Chapter 3:

Shielding the Flames

-Clang!-

The sound of clashing metal cracked the air. Again, and again, metallic booms tore through the normally bustling grounds of the Relay Base. The sounds pounded the area like a thunderstorm, even cannons did less noise in comparison. Even the crew of the nearby battleship had to brace themselves as their vessel rocked back and forth.

No body had a clue what was going on. Did the Gormott Titan have an itch or something?

No, much to their confusion, nothing was wrong with the Titan or anything of the sort.

Instead, near the Base's entrance, Mor Ardain's fabled Flamebringer was engaged in fierce combat. But her foe wasn't the Legendary Aegis, her driver, or any of their friends.

-Clang! Clang!-

The person facing down the Imperial Inquisitor was an unknown variable. A new chess piece on the board that Mòrag hadn't anticipated or knew about at all.

It was a young girl, wielding an unimaginably sized shield. Mash Kyrielight, shield in hand, charged through Brighid's flames without flinching and engaged the Flamebringer in combat.

She made a beeline at the Inquisitor, carrying her shield with both hands. Mòrag expected a swing from such weapon to be slow and cumbersome. It was large, unwieldy, and had to weight at least four times as much as its owner. So it was to much surprise when Mash slid through her defenses and nearly slapped her upside the face before she could blink!

Mash was undoubtedly fast, much faster than even Mòrag had been expecting. She swung, slammed, and nearly bashed the Ardainian within just a few seconds of approaching. The girl could even twirl the immense shield and swing it with one hand. That move in particular nearly caught Mòrag's legs and brought her low.

"Lady Mòrag!"

However, the Flamebringer was more than quick on her feet. As the shield nearly took out her ankles, she flipped backwards and sliced at Mash with both her Whipswords.

She successfully blocked the blows, but Mòrag didn't let up the assault.

The Flamebringer unleashed her own onslaught of slashes and thrusts at the Shielder, practically peppering her shield with several blows at once. Mash stumbled back due to the rapid strikes but held her ground. With the sheer size of the Shield, Mòrag felt like she was merely beating against a reinforced door. There was no give, no bend, and certainly no break.

An adjustment in strategy was in order.

Mòrag halted her attack and snapped both her swords outwards. The blades transformed into long whips once again and she sent her Blade a glance.

Brighid nodded and ignited both whips with a wondrous blue flame.

Now ever the more dangerous, Mòrag launched into another spree of attacks. The whips crackled through the air and stuck against the shield, again and again. Mash held firm against the fierce strikes but one by one, the whips curled over the edges and began to nip at her defense. Despite how large the shield was, the sheer length of Mòrag's whips made stonewalling her assault difficult.

Mash hissed as one of the whips curled over-top her shield and struck her shoulder. As wondrous as the flames were, the flames still scorched and the whip's own strength was no joke either.

But Mash gritted her teeth. These flames were hot, but she knew worse. Much worse. Two such examples came to mind. One from a Frozen Lostbelt with a chilling Black Sun that hung above it, and one other. A Temple of Time beyond time itself, where a throne sat with ten rings abandoned there without their owner.

Compared to either of those, this was nothing!

"Haaaaaaah!" Mash yelled out amidst Mòrag's assault

Despite the pain of the whips striking against her, Mash took a tremendous step forward and swung at the Inquisitor. Mòrag's whips buckled against her shield, fumbling as the Shielder pushed them back.

Mòrag hastefully reformed her swords and narrowed a gaze at her charging foe. She wouldn't take a full charge directly. Instead, she considered sidestepping the girl. Her Blade could then follow up with a wave for flames to put her back on the defensive.

However, as Mòrag and Brighid prepared to move, Mash jumped.

The Shielder leaped off the ground, grabbed her shield with both hands, and raised her weapon overhead. Mòrag saw a determined gaze fill the girl's eyes and swiftly leaped backwards. Just as she did, Mash swung her shield downwards and stuck the ground beneath them.

"Bunker Bolt!"

The Relay Base trembled like an earthquake. Rex and the others nearly lost their footing and Mòrag nimbly flipped backwards as the shield struck down.

When her eyes settled on where Mash landed however, Mòrag was thankful she had avoided it.

