The gardens of Echell manor were always beautiful at this time of year. A wide variety of flowers, from local Dawn Hydrangeas to imported Sirus Anemones, were delicately arranged into traditional Gormotti patterns, with the various beds separated by thin walking paths.
In the center, where all of the paths converged in a starburst pattern, was a simple wooden gazebo. Its paint was subtle, orange with swirling yellow and blue decorations that mixed with the carefully tended ivy growing up the pillars of the structure.
Nia would often come here to think when she wasn't tending to her Driver. Up until recently, Eirian's increasingly poor health had meant that she had precious few opportunities to spend to herself.
She ran a hand through her hair, brushing the shorter feline ears she had gained as a result of the… procedure. It was just one of many changes she had to get used to, now that she was no longer a typical Blade.
A rumbling sound from her stomach reminded her of another. Food, as a Blade, had been a luxury rather than a necessity. While most certainly enjoyed food, their bodies were ultimately composed of ether rather than conventional matter.
Now that she was partially human, however, she had found that was no longer the case. Quite the opposite, in fact, as she had turned out to have a voracious appetite. It wasn't quite enough to strain the ailing finances of her Driver's family, but she was strongly considering taking up hunting to help offset some of the effects.
If the texts she had read on Flesh Eaters were to be believed, her appetite would settle to a more typical human level eventually as her body would no longer require so much material to supplement her ether-based biology with normal flesh. Until then, however, she would have to deal with eating like a Gogol at every meal.
Her Driver, at least, seemed to find it amusing.
She swirled the cup of tea she was drinking, more out of habit than any actual preference for the beverage, as she simply contented herself with watching the garden. If what she had gleaned of the family's finances were correct, there was a very good chance she would not be able to visit them for much longer.
"Nia!" A voice called in the distance, breaking the girl out of her thoughts. Turning, she saw her Driver approaching, carrying a picnic basket.
She quickly put her cup down and stood up, hurrying over to the girl. "Eirian!" She said, half surprised, half chiding. "You shouldn't be out of bed yet!"
The girl stuck her tongue out in response. "It's been weeks, Nia!" She said, with a slight amount of frustration. "I need a change of scenery, or I'll go mad!"
Taking a step up into the gazebo, she looked around. "Besides, some fresh air will do me some good, won't it?"
Nia took the basket from her Driver. "Under proper supervision, yes! Fresh air will certainly help, but it means nothing if you're not even fit to walk in the first place!"
"But I am under proper supervision." Eirian said mischievously. "You're out here, are you not?"
She smiled at Nia's groan of exasperation. It was hard to tease her at times, the other girl normally being so easy-going. It was only thanks to her serious demeanor when it came to medical concerns, particularly those involving Eirian herself, that she had any ammunition at all.
"Fine." Nia allowed, leading her Driver to the table. "But you're getting an examination first." She pointed at the other girl. "No complaining!"
"I wouldn't dream of it." She smiled, watching as Nia fussed over her.
After a few moments of careful assessment, the Blade grudgingly acknowledged that her Driver wasn't going to keel over. Not that she was particularly happy with the circumstances, of course, but the girl was healthy enough at the moment that Nia had no convenient excuse to send her back to bed.
"You should still be taking it easy." Nia lectured as she returned to her seat. "Just because you're feeling better doesn't mean you're completely healed, either!"
"Nia, you don't have to fret over me so much." Eirian replied, removing the contents of the basket.
"Of course I do!" She retorted. "I'm your Blade! It's my job to…!"
Her statement was interrupted by Eirian, who leaned over the table and flicked her on the forehead. Nia jolted back, a hand over the spot more out of surprise than any pain. "Hey! What was that for!?"
"Enough of that Driver and Blade talk." Eirian said, taking the opportunity to be the one chiding Nia for once. "I told you before, we're sisters now, aren't we?"
Nia rubbed the spot on her forehead. "You said that, yeah…" she muttered, "but I don't think that is how…"
"Ah ah ah." The other girl interrupted, wagging a finger at her 'sister'. "Father and I already talked about it. The same blood as mine flows through your veins now. As far as I'm concerned, that makes us sisters."
She paused, giving Nia an exaggerated pout. "Unless… could it be that you don't want to be?"
"Well maybe I don't." Nia replied, turning her nose up in an equally exaggerated gesture. "After all, then I would have a reckless lout for a sister, and who would want that!"
Nia cracked an eye open, meeting Eirian's gaze, as she fought to keep a grin off of her face. They held there for a brief moment, before breaking out into a fit of giggles.
It took the two girls a few moments to settle down. Eirian, brushing tears out of her eyes, smiled at Nia. "Thanks, sis. I needed that."
"We both did." Nia replied.
Eirian resumed unpacking the basket. "Anyway, we should probably have some of these before we start drawing insects." She said as she removed a wrapped parcel of food. "Besides, I know you're always hungry right now."
"I am not…!" Nia bristled, only to be betrayed by her stomach as a loud rumbling sounded from her once more.
Her ears drooped in embarrassment as she gave Eirian a sheepish look. "Okay… maybe I'm a little hungry."
The other girl offered her a smug grin, and began unwrapping the food. "Well, I'm sure your appetite will be more than happy…" She paused dramatically, before pulling the wrapping off in one go. "… with this!"
Nia stared down at the plate of food, a stack of shortbread pastries with a thin layer of delicate white icing on top. Her eyes widened in excitement, and her ears shot straight back up, as the sweet aroma of the treats wafted over to her.
