To say things were not quite going as Rex and Nia had anticipated was something of an understatement.
"Rex, get back!"
"I'm trying to- WOAH!"
They had expected a number of things when they had entered the tree. More Igna than Ayaya had claimed, or the leader threatening the captives, perhaps.
Darkly, they both had even considered that the Igna had already killed the captured caravan staff and fled into the caves, never to be caught.
What they had not expected was that the boss Igna was a Driver.
Unfortunately, it was also proving to be a skilled one as well. Despite its boisterous entrance, the Igna was an alarmingly pragmatic fighter.
The moment it had drawn its weapon, the Igna had rushed Rex and was refusing to give the boy room to maneuver. Every time he attempted to get some space, the Igna leapt forward with a power strike that he was reasonably sure was actually an Art.
"Give me a hand, Nia?" He asked, ducking under a horizontal strike and launching a blow of his own. Unfortunately, the Igna's Blade was present, and projected a barrier to block the strike.
Rex's sword deflected, forcing the boy to leap back awkwardly to avoid a followup. This, of course, gave the Igna an opportunity to lunge at him again with an overhead strike.
He rolled off to the side, avoiding the blow. While it was still unbalanced, Nia leapt into the fray, leading with a jet of water ether from her Rings.
The ether attack cut into the Igna Driver's arm, eliciting an angry hiss from the lizardman. It immediately pulled back as the Gormotti Driver followed up with a pair of forward strikes with her weapons.
Immediately counterattacking, the Igna replied to her strike with a low sweep. Nia quickly pulled her Rings in to parry, but the force behind the blow still sent her scooting backward.
Rex launched himself back into the battle, hoping to strike the creature while its back was turned, but found that the Igna's Blade was faster. This time, he smacked into the barrier face-first, before being thrown back onto the ground.
"I am really getting sick of those barriers." He muttered, rushing back to his feet.
"Agreed." Nia bemoaned, blocking a slash from the Igna's axe with her Rings. "Dromarch, can you lock the Blade down?"
"I am trying, my Lady." The tiger replied, lunging at the humanoid Blade. His target ducked out of the way and launched a spear of ice after him for the trouble.
Charging himself with ether, Rex lunged at the Igna again while the Blade was distracted. He swung the flat of his sword at the back of the creature's head, hoping to disorient it.
The Igna, hearing him move, wheeled around with an arm raised. The flat of his sword struck the limb, not breaking it thanks to the enemy Driver's ether reinforcement, but certainly causing it no small amount of pain.
Clearly angered by the attack, the Igna shifted its focus back to the boy. With its uninjured arm, it took a wide sweep at him, trying to force him back again.
While that was his first instinct, Rex had fully realized by this point that they were making no headway by fighting so defensively. So, when the Igna swung at him, rather than leap back, he rolled under the blade and thrust forward.
He took a certain amount of satisfaction from the look of surprise in the creature's eyes as he struck, the Igna not having expected the aggressive response. It loosened its footing, trying to allow the momentum of its swing to carry it out of the way of Rex's thrust.
It nearly worked, too. The Igna's body, no longer held steady with a solid stance, was pulled to the side by the weight of its swing. Yet Rex's thrust still landed, piercing into the enemy Driver's flank.
At the same time, Nia struck from the other side, the Igna's improvised dodge actually carrying it further into her attack. Rather than the other flank, as the girl had been aiming for, the Rings instead raked along the creature's back.
The Igna hit the ground with a pained cry, rolling back to its feet. Rex spun around to face it, coming to a halt next to Nia. It glared at the two, bringing its greataxe back into a ready position.
"Keep hitting it at the same time." Nia said, gathering ether. "It can't block us both with its Blade distracted."
"Sounds like a plan." He responded. "'Round the sides, then?"
Nia nodded in agreement before darting forward. Rex followed in her wake, trailing his sword behind him. The Igna, more cautious now that the pair were coordinating, tensed in anticipation for their attack.
Halfway to their target, Nia went right and Rex left. The Igna began to turn after Rex, apparently more wary of the swordsman, but quickly found itself forced to face Nia as she launched an ether Art at the creature.
Unlike their fight with the Brog the day before, the Igna wasn't willing to let them surround it. As such, rather than simply swipe at Nia in retaliation, it lunged at her with the same power attack Art that Rex had become so familiar with minutes earlier.
The girl rolled under the blow, but now found herself out of position to continue attacking the enemy Driver. She quickly got to her feet, turning to ensure she could keep an eye on the Igna, lest it launch an attack while she couldn't respond.
Fortunately, Rex, who had already been gearing up for an attack of his own, was more than happy to pick up the slack while Nia repositioned. He leaped after the Igna, using an anchor shot fired into the ceiling in order to make up the sudden extra distance. Even as their opponent was still turning to face them again, the boy brought his sword screaming down.
