Chapter 7:
Cavern Crawling
It was so close, just a few more feet.
Everything was collapsing. The ground shook like an earthquake and rocks collapsed into a blackened pit. What little clumps of land that remained were crumbling to dust, disappearing into the void. Even the stars hanging above in a deep blue sky were vanishing, disappearing one by one like candles being extinguished in the dead of night.
With each step taken, the ground beneath his feet shrunk piece by piece. His timetable was running out. The sand in the hourglass was disappearing, leaving nothing in its wake.
Ritsuka could feel it. This world was coming to an end.
It would end, and if he didn't hurry? He'd be going with it.
As he ran across the crumbling pathway, a voice called out his name. It was faint, weak, and mauled by static. But as he pushed forward, the voice cut through the rumbling echo of the realm's demise.
"Hurry up, Ritsuka! Chaldea is starting to move away from Solomon's Temple of time!"
Easier said than done. His legs were tired, his arms felt like lead, and his body was barely holding together. He would need quite a lot of duct tape and painkillers to go at any reasonable speed. Ritsuka felt blood dribble down his forehead. Some of the red substance even trickled into one of his eyes. It stung like bastard!
Even still, he could see it. The bright like in the distance, the way out-!
"Get to the Rayshift point now! I'll hold it till the very last second!"
There was that voice again. He could barely hear it. The rumbling was just too loud. Rocks fell like a downpour of debris that refused to cease. But all that was nothing compared to the ringing. A piercing, painful ringing that felt like someone had stuck a extra sharp knife into one of his ears. He could barely hear anything anymore. Everything was like a fog of unrelenting noise.
But he didn't need to hear to keep walking.
"I'm coming-!"
He had to push forward, even just one step at a time. Walking in a straight line was nearly impossible but he persisted. As long as he pressed onward, there was a chance. It was slim, a flicker of embers withing a deep dark void but there was still a chance.
It was right there. A pillar of shining light radiating from the sky above. A small crumbling stony path was all that sat between him and an exit.
Ritsuka bit his lip and willed his legs forward.
Come on-! Just a few more steps!
The air quaked. A crack formed in the middle of his footpath. It was barely holding on, just by a hair. Rocks fell from the sky above. The ear numbing noise intensified with each passing second. The world was literally on a ticking clock. In the blink of an eye, everything could crumble into nothing and vanish before his eyes.
But he was almost there. If he reached out, he could almost touch it-
"Damn it-!" he cursed.
Suddenly, it happened.
It was a Boulder. A damn boulder three times the size of a person fell out of the sky right at the worst time possible. Reason or not though, the boulder slammed into the walkway with a hefty groan. Right before his eyes, the pathway, his straight line to salvation crumbled. Everything shattered at what seemed to be the last possible second, and the light that seemed so close...dimmed.
"...I almost made it…"
Gravity began to disappear, as did everything else. Ritsuka couldn't feel the dirt beneath him anymore. He couldn't feel the weight of his aching body. There was nothing anymore. One last chance, its all he had. A straight shot back to Chaldea and it was tumbling away, just out of reach...
He closed his eyes. So this was it? After everything that happened, this would be how it ended?
It...wasn't fair.
"There's still a chance! Senpai! Please! Reach for it!"
What was that?! A voice? Here? Now?
Ritsuka opened his eyes and looked up. The light! It was back, shining brightly despite the darkness closing in. Inside was a hand, reaching out to him. It was familiar, belonging to someone he knew. But, it was impossible. It couldn't be that person. They were gone. The first to go, vanished in a wave of heat so hot that it could burn history itself away.
But there she was, cutting through the light and reaching out for his hand.
"Mash-!'
Ritsuka, as he fell, reached back. He reached for hers. She was so close-
Pain.
It happened so suddenly. As a smile stretched across his tired face, there was pain. Ritsuka gasped and dropped his arm. He didn't want to, he wanted to reach out as far as he could. But the pain was too much. His chest became numb, his lungs burned liked he had swallowed a match, and his ribs might have been impaling him from the inside out.
Twitching, and with a coppery taste on his tongue, Ritsuka looked down and saw the source of this new pain.
It was an arm, a tan arm with golden markings covering it from top to bottom.
An arm, protruding from a newly punctured hole in his gut.
"No...we think not."
His eyes widened. Ritsuka felt something building in the back of his throat. Was it bile? Blood? He didn't know.
But as he stared at the blood covered appendage protruding from his stomach, his vision began to blur, to fade.
The light was disappearing again, vanishing in the distance. There was a cry, someone crying his name. Even that faded, distorted. He couldn't even make out the words she was saying. It all felt so...cold.
Then, something wrapped itself around his head.
It was another hand. A massive black fist, skin rough like diamonds, red markings across its surface and strange, pulsating stones on its knuckles. It was so large that the entirety of Ritsuka's head fit within the palm of its hand. The blackened fingers reached around, grasping across the surface of his skin…
It squeezed.
"You will join us. Here."
Pressure mounted, it was the only thing Ritsuka could feel. That, and the pain.
A sharp, intense pain coiled itself around his body like a Serpent. Its fangs bit into his head and blood gushed down over his eyes. Everything hurt.
He just wanted it to stop.
Couldn't even breathe.
Just make it...stop…
Please…
"In the grave of your own making."
