Chapter Text
Rex squinted into the depths as he dove beneath the Cloud Sea. His headlamps helped illuminate the darkness, but at his current depth it only amounted to fifty peds in front of his nose. It wasn’t long, however, before his lamps lit up the hull of an old Titan battleship. He scanned its surface for a moment before spotting something worthwhile: an old, rusted crate resting against the Titan’s hide. Rex took aim and fired his diving suit’s wrist-mounted anchor straight into the Titan’s armor, where it held fast. He began reeling himself toward the dead beast, extending the metal cleats of his boots as he did so.
He landed on the side of the Titan with a thud. After taking a moment to correct his balance, he walked over to the crate and attached a large disk to the side. He twisted the handle on the disk’s top and took a step back. Within seconds, it expanded into a balloon and began rising, taking the crate with it. Shedding the weights from his belt, Rex swam up and caught the top of the crate as it ascended.
The hook of a crane loomed overhead. He grabbed it as the crate passed by, hooking it onto the handle of the balloon. Once the crate was secured, he swam up to a small platform attached to the crane’s wire. Grabbing onto the platform’s guiding wire, he rested his hand against a button attached to its side. Taking one last look around, Rex switched off his lights and pressed the button. The crane lurched and began pulling Rex and the crate up out of the cloud sea.
As rex breached the surface, he looked out through the bars in front of his faceplate at the Titan he called home, a much smaller Titan than the behemoth he’d been salvaging just moments ago. He maneuvered the crane over a clear spot on the Titan’s back, square in between his makeshift garden, firepit, fishing lines, and various pieces of junk and equipment anchored to the spines jutting from the Titan’s sides. Once the crate touched down on the Titan’s back, Rex jumped from the crane’s platform and disconnected his oxygen mask, throwing off his diving helmet.
“We really do need to buy ourselves a new depth probe.” Rex sighed as he removed the outer coverings of his diving suit. “The ping was off by one hundred and fifty peds to the east.” He continued to talk out loud as he walked over to the crate and disconnected the crane’s hook from the top. “That’s not gonna fly!” He turned around and walked toward his house, a metal cylinder nestled between the Titan’s shoulders.
“And what about the Treasure, Rex?” The Titan asked as Rex picked up a crowbar from next to a nearby crate. “Was it in line with your expectations?”
“It seemed pretty solid.” Rex replied, twirling the crowbar in his hand as he walked back toward the crate. “Didn’t even have to reinforce it too much. Even with the material costs, we should be able to turn a decent profit.”
“Honestly,” The Titan said as he raised his head from the water. “It takes you two days to run the structural analysis.” He turned around to face Rex, the fin-shaped plates on the side of his head creaking. “Yet somehow you can gauge the profits in an instant?”
“Don’t go raining on my parade, Gramps.” Rex groaned as he squatted down next to the crate. After examining it for a moment, he took a step back and wound up the crowbar. “You know I’m in the salvaging trade for the cash.” He grunted, slamming the crowbar into the seam of the crate’s lid. He began pulling the crate open. “A little business sense goes a long way, alright?” Rex strained his last word as the crate’s lid finally gave way.
Once the crate gave way, a custip—a large, blue crustacean-like creature—came barreling out. It snapped its pincers at Rex as he stumbled back.
“I didn’t expect that!” Rex said, his eyes going wide. “Have you been living in this thing, big guy?”
The custip charged him, but he jumped back and rolled out of the way.
“Rex!” Gramps shouted, trying to look over his shoulder and see what was going on.
“No worries, Gramps!” Rex smiled, tossing the crowbar aside. He ran back into the house and grabbed his scrap-metal broadsword from the foot of his bed. He dashed back outside as the custip reared up, preparing another charge. “I think we know what’s for lunch!”
The custip lunged at Rex again, striking out with its pincers. Rex rolled to the side, barely avoiding the creature’s claws. Once back on his feet, Rex jumped forward and reeled his sword back, slamming the blade into the custip’s side. It reared back in pain as Rex’s sword broke through its shell. He spun around, slicing open more of the custip’s shell, before bringing his sword to bear against the creature a second time. As Rex forced his sword into the creature’s wound once again, it cried out. The force of his strike knocked it to the ground, dead.
“Watch what you’re doing back there!” Gramps shouted as Rex knelt next to the custip and began hacking pieces off. “Didn’t I tell you not to be so rough? I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“Oh come off it!” Rex replied as he cleaned his kill. “I didn’t exactly have a choice, it came charging at me. And besides, this means I don’t have to pay for food for a while.”
“Are you planning on eating that entire custip?” Gramps asked, raising a brow plate.
“Not all at once. If I stretch this out long enough, I won’t have to overpay for food in Argentum for at least another week or two.”
“You’ve been buying food from the Guild? I thought you still had some of Corinne’s cooking left over.”
“Gramps, Corinne hasn’t sent any food in months. Not since that fight we had during our last visit to Fonsett.” Rex finished slicing the custip to pieces and began setting up his grill. “So until she gets off her high horse, we’re going to be living off the land. Or sea, I suppose.” After that was done, he laid one of the custip’s pincers across the grill’s mesh and started on the myriad of tasks left in front of him after pulling up a haul.
“I wish you’d try to see things from her point of view.” Gramps frowned. “The arms trade is a dangerous business. She doesn’t want to see you get hurt, or worse, hurt someone else.”
“Oh not this again.” Rex groaned. “Money is money, Gramps. I was barely making pocket change salvaging scrap metal. She may not like where the money’s coming from, but I’m sending it all the same.”
“And are you still setting aside money for that search of yours?” Gramps stared at Rex. Rex didn’t meet his gaze.
“Look…” Rex sighed. “I don’t need a lecture right now, Gramps. I need to get this salvage sorted, and I’ve half a dozen other chores to do besides. If Auntie Corinne wants to give me a piece of her mind she can make the trip to Argentum and do it in person. I’m certainly not crawling back to her anytime soon.”
“I swear, Rex….” Gramps shook his head as he turned back around and continued swimming. Rex, meanwhile, continued with his tasks. After a long period of uncomfortable silence, Rex stopped, the smell of meat cooked to perfection wafting through his nostrils. He sat down next to the grill.
“A-ah… The brazier does my weary old bones much good…” Gramps sighed, stretching his neck. “At least something good’s come out of your stubbornness.”
“Want me to move it, Gramps?” Rex asked, turning around sheepishly to face the Titan.
“No, that’s quite alright. Leave it right there…” Gramps sighed again.
“Righto.” Rex replied. He breathed a small sigh of relief and turned back to face his lunch. Mouth watering, he grabbed the grilled custip claw and began chowing down. He only managed to get a few bites in before he heard a cry echo across the cloud sea.
On the horizon, a massive whale-shaped Titan breached the surface of the sea, keening as it arced into the sky. It let out one last wail as the blue light in the center of its stomach faded to black. Slowly, the Titan stopped moving, and sank back beneath the surface of the cloud sea for the final time. As it died, the Titan kicked up a swell of clouds that buffeted Rex and Gramps after it went under. Once the winds died down, no trace of the Titan remained.
“And there goes another one…” Rex shook his head.
“It’s been happening more frequently than before.” Gramps nodded solemnly. “I hope no one was still living there.”
“Anyone with a brain would’ve left long ago.” Rex said, turning back to face his meal. “Titan’s don’t exactly die quickly.”
“Yes, I suppose. Even still, no good comes from a Titan’s death.”
“It’ll make people more desperate than they already are. And that means the Guild will raise prices again. I should make a tidy profit selling this scrap off at the exchange.”
“Rex!” Gramps shouted. “That’s a horrible thing to say!”
“Relax, I was kidding.” Rex chuckled. “The Guild probably wouldn’t spike its prices because of the death of one Titan. Though I wouldn’t put anything past the Chairman...” He stood, staring at his food.
“Hey, Gramps.” Rex began speaking again. “Do you think…” He stopped for a moment, turning back to stare at the spot the Titan went under. “Will Fonsett village be gone too, one day?”
“It would not be today, or tomorrow, but one day, yes, it will fall…” Gramps trailed off.
“And you too?” Rex asked, looking up at Gramps.
“That’s how it goes with us Titans.” Gramps replied, smiling down at his charge. “There’s no way around it. Sadly, someday there’ll be nowhere left for humans to live. Unless, that it, everyone could somehow move to Elysium.”
