Tora was confused when he returned to the Ardainian Consulate the next day, toting an oversized bag filled with equipment. It had nothing to do with finding Rex and Nia; while the guards had been unhelpful initially, once he had confirmed he was a member of their party, they had escorted him to the private chamber where they were having breakfast.
No, it was the fact that both Rex and Nia were avoiding looking at each other, instead hesitantly averting their gazes whenever it looked like they were going to meet.
They had been a little like this when he first invited them into his home, now that he thought of it. Had they had another fight after he left last night? He certainly hoped not.
Although, considering that both of their faces were red, perhaps they were sick instead?
He waddled up to the table, Poppi following close behind, and took a seat next to Dromarch. The tiger Blade was idly watching his Driver while he ate, an amused expression on his face. Beside him, Azurda, the little… Titan (not a Blade, he reminded himself. He was a little hurt that Rex has been deceiving him about that, but from what little he understood about this whole 'Aegis' thing, it was apparently a smart move), was whispering something into the tiger's ear.
"…orable how embarrassed they are." The Titan said, just loud enough for the other two to hear. "And from something so innocent too!" He shoved a bright red berry into his mouth as he chuckled.
The flush on Rex and Nia's faces deepened.
"Indeed." The tiger replied with a mirthful grin. "I cannot see why they are so abashed. After all, both of them were quite vehement that nothing occurred."
Tilting his head in curiousity, Tora plopped down on a nearby seat. "What friends talking about?" He asked, looking between the four.
"Oh, thank the Architect." Rex cried in relief, slumping over on the table. "Please tell me you have literally anything else to talk about, Tora!"
"Ah ha ha…" Tora replied, scratching the back of his head with a wing. "Tora not understand what happening, but that ok! All prepared for big big adventure!"
Nia perked up, pointedly ignoring the smug grin her Blade was offering her. "That's a lot of stuff you've got there, Tora." She noted. It wasn't an exaggeration; the bag he was carting around was nearly as big as he was. "Do you really need all of that? It's generally best to travel as light as possible."
"Contents of bag mostly repair equipment for Poppi." The artificial Blade replied in her creator's stead. "Poppi not regenerate like normal Blade, so Masterpon need much much equipment to keep fighting fit!" With a perfectly straight face, she added, "Besides, carrying bag good for Masterpon. Needs all exercise can get."
"Meh meh!?" The Nopon exclaimed, turning to face the mechanical girl. "Why Poppi say such slander about Masterpon!? Tora not program Poppi like that!"
"Sounds like she's got your number." Nia teased. "I think the only exercise you did while we were staying with you was speed eating."
Rex chuckled, glad to have the attention directed away from him. "Don't worry, Tora." He reassured the Nopon innocently. "I'll have you know that physical labor is an excellent way to get into shape!"
Tora deflated at the commentary. "Meh meh…" He said, slumping in his chair. "Tora not even left on adventure yet, and friends already making fun."
"It is generally considered something of a right of passage among many martial groups, Tora." A voice spoke from the door. The occupants of the room turned around at the sound of it to find Morag entering the dining chamber.
"Good morning, Special Inquisitor." Azurda greeted, grabbing a slice of fruit the size of his head out of the bowl. "What can we do for you?"
She strode over to the table, her eyes briefly passing over Tora's bag. "I saw that your friend here has joined you, so I was hoping to work out your itinerary for the remainder of your time on Gormott."
"Oh, is that all?" Nia asked, taking a bite out of a sliver of fish. "We're planning on following your advice and checking the docks for passage to Tadbir. Hopefully on a ship leaving today, if we can swing it."
Looking at the others, she added, "Unless anyone's got something they need to do before we head out, of course."
"Tora all ready to go." The Nopon replied. "House all cleaned up and equipment hidden. Tora not have many acquaintances, so easy to say goodbye." It was sad to think about, but his closest associate in Torigoth had been the shady information broker.
Frowning, he muttered, "Well, Tora would really like to get even with sketchypon Turuni, but Tora understand not reasonable." He'd like to get the older Nopon back somehow for getting him kidnapped by those two Blades, but he understood that wasn't realistic at the moment.
"'Get even?'" Nia asked curiously. "I'm pretty sure he's going to end up being thrown in a cage too. What would 'getting even' even mean for a Nopon?"
Tora frowned. "Tora not put much thought into." He admitted, scratching his chin. "If just Tora, would tie up and make watch as Tora burn all accumulated information page-by-page. But with assistance of Poppi, maybe... wrap with fish flakes and dangle from leg above Cloud Sea until hungry Aligo take interest?"
Rex and Nia just stared at him for a moment. Seeing their reactions, he frantically waved his wings in the air as he amended, "T-Tora not actually feed Turuni to Aligo! Just make sweat!" He defended. "Probably…"
"'Didn't put much thought into it', he says." Azurda commented, giving the Nopon a skeptical look.
"I'm afraid you'll have to settle for him being arrested." Morag replied, raising an eyebrow at his surprising vicious side. "It may not be nearly as satisfying as a more… personal revenge, but this way you will not be chancing your own freedom as well."
He nodded. "Tora understand. Just hope Turuni have long and uncomfortable stay in Ardainian prison."
"I cannot speak to the latter, but you may be pleased to learn that he has assured the former." The Ardainian woman informed him. "In addition to the conspiracy charge that all of the Consul's co-conspirators will be receiving, as well as the accessory to kidnapping one from his dealings with you, my men just so happened to apprehend him in the middle of adding a racketeering charge to the list." She looked particularly unimpressed by the older Nopon's behavior. "Needless to say, it will be some time before he sees the outside of a prison cell."
"Good." Tora said, feeling a little better. "Tora will celebrate with long and fulfilling adventure while Turuni rot in cell." His face fell slightly. "Grampypon always say that best revenge." He muttered sadly.
Rex gave him a concerned look. "Are you okay, Tora?" He asked.
The Nopon shook his head. "N-not worry, Rex-Rex." He reassured. "It nothing to concern with. Tora just have bad memory."
"…If you're sure." Rex replied. He didn't believe the Nopon in the slightest, but knew that pushing the matter wouldn't help either of them at the moment. Instead, he looked back over at Nia. "I guess that means we're all set, then."
"You may find passage difficult at the moment, I'm afraid." Morag spoke up, drawing their attention.
Rex tilted his head. "Huh, why's that?" He asked. "I know the Consul closed a bunch of the ports while he was hunting us, but I'd have thought they'd be reopened by now."
"Dammit, of course!" Nia cursed, realizing what Morag was saying. "There's still disruptions from the closures, aren't there?"
The Special Inquisitor confirmed her suspicion with a nod. "Yes. While all transportation restrictions have been revoked as of this morning, it will still be some time before everything is operating normally again. Limiting all traffic to just Torigoth, and only following careful inspection, has created a considerable backlog of ships in the harbor. As it stands, it will be some time before affairs return to normal."
"How long are we talking?" Nia asked, seeming to almost dread the answer.
"Weeks, at the very least." Morag replied apologetically. "Some of the other ports might offer better prospects, but considering they have been redirecting their normal traffic to Torigoth for the last few days, I cannot guarantee that you will have any more luck there."
