Chapter 1: The More Things Change
Man, I'm finally done with this school year. I'd like to say that means weekly chapters, but probably not. At the very minimum, I'm going to say that I'll get new chapters out for everything I've got active on the site so far. Maybe 1 more new story pilot chapter. Hopefully because I'll be writing more I can get more than that out but I no promises.
If anyone's curious about any stories that are in the works, just ask. Since someone asked a while ago, I'll probably do the Morytha based story next where Nia is working as a spy.
Also I finished Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed. Holy shit. No spoilers, but I've got a lot to think about when writing my main continuity stories. None of that will influence any of these AU type stories so you don't have to worry about any spoilers here.
…
Rex panted, gasping for breath as his lungs burned from exertion as he dove into the Cloud Sea, then swam over to beneath an overhang of the Leftherian island Titan. He pressed himself as close to the Titan as he could, praying he wouldn't be discovered.
"Where is it?" Footsteps sounded from above.
"It couldn't have made it far in salvaging gear."
"... Let it go."
"What?"
"There's no point in pursuing further. We've already recaptured the rest. There's nowhere in this world it can escape to. It'll either die out here in the wild, or it'll return, starving, back to civilization where it'll be apprehended and transferred back to its original owner."
"What will we tell its owner?"
"We simply apologize and offer recompense. Let's go."
"Yes sir!"
Rex didn't dare breathe until the footsteps were out of hearing range. Once he was sure they were gone, he started crying. For all his efforts to escape, what did he have now? There was no place in Alrest not ruled by Flesh Eaters. He had no knowledge of living in the wild.
Would he just die out here? Alone? Maybe that was better than slavery though. After all, if he was dead, he'd be free. They wouldn't let humans suicide so maybe he could now.
Though… apparently the ruler of Gormott was particularly horrible to be enslaved to. Rumor had it that she could infinitely sustain humans, and bring them back from the dead within a certain time frame, so even death wouldn't mean freedom.
His breathing slowed as he took in a few deep breaths to work up his courage. Then, he let go, leaving his helmet disconnected. He closed his eyes as he sank, slight panic hitting him as his body cried out to breath, but this was still better than living as a slave.
Just as his senses started to fade, he felt his back strike something, hard. His will to die was knocked out of him, along with a torrent of air bubbles that exploded from his mouth. He twisted around to see the protrusion that struck him before frantically swimming up to the surface. He gasped for breath once his head broke the surface and he clambered back onto land shivering.
He laid on his back for a few minutes, contemplating what he had just tried to do. He couldn't work up the will to try again.
So what could he do?
After a moment of thought, he figured his only option was to leave the archipelago. He closed his eyes. Maybe he could steal a Titan ship? Titan ships would sometimes wander off on their own so that wouldn't be a massive problem. The real issue was obtaining supplies so he could survive for a while.
Theoretically, if he could take a Titan ship, then he'd have a place to escape to. Then he could steal away with supplies and make out to sea. Okay, he breathed. He'd have to figure out what he'd need to steal to pull this off. A Titan ship. Food. Cooking supplies. Storage. Bedding. Toiletries. Clothes. Salvaging gear. He could maybe jury rig a depth probe to be a kind of sensor to detect other ships in his vicinity.
He hadn't been taught to be a thief though. Only reason why he even knew about the concept was through other humans passing down knowledge through the generations.
He had no idea how to do this. When should he sneak in? How should he sneak in? No, he shook his head, that's something to focus on later. For now, he had to get to a Titan.
He slowly made his way back over to Fonsett island where he lived. There was a small dock there and there was usually at least one Titan secured.
By the time he made it back, the sun had already started to set. Rex quickly went and hid in a bush.
His eyebrows furrowed at the scene in front of him. One of the people he had tried to escape with earlier… he had been put in front of a crowd of other humans. He could only watch on in horror as a Flesh Eater walked over, their weapon in hand. He bit his tongue, hard enough to start bleeding, as the weapon went up, then it went down. He averted his eyes, unable to watch what came afterwards: the harvesting.
He had only seen it once before, when the Flesh Eaters would carve out the person's organs to be consumed by a future Flesh Eater. Some in the crowd were clearly used to it, as they just looked tired. Probably bought from cities where such an occurrence was probably weekly. Others turned to the side and vomited, puking their guts out.
The crowd was then dispersed, sent back to their quarters to be locked in for the night.