Mash's shield practically leveled the ground beneath it. The neatly organized pavement that the Ardainian Empire had made just for their forward base been reduced to a crushed crater. The shield smashed the stone tiles into dust and left one hell of a pothole. If Mòrag had been struck by that, she was certain she'd need more than a day or two of rest to recover from that.

In the middle of the newly formed hole, Mash slowly stood and hoisted her shield up with her.

"What the bloody hell is going on anymore…" Nia mumbled.

Rex and the others couldn't help but agree. Since the moment they saw soldiers being launched over the gate, it was honestly hard to put together what was honestly going on anymore. They were fighting a losing battle against one of Mor Ardain's most powerful Drivers and now some new girl with a shield had come to their rescue?

And here they were, just standing around, watching, and not doing a damn thing.

Rex furrowed his brow, "Pyra."

The Aegis blinked and turned her attention away from the fight. While Mash launched herself once again at the Flamebringer, Pyra looked over to her Driver, "Rex?"

"I know what she said before, and what this Mòrag person wants with you," his grip tightened, "But I can't just keep standing here doing nothing, so…"

With a sigh, he turned and glanced at Pyra, "Can you back me up?"

This was their chance, the perfect time to get out of there. They could run, find another way out of the Base while this Mash girl fought with Mòrag. Heck, they could just take a dip in the Cloud Sea and swim to another shallow part of the Titan. But turning his back and running away like a scaredy cat while this stranger fought on instead?

Well, the thought made Rex feel like someone had just spat in his face!

Minutes ago he had this big speech about how Mòrag wouldn't touch Pyra and what was he gonna do? Dip out? Make a mad dash toward the exit with his tail between his legs while this girl fought in their stead? Letting some stranger take the heat for the mess they caused? He threw around some big words but what kind of double standards were those?!

"Rex."

The boy blinked. A hand gripped his shoulder.

He turned and saw Pyra, standing next to him with a warm smile on her face.

"Let's do this."

Rex stared at his Blade, still for just a moment, and then he grinned, "Right!"

Back near the base's gate, Mash struggled to resist the onslaught striking her shield.

Even with the element of surprise she got from her sudden entrance, her foe was no joke. While she clearly wasn't a servant, the woman had plenty of skill and experience on her side. Combine that with the sheer speed of her strikes and the flame support the woman in the purple dress was providing, the battle was slowly turning against Mash.

Her shield allowed her to block nearly anything they threw at her, but that was the problem.

The longer the fight dragged on, the less chances to attack Mash was getting. The woman knew to keep her at a distance and the Whipswords she utilized gave her plenty of reach to get some hits in. A shield was a wonderful tool to protect but it was less than optimal for mid-range combat.

Mash really wished she'd spent more time in the simulator to rectify this issue.

Suddenly, one of the Whipswords wrapped itself around the left side of Mash's shield. Mòrag yanked the whip sideways, trying to force the shield from it's owner. As the shield swirled however, Mash went with it. Her grip would not falter. She wasn't the type of defender who would release their shield so easily.

But that was all Mòrag needed. With the girl's main method of defense no longer directly in front of her, the Inquisitor swung with her second blade. A quick decisive blow to rid her of this distraction.

"Aaaaaaaiyah!"

Mid-swing however, the sword was gone. Mòrag's hand was empty. Her eyes widened, bewildered at the sudden loss of her weapon.

Then, a familiar presence behind her clued her in.

"Lady Mòrag!"

Brighid stood directly behind her Driver, sword in hand. Jewel of the Empire and Inquisitor stood back to back with one sword each. Mòrag had one blade entangled around Mash's shield while her partner clashed swords with the very reason the fighting had begun in the first place.

The Aegis and her Driver, yet again.

"Hey now!" Rex grinned, "I thought you lot were trying to take us on!? Was bullying us getting boring and you decided to pick on somebody else now?"

Beneath her helmet, Mòrag felt a slight twitch grace her brow.

"Boy, the longer I am graced by your foolishness, the more I long to be rid of it!"

Suddenly, between the two agents of Mor Ardain, a eruption of fire exploded forth. Bright blue flames swirled around Brighid and encompassed both her and her Driver. Appearing in an instant like the lightening of a match, the flames slammed into Mash, Rex, and Pyra and sent the trio skidding backwards. It was a twisting, flaming monolith of fire, a literal pillar of flame with the Flamebringer and her Blade at its center.

