The long awaited moment… Our main cast fully assembles this chapter!
Let's get on with it.
Ten days.
Ten fucking days of this damned endurance match. Nia was fried, leaning back against Dromarch's frame and staring blankly into the sky. Clad in cargo shorts and a yellow tube top, she savored every ocean breeze that swept past. They had barely gotten a moments rest and now the sun was blazing down on them to boot.
And she still hadn't recovered her strength.
Beside her, similarly seated against the napping tiger, Rex was adorned in a pale tunic and dark trunks, his diving gear stowed away. When he mustered up the fucking gall to sigh into the air, Nia was more than tempted to exploit her capacity to sink an elbow into his side. She really wanted to, but she just didn't have the strength to follow through. Swiping at his jaw with a limp-wristed backhand would have to suffice… for now.
Rex returned a huffing laugh.
A soft wind kicked up, rattling the struts of the large tent pitched further up Azurda's back. They could hardly blame Gramps for getting involved back in Argentum, his contributions to the melee had been integral to their escape. It didn't change the fact that they were effectively out of house and income, both the cylindrical hut and the old crane lost during the conflict.
Nia had stopped bellyaching about her effects, justified as it was, a few days into their travels. She just didn't have the energy…
"Looks like a storm's brewing," Rex stated. Dromarch snored as Nia rolled her tired eyes, idly glancing at the incoming grey clouds. The salvager was pretty much talking for the sake of it, the pair of water Blades having long anticipated a downpour due to their elemental affinities. After all this sun, it would be welcome for the first ten minutes…
And Kassandra…
"These little Wonders ~ These twists and turns of Fate!"
The hammer wielding Blade was perched atop Gramps' head, going through a surprisingly long list of songs. She was definitely the most energetic of the crew at this point and thus had taken it upon herself to uplift the others. To varied results.
Azurda in particular was one of Kassandra's most frequent customers. Though the dragon readily hummed along with the brunette's endless tide of tunes, he kept his gaze stubbornly forward at almost all hours of the day now. Gramps was old and, though he certainly had his livelier moments, Rex would never peg him as a physically enduring individual.
Aside from sleeping, they'd been pressing forward at a constant pace for the last three days. If anyone was more wiped out than Nia, even if he did his best to hide it, it was Azurda.
The Benevolence had made it clear only half a day after their crew's flight from Goldmoth. They had flown for a few hours before touching down on Mi'ihen, a smaller vessel similar to Goldmoth which served as a kind of sternguard to the main fleet that made up the Argentum Guild. The Mi'ihen had received reports of the incident and readily took in the fleeing crew.
They'd gotten a quick meal and maybe an hour of down time before the shelling started. Interceptor craft launched from the Mi'ihen were soundly dispatched by Saturn's troops, Rex and company visibly fleeing before the enemy could initiate boarding actions. All aggression against the trade ship ceased immediately, the zealots swiftly moving to pursue.
It was a familiar pattern that they'd held to for more than a week now. Though their time on the sea was mostly uneventful, their hunters maintained a constant vigil. If they got too comfortable, stopped or slowed down, the fanatics would launch lightning raids to hurry them along. If they made port or landfall, the place would be sieged until their party fled.
They were being worn down. Neither Nia or Azurda had truly recovered from the fight on Goldmoth, the Gormotti even moreso as she was still rattled from the tidal wave beforehand. They were barely given opportunity to find food and even less time to replenish their dwindling funds. The situation was teetering on a knife's edge.
And even worse… they were being herded. The Benevolence clearly had some goal in mind, the pattern of their assaults said as much. It wasn't like they needed to be subtle about it, their prey had little choice in the matter. The only thing Rex and company were certain of was that they didn't want to know what happened when they reached the end of this little chase.
"Should we try and make a break for home?"
Nia's proposition was tempting. Five days ago, Rex himself had brought up Indol as a solution but it had too many drawbacks. Not the least of which was locating the wandering titan and then managing to reach it on their own. In addition… nobody wanted to be in further debt to the praetor, least of all if it involved a group once deeply entwined with the Church of Indol. The whole situation would become a real mess.
And that said nothing about what the fanatics would do if they realized that was the group's play. They might decide to flatten them outright in a fit of rage.
Leftheria was home turf, full of folks who'd go to bat for them at the drop of a hat. And, as Rex and Nia were intimately familiar with, the archipelago had its own "defense" that would be more than up to the task. The real problem would be reaching it, there being over a day's straight travel time from their current location to Leftheria.
That could be twenty-four plus hours of The Benevolence hounding them all the way to Fonsett. The chances of them making it under those conditions were…
Rex perked once thoughts of their position were stirred up. "Gramps… are we headed somewhere?"
Dromarch roused from the boy's shouts, yawning deeply and smacking his lips. Nia turned towards the titan's head at a more sluggish pace than her Driver, Kassandra ending her song to gaze down at a stoic Azurda.
Gramps kept forward for a moment longer, his body carving through the cloud currents. The lack of voices, particularly Kassandra's singing, registered somewhere in the distant recesses of the old titan's mind. It wasn't enough to draw his attention, even as he heard Rex's question.
Kassandra laid herself flat on Gramps' scalp, leaning over his right side and slapping at his brow three times in quick succession. Azurda blinked, the motion rustling the brunette Blade, coming back to the present with a rough clearing of his throat.
"Gramps?" There was a clear note of concern in Rex's tone.
"Sorry, my boy," the drake spoke in apology. He didn't turn to face them though, didn't halt his advance through the white sea. "I just…"
Silence dragged on for several seconds, Nia standing with Dromarch's aid as the big cat himself rose up on all fours. Rex approached Gramps' long neck, walking around their tent dwelling, his mouth open and a shout on his lips.
