They couldn't simply dock the Monoceros at the Indol Praetorium's deck without notice, for that would surely raise an eyebrow and possibly cause mayhem. The newfound group needed to devise a plan ensuring their arrival would be hidden. For Malos, paying visits to the Praetorium wasn't very much of an issue. Despite their own predicaments, Amalthus, Malos' Driver, wasn't the type to call for the imprisonment of Malos - or imprisonment at all - at least not at the current stage in time.
As the Monoceros grew closer to Indol, Malos was able to see some ruffling within the clouds.
"There's something in the distance," Malos called out to Luna. "It looks like another ship on the same route as us."
"I wonder… it might be Tantal's shipment of Core Crystals to Indol. It is around that time of year, but a bit early… I'll tell Jin," Luna said.
Malos gave her a nod. She ventured beneath the dock to the control room, her cloak gracefully following behind her.
A holographic projection in the control room portrayed a man from his torso up. He had red and black armor. His wavy blonde hair was slicked back, with a single strand falling over his sparkling blue eyes. He always had a slight grin on his face, and this time was no different.
"Heya, Jin. How are things?" The man said with an upbeat tone.
"Hello, Mikhail. I'm well," Jin replied.
Before Jin had a chance to explain himself, Mikhail said, "Wow, what a shocker. The Monoceros appears to be booted and moving, too."
"I'm off to Indol. I met a couple of Blades in the city, and we've decided to join forces."
"Hold on, Jin, I might fall over! New faces, huh. When am I going to meet them?"
Jin noticed that the radar showed signs of another ship sailing in the Cloud Sea nearby as Luna walked through the doorway.
"Jin, another entity has been spotted in the Cloud Sea," Luna said. She observed the projection of Mikhail, realizing that Jin was in the middle of a call. She took a couple steps back. "Sorry to interrupt."
"Not at all, sweet cheeks," Mikhail said. "What lovely hair you have, too. She must be one of the people you picked up - I didn't know you had it in you. Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Mikhail! And you are?"
"I am Luna," she said timidly, for the tone of his remarks were slightly off putting. She brought a hand up to her chest for a sense of protection.
"There's not much time for an introduction. We have company," Jin said, still observing the radar. "They are enroute to Indol."
"It's most likely the yearly shipment of Core Crystals," Luna added.
"A yearly shipment…?"
"Indol has Tantal wrapped around their finger, and not for good reason." Luna's tone progressively declined, becoming melancholic. Her lips curled downward as she recalled the events soon after the Aegis War. "When the remains of Torna found refuge in Tantal, discrepancy arose between their cultures, the way they viewed blades. Torna sought to live with blades in harmony, as equals, which wasn't how it was in Tantal. The Tantalese viewed their Blades as their servants. We were used to build, maintain, and protect Tantal. The Tantalese family in charge at the time scrambled due to the conflict, and used the heir of Torna's name to win over the trust of the people. Indol found out, and ordered Tantal to send them Core Crystals annually at the cost of keeping their secret."
Luna could've sworn that, for the first time since their meeting, Jin expressed some form of disbelief. It was only for a mere second that she thought she saw his eyes widen.
Jin wasn't surprised that humans would make up such a lie for their own gain, nor that humans would blackmail each other for the same exact desire of power. Hearing what happened to Torna was what struck a nerve in Jin - and he came to a sudden realization.
"Those Core Crystals… the Indoline Praetorium is the hub for controlling the distribution of Core Crystals. They have always been quiet with their plans, but they chase progress. I don't trust them with those Core Crystals. On another note, that ship might be our ticket into the Praetorium," Jin concluded.
"I'll leave you guys to it. It was nice meeting you, Luna. Can't wait to meet you in person soon," Mikhail winked. Luna winced.
"See you," Jin said, then pressed a button. The holographic image ceased.
Jin asked for Malos' presence through an intercom. He arrived swiftly. Luna and Jin brought him up to speed with their conspicuations.
"I'll enter the ship and see what they have in store. Follow behind and remain vigilant on the Monoceros," Jin said.
Malos nodded. "They're using an Ardainian ship. It has a small opening along the hull. You'll probably be able to enter from there."
Malos looked at the radar, which showed their current location and areas surrounding. He pointed out where they'd meet on the radar if disaster struck: a hidden area along the Titan that he knew to be unmonitored. Such a place was rare in Indol, and their movements towards such a place were absolutely crucial.