"Master!"
Ritsuka awoke, a wracking cough erupting from his throat. He shot up from the cold, damp ground and rolled onto his side. A hand lightly padded his lower back as the teen coughed up what he assumed was water. God, he hoped it was water. A lung was his second guess. Anything else would leave a hell of an aftertaste.
After upchucking a uncomfortable amount of water, Ritsuka raised his head and looked around. His vision was blurry at first, like he was looking through a veil of water.
It was vague, uncomfortable, and helped explain why it felt like someone had shoved his head into the saltiest of oceans.
"M-Mash?"
"I'm here!" a surprised, yet soft tone answered, "Oh, Senpai. I'm glad you're okay."
Ritsuka bit back another cough and wiped his eyes. Slowly, he sat up and plopped himself down onto the cold ground. Any movement at all sent shiver through his skull, like a hive of bees had taken up residence inside his head. But aside a light headache, he didn't feel too bad. A little numb, a little sore but nothing that bothersome.
After wiping the fog from his gaze, the boy glanced over his shoulder. He was met with a warm smile. Mash looked no worse for wear, her shield in one hand while the other lightly patted Ritsuka on the back. How long she had been there, he had no idea. But Ritsuka had a faint idea it was thanks to her that he wasn't coughing up half his innards at the moment.
Chaldea's master returned her smile and much to her reluctance, waved off the girl's assistance.
"W-what happened?"
Mash knelled down. The brightness in her eyes dimmed and oddly, she averted her gaze, "We crashed. This...massive Titan swallowed us up, and we managed to land at…"
Ritsuka blinked. Why did she stop?
"Mash?"
Of all the things he knew about Mash, hesitation was low on her list of traits. Normally whenever she did hesitate, it was either due to embarrassment or things had really gotten bad. But with the small headache currently residing at the base of his skull, Ritsuka was hoping for the former. At least embarrassment could be amusing, and a bit cute.
Mash let out a sigh and laid down her shield, "Senpai, you may want to look for yourself."
Confused, Ritsuka followed the suggestion. He sat up, squinted his eyes, and looked past the Demi-Servant. It shouldn't have been that hard to see where they were.
At first glance, the pair seemed to be within a colossal cavern. It was dark, almost blindly so. Ritsuka could barely make out Mash's silhouette, let alone the rest of the cave. It was dark, very damp, and the echoing droplets truly made the cavern sound as big as it was. But as he looked on, Ritsuka's gut hit the floor. There was but one source of light illuminating the cave, a singular bit of light from the outside leaning in. It had to be where he and Mash had entered from.
The entrance that just happened to be a massive set of jaws. Two sets of razor sharp teeth, slowly rising and descending at the literal mouth of the cave.
The longer Ritsuka gazed at the cavern's entrance, the more he could swear he felt the cavern shake. Almost as if, it was breathing...
Suddenly, Mash's reluctance hit her master like a brick.
"We're inside the Titan's mouth…"
Mash nodded sadly, "It seems so."
"We were eaten."
"Um...yes."
Ritsuka reached up and covered his face with his hands. Mash was confused until she heard a very audible groan.
"Da Vinci is never gonna let us live this down if she hears about this-!"
Mash blinked but giggled at her master's venting. Here they were, eaten by some country sized creature and her master was bemoaning the teasing they'd get later. Now was certainly not the time for such things, but it did help take their minds off things. Like what happened to the others, or how thankful they were only swallowed.
"Well, think of it this way Senpai!" she suggested, "At least it didn't bother to chew its food."
Ritsuka groaned louder, "Not. Helping."
"Hey! Pyra? Anybody!?"
A new voice put a halt to Mash's slight ribbing and caught both the pair's attention. Ritsuka dropped his hands from his face and looked around. Just a few yards away, there was another light. One that wasn't peaking through the Titan's maw. Instead, it was a miniature lamp attached to the belt of a familiar salvager.
It was Rex. The boy thankfully looked no worse for wear, and he wasn't alone.
Mere moments after waving at the pair, the other members of Rex's merry gang made themselves known. Pyra accompanied her driver, a bit disoriented but otherwise fine. Nia and Dromarch were next, with the former holding her head due to a not to pleasant landing. Finally, Tora and Poppi were the last to stumble out from the cavern. The poor Nopon looked about ready to relieve himself of any Tasty Sausages he might have had for lunch sometime ago.
Regardless of Tora looking about ready to hurl, Rex let out a sigh of relief, "Good, looks like we're all okay."
"Define...okay." Nia grumbled, "I'm soaked…"
"Hey, look at it this way. Least you finally got to take that bath you've been complaining about since we left Torigoth."
The Gormotti glared daggers at the boy, "This is not even close to what I meant! Titan slobber is not a bath!"
"Besides, we have worse things to be thinking about!"
"Indeed," Azurda added, popping out of Rex's damp helmet, "Especially since it seems we've found ourselves deep within the belly of this beast…"
Tora's already green face took a turn for the worst, "The Beastie's Belly!?"
"We are inside the Uryan Titan." Azurda clarified, "Look for yourself."
At the Titan's gesture, everyone turned and were met with the same sight Ritsuka had seen just moments ago. Only there was additional detail he and Mash hadn't noticed. Thanks to Rex's light, the group saw the remains of what had to be Umon's ship. The Titan itself was gone but after all the effort put into to finish it, there was no mistaking the ship for something else.
