"Haaaah!" Rex called out, his battle cry resounding across the training grounds as he charged forward. In his hands, the Aegis Sword burned with golden light as he prepared an Art.
A burst of wind ether met his charge, attempting to stop him cold, but the boy wove around the attack, leaping into the air as he brought the sword over his head. Light ether swirled around the energy blade, begging to be released as he came crashing back down to earth.
Yet, as he swung the sword down, ready to unleash that power, his weapon was stopped mid-strike. Not even by a Blade barrier, either, but by a single scythe with almost contemptuous ease.
The built-up energy released, scouring the air in front of him as it blasted out of the sword in a column, yet the angle his weapon had been deflected at prevented it from striking his target.
Before he could even so much as blink in surprise, the scythe blocking his strike lashed out, throwing Rex to the ground. He stumbled back, only barely managing to keep his footing, before bringing the Aegis Sword into a hasty block as his target—a large, burly Urayan man—lunged forward at him.
"Come on, Rex, you gotta do better than that!" Vandham yelled, bringing both scythes down in an overhand strike that nearly knocked the sword from the boy's grasp. "I'm sure the old man's taught you better than to telegraph your attacks!"
Rex gritted his teeth, bracing the flat of the Aegis Sword with his offhand as he struggled against Vandham's immense strength. He didn't have a lot of options to get out of the current situation.
Overpowering the older man was out of the question—the mercenary was substantially bigger and stronger than him—and the difference in size meant that he couldn't try lashing out at the man with an unarmed strike.
So instead, he opted for misdirection. He held out against Vandham's strike until he felt the pressure shift as the Urayan adjusted his position, and the moment that occurred, released the hand bracing the flat of the sword.
With the resistance to his push suddenly gone, the mercenary stumbled forward a step as his scythes slid along the surface of Rex's blade. Sensing an opportunity, the boy charged forward, ducking beneath Vandham's arm as he moved to exploit the sudden opening in the man's guard.
Or at least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, rather than an opening to strike at the Urayan, what he instead found was the man's knee racing towards his face.
Stars exploded in his vision as he was struck, the blow carrying enough force to throw him back even after his nose absorbed enough of the force to crumple flat. This time, he wasn't able to catch his footing, as distracted by the pain as he was.
To his credit, he recovered quickly, blocking out the pain as he scrambled to his feet. Even though the rules of their current sparring match didn't allow for attacking downed opponents, years of practice under Azurda's tutelage had long hammered home the lesson to not allow an opponent such an enticing target.
He quickly caught sight of Vandham again, slowly backing away towards his initial position with a smug grin on his face. It was clear he wasn't taking the bout seriously, giving his younger opponent the opportunity to recover.
Damn it, Rex had asked the older man to actually push him! He wasn't going to improve if Vandham kept clowning around during the spars!
Eager to show the mercenary just what he was capable of, Rex began gathering ether again. If Vandham wanted to give him the opportunity to prepare, then he would do just that!
Glowing lines of emerald power erupted across his frame as Rex prepared a Blade Art. The boy winced in pain at the amount of ether flowing through his body, even more than he had ever used before.
When Rex had approached the Urayan mercenary for training help, the older man had sat him down and asked for a detailed description of what he was capable of. Rex had given him an explanation of not just the Arts and techniques he knew, but how he had learned them as well.
The very first thing that Vandham had commented on once the explanation had concluded was just how many of his Blade-related skills had been worked out on the fly, especially during battle. Barriers, both of his Blade Arts, even the ranged light attacks that had eventually become Sword Blast—they had all been improvised techniques he had pulled together in the heat of the moment.
In fairness, it wasn't exactly like he had been given much of an opportunity to figure out how to use his new abilities in a safe environment, and that was exactly what he argued. His first Blade Art had been created not even ten minutes after being granted the Aegis Core Crystal, and the second while running from battle only a few days later. With the exception of the week at sea on the way to Voltis, he had never been in a place where he could cut loose and experiment, and even then he had been limited by the need to not damage the ship.
Vandham's response had simply been to point out that he did now. After all, the older man had argued; the local administration was aware that he was a Blade Eater.
Even though Rex had kept that fact quiet, Castrofari had not—quite the opposite, from what he understood. Apparently, the incarcerated scientist had gone on a long rant about how whoever had 'created' Rex had 'upstaged him' during his initial interrogation.
They didn't know about the Aegis part, of course, but even just being known as a Blade Eater meant he could experiment more openly using the facilities the academy had to offer.
Having pointed this out to him, Vandham challenged the boy to make the most of the opportunity to not just refine what he had already created, but to experiment with what else he could manage with his new abilities.
So, Rex did just that. Over the week since the raid on the lab, the boy had been spending upwards of ten hours a day in a private field of the academy's Driver training facility, working with either Azurda or Vandham to figure out the extent of what he could do.
One of the things that the old Titan in particular had shared with the boy was a description of the Arts that Mythra had made use of during the Aegis War. In addition to Ray of Punishment, one that they had already discussed back on Gormott, Rex had been particularly taken with Azurda's description of an Art she had once used called 'Photon Edge'.
From the sound of it, the Art allowed the user to temporarily move at speeds not dissimilar to those that Driver they encountered on Goethe Rock (Zeke, he thought it was?) had demonstrated. And even if that man had used his speed for showmanship rather than direct combat, Rex had seen the potential such an ability possessed.
Unfortunately, replicating the effect was proving to be more difficult than anticipated.
Rex blitzed forward, far faster than he could normally consider possible. The scenery around him blurred for an instant as he crossed the distance between himself and the burly Urayan, the Aegis Sword trailing behind him as he prepared to strike.
Yet he wasn't moving fast enough. Despite the speed, Vandham could clearly still track his movements. As he approached, the boy lashed out with a flurry of strikes—slashes, thrusts, and sweeps—enough to overwhelm any normal Driver by sheer number.
And the mercenary blocked every single one of them.
The mercenary's own weapons seemed to blur as Vandham caught the incoming strikes, using his scythes to knock the Aegis Sword aside or stop it cold. Even if Rex was able to move faster—if not nearly as fast as he was trying to—the Urayan had two weapons to Rex's one and a vast pool of experience to draw upon that the salvager lacked.
What made it all worse was that it was clear that Vandham was not only blocking all of the strikes but clearly had the opportunity to counterattack. Despite that, the man was refraining from punishing Rex for any mistakes, instead restricting himself to casually blocking the strongest attack the boy had come up with.
Yeah, he definitely wasn't taking Rex seriously.
Frustrated by his lack of progress, the boy leapt backward, preparing the final part of his new Blade Art. The flurry of strikes was useful, but too similar to the attack that Azurda had described. Call it some sort of warrior's pride, but Rex wanted to add his own spin to differentiate it from Mythra's.
Pulling the Aegis Sword close, the boy skidded to a halt, already preparing to launch forward again. He ignored the burning sensation as his ether lines continued to pulse with power, locking eyes with Vandham.
"Take this!" Rex cried, bolting forward, the Aegis Sword raised over his shoulder. "Brilliant-!"
