Chapter one TLDR, at the request of Guest: Rotbart kills a dude so we hate him. OC got Nim. OC's going to Indol once he's ready.

Rhod walked through the market in a daze. Nothing felt real. He simply couldn't process everything.

Liam was dead. That, he'd come to understand.

He had a blade. How? He didn't have the potential to do that, let alone from an uncleansed core crystal, but here he was.

His blade was unique. That was even stranger, less believable the more he thought about it.

There were plenty of unique blades in the world. Rhod walked past Vess, buying groceries from her favorite store as she did every day, and could still remember that blade called Nia one of the richer girls had, even if he hadn't seen her for a while. But it was still a commonly known fact that most blades in the world were just slight variations of each other. Black and white, and loyal but unvaried basic personalities.

Yet he'd somehow had the luck to obtain a unique one. Rhod shook his head. He had to focus. He walked over to the textile shop. And looked at the blacksmith. What kind of makeshift armour could 2000 gold put together?

He came to a stop in front of the blacksmiths.

A few minutes passed, before he realised he should actually be looking at the store. Okay. A good suit of armour would cost way more than 2000 gold, and take weeks to forge. And even so, he had a blade now. He was...

Rhod looked at the back of his hand. Drivers weren't invincible, not even close to invincible, but having a natural barrier of ether was like a weightless suit of armour. Did he even need to protect himself from anything apart from the weather? He turned to a textile shop. Well, in that case he could just settle for... something.

He wandered over.

"Oh, hello Rhod. Don't see you around here often." Said the shopkeep. Rhod hardly noticed.

"I need some clothes for travelling." He whispered.

"Speak up?"

"Clothes for travelling. I have 2000 gold."

"Oh, I'll put something together for you then. Where are you going? Greatspine?" Asked the shopkeep easily. They were like this to everyone.

Rhod shook his head. "I'm... going to... uh..." He stopped, and then shrugged. "This isn't like me, to stutter while speaking."

The shopkeep suddenly brightened. "Oh, I remember you now! You're that boy who insulted-"

"Yes, I insulted the special inquisitor of Mor Ardain. To her face." Said Rhod. "She was walking through the town for the very first time, while our twat-waffle of a consul tried to tell her how he'd done such a wonderful job overseeing the poor, savage, uncivilised Gormotti people..." Suddenly, he was back into a routine. A story he'd told a hundred times. And his voice was clear and spicy as a storyteller needed to be.

"And she just started to commend him, but I was a bit too close for the consul that day. Me, someone who just so happened to have had to deal with a neglected bridge, mistreated crops, and miserable friends and fellows for a few months because our resident rusty air cylinder couldn't be arsed to sign a single sheet of paper."

"Go on, go on, I haven't heard it from the source before!" Encouraged the shopkeep.

"So I walked right out, in face of the consul, special inquisitor, and two soldiers, and I pointed to the bridge they'd just walked over, and I went... 'Just hold on a minute, ma'am! I'm afraid your consul here isn't being entirely clear! Because this sack of late-harvested crops ACTUALLY didn't repair that bridge you walked over for ten weeks, and he's been sitting on his pudgy backside in that nice house you gave him for free seven days a week, twenty four hours a day, 'working' around the clock for the benefit of absolutely... Nobody!" Rhod chuckled and looked up.

"And then I just had to run my mouth. Because I followed that up with... 'And if you'd just pull your head out of your oh-so-royal backside for a good two seconds, then that would be more obvious than the fact you basically marched up to a settlement that was doing just FINE without you and your stupid, incompetent child of an emperor, and asserted control to do... nothing useful, you pen-pushing, spineless brass-buttoned moron!"

"And then?! You should have been shot!"

"Well, the soldiers were a bit shocked and the inquisitor looked like she going to give the order to shoot, and they had been prepared to shoot for the entire thing. But I wasn't about to wait around for them to actually do that once I realised what I'd said, so I took the coward's way out, and jumped off the residential zone. Nearly drowned for it, but Liam pulled me out... And that was that! I guess they had better things to do than chase after me."

"Hehe. A classic story, but you're being unfair on the Ardainians. We haven't lost many people at all to monster attacks since they set up shop here. And I hear that inquisitor's actually trying to be helpful to us. I'll put something nice and durable together. Come back in an hour?"

"Right. I felt kind of bad when I found out she'd paid for a new water tower. And monster attacks... right." Rhod shook his head. "I just need to go and buy... uh, a water bottle. One moment."