“Paradise atop the World Tree…?” Rex cast a glance at the object in question, a towering plant growing out of the center of the Cloud Sea and extending its branches beyond the sky above. “People should be looking out for themselves, not up at some fantasy land.”
“Legend says the Titans were born up there.” Gramps continued. “Mind you, I was born here on Alrest, but who could say where my ancestors were born. Perhaps it does exist after all. And if a paradise of plenty really is waiting for us up there, would that be so bad? Everyone could live in peace, with no need for fighting.”
“There’s no use dwelling on a fairy tale, Gramps.” Rex picked up his custip claw and took another bite. “We need to be spending our time in reality. And our reality is making money. Which, speaking of, I should get back to.” Rex quickly scarfed down the rest of his food and cast the empty custip shell aside. He walked over to his storage locker and began examining the salvage he’d pulled from the crate in detail. After careful consideration, he closed the shed’s lid and gave a satisfied nod.
“I think this haul should be enough for today.” He said, placing his hands on his hips. “Oi, Gramps! Care for a little swim to Argentum?”
“You’re planning on selling it now?” Gramps replied with a yawn. “It’s getting toward my bedtime.”
“Don’t play the lazy old man with me.” Rex crossed his arms and frowned. “There’s plenty of sunshine left.”
“Kids these days…” Gramps said, rolling his eyes and turning to face forward. “No respect, I swear…” He continued to grumble as he set off, swimming toward Argentum.
-
Some time later, Gramps pulled up next to a pier on the side of Goldmouth, the mobile Titan ship headquarters of the Argentum Trade Guild. Anchored underneath a floating Titan that resembled a cross between a blowfish and a goldfish, Goldmouth was the largest civilian Titan ship in Alrest, complete with a sprawling market, a flight deck, a residential area mostly populated by Nopon, and on either side the busiest ports of all the seven Nopon Trade Guilds. Gramps moored beside several other, smaller Titan ships closer to his size. He hadn’t even finished slowing down before Rex jumped off his back and onto the pier. As he dismounted, a blonde-haired Ardainian man in his late twenties approached Rex from the end of the pier.
“Why, if it isn’t Rex!” The man called out, waving Rex over to him. “How’s business?”
“Going alright, Hirkham.” Rex said. “Else I wouldn’t be here.”
“Fair point. So, which one am I unloading?”
“We can leave that until I’m done negotiating. Shouldn’t be too long.”
“Well, you know the rules, Rex. Fifteen gold per half-day.” Hirkham held out his hand.
“Right.” Rex muttered. He reached into one of his belt pouches and rummaged around. After a moment, he withdrew his hand, frowning. “I’ll have your gold after I sell the stuff.” Rex pushed past Hirkham and continued running toward the central exchange.
“Hey, hold on!” Hirkham shouted after Rex. “You know I can’t do credit!”
Rex ran through the crowd and up Goldmouth’s port-side dock toward the central exchange. As he moved, he spotted another ship moored on the other end of the docks. It was a battleship made entirely out of metal, no Titan in sight, with an ornate golden prow and a massive, metal plated hull at least twice the length of Gramps from horn to tail. He stopped to admire the ship for a moment before Hirkham’s shouting reminded him to keep moving.
Once at the central exchange, he ran up to a booth sitting squarely in the middle of all the activity in Goldmouth. Running the booth was a yellow Nopon wearing a garish pink outfit. Rex took out a crumpled sheet of paper from one of his pouches as he approached.
“Hey, Melolo. You’re looking fine this afternoon.” He said, placing the paper on the small desk in front of her. “This is everything I brought up in my last haul. What’ll you give me for it?”
Melolo picked up the paper with one of her wings and examined it for a moment. Putting the paper down, she rummaged around in a drawn next to her and pulled out a sack of coins. She opened the sack, carefully meted out two dozen or so coins, and pushed them toward Rex.
“What, that’s it?” He said, staring at the meager few hundred gold on the table.
“That’s life, meh!” Melolo responded, shaking her head. “This still more than Melolo give to non-friend! You not bring any military supplies today!” She glanced at a group of Ardainian soldiers gathered near one of the ports. “Ceasefire between Mor Ardain and Uraya not keep for too much longer, methinks. So does Chairman, apparently, because he hike prices on all military salvage!”
“Sorry, I don’t have any for you today.” Rex said, taking some of coins off her desk and sliding them into his belt pouch. “But I’m keeping my eyes peeled, I assure you. The second I pull some up, you’ll be the first to know.” Rex finished pocketing the coins, leaving about half the pile on the table. “You know what to do with the rest.” He said, motioning toward the leftover gold.
“Okie-doodles.” Melolo nodded. She began raking the rest of the pile into an envelope. “Is beautiful thing, friend! Sending money home at such young age. I touched! Wish my own dum-dum littlepon did same!”
“It’s not like I have much of a choice.” Rex chuckled. “If I didn’t send money back, Auntie Corinne would tan my hide. I’m just trying to stay alive. I’m counting on you to keep me that way.”
“Roger!” Melolo smiled as Rex pulled away from the booth. “Pleasure doing business!”
As Rex moved through between the market stalls, casually perusing the goods, he spotted another yellow Nopon moving through the exchange, this one wearing a full suit and flaked by stocky Urayan bodyguards. The Nopon was making a beeline straight for Rex.
“Hello, Rex!” The Nopon said as the two crossed paths. Unlike Melolo, this Nopon spoke with a sophisticated lilt, despite still talking in typical Nopon broken grammar.
“Pupunin!” Rex shouted in reply. “It’s been a while!”
“Rex looking high spirits!” Pupunin said, looking Rex up and down. “Ah, no, how say…” He stood quietly for a moment, thinking. “Yes, peppy!”
“I’ve been worse.” Rex said, smiling amicably. “So, you’ve got something for me? A new job, maybe?”
“Something like that.” Pupunin nodded in agreement. “Ah, by the way, Rex come from Fonsett Village in Leftherian Archipelago, yes?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Why d’you ask?”
“Perfect!” Pupunin clapped his wings together. “Rex should go straight to boardroom of Chairman. He ask for Rex by name.”
“The Chairman?” Rex raised an eyebrow. “Now I know you’re pulling my leg. After how badly I bungled the last job, I-”
“Water under bridge!” Pupunin flapped his wing dismissively. “Chairman recognize Rex’s potential, so should not keep him waiting.” He laughed.
Rex nodded, waved goodbye to Pupunin, and took off through the market. The Chairman’s office sat above the marketplace, a constant reminder of the Argentum Trade Guild’s authority to the residents and merchants below. When Rex reached the top of the stairs, he found the door open, flanked by another pair of bodyguards. Hesitantly, Rex stepped through the door.
“Thank you for accepting summons!” A Nopon at the other end of the room spoke. He had a thick, hard to place accent. “It has been entirely too long since we last spoke, Rex.” He was twice the size of a normal adult Nopon and had turquoise fur. He draped himself in golden ornaments like a cape and wore an ornate ruby monocle over his left eye. His hair was long, purple, and stuffed up into a top-knot that spread over his head like a comically-sized flower bud. As Rex approached, he twirled his long mustache and smirked as wide as a Nopon could.
“Chairman Bana.” Rex bowed as he looked around the room. Several scantily clad human women stood around the room, watching his every move. “I’m honored you decided to give me another chance.”
“You are a salvager of some renown.” Bana continued. “Should not let one unfortunate slip-up dictate entire career. Bana recognize that friend has much potential to benefit us both. That being the case, Bana have teensy-weensy favor to ask of Rex.”
“I won’t let you down again, sir.” Rex nodded, shifting his weight nervously.
“Good to hear you are so eager. Reward for job is one hundred thousand gold.” Bana smiled, watching Rex’s eyes widen even further.
“A hundred thousand?!” Rex shouted, taking a step back.
“Friend hear right. Actually, that just the advance.” Chairman Bana stood up, spreading his wings. “Another one hundred thousand provided upon completing job.”
“Two hundred thousand gold…” Rex looked down at his hands. “I-I must be dreaming…” After a moment he clenched his fists and smiled. “I’ll do it!” He looked back up at Chairman Bana, putting on his best ass-kissing smile. “I hereby swear to use every skill I possess to ensure the job is successful!” By the end he could barely contain his excitement and began breaking into spontaneous giggling.
“You agree without even hearing details of job?” Bana frowned, narrowing his eyes.
