Rex awoke to the sound of bells.
Lifting himself out of the grass, he gave a confused look around him. He wasn't particularly expecting trouble, but considering that he couldn't recall exactly how he had gotten here, keeping a wary eye out wasn't a bad idea.
The fact that it was grass that he had been lying in was curious, all things considered. He was working out of Goldmouth at the moment and hadn't been planning to visit Fonsett for another few months. The closest thing to grass he should be expecting to see in the near future was the green fur on Gramp's back.
It became immediately apparent that he was nowhere near either. He was in a vast field of wild grass, stretching off towards a treeline in the distance. Closer to him, but still a ways away, a single tree stood atop a lonely hill.
Coincidentally, the sound of the tolling bell seemed to be coming from the other side of the hill.
He began to wander forward, taking in the sights. His homeland, Leftheria, looked nothing like this. While there were plenty of unsettled islands across the archipelago, even they were managed in some way. It was a requirement, considering the limited space.
The fields here, though, reminded him more of what he had heard of Gormott. He didn't know too many Gormotti salvagers, but those he did always spoke fondly of the rolling hills and wild forests of their home Titan.
As he crested the hill, he couldn't help but let out a small gasp of awe at the sight. The fields continued off into the distance, eventually reaching a small lake. A large town was on the far bank, nestled between the water and the edge of a distant forest, which in turn spread out beyond the horizon.
Rex was taken aback by the scale of it. He knew that the titans of Leftheria were small compared to the true continental titans of Uraya or Mor Ardain, but he had never imagined that they were this big!
"Wha-what is this place?" He muttered in amazement, leaning an arm on the tree as he did.
"This place… is Elysium." An unexpected voice answered.
He startled, looking down towards the source of the voice.
It was a girl. She was sitting against the tree, her legs pulled tight to her chest, as she looked out over the valley below. Rex couldn't see her face, her blond hair obstructing his view, but her exhausted body language and hoarse voice told him that she had probably been crying before he arrived.
"Well, a memory of it, at least." She amended, leaning her head back against the tree as she looked up to the sky. "A memory of where I was born."
"A memory?" Rex muttered, looking around. He had been told about Elysium as a child. The land of plenty atop the world tree. It was always regarded as little more than a fairy tale, yet he had always dreamed of one day finding it.
The adults that he so frequently worked with just laughed it off when he told them. 'An appropriate dream for a child', they would say.
With the world as it was, however, Rex would rather chase a fairy tale than give up.
But if this girl had memories of it, that meant… "Elysium is real, then?" He asked, turning to her. "If you remember it, then it must be!"
The girl turned to look at him, and his growing excitement immediately faded. He had expected that she had been crying before, and the physical signs were obvious. Her eyelids were puffy and red, and he could see the glistening tracks of long-dried tears running down her face. But what startled him was just how… dull her eyes were.
Rex had seen that look before. It wasn't common, but working out of a port as busy as Goldmouth meant that you would inevitably see refugees from sunken Titans. That was what he immediately thought upon meeting her eyes- the empty gaze of a person who has lost everything.
It was a disturbing look to see on anyone, much less someone who appeared to be his age.
He reached out a hesitant hand towards her. "Are… are you ok?" He asked.
She stared at him for a moment, her emotionless eyes revealing nothing of her thoughts. "No." She finally replied, turning back towards the valley below.
Rex wasn't entirely sure what to do in this situation. His experience with consoling others was limited mostly to either the younger children back in Fonsett or adult salvagers that had inebriated themselves out of their gruff facades. Still, he wasn't one to not at least try.
Third rule of the Salvager's Code, after all.
Gently, he set himself down in the grass, being sure to keep a respectful distance from the girl, but not far enough to completely isolate her either.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, looking out over the town in the distance.
She hugged her knees closer to her chest. After a brief stretch of silence, she finally answered. "I thought… that I had finally come to terms with what I had done." The girl admitted mournfully.
"What do you mean?" Rex inquired.
"In the distant past, I was awoken to fight a great evil." The girl began. "Alongside my Driver and his companions, we fought to protect the people of Alrest."
"Alongside your…?" Rex turned toward her. He hadn't noticed it before, as her curtain of long blonde hair had been covering much of her upper body, but he could now see that a green Core Crystal sat upon her chest. "You're a… Blade?"
"I am a bit more than that." She stated sullenly. "But… I took that power for granted. I wielded it recklessly, confident in my skill and control."
She leaned her head back again, slowly dragging a hand over her face. Her shoulders sagged, as if the entire world had been resting upon them. "But… I wasn't good enough. In the end, I lost control of that power when I needed it the most, and thousands of innocents paid the price with their lives.
"I've had centuries to come to terms with it," she continued, sounding more than a little bitter. "Five hundred years with just my guilt and a bell that won't. Stop. FUCKING. TOLLING!"
