Chapter 20: The Rumour Mill

A/N: Rumours of the Snackage Lackage were highly exaggerated.

Rex extended his hand down to Jac and the Gormotti took it, grunting as Rex helped pull him up.

"Ready to go again, or…?" Rex asked as Jac wiped sweat off his brow with his forearm, panting as he leaned heavily on his Blade, Yachik's, megalance.

"Just a sec, I'm gonna…need a bit. Air's a lot…drier than I'm used to back in Gormott."

Rex grinned. "You got that right! Even with all this steam, it's drier than ol' Willas' school lectures back home." The abundance of industry in Alba Cavanich using geothermal power led to a lot of steam output. A far cry from Fonsett. "At least your sweat'll dry quickly."

The sharp tweet of the instructor's whistle sounded, and Rex glanced over as they called for a short break to their drills. Most of the other recruits stumbled off to the shaded canopies around the edge of the training yard, a respite from the hot morning sun.

"Oh thank the Architect," he heard Jac mutter and stumble off to one of the benches conveniently underneath a canopy side with Yachik's help.

They'd been running through drills for the past hour or so, mixing it in with some practice sparing. It was both with and without their Blade's affinity links, getting used to the feel of it, and what Blades could do to support their Drivers in the vanguard.

Looking over to another end of the training yard that acted as a shooting range, Rex saw recruits that had more long range weapons like ether canons with another instructor. He glanced down at Azurda's greatsword, toward the mechanism at the end that opened into a rifle. That was one type of fighting Gramps never trained him on, given that Fonsett didn't really use guns. Too expensive to keep up with ammunition. And he was too busy learning salvaging to even think about using a bow.

"Perhaps we were a bit rough on him?" Azurda asked with a languid stretch.

Rex sheathed Azurda's greatsword over his back, clipping to the magnetic holster he'd adjusted from the small of his back on his belt to there. Since Azurda's sword didn't fold up like his lost mechanical broadsword, it'd been awkward having to shift it out of the way to get through doors one too many times had gotten annoying pretty quickly.

"'You will never grow if I go easy on you,'" Rex said, trying to— and not doing a great job of — pitch his voice down to a vague approximation of Gramps'. "Gramps was relentless and I'm not doing too bad 'cause of it, don't you think?." He watched Jac flop down onto the bench. "Though…we probably could've gone a bit easier on him, yeah." He let out a sort of awkward, stilted chuckle.

Azurda crossed his arms at the sight. "Not everyone has your penchant for diving headfirst into everything." He sighed. "Where did you pick that up anyways?"

A grin spread across Rex's face as he planted his hands proudly on his hips. "It's how I grew up, naturally. How else do you think I became a salvager at ten? Not by slacking off, that's for sure! Besides, that's just how Fonsett rolls; cliff jumping into the cloud sea's practically a national pastime!"

"I suppose it's useful for salvaging, but is it really a national pastime?"

"Might as well be! Fonsett's not the biggest, but really there's really mostly just villages and some small port towns in Leftheria. The other places I've been to do it too."

"So then Leftheria is quite scattered?"

"Pretty much. It's a lot of little Titans that stick together around a cloudwall. People are often traveling through it 'cause their titanships can't get over the cloudwall, and going around ends up taking longer." Rex shook his head. "Whenever we get a chance, we need to go back there. Everyone in Fonsett's gonna be excited to meet you!"

He raised a grassy eyebrow. "You think so?"

"Well, there's not any Drivers from Fonsett. A few pass through the village with their Blades to and from Ysheva Harbor, but I'd never actually seen a core crystal in person outside of books until Gramps dropped yours. But I know you'll fit right in, I just know it!"

"I…look forward to it." Though Rex noticed he looked a bit…worried? Azurda cleared his throat. "So, my forebearer was the one who trained you?"

"Yeah." He looked around at the other recruits in the training yard, most were in a similar state to Jac, though a few were standing, or leaning on walls in the training yard under the shade. "It…almost feels a little unfair, you know?"

"Oh?"

Rex lightly tapped his foot as he considered it. "I didn't know it, but I'll bet the other recruits knew exactly just how much risk they were taking just to awaken a Blade. Even if they'd been motivated by the pay, most of them don't have a background in combat training. Even the well-off ones who might have never been a Driver before, even if they've worked with a Blade."

Azurda stroked the stone of his beard-like appendage thoughtfully. "I believe I see what you're saying. People like our friend Jac," he gestured over to the Gormotti, who was now gulping down water, "come from backgrounds in hard manual labour. It might build up strength and endurance, but it's hardly a substitute for proper training with a weapon."

"Exactly. Even that uh…" his hand fumbled around in the air a little for the word the instructor had used, "'support art' stuff or whatever you do with the 'affinity link' thing only goes so far. Working with a partner in battle is way different than just fighting on your own. Not to mention just because Drivers and Blades are stronger together hardly means we're invincible."

The smugness that radiated from Azurda's singularly raised eyebrow was palpable. "Learned that the hard way didn't you?"

He glared at Azurda. "Hey, come off it. No need to rub salt in the wound. I get it." He sighed as he walked over and sat down on the bench near Jac, who was now sprawled on the ground next to the bench. "Even though Gramps basically gave me Driver training 101, it doesn't mean much against Drivers and Blades who're really in sync."

"Ah, give yourself some credit, Rex," Jac said from the ground, arm over his eyes. "Holdin' your own against a Driver from a terrorist group like Torna when you got no formal training is beyond impressive."

Rex shook his head. "Nah, if the Special Inquisitor hadn't bailed me out, I wouldn't have been so lucky. I rushed in without thinking because I was mad and got tossed around like a ragdoll for my trouble."

Jac moved his arm just enough that one eye was peeking at him. "But c'mon, you lived to tell the tale! That's way more than Yachik and I could've ever done. Once you get some more experience, I'm sure they won't stand a chance."

"Experience is one part of it, I suppose," Azurda mused as he gingerly sat down beside Rex, testing the bench before fully committing his weight to it. "Trust is clearly another. For instance, despite the contrasting nature between Mikhail's pessimistic outlook on the world and Cressidus' upbeat personality, they both work in tandem in and out of battle."