Rex's shoulders slump. All that effort, wasted.
"Tora think this not nice place."
Wise words for the Nopon about ready to lose his lunch two times over.
"Is that how we're going to end up?" Rex asked, staring at the wreckage. The ruined ship delivered an uncomfortable brick to the lad's stomach. Salvager's had plenty of experiences with wrecked ships and abandoned cargo down in the Cloud Sea. Deja'vu wasn't a feeling he was too familiar with but the ruined ship made Rex feel a great deal of it.
Nia shot him another glare, "Hey! Don't jinx us!"
"Everyone. Shouldn't we focus on getting out of here?" Dromarch amicably suggested, "If I recall, the Urayans live up towards the beast's back. There must be a way up there from here."
"Yeah," Nia sighed, "Can't hang around here, that's for sure."
She had a point. Appearances were deceiving. It may have looked like a shrouded cavern but they were in fact in the middle of the Titan's mouth. Their ship was the most recent addition to the beast's gullet, but what about the next? No one wanted to stick around to see when the Urayan Titan found something else to snack on. Could be another Titan, something it scraped up from the bottom of the sea, or even that Orphion monster for all they knew.
Getting as far away from the Titan's massive maw sounded like a bright idea if there ever was one.
Carefully, Rex and the others started looking for the closest way out. Unfortunately, such a task was easier said than done. Literally, due to how dark the cave was. The dim amount of light slipping in between the Urayan Titan's teeth did little to illuminate the cavern. Rex's lamp helped but he only had the one. With the debris and rock formations that surrounded the group, finding any sort of tunnel way out proved far from an easy feat.
As they looked however, Poppi spotted something.
"Over there."
"Huh?"
The Artificial Blade raised a mechanical arm and pointed deeper into the cave, "Poppi see something over there. Someone coming this way!"
Nia squinted her eyes, "What really?"
The Gormotti tried to catch a glimpse at what Poppi was gesturing at but found nothing out of the ordinary. More rocks, a few piles of planks from Umon's boat but nothing that looked like a person. Maybe her head had gotten a bit water logged. Got some Titan spit swirling around her circuits or something.
"Maybe you're just seeing things, I can't spy a thing."
The Blade shook her head. She flapped her arms up and down, sure of what she saw, "Poppi is certain. Something is flickering over there."
"Flickering you say?" Rex asked, curious, "What, like some kind of ghost or something?"
Nia's ears shot upright. She snapped at the Salvager and slammed her foot down, "S-shut up! There's no such thing!"
Suddenly, a sly, shit eating smile appeared on Rex's face. He raised his eyebrows at his fellow Driver. One look at Nia's face told him all he needed to know. Oh, he was going to enjoy this.
"Nia! You're not scared, surely?"
"D-don't talk nonsense Rex! I'm not a kid!"
It took a remarkable amount of effort not to laugh, "You're scared! I can't believe it. At last, something Nia's scared of!"
"Just you watch-huh, what you lot doing?"
Rex blinked, confused. One moment Nia was seething in embarrassment and the next, she was confused? Whats with the sudden change?
Now just as equally puzzled, Rex and the others turned to look at the same thing that had Nia confuddled. What they found was Mash and Ritsuka, who had positioned themselves in front of the group. The former had her shield out and ready for a brawl was the latter was looking around for something. Oddly, both were facing the same area Poppi had been pointing at.
"Preparing for combat, in case Rex's guess is proven right."
The salvager blinked, "I'm sorry, wot?"
"If it's actually a ghost, we can deal with it." Ritsuka shrugged, "Mash can handle a few ghosts, shes done this kind of thing plenty of times."
Rex' felt his jaw drop, "Wait...seriously!? You've fought ghosts?! I was joking!"
Seeing the boy's gaping expression, the two Chaldeans glanced at each other and shrugged. Ghosts were some of the numerous phantasmal creatures they had to deal with on a regular basis. In fact, in Ritsuka's opinion the only things that appeared more often were skeletons and zombies. Along with Ghosts, they happened to be some of the more mundane threats they had to deal with.
Doesn't mean they weren't unpleasant though. Mash shivered at the thought of dealing with a Ghost's death wail. Those haunting screams could drop the weak willed dead on the spot.
As unnerved as the Shielder was however, Nia was absolutely pale.
"You two have seriously fought...ghosts?"she cautiously asked, "Like...real ghosts?"
Again, Master and Servant shared a look and nodded.
"...what did they look like?"
Ritsuka scratched his chin, "Well...like a floating skeleton. Imagine a rib cage, a spine, two arms, and a skull floating off the ground. Sometimes they wear a cloak too, but not always."
Nia's ears pressed tightly down atop her head.
"Rex, if we get out of this, I'm giving such a wallop!"
The boy snapped out of his bewilderment and threw up his arms, "I was joking! I didn't even think ghosts were real! And Poppi was the one who saw it!"
"Saw what?"
A frightened shriek erupted out of Rex. All the talk of ghosts, the looming sight of a giant set of teeth, and damp chill of the cave was more than enough to put him on edge. Not as much as Nia, but even Rex could get creeped out sometimes. So when the teen heard a sudden voice behind him, the boy practically jumped out of his skin.