Then Azurda's head whipped to the left. Kassandra had to clench a bundle of the winged titan's green fur to avoid falling off, the rest of the crew sufficiently off balanced when Gramps suddenly changed direction.
Nia fell into Dromarch with a sharp cry of, "What the hell!?" There might have been more if the Gormotti girl didn't freeze up, her ears standing upright. Dromarch was in similar straights, his form rigid and his head craned up.
Kassandra rolled onto her rump, palms flat on Azurda's head as she stared unblinking in the same direction as the old dragon. She whispered, her voice shaky, "Wh-What is… what is that?"
Rex's gaze shot between his crewmates rapidly, him being the only one unaffected by whatever was going on. Well, that wasn't quite accurate. Rex could definitely feel something in the air, like the sensation of drawing closer to a flame. It didn't… seem malevolent.
"Something…" Gramps' words were airy, droning. He was more talking to himself than trying to relay anything. "Something familiar… it is very close." His swimming speed cut dramatically as the old titan moved in a tight circuit.
The young salvager found himself moving around to Gramps' left side. Nia caught the movement on her peripheral, pushing off of a still stunned Dromarch with some effort. When Rex reached the edge of his guardian-vessel, his eyes immediately got to scanning the ring of cloud sea. His arm stretched out as Nia approached, drawing the girl to his side.
"You feel that too, right?"
Rex offered a set of nods and a swift "Yeah" as his sights continued to sweep over the swirling fog. Nia was about to just fold herself against his frame when a touch of emerald broke through the white haze.
They sunk together, crouching beside the surface of the cloud sea. Azurda's trail slowed to a stop, the titan's head wrapping around to gaze at the building emerald glow. "This is," the dragon's words faded.
The blue suited salvager stared transfixed as the source of the green light drew up from the depths. His entire front was veiled in the approaching luminescence, the steadily shading light of midday impotent by comparison. The breath Rex was holding escaped in a soft gasp as a shape broke the ocean's surface.
It was a curious little thing, a somewhat pill shaped device made of some hard, scarlet polymer. The ovular gadget was covered in various, angular lines and grooves. Rex felt that maybe the numerous segments were designed to slide and extend, something he gathered from his experience salvaging.
The source of the light itself sat right in the heart of the device. A shining emerald, roughly in the shape of a cross, pulsed with energy from the scarlet thing's center. Being a Driver, Rex had some appreciation for the level of output he was feeling. He couldn't imagine how it must feel for Gramps and the Blades, their sense for ether being much greater.
He couldn't be sure what prompted him to reach down towards the strange device. Maybe his instincts as a salvager, maybe a simple curiosity. Maybe he had simply succumbed to the same trance as the others. Rex thought he heard a cry of warning from his gramps, but the sound was little more than a muffled blurt to him.
The only thing Rex knew for sure was the instant his hand touched the cross shaped gem, Nia's did the same. They both felt their bond abruptly surge in strength. And in the blink of an eye, reality faded away.
Birdsong and a cool breeze greeted Driver and Blade as they came around. The continuous rustle of shifting leaves and the warm feel of sunshine on their skin were revitalizing, the pair sitting up to look around. Their fingers clenched green grass and blue skies reigned overhead; if not for the lack of crashing waves in the background, they could mistake this place for the Inner Plane.
But damn this place was vast! The grassy field stretched out in all directions, flowing into rolling hills straight out of ancient fantasy. One entire edge of the field was bordered by a large glen of trees, maybe two hundred meters from where they were. Rex and Nia could see a stone spire in the distance peeking just over the canopy.
No sooner did they spot the pointed structure that the resonant chime of church bells rang over the area. Neither Rex or Nia could think of a place they'd heard such a sound outside of the Praetorium, the thought causing the cat girl to seize momentarily.
Even so, heading towards that bell tower was a clear next course of action. At least, it would have been if not for the splash of color, the vibrant break in the green/blue collage that surrounded them.
On a hill adjacent to them, barely a ten second walk away, was a large, branching tree. The lone monolith of foliage was an interest on its own, but what caught Rex and Nia's eyes was the scarlet figure resting beside its base.
She was facing away from the pair, staring out into the distance. They knew it had to be a girl, even from afar and behind her figure was unmistakable. The duo started towards her.
Another breeze swept through, playing with the girl's wide coiffure of shoulder length, scarlet lockes. Two whipping lengths of fabric drew the pairs attention, the thin strands a darker shade of red than the girl's glossy hair.
As the scarf like cloth billowed about, it drew Rex and Nia's eyes to the bare, creamy expanse of the girl's back. That held the pair's focus a bit longer than they'd care to admit. The little red shorts hugging tight to her waist and high on her thighs were another unfortunate stopping point.
They'd reached the girl in short order, hardly noticing how close they'd come. Her twin scarves hung down as the wind eased, both pinched tight to a point on her upper back. Closer now, the Driver and Blade noted how her top garment looked to be some kind of armor, the material a sort of polished, rigid plate. It was a weird choice considering how much of her back was exposed.
Also she really had a thing for red.
"It's such a mournful sound…"
Rex and Nia stared in confusion at the red girl's back. Then another chime rang out from the bell tower, the wind picking up again.
"It hasn't stopped, not in all these years."
Not a fan of this cryptic stuff and rather over ogling this chick's backside, Nia delivered a swift, "Where the hell are we?"
The girl was quiet for a moment. "This is… Elysium."
Nia's eyes widened and her ears perked, Rex's jaw going slack as he started looking in all directions. "Get out," the boy gasped, "this is it? This is the promised land?"
His voice actually roused the figure in red, her frame seizing up in surprise. She turned around instantly, mouthing a shocked "What?"