Jin managed to swim through the Cloud Sea and find his way into the Ardainian ship. Jin's boots clacked against the metal floor, containing small beads of light neatly spaced out. The walls were also metallic, which made the entire ship chilly. The air weighed him down upon arrival, suppressing his ether energy drastically. Jin slowly walked through the pathway to the chamber, smoked by some puffs of clouds. He kept his senses heightened and readied himself for what laid ahead. Through the clouds, he saw a few soldiers standing guard. They were Indoline, despite the appearance of the borrowed Ardainian ship.
"Today's mess hall meal was crap!" One complained.
"Indeed, tomorrow's better be good," the other nodded.
"Did you hear that?"
The guards were able to finally hear the clacking of Jin's boots.
"The sound of the engine?" A guard said, not wanting to believe that he heard an intruder.
Jin barely saw them through the smoke, but he could feel where they stood. They couldn't know about his existence. No one could. This was the beginning of the end for him, and if his identity slipped, it would make plans a whole lot tougher. Without hesitation, Jin sliced through the guards, who barely made a peep as their bodies crashed to the floor.
Jin continued through the walkways and rooms with tenacity, slashing any Indoline guards that came in his way. He eventually arrived to a room, shielded by a windowless door. He heard a ruckus going on from the inside, which peaked his interest. He pressed the button next to the doorframe, and the room opened. Within the room were a handful of workers, taunting, yelling, and abusing a couple of people who sat huddled against the wall.
"Huh? Hey! Who are you -"
Jin disposed of the Indoline men who were in the room with ease. He approached the two people - a man and a woman - and looked down at them.
The boy had glasses. His hair was messy and black. He wore a rusted and thin vest with loose short-sleeved clothing underneath. His hands were covered by black leather gloves.
"You wanna… kill us, huh?" The boy's voice wavered as he asked. He refused to look at Jin.
Jin peered at them closer through his mask. "You're not human… Flesh Eaters?"
The query in Jin's voice allowed the boy's guard to fall; it was fairly clear to everyone on the ship that they were Flesh Eaters, so the notion that Jin didn't know was an indication that he was potentially unthreatening. "We were on our way to be transferred to Indol. My sister and I, from Tantal."
"Sister?"
The girl who sat next to him wore a hooded long-sleeved robe. The vest she wore over it had a similar pattern to the boy's. She had long, straight, black hair with straight-cut bangs. Her hands were also covered with gloves.
The boy retrieved a brass, oval-shaped pendant from his pocket and opened it. Inside, there was a picture of a man and a woman. "Here. The boy on the left, that was my Driver. The right is Patroka's."
"Patroka… Is that her name?" Jin asked, looking over at the girl.
"Yes. I'm Akhos. Our Drivers were brother and sister. That's why…"
"… we're siblings too, you're saying? What a dumb notion. They're them, and we're us. No relation whatsoever," Patroka spat.
"Even so!" Akhos' voice became louder with resilience and a sparkle of reminiscence in his blue eyes. "These bodies contain the lives of two humans… We are… connected."
"I don't get why you bother…"
Jin's chest felt heavier. He asked, "Are you happy?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking if it makes you happy, clinging to things like that." He couldn't help but be inquisitive; it's not often that he came in contact with Blades who willfully made themselves into a being like he was. The repercussions did not feel burdensome at the time he had permanently modified his body. These Flesh Eaters seemed to be young in nature, striking a sense of naïveté, making his question all the more worth it. To Jin, at least.
"...That I don't know. But it's better than having nothing… It's important to me, and that gives me a reason… to go on. To live for her…" Akhos said.
Akhos' response touched Jin. Too bad now was not the time to reflect on emotions.
Jin, Patroka, and Akhos exited the cell and continued to explore the ship. Jin carved through any guards that stood in his path and escorted his newly recruited members.
Jin sheathed his sword after putting down a guard, then turned his head over his shoulder to Akhos and Patroka, who watched him in awe. "Do you know what else is on this ship?" He asked.
"There should be Core Crystals somewhere… I think we're getting closer," Akhos said.
Lo and behold, the next room had a wall of preserved Core Crystals.
"Wow, there are so many," Patroka gasped.
"Take as many as you can," Jin ordered.
They began to quickly gather the preserved Core Crystals, shoving them in boxes and bags to prepare them for migration to the Monoceros. Jin noticed the labels that some of the Core Crystals had on them now that he was able to look at them closer. They were organized based on rarity. The objectification of Core Crystals became worse: 'Queue for Cleanse' was written on the cases with higher rarity, and 'Discard for Mor Ardain' was written on cases with a common rarity. The little blood within Jin's body began to boil as he was reminded by his hatred towards the Praetor.