"Cream Orange Paratha!" She exclaimed with glee, eagerly grabbing a pastry.
Her sister watched on fondly as she quickly finished off the first pastry, before carefully selecting one for herself. They both knew that these days wouldn't last forever, so it was best to enjoy them while they could.
"Nia?"
The girl didn't bother pausing her work, applying a patch to her jumpsuit over the hole that exposed her Core Crystal, instead acknowledging the speaker's presence verbally.
It was Rex, of course. Dromarch was off scouting the trail, and Azurda was mercifully keeping his distance after last night, so there weren't exactly many other potential candidates.
"What's up?" She asked.
"About last night…" He started, scratching the back of his head. "I wanted to apologize. Gramps, he…"
The girl sighed, actually stopping her work this time. "Don't." She said.
Rex blinked, clearly confused. "Huh?"
"Apologize. For the old man, I mean."
Taken aback, the boy wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. "Oh… uh…" He stammered. "…Why?"
"There's no use in apologizing on someone else's behalf." She noted. "If they don't mean it themselves, what's the point in the first place? It's not like you did anything wrong."
She was silent for a moment, giving a critical eye to her work, before adding. "Besides, it's not like he was exactly wrong to ask either. People like me… we have a reputation, and I was affiliated with a terrorist organization after all."
"G-good point." The boy muttered, feeling even more awkward than before. Maybe approaching her wasn't the smartest idea? But…
"How are you doing, though?" He asked, giving her a cursory look over. "You seem sort of… down? I thought it might have been because of last night, so I…" He trailed off.
"I'm fine." The girl replied. "Everything yesterday… the old man almost biting it, the conversation… it just dredged up some old memories, that's all."
"Bad ones?"
"They're not… all bad." She allowed, tugging at the patch to test the stitching. "But… I'd have rather they not be brought up in the first place." More quietly, she continued. "Or that the old man not be so freakishly knowledgeable…"
Rex chuckled. "Gramps has always been like that. Seems like he knows everything there is to know about Blades."
"Still though," Nia replied, "there are limits to how knowledgeable someone can be! It's not like that… topic is common knowledge!"
"Maybe not now," Azurda interjected as he flew down onto Rex's shoulder, carrying a biscuit, "but that's only been since the fall of Judicium."
Nia blinked at the Titan, her annoyance briefly wiped away by surprise. "But… that was like a thousand years ago!" She retorted.
"Something like that." Azurda replied, stroking his chin. "I hadn't even reached full size for the first time! Not the best days, to be sure, but I have fond memories of them none-the-less."
"For the first…!" Rex said, turning his head to the old Titan. "You mean you've done this before, Gramps!?" He gestured at the rejuvenated Titan's larval body.
Azurda chuckled. "My boy, did you really think I just came up with it on the fly yesterday?"
The boy sputtered in response. "But…! Then…? Why did you act like you were seriously going to die if you knew it would work!?"
"Nothing is ever certain, Rex." The Titan replied. "Dromarch keeping me stable certainly helped, but there was always a chance I wouldn't have succeeded."
Rex grumbled, crossing his arms. "You could have at least told me that back then." He said in a small voice.
Nia rolled her eyes at the two, as she packed away the sewing supplies. "All done." She said mostly to herself.
"Oh, already?" Rex said, looking over at her. "I thought you'd be dealing with the sleeve, too.
He pointed at the garment, particularly the left arm. There was a sizable hole near the bicep from when her armband had been torn off in the crash, and the sleeve had been mangled during her fight with Malos.
The girl merely shrugged. "No point, really. I'm going to be replacing it in the next town, Architect knows jumpsuits like this are easy enough to find, I just needed to cover… that particular hole until I can."
She gave the boy a quick glance, before adding. "You might want to consider doing the same, now that I think of it."
"Huh, why?" He asked, looking down at his salvaging suit. The undersuit he had been wearing on the derelict had been a write-off, thanks to the bloodstains from his temporary death, but he had managed to recover a spare from the wreckage of his cabin. His suit had been a little more difficult, however; he had been able to wash off most of the blood last night, but the damage it had suffered…
"It's not like I can fix it right now," he said, pointing at the hole in the suit over his heart, "the pressure seal's been cut through, and I couldn't find my repair kit. I'll need to pick up a new one before I can do anything about it." Thankfully he did have a spare suit he could use if he needed to do a dive, but it wasn't in his colors. Fashionable he may not be, but Rex was picky with his colors, damn it.
Nia rolled her eyes. "Not that, you nit." She said, pointing at his chest. "Your Core Crystal! Are you going to cover it, or what?"
"I… didn't really think of that." Rex admitted, looking down at his chest. "Is it really that important?"
Azurda nodded, chewing on his biscuit. "I would recommend it." He noted. "Lay people might not give it a second glance, but most Drivers will notice the unusual color immediately."
"Particularly that color." Nia added. "A lot of the details from the Aegis War have been lost, but any Driver worth their salt knows that an emerald Core Crystal is the sign of the Aegis."
"I wasn't aware that was still common knowledge." Azurda admitted. "But then, I've spent the last few centuries over in Leftheria, and we don't get many Drivers out as far as Fonsett that weren't born there."
"Oh yeah, it's super well known in Driver circles. He shows up flashing it in public, and half the Drivers in Gormott'll be gunning for him before the day's out."
