Perhaps the most surprising part of the trip to Tadbir was that, despite the limited space on the ship, it took nearly the entire trip for the party to actually encounter all of the other passengers traveling with them.

Indeed, it wasn't until the mid-morning of the final day of the voyage, only a few hours before they were scheduled to arrive, that they encountered a familiar figure they had been unaware was on board.

They had spent much of the trip relaxing in the common area, idly finding things to keep them occupied. The amenities on the ship were rather lacking, owing to the small size of the vessel, so the passengers were largely left up to their own devices to pass the time.

Unlike their trip to Voltis, they couldn't spend the time training—even if there had been a deck large enough to accommodate such activities, Rex highly doubted that the crew would have appreciated them using it for that purpose—and with the stark lack of privacy, there were limits to how much they could discuss their own plans.

One attempt at cramming their entire party into one of the cabins for a planning session had been enough.

So, they were forced to spend the time through more idle means. Rex had tried sharing stories about some of his salvaging exploits, but quickly found that even with half a decade of experience under his belt, he had a rather limited amount of material that would actually interest his companions. Tora had made an attempt as well, telling them about some of his experiences during his time living in Torigoth, but Rex found his tales, most of which focused on the early days of building Poppi, to be rather inscrutable.

He didn't even bother asking Nia; he already knew exactly how willing she would be to join in, even if they had been in a more private setting.

Fortunately, while Tora was not exactly full of stories to pass the time, he had at least anticipated that they would find themselves short on things to do and had brought at least part of his collection of board games along with him.

Not quite enough to fully keep the boredom away, of course; they quickly ended up replaying the games multiple times, but it was definitely better than the alternative. It made Rex wonder if it would be worth picking up a few more the next time they passed a shop selling games for the next time they were on a ship like this.

As such, they were halfway through a game of Reversi, which Rex had been absolutely dominating, when he spotted a familiar dark-skinned figure with bright white hair entering the common area from over Nia's shoulder.

He frowned as he placed down a card, dropping him to only three remaining. "Hey, isn't that..?" He muttered, leaning slightly to the side in order to better see around the Gormotti girl.

To his left, Tora threw down a card of his own onto the discard pile. "What Rex-Rex see?" The nopon inquired. "Tora not able to see past Dromarch."

"Excuse me, Master Tora." The tiger apologized, shifting his position slightly, much to the dismay of Azurda, who had been lounging atop his head. "I had not anticipated that my position would present issues."

Nia briefly glanced at the fifteen cards in her hand with a grimace before opting to instead try to see what had caught Rex's attention. "What's up?" She inquired, twisting in her seat to get a view of the far side of the common area.

"Isn't that Perun?" He asked, pointing at the dark-skinned woman. She was standing on the far side of the room, having come to a stop shortly after entering, glancing around as if trying to spot someone. "I didn't know that she was on board."

"Perun is friend that told Rex-Rex and Nia-Nia about abductions of littlepons, yes?" Tora inquired, glancing over at the woman curiously.

"Yeah." He replied, standing up. "I didn't know that she was headed to Tadbir too." Rex waved an arm in the air, a bright smile on his face, as he tried to attract the woman's attention.

The white-haired woman turned in their direction, the motion drawing her attention. As her eyes fell on them, she seemed to freeze in surprise for a brief moment, probably not having expected to see them here any more than they had to see her.

"Well, it's not like that was particularly relevant to our conversation." Nia pointed out, frowning slightly as she watched the woman approach them.

Rex glanced over at the Gormotti girl, trying to gauge what she was thinking. While he knew well by now that Nia could be a bit… standoffish when someone caught her suspicions, he wasn't entirely sure what would be causing such a reaction out of her about Perun.

He filed the thought away for later, though, as the woman in question reached their table. "Oh, hello!" She greeted politely, offering the party a smile that Rex almost thought seemed a little strained. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon!"

"Likewise, my dear." Azurda replied, taking off from Dromarch's head and landing on the table. "It's quite the pleasant surprise to meet you again."

The dark-skinned woman laughed demurely at the tiny Titan's greeting. "I agree. It is nice to see some familiar faces." She admitted, looking across the table. Her attention quickly fell on Tora and Poppi, the two who had not been present when she met Rex and Nia. "Although I can see that not every face here is familiar."

"Oh, right!" The boy realized, gesturing towards the noponic pair. "These are Tora and Poppi." He introduced.

"Tora happy to meet friend!" The nopon greeted cheerily, even as he gave the woman a critical assessment. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes, although Rex couldn't determine what it was.

Poppi, on the other hand, remained silent, her eyes focused intently as she stared at the dark-skinned woman. Briefly, her gaze shifted to Nia, giving the Gormotti girl a stare just as intense before her eyes widened, as if some sort of grand revelation had come to her.

"Ah…" Perun watched the artificial Blade with a hint of nervousness. "My apologies… I didn't happen to offend you, did I?" She asked politely.

Similarly, Poppi's creator was aghast by her behavior. "Poppi! Masterpon know programmed better behavior into!" The nopon chided, waving his wings in the air. "Is rude not to introduce self!"

That was sufficient to break her out of whatever had distracted her. The mechanical girl immediately turned to face Perun, bowing her head towards the woman. "Poppi apologize for rudeiness!" She said, a tinge of remorse in her voice. "Poppi just…" Her eyes tracked back over to Nia. "…realize something important."

"Please, do not trouble yourself over it." Perun reassured her. "I'm sure you meant nothing by it."

Poppi seemed reassured by her words, offering the woman a bright smile. "Poppi thank friend for understanding!" She chirped happily. "Not want meeting to get off on wrong foot!"

Rex smiled at the scene, happy that the misunderstanding had been resolved. He hadn't missed the look that the artificial Blade had given the woman, but he figured that it probably wasn't too important at the moment.

"I'm surprised we haven't seen you around before now." Rex observed, gesturing around the common area. "There's not very many places to hang out on the ship, and we've spent most of the trip out here…" His face took on a look of concern. "You've not been stuck in your cabin the whole trip, have you?" He asked.

