xenoblade chronicles 2 (2)

Were this planet the Earth I knew, then I would bet on the World Tree being right in the middle of the Pacific. I mean: endless ocean, tropical weather, average temperature around 70-75˚F and high humidity? I had no Major in Geography but those details all together were a dead giveaway.

Sure, for all I knew the planet's weather patterns changed greatly since the time the Conduit was activated. And it could be the sea levels rose and a lot of landmass ended up underwater, explaining why Salvagers like Rex can find all sorts of shiny stuff on the seafloor. Which means there was a possibility that I, in this precise moment, was right above Kansas!

Yeah, I was lost. Not lost-lost, since I could tell the cardinal directions from the sun and it was common knowledge the Titans moved around the World Tree, but it didn't change the fact that 'everything being a flat surface of white clouds spreading past the horizon' roughly translated to 'pick up a direction and hope'. And to complicate things there were cloud banks rising from the Sea, or maybe descending from the sky, that easily formed hills and even mountains: all very impressive, to be sure, but useless for navigation because they changed over time!

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't too worried about my current circumstances: as a Hunter Killua had plenty of experience exploring unknown lands, and Tsuna had one of the best information-gathering abilities in existence.

And if all else fails I can always rely on Rito's absurd luck. Even if that would likely lead to me in a compromising position with the closest good-looking female, because that was Rito's entire stick. But at least I would finally meet the natives and ask them for directions, after properly apologizing of course.

Another option was flying as high as I could until I saw a Titan in the distance, and with Laharl's powers I could easily survive even in orbit. I almost decided on that when I spotted a small Titan flying through the high clouds. Now, I use the term 'small' because it wasn't one of those carrying a full country on their backs, but it was still a very big dude: a cross between a dragon and a bird, large wings with stone-like feathers and glowing blue lines covering its body that converged on a crystal in his chest. From head to tail he was easily longer than six hundred meters, and the wingspan was even larger!

"You weren't kidding about Titans Lee." Rito commented, the same excitement in his voice as the one I was feeling at the sight. "And there are even bigger ones? Damn. I met many alien beings in my life but none so big."

Flying islands were one thing, but I knew enough about biology to realize a living creature that big couldn't exist without some serious mystical mojo at play: scaling it in size wasn't enough, because past a certain point physics knock at your door and every single bone break under the sheer mass of the body. It was called the Square-Cube Law, and the reason space stations were possible only outside a planet's gravity well.

The Titan wasn't moving very fast, probably enjoying a nice stroll through the clouds, but after a few seconds he slowed down and turned his head towards my location. Wow those were a lot of eyes, and they were... staring at me? Well I was a very strange sight, what with being a seemingly normal human being flying in the sky with wings made from my scarf. Dude probably thought I was a Blade... wait, how do you distinguish a Titan's gender with their heterogeneous biology? Was he a she?

...I was not checking, that would be extra rude. Same with calling the Titan an 'it'. I'll just keep calling the creature a 'he' in my mind for simplicity's sake.

The dragon-bird let out a cry similar to a whale's, a captivating crystalline sound despite being so loud. It almost sounded like... a greeting? Did I just receive the Titan equivalent of a 'good morning, how are you'?"'

I tried channeling Tsuna to access Hyper Intuition, and it told me I almost assuredly hit the jackpot with my hypothesis.

So I did the next logical step and tried to talk with the Titan. "Hello!" I shouted as loudly as I could while flying close to him. "I'm sorry, do you know which way is the Argentum Trade Guild?"

He tilted his head, which told me he understood my question but didn't know what an 'Argentum Trade Guild' was. A little disappointing, but maybe he just knew the place by sight and not by name?

Worth a shot. 'Sasuke, do you know a Jutsu to create a picture in the air?'

"The Genjutsu I know project images directly into the mind." Yeah, but that was likely to spook the Titan somewhat fierce. Something more inconspicuous please? "Other than that... I remember this Water-Wind Jutsu I once saw in action during my travels around the Elemental Nations. It allows the user to create a 'paint' you can spread over a surface or even in the air if your control is good enough. A trick good only for impressing civilians, but it should do the trick."