Sensing the danger, the enemy Driver brought its greataxe up in a horizontal guard, raised to block the downward blow. The shaft of the axe met the blade of Rex's Aegis Sword, and even with ether-enhanced strength, the Igna barely managed to keep a hold on its weapon.
The force of the blow drove the creature to its feet, but with Nia out of position to follow up, it couldn't be easily finished off. Rex was forced back by the impact of the blow, while the Igna scrambled back to its feet.
It snarled at the two humans, the curses sufficiently universal that they didn't need to speak the Igna's guttural language to understand the intent. With a hateful glare, the lizardman leapt back up to the perch it had ambushed them from.
And threw its weapon over to its Blade.
The Blade deftly caught the weapon, immediately striking Dromarch with it to drive the tiger off. Nia's Blade stumbled back, hissing in pain even as the injury his opponent had dealt him instantly healed.
He charged the enemy Blade once again, trying to stop it before it launched the attack he knew was coming. His opponent looked him in the eye, ether lines blazing with power, and gave a malicious sneer as the tiger struck its barrier and bounced back.
"My Lady!" Dromarch called out, skidding back from the collision.
"Get ready to dodge!" Nia called, sprinting towards Dromarch. He probably wasn't going to reach them in time otherwise, and with the captives present she would rather not have to block the blow herself.
Rex darted in the other direction, hoping that the Blade would decide to target the pair that could block the blow rather than the single target that couldn't. Unfortunately, the Blade was savvy enough to have realized this as well.
It tracked Rex as he split off from Nia, carefully leading his trajectory, and the moment the boy realized that he was the target, it released the attack. A flurry of wintery wind, carrying razor-sharp flechettes of ice, raced outward at the boy.
Upon recognizing that he was the target, Rex immediately sought cover. Unfortunately, he quickly realized that the room was rather devoid of it. None of the crates containing the ill-gotten spoils of the Igna would stand up to an attack like the one the Blade was building, and even if he could reach the entrance to the tunnels in time, it would put the captives in the line of fire.
Without any good options, the boy was still well outside of cover when the attack came. He braced himself, eyes closing instinctively, as he pulled ether in to help endure the attack.
And then... something clicked.
He felt the extra ether he had gathered, intended to reinforce his body further, flow out. There was a bright flash as the enemy Blade's special attack struck, but beyond a drop in temperature and the crackling of ice ether around him, he didn't feel any pain.
Cautiously, he opened his eyes. Before him, a scintillating golden barrier domed out, facing toward the enemy Blade. Distantly, the boy could feel the connection between the Core Crystal on his chest and the barrier, as the former fed a continuous flow of ether into the latter.
"Instinctual, right." The boy muttered, releasing his mental hold on the barrier. He really shouldn't be surprised that the technique turned out to be just as instinctual for him as a Blade, but he still felt a bit annoyed at having wasted the time trying to do it manually earlier.
The Igna, who had been watching from the ceiling, leapt down with a snarl. Its Blade tossed the axe back to the enemy Driver, before falling into a rearguard position behind it.
Not wanting to give it the initiative again, Nia charged the enemy Driver. "You okay, Rex?" She called, glittering trails of ether following her Twin Rings as she opened with an Art.
"I'm fine!" He replied, circling around the Igna to attack it from the flanks. The enemy Driver's Blade noticed and moved to intercept him.
"Keep the Blade districted for a minute!" Nia called out, parrying a blow from the Igna's greataxe.
Rex acknowledged her with action, lashing out at the Blade. His first two attacks bounced off of a barrier, but now that he was more accustomed to its presence, he was able to compensate more for the inevitable deflection.
It helped that the enemy Blade was acting purely defensively, dodging and blocking without any retaliation. Was this normal behavior for a Blade? Dromarch and Sever seemed more capable of independent combat, but he supposed they also had natural advantages there.
As he took another swing at the Blade, this time dodged rather than deflected, he felt a sudden shift in the nearby ether. His eyes traced over to the source, Dromarch, whose ether lines were alight as he coiled to pounce.
The enemy Blade noticed it too. It attempted to withdraw from combat with Rex, seemingly desperate to support its Driver.
Rex was forced to throw up another barrier of his own to stop the oncoming spear of ice ether, an attempt by his opponent to drive him back. Rather than attempting to close the distance, Rex responded by launching an anchor shot at the Blade.
"Let's go, Dromarch!" Nia shouted, tossing her Rings to the Blade as she jumped backwards. "Raging Tiger!"
Dromarch leapt forward, the Twin Rings circling him like a halo. The Igna's Blade rushed to throw itself between its Driver and oncoming tiger, only to come short as Rex yanked the anchor cable.
The line tightened around the Blade's wrist and pulled it backward. It lost its footing, landing in its rear, as Dromarch raked his ether-infused claws across the enemy Driver's body.
It howled in agony, unable to block all of the attacks, but the sheer size of the Igna Driver meant that it wasn't enough to drop the lizardman.
