The Smùide Hot Spring, as it was apparently called, wasn't really anything too fancy. Essentially, it was just a single roughly-circular pool set into a rocky outcropping jutting from the cliff's edge, right behind the inn. Even so, there was a certain elegance to its simplicity. The spring was lit by fiery orange ether lanterns placed strategically around. With the onset of night, they shone through the steam rising from the spring, shrouding the place in a warm orange haze. Compared to the harsh white lights of the city, it seemed a lot more... homey. Probably an intentional choice on the part of the inn's owners.
The size of the spring was also quite respectable, large enough to comfortably fit several dozen people and still have elbow room to spare. And on top of that, oddly enough, they had it all to themselves at the moment. Perhaps it was a slow day for the inn, or just not the most popular hour to visit the springs, but either way, the water was quiet and still.
Mythra, gazing over it all before stepping in, nodded sharply to herself. "Alright, this should do." she said approvingly, setting her towel aside and sinking into the spring. As the hot water washed over her, she could almost feel the tension fading from her body right away. "Ohhh yeah, this'll do nicely." she exhaled slowly, stretching her arms out in front of her and flexing her fingers. Fan la Norne, exiting the changing room behind her, let out a small chuckle as she overheard the comment.
"Well, I'm glad it meets your approval, lady Mythra." she said lightly, a small smile on her face as she approached. Poppi, already in the bath, held up one metallic hand in a thumbs-up of agreement.
"What can I say? I have standards." Mythra replied, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the edge of the bath. "I need relaxation to look as good as I do. Too much stress is bad for my complexion." she noted matter-of-factly.
"Mythra sound very full of herself just now..." Poppi spoke up, expression flat. The sheer bluntness of it startled a giggle out of Fan, who immediately brought one hand up to cover her mouth in embarrassment.
Mythra's eyes snapped back open at the comment, shooting Poppi a dirty look. "Hey, I know what I've got!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Poppi seemed unswayed. "But anyway, that's not the point." the Aegis continued. "I didn't realize just how sore I was until now, this is perfect." As she said that, she stretched her legs out beneath the water.
Poppi tilted her head to the side, curiosity written across her face.
"Wait, can Blade like Mythra even get sore? Poppi thought they regenerate?" she wondered.
"Actual injuries, sure. But we still feel pain and get tired either way, so some stiff muscles shouldn't really be any different." Mythra corrected. Fan nodded her head as she finally moved to enter the bath, realizing she'd been standing there distracted by the conversation for a few moments.
"That's correct." the Indoline said, idly watching the ends of her long brown hair splay out in the water. "Blades are all unique, but we generally experience most of the same sensations as humans. Longterm muscular damage may not be an issue, but we still require rest and relaxation to be at our best." she began to elaborate, voice taking on a tone rather like a teacher. "There's a psychosomatic element to it as well: if your mind is tired and tense, even if you don't realize it, your body may very well begin to feel the same way. In other words, you can feel sore partly because you believe you should, at least subconsciously. That's true for both humans and Blades. It's..."
….Fan's impromptu lecture trailed off awkwardly as she looked up and realized Mythra and Poppi were both staring straight at her. She fidgeted uncomfortably, not quite meeting either of their gazes in favor of tugging at a tangled strand of hair.
"I'm sorry, I was rambling, wasn't I...?" she mumbled, sinking down lower into the spring until her chin was just barely above the water, as if hoping that she could submerge her embarrassment.
Mythra immediately shook her head in denial (inadvertently flinging a few drops of water around). "No, no, you're fine. I just wasn't expecting that kind of medical stuff." Her tone was slightly awkward, perhaps, but she attempted to sound sincere nonetheless. Poppi soon chimed in to agree.
"That right, Poppi actually find it quite interesting. Does Fan la Norne study a lot?"
"Ah, well... I suppose I do. The Praetorium has no shortage of literature, you see, so reading is a good way to fill my spare time." As Fan spoke, she slowly rose back up to a normal sitting position, apparently realizing that she wasn't being judged. "And as a healing Blade, health-related subjects seemed like a natural choice. It's both interesting and practical for me... even if it is a little gross, at times." she explained, the last comment added a little sheepishly.
"Huh. Well, that makes sense to me." Was all Mythra said, offering a shrug. Her nonchalant acceptance seemed to be exactly what Fan needed to hear, as it looked like the last of the embarrassment vanished from her expression, a slight hint of relief taking its place. Poppi nodded her head in agreement, a contemplative expression on her face. The three of them fell into a brief silence - but not an uncomfortable one. After a few moments, however, Poppi spoke up again.
"Now Poppi thinking, it good to know about mental effect of tiredness..." the artificial Blade began, circling back around to that prior point. "That way, next time masterpon complain about being too tired to work, Poppi able to remind him it all in his head!" she said brightly, looking rather satisfied with her conclusion.
Mythra snorted, looking over at her with one eyebrow raised. "Yeah, I don't think that was the point there, Poppi." she drawled. Then she tilted her head slightly. "But hey, somebody's gotta keep Tora honest, I guess. Better you than me." she added. She did not, perhaps, expect to really get a response to the flippant remark. Which made it slightly surprising when she got one.
"Mythra, that's not a very nice thing to say. I know Tora can be a bit quirky, but..." Pyra chided gently inside her head. Mythra rolled her eyes, earning a couple strange looks from those not privy to her internal debate.
"I just mean someone needs to keep him grounded, and Father knows I'm not that tactful. Not saying he's a burden or anything, he's doing fine." she clarified, letting out a small huff in reality. Pyra seemed to accept the explanation – Mythra got a slight feeling of something like contentment, or at least acknowledgment from her end. Mythra was being honest, after all, and her counterpart knew that.
Meanwhile, not only was Poppi not remotely offended by the comment, she appeared to be actually considering it as a legitimate suggestion.
"...That actually something Poppi think of before. It why Poppi always make sure to try being honest. Especially to masterpon, even if it not always sound nice." the artificial Blade revealed, tapping one finger against her chin.
"Heh. That's true, you can be as blunt as a hammer when it counts." Mythra said with a small chuckle. Poppi looked back at her, a small frown forming on her face.
"Poppi not sure Mythra really one to talk. You are rudest friend of Poppi." She said it completely matter-of-factly, as if merely pointing out the weather. Which, on some level, might have only served to prove Mythra's point, but the blonde Aegis was too busy shooting her a dirty look to capitalize on it.
Fan, watching the whole exchange, couldn't help but laugh lightly. "Excuse me." she began as the two both turned at the sound, holding a hand daintily over her mouth to cover her small smile. "It's just that I enjoy seeing you interact. All of you, really." Fan admitted. "You've only known each other a short time, but you all mesh together so naturally. I think it's nice. Is that... a strange thing to say?" Once again, however, Mythra was quick to deny Fan's misgivings.
"Nah, I get what you mean, even if I'm not big on that touchy-feely stuff." the Aegis said, as if trying to inject some aloofness back into her attitude. "It's pretty easy to forget that it's only been a couple weeks. Feels like this all started years ago."
"Oh, if Mythra forget, Poppi able to remind her!" Poppi piped up helpfully, sitting up a little straighter in the water. "Poppi remember time since activation to high level of precision with no lost detail, so-"
"-Thanks, Poppi, but it was just an expression. I know how long it's been." Mythra cut her off before she could get going. Poppi deflated a bit, but nodded in acceptance.
"Wait a moment, lady Poppi, are you saying that... you have a perfect memory?" Fan asked. The question was in her usual polite tone, but she was looking straight at the artificial Blade with clear curiosity.
"That right!" Poppi confirmed. "Poppi is able to recall events with perfect clarity, like they happen just seconds ago, no matter how long really pass."
"Makes sense if you think about it. Artificial and all. She wouldn't have the same limits as a human brain." Mythra said thoughtfully, glancing up at the sky as she considered it.
"...Or a Blade." Fan apparently reached the conclusion she was looking for. "We normally have excellent memories while we're alive, but I know mine at least is not always perfect. But no matter what, when we vanish, we lose everything."
"Poppi not really able to imagine what it like. Masterpon forget things all the time, but Poppi always remember." the artificial Blade mused in agreement. "And of course, Poppi not going to disappear."