The woman gave him a rueful smile. "I'm afraid I've spent most of the journey rather under the weather." She admitted. "Sea travel has never been particularly kind to me, you understand."

Nia nodded in sympathy. "I'm familiar with that one." She agreed, casting an annoyed look out the window. "It took me ages to pick up my sea legs when I first started traveling."

"Indeed." Dromarch agreed, giving his Driver an amused look. "I can still remember the first few steps of our journey, when a trip between Titans would leave my Lady so nauseated that she required to make use of healing Arts just to disembark under her own power."

His Driver hissed at him. "That was one time! She insisted. "And I wasn't in that bad a state; I was still well enough to heal myself, after all!"

"That very much proves my point, my Lady." He replied, quietly enough that Rex wasn't entirely sure that Perun could hear it. Indeed, the woman didn't seem to react to the comment beyond holding a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggling.

"My, your group is certainly energetic today." She observed. "Eager to get off of the ship, I see?"

Azurda nodded, crossing his arms. "Quite." The tiny Titan replied. "While I appreciate how quick the vessel has been, the amenities aboard…" He trailed off, glancing around the room. "Well, let's say you haven't exactly missed anything. Had it not been for Tora having the foresight to bring along entertainment, I suspect the trip would have been far less tolerable."

"This not first time Tora take boaty-jaunt." The nopon replied smugly. "Tora know well just how snoozy-boring long time at sea can be. Dadapon always tell Tora to bring many distractions so not sleepy-sleep whole time."

Looking down at the table, he grimaced slightly. "Perhaps was mistake to play Reversi, though." He admitted, comparing the twelve cards in his hand to the three in Rex's. "Rex-Rex too good at game."

"Suspiciously so." Nia grumbled, giving the salvager a knowing look as she tried to ignore her own fifteen-card hand. "You're not cheating, are you? Keeping track of the cards we've been dumping?" Her eyes traced down to his chest in accusation.

"Counting cards not help in Reversi." Poppi pointed out, waving the seven cards she had. "Not account for actions of other players. Poppi know exactly what cards friends have and are next to draw, but still not beating Rex." She paused for a moment, before adding, "Is Nia's turn to play, by way."

Glancing down at the card on top of the discard pile, the Gormotti girl frowned for a moment. "Not a lot of options…" She muttered, her eyes tracking over the number of cards the others had in their hands. Looking back at her own hand, a grin slowly crept across her face. "I suppose it won't hurt if I do this, then."

She threw a card onto the pile. "Double-draw, Poppi!" She declared.

The artificial Blade stared at the card for a moment before casually throwing a matching one atop it. "Poppi would say Rex double-double draw instead." She commented. "But already know has one in deck as well."

Nia frowned as Rex, with a cocky smirk, indeed added another double-draw card atop the pile, passing the growing threat over to Tora. "You did that, even knowing that Tora would be eating a six-card draw?" She said, raising her eyebrows. "And here I thought you were nice to your Driver."

Poppi didn't reply, instead giving the Gormotti girl a mischievous grin. Nia furrowed her brow at the look, before snapping her head in Tora's direction, her eyes widening in terror. "You wouldn't!" She begged, looking the nopon in the eye.

"Tora sorry, Nia-Nia." He apologized, even as he dramatically pulled yet another double-draw card from his hand and threw it atop the discard pile. "Tora say draw eight cards."

She flopped her head on the table, letting out a low moan of defeat. "Why did I agree on stacking?" She mumbled pitifully, her words muffled by the table. "It never works out for me!"

Behind her, Perun placed a conciliatory hand on the younger girl's shoulder, even as she struggled not to laugh at her misfortune. "I'll leave you to your fun, then." The woman said, glancing over the group. "Perhaps we'll run into each other at some point in the future."

Rex looked up at the woman, preparing to offer a goodbye of his own, when a thought occurred to him. "Hold on a moment," he spoke up, chewing his lip. "Perun, you're from Mor Ardain, right?"

The dark-skinned woman tilted her head in curiosity. "Yes, I live in Chilsain, on the right shoulder." She said, before amending, "Well, at least I live there now. Technically, I'm from the Ardainian colonies, but there's hardly a distinction these days."

"Right, right." He replied, thinking. "But that means you know about stuff going on around the Titan, yeah?"

"Yes, to a certain extent." She replied, clearly not understanding where he was going with his line of inquiry. "I'm afraid that I don't keep myself abreast of military matters, though. So if that's what you're curious about, I wouldn't be able to help."

Rex shook his head. "It's nothing like that." He denied. "I was more wondering… do you know anything about a vigilante named 'Tokiha', by any chance?"

Perun froze as he spoke, only for a brief moment, but still long enough for the boy to notice it. A small frown replaced her curious look, her eyes staring down at him with an intensity that they had previously lacked.

It only lasted for a moment before her gaze softened and she answered him. "I… have." She said slowly, her cadence noticeably more stilted than before, as she seemed to consider what she wanted to say. "Not too much, mind you… those vigilantes mostly operate in the capital, so my knowledge is only second-hand at best."

He nodded in understanding. "That's still more than we know." The boy replied. "Anything you can tell us?"

The woman was silent for a moment, pursing her lips as she considered what to say. "Let's see…" She muttered. "From what I understand, she mostly operates in Alba Cavanich, hunting criminals alongside her partner." The woman thought for a moment before continuing, "Sometimes they show up in other settlements, too. I remember there was a fair bit of commotion when they made an appearance in Chilsain a few years ago."

"So she's been active for a while, then?" Rex prodded, trying to get a little more information out of her.

"At least a decade." Perun confirmed. "Although there have been times when their activity has declined." She noted, tapping a finger against her jaw. "Not recently, thought; the last year or so in particular, they've been pretty busy dismantling one of the bigger criminal organizations in the capital, the Blood Lobsters."

Nia chuckled at the comment. "That's a pretty lame name for a gang." She joked. "Do they have turf wars with the Fluffy Pippitos?"