Nia and Rex, seeing that their opponent was still standing, both charged forward. The girl came in low, Rings crossed in front of her, while the boy leapt through the air with his sword raised overhead.
The Igna slammed its axe into the ground, blocking Nia's charge. Her Twin Rings hit the shaft of the weapon and were deflected away. It had no way to stop Rex's attack, however.
He brought his sword down as he fell, his battle cry alarming the Driver, who had apparently expected its Blade to block the blow. It barely had time to even start turning in response before the blade cut deep into its torso.
An agonizing roar echoed through the chamber as the Igna Driver frantically attempted to shake Rex off. The boy held firm to his sword, wedged so deeply into the Igna's back that the glow of the energy blade was faintly visible between the scales of the Igna's chest.
The enemy Blade, however, was more successful. It rammed into the boy at full speed, wrenching him from the back of its Driver and slamming him into the floor. He threw up a quick barrier as he fell, which protected him from a punch to the face, but the impact with the ground still nearly knocked the breath out of him.
Seeing her companion be knocked away, Nia charged back at the Igna. It reached forward, clumsily groping for its axe, but found only the biting edge of the Gormotti Driver's Rings.
She kicked the axe away and prepared to strike, but she could see it was unnecessary. The Igna Driver, which had given them so much trouble, slumped to its knees as the mortal wound Rex had delivered finally caught up with it.
Behind it, Rex watched in surprise as the Blade's form began to dissolve. There was an odd sound, akin to a wire unspooling, as its body collapsed into a cloud of ether motes swirling around the former Blade's Core Crystal.
The crystal hung there for a brief moment, as if held aloft by the motes, before falling to the ground with a dull clatter. The bright inner glow of the crystal slowly died out as the core went dormant.
"Finally." Nia moaned, tension leaving her body as the Blade vanished. "I was starting to think that thing was never going to go down."
Rex pushed himself to his feet, his eyes lingering on the dormant Core Crystal for a moment before he turned to the girl. "Yeah, that was rough."
She began walking over to the captives, stretching out her back as she went. "Dromarch, help me look over the captives?" She asked.
"At once, my Lady."
Azurda poked his head out of Rex's satchel. "It's a bit different than just fighting monsters, isn't it?" The old Titan said.
"Huh?" Rex said, turning his head towards his companion.
"Fighting Drivers, I mean. Malos was the only other Driver you've faced thus far, and he isn't exactly a good benchmark."
The boy frowned, his attention turning back to the crystal. "I guess." He muttered absently.
Azurda watched his charge for a moment, pondering his fixation on the dull Core Crystal. "Did the Blade's death bother you that much?" He eventually asked.
"I know you told me how it works- that Blades die alongside their Drivers," the boy said, "but… I didn't expect to see it in person so soon."
The Titan nodded. "It can be shocking the first time you see it." He said. "Humans and monsters, they leave bodies behind. But Blades and Titans?" Azurda waved in the direction of the crystal.
Rex was silent for a minute, contemplating the Titan's words as he stared at the crystal. Eventually, he spoke up again. "What do we do with it?" He asked.
"You pick it up." Azurda replied. "It won't be ready to resonate with a new Driver for a while, but it also wouldn't be wise to leave it lying around. Igna aren't the only monsters that are capable of resonating with a Core Crystal, after all."
Biting his lip, Rex slowly walked over to the fallen crystal and carefully picked it up. He was surprised by how light it was, considering it had been a full-sized humanoid just a minute earlier.
Placing the crystal in his satchel, he wandered over to where Nia and Dromarch were tending to the captives. The Gormotti girl was still in the process of cutting them loose, but the captive that had already been released was helping free the others.
"We'll need to get out of here as soon as possible." The captive, a middle-aged Gormotti man said as he cut the auburn-furred Nopon free with one of Nia's spare knives. "That Driver wasn't alone."
"Nia and I already took out the three outside." Rex added as he approached. As he did, Nia pulled another knife off of her belt and offered it to the boy.
"Those weren't the only ones." The guard replied. "There were at least six more that went into the tunnels a little earlier."
Besides him, Nia cursed. "Is anyone here badly injured?" She asked, directing Rex to start freeing the other Nopon. "I'd prefer to give everyone a once-over before we move, but if there are more Igna around…"
"Not to my knowledge, ma'am." The guard replied. "The Driver smacked us around pretty good, but they wanted us alive for some reason."
"Kittyman speak for self." The Nopon he was freeing whined. "Kowawa think wing is broken."
"You can still walk, can't you?"
"Meh meh!? Hired guard think he can backtalk employer!?"
Nia sighed. "All right, calm down." She gave the Nopon a glance. "I can heal your wing once we're back on the road, but right now I really need to focus on critical and mobility injuries."
"But Kowawa want wing healed now!" He fumed.
Rex rolled his eyes, tuning the auburn-furred Nopon arguing with Nia out as he focused on cutting the cream-colored one free instead. He had met plenty of Nopon like that back on Argentum and had long since learned that the best way to deal with them was just to ignore them.