Rex continued to marvel at the realm around them. Nia's gaze was fixed on the red head, more accurately on her chest. That armored top of hers was opened in front, again calling its defensive nature into question. A black body suit clung to her frame from the neck down, falling down past the top of her shorts. For whatever reason, the "leotard" only covered her front, her flanks clearly visible and her back, as mentioned, fully exposed.
What had Nia's attention was the impressive set this girl was rocking, the crimson plates of her armor spanning the tops of her breasts but seemingly unable to encompass the massive mounds. Criss-crossing, slash like patterns decorated her "breast plates" and were currently aglow with a familiar mint green light.
"Two," murmured the girl, "Why are there two?"
This prompted Rex to fix his sights on the dismayed girl. Much like Nia before him, Rex balked at the massive bust barely contained by that black body suit of hers. But his focus shifted quickly enough to something slightly higher. Perched just above her cleavage, at the point where her crimson armor split open, was a familiar cross shaped gem radiating a certain hue of bright emerald. Rex fumbled with his words for a brief time, a brow raising curiously.
"Is that a core crystal?" Her partner's voice pulled Nia out of her observations, prompting her gaze onto Ms. Melons' more vibrant chest decoration. Rex concluded his thoughts, "Are you… a Blade then?"
The girl's red (of course) eyes blinked at the salvager's question. She patted her flanks with palms adorned in crimson, fingerless gloves. Clasping her hands together over her navel, she donned a calm expression before turning to Rex, "Y-Yes… Yes, my name is Pyra."
All the while, Nia remained silent as she pondered the newly minted Pyra. A Blade with an emerald core crystal was odd all on its own, but something about that color in particular was pulling at her memory. Unbidden, visions of her short time in Indol came forward. Brief and jarring as the experience had been, the Gormotti girl did have some fond recollections of the city's architecture and its numerous murals.
A painting stuck out in her mind, depicting a heroic moment from times long passed. The grand visage of the hero Addam, standing amidst the chaotic mayhem of the Aegis War. In his grasp he held a pale blade that surged with golden light. And at the heart of that weapon… a cross shaped gem with an emerald glow.
"The Aegis," Nia said, "You're the Aegis!"
Her Driver's sight snapped to the Gormotti Blade then back to Pyra. The red head's soft features slackened in surprise. There was a green, triangular jewel placed above her brow, embedded in a golden tiara laced within her hair. It flared with intense light for a second or two, accompanied by her core, the grooves upon her armor, and various lines of trim running up and down her form.
When the glow dimmed, Pyra drew back a bit of her earlier calm, "Yes, I am the Ae-"
Gazing upon Nia, the scarlet girl lost whatever cool she had regained. Her red eyes narrowed as she repaid Nia for earlier, staring unblinkingly at the cat girl's chest. Nia would have felt mortified, hypocritical as it was, if she wasn't quite aware of what Pyra was looking at. She was still wearing her tube top, her rosy little core on full display.
"You're just like Minoth."
Rex held up a hand, "Hold on, how do you know Minoth?"
To this, Pyra cocked her head towards the young salvager, "Wha? How do you know Minoth!?"
"He comes around Fonsett every now and then. One of the kids he looks after studies up at the monastery over there."
"… Monastery? Fonsett?" The Aegis looked truly lost.
Nia stepped forward, "Come back to that later, you said this was 'Elysium?' Like, the real deal?"
Pyra regarded the Flesh Eater curiously but adopted a somber mood shortly after. "This is a memory of Elysium, a remnant held within my core."
"Ah," Nia chirped, reaching over to jab Rex in the shoulder, "sort of like what we got, right Rex?" The boy batted away his assailant with a playful grin. Pyra watched on without comment, though curious what the girl was talking about.
"Why are we here though," Nia continued, "What's the Aegis need with a pair of schmucks like us?"
Pyra began towards the two, her right hand balling into a fist as she placed it over her chest. "I've been… awake for a few days now. I shouldn't be, I was supposed to stay asleep for much longer than this. Forever, if I could." Neither Rex or Nia had words for that.
The Aegis continued, "Something – someone disturbed my stasis. They weren't able to claim me, but they'll no doubt track me down again. That's to say nothing of anyone else who might happen upon me. This power of mine, it shouldn't fall into wicked hands."
Rex looked like he wanted to say something, but Nia beat him to the punch, "And what gives you the impression that we're good people?"
At this, Pyra's expression turned warm. "I felt someone familiar nearby. It was random happenstance, but I tried calling out to them. When I felt them drawing closer, I knew help was coming."
With one palm holding his chin, Rex stuck his finger out towards the red head, "You're why Gramps has been so spacey the last couple days!"
"Gramps? Is that what you call Azurda?" As the duo nodded, Pyra stifled a laugh, "That works. He wasn't exactly a spring chicken five hundred years ago." Rex loosed a few chuckles at that, Nia pinching the bridge of her nose as she stared off to the side.
"Oi," she turned back to Pyra, "just so you know, when the old man starts complaining about every pain and ache, we'll be directing all his bellyaching towards you."
Pyra had the grace to show her worry before continuing, "A-At any rate, if you're close to Azurda, that says enough for me."
Rex cut off his chuckles with a quick scoff, schooling his features into order. "Alright then, what exactly do you need us to do?"
Stepping into arms reach of the two, Pyra made her request, "Can you take me to Elysium?"
Nia blinked. "You what now?"
The boy in blue spun around, staring out across the fields. The bell sounded again, its tone echoing into the distance. "To the real one, you mean?"