"Yeah." Rex laced his hands behind his head as he leaned back over the edge of the bench on the cool stone wall of the training yard, staring up at the canopy. "Kinda like Nia and Dromarch. Despite their differences, they seemed totally in sync with each other and they handed our butts to us in battle too."

Azurda hummed. "But what about the Aegis and her Driver, hmm?"

"Pyra and Lora?" Rex's brow furrowed in thought. "They went toe to toe against Mòrag, and she's supposed to be the strongest Driver in the Empire, right?"

"Yes, but the Special Inquisitor has been in resonance with Lady Brighid for over a decade, but given what you've told me, Lora and Pyra can't have been in resonance any longer than we have, barely three weeks. So then how would they have gained that kind of prowess together so quickly? To have such an implicit bond of trust that would allow them to be as effortlessly in sync as they were?"

"Huh." Rex paused, thinking back to that night at the Jakolo inn again. "Lora said she fought alongside Pyra back during the Aegis war. Maybe that's it?"

"But it was the hero Addam that was the Aegis' Driver five-hundred years ago, not her, correct? Even assuming that her time of origin isn't a falsehood, as you said, Rex, seeing a Blade fight and being their Driver are quite different indeed."

"Yeah." Rex grinned and thumped Azurda good naturedly on the back. "Been hittin' the history books have you?"

Azurda smiled back. "Simply asking around. Not much else to do while you were knocked out."

"Heh, guess so." He tapped his chin in thought. "So then maybe it's an Aegis thing? Like when you resonate with her, you just…become ultra powerful?"

"That…could be." Azurda's brows furrowed. "If the legends agree on anything about the Aegis, it's about her devastating power. Yet what little I witnessed of their fight with the Inquisitor was less raw power and more…control."

"Control?" Rex asked. "How do you mean?"

"It was as if their bodies shared the same will, knowing what one would do before the other did it as the Aegis' sword passed back and forth between them. One in body and soul."

"You're almost making me wish I could've been along to see it." Jac murmured with an almost awestruck tone. That changed with a glare from Yachik and he chuckled nervously. "Kidding, kidding…"

"Still though, 'one in body and soul…'" Rex thought about that for a bit. "Think we could be like that too someday, Jac?"

"I dunno." Jac's arm slid back over his eyes. "I'd be alright if they kept Yachik and I in the patrol rotation. Don't know if I'd need to be that good for that.

"Yes, even you can learn how to call for backup." Yachik quipped dryly.

Rex lightly kicked Jac's boot. "Hey you two, you're supposed to be optimistic, like 'I know we can do it if we try,' right?"

"Nah, leave us out of it, please." Jac sighed. "I'd literally be dead in seconds if I tried going up against what you have, Rex. None of this high octane life or death stuff with powerful ancient Blades or dangerous terrorist groups for me."

"It's still early in our resonance for both of us." Azurda mused. "We shouldn't unfairly compare ourselves. However, as to how the Aegis and her Driver would have accomplished such a close resonance in so short a time, I cannot say. Despite her apparent sincerity, we still don't know how much Lora was telling the truth. Lady Brighid was right after all, humans like her don't live that long. And yet..."

Rex looked over to see Azurda's troubled frown. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "No, it is nothing."

"Oh come on, don't be like that."

Unfortunately, their attention was drawn away as the whistle of the instructor blew. Jac groaned and Yachik helped him get back up, and they gathered up and around the instructor, reviewing what they'd covered on affinity links when another recruit didn't seem to get it.

"It's a push and pull," the instructor elaborated. "Take too much and your Blade won't be able to keep up and you'll run out of power at just the wrong moment. They can't protect you with an ether barrier if their power is all dried up after all. Now, before we move on, I want to review elemental affinities and weaknesses…"

Rex listened and participated. Useful as it was to know these things, he preferred to learn stuff on the fly. Honestly, his encounter with Torna and fight with Nia had taught him a lot of this without having it spelled out to him.

Unfortunately, not having his preferred learning style present was only one of his worries. Besides Jac, most of the other recruits seemed to hate his guts.

Subtle and unsubtle glares, giving him the cold shoulder when he'd never even met any of them, outright hazing and bullying.

It was a little like when he'd first started salvaging and some of the older crotchety salvagers had hazed him but good when they saw a ten year encroaching on their business. Here there were mumbled slurs, bumping and tripping in the barracks, pranks and so on. Petty, really, but it got on his nerves.

"It's because of the rumors, you know?" Jac told him after he found a scathing note—one Azurda quickly burned—in his uniform locker. "There's all kinds of stories about how and why you were recruited by the Special Inquisitor. And now with what happened at the Jakolo Inn people think that she's giving you 'special treatment,' and you aren't even from the empire or one of its annexed Titans."

Rex groaned in annoyance. "I'm not doing it because of that. Do they really not get that I was just taken along to identify the Aegis and Torna?"

"Even so, who wouldn't be jealous of the attention you're getting?"

"It's just annoying. Even salvagers that don't like each other put aside their differences on a big job." They had to, otherwise the cloud sea would swallow them up. "It's not gonna matter who's got the attention of the Inquisitor when a real fight comes around."

"It did when she saved you, didn't it?"

"But that doesn't mean I…" Rex trailed off into angry grumbling, because he couldn't think of a good response. Jac shrugged and walked away after that.

"Bet each time you've told that story it's gotten more extravagant," said Bhaltair across the table from Rex as he finished the story. Bhaltair was one of the recruits besides Jac that didn't actively participate in the hazing. "Sounds too pure dead brilliant to me."

Rex sighed. At least he'd listened.

He'd finally got someone other than Jac and Yachik to listen to the story of his recruitment back in Gormott and what happened in what people were starting to call "The Jakolo Incident." He was sat 'round a table in the rec room with a game of Dueling Kingdoms — which he was losing fantastically at — on another day after training.

"You should try going to a tavern on one of the Nopon Trade Guild's ships and listen to the salvager's stories then," Rex eventually countered. "The kinds of things they tell you they get up to on their salvaging runs are way harder to believe than this."