"It isn't a laughing matter." The woman chastised, a serious look in her eye. "Their organization may not have the most threatening name, but it belays the danger they pose. The group does not shy away from violence, even under circumstances that normal criminal groups would consider it bad for business."

A dark look crossed her face. "There are too many stories of them murdering victims of their racketeering operations that have tried to push back, or tried to refuse dealing with them in the first place."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Nia said, warding the older woman off. "I didn't realize they were quite that bad."

Seeing her reaction, Perun shrank back slightly, reigning in her anger. "Sorry," She said, a little sheepishly, "they're a bit of a sore spot for many people."

"I believe that is rather self-apparent." Dromarch commented in a conciliatory tone. "It seems it is for the best that these Vigilantes have made such strides in dismantling them."

"Yes, it is." The woman replied, closing her eyes as she calmed herself. "Perhaps once they are a thing of the past, the people of Alba Cavanich will be able to live in peace." There was a certain sadness in her voice as she spoke, yet at the same time, the words almost seemed to carry a promise.

"Assuming another war does not break out between it and Uraya, of course." Azurda commented, his tone humorous despite the rather serious subject of the comment.

Fortunately, the woman didn't seem to take offense to him, instead remaining in place with her eyes closed. Seeing that she had apparently spoken her piece, Rex took the opportunity to push further.

"So, if these Blood Lobsters are such a big deal, how are these vigilantes doing such a good job fighting them?" The boy asked. "I heard that Tokiha is a Blade—is the other one, umm…?"

"Vasara." Perun supplied, a warm smile crossing her face as she said the name. "The other vigilante."

Rex nodded. "Right. Um, is 'Vasara' her Driver, then?"

The dark-skinned woman mused over the question. "I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that." She replied with a small shrug. "Most of the information available to the public is speculation. Some say they're Driver and Blade, others that they're both Blades, and their Driver remains hidden. Or that neither is, and they're pretending to be in order to throw off suspicion. Of course, without any hard evidence, who can really say?"

"Mmmm…" The boy mused, crossing his arms. Perun hadn't provided them with much more relevant information about Tokiha than Lyta had a few days earlier. "Is there anything else you can tell us about her?"

"I'm afraid not." The woman replied. "As I said, most of the publicly available information about them is speculation. They don't make a habit of operating where they can be easily observed."

She gave him a thoughtful look. "If you don't mind my asking, what's made you so interested in her? The vigilantes aren't exactly well-known outside of Mor Ardain, after all."

Rex briefly glanced over at Nia and Tora, trying to silently get their input. He wasn't sure if he should tell the truth—Lyta had said that Voltis' authorities had been trying to keep the details of the incident at the dock quiet, but he didn't know how far that extended. "Well, you see…"

Fortunately, Tora was quick on the uptake. "Tora tell Rex-Rex about to pass time!" The nopon spoke up, raising a wing in the air. "Heard stories about when live in Alba Cavanich for brief time and thought good way to pass time."

Perun glanced over at the nopon, giving him a skeptical look. "Really…" She replied. "I'm surprised you weren't able to answer his questions, then."

"Ah, that because…" He paused briefly, trying to think of an excuse. "T-Tora not knowing much about them! Yes, only live in city for few weeks before move to Torigoth! Not much time for hearing stories!"

Rex wasn't entirely sure that the woman would buy the story, but if she didn't, she made no comment about it, instead offering the nopon a polite smile. "I see." She said, nodding in understanding. "In that case, I'm glad I was able to staisfy some of your curiosity, even if it wasn't entirely what you were looking for."

"O-oh, no! It's fine!" He replied, scratching his head. "I appreciate you taking the time to answer."

"At any rate, I had best return to my cabin." Perun said. "Even if I didn't leave it very much, I still have some packing to do."

Taking a step back from the table, she added, "I hope you have a wonderful time on Tabdir."

She walked off, back in the direction she had come. As she departed, Nia's suspicious look returned.

Glancing over at her, Rex asked, "Something bothering you, Nia?"

"Yeah." The Gormotti girl replied, watching the dark-skinned woman retreat from the common area. "For a route that allegedly doesn't get a lot of traffic, don't you think it's strange that so many of the people we met on Voltis are headed to Tadbir as well?"

Azurda glanced over at the girl. "I'm not sure why you would think that." He said, raising an eyebrow. "It's only three out of… what, how many people did we meet?"

"Friends spoke with twenty-nine people beyond superficial interaction while on Voltis Trade Guild." Poppi answered matter-of-factly. "Percentage of interaction group that accompany friends to Tadbir only ten-point-three-four-four-eight-two-sev-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Nia cut the artificial Blade off. "But you have to admit, it's still kinda weird, right?"

The rest of the group disagreed. "Tora think Nia-Nia suffer from confirmation bias." He said, looking over at the girl. "Is easy because friends on boat to Tadbir more memorable than traderpons, but not mean anything."

"My Lady, perhaps it would do you some good to tone your paranoid down slightly?" Dromarch suggested.

Nia chewed her lip. "Maybe…" She allowed. "I just can't shake the suspicion that something is up."

Azurda chuckled. "Well, that I can't deny." The tiny Titan replied. "I can only hope that Rex's tendency to get dragged into this sort of nonsense fails him in this instance." He paused, pondering for a moment. "But considering that Ciaran and Lyta have already tentatively asked for our assistance…"

"Yeah, yeah." Rex cut in, picking up his cards again. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"'Fine', he says." Nia grumbled, reluctantly grabbing her own hand again. "Well, I guess we can't worry about that right now." She looked down at her cards, then across the table. "Whose go was it again?" She asked.

Poppi raised a hand. "Turn was Nia's." The artificial Blade replied. "Friend need draw eight cards, remember?"

"Dammit!"

After several days of carefully assessing the masonry of the cell, he had come to the conclusion that the only reasonable weak point was the channel used to remove waste.