A wave of power, suffused with anguish and self-loathing, rolled off the girl. Rex was nearly knocked over by it, yet the grass merely swayed as if blown by a gentle breeze, and the church bell continued to toll as if nothing had happened.
Rex gave the girl a wary glance but stayed where he was seated. Rather than morose or angry, she seemed to be almost… afraid, cringing at the unintended release of power.
Considering what she had said before, Rex could guess why.
"I'm sorry…" she apologized, her voice much quieter this time. "I just…"
"Don't worry about it." Rex said, giving her a cheery grin. Apprehension or not, he couldn't just let the girl wallow in her own sorrow. That just wasn't the kind of person he was. "Take as long as you need. I have plenty of time to listen."
To his surprise, the girl just looked even more morose at his wording. "No, you don't," she said, "and neither do I."
He tilted his head in confusion. "What?"
"You… really don't remember?" She asked, surprised. "How you got here?"
Rex scratched at his cheek idly, trying to think back. "No… I can't. Last thing I remember was taking that job from Chairman Bana, and then…"
It came back to him.
The sunken ship. Accompanying the clients into the hold. Finding the chamber holding a blonde girl that, now that he remembered, was identical to the one he was talking to now. And then… the feeling of cold steel biting into his chest as he was stabbed in the back.
"… Jin killed you." She finished for him.
He covered his mouth instinctively as his stomach roiled in horror, even as a voice in the back of his head helpfully pointed out that if he was dead, he couldn't actually throw up. His eyes locked forward as his mind replayed the memory of Jin's whisper-thin blade protruding from his chest, right above his heart.
"But if I'm…" he muttered, the reality of the situation sinking in, "then everyone else…"
Rex shot straight up, looking around desperately. "The others are in danger! I need to…!" He stopped, nearly kicking himself.
"Titan's foot!" He spat, clenching his head with both hands. "I was the only salvager there that can fight worth a damn, but if I'm dead, I can't do anything!"
He collapsed to his knees, despairing over his fate. Distantly, some of the oddities of the job suddenly made much more sense. The clients hadn't hired any guards for the job, which normally would be a requirement for any large job, even if only to deal with the monsters that would inevitably take up residence in such a wreck.
At the time, he had assumed that it was because the clients were Drivers and thus confident that they could handle any beast that they might find aboard.
Now, it was obvious that they just didn't want any resistance when they killed the witnesses to their discovery.
"Damn it." He spat. "If only I was still alive, I'd kick that bastard's ass!"
"What if I said you could be?" He heard the girl say.
Rex looked behind him to see that the girl had stood up. "You mean…?" He muttered at her statement. Surely, she didn't mean what he thought she did.
The girl nodded. "Yes. I can… bring you back to life, Rex."
He blinked for a moment. "How do you know my name?"
"When you touched my sword, right before Jin killed you, it formed a connection between us." She explained. "In that moment, I was able to learn about you. Your name, your personality, your goals.
"Through that connection, I can bring you back to life, by transferring my life force to you."
"Wh-what?" Rex replied in shock. "But if you did that, wouldn't you die instead?"
She gave him a sad smile in return. "I already am, in all ways that truly matter. If I pass my life force on to you, at least something good will have come of the tragedy that is my life."
Rex was silent for a moment; the statement he had just heard raised a large number of… rather alarming questions. "Who… who even are you?" He finally settled for. "Why are you even willing to offer this to me?"
"My name is Mythra." The girl replied. "I am an Aegis. As for why… I have seen your desires; to journey to Elysium, to save the world from the slow decline it has entered."
She placed a hand on her Core Crystal. "If you take my life force, you will gain my powers as an Aegis. In doing so, the way to Elysium will be open to you."
Closing her eyes, she continued. "My powers have always been intended to be used for good, but ultimately I proved myself unworthy of them. I have seen the shape of your heart, and I believe that you may be able to put that power to better use than I could."
The boy considered what she was offering. It was clear to him that accepting would place a great burden upon him, but if he refused, he would be dead, and this girl, Mythra…?
"I… understand." He said slowly. "I will accept your power, Mythra."
Her shoulders slumped in relief at his answer. "Thank you, Rex." She said, a sound of genuine gratitude working its way into her tone. "Place your hand on my Core Crystal, and we will begin."
With more than a little hesitation, Rex slowly reached out his arm, extending two fingers to touch the crystal. As he did, Mythra spoke again.
"Before we part ways, I have a warning and a request for you." She said.
"A warning?"
"Yes. Malos… is more than just my enemy. He is my counterpart. My… brother, if you will."
Rex blinked. "So… he's an Aegis too?"
"He is. I shattered his Core Crystal during our last battle, and I suspect this has robbed him of much of his power as an Aegis. But please, do not underestimate him. If given the chance, he will seize this power and use it to bring Alrest to ruin, just as he tried so long ago."