Much to his terror though, what he saw was remarkably less frightening.
"Pyra!?"
She tilted her head confusingly, "Yes? Did I do something?"
It was Pyra. The Aegis walked up to Rex with a small flame fluttering in her hand. Her red eyes glowed brightly next to the fluttering ember and she looked more curious than anything. While the others were talking about Ghosts and fighting, the elegant Blade merely watched. She was a bit confused though, wondering what was going on.
"Yes-! No-!" Rex fumbled. He looked up at his partner, his brow twitching. But after a few seconds, he sighed and slumped forward, "Agh...just, nothing. It's nothing. Just a bit on edge."
"I'm sorry-" she apologized, "I was just looking around for a bit, but I came back when I heard yelling. Is something going on?"
Azurda popped out of Rex's helmet and chuckled, "Ah, no. Nothing at all. Just a talk about mere superstitions."
"Superstitions?"
Nia huffed and jabbed her thumb at Ritsuka. Thankfully after seeing Rex nearly wet himself in fright, the girl felt remarkably less on edge.
"These two were talking about fighting Ghosts of all things after Poppi saw something," she grumbled, "Which I'm guessing, was you walking around with that?"
Pyra glanced at her flame and nodded, "Oh yes. Just needed a bit of light. It's awfully dark in here, isn't it?"
"Like a charred oven, yes."
"Well," she smiled, "Let's fix that then."
As the others watched on, Pyra raised up the tiny ember. The minuscule flame left the Blade's palm and floated into the air. When it began, this spark of orange was small, like something you'd catch at the end of a candle. As it drifted higher into the cavern however, it grew drastically. What was once a lantern's flame expanded into ball of fire, floating in the air.
Soon, the sphere floated high above the group's heads. Warmth flowed from the orb, like a small miniature sun inside the cave. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, more than appreciating the reprieve. After being stranded in a damp, murky cave due to being swallowed by a Titan? This? This was nice.
Ritsuka smiled, especially appreciating the floating heat lamp. It refreshing after waking up with a bucket of water being shoved down his throat.
"That's much better." he noted, "Thank you."
Pyra giggled, "It's my pleasure."
"Now, what was everyone talking about? I thought I heard someone mention ghosts."
Off to the side, Nia pinched her nose, "Just forget about it. Can we just get out of here now?"
"Alright, alright. Now that we can see, let's find ourselves an exit!"
Putting aside the paranormal talk, the group spread out and began searching for the nearest exit. Thankfully with the aid of Pyra's fire orb, everyone had a remarkably easier time seeing where they were going. The cavern was slick, damp, and full of mud but being able to see more than five feet in front of them surely helped. After a few minutes of searching, Poppi spotted a tunnel further back in the cave. It let upward, out of the Titan's maw and somewhere lacking in teeth and slime.
Luckily, the metal Blade had her own little trick Tora had installed for just such a occasion. A pair of eye beams that illuminated the tunnel like flashlights.
Making their eager departure from Titan's front entrance, the group were greeted by the night and day difference between the Urayan Titan and it's Gormott equivalent.
This Titan was a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns strewn about the Titan's body. After leaving the beast's mouth, it was one tunnel after another. Up or down, left or right, Rex and the others found themselves in one cavern after another. Some were vast in size while others simply gave the group enough room to stretch their legs before beginning again. And unlike the vast forests that grew out of the Gormott Titan's back, the Urayan Titan was filled with its own assortment of creatures and vegetation.
Stony cavern walls were covered in moss, fungous, and wiggling foliage that flourished inside the bowls of the Titan. There were massive slugs, creepy crawlers slithering across the ceiling, and even something hiding within the walls of the cave's tunnels. Everyone cautiously watched their steps as they marched on, least they agitate something better left alone.
As the group continued, frustration began to mount. The air was hot, fairly humid and a lack of any fresh air grew irritating.
But after nearly an hour of walking, a fact became obvious.
"We're lost."
They were lost. Painfully, annoyingly lost.
"Don't suppose anyone knows where we could stop and ask for directions?"
"Tora not think that all to likely."
"Unless anyone wants to reveal that they can talk to plants? I don't think so either."
As wise as Dromarch's suggestion sounded, there was one problem with it. They hadn't seen a single living person since leaving the remains of Umon's ship. The Titan's innards were utterly and completely deserted. When the Blade had said the residents lived near the other end of the Titan, he really meant it. So far, the only speck of life near the front end of the Behemoth had either been a plant, a fungus, or one of the local wildlife.
Luckily, very few of said wildlife were looking to make a meal of the group. They weren't the talkative type either unfortunately, so the group moved on.
After the group entered yet another tunnel however, Rex spotted something. At the sight of it, he even rubbed his eyes to make sure.
Light.
It wasn't their eyes adjusting to the cavern's lack of light or some bio-luminescent planet either. After more than an hour of walking through dank, dark tunnels, Rex and the others felt actual light brushing against their skin. That alone got their attention, and the group hightailed it through the tunnel in a hurry.
Rex and Pyra were the first to emerge, followed by Nia, Dromarch, and the others following shortly behind. It was like stepping out of a dark, empty cellar and into a vibrant backyard.
"There's some kind of dim light…" Nia mused.