Fan frowned slightly. "So you won't vanish, and even if you were somehow deactivated, you would keep your memories..." She sounded somewhat distant, almost wistful.
"That maybe not always good thing though. Waking up not knowing anything sound frightening to Poppi, but-" Poppi looked down. "-living forever after masterpon and friends gone... That scary too." she replied.
"Yeah. Sometimes there are things you don't want to remember. Trust me on that." Mythra added darkly, though she regretted the harsh tone immediately when Fan winced. An uncomfortable silence fell upon them for a few moments after that proclamation.
"...I'm sorry, I should not have brought up such a heavy topic. This was intended to be relaxing..." Fan spoke softly, bowing her head and letting her long hair, loose from its braids for once, fall in front of her eyes. Mythra looked at her, frowning in thought. In particular, her eyes flitted to the Indoline's triangular core crystal for a moment.
She sighed sharply. "Don't apologize so much. We can talk about this stuff some other time, got it? Even I can tell it's important to you." Mythra said. Then she looked back and forth between Fan and Poppi expectantly, awaiting their response.
"...A-ah, yes, I suppose." Fan stuttered slightly, clearly surprised by the offer. Poppi simply nodded her head in agreement, shooting Mythra a small smile for reasons the Aegis couldn't discern. Once she was sure the two of them were good, Mythra abruptly stood up.
"Right, well, this was nice and all, but I think I've had enough. Too much water and my skin will peel." she announced, moving to exit the bath. "If you two wanna stay longer, whatever." she added flippantly, glancing back at Fan and Poppi. Poppi's expression was mildly curious at most, but for some reason Fan seemed hesitant to look directly at Mythra, face looking slightly red. Maybe she'd been in the hot water too long herself? If so, oh well, that wasn't Mythra's business. With the mental equivalent of a shrug, the Aegis turned and headed back for the changing room.
Nia's evening had been pretty much entirely quiet. With Mythra, Poppi, and Fan all over at the hot spring, she'd initially been left with the girls' room entirely to herself. She took the opportunity to claim the bed that she judged the most comfortable for her own. Not that the beds were all that different, but this one was closest to the window. She always found something a little relaxing about looking up at the sky - probably part of the reason she'd adapted to camping out in the wilderness so well. With such a large, industrialized city, the view was a little brighter and smoggier than she was used to. But the moon and the stars were still clearly visible from the window, and that was enough.
So, with her boots kicked off, she'd settled in facing said window, and that was that. Actual sleep hadn't really come yet, though. She was having to make an active effort to keep her mind clear and relaxed, rather than dwelling on the many issues at hand. There were just too many questions she didn't have answers to. How had Tora's dad gotten kidnapped? What was Lila's deal? Were Jin and the others really behind it? What would happen if they weren't? What would happen if they were? What if- Yeah, like that. Those were exactly the sort of spiraling thoughts Nia was trying to avoid.
Mythra had come back a little while ago – Nia wasn't sure exactly how long, but definitely no more than half an hour at the absolute most. Just Mythra though, it seemed she'd bailed out early for some reason, and the other two planned on staying longer. Nia didn't bother rousing herself enough to ask why, and Mythra – in a show of consideration – opted not to disturb her in turn. Instead, the Aegis simply readied herself for bed without a word. (There was something comfortable about Nia no longer being alone in the room, though. She wrote it off as affinity bond shenanigans.) With the silence of the room only challenged by Mythra occasionally shifting about, Nia continued to gaze towards the stars, her eyes finally starting to grow heavy, until at last she was just beginning to doze.
Mere moments later was when the explosion went off.
The whole building shuddered, the windows rattling in their frames, as the deafening bang tore through the air, as piercing as any Ardainian soldier's gunshot. A decorative vase, perhaps perched a little more precariously than it should've been, fell from the small desk in the room. As it struck the hardwood floor and shattered apart with a sharp crack, all the racket had Nia's eyes snapping open wide, and she all but flew out of the bed. Her startled scrambling pulled one of the blankets with her and she rolled into an undignified heap on the floor.
"What was that!?" she gasped as she disentangled herself from the bedding, looking up at Mythra – who had taken to her feet rather more gracefully.
"Come on!" Mythra barked in lieu of a response, already in motion towards the exit. Nia paused only long enough to grab the Aegis's sword before hurrying after her.
Things weren't any less frantic out in the hall. Mythra almost ran headfirst into Vandham's large frame as he led Roc, Tora, Rex, and Corvin out. All five of them, even the usually-unflappable Roc, had looks running the gamut from tense to outright nervous. Tora in particular was fidgeting his wings as he trailed behind the Urayan. All down the hall, several of the inn's other guests were stepping out of their own rooms, or at least poking their heads out to try and get a clue what the disturbance was. At least a couple irritable civilians were knocking on walls and calling for everyone else to keep it down – they were trying to sleep! - but those went ignored amongst the confusion.
"Nia! Mythra!" Rex's worried exclamation burst out before anyone else could say anything. "What's going on? What was that?" he repeated the exact question Nia had asked before. She shook her head, just as bewildered.
"I don't know, but it sounded like-" Mythra began.
"A bomb." Vandham cut in, eyes narrowed in thought. Nobody questioned why he sounded so certain about it.
"Not in this building, there's no damage or smell of smoke. But I reckon it couldn't have been far either." Roc actually spoke up. A small part of Nia noted that fact, by itself, as proof that he and his driver weren't joking around.
"Masterpon!" The shout echoed from the direction of the stairway up to the next floor, at the far end of the hall. Heads swiveled at the sound – Tora's fastest among them – to see Poppi running about them, just barely avoiding ramming right into a couple of the curious bystanders in the process. Fan la Norne wasn't far behind her, only stopping for a moment to offer quick apologies to the civilians in question. Both Poppi and Fan had clearly only just gotten out of the bath, with Fan's hair still undone and drips of water occasionally falling from Poppi's metal joints. Furthermore, Fan had clearly been in such a rush that she'd skipped putting on her whole elaborate robe, wearing only a sleeveless white inner layer along with her hakama.
"Friends, Poppi and Fan see huge plume of smoke rise into sky just down the street!" Poppi reported as she arrived, Fan nodding frantically behind her.
"Must've been that blast then, some building nearby's got bombed out!" Nia stated the obvious conclusion. This was, apparently, all Mythra needed to hear, as she immediately turned towards the way down to the lobby.
"Then let's move." the Aegis said, already taking a few steps away. "We're not finding out what's going on standing around here." Tension was clear in every part of her brisk stride, and the rest of the group fell in right behind her with no complaint.
Stepping out onto the street, it was pretty much impossible to miss the source of the commotion. Just as Poppi had reported, plumes of smoke were curling high into the sky from the end of the street. The air wasn't absolutely filled with the dense black clouds one would expect from a massive spreading fire, thankfully – the city's cold metal-and-concrete construction probably helped to stop such things from getting out of control. But the billowing pillar was still substantial it clear that whatever happened wasn't going to be good.
If that weren't enough to make the scene obvious, the crowd certainly would. Alba Cavanich was a city that never fully slept, even at nightfall there were no shortage of people on the streets, and a significant number of them now gathered in a milling swarm around the scene of the incident. Getting closer to the sight itself, the crowd became so thick that pushing through it while keeping their group together was made an increasingly difficult exercise.
"Excuse us, would you?" Rex muttered, he and Corvin awkwardly dodging around a couple that stood so stock still you'd think they were statues.
"Oi! Watch it!" Nia barked as a man jostled her, all but slamming into her shoulder. Fan, at her other side, frowned but said nothing. Tora and Poppi lagged behind, the artificial Blade trying to convince her masterpon to let her pick him up and carry him so he wouldn't get trampled. Nia would've waited for them, but stopping in the middle of this bustle seemed like a bad idea. The only ones having much luck were Vandham, Roc, and Mythra – the former two because they simply had such imposing profiles, between Vandham's muscles and Roc's wings. Mythra meanwhile was just striding with such purpose and glaring coldly enough that nobody wanted to get in her way.