With a sword in each hand, the duo glared at their respective opponents. Mòrag focused on Mash while Brighid silently faced the Aegis and her Driver.

Suddenly, the pillar quaked. In unison, the pair brought their swords down at the same time, and with them, so did the fire. The Flaming pillar exploded forth, sending flames in every direction.

Rex was quick and threw himself in front of Pyra, He ignited the Aegis' sword and tried to meet the flames head on. Despite what he threw at the oncoming wall however, it didn't bulge. Pyra's flames barely made a dent in the inferno as it advanced upon them. Both Driver and Blade watched as the flames sprang forward and braced for the impact…

"Mash-!"

-Predictive Evasion-

The flames however, did not reach.

Rex and Pyra waited, tense for the wave of pain about to hit them. But after a few seconds, nothing happened. There was no heat, no flames, and nothing slammed into them like a raging Titan. The pair glanced at each other, confused. The inferno should have hit them straight on and sent them sprawling to the ground. Yet, nothing. No heat, no flames, and certainly not a bit of pain to be shared.

So where did it go?

Driver and Blade slowly raised their heads and saw something in front of them.

Between the boy, Blade, and the raging wall of flames, was Mash. The girl appeared out of nowhere, amidst flickering sparks, and raised her shield in their defense. The flames struck Mash's wall like a flood but against the girl's defensive wall, the wave of fire split down the middle. Two steams of flames flowed off in separate directions, leaving Mash, Pyra, and Rex unharmed.

"What is this!"

"Lady Mòrag," Brighid suddenly spoke, "There, by the gate."

Mòrag turned, burying her frustration underneath a angry stomp. She followed her partner's observation and turned to the Relay Base's front entrance. Just a short while ago, Brighid's had engulfed the main gate in a torrent of flames to prevent the Aegis from escaping. But thanks to that shield girl's interference, the monolith of flames had petered out into a few scattered patches.

As she looked at the gate however, Mòrag spotted a new arrival. A young boy with messy black hair, grey and black clothing, and a glowing right hand.

Oh, and Fou was there too. The small critter sat on the boy's shoulder and wagged it's tail as the Inquisitor looked on.

"And who might you be?"

"Ritsuka Fujimaru."

Mòrag spared a glance between him and the shield behind her, "I take it you have some affiliation with this girl?"

"I'm her senior, yes."

"Then you admit to willingly interfering in official Mor Ardain business, assisting a known felon, and assaulting members of the Ardainian military, as well as a high ranking official?"

Awkwardly, Ritsuka chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"I suppose so. To be honest, this wasn't exactly what we were planning on doing when we got here today." he mused, "Just sort of stumbled into it. Though, I have been called nosy before."

The inquisitor raised a brow, "Nosy."

"It's a bit of a habit. I'm truly sorry for the trouble."

While the Flamerbringer drilled a heated glare into Ritsuka's forehead. Rex and the others took a moment to catch their breath. Nia leaned against Dromarch's fuzzy bulk, Poppi picked her fumbling Masterpon off the ground, and Pyra shared the exhaustion the group collectively felt. Even with the help that came out of the blue, Mòrag was running them ragged. Between the battle itself and the sheer heat that made the group feel as if they made an enemy of the sun, any sort of break felt like a godsend.

But a breather wasn't going to win them this fight, that's for sure.

"Is everyone...alright?" Rex asked the others.

Nia patted Dromach on the head and nodded, "Hangin in there."

"Those two, very strong!"

Rex huffed. Leave it to Tora to understate the situation. Still, he wasn't wrong. Even with everyone throwing everything they had at her, overpowering Mòrag and her Blade just wasn't working. The Inquisitor had more than enough skill and power to put the entire Titan Battleship to shame in comparison. They needed another strategy, but what?

As thoughts of what to do wracked the Salvager's brain however, another thought smacked him right in the noggin. There wasn't merely six of them in this fight anymore. All of his friends were alright, but there was one more person standing in front of them. The same person who just placed themselves and a massive shield between Rex, Pyra, and a river of fire.

"Hey!" he called out to Mash, "I...I didn't catch your name, but, you holding up alright?"

Behind her shield, the Demi-Servant blinked.

"Um...y-yes! Thank you. I'm fine." she nodded awkwardly, "What about you? I tried to block the attack, but my shield can only defend so much space at once-"

Rex shook his head, "Nah, we're fine, just a bit crispy."

