Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all!

Before we begin I'll be making a little announcement: come the new year, I've got plans to start porting my stuff over to Archive of Our Own. Been thinking about this for a while now and the overall state of this website as of recent has been the final push. I've only just regained some capacity to receive alert e-mails from FF after almost half a year of it not working and the stat tracker feature is still down. Never published or even had a profile on AO3 before, but I'm hoping it will serve as a more secure archive for my work.

Not to say I'll stop posting updates here, I plan to continue on both sites (so long as both are operational) so for those who prefer this format, I've no plans to abandon it. That said, with the fact that I've experienced this e-mail issue twice now in the past 2-3 years, my prospective AO3 profile will probably be the better place for those looking to communicate/contact me.

I'm also going to take this opportunity to "remaster" my earlier works and chapters: basically just correcting spelling and grammar issues and re-wording some bits, no plans for any overhauls that will require re-reading. Again, I'll also be re-posting these updated chapters/works here as well. My time table for staring things up will be sometime in February.

At any rate, enough talk! Time for words!

…

Written words!

Arthur slowed to a stop, "The Aegis?"

Ingrid gazed back at their leader, a grim expression in place. Nodding, she asserted, "Her appearance was a little… different from the legends. But that emerald core crystal, no mistaking it."

The blonde man held his stare for a moment longer. The calls of exotic birds rang out from the open airway on the left side of the corridor, the faux sunlight warming up that half of his body. After a period of thought, Arthur hummed deeply before looking off towards the jungle below.

"Was she strong?"

Ingrid quirked a brow at the question, following it up with an eye roll and a brief scoff. "Moreso than a normal Blade, but nowhere near the 'myth' we'd heard countless stories about."

"They weren't very in sync."

Both superiors turned their attention to the others in the hallway. Theory stood nearby, staring up at the two humans with her usual air of stoicism. A step behind her, Praxis held her hands towards the girl in a worried manner, a touch of tension in her features. Poppi was next to her, fists bumped together and feet slightly spread in her "at attention" stance.

The silver haired brawler half raised her left arm, her gauntlet gleaming as she twirled her hand in a "go on" motion.

Theory gripped her jaw, glancing down as she began to think. "The way they fought was very rough, not the kind of polish you'd expect from partners. Considering what you'd gathered about the boy and the Flesh Eater, it seemed especially odd."

"Could owe that to them being exhausted," Ingrid interjected, "wearing their group down was a big part of the plan, after all."

The ice Blade nodded her acknowledgment, still in her thinker's pose. "While that no doubt played a part, the Aegis was clearly operating as a single entity. They might have fought side by side, but they weren't fighting together, if that makes sense."

Ingrid poked out her lower lip, tilting her head up in consideration. Arthur offered a warm smile as Praxis bounced up on her fellow Blade, hugging her from behind and declaring the ice user's greatness to the world. Theory could only lock her gaze on the floor, a dash of scarlet blooming across her face.

A bit apart, Poppi watched the proceedings with a small smile. Moments like these… made things harder.

Arthur, noting Poppi's mood, moved towards the mechanical child. The girl took no notice of his approach until the man's massive palm planted itself atop her scalp. Staring up at the blonde, Poppi's topaz eyes swirled inwards, tightening their shape.

The Benevolence leader smiled, "I heard someone was a considerable asset in the skirmish. I'm sure your master would take pride in your prowess."

Poppi's mouth parted in a small "o" as Arthur stepped back. Behind him, Ingrid looked on with a unique fondness in her gaze, as though thinking back on better times.

Before the robot girl could reply, a rush of force crashed into her back. The weight that latched onto her was more than manageable, but the way it bounced and jostled her was a bit of a hassle.

Praxis, hanging off of Poppi's shoulders, began to shower her in praise, "That's my lil' sis for ya! So proud of you~!" The tanned lance user proceeded to aggressively nuzzle her cheek against the top of Poppi's beret.