'That's perfect, thank you Sasuke.' I smiled, but it changed into a frown when I realized the next issue. 'Except I'm not very good at drawing.'

"Leave it to me!" Ranma boasted. "Time to show off my Calligraphy Martial Arts!"

Calligraphy Martial Arts? Considering the anime had a mini-arc centered around Tea Ceremony Martial Arts I guess it made sense, but... Damn Japan, you're scary.

The next few minutes were very entertaining for the Titan, who watched me creating colored clouds with my hands and painting in midair with very flamboyant gestures. Part of it was from Ranma's show-off nature, but Sasuke and Laharl's prides must have synergized with said trait because I felt compelled to put up a magnificent spectacle.

Decavirate's description on my Status Screen did say something about gaining some of the character traits of those I channel and warned me to not channel too many people at once, uh?

Still, at the end I had a realistic painting of the Argentum Trade Guild made of Water and Wind Chakra, the image taken directly from my memories. A pity it would only last until I stopped feeding it Chakra, maybe I could try again with real tools next time?

"This place. I need to go here." I told the Titan, gesticulating towards the painting. The huge creature looked at it before nodding and releasing another cry, Hyper Intuition telling me he recognized the place and knew the way to it. "Great! Can you tell me-Woah!"

Before I could finish the dragon-bird surged forwards, his head lowered. It was so sudden I failed to react in time, and so ended up landing amidst the huge mane of green hair on the Titan's head. Thankfully the hair was very soft, so the worst I suffered was a brief disorientation from the suddenness of it all.

The Titan released another cry, which Hyper Intuition translated as 'leave it to me', and then began to fly towards a specific direction.

"You're... bringing me to the Guild?" I said with some confusion before smiling. "Thank you! I appreciate it!"

What a helpful dude. The beginning was a mixed-bag, but it looked like my adventures in Alrest were going to be great.

====

Riding on the head of a giant flying beast was amazing, I recommend it. Unlike flying by yourself, there was an element of uncertainty and lack of control that spiced up the experience: I never rode a horse before, but probably the feeling was similar.

"Only loosely." Ranma commented, piquing my interest. "It was one of Kodachi' schemes, apparently riding horses is one those things high-class ladies are supposed to excel at."

"I often rode or hitched a ride on the back of big beasts so I can relate more." Killua added. "Just keep a firm hold on those hair Lee, or you'll get hurled away when the Titan forgets how much smaller than him you are."

That was good advice, so I did just that and resolved to try crazy aerial acrobatics when I didn't have a place to reach with haste.

The journey lasted for a good hour and half, with the first hint that we were close the presence of ships sailing on the Cloud Sea. Instead of veils their masts were tied to pufferfish-like Titans, making them acting like air balloons.

And the biggest one of said pufferfish-like Titans, looking like it also had a whale or two in his ancestry, was the one holding up the central hub of the Argentum Trade Guild: Goldmouth. Fella was even bigger than my current ride, and the structure under him was large enough to also serve as a harbor for several smaller ships.

The sight made me remember there were eleven Nopon mercantile nations in Alrest, though in the game you can only visit Argentum.

"What's a Nopon?"

'One of Alrest's races beside humans. They are... you'll see.' I replied while waving goodbye to my new friend, who released a happy cry before going back to his business. Whatever that was.

"Now then." I crossed my arms and looked down at the Guild located several hundreds meters below me. While I was reasonably sure my current appearance wasn't too unusual among the inhabitants of Alrest, arriving there while flying was sure to attract unwanted attention. I wanted to keep a low profile, at least at the beginning, which meant I needed a way to sneak inside.

I combed through Sasuke's Ninja skills before settling on something simple: I would dive into the Cloud Sea, far away from the Guild to be mistaken for a bird, and approach it while swimming underwater. I still needed to breathe of course, but the cloud zone above the water should be thick enough to conceal me. As an added precaution I used a simple Jutsu to turn my clothes white, making it even harder to pick me out among the clouds.