"Speak for yourself!"

Rolling his eyes, Rex ignored Nia's gripe and tried to focus. Mòrag didn't need numbers of her side. One flick of her sword and she could cake the entire base with fire just like she did with the main gate. The Inquisitor didn't even really need to fight them, with the sheer amount of fire her Blade could produce, they were pinned. If she wanted, the Flamebringer could surround them and wait for the heat to do her dirty work.

It would be just like when Nia was kidnapped. Fire everywhere, surrounding them on all sides. It was only by sheer luck that they got out of that one thanks to…

Like a rock bonking him atop his head, realization stuck Rex, "Water!"

The Jewel of the Empire was a Fire Blade and Water saved their butts last time! Thinking fast, Rex sprang up and began looking. He searched around, looking for any source of water he could find. A spare pipe, a couple of barrels, he'd even settle for a notably deep puddle if he could find it! Any substantial bit of water would do!

Then, just beyond the bast itself and in a nearby field, Rex saw it. A water tank, just a short ways away!

"There!" he called out, "Guys, are you ready to run?!"

Nia blinked, "Hmm? Sure!

"Then follow me!" he ordered, facing Mash as well, "You too, alright?!"

"Huh-um, okay!"

Rex nodded and turned to Pyra. He nodded to her and she returned it with a determined look. Rex held the Aegis' sword out and Pyra took it, hand in hand with her Driver. Then with a collective yell, they slammed the sword down, unleashing a torrent of red flames through the Relay Base.

Like a hot knife through ice, Pyra's blast pierced the wall of flames and traveled on toward the gate. Once the path cleared, Rex waved to the others and together, they dashed for their exit. Mash kept her eyes trained on the Flamebringer but after a second of hesitation, she followed as well. The new group of seven charged headfirst through the flames for their freedom.

Mòrag, caught up in yet another new arrival, barely caught a glimpse as the group ran.

"I think not!" she swore.

Brighid swiftly unleashed another blast of flames at the fugitives as they ran. She lobbed a massive blue fireball at them, aiming to cut off their escape post haste.

-Clang!-

The Fire Blade was fast, but Mash was faster. With a burst of speed, she dove ahead of the others and shielded them from the blast.

The fireball struck her shield but Mash knocked it away with a forceful swing. The fireball cascaded off the metal wall and was flung far across the base, landing on some poor storage crate instead.

Despite her efforts, Mòrag frustratingly watched her targets flee from the base with everyone in tow. Even the new arrival, this Ritsuka person and his pet creature followed suit as they escaped. Regardless of their efforts and plans put in place, the Aegis and her cohorts slipped free and fled into Torigoth.

"Not for long!"

Free from the metal death trap that was the Relay Base, Rex led the others away from the town itself and made for a nearby field. It was close to the farmland surrounding Torigoth and was thankfully quite a distance from anyone else who could get caught up in their mess. That in mind, the Driver kept his eyes tightly locked on a nearby tower. A massive water tower, smack dab in the middle of the field.

"Pyra! Can you manage a full-powered blast?!"

Following closely behind, Pyra nodded, "Yes! Maybe one or two!"

"That'll do!"

With the Flamebringer hot on their heels, Rex and the gang put their plan into action. Nia and Dromarch rushed to one side of the field while Tora and Poppi did the same on the opposite side. Rex and Pyra remained near the farmland's center, directly across from the water tower itself, waiting for the precise moment to act.

Meanwhile, Mash, Fou, and Ritsuka hung back and watched what unfolded.

Mòrag arrived thusly after, an angered glare hiding behind the rim of her hat. She and Brighid charged into the field, where they saw Rex and Pyra waiting for them. As the Inquisitor turned to face them, Rex lifted his sword in the air and let out a furious yell.

"Tale this!" he roared, "Yaaaah!"

Pyra by his side, Rex brought the sword down with a tremendous blast following suit. It scorched the grass before them and rocketed at Mòrag with a thunderous boom.

However, the Inquisitor merely raised a brow and pointed a sword at Rex.

"You're getting predictable, boy!"

Brighid channeled her flames through her Driver, and with a blue coated Blade, Mòrag easily split the inferno into pieces. Unamused, Flamebringer merely flicked the flames behind her like an easily vanquished pest. After all she demonstrated back at the base, had the boy really thought that would do anything to her?

