Chapter 6:

Turbulent Sailing

The air was calm, with a cool breeze brushing against their skin.

Beneath the lively Titan ship, waves drifted back and forth without a care. No shaking or jostling the crew against a turbulent sea. The vast ocean of endless clouds was peaceful, calm, and without a hint of agitation toward those who sailed it. If it wasn't for the ship itself, drifting without a care, one might confuse the clouds with the sky itself. Still, motionless aside from where the wind may take it.

Ritsuka leaned against the railing with a smile upon his lips.

In the Master's option, this was the kind of sailing he could get used to. No pirate ships firing cannon balls at each other like the most intense game of dodge ball. No flying over a chaotic sea of black tar and death with the smell of rot in the air. And certainly no driving a heavily armored tank square into the depths of terrifying raging storm ridden ocean.

No, this was sailing. Peaceful, quaint, and not a hint of trouble.

Though on second thought, that may have been due to the sea being made of literal clouds. Or their boat being a living, breathing creature instead of a traditional wooden boat. Either way, both factors brought with them something that like comparing a portrait to some kind of wacky piece of art. This certainly wasn't a Pirate ship or the sinking brick that was the Shadow Border after all.

"Eh," he shrugged, "Semantics."

The Aegis Crew said their goodbye to Gormott just a few short hours ago. After some rather back breaking work, with Ritsuka and Tora's carrying the supplies while the others were busy gathering, Umon's ship was complete! The hull was assembled, the compartments fastened tightly to the Titan itself, and the steering was tuned as accurately as the Nopon could manage. In a flash of teamwork and a afternoon of work that didn't involve fighting, things were ready and rearing to go!

Until the Titan decided to take its own maiden voyage and sailed off without them.

Earlier:

"You...forgot to feed it?"

"Please don't get too mad at Umon! In excitement for getting ship up and running, might have forgotten to give Titan its lunch...or two. So while friends of Tora were off collecting supplies, Titan sort of...slipped away!"

Ritsuka crossed his arms at the Nopon, "Something that big, and it just...slipped away?"

"Indeed! Titan barely make nose! But not to worry, Umon know exactly how to get it back! Swears it!"

Present:

Another day passed before everyone managed to wrangle their titan back over to Umon's warehouse. Like the craftsman claimed, the Titan innocently wondered about the outskirts of Gormott in search of some food. Lucky, the boat smith was true to his word and provided some chow to 'settle its rumbly tumbly' along with some special pollen to lure it back to his workshop.

Now with the Titan docile and the hull free of any loose floorboards or creaky door hinges, Rex and the others thanked Umon for his hospitality and departed from Gormott.

Their departure underway, few felt regret as they drifted away from the floral Titan. As their short stay included numerous crash landings, run ins with the local authority, angering a literal empire, and building their own vessel, it was nice to put the entire affair behind them. Still, as the crew drifted away from the gigantic bulk of the Gormott Titan, many aboard the new vessel couldn't help but marvel at it's majestic nature as it shrunk in the distance.

Even Nia managed a smile, though it shrank into a frown as she lingered on the walking continent.

Mash and her master on the other hand, were caught up in another sight all together.

That being, simply drifting across the Cloud Sea on an actual Titan.

Of the pair's brief stay in Alrest so far, neither had much to go on when it concerned Titans. The Gormott Titan was the first example but it was more like a continent than a living creature. If it wasn't for literally seeing it prior to their arrival at Torigoth, neither might have realized they were on a living creature at all. It had a long, expansive neck with a gentle look on its face with slow blinking eyes. It truly was alive but moved so subtly that one could easily forget that fact.

Then there was Azurda, but much to the Titan's sheergrin, he resembled Fou more than a Titan now. Being small enough to fit in Rex's helmet didn't certainly didn't help.

Ritsuka crossed his arms and spared a glance over his shoulder. He saw Mash, standing next to Nia and Dromarch. Her wide eyes looked on in awe as they sailed across the Cloudy Ocean.

Mash was absolutely enamored with the view. She held the railing tight and felt the wind brush against her face. She gazed off at the Cloudy expanse of white and felt the Titan shift underneath her feet. She could barely even believe what she and her master were doing. Riding atop a literal Titan with a ship built atop it like a saddle. It was honestly hard to describe.