Rex frowned as she spoke. "That's certainly annoying." He said. "I know there isn't a rush, but I'd rather not just sit around here if we can avoid it."
Tora grabbed a fruit out of the bowl as they discussed travel plans, frowning. He had to agree with Rex, it would be pretty disappointing to have to stick around here after going through the trouble to pack and seal up his home. But with travel still so messed up, there wasn't much of an option; after all, it wasn't like he had a boat…
A boat… Wait a minute, he didn't have a boat, but that didn't mean he didn't potentially have access to one.
"Tora may be able to help." He offered tentatively. "Grampypon have old friend that run shipyard near bum-bum of Gormott called Umon! Maybe help if Tora ask!"
"…How close to the rear?" Nia asked hesitantly, suddenly rather concerned about the geography. Rex gave her a worried look, but didn't say anything.
"Above rear leg." He answered. "Tora know villages even further down back, but Umon Shipyard closest to actual bum-bum"
"By 'rear leg', I assume you mean Melnath's shoulder?" Morag asked, trying to place the location in her mind. "That would place it close to… Lasanne, I believe?"
Tora nodded. "Friend is right! Umon Shipyard on outskirts of village. Grampypon always say Umon take advantage of cheap lumber from village."
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "That shouldn't be too far off from…" The woman muttered, drawing the group's attention.
"Something else wrong?" Nia asked, frowning. "'Cause if there is, you might as well just come out and say it. I'd rather not do the three-day trek to Lasanne just for it to be a bust."
Morag shook her head. "Nothing of the sort." She reassured them. "On the contrary, I have certain… business in the area." She gave Azurda a knowing look. "I may be able to offer you transport to this shipyard, if you are willing."
"I'm certainly up for it!" Rex nodded enthusiastically. "No point not to, if you're headed that direction anyway."
"Saves us the walk, at least." Nia agreed. "Even if it's a bust, it's only a day or so out from White Chair, where we might have better prospects."
Dromarch nodded in agreement with his Driver. "Indeed." Looking up at the Ardainian woman, he asked, "At what time would we be departing, in this case?"
She pondered for a moment. "Mid afternoon at the earliest." She settled on after a minute. "My business in the vicinity of Lasanne is crucial, to be sure, but I will need to ensure the cleanup of Dughall's… incident will proceed smoothly while I am gone."
As the Special Inquisitor worked out the exact timing with Nia and Rex, Tora couldn't help but wonder what sort of business she had in a rural town on the Titan's rump. Azurda seemed to know based on the look they shared earlier, so it must be related to whatever her Blade had needed to urgently discuss last night.
Ultimately, it was probably unimportant to him. Probably bandits taking advantage of the uproar in Torigoth to raid smaller settlements or something. He didn't exactly understand what her job actually entailed, but she did raid the thieves base, so maybe that was the sort of thing she did normally?
"…Like a plan, then." Azurda said, agreeing with whatever Morag had been saying. "We'll be ready by then."
Tora perked up, suddenly realizing that he had inadvertently tuned out part of the conversation. It seemed like they had come to an agreement about the transport to Umon's Shipyard.
Morag gave the party a curt nod. "In that case, I will take my leave." She said politely. "I'm sorry to keep you so restricted, but-"
"We understand." Rex waved off her apology. "You've had your soldiers running around after us for the last few days; us popping up free and clear'll just spook people." The boy frowned, looking over the others. "'Course, if we were going to be staying longer, then I'd have a few more complaints, but if it's just a few hours, we can find something to keep us occupied."
"I would request that you take the time to contact Investigator Niranira during the wait." She recommended. "I believe I told you earlier how eager he was to debrief you about the events of your salvaging mission."
Rex snapped his fingers. "Right! I forgot about that!" He said, a little embarrassed it had slipped his mind.
"Just ask one of the guards when you're ready, and they'll escort you to a room with a communication terminal." She said. With that, the Ardainian woman turned and left the room.
Nia barely waited for the woman to close the door before grabbing another plate of roasted fish. "Well, I guess that means we've got a couple of hours to kill." She said, idly spinning her fork before stabbing the top slice of fish.
"Shame we're stuck here for the time being, though." Rex said, staring out the window toward the coast. "I was kinda hoping to at least take one dive while we were on Gormott."
Azurda chuckled. "Think of it as a vacation." He said, grabbing a berry off of his plate. "You'll get the chance some other time. It's not like the Cloud Sea is going anywhere, after all." Inspecting the fruit, he added, "Besides, at least you have something to do."
Tora frowned. "Why friends stuck inside? Inquisitor lady not take down wanted posters?"
"Masterpon need work on hearing." Poppi said next to him in a disapproving tone. "Inquisitor lady ask friends to stay inside because scare locals if free. Friends associated with big big search in city, after all."
"Additionally, a number of the bounty hunters the Consul hired have yet to be accounted for." Dromarch added, in between bites of his own meal. "They may not be aware that their employers have been apprehended, or potentially worse, intend to pursue us regardless."
"All the more reason to take Morag up on her offer." Rex agreed, before he returned to his food.
Dughall's head shot up as the door to the interrogation room slowly opened.
Well, perhaps 'interrogation room' was something of an overstatement; in reality, it was a small conference room on the Ardainian Battleship, sparsely decorated, but hardly uncomfortable. That he was in here, and not an actual interrogation room in the brig, was entirely due to his noble status.
Still, it rankled him to be treated with such disrespect! He may have only been the Consul of this backwater dump of a Titan, but he was still a Consul nonetheless! His position alone should be sufficient to compel the useless ingrates guarding him to release him at once!
Damn that Morag Ladair! If she hadn't been around, he could have had the Aegis in his hands by now! He could have left this flea-ridden backwater and returned to Alba Cavanich a hero! Gained the favor of the Emperor, even! There wouldn't have been any need for him to ride on Roderich's coattails anymore were he the new Driver of the Aegis!
He ignored the voice in the back of his head telling him that taking the Aegis for himself would have meant crossing Chairman Bana, who was the one actually bankrolling his search. What did his subconscious know, anyway? So what if he had promised to give Bana the Aegis? Once he was her Driver, dealing with that oversized sumpkin would have been a trivial matter!
But no, that nosy little bitch just had to dig something up to drag him in. No doubt, she'd be trying to pin more corruption charges on him, probably related to his dealings with Bana. They wouldn't stick, of course—they never did—but the delay had him nervous none the less. That contractor… he had probably captured the Driver of the Aegis by now and was on the hunt for Dughall's new Blade. If he wasn't out of here soon, he may miss the pickup!
After a moment of leaving the door hanging open, the Special Inquisitor herself strode into the room, her Blade at her back. The woman gave him a level stare as he glared at her, not even bothering to feign civility. After dragging him out of his home in the middle of the night, the aristocrat couldn't be bothered to afford her even that level of respect.
"Why, Special Inquisitor Ladair." He sneered. "It's about time you showed your face. Tell me, did you enjoy humiliating me in front of my servants?"