The girl beneath the hat fought back a blush, silently cursing her Masterpon for including such a function.

Then Theory stepped into view. Her normally neutral features maintained an overall aloofness, but a tiny smile had graced her lips. "I remember you coming to my rescue from that brutish half breed. Your battlefield awareness has grown by leaps and bounds in only a few short months."

The ice Blade reached a dainty hand towards the machine girl's brow. Rubbing her gently across the expanse of scalp not being monopolized by Praxis, Theory finished, "We couldn't be more proud of you. You're every bit as real as any other Blade."

Poppi's gaze drifted off to a corner, her features tomato red. She didn't trust her voice at all, her mouth clamped shut. This… really only made things harder.

"Fleet Master."

A new speaker appeared from an adjacent hallway. The group rounded on the figure, Poppi deflating as the focus was mercifully drawn off of her.

A Blade stood before them, his frame impressively tall. A lot of that was owed to that gravity defying mane of his, a conical tower of tight curls as tall as the figure's toned torso. His skin was the same pith hue typical of common Blades, his half lidded eyes radiating a pure white shine.

Ingrid regarded the Blade for a silent moment, "Gerard." Her tone was flat, acknowledging but uninterested.

Gerard swept his right arm across his chiseled abdominals. As he sunk into a kneeling bow, the crimson garb draped across his shoulders and upper body dangled to the ground. It looked almost to be a poncho of sorts, the red fabric appearing to be of coarse, tightly woven material like that of carpet. Arcing layers of baubles formed a heavy half circle over the Blade's pectorals and upper back, the majority of the square shaped stones golden in hue with some sporadic pieces of jade and obsidian.

The jewel laden garment clinked and jangled as Gerard sunk low. "Admiral," he nodded to Ingrid, ensuring all the while that his eyes never left the floor. The silver haired commander hummed, regarding the Blade coolly.

"At ease," spoke Arthur, "have you come with some issue?"

The kneeling Blade glanced up, his piercing gaze upon the aged blonde. From beneath his chin, the glow of a circular crystal could be seen resting at the base of his throat, just peeking over the top of his rough garb. It was notably minute for a Blade's core, barely larger than a walnut.

Gerard made no move to stand as he delivered, "Lindsey is out of the med bay, Stint says she's fit for field duty again. She and Waldemar say they need to have a word with, I quote, 'someone of means'."

Ingrid groaned at the report, slapping a palm against her brow. Theory reacted similarly, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and finger. Praxis was the only one who held a positive reaction, smiling warmly as she hopped off of Poppi's back.

"My Driver's back in action? Cool!" The spear wielder pumped a fist in triumph. Her fellow blunette leaned further forward, embarrassment settling in.

Tossing her head back in a long sigh, Ingrid turned to Arthur, "I've got this Cornflower, probably just need a little clarity on their place in this partnership of ours."

The old blonde huffed at the woman's use of nickname before quickly waving off her words and stepping into her space. "Nonsense. I can spare a moment to help alleviate concerns. They've been valuable assets to our operations, after all."

Ingrid fixed her comrade with a stone gaze, bordering on an irate glare that made her emerald orbs shine. Arthur responded with a soft smile, waiting a moment before reaching up to cup her cheek with one of his great palms. Ingrid did not flinch at the display but her face notably reddened before she jerked away.

"We'll both go," was her final say as she moved to gain some distance. Arthur's smile widened at his clear victory, Praxis giggling girlishly in the background as Theory marched forward. Poppi allowed herself to sink back a little, away from the others.

Arthur perked as Theory stepped into view. The ice Blade stared up into his patient eyes, "Will you need our presence when speaking to our Drivers?"

The elder warrior blinked, his perplexed visage morphing to a warm grin in rapid order. "It's not needed, but come if you want. Otherwise you can take the time for yourselves."