Rex looked a little green at the prospect. "M-maybe I'll cover it up, then…" He said, fiddling about with the chest piece of his diving suit. "Dunno what I'll use, though."
"You can always just wear something else." Azurda noted in a more parental tone. "I know for a fact you still have that nice shirt Corrine got you last time you went home; I pulled it out of the wreckage myself."
Nia snickered at the interplay between the two, before adding her own fuel to the fire. "He's at least partially a Blade now, right? Maybe if he doesn't want to change, he can just summon a Blade outfit."
"Wait, that's an option?" Rex asked, abruptly switching tracks.
"Probably?" Nia replied with a shrug, trying to seem casual even as a grin worked its way onto her face. "No idea what it would look like though."
She smirked. "…but considering that your sword looks the same as that Mythra girl's did… hmm" She pretended to ponder, before giving Azurda a mischievous look. "Say, how well do you think Rex could pull off the Aegis' minidress?"
The diminutive Titan guffawed at the question, falling off of Rex's shoulder as he did. He managed to catch himself mid-air with his wings, only barely avoiding the ground. Nia herself couldn't help but snicker at the mental image either. The boy, on the other hand, looked absolutely mortified by the idea.
"I think I'm just going to put on the shirt." He mumbled, face red, as he hurried off before he became the butt of another joke.
Behind him, his two tormentors merely looked between each other before laughing even harder.
By the time Rex had finished changing, Dromarch had returned. Unfortunately, he did not bring the best news.
"Regrettably, the easiest route onto Gormott's back is unavailable." He explained. "It would appear that our friend's crash landing triggered a rockslide that took out the Trailblazer's bridge."
"Damn," Nia swore, "there isn't another route onto the back anywhere near here! The closest one on this flank is up by the neck!"
"Indeed." Dromarch agreed. "We do not have the time to cross the entirety of Gormott before the tide rises. We will need to shelter somewhere before it does."
The girl tilted her head, considering the options. "We'll need to make for the nearest town. That would be… Dornswell, wouldn't it?"
Dromarch nodded. "I believe so, my Lady." He agreed. "It is about two titanpeds headward of the Wrecc swamplands. We should be able to make it before sundown."
"I didn't think there'd be any towns down here." Rex said, causing the others to turn to him.
"Well, would you look at that!" Nia said mirthfully. "He doesn't look like a little kid when he's not wearing that oversized diving suit! Who'd have thought?"
Rex scowled at the girl, tugging at the shoulder of his shirt. It was fairly simple, a basic Leftherian pattern in his preferred blue with a tan trim. Paired with a pair of tan trousers and leather boots, it made him look rather unremarkable.
While 'unremarkable' was probably a good look to be aiming for, considering his new circumstances, he was still unhappy. Years of working out of Goldmouth had taught him that, for someone his age, he needed to actually be dressed like a professional to be treated like one. As such, looking like a normal teen wasn't exactly a compliment to him.
"Like you're one to talk with the clown suit." He muttered, still loud enough for the girl to hear. "First thing when we get there, I'm getting an undersuit that will cover up more."
"Good news, then." Nia replied, still smirking. "Dornswell's a salvaging town. They'll have plenty of options for you."
The boy's eyes lit up. "Really? All the way down here?"
"Indeed, master Rex." Dromarch interjected. "Dornswell is Gormott's primary salvaging hub."
"We'll actually have to go down even further to reach it." Nia added. "It's right on the Gormott's belly, pretty much centrally spineward. Dunno how they manage to keep it dry even during low tide, much less high."
Rex considered the destination gleefully. He liked his normal work, and was always eager to hit up new dive sites. Maybe they had some tricks that weren't common in Argentum? They got their share of Gormotti salvagers there, true, but that didn't guarantee that they had shared everything they knew! After all, operating from the belly of a walking-type Titan, especially a quadrupedal one like Gormott, would naturally introduce variables and turbulence to the dive that wouldn't be present elsewhere. Additionally…
"Are you still with us, my boy?" Azurda said, landing on his shoulder. The contact broke the boy from his musing, much to his disappointment.
Nia, an eyebrow cocked at how distracted he was, merely repeated herself. "As I said, the trip won't be an easy one; the roads down here aren't patrolled as frequently as the ones on the higher levels, especially the one we're taking."
"What exactly will we be looking at?" The Titan inquired. "Monsters, I assume, but of what variety?"
She considered it for a moment. "Arachno, Brogs, and Crabble mostly". She said. "Tirkin normally won't come down this far, especially if the tide is going to start rising soon. Gogols might, but if they are, it will only be small ones."
"Will we be able to make it to town if we run into any?" Rex asked.
"Hopefully." The girl replied. "It's not the best option, we don't really have a choice. We should be able to get there with a few hours to spare as long as we don't get sidetracked."
Azurda huffed in the background. "Then we probably shouldn't spend any more time here than is necessary."
"I'm all set to go." Rex noted.
"Dromarch and I too." Nia added.
The Titan slid down onto the bag carrying Rex's diving suit. "Well then, Nia, if you would kindly lead the way?"
"Hold still, Rex!" Nia snapped at the boy as he squirmed under her healing.
The first few hours of their trek had gone with little trouble, much to the relief of the party. While they had encountered several monsters along the road, most of them were unwilling to jump an actual group.
That wasn't to say that there were no incidents, however. On two occasions, they had a run-in with larger Crabbles that had taken offense at the party scaring off their prey with their presence.
