Short Rival Battle to Big Urayan Capital
"So, you're a bounty hunter?" Rana asked the guy named Zeke.
"Not exactly, you could say I'm a very important errand boy for one very important boss, but that's on the old "You don't need to know" basis." Zeke stated with a grin before looking at Rex.
"Being the Aegis Driver is a heavy burden you have there. Sure you're up to it, pipsqueak?" Zeke asked.
"Don't let this guy get to you with words, that's how he throws you off your game in the middle of a fight and knows when to strike at an opening when he sees one." Risty warned as she got her mace out and Swan in her battle stance.
"Hold now, are you telling me this bag of idiotic bones is actually a threat?" Nia asked disbelief of this.
"Don't you dare say such mean things about my husband!" Aldra pouted made and hugging Zeke's arm between her breasts.
"Husband?!" Everyone shocked.
"I see you're still letting her call you that." Risty chuckled.
"What can I say, just damn lucky to have two awesome and beautiful Blades by my side. I'm sure you can understand when it comes to have Blades that understand your feelings and strong willpower." Zeke smirked.
"Sure, now I'm only going to ask you this once to get out of the way." Risty demanded with a glare.
"Sorry, but no can do. We're here for the Aegis Blade and that's what we're gonna do." Zeke grinned cracking his knuckles.
"Be careful not to crack your knuckles too much." Aldra concerned.
"Now then, I believe I shall give you a proper introduction of myself so you lots would get the basic idea of who I am." Zeke decided.
"Better ready yourselves, this one is a little long." Risty sighed.
"Couldn't we just straight up ignore him and leave?" Ymir asked, not wanting to deal with an annoying guy like that.
"Behold the mighty Zeke Von Genbu! Bringer of Chaos. Mostly known as Zeke, and often addressed as… THE ZEKENATOR!" Zeke smirked.
"And behold, my two mighty Blades!" Zeke gestured his arms to both his Blades.
"Hello, I am the Housewife of Hell and Destroyer of anyone who wishes to do harm to my beloved Zeke, Aldra!" Aldra greeted in a friendly tone with a cute pose.
"And I'm the Bringer of Thunder, one who will shock you to your very core, Pandoria!" Pandoria smirked holding out her electric hand.
"And these babies are my swords! The one in my left is the Purple Lightning Dreamsmasher and the one in my right is the Pink Spanking Killer! If you want a taste of either of them, come and get it!" Zeke showed off the weapons of his Blades.
"Is that… a giant wooden spoon?" Rex asked sweatdrop of seeing this.
"Don't let it fool you, Aldra is stronger than she looks including that weapon of hers." Swan warned.
"It looks like we are going to fight them after all." Cattleya said to Vandham.
"Honestly, I'm not even sure if this will even counts as a fight." Vandham scratched the back of his head.
"Wait, Zeke. We need to put Turters to a safe place before we fight." Aldra reminded her Driver of their little pet.
"Ah yes, can't have him getting hurt in the middle of all this… Huh, where is… Where is he?" Zeke freaked out which got his Blades to freak out as well.
"What? Are you saying you lost our pet turtle again?" Pandoria exclaimed as she looks around on the ground.
"He must've wandered off while we were talking to Risty and Swan and the new friends we just made." Aldra panicked as she tries to find the little turtle.
"Mehmeh, what trio of funny hunters going on about now?" Tora asked.
"I heard them, Masterpon. They are looking for their missing pet turtle." Poppi informed.
"Pet turtle? Now this is becoming stupider the more we hung around with them." Nia wished they can just leave right now.
Pyra looks down at the ground noticing a little creature with a shell slowly crawling up to her and she bends down to pick it up in her hand.
"Hello, little guy! How are you? What are you doing out here all alone?" Pyra greeted the little turtle.
"Ew, Pyra! Put that back on the ground, you don't know where that's been!" Ymir freaked out a little of the turtle.
"Don't listen to her, she is still scared of snakes and any reptiles reminds her of snakes." Agate explained earning a death-glare from her Driver.
"Turters!" Zeke and Aldra cheered as they spotted their pet turtle in Pyra's hands, and they zoomed right in front of her.
"Handling a man's turtle!" Zeke angered as he snatched his pet turtle out of Pyra's hand.
"I see, so you're the one who stole our precious turtle from us. How you no shame, woman?" Aldra glared.
"What? No, I didn't steal him, I just found him." Pyra tried to explain this to Aldra, but she doesn't appear to be in the listening mood.
"What do you have to say for yourself!" Aldra threw a slap so powerful that Pyra was sent crashing right onto a rock wall making a small crater.
"Pyra?!" Cattleya gasped.
"Rex?!" Rana gasped seeing her adopted big brother groan in extreme pain upon the damage Pyra took reflected back onto him as well.