"This is what we are to them?" Jin said.
"Are you figuring that out only now?" Patroka said, picking up a case.
"No. But the sentiment is reinforced," Jin said.
"Some Blades are better than others, and with that comes value," she continued. They looked at each other. "My Driver saw through that. Not that I would've known if I returned to my core."
"Why did you do it?" Jin said, referring to the consumption of their Driver's flesh. He knew why he did it himself, and now that there was another one like him, he couldn't help but ask. He should ask Luna at some point as well; surprisingly, he hadn't already.
"Me? Become what I am? Well, I -" Patroka's voice heightened, "- do you mind? We can talk about that later. Let's get these things out of here."
"Patroka, don't be so rude to the man who saved us," Akhos said. "Although… you are right. I think we'll have a versed answer for you once we contemplate it. For now, consider it an act of survival."
Patroka rolled her eyes. Jin accepted the answer.
They each carried a load or two of Core Crystals and retraced their steps, finding the exit long the hull of the ship. In the distance and through the fog they could see the Monoceros. Patroka found a few floating devices which they used to place their loads on. They jumped into the Cloud Sea, pushing the floating loads of Core Crystals along.
Once they were within very close proximity to the Monoceros, Luna unraveled a hook from the top of the deck. Akhos hinged the hook onto the netting of one of the loads. Jin climbed up the hook and helped her reel it in. They repeated for each load, and eventually Akhos and Patroka ascended the rope of the hook. Patroka brushed dirt from the Cloud Sea off of her clothes.
"Welcome aboard," Luna greeted.
They all moved the Core Crystals into the main room of the ship for the time being, except for Jin, who went into the control room to speak to Malos.
Malos pointed out to Jin on the radar a place where they could dock the Monoceros on Indol for a break from being out on the Sea. The area was off the coast of an unmonitored area of Indol. Docking there was indeed risky, but Malos was quite confident that they wouldn't be seen by anyone or any security devices. If anyone knew Indol's layout, it was Malos.
Malos and Jin went to the room the others were in. Now that the ether wasn't suppressed, Akhos and Patroka were able to return to their Blade forms. Their attire was entirely different from when Jin found them before.
Patroka wore a white cloak with puffy arms that stopped before her forearm. The bottom of the cloak was lined with navy blue fabric had a dark floral pattern. The slit within the jacket's fabric revealed her legs and the bottom ware resembled Luna's. Along her midriff was armor with pieces of red metal within it.
Akhos wore armor that resembled that of Malos', except it was a bright blue color. His navy pants were loose and baggy around his thighs that tucked into his boots.
As they unpacked the Core Crystals and neatly stacked their cases, Luna couldn't help but fixate on the amount that was there and tried to mask her shock. The amount of Core Crystals that came from Tantal after all of these years was unbelievable to her. This was part of the reason why the Titan to suffer in pitiful whispers. The energy pent up in her began to burn through her limbs. It yearned to flail, hit, and let loose. Out of courtesy towards the new members, she refrained. After all, Jin picked them up while he was on the ship coming from Tantal, so they must be of some sort of Tantalese descent.
Malos said, "Now, we have more Flesh Eaters. What's the deal with you twerps?"
"Twerps -" Patroka puffed.
Akhos stepped in front of her, foreseeing the fit she was about to throw. "I'm Akhos, and this is my sister, Patroka. Our Drivers were from Tantal."
"Oh, here we go with the sister act again…"
Akhos let Patroka let off some of her steam; that was all he could do, anyway. "We were being transported from Tantal, presumably for execution, until Jin saved us."
As Luna suspected, she was correct, but said definitively as if she was shunning off her disbelief, "You're from Tantal."
"Yes, we are. Oh!" Akhos suddenly exclaimed. He walked up to Luna and pushed his glasses up the rim of his nose. "You're Luna!"
Patroka's eyes bounced between Akhos and Luna. "No way. I thought you were long dead, or a lie."
"You've been passed down from generation to generation to the highest noble family in Tantal. Yet, it had been recorded that you've gone missing ever since the Aegis War, never to have returned," Akhos said.
Luna crossed her arms and swayed around to place her weight on one leg. "That's a nice way to put it, yes." They left out the part of being a convicted felon, and the reason as to why, but that was something she wanted to put behind her. In fact, Luna wanted to put it all behind her.
"It's an honor to meet you!" Akhos said, bowing.
"Get a grip…" Patroka muttered. She eyeballed Luna up and down, examining everything from her facial features to the boots she wore. "Although, it is a shock. The artwork of you is strikingly accurate. That's you, alright."