As his fingers touched the crystal, a wave of green light burst forth, pulsating to the beat of Mythra's heart. Rex felt pressure build on his chest as her life force moved into him.
"For the request…" Mythra said, her eyes glistening with fresh tears, "please... tell my Father, that I'm sorry I wasn't good enough."
The world vanished in a flash of green light, and Rex's heart began to beat once more.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Malos!?" Nia yelled in frustration as she dodged a blow from his Sword Tonfa.
To her, it felt as if the world had turned upside-down in the last half-hour. She had been excited for the mission, too!
It was her first real mission with Torna! After months of "supply runs," which were little more than glorified shopping trips, and organizing the infirmary on the Marsanes, she finally had the chance to be useful to the group that had rescued her!
But… it had all gone wrong. First, Jin of all people, had killed that salvager boy, Rex! He hadn't even done anything except stumble when Malos had yelled at him! How was that worth killing him?
Then, when they reached the deck again, while her mind was still reeling at the sight of Jin, who had always been such a kind and gentle man before now, killing Rex in cold blood, Malos had ordered her to kill the rest of the crew.
For what reason?
"Because the fewer souls that know, the better." Was his justification. "Their lives have already been paid for in full." He had said.
Nia had joined Torna because they had taken her in. They were like her- various fusions of Man and Blade that had found each other by chance. Outcasts that the world in general, and Indol in particular, wanted to see dead just because of what they were.
She had known they were killers. Nia herself couldn't claim to have clean hands in that regard even before she joined. Jin had made it clear the day she was taken in that in their fight against Indol, there would be casualties, something that she had agreed to even if she didn't enjoy it.
But this was different. She had been expecting to face off against Ardainian soldiers and Indoline monks, enforcers of the status quo they were rebelling against. Who had willingly taken up arms in favor of their oppressors, even knowing the risks.
These people, though? They weren't soldiers. Most of them weren't even fighters! They were just common workers trying to make ends meet. If anything, they had more in common with Torna than their enemies, both suffering under the Praetor's iron heel.
And so she refused. Wouldn't kill innocents just because it was convenient. She couldn't do it, even if it were necessary. That just wasn't the kind of woman Nia was.
So when Malos had scoffed at her unwillingness, as if she were a petulant child, and prepared to do it himself?
Well, she did the only thing her conscience would let her do. She knocked his blow aside, causing the blast of ether to go wide.
Nia considered herself many things. A murderer? Maybe. Her sister may have offered her flesh willingly so that one of them might live on, but the guilt still clawed at Nia's heart even years later.
A coward? Definitely. Her fear of showing what she was to the world had practically led her by the nose for most of the time since her dad's death.
However, the one thing she did not consider herself to be was an Architect-damned bystander.
"You're really starting to piss me off, Nia." Malos growled as the Gormotti Driver parried a follow-up strike.
The man had taken her interference rather personally. She had expected him to lash out at her for stopping him; she was technically sabotaging their mission by doing so, but she hadn't expected him to retaliate quite so viciously.
She always thought he was kind of an asshole, and this really didn't change her mind.
Malos lashed out with an Art, his Tonfa's crystalline blade reconfiguring into a sword as he did, forcing Nia to backpedal.
"You really have no idea what we're doing, do you, Nia?" The man sneered, the second stab of his Art nicking one of her sleeves.
"I know exactly what we're doing!" She retorted, gathering ether into her Twin Rings. It was taking longer than normal, with Dromarch being too far away to form an active affinity link. The Tiger Blade was currently keeping Malos' Blade, Sever, occupied. While that was certainly convenient in that she only needed to focus on the Driver himself, the lack of her Blade's rearguard support was sorely missed right now.
"Then why are you interrupting me!" He took another swipe at her, trying to disrupt her. "Whether they die today or later doesn't really matter. They'll all be dead by the time we're finished with them!"
Nia gritted her teeth as the blade barely missed her. She fed a small amount of her own ether into the pool Dromarch had been passively feeding her, to finish the charge faster, and began shaping it into an Art.
"Are you even listening to yourself!?" She cried, "Indol is our enemy! These are just paid workers! What the hell have they done that warrants death!?"
She punctuated her statement with an Art, four circular slashes with her Twin Rings that left glittering trails of water ether in their wake. Malos was able to dodge the first and parry the second, but the return stroke of her off-hand Ring caused him to stagger.
Instead of capitalizing on the opening, she leapt back, sparing a brief glance back at the Maelstrom. It appeared that Malos' failed alpha strike on the ship had sent a clear message to the salvagers, because they were rushing to get underway as quickly as possible.
All she needed to do was keep him busy just a little longer, and then…
Well, she hadn't thought that far ahead quite yet.