It wasn't exactly a realization that he was pleased with, considering how… unsanitary it was (ick, he didn't even want to think about what kind of stuff had run through it!), but he couldn't see another option. The stones composing the walls were far too solid, and the bars of the cell were firmly set into them. Even the door, despite the thick layer of rust coating the hinges, had been unyielding when he examined it.

No, the channel was the only option. Although it was small, barely half the width of his arm, he could plainly see where the fluid waste had eaten away at the mortar holding the lining bricks together. It would take a bit of work, but he was sure that it would be possible to enlarge the channel. All it would need was something to pry the bricks apart.

Of course, finding anything that could be used to do that was the real trick. Their captors had been meticulous in making sure they had nothing that could conceivably be used to aid in an escape attempt. What furniture may have once been in the cell had been removed long before he had arrived, and anything made of wood or metal that the other kids may have been carrying had been stripped from them before they had been thrown in here.

Even the flimsy wooden bowls their food was served in (always the same nasty, thin soup that barely kept the hunger at bay for more than a few hours) were carefully monitored. Their captors refused to issue any of them more food if a bowl was missing when the next meal was served to them. And even if they weren't, he wasn't sure they could be used for the purposes he would need them for.

As much as he disliked the thought, he was probably going to have to try and dislodge the bricks with his bare hands, a prospect he didn't favor his odds at. Even for his age, he wasn't exactly the most physically inclined, having preferred books to the roughhousing many of the other boys at his orphanage tended towards.

Looking around the cell, he figured that maybe he'd have a better chance if he recruited some of the others to help him. Some of them were definitely more physical than him: Ermias, one of the other kids from his orphanage in the cell, had always loved climbing trees, and the Gormotti boy, Rhys, had apparently been apprenticing with his dad in some physical trade. If they could help, he'd have a much better shot at getting through.

Standing up, he walked over to Ewan, who was more or less the de facto leader of the kids. The Ardainian boy was in the midst of helping two of the Urayan girls tend to the newest additions to their cell, a pair of bronze-skinned girls who he suspected were sisters, based on their similar facial features and clothing. They had only woken up a short while ago and were understandably quite distressed by the circumstances.

"Ewan." He began, quietly calling out to the other boy. If he could get the blond to agree with his plan, it would be much easier to convince the others to help break through the drainage channel.

The blond turned to face him as he called out, a concerned look on his face. "What do you need, T-"

He barely had the chance to even begin saying the Osirian boy's name before he was interrupted by the dreaded sound of a rusted door creaking open.

Immediately, everyone within the cell went quiet. The kids who had been sitting against the wall shot their heads straight up, while those like him who had been standing stiffened at the sudden noise.

A cold feeling of dread began to trickle down the Osirian boy's spine. Their captors had already fed them for the day—when they had thrown the newest occupants of the cell in with them—the food wasn't even all gone yet! The only reason they'd be back was…!

(They're coming for us! They're coming for us! We need to get out of here! Maybe we can squeeze between the bars, we've all lost a bunch of weight with how little they feed us!)

"E-Ewan…" He stammered, glancing at the Ardainian boy. "Are there any cells further into the dungeon than us?"

The other boy shook his head, his eyes wide. "N-no. We're the last row. They never come this far back unless they're feeding us or bringing more kids to the cell."

His words carried a certain, unspoken implication of 'so far'; after all, their captors wouldn't be holding them just for the sake of holding them. They had to have a purpose, right? (Maybe making them suffer was the point.)

Down the corridor, he could hear the sound of footsteps, two pairs of clattering boots, and the sound of bare flesh slapping against the cold stone. If the timing hadn't made it obvious before, that made it clear—the barefooted old man, based on his voice, had only made an appearance when the kids from the cell diagonal to them had been taken the other day.

Behind him, he could hear the whimpers of the other kids, particularly Leon who seemed to audibly flinch with every step the adults made. He couldn't blame any of them; every time the adults came, there was always the chance that they would be taken away. With that sort of threat hanging over their heads, who wouldn't be afraid? (He certainly was.)

As the footsteps drew closer, the boy couldn't help but flinch back. According to Ewan, there were four rows of cells in the dungeon, each with two cells in it. It was impossible to tell which row the adults were passing, the echo making the direction and distance difficult to gauge, but in his mind's eye, he could imagine it.

He imagined a group of three adults, the old-sounding man flanked by two younger ones. He didn't know what they actually looked like, so in his mind they were replaced by hideous, twisted caricatures of his fears, looking more like man-shaped monsters than humans. He could imagine them giving hungry, malicious looks at the children in the first row of cells as they passed, slinking deeper into the dungeon.

The footsteps continued to approach, growing louder and louder, as they must have already reached the second row. His mind filling in more images, of the monster-men cackling cruelly as they moved, frightening the kids in the cells they were passing.

(Why weren't they stopping!? They had to stop soon! He didn't want the adults to be coming for them!)

No, that wasn't quite right; the old man had sounded cruel, but the other two had been just as afraid of him as he was! His mental image morphed, the monster-old man laughing while his minions trailed behind, shivering in fear just as much as the kids in the cages.

Still, the footsteps grew closer. Now, they were as loud as they had been the other day, when the adults had taken the kids in the cell diagonal to theirs. If Ewan was to be believed, the other cell in that row was occupied as well, so as much as he feared hearing their captors do… whatever they had the last time to those kids, it was far less terrifying than the prospect of being subjected to it himself.

(But they're not stopping! They're still getting closer! Architect, they are coming for them!")

"Please stop walking, please stop walking…!" He begged under his breath, eyes fixed in the direction of the sound. Faintly, he could hear Ewan murmuring a similar sentiment as well.

Despite his silent pleas, the adults continued to walk, audibly passing the third row and continuing on to the fourth. The final row, where they awaited.

His eyes darted across the corridor to the other cell in their row. It was empty, just as it had been when he first arrived. The others had mentioned that sometimes the cells that were emptied had been refilled with newly captured kids, but if that one wasn't…

Then the adults were coming for them.