"That's because those are just stories." Bhaltair rolled his eyes. "They aren't actually true. I've seen salvagers at work and it's not that interesting."

"Really?" Rex scrutinized the other young man carefully. "Hold up, have you ever even been off of Mor Ardain?"

"Well, no," he admitted, "but I've been to Mor Ardain's biggest salvaging center, Chilsain, on the Titan's right shoulder. Besides, we were all here during the salvage bulge. I know how salvaging works. It's…" his hand circled about lazily, "dull."

"Ah, I get it now." Rex nodded sagely. He'd just have to teach Bhaltair a thing or three then he'd see. "While there are exceptions, the kind of salvaging you see in the cities and ports and stuff is usually pretty tame. Chaotic at times, sure, and occasionally someone'll pull up a monster with their haul, but pretty tame."

"You're just proving my point. Dull."

"Here? Maybe. But it's when you get out in the fluff where there's nothing but clouds around for titanpeds: that's when it gets really interesting. When it's just you and the open clouds, you see all kinds of weird things out there."

"You've done that?" Bhaltair asked with an air of disbelief. "You're younger than I am!"

Rex thumped his chest proudly. "'Course I have! Got my salvaging license at ten."

"Ten?" He looked even more skeptical now. "Is that even legal?"

"They wouldn't have given it to me if it wasn't."

Well, okay, Rex didn't know the official rules or regulations on that, but at this point, five years in over a hundred jobs and a couple salvager rankings up, he figured it didn't matter what people said. He'd more than proved himself.

"So if you were out there alone, then how do I know you wouldn't just be making that stuff up?"

"Gramps could tell you," he answered on reflex. He winced and subtly glanced at Azurda who's jaw tightened, though otherwise he seemed to pretend not to notice. "Well, could've told you."

"Whatever." Bhaltair, stifled a yawn from behind his hand of cards. "Still sounds boring."

"What," Rex quickly stood up, knee bumping the table, "hey, you take that back!"

"Whoa, Rex, you knocked the pieces!" Jac complained.

"My bad. But come on, back me up, Azurda, salvaging out in the cloud sea is way better, right?"

Azurda cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, I've only salvaged with you here in Alba Cavanich. I believe you, but I have no experience in it myself as of yet."

"Oh, right." He cursed internally. He did it again. "Sorry. Feels like we've already been together for ages."

"Ah, whatever. Putting that salvaging junk-" Bhaltair steadfastly ignored Rex's protested 'watch it!' "-aside," Bhaltair looked over to Jac — who sat by Azurda — and raised an eyebrow. "You're a recruit from Torigoth too, right? Is it true what Rex said about the core crystal hunters?"

Jac looked a little nervous at the attention and shrugged. "Far as I can tell. I mean, I wasn't there for it. I had just awakened Yachik earlier that day before the core crystals were stolen. There was a bunch of ruckus going on outside the relay base where I was signing my contract, but I didn't see most of it." He fidgeted a bit. "Couldn't you just ask the Special Inquisitor? She was in the thick of it."

Bhaltair rolled his eyes again, sarcasm thick in his voice. "Aye, I'll just casually walk up to the Flamebringer and ask." He shook his head, muttering. "Country bumpkins, both of you." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't get what it is about you that caught her eye, but the other recruits would kill for a chance to be in her good graces."

Rex honestly didn't think it was all they were cracking it up to be.

Jac laughed nervously, ears drooping. A moment later they perked up as the door to the barrack's common room opened, admitting the Alba Cavanich Branch's head Driver recruit officer. Someone shouted "Room, attention!" and Jac quickly stood, facing over to the door, saluting.

As the rest of the room joined him in the salute — a practice Rex only participated in halfheartedly if only because the officer didn't have his respect the salute supposedly signified.

"At ease recruits." The room stopped their salute, but Rex would hardly call it 'at ease,' with how stiff everyone was. The officer's eyes drilled around the room before falling on their table.

"Rex, Azurda, with me."

Ah, great.

No one said a word, but he could feel the whole of the room's eyes on him as he nodded. "Yes sir."

"You too, Jac, Yachik."

The Gormotti nearly jumped at being called out in front of the room, though a moment later he stammered out a "Y-yes sir!"

Ah well, so much for the rumours stopping anytime soon. Rex could practically feel the ire of everyone else on them as they left, following the officer out the room and down to the entrance of the barracks.

When they arrived, they found Mòrag waiting for them, though this time it was without Brighid. Poor Jac went nearly ramrod straight on seeing her, and quickly snapped a salute in time with the officer as soon as he could.

Azurda had warned him that Mòrag would come for a debriefing once the things settled after the scuffle with Torna and the Aegis, but he hadn't been looking forward to it.

I guess it was bound to happen eventually.

Mòrag nodded at the head officer's own salute. "At ease. I will take Rex from here."

"How long will you need him for, ma'am?"

"That remains unclear at present."

"I'd prefer him back unharmed this time, if you could, Special Inquisitor. He's one of my most promising recruits." There was an edge to his voice now, one Rex hadn't expected. Wasn't Mòrag way higher on the chain than this guy?

A single eyebrow raised. "Is he now? Then I'm certain he will be fine. Dismissed."

He saluted again, though there was underlying tension in his gaze, as he turned to Jac and said, "Stop staring, recruit, you're coming with me."

Jac glanced back as he and Yachik went with him. Jac gave Rex what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile, though it ended up looking more like a constipated krabble.

After they left, there was a long moment of silence as Mòrag looked Rex and Azurda over, a serious, calculating look in her eyes. Considering the last time he'd seen her she was saving him from Torna, he was surprised it wasn't anger. The expression looked more like she'd eaten something gone bad.

…which wouldn't be too hard given some of the local "traditional" Ardainian cuisine he'd tried, but still.

After a moment Mòrag closed her eyes, and with a drawn out sigh, she turned on her heel and began walking out the barracks. "With me."

Rex glanced at Azurda, who shrugged before both of them fell in line behind Mòrag.

"What was that about?" Rex asked.