What went wrong, you may ask? Only the part where I miscalculated the water's temperature: I assumed it was warm, but instead it was close to 50˚F. Not a fun thing to discover after diving without checking first, demon physiology or not.

Soon I reached one of the docks with the least current activity, then waited for those capable of noticing me to be distracted before jumping up and sitting behind a few crates. The plan was to dry my clothes with a discrete Fire Jutsu, then act like I woke up from a nap and walk around the Guild as if it was perfectly normal for me to do so.

This time it went without a hitch: everyone was too busy with their own jobs and tasks, only a few people tossing me a cursory glance before going back to work, allowing me to leave the docks undisturbed and enter the Guild's main floor.

====

There were many words to describe the Bazaar, but only two came close to give it justice: abso-fucking-lutely fabolous. The entire floor of the ship-slash-fortress was full of merchants displaying wares piled atop stylish carpets straight out of an Arabian market, and most of the illumination was provided by colored glass lanterns. Everywhere I looked there were lively colors, amazing motifs, a thousand different smells and people from all over Alrest walking around or haggling with merchants.

Understandably, I was gawking at everything like a tourist. Which I was. Everything was both exactly as I remembered from the game and more, an entire world that a simple screen failed to encapsulate spreading open before me.

"Why is youngpon staring at Melolo?" A squeaky female voice suddenly asked me, pulling me out of my daydream. "Never seen a Nopon before?"

"Lee, is that... Is that a furry egg?" Rin asked, sounding both confused and very much curious.

'That's rude.' I answered, but I couldn't deny the truth of his words. Behind the counter of what almost looked like a repurposed WWII-era ship's boiler was a small, egg-shaped creature covered with feathers, possessing stubby limbs and a pair of prehensile wings wrapped around the neck. That was a Nopon, one of the Xenoblade series' iconic races, and judging from the voice and the pink clothes a female one.

Wait, Melolo? Now that I thought about it she was one of the first NPCs Rex talked to in the game, she exchanged collectibles for money and rarer stuff.

And I probably stared at her like a creep. Crap. "Sorry ma'am." I put a hand on the back of my head and bowed. "I was lost in thought: this is my first time both coming to Argentum and seeing a Nopon."

"Meh meh." She spread open her wings and waved her stubby arms. "Friend is lucky. Guild is great sight, and Melolo is even greater beauty! But not stare for too long, or I charge you. Only fair, yes yes?"

Well, someone had a great opinion of themselves. The thing is, she probably was serious about making me pay for looking at her: Nopons were as diverse as humans, but as a race they made for terrifying merchants. "Crystal clear ma'am."

"Polite youngpon will go far." She lowered her wings, sounding pleased. "Now, does friend need something? Things to exchange for good money, maybe?"

My first impulse was to answer in the negative, but then I remembered the bonus content mentioned by the Multi-World Door. "Actually, I'm supposed to meet with two couriers: their names are Hurryscurry and Sorinosori."

"Mmh, mhh... now where Melolo hear those names before...?" She mumbled before looking like a lightbulb went on above her head. "Yes yes, Melolo remembers! Friend Max complained about rude Nopon couriers who show up and pretend to share space. Meh meh! Space in the Guild does not grow on trees! You can find them in the Bower Longue. Friend takes big stairs, lounge is place with many plants and trees."

"Thank you Miss Melolo. Have a productive day." I said my farewells and left the lady to her affairs.

'One of you guys can look up the list of Xenoblade 2 Rare Blades?' I asked the Gang while walking up the stairs to the higher levels. I paused for a few seconds in front of the entrance to Bana's office, then kept going: the fat bastard was going down, but first I needed to wait for him to finish crafting his own noose. 'You should find it on the PC or within a guide in paper format.'

"I'm on it." Minato answered.

The Bower Lounge was on the second floor, and consisted of an open space mimicking a park: there were benches, plants in a jar, flower-beds and even trees. People went there to relax, but I also saw a pair of doors protected by Nopon bodyguards. No idea what was behind them, but likely nothing interesting for me at the moment.