It wasn't sunlight but it was definitely better than some glowing plants by a long shot. The cavern itself was large, impressively so, one of the largest the group had seen yet. It bore a wide grassy field, tall cliff-side walls with a rocky path connecting them, and there was even a pool at the opposite end. Best of all, the cave was vibrant, not pitch black like so many caverns before it.
Oddly though, the ceiling was merely that. A rocky ceiling. There was no bright blue sky, no clouds floating overhead, and the ceiling looked, odd. Almost blurry to look at.
"If I remember, the Urayan Titan has a translucent hide…" Azurda observed, "I bet that would be the light filtering through."
Rex glanced at Gramps, "So, then the Titan should be above the Cloud Sea now?"
"I dare say."
Pyra smiled, "Then maybe if we reach where the light is coming from, we'll be able to find a way out of here."
Everyone pondered for a moment. It was a decent idea. The Urayan Titan wasn't the standard type of Titan where people could live atop its back, not with its ability to freely roam the Cloud Sea. Inside the beast was the only place to go, so why not live near the closest light source? After wallowing around in the dark, wet caves for more than a hour, the group could see why it was vacant. So if they made their way to the closest light source, they were bound to find someone at least!
Rex scratched his chin. That just left getting up there. Too bad navigating a Titan's bowls wasn't a skill he had picked up while living a Salvager's life.
Maybe they could look around for a-
"Hold it!"
A new voice echoed through the cavern. Rex and the others quickly looked up, startled. It hadn't come from the other side of the cave, or down the tunnel they had just excited.
Instead, it came from above.
They weren't alone.
High above the field stood a group of strangers. The man at the forefront was a large, robust looking man with an almost tank-like build. His arms looked fit to tear a man in half just by looking at them. His attire was a set of green and blue armor with a large array of pouches secured to his chest. The man's face was a mix of a silver mullet with yellow and blue streaks, pointed ears, and white scales on the sides of his head.
Strikingly, the man also wore a large X-shaped scar in the middle of his face.
Besides him was an equally striking creature. Some kind of cross between a man and a bird, it was a humanoid creature with red, orange, and green feathers. It had clawed hands, talons instead of feet, and a pair of impressive wings across its back. It wore a pair of bags around its neck and stylishly marked its eyes and beak with blue feathers.
Two more men accompanied the pair, but they were remarkably less impressive when compared to the sheer bulk of their leader. Oddly, they had their own companions as well. Two silver humanoids baring their own intimidating weapons.
As gazes fell upon the massive man, he uncrossed his arms and leaped down from his perch. He fell like a brick from the stone bridge and landed just a few yards from Rex and Pyra.
His companions did much of the same too and slowly, they approached.
"Looks like a bunch of mushies I ain't seen yet."
The man's voice was rough like sandpaper but tough as a brick, "You gotta have pretty damn bad luck, ending up in a Titan's guts like this."
As the man spoke however, he suddenly stopped. His eyes widened.
"...Huh? That Blade…"
He grinned, "An Emerald Core Crystal!"
The man's tone sent a chill down Rex's spine. He glanced over at Pyra, at the green crystal on her chest. The same crystal that caused such a fuss back in Torigoth. The same green gem that also adorned his chest. The one that saved his life back on that abandoned ship in the middle of the ocean. Realization slapped Rex across the face and anger was his answer.
Rex snapped a glare at the scarred brute. Not this crap again!
Feeling the sheer fury radiating off the kid, the big man couldn't help it. He laughed, "Bwahahahaha! I knew it! So the rumors were true!"
"What rumors?!"
Again, he crossed his arms, "The Rumor that any Driver worth his salt knows. The Legendary Aegis. Folks have been saying that she just woke up from a five hundred year old nap. Wouldn't have thought she'd show up with such a pencil neck looking Driver like you, though!"
That struck a nerve, "You don't think I have what it takes?!"
To the big man's credit, he didn't look down on Rex. In fact, he offered a small shrug, "Nah, I mean...I bet you could handle a normal blade, maybe. But a greenhorn like you with a beaut like her?"
"Don't kid yourself." his tone turned sharp, serious, "Come on lad, hand her over to a grown up."
Rex clinched his teeth. Underneath his gloves, the boy felt his knuckles pop. With all the crap they'd been stuck dealing with these past few days, he had only one response to give for that little request.
"To hell with that!" he growled, "Leave her alone!"
The hulking man chuckled, "Y'got heart kid. I like that. Yew, Zuo, take care of the others. I'm gonna squash the kid."
His companions nodded and drew their weapons. One wore a black suit and wielded a long spear while the other, dressed in pink armor of all things, took out a rather large double sided axe.
"Hehe, don't worry. Leave it to us Boss."
"We'll take good care of 'em."
Finally, the big man himself drew his own weapons. Big enough to fill his massive fists, the hulking brute drew a pair of scythes. His companion, the humanoid bird, unfurled its wings and took to the air.
The ground quite literally quaking underneath his boots, the massive driver and his cohorts charged the group.
The largest of the trio, the 'Boss' made a beeline for Rex. His muscular arms slammed into the kid like a speeding freight train. The Salvager barely managed to draw Pyra's blade and block the strike but the force alone nearly knocked him off his feet. The Aegis quickly leaped to her Driver's side, already providing her support. Never the less however, the two faced down a literal tank bearing down on them.