"Here you are." He said, cutting the last knot on the Nopon's bindings. The ropes fell slack to the floor, allowing the captive to gratefully stretch his wings.
"Thank you." He said, rubbing one of his wings. "Igna ruffians tie rope too tight."
"Don't mention it." Rex said, looking around. He had planned on freeing one of the last two captives, but he could see that Nia and the first guard were already working on it. Turning back to the Nopon, he added; "Got any injuries Nia'll need to heal?"
The Nopon shook his head. "Foorara is fine. Only bruises are on pride."
Standing back up, Rex gave a quick look over the group. The last of the captives had just been freed, and Nia was quickly making sure that they were in sufficiently good condition to walk.
"Let's get out of here." Rex said to the ones that she had already cleared. "The tide's rising, and we're still a couple hours out of Dornswell."
"Friends get no complaint from Foorara." The cream-furred Nopon replied. "Torigoth caravan wrecked, and all goods taken by Igna. No point in continuing." He sighed. "Foorara should have taken Nocclia trail from White Chair like recommended."
One of the guards put a hand on the Nopon's shoulder. "Wasn't your fault this happened, little guy." The guard said. "None of us could have expected to be jumped by monsters that don't even live on Gormott."
"Foorara understand that." The Nopon replied. "But still, setback on right of passage annoying."
"Kowawa more annoyed by loss of inventory." The auburn Nopon fumed. "Caravan cargo right there! Friends should be bringing with us!"
Rex gave him a quizzical glance. "And how exactly do you expect we'd manage that?" He asked they they exited the hollow tree. "Your Armu's dead, and we're kind of in a rush."
"Details not important!" The Nopon yelled, wings flapping in agitation. "Have many many expensive salvaged goods in inventory! Angel Engines! Perfect Range Sensors! Even shipment of Enigma Panes!"
"Ummm… aren't Enigma Panes worthless?" Rex asked. "We had a stack of them sitting around the salvaging deck on Argentum for months because nobody would buy them."
"Friend not know how to find right buyer." Kowawa huffed. "Researchers from Tadbir pay much money for them."
Rex was about to retort when a furry blue bolt shot through his peripheral vision and collided with the Nopon, sending both of them tumbling.
"Kowawa!" A squeaky voice, which Rex recalled belonged to Ayaya, cried out. "You're safe!"
"A-Ayaya!" The male Nopon said, pushing his business partner off of him. "Not so hard! Kowawa's wing injured!"
Instead, she merely squeezed him harder. "Ayaya was afraid that meanie Igna were going to cook Kowawa into tasty meal like legendary wastrelpon Tatsu!"
"Legendary what now?" Nia asked, accompanied by the last two captives, as she exited the tree behind Rex.
He nodded his head at the two Nopon. "Ayaya's just glad her friend is ok." He answered.
"Gotcha." She replied, looking over the group. "Well, everyone is in good enough condition to move as far as I can see."
She was about to ask Dromarch how much time they had left, when she heard a voice clearing below her. Looking down, she saw that Foorara was standing in front of her and Rex.
The Nopon bowed to them both. "Foorara would like to thank friends for saving lives of caravan. If not showed up, who knows what Igna would have done."
"Agreed!" One of the guards, a Gormotti with dark hair, called out. "That Driver Igna rolled right over us! We never would have had a chance without you!"
Ayaya chimed in, letting go of her business partner for a moment. "Kowawa might be miserly scaredypon, but Ayaya would have been sad if died! Thanks to Driver friends and Blades that he still alive!"
"Ho ho!" Azurda grinned from Rex's shoulder. "It was nothing! Don't you agree, my 'Driver'?" He asked Rex with a cheeky grin.
"Wait, that's a Blade?" One of the male guards asked, confused. "I didn't know they came that small!"
"I dunno…" The female guard piped in. "I saw a merc with a Blade that looked like a little kid once. Blades can look pretty wild."
"True, true, but-"
"As… fascinating as this conversation is," Dromarch interrupted, walking into the middle of the group, "I am uncertain this is the ideal time to be discussing it. We are on a tight schedule, after all."
"How long do we have?" Rex asked, checking the strap on his satchel for battle damage.
"Approximately four hours, unless I am mistaken." The tiger replied.
"Oh geeze." The third guard spoke up nervously. "We'll really have to book it if we want to reach Dornswell before the gates close."
"Kowawa not survive being made into stew to drown in sea!" The auburn Nopon wailed.
"We'd better get going, then." Nia said, already starting to walk back towards the road. She was met with no disagreement.
"We're almost there!" Rex yelled as he ran, the rest of the group just behind him. "I can see the gates up ahead!"
"Meh meh meh! Ayaya can feel clouds brushing feet!" The blue Nopon cried in alarm as she followed behind, struggling valiantly to keep up with her taller companions.