"The good officer," and there was a hard note to her voice, displeasure practically leaking through, "over the Driver recruits doesn't like when someone outside the program 'interferes' with one of his men, and he makes his displeasure well known every time it occurs."

"Sounds petty."

She glanced back as they exited the barracks, a slight smirk of amusement curled up on one side of her mouth before quickly returning to stoicism. "Quite. You could sum up much of on-base politics with such pettiness."

As she went across the base to its entry checkpoints, Rex noticed eyes lock on to her as she walked past, before sliding down onto Rex, then up to Azurda. Yeah, this definitely wasn't going to go unnoticed.

Out in the streets of Alba Cavanich, most of the salvagers were gone since the salvage bulge had ended a few days ago, but the traffic on the streets was still pretty heavy in its aftermath as people and Nopon hawked spoils from the hauls. Titan-loads of goods were still being moved around as they were stored or being made ready for shipping or export elsewhere.

Despite the traffic, people generally gave Mòrag a wide berth as they headed towards the city's center, and it became increasingly clear where they were going. Hardhaigh Palace loomed large and imposing as they crossed the bridge from the city proper to it.

As they passed the reception desk with merely nods and salutes from the soldiers stationed there as they passed — that was way easier than getting a spot for salvaging on the palace's parapets — and went up a small elevator to the second floor docks, he couldn't help but wonder, why here?

If this was just a debriefing, why hadn't Mòrag just used one of the debriefing rooms on the base?

Weaving her way through the familiar hallways of the Hardhaigh Palace, Mòrag brought the two through it to an official conference room. Her feelings on what was about to transpire were…complicated, especially with what had recently come to light. Rex was a boy. Skilled and resourceful for his age, certainly, but…

Well, she would see.

The boy in question looked around as they entered the conference room. While it had many of the decorations and styling as much the rest of the palace — what with the crest of the Ardanach family, red, painted metal walls, and imported wood for the table, chairs and floors — it was devoid of the more extraneous and gaudy decorations so present elsewhere in the palace. Designed with focus in mind.

The only out of place was Aegaeon, his arms crossed and stone faced, looking for all the while that he was brooding in the corner of the room. He might have been, knowing him.

"Who's he?" Rex asked.

The Blade dipped his head lightly, but didn't move from his spot. "My name is Aegaeon and I am here as a witness in place of Lady Brighid. I wish we could have met under more pleasant circumstances."

The boy didn't react to his name, which meant he didn't know whose Blade he was, but there was a flash of recognition in Azurda's eyes. Curious.

"Witness?" Rex glanced at the water Blade, oblivious to his Blade's realization, then back to her. "Is this some sort of trial for me going after Torna when you told me not to?"

"No," Mòrag clarified, "you would have been duly informed if it was a trial. Your infraction notwithstanding, this is a debriefing. Sit."

She gestured to the two of the chairs on one side of the table — the side where Aegaeon would be able to see their faces — and the two sat, varying levels of wariness in both of their eyes. It was understandable, as a normal debriefing could have easily taken place on base. But this was an assessment, though she wouldn't let him know that.

She sat in the chair across from them, crossed her legs and eyed them each in turn.

"First," she began cooly, "I need you to understand that much of what we will review here must remain confidential. While the public knows about the presence of the Aegis and her Driver, as well as Torna to some degree, in order for us to stay ahead of potential spies, what we discuss here must remain between us and relevant personnel."

"Torna has spies?" Rex asked.

"Perhaps, but information can make its way to them through many other channels. Best that we give them as little a chance as possible."

"Gotcha."

"Second, I must impress on you how foolish what you did that night was. One of my most unpleasant duties is to give news of my men's deaths to their loved ones. Had I not intervened, you likely would have joined them. Your actions spit upon the sacrifice of those who died from the ambush."

Rex remained silent, but he did look somewhat chastised.

"The power of Drivers and Blades," Mòrag continued, "outclasses normal humans. Torna did not get as far as they have without abuse of that power. The Aegis is a step far above all of them and her current Driver is skilled at wielding it. The men and women who joined us in that operation knew what they signed up for, going up against those odds."

"You," she continued, "were present to verify the identity of the Aegis and her Driver, and were specifically ordered to not engage them, save in self defense should they resist and target you. With those odds in mind, why did you go after Torna?"

He barely even paused to think when he looked her in the eyes. "I had to know."

Mòrag raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I was being stubborn, and I was mad, I get that. But Pyra, the Aegis…she said she wanted to go to Elysium. Talked about it like it was real, and not just some sort of fairytale."

She had seen how interested he was when the Aegis had brought it up in her interrogation of Torna. So he was a believer in it?

"She did," Mòrag admitted. "Did you find out anything after you chased after the before I arrived to intervene against your demise?"

"No…I let Mikhail, that's the blond one with red armour, goad me into fighting them."

"I see."

It was unfortunate that Rex hadn't learned anything else of the Aegis' intentions, but ultimately not surprising. But the other Torna operative's name was Mikhail? Mòrag resisted the urge to rub her neck where the man grabbed her after slipping through her guard. It was still something of a wound on her pride.

Mòrag shifted topics. "Have you met this Mikhail before?"

He seemed to shrink in his seat some "I, uh…" he swallowed, "might have accepted a salvaging job from him."

"Truly?" She raised her eyebrows in astonishment. The boy's penchant for attracting dangerous persons of interest was astounding.

"Well," Rex moved to defend himself quickly, "it wasn't as if anything about him initially screamed 'terrorist,' he just needed some parts salvaged up, and I was…" his cheeks flushed with colour.

"Rex was looking for any excuse he could to salvage during the recent bulge," Azurda chimed in.

"It's super rare!" He shouted indignantly, though his eyes still shone with leftover excitement. "I'd have kicked myself if I hadn't even tried to salvage during it."

Mòrag couldn't help the sniff of laughter and smile that momentarily came to her face. But there was something she might be able to use. "Your penchant for inadvertently working for terrorists notwithstanding, what was the part this Mikhail was looking for?"

"Gold condensers, and a good amount of them too. He said the whole market was bought out of them and he couldn't find any."