As for the rest of the bandits, Yew and Zuo had their orders and attacked Rex's friends.
Zuo choose the local Nopon as his target and attacked with a large overhead swing from his axe. The glowing blade slammed into Tora with an impactful clang. As he pressed downward though, the man found no give in the tiny creature. In fact, he hadn't hit the Nopon at all!
Poppi appeared in front of her Masterpon and blocked the strike herself, easily able to hold back the axe with her shield.
Meanwhile, Yew chose Nia and Dromarch as his target's. Spear in hand, the Driver stabbed again and again at the pair, one thrust after another. Regardless of how normal he looked, the man was mighty fast. One thrust with his spear looked as if he was using ten at once instead. Nia was nimble but not nimble enough to dodge everything thrown at her. Thankfully, Dromarch was no slouch either.
As his Driver was about to have a few new holes in her jumpsuit, her blade swept the girl off her feet. He hoisted the Gormotti onto his back and roared directly into Yew's face.
The bandit stumbled back, ears ringing from the thunderous scream. As he fumbled however, Nia took the chance and kicked the man square in the nose.
If only Rex were having that sort of luck. The Aegis and her Driver struggled to defend against the massive man. Even with a body like a boulder, he was faster than he had any right to be! As quick as Rex was with Pyra's help, this hulking mass of a Driver was more so. He sliced, swiped, and literally kicked the teen around the moment he got into range.
Rex blocked a swipe at his ribs, ducked away from a chop to his noggin, and even parried both scythes at once!
Not that it did much. The Driver was build like a tank and laughed when Rex struck him across the chest!
Thankfully, their fight wasn't strictly an even affair.
"Hiyyyyyyyah!"
As the colossal Driver reared back for another attack, something collided with his side, straight out of nowhere.
Mash , sliding between the dueling pair, reared back her shield and slammed it against the Driver's rib-cage. An echoing 'clang' thundered out as thick shield met the man's chest, like two hunks of steel pounding against each other. Being caught off guard, the colossal Driver tumbled backwards, nearly knocking the big man off his feet.
But despite being blindsided by a half ton shield, all it earned was a chuckle, "Well, I'll be damned. Now that was one hell of a hit! You should be taking tips from this one, kid!"
"Oh, bite me!"
The Driver rolled his eyes at Rex's remark. Letting the kid simmer for a bit, he turned and focused his gaze on his new opponent. Mash stood, shield in hand, ready for another round. Ritsuka, who he assumed was her Driver was there as well. Oddly though, he was a bit farther back. A safe distance sure but not often seen with a Driver and their Blade.
Wonder what was up with that?
"Sorry lass, but I got business with this kid." he gestured at Rex, "If you wanna have a tussle with me, you're gonna have to wait your turn."
Mash met his gaze with a stern look of her own, "I won't!"
"Oh? Wanna help your friends then? Well, then I'll apologize in advance for this."
Suddenly, the man shot his Blade a look and nodded, "Roc!"
"On it!"
From behind the man's impressive frame, his Blade kicked off the ground and soared skyward.
It sailed high into the air and spread its wings. These large feathered limbs outstretched and loomed over the open field. Ritsuka and Mash followed as the Blade slowly began to flap its wings. It began as a slow, steady beat. Just enough of a motion to keep the humanoid bird aloft in the air.
Slowly though, something stirred. Wind rushed in through the massive cavern, the first gust of air everyone had felt since venturing inside the Urayan Titan.
As Roc's wings began to beat faster and faster, the wind became more turbulent. Each wing became engulfed in miniature twister, actual tornadoes. They were like swirling vortexes twisting and turning, growing more wild and unstable the quicker the Blade flapped. The grass shifted, stones were overturned, and many Drivers braced themselves against a sudden gust of wind.
Then, with a cry, Rock snapped his winds forward...
And unleashed his onslaught.
"Feather Typhoon!"
Swirling off Roc's wings was a hurricane of air. All the wind generated from the Blade's flapping concentrated and formed a tornado that descended upon the cavern. Mash and her master had little to no time to react before a hurricane was upon them. Ritsuka attempted channel something from his mystic code but it was too late.
Mash dove toward her Master and braced themselves as the twister landed. The two were consumed by the vortex, leaving nothing but the twisting turbines of wind in their place.
"Guys!"
Rex yellowed out as a vortex of wind made his friends vanish from sight. Worry bubbled up within the teens gut. He threw caution aside and made a beeline to where the pair had been. But before Rex could even get within spitting distance, a massive green boot slammed into his stomach and threw him back against the dirt.
The big brute kicked Rex back and shook his head, "Sorry kid. But if you want to help those two, gotta get past me first. And since you refused my offer, that's gonna be a bit difficult."
Rex sneered up at the man, "If you want it-!"
"Let's give it to him, Pyra!"
"Right!"
Blade igniting, the Aegis and her Driver charged toward their massive opponent. This colossal Driver watched the pair rush toward him, both glowing with ether and anger. Both directed their ire at the scar top his face but the man simply smirked. The kid had spunk, that was certain.
But sometimes spunk could only take you so far in a fight.
Meanwhile:
Inside the massive twister, Ritsuka wracked his head for what to do.