Before Theory could respond, Praxis entered the fray. "That's cool," the girl raved, tossing one arm around Theory's shoulders. Her other hand was clasped in Poppi's, dragging the artificial Blade along with her. "We've got sisterly bonding to catch up on!"

Theory made some valiant efforts to escape her fate, struggling and shouting for all she was worth as her fellow cyclops carted them away. Poppi made no attempts to resist. Praxis had already demonstrated time and again that she could manhandle the machine child if determined enough. Poppi would rather not relive that experience.

Arthur unleashed a booming round of laughter at the girls' plight, prompting Theory to thrash harder and Poppi to sigh at her useless efforts. The Benevolence leader kept his cackles up until the three turned a corner and left his view. They really were good girls.

Sobering his features, Arthur turned to the still kneeling Gerard. "Get on up, Gerard. Can't escort us from down on the floor."

The pitch hued Blade unbowed at speed, keeping his gaze low even as he stood to full height. Arthur grinned as he was forced to look up, Gerard standing a full head taller than him. Not even counting the pillar of hair sprouting from his scalp.

Gerard patted down his thighs as he rose, brushing off the blue fabric of his leggings. The dark material was very sleek and billowed out loosely from his sculpted limbs. Steel plates were planted over his kneecaps, the heavy straps drawing in the baggy fabric around the joints.

"Right this way Fleet Master, Admiral." Ingrid rolled her eyes as the subservient Blade turned and began to lead them away. Arthur swiftly fell in step, a small grin fixed upon his features. Ingrid didn't buy her old flame's easy expression. Not with how solidly Arthur's sight held on Gerard's back as they advanced. Not considering that Gerard was, formerly, Leopold's Blade.

Shaking any apprehension from her thoughts, the silver haired brawler moved to pursue the two.

"Watch your head here. There's room to stand in this section but the structure's uneven."

At Mana's warning, Nia could only offer a vexed grumble. They'd already spent a good amount of time crawling on their bellies through ancient canal tunnels, the cake of filth across her front a testament to prior endeavors. A knock on the head would be a minor inconvenience on top of the pile.

Hell, passing out might help her get through the trip easier. She was pretty sure Mana could manage her and Dromarch at once.

Pyra hummed pleasantly in acknowledgment of their newest friend. How she maintained the composure of an ideal housewife, surrounded by the pungent stench of stagnant water, was downright mystifying. No doubt the divine nature of The Aegis…

"These appear to be natural tunnels," the red head remarked, glancing about the underground passage. The upper walls and ceiling were dotted with lines of ivy, budding bulbs, and patches of moss. Like all plant life on this titan, they reacted quite vibrantly to a Blade's ether flow, painting the corridors in hues of emerald and sapphire.

Mana paused, adjusting the weight of the adult tiger still draped across his broad frame. The water was a little over ankle deep at this point and flowing gently ahead of them. Dromarch was still soaked from Mana having to push him through a prior crawlspace.

"Titan anatomy is fun, huh?" The dark skinned Blade threw a bright smirk at his fellow spelunkers.

Nia ignored this expression and shoved past the horned man a short ways. "Long as we don't have to drag ourselves on our bellies again."

Mana's mocking chuckles did nothing to improve the cat girl's mood. But she allowed some tension to release when the muscular Blade reported, "Should be good from here. Natural caves lead more or less to our little safehouse. We'll meet up with our other 'collaborators' there."

The Gormotti girl sighed before falling in step with Mana, making sure Dromarch's head wasn't carelessly swung into any walls. Pyra was close behind, bringing a finger to her chin in thought. She didn't quite notice the coating of putrid algae on her digit, nor how dangerously close it was to her mouth.

"The smaller passages are man made, right? The stone used there was precisely cut and measured, different from the smooth, rounded structure of these larger tunnels."

Mana hummed before responding, "The friend we're going to meet dated the construction as 'very-very old.' His words, mostly. The people living here before The Benevolence moved in must have been absolutely ancient."