It had been a rather strenuous few hours as they had rushed to reach Dornswell before the tide rose. They had not encountered any opposition during their march, but rather than serving as a relief, it had been disconcerting; as both Nia and the locals had been more than happy to explain, that was most likely a sign that the local monster population had retreated upwards in anticipation of the tide rising.
To make matters worse, the gates to Dornswell were at a markedly lower elevation than the rest of the surrounding Flava thicket, meaning that the area would be among the first places to start flooding once the tide rolled in. The guards had assured Rex and Nia that the outer gates should still be able to let them in so long as the tide had not literally covered them, but it was still proving to be a far closer race than they had planned.
Rex hadn't known what to expect when everyone had mentioned 'town gates', considering that most villages in Leftheria went for a simple stone arch. He certainly hadn't expected it to be a mass of sheet metal covering a cliff face, with what appeared to be a sluice gate at ground level. Then again, it was intended to keep the tide out, so he guessed it made a certain amount of sense.
One of the guards, Sawyl if he remembered correctly, rushed ahead of him as they approached the gates. He beelined for a glowing panel next to the door itself and swung it open to reveal a knife switch, which he then pulled down.
Slowly, the gates began to grind open. Sawyl looked over his shoulder and waved them on. "Come on!" He yelled.
Needing no encouragement, the group broke into an all-out sprint as they closed the final few peds to the gates. Dromarch, ever the polite Blade he was, pulled the Nopon onto his back to make sure they wouldn't fall behind.
They quickly passed the threshold, Rex first, followed by Nia, the other two guards, Dromarch carrying the Nopon, and finally Sawyl, who closed the gates behind them.
Rex came to a stop, bracing himself against the wall of the… tunnel they were in? As he caught his breath. Looking around, he was even more surprised by what he saw.
Inside the gates was not a town, like he was expecting, but more of a checkpoint. They were in a modest square room, with most of the walls covered in metal. On the far side was another gate, identical to the one they had just passed through, but the panel next to it had a red indicator light instead of a green one.
"Uh, I thought this was supposed to be a town…" He said as he looked around.
Nia rolled her eyes. "These are just the gates." She said. "Dornswell is below the tide line, so all the entrances are like this so it doesn't get flooded out every couple of days.
As if to emphasize her point, the exterior gate slammed shut behind them, and the indicator light on the interior one blinked green. No sooner had it than the interior gate began to slide open.
"You lot certainly cut it close, didn't you?" A voice called out from the other side.
The other male guard, Deryn, perked up at the sound of the voice. "Gwilym, mate, is that you?" As the gate opened further, it revealed another guard, an older man with gruff features.
"Deryn?" The new guard asked as he got a look at the group. "Sawyl? Betrys? What're you doing back here? Shouldn't that caravan you were guarding be halfway to Torigoth by now?"
"We ran into some problems." Deryn replied. "Fortunately, these Drivers here came and saved our hides."
The older guard gave Rex and Nia a quick look over, before sighing. "Well, no use hanging around in the airlock." He waved them in. Come on, now. We'll need to clear it in case there are any stragglers behind even you."
"Right." Rex said, tightening his grip on the strap of his satchel as they moved forward.
Gwilym led them through the gate and down a short tunnel, closing the door behind them. "So, what kinda beasties did you lot run into, anyway? The three of you should've been enough to keep most of them away."
"Igna." Betrys said darkly. "A dozen of them, led by a Driver."
He hissed. "That's no good. We'll need to send this up the chain at once." Giving a look back, he asked, "Please tell me you at least got rid of the Driver."
"We did." Nia replied. "Certainly was a nasty surprise, but we got it."
"I'll bet." Gwilym snorted, as they approached yet another gate. "Normally, I should be taking your Driver Registration numbers now, but considering the circumstances…"
Nia waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I can give you mine if you need it, but Rex here," she said, gesturing off at the boy, "only Resonated yesterday, so he's not registered yet."
Deryn blinked at the statement. "You're joking, right? No way he's only been a Driver for one day!"
"It's true." Rex replied, struggling to keep a grin off his face. "Been training longer than that, of course, but Gramps here has only been like this since yesterday."
"Like this?" Betrys asked.
"Core Crystal came from his Titan." Nia replied. "We wrecked yesterday."
All four of the guards winced, giving the boy an apologetic look. Rex gave Nia a quizzical look of his own, but the girl merely shook her head.
"Later" She mouthed silently.
"In that case," Gwilym said, scratching his head awkwardly, "he can start the paperwork in the town hall. You'll have to file it in Torigoth, of course, but we can at least get you set up with a temporary license."
"We'll do that." Nia replied. "Will there be a problem if we wait until morning?"
"None that I can see." The guard said. "Just give me your ID number, and I'll leave you two on your way."
As the girl began reciting the requested information, Betrys moved around him and opened the final gate. The door clattered open, giving Rex his first view of Gormott's salvaging hub.