The building in question wasn't anything particularly special, just an old storehouse – not the sprawling shipping warehouses seen in other parts of the city, but a much more compact three-story-high affair, probably used by some of the local vendors to hold excess stock. It looked pretty much like any other building in Alba Cavanich, just a big gray steel block with a few windows here and there. For a moment Nia couldn't help but be struck by the sheer mundanity of it.
"Why in the world would anyone attack here?"
The explosion looked like it must've gone off on at least the top floor, possibly the roof. The first two floors appeared almost untouched, at least from the outside, asides from a few shattered windows and some debris here and there. The top of the building, however, seemed like it belonged in an active warzone. The left corner facing the street was pretty much gone, the metal walls and roof jaggedly shorn like a titan had grabbed a chunk of the building and ripped it off. It was from this opening that the smoke billowed, a few patches of flame licking up from – presumably – the wood-paneled walls within. Though the haze obscured the contents of the room from outside, the ceiling behind the hole could be seen sagging uncomfortably. Nearing the base of the building, Nia saw a few very harried Ardainian soldiers setting up a cordon to keep the gawkers at bay while another in a conical officer's helm was huddled with a few men in dark coveralls, occasionally pointing at the structure and barking into a radio.
Fan la Norne inhaled sharply as another soldier emerged from the storehouse's doorway, carrying another of the coverall-wearing men, clearly unconscious. Even from the distance, the charred patches of his clothes and the angry red burns on his skin were obvious.
"Let's keep going, we need to get in there!" Fan exclaimed, already hurrying forwards. Nia didn't blame her for the reaction, honestly. Those definitely weren't like the relatively light surface burns she'd taken in the occasional skirmish against a fire Blade or ether-manipulating monster. This was... a lot more serious. Even with that said, though...
"Fan, hold on! Don't go rushin' in, we don't even know if it's safe to get close!" the Gormotti spoke hurriedly, catching Fan's elbow in one gloved hand, though she released it almost immediately – the gesture was just to get Fan to pause, not to restrain her.
"I know, but, I can help that man! We can't just stand here!" Fan protested, voice pitching higher than her normally soft register.
"Yeah, come on, Nia, this isn't time to dawdle." Corvin piped up, Rex frowning but noticeably not disagreeing as he looked between them.
"No, I get that, it's jus-"
"Friends! Wait!" Poppi's sharp shout cut through the budding argument before it could go any further as she and Tora finally caught up. "Poppi has urgent news! There ether signature of artificial Blade nearby! Wavelength is identical to that of Lila!" she announced.
Tora's head whipped to her at lightning speed. "Lila!? Poppi is sure?" he asked quickly.
"Yes, signal coming from somewhere that direction." Poppi confirmed, nodding sharply and pointing over to the other side of the street. Tora immediately turned to face the rest of the group, furry brow set in a line.
"There no way this coincidence! If Lila hiding nearby, she must have something to do with explosion! Now is only chance to go after her." Despite his obvious nerves, there was something steely in his eyes. Nia couldn't help but to agree with him, this explosion going off and Lila being in the area, on the very same night they arrived? Definitely planned. This was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss, but at the same time... Nia glanced back towards the burning building, more Ardianian troops carefully making their way inside, and noticed Fan fidgeting uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye.
"Nia?" That was Mythra getting her attention. "How do you want to play this?" The Aegis muttered. Nia sighed and squared her shoulders. Time to pretend she knew what she was doing.
"Alright." she announced firmly, silencing any of the others who were about to speak. "Fan, you stay here to rescue folk, yeah?" Without waiting for a response, she barreled on. "Vandham and Roc should stay with her, help her out and watch her back just in case. The rest of us go after Lila." There was a surprised silence at the declaration, and then Vandham slowly nodded.
"It's a good plan. Wind ether's good for clearing smoke, and Roc can fly to get people out easier. Ain't our first time doing rescue work." Despite his agreement, and the fact that helping the injured was what she'd wanted to begin with, Fan looked uncertain.
"But, lady Nia, are you sure you'll be alright?"
Mythra snorted. "We'll be fine, Fan. Your concern's nice, but we're not pushovers here. Even if Lila has backup, we can handle it." she pointed out breezily. Then a more a serious expression overtook her face again. "But if we're doing this, we need to go now, before she leaves. Unless anyone else has problems with Nia's plan?" Nobody spoke up, so Mythra crossed her arms, satisfied.
"Alright, Poppi, we're counting on your lead." Nia said, turning to the artificial Blade, who gave a small thumbs-up, a determined look on her face. And with that, the two groups broke apart.
Nobody noticed the tuft of turquoise fur in the crowd turning to track the party going after Lila as they went.
Running through the streets of Mor Ardain barefoot, Nia reflected, was far from the best thing she'd ever done. Dashing out with only her sword, no time taken to grab her boots, had been an instinctive reaction, the hurry to see what the commotion was overpowering all else. Perfectly natural at the time, but as her feet slapped against the vaguely grimy cement of an alleyway, she was really starting to regret it. She didn't need to tap into Mythra's Foresight to know that she'd be attacked by sore feet in the near future. Frankly, it was something of a blessing that there hadn't been any fragments of broken glass or other bits of sharp trash thus far.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lila hadn't stayed put for long. In fact, she'd started moving away almost immediately after they'd split. From the way Poppi described it, Lila's signal had been maintaining a constant distance from them as they weaved through the narrows of the city to get near her. Always just far enough ahead to stay out of sight, but close enough to still be within Poppi's sensor range. The pace was too deliberate, the balancing act too careful, to possibly be an accident. It was at about that point that Nia had realized – and wanted to smack herself over said realization – that Lila, being the prototype Poppi, would have similar Blade-senses. Tora had quickly confirmed. Obviously, Lila had known they were nearby the whole time, probably lying in wait for exactly that purpose. And now she was leading them on a merry chase across the city.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of pursuit (though in reality it couldn't have been much more than twenty minutes or so), Poppi perked up, reporting that Lila had come to a halt. Buildings had become gradually more sparse as they went, and longer stretches were spent dashing down open streets rather than snaking through alleys. And now, at last, Lila had led them to the city's edge. Not the main gate they'd entered before, but a smaller one at the edge of the warehouse district, presumably for bringing cargo to and from other parts of Mor Ardain without having to haul it through the crowded main roads.
And there she was, looking exactly as she had at Indol, stepping out from behind one of the gate pylons to meet them in the open. Nia tensed, grip tight as she slowly went to raise her sword, Mythra stepping up to her side. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rex and Corvin adopting a very similar formation, each with one katana as usual. Lila stood impassively, arms at her sides, her back to the wastes, clearly waiting for them to make the first move. Nia breathed in and took a step forwards-
And then stopped at the soft touch on her arm. Not unlike the way she'd grabbed Fan's attention before. Tora and Poppi had sidled up to her, one of the Nopon's wings just drawing back his touch. Nia raised her eyebrows in a questioning look, trusting Mythra to alert her if Lila made a move in the meantime.
"Friend, let Tora and Poppi try talking to her?" Tora asked in a murmur, shooting Lila a nervous look.
Nia frowned, giving a slightly shake of her head. "I dunno, Tora, I don't think we're gettin' just a peaceful chat here." she warned lowly.
"Tora know that, but... Actions of Lila not make much sense. Tora need to try."
A hint of movement over Tora's head caught Nia's attention, and she looked up to see Rex nodding encouragingly. The Gormotti sucked in a hiss of breath through her teeth, her frown deepening as she had to make a decision on the spot. There was a faint huff from Mythra.
"Not like we're sending him in alone, we're right here." The Aegis muttered pointedly. And then Nia felt like a bit of a tool for not thinking of that right away. Not that she was going to apologize for being cautious. She looked back to Tora and nodded sharply, and relief filled the Nopon's eyes, Poppi giving a small smile as well.
"Keep your guard up." Nia added, more out of a sense of obligation than anything - "Of course he knows that!" - then spun to face Lila again. The artificial Blade's unmoving patience was almost a bit eerie.
Tora strode forward, one wing hefting Poppi's shield just in case, Poppi herself right behind him. "Lila!" the Nopon's high voice rang out. Lila looked up slightly in acknowledgment but still didn't move. "What is meaning of all this?"
There was no response. Lila simply stared at him, gaze unblinking. Slowly, Tora took a few steps closer, still seeing no apparent hostility, and tried again.