He was far out of earshot before he talked to himself.

"Oh, what's wrong with me?" Muttered Rhod. "I just don't feel like I've got any energy at all... Liam would want me to be strong. I have to be strong. ...But what does it even..." He recalled that story he'd just told. If he could say the things he'd said to someone that far above him, he could do this. He could stay standing.

He was on the way back to his house when he ran into his father. "Dad!"

"You have the clothes? Good."

"Are you okay?" Asked Rhod. "You look like you've been..." There was an angry red mark on Lloyd's cheek.

"Slapped." Lloyd rubbed it. "But I'll be fine."

"Oh Architect dad, I know you're as a blunt as a hammer most of the time but please say you didn't tell someone their son was dead out of nowhere! Or tell them to get over it!"

"Have some faith, boy."

"Then what..."

"They didn't take it well, is all." Said Lloyd. "They started screaming, asking why I would ever let you go off unsupervised, and I told them that you're practically an adult."

"Well... I am."

"They didn't take that too well either. And I... may have been slapped. I should have known better, really."

They arrived back at the house.

"Well... what now?"

"Sleep. I'll book the ship to Indol." His father opened the door, and turned away, heading to the lower levels of the residential zone.

Rhod walked in. "I'm back."

"Oh good!" Called Nim. "It was kind of worrying having you out of range. I can't send you ether if you're too far away!"

"Your father is correct. You need rest quickly." Said his mother. "As long as the Ardainians don't realise you're a driver anytime in the next twelve hours, everything will be okay. Now then, you'll be going on the only titan ship in port."

"Yeah, got it." Rhod sat down.

A few minutes passed in silence.

"H-hey, Rhod. Tell me a bit about yourself. You're my driver, but I barely know anything about you!"

"...Same to you." Said Rhod. "I never even imagined having a blade. I don't have a clue what to say. Uh, anyway... I guess I go to school, I was paying for it by picking crops, and I was going to go and study chemistry at Indol before... all this."

"Chemistry?"

"The science of... chemicals. You know, beakers, flasks, whatever. Salvaging is a big help to everyone but eventually we'll run out of things to salvage. We have to learn how to re-create the things we haul up. And that means learning how they work."

"...Something about it rubs me the wrong way..." Murmured Nim.

"Really? But chemistry saves lives!" Said Rhod. "What's wrong with it?"

Nim looked around. "Well, look at the titan! it must hurt to have all this rock chipped off it! A-and all this waste produced on top of it! Couldn't you just use nature to do those things instead?"

"..." Rhod gave his blade a sideways look. "Uh... I hate to break it to you, but nature can't let people safely travel between titans. Or reliably hide from stormy weather."

"Yes it can! You just have to know what you're doing!"

"You're being silly!"

"Both of you, please." Interjected Rhod's mother. "First day knowing each other and you're already squabbling. Rhod, what do you want for dinner? We don't have the money to follow you to Indol, but we'll do what we can to support you from home while you're there. The Ardainians will never suspect a thing."

"...Just give me comfort food."

"Alright, I'll just see what fish we've got!"

It was late at night. The consul had recieved an unexpected, angry visitor. Nobody important, though.

"Padraig, I don't know who it is but see them off. Dughall's coming to replace me in a week, so why even bother with our work? Consider the small vacation a gift from me." Said the consul, leaning back too far on his chair.

"Sir, they've been trying to get in for the past ten minutes. What if it's important?"

"I don't care!" Replied the consul. "If this idiot's so determined to say something she can take it to you. You're a captain."

"Yes sir, Idon'tknowhowyouevergotthisjob Sir." Padraig replied.

"Say what?"

"Nothing, sir. I'll see to the matter."

Padraig opened the door. "What is the matter, Ma'am?"

The woman at the door was glaring furiously. "I need to report a death..."

Padraig turned. "Very well. Follow me." He led her to a desk opposite the consul's room. "Name."

"Mathilda Risca."

"Name of deceased?" Padraig jotted down in a record. He was sure the town would have all but stopped functioning if he hadn't decided to do whatever bits of the consul's work he could.

"Liam Risca."

"Relation to you?"

"He was my son."

"My condolences. Cause of death?"

"Killed by monsters."

Padraig scribbled a few more things down in the record book. "Alright. No suspicions of foul play? We can't investigate that area. Too risky."

"No..." Mathilda frowned. "Yes."

"Yes?" Padraig leaned in. "Yes?"

