Gamer4 in... I broke my Wii U gamepad. I'm gonna write some more to make myself feel better. I know the opening of this story has been on the darker side, but things are gonna start looking up soon. Promise. Now, if my cat will get out of the way, we can get started.
Disclaimer: I can happily say that Xenoblade Definitive is, indeed, the definitive way to experience the adventures on Bionis.
Chapter IV
The Sands of Vale
Jaune awoke to a gentle light filtering through the trees above, tinted an emerald green. More pleasant still were the sound and smell of sizzling eggs and sausage. He pulled himself up to find the expected sight of Ren stoking a pan over the fire. "Ah, good morning, Jaune. Thought I'd cook some breakfast."
"Thanks," Jaune nodded, moving closer to the fire and accepting some eggs. "Pyrrha's gone?"
"Yes. She left during the night... she..."
Jaune shook his head as he took some sausage as well. "No need to lie, Ren, I heard everything."
Ren paused for a moment. "Everything?"
"Yeah. You told her to go back to her family."
"...Well, I suppose that makes things simpler. I suppose you heard her apology, as well?"
"Yeah. But... she didn't need to apologize. It was harsh, but nothing she said was wrong. She brought the fight to us, but I'm the one who climbed into Weltall. If anything, I should be apologizing to her."
Ren reached out and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Try not to blame yourself too much, Jaune. You were trying to save the village- you had no way of knowing how volatile the gear would be."
"...Thanks, Ren." Jaune decided to accept this comfort for the moment. "How is everyone in the village?"
"Recovering as well as can be expected," Ren said gently as he helped himself to some breakfast. "As we speak, Nora is guiding them to Beacon- a neutral territory to the northwest of Vale. They'll be safe there. In the meantime, we need to figure out what we should do. Unless you have any objections, I suggest we continue towards San Miguel- the more information we have on Vale and Atlas, the better decisions we can make moving forward. Besides, I can't fix Weltall with the parts we have to hand."
"Do we... have to fix it?" Jaune asked tentatively. "What if we just... left it here, broken? So it never hurts anyone again?"
Ren met his gaze steadily. "Hmmm... I understand your desire to be rid of the thing, Jaune. And, truth be told, it's not the worst thing we could do with it... but if we are to dispose of Weltall, I recommend not doing it in these woods."
"What do you mean?"
"It seems Atlas has a very significant stake in our friend here... they won't rest until they have it in their hands. Hiding it has some merit, but consider its last known location- Ansel. They know nothing of the exact circumstances, only that they sent a squadron towards Ansel pursuing Weltall, and neither has been heard from since. Pur yourself in the shoes of Atlas... what is the next step?"
Jaune's heart sank. "Hunt down any survivors of Ansel..."
"Exactly," Ren nodded.
"We need to get Weltall away from the people of Ansel- as far away as possible."
"Exactly- but doing so will be difficult without some repairs."
"...Alright. San Miguel it is."
"Wonderful. Eat up- we have a long walk ahead of-"
A loud noise filled the air, a great roaring- Jaune spun around, looking for another grimm that had located them, but Ren silently shook his head, pointing up into the sky.
Jaune craned his neck, and his jaw dropped as he saw a large metal vessel soaring through the air above the forest. "What is that?"
"A battleship... from Vale, if I'm not mistaken. News Atlas's attack must have reached their ears. They'll not allow such an affront to go unpunished."
"Vale has technology like that...?"
"It wasn't always like this. Of course, the war between the kingdoms has been going on for five hundred years- since around the time of Second Impact. Gears, though... those were only introduced a few decades ago. Both kingdoms began uncovering ruins of an ancient civilization, their weapons of war within. Practically all gear technology is built on what we've found.
"Things only got worse when the Ethos appeared. They firmly took Atlas's side, providing them with all their resources. Atlas began devouring the continent, moving well into Vale's territory. Just when it seemed like Vale would be destroyed altogether, Gebler appeared, standing by them and helping them to push back. And now... here we are, the border back where it's always been, along the mountains."
"And... Pyrrha is part of Gebler?"
"It would certainly seem so." Ren steepled his fingers. "Hmm... I have heard rumors that these organizations are less interested in the kingdoms themselves than in the ruins."
Jaune wasn't sure what else to say, so he returned to his breakfast.
XXXX
Once they started moving, only about ten minutes passed before the trees ended, and a vast wasteland began. The edge of the forest gave way to a seemingly endless ocean of sand. Barring some dunes, it was almost entirely flat- even from a distance, Jaune could see what he guessed was their destination. "This... is Vale?" he asked, surprised.