Infuriatingly, the blasted woman gave no reaction to his provocation. Nay, she didn't even act as if she had noticed him! Instead, she merely took a seat and began flipping through the pile of papers she was carrying!
Well, if that was how she was going to play it… "Tell me, what sort of flimsy 'evidence' have you scrounged up this time?" He asked haughtily, looking at the notes she was leafing through. "You must truly be desperate to have resorted to such a weak accusation. 'Suspicion of collaborating with enemies of the state?' How utterly droll! That's a wartime charge to get obstructionist senators out of the way and you know…!"
He trailed off as his eyes passed over the page she had just turned to, one that he recognized well. "No…" The color drained out of his face as she turned to the next page, another he recognized.
"No…" Those documents…! They were from his safe! His hidden safe! Those were the documents he didn't doctor, the ones about his dealings with Bana, about organizing the hunt for the Aegis.
About skimming off the top of the local taxes, too. "Oh no…" How did…!? She couldn't have…!? Oh, this was so very very bad!
Morag looked up at him, a malicious glimmer in her eyes shining through her professional demeanor. "I must say, Dughall; when I arrived on Gormott, I didn't think much of you. Your less than stellar track record led me to believe that you were little more than an incapable, inconsequential bureaucrat who had long ago reached the pinnacle of his meager ability."
Indicating down at the pile of papers, she continued. "After the events of the last week, however, I have been forced to reassess my opinion. You are not the man I thought you were after all."
She pushed the papers aside, looking the man in the eyes. "No, Dughall. You are an idiot."
Terror warred with indignation as Dughall desperately struggled to figure out how to save himself from the situation. Honestly, even from here, he could tell that he was almost certainly done. If she had gained access to his hidden safe, she already had just about everything she could possibly need!
Were it anyone else, he could try to have the evidence annulled due to an illegal search and seizure, but that wouldn't work with the Special Inquisitor. If she was after him, the answer to what her probable cause for searching his manor was could legitimately be 'yes', and there was little he could do about it.
As the right hand of the Emperor, certain laws and procedures were less 'rules' and more 'guidelines' for her.
"You… but…" What else could he use? He couldn't pass the documents off as anything legitimate—there was no way the damnable woman hadn't thoroughly examined them before coming here. But if he couldn't force her to discount them, then…
Wait! His status! It was a long shot, but if she had jumped the gun on her procedure, then perhaps…!
"T-this is a violation of my right to privacy!" He declared shakily, pointing a finger at the woman. "As a loyal retainer of his Imperial Majesty, I am to be guaranteed the privacy of my own affairs! Grand Charter of the Ardainian Kings, Article three, clause… uh, s-seven! Ah…" He couldn't actually remember the direct quote. Damn the fallibility of memory! "R-regardless, even you cannot violate that, Special Inquisitor." The man spat the title at her.
Distantly, he was aware that referencing the foundational document of the nobility's legal privileges was probably excessive, even considering the circumstances. Based on how the lines in the Special Inquisitor's face hardened, and her Blade's expression darkened, both were clearly of the same opinion.
But, it wasn't like he had many more options in this regard. The Grand Charter was one of the few legal documents that the Special Inquisitor had to adhere to under all circumstances. There were only a handful of means available for her to actually violate it, and he was hoping she hadn't had the opportunity to invoke them yet.
She stared at him, allowing an uncomfortable silence to settle over the room. Dughall made a valiant effort to match her gaze, but it quickly became oh so very difficult to do so. The room seemed to be so much warmer than before, with the sweat trickling down his neck, and why was his collar suddenly so tight?
Finally, mercifully, she spoke. "Dughall." She stated, almost pityingly. "You are aware that the article you are referencing includes exceptions, correct? That there are circumstances under which those rights can be violated?"
He did, of course. Like most of the document, he couldn't remember the exact wording, but he could remember the conditions under which the rights of individual nobles could be revoked—considering how frequently he tended to indulge in… side-affairs outside the scope of his position, knowing them was crucial. Importantly, he was certain he hadn't left any incriminating evidence behind, especially enough for her to be able to search his manor! The only other way she could have gotten the authority to do that was to have... "You…" he muttered in terror. "You, but… you would need a…!"
"The permission of an assembly of your peers." Morag confirmed. "Which is why I sought the approval of the Judicial Oversight Committee before executing the search. As it turns out, they were quite interested in exactly why you were attempting to capture the Aegis for a suspected associate of Torna."
"What!?" He sputtered, confusion briefly overriding his fear. "What in the Architect's name do you mean, 'associate of Torna'!? It was Chairman Bana who-!" Dughall slammed his mouth shut so hard that his teeth rattled as he realized what he was saying.
A brief flicker of amusement crossed the Special Inquisitor's features at his partial admission. "I suppose you would have no way to have known about that." She allowed, pulling a sheet of paper out of the pile. It wasn't one that he recognized, instead being what appeared to be a blank memo sheet.
"We have reason to believe the Chairman has been knowingly collaborating with members of Torna to acquire the Aegis." She stated. "At the very least, the Aegis was awoken during a joint venture between the two but subsequently escaped to Gormott. Our current understanding is that Bana is currently attempting to capture the Aegis for them."
Dughall drew in a harsh breath. If that were true, he could see exactly how she would have been able to convince the Judicial Oversight Committee to allow her to search his estate. Helping arm a terrorist organization would be bad enough, but arming them with the Blade capable of sinking Continental Titans?
"Tell me; if the Chairman made no mention of his partnership with Torna, exactly how did he claim to have known that the Aegis was active again, much less en route to Gormott?" She asked, her voice patient.
"I-I…" He trailed off, thinking it through. What would be the best way to play this off…? She already knew he had been dealing with Bana, but there was no way for her to know the exact details; those had been hashed out before she arrived. The best way would probably be to pin the blame entirely on Bana. "He didn't say! Bana has contacts all across Alrest, though; I presumed he had merely learned of it from one of those and was selling the information for a quick payout!"
Morag frowned, but didn't contradict him. "I see. So you claim to have purchased the information from him, not taken orders?"
"Of course!" Dughall huffed in indignation. It wasn't entirely an act, either; he always found the idea of following the orders of that puffed-up furball demeaning at best. "As if a Consul of Mor Ardain would lower himself to taking orders from some… low-born merchant!"
A mirthful snort sounded from the other side of the room. His eyes shot to Brighid, who, despite her placid expression, was daintily holding a hand over her mouth as she averted her gaze.
Whether or not she had heard it, the fire Blade's Driver did not react. "I see." Morag said, taking note of his response. "In that case, I must question your response to the situation. Under normal circumstances, the proper means of handling such a scenario would have been to assign the garrison commander to the search while reporting the situation back to the capital.
"Yet instead, you only assigned your personal guard to the search while consorting with disreputable information brokers to hire bounty hunters for the purpose. Further, despite this being a clear threat to the empire's security, you failed to report the Aegis' presence."
She stared him down. "I'm sure you understand how this looks, yes?"