Fortunately, Rex was well acquainted with fighting the creatures, a common enemy to encounter while salvaging. As such, the fights went significantly smoother than the one against the Brog the previous day.
Early in the afternoon, they encountered a third Crabble. This one was tougher than the prior two encountered, requiring actual effort to take down this time. They managed easily enough, but Rex still managed to catch a blow during the battle.
"S-sorry," he muttered, wincing at the uncomfortable sensation running down his arm, "It's setting off the burns."
Nia rolled her eyes. "Well of course it is!" She said, not stopping her work. "Those are ether burns, any ether'll make 'em throb, even if they're healing it at the same time. Just give me a moment and I'll have the cuts gone."
"Hmmm…" Azurda muttered, looking over the burns. "Those look like ether lines."
"Oh right, you've not seen them yet." Rex noted, holding out the arm Nia wasn't healing. A clear, if fading, red line of inflamed skin traced its way down the arm before wrapping around his hand.
"These keep showing up every time I pull out a big attack." He admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Using them feels right at the time, but the pain afterwards is a bit of a damper."
"I thought you were glowing during the fight…" the Titan said, flitting about in the air as he traced the burn lines. "Which is normal, at least for a Blade. Even if their ether lines aren't visible normally, they'll light up when charging up for a big attack like that."
He followed a trace of the burns across the boy's neck. "But… they're not supposed to leave burns like this. I've never seen that happen before."
"I wouldn't be too concerned." Nia said as she began healing again. Rex jolted slightly, but a firm hand on his shoulder kept the injury within range. "Human flesh doesn't handle the power nearly has well as the solidified ether Blades are made out of, so it will leave burns behind if that much power moves through it."
Azurda gave her a glance. "Personal experience, I assume?"
She clammed up momentarily, the healing ether fading from Rex's shoulder briefly. The boy gave Azurda a warning glare, but didn't make a comment.
"…Lets just say, it takes the body a while to properly integrate new physiological features." Nia said, after a moment. "I'm not entirely sure how it works for… whatever Rex would be considered-"
"There isn't any official terminology, but generally humans who have a Core Crystal implanted in them are referred to as 'Blade Eaters.'" The Titan added helpfully.
"Kinda on the nose, isn't it?" Rex said, raising an eyebrow.
Azurda shrugged. "I never said it was the most creative name."
"Right.." Nia drawled as she began healing Rex again. "Anyway, if your situation is anything like… ones I'm more familiar with, then you'll be able to handle ether better as your body incorporates more Blade features."
"What kind of features are we talking about?" He asked, a little apprehensive about the idea. It hadn't been too bad yet, but even a salvager like him had seen some of the features that Blades could display.
"Nothing too bad." She replied. "You've already developed ether lines, so you're guaranteed to get pretty much any of the ether manipulation skills. Probably accelerated healing, too; even before I started working on you, that gash the Crabble gave you was already noticeably smaller than when you got it. Not to mention how fast the ether burns have been healing."
She paused for a moment. "That'll probably help your ether lines fill out, actually. When I…" she trailed off for a moment, before rephrasing. "… From what I know, the more strain you put on them, the faster they'll develop as your body has to replace the damaged tissue."
Rex winced. "So, I can let it happen gradually, or just burn my way through until it stops hurting?" Much as he'd rather have the painful phase finish as fast as possible, the idea still wasn't exactly pleasant.
"Not exactly how I would phrase it, but that's close enough." Nia nodded.
Azurda chuckled. "Don't worry, my boy. I'm sure we can find you some exercises that will help without being too painful." He paused, considering his options. "Actually, that reminds me… I don't think I ever saw you use a Blade Barrier during the battle."
"Blade Barrier…?" The boy muttered, thinking back. "Is that those… shield things that Dromarch and Sever used back on the ship?"
"That would be correct, master Rex." Dromarch spoke up. "They are a basic ability possessed by all Blades."
"I was wondering why you took this hit." Nia said, poking the skin she had just healed on the boy. "For a Driver, your Blade normally would have blocked a blow like that with a Barrier."
"Perhaps that would be a place to start?" Azurda said. "Blade Barriers require channeling ether, but not at the same level as a big attack like the ones you have been using."
Rex crossed his arms and tilted his head. "It does sound convenient…" he muttered.
"I would not be adverse to assisting you while we walk." Dromarch offered. "My Lady will appreciate not having to heal you following every encounter, I believe."
"Oi! Don't put words in my mouth, Dromarch!" The girl grumbled. "Even if they are true."
Rex scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'd be happy to learn, Dromarch!"
The tiger Blade nodded at him. "Please walk with me then." He said, as the group proceeded. Rex quickly sidled up to the Blade, giving him an eager look.
"So, where do we start?" He asked
Dromarch considered for a moment. "To begin with, call up ether as if you were preparing to fire it, such as with your light blasts…" He began, before diving deeper into the explanation.
It took a few minutes of explanation, but Rex understood the basic principles. The fact that he already had a background in ether manipulation prior to gaining a Core Crystal, thanks to Azurda's teachings, simplified the process immensely.
"So… once I've built it up…" Rex muttered as power coursed around his hands. It wasn't even a large amount, certainly less than he had used for his Cross Flash attack, but it still left his ether lines tingling as he channeled it.