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. Gold condensers were a mildly rare part, usually sought out by those seeking to use them in advanced circuitry. But to be bought out completely? It wasn't good that Torna was looking to buy them out, but who else would have bought them up en masse?

She filed the information away for another time. "Did he say what he was using them for?"

"For repairs on his vessel," Azurda interjected. "Though in hindsight, that could have easily been a lie."

"Quite." Mòrag let out a slow breath through her nose. According to Rex, Torna's one known submersible was without a Titan, so it might be true, but as Azurda said, it just as easily might be a cover. "I assume this was the salvaging job you mentioned you were taking when you ran into the Driver of the Aegis?"

"Yeah, it was," Rex replied.

Mòrag let out a hum of contentment, feeling that she had a fuller picture of the situation. But now to a larger question. "Putting aside your dereliction of duty for now. I am curious to know what you think. With the Aegis' current company, regardless of whether Elysium is real or not, do you think it is worrying that she seeks it?"

"Worrying?" He asked. "I…don't know what to think, if I'm honest. If someone who's from there says that it's real, shouldn't we be doing everything we can to get there? You of all people can't be blind to see that Titans are dying off without new ones popping up. Wouldn't Elysium help solve that?"

He made it sound so easy, said it with such conviction. Titans were dying off without so many new ones in sight, and the Ardainian Titan was poised to join the dead amongst the cloud sea within a few generations.

"Even if Elysium truly is the paradise that Indoline doctrine espouses it to be, it wouldn't be that simple."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get it, politics and junk, but we've gotta start by getting there, right?"

It was touching to see his optimism, even if it was fueled by naiveté. It seemed he was unaware of the great void and its guardian currently surrounding the base of the World Tree.

"Perhaps," she allowed, "but that makes it all the more worrying why a terrorist organization would want access to Elysium bad enough to uncover the Aegis to do so. Considering that the Aegis War followed soon after the last known individual scaled the World Tree, I believe we all have need to worry."

Rex nodded. "Yeah, whatever Torna is up to can't be good, but…"

"Why the hesitation?"

He crossed his arms. "'If all you see is trash, that's all you'll ever find.' It's…something Auntie Corrine taught me. I've met and talked with four of Torna's members now, and their Blades. When I thought about it, they've all got this look in their eyes, a sort of deep sadness in them. But Lora is…different somehow. I can't really put my finger on it."

So he'd picked up on the difference as well. Surprisingly perceptive for one so stubborn and headstrong. But then, hadn't she been like that at his age?

"Fascinating," she murmured quietly, hand coming to rest on her chin in thought.

"Sorry?"

She leaned forward slightly in her seat. "If you could ask the Driver of the Aegis anything, Rex, what would you ask?"

He blinked at the question, then took a moment to seriously consider it before looking back up at her. "I'd ask her what she wants."

Mòrag was almost taken aback by the simplicity. "What she wants?"

"When you were interrogating everyone, you asked a lot about what Torna and the Aegis' goals were, but I don't think you ever asked Lora directly what she wanted to do. Seems like the simplest way to see if she's got bad intentions, right?"

"If we could just walk up and ask her, it might even be that simple, but-"

"Couldn't hurt to try at some point," he interrupted. "Just 'cause you fought, doesn't mean you can't make up after, right?"

She smiled. "I suppose so."

She looked over to Aegaeon and briefly met his eyes, nodding. He subtly dipped his head in response and stepped away from the wall.

"I have seen all that I need, Special Inquisitor." And with that, the Blade slipped through the door of the room, closing it softly behind him. Though Mòrag knew he'd be back soon. The one he was poised to get had been listening in secret after all.

"What was that about?" Rex muttered. She turned back to find that Rex had crossed his arms in his seat, his expression akin to a confused brog who'd missed pouncing on its prey.

Mòrag stood as she heard the door open again, admitting Aegaeon and…

"I believe I've heard all I need," Niall said. "We can take this to the next stage now."

She saw Rex look over the emperor, taking in his imperial raiment and small stature. "Uh…who're you?"

Niall's head tipped slightly to the side, glancing at Mòrag. She smiled lightly, hands coming to rest behind her back.

Aegaeon stepped up boldly beside his liege. "Do not be so flippant in the presence of-"

Niall held up a hand, and Aegaeon stopped, stepping back as that authority seemed to settle on his shoulders again. "I am Niall Ardanach, Emperor of Mor Ardain."

Rex blinked a couple of times, before his jaw fell open. "Wait, really? You're the emperor?! But you're so short you can't be that much older than me!"

"Rex…" Azurda elbowed him none too subtly in a quiet tone. "Remember your manners."

"Whoops, sorry." Rex cleared his throat and stood, dipping his head in a way that would probably make bigwigs who liked ceremony too much cry. Then he walked over to the emperor with his most confident grin and stuck out his hand. "Sorry about that, your majesty. Name's Rex! Good to meet you!"

He noticed that water-looking Blade, Aegaeon, flinch as he did so, hand straying to his hip as if to draw a weapon. Probably made the guy antsy. Rex kept holding out his hand though. In for a gold, in for the lot, right?

Thankfully, after a moment, Niall smiled brightly and disarmingly at Aegaeon — who backed off — and grasped his hand firmly. More firmly than Rex would've thought for an emperor. Impressive. You could tell something about people from the way they shook hands, and Rex was pretty confident that this guy wasn't out to get him.

Probably.

They let the handshake go. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Rex," Niall began cordially. Ah good. Probably meant he hadn't caused some national incident by insulting the emperor with a handshake. "Most of my countrymen are either too patriotic or conspiring to talk in such a straightforward manner. Your candor is something of a breath of fresh air."

"You're welcome...I think?"

"You may not wish to thank me just yet, but it is appreciated." Niall nodded and gestured to the chairs in the room. "Please, sit. There is no reason to continue to stand on ceremony."

As they did, Rex started to wonder if this was the reason why they'd been brought here instead of staying on base. Well it was no wonder his palms had felt a little sweaty. He was being tested the whole time! And considering the presence of the Emperor of Mor Ardain here, he must have passed whatever it was.