"I was told by Lloyd. Apparently, his son was with Liam... and is now a driver." Said Mathilda bitterly.

The sun was only just starting to rise when Rhod changed into his new clothes.

"Oh, I hate this thing! Hate it!" Nim picked up the cloak with one finger, keeping it at arm's length. One of the phonexes on her shoulders snarled at it.

"It can't be that bad, right? I mean, at least it covers your chest."

"I like my chest how it is! And I DON'T like having this scratchy thing on my back, and neither do my phonexes! I'm going to throw it into the cloud sea once we're out of port!" She said angrily, voice getting squeakier with every word, cloak dropping to the floor.

"Ouch, ears." Rhod feigned pain, putting hands on his head for a second. "Seriously now, how can you even go to that high a pitch? And isn't that littering?"

"No! It'll break down." Said Nim confidently.

"If you say so."

Lloyd stirred. "If every morning with a blade will be like this I'm glad you're moving out."

"Lloyd!" Said ma.

"You know I'm only teasing..." Said Lloyd. "Alright. You'd best be off, son. Stay cloaked, blade."

"...I have a name you know."

"C'mon." Rhod tossed the cloak at Nim. "...We'll get to the safety of the praetorium and figure out how I avoid getting drafted from there."

"Okay. Okay. You guys are mean, with all this teasing."

"Uh... oh. Sorry. Just how we are." Mumbled Rhod. "Need a hand covering up?"

"I can do this." Nim had the cloak over her body one moment before there was a knock at the door.

Padraig had had to fill out all the paperwork for it by himself, as per usual. It took all night. Paperwork loosened up a lot in times of crisis, but during peace... every blasted soldier needed to be justified for a mission. And this was just a social call! On information from a highly emotional woman!

"Alright. By the books." Instructed Padriag to two backups he'd grabbed. They were for show more than anything. He knocked the door.

Silence for a good four seconds, despite the tiny lodging.

"...Who's there?" Said someone.

"This is captain Padriag. I'd like to ask your son some questions about the events that occurred two days ago, outside Torigoth. He's not in any trouble, so if you'd open up?"

Another few seconds pause.

"Titan's cavernous gob, who told them?!" Whispered Rhod. "Da, what do we do?!"

Lloyd looked at the door. "I'll answer. Get ready to run."

"Run? But you'll be-"

Lloyd opened the door. "What is it?"

"I heard that yesterday, your son was involved in an incident outside town, with the local menace." Started Padriag.

"...Yes?"

"And that your son became a driver during this time?"

"I've seen no hint of such a thing. It's quite early, look... Did you really have to call at six?"

"It's the earliest I can contact a civilian for a non-emergency." Said Padriag. "Now, if you'd just let me in to make a check, then I'll be on my way."

Rhod could only look in mild horror as his dad smoothly stepped outside. "Of course." He walked to the side, and Rhod saw him beckon.

He grabbed Nim's hand.

"Now!" Shouted Lloyd. He grabbed an empty sack, and stuffed it over Padriag's head. The giant helmet almost prevented it reaching over the captain's eyes but it just made it. The other two soldiers raised thier rifles, and Lloyd put Padriag into a grapple hold, in front of him. There was nothing they could do against him. "Go, son! You're a driver, bullets won't stop you!"

Rhod seized the chance. Every bit of knowledge he had said going up against muskets with only clothes meant for hiking was suicide, but he trusted his father. He burst out, and made to punch one of the two backup soldiers out of the way.

A glove of some kind appeared over his hand, and when his fist made contact there was a sudden shock of force, knocking the surprised soldier back a few steps.

There was a bang as the second one shot him.

Rhod saw the bullet stop dead when it hit him. He could only see it in the corner of his eye, but he could see Nim, holding up her hand. He was fine.

"Get... Back!" He slugged the other one in the chest, and their armor cracked.

"Run, before they recover!" Instructed Lloyd. "Remember, get to Umon's shipyard, on Greatspine Boundary!"

Rhod ran. "Nim, quick!"

"Take this!" Nim shoved her way out of the room, knocking one of the soldiers flat with perhaps a little more force than needed, as Rhod took off at a sprint.

He was at Abble's fountain when he realised the magnitude of what had just happened. "D... did my da just..."

He'd just wrestled a soldier, and then Rhod left him to deal with three of them. He clapped a hand over his mouth.

"I'm going to be sick somewhere."

"Bury it so they can't track you!"