Pyra nodded, her left hand fisted against her hip. Nia glanced up, tracing a lone cloud drifting through the blue sky. "This place really exists then…"
A strong gale kicked up, Nia's bangs brushing against her eyes and causing her to stumble. As the Aegis moved to grab her, Rex caught the cat girl with both arms. Nia collided with her Driver's chest with a soft "oomph!" leaning all her weight against him. Rex embraced her fully, crouching down as the wind persisted.
As the breeze subsided, Rex peeked one eye open. Pyra sat nearby, having dropped herself to resist the wind. He looked down as Nia shifted against him, rubbing her head into the crook of his neck. Rex then took the obvious course of action and started scratching behind her ear. The cat girl absolutely melted against him.
"You two are really close."
Pyra's observation drew Rex's gaze, Nia lost in the throes of kitty bliss. The boy smiled back at her, still idly scratching at the cat girl's ear. "That's one way to put it, we've been through a bit."
The red head kept up her compassionate demeanor but allowed the silence to drag. Her eyes narrowed in thought as she picked through her next words.
"I was honestly surprised when two of you showed up…"
Rex huffed out a laugh, "Yeah, guess you wouldn't expect us both to touch that gem at the same time."
"No," the Aegis shook her head, "something like that shouldn't be possible. Even if you both have the potential to be Drivers, only the one with greater aptitude should have appeared. For both of you to be here…"
Humming in pleasure, Nia peeked one eye out at Pyra, "Maybe ~hmm, because we're Driver and Blade? Bonded~" Rex's attentions intensified, lulling Nia back into a dream state.
The boy stared back at Pyra, "What's this mean though? Are we… both your Drivers now?" All the girl could offer in return was a slow shrug.
"The Aegis doesn't follow normal rules."
That little statement was hardly more than a whisper, an inner thought escaping. The hurt and resentment in those words were things Pyra never wished to reveal. It was too bad that she had overlooked Nia's heightened hearing, even distracted as she was. The Gormotti Blade swiftly pushed off of Rex a little, halting his efforts to jellify her mind.
Nia stood up. This, of course, brought Rex along for the ride. Pyra took a moment to follow suit, her gaze searching.
"Haa," Nia breathed out, "well, when it comes to escorting the Legendary Aegis, can't hurt to have a back-up!"
Rex looked a little indignant when his Blade slapped his shoulder twice as the word "back-up" left her lips. The young salvager smacked her arm away and Nia swiftly riposted, snaking past his defenses to roughly pet his scalp. It didn't take long for things to devolve, the pair suddenly head to head, palms together and fingers interlocked in a contest of strength.
Pyra looked startled by the sudden escalation. But there was a more pressing concern she had to voice, "Does that mean… you're going to help me?"
"Sure," Rex stated with ease. It made for an odd contrast to the trembling limbs and focused glare he was sporting towards his partner. "I mean, was that ever actually in doubt? Why wouldn't we help you?"
The red head's eyes widened just a tad, both palms rising to press against her chest. Specifically, over her emerald core.
Nia slipped the grapple, spinning around Rex's back and catching the young man in a headlock. "You're such a boy sometimes, jumping in to save any pretty girl who asks."
Pyra's cheeks went cherry red as she threw both hands forward in a placating manner, "No, no, no! I'm not trying to manipulate you or anything!"
Her pleas were cut short by peels of laughter, both from the cat girl and the salvager. Nia barked out a quick, "Slow your roll, Pyra!"
"Nia's just teasing," Rex confirmed, pulling easily out of Nia's grasp and stepping to stand alongside her. He kept a hold of the arm that had been restraining him, his grip sliding down her limb as he came to a rest. They faced Pyra, Rex's left hand clasped in Nia's right.
The Gormotti Blade grinned at the Aegis, a soft breeze sweeping through her silver bangs. The church bells rang out once more, though the red head noted that the sound was less… melancholy than usual.
"We've got our own problems to deal with," Nia began, "but we're happy to lend a hand."
"Besides," Rex spoke up, "we'd get to see Elysium, how many people can say that?" One of Nia's ears flickered at the boy's comment, but there was no further reaction. Not from her, at least.
Pyra's eyes misted over, the beginnings of tears collecting at the corners. She waved off her prospective Drivers (boy did it feel odd to think that) as she wiped her eyes with the other hand. "Thank you, thank you both so much!"
The hand holding couple smiled back at her, Rex standing straighter in a pseudo-heroic pose as Nia threw out a peace sign.
"Okay," Pyra's green accents began to brighten, "now place your hands on my chest."
"… you what now?" Rex was so stupefied by the statement he missed the point where Nia pulled her hand away from his. Pyra smiled at the girl's approach, unaware of Nia's focused stare and exactly where it was pointed.
Rex could only stand and watch as his partner marched into Pyra's space and soundly planted a palm on the boob of the Legendary Aegis. He swore there was a squish sound as Nia's palm sunk into the predictably spongy flesh.
"Whooooooaaaa," dragged the Gormotti Blade, "these are even better than I imagined!" Pyra's entire face matched with her hair and eyes, her features frozen in vacant shock. Actual steam was wafting off her body.
The young salvager was likewise still at this point. But where the Aegis was morally compromised, Rex's features fell into stoic neutrality. It was less that he was staring at the flagrant display but through it, actively denying the degeneracy before him.
"Rex," Nia turned to her Driver, "you gotta try this. Come on! There's a spare!"
His face still an emotionless mask, Rex worked his feet, twisted his waist, and hastily about faced. That offer, right there, was about the limit of the young man's tolerance. Releasing a stuttered breath, Rex strode around the curve of the hill.
The boy in blue wandered five steps before his legs simply lost the will to continue. Rex collapsed onto the green grass, sitting upright on the slope. He cast a curious glance across the darkening sky, noting the lowered position of the sun. How time worked in this place was anyone's guess, but Rex could always take a moment to enjoy a good sunset.