The Emperor sat straight-backed in his chair after he settled, his feet touching the floor though only because he sat in the more forward part of it. "After listening in on your conversation with the Special Inquisitor, I am here to extend to you and Azurda an assignment. You are free to refuse, of course."

"An assignment?" Rex glanced at Azurda whose eyes shone with the same wariness he felt. After all, last time he'd taken a job from a notable figure — Chairman Bana — it hadn't ended very well. "Alright, we'll listen."

"Thank you." He looked Rex directly in his eyes. "Time is short, so I will be blunt with you. I want you to act as a sort of ambassador to the Driver of the Aegis."

Rex blinked. "Ambassador? So you want me to…talk to her? Negotiate something?"

Niall smiled. He really looked like the kid he was when he did that. "Just so. Ascertain her intentions, and report back word of it. If possible, we would like to open a long term channel of communication with her."

That felt like a big responsibility to shove onto a Driver recruit. He felt a little bit of pride at it, but…

"Sorry if this is a bit rude, your majesty, but why choose us?"

"Given what the Special Inquisitor has told me about you," Niall answered, "I suspect you were thinking of going after them on your own at some point anyways, correct?"

"W-well," Rex sputtered, "I mean, I might have been considering it." he chuckled nervously, turning his eyes down in vain to hide the flush going to his face.

"Then this," Niall continued, thankfully not pointing it out, "will save you the trouble."

"But why me and not someone like Mòrag? There have to be tons of people more qualified than I am."

"Indeed. I know of at least a dozen people I could list off the top of my head that are vastly more qualified for this than you." Wow, he really didn't hold back, did he? "However, each one of those people would bring their own agenda. Your intentions, such as I've been informed of, are simpler. Purer. From what I've heard of the Driver of the Aegis, I think she would respond better to that than any formal diplomat."

"You think so?"

Niall looked over to Mòrag, who nodded. "Following the failure of her capture," Mòrag started, "I began receiving reports from my men who followed her trail while the Driver of the Aegis was in the capital. It felt like following the trail of an overzealous do-gooder of a mercenary rather than a terrorist, though naturally, we can't rule out hidden agendas just yet. Ultimately, I believe a more congenial approach would be effective, one that I may not be able to engender given my hostility at our last encounter."

So they needed someone straightforward to just talk to her? He guessed he could do that.

"If I may," Azurda put in cautiously, "there is something else, your majesty."

Niall's attention turned slightly upward to the Blade and he nodded. "Please."

"At Jakolo Inn, after Torna fled and after we gave chase…the Aegis Pyra seemed to recognize me."

"Truly?"

"I am certain of it."

"It wasn't just Pyra that recognized me," Azurda continued. "Before we gave chase to the hot springs, back when the Special Inquisitor first sprung her trap, I'm certain that Lora recognized me as well. Considering I have no memory of her…"

"You think she must've met Gramps at some point," Rex concluded. Was that what he'd been stewing on the last couple of days?

Azurda nodded slowly. "She must have. Though naturally, I cannot say when it occurred."

"I see." Niall's interest looked peaked. "One of your past awakenings, I presume?"

"That would be impossible, as this is my first." Azurda stroked his stone, beard-like appendage. "No, according to Rex, I strongly resemble the Titan from which I was born. While I don't know the depth of that relationship, we could use this as one way to approach them."

Niall seemed to consider it a moment. "It certainly has merit, and gives even more reason for this job to fall to the two of you."

"Thank you."

"So, not that I think we can't give it a shot, but will it really just be me and Azurda doing this?" Rex asked. It seemed a little...odd to leave it to just them.

"Of course not," Mòrag scoffed, sounding offended at the idea of leaving this completely to them. "Brighid and I will be accompanying you on this assignment."

Ah, well that made a lot more sense.

Niall nodded in agreement. "After all, I cannot in good conscience send an untrained Driver to do this, even one that went head to head with one of Torna's Driver's."

Was he talking about Nia? "We lost that battle, your majesty."

"I am aware, but I believe it speaks to your potential that even without formal training you did not perish. Mòrag has also spoken well of your perceptiveness and ability to think on your feet." She had? Huh. "Tempered by her, I believe we will be able to establish amenable contact with the Aegis and her Driver, one untainted by the myriad of political agendas associated with the return of the Aegis."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. But…where would we even begin to look? It's been half a week now. They might not even be on the Titan anymore."

"Ah, that is one reason why you were called so quickly: we know where the Driver of the Aegis has gone."

Rex's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Indeed." Niall gave a short gesture to Aegaeon, who brought out a map of Mor Ardain's left shoulder, and placed it on the table between them. Niall traced his finger from the edge of the shoulder, marking where Alba Cavanich was, and drew his finger closer towards the Titan's neck to what looked like a quarry. "She is currently residing here in an old ether mining camp, but she is not alone."

"One of our undercover agents took great risk to transmit this to us." Aegaeon said.

He placed a grainy photograph on the table, which Niall turned towards him. Despite the poor quality, Rex could easily see Lora in the center, leaning towards Pyra like she was whispering something to her. And beside them, arms crossed with an amused look on his face was…

"Wait, Malos?" Rex's eyes widened as he looked at the grainy photo of the one who had…

The one who had…

His fist tightened under the table.

Niall nodded, sympathy in his eyes. "Yes. He must have joined them after their escape from the capital. But as worrying as that is, it is not the worst part. The agent who sent this has been under deep cover in Brionac, and they have gathered their forces under a flesh eater Blade calling himself the 'Lord of the Wastes.'"

Rex let out a breath. "Sounds pretty pretentious. Who are they?"

"They are a group of dissenters who oppose some of the anti-imperialist decisions I made once I was put on the throne."

Aegaeon scoffed. "Your majesty is too kind to them. They are political insurgents who have never made their ire of your choice of governance unclear, and refused to compromise even when offered a peaceful solution."

He said the word with such under bitten vitriol that Rex almost felt bad not knowing the least bit who in the world they were. He glanced at Azurda, who in glancing back, simply raised his grassy eyebrow.

Right, he wouldn't know either, would he? "Sounds like a pain."