"Carefully release it." Dromarch instructed. "If you release your hold on it too fast…"
The boy attempted to project it as the Blade had instructed. It formed a wobbly field for a moment, but rather than solidify as intended, the ether dissipated in a flash of light.
"…It will do that." The tiger finished.
Nia raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Not actually a bad outcome for a first try." She admitted. "I was half expecting to be healing you again."
Undaunted, Rex began gathering ether again. He understood the basic principles that Dromarch had said, but it was clear the Blade had struggled to properly describe the process. After all, it was a skill that came to them as easily as breathing the moment a Blade awoke from the Core Crystal; he had never needed to describe it before.
He was still focusing as the party turned the corner. Focusing on the flow of the ether through his body, he slowly shaped it into the required geometry. It responded, flowing out into a plane of force, trying to condense into a proper barrier.
… And a voice up ahead broke his concentration.
"Help!" Came a small, squeaky voice. "Friends help Ayaya!"
The ether in his hands dissipated once again as he hurried ahead, followed by Nia and Dromarch. The voice was coming from the trees a few dozen peds down the path, but he couldn't actually see who was yelling.
"Is that a Nopon?" Nia asked, catching up to the boy. Her ears twitched subtly, scanning around for the source of the voice.
"Yes! Ayaya is Nopon!" The voice came again, this time almost above them.
Looking up, the party spotted their target. It was, indeed, a Nopon. Blue furred, wearing merchant garb of some type, she was stuck hanging upside down from a branch.
"Friends help, please?" She asked, looking rather dizzy now that the party was close enough to see."
"I'll get her." Rex said, aiming up the tree with his anchor shot. Although he had changed out of his diving suit, the boy had still insisted he keep the gauntlet on for occasions like this.
The Nopon closed her eyes with a squeal as the anchor launched, catching a large branch above her. Rex quickly reeled himself in and began untangling the poor merchant.
"How'd you even get up here, anyway?" He asked as he worked. She was actually wedged pretty tightly, but fortunately was small enough that the boy could get leverage without much difficulty.
"Ayaya was leading caravan!" She replied. "Departed from Dornswell when gates were unlocked. All was… ouch!" She cried as her wing was pinched against a branch.
"Sorry!" Rex apologized, returning to pulling the trapped Nopon out.
"Hmph." She pouted, before continuing. "Anyway, all was well until this morning, when caravan suddenly attacked by meanie Igna!"
Nia blinked in surprise. "Igna, on Gormott?" She asked. "But, there isn't even a native population of the things here!"
"Perhaps they were stowaways on a ship that crashed like ours, my Lady?" Dromarch offered.
"Ayaya not lying!" The Nopon insisted, flapping her wings in agitation. "Meanie Igna kill Armu Ayaya riding on, and launched Ayaya into tree! Poor Ayaya had to watch as Igna looted caravan and kidnapped business partners!"
Rex narrowed his eyes. "How many people were in the caravan?" He asked, unhinging the Nopon from a branch. With it gone, he was able to quickly yank her out of the spot she had been stuck in.
"Thank you, friend!" The Nopon cheered. She jumped out of the tree, bouncing with a little squeak as she landed. "Caravan had six members! Ayaya and business partner Kowawa, three guards hired from town, and special VIP guest!"
"Special… VIP guest?" Nia muttered with a skeptical look. "They don't happen to… have a name, do they?"
"Of course special VIP guest has name!" Ayaya huffed. "Is exalted Nopon of Voltis Trade Guild!"
"Might we inquire as to the nature of the name?" Dromarch asked politely.
The Nopon raised a wing-finger and opened her mouth, before pausing for a moment. "…" The finger lowered, slowly curling around her chin tuff.
After a moment, she gave the party an embarrassed look. "Ayaya forgets!" She announced, rapping her head with the knuckles of a wing-hand.
"Nopon." Azurda muttered, as the rest of the group gave her a bemused stare.
"Right…" Rex said, as he dropped out of the tree. "Did you see which way the Igna took them?" He said, looking around at the treeline.
"Ayaya did! Friends will help rescue caravan?" Ayaya asked excitedly, bobbing up and down.
"That's the plan!" He boasted, looking at the rest of the party. "Right, Nia, Dromarch?"
Nia frowned. "I'd like to help…" she said, a little uncertain, "but I'm worried that we might not have enough time before the tide rises."
"Isn't that all the more reason to do it?" The boy retorted. "If we don't help, they'll drown if the Igna don't kill them first!"
"And if we don't have enough time, they'll still drown, and we might as well." Nia contested. "Personally, I don't fancy having to try and navigate the tangled passages to the upper levels in the dark while the tide is rising around us a second time, thank you very much."
"My Lady," Dromarch added, prowling up to his Driver. "We have been making good time thus far, and we had a margin of error to begin with. We should have ample time to effect a rescue without a… repeat of our last visit down here."
Rex gave the pair a bemused glance. "Sounds like you had a great time here before." He commented.
"Shove it." The girl said, looking down at the Nopon. "They wouldn't happen to be close by, would they?" She asked.
"Yes yes! Meanie Igna retreated into forest just ahead!" Ayaya squeaked. "Come come! Ayaya show you!"
The party watched as the Nopon bounced off down the road. They looked between each other with a shrug, and followed.
She hurried off around the next bend, vanishing out of sight. Even as the party moved to join her, they heard her calling out to hurry up.
Rex was the first around the corner, Azurda still hanging on to his shoulder. The sight that greeted the boy was… grisly, to say the least.