Now he just had to wait for all the Flesh Eaters to turn in for the night. Rex sighed. He was used to waiting, that wasn't an issue. But the tension sweeping through his body was. Sweat poured down his face as the last of the lights in the village went out.
Even so, he stayed still for another hour, or at least what felt like an hour, to make sure that everyone was really asleep.
When he finally emerged, it felt like he was naked. His legs were wobbly from not moving for hours. He tried to keep as quiet as possible as he walked through the village center. He just had to cross his fingers that there wasn't anyone out, and that no one was staring out through their windows.
He made his way to the docks to thankfully see a sleeping Titan. A familiar looking Titan at that.
"Azurda!" Rex whispered as loud as he dared.
Nothing.
"Azurda!" Rex tried again, raising his voice ever so slightly.
"Hm?" The Titan cracked his eyes open, "hu-" The dragon-like Titan swung his head up in a startled fashion. He glanced around carefully before settling his eyes back on Rex.
"Azurda, please," Rex begged, "I need your help."
"Of course," Azurda said quietly, astonishment coloring his voice. He ripped the docking rope off with his teeth. "Climb on."
Rex nodded and swiftly jumped onto Azurda's back. Azurda nodded then swam away from Fonsett. The two waited until Fonsett village was out of view before speaking.
"Thank you," Rex sighed.
"My boy, how…?"
"I don't know… They were moving me and my gut told me to run, so I just ran."
Azurda sighed, "you got very lucky. They've gotten complacent over the centuries it seems. That was very risky."
"I know. But I couldn't live like that anymore."
"Yes… they way they've been treating humans seems to only be getting worse. I wish I could do something, but I am only one Titan. If I was caught actively helping you humans…"
"I know. I don't blame you."
"However," Azurda continued, "since you've managed to escape, let me know if there's anything I can do for you my boy."
"Well… I don't know how to survive on my own."
"Yes, that would be an issue. However, Fonsett will be on high alert. I wouldn't recommend attempting to steal from here."
"Right… where do we go then?"
"I don't know. There are whispers of a rebellion, but nothing definite. If they existed and I knew where they were, that's where I'd take you."
"I didn't even know there were whispers."
"The Flesh Eaters have been keeping it quiet. They're not even sure if it really exists. But word has it that more humans are escaping, and that the escapees are disappearing off the face of Alrest. No bodies, no campsites, no traces of human activity."
"But we don't know where they are."
Azurda shook his head. "I don't even know if they're real. For all we know, it could be rumors spread by other Flesh Eaters to try to lure out the most susceptible to get rid of them."
"I…" Rex nodded, "then, what're our options?"
"I am not sure. Our best option now would likely be to seek out an uninhabited titan. I am more than capable of providing fire and hunting to give you time to learn how to do so on your own. I suppose I should also search for this rebellion when I can."
Rex sighed, "I guess we'll do that."
Rex was curled up in a ball, days later, on Azurda's back. He hadn't eaten anything in the days Azurda had spent searching for an uninhabited habitable Titan. He had also had barely anything to drink, surviving off of the scant rain they received. He hadn't moved in a while, trying to preserve energy. Not that there was much for him to do anyways.
They eventually stumbled across a small but thriving Titan. Animals traversed across its back with grass and trees and flowers blooming. Rex quickly hopped off to give Azurda a chance to catch something, start a fire, and begin to cook for Rex.
Starving, Rex absolutely tore into the cooked meat, eating until Azurda had to stop him.
"Don't eat too much. I'm not sure how human bodies work with this, but I know that you shouldn't eat too much after starving for a few days."
Rex nodded, giving the leftovers a longing look, before standing up and clambering back onto Azurda's back.
"We need to find water somewhere." Azurda said as he took off, "if you could keep an eye out, and if you see anything, shout."
"Got it."
Azurda flew around for a little while. The Titan wasn't the largest, but it was still sizable enough for Azurda to take some time flying around.
"Hold on… what is that?" Azurda muttered.
"What?"
"Press yourself flat down," Azurda said as he swooped down. He touched down slightly in front of a beached wrecked ship.
"Hello?" Azurda called.
No answer. Rex stood up and slid off of Azurda's back.
"This is an old Tornan war ship," Azurda said, "I haven't seen one of these in five hundred years."
"When would this have washed up."
"I'm not sure. It doesn't look damaged at all so it couldn't have been from the Aegis war."
Rex hesitantly walked over to it and put a hand on the metal hull. "It seems still intact. No rust or anything."