He wasn't the only one to come to that conclusion, either. To his side, he heard Rhona let out a panicked sob as she hung on to the closest person for comfort, one of the Urayan boys in their group. Behind him, he could hear movement as the other kids slowly backed into the corners of the cell, as if it would keep them safe from the adults.

As the footsteps grew louder, he wanted nothing more than to join them. It was getting harder to ignore the panic that was bubbling up from deep within him, all but screaming at him to do something—anything—to escape.

(Get away get away getawaygetawaygetaway!)

Yet he couldn't. He tried to move, to run, to do anything, yet his leg refused to budge. He was struggling to muster even the strength to keep standing!

The sound of the footsteps were so close, it was nearly deafening to his hyper-focused hearing. Around him, the fearful whimpering and muffled crying of the other kids were drowned out by the sound of the approaching adults. The boy desperately willed his legs to move but found that they had all but turned to jelly in the face of his fear.

Even as he fought with his body in a vain attempt to flee, his eyes remained locked on the corridor, trying to peer further than his line of sight would allow. Dread warred with anticipation as he kept watching, almost wanting the adults to show up even as he begged that they would never enter his field of view, just to have it be over with.

Slowly, agonizingly so, they finally entered his field of view. First was a man, definitely an adult, but not an old one. He looked to be about the same age as the ones that would occasionally volunteer to help Miss Maia watch over them, so probably around… eighteen to twenty? It was clear, even through his terror, that the man didn't want to be there; his gaze was firmly averted from the cell, a shamed look on his face as he lethargically walked forward. (If he was so ashamed, why wasn't he helping them!?)

Beside him was another man of a similar age, a little taller and reedier than the other. He too was clearly uncomfortable with the circumstances, but rather than looking ashamed, he seemed just as terrified as the kids were. His shoulders were stiff, as if he were anticipating a blow from behind at any moment, and his eyes kept darting back to the third member of their group with undisguised fear.

As the final figure came into view, the Osirian boy couldn't help but understand his reaction. The man, insomuch as the word was appropriate, was thin, almost impossibly so for someone who towered over the other two. His form was barely visible, hidden beneath a set of hooded beige robes decorated with thin, glowing lines of bright blue. A singular arm, so thin and leathery that it looked like it belonged to a corpse, was uncovered, the hand holding a dull hooked staff of some unknown metal with an ether crystal of some irregular shape set near the head, which supported an incense burner suspended from a trio of chains.

The boy gasped at the sight, collapsing to his knees as the strength finally left his legs. The man… he looked almost exactly like the sort of monsters had filled his imagination. He trembled in terror, not even trying to disguise his fear.

Unbothered by his behavior, the man came to a halt, slowly turning his head to face the cell. All of the air in the boy's lungs seemed to vanish as he saw within the man's hood.

His face could not be seen, hidden behind a blank veil that reached halfway down the man's chin, but the interior of the hood was still clearly visible, lit by the soft blue glow of a Core Crystal shaped like a burning brazier set around where he thought the man… no, the Blade's forehead should be.

A raspy voice, tinged with malice, emanated from the hood. "Hello, children…" The man said in an almost mocking tone. "I hope you are ready... for your big day."

Turning to face one of his assistants, he commanded, "Open the door."

(No no no nonononono! Not like this!)

He scrambled backward with his arms, trying desperately to put as much distance between himself and the corridor as the rusty cell door slowly creaked open, groaning in protest the entire time. There was just no space, though! He reached the wall almost immediately, his head smacking painfully into the masonry as he did.

With a series of slow, almost deliberate steps, the Blade crept into the cell. He glanced around the interior, almost seeming to savor the occupant's terror. The folds of his robes shifted as a second arm slowly reached out, the hand raising up and rubbing the exposed flesh of his chin thoughtfully.

"I see… you do not intend… to cooperate." He rasped in amusement. "Perhaps… this will make you… more agreeable."

The Blade tilted his staff, lowering the incense burner to eye level. The hand that had been stroking his chin reached out and, with a deliberate motion, scooped up a fistful of ash with his long, skeletal fingers.

He pulled the fist back, twisting the palm upward and unclenching his fingers to reveal a pile of ash, held just in front of his face. The Blade stared at it for a moment, scrutinizing it, before taking a deep breath and blowing, scattering a cloud of ash into the cell.

A wispy, off-white cloud washed over the Osirian boy, as well as the other children. He clamped his mouth shut and scrunched his nose, trying to keep himself from breathing in the cloud of ash.

(It wouldn't do much, of course. He could only hold his breath for so long, and it was unlikely that the adults would fail to notice him.)

By his side, he could see the other kids trying to hold their breath as well. A handful of them, notably Leon and one of the new girls, hadn't been fast enough. Before they had realized what was happening, they had taken in a deep breath of the ash. Both of them had gone suddenly still, the panic on their faces disappearing as their body language relaxed.

Slowly, more of the kids began to succumb, gasping for air as they reached the end of their ability to hold their breath, only to calm with almost supernatural speed the moment they took a breath.

(What was the ash doing? It wasn't like the sleep gas the kidnappers on the ship had used, it was almost like it was… enthralling them?)

More than anything, he didn't want to breathe in the ash, but it was unlikely that he would have a choice. He was quickly reaching the end of his ability to hold his breath, and the cloud was showing no sign of dissipating. It stung at his eyes, but the irritation was only secondary in comparison to the burning in his lungs as he stubbornly refused to draw a breath.

Black spots began to appear in his vision, causing him to clamp his eyes closed and do his best to focus on not breathing, but the decision was ultimately out of his hands. Despite his best attempts, as his body begged for air, reflexes forced his mouth open, and his lungs were suddenly filled with ash.

His eyes widened as he took in the scent—an unpleasant acrid fragrance of incense that was at the same time familiar, like the sort that could sometimes be smelled in the markets back home. Panic shot through him at the realization that he had breathed the ash in…

Only to almost immediately vanish as it took effect.

The boy blinked, the tension leaving his body as a warm fog washed over his mind. What had he been doing? He was having a remarkably hard time remembering what had just happened.