Her experiences with creatures of increasingly massive sizes were to be frank, about the same as her Master's. That being, for one reason or another anything that towered over the poor girl had the desire to either eat or flatten her at first glance. Demon Beast, Magical Phantasms, and whatever twisted creature they had encountered all made the list. No matter the circumstance it often ended with either a hasty retreat or a rounding smack with her shield to the monster's mug.

So riding comfortably atop a creature as it sailed across an ocean? Mash would have to tell everyone once they got back!

Watching the breeze against her skin, the puffs of cloud popping into the air?

It was amazing.

"Enjoying the view?"

Mash blinked. Pushing away from the railing, she saw Nia lazily standing next to her. The Gormotti driver was leaning on the railing as well, with a hand on her hip and a smirk too.

"Not much experience on a Titan Ship before?"

The Demi-Servant blinked and gave a slow nod. She had several with wooden ships before but none with a Titan ship.

Nia shrugged, "Can't blame ya. Most who aren't into trading or whatsit normally don't have a reason to hop on a ship. And even then, they're usually more unkempt than this hunk of junk."

"Is that what it is like back where da two of you came from?"

After spending a moment or two in order to find her tongue, Mash bobbed up and down at the question, "Um-Yes! Before I met Senpai, I...didn't really get out much. I normally remained in Chaldea with the staff. There was much to do, so getting out wasn't really a common practice."

"Sounds like a bit of a drag to be honest."

Mash disagreed, "Not at all. When I was allowed to join and become a researcher, I became so busy that doing much else wasn't feasible…"

"Even then though, going out wasn't all that frequent. The weather outside of Chaldea isn't something you'd want to get caught up in, and the view outside was often...nonexistent."

Regardless if her adventures with Ritsuka, Fou, and the others had felt like they had taken a century to accomplish, Mash could still recall the days before it all. Before the Singularities, before the Lostbelts, and before the fiery explosion that set everything in motion. Back when the daily grind involved managing the Master portfolios for the director, assisting Da Vinci in her workshop, or even helping Doctor Romani keep the medical records in order.

Or at least, it did whenever he wasn't running off to one of the empty rooms to slack off. It was a peaceful time, but it was before Mash had even taken a step outside Chaldea's walls.

"It wasn't until I met Senpai that things changed…"

As Mash's tone softened, Nia's smirk faded slightly. Her ears flattened for just a moment.

"I see…" she mused, "One question though."

Mash blinked, "Um, yes?"

"What does that whole, 'Senpai' thing, mean?"

Nia scratched the side of her head, an ear twitching, "Well, since I met ya, I've haven't heard you say that guy's name once. It's always been Senpai or some slack. What does that even mean?"

Before Mash responded, Nia turned and shrugged at her Blade, "Dromarch, what about you? Got a clue?"

"None, I'm afraid." he regretfully noted, "In all my time, I've never heard such a title."

The Gormotti frowned, "You neither huh? Well then."

"Care to fill us in then?"

Mash was confused, and words promptly failed her. When hadn't she called her Senpai, well, Senpai? Combat came to mind but that applied to other Servants as well. Chaldea's protocols recommended referring to Master candidates as 'Masters' when in combat to reduce the chances of getting confused in a tough situation. It made fighting alongside Servants easier when everyone referred to him as their Master. But outside all the technicalities, what could she say about why she called Rituska Senpai?

It was literally the first way she addressed him. Mash even refereed to him as such before they formally introduced themselves...

The Demi-Servant bit her lip. Where would she even start…?

"Um..you okay there?"

A sudden poke snapped the girl free of her contemplating, bringing her back to reality. Nia was still there, more confused than curious.

"Y-yes?" Mash fumbled.

Nia raised a brow, "You zoned out for a moment there. Did my question blow a fuse or somethin?"

"N-no! Not at all." she muttered, "I just...don't really know how to put it really. Senpai is just...my Senpai. I rely on him to...help me...to support me in...all sorts of things."

At that, the Gormotti and Blade raised their brows, their interests peaked, "So, hes your boss or something?"