Beside the bodyguards there were only two other adult Nopons in the lounge, while in a corner a group of Nopon and human children were planning a game of hide-and-seek. Wanting to get this over with, I approached who I hoped were the couriers I was searching for. "Excuse me: are you Hurryscurry and Sorinosori?"

The two Nopons, who were in the middle of a bet of some kind, looked at me with recognition in their beady little eyes... it felt less creepy in reality. "That appearance... Is friend's name Lee, perchance?"

The moment I nodded the two jumped off the bench and approached me with all haste, a pen and a delivery order held in their wings. "Great great! Sign here please, a delivery from Hurryscurry."

"Also sign here, a delivery from Sorinosori." The second Nopon added.

I took the pens, which I didn't expect to find in Alrest, and signed both documents. After I was done the two couriers both shoved a small chest in my arms and left in a hurry, chatting about urgent orders they could finally finish.

"...Yeah, rude." I scoffed and sat down on the bench they just vacated. Slightly cracking open the lids of both chests I confirmed they both contained a Core Crystal: one with a red sheen and one with a yellow sheen. Satisfied I closed both chests: I would need a bag to carry them, but that could wait.

"I found the list." Minato announced. "There are a lot of names, want me to look up one in particular Lee?"

'Which Blades are associated with the Ebullient Core Crystal and the Divine Core Crystal?'

"Let's see... the Ebullient Core Crystal grants the Blade Crossette." An image of a girl with black and white hair, wearing clothes themed after Japanese fireworks, filled my mind. I recognized her, she was a fan of Pyra but butted heads with Mythra. "Fire Element. Weapon is a Bitball, and despite being a Healer she has potent damage-boosting skills. Other talents include creation of explosives, making spicy food, knowledge related to vegetables and an uncanny ability to endure hardships, boredom included."

Definitely a fun girl to have around.

"While the Divine Core Crystal-what. This guy is literally a blonde Kirito." This time what filled my mind was the image of a blonde boy with a confident smile, a cool black feathered cape and two swords strapped to his back. I agreed with Minato, this guy could pass as Kirito's long-lost twin. "Name's Corvin, Light Element. His weapons are Dual Swords, and his skills as a swordsman are second to none in the whole of Alrest. Other talents include a mastery of the Light Element, especially the ability to purge status effects, knowledge related to trees and an expertise in ancient civilizations. Apparently Drivers skilled enough to use both swords, not just the first one, are below only the Aegis in fighting potential."

So, a dual-wielding genius swordsman? Despite being a fellow fan of dual-wielding swords I was not interested in having him as my Blade: at the moment I was considering giving Corvin to Rex, I was confident the little guy had what it takes to be an amazing swordsman. So why not give him both a powerful weapon and a teacher?

Talking about Rex, how to approach him without looking suspicious? Unlike with Rito and Sasuke I was a complete unknown in this world, with no backstory and just the clothes I was currently wearing. Hell, despite having just received two powerful Core Crystals I didn't have a single penny! Or Gold, the local currency... Did people really walk around with coins made of gold? That stuff was heavy! What about paper money?!

Right. Investigating how Alrest's economy works in real life later, planning how to hook myself in with the main cast now. The fact I was broke could work to my advantage, Rex was a good person so he would definitely be willing to give me a hand. Obviously I planned to return the favor: I knew Rex regularly sent money back to Fonsett Island, his birthplace, and taking advantage of kindness was just scummy.

Uhm, maybe I could say I was interested in becoming a Salvager? I never practiced scuba diving in my old life but the concept had its own charm, not to mention it was the fastest way to help Rex. Underwater treasure hunting... I could get behind that idea. And for my origins... My parents were from Mor Ardain, but traveled a lot and died when I was still young: as a result I spent most of my life traveling across the Cloud Sea, which I can use to justify my knowledge of different Titans. As usual the idea of lying left a bad taste in my mouth, but at least it wasn't out of malice.

Now I just needed to wander around the Guild' port until I saw the unmistakable form of Azurda, AKA Grandpa Stone Dragon, and buy a bag to carry around my two Core Crystals.

Except bags cost money and I was broke. Damn.