“O-oh, right.” Rex responded, talking a moment to compose himself. “Well, I’m confident I can give a more than satisfactory performance, no matter the job. So… What is the job, anyway?”
“Acceptable, I suppose.” Bana sighed. “Here, crew will explain task.” He turned to one of the women standing by a door in the side of the room. “Bring them in.”
“Sir.” The girl replied, giving a small nod. She turned and threw open the large double doors behind her. She walked through them, swaying her hips, and disappeared. A moment later, a large group of people emerged from them.
First was a cat-eared Gormotti girl with short, gray hair who wasn’t much older than Rex. Following her was a large, white tiger dressed in some sort of armor, with glowing blue crystals on the tops of his paws and chest. Next was a man with cropped, black hair and piercing eyes wearing ancient black plate armor. Behind him was a hulking humanoid reptile wearing a combination of ritualistic cloth and armored plating. A glowing crystal was imbedded in the middle of its chest as well. The last man to walk through the door wore gray armor with short sleeves and a long waistcoat. He had long, unkempt silver hair and wore a horned mask over the top half of his face. Through the mask, the man’s eyes looked cold.
“May I introduce-” Bana motioned toward the group with his wing.
“Jin.” Rex cut him off, locking eyes with the man in the mask. “Leader of Torna, Alrest’s most dangerous anti-Praetorium terrorist organization. Number two on the Empire’s list of most wanted individuals.”
“Can’t draw too much attention.” The black-haired man smirked, leaning up against the wall.
“You two raided an imperial battleship less than a month ago.” The girl said, standing to the other side of Jin. “I’d hardly call that subtle.”
“And yet they’d rather spend their time hunting for Walraig’s band of deserters. That’s humanity in a nutshell. Too concerned about petty grievances to notice-”
“Malos.” Jin said. The other man put up his hands in mock defeat as Jin took a step toward Rex. “You know who we are. Is that going to be a problem?”
“That depends.” Rex said, hand resting against the handle of his sword. “There used to be a town in Leftheria, near where I grew up. Rigitte village.”
“That wasn’t us. We’re liberators, not murderers.”
“Speak for yourself.” Malos muttered. Rex flashed him a glare, and Malos’s grin widened.
“Ignore him.” The girl sighed.
“Right…” Rex studied Jin for a moment. His eyes looked almost pitying. Rex lowered his hand and relaxed his shoulders. He did his best to put his smile back on. “I’ll take your word for it. And no, there won’t be any problems. I’m a professional.”
“Best salvagers are so often temperamental.” Bana said. “You’ll have to excuse friend Rex his quirks.”
“So long as he does the job.” Jin said. “Now, to business. We’ve had our eye on the wreckage of an old Titan for some time now. There were some current shifts, and it showed up in an uncharted area. Current estimates put it farther down that we’d like, but this could like our only opportunity to pull it up. We need to move as fast as possible.”
“Nice!” Rex boasted, puffing his chest out. “I like a good challenge!”
“Bana offer to assemble team of veterans for this job.” Bana said, examining his wings. “But this crew very picky. They want small, elite team. And at least one member specifically from Leftheria. That when Bana have stroke of genius! Should hire Rex!” His smirk returned as he looked between Rex and the crew of drives.
“You made the right choice!” Rex laughed, grinning from ear to ear. The Gormotti girl began laughing and doubled over for a moment.
“An amateur like you, working with us?” She remarked as she recovered. “That’s hilarious. Jin, don’t tell me we’re really going to pick this kid for the job.”
“What the hell?” Rex shouted, looking the girl over. “You look as much like a kid as I do, lady!” He pointed a finger at her accusingly.
“Age doesn’t factor into it.” The girl crossed her arms and leaned forward. “I wouldn’t bend over backwards at the promise of a measly hundred grand!”
“What’re you tryin’ to say?” Rex took a step towards the girl, but the tiger at her side strode forward, forcing him back. It cleared its throat and began speaking.
“Rex, was it?” The tiger asked. He had the voice of a worldly, noble gentleman. “I implore you to excuse my lady’s discourtesy.” He bowed his head.
“Dromarch!” The girl turned to her Blade. “What have I told you about speaking for me? I don’t-”
“No use arguing about it, Nia.” The man in the black armor interjected. The girl, Nia, backed up a step as he pushed himself off the wall. “We’ll just have to see what he’s got.”
The man drew a large, glowing, curved sword from his back and rushed forward, swinging at Rex’s head with blinding speed. Rex dodged underneath the attack, the sword barely missing the top of his scalp, and rolled over to Bana’s desk as the man swung at him a second time. Rex drew his broadsword from his belt and took a step forward, bringing the weapon down against the man. In response, the man held up his sword with one arm and casually blocked Rex’s strike with a smirk. Rex grit his teeth, looking up into the man’s condescending gaze. The man flicked his wrist and broke the struggle. Rex stumbled back and regained his footing.
“What’re you playing at?!” He shouted, his eyes darting between the three drivers and two blades.
“Well, well, well…” The man said, smiling to himself as his sword’s glowing blade dissolved into thin air. “What do we have here?”
“Malos!” Nia shouted. “What’s gotten into you? What good is it, beating up a kid?”
“You said it yourself, didn’t you?” He turned toward her with a self-assured smirk. “What if the kid’s not up to it?”
“I said nothing of the sort!”
“You did think it though, right?” Malos raised an eyebrow. “And anyway, now we know. You’ll do right enough.” He stepped toward Rex. “Though you don’t look like a Driver. Where’d you learn those Arts?”
“Gramps showed me a thing or two.” Rex replied, still gripping the handle of his broadsword. “Even when I was little, that was his idea of playtime.”
“Well, you’ve got some skill, I’ll give you that.” Malos looked Rex over. “Guts, too. Kid, you better work hard.” He slit the hilt of his sword back onto his belt and turn toward the door. “Sever, let’s go.” His Blade, Sever, followed him through the door. Jin, the silver haired man, did as well. After a moment, Nia sighed and did the same. Dromarch gave Rex a small nod and went after his lady.
“Meh-meh-meh!” Bana shouted as soon as the Drivers left. “Friends are such rowdy bunch!” He reached into his desk and hefted out a sack of coins from one of the draws. He threw it onto the desk, and it landed with a heavy thud. “Here is advance. Use to buy what gear you need, the go to dock on starboard. Bana has arranged excellent vessel for you there.”
“You got it.” Rex said, sheathing his blade and taking the pouch of coins from Bana’s desk. He left the room as quick as he could, shaking his head. As soon as he left Bana’s office, he sprinted back down to the port-side dock. He arrived back at the pier he had left Gramps waiting at, only to find it empty. Rex looked around for a moment before spotting Hirkham talking with another customer nearby.
“Hey Hirkham, what gives?” Rex asked, stomping up to him and shoving the merchant he was speaking with to the side. “Where’d Gramps run off to?”
“You’ve got some nerve.” Hirkham responded. “I sent him off. I can’t have him taking up space from paying customers if you’re too stingy to pay your mooring fees.”
“I told you I’d have it once I got done negotiating.” He snarled. He reached into his belt pouch and removed a gold coin, throwing it in Hirkham’s face. “There’s your docking fee. And once Gramps gets back you can tell him that I’ll be gone for a while because I’ve taken an important job. From Chairman Bana himself.” Rex scoffed at Hirkham and walked off toward the markets once again.
“Cheeky brat.” Hirkham spat as he bent down and picked the coin up off the ground. Rex, meanwhile, sprinted back to Melolo’s booth at the central exchange.
“Melolo!” He shouted, stopping himself just short of slamming into her desk.
“Rex back again?” Melolo asked. “Did friend forget something.”
“No, I didn’t forget anything. I need to make a cash transfer.”
“Friend change mind?” Melolo asked. “Want to send rest of money to village?”
“Not quite.” Rex smirked. He slammed the sack of one hundred thousand gold onto Melolo’s desk. She let out a small gasp and nearly fell of her cushion.
“Where Rex find this much gold?” Melolo said, feeling the weight of the sack in her wings. “Actually, no. No need to tell Melolo. Melolo not want get mixed up in shady business!”
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.” Rex frowned.
“Big deal or not, Melolo not able to accept such a large sum here. Should take directly to courier.”
“Alright, if you insist.” Rex said, picking the sack back up. He turned away from the booth and headed toward the other end of the market, below the Chairman’s office. As he walked, he noticed a Nopon selling equipment. He stared at the sack for a moment before changing course and stopping by the stall.