"No. Um, not like that." Mash explained, "We're more...partners than anything else. I take orders from him in combat or when the need arises, but Senpai has only been with us for a few yeas, while I have been part of Chaldea all my life. The only ones I can really consider my superior is the Scientific Expert and the Director himself."

Nia scratched her chin.

"Okay, so he's not your boss. Then that means this whole Senpai business means...what?"

A light blush started to grow on Mash's cheeks. She looked down, away from Nia and stared at her boots.

The metal footwear became shockingly much more interesting to look at than either Nia or Dromarch,

"Hm…"

As her gaze averted however, Nia caught something. Mash's gaze shifted, just for a split second. Instead of her boots or even the floorboards, the girl looked up and shot a glance across the ship. To be exact, her gaze settled on the very topic of their conversation. Mash's 'Senpai' was off on the other side of the boat, partaking in a conversation with Pyra.

If Nia wasn't already certain, she'd strike a guess that the girl was double checking for any eavesdroppers.

"Well..um…" Mash mumbled, "It's just that, Senpai has opened up...so much for me. Before I knew him, Chaldea was my everything. Everything I knew was either from one of the staff or out of a book…"

In the earliest days of her memories, Mash could recall a stark white room and only one recognizable face coming to visit her on a regular basis. A man with strawberry pink hair and every time he visited, he had another story ready to tell. Chaldea was a well funded organization and had more information on record to fill numerous libraries. But despite his many visits and even meeting Fou, a deep loneliness festered in the pit of her chest. Everyone else was so busy that even after she left that white room, stopping to have a pleasant chat was ill-advised.

Then, a calm memory flashed across the girl's mind. It was a busy day like any other, with new masters arriving from outside of Chaldea's walls.

There was one particular Master who Fou had found first. Oddly, he was asleep, snoring like a log in the middle of the hallway...

"But then Senpai arrived and I was allowed on assignments," she sighed, "After that, I've been able to see so much, meet so many new people. If it wasn't for Senpai, I likely never would have gotten the chance."

Nia raised a brow, "Ah, I get it now."

"Y-you do?"

The Driver closed her eyes and gave a nod, "Yup. And it makes sense why you've been throwing yourself in front of him whenever the odd breeze passes in his direction."

Yet again, the Shielder's face glowed an intense shade of pink.

"T-thats not it! My main role in combat is to defend everyone, not just Senpai!"

Despite her muttered protests, Nia merely raised her hands up and turned around, "Nah, that's fine. I get the gist of it now. Gotta protect your 'Senpai', after all."

"Nia!"

Dromarch sighed. He watched silently as his Driver raised her hands behind her head and strolled away. Mash tried to clear up the 'misunderstanding' but Nia barely heard a word. After all their time together, the Blade knew that his 'Lady' had a knack for poking fun at people. Even the Shielder was not exempt, though this might have been pushing it.

Even Fou seemed to agree. Almost. The fluffy critter was either glaring at Nia or was silently chuckling. Dromarch couldn't tell which.

Whilst Nia playfully poked fun at Mash and the others chatted aboard the ship, the Titan slowly drifted closer toward its destination. Hours passed and the crew watched as the monolith of a tree grew in size the closer they crept. From Gormott, the World Tree resembled a meager oak in statue. As their ship approached however, the crew began to wonder.

Was this even a tree at all?

At the center of the vast expanse of Clouds sat a monolithic pillar of vines and wood. The World Tree. This massive trunk of wood sat covered in vines, so large that its true size was immeasurable. As the tree's trunk sat at the center of the Cloud Sea itself, the tip top of its branches weren't visible at all. The tree was so tall it vanished into the clouds overhead like a support beam holding up the sky. But even the very base of the trunk disappeared as well.

The Cloud Sea pooled down into massive waterfalls that surrounded the tree on all sides, creating a endless void that reached further down than eyes could perceive.

"So...that's the World Tree…" Rex wondered.

The Salvager kept his hands on the ship's wheel but his eyes were firmly stuck to the massive gigantic tree.

Even after years of sailing the Cloud Sea with Azurda, he had never been even close to the colossal tree. Admittingly, there hadn't been a reason to. Picking salvage was a hit or miss game, and going so far out from the normal lanes tended to be a waste of time. Why go so far out when there were plenty of places to set up shop closer to the ports.