"Your floundering went from annoying to vaguely amusing Lee." Laharl spoke with condescension. "Are you seriously planning to carry loot on your back like the lowest of servants?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. 'What else can I do? Use my Inventory?'

The Overlord didn't reply, but I could feel his shit-eating grin.

'...Wait, hold on. I have an Inventory?' Sure I had a character sheet thanks to Laharl but-of course. Just because it wasn't mentioned it didn't mean it was not present. The only item I needed until now was the Keyblade, and it already had the ability to appear and disappear at will.

Looking around I made sure nobody was paying attention to me before covering the two chests with my arms. "Add to Inventory." I whispered, using both words and my own imagination to give the command. A fraction of a second later I felt the presence of both chests disappear, and when I lifted my arms there was nothing left on my lap.

"The two chests are here with us now." Tsuna informed me. "I assume you want them in a  safe place until the right time?"

'Yes, thank you.' Pretty much all my inner world was a safe place, but it was better to keep the Core Crystals where they wouldn't get in the way of the Gang's activities.

With another problem solved, and the resolution to take advantage of my Inventory like a filthy minmaxer, all that was left was to find Rex and Azurda and introduce myself to them. If I remembered it right they dock at the Return Port when coming back from their salvaging trips, making it the best place to check first.

While leaving the Bower League I started channeling Rito for his luck, and Ranma for his martial arts and Chi-abilities. Nothing too showy like Laharl, but enough to ensure I would not be taken out instantly in case of sudden danger. In the game only crab-like monsters were encountered within the Guild, and only under certain circumstances, but I was more worried about unsavory characters.

"You mentioned this 'Bana' guy is up to no good?" Ranma asked.

'Like you wouldn't believe.' I told him. 'At first he may just look like another ruthless businessman, but he's willing to inflame the hostilities between different countries and even start a war to make a profit. Hell, he's funding a group of terrorists led by his own father.'

'So the 'I will do anything for money' type, uh?' Killua clicked his tongue. 'It's probably hypocritical coming from me, but I've never been fond of guys driven solely by their greed.'

"Wouldn't it be more efficient to take him down now, then?" Riku pointed out.

'I wish. The problem is that his presence is necessary for a certain event to happen: one I cannot afford to derail.' Without Bana Jin and the rest of Torna would seek out another salvaging crew to recover the ship where Pyra and Mythra were currently sleeping, leaving me unable to track them down and interfere. 'But after that we will dismantle his little criminal empire, I swear it.'

"That sounds fun!"

The Return Port was much bigger than in the game, with the wharf full of docked ships, cranes, goods and people either mulling around, discussing prices or moving said goods. I also saw people climbing on Titans and doing what I could only classify as 'grooming', removing debris and making sure the giants were healthy. Quite the sight, I must admit.

There were also smaller ships that weren't drawn by Titans, making me curious about how they worked, and people in heavy scuba suits I immediately classified as Salvagers. Looking closer without being obvious I discovered those suits were more armored than it looked at a first glance, likely to deal with the water pressure and monsters. Being a Salvager was more dangerous than I expected if they needed something like that, no wonder Rex was good at fighting even before getting a Blade.

"Hey, you." One of said Salvagers called out to me. "Are you looking for something? Or someone?"

"No, just doing a little sight-seeing." I answered. "This is my first time in Argentum."

"Got it. Pay attention to your surroundings while in the Port, there are some people who just pick up stuff and walk around without even looking where they're going." He gestured to a guy sitting next to him, one of his legs in a cast. "Sashi here had a crate full of Photonic Coils breaking his leg when an idiot bumped into him from behind."

"And when I was done with that guy he was much worse!" Sashi chuckled.

Well, at least he was handling his injury well. "Thank you for the advice. I hope your leg heals soon, mister." I thanked the two before continuing on my way.

It was when I reached one end of the wharf that I finally spotted who I was hoping to find: the profile of Azurda was unmistakable, being a white dragon with stone-like scales that somehow floated on the surface of the Cloud Sea despite his body looking very heavy. Did I mention the long horn on his forehead and the equally long pointed chin gave him a somehow goofy appearance? Despite that his back was large enough to house a small metal cabin, several containers, a few potted plants and even a crane. It appeared more than a little unsafe, but Azurda must have an excellent balance to keep it stable.