They were trapped, no ifs or buts about it. Feet on the ground but trapped inside a swirling, vicious vortex of wind. The twister swirled around the pair on all sides, like razor blades spinning around a blinder on full blast. Strangely the Blade made hurricane was stationary, almost akin to a cage trying to keep them where they were. Maybe the Avian Blade merely wanted to keep them out of the fight?
Or, so he could gang up on Rex and kidnap Pyra while they were stuck waiting.
Ritsuka clenched his fist in frustration. Their second, genuine fight against a Driver and Blade and now they were trapped?! What kind of track record was that?
"Master, I could try jumping out of here-"
"No," Ritsuka shook his head, "That guy's Blade is still out there. If we just jump out, it'll be like shooting a fish in a barrel for it."
Mash deflated, "Oh, right.."
Jumping out of a one way exit against a air superior foe was just asking for trouble. One of his jobs as a master was to provide strategy to his Servants and if Ritsuka had asked any number of the others to do that? Well, he was certain most would slap him upside the head and call him a idiot. Might as well just stick his head in the tornado and be done with it.
All likelihood, it would be a one way ticket to a whole new world of pain.
The teen bit his lip and tried to think. There had to be something they could do. Everyone else was outside and fighting while they were stuck in the middle of a windstorm. His Mythic Code didn't have any spells that could help with this and the longer they waited, the longer the fights dragged on. Ritsuka wanted to slam his head against something but all he had was dirt, the grass, and Mas-
"M-Master-! Look!"
"Mash?" Ritsuka blinked. He raised his head and looked around. Had something happened? Was the Tornado getting smaller? Was the enemy launching a new attack or something?
Confused, he turned and looked at his Partner. Mash was right there but she hadn't looked to the air, or even the twister.
Instead, the Demi-Servant had her eyes glued on her own shield.
Since the day her abilities as a Servant first fully awakened, Mash's shield had become like an extension of herself. A massive wall of metal she could protect with, defend with, and rely on. Her shift to the Ortenaus armor had been rough but Mash relied on it all the same. The two were different in many ways. One was elegant and smelted in a far older and more noble time. The other was modern, build with steel and magecraft.
As different as they were, both shields shared one key detail. A detail Mash gazed at with shock. The runes carved into the metal's sleek surface. Twelve forged knots of steel were glowing bright blue and at the shield's center was an inscription the Demi-Servant had known for most of her life.
Slowly, the glowing spread. From the inscription to the shield itself, then to its owner, and finally to her master too.
Ritsuka's eyes widened.
"This is...!"
Elsewhere:
"Whats the matter? Are you the Aegis, or arn'tcha?!"
Rex stumbled backwards, just barely blocking another swipe from the man's scythe. Those muscles weren't for show, that's for sure! Each strike thrown struck Rex like a hammer against stone. If the boy was still using his old junk sword, it would be in pieces by now. Every blow he blocked was another step back.
Even after he and Pyra dove back into the fight, Rex was thrown on the defensive yet again. The massive man might as well be a Titan with his sheer bulk and the scales on his face. He was too fast to defend against, too brutal to meet head on, and any hit Rex did get in? He just shrugged it off.
It was like having a headbutting match with Gramps before he got all tiny. He was getting nowhere!
Suddenly, another blow sent Rex stumbling sideways. The bruiser hooked one of his scythes onto the teen's sword and yanked. The giant practically lifted the teen off his feet and tossed him away.
But the Brute didn't relent. Even as Rex stumbled to steady himself, the bruiser was already on him again.
His scythe never met its mark however.
Pyra rushed in front of Rex and threw up a shield to protect him. A dome of hexagonal energy formed around the pair and blocked the massive man's attack. His weapon glowed blue, its edge sparked against the barrier. The Aegis held firm however, her shield refused to budge no matter how much muscle was brought down on it.
The shield held while the Blade and thief glared at each other.
There were no words. No Banter. No angry shouts from Rex or boasting remarks. The only sound heard was the crackling of energy and the fighting in the distance. The only thing between the two combatants was the shield itself. Pyra's red eyes stared into the massive man's own, watching as he pressed forward.
As they looked into one another however, Pyra felt something...strange…
'Huh…?' she wondered, 'Something feels...different...this man…'
KRAKKABOOM-!
Out of nowhere, a thunderous explosion pierced the air.
It appeared without warning and sent a tremor throughout the vast cavern. The loud crackling boom defined everyone nearby, nobody had been expecting it. The fighting came to a abrupt halt as everyone covered their ears. Even Blades winced as their skulls were rocked. It was like their eardrums were about to burst!
It wasn't just sound though. The explosion was followed by a wave of hot air. A literal shock-wave knocked many off their feet by the force alone. Poppi picked up Tora and saved the Nopon from being sent flying. Dromarch used his body as a shield for Nia against the heat. Even the Bandits were taken aback and braced themselves as the ground shook.
Pyra's stalemate came to an end as well. Her barrier dissipated as the shock-wave hit. The Aegis fell back to Rex, while their foe stumbled too.
Even this Tank of a Driver couldn't keep a straight face. The explosion smacked him right upside the head. After all this was over, he was certain his head would be ringing for days.
"The hell was that?!" he grumbled.
"Um, boss?"