Dughall clammed up, thinking of any defense he could muster. "T-those Core Crystal thieves!" He exclaimed, almost before he had arranged his thoughts. "The garrison was already stretched thin searching for them! And considering the trouble they had been causing, pulling men off of it to search for the Aegis would have caused a panic! S-so, I was forced to improvise!"
"I find it interesting that you should mention the thieves." Brighid suddenly spoke up, amusement coloring her tone. "You see, during our own search for the Aegis, we discovered the identity of the man leading their operation in Gormott."
What? When had they managed that? "You did?" He asked, a curious numbness growing in his stomach. There was something about her tone that was causing his damned subconscious to raise an alarm.
"Indeed." Morag added, flipping through the stack of papers. "In fact, I have a depiction of the man right here." After a moment of searching, she pulled out what she had been looking for.
She placed the sheet down, allowing Dughall to see it. It was a sketch, albeit a very accurate one, of a burly Gormotti man, one that he had, rather unfortunately, seen quite recently. The very same contractor who had contacted him the previous night, assuring him that he was on the verge of capturing the Driver of the Aegis.
"I see you are familiar with him." Brighid commented, watching as his face quickly shifted through a wide range of emotions, mostly related to fear. "Not that we are particularly surprised. You had quite the fascinating conversation with him the other day."
"Y-you… but…!" He stammered, trying to make sense of everything. Had they been listening in on his calls? Peeking in his windows?
Morag gently pulled the sheet out of his grasp. "I must thank you for keeping him entertained for so long." She replied, her tone professional, even if the cadence was almost mocking. "Because of how long he was on the line, we were able to trace the transmission back to his base of operations." A flash of annoyance briefly crossed her features. "Regrettably, we were unable to capture him alive, but we were able to locate both the Aegis and… Driver in his stead."
Dughall slumped forward in his chair, defeated. That was it, then. She had his secret records, evidence of his activities, and proof he had been working with criminals. She even had the Aegis! He had no chance of getting out of this.
"…Why are you here, your Grace?" He asked listlessly. He was just so… tired now. "What was the point of meeting with me? To gloat?"
The damnable woman closed her eyes, a faint, disapproving frown on her face. "Nothing of the sort, Dughall. I merely required your statement for posterity."
She stood up, tapping the pile of papers on the table to sort them. "I'm sure that you're aware of how this works, but you are to be transported to the capital for prosecution. From there, it will be your peers that decide your ultimate fate."
Turning toward the door, she added, "I am afraid that Senator Roderich will not be able to help you this time; even if he were a member of the Judicial Oversight Committee, he has already disavowed you."
Morag knocked at the door, alerting the guards that she was ready to leave. "You will be escorted back to your quarters, where you will remain for the rest of the trip." She said, stepping through the door as it swung open.
She looked back at him as she walked out, a pitying look on her face. "Goodbye, Dughall." She said. With that, she walked off, not sparing him another glance as the door slowly closed behind her.
"Woah!" Rex gasped, looking over the railing of the ship. "That's certainly a sight and a half, isn't it?"
Nia snorted at the boy. "You're gonna start catching flies if you keep your mouth hanging open like that." The Gormotti girl snarked, even as she looked out over the railing as well.
He snapped his mouth closed, giving the girl a petulant glare before looking back over the railing. It really was a fantastic view, though. After a full week on Gormott, most of which was away from the Cloud Sea, it was nice to be sailing again.
Granted, they were not on the Cloud Sea itself at the moment; while Morag had been happy to offer them a lift to Lasanne, she was also on a tight schedule, so rather than pass around the Titan's neck on the open sea, she had opted to take her vessel across Gormott's back.
From a navigational standpoint, that was actually a surprisingly difficult route. While much of Gormott was relatively flat for a Titan of its class, it did have its share of rougher terrain, in this case the Greatspine Mountains, a chain that ran through the center of the upper plate, dividing it in two.
On foot, this was easy enough to traverse; there was a fairly large gap between the upper chain—the mountains immediately adjacent to the neck—and the lower one—running from the mid-back to the Titan's tail—in the form of the Nocclia Woods, which, despite a chronic Gogol infestation, was fairly easy to traverse.
What complicated matters for air travel, however, was the large, thick arch above the forest that joined the two halves of the mountain chain together. It dramatically lowered the ceiling of the pass, allowing great vines to dangle down from above, something that made it exceedingly difficult to navigate anything larger than a medium Titan ship through the area.
Fortunately, the ship Morag was using was her personal cutter, a small, sleek Titan vessel designed specifically with a high speed and small crew in mind. While it was still big enough to make the traversal a bit difficult at times, that didn't mean that it couldn't make the passage far faster than following the coast.
Far below them at the moment was Varnax's Plunge, a great waterfall almost a hundred peds tall, fed by the outflow of water from both sides of the Greatspine Mountains. According to Dromarch, ever the knowledgeable one, it was where a large percentage of Gormott's potable water passed through, fed through various rivers branching off from the lake into dozens of other bodies of water across the right side of the upper plate, as well as through cracks in the ground feeding the marshes of the lower levels.
It was a shame they couldn't pass any closer to it. Alas, even if the flight path that would require hadn't meant straying into Tirkin territory, the rivers running through the Verdant Plateau, which fed the waterfall, were the favored watering holes of the local Taos population.
Of course, the waterfall was hardly the only spectacle present. When he had been told about the arch joining the two halves of the mountain chain, he had assumed it to be something similar to the hanging stoneforms common on the larger Leftherian Titans. Generally, these were narrow bands of stone-like material with the Titan's fluted scale pattern bowing out the center.
That turned out to be far from the truth. Instead, it would almost be better to call it a floating mountain than an arch, and quite literally, too—the mountains that made up the Greatspine chain were, in fact, Gormott's back spines. The arch was just another one of them, no smaller than the rest, that happened to have a traversable gap beneath it.
He hadn't been able to notice it from Torigoth, but as they approached on the cutter? It had been a spectacular sight.
"Tora never thought world have such amazing views!" The Nopon exclaimed beside him, flapping his wings in excitement. Behind him, Poppi was mimicking his reaction, raising her arms up and down to echo his flapping. "Is amazing start to adventure!"
Dromarch peered over the side from where he was sitting, catching the singular sunbeam that had made its way through the hanging foliage. "It truly is a far different experience, viewing the terrain from this angle." The tiger agreed, shifting slightly as the sunbeam slowly moved across the deck. "When viewed from the ground, the vista is marred by the need to fend off the accompanying wildlife."
"I believe you will find that the best view is yet to come". Brighid spoke up from behind them.
Rex looked over his shoulder at the fire Blade. "Oh, where's that?"
She responded by giving the boy an enigmatic smile. "It won't be visible for a few minutes yet, but I recommend you move to the other railing once we have finished traversing the pass."
With that, she slowly wandered over to the railing she had suggested, leaving more than enough room for the group to join her. Exchanging a series of quick glances, they decided to follow the Ardainian Blade's advice and wandered over.
At first, there was little to see. The forests of Gormott were certainly quite a sight, but beyond a handful of Grandarbors dominating the vista (including, Rex noticed, the ruined trunk of the one that had been pushed into the Duskbranch trail. Although he couldn't see it from here, apparently it was still occupied by the troop of Gogols led by the specimen the locals referred to as 'Gonzales'), there was little to see.