He couldn't say the situation was really "ruined" by the warm, soft whatever suddenly pressed against his back. The weight caught him off guard, whatever was leaned against him was pretty fricken heavy! Still, Rex had endured worse strain and the cushiony heater was nice enough.
Then something laid against the whatever that was laid atop Rex's back. When a pair of hands started playing with his hair, Rex knew it had to be Nia somewhere back there.
By process of elimination, Rex could say exactly what – or rather whom – was smooshed against his upper back. Nia could be soft but… not this soft. A chin rested on his left shoulder, strands of crimson swaying in the boy's periphery. Pyra didn't say a thing and Rex could "hear" the steam still billowing off her face.
"Nia," Rex rumbled, staring straight ahead with his eyes half lidded. The girl in question leaned further over Pyra's back, going from messing with Rex's hair to pushing and rubbing his cheeks. This had the side effect of mashing the red head's mounds deeper into his upper back. "I hate you Nia. I really hate you."
"Hard to believe that when you've got such a big smile on your face!" And Rex did have a big grin in place, courtesy of Nia dragging up the corners of his mouth.
Rex just kind of "allowed" this for a while, ignoring his facial remodeling to watch the slow progress of the setting sun. It was best to let Nia tire herself out at times like this. A pair of warm hands, Pyra's, took hold of Rex's upper arms as the Aegis adjusted her balance.
"I've never seen dusk here."
Nia halted, pressing her partner's cheeks together to give him fish lips. Rex would have turned a quirked brow on Pyra if the Gormotti girl didn't have his skull locked in place.
"How," Nia voiced simply.
Pyra shrugged, a motion Rex was very much aware of. "I just haven't. Time's never flowed here, not til now."
The cat girl's invasive paws left the boy's face. When Nia wrapped her arms around Pyra's collar, it pitched Rex's head forward. If he had any dignity left, he might have been annoyed.
Giggling, Nia chirped, "Take it as a sign! Now that we're with you, things are bound to change!"
Though he really wished his first Blade would stop joyously rocking the chesty red head against his frame, Rex couldn't fight back the urge to snicker at least. Between the two of them, Pyra shook her head with a vibrant expression stamped across her features. Lowly, she mumbled a bemused, "Two Drivers, that's some wake up call."
Nia snapped her fingers, "Oh yeah! You wanted us both to touch your core crystal at the same time."
Pyra's eyes shot wide open, "Wait! You knew what I was trying to say the who-"
Rex's snickers turned to roaring cackles as Nia clamped a palm onto his forehead and pitched his skull back. At the same time, the Gormotti girl's other arm slid onto Pyra's cross shaped gem. Once both Drivers made contact, a flash of shining jade quickly flooded the air.
To Rex, it felt like his every sense was painted green. He could feel his perception being overwhelmed, driving him away from the "reality" of Elysium.
The experience would have been slightly harrowing if the boy was not still overcome with laughter.
He was still laughing when the cloudy, midday skies of Alrest greeted him. Rex placed a hand against his forehead as he was racked with booming cackles. His other palm mindlessly grasped about at his side, his searching digits shortly intertwined with another set.
Nia loosed a fit of throaty giggles as her hand clasped Rex's. Her rose tinted crystal glistened with her jubilance. The both of them were inconsolable for nearly a minute.
Dromarch stared back and forth between his lady and her faithful Driver. The relief he felt at their waking passed quickly as the pair refused to acknowledge his presence. His flat stare rose to meet Kassandra's who offered him a nervous smile of condolence.
Kassandra was resting on her knees. The laughing duo were resting on her, one head on each thigh. The brunette had her right hand on top of Rex's, further pressing it into his brow. Her left hand was having a good time flicking at the pointed tip of one of Nia's ears.
As the pair calmed, a deep, rumbling growl issued from above. Opening their eyes, Rex and Nia were graced by the rough visage of Azurda hovering overhead. The old titan looked short on patience but he couldn't quite hide the sense of ease in seeing the kids okay.
"Are you about wrapped up in your merrymaking?" When Nia's swift response was to slap Rex in the stomach, Gramps finally allowed a smile.
Kassandra looked down at her Driver and sister Blade, "You're both okay? You passed out as soon as you touched that whatchumacallit and almost fell overboard." Nia was now fending off the bandaged Blade's ear teasing efforts, so Rex was the only one who glanced down at the crimson artifact.
Resting half on his leg was the ovular device. Its red hue was telling enough but the presence of a familiar cross shaped, luminous jade core made it all official. The Aegis sure had a weird looking sword.
"Hey," Rex piped up, "have any of you seen a girl with short red hair, bright red eyes… bit of a thing for red in general."
"Glows green in places too," Nia added airily, batting at Kassandra's invasive hand.
"Yeah, that too."
"And her boobies are bloody massive."
Dromarch gave up right there, retreating around to the front of their tent dwelling. As Rex was sitting up, Kassandra's non-attacking hand reached up to press against her collarbone, her inquisitive gaze sweeping over her own bust. Rex himself repeated a slightly jarred, "Yeah, that too," as Azurda's head lifted away from the group.
Their titan transport grunted as he nodded his horned brow off to the left. Turning to follow that gesture, Rex beheld his gramps' unfurled wing resting just on top of the clouds. And on that wing was what looked like a rather futuristic coffin. The cylindrical capsule had a glass housing on top that showed a clear view of its contents.
Azurda carefully lifted his wing, the tubular capsule rolling down his webbed appendage. Rex and Kassandra sprung into action, the latter's movements dislodging Nia from her resting place. The active pair shot into position, catching the tumbling casket on their palms and sliding back from the weight.
