eyes could never capture. "More than that..." Sharla's voice cut into my thoughts, and I glanced over to see the medic looking upward. "You can see the Bionis and the Mechonis from here."

I and everyone else looked up, blinking at the Titans above. "It's something else," spoke Shulk. "Right now... I'd bet we're only on the tip of a finger or something. We still have to go up those massive bodies..."

A shrill cry cut into our attention, and what looked like a massive red pterodactyl was coming straight at us. I sensed its immediate bloodlust strike me all of a sudden, and swallowed past the sensation of choking. This thing is powerful- I called the Soul Demon and drew my sword, the Demon moving forward to meet the monster's charge.

The beast roared. its lunge forcing back the Soul Demon and disintegrating it. I winced, holding a hand to my head as my Stand was defeated with ease. Well, that worked out well.

"If we wish to enjoy this view further, it seems we will need to fight," spoke Melia, grasping her staff. "Summon Wind!"

Shulk pursed his lips as he drew the Monado. "Be careful, everyone!" he spoke, moving forward. "I can feel it... it's really strong!"

"Riki is Angry!" shouted the Heropon, puffing up as he bounded over. "BLERGH!" He went flying over the ledge as a massive wing struck him, though I sensed a wing grasp the edge. At the same time, the pterodactyl screamed, sustaining an injury from striking the almighty Heropon so lightly.

"Cover me," I told Shulk, the blonde nodding as I dashed over. "You okay, Riki?" I spoke, dropping my sword and pulling the Nopon over the ledge. He's hurt... not life-threatening, but Sharla should...

"Hmph... Riki is tough!" he spoke, though his eyes were somewhat crossed and his breath came in short puffs. "Riki can keep going!"

"That's good, but let Sharla look after ya anyway, 'kay? Then you can fight harder," I spoke, sensing Fiora get thrown to the ground by a blow, and Shulk slamming into the nearby railing. I grasped my blade and moved forward, twitching as my senses reacted. Ther- "Guh!" My gauntlets came out as the pterodactyl moved and forced me back. "NGH-" Sent to the ground, I put my sword into my jacket and rolled away as it slammed a wing where I was a moment prior.

"Back Slash!" called Shulk, the monster releasing a howl as the Monado sliced its flesh apart. It turned to face the blonde and spread its wings, standing there menacingly. "Ah- Monado Speed!" Shulk dashed away as the pterodactyl bit at him, breathing out as he moved back.

I drew the katana and lashed out as I drew it from its sheath, cutting into the monster. It growled, turning around again to face me. As it did, Fiora stabbed both her swords into its side. "Double Wind!" she spoke, gritting her teeth as she tore her blades out. It cried out again and turned to face her.

I blinked as Riki took its remaining side and bashed it with his Biter, causing it to face him, before Shulk attacked and it turned to face him. ...Wow. This was simpler than I thought it'd be. I shook my head and focused on cutting at the beast with the katana when it was my respective turn.

Eventually it released a deep growl and flew up, higher than we could reach. Shulk's eyes glowed blue for a second before the aura around his shoes turned green-

A flap of the wings and a gust slammed us to the ground. "Ugh!" I grunted as I stabbed the katana into the ground, managing to halt as my back struck the railing behind me. "You guys okay?" I spoke.

"Yes," spoke Sharla, taking a prone position on the ground and lining up the shot with her gun. I felt water drip onto my body, and I saw Riki flash me a thumbs up. I felt my face twitch as I held back a smile, gazing backwards.

This railing is taking a lot of damage... I cast my senses along it and noted some dents in it; additionally, some parts of it were trembling. Dunno if Flex Tape can fix it... we should try not to hit it as much as we can.

"RARGH!" I looked up at the sudden shout, and saw Shulk, who was standing on the neck of the pterodactyl force the Monado's beam through its head. It shrieked in response, turning upside down and moving to force him into the ground. "Ah-"

"Shulk!" spoke Fiora, dashing forward. "Power Drain!"

"NGH-" Shulk tightened his grip on the Monado and breathed out, sweat dripping across his body as the Monado pulsed, a red aura briefly surrounding him. "Monado... BUSTER!"

I stared as the pterodactyl's head was eviserated from the sudden enlarging of the Monado's beam. Wait- it's still gonna fall! I used my black form and moved forward, dropping the katana as the gauntlets formed and straining to lift the body of the dead beast. "NRGH-!" I... collapsed anyway. "OOF!"

Shulk groaned, landing to the side as he hit the ground. "Hah... ugh..." He straightened himself up, gazing at me under the pterodactyl. "You OK, Andrew?" he spoke, moving over to me.

I strained from under the pterodactyl. Somehow I managed to keep its weight from falling flat on my body, but... "I... can't lift it," I spoke, reverting to normal. I gritted my teeth as gravity forced it down with ever growing intensity. "Actually, how the heck is this thing so heavy?! What's up with that?!"

"Relax, Andrew," spoke Fiora. "I managed to store some of its strength, so lemme just..." She pushed against the pterodactyl's corpse, slowly moving it to one side. "Ngh..."

"Allow me to assist," spoke Melia. "Summon Flare... and Summon Copy," she spoke, two fiery orbs coming into place beside her. "Then... Summon Wind!"

Sharla, Shulk, Riki, and Melia got in place beside Fiora on the corpse. "On the count of three," spoke Fiora. "3... 2..."

I breathed out, feeling it push down on what felt to be into my ribcage. Still can use my soul a little longer... alright.

"1... now!" They all strained to push the pterodactyl off me; with a roar I used soul form and managed to get my arm at an angle to assist with the effort.

"RRGH... RARGH!" Eventually I got enough space to punch it with a gauntlet, and sent the body of the pterodactyl off the side of the platform. "Phew..." I reverted, feeling a nasty pain in my chest, and just lay on the ground. "Wow."

"'Wow' indeed," spoke Melia, the elementals beside her fading away as she lay down beside me. "Hah..."

"Here," spoke Shulk, passing me my katana. I nodded thanks at him as I took the weapon and put it in my jacket. Shulk took the Monado from his back and took a seat on my other side; Fiora took the side next to him while Riki took Melia's remaining side, and Sharla sat in front of us, readying her rifle. "That was a close one," spoke the blonde.

"Thanks, guys," I spoke, murmurs drifting from the rest of my companions. I breathed out as the agony in my torso abated somewhat from the healing ether Sharla shot above us. "Thanks, Sharla."

"Don't mention it," she spoke, resting her rifle to cool. "Hm... this is probably a good place to rest for awhile, isn't it?"

"Yeah," spoke Shulk, pulling out his canteen and taking a long drink. "Then we head for the Mechonis capital... and for Egil."

"Right," spoke Melia, an idle Aqua elemental providing a source of drink for her. ...I never thought of using an elemental like that. Huh. "For now, it would be best to regain our strength as much as we can."

"Mm... Riki sleep now!" The Heropon rested his head on Melia's lap. The princess smiled and brushed his fur, soft sounds rising from Riki as he drifted into a nap.

I sighed, resting a hand behind my head and inspecting the sky above, the people surrounding me falling into various stages of relaxation.

Above it shone blue with an apathetic cruelty.