"Now Lila blowing up buildings and luring friends out here? Why? What all this for?" He sounded torn between frustrated and almost pleading. Like he genuinely couldn't quite make sense of what was going on.
"...Lila cannot answer that." At last there was a response, Lila's flat tone almost jarring in how badly it contrasted with Tora. Not expecting such a blunt refusal, Tora floundered for a moment, and Poppi decided to make her own attempt.
"Please, sister, is someone-"
"Lila cannot answer that." Lila cut her off, the denial just a little sharper this time. Finally her expression had shifted, if only slightly, the corners of her mouth turning down. Not giving a chance for anymore appeals, the artificial Blade raised her arms. "Lila follow orders of masterpon. Shifting to combat mode." she announced, metal apparatuses built into her arms unfolding and reconfiguring themselves on cue.
With that declaration, the others wasted no time flanking Tora protectively, weapons raised, Blades ready to transfer ether, and Tora himself hoisted his shield. Lila's machinery had finished its transformation, forming a pair of heavy black-and-gold armguards, the thick rectangular plates of metal stretching up to at least her elbows. Each one ended in circular port that looked distressingly like a cannon barrel.
Lila's right arm lashed out at Tora, throwing the weight of the huge gauntlet behind it like a sledgehammer. There was a solid, teeth-rattling thud when Tora's shield caught the blow, but the Nopon didn't flinch. Wasting no time, Nia darted in, dragging the tip of her sword along the ground for just a moment before bringing it up in a diagonal slash at Lila's side. Lila's reaction was quick, but not quite enough to block the sword completely. The tip of the blade just met Lila's dress, searing a thin gash into it, before her other arm swung up sideways, the edge of the guard slamming against the blade to halt it. Sparks flew as light ether ground against steel for an instant.
Perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise that Lila, like Poppi, was quite strong. She redoubled her force and shoved Nia's blade away, the Gormotti having to pull out the lock to keep from being knocked off-balance. Nia's vision flashed gold with foresight, and she juked back a step to avoid Lila following up with a haymaker as predicted. She realized only after she'd already moved that forcing her back to get space had probably been Lila's plan all along. Foresight didn't tell the intent behind a motion, after all.
Still, the artificial Blade couldn't be going full-force in two directions at once, and the arm that had been pressing down on Tora's shield slackened. Tora didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity, drill head springing from the shield and knocking the arm aside. At the same moment, Rex leapt in, katana in a two-handed grip swinging down from overhead. Lila was forced to abandon any plan of retaliating against Tora, arm raised horizontally to block the smash. Corvin's own katana quickly followed, stabbing past Rex, but Lila just as swiftly shifted, her metal elbow slamming down on the white sword hard enough to make it ring.
Being outnumbered was clearly working against her, and badly, as she'd now taken her attention off both Tora and Nia. The Nopon dashed forwards, aiming to slam the drill right into Lila's torso, while from the other side Nia hopped back in, sword at her shoulder to bring about in a wide sweep. Tora, slightly closer, struck first, and Lila failed to guard in time. The large drill head crashed right into her metal body with a clang, sending her staggering backwards, though as the drill wasn't spinning, it didn't tear into her quite as devastatingly as it could. It was still a heavy blow, enough to bowl an average human off their feet and probably break some ribs, and Lila only stayed standing due to her sturdy robotic construction.
Nia's sword streaked horizontally through the air, but Lila again showed her respectable reflexes and ducked below the edge of the sword. Rex came in, striking down at her right away, but the artificial Blade saw him coming and kicked out with one of her legs, forcing the salvager back to avoid the heavy steel limb. Lila's brow had furrowed slightly, almost... calculating. Letting herself be surrounded by this many opponents in close quarters simply wasn't good odds – she just couldn't attack them all in melee at once. She'd been forced onto the defensive. She pointed one of her gauntlets diagonally downwards. Nia and Mythra, realizing something was up, immediately channeled another burst of foresight. And when she came out of it, the Gormotti's eyes were wide.
"Blast!" she shouted, not bothering for anything more eloquent. Mythra was at her side in a blink. And then Lila fired, the barrel of her armguard roaring. The ground before her exploded with a bang that would surely deafen any non-driver or Blade, a surge of dirt and concrete dust billowing into the air and mingling with smoke. Mythra had formed an ether barrier around Nia, the Aegis more than powerful enough to shield from the blast without issue. However, between the golden barrier and the brownish-gray cloud of debris, the two of them were effectively blind for the moment.
Rex and Corvin had leaped backwards with ether-enhanced strength, landing safely away from the blast area. Poppi had grabbed Tora by the overalls before making a similar dodge. The warning had come in time to prevent anyone from getting hurt. But none of them were having any more luck seeing their opponent than Nia and Mythra. However, no follow-up attacks seemed to be coming from within the cloud either. Carefully, Mythra dropped her barrier and she and Nia pulled back, regrouping with the others. The tension in Nia's shoulders dropped slightly as she saw her friends unharmed as well, and Mythra released a relieved breath (not that she'd admit it later). None of them said anything, the smokescreen already fading, revealing their opponent.
Lila was still standing, not even significantly harmed in any noticeable way, though her dress was singed and caked with dust. No wonder she was comfortable setting off a rocket so close to herself, then. She knew she could take it. She tilted her head slightly, looking critically over her group of opponents as they did the same to her. The standoff dragged for a couple seconds of tense silence, and then Lila's stance shifted, lowering her arms.
"...That should suffice for stalling protocol. Lila returning to base." she announced. The very moment she finished her sentence, she was already in motion, rocket thrusters springing to life and launching her into the air. Tora gasped, running forward a few steps with Poppi on his heels, but Lila ignored them, lifting up higher into the air and darting off over the wastes at impressive speed.
"Damnit, there she goes..." Nia muttered, lowering her sword slightly.
"Should we really have just let her take off like that?" Rex wondered after a moment of silence watching Lila shrink to a dot in the distance.
"Yeah. Had to." Mythra said bluntly, crossing her arms and scowling at nothing. "They've still got Tatazo, remember?"
Nia nodded next to her. "Right. She said something about orders and protocol, yeah? Stopping her here might've got us some answers, but the bloody kidnappers probably wouldn't like it one bit. Just like lettin' her leave at Indol."
"...I guess you're right, but I dunno. Just doesn't seem to make sense, blowing up a building and just running off, you know?" Rex said. Nobody particularly disagreed with him there. Tora was gazing at the ground as he and Poppi rejoined the group.
"Tora sorry, friends. Tora really hope that he and Poppi could get something from Lila, but it just make her start fight right away." he apologized, Poppi nodding gloomily at his side. Nia sighed and shook her head, stepping towards the two.
"Not your fault, Tora. You either, Poppi, okay? She definitely would've attacked anyway, or at least run off. Bringin' us out here was her plan after all." She said firmly, looking at the two as if daring them to contradict her. Neither of them did. However, before more could be said, Corvin interrupted the moment.
"Hold on, does anyone else hear that?" the blonde asked, glancing back towards the street, leading most of the others to do the same. Nia's ears twitched, and – yeah, she did hear something. Had heard it for the last few seconds, actually, and just not paid attention until now. A rhythmic stamping sound, unmistakable to someone as experienced as her. Numerous boots on pavement, and they sounded like they were getting closer. Quickly.
"Heads up, we've got incoming." she warned tersely, turning to face the open street fully. Indeed, charging a corner and into view were a squad of Ardainian soldiers. At the head was a captain and, oddly enough, an out-of-place figure among them, huffing along behind the leader: a turquoise Nopon in what looked to be a labcoat, large round glasses on his face, lenses so thick as to appear almost opaque.
There was nowhere to go, no way to avoid being seen at this point. Not with them coming right this way, and especially not with the group standing out in the open, weapons still glowing. It was clear the exact moment the soldiers had registered them standing there, the captain giving the men an arm signal to up the pace.
"Let's just act natural, alright?" Corvin suggested quietly, though his casual tone was belied by his frown. Nia nodded tensely, keeping her sword drawn but the tip pointed low at the ground. Cautious but not actively threatening.