As the rounded capsule spun up Gramps' flank, Rex and Kassandra caught its surface before the thing could start rolling back towards the cloud sea. Nia hopped to her feet to see that the glass port of the chamber was facing downward.
"She popped right out of the surf jut after the two of you lost consciousness," Gramps elaborated as he watched on.
Nia made to check the housing for some kind of release when her crewmates suddenly flung themselves back from the thing. They'd missed the tiny trembles of Kassandra's mask.
"Hot, hot, hot," Rex cried as he waved his hands frantically, Kassandra bounding away to dunk hers into the ocean. As the tubular coffin shifted down the side of Azurda's back, Nia noted the metallic back of the container blooming with a searing red glow.
"Oh shi-"
Though she couldn't see it, Gramps was also panicked by what was about to happen next. The titan pitched further to his left, sending the scorching casket partially into the cloud sea. Kassandra's entire head fell into the drink and Dromarch, stepping half out of the tent, toppled into a barely balancing Rex.
Then the cylindrical chamber blasted open with a flash of heat and hissing steam. Azurda shrugged the damn thing straight into the waves. Rex and Dromarch just watched, jaws slackened, whilst Nia snatched up the back of Kassandra's garb, keeping the girl from plunging into the ocean.
About ten seconds passed with the partially melted capsule fully out of sight, lost to the misty currents. Then Pyra's drenched scalp pulled itself up from the depths. Her glove clad palms clawed their way up Gramps' side as the Legendary Aegis scrambled out of the cloud sea. She dragged herself forward, Pyra's hand clamping onto an off-vertical shaft of some sort.
Kassandra hardly ever budged as the red head used her leg as an anchor point. The bandaged Blade swept her own matted mane out of her eyes, leaning down as Nia let go of her clothing. The brunette crouched down, reaching both hands beneath Pyra's underarms and then, as a further display of might, lifted the crawling girl straight up.
Honestly, Kassandra hefted this very mature girl with more ease than some women could pick up a toddler. Pyra's soaked hair covered her eyes and the surprise of being handled so easily appeared to have triggered a freeze response. Her feet were pitched loosely on Azurda's back, the long sides of her scarlet boots unmarked as her knees drifted over the ground.
She was being held up by someone shorter than her.
Kassandra grinned toothily for a moment. Then her gaze dropped below the Aegis' face. Then she turned to stare down the front of her own body. The wine eyed Blade swapped her focus between looking at Pyra and then down at herself.
Nia, watching from the side, could barely hold back her giggles.
That was when Kassandra's smile returned, her sight turning to the humored cat girl. "Yep, hers are bigger than mine!"
Pyra's lips, the only facial features on display, morphed into a perplexed frown. Nia fell over, hand over her mouth to contain her gut wrenching cackles. The sound of laughter – particularly once she recognized it as Nia's – quickly connected the dots in her head. That confused grimace became pursed lips and a full blush in under a second.
Rex, still prone under Dromarch, just looked down and shook his head. Their resident tiger got up, turned around, and again retreated to the confines of the tent. When the maturity of the conversation grew back to acceptable levels, then he'd make a return.
…
… unless dinner was served. Daily staples had to be upheld, of course.
"Azurda, it's so good to see you again. Are you well?"
Pyra's tone was interested, polite, perhaps a bit joyous at re-connecting with an old friend. Gramps favored the girl with his best smile. But being cute would not save her…
"Well, I have been on a bit of a marathon, particularly over the last few days." To her credit, Pyra did look guilty concerning how her "influence" put Azurda into such a taxing trance. But again, no mercy, "I'll have you know my neck has gotten remarkably stiff from mindlessly staring in the same direction for hours on end. And that's to say nothing of the strain I've put on my aging legs and joints…"
The look of guilt on the Aegis' features slowly fell to a dawning horror. Recalling Nia's threat from the false Elysium, it was only now that Pyra realized just how true that warning was. Throughout her mounting breakdown, she stared, vision glazed over, up at the aging titan. Azurda prattled on in his overly tired voice, listing complaints in a manner that flowed so well it seemed to be rehearsed.
The "sneaky" upturns at the corners of his lips were not so sneaky. He wasn't hiding it at all, Azurda was definitely enjoying this.
Old Bastard.
And Kassandra must have been some kind of demon, of that Pyra was sure. It was the only way she could explain how the dark Blade could perch herself atop the dragon's head, literally within arms reach of the source of the elder's endless word vomit. The brunette was bouncing lightly from her knelt position, gaze drifting over the horizon as she hummed whatever happy little tune was playing in her thoughts.
Oh, to be so blessed… or cursed.
It might have taken Rex a minute or two, just long enough for Pyra to squirm, but the young salvager eventually came to the rescue. "Alright Gramps, you've had your fun."
Azurda replied with a short grumble, his grin still very much in place. As the titan craned his neck forwards, Kassandra started actually singing again. Her dragon mount joined in with deep, resonant humms.
Nia dropped a quick chop to the top of Pyra's head. The stilled Aegis' emerald gems and highlights flared briefly as she came back to herself, reaching up to part her damp lockes. She stared around in confusion for a moment before Nia intervened again, both hands locking her shoulders into place.
"S'all right girl, the big bad dragon is gone." Pyra's blush was far more cute than scandalized this time around. She looked to Rex as the boy strode into view, scratching the back of his head.
"I think we should probably get you up to speed before anything else. We're in the middle of a rather… unfortunate series of events."
Pyra blinked, perplexed. Rex opened his mouth to begin when a call from up on high caught their attention.
"Rex! Everyone! We've got contact!"
Dromarch sped from their tent's interior, Nia, Rex, and himself running towards the old dragon's neck. Pyra lagged a second behind but swiftly joined the crew.