"Now you're going to pay for the sin of turtle kidnapping!" Aldra declared.
"Is this girl for real?" Nia asked shock.
"Doesn't matter now, just get ready to fight." Risty said as she and Swan charges at Zeke.
"Oh, I see you're impatient as always!" Zeke smirked as he swung the Purple Lightning Smasher against Risty's mace.
Swan comes in for an axe-kick to the head only to be blocked by a forcefield made from Pandoria as she quickly jumps away when Ymir tries to attack her, Pandoria unleash a wave of lightning at the girl that Agate was barely able to protect her Driver with a forcefield.
"Here I come!" Aldra charged at Rana for a few punches which he blocks them with the spear.
"Please, we didn't take your turtle. He just came to our side minding his own business." Rana tried to explain to her about the turtle thing.
"Maybe so, but your side started this fight." Aldra pointed out.
Cattleya swings her massive sword at the housewife Blade knocking her away from her adopted son/Driver and helps Rana up.
Aldra slides on the ground for a second and perform a double backflip to land on her feet again only to dodge a sudden attack from Nia and her tiger Blade, Dromarch tries to push her down by pouncing like a predator to his prey though Aldra caught his paws and held her up.
"Oh, aren't you the most adorable kitty I have ever seen!" Aldra complimented.
"Ma'am, shouldn't you be more focus on the battle?" Dromarch asked.
"Let me feel those cute little ears!" Aldra pulled Dromarch into a headlock and starts petting him so good with those hands that he purrs of satisfaction.
"DROMARCH?!" Nia shouted in rage that got Dromarch to jump off from Aldra and to her Driver.
"Forgive me, my Lady! I don't know what came over me." Dromarch apologized.
"Poppi! Charge at lightning Blade!" Tora ordered.
"Roger, roger!" Poppi flew at Pandoria.
The lightning Blade was barely able to react to the speed of the artificial Blade dodging the flying punch and fired a lightning blast that seem to got her, Poppi felt her circuits acting crazy for a few seconds until she broke free sending the lightning off.
"Whoa, you're lightning proof!" Pandoria shocked.
"Correct! Masterpon and his sisterpon cautious for Poppi and made her withstand even lightning strikes!" Poppi nodded and went in throwing some punches.
Pandoria threw a punch of her own at the face only to wince in pain of how hard Poppi is and use her lightning to push the robot Blade away, but then Vandham comes in with an uppercut and a drop kick from Roc in the air.
Zeke does his best to fend off against both Risty and Rex coming at him together with a few combo attacks, but the eyepatch man wouldn't make this easy for them as he parry off Risty's attack and blocks one strike from Rex with the giant wooden spoon.
"How is that spoon so strong?" Rex asked in complete shock.
"Comes with a strong Blade." Zeke smirked before giving Rex a headbutt.
Zeke turns to see Aldra having a bit of trouble fighting off the cat girl with her tiger and one girl in a white dress with her Blade, he quickly pushes Rex and Risty away and ran forward a few feet.
"Aldra, catch!" Zeke tossed the wooden spoon to Aldra who caught it in the air.
"Thank you, dear!" Aldra smiled.
Aldra raises the spoon over her head and dives down slamming her weapon right onto the ground causing a demonic pink wave of energy that send everyone over several feet away.
"Did she really do that with a wooden spoon?" Pyra asked shock.
"Guess we should've taken your words seriously." Rex said to Risty.
"Yeah, and now you're paying the price." Risty glared at Zeke with the intent to beat the living shit out of this guy.
"Come on, are you still angry with moi for stealing that bounty from ya? I gotta fill up my own belly too, you know." Zeke pointed out.
"Shut the fuck up!" Risty charged at Zeke with Swan's leg-brace striking at Zeke's sword.
Rex and Rana comes in performing a cross slash at the guy pushing him back some more.
"G-Good try, you lots. Not bad." Zeke commented.
"Sir, I think it would be best for all of us to just walk away from this fight." Rana advised.
"Sorry, but no can do." Zeke chuckled as he stands back up.
"Now, it's time for you lots to wipe yourselves down and get ready for my super-ultra-mega move!" Zeke smirked and slammed his foot right on the ground with the Purple Lightning Smasher in the air.
However, Zeke would never get the chance to unleash his super awesome attack when the ground beneath him and his Blades suddenly gave in and they drop down the cliff screaming in shock and fear.
Rex and Rana's group just stare off shock and confuse that their opponents are no longer in battle with them.
"Huh, what just happened?" Rex and Rana asked.
"It would seem Aldra put too much force into that strike earlier causing the cliff to break." Cattleya theorized.
"Sure looks like it." Vandham nodded.
"Come on, that's enough nonsense." Nia suggested they just leave as Dromarch agrees with his Driver.
"But wait, are they going to be okay?" Rana asked concern.