As the entourage rapidly approached, Nia stepped forwards, planning to say something, anything, to get attention on her and try and head off whatever this was without a fight. Before she even opened her mouth, however, the officer paused before them, looking down at the Nopon catching up to him.
"There, it them, Muimui sure of it! Those the ones!" the Nopon exclaimed in a high, nasally voice, stubby arm pointing right at them.
"...What?"
That was the only word going through the Gormotti's head then. They didn't give her a chance to try to make sense of it.
"That's the Aegis...!" The captain sounded shocked for a moment as he noticed Mythra's core, but quickly rallied. "Surround them! Nets at the ready!" he barked to his men, the troops loyally fanning out into a wide ring as the driver group instinctively drew closer together, tension and confusion ratcheting up.
"We're what? What's going on?" Rex tried to ask, but he went ignored. The captain strode forward, hands gripping his rifle tightly.
"Stay where you are! By the authority of the Emperor, you lot are all under arrest!"
"Wha-Arrest!? For what!?" Nia demanded, taken aback. This couldn't just be the 'formerly part of Torna' thing, that wouldn't explain the Nopon.
"Don't act dumb!" the captain snapped. "Our witness saw you fleeing the scene of the attack."
"Hold on, you think that bombing was us?" Mythra asked flatly, arms crossed. "We didn't even get that close to the building!"
"Not true! Muimui see bunch of drivers with metal girl running out, clear as day!" the Nopon accused. The captain glanced at him momentarily, unenthused body language making it clear he hadn't wanted the interjection, but he didn't disagree.
"And a couple of my men noticed a metal girl arrive at the port earlier this evening." he noted grimly, nodding slightly to himself.
"But that's just a coincidence, we came here with-" Rex tried.
"Don't even try to deny it!" the captain roared, cutting him off. "We've caught you just after another explosion, red-handed!" The scorched ground from Lila's blast was in plain sight. "Now put down your weapons and surrender." he commanded. For just a moment, Nia thought she saw the Nopon – Muimui, apparently – smirk out of the corner of her eye, but when she focused on him his expression had gone back to vaguely nervous.
"Mehmeh..." Tora fretted quietly, fiddling with his wings. "Nia, if friends arrested here, what happen to dadapon?" he whispered, looking at Nia with wide eyes. The Gormotti froze.
"Damnit." she hissed to herself. She exhaled a long breath. A glance at Mythra earned a terse nod, clearly on the same page. Tora had a very good question. One she didn't want to take the risk to find out. Not that she'd been keen on getting hauled off by a bunch of goons anyway. The captain in front of her visibly growing tenser and more impatient waiting for a response to his demand, and then... "Follow my lead!" Nia shouted, breaking into a charge towards the captain.
"Take them! Now!" As he gave the order, the officer went to bring his rifle up to bear. But the reflexes of a normal human simply didn't match a driver, much less one channeling the power of Mythra. Nia was upon him before he could line up a shot, sword flashing out. A few sparks blinked in the air, a faint hiss of sizzling metal could be heard, and then the barrel of the rifle clattered to the ground. Compared to the special construction of Poppi or Lila's weapons, designed specifically for defending against Blades, the mass-produced gun might as well have been butter. And Nia had a very hot knife indeed.
The rest of the soldiers closed in, forming a much tighter circle. Nia kicked the captain in the stomach, hard enough to send him stumbling backwards off his feet, then her vision flashed into foresight, where she noticed several of the soldiers around them tossing faintly glowing golden webs into the fray.
"Tora, Poppi, keep the nets off us!" The warning didn't need to be said twice. Poppi lunged, catching a net out of the air. It fizzled in her fist, but had no real effect on her, and she dropped it harmlessly to the ground. Tora hefted his shield up, deliberately letting another net wrap around it, then simply released the drill head to tear right through it. Other soldiers raised their rifles, firing off a few shots, but Rex and Corvin moved in and the bullets pinged off the ether barrier forming around the blonde. Nia kept her sword pointed at the captain, stopping him from getting up, and took just a moment to glance around. Fending off individual attacks was easy. But there were a lot of soldiers surrounding them, and staying here did no good. She looked back at the others.
"We've gotta break through, stay behind me and Mythra." she said, just loudly enough to be heard over the gunshots. Then she turned and sprinted right at the wall of soldiers closing in, Mythra matching her pace. The troops ahead of them fumbled with their weapons, clearly taken aback by the sudden advance. They wouldn't get the chance to collect themselves, as Nia and Mythra set their shoulders and slammed right into them. In Nia's case, her strength more than made up for her petite figure, and they barreled past the two soldiers with ease, one of the men even falling on his ass from Mythra's check.
Thankfully, it seemed the others had gotten the idea, as nobody stopped to wait, shoving past the newly-made gap in the formation. The soldiers, to their credit, rallied quickly and went to pursue. Nia passed the Aegis sword to Mythra, who whirled around and unleashed a blast of light ether. It wasn't a very powerful attack, and in fact it was aimed at the ground rather than the any of the troops. They didn't want to kill anyone, after all. But it still created a sudden blinding flash, startling enough to give those at the front of the mob pause. And that was all they needed. Just a moment's distraction as they kept running.
"Nia, where we going?" Tora huffed from the back of the group. Though, even with the clear exertion, he was keeping up rather well.
"Back towards the inn. We'll find Fan and Vandham, and... I dunno." Nia hadn't really planned that far ahead. Just getting away was step one. Not her fault they'd been caught on the spot like that.
The group kept running to the end of the street, eyes scanning around for somewhere they could go to hopefully confuse the pursuing soldiers, or at least slow them down a bit. Unfortunately, there was no such thing readily available. Out in the open like this, any turn they made would be plainly obvious. And then the universe apparently decided that it just wasn't done screwing with them yet, as not far from the edge of the warehouse district, Poppi let out a gasp.
"Friends! Poppi detect familiar ether signature!" she warned. Almost right on cue, Nia skidded to a halt, eyes going wide. A veritable wall of blue fire had suddenly burst from the ground, blocking off the whole road.
"Oh, here we go..." Mythra muttered to herself, so quietly that it was only Nia's catlike ears that allowed her to hear it. She didn't have to wonder what the Aegis was thinking, those blue flames could only mean one thing. Indeed, Special Inquisitor Mòrag Ladair emerged from the inferno moments later, coattails billowing behind her, the distinct glowing form of Brighid at her side.
With the party's escape having ground to an abrupt halt, it didn't take long for the soldiers to close in behind them, forming into a rough semicircle to block the way back as they awaited Mòrag's lead. The Inquisitor marched forwards, hands ready on the swords at her waist, but not drawing them quite yet.
"So, you all are involved in all this commotion then." Mòrag observed matter-of-factly, her eyes sweeping over the party – brows raising slightly at Mythra – before settling on Nia. "This isn't quite how I was expecting to meet you again, girl."
Nia felt an exasperated groan from deep in her soul. "Look, this isn't what it looks like, just let us past." she tried. Mòrag tilted the brim of her hat up slightly.
"Oh? And what, exactly, does it look like?" the Inquisitor wondered rhetorically. Nia hadn't really been expecting it to work, but she still scowled. Mòrag turned her gaze towards the soldiers. "Captain Conall, what's going on here? I thought Declan's squad were investigating the bombing." The captain, stepping forward from among the troops, saluted before nodding his head.
"They are, ma'am. But we got a witness report saying they saw the culprits run into our sector. We heard another explosion soon after, and identified these drivers by the gate along with blast residue. They resisted when we tried to take them in!" he reported, holding up the severed half of what had once been his rifle for emphasis. Mòrag's mouth gradually etched into a grim frown as he spoke.
Rex took a small step forwards. "Hold on, I dunno what's going on with that witne-"
"I'm disappointed, driver of the Aegis." Mòrag cut him off. Nia ground her teeth at the interruption, seeing Rex's expression fall. This lady really just pressed all her wrong buttons – they'd been talking for less than a minute and she was already near fed up. "I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, you know. After Torigoth, I actually believed you were sincere in your desire not to cause harm. But it seems, Torna or not, you're still a terrorist at heart."
"Ugh!" Nia's ears flattened in agitation, her hands tightening. "You've got it all wrong!" Mythra nodded sharply beside her, scowling almost as hard.