"Hm. I suppose you would know better as a salvager."
Rex walked over to a door and opened it with ease. He looked at it in surprise. It didn't even make a squeak. He stuck his head in and looked around. "It looks safe."
"Good," Azurda said, "I suppose you can make use of that as a shelter for now."
"Right," Rex said as he stepped inside. Just a few paces down was another door. He opened it slowly and noted that it was a crew's quarters. He tried to find some light source, but there was nothing visible. There was a switch but flicking it did nothing.
Well… there was a bed at least. Even though it was slanted on its side, it was still more than he had ever had access to. Rex stumbled back out, "yeah, there's a livable space in there."
Azurda nodded, "get some rest. I'll look for the closest body of water."
"Okay."
It was a few days later when Rex finally decided that he had had enough of sitting in complete darkness. He still had some oxygen left in his Salvaging Cylinder. He should look for a power source. He pulled up his helmet and activated his Cylinder.
He waded into the Clouds that had filled part of the boat. Eventually, he reached a point where he could start swimming and he swam down the long halls. Luckily, there weren't a lot of animals, and the few that were there weren't hostile.
He swam down, eventually reaching some kind of console. He looked around for a moment and spotted a soft orange glow. He swam over and slid the cylinder out of its container. He then moved around to replace an empty cylinder, and the ship whirred to life, lights turning on around him. A wall opened up, or at least a thing that he had thought was a wall turned out to be a door. He swam through the corridor until he reached another wall.
He examined the wall for a second before putting his hand on the insignia in the center. He leaned back as the circle lit up and it slid open. He glanced down, seeing light flickering from the floor. Curious, he swam down to touch it, only to feel nothing. He shrugged and continued onto the next door.
It was identical to the previous wall, so he set his hand on the insignia to open the next door. It opened smoothly and Rex continued forward.
A gasp was torn out of him as he looked at the centerpiece of the room: a shining red sword and behind it, a girl dressed in red. His eyes widened when he noticed the Core Crystal in the girl's chest, and nearly had a panic attack. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't like any Core Crystal he had seen before. It was green, unlike the red and blue of the Flesh Eaters. Was this a Flesh Eater?
Or was she something else?
In case she was a Flesh Eater, Rex, unwilling to leave empty handed, simply grabbed the sword and left.
"And you found this in there?" Azurda asked again.
"Yeah."
"I haven't seen this sword before, but the crystal looks familiar. It's that of the Aegis."
"The… Aegis?"
"I… I forget, much of Alrest's history has been wiped out. The Aegis was a legendary Blade that fought for humanity five hundred years ago. She had enough power to defeat any foe."
"Blade?"
"The original form of Flesh Eaters. Before they bind with human flesh, they are known as Blades. They are beings born from Core Crystals. They… used to bond with humans and fight side by side."
"W-What?"
"Difficult to imagine, eh? Yes, there was once a time when humans would awaken Blades from their Core Crystals and live in harmony together. However, that time is long past."
"Would the… Aegis, be on our side?"
"Hard to say. I'd like to imagine she is. However, she has clearly changed if the sword is any indication. I couldn't say what she would do now."
"I…" He nodded, "I guess it's not worth the risk then."
Azurda sighed, "I suppose not."
It had only been a month since Rex's escape from the Flesh Eaters, and he was already growing restless.
"Hey Gramps?" He asked Azurda, "is what I'm doing wrong?"
"Wrong?"
"Well… I'm not really doing anything. Why am I the only one who's free? Why am I free and not doing anything to help others?"
"I wouldn't beat myself up over it," Azurda responded, "I'm not sure you can do anything."
"What about the Aegis?"
"What about her?"
"What if she was on our side? You said she was a legendary fighter right? We could be sitting on an opportunity to do something."
"Are you sure? If she isn't, that means certain death, for both of us. You realize this, correct?"
Rex hesitated for a second before nodding, "I'm sure."
Gramps grunted, "very well then." He stood and grabbed the boat and heaved, dragging it further out of the Cloud Sea and fully onto land. "Go."
Rex nodded. He stepped into the ship and retraced his steps back to where he had found the Aegis before. He paused at the entrance, staring at the cylinder the Aegis was in. He hesitated, unsure of if this was the correct course of action.
He sighed. What was the worst that could happen? Not like they could get more enslaved if this all powerful being decided that humanity wasn't worth the dirt beneath her shoes. He looked over the control panel and took a deep breath before hitting the button to lower her pod and release her.