The town was set in a tall, narrow shaft cut through the rocky hide of the Titan. Several massive roots sprouted from the top of the shaft, weaving in and out of the walls before terminating halfway down to the cloud layer. Even from this distance, he could see that patches of smooth concrete and frames of rusted metal ringed the roots wherever they sprouted from the walls.
Houses, mostly made of wood, were built on platforms either set upon the bends of the roots or anchored to the stone walls and connected by rope bridges. Vines of luminous plants hung down from the roots, providing the cavern with plenty of ambient light.
Lower down, he could see that the building style changed from rustic to industrial. The buildings made more of metal, the rope bridges replaced by sturdy catwalks, and rather than glowing plants, salvaging cranes hung down towards the clouds.
"Woah…" He muttered, looking over the town. The lower parts reminded him a lot of the interior of Goldmouth, where stacks of Nopon dorms were set above the market floor. The upper part, though? He had never seen anything quite like it.
"Quite the sight, isn't it?" Betrys chuckled.
Rex nodded. "Yeah…" He muttered, looking down at the Cloud Sea below. Compared to outside, the level was so much lower, and the tunnel they had taken hadn't gone up, either…
The woman smirked as she watched the wheels turn in his head. "Wondering why we're not undersea here?" She asked.
"No," Rex replied absently, "I'm pretty sure I get the gist of it."
Nia blinked in surprise. "Seriously?" She asked incredulously. "Even I don't know how it works, and I've been here before!"
Rex tilted his head. "Really? I thought it was obvious that the town's just a big moon pool."
"A what now?" The girl replied, staring at the boy.
"It's a chamber you can dive from that opens underwater." He replied. "You seal it on the top and sides so the pressure keeps the clouds from leaking in the bottom."
Rex pointed up at the roots poking into the cavern. "See up there? They've sealed the wall around the roots where there would normally be cracks, probably to keep the pressure equal in here. Same with those gates we had to pass through. Long as those are nice and tight, the clouds'll stay out."
"Got it in one." Betrys said, watching with amusement as Nia looked at the boy like he had grown a second head. "You a salvager, then?" She asked, looking at the anchor shot on his arm.
"Yeah." Rex rubbed his shoulder. "Normally prefer to run around in my diving suit, but it got a bit banged up when we crashed, you know?"
"I get it." She nodded. "Well, at least you're in the right place on Gormott to get it fixed."
"True that." He nodded, looking over at Nia and Dromarch. "Well, we'd probably best head off. Mind pointing us in the direction of the inn?"
Shaking off her confusion, Nia spoke up. "I already know where it is." The girl said, pointing at the middle level of buildings. "Two bridges that way, just shy of the bridge to the town hall, right?"
"That's the place." The woman confirmed.
"Right." Nia said. "We should probably swing by the market first." She turned to Rex. "I know you need to pick up a patch for your suit, and I have to replace my travel kit. Might as well do it before the stores close."
"Works for me." Rex agreed. Looking back over the group they had rescued, he asked. "Do you guys need any more help?"
"Ayaya is good!" The Nopon woman replied. "Will need to file claim on inventory, but can do on Ayaya's and Kowawa's own."
"Don't put words in Kowawa's mouth!" Her business partner complained.
The three guards shook their heads. "We'll be reporting back to the guard post." Devyn answered. "We'll probably have to send off a backup request to Torigoth, though."
"Foorara is fine too." The third Nopon said. "Friends welcome to visit on Voltis when Foorara finish Walky-walky, though! Foorara need repay for saving life!"
"We'll be sure to note your assistance in our report." Betrys added. "Should be able to get a bounty paid out for taking down that Driver Igna."
"Cheers to that!" Nia grinned. "My pockets'll be a bit light once I've been through the market."
The female guard laughed. "Don't I know that one." She replied. "You kids have fun now, and thanks again!"
With that, the group split up as Rex, Nia, and their companions made their way to the market.
As night fell on the city of Torigoth, Tora reluctantly made his way out of his home.
Normally, the young Nopon had no problem with wandering around at night. Sure, many of the stores were closed by then, particularly the mechanical goods shops he so loved to frequent, but it tended to mean less harassment from Ardainian soldiers.
Those bullies didn't need to stop him every time he was hauling a mechabiter prototype around in broad daylight! Those designs were safe! Well, mostly safe! They had never failed catastrophically while he was within the city limits after that one time!
Honestly, the nerve of them!
Alas, the city had become rather unsafe at night with the recent spate of attacks on unwary travelers in back alleys. The Ardainians were trying to keep the news suppressed, allegedly to prevent a panic, but Tora was a street-smart Nopon with his ear constantly to the ground! There was no keeping information like that hidden from him!
That, and the thieves had pretty blatantly hit Kassa's shop a few days ago. It was pretty hard to cover up the situation when they were smashing up shops in the central marketplace.