Now Pyra cupped her chin, adding a layer of muck that had been marring her palm. She'd made for herself a most filthy beard. "Do you think…" her voice trailed off for a silent moment, "you think they were already gone before these… people moved in?"

Their masculine escort stopped walking, Dromarch growling weakly as he was jostled from his rest. Mana stared off towards a particularly large blossom beaming down on him from the ceiling, its light a cool shade of teal.

"Hope and pray that they were long dead before these bastards came a knockin'."

Quiet settled over the little band, the stream below flowing with a relaxed lack of sound. The resident big cat moaned out something unintelligible and spurred the able bodied ones forward.

Mana pitched his path to the left, into an offshoot from the main vein of the underground. The ground sloped up here, allowing the group to splash through a few puddles instead of wading through a stream. And then they came to a shelf of rock, about belly high compared to Pyra. Mana pretty much hopped onto the ledge, doing his best to keep Dromarch's head from hitting the ceiling.

The higher ground was absolutely rife with moss and plantlife. And as soon as Mana jumped into the midst of that, the whole alcove lit up like fresh neon. Nia had to squint and look away.

"Come on, we climb up this and we're there." Mana made quick progress to the far side of the brief chamber. Amongst the blend of blues and greens shining off the cave walls, a near crystalline glare of icy teal shone brightly. The thick, twisting lengths of roots ran vertically down the side of the space. Yellow motes that took the shape of mushrooms grew from a few points on the radiant bark.

Mana stepped down on one of the fungi, shrugging his feline cargo more onto his left side as his right arm reached up. Following the path of the luminous roots, Nia and Pyra could see a good sized gap in the ceiling.

"Well," Mana huffed as he hefted himself onto the natural ladder, "I ain't climbing for all of you." The dark skinned Blade dipped low, inhaling deeply, then launched himself up through the gap with a mighty heave.

The abrupt thud and the sudden yawp of pain that followed denoted the man hadn't been as careful in handling Dromarch this time around.

"Hey," Nia's sharp bark of protest burst off the chamber's walls at a downright painful volume. Pyra winced as the Gormotti girl basically catapulted herself up through the hole. The red head stared up through the gap, hearing the beginnings of an argument from the floor above.

Well, Nia was trying to argue. Mana laughed right through her attempts at confrontation, clearly amused by the whole affair.

Pyra pinched her brow at the developing situation. Unfortunately her fingers were still tainted with dark muck. This painted her brow and the space between in a streak of black, giving her a unibrow. Again, the Aegis took no notice of this.

Primed to play her part as mediator, Pyra mounted the tangle of roots and made to ascend.

The prisoner wondered if meditation was a similar experience to this. The sense of nearly floating outside of yourself, thoughts a distant memory. All this from staring at a particular section of the ceiling, the watermark there looking like some kind of deformed crab.

He huffed, his eyes coming back to focus. The man decided he really didn't care much for the sensation. Too… airy. He rather preferred standing on solid ground.

Footsteps, quick and numerous, drifted in from beyond a distant wall. The slam of a heavy iron door being flung open interrupted the noise, the proceeding orchestra of footfalls now much more pronounced. Someone – more than just one person – was stampeding down into the cell block.

A pair of the padding clad troopers shuffled into view. The two had another, non cloaked individual between them. Tawny hair darker than the prisoner's own, the man couldn't make out the captive's features with his head bowed forward. He thought they were young, their frame only just beyond that of a child's

… Also they certainly liked their blue.

The cell door was slid open. The pair yanked the kid up by his shoulders, pulling back on his arms to a painful degree. The older prisoner flinched a bit as the tell tale golden glow overtook their rigs, showing the duo were tapping into their augmented strength.

The boy's face was revealed. His chest was thrust out as his handlers pushed forth on his back whilst pulling at his arms. Amber eyes were peeled wide open in sudden shock, the boy's mouth gaping in a mostly silent scream. Only a high pitched, croaking whine could escape from his already ravaged vocal cords.