Vandham watched calmly as the boy charged forward, even faster than before. Yet, it still wasn't fast enough.
"-DivideAGH!" At the last moment, Vandham ducked out of the way of the strike, but not without a trick of his own. As Rex passed his target, still processing that the attack had missed, his leading leg encountered that of his opponent, held out in front of him like a tree root.
Still moving at high speed, Rex tripped over the offending limb, flying forward in an uncontrolled tumble. He hit the ground nearly seven feet beyond Vandham, skidding face-first along the gravel-lined floor until he came to a stop against the dividing wall.
He lay there for a moment, dazed, as he tried to process what had just happened. Did… did Vandham seriously end the fight by tripping him? That was such a disappointing, juvenile…!
A burst of laughter from the other side of the room broke his line of thought. Hesitantly, the boy began pushing himself to his feet, ignoring the twinge of pain as the ether burns along his arms protested at the movement.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Nia." He grumbled, gingerly touching his nose. It had already begun to slowly heal, the cartilage having knit back together just enough to open the airway again, but without either a potion or a healing Art, it would be hours at the minimum before it resumed its normal shape.
The Gormotti Driver sauntered over to him, a mirthful look on her face even as she reached for her Twin Rings. "Real great strategy there, Rex." She snarked. "Charging right in at the guy who kept showing you how futile charging right in is?"
"Indeed, my Lady." Dromarch agreed with his Driver, chortling as he followed behind her. "With such a brilliant display of tactical acumen, it is a wonder we did not best the Special Inquisitor in battle."
Rex scowled at the comment, but didn't deny its accuracy. "I get it, I get it." He grumbled. "Can you save the sass until after you've fixed my nose? It kinda hurts something awful."
Nia rolled her eyes. "Rub some dirt on it, you big baby." She replied, even as she prepared a healing Art. "A broken nose isn't gonna kill you."
Any response the boy could have given died in his throat as the wave of healing ether washed over him, cool like the water of a springtime stream. He couldn't help but let out a relieved groan as the pain from his injuries faded, even if his ether lines tingled slightly in reaction.
"…Thanks, Nia." He said, giving the girl an embarrassed grin.
She merely smirked in response. "Maybe instead of thanking me, you should try to avoid getting hit." The girl said off-handedly, even as she shot Vandham a piercing look. "After all, there was no need to take a hit like that one on the nose in a sparring match."
Vandham merely belted out a laugh in response. "Sorry about that, lass." He apologized, wandering over to the group. "Rex asked me to take him seriously, so I didn't pull my punches."
The boy grumbled in response. "The hell you did." He muttered. "I saw those times you held back from counterattacking me. You could have gotten at least three or four blows in during that last exchange!"
His response earned a grin from the larger man. "Caught those, did you?" The mercenary said, a note of approval in his tone. "Well, I figured that shuttin' you down then and there wouldn't be helpful. This spar was about seein' how you approach an opponent that can match your blows, not one that can knock you out of the battle in an instant."
"And apparently the answer is 'not very well.'" Nia observed, resting a hand on her hips as she gave Rex an amused expression.
Vandham laughed, but didn't contradict her. "His approach could use some work." The mercenary said diplomatically. "You definitely made some good moves there—against someone less experienced, the way you broke that blade lock could have easily ended the fight—but on the other hand, you're still too obvious with those power attacks."
Nodding at the scorch mark on the wall where Rex's Rolling Smash Art had impacted, almost six feet above the ground, he continued. "Big attacks like that are all well and good, but if the windup's so obvious, your opponent'll see them comin' from a Titanped away!"
Rex flushed slightly, scratching the back of his head. It was a bit more blunt than how Azurda would state it, but that was hardly the first time he had been told that. "Well, normally I try to work it into a dodge." He explained, attempting to justify the move. "You know, jump over an attack and land that on the way down. Tends to be a little less obvious then."
"That does sound a bit harder to deal with." Vandham nodded. "I'm sure you have opponents ducking out of the way of it, but if they're not as prepared, then only a Blade Barrier would be able to stop somethin' like that cold."
Azurda crossed his arms. "Quite. Even Special Inquisitor Morag was forced to dodge when Rex managed to catch her with it." He said, pride evident in his tone.
"Oh really?" The burly Urayan replied, raising an eyebrow at the notion. "I thought you said you got your scrawny asses beat in that fight?"
"Alas, if a single well-executed strike were enough to win a battle." Azurda waxed melodically in a rather overdramatic manner. "In truth, it was but a singular bright spot in an otherwise overwhelming defeat."
"It is as you say, Azurda." Dromarch chimed in, playing off of the Titan's performance. "In the end, the greatest victory that resulted from it was lighting the fires of determination beneath them to improve after such a humiliating display."
Nia hissed at the pair. "Oi!" She shot back. "We managed to talk her down in the end!"
"My Lady," Dromarch replied, raising an eyebrow at his Driver. "I may not have directly participated in that battle for the most part, but even I was able to clearly see that it was you and Master Rex who required talking down."
She growled at him but didn't contradict his assessment of the event.
Rex looked down at his arm, the faint red tracery across his skin already beginning to fade. The fact that, even having used so much ether, the burns were so minor was a testament to how much he had improved since that fight with Morag. Yet, at the same time… "It's still not good enough." He muttered.
"What was that, my boy?" Azurda asked, glancing over at him.
"That last attack." He replied, a contemplative look on his face. "I've been working on it for the last week, but I still can't get it right."
Vandham laughed. "If that's not 'gettin' it right', then I can't wait to see what the final product's supposed to be". The man replied. "You were movin' fast enough that even I was havin' trouble keepin' track of you. If you hadn't been attackin' from the front, there's no doubt you woulda landed some mean blows."
"Rex is right, though." Azurda mused, crossing his arms. "The Art he is basing it off of was even faster, taking full advantage of the properties of light ether to land a dozen blows in the blink of an eye."
"Sound's like a blast." The Urayan nodded. "I'd love to take a whack at it once you've gotten it all finished up."
"Maybe you can give me a little more advice?" The boy suggested. He loved Azurda—despite his preferred nickname for him, he was practically Rex's father in all but name—but despite how effectively the Titan had taught him how to fight, there was just something about the way that Vandham did it that clicked with him. "We're not leaving for Mor Ardain for another day or so."
The mercenary offered him a smile. "I'd love to, kid." He said. "But you remember me and mine are shippin' out later today, right?"
Rex's face fell at the reminder. He had forgotten that part. Apparently, the leader of Garfont was needed back in Uraya, so now that they were free to leave, the entire contingent—Not just Vandham and the Drivers and Blades that had accompanied him, but Ciaran and Lyta as well—were quite literally headed off as soon as they were permitted to.
"I had kind of hoped you would be sticking around a bit longer." He sighed, giving a forlorn glance at the training ground. "In that case, do you think that we could have another spar before you head out? I think I'm up for another one."
A sudden pressure on his shoulder disabused the boy of the idea. "Oh no you don't." Nia spoke up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We don't have time for another round. We've got places to be, remember?"