"You… you're a living legend. I can't help but ask, what happened to you?" Akhos asked.
"Ah, Little Lu, the Anima of Tantal," Malos cocked his head back with a concise laugh. He had known who she was ever since their meeting, but never disclosed it to any of them.
"I thought you looked familiar," Jin nodded. "Your status is not too far from what I've been named."
"I recall hearing about you, too, Jin. But my history is that: a remnant of the past. It shall remain there as we push for the future," Luna scoffed. She couldn't exactly blame them for bringing up her legacy. After all, they were Blades of Drivers from Tantal, and she felt some sort of connection to them, even if her hope for the people there disappeared long ago.
"Certainly," Akhos said.
Patroka, on the other hand, was drawn into Luna. Under her hard exterior, a small shimmer of interest peaked her, and she wanted to get to know Luna. Akhos felt similarly, but in a way that seemed to idolize her as opposed to seeing her as a friend.
Luna continued, "What were your Drivers like?"
"The way they treated us paled in comparison to other Blades from the area," Akhos said.
"Behind closed doors, they were personable. In public? Forget it. We were better treated than other Blades, from what I've seen, I guess," Patroka elaborated.
Maybe some values of Torna was passed onto the Tantalese, Luna thought. She quickly dispelled the thought by nodding to them, for dwelling on the past was futile.
The shoreline of Indol became closer in sight. Not a soul was in sight - not a monster, no guards, no life. The bright beige and white marbled rock formed the ridges of land where the ship came to a rest.
Malos said, "Akhos and Patroka. I'm Malos. You'd better help us out around here; don't let Jin regret his decision of rescuing you."
Luna looked up and around as she took her first steps onto land. The air smelled shockingly clean.
"I've never been to the Praetorium before to see the corruption up close," Luna said.
"How desolate. It appears to all be man made, and lacking in any natural scenery," Akhos said.
"I don't think we're going to be finding any dinner by means of hunting…"
Malos walked on ahead. "I'm going to pay a visit to the mastermind behind it all."
"This'll surely be an interesting evening," Luna said. She began to trot behind Malos, who smoothly came to a halt and turned around.
"You aren't on vacation. I'm not here to give you a tour of this place," he said.
"It'd be worthwhile to explore the place where you were awoken, and meet the guy who did it. Not to mention, observing the everyday life of the Praetor's citizens will only fuel my fire of demise. I've only heard about this place in confidence," Luna said. She swirled around Malos and stood right in front of him, perhaps a bit too close for his liking; however, he made no attempts to distance himself from her. Her head tilted back as she pleaded to him, not only with words, but her eyes.
Luna's justification tempered the irksomeness Malos felt for her desire to explore. He simultaneously noted the interest in her voice when she talked about his awakening, and somehow felt a buffer in his ego from it. Regardless, it didn't deter him from his predisposed mindset. "The place where I was awakened is top-notch trash. Let me and my Driver have some man-to-man bonding time. You can go on and do whatever you want, but don't expect me to babysit you."
Luna was understanding of Malos' situation. He hadn't spoken to his Driver in quite some time and it was best for her not to obstruct their conversation, whatever they'd end up talking about. Clearly, their bond hadn't been very strong - severed, to be frank. She felt Malos' tense rage heighten ever since their arrival at Indol. Speaking to the Praetor must have been on his mind ever since the group spoke about the Indoline Praetorium.
"Fine," Luna said. It was probably in her best interest not to meet the Praetor now, anyway.
"Would anyone else like to come along? Maybe I could grab some dinner in the center of the Titan."
"I wouldn't mind going, but who knows what personnel has our identification," Akhos said. As he said, there could be some officers within Indol who would be able to identify Akhos and Patroka.
"It's best if we stay here for the evening," Patroka said.
Jin said. "Luna, you can go on."
"See you guys soon. Say hi to the Praetor for me," Luna shot a grin at Malos.
"Hah! Don't get lost," Malos said with sarcasm and a twinge of sincerity.
Malos waited for the right moment to appear in the Praetor Amalthus' presence. He was neatly hidden, watching and listening as people met Amalthus with various political news. All of the stories sounded dreary: trouble brewing continuously between Mor Ardain and Uraya, refugees protesting in the streets, a demand for Core Crystals among nations… Malos almost audibly laughed, which could've given his hiding spot away.
Once the commotion seemed to have died down, Amalthus rose from his throne and exited the room and motioned to walk to the Sanctum. Malos suddenly appeared in front of Amalthus with a small puff of dark embers dissipating from his body. Amalthus was unphased, staring at Malos with taut lips and dull eyes. His hands were clasped behind his robe.