She was hoping that Jin would get Malos to see reason, but after what happened to Rex, she was conflicted. Her eyes darted over to the white-haired man, his face impassive behind the horned mask he wore. He hadn't interceded on either side of their fight, instead merely contenting himself to watch as he stood over the casket holding the blonde-haired Aegis.
Honestly, the fact that he was just watching instead of holding Malos back probably didn't bode well for her. She was starting to get the distinct impression that if she was going to be leaving the ship, it wouldn't be on the Monoceros.
…The Maelstrom didn't have time to load up their parasite Titan-ships, did they? Maybe she could take one of those. There wouldn't be a lot in the way of accommodations on one, but Gormott shouldn't be more than a day's travel from here at this time of year…
Malos, who had quickly regained his footing, started to chuckle. "How cute. You really believe that, don't you." He looked back over his shoulder to his masked companion. "And here I thought you had clued her in when you brought her on board, Jinn." He said. "Normally you're more diligent than this."
The masked man was silent for a moment, before quietly answering. "… Her talents are useful. I had planned to ease her into the reality of our cause."
"J-Jin?" Nia asked, dumbstruck.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jin, the same Jin that had carved his way through an Indoline warship to rescue her from execution. Who had taken her in when the whole world was against her. Who had given her a purpose when she had nothing.
Was… just using her?
A subtle shutter ran through the deck as the Maelstrom shoved off, quickly gaining speed as it fled from the ancient derelict. It brought her back into focus. She… still had a job to do, and now was no time to let her emotions take the lead. Protect the salvage ship, find a way off the derelict, then let her heart break once she was safe.
Malos rushed her with renewed vigor, eager to remove the obstacle in his path so he could sink the fleeing ship. Nia brought her weapons to bear, gathering ether for another attack.
She prepared to block a strike from his Sword Tonfa, but the attack didn't come from there. As he pulled his Blade back to swing, his empty off-hand lashed out, wreathed in rolling violet power. He struck her Twin Rings, and the Blade weapons shattered like glass.
They barely even provided any resistance to his strike as the hand continued forward, toward her chest. As it approached, Nia's instincts screamed at her to not let that hand touch her. She knew with absolute certainty that it would kill her.
Dodging back, she attempted to pull at her bond with Dromarch to summon a new copy of his Twin Rings, but the momentary panic from her proximity to Malos' dark power caused her focus, as well as her hold on her Driver form, to slip ever so slightly.
Instead of a pair of fang-shaped crystals, she manifested a single weapon core, the normal blue marbled with red.
Her hand began to close around the handle even before the ether construct had fully solidified.
Malos' eyes widened, and he leapt back to a safe range.
And then… Jin was there.
In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the full length of the derelict's deck, and with a single swipe of his Nodachi shattered Nia's half-formed Blade before she had even realized she had called the wrong one.
The rush of air from his sudden movement struck Nia almost as hard as any blow she had ever received from an opponent. She was thrown back, bouncing off the deck amidst the disintegrating shards of her weapon, before crashing painfully into the railing of the deck.
"My lady!" Dromarch cried in the distance, as the Tiger Blade struggled against Malos' reptilian one. He attempted to return to his Driver's side, but the other Blade wrapped its arms around his hind legs.
Stars exploded in her vision as her head smacked into the railing, disorienting her. The Gormotti Driver groaned as she attempted to regain her bearings, distantly aware of the sound of footsteps approaching her.
A foot planted itself on her sternum, the toe causing the small armor band she wore around her bust to dig into the skin above her stomach.
"Nia." Came Jin's voice.
Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. Jin was standing above her, his own giving her a cold stare.
"Make no mistake," he said, "all humans are our enemy. Whether or not they actively support Indol does not absolve them of their role in our oppression."
"J-Jin…" Nia stuttered weakly, still fighting off disorientation. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"
The man's eye hardened. "If you cannot understand this…" he replied, raising his sword. Jin lowered the tip of the blade slowly until it just barely touched her concealed Core Crystal.
"…Then the only thing I can offer you is the same mercy I did the boy."
Her eyes widened as the last remaining thread of her idolization of Jin snapped, clearing away the lingering disorientation from her impact. Jin… was actually going to kill her. Even now, she could feel the pressure of his sword against her Core Crystal, every bit as much a promise of his intent as his words had been.
Nia couldn't escape. Anything she did would take too long. Summon her Twin Rings, drop her Driver form… even if Dromarch tried to intervene, Jin would be able to drive his sword through her Core faster.
She was going to die.
"Eirian… Dad…" She muttered, "I'm sorry…"
Jin narrowed his eyes, his grip on the hilt of his sword shifting slightly. Time seemed to slow down for her final moments as she watched the man prepare to end her life. His hand rose slightly, the pressure on her chest abating as he built momentum. Malos, off in the distance, placed a foot on the Aegis' casket as he casually readied an ether attack on the fleeing Maelstrom.