"Yeah, seriously." the Aegis scoffed. "Why don't you just ask Fan?"
"...Fan? You mean Fan la Norne?" Mòrag's stern countenance faltered for just a moment, a hint of real curiosity bleeding through.
"Hey, that's right, you must know she showed up to heal the victims at the scene! We came here with her." Nia said, grasping onto any chance to actually get the point across. Mòrag's brow furrowed as she took that in. However, it was then that Brighid strode forwards, closed eyes somehow sweeping over the group.
"A likely story." the Blade said skeptically, corners of her mouth tight. "You expect us to believe that you're here on behalf of the goddess of the Praetorium?"
"Yes! We were just going to meet back up with her, if you weren't stoppin' us...!" Nia snapped in return.
"And why did you leave her behind, at a potentially hazardous crime scene, to run all the way out here?" Brighid replied pointedly. "To bomb a random patch of dirt? To assault Ardainian soldiers?" she continued forcefully, turning to face the Special Inquisitor. "Mòrag, they are clearly lying."
"...You haven't changed much, huh Brighid?" Mythra snarked under her breath. Brighid didn't reply to the comment, but the creases around her eyes tightened just a bit.
"Yes, it's obvious now." Mòrag agreed with her Blade, nodding slightly, ignoring Nia's growl of frustration. "I haven't heard any news of Indol allying themselves with the Aegis either."
"Friends not here on official business!" Tora protested, not realizing until a second too late that, without the details – which might be too risky to explain without earning the kidnappers' ire – such a statement only made them sound more suspicious. Mòrag's eyes narrowed further, if that were even possible.
"Oh come on, we really can just ask Fan, like Mythra said." Rex suggested, earning an approving look from the Aegis. One look at Mòrag made it clear that it wasn't going to fly, though.
The Inquisitor drew her twin swords in a smooth, practiced flourish. "Enough! We're not giving you a chance to slip away. You're coming with us." she spoke coldly.
"Look, if you'd just listen-"
"-there's an explanation for all of this!"
Rex and Nia spoke at the same time, sentences stumbling over each other but somehow still ending up in a coherent message.
"You'll have plenty of time to explain in a cell!" Mòrag snapped back, weapons raised. That was the last straw for Nia's temper. She brandished the Aegis sword, golden edge bright against the dark night.
"Argh, we don't have time for this! ….I don't want anyone dead, but we can still kick your arse hard enough to make you get out of our way!" Even as the words left her mouth, she was already charging at Mòrag, sword gripped tight in both hands.
"...You can try." Mòrag matched both the taunt and the charge. Swords met in the middle, Nia's greatsword crashing hard against Mòrag's twin blades. A sharp snap-hiss filled the air as an edge of burning gold ground against the brilliant blue filling the Inquisitor's swords. Nia pulled back her sword and swung again down from the shoulder, but one of Mòrag's swords swiped up to intercept, catching on the edge and turning it aside just enough to send the tip carving into the ground rather than hitting Mòrag. The Ardainian's other sword lanced in with a quick jab in return. Nia jerked to the side, letting the sword slide neatly past her and used the opportunity to put Mòrag further on the defensive, Aegis sword raised up and brought down like a hammer.
The Special Inquisitor's reaction time was impressive, managing to reorient her weapons into a crossed formation to catch the slam in a mere second, forcing the two into a blade lock. As they dueled, Rex and Corvin saw a chance to enter the fray, Rex channeling ether and swiping his sword down at the ground, a vertical slash of light ether surging out. However, perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising that Brighid was on-the-ball, the beam of light fizzling out as a surge of blue flames emerged from the ground to engulf it.
Corvin tagged in, leaping past Rex and cleaving through the wall of fire with his white sword, causing it to rapidly dissipate into nothing... only to be forced to hit the deck as Brighid immediately followed up by hurling a ball of fire from her hands. With Mòrag engaged entirely in melee, she was drawing strength from Brighid only passively, leaving the fiery Blade free to use her own arts quite liberally. She seemed dedicated to using this to control the battlefield with constant walls of flame. Rex and Corvin valiantly carved and blasted through every single one as it formed, but Brighid's sheer persistence was remarkable.
Most of the Ardainian soldiers were simply holding formation, not foolish enough to charge into the middle of a driver melee without Blade support of their own – and certainly not foolish enough to open fire into the scuffle, not when every stray shot risked striking the Special Inquisitor. Nobody wanted to go down in history as the one who shot His Majesty's right hand. The captain did, at one point, signal for a pair of troops to untangle one of their remaining ether nets, but the second the web was tossed into the fray, Poppi leapt in the way. With its ether-blocking properties of little use against her, and her own impressive strength, she quickly tore free of the snare, looking at the soldiers and waving a scolding finger. No more nets were thrown after that. With that done, Tora and Poppi turned back to the main focus of the battle.
Nia growled to herself, holding her sword up and letting Mòrag's swords strike against the flat of the blade. She and the Inquisitor had been dueling back and forth, pressing every moment that looked like an opportunity. Yet it was going nowhere – neither one had landed even a single a proper hit upon the other. In fact, they'd barely even nicked each others' clothes! Nia was, admittedly, a little proud of her own performance. Part of it was due to her empowering bond with Mythra, to be sure, but she also felt like she'd shaken the rust off her sword skills since the last encounter with Mòrag. The rest of her, however, was baffled and frustrated – how, even with Nia's advantages, was Mòrag still matching her pace so easily, then? The Ardainian seemed just as untouchable as she'd been in Torigoth, maybe more so! Had she just been massively sandbagging back then? It was the only theory that seemed to make sense.
Mòrag seemed to realize that the close-quarters approach wasn't accomplishing much, as she deflected another strike and then leaped backwards, landing a short distance away. Nia seized the chance to take a few deep breaths.
"You've grown stronger, girl, but there's got to be more to the Aegis's change than that! You won't defeat me by holding anything back!" the Special Inquisitor called out, though the effect of the goading was lessened a bit by the fact she was panting just as much as Nia. Mòrag flared her arms out dramatically, segmented whip swords sparking against the concrete as they unfurled. Unsurprisingly, her next move was to flick her right arm, sending one of the whips cracking out towards Nia. At the exact same moment, the Gormotti noticed movement from the corner of her eye, and then the whip was knocked aside as the edge of Poppi's shield slammed into it, the artificial Blade having flown in to defend her. Mòrag's second whip struck hard against the face of the shield, letting out an almost bell-like ring, but Poppi held firm. She glanced back to Nia, shooting her a small smile, before focusing back on Mòrag.
Nia shared a look with Mythra. So the Ardainian wanted to see more of the Aegis's power? They could do that. Nia surged forwards and jabbed the greatsword in Mòrag's direction. A burst of light ether lanced out like a brilliant arrow. Mòrag swiftly retracted one of her whips and, as she had done in Torigoth, leveled the tip of the blade towards the oncoming blast, expecting to use Brighid's flame control to curve it away. Except this wasn't an attack from Pyra, a fact the Inquisitor realized a moment too late, her eyes widening slightly. It was only the fact that Brighid realized sooner that stopped the blast from hitting her dead on. The Ardainian Blade dropped her efforts to frustrate Rex and Corvin and lunged towards Mòrag, an ether barrier forming just in time. The shield cracked heavily from the impact before Brighid dispelled it, picking herself up and taking a moment to brush dust off her dress.
Mòrag recovered from her shock quickly. "That wasn't fire ether at all... So even her nature has changed." she mused curiously. Without another word, she passed her weapons into Brighid's hands, the Blade stepping forward threateningly. Seeing this, Nia tossed the Aegis sword to Mythra, who deftly caught and hopped in front of her. Brighid leaped towards the Aegis and broke into a flurry of motion.
"Swirling Dragon!" It almost reminded one of a dance, slashing and spinning again and again in a vicious assault. The barrage of strikes was almost too fast too keep track of, too, the whips sometimes only visible by the blue streaks they cut into the air as they arced wildly. Against most opponents, it would've been a devastating assault.