When Ayaya had said the Igna had looted the caravan, she had neglected to say that they had thoroughly rendered down the cargo Armu at the same time. Large portions of meat had been removed, hastily hacked away by primitive tools, leaving only a mangled carcass behind.
There was little left of the cargo. The Igna had apparently opted to take the fully-laden cargo harnesses rather than the individual crates. As such, only a handful of containers that had fallen loose during the recovery remained behind.
It did, however, mean that there was a clear trail to follow in the form of the skid marks where cargo had been dragged behind them.
Nia and Dromarch came around the corner as Rex was still taking his first impressions. The girl's lip curled in distaste, but she made no comment on the state of the carcass.
"Ugh. It's only been a few hours and the thing already stinks!"
Ok, maybe a few comments.
"They went that way, I assume?" Azurda asked the Nopon, pointing in the direction of the skid marks.
"How astute." Dromarch drawled, rather unimpressed by the Titan's questioning of the obvious.
Ayaya, either ignorant of or ignoring the byplay, simply nodded in agreement. "Yes yes! Nasty Igna take business partners that way!"
"Come on, guys!" Rex called as he took off down the path. "The faster we get to them, the more time we have to reach town!"
Nia leapt onto Dromarch's back, grabbing Ayaya as she rode past the Nopon. "Hold up, Rex!" She yelled at the boy. "We'll need at least some sort of plan!"
The boy slowed down, turning to look at Nia. "What do you have in mind?" He asked.
"Not just charging in, for starters." She replied, Dromarch slowing as they caught up with Rex. "Igna are tricky bastards. If we just rush forward blindly, they'll hear us coming and set an ambush."
Rex frowned, but agreed with the logic. "So, what? Quickly scout them and try to work from there?"
"We probably don't have the time to do much more." Nia admitted. "Much as I would rather draw them out piecemeal."
The party slowly began working their way along the drag marks, Nia listening out, while Dromarch surveyed the treeline for movement.
Azurda had taken wing, scouting the woods from above. He kept close enough for Rex to watch him, in case something tried to grab him.
It took a few minutes before they encountered their first opposition. Azurda flitted back onto Rex's shoulder, a dark look on his face.
"There are three Igna in the clearing just ahead." He reported, stretching his wings after the flight. "They're guarding a hollow tree. I couldn't see inside, but I think it may connect to a cave system."
Nia cursed. "A holdout like that will be difficult to find them all." She muttered. "And if it has access to the upper levels, they'll be able to ride out the high tides. If they're able to establish a permanent presence before they can be driven out…"
"It is imperative that we deliver this information to the local authorities." Dromarch said, still watching the trees. "Gormott has enough troubles as it is without the Igna establishing themselves here."
"Right." Rex nodded, looking at Azurda. "What's the deal with the guards then, Gramps?"
The Titan raised his hand, counting off his fingers. "Two melee fighters and an archer. One has a shield and a crude scythe, the other a spear. The archer is on an elevated platform, and seems to have a horn, so if we ignore him he will likely call for reinforcements." He paused for a moment. "Assuming there are no others waiting inside the tree. I was unable to scout inside."
"I can hit the archer with a light blast," Rex said, pulling out the Aegis Sword, "but if you can snag the horn while he's down, that would be a help."
Azurda sighed. "It's a sad decline from my halcyon days of raining fire down from the sky as combat support." The Titan complained in an overdramatic fashion. "But, I suppose I can manage."
Nia nodded idly at their plans. "I'll focus on the shieldbearer, then." She said. "My rings are good for disarming opponents like that, and I don't favor my reach against a spearman."
"Rex should be able to handle the spearman." Azurda assured, glancing at the boy. "He had plenty of experience growing up."
He received a flat look in return. "Yeah, because you kept insisting that I fight Tirkin when you were training me." The boy replied.
"It was good practice!" Azurda defended. "Besides, I always made sure to have Corvin keep an eye on you, didn't I?"
Dromarch turned to the Titan, ignoring their byplay. "If you would be so kind as to lead us to the clearing, master Azurda?" He asked,
"Follow me." He replied, flitting off into the forest.
"There they are." Nia said quietly, staring out of the bushes.
It had taken the party an additional several minutes to get into position. While the Igna had left a path open where they had dragged their loot into the clearing, the guards were also carefully watching this path.
As such, they had needed to creep through the underbrush instead, taking care to ensure that they didn't alert the guards to their presence.
Nia was glad that it was dry, at least. They were now close enough to Gormott's centerline that the fetid swamps of the Wrecc marshlands had given way to the creeping crimson foliage of the Flava thicket.
They had finally gotten their eyes on the guards. Just as Azurda had described, the three Igna were grouped around the entrance to the hollow tree.
One, the archer, was perched on a branch perhaps three peds above the ground. He was keeping a clear eye out for danger, his finger twitching idly above the string of his bow as we watched. The other two, however, were patrolling the clearing, never more than a handful of peds from the entrance.
"Everyone clear on the plan?" Rex asked, sword held at the ready. He hadn't activated the energy blade as of yet, knowing well that it would draw too much attention.
"I am." Azurda confirmed, ready to snatch the horn.
"As am I, master Rex." Dromarch said.
"Ayaya stay out of sight!" The Nopon whispered, causing the rest to flinch at the heightened sound level.
"Right…" Rex muttered, slowly moving into position. "On three."
"One…" He said, gathering ether for his attack.