And the clouds parted as a spear of golden light screamed down towards the dark-haired man.
The stormy night turned to day for an instant as the heavenly beam punched through the deck, causing the derelict ship to rock violently. Nia flinched away from the sudden flash, closing her eyes in a vain attempt to shield them. Distantly, she registered that Jin was no longer in front of her.
On the far side of the fresh hole in the deck, Jin and Malos came to an abrupt halt, the former holding the latter by the back of his armor.
"Thanks for the save." Malos muttered, dusting off his armor.
Jin ignored him, looking at their surroundings. "That shot. It wasn't directed at you."
"No." The black-armored Driver replied, catching sight of the debris scattered around the deck. The thin metal fragments were too small to have come from the deck, so they must have… "The angle was wrong to hit me directly. She was targeting herself."
"Suicide?" His companion muttered.
"She must have been desperate to keep me from claiming her power. How pitiful." Malos scoffed. "And she nearly took me too. I didn't think she had it in her."
"What now?" Jin replied, with a glance. "Without her power, the way to Elysium lies closed."
"There will be a way." Malos promised, glaring off into the distance. "That damned Serpent ought to have some weakness."
It was then that he noticed something. Through the hole in the deck, a faint green glow was emanating from the hold below.
"What's this?" He muttered with a smirk. "Looks like my partner may have had another trick up her sleeve."
The glow increased in strength, quickly shifting from green to a brilliant gold. It was too deep in the ship to tell the source, but Malos could recognize that glow anywhere.
"You missed, Mythra!" He taunted, gesturing down into the hole with his Sword Tonfa as he did. "Are you going to come up here and face me, or has your little beauty sleep dulled your capabilities?"
As if responding to his jeers, the light source suddenly began to ascend, racing up towards them. As it approached, a battlecry resounded from within the ship, one that Malos… didn't recognize.
It was masculine, but not particularly deep. Like it was coming from a young man rather than an adult…
"That brat." He muttered. "She must be really desperate to take him as her Driver."
A brilliant star burst forth from the hold, bathing the deck in golden light. It arced high over the derelict ship before descending amidship. With a burst of power, the star touched down, revealing itself to be the young salvager Jin had killed only minutes earlier.
He was holding Mythra's Aegis sword, as Malos expected, the light of the sword's energy blade driving away the darkness of the stormy night. He was breathing heavily, as if filling his lungs for the first time.
What the black-haired Driver had not expected, however, was to see Mythra's emerald Core Crystal on his chest. There was no mistaking it; the crystal's distinctive appearance was clearly discernible even with the undersuit of the boy's salvaging gear partially covering it.
The boy glowed with her power, but Malos could detect no affinity link running from him. In fact, he felt almost identical to Mikhail when he was cutting loose.
Malos began to laugh, as if Rex's appearance was the most hilarious joke he had ever heard.
"Well well…" he chortled. "She must have really thought you were something else, kid."
Rex raised his sword, pointing the tip of the blade directly at him. "'Kid'?" He asked angrily. "Hah! If being a backstabbing psychopath is what you think's an adult, that's basically a compliment!"
Behind Malos, Jin slowly began reaching back for his sword once again. However, he had barely even grabbed it before his companion stopped him.
"Don't." Malos said, sliding into a combat stance. "I want to get a taste of just what she saw in him."
Rex slowly began to circle around the hole in the deck, watching the man carefully. His immediate instinct was to charge in and demonstrate exactly what he thought of the older man's behavior, but Mythra's warning to not underestimate him was still fresh in his mind.
Instead, he focused on his surroundings, getting a feel for the battlefield around him. The hole would be a problem, with all three of them so close to it. Salvaging equipment was scattered around the deck, providing intermittent cover. Where was the Maelstrom, anyway? He didn't see any bodies, so he hoped they had escaped, but that didn't guarantee anything.
The rain was an issue, too. The slick surface of the deck would complicate his footwork, and the sound of the rain falling would mask sounds, like the footsteps steadily approaching behind him.
Wait, footsteps?
He turned, ducking as he did, to avoid an unarmed swipe by Sever. The reptilian Blade made a follow-up attack, but Rex blocked it with his blade.
The impact caused the two to skid back from one another. Rex brought his blade up into an immediate guard, while Sever began charging an ether attack in his hands.
"Let me get a cut of him, Malos!" The Blade said eagerly, the wind ether crackling around him.
He didn't get the chance to release it. As he focused on Rex, an echoing roar of sound and ether blasted the reptilian Blade off his feet, announcing the return of his prior opponent to the battle.
"Rex." The Tiger Blade greeted, dashing up to the boy. "It gladdens me to see you in good health."
"You're… Dromarch, right?" Rex asked, thinking back. He hadn't interacted very much with the Blade during the trip, but he was sure that was his name. "I thought you and Nia were with them?"