Mythra, however, had Foresight on her side. She weaved past one swing, ducked below another, allowed a third to clip her shoulder while she brought her sword up to deflect a fourth. When at last Brighid finished the flurry (though it had really only been a couple seconds), Mythra was several steps closer with only superficial cuts to show for it. She took only a second to prepare her retaliation, pulling in a breath and taking a moment to focus before letting her ether surge.
Brighid received very little warning, as the Aegis seemed to almost vanish, little more than a blur of light before she suddenly reappeared at Brighid's side, sword burning brighter gold than usual as it cleaved downwards. Brighid swung a sword up in time to deflect the blow, but Mythra had already blurred again, appearing at the other side with another slash of light. Brighid's reaction time was good. But not quite that good. This time a gash tore right into her side, and Mythra didn't stop there, blurring around her again. And again.
"Photon... Edge!" Five slashes, all told, before Mythra finally stopped moving, reappearing in front of Brighid, tip of her sword resting the ground as she leaned on the hilt, panting. Brighid had stumbled back, hand covering a slice across her shoulder. The wall of fire that had been blocking the street finally vanished, her concentration too shaken to maintain it. She was steadied by a shocked Mòrag, who shot Mythra a withering glare. The angriest, in fact, any of them had ever seen her. Brighid's cuts, however, were shallow, more surprising in their suddenness than actually debilitating. Already they were glowing blue as they began to repair themselves. Before Mòrag could say anything, the Blade was already back on her own feet, her brows lowered enough to make it clear even with her closed eyes that she was scowling.
"You're... much more like the Aegis described in my journal. A boor using raw speed to cover her brutish slashes." she said, her tone neutral but undercut with scorn.
Mythra bristled, a scoff tearing from her throat. "That's pretty big talk from someone who got hit by almost all of them." she fired back coolly, eyeing the slowly shrinking lines on Brighid's skin. Brighid's scowl deepened, and she stomped forwards, whips cracking open again. Mythra let out one more huffing breath and then flipped her sword back up into her hand. She and Brighid glared at each other for a moment, and then charged, much as Nia and Mòrag had done before. And then...
"Stop this at once!" Nia's eyes widened at the voice echoing across the street, letting out a small gasp as the air seemed to... ripple, something heavy growing in the air. Like the feeling that settled on her when she gazed down from somewhere too high up. Mythra and Brighid seemed the worst affected by it, actually halting in place outright mid-sprint, the air twisting and distorting around them like heat rising from the road on a hot summer day.
Approaching from down the street behind Mòrag, staff held aloft and glowing bright, was Fan la Norne, Vandham and Roc on her heels. A stunned silence washed over the road for a moment, all eyes turning to watch her. Fan's mouth was tight, her brow furrowed in concentration. She still didn't have her full robe, and her undershirt had gained several stains, Nia noticed, the black smudges of soot stark against the white fabric. Her hair was something of a mess, tangled and sweaty. Despite all of that, she had an undeniable air of dignity around her, the brilliant shine of her staff like a lantern in the night.
As she stopped a few steps away from Mòrag, she lowered her staff, and the pressure in the air vanished. Brighid and Mythra stumbled, suddenly free to move unimpeded again. The two of them stared at one another for just a moment before huffing and moving to rejoin their drivers.
"My apologies, but I couldn't let this continue." Fan inclined her head slightly. Mythra crossed her arms, murmuring something that sounded suspiciously like 'deja vu', but didn't speak up.
"I'd heard rumors of that power, but seeing it for myself..." Brighid mused, her curiosity apparently overriding any offense she might've taken from being paralyzed. While that was happening, Nia took the moment to glance over Vandham as well, who nodded slightly at her and crossed his arms. He too looked rougher than when they'd parted, pouches askew and pompadour starting to come undone. Pale patches on his arms suggested recently-healed burns – though thankfully, in Nia's medical opinion, likely not too severe. Roc was, as always, harder to scrutinize, but even he showed signs of ruffled and bent feathers. Running rescue at a bomb site was not glamorous work, so none of this was surprising.
Mòrag raised her chin, clearly about to address Fan, but the Indoline beat her to it. "My lady, might I ask, what was the meaning of this fight?" Fan's tone was utterly polite, but Nia would swear her eyes narrowed with the question, just a bit. Though perhaps that was just her imagination.
"Your grace. We... had reason to believe the driver of the Aegis and her companions were responsible for tonight's events." Mòrag replied, her tone respectful. Nia couldn't help but feel a little satisfied watching her have to pick her words politely. Someone of her rank would have to be aware of the delicacy of parlaying with international diplomats. Especially a public darling like Fan. Vandham let out a surprised chuckle, causing Mòrag's eyes to flick over to him.
"Well that's a heck of a misunderstanding." he commented, brows raised slightly. Fan nodded solemnly.
"Indeed, I'm afraid there must be some mistake. I know for a fact that nobody here had any involvement." she said. Mòrag didn't take long to pick up on the implication.
"...So it was true. You actually did arrive with them, then?"
"Tch, we told you." Mythra huffed pointedly, arms crossed. Frankly, Nia didn't blame her – she'd been half-tempted to say exactly the same thing. Fan glanced at the Aegis before looking back to Mòrag and nodding.
"That's right." she confirmed.
Mòrag hummed. "I hadn't heard anything of the Praetorium having business with the Aegis." she noted. Fan's eyes widened in realization.
"Oh! That was an oversight on my part, I must apologize. It was never intended to be a secret. The Praetor wished to meet them, that is all." she explained, clasping her hands and bowing her head, sounding genuinely apologetic. "However, that is not why we are here in Mor Ardain. There was..." Here, Fan paused noticeably. Nia could almost see her running through the dilemma of whether to risk informing the Ardainians of the hostage situation. "...a personal matter that suddenly became urgent. With the Praetor's approval, I invited lady Nia and her friends to travel with me after the meeting. We... stopped in the Empire to rest and refuel for our return journey."
Nia had to admit, it wasn't necessarily the worst cover story she'd ever heard. Extremely vague on the details, but that could be a strength as much as a weakness, and any questions could be deflected as personal business. Prying into Fan's private life would not be a wise move for diplomacy, and again, someone like Mòrag would have to be aware of that.
The only problem was that Fan's poker face was, to put it delicately... Bad. The very moment she made the decision to keep it secret, her eyes tightened, mouth stuck in a small frown. Between the unhappy expression and the lengthy pauses, to anyone who knew how Fan normally spoke, it came across as overly hesitant. Maybe even a bit guilty. They just had to hope that the Special Inquisitor hadn't noticed. Tora, nearby, fretting with his wings at the need to lie about it probably wouldn't help either, if anyone looked at him seriously.
"I see. That would explain your presence here, then." Mòrag said neutrally.
"Oh, what does that mean?" Nia thought furiously. Did she buy it? Was she just playing along? If so, why not make a point of it?
"Hold on. That still doesn't explain why they separated from you and ran all the way out here. Or the witness report of the metal girl." Brighid interjected. Mòrag looked at her and nodded. Nia was about to step in – to keep Fan from having to lie any further – but to her surprise, someone beat her to it.
"Well that's obvious, isn't it?" Rex wondered rhetorically. "We were chasing the one who actually did it." That seemed to actually take Mòrag by surprise, and she turned to him with interest.
"You actually know who the bomber was? You're certain?"
"I mean, yeah. We noticed - well, Poppi noticed another artificial Blade just like her hidin' nearby." he pointed to Poppi, just in case the Inquisitor wasn't clear on who he meant. "Her older sister, I guess. Name's Lila. She ran off, eventually got away after blowing up the ground. That's when you guys showed up."
"And you're familiar with this Lila? Do you know who her driver is, who she works for? What reason would she have for terrorism?" Mòrag pressed seriously.
"Mehmeh, nobody know for sure. Friends are trying to figure it out." Tora piped up. "Lila go missing years ago, Tora not expecting to see her again until recently." He looked down as he said that.
Nia was stunned. Rex and Tora had just dodged explaining the whole hostage situation, yet nothing they said was a lie. Oh, they suspected Torna were involved, but like Tora said, they really didn't know for sure.
"Hey. Where is your witness anyway?" That was Corvin, who'd been content to watch the proceedings until now. He glanced around with faux-laziness. Everyone stopped, following his gaze. He was right, where had that Nopon gone? Something heavy settled on Mòrag's shoulders as she beckoned for the captain to approach.