And on the pier where the Titan was docked, busy unloading a few crates, was Rex: the brown-haired teen was shorter than me, but not by much, and was wearing his iconic blue, brown and gold salvager gear. The bulky boots looked a little funny on his skinny body, but I supposed he was more comfortable in the half-suit than with normal clothes. More practical too. The anchor on his left arm looked more like an automatic crossbow with a retractable cable, explaining how he could use it as a weapon in combat.

I approached them while looking around, playing the part of the tourist. Azurda noticed me before Rex did, his long neck turning around so he could look at me with both eyes. His stony visage didn't allow for a great range of expression, but from his eyes I could hazard he was looking at me with a mix of idle curiosity and slight confusion. No idea where the latter came from, maybe it was something with my appearance? Who knew what Azurda considered 'good' fashion.

"This was an amazing haul!" Rex exclaimed with delight as he lifted the last crate with both hands. His voice sounded more mature than his apparent age, but there was also an undeniable amount of youthfulness. This was a 15 years old boy who decided to move far away from his home and do a dangerous job to financially support the people who raised him after his parents died, he had my complete and utter respect.

However he apparently miscalculated the crate's balance, because while walking down on the pier Rex began to sway back and forth. "Woah!"

"Careful there!" I rushed ahead and grabbed the crate from the other side, keeping it steady.

"Thanks a lot!" Working together Rex and I reached the pier and put the crate next to the other ones. Straightening up the brown-haired boy wiped the sweat from his forehead and offered me an easy-going smile. "I'm Rex, nice to meet you. Haven't seen you before, are you new?"

"Likewise. My name is Lee." I answered. "Just arrived in Argentum for the first time, I was taking in the sights."

Rex nodded in understanding. There was a low rumbling coming from Azurda, as if boulders were rolling in his throat. "Right, sorry about it! He's Old Man Azurda, but I just call him Gramps."

"'Old man', he says... no respect for the elderly nowadays." The Titan rumbled good-naturedly, speaking without moving his lips. Contrary to his appearance Azurda's voice wasn't loud: it was like he was a normal human talking in front of me, a neat trick.

"Nice to meet you too, Mister Azurda." I replied with a nod. Cool grandfather or not, I was still a stranger to them at the moment.

"Charmed." The Titan chuckled, then once again he looked at me with a mix of curiosity and confusion. "Forgive my bluntness, but are you a Blade?"

Rex reacted even more surprised than I. "Really? Lee, you're a Blade?"

"Uh, no? Pretty sure I'm human." To prove my point I pulled down the top of my shirt, showing my chest. "See? No crystal. Blades always have one in their chests, right?"

"Mmmh, my apologies. It appears I was mistaken." Azurda nodded. "You see, I detected a huge amount of Ether coming from you. Normally only a Blade has that much of it in their body... beside us Titans, of course."

Interesting. Was he sensing my Chi, since I was channeling Ranma, or the various reserves of energy granted by my power? Normal people generating Ether even without being Drivers explained how Rex was able to learn Arts before contracting with Pyra.

"Too bad. I never met a Blade before." Rex's shoulders slumped. "What brings you to Argentum, Lee?"

"Good question." I put on a troubled face. "You see, I used the last of my money to pay for my travel. I am completely and utterly broke."

"Ykes!" Rex winced. "So you need a job, and fast uh?"

"Yeah. To tell you the truth, while coming here I actually considered becoming a Salvager: I can't say it's my life calling, but as a job it has an undeniable allure to it."

"Really? You're in luck then!" Rex put a fist over his heart and raised his chin, looking very smug. "I am one of the best Salvagers around here. If you'd like, I can show you everything you need to know."

"One of the best Salvagers around, he says." Azurda mumbled with mirth. "When it's been not even a year since he started being one. Kids grow up fast, I suppose..."

"Gramps!" The brown-haired boy shouted, cheeks red as both Azurda and I laughed.

Oh yeah, I was so going to enjoy my time in Alrest.