"Come here." A voice, raspy and aged but strangely compelling, called through the cloud of smoke. Why was the cloud there, again?

He stood up, wondering idly why he had been on the floor in the first place. Around him, the other children began walking forward, their steps almost in unison as they did. Neat.

Seeing no reason to disobey the voice, he followed along, keeping pace with the others as they marched through the cloud and out a door into the corridor beyond. The smoke faded away as they moved, revealing the obscured form of the nice man who had called out to them.

"Down the hall." He commanded, his voice firm. Without question, the children obeyed, marching down the corridor and deeper into the building.

Distantly, the boy felt like there was something wrong. Why was he following the nice man again? Just because he asked? Wasn't there something he was supposed to be doing?

The thought faded almost as soon as it passed through his head, forgotten like so many other things. It wasn't important, after all. The nice man had told him to walk, not to think. He could figure out what he was forgetting later.

"We will be reaching port within fifteen minutes." The intercom blared above them. "We request that all passengers be prepared to disembark as quickly as is convenient."

"That not very nice." Poppi frowned, glancing up at the intercom speaker. "Masterpon, is normal for boat to kick passengers off so quickly?"

Her creator shrugged. "Tora not know." He replied. "Tora not kicked off boat at end of boaty-jaunt in past, but not take for many many years."

Nia glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you move from Alba Cavanich to Torigoth like, what, a year or two ago?" She asked.

"Tora not take passenger boat for that." The nopon insisted. "Sent letter to Unclepon Umon for help. Not know if safe to travel in public so soon after…"

He trailed off, his wings drooping. "…It not matter." He said, looking down at the floor.

"Masterpon…" Poppi placed her arms around him, resting her chin atop his head.

"Are you okay, Tora?" Rex asked the nopon quietly. He knew that something had happened in Tora's past, something he was reluctant to talk about. He would rather not push the matter; it would be rude to do so, but if talking about it would help…

The nopon shook his head. "Tora fine." He insisted, even as he leaned further into Poppi's hug. "Tora just have bad memories. Friends not need get worked up about."

Rex gave him a sympathy nod. "If you're sure." The boy said, before adding, "Just… if you even want to talk about it…"

"Will keep in mind." Tora replied, wrapping his wings around Poppi's arms as he closed his eyes. "Tora not ready to speak about, but maybe will one day."

It felt wrong to start their stay on Tadbir on such a low note, especially considering the looming threat of whatever was going on with the kidnapped children. Glancing around the common area, he saw the small door that concealed the narrow stairs to the observation deck.

"Wanna watch the approach from the roof?" He asked, pointing at the door. "We're already packed, and it feels weird to not get a good look at the Titan we'll be on for the next however many days."

"Eh, might as well." Nia replied, glancing down at Dromarch. "What do you say?"

The Tiger gave the narrow door, no wider than the stairwell behind it, a skeptical look. "I am not confident that I will be able to traverse the access stairs, my Lady." He apologized.

Nia glanced over at the door, wincing slightly as she realized the problem. "Sorry, Dromarch." She said, scratching his head. "I should have thought about that."

"Do not worry, my Lady." The Tiger soothed. "I am used to the inconvenience of being somewhat larger than the amenities of human society are designed for."

Frowning, Rex glanced around again. "Well, it's not like we need to watch." He pointed out. "We can just hang out for the remainder of the trip."

The Tiger almost looked offended by the suggestion. "Please, Master Rex. Do not trouble yourself on my account." The Tiger almost insisted. "I am more than happy to remain behind and keep guard over the bags."

"Are you sure?" Nia said, biting her lip. "I don't want to be leaving you out, just because the stairwell isn't designed for animal Blades."

"My lady." Dromarch replied disapprovingly. "Please, enjoy yourself. I will be perfectly fine remaining behind for all of ten minutes."

"Besides, it's not like he'll be alone." Azurda cut in, flitting over to the Tiger blade. "I have something that I need to discuss with Dromarch, so I will be more than happy to keep him company for the time being."

Rex gave the tiny Titan a skeptical look but didn't challenge him on the matter. "Well, if you're sure…" He turned toward the door. "In that case, we'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take your time, Rex." The Titan replied, landing on the tiger's head. "There's no rule that you lot need to be the first off the ship, after all."

Ignoring the Titan's parting remark, Rex pulled the door open and led the other three up the stairwell. It was surprisingly difficult, even considering how narrow the stairs were; unlike the other passenger-accessible areas, the walls of the stairwell had exposed bolts sticking from them, which proved an annoyance in the limited space. The boy could barely ascend more than a step without a part of his diving gear catching on one, or the Aegis Sword getting wedged between the walls.

At least Nia sounded to be having as much trouble, if the hiss of annoyance behind him as the Gormotti girl's voluminous sleeves caught on one of the bolts was any indication. He was thinking that she was regretting that particular modification to her otherwise practical jumpsuit right about now.

"Man, can you imagine how much of a hassle it would have been if we needed to get Dromarch up here?" The girl asked, yanking her arm away from one of the walls. "I get that space is limited, but this is ridiculous! How is a fully-grown adult supposed to fit through here when we keep catching our stuff on nearly every step!?"

Fortunately, it wasn't a long trip to the observation deck. The ship was only single-level, so they quickly reached the top.

The moment he opened the door, Rex had to stop and take a deep breath, relishing the cool, fresh breeze of the sea. After being stuck inside a ship for the last few days, it was nice to get some fresh air.

He was only able to enjoy it for a moment, though, before an annoyed prodding at his back reminded the boy that he was blocking the door.

Stepping aside, the boy looked around, trying to find the best vantage point on the deck. There wasn't much space, the 'observation deck' being little more than a ledge near the front of the ship that had been railed off, so even with nobody else up there with them, there was a limited amount that they could see. Fortunately, the sight that had drawn him was directly ahead of them: the rising mound of stone-covered flesh of the landmass Titan.