This was soon to change, though. After close to a half hour of travel, the cutter finally cleared the pass, and the group eagerly began looking for the view that Brighid had promised them.
"I'm not seeing anything." Nia said with a frown, casting her eyes around the side of Gormott's neck. "Are you sure this is the right angle?"
Brighid nodded confidently. "Certain. We're still a little too far behind the neck."
Rex looked down, spotting the road that led between the two sides of the Titan. Even from this height, he could see travelers, mostly headed down from the hills and toward Torigoth. "Hey Nia," he asked, pointing at the road. "What's up the hill, there?"
She glanced over at where the boy was pointing, her eyes following the road's path. "That's the way up to White Chair." She informed him. "Well, that and a couple of periphery towns, but…"
Turning her head toward the fire Blade, she asked, "Wait a minute, is the sight we're looking for the old capital?" Giving the woman a skeptical look.
"Perhaps you should see for yourself." Brighid responded, gesturing over the Gormotti girl's shoulder.
Both Rex and Nia wheeled about at her comment, looking back over the side of the cutter. They did so at exactly the correct time, allowing them to catch sight of the city as the cutter finally cleared the back of Gormott's neck plates.
"Whoa." They muttered in stereo at the sight.
As the ship rounded the edge of the Titan's neck, they were greeted by a spectacular view of Gormott's old capital, the fortress-city of White Chair. It was a multi-tiered settlement, each level recessed behind a massive wall of chalk-white stone, the same material that composed much of the structures within.
Sunlight reflected off the crimson roofs of the buildings, bathing the city in a warm glow. Gentle columns of smoke rose from the chimneys of large factory-like buildings within the lowest level, visible from the distance yet nowhere thick enough to detract from the view. The tier above seemed to be mostly residential, the near end filled with small, cozy houses, while larger manors could be seen on the far end, obstructed by the curvature of the walls.
Atop the city was the citadel, once the heart of Gormott's government. It was recessed tightly into the plates of the Titan's neck, presenting only a single face to the outside world. The fortifications that were present were star-patterned, with a quartet of bastions surrounding the citadel's curtain wall.
It was here that the most Ardainian presence was visible, as the fortifications had obviously been upgraded to imperial standards. Atop the fortifications, massive artillery guns had been placed, further protected by layers of dark metal anchored to the white stone.
Despite the view, however, Rex could see the lingering scars of the conquest. The walls of the city, while cleaned up and repaired, had obvious sections where the stonework was newer and had been constructed with a different material. Others did not seem to have been rebuilt to their original height, leaving the walls to seemingly undulate without reason.
There were also a trio of arrowhead-shaped towers rising from the residential section that seemed to terminate at random heights without obvious reason. Coincidentally, there were gaps in the crenelations of the uppermost walls in line with where the towers would have been had they reached that height, as if bridges had once connected them.
And below the outer walls, where the city overflowed its defenses, there were the obvious ghosts of abandoned roads, as if the outlying suburbs had once been far larger.
Honestly, Rex wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to feel about that. There was no doubt that the sight was spectacular, but at the same time, the looming reminder of the suffering that the people of the city had endured, the visible clues that it was still, in many ways, recovering… It sort of soured the spectacle.
From how Nia's ears seemed to slowly droop as she looked over the city, a look of melancholic contemplation on her face, he could see that he was not the only one to feel conflicted about it.
Brighid, for her part, at least seemed to have realized the issue, based on the sudden contrite look the fire Blade was wearing. "Ah, my apologies." She said. "I suppose I hadn't anticipated the implications of some of the features visible from here."
"I-it's okay." Nia said, a waver in her voice doing little to convince the fire Blade. "At least you can see how much of the city has been rebuilt, right?"
"Ah, yes, that is a wonderful way to look at it." Brighid replied, her demeanor not revealing much of her mindset, but it was still clear the woman felt a certain degree of discomfort at the situation in which she had inadvertently placed herself. "Well, we should be arriving within the hour." The fire Blade stated, before making an exit that was slightly more hasty than normal.
The party spent the remainder of the trip watching the various views from the ship. Rex, in particular, spent a while looking over the railing facing the Cloud Sea, watching the slowly undulating waves alongside Azurda.
Soon enough, the cutter turned out over the sea itself as it maneuvered into position to dock at Lasanne's harbor. Even as they were making the turn, the village was visible from the port railing, a crowd gathering at the edge of the settlement to watch the Ardainian ship approach.
"Friends look!" Tora noted, pointing at a red wooden building at the edge of the pier. "That Umon Shipyard! Look like even have Titan inside!"
Dromarch rumbled contemplatively. "I am not sure as to whether that is beneficial or detrimental to our prospects or not."
"I'd think it is." Nia replied. "Can't even try to grab up a ship if he doesn't have one, right?"
"I suppose." Her Blade allowed.
Within a few minutes, the vessel slid into port, and the party disembarked with little fanfare. Almost immediately, Tora broke off from the group, off-handedly informing the group that he was going to negotiate with Umon, leaving Rex, Nia, and their partners alone with Morag and Brighid.
The Special Inquisitor watched Tora run off with Poppi in tow, a small smile on her face. "Quite the excitable one, isn't he?" She said idly.
"You should have seen him when we first met." Rex laughed. "'Excitable' is practically his middle name!"
"Do Nopon even have more than one name?" Azurda muttered from inside Rex's helmet.
By her side, Brighid looked off toward the hills in the distance. "I believe we would be best served departing if we wish to return before sunset, Lady Morag." The fire Blade noted. "Our… objective is still some ways away from us."
Her Driver nodded in agreement. "Yes, of course." Looking back at the boy, she stated, "I suppose this is where we part ways, Rex."
The boy gave her a wide grin. "For the moment, anyway." He replied. "I wouldn't count out the chance of us running into each other again. Architect knows where we'll have to go once we figure out what that sea serpent's deal is."
Morag's expression softened slightly. "I suppose you are right." She admitted. The ghost of a sly smile flickered faintly across her face before she added, "Of course, I would request that, should your journey bring you to Mor Ardain, you inform me of your arrival. If speaking with your Grandfather has taught me anything, you possess a propensity for uncovering trouble."
"Hey! I'm not that bad!" The boy denied, even as his indignant retort was nearly drowned out by the guffawing of the tiny Titan within his helm.
"See, Rex?" Nia prodded, elbowing the boy. "Even she knows what you're like, and you've not even been on speaking terms for a day!"
Dromarch gave his Driver a level stare. "My Lady, you are hardly free of that tendency either." Tiger stated blankly.
Brighid placed a hand to her mouth, most certainly not to disguise a fit of laughter. "I will admit, Lady Morag, I believe I will miss the liveliness of their group."
"Indeed." The Special Inquisitor replied. "I wish you a safe journey."
Rex held out a hand. "You too, Morag." He replied earnestly. "I hope we do get the chance to meet again." Scratching his cheek with the other hand, he added, "Hopefully without quite as much excitement, of course."