In theory, he should be safe; the thieves were only known to steal Core Crystals, and since he didn't possess any (much to his continuing chagrin), they shouldn't have a reason to accost him. Tora, however, was very much not a Nopon to leave things to chance, and thus brought his most recent mechabiter prototype with him.
Fortunately, it seemed that tonight his preparations would be unneeded. The streets were still fairly busy even after dark, the restaurants along the path to the market square still filled with patrons enjoying the cool breeze of the early evening. Soldiers were patrolling along the edges of the crowds but were mercifully keeping to themselves, limiting themselves to shooting warning glares at him.
…Actually, that was a lot of soldiers. More than even a late-day Driver recruitment drive would account for. Maybe the Consul was actually taking the thieves seriously.
Brushing the thought off, he made his way forward. Whether the incompetent Consul was actually doing his job or not wasn't important right now. Tora had a pressing appointment to attend, after all.
Making his way around the edge of the market square, Tora cautiously snuck into a little alley near the city gates. He tightened his grip on his mechabiter as he entered, carefully eyeing the edges of the nearby roofs as he did. Even if he wasn't a likely target of the thieves, their actions had certainly engendered a degree of paranoia in the Nopon.
The alley wasn't particularly long, maybe three peds in total. It was a sensible place for Tora's contact, the Nopon information broker Turuni, to set up shop; hidden from the view of the street for anonymity, yet still close enough to be easily accessible by potential customers.
Considering the current mood in Torigoth though, Tora suspected that the informant's secluded local may be costing him some business at the moment.
"…Can give us more information than that!" A rough male voice echoed from the far end of the alley.
"Turuni sorry." Came the voice of an aged Nopon. "Mutual friend only provide minimal details."
Tora sighed. It seemed the broker was busy with another client right now. The young Nopon leaned against the entrance to the alley, listening in. It was probably a bit rude to eavesdrop, but nobody had ever said Tora wasn't too curious for his own good sometimes.
"Minimal detai-" A high-pitched female voice sputtered, "This is a vague description and two sentences about possible traveling companions! Do you know how common blonde Ardainian girls are? And 'Gormotti Driver' for one of the companions? We're in Torigoth! Do you know how little that narrows things down?"
"Calm yourself, Praxis." The male voice said. "The traveling companion's descriptions are sparse, but you must have missed this part of the girl's description." He continued, the sound of rustling paper accompanying his words.
"What do you-" The female voice paused. "Oh. OH." She giggled at whatever she must have just read.
"Friend understand now?" Turuni's voice added in.
"Oh, I get it." The girl's voice sounded, suddenly filled with eagerness. "The Aegis is active, eh? Sounds like Theory and I are in for some fun~!"
"Turuni would appreciate if friend kept detail quiet." The Nopon's voice echoed out. "Client pay extra for silence. Not wanting extra attention."
"Who would?" The man's voice sounded. "That being said, if you can provide any additional details that would make the job easier…" He asked. "Maybe a direction they may be coming from?"
"Direction? No." Turuni admitted. "Client know target and possible party arrive on Gormott, but not where. Turuni not given more details on potential Driver either, other than young Leftherian salvager with blue dive suit. Gormotti companion, however…" The Nopon trailed off as the sounds of more paper rustling echoed through the alley.
"Here we are! This wanted poster of Gormotti companion. Ignore drawing, dummy Ardainians think funny joke." He continued, his distain for the artist evident in his tone. "Description is good, though."
"Wow, boss." The female voice, 'Praxis' according to the man, cut in. "I'm not even Gormotti and I'm offended by that poster! How in the Architect's name does that idiot Dughall think stuff like this won't agitate the locals?"
Her 'boss' merely grunted in reply. "This'll do." He said. The sound of coins clinking could be heard as the man presumably paid the broker.
"Come, Praxis." He said. "We've got a job to do."
"Yes, boss." The girl replied.
Tora retreated back to the street, realizing that Turuni's clients were leaving and not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. He did a quick loop of the market square before heading back, hoping that he would merely seem to be approaching now.
As he reentered the alley, the previous clients passed him. There wasn't a lot to say about their appearance; they both wore long, dark cloaks that disguised their features, but he could see some things.
The man, for example, was a burly Gormotti man wearing armor of some type. His casual stride made it clear he was combat trained, even if the Blade weapon across his back wasn't visible.
Meanwhile, his companion was clearly a Blade. Her cloak didn't cover her Core Crystal, V-shaped and set atop some sort of luminous, rubbery cloth. Nor did her hood hide the glowing eyepatch that she wore.
Neither seemed to pay Tora any mind, walking by as he entered the alley. The Nopon released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding as they went. It seemed he was in the clear.
"Ah, Tora!" The other Nopon greeted him as he approached. Turuni was much older than Tora, closer in age to his grandfather than father, with a visibly graying beard over his yellow fur. His attire was notably old-fashioned as well; wearing a round hat and bead vest that had fallen out of popularity even before Argentum had supplanted Pyrithium as leader of the Trade Guilds.