“Ah, friend Rex!” The orange Nopon said as Rex approached.
“Hey, Shynini.” Rex replied. “You still got that new suit we talked about?”
“Rex finally save up money to purchase?” Shynini asked, reaching back into one of her storage trunks and withdrawing a brand-new diving suit. “Friend sure, price is five thousand gold.”
“I’ll take it.” Rex nodded without hesitation. He withdrew a handful of coins from the pouch and handed some of them over in exchange for the suit. After a quick change, he waved goodbye and set off into the market again, this time heading straight for the courier.
“Hey, Max!” Rex waved as he approached a young Ardainain man set up beneath Chairman Bana’s office. “I’d like to transfer some money.”
“Pretty rare for a client to drop of cash in person.” Max crossed his arms. “What happened with Melolo?”
“She didn’t want anything to do with it.” Rex shrugged. “Said the sum was too big.” Rex presented Max with the sack of gold coins.
“Well…” Max whistled as Rex handed him the money. “I must say, you’re quite something. Not many people send this much money back to their folks. How much are we talking?”
“Ninety thousand, give or take. Can you deliver that to Corrine of Fonsett Village?”
“This much money? I could get it all the way to Tantal. Consider it done.” Max tied the pouch to his belt. “Where’d you get all this gold anyway? Did you haul up some huge treasure?”
“You could say that.” Rex beamed. “I took a job from the Chairman.”
“That sure sounds like I pie I’d want a piece of.” Max shook his head. “Lucky bastard. I’ll make sure this gets to Corinne safe and sound. Anything else?”
“Nothing comes to mind…” Rex paused for a moment. “Do you have any packages for me, actually.”
“Let’s see here…” Max grabbed a clipboard from a box next to him and skimmed through several pages attached to it. “Nothing’s coming up. You expecting something? You’ve been asking me that for three weeks.”
“No.” Rex sighed. “It’s nothing, forget I asked. Just make sure you take care of that transfer for me, okay?”
“You can count on me.” Max smiled, flashing Rex a thumbs up. He returned a half-hearted smile and walked off. After a short walk, he found himself on Goldmouth’s starboard deck, where several of Bana’s men were loading up a large Titan ship anchored to a floating dolphin-shaped Titan.
“Wheeling out the Maelstrom for this?” Rex whistled as he watched the men work. “Bana sure has deep pockets...”
“Gawking at a boat?” Nia said, strolling up behind Rex with Dromarch in tow. “For someone who hates being called a kid, you sure do act like one.”
“What’s my age got to do with anything?” Rex turned around and snapped back at her. “I can tell an awesome feat of engineering when I see one.”
“You don’t close your mouth soon, you’re going to swallow a fly.” Nia responded, crossing her arms.
“Well you might want to watch where you stand.” Rex said, motioning at the coil of rope Nia had her foot in. “Otherwise, when we cast of, that rope’ll take your leg off.”
“Eh!” Nia gasped, jumping back.
“Gotcha!” Rex smirked.
“Why you little-”
“Now look whose mouth’s hanging open!” Rex laughed. Nia fumed as Jin, Malos, and Sever all approached The Maelstrom behind her. As Rex laughed, another salvager came up behind him.
“Rex, we’re heading out.” The man said. He was dressed in a full diving suit, minus his helmet. “There’s no one seeing you off, right?”
“No, no one.” Rex muttered, his mood quickly souring. He shot the man a dirty look. “Since when has anyone ever come to see me off, Spraine?”
“Just checking.” Sprain replied, putting up his hands. “While I’m here, you’ve got the first night watch. Till then, rest up inside.”
“Aye Aye.” Rex nodded, turning away from Nia and the other Drivers and boarding the C.S.E.V. Maelstrom. Nia clicked her tongue and followed him, with the rest of the mysterious crew close behind. After everyone boarded, the Maelstrom un-moored from the pier and began sailing, lifted into the sky by its Titan.
-
Hours later, long after the sun had drifted below the horizon, Rex stood up in The Maelstrom’s crow’s nest, binoculars in one hand and flask in the other. He scanned the surface of the cloud sea as The Maelstrom sailed on. Eventually, he spotted a black shape on the horizon. As Rex squinted his eyes through the binoculars, he could just about make out the shape of the black, Titan-less ship from Goldmouth harbor.
“Interesting…” He muttered, taking a sip from his flask. “Is it… following us…?” Rex zoomed in his binoculars to get a closer look.
“It’s way too cold up here.” Nia groaned as she climbed the stairs to the crow’s nest. Rex turned around just as she arrived at the top, shivering.
“You-” He began. Before he could get the rest of his sentence out, she cut him off.
“I’ll have you know I’ve got a name.” She said. “It’s Nia.”
“Good to know.” Rex said, turning back toward his watch. “Though I doubt I’ll need to remember.”
“You are such a…” She began speaking before transitioning into a sigh. “Listen, they’ve started boozin’ below decks. You should join ‘em.”
“Trust me, I wish I could.” Rex shook his head. “But I’ve got a job to do, so I nabbed this from the storeroom before I came up.” He held the flask up over his shoulder so Nia could see it. “How about you? Why aren’t you there?”
“I don’t touch the stuff.” Nia said, turning away from Rex.
“And you call me a kid.” Rex chuckled, rolling his eyes.
“Hey!” Nia turned back around, stomping her foot. “It’s not that I hate it. I just really don’t need headaches in my line of work.”
“Huh.” Rex said, still scanning the horizon. “Good thing you’re not a salvager then.”
“Why’s that?”
“Swim like-”
“You can at least look at someone when you’re talking to them.” Nia interrupted as Rex began speaking. He sighed and turned around, leaning back against the railing.
“Swim like a fish, and drink like one too.” He continued. “That’s the salvager’s code, for whatever its worth.”
“Sound’s terrible.” Nia scoffed. “I don’t think I’ll be changing careers.”
“Is there that much money in terrorism? I guess so, if you’re throwing around a hundred grand like pocket change. I’d kill for a job that’d let me do that.”
“You’re awfully calm about the whole terrorism angle.”
“I sell war for profit. We’ve both gotten our hands dirty.”
“I don’t kill people if I can help it.”
“Details.” Rex shrugged. “My point is, we’re much the same, just sitting at slightly different distances from the violence we cause. The real gap between us seems to be how much money we both make.”
“Is that why you became a salvager? For the cash?”
“Why else would I? If you’ve got cash, you can do pretty much whatever you want.”
“You really believe money can solve all your problems, kid?”
“My name’s Rex.” He replied, turning away from Nia and toward his post once again. “And I didn’t think the concept of wealth needed a detailed explanation. If you can’t understand that much, then you don’t deserve a single coin of the horde you’ve been throwing around.”
“There are more important things than money.”
“What, like some righteous cause?”
“You really want to know?”
“It’s not like I have anything better to do.” Rex replied. Nia walked up next to him and pointed to the World Tree.
“That there.” She said. “That’s why I’m here.”
“The World Tree? I don’t get it.”
“Well, I guess it isn’t the tree, exactly.” Nia said, staring out at the horizon. “Have you noticed how there are fewer and fewer Titans each day?”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Rex said, taking a swig from his flask. “I saw one go under this morning. It was a pretty big one, too.”
“And I’d image there were loads of animals still living on it.” Nia continued. “Living space is running out, day by day. Sooner or later, we’ll all be sinking into the Cloud Sea. But up there…” She looked up into the sky, toward the top of the World Tree. “Elysium is waiting for us.”
“Elysium?!” Rex exclaimed. He began laughing, doubling over for a moment before composing himself. “Seriously? You honestly believe that guff? That’s why you’re a Driver? I hate to break it to you, but Elysium is just a lie made up to comfort children. And that tree is just an overgrown shrub.”
“I thought a salvager would understand.” Nia frowned, turning to face Rex. “You’ve spent your whole career digging up the relics of people long gone. Doesn’t it make you worry that we’ll be gone one day too?”
“Humans may be gone, eventually.” Rex shrugged. “But I’m going to enjoy however much time is left on my own terms. There’s no use worrying about what you can’t change.”
“No use worrying about what you can’t change?!” Nia snarled, showing her fang-like teeth. “What kind of an attitude is that? Up there we’d have no need to fight over dwindling land and resources! No need to worry about our homes sinking away! Everyone could have peace and security! Even if its impossible, isn’t it at least worth trying for? Isn’t that a dream worth believing in?” Nia and Rex stared at each other in silence for a few moments.