"Two…" Azurda carefully flew off into the foliage.
"Three…" Nia tightened her grip on her weapons.
"Let's go!" He said, the Aegis Sword activating in a burst of light, and leapt out of the underbrush.
He launched a bolt of light ether at the archer, surprising the Igna. It didn't hit cleanly, catching the lizardman on the shoulder, but it was enough to knock him from his perch. As he fell, Rex could see Azurda dart out from the trees towards the falling creature.
With a savage roar, Dromarch pounced at the spearman, knocking him to the ground. Meanwhile, the tiger Blade's Driver engaged the shieldbearer, a bolt of water ether catching it in the leg.
Seeing that the others had the melee combatants well in-hand, Rex moved up to where the archer had fallen. Reinforced by the amount of ether Mythra's Core Crystal was able to pump into his body, it only took the boy a brief moment to reach the Igna's landing site.
As it turned out, he needn't have bothered to rush. The Igna had apparently hit its head on the way down, and was struggling to stay upright. It groped around lethargically at its waist for its horn, but Azurda had already managed to secure the instrument.
The archer must have heard Rex approach, as it stopped searching for the horn and took an uncoordinated swipe at the boy with its claws. The strike would have easily missed even if he hadn't dodged.
Which he had. He rolled under the strike, before leaping into the air and smashing his sword down into the archer's chest. The Art bit deeply into the Igna, dropping it immediately.
"Nice execution, Rex." Azurda commented, landing on the boy's shoulder.
"What happened to the horn?" The boy asked, already starting to run back to the others.
"I disposed of it in the forest." The Titan replied. "We certainly have no need for it."
Up ahead, he saw how the rest of the fight was progressing. Nia was weaving around the shieldbearer, trying to disarm him. Dromarch was busy keeping the spearman off of his Driver's back, lunging at the shaft of the weapon every time the Igna attempted to strike.
The girl seemed to be in a good position. As her opponent took a swipe at her with his scythe, she weaved around the blow and batted both the weapon and shield out of position.
Before she could deliver a followup strike, however, the Igna spat a cloud of noxious gas at her in desperation. The Gormotti Driver staggered backward, nose curled in distaste as her eyes reflexively closed.
Seeing an opportunity, the spearman kicked Dromarch in the face and swung his spear in a wide, low arc while the Blade was distracted. The weapon was far too low and too forward to actually strike the girl with the spear's head, but that wasn't the plan.
Instead, the shaft of the spear hit the girl in the ankles, sweeping her legs out from under her. She let out a yelp of alarm as she fell backwards, her eyes still watering from the other Igna's gas breath.
The shield Igna, seeing an opportunity, leapt to attack the girl. It brought its scythe down in an overhead attack, aiming for the girl who was still trying to clear her eyes.
Only to be deflected as Dromarch dove in front of his Driver with his barrier raised. The Igna staggered backward with an annoyed hiss as his arm bounced away awkwardly.
Behind him, the spearman prepared to join in, even as Nia quickly got to her feet. Rex, not keen to allow this, launched a bolt of ether at the second Igna.
It crossed the half-dozen ped distance in an instant, slamming into the side of the Igna. The creature hissed in pain, wheeling around to meet the boy.
Rex raced forward, the Aegis Sword held to his side in both hands. Seeing his guard seemingly open, the Igna lunged forward with an overhand thrust of its spear.
He watched intently as Igna took his bait, the spearhead striking forward into what looked like a fault in his guard. He waited for the weapon's point to pass an invisible line in his vision before he struck.
The boy lashed out with an Art, spinning the Aegis Sword with the full momentum of his body. It cut clean through the shaft of the spear, barely grazing the Igna's chest.
Yet he wasn't done. He continued the spin, fully around his axis, and struck a second blow. This time the Igna, which had still been moving forward, was fully within his range.
His blade cut deep into the Igna's ribcage, the creature's scales offering no resistance to the sword's energy blade. The spearman let out a wet wheeze, the air having been driven from its lungs, and went limp.
Sighing, Rex pulled his sword free and wheeled around, ready to face the shield Igna too. Killing humanoid monsters, even malevolent ones such as Igna, always left a bad taste in his mouth. But, he didn't have the luxury of complaining at the moment.
Fortunately, Nia didn't need the help. He watched as she finished her own battle, twisting the scythe out of the shieldbearer's hand with one Ring, while the other slashed out at the creature's throat. It attempted to block with its shield, only for Dromarch to grab the edge with his teeth.
Unprotected, the Igna could do nothing as Nia nearly took its head off in a single blow.
"And stay down." She spat, as the Igna toppled backward. "Stupid Dragon Gas."
"Friends are amazing!" Ayaya cried happily, running out from cover. "Friends didn't tell Ayaya they were Drivers!"
The party turned to face her. "Ayaya!" Rex said, giving a furtive look back towards the hollow tree. "You should be staying out of sight!"
"It fine!" She waved off. "Only four of meanie Igna attacked caravan. Driver friends handle three just fine! Why have trouble with last one?"
Azurda glanced down at Dromarch. "Am I the only one who feels that the Nopon has just jinxed us?" He whispered theatricality.
"I believe you are most likely correct." The tiger replied, giving the Nopon a flat stare.
Seeing Dromarch stare at her, Ayaya frowned. "Tiger is friend Nia's Blade, yes?"
"That's right." Nia said, running a quick flash of healing ether over her eyes to make sure no more of the noxious irritants were in them.