Having barely a moment to study the heavy bruising around the young man's face, the prisoner almost jumped as his new cellmate was launched into the confined space. Th kid bounced once across the stone floor, going into a tumble before crashing into the wall at the foot of the sole prison bunk.

"The fuck," exclaimed the prisoner, jerking into an upright position. His sight swung from the battered boy towards the duo of guards. He caught one standing near with their mouthpiece pulled down. An instant later and the prisoner caught a gob of spit on his right cheek.

A hand slapped against the man's scalp, wrenching his head into the nearby wall. "Keep your mouth shut, Amshel," the female trooper seethed at the older captive, "We'll get to you once we're done with this little bastard and his pack of beasts."

Amshel's vision swam from the impact. He heard the retreating footsteps and the sound of the cell door sliding shut. As his sight came back into focus, all he could make out of the grey cloaks was their footfalls echoing off the stairs. They'd had their fun and wouldn't be back for a while.

A heavy plop sounded from across the room. Amshel's light greens settled on his new cellmate, the young man now laid curled up on the floor. He watched for a moment, seeing the blue clad boy tense and rattle from the pain.

The older prisoner sighed as he swung his legs over the side of the bunk. Scratching the back of his head, Amshel stood up and made his way towards the newcomer. "Hey," he barked, trying to gain the boy's attention. The fetal figure flinched, but offered no further response.

Amshel stood beside the boy. He nudged him with the tip of his brown boot, "Hey." This time, the young man groaned.

Crouching low, Amshel cocked his head at the downed figure. His hand hovered over the youth's shoulder for a few seconds. Then Amshel pressed down, rocking the kid's frame.

"Hey, boy-"

"Stop."

Amshel's hand all but leapt off of his cellmate's form. The boy's voice had been hushed, but the force behind it was far from weak. After a breath, the older prisoner allowed himself to relax again.

"Alright, that's how you want it boy-"

"My name… is Rex."

The man gave a good natured scoff at that. Boy still had spirit, Amshel could respect that. Skulking a little to the side, the tawny haired man planted himself against the wall next to Rex.

"Well Rex," Amshel sat cross legged, his palms slapped heavily atop his kneecaps, "I think I'll just park myself right here for a while, yeah?"

There was a good pause in the conversation, Amshel glancing off to one of the room's top corners. Then Rex let out a soft, "Yeah, alright then." The seated man hummed through his growing smile.

Still, Amshel found he couldn't keep to himself long now that he was sharing space with someone else. He hadn't had much in the way of conversation partners for a few months now.

"I'm Amshel, case you didn't catch that earlier." The boy returned a soft moan that could have been born of pain or acknowledgment, it was hard to tell. It prompted Amshel to crack the back of his skull against the wall, staring up towards the ceiling.

"You a Driver," the man asked out of nowhere.

Rex seized at that. With some difficulty, the young salvager turned to face Amshel. The right side of his face, from beneath his eye up to the top of his forehead, was bruised nearly black. He forced out, "How… did you figure that?"

The brunette's grin was all teeth. "Game recognize game."

Blinking, mostly with his good eye, Rex took a moment to puzzle out what was being said. His feature brightened an instant after, a hint of ether flow pricking at his dulled senses.

"You're… also-"

"Yeah, yeah," Amshel spun his hand a bit, "I'm a Driver, same as you."

Rex stared back at his fellow Blade user, then struggled to pull himself upright. Amshel caught his shoulder partway, slowly drawing the kid into position. The older man propped the boy against the stone wall.

"So," Amshel began, "I take it you're the star attraction?" Rex returned a flat stare, not amused by the reminder of his situation. His fellow captive just grinned back at him.

Looking around the hardened walls of their cell, the boy in blue breathed out, "Yep. Really rolled out the red carpet for me."