Rex raced over to the railing, eager to get a good look at the Titan. Despite the short amount of time he had been traveling, he had quickly come to enjoy the frequent new sights. Working out of Goldmouth, he had never been afforded the chance to travel, so nearly any Titan he visited was a new one basically by default.

"Woah." He gasped, getting his first good look at the academic Titan. It was… not what he had expected. In many ways, Tadbir looked much like one of the bigger Leftherian islands, seeming almost like a rock that was poking out from the sea.

Yet he couldn't determine exactly what sort of creature the Titan was supposed to be. It was compact, with a pair of mountainous spurs rising from the sides of the body that ended in great fins. Between them was a long, flat slope upon which the city was built, multiple tiers of buildings descending slowly toward the port at the bottom.

Jutting out from the clouds just ahead of the port was another part of the Titan, a large rocky outcrop upon which a lighthouse had been built. It made it no easier to determine the shape of the Titan beneath the clouds.

Maybe it was supposed to be a turtle of some sort? The rocky outcropping was probably the head; there were a pair of depressions on the leading face of it that looked like they could be eyes, but…

No, they weren't. Based on the way the clouds were flowing into them, they were probably hollow, perhaps even leading inside the Titan itself. But with how they were positioned, he couldn't figure out what they were…

He was brought out of his thought process when, on the side of the main body, one of the large, flat surfaces shifted. Rex watched as the stony surface moved, shifted, raised… and pulled away to reveal a massive, slitted yellow-green eye, glaring balefully at the passing ships.

All of the air in his lungs left him. The Titan he was seeing… the entirety that was above the clouds, that the city had been built upon… It wasn't its body. This was just its head. The city wasn't built on its back; it was built on its snout. And that meant the rocky outcropping at the front was its nose.

"That… is not a small Titan." He breathed in awe.

Beside him, Tora nodded in agreement. "This not match what Tora hear about Tadbir." He murmured. "Always told little Titan, not big Titan with little space for living."

"What's up with the design of the city?" Nia wondered, apparently not nearly as awed by the sight as the rest of them were. Rex supposed that made a certain amount of sense, considering how much more traveled she was than he or Tora were.

Poppi tilted forward, shielding her eyes with one hand in an exaggerated gesture. "Buildings higher up on Titan older than lower." She reported. "Age of buildings consistent within tiers of city, but differ between tiers. Poppi think lower tiers build subsequently, with many many years apart."

"Huh." Rex muttered, looking out over the Titan. He could see what she meant; it did look like the city had been built from the crown of the Titan's head down, but that didn't make much sense to him. "Why would they have built it like that? Wouldn't it have made more sense to start from the shore and expand up the slope?"

"Who knows?" The Gormotti girl shrugged. "Maybe the old man…" She glanced expectantly at Rex's helmet, only to deflate as she saw he wasn't there. "…Right, he's keeping Dromarch company."

Rex chuckled at the reaction. "Funny how used you get to having him around to explain this kind of stuff, isn't it?" The boy noted in amusement.

"It is convenient." Nia agreed, her ears twitching in reaction to some sound he couldn't hear. "Dromarch occasionally does the same thing with plant life, but the old man has so much more direct experience with this kind of stuff…"

She trailed off, glancing over her shoulder at the door to the stairwell. Her ears flicked in that direction as well, apparently the cause of her sudden interest. As Rex turned to see what had caught her attention—an expression of curiosity on his face—he too could hear the sound of someone ascending the stairs as well.

Just as he registered what the Gormotti girl was looking at, the door slowly swung open as Ciaran stumbled out onto the deck, tugging his oversized coat back onto his shoulders. He was looking behind him, his gaze fixed on something further down the stairwell he had just left.

"I'll just be a minute!" The Nothian boy apologized, most likely to his Blade. "I just want to get a quick look!"

He turned around, brushing the dust off of his coat, only to freeze in surprise at the sight of the four already up here. "O-oh! H-hello!" He greeted, offering them an awkward wave.

Nia raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Lemme guess, Lyta couldn't fit up the stairs?" She asked.

"Yeah." He replied, casting an annoyed glance behind him. "Unfortunately, her armor is a bit… incompressible. Makes traversing narrow spaces a bit of a pain." The Nothian boy shook his head. "Well, I don't want to leave her waiting for too long. Just wanted to get a quick look at our destination before we get there."

Rex shifted slightly closer to Nia, allowing the mercenary some space at the railing. "You too, huh?" He asked, nodding at the steadily-growing Titan. They were approaching quickly, making it harder to see the actual layout of the city itself as their angle sharpened.

"We were given a basic briefing on Tadbir before we were sent off." Ciaran explained, leaning forward against the railing. "But I wanted to get a good overview, just to give me a better idea of how the map the boss gave us lines up with the actual geography of the city."

"Poppi think sound sensible." The Artificial Blade responded. She frowned, looking over the rapidly growing city, before glancing back at the Nothian boy with a curious tilt of her head. "Friend say was given briefing about city." She asked. "Does friend know why city built from top down?"

He looked down at the mechanical girl, blinking in surprise. "U-umm, I'm sorry?" He apologized, scratching his shoulder awkwardly. "I, um, I'm not sure I understand what you're asking."

"It was something we were talking about before you got here." Rex explained. "She pointed out that the city looks like it was built in tiers, descending from the top down, and we were trying to figure out why they would have done that instead of starting from the cloudline."

"O-oh! That makes sense." Ciaran replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That was actually mentioned in the briefing I was given, when Yew was familiarizing me with the layout of the city. It's because the Titan is still growing."

Nia shot a look over the railing. At this point, the Titan was looming above them as they approached the entrance to the bay. "Still growing, huh? From the size of the head, I'd have thought it was pretty close to Continental size already."

"You'd think, right?" The Nothian boy replied. "But no, it's only about a third the size of one of those. You can't really tell, since it's legs are too short for more than the head to be sticking out so far, but it's actually got similar proportions to a Sauros, big old head and all."

"Ah." She replied, apparently satisfied with the answer. For Rex, who didn't have a particularly good idea of what a Sauros actually looked like, it didn't really answer anything.