He closed his eyes, letting out a long, pained groan. "Right. The arraignment. How could I have forgotten?" Frankly, fairly easily—he had intentionally scrubbed it from his memory, considering he was going to need to make himself presentable.
Seeing his obvious distress, Vandham belted out another laugh. "Well, I'll leave you kids to it." He said, turning around as he prepared to leave. "Don't worry, I'll swing by with Ciaran and Lyta before we leave. Get a goodbye in and all that."
Rex could do nothing but nod, dreading what was to come next.
"Tora still not understand why need to be here." The nopon huffed, tugging at the stiff clothing he was wearing as the party filed into the courtroom. "Not even need to say anything, yes?"
Nia rolled her eyes at his complaints. "We've already told you a dozen times!" She said, more than a little exasperated at his continued whining. "It's about closure."
Or at least, the closest they would get to it. Considering the crimes that Castrofari had committed—both the sheer number and gravity of them—his trial was likely to take a very long time, several months at the absolute minimum, as the local investigators sorted through the mountains of evidence and coordinated with a dozen foreign governments to work out the full extent of them.
Far longer than the party could reasonably stick around; they had too many interests on their plates to remain on Tadbir for the better part of a year.
Knowing this, and having already gotten all of the information she would need from them as witnesses, Alexandria had invited them to sit in on the doctor's arraignment. In her words, it was meant to show them that the grinding wheels of the local justice system were turning, even if slower than anyone wished.
Unfortunately for the three of them, their normal attire was well below what would normally be considered appropriate for such a venue. Drivers could get away with quite a lot, but wearing working clothes in so formal a setting was not one of them.
As such, they had begrudgingly changed into clothing deemed more acceptable for the event.
For Rex, it had been fairly simple. He already had an outfit that was acceptable, if only just—a set of nice clothes that Corrine had gotten him the last time he was in Fonsett, which he had worn the first day they were on Gormott—that only needed some minor cleaning and repairs.
Tora had been more of an issue. Generally speaking, nopon didn't wear very much in the way of clothing to begin with, and while the engineer was something of an exception, all of the clothes he owned were variations of his plain shirt and coveralls.
Fortunately, there were more than a few shops on the Titan that catered to nopon clientele. So with only a little fussing from Tora, the group had managed to force him into a modest merchant's business suit, not dissimilar to the sort that Rex had claimed to be fairly common among the clerical staff of the Guilds.
Nia had even managed to convince him to go for a dark brown twill jacket that sported a herringbone weave. It was a little pricier than the plain pattern he had originally been looking at, but in her opinion it was worth the extra money. If he had to buy a suit, better to spring for one that could be used in a wider range of events.
As for herself, the Gormotti would admit she had probably gone a little overboard. Much as she disliked formal settings, she hated losing out even more. If she was going to be forced to dress up a bit, there was no way in hell she was going to be the least kempt member of their group—the lingering lessons from her training in noble deportment wouldn't allow it!
Whereas Tora had settled for a store focused on merchants, Nia had beelined directly for a boutique catering specifically to upper-class children studying at the academy. Her initial conversation with the staff had been somewhat awkward, her normal outfit making her appear to…. not quite be their normal clientele, but once she had demonstrated enough knowledge of high fashion to make her status clear (aided by a rather open promissory note backed by the headmaster's office), they had been more than willing to accommodate her.
The result was satisfactory, in her opinion. The core of the outfit was a yellow satin dress, reaching from her collar all the way to her calves. The torso was covered by a brown bodice, decorated with traditional Gormotti patterns, and was accompanied by a white, puffy-sleeved bolero with a pattern that was surprisingly similar to her hood.
It wasn't a formal outfit as far as upper-class clothing went—indeed, it wasn't that different from the day-to-day outfits she had been accustomed to wearing the years after becoming a Flesh Eater, back when she still lived with her father—but it would be more than appropriate to wear to the arraignment.
"Tora not think hat necessary." He grumbled, his eyes rolling up toward the offending garment covering his fluff. "All doing is making Tora's head sweaty!"
Beside him, his Blade tilted her head to the side. "Poppi think hat make Masterpon look cool." She said.
He looked up at her. "Really-truly!?" Tora asked, his eyes shimmering slightly.
She nodded eagerly. "Makes Masterpon look like mysterious merchant." She explained, her face placid even as she spoke excitedly. "Like secret heropon Wayayne from books Masterpon give to Poppi! Normal nopon by day, but by night fight crime as Mystery Heropon Vangpon!"
"Isn't that just how Perun operates?" Rex asked, giving the pair a confused look.
Neither acknowledged him as Tora's eyes began to sparkle with excitement. "Tora must keep hat on no matter what." He declared seriously, clenching a fist.
Covering her face with her hand, Nia let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "At least she seems to know how to control him." The Gormotti girl muttered in an exasperated tone, eliciting a chuckle from Rex.
The party settled onto a bench at the very rear of the chamber, as far out of the limelight as was feasible. It didn't really do anything to make them less conspicuous—there were so few people in the chamber to begin with that blending in with the crowd wasn't an option—but it gave them a comfortable distance from where the doctor would be sitting.
By the time they had arrived, most of the audience was already present. There weren't more than a handful, although they represented a surprisingly broad demographic—in addition to the obvious Tadbirian officials, Nia could recognize dignitaries from at least a dozen major countries. Mor Ardain, Uraya, Matma, Osiris… there was even a singular woman that appeared to be of Tantalese stock sequestered in the corner of the room.
Interestingly, it appeared that there were no Indoline representatives present, although it didn't take a genius to determine why.
Apparently, the kidnappers had gone out of their way to avoid the Praetorium during their sweeps—likely at the behest of Castrofari's Indoline partner—so, at least publicly, there was no need to involve them in the matter. Privately, the Academy was actively keeping them out of the affair, despite the fact that it was customary to use Praetorium channels for an international incident such as this.
So far as she was aware, Indol hadn't even been informed that one of their own had been among the culprits, although the fact that she hadn't survived the raid was likely the primary reason. And it went without saying that the headmaster was keeping a tight hold on the Core Crystal of the tracking Blade, despite the fact that the Praetorium was apparently actively trying to locate it.
With so many Blade Eaters here, there was no way that was going to be handed over to them anytime soon. Not until the kids were able to shield themselves from detection, at the very least. As far as Nia was concerned, she hoped that Core Crystal never saw the light of day again.
The sudden sound of a gavel striking in the front of the chamber pulled her away from her thoughts. At the podium in the center of the room, the judge was calling the court to order.
She sat up and watched, interested in how Tadbir handled such matters. On Gormott, at least before the Ardainian conquest, a crime of this magnitude would have been tried before the local assembly. From what she could tell, this was instead being run more akin to how the Ardainians, with their more robust judicial system, would handle it.
In the front row of the gallery, a pair of guards hoisted Castrofari to his feet, dragging him in front of the bench. Following behind him was a local man, most likely his appointed public defender, who was proudly holding his head high.