Despite the joke, Amshel lost his smile at Rex's defeated tone. His own features somewhat sunken, the first prisoner relayed, "No reason to be so down-"

Rex turned on his prospective cellmate with fury in his eyes. "No reason!? We're stuck in a concrete block, at the mercy of an army of psychopaths – the leader of whom just kicked the absolute shite out of me, and all I can do now is sit and wait while they hunt down my friends, whichever ones they haven't already captured!" The unbidden recollection of Kassandra's screams from before echoed through his thoughts, stalling his words.

Amshel allowed his minute shock at the boy's outburst to fade, leaving his features stony. Rex remained silent for a long moment. "What… What am I supposed to do?" Neither party had a response for that.

They'd also failed to notice the rather raucous racket that had been building from the tubular vent running the back ceiling of the cell. Not until a rapid banging was issued from the grilled opening hanging just above the pair. A groan rumbled from the back of Amshel's throat, the brunette rolling his eyes powerfully.

"Shelly-am! You awake down there?"

"Yes Tora," the newly dubbed "Shelly-am" announced, "very much awake. Also very much not alone, at the moment."

A round of noise that spoke of someone scrambling in surprise belted from the pipe. Rex, regaining some vitality, quirked his brow at the ensuing silence. Then his mouth parted slightly as several exaggerated squeaks began to sound from above, as though someone was attempting – poorly – to imitate a rodent.

Amshel's good mood had returned, shaking his head as a bright smile breached his features. "It's fine Tora. Cellmate, not one of the 'crazy capes'."

"Why you not say that right away!?" Rex balked at the sudden burst of high pitched exacerbation. By now Rex had noted the childish, almost girly quality of the unseen speaker's voice. He assumed the shaft lurker must be very young and quietly questions how such a person found themselves in this place.

"New cellmate," the young speaker stated slowly, musing over his words. "Then that mean… Shelly-am's new friend is man of hour!"

That moniker, if anything, brought Rex's mood crashing down once more.

Amshel pinched his brow before answering, "Sure is. Mana got you up to speed then?"

A quick "Ahemph" preempted the following, "Of course! Tora always on top of hings! Have to accelerate plans from 'tentative' to 'imminent'."

"Yeah," Amshel clicked his tongue, "kind of figured that much. Does you being here mean you found something useful?"

There was a beat of silence before the unseen "Tora" started audibly rummaging around. Once more, Amshel gave a strong roll of the eyes that concluded on the persistently silent Rex.

"That's what I meant when I said there's no reason to be down," the older man declared, "Got a whole escape plan lined up already, no time to sulk."

As Rex was gasping like a fish, searching for the words to respond, a sharp "Ah-hah!" chirped out from above. "Tora find it! Mana retrieve this after Poppi relay contents of most recent trash dump! Here Shelly-am, catch!"

Amshel's response had been purely instinctual. The moment he caught sight of the shimmering mass being pushed and then punted through the solid bars of the vent, his lizard brain took full command. The green eyed man reached up for the incoming object.

The moment the shimmering, angular mass met his palm, the moment the crystalline crinkling and that brilliant flash of light filled the space, Amshel knew he'd just made a grave mistake. Before his senses were utterly consumed by the bell like chimes and blinding radiance, the man picked up on the sound of Tora's retreat as well as the cry of "Best wishes" he offered in his wake.

Silently, at least for now, Amshel thoroughly cursed his small companion.

Pyra's intention upon ascending to the upper chamber was to dispel whatever row had developed between Nia and Mana. At first, the pair hadn't paid much attention to the Aegis' arrival. This had been expected, and Pyra had mentally rolled up her sleeves at the task laid out before her.

But then the red head approached the two and garnered their attention. At once the arguing/teasing ceased, and Pyra took the opportunity to gently begin some chastisement. She balked a bit upon seeing them go still, gazing at her with widened eyes, but pressed on regardless.