"Indeed it is," Ren nodded.
"I... expected something a little more... iunno, lush."
"It's said that Vale was more temperate, once upon a time, until a meteor impact altered Remnant's alignment, causing what you see before you."
"Second Impact..." Jaune muttered to himself. "Was that... what destroyed Vacuo, too?"
Ren glanced at him, surprised. "Where did you get that idea?"
"I remember the Gaffer talking about the Demon of Vacuo. I thought maybe it was the meteor, or something..."
Ren thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, Vacuo survived Second Impact. It was only destroyed about fifteen years ago. There was an invasion going on at the time, but the true cause was an earthquake that plunged the kingdom into the sea. The leader of the invasion was rather feared- I have know doubt that fanciful imaginations would paint him as the true cause of the destruction... a demon of Vacuo."
They fell silent, devoting all their energy to crossing the desert towards the town at its edge.
It grew larger faster than Jaune expected- it was less than an hour before they had reached the white stone wall that surrounded the town of San Miguel.
There were arches at the north and south ends that permitted them entry to an enclosure of various buildings- Ren had been very right in calling it a 'small' town. Jaune thought he might be able to see from one end to the other- even Ansel had been larger, if only by a narrow margin. The buildings were constructed of the same stone as the wall that surrouned them, and in the center of the town was a large well, around which the buildings had no doubt been constructed.
"Welcome," Ren smiled, "to San Miguel. I hear they're planning some expansion- in the past few years, it's become the center of Vale's excavations. I'm sure we can pick up some spare parts for Weltall here- and if we keep our ears open, we may well hear something about Vale and Atlas's movements."
Jaune still wasn't entirely sold on the idea of fixing Weltall, but raised no objections as Ren led him down the road past several natives bundled up against the heat, easily distinguishing them from those who were just passing through, who were often not nearly as protected.
It took less than a minute to find what Ren was looking for- a large tent near the southern end of town. It had a crest imprinted into the cloth- a crimson cross, except the top portion spiralled into a pair of ram's horns.
Despite being a tent, it was the largest structure in town, the purpose of which was immediately obvious upon entry, where they found a trio of men working on a gear.
"A Gebler workshop?" Jaune guessed.
"Indeed. The only places in Vale to get gears repaired... officially, of course."
One of the men glanced over and saw their guests. "Afternoon. How can we help?"
"Our gear has broken down- we're searching for parts to repair it."
"Tough luck. What parts you need?"
"Firstly, an X-29 model injection bypass circuit."
The man scoffed. "You think we've got parts like that layin' around? Those are the kinds of things you only find on the latest military models! You'd have to put in a special order for somethin' like that, and good luck gettin' it within the month!"
"I quite understand," Ren bowed his head. "I apologize for the bother."
Ren turned and left. Jaune flashed an awkard smile and wave before following.
Ren led them across the street to the Prancing Pony, the very inn he'd originally planned to meet Jaune at. Inside were several tables, a counter, and a man plunking away on a piano, crooning out,
"Hey, Jude,
Don't make it bad.
Just take a sad song
And make it better!
Remember
To let her into your heart,
Then you can start
To make it better!"
Ren took them up to the counter, politely pulling out a chair for Jaune before sitting himself. "Well, this is a problem."
"This is the center of excavation for Vale, right?" Jaune recalled. "Could we go looking for parts ourselves?"
"We could, though crossing the desert presents many problems of its own," Ren pondered. "The Mohaine Desert is the largest on Remnant- the apotheosis of all deserts, I've heard it called. There are many traders that choose to go around it for miles rather than risk the more direct path. Beyond the normal wasteland, there are large patches of lightning sand."
"...Lightning sand?" Jaune didn't like the sound of that.
"Sand into which you'd sink as if it were water- faster, actually, as lightning sand does not take bouyancy into account. There are ships designed to cruise across the desert, but... I don't fancy our chances of finding a captain who will ask no questions about Weltall."
He tapped the counter as the bartender went by. "What'll it be?"
"Two strawberry sunrises, if you would."
The tender grabbed some bottles and mixed their drinks right there in front of them- there was a certain beauty to the art that put Jaune in mind of Old Man Sakura with his coffee. It caused him a pang- he didn't know if Sakura had survived, and he didn't have the courage to ask.
As the bartender plopped their drinks in front of them, Ren seemed to be seized by inspiration. He leaned forward and asked her, "Excuse me, do you know where I might go about getting a sand buggy?"