However, as the flames cleared, Rex was gone.

Mòrag turned and aught the boy running up a nearby hillside with a smirk plastered on his face, "Look who's talking!"

The Salvager aimed his gauntlet at the Water tower and tethered it with his harpoon. He yelled out for some assistance and quickly, Poppi came to his aid. The Artificial blade blasted off and joined the young lad on the hillside. Together, the duo grabbed onto Rex's harpoon launcher and began to pull.

Suddenly, a thought clicked in Mòrag's mind. She swiftly turned on her heel and saw her error.

Behind her, a loud creaking noise could be heard. The Farmland's water tower began to shake, tremble, and lean forward. The supports that hoisted it off the ground were red hot, almost melting into iron sludge. Pyra's blast was never meant to hit the Inquisitor. After seeing her deflect the Aegis' attacks several times already, Rex just needed her to stand in front of their real target.

Slowly, the Water tank began to creak. With Poppi's impressive strength, the tower tipped forward, no longer able to hold up its own weight now that its supports were weakened.

Before Mòrag could counter this however, Pyra and Dormarch descended upon her.

Pyra slammed Mòrag with a blast of flames, knocking her off guard. Then the White Tiger followed suite with a thunderous roar at their foe. Brighid tried to block it but the sheer intensity of the shock-wave shattered her attempt. Both she and Mòrag stumbled backwards, unable to keep their footing.

"Pull-!" Rex shouted, this was their chance.

Poppi, a determined gaze gracing her normally stoic face, did just that. The tiny machine yanked hard on the harpoon's cord and with it, the water tank crumbled underneath itself.

Water gushed out of the tumbling tower and began to rain down upon the stunned Inquisitor. Brighid, in a last attempt to strike, blasted the field with another inferno. If they were to be inconvenienced by all this water, then she'd leave no one left standing by the time they dried off!

-Shield of Rousing Heroism!-

Suddenly, the flames shifted. Instead of spreading out like a tilde wave, the flames swirled back together and shot forward like a bullet, shocking Brighid. She hadn't commanded it to do that. She aimed to utterly drench the field like she and her Driver were about to be with water. Instead, her flames suddenly acted like they had a mind of their own.

Like a predator catching sight of its prey and pouncing on it.

Only, the prey the flames targeted, was Mash.

The Shielder leaped down at the last second and slammed her shield in front of both Pyra and Dromarch. The defensive wall glowed a golden shine and every hint of the Flamebringer's fire were drawn to it suddenly. A fireball slammed into the girl like a exploding missle, but she didn't budge. Mash remained planted while the flames splattered against the shield's surface.

Their last attempt thwarted, Mòrag fumed as water cascaded over them. Both she and Brighid were utterly drenched with a tower's full supply of water. The Jewel of Mor Ardain recoiled in pain as the water flowed over her. Being a Fire based Blade, Brighid had little defense against water and Mòrag could do little about it.

"Curses!" she swore, utterly furious.

But it was not yet over.

Overhead, a sudden shadow caught Mòrag's attention. She looked up and her eyes widened.

High above the ground, Rex and Pyra soared. Together the pair leaped overhead and grasped the sword together. Their weapon was engulfed in a new, wondrous blazing flame. From the ground looking up, the sword barely resembled a sword at all. Instead, Pyra and Rex were wielding the very sun itself with naught but a hilt.

Mòrag, with nowhere to go, watched as the Legendary Aegis and her Driver both shouted to the sky.

"BURNING SWORD!"

A colossal blade, made entirely of flames, struck down onto the open field. The blade slammed into the water drenched ground and exploded forth in a thunderous roar. Everyone present winced back as the explosion expanded forth in sheer size and scale. Even Pyra and Rex were taken aback by what they had unleashed.

All across Torigoth, a gigantic dome of energy can be seen, readily expanding from the drenched field. It had a fierce red hue, and intensity that swelled in size until even the gate's of the Relay Base were consumed. The sheer light of the dome blinded everything it touched. It was light a bright shine, fading away everything it came in contact with.

Then, as quickly as the explosion occurred, it vanished.

The energy dome faded away, leaving behind simply a haze of mist and humidity. The ground itself was still drenched in water, still damp with ah int of steaming rising off the grass.