She did have a second of perplexion when Nia abruptly turned away, her frame quaking briefly every few moments. Mana too slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling some puffs of exclamation as tears collected in his eyes. Was… was her talking-to really that intimidating?

Pyra sighed out as she allowed a moment for the atmosphere to cool off some. She instead directed her focus onto the cavernous space surrounding them. The area was, as below, aglow with lichens and flowering buds. The chamber itself, while larger than the one below, was quite irregular. The floor and walls bulged and undulated all over the place, stone outcroppings jutting out from numerous spots along the ground and ceiling. Notable batches of crystals bloomed across various surfaces, shining against the soft glow of the local flora.

Mana fell to the floor, startling Pyra until the black core Blade waved her off with one hand. His other palm was still clapped over his maw and… Pyra swore she was hearing laughter fighting to break free. Strange…

The Aegis' wandering orbs drifted across the gloomy space until some irregularities came into view. She quickly advanced on the angular shapes she caught in the shadows, light following her as the nearby plantlife softly illuminated her surroundings.

A long, heavy bench utterly overburdened with various gizmos, tools, and knick-knacks sat before her. A tall, rather plushly cushioned stool resided nearby. Further bits of scrap and larger objects that could not fit on the counter were all about the workspace. It truly looked the part of some mad inventor's den.

"Is this your workplace, Mana? Your Driver's maybe?"

The strange Blade looked partway through regaining his balance when Pyra's question brought his sight back onto her. The dark skinned man redoubled the seal on his mouth, curling back in on himself as muffled laughter again shook through him.

Nia had also yet to look at her since her entrance to the higher chamber, tiny jolts continuing to wrack her form.

"Pfft! Space of Mana or Shelly-am, most foolish of thoughts!"

Pyra almost summoned her sword from the sudden, sonorous vocals crashing down from above. She hadn't taken much note of the various tunnels and passages shooting off from the main chamber, even less the ones laid higher across the walls and ceiling. But now her eyes scanned frantically over the many portals dotting the area.

The crashing, sliding, and tumbling sounds of something bouncing towards her attracted Pyra's gaze to one tunnel in particular. As soon as she settled on the hole, the incoming mass dropped free of the gap in front of her.

A rather large nopon plopped quite dexterously onto the cushioned stool beside the desk, a puff of air being expelled from the seat. Some dark denim overalls contained the majority of his rounded bulk, the top and short sleeves of a pale undershirt peeking out from the heavy garment.

Big, mahogany colored eyes gazed back at Pyra's own, set in a face covered with cream and orange hued fur. Perched higher on his brow were a set of rather intricate looking goggles, their rounded frames quite bulky, metallic surfaces alternating from sheer black to lustrous gold. Several spike like tufts of dark brown hair formed a tall ridge along his scalp, the mohawk an oddly rough look for a nopon.

The newcomer raised his thick wings out to the sides, Pyra catching sight of the striped pattern of dark brown against his softer orange pelt. The fuzzball introduced himself, "Name is Tora! It Tora's hidden workshop you all stumble into! Be amazed at crafty feats of world's greatest nopon inventor!"

Pyra threw out a smile. Tora may have been a little loud, but it certainly showed off his spirit. Still she was curious as to what he was doing here. He claimed himself a "great inventor" and the group that came after them seemed very well equipped…

Rather than remain silent, Pyra made to address the illustrious Tora, "Excuse me, Tora?"

This had the effect of directing the striped nopon towards the Aegis in particular. Almost immediately, Tora froze in place. Pyra could understand that, coming face to face with a legendary Blade could have that effect on people. She allowed him a moment to digest her presence before moving on.

But before the red head could continue her line of dialogue, Tora opened one of his own. "… Red Girl is very clearly female…" At this, the nopon's dark eyes glanced blatantly between her enormous breasts and generous hips. Pyra blinked, a little caught off by the sheer audacity, but was interrupted again as Tora concluded.