The tiger drooped his head, but still kept his eyes on Sever, who had landed in a pile of salvaging equipment. "I'm afraid my Lady's refusal to dispose of your fellow salvagers has thrown our affiliation with them into question."
"She did? Then the others are all right?" Rex asked, feeling much less tense about the situation.
"Indeed." The Blade confirmed, a note of worry in his voice. "My Lady was able to occupy their attention while the Maelstrom escaped safely, but it has incurred a toll. Her battle with them has left her in a bad way, I'm afraid."
Rex nodded in acknowledgment. "I think I can help with that." Keeping an eye on his opponents, the boy reached into his satchel with one hand, fishing around for something.
"Here," he said, pulling a pair of vials filled with glowing green liquid out. "I don't keep many healing potions on me, but hopefully this will be enough."
"They will more than suffice. Thank you, Master Rex." The Blade replied gratefully, before grabbing the potions with his mouth.
"Just get her patched up." Rex said, renewing his combat stance. "I'll keep them busy for a few minutes."
"Bold words, brat." Malos' voice came from above.
Rex immediately brought his sword up to block the man's blow, the gold-and-green energy blade meeting the blue ether crystal of Malos'.
The older man pushed off the blade-lock, landing several feet back with a slight slide. Sever, having extracted himself from the tangled pile of salvaging gear, fell into position behind him. An affinity link snapped into existence between the pair, glowing a soft light blue as the Blade fed ether into his Driver.
"Alright then," he said, a vicious grin on his face as wind ether swirled around his Blade. "Let's see just how you stack up against my last partner."
Malos surged forward, and Rex charged to meet him.
"My Lady!" Dromarch called as he ran up to his injured Driver. The girl had managed to get to her feet, although she still required the railing to lean on.
She looked over at him, giving the Blade a weak grin. "Nice for you to finally join me." She said, the good-natured tone of the jab diminished as she winced.
Rather than replying, the tiger set the two potion vials down at her feet. "Courtesy of Master Rex, my Lady." He explained.
"Oh, so it's 'master' Rex now." The girl chuckled. "I see how it is…"
Nia paused, looking down at the potions, and then at Dromarch. "Wait… how did you call out to me if you were carrying these in your gob?"
The Blade gave her a level stare. "My Lady, I do not believe now is the time to ask questions such as that."
Shaking her head, the Gormotti Driver downed both potions in a single gulp. Almost immediately, she could feel her wounds begin to mend, the ether-infused liquid being absorbed far faster by her Flesh Eater biology than a normal human could hope for.
A flash in the distance caught her attention. Malos and Rex had locked blades, briefly engaging in a shoving match before the latter relented, leaning off to the side as he did. Malos, unbalanced by the sudden lack of resistance, staggered forward.
Rex attempted to follow up with a strike to the torso, but a well timed shield courtesy of Sever caused his strike to bounce away. He was forced to leap backwards to dodge a retaliatory strike from the older Driver.
The two combatants circled each other for a moment, before charging again. Rex opened with an Art, a spinning double slash that Malos weaved between before countering with an Art of his own. The resulting blast of wind ether threw Rex back a few feet, but the boy recovered before touching down.
"My Lady." Dromarch nudged her hand with his snout, snapping her back to attention.
Nia shook her head and took a quick assessment of her injuries. The potions had already done a fair amount of work, but she could already feel their potency wane as the healing slowed down.
Pulling on her bond with Dromarch, she summoned a new pair of weapon cores. The fang-shaped crystals pulsated in her hands for a moment, before erupting in a flash of ether that quickly solidified into the shape of her Blade's familiar Twin Rings.
She gave them an experimental twirl, releasing a ring of softly glowing ether. Almost immediately, she could feel her remaining injuries fade away as the healing Art took effect.
The injuries were still sore, of course, as were her muscles. She would need a few hours of rest for her body to properly take over for the ether binding her wounds, but that was hardly unexpected.
"Dromarch." She called. "Let's go."
"At once, my Lady." The tiger Blade said, offering his back to her.
Nia leapt on, grabbing ahold of his armor as the tiger dashed forward.
Their timing was good. As the charged forward, Malos had just dodged another blow from Rex. Flipping backwards over Sever, Malos tossed his Sword Tonfa over to the reptilian Blade.
"Let's see how you handle THIS!" Sever cried in glee, the ether channels across his body alight with power. With a vigorous yell, the Blade launched a glowing blade of wind ether at the boy.
Rex tried to bring his blade up into a guard, but the attack was so fast that he barely had time to react. The blast slammed into him, tossing the boy back with a pained grunt. He rolled across the deck, finally coming to a stop a full ten feet back.
He quickly brought himself to his knees, sword in position to block the anticipated follow-up strike. Malos didn't disappoint, the older man already charging towards him with an Art readied.