“Listen…” Rex began speaking, turning away from her again. “As long as you’re bankrolling me, I couldn’t care less what you believe, but not everyone gets to have a fairytale ending like that. The world just doesn’t work that way.”
“That’s exactly my-”
“After all, if the world did work that way, my parents wouldn’t have had to die. The asshole who killed them wouldn’t have gotten away with it. Corinne and Gramps wouldn’t have struggled to raise me on their own.” He turned back to Nia, tears in the corner of his eyes. “Is a world like that really worth saving?”
Nia reached out and grabbed Rex’s shoulders, looking him straight in the eye.
“I know the world doesn’t work like how I want it to. But isn’t that exactly why it needs to change? If we could find Elysium, no one would have to suffer like you’ve had to. Or I’ve had to. Or…” She stopped, choking up as tears began running down her face. She stepped back and turned away from Rex, wiping her face with her sleeve. “It’s clear you’ve not had it easy, but you’re far from the only one. At least I’m trying to do something about it.”
“You really are something…” Rex sighed. “There’s even a word for it. Naive.”
“And there’s a word for what you are too.” She said. She turned and began walking back down the stairs. She nearly spat the last word over her shoulder as she left. “Coward.”
“At least I’ve got brains!” He shouted. After she disappeared below desk, he turned back to his post. “Who does she link she is, lecturing me like that?” He muttered to himself, taking another, long drink from his flask. Overhead, storm clouds began to form.
-
After Rex’s shift was over, he lay in his assigned bunk below decks and attempted to get some sleep. The storm The Maelstrom sailed into had only gotten worse in the intervening time, but Rex slept through the near-constant lightning and thunder like a baby, thanks to years of sleeping on Gramps’s back. Being such a heavy sleeper, however, meant that he nearly slept through Spraine’s announcement.
“-in position. All personnel, report to stations.” Spraine spoke over The Maelstrom’s PA system. As soon as he was awake enough to recognize Spraine’s voice, Rex shot out of bed, muscle memory taking over. In the scramble to don his suit, he missed the rest of the message, but he’d gotten the gist. As quickly as he could, Rex grabbed his helmet and sprinted through the door. The rest of the salvaging team, several humans and Nopon in full diving gear, was gathering around Spraine in The Maelstrom’s hold. Spraine began his briefing just as Rex joined them.
“Your target is located inside a shipwreck located four hundred and fifty peds straight down. Searching the wreck while submerged is too high risk for our tastes, so we’ll be using floatation devices and cranes to lift the hull first. Then you’ll split into teams and explore the interior. Once the target is found, and our clients confirm the retrieval, we’ll secure it in the hold. We’re allowed to haul up whatever else we can from the wreck, but only after the job’s done. If that’s clear, let’s begin with attaching the floats. Get into position!”
Rex and the rest of the diving team nodded in unison. Rex donned his helmet and secured his cylinder as the team began walking toward The Maelstrom’s salvaging crane.
“We’re paying you salvagers a lot, so don’t screw it up.” Nia shouted from the railing above the team, glaring at Rex as he walked by.
“You conceited bitch.” He muttered under his breath. As the team got in position, two other floating Titans, normally resting partially inside the hull of the ship on either side of The Maelstrom’s rear hatch, separated from the main ship and drifted into position above the wreck. Each Titan was equipped with a crane for hauling up wreckage. The diving team exited through the hatch and onto a walkway, at the end of which was The Maelstrom’s primary crane.
“And submerge!” Spraine commanded as the team gathered on the crane’s platform. Rex took one step forward and jumped headlong into the Cloud Sea. The rest of the salvage team and The Maelstrom’s cranes weren’t far behind.
Headlamps went on first, then they all began to swim down. It took some time, but eventually Rex spotted the wreckage amidst the darkness. It was a sprawling Titan battleship, much larger than anything Rex had salvaged before.
“Is that it?” Rex muttered to himself, stopping to look the battleship over. Its prow looked like the horn of whatever Titan was encased inside the hull, jutting up at an angle from the end of the deck. Toward the center was a large tower topped with a structure that resembled a scarab beetle. Rex swam in to get a closer look.
“It looks pretty ancient.” He continued to talk to himself as he swam closer to the rusted hull. “Is that the propulsion mechanism?” He turned his gaze to two large cylinders mounted on either side of the Titan’s rear, near its underbelly. “I’ve never seen one like that before. Which country made this?”
As Rex neared the wreck, so did the cranes. After some adjustment, they all clamped firmly around the hull and pulled taught. Then the salvaging team got to work.
-
Rex stood on the deck on the ancient ship, busy removing the outer layers of his diving suit, as Nia, Dromarch, Jin, Malos, and Sever walked down the gangplank between the wreck and The Maelstrom.
“Excellent work.” Nia remarked as she stepped onto the deck of the ship. “You’re not half bad.”
“That’s why you paid me, isn’t it?” He replied, packing his suit away. “Speaking of which, let’s get this over with so I can get my money.”
“All teams, proceed inside when ready.” Spraine announced, stepping off The Maelstrom behind Jin.
“Right then.” Malos said as the salvaging team began moving toward a large set of doors in the tower at the center of the deck. “Let’s get moving.” He and Sever began following the salvagers. Jin began to walk with him but stopped and turned to Rex.
“You.” He said. “With us.”
“Me?” Rex asked, pointing to himself. Jin nodded and resumed walking toward the tower.
“Hold on.” Nia said. “You’re going to drag his ass along? Seriously?”
“Guess he thinks you need all the help you can get!” Malos shouted back at her.
“Oi!” Nia flashed her fangs. Malos raised his head high and began laughing as Nia hissed at him. Nia stomped her foot in frustration, then noticed Rex was still next to her.
“Well?” She shouted at him. “Don’t just stand there! You’ve got your orders, haven’t you?” With a huff, she began following after Jin, Dromarch at her heel. Rex rolled his eyes and followed her.
Once they neared the doors, there came a loud clang from inside the tower. Suddenly, the ornate double doors in front of them buckled. The group stopped walking, and the Drivers reached for their weapons. Another clang sounded out, and the doors were blasted off their hinges. From the other side came charging a lysaat—a four eyed, six-legged crustacean resembling a very large mite. It rushed the team and reared up on its hind legs, crying out. Rex took a step back and drew his broadsword, gritting his teeth.
Before either Rex of the lysaat could make a move, Nia ran forward, unhooking the two ring-shaped weapons from her belt and slashing the lysaat across its face. As it reeled back, Nia tossed her rings into the air. Dromarch ran forward and leapt up above her, catching the rings in his mouth. As he descended, he twisted around and slashed the lysaat down its back from head to tail. It cried out and collapsed to the ground, dead.
“Amazing.” One of the human salvagers who had been watching nearby commented as Dromarch tossed the rings back to Nia. “So that’s how Drivers and Blades fight.”
“Ruthless.” Another salvager nodded in agreement. “It’s like they’re monsters themselves.” Nia turned and glared at the salvagers as they began filing through the doors into the ship.
“We may not see eye to eye, but man am I glad you’re on our side.” Rex said, sheathing his sword. “You too Dromarch.” He nodded to the tiger, who nodded back politely.
“No need to get hysterical.” Nia rolled her eyes. “It was a walk in the park.”
“That’s enough yapping, you pair of brats!” Malos shouted at them ad he and Jin walked through the doors. “Let’s move.”
“Talk about self-important.” Rex scoffed as he began walking. Nia rolled her eyes, and the two of them followed Malos and Jin inside. From the other side of the ancient ship’s deck, Pupunin watched the teams as they disappeared into the ship.
-
Back in Argentum, Bana sat in his office, staring at a round screen in front of him. Everything Pupunin could see was being broadcast back to Bana via a camera in Pupunin’s helmet.
“They make short work of monster.” Bana mused, preening his mustache. “These no ordinary fighters. Big job in Mor Ardain going well too!” Bana smiled to himself. “There much money to be made from these people!” He broke out into a fit of laughter as he stared at the screen in front of him.
-
The interior of the ship was sprawling. Each team spread out in a different direction, but between the constant encounters with hostile sea life and the maze of tight corridors, all of them either found themselves lost or overwhelmed. All of them except Rex’s team. Jin walked through the halls of the ship without hesitation, never slowing down and ending any wildlife that attacked the team with a single slash of his sword. It didn’t take long for them to reach their destination.