"Just down the road on the left, you can't miss it," the woman pointed before turning back to her drinks.
"What's that about?" Jaune asked quickly.
"I believe your idea has some merit. I intend to rent a sand buggy and go out on my own- I know the desert well enough that I think I can track down some likely locations. Atlas and Vale are at constant battle- if I can find a well-worn battleground, it's far from out of the question that I might locate our missing part."
"On your own?" Jaune asked, surprised.
"Nothing against you, of course," Ren assured him quickly. "However, speed and secrecy are key, and most sand buggies only hold one. Here..." He pulled out a wad of lien and handed it over. "Have some drinks on me- you deserve a rest after everything that's been happening. I'll be back by morning at the latest- if I'm not back before dusk, just stay the night."
Jaune nodded mutely as Ren hurried out the door. He must have found the buggy he'd been looking for, because ten minutes later, he had yet to return. Jaune shrugged and returned to his drink- it danced on his tongue. He had never really tried alcohol before, but this concoction, at least, was alright by him.
For a while, he followed Ren's advice, taking one drink and then another. For someone who couldn't recall ever drinking before, he was holding his liquor rather well- three in, and he was hardly feeling a buzz. Then again, he had the feeling that this particular drink was slighter on the alchohol than most others.
It was about two and a half hours later that there was a loud rumbling on the outside of the bar- the tender rolled her eyes. "Oh, boy..."
The batwing doors swung open, and in walked a man even taller than Jaune himself- who was known as one of the tallest men in Ansel. He was rather bulky as well, with a head of red hair greased into a small pompadour as he made his way up towards the bar.
"Pour out the strongest stuff you've got, barkeep, for me! Biiiiiig CARDIN!"
"Afternoon, Winchester," the woman sighed as she got to work on his order.
'Big Cardin,' as he called himself, plopped himself down on the seat next to Jaune's- Jaune eyed him apprehensively. "WHOO, is there some shit going down out there! There's a goddamn storm out over that desert!"
"Storm?" Jaune asked. "Like... a sandstorm?"
"Not a sandstorm, little man, a gearstorm! Atlas and Vale are really going to town out there! I pity the fools who were driving out there in their sand buggies, looking for loot- they're all getting ripped apart out there!"
"One local brew, on the rocks." The bartender's eyes were at risk of rolling right out of their sockets as she plunked a tall glass of brown liquid in front of Cardin.
"You know me so well, darling!" he grinned. "But how could you not know Big! Cardin?!"
He flexed and posed as he called out his name, much as he had the first time.
Jaune, however, was fighting an icicle attempting to penetrate his heart. "Wait... there were ruined sand buggies?"
"That there were, little man, that there were!"
"Did you see any of the drivers? A tall man, with long hair in a ponytail?"
"Hmmm... can't say I saw anyone like that, no, but it's not like I was looking close, either. What, is he your boyfriend? Haha-"
Jaune didn't hear most of what Cardin said- he was already leaping to his feet and dashing out into the street, looking around wildly for the Sand Buggy Rental. It didn't take him long to find it, rushing into the building and immediately confronting the man behind the counter. "Sir, I need a sand buggy, as soon as possible."
"'Fraid I don't have any at the moment," the man pointed out, waving a hand around the otherwise empty building. "That dark-haired man took the last one a couple hours ago. Maybe when he gets back-"
Jaune's heart leapt. No... there has to be a way!
He ran back to the inn, where Cardin was brandishing his arms as he told a wild story. "He struck to the right, and I parried to the left as blood was leaking from my stump leg-"
Jaune produced the remainder of the money and pressed it into his chest. "Your bike works on the sand, right? Is this enough to borrow it?"
Cardin stepped backwards, taken aback. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid, who said anything about taking my bike?"
"I need to go out into the desert and find my friend."
"Kid, I-"
Jaune spotted the key on the counter in front of them- he quickly reached out and grabbed it, leaving the remainder of Ren's lien in its place. "Thanks!"
"Kid- hey, get back here!"
Jaune paid him no mind as he rushed back to the street, spotting the bike Cardin must have ridden in on. "I promise I'll bring it back!" he shouted behind him as he quickly mounted it. He placed the key and kicked the bike into life, taking off with a roar and a cloud of dust before Cardin had the chance to pull him off.
The bike carried him swiftly out of the town, none of the guards bothering to get in his way as he turned it towards the vast desert. He had to find Ren, no matter how difficult it would be. He wouldn't rest until he knew the one person he could trust was safe.