"This is no time for jokes!"

"I... wasn't joking..."

"My parents could be dead! And... and... alright, I have to think. What can I do? And..." He looked at his hands. They still had the boxing gloves on. "What are these?"

"They're my blade weapons!" Explained Nim.

"They're very..." Rhod turned them over, inspecting the detail.

"Hey, you didn't even turn them on!" Nim hopped over, cloak threatening to fall away. She tapped them, and suddenly bright blue prongs sprouted from the bottom of each gauntlet. "You could have killed them with this!"

"Killed them-"

"Yeah."

"..." Rhod looked at the weapons. "...I don't know if I want to kill someone. But maybe if I had, then my Da and Ma would be alive right now!"

"But you're alive, and so that's good!"

"I... I gotta go back and check."

"Isn't that like walking straight into a predator's mouth?"

"I have to know." Rhod set off at a walk, Nim thankfully following.

He stuck to the very edges of Torigoth, using the shadows and alleys to his advantage. It was slow travel, nearly half an hour passed. And he saw someone.

Padriag. Giving orders to a small squadron.

"Get down to Umon's shipyard, immediately. We can't have an unregistered driver just running around."

"...I love my da." Whispered Rhod.

"He misdirected them!" Said Nim.

"Shh! Oh, man, we'd better run."

Rhod slipped back into the alleys, trying to see if anyone had overheard him. It seemed alright.

"How long until that boat leaves for Indol? It can't be long now." Whispered Rhod. "If my Da wants me to get away to there- then I'll do it. Least I can do to honour his memory."

"Wanting to live is natural." Agreed Nim. "I... I guess I... can put up with going on a titan ship for this."

"Just don't blow our cover. Let's get down there, before they realise my Da lied."

It was hard to reach the lowest level of the residential zone again. Rhod couldn't help but look at his house, from across the area. Two soldiers were outside. "H-hey? So how old are you meant to be before you get seperated from your parents, anyway?" Asked Nim. "I mean, you're all grown, but... Well, I just don't know. You don't seem ready."

"Look. I still barely know you, but you like nature, yes?"

"Yep!"

"Well, how would you like it if someone just took it away from you."

"That's what... people do all the time. Trees for houses. Rocks for ore. Beasts for meat."

"..." Rhod looked down. "Ha... and I thought I was going to make a point. Well. Since this is my first real conversation with you, without imminent death or me being nearly comatose... I'm Rhod." He offered a hand to shake.

Nim took it. "We'll still get along! Mother nature would want me to do that."

"At least we have something in common. But you mentioned beasts..."

"Yeah! I can talk to animals, I bet! I'd love to talk to all of them, but I can't if they're gone."

"...I want to make an exception. ONE exception, here and now." Said Rhod.

"Oh, you can hunt them." Nim responded easily. "It's only natural. The circle of life! It's hunting ALL of them that's bad!"

"...Again, I thought I had a point." Sighed Rhod. "I was going to be dramatic with that one, too, fuzz-face."

"What was it?"

"We're going to kill Territorial Rotbart. I know Da would want me to stay safe in Indol, but that thing has tortured people long enough!" Said Rhod. "Once we're strong enough, I'll have my revenge. I swear it. I promise."

"Okay! I'll help with that. But if you want to get stronger... shouldn't we get on that boat?"

"Right."

Rhod walked up calmly. The captain was checking the straps on his boat, making sure it was still firmly on the titan.

"I'm here to board."

"Good time, lad. We'll set off in a couple of minutes. Just waiting on the shipment of core chips."

"Core chips?" Said Rhod. "...Those are for drivers, right?"

"Yeah. Oh, who's that with you?" He pointed at Nim. "And why... why's the cloak on her back moving? You trying something funny with me!?"

"N-no sir!" Rhod sweated. "...Heck, what do we do now. There's people around... if word got to the soldiers the ship wouldn't be able to leave town!"

"Were you trying to-"

Nim lifted her hood. "Um, would you mind, having a chat?"

The captain raised an eyebrow. "...Yeah, okay. So you're a blade."

"We need to get to Indol, or we're going to get conscripted into the army!" Said Nim. "And I can't bear the thought of it! Those Mor Ardainians are so cruel to titans, I don't even want to know how nasty they'd be to my driver!"

"Oh, that's all? Heh. I swear, it's the same every time." Chuckled the captain. "They have to send drivers from the general population to Indol to be registered first thing! And then they can't conscript 'em, cause they're in Indol. Of course, soldiers that use cleansed crystals are pre-registered, but that doesn't matter."