"Malos. What a surprise to see you here. Alive," Amalthus said nonchalantly.
"I'm distraught that you have such little faith in me," Malos said, in reference to his disappearance after the Aegis War. He rolled his eyes.
"Not quite. And your casualties?"
Although it was hidden, Amalthus sensed his cracked Core Crystal. He could've probably invented a way to fix it, but there was no benefit for him to do so.
"Don't be so worried about me. Those casualties are in the works of being rebuilt," Malos put a hand on his hip.
"Oh. The only plausible explanation for your visit would be to repair them."
"Thought I'd swing by to see how my Driver was doing; our paths crossed at the right time. How great it must be for you to kick your feet up and watch a war unfold, Praetor," Malos spat Amalthus' title. He tucked his chin in.
"Indeed, the callings of war do not hinder our plans, but do keep us somewhat occupied."
"I'd love to spice it up for you. Consider it my gift to you when I wave down at you from atop in Elysium, rid of the Architect, and watch as this shit hole is erased."
"A lofty goal. How do you propose to go about such a dream?"
Despite his shared hatred for humans, Amalthus never sought to kill the Architect per say - at least not right away. Malos' wish rose some cause for concern at first. Amalthus was more than capable of planning a counterattack to any opponent who stood in his way.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Amalthus put his hand out. "You're alerting me so that I provide a worthy opponent for you."
Malos' lip curled upward. "Don't disappoint me."
Malos disappeared.
Amalthus blinked, then looked up at the infrastructure at the ceiling. If Malos was serious about his plans - which, he certainly appeared to be - then Amalthus could possibly have a chance to achieve his own dream. He needed to go to Elysium, too. Right now, his best plan of action was to watch the story unfold and continue with his current course.
The Monoceros set sail to meet with the Marsanes.
Akhos and Patroka were learning about the mechanics of the Monoceros alongside Jin, just as Malos and Luna had before. For Akhos, operating the technology came naturally to him. Patroka was similar in nature, but not nearly as fluent.
Luna, on the other hand, was cooped up in her small room. She would be sharing the bunk bed with Patroka for the evenings ahead. She was situated at a small desk that had a medium sized blank notebook and a bag of cookies she had obtained from a Gormotti refugee in the center of Indol. With a cookie hanging from her mouth and carefully thought out swipes from her arm, she drew a picture. Drawing was one of her favorite past times; in fact, she used to create concept art for muralists in the Kingdom of Tantal. Painting was not her strong suite. Long ago she had an interest to improve her skills, but that desire had dwindled over all her years of living.
The speaker in the corner of the room turned on. Luna looked up from her notepad. Akhos' voice sounded, "We're approaching the location of the Marsanes momentarily. Meet us in the main hall."
Luna put her pencil down, closed her notebook, and bit off a piece of the cookie, holding it in her free hand. Right before she walked out of her room, she saw Malos in the hallway.
"Where'd you get that?" Malos asked, referring to the nearly eaten cookie in Luna's hand.
Luna cursed in her head. She didn't want anyone to find out about the cookies - she wanted them all to herself! She shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth, and through her chewing she said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Malos glanced over Luna and saw the bag on her desk. As she slipped by him, he quickly snuck into the room and nabbed a cookie for himself.
Luna took a double take when saw Malos chomping on the cookie as they entered the main hall. "Hey! Those weren't meant for you!"
"Keep it between the both of us," Malos said.
"But you weren't meant to have one in the first place. That's called stealing. Not to mention, you violated my privacy by entering my room."
"You said it yourself, Little Lu. I'm your teammate now. What's yours is mine," Malos smiled.
"You better watch yourself," Luna spat.
"Or what?" He laughed.
She couldn't think of a retort before Akhos announced on the loudspeaker, "About to dock the Monoceros!"
They could both hear Patroka from the control room as she said, "They're right there in the main hall, you don't have to keep using that loudspeaker!"
"I'm getting used to using such a device, Patroka. No need to worry!" Akhos said.
A/N: I enjoyed writing this chapter! Once again, feel free to critique the personas of the characters and if they go OOC or not.
Writing has been slower recently since I've been busy with other hobbies... such as playing Fire Emblem Three Houses! I finished my first run in Blue Lions. I don't think I can bring myself to support the other houses fundamentally (I've spoiled them quite a bit...), so whenever I replay the game, I'll most likely play BL again.
Feel free to check out my Twitter ( nox_aureaa) and my Twitch (nox_aurea).