As the Mohaine Desert expanded around him and San Miguel shrank behind, he went up and down dunes, keeping his eyes open for any odd patches of sand, remembering well Ren's warning about lightning sand. He didn't encounter any, which was fortunate, as he had no idea what it might look like anyways.
What he encountered far more often were the chunks of metal and machinery that Ren must have come out here to find in the first place- bits and pieces of broken weapons and gears. He half-wondered if any of them might be the exact part they were searching for, but of course, such things were irrelevant now- he needed to ensure that Ren was still alive.
However, Ren's other prediction proved equally true- the desert was incredibly vast, and riding this motorcycle was only getting him lost quicker. Before long, even San Miguel was out of sight, leaving him with no landmarks to navigate the vast sands.
He quickly lost track of time, the sun the only timepiece he had as it steadily began to sink towards the horizon. He was no closer to locating where Ren may or may not have gone, and now had no idea where he was himself.
At long last, he saw something other than bits of metal buried in the sand- there was a fight going on nearby. He could hear the clash of metal, the chatter of gunfire. He brought the bike around to see the battle going on. He had no intention of getting involved himself, but if he skirted around the edges, perhaps he could find something that would help him find Ren.
However, he hadn't even drawn close when a pair of large gears leapt over the dunes he'd been moving between, causing a shockwave that knocked the bike to the ground, sending him sprawling onto the sand.
He looked up, attempting to scrabble backwards as if he had any hope of outrunning a pair of mounted gears- until another series of bullets ripped through the air, destorying the both of them.
Jaune looked around wildly for his savior, and his chest seized when he saw a familiar black gear climbing over the nearest dune. "Weltall?"
Weltall knelt down, and the cockpit opened up, allowing Lie Ren to hop down. "Jaune... what happened to waiting at the inn? What's this I hear about you stealing a motorbike?"
"I... I heard you were in trouble! I had to find you!"
"And when I returned to the Prancing Pony to find you'd left, I had to run out to find you!"
They were both distracted when they looked up to see more gears approaching- their struggle seemed to have caught the attention of the gears Jaune had been approaching in the first place.
"We can argue later," Ren shifted quickly. "Jaune, come up into the cockpit. I can operate this gear at a rudimentary level, but my bond to it is not equal to yours."
"Er... right!"
As Jaune climbed up into Weltall's pilot seat, Ren swung his way up onto its shoulder, holding on tight as Jaune turned the gear against their new opponents. It felt much like it had back in Ansel, as though Jaune were being piloted as much as the gear was. The world around him almost seemed to slow down as he calculated exactly where he needed to be for the optimal position at any given time.
They fought their way across the desert, until Jaune finished the final assailant by smashing it into the stone of a large mesa rising above the desert.
The sun had truly fallen below the horizon by now. Jaune looked around, surprised at what he'd done. "Ren, I... whenever I pilot, I..." He struggled to find the words to describe the sensation that came over him whenever he took control of Weltall.
He was relieved of the burden of finding words when he heard another voice coming in from the outside- and it wasn't Ren's.
"It's a fine feeling, isn't it? As though the world itself could bend to your whims."
A loud, booming voice- Jaune swung around, backing away from the mesa until he could see the large gear, looming dark against the full moon. From its back stretched appendages akin to wings, and standing atop it was what he could only assume was the pilot- a man in black armor and cloak, even his face hidden behind a helmet.
"Hold on to that feeling," the man seemed to advise. "It is a sign that your bloodlust has not been entirely slaked."
Jaune wanted to scream- everything had been happening so fast lately, and he was struggling to keep up with it. "Who are you?!"
He asked that, but... there was a tickle in his mind, at the very back of his brain... something telling him he knew who this man was. That's right... he's the one...
A vision flashed before his mind's eye. He stood at one end of a rainy field, forming the points of a triangle with two other men. One was this man in black- the other was a tall, burly man, with frizzy blond hair and a large beard, almost resembling the mane of a lion.
In the armored man's hands was a cross, swinging back and forth like a pendulum- each time it reached hte bottom of its arc, Jaune heard that awful chime.
That chime summoned another vision, of a young boy with blood splattered across his face...
'No!' the boy seemed to cry. 'I didn't do it! It wasn't me! It was him! It was the habit!'
Another boy, his hair long, red and wild, a dark grin on his face. "Heheh... rabbit or habit? Habit or raaaaaabbit?" He was crooning some odd tune. "Go on, lie there...Coward.'
Jaune forced himself out of this chain of memories. "Ren, who... who is this?"