The guards came to a halt in front of the bench, looking off to the side, where Alexandria was watching the proceedings with a neutral expression. She gave the men a small nod, at which they removed the gag covering the doctor's mouth.
Gazing down at him with an imperious look, the judge assessed the man for a moment. Despite having his mouth free, the doctor was keeping his tongue in check for the moment. Satisfied that he wasn't going to be interrupted, the judge turned his attention to the clerk standing at the front of the podium. "Please read off the charges." He requested.
The clerk nodded, taking a step forward. Unfurling a long sheet of paper, he began to speak. "Ian Castrofari," he read, "is charged that he, in the year 4058, abetted the abduction of one hundred and twenty-nine children from forty-seven sovereign jurisdictions." Pausing for a moment, he added. "How do you plead to this charge—guilty, or not guilty?"
"Not guilty." The doctor replied, the barest hint of anger in his voice. A ripple of discontented whispers ran through the room at the answer, but they were quickly silenced by the judge's gavel.
Undeterred, the clerk continued. "Ian Castrofari is charged that he, in the year 4058, in the city of Tadbir, did unlawfully imprison one hundred and twenty-nine children, in violation of the Tadbir Criminal Code." Once again, he paused before asking, "How do you plead to this charge—guilty, or not guilty?"
As before the doctor replied with the same answer: "Not guilty."
This continued for the next several minutes; the clerk would read off one of the charges against him for the long list of crimes he had committed—in addition to the abduction and imprisonment, it included such crimes as torture, illegal medical experimentation, and murder—to which the doctor would inevitably plead not guilty.
Once the charges had been read off, the clerk continued by informing Castrofari of the rights he possessed. For the most part, Nia was only able to idly nod, as they differed substantially from those possessed in Ardainian-occupied Gormott, but the basics were the same; right to retain counsel, right to not self-incriminate… all fairly typical of modern justice systems.
It was only afterword, once the clerk had handed proceedings back over to the judge, that the problems began.
Reading over his documents, the judge began to conclude the arraignment. "Due to the nature and extent of the crimes, as well as the involvement of an outside organization, you are to be held without bond until the conclusion of your trial." He stated, meeting Castrofari's gaze. "Do you understand this?"
The doctor's defender moved to reply, but before he had the opportunity, his client yelled out indignantly at the judge. "This is absurd!" Castrofari protested, taking a step forward. "An absolute outrage!"
"Guards," the judge said calmly, "please restrain the defendant."
But he refused to be held back. Struggling against them, he continued to rave at the man. "Unhand me! I will not be silenced!" He screamed, raving like a wild volff. "This 'trial' is nothing but a farce! An attempt to punish me for having the gall to advance human understanding to new heights, unshackled such petty, artificial restrictions as 'morals'!"
The judge glared at the public defender. "Control your client." He threatened. "Or the both of you will be removed from this court."
"I-I…" The man replied, taking a hesitant step back from the doctor. "And just how do you expect me to do that?"
One of the guards shoved Castrofari to the floor, applying enough pressure to the top of the doctor's head to prevent his jaw from opening. Despite that, the Ardainian man continued to thrash violently, spitting out curses at every opportunity.
As the guards attempted to replace his gag, Alexandria walked up to him. Upon catching sight of her, the doctor only struggled more. From this far back, Nia couldn't see what his face looked like, but she imagined he was glowering at the light Blade.
Staring down at the man, a hostile look on her face, she spoke up to him. "I would recommend saving your breath, doctor." She said, a menacing tone in her voice. "I have yet to extract everything I need from you, and after this little outburst, I believe we are overdue for another nice, long chat."
The woman looked over her shoulder at the judge. "Your honor?" She asked politely. "Have you any more need for him?"
He shook his head. "No, he has already entered his pleas." The judge explained. Slamming his gavel down, he called out. "This court is adjourned. Please escort the defendant back to his cell."
As the doctor was dragged away, still attempting to protest the perceived injustice of the charges through the gag, the party quickly filed out of their seats, hoping to beat what little crowd there was.
"Well," Rex spoke up, scratching the back of his head nervously as he shot a look in the direction of the guards. "That was certainly… something."
"You can say that again." Azurda muttered. "I've not exactly seen a whole lot of official proceedings like this before, but I've certainly never seen anyone behave so wildly in the ones I have."
Dromarch growled. "Indeed. To behave in such an undignified manner when being informed that justice will be meted out to him… despite the harm he has caused, that man is completely certain that he was justified in his actions."
The idea weighed heavily on them as they left the building. After everything they had seen, the suffering that he had subjected those children to, the man didn't display even a speck of remorse for his actions.
Only a few feet out of the door, they heard someone approaching them. As Nia turned to see who it was, the person announced herself.
"I'm sorry you had to see that." Alexandria greeted, approaching from the side of the building. "I hadn't anticipated his defender would struggle to control him that much."
"Don't be." Nia waved off. "It's not like you were the one making him rave like a lunatic."
"Still." The woman shook her head. "We should have been stricter about preventing him from speaking out beyond what was required of him."
"An impossible prospect, if I've ever heard of one." Azurda huffed. "Men like him are too fond of the sound of their own voices."
The light Blade cracked a small smile. "I cannot deny that." She said. "Half of the words he espoused during my initial interrogation of him were merely to fill the air."
A small chuckle rippled through the group. As silence settled upon them, Dromarch cleared his throat.
"Lady Alexandria," he began, looking up at the woman. "Do you have anything else you require of us?"
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Require? No." The woman said, her tone obviously leading. "We've gotten all of the testimony that we'll need from you, and you've gotten us set up sufficiently with the children that I believe we will be able to care for them effectively."
"Tora sensing 'but…'" The nopon spoke up.
"But…" She said, giving Tora an amused look, "…I do have something I would like to discuss with you." Her expression hardened as she continued. "About your destination."
Rex frowned at her sudden change of attitude. "Mor Ardain?" He asked. "Is there a problem with it?"
"Perhaps." The light Blade replied, looking around to see if anyone was listening in. "But we should not speak about it quite this openly."
She indicated for them to follow her, before leading them around the side of the building and through a door back into the courthouse.
Unlike the main entrance, which led into a lobby connected to the main chamber, the side door opened directly into the administrative offices in the back. With obvious familiarity, the light Blade directed them to a small, unoccupied office only a short distance from the entrance.
Closing the door behind them, the woman looked over the group. "Firstly, I would like to thank you for assisting me in contacting the Special Inquisitor." She said. "Although it would have been possible to reach her via the Ardainian Embassy, being able to contact her more directly was appreciated, especially considering the present circumstances."
Rex chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, with the amount of extra work we're making for her with this, we might as well warn her early, right?"
"I don't believe that most of the Ardainian involvement will require her." Alexandria corrected. "But there are elements regarding it that are of interest to her." The light Blade paused for dramatic effect, before continuing. "Particularly in regards to the group responsible for supporting Castrofari."
The eyes of everyone in the group hardened at that. "You found some info on them?" Nia asked seriously. "Those soldiers with the Ardainian kit?"