“Jin, check this out.” Malos said as the group turned down a hallway much wider than the rest. At the other end, it narrowed into a floor-to-ceiling arched doorway, with an ornate crest resembling a flame carved into the center. The door was firmly shut.
“We’ve found it.” Jin nodded, stopping about halfway to the door. “Addam’s crest.” He narrowed his gaze at the circular crest jutting out from the center of the door.
“Addam’s crest?” Rex asked. “This ship can’t be that old, can it?” He turned back to his clients for confirmation, but they didn’t reply. Nia just shrugged. “Is this what we came here for?”
“Yes.” Jin said. “Now open the door.”
“Me?” Rex responded.
“This door will only open to one of you people.”
“One of me? What’re you talking about?”
“Hurry up and do it!” Malos growled. “We’re not paying you to ask dumb questions!”
“What the hell?” Rex threw his hands up. “You can’t treat hired hands like that!” Rex took a step forward. Malos grabbed the hilt of his sword. Rex instantly retracted his foot and put his hands up.
“Alright, alright.” He turned toward the door. “You’ve made your point. I’ll open the damn door.” Rex walked up to it and squatted down, looking for a release mechanism. After a moment, he stood back up and stared at the crest. “This must be it.”
He reached out and touched the crest. It pulsed, the carving glowing blue for a moment. The door split into four parts and retracted itself into the surrounding walls. The entire team stood still for a moment. After no one moved, Rex shrugged his shoulders and took a step through the doorway.
Suddenly, the ghostly image of a man appeared in front of Rex. He screamed, stumbling back for a moment. Nia chuckled, but Malos and Jin frowned. The figure was green and constantly flickering. It was never still long enough to make out any distinguishing features.
“Here me-” A voice began to echo in the corridor, cutting in and out sporadically. “My na--day I seal the--the world. But-seal is not for eter---comes worthy of the Aeg-I entrust her to-”
“Jin!” Rex shouted back as the image continued to flicker. “There’s a ghost man!”
“It’s an old recording.” He replied. “Ignore it.”
As the figure continued to speak, a faint green energy coalesced around Rex’s boots for several moments.
“Just as I thought.” Malos crossed his arms and smirked. Nia began moving forward, but Jin put out his hand. He pointed to the far side of the corridor Rex had just unlocked, where a similar crest rested in another locked door.
“Open that door too.” He said. Rex nodded and complied, walking around the recording and placing his palm against the crest. It too pulsed with a faint, blue glow, and the doors slid out of the way in response. The green light began to fade.
“Let’s move.” Jin said, walking forward into the corridor. Ahead of him, Rex strode forward into a circular chamber. In the center of the room was a pool of glowing blue liquid, and in the center of the pool was a pillar, reaching from the floor to the ceiling. In front of the pillar, a bright red and gold sword with a green, cross-shaped crystal in its center stood imbedded in the ground. In the center of the pillar was a glass container. On the other side of the glass rested a girl with short, crimson hair, and an outfit to match. Her hands rested over the center of her chest. She was smiling.
“It’s a… girl…” Rex muttered, staring at her. He walked up to her. Suddenly, as he drew close, the crystal in the sword began glowing. It pulsed with what seemed like a heartbeat, and enraptured Rex. He didn’t notice the rest of the Drivers enter the room behind him.
“Look.” Malos whispered to Jin, nodding at the girl in the pillar.
“Yes.” Jin replied. “No mistaking it. That’s the Aegis.”
“You’re sure it’s her?” Nia asked, looking up at Jin. As the three of them watched, Rex took another step toward the sword. Before he could think about what he was doing, he reached out a hand toward the crystal at its center.
“Hey, brat!” Malos shouted, noticing what Rex was doing. “Don’t even think about touching that!” Malos’s words shook Rex out of his stupor but a moment too late. His hand contacted the crystal just as he regained his senses. The crystal sent a shower of green particles up into the air as he pulled his hand away. Instantly, Jin grabbed the handle of his sword and rushed forward, his body glowing and bending the light around it. In a fraction of a second, he stood next to Rex, his blade straight through the young man’s heart. Before Rex had time to register the pain, his consciousness began fading away.
“What… The… Hell?” Rex sputtered, staring down at the sword sticking out of his chest. His hands began to shake, and his vision became blurry.
“Don’t take it personally.” Jin responded. “It’s an act of mercy. At least you won’t be alive to see what’s coming.” He turned away from Rex, slashing his sword through the air to wipe off the blood. As he pulled his sword from Rex’s chest, the boy collapsed to the ground, dead. Jin turned back around and slashed his sword through the one in front of him, shattering it into a myriad of small chunks that rained down around Rex’s dead body.
“Serves him right.” Malos smirked.
“Jin!” Nia shouted, running forward and placing herself in front of him. “What the bloody hell?!” She screamed at Jin as he brushed past her. “We had an agreement, Jin! Jin, will you look at me for once?! What’s gotten into you?!”
He left the room without responding.
“Let’s ship out the Aegis.” Malos said, walking toward the girl and Rex’s dead body. “Nia, call The Monoceros!” He barked at Nia as he passed her. She didn’t respond. She just stared, dumbfounded, at the back of Jin as he walked away. Her hands tightened into fists as he faded from view.
-
Rex lay sleeping face down in a grass field. In the distance, a bell tolled, waking him from his slumber. Slowly, he opened his eyes and stood to his feet, the bell continuing to sound. As he looked around, he realized he stood on the slope of a hill. Birds chirped happily in the forest behind him. In front of him, at the top of the hill, the girl from behind the glass stood in the shade of a solitary tree.
“Hey!” Rex called out to the girl as he began walking toward her. “You! Under the tree!” The girl was silent as he approached her. He stopped just a few steps from the top of the hill. “You know, it’s not polite to brush people off like that.”
“It’s such a mournful sound.” The girl replied, staring out at whatever lay beyond the hill’s crest. “It hasn’t stopped. Not… Not in all these years.”
“It hasn’t stopped?” Rex asked. “You mean that bell sound? Is Indol somewhere nearby? Where are we, anyway?” He looked around as he walked up the hill. All he could see was a forest, stretching on toward the horizon.
“This is… Elysium.” The girl sighed. “The land where, long ago, mankind lived in harmony with their creator. It’s where… “We” were born.”
“Back up.” Rex said, shaking his head as he crested the hill. “Elysium’s a myth. Either you’re an idiot, or you think I am, because there’s no way…” His voice trailed off as he looked out at what lay on the other side of the hill. At the foot of the hill was a lake larger than any he had ever seen, larger even than most Titan ships he’d salvaged from. On the opposite shore of the lake was another hill, and on that was a town. It stretched from one end of the lake to the other, and all the way up to the top of the next hill. It was a town large enough to house many thousands of people.
“This isn’t real…” He muttered. “There’s no way a place this… open exists anywhere in Alrest. I must be dreaming.” He turned and looked at the girl next to him. She wore a golden hairband with a green crystal in the center. She also had matching green earrings. Her outfit was the same color as her hair and eyes, crimson red, and in the middle of her chest glowed the same green crystal from the sword on the ancient ship.
“Is that a core crystal?” He asked, pointing to the glowing crystal in her chest. “You’re a Blade?”
“My name is Pyra.” The girl replied, smiling at Rex.
“What?” He stammered. “Oh, right. I guess it’s only fair that I-”
“And you’re Rex, right?” Pyra continued.
“How did you know my name?” He took a step back.
“Just now, when we came into contact…” Pyra started speaking before trailing off.
“Just now? I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve ever met before, except…” Rex thought back to where he had first seen Pyra. The ancient ship. The sword through his chest. Suddenly he tensed up, wheezing and grasping at his heart. After a moment, he threw up and collapsed to his knees.
“You were killed.” Pyra sighed. “Stabbed through the heart by Jin.”
“Now I remember!” Rex grunted as he put himself back in order. “That bastard stabbed me!” He staggered to his feet and turned around, limping back toward the forest he woke up next to. “This is bad! I need to get back to the ship! Spraine and the rest of the team are in danger!” He only managed to get a few feet before collapsing again. “But if I’m really dead, then there’s nothing I can do.” Tears began to well up in the corner of his eyes. “I never even got to say goodbye to Gramps…”
“Rex…” Pyra said, walking over to where he had fallen. “I have a request. I want you to take me to Elysium.”