As Rex gazed up at the looming structure though, he kicked himself for not passing by sooner.

Even Nia was taken aback by the sight, "Wow...I've never seen it so close before…"

"Me neither, to tell you the truth. But its just as awesome as I'd hoped."

Slowly, Rex slowed the vessel to a soft drift. He and the others took a moment to simply stare up at the massive tree. Even compared to the Titans, the World Tree was an entirely different monster in itself. No one could see where it began or where it ended. Truly, the Tree definitely earned its name.

As they approached, Nia glanced off the side of the ship and bit back a wince.

"The current's really strong," she mused, "Fall in that, and you're a goner..."

One look off the boat and no one disagreed. The harrowing falls that divided the Cloud Sea and the World Tree were enough of assure everyone of that. Titan Ship or not, getting caught up in those falls was a one way ticket to a plunge no one was coming back from. It was a deep, endless descent that swallowed everything up into a pitch black void.

Tora shivered in his overalls. The Nopon did not want to get anywhere near that.

Rex on the other hand, rested his elbow on the ship's wheel and held his chin, "Well, its great we made it this far, but how are we supposed to get over there?"

"Any ideas?"

The boat grew quiet. At the sheer size of the World Tree and the vast void between them and it, the group wracked their minds thinking on what to do next.

Flying wasn't an option. Azurda was the only Titan around that Rex knew of that could and he was a bit too small for it now. Poppi might be able to fly over to the tree with her jet boots, but lugging everyone there one by one would be extremely tedious. Plus, they couldn't leave Umon's boat to fend for itself! The Titan had already wandered off on its own once before.

Even Ritsuka and Mash thought for a moment. They knew more than a dozen Servants who could do the job no problem. But as things were, any Servant they could call upon might as well of been back at the Throne with where they were right now.

All of it made getting from one Titan Ship to a humongous tree all the more difficult.

While Rex pondered, he realized something. A member of his little gang hadn't spoken a word since they had arrived.

"Pyra?"

The Aegis was there, standing right next to her Driver. Yet when Rex turned to look, her expression gave him pause.

She stared up at the World Tree, much like everyone else had. Instead of a look of wonder, relief, or amazement however, Pyra's was still, stoic, and had a worried look in her eyes that Rex hadn't seen before. Here they were, just a breath away from the place she asked him to take her when they met. Their destination was in reach, so why did she seem so...cold?

"We…"

Rex blinked, "Huh?"

"We need to leave!"

Suddenly, Pyra's stoic expression was gone. In its place, a frantic worry took hold. She tore her gaze away from the massive tree and turned to her Driver with a concerned plea.

Rex was confused, "Wha-why? We just got here, what are you talkin abou-"

With a quake, the Cloud Sea erupted before Rex could finish. The Titan Ship rocked back and forth as the very clouds underneath them churned. In front of the ship, Clouds exploded upward like a geyser and knocked nearly everyone off their feet. Ritsuka held steady thanks to Mash while Poppi caught Tora before the little guy could tumble. Everyone else held their ground and watched as the Cloud Sea trembled against a new arrival.

Mere yards in front of Umon's ship, a colossal beast had risen out of the cloud's depths. It was massive in scale, easily dwarfing the meager Titan vessel. Its body was like that of a Serpent, purple in color with rings and spikes that flowed down its form. Six protrusions flared out from the center of its head, and a large red eye glared down at the tiny boat, glowing ominously against the white expanse of clouds.

Pyra's eyes widened with horror.

"Ophion!"

"Ohph-what!?" Rex shrieked.

The loud, screech of metal pierced the air. It was like grinders tearing against sheets of metal, crumpling them up and shredding them down to confetti. A sound that trickled up the spine.

This colossal, serpentine monstrosity lowered itself closer to the boat and growled at the gawking group.

"Quick!"

Pyra's warning snapped her Driver out of his shock. With eyes wide and the creature looming ever closest to their dinky boat, Rex slammed on the wheel and spun it around with all his might. As if feeling the distress from its pilot, the Titan ship turned on a dime and shot back into the open waters of the Cloud Sea.

It was one of the positives of using a living creature as your boat, it knew when to run for its life too!

"Ophion, please stop this!" Pyra pleaded to the Serpent, "What's wrong? Can't you hear me?"