"A little." The woman agreed, inclining her head slightly. "The men that we captured have remained silent, but Castrofari's assistants, on the other hand, have not been nearly as tight-lipped. In fact…" She began, regaling them with the story…
It was two days after the raid on the lab that Alexandria was able to interview the doctor's assistants.
As she entered the interrogation room, the light Blade wasn't confident that these students would be able to provide her with anything useful. During her initial interview with Castrofari the previous day, the only information she had been able to get about the extent of the students' involvement were denigrating remarks regarding their competence.
Honestly, the sheer amount of contempt the man held—not just for those students, but for much of the staff of the academy and even the world at large—was shocking to her. She had met Castrofari on several occasions before this, but during those encounters, his behavior had been far more restrained.
Yes, he had always come off as more than a little self-important, even bordering on arrogant at times, but that wasn't exactly unheard of within academia. For the most part, he was even reasonably polite with his peers and students—so long as the latter didn't utterly disappoint him.
But apparently, that had been nothing more than a cover to divert suspicion away from him. When she had asked him about the stark difference in his personality, the man had laughed in her face before launching into an extended rant about how 'grating it had been to present a pleasant demeanor to such imbeciles.' As if basic politeness was a chore he had suffered for the sole purpose of gaining access to the academy's resources.
Frankly, it disturbed her how successful he had been in keeping his true thoughts hidden. While she herself hadn't been familiar enough with him to tell, the fact that so many others who lacked that excuse had been deceived was a telling sign. Had that child not managed to escape from Castrofari's clutches, would anyone have learned the truth?
She brushed those thoughts aside as she observed the occupants of the room. Three of Castrofari's four undergraduate assistants—the surviving three—were sat on the far side of a small table, with a single chair on the near side for her.
One of them—Simone, the only woman in the group—was merely handcuffed to the table. It was more out of procedure than anything else; she hadn't displayed any inclination for escape since being recovered from the closet Rex's party had locked her in.
The other two, however, sported a much more heavy-duty affair. Both Gavin and Norton had been shackled with affinity-suppressing cuffs—the type used to capture the Blades of prisoners for transport. Even though it had only been a little more than a day since the pair had awoken from their 'punishment' courtesy of Castrofari—being used as test subjects for his Blade Eater project—the academy couldn't risk the chance that one of them would attempt to use their newfound abilities to escape, even if they had no training in how to use them.
All three looked up at the sound of her entering the room. The look on Simone's face was nervous, but the boys in comparison were almost despondent.
Without a word, the light Blade settled into her seat, quickly pulling out her note-taking materials. She allowed the silence to remain as she prepared her setup, mostly to judge how the others were reacting to her presence.
As expected, Simone was growing increasingly agitated about being ignored, as if every moment of silence promised an increasingly dark fate. The boys, on the other hand, seemed unbothered, almost as if they were resigned to whatever fate awaited them.
Well, to be fair, considering what those two had gone through, there really wasn't much worse that she could do to them at this point.
Clearing her throat, she glanced up at the three of them, shifting her gaze in order to meet their eyes. "Well, this is certainly quite the situation you have found yourselves in." She said, a humorous lilt in her voice.
"Y-you can say that again, Lady Alexandria." Simone spoke up. The young woman attempted to meet the comment with a small smile, but with how nervous she was, the corners of her lips barely did more than twitch slightly.
Beside her, Gavin let out a long, resigned sigh. "How much trouble are we in?" He asked quietly, refusing to meet the Blade's eyes.
"Gavin!" Simone hissed, shooting him a terrified look. "Don't say that! We're victims too, especially you two! The administration wouldn't just-!"
"Do you really believe that?" Norton interrupted her, placing his shackled arms on the table for emphasis. Even with how light the motion was, the weight of the restraints were still sufficient to rock the table violently. "It doesn't matter how we ended up working for that monster; in the end, we were caught with him red-handed."
Her shoulders drooped at his words. "B-but…" She retorted weakly.
"You remember what he said." Norton continued, scowling. "'You're in as deep as I am now. If I go down, you're coming with me!' Well, would you look at that? He was telling the truth after all!"
Clearing her throat, Alexandria prevented the man from speaking further. "While that is not… entirely incorrect…" She began, causing the Ardainian girl to visibly wilt. "The extent of your culpability remains to be determined. Until that is established, we cannot determine the appropriate course of action for the three of you."
Lacing her fingers as she rested her hands against the table, she gave the three of them an expectant look. "As such, I would recommend that you be as thorough and truthful regarding your role in this affair as possible. Your fates may quite literally depend on it."
Simone let out an audible gulp at the phrasing, but the boys barely did more than give her an exhausted stare. Already, the light Blade expected that they would provide a more honest appraisal of the incident than Simone, seeing as they seemed to have already given up hope of going free.
"…Where do you want us to start?" Gavin asked, looking away from her. One of his arms twitched, as if he were trying to move it, but was unable to separate the bonds holding them in place.
"The beginning, if you would." She said calmly. "The three of you, as well as Trefor, were brought onto the project as assistants, yes?"
All three of them flinched at the mention of their missing fourth companion, Trefor, the Gormotti man who had been working with Castrofari as well. Unlike the three of them, he had not survived the raid. The 'good' doctor, in his infinite wisdom, had sent the man—under the thrall of that Indoline woman's Blade—to facilitate negotiations with Rex's party while his benefactors were setting up an ambush.
Under the Blade's control, he had been unable to react when the Archeleon opened fire on the group and had subsequently been killed in the opening attack.
The three students had already been informed of this the previous day, which had no doubt contributed to the mood of the two surviving men in the group.
"Yes." Gavin confirmed. "I can't speak for the exact circumstances of the others, but I… was planning on applying for the graduate program once I had received my degree." He explained. "And I'm sure you know how that works-"
"Of course." The light Blade confirmed. "Normally, however, students seeking grant money to pursue further education remain within their own department. Why would a student in the Department of Medicine seek support from a professor in the Department of Biology?"
"I was struggling to find a professor willing to support me in the medical department." He continued. "So when I heard a rumor that Castrofari had begun collaborating with a researcher from Indol, I thought it might be an opportunity. Even over in my department, it was known he wasn't mentoring any students at the moment. I figured that, y'know…" He stumbled over his words for a moment. "...'professors are supposed to mentor a certain amount of students a semester, and he's starting this big new project? I'm a shoe-in for the position!'"
The man sighed sadly, leaning over the table. "…And I convinced Trefor to accompany me. I-I didn't want to apply alone, and the professor he was working under before retired last semester, so…" He trailed off, squeezing his eyes closed at the memory. A deep look of remorse flashed across his face as he recalled the event.
"…It was pretty much the same for me." Norton spoke up. "I didn't qualify for a scholarship this semester, so I was panicking to find someone willing to cover my tuition. When I heard that Castrofari was taking on assistants, I jumped at the opportunity." The boy let out a rueful chuckle. "I should have just gone back home, maybe joined up with the military. A few years of service and I could have afforded to finish my degree."