She looked down at the offered hand before slowly taking a hold of it with her own. "Yes… that would be preferable." They shook hands before the Special Inquisitor turned away and departed.
Watching her go, Nia was silent for a moment before commenting. "I gotta admit, out of all the stuff that's happened in the last week or so? I think ending on good terms with the Special Inquisitor of all people has got to be the strangest."
"Really, my Lady?" Dromarch looked up at his Driver. "Even more so than master Rex's…" He paused for a moment, eyeing the boy. "…Change of circumstances aboard the Derelict vessel? Or Azurda's new appearance?"
"No question." She replied, crossing her arms behind her head. "Those were just normal weird. Talking it out with someone who's been chasing us, though? That's just… not something that happens to us."
Rex would be a lot more amused had he not known the story behind that already, nor caught the implication that 'us' didn't necessarily mean 'Nia and Dromarch' in this case.
"So then…" He spoke up, looking over toward the shipyard in the distance. "Should we just wait here for Tora, or what?"
"Perhaps one of us should wait, and the rest check the local inn for rooms." Azurda suggested. "I doubt we will be departing today, considering how late it already is, and should we be able to find transportation from Umon, I would hate to impress upon his hospitality any further."
Dromarch raised a paw in the air. "I will remain behind for master Tora and Poppi." The tiger offered.
"You sure, Dromarch?" Nia asked, raising an eyebrow.
The tiger nodded. "I will be fine, my Lady." He replied, slowly padding off toward the building. "You and master Rex will be better suited to the task of obtaining rooms than myself." Chuckling, he added, "I assume you remember the way to the inn?"
Nia rolled her eyes. "Of course I do." The Gormotti girl replied. "It's only been a couple of years since we stopped here."
"I'll follow your lead then." Rex said.
With that, Dromarch walked off toward the other end of the docks, soon followed by the other three heading off in the direction of town.
It was about an hour before Tora, Poppi, and Dromarch rejoined them.
While they were waiting, Rex and Nia had checked out several of the nearby stores, mostly just observing what they had available, although they also took the opportunity to replenish some of their spent provisions. Morag had provided them some monetary compensation in addition to the letters of introduction to Tadbir Academy, which allowed them to easily restock without even touching their prior funds.
Soon enough, Nia felt the subtle tug of Dromarch prodding their affinity link, and led Rex in the direction of her Blade. Once she knew where he was, picking them out of the crowd was a trivial affair; after all, large white tigers were not exactly a common sight anywhere in Alrest.
"…Silly that guard think Tora Driver of Dromarch." Their Nopon companion huffed. "Tora clearly have affinity link with Poppi! How nincompoop guard think otherwise?"
Dromarch offered him a polite explanation. "Master Tora, you realize that most people cannot see an affinity link, yes?"
The Nopon blinked in surprise. "What? But Tora able to see even before testing affinity generator of Poppi, and Tora not even Driver!"
"You do not have to have Driver aptitude to be able to see it, my friend." Azurda noted, floating over to the trio. "It's a matter of ether sensitivity. All Drivers can see it, as their connections to their Blades also improve their ability to feel the flows of ether, but most are unable to detect an affinity link before bonding with a Blade."
"I didn't know that." Rex noted as he caught up with them. "I thought they were just visible too. I could always see Corvin and Crossette's."
Azurda chuckled. "That's because I've been teaching you how to manipulate ether since you were a boy." The Titan noted. "Although you naturally possessed a certain sensitivity to it to begin with."
Nia wasn't surprised by that. The boy had shown himself to be particularly sensitive to fluctuations in the background ether levels several times over the past few days. She had thought it was just another Aegis thing, but him just having a natural sensitivity that had been further enhanced by his new Core Crystal made just as much sense.
"Tora always help Grampypon with ether furnace prototype when littlepon." The Nopon pondered, scratching his chin with a wing. "Would ether exposure cause Tora sensitivity?"
Azurda nodded. "That could well be it."
Behind him, Poppi smiled to herself. "Even before born, Poppi helping Masterpon in future."
"Quite." The Titan agreed with a smile. Looking down at the Nopon, he inquired, "So, tell us, Tora; how did your reunion with your Grandfather's friend go?"
Suddenly, the Nopon looked a little uncertain. "Meeting went well. Uncle Umon have ship finished in shipyard, ready for delivery."
Rex frowned, crossing his arms. "'Ready for delivery?' So it's already taken, then?"
Tora nodded. "Rex-Rex right. Boat bought and payed for already, but Umon not able to deliver because of lockdown."
"So it's a bust, then." Nia frowned. It figured that would be the case. Things had been going too smoothly since making peace with Morag.
"Ah, Tora not say that." The Nopon explained. "As said, Umon not able to deliver because of lockdown, but is willing to let friends use boat if deliver for him."
Rex nodded slowly. "Well, that's not that bad a deal…" The boy considered. "We'd just need to find our way to Tadbir from wherever we ended up." Looking back at Tora, he asked, "Where would we be delivering it, anyway?"
"That downside." The Nopon admitted. "Boat ordered by merchant at Voltis Trade Guild."
"Hang on," Nia cut in, frowning. "Morag told us to avoid the guilds for now."
Tora nodded in agreement. "That why Tora say downside. Offer still on table, Tora told Umon would consider, but not sure if better option."
"Hmmm…" Rex pondered, deep in thought. "Well, it'll be a risk, for sure, but I'm not sure how realistic it is to get to Tadbir without passing through at least one of the guilds."
"You can do it." Nia answered offhandedly. "It's just harder to get to a specific destination if you're avoiding big hubs like that."
The boy nodded in agreement. "And besides that, if Bana's after us, Voltis is probably the safest of the guilds to pass through; the Voltis Chairman's had a feud with him for decades.
"Must have been a big one for even you to know about it." Nia snarked almost reflexively.
"Oh, you don't even know the half of it." He agreed, not even seeming to notice her jab. "There wasn't a lot of open fighting while I've been with the guild, but there's definitely occasional sabotage." He gave the girl a sly grin that made it entirely clear he had, in fact, caught her barb. "Wanna know how I learned what those mooring ropes I warned you about can do to a leg?"
She thought back to his 'helpful' comment back on Argentum, before they had set sail on the Maelstrom in the first place, and blanched. "I'll pass." She muttered.
Dromarch cleared his throat, interrupting the byplay. "Perhaps it would be for the best if we retreated to the inn and discussed the matter over supper." The tiger recommended. "I am sure that Umon will take no offense at us taking the evening to deliberate the merits of risk versus reward in this case."
Looking around, Nia could see that they were sort of blocking traffic, which was drawing a certain amount of attention. "That's probably for the best." She agreed.
As they made their way to the inn, Nia already knew that they would ultimately take Umon's offer. Despite the risks associated with it, even she had to agree that it was unlikely that they would be able to reach their current destination without passing through one of the guilds. Like it or not, she would rather get it over with sooner than later.
She just wondered how long it would take for the inevitable to happen.
