Vyran
I soared through the sky with my mechanical wings while Sarudei and the others dealt with the sniper on the ground.
As soon as I reached the mecha, Aiden lowered the barrier. Thankfully, it appeared they knew I had come in peace.
Placing my hand on the back of the mecha, I surrounded it with my cosmic radiance. It allowed me to see into the machine. The Titanos really had reversed engineered an older model of mecha from my universe. How they managed to do it, I wasn't sure. But it must've given the people of planet Titana a leap in tech.
"Hold on, you three. I'm almost done fixing the issue," I said as code flashed before my mind. "There!"
The mecha's systems began to stabilize, and Huitlo regained control. Although, I made sure to disable all attack weapons for the time being, only leaving defensive and movement. Should the trio decide to attack us, a code I put inside it would trigger.
"Got it," I said, retracting my hands and deactivating the Cosmic Radiance. "You should be good to go."
"Thank you, Vyran," Ret said, his voice filled with gratitude. "We owe you one. Actually, there's something that I need to talk to you about."
I blinked. "Me?"
The mecha descended to the ground and the cockpit opened.
"Hmph, weren't you going to make your grand escape?" Sarudei said as she had the snipper pinned to the floor.
"I was," Ret said as the cockpit opened. "But, I learned of some valuable information."
She raised an eyebrow.
"And what would that be?" Varia asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It concerns your home universe, actually," Ret said.
I gasped. "Retra? What's going on there?"
"That's where Yusan went," Huitlo said as he continued to carry a now unconscious Tira.
Zane raised his bow at them. "And why should we trust you?"
"Hey, let them talk," Kaeii said, pushing his friend's bow down.
Zane huffed. "Fine..."
"Yusan went to your universe to help the vanguard. We could work together to crush him."
Varia hummed. "You plan to use us for your own purpose, huh? And what would you do after?"
He sighed. "Who knows. I am a commander of Titanos at the end of the day."
"See!" Zane said. "He doesn't plan to work with us, just use us. I say we take him and his friends down now!"
"Calm down, Cuz," Aiden said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Zane let out a frustrated huff.
"Zane, we're all wary," I said as I landed beside him. "But right now, we need information more than we need conflict."
Ret's gaze was unwavering, his stance that of a man who understood the gravity of the situation. "I'm not asking for blind trust," he said, his voice carrying the weight of command. "But Yusan's actions could have dire consequences for all our worlds. We must act, and quickly."
Varia stepped closer, her eyes locked on Ret. "If we do this, if we join forces, it's as equals. Not as pawns or tools, but as allies with a common goal."
Ret's purple eyes lingered on her for a while. "Fine, as equals."
He said that, but he didn't sound sincere. Although did we really have much of an option? Right now, Sis, Deros, and I were stranded on a planet that wasn't even in our universe. Teaming up with Retas was the only way we could return to Retra.
"Then let's set terms," I suggested. "A pact, to ensure that none of us will act against the other until Yusan is dealt with," I spoke up.
Zane turned around. "Well, I don't need to be a part of it. Me and the rebels will handle ourselves here. You two can help this manipulative commander all you want."
"Although, I would like to go," Sarudei said.
"Eh?" Zane said, turning around. "Why? We have our own issues. The remaining Titanos forces here might attack us at any moment."
"They won't, not unless I tell them to," the prince said as he walked out. "With Yusan gone, they obey my orders. Plus, I got Zairus on my side to back me up."
"Zairus?" Sarudei said.
"That would be me," a voice called out.
She gasped as she stared at the young man who looked a lot like me. Seeing one guy who reminded her of Syran was back enough, but now there were two of us.
"Zairus is my right hand," Huitlo explained with a slight smile.
Zairus stepped forward, his posture relaxed yet confident. "It's an honor to meet you all," he said, his gaze sweeping over us. "I assure you, my loyalty to the monarchy is unwavering, and I support your collaboration against Yusan. We must root out all traitors, regardless of who they may be."
Huitlo nodded and stared at his unconscious companion. His eyes went back to the destroyed base.
"Does she need treatment?" Sarudei asked. Her stance softened slightly, the initial shock giving way to curiosity
Zane scoffed as he tied up the sniper with rope he had brought with him. "Can't they recover with Ki?"
Huitlo blushed.
"We don't know healing skills," Zairus said, sighing.
"I can heal myself, but not others," Ret said.
Sarudei frowned. "Wait, so you could've healed back in the cavern?"
He smiled. "I did, in secret. Although your medicine did help too."
She sighed and shook her head. Her trust in Retas was probably near an all-time low. He had hidden so much from her and the others. It made me wary about assisting him.
"We can help but promise that you will keep her from attacking us," I said, crossing my arms.
"Please. That girl is insane," Aiden said.
Huitlo smiled. "Indeed. But there's something adorable about it, isn't there?"
Aiden gave him a funny face. "Seems my counterpart is a weirdo..."
The prince grumbled. "Am not!"
I stared at Tira and realized she kind of looked like Sarai's younger sister...
The prince's peculiar affection for Tira's wild spirit was a stark contrast to the tension that had just filled the air. I couldn't help but wonder if there was more to their dynamic than met the eye. Especially given the relationship their counterparts back home had...
"Adorable is not the word I would use," I mused, my gaze shifting from Huitlo to the unconscious Tira. "But if we're to work together, we need to ensure everyone's safety, including hers."
Huitlo's expression softened as he looked at Tira. "Agreed. She won't cause any harm under my watch. We have bigger concerns, and internal strife is a luxury we can't afford."
Zane nodded, his earlier suspicion giving way to a reluctant acceptance. "Fine, but we're keeping an eye on her. And on you," he added, pointing a finger at Ret.
Ret held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Fair enough. I'll be on my best behavior," he said.
Zairus stepped beside Huitlo, his presence reassuring. "We should on getting Tira treated. Then we can talk about what to do next."
Sarudei nodded and walked over to Tira. She took out a balm from his satchel and put it over Tira.
Tira's began to stir. "Sis?" Tira whispered as she looked at Sarudei.
She blinked. "Sis?"
"You do resemble her older sister, somewhat," Ret said, putting a hand on his chin. "Although, she is far more terrifying."
"Is she a commander too?" Zane asked.
Ret snickered. "Higher."
"Higher? How high?"
"We can discuss that later. We need to get out of here before the animals come out," Sarudei said.
"Agreed," a voice called out. It was Hiesno, accompanying him was Arare.
Suddenly, a girl riding a boar rushed past them.
"Eh?" I said, blinking.
"What's going on here?" the girl asked.
"We should ask you that! Who are you?" I asked. "And why are you riding that pig?"
She huffed. "His name is Boargy. And for your information, I'm Lia. A lieutenant of Titanos."
"Hey, Lia!" Arare said, grinning. "Didn't think I would see you again so soon."
She looked over her shoulder and sighed. "You again... At least you made it out of there safely."
He nodded. "Yeah, all thanks to you!"
"Arare, you need to be less friendly with the enemy," Hiesno said, crossing his arms over his chest.
His young brother sighed. "Fine."
I couldn't help but laugh. Arare sure was an oddball.
"Follow me," Lia said, without another world.
Ret glanced at Huitlo.
"Let's follow her. Lia's survival skills are some of the best," Zairus said.
"Alright."
Hiesno hummed. "You folks will need to explain what exactly is going on here on the way."
"We will," Sarudei said, nodding.
"I would like that too," Lia said as her boar came to a stop. "But, I trust you folks got something brewing."
Ret nodded and followed after her.
Our temporary alliance with the Titanos'... it left me uneasy still. Perhaps because I knew it would come to an end soon.