“Piss off.” He said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “According to you, we’re there already, aren’t we?”
“No.” Pyra shook her head. She stopped walking, halfway between Rex and the tree. “This world is merely a memory. An ancient, half-forgotten memory of what once was. The real Elysium lies in your world, atop the World Tree that rises from the heart of Alrest.”
“Spare me the bedtime story.” Rex stood up. “Elysium is a myth. And even if it were real, I doubt The Architect would just let us in so easily. Or did you forget the part of the story where he cast humanity out?”
“Elysium is real.” Pyra replied. “I don’t care whether you believe me or not, but you’re going to take me there.”
“Did you forget the situation at hand?” Rex motioned around him. “I’m dead, remember? How am I supposed to take you anywhere if I’m not breathing?”
“I will give you half of my life force.” Pyra touched the crystal in the center of her chest. “That way, you can be revived. As my Driver. As the Driver of the Aegis.”
“Me, a Driver?” Rex muttered.
“And in return,” Pyra continued, “You will take me to Elysium.” Rex and Pyra stood, staring at each other for a moment. “What will you do, Rex?”
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Rex asked.
“No.” Pyra looked down, away from him. “And, as much as I hate it, neither do I.”
“Well, I don’t know if Elysium exists or not.” Rex said, walking up to Pyra. “But if you really can save my life, then I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
“Thank you, Rex.” Pyra smiled. She took her hand away from the crystal. “Now place your hand on my chest.”
“Wha-what?” Rex stammered, taking a step back. He began blushing, despite himself.
“Don’t get any ideas.” Pyra frowned. “Just touch the crystal.”
“Oh, right.” Rex sighed. He reached out his hands toward the core crystal. It pulsed the same way the crystal in the sword did when he was on the ship. Once he placed the tips of his fingers against it, Pyra screwed her eyes shut, bracing for something. Then the crystal began glowing brighter, expelling rivulets of green ether outward from Pyra’s chest and into Rex’s. After a moment, a wave of ether cascaded outward from Pyra’s body, wrapping both her and Rex in green flames.
-
Back in the ancient ship’s antechamber, the ether particles in the air began wreathing Rex’s body in a sea of green energy, lifting it off the ground. In his chest, the center of Pyra’s core crystal formed over the wound Jin had left. In his hand, the core of the destroyed sword appeared. After a moment, it pulsed with energy, and the rest of the sword reformed itself in his hand. As he regained consciousness, Rex swung the sword, spurting fire from the ports on the back of the blade and cloaking it in a coat of flames. He opened his eyes once more and cast them toward the ceiling.
-
Nia and Malos, along with their blades, walked out of the ship’s interior and back onto its deck. Malos carried Pyra’s body, still in its glass prison, over his shoulder. Nia trailed behind him, hands gripping her twin rings.
“Nia.” Malos said. “Kill them.” He nodded toward the members of the salvage team scurrying about the deck, packing their gear back onto The Maelstrom and stripping anything of value from the hull.
“No.” Nia stopped walking.
“No?”
“I can’t stand to see any more blood spilled for this crusade, especially from people who don’t deserve it. If you want to keep going down this path, you’ll do it without me.”
“Now now.” Malos stopped and turned around, shaking his head. “Have you forgotten your debt to us, Nia? What happened to going to Elysium?”
“That’s not worth the lives of innocent people. I won’t kill for you. Not anymore.”
“Oh, for the love of…” Malos pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Don’t make this difficult. Do as you’re told, and I’ll keep this little outburst of yours between us. We wouldn’t want the others thinking you’ve gone soft.”
“They can think whatever they want.” Nia growled. “This isn’t what I signed up for.”
“Fine then.” Malos spat. “I’ll handle it myself. Jin can deal with you later.” Just as he reached for the handle of his sword, Pyra’s coffin caught fire.
“What the hell?!” Malos shouted, tossing the coffin aside. The strength of the flames continued to increase until a column of fire shot into the sky from the container. A ball of flame flew out of the top of the column, striking against the scarab-shaped crest atop the ancient ship’s tower. The flames dispersed almost immediately, revealing Pyra standing atop the tower, the center of her core crystal missing.
Before Malos could make a move, the deck between him and the tower began glowing red hot. After a moment, it buckled upward and began melting. A second column of flame burst forth from underneath the deck. Riding it was Rex, screaming at the top of his lungs and wielding the red sword, sheathed in flames. He landed on the deck, a little short of breth but steady on his feet.
“You!” Malos screamed, losing his composure. “And that sword! It can’t be!”
“It’s pretty low to stab a man in the back, Jin.” Rex pointed his sword at Jin, who stood behind Malos, his gaze fixed on Rex’s sword. “You bloody psychopath!”
“Jin.” Pyra frowned. She looked between him and Malos. “I have to say, I’m disappointed.”
“That’s rich, coming from you!” Malos roared.
“Pyra!” Rex shouted, glancing over his shoulder. “Cover me!” He sprinted forward before she could reply.
“Got it!” She nodded, jumping from the tower. Jin reached for his sword, but Malos put his hand out.
“Jin.” He said, gripping the handle of his own weapon. “Leave them to me.” He strode forward, meeting Rex’s screaming charge. Rex reared back his sword and swung hard at Malos’s face. At the last second, Malos drew his sword and blocked Rex’s attack. Rex gritted his teeth as he pushed against Malos’s defense.
“Sorry, kid.” Malos smiled in reply. He swung his sword against Rex’s, forcing the latter flying into the air. “I can’t have the likes of you just claim her power for yourself. This is as far as you go”
As Malos talked, Rex somersaulted in midair and landed on his feet. Malos rushed him, and the two clashed sowrds again. Pyra ran toward them, but before she could reach them, Sever intercepted her, swiping at her with his claws. She backflipped out of the way.
“Get back here!” The lizard Blade shouted, lunging toward her again. Rex continued to swing at Malos, most of his attacks going wide. His opponent only bothered to block one of the strikes, but Rex was swinging rapidly enough Malos couldn’t find a good opportunity to counterattack yet. Nevertheless, he was grinning from ear to ear.
“Give it a rest Malos!” Nia shouted. She ran up behind Malos and grabbed his shoulder just as he jumped out of Rex’s range. “He’s just a child!”
“A child?” Malos replied, shrugging her off. “Don’t make me laugh!” He swung up at Rex and forced him into the air. “This kid made himself the Aegis’s Driver!” He ran forward as Rex landed, making a swing for his head.
“The Aegis’s Driver?” Nia muttered. “There’s no way Rex could have…”
The two continued their fight as she looked on. Rex blocked Malos’s strike, sliding his blade along Malos’s and stumbling past him. Before Rex could turn around and face his opponent, Malos kicked him into the air, sending him flying toward the ship’s prow. With a smirk he tossed his sword into the air. Sever leapt up to catch it and held it in midair as if it was sheathed at his side.
“You’re done!” Sever shouted. He swung the sword from his hip and sent out an X-shaped wave of green ether toward Rex. Rex attempted to stand on his feet but couldn’t find purchase in time. Just before the attack arrived, Pyra placed herself in front of Rex and absorbed the attack with a green, hexagonally-plated dome of ether.
“Thanks, Pyra.” Rex grunted, standing on his feet.
“You’re welcome.” Pyra replied over her shoulder. “Now, don’t let up.” Pyra dropped her shield as Sever landed next to Malos. The four of them charged at each other, Sever sending out more waves of ether. Pyra blocked them with her shield once again, and once the waves passed Rex ran out from behind Pyra and took a swing at Malos, forcing both him and Sever back.
“Sprain!” He shouted as he continued to swing, trying not to give Malos an opportunity to get his sword back. “Get everyone out of here!” Immediately Spraine began directing the team back onto The Maelstrom. As Rex swung again, Malos backflipped out of the way of the strike, putting some distance between them.
“Malos!” Sever shouted, tossing the sword up into the air. “Catch!” Malos caught the sword and spun around, landing on top of the door to the tower. The blade of the sword straightened and began swirling with green ether. He pointed it at the gangplank between The Maelstrom and the ancient ship that Spraine and the rest of the salvage team were running up.