The sky was just beginning to turn orange as Morag and Brighid arrived at their destination. It had taken them longer than anticipated, ruining their chances of returning to Lasanne before dark, but having to deal with the nocturnal predators of the area was a small price to pay, considering the nature of their mission.
"Are you sure this is the correct location, Lady Morag?" Brighid asked doubtfully, looking down into the ravine below. It was well-hidden, deep within the woods directly against the Greatspine Mountains and obscured from the air by the dense foliage of the surrounding forest.
It was also host to a rather sizable Tirkin village. The large trees providing cover supported dozens of rough wooden houses in their boughs, joined together by a series of rickety rope bridges that criss-crossed the area. Even on the ground below, several small huts served as gathering places for the small crowd of armed birdmen that were casting wary glances in their general direction.
"Yes, this matches the description given to us by Chief Edgar." Morag replied, scanning the side of the ravine for an entrance. "The Tirkin serve as guardians of this place. They will allow us passage, so long as we do not provoke them."
Her blade frowned, but didn't disagree. "If you say so, Lady Morag." She replied.
They circled around the ravine to an incline marked with Tirkin totems before carefully descending, making sure that their approach was obvious to the nearby birdmen.
At her side, Morag could feel Brighid bristle as the Tirkin watched them make their way down the path, carefully observing them for signs of aggression but otherwise staying out of their way.
Even though she was confident that they would not be accosted, being surrounded by so many Tirkin was more than a little unnerving. The local population was fairly neutral toward Gormott's human inhabitants, especially compared to some of the other Titans under Mor Ardain's banner, but that didn't mean there wasn't the occasional conflict between them. Still, this place had long been considered neutral ground between the Tirkin and Gormotti; they would not attack first.
It wasn't until they were nearly through the ravine, with a small cavern visible at the far end, that they were finally confronted by the local inhabitants. Four avian humanoids stood in the middle of the path, just before the entrance to the cave.
At the front was obviously the local chief, a particularly large specimen with a headdress carved from the skull of a Gogol. He was carrying a decorated staff entwined with the tail feather of a Taos that was longer than he was. Flanking him where two guards, looking far more typical, save for the particularly well-crafted spears they carried and the leather armor they wore; the Gormotti patterns on the harnesses making it clear they were at the least trading with the locals.
Behind the chief, interestingly enough, was a Blade that looked so much like a Tirkin that Morag wouldn't have known she wasn't, were it not for the subtle ether lines shining through her mint-green plumage. She stood behind the chief, most likely her Driver, as she idly toyed with the haft of her Shield Hammer.
"Hoomans come no closer." The chief squawked, slamming the butt of his staff into the ground as they approached. He glared at her, as if challenging them to proceed past him.
Morag halted, indicating to Brighid that she should do the same. The Saets Chieftain had informed them that this would happen; the Tirkin would only allow passage to those who had business within.
Staring the two Ardainians down, the chief began to question them. "Why Hoomans come to this place? Not remember accord with kitty men?" He tilted his head as he spoke, his beak contorting in an attempt to speak words of a language not designed to be spoken with one.
Inclining her head, she recited the words that Chief Edgar had given her earlier. "Honored Chieftain," she began, holding the box containing the white Core Crystal out. "We come bearing an offering of new life for the Titan's sanctum."
A murmur of excitement ran through the crowd of Tirkin watching the proceedings as she slowly tilted the lid of the box open, revealing the Core Crystal within. "Will you permit us passage so we may present our offering to great Gormott?"
The Tirkin chief scratched the end of his beak thoughtfully. "So, Hoomans bring Crystal after long time… Sanctum lie empty for many lifetimes. Thought Hoomans forget sacred accord."
Nodding to himself, the chief slammed the butt of his staff into the ground again, gesturing to the guards behind him. "Unseal door!" He ordered, tilting his head toward the end of the ravine. "Hoomans allowed passage into sanctum!"
Morag and Brighid watched patiently as the pair of guards, along with the chief's Blade, began to unseal the door. Or at least, the guards attempted to unseal the door while the Blade… completely lost track of what she was supposed to be doing.
"Finch is supposed to pull lever!" One of them squawked in annoyance as the green-feathered Blade looked off blankly into the distance.
After only a few minutes of impatiently directing the forgetful wind Blade, the stone door blocking the entrance to the cave slid open, and the Ardainian pair descended into the depths of Gormott.
Within the cave was a long, narrow tunnel hewn from the stone of the Titan's plate, carved with intricate Gormotti patterns, that descended sharply downward. Without needing to be prompted, Brighid conjured a small ball of fire to light their way as they descended.
The path proceeded downward, seemingly without end, for hours. In retrospect, perhaps Morag should have expected that her estimations for exactly how long this excursion would take were optimistic. After all, while Chief Edgar had been able to provide her with the location and procedure for gaining access to this place, he had never actually been to it before; he had no way of knowing how long actually reaching it would take once inside.
As they descended, the stone slowly began to change. To soften, even. It occurred to Morag that they were not just passing through a lower plate of Gormott's skin, but delving into the Titan's very body itself. Eventually, the stone of the walls began to give way to hardened, partially-fossilized tissue, more akin to the makeup of inner Uraya than the Gormotti Titan.
Eventually, the tunnel leveled off before opening into a large chamber, so big that even Brighid's azure flames could not illuminate more than their immediate surroundings. It was unlike even the passage they had taken to reach this place, the stone and fossilized tissue having almost completely given way to the Titan's soft, visibly living body.
What stone was present had been carefully carved with ceremonial patterns depicting what appeared to be the discovery of the Titan by the ancestors of the Gormotti, an event that had occurred millennia ago, so far in the past that reliable records no longer existed. She suspected that the Imperial Anthropological Society and the White Chair Academy of Humanities would fight each other to the last employee for the chance to study them, should they ever learn of this place's existence.
In the center of the chamber was a circular stone dais, worn from age, with twelve short plinths circling it. Atop each was a small egg-shaped crystalline shard that glowed with a soft amber light in the darkness of the cavern.
"Lady Morag." Brighid asked quietly, as if afraid to raise her voice within the confines of the room. "Are those what I think they are?"
"They match the records." The woman replied softly as they approached the dais. "Moreover, they match the description that Azurda mentioned, including the layout of the chamber."
She glanced around the edge of the room to her side, barely visible in the faint light provided by Brighid's conjured flame. While the sections of fossilized stone had been worked by ancient Gormotti craftsmen, there were natural recesses set into the walls, equally sized and evenly spaced. According to the rejuvenated Titan, those were compartments for gestating Titan eggs, to allow the central plinths to be reserved for newer ones.
Once upon a time, this entire chamber would have been filled with such eggs, each holding the chance of becoming a landmass upon which future generations would live. But now, the chamber was empty, devoid of all life but the two of them.
For a moment, she could understand the relief that Azurda had shown the moment he laid eyes upon the shining white Core Crystal.
Almost reverently, she came to a stop in the middle of the dais, surrounded by the egg crystals upon their plinths. She gazed around, for a moment indecisive about which one to take, as the weight of her task briefly overtook even her professional demeanor.