As he finished, Alexandria turned her attention to Simone. Under the scrutiny, the girl shrank in on herself, closing her eyes as if she were wishing she were anywhere else but here. But the light Blade had no intention of giving the girl any reprieve. "And you, Simone?" She asked.
The girl flinched, opening her eyes but keeping them averted. She opened her mouth slightly, but no words came out.
Several moments of silence passed as Alexandria stared the girl down, before relenting with a sigh. "So that's how it's going to be, is it?" She asked rhetorically, idly shuffling her papers with a little more flare than was necessary.
Before the girl could even question why the woman wasn't pushing further, she began to read off the paper. "I see that your tuition is paid by a trust fund." She stated calmly, reading the stipulations of the girl's tuition. "And it would appear that it is guaranteed to support your education through your postgraduate degree."
Her eyes went wide at Alexandria's words, the color draining from her face as she attempted to explain. "T-that's…! I-I mean…!"
"Your thesis doesn't involve any research that wouldn't be covered by standard lab usage expenses, either." The Blade continued, tutting slightly as she read the next document in the pile. "In fact, I can see that it revolved around your work with Castrofari's official research project—the one with official funding."
Simone shrank in further on herself, pinprick tears building in the corners of her eyes. "B-but… t-the thing is…"
The light Blade wasn't done, though. "So from what I can determine, there wasn't a monetary need that brought you to the former professor." She surmised. "So please, explain to me exactly how it was that you became involved in this project?"
"I-I… my trust fund…" The girl murmured, barely audible. "I… it's a matching fund. I can only draw as much money as I make myself." She sniffled slightly, squeezing her eyes closed in shame. "M-my parents thought I would squander my education if I had a free ride, so they set it up in a way that I would need to work for it beyond mere academics."
Alexandria leaned back in her chair, cradling her elbow with one hand as she gently brushed the other against the side of her chin. "Curious." She said, pondering the new information. That didn't contradict anything that she already knew, and such arrangements, while uncommon, were not unheard of either, especially from students of wealthy merchant families like Simone.
She would have to dig into it at a later date. For the time being, it was more important for her to get the rest of the story out of the students.
"When did you first become aware that Castrofari's research was dipping into illegal territory?" The light Blade asked, turning her attention back to Gavin. From what she could determine, he was the student who had been working for the former professor the longest, save for the deceased Trefor. As such, he was likely to have the most complete understanding of events.
The reedy Ardainian man pursed his lips. "Three months ago, ma'am." He replied. "It was shortly after Norton was brought onto the project." He paused for a moment, as if considering what information was relevant. "Before then, the doctor only had us performing more typical intern work: cleaning up after experiments—the official ones, that is—writing up reports, keeping stock of his supplies-"
"I understand." Alexandria cut him off. "So, three months ago, when the eight children from this Titan went missing?"
"Y-yes, Lady Alexandria." Norton was the one to answer her. "It was only my second week on the job when he took us down to the lab. We all joked that the setup was a little over-the-top at first." He chuckled awkwardly. "I mean, a secret stairwell in an abandoned closet? What did he think it was, one of those pulp spy novels?"
Her lip quirked up at the comment. Although she understood the reasoning behind it—to disguise the academy-side entrance to the lab—she agreed that the exact method employed bore more than a little resemblance to such fictional setups.
"But…" The hint of humor in his voice quickly faded out. "Then he brought us to the holding pens. Showed us the children."
Alexandria nodded, jotting down the information for posterity. "I see." She said. "Did he tell you what he had planned at the time?"
Norton shook his head. "Not initially. At first, he tried to pass it off as a medical trial."
Beside him, Simone nodded vigorously. "H-he claimed that they were infected with a rare disease." She said, nearly stumbling over her words in her eagerness to explain herself. "That it made them mindless and violent, and that the sparse conditions of the cell were for their own safety."
"And you believed him?" She asked, almost incredulous at the idea. That was a flimsy excuse if she had ever heard one. Just from the description, she could immediately pick out half a dozen concerns or violations of medical experimentation protocol. Even if his excuse had been true, the patients would have been secured in a monitored facility with amenities bolted to the walls and floor, not thrown in an empty cage in a half-forgotten dungeon with only a handful of students to watch over them.
Then again, Castrofari wasn't officially a medical researcher. Despite the… enlightening amount of expertise even her initial dive into his research notes implied he possessed in the field, the man had no training regarding the legal procedures associated with such work.
"Of course not." Gavin scoffed. "His 'explanation' was so cartoonishly illegal that Trefor and I were able to poke holes in it the moment he stopped speaking." The Ardainian man stated.
Which didn't surprise her in the least. Medical ethics were one of the first things taught in every course the Department of Medicine offered. Neither Gavin nor Trefor would have made it out of their first semesters without being able to recite them in their sleep. However, that prompted another question.
"In which case, why did you not report it?" The light Blade asked, giving the man a piercing look. "Everything you've stated thus far suggests that you bore no culpability at that point."
Simone bit her lip. "We tried, Lady Alexandria." She said quietly. "Gavin and Trefor threatened to drag him straight to the headmaster's office for what he was doing, but then…" She whimpered, quaking at the memory of what happened.
"He pulled a gun on us." Norton explained, seeing that the girl wasn't going to continue. "Started talking about how he expected that response from us, and he had a plan to make us more compliant."
Gavin's jaw tightened, his arms shaking as if he were clenching his fists. "Even then, Trefor and I were planning on trying to bolt, but he wasn't alone."
Alexandria nodded. "Yes, his partner—the woman with the cloaked fire Blade?"
The reedy Ardainian shook his head. "No. We didn't meet those two for another week." He explained. "It was a group of those soldiers."
She looked up from the paper, her eyes narrowing slightly. "The same ones that were present during the raid?" The light Blade asked pointedly. "The ones with the modified Ardainian equipment?"
"Yes." He nodded. "They were lying in wait. Once it became apparent that we weren't on board with what the professor was doing, they revealed themselves to ensure our cooperation."
"T-they threatened us!" Simone babbled fearfully, her eyes squeezed shut. "They said that they would kill us if there was even a hint that we were planning on exposing them!"
Norton inclined his head. "Yeah, and Castrofari made it clear that he'd have us expelled if we didn't help him, too." He was silent for a moment before adding. "Given their threats, it was pretty obvious that would have meant death too."
Alexandria pursed her lips as she considered which line of inquiry to follow. On the one hand, it was important to learn the full extent of the coercion that Castrofari had made use of, but on the other, they had so little information about the former professor's mysterious backers…
"Those soldiers," She began, deciding to press for more information on that. "What can you tell me about them?"
All three of the students exchanged glances, as if trying to determine who knew the most. After a moment, however, Simone and Norton offered the floor to Gavin.
"We…" He began, only to reconsider his approach. "...Not a lot. They didn't stick around for long. Once Lynette and Delphus returned from Indol, the soldiers left. Until the day of the raid, the only time we saw any of them was the man overseeing the project."