A slight hiss sounded as the glass panel opened. Rex bit his lip as he watched the red headed girl open her eyes and step out of the pod.
No words came to him as he nervously watched the Blade look around and gain her bearings.
"You… you're Rex, right? I'm Pyra."
Rex nodded slowly, "... how?"
"We came into contact…" she looked confused, "a month ago? You left me here for a month?"
"I… I did."
"Why?" She seemed more confused than upset.
"Y-You're not going to hurt me?" Rex asked shakily.
She stared at him, "why would I hurt you?"
"All the Flesh Eaters would."
"Flesh Eaters? What do you mean by Flesh Eaters? I thought those experiments failed?"
"So you don't know. The world is ruled by Flesh Eaters. We humans live as their slaves. I… barely managed to escape."
"So… you freed me now. Why?"
"I don't want to live like this alone. So I made a choice. And you have to make one too. Either you kill me and join them, or you help me save humanity."
Pyra looked like she could barely process everything, "I… see. Um… could you take me out of here? I need time to think."
Rex nodded. He guided her out of the ship and to land.
"Azurda!" Pyra exclaimed as she spotted the old Titan.
"Ah, I'm afraid I don't know what to call you, miss…?"
"Just… Pyra is fine."
"Pyra then. It has been a while."
"Yes, it has been." Pyra bowed, "it is good to see you."
"And you as well. It's been a long five hundred years."
"I… What happened while I was asleep?" Pyra clenched a fist over her heart.
Gramps sighed, "I'm not entirely sure myself. I had been tasked by Addam to guard the Leftherian Archipelago. It was a few years after that when rumors had started spreading that Indol had fallen to some foreign military force. It turns out that military force was a massive army of Flesh Eaters. They spread throughout the rest of Alrest quickly and took over soon after."
"I… see. If only I hadn't…"
Gramps shook his head, "no need to dwell on that. I suspect that even you would have been overrun by enough Flesh Eaters."
Pyra nodded, "I'll fight for you. Though I'm not really sure how at the moment."
"Have you bonded with the boy?"
"Mm," Pyra nodded.
Rex frowned, "the boy is standing right here. What the hell are you two talking about?"
"Does he not know?"
Gramps shook his head, "Flesh Eaters have erased all knowledge of how Blades used to be. Rex, you have resonated with Pyra. You have become her Driver. It's… difficult to explain without prior knowledge."
"Then try-"
Pyra held up a hand, "sorry to interrupt, but do you hear that?"
Rex went silent, straining his ears to try to hear something. He noticed a quiet humming. Rex turned around to look into the horizon, and spotted a few shapes that were slowly growing in the distance.
"What is that?"
"I… don't know."
"Are those Flesh Eaters?" Rex asked worriedly as the shapes got closer. He could see light glinting off their metal hulls as they approached.
"If those are of Flesh Eater design, I have never seen them before. But considering us Titans are still the primary mode of transportation, I wouldn't think that they are Flesh Eaters."
"Just in case," Pyra said, "Rex, hold out your hand and focus. Imagine that sword you took materializing in your hand."
Rex nodded and followed her instructions, "like this?"
"Focus. Close your eyes if it helps."
"Right." Rex closed his eyes even as the humming grew louder. He felt a tug, and he opened his eyes to see the same Crystal that had been in Pyra's chest form, and the same red sword he had taken materialized in his hands.
"Woah!"
Pyra nodded, "there should be some combat instincts in you from our bond and you'll at least be able to match a Blade in strength now. The other sword that you took also should be gone," she bit her lip nervously, "I suppose we can only wait now."
Rex nodded and assumed a stance where he could easily attack if he needed to.
It was a few more minutes until the things flew over. Wind kicked up as the things came down to land and hovered a few meters up. A section opened up at the side and several metal clad figures hopped down and pointed weird metal boxes at them.
"Freeze!" The one in the lead ordered.
Rex glanced at Gramps, then at Pyra.
"Hold it," another armored figure stepped forward and put a had on top of the metal box, "this one is human. And you… a regular Blade."
"And you are?" Gramps asked.
"And a Titan," the figure added. A hiss sounded as the metal dome that was the head of the figure retracted, revealing a human head underneath. "My name is Morag Ladair, lieutenant general of the Resistance unit."
…
Hm. I don't like this chapter very much. A lot of the dialogue feels kind of stiff/unnatural and it also feels like everything happens way too quickly.