Gramps glared straight ahead, Kassandra silently scanning the horizon in slow sweeps. The others followed Azurda's stare, taking note of the oddity before them.
There was a girl out there, maybe a hundred meters out, just standing on the cloud sea. She was dressed in some kind of icy blue garb, the long sleeved top and leggings clinging tightly to her lithe form. The skin exposed around her hands, face, and navel was a dark tan that nicely contrasted her bright clothing.
But the most noticeable things about this girl were all the aqua hued balloons dotting her figure. A pair sat on top of her scalp, each about the size of her head, blooming out of small bursts of her teal hair. Another pair sat low on her forearms, just below the elbows, while the largest pair rested against her hips. These lower orbs were accented by enormous, translucent fins that branched back and away from her body.
For sanity reasons, at least for Rex and Dromarch, they didn't acknowledge the "balloons" on her chest. Sometimes the question of Blade anatomy was just better left unexplored.
And this girl was definitely a Blade, the downward pointing crystal chevron glowing above her "questionable assets" was hard to deny. And the spear-thing she was holding was just too weird to be a normal weapon. It was more of a trident really, three gleaming, fin-shaped edges jutting up towards the sky. The weird thing was they were around this smooth sphere at the top of the shaft, arranged in a circle rather than in a row.
After a short moment of the opposing parties acknowledging each other, the girl with the mermaid motif raised her free palm to her mouth. "Rex and Nia," she hollered, her hand acting like an amplifier.
The aforementioned individuals looked at each other, then at Pyra and Dromarch. A wordless agreement was reached, quite easily, that no one was going to respond.
Unfortunately, Kassandra was on top of Gramps' head and thus not part of the collective. She brought both hands up to cup around her mouth and shouted back, "Who want to know!?" At least it wasn't frank admission, small victories.
The blue haired girl dropped her raised hand onto her right hip balloon. The crew couldn't really see the smirk at this distance, but they could sure as hell feel it. And that was before a second blue haired Blade stepped out from behind the first.
Like the first girl, this newcomer had blue hair, maybe a shade darker. Some angular ornaments jutted out a fair distance from either end of her brow, the azure spikes giving the impression of horns. Her lockes were mostly pulled back into a tight bun, a bronze, kunai shaped trinket holding the thing together. As she stepped forth, the straight bangs framing the sides of her face swayed with every motion.
When the girl turned to face the crew, Kassandra audibly gasped. Their had been a third skull spine, one of a lighter, more crystalline hue, smaller and situated lower than the other two. It was coming out of her left eye, the ice spike gleaming with an inner light.
It wasn't the only thing glowing. In contrast with the trident user this girl's form fitting suit was mostly black. A pale, indigo patch sat over her modest bust, the shining light of her core crystal resting high against the girl's collarbone. Her core had the exact same shape as the Blade beside her, something Rex and Nia had never seen before.
The girl planted a hand against her left hip. She also had some wing like protrusions flanking her waist but while the first Blade had a kind of fish theme, this black clad girl's were like jagged bursts of ice. In her right hand, she held the long, white form of a straight saber. A chilling haze drifted down from the weapon's star shaped guard, coalescing along the sword's gleaming edge.
Her pale features turning towards her tanned counterpart, the icicle girl gave a short nod. The trident user lit up with a savage grin, raising her free hand to her mouth again. Then the saber wielder rounded back on Rex and company, raising her sword towards the group.
"We have a mutual acquaintance who's just been dying to meet you," the horned girl shouted. The instant she finished talking, her balloon headed companion pinched two digits into her mouth and blew out a siren of a whistle. And then everything was moving.
"Behind us," Dromarch bellowed. The cloud sea burst out in three distinct plumes several hundred meters back. Bulbous, black shapes bounded out of the cloud sprays, making a relatively swift advance on Azurda's position. A few towering gun barrels swung around the sides of the three vessels, the large cannons locking into firing positions.
After days on end of running from them, the crew quickly recognized the Benevolence's titan ships.
"They're moving in from the front too!" At Kassandra's shout, Rex turned to see the pair of Blades crouch low. The white surf beneath them bulged up as the dark hide of a titan breached the surface. Almost immediately, the living vessel surged forwards, carving a furious path through the mists.
"Shit," Gramps spat out the rare curse, "we need to run before we're pincered! Hold o-"
He wouldn't get to finish. Azurda had hardly turned to his left when a truly massive form erupted from the cloud sea. Unlike the other titans rushing their position, this one was nearly white in hue. And, as was quickly made clear, it could also fly.
The sleek, colossal beast floating in the air alongside them had the body of a shark, its snout quite flat and angular. The titan's wide mouth laid partially open, no teeth showing through its gaping maw. Nia barely got a glance of the artificial armor mounted to the floating shark's flank, noting the now iconic white coating and flowing lines of saffron power streaming over the curved surfaces.
But then something launched off the top of the flying shark, right beside the front of two titanic fins towering skyward. The tiny missile flew straight up, a trail of dense, dark smoke following in its wake. Nia traced the rising projectile when it abruptly arced over in their direction. The fiery jet burning behind the warhead flared bright as it plummeted towards Azurda at tremendous speed.
"What the shit," Nia cried, snatching Rex and ducking low, "Incomi-"
There was a sound of shifting metal as the missile suddenly fell into a sharp flip. Jet's aiming down now, the crew were assailed by waves of smoke and heat as the flying object crashed down onto Azurda's back.
Right into their tent dwelling, crushing and scattering the few essentials and knick knacks they'd acquired over the past week. Pyra batted aside a cooking pot before it could beam Dromarch in the skull. Nia looked primed for murder, her feelings only heightened by the pained groan issued from Gramps.