"So, if it's still growing, does that mean more of it will become livable at some point?" He asked. Based on the shape of the head alone, a Titan that size could house a substantial population if its back was above sea level.

Ciaran nodded. "Apparently, yeah. That's actually the reason that they've been building top-down." He pointed up, toward the very crown of the Titan's head. It was occupied by a sprawling complex of limestone buildings that were far less densely packed than the rest of the city.

"You see the buildings up at the top? That's the academy proper." The boy explained. "When the Osirians first settled the place a few centuries ago, that was all that was above sea level."

He gestured slightly downward. "But since the Titan is still growing, eventually the coastline dropped, leaving the port facilities high and dry with inhabitable land beneath. So they moved the facilities down to the new cloudline, and the old port became the highest tier of the city."

"So tiers of city are old ports?" Poppi asked, looking fascinated by the concept. "Poppi think smart way to use space!"

Rex glanced over at the city, his view partially blocked by the lighthouse that sat atop the Titan's nose. It was hard to say for sure, but from this angle, it looked like the city had at least five or six tiers above the current port. How often did they need to do that?

The current one looked pretty new, and the docks were pretty close to sea level. It must not have been too long since the last time the it had been moved, probably within his lifetime if he had to guess.

"Exactly." Ciaran confirmed, nodding in agreement with the artificial Blade. "It probably makes building easier too, since they're starting from a surface that has already been leveled out."

"I'll bet." Nia commented. The Gormotti girl was looking up at the looming Titan with a frown. "But you'd think they would have planned the city a little better. Those streets look like a nightmare to navigate."

For a city that was apparently expanded in planned, regular spurts, it did seem to be laid out rather haphazardly. From as close as they were, Rex could just barely see the layout of the lowest tier, but it certainly didn't look particularly organized to him; There were obvious blocks of buildings, but just as many were out of alignment with their surroundings, and even the blocks that did exist didn't line up with the others.

Maybe there was a pattern to it that he just couldn't see from this angle? It was hard to tell.

"Ah, I-I'm sure it won't be that bad." The Nothian boy replied with a remarkable lack of confidence. "As long as you guys aren't headed too obscure, it shouldn't be too hard to get directions."

The Gormotti girl offered a noncommittal sound in response, obviously not particularly keen on sharing their travel plans. Rex, on the other hand, realized that there was something that should probably be addressed.

"So, how should we get in contact with you if we find anything useful to you guys?" He asked, glancing over at Ciaran. "I mean, Tadbir isn't exactly a tiny settlement, and Lyta didn't mention where you were planning on staying, so…"

"Oh! Um…" The Nothian boy replied, twisting in an attempt to grab something out of his pocket. "R-right! We actually have our inn reservations for the stay set up already, so you can get a hold of us there." He grabbed a slip of paper out, handing it over to the salvager.

Rex glanced down at the slip, quickly taking in the information. "'The Colegar inn', huh?" He muttered. "Where's that? I don't know enough about the place for this address to mean anything."

"It's a tier above the port." Ciaran clarified. "It's not the best positioned for the work Lyta and I will be doing, but it's apparently a decent enough place, and the boss was able to book in advance."

"Sounds reasonable enough." Rex replied, stashing the slip away. "Probably not the best for our purposes, but we'll swing by if we see anything that might be of help to you guys."

The Nothian boy gave him a relieved look. "You have no idea how much that will help." He said, his shoulders sagging. "When Lyta and I learned just how much our job here had changed…" He trailed off, a look of discomfort on his face. "Well, I'm incredibly thankful you're willing to lend a hand. Neither of us relished the possibility of being on our own until the boss can get some more of the guys out here to help us."

"Yeah, I can't exactly say I envy your position." Nia commented. "I mean, I'd wish you luck keeping things to a manageable level before your backup gets here, but considering the circumstances…"

There wasn't a need to say anything else, really. It was pretty apparent that the mercenary was keenly aware of the stakes he had found himself playing with here. Considering how nervous he had been about messing up his assignment back when it was merely looking into rumors back on Voltis, Rex was surprised the older boy wasn't a wreck with the added pressure.

On the other hand, he had spent a fair amount of time in his cabin during the ride, only making a handful of appearances in the common area during the first half of the voyage. Perhaps he had been stressing out about the circumstances in private?

Poppi, who had been observing the conversation from the side, suddenly pointed off the side of the ship. "Masterpon, ship is about to pull into port." The mechanical girl announced. "Would be good time to return to passenger deck."

"What?" Ciaran startled, looking over the side at the approaching dock. "Oh no! I need to get back to Lyta!" He cried, scrambling toward the door. "She wanted us to set off as soon as possible!"

Seeing him rush off, Nia called out a warning to the boy. "Hang on a moment; don't just rush down the stairs!" She yelled. "Do that, and you're practically guaranteed to-!"

"Agh!" The Nothian boy cried in alarm as he raced into the stairwell, only to almost immediately hook one of his horns on a bolt just above his eye level.

"-Catch something on one of those bolts." The girl finished, sighing in annoyance as the mercenary spat out a string of curses, rubbing the skin around where the horn jutted from his skull.

She glanced over at Rex, letting out a mirthful snort. "Come on, we might as well not leave Dromarch and Azurda waiting."

They descended back into the ship, ready to step foot on a new Titan. Despite the looming threat that had become apparent over the course of their journey, Rex was still looking forward to getting the chance to explore.

He just wished the ominous feeling he had that things were going to go awry would go away.

Author's Notes

I had originally planned for this chapter to be much different, skipping to after the party made landfall on Tadbir, but the plot had other ideas, it would seem. Between moving scenes around between chapters (the Perun scene was supposed to be the final scene of Chapter 20, and there was a followup scene with Dr. Castrofari that was moved to Chapter 22 because it was too long) and the lingering disruptions to my schedule from the end of December, this ended up being another transitional chapter.

Oh well, next time; the Party explores Tadbir, while a certain Osirian boy has a very unhappy day.