"I wish I could tell you, Jaune... I wish I knew."
"If you must call me by a name, call me Bane- I am the seeker of power. I have been watching you since the massacre of Ansel- when you showed how much power you truly possess, Jaune Arc. However, you still lack the power required to complete your mission. To that end, I arranged for the gears to land near Ansel... to ensure that power would be awakened."
Jaune was so taken aback that he was momentarily speechless. When he did speak again, every syllable trembled with rage. "You arranged... you caused that... intentionally?!"
"Correct. It was necessary... the deaths of your loved ones... you, powerless to stop it... the screams of your heart born of the tragedy... and at last, your power was awoken."
"Why?!" Jaune demanded. "Why was it so important to you that I get in this damn gear?! Why was it so important that Ansel needed to-"
"Does it truly matter? Their lives were meaningless before the eyes of Heaven. Wretched vermin, living from day to day chained to the wall of a cave, and content to be so. Born from nothing, destined to return to nothing. Besides, it was by your hand, not mine, that the village truly fell. Or had you forgotten?"
"I... I was trying to protect the village!"
"Is that so? Or was there another voice speaking within you? A voice that craves destruction?"
"I don't have to answer to you!" Jaune fired back. "I don't have to answer to some freak in black armor who's standing here, telling me they caused the massacre in the first place!"
"Hmm... ever seeking to shift the blame. Your essential nature has not changed."
For someone that he had only met a few minutes ago, Jaune found himself seething with hatred. "So you want my power, do you? Why? To what end?"
"An end you know all too well. To rise to the Heavens... to slay God herself."
Jaune was taken aback. "God? You want to... kill God?"
"Yes. That is our destiny- to become the bane of God."
Jaune backed away. "Then find someone else. I'm not interested in whatever crusade you're going on about. You're welcome to go and kill whatever gods you want on your own- leave me out of it!"
"You... are so much like your father. But he gave in, too, eventually. It was a most delightful scream."
"Jaune, try to shut him out!" came Ren's voice. "He's trying to anger you!"
Jaune took a long, deep breath. "You're saying you know my father? How? What happened between the two of you?"
"Hmm... perhaps I will tell you, once you are strong enough for my purposes. You are nowhere near that power now. Like a weapon, you must be tempered until you are suitable."
He climbed into his gear and leapt onto the sand below, sending a shockwave through it. Almost immediately, a massive form emerged, causing a wave- a great worm, sharp ridges all along its body as its mouth opened wide in a roar.
"What the hell?!" Jaune gaped.
"If you die here," Bane goaded, "then that's that. If you survive, and still wish to know more... seek me out. Perhaps there is some bliss in ignorance... but something tells me that will never truly satisfy you."
Jets fired from the gear's wings, and it rose into the air and soared away across the desert.
Before Jaune could even consider pursuing, the great worm had wrapped itself around Weltall, a sick slurping sound coming from wherever its mouth had latched on.
"Get... off of me!" Jaune roared- he pressed Weltall's hands against the insides of the worm, forcing it apart until it slid off of him. He forced it to the ground and gripped onto the ridges, ripping it apart using a foot to finish ripping it asunder. He turned around again, but Bane was already gone.
In a second, Weltall was returning to its kneeling position, and the cockpit opened up. He hopped out, looking up at it. "Broken again?"
"No... out of fuel," Ren diagnosed as he hopped down to the sand himself. "That worm seems to have sapped it out somehow..."
He turned to Jaune. "However, I'm more concerned for you. You seem unharmed, but..."
"I'm fine," Jaune shook his head listlessly. "It's just... did that man... really know my father?"
Ren was unable to offer any answers before more gears surrounded them. It seemed the struggle hadn't gone unnoticed- there was even a sandship cruising by. "You, with the black gear!" came a loud, amplified voice from the ship. "You are hereby under the custody of the Vale military! Surrender peacefully, and no harm will come to you!"
Ren slowly raised his hands. "Well... this isn't quite what I had in mind when we awoke this morning. For now, let's remain calm, Jaune... Jaune?"
He turned to see Jaune standing absolutely still, eyes on the ground, mutely raising his own hands in the air. Clearly, panicking wasn't going to be a problem... but Ren had a hard time thinking all was well, either.
XXXX
Traditionally, the early parts of your average Xeno game are a lot of build-up. I hope I'm not getting to the point of annoying you with it- to let me know, go ahead and drop a review. Next time, things start actually looking up a bit- until then, don't you dare go hollow- Gamer4 out.