Their crushed tent scorched and rippled, the loose canvas billowing harshly as it was blown away. As the smoke cleared, a small figure could be seen rising from a deep crouch. Topaz orbs burned through the fading haze, placed on a peach face above a button nose adorned with a little square bandage. The violet hair perched on their scalp appeared… artificial, a notion added to by a single nut planted in their brow, straight through a prominent frock of purple mane.
Metallic fists held on cylindrical arms smashed together in front of the stranger's iron plated chest. This partially disturbed the white flower placed over the left side of her breast, the crimson cape she donned ruffling from the force of impact.
The fully revealed, child like figure shifted her tense gaze over the entire crew. The gesture felt more adorable than intimidating, Pyra unable to get over how the white beret combined with the red bow over her left temple basically exemplified the little girl's aesthetic of "militant-cuteness" perfectly.
And then the metal child spoke.
"Poppi is combat ready. Resistance is futile."
Boom! Evil Poppi! Bet you didn't see that coming?
You know what, let's start this from the bottom! Yes, Poppi's introduction and she's on the enemy side! This was a decision I made pretty early on just to really change up the opening arc of the story. We'll get more into it with the next chapter when we have a "proper engagement."
Poppi's line about being "combat ready" is taken from fellow robot girl Penny Polendina of RWBY fame. You deserved better than you received, you innocent red headed soul…
Theory and Praxis. Yeah, bar none some of my favorite rare Blades. Aesthetic, plot line, personality, interactions, they just have it all! I knew I was going to get them in early on and I've got some plans ahead for them. I will say the premise of the two of them spending time with Poppi has some sweet potential.
Are those "balloons" on her chest straight up her boobs or is she wearing some kind of skin tight covering to bring her color scheme together? Blade anatomy is truly bullshit…
Let's mop up a few details from the start of the chapter before we dive into the Real Meat of this update.
During their several days pursuit by The Benevolence, Rex and company take early refuge on a Guild ship called the Mi'ihen. Mi'ihen is a reference to the Mi'ihen Highroad from Final Fantasy X, the only game in the series I've ever played. I chose this name in particular because this is where you first meet the character Rin, an Al Bhed merchant and the proprietor of the numerous inns you use throughout your journey. I thought it was a prudent name to give to a trade ship because of that. Also I just like the name, one of my favorite areas from the early game.
Part of Kassandra's musical repertoire is Rob Thomas' Little Wonders. Just a song I like, and just the sort of thing I'd expect a perky Blade like Kassandra to sing. Funny how all of our "modern music" would be like lost relics and ancient hymns to the peoples of Alrest. I wonder what sort of songs might have been passed down versus which are dredged up from various technologies salvaged in the cloud sea.
We make a lot of comments throughout concerning Indol and the praetor. Just building up that pact between Amalthus and Rex/Nia. There are mentions of a "defense force" and a "monastery" existing in Leftheria, specifically around Fonsett. There might be a bit more mention of it through this storyline, but the bulk of details will be brought up in a later arc.
Also, Minoth! Rex and Nia know Minoth. Not Cole. And one of the kids he looks after attends the monastery.
And now, the part we've all been waiting for… Pyra! Yes, at last! Our crew is complete(?)!
Two Drivers? Yep, Rex and Nia are now co-Aegis Drivers. This is one hundred percent inspired by a cool sequence of characters swapping weapons from a popular movie franchise but I won't spoil more because I'll probably ape that scene at some point in this series. But as we've established, Rex and Nia's bond here is enough that, evidently, they can sync with Blades that are attuned to the other. Nia as a Flesh Eater and as Rex's first Blade gives way to a lot of interesting dynamics all on its own.
And we can't forget that in canon itself, we know that an Aegis can be a Driver all on its own from Malos and Sever. The only reason we never see Pyra/Mythra doing the same – aside from gameplay mechanics – is… well, you already know why those two wouldn't want another's existence tied to their own. But here, through the insane odds-breaking power of being the main characters, we now have Two Drivers, One Aegis… kinky.
Just imagine how Torna will take that news…
You might note that Pyra isn't… aware of Malos' continued existence. She's also taken off-guard by having two people step into her dream of Elysium. Pure world building on my part: Pyra simply wasn't capable of truly perceiving her surroundings during stasis. Once that pod of hers was disconnected and flung into the cloud sea, she was allowed to "awaken" to a degree, thus being able to draw in a passing Azurda. If she can heal core crystals and revert Baby-Zurda back into his dragon form at peak strength, something like an ether-lure doesn't feel far out of reason.
But yeah, our story starts out with our heroes in a… relatively lower stakes scenario. Fighting for your life is probably a daunting enough endeavor, but compare that with having the entire world's fate resting on your shoulders on top of that. I think I've said it before, but this first arc is meant to be a more personal venture without all the "everything is up to you" narrative looming overhead. We'll get to that in time.
Everybody bullies Pyra. I am terrible to the ones I love. I hope you guys enjoyed the "slight shift of status quo" in having half our favorite Aegis be the butt of most of the comedy. Malos might be out of a job: Pyra's gonna have her work cut out for her just surviving the tag team of Azurda and Nia.
Was anyone really surprised when Nia palmed a titty? Between having her present and your foreknowledge that our busty savior was gonna drop that "touch my chest" line, how many of you were just counting down the seconds until the cat girl groping session? Yeah, Rex and Nia's "attention" towards Pyra is fairly obvious, Nia's just the outright blatant one about it.
So yeah, for those of you who are wondering… OT3… or 4, depending on how you see things. Well, eventually anyway. These things take time… lot's of time.
Alrighty then, next time: the action picks up once again as we dive into a little high seas rumble. And The Legendary Aegis gets to stretch her legs.