"You're not bad, kid! Especially for not having been a Driver!" He yelled as he charged. "But controlling that power requires more than just a bit of talent!"
The older man launched a spinning kick, a trail of wind ether flowing in its wake. Rex braced himself for the hit, wedging the point of his sword into the ground, and faced the flat of the blade towards his opponent.
It never managed to land, as Nia and Dromach got there first. The Tiger Blade landed in front of Rex, projecting a shield just in time to stop his Driver's former ally.
"Nia! Dromarch!" The boy called.
"Rex, are you alright?" The Gormotti Driver asked, giving him a glance over. He seemed to be in… surprisingly good shape, considering that Jin had run his heart through just a half-hour earlier.
As the boy stood up, Nia got a good look at his chest and gasped. He… had a Core Crystal. A complete one! And that color…
She looked over at the hole in the deck, surrounded by the wreckage of the Aegis' casket. "Rex, you…" she muttered.
"Well, look who's finally decided to join us." Malos snarked, pacing in front of them as Sever rejoined him.
Nia ignored him as she slid off of Dromarch's back, Twin Rings at the ready as she took a combat stance. "Rex," she said quietly, "we need to find a way off the ship. I don't think we can take them both at the moment."
"You're right." Rex agreed, gritting his teeth in frustration. He didn't like the idea of just running, especially from someone like Malos. But between the fight the older man had given them, and Mythra's warning about the other Aegis, he knew they didn't have much of a choice.
"I have an idea, but I'll need you to keep him busy for a moment." He said, raising the blade Mythra had given him. "Can you get him close to the port railing?"
His new companion gave him a determined grin. "I think we can manage that." She replied. "Dromarch and I still owe him some payback for earlier."
The girl immediately charged in, while Rex darted off behind a pile of salvaging equipment to the side. The boy knelt down, looked at his sword for a moment, and focused.
During the battle, he had seen both Sever and Dromarch employ ether attacks, ones far more powerful than the Arts their drivers were regularly employing. Maybe if he could replicate one, he could give them the chance to withdraw.
Rex was no stranger to manipulating ether. Gramps had taught him the technique to call upon ambient ether for Arts years ago. Back then, the wizened old Titan had called it an archaic technique, from an era when Driver aptitude was rare.
Since waking up, he had found his capability to use ether had increased drastically, the Core Crystal on his chest happily pumping it out in frankly ludicrous quantities. Whereas before he had needed to work to empower himself for even a handful of Arts in a battle, during his brief clash with Malos he had been chaining Art after Art with barely any strain, even when he threw a few unfocused blasts of light ether at the man to throw him off.
He could do this, he just needed to work out the best way to use it.
Peeking out from behind cover, he saw that Nia was keeping pace with their shared opponent. Dromarch and Sever, rather than engaging each other as before, had instead restricted themselves to the normal rearguard support position.
Importantly, however, Nia had managed to maneuver Malos into the position he had requested.
Rex charged out from his hiding place, unable to resist letting loose a battlecry as he charged. He pulled at the ether flowing from his Core Crystal, shaping it to both reinforce his body further and empower his sword.
His battlecry wavered with a hiss as a burning sensation flowed through him, but he continued forward none the less.
Malos turned towards him as he parried a blow from Nia. The boy was traced in ether lines, far thinner than any a natural Blade would possess, but glowing every bit as bright. He shifted his Tonfa into its shield configuration as he braced for the incoming strike.
The boy took a leap, his blade raised over his left shoulder in a two-handed grip. His body was wreathed in light ether, eager to be directed outward. As he descended, he slashed downward with a yell.
"Cross…!" He completed the slash as he landed, a diagonal blow from shoulder to waist. Yet, it was not complete. No sooner had he touched down, but the boy leapt forward again, the sword primed for another downward sweep in the opposite direction.
"…Flash!" The second strike wasn't merely physical. Mid-swing, the built-up ether charge on the Aegis Sword's blade burst, throwing Malos backwards towards the nearby railing.
He tumbled back, striking the rail at full speed. Rex was momentarily elated as the man continued on, tumbling over the rail, but his excitement was dashed as Malos grabbed ahold of it at the last moment.
"Malos!" Sever cried, leaping to the aid of his Driver. The Blade threw himself in front of Rex and Nia, poised to stop them from taking advantage of the older man's position.
"Damn." Rex muttered, wincing at the lingering burning sensation across his body. "Nearly had him there."
Nia took note of his pained expression and gave the boy a quick inspection. Even in the poor lighting, she could make out clear burns tracing his exposed skin, directly following the pattern of his ether lines. That, unfortunately, made it clear that it wasn't something she would be able to heal.
Before either of them could begin to plan their next steps, the derelict shuddered as another vessel raised up from the Cloud Sea beside it.