This was not a mere matter of capturing terrorists, or even negotiating with the Aegis. The choice she made here could very much determine the future of Alrest, should that boy fail in his goal to reach Elysium.
No sooner had those thoughts run through her head than she dismissed them. She knew from her conversation with Azurda that it didn't matter which egg she used—it was the Core Crystal that determined what class of Titan it would become. All she could do now was pray to the Architect that it would be what they needed.
She slowly approached one of the egg crystals, the furthest from the entrance to the room. Brighid stood back, observing with a stone-faced expression as Morag walked out of the light of her flames and into the warm, amber glow of the crystal.
Opening the box she held, the Special Inquisitor withdrew the white Core Crystal. For a moment, she held it, examining the differences between them. Perhaps it wasn't a surprise that, beyond shape and color, the two crystals were quite similar; in the darkness of the room, the same circuit-like pattern could be seen pulsating beneath the surface of both.
Gently, she laid the white crystal beside its amber counterpart and braced herself for what would come next. As much as Azurda could tell her about the process, even he was unsure exactly what happened in the moment that it occurred. According to him, something happened to the facilitator during the process, but the Titan was unaware of exactly what that was.
Morag laid a hand on each of the crystals, taking a deep breath, and closed her eyes as she focused, as if attempting to awaken them.
A sudden, familiar warmth flooded through her as the crystals reacted. For a moment, she was concerned that, somehow, she had awakened the supposedly mature Core Crystal, and at the sound of a gasp of alarm from Brighid, opened her eyes.
The crystals were glowing brightly beneath her palms, the harsh white and soft amber having become a bright sliver and gold as they reacted to her and each other.
In an instant, both seemed to disappear in a burst of ether. The moment they did, a flash of something shot through her, causing the Ardainian woman to go ridged. Her head shot up, staring at the ceiling, as-!
He awoke for the first time, freshly recovered from the Titan ship of his Driver's family. It was an event that they had considered equal parts ominous and auspicious, awakening the Blade their loyal Titan had become; He had given his life to ferry them to this new land, so it was only appropriate that they grant him a new life in turn. Together with his Driver, they gathered the scattered refugees that had also arrived on this new, temperate land, and founded the nation that would one day be known as Regideria.
A dozen lives flashed by, serving as the Royal Blade of Regideria as the country slowly attempted to consolidate it's hold over Temperantia. They made such progress over the centuries, only to ultimately fail. Time and again, they had attempted to seize the headward mountains, only to be driven back by the scientist-kings of Judicium. Eventually, their constant attempts must have finally drawn the ire of their blue-skinned neighbors, for the Judicians finally made their play to take control of the Titan. In their fury, they unleashed great horrors of flesh and steel, twisted amalgamations of man and Blade, upon the unsuspecting armies of Regideria. It had taken centuries to conquer most of the Titan, but in the face of Judicium's monsters, it took but a few short months for the kingdom to be scoured from history. His Driver, the crown prince, had been one of the few to escape the conflict, yet he had been so badly injured that it was unlikely that he would survive in exile.
Eventually, his Core Crystal found its way into the possession of the Dughall family, a line of Knights serving the warrior-kings of Alba Cavanich. His next few dozen incarnations were spent serving in the perpetual wars against the kings of Teddim for control of the Titan of Mor Ardain, a battle they were slowly but surely winning. Eventually, the king of Alba Cavanich stood victorious, burning Teddim to the ground and rebuilding the city in his image. He never got to see the victory; His Driver of the time having been felled during near the end of the final battle, taking a blow that had been meant for his leige.
The Aegis War, as it was coming to be known, had finally come to an end. Although Mor Ardain had ostensibly been victorious in the conflict against Coeia, the sheer magnitude of the casualties and devastation made the victory ring hollow. His Driver had been driven nearly to madness witnessing the destruction wrought on Temperantia by the clash between the Aegises. With so much chaos reigning, it was hard to imagine the world would ever recover.
Even from the moment he awoke, Dagas knew this was to be his final incarnation. Perhaps it was appropriate that his final Driver was such a listless and dour man, so much different than what he expected of his Drivers. Alas, years of peace in the wake of the Osirian treaty had rendered the nobility of Mor Ardain fat and lazy. Such was the way of things, he supposed. He could only hope that, whatever happened next, he would not display such shameful tendencies. He would not be lazy and content; he would be powerful,glorious, the greatest the world had ever seen!
Morag blinked, shaking her head as she came to her feet. Distantly, she could feel Brighid holding her up, calling out her name in concern.
She couldn't focus on that, though, instead sorting back through the… feelings? Impressions? Memories? That she had felt the moment the crystals had resonated. In an instant, she had seen the entirety of the Blade's many lives, yet so much information had passed her so quickly that she had only retained the barest glimpses and emotions.
"Did it work?" She muttered, brushing Brighid aside. As much as her Blade may be concerned about her health, the success of their task far outweighed her own condition.
"Perhaps you should see for yourself." The fire Blade replied, pointing toward the plinth.
Where before there had been a small, egg-shaped crystal, there was now a massive, luminous egg, easily twice her height, that glowed the off-green color of concentrated pure ether. The shell was translucent, rendering the fluids within clearly visible, along with the other contents.
Floating serenely in the middle of the egg was the Blade from the portraits of Dughall's manor. His clothes and weapon were missing; even the golden frame around his Core Crystal was gone, leaving a simple oval design behind instead of the complex crown, yet she could still feel the same commanding presence that the paintings of the Blade had portrayed.
The Driver-Blade pair stared at the sight in wonder as they considered the implications of the scene. It had been decades since the Ardainians had beaten the Praetorium to a mature Core Crystal, since a new Titan had begun to grow in their territory. Certainly, it was the first time it had happened in her lifetime.
"We must temper our expectations." Brighid said quietly, watching as ether particles faintly began to gather on the cheeks of the form within the egg. "You understand as well as I do that there is no guarantee that he will become a Continental Titan, no matter how much we desire it."
Morag nodded in agreement, but even as she did, she recalled what little of the Blade's many lives had stuck with her. His pride at helping form a nation in his very first incarnation, his long history of service in Mor Ardain, the concerns he carried in the wake of the Aegis war…
And most of all, his final desire. He may not have known what became of Blades once their Core Crystals reached maturity, but in his final moments, even that Blade had known exactly what he wished to become. What he was meant to become.
She smiled, gazing up at his resting form. "I believe…" she said, gently brushing a hand against the surface of the egg, "that he will become exactly what we require."
Author's Notes
This was mostly a tie-up/set-up chapter—never the most exciting, but always necessary.
In my earliest drafts of Passing the Torch, Rex and Nia were to visited White Chair before heading to Torigoth. While that has version has long since been discarded, I still had a clear picture of how the modern city appears, and wanted it to at the very least make some sort of appearance.
The mechanics of a Blade becoming a Titan is always something that I have wanted to explore since the first time I played the game. In particular, a version of this scene, not necessarily on Gormott or including Morag and Brighid, has been floating around the back of my head since at least 2018. I'm glad that I've finally had the chance to put it to (digital) paper.