"Turuni." He greeted. "Tora happy to see!"
"Yes, good to see friend again." The information broker replied. "Tora find ether furnace valves he was looking for?"
Nodding, he replied. "Tora did! Valves exactly type Tora need for project!"
The older Nopon smiled. "Tora must be almost done with sneaky-sneaky project, then!" He asked knowingly. "Turuni look forward to seeing what littlepon Tora cook up!"
He chuckled at that. The broker had been quite curious about what Tora needed all of the parts he was gathering for, but the boy had no intention of spilling the beans before Poppi was finished.
Considering what had happened the last time he had seen his dadapon and grampypon… well, needless to say Tora had become quite a proponent of operational security since then.
"Tora excited too!" He replied, brushing the older Nopon's probe off. "Actually, that what bring Tora here."
The broker nodded. "Turuni guess as much. Tora not come unless need information." Leveling his gaze, he continued. "Tora looking for more parts, Turuni assume?"
"Friend correct! Looking all over for Perfect Range Sensor, but only ones in shop are too pricey-pricey for Tora!"
"Perfect Range Sensors, Tora say?" The broker scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Quite the challenge friend provide; those quite out of season for salvagers here on Gormott."
"Tora know that!" He groaned. "But Tora not wait half a year for price to go down when on verge of breakthrough!"
"Worry not, friend." The broker calmed him. "Turuni may be able to acquire Sensor for Tora at more reasonable price."
"Really? Turuni mean?" The younger Nopon cried, wings flapping happily.
"Yes." Turuni replied, a concerning grin working its way across his face. A cold sweat worked its way down Tora's back at the look. "There only… one small issue."
S-surely he didn't mean… "W-what small issue friend have?"
With a look more fitting on a hungry Aligo than a Nopon, the broker replied. "Why, issue of Tora's outstanding tab, of course!" He said cheerily.
Tora cursed internally. After springing for the Bion Connectors earlier, his pockets were pretty much empty. M-maybe he could talk his way out of this.
"A-ah…!" Tora stuttered, trying to think of an excuse. "S-surely Turuni can overlook teensy issue just once, yes?" He argued, shaking nervously. "Friend know that Tora good to pay once project done!"
He was met by a flat stare and could do nothing else but quiver uncomfortably under Turuni's harsh gaze. The other Nopon scrutinized him for a moment before turning around rummaging through a pile of papers behind him.
"Normally Turuni take offense from such blatant attempt at manipulation." He said, making Tora go stiff. "But… Turuni in a good mood, so will forget slight."
Tora let out a sigh of relief, which only caused the other Nopon to chuckle.
"Forgiveness not without conditions, however." The broker continued. "Tora still need to pay tab. Fortunately for Tora, Turuni willing to make deal."
"D-deal, Turuni say?" Tora stuttered. He was greatly regretting trying to talk his way out of the tab now; Turuni had a reputation, and any deal would probably involve doing something unpleasant for him.
"That right! You see, Turuni was hired by client recently, big-big job to hire contractors for." He pulled out a piece of paper from the pile. "Unfortunately, client not providing much in way of details, leaving poor Turuni to figure out for self."
He wasn't entirely sure where the other Nopon was going with this, but… "Tora follow." He chimed in.
"It occur to Turuni that, if can narrow down possibilities, Turuni have better chance of fulfilling contract. So!" He said, handing the piece of paper to Tora. "Here is deal! Turuni send Tora out to look for people on list. Spend fun-fun couple of days watching trail from Coolley Lake, and report back. If Tora do that, Turuni clear tab and acquire part for Tora. Sound fair to friend?"
Tora looked down at the piece of paper. It had a rough scribble of an Ardainian-looking woman, a Blade from the Core Crystal. Below the picture was a short description of her, as well as of two possible companions and a large Titan she had apparently been seen in the company of.
"Just woman in picture?" Tora asked, reading over the description. Blonde, with a white dress and a… green Core Crystal? That wasn't right; normal Core Crystals were blue! The only exception he knew of was currently inactive in his workshop. Was… she some kind of artificial Blade too? Had someone else managed it first?
Turuni shrugged. "If Tora see Bladey woman companions without her, report that too. If no longer with them, is important information to pass along to contractors."
He wasn't entirely comfortable with the implications that the broker was dropping. This sounded suspiciously like a setup for Blade smuggling. But it would wipe away his tab, and there was no guarantee that he would even encounter them…
"Tora… Tora accept." He said hesitantly.
"Good, Good!" The other Nopon said cheerily. "Turuni expect great things from Tora. Now, run along; Turuni have more customers to deal with."
He didn't need to be told twice. Tora quickly left the alley, and hurried back home. He was left with the distinct impression that, right now, Core Crystal thieves might be the least of his worries.
Author's Notes
In his quest to build Poppi, Tora is once again asking for financial support!
Too bad his choices in contacts are less-than-scrupulous.