Mòrag and Brighid stood up, equally tired and sore from the onslaught. But the Ardainian and her Blade looked around, a grim realization fell on the duo.

The Aegis, her Driver, and the other fugitives…

"I feel slighted…"

They were gone.

Elsewhere: Garanti Plain

With the Sun fading beneath the horizon, night crept in along the back of the Gormott Titan. The landscapes throughout the colossal creature grew quiet and a gentle breeze drifted in on the wind. As the sun's rays disappeared, the Titan's own natural light took over. Flora and fauna glowed a warm hue in the distance and many of the animals that had gazed upon the many planes had long since called it a day.

Several hours had passed since the group had left Torigoth behind and as far away as possible from the town was on everyone's minds.

Rex and Pyra led the group onward with Nia, Dromarch, Tora and Poppi following closely behind.

Then a bit farther behind were their new acquaintances. Ritsuka and Mash kept pace while Fou hitched a ride on the Master's shoulder.

When this colorful assortment of characters made their escape from the flame trotting Inquisitor, the Chaldeans figured they had the right idea. Even if the pair were new in town, getting in the way of someone of substantial military rank likely wouldn't end too well if they stuck around.

So when the girl with the cat ears yelled at them, "Don't just stand there ya lazy bums! Get a move on!", it seemed like a good enough invitation.

As the sun vanished beneath the clouds and exhaustion began to set in, both groups slowly came to a stop.

"I don't think anyone is following us," Pyra observed.

Rex nodded, huffing and puffing, "Y-yeah, I think we should be good. Should have lost them by now."

"Fou Fou!"

After dunking the Flamebringer with an entire basin filled with water, on top of the other chaos they caused, the authorities was bound to send someone after them. It was why they hadn't stopped running since getting the heck out of Torigoth. But after quite a while of hiking and not a hint of an Ardainian soldier, Rex assumed they must have either lost them or just evaded them all together.

Frankly, Rex was popped and didn't care which it was.

It was a notion many of the others shared, especially Tora. The little Nopon rolled onto his back the second they stopped and wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

Well, Poppi could roll him but that was besides the point.

Quite tired of running, the group took a moment to sit down and take a much needed rest. Thankfully, the Garanti Plain was fairly peaceful as the sun had descended. Any packs of animals had long since returned to their dens and the only sound Rex and company could hear were crickets in the distance.

Ritsuka and Mash followed the group's example and sat down to catch a breather. The latter leaned her shield against a nearby rock while her Master simply plopped down. Fou, of course, hopped off the boy's shoulder and curled up on his lap as it often did.

As the fluffy critter yawned, Ritsuka smiled.

"You were busy while we were gone, weren't you?" he chuckled, "How about next time, you wait for us before getting into trouble, huh Fou?"

Said furry beast responded by blowing the master a raspberry and simply curled back up in his lap.

"Hm, fair enough."

"Hey."

With Fou cuddling up on his lap, Ritsuka looked up as a new voice addressed him. The boy in the blue diving suit walked up to the teen and offered a wave and a smile.

"Didn't have the chance to say it before, ya know, cause of all the fighting and running." Rex chuckled, "But thanks for helping us out back there. Would have been a whole lot worse if you didn't give us a hand."

Ritskua chuckled, "Sure, it's no problem. I was gonna thank you for watching over this little handful."

Seeing him gesture toward Fou, Rex crossed his arms, "Oh, so you're the ones he belongs to, eh?"

"I wouldn't say that. Hes more like our Mascot. But he likes to follow us around a bit, even when he really shouldn't."

Mash agreed, "Fou is a bit rambunctious. I'm sorry if he caused you any trouble."

"Oh no. Not at all." Pyra smiled. She too had walked up with Rex, "He's been a delight. Though he does seem to have a bit of a temper sometimes."

That made the Chaldeans smile, "Oh, we know."

Both Mash and Ritsuka could recall a certain someone who had truly earned the furball's wrath. Whatever problems this lot might have had was nothing compared to a certain Caster in Fou's book. After all, it wasn't everyday you saw a creature Fou's size fling itself across a forest just so it could punch an actual Wizard in the face. That was one person placed squarely in the little guy's grudge book.

Otherwise, Fou could just be grumpy sometimes.

"I'd say the little bugger has been a bit of a bother, but what about you lot?" Nia noted.