"The Monoceros." Nia said, dread filling her as the ship's deck guns deployed. She had seen a demonstration of exactly what those weapons could do a few weeks ago when Mikhail had been running some ammunition experiments. The thought of being on the receiving end was… not a pleasant one.
"Heh. Took him long enough to get here." Malos snorted, vaulting back onto the deck. He dusted himself off as he looked over at his two young opponents. "Its a fun, really took me back! But it looks like it's the end of the line, brats."
Rex brought his sword into a guard, not exactly confident in his ability to block warship-grade firepower. Nia, on the other hand, jumped onto Dromarch's back, urging the Blade to run. She snaked out an arm as they passed Rex, grabbing the boy by the collar.
"Hey!" he cried, taken off guard.
"Those guns will tear us apart if we don't get into cover!" Nia said. "We can hunker down on the far side of the hull, but we need a way off this ship now!" Pulling the boy behind her, she gestured towards the far side of the deck. "Dromarch, over the rail!"
"Understood, my Lady!" The tiger replied, scrambling across the deck.
Behind them, the derelict shook violently as the Monoceros fired upon them. Rex, still being pulled by the collar, could feel the heat wash from the near miss. Chancing a glance back, he saw one of the guns was leading their trajectory.
"Dodge!" He called out, reaching for the ether flowing through his body once more. The boy felt a renewed twinge of pain as his ether lines, still aching from the improvised Blade special, protested the increased flow of power.
Whether Dromarch understood what he was saying, or was merely strafing on instinct, the Tiger Blade switched direction in an instant. The deck gun fired, but went wide as its target deviated from the predicted course.
Rex, seeing the shot go wide, returned fire with a blast of light ether from his blade. It struck the offending deck gun, but the boy was unable to gauge whether it had any effect as Dromarch cleared the railing and the guns fell out of his line of sight.
The three impromptu allies came to a halt, Nia jumping off of her Blade's back and Rex getting to his feet.
"What now?" The boy asked, giving a wary glance up to the deck.
Nia looked around. "Do you know if the Maelstrom was able to load up its parasite Titan ships?"
He shook his head. "I'm not sure. They hadn't when we went below deck, but the could have while we were in the hold."
"Let's hope they didn't" She girl said, balancing herself as a salvo from the Monoceros rocked the derelict. "We're definitely not leaving with Malos and Jin."
"If they're still here, one'll be fixed to the hull just ahead." Rex noted, gesturing in the direction of the derelict's bow. "I'll need to do a dive to free it, but…" he trailed off.
Nia's ears perked up as he did, suddenly aware of a… trilling screech approaching them. She looked up toward the deck in confusion. That sounded almost like a… Titan.
A fiery glow bloomed from over the deck, but there was none of the shuddering that would have accompanied another barrage. She could hear the sound of an impact, but it sounded more distant, like the Monoceros had been hit instead of the derelict.
"What in the…?" She muttered, a minuscule seed of hope bubbling in her chest. Had someone come to rescue them?"
"Look!" Rex yelled excitedly, pointing into the sky. Sure enough, Nia could see the outline of a draconic Titan in the sky, its mouth illuminated in a burning glow as it wheeled around the bow of the derelict for another attack. "That's Gramps!"
Rex pulled out his sword, the energy blade engaging as he did, and began to wave it wildly over his head. The Titan dived towards the deck of the derelict vessel, spewing a burst of meteor-like fireballs in his wake. Nia and Rex tracked his flight path over the ship, briefly obscured from view by the superstructure, before coming about once more.
The Titan shed speed as he came in, hovering over the Cloud Sea just off the starboard side of the ship.
"Get on!" He called, already preparing to accelerate once more.
The party needed no further prompting, quickly scrabbling aboard. No sooner had they landed than the old Titan, Azurda, took off. He skimmed the surface of the sea as he gained speed, before rapidly ascending in an attempt to escape the traversal range of the Monoceros' guns.
Azurda grunted as he took more than a few solid hits. He muttered a curse at the, in this case unfortunate, skill the Tornese had possessed with engineering. That weapons forged half a millennium ago could still function so well would normally be considered a laudable achievement, were he not the current target of them.
Eager to leave their range, he put on another burst of speed, wincing slightly as he heard Rex's abode shear off his back. The ammunition began to fall short of the Titan, instead detonating in the air behind him. Still, Azurda didn't slow his pace in the slightest, making top speed for the nearest Landmass Titan, all the while pointedly ignoring the increasing numbness he felt as his lifeblood dripped away into the dark of the night.
Author's Notes
I've been posting this story on Ao3 for the last few weeks, but I've finally decided to crosspost here for the sake of anyone who doesn't prefer that site.
This story is inspired by A New Aegis by Speedii (s/13841580/1/A-New-Aegis), which used a concept I found fascinating, but sadly was abandoned after a few short updates.