Padding the side of his head, the hulking man looked up. His Blade hovered overhead but had a oddly worried look upon his feathered face.
"What is it?"
Roc raised one of his claws and pointed, "We...have a bit of a problem."
"Problem? What kinda...problem…"
The Driver turned to where his partner was pointing, and found...no words.
Off to the side, away from their battle, Roc's Art technique was gone. A raging hurricane had vanished. But how? Regardless of being made of the stuff, a twister doesn't just vanish into thin air. He was certain of it. If Roc had dismissed the twister, he would know. But after one look at where it had been, the reason for the Art's disappearance quickly became apparent.
It had exploded.
Where once was a raging Typhoon had been reduced to scorched earth and ash.
Roc had seen it all. It happened completely out of the blue! One moment the twister was there, and the next? A raging fireball had sprouted out of nowhere, caught the tornado on fire, and the whole thing went kaboom! Some strange explosion came to life within the twister and turned it into a spinning mass of flames...
Then, much to Roc's shock, it simply exploded.
"The hell is that?!" his Driver roared, not happy, "I didn't want you to scorch those brats!"
"I didn't do it! I can't even do that!" Roc defended, "It just happened!"
"A twister doesn't just catch fire damn it!"
As the wannabe thieves argued back and forth, Rex and Pyra looked on with a mix of shock and horror. The explosion had left a devastating mess in its wake. Blackened ash floating through the air, embers scorching the ground, and stink of roasted grass was everywhere. Just what had caused such a eruption?
Even if avian Blade hadn't, neither had they. Pyra was careful with her flames and even if Rex had been lobbing fireballs left and right, he had been a bit busy. Trying not to get tossed around by a bruiser was harder than it looked! Nia and Dromarch couldn't have done it, as neither could Tora or Poppi. They were busy fighting and besides, fire was Pyra's element.
Of everyone present, that only left-
"Mash! Ritsuka!" Rex cried out.
An horrified dread filled both the Aegis and her driver. That bird had left them trapped dead center in that twister! Where were they suppose to go when it went up in flames?! Sure, Mash literally charged through the Flamebringer's inferno but could she tank an explosion to the face?! What about Ritsuka?
Rex stumbled to his feet and rushed toward the smoking remains.
Forget the fight! He had to make sure they were okay!
"Ah. Might have overdone it a tad. Sorry about that, Master."
Rex stopped dead in his tracks, as did Pyra.
Off to the side, the massive man and his Blade quit their bickering as well. The scarred Driver turned and narrowed his eyes at the cloud of ash.
A new voice cut through the ash and embers. With it, the cloud of smoke disappeared. Not fading away nor carried off by a stray gust of wind. The ashen clouded vanished from top to bottom. It was like each individual flake of ash flashed a light, glowing blue and simply vanished.
In the center of what used to be a tornado and then an explosion, was Mash and Ritsuka.
Covered in ash, a bit disheveled, and with a wide eyed look on their faces. Rex was honestly flabbergasted. Besides a new dusty coating the pair looked absolutely fine.
But they weren't alone.
Standing in front of a shocked duo of Master and Servant, there was a man.
He was tall, athletic, and had a pair of intense red eyes. His attire was a mix of a blue robe, a black skin tight undergarment, and a torn cloak that barely dropped midway down his back. Atop the man's shoulders was a fur lined hood, that if worn would have easily covered up his vibrant blue hair. Lastly, in the stranger's hands was a large, wooden staff.
It was elegantly carved from what looked like a mighty tree branch. Gold markings littered its frame and a large symbol was sketched into its tip.
The Scarred Driver raised a brow and rested a scythe on his shoulders, "Well, there's a fresh face. You with this band of misfits?"
Red, piercing eyes glanced at the man.
"All of them? Well, that certainly depends."
Slowly though, the new arrival smirked. He jabbed a thumb backwards at the pair behind him, "But these two are mine, so I don't quite appreciate you roughing them up without my permission."
"Bwahaha!" the beast of a man laughed, "I guess I should apologize then. May I get your name so I can properly compensate ya for roughing up your brats?"
Now that? That earned a chuckle.
This new arrival flicked a stray hair out of his face. His eyes narrowed and slowly, he twirled his staff between his fingers. As it twirled between nimble fingers, the staff began to glow. The carvings, all the engraved details and runes crafted into its surface turned red. It happened for a brief second. Like the wooden frame had caught fire. But then, the intense red faded into a haunting blue.
Embers flickered off the wooden frame, as if a fire was crackling beneath its bark.
"My name? Sorry, that's for my Master and the young lady only."
"For you? Call me Caster."
AN:
-Hello everyone! And welcome back!
-So, so much for that schedule I had planned. Sorry about that everyone, more crazy shenanigans got in my way and well, things got a tad bit hectic overall. But I'm back and I'm going to try my best to keep from going too long without another update. We got some new stuff coming up soon and I want to share it with everyone interested.
-Speaking of which, as you can see, we got Servants now! I debated quite a bit on who was gonna be the first Servant to appear, but I wanted them to be familiar but not so overly overpowered, especially so early on. Trust me, I considered a wide array of Servants, so I'm sorry if my choice disappointed any of you. But we'll see more soon enough.
-As per normal, any questions and whatnot, go ahead and ask! Just remember though, I can't reply to guests.