"So, why Red Girl have much facial hair? Huh?"

Pyra let out a little choking sound. And that was all Mana and Nia could take. The horned Blade instantly fell into cackles, falling to the floor in full on fetal position, his fist pounding desperately against the ground. Nia had the fortune of standing beside a mossy stalagmite, laying against the rocky surface, her clasped hand failing miserably to hold back her endless chuckles.

This was about the point that the Legendary Aegis began feeling about her face, noting the dried, caked layer stamped over her chin in the style of a beard. She took a bit longer to notice the dark patch connecting her eyebrows. For a good while, her features couldn't decide between the appropriate red of embarrassment and the sickly green of disgust.

Tora just glanced about, waiting for his question to be answered.

The radiant flash slowly faded from their eyes, the constant twinkling sound beginning to wane. Amshel couldn't help but note the sudden sense of pressure, like something prodding at his skin. Invasively so.

A dark chill ran up his body as an overly seductive voice chimed out, "Oooh~! My precious little Driver-kins coming to wake me up~?"

Oh boy…

So we get a lot of focus at first on Theory, Praxis, and Poppi. Basically their out-of-combat dynamics: Praxis being the limitless source of energy, Theory being calm, thoughtful, but easily thrown off, and Poppi being the cute mascot who's along for the ride. Poppi in particular is very much the kid of the group, not just to her "siblings" but to Arthur and Ingrid as well. She's not keen on the added attention… makes things harder.

Waldemar is the actual name of Theory's in-game Driver. Now you can put text to that generic Urayan face who consistently topple-launch-smashed you into the dust off in the Lost Capital Judicium. Wulfric's quest with those fucking gogols was the only sub-boss that managed to thrash me more…

But as said last time, we also get a name for Praxis' Drive here, an on the mend individual called Lindsey. Compared to the other troopers of The Benevolence, Waldemar and Lindsey are more along the lines of contractors. Separate but closely knit into things. How closely might just be in contention come following chapters…

Stint is another named "leader" of The Benevolence. Be seeing more of him soon.

Gerard is our first OC Blade. Like Saturn, Ingrid, and Arthur, he draws inspiration from that same old series I've been hinting at. That tower afro is pretty much the most blatant reference I've given thus far. In terms of this story, the most significant thing about Gerard is that he was formerly Leopold's Blade. That's Arthur's son for those who've forgotten. For the Fleet Master, Gerard's presence is like a constant reminder of the child he lost. A reminder that holds no memory of the brave young man that was once his partner…

I've got some interesting things lined up concerning Gerard. Take special note of that diminished core crystal for the future.

Mana-Pyra-Nia continue their venture towards the "safehouse" and we get a slight bit of lore regarding the titan they're on. Need to have a more thorough bit of that in upcoming chapters, actually straight up forgot to pursue the setting's backstory when writing all this. Hell, we haven't even had our heroes learn the titan's name yet…

Pyra's "joke" status continues.

Amshel, our unfortunate captive, gets his name!

Named our guy after one of the main antagonists from the anime series Blood +. One hundred percent just because I liked the name, the two characters are hardly alike. In fact, you could look at Driver Amshel as being very much the opposite of his chiropteran counterpart. Maybe I should try and make that contrast more… intentional.

Where there is Poppi, there will eventually be Tora! Our biggest and brightest nopon puts on his saboteur face as he, Mana, and Amshel ready to enact their great escape plan! And with so many new sideki-sideki-friends to lend them a hand, what could possibly go wrong!? Certainly no fault of Tora's in passing Shelly-am core crystal that bad guys deem so undesirable they fling into waste disposal?

Speaking of… oh boy. Our captives have acquired some dark company, but maybe they'll be able to pull a few strings towards freedom.

Next time: a rather "passionate" resonance, the details of a partnership are clarified, and the first stirrings of chaos rear themselves.