"I wouldn't worry about him, the bastard is tougher than he looks." Risty assured though not really caring about Zeke at the same time.
And with that out of the way, everyone made their way to the city Vandham wanted to take them.
(Fonsa Myma, Capital)
"Wow, we're really here!" Rana amazed of the capital within his eyes right now as everyone took a look at the city too.
"It's a lot bigger than Gormott." Ymir commented, then everyone turn to see one big Titan ship at the dock.
"War with Mor Ardain is looking more and more likely by the day." Dromarch pointed out with seeing some soldiers here too.
"Looks like they've expanded the military program. That's a lot of warships." Vandham surprised of the sight.
"These ships look different to normal ships." Poppi commented.
"That's because we don't need to make some adjustments with equipment and such to our Titans much, we prefer to do things all natural." Risty explained.
"This is like how the Urayan ships I've before back in Argentum. Seeing how Mor Adain and Uyaran are totally opposite of each other." Rana stated.
"Yeah, one uses more metal while the other uses less metal." Rex nodded.
"That could be one reason they're always at each other's throats." Dromarch theorized.
"I believe you phrase this as "at each other like cats and dogs" for a long time, Azurda." Cattleya said to the larval Titan as he nods to the woman.
"Well, from where I stand, the Ardainians are worse. All that metal's just bad taste." Nia shared her opinion how she sees it.
"It's easy to think that way, but you're not considering how the Titans themselves feel." Azurda said.
"Huh, don't all those modifications hurt?" Nia confused, she always thought the Titans didn't like getting some metal on them as it would hurt their skin despite how tough they are.
"When Titans live with humans, that's just the way it is. I used to have a hut on my back, and a crane stuck where the sun doesn't shine. I never complained, not even when the boys or Cattleya fired up a grill on my shoulders." Azurda mentioned those things.
"Hey, you used to like that." Rex reminded himself.
"Yeah, you said it was like getting a warm shoulder massage." Rana added.
"Mm, well yes, I did like that. In fact, I miss that." Azurda smiled.
"Too bad we can't do it now, otherwise we would end up having a roasted Titan." Cattleya pointed out and joked at the same time.
"Yes, I suppose we would." Azurda agreed and Pyra just laughs of the joke.
Everyone got back to following Vandham through the capital to go meet this friend of his who he claimed to have knowledge about the World Tree, including how to get to the top though hopefully they won't have to run into any trouble along the way.
Everyone looks around to see the capital looks a little grand than the Gormott town with some buildings almost looking like castles.
On the way to the location where Vandham's friend is, Rex notices a line forming in front of a few soldiers.
"What's that?" Rex asked as the others notice this too.
"It's a distribution center. The government tries to ration out what little resources they have. In practice, it's just first tome, first served." Vandham explained.
"Well, at least the government are doing good for the people." Rana smiled.
"That's about the best thing they can do." Risty stated.
"Ok, that's the last one for today." One Urayan solider handed a little girl a ration, but a rude man pushed the girl down to the girl.
"Come on! I'm a soldier! Been busting my gut for this country! That should be going to me, not the likes of you!" The rude soldier proclaimed. The little girl gets back up and looks at the soldier with pleading eyes.
"Uh, don't look at me like that! Respect your elders, you snot" Suddenly Risty appeared with a strong kick to the stomach sending the soldier flying and crashed onto the wall.
"A bastard who treats children poorly don't deserve any kinds of respect." Risty stated with the ration in her hand and gave it to the girl.
"Who do you think you are attacking a soldier like that? You're going to get the worse from me now!" The rude soldier angered only to suddenly get an axe-kick by Swan.
"Careful now, you wouldn't want to go upsetting the Benevolent Bandit of the Wilderness." Swan smirked.
"Huh? The Benevolent Bandit of the Wilderness? Her?!" The rude soldier looked at Risty for a few more seconds, and then he ran away in fear he doesn't want to get himself involve with a bandit woman.
"Thank you for saving me, Risty." The girl thanked.
"No problem, I'm surprise to see you again, Iona." Risty smiled.
"Oh, this girl is Iona?" Vandham surprised and looks at the girl seeing she is the one he knew.
"You grew a fair bit! How's Grandpa Cole doing?" Vandham asked smiling, but Iona didn't answer as she looks down sad.
"Ah… Not too good then." Vandham realized.
"So, you two already know this girl?" Cattleya asked.
"Yeah, this here is Iona living with the old friend taking care of her. We should get going too or else that soldier comes back with some friends." Risty said.
"If that poor excuse of a man has any friends." Swan shrugged as the group leaves the area.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
The group have arrived in the Fonsa Myma capital after getting through Zeke in the most unexpected way, and now they're about to meet this old friend of Vandham and will see what he does throughout his time.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!