"Then, where friend Rex's Blade?" She asked, looking over at the boy.
He went still. "Well, umm… you see…" He replied, trying to figure out a believable excuse.
Azurda beat him to it. The tiny Titan puffed out his chest, hands on his hips. "That would be me, my friend!" He proclaimed.
She stared at the Titan. He stared back.
Rex leaned over and whispered into Nia's ear. "This… isn't actually going to work, right?" The girl shook her head in response.
"That…" Aya muttered, wide-eyed as she stared at the glowing portion of his chest. "…Is amazing!"
Both 'Drivers' slapped a hand to their faces nearly in unison.
"Ayaya never see tiny Blade before!" She squealed with glee, wings flapping in excitement. "Blades normally look like dumb humans or scary beasts, never cute like winged Pippito!"
"Hey!" Three voices called out in mutual indignation.
The Titan preened under her attention. "Ho ho! Finally, someone is giving me the appreciation I deserve!"
"Yeah yeah." Rex muttered, turning to Ayaya. "If you're about done puffing up his ego, we really need to beat the last Igna and free those guys."
"Fine." Azurda huffed, taking off from Rex's shoulder. "Ruin my fun, will you."
He flew off towards the hollow tree, preparing to scout it out. Meanwhile, the party slowly followed behind.
"Please, keep out of sight for now." Nia asked the Nopon. "Last thing we need is for them to take another captive."
"Ayaya stay outside!" She chirped. "Not get in way of Driver friends!"
"That would be most helpful." Dromarch said, slowly stalking over to the tree's entrance.
"How much time do we have?" Rex asked, fingers nervously tapping on the hilt of his sword. They were so close to having the captives freed, but this whole excursion was taking so long…
"Not nearly as much as I would like." Nia noted. "We'll need at least four to make it to Dornswell, so the faster we are, the better."
"With luck, the Igna have not moved them further into Gormott." Dromarch added. "If they have, I fear our venture will not succeed."
"Fortunately, they have not." Azurda chimed in, flitting out of the hollow tree. "All five of them are tied up in a room a few peds ahead."
Rex sighed in relief. "Thank the Architect." He muttered. "Did you see any more enemies?"
The Titan shook his head. "I did not, but I also wasn't able to explore very far; as I feared, the hollow opens up into a network of branching tunnels just past where they're being held."
"Hopefully we just have to deal with the one Igna." Nia said with a wince. "Tunnels like that could hold dozens."
"Indeed, it would appear this is a just as troublesome operation as we anticipated." Dromarch added.
"All the more reason to inform the locals." Rex said. "Are we ready?"
Nia nodded. "As we'll ever be." She replied.
They charged into the tree, following Azurda's lead. It wasn't exactly necessary, as there was only one path to follow, but the Titan was able to lead them around several early-warning traps. They were little more than vines covered in loose animal bones designed to make noise on contact, nothing actually dangerous, but the party was keen to not alert any more Igna than necessary.
About five peds into the tree, the passage opened up into a larger room. The walls of the room were lined with stolen goods, half-rotted bags of pilfered food shoved alongside broken crates of salvaged components. A crack in the wood of the tree on the far side of the room seemed to lead into a tunnel, but even from here, Rex could see that it branched off at least twice almost immediately.
In the center of the room were the captives. Three Gormotti guards, their faces covered in bruises, were bound and gagged next to a pair of disheveled Nopon, one with auburn fur and the other cream.
"Nia, help me get them free!" Rex called, racing into the room.
"Wait!" The girl called behind him. "It could be a trap!"
He ignored her advice, instead running right up to the closest captive, one of the Gormotti guards. He quickly pulled the piece of cloth gagging the man away.
"You guys alright?" He asked, pulling out the Aegis sword to cut them loose.
Rather than look grateful, the man was alarmed. "Get back!" He said, panicked. "Your friend's right! The Igna's leader is still here!"
"What?" Rex asked, looking around frantically. "Where?"
"Above!" The guard called, eyes locked on the ceiling.
The boy began to look up in response, but stopped as he felt an ether fluctuation with Mythra's Core Crystal. Instinctively, he threw himself to the side instead, just moments before a large projectile stuck where he had been standing.
He landed with a roll, taking a quick glance back as he did. In the spot where he had been, just barely missing the Gormotti guard that had warned him of the danger, was a spear of ice nearly as tall as he was.
A dark shadow dropped from a nook in the ceiling, landing with a loud thud. It was an Igna, larger than the others had been, and much more powerfully built.
It reached behind its back, snarling something in a guttural language, and pulled out its weapon. Nia hissed in alarm as she saw it, a gleaming white shaft with a metallic head, wrapped around an azure weapon core.
Behind him, a second entity dropped from the ceiling. This time, it was not an Igna. Covered in black and white armor delineated by thin brassy stripes and glowing ether lines, it was closer to the appearance of a slender human male than its associate.
The boss Igna pointed its weapon at Rex, howling something at the boy, while the other figure took up position behind it. A pale, thin affinity link snapped into existence between the pair as the Igna's weapon unfolded, a crystalline axehead forming on the business end.
"Nia…" Rex said warily, eyes locked on the boss Igna, "please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does."
"Oh, it means exactly what you think." She said, readying her weapons. "That Igna's a Driver."
Author's Notes
Sorry, Rex and Nia, you don't get to visit a town without fighting a Unique Monster first. Those are just the rules.