The Gormotti hadn't bothered to approach the duo and instead chose to take a load off thanks to her Blade. Dromarch didn't mind of course, he was more than willing to head to Nia's needs whenever possible. Being the size of a fully grown tiger had numerous advantages after all. Of course, discounting whenever it rained. Wet fur was never a welcomed notion.

Still, even he didn't appreciate Nia's rather harsh comment, "My Lady-"

"Oh, lay off it." she shrugged, "These two happened to show up when we were getting our arses kicked, and the pink one nearly squashed that Mòrag wrench like a pancake!"

Rex rolled his eyes, "Come Nia, they helped us."

"I'm just saying. It's suspicious."

Dromarch buried his face in his paws while Rex and Pyra shared a look. It was rude, right up Nia's alley, but they couldn't fault her for the thought. Arriving to save them right in the nick of time was rather questionable. Nia even shot the Salvager a look. They both knew the teen had quite the bad string of luck recently with people stabbing them in the back out of nowhere.

In Rex's case especially, it was quite literal.

Then again, Tora had done a bit of the same. The little Nopon had whisked the Aegis and her Driver away as they were running for their lives. Sure he had another reason to help them, but that didn't mean the little guy wasn't genuine in his assistance. It showed when the Nopon and Poppi had helped them rescue Nia after all.

Of course, the Nopon was so pooped that he looked about ready to take a nap but it was the thought that counted.

"Then if you're so concerned, then let's hear it from them then, if they see fit."

Azurda; Rex's 'Gramps', popped his tiny Titan head out from the boy's helmet and poised the suggestion. Surprisingly, the ancient being had been quiet for sometime now. It nearly slipped Rex's mind that his Gramps now resided in his helmet thanks to his new compact nature. Maybe running for a couple hours while he was back there hadn't been the best idea.

Either way, Rex had a stinking feeling he was gonna get an earful of that later, no doubt.

"I mean, yeah, we could. Just seems a bit rude to just...ask ya know."

"No, no. It's fine."

Rex scratched his chin, "Oh um, are you sure?"

"Yes, you don't have to tell us right away." Pyra agreed, "We can always start a fire and get some rest first."

After the day they all have had, no one in the group (not even Nia) would argue against taking a well deserved break. In the span of a single day, they had infiltrated a Titan Battleship, rescued Nia and Dromarch, fought their way through said Battleship, kicked Dughall's pompous ass, and then got their own asses kicked by Mòrag before escaping. That had been a hell of a lot in a single day, and it didn't even count all the running they had done afterwards. A bit of rest was deserved.

Ritsuka appreciated the concern but he shook his head, "Nah, it's fine. Really"

"We haven't exactly formally introduced ourselves yet, haven't we?" he reasoned, "It's the least we can do after all that happened."

Mash perked up as well, "Yes! Senpai is right, it is only proper."

"Senpai?" Nia mumbled.

Standing upright, Mash folded her hands in front of herself and gave a little bow to the group. Ritsuka meanwhile, extended his hand toward Rex and offered to shake. As for the last member of their merry band, Fou awoke from his little slumber and found a new place to sit, that being Mash's shoulder as the pair introduced themselves.

"I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru."

"Mash Kyrielight. And you've already met Fou." she said, gesturing to the little guy next to her.

"Fou!"

Chuckling, Rex took Ritsuka's hand and gave it a shake, "Yeah, we have. I'm Rex. The mouthy one over there is Nia. Sorry if she gets on your nerves."

"Hey! I can introduce myself ya know!"

Ignoring the outburst, the Aegis took the moment to introduce herself as well, "I'm Pyra. Again, thank you for the help. We really appreciate it."

"It was no problem, really." Ritsuka reassured, "We were just in the neighborhood."

AN:

-Hello again everyone. Meant to get this one out a bit earlier, but got distracted by a fair amount of things. Still, how did you like it? First real fright of the fic at the moment. If you have any suggestions, I'm more than willing to hear them. Here we have Mash and co giving the gang a bit of a hand in escaping the Flamebringer. Next chapter will be a bit calmer than this one, but we'll see how that goes!

-Took some liberties with Mash's skills here. Honestly, compared to other Servants Mash's aren't something we see all too often, so I tried to get a bit more creative with them here.

-Also, how is everyone handling the newest LostBelt that just released in the NA? Good luck everyone with your rolls!