"I see." Alexandria frowned. That wasn't exactly what she was hoping for. "This overseer, did he have a name?"
Gavin nodded. "Yeah… 'Jakup', if I remember correctly. He looked Ardainian, but his accent was strange… really rural, like from one of the smaller colonies."
"Karag." Simone spoke up. "I've heard the accent before."
Alexandria made a note of that. Karag was a small Titan under Ardainian control, with a population of less than a thousand. If Castrofari's handler truly originated from there, it would be easier to track him down.
"Yeah." The man agreed. "He wasn't there all the time—I think he only showed up once every few weeks, but it was often unannounced." Gavin paused for a moment, thinking back to something. "I don't think he liked Castrofari much, though; he frequently accused the professor of squandering funding."
Bingo. That's what she was looking for. "Funding, you say?" The light Blade pressed. "Did he ever mention who was providing that funding?"
Gavin furrowed his brow, trying to recall. "I think so…" He muttered. "Apparently it was the organization he was a part of, something called-"
"'Lindwurm', huh?" Nia pondered the name. It didn't sound Ardainian—at least from her experience—but that didn't necessarily mean anything.
"Yes." Alexandria confirmed. "Unfortunately, that was the full extent of the information they were able to provide. The students weren't even informed of the full extent of the forces that this 'Jakup' character brought to bear on the Titan."
Beside her, Rex crossed his arms, frowning as he pondered the situation. "And I'm guessing that he's one of the ones that escaped?" The boy said, already knowing the answer.
"Regrettably." The light Blade confirmed. "Along with the Driver of that dark Ether Cannon Blade, Azami."
"I don't suppose you know how they managed it, do you?" Azurda inquired.
Alexandria let out a frustrated sigh. "I do." She admitted. "Around the time that the transport ship was disabled, there were dozens of witness reports of a Cetus-class Titan Weapon landing near one of the academy's clocktowers—one that we later confirmed to be the exit point of the lab's escape passage. I believe that he boarded the Titan there before managing to make contact with and subsequently retrieve the Driver from one of the outflow pipes."
"Cetus-class?" Tora pondered. "Those Ardainian Titan weapons. Modern generation, even! Even Tora not able to, ah…" He paused, realizing what he was about to admit. "Um… Tora mean…"
She nodded, chuckling lightly at his slip. "Indeed they are. Which, among everything else, is why I wished to contact the Special Inquisitor regarding this 'Lindwurm' group. It wasn't just the Titan weapons—all of the equipment they were using was modern Ardainian kit. In order to get their hands on it, either there is rampant corruption within the Imperial Army's equipment depots…"
"Or 'Lindwurm' possesses some affiliation with the Empire." Dromarch concluded darkly.
"Precisely." Alexandria confirmed. "And given how… fractious the internal politics of Mor Ardain can be, there isn't even a guarantee that its affiliation is official. Based on my conversation with Special Inquisitor Ladair, I strongly suspect this to be the case."
"Then she didn't know about it?" Rex inquired.
Alexandria shook her head. "No, she didn't." The light Blade confirmed. "However, she did recognize the description of their uniforms, albeit belonging to a different group." A flicker of concern flashed across her face, so brief that Nia barely recognized it.
"Who?" She asked, feeling a growing sense of trepidation.
"They're called 'Brionac'." Alexandria explained. "According to the Special Inquisitor, they're an armed group of extremists operating within the Empire."
Nia furrowed her brow. "Brionac…" She muttered. The name sounded familiar… "Wait, that was a political group within the Senate, wasn't it?"
"Several years ago, yes." The light Blade confirmed. "It was originally the name of the pro-war coalition within the Senate, responsible for driving the Empire into both the conquest of Gormott fifty years ago as well as the more recent war with Uraya." She explained.
"They lost a substantial amount of support from the centrist senators after the losses during the last war, and were eventually banned by Emperor Niall upon his ascent to the throne." The woman paused for a moment. "Unfortunately, not everyone associated with the group was willing to obey."
Azurda made a contemplative noise. "Unfortunately, that is hardly an uncommon occurrence." He said knowingly. "It is easy to become invested in ideology, but remarkably difficult to let it go."
"Such was the case with Brionac." Alexandria agreed. "The organization held sway over many within the Imperial Officer Corps, and not all of those were willing to obey their Emperor's decree." She stated. "They, along with a number of fervent supporters within the army, defected to reform the organization as a paramilitary group."
"I am surprised that the Empire is willing to tolerate the existence of such an organization." Dromarch commented. "One would think that it would be in their best interests to dismantle it before it could rise to become a threat."
Alexandria offered the tiger a wry smile. "I suspect they are regretting it as well." She agreed. "However, for most of Emperor Niall's reign, they have apparently been little more than a nuisance, a handful of poorly-armed ex-soldiers sequestered on a Titan that could barely be considered a landmass."
"But that's changed?" Rex offered.
"It has." Alexandria agreed. "Apparently, the organization has begun rapidly expanding in recent months and has suddenly come into possession of a substantial amount of modern equipment. The Special Inquisitor was of the opinion that they are being supported by the hawks within the Senate, but considering the similarities in equipment between Brionac and Lindwurm…"
"You think they're related in some way." The salvager surmised.
She nodded. "There's no way to be sure, but it would make sense." The light Blade stated. "Castrofari's operation—not just the lab, but the logistics to kidnap and transport so many children here without being detected—was a substantial investment, both in money and resources. It is not the sort of project that could have been undertaken by anything other than a wealthy organization. Yet, it only seems to have been part of a larger network of operations."
Nia couldn't disagree with the logic. On its own, the two didn't seem to share any similarities, but with what little they knew of Lindwurm taken into account, it told a much different picture.
In fact, considering how much of an investment Castrofari's setup apparently was, it brought to mind a disturbing possibility. "But a project like this would necessitate a return of some sort." She suggested. "And this Brionac group is building up… You don't think the Blade Eaters here were supposed to be weapons for them, right?"
Alexandria's face held a grave countenance, yet she still offered the girl an approving look. "There is no way to be sure, but I suspect that to be the case." She agreed. "Although it is possible that they are involved with other operations as well."
Rex's expression hardened. "All the better that we stopped them, then." He stated.
"Quite." The woman agreed. "However, there is a chance that it will mean that a target has been placed on your backs. If the groups truly are connected, then there is a chance that Brionac may target you in retaliation."
"What else is new?" Nia snorted.
"I wish that I could disagree with that." Azurda shook his head. Looking up at Alexandria, he offered the Blade a small nod. "Regardless, we appreciate the warning."
The woman gave the Titan a smile. "It was nothing." She demurred. "I just wish I could offer you something more pleasant."
"Hmm." Rex muttered, leaning his head back. "Well, if you're willing, I do have one thing I could ask…"
"Oh?" Alexandria inquired, curious.
"Yeah. You see, the entire reason we were here in the first place was…"
By the time that the Garfont contingent was ready to set out, it was already late in the afternoon.
Rather than a brief goodbye, the party had opted to escort the mercenaries down to the port. After the experiences that they had shared together during their quest to free the children, doing less felt wrong.