"Quite the understatement," Aegaeon mumbled. "As for this 'Lord of the Wastes,' from his description, he appears to be a Blade named Dagas that was stolen from the imperial family's store nearly ten years ago."

Another unfamiliar name, but it clearly held some sort of story for them.

"Do you believe that your attempted capture of Lora led her to go off with Brionac?" Azurda asked.

"No." Mòrag crossed her arms. "Considering my own interactions and the testimonies collected by everyone I could find that interacted with the Driver of the Aegis, we don't believe she has any personal stake in this conflict. We aren't aware of any interactions Torna has had with them before either."

"Then did Brionac capture her?" Azurda inquired.

"Possibly," Niall admitted, "though I feel it more likely that they are coercing her in some way. Regardless, with the large force they are gathering under the 'Lord of the Wastes,' it forces our hand, and like as not, we cannot leave it be. The presence of the Aegis and her Driver makes it impossible to ignore."

"Indeed," Mòrag continued. "Initial estimates of their forces are nearing two thousand. Our own forces are already preparing to counteract them, and will move out shortly after we do."

"Wait, so there's going to be a battle?!" That wasn't what he signed up for.

Niall shook his head. "If it can be avoided, no. There are many possibilities and contingencies in place, but our hope is that our spies will be able to assist you in convincing and extracting the Driver of the Aegis in secret. Naturally, the dangers of this are high. There are many ways this could go wrong, and though I would prefer for it to not come to a battle, it may end up that way."

"Alright." Rex paused, letting out a breath. This was a lot to process. "Fine." He looked over to Azurda, who nodded in support. "We'll do it."

The relief that briefly shone on Niall's was palpable, and made him seem like the kid he actually was for a second. It was gone a moment later, replaced by that formal imperial bearing. "I thank you, Rex. Though I wish it wasn't so sudden, we must ask you to prepare to leave tonight. Mòrag will fill you in on the rest once you are en route. With that, I must take my leave."

He left, and Aegaeon left with him, dipping his head slightly lower this time. Probably his way of showing respect.

Rex let out breath once they were gone and it was just him, Azurda and Mòrag again. "I figured you weren't gonna let me off easy, but this?"

Mòrag raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer I set you on a month's worth of deep cleaning detail?"

Rex shook his head. "Nah, I'll pass."

"Besides," Azurda chimed in, "as we'll be traveling with the Special Inquisitor, I doubt we will be slacking off."

"Quite."

"Well then," Rex grinned, "bring it on."

Though Jin hadn't been here for some time, the seedy understreets of Alba Cavanich had changed less than he would have figured.

The smell of rotten eggs that permeated the air because of the geothermal systems was still nearly unbearable — especially without any recent rain. Over a hundred years ago, it might have been cooler than it was topside at night, but even in the alleyways cut directly into the rocky Titan's flesh, the Titan was still warm throughout it all. Had Jin not been ice element attuned, he would have been sweating profusely under his hooded poncho.

The humans weren't so lucky, and smelled wretched accordingly. He passed establishments — if you could really call them that — that sold every vice you could think of. The people, and some of the Blades chained to them, were still horrible, some of the worst of humanity on explicit display. And while there were new developments and buildings where there were none before, much the same as he remembered.

He almost pitied them.

The horrible haze of memories from that time he'd languished here weren't pleasant ones, even after Malos found him.

But there was something markedly different this time. Aside from the noticeable increase in heat, there was an undercurrent of energy to them that hadn't been present before. A feverous charge going through the air that went beyond the economic boom of the recent salvage bulge.

It was almost comically obvious who the culprit was.

Lora's wanted posters were pasted all over. They'd made her look far more imposing and serious with the slight frown on her face, giving her an almost grizzled look. Jin couldn't help but chuckle when he'd seen her face on that first wanted poster, covering up his own masked wanted poster…though the hundreds of copies he spotted after as he wound his way through the Ardainian capital's underbelly were less amusing.

The price tag attached to her capture was frankly enormous. More than his was had even been back they'd been hunted by the Kingdom of Torna. And unlike then however, he doubted this would die down.

He knew Mikhail, Lora and even Nia could be discreet, but combine that with the Aegis? Even with that different persona, she wasn't subtle.

But despite how obvious it was that Lora had been in the city, the veritable flood of wildly varying rumours of her activity while she was there made it impossible to make out the truth of what happened, and more importantly to him, if she was still in the city with Mikhail and Nia.

And so he found himself inside one of those seedy establishments in a booth, sitting across from a fluffy, pink Nopon. Her gaudy, fur lined purple vest, gold chains, sunglasses and hat were a ridiculous imitation of some human fashion fad he'd never paid attention to.

"Well, well," the Nopon crossed her arms, one headwing carelessly gripping a smoking pipe. "Look who come crawling back to Informama for information once more."

…Did she know him?

"Meh, did friend forget?" The Nopon took a thoughtful, deep drag on the pipe, coughed, and puffed out a circle of smoke directly into his face. "Friend might have skeeter for brains, but Informama never forgets."

Jin cut the Nopon off. "I need good information on the Driver of the Aegis quickly, and I'm willing to pay the price."

"Ohohoho, every friend looking for that, but information friend asking for is not coming cheap." Her eyes narrowed in an approximation of dangerous. "Especially not when last friend meet, friend's tall, dark and dangerous friend nearly strangle Informama to death, even when Informama offer steep, unliveable discount."

"You'd have to narrow it down more."

Malos didn't always have the patience to deal with information brokers, and it seems he'd found one who'd gotten the worse end of his…eagerness and lived.

Informama gasped. "Meh! Informama is offended! Informama's very life flash before her eyes, dribbled like ball, like some rowdy littlepon at friend's friend expense!"

Jin's eyes squinted as he looked closer at the Nopon. The sunglasses and terrible outfit made it difficult to tell, but he might have seen her before. Jin sighed. "That…doesn't narrow it down."

Informama started angrily puffing on her pipe. "Such rudeness! Informama should leave right here."

Jin stood, seeming to surprise the Nopon. "Then I'll take my custom and gold elsewhere."