"Wait... you mean that..." Rhod shook his head. "...I'll board now, if that's okay."

"Yeah, go ahead. Chips'll be here any minute."

The moment Rhod was on the opposite side of the boat he slumped. "It was for nothing..."

"I bet they're still okay! Life finds a way at the most unexpected times, you know!"

"...But what they did... they've gotten in all that trouble and for what?! And they... Nim, they really could be dead. What am I going to do without-"

"Hey, lookout! Here comes an Ardainian!"

Rhod turned. "Oh architect, it's that captain from earlier. Let's get out of sight." He walked behind the ship's cabin. "...Hey. You hate that cloak, right? I don't think you need it anymore. If he sees us at this point we're rumbled."

Nim took all of a second to rip the cloak off. Immediately, one of the phonexes on her shoulders glared at Rhod like he'd offended the gods. "Kit, stoppit." Whispered Nim.

Rhod overheard Padriag talking. "Only one box today. Make sure it gets to Alba Cavanich safely, we don't have many of these things!"

"Just the one?" Asked the captain. "You chartered a whole journey from Indol to Mor Ardain, at this time of year, for ONE box of core chips?"

"Don't shout it out like that!" Said Padriag. "Yes, we did. Do not lose them."

"Understood." The captain seemed to consider his next words for a moment. "Oh, before we go, I heard there was a scuffle earlier. Something about a driver? Do you need me to take them to Indol?"

"Haven't found them, yet." Admitted Padriag. "Once we do, we'll wait for another boat. I'm sure we can get them if they try and come back to get some... things from us."

"Well, good luck. We're off now."

"Smooth sailing, sir."

They were five peds away from the dock.

Ten.

Twenty.

Fifty.

"...We did it." Said Rhod. "I'm a terrible person."

"We did do it!" Said Nim, far more excitedly. "We're safe!"

"Alright, you two. You're on my ship now, so play by my rules." Called the captain. "Don't stand there, because I can't see where we're sailing. Your quarters are below deck. I'll provide one meal a day."

"Uh... yes, okay." Said Rhod, as the ship swan out, away from Gormott. "...I've never left my titan before."

"Wow, me neither! Well, not in this existence..." Nim chuckled.

"Alright, so... now what?"

"You're the driver."

"I really... I really don't know what to do from here on out." Admitted Rhod. "But okay, I'll try thinking. We get to Indol, register somehow, then come back and kill Rotbart. Then... I have no idea. I always planned to be a chemist or a doctor or something, but now I'm a driver, my life plans are just... Ah well."

"Hey, now we can finally learn about each other."

"Ah yes, leave them stuck in an area about five square metres large. The best way to make people talk. So... what do you want to do on this adventure? The only goals I can think of are Indol and killing that festering lump of gristle."

"Well, I want... I want to make friends with some animals. I love nature, but I haven't seen any of it. Ooh! And I want to find some cool trees. And get stronger, to protect nature."

"...Do you... do anything apart from love nature?"

"No." Said Nim easily. "Just kidding. I like the idea of travelling too! Are there any more big titans?"

"Uraya, Mor Ardain, I guess Argentum, the Leftherian ones, and... uh... there's one that just stays under the cloud sea all the time. Maybe we should visit them? It'll give us a chance to get stronger, maybe find some more allies."

"And think of all the things we'll see!"

Four hours later, there was a wave on the sea. "Blasted weather..." Called the captain. "Hang on tight. Don't want to get too close to the World Tree!"

"What happens if you go to the World Tree?"

"You don't want to find out!" Replied the captain.

There was a sudden crunching sound. "What the-"

"Monster!" Squeaked Nim. "Um, hey there, I know we were- Eek!" She jumped back, as a very irate Krabble swiped at her.

"Driver, get that monster off my ship!" Shouted the captain.

"How?" Shouted Rhod.

He hadn't fought using a blade before.

Author's notes: Tfw I like Lloyd more than my own main character.

Anyway, that scene where Padriag doesn't know what colour emerald is. Personally I always thought he was just playing as dumb as possible because he didn't like Dughall, because he gives solid advice when you talk to him later. So I made him a pretty competent guy, who's basically trying to keep Gormott running before Dughall arrives. What do you think?

Reviewer answers!

Guest: I'll try and make it possible for you to follow regardless. Thanks for being polite about it.