Ritsuka shakily held onto the ship's railing as the group was tossed about, "I don't think it can hear anything besides its own voice!"

"But...it can't be-"

As the boat turned tail and swam away as fast as it could, the colossal machine gave chase. Ophion swung its tail across the Cloud Sea, just barely missing the boat as it fled. It's tail resembled truly brutal club, covered in spiked protrusions and metal plates. The massive serpent smashed against the ocean with a painful crack, sending waves tumbling on impact.

But as fast as Umon's ship fled, it could not outpace the sea itself.

Despite his tight grip, the steering wheel slipped out of Rex's grasp. It spun around like a buzz-saw, practically a blur. Rex tried to regain control but the wooden wheel nearly crushed his fingers as he tried. The Titan itself suffered worse, the waves flinging it across the sea like a flounder. Even as it missed, Ophion sent Rex and the others came within inches of being overturned, out of control and freely sliding across the sea of Clouds.

Everyone braced themselves to their best efforts. Mash used her shield weigh herself and her Master in place. Dromarch dug his claws into the hull as Nia threw her arms around him for dear life. Thankfully, Poppi was like a support pillar for her Masterpon, protecting the young inventor from being tossed all across the ship like a bouncy ball.

"Hang on everyone!"

Even Rex just barely stayed upright. Luckily, he still had the ship's console to keep him steady.

Pyra was remarkably less lucky. The jotting of the ship nearly knocked the poor girl to the floorboards. Thankfully a hand reached out and caught the poor girl as she stumbled.

"I gotcha!", Rex managed a small grin and hoisted the Aegis back onto her feet.

For a terrifying amount of seconds, the ship was a tumbling mess. Massive waves shook and pushed against the hull of the ship. One might wonder who clouds could exert such force but everyone was too busy hanging on to consider it. The waves practically shoved the Titan farther and farther way from the World Tree, almost as if it was repelling the group. But after a few tense moments, the wave slowly subsided.

Ophion let loose another mechanical roar but instead of pursuing, the machine turned away. As disorientated as they were, everyone watched as the machine slithered back underneath the sea, disappearing from view. The last Pyra saw of the behemoth was its tail as it coiled around the vast falls surrounding the World Tree, vanishing from whence it came.

His heart pounding, Rex raised his head with a huff, "W-what was that?!"

"Something...guarding the World tree?"

"Tora thought friends were done for..." the local Nopon mumbled, "Mehmeh...Tora didn't want to be beastie's snack."

"Um...guys?"

Ritsuka spoke up, but his words died in his throat.

"What the heck is that!?"

Dread washed over the small ship. Slowly, Rex and the others raised their heads and turned around. The giant mechanical serpent was gone, vanished back towards the World Tree. With no other ships and the tree itself now even further away, the vast ocean was all that surrounded the tiny ship. Umon's ship had been left drifting, its Titan more than a bit exhausted.

But at the very least, they were alone.

"Titan's foot…"

The truth however, could not be more cruel.

Directly opposing the tiny Titan was something beyond imagine. A Beast, as silent as the wind but larger than most could even fathom.

It slithered forward through the sea like a colossal snail, with the addition a massive mouth and fins. The jaw on this beast was large enough to take a bite out of the World Tree's trunk, it was that gigantic. Where they sat, Rex couldn't even see how truly immense this monster was. The closest comparison anyone could sort out was that of Gormott. Both Titans were of unimaginable sizes and easily navigated the Cloud Sea with no issue.

While Gormott was a peaceful, leafy landscape however, this Titan only had one feature the group noticed out of the gate.

A colossal maw of sharp teeth, with the blackest of voids awaiting inside.

"Uraya's Titan-!" Azurda gasped.

"Where did that come from!?"

Rex shook his head, "I dunno, but its coming right for us!"

Akin to the encroaching shadow of a setting sun, the monstrous Titan grew in size the closer it approached. Rex threw himself at the ship's wheel and desperately tried to change their direction. He pried it left, pulled right, and even tried to spin the wheel frantically. Any direction would do! But no matter where he tried to go, the Titan wouldn't budge. Umon's little Titan cried out as it too fought against the current but could do nothing against the force of nature it was up against.