"Harumph. Guards." and two men in imposing suits that had been sitting at a table nearby stood and came closer, cracking their knuckles.

Jin glared at her. "If you're hoping to extract money for damages to your person, you should have done so closer to the incident." Not that they would've been likely to pay it. Until Ahkos and Patroka hit the metaphorical jackpot, Torna hadn't always been so well off. "I was told you have information that no one else had. If you can't provide that, I'm leaving."

Informama took a smug puff of her pipe, and carelessly waved her headwing to the guards. "Meh, give friend a wallop for his-"

The human guards who came over were knocked flat faster than they could raise their fists, or draw any weapons. One of them was out cold, and the other lay groaning on the floor. Pathetic. Jin hadn't even manifested his sword. He glared back at the Nopon, who had smoke leaking out of her gaping mouth.

She cleared her throat. "Informama thanks friend for his charitable act of letting Informama live."

"I came for information, not power plays. I don't have time for your petty games."

"I-Informama sees that friend is discerning customer. Despite that Informama might have had brains rattled around in skull by friend's friend, Informama is not stupid. Sit friend, Informama will give slight discount."

He eyed the place for any other guards that might be in the pub, but everyone was steadfastly ignoring their corner. The Nopon must have paid the owner off to do business here. He sat back down to the much less confident Nopon, now chewing nervously on the end of her pipe.

"So what do you have on the Driver of the Aegis?"

"Is hot commodity item and Informama come across juicy bits friend cannot find elsewhere-"

"Get to the point."

"Ahem. Has friend heard of 'The Jakolo Incident?'"

Jin nodded. It was difficult not to notice the disrepair of the building when he'd been scouting topside earlier last night. Some cursory asking around had gotten him the basic details of Lora's fight with the Ardainian Inquisitor.

"Informama thought so. But is old rotting rhogul corpse in information trade already." She raised an eyebrow, rubbing her free headwing's appendages together.

Jin rolled his eyes and set gold on the table.

"Good to know that despite friend's terrible manners, friend knows that Informama not run information charity." She took another drag on her pipe, seemingly less nervous now. "Listen to Informama: Driver of Aegis of working with group. Terrible terrorist organization named 'Torna.'"

He crossed his arms neutrally. "Really."

"Ohohoho! Friend doesn't look surprised. Well, luckily for friend, it go deeper." She gave him meaningful look.

He sighed and set more gold on the table with a clink.

"See, Driver of Aegis have fingers in many pies. Informama have reliable sources that say Driver of Aegis in cahoots not just with Torna, but with ruthless cross-titan gang Bloody Lobsters."

That one Jin was almost certain wasn't true. With Mikhail traveling with Lora, unless leadership had changed drastically in the last decade, they still had a long standing hit out on Mikhail. Not that Jin enjoyed their company in their brief alliance.

"Is that it?" Jin asked sharply. "Or are you wasting my time?"

"Ohohoho. I-informama understands now that friend is an extremely astute customer. Informama willing to part with one more juicy morsel, one Informama has not told another soul."

Jin glared at her, unimpressed at the bold-faced lie. She waggled her eyebrows, puffing languidly on her pipe as her sense of control over the deal crept back. It was obviously a selling tactic, but he needed the information, so he set more gold on the counter.

She smiled self-satisfyingly. "Friend should be careful with this information. In addition to working with terrorists and gangs, Driver of Aegis has allied with Brionac."

"The imperialist separatists?" Weren't they the ones where Mikhail and Patroka had offed their leaders five years ago? Why would Mikhail go to them, much less work with them, especially with Lora and the Aegis in tow? "They have new central leadership?"

"Friend is well informed. Yes, Brionac now under control of 'Lord of the Wastes.'"

"Who?"

"Unfortunately, information is scarce. 'Lord of the Wastes' might be Blade, might be human, but truth for sure is that he quietly been amassing power for last year until now. Newest skuttlebutt say Driver of Aegis is mad from Special Inquisitor trying to capture her, and team up with 'Lord of the Wastes' to start new imperial dynasty in retribution."

The likelihood of Lora doing that was next to zero, but the other information was useful. It gave him a target at the very least. "Anything else?"

"Meh, that all information Informama have for friend. Please to be paying in full and leaving Informama in peace now."

He did, leaving the seedy little pub, and moved past the still recovering guards back into the dry, hot air. Seemed he had more information gathering to do now. If he could confirm where Brionac was stationed, he was likely to find the "Lord of the Wastes," and with him, Lora.

He wandered through ether lamp lit streets of the undercity and eventually stopped at a message board. Like every message board in the city it was plastered with a poster of Lora's face, but this one was overlapping Malos' wanted poster.

Live for her.

Fulfill Malos' ambition.

He sighed. Even though he knew Lora wouldn't have been content to sit still in the Marsanes, especially with Malos there, he wished this could have been simpler.

"Is friend sad about something?"

Jin looked beside him, and seeing no one he looked down to his left. Innocent orange eyes gazed up at him, curious, but intelligent. A white floppy hat dropped to the side as a Blade tilted her head to the side.

His eyes flicked down to the glowing orange approximation of a core crystal, one he recognized as an ether furnace window. So she was an artificial Blade? But she didn't look like the mass produced ones, or the prototype that Chairman Bana's chief engineer always had lingering close. Had he built another one?

"Can friend not speak or hear?" Those bright orange eyes blinked and she lifted her hands and started mechanically working through hand signs. "With recent upgrade, Poppi has become proficient in Alrestian Sign Language if friend is deaf."

It really wasn't his problem what Torna's artificial Blade producer did, but something in those eyes…

"Who are you?" Jin asked carefully.

"Poppi's name is Poppi." Her eyes flicked to the message board, past Malos' covered wanted poster to his own. "Friend's name is Jin, isn't it?"

Even with the hooded poncho, and even though he'd stored Lora's horned mask away and simply tied a headband around his core crystal, she recognized him? "Do you want something?"

"Poppi will take Jin's lack of disagreement as confirmation." Her eyes narrowed in a way that was probably meant to look serious as she crossed her arms. "Poppi has a proposition for Jin."

A/N: Do it, Jin. Give in to the cuteness.