For the bulk of the journey, the conversation was light, if a little sullen, as they merely discussed plans for what to do once they reached their destinations. Upon reaching the Garfont ship, however, they shifted to offering their goodbyes for real.
As the two Drivers that had arrived with Vandham boarded the vessel, making the final preparations to get underway, the leader of the mercenaries, as well as Ciaran and Lyta, loitered around the gangplank.
"Well, looks like this is it then." The burly Urayan said, crossing his arms.
"Seems to be." Azurda agreed.
Rex gave the older man a sad smile as he offered him a hand. Even if it had only been a week, the mercenary had grown on him. He was legitimately going to miss him.
"Thanks for the training help, Vandham." The boy said earnestly, shaking the man's hand. "I… after everything that's happened lately… the fight with the Special Inquisitor, all of the roadblocks those Lindwurm guys threw at us…" He trailed off, brushing his fingers against his diving vest, above the spot where his Core Crystal was concealed. "...Well, I didn't think I was really up to the task. But you've given me a lot of ideas to think about."
Vandham let out a hearty laugh. "Don't mention it." He brushed the praise off. "Honestly, it's always a blast to work with talents like you. Pickin' up skills that should take years like an Architect-damned sponge."
Neither of them had forgotten how surprised the Urayan had been upon discovering that Rex had managed to master using his anchor shot to trip up foes, a skill that had taken Vandham years to reliably pull off, after only seeing it once. Sure, Rex was already an old hand with the device, but the mercenary had insisted that working out the timing was devilishly hard even with that advantage.
The boy gave him a grin. "I just had a good teacher." He insisted. Inside of his helmet, Azurda pointedly cleared his throat, prompting the boy to correct himself. "Two, even!"
"Well, if you ever want to take another whack at me, you know where to look." Vandham chuckled. "You and your friends are always welcome in Garfont, if you ever find yourselves in Uraya."
Dromarch inclined his head. "We appreciate the invitation." The tiger thanked him.
"I will." Rex promised, clenching a fist. "Someday, once I've really gotten better, I'll come and show you exactly how much I've grown!"
Cocking his head back, the mercenary offered him a challenging look. "I'll just have to make sure I stick around that long." He insisted. As he said that, though, his expression softened. "Seriously though, you kids take care."
"You too." The boy shot back. "Have a safe trip."
The Urayan gave him a firm nod, before turning about and heading onto the ship, followed closely by Roc.
Behind him, Ciaran and Lyta moved to follow, only to pause for a moment. The Nothian boy glanced hesitantly between the two, as if wanting to say something but not entirely sure how to go about it.
Fortunately for him, his Blade was more than familiar with his thought process. The ghostly set of armor prodded him in the back, whispering something that Rex couldn't hear.
Taking a deep breath, the younger mercenary inclined his head towards the Gormotti girl. "Nia… t-thank you so much for saving me." He said, his nervousness making the words louder than strictly necessary. "I-if you hadn't been there, then…"
Nia, much to Rex's surprise, was almost… taken aback by the boy's gratitude, as if she hadn't even considered the possibility that it would be given. "T-there isn't… hang on…!" She stammered. "Y-you don't need to thank me; anyone else with a healing Blade would have done it too!"
"But they wouldn't have succeeded." Lyta cut in, taking a step towards the girl. "I saw that wound—by any reasonable standard, Ciaran should have died in that sewer."
Rex didn't miss how the girl's ears began to flatten under the attention. He was prepared to take a step in when the armored Blade made a move.
Almost faster than he could register, Lyta shot forward and… squeezed the Gormotti girl into a bone-crushing hug?
"Thank you!" She exclaimed, leaning her helmet against the girl's shoulder. "If there's something, anything, that we can do to repay you for saving both of our lives, then…!"
"G-get off!" Nia wheezed, scrabbling at the armored Blade's limbs in a vain attempt to free herself. "If you squeeze any harder, the only one in danger of dying is going to be me!"
It was only then that Lyta recognized just how hard she was squeezing. With more than a little embarrassment, the ghostly Blade released Nia, taking a quick step back to stand at her Driver's side.
"Look, you don't have to do anything." Nia stated, wincing as she rolled her shoulders. "Just… be a bit more careful, yeah? It wouldn't have gone so badly if you'd been under affinity."
Ciaran chuckled nervously at that. "I don't think that'll be a lesson I forget anytime soon." The boy admitted ruefully, tugging at the hole in his oversized jacket where he had been shot. "I'm pretty sure the boss is preparing to drive it home once we get back, too."
"You're damned right I am!" The man in question yelled from inside the cabin of the vessel.
Azurda chuckled. "And rightfully so."
"R-right…" He scratched the back of his head. "B-but Lyta's correct. If it had been anyone else, I would be dead right now. So… If you ever need anything from us, it's yours."
Nia looked at him, still a little uncomfortable with the idea, but still gave him a nod regardless. "I'll… think on it." She said, her ears slowly raising back up.
Lyta turned her helmet towards where Rex and Tora were standing. "And we haven't forgotten the aid you gave as well." She said, her raising lilt implying a smile.
The nopon chuckled boisterously. "Friend not need give thanks!" He proclaimed, raising a wing to the sky. "Helping job of cool Driver!"
Beside him, Poppi tilted her head in confusion. "But Poppi thought Masterpon so happy with praise that ready to burst when thanked after raid." She said. "Was Poppi incorrect?"
He looked up at her, aghast. "Poppi! Cool heropon Drivers supposed to be humble!" Tora insisted. "If know want praise, then ruin look!"
Rex chuckled at the byplay. "Never change, Tora." He muttered, giving the nopon a fond look. Glancing up at Lyta, he said, "He's right, though. We don't need thanks for doing the right thing."
"Still, it would feel wrong not to." She stated.
As the conversation wound down, Vandham poked his head out of the cabin of the ship. "We're just about ready to head out." He called. "If you kids are done, I'd like to shove off before it gets dark!"
"C-coming, boss!" Ciaran called out, glancing over his shoulder. Looking back at the group, he gave them a sad smile. "Well, this is goodbye for now, then."
"For now." Azurda agreed. "I have no doubt we'll take Vandham's offer up at some point.
With that, the final members of the Garfont contingent made their way aboard. They remained on the deck as the ship began to lurch out of port, waving goodbye to the party. Even Vandham joined in briefly, offering them an approving nod as the vessel slowly shrank into the distance.
The party remained there until the ship began its turn around the side of the Titan, vanishing from view. As it disappeared, Rex let out a sigh.
"Well, I guess we should be headed back then?" He said, looking around.
"Probably for the best." Nia agreed. "We're shipping out pretty early tomorrow. Might as well take the time to get ready."
Author's Notes
Alright, so everything is now set for the new arc to begin!
I'll be honest, I really didn't have a solid idea for how this chapter would work until I pivoted to the flashback scene. After that, it all came together. It's funny how that works out sometime.
No chapter next week. Not due to any specific delay, I've just not had a lot of time to write lately.