“Hey, asshole!” Rex shouted. “Your fight’s with me!” He swung his sword in Malos’s direction, sending forth a cascading wave of flaming ether from the end. Malos screamed in frustration and turned to block the attack. As he did, Pyra grabbed Rex’s arm and jumped into the air, shrouding the two of them in a coat of energy. Pyra gripped the sword’s handle and raised it into the air. Rex’s body copied her movements without him even thinking.
The blade of the sword burned with the same intensity it had when Rex melted the deck. A continuous stream of fire spewed forth from the end. Pyra swung, and Rex followed her lead. They brought the column of fire down on top of Malos’s head. A great explosion almost the size of the control tower rocked the ancient ship. Nia, Dromarch, Spraine, and the other salvagers all watched on as fire engulfed the four combatants atop the tower. After the explosion faded away, Malos was still standing, holding his blade firmly against the theirs. Rex and Pyra hung above him, suspended in midair by Pyra’s ether.
“You brat.” Malos spat as energy from the two blades collided in the space between him and Rex. “How can a nobody like you…?” Malos paused for a moment.
“…Ah, but with those eyes…” He muttered to himself. “I guess I should have been more wary from the start. You’re as unpredictable as him.”
“What do you mean?!” Rex grunted, his arm tensing up against the pressure Malos put on the sword.
“Like I’d tell you.” Malos scoffed. A ball of purple ether formed in his hand, and he reached for Rex’s face. Pyra pulled him away at the last second, Malos’s fingertips brushing past Rex’s nose. The ether fields around them all gone, Rex, Pyra, Malos, and Sever all dropped back to the ground. Behind them, The Maelstrom began pulling away from the wreck.
“You’re good, kid.” Malos said as Rex charged him again. “It’s no simple feat to control an Aegis sword like that.”
Rex jumped up into the air and swung his sword down on top of Malos again. As Rex descended, the purple ether returned to Malos’s hand. He smirked. He reached up and grabbed Rex’s sword, the ether in his hand and along the blade clashing. He stepped forward and punched Rex in the gut. Winded, Rex couldn’t fight back. Malos grabbed him by the collar and swung him around, throwing him into the air. The sword flew from his hand as he tumbled across the deck.
“Rex!” Pyra shouted, once again boxed in by attacks from Sever and his claws.
“Don’t get cocky, you little shit!” Malos ran toward the dazed Rex.
“Dromarch!” Nia shouted, swinging up onto her Blade’s back.
“Understood!” The tiger roared, leaping forward with his Driver firmly secured. He shot a blast of ether from his mouth as he bounded toward Malos. Sever barely made it in time to block the attack.
“What?!” Malos yelled as Dromarch jumped over the pair. He landed in between them and Rex, who had just begun to regain his bearings. “Get out of the way, Nia! Have you gone mad?!”
“You’re the one who’s off your nut!” Nia shouted back from atop Dromarch. “Wailing on a child!”
“Nia, I don’t think you quite comprehend your position.”
“And what would that be, exactly?”
“You’re starting to piss me off!” Malos screamed, pointing his sword at her. Before he could attack Nia, however, Pyra grabbed the sword from the ground nearby and jumped into the air, swinging it at Malos. He raised his sword to block, and she swung herself around above him as the swords clashed. She landed behind him and they both turned around, charging each other. Malos began swinging blindly at her, and she managed to dodge or block every one of his attacks as the two of them twirled around the deck of the ship. She jumped back and up into the air, sending several waves of ether at Malos. He blocked them, but Pyra charged him through the wall of fire they created. He barely managed to block her attack as it swung through the flames.
“You’re pretty sharp for someone who’s only just woken up.” Malos commented. “I would say you haven’t changed at all, but then I’d be lying. What’s the deal with that appearance?”
Pyra didn’t respond.
“I’m guessing your goal is Elysium.”
“That is our dream!” She shouted back.
“Don’t make me laugh! When Jin and I are done, there’ll be no Elysium left to go back to!” Malos swung his sword, forcing Pyra to the side. He gathered more purple ether into his hand and reached for her. She flipped out of the way, landing on her feet by the edge of the deck. Rex staggered to his feet, clutching his stomach where Malos punched him. As he surveyed the battlefield, The Monoceros—the black ship from Goldmouth harbor—pulled up alongside the wreck, right behind Pyra. Two missile batteries extended from its deck and took aim at her.
“Pyra, move!” Rex shouted. She turned around just in time to put her shield up as the missiles fired. Half a dozen collided with her ether barrier, reducing the ground around her to scrap and throwing her backward. Rex ran to her as she skidded across the deck.
“Can you stand?” He asked, crouching down next to her.
“I think so.” She winced, sitting up.
“Good.” Rex replied, grabbing her free hand. “Now on your feet. We need to move.” As Rex pulled Pyra up, two more missile batteries emerged from The Monoceros. All four focused on them.
“Stop this!” Nia shouted. Dromarch jumped in front of the path of the missiles and roared, creating a wall of ether energy in front of them. A moment later, the batteries let loose a volley of several dozen missiles. One after another, they collided with the barrier, the force pushing Dromarch back. As the last missile impacted, the barrier gave way, throwing Nia off Dromarch’s back.
“Nia!” Rex shouted, letting go pf Pyra’s hand and running over to where she flew. He vaulted over the side of the deck and slid down the hull of the ship as Nia sailed over head. Just as she passed him, falling toward the Cloud Sea, he jumped off the side of the hull. He managed to grab her limp arm and twist himself around in midair. He fired his suit’s anchor into the side of the hull, stopping their momentum and nearly tearing his own arm off. The two of them hung from the side of the wreck by a thin wire.
“You’re a tough one, kid.” Malos chuckled, grinning down at Rex from atop the deck with his arms crossed. “But there’s only one way this can end!” The missile batteries changed targets from Pyra to Rex and prepared to fire another volley.
“Shit!” Rex shouted, gritting his teeth as he prepared to release his grappling hook. Just before the missiles fired, a bolt of lightning struck The Monoceros’s deck, setting off several explosions.
“What’s that!” Malos yelled, uncrossing his arms. From out of the sky, a winged Titan flew the gap between the ancient ship and The Monoceros. As it passed by Rex, he recognized instantly who it was.
“Gramps!” Rex shouted as the Titan flew up into the air again, stretching out his leathery wings and turning around to make another pass at The Monoceros. As Gramps flew, he studied the deck of the ancient ship.
“Jin.” He muttered to himself, eyes locking with the man in gray’s. “Still you persist. And is that…” He looked over to where Malos stood next to Sever. “Malos?!”
“Azurda…” Jin said, gripping the handle of his sword as Gramps flew overhead. Gramps turned around again and opened his mouth, gathering fire ether in between his jaws. After a moment, he shot out several volleys of flame, blanketing Jin and Malos. Jin stepped forward and sliced the mass of ether in half with his sword, scattering the flames harmlessly around him.
“Rex!” Gramps shouted, flying over the ship and back toward where Rex and Nia hung. “Get on!” As he flew, Pyra mounted Dromarch’s back and he leapt over the deck’s railing as well, running along the side of the wreck’s hull next to Gramps.
“Rex!” Pyra shouted, reaching out her hand toward him. He released his anchor and pushed off the side of the hull, grabbing her hand. He swung Nia up toward Dromarch with the last of his strength. Right before she fell back down, Dromarch caught her unconscious body between his jaws and continued running along the hull. He leapt into the air and Gramps swooped underneath him, catching the four of them as they sailed through the air.
“We’re going!” Gramps shouted, flying up into the air. “Hold on tight!”
“Stop them!” Malos screamed, motioning furiously at Gramps. “Open fire, Mikhail!” The two remaining functioning missile batteries swiveled and began unloading everything left in their ammunition stores at Gramps. He twirled through the air, attempting to avoid as many as he could and catch the rest on his underside to protect his charges.
“Turn her around!” He continued to scream, becoming increasingly hysterical. “Ready the cannon!”
“It’s no use.” Jin said, walking up next to Malos. “They’re out of range.”
“Dammit!” He balled his hand into a fist and punched his open palm. “That old geezer!” He and Jin continued to watch as Gramps flew further from them.
“Turn around.” Jin said after a moment. He turned and began walking toward The Monoceros.
“We’re not chasing them?” Malos asked, looking over his shoulder at Jin.
“The Aegis is awakened. That’s enough for now. I’ll have Akhos hunt them down.”
“That’ll have to do…” Malos grunted, turning back to watch Gramps fade into the raging storm above.