Ophion's little nudge was poultry compared to what the maw of a Nation's Titan.

The Urayan Titan's mouth sucked in everything around it. The Cloud Sea itself was swallowed up by the colossal beast, and with it came any poor fool that happened to be close by.

Grey skies vanished as the boat was sucked into the Titan's furious current. Its massive teeth passed overhead and the inside of its mouth was all Rex and the others could see. It was like a damp, deep cave with one hell of a drop directly in sight. The Salvager held onto the wheel as tight as he could muster and yelled out a warning.

A terrified cry overcame the entire crew as Umon's ship tilted forward. Such a tiny ship slipped between a pair of sharp fangs and plunged into the dark abyss that was the Titan's mouth.

Their little voyage across the Cloud Sea had ended, and the last thing Rex, Pyra, the others alongside Ritsuka and Mash saw was…

Darkness.

Elsewhere:

"Hey! Director! I think I got something you'll want to look at!"

Inside a immense, ancient looking chamber, a large man turned. He was a rather portly looking fellow, built big with a elegant jacket, matching pair of white gloves, and a noble air about him. His hair was a well kept shade of blonde, combed to the side with a small if well maintained mustache.

Hands behind his back, the Director hurried over to the one that addressed him.

It was one of the technicians. He wore one of the more standardized uniforms, had short blond hair as well, and a pair of thin framed glasses. As the Director approached, said technician worked diligently at one of the nearby monitors. It had a holographic display alongside a surprisingly advanced keyboard accompanying it.

"What is it?" the Director scowled, "Anything come up yet?"

Unabashed by the scolding tone, the technician smirked and gestured at the monitor, "Yes! Two minutes ago we got a signal originating from Mash's shield. Its faint and only just appeared on our sensors, but the origin is sound!"

Almost at the drop of a pin, the Director's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

His composure vanished, and the larger man nearly pushed the technician out of the way so he could get a better look at the screen.

"Finally! Its about time! Get me a line to them! They better have a good excuse as to why I've been forced to wait so long."

The technician sat up after the abrupt shoving and readjusted his glasses, "Unfortunately, we can't."

"What!? Why not?!"

"The signal is too weak. We have a connection to her shield, but getting a stable line to them is just too unreliable at the moment. You could rant into the microphone for an hour and all they'd get is gibberish."

A twitch ran through the Director's eyebrow, "For all the...great! Just great! So nothing has changed!?"

"Well, no. Not actually. Da Vinci has already got something in the works."

His Superior shot the man a glare, "Is she now. And how would she already be working on it when you just informed me about it?"

"Come on, who do you think actually found the signal first?" the technician deadpanned, "She just transferred it to me so I could get you up to speed so you don't get flabbergasted when she pulls her stunt."

"..."

Glancing up from his monitor, the technician swore the Director was inches away from ripping his mustache right off his face. His face was red, one eye twitched sporadically, and the portly man looked just about to scream in rage. But, after a few seconds of angrily twitching, he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Fine. Then what is she doing?"

At such a question, the technician smiled.

"Preparing a Rayshift. At least then we can get a direct line to them out there, and some back up couldn't hurt."

The Director huffed, but even he couldn't disagree with that. Chaldea's Head of Technology just better not expect a grand congratulations from him anytime soon.

"Very well." he huffed, "Just who is she sending then?"

AN:

-Hello everyone, and welcome back! I'm terribly sorrow for taking...basically a month to get back to you all. I meant to get this out on the week of July the 4th, but that holiday was a madhouse for me and the rest of July followed its example. Been a utter pain to get back here, but here I am. Just getting it out now, next chapter will be out next week and hopefully from then onward I'll be on a more consistent upload schedule from then onward. Don't hold me to that, please, life can be a utter pain sometimes.

-Anyway, sorry for returning with more of a slow chapter. We'll be getting into some craziness again soon, I swear.

-On another note, I hope everyone in the NA side of things got what they wanted from the current summer event in FGO. Its a lot of grinding but a certain Servant in this event is one I've been waiting for quite some time. I was able to get her from the gatcha only after a fair bit of rolls but you know how things can be. Either way, I wish anyone luck if they're still gonna give it a go!

-That being said, my note still stands. Send me some questions if you have it, and I'll see everyone soon!