The soldier hung his head. "He slipped away, ma'am. It must've been during the pursuit. I take responsibility, I should've ordered someone to keep eyes on him." he apologized. Mòrag sighed.
"We'll discuss this later, captain." she replied, resigned. "Gather your men and return to base for now." The captain saluted and then left to do exactly that.
"I can't think of many good reasons for him to flee in this scenario. Perhaps our 'witness' was not what he seemed." Brighid noted grimly.
"That little weasel!" Nia swore. "He set us up! Does anyone even know who the hell he was?" From the reactions she got, nobody did. Tora seemed to take longer to think on it, but still eventually shook his head.
"Ahem..." Fan cleared her throat politely, looking to Mòrag. "Is it alright for us to return to the inn for now, my lady? I believe we've done all we can for now."
Mòrag paused a moment in thought and then nodded crisply. "...Very well. It would be helpful to meet with you all to take a more official statement. But not tonight, I won't keep you any longer." Nia was perfectly happy to hear that, almost sagging with relief. Finally, finally this was over with. And this was just the warm-up! The kidnappers were still almost certainly planning something for tomorrow. Ugh. This wasn't going to be good.
"Wait, hold on!" Rex exclaimed, striding forwards. Heads swiveled to look at him. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he addressed Mòrag, who raised an eyebrow. "You at least owe Nia an apology, you know."
"Rex, it's fine." Nia sighed.
"No, it's not fine!" He paused, then shook his head. "It's just, I understand why you wanted to be harsh, it's a bad situation and a lot's going on, but... this isn't the first time, you know? You keep doing this, you and Brighid!" his eyes narrowed seriously as he looked at the two. "Back in Torigoth, Brighid just showed up and tried to arrest us outta nowhere. She actually did get me and gramps, and Dromarch! Then you just used us as bait to draw Nia out. And I don't even mind all that, not really. I mean, you thought Nia was dangerous, it was just a misunderstanding, if you'd realized you were wrong about her and left it there, then I'd say: water under the bridge."
He put his hands on his hips firmly. "But then you went and did the same thing again! You wouldn't listen to our side, barely let us even get a word! You just assumed the worst. Nia might've started the fight, but she did that 'cause you were barreling right over us!" he paused, exhaling a breath. "...If you make a mistake, then make it right, and don't make it again. That's the eleventh rule of the salvager's code. Just means you should try to learn and do better, right? But you act like you're trying too hard to be the big stern Special Inquisitor, who doesn't listen to anyone, and then you've got it all wrong."
A stunned silence had fallen over the street as Rex's rant wound down. Nia stared at him with wide eyes, and she was aware she wasn't the only one. Fan was frowning, looking between Rex and Mòrag in concern. Mythra fixed the salvager with a scrutinizing eye, as if reevaluating what she knew about him. Corvin actually looked impressed, and curiously, so did Vandham. Even Mòrag and Brighid's unflappable facades had faltered, leaving them looking genuinely taken aback. Rex glanced around, seeing all the eyes on him, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Er, sorry, I..." he began. But Mòrag recovered from her surprise and shook her head.
"...No, you're correct. We should have heard you out." she turned to Nia. "I apologize, Nia. And to you as well, Rex. To all of you." she bowed her head. After a moment, Brighid followed suit. Normally, Nia would've had something to say to that – a sarcastic comment if nothing else – but she was so surprised that she simply nodded her head slowly instead.
With that, Mòrag and Brighid soon departed, following in the same direction the soldiers had marched off to a few minutes before. Nia watched them go for a moment in silence. Then she whirled around.
"Rex! Where the hell did that come from!?"
"What?" Rex stumbled slightly at the outburst. Before he could make a proper response, another voice cut in.
"Oh, are you surprised?" Azurda finally saw fit to emerge from Rex's helmet, chuckling to himself at Nia's expression. "It's been awhile since the last time, but he's always been like that, you know."
"What do you mean?" Nia wondered.
"He's willing to roll with punches at himself, but when he's defending someone... Well, you know how impulsive he can be, so a bit of fire shouldn't be that shocking." the titan pointed out sagely.
"Hey, Gramps! I just thought Mòrag was a bit outta line, that's all. Come on." Rex huffed, clearly embarrassed.
"Rex not need to try to downplay it, he sound very cool." Tora tried to cheer him up.
"Yep! Nothing wrong with speaking your mind like that." Corvin agreed easily.
Vandham strode up to them, clapping a hand on Rex's back. "That's right. Not a lotta folk who can say they mouthed off to the Special Inquisitor and were right to do it." he complimented. Mythra nodded approvingly. Even Fan la Norne smiled slightly at him.
Nia rolled her eyes at the touchy-feely moment. But the truth was, seeing him browbeat Mòrag into apologizing to her... well, it was more than she was expecting. She would've been fine if the Inquisitor had just stopped bothering them, but Rex took it on himself to go the extra mile. That was... nice.
The trek back to the inn was quiet. Not an uncomfortable silence, so much as just a tired one. A lot had happened in a very short span of time tonight, and it didn't take long for it to settle on everyone's heads. The funny thing was that it still wasn't even that late at night, definitely not midnight yet. Nia almost felt like laughing – the bitter kind – when she remembered that they'd actually planned to try to relax as much as possible before the kidnappers did... whatever they were going to do to make their lives miserable. That didn't quite work out, did it?
It was when they passed by the bombed-out building – fires now extinguished, with a taped-off perimeter and tarps draped across the opening in the roof, a few very exhausted soldiers still standing guard outside – that Nia remembered to ask.
"Oh damn... Fan, I completely forgot to ask, what happened with the people in there?" she gestured at the building tiredly. Her voice dropped a little bit. "Did anyone...?"
Fan sighed. "Nobody died, thank goodness." Nia nodded, relieved, weight lifting slightly. "There were four victims caught in the blast... I healed them all to the best of my ability. Two will likely have permanent burn scarring. The third had severe lacerations from shrapnel, and the fourth broke his collarbone and several ribs when he was pinned by fallen ceiling debris. But they will all live, likely without significant impairments." she reported clinically, though there was undeniable relief as she delivered the prognosis.
"There weren't even supposed to be any workers on that floor after dark, ya know? Not even anything important up there either." Vandham interjected, crossing his arms thoughtfully as he stared up at the covered hole. "The only one scheduled to be there was the guard at the door, or so he said. But those four guys supposedly stayed late, used the empty space to host their gambling night." he explained.
"Wait a moment... then Lila attack building... that supposed to be empty?" Tora said, eyes widening slightly at the implications. Poppi was apparently on the same page as her driver.
"Then, it possible Lila not aiming to hurt anyone?" the artificial Blade wondered. Nia frowned.
"Possible, yeah, but then..."
"What would be the point?" Mythra finished.
Vandham hummed. "Maybe all this was the point." he said bluntly, spreading his arms wide. At the confused looks he received, the mercenary went to elaborate. "Ya ever heard of psychological warfare? Tricks and tactics to get inside your opponent's head? Maybe she, or rather whoever's pullin' her strings, wanted ta send us a message. Or maybe just keep us on our toes. Makin' a big ruckus would be a good way to draw attention, don'tcha think?"
Though it was just a theory, it was one Nia couldn't really find much fault in. And this was just the prelude. The real trouble was coming tomorrow. That ominous note hung over them all as they made their way back into the inn for the night.
Author's Notes: Hey, so, crazy couple of months, ri- *checks last update* *checks calendar* Ahem. Crazy. Couple. Of. Months. Right. Yes, definitely. In all seriousness, though, I'm alive. I noticed recently that I was still getting a few hits on this fic, even with it so long inactive. And seeing that, well... it motivated me to get off my butt and finish this chapter. To hopefully make up for that however slightly, you get a monster update this time. Parts of it were written a year ago, so if anything seems a tad disjointed, that's why. Now, we are following canon rails somewhat here – Lila causes chaos, Lila flies off, confrontation with Mòrag – but, well, I did it because that structure works for what I need. Shows a bit more of Lila and gets Mòrag back into the plot quite neatly. I tried to add enough of my own spin that it's